Author's Note: Hello everyone! I have a new story for you guys! Somewhat on the short side, around 30k, and I have nearly the whole story complete, so updates should come out at decent times. This was a project I worked on for CampNano, and I really hope you guys enjoy it. I'd really appreciate if you guys took just a few seconds out of your day to review as well. Thank you.

Spellstricken

Chapter One

There had only been one other time she had seen a ship of such vast size, and that was during the war. Aqua had been only a child. Just a few heads high, ducking out from beneath her Mother's gown, wide-eyed and curious.

The sails reminded her of the clouds painted on the ceiling of her room that she watched as she drifted off to sleep. The ship itself was carved like the statues that lined the hallways of her home.

Being so young, she hadn't understood the meaning of war, or what a ship like that could mean for her country. And while her Father had been worried it was an attack, when the ship finally pushed its way onto shore, it had been followed by a celebration of cheering, when the soldiers that gone off to war had came back to declare their victory.

Aqua ducked her head as the soldiers galloped past her, and even if she was wearing her full suit of armor, she couldn't help but duck whenever she was outside the castle with her Father's soldiers running around.

Too distracted with warning her Father with the ship, he hadn't seen her.

It was only one ship, Aqua thought. She lifted the visor to her armor, her eyes blinking back the blinding shine of the sun. But the ship's silhouette was definitely there, and if it was filled with King Xehanort's knights, then there may not even be a chance her people could fight back. Even if they had a chance to prepare themselves.

All Aqua knew was that she was here, and she was ready.

Covered head-to-toe in a specially forged armor just for her, and a small blade buried in the sheath on her hip, she she it was possible she could do something. Even if her Father wouldn't have liked the fact that she had been taking up sword lessons for the past couple of weeks from Master Eraqus, and had asked him to find her a blacksmith who could make something as questionable as female armor.

Because Eraqus knew as well as she did that, even if she was the Princess, she would stand up to anyone who tried to hurt her people, her Kingdom, and especially her Father.

She patted the neck of her Wyvern that stood beside her, hidden amongst the leaves of the trees. It growled, almost like a purr that rippled in its throat, and she thought for a moment, maybe if she could get a glimpse of those men on that ship, then she'd know what it was they were up against. And even if she knew in the back of her mind that her Father would be furious at her for doing something so dangerous, at least she would have the comfort of knowing her people had a fighting chance. And that was what was most important anyway.

There was nothing to worry about. She had flown her Wyvern many times.

And she was skilled in both Wyvern-riding and horse-riding, and yet that was about all she could do. And her Wyvern, although huge in relation to her, made her feel as if she were weightless. And so she hoped onto her Wyvern, and held the reigns it kept between its tongue and the roof of its mouth, and when she whipped the reigns, it took off.

Wings spread open, sun lighting the thin webbing of skin between bones. Its leg kicked at the open sky, soaring upwards into the clouds, thick as they passed through them. The wind brushed at her eyes, and she closed the visor and watched the sky in a horizontal strip of an opening.

It was always so great to be surrounded by sky, and there was nothing she didn't love about flying. There was something about the way the wind pushed her higher into the air and clouds that made her believe she could touch the sun, the stars.

Once they were flying overhead, she noticed the ship was much bigger, more colorful than what it had looked like sailing where the earth met sky. Embroidered and rich with vibrant colors spun from fine silks. Whoever owned this ship, they must have come from wealth, or something of the sort, so it very well could have been King Xehanort's ship. But even so, the bright colors were a bit uncharacteristic.

She pushed the visor up again, to get a closer view, and she saw men laughing, looking out from the sides of the ship with smiles on their faces Not a sword or spear beside them. She saw women holding their babies swaddled in cloth. Others swinging their young ones as the danced about. It seemed a celebration on that ship, and she saw no canons, no metal, no weaponry at all. And she was certain this was no trick.

She had to tell her Father, so that these people wouldn't be in for a rude welcoming when they reached the shore.

She ushered her Wyvern back towards the shore, and when she reached it, she saw the dozen of men on their horses that stood in a solid barricade that stretched across the beach. They were ready, with metal armor and surely their hands quick to reach for their swords.

She feared the worst. Her father making some sort of preemptive strike, sending his men leaping into the shallow water when the ship was close enough to strike. They'd have their swords drawn, and their mouths opened as they bellowed.

And she knew she had to do something before it was too late. She snapped the reigns, and her Wyvern dove like a shooting star aimed for solid ground.

The soldiers stood there, tense, awaiting the signal as the sails began to be released and the ship slowed down.

The Wyvern's wings pounded at the air like a war drum, the wind pushing past so fast it seemed it could very much cut steel. Finally they reached the ground, landed, and Aqua very nearly got whiplash, but still she jumped from its back and stood shakily amidst a crowd of gasps and lifted swords.

"Stop!" Her Father shouted immediately as he stepped out his horse and stepped forward, looking at the man with a serious, and almost panicked look on his face. "T-That's Aqua's Wyvern." And she hated that she was making her Father worry. His eyes fell on her armored figure, his mouth open in silent-awe, and once again Aqua felt small, like the little girl cowering behind her mother's gown.

She swallowed down the tight feeling in her throat and removed her helmet, before glancing back at the ship that was pushing its way onto the earth.

She heard a few words amongst the crowd of soldiers. "Is that the princess?" And as she looked at the faces of all her people, at the faces of the steady soliders, and finally landing on Terra and her Father, she licked her dry lips, and spoke up.

"Father, tell your men to stand down. I looked upon the faces of those on that ship. They may be outsiders, but they are not enemies. They are men and women, just like you and me," she said as she looked at the crowd, tried to appeal to them and make them feel compassion for these strangers.

"What are you doing, Aqua? The men on that ship could have shot you straight down from the sky. If I had known you would be using your Wyvern to go doing such rash things I never would have-"

Before her Father could finish, the ships docked, and a long and wide slab of wood came falling into the sand with a creak. She heard the sound of armor moving, and looking back at the soldiers she saw that they had tensed, lifted their swords, and waited anxious for an order.

"Please Father," she asked, her eyes pleading with his.

The sound of feet shuffling against the wood caught her attention once again, and she turned back around to face the ship. People were walking down, those same men and children, and when every man, woman, and child reached the shore, her Father finally spoke, and told the guards to stand down.

Aqua let out a huge sigh of relief, mouthing a 'thank you' to her Father, before turning back to the new crowd of smiling faces.

One man in particular stood out from the rest, and made his way to the front. His beard was long, possibly reaching to his waist, and his hat was tall and pointed. The robe he wore was bright and reminded Aqua of the patchwork blanket she had in her room.

Another boy stood beside him, looking similar, with a round colorful hat atop his crop of yellow hair, and armor, bronze and spiked on his shoulder. His vest was bright, and so were his eyes, and in his hands he held a large bag.

Aqua smiled, and dismounted her Wyvern to take a few steps forward, and bow in respect. "Hello. I am Princess Aqua-" But a few steps in, and her Father was already hovering over her, his hand protectively placed on her shoulder.

"And I am King Evans. And you are...?"

"Merlin," he said with a grin before he gestured to the colorful boy to the side of him with the bag. "And this is my young apprentice, Ventus."

"Call me Ven," he said with a cheery smile.

"My Lord," Merlin said with a humble bow. "We have come to you in times of need. Surely you've heard of the evils that happen across the ocean. King Xehanort is an evil king, and I wanted to give these people freedom, kindness, benevolence that I have heard about from your Kingdom. You are but a fair King, and all I ask is that you would allow us to reside here, work to provide for you and this land, do whatever we can, just as long as we have what any human wants. Food to eat and water to drink. And light...I am tired, so very tired of living in a land shrouded in darkness."

Aqua raised her hand to her chest, feeling a sadness come over her. She knew how evil King Xehanort was, but she had never heard first hand from the people who lived there. And the thought of a man so cruel made bile rise in her throat, her eyes narrow in anger. Hatred.

"Father, you have to let them stay," she said, turning to her Father, who nodded his head in agreement, stepping forward and patting Merlin against the back.

"You and your people may stay for as long as you would like. I can only imagine what you and your people have gone through," he said and he beckoned for Terra and a few of his knights to come forth. "Terra, you and your men will lead these people to the town, understood."

"Yes, your highness," he said with a nod of his head, riding his horse past the king, and when his eyes landed on Aqua, his eyes burned something strange, unreadable. The knights led the people away, and her Father looked at Aqua, his eyes scanning her up and down, at the armor she donned, at the way she looked dirtied up on the back of her Wyvern, and he sighed, a glint of shame in his eye as he walked away.

Aqua had a bad habit of stepping in when it wasn't her place, and she knew it.

"What has gotten into you, Aqua?"

"Father!" Aqua jumped with surprise, her bow falling from beside her cheek as she turned to see her Father, crown-less and dressed in casual garments. It was a rare sight to see him without his crown, even around the castle.

And unfortunately, she had a feeling what it was that creased his brow with worry like that. "You surprised me," she said as she turned back towards the target, drawing her bow once more, until she felt her Father's heavy hand fall against her shoulder.

"You really shouldn't be-"

"I just want to gain a hobby or two."

She closed on eye, focused entirely on the target, the bulls eye, and fired the arrow from her custom-made bow, held in custom-made gloves that hardly matched the normal attire for a young princess. Skin-tight velvet and draping silks. And yet, despite all that, the arrow landed just to the right of the bull seye, a remarkable feat for someone who had only begun practice.

"Well, it's getting to be more of a hobby," he said as he stared at arrow, and back at his daughter's bow, with a frown that remained partially hidden by his thick beard. "You're...really rather good." Judging by his tone, he was not too happy.

"Isn't that the point, Father?" Aqua asked as she lowered the bow. "You say that like its a bad thing."

He sighed, giving her shoulder a light squeeze. "You're a princess, Aqua. One day to be a beautiful Queen. I'm just not sure these hobbies are what you should be focusing your time on. I mean, I already let you take horseback riding lessons, I got you a Wyvern, but now archery?"

"And I've asked Master Eraqus to teach me the art of sword fighting."

"S-sword fighting?" He stammered, ears turning red behind his sideburns. "Now that is where I draw the line.

"Father...I am a princess, I understand that. But I want to be more than what that title offers me. There is the constant fear of war, and...I want to be able to protect my people. I want to be able to fight and protect them and-"

"But who would protect you?" He asked, his eyes pleading with her to give this silly idea a rest.

Aqua knew why he was so worried. He had already lost one of his girls, his Wife, her Mother, and now his Daughter was talking about fighting, putting her own life on the line when there were so many men who would do that for her already.

"If I learn, Father, then I can protect myself. And my people."

"No, Aqua. I just ... can't allow it. What about Terra? He will do the fighting for you. Do you not trust his capabilities?"

"Terra's great. I just want to be able to stand on my own two feet. I don't want to have to rely on someone else," Aqua said with a soft sigh as she raised her bow again, and aimed for the target in front of her.

He sighed, shaking his head as he held out his hand. "Just come inside, Aqua."

"Alright, Father," she said, and before she turned to walk away, she let her arrow fly.

It hit the bulls eye dead on.