Episode 23: Part 2

After rejoining Kristen and heading back into town, the knights were once again met with the ominous enchanted fog that blanketed the town. Unlike the gentle hauntingly beautiful haze of the Mistmeadows, the spell that hade been crafted by Mogana had a sinister and oppressive quality to it. Upon driving back to the antique shop, the party got out of the car and met Mr. O'Doyle who was keeping watch over the place for them. The older Druid looked up and gave a sigh of relief when he saw them enter through the door before rising to greet them. "Thank the Daghda you guys are back. Did you have any luck finding that shard?"

Quinton reached into his pocket and pulled out the glowing crystal with a smile, "Well… it took some doing, but we finally got it."

As the allies all gathered, the two gargoyles came out of hiding to greet the knights. Although they were safe indoors, he sensed that there was some kind of trouble brewing outside and wanted to stay clear of it. Laura reached down and picked Scratch up to offer some reassurance before turning to the others. "Well, what are we supposed to do now? We can't just hand that thing over to Morgana, or expect her to keep her word."

"She's right," Stephen said while crossing his arms, "I'm sure Morgana's set this up so we'll be bargaining from a position of weakness."

Connor ambled over to the front counter and idly touched a stained glass window pane with a Celtic cross design on it, "Not quite Stephen. If we play things right, we just might be able to use Morgana's own arrogance against her."

Kristen raised an eyebrow, "What are you suggesting Connor?"

The Summer Knight smiled, "Morgana already thinks we mortals are beneath her… that we're stupid and short sighted. If she thinks I made that deal with her to save Noelle out of sheer desperation and emotion, then she's shown her blind spot. I propose we trick her back."

"How?" Quinton asked, "You can't violate a faerie bargain without some really bad things happening to you."

"I'm not going to break my word," Connor said while turning to Kristen, "But I will need a little help from someone with skill in magic and antiques. How much colored glass do you have to spare?"

After dressing back into their colonial outfits to blend in with the Heritage Festival, the knights returned to the fair grounds where the majority of the townspeople remained trapped in their enchanted slumber. A light wind rippled in the air as the four friends made their way past the still and silent tents and exhibit booths. After a short walk, they came to the field where they had confronted Morgana. They came to a halt and waited patiently, watching and listening for any signs of life.

"Where is she?' Quinton muttered nervously, "I have this sinking feeling she's laid another trap for us."

"She said she'd ensure the safety of the victims," Connor reminded him, "She's not going to go back on her word if they're going to be in the crossfire."

"You're absolutely right Summer Knight," came the voice of Morgana as she stepped calmly out of the fog. Despite the outward appearance of Leanansidhe, the knights could tell that Morgana was in control as the witch moved and spoke with an easy imperious confidence. "I see you've returned from the Mistmeadows of Spring. Am I to assume you trounced those barbarous Druids and recovered my crystal shard?"

"We have," Connor nodded as he reached inside his waistcoat pocket and removed a glass shard. "We're here to keep our word to you too and deal in good faith."

The witch extended her hand with a delighted predatory smile, "Excellent! Now give me the shard."

"Not so fast Morgana," Connor retorted holding the shard back, "You're going to keep your part of the deal first. I want you to remove this fog and return all the people who have been victims of it, including Noelle."

"You insolent boy. You dare dictate terms to me?" the witch snarled with sudden fury.

The Summer Knight held firm and stared her down, "We made a deal so we'll treat each other as peers. It's not an unreasonable request. You have what we want and we have what you want."

Morgana glared at him for a long moment and gritted her teeth before giving a wave of her hand. "Very well."

Upon doing that, the magic fog that had surrounded the region began to dissipate slowly and lift giving way to faint pockets of sunlight again. She gestured again to the ground where she had released the physical form of Noelle. The young knight lay peacefully on the ground and appeared to be unharmed. "Once the fog lifts and sunlight touches the faces of the mortals, the enchantment will be lifted."

Morgana then crossed her arms and gave an expectant look. "I have fulfilled my end of our deal. Now for your part of the exchange?"

Connor scowled and gripped the crystal shard again before tossing it gently to Morgana. The witch snatched it from the air and grinned triumphantly while Stephen and Quinton hurried over to recover Noelle. As she turned to examine her prize and absorb its power, she stopped and frowned in confusion. To her dismay the crystal shard was completely inert. The witch studied the object for a moment before whirling around in rage, "Treachery! This is not a crystal shard from the Staff of Morrigan! This is a fake."

"You're right," Connor smiled slyly as Laura stepped beside him to offer some backup, "I never actually agreed to give you the shard back. But some of our Druid friends crafted a pretty convincing replica, don't you think?"

The fey witch sputtered, "But you said…"

"What I said was that I'd bring the shard back to this meadow when it's time to make an exchange… and I have."

Morgana gave a murderous glare and eyed the four knights arrayed against her, "Then that must mean that one of you still has the crystal on your person right here. I'll just have to kill you all to find it!"

As the knights squared off and prepared for battle, they stopped as they witnessed a large band of spriggan warriors appear out of the mist, only they weren't coming to reinforce Morgana. Instead, that company of Fomorian soldiers was under the command of Balor's other general, the redcap Seamus. All three factions stopped abruptly and faced each other down before Seamus was handed his spiked chain weapon. His severed forearm was still in the process of regenerating but it didn't keep him from still being a formidable combatant.

"Morgana! We've finally found you again. I figured you were hiding in this fog like a cowardly snake. I'm taking you in to Lord Balor dead or alive."

"Well… bugger," Laura cursed quietly upon realizing a three way free for all was about to ensue. "I think we'd better suit up?"

"Good call," Connor nodded as the four knights raised their rings, "Athru!"

In a brilliant flash of colored light, the knights drew their weapons and took a defensive stance. Seamus watched the humans ready themselves before turning back to his troops. "We came for Morgana. If the knights get in the way, kill them too!"

The spriggans charged forward as Morgana pivoted on her heel and moved to make a swift attack on the knights. While the four tumbled out of the way, Quinton scooped up Noelle and handed her off to Connor, "Get her to safety. We'll slow these clowns down."

The Summer Knight nodded and took off carrying Noelle while Laura recovered to her feet and took command of the others, "All right! Stay clear of Morgana and halt the Formorians. No one gets through!"

Moments later, the meadows were filled with the sound of ringing steel and combat as Seamus leapt at Morgana while the Formorian foot soldiers locked weapons with the other knights. While the battle raged, Connor hurried across the field to find a safe place to put Noelle. Unfortunately the fog was still lifting and the sunlight hadn't completely been able to break through to end the curse. Finally, he found a spot closer to the main event grounds under a blooming magnolia tree. He gently placed her down and raised his visor just enough to plant a small kiss on her forehead, "Just hold on a little longer Noelle. I promise I'll be back soon."

With that, he lowered his visor and went sprinting back toward the battlefield to help his other friends. By now, the main lawn that had once been a battlefield for the Revolutionary War reenactment had become a chaotic free for all melee. Stephen kicked aside a spriggan and smashed another away with his bow before shooting a third with an arrow. Nearby, Morgana wove through combat, slashing down any spriggan that crossed her path before being harried by Seamus. The redcap had assumed his hulking monstrous form and took a great swing, forcing the witch to backpedal before Laura swept in from the flank and made an opportunistic rapier attack on the troll.

Seamus gave a howl of pain as he was staggered by a bitterly cold sword slash and thrown sideways in a burst of Winter Ice. The Winter Knight turned back toward the fey witch and leveled her rapier in a threatening stance, "All right Morgana, you're next."

As the two clashed swords and began exchanging blows, Morgana halted Laura in a crossblock and took a moment to marvel at her opponent's surprising strength. It was at that moment the realization came to her and Morgana grinned, "Aha! You're the one with the shard!"

Morgana parried Laura's rapier aside and quickly called up dark tendrils of necrotic magic to tie down the female knight. Laura gasped at the sudden attack and suddenly found herself being restrained and weakened until the with reared back and struck a hard blow with her blade. The Winter Knight went tumbling to the ground and her armor dispelled leaving the glowing crystal shard in her hand.

As Morgana approached and raised her sword for a finishing blow, it was blocked from the side as Connor came charging into battle and sweeping aside Morgana's strike. He shoulder checked the witch and ignited his blade to give his comrade time to recover to her feet, "Laura get clear!"

As Connor began tangling with Morgana, Laura nodded and moved to withdraw until she was grabbed by the leg from the downed Seamus. The troll grunted and began to pull her toward him but gave a furious shout as Quinton joined the fray and leapt upon the redcap's back. In the three way tussle, Laura reared back and hurled the crystal shard high in the air, "Stephen! You know what to do!"

Nearby, the Silver Knight turned and saw the projectile flying high into the air causing all the combatants on the field to stop and stare for a moment. Without wasting any time, he drew back an arrow and made ready to carry out the knights' backup plan if all else failed. He released the arrow and the bolt of silver light struck the shard, shattering it into a cloud of glittering particles and buzzing energy.

"No!" Morgana cried as she watched in horror as her prize exploded in front of her eyes.

With all the ambient faerie magic surging across the battlefield, the other knights stopped and watched as their fey weapons reacted and flared up with even greater buzzing power. Morgana again tried to charge forward, but she was stopped by a combined Silver Starburst arrow and a bolt of crackling Spring Thunder which violently threw her back to the ground. Morgana shrieked and took on a smokey form before departing from the battlefield, "You cursed knights! You've ruined everything! I swear you'll pay for crossing me this time!"

Meanwhile, Seamus rolled to his feet and tried to bring his spiked chain around but Connor twirled his blade and hacked it apart with an empowered fiery slash. The Summer Knight surged forward and the troll desperately backpedaled in sudden fear before the knight threw him backwards with a searing cut across the torso that set his rough hide on fire. Seamus gave a scream as he furiously tried to put out the flames before turning and running from the field. Connor moved to pursue him but Laura stopped him and put a hand on his shoulder, "Stay. We'll finish chasing off Seamus and the last of the spriggans."

"What? Are you sure?"

Stephen gave a nod and clapped his comrade on the back, "Positive. You should go check on the civilians and make sure Sleeping Beauty wakes up too."

Connor stared in disbelief for a moment and could almost swear he saw Quinton give a conspiratorial wink behind his visor as he passed by. While the other three drew their weapons again and charged off in the direction of the fleeing Fomorians, the Summer Knight shook his head and made his way back across the forest preserve where the civilians were still recovering.

As the last of the battle wound down and his allies drove off the rest of the monstrous invaders, Connor returned to the flowering magnolia tree and bent down to check on Noelle as she lay sleeping. He smiled as he dispelled his armor and gently brushed aside a strand of her hair before noticing that the enchanted fog that had fallen over Somerset Valley began to lift some more. Up above, the bright light of the summer sun began to finally break through and dissolve the miasma, warming the faces of everyone outside. From where he knelt, Connor could see several festival goers and volunteers slowly begin to wake as the renewing light of the sun touched their faces.

While more sunlight began to stream through the trees, Connor looked down and noticed that Noelle had begun to stir and cracked her eyes open slowly. The Autumn Knight gave a bleary eyed smile and sighed, "Connor?"

"Hey Sleeping Beauty," he said gently as he reached down to help her stand up, "You missed all the fun."

She gave a tired yawn as if still in a little bit of a daze, "I was having the most wonderful dream. There were Elves, colorful flowers, music, and there was this gallant knight with shining armor on a beautiful white horse riding toward me."

"Well, will you settle for a hedge knight in hand me down faerie armor?" Connor chuckled as he steadied her.

As she began to come to, Noelle blinked her eyes for a moment before she reoriented herself and began to tense up, "Wait... where am I? Where is Morgana..."

"Calm down," the Summer Knight replied, "Everything is okay. Morgana has been driven off. The others are seeing to that. Are you okay?"

She put a hand to her cheek, "I... I think so. Everything that happened is still kind of a blur."

Connor nodded, "Morgana blasted you with some sleeping spell along with the rest of the town. The other knights and I made a little deal with that witch to run an errand in the Faerie Realm, but we just found a way to screw her over instead."

At the mention of the fey contract, Noelle began to sob quietly before stepping forward and burying her face in Connor's chest, "Connor... I am so sorry about everything. I'm sorry I made a deal with Morgana too but I had to do it to save your life! I was so worried when you got hurt... and I wasn't allowed to tell anyone. You have to believe me that I wasn't working with her and..."

He put his arms around her and held her in a comforting hug, "I know. You did it to protect me and I'll always be grateful to you for that. When Morgana almost took you from us, I bargained for your release because I couldn't stand the thought of losing you either... because you mean too much to me."

Noelle stopped and raised her head to look at him, "What?"

Connor cleared his throat and fixed his eyes on hers, "Listen, ever since we met freshmen year, you've always been loyal, brave, and kind. You're always looking out for the rest of us and putting everyone else's needs before your own. That's what makes you a good knight and one of my best friends here at school... but if you're willing, I was hoping you'd consider being something more from now on."

Noelle felt her cheeks grow warm as she blinked in surprise, "Something more? Like what?"

"Well... for starters, I was thinking maybe something like a girlfriend," Connor answered sheepishly, "I uh... know I don't always get everything right all the time and I'm far from perfect boyfriend material but..."

"But no one is asking you to be," the Autumn Knight beamed as she drew close to him, "I know your heart is in the right place like the way you take great risks for others and the way you care about your friends... just like what you did for me today. That's why I love you too."

Connor smiled and touched her cheek before leaning in and drawing Noelle into a long yet gentle kiss. When they parted, he and Noelle both shared a small giddy laugh while nuzzling their noses together.

As the last of the enchanted mist faded and the rest of the townspeople awoke from their slumber, the people of Somerset Valley took a few moments to make sense of what had happened. It was clear the rest of the Fourth of July Heritage Festival was going to continue again soon as the townsfolk began making some speculation of more faerie mischief while the other knights returned on the scene. Although they had dismissed their armor and weapons, they still appeared a bit worn out and disheveled from their ordeals.

As the others approached from across the lawn to greet Noelle and welcome her back, she stopped and turned to Connor, "Well... the battle might be over for today, but I guess I still have a lot of explaining to do to the others, huh?"

He threaded his fingers around hers and began walking forward with a gentle smile, "Maybe, but I think it'll be best if we start by doing that part... together."

The two knights shared another quick kiss and began walking forward to greet their friends amid the renewing light of the summer sun, side by side and hand in hand.

A/N:
This marks the start of the last third of this series. To all those who have been following along up to now, thank you again! I really do appreciate the support and interest shown thus far.