All characters appearing in Gargoyles and Gargoyles: The Goliath Chronicles are copyrighted to Buena Vista Television/The Walt Disney Company. I've taken the idea for the Unseelie Court from the TGS. Characters and concepts from Star Trek are property of Paramount and created by Gene Roddenberry. No infringement of these copyrights is intended, and is not authorized by the copyright holder. All original characters are the property of SN.
Note: I'm disregarding the events of the "Goliath Chronicles", with the exception of "The Journey" because I do not wish to use the rest of the "Goliath Chronicles" as canon to my story. Also, I am altering large sections of the Star Trek storyline, especially concerning events like WWIII and the Eugenics Wars, which without the Cold War as a backdrop probably wouldn't happen the way Roddenberry wrote them, if at all. This story takes place immediately after "Dragged In".
Old Wars
By SN/TVfan
Email: Sam_Nary
Avalon Mists
Coyote looked out nervously as the small skiff floated through Avalon's mists to wherever Arthur's crew was needed next. The skiff was somewhat quiet at the moment, but his unease was not unnoticed.
"You okay?" Beth asked him, "I mean isn't this generally travel when you've left Flagstaff to take care of something?"
"No I generally teleport or travel through mirrors when I have to leave Flagstaff," Coyote answered, "traveling through Avalon's mists is a way mortals are able to use Avalon's magic, although sometimes it will seem like Avalon's magic is using them."
Beth didn't answer him.
"But still, this is all very new to me," Coyote finished.
"Me too, but Elisa never said the traveling part was hard," Beth answered, "usually, it was only the destination that was dangerous."
"And always for a reason," Coyote nodded, "Don't worry about me. This is nothing to really worry about. Maybe after I'm used to it, I'll warm up to it."
Beth nodded and then turned to look out into the mists, and then glanced back to Arthur, Merlin, and Rachel.
"How long does it normally take for you to come out of the mists between stops?" Beth asked curiously, "Elisa never told me those sorts of details."
"That can never really be certain," Merlin answered, "It depends on the length of the journey. If they had taken us from Flagstaff to Phoenix, we should have left the mists by now. If we were headed anywhere in the continental US, we should be emerging fairly soon. If it's anywhere else, it could be a little while, to allow for Avalon's magic to transport us there."
Merlin gave a slight pause before continuing.
"It's likely the same magics that you naturally manipulate to transport, Coyote," Merlin then continued, "but unlike your natural method, we do not necessarily control the magic. It's likely that lack of control that prevents us from knowing how long we will be in the mists or really where we will be needed next."
Beth didn't really answer at first.
"I'm sure it's strange, but it's the only Merlin has said we can travel," Rachel spoke up, hoping to assure the young Native American-African American woman.
Beth slowly nodded in agreement. She then looked at Rachel with some sense of curiosity.
"So, Ms. Winters, if you don't mind my asking, what's it like? Being a werewolf, I mean?" Beth asked, trying to satisfy some curiosity about the supernatural world that her family had been thrown into.
Elisa had told her bits and pieces of what it was like to be a gargoyle. Saying that their desires to protect was in fact instinctual, that she liked gliding, but did have some sadness at never being able to see sunlight again. Her mother told her that she so rarely, if ever, took her panther form that she didn't really know what it was like to change, other then to describe the process of transforming. Derek was usually the most quiet about what had happened to him, partially, Beth thought, because he was the most isolated from the world living in Manhattan's sewers.
"It's Rachel," Rachel answered, "Ms. Winters is way to professional, and makes me think of my mother, even though she's a 'Missus'. And why do you ask? For the most part, it isn't really all that different from being human."
"Curiosity mostly," Beth sighed, sounding embarrassed, "with the exception of myself and my father, my entire family has been changed into something. A geneticist turned into an anthromorphic panther with wings. A sorcerer turned my sister into a gargoyle, and a rogue werepanther accidentally turned my mother into a werepanther. I guess I wonder from time to time about what it feels like for them."
"I hope you don't actually wish to join the club," Rachel commented.
That made Beth look on in slight surprise.
"She doesn't want to be a were, of any anima type, gargoyle, or mutate," Coyote spoke up in Beth's defense, "She just seeks a greater understanding, possibly to better understand the things that commonly involve her family."
"Oh, that's a relief" Rachel sighed, "I really don't want to bite or scratch anyone, even if they want it."
"I take it you don't like being a werewolf?" Beth asked, "If so, I'm sorry if I brought the topic up."
"I've accepted it, and I'm willing to use my powers when necessary," Rachel answered, "but no, I'm not particularly fond of being able to turn into a seven foot wolf creature."
"It's not so much hating herself, but the fact that she lost her humanity permanently and at first only wanted to be as normal as possible," Merlin added, "Probably very similar to what your brother, sister, and mother have already gone through, although I am no expert on their lives."
"I understand," Beth nodded, "and I'm sorry if my question offends you. I'm just curious about a lot of these sorts of things."
"I don't mind curiosity," Rachel shrugged, "to be honest though, I'm finding that being a werewolf isn't as different from being human. Now, if there was a way I could be normal again, I'd take it in a heartbeat, but it isn't like all the monster movies they've made."
"Understandable," Beth nodded, "ups and downs."
"Yeah," Rachel agreed, "being able to be physically stronger and faster, as well as heightened senses is good, but I wish I didn't have change my physical appearance to gain those abilities. I am thankful, though that the only time I don't have control over the transformation is during a full moon. Otherwise, I can't really describe the ability to change at will."
Beth sighed, her curiosity not really satisfied.
"I'm sorry if I can't tell you more right now," Rachel spoke.
Beth only nodded as the mists they were in began to part.
"We're coming out," she spoke, stating the obvious, "Is there any way to know where we are?"
"Not until we're fully out of the mists, I'm afraid," Arthur answered as the mists continued to dissipate.
The mists then parted and they found themselves on a river floating through a very thick, almost tropical forest. They also found it to be night there, as Una's statue cracked and the English gargoyle awakened for the night.
"Where are we?" Una asked as she shook the stone fragments out of her hair and brushed her wings down.
"Don't know," Arthur sighed, "Some place rather warm, by the looks of things."
Arthur then carefully piloted the skiff toward the shore so that everyone could safely get off onto dry ground. They quickly found there was a fairly sizable hill near the bank of the river, and that there was a few feet of mud that had to be traversed before they were on dry ground.
"Certainly is rather tranquil territory," Rachel commented as they gathered on a small path that seemed to go up the hill.
"Yes," Merlin nodded, "it should give us the time to figure out our reason for being here without attracting attention."
"That'll be easier to do once we know where we are," Coyote spoke, "Which might be easier to discern at the top of the hill. We might be able to look around."
The others nodded and began to follow Coyote up the path toward the top of the hill. The path was narrow and went back and forth along the side of the hill. Occasionally Beth saw what looked like a very large spider scurry along the ground near them. She shuddered and made sure not to go near that spot. Things were rather quiet as they went, but as the came about halfway up the hill, Una suddenly broke the silence.
"Coyote, look out!" Una spoke urgently making everyone jump back in surprise.
Beth, Rachel, Arthur, and Merlin all jumped backward when Una gave out her warning, but Coyote jumped forward in surprise. It wasn't until after he landed that the real problem began. As his feet came down, a large explosion erupted from the ground beneath him, rocketing the southwestern fey into the air. Coyote landed in the bushes nearby, and Beth was quick to run to his side.
"Coyote! Are you okay?" Beth asked.
His legs looked as though they had been blown off, but there was no blood, and they were already appearing to grow back. Coyote also didn't appear to be visibly in pain.
"Who mines a dirt path?" Coyote asked as he struggled back to his feet once his fey regeneration had repaired the damage done by the blast.
"Commonly, third world armies trying to prevent a more advanced military, or a larger one from invading," Merlin spoke, "I would have thought you knew this, given your immortality."
"The Navajo, Hopi, Pueblo and other Native American Tribes of the southwest didn't place explosives underground when they fought wars," Coyote answered, "and the Americans, when they arrived, did not feel the need to leave land mines behind."
"So where are we?" Arthur asked, "Other then China, I do not know of any other place that is at war."
"This place looks a little too heavily forested to be China," Rachel commented.
"My best guess would be somewhere in Cambodia," Merlin sighed, "the country is unstable, and the instability dates back to the Vietnam War. Between the Khmer Rouge, US bombing, and then the Vietnamese invasion, the Cambodian people have suffered. According to several news reports I've read, there are still pockets in the country that have been heavily mined, although I'm not sure who planted them."
"Thank goodness you're okay," Beth spoke to Coyote directly.
"No Iron, or at least, no pure Iron in the explosive," Coyote answered, "I'll be fine. But I think we've found out why we're here specifically. To clear these mines. Cambodia isn't in a shooting war with anyone to my knowledge, leaving minefields active is unnecessary, and dangerous to anyone who doesn't know where the mines are."
"Possibly," Arthur commented, "Although, we'll need to know how big the minefield is and if there are any villages nearby that the mines threaten."
"I might be able to find a village, but the trees are too thick for me to observe anything from the air," Una spoke in warning.
"I can do the searching on the ground," Rachel spoke, "and we can trust Coyote to dismantle the mines."
"I'd be more then willing to help in that regard," Coyote nodded, "and if Una finds a village nearby, perhaps we can see if they need any help."
"We'll still need to get to the top of the hill first," Merlin commented, "so Una can get the height needed to glide."
Elsewhere
A young girl was startled out of her sleep by a loud booming noise in the distance. She quickly drifted to a window and looked out toward where the sound came from. There was no smoke rising, but she was sure she heard an explosion.
"Daughter," a firm male voice spoke from behind her a moment or to later, "what are you doing up."
"I heard an explosion, father," the girl turned to see a middle aged man approach her and place his hands on her shoulders. She then pointed out the window, "it came from out there."
The father looked out the window and sighed heavily. Someone had obviously come across one of the mines that had been set up around the village. The elders in the village said they had originally been put there to keep the Vietnamese and the Americans out, but they also added that they did not trust the men who put those mines there. And for years, between the government being unstable and guerilla fighters attacking them and it over the years, no one had bothered to clean up the minefield around the village. Going beyond the small farming fields around the village was dangerous, and there had been a small area that was rapidly being filled when someone stepped on a mine trying to head to a different village for food or equipment. The man sighed as there was nothing that he could do to solve the problem.
"That was likely someone running afoul of the mines," the father spoke weakly, "nothing more."
"Shouldn't we help them?" the girl asked.
"There is nothing we can do, child," the father answered, "go back to sleep."
The girl only sighed and went back to her bed. Her father stood there and looked nervously on, wishing there was some way to make the world better for his daughter.
Hilltop
Even with Una spotting the mines they came across and Rachel in wolf form aiding in the searching for them, and Coyote safely and quietly using magic to dispose of them, it took a while to dispose of the mines. Many of them were clustered together, and some of them were of different types. Getting rid of the mines wasn't really that hard, as Coyote turned them into rocks, but that process going only one at a time still took time.
When they reached the top of the hill, they found the ruins of what appeared to be an old temple. Merlin looked at it, and clearly saw it was an Asian temple of some sort, but he did not know of which specific culture, although it reinforced his opinion that they were in Cambodia.
"Was this a palace of some kind?" Arthur asked as he stepped onto on of the larger stones nearby for a closer look, ignoring the plants that were growing through the cracks or the vines wrapping around the columns.
"Possibly," Merlin shrugged, "More likely it was a temple or a shrine of some sort, but I really do not know that much about many Asian cultures. I can't really tell for sure what it is, other then that it's a ruin."
"I believe I can glide from here," Una reported, "I'll try to be quick."
Arthur and the others nodded as Una scaled one of the remaining columns and took off into the air, gliding away. She was nervously wondering things as she glided along, mostly trying to stay above the that the group had been following to see if it would lead to a village or some other settlement of some kind. She mostly thought over what Merlin had said about their location.
Una could remember seeing the news reports the BBC did on America's conflict in Vietnam and the resulting problems that that war caused. The war itself between the Americans and the Vietnamese was bad enough, but the addition of the Khmer Rouge made things worse. The reports of their genocide of their own people were horrible and the reports of nothing but death took herb back to the time when she and Leo thought they had lost Griff. They may not have been customers that frequented the shop, but Una still felt a great deal of sympathy for the victims of such crimes.
The fact that the remains of the entire conflict were still there unsettled her greatly. She could understand that human governments did not always 'get along' but she couldn't understand why they couldn't clean up the messes they had made. Una sighed heavily and then continued on her way.
The rest of the group settled down to wait at the shrine ruins for Una to return. Mostly as there was no wish to wander aimlessly looking for mines until they found some sign of civilization and where it was in relation to them. Coyote seemed fairly nervous as he sat on one of the stones of the ruin.
"Is something wrong?" Beth asked him.
"Nothing is wrong, but I sense something strange," Coyote answered, "I don't know what it is."
Merlin, Rachel, and Arthur immediately looked toward the forest around them, Arthur drawing Excalibur as he did so.
"It's nothing out there," Coyote answered, "Whatever it is, it's already here, in the ruin."
"What is it?" Beth asked nervously.
"Where is it?" Merlin asked.
"I don't know what it is, but it's somewhere in these ruins," Coyote answered as he looked at the structure, "possibly under one of the stones."
"Then perhaps we should look," Rachel commented, "make sure it isn't harmful."
Coyote was unsure about that.
"I don't think it's harmful," Coyote answered, "It's just strange."
"We should still find out what it is," Merlin commented, "even seemingly innocent and harmless tools can be incorporated into powerful weapons. If we know what it is, we can more easily asses how dangerous it actually is."
Coyote only shrugged as they began looking under the stones that they were sitting on. After a few moments, Beth and Merlin came to a lone stone in the middle of the ruin that they hadn't overturned yet, and began pushing on the edge of the stone try and look underneath. As they pushed it over onto its side, a brilliant light engulfed the area, blinding Merlin and Beth, making them stumble away, while Rachel and Arthur were forced to turn away. After a few moments, the light dulled down and they could see again.
Coyote slowly approached the spot, as the source of whatever he sensed was coming from that spot. What lay under the carved stone was a small rock-like thing that was glowing faintly.
"I don't believe it," Coyote gasped in surprise and shock.
"What is it?" Rachel asked from the north edge of the ruin.
"To put it simply, it's a rock, but there is more to it then that," Coyote answered, "Long ago, according to legend, before the Gargoyle and Human races had fully evolved, the Fey were not all that different from humans today, human sorcerers that is."
"Isn't that how you are now?" Beth asked, confused.
"No," Coyote answered, "if the legend is true, the fey now are far more powerful no. We can perform magic at will, without using some empowered device that mortal sorcerers use."
"I take it this legend says the Third Race was not always this powerful?" Merlin questioned.
Coyote nodded, "The legend says that the fey were not unlike human sorcerers at that time. They could do magic, but they required the use of some tool to channel it. Then, a group of them came across a large stone, similar to those they used to channel their magic before, but far larger. FAR larger. As they came closer to it, they felt power emanating from the rock."
"So your race got its power from a rock?" Beth asked with a giggle.
"It's a legend," Coyote corrected, "Mortals have just as absurd sounding legends to, but there is always a grain of truth in them, especially as many members of my race appear in most of your legends."
"Okay, I didn't mean to mock," Beth said back.
"According to the legend, the most powerful of the group feared that magics inherent in the rock were too powerful to be left to humanity or the gargoyles and moved the rock to a secret location to protect it," Coyote continued.
"Avalon," Arthur spoke.
Coyote nodded, "It was an old legend. One that I never really believed or spent much time looking into, but this rock changes things. Power, magical power is glowing from it."
"As you said earlier, all legends have some grain of truth in them," Merlin commented, "and it could be a logical explanation for the origins of the Third Race. Magic is not a natural phenomenon that beings manipulate on their own. The sensitivity to magic forces may be natural, but wielding it isn't. That's why humans and gargoyles require some other object that has absorbed magical energies. This power source, must have been so massive that when your ancestors came in contact with it that their bodies began to absorb the energy because there was simply so much of it."
Coyote then sighed, "Maybe, but as I said earlier, I never really wondered about the origins of my race."
"Can we take the rock with us?" Beth asked, "maybe you could show it to Titania when all of this is over. Before going back to Arizona."
"It should be safe," Coyote shrugged, "That rock isn't as big as the rock in the legend. It should be safe to carry."
Beth nodded, and then placed the rock in her pocket. As she did so, Una returned.
"There is a village about half a mile in that direction," Una reported pointing, "It looks rather run down, but still inhabited. The path that lead us up the hill should lead us to the village. As I suspected the trees are thick enough that I couldn't see the ground well enough to tell you whether or not the road is mined."
"We'd best get going, then," Arthur commented, "we wouldn't want the sun to come up before we get there or before you're ready for it."
"I will likely return here to the ruin when it gets close to dawn," Una answered, "You needn't worry about me."
Arthur nodded and let Rachel take the lead as they began to head down the path again. The journey down the hill toward he village took longer then the journey up the hill. Largely because there were more mines on this part of path, several of them interconnected with trip wires. As the village began to come into view in the distance, they also found several craters where mines had been.
"They likely have wounded in that village," Beth gasped looking at the craters where the mines had exploded, "or dead."
"Perhaps you can help them," Rachel offered before stopping and beginning to change back to her human form.
"Is that a smart idea?" Merlin asked, "Una's already gone back to the ruins, what if there are more mines?"
"I do not see anymore mines," Rachel answered, "and its doubtful this village knows much about werewolves. Having me appear in this form would scare people, unless you can convince them I'm some domestic dog."
"With that chest it'd be rather hard," Beth commented, sounding slightly envious.
"I can easily solve your jealousy problem if you want," Rachel told her has she pulled her normal clothes out of a pack that Arthur carried for her.
"No thanks," Beth answered nervously, "Just wanting to point out that your wolf form doesn't look like a large wolf. More like a wolf crossed with a human, or a wolf-like gargoyle minus the wings."
Rachel only nodded and finished dressing.
"Anyway, as I said before, I don't see any more mines," Rachel spoke, "the rest of the path should be clear."
The Village
The father was up with the dawn, and found his daughter sleeping quietly in her bed. He expected another hard day of work, just to survive inside a village that for years had essentially been cut off from the world. He was about to set about making himself some breakfast when he heard a commotion coming from outside his home. He came out to see a crowd gathering on the east edge of the village.
"What's going on? Is it soldiers?" the man asked as he approached.
Another man pointed out down the dirt path and he looked out to see a group of people walking down it toward the village. All of them looked European or American. One of the woman had a skin tone similar to there's, but not exactly the same, and she was still dressed like an American.
"They came through the mines," one of the villagers spoke.
As they came closer, a middle aged man with graying brown hair stepped forward.
"Good day, I am Arthur Dragon," Arthur spoke introducing himself, deciding to use his assumed name in the modern era, even though these people likely didn't know who 'Arthur Pendragon' was, "we are travelers who have come a long way, and were wondering if we could stop and rest here for a short while?"
"You came through the mines!" several villagers spoke in amazement.
The father sighed and then began physically moving the surprised people away to get to the man that had identified himself as Arthur.
"All right everyone," he spoke firmly, "Let them have some air. Go about your work. I will find out how they arrived here."
The gathered people gave a collective sigh and shuffled back toward their homes. The father then turned back to the group of new arrivals.
"You'd best come with me," the father spoke, "we can talk in peace and you can relax a bit."
"Are you the mayor, here?" Beth asked.
"As close as our village will get to any sort of government, yes," the father answered.
He lead the group back to his home and then to the small room that served as his kitchen and living room.
"I will have to ask you to keep it down," the father spoke, "my daughter is still sleeping."
They nodded and followed him into the kitchen. Like everything else in the village it looked old and slightly run down, and other then the chair that the 'mayor' of this village had sat down in, there was only one other chair there.
"How far have you traveled?" the father asked.
"A lot longer then you'd likely believe," Merlin answered, "Mostly to try and see what we can do to help anyone in need. We have a mother ship in the South China Sea. We then entered a river that passes near here in a smaller raft."
"You travel to commit acts of charity?" the father asked.
"In a manner of speaking," Arthur answered, "These are my 'crew', Merlin, Beth, Rachel, and Coyote. We have another, but she is guarding our raft."
The father nodded, "Well, your group as done something of great surprise by coming into our village."
"A pleasant one, I hope," Coyote commented.
"Indeed," the father nodded in agreement, "No one who has left our village has ever come back."
"I assume you're referring to the mines that we had to remove on the way here?" Merlin asked.
"It all began a long time ago," the father sighed, "I was just a boy then, but things were not calm. The Khmer Rouge thought everyone should be a farmer or laborer. They bought weapons and took over the country. After doing so, they began moving people from the cities onto these sorts of small villages and began killing anyone who didn't work or dared talk of resisting."
"My parents followed the news reports," Beth commented, "It must have been very hard to survive."
"It was," the father answered, "My parents died soon after we were moved here, and if it weren't for my older brothers, I would have died soon after."
Coyote and the others looked on with some sadness and respect.
Then the fighting between Vietnam and Khmer Rouge began," the father continued, "the government here didn't want the Vietnamese to free us, and laid mines around the village and then left before they arrived. Then they left."
"I take it no one arrived to clear the mines," Arthur commented, "considering that there are still mines in the area."
"This village was away from the main Vietnamese axis of advance and the mines were laid so thick that the few villagers who have tried to escape, have either been killed by the mines or have been so gravely wounded that they couldn't move any further," the father sighed, "and considering the problems likely faced whenever the Khmer Rouge was forced out of power, I doubt anyone has had the time to send engineers here to clear the mines."
"We're sorry your village has suffered so," Coyote spoke.
"Your arrival has eased our burdens, if you cleared the mines," the father spoke.
"We cleared the ones on the road," Coyote answered, "We couldn't see any in the forest."
"It does get dark among the trees when the sun sets, and our village really doesn't use the area outside our rice fields for anything," the father reported, "Although, I must ask, how did you dispose of the mines?"
"I have very good eyesight, and I was able to spot them to allow the others to dig them out with a long tree branch," Rachel shrugged, "Took quite a while to accomplish."
"I can imagine," the father answered, "but we are thankful. You've cleared one of two ways in and out of our village. If you are here to help, I would ask that you help with the clearing of the other minefield along the road in the other direction."
"We'll try," Arthur offered, "do you have any shovels or scissors?"
"Shovels we have plenty of," the father answered, "Scissors we have none of them. The Khmer Rouge never thought they were worthy of farm workers, and we were cut off since their rule."
"We'll have to make due," Arthur sighed, "but if we could relax a little before clearing these mines, that would be most appreciated."
The father nodded, " I do not mind."
They spent much of the morning resting, and were eventually involved in explaining their story again both to their host's daughter and to a few other townsfolk who got curious and came to visit. Shortly after noon, they gathered up some shovels that their host had gathered for them to borrow and briefly spoke with him before heading to work.
"How deep is the minefield?" Coyote asked.
"I do not know," their host answered, "some have tried to cross it, but most have died. If any survived, I doubt they decided to come back and tell us how deep it is."
They nodded and then gave a heavy sigh and began walking toward the path leading into the trees west of the village and the mines just inside them.
"Can you still see well, even in human form?" Beth asked as they walked, unsure as how to use the shovel to uncover mines, as Coyote did all the work of dealing with them on their way to the village.
"If I change only my eyes," Rachel answered, "although that can be rather difficult to maintain for long, as I'd need to transform enough for my eyes to change, but hold back enough that I don't start to obviously lose my preset form."
"I can easily find them in a more discrete manner," Coyote spoke confidently, "although it will take awhile to focus on things."
"You're certain you can do this?" Merlin asked.
"The technology may be different from what I'm most used to, but it isn't Iron," Coyote replied, "So long as we go slow, I can find them."
The others then shared a slow nod, and let Coyote take the lead as the approached the point where the path went into the forest. They saw several craters that indicated that mines had been tripped by something or someone, but the approach was slow as Coyote began channeling his own powers to try and sense the mines before they could be stepped on.
"Will they get rid of the mines?" the daughter asked nervously from the edge of the village, "They won't die, will they?"
"I don't know," her father answered, "I wouldn't think so, since they've cleared the mines to the east of us."
Dealing with these mines was long and labor intensive. Partially because a couple of the villagers were initially watching, and partially because Coyote's task was now expanded to include finding the mines and turning them into duds so the others could dig the mines out. They also found a fair number of craters that had indicated a past mine explosion.
"It's just awful what they did," Beth commented as they moved past a series of craters to where Coyote had indicated the next group of un-tripped mines were, "these people being trapped in their village."
"It's nothing new," Arthur sighed as he began digging up a mine that Coyote had marked, "of course, in my time, they simply had armed men present, not these traps that are impartial to anyone."
They continued on until nearly dusk when they finally reached a point where Coyote could not sense any more mines.
"You're sure they're gone?" Rachel asked.
"On the road yes," Coyote answered, "This should clear the way for the people her to journey in search of the help needed to clear the mines in the forest itself."
"We did good then," Arthur nodded, "These people are now free."
The Village
The group returned in the late evening and reported to the father's house to return the shovels and report on their success.
"The mines are clear, sir," Arthur reported, "you should be able to send someone for help tomorrow."
The man smiled, "This is wonderful news. You've freed us, after years of being trapped."
"The mines in the forest are still there," Arthur warned, "You might want to try and get in contact with your government to see if they can send engineers to clear the mines."
The father nodded, still smiling, "Would you like to stay for dinner? I'm afraid I do not have much."
"No, thank you," Arthur spoke politely, "We need to get back to our boat, and rendezvous with the last member of our team. It was a pleasure to meet you though."
"The pleasure is ours, since you freed us," the father spoke after Arthur as the group slowly began walking to regroup with Una.
The End…