Now with his hood down, the boy glared at everyone sitting around the table. 'Is this some sort of fantasy themed costume party, Mr Scarlett? Or is everyone celebrating Halloween a bit too early?'

The man who had led him into the hall replied, 'It is not.'

'So umm . . . so umm . . . all the magical creatures I'm seeing are real?'

'Indeed they are.'

'Isn't that something.' The boy wasn't too taken aback by it one bit. In fact, he looked rather happy to be seeing giants, centaurs and the lot. 'So is this a gathering of superheroes then?'

'Well, I guess you could say that.'

The boy beamed from ear to ear. 'I knew it. I knew it. I knew it. I knew you were a superhero, Mr Scarlett.'

'Who's the boy, Will?' bellowed Amzin. The centaur trotted around the table to get a better look at the young stranger.

'He said he lives in my neighborhood,' Mr Scarlett replied. 'I think I've seen him around. Lives at the other end of the street. I found him hiding on the back of my carriage.'

'Is he a spy?'

Clearly offended, the boy glowered at the centaur and shouted, 'I'm not a spy. And don't you ever say that again.'

'All right, calm down there,' Amzin replied, looking somewhat amused yet taken aback by the fierceness of the boy's reaction. 'You can't be too careful. Especially in these very dark times. Do you have a name?'

The boy was obviously deciding if he should tell, as he started to rub his chin. Eventually, he barked, 'Tell me your name first.'

'My name is Amzin.'

'Mine is John.'

'John?' The centaur showed surprise and so too did everyone else with many murmurs following. 'A little John?'

Mr Scarlett crooked his neck and eyed Amzin with a look of concession. 'It seems so.'

'Hey, it's Little Johnny to you, horseman,' the boy grumbled.

'I meant nothing by it,' said Amzin, not at all hurt by the insult hurled at him. 'Little Johnny it is.'

Little Johnny looked up at Mr Scarlett and asked, 'Can I have my weapon back?'

'I will give it back if you promise not to try and attack me again,' Mr Scarlett answered. 'You really did a number on my foot. It's still throbbing madly.'

'I can't make that promise but I'd still like it back.'

'Very well,' Mr Scarlett huffed in defeat and handed the large stick over to the boy, who spun it around his head before pounding one end into the floor.

'Thank you.' Smiling again, Little Johnny's gaze then drifted over the round table and over to Arthur, who was now up on his feet. 'Hey, I know you. You look exactly like the figurine on Mr Scarlett's table. Arthur Hood, right?'

Mr Scarlett, who had also noticed Arthur and was looking at him with pride yet fear and pity, turned back to Little Johnny and said, 'Now, how would you know that? Unless–'

Little Johnny chuckled nervously. 'I may have snuck into your lair.'

'Is that so? You found the way to get in?'

'I have to say, it wasn't that hard.'

'I hope you didn't touch anything.'

With another nervous chuckle, Little Johnny replied, 'I may have.' Then from his coat, he took out Mr Scarlett's quill, the one that had turned into a lush red feather just like Arthur's.

Looking confused, Mr Scarlett asked, 'What's that?'

'It's the quill from your lair.'

'It is not. That looks like it was recently plucked from a bird.'

'It's yours. I swear. You probably won't believe me, but when I touched it, it turned into this.'

More murmurs filled the hall before Miss Eustace announced, 'That's what happened to Arthur's quill too, Will.'

'It's true,' Arthur replied, unable to take his eyes off of Mr Scarlett. His gnomes, Miss Eustace, his great uncle and now this man, a man he had known since forever like the others, knew the secret of who he was.

Arthur took off his backpack, reached inside and pulled out his feather, lifting it up for everyone to see. Its vibrant red flickered from the lights inside the hall. The two feathers looked identical.

'My stars, what is happening?' a giantess burst out, her voice booming over others.

'May I see that, Arthur,' said Mr Scarlett. He took the feather from Little Johnny and walked over to the table.

Arthur quickly joined him, leaving the tomb of King Arthur, before handing him his feather.

'Thank you and let me say that I am sorry for what has happened to your parents,' said Mr Scarlett. 'We will get them back. You will see them again.'

Arthur nodded with a solemn smile.

Mr Scarlett raised both feathers side by side and inspected them for quite some time. 'Very peculiar. Very peculiar indeed.'

Miss Eustace then told him of Arthur's shard and the fairy princess', which Mr Scarlett was not at all pleased to hear, and the man was quick to ask Arthur to show him.

'Of course,' said Arthur. He took the shard out of his backpack, it still glowing like before.

'Whoa, what is that?' Little Johnny had wandered over and was looking over Arthur's shoulder.

'It's a piece of the Sword in the Stone,' Arthur replied.

'What's the Sword in the Stone?'

'A powerful and magical sword that belonged to King Arthur. He fought the evils of the land with it until it broke into fragments while battling a rival king.'

'Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait,' came Little Johnny, putting his hands up in disbelief. 'King Arthur? King Arthur? The King Arthur? As in the castle of Camelot? As in dragons and all that other fun stuff?'

'That's correct,' replied Arthur, nodding.

Little Johnny soon scrunched up his face, clearly putting two and two together, and said to Arthur, 'Are you related to him or something?'

'It seems like I am.'

'Not just related,' said Mr Scarlett, 'but King Arthur's heir.'

'Oh wow,' Little Johnny said, his mouth almost dropping to the floor. 'That is quite something, isn't it.' Then back to face Mr Scarlett, he asked, 'And what are the feathers?'

Arthur was interested to hear the answer to that.

Mr Scarlett lifted the two feathers up higher and replied, 'These belonged to Robin Hood. They were the very ones he wore in his cap.'

Arthur was blown away and Little Johnny was once again too.

'Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait,' the boy exclaimed. 'Robin Hood? Robin Hood? The Robin Hood? As in the famous outlaw? As in Maid Marian?'

'Indeed,' said Mr Scarlett.

'So King Arthur and now Robin Hood.' Little Johnny looked at Arthur and asked him, 'Are you his heir too?'

Arthur nodded.

'Wow again,' replied Little Johnny.

'Any idea of why Robin Hood's feathers are acting like this?' asked Arthur's great uncle. 'There has to be a purpose.'

'There could be a bigger explanation, but at the least, it's surely more proof of the boys' connection,' Mr Scarlett answered.

Arthur and Little Johnny snapped their gaze at one another and said together, 'What connection?'

'A connection foretold by me,' came Amzin.

In a flash, the boys turned their sights to the centaur.

'For–foretold?' said Arthur. 'Like a prophecy?'

'Are you a seer or something?' asked Little Johnny.

Amzin bowed. 'Yes and yes to your questions.'

'What did you see?' Little Johnny looked enthralled, entranced with anticipation.

'Long prophecy short, I saw you, Little Johnny, alongside–' Amzin nodded at Arthur '--the heir of King Arthur and Robin Hood.'

Arthur and Little Johnny stared at each other once again, smiles on the cusp of curling on their lips.

'Destined to be together or not,' said Mr Scarlett, 'Little Johnny, it's time to go back home. That's where you'll be safest.'

His face turning sad, Little Johnny said, 'Please don't take me back. Let me stay. Let me help all of you.'

'Your parents will worry.'

'Foster parents,' Little Johnny corrected him. 'And no, they won't. They won't even notice I've gone.'

'It's not my place to allow this.'

'But what about him?' Little Johnny stared at Arthur once more. This time a smile graced his face and Arthur returned it with his own.

'I think we should let him stay,' piped up Arthur.