The Meeting
And Merlin made good on his word. The next morning Arthur and Taran accompanied Merlin, Dalben and the Restoration Committee to the castle where the meeting was going to take place.
Merlin led the way and brought the group to where they would be sitting. The set-up was divided into sections on both sides of the room, leaving the middle open for anyone who would get up and talk.
The group took their place and the boys watched as all the guests whom they had let in the previous day began to appear one by one, just as they had done before. They saw all the princes and princesses, all the animals. Arthur watched the door and his attention was immediately drawn to Alice when she arrived. She walked over and took her seat at a table not too far from where Arthur was.
The young King would have walked over to talk to her but he was stopped as dozens of more people came and sat amongst the crowd. All the guests had now arrived and taken their seats in the large room.
Once everyone had assembled Merlin stood up with Archimedes resting on his shoulder, tapping his cane against the table getting everyone's attention.
"Everyone, Everyone!" he called putting his arms up. Everyone in the room turned and looked to him." Now that we are all settled in, I would like to get the second meeting for the forces of light underway." Everyone shifted in their seats as Merlin paced slightly back and forth while speaking." Last night these boys." He motioned to Arthur and Taran, the eyes of the room slowly shifting to them." Encountered some of our enemies." A slight murmur broke out amongst the crowd and Merlin cleared his throat, getting their attention before continuing. "Some of you were there as well. So I think it would be best to go over these events and from there decide the best course of action." Merlin turned and looked to the boys." Go ahead lads." Silence fell over them as Arthur and Taran realized the eyes of the entire room were on them.
"Well um." Said Arthur as he stood up and looked into the crowd." T-Taran and I were out in the woods yesterday."
"Hold on." Said a voice. And everyone looked as Captain Li Shang." Everyone. Instead of sitting here talking about what has happened should we instead plan on what we should do?" His statement caused murmurs to break out amongst the group.
"In order to know what we must do." Said Snow White." We must understand what has happened."
"But the longer we sit here." Said Shang." The longer our enemies have to plot against us."
"Wait a minute." Said John Smith stepping up." These boys may have some useful information that can help us. So why don't you relax Shang and then we'll decide what to do." But the sailor's sudden outburst only angered Shang.
"I'd advise you Smith!" threatened Shang with a mean grimace and a pointed finger." Not to refer to me like that again. Is that clear?" But that retort only made John Smith even madder.
"Why I ought to stick my fist in one ear and out the other!" He grunted. And then charged from his seat and towards Shang. The Chinese Captain was angered as well and rushed out to meet the leader of the Virginia Company.
Bu t just as the two were about to meet in the center of the room everyone jumped up and grabbed them, separating the two. And now the whole room was in a frenzy.
John Smith was grabbed by Ben and Lon, the two managing to hold him back. Prince Henry reached over and grabbed Shang by his shoulders as Mulan pulled back on his cape. The seven dwarfs divided themselves into two groups and pushed the two men back.
Robin Hood stood between the two with his arms out.
"Break it up boys, Break it up." He said.
"Come, come now lads." Said Merlin getting up from his seat and walking over to them with Dalben following after him." There's no need for this." As the yelling and shoving was going on before them Taran turned and whispered to Arthur.
"Is it always like this?"
Arthur shrugged his shoulders." It's not exactly what I was expecting."
"Me either." Agreed Taran." Let's get out of here." He nodded towards the door. Then slowly Taran stood up from his chair. Then he turned on his heel and headed for the door. Arthur did the same and followed after him. Copper noticed Arthur leaving and quickly followed after him. And the three managed to get away without anyone noticing, or so they thought.
The two boys and their dog snuck out of the meeting room, walked down the hall and then out the door and outside.
"See." Taran said with a smile." Nothing to it." Arthur nodded to him." Now that we've escaped that mess, what should we do with our day?"
"Arthur!" called a voice. The two boys turned around to see Alice just coming out of the door behind them and then walking towards them." Where do you think you're going?
"Alice!" Arthur exclaimed in excitement upon seeing her.
"We decided to get out of there." Taran said stepping up." Thought it was too boring."
"It's not boring." She replied." It's important. Emotions are running high as we're all trying to figure out what to do."
"To do against what?" asked Arthur." Everyone keeps talking about something, but nobody ever says what it is."
"I don't know if I should tell you." Alice said with her hands behind her back." But I suppose if you want to help with the situation it couldn't hurt." Arthur and Taran leaned towards her." There have been reports of the darkness growing in the dark forest."
"Merlin's made small mentions of something like that." Commented Arthur.
"There's nothing in the forest." Said Taran." I've lived there most of my life and I've never seen anything that should upset anyone."
"What about last night?" asked Arthur.
"That was a first." Taran admitted honestly.
"These events have only started happening recently." Told Alice." My job as one of the Princesses of Light and Merlin's job is to help stop this problem at its source."
"I think this problem is being taken out of proportion." Said Taran. He looked over to Arthur." We could go deal with this problem ourselves."
"You can't be serious." Said Alice." If you go out there you'll only get hurt. You should come back inside and discuss this with the rest of us." Arthur looked between Taran and Alice, the two standing on either side of him.
"Shouldn't it be a job of a king to eliminate any threats to his kingdom?" asked Taran giving Arthur a pat on the back. And the sound of confidence in his friend's voice got Arthur's attention and won him over.
"Yes." Arthur agreed." Leon's often told me how affirmative action is always best in dealing with a problem."
"We could go into the forest and deal with this problem ourselves." Said Taran looking to Arthur." I have a sword."
"So do I! Arthur exclaimed." Merlin keeps it in his study."
"Arthur don't." said Alice." It's dangerous out there, you don't know what you might find."
"It's nothing a future King and his Knights can't handle." Said Taran. Then he and Arthur turned and walked off. Arthur patted his legs and Copper ran after him.
Alice quickly turned and entered back into the meeting room. There she saw things more chaotic than when she left. John Smith and Li Shang's argument had broken out all across the room with everyone now yelling at each other.
Merlin stood in the middle of it all trying to keep everyone calm but growing more frustrated with his progress by the minute. Alice quickly made her way into the crowd, moving past everyone and towards the wizard. His blue cap acting as a guide for her.
"Merlin, Merlin." Said Alice as she came up behind him and began tugging at his robes.
"Not now my dear." Merlin grumbled not even looking at her." I've got to take care of what's going on here."
"But Merlin it's about Arthur." She said in an even louder voice to get his attention.
"Arthur?" Merlin said turning to her with a raised brow." Why the lad is here. Sitting right over-" Merlin turned and pointed with his cane to the place where Arthur once sat." Oh, oh. Well he was sitting right there no more than a moment ago." The wizard took a step closer and bent over, looking under the table and all around for any sign of his pupil." Goodness me now where could that boy have gotten off to?" He questioned scratching his head.
"Merlin he's gone!" Alice screamed.
"Gone? Gone to where my dear?" He said turning to her.
"They went to your study!"
"My study? Now why on earth would-"
"Arthur said something about a sword. And that he and his friend were setting out on their own and heading off into the woods."
"GEHOSAPHAT!" exclaimed Merlin as he jumped into the air.
"What's all the noise?" asked Cid as he walked over to the wizard.
"Cid stay here and keep an eye on things!" Merlin told. And without another word he turned and ran for the door.
Merlin immediately returned to his study back home. Kicking open the door and marching inside. He first went to the bookshelf and just as he fear Excalibur, The Sword in the Stone that Arthur had pulled with his own two hands was missing. The old wizard jolted in surprise and moved as fast as he could out of the house and to the edge of town.
There he stood and looking out into the distance he saw the dark forest. The place where all this evil had been lurking. The place where Arthur along with Taran and Copper had gone. And despite his heart pounding in his chest to go after them right now, there was evil in there that not even he could face alone. So Merlin moved as fast as his old, skinny legs could carry him back to the meeting.
There things were just as he had left them, with everyone yelling and screaming at each other. The Wizard grew red in the face and the hair on his body began to fuzz up.
"ENOUGH!" he shouted. His voice loud enough to shake the whole room and knock everyone off their feet. The old wizard huffed and puffed as he stood there with everyone slowly picking themselves and each other off the ground." Every-Everyone." Merlin panted as he walked forward." S-Something, Something terrible has happened." He walked out and stood in the middle of the crowd." The boy, my pupil Arthur along with his friend Taran have gone off. Gone and headed into the forest in search of the evil we so fear." Frightened murmurs broke out amongst the group.
"Then they are lost." Commented Shang. Mulan reached up and smacked Shang on the back of the head.
"We can't give up on them!" shouted Dalben.
"But who will go?" questioned Belle.
"I'll go!" proclaimed Hercules as he stepped up." I am the Greatest Hero. And I am the strongest!" He said showcasing his muscles.
"But not the brightest." Commented Tiana rolling her eyes and looking at Naveen.
"Hey!" whined Hercules.
"Let it go wonderboy." Meg said to him, calming him down.
"This is not a task for one of us but for all of us!" said Snow White." A group should set out."
"There' not a better leader in all the worlds more suited than John Smith." Spoke up Thomas. Ben and Lon stood behind their leader and gave him a pat on the back.
"But Mulan is the greatest hero of all China." Told Shang. Tarzan jumped out and stood next to Simba and Bambi.
"None more better for the jungle than we three." He said." We should go." Bambi and Simba nodded their agreement.
Merlin only sat back and rubbed his eyes and the groups continued to go back and forth. The longer they'd continue to go back and forth the farther Arthur and Taran were from them.
And the two were far, far away.
They had already left town and were now deep inside the forest. Arthur with Excalibur tied to his belt and Copper at his side followed Taran as the Pig Keeper led them through the woods.
Arthur walked after Taran, dragging his sword from his belt. The sword being nearly twice as long than it's owner. Arthur quickly turned around and picked the sword up, holding it in his hands now rather than on his belt.
"Taran!" Arthur called after him, as his friend continued to move forward." How much farther is it?" Taran jumped up and onto a tree's limb. A smirk came over his face as he looked ahead.
"We're already there." He answered. He reached out and pushed a tree's branches out of the way. And there right ahead of them Arthur saw a little cottage set up just along the river. Arthur stepped forward and stood next to Taran." C'mon." He said giving him a push." Let's get inside and be on our way."
Taran led the way into his home. He pushed open the door and went inside with Arthur and Copper following.
Right when they first walked in there was a fireplace then up a small set of stairs was a desk and books upon books all over the place.
"Don't make yourselves comfortable." Said Taran." We'll be out of here soon enough." The Pig Keeper went up towards the desk and began looking around.
Arthur stood at the door, looking around at the rest of the cottage. Copper was at his side and when the dog poked his head inside something happened. He caught the scent of something familiar and he jolted up, sniffing the air as he did so.
The dog took a cautious step forward and deeper into the home, sniffing as he did so.. Arthur looked over and saw Copper as he cautiously moved around the house.
"What is it boy?" he asked him as if he could answer. Taran continued to look around, pushing books and papers all over the place. He turned around and looked to Arthur and Copper, the dog tensed up as he sniffed around the room.
"What is he-" Taran began put was cut off as a meow sounded out in the room. Everyone looked over and saw a red colored cat stick out from the desk where it was sleeping. It yawned as it stretched it's legs out.
Copper immediately caught sight of the feline and with a loud bark jumped from where he was up and onto the desk. The cat turned and saw the hound dog and jumped off the desk right before he would have been flattened.
Copper quickly gave chase and jumped down onto the floor after the cat, who quickly ran down the stairs screeching as he went. Copper letting out a trademark hound's howl.
"Arthur, grab him!" Taran called.
"Here boy, down!" Arthur called to Copper but to no avail as the dog kept chasing the cat. The pair circled around Arthur's feet and as the future king tried to reach out and grab the dog to restrain him he only ended up falling on the floor.
Then the car jumped up and onto a chair before jumping off as Copper ran over and knocked it down. The two jumped and ran all around the room with the cats cries and Copper's howls fueling the chase.
"Stop! Stop!" yelled Taran as they ran past him. The cat jumped up onto the window and Copper jumped after him. But Taran reached forward and grabbed Copper, restraining him. Arthur walked over and helped, together the two pulled the dog back and calmed him down.
Taran then turned and looked up at the cat panting heavily form the chase that just occurred." Now that we're done with that. Where's-" Began Taran but then his eyes were drawn to something by the window, that the cat was sitting on." Ah, there is it!" he announced. He reached forward and grabbed it pulling it out from under the cat." Alright." He said turning to Arthur. The Wizard's pupil turned away from Copper and to Taran who now had a sword strapped to his own belt." I'm ready to go!"
"Now we both have swords." Commented Arthur with a smile.
"And nothing can stop us." Said Taran smiling as well." Come on!" He gave Arthur a pat on the shoulder as he headed for the door. Before Arthur left he turned to the Cat still sitting by the window.
"Sorry about all that." He said as if the cat could understand and answer. Then Arthur with Copper by his side followed Taran out of the cottage.
The trio walked out and towards the woods.
"Alright." Said Arthur walking up behind Taran. "Where to now?" Together the two turned and looked over their shoulders. Above the roof of the cottage was the top of the tall trees, and even above that were the sharp black peaks of the mountains.
"That looks like a good place to start." Taran pointed in the direction. Arthur nodded his agreement.