Chapter I: A Light in the Depths

"I know now, without a doubt, Kingdom Hearts, is light!"
~ Sora, Kingdom Hearts

The Marketplace
Radiant Garden

"This place does look pretty radiant," Kairi said conversationally from her seat by the portcullis, glancing out at the town below, pushing aside her garnet locks to get a better view.

"Well, it is your birthplace," Sora said at the wheel, "It'd have to be, don't you think?"

"Ah, smooth," muttered Riku snarkily nearby, for which he received a loud raspberry from the other two (in a vain effort to distract from their violent blushing). He only shook his ivory head in response as they began their descent into a bare alleyway. Of course, the two would deflect the issue. Perhaps they were both afraid of rejection, or maybe they were just lazy and couldn't be bothered to advance their relationship. In any case, it seemed Riku was to remain a third wheel to a pair that didn't even know how connected they were.

The trio landed in Radiant Garden just as the sun was beginning to set on that part of the world, turning the sky a brilliant crimson, and painting the city a cascade of warm colors. Once the Gummi ship landed, Sora cried spontaneously, "Race ya!" and, instantly jettisoning himself from his seat, made a break for the door, joyously connecting with the cobbled streets below. Riku, shrugging, followed diligently, and Kairi immediately after. They rushed past a now-sleepy marketplace, vendors just beginning to close up for the night and straggling customers accompanied by children, down a flight of stairs towards a residential block and, skidding before a particular wooden door, knocked furiously.

The other two arrived at his heels at the stone building. Panting, Riku accused, "You only won because you knew where you were going!"

"That sounds like a challenge, Riku! I'll be happy to trounce you later, but first..." the door opened just as Sora finished his boasting, and he instantly crossed the threshold, immediately making himself at home. A quick glance inside showed that whoever owned the place had very conflicting interests: while there was a giant computer hugging the wall directly across from the entrance, there were also haphazardly assembled stacks of books surrounding a raised table bearing a tea set-

Sora instantly found himself embraced by a young woman of a similar height, with dark brown eyes wearing a black halter-top beneath an unzipped grey sleeveless vest, as well as short beige pants and high white combat boots. Beneath the young woman's short black bangs, a sable headband had been wound about her head, with two long tails swaying with her movements. "Sora! You're back! And – Kairi! It's been so long; man, you sure did get big!" Instantly, Kairi found herself the next victim of the girl's affection, though she was quick to explain, "Uh, in a good way, of course!"

Kairi smiled and returned the embrace after a moment's hesitation. It had been some time – about a year or two - since Kairi had spoken with the former citizens of Traverse Town, and yet their familiarity made it seem as if not even a day had passed by. Once released, a tall brunette approached her, long bangs partially obscuring a long facial scar, and wearing a black vest with fleece lining over a white shirt. Smiling slightly, he nodded and said, "Kairi. It's good to see you again."

"And you as well – Leon, right?" After receiving a grateful nod, she turned to the rest of the group inside.

By her side, Sora said, "Kairi, you remember a lot of the gang – that's Cloud, he's new –"Startled, Kairi noticed a mute figure that had been leaning against the adjacent wall: a young man about the others' height, dressed all in black (which oddly complimented his spiky blonde hair). A striking pair of sky-blue eyes regarded her calmly from beneath his prominent bangs, and he nodded in acknowledgement.

"Riku, I don't think you've met them?" With outstretched hand, Sora gestured to each of the Committee members, introducing them in turn, "There's Cid, by the computer-"

An older blonde (with considerably shorter hair) grunted from his seat at the supercomputer hugging the wall, clad in a white t-shirt and blue jeans. Only sparing Riku a quick glance before returning the majority of his attention to the monstrous monitor before him, toothpick seeming to dance in between his lips, he warned, "Don't touch anything important, and we'll be alright, kid."

The scarred brunette nodded succinctly and said only, "Name's Leon." Kairi snorted; those two were going to get along just fine. That just leaves...

"Riku, was it?" The black-haired kunoichi now smiled eagerly and thrust her hand towards the Wielder of Twilight, and saying, "I am the Great Ninja Yuffie Kisaragi! Welcome to the Garden."

Riku smiled dazedly at the ninja and reciprocated the gesture, shaking her hand firmly. "Pleased to make your acquaintance."

Cid warned, "Well, don't you get too quaint with her – you're liable to lose somethin'."

Yuffie immediately swung her gaze onto the technician, growling, "That was one time, Cid, and I have a perfectly good alibi-"

Leon cleared his throat. Though his lips were twitching, he said, "As memorable as that particular affair was, we should probably bring these three up to speed." Fixing Sora with his full attention, the man's brow furrowed and said, "You three weren't the first to come by here this week: a delegation arrived from some other world a few days ago."

"Really?" Sora blinked. "What for? Are they just visiting, or is it more serious?"

"Well, as nice as we've gotten the Garden to look lately, they weren't too interested in the sights. They explained their mission to us in brief – something about a military alliance - but we've been pretty busy lately with the defense systems; however, they're to attend an audience with the full Committee tomorrow."

Cid's toothpick shifted a bit, then he ground out, "Well, one thing I can tell you 'bout those folks: they didn't come here by Gummi."

Instantly, Riku was on high alert. "How do you think they got here, then? The Corridors?"

"Apparently it was by some other method." The mechanic shrugged, as if to say, none of my business, none of my interest. Tapping the computer keys nonchalantly, he continued, "I do know that Merlin's working on some new spell – somethin' about how these new folks got here. Never seen the old codger so giddy, but I guess when you get as good as him, learning any new party trick is like Christmas."

The Great Ninja Yuffie's dark eyes took on a dangerously mischievous glint. "Why, Cid! Did you just compliment Merlin's magi-? "

The room practically shook at Cid's next outburst: whirling around on his (apparently squeaky) rotating chair, he fixed her with a mean look, and bellowed, "YOU CAN'T PROVE SQUAT, KID, I DEBUGGED THIS PLACE MONTHS AGO!"

Cloud grunted; apparently this was a common occurrence. "Guys, we have stuff to discuss. Go haggle somewhere else."

Yuffie pouted. "Come on, I didn't even get close to blackmailing him this time...!"

"Quit yer blubberin', it's not like you'd be interested in my type of blood munny anyway," Cid replied, hurriedly logging of whatever software he was tinkering with on the titanic monitor and then standing up, cracking his back as it turned black. "Let's leave these kids to catch up on old times." Huffing, he spat out his (much abused) toothpick onto the ground, Yuffie following him half-dejectedly.

"And there they go again," muttered Leon. Poor guy. He turned an aggrieved gaze to Cloud. "You know they're just going to go cause trouble elsewhere."

"Just so long as they don't step on any flowers, they should be fine." Kairi blinked. Was... was that a trace of fear in Cloud's voice, just then? Or was that just her?

Kairi turned her attention to Cloud. "This delegation you mentioned: do you know where they are now? I'd like to meet them, if possible."

The warrior quirked a brow questioningly, as if wondering why she'd take an interest in the comings and goings of political emissaries; then he jerked his head south and said ominously, "They've gone down to the Dark Depths."

Sora's eyes widened considerably and unbeknownst to all but Kairi (and Cloud), his fists clenched fiercely at his side. "But... that's where we last fought Sephiroth. What could they possibly want there?"

Cloud shrugged nonchalantly. "Beats me. I only know that they've gone there every night since they've arrived. They like to make fires in some brazier they set up there – sort of a religious requirement. Attended their little meetings a few times, just to get a grasp of them, but..." here, Cloud looked a tad uncomfortable before continuing, "Fires have always hurt my eyes, to be honest..."

The Dark Depths
Radiant Garden

"...srio syt bantis zōbrie issa se ossȳngnoti lēdys!"

To be honest, Kairi wasn't quite sure how they had arrived to the decision to search for zealous extraterrestrials in the dead of night (it seemed Sora's tendency to seek out excitement was a remnant of his latest adventure), meandering through great trenches and rugged caverns embedded with crystals. As they drew nearer to their goal, an exotic voice sounded above the high winds, in three tongues: one harsh and shrill, the other distant and powerful. The last, however, was understood quite clearly by the three: "Heart of Fire, purchase for us another dawn for the world! Yours are the stars that guide us!"

"Hey, look!" Sora cried abruptly, startling Kairi out of her reverie (the kind that you don't know you're in until you're startled out of it), pointing eagerly to the clearing before them. "There's a light up ahead!"

A blaze pierced through the black night, casting long, terrible shadows onto the canyon walls, bending and molding into the cracks and crevices of the rock itself. The light itself flickered, waxing and waning in intensity, as did the hominid shadows. Following the shadows' path, Kairi found that they terminated near the very edge of the Dark Depths, pooling beneath the bases of a number of six-foot poles. From these, bright banners rippled through the windy night: emblazoned by a sable crowned stag enclosed within a red heart surrounded by a blaze of orange fire on a field of gold (but there were lesser standards as well: given secondary status was a red-gold fox encircled by lapis lazuli flowers on a field of ermine spots). In the midst of these standards were about half a dozen people, mostly middle-aged men, clad in armor or cloth-of-gold and gazing up into the cloudy night.

Erected in the center of the congregation was an intricate brazier, carved out of solid obsidian, the dark glass gleaming sharply in the light of the fire burning within its orifice. Standing before the blaze was a woman. She was certainly beautiful; hair the color of burnished copper (disturbingly similar to her own) was complemented by a long crimson gown of a silky material. Puberty had been very kind to the lady, bestowing upon her a tall height, full breasts and a narrow waist (which probably helped her draw a crowd, in retrospect), her arms spread widely in benediction as if to embrace the coming dawn (which, by Kairi's reckoning, was about seven hours away or so).

In the center of the grand crater below them was the Villain's Vale: a tall, narrow fortress looming above a ruined stone village perched precariously on a hill. Its golden-brown towers were crooked and spindly, appearing every bit as the limbs of a dead tree blowing in the night (and that description wasn't far off). Completing the ominous visage was the outer façade: affixed onto the central tower was a giant Heartless emblem; a black heart crossed by blood-red thorns.

"The Lord of Light made the sun and moon and stars to light our way, and gave us fire to keep the night at bay," the red woman chanted, and Kairi absentmindedly admired her alliterative skills. "Lord, cast your light upon us!"

"Lord, cast your light upon us," the men behind her echoed.

"So, should we just… pop in there? Say hi?" whispered Sora to the others conspiratorially as they crouched (ineffectively) amongst a small outcropping of rocks. She was a tad aware of his warm breath at her nape, and was very thankful that they had yet to pierce the illuminated sermon, lest her blush be made evident.

Still, she shrugged it off. "It looks kind of solemn, Sora. I don't think they'd apprec-"

"We have guests." It was then that the trio noticed that the red woman had halted in her promulgations, lowering her hands and turning serenely to face the trio still lingering at the periphery of the congregation. "Come, it is rather chilly out. Warm yourselves by the fire." As the three reluctantly made their way to through the throng towards the brazier, the woman's features came more into focus. Her heart-shaped face was pale, scarlet eyes still blazing with intensity. Fit snugly about her neck was a red-gold choker, with a polished ruby setting, which even now seemed to glow in the light. She smiled at Kairi specifically and asked, "Now. To whom do I have the honor of addressing this dark night?"

"I am Kairi, and these are my friends, Riku and Sora, of Destiny Islands," she answered promptly. "Leon and the Committee told us there might be others out here tonight. "

As she mentioned all three names, the red woman's eyes up glinted (even more so) in mild recognition. Nodding, she explained, "Ah, yes. The Wielders of the Keyblade. You have built up quite the reputation here, or so I am told."

Right on cue, Sora grinned and folded his arms behind his head, root foot "bashfully" hooking behind his left calf, and drawled, "Yeah, well, we try to help out. It tends to work out, more or less."

"If you don't mind us asking;" interjected Riku, eyes narrowing slightly in suspicion, "Who are you, and what's with the bonfire?"

The red woman levelly met Riku's inquisitive gaze with her own. "I am Melisandre of Asshai. As for the flame..." Eyes darting momentarily to the brazier, she explained, "It is a core ritual for us followers of the Red Faith: asking the Almighty to return the dawn. And He answers, for He is the Lord of Light, the Heart of Fire: R'hllor the Radiant."

"The Radiant." Is there any significance in that title?

"Alright," continued the Keyblade Master, "Then how did you get here? Apparently, it wasn't by Gummi ship..."

"Riku!" Swatting the older teen upside the head, Kairi smiled apologetically to Melisandre. "I'm sorry if it seems like we're interrogating you – it's just that travel between the worlds isn't a common ability."

The priestess laughed. "It's fine – your Committee expressed similar concerns. I understand that the usual route is via Dark Corridors?" She sniffed derogatively. "I would sooner perish than lead my flock into such peril. Another path presented itself, a gift from on high. After some deliberation with the Committee, we have counter-engineered the spell behind our arrival: the Corridors of Light have been awakened. It took some coaxing, but I believe travel between this world and our own will be much more reliable from here on out."

"Hold it. Corridors of Light?" Riku pointed at her accusingly and asserted (not a little childishly), "You made that up!"

"Your Committee raised similar concerns. It appears that the Corridors of Light are a recent phenomenon." Passionately, Melisandre explained, "This coincides with a great many omens witnessed on our own world, in the Realm Between."

Kairi frowned. "Why have you come to visit Radiant Garden? This is a totally foreign world to you; I don't think this is just a pleasure trip."

Melisandre smiled. "It was said in the East that the Garden was a great kingdom within the Realm of Light. Yet our own world is perilously close to the Darkness, and has recently been thrown into turmoil. I am sent forth as a herald and ambassador of His Grace, Stannis of the House Baratheon, the First of His Name, King of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, Protector of the Realm, Son of Fire and Warrior of Light."

"Wait," asked Sora, already rubbing his temple in confusion (Kairi couldn't blame him, really: it was a pretty absurd list of titles). "King of the what now?"

"I already got it written down for you Sora, don't worry," piped up Jiminy from... somewhere, deep in Sora's unruly mane (if Melisandre or her followers were surprised at the notion of an anthropomorphic cricket absconding about in a top hat scribbling down royal modes of address whilst perched upon the noggin of the twice-acclaimed Hero of the Worlds, they didn't show it). "He must be pretty important, with so many positions."

"He's the Lord's Chosen. Born amidst salt and smoke."

That... doesn't really help any. "You spoke of omens. Why did he send you, exactly?"

The visitor's voice took on a menacing tone. "The red star bleeds. Creatures of darkness have come south of the Wall. Winter is coming. After the long summer, darkness will fall heavy on all worlds. The cold breath of winter will freeze the seas... and the dead shall rise in the North."

Sora frowned. "That... doesn't sound good. And where is your King Stannis? What's he like?"

"If I may - my lady..." A tall, thin man stepped forth from the congregation, appearing almost from nowhere, who for a split second Kairi mistook for Ansem the Wise (if Kairi had to choose a word to describe the man before them, she would use "formal"). This, however, was an older gentleman, just at the cusp of senescence: his hair, only beginning to thin, was lustrous silver. His long, distinguished features seemed to lead to a beard shaped like a spike, the path interrupted jarringly by rather prominent, jutting ears. Clad in a dull and age-worn metal chestplate beneath a luminous cloth-of-gold tunic, he also wore a long ermine cloak pinned at his neck by a golden broach, wrought in the shape of a hand grasping a chakram, with a blade extending from between the index and middle finger. All in all, he made a very stately appearance and Kairi though that he, surely, must be the leader of this mission. However, the fact that they had only just now noticed him, combined with his addressing Melisandre so suppliantly, revealed his status as follower, just like all the others. Still, he raised his head and declared proudly, "I am Alester Florent of the Reach, Lord of Brightwater Keep and Hand of the King."

Riku's eyes lit up in thought. "So, you're like a Lord President of a Council or something? His, ah, second in command?" At the man's mildly impressed nod, the silver teen looked at his two friends, who were giving him strange looks. Perturbed, he said defensively, "Look, I'm no math wiz, but is it so strange I get political science?" Riku returned his attention to Lord Alester and asked, "You'd obviously know a lot about your king. Can you tell us about him?"

The old man smiled. "I do know much of him – being his brother-in-law helps. From our many years of acquaintance, I can tell you that if His Grace had an epithet, he would be known as 'King Stannis the Dutiful.' He is not a frivolous man – unlike his late brothers, King Robert and Lord Renly, R'hllor rest their poor, foolish souls. His Grace reserves most of his thought to fulfilling his obligations to the Realm; doesn't give mind to much else, really."

Melisandre put forth, "A usurper now sits the Iron Throne, disgracing the halls of the Conqueror with all manners of perversions and abuse. King Stannis has sallied forth to come properly into his crown – yet he neglected to appeal to R'hllor for aid." Her mouth twisted, and she claimed bitterly, "I should have gone with him. Alas, His Grace holds the ear of unsavory advisors, and so we have come here to plea his case – and the Realm's - before your Restoration Committee. Only by presenting a united front against the darkness can the Realm of Light hope to keep the Long Night at bay." She glanced back at her brazier. "My rites, of course, continue, no matter what world I tread."

"That honestly seems like something Lea would be pretty into," mused Sora, half-jokingly.

The mention of the former Nobody roused yet another amused smile on the priestess' face, and reflected in her scarlet eyes, still transfixed upon her brazier, one could see both dancing flames and shadows. "R'hllor is always willing to accept new followers, Wielder. His Heart burns endlessly for our embrace."

"Ah, sounds interesting," said Kairi hurriedly, as Riku was just beginning to raise his finger, smirking (no doubt about to make a heartburn joke). "Well, it was a nice meeting you, Lord Alester. Lady Melisandre. I wish you luck with the Committee tomorrow."

"The pleasure is ours, Lady Kairi – and your companions as well." Turning again to meet their gazes, Melisandre's eye lingered distrustfully upon Riku for a moment (prompting him to mimic her action), before she turned back to Kairi. "We will meet again. Go now, and may R'hllor illuminate the path ahead: for the night is dark, and full of terrors."

Kesrio syt bantis zōbrie issa se ossȳngnoti lēdys: (Old Valyrian) - "For the night is dark, and full of terrors."

All that jabbering about Light and Darkness: I'm honestly surprised at the lack of crossovers.

This drabble required a lot of tweaking: so far, it is set after Dream Drop Distance, and just before Stannis' fleet set sail for Blackwater Bay in "A Clash of Kings": probably just after his conquest of Storm's End. (It's probably unlikely that I'll have the trio visit Westeros itself, given protagonists' uncomfortably high mortality rate there.)

PS. Will Stannis appear? Well, just imagine: Cloud, Leon, and Stannis? On the same world? I don't think Radiant Garden can contain that much grumpiness.