Rose woke on a leather couch in a dark office. The walls were made entirely of wood panels, matching the floorboards in their dark brown lacquer. She stood, then noticed the doctor sitting in a chair across from her. He frowned, clearly frustrated with her.
"We're not done yet." He set down his clipboard. "We need to discuss your latest incident."
"There's nothing to discuss." Rose grumbled. She hadn't seen or even thought about Doctor Samuel in a long time. How did she get here of all places? She wouldn't have come back on her own.
"Take a seat." He stated. There was a faint green orb behind his chair, barely illuminating the jade face, causing her eyes to shine.
"Leave me alone." Rose went for the door, believing that neither Doctor Samuel nor Maleficent would do anything.
She reached the door, swung it open, and everything around her disappeared. Everything was dark, but Rose was still conscious. She tried moving forward, although she had no way of knowing if she really did go anywhere.
It was some time before anything happened. She was not startled, though, when she heard a voice.
"You fight too much."
Surroundings suddenly formed, putting Rose in the orphanage bedroom. She felt smaller in the gaze of Brianne. The elder had her arms crossed as she sat on her bed, frowning at her.
"I'm sorry." For the years Rose had spent loathing the other girl for abandoning her, she was immediately humbled in her presence. She knew she had been awful to deal with.
"You can't be sorry if you keep doing it." Brianne pointed out. She stared at Rose sharply, making the younger girl look away in shame. "You know the caretakers had to assign me to be your friend. I could be spending my time with more enjoyable company, but I have to babysit you."
"I never asked for any of it." Rose insisted. "You made me think you actually cared."
"I made my message clear when I left, didn't I?"
As if to further make her point, Brianne rose from the bed and left through the door. Rose rushed after her, going through as well.
She was no longer in the orphanage. Rose found herself in a parlor from her early childhood. Her father didn't make too many appearances outside of his study because he was always busy with work. Rose had been excited when her mother said that he had taken the afternoon off of work to share some big news. Yet when her father had entered the parlor holding the hand of a boy slightly older than her, dread formed in the pit of Rose's stomach.
"Rose, this is Ienzo. He's your brother now." Her father was happy to tell her that, but the boy tried to hide behind him.
"But I don't want a brother." She said, her throat feeling tight. She felt her mother's hand pet her hair as the adults exchanged glances. Rose only saw Ienzo's face, which also became blurred as her eyes grew watery.
It took a long moment for either adult to say anything, which only made it worse for the children. Rose rubbed her eyes stubbornly. Her mother knelt next to her to wipe at her face with a handkerchief.
"You're always asking for a sibling. I think you two will get along in time." Her mother tried to assure her, but Rose wasn't having it. She shook her head vigorously.
"I don't want a sibling!"
"Rose-" Her father began, but she had had enough. Despite her mother's attempts to hold her there, and her father's attempts to catch her with one arm, Rose ran out of the room. She thought she heard the boy let out a sob, although hers were much louder.
She continued fleeing through a long hallway, which only seemed to get longer. Her father suddenly appeared ahead of her. Without the boy around, Rose tried desperately to catch up to him so she could demand he take the boy back to wherever he found him. Yet the faster she went, the further away her father was.
Rose heard one of the apprentice's shrill voice sound all around her. "Ienzo is a very intelligent boy. Why, even his maturity surpasses those of his age!"
What wasn't said, but implied, was that she couldn't compare to his higher qualities. The boy was always invited into her father's study, yet she had to leave them alone to work. Soon a whole laboratory was built at his request. Her father became even harder to reach.
He suddenly dissipated like smoke, and the surroundings followed suite. She stopped running, no longer a little girl. She had forgotten about that day entirely. Regardless of how old she was, she tried recalling any other memories of her father, as if to summon him, but none surfaced. Of her mother, there were a handful of moments. There were even memories of some of the guards. Yet there was nothing for her father.
While there were no surroundings, Rose remembered Leon's story of what had happened. Her father had survived whatever the apprentices had put him through, and had only died a couple of years ago. In all that time, he hadn't bothered looking for her.
In that time, though, Rose's father had been seeking vengeance. His adopted son was among the traitors, and should have fallen to their father's vengeance. Except he hadn't; none of them had. Her father's efforts were for nothing. Rose wasn't sure what to think about that.
And why did vengeance take so long to accomplish? What else had her father been up to in that time? She didn't want to think about it. She changed her thoughts to her mother, recalling the vision she had had. Her mother had seemed reluctant to talk about her father.
Rose tried to force another vision of her mother, but nothing occurred for a couple of minutes. She could almost remember the woman's face clearly, as well as the warm embrace of her hug. It had ended when her mother had forcefully shoved her away, though. Rose also remembered that.
She kept walking in the darkness because that was all there was to do. She moved cautiously, yet still tripped over something large on the floor. A light flickered alive on the large something, rising and falling with struggling breaths. The large something began gasping and gurgling. Rose had sat up, and now covered her ears in hopes of blocking out the sound. She also shut her eyes tight; she couldn't stand the look Brutus gave her as he laid dying again.
"I didn't mean to." Rose insisted, but what good did that do for him? She had ruined his life, and the lives of his family. At times, it had been enjoyable to work with Brutus. She wished she had sat still and let Reed shoot her, even if he was too drunk and would have missed anyway.
His words echoed: "I had a whole crew before you came along. I shouldn't have brought you back. Now what am I supposed to do with you?"
A hand pulled Rose to her knees by her hair. She opened her eyes to see the captain before her. Brutus continued to wheeze, every breath sounding like his last, and yet he breathed again and again as he watched the two.
"You should have left me to bleed out." Rose grit her teeth against the tight grip pulling at her scalp.
"You're damn right I should have." He growled, letting go to kick her in that old scar. Rose collapsed, feeling the pain of the wound all over again.
As she curled up on her side, the two men disappeared. She had hoped to bleed out, but the scar was intact. It throbbed and burned, causing Rose to hiss from the pain.
It felt like hours that she laid there with a wound that did not bleed. Despite the pain, she began to appreciate her surroundings. There was nothing to see or hear—she was the only one there. Everything else had stopped and left her alone. Maybe Rose had died. Everyone so far had been so truthful, after all. Death wasn't so bad.
Hands grabbed Rose again, but they were gentle this time. Her head was moved onto a softer surface. One hand lingered to brush her hair.
The pain faded from Rose's side. She opened her eyes to look up into her mother's face. The older woman smiled, which made Rose relax as well.
They were sitting against an old tree in an endless wheat field. Rose stretched her legs out, yet kept her head where it was in her mother's lap. They were finally reunited.
"Is this what the afterlife is like?" She looked around. It wasn't bad, but a little boring.
"It is for us." Her mother gazed ahead. "Though I'm sure it's not what you hoped for."
"I expected worse." Rose shrugged.
They settled into silence as a breeze made the field and tree rustle. Along with the hair-stroking, Rose felt completely comfortable where she was. Yet she couldn't forget the gurgling sound Brutus had made, and the look he had given her. She deserved much worse than this place.
As if reading Rose's thoughts, her mother hushed her. "It's over now. You don't need to worry about that anymore. He's moved on, like we have."
"But I still killed someone." Rose pointed out. She should receive punishment for it.
"And you have been killed yourself." Her mother countered. "It's in the past."
Rose settled for that answer, although she wasn't completely happy with it. Feeling uncomfortable in her old position, she sat up and put her head on her mother's shoulder. The older woman put an arm around her shoulders. Rose sighed as she watched the occasional shadow move over the field.
"I saw the boy you and Dad adopted." She brought up after a long moment. "He's all grown up, too."
"How did that go?"
Rose felt some shame as she admitted, "I tried to stab him."
Her mother was amused by it. "You really haven't changed since you were little. You were so heartbroken when your father brought him to the castle. We didn't know what to do."
"That's all I can remember about Dad."
"He was being greedy. We were trying for so long to have one child, and you were finally born, but he wanted a son." Her mother frowned. "His inner circle was comprised of other men, after all."
"Four of his apprentices still live, and they're in the castle." Rose mentioned, remembering how unfair it was.
Her mother grunted. "They wouldn't if I had my way about it."
Smiling, Rose was glad to know of someone who saw it her way. Why did the apprentices deserve to stay in the castle? She had more right than them, although she did not want to claim that right and all of the following responsibilities. Why couldn't her mother have survived? Then they would have always been together, and returned home to oust the traitors and Maleficent. Life would have been the way it should have been.
They sat and listened to the stillness some more. Like the dark place before, Rose found this place pleasant. There was no one else here but her mother, and there was nothing else to see or listen to but the field and the tree. It would not be so bad to stay here for awhile.
It didn't take long for something else to nag at Rose's mind. She knew what Leon had told her, and what her mother had told her before. They didn't match up.
"You said that Dad is not here, right?" Rose brought it up to her mother. "When I was here last—months ago?"
Her mother took a moment to answer, clearly thinking of her response. "Yes."
"Then that means he's still alive, right?"
There was no easy answer—that much was clear from her mother's expression. Her hand brushed through Rose's hair, but it felt more like a claw. "Or he's simply not with us."
"Wouldn't he be, though?" Rose asked. What would keep him from joining them? Vengeance couldn't be any more condemning than accidentally killing someone. "He's probably still alive."
"There's nothing either one of us can do about it." Her mother sat up a little taller, as if to end this discussion. "Didn't I just explain to you that he wanted a son? Don't you remember all the time he spent with the boy instead of us?"
"Maybe things have changed. The boy is one of the traitors now." Rose reasoned.
"We're dead."
"I came back to life before, didn't I? I don't think I should be dead right now."
Shaking her head, her mother began crying. "Why would you think of leaving me, after all this time apart?"
Rose was surprised by the tears. Her mother had always been such a strong person, and the type of person who refused to let others see her cry. She may have been only six-years-old when she lost her mother, but Rose thought that she knew her very well by then. Her mother would have in fact encouraged such thoughts of escape.
She grasped Rose's shoulders, turning serious. "You must stay with me. You won't find what you're looking for. Everything is gone. Your father is a lost cause, our home is in ruins, and the people don't like you. I'm the only one here for you."
Bristling, Rose shoved her mother's hands away. "Our home is being rebuilt, and the people can shove it."
She stood, noticing the forest behind their tree. She ran for it without hesitation, but stopped as she was about to enter.
"Rosemary!"
Her mother had stood as well and come a few steps in her direction, but no further from the tree. A breeze picked up to blow a strand of hair across her pained face. She reached for Rose, then put her arm down. Rose turned her back and entered the forest.
After a few steps inside, the foliage turned from green to grey. Everything darkened. She looked back, but there were only dead trees as far as she could see. She decided to move forward.
She wasn't sure what she was supposed to find in this place, or where she was going. All the trees had lost their leaves, revealing the cloudy sky intermittently between branches. The leaves covered the ground, grey and brown—not at all colorful like they should have been. The path ahead and behind were both indiscernible; the path darkened before and after Rose. She wouldn't be able to return to her mother and the field. By now, she doubted their authenticity.
There was suddenly whispering in the trees. Rose stopped and looked around, but she was the only one there. It became louder until her own voice came through.
"This is only going to lead to more disappointment."
Rose reached to her side, but her sword wasn't there. She braced herself for a surprise. "I have to see for myself first. Besides, I want to go back to my ship."
"He worked all the time, and only stopped to adopt a boy. Look what that got him. He didn't even come to look for you when you were an orphan, just like the boy."
"So? I managed."
"You're a smuggler, and a murderer."
"Worse people still live. It's not as though vengeance-seeking is completely innocent, either." Rose countered herself.
"Are you sure you want to find him?"
She thought for a moment, realizing that she had no idea how to start. "It wouldn't hurt. What's the worst that could happen?"
"He'll favor the boy over you again. He'll wish you were dead with Mom. He'll be disappointed in you. He won't remember you. He'll-"
"There has to be at least one good memory of him." Rose cut off her other voice before the list could get longer, and she would find reason to abandon everything. She mulled over her memories, trying to find her earliest ones.
"Your memory is such a mess. There's no point."
Rose ignored that other voice as she continued to try to recall anything. Her memories were indeed a mess, and plenty of nonsensical fragments came up: Reed barking orders, the jeers of other orphans, and the death rattle of Brutus. They joined the whispering in the trees. The woods were suddenly very noisy. Despite that, Rose persisted.
Suddenly the forest was gone. She had one eye squinted as she looked through a lens, seeing a faraway planet more clearly than she would have with her own eyes.
"What's that place?" Rose asked, her voice the high pitch of a child. She was small again; she pulled away from the eyepiece of the telescope to look at her father, who was standing behind her.
"I don't know." He didn't seem to mind that he did not know, either. "Yet someday I believe we will be able to travel there. Only then will we know more."
"I wanna go! Can I? Please?" Rose bounced slightly on the stool she was sitting on.
Her father chuckled and pat her head. "I'm sure you will someday. You'll see and know far more of other worlds, and ours, than I ever will."
He had a point. Rose had already told everyone how she wanted to explore beyond the city's walls (albeit her attention was drawn more towards the forests and mountains than towards the endless sea), and she wanted to visit every star in the sky, as her father had already explained that they were individual worlds themselves.
Rose now had spun herself around on the stool to face her father, her legs dangling well above the floor. "Can't you go exploring too?" With her, of course.
"I'm afraid I cannot leave the city. There is too much work that I must do. I know it has been taking up too much of my time." Her father admitted.
"So does Ienzo." Rose mumbled, becoming sullen.
He sighed. "Ienzo needs a family. He has been through a lot. He may need a little more attention now, but I'm sure you two will learn to be good friends."
She gave a pout. "I don't think so."
"It won't hurt to try." He pat her head again. "Your mother and I still love you, and we always will."
Rose thought it over a bit. "Okay."
It wasn't much of an answer, but it seemed to please her father. He also seemed to notice the time. "We should put you back to bed, before your mother finds out."
"I'm not tired." Rose quickly replied, then decided to negotiate. "I want another story."
"Alright. Come along, little one." He began leading the way out of the observatory. Rose hopped off the stool and followed closely behind, enjoying the idea that she was going to get two bedtime stories, whereas Ienzo probably had only heard one that night.
The grey forest appeared as Rose came back to focus. It was silent again. She even sensed that she was alone. While the sky and trees were omnimous, Rose felt some relief—as if she could breathe a little better now.
Perhaps it was because she was able to recall a somewhat complete memory, and remember it so vividly. It was better than pretending to remember people and places, as she had to do when she was first rehired by Reed. It was also better than dealing with the sudden appearance of fragmented memories that made no sense at the time, but sat at the front of her mind for awhile. Rose thought about recalling more, if she could, but realized the path had opened up ahead; there was an opening, where the trees stopped.
She eagerly moved forward. It appeared that the path led into a green clearing, but the moment Rose stepped beyond the trees, she was suddenly in a large, dark hall. The walls were cracked and debris littered the floor, except for where there were holes. She walked forward a few steps, then realized this was the castle at home.
It wasn't long before she had company; a dark creature rose from the floor. It wasn't quite a Heartless—this looked more human than those. It swayed in place for a moment, then lunged at Rose. She dodged. It took a moment to regain its balance.
"You ruined my crew." It hissed as it turned to face Rose again. "You killed him!"
She scowled. She was tired of hearing that. Picking up a chunk of fallen wall, she threw it at the monster. It was knocked on the head, falling over and fading away.
Rose picked up another chunk of wall, assuming there would be others. She knew she was responsible for Brutus's death, but she hadn't been there when the others left. She had to wonder what Reed did that drove them away.
She moved on and climbed a staircase. She had a feeling that she needed to go higher in order to make sense of this place. Rose was making good progress through this level, but froze when she heard gurgling behind her.
A large monster—human-like as the last one had been—had snuck up from behind. It just stood there, dumb. Its rattled breathing was enough to shake Rose.
"I'm sorry." She almost pleaded. "I didn't know—I was ambushed, and you came up from behind without your light..."
Her words did nothing for the monster, or herself. It continued to rattle and stand there. Rose wanted it to stop.
She suddenly became angry. Brutus had approached Rose without his flashlight, and her own had stopped working because of Maleficent. The witch had planned it. She made sure to ruin whatever good thing Rose may have had in life. Her home, her family, her friends, and even her memories. This was all something of Maleficent's doing, too.
Despite the height difference, Rose held her rock high, and brought it down onto the monster's head. It collapsed languidly at that, but continued to breathe its death rattle. She pounced on it, bashing its head with the rock until it finally faded.
Rose sat there for a long moment, finally letting go of the rock. She loathed Reed for what had happened, too. Everything about him bothered her: his drinking, his paranoia, and how he blamed Rose so much for Brutus's death. It was obvious that Reed had done something to drive Trish and Cliff away, and had carelessly let Wanda get hurt, which led to her death as well. He had assumed all of his bad luck came from Rose.
She finally stood and moved on from the hall, and was left alone for awhile. She was beginning to realize that all of the halls were identical, as if she wasn't making any progress in moving forward. Still, Rose had to keep going. She climbed a large staircase, moving up a few levels, before she was confronted again in another hall.
The next monster stood waiting, its demeanor naturally restrained. Rose paused, wondering if this monster would be the same as the last. It was suddenly a lot closer, swiping at the girl. She was knocked aside.
"Can't you just be normal? Quit acting like such a child." It snapped as it approached Rose. She pushed herself up, looking around for something to use as a weapon.
"We were good friends, but you're too selfish." For as much as Rose had always reprimanded herself for upsetting Brianne in some way, she was tired of it. Why was she always to blame, and why did she let Brianne's feelings bother her, when her own never bothered Brianne? "You don't care about me now, so why should I care about you?"
The monster had drawn close, and was about to scratch Rose again, but at her words, it screeched. It became even blurrier, then faded away. Rose waited for a surprise attack.
It came in a different form, charging at her. She sidestepped, again looking for something to hurt the new monster with. Rose had to continue to sidestep, as the monster was persistent. Eventually, it overtook her and knocked her down.
"You left me. You should be with me." It whined, digging its claws into Rose.
"You're not her!" She finally shoved the monster off, then ran for the doors at the end of the hall. None of the monsters were the people they appeared to be. It spoke the thoughts that Rose tried to shove to the back of her mind. Somehow, she was in a convincing, never-ending nightmare.
The doors had been slightly open, and Rose easily slipped past them. They were heavy; she almost didn't close them in time to block out the monster. She leaned against them as it scratched on the other side and howled. Once the monster quieted, Rose assumed it had gone off somewhere else.
She was now in an open room. It was circular and dark. There wasn't any furniture in the room to tell what it was. Doors to a balcony had been left open, and Rose was pulled through them.
The kingdom was in ruins again. It didn't look too nice before, but now it looked even worse. All of the flora was dead, leaving everything grey and brown. The sky was grey as far as one could see while standing in the very tall tower. There were more monsters in the streets than people. The Restoration Committee's efforts had been for nothing.
Rose happened to look down at her hands, or where her hands were supposed to be on the railing of the balcony. The faintly green hands had long fingers, with sharp red nails.
She fell backwards, shaking her hands, as if it would make the illusion go away. She scrambled back into the tower, yet it wasn't a trick from the lighting. Rose looked frantically at her surroundings, but they remained the same, and she was alone. She then decided to shut her eyes and ignore it until it would go away. When it eventually came off, it pulled away painfully. It reminded Rose of that crystal ball.
"You weren't supposed to make it this far."
Rose looked up from where she had huddled up on the floor. Maleficent stood on the opposite side of the room, frowning.
"Haven't I given you everything you wanted? And yet you demand for more." She said. Suddenly Maleficent stood over Rose, grasping the girl by the jaw and pulling her to her knees. "No matter. Your body is mine, and your heart is no longer needed."
Before Rose could pull herself free, Maleficent shoved her back to the floor. She raised her staff, the orb glowing. Yet before she could strike, a form stepped between them and slashed at the witch. She was knocked back.
The new woman pulled Rose up as Maleficent took a moment to recover. Rose looked from the older woman's face, focused on the witch, and the sword in her hand. "Mom-"
Shaking her head, the woman kept focused. "I'm just your memories of her, but you can call me that if it makes it easier. I can't fight this for you—Move!"
Rose's mother pushed her aside as a green fireball came their way. She charged at the witch, swinging her sword. When she didn't land the hit, she dodged Maleficent's counterattack. For a memory, Rose's mother seemed to know just how to fight a witch.
For awhile, Rose stood by and watched them go back and forth. Maleficent relied on magic, but Rose's mother was persistent. Rose didn't ever remembering watching her mother use a sword, yet it had no effect on the memory of her. She slashed and stabbed at Maleficent, sometimes hitting the mark, sometimes not. Maleficent likewise hit hers.
Eventually she knocked Rose's mother back with a wall of fire, then raised her staff again. She brought it down hard, and the woman ceased to move. It was almost as Rose remembered it.
She rushed to her mother's side. There was no life in her, but she looked content with that. Rose could still remember her mother, and assumed that meant the memories weren't dead.
"Now then," Maleficent made to grab at Rose, but the girl picked up her mother's fallen sword and jabbed at the witch, cutting her forearm through the long black sleeve. Maleficent recoiled, then used a magical force to knock Rose further away.
She quickly got up and readjusted her grip on the sword. It was bulkier than what she was used to, so she widened her stance to accommodate it.
"For such a miserable child, you resist too much." Maleficent began to approach Rose. "I can give you all the power you could want. As you've said yourself, you don't care for people. They clearly do not care about you, either. Why, they don't even seem happy that you're alive."
"Shut up!" Rose closed the distance between them and swung the sword widely. With a swing of her own staff, Maleficent caused the sword to fly off to the side. Pointing the orb towards Rose, she cast a spell that bound the girl in place. The witch grasped Rose's throat, digging her nails into her flesh.
"Give up. I can give you exactly what you want, so long as you let me have what I need." Maleficent spoke sweetly, as if it would convince Rose. The spell kept her from speaking, but she could still spit in the witch's face. The woman was shocked by it, yet quickly backhanded her face in return. The binding spell wore off just in time for Rose to be knocked aside.
She pushed herself up, wiping a bit of blood away from her bottom lip, where one of Maleficent's rings had caught her. Rose looked for her mother's sword, then ran for it. Maleficent caught her from behind, wrapping her arm around the girl's throat to restrain her again. Rose wasted no time in biting into her arm. She was quickly released, scrambling towards the sword again.
"You miserable brat!" Maleficent snapped. Just as Rose was about to touch the sword, it flew across the room to another spot on the floor. Another binding spell was cast on Rose, causing her to fall over on the floor.
Maleficent approached and used the end of her staff to roll Rose onto her back. She then jabbed the staff into Rose's side, into the scar she had once healed. Pain suddenly erupted in the girl's abdomen, just as painful as the bullets had been months beforehand. Rose cried out, but could not move to stop Maleficent. The witch twisted her staff a bit in that place before pulling it away.
"Are you finished now?" She asked, quirking her eyebrows as she observed Rose. She felt the spell wear off, but couldn't move from the pain. Darkness began to seep into her vision, as if the tower room was suddenly far away. Rose tried to resist falling into the black.
Kneeling down, Maleficent held a hand over Rose's heart. "Sleep, and the pain will go away."
The darkness became harder to resist, and she could hardly see Maleficent. The darkness was tempting. It would be easier if Rose just went to sleep. The pain seemed to subside, just as Maleficent said it would. If her mother couldn't defeat the witch, what made her think she could?
She didn't know exactly what she wanted, as she had been vague. Rose didn't understand all this talk about hearts. Whatever spell was being cast over her own heart made her feel drained. Giving up meant that Maleficent could do whatever she wanted to to her. Considering everything Rose had gone through to get here, and her home, she didn't want those to get ruined. She wouldn't give Maleficent the satisfaction.
This place didn't make a lot of sense. Rose could feel the hilt of the sword near her hand, yet Maleficent was too focused on her spell. Though it took a lot more effort than it should have, Rose lifted the blade and stuck it in Maleficent's side. The witch howled and moved away, the spell broken. The pain in Rose's own side returned, and as did her consciousness. She got up and lunged at Maleficent clumsily. The sword sank into her side again.
The tower room began to shake and crack. Large pieces suddenly fell away. Maleficent was just as surprised as Rose, yet she was less distracted by it and grabbed the girl as the floor fell away beneath them. The sword disappeared from Rose's hand. She tried to pull Maleficent's grip off of herself.
"You're mine, girl!" The witch was very close, but Rose couldn't see her—or anything—as they were falling together. There were plenty of other voices in the dark. "I'll lock you deep in your own heart, where you'll never see light again!"
The darkness gave some way to images. They weren't Rose's memories. In one, she saw her mother and herself kneeling at the main entrance of the castle, looking rough from their journey. In a flash of green, her mother fell over dead. It wasn't from the perspective Rose remembered.
Another image soon followed: a page from an old book, with an illustration of a strange black box. Maleficent's order echoed, although Rose could not see who was there to hear it. "Find it!"
The witch's grip became tighter after they passed that memory; clearly it was something Rose wasn't supposed to see. Despite the struggle, Maleficent was blurry—as if she was fading away. She was using Rose as an anchor.
"Get OFF!" Like the sword's immediate appearance in her hand before, Rose suddenly had the strength to push Maleficent away. She disintegrated in the darkness, yet Rose continued to fall in it.
She was suddenly aware that it was quiet. The memories had quieted, and flew by too fast for Rose to see. They had to be hers, although the deeper they went, the more unfamiliar they were.
Rose came to a sudden stop, shocked by the impact. Yet her body laid in place as if it had been there for awhile. She couldn't move, and it wasn't just because she was half-buried in snow already. Her body did not even shake against the cold. They grey sky above continued to let snow fall.
Something came up from behind and sniffed at Rose, eventually coming around to reveal itself to be a long-legged dog. He sniffed some more, huffed, licked her face, whined, and started digging at her side.
"Go... away." Rose found it too laborious to speak, and she was losing consciousness. She felt the dog lay on top of her and heard him begin howling. Then it all faded away as she returned to the darkness.
The memories were very loud this time. Rose covered her ears against the cacophony. The jeers of children broke through, tauntingly calling her "princess" and "loony". She found herself in a classroom just in time to see her own fist fly into a large boy's face. It was also at that moment that the teacher walked in, and sent Rose to the corner. There were many other memories like this.
Childish jeers turned into orders bellowed over the monotonous drone of machinery. Rose was suddenly dashing about the engine room of Reed's ship, going from one giant part to the next as Brutus stayed in one corner of the room. She couldn't remember why the engine had begun to fail, but she and the two mechanics had managed it long enough for the ship to land somewhere.
The machinery dislodged itself from the floor as the scene faded away. Rose dodged as one large piece came straight for her. It, along with various other pieces of memory, ascended into nothingness as she continued to fall. Suddenly, she found herself in another position: that of flying the shuttle for the first time. Reed stood behind her seat, giving directions from time to time. As jarring as all these changes were, Rose had to smile while flying the shuttle.
A loud bang sounded as the memory changed to a blue sky. Rose was lying on her back, an ache in her side and dust in her mouth. That memory was silent; she began to hear another voice from a different memory.
"It's a shame you can't have kids." Brianne's voice initiated another change of scenery. She and Rose were sitting on the steps that lead into the play yard, watching the younger children play games they had played when they were that age.
"I don't think so. I've had enough of kids from this place." Rose shrugged. "What's the big deal about having kids, anyway?"
"Because we can as women."
"That's a load of crap. I'd rather learn what the boys learn. It'd be more interesting to learn a trade." Both in and out of the memory, Rose could feel the disappointment coming from Brianne.
"You know, all tomboys grow up eventually. You'll find a man and change your tune." The older girl sat up straighter. Back then, she did make Rose feel inferior. Now, Rose could see all of Brianne's flaws. She had never been a good friend. Rose couldn't understand why she spent so long yearning for the girl's favor. She wanted to break the memory by telling the other girl so, but the memory had already ended.
Rose was suddenly standing before Maleficent. They were both in her tower again. Rose couldn't move to attack her; she simply stood there. The witch was pleased to see her.
"It's like I said—you were so heartbroken. And you didn't witness what your father's apprentices had done to him." She explained. "It's tragic to have one's family turn on them."
"Is that what happened?" Rose asked as part of the memory, but she could remember this very well.
"Yes. The apprentices carried on your father's experiments when he stopped. You were much too young to know anything about that." Maleficent looked so pleased to be the one to explain this to Rose first; she hated that. "They dabbled too deep in the darkness without knowing what they were doing. No one could stop them. They paid the price in the end, but not before your parents."
Except they hadn't. Rose now knew that four of the six apprentices had come back to life, but her parents had not. It wasn't fair!
All her life, she had hoped to return home, even if she hadn't believed in it. Rose had expected everything to be fine: there would be no construction, the castle would be in one piece, the apprentices would be deemed traitors and banished or dead, and at least one parent would be overjoyed at her return. Rose had had her heart set on such a situation, and yet the truth was that everything was still in ruins. It was because of the apprentices.
"That's it. Feed your darkness." Maleficent spoke again, breaking from her role in the memory. The scenery remained the same. "How is it that you suffer the most, when you didn't even contribute to the whole story? Why, they treat you like the traitor."
As evil as Maleficent was, she usually had a point. While no one in town had been comfortable even referencing the apprentices in conversation, they did not treat Rose much differently. She didn't do or say what they wanted her to. They had expected someone else, if they even remembered there being a princess. Many didn't believe that Rose was who Merlin said she was. She wished she had remained unknown.
At the thought of the wizard, he appeared not far from Maleficent nor Rose. Leon accompanied him, looking as annoyed as Rose had always seen him.
"They don't have a clear recollection of their betrayal. Ienzo was a child at the time. They claim they were under the influence of Xehanort, and he is one of the three who haven't come back yet." Leon repeated his words from what seemed like a very long time ago. "Their story checks out, as far as I'm concerned. They already got whatever they deserved."
"They tried to destroy this world!" Rose repeated her own words from the memory, having no control of herself as she did. "They're the reason that this place has to be rebuilt!"
"Xehanort had control over them. He was the one who started it. It was Maleficent and her Heartless that caused most of this destruction."
Rose didn't know what to think. She didn't know how someone could have so much control over others that they did not know what they were doing. The apprentices had taken Xehanort, the newest member of their circle, as their leader and attempted to kill her father. When that didn't succeed, Rose's father sacrificed himself in an attempt to kill the apprentices. It all seemed for nothing.
She recalled her mother's execution from the memory that wasn't her own—Maleficent's memory. Rose herself was so still in the moment, watching everything unfold. Beyond them, there were many fires dotting the city, and the walls were crumbling.
"Listen to Leon." Merlin spoke up, bringing Rose's attention back to the tower where they all stood. Leon stood perfectly still, as if he was a statue now. "You know it's possible that the apprentices are mostly innocent-"
"Quiet, you old fool!" Maleficent snapped. "Rosemary, they have taken your rightful home. Trust in the darkness to give you the power to take it back."
"You mustn't! You must learn their side of the story, my lady." Merlin urged. "We have all gotten tired of assigning blame."
He was right. Rose was tired of fighting and being angry. She wanted everything to be fixed as the way they used to be, but was it wrong to accept things as they were? How was Rose supposed to know how things used to be when she had been too young at the time? She didn't want to fight anymore. Rose just wanted to go home and be left alone. She didn't understand anything about this darkness that Maleficent craved and Merlin abhorred. Rose didn't care for it, nor any Kingdom Heart they may desire. All of this was more complicated than it needed to be.
"I can give you everything you want." Maleficent spoke up. "Simply accept your own darkness, and whatever you desire shall be yours."
"Only if it's convenient for you." Rose pointed out, remembering the earlier illusions that Maleficent tried to trick her with. "I'll get whatever I want by myself."
Her answer pleased Merlin, but the witch's expression turned sour. "So be it. I'll pull your darkness forward myself."
With the glow of her staff, Maleficent gestured towards Rose. The small orb at the top of the shaft began pulling at Rose's being. She could not break away from it, and fell forward on hands and knees. She felt drained again.
"No!" Merlin pulled a wand from his robes and cast a spell at Maleficent. Their magics conflicted, and the tower room quickly began falling apart. The two fell quickly out of sight, and Leon simply disappeared.
Rose began falling in the darkness again. Memories came and went too fast for her to comprehend them. Their noise was impossible to understand.
Something suddenly fell onto Rose and held on tight. Despite her attempts to shove it off, it would not let go. She kicked at its legs, and that seemed to loosen the grip.
"It's not fair!" The creature hissed. "They took everything from me!"
It let go to swipe at Rose, sending her off to land on a chunk of stone. She wasn't left alone for long before the dark being pounced on her again. She tried punching its head, but that didn't work very well. So Rose grappled with it until they rolled off of the edge and continued falling together.
"It should be mine!" The monster cried. Rose had to wonder if that was what she truly thought. They seized each other by the necks, trying to snuff each other out. The monster drove Rose into some memory debris, gaining the upper hand as she became disoriented.
She thought about giving in as she was losing consciousness. She wouldn't get what she wanted by becoming this monster. In the end, if the apprentices were killed and Rose took the castle for her own, its desires would not make her happy. That would indeed make her worse than the apprentices. Whatever she wanted, it definitely wasn't that.
With the last bit of strength she had, Rose pulled her head back, then threw it forward at the monster's skull. It let go with a yelp. Rose tucked her legs to her torso and kicked out at the monster, sending it further away from herself, and accelerating her descent.
Rose suddenly jerked forward into consciousness in a dark room. She laid cozily underneath a heavy quilt, and still could not move. She glimpsed two people standing over her, one of which stroked his beard. It all faded away slower than it had come, but Rose was not conscious for long.
She was left in the dark. It took awhile for more memories to appear. The new ones that soon took place were unfamiliar, and came one at a time. They were about a time and home she hardly recognized.
"Uncle Braig!" Her tiny voice cried a couple of times as the moment formed. As a little girl, she ran to the guard with the bandaged face, who was sitting in a remote part of the castle, as if he was trying to have some time to himself. Little Rose had never considered that she might have been unwanted at the moment, but as a teen, she could read the signs clearly.
Nevertheless, the lanky guard ruffled her hair. "Hey, kiddo." Usually he was more animated when Rose came around.
"What happened? Was it a monster?" Her little self sounded very worried. She was obviously looking at the bandages, although now she couldn't remember if she was looking for signs of gore or not.
The guard offered a pained smile, which was probably a result from his wounds. "Yup. A huge one. Even bigger than Aeleus. But we all took care of it, so you don't have to worry."
The news didn't seem to have an effect on Rose. She tried standing a little taller. "Someday I'm gonna fight monsters, too!"
"I'm sure you will!" The guard laughed and ruffled her hair some more. He was about to say something else, but the scene changed, and he disappeared with it.
Still little, Rose found herself skipping along a cobblestone path. She found the guard she was looking for at his usual station.
"Dilan!" She called for his attention, as he was the most focused on his job, and the grumpiest person she knew. She held up a handful of flowers for him to look at. "Here!"
He offered a rare smile and took the flowers. "Thank you."
"My mom helped me pick them!" Rose was proud of herself. "She said they're lilies."
"They are indeed." The guard nodded. "You should run along, lest there be monsters about."
"Okay!" And off she ran.
Rose was even younger in the next memory, but she towered over everything while riding the shoulders of a very large guard. The corridors were dark, and her bedroom even darker when the guard opened the door.
He set her down and went inside. Rose watched as he looked underneath her bed, then in the closet. He came back and pat her on the head. "All clear. There's no monsters."
"Are you sure?" Rose pouted.
"Absolutely." He smiled.
His answer pleased her, and she crawled back into bed. He stayed to make sure she would settle back down. That also gave her time to ask the guard a question. "Aelus, what are giants scared of?"
The guard thought for a moment. "Well, giants are scared about the same things everyone else are."
"Why? Giants can squish everything that bothers them." Rose pointed out.
He only chuckled. "It's okay to be scared. It's the first part of being brave."
She nodded to his advice, although it didn't answer her question at all. She made a face in the dark to show that she could be brave too. The guard couldn't see it.
"Do you need anything else?"
"No."
"Good night, Rose."
"Night, Aelus."
When the door shut, the memory faded into black again. Another memory soon followed, though.
Rose stood beside a desk as a tall apprentice was busy writing something. She waited patiently for him to finish, but when he addressed her anyway, she decided to ask her question.
"Why isn't eleven called onety-one?"
The apprentice considered her question for a moment. Now older, Rose could tell by the way his brows quirked that he was disappointed.
"Because it just isn't. Eleven and twelve are just what they are called." He bent over his writing again, strands of his long blond hair falling as well.
"But why?" Rose persisted.
"It has been this way for as long as our language has existed. It's a rather silly question, don't you think?"
"Not at all." A deep voice entered the room. Rose's father came beside her from behind. "There's nothing silly about questioning why things are they way they are. Such questions can lead to discoveries and changes no one else has thought of before. Rose may indeed be on to something."
Rose beamed, smiling smugly at the apprentice. He ignored her and bowed his head towards her father. "Of course, my lord."
The men continued talking, but the memory faded before Rose could catch onto anything. That was probably because her younger self reached the end of her attention span, and the conversation bored her out of her mind.
She wasn't left alone for long before another memory appeared, that of the blue-haired boy—the one her parents adopted and dressed like an apprentice—doing his best to hide behind a large book. If he wanted to be alone, young Rose was completely oblivious to it.
"You sure do read a lot." She tried making conversation, then opened the book in her hands to a specific page and pointed to a word. "What's this word?"
At first, the boy didn't reply, most likely trying his best to ignore her until she went away. Granted, any time they had interacted before usually left one or both of them in tears. Yet he soon peeked over his book to look at hers.
"Superfluous." The boy said.
"Superfluless." Rose repeated a couple of times, each time slightly different. "What's that mean?"
"Excessive." He said. "Too much."
She nodded slowly, as if she knew the answer. Without asking or being asked, she plopped herself on the parlor couch next to the boy. He hid behind his book again. Rose continued where she left off in hers.
A few short moments later, she pointed to another word to show him. "What's this?"
The boy looked again, looking annoyed at being interrupted in his own reading. "Spurious. False."
Rose repeated the word to herself. She looked at the big book he was reading. The title was hard to pronounce, and the cover didn't have any pictures on it. "Does your tutor make you read really big boring books?"
"They're not boring. They have information. I have to study."
"Why? I don't have to study."
"I just do." The boy stated, his tone conveying that he wanted to end this conversation before Rose started yelling and made him cry. He had seemed so small when they had first met, but now was much more mature than kids his age. He was especially more mature than Rose.
She thought over his words, then offered her book to him. "Here. Read this."
The boy had hid behind his book again, but seemed to know what she was doing. "I don't have time for stories."
"C'moooon. Just try it. Dad reads this to me all the time." Usually right before bedtime, when Rose did not care so much what the words meant; she was just happy to be having quality time with her father. "Doesn't he read to you, too?"
After a couple of seconds, the boy shut his giant book and put it aside. He took Rose's much smaller book and began reading it. Rose decided to read along with him, even if he had gone all the way back to the beginning. The boy wasn't happy to have her reading over his shoulder, but he didn't tell her that she couldn't.
Rose couldn't read the book from her memory, especially as it changed again. She was suddenly outside. Having been shown what to put out of the ground and what was supposed to stay, she was helping to weed the garden. Her mother was nearby, pulling weeds out much faster that she was. Rose had to always double-check before pulling weeds out. Her mother wouldn't have been happy if it had turned out to be a flower.
One weed, though, seemed to have deep roots. Rose continued to pull on it, but it budged ever so slowly. More and more of the root came out of the ground, as if it would never end. She stood and dug her heels into the dirt. Maybe it was a plant that just looked like a weed.
"Rose?" Her mother noticed that she had gone quiet and still. She came around the huge honeysuckle bush to see what trouble the little girl was getting into now.
It was then that the root finally gave way, snapping somewhere deep underground. Rose tumbled over herself as she fell backwards. Dirt was sprayed over both of them. She sat up and shook her head. Then she grinned and showed her mother the weed, which stretched out to be taller than herself. The woman chuckled.
"Good job." She dusted herself off a bit. "But try not to wear that much dirt."
Rose grinned and giggled. No matter what, she always got dirty.
The scene suddenly changed again. Rose was no longer small, but her current age. She stood in a green glade, the trees far enough apart to allow patches of blue sky to be seen above.
For a couple of minutes, Rose was alone. She appreciated it, but could not ever remember having a memory of such a place. Her memories must have finally come to an end. There was nothing to fight any more.
Footsteps sounded behind her. Rose turned to find her mother had approached. They quickly hugged.
"It's definitely you this time?" Rose asked. "Not just a memory, or an illusion?"
"I'm real." Her mother confirmed, petting her hair. "I'm not a trick."
Rose sighed in relief, although she didn't completely feel it. "Then am I dead this time?"
"No. Almost, but you will live." Her mother pulled away to look at her face. "Your father spent so long researching the heart, and yet it continues to baffle him. The bonds of the heart are not something science can explain."
Taking a moment to think that over, Rose realized what she meant. "We're in my heart?"
"Yes. I think it's because of my death that I'm able to be here." Her mother hugged her again, although not so long this time. She began leading her on a trail. "Though I don't think you'll be able to come back here once you leave. It's not good to come in so deep into one's heart like this. In fact, I don't want to see you here again once you have left. It wouldn't do well to lament the past like this. I want you to move on."
"How?" Rose asked. She had so much to think about, and she was no less confused than before.
It took a long moment for her mother to reply, and it seemed that her silence had a purpose. "This deep in your heart, there is only truth. You know your father's apprentices are innocent."
"Yes." She wasn't reluctant to say it, unlike other times.
"They have always been family to you. They may not be the ones you had in mind to return to, but they are family nonetheless. You have to forgive them."
"I don't want to." Rose was reluctant about this.
"Rose," Her mother sighed. "You have the stubbornness of both of your parents."
They walked for awhile in silence. A breeze rustled the leaves above, but there were no birds in the trees. Aside from their footsteps and the leaves, it was quiet. Rose was glad to experience such peace.
"We were so close to home." Her mother eventually spoke again. "You would have loved it. It wasn't as exciting as the city, but an adventurous child like you would have really enjoyed herself."
"It's probably all gone now." Rose mused, then realized she shouldn't have said something that would cause her mother more grief.
Her mother smiled. "I think you'll be surprised. Country folk are hardier than city people."
"I hope so. No one in the city seems to like me."
"They didn't like me, either. Don't let it bother you. Though I'm sure you'll be able to patch things up with the apprentices. You have good memories of them, and I'm sure they have the same for you."
Rose shrugged. "I tried to kill that boy."
"Ienzo? Well, just don't try again. Hopefully you'll both learn to get along better now that you're older." Her mother stated. "You've both made mistakes. Everyone has made a mistake somewhere in all of this. You need to forgive them."
"You never did answer my question." Rose changed the subject as it dawned on her. Neither her real mother in the afterlife, nor the illusion, had answered her question. "Where is Dad? Everyone believes he is dead, but you said before that he is not."
"... He's not." Her mother confirmed. "I honestly don't know. He is in a place like death. As I've said before, you should focus on the family that you have."
Nodding, Rose accepted the answer. She felt exhausted. Her mother stopped to hug her tightly again.
"Is it time for me to go?" Rose guessed. She didn't want to leave, and hoped her own tight embrace around her mother expressed that.
Her mother kissed her forehead. "Yes."
"I don't want to."
"I know. We'll never be able to speak like this again, but know that I am always here." Her mother pet her hair once more. "Live your life. I'm proud of you, and I'll always love you."
Their hug felt different, as if Rose's whole body was tightly embraced. Opening her eyes—truly opening them—she found herself in a bedroom, the bed in one corner. Aside from a wardrobe, a nightstand, and an oil lamp, there was no other furniture. The window was boarded up, causing the whole room to be dark, save for the thin bit of light that seeped through the boards and underneath the door.
Rose was tucked in bed with two quilts. She felt hazy as she struggled to free her arms. Her efforts loosened the quilts around her, but it was too cold in the room to have her arms above the blankets. Underneath the covers, her body was too hot.
She was suddenly overcome by a coughing fit that could not be stifled. It left her desperate for air, and it took a couple of minutes before she could finally breathe normal again. There was a glass of water on the nightstand, but Rose accidentally knocked it to the floor when she attempted to grab it.
All of her noise soon caused the door to open, and a squat woman entered. She carried a candle with her, which splashed her lined face with an orange glow. Seeing that Rose was awake, the woman set the candle on the nightstand, pulled a small object from a pocket, and proceeded to light the oil lamp. It shone much brighter than the candle.
"Are you warm enough?" The woman asked, her voice having a slight rasp to it. She pressed a hand to Rose's forehead, holding the girl's head in place. "You're still burning."
"Y-yes." Rose managed to respond when the hand was retracted. Speaking caused her to go into another coughing fit. It sounded wet. Once that subsided, she took large gulps of air and fought off smaller coughs.
The woman left with her candle, leaving the door open. A minute later, a four-legged creature entered, sniffing all the way up the bed until it came to Rose's face. She tried to shove its muzzle away, to which it responded by climbing onto the bed, settling in the small space between her and the wall.
"Dumb dog." Rose mumbled, feeling herself drifting. Her body was quite warm underneath the covers, but it was a pleasant sort of heat. The dog's body temperature only added to it, keeping the cold out.
She assumed she had only dozed for a few minutes when the woman returned with a tray and a brush. Rose stirred again at the sound of glass being swept up near the bed. The dog wagged his tail, beating the wall and her leg.
"Sit up." The woman said once she finished cleaning up the mess. She helped Rose sit up in the bed and propped the pillows behind her. She set the tray over Rose's lap, sparking further interest from the dog.
"I fed you already." The woman scolded the dog. "Get down."
He understood the order, stepping over Rose and getting off the bed with a huff. The dog sat next to the bed and watched them intently.
Rose didn't take long to look at the bowl of stew in front of her before she realized that she was starving. And yet, she felt too tired to eat. She did it anyway, although slower than she would have liked. The stew and accompanying tea were both hot enough to compensate for how cold her upper body felt without the covers.
"You have a very good dog." The woman stated. "Hunters say he was making all kinds of noise and scaring off the game. They found him trying to dig you out of the snow during a storm."
"He's not my dog. I don't have a dog." Rose explained slowly. She was still so sleepy. The food and drink made it easier to speak, though.
"It seems that you do now. He's been very anxious about you." The woman shrugged, patting the dog on the head. She moved across the room and opened the wardrobe. When she returned to the bedside, she was carrying a sword. "Where did you get this?"
The red jewel on the end of the grey hilt was familiar to Rose. "It was my mother's."
Raising her brows, the woman seemed skeptical. "What's your name?"
"Rose." Another coughing fit came over her, and her upper body shook with it.
"Short for Rosemary?" The woman asked once Rose relaxed again. She simply nodded, finishing the last of the stew.
Once she was finished with the tea as well, the woman set the tray aside on the nightstand and put the sword back into the wardrobe. Rose slunk under the quilts again, grateful for their warmth. The woman observed her for a long moment.
"You should try to get more rest. You're very sick." She finally said. She took the tray and her brush, and gestured for the dog to follow her out of the room. He followed after a long moment of indecisiveness. Rose fell asleep as the door shut.
