A/N: Hello, my lovely readers! It's been a couple of days since I last updated this story. I was trying to make it as long as possible to keep the suspense going. Thank you to everyone who has been reading this little adventure. If you are enjoying it, I hope that you will consider following it and leaving a review. It would really mean the world to me!

Enjoy Chapter 7!

Disclaimer: I own nothing. But, I wish Disney would just hurry up and make a Kingdom Keepers movie and/or Disney+ show!

Chapter 7

The rest of the day passed by incredibly slowly for Finn's liking. After hearing about the upcoming resistance attack, he became more and more anxious as the hours crept onward. Finally, at sunset, the guards restrained his hands behind his back, removed the chain from his ankle, and escorted him back to the dungeons.

Hades was waiting for them outside of Finn's cell. Finn avoided his enemy's gaze as he tried to play the part of a broken prisoner.

I can't let him suspect me or else I'll never make out of the dungeon!

When he felt Hades grab him by the chin, it took every ounce of restraint he had not to fight back.

"Oh, how the mighty have fallen," Hades practically purred. He was enjoying this a little too much. "What happened to that fighting spirit, Finn? I was almost beginning to enjoy your stubbornness."

You haven't seen anything yet, thought Finn.

Hades released him at last and addressed the guards.

"I trust he has been behaving himself. He hasn't been any trouble?"

"No more trouble than usual, My Lord. It has been weeks since he last tried to escape. Perhaps the boy has finally accepted defeat."

"So it would seem. That will make things so much easier for him during the Red Moon. See to it that he remains on his best behavior. I don't want any mistakes before the ritual."

"Yes, sir!"

Finn was forced into his cell and his chains were adjusted accordingly. He sat on the thin mattress in silence and didn't move a muscle until he heard the door being closed and locked.

Hades peered into his cell with a look of disbelief in his eyes.

"Eternity begins in a few days, Boy! If you're smart, you will choose the winning side. Think about your decision carefully. Forever is an awfully long time!"

The god left the dungeons without another word, leaving Finn alone in the dark cell.

He laid down on his bed and attempted to make himself as comfortable as possible despite his chains. If his plan was going to work, he was going to need as much rest as he could get. He only moved again when the guards brought him his dinner an hour later.

Finn ate in silence reviewing his plan repeatedly in his head.

If only Hades knew what Finn had planned for tonight…

Meanwhile, Somewhere Underground…

Hades paced back and forth in front of the platform. Before him, surrounded by a magical barrier, stood the Beacon of Darkness. The Dark Lord had chosen this cavern as its hiding place to ensure it wouldn't be disturbed. Only a few of the Overtakers knew its exact location.

The last thing he needed was for the so called "resistance" or the boy to find the Beacon before the Red Moon.

Speaking of the boy…

The former Kingdom Keeper had been strangely cooperative the past few weeks. After months of captivity, torture, and multiple escape attempts, Finn had suddenly become a different person. There were some Overtakers who were convinced that their prisoner had finally given up, but Hades knew better.

The boy was up to something, and somehow the resistance attack was a part of it.

The Fates had been no help when questioned about the boy's plans. Apparently, even their powers were limited to a certain extent, and they couldn't see past the events of the Red Moon.

He was going to have to do this the old-fashioned way.

"You sent for me, Your Lordship?"

The Sherriff of Nottingham entered the circular room and greeted his master with a bow.

"Indeed, I did, my fine fellow," replied Hades. "I have a very special job for you tonight. You will be keeping watch over our young friend in the dungeons. He is up to something; I am sure of it! If he so much as sneezes, I want to be informed immediately."

"Do you think he is planning to escape again? He's safely under lock and key, My Lord. Surely, my services would be of better use with the attack!"

"You have your orders. Now, go! Prepare the guards for the attack and report to the dungeons at once."

"As you command."

The Sherriff was almost out the door when Hades spoke again.

"No mistakes this time. He must not be allowed to escape…"

Castle Dungeons, Sometime Later…

Finn was just beginning to drift off to sleep when he heard footsteps approaching the cell. He stayed perfectly still, not wanting to break the illusion to whomever was watching outside the door.

"Good evening, Sherriff," said one of the guards. "To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit?"

"Boss says he needs me to keep watch over the prisoner. Has the boy tried anything foolish?"

"No, sir. In fact, he hasn't so much as said a word since he was brought back to his cell earlier tonight. He's been asleep for some time now."

The Sherriff of Nottingham looked into the cell to confirm the guard's words. Pleased with what he was seeing, he pulled up a stool in front of the door and made himself comfortable. One of the guards handed him a mug of ale.

Finn smiled to himself as he heard his captors drinking and laughing.

It wouldn't be long now…

Meanwhile, Outside the Dark Castle…

BOOM!

The explosion that was fired came out of nowhere. The magical barriers that the Overtakers had put in place around the Dark Castle deflected the damage, but the ground trembled from the attack.

"IT CAME FROM OVER THERE! LOCATE THE RESISTANCE SCUM! LORD HADES WANTS THEM ALIVE!"

BOOM! BOOM!

Two more explosions were fired, this time from somewhere near the entrance to what had once been Adventureland. It didn't take long for the guards to become overwhelmed by the unseen enemy. They quickly ran to where the blasts had come from, only to find no one in the area.

Hades stood on the Dark Castle stage safely protected by the barrier. He stared down at the scene furiously. Jafar, Maleficent, and a few other villains were by his side, watching in anticipation.

One of the squad leaders who had been searching for the resistance finally approached the stage.

"Well," growled Hades, "what do you have to report?"

"There's…no one there, Your Highness! We can't find any signs of the enemy anywhere!"

"Then, where are the blasts coming from?" Prince John wanted to know.

"Where indeed?" Hades whispered thoughtfully.

No one noticed a guard slip out from behind them and vanish into the starry night.

Castle Dungeons, Moments Earlier…

Finn cautiously reached through the bars of his cell as quietly as he could. It wouldn't do to have the Sherriff of Nottingham wake up now and realize what he was up to.

The guards outside his cell had drunk themselves silly and were now snoring and drooling on the stone floor. As soon as he had heard them fall asleep, Finn had awoken from his own fake slumber and crept to the door of his cell. The Sherriff had his back to the cell, giving Finn access to the keys on his belt.

Holding his breath, Finn lifted the keys. He paused when the Sherriff raised his paw to scratch his nose, but, thankfully, the bear didn't wake up.

Letting out a sigh of relief, Finn quickly unlocked his chains and the cell door and slipped out into the quiet corridor.

But he knew he wasn't free just yet. As soon as he stepped outside, the Overtakers would spot him and fling him back into his cell. He wouldn't get far without a disguise.

And so, as the second blast rocked the Dark Castle grounds, Finn walked right out the door dressed in a spare guard's uniform.

Hades had no idea that his prisoner had escaped literally right under his nose until it was too late.

Finn was already well out of the park by the time the Sherriff of Nottingham came running out of the castle.

"My Lord," the soon to be ex-prison warden panted, "the boy has escaped!"

Hades' fiery hair changed from a cool blue to an angry red.

"WHAT?!"

"He's…gone….", the Sherriff gulped.

"FIND HIM, YOU FOOL! BRING HIM BACK TO ME ALIVE!"

As the guards hurriedly ran off to follow his orders, Hades calmed himself down.

"Well played, Finn! Enjoy your freedom while you can. You cannot hide forever."

He chuckled to himself and walked back inside the castle.

The boy had chosen the wrong side…

A/N: Hurray! Finn has finally escaped from the Overtakers! But, how long will he get to enjoy his freedom? Can he find a way to destroy the Beacon of Darkness before its affects become permanent? And, where have the other Keepers been this whole time? The answers to that and more will be revealed in the next few chapters. I hope you enjoyed Chapter 7.

Until next time, Happy Reading!

Love, Mickeygirl20 :)