Hi guys… so about that KH3 DLC. I can't wait to see it.

Kingdom Hearts © to Disney and Square Enix!

OCs © to me!


Chapter 7


The two boys pulled up the boat to a small island. Eraqus tied it off and jumped up onto the shore. "Come on, Xehanort!"

Xehanort put away his letter to Venus and got out of the boat.

The small island was no bigger than a small house. Tall rock pillars stood in a circle around what seemed to be a basin full of sand(1).

"What is this?"

"The Bifrost." Eraqus smiled. He picked up a rock from the ground and began to carve out a set of runes in the sand. "Done." He stabbed the rock into the sand; a burst of light flooded out from the basin and touched the stone pillars. The stones lit up. Toward the north west, a rainbow spread out from between two stones, shooting off into the sky.

"Whoa…" Xehanort slowly walked toward the rainbow, reaching out to touch it. Instead of his hand going through it, it felt solid under his hand. "B-but… rainbows are just light. Th-this is impossible."

Eraqus laughed, grabbing his friend's hand. "Come on!" He pulled the other boy onto the rainbow bridge. They ran up the bridge. The air around them began to swirl with bright colors as they ran until they could see nothing but a blur of light and color.

In a soft explosion, the colors vanished.

Xehanort gasped.

Now they stood on the rainbow bridge that now sloped downward to an almost identical island.

But that was the only thing that was the same.

The sky was a soft pink, like a beautiful sunrise, and there was no sun. Light still covered everything all the same.

The grass was not green, but a soft gold. It didn't look dead, but alive and glittering in the unseen light. The trees all had white bark with black flecks, but the leaves were pink and purple. The water that streamed away to their right looked to be a soft purple.

Eraqus ran down the bridge to a raft of white wood. "You can gawk later! Come on!"

Xehanort couldn't help it. Everything looked like it came out of a fairytale. It looked magical.

His fellow student had to pull him down to the boat. Eraqus laughed at his friend's wide-eyed, awestruck expression.

They continued on the river, the gorgeous scenery passing by. As they came around a bend in the river, a small house of stone sat beside the river. Leaning over the water, with a small pot was a girl.

The girl looked up at them, giggling as the two boys stared at her with wide-eyes.

She was petite, with soft, pink-orange skin and sky-blue eyes. Her elven ears peaked out from behind her long caramel hair. She wore a loose dress of thin white and yellow fabric, with silver bands woven into her hair.

Eraqus, without thinking, landed his boat on the shore. "Hi…"

"Hello." The girl set down her pot, staring at the two boys. "My name is Þýri(2). And you are?"

"I"m Eraqus."

"My name is Xehanort."

Þýri looked between the two and giggled. "What are two boys from Midgar doing here?"

"We were just visiting." Eraqus rubbed the back of his head. "My friend here has never been here before."

Þýri giggled. "Well, would you two like something to eat?"

"Yes!"

"Come on in." The elf led them into her house. There were no lights, but the house was bright nonetheless. I made some semla earlier for myself, but I would love to share it.

Semla?

Xehanort watched the elf cut up a pastry. The pastry looked like a bun cut in half and stuffed with cream. However, he couldn't shake this feeling… the warm and bright feeling that seemed to touch his heart since he first met the girl.

Glancing over at Eraqus, he wondered what his fellow student was thinking.

Didn't take long to figure that out.

Eraqus stared at the elf girl with a dreamy expression. Oh. That's where his mind was.

"Here." Þýri set the pastry before the two boys.

Was Xehanort just imagining it, or did Eraqus get a bigger piece than him? And was Þýri giving Eraqus an equally dreamy look?

He did not come to play third wheel to his new friend.

"Þýri, why is there no light here but something seems to be bright?"

"We're light elves. We practically make our own light." She smiled. "But, I am a little different. I am currently on a pilgrimage. I was born with not only the Light of Alfheim, but my heart was also made of pure light as well."

Eraqus seemed to snap out of his love-struck stupor at that. "Wait, you're a Princess of Heart?"

Þýri nodded. "Yes. And that makes me pass over the current elf royal family to become queen. That is why I am here. I am alone to cultivate my own light in solitude before becoming the new queen of Alfheim."

"That's so amazing!"

Xehanort nodded. "Yeah… but what's a Princess of Heart?"

"There are seven maidens among all the worlds with hearts of pure light." His fellow student explained. "As wielders, we are tasked to protect them. Some wish to exploit them for their light. That's probably why she's in a discreet location with no guards; it keeps suspicion off of her until she becomes queen."

"Oh." Xehanort gave a slow nod.

Þýri smiled. "Yes, but after you are done, I must ask you to leave. I am to have as little contact with others as possible, but… I was lonely."

"Maybe, I can come back later on and see you then."

Eraqus.

You love-struck fool.

Þýri laughed. "Of course, Eraqus. I would love that."

"Ok, time to go." Xehanort grabbed Eraqus' shoulders and led him outside and to the boat. "Is falling in love on other worlds in the rules?"

"It's not recommended, but my dad did it." He laughed. "Imagine me as king of Alfheim if it did work out."

Xehanort did kinda laugh at the idea. "You're weird."

"So are you."

They laughed and climbed back into the boat. "So, where to next?"

"Back to the house before my mom gets back, that's what."

"Good idea."

Eraqus rowed the boat down the river. Suddenly, something hit the boat with a thunk, causing both boys to jump. The black-haired boy leaned over the edge of the boat, pulling a black, cruel-looking, arrow from the wood(3). A small paper wound around the shaft.

Xehanort looked at the paper as Eraqus unrolled it. Of course, it was written in the runes of this world.

"Oh no…"

"What's it say?"

The other boy's face went white. "I-it says 'thank you for leading us to the princess'."

"Oh, that's bad."

"Very bad."

Eraqus turned the boat around and rowed with all his might. They pulled up against the bank and ran up to the house.

Burned onto the door were two runes. One that looked like an H but with the middle line slanting down like an N. And the second rune looked like . Xehanort looked over at his friend. "What do they mean?"

"The first rune means 'hail' and the second one means 'pain'."

"Hail pain? That doesn't sound good…"

"It's not." Eraqus closed his eyes. "I know who was here. Þýri is gone, and I know where to find her."

Xehanort looked at him; Eraqus shuddered, clutching the arrow in his hand. "What's wrong? Are we going to save her or not?"

"I hate that place. It's dark… you can barely see."

"Eraqus…"

"Niflheim." Eraqus turned and walked toward the boat. "I've been there." He waited until Xehanort got into the boat before pushing off. The boy paddled slowly. "When I was little, I was abducted by the Dark Elves of that realm. Mother had to make a deal with another god named Loki, and he rescued me. I remember. Niflheim was a dark land, foggy, and scary."

Xehanort could see the absolute terror in the eyes of his friend. But Eraqus continued to row toward the islands. "I assume we won't be back before your mom?"

"Nope."

"How much trouble will we be in?"

"A lot."

Xehanort bit his lip, trying to keep his friend talking. "So, why would these dark elves take Þýri?"

"She's light and the next queen. They will use this to start a war and try to destroy the light elves here."

"Well… that sucks."

"Yeah."

The boat bumped up against the little island and both boys got off. Eraqus, almost robotically, carved the runes into the basin of sand before the Bifrost opened up. Xehanort walked beside his friend, up to the bridge.

The walk seemed the same as the last time, until they broke out into the other realm.

Xehanort froze.

This was not like Alfheim at all.

The sky was gray, lit by a full moon. Mountains stretched away, coated in dead trees with wilting leaves. Fog hung over the lower ground, covering everything. The only thing the boys could see that seemed different was the large house, with torches around it, that cut through the fog.

"She's there. At the long house." Eraqus took a deep breath and walked down to the island. Well, island, but the river was nothing but mud. Suddenly, he paused. "Oh no… you have to go back."

"What? Why?"

"You have no weapon and no training. You'll get killed; I can't let you come."

Xehanort grabbed Eraqus' arm. "You and I both got her caught, you're not leaving me out of this! If we have to fight, I can help Þýri run, and you can fight. Sound good?"

"Fine, but if you die I'll bring you back and kill you myself."

"Sounds like a deal."

The two boys crossed the mud river, jumping across stones until their feet crunched on dead grass and leaves. Following the light of the torches, the boys slipped through the fog.

As they drew closer, figures in black cloaks paced between them and the torches. Xehanort paused behind a tree. His breath caught in his throat as he got a good look at one of the dark elves guarding the house.

Their gray skin surrounded pitch black eyes, framed in white hair that blended into the fog.

They were terrifying.

Behind the long house was a small building. Building was a stretch. It was nothing more than a box. Two guards stood before it.

Eraqus pointed and whispered. "That's where they hold prisoners."

"What will they do with her?"

"Probably feed her to Níðhǫggr, the giant serpent that feeds on the dead."

"That's a charming thought…" Xehanort looked at the two guards. "Perhaps, I can distract them and you get Þýri."

Eraqus blinked. "You sure?"

"Yes." Xehanort scooped up some rocks in his hand. He slipped through the fog, followed by Eraqus. He waited until the black-haired boy got behind the prison building. Xehanort chucked a rock at one guard, hitting him in the arm.

The guard turned, catching the attention of the other guard. Both of them began slinking toward Xehanort. The silver-haired boy slipped back into the fog before throwing another rock.

He led them into the fog, making sure he could see, if only a little, the building as Eraqus ran over to the building.

They forgot about Þýri's light.

The moment she stepped out of the box, the world around them lit up with a soft light. Which caught the attention of everyone.

"RUN!"

Xehanort threw one more rock, striking a guard in the head before running back toward the Bifrost. He saw Eraqus, holding the hand of Þýri, running by the guards. They dodged spears and swords, ducking into the trees as the long house door opened.

Dark elves poured out as the three children ran as fast as they could to the rainbow bridge. Eraqus reached it first, carving in the runes before activating the bridge.

The three ran through, with a large party of dark elves on their tail. Coming out in Alfheim, they jumped into the boat, pushing off from the shore just as the dark elves came out of the Bifrost.

Xehanort could hear the angry cries of the elves behind them as they rounded a bend in the river. "Þýri, is there anyway to signal your people to come find us?"

"Of course." The elf held up her hand. A beam of light shot into the sky as they drifted along the river.

Soon, the trees to their right parted, and a group of male light elves looked at them. "Lady Þýri!?"

"Father!" The princess jumped from the boat, jumping much further than the two boys thought she could, into the elves' arms. "Father…"

"What happened, Þýri?"

"The dark elves, they captured me and took me to Niflheim, but these two rescued me." Þýri smiled back at the two boys who sat in the boat that now rested against the shoreline.

The male elf walked to the two, towering over them. "I am Cenric. Who are you?"

"My name is Xehanort."

"My name is Eraqus, I am the adopted son of Freya."

Cenric looked over them and nodded. "I see. Thank you for rescuing my daughter." He and the other elves bowed. "We will take it from here."

"Thank you, sir." Both boys bowed as well.

Þýri smiled at both boys. "Thank you Xehanort." Her smile widened slightly. "Thank you, Eraqus."

Eraqus smiled back. "It was no trouble."

"Þýri, we must go."

The girl gave the boys one last wave before following her father and the other elves away. Both boys got back in the boat and turned around toward the rainbow bridge.

Smiles brightened their faces as Eraqus carved out the runes into the basin and activated the bridge.

That didn't last long.

As they came out on the other side…

"WHERE HAVE YOU TWO BEEN!?"

Freya.

Master Fuji.

The boys smiled. "Hi…"


Someone's in trouble, lol.

Please review!


Footnotes:

(1) In "God of War" this is what Atraes writes the nordic runes in for certain puzzles.

(2) Þýri is pronounced (th-ai-ree).

(3) Think the orc arrows in "Lord of the Rings".


VAs:

Þýri- Laura Post (Macrophage, Isabella, Commander Trugg, Tellu, Red's Mom)

Cenric-Billy Kametz (White Blood Cell, Naofumi Iwatani, Josuke Higashikata)


"O my son, give me your heart. May your eyes take delight in following my ways."

Proverbs 23:26