Trails of Malevolence (The Devereaux Story)/Chapter 6

The group split up throughout the castle to find any traces of King Galiab to prove that Imperia wasn't lying. They looked everywhere; the kitchen, the courtyard, even the washrooms. When Peewit reached the dungeon, he spotted someone in one of the cells and gasped. He used his iMirror to communicate with the others.

"Uh, guys?" He said, "I found the king."

"That's great, Peewit!" Johan exclaimed, "Where is he? We'll meet you there!"

"He's in the dungeon cells," Peewit stared at the lying body, "But...I think Imperia was right for once..."

When the others met him there urgently, Gerard gasped at the lifeless body of his father in one of the cells. He opened the cell and clutched his father, tears streaming down his eyes.

"Oh, Father!" Gerard muttered as he cried, "Oh, dear Father, I'm so sorry!"

The emotional scene between the two caused even the group to shed a few tears. Savina was hugging Johan and weeping for her uncle while Peewit squeezed Julia's hand as the tears rolled down both their cheeks.

The next few days seemed to move slowly for the group. From the King's funeral to Gerard's coronation, Gerard seemed depressed and longing for his father to be there with him. When it was time for the Forest Scouts to leave, Gerard bid them a farewell.

"Thank you so much, Forest Scouts," Gerard appreciated them, "You must come back anytime soon,"

"You going to be okay, Gerard?" Johan asked him.

"I'll be okay," Gerard nodded, "My father is still in here" he motioned to his heart, "And his crown is with me as well. Thank you all, and I hope you have a safe journey home."

As the group made their way home, Peewit turned around towards Gerard.

"Gerard, you're a pretty good guy," Peewit complimented, "I'm sorry how I treated you. I just started dating her and I don't want to lose her. We good?" He held out his hand.

"Yes, Peewit," Gerard smiled and shook his hand, "We are good. You're lucky to have her. She loves you very much, so don't take advantage of her."

"I won't!" Peewit beamed, then thought of something, "Gerard, I know I'm not in charge of the group, but...how would you like to be an honorary member of the Forest Scouts. Just like Savina, you'll be taking charge of your kingdom and fighting bad guys like Imperia or Gargamel!"

Gerard thought about his offer then spoke, "I accept. Just make sure it's okay with your group."

Peewit turned and saw his friends behind him supporting his answer. Peewit turned back to Gerard and smiled, "I think it's a unanimous vote." Peewit stuck out his hand and shook Gerard's again, "Welcome to the Forest Scouts, Gerard!"

Back at Gargamel's, he was complaining about Imperia's arrest to his red Smurfs.

"Thanks to her arrest, she'll never give me the potion to rid of the Smurfs!" Gargamel lamented, then changed emotions, "But...she did drop this other potion that might give me a Plan B!"

Gargamel set his potion down on his table and headed downstairs to a storage facility and found a large chunk of clay remaining from when he made the red Smurfs. He picked the clay chunk up and grinned evilly.

"Red Smurfs, buckle up!" Gargamel called to them, "Looks like you're getting a big brother....Trollstroyer!"

The End...?

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