It's time for an EF-chapter. Missed those, haven't we? And as I said; action is coming your way in these.
7 Months Prior
Unknown forest, Enchanted Forest
The fire was burning in the centre of their small camp, happily eating away at the wood they had collected. Their horses had just finished their evening meal and had started to doze off in the crisp, clear night. The temperature would surely drop even more during the night. Luckily they had been urged to bring warm clothes with them for the journey, along with thick blankets to sleep on and beneath, but it was still quite a different way of spending the night than the comforts offered back at the Dark Palace.
"So do you think we can find him?" Filipi asked. "This notorious pirate captain that they all want us to seek out?"
Wolfgang offered her a half-grin.
"Well, there's no point in not trying, is there? Seeking out Captain Hook is not something you're told to do every day."
Filipi nodded and nibbled on a piece of hard bread. Wolfgang's gaze drifted back to the flames burning in between them. The last few days back at the castle had been hectic. First they had discovered who Ollivander really was, then Rachel, Miranda and Prince Charming had disappeared. Upon their return they also brought two newcomers; Princess Rapunzel and Ella, one of the members of their admin group who had somehow been transported to the Enchanted Forest despite not being present in Orlando. Rachel had been injured and, although Ella had managed to heal her injured back, she was now hospitalized, something that she joked would make her think twice before going on a reckless streak again.
It was two days after their return that Prince Charming had asked for volunteers in tracking down a famous pirate captain, Hook, who had been with them when they returned to the Enchanted Forest after their "adventure" on Earth but left soon thereafter. As Wolfgang had felt bored to death in the palace he had quickly offered to lead the search and had been pleased when Filipi stepped up as well. Out of the Hufflepuffs she was certainly the one with the most reckless streak and when tracking down a pirate captain such a trait might be a good idea.
They had spent the first night at an inn at the edge of this vast forest. Their reason for going in this direction was that there had been reports on people being robbed by an unknown gang of bandits deep in among the trees and they both figured that with a bit of persuasion – maybe through the use of magic – they could get these bandits to tell them where to find the pirate. Rumours and news did travel quickly in the underground world, after all.
Wolfgang was about to speak again when one of the horses suddenly raised its head and snorted, sniffing the air as if picking up a familiar scent. Filipi noticed it as well and they both sat in silence for a while before hearing the faint neighing of another horse.
"That way", Filipi whispered and put the fire out with a flick of her wand, then making sure their horses would stay secured until one of them returned. They then started to make their way in the direction of the nearby forest road.
As they neared it they heard the sound of hooves thundering across the ground and then pulling to a sudden halt as a sword was pulled from its sheath.
"And just who might you be?" an authoritarian voice asked. Wolfgang knelt down and pulled Filipi with him as a carriage escorted by four riders came into view down on the path. Their way was blocked by a single knight, his helmet obscuring his identity. He held a sword in his right hand and an unmarked dark shield in his left.
"I'm the man who's going to relieve you of that chest full of gold you're transporting", the knight answered, his voice muffled somewhat by the helmet. His accent was, however, British. The lead rider let out a loud, mocking laugh at the statement.
"You and what army?" he then asked. The knight cocked his head somewhat to the right.
"Well I'm glad you asked", he said. He then raised his sword and suddenly small fires appeared among the trees all around the road. Fires burning on the tips of possibly thirty arrows. From their position further up the hill Wolfgang and Filipi could see that these arrows and their bows were not held by real people, however; only life-size straw puppets. From the road, however, the sight must have looked like a perfect ambush.
"Your choice", the knight said as the men in the escort worriedly looked around to seek a way to escape. "Save your lives or the gold."
It did not take long for the four riders and the carriage's one driver to choose.
"Retreat!" one of them called and turned, leaving the carriage and its horses on the road. As the men disappeared the knight sheathed his sword and removed his helmet.
"Smee!" he called. From the bushes close to the burning arrows three other men slowly rose. One of them, a stout man in a red, knitted cap hurriedly walked up to the man on the road. The knight looked annoyed.
"Those arrows took a lot longer to light than discussed!" he exclaimed. His accent had now changed; it no longer held the posh British tone, but a rough accent reminding the still hidden pair of Irish.
"It wasn't easy lighting all of them by ourselves, Captain", the man in the red cap, Smee, said. Wolfgang and Filipi turned to look at each other, both with their eyebrows raised. Captain? Had the knight just been called Captain?
"Maybe if we had an actual army..." Smee continued, looking expectantly at the man called Captain. This man suddenly gave a cocky grin.
"And share the spoils?" he said and scoffed. "I think not."
He led the way up to the carriage while Smee retrieved a pair of keys from the driver's seat.
"I got to say", the man in the red cap said while fumbling with the keys, "it's good to be at your side again, Sir, and not as a rat."
He unlocked the door and stepped aside to allow the two still silent men to walk up to the carriage to retrieve its hidden goods.
"Well, that's a lovely side effect of the curse breaking for you, I'd imagine", the man in armour said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"I did like the mobility", Smee responded, while their two comrades pulled out a closed chest from the insides of the carriage, "but being a human is good, too."
When the chest was placed on the ground, Smee used a small pollaxe to cut the lock to pieces and flip the lid open. Even from a distance Wolfgang and Filipi could see the gold, pearls and jewels hidden inside. The captain grinned again at the sight.
"What did I tell you, mates?" he said, his voice loud. "You don't need a ship to be a pirate."
He laughed and his men soon joined in, before they hoisted the treasure back onboard the carriage. The captain and Smee seated themselves inside the carriage as well, while the two other men climbed onto the driver's seat and clashed the reins, causing the horses to move forward.
"So", Wolfgang said when they were gone and the fires on the arrows dwindled, "that was Captain Hook, wasn't it?"
"Is that what you call a jackpot?" Filipi retorted.
"Not if we lose them", Wolfgang countered and rose. "Come on."
They hurried back to their camp and used magic to put their things back behind their saddles, before getting up on their horses and trotting back down to the road. The tracks from the carriage were easy to follow in the mud and they soon turned down a rarely used side-road. It, in turn, led them to a small town with grey, wooden houses on the edge of the forest.
"Bandit town", Wolfgang quickly nicknamed it as they saw the wary eyes every inhabitant they passed gave them.
"Do you think it's clever to say that out loud?" Filipi silenly asked.
"What else should we call it? Sunshine village?"
Filipi rolled her eyes at him before pointing out the carriage they had been following. It was being led away by an unknown man, apparently already sold, along with its two horses. Turning in the other direction they spotted one of the men from the forest, one of those that had not spoken. He was biting a gold coin as if to check that it was real before he, with a toothy grin, opened a door nearby, letting out a stream of sounds and smells. A tavern, no doubt.
"Let's secure the horses and head inside", Wolfgang suggested and jumped off, tying the reins of his horse around a pole. While keeping his wand hidden up his sleeve he then made sure that no one would be able to steal anything loaded onto the horse's back or the horse itself, or cut the pole to steal it for that matter. In the corner of his eye he could see Filipi doing the same.
He entered the tavern first and instantly felt the urge to remove his thick cloak; the air inside the small house made it feel warmer than in the hottest desert back on Earth. Their entrance went seemingly unnoticed as right when they entered they heard Smee give a loud shout.
"To Captain Hook!"
In response, every man and woman in the tavern raised their goblets, glasses and tankards, cheering loudly before gulping down whatever liquid they had ordered.
"Can I get you anything, sir?" a voice suddenly asked, drawing Wolfgang's attention. Next to him, almost entering his personal space, was a woman with tanned skin and dark hair, batting her long eyelashes at him.
"Two tankards of mead", Filipi cut in, "and make it fast."
The woman glared at her momentarily before walking away, swaying her hips.
"I don't drink", Wolfgang pointed out as his companion pulled him towards an empty table not too far from where the pirates sat.
"You better do now", Filipi responded. "We're in bandit town, remember?"
Wolfgang winced before glancing over at the pirates. Suddenly he noticed that one of them was missing, and not just anyone; Hook.