"You know," Max started as both teams of rangers sat at the picnic table for a meal, "my parents always said I was an old soul. Wise beyond my years."
Taylor scoffed. "I was wise beyond my years," she reached for a spoon. "Knew things I couldn't explain."
"Like what?" Alex's question sounded like he didn't believe her.
"Bonnie Parker had a tattoo on the inside of her right thigh. It was of of her name and a man's in two interlocked hearts. Any guesses on the name?"
"Considering that Clyde would be the obvious guess, I'm assuming that's not the answer," Trip looked up.
"Roy."
"Who's Roy?" Max asked.
"Roy Thornton. Her husband."
"Bonnie Parker was married to a man who wasn't Clyde Barrow?" Wes stared at her.
"To be fair, she married Roy long before she met Clyde. But, yes, Bonnie Parker was married to a man who wasn't Clyde Barrow. They never got divorced, either. She was still wearing Roy's wedding ring when she was killed."
"And how do you know this is true?" Alex was skeptical.
"There's a book by the name of Fugitives written by Emma Parker and Nellie Cowan, Bonnie's mother and Clyde's sister. It confirmed a lot of the things I already knew somehow. It was almost like I was there, too."
No one knew what to say to that, it seemed, as they all ate in silence for a few more minutes.
"I can't take it anymore," Wes looked between his black haired doppelgänger and his love before addressing his former team as a whole. "Why are you here?"
"Something's gonna happen, Wes," Katie got out before anyone else could speak. "We can't say what exactly, but it's something big."
"We need to figure some things out first," Jen explained. "How everything fits together."
"What do you mean?" Cole entered the conversation.
Trip looked at Wes. "You got a letter, right? A riddle?"
"What does a prank have to do with anything?"
"It wasn't a prank. It's the first key to figure out exactly what's happening."
"Another one is an Anamarian legend," Jen continued. "One about a ghost by the name of Cathy calling her lover's name. Do you know anything about that, Princess?"
Princess Shayla looked thoughtful before shaking her head. "It must've come after my time."
"There's an old lullaby about it," Taylor put down her fork.
"Do you know it?" The pink ranger looked at her.
Taylor nodded, then started singing softly.
"Oh, can you hear her-a-weeping?
Crying his name on the moors
Though he was cruel like the Winter
She clung like flowers to thorns
"They say she walks there forever
Wretched and lost on the moors
Conjuring storms with her temper
Rattling his windows and doors
"Cathy, Cathy
Out there alone
Calling, calling
Out for her soul
"They loved as wild as the weather
Deathless as rocks on the moor
He willed her ghost back forever
Haunting his windows and doors
"Cathy, Cathy
Out there alone
Calling, calling
Out for her soul"
Everyone was silent for a moment, perhaps trying to figure out how the song connected to the riddle, or perhaps they were in awe of the silky deep vibrato that had come out of the blonde.
"That sounds quite a bit like Tara and Jeremiah," Princess Shayla mused.
"What do you mean?" Danny asked.
"'Conjuring storms with her temper.' 'They loved as wild as the weather.' It sounds like them. Tara could control the weather, and when she was angry, a storm would come. The angrier she was, the more violent the storm. And by the standards of the time, they were indeed wild. They tried to hide it, but the two of them would sneak off together every chance they got. Everyone knew what they were doing. Then there's the nickname?"
"Nickname?"
"Jeremiah called Tara 'Taffy.'"
"Over three thousand years," Eric started.
"Taffy turned into Cathy," Taylor finished.
"Possibly," Princess Shayla sighed softly. "But I'm not sure what happened to them after the Animarium went up into the sky."
"They were both part of the final battle," Merrick said, causing everyone to look at him. "The last I remember, Tara yelled something trying to inspire the troops to keep fighting the orgs." He looked at Princess Shayla. "What was that song she and Maria were always humming?"
The princess looked thoughtful, but before the brunette could speak, the Eagle let out a screech as it flew overhead.
"He said that he remembers the song," Cole translated for those who didn't speak Wild Zord. "He's pretty sure she said:
"Some men have died
And some are alive
And others sail on the sea
– With the keys to the cage...
And the Devil to pay
We lay to Fiddler's Green!
"The bell has been raised
From it's watery grave...
Do you hear it's sepulchral tone?
We are a call to all
Pay heed the squall
And turn your sail toward home!
"Yo, ho, all together
Hoist the colours high
Heave ho, thieves and beggars
Never shall we die!"
"Merrick!" Jacob called out as their friend and teammate came running.
"The princess and the animals are safe," the wolf reported, slowing down as he reached them.
"That's good, at least," Alysondra stepped closer to her brother. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, Aly," Merrick sighed.
"They don't want to fight anymore," Jeremiah rode up on his horse.
"Who doesn't?"
"The army."
"We can't fight the orgs alone!" William exclaimed.
"They think it's an ill-fated fight. They're scared of losing more friends."
"Tara," Jacob turned to the blonde. "Go back with him."
"What can I do there that I can't from here?" Tara argued, never one to back down from a fight.
"You can inspire them."
"Me? I can't!"
The team leader put a hand on each of her shoulders. "They need a strong leader who knows this fight. I have faith in you. We all do."
Tara looked around to find everyone agreeing. "Alright."
Jeremiah helped his lover onto his horse behind him, and the two rode off back to the army.
"Saighdearan!" Tara called as they neared the men. "Soldiers!" Her voice boomed off the mountains around her. "Some men have died and some are alive!"
As she eventually ended her speech, she unsheathed and raised her sword with a shout of "hoist the colors high! Never shall we die!"
Suddenly being pulled back into the present, Taylor looked to Eric and Alyssa, who seemed to have seen the same memory, or at least something similar. Glancing from Max to Danny, the blonde quickly realized that they had, too.
"What just happened?" Wes asked. "You guys look like you just saw a ghost."
Alex gave them a wary glance, but Taylor shook it off.
"We're fine, Wes," Eric sounded annoyed with this partner and best friend, as per usual.
"You haven't been acting like it." Ignoring his best friend's glare, the blond continued. "You've been spacing out a lot lately. I've known you since we were sixteen. You've never done that."
"I've told you multiple times, Wes, I'm fine."
"Now that you've mentioned it," Princess Shayla looked at her rangers, "you all have been acting different than usual."
"I mean," Max tried to change the conversation with a laugh. "Danny and I did get girlfriends this past week!" The young ranger slapped his best friend on the back as the larger man nodded with a sheepish smile.
"Congrats, man," Wes slapped both on the back as he came around behind the two other rangers.
With Wes and the others seeming occupied for the moment, Eric and Taylor took their chance to sneak out of the temple. Once they were far enough away, the blonde leaned against a tree with her arms crossed.
"We need to figure out what's happening to us," she stared at her boyfriend.
"Tay, we're trying. You know that."
"Everyone else is starting to notice, Eric," she pushed herself off the tree, hard blue eyes staring into his soul.
"Jack, the crew is starting to notice something is wrong," the red headed pirate's blue eyes bore into her lover.
"I know, Anney," he sighed, taking her hands into his. "We'll figure this out."
"We'd better."
"We will," he kissed her. "We will."
Eric looked at Taylor. "Was that?" He trailed off.
She nodded. "Calico Jack and Anne Bonny."
