To the Rescue
"Shrek?" Artie ventured, his voice was quiet.
"We must stay quiet, señor," Puss, whispered from his shoulder, "We can find him using our senses alone."
Artie looked around, they were in the middle of a forest and it was dark. He was cold and damp from the storm that happened as the island was finally summoned for them. The young adult wasn't so sure his senses were up to scratch. "If you're sure," he hesitantly nodded.
"Of course!" the cat chuckled, "How do you think I got my name? The great cat burglar!" he lowered his voice, "catsassin, ogre killer."
Artie had heard stories, he wasn't entirely sure what to think. He only knew the cat had experience at whatever they were doing. The heavens knew he didn't. Unless sneaking lunch out of the hall and eating quietly in the toilets was considered experience for this. He had guards to do this for him now. In fact, they actively discouraged him from getting into any tricky situations. Normally, Artie wouldn't dream of it. But this was different. He had to rise up and be a king.
They crept through the plants and dodged trees. It was difficult for him to look around and not trip over tree roots and shrubs that littered the ground. Artie just had to trust that Puss could be the eyes for him. He held the hilt of his sword with a tight grip. It was reassuring for him, even though he wasn't sure how much help it would be. Despite the guards, the king had been taught to use a sword. Turns out he wasn't terrible at it, though the sword that he occasionally wore was mainly for decoration. He couldn't imagine needing to use it to actually fight anyone, or anything. He had previously complained about the weapon needing to follow him everywhere, so for once it was actually coming in handy.
"What do we do?" he spoke in a muted voice.
"You, you part leaves carefully, tread softly, run when I tell you to. Draw your sword when I do. Follow my lead."
Artie didn't feel much like a king in that moment as he nodded along with the cat's instructions. People had offered to come along, to assist the king, but Artie had refused. Partly because he wanted this mission to be his own, and partly because he knew he would be relying on Puss more than others might have expected.
"Burro... you just have to shut your mouth," the cat concluded, with a quiet laugh.
"Wait-" the pair then looked around. They hadn't heard Donkey's voice in a while. It was silent. The animal was nowhere to be seen.
Artie felt sick, he couldn't even remember looking for him as they climbed through the trees to get into the island. He was being selfish, looking out for his own life. It made him feel guilty. Kings weren't supposed to be selfish. A lot of them were, but they were terrible monarchs and everyone knew it. Artie didn't want to be a bad king. Every time he did something he thought was wrong, he would agonise over it and the consequences. He supposed in those cases he still wasn't entirely used to the role, even if it had been five years. Now there was something else to worry about. Who knew where Donkey was, or even if he'd gotten in with them.
"Donkey?" they called for him as loudly as they dared. Their slow steps turned into hurried trampling of the undergrowth beneath them.
The pair paused as they heard a familiar voice. They looked at each other, it was Donkey and he was singing. With a roll of the eyes, Puss indicated to follow his voice. It was an easy task even for Artie. For once Donkey's volume was coming in handy, Artie realised with amusement. Though Puss seemed irritated, instructing for them to go faster and faster still. He was worried about the noise drawing attention. That made Artie all the more nervous.
"Donkey," Artie spoke again as they neared him.
"Hey!" the singing stopped, "Where are you guys? Are you lost?"
"Burro, lower your voice," Puss hissed, "Where are you?"
"I'm on the path! You guys just dove into those trees there and disappeared!"
Puss and Artie exchanged a glance once again. They shared a bemused smile. Out of the three of them, Donkey was the one who was able to find the path that was going in the right direction, and they were the ones getting lost. "Donkey?" Artie spoke as loudly as he dared. "You need to talk, keep talking, but quietly," Artie peered through trees and saw more light.
"I need to talk?" Donkey's voice alerted them to the right direction once again, "Now, that's a mission I could get used to!"
Fiona once again found herself falling. She braced herself as she hit the ground with a grunt. She sat up and surveyed her surroundings. It was wrong. The sky was blue and grass stretched on as far as the eye could see. This wasn't the place she found her husband in before. The ogress stood. For a moment she just looked around, blinking back tired, frustrated tears. She took a deep breath, wiping at her eyes. Fiona looked down, the path she was standing on was familiar. She scuffed a shoe at the ground for a moment before lifting her gaze. The path stretched on for as far as she could see. Yes. It was the same trail she and Shrek had followed before. Shrek had clearly left the forest. She looked behind her, she could just about make out trees. Nodding, the ogress set her sights ahead of her and began her journey. She walked quickly, almost breaking into a run. But she felt hesitant to waste her energy. In the vision they were in a room, there were books. But there were no houses to be seen.
"Shrek!" she called. She didn't know if it was any use. It probably wasn't. But if the image she had shown was anything to go by things were urgent. She didn't have time conserve her energy. Fiona took a breath and began to run. Her ears suddenly perked up as she heard voices shouting in the distance. She came to a halt as disbelief washed over her, because it sounded like... it sounded like her children. She looked around. "Hey!" she called, "Where are you?"
"Mom!"
They sounded like they were getting closer but she couldn't see them. Despite being outside away from what was in that vision, she began to panic, her heart pounding in her chest. She ran down the path in the direction of their voices.
"We're here! We're here, mommy!"
It was almost by magic she saw them enter her vision out of nowhere a little ways ahead of her. The three of them were running at her. The ogress felt like she was finally able to breathe, tears welled in her eyes.
"Ohh, it's you!" she could feel herself trembling as they all ran into her arms. "Hey, are you okay? Did you get hurt? I missed you so much, I was so worried." She spoke at them, kissing them each in turn, wiping their faces and holding onto them. She desperately blinked back the tears of relief, "We're going home, okay? We're..."
"Mom, is Sir Squeakles okay? I miss him," Felicia interrupted her.
Fiona took a moment to smile at her daughter, "Yes, baby, he's fine. He's waiting for you."
"Did you bring him?"
"Felicia, shh!" Farkle threw a hand over his sister's mouth, "Daddy's in trouble!"
"We have to save him!" Fergus nodded.
Fiona snapped out of her momentary happiness, her face turned serious, "Where is he?"
Pointed fingers showed Fiona the way. After a moment of deliberation the ogress decided to bring the children with her. She didn't want to be far from them if the cloaked person - they seemed to be calling Felix - decided to change his target. They all hurried down the path. It was magic, of course it was. They had to walk through a tree the triplets seemed to not even spot right in front of them. When Fiona looked back the tree was also disappeared from her vision. Though, the children had led her to the right place. She held them still as she looked up at the house. She crouched down to look at them, "Where in the house is he?"
"He's up the stairs," Felicia pointed to the top of the house.
"In the room with the books," Fergus added. Fiona nodded at him, she knew that much already. She just hoped it would be easy to reach.
"I can show you!" Farkle proudly jumped up.
"No," Fiona took his hand, "You three wait here, okay?" They groaned in response. She ignored their protest. "And if anything happens to you, or you see anyone, you scream. You scream as loudly as you can."
"Can we fight them?" Farkle asked, seeming to cheer up a little.
The ogress paused, considering him, "...yes. You fight as much as you can." Their faces brightened. "That's if I don't get to you first. You must listen to me."
"Can we bite?" was Felicia's next question. Ignoring her mother's last statement.
Fiona sighed, "Yes," she saw the sly smirk creep over Felicia's face, "Just don't bite each other." Her daughter's face subsequently fell. The older ogress shook her head. She was surprised by how upbeat they were. What she saw in the image was horrifying, though between then and now they had somehow managed to escape. Perhaps her husband was winning after all. But she couldn't hear him, not see him returning through the open front door.
"I'll watch them, mom," Fergus assumed the responsibility, breaking her gaze from the house.
"Okay honey," she smiled at him, "You do that." Despite the danger all around them, her heart was so happy every time she looked at them. But it was too close. She couldn't let her guard down. Not until they were safely back in the castle.
"Wait, how come he gets to be in charge?"
Fiona ignored the immediate protest. "Stay here," she instructed, rising to her full height, "Be quiet, but make as much noise as you can if someone comes to get you," she took a breath, "I'm going to save your father."
Felix slowly edged closer to the ogre, still held against the wall. Shrek didn't move his hard gaze, he didn't want to show fear. He wasn't scared for himself anyway. Felix got closer, Shrek realised he could easily reach him if he could draw the strength. He tried, gritting his teeth and desperately trying to pull his arm from the wall. The pain took Shrek by surprise. It felt like a thousand tiny daggers stabbed into his arm at once. He yelled out.
"There's no point in fighting it," Felix chuckled, "As you said, strength doesn't beat magic. Only magic beats magic," a sly smirk crossed his face.
"Aye," Shrek knew that very well. He'd come across magic before, the only thing that seemed to beat them was themselves. Shrek looked around, there was nothing he could use. No metal, nothing reflective, no exit clause. Felix's palm grew nearer, the pressure on Shrek's chest increased. It was getting painful, the ogre was finding it difficult to breathe. "Wait," he struggled. Felix allowed him some more breathing room, he lifted an eyebrow. "Tell me what's going on," Shrek wanted to provoke more speech. One, to buy more time, and two, because he was feeling more confused than ever. "Why d'ye need time? Why my kids? What exactly is it yer looking for?"
Felix took a moment to pause and smile at him, "Oh that doesn't matter, none of this does. I just need you here long enough..."
"What?" Shrek widened his eyes, "Long enough for what?" he demanded.
The man smiled despite the situation, "For this."
Felix fainted once again, just like before. Shrek sprang forward, suddenly regaining full control of his body. He caught the boy as he began to fall backwards. "Felix," the ogre shook him.
"Uhh..." Felix began to stir, lifting his head a little and regaining his footing. The ogre held onto his arm as he stood. He looked up at Shrek, opened his mouth to speak-
"HEE-YA!"
Shrek just about caught a glimpse of his wife before her foot hit the side of Felix's head, knocking the boy from the ogre's grip. He fell limp to the ground, unconscious yet again.
"Fiona!"
"What?" Fiona stared at him incredulously.
"That wasn't..."Shrek shook away the explanation, there were more important matters to address, "The kids, they-"
"They're outside," she smiled, finishing his statement for him, "I found them." Shrek couldn't help but let the relief wash over him. He finally felt like he could breathe. He didn't have a clue what was going on, neither did Fiona. But they were together again, with the children. "Are you okay?" Fiona had concern strewn over her face, she held onto his arm.
"Yah, I'm fine," he shrugged her off, trying not to visibly wince at the pain on his shoulder. He then looked down to Felix, who certainly was not fine on the ground.
Fiona began to pull at Shrek in the direction of the exit, though whispers drew their attention to the door. There was a gasp and an unmistakable Farkle jumping aside, out of sight.
"Hey, what did I say?" Fiona raised her voice, though Shrek could see the smile tugging at her lips. Whatever the terrible circumstances were, it was good to have the family back together.
"It was Fergus's idea!" Farkle exclaimed, as the three of them appeared in the doorway.
"But Farkle came in first, not me!" Fergus shot back, pointing an accusing finger.
"He did," Felicia nodded in confirmation, provoking a glare from her brother.
"C'mere," Shrek invited them into the room, holding out an arm to them. He could hug them properly now, and he intended to do so.
"Wait!" Fiona stepped purposely between him and the children, throwing an exaggerated look to Felix, "They can't come in here, not with him. We need to go!"
"We don't need t' worry about him exactly," Shrek chuckled. Fiona only looked to him, panic in her eyes. "Besides, ye took care of him already."
"Mommy, oh no, that's good Felix!" Felicia announced, as the triplets ran into the room anyway. They all crowded around the fallen man, ignoring their parents entirely.
Fiona was tense, Shrek could tell. He needed to explain everything, but in some part she was right. They needed to go, he didn't know how long it would be until the witch decided to come back. Though, the ogre couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that something bigger was happening. The witch knew Fiona was coming, she disappeared as soon as his wife entered the room. Perhaps Fiona was who she was talking about before. But what did she want with Fiona? Shrek looked to his wife. As thankful as he was to have her, and to be able to breathe again, maybe her being on the island wasn't such a good thing.
Felix began to stir and wake up, the triplets shuffled further to him. Though Fiona was quick to jump to them. "Get away from him," she yelped, she pulled them away. The children looked at her with confusion in their eyes. Her tone making them concerned and they did as she said. But as Felix opened his eyes, Farkle pushed forwards once more, his expression lighting up. Fiona gripped onto his shoulder, pausing his movement.
"Fiona, it's okay," Shrek gently took hold of her own shoulders, "The witch takes over his body, but she's gone," he gave her a simple explanation. Fiona's pained expression didn't move as she watched the man on the ground. Felix held onto his sore head and groaned, slowly sitting. He looked up, meeting Fiona's eyes.
Her face softened, "His eyes, they're different," she whispered.
"He's safe," Shrek offered reassurance once again.
Finally, she released her grip of their son. "I'm sorry, about that," she spoke to Felix as he checked his hand for blood where he had been holding the lump on his head.
"Not at all," he replied, "I'm sorry," he moved his gaze to Shrek, "for whatever I did." He surveyed the room with his eyes, there were books fallen from the shelves, the armchair toppled over, various cracks and crashes on the walls. "And I'm sorry about everything," he was sad, "The mist, the flashbacks, them, the island, everything."
"Flashbacks?"
Fiona's surprise made Shrek tense up. She looked at him, brow furrowed. The ogre didn't react to her, but Felix caught onto her words.
"The mist creates awful flashbacks," he spoke solemnly, "People don't really like reliving their most painful memories."
Shrek gritted his teeth, aware of his wife's gaze. If he had to tell her about what he saw, he'd have to tell her about everything.
"Oh," Fiona's reply was simple, she placed a hand on Shrek's arm, but didn't question further. He appreciated it. Though he knew he would appreciate it all the more if she could forget all about it. He had a feeling that his wife wouldn't.
"You should go, get out of here," Felix confirmed, standing, albeit wobbling a little.
"Can we leave? It's a long way back." Shrek asked, eager to change the subject. Though his words gave away different fears to Fiona. She looked at him, biting her lip.
"I can't feel her presence. You have time," he nodded at them. "This place is magic, with the brighter part of the island open, the dark part is smaller," he paused. "Of course, I'll do what I can to keep her away."
"But... but what about you, Felix?" Felicia asked him innocently, "Where will you go?"
"You should come with us!" Farkle exclaimed, Fergus nodding beside him.
He laughed gently, "I can't come with you," their faces fell, "I have to stay here while you guys make your great escape," he spoke with enthusiasm but it didn't seem to raise their spirits. Shrek realised Felix wouldn't remember their real great escape. One he still couldn't quite believe they managed to pull off. It wasn't a good sign for the future. A sly smirk spread over Felix's face, "You'll need to be fast... How fast can you go?" he looked directly at Farkle, who was suddenly bursting with energy.
"I can be super fast! I'm the fastest!" the child exclaimed, jumping on the spot.
"Actually, I won in a race we did back at home," Fergus pointed out, somewhat smugly, "Remember mommy?" he looked back to his mother. She smiled at him.
"But I-"
"Okay," Shrek cut off Felicia joining the debate before it turned into a full blown argument, "We need t'get going then." He smiled appreciatively at Felix. There was no doubt in the ogre's mind that he didn't try to take care of his children. But it wasn't enough to stay and chat.
"Yes, you need to hurry. Once you reach the forest, don't take the path. It'll be quicker that way. The path there has a magical quality to it," Felix briefed them with the instructions.
Fiona's eyes were briefly on him again, though she was quickly distracted. She gathered the children and had them hurry their goodbyes. She was out the door quicker than the ogre had ever seen his family leave anywhere before.
"Shrek."
Shrek's attention was caught as he ushered his family out of the room. Felix's face was suddenly concerned. It brought back the stone in the pit of his stomach.
"I'm going to destroy the island, before the witch can take control again," it was good news, but his face did not convey any happiness, "But for her to truly be lost, I need to take myself with it."
The ogre's first instinct was to protest. He could see the sadness in the boy's eyes, it was not a confident decision. But Shrek knew the safety of his family came first. If he was willing to sacrifice himself to achieve that, then so be it. The ogre simply nodded, "If that's the only way..."
"I believe so," Felix nodded gravely, his gaze trailing to the ground. He paused briefly before the urgency entered his tone, "You must run, as fast as you can. I only have a limited amount of time. I can't wait for you."
Shrek almost left, but he stopped in his tracks. He wasn't good at expressing gratitude, real sincere gratitude, he avoided it at the best of times. But a stranger was giving up his life for his family. This was an exception. "Felix, uh, thanks," he spoke quickly. The boy smiled awkwardly back, before demanding he leave. Shrek did. Bounding down the steps and out of the house. He swept up his sons, instructing his wife take their daughter and they ran.
Felix stared ahead at the wall for a moment. It was silent. The moment after his guests left was always the loneliest. The solitude would crash upon him every time. He picked up the chair that had been knocked over in the commotion – the commotion he couldn't remember – and took a heavy seat. He looked up at the ceiling. Normally he could feel her whenever he did that. It was a strange sensation to be able to feel another's presence inside of you. But there was nothing. He didn't know what the ogre had done, but something had definitely changed.
He slowly returned his gaze to the cell, the door swung open, the guests escaped. He'd never helped anyone and succeeded before. This was the first time. But he didn't feel happier for it. He'd always imagined that moment, when people got away. He always thought he'd be proud, and a little smug. But he just felt empty. Emptier than usual, even. Because nothing changed. He looked around the room. Even if he chose to leave himself and the island be, nothing would change. He'd have saved people, but he'd still be alone, in his house, on that island, in the middle of nowhere, unable to escape. The same thoughts had hit him before, over and over throughout the years. But the hope had always remained. Now it had actually happened, it hit him harder than it had ever done before. It didn't matter anymore. Nothing mattered. Everything had to go. He hadn't finished his job yet.
He expected the motivation to hit him, but it didn't. He just sat for a moment longer before forcing his legs to stand. He'd fantasized about destroying that house, throwing everything around, tearing down the bookshelves. But he no longer felt like he wanted to. It was bittersweet.
He held out his arm and flicked his fingers against his palm. A spark flickered and a flame began to emerge in his open hand. He stared at it. That was the start, the start to the end of everything. He gulped, the fear clouding in his stomach. He took a deep breath and the tiny flame slowly began to grow. He wasn't backing out. There was no way he'd do that. It would cost more people their lives.
The fire in Felix's hand disappeared suddenly, he looked up, startled.
"Sorry about that," the witch's screechy voice entered his head. He sighed, almost in relief that it was just her voice. "How were the guests this time?"
He sat back down in the chair, rolling his eyes, "They were children, how do you think they were?"
"We've had a child here before, you remember him?"
"Of course," the memories flooded back, he internally shuddered, "before him I was actually able to keep control of my own body."
"You stopped following instructions, my dear, how else could I make sure the job got completed?"
"Hm," Felix didn't want to have the same conversation they'd had time and time again over the years. He never won. He didn't know why she humoured him. He figured it was for the company, not that he always complied with her. There were times where he'd start reading aloud or singing just to try and get her out of his head. It was a while before he realised she was even in there, instead of speaking aloud. Felix flicked his fingers against his palm again, though his attempts to restart the fire were futile. He knew he wouldn't be able to if she was in his head. He focused harder, squinting at his hand.
"Here, allow me," the flame grew in his palm again, this time it was blue.
"What does that mean?" he questioned the colour as the flames danced in his hand.
"It's for you. Helps you save the day. As always."
Felix chuckled sadistically, he toyed with the new fire with both hands, it grew bigger, climbing his arms. He surveyed the room with his eyes, acceptance washing over him. The ache that accompanied her whenever she was in his head seemed to ease a little. Finally, he blew on the flame and it began to engulf the room. "I'm going to say those words. The ones that will destroy me and everything here."
"Just make sure you destroy the island first. You can't do much damage being dead."
"I know," he paused, looking up. Once again, he could feel her presence. "You're being oddly calm about this."
"I wish you wouldn't my dear, I've grown rather fond of you. But I'm surprised you didn't do this sooner."
He looked back down, nodding his agreement. He was surprised too. "I've never come this close to actually saving someone," he admitted, "What happened?"
"Yes, you do love to save them, don't you?"
He paused, she was avoiding the question. He shrugged it away, it didn't matter anymore, "I try," if she was avoiding questions, he had no interest in providing them "Farewell."
"No need for goodbyes."
He could feel her presence slowly slipping from him, "Wait, you never told me your name," he realised he had one more for her "After all these years together, you'd give me a parting gift. How else will I find your other victims in the afterlife to complain about you with?" he smirked.
"After you've done such wicked things, your name is your title. And you know that one."
"Of course," he breathed. "I don't wish you well. But I'll say goodbye, you're the only one I have left to say it to." Felix could feel the knot tie itself in his stomach. It was oddly reminiscent of when he said goodbye to his family all the many years ago.
"Go ahead."
"Goodbye, Wickedly Wicked Witch of Far Far Away," and yet, it wasn't the same at all. He felt no connection to her, not a real one anyway. He wouldn't miss her, not one bit. After all of the fear, anxiety, and nausea that was beginning to plague his consciousness, he also felt a little relief. The flames were eating up the room. It was hot, though he felt no pain.
"Goodbye Felix. Oh. Before you go, did they tell you what kingdom they belonged to?"
His hands stopped shaking for a moment with the distraction from her words. "They're ogres, they don't have kingdoms do they? In any case, they didn't mention it."
AN: I'm very hesitant to like the characters I create too much, but I really like Felix. Fun fact #2: I briefly considered changing his name for a bit as there's an overabundance of F names in this universe (The triplets' names are ridiculously cute).
