The Third Sister

40 - Bravery, Loyalty and Sacrifice

Taylor get off of her horse, and looked at the stones. She took a deep breath.
"So it's that ?" She asked.
"It seems" Lancelot said, standing next to her.
"Okay" Taylor said. "Henry, you stay here with the horses."
"No, I want to come with you." Henry protested.
"Henry, please."
But Henry just walked to the stones, and disappeared through them.
"He's so stubborn!" Taylor exclaimed, between her teeth.
"Yeah just like his mother" Selena said.
"Which one?" Merida asked.
"Both" Taylor said, and she walked through the stones, followed by the rest of the group.
They arrived in a kind of cave, that was forming a tunnel. Henry was waiting there, and when Taylor saw him she grabbed him by his arm.
"When will you learn to listen?" Taylor asked angrily.
"I'm sorry. But I really want to help."
Taylor sighed.
"Okay. But you stay next to me."
Henry nodded.
"I'll walk before you" Lancelot suddenly said, and he passed in front of Taylor and Henry.
They all walked through the tunnel, Taylor and Henry were followed by Selena and Merida, Anna and Kristoff, and Percival. They walked silently, when they finally arrived in a big cave. They stopped at the edge of the cliff where they were arriving, and looked down. The only thing they could see was the void, and the other side of the cave was too far from them.
"Okay ..." Kristoff said. "So how are we going to join the other side ?"
"I don't know" Taylor said, looking around her to find a solution.
"Don't ask me to jump" Anna suddenly said.
"It's too far for this" Lancelot said. "And we can't attach a rope"
"I think I know what we have to do" Henry suddenly said.
Taylor raised an eyebrow.
"You do?"
"It's all a test, right? And I think it's the same thing than in Neverland. The only thing we have to do, it's to believe."
"Henry..." Taylor started.
"Trust me. I can do it."
Then he took a step forward.
"Henry no !" They all exclaimed, trying to stop the teenager.
Taylor quickly grabbed his hand, and her eyes widened in surprise when she saw that her nephew was stepping above the void.
"You see ?" Henry said with a smile.
He walked toward the other side of the cave, and turned around to look at the rest of the group. Taylor took a deep breath, and started to walk above the void, followed by Lancelot and Merida. Once they were arrived, Anna and Kristoff did the same.
"Your turn" Percival said, looking at Selena.
But Selena took a step backward.
"No no I can't do this."
"Hey it's gonna be alright" Percival said, grabbing the brunette's hand. "I'll stay with you, okay? I you fall, I'll catch you."
Selena quickly nodded, and Percival wrapped a arm around her shoulders. Then they started to walk above the void. Everything was okay, they walked carefully toward the rest of the group. But at half way, Selena suddenly fell.
"Selena!" Taylor yelled in fear, looking at her best friend.
As Selena was screaming in fear, Percival held her tightly. He quickly wrapped his other hand under her legs, and started to run toward the group.
"Selena!" Taylor exclaimed, hugging her friend tightly. "Are you okay?"
Selena nodded in response, still a bit shocked by what happened.
"Yes, I am" she said in a trembling voice.
Taylor sighed in relief, and pulled away to look at her friend. Selena gave her a weak smile, and turned her head to look at Percival.
"Thank you" she told him.
"No problem" the knight responded.
"We have to go now" Lancelot suddenly said.
He started to leave the cave, and Taylor wrapped an arm around her best friend's shoulders. Then she looked around for her nephew.
"Don't worry" Merida suddenly said, wrapping a arm around the teenager's shoulders. "He'll stay with me."
Taylor nodded, and followed Lancelot with Selena, followed by Merida and Henry, Anna and Kristoff, and Percival. They walked in a tunnel made of stones. Then they arrived in another cave, bigger than the previous one. There were a lake, and a kind of floating pontoon, that could lead them to the other side.
"Let me guess" Kristoff said. "We have to cross the lake on that ?"
"No we can't" Taylor said. "It's too dangerous"
"Well just like this whole mission" Merida said.
She stepped in front of the pontoon, and put a foot on it. She slowly press the wooden plank, which sinked a bit in the water.
"Well, we don't have any other way" she said.
"Maybe we do." Taylor said. "Let me create an other bridge."
She raised her hands, but before she could do anything Lancelot grabbed her wrist.
"Don't." He said. "This is all a test. And magic is easy. We won't succeed if you use it, so never use it."
Taylor nodded, and lowered her hands. Merida took an other step forward, then another, and carefully crossed the pontoon. Lancelot followed her, and Selena took a deep breath and did the same. Taylor put her hands on her nephew's shoulders, and followed her friends, and so did Anna, Kristoff and Percival.
"It's so crazy" Anna said.
Taylor nodded with a chuckle. They all continued to walk carefully, when a noise of water made them turn their heads, stopping to move. An armour was raising from the water, a sword in its hand. Others armours were appearing, and some others were walking on the pontoon.
"Move !" Percival yelled, stopping an armour's attack with is sword.
They all started to run, and Merida took her sword and pushed one of the armours that fell on the water. She jumped on the dry land, and quickly took her bow and an arrow to aim at an armour that was attacking Selena, and it fell in the water. Lancelot arrived next to Merida, and Taylor pushed Henry on the dry land, and quickly turned around to help her best friend. They both arrived on the other side, quickly followed by Anna, then Percival and Kristoff. But when they thought they were all safe, an armour grabbed Kristoff's leg, and pulled him in the water.
"Kristoff!" Anna exclaimed.
She grabbed her husband's hand in an attempt to save him, but before anyone could react, they both disappeared in the water. The water surface started to turn into stone, and soon the lake totally disappeared.
"Anna !" Taylor screamed. "Kristoff!"
She covered her mouth with her hands, while tears were streaming down her face. Merida wrapped a arm around Selena's shoulders as the brunette was crying, and so did Percival with Henry.
"What did I do ?" Taylor said.
"You didn't do anything" Lancelot said. "It was their choice, just like it's ours. And we won't give up until we find what we're looking for. Okay ?"
Taylor slowly nodded, and Lancelot wrapped his arms around her to comfort her.
"We have to continue" he said.
Taylor nodded again, then she pulled away from the knight and weakly smiled at him. Then she took her best friend's hand, and wrapped her other arm around her nephew's shoulders. They all started to walk through the new tunnel, an suddenly Taylor stopped to walk when she noticed some slabs on the floor. Lancelot passed before her, and put a foot between two slabs.
"Walk between the slabs" he said.
Taylor nodded and walked with Henry and Selena, followed by Merida, and Percival and Lancelot. They walked carefully, and Taylor sighed in relief when she arrived on the other side with Henry and Selena. But a little peddle fell from the ceiling, and arrived on a slab.
"Run !" Taylor screamed, at the moment when the ground started to shake, and some rocks fell from the ceiling.
"No !" Taylor screamed, when she saw Lancelot disappear under a rock.
Taylor raised her hands and a white light appeared in her palms, and she threw it toward the rock. But nothing happened, and suddenly Merida jumped on Taylor to slam her onto the ground, at the exact moment when two kind of magical arms of stone came from one of the walls, and caught Merida. Then the princess disappeared in the wall, and everything became quiet.
"No !" Taylor said. "No no no !"
The sat up on the ground, and looked around her. Lancelot and Merida were nowhere to be seen.
"No !" Taylor said a bit louder.
Selena wrapped her arms around her best friend's shoulders from behind. Percival kneeled in front of them, while Henry were approaching. Taylor wrapped her arms around her nephew for a big hug, while she was calming herself. Henry quickly dried his tears, and so did Selena.
"We have to go now" Percival said, his eyes full of tears.
"He was your best friend" Taylor said with a sniff.
"Yes" Percival said in a broken voice.
"I was seven when he saved my life" the singer said.
"I know."
Of course he knew. He was here when Taylor and Lancelot realised she was the little girl he saved so many years ago, and with whom she spent some months.
"He told me a lot about that little girl he once saved" Percival continued. Taylor looked the knight in the eyes. "He loved you a lot, Taylor. You were like a daughter for him. And he missed you. Terribly."
"I'll miss him" she said.
Then she slowly stood up, with the help of her best friend. Then they walked side by side through the tunnel, when suddenly, they arrived in front of a wall. There was nothing on the wall, except a hole.
"What ?" Taylor exclaimed. "No it's impossible!"
"Taylor" Selena suddenly said, pointing to the hole. "Look"
She slowly put her hand in the hole, when suddenly Taylor stopped her.
"Don't !" Taylor exclaimed. "It's probably another trap."
"It's not a trap, Taylor. It's a test. All of this is just a test."
"I can't let you do this."
"But someone has to."
"And it will be me." Taylor said.
"No." Selena said. "Your sister needs you."
"Maybe I can..." Henry started.
"Shut up" Selena and Taylor said in a same voice.
"I'll do it" Percival suddenly said.
"What ?" Taylor exclaimed. "No !"
"Look. Lancelot would want me to protect you. And you" he said, looking at Selena with tender eyes. "Taylor needs you."
"And I, you" Selena suddenly said as tears were streaming down her face.
"I can do it" Taylor said.
"No !" Percival and Selena said in a same voice.
"Please let me do this" Selena said, looking straight into Percival's eyes, her vision blurry because of the tears.
"No" Percival said in a tender voice and put his hand on the wall, next to the hole.
Selena didn't hesitate a second and put her hands on the knight 's neck, and put her lips on his for a deep kiss.
"I love you" Percival whispered.
"I love you too" Selena said while she was crying.
Then Percival put his hand in the hole, and quickly disappeared in the wall. The whole wall started to move, revealing the next cave of the next ordeal.