The view from the cathedral downtown wasn't so good, judging by the way Fishermen's Friend has become since Virginia's ailment and the curse rumours. The village was not as lively as before and everyone seemed as they seen better days.
Thor sighed at the sight of the place.
"Oh, this doesn't look good. Everyone's gone mental about a curse that doesn't even exist!" Thor complained. "And we're not even sure if our WarMonger's girlfriend here has even awakened from the coma. I hope he's not feeling too bad today. Speak of the devil."
"Any sign of her, Thor?" WarMonger asked as he approached the ledge to see if Virginia is up and about walking in the village. Thor shook his head. WarMonger sighed in disappointment as he fingered the locket Virginina had given him before she left Fishermen's Friend Village.
"Hey, cheer up, kid. She's gonna be alright. Sooner or later, she'll be up and about and the whole village will know that this curse thing is all hogwash. Nothing to worry about, really."
"I don't know. There's no news about her for such a long time and the village doctor doesn't even know what exactly happened to her and what to do to cure her from her coma. I think maybe the rumours are true; the village really is cursed."
"Do you really believe that, WarMonger?"
WarMonger spun round. He recognized that voice. He knew that voice anywhere. And as expected, he saw Virginia right before his eyes, wearing the exact same clothes she wore when they first met. Her smile was ever so sweet, just he remembered her to be. He ran towards her and gave her a bear hug, feeling so glad to be able to see her again.
"Oh, Virginia! I knew you'd come back to see me!" WarMonger exclaimed happily.
"I'm so glad to see you too, WarMonger, after so long in slumberland," Virginia replied, smiling.
"Are you alright? Are you in tip-top shape now?"
"Well, if I'm not OK, I wouldn't be standing over here now, would I?"
"Oh...yeah...right," WarMonger grinned sheepishly.
"You been a very good friend to me, WarMonger. I really need a favour from you right now."
"Anything. Anything for you, Virginia."
Virginia came closer towards WarMonger and held out her left hand. WarMonger stared at the magnificent ring on her ring finger—the one given by her late husband which she used to wreck Max's secret sea collection. He looked at the ring first, then at Virginia, then back at the ring again, not sure what she meant. Virginia chuckled a little before she continued.
"Sorry, I'm supposed to tell you clearer. I need you to help me take off this ring coz it's pretty much stuck tight here and I can't get it off, so if you please…"
"But…why would you want me to take it off? Can't your butler do it?"
"Well, he's nowhere to be found in the meantime and I really, really need it taken off. Coz...well...I was thinking that maybe you could make a ring for me."
"Me? Make a ring for you?" WarMonger was surprised to hear this.
"Yeah, you know. To make our friendship closer. You do want to be my friend now, don't you?"
"Well, yes, but…"
"Then please, help me," Virginia stood closer, her face really close to WarMonger's. Her deep black eyes were so seductive-looking, WarMonger became seriously drawn to them. He remembered them being a deep set of sea-blue, but then again, who cares? If he wasn't all red, you could see him blushing. "Help me take off this ring so that we can be closer friends.
"Come on. Help me out, OK?"
WarMonger finally gave in. How could he resist her eyes and her words? How could he turn away from her beauty and charm? Unconsciously, his hands reached towards the ring that wrapped snugly around her ring finger. Almost as easy as it was put on, the ring slipped out of the finger with just a gentle pull from his hand. He held it close to his eyes to examine and marvel at the logo on the ring.
"This is so beautiful. It looks kinda familiar though, like something I read out of one of my Master's book. I got scolded because of that, but then again…"
"I think I'll take that."
WarMonger almost had a heart attack when he saw the ever familiar hand of SkullMaster reaching over to take the ring from his hand. Almost instinctively, he went over towards Virginia and shielded her protectively. SkullMaster didn't seem surprised at WarMonger's reaction.
"Uh, uh, Master. Uh, I can explain. She's…She's just a friend. Nothing more. She just came to visit. I'll ask her to leave right now, don't harm her…"
"Calm down, child, calm down," SkullMaster said as he came closer towards them. He reached for Virginia's hand and pulled her gently close to him. She smiled and planted a kiss on his lips. WarMonger gaped and gawked in disbelief at what he just saw. SkullMaster noticed and grinned, "Oh, dear WarMonger. I knew that someday you'll be of use to me."
"No..." WarMonger breathed. "What are you talking about, Master?"
"Why, she led you right into my trap, young boy," SkullMaster grinned maliciously. "You see, the ring that she's wearing has some sort of a magical force. And yet she is not exactly the true heir to this ring, so when she wears this ring, she can't take it off. Only someone with pure of heart and no bad intentions towards this ring can take it off from the person who wears it. And surprisingly, it also has to be someone who is experiencing unrequited love. And, by George, you actually have all these conditions! I cannot believe you actually fell for this woman! My woman!"
"It…It can't be…"
"Do you honestly think that this woman would fall for you? Do you honestly think that any woman would fall for a monster like you? I told you about the cruel world out here, and Virginia would never fall for the likes of you. She is mine, boy, and nothing can change it."
So saying, he snapped his fingers and out came his smoky henchwomen. He waved his hand and immediately, chains were conjured up out of nowhere and wound themselves all over WarMonger's body, forcing him to his knees. The smoky ladies wound in and out around WarMonger and through the holes of the chains, giggling and hissing menacingly at his pathetic self. WarMonger looked up painfully at Virginia for help, but she just looked back at him coldly with those eyes as dark as night. This was when he realized that those weren't her eyes. He remembered those eyes to be sea-blue, not black. He realized that she was under SkullMaster's spell. He didn't know how or exactly why, but he knew she's been bewitched.
"Wake up! Wake up, Virginia! Remember me? It's me, WarMonger, your friend! Your best friend!" WarMonger yelled as he tugged at the chains. "Wake up! You're under a spell, Virginia! Snap out of it!"
"Keep him right here in this bell tower," SkullMaster said before he walked slowly out of WarMonger's domain. "And make sure he stays here."
Far out into the sea, a huge ship could be seen in the distance, moving eerily towards north-east, following the Evening Star. It was the Dementor, the ship which belonged to the eccentric rich man. Ever since the man commited suicide, SkullMaster had pretty much claimed ownership on everything he used to own. Not that anyone knew about it. If they knew, they'd pretend not to anyway—the rich man's eccentric and weird attitude was legend.
He had to get to the castle quick. He could tell that time was running out on him. He had to hurry before Max caught up with him and foil his plans. It was enough that Blake had failed his plans and his dreams in the olden days and Max almost succeeding in kissing Princess Phoebe, and he wasn't going to let himself fall again this time. He had his dream love Virginia with him and the influence of Fishermen's Friend Village in his grasp and all he needed now is the throne from the King of the West. The throne was his and his to keep, and there is no way he was going to forsake it.
"Where are we going, my love?" Virginia, seated near the dock, asked.
"We're going to claim our rightful place on the throne, my sweet," SkullMaster replied. "And I shall make you my Queen."
"And together we would rule the world, won't we?"
"Yes, together we will," SkullMaster replied as he kissed Virginia deeply.
Feels so good to be in control.
As Norman, Max, Bea and Felix ran towards the chapel, Thor was trying to break through the chains that held WarMonger in his place. The smoky henchwomen just giggled menacingly at Thor's vain effort, winding themselves in and out of the chain holes and mocked at the iguana. Thor ignored their mockery and continued to bite and chew the chains.
WarMonger did nothing to stop him. He just let the rock iguana do whatever he was doing, brooding over his own loss. The laughter of the smoky henchwomen made his heart even heavier with guilt and grief. His obsession and crush for Virginia had brought her into trouble. She was under the spell of SkullMaster and yet he couldn't do anything to stop her. He felt as if he had failed her. It's like she was there, the old Virginia standing right there before him hidden behind an invisible force field begging to be released from her captivity, yet he had done nothing to help her. He had failed her. His best friend, his crush, his love…
He felt like throwing himself off the bell tower and rid himself of his stupidity. How could he lead himself to believe that Virginia would even consider liking him more than a friend? How could he let himself believe a pretty lady like her would fall for a monster like him? Even the henchwomen are laughing at his for his monstrosity. His face and looks were no different than the Demon himself.
SkullMaster was right.
He is a monster.
"Come on, WarMonger, snap out of it!" Thor urged as he tried to bite through the chains.
"It's all my fault," WarMonger muttered weakly. "I've failed her...I should've saved her but...I disappointed her..."
"You gotta break these chains!"
"It's no use. I've tried...What difference does it make?"
"So, you've given up? That's it? You're stronger than this, boy! You've tolled bells heavier than these chains, what makes you think that you can break free from them?"
WarMonger remained silent, looking away as the smokey henchwomen continued to mock and giggle menacingly at the two bickering people before them. Thor narrowed his eyes in comprehension and went up close to WarMonger.
"These chains are not the ones that are holding you back now, are they?"
"Leave me alone!"
Thor was taken aback. WarMonger hadn't expected Thor's words hit him rock bottom. But then again, he had been friends with him since he was 5 years old; that old iguana should know by now what true feelings lay behind that devilish face of his. But nothing mattered now. He was a failure and need nothing but self-pity. Thor sighed and moved aside.
"OK, kiddo. I'll leave you alone. After all, I'm only made of stone," Thor crawled towards the ledge of the tower. Before turning into stone, he looked sideways at him and said, "I just thought you were made of something stronger."
WarMonger stared sadly at Thor who had turned to stone, ignoring him completely. He was alone now. All alone to fend for himself. All alone up in the tower just as he had always felt ever since he could remember. Without friends, without Virginia, without SkullMaster...
'I just thought you were made of something stronger...'
Slowly, as Thor's words rang in his ears, his loneliness began to dissolve. Yes, he had been strong. He was trained to be strong. Ever since he came to this tower, he was given the fact that to toll those heavy bells, he had to be strong. With the absence of his real parents who had left him for how he looked like, he had taught himself not to cry over the loss and be strong, to show that he could survive without their help and to show that he could lead a good life, maybe even better on his own. In fact, most of the time, his loneliness had taught him the hard lesson about the strength of the body...and the heart.
He couldn't believe that all this while, he had been used by his Master for his own benefit. He knew that his Master was an all-seeing man, since he knew most of the ins and outs of the village and he can tell that he knew he had a crush on Virginia. He knew that he liked Virginia, and yet he took her away from him. He let her come to him so that he could play with his emotions. He had used her like a puppet for his own purposes. He could tell that the ring held great powers and SkullMaster wanted it all to himself. He felt so betrayed. The Master he had looked up as a father-figure and a pillar to lean on was an illusion. The Master standing before him was a power-hungry man who cared nothing about him. He never loved him as his own son. He never loved him at all. To him, he was still a monster, and nothing else.
"Do you honestly think that this woman would fall for you? ...She is mine, boy, and nothing can change it."
"NO!"
WarMonger let out a scream of anger and betrayal and finally stood up. He pulled at the chains that held him—those flimsy chains that meant nothing to him. Forcefully, he tried to break through the chains that held his ground. Rubble and debri began to fall from the ceiling and poles tore as he pulled and tugged at the loud clinking chains and dust began to fly all around as huge rocks and wood crashed unceremoniously to the ground. The smoky henchwomen tried to stop him but Thor got out of his stone stance and began jumping at them, nipping at them with his strong rocky jaws. He had to break through the chains. He had to get out of here and save Virginia from SkullMaster's clutches and from her own demise. He had to stop SkullMaster from doing whatever ill will he plans to bestow upon the village he had loved so much.
Most importantly, he had to break the chains that held his heart captive. The invisible, evil chains created by the lies and deceit of SkullMaster.
"Now that's the spirit!" Thor exclaimed gladly as he tried to stomp off the remaining entities of the smoky henchwomen. "Come on! Let's get out of this joint and stop that ugly bonehead!"
WarMonger nodded and grabbed a rope that he had kept stashed in his worn-out cupboard. He lassoed and threw it at a nearby gargoyle statuette and swung down with his usual agility (almost like Spiderman, don't you think?) towards the ground 20 feet below. He landed coincidentally in front of Norman and the gang as they were about to approach the chapel door. They were all taken aback by his sudden appearance, especially Max who had met him for the first time. But WarMonger wasn't in a mood for introductions.
"I know where he's going."
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