DISCLAIMER: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, The Black Cauldron, or The Chronicles of Prydain so...yes...but I do own one harsh moment in this chapter.

Chapter 39

The Highest Lieutenant

"I shall have my revenge on you yet."

-Maleficent

"I have never been captured that fast!" Sora yelled when all of them seemed to regain consciousness at the same time, save for the form of Taran who was still recovering. "Okay, I was captured that fast a year ago with Terra and that whole deal but that doesn't count…so I haven't been captured that fast since Barbossa captured us on the Interceptor eight years ago!" Kairi and Edge rolled their eyes, now fully aware of what Sora was saying and its inappropriateness in the entire situation. "You know, this is almost as embarrassing as…no, I think this is the most embarrassing thing to ever happen to me."

"What about that time that you nearly lost your pants at the school blitzball game?" Kairi chided groggily and Sora grimaced.

"That was Riku's fault anyway…" Edge cleared his throat to bring them back to the reality of their situation. They were still on the backs of the burly men, heading straight on a crash course towards Annuvin. In fact, they were now at the gates and were being carried inside. Next to Sora, Taran began to stir.

"What? Where are we?" Taran asked feebly, clearly unable to see his surroundings.

Sora turned his head toward him and took on a rather sarcastic tone.

"We're going for a joy ride on the back of these hench-people on our way to the Horned King's castle." Sora said with a flicker of a smile on his face. Taran began struggling upon hearing this peace of news until Edge told him to stop struggling…since it was futile after all.

When they entered the castle they could hear the sounds of joy and of feasting. Sora knew for some reason that they were approaching the din of all the noise and sure enough he saw a brightly lit room approaching them. Sora almost wanted to laugh. For all that he had seen of Prydain it had been pretty dark and bleak and this was the first bit of welcome that could even be seen…if they weren't prisoners. Sora heard a voice crying out in the hall that was just short of a cackle.

"Welcome Your Majesty, we're celebrating our success…I-I-I mean your success." the voice said and Sora could suddenly feel a chill settling over him and for Kairi it was just a little worse. "We have made no mistakes this time! We have captured the pig that gives visions and have heard we captured four travelers heading here." There was a pause and Sora figured whoever the voice was speaking to had made a gesture. "Bring in the prisoners!"

Sora felt all of their captors moving forward and his eyes were pierced by the burning torches in the brackets on the walls. He felt he could hear a squealing under the din of the hall and soon he felt himself being shoved to his knees. He brought himself to look up and for the first time cast his gaze upon the Horned King of Prydain. He was dressed in a red, slightly tattered robe and was wearing a mask with antlers protruding from it. Sora would have thought it comical were it not the air of darkness being exuded around him. The Horned King stood as he saw his newest visitors. But Taran didn't care for he had seen hen Wen at last.

"Hen Wen! Hen Wen!" Taran yelled and he broke free of his captors, striding over to Hen Wen. He was pushed back by one of the men in the hall. The Horned King shifted his attention from the Keyblade wielding trio.

"I presume, my boy, you are the keeper of this oracular pig?" the Horned King said with more malice and chill than Sora thought even Maleficent could muster.

"Y-y-y-y-y-yes sir!" Taran said, quaking in absolute fear. The Horned King nodded and sat back down onto his throne.

"Then instruct her to show me the whereabouts of the Black Cauldron!" the Horned King demanded and Taran began fidgeting, stammering out the exact reasons why he couldn't tell the Horned King, the number one reason being that he promised he wouldn't. "Very well, in that case, the pig is no use to me!": He lifted a gnarled finger of his and the cackling voice he had heard earlier started up again. Sora saw it came from a hunched over and almost comical looking creature. The creature, more accurately known as the Creeper, began moving onto Taran and Hen Wen in order to wrest the pig away from the boy. At last Taran gave in, unable to imagine what horrors would lie in store for his beloved pig.

"No! Stop! I'll make her tell you!" Taran yelled and the Horned King waved his hand again. The Creeper moved away, vaguely disappointed as Taran led Hen Wen over to a bowl of water. Edge leaned across Kairi and over to Sora.

"Now you'll see what an oracular pig is…" Edge said in as quiet a whisper as he could muster. Sora then watched as Taran dipped Hen Wen's snout into the water.

"Hen Wen from you I do beseech…" Taran began in a very melancholy tone, indicating he was regretting doing this. "Knowledge that lies beyond my reach…" Suddenly Sora saw images forming on the surface of the water. A black cauldron rose up and existed on the surface and the Horned King got out of his throne and began to walk towards the bowl.

"The Black Cauldron…so it does exist for sure!" the Horned King said, barely able to suppress whatever happiness he had at this new development. "Yes, where is it, show me! Show me!" Suddenly the visions faded as Taran stumbled backward in complete terror and knocked over the bowl. In anger the Horned King lunged at him but his assault stopped short as the water hit his eyes. He screamed in pain for a moment and Taran took that chance to escape. However, Sora knew the attempt was ill-fated and soon they heard the commotion of Taran screaming as he was dragged down into the dungeons of Annuvin below. However, he could judge from the conversation that Hen Wen, at least, had escaped, and the Horned King wasn't too happy about it. Of course, he figured his mood was bit milder due to his capture of them but that still remained to be seen…Sora snapped his look back to the Horned King who was now facing them. He sat down in his throne.

"Sora…we meet at last. I've heard so much about you from Maleficent." the Horned King said with near glee and Sora just gave him a smirk that clearly showed the Horned King he didn't find it funny at all. "And Kairi too…you've put more than a few thorns in Maleficent's side as well." His gaze at last shifted on to Edge. "And I don't know who you are…but if you're another one of those pestilential Keyblade wielders then you shall share my prisoners' fate."

"So what? Are you gonna kill us or something?" Sora said with a glare at the Horned King and he let out a wicked laugh.

"Oh no, Keyblade Master, I have something special reserved for you, courtesy of Maleficent. Take the other two to the cell with the boy." the Horned King ordered before he stared at the man behind Sora and issued a different order to him. "Take the Keyblade Master to the torture chamber." The man nodded and he picked Sora up with extraordinary strength. Sora didn't even bother to struggle; knowing it was all futile and found himself being carried away to what he believed would be his final moments.

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Edge and Kairi were both led into the same cell as Taran who was sobbing and hitting the wall with a rock. Kairi ran over to comfort the poor boy while Edge listened to see if the Huntsman were gone. We heard their footsteps completely faded around the hallway he summoned his Keyblades.

"Let's get out of here!" He pointed his Keyblades at the door but nothing happened. No light shined forth and no door was unlocked. Edge looked at both of his Keyblades for a moment before recognition. "The Horned King must have set a spell on the doors and this entire cell so we can't use our Keyblades…but where did he learn such magic?" Edge mused thoughtfully but Kairi's words jerked him back to reality.

"But what about Sora! We need a way out to rescue him!" Kairi yelled and Edge nodded at this. He caught a glimpse of Taran crying until yet another moving object caught his eye. The floor was moving. Without uttering a single word he stretched out his finger towards the part of the floor that was moving. Kairi turned to look at the floor and was just as surprised at what was happening. Very soon a girl popped out with a golden sphere floating alongside her. All of them were transfixed by the sphere and all but Edge were unable to notice that the girl was wearing a scullery maid dress and had red-gold hair. As soon as she caught sight of them there she instantly began to chatter.

"You're being held prisoner?" the girl asked and, with their eyes still fixed on the bauble, they nodded their heads. "I'm being held against my will too."

"It's lit up!" Taran blurted out without any real thought as to what he was saying and the girl gave a small girlish giggle.

"Well of course, it's magic!" the girl said in a near chiding voice. "Oh, I do hate this place! I hope there aren't any rats…not that I mind them you know, but they do jump at one so." Suddenly she seemed to register something in her fast moving mind. "I'm Princess Eilonwy. Are you lords or warriors?" Kairi and Edge looked at each other for a moment as Taran answered her question.

"Er, no, I-I'm an assistant pig-keeper." Taran said shamefacedly and Kairi got a coy smile on her face. They had just met and this boy was exhibiting all the symptoms of crushing on this girl.

"Oh, what a PITY. I was hoping for someone who could help me escape." Eilonwy pouted slightly and Edge decided it was his time to step forward.

"Well, we could help if we just find a way to get out of here. But unfortunately the door is locked and we have no way out." Edge stated and Eilonwy looked at him curiously for a moment.

"Well, you could come with me if you'd like." Eilonwy said quickly and without further ado, slid back down into the hole in the ground. Taran followed soon after. Edge and Kairi gave one last look to each other and then dropped down into the hole as well. As they crawled along they began to hear Eilonwy and Taran making friendly, albeit strained, conversation. "Oh, that wicked, wicked, wicked king! He stole me you know. He wanted my bauble to tell him where some great big cauldron was."

"That's what he wanted my pig for!" Taran exclaimed and Eilonwy began to giggle.

"Oh, that's right! Your PIG!" Eilonwy clearly couldn't conceal her mirth very well.

"But my pig could tell the future." Taran argued back at the girl that he thought was vaguely annoying. Eilonwy just giggled and continued jabbering on, even as they emerged from their crawling and began to stand up. Edge quickly put a hand over her mouth.

"Quiet…you don't want to be captured again do you?" Edge said a little more harshly than he meant. Eilonwy glared at him for a moment and then Edge released her. She mumbled something along the lines of "How rude…like asking someone to talk and keep asking questions…" Kairi noticed Taran walking off down another hallway. Kairi motioned towards him and they followed as Eilonwy's bauble flew ahead of them, chasing after the many rats that littered the corridor. Soon they reached a slightly larger room and all the members of the party saw a tomb there.

Taran himself walked up to the tomb while Eilonwy went on, chattering happily about what this place could possibly be. Taran knelt down and looked at the king's tomb before he saw a sword sitting there with the king.

"A sword!" he announced and he reached down to pick it up. He dusted it off and a golden hilt was revealed. Eilonwy walked over to him and took the sword from his hands. "Hey, give it back!"

"Dyrnwyn, the sword's name is Dyrnwyn." Eilonwy said in a rather matter-of-fact tone. Taran reached out and quickly snatched the sword back from her.

"I'll take that back, thank you very much." Taran said and Eilonwy was now glaring at him before they both felt themselves being pushed down by Kairi and Edge.

"Quiet…we're not alone." Edge said in a hushed voice and they all peaked around the side of the tomb where they saw the creeper with a henchmen and a whole pile of skeletons in a cart. Eilonwy and Taran both looked repulsed at the sight of such carnage. Kairi, meanwhile, had grown quite used to such a sight after what had happened to Destiny Islands and Radiant Garden. The Creeper was talking as he instructed the Henchmen to move the cart down the corridor.

"This will please him! Piece of good luck this time! In with it! Hurry! Hurry! Don't stop you weakling!" The Creeper yelled as the henchmen sagged against the side of the cart. At the Creeper's words he began pushing the cart in more as the Creeper cackled madly. "Oh, just wait till he drops off the Keyblade master's body…oh what joy!" Kairi tried to struggle and move but Edge quickly restrained her from doing anything stupid. She struggled for a moment but Edge held her fast until the Creeper had at last left.

"They've got Sora! Let me go Edge!" Kairi screamed and raged, trying to hit Edge though he was behind her. Edge held on with even more of a grip.

"Relax Kairi, relax. He's not dead yet. You get Taran and Eilonwy out of here!" Edge demanded, his eyes reflecting a true authority within them. "I'll take care of Sora…just promise me that you'll get them out." Kairi looked into Edge's eyes for a moment and suddenly all the tension that was bottled up in her heart melted away. She nodded her head, knowing there was no other option. The two shook hands and Edge headed off first heading left at a fork. When the trio soon reached that same spot…they headed right.

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Sora grunted in pain as he slammed against a row of spikes that cut into his back with such a ferocity that made him want to scream…but he resisted. He wouldn't give Maleficent the satisfaction of backing out now. Suddenly he felt his body being lifted again as Maleficent's magic whipped him around the room, slamming into the various objects. He would always remember with perfect clarity how this had all started. He had been brought, here, to the torture room and then the Horned King had called Maleficent who immediately began swinging Sora around in her effort to break him. By now he was already bloodied and bruised, nothing but a black and blue pulp…but he wasn't giving in.

"I told you that I would have my revenge on you!" Maleficent screeched and she whipped her staff again which sent Sora flying into a wall. She then shoved the glowing orb of her staff at Sora and Sora felt an invisible force sending white hot pain like needles in every part of his body. In fact, it almost seemed as if that was happening as blood began trickling from some places. Sora gave a sharp gasp, unable to retain his composure this time. Maleficent released her spell and Sora fell to the floor on his back. He heard the snicker of the Horned King in the distance who was watching the torture session from afar. "Now you shall know the pain of death!" That comment nearly cracked Sora and he began to laugh a weak chuckle that caused blood to come from his mouth. "You find death a laughing matter?"

"You just…don't get it do you Maleficent?" Sora laughed out. "Only for people like you…people of the dark does death hold fear." Sora looked the pallid witch straight in the eye. "Do you really think my place to die is at your hands? I've passed though death before and it was glorious…I actually wouldn't mind it."

"Then allow me to give you what you want!" Maleficent screamed in rage and she raised her staff above Sora's unmoving body, the wooden point above his chest. Sora closed his eyes, waiting for the final blow on his life to come. But it never did for the doors suddenly slammed open.

"Sire! The pig-boy's escaped!" a gruff voice said and Sora figured that it was a henchmen. He felt Maleficent turn away from him.

"Pig-boy?" Maleficent asked curiously and though none could tell the Horned King's emotions, all could sense that he was angry.

"He was with the other Keyblade wielders…" The Horned King stood up from where he was sitting and Sora almost found himself praying that all of them would leave and give him a chance to escape. "Send the Creeper to my chambers, I'll deal with his failure."

"And I shall deal with these escapees myself." Maleficent said in a smug voice and Sora found himself hoping that the others, now that they had escaped, would not get caught. The Horned King was quick to question whether or not Maleficent would be able to find them in his winding castle. "If I do not…we will have a much more serious problem on our hands…" Then Sora felt the heat of Maleficent's green flames and she was gone. he also sensed the Horned King leave the room as the door closed and the Henchman also left. Sora's eyes snapped open. He had to move…had to find some way to escape. But his body wasn't answering. The doors opened again and Sora felt that now his doom was coming.

But the first thing he saw was Edge.

"Edge…?" Sora asked groggily and Edge knelt down over him, looking fearfully at the wounds that had been inflicted upon Sora.

"Can you stand Sora?" was the first question he asked and Sora quickly shot him a look that asked sarcastically "What do you think?!" Edge nodded and he quickly grabbed Sora in his arms. "Healing wounds is beyond my skill, much to my chagrin…we'll need to get you out of here. I doubt magic would have any real effect so long as we reside in Annuvin." Edge quickly hoisted Sora onto his shoulders as Sora let out a hacking cough which spewed blood onto the floor. With that Edge set off at a trot through the castle. He had a mental map in his head that allowed him to find his way through to the entrance. He only hoped that Kairi had gotten the others out. Sora hacked more. "Come on Sora, hold it together now…you've made it this far!"

Sora found himself losing consciousness and soon he found himself outside. The sunlight was bleak and almost nonexistent here but Sora felt some small bit of strength returning. There was the sound of clamor but Sora couldn't see a thing as his eyes were sliding in and out of focus. Sora heard Edge summon one of his Keyblades into his hands and heard the cry of "Blitz!" There seemed to be a rush of lightning and soon, the men who had appeared to be surrounding Edge were vanquished but Sora felt a greater rush, and a greater power throughout the castle. Then he heard Kairi's voice.

"I don't care how fast you want to get out Fflewddur! I'm not leaving Sora and Edge in there!" Kairi yelled before yet another familiar voice rang out.

"There they are!" Taran yelled and Edge motioned to them, soon running past them. Kairi nodded at Taran and Taran swung the sword that he had picked up earlier. It cut the chain upon contact and Taran quickly fled as the gate closed behind them. Kairi ran up to Edge and nearly cried out upon seeing Sora's limp form. Even Eilonwy was so shocked that she wasn't saying anything.

"Is he…?" Kairi asked. Edge shook his head before quickly instructing them all to move away from Annuvin and into the forest. When at last they were there and the sunlight was now streaming down on them, they stopped to take a breather. Kairi immediately set to work on Sora's wounds while Edge leaned against a tree trunk. Then he caught sight of a man dressed in red and white with a cap on top and he was holding a harp.

"Who's this?" Edge asked. Kairi turned to answer him but the man beat her to the punch.

"I am Fflewddur Fflam, most renowned bard in all of Prydain." Suddenly one of the strings on his heart snapped and Edge arched an eyebrow at the occurrence. "Well…I'm actually just a bard…and I'm not even really that, I never passed the test." Edge gave a small chuckled and he went to close his eyes but soon the voices of Taran and Eilonwy reached him…again.

"You could admit to being a bit frightened Taran of Caer Dallben!" Eilonwy protested.

"I wasn't afraid!" Taran yelled, seemingly ready to lose his temper at being called a coward.

"Not afraid?! Why, we were running for our lives!" Eilonwy persisted but Taran merely turned his back on her.

"Well, Kairi and I got us out of the castle, didn't we?" Taran suggested and Eilonwy scoffed at the mention.

"You?! I'd say it was mostly Kairi, and if not her, then it was the sword's magic." Eilonwy said in a very snooty tone that caused Taran to look incredulously at her.

"But it takes a great warrior to handle a sword like this!" Taran said.

"And so does it take a great one to wield a Keyblade." Edge interjected with a small smile on his face, causing the both of them to look at him. "But wielding a powerful weapon does not necessarily make you great…I learned that the hard way when I first got mine."

"See…it is still a magic sword!" Eilonwy said with a tone of finality.

"Oh, what do you know of swords, you're just a GIRL!!!" Taran argued.

"GIRL?!! This GIRL got you out of the Horned King's dungeon if I might add!" Eilonwy screamed back at Taran.

"Now, now, Princess Eilonwy…" Fflewddur began to say but Eilonwy cut across him.

"How dare you take his side!!?" Eilonwy screeched.

"Well, I-I-I didn't mean to interfere or…" Fflewddur said quickly in his defense and Edge was trying very hard not to lose his temper and shout at them.

"Silly girl! Even if she is a princess!" Taran yelled and suddenly Eilonwy froze and began to suddenly cry. Edge let out a great sigh and turned away. It was best to leave teenagers to solve their own love lives. "Oh…I-I'm sorry Eilonwy I just…"

"It's okay Taran…we're going to have to work together anyway. I'm sure we'll find your pig…" Taran smiled sheepishly at the princess.

"Th-thank you for rescuing me from the dungeon." Taran said and Eilonwy smiled back at him genuinely.

"Well, we couldn't have done it without your help." Eilonwy insisted and Edge smiled to himself, glad that he wasn't going to have to intervene. Suddenly there was a great outcry.

"Great Belin!" Fflewddur yelled and Edge suddenly summoned his Keyblades and ran over to where Fflewddur had ambled off only to find nothing but Gurgi climbing all over Fflewddur, looking for "munchings and crunchings".

"Oh, this! Gurgi want this!" Gurgi screamed, tugging at the harp around Fflewddur's neck.

"Take it! I'm sure you've murdered for less!" Fflewddur cried and Edge let out a laugh, long and loud that he felt he hadn't made in years. "Oh, looking at my misfortune are you?!" Taran and Eilonwy quickly ran up beside Edge.

"Gurgi! Get off him!" Taran said and Gurgi quickly obeyed, making excuses to his "master" as to what he was doing there.

"Well, who is your pungent little friend?" Fflewddur asked.

"I wouldn't exactly call him a friend…." came Sora's voice from behind them and they saw him standing there although he was leaning against Kairi for support. "What are you doing here anyway, Gurgi?!"

"Gurgi remembers! Gurgi saw fresh piggy tracks today!!" Gurgi yelled out and Taran suddenly gave a start.

"Today?! You're sure?!" Gurgi nodded and he pointed to some ways in the distance where Edge was actually able to discern what looked like fresh pig tracks. Edge nodded, assuring him that Gurgi was not lying. "Then let's go!"

"Not a chance." Edge said quickly and they all looked at him, Sora included. "Look, I want to find Hen Wen and save her from the Horned King's wrath and I also want to find this Black Cauldron and destroy it if it means so much to the Horned King. But we're all tired and Sora's still not a full strength left."

"I can go on. I'll be fine." As soon as he said this however he began to double over with a fit of coughing. Edge looked at him and he grinned before nodding. Thus it was that their whole group made camp in the forest. They ate, and chat and the three Keyblade wielders told stories of their adventures, though taran told Sora and Edge how they had escaped from Annuvin. As the sun finally set below the horizon, only Edge and Sora remained awake, watching the fire with peculiar interest.

"Hey Edge I-" Sora began to say and Edge looked at him slowly. "Thanks for rescuing me today. I know we've butted heads but…that was strong of you…" Sora hung his head a bit before looking at Edge and smiling. Edge nodded solemnly.

"You too Sora…you're made of a lot sterner stuff than I expected. We'd make a great team, you and me…your strength, my leadership…" Edge said with a smile and Sora genuinely returned the grin back to him.

"Are you trying to recruit me?" Sora asked accusingly and Edge waved his hands in front of his face and they both laughed jubilantly. Sora soon held out his hand to Edge. "Friends, then?" Edge nodded and took the hand. Then the both of them decided to sleep for the night but keeping enough awake in order to keep watch.

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The Horned King was filled with a mixture of feelings. On the one hand, he was angry that the Keyblade master had managed to escape…and yet, if they were with the pig boy it would most surely lead them to the oracular pig and thus…the Black Cauldron. That was all the chance they needed. But Maleficent was angry; she didn't dare seek them outside of the Horned King's realm for the fear that their power might still be greater than her own.

"They escaped…and that only means they can find a means to thwart you and I." Maleficent yelled as the Horned King sat in his throne.

"Don't worry Maleficent, we'll find them?" the Horned King said with confidence. "We captured them once before and we will capture them now."

"They will not fall for the same trick twice…and your men are considerably less." Maleficent said with a scowl and the Horned King gave a chilled chuckle.

"The Huntsmen of Annuvin are not easily felled. When one dies, the others grow much stronger. I lost many warriors today meaning that those who are left are near invincible…and the Keyblade master is still on the recovery. We'll find them easily. Head back to your castle and leave matters in Prydain to me." Maleficent nodded.

"Beware your arrogance or the darkness will consume you." Maleficent told him before she vanished. The Horned King laughed.

"Oh…don't worry about that, Maleficent. The darkness shall never consume me." He leaned back in his throne. There was no doubt the Keyblade master's zeal for doing good would lead him to wanting to destroy the cauldron. He would let the boy get the cauldron…and when he obtained it…the worlds would be his, not Maleficent's, to control for all time.

Author's Note: Oooh…chilling ending…and one that will affect many things to come. So that was my first full Prydain chapter and the next will be the last but due to it being so extensive it probably won't come till Friday depending on my use of the computer. I don't want to push back my completion date but I may have to. Yes, I had to torture Sora but it needed to be so and so both Edge and Sora have each other's respect. Yay! Either way, the final (and semi-anti-climactic) battle against the last member of the Hellfire Club is next chapter so look forward to it…and if you've seen the movie or read the book you know what will happen but who will it be that makes the choice? Until then, drop me a review and Dare to Be Silly.

P.S. By the way, if you didn't know…in the two chapters before this, both Kairi and Riku's visions from Lineage have ended up coming true.