Chapter 4: Fight for the Keyhole

The sky continued to become more and more orange as Lucy and Sora walked towards the Palace of Westminister. Lucy would have normally ridden her bike there but there wasn't enough room on it for two passengers. They came to a stop on the edge of the River Thames. Lucy pointed towards the large building with the clock tower on the other side.

"There it is!" she said. "The Palace of Westminister! Just on the other side of the River Thames."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Sora asked as he took off.

"Hey! Wait for me!" Lucy ran after Sora. Sora eventually slowed down and they began walking quietly across the Westminister Bridge. Lucy looked up at the orange sky. "Mum's going to kill me."

"What?"

"My Mum. She doesn't like for me to be home late."

"We'll try to make this quick then."

They walked in silence for a couple more minutes.

"So tell me, Sora. Are you, Donald, Goofy, and Jiminy all from the same world?" Lucy asked.

"No. Donald and Goofy come from the same world but Jiminy and I come from different worlds from theirs," Sora replied.

"What's your world called?"

"I'm not sure about what my world's name is exactly. My home in that world is called Destiny Islands."

"It sounds like a wonderful place."

"It was."

"What do you mean by that?"

"My world was swallowed by the darkness. So was Jiminy's."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I think Riku, Kairi, and I are the only ones to make it out. Everyone I knew, everyone I loved...they're all gone."

"I can relate to that."

"Huh?"

"Remember how I told you about my trips to Narnia?"

"Yes."

"Time in Narnia passes by differently from time in my world, this world. No matter how long I stay in Narnia, when I get back only a second has gone by. While I'm here, however, any amount of time can pass in Narnia. I stayed in Narnia for fifteen years during my first trip. I grew up into a fine 23-year-old Queen of Narnia. Then...I fell back through the wardrobe and was back to being an 8-year-old girl. A year later, I returned to Narnia only to discover that around 1300 years had passed in Narnia. Everyone I knew in that world, everyone I loved...they had all passed on."

"I guess we're not that different, Lucy."

"I guess not."

"So you were a queen?"

"Still am. Once a King or Queen of Narnia, always a king or queen. That's what Aslan says." Sora's face became still and his breathing became slower. Lucy looked at him oddly. "Sora?"

"That name. It sounded so...powerful."

"Aslan? Yes. He is a powerful creature."

"Who is he?"

"He's my only Narnian friend who's met me there every time I've ventured into that wonderful world. He's the true King of Narnia. A lion, he is."

"He's a lion?!"

"Yeah."

"Is he dangerous?"

"Of course he is. But he's good."

"You seem to respect him a lot. Heck, I kinda respect him just from hearing his name. I guess that means something."

"It had the same effect on my siblings and I during our first trip there."

"So others have gone with you?"

"Yes! I went with my siblings: Peter, Susan, and Edmund on my first two trips. My third trip, I went with Edmund and our cousin, Eustace. Eustace traveled to Narnia with his classmate, Jill Pole, afterwards and there are two elders named Digory Kirke and Polly Plummer who traveled there at the turn of the century. So far, we're the only people on this planet who know of Narnia's existence."

"So do you know when you're going to go back?"

"I'm never going to go back to Narnia."

"What?!"

"The last time I went to Narnia, I was ten years old. That was four years ago. We traveled to the edge of the Narnian world and that's when Aslan told Edmund and I that we would never return. Eustace and Jill could possibly return but they haven't been there since the autumn of 1942, so around four years ago."

"Why can't you return?"

"Aslan said that we had learned all that we could from that world and now it was time for us to live in our own. I respect his wishes and know what he said is true...but that doesn't stop me from missing Narnia. That doesn't stop me from missing him."

"You really want to see Narnia and this Aslan again, don't you?"

"Right now, more than anything."

"Well Donald, Goofy, Jiminy, and I have a ship that travels between worlds."

"The Gummi Ship, right? You mentioned it earlier."

"Yeah. So maybe, once we've sealed the keyhole in this world, we could take you to visit Narnia one last time."

"You mean it?!"

"I'd have to ask Donald and Goofy first."

Lucy grabbed onto Sora and hugged him.

"Thank you, Sora!" she cried. When she broke the hug, Lucy realized that they were now standing right in front of the Palace of Westminister. "Ah! Here we are! Let's find that keyhole!"

The interior of the Palace of Westminister was vast and large. British soldiers guarded many of the doors and political folk could be seen walking through the building and discussing certain, adult topics.

"Simply amazing! I'll have to make sure to keep note of this place!" Jiminy exclaimed.

"Get down, Jiminy!" Lucy hissed. "Nobody here can see you!"

Jiminy did what he was told and hid back inside Sora's hood.

"So do you have any ideas about where the keyhole would be located?" Sora asked.

"Possibly up in the clock tower. That's the most recognizable part of the palace," Lucy replied.

"Good place to start, if any."

"Halt!" ordered a stern voice. Lucy and Sora stopped in their place. Two guards approached them. "What are you children doing in here?"

"We're not causing trouble, if that's what you're thinking," Sora replied.

"We're just going up to the clock tower," Lucy said.

"This isn't a place for children! Please make your way back outside!" ordered one of the guards.

"We're not children! We're both fourteen years old!" Sora snapped.

"That counts as a child in my book. Now leave or I will have to escort you out!"

"Fine!"

Lucy and Sora began making their way back towards the entrance.

"Any ideas about how to get past those guards?" Jiminy whispered.

"Honestly, I have no clue," Lucy said as she shrugged her shoulders. Sora summoned the Keyblade.

"I think I have an idea," he said. Lucy gasped.

"You're not-" Before Lucy could finish her sentence, Sora pointed his Keyblade at the guards (whose backs were turned) and a giant lion burst out from the tip of the weapon. Lucy couldn't help but gasp again. It certainly was no Aslan but the lion still gave off a sense of power and respect. He had a long, red mane and glowing, yellow fur. He growled as he charged at the guards.

"LION!" the guards yelled as they ran to sound the alarm.

"Now where's the clock tower entrance?" Sora asked as he sent the Keyblade away.

"Uh...uh...this way!" Lucy choked. She grabbed onto Sora's sleeve and pulled him after her while the guards fended off the attacking lion.

It didn't take long for Lucy and Sora to come across the entrance to the clock tower. They began to quickly make their way up the stairs.

"So are you going to explain to me how exactly you summoned a lion from that Keyblade of yours?" Lucy asked with a smirk.

"Oh, right! His name's Simba. He's a lion from another world. His entire world has been swallowed by the darkness but his strong heart prevented him from being consumed. He was instead turned into a summon gem. I can use the combined power of the summon gem and the Keyblade to, well, summon Simba whenever I need him. I have other gems as well which allow me to summon others who refused to be swallowed by darkness," Sora replied.

"Fascinating!"

Lucy and Sora soon made it to the top of the clock tower. The bell known as Big Ben and the gears of the clock greeted them.

"That's a lot of gears and cogs," said Sora as he looked up.

"Well it is a giant clock," said Lucy.

"Oh yeah!" Lucy and Sora began looking around the interior of the clock.

"So what do these keyholes look like exactly?"

"Well...they glow."

"Is that all you can tell me?"

"What else can I say? They're keyholes that glow! They're also a little bit bigger than your normal keyhole."

"I guess that's a start of sorts." Lucy walked past a group of cogs and past a set of working equipment. She then came across the clock wall. Gears and cogs ran along the wall and the giant hands of the clock could be seen on the other side. Then she noticed something. A little ways up, towards the ceiling, Lucy could make out what appeared to be a large, glowing keyhole. "Sora! I think I've found it!"

Sora followed Lucy's voice and eventually met up with her. He looked up and smiled.

"Good eyes, Lucy! That's it!" he exclaimed. Then he let out a loud sigh. "Now how are we supposed to get up there?"

Lucy looked towards the ceiling and noticed a suspended walkway high above them. It was at even height with the keyhole.

"We can use that walkway!" she said as she pointed up. "There's a ladder over there that we can use!"

"Right! Let's go!" Suddenly, Lucy and Sora felt like they were no longer alone. A colony of yellow eyes began peering at them from the dark recesses of the clock room. "Heartless!"

Groups of Heartless began popping up all around them.

"Quick! Up to the keyhole!" Jiminy cried. Lucy and Sora nodded before running towards the ladder. The Heartless chased after them. Lucy was the first to start climbing the ladder. Sora summoned the Keyblade and took out several Heartless with one, swift movement of the weapon.

"Keep climbing! I'm right behind you, Lucy!" Sora said.

"Okay!" Lucy called back. Lucy could feel her heart beating out of her chest as she and Sora climbed towards the walkway above them. The Heartless were in hot pursuit. "Almost there!" Lucy quickly pulled herself up onto the walkway. Sora was right behind her. She reached out her hand and grabbed onto part of the Keyblade while Sora used his other hand to pull himself up the ladder. Suddenly, the Heartless began grabbing onto Sora's shoes. "Sora!"

"Get off!" Suddenly, the Heartless loosened Sora's feet and Sora began to fall. He quickly found himself dangling several feet above the ground. The only thing keeping him from falling was the fact that he was holding onto the Keyblade which was also being held onto by Lucy. "Pull me up!"

"I'm trying!" Lucy tried to pull Sora up to safety but Heartless were holding onto Sora's shoes like mad. Sora's grip began to loosen. "Don't let go!"

"It's not like I'm willingly choosing to let go!"

Then Sora lost his grip on the Keyblade and fell.

"SORA!" Lucy cried. Luckily, the mountains of Heartless underneath Sora acted like a cushion as he fell to the ground below. Sora quickly got up and the Heartless began advancing towards him. Sora pointed his hand up at Lucy, specifically towards the Keyblade, but nothing happened.

"What?" he asked. The Heartless were getting close to him now. Lucy stood up and prepared to toss the Keyblade down.

"I'll toss it down to you!"

"No! Use the Keyblade to seal the keyhole!"

"How do I do that?"

"Just point the Keyblade at the keyhole and it'll do the rest!"

Sora broke into a run as the Heartless chased after him. Another group of Heartless was still climbing the ladder, and thus towards Lucy. Lucy gripped the Keyblade tightly in her right hand and ran along the walkway.

The suspended walkway was like a maze. Several parts led to dead ends and it was hard to determine which path led towards the keyhole. Heartless began appearing on the walkway in front of Lucy. Lucy swung the Keyblade at them and they all died the same way: disintegrating into clouds of black dust and releasing a shimmering heart in the process.

"Get out of my way!" Lucy ordered as she swung the Keyblade at another knight Heartless. She eventually found the pathway that led straight for the keyhole. She ran towards it but suddenly found her path blocked by a large Heartless. It was incredibly fat and had looked like a living bowling ball. "You want some, big fellow? Come and get it!" Lucy aimed the Keyblade and charged for the giant Heartless. She swung the Keyblade straight at its chest...but the weapon simply bounced off. "What?!" The giant Heartless patted its chest and then began charging towards Lucy. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me!"

Lucy let out a yelp of pain as the Heartless ran straight into her. The Keyblade fell out of her hand and slid over towards the edge of the walkway. Lucy looked back and noticed that the Heartless was about to charge again. She began crawling her way over towards the Keyblade. The Heartless was getting closer now. She wrapped her hands around the hilt of the Keyblade. The Heartless was right on top of her now. She swung the Keyblade up and, while it bounced off the Heartless's belly again, it threw the Heartless off balance. Lucy held her breath as the Heartless flew over her head and rolled down the walkway like a bowling ball. She stood up. Her path to the keyhole was clear now.

"Hurry up, Lucy!" cried Sora from down below.

"I've got it!" Lucy called back. She began running towards the keyhole. The Heartless stood up and began charging after Lucy. Lucy's heart was practically beating out through her shirt. She pointed the Keyblade at the keyhole as she ran towards it. The tip of the Keyblade began to glow like a light bulb. Suddenly, a long beam of light shot out of the Keyblade and into the keyhole. A wave of light expanded from the keyhole. The light wave destroyed all of the Heartless in the room almost instantaneously. The keyhole then let out a locking sound before disappearing. "I did it! I did it, Sora! It's closed!"

"Good...job!" Lucy looked down to see that Sora was sitting on the ground and was panting heavily. She could only smile and giggle with delight. She made her way down to the floor below and handed the Keyblade back to Sora.

"Here you go."

"Thanks." He took the Keyblade and looked at it oddly. "That's strange."

"What is?"

"The Keyblade didn't come to me when I called it. When you had it, I couldn't call it back to me."

"So you can normally summon the Keyblade back to you if you're separated from it?"

"Yeah. It kind of comes with being the Chosen Wielder of the Keyblade and all."

"So why would it not come to you this time?"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out."

"We can figure it out on our way back to the Gummi Ship," said Jiminy. "We best get out of here before the guards suspect that the lion attack had something to do with us."

"Even though it did," Lucy sighed.

"Whatever," said Sora as he stood up. "We sealed the keyhole and saved your world. That's what matters."

"Right!" Lucy beckoned Sora towards the door. "Come on. We best not keep Donald and Goofy waiting much longer."