Da dada daaa! Two weeks is up! (Slightly early because I'm soooo busy tomorrow so I was worried I wouldn't be able to post. But usually I'm gonna try to post on Friday afternoon/evenings!)
So, surprisingly hardly any of you guessed the world! Well, maybe surprisingly, I gave barely any clues at all, so I guess you all get a pass. But I was very impressed with those of you who got it! One person got it on the first guess and I was extra impressed! I won't say what it is yet so maybe you'll all be surprised as you're reading~
Art! Xxser3ndipityxX drew a really awesome imagining of what Aila might look like on the Monster's Inc. world! Check this out:
deviantart (dotcom) /xxser3ndipityxx/art/Aila-Monsters-Inc-Form-732466767
Remove spaces yada yada yada
I haven't finalized what Aila might look like on that world myself but I think this is SUCH a cool version, don't you guys?! Thanks, Ser!
Okay, on to the chapter!
"There are so many ways to be brave in this world. Sometimes bravery involves laying down your life for something bigger than yourself, or for someone else. Sometimes it involves giving up everything you have ever known, or everyone you have ever loved, for the sake of something greater.
But sometimes it doesn't.Sometimes it is nothing more than gritting your teeth through pain, and the work of every day, the slow walk toward a better life. That is the sort of bravery I must have now."
― Veronica Roth, Allegiant
Chapter 4: A Brave New World
One thing was for certain: this world was gorgeous.
The group had exited their ship in a forest clearing, sunlight streaming down upon them through smatterings of clouds that looked almost painted across a baby blue sky. Sturdy, lush trees stood tall on all sides of them, some with deep green leaves, others with white trunks and almost golden yellow foliage. The grass beneath their feet was wild and untamed and full of life, giving an extra spring to each step the awestruck visitors took. Aila took a deep breath, the scent of wildflowers and water filling her with a refreshing energy.
"Wow," Donald breathed, eyes wide as he took a look around.
"Okay, this is going on my list of potential places to live if I never get home," Aila mused.
Goofy nodded. "This is real nice! Uh, doesn't really look like a world in trouble to me…"
Donald re-cloaked their ship and started off in a random direction. "Just because it's pretty doesn't mean it isn't in need of help." He glanced back at Aila, who had hurried to follow him. "Okay, get to healing this place."
Aila quirked a brow. "It doesn't work like that."
"Well how does it work?"
"Uh… I have to find a certain place… A 'pocket of ancient magic' or… something? That's what Rafiki called it. I think."
Goofy put a finger to his chin as the group made their way into the trees, the sunlight speckling their skin through the leaves. "Well, uh, how will we find one o' those?"
Donald stopped abruptly and turned to face Aila. "You lead."
Aila was startled. "Eh?! You said you were in charge!"
Donald put his hands on his hips. "Right, and my first order is for you to lead the way to this magic pocket or whatever it is. Maybe you can sense them."
Aila narrowed her eyes. "I don't know…"
Donald glared right back. "You got any other ideas?"
Aila sighed. "Fine, I'll… uh… try to sense which way to go?" She glanced around uncertainly, trying to see if any direction just kinda… felt right. Everywhere looked the same, and she wasn't feeling anything in particular other than a little annoyed that Yen Sid had given them such vague instructions and wishing Celina would wake up and give her a clue. Her eyes landed back on Donald, who just gestured for her to hurry up. She frowned and looked in a random direction. "Uh… let's try this way?"
"Ahyuck! Sounds good ta me!" Goofy said enthusiastically. The three of them started walking, Aila trying to pay as much attention as possible to anything and everything. The sky started to become overcast as they made their way deeper into the woods, large grey clouds blotting out the sun like a storm was in the early stages of forming. Somehow the beauty of this place wasn't lost with the sun, though. Other than that… nothing eventful happened. Just a lot of walking.
"Ahhhh this is haaaard," Aila whined after half an hour, collapsing to her knees in frustrated defeat. "I hate this."
"Yeah, this is getting us nowhere," Donald grumbled, sitting on a nearby rock. "Are you really trying to sense something?"
"Yes," Aila grumbled back, glaring lightly at her friend. "I never said I could sense anything, you know. You just decided I could."
"Well, uh, how'd you find the place to heal the world the last time?" Goofy asked, inspecting a nearby tree like it might be hiding the answers within its bark.
Aila sat back on her heels and thought. "Umm… Rafiki showed me in the Pride Lands. The first time I was in the place I had no idea it was anything special. It seemed dark and spooky, and I just wanted to leave. Though…" Aila crossed her arms and furrowed her brow. "Lyall did show up there out of nowhere the first time, and showed me how to get to a certain spot in the middle of the water and then showed me some weird dream things…"
"Can you summon Lyall still?" Donald asked, seeming intrigued. "Maybe she could lead us there!"
Aila frowned, her shoulders sagging. "No… she hasn't been responding either…"
"Ah…" Donald frowned as well.
"Where was that place in the Pride Lands, anyway?" Goofy asked, cocking his head curiously. "I thought ya only weren't with us one time on that world."
"It was in that cave I fell into, we were separated then too, remember?" Aila said, playing with a few strands of grass on the ground while she tried to think of what to do. Donald and Goofy both let out an "ohhh" of realization. Aila stopped playing with the grass and looked up. "You know, I might have found one on another world too, now that I think about it."
"Really? Where?" Donald asked, looking excited.
"Atlantica… Demyx went down into this really dark canyon thingy and I swam after him, and then I touched… something and the whole place started glowing. It was kinda like what happened in the Pride Lands… I wonder if it was because it was the same kind of place…?"
Goofy nodded. "Sounds like it to me! So uh, both of those places were dark and down, so we should look for somewhere that's dark and down!"
"Oh good, that's very specific," Donald sighed.
Aila shrugged. "It's better than nothing." She crossed her arms and huffed. "This would all be much easier if Celina would just say something to me. She's been to a lot of worlds, so maybe she's been to this one before; she might know what we're looking for."
"Maybe now that you need her help, she'll have a reason to start talkin' again," Goofy suggested gently.
Aila frowned sadly at him and bowed her head, putting a hand over her heart. "Maybe…" Her fingers tensed over the fabric of her shirt as she tried, once again, to call to Celina, wishing with all her might that the Spirit would finally respond. "You're still there… right…?" she whispered, hoping for something, anything…
A high pitched whispery breath startled Aila, her head snapping up and her eyes widening as they fell upon what looked like a little blue flame floating before her. "AH!" she yelped, nearly falling over herself as she scrambled backwards a few feet. The flame vanished.
"Did Celina do that?!" Donald asked, hopping off his rock and hurrying over to Aila, Goofy rushing to join them as well.
Aila shook her head. "I-I don't think so?"
Another whispery breath echoed around them, the blue flame appearing again a little farther away. Aila blinked, realizing now that the flame almost looked like it had little eyes on its front and tiny, wispy arms on either side of it that moved in a way that almost looked like it was beckoning the group to come closer. It even seemed to be looking directly at Aila with its pupil-less eyes, if that was possible. What in the world…?
The little flame 'blinked', and then dozens of blue flame duplicates appeared in a straight line behind it, like a trail through the trees.
"Uh, I think it wants us to go that way," Goofy said.
Donald nodded. "Well, let's go!"
Aila grabbed at Donald's arm as the duck started walking away. "Wait! What if it's a trap or something?"
Donald shrugged. "They don't seem dangerous to me. Looks like they're giving us a clue."
Aila hesitated, but then sighed in defeat. "Fine, we'll follow the weird flame thingies."
"Y'know, I don't think they're made outta fire," Goofy said, squinting at the little things as Aila stood.
Aila shrugged. "Well what else would you call them?"
"Hmmm…" was Goofy's only reply, his face scrunched up in seemingly deep concentration as the three of them started off along the trail the little flames were lining. Whenever they got close to one it would vanish, like a checkpoint being ticked off for them. It was super weird. Speaking of weird…
"Am I crazy, or should we have seen some Heartless by now?" Aila asked as they walked.
"Yeah, I expected that too," Donald replied with a frown.
Aila laced her hands behind her back. "Maybe you drove us to the wrong world…"
Donald rolled his eyes. "This was where the path the King opened led to."
"Maybe he opened the path wrong?"
Donald shot Aila a glare. "No way."
Aila smirked. Donald and Goofy were fiercely loyal to Mickey. She should have known that suggesting he'd made any kind of mistake would be immediately shot down. Still, she felt like it was possible, right? This world seemed fine. Could it really be dying?
The flames led the group to another clearing, but this clearing held something very strange: a large circle of tall, upright stones, clearly erected there on purpose by something other than nature itself.
"It's kinda like Stonehenge," Aila mused to herself, the last flame in the trail vanishing as she walked into the stone circle.
"Is this the magic pocket?" Goofy asked, he and Donald following Aila as they all examined the stones. Aila was a little worried about getting too close to any of them – they kinda looked like they'd fall over if they were hit by even a light breeze, and she wasn't in a hurry to destroy something that clearly held some importance here. How were the stones even standing upright? Undisturbed moss was growing on all of them, indicating that they'd been like this for quite some time. They were probably more secure than they looked, but still…
Donald put a finger to his beak. "It does feel like there's some magic here… Do you feel any different?"
Aila realized he was talking to her after a couple of seconds and shook her head. "Not really?"
Donald crossed his arms. "Well how did you figure out you were in the right place before? Things started glowing?"
Aila shrugged. "Yeah, after I touched certain spots."
Donald gestured to the surrounding stones. "Okay, well, try that."
Aila frowned, glancing around at the stones skeptically. "What if I accidentally knock them over?"
"Who cares? At least we'll know if we're in the right place or not."
Aila sighed. Donald didn't seem to harbor her same respect for ancient architecture. But, she didn't have any other ideas, so she very carefully made her way over to the closest rock. She held up a hand and took a deep breath. "Well, here goes…" Slowly, she stretched her hand out toward the rock, her fingers getting closer and closer…
A scream from behind her startled them all, the sound ripping through the tranquility of the forest with a sudden sharpness that sent Aila's heart into a panic. On instinct she summoned her weapon and hastily spun around, searching for the source of the scream. Donald and Goofy summoned their weapons as well, everyone anxiously looking across the circle and into the woods beyond. Hoof beats thundered closer and closer, and in the next second a large black horse with a white nose and fluffy white ankles came rocketing into view.
The horse held a rider, a girl who seemed maybe just a bit older than Aila. Currently, the girl seemed to be losing control, her mess of long, curly red hair whipping into her face as her horse suddenly planted its hooves and skidded to a stop right outside the stone circle. The girl was thrown forward and sent tumbling into the circle, her long, dark teal dress getting rather torn and tattered as a result of the fall. She took a few ragged breaths, her back to the group as she pushed herself onto her knees and looked up at her horse.
"Angus!" the girl cried, sounding angry and betrayed by the throw. Despite Aila not being able to see her face to confirm, the girl's voice cracked in a way that told Aila that this girl had definitely been crying. The horse just whinnied nervously and stomped outside the stones, its eyes wild and frightened. It seemed like it was refusing to come into the circle.
Donald and Goofy rushed toward the girl immediately, their weapons fading as they deduced that this girl wasn't a threat. Aila held back for a second, her eyes narrowing in confusion. That hair… it looked super familiar. Was this… the girl from, oh, what was that movie going to be called… 'Brave'? One of the next Pixar movies that had been slated to come out when Aila had left The Land of Knowledge? She didn't know much at all about the film, and had only seen an early promotional picture of the main protagonist – it hadn't been slated to be coming out until the summer of 2012, and Aila had left nearly a year before that. But this… could be the girl from the picture she'd seen, right…?
"Are you alright, miss?" Goofy asked as he and Donald reached the girl. She turned toward them, clearly startled, her blue eyes wide and red from crying, her breathing quick and shallow.
Aila shook herself out of her confusion over this girl's possible identity and dismissed her weapon before rushing to join her friends. She crouched down a little in front of the redhead. "It's okay, we won't hurt you," she promised, smiling what she hoped was a reassuring smile and holding out a hand to the fellow teen.
The girl blinked at the outstretched hand for a moment before very slowly taking it and allowing Aila to help her to her feet. She was taller than Aila, though not by more than a few inches. "Th… thank ye…"
Aila frowned. "No problem." She cocked her head, her brow furrowed in concern. "Are you hurt?"
The girl pulled her hand back and rubbed at one of her shoulders. "Ah… n-not really, no…" She had a thick accent. Scottish, maybe? Aila felt like that was in keeping with what she knew about this mystery movie she vaguely recalled being in development. Her heart fluttered excitedly. If this girl was a protagonist of a new Pixar film, that was super cool!
Goofy frowned. "What were you runnin' from, miss, uh…?" He trailed off, searching for a name he didn't know.
"Oh, Merida," the girl said, tucking a strand of curly hair behind her ear and sniffling a little. "Me name's Merida."
Goofy smiled. "I'm Goofy! This here's Aila, and that's Donald."
Aila waved, and Merida smiled at each of them. "Nice ta meet you all…" Her smile fell. "An' ta answer your question, I… wasn't really runnin' from anythin'…" She sighed, her head bowing. "…No. No, I was." She clenched her fists, her shoulders shaking ever so slightly. "I just… I dunno… what ta do…"
"We'll help you!" Aila volunteered immediately, feeling more and more sure that this girl was the protagonist she was thinking of. She was even in the middle of a crisis! Even without knowing the plot of this one, Aila felt the familiar rush of excitement at the idea of getting to be involved in another story. When she eventually went back home, it would be so cool to know she was involved in the real life scenario when she finally watched the movie! Donald cleared his throat pointedly and Aila looked his way to see him glaring at her. She frowned. "What?"
"We're kinda in the middle of something," Donald reminded her with a frown of his own.
Aila rolled her eyes. "We're always in the middle of something." Aila leaned down so she was closer to Donald and whispered, "Besides, look how sad she is! You really want us to leave her like this? We can't do that!"
"That's very kind of ye," Merida said, drawing everyone's attention back to her. She crossed her arms over her middle and looked away, a glare settled on her brow as she sniffled once again. "But unless any of ye can change my fate, I dunno how ye'd be able to help."
Goofy scratched his head. "Huh… well, uh, changin' things is kinda somethin' we're not supposed to do, so…"
Merida sighed, her head bowing again. "Then it's hopeless."
Aila frowned. Wow. This girl was really down. What could be happening that had no solution? Was there a villain taking over her home? They could fight it! Maybe someone needed rescuing – they were great at that too!
Aila opened her mouth, about to insist that surely there must be a way they could help, when Merida suddenly gasped, her eyes trained on something over Aila's shoulder. Aila and the guys turned, all three of them surprised to see another little blue flame just outside the circle.
"Wha?" Donald squawked. "Another one?"
"You've seen one before?" Merida asked, sounding excited by that.
Aila nodded, not taking her eyes off the little flame. "We followed a trail of them to these rocks, but they went away when we got here."
"Me father doesn't believe in will-o'-the-wisps," Merida breathed quietly, walking past the others toward the blue flame. "But I saw 'em when I was a li'l girl. I knew it…"
Aila quirked a brow. So that's what they were? Will-o'-the-wisps? What a name.
Goofy snapped his fingers, like he had just come up with that name himself. "'Wisps' is a better name for 'em than 'flame thingies'!"
Aila huffed and crossed her arms. "Fine, you name things next time."
Another trail of wisps appeared behind the first one Merida had approached. Merida glanced back at her horse, who was still outside the circle. "C'mon Angus," she said, gesturing for the horse to follow her. The horse whinnied fearfully and ducked behind one of the stones. "Angus!" Merida scolded, but Angus just continued to cower.
Merida rolled her eyes and turned back toward the wisps, starting to follow them into the woods on her own. Angus neighed nervously and ran around the outside of the circle until he was with his rider, trotting reluctantly behind her now that she'd left the stones. Aila was a little unnerved by the fact that the horse wouldn't come inside the circle… She glanced around, feeling suddenly like she was being watched. "Um, should we follow her?" she asked Donald and Goofy.
"Gwarsh, she might get lost on her own," Goofy said with a frown.
Donald sighed heavily. "Fiiiine. But I'm not done investigating this circle."
"Yeah, yeah," Aila replied quickly before attempting to rush after Merida, only to be stopped by Donald's hand locking around her arm and pulling her to a harsh stop. She looked back at Donald, annoyed. "Yes?"
Donald glanced at Merida's retreating form before leaning in and lowering his voice. "So? You know her?"
Aila glanced after Merida as well before turning back to her friends. "Maybe…? Not really though. I don't know what's gonna happen. But I'm pretty sure we should help her!" She grinned eagerly. "I bet something really exciting will happen if we do!"
Donald seemed befuddled by her answer. "…If you don't wanna tell us what you know, you can just say that…"
Aila laughed lightly. "No, really, I think I saw her picture once, but that's it. But if I did see her picture, that means she's important! So let's try not to lose her because I have no idea where she's going."
With a sigh, Donald released Aila's arm. "If you say so."
"C'mon, let's hurry," Goofy encouraged and the three of them rushed after Merida, who was thankfully not far off and still easy to find. Angus seemed spooked by their approach but calmed when he saw who it was, a hesitant trust evident in his big brown eyes. Merida seemed too focused on the wisps to even notice that anyone had joined her.
Aila fell into step with Merida, barely containing her excitement as she tried to figure out what was happening on this world. "So, what were you saying you were running fr—"
"Sh," Merida interrupted, putting a finger to her lips and not taking her eyes off the trail of wisps. "Ye might scare 'em away."
Aila frowned and quirked a brow. "But—"
"Sh!"
Aila pouted. She, Donald, and Goofy had been talking when they followed these things before, and it had been fine. And she was just itching to get some answers – this was the first place she'd been where she didn't already know the story, and something in her needed to figure it out. But Merida was obviously not in the mood to fill her in, and Angus didn't seem like he could speak, so… shoot.
They continued on through the trees, Merida shushing them every time anyone tried to say anything, to Aila's growing frustration. She was feeling okay before, but now, with only their footsteps and the faint sighs of the wisps, everything was beginning to feel too quiet. Aila fell behind Merida a few paces, her arms crossed and one finger tapping anxiously against her elbow as she tried to focus on any little details about this place she could find to keep her mind occupied. An oddly shaped tree, the way the grass sounded underfoot, a log that had gathered moss after a fall long ago… Ugh, why had she left her headphones on the ship? That had been stupid. She had felt a little embarrassed about being so attached to them now that she was with the guys again, but now she was really regretting not having anything to fill the silence. She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Goofy giving her a concerned look. She instantly relaxed her shoulders, not having realized how tense she'd become. She winced internally, wondering how crazy she looked. It was just a little quiet – she was being dramatic. She forced herself to smile at Goofy, hoping to convey to him that she was fine. She shouldn't have to fill every single second with sound just because Celina wasn't around – Celina hadn't spoken to her all the time anyway. Why was she being so weird?!
Thankfully, Aila didn't have to internally berate herself for much longer, Merida finally coming to a stop up ahead as the last wisp vanished. Everyone peered around the redhead to see where the path they'd been following had led to. Aila quirked a brow, her eyes falling upon what looked to be a small, nondescript house hidden in the side of a hill.
Merida frowned. "Why would the wisps lead me here?" She didn't wait for an answer, instead marching confidently up to the house's tiny front door. She had to duck slightly, the door obviously made for someone a bit smaller than herself, but without hesitation she pushed it open and entered the house.
Aila blinked. "Uh… I probably would've knocked first?"
"C'mon," Donald said, leading Aila and Goofy inside the house as well. Angus waited outside, nervously.
The house, as it turned out, was not actually a house, but more like… a shop? A very… odd shop… which only seemed to sell carvings of bears. They hung from the ceiling, lined the walls, and littered the floor. Everywhere Aila looked there was wood carved into bears of varying shapes and sizes and poses. There were bear dolls, bear statues, bear figurines, bear clocks, utensils with bears carved into them, bears, bears, bears! Aila sweatdropped. Um… whoever ran this place clearly had a favorite animal?
"Oh!" an elderly voice called, and the group turned to see a small old woman carving, yep, a bear statue a little farther into the shop. The old woman smiled. "Look around! You holler if you see anythin' you like." She went back to her carving, using a hammer and chisel to create an illusion of fur on the statue. "Everything is half off."
Aila quirked a brow at the boys. This lady didn't seem that surprised about customers – how often did people stumble upon this bear shop in the middle of the forest?
Merida seemed equally as confused, glancing around the shop again with a baffled expression. "Who are you?" she finally asked, glancing back at the old woman again.
"Just a humble wood carver," the woman responded. She was sweeping up wood chips now. Aila blinked. That broom had appeared in her hands really quickly. She saw Donald narrow his eyes suspiciously.
"Um," Merida said, picking up a wooden bowl with the face of a bear carved into it. "I don't understand… ah!" She dropped the bowl as she turned to find the old woman right behind her. Aila too was suspicious now – that woman had moved really fast.
"See anything you like?" the woman asked, grinning toothlessly at Merida. She rushed to Merida's other side, leaving her broom behind. The broom, rather conspicuously, continued to sweep. Aila, Donald, and Goofy stared at the broom, all of them probably coming to the same conclusion at the exact same moment: yeah, this old lady was magic. And that could either be very good or very bad.
"Perhaps a touch of whimsy, to brighten any dank chamber," the old lady was continuing to Merida, the young redhead having yet to notice the still sweeping broom behind her.
"But, the will-o'-the-wisps," Merida said, sounding very confused. "They led—"
"Oh! This is one of a kind!" the woman gushed, grabbing a little wooden contraption that consisted of a bear that would snap at tiny carved salmon that spun on a wheel in front of it. "I'll make you a deal for this rare prize!"
Aila held up a finger. "Uhhh…" Merida turned, and Aila pointed to the broom.
Merida's eyes went wide. "Your broom!" she shouted, looking shocked. The old woman snapped her fingers and the broom froze, falling lifelessly to the floor. "It was sweepin'!" Merida said breathlessly. She turned back to the woman, her expression suspicious now. "By itself."
"That's ridiculous," the woman scoffed. "Wood cannot be imbued with magical properties. I should know, I'm a witc— whittler! Of… wood."
Aila stifled a giggle and Donald shook his head. This woman was so obvious! Did she really think she was fooling anyone? Aila and the boys had watched that broom sweep for at least ten full seconds.
"Ooh, oh!" the not-a-witch gushed, rushing over to another one of her carvings. "How about this conversations starter? It's made of yew wood, tough as stone!" She held up a wooden canvass with two bears carved into it, each stretching out a paw to touch claws in the center of the frame. Aila quirked a brow. Was that like the famous painting with God and Adam? But with bears?!
Merida took a few steps away from the woman, accidentally hitting some bear marionettes hanging from the ceiling and ducking out of the way. She tripped over the broom, which seemed to offend it, the thing springing to life once again and sweeping sharply near her feet a few times before rushing away and hiding further in the shop. Merida fell into a nearby table in her shock and a handful of wooden bear mugs began to fall to the floor, the old woman thrusting her hand out in a panic. The mugs halted their fall inches before hitting the floor, as if caught by some invisible force. There was a pause, and then the mugs very slowly lowered the rest of the way, landing unharmed, the old woman smiling innocently as she clasped her hands together over her dress.
"Oh my god," Aila whispered, having to clasp a hand over her mouth now to keep from laughing. There was no way this woman would keep trying to deny she was magic, right?
"You're a witch!" Merida exclaimed, turning excitedly to the old woman again.
The woman was, rather suddenly, calmly working on another carving at her table. "Wood carver~!" she replied in a sing-song voice.
"Oh come on," Donald sighed, rolling his eyes.
"That's why the wisps led me here!" Merida continued.
The old woman rushed to a piece of wood on a spinning stake and carved it into a bear inhumanly fast. "Wood carver!" she repeated, this time sounding a little annoyed.
"You'll change my fate!" Merida said, practically jumping up and down in excitement.
The old woman chopped a log in half, a carving of a bear already on the inside. "WOOD CARVER!"
"Well now she's just using magic as she denies using magic," Aila muttered to the boys, both of whom nodded.
"Y'see, it's me mother," Merida began, clearly having already decided that this woman was going to help her.
"I'm not a witch!" the woman exclaimed angrily, throwing her ax to the side and pointing a long finger at Merida. "Too many unsatisfied customers!" The woman took a calming breath and smiled. "If you're not going to buy anything…" Her smile fell. "Get out." She snapped her fingers and every sharp utensil in the house flew to her side: knives, axes, carving tools, all pointing threateningly at Merida.
"Uh oh!" Goofy cried, he, Donald, and Aila immediately rushing to Merida and pulling her toward the door.
"Time to go!" Donald said frantically.
"No! The wisps led me here!" Merida protested, trying to fight against the group despite the sharp things being magicked closer and closer to her.
"I dooon't care!" the old woman bellowed, urging her weapons to force Merida and company toward the front door. "Get out, shoo, get! Be gone with you!"
Aila, Donald, and Goofy positioned themselves in front of Merida, Aila feeling the beginnings of Light pooling on her fingertips as she prepared to make a shield. Donald and Goofy were trying to push Merida out the door, but Merida was holding onto the frame, refusing to go.
"I'll buy it all!" Merida said desperately.
The old woman immediately stopped, her weapons jerking to a halt. "What? What was that?"
"Every carving," Merida said.
The weapons instantly turned toward the old woman, now seemingly threatening her. Aila was so confused. Were they alive?! What was happening here?!
The witch laughed nervously as she eyed the knives closest to her and then looked pointedly at Merida. "And how are you going to pay for that, sweetie?"
"With this!" Merida undid a necklace hanging around her neck and held it out to the woman, the silver pendant on the end glinting as it caught the sunlight. Aila blinked at it – there were three bears carved into the pendant too, with emeralds inlaid into it as the bears' eyes. Wait, was this whole world obsessed with bears?! Maybe only bears and humans existed here? Wait, no, there was also that talking crow… and a non-talking horse…
"Oh my, that's lovely, that is," the woman said, seeming mystified by the pendant. Aila was a little surprised that a single necklace was going to buy this entire shop's worth of carvings… it must have more value than she realized. But if Merida was walking around with something so valuable, then just how important was she?
The weapons fell to the floor and the woman swiped at the necklace, but Merida pulled it away. "Ah ah ah!" she said, grinning triumphantly now that she knew she had something this lady wanted. "Every carving and one spell."
The old woman narrowed her eyes at Merida. "Are you sure you know what you're doing?" She had a knowing twinkle in her eye now, like she thought Merida was in way over her head and messing with things she didn't understand. Which, honestly, Aila was starting to suspect as well. Merida didn't know anything about this lady – was she a good witch or a bad witch? Could she do anything other than make bears?
But Merida seemed undeterred. "I want a spell to change my mum. That will change my fate."
The old woman thought for another second. "Done!" She grabbed the necklace and then immediately shooed everyone out of the house, waddling out the front door herself as well.
"Oh this won't end well," Donald mumbled, looking like he very much regretted getting involved in all this already as he watched the old lady laugh and walk further away from her door.
"Where're you goin'?" Merida asked, seeming very confused.
The old woman tilted her head and snapped her fingers, her front door closing with a slam that made everyone else jump.
"There," the woman said, smiling a satisfied smile as she turned and immediately headed back toward the door.
"What're you doin'?!" Merida asked as she was shooed out of the way by the tiny woman.
The old woman put a hand on her door and grinned at them all. "Never conjure where you carve, very important." She pushed the door open and entered the house again, everyone hesitating for just a moment before following.
Aila gasped lightly once she could see inside. The interior of the house was completely different now, not a bear carving in sight. Now it appeared to be a single dark room, only dimly lit by candles that adorned the rocky walls. A single large cauldron hung in the center of the room above a small fire, and if Aila squinted she thought she could see some books and potions lining the walls, and maybe a few other ingredient-type things. Her eyesight sharpened as her eyes glowed dimly, the knick-knacks becoming clearer to her as she made sure there was nothing else lurking in the shadows.
"The last time I did this was for a prince," the old woman mused as she made her way over to the cauldron. She clapped twice and suddenly a green glow sparked to life within the cauldron, startling everyone once again. "He demanded I give him the strength of ten men," the old woman was continuing with an easy smile. "And he gave me… this." She pulled another silver medallion out of her pocket and held it up for the group to see. This medallion had two axes carved into it, crossed over each other like you might see on a coat of arms. Aila's confusion grew. Was currency on this world… silver medallions? But the witch had clearly never spent this one. The old woman continued, "For a spell. A spell that would change his fate."
A chill ran up Aila's spine. Oh, that was too similar to Merida's situation. She glanced at Donald and Goofy. They looked uneasy as well.
Merida, on the other hand, only seemed more intrigued as she took a closer look at the medallion. "An' did he get what he was after?"
The old woman laughed. "Yes! And made off with an especially attractive mahogany cheese board." She waddled away, pocketing the medallion once again. "Now, what do I need… Oh!" She practically dove into a basket, grabbing a handful of something and throwing it into the cauldron. "Just a little of this…" The green liquid within the cauldron changed into a thick purple gas as soon as the ingredient was added, swirling within the pot like a storm cloud. Aila even thought she saw a bit of lightning sparking within it.
"Uhh, Merida?" Aila tried, tugging lightly on the older girl's sleeve. The old woman reached under a chair and pulled out what seemed to be a dried newt, cackling as she threw it into the cauldron. The contents of the cauldron changed once again in a puff of blue, flecks of snow seeming to spray up into the air. Aila's grip on Merida's sleeve tightened. "Are you sure about this…?"
The old woman waddled up to Merida and plucked a strand of hair from her head, Merida yelping in pained surprise as the woman retreated back to her cauldron. She smiled at the hair before dropping it into the pot, her concoction morphing into something that resembled molten lava.
Merida rubbed the spot on her head that the hair had been pulled from and glanced back at Aila. "I have no choice."
Aila frowned. "Are you sure? Maybe we could help if you'd just…"
Merida pulled away from Aila a little harshly. "This is what I need. You wouldn't understand. Besides, I don' even know you." Merida walked closer to the cauldron, the old woman having hopped up onto a little stool in order to more easily stir the potion within.
Aila's eyes narrowed and she looked at Donald and Goofy again. "This is clearly stupid, right?"
Goofy nodded, frowning deeply. "Seems like Merida's mind's all made up though…"
Donald sighed. "If she'd just tell us what the problem is…"
"Yeah, I'm sure we could help!" Aila said, gesturing exasperatedly. "I'm getting a really bad feeling here!"
The concoction within the cauldron started to glow, getting the gang's attention. The old woman had put on a welders mask and placed a hand over Merida's eyes. Aila's own eyes widened in realization and then she quickly shut them tight, the white glow from the pot burning brighter and brighter and brighter until, in a flash, it was over.
Aila blinked a few times, her vision taking a couple of seconds to return. The old woman grabbed some tongs and stuck them into the goopy green mess that was bubbling within her cauldron, her expression very triumphant as she muttered, "Now, let's see… What have we here…!" She pulled something round out of the cauldron, the green goop falling off of the thing to reveal… a pastry? The woman placed the treat carefully on her desk, looking very pleased with herself.
Merida looked less confident suddenly. "Eh… a cake…?"
The old woman glanced over her shoulder, her expression offended and angry. "You don't want it?"
Merida pulled back, recomposing herself. "Yes! I want it!" Her eyes narrowed. "You're sure… if I give this to me mum… it will change my fate?"
The old woman chuckled. "Trust me. It'll do the trick, dearie." She wrapped the pastry in a cloth and handed it to Merida, ushering the young girl so quickly out the front door that Aila, Donald, and Goofy got stuck behind the woman in the doorway before they could follow Merida out. "Expect delivery of your purchase within a fortnight!" the old woman called after Merida. Merida walked, slightly dazed, toward her horse, not noticing as the woman suddenly reached toward her only to furrow her wrinkled brow in confusion. "Oh, what was that thing about the spell…?" she muttered, turning back toward the interior of her house.
"Excuse us," Donald said, crossing his arms and glaring at the woman.
But, rather than move to allow the gang to exit, the woman just looked at them and slammed the door shut behind her, grinning. "Okay, now you three."
Aila cocked her head. "We don't want any cake."
The old woman laughed and waved her hands dismissively. "Of course not! You're here for something else." A smile spread across her pointed face. "Isn't that right… Spirit?"
Aila and the boys gasped, Aila taking a nervous step back. "H… huh?"
The woman chuckled again. "What, no hello? I suppose I'm much older than when we last crossed paths, but I'd never forget those eyes of yours! What name do you go by this time, hm?"
Aila hesitated, feeling very blindsided. "…Aila?"
The old woman nodded. "Hm, I'll remember it this time! Not like, er, uh… Oh, what was your name before…? Must have just slipped my mind…" She shrugged and waddled over to one of her bookshelves. "Well, no matter. At least I still know where this is! I figured you might be coming back for it eventually. Cutting it close this time though, eh? The soil's getting annoyingly dry…"
Aila took a tentative step toward the woman. "Wait… you knew Celina…?"
The old woman didn't look up from the bookshelf, clearly searching for something within the tomes as she dismissively waved a hand over her shoulder. "Right, right, Celina was there, but that wasn't your name. Nasty luck, being a host, eh? But I suppose it can't be helped! Nice of you to try and do some good."
Aila looked at Donald and Goofy. Donald just shrugged. Goofy was watching the old woman very warily now. Aila frowned as she returned her gaze to the woman. So, Celina had been here before, in one of her previous lives… If only Aila could ask her…!
The woman whooped in triumph as she pulled out a very dusty old role of parchment, spinning on her heel and marching back toward Aila. "Here you are! Free of charge, as we agreed." She winked. "Next time you'll have to pay up again though, got it?"
She shoved the parchment into Aila's hands, Aila feeling very confused as the woman spun her around and began pushing her toward the door. "W-wait, what is this? What are you talking about?"
"It's the same as last time!" the old woman crowed, continuing to push Aila toward the entrance. "I'll want that back before your lifetime's over, alright dearie? But I'm headed out of town so feel free to keep it for a while, just don't let it fall into the wrong hands! I kept it safe for a long time, I think it's your turn to do some of the work!"
The door swung open and the woman shoved Aila over the threshold, Aila yelping and stumbling to keep herself from falling into the dirt as she gripped the parchment. She heard Donald and Goofy yelp as well and turned to see them getting pushed out the door too, the old woman grinning toothily at all three of them. "Good luck! I've got to get packing!"
"Wait!" Aila called, reaching out as the woman slammed the door once again. The world seemed to shift, making Aila feel momentarily dizzy. She shut her eyes and stumbled, shaking her head as her dizziness passed and looking up only to find that the witch's entire house was… gone. No, wait… She stood up straight and looked around more carefully. They were somehow back within the stone circle, night having fallen at some point that Aila couldn't seem to remember. What in the…?
"Wak! What happened?!" Donald said, hopping to his feet and glancing around suspiciously. "Where'd the witch go?"
"Gwarsh, I think she teleported us," Goofy said, looking very befuddled as he glanced around at the stones.
"So she can do spells that don't have to do with bears?" Aila half joked, feeling rather shaken. She frowned up at the dark sky, a few stars peaking through the clouds. "Since when did it become night time?"
Donald rubbed his temples and sighed heavily. "I take back everything about this world seeming nice, I don't like it after all."
"Well, uh, I guess we should take a look at whatever it is she gave ya, right Aila?" Goofy suggested. He and Donald gathered around Aila, who held out the parchment. It felt thick and old, and was rolled up like a treasure map. Aila held it out so everyone could see and, buzzing with anticipation, unfurled it. And on the inside was…!
…Nothing.
"It's blank?!" Donald said, tilting the parchment toward himself to get a better look.
"What the," Aila mumbled, pulling the parchment back toward herself and getting a closer look at it. She looked on both sides, but other than a few water stains, the parchment was completely devoid of marks. Uh?!
"Gwarsh, maybe she gave us the wrong paper," Goofy mused, rubbing his chin as he tried to make heads or tails of their situation.
"AHHH!" Donald squawked, hopping up and down in frustration. "That stupid old witch! She didn't even double check! And what was she even talking about, 'last time'?! We don't know anything about that!"
"Do ya think Celina would know, Aila?" Goofy asked.
Aila ran a hand down her face. "Sounded like it, but she's not talking! And I can't remember ever meeting that lady before – I don't remember anything from anyone's life but my own!" She looked at the parchment again and then sighed, sinking to her knees. "This is duuuuuumb."
The clouds shifted slightly, allowing the moon's rays to peak out from behind them. As they fell onto the parchment, it suddenly warmed in Aila's hands. She gasped, pulling it close to her face. If she squinted… were those a few lines appearing?!
Aila sprung to her feet and held the parchment up toward the sky, going so far as to stand on her tip toes as she tried to get the light to hit the map.
"What are you doing," Donald deadpanned.
"The moonlight touched it and I thought I saw something!" Aila breathed, staring intently at the paper above her head. One or two more lines seemed to be very slowly fading into view. The clouds shifted again, and as the moon was covered, the parchment returned to its completely clean state. "Ah! No!"
Goofy hummed, coming closer and looking at the map again. "Y'know, if moonlight was affectin' it, do you think maybe…?"
Realization lit up inside of Aila. "My powers!" Hurriedly, she placed the parchment on the floor and knelt before it, her hands hovering above it.
"Careful," Donald warned. "The King said to use them sparingly, remember?"
Aila nodded. Brushing the paper with her fingertips, she called forth just a tiny bit of Light, urging it into the parchment. The reaction was immediate. Deep brown lines blossomed into existence and weaved into one another, splitting off into more and more tiny lines until at last they all became still.
"It's a map!" Aila gasped, realizing that the lines had formed what seemed to be a hand drawn etching of their surrounding area. At the very center she could even see the circle of stones they were in! She grinned and removed her hands, only for her smile to fall as the lines immediately began to fade away. "Wait wait wait!" she urged, placing her fingers onto the paper and once again calling her power forth. The map returned.
"Great," Donald grumbled. "You're gonna have to keep using your powers for us to see it…"
"Gwarsh," Goofy said, rubbing his forehead worriedly. "Do ya think that's okay…?"
"Guess it can't be helped," Aila said, holding the map up and focusing on keeping her power flowing into it. She didn't mind using her powers anyway, regardless of Yen Sid's ominous warnings. She hadn't run into any trouble so far; he was probably being paranoid about it. "But… where are we supposed to be headed on here?"
"There's nothing marked?" Donald asked, peering over Aila's shoulder to see more clearly.
Aila shook her head and showed him. "This stone circle is in the center, and then everything around us is just… trees and stuff. But nothing's labeled… it all looks the same…"
"Maybe we're already where we were supposed to be then!" Goofy suggested optimistically. "If the circle's in the middle of the map, maybe that means it's most important!"
Donald snatched the map away from Aila, eliciting an annoyed whine from her as the map's lines faded away again. "Right, let's go back to my plan of you touching these stones. You don't have to use your powers for that, right?"
Aila huffed, crossing her arms and glaring at him. "No, the other places just kinda reacted without me doing anything I think."
Donald nodded. "Good. Try that for now. If it doesn't work we'll take another look at the map."
Aila sighed but stood anyway, deciding that since she didn't have any other plan she really had no reason to argue. One by one, she went to each stone and ran a hand along their smooth surfaces, waiting for something to happen. But none of them reacted.
"Okay, your plan failed," Aila said, holding up her hands in a shrug after trying the last stone to no avail. "Bad job, leader."
Donald grumbled. "It was worth a shot."
Goofy frowned. "Gwarsh, I guess we should look at the map again?"
Aila nodded. "That crazy lady wouldn't have given it to us if we didn't need it. Uh… well, probably, I dunno, she seemed kind of insane."
Aila took the map and placed it on the floor again, all three of them kneeling around it and studying it as closely as they could. It was a good thing Aila's power made it glow a little; she doubted Donald or Goofy would be able to make out the details otherwise now that night was really setting in. There were a few spots that seemed to be indicated to be lower in altitude, which Goofy thought might be helpful to check out (he was really stuck on the idea that wherever they were looking for was probably 'down' in some way). But it was a long shot, and there was more than one spot they could head to, all in varying directions. Aila was beginning to think that old lady had conned them all.
"Maybe we should look for a bear," Aila muttered, leaning even closer to the map. "That witch lady seemed obsessed with them, maybe she marked the map with a little picture of one or something…"
Donald sighed heavily, leaning back and glaring up at the clouds. "I don't see any bears on that thing, or anything that tells us where to go. This is pointless." He squinted. "Looks like it's gonna rain."
"Awesome," Aila sighed.
"Maybe we should head back to the ship an' try again tomorrow," Goofy suggested. He smiled. "Sometimes if ya sleep on somethin', an answer will come to ya in the mornin'."
Aila rolled up the parchment and stood. "I'll probably have dreams about maps and bears doing an elaborate dance number or something."
Goofy laughed. "That sounds fun!"
Donald glanced back out into the surrounding trees again but then sighed and conceded. "Yeah, okay. I don't wanna be wandering around in the rain all night anyway."
Aila nodded, but then frowned. "…One of you remembers the way back to the ship, right?"
Donald shot her an incredulous look. "You really are the worst at directions, you know that? Come on, follow me."
The three of them traipsed back into the forest, Donald leading the way. Aila opened the map again after a few minutes, trying to keep her mind busy.
"Oh," she gasped when the map's image reappeared.
Donald glanced back at her. "What is it?"
Aila showed the map to Goofy, who was closer. "I think we always stay in the middle of what's on here. Or, the map does. See? That rock formation is back there now."
Goofy looked excited. "Gwarsh! So the map moves when we move! Look, there's some more places at the top now that we hadn't seen before."
Donald crossed his arms, still leading the way as he thought. "So there could be some kind of marking on the map, but we just weren't in a place where we could see it." He sighed. "That means we'll still have to wander around until we uncover the right section."
Aila frowned, still studying the map. "True… man, what a useless map. It's only barely more helpful than us wandering around without it."
Donald glanced over his shoulder again. "We'll look at it again tomorrow, Aila. Put it away for now."
Aila glanced up at him. "You're being paranoid."
"Maybe," Donald agreed with a shrug, "but the King told you only to use your powers if you really had to. You don't have to right now. And you used them a lot today."
Aila made a face, but rolled up the map anyway, letting her powers subside. "I don't get why everyone's suddenly so concerned. I used them all the time on our last adventure and nobody attacked me. Well, I mean, other than the people we were gonna fight anyway."
"Maybe that's why the King is worried now, because now you've used them a certain amount. Maybe the more you use them, the worse things get."
"That… doesn't make sense, does it?"
"Ah, whatever. But the King said not to, so don't."
Goofy frowned lightly. "Didn't Celina not wanna teach ya how to use 'em for a long time…? Maybe she had a reason…"
Aila couldn't really argue with that. She had always assumed Celina was just being stubborn, that she didn't want Aila to feel burdened or whatever, but had there been even more to it…? She felt a small tap on her head and looked up at the sky, another raindrop hitting her right in the eye. "Ah…"
"C'mon, let's hurry," Donald said, picking up the pace. Aila pulled her hood up and Goofy summoned his shield to try and use as an umbrella and they quickly followed, the trio making their way through the remaining trees as fast as possible. By the time they reached the ship it had really started pouring, all of them hurrying inside and sighing in relief as soon as they were safely indoors.
Goofy shook out his ears a little, his shield only having kept him partially dry. "Gwarsh, it was all sunny when we got here."
"I guess this world gets a lot of weather," Aila said, pushing her hood down. She shivered lightly, but then suddenly felt pleasantly warm. She glanced over to see Donald holding up his staff, a soft orange light emanating from the top.
Goofy sighed happily. "Thanks, Donald!"
Aila felt her clothes and realized that she was now completely dry thanks to whatever spell Donald had just cast. She grinned. "Yeah, thanks."
Donald smirked. "No problem."
Goofy whipped up a very quick dinner and then Donald ushered everyone to bed, insisting that they all be up as early as possible tomorrow to try and figure this whole mess out. Aila bid goodnight to the boys as they all headed off to their respective rooms and couldn't help but smile as she entered her own. It was still so plain, but it felt like home. She flopped onto the bed, the blankets and sheets cold from lack of use, and slipped her headphones over her ears for a few minutes, staring up at the ceiling she'd grown so used to seeing last year. She considered looking at the map again, but Donald's earlier insistence about waiting until the morning made her reconsider. She didn't want him mad at her. Not that he'd know, but… eh, what was the point of looking at the map anyway. She'd see it in the morning.
Unplugging her headphones, she set her music player to speaker mode and turned the volume down pretty low, not sure how much the sound would travel through the walls. She had been compiling a list of songs that were calming enough to sleep to, since even sleeping seemed lonelier nowadays. Pressing play on the first one, she removed her jacket and shoes and slipped between the sheets, taking her hair out of its usual ponytail and hoping that the familiarity of her pillow here would help lull her to sleep quickly. But still, her mind was buzzing. Celina had been to this world… A lot of good that knowledge did her now. She rolled over and scrunched her eyes shut tighter, a calming chorus filling the room with whispered beats from her bedside table. Hopefully Goofy was right and an idea would come to them all in the morning.
But really, how much help could dreaming be…?
KHKHKHKH
Sora opened his eyes, blinking a few times in the sunlight of another new world. He sighed. "Okay, I've gotta be getting close," he muttered to himself. "I think I'm…" He counted worlds off silently on his fingers. "…about halfway? Yeah!" He grinned and pumped a fist. "Take that, test!"
He felt momentary confusion when he caught sight of his own arm and had to remind himself for like the fifteenth time that he was back to a younger version of himself, around fourteen. He and Riku had started the test right before Destiny Islands had fallen to Darkness around two years ago, and that apparently had meant that they were back to how they looked then, too. Sora hadn't realized just how much he'd grown, or how much muscle he'd built up since then. His arm looked so scrawny now. So weird. This test was weird!
"Okay, so, where am I this time," he mused, taking a better look around. He was standing in the center of an outdoor area, the spot he was in a bit lower down than the buildings on every side. A blue tile mosaic was shining beneath his feet, the four-sided path it made up surrounded by four flowerbeds with yellow, pink, and red flowers arranged in very uniform stripes. Waterfall fountains flowed behind each flowerbed, and Sora could hear even more running water nearby. This place was beautiful. But, hang on… the architecture of the buildings looked strangely familiar. He blinked, awed. "Is this… Radiant Garden…?"
"Come on, we need to hurry."
"Where're we going…?"
"I told you, it's a surprise."
Sora glanced toward the upper level of the area and noticed a man with long blond hair and a clean-shaven, rather pointed face walking brusquely toward a set of white gates, his green eyes trained on his destination. He wore a long white coat, like something a doctor or a scientist might wear, and seemed to be very determined in the way he was moving. As the man continued walking, Sora realized he was leading a young girl by the hand, her short jet-black hair pulled into two pigtails on the sides of her head. Her light blue top fell almost like a dress over capri black leggings, her little white sneakers scuffing against the stone as she did her best to keep up with her older companion's long strides. Sora felt his eyes widen, both recognition and disbelief filling him as the little girl turned to look his way, her extra-bright blue eyes, the exact same one's he'd come to know so well over the past few months, locking with his.
"A… Aila?"
KHKHKHKHKH
Hehe~ Told ya we'd be seeing some of Sora's test…
Okay, so, confession… I don't love the movie Brave. Lol. Buuut the environment worked really perfectly for what I wanted to happen in this arc, and also it seemed like it would take the right amount of time (aka around two days), so… here we are. I'll try to keep my personal feelings about the movie out of this though, since I know lots of people love it and I obviously want this to be a good world! But haha I felt like I needed to say this just, like, as a disclaimer or something. Sorry, Brave fans. Ironically I am really enjoying writing this part though! (I deleted that stupid crow from existence though. He was pointless and I hate him. Bye, crow.)
So, what did you guys think? I hope you're liking it, this is kinda the first time we're flying without a script, you know? I'm excited to read all of your reactions, so please leave a review!
Thank you so much for reading, see you in two weeks (HOPEFULLY – if it's three weeks because of the holidays please don't kill me!) for the next one. Until then!
~Fade
