Sorry for the long break, but fear not! I fully intend to finish the story so keep your eyes peeled.
A big thank you to everyone who's been keeping up with the story and those that have only recently found out.
A review would mean a lot, I appreciate all feedback.
Don't be afraid to ask any questions, I always try to reply.
Enjoy!
Chapter 7: Combat
"Advance!" Archer suddenly yelled, startling Mal a little.
The cry was repeated throughout the line of soldiers, and they began moving forward. It went slow… A lot slower than Mal was used to… But she didn't dare complain… Everyone stayed silent, with only their footsteps making noise.
The front line of soldiers kept their shields up in a defensive formation, making it difficult for Mal to see what exactly was in front of them. Most of the fires had gone out, so it was a lot darker than before, and clouds of thick smoke drifted along the street they were walking on, making it even harder to see.
"Where are they?" Evie hissed, soft enough that only Mal would hear.
"No idea." Mal mumbled in reply. The fact that they hadn't ran into any villains yet concerned her. Villains were usually not very subtle, and preferred charging in an all-out attack over any sort of planning… Mal had seen over a hundred villains heading for the shore in those boats… Where were all those people now?
"We must be getting close…" Ben muttered from in front of Mal. "We're almost at the harbor…"
All of the sudden, a ball of fire flew through the dark night sky, coming right at them!
"Brace!" Archer, Ben and a number of other Auradon soldiers yelled, and everyone immediately raised their shields.
Mal tried to think of a protective spell, but was caught totally off guard as the fireball crashed into the front line to her left, blowing everyone who was standing there back. There was a lot of pained screaming as numerous soldiers were suddenly suffering from serious burns. It was a total panic, with soldiers running in from every side to pull their wounded comrades away from the front line and tend to their injuries.
Archer and Ben were both yelling, but the crash had left a strange ringing in Mal's ears, which meant she wasn't hearing too well at the moment. More soldiers ran forward, aiming to fill the gaps left by the fallen fighters.
"Look!" Evie suddenly screamed, pointing to the sky.
More fireballs were flying in their direction from every angle. They were totally exposed…
"Mal!" Ben yelled, getting right in front of her. "C-can you do something!?"
"I-I…" Mal stammered, trying her best to think of the correct spell.
"Mal!" Ben shouted, while some soldiers started breaking formation in order to take cover.
Right when the fireballs were about to hit, they suddenly appeared to crash onto some transparent barrier right above them, where they disintegrated into hundreds of pieces of fiery debris. The soldiers had still taken cover behind their shields, but slowly lowered them when they realized no one had gotten hurt.
"Oh my god…" Ben muttered. "You… You did it!" He then exclaimed, pulling Mal into a strong hug.
"B-Ben…" Mal stammered, trying to push him off. "Ben, I didn't do anything…"
"What?" Ben questioned, seemingly flabbergasted. "Then what happened?"
"Looks like I arrived just in time…" A familiar voice from behind Mal said.
Immediately turning around, Mal saw Lancelot walking in their direction, his staff in his hand and a somewhat smug expression on his face.
"Lance!?" Both Ben and Archer exclaimed.
"In the flesh…" Lance replied.
"H-how are you… How did you…" Archer stuttered.
"I only heard about the invasion about half an hour ago." Lance explained. "I teleported here… I want to help… And, no offense, you need my help…"
"It's good to have you here!" Ben spoke up before Archer could say anything.
Archer was biting his lip, giving Lance a strange look.
"I say we put our, ehm, 'feud' on hold…" Lance told Archer. "We have more pressing matters, wouldn't you agree?"
Archer quickly glanced at CJ, who just shrugged. "Alright…" He eventually said. "But only because we do need you…"
"Good." Lance nodded. "Now you do what you do best and I'll hold off their projectiles."
"Sounds like a plan." Ben acknowledged. "Back in formation!"
The soldiers around them, who had mainly been lounging about, abruptly sprang into action again, forming the same shield formation as before.
"Advance! Let's push these lowlifes back into the sea!" Archer shouted, after which the soldiers cheered.
Now, the soldiers began moving forward much faster than before, with both their swords and shields raised. Ben and Archer were still right behind the front line, and Mal, Evie and CJ were right behind them.
Balls of fire were still raining down from above, but Lance's impressive protective spells made sure that these wouldn't trouble them anymore. They were making far more noise than before, and Mal believed that both their stomping feet and loud shouting would definitely alert the villains to their arrival.
She was right…
Barely thirty seconds after they had begun their charge, a mob of villains appeared in front of them. They had been expertly hidden by the smoke and darkness, but they were now close enough to be distinguished.
Now, these were villains… They'd had no formal combat training… They knew nothing of tactics… However, they made up for all that with sheer aggression, ferociousness and an extremely high tolerance to pain… So, they charged…
It was total madness, seeing this horde of screaming people run straight at them with murderous intent. They were swinging swords and axes, uttering battle cries and staring at their Auradonian adversaries with murderous intent.
"Brace!" Archer yelled again, but it was too late.
The mob of villains crashed into the shields with tremendous force, and most of the Auradon soldiers were pushed back. The defensive line was broken, and villains started pouring through the newly-opened gaps in the shield wall.
Mal looked on hopelessly as Auradon soldiers were pushed to the ground, where they scrambled to either get back up or flee to safety.
"Hold the line! Hold the line!" Ben and Archer kept yelling, but it was all in vain.
Left and right, villains were breaking through the shield wall, with more and more Auradon soldiers getting pushed to the ground. Mal tightly gripped her sword, but there were plenty of other Auradon soldiers between her and the villains, so there wasn't yet anything she could do.
"We have to retreat!" Archer yelled, pushing against one of his fellow soldiers in the hopes of holding the line.
"No! We can't!" Ben responded, also trying his best to keep the shield wall intact. "We have to hold!"
"We'll be overrun!" Archer countered. "They're about to swamp us!"
"We have to attack!" Mal resolutely said, getting closer to Ben.
"What?" Ben questioned, obviously believing she'd gone insane.
"We have to attack! We need to move forward!" Mal persisted. "We're a sitting target for them here… Why not go on the offensive?"
"They're not defensively positioned…" Archer jumped in. "If we push forward, we should be able to pass right through their middle and split their force in two…"
Ben seemed to be thinking, his eyes flashing from the still attacking mob of villains to his own Auradon soldiers, who were doing all they could not be driven back… "Mal…" He eventually began.
"Yeah?" Mal responded.
"I need you to take over for me for a second, while I gather the soldiers and discuss the tactics… Can you handle that?" Ben asked.
"Of course!" Mal confidently replied.
"Good…" Ben panted a little, though he looked extremely worried. "Ready?"
Mal nodded, steadying herself.
"Now!" Ben shouted, stepping back from the front line and hurrying back. Mal immediately took his place, pushing against the soldier in front of her with all her might. The soldier bravely kept his shield raised while dozens of villains were bashing away at it with their weapons and their bodies.
Mal grunted as she tried to dig her feet into the ground, but it was of no use. More bodies began piling up against the other side of the shield, and Mal felt how she was slowly but surely being pushed back, her boots scraping against the cobbled street.
All of the sudden, one of the villains had managed to lodge their sword in between two shields, and the blade flashed barely an inch past Mal's face. Mal screamed, both from the exertion and the fear of getting her face slashed off.
Someone came up to her left and also started pushing to hold the front line. It was Evie, who also dug in and pushed with all her might. To her right, CJ suddenly emerged and also joined the fight. Together, they managed to at least hold this part of the line, but it appeared as though it wouldn't be long before the entire Auradon defense would be broken…
More and more villains jumped through the gaps in their defense, and there was just as much fighting going on behind Mal as there was in front of her...
CJ had resigned to stabbing through the cracks in the defense with her own sword, grunting as she lashed out again and again. At one point she retracted her sword, and Mal saw that is was covered in what was unmistakably blood…
Where was Ben? He had been gone for far too long! The villains kept coming, and Mal knew for certain that she and the Auradon soldiers wouldn't be able to hold out forever…
"Mal!" A familiar voice from behind her spoke up.
Mal looked up and breathed a huge sigh of relief when she saw Ben and a whole host of Auradon soldiers behind him, all carrying swords and spears. "What took you so long!?" She asked, visibly annoyed.
"I'm here now…" Ben replied a little defensively as he took his place behind her again. "It doesn't… Well, what matters is, are you ready?"
"Whatever gets us out of here!" Mal grunted.
"Right. We have to get ready to move out of the way, and the main guard will drive the villains apart. We can pursue them right after…" Ben explained.
"Get to it then!" Mal complained, still getting pushed back.
"Right…" Ben repeated, looking over his shoulder at the company of Auradon soldiers. "Spears!" He then yelled.
With a joint grunt, the Auradon soldiers established a position with their spears and shields raised in front of them, forming a quite formidable ensemble.
"We need to move at the exact right moment…" Ben told Mal. "Or we might risk getting impaled by sharp spears."
"Fun…" Mal scoffed as she was pushed back another inch.
"Ready?" Ben again asked.
"Yes! Get to it already!" Mal replied.
"Advance!" Ben yelled to his soldiers, who immediately moved forward with their spears pointed forward.
Mal immediately broke away from the shield wall, and saw Evie and CJ do the same on the other side. The soldiers at the front also fell back, allowing an opening to appear in their shield wall. Before that would cause any problems, however, the soldiers in the spear formation already came rushing past, hitting the first wave of villains with full force and driving the rest of them back, shouting in a panic.
"After them!" Ben shouted raising his sword.
All the soldiers around Mal cheered and followed their king, meaning that Mal again lost sight of him. Not wanting to get left behind, Mal immediately rushed after them.
The tactic appeared to have worked, as the spearmen cut through the villains' frontline like a hot knife through butter. While the spearmen continued to move forward, the other Auradon soldiers established a shield wall right in between the mob of villains, splitting the opposing force in two.
Mal was still behind the initial shield wall, where the soldiers apparently noticed how the tide was turning since they actively started encouraging each other. Royce slipped past her, following Ben and the other soldiers into the chaotic battle. After a while, with dozens of other soldiers running past her to head into battle, Mal decided she'd had enough and followed as well.
Evie and CJ had also been waiting, but perked up when they saw her.
"Let's go!" Mal shouted, and the two girls hastily followed.
"Where's Archer?" Mal asked CJ once she was close enough.
"With Ben. What did you think?" CJ replied as she ran alongside Mal through the gap that the spearmen had created.
With their force divided, the villains were seemingly unsure on how to proceed. Both their attempts of pushing the Auradon forces back and breaking through the shield wall had stalled, and most were just aimlessly standing around.
The Auradon forces, meanwhile, had apparently been given the order to expand from the middle, and were slowly pushing the villains even further apart. More and more Auradon soldiers were rushing in through the opening in the middle. While some helped to strengthen the defensive line, others actively went out into the fray to take on the villains.
"What's the plan?" Evie asked, keeping her head down.
"I don't know about you…" Mal began as she watched a few Auradon soldiers drag some struggling prisoners off to the side. "But I'm in for a fight…"
"Radical." CJ approvingly nodded, twirling her sword. "After you…"
Mal smiled at CJ, which still felt a little weird, but then ran past her as she looked for a good place to join the fight. Evie and CJ were following at close proximity. The ground was covered with discarded weapons, torn pieces of clothing, and the occasional small pool of blood.
After about a minute, Mal saw something that made her heart stop. Just beyond the newly established shield wall, right in the middle of the fighting parties, Mal saw Carlos laying on his back, frantically trying to crawl away from a pirate who was swinging his sword around like a madman.
"No!" Mal screamed as she immediately rushed in, not even caring what was happening around her. She bumped into several people, not sure if they were friends or foes, as she stormed at the pirate, who barely had time to turn around in reaction to her scream before Mal had already slashed at his leg with her sword. The pirate fell, screaming in pain and clutching his leg, but Mal paid him no mind.
"Are you hurt?" She asked as soon as she'd crouched down next Carlos.
"I'm fine." He grunted, getting to his knees. "That prick just got the jump on me… Won't happen again…"
"Damn right, 'cause you're going back right now!" Mal told him, making it sound like an order.
"Hell no!" Carlos protested.
"You're bleeding." Mal pointed out, gesturing at a large tear near Carlos's knee, where a bloody stain was clearly visible.
"Not badly." Carlos retorted.
"Evie…" Mal began, dragging Carlos back onto his feet. "Could you?"
"Already on it." Evie replied as she draped one of Carlos's arms over her own shoulders and began ushering him back to safety.
"It's not that bad!" Mal heard Carlos complain, though he did obediently follow Evie.
Now Mal was alone with CJ, though there were still plenty of fighting duos around them. The tide of the battle had visibly turned, and some of the villains were already on the run.
"Shall we?" CJ asked, obviously eager to kick some ass.
"Try not to kill anyone." Mal told her.
CJ gave no indication that she'd heard Mal, and instead just ran off into battle. Mal begrudgingly followed her. Together they managed to beat and incapacitate at least a dozen assailants, who were then quickly restrained and taken into custody by Auradon officials.
Following one of their victories, Mal took a quick second to take cover and examine a shallow cut one of her attackers had left on her shoulder. CJ crouched down next to her, but she just stayed on look-out.
"Let's see if we can find Ben and Archer…" Mal proposed after she'd determined that her wound wasn't that bad. "They're bound to be around here somewhere…"
CJ didn't answer. Mal looked up and saw CJ stare at something in the distance, her face contorted in a horrific, furious grimace. Mal looked back, and felt her heart stop for a second…
Harriet Hook, still dressed in her signature red leather coat, was standing in the middle of an open space in the battlefield. She was duel-wielding two sabers, taking on two opponents at once and pushing them back as well, cackling maniacally as she hacked and slashed.
Mal felt a deep rage boil up inside her. It wasn't as severe as with Solomon or Uma, but still very substantial. Harriet was and had always been a complete bitch! Always eager to bully and extort anyone she didn't like. Unsurprisingly, Mal and her friends fell into that category. They hadn't seen each other since Mal left for Auradon, but there was definitely no love lost between them.
"CJ, don't…" Mal began, reaching for CJ's sleeve, but she was too late.
CJ had already jumped up and was sprinting towards her sister, and no matter how loudly she called after her, Mal couldn't get her back.
Harriet only noticed CJ when she was barely a few feet away, and her expression changed from one of a certain macabre type to joy, to one of pure seething, hatred. "You!" She screeched, her eyes bulging. "You!"
"What? Not happy to see me?" CJ asked in a teasing tone as she raised her sword. "You made a mistake coming here, Harriet."
"You filthy, goddamn traitor!" Harriet spat, not paying CJ's words any mind. "How dare you betray your own kind!? How dare you!? You will rot in hell, you obnoxious brat!"
CJ didn't respond, mostly because she wasn't given the chance to. Harriet had already stormed at CJ, roaring in anger and her swords raised, and Mal watched in fear as the two sisters clashed.
They might have been sisters, but you couldn't tell if you didn't know. Harriet was over a head taller than CJ, possessed dark curls as opposed to CJ's blonde locks, and had the Hook's signature blue eyes, which CJ also didn't have.
Harriet kept slashing at CJ like a woman possessed, with each of her strikes clearly possessing the power to cut off CJ's head if she hadn't been blocking. Harriet put her all into trying to hurt CJ, her pupils dilated and her mouth practically foaming as she kept hitting.
CJ was forced on the defensive. She was faster than Harriet, and probably possessed a much better technique, but Harriet's lust for blood won out over all of that at the moment. CJ had to give it her all not to get cut to pieces, as she dodged, ducked and blocked as best she could. It also didn't help that Harriet had two weapons against CJ's one.
"You will regret ever changing sides!" Harriet yelled, sounding completely crazy. "I'm going to chop you into little pieces, you bitch!"
"Stop… Talking…" CJ grunted as she continued to block Harriet's efforts.
Mal had been watching on this entire time, almost enthralled by the epic showdown between the two sisters. She wanted to help, but they were going at it so fiercely that getting in between seemed both impossible and unwise.
"I knew you couldn't be trusted!" Harriet continued, her strikes slowing a little as she started panting softly. "I knew you were weak! I always knew!"
"Stop talking!" CJ repeated, managing to dodge one of Harriet's wilder strikes by ducking underneath it. She then followed that up by slashing at her sister's leg and actually getting a substantial hit.
"Aah!" Harriet grunted in pain, stumbling away from CJ for a second and clutching her leg. "You bitch!"
"Just surrender, Harriet." CJ said, even sounding a little hopeful.
"Rot in hell, weakling!" Harriet retorted, getting back into a fighting position with her sabers pointed straight at CJ.
"Oh, piss off then!" CJ scoffed, running at her sister with her sword raised.
Again they started fighting, but now it was CJ who was on the offensive. She slowly drove Harriet back, but still made no attempt at delivering a possibly fatal blow. This was the major difference in their fighting style, as CJ was holding back whereas Harriet wasn't.
After another particularly wild strike from Harriet, which she managed to dodge, CJ managed to kick at the back of Harriet's leg, which caused the latter to stumble forward. CJ then managed to hit one of her sister's wrists, causing her to drop one of her sabers. When Harriet swirled around again, furiously trying to land a hit, CJ ducked under her arm, grabbed it and twisted it. Harriet grunted in pain as CJ wrenched her arm up her back, also forcing her to drop her second saber.
"Give up!" CJ muttered, keeping up the strong hold.
"Eat shit, bitch!" Harriet countered, trying to free herself.
CJ just sighed, obviously annoyed, and tripped Harriet to the ground to establish an even stronger hold. "Give up! Final warning!" She sneered, angrier than Mal had ever seen her.
"Aah! Fuck! Okay! Okay! Let me go!" Harriet pleaded, though obviously against her will.
CJ visibly calmed, and eased up on the pressure a little. "Good…" She mumbled. "You know I wanted to do it…"
"Wow…" Mal spoke up as she approached the two. "Seems like you have things under control…"
"Yep…" CJ replied, smiling in pride. "It was easier than I thought…"
"Rot in hell, you- Aaahh!" Harriet called out before CJ again twisted her arm.
"Charming as ever…" Mal mumbled, looking around. The villains were now definitely on the run, with most of the Auradon troops now actively pursuing and arresting individuals. There were dozens of people around her, but Mal did not see any of her friends.
"Do you have any cuffs?" CJ asked, just as Harriet began another tantrum.
"No… Ehm, I could tag a soldier and see if they have any…" Mal proposed.
"Do that." CJ nodded, tugging on Harriet's arm again.
"You're gonna break it if you're not careful." Mal advised.
"She deserves it." CJ spat.
"Still…" Mal added, rolling her eyes. "Ease up a little…"
CJ scoffed a little, but Mal did see her relax her hold, albeit ever so slightly.
Mal then turned around to see if there was a soldier with cuffs nearby. Immediately, she heard the sound of renewed struggle and a cry of pain behind her. Spinning back around, Mal saw CJ lying on her back with a pained expression, and a now freed Harriet crawling to one of her fallen sabers.
"No!" Mal yelled as she ran back.
CJ had also reacted, jumping at Harriet to drag her back. Harriet kicked out and hit her sister square in the face with one of her heavy boots. CJ fell back with a scream of pain and clutched her face. Harriet managed to snatch one of her sabers and raised it…
"No!" Mal repeated. Thinking quickly, she raised her hands, thought of a quick spell and send a blast of air towards both Harriet and CJ. Harriet caught the brunt of it, and was sent flying several feet into the air, where she disappeared from view. CJ, meanwhile, was only pushed back a little.
"CJ!" Mal shouted as she rushed at her fallen ally. "A-are you okay?"
"Urgh! No!" CJ groaned, spitting out a large amount of blood as she sat up.
Mal pulled CJ's hands away from her face, and what she saw wasn't pretty. Harriet had busted CJ's nose with that kick, and blood was pouring out like a leaking faucet.
"How's it look?" CJ asked, wincing as she softly touched her nose.
"Honestly?" Mal responded, to which CJ nodded. "You've looked better…"
"Thanks." CJ grumpily replied, trying to wipe away some of the blood.
"I can heal it for you…" Mal offered.
"No thanks, you've done enough." CJ spat, surprising Mal a little.
"What does that mean?" Mal snapped.
"You told me to ease up!" CJ replied, still clutching her nose. "If I'd have broken that bitch's arm, we'd have captured her by now… Instead she got out and I have a broken nose…"
"That's not how we do things in Auradon." Mal countered.
"Well, it sucks ass…" CJ muttered.
"It is how it is…" Mal shrugged. "I'm gonna heal you now, okay?"
"Don't! I'll wait for a doctor or something…" CJ protested, getting back up.
"No, this is happening." Mal insisted, raising her hand and mumbling a spell.
"Wait!" CJ shouted, before a loud crack was heard and she screamed in pain.
"Better?" Mal asked without compassion, crossing her arms.
"Oww! Fuck! It's like it got broken all over again!" CJ complained, again clutching her face.
"But it's better, right?" Mal inquired.
"I mean… I don't know… I guess…" CJ mumbled, carefully feeling her nose. "It still hurts…"
"Yes… Well… I'm not 'that' good of a healer yet…" Mal protested.
"And you thought now was a good time to try things out?" CJ fell out at Mal.
"Well, it worked, didn't it?" Mal countered. "And I've yet to hear you thank me for saving your life…"
"Yeah, fine… I'll do it later…" CJ mumbled as she picked up her sword. "Where'd Harriet go?"
"Ehm, somewhere over there…" Mal mumbled crankily, gesturing vaguely.
"Should, ehm… Should we try to find her?" CJ hesitantly asked.
"I, ehm…" Mal contemplated. "I think she's on the run… Let's just let the other soldiers handle it…"
"Fine." CJ nodded, still occasionally feeling her nose. "Should we, ehm, find Archer then? And Ben…"
"Yeah..." Mal nodded. "Good idea."
And so they went out to search together. Harriet was nowhere to be seen, so they guessed she must have retreated somewhere with the other villains. The battle was seemingly almost over, as Mal and CJ only encountered other Auradon soldiers as they made their way to the shore. These soldiers all saluted them when they walked by, before resuming their activities. Some soldiers were restraining struggling prisoners, while others were tending to their own or other people's wounds.
CJ kept uttering soft complaints, often also rubbing her freshly healed nose.
Mal felt a renewed sense of panic. She hadn't seen Ben since he ran off into the heat of battle with the spearmen. In her heart, Mal knew there was no doubt that Ben was alright though…
"Archer!" Mal heard CJ call out, waking Mal from her musings.
Looking up, she saw CJ hurry over to Archer, who was standing near a group of heavily armed Auradon soldiers. Archer initially had a serious expression on his face, but immediately perked up when he heard CJ's voice. As far as Mal could see, he was unhurt.
"CJ! Thank god, you- W-what happened!?" He exclaimed when he got closer and was able to see the dried blood that still adorned CJ's face.
"Little run-in with an old acquaintance." CJ shrugged. "Nothing major…"
"A-are you sure?" Archer asked, taking CJ's head in his hands to examine her injury. "This looks broken…"
"It's fine… Mal healed it, or she tried to at least…" CJ explained.
"I did heal it!" Mal insisted. "If not for me, she'd still be dripping like a leaky pipe!"
"Well, thank you then." Archer spoke up before CJ could retort. "Anything else?"
"Have you seen Ben?" Mal immediately asked.
"Right around that corner…" Archer pointed out.
Without waiting for any other comments, Mal immediately brushed past Archer and his soldiers, who all saluted her. She turned a corner and indeed saw Ben standing a little further, with a few soldiers around him who were all pointing at a map.
"Ben!" Mal called out, not bothering for the soldiers to clear out.
"Mal?" Ben exclaimed, instantly turning around. A broad smile appeared on his face when he saw her, and he ran at her, also ignoring whatever the soldiers might think.
They met in the middle and embraced each other tightly.
"Are you alright?" Ben asked, looking Mal up and down.
"I'm fine." She replied, taking a moment to be grateful she'd actually found him again.
"Where are the others? Evie… CJ…" Ben muttered.
"Evie's somewhere back, with Carlos. CJ's here, with Archer… We ran into her sister…" Mal explained.
"Ooh, how'd that go?" Ben asked a little hesitantly.
"Nothing like family squabbles, is there?" Mal shrugged. "She got busted up a bit, but I healed her…" She then proudly told Ben.
"Wow…" Ben replied, his eyes shining with pride. "I knew you had it in you…"
Mal just smiled in reply, but then quickly turned serious again when she remembered what they were actually doing. "How's the battle?"
"Villains on the run on all sides." Ben started explaining. "They're almost entirely spread out at this point, and we're pushing them out of the city. By now, we might as well let the army handle the rest, what do you think?"
"Yeah, sure…" Mal replied, only now really feeling the exhaustion kicking in. She and her friends had already spent an entire day waiting for Solomon on History Island, fighting Solomon on History Island, travelling all the way to Belle's Harbor, and then fighting yet another battle. Mal hadn't noticed it during the fighting, but her entire body felt worn out and tired. The bruises on her face, arms and back started hurting all the more now that she had time to reflect.
"Are you as tired as I am?" Ben then asked, rubbing his eyes.
"Probably…" Mal answered with a small smile. "But, ehm, are you sure we should leave? I mean, what about Solomon?"
"He hasn't been sighted yet…" Ben replied, suddenly more worried. "We don't know what he's doing… Or where he is…"
"We should search for him." Mal resolutely said. "He's too dangerous! He's already unleashed all of this, and he can do much worse. We must find him!"
"Then we'll do that." Ben resolutely told her, determination shining through his mask of exhaustion. "We'll head back up, rally with the others, and think of a new plan. I also really want to know that everyone's okay."
"Yes, let's do that." Mal nodded, similarly eager to make sure that no one was hurt.
Ben gave a few last orders to his soldiers, and then placed a hand on Mal's lower back before walking back with her. The sounds of battle, which had previously been raging, had now all but died down. The streets were still littered with debris however, as well as the occasional blood splatters.
A little further, back with the other group of soldiers, Archer had conjured up a rag and was tending to CJ's bludgeoned face. Mal thought to herself that CJ shouldn't complain. After all, it was because of Mal's spell that CJ only had some mild bruising and dried blood to deal with, instead of the total wreck it would have been if she hadn't intervened.
"How's she doing?" Ben asked as he and Mal walked up.
"Agonizingly grumpy… You know, the usual." Archer mumbled in reply, wiping away the last of the blood from CJ's face.
"Shut up!" CJ snarled, snatching the rag before turning to Ben. "So, what's the plan now? Do we know where Solomon is yet?"
"He hasn't been sighted." Ben replied. "We're going head back up and rally with the others. After that we'll think of a plan. Mal for one is eager to track Solomon down right away."
"I am too." CJ snapped.
"Shouldn't we rest first, Ben?" Archer asked, looking at both CJ and Ben. "We've had an extremely long day, and I'm guessing there are some injuries that need to be nursed."
"We'll rest later." Mal resolutely said. "This cannot wait."
"A tired mind is almost as useless as no mind at all." Archer countered. "More troops are already pouring in from every major kingdom. We can hand over the reins for a couple of hours and get some rest, right?"
Mal did not agree, but also didn't feel like continuing this childish back and forth. She looked at Ben, who was just scratching his chin.
"We'll first regroup with the others. After that… After that we'll make a decision…" Ben eventually said.
"Fine." Archer sighed, turning around and whistling loudly to alert the other soldiers, who all packed up their stuff to prepare to leave. "But I first want to make sure everyone's okay, if that's alright?"
"Of course." Ben replied. "I also want to see everyone, so please don't act like I don't."
Archer only gave a curt nod, and reached over to CJ to grab her hand. Ben did the same with Mal, and together they trudged back. The sun was just about to rise, and the destruction of Belle's Harbor was only now truly becoming evident. The buildings and streets were all completely ruined, but could probably still be rebuilt.
"Do we know how many casualties we have yet?" Archer suddenly asked as they passed a large crater in the middle of the street.
"No." Ben answered, his jaw clenched.
Mal had worried about that as well, but she knew it had to be a thousand times worse for Ben. There had to have been at least some soldiers that hadn't made it out alive, and Mal knew that Ben felt responsible for everyone… Of course, as king, he kind of was…
"It's gonna be alright…" Mal softly told Ben, though she realized she couldn't have chosen more empty-sounding words.