I do not own the rights to anything Disney. This chapter is now updated.

Meet and Greets

School was out. Finally.

Another year gone, another summer to spend in her own Disney World. No more worrying about homework, tests, or passing classes. No more worrying about spending too much time in Disney, and too little time in the Real World.

Usually the bridge would take her back just a couple hours after she left- despite spending days in Disney. Although once during her freshman year she had made the mistake of not leaving Disney for months, only to find that almost a week had passed in the Real World. Having always been told by the Blue Fairy and Merlin that the bridge would take her back when she most needed to return, Sidney could only assume that it was a warning of some sort- spend too much time here without going home, and too much time will pass there. Some quick thinking on her part managed to convince her parents that she had pulled several all-nighters in the library, and stayed with friends on campus rather than driving home in the dark tired. As for her teachers, she managed to convince them that her sister had caused some family emergency.

Nobody questioned her stories, for she was Sidney Yates, sister to the infamous Lindsey Yates. Lindsey would most certainly lie, but Sidney? Of course not.

She felt bad for lying, she really did. But how else was she supposed to explain? That she had spent too much time in a world that everybody once told her wasn't real? If she did that, then she'd be the twin with issues. Instead, she made sure to never spend more than a week in Disney without returning home. She never had an issue with too much time passing by in the Real World since that one time, confirming her theory that it had been the result of spending too much time in Disney.

If she could, she'd stay there forever, never to return home again. Except she had parents that would miss her, and a sister that she hoped would miss her. Whenever she brought up the subject to the Blue Fairy, she would receive a stern look and lecture about how important family was, and how Sidney wasn't technically a part of the Disney World. Yet.

Sidney would always tack on the last part in her mind, for she hoped to be part of it officially someday. Someday when she had graduated from college, when she could claim she found a job halfway around the world that would make it hard to return home. It was cruel, Sidney knew, leaving her parents with Lindsey. It was crueler though for them to have a daughter whose heart belonged somewhere else.

Over the years it had gotten harder and harder to return home. Once there her feet were always itching to cross back over the bridge to her own secret world. To continue her magic and hero training, see her real friends like the princesses, go on adventures with Roland. It was so hard to muddle through the boring Real World everyday when there was a magical, more exciting one just waiting for her to return. One where she was a hero, and beloved by all.

Who could resist such a powerful temptation?

Especially where Sidney was now, in the Rose Garden of Princess Aurora, or as she preferred to be called by Sidney, Rose. Huge bushes with beautiful roses dotted the garden. They had originally been white roses, imported all the way from Wonderland. The Queen and residents may be known for being mad, but they were also known for their extravagant flowers that couldn't be found elsewhere. With the help of the fairies other types had been bred- pink, blue, and Sidney's personal favorite, red.

It was such a gorgeous summer day, that Sidney had fidgeted in her seat during her magic lessons. Merlin had eventually noticed and suggested they move the lesson to outside in the Rose Garden, knowing how much she loved the place.

For magic, Sidney had two main teachers- Merlin and the Blue Fairy. Genie, the Fairy Godmother, and the three fairies that had raised Rose would drop by occasionally for a lesson or two. However, it was the Blue Fairy and Merlin who taught Sidney the most.

Merlin was a lot of things.

Some might call him a daft crazy old man, or the most brilliant wizard of his time. Sidney personally preferred the Blue Fairy's lessons over Merlin's- he was a bit too showy for her taste. Using nonsensical rhyming words wasn't actually necessary to perform magic. What was absolutely necessary was some sort of magical conduit such as a wand, or staff. Sidney had learned early on into her lessons that the Fairy Godmother and Merlin mainly used words to impress the people around them and to add to their mystique.

Despite his showmanship, he had always been able to figure out when something was wrong with Sidney and what should be done to help her. He might take his time and ramble on about unrelated topics, but he would notice after a while. The Blue Fairy would have noticed Sidney's distracted mind sooner, but instead of taking her outside to the garden, would have threatened to end the lesson unless Sidney focused on her lesson. That was the difference between their two styles- Merlin was showy and fun, and the Blue Fairy was stern and serious.

When she was younger, Sidney had once asked why she wasn't kinder and more understanding like how she was in Pinocchio. The Blue Fairy had responded that she was kind and patient, but she many things to do, and couldn't be expected to waste her time on a student who wasn't serious about learning the material.

In a way, Sidney understood her point. From classes with Lindsey, Sidney had often picked up on their teacher's frustration whenever Lindsey was caught not paying attention in class or acting like the class clown. Sidney supposed that patience and kindness was required with inattentive students, and rather than letting her nerves get frazzled, she'd simply quit teaching for the day. Sidney was so afraid of disappointing the Blue Fairy, that she would try her best to redirect her attention and concentrate on the lesson before her, no matter how beautiful it was outside.

Though, days like today, she was grateful it was Merlin teaching her magic, instead of the Blue Fairy. She didn't know if she'd be able to concentrate inside, even for the Blue Fairy.

Magic was just one of her many lessons. There was also fencing with Peter Pan, swordsmanship with Prince Phillip, martial arts with Mulan and Shang, history and geography with Belle and Cogsworth. There were so many things that Sidney was required to know, and despite having lessons since she was ten, she still didn't think she would ever be properly prepared for the upcoming war.

The upcoming war that featured her as the hero, pitted against her sister and the villains. When Sidney was ten, she was first told about the prophecy, her role, and the need for all the lessons. By that point Lindsey had long since stopped visiting the Disney World, but everybody had assured her that Lindsey would be back someday, at which time Sidney would need to be ready to lead the heroes to victory.

Sidney had often pointed out what was the point in learning lessons when Lindsey had long since stopped believing in magic, and might not even return. Roland, Phillip's younger brother and Sidney's best friend would reply that they should consider themselves lucky, for it meant that a victory would be that much easier to secure.

She loved Roland, really she did. Whenever lessons got to be too much he knew just how to distract her by taking her out riding across the countryside, or taking her to Belle's huge library full of books just begging to be read, or to Eric's castle where she could talk to the mermaids. There had even be a couple times when they had snuck into Wonderland, and nearly had their heads chopped off. Roland always assured that nobody actually had their heads chopped off, they were always pardoned by the King and the cards knew better than to take the Queen too seriously.

However she disagreed on the victory being easy part. It was true, but felt so, so... wrong. Taking advantage of an unarmed opponent was cheating in Sidney's opinion and was such a villain thing to do. She wasn't a villain, she was a hero. Heroes didn't cheat even when their villains did, they always fought fair and square. That was what differentiated them from villains, and that was why they always won- because justice was on their side.

Over the years, Sidney had tried her best to prepare Lindsey. She encouraged her to join different activities, go to different trade schools- anything to grow an interest in something that might give her an edge in the war and make her a worthy opponent for Sidney. But no matter what Lindsey did, she remained unmotivated, underachieving, partying, Lindsey. Their parents weren't much help, having given up long ago.

In recent years, Sidney had begun to sympathize with their way of thinking, and had stopped encouraging Lindsey to try or learn different things.

After all, what was the point in preparing to fight somebody, who refused to fight at all?


I hate horses.

That was the main thought running through Lindsey's mind as she was being taken to God Knows Where.

I hate their smell, their size, their uncomfortableness, their neighing, their fur, their size...

Hating the horses was a way to distract her mind from what was going on. It prevented unpleasant thoughts such as the fact that she was at the mercy of three strange guys while dressed in a nightgown, which honestly had never happened to her before. Or the fact that everything was just too real to be a dream which meant she was actually in some sort of weird Disney universe or that she was surrounded by people who were convinced that they were characters from Disney. Either explanation wasn't reassuring.

Then there was the fact that she could really, really use a drink about now. She doubted any of her abductors had alcohol on them, or would be willing to share with her.

When she ran out of things to hate about the horses, she moved onto observing her abductors and figuring out some sort of plan. Interrogation didn't sound pleasant no matter what world you were in. Even worse if it meant that her abductors were crazy obsessed Disney fans.

Lindsey tried to think of the different interrogation tactics that she knew of- most of which came from her knowledge of television. Good cop and bad cop, which Lindsey wouldn't mind since she didn't do anything wrong- for once. She was pretty sure being kidnapped by villains and escaping wasn't a crime. What stood out in her mind though were those medieval torture chambers- Lindsey had never been a huge fan of pain, and knew that she wouldn't last long with that form of interrogation.

Surely, her abductors weren't that crazy or cruel? Then again, she really didn't know that much about her abductors.

Her own personal abductor she really didn't know much about. He wasn't much of a talker (the one time he had tried to talk, the blonde had told him to shut up, there was no need to provide anymore information than was necessary for the prisoner), and the only thing she could see was his leg and foot which didn't really reveal much about him. From the fabric and design she could tell that he took his role playing seriously or that he just liked to dress old-fashioned and fancy.

The blonde from earlier, who was in the middle of the three and to her left/front, she was able to tell the most about. It helped that he kept sneaking glances back at her from his position in the front of the trio. His face would alternate between frowning and looking confused whenever he looked at her. It was rather distracting, and took away from his otherwise handsome appearance.

If they had met under other circumstances, Lindsey would have been flirting with him. The perfect blonde hair parted gently to the side, the perfect sparkling eyes, and that perfect charming smile. It was enough to make any girl weak at the knees. The more she studied him and his perfect appearance, Lindsey was reminded of the Ken dolls she and her sister would play with when they were younger. Pretty to look at and dress up, but ultimately not as exciting as her toys that made noises and could actually do things.

While he was pretty to look at, he was also very dressed up. She may not have been able to identify the style or what everything was, but Lindsey had managed to figure out that he was the most important person there. It wasn't just that his clothes looked fancier, but was also in the way he held himself, the way the the other two seemed to be following his lead.

This was good news for Lindsey. If he was the leader, the other two abductors including her own were nothing but followers and therefore could be manipulated once she got the chance. With the right looks and words they could be putty in her hands once they were away from their leader. She may not have a weapon to fight back with, but she did have experience getting guys to do stuff for her from changing a flat tire to buying her a drink.

Plan in mind, Lindsey turned her attention to the dirt road beneath her. Starring down required less effort than starring ahead at the horse next to her, or to the side at the blonde. It was just less exciting.

A dirt road was... a dirt road. Simple and extremely boring. The occasional weed, pebble, or small ditch was a welcomed sight. Pretty soon though, the dirt road turned to gravel, and then to stone. Stone was good, very good. The only reason for the dirt road to turn into stone was because something big was nearby, something that required sturdy roads to handle traffic.

While it meant that their destination was most likely close by, so was the interrogation.

Maybe Lindsey would get lucky and some townsperson would demand her abductors to release her and return her home. Maybe at any second they'd scream 'gotcha' and reveal it was all just an elaborate prank.

Then again, considering how her day had gone so far, her luck seemed to have run out.


Or not.

Merlin was currently lecturing Sidney on the importance of visualization and specification when teleporting, or as Sidney kept calling it silently, apparating. For as the saying apparently went, 'It is better to take a few more seconds to concentrate, or you might end up with your elbows for knees in the middle of a lake.'

Sidney refrained from asking where the saying originated- she learned over the years that sometimes it was much better to nod and accept a lecture rather than ask for Merlin to explain some obscure reference. The last time she had done so had earned her a twenty minute lecture about his trip to Atlantis- which wasn't always lost, and wouldn't always be lost (though she already knew that). If the Blue Fairy hadn't shown up when she did, Merlin would have most likely drone on for another hour. Sidney supposed that he liked referencing stuff around her so much because she was one of the few people that actually understood his references to the future.

Teleportation was one of the three advanced T's of magic- Transformation, Teleportation, and Time-Travel. Of the three, transformation was the easiest to master, and was where most magic-users stopped. Teleportation and time-travel were harder to master since they required more theory and concentration. Even with her nine years of magical study, it'd still be a few more before Sidney would be capable of performing the spells successfully. The only reason why Merlin was going over the material in the first place was because he didn't have access to the material the Blue Fairy had been teaching Sidney.

It was when he repeated the teleporting quote for a second time, that Sidney began to suspect that his mind might be wandering just as much as hers was. He loved sharing quotes or showing off his extensive knowledge, but repeating something twice meant losing the opportunity to tell one new fact. Something that was unheard of for him.

"Is everything alright?" Sidney asked partly concerned, and partly out of anticipation for the lesson to be over.

"Yes, yes, just distracted by this morning's events. I'm afraid that's all for today, we'll have to continue our lesson tomorrow."

On the inside, Sidney was cheering, but thought it'd be inappropriate to let out a squeal of delight- that was just the sort of thing Lindsey would do, and would no doubt only hurt Merlin's feelings. Instead she patted him reassuringly on the hand.

"Don't worry," she said, "Everything will be alright, the Blue Fairy will see to it."

Sidney knew of the events that Merlin was talking about and knew she should be worried. She should be panicked even, but she wasn't. Maybe it was just some sort of sign that this was the way things were meant to be, and Sidney was perfectly alright with that. She wouldn't dare tell Merlin that she hoped the Blue Fairy couldn't see to it though.

Merlin smiled at her warmly. "You know dear, there are things that even the Blue Fairy cannot do."

Sidney was saved from responding when Archimedes landed on the garden table between them. "Prince Roland has returned to the castle, and with a prisoner."

At the mention of Roland's name, a wide smile appeared on her face. It quickly disappeared at the mention of a prisoner. What exactly did that mean? Had his patrol actually managed to capture one of the villains? For years, the various royal families had placed bounties on the heads of the villains, and had managed to find most of their hiding spots, but a few still remained.

Like Hook's ship. Ever since Peter Pan had enchanted it with Pixie Dust years ago, it had gained the ability to fly, which Hook used to attack the heroes from above. Over the years other villains had joined him and his crew when their own homes were destroyed. According to their latest intel, Mim was the latest member. Peter and his band of Lost Boys had come close to taking the ship several times, but with Mim and Jafar's magic, Hook kept managing to avoid them.

The other main refuge for villains was Maleficent's castle and the land surrounding it. It was here that many of the lesser villains had sought refuge, including the various people who had become associated with villains over the year. The Great Forest divided the Mountains from Aurora's kingdom- along with many of the others.

The last refuge for villains was the Underworld where Hades resided. Despite being responsible for many of their returns, none had actually stuck around to stay. Sidney couldn't say she blamed them.

There was Wonderland of course, which was located in the heart of the Great Forest. It was rumored that one could reach Wonderland through a series of tunnels the White Rabbit had dug, if one was to stumble upon them. Most people didn't intentionally seek them out for the same reason both heroes and villains avoided Wonderland- the residents there were just too crazy. You never knew which side they were on, and something was just as likely to eat you as you were to eat it. Nothing made sense other than nonsense.

If it wasn't for the flower trade, Sidney doubted that any sort of trade at all would be done with Wonderland, especially with the Queen of Hearts always threatening to cut off the heads of the merchants brave (or more likely greedy) enough to venture into Wonderland. Not that she ever managed to behead them- she'd quickly forget, and the King of Hearts would always pardon her victims. There was still the chance that he might not always be around to save somebody in time.

"More likely its some unfortunate fellow that happened to get lost in the woods and into Roland's path," commented Merlin.

Merlin could be right, Sidney supposed. It wouldn't be the first time Roland had mistaken somebody for a villain in his zealous quest to track them down. Being the younger brother of a prince was hard enough, but it was harder when your older brother was famous for defeating Maleficent and being married to Sleeping Beauty. When they were younger, Roland had often confided in Sidney that he felt like he had a chip on his shoulder; that he had to prove to the world that he was just as good as his brother. The quest to prove himself had sometimes gotten him into trouble in the past, but he had always meant well. That was one of the reasons why Sidney loved him so much- he was always trying to do the right thing. Even if it meant jumping to conclusions.

"Ah, but that's where you're wrong," smirked Archimedes, proud to know something that Merlin obviously didn't. He puffed out his feathered chest and said, "For it's not a fellow, but a girl. One that looks very similar to Sidney here, except for the hair. Looks like a carrot with that hair..."

A girl that looked like her, with orange hair? Sidney knew somebody that could fit that description quite well, but it couldn't be. Lindsey had stopped believing in Disney a long time ago, she wouldn't even cross the bridge. What was Roland doing with her?

A horrified thought occurred to her. Archimedes had said Roland had a prisoner, and if that prisoner was actually Lindsey...

She leaped to her feet and started to run to the front of the castle yelling, "Roland, Roland!" as loud as she could. She hoped she'd be able to reach in time before he made any serious mistakes that couldn't be undone.

Sidney hadn't bothered to say goodbye or explain what was going on to Merlin or Archimedes. Watching her leave Archimedes let out a huff of disapproval. "I say, that was rather rude, the way she just took off without any explanation."

Merlin simply sighed. "It's the beginning. What more of an explanation do you need?"


Miles away, a former evil queen watched a scene unfold on her magic mirror. The spell which made it work had undergone some changes in the past several years. Rhymes were no longer necessary in order to obtain information. With the new modifications it now acted very similar to a mirror that was given to the Beast- one merely had to state what one wished to see, and it would appear on the mirror.

Grimhilde approved of the changes. If the mirror had operated in such a manner years ago, matters concerning a certain fair princess might have gone very differently.

She did not know the castle were the scene was taking place, but from the people present, she was in confident in guessing that it belonged to another princess that was famed for her beauty and had fallen into an enchanted sleep.

The villain who had caused the sleep stepped beside Grimhilde, studying the scene just as intently as Grimhilde was. Grimhilde spared one side-long glance for her companion before returning her gaze to the image.

"I see you have your pet again," commented Grimhilde regarding the feathered raven that was currently perched on Maleficent's shoulder.

"Yes," Maleficent replied as she stroked Diablo. "Yours has yet to return though."

"Still hiding for the same reason yours was. Tremaine was by earlier casting about for any crumbs of information she could gather. Wherever she goes, so does that accursed cat of hers."

"Indeed, a very appropriately named cat for the way he acts. Interesting," said Maleficent referring to what was going on in the mirror. The girl who had fled from the villains earlier was currently being led into the castle in chains. Her legs wobbled causing her to trip and fall down. Grimhilde was about to ask if it was time for the villains to intefere, but Maleficent held up a hand to silence her.

"Not yet, look who's coming to her rescue. It's her dear sister, the hero. Oh, and her prince certainly is most displeased with the recent turn of events. His prisoner has just turned into an uninvited guest."

Grimhilde frowned. "Isn't this the opposite of what we want? What happened to the heroes mistreating her?"

"All in time, Grimhilde, all in time. For her sweet innocent sister will surely insist upon her hero friends being friendly to her twin. Which, judging by her prince's reaction, won't sit well with most of them. Then, when she's reached her breaking point, we'll swoop in and save the day. For once, we'll be the heroes."

Diablo smirked from under his mistress's touch, understanding her plan. Grimhilde smirked as well. "Us the heroes? Whatever is this world coming to?"

Maleficent continued preening Diablo. "Haven't you heard? There's a new girl in town, supposed to bring about a great change, an age of darkness or so they say. Surely the villains becoming the heroes is the first sign of her success."


"That, is the stupidest thing I've ever heard."

Lindsey was currently sitting on her sister's couch. It wasn't just an ordinary couch, oh no. It was an oversized, fluffy couch that was much more comfortable than it looked. The second she had sat down, her butt had sunk into the cushions and the pillows on either side threatened to suffocate her with their size. While it was a very soft couch, Lindsey doubted she would ever be able to get off of it since the couch seemed intent on swallowing her whole. It had the decency to be blue instead of green at least. She didn't think she'd be able to stand it if it was green.

After reaching the castle, Lindsey had been expecting being dragged down into some dank dungeon to never be heard from again. Assuming her plan with the followers failed.

Except she never reached the dark dungeons. Due to all of her time on the horse, her legs had forgotten what it meant to walk, and failed her once the blonde put her on the ground. While she was busy trying to instruct her legs on how to walk lest the blonde get impatient and decide to drag her to the castle, a figure managed to break through the crowd that had gathered outside the castle's gates to gawk at the prisoner. Lindsey could have sworn even seeing an owl at one point.

Her disbelief over the owl was interrupted when the figure started to yell at the blonde. The blonde who turned out to be a prince, who also happened to be her sister's boyfriend. Her sister who was also the figure yelling at said boyfriend. The same sister who was now in front of her claiming that the Disney game they had played as children was real, just as real as the world around her. Oh, and there was a prophecy about how Sidney was the hero, Lindsey was the villain, and there was supposed to be some epic fight between them in which only one would come out alive.

Stupid was the only word she could even think of to describe the whole thing.

She was supposed to become a villain and fight her sister just become some old nut-job said so?

Stupid. And anybody who listened to the old bat was stupid as well.

The whole entire thing was stupid.

Once she saw Sidney, believing that everything around her was real and she wasn't crazy was easy. It was the prophecy thing she was having trouble with.

Sidney seemed to be having just as much issue with it as Lindsey was- but for a different reason. She had explained everything several times, and was growing exasperated with her sister's disbelief.

She took a deep breath and decided to give it one last chance. This time she moved to the couch where her sister was, in order to be closer to her. A hard task that required throwing several pillows on the marble floor before being able to talk without having to worry about fabric getting into her mouth.

"When we were little we made a wish on the star to go to the real Disney world. The bridge in our backyard turned into a real bridge. We had adventures and then we were supposed to grow up. You did and stopped visiting, I didn't. With me so far?"

Lindsey nodded. That part was just crazy, not stupid. She could handle crazy, she had for the past day. It was the stupid part she was having issue with.

Sidney continued. "Long ago there was a prophecy, about two sisters from a strange land. One would become a hero, the other a villain. The villain would bring about an age of darkness, and only the hero could defeat her by using the Sword of Destiny to bring about a new age. Only one would emerge alive from the battle."

"So what makes them so sure it's us?"

"Because," stated Sidney trying to remain calm, "Everything fits. Two sisters, check. From a foreign land, check. After you left, I ended up finding the sword in one of our old playing spots."

"And what exactly is the Sword of Destiny again?"

Sidney turned her gaze to an item above the fireplace that was in front of the couch. Lindsey followed it and saw that there was a long sword situated above the fireplace on hooks which were supporting it. Lindsey couldn't say she had seen many swords in her life, but this one seemed so shiny, so sharp. A weapon like that didn't deserve to be placed above a fireplace like a decoration, it deserved to be used in battle. It deserved a place at a soldier's side slaughtering enemies left and right being covered in blood, not covered in dust on a wall in a bedroom. It-

"Lindsey!"

The cry from her sister was enough to startle Lindsey out of her thoughts. With a jolt she realized that she was no longer on the couch, but was in front of the fireplace reaching for the sword. Her right hand was inches away from the handle, ready to lift it off of the hooks that were holding it up.

Sidney had reached her, and was pulling her away from the sword. "The Sword of Destiny is a very old and powerful object, as you just saw. Nobody knows when it was created, or who or why- it's just always been. Whenever a hero needs it, there it is, before disappearing just as quickly again. You might know it as Excalibur, but other heroes have used it as well. Prince Phillip knew it as the Sword of Truth when he used it to kill Maleficent. Both Hercules and Mulan even had it for a while."

Lindsey found it was hard to look away from the sword. There was something about it that seemed to pull her in, all she wanted was just one touch, what was so wrong with that? It probably hadn't been touched for a while, and how it must ache to feel the grip of a human hand to use it-

A strong tug on her arm whirled her around. No longer was she looking at the sword on the wall, but into her sister's hazel eyes, the same as hers.

"So that's what you're going to use to kill me then?"

Sidney was startled by the remark. "No," she cried and shook her head, "No."

She plopped down onto the couch and immediately began to sink into the cushions. Sidney didn't seem to notice for she was too busy burying her head into her hands.

"We're trying to find another way, the Blue Fairy promised me there's another way. We'll have to fight, but there's another way out besides death."

Lindsey yanked her sister's arms away and forced Sidney to look at her.

"There is another way, I'll go home. If I'm there, I can't be here to fight and nobody has to die. See, simple."

Sidney started to shake her head again. "No, no, the villains will just find you again, and bring you back."

Lindsey rolled her eyes. "Look, didn't you say they couldn't go very far from the bridge before losing their magic? Well then, I'll make a dash home and then go somewhere far away like Australia or Antarctica, someplace they can't reach me."

When Lindsey had explained waking up in Maleficent's castle and not being able to remember everything, Sidney and Merlin- for he had made sure to hear her side of things before Roland was able to throw her into the dungeon- they had offered a theory.

When the bridge had first appeared, Merlin and several others had crossed it to see what was on the other side and found that the further away they walked from the bridge, the weaker their magic became. Based on their knowledge of the villains, and what Lindsey had recalled hearing at the castle, Hades had instructed his minions Pain and Panic to trick her into coming near the bridge by transforming themselves into her friends (a trick they were well known for). They then offered her a drink which was actually a sleeping potion in disguise. The reason why her friends seemed to flicker for a few seconds was the fact that their powers were weakened by being away from the bridge.

It was a good theory, one that she already suspected- well the drink being drugged and her being kidnapped part- and even the Hades minions part made sense.

What she loved most of all about the theory was that it meant the villains couldn't follow her very far across the bridge. Sure they could send the human ones, but it's not like they knew how to function in the 21st century or how to find her. It wasn't even like they had the proper identification to chase after her if she decided to travel to another country. She still had her passport from spring break, and what did they have? It wasn't like they could explain to customs that they were actually from another dimension where Disney characters were real. That was assuming they even managed to figure out that she had fled the country in the first place, and had used an airport to do so. Assuming they even knew what an airport was.

It was a great plan, a wonderful plan- just cross the bridge and go home.

Sidney didn't seem to share Lindsey's enthusiasm.

"Lindsey, are you even listening to yourself? Look outside, the sun's setting, and you've either ran or traveled on a horse for most of the day. You could do with a bath, a decent meal and a good night's sleep."

Seeing Lindsey's doubting look, she added, "Please? The bridge will return you to when you need to be home, no more than a couple hours will have passed."

Lindsey began chewing on her bottom lip, considering what to do.

Sidney added, "You'll have your own rooms and be treated like royalty. Did a mention there's a ball tomorrow night? It's the annual Rose Ball that Rose, or as you know her, Sleeping Beauty, throws at the beginning of the summer every year. It's lots of fun and you could borrow one of my dresses..."

Her voice trailed off, and her eyes were wide and full of hope. They were her puppy dog eyes, the ones that Lindsey could never say no to.

"Fine," she conceded and plopped down onto the couch next to her sister. "Fine, I'll rest and go to the ball, but then it's home, got it?"

"Got it," replied Sidney who gripped her sister tightly in a hug.

"So about this ball... will there be drinks?"


Anastasia was busy wiping down the bar of LeFou's Tavern. It was one of the many taverns in the town, or whatever their little refugee community was technically called. It was filled with villains, sidekicks, and others deemed 'undesirable' by the heroes. The only choice they had was to live here, at the base of Maleficent's castle in the Forbidden Mountains, or rotting in one of the hero's dungeons for refusing to swear an oath of allegiance to them.

The choice wasn't hard to make.

Swearing an oath to the heroes after everything they had done, was out of the question, especially for somebody like Anastasia who was related to so many villains. Such an oath would mean turning her back on her family. Her mother, her sister, her husband LeFou, his best friend Gaston who had helped build the tavern in the first place and was the godfather to her children.

Working at a tavern was a far cry from the life she had once led, but it was honest work (mostly) and she'd rather be dressed in rags doing chores than begging for forgiveness on her knees in front of Cinderella. Life wasn't that bad despite the turn in their fortunes, and she still had some pride left after all. She was still a Tremaine.

Like many of the people in the town, she knew that Maleficent wasn't letting them live beneath her castle out of the kindness of her heart. They were nothing but shields for her; bodies that would cause noble heroes to think twice about before hacking through them to get to Maleficent. At the most, they were soldiers ready to defend their homes, at the least, they were sacrificial lambs.

She tried not to think too much about that last part. Instead she concentrated on cleaning the tavern to prepare for the night rush, the time when most villains needed a drink. It wasn't just the drinks they came in for though, it was for the news and gossip of what was going on, out there.

Out there where the heroes were advancing closer and closer, threatening all of their lives. Out there where the bigger and more powerful villains were doing their best to keep the heroes at bay, while waiting for her to arrive.

To the majority of them, she was just a fairy tale, a story that was told to children to keep their nightmares at bay at night. The one thing that kept hope in her arrival was the existence of her sister. If her sister was real, then she must be real as well. Anastasia didn't know why she had turned her back on them, but surely she would come back, someday.

The door to the tavern burst open, and her sister, Drizella shoved her way past the few patrons in the tavern and toward her sister.

"Hello Drizella," murmured Anastasia, not bothering to look up from her spot at the counter.

Drizella barging in was nothing new, and it was usually just to get away from their mother and her new husband, Frollo. Anastasia loved her mother dearly, but couldn't deny that she was a bit of- what was the word? Gold digger. She was attracted to wealth and power, and a judge (albeit former) certainly qualified. Frollo had been looking for a proper wife (rumor had it was mainly to show that he no longer cared for the gypsy). While the couple enjoyed power, wealth, and flaunting it over the have-nots, their resources had gradually been dwindling down to nothing and they had started arguing about who was going to have to get a job.

Leaning forward, Drizella began to whisper after making sure nobody was close enough to overhear the conversation.

"You'll never guess what Mother just heard at the castle. She's here, they actually brought her here!"

The little shriek she let out at the end was rather high, and attracted the attention she had been trying to avoid. Anastasia just sighed and began to sweep the floor. LeFou was due to be back any second now with their children from school, and she hoped that he would remember to wipe their feet before entering the tavern. Then again, it was a tavern, so keeping the floors clean was a fool's hope.

"Did you hear what I said?" demanded Drizella, who tapped her foot impatiently, waiting for some acknowledgement and excitement from her sister.

"Yes I heard you, but it's just a rumor, like usual."

Didn't her sister know any better? It seemed like once a week that rumor was going around- that she was here, the villains were about to win. She'd believe it when she saw it.

"What's just a rumor?" asked LeFou, who had just entered the tavern with their children trailing behind him.

"Mother was at the castle earlier and said that she saw her. She's here!" Drizella clapped her hands excitedly, and started to jump up and down.

"And I told her it's just a rumor, like usual," replied Anastasia. She gave a sigh of relief for LeFou had managed to remember to get the children to wipe their feet. Either that, or they had taken extra care not to jump into puddles or mud on their way home, which was highly unlikely given her children.

"But it's not a rumor, Mama," piped up Marius, excited to know something that his mother didn't for once.

Eponine nodded her head in agreement, her red curls bouncing away. "We saw her, on the way to school. She was all dressed in white and was running away from the castle." She frowned and then asked, "Why was she running away Mama? Isn't she supposed to help us?"

Anastasia looked at her children, and then to her sister and husband. The patrons in the bar had gone quiet, no doubt hearing what her daughter had just said and thinking the same thoughts as she was. A girl dressed in white was seen running from the castle. What could that mean? Was it really her, or just false hope? And why was she running away from the castle?

Deciding to get some answers, Anastasia thrust the broom at her sister who gaped at her in horror. "Take the broom and do what LeFou tells you to Drizella," said Anastasia pretending not to notice the awkward stare her sister was giving her. Looking at LeFou she said, "Manage the tavern and look after the children. Eponine and Marius, mind your father. I'm going to get some answers."

She kissed her husband, and her children, and walked out of the tavern door before anybody could stop her. There was one person she knew that would have the correct information and be willing to talk to her. But first she had a stop to make.

**Author's Note**

I'd like to thank Daydreamer747, Starswim, Galimatias, Michaelaquinn, and Whispurrs for leaving reviews. Reviews are always welcomed feedback and I like knowing what people think of my stories.

This time just good news. I'm no longer sick, the chapter is now completed and it's the longest chapter I've ever written.

Next chapter is the ball, for what sort of Disney story would this be without some sort of ball/dance? Lindsey will meet an old friend and a new one, and the chapter has a strong possibility of ending on a cliff-hanger depending on how long it ends up being.

I don't know if you caught it, but there was a reference to a future Disney movie. Just because I'm not including some of the more modern movies, doesn't mean I won't sneak in a reference here and there.

As for Anastasia and LeFou, the pairing just popped into my head when I started planning this story and I decided to go with it. Both are minor characters that seem under appreciated by the villains they know, and both Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast originated in France. The same goes for Lady Tremaine and Frollo. The Hunchback of Notre Dame is also French, and I could see them marrying out of a desire for power, and allying against the more powerful villains.

That's all for now. If you have any questions regarding anything in this chapter, leave them in a review. I'll either respond in a PM, or include something in the next chapter. Thanks for reading, and if possible, please leave a review!