The hallway was huge, seemed to swallow us whole. The edges of sunlight began to creep through the purple shrouded windows, casting monster shadows on the walls behind us. Our men shouted -- The Queen's were lethally quiet.

We passed a huge set of double doors, ornamented with every color of mosaic tile imaginable. The chapel, I thought. Turning the corner, Red Beard called out, "Scoundrels!" A moment before I saw them.

Fourteen more guards, to add to our friends who proceeded to close in from behind. The guards from the front gate, surely. They charged toward us, a uniform clink, clink, clink sounding from their identical steps.

We stood at the center of their locked-armor circle, trying to catch their eyes with our menacing glares. I bared my teeth as if imagining ripping throats out with them. We couldn't tell if they were frightened, though. The Queen's Guard kept their feelings tucked away behind metal masks.

Henry moved first. Lunging forward, he stabbed an unsuspecting guard in the knee, sending him clattering to the ground. Then suddenly, the burst of the silence, the rising volume of swords being yanked out of sheathes, clanging against each other, and men screaming in victory and pain.

The door, the door to the great hall. It stood just behind Henry, who went for another pair of knees. Unfortunately, this man wasn't easily fooled. He reached out his gloved hand, lifting poor Henry off the ground to slam him into the floor. Sickening sound of bones crunching, shink of sword being drawn.

But that door, if I could get there, I could run on. I could find The Queen's room, find what we needed, and we could get out. I imagined myself emerging from The Queen's chamber, golden chalice in hand. The victorious hoots of the crew, the new morning light glinting from the treasure. A fanciful image, no?

But aye, what kind of a first mate leaves a fellow pirate to be killed? I swooped in, stabbing the guard in the back of his neck, sword point drawing blood -- until I got the wind knocked out of me again. Hands yanked the sides of my collar, slamming me backward. Suddenly, I found the wall embracing my aching body.

Someone -- Dole, I thought -- grabbed the Body-Slammer. I heard the man scream as he ripped his helmet off and promptly slashed his face in half. I slid down the wall, wilting into a pile of bleeding flesh.

I watched from my puddle as Edward and Howie joined forces against a four-pointed circle of guards.

Eddie reached out his sword, tripping the guard that dared to step forward in a deafening clatter of metal to the floor. Howie grabbed the man's helmet, kicking another in the chest as he slammed the first guard's skull into the floor. Blood, scream, dead. Footsteps of more coming.

Another guard lunged for Edward, but ended up slipping on the other man's blood, in effect knocking over another. Eddie jumped on top of him, sword a violent blur as he finished him off.

Howell jumped the remaining man, backing him into the wall. Sword to the neck, squish, run.

That's six down, eight to go.

I felt like a bloody sack of crap, but I dragged myself to my knees. Sword in hand, I thrust my body forward -- two pairs of knees in one swipe. They fell to the ground with identical thuds, no time to recover before Edward was upon them, eyes crazed with bloodlust.

I couldn't get off the ground, but there was plenty to do down here. Snaking my way around pairs of legs, I slid to the front of the hall, where the grand carpet ended. Once royal purple, we had stained it red. Grinning to myself, I took the tasseled edges in my aching hands, whistling for all I was worth.

My men knew what this meant. The Queen's did not.

The pirates jumped off the floor as I yanked the carpet back, landing in a shower of hollers as three of the remaining guards fell to the floor.

Dole grabbed one of the fallen, slamming the man's skull into his own. Edward shoved this hilt of his sword into another's nose, Howie stomping on the face of the last.

Red Beard lifted his wooden leg, planting a solid roundhouse kick in the center of the last guard, sending him plummeting to my level. The man was still alive, but the others rushed past me. I ripped off his helmet, offing him with a quick blow to the head.

I crawled after them, watching through the bloody fabric of pirate pants as Red Beard shoved open the door to The Great Hall.

Ah, yes. It is morning, and today, we shall drink our coffee from The Holy Grail.