A/N: Hello, my beautiful readers! Apologies for the long wait between chapters. The last couple of months have been very busy for me. As the school year, starts to wind down, I have been called in to sub more frequently lately. I was trying to make this chapter as long as possible to make up for it. I think this will be the last chapter, but I will also have an epilogue, and I may include a bonus chapter that includes bonus scenes that didn't make the final cut. Anyways, enjoy Chapter 13!
Disclaimer: I still don't own Kingdom Keepers or Disney. Could someone please get Mickey on the phone?
Chapter 13
Finn ran as fast as he could down a long 'Cast Members Only' corridor until he finally found the door to the castle balcony. He knew that Hades and the guards were not too far behind him. He had to act quickly before they could catch up to him.
Finn also knew that she was waiting for him on the other side. But he couldn't let his fear get in the way. To stay in his "All Clear" state, he had to remain calm in the presence of his enemy.
His last encounter with the Mistress of Evil had been very unpleasant…
Castle Dungeons, One Week Earlier…
Finn was roughly woken up one morning by the sound of heavy footsteps marching down the dungeon corridor. He blinked his eyes in the bright torchlight as the guards opened the cell door and began to detach the chains binding him to the wall. Before he could protest or ask about what was going on, he was once again gagged and bound. The next thing he knew, he was being dragged out of his cell.
I have a bad feeling about this!
Moments later, he was hanging from the ceiling by his wrists in the torture chamber. The guards made sure he was securely restrained before stepping aside. Four of them positioned themselves behind their prisoner while the other two stood on either side of the door.
"The prisoner is ready, Mistress."
Finn felt his heart skip a beat as Maleficent and Hades entered the chamber. Both villains wore matching grins that would haunt Finn's nightmares for weeks. He began to struggle in his bonds, though he knew his efforts were in vain.
In response to his feeble attempts, two of the guards grabbed him by the hair and placed their swords at his throat. He stopped struggling and forced himself to look into his enemies' eyes.
"Now, now, my dear Finn," Maleficent said in a sickly-sweet voice, "don't make this any harder than it needs to be."
She reached up to remove the gag from his mouth. He resisted the urge to spit in her face.
I must stay calm if I'm going to survive whatever she is about to do to me!
"To what do I owe the pleasure of this meeting?"
Maleficent chuckled.
"So, you weren't kidding about breaking his spirit, My Love," she said to Hades, who looked on with glee.
Not quite, you witch! Finn thought to himself.
She grabbed him by the chin and looked him in the eye. He had the strangest feeling that she was staring directly into his soul.
"Hmmm…not entirely broken, it seems. I shall have to do something about that!"
Suddenly, she released his face and took a step back, aiming her scepter at his heart.
"Illum rumpe!"[1]
A jet of green energy burst from her scepter. Finn screamed as his body was engulfed in flames. Although they completely covered every inch of him, his skin and clothes remained unburned. The pain seemed to come from inside him.
He had no idea how long she kept him under the spell. When it was finally lifted and the last echoes of his screams faded from the chamber, Finn hung limp in his chains. The guards tightened their hold on him and forced him to remain on his feet. It took every fiber of his being to just remain conscious.
"That was but a taste of what is to come, Boy," Hades explained. "Continue to resist us, and every day will be filled with agony and pain. Obey, and you will be rewarded! Your mistress can be merciful if you just cooperate."
Finn summoned what little bit of courage he had left to speak.
"Never!"
The last thing he remembered was screaming in pain as he was once again hit with the spell.
Hades shook his head in disbelief as he watched his prisoner lose consciousness.
"Why are they always so stubborn?" he sighed.
Castle Corridor, Present Day…
Taking a deep breath, Finn opened the door to reveal a winding staircase. As he closed the door behind him, he could hear the approaching footsteps of his pursuers. He secured the bolt and ran up the stairs 2 at a time.
A moment later, he found himself facing another door. Cautiously, he grabbed the cold doorknob, summoned his courage, and flung it open.
The Beacon of Darkness stood on its pedestal, glowing a bright red. Maleficent was nowhere to be seen. Down below, the battle between the Overtakers and the resistance raged on. Finn hoped that his friends were all right.
He was almost to the Beacon when there was a shuffling sound behind him. As he turned towards the sound, he suddenly fell to his knees in pain.
"So predictable," a woman's voice purred from the darkness. "But I'm afraid that you are too late, my pet! Now, kneel before your Mistress and beg for mercy!"
Finn tried to pull himself up on his feet, but the spell holding him in place was strong. He could only watch as Maleficent emerged from the darkness, pointing her scepter at him. A powerful red light was coming from the orb at the top, paralyzing the teen. From behind him came the sound of footsteps. The next thing he knew, he was being pulled to his feet with his arms pinned behind his back. He struggled, but Clayton and Gaston held him tightly.
"Good work, My Sweet! Let our young friend have a front row seat to our final victory."
Hades had appeared from the door on the opposite side of the balcony. He stood at Maleficent's side sneering at the boy before him. Maleficent lifted her scepter, and the spell ended.
Finn groaned as the pain flowing through his body slowly disappeared. He continued to struggle against his captors' iron grip, but his adrenaline had left him. The events of the ritual only a half hour before had zapped most of his remaining strength. His DHI had been terminated the second he had been hit by the spell. He could still feel its warmth, but it was starting to fade quickly.
He couldn't keep this up much longer. If he couldn't hold on to his hologram, there was no way to get through the Beacon's barriers.
The clock on the castle showed five minutes to midnight.
"It's over, Hades!" Finn taunted. "The resistance has overpowered your army, and soon the curse will be broken! Surrender now, and maybe we'll be merciful."
Hades and Maleficent cackled in amusement. When they finally recovered, Hades snapped his fingers.
"I suggest you look again at your resistance, my young Keeper!"
Finn turned his attention to the castle stage and his heart sank.
The other Kingdom Keepers were on their knees surrounded by a dozen Green Army Men who held them at gunpoint. Each of the Keepers was facing the balcony, their hands bound behind their backs and gags in their mouths. The Overtakers were rounding up the rest of the resistance army and civilians and taking them into custody.
"If you value your friends' lives, stop resisting. Otherwise, their blood will be on your hands."
"LET THEM GO, HADES!"
The Lord of the Underworld smirked.
"Ahh! There it is at last…Finn Whitman's greatest weakness. I'm afraid that I can't let them go, unfortunately. I kind of have a reputation to uphold, you know what I'm saying? However, I am prepared to make you a deal. An offer you would be a fool to refuse."
Finn glared up at his enemy with hatred in his heart.
"What kind of deal?"
"Call off the attack. Command the resistance to surrender, and their lives will be spared. They will all be imprisoned, of course, but none shall be harmed."
"Let me guess," Finn replied, "you will only do this if I hand myself over to you. Remain a slave to the Overtakers for the rest of eternity."
"Now you're catching on! So, what do you say? Shall we shake on it? Clock's ticking, Kid! I don't have all night!"
Hades stretched out his hand.
DONG!
The first chime of midnight echoed through the kingdom. Time to act now.
Finn made eye contact with Philby, who gave him a wink.
You know what to do.
DONG!
The second chime rang out. Finn took a deep breath and nodded.
In a fraction of a second, several things happened at once.
The first thing was Finn calmly looking away from the stage and closing his eyes. He concentrated on his friends and how much they meant to him, trying to push away his fear.
Before anyone could say another word, Finn felt the grips of his captors slip through his DHI.
Hades and Maleficent looked on in disbelief, but suddenly, there was chaos from down below.
Somehow, the other Kingdom Keepers had managed to break free of their own guards, fighting back any way they could.
It was the perfect distraction.
With a yell that would make Tarzan cover his ears, Finn reached through the barrier in front of the Beacon. His fingers finally grasped the red crystal heart, breaking the magic that had protected it.
"BUT-THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!" screamed Hades. "NOTHING CAN DEFEAT ME! I'M THE GOD OF THE UNDERWORLD!'
"You forgot one very important thing, Hades," Finn replied. "It's always darkest before the light."
DONG!
As the eighth chime rang out, Finn dropped the crystal over the edge of the balcony. Hades tried to catch it, but it was too late. The heart hit the stage and shattered into a hundred pieces.
From within the shattered remains of the Beacon, there came a sonic wave that blasted in all directions. It washed over the crowd of civilians and characters, not stopping until it covered every corner of the world.
All around the globe, people were shaking their heads in confusion, as if they were waking up from a very long nap.
After 7 months of living in darkness, the curse had finally been broken.
DONG!
The final stroke of midnight faded away into silence. The resistance members and civilians gave a victory shout as the Overtakers looked up at Hades fearfully. Many of them turned tail and ran to avoid the wrath that was sure to follow.
Up on the balcony, the God of the Underworld was fuming. He stared at the fleeing villains down below, making a mental note to punish them later.
Now, however, he had another pest to deal with.
Finn faced his enemy with a newfound confidence. His DHI glowed brightly, making him shine like a star. The teen smirked at the villain before him.
"The curse is broken, Hades! Better run while you still can. I'll give you a head start if you want."
Hades chuckled in amusement, much to Finn's surprise.
"You may have broken my curse, my young Kingdom Keeper," he whispered, "but the game is far from over! Enjoy your victory while you can, but I will have my revenge. Maleficent, my dear! Show our friend here what he's won!"
Maleficent smiled and raised her scepter to the sky. The Red Moon shot a final burst of energy to the orb, making it glow blood red.
At the very same moment, Finn was holding his right arm in pain. The mark of the Overtakers began to burn as if it was once again being branded to his skin. When he thought he would pass out from the ordeal, the pain stopped, and the mark had turned black.
"A little consolation prize for you," the Mistress of Evil explained. "Tonight may not have gone as planned, but never forget who holds the true power here. We shall return, my pet, and your suffering will truly begin! Remember: you haven't seen the last of us!"
Before Finn could even question what she meant by that, Maleficent and Hades vanished.
He was alone on the balcony, staring at the empty pedestal where the Beacon of Darkness had sat moments earlier.
Finn closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh. His DHI faded as he returned to his human form. He had never felt more exhausted in his entire life.
From the street below him, there came a mighty roar. Opening his eyes, he peered down at the massive crowd. Thousands of people were cheering, clapping, and shouting his name. The other Kingdom Keepers stood on the stage grinning up at him with tears in their eyes. Philby gave him a thumbs up, which Finn happily returned.
Despite the overwhelming odds, he had done it.
"THREE CHEERS FOR FINN WHITMAN!", yelled Maybeck.
Finn smiled.
[1] "Break him!"
A/N: And, that's Chapter 13! The curse is finally broken, and life can go back to normal. But, we all know that the OTs don't give up easily! What other tricks does Hades have up hi sleeve? That's another story for another time. I hope you liked this chapter. Don't forget to leave a review and follow for more.
Until we meet again, Happy Reading!
Love, Mickeygirl20 :)