Tintagel's New Headmaster!

[Della Miller]

Della had barely managed to process Lance's introduction when all hell broke loose. It was honestly a miracle she had been able to process anything at that point, but she had become pretty good at thinking on her feet. Missing kid... Gwen, Arthur, and Merlin's missing kid?? The situation was so bad that even Gaston was rushing up on the stage to get some answers and help, which...okay, doesn't make up for the murder and misogyny, but nice to know that he had something resembling a soul.

While it seemed that everyone from Camelot was trying not to panic (and some of them failing, not that she could blame them), and she couldn't get through to them even if she tried, an idea occurred to her. Though she doubted they'd hear her, she called out, "Give me a second, I have an idea!" And she bolted, straight towards where she knew Alyss was, because if anything would help fix this, it would be the Imagination's Eye...providing Tintagel didn't meddle with the magic, shut up brain don't fucking jinx it!

Her friend seemed perplexed by the time she reached her, and Alyss muttered to her, "Wasn't he with his mother? You said Guinevere was Tristian's mother, right?"

Della blinked, having not expected ANYTHING like that when she reached her. "Um, no, Al..." She motioned towards where she had last seen Gwen. "Gwen's right there..."

Alyss glanced over, her eyes widening in horror. "Oh gods, either she has an evil twin or..."

"Or some kind of illusion?" Della completed the sentence, her own eyes wide as saucers. Without waiting to see if Alyss would follow, she darted through the crowd, back towards Merlin, and she grabbed his arm.

"Merlin, Alyss said she saw Tristian leave with someone who looked just like Gwen! He's not just missing...someone took him."

[Merlin Emrys]

Merlin heard the shout to use magic and nodded, stopping in his tracks where he was while beginning on the most appropriate locator spell - only for Della to come running just as he was about to finish and grab his arm, the spell dissipating with his sudden distraction. It took him a moment to pull his mind out of the focus of the magic and process her words, but when he did he felt as though his heart had stopped.

"Took him? What... what do you..." he paused, taking a moment to get control of himself, to fight down the panic that had seized him - he needed to stay calm and figure this out, because Gwen and Arthur would be beside themselves with worry. Maybe they would be able to focus through it, but if they couldn't, he needed to be the one by their side.

"Right." he nodded "Thank you Della."

His hands, already half raised from his previous spell, started moving, weaving a different spell into the air, one that would carry his voice to everyone who had been involved in the search for Tristian - Gwen, Arthur and all those they had gathered to help them.

"Everyone, Della has told me that Tristian was seen leaving with someone who looked like Gwen. We need to stop searching the crowd and try and follow them." he turned his attention to Della "Did Alyss say which way they went?"

[Judy Hopps]

"That's actually a really bad idea," Judy said, trying to speak clearly and with something like authority as she worked her way through the crowd.

Judy had mostly come to celebrate. They had finally pulled together and gotten a new Headmaster. She'd been the one leading that cheer what felt like ages ago. But apparently something had happened, something awful. Judy's mind was already pulling up information on how to follow a kidnapper, and she knew that a really bad move was to stop searching a nearby area and to start chasing off.

"We're going off one person's say so," she looked to Della, smiling apologetically before looking to Alyss, "and if there's magic, that could've been an illusion. We don't know for certain where they went," she looked back. "We need to figure out who's here, get a head count. There's lists available of everyone who's shown up. We can start comparing that list to everyone who's here, then you," she turned to Merlin, "can cross-reference with people you know have the ability to do that. We'll get a suspect, then we can figure out where they went."

She turned, looking around. "The only people who should leave are those that we know wouldn't do it, probably people who can track," she found Gwen, focusing on her. "Is there anyone here who fits that description?" Judy would start asking who would be after Gwen soon too; the woman was a queen though, the list could be quite long...

[Cazaril]

Cazaril moves towards Judy, as those that are assisting seem to be getting closer together, looking about them in worry. He's glad for a level head here, but still, something is niggling in his mind. Something he can't help but not ignore.

Something about what Judy said, isn't sitting with him right.

"Miss Hopps, if I may: we haven't time to do that, it's a young boy's life at stake. Besides, Tristian wouldn't go off with anyone, he's a smart little thing, he'd only leave with someone he knows, and we can narrow that down to someone in this group, and if....if it is an illusion, then we'd have to look at the solution being someone with a grudge against this group and....and someone who....who has an affinity with magic..."

As he speaks his speech, it gets slower, and he struggles as he realises the truth, by the end of it, he almost can't bring himself to say the words.

They all know exactly who he could be referring too....and he hopes that someone else is going to actually say it instead of him.

[Alyss Heart]

Alyss' heart was pounding, gods, how could she allow this to happen, she should've kept a sharper eye out, not been so easily tricked like when there was the kitten outside the palace... No, no, don't do that, it wasn't your fault that you didn't think to make sure there weren't two Gwens, who would THINK of that unprompted? And the kitten wasn't your fault either for the same exact reason, and not to mention you were SIX! Anyway, focus, you have to try and help!

As she made her way towards where Della was, clearly meeting up with some of the Camelot Lot, she lifted Tori up (gods, she was getting heavy, there was going to come a time when she'd put her down for the last time, and she loathed to think of it, why ELSE would she still be picking up a seven year old like this), and focused her Imagination's Eye on where she saw Tristian going with whomever the hell that was...or rather...she tried to...

She...she hadn't struggled with one of her abilities like this since she left London, but all she was getting as she tried to follow a path they could've taken were dark shadows blocking her view.

"I...I'm fairly certain they went that way," she murmured to Merlin, motioning there, and then shrugged towards the girl...Hopps, all right then. She could understand not going off of her word. She was quite USED to that, in fact, bitterly so. She was almost too distracted to be angry though, because...

"Usually I'd be able to at least see where they were going but I'm not getting anything," she said, trying very hard to keep the panic out of her voice.

"Mum, your Imagination's Eye is broken?" Tori asked, frowning.

"Or whoever this is is powerful enough to hide from her," Della suggested...

...and then Cazaril turned up, and seemed to be describing someone he had an idea of who it'd be.

"Professor?" Alyss asked, eyes narrowing. She was at least glad to be distracted from her powers being tampered with. "You have an idea of who would do this?"

[Gaston]

Gaston had missed pretty much everything that had been said; from his raised position on the stage he had been scanning the crowd, sure the boy must have just been turned about and lost his bearings. But as no small red head appeared, and his eyes fell on Gwen and Arthur who were clearly panicking, he abandoned his post and dropped back onto the ground, heading back to the group that had formed and reaching them as Cazaril spoke. He picked up enough to peak his worry and for his soldier's reflexes to spike into action - magic, Tristian taken, and no one knowing which way they'd gone.

It was time for someone to take control of this rabble.

"Right. We need to form search parties." He spoke loudly and authoritatively, looking around at the group and quickly counting them. "Three groups, each heading in a different direction. I'll take one, Arthur - you take another," he looked around, and swallowing his resentment he pointed at Lancelot. "You take another. If he's been taken we need to move fast. We might be able to catch them before they can hide or..." He glanced at Gwen, and decided not to finish that sentence. "It would help to know who we might be looking for though." He raised an eyebrow, looking to Cazaril as he put his arm around Gwen.

[Elaine of Astolat]

Elaine had watched the ceremony at the back of the crowd. She looked on it with a serious expression. She drew he sweater around her, pulling it closer as she noticed the tension between the headmaster and his deputy. One was surprised, the other unhappy. She wondered why and what she could do to help in that situation.

And then, there was chaos in the crowd. A child was missing. Elaine craned her neck to look around for the child, but he was missing. Her heart grieved for his parents. It was awful that a child was missing.

Gracefully, Elaine ducked through the crowd. "Pardon," she murmured as she bumped into a passerby. And then she saw who was missing a child. The little boy in question was the prince. She approached those who were planning what to do. "May I assist in any way?" she asked. She was calm and collected. She would help if she could.

[Arthur]

Arthur froze when he heard Merlin’s voice.

“He’s been…taken,” he whispered, feeling the fear shifting to anger.

The young woman Gwen had been speaking too was asking them to stay, he wasn’t paying attention, he could only feel the rage coursing through him, urging him into action, to do something, to not just stand there like some helpless idiot that had lost his son. He saw the blonde beside Merlin point in a direction and immediately set off in that way, crouching down to look at the ground to see if he could make out any of the tracks. He gave a brief nod when Gaston said he should take a group and said, “Caz, Merlin, with me.”

He heard none of the speculation on who might have taken his son, he didn’t care who it was, he only cared about finding Tristian, finding them, and killing them.

‘Whoever you are…I’m coming for you’

[Guinevere]

This wasn’t happening. This couldn’t be happening.

“Arthur can track, Gaston too, and Lancelot…Merlin,” she started to say, and realised that might not have been what the young woman meant, she couldn’t focus.

Frustration gripped her, this was not who she was, she wasn’t some damsel in distress that couldn’t act, she was the calm cool collected Queen that kept her head no matter what the situation was. She could not fall to pieces, not now, Tristian needed her, her son needed her. “Arthur and I have many enemies, but I suppose if you had to pick one…”she started to say again and then…

…she looked at Cazaril…

“No…” she said quietly, “it…can’t…”

Her memory tugged at her…wasn’t there another name that was read out at the start…she hadn’t been paying attention, she had been waiting for her own name…but…hadn’t she heard…

“She wouldn’t,” said Gwen, more a hiss than a whisper now.

‘Oh but she would…’ said a nasty little thought.

She didn’t think it possible but her fear for Tristian increased, but like her husband, her rage only grew. However she favoured a cool sort of anger, the kind that simmered and lasted longer. When Gaston returned she said, “I’m going to Grayle Corp. If it’s her then you’ll need more than Merlin’s magic to take her down. ” Turning to the young woman who had offered her help Gwen nodded at the familiar face and said, “you can come with me Lily Maid, I’m not sure what I’ll find but four hands are better than two and I want to find something big.”

To those still around and willing to help she said calmly and firmly, “I want her brought back alive. Do whatever you must to get my son back but I want that bitch breathing when you bring her back here.”

Without waiting for a reply she turned and headed in the direction of Grayle Corp.

Yes. Bring her back alive. By the time the Queen of the Summer Country was done with her, she would be begging for death.

[Merlin Emrys]

Merlin could see the looks on both Arthur and Gwen's faces and it made him angry, enraged even, that anybody could do something like this to the people he loved. He adored Tristian himself, he was very close to the boy, but he knew that Arthur and Gwen were completely devoted to him, he was their son, and they would stop at nothing to get him back - and he would stop at nothing to ensure they did.

As soon as Arthur barked out his command to go with him, Merlin was on his tail. Normally this was the kind of situation he might step back and try to remain calm in, to facilitate things and help progress matters, but right now? With Tristian missing? He'd let Arthur go on his rampage, and he'd be right there behind him.

"We're going to find him." he said firmly as they headed away from the crowd.