Author's Note: Hello Readers! It has been awhile! If I recall correctly, my last story posting was 2013, which is insane to me that it has been that long. I just wanted to give a brief update on myself and where I've been, but by all means just skip this and start the prologue... :)

So since 2013, I haven't stopped writing by any means, but I had worked up my courage to start my own original stories. I never thought I'd do that and obviously I can't share those on this site so they've taken a lot of my time. So I returned to my writing roots for writing fan fiction. This story idea just came from my love of Disney and general questions stemming from "what if". I have a handful of original characters I brought in for the story, but you'll find many Disney character favorites throughout this story, so I hope that sounds fun for you. I thought I'd branch out from my typical stories from the video game fandom I have posted for in the past. I had to work up courage to post this due to it being an on-going story and not completed yet (I started Fantasia in Oct. 2018 and I'm still writing it currently). Anyways, I hope you enjoy.

~Prologue~

Once upon a time in a magical kingdom far away, there were provinces of seven. Within each province light and dark hung in the balance.

A great battle was fought between man and dragon of purple and black scales, but truly I tell you, this is but one of our tales.

And thus is where our story begins, not in the provinces foretold, but in a farther kingdom of old.

Seattle, Washington. A bustling metropolis with torrential rainfall and hectic traffic. A family of four are in a local grocery store picking up some food for dinner. The father, Levi Kendall, collapses as he is reaching for a jug of milk. His wife, Corissa, calls for an ambulance while their two daughters look on in horror. Noella, the eldest at the age of twenty and Riley who is ten. The girls wait anxiously for the emergency responders to arrive. The Kendall women wait anxiously as the doctor does a thorough physical examination. The room is silenced as the problem is revealed. Pancreatic cancer. Stage 4 with a grim prognosis. Riley can't hold back her tears upon hearing the news. Corissa freezes and Noella tries to remain calm grabbing her mother's hand. Levi looked as pale as a ghost as the doctor goes over a small list of treatments for his severity of cancer. Corissa wanted to treat the cancer right away, but without any hesitation Levi refused.

"I want to live what life I have left with my family...not prolonging my life with worthless treatments." Levi told the doctor.

The prognosis was six months to a year, which understandably shook the family. Corissa disagreed with her husband for not being willing to fight to live, but she knew arguing wouldn't help the situation. Levi Kendall was gone five months later.

~Chapter 1~

Noella

College was always in the cards for me after I graduated high school. I was an honor roll student and my lowest grade ever was a B minus. Scholarships were handed out to me like candy due to my impressive grades. I planned to do general studies at a community college first and then transfer to the University of Washington and get my nursing degree with an emphasis in oncology. I couldn't help my father, the least I could do would be to use the knowledge I would learn to help others. Though after dad died, little went as planned. We all were grieving, but mom took it the worst. She took time off work and it was paid bereavement leave, but after three months she never went back. I would come home from a long day at school and dishes would be piled in the sink and the house smelled stale. Riley did her best to help with chores around the house, but she couldn't keep up on her own. It hurt me to see mom like this. Dad's death seemingly destroyed her and she couldn't pick herself back up for her sake or ours. Her depression was heavy and eventually per my insistence, I had her visit a psychiatrist who she had regular appointments with. Though eventually I had to make a tough decision and quit school for the time being. My family needed me and since mom had fallen into such a delicate state, it was up to me to take care of Riley.

My only solace was my boyfriend Blake Anderson. We met in Biology 201 my second semester in college. In high school, I dated a few guys my sophomore and junior years. Though none of those relationships even lasted a year. We got along, but each of those relationships ended mutually. In all honesty, I was more focused on my academic record than my dating record. Though Blake surprised me, he pursued me even though I gave him every indication that I was not interested. We made it a whole eleven months, which was my longest relationship to date. It was shortly after dad died that I ended it with Blake too. Every aspect of my life in academics and romantic relationships had fallen by the wayside in order to step up and be there for my mom and sister.

Since dropping out of school for the time being, I picked up three part time jobs to help out my family. Someone had to pay the rent and buy groceries and things, so a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. When I even had a moment to relax, I would find and drown myself in reruns of ER or any medical tv drama I could find. Some nights, I would come home to find mom curled up in bed at four and if Riley had her way when I wasn't home, she would be watching a Disney movie. That sister of mine, I didn't understand her obsession with Disney animation. Those movies were fine I guess, but they were so over the top and predictable. Besides, I thought the Happily Ever After scenario was misleading because life isn't always happy. Riley was ten and I was sure she'd grow out of her Disney phase.

Tonight when I got off work, I got home and Riley was watching Moana sitting on the couch eating some popcorn. I set my purse and keys down on the table in the hallway. A smile slowly grew on my face looking at the picture frame on the table. It was a picture of my family taken a year ago when dad was still here and we all were happy. How long ago that seemed. Riley looked up acknowledging my entrance and went back to singing along with the TV screen. I glanced around and didn't see mom in the vicinity, I figured she would be curled up in her room as usual.

"You eat dinner?" I asked Riley as I peered around the untouched kitchen.

"Not yet." Riley replied.

I immediately noticed an empty sink free of dirty dishes.

"Thanks for doing the dishes." I commented.

"You're welcome." She replied in a tune.

"Uh, when did my life become a musical?" I teased.

"It's a song in Moana." Riley told me.

"Right...okay. So grilled cheese for dinner?" I offered.

"Sure." Riley replied.

Riley wasn't a picky eater, which I always appreciated. I pulled out a pan, greased it, and prepped the bread with butter and sliced the cheese. I turned the heat on low and went to mom's bedroom. To my surprise, her bed was vacant.

"Hey Ri, where's mom?" I asked stepping back out into the front room.

"She left about an hour ago…"

"Did she say where?"

"Yeah, uh she said she had an appointment with her psychiatrist…"

"Ri, she doesn't have those today. Only on Tuesdays and Thursdays...today is Friday."

Riley realizing my alarm actually looked up from her movie and walked toward me. I ran over to the stove and flipped her sandwich just in time before it burned.

"Noella, where could she be?" Riley asked with panic in her tone.

"Calm down, I'm sure there's a logical explanation…" I said calmly even though I was trying not to be alarmed myself. Mom had never done this before. I plated Riley's sandwich and handed it to her. Frankly, I was too agitated to eat. I pulled out my phone going to my room for privacy. I called my uncle, moms older brother to come over. He would be with Riley while I went to search for mom. As calmly as possible, I explained the situation and he grilled me with questions that I didn't have the answers to. He promised he would be right over, but I couldn't wait. I told Riley I would go look for her and it would be easy using the find my iPhone app. Riley begged to come with, but naturally I refused.

"I'll be right back." I promised kneeling down to her height putting my hand on her shoulder. Without a word, Riley went to the nearby hall closet and pulled out a backpack and handed it to me.

"We need some groceries while you're out…" She reminded me.

"Hey you keep being ten and leave the adulting to me. Deal?"

"Deal."

"Uncle Mark will be here soon."

"Be safe."

"See you soon."

I left the house, got in my car parked out front, and drove into the city turning on the locator app to find my mom.

Corissa

I didn't get out bed until almost noon this morning. Riley was already at school and Noella was at work. This how it was Monday through Friday and on the weekends Riley hung out with me unless she was hanging with a friend, though most days she wanted to keep me company. We didn't talk much except when I would occasionally ask her how school was. I usually sat beside her on the couch as she watched her endless binging of Disney movies. Halfway through the Lion King, I got up to use the restroom, but I didn't get back on the couch with my daughter. Instead, I told her I had an appointment and left before she said another word.

I got in my car driving into the heat of five o'clock traffic and it was a nightmare especially in this rain downpour. Remaining in the right lane, I got off the nearest exit and just started driving where there was less traffic and people. My foot hit the gas as I was approaching a tunnel. The rain wasn't helping and I hydroplaned hard. The Subaru spun in a circle and I braced for impact.

The car slammed hard against the concrete rails surrounding the sidewalk. I got out of the car to assess the damage. The rain penetrated my clothes in seconds soaking me to the bone. This was the last thing I needed right now. There was no one around. I grabbed my cellphone to call triple A, but I remembered the battery was running low. There was maybe enough juice to make a single call to either Noella to pick me up or the roadside assistance. Today had already been rough and I honestly didn't want a lecture from my daughter. Our roles really had reversed since Levi passed. My heart ached even thinking about him. I used the rest of my battery to call roadside assistance. I waited for a few minutes in the car to keep dry though there was no point to that since I was already soaked. As I sat there, I looked ahead up the road at the tunnel. I had lived in Seattle most of my life and I didn't remember there being a tunnel in the city or at least never noticing before. As I sat there, I heard a voice though I don't where from. It was pressing upon my heart like a heavy weight telling me to come. Without thinking, I went outside and began walking forward toward the tunnel. Part of me wanted to stay put, but something pushed me forward, an natural force that I couldn't reject. I entered the dark tunnel thankful to be out of the rain again and continued to walk forward. The end was nowhere in sight and a bright flash of light forced me to shield my eyes.

When the light dissipated, I was no longer in a tunnel and in fact in a rocky valley with tall cliffs on either side. A bolt of lightning lit up the sky as I looked on in the distance seeing a very foreboding castle. I wanted to go back, but the voice kept pressing me to come. I had to obey it. Further in the valley, I came across a black puddle with hues of purple mixed throughout. Surely this wasn't oil. Though even more peculiar was a sharp sword sticking out in the middle of this mess. Curiously, I reached out, but I hesitated and the voice beckoned me toward the hilt.

"Remove the sword and you will experience freedom beyond your wildest imagination."

I couldn't fight it. My feet walked into the black filth, which wasn't liquid at all, but almost like tar. The air reeked of sulfur and it made me nauseous.

"Remove the sword." The voice said again.

I quickly grabbed the hilt and yanked the weapon from its place. As quickly as I did that, the filth at my feet rose up and surrounded me in a cloud. My lungs stung and I began coughing.

"Well done, Corissa." The voice replied.

"How do you know my name? Who are you?"

"I know many things about you. Like your wounded heart, but nevermind that now. I must thank you for giving me a second chance. Now become one with me."

The voice faded and the cloud went up my nose, purged my eyes, and into my mouth down my throat. It was suffocating. I tried to scream, but couldn't. Then my world went black.

Noella

I took off into the night shooting up my umbrella to cover me from the pouring down rain. I got in my car and began tracking mom's phone. I called and texted her getting no reply. It was half past five and the evening traffic was still jammed going further into the city. The locator app was worthwhile as I zeroed in on the location. The cell phone was going toward the outskirts of the city and I was blocks away from the location when the signal was suddenly lost. I groaned in frustration though I was still close enough I was certain I would spy mom eventually. My headlights finally highlighted the Subaru and I pulled over quickly. I popped the umbrella open and hurried to the Subaru. Mom was nowhere to be found and the cell phone was left in the front seat. It was dead, which clearly was why the locator signal died and why she didn't pick up. Feeling more alarmed now, I spun around yelling mom's name. Nobody was around and the only thing ahead was a tunnel. Maybe she went toward the tunnel to get help or get out of the rain, though I don't know why she would do that when she could simply stay dry in the car. Frustration surged within me.

"I swear mom, when I find you...we are going to have some words." I thought to myself.

I grabbed the backpack Riley gave me earlier and headed forward toward the tunnel. I released a deep breath as I headed in and suddenly a bright light forced me to cover my eyes.

When I lowered my arm, I was no longer in the tunnel system. More importantly, it was daylight and I was in the middle of a lush green forest. The sun was hot and blinding and as I panned around at my surroundings I was trying not to panic. Though my heart was racing hoping I had fallen and hit my head and this was all a dream. I pinched my arm to be sure and this was reality. Several hundred yards from me, I saw what looked to be a castle. I had to figure this out calmly and rationally and rational Noella said go to buildings, which meant people and civilization. I now knew how Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz felt. I surely knew I wasn't in Seattle anymore.

Author's Note: Hello again readers! Thanks for reading and I hope you're enjoying the beginning of this epic tale so far. Please show your support by leaving a review, follows, or favorites if you're so inclined. It encourages me so much and makes my day :) You guys rock! Until next time 3