Random side note: My favorite character in the original movie is Lord Rogers! :)
"We tried, Ella. No one can say we didn't try." That was what King Lucas said, aiming to guilt as his son climbed into the carriage before him. Roxas said nothing, and kept his gaze lowered so that he wasn't looking at anyone. He knew how much his father had wanted this to work out, but now he really just wanted to go home...
Queen Ella stood by her son a few feet away, crying dramatically and shaking Axel a little as they watched the departure.
"M-Mom! Let go already! It's not the end, okay? We both just need some time is all!" the younger redhead grumbled in exasperation, as he shook off the sobbing queen.
"Time...yes...just some time..."
Any other day Axel would have just rolled his eyes at his mother's ridiculous behavior, but he felt horrible wave of guilt washing over him as the little blonde boy he cared so deeply for disappeared into the carriage. Even when he could see Roxas through the window, he felt so far away already...
King Lucas settled himself inside, wishing them both farewell before he sighed and turned to his brooding son. "Say goodbye, Roxas..."
The boy looked up from staring at his knees, just barely meeting Axel's eyes. "Goodbye...Prince Axel..."
The redhead cringed at the pained note of formality in his voice. He didn't want that; it really made him feel like he'd ruined everything...
A part of Axel wanted to stand firm and proud. This little snag they'd hit wasn't his fault, after all! He'd done everything he could, and he supposed bitterly that that wasn't enough for Roxas. But the guilt was outweighing the pride in him, and Axel desperately wanted to call the little blond back, and beg him to stay.
But no. He was a prince, and he refused to grovel no matter what! Besides, it wasn't like he could think of something to say to change Roxas's mind...
"Goodbye...Roxas..."
He gazed into those soft, damp blue eyes one last time before the carriage jumped to life, bumping slightly as it started down the dirt path and into the woods. Axel and his mother watched sadly as they left, and Axel let out a sad sigh as his formerly betrothed disappeared behind the thick cover of trees.
"Oh, Axel! How could you? We were so close!" She latched herself onto one of the servants, hugging him and shaking him violently as she tried to sort out her fit. "WE WERE SO CLOSE!"
Axel quickly pried her off the poor man, who stood shaken and gasping for breath, and the boy moved to lead her back inside.
"Why?...Why?...All these years of planning...WAISTED!" She continued to sob and clung to his arm, which didn't make Axel feel any better.
"Please, mom. Let's just go inside. I...I don't want to talk about it right now..." He dismissed the servants and led her inside, pausing only once to glance at the old stone fountain in the courtyard.
Roxas...
Axel sighed again, wondering when he would ever get the chance to see the little blond again.
Why couldn't things ever turn out the way he wanted?
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It was growing darker all the time as Axel, Demyx, and Vexen sat together in his treehouse. It was just like the old days; the two younger boys playing chess while the old advisor would quiz them on their lessons. But now they were men, and the prince hoped he could turn to his best friend and trusted adviser for advice on this problem. He gazed wistfully out the window, caught up for a moment in memories...
"What else is there? A valid point, I must say, but...Axel, you could have at least tried to say something! What kind of lover does that make you, if you don't even know what you like about the person?"
"Checkmate, Axel!" The young blonde beamed happily.
He looked up, confused and annoyed, as Demyx laughed in the background. "What? No fair! You were totally cheating!"
"No he wasn't, Ax. You're just dumb." Axel continued to snap at him while Roxas laughed at them from across the table. He smiled brightly, laughing that sweet, bubbling laugh of his...
Axel sighed.
"Axel, are you even listening to me?"
He blinked up, only to find the silvery-blonde-haired man mere inches from his face. He jumped back quickly, and Vexen sighed, tugging at a small strand of blond hair absently.
"Really, Axel! You have to keep yourself together now! You must see something other than Roxas's beauty..."
Axel glared back at him indignantly, moving his rook mindlessly across the chessboard. He was completely oblivious to Demyx moving the pieces around to suit his strategy.
"Of course I do, Vexen! He's just...He's so..." The redhead drifted off a little as he spoke. "Damn..."
Roxas was so many things; it seemed silly to stop and count them all! Before long Demyx was jarring Axel back to reality, poking him in the shoulder a little.
"Ax, you should pay more attention and think things through. You just lost your king. Checkmate," he added with a small smirk, tipping the piece over until it clattered off the board.
Axel laughed bitterly, not really paying much attention to the game. As bad as it sounded, he felt as though he had lost a king twice today...
Vexen sighed again, scratching his head in annoyance.
"Axel, why can't you just say how you feel? That's all Roxas wanted, after all, and you owe it to the both of you to be completely honest with yourself."
The redhead groaned and slammed his head into the table, letting it rest there. "I just don't know how to say it to him! He had this look, like he was really waiting on my answer, and I just panicked, okay? I don't understand it at all..I didn't used to be this jittery around him!"
Vexen sighed and paced back and forth while Demyx just smiled sadly, setting the pieces up for another round. The sandy blond-haired boy was usually more cheerful than this, but it seemed the events of that day had left everyone feeling low and unsatisfied. Roxas did have a point, they all knew it; but it was no secret that the whole kingdom was getting excited in the hopes of seeing the royal wedding.
"You really do love him, don't you?"
Axel nodded slowly, sighing with his head buried in his arms.
"He loves you too, you know..."
The prince looked up and scratched his head, casting his friend a slightly doubting look. "How do you figure that?"
Demyx smiled warmly, rolling one of the chess pieces between his thumb and forefinger absently.
"Roxas may be a little unsure right now, but did you see the look he gave you when you couldn't answer him at the ball?"
The redhead winced a little at that. But his friend took that as affirmation and kept going.
"He really cared about your opinion of him. He's always cared, even back when you were being kind of a jerk." Demyx laughed nervously as the redhead shot him a death glare, brushing it off as lightly as he could. "The two of you definitely have some things to work out, but I think you'll be fine. Trust your heart, and all that sentimental bullcrap..."
Axel shook his head discouragingly. "But how? How can I show him how much he means to me?"
Vexen looked thoughtful for a moment. "Well, why don't you try and think of a way to prove it to him? Surely, there must be a way for him to know that your intentions are true."
"I'd do anything for him, if it meant he'd be happy..." Axel looked out the window as the storm clouds began to roll in, making the sky even darker as rain patted against the wood around them. He sighed, searching the distance.
'What can I do, Roxas?'
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Still out on the road, Roxas was gazing forlornly out the carriage window, feeling just as sad and lonely and lost as Axel was. The shutters was drawn tightly shut in response to the coming rain, but still the boy stared at them intently, focusing in on the tiny crack formed where the two shutters touched. Anything was better than facing the awkward look his father was giving him.
"Roxas, please..." King Lucas begged. "Can you just talk to me?"
The boy sighed deeply, not turning. "There's nothing to talk about."
After a minute, a gentle hand grasped his shoulder, firmly turning him to face the older man. Roxas couldn't face his father's concerned blue eyes, but he made no move to turn away again.
"Roxas, why are you being so stubborn about this? What did you want from him? And are you really willing to drive it so far that it destroys the bond you two have? I know you have feelings for him."
The blond sighed again, nodding reluctantly. He pulled his knees up and hugged them close, now looking at the wooden floor.
"I think so. But no matter how I feel about him, I can't be married to someone who only loves me for something like that..."
When the king gave him a puzzled look, Roxas continued. "Looks don't last forever, father. They shouldn't be the basis for any relationship...I want Axel to love me for just being who I am. If he really did, why would he just clam up like that and embarrass me? He's never been that nervous around me before..."
Lucas shook his head, smiling sadly. "It's not always that simple, Roxas. The heart can do funny things to people in love. Nervousness doesn't necessarily mean that he's lying to you. In fact, it could be quite the opposite..."
The little blond looked thoughtful at that, and he smiled, ruffling the boy's hair softly. "You're a smart boy, Roxas, and I'm glad you've put some serious thought into your future. But I have it on a very good authority that Axel does love you, and I think anyone you'd ask would say the same thing. I only wish you could see it-"
Suddenly, the carriage came to a jarring halt, knocking the surprised passengers around inside. Roxas helped his father back up, looking around frantically. "What on earth was that?"
The king's eyes were grave. "I don't know. But whatever it is, I want you to stay in the carriage."
"But father-"
"Promise me, Roxas!" The boy's eyes were fearful, but after a moment's hesitation, he nodded in reply. His father's tone left no room for argument.
There was a brief knock at the door, and the king opened it to see a guard standing there, soaking wet from the rain. "Forgive the harsh stop, your majesty, but there is a strange cloaked figure in the road blocking our path."
"What?"
THe guard continued. "He will not move, sir. Not until he speaks with you. We realize this is unwise, but he will not move, no matter how hard we try."
Roxas shook his head, looking at the king desperately.
"Please don't go out there, father! It's too dangerous! We don't know what this man is capable of!"
King Lucas glanced worriedly between his son and the guard, mulling over his options quickly. Nodding back to the guard, he gave a grunt of affirmation before climbing out of the carriage and shutting the door immediately behind him. Inside, he could hear Roxas sobbing a little, fearfully begging for him to return. But with a heavy heart, he blocked out the pleas behind him and locked the door, stepping down to face the man in the road.
"It's been a long time, Lucas..." The voice from under the cloak sneered, although the man himself didn't move an inch.
"Who are you? And what do you want? Show yourself!"
The guards all brandished their weapons, shouting along, "In the name of the king, reveal yourself now!"
The man merely laughed, standing tall even against the rain that pelted him in the dark. "Really, now. You think that you are a match for me? The great Zexion would never fall to men so lowly as you!"
The king's eyes widened. "You?"
"Yes, me! You took everything from me that day; my magic, my dignity, everything I had! But now, my powers have returned, and I've come to make good on my promise! Everything you own, everything you love...will be mine!"
King Lucas tensed, his eyes widening. "No...You can't..."
Zexion threw back his hood, laughing. "Oh, I can! And I will! Now you'll see what it's like to loose everything that was ever precious to you!" Yelling out a short incantation, he was suddenly surrounded by a glowing red light that seemed to transfigure his body. Long claws sprouted where there were once hands and feet, his limbs began to stretch and grow...
The carriage horses shrieked with fear and attempted to bolt, knocking some of the soldiers down as they tried to get away. Men scrambled in the chaos, charging the sorcerer with swords, daggers, and lances, but in his beast form he swiped them all away as if they were flies on a hot summer day. Other soldiers shot arrows at the clawing monstrosity, but they bounced off easily or were swatted away as well.
King Lucas made a mad grab for one of the horses' bridles, almost getting knocked down in the process. The carriage itself had been tipped over in the chaos, and as the king looked around, he gasped to find that many of his men lay slain on the cold, wet ground.
"Roxas! Are you alright?" he cried over the pounding rain, trying to steady the frantic horses.
The voice inside sounded dazed. "Yeah...I'm fine...but what's...what's going on?"
The panicked beasts tossed their heads and rolled their eyes, half-crazed, as they watched the strange monster ahead move closer and closer. Soon, Zexion was right in front of the old man, glaring down at him with large, red-yellow eyes. He grabbed the king by the collar of his shirt, hoisting the struggling man as if he weighed nothing at all. The horses shrieked louder, and Roxas banged frantically on the door of the carriage.
"Please, father! Let me out! Please!"
Lucas continued to glare at the monstrous 'man' holding him, feeling the sick, hot breath hit his face. He had to stand tall and strong, even if this was death staring him in the face.
"I'm warning you," he wheezed, grabbing the hand that held him aloft tightly. "Kill me if you like and have your revenge, but leave the kingdom in peace!"
The weird creature 'smiled' back at him maliciously, raising his talons high for one last slow, painful blow...
"I believe you're through making orders, Lucas. This is what you get for crossing me..."
There was a sickening slice as blood splattered everywhere, and a shrill scream split the night.
"FATHER!"
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"Hey, Axel? Isn't that one of the men from Kisyria?"
The redhead looked down from the treehouse in the direction Demyx pointed, only to see a man emerging from the woods and making his way slowly towards the castle. The man was barely a shadow in the rain, but he could just make out the colors on his uniform. No mistake, he was a soldier from Kisyria.
"Yeah. I wonder what he's doing back here..."
Suddenly, the man collapsed to the ground, and Axel snapped on the alert. "Something's wrong." He took the free rope and dove out the opening in the floor as he had done many times before, hitting the ground easily and taking off running towards the shivering lump on the ground. When he got there and knelt beside the man, Axel saw that he was covered in mud and blood.
Demyx and Vexen came running up behind him, stopping only a foot or so away. "Axel...Is he?..."
"He's alive," the redhead shouted over his shoulder. "You two, please go inside and get help!" As they ran back to the castle, Axel lifted the man in his arms and shook him lightly to rouse him. Cloudy blue eyes blinked up at him, and he guessed the man didn't have much longer to live.
"What's your name?" He asked the soldier softly, pushing the wet brown hair from his eyes.
"Squall Leonhart. I'm part of King Lucas's main regiment..." He coughed up some blood and fell silent again, but he was still awake.
Axel's eyes widened, but he kept his tone as firm and calm as he could. "What happened to you? I thought you had made it back to your ship at the port already."
"We were attacked on the way there. It was...some kind of a...strange, big animal. I didn't see much before it got me, but I managed to slip away and came looking for help..." He coughed some more.
The redhead was very worried now. He could hear the footsteps of his mother and the servants racing across the lawn behind him, but he ignored them. "And Prince Roxas? Please tell me! Where is Roxas?"
The man blinked up at him sadly. "I...I don't know..."
As soon as one of the servants came and took the man from his lap, Axel leapt up and ran to the stables.
"Axel, wait! It's too dangerous!"
He jumped on the fastest horse they had and took off into the woods, ignoring the tough rain and wind that battered him mercilously. The trees reached out to claw at him and bar his way, and once in a while a clap of thunder would sound and frighten his horse, but he pressed onward, intent to make it there in time and fight if he had to.
Roxas! Just hold on! Please be safe...
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When he reached the place, what Axel found was a bloody massacre. The horses, the soldiers, everything that was once alive was now horribly mauled and mutilated, and blood mixed with mud and rain on the ground, blending in wretched colors as a foul stench rose in the air.
Axel performed a quick emergency dismount, trying the reins to a nearby tree so that his gelding wouldn't run off in fear. The sickening smell in the air alone had the horse's nostrils quivering, and his ears laid flat back against his head as he glanced around nervously.
"E-Easy boy. I'm right here..."
The prince turned to face the carnage before him, running immediately to the overturned carriage and looking inside, but finding no one. On the ground nearby, he saw something white amongst the mud and immediately went down to pick it up. Scrapping some of the caked dirt away, his heart sank when he saw that it was a bracelet. Roxas's bracelet.
"No..."
Roxas had told him once that it was a precious heirloom from his mother, something she had made for him when she knew she was with child. Axel knew how much the boy wished he had known his mother, and the redhead had never once seen him take the trinket off. Its once beautiful ebony and ivory segments were now rusted red with blood and dirt, dull in his hands...
"No, no, no!" This was a nightmare! Axel felt the growing fear in his heart; fear that he would turn around and find Roxas's lifeless body lying cold in the mud. But as he kept searching and finding nothing, the prince was even more anxious that there wasn't any sign of him or the mysterious animal. It was like they'd vanished into thin air...
"ROXAS! WHERE ARE YOU?"
It was then that a sudden groan caught his attention, and he raced to the other side of the carriage only to find King Lucas lying there dying.
"Your majesty! What happened here?" He knelt by the king, grasping his cold hand tightly.
King Lucas's eyes fluttered open weakly, and after a moment his vision seemed to clear.
"A-Axel? My boy, it's really you..." His voice was weak and soft, barely above a whisper. His eyes were wet and red, or maybe that was the blood and rain?
Axel nodded, tears slowly flooding in his eyes. "Yes, it's me. But what happened here? Where's Roxas?"
The king looked at him sadly. He was almost raving now, amidst his sobs. "It was terrible, Axel! A horrible beast came and blocked our path! It killed my men, and now it will have killed me!" The man grabbed his arm harshly, pulling him just a few inches away from his face. "Listen to me, Axel! It's not what it seems! Never let your eyes betray you, remember that!"
The redhead shook his head, a horrible, sinking feeling in his gut. It was unnerving seeing the calm, kind old man he always knew sobbing and hysterical, as he babbled away the last of his strength.
"What are you talking about? Please, your majesty, where is Roxas?"
The king blinked, his eyes misting over to a dull grey as the last of his life drained out of him. "He's...He's taken him..."
"What? Who?"
But the king was gone; a final tear slid down his cold cheek, mingling with the rain.
"NO! WAIT! PLEASE COME BACK!...Please..."
Axel sat in silence for a while, completely ignoring the fact that he was soaked through to the skin. His whole world was crumbling around him, shattering all doubt that he had before. But now, it was too late...
Where was Roxas now? Was he even still alive? Axel bowed his head and clenched his fist tighter around the little bracelet, letting his tears fall and mingle in the rain.
Who would do something so terrible? And what had King Lucas been trying to tell him? All these questions raged through his head as the prince got to his feet and mounted his horse, riding hard through the forest in search of any sign. A footprint, hoofprint, clawmark, it didn't matter! Any sign that would lead him to the boy he so dearly loved.
"ROXAS!" He cried the name to the howling wind, searching long into the night. "Roxas! I swear I'll find you! Please, just wait for me!"