sultal's note: surprise! There IS a reason for the day-early post. Explanation in the chapter and below. Also - a present and possible contest for you all.

Chapter 1: Sinbad

"What the fuck happened in Fantasia?"

Ruber glanced. A twitch curled under his eye and through his lips

"Charming language..." he said to the pirate hanging off the shrouds. "...Captain Sinbad."

The pirate turned. He beamed at Ruber with sunny brown eyes. Then, head thrown to the salty breeze, Sinbad laughed.

Yes, Captain Sinbad. The gallant, courageous, devilishly handsome master of his ship, The Princess, and ruler of the Seven Seas...plus some. But those were his less admirable qualities. Sinbad was also a lying, reckless, cheating scum. Perfect for piracy.

"Well you know me." Sinbad swung from the shrouds. "Go big or go home!"

"And a stunning vocabulary to match, Captain." Ruber joined Sinbad at the bulwark. "But why waste it on Fantasia?"

Sinbad gazed into the sunset. Hot magenta rays melted into the ocean. The western horizon was on fire, but behind it was another land. A land called Fantasia.

Fantasia.

Sinbad stared. The sunset colors burned his eyes as he remembered.

He had fallen in love in Fantasia. Head-over-heels, insanely fallen in love with a Fantasian girl. She was a wild one; unbounded as the wind, relentless as a storm, and smart as a whip. And sweet mama did she have incredible eyes...among other incredible things. Sinbad sighed. What a woman.

Such a woman, in fact, Sinbad needed her. Their teamwork was dynamite as their first kiss, and Sinbad knew that together they could conquer every adventure. So, as pirates do, Sinbad kidnapped the girl, brought her to sea, knelt down, and asked for her hand in marriage. She punched him, kissed him, said yes to him, and together they sailed into the golden horizon and lived happily ever after.

Just kidding.

Sinbad glowered. Heavily he watched the sun drop.

They had so many adventures. So many. So many adventures with countless monsters, villains, and near-death-experiences. It was heaven.

Who would have thought that the one thing to end it all, was a child? A baby boy. Her baby boy. His...baby boy.

Sinbad's insides recoiled as the memories became painful.

She had ended it. Without hesitation she refused every adventure, except for the one crying in the cradle. She wanted a family. She wanted to settle. She wanted to raise their baby boy into a man. She wanted the adventures to end. Forever.

Sinbad had seen her regret. He'd felt her restlessness. So he tempted her. Every trick and every temptation Sinbad used to bait her inner turmoil. But she could not be persuaded. It was one of his wife's more infuriating character flaws. Well actually she had two: stubbornness and love.

Her sacrifice was admirable. Too admirable. And since Sinbad was (1) crazy about her and (2) not about to be shown-up by her bravery, he followed her to Fantasia. And as it turned out, raising a baby boy was an adventure. A stinky-diaper-sleepiness-night-Christmas-presents-piggy-back-ride-amazing adventure.

But then it ended. This time it utterly ended.

And he ended it. On the dawn of their son's eleventh birthday, Sinbad left. He ran away. And he never looked back. All because...

Sinbad rubbed his left palm. A scar, red as the sunset, stung beneath his thumb.

Sinbad sighed. Ruber was right. He had a foul mouth. But there were two names Sinbad refused to speak. Two names that he could still taste on his tongue.

Sarah and Jim. Hawkins. His wife and son. Gone forever, like two shooting stars spitting in and out of his life.

Sinbad spit. Well, so much for sentiment!

Popping about-face, Sinbad sailed across the deck. Something had clearly happened in Fantasia! He had no idea what, but it was something weird, traumatic, and smelled an awful lot like Sinbad's two favorite words: extremely profitable.

"Ruber!" Sinbad unsheathed his scimitar. He waved it ceremoniously. "Rrrrrrally the troops!"

Coolly, Ruber nodded. "All hands hoay!"

The crew reacted simultaneously. "Huh?"

"Get your butts up here!" Sinbad called. Cheerfully he prowled the beam, waiting for his crew. They crawled like insects from every part of the ship but gathered like sharks, sniffing the air for blood.

Sinbad swelled with pride. The pirates of The Princess! His crew! Never had such filthy, black hearted scoundrels sailed the Seven Seas! God - he loved them dearly.

First, there were the Ruskies -Vladimir Vanya Vonitsky Vasilovich, Dimitri, and Rasputin. Landlubbers all of them, but worth their weight in gold. Vladimir - Vlad for short - and Dimitri were con men. Vlad was portly, annoyingly cheery, and a master at luring victims into a false sense of security. Dimitri was a young, sarcastic opportunist with a conscience crooked as his nose. And Rasputin... was gross. Literally putrefying before their eyes, Rasputin was a black magic mystic. His gaol: revenge against everybody. And Sinbad was more than okay with that.

Second there were the El Dorados - Tzekel Kan, Chel, Miguel, and Tulio. Tzekel Kan and Chel were passionate people with passionate indulgences. Tzekel Kan craved blood lust, and Chel just lusted. However, both were vicious with a harpoon so Sinbad welcomed them aboard.

Miguel and Tulio were partners in crime sharing one characteristic - they were greedy bastards. Other than that, they were different as day and night. Life-is-a-bowl-of-cherries Miguel was blonde, wide-eyed, and had the energy of a ferret. I-chopped-the-cherry-tree-down-after-chipping-my-tooth-on-a-pit Tulio was raven-haired, cynical and neurotic. But they both loved treasure hunting almost more than Sinbad.

Third, there was Rothbart. Rothbart was a sorcerer with a special talent of shapeshifting into a monster. Sinbad had seen Rothbart's transformation, and while the oversized bat-wolf hybrid was impressive, Sinbad hardly considered it worthy of Rothbart's title "The Great Animal." Scary as Hell maybe, but definitely not great. However, when an evil sorcerer sulks aboard your ship and asks nicely to join the team, you just don't say no. You just don't.

Fourth, there were the Vikings - Eret Son of Eret and Drago Bludvist. Eret was the younger, Drago was the older, and both hailed from Berk, a Viking island smack dab in the middle of Dragon Country. Being Vikings, they were enormous by default. Eret captured dragons, but Drago controlled dragons.

Sinbad strode down the line. He passed Drago. He smelled blood. Sinbad snuffed. Drago was a maniac, with gravel in his voice and not much more in his head. But he held dominance over dragons with nothing but willpower...while screaming and whirling a big sword.

Next, there was Marina. Ah Marina.

Marina could kill with a kiss. She was poison and honey all rolled up into a sassy attitude problem. Priceless. Some things just can't be taught.

Sinbad lingered on the lovely sight. He and Marina were a perfect match, everyone agreed. He was a rouge and she was insane. Still, Sinbad could not help comparing Marina to Sarah. Marina always had an agenda, there was always a catch. But Sarah...

Sinbad smiled. He remembered Sarah Hawkins' agenda: adventure.

Further down the line there were handfuls of able bodied sailors, nameless faces to do the dirty work and die on the front line. But finally, there was Sinbad's first mate: Ruber.

Ruber was mad. Completely mad. Banished by the real king of The Otherland, Ruber was brutal as he was resentful. He killed effortlessly, creatively, and indulgently, pausing only to twitch an eye or giggle before slicing a victim's throat. Sinbad realized without a doubt that if ever there was a mutiny, Ruber would be the chief mutineer. That was why he elected Ruber first mate - keep your friends close and your enemies closer.

Yup. Each pirate was a gem; the best that The Otherland had to offer.

The Otherland.

The Otherland was just that. It was the 'other land' besides Fantasia. The name was self-explanatory and reversible (Otherland, Land of the Others), which Sinbad found delightful because it was so easy to remember. Moreover, what kind of a wimpy country calls itself Fantasia? On purpose? They could have picked any number of manlier names, like Muffin Land, Rainbow Kingdom, or Bibbity Bobbity Boo.

Sinbad smiled. The Otherland's general opinion of Fantasia was unfavorable. Otherlanders - that's what they called themselves - thought Fantasians were stuffy, condescending creeps obsessed with maintaining order. Puh. The nerve.

And if Fantasia was the responsible older brother, The Otherland was the rebellious teen. The country was a hot mess. Law and order were hung at the gallows. There were too many self-proclaimed kings to count. Children starved. Women were molested. Puppies were kicked. Banks were robbed. Brothers fought brothers. And magic infected the country like a virus.

It was no wonder the Otherlanders despised Fantasia. Fantasia was too pristine. Too perfect. Too...peaceful.

Which brought Sinbad to his original comment. What had happen in Fantasia?

Sinbad looked past his crew. Hand on his goatee, he contemplated the sunset.

Several years ago, Fantasia just exploded. Sinbad remembered. It was the day the tiny northern star, nicknamed the Wishing Star, broke. Fantasia turned into an upset stomach, vomiting black magic from every pore.

It was curious. Fantasia was notorious for outlawing magic. Witches and wizards were either criminalized or stalked like puppets on strings.

Then one day, magic appeared. Rather, it attacked. And not just black magic. Black, white, and grey magic suffocated the region, and it seemed Fantasia would die.

But it did not. Suddenly as it was assaulted, Fantasia was saved. The invaders, whoever they were, had somehow been stopped from taking Fantasia.

Still Fantasia had changed. Drastically. The country had shattered but was rebuilding itself into a stained glass window. Magic breathed through magical realms. Magic and non-magical beings existed harmoniously. And there were rumors of a new Fantasian king. A Fantasian king with...protectors. What did they call them? Oh. Right. Guardians.

Sinbad scanned the sky. He found the Wishing Star, broken into two pieces: Second Star to the Right and Second Star to the Wrong. Now, Sinbad was no wizard. But even he could see the Wishing Star was sick with black magic.

Sinbad returned to his crew. No doubt. Something had happened in Fantasia. And something continued to happen every quarter year below the Wishing Star. Specifically, on the first of each season.

"Gentlemen!" Sinbad announced. "Tonight we find ourselves on the brink of danger! Tonight we find ourselves on the edge of a knife! Tonight we find ourselves facing certain death! Because tonight - TONIGHT - is the night BEFORE - "

Sinbad waited. Expectantly he lifted his chin.

"Before..." Eret said, uncomfortable in the awkward silence. "...Christmas?"

"Nice try!" Sinbad said. "But not even close! NO! TONIGHT is the NIGHT before -" Sinbad raised his scimitar. "THE AUTUMNAL EQUINOX!"

"Tomorrow, on the first of autumn!" Sinbad continued, too excited to pause. "The ocean opens to Charybdis! And OH?"

Sinbad placed a hand to his ear. "What is Charybdis you say? Well listen up, you old salts! Charybdis is the monster whirlpool! The whirlpool that opens below the Wishing Star ONLY on the first of every season! That's four times a year baby! Four times a year to explore! Four times a year to evade death!"

"You think he's too eager?" Marina muttered to Rothbart.

"Four times!" Sinbad pointed to sea. "To uncover the SUNKEN TREASURE OF CHARYBDIS!"

"Cursed." Dimitri corrected. Quickly he raised his hands. "I'm game and everything. But it's cursed."

"Dimitri is right!" Vlad said. He had a deep, resonant accent but it failed to tranquilize Sinbad.

"Cursed!?" Sinbad said. "HA - HA- HAAA-HA!"

Sinbad panted. Then, after a moment, he consented. "Yeah you're right, it probably is! What do the legends say? Undead army? Hexed pirate gold? A siren's song locked in a shell? A boogie-woogie cauldron of death? However!"

Sinbad opened his hand to the Wishing Star. "That's the point! Gentlemen, they say it's impossible to conquer Charybdis! Hear that? IM-PAH-SI-BULL! Well you know what I say?"

Sinbad marched down the line. "Impossi-bull shit! It's like I always say! What are my two favorite words?"

"Lost cause?" grumbled Tulio.

"Adventure awaits!" Sinbad proclaimed as Miguel cheered. "Adventure awaits! Who knows what's down in that whirlpool? A curse? A treasure? A monster? A maid? But WHO CARES?"

He ignored the raised hands.

"It's the mystery! The thrill! The adventure! Gentlemen! We don't know what happened in Fantasia! But, we do know that the Fantasians went through all that trouble to put Charybdis there, and they have no idea it exists!"

Sinbad seized the bulwark. He inhaled the ocean air. "Charybdis is ours, Gentlemen! All ours! SO!"

Sinbad stabbed his scimitar. "Let's go get its secrets! Come on! Who's ready to ROCK AND ROLL!?"

The stars ran for cover as the pirates screamed. Victoriously, Sinbad grabbed the helm.

"Ah!" The ship's wheel lagged as Sinbad unclenched his left hand. In his excitement he'd forgotten; the red scar always stung when he gripped too tight.

"Captain." Ruber's shadow crossed Sinbad's stinging palm. "Captain. What are the whirlpool's coordinates?"

Sinbad replaced his hand at the helm.

"You know, Ruber. Same as the last five years we've tried. Second star to the right...until you hear the siren's song. The singing. That beautiful singing. And on the stroke of midnight on September twenty first..."

Scar burning, Sinbad steered for the Wishing Star.

"...the whirlpool opens its jaws."

sutlal's notes

(1) Reason for the early post = we WILL switch to the birthday girl on the original deadline (Sept 21)

(2) PRESENT/CONTEST? = I wanted to THANK YOU all for waiting. So I made a soundtrack. Taking Fantasia Soundtrack on my YouTube page (sultal wf) under the title TAKING FANTASIA SOUNDTRACK (Disney Fanfiction by sultal) Maybe (big MAYBE) we can have a contest, and the winners could get a mixed CD of the soundtrack, but I still need to work out the deets! Let me know if this is a good idea. Regardless - hope you like it! (My favorite tracks = 2, 13, 14, 17).

(3) Fan Art = DisneyGirl10 surprised me with FANTASTIC fanart for Taking Fantasia and I wanted to give her a shout out! Check out the art at her tumblr page at the account name: disneygirl10universe. Thanks girl!

(4) The cover: I used art made by the magnificent Deviant Art artists Rapunzel-Magic-Frost (peter and wendy) and iesnoth (jim and ariel). Go check them out. WELL worth your time.

(5) keep writing.