Chapter 3: Castle of Dreams

A/N: OK, I know Snow White's world is before Cinderella's, but that's how I did it when I played. So bear with me.

Terra and Gaia landed in a world that was covered in night's darkness. There were crickets that chirped lightly and fireflies glowed like earthbound stars. The only sound that broke the late calm was a sobbing sound. The two curiously approached a blond-haired girl in a torn pink and white dress who was sobbing on the bench.

"Is something wrong?" Terra asked in the softest tone he could muster. He and Gaia crouched down next to the girl and gave her a gentle look.

"It's just that my friends made me the most beautiful dress—but my stepmother and stepsisters ruined it. And I was so looking forward to going to the ball." She began sobbing again.

Gaia studied Terra's face and how confused he looked and held back a giggle. He did not know what to do in this situation, did he?

Terra, in turn, sighed. "Darkness always finds a way into a wounded heart. You have to be strong. Strength of heart will carry you through the hardest of trials."

"But I…" she trailed off, sobbing more.

Gaia held back the urge to slap him because he was not good at comforting girls.

To break the teary drama, Flood Unversed appeared out of nowhere. Terra and Gaia summoned their Keyblades, but he held her back.

"Gaia, protect her," he said. "I'll get the Unversed." He began slicing them down one by one.

As Gaia watched, she felt different feelings for Terra. She had to admit he was pretty special—not like any other boy she met before. He made her feel like her heart was complete. He made her breathe fully. He made her feel. And she liked it. A lot. But the new feeling scared her. She never had been in love before. Wait, love? Great, now she was contradicting herself. Why do I feel these feelings for him? She asked herself, as she watched him finish the last batch of Unversed.

Not receiving an answer, she looked back to the weeping girl. Terra's Keyblade disappeared and the both stared at the girl helplessly. A white, orb-like mist surrounded them.

"I can't believe…not anymore…" the girl wept.

"Strength of heart is important, but that's not all you need," said a sweet voice from the glowing mist.

"There's nothing left to believe in…nothing," sobbed the girl.

"Nothing, my dear? Oh, now, you don't really mean that." A fairy dressed in a lavender robe appeared sitting on the bench with the girl's face on her knee.

"Oh…but I do," wept the poor girl. "It's just no use."

"Nonsense! If you lost all your faith, I wouldn't be here, and here I am." The girl looked up and finally stopped crying. "Oh, come now, dry those tears. You can't go to the ball looking like that." She and the girl stood up.

"The ball? Oh, but I'm not—" started Cinderella.

"Of course you are. But we'll have to hurry." She drew her wand and said, "Now, what were those magic words? Oh yes…" She walked over to a pumpkin and waved her wand. "Bibbity-bobbitty-boo!"

The pumpkin turned into a grand white carriage with horses and a driver. Cinderella stared at in awe. Gaia and Terra walked over with her to stare at what just happened.

The fairy Godmother walked over to Cinderella and waved her wand again. An exquisite white dress appeared on her. Her hair was done up in a fancy bun and glass slippers covered her feet.

"Oh…it's a beautiful dress," said Cinderella happily.

Terra and Gaia laughed softly in response. Cinderella turned towards the fairy and approached her. Gaia saw Terra look thoughtful for a second and touched his hand. He jumped and gave her a tender look. Gaia's heart melted by the intensity in his eyes and she flushed brightly. The night gave it a good effect of the stare too.

"Why…it's a dream come true." Cinderella smiled with joy.

"Yes, but like all dreams, it doesn't last forever," said the fairy. "You'll have only till midnight and then the spell will be broken, and everything will be as it was before."

"Yes, I understand," said Cinderella, giving the jolly woman a hug.

Once Cinderella was in the carriage and off, the fairy turned towards the couple curiously. Gaia stared at the grandmotherly woman gently but Terra had a curious look on his face.

"Her heart was full of light," mused Terra softly. "Why didn't I see it?" He placed a hand to his chin in a contemplative manner.

"Well, we can't see everything," said Gaia pointedly about her own feelings. She knew Terra could see through anything but her heart.

"What did you do?" asked Terra to the woman. "I can hardly tell she's the same person."

"Who are you?" the fairy asked curiously.

"Terra," said Terra politely, "and this is Gaia."

"Terra, Gaia, in your hearts, do you believe that dreams can come true?" The fairy's question put them off guard but Terra recovered enough to answer it.

"I do," answered Terra truthfully. "But I also believe you have to make an effort to make them come true."

"Yes, of course," agreed the woman. "But sometimes just believing in dreams is easier said than done. Cinderella believes her dreams can come true. I wanted her to see that she is right."

"So that's what made her shine—faith in her heart that anything is possible," remarked Terra quietly as if he was thinking to himself. "Where did she go?" He gazed at the woman for an answer.

"To the royal ball at the palace," replied the fairy kindly. "Go. And when you see her dancing you'll know that she believes, and that will help you believe, too."

Terra cast his eyes to the ground thoughtfully before turning to look at Gaia. Her brown eyes were soft and full of light. A faint trace of a smile etched its way on her face. He wondered what she was thinking about right there. He always wondered if she would object if he kissed her or not. Then again, he knew Gaia could break him like a toothpick so he wouldn't cross that line. But he couldn't help but think his friend had gotten lovelier over the years.

Good thing, too, he thought staring at her. She is as lovely as ever.

It took him a while to realize that the fairy disappeared into the ethereal night. He walked over to Gaia and grabbed her hand gently, causing the girl to look at him.

"What's your dream, Terra?" asked Gaia softly, sounding genuine.

"To be a Keyblade Master and—" He broke off, feeling embarrassed. He didn't want to reveal the other part of his dream to Gaia.

"And?" prodded Gaia, giving him a beseeching look.

"To be with you," he said genuinely in a tender tone. His eyes were full of a warm light that caused Gaia to melt even more.

A warm blush crossed her face as she stared at the boy who used to aggravate her. He smiled at her warmly, only a foot away from her. If only she could throw caution to the wind and hold him for hours.

"What's your dream, Gaia?" he asked gently.

"To be a great leader and—" She broke off too, afraid to reveal the last part because she wanted to be with Terra too.

"What?" he asked, smiling slightly.

"To fight by your side." Okay, that sounded hokey but it was true. Love gave her a great wish to have. To her, Terra was her dream come true.

When the couple got to the castle, Cinderella was surrounded by the seizure squad. The two Keyblade wielders hopped up and sliced them down. Cinderella stared at the two and saw how close their body language was. Oh, now she got it. The two were special friends.

"I've met you two before…" she said.

"We'll take care of them," said Terra. "You wait right here."

"Please, may I go with you two? I so want to get to the ball."

Terra hesitated slightly, but Gaia cut in, "Come on, Terra, let her come with us."

"All right," said Terra. "But stay behind us, or you'll get hurt."

"Uh-huh," she responded confidently.

"You're not worried?" asked Terra.

"Didn't you tell me it was important to stay strong?" She smiled at Terra, causing him to blush with embarrassment. Gaia giggled softly, adding to that embarrassment.

"Oh, um…I guess I did," said Terra, looking towards the door as if trying to hide his embarrassment.

Both of his female companions giggled softly and then fell silent.

"So you ready?" Terra asked Cinderella with a determined look on his face.

"Yes," answered Cinderella.

The three went inside the castle and the protecting began as Terra and Gaia struck the monsters down. It was kind of hard to protect Cinderella but it wasn't impossible. Terra stayed with the girl while Gaia moved on ahead to slash down any enemies that would get in their way. Finally, the two reached the ballroom and the monsters were gone.

Cinderella and the two got to the ball and stood together temporarily. She smiled at the two good-naturedly. They were closer that they were before, weren't they?

"Oh, thank you…um," said Cinderella softly.

"It's Terra and Gaia," applied Terra with a grin on his face.

"Thank you, Terra and Gaia," she replied joyfully, her pretty face lighting up with happiness.

Terra dramatically gestured her to go forward like a gentleman, causing both women to giggle. Cinderella gathered her skirt and walked away from the couple smiling. Terra curiously stared at her. What did she see that he didn't? He looked at Gaia for an answer, but she hid her face as well but could tell she had pink tints on her cheeks.

The prince approached Cinderella and they began dancing. Terra and Gaia watched with a smile. Unbeknownst to both of them, Gaia inched toward Terra so they were shoulder to shoulder. He briefly stared at Gaia, who looked dreamy and happy. Before he could stop himself, he placed his arm around Gaia's waist and pulled her closer.

"Maybe," he said, "just believing is enough." He had a grin on his face.

"Yeah," replied Gaia. "I'll say." She snuggled into his shoulder a bit—something that surprised him. Gaia never did that to him before. Usually, it was either yelling or slapping that she did. Maybe it was her hormones.

To break the romantic aura, an Unversed appeared at the top of the foyer that overlooked the hall. The two got their game faces on and rushed forward to the duke that stood nearby.

"Tell me. How do I get up there?" asked Terra seriously.

"Well, there is a passage beneath the foyer staircase," he explained, fluttering nervously.

"Thanks," said Terra quickly and ran off, leaving Gaia in the hall.

A few minutes later, Terra appeared at the top of the foyer and began fighting the Unversed. Gaia blushed when she saw him fighting with all he had. She knew she was protected by him that was for sure. Some people probably wondered if they were married or something. Sometimes it felt like they were between the arguing and the team work.

After the large Unversed got knocked down, Terra walked over to them with a smile on his face. Even though the duke was there, Terra's gaze remained on Gaia, whose face was now full of the familiar seriousness it always had. Suddenly, he felt an urge to kiss her. Call it hormones or call it love.

"Thank you," said the duke gratefully. "You saved us all." He suddenly sighed. "The guests were just staring to enjoy themselves…"

"Well don't give up just yet," said Terra, looking at the left side of the room where the prince and Cinderella were standing deep in conversation.

The duke fluttered happily at the sight and he smiled widely. It seemed he was pleased that the prince had found a woman to be with, but something still troubled Terra and Gaia.

"Tell me something," said Terra. "Have you always had a problem around here with those monsters?"

"No. I believe…they began to appear shortly after a boy in a mask arrived in our kingdom. Those that saw him said that they obeyed his every command."

"A boy in a mask," repeated Terra. "Do you know where he is now?"

"Well…no, I don't believe anyone has seen him since then."

"I see," murmured Terra thoughtfully, placing his hand on his chin. Just then the clock rang that signified midnight. Cinderella, as he could see, started running down the stairs as she said her hast good-bye to the prince.

Terra, Gaia, and the duke followed her to the foyer that overlooked the main doors to the hall. The duke ran after Cinderella but her glass slipper was the only remnant of the girl being there. The couple saw a familiar face. It was Aqua!

"Aqua!" Terra called down to her and she looked up at them as they walked up to her.

"Terra, Gaia," said Aqua urgently, "Ven ran away from home." Her blue eyes were full of worry for the blond kid.

"What?" demanded Terra gravely, squeezing Gaia's hand hard enough for her fingers to go purple.

"I think he left to go find you," said Aqua, noticing the grip Terra had on Gaia's hand and winked at them briefly. "Do you have any idea why?"

"No," said Terra with a shake of his head. "Actually…just before we left, he tried to tell me something. I should have listened to what he had to say." He and Gaia began advancing toward the door.

"Oh," breathed Aqua. "So…did you two manage to locate Master Xehanort?"

"No," replied Terra quietly, "but it seems he's looking for pure hearts filled with light."

"Pure hearts…filled with light?" Aqua repeated as if needing to hear it again.

"All I can tell you is that his search hasn't taken him here." Terra and Gaia began to get closer to the door.

"All right," replied Aqua, nodding. "I'll stay and see if I can find more clues."

"Okay," said Terra as he and Gaia walked away. "The prince is in the ballroom ahead. He might have some answers."

"Thanks," said Aqua softly as she turned to go upstairs.

"Aqua," said Terra and the two turned around. "Do you still have the same dream?"

"Well…yes," answered Aqua, looking at them with a smile. Terra could see a mischievous glow in her eyes. What did she see that he didn't?

"There's this girl here—her name is Cinderella. She made us realize how powerful it is just to believe. No matter how impossible things might seem, a powerful enough dream will always be enough to light the darkness. If you see her, give her my thanks."

"Will do." Aqua nodded with a smile on her face and she walked up the stairs.

Terra and Gaia walked toward the doors out and they began talking.

"So, do you have…feelings for Aqua?" asked Gaia curiously.

"I think of her like a sister," replied Terra kindly. "Besides, her PMS is bad enough to keep anyone at bay." He began laughing at the joke he told about her.

Gaia began laughing too, but was mostly relieved that he didn't love Aqua like that. But why was she glad? Couldn't she be happy with whatever Terra wanted? For some odd reason, it felt painful for her to imagine him with anyone else but her.

When they got their armor on, they flew out of that world with a sense of renewal. For once, the emptiness that was in their hearts was full of happiness and joy. Their adventure would take them to the next world. It felt nice to have the unexpected to be expected.