Gargoyles: The Ulster Heroes Rise

Disclaimer: I don't own it, but Disney and Greg Weisman do.

Summary: Bound by Oberon's curse, the Banshee seeks out the one person she hopes can help her, but that person is the one she betrayed the most. Will he help her? Or will he allow himself to be ruled by his anger?

A/N: This is just a long one-shot consisting of chapters telling how I think Molly and Rory came back together and how they started on their adventures together.

Part 4: The Two Kings and the Thule Society

After a few adventures that sent the group on various excursions across the globe, they arrived in a large pond late one night. Quasimodo and Mr. Dugan were both asleep in the boat, with Molly sitting in the back and Rory in the front. "Where do you think we are?" Rory asked, looking around and not seeing anything that would give them a clue.

It appeared that they were in a park in a large city, as they could hear both birds chirping and the sound of traffic in the distance. It was dark, just after sundown, but they saw a man jogging on the path a few feet away from the pond. "Don't know," Banshee shrugged, not recognizing any of the area around them. While she had traveled around the world in her quest to find Cu Chulainn, she did not linger in any place but Ireland, leaving her knowledge of the world's geography relatively limited.

"I'll go check it out," Rory said, hopping out of the boat and landing on the grass that surrounded the lake. Somehow, the sleeping pair had stayed asleep through their landing, making Rory give a small smile. "Stay with them, I'll be back."

Rory started to follow the path the opposite way of the jogger, hoping that it would lead to the entrance to the park, allowing him to see what city they were in. Soon enough, he was exiting the park onto a busy street, with towering buildings, bustling pedestrians, and honking cab horns. He walked down the block for a few minutes, just marveling at the sights, before there was a loud explosion in the distance. He looked both ways in confusion before there was another loud explosion, proving to him that he had not misheard.

Quickly, he rushed in the direction of the noise, all the while transforming into Cu Chulainn as he went. He arrived at what seemed to be a battle, as there was a gargoyle and three humans fighting a group of robots that were shaped like knights. They carried long broad swords and a triangular shield, which allowed them to block any incoming attack. With his eyes jetting around, he surveyed the landscape, and joined in the fray on the side of the gargoyles and humans, believing them to be on the side that he himself fought for. He tossed his Gae Bolga in the direction of one of the robots, which knocked it onto the ground just as it was turning to attack a small child. He jumped in front of the girl and protected her as the robot got back to its feet, using the Gae Bolga once more, throwing it into the chest of the robot, where it went straight through the cold metal, destroying it with a small scattering of parts.

"Run now, child," Cu Chulainn said tenderly, wanting the little girl to be safe and away from the dangers that the robots presented.

"Thank you," The girl replied worriedly, running down the street, to where she would hopefully find safety.

Just then, Cu Chulainn saw in the corner of his eye that his father, Molly, and Quasimodo had just arrived, each prepared to fight. His father had a long, iron dagger in his hands, making Cu Chulainn wonder just where he got it from. However, before he could answer his questions, he saw another set of robots coming his way, making him turn his attention in order to protect himself. He dodged their blows, tossing Gae Bolga at the one nearest to him, while he jutted his shield to block the other's attack.

Meanwhile, as Quasimodo and Mr. Dugan entered the fray, with Molly standing in the back, they rushed towards a downed fighter, who had a stout build and white hair. "Are you okay?" Mr. Dugan questioned as Quasimodo used his great strength to throw a robot into a car, where it duly slipped to the ground.

"I'm fine, friend," the man replied in a thick Scottish brogue as he got back to his feet. "The name's Macbeth," Macbeth said, as he used his lightning gun to take out a robot that was running towards Cu Chulainn twenty feet away from them. With a smile, he looked down at the dagger in Mr. Dugan's hands, before giving out a loud laugh and reaching into his black trench coat. From his gun's holster, he pulled out a lightning gun and handed it over to Mr. Dugan, payment for the man having helped him earlier. "Take this, it'll protect you more and be handier than that dagger of yours. Energy is energy so it will affect you from all beings just the same."

As if he had experience with it before, Mr. Dugan used it immediately to knock down a robot that was charging their way. "That is useful," Mr. Dugan smiled, as he and Macbeth fought back to back against two robots that had just started their attack against them.

As Cu Chulainn battled a few robots, he noticed Molly standing off to the side, watching what was transpiring with interest. Then, suddenly, from her right side, a robot came charging at her, as if to attack. Quickly, he rushed to her side, jumping in front of her and using his shield to block the robot's sword, before rolling away from it. With the Gae Bolga in his hand, he thrust it into the robot's chest, using his great strength to rip through the metal shell, destroying the robot once and for all.

"I could have done that," Molly replied in a bored manner, not at all impressed with the metal abominations.

"Maybe, but it's coated with iron, you would have been hurt," Cu Chulainn replied knowingly, believing that Molly's arrogance would have blinded her from the fact that the sword on the robots was made from iron and could easily pierce her defenses. "Plus, I think we need to talk about your use of powers. Let me handle the threats, okay?"

"I'm not your slave, you can't tell me how to use my magic," Molly scathed angrily, affronted by his gall. How dare he think you can control her like that? Who was he to impart his own morals on her like she was some child? After all, she had lived for thousands of years, she had slayed greater men and beings than he, she would not bow to his might.

"I'm not trying to," Cu Chulainn replied easily, having anticipated that she would respond that way. While he was still trying to get over the hurt that she had brought him, he knew her better than anyone in the world and was easily able to predict her responses the majority of the time. "I'm trying to get you to understand that hurting things should not be your first and only option, and until you understand that, you shouldn't be using your powers to do anything."

Knowing that it wasn't the right time for the conversation, Cu Chulainn jumped back into the fight before she could answer, leaving it up to her to decide what she wanted to do. Bitterly, Molly watched the fight intently, making sure that Cu Chulainn was safe, though she did not fight back, doing as she was told. Eventually, with their numbers dwindling, many of of the robots retreated with a burst of flames from their heels, leaving only a few to prevent the others from following behind. As the last robot was destroyed, the group came together, their faces tired and worn, but happy for a battle won.

"You came at a good time, sir," A man with a brown and grey beard and wearing regal armor said, smiling at Cu Chulainn.

"Who sent those things?" Cu Chulainn questioned as they all gathered around in the street, allowing him to look at the others. There was a gargoyle with green feathers, a man in a black trench coat, a beautiful blonde female wearing a green pantsuit, and the aforementioned regal-looking man.

"Robots of the Illuminati," The gargoyle replied with a sneer, clearly disgusted by the mere mention of the Illuminati. "They're after Arthur's sword. They want to capture all the magical artifacts that they can, his sword being no exception."

"The Thule Society led by Faust, more like," The blonde that was fighting with the rest corrected. "A rogue section of the Illuminati, though no doubt they also want the sword for their own."

"Your sword?" Cu Chulainn questioned, looking down at the sword that regal-looking man wore at his side. "Wait, Arthur?"

"Arthur Pendragon, at your service," Arthur said, putting his hand out to shake, a custom in the world of which he had long since grown fond. "And this is Lady Blanchefleur, my knight Gryff, and Macbeth."

"Arthur Pendragon as in King Arthur?" Cu Chulainn said slowly, willing to believe that he was in the proximity legendary King Arthur. After all, he was a reincarnation of a legendary hero of Ireland, was the companion of the mythical banshee, and had a friend in the main character of a well-known novel, so the idea of King Arthur being alive was not as implausible as it would have been otherwise.

"One and the same," Arthur nodded, noticing Cu Chulainn did not seem surprised by the revelation. "And you are?"

"This is Cu Chulainn!" Molly exclaimed loudly, earning a sigh from Cu Chulainn, though it seemed more happy than anything else. It was clear to him that Molly simply did not want him to be overshadowed by the famed king, which was kind of endearing to him when he thought about it.

"Cu Chullainn? The Hound of Ulster, you mean?" Macbeth interjected, his eyes wide in shock at Molly's proclamation.

Next to him, Quasimodo also did a double-take, wondering what had happened to Rory as Mr. Dugan and Molly both seemed to recognize the tall man in front of them. Why were they so cordial with the man that appeared to be legendary? While he had never heard of Cu Chulainn before, he could tell that there was something special about the man due to the reaction of the white-haired man that had given Mr. Dugan the weapon earlier. Though, if Cu Chulainn was friends with Molly, then where was Rory?

"The one and only," replied Cu Chulainn happily, hoping that his comment came off as more whimsical than arrogant.

"You mean, you are an homage to him, a descendant, someone who took up the mantle for his legacy?" Macbeth questioned, not understanding how Cu Chulainn could be alive when his story was nearly a thousand years old even when Macbeth was a child.

"No, I mean I am literally Cu Chullain," Cu Chulainn corrected with a smile, finding Macbeth's disbelief amusing.

"But...you'd be two thousand years old." King Arthur sputtered, unable to find the proper words at that moment. "You were legend when I was a boy. You are ancient even by my terms."

"He'd be older than either one of us!" Macbeth exclaimed, truly surprised that Cu Chulainn was both real and standing in front of them. "Nearly older than both of us put together."

"What do you mean older than you?" Cu Chulainn questioned, wondering how old Macbeth was if he was of a similar age to King Arthur as he implied.

"This is Macbeth, the king around who's life Shakespeare's play is based," Gryff answered, pointing to Macbeth, having buried the hatchet with the man when they first started their adventure. He knew that, if King Arthur and him were to be successful in finding Merlin, they would need Macbeth's resources and abilities, which forced him to swallow his pride and allow Macbeth an opportunity to prove himself.

"Bloody hell..." Cu Chulainn whispered, his gaze moving back and forth between the pair. "You two are serious, aye? Are you reincarnations like me?"

"Ah, reincarnation, now it makes some sense," Macbeth stated with a chuckle, realizing that Cu Chulainn hadn't lived for two thousand years straight, but rather, had lived his life, died, and been reborn two thousand or so years later. "No, we are the real deal."

"Oh, okay, I am a reincarnation," Cu Chulainn said, as he transformed back into his normal form of Rory. "I was hoping you two were like me."

"I'm sure we have a lot to talk about, chaps, but perhaps we should go to Finella's store and get off the street," Gryff said, noticing the growing mass that was starting to come towards them. He could just make out the view of a group of thugs in the distance, wearing a black hood, and he knew that they were the Quarrymen coming to investigate.

"Very well," agreed Arthur, nodding his head, seeing the importance of getting off the street. "Follow us, we'll take you some place safe."

The group started heading towards the end of the block, with Quasimodo and Rory standing towards the front, directly behind Macbeth and King Arthur. "You're Cu Chulainn?" Quasimodo whispered to Rory, more surprised than anyone at that revelation.

"Yeah," Rory laughed uncomfortably, realizing that Quasi was probably a bit hurt and confused by the sudden information. "I'm sorry, I should have mentioned that."

"I'm glad to know," Quasi replied, surprised that he had not seen Rory transform in their couple of travels before that point.

"Well discuss our personal history after we're done with this, how does that sound?" Rory asked, knowing that he knew he had ot learn more about Quaismodo in order to become better friends.

"Sounds good to me," Quasimodo agreed, earning a nod from Rory as they continued to follow King Arthur and Macbeth. He fell backwards a bit, where Mr. Dugan was carrying up the rear of the group. "Who is Cu Chulainn?"

"An ancient Irish hero," Lady Blanchefleur answered for him, having read the tales of various heroes throughout her long life in an effort to regain the view of innocence that she lost by drinking from the Holy Grail. "One who stopped an invasion all by himself. He's a warrior of legend."

"And my son," Mr. Dugan said proudly, earning a small smile from Lady Blanchefleur. "So that's a gargoyle that Rory mentioned, you think?"

"Gryff is a gargoyle, yes," Lady Blanchefleur agreed, informing both Mr. Dugan and Quasimodo about Gryff's race.

They arrived at their destination a few minutes later, entering through the front door to reveal a small, cozy bookshop that carried many aged classics. There were rows of shelves that were each lined with books, novels, and ancient tomes, with a small alcove off to the right that housed a small place to sit and read. Behind the front desk, there was a pretty, middle-aged blonde woman, who looked at the sound of the bell above the door that rung out when Arthur opened the door. She gave a small smile when her eyes met Arthur, which Arthur returned in kind.

"It took you a while to get back," The woman said, before looking behind the king and noticing the newcomers for the first time. "And I see you've made new friends."

"I'm sorry,my dear, we ran into a little problem," Arthur replied with a sheepish smile, having promised to return much sooner than he had. "And yes, we have. This here is Cu Chulainn and...I'm sorry, I realize I never learned your names." Arthur announced embarrassingly as he looked over to Mr. Dugan, Quaismodo and Molly.

"This here is my father, this is Molly, and he is Quasimodo," Rory said, gesturing to each of his companions respectively. "And please, call me Rory, Rory Dugan."

"It's a pleasure," The woman said, walking around the desk to greet them. "I am Finella."

"Is this your shop?" Rory said, looking around with fascination and interest. He could see that most of the books were medieval classics, stories that were nearly a thousand years in age and not many book stores sold anymore.

"Along with my dear friend Mary, yes," Finella agreed with a nod and a smile, happy that Rory seemed to be interested in the stories that she had grown up with in the middle ages. "We will have owned it for twenty years this coming winter."

"Did he say you were Quasimodo?" Macbeth said, looking over at the hunchback with a confused look on his face.

"Liberties were taken with the book," Quasimodo said with a small frown, hoping that Macbeth didn't think he knew him just because he had read a novel with him as a character. "But yes, I am Quasimodo."

"So, Cu Chulainn, or Rory I beg your pardon, what brings you to Manhattan?" Arthur asked, as they gathered around the front desk to discuss what had happened moments prior.

"We're in Manhattan?" Rory laughed, having presumed that they were somewhere in America, but since he had never visited New York himself, he didn't know that they were specifically in Manhattan. "We're on a search for my hound."

"Hound?" Arthur returned, ignoring the confusion Rory had about their location for the time being-he himself had experienced lack of location knowledge a few times in the past, specifically when using the powers of Avalon to travel.

"My loyal gargoyle companion," answered Rory, and then, looking over to Gryff, he asked, "Do you know of any around here?"

"Say, doesn't Goliath's clan have a gargoyle beast?" Gryff asked, looking over to Macbeth, who had the most knowledge of the Manhattan clan out of them all.

"Bronx, yes," Macbeth agreed with a nod of his head, having come into contact with the beast many times.

"Is this Goliath anywhere around here?" Rory inquired, wanting to know if he could visit him on foot or if he would have to rely on Avalon to send him to the proper spot.

"I can take you to him if you want," Gryff suggested, knowing that it would only be a ten minute flight. "It'd be quicker if I took you."

Before Rory could reply in the affirmative, there was a loud growl, and Mr. Dugan grabbed his stomach. "Sorry, I'm quite hungry," He laughed, embarrassed by the noise that his stomach had made.

Arthur gave a small smile, appreciating the man's honesty. "Why don't you two go visit Goliath, and we'll get some food?" He said, looking between Mr. Dugan and Rory. "And we can talk more when you get back, Rory."

"That's alright with me if it's okay with you guys," Rory answered, looking over to his friends, who all shrugged with a nod. "Then I'll be back."

He exited the book shop with Gryff, following the gargoyle as he lead the way. Upon reaching the outside, Gryff gestured for Rory to climb on, and after doing so, the gargoyle began to claw his way up to the top of the building. Jumping off of the building with Rory held firmly on his back, the green gargoyle used the air currents to glide his way to the Wyvern Castle on top of the Eyrie building, which served as the home of the Manhattan clan. Like Gryff had promised, it only took a few minutes, but they arrived in the courtyard of the castle, and started to walk inside.

"Hello?" Gryff called out, earning a bark and a growl as a large gargoyle beast rushed towards them.

The beast tackled Rory to the ground, licking his face as the man laughed. "It's good to see you too, boy."

"You've met before?" Gryff questioned, confused as to why Rory acted like he hadn't known Bronx if the pair had met already.

"In Ireland," Another voice answered, as a group of gargoyles landed next to them, seemingly arriving from their rounds protecting the city.

"So your name is Bronx, is it?" Rory said, getting back to his feet and petting Bronx's head with his left hand. Then, turning his gaze over to the voice, he saw an entire clan of ten gargoyles standing just a few feet away. "And your name must be Goliath," he opined, reaching out and shaking Goliath's hand like had done once before. "I'm sorry we never introduced each other last time."

"As am I," replied the large, lavender gargoyle. "What brings you to my home this time?"

"I am in search of my hound," answered Rory, turning his gaze back to Bronx all the while. He admitted the strength and bravery of the gargoyle beast, and truly considered him a friend. "Unfortunately, Bronx is not him, but it is very good to see my old friend again."

"Well, this was a bust," sighed Gryff with a bit of a laugh, having wanted to help Rory in his quest. "Whenever you want to get back to Finella's shop, let me know."

"Finella?" Angela said quickly, her attention jetting over to Gryff. "That was the name of the woman that helped my rookery brothers and sisters get to Avalon when we were just eggs. Tom and the Magus told us stories about her bravery."

"It's one and the same," Brooklyn replied with a nod, having firsthand experience on the matter. "I brought her, along with Mary, to Manhattan in the late 1970s during one of my earliest trips with the Phoenix."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Angela asked in a neutral tone, making Brooklyn wonder if she was mad at him for his seeming blunder.

"I didn't know you knew her," Brooklyn shrugged, having no answer other than that. "It's only been a few weeks, I may have told you in time, I guess. It's been forty years from my point of view, so it slipped my mind, to be honest."

"Bring us to her," Angela all but ordered, wanting to thank Finella for herself. She never knew she would get the opportunity to show how grateful she was for Finella and Mary's actions, making her especially eagerly to do it as soon as possible.

"Okay," replied Gryff, putting his hands up in surrender. He gestured for Rory to follow him, intending on bringing the human along with him.

Bronx made a sound as they all turned to leave, and Goliath looked down, giving the beast a smile. "You can come too, Bronx," He said, not wanting to leave the member of his clan behind as they had so many other times.

With Rory on Gryff's back, and Bronx in the arms of Goliath, the clan all glided in Gryff's wake, going to Finella's upper Manhattan's bookshop. The flight was a few minutes long, and not wanting to elicit any attention, they landed on the roof. They used the door to go down, passing the pair of apartments that Finella and Marry both occupied, before arriving in the back of the shop.

"We have some more visitors," Gryff announced, as they all walked into the small lounge that was in the back of the store. "Goliath, this is Finella, Finella, this is Goliath."

Before either could move to greet the other, Bronx started to growl towards Molly, who responded with a neutral expression. "It's okay, Bronx, she's okay now. Trust me," Rory said, bending down and petting Bronx's head. With Rory's words, Bronx calmed down, though he kept a watchful eye on the woman.

"Hello Goliath," A voice said from behind the group, making Goliath turn and see an old, plump woman. She had heard the footsteps pass her apartment, and had left to see who it was only to be surprised to see that it was the Manhattan clan. "It has been a while."

"Mary!" Goliath said in a happy voice, nearly overcome with emotion at the sight of the older woman. "How can I ever thank you? How can I ever thank either of you? What you did for my clan, I can never, ever, repay."

"I risked a lot helping your clan, but I'm glad to see it was worth it," Mary replied as she took a seat next to Finella, who gave her a small hug as an embrace.

"It's because of you that my rookery brothers and sisters were able to live," Angela said, bowing down and taking the women's hands into her own. "I am proof that your efforts were a success. Thank you so much."

"Your brothers and sisters?" Mary questioned in a confused tone, not understanding what Angela meant. "You'd be a thousand years old."

"Time moves differently on Avalon, Tom is still alive," Angela replied, hoping to make the hero of her clan happy even if it was for a brief moment. "He's around your age, actually."

"My Tom?" Mary exclaimed, her eyes wide in a mix of shock and happiness. "My Tom is still alive?" She asked tentatively, not daring to get her hopes up in case it was all a misunderstanding.

"Yes," Angela nodded in the affirmative, having grown to love the Guardian like a member of her clan. "He raised us along with the Princess and the Magus."

"Take me to him!" Mary demanded, jumping to her feet in excitement. After living the last two decades thinking about her son, the chance of seeing him once more was too great to pass up.

"He's on Avalon," replied Angela, knowing that Mary herself could travel there with the proper spell.

"We travel through Avalon, perhaps we can drop you off when we go?" Rory suggested, willing to bring her along on his journey.

"I'm begging you," Mary said, turning towards Rory with hope in her eyes.

"Okay, we will," Rory nodded, noticing the look of hatred he was receiving from Molly. It seemed as if he had said something wrong in Molly's opinion, though he hadn't the foggiest clue as to what that could be. "I promise."

The rest of the night was spent telling their various stories, with Rory learning from King Arthur that they were searching for Merlin, just as his group was searching for his hound. King Arthur's group, using the resources at the disposal of Macbeth, had searched Tintagel, the ruins of Camelot, and a variety of other places in trying to find Merlin's crystal cave, the prison that Nimue had enchanted to lock Merlin inside. While Rory had no idea why Nimue had done what she had done, he could tell by Arthur's resolve that he would not stop until he freed his old friend, which made him respect the former king even more. It was good, in Rory's mind, to have someone that he might understand what he was going through since their histories and missions were so much alike, and he hoped that both Arthur and Macbeth could offer him that chance.

When they noticed it was nearing dawn, the gargoyles all started to depart, knowing they had to get back to the safety of the castle. "I guess I'll see you later, Bronx," Rory grinned, bending down to pet the beast one last time. "It was great seeing you again. We'll have to get back together real soon." He said as Bronx started to lick his face, slobbering all over him. "It was good to see you, too, Goliath. Angela, same for you."

"It was good to see you, Cu Chulainn," Goliath said, shaking the man's outstretched hand. "Till we meet again." He waved goodbye, just as he and the rest of the clan jumped off the roof and started their flight home.

"So Rory, I wish to speak with you," Arthur said when the gargoyles were out of sight.

Rory waved the others to talk amongst themselves, allowing he and Arthur a brief moment alone. "What about?"

"I wish for you to join my Round Table as a knight," offered Arthur, wanting Cu Chulainn to fight by his side. Growing up, he had heard stories of the warrior that Cu Chulainn was, able to take on entire armies by himself, so to have that might by his side as he tried to stymie the evil of the world was something he could not overlook.

Rory cocked an eyebrow, surprised by the request. "As a knight?"

"To fight for the morals and virtues for which the table stands," replied Arthur with a nod, knowing that without his knights, he was not as strong as he would need to be to take on the Illuminati.

"I cannot swear fealty to your crown, for I've been master of my own domain for far too long, but I will be proud to answer your call, should you ever need me," Rory answered, unknowingly relaying the message that Macbeth had when he was offered the same position. "How many are part of your table?"

"Right now?" Arthur laughed, shifting his eyes between himself and Macbeth. "We are four strong, a number that includes myself, you, Macbeth, and Gryff."

"I'm sure there will be others that flock to your banner soon enough," Rory opined, presuming that many would be willing to fight for the cause as he was willing to fight. He moved his eyes over to Molly and the rest, where Finella was talking to his father about something that made them both laugh. "How do you know Finella?"

"We used her store to research our quest when we ran out of leads," whispered Arthur, referencing the fact that Finella and Mary's store was prolific in their medieval texts. "And, well, she makes me happy whenever she's around, so we became good friends since."

"Interesting," Rory smiled, knowing the underlining nature of their relationship. "So how long have you been on your quest?"

"In trying to find Merlin?" Arthur questioned, earning a nod from Rory. "A few months."

"And you haven't found anything yet?" Rory asked with a raised eyebrow, surprised that they too were unable to come up with any leads in their quest. While he didn't know for sure, he got the feeling that Macbeth had an undeniable amount of assets at his disposal, which would have presumably made it easier for them to find what they sought.

"Not quite," Arthur replied with a sigh as they all started back down to the bookshop below once more. "We've searched the obvious places and some places made reference to in various texts, but we have not so much as found a lead."

They arrived in the bookshop and Rory gave out a deep sigh, disappointed that the night with King Arthur had come to an end. "I wish you luck on your endeavor, and if you ever need me, just call," Rory said, knowing it was time for them to leave. "It was great to meet you, you are worthy of your legend."

"As are you," Arthur said, shaking Rory's outstretched hand, having grown fond of the young man over the course of the night.

"Here is your gun back, thank you for allowing me to borrow it," Mr. Dugan said to Macbeth as he held the lightning gun Macbeth had given him in his right hand.

"Nonsense, you'll need it in the future if you're traveling with Cu Chulainn," Macbeth shook his head, knowing that the man wasn't a warrior like the rest of them and would need all the help he could get to stay safe. "It's yours now. After all, where a hero is, a land usually finds things for him to do."

"Thank you," Mr. Dugan replied, grateful for the gift. He stared down at it, studying the features of it, before clicking the safety on, not wanting it to go off by accident. "I'll use it wisely."

They allowed Mary to say her goodbyes to Finella, which made both of them cry. The pair had been friends for over two decades, had escaped from countless of dangers and evils together, and had been like family to one another that their departure was bittersweet, but necessary. When the days were dark and they each missed their old lives, their families, the pair became family themselves, growing and sharing their lives together like sisters. After they were finished and their eyes were all cried out, the group exited the shop along with Macbeth and Arthur, and began their journey back to their boat.

"I cannot go with you this time, you know," Molly said, as she and Rory spoke among themselves. "I cannot make landing on Avalon."

"Why not?" Rory asked, wondering why she wouldn't be able to join them when she had never mentioned anything of the sort previously.

"Just trust me, please," replied Molly in a tone that seemed almost desperate, like she needed Rory to believe her without her revealing it. "I'll meet you on the other side when you make landing."

"That could be hours from now with the way Avalon works," Rory said, though he gave a nod of acceptance, willing to trust her on the matter. She had shown great reserve by not using her powers in the fight hours before, giving her some more trust on the issue.

"You remember the spell, don't you?" Molly inquired, wanting to make sure Rory knew the spell to get back so they did not have to stay on Avalon.

"Yes," Rory nodded in the affirmative, having listened intently each time Molly had used it. "How will you find us when we land?"

"Call my name and I'll be there," Molly whispered as they reached the boat. She touched his shoulder, before taking a step back, allowing the others to load themselves onto the boat.

"It was good to meet you again," Rory said, looking over to Macbeth and Arthur.

"Here, take this," Macbeth said, reaching into his jacket and pulling out a small object. "It's a communicator, it'll allow you to contact us and we you if either should ever need the other's help."

"Thanks," Rory said, accepting the object and placing it safely inside his bag. "Whenever you need me, King Arthur, I will be at your service."

"So long, friend," Arthur waved, watching as the boat kicked off the land.

From inside the boat, Rory chanted the spell, before being enveloped into the mists of Avalon, disappearing soon after. Quasimodo and Mr. Dugan paddled the boat deeper into Avalon's bay than they had gone before, directing themselves to the shore not a hundred feet away. Upon reaching it, Rory steadied the boat and allowed Mary to take her steps onto the land. "Do you want us to wait?"

"No, I will be okay, thank you," Mary said in an excited tone, thrilled at the prospect of seeing her son once more. She could see the castle in the distance and she knew, though she did not understand how, that Tom could be found within its walls.

"Okay," Rory smiled, stepping back into the boat. "Good luck!" He called out as the boat started their way back out of the waters of Avalon, not knowing where the island would take them next. They had acquired new friends and new allies, each of whom would one day play an important role in their pursuit of protecting Ireland from the dangers that the world held. For it would be the lessons they learned during their adventures with King Arthur and Macbeth that would allow them all to be the Heroes of Ulster.

A/N: I wish all of you a very happy holiday, whatever you may celebrate. Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah, and I hope you and yours all have a Happy New Year.

A/N: Like before, I'm not sure there will be another chapter, but I do have them written, so be on the lookout.