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Lance and Kahn made their way down the cobblestone street on their way back to the ship. They had enjoyed a little bit of fooling around and took a short nap before deciding that they had been away long enough. Lance didn't want anyone to start worrying, but Kahn didn't seem too concerned. He was quiet, not saying much whenever Lance would try to make conversation, which was normal, but he seemed even more serious than normal.

Without much warning, the lemur jumped onto Kahn's back and wrapped his legs around the Dalmatians abdomen. "What're you doing?" Kahn asked when he regained his balance from stumbling.

"I'm lazy," Lance said, draping his arms over Kahn's shoulders and digging the bridge of his nose into the back of his neck. "Carry me."

The Dalmatian made a noise, but didn't protest. Lance knew that, deep down, Kahn liked it, even if he was too stiff to admit it.

Lance closed his eyes as he relaxed to the gentle sway of Kahn's gait. Lance couldn't say that he and the Dalmatian were exclusive, but they were definitely more than friends, and more than just 'fuckbuddies'. They don't just have sex, sometimes, they'll share a meal, sleep together in the same hammock at night, bath together, talk (when Kahn was in the mood), and even kiss sometimes. Greg didn't like Lance spending a lot of his time with the Dalmatian (Greg and Kahn would really get into it sometimes), but Lance would just brush him off and tell him he's being paranoid.

Kahn wasn't as heartless as some may think; he's seen it, he's seen the nice and mean side of the Dalmatian and loved both of them. Sure, Kahn didn't talk that much and kept mostly to himself, but Lance saw more in him.

"Hey! Are you Kahn and Lance?" an unfamiliar female voice said.

Lance opened his eyes and lifted his head. He had been so caught up in his own little world that he hadn't noticed that Kahn stopped walking. He looked down to a young lady in a black and dark purple cloak that hid her entire body from sight. Her hair was strawberry red, and eyes were sky blue. "Yeeeesss," Lance said hesitantly. "And who are you?"

But instead of answering, the young lady said; "You're in danger!"

Part X (Episode I)

No more than ten seconds after the young girl had said that, Lance noticed a line of armored soldiers marching in their direction from behind the redhead, and could hear a line of them marching from behind. "Shite," the girl said, looking down. "I got here too late!"

Lance jumped off from Kahn's back and drew two diggers that he carried on his belt as the Dalmatian drew his sword. "No!" The girl said. "If you fight them, you both die!" She said.

"Zip it kid!" Kahn snarled and readied himself to fight.

The redhead scrunched up her nose and furrowed her brows. "I'm not a kid!" she said. "And I mean it! You can't fight them!"

"Lower your weapons! This is your only warning!" One of the soldiers in front of them called.

At this point, the little girl was getting tired of being ignored. With one quick swipe of her hand, both Kahn and Lance's blades flew from their grasps, as if someone has just knocked them out of their hands. "What the-?" Lance started and looked over to the redhead, who held her hands above her head in surrender.

Was that-... did she just use magic? Lance thought to himself as he stared at the girl, slowly raising his hands in surrender as well. What was she? Gypsy? Witch? Mage? Whatever she was, she was pretty powerful for her age. Most magic users have trouble with even lifting a feather or summoning anything unless they've had extensive training since birth, but even so, she would have to be at least half way through her twenties before she would be able to pull off the simplest of spells. Lance only knew this because he once tried to study magic, but had no one to teach him and he couldn't read. Most spell casters require a spell book of some kind, but Lance (even now at twenty-seven years of age) was never taught to read or write more than a handful of words, so even if he could conduct magic, he wouldn't know how to use it unless he could read.

Kahn was reluctant to give up. Even without his sword, he still stood at the ready. "Kahn, put your hands up!" Lance said.

"No way." He hissed, his fists tightening into a ball.

"Kahn, that girl standing next to you is a Spellcater, and spellcasters often get visions of the future. If she says that we're going to die fighting, than I would trust her."

"I'd rather die than just give up." He said

"Yeah yeah tough-guy, save it. If we die, who will be there to protect William when he wakes up?"

That seemed to strike a chord with the Dalmatian. Slowly, he relaxed his fists and muscles until he stood up straight and raised his hands. "For Prince William..." He said.

~*~

William ran the brush through his hair one last time before he set it down next to him on James's bed. The wolf had spent the last few hours explaining to William what had happened over the period of time that the prince was unconscious. Apparently, Blackbeard had made a move; over the past few months, Blackbeard's ships had been taking out English ships that protected the boarder. This left William's kingdom open for attack, from forging invaders, but so far, no one else seemed to notice.

William's father knew of the matter, but refused making the information public in fear of causing an uproar. William understood his ethic, but even so, his father should be doing more to protect his country.

James also mentioned that they had received word from Conway and that he and his ships were had discovered the whereabouts of Blackbeard and something that he called, 'The Four Walls.' The way James explained it, The Four Walls were basically four of the known world's deadliest mercenaries acting as Blackbeard henchmen and bodyguards. In order to get to Blackbeard, they had to go through the Four Walls.

With a little more effort than it would for anyone else, William pushed himself off from the bedside to stand on his feet. From what James had said, William had been out of commission for a few days, so when he stood, he nearly lost his balance. He caught himself on James's desk that stood parallel to the wolf' bed and straightened himself up.

James walked in to the cabin at that moment, seeing William leaning on his desk and out of bed. "What the hell are you doing?" The wolf asked, walking around his desk to help William sit back down on the bed. "I told you not to get out of bed. I said I'd be right back."

William groaned as he laid back down onto the bed. James took his hat and coat off before laying now next to William and snuggling up close to him. The Prince giggled a bit when he felt James's wet nose press into his cheek and took a big, long, overly dramatic inhale. "Gods you smell good!" he exclaimed as he exhaled, before giving his cheek a lick. "Taste good too."

The prince turned his head to look at James. "I thought you said you have stuff to do?"

The wolf shrugged. "Eh, it can wait." He gave William a quick kiss. "I just want to spend as much time with you as I can."

It was odd; the wolf seemed to be acting strangely ever since William had woken up, but the prince was just happy to be with the wolf again.

He lifted his head and lowered it on James's arm and closed his eyes. He wasn't tired, he had spent the last week doing nothing but sleeping and resting, he was just enjoying his old friends company. He heard James sigh as he nuzzled William's ear tenderly and draped his free arm over the human's abdomen. His muscles relaxed, his breathing slowed, and before William knew it, the wolf had fallen asleep.

He couldn't really blame him, James has been at it for so long now; planning with Conway, talking with Davy, the stress levels he must have been going through couldn't be healthy for him. He was exhausted, and William could see that. Now that the wolf was only a few inches away, William had noticed several gray hairs sprinkled across the wolf's jet black fur, from stress, no doubt. He noticed heavy bags under his eyes as well. It was almost as if the wolf had aged ten years older than what he was.

He had to talk to Davy; James couldn't take much more like this. True, Alistair had mentioned that James was retaining the information remarkably, and that things like this would drive others mad, but the wolf was still only mortal, and he had to have a limit. Maybe if William talks to Davy and asks him to give James a few days' rest, he will start feeling better. Maybe William could speak with Davy instead of James, and relay the information when James wasn't so exhausted. He didn't really care how or what, all he cared was that James would have some stress lifted from his shoulders.

But for now, he was just going to enjoy the wolf's company, even if he was unconscious. He knew that war was coming, and he didn't know if he'd get another chance like this one. In all honesty, he was kind of scared. He feared that his family might not make it, that James, or Kahn, or Lance might perish in the fight. He worried about being all alone. The only thing he did not fear was death. If he were to die, then so be it, but he would die fighting for his country and the lives of millions.

That thought made him a little uneasy. 'Fighting for millions.' How could he fight for millions when he could hardly fight for himself? He had self-defense lessons and knew his way around a sword, but his skills were nothing more than average and actually, quite dull in some areas. Maybe Kahn would teach him a few techniques when he was able to move around again?

Speaking of Kahn, where was the Dalmatian?

~*~

William's eyes popped open to find himself in James's quarters, where he had not realized he had fallen asleep. It was dark out now, probably approaching the midnight hour. He glanced over to his left to find James still fast asleep. He looked so peaceful; a look that was rare to come by with him now days. His youth seemed to be returning to him as he rested; the bags under his eyes had disappeared, and the gray furs that had sprouted across his muzzle had recoloured themselves.

He was so handsome, William thought. He pitied that the wolf had chosen the life he has. James could have made a nice husband and wonderful father had he stayed in England and found a nice girl. Not just any girl, a women that could match his looks and, better yet, his personality.

William thought about whether or not he and the wolf could have had a successful relationship, even now. He enjoyed the sex, they both did, and they loved being around each other, but while they did share a mutual love for each other, William could see them being anything more than friends... friends with benefits.

A part of him felt disappointed. Sure, a part of him wanted to be with the wolf, but he wasn't going lie to himself, or fill his own head with fantasies that wouldn't last. He felt like his time with James was limited, he just didn't know when that time was up.

An out of place creaking sound drew William's attention to the other side of the room. It took his eyes a moment to adjust to the darker side of the room, but eventually he was able to make out a small, thin shape standing in front of the door with glowing green eyes staring back at him. At first, the sight was unsettling, making his heart start to speed up as he slowly sat upright. Then, the shape became clearer and William recognized who was standing in front of the door; it was Hector.

William had only seen the fox once, quite a while ago. Back then, the fox was looking for the prince for a ransom. He had lied and told Hector that his name was Miles, but at the time, he was more concerned with contemplating weather or not he should kill James for cutting his hair.

The memory mad him subconsciously run his fingers through his hair until they dropped into nothingness just before his shoulders. Lance had fixed his hair for him so it didn't look uneven. The lemur had given him bangs that reached down to touch his lips if he didn't swoop it off to one side or behind his ears. The bangs didn't reach to the back of his head anymore, so a hairband was really only good for the back part of his head. He still preferred his hair longer, but Lance did a good job on his hair, and he was actually starting to like it.

"Hector?" William whispered. "What are you doing here?"

The fox didn't respond, instead, he just turned and walked through the door. William made sure he was see was see straight when he watched the fox vanish before he slowly threw his legs over the bed and stood up. His stance was a bit shaky at first, but he used the desk and walls to brace himself.

He left James's cabin and waddled to the helm, looking over the railing to see where Hector had gone.

"William," A voice said from behind him. The Prince turned and saw the fox standing in the moonlight. His fur seemed to have a slight greenish tint and almost glow in the night. His eyes were bright green, flashing as he blinked.

The prince listened more intently when the fox said his name, his real name. "You know my name?"

"I know a lot of things, most of which I've been sharing with James."

William looked around for a moment, not really sure what he was looking for, but the gaze from the green eyes of the visitor seemed to by hypnotic. They seemed to move like the surface of the water, and things started to fall in place. "You're Davy Jones, aren't you?" William asked. When the fox didn't answer, William continued. "Leave James alone," He said firmly.

"Pardon?"

"I mean it," He continued. "Leave him out of this, can't you see what you're doing to him? He's mentally exhausted, you act like the fate of the world rests on his shoulders, and he believes you! He's tearing himself apart for a war that's not his to begin with!" He could have gone on, he could have mention how the wolf thinks he has to figure this out on his own, how his mental health is at risk, but instead, just stopped and waited for the fox to say something.

"You know," Davy said after a moment of silence. "You're the first person I've ever come across who didn't tremble when they spoke my name. Do you not know who I am? I have taken thousands of lives with a single swipe of my sword. I have crushed even the firmest of foundations with a flick of my small figure. I own thousands of souls that are paying off their debt to me for hundreds of years, and you feel you have the right to speak to me in such a tone?"

William didn't flinch; he just stood there, leaning on the railing of the helm until the fox was done speaking. "I do not fear you. I didn't even know you existed until a few minutes prior to my being shot. How can I fear what I don't know?"

Davy chuckled. "It's the unknown the people fear the most... 'My people perish for lack of knowledge...' Hosea; chapter four, verse six of the Holy Bible."

" 'Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.' Palm 23, verse four, Holy Bible. " William said. Quoting the scriptures was easy, anyone could do that.

The fox laughed. "You think I'm evil?" He laughed for a moment longer before continuing. "I'm not evil, I'm trying to prevent evil."

"Blackbeard?"

"Aye," Davy nodded. "Blackbeard." Clearing his throat, the fox took a few steps in William's direction. "Do you know what I am?"

"Alistair called you a 'celestial being'."

"And do you know how many celestial beings there are?" The fox asked, but William didn't answer. He had no idea. Davy continued. "Five. There are five of us, your highness, and two of us are about to go into war soon. Do you know what will happen when two massive forces go into battle in the mortal world?" William still remained silent. "Tsunamis, earthquakes, tremors, planetary devastation. That's what awaits us if James can't stop Blackbeard."

"So Blackbeard's a celestial too?"

"Celestial is just a title, it just means that we're massive considerations of energy, but for the sake of simplicity, yes, Blackbeard is Celestial as well. But unlike me, he's a demon, which means that he can do things that I can't, and vice versa. Demons don't have many weaknesses, but one way that you can be rid of them is sealing spells. Given, it won't kill the demon, just lock it away."

William shifted his weight and leaned against the railing with his low back instead of his hands. "So why don't you just seal it up?"

The fox shook his head. "See, now that's where James comes in. Many things, I can do, but sealing a demon as powerful, if not more so than I, well, he's the only one who can. James possesses something I wish I had; a heart. A living, beating heart. And that's the key to sealing Blackbeard."

William straightened up. "You want to seal a demon inside of James's heart?! Are you crazy?!"

"Calm down," Davy said, making a slow pushing action with his hands. "I have prepared to give him a new heart after Blackbeard had been sealed, so don't worry, he'll be just fine."

"Why can't someone else do it, there are millions of people in the world that have living hearts, why not them?"

The fox shook his head. "Their hears aren't strong enough. There's something about James's heart that's so... What's the word... powerful, that I think it's the only one that could pull it off. If anyone else were to try, Blackbeard would just take over their heart and reincarnate himself in their body."

William nodded slowly. He hated the idea, but James must have been willing. He had to already know about this plan. William couldn't make up James's mind for him, all he could do was trust the wolf's decision. "So why tell me?"

This time, the fox didn't answer immediately. Instead, he looked down at his feet for a moment before looking back up at William. "You see, something happened that wasn't intertwined in the thread of fate. One little thing that made the whole fabric of this world fate unravel, something that even I didn't see coming..."

"What? What is it?"

"Your death."

William blinked. "M-my death?"

Davy nodded. "When you were shot, you were in critical state for a few days, James, Lance and Kahn taking shifts in order to keep you alive. Well, your body had a heart attack while you were critical, and you couldn't take much more. You died. James tried for the better half of an hour to bring you back, but you were already too far gone. So he did something even I, a god, couldn't stop him from doing; he made a pact with Alistair."

"A pact with Alistair?" William repeated.

"Aye. He said that if Alistair would bring you back from the dead, he would give his body and soul to the demon/spirit for a hundred years," he explained. "And you can see how this is problematic with our plans of stopping Blackbeard."

William was silent. James was willing to do anything, even sell his soul to a demon, to save the boy's life. And now that he had, who knows how many people are going to die because of Blackbeard going unstopped. He couldn't help feel like this was all his fault, that if he wouldn't have knocked on the demon/spirit's door in the first place, none of this would have happened.

"Now, I know this is a lot to ask of you," Davy Jones started. "But please, you must convince Alistair to take your soul instead."

William looked up to the fox, shocked that he would ask such a thing.

"If you don't, so many people will die, and there's nothing you could do about it." He said. "This shouldn't have happened, but if you do this, then fate can be restored and everything will turn out fin in the end." The fox sighed. "Listen, two of your friends have been kidnapped, but they are on their way back," William looked up to the fox. "Don't worry, they are unharmed, but they are also unaware that they are being followed by five elite assassins. Blackbeard's assassins. They were hired to bring you to him and kill anyone who tried to stop them, and they won't stop chasing you until they have you. They aren't normal, they're tracking demons, who can follow someone's scent to the ends of the earth, but if you give yourself to the demon/spirit, your existence will leave no traces and you can save your friends." The fox began to walk away, soon disappearing into a cloud of green mist. "You have until dawn."