Kingdom Hearts: Final Confrontation

Sherwood

The gummi ship had managed its way to the next realm, where it was said that the first of the five Blade Generals resided. The gummi ship disembarked into the thicket of a dense forest. There was no sign of civilization anywhere. Only the quaint sound of nature echoed about, under the canopy of high oaks. There was the chirping of birds high in the trees, the sound of a nearby stream, and the smell of lavender and wild flowers freely growing in what seemed like a spring mood. Sora inhaled the fresh spring air.

"Nothing like the sound of the great outdoors." He chuckled.

"Don't get too intoxicated over this." Riku said. "We have a mission to fulfill. We have to track down General Knives."

"I wonder where we start" Donald implied. "This is an awfully large forest. I don't think that there's anyone about in the middle of the woods that would be of any use to us."

"Then, it's best that we start searching for any signs of a possible settlement." Sora said. It was at that moment that there was the sound of trumpets bellowing in the air, interrupting the tranquil peace of the forest. It seemed to sound like a royal fanfare.

"You wanted to know if there was any civilization about," Riku said, "then that must be the source." The KH team left behind their gummi ship, locking and securing it before departing. They rushed to where they heard the sound of the trumpets. Sure enough, as they came to the edge of a clearing, there was a dirt road upon the ground and coming of the road were a series of different animals. In the front, an alligator dressed in a red cloak, bearing what looked like the flag of a noble. Following him were a few elephants that blew their trunks like brass horns of royals. Upon their erected trunks, there flew that same symbol, representing someone of high or even royal status. Following close behind was a company of rhino guards. They were dressed in heavy chest armor and carried long staff battle axes at their sides. They marched in unison as if with one soul. Behind that company were four other rhino guards carrying a golden chest that was tightly locked and chained. Following them was a pair of those same trumpeting elephants who drew behind them a gold carriage with red drapery as the interior. And following the carriage were two more companies of those rhino guards with their battle axes erected into the air. They marched like thunder down the road.

"Without a doubt," Riku implied, "That must be nobility, if not royalty."

"Maybe they can tell us where we can find the next town." Sora said.

"Don't rush in too hastily. Don't you remember what Triiken said? The royals of this world are helping the Midnight Faction increase their revenue by exploiting the rest of the population. And I don't know about you, but that escort must be in league with the Midnight Faction."-

"What should we do then?" Goofy asked.

"We stay out of sight, away from this road and observe from a distance."-

"Riku's right. We should not go in without knowing the intensions of our enemies." Sora agreed. The KH team retreated to the thicket and observed as the party went by.

But as they observed, two gypsy fortune tellers emerged on the scene. One was rather short and scrawny. The other was large and rather plump.

"Oo-de-lally!" the smaller one shouted. "Oo-de-lally! Fortune tellers!"

"Fortune's forecasts, lucky charms!" the fatter one added.

"Get the dope on your horoscope!"-

"Who are those two?" Donald wondered.

"Fortune tellers." Goofy implied.

"Hey Riku," Sora said, "maybe we can get those two fortune tellers to see if we're gonna win or not."

"Don't tell me that you actually believe in all that mumbo jumbo." Riku replied.

"It's fairly possible though."-

But just as he had finished this statement, a head suddenly appeared out of the golden carriage. It was a royal due to the crown atop his head. He was a lion, a rather young and ignorant one at that. It was none other than the venerable and phony king of England, Prince John.

"Fortune tellers!" he chuckled. "How droll! Stop the coach!"

Soon after, a serpent dressed in a miniature cape and hat emerged poked his head out of the carriage. It was Prince John's closest advisor, Sir Hiss. He had a suspicious look on his face, not trusting the two gypsies that appeared on the scene.

"Sire, sire," he uttered, "they may be bandits."

"Oh poppycock! Female bandits, what next? Rubbish." He waved to the two gypsies. "Come forward my dear ladies." The two giddily approached the carriage. John stretched forth his hands, revealing rings with exceptionally large stones upon his fingers. "My dears, you have permission to kiss the royal hands whichever you like." The two gypsies' eyes grew big. The small one grabbed one hand and quickly slid the ring off the king's hand.

"How very gracious of you, sire," the smaller of the two gypsies uttered, "and generous."

"Sire, sire!" Hiss shouted. His slithery tongue tickling the inside of John's ear. Prince John threw his finger in his ear.

"Hiss," John said, "stop hissing in my ear."

Sure enough, the fatter of the two gypsy women kissed John's other finger, taking the stones of the rings with each pucker. Hiss saw this point blank and warned his majesty. But John was too wrapped up in his own superiority to realize what was really going on.

"Did you see?" Hiss cried, his slithery tongue entering John's ear again. "Did you see!" John dug his finger into his ear. He then grabbed Hiss by the throat.

"Hiss!" he roared. "You've hissed your last!" He threw the serpent in a basket and flopped onto the lid. "Suspicious snake."

"Masterfully done, Your Excellency." The smaller of the two gypsies said, as she entered the carriage and closed the drapes. Meanwhile, the fat one meandered around the carriage, listening to their conversation. It was then that she took out a round glass orb with a few fireflies buzzing about inside.

"Alright you little fireflies." The fat gypsy uttered, hanging the glass sphere on a string attached to a stick. "Glow babies, glow."

"Those two are nothing, but a couple of frauds!" Sora implied.

"It's just like bandits stealing from a royal." Riku added. "But I think that fat prince needs to get ripped off. He's too high and mighty for his own good."

"Hey! Look at what that fat one's doing next!" The KH team saw as the fat gypsy managed to slip unnoticed passed the guards and cut a hold at the bottom of the golden chest. A great deal of gold coins came pouring out from under the chest and the gypsy let the currency spill into her blouse. Soon after, the small gypsy emerged from the carriage, wearing the red satin robe of a noble. There were two large sacks of what looked like gold in her hands. The two scurried off into the woods. The minute the prince threw open the drapes to his carriage, John was in his Johns. He looked to see himself deprived of all clothing, not including his long, thermal underwear, and the two gypsies scurrying away.

"Robbed! He cried. "I've been robbed! Hiss, you're never around when I need you!" Hiss managed to free himself from the basket and approached John. "Eh…I've been robbed."

"Of course you've been robbed!"-

"Oo-de-lally, Oo-de-lally!" the small gypsy cried.

"Fortune's forecasts, lucky charms!" the fat one cried.

"After them, you fools!" Prince John ordered. Immediately, the guards began to take chase.

"It looks like those two gypsies are running." Sora said.

"Yeah," Donald uttered, "And their coming straight for us!" The KH team realized that they were in the path of the fugitive gypsies.

"Watch out!" the smaller of the two shouted.

"Gain way!" Goofy cried. But it was too late, both of the gypsies managed to trip over the KH team. Gold coins flew into the air and landed on the ground. Both parties rubbed their craniums and gazed about.

"Didn't we tell you to move!" the smaller gypsy said with a deep voice. The disguise had been knocked off and the head of a male fox was revealed.

"You…you're not a woman." Sora uttered. "You're a…a guy."

"Of course I'm not a woman. This plan was going well until you pummeled into us!"

"C'mon Rob!" the larger of the two said. "We gotta go. Let's pick up what we can of the gold and skedaddle!" The two scurried to pick up what gold coins they could.

"There they are!" one of the rhino guards shouted. "And they have accomplices!"

"Us?" Donald uttered. "Accomplices?"

"Well, it looks like we're all in the same boat now." Sora implied.

"I'll draw their attention." Riku said. He jumped up to face the oncoming guards.

"Riku, are you crazy, or something! Get back here!"-

"These guys are easy pickings. I can take care of them no sweat!"-

"Man…"-

"One of them is getting away!" the guard shouted. "Catch him!" Riku, using Darkness Decoys, created several images of himself and had them scatter about the area, confusing the guards into different directions. "They're running back to the road!"

"Don't let them get away!" another guard cried.

"Well, that'll stall for time." Sora implied.

"OK, Rob," the larger of the two bandits uttered, "Let's get going."

"Right." The small one replied.

"Wait!" Sora said. "We're coming with you."

"Come with us?"-

"These guys already think that we're bandits, so trying to negotiate would be out of the question."-

"So be it. Follow us then into the thicket of the forest."-

"Riku, we're going with them!"-

"Way ahead of you!" Riku chuckled, as he appeared ahead of Sora.

"I really hate it when he does that."-

"Let's get going." Donald shouted. The four went sprawling after the two bandits. In the meantime, Prince John's guards rushed back to where their master awaited them.

"Well, what is the meaning of this!" Prince John scowled. "Not only do you all run off leaving me completely unprotected, but now you have the audacity to come back here empty handed?"

"But Sire," the captain of the guards said, "they managed to get away by running into the darkness of the forest. To make things worse, they had what seemed like hundreds of men under their wing."

"Hundreds you say?"-

"Our men were trying to trek them down, but it was if they were chasing mere shadows."-

"Shadows?"-

"What's going on here?" a voice shouted out. Prince John looked to see a band of Horse men approaching at quick pace. Upon the leading horse was none other than General Knives. The general was of average height; about 5 ft. 9 in. tall. He had long flowing blond hair in the shape of a ponytail. He wore a distinguishable red trench coat seemingly patterned in an early 19th century fashion. Beneath it was a glimmering armored chest piece. Accompanying General Knives was the Sheriff of Nottingham as well as soldiers of his staff. "And why are you indecent, your majesty."

"Bandits ran off with the gold, General." John implied, trying to conceal his long johns. "As well as my wardrobe."

"Bandits!"-

"They came in dressed as fortune tellers and conned me into believing that they could see my future. Foolishly, I accepted them and they ran off with my gold."-

"You mean my gold."-

"Could it have been Robin Hood?" The sheriff uttered.

"Without a doubt!" Prince John replied.

"I tried to warn you, Sire." Hiss said.

"Silence you…!"-

"Confound that Robin Hood!" The sheriff said. "He's always causing trouble for us."

"I take it that this Robin Hood has notorious reputation for being a master thief then?" General Knives implied.

"He's one of the best I think." Prince John said. "He's always managed to elude us."

"Then, I shall send in the best of my men to trek him down."-

"Believe me, we've tried that. But it seems as if they just disappear into the forest every time we're hot on their trail."-

"Well, perhaps you can some how lure him out." General Knives dismounted his horse. "We'll continue back to the castle. Meanwhile, on the way, why don't you inform me on the back ground of this Robin Hood? Is there anything that he may find of interest, or great value?"-

"We'll um…"-

The party continued on their way back to castle.

Meanwhile, the KH team followed the two bandits behind a raging waterfall into a hidden nook which acted as their hide out. The two undressed themselves out of their dressed and back into their green wardrobe.

"At least we managed to get away with this gold." The larger bandit implied.

"I agree." The smaller of the two added. "If it wasn't for these young men helping us, we would have been caught for sure." He walked up to Riku and Sora and shook their hands. "Thank you for helping us."

"Who are you exactly?" Sora asked.

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Robin Hood. And my large companion next to me is my closest friend and ally, Little John."-

"Little?"-

"You're not the first one to make that mistake, kid." Little John chuckled. "Don't let the name fool you. In real life, I'm really big."

"I'm Sora. And these are my friends, Riku, Donald, and Goofy."-

"It's a pleasure." Robin Hood implied.

"So tell us what you two are planning to do with that gold?" Riku asked.

"What we intend to do is distribute it back to the poor in Nottingham. You see, Prince John has been burdening the people with heavy payments of taxes. Many of these simple folk are only given so much for their hard work, but are expected to pay twice of what they've earned. Because of this, many of the people can't even afford to feed their families, or clothe their children due to the high prices in taxes. Those who couldn't pay lost everything they owned, or were sent to jail. That is why we steal the money from Prince John, so as to give it back to the people."-

"Prince John's just the phony king of England." Little John implied.

"When you say phony King of England, do you mean he's just filling in for someone else?" Riku asked.

"Our true king, King Richard the Lion Heart," Robin explained, "Has gone off to fight in the crusades. His halfwit brother now abuses the power of royalty for his own amusement."

"To add," Little John said, "he's almost impossible to oppose now ever since he allied with that general."

"General?" Donald asked.

"Yeah, he's one of those generals in charge of what looks like a mercenary group. His men marching around in those black uniforms."-

"Black uniforms?" Goofy said.

"He also has shadows for soldiers."-

"Shadows?"-

"Heartless…" Sora whispered.

"Do you remember his name?" Robin Hood said. "Prince John said it once back in Nottingham."

"I think it was something like knives, or something." Little John replied.

"General Knives!" Sora said.

"Then it is him." Riku implied.

"You two know him?" Little John asked.

"He's the reason we've come in the first place." Sora said. "He is one of the five Blade Generals."

"Blade Generals?"-

"Five powerful commanders of the Midnight Faction. What he's trying to do is collect revenue for the Midnight Faction and he's using Prince John as his pawn."-

"He's collecting revenue?"-

"Why do you think Prince John is burdening the people with such high taxes?" Riku said. "He's using the people to pay for the faction's funding."

"In exchange, Prince John has gained a powerful ally." Robin said. "And he'll have no trouble seizing the throne itself."

"Then this will work out well for both of us. You want to stop Prince John from seizing control and we need to stop the faction from gaining revenue here. So the best course of action would be to help one another."-

"What do you propose we do?" Sora asked.

"We have to somehow create a rift between them and break up their alliance. Only when we break their alliance do we have a chance of winning this. Now, seeing Prince John, he doesn't seem like one who marches into battle first, so he'll be easy to subdue. But it is General Knives we have to put an end to. When we defeat him, not only do we gain the necessary data, but we also manage to save this world in the process."-

"That's sounds good!" Donald said.

"That sounds great!" Goofy added.

"That sounds like an excellent plan!" Sora chuckled. But as he finished his statement, there was a loud rumble from his stomach. "But first, you think I can have a little something to snack on."

"Sora, you're hopeless." Riku said with as smile, placing his arm around his best friend. "I guess there's no use doing anything on empty stomachs."

"Then let's pull out some grub." Little John implied. There was a good laugh amongst the group.

Back at the castle, General Knives joined with Prince John, Sir Hiss, and the Sheriff in a private meeting in the prince's counting room. He poured a brandy into four separate baubles and gave them to Prince John and his two well trusted subordinates. He then sat down with them.

"Now tell me all you know about this Robin Hood." Knives implied. "I want to know all the information you have regarding this elusive individual."

"I can tell you this much." Prince John replied. "Robin Hood is one of the craftiest thieves ever to roam about the English countryside. He is also considered to be the best archer in the land."

"An archer you say?"-

"Yes. And we have attempted to do all in our power to try and find him. He has been looting the parties that carry my taxes and your revenue."-

"He claims to give it back to the poor." The Sheriff added. "I believe that this rumor is true. The reason why is because no matter how heavy the taxes, some of the people manage to have extra coins on them. Go figure."

"For years I have been trying to catch Robin Hood and march him to the gallows." Prince John said again. "But I never manage to find him."

"Perhaps the best course of action would be to lure him to us somehow." General Knives instructed.

"How are we to do that though?" Sir Hiss asked.

"You say that he is the best archer in the land. Well, the best course of action would be to oblige him on his title. You must throw a public event and invite the greatest archers in the land. Once he hears word of this, Robin Hood will not be able to resist the temptation of participating. He'll be like the pike lured to the bait of a fisherman's hook."-

"But how do you know that Robin Hood will be lured into the trap. Even he wouldn't dare to chance being discovered just for the sake of proving his archery skills." Prince John implied.

"I can assure you that a man like that has his pride to worry about. He'll make an appearance. And without a doubt, he will come disguised. However, the detail of his disguise cannot hide his eye for targeting a bull's eye in the absolute center. I can assure you that the one who emerges victorious in this archery contest will be Robin Hood."-

It was at that moment a young woman entered the chamber.

"My Lord." She uttered. "I take leave to my quarters."

"Very well, my dear." Prince John implied. "I shall see you in the morning." The young woman curtsied and withdrew from the room. For that brief moment, this young vixen had caught the eye of General Knives.

"That young fox," he uttered, "who is she?"

"That is Maid Marian. She is staying here at the palace for a temporary period to make appearances to the people. We royals must show good image at times of turmoil you know."-

"Anything significant about her?"-

"Nothing out the usual, General." General Knives stood up and walked to the door.

"I shall return." General Knives walked out of the room. He quietly went down the hall, to the door of Maid Marian. The door was slightly ajar and he peeked in. There, he saw Marian dancing about. In the room with her was her helpful hand, Lady Kluck keeping her company.

"Aw me," Lady Kluck uttered, as she knitted yarn into the form of a blanket, "Young love. Oh, it's a grand thing."

"Surely he must know how much I still love him." Marian said, opening door of her wardrobe cabinet, revealing the wanted poster of Robin Hood. She looked at it with great passion.

"But of course my dear. Believe me my dear some day soon, your uncle, King Richard, will have an outlaw for an in-law."

"But when?"-

"Patience my dear, patience. Remember absence makes the heart grow fonder."-

"Of forgetful. I've been away so long. What if he's forgotten all about me?"-

"Oh you'd be surprised, my dear, how much such a loyal heart yearns for a familiar face."-

This conversation between Marian and Lady Cluck was all too clear to the general who at that moment thought of a perfect plan. He meandered back to the counting room where Prince John, Sir Hiss, and the sheriff were still sipping away at their brandy.

"I was wondering where you went off to." Prince John implied. "I must enlighten you on what we were discussing in your absence. Now just suppose that there is an archer out there that we don't know of, who has skills that even exceed Robin Hood's. What if that person were to win? We couldn't just assume that that was Robin Hood in a simple disguise could we?"

"If you're going to bring up an alternative plan," General Knives insisted, "Then I have a full proof strategy that is sure to lure the fox out of his layer. What have you decided on as the reward to be given to the winner?"

"I was thinking of giving the winner a golden arrow, forged by fifty of the purest gold coins within this counting room."-

"How about a consolation prize to add to that."-

"What is it that you had in mind?"-

"Tell me what Maid Marian's reputation is, other than being compassionate and being a royal."-

"She has a reputation for being one of the prettiest young women throughout England."-

"Then I suggest that we offer her as that consolation prize."-

"What! A royal being given to a mere peasant!"-

"No, just a kiss to the winner."-

"That's rather interesting." Prince John stood up. "Then it shall be declared that the winner of the championship archery contest shall receive the golden arrow and a kiss from the lovely Maid Marian."

"Well, that's in it for me." The Sheriff uttered, standing up with a love gaze in his eyes. "If there's a kiss an a little bit of gold in it all, then count me in." The sheriff dashed out of the room. "I better go tend to my bow!"

"That poor man has no chance whatsoever."-

"And how will Maid Marian's involvement in this help lure out Robin Hood?" Prince John asked.

"Not even he can put down being kissed by such beauty." General Knives implied.

"I suppose you are right."-

"Besides," Knives thought to himself, "knowing Robin Hood, if his heart is as loyal to Maid Marian as earlier stated, then he would do all in his power to prevent anything bad from happening to her. He will become reckless and hope to save her. And when that happens, the infamous, elusive bandit will finally be captured."

At this same time, Robin Hood and Little John were attending to the KH team, keeping them as comfortable as possible. Robin was responsible for cooking a thick stew. He sat near the pot stirring away. But at this time, he seemed rather odd, humming a sweet tune with the look of lightheadedness on his face. Little John on the other hand, wearing a white apron, was busy hanging the laundry. Sora and Riku sat down near a large boulder. Goofy and Donald polished their weapons near a large oak tree.

"Man," Sora uttered, his stomach rumbling, "I'm getting really hungry."

"Well, it's been a while since we've eaten." Riku added. "We could all use a little nourishment right now."

"Don't worry," Little John chuckled, as he hung up a shirt, "Supper is almost ready." He turned to Robin Hood who still stirred away at the stew and hummed. "Hey Rob, how's that grub coming man, we're starved." There was no answer as Robin continued to stir away. "Rob? Robin? Hello?" There was still no reply. Finally, Little John had to shout out. "Hey!"

"Hey what?" Robin Hood muttered, snapping out of his daze, "What did you say?"

"Oh forget it. Your mind is not of food. You're thinking about someone with long eyelashes and you smell their sweet perfume." However, the aroma that lingered was not that of sweet perfume. Instead, it was the strong, irritable smell of an overcooked meal. Little John began to cough as the aroma lingered in the air.

"Oh, the soup's boiling over!"-

"You're burning the chow!" Little John took the cauldron pot off the fire and placed it on a rock to cool.

"What happened?" Sora asked. "Did the food burn?"

"Is everyone alright?" Goofy said as he and Donald ran to see what was going on.

"Well, the food was just a little overdone." Riku implied as he inspected the contents within the pot.

"I'm sorry, Johnny." Robin Hood said humbly. "I guess I was just thinking about Maid Marian again."

"Maid Marian?" Donald asked.

"Who's Maid Marian?" Sora asked.

"Only the one woman that old Rob here has fallen head over heals for." Little John explained. "Every time, he thinks of her he acts like his head is up in the clouds."

"She really must have charmed you." Riku chuckled.

"She is the most beautiful sight I had ever bestowed my eyes on." Robin said. He wiped off the morsels of food from his shirt. "I can't help it. I love her, Johnny."

"Ah Rob, look why don't you stop moaning and moping around and just marry the girl." Johnny implied.

"Marry her? You don't just walk up to a girl, hand her a bouquet and say 'hey remember me? We were kids together. Will you marry me?' It just isn't done that way."-

"Aw c'mon Rob! Climb the castle walls, sweep her off her feet and carry off in style."-

"He's right Robin." Sora implied. "Express your love then there will be no denial after that."

"If you let this opportunity pass you up, you'll never have a second chance." Riku added.

"It's no use, fellows." Robin uttered. "I've thought it all up, it just wouldn't work. Besides, what do I have to offer her?"

"Well for one thing you can't cook." Little John said, sniffing the burnt stew.

"I'm serious Johnny! She's a natural born lady of quality!"-

"So she has class. So what?"-

"I'm an outlaw that's what! And that's no lifestyle for a woman like that, always on the run. What kind of life would that make for us?"-

"Ah, for heaven's sake son!" a voice shouted out, scaring the party. They looked to see an old badger friar standing there. "You're no outlaw. Why someday, you'll become a great hero."

"Who is that?" Donald asked.

"Oh, I see we have company." The old badger uttered. He shook the hands of the KH team. "Allow me to introduce myself, young sirs. I am Friar Tuck, the local member of the clergy. You might say that I'm the one who distributes the money to the people."

"Nice to meet you." Sora implied.

"You say that one day Robin will become a great hero?" Riku asked.

"That's right, young man. A great hero! When the rightful King, King Richard, returns, he will set things right and brand this outlaw as the savior of a nation!"-

"A hero, he says." Robin chuckled. "Did you hear that Johnny boy? We've just been pardoned."

"That's a gas." Little John said. "We haven't even been arrested yet."

"Alright, laugh you two rouges." Friar Tuck implied. "But there is going to be a big to do in Nottingham. The word is out that old Prince John is throwing a championship archery tournament tomorrow."

"Archery tournament, old Rob can win that thing standing on his head, eh Rob?"-

"Thank you Little John." Robin Hood replied, tipping his hat and bowing respectfully. "But I'm sure we're not invited."

"No, but there will be someone who'd be very disappointed if you don't come." Friar Tuck explained.

"Yeah, yeah," Little John said, "Old bushel britches, the honorable sheriff of Nottingham."

"No. Maid Marian…"-

"Maid Marian…?" Robin's heart began to pound.

"Yep, she's gonna give a kiss to the winner."-

"A kiss to the winner?" Robin suddenly began leaping for joy. "Oo-de-lally, c'mon Johnny, what are we waiting for!"

"Hold it there, Rob! Hold it!" Little John protested. "That place might be crawling with soldiers."

"Aw, but remember. Faint hearts have never won fair ladies!" Robin threw his had up in the air. He then shot an arrow with his bow. The arrow ricocheted off an iron pan, a rock, and the cauldron before flying skyward and hitting Robin's hat in thin air. The hat then landed gently upon his head again.

"That was cool." Sora said.

"Fear not my friends for this will be my greatest performance."-

"It's best that we keep an eye out though." Riku whispered to the KH team. "Knowing this, there might just be a ploy to capture him. It's best that we keep a close eye out tomorrow."

Night had passed quickly and the day of the tournament had arrived. There was great fanfare of the trumpets and the soldiers marched in a grand procession. To add, now there were now soldiers of the Midnight Faction who stood guard. They were posted in droves near the royal box. In the meantime, the rhino guards of Prince John stormed in unison before the surrogate king. Prince John sat on the king's high throne, which proved too big even for him. Next to him was Sir Hiss, dressed in an orange hat and cloak.

"Well, Hiss," Prince John uttered, "This is a red letter day, a Coup d'etat to coin the Norman fraise."

"Yes indeed, Sire." Hiss implied. "Your plan to capture Robin Hood is shear genius." Hiss heightened himself, confident of the plan, little knowing that he sat taller than Prince John.

"Hiss, no one sits higher than the king." He lowered his subject below his height. "Must I remind you, Hiss?"

"Oh do forgive me, Sire for not expressing my humility before you." It was at that moment that General Knives presented himself before the royal box.

"All troops have been stationed and the trap has been set." He said. "Now all we have to do is wait for our prey to reveal himself. I hope you don't mind if I seat myself for this upcoming military procession." He took the seat next to Prince John and admired the spectacle of the royal guards. This position, however, did not bode well in the eyes of Prince John, who found the general's actions insulting. Not only did General Knives not bow before him as he entered the box, or bother to stand at attention before the prince. Instead, he only walked in and sat himself down on the chair to the far left. However, Prince John did not dare to utter a word, knowing the position of power that the general took. After the military procession, the general stood up again. This time, he bowed respectfully, but indirectly at Prince John's side. "I take my leave, Sire. I shall continue to patrol the area for this insolent blackguard." He walked away without a second glance.

"How dare that man sit higher than the king." Prince John implied. "And how dare he not give me proper homage when he came before the royal box."

"Such insolence." Sir Hiss added. "He showed no humility when he sat down next to your majesty. In fact, he's had a scorn for you since our alliance was first formed."

"But then again, I am in no position to be badgering him about it." Prince John gazed at the soldiers in black who were stationed throughout the area. "I must have our alliance prevail. I can't gain control of this country without him. And I cannot afford to have General Knives turn against me."

"Then, you should do away with him, your majesty."-

"And declare war on the Midnight Faction? What a ridiculous notion."-

At the same time, Maid Marian and Lady Kluck were working their way passed the different color tents to the royal box. Maid Marian was ecstatic with joy as she had heard from Friar Tuck that Robin Hood was to be there, competing in the championship.

"Oh, Klucky!" she giggled as she danced about as if in a dream. "I know that Robin will be here. But how will I recognize him?"

"Oh he'll give you the hint." Lady Kluck replied. "That young rogue of yours is so full of surprises my dear." The two continued, not knowing that Robin Hood, Little John, and the rest of the KH team were watching from the thicket of trees. They had disguised themselves as peasants, except for Little John who acted the part of a nobleman. Robin Hood himself had dressed as a fiddle-legged stork.

"There she is, Johnny." He uttered as he emerged from the brush on his stilted legs. "Isn't she beautiful?"

"Cool it lover boy!" Little John said as he pulled Robin back into the bushes and placed a fake beak on his face. "Your heart's starting to run away with your head."

"Little John has a point." Sora implied. "We wouldn't want to blow our cover in such a hurry."

"Aw, stop worrying," Robin said, "This disguise could fool my own mother."

"Yeah, but your mom ain't here." Little John replied. He pointed out and there, the Sheriff of Nottingham came strolling through. "You got to fool old bushel britches." Robin only winked and, dressed like a stork, emerged from the bushes to confront the sheriff head on.

"Sheriff, your honor?" Robin spoke in a high squeaky voice to conceal his identity.

"Yeah?" The sheriff replied. Robin shook his hand hardily.

"It is a really pleasure. Meeting you face to face is a real treat, a real treat."-

"Well, thank you. Thank you kindly. Excuse me I got to go win this tournament." The sheriff wiped his hands on his coat not feeling comfortable with shaking hand of who he thought was a mere vagabond.

"He actually got away with it." Sora uttered.

"You wouldn't even know he was a fox." Donald implied.

"Come on, you guys." Riku said. "Let's mingle with the crowd."

"Alright." Goofy agreed. The KH team worked their way through the crowd.

"Hey, Rob's not a bad actor." Little John chuckled. "But wait till he sees the scene I lay on Prince John." With that, Little John emerged from the bushes and approached the royal box. In a high ranking tone, Little John introduced himself. "Ah, my lord, my esteemed, royal sovereign of the realm, the head man himself, you're beautiful."

"He has style, eh Hiss?" Prince John implied.

"You wouldn't mind if I called you P.J. would you?"-

"P.J. I like that! You know I do! Hiss, put it on my luggage!" Prince John gave a simultaneous snicker. "P.J…"

"And you…" Sir Hiss implied, rather brash. "Who might you be, Sir?"

"I am Sir Reginald." Little John replied in the best snooty accent he could muster. "Duke of Chutney." He then saw Hiss's serpent snake stick out. Taking the hat from atop the advisor's head, he stuffed it over Hiss's mouth. "And don't stick your tongue out at me, kid." Resuming his roll, Little John kneeled before the prince acting so humbly before him. Taking the Royals hand, he attempted kiss in respect, or so it seemed. "And now, your mightiness, allow me to lay some protocol on you."

"Oh no…!" Prince John said, pulling his hand away. "Forgive me, but I intend to lose more jewels that way. Please sit down."

"Thanks P.J. You can't get a better seat than this, the royal box." Little John sat himself on the chair in the far left of the box, right next to Sir Hiss.

At the same time, Riku and Sora, along with Goofy and Donald, gazed around the area. At every corner they turned, there were Midnight Faction soldiers standing on guard.

"Why the heck are there so many faction soldiers around?" Sora asked.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say they were getting ready for a big coup." Riku explained. "And Prince John will be too powerless to make a difference."

"If General Knives seizes power, he'll suck the population dry of their livelihood. Every scrap of gold, silver, and jewelry will go to funding the revenue of the faction."-

"And the funny thing is that the amount of revenue made here is barely at the 1 level."-

"Uh fellers?" Goofy implied. The KH team looked to see a company of soldier Heartless emerge from the ground. They spread themselves about, going on patrol.

"Heartless." Donald said.

"The Heartless must be looking for us." Sora said.

"We mustn't deploy our keyblades then." Riku replied. "Otherwise, it'll be our necks they'll be after. And we can't afford to confront Prince John as long as he obtains an alliance with General Knives. We have to somehow break up their alliance."

"But how do you know they will want to break up their alliance?"-

"A man like General Knives doesn't want an inept leader like Prince John to coexist with him."-

"Hey listen." Donald said. The four heard a sudden conversation emerge from behind one of the tents.

"I cannot afford to form an alliance with such an imbecile!" the voice shouted. The four hid in one of the vacant tents. They observed to see where the enraged voice was coming from. It was at that moment that General Knives appeared with one of his subordinates.

"It's General Knives alright." Sora said.

"That Prince John is nothing, but an incompetent royal with no responsible attitude except for the welfare of his own selfish pride!" Knives roared.

"I understand, sir." The subordinate agreed.

"The revenue we collect here doesn't amount to more than a single percentage level. I was only placed here to deter the keybearers from interfering with our main plans. I was hoping to form an alliance and gain vital information that might help us in our cause and to help strengthen our forces when the key bearers arrive, but there is nothing here for me to gain. Besides, this alliance was a mistake to begin with. That ignorant royal only wanted an alliance so he could seize power from his brother!"-

"Prince John is nothing to us, sir. Why not eliminate him from the picture."-

"That time will come soon. But my coup will commence as soon as Robin Hood is executed. That way, Prince John can be satisfied about his accomplishment before I kill him. To add, if the key bearers do arrive, they won't have the pleasure of forming an alliance with the bandit. It'll deprive them of the one individual that may allow them to gain a strong foothold in this world. Alert the troops, tell them to start the coup as soon as the bandit's head has been severed."-

"Yes sir." The two departed without saying anything further. Riku and Sora however had heard the entire plot and knew exactly what to expect.

"So, General Knives is planning to initiate a coup." Riku said. "This will be perfect for us to cause that rift in their alliance."

The trumpets blew and the contestants marched in respect before the royal box. Prince John, Sir Hiss, and Little John observed the procession. By now, Maid Marian and Lady Kluck had taken their seats in the royal box.

"I hope that you are enjoying our festivities, my dear." Prince John implied.

"Of course, Sire." Maid Marian replied.

"The finest archers in the land assemble to achieve the title of being the best."-

It was at that moment that Robin, dressed as a gangly stork, came romping up to the box, presenting himself before Maid Marian.

"Ah, your ladyship." He said with charm as he handed her a simple lily. "Begging your pardon, but it is an honor to compete for such a lovely lady like yourself. I hope I get the kiss." He winked at her in a playful gesture. Immediately, Marian knew who it was behind the mask. Recalling those familiar dark and beautiful eyes, she smiled.

"Why thank you my fiddle-legged archer." she whispered to him. "I wish you luck…with all my heart." Robin bowed respectfully and joined the other contestants at the firing line.

The captain of the guards presented himself before the royal box. In his hands, upon a velvet red pillow, he presented the golden arrow.

"Your highness," he said, "With your royal permission, we are ready to begin."

"Precede Captain." Prince John implied.

"Archers take your places. The Tournament of the Golden Arrow will now begin." The archers assembled at the firing line and made ready to open fire. There was a drum roll as the archers drew their bows. Then, almost in unison, they released their arrows and a hail of wooden projectiles hammered into the targets. For five minutes, the contestants released arrows until their ammunition was almost spent. Within that period of time, only two contestants stood out. One was of course Robin Hood and the other was the honorable, yet infamous sheriff of Nottingham, who came to closest to striking the bull's eye.

Robin however, despite trying to act as foolish and carefree as possible, could not help hitting the target's center at every draw of his bow. It was due to his continuous success of striking the center of the target that Prince John began to take notice.

"A perfect bull's eye." He uttered. "Well, well…"

"That's what you call pulling it back and letting it go, P.J." Little John chuckled.

"I know I'm gonna win that golden arrow." Robin pretended to brag, being highly enthusiastic. "And then I'm gonna present myself to the lovely Maid Marian."

"Listen scissor bill." The sheriff implied. "If you shoot half as well as you blabber mouth, you're better than Robin Hood."

"Robin Hood he says. Wow wee!" He slapped the sheriff on the back. "I'm tip top alright, but I'm not as good as he is." Robin once again drew his bow like an idiot and didn't bother aiming for the target. But despite that, his accuracy was deadly, striking the center of the bull's eye once again.

Riku and Sora continued to watch as Robin successfully struck the center of the target every time he shot.

"Doesn't he realize that he'll give himself away?" Riku uttered. "If he keeps striking that bull's eye dead center, he's gonna be singled out. Then no amount of disguise will be able to hide him."

"We have to warn him." Sora said.

"That's not a good idea. If we reveal ourselves, the faction will be coming after us. We need to turn Prince John and General Knives against one another. We have to leak out the information of Knives's coup somehow."-

At the royal box, by this time, Prince John's suspicions were starting to mount at the performance of this new archer who had appeared from out of nowhere. Little John, knowing the situation, began to boast the lad's talent.

"That kid's got class," he chuckled, slapping his knee. "Ain't he P.J?"

"Indeed he has, Reggie." Prince John clapped silently. "Bravo, bravo…"

"Archers, hold your fire!" The captain of the guards shouted. The contestants ceased their fire. The captain approached the targets and drew out the arrows from each target. "Attention everyone, the final contestants are the honorable sheriff of Nottingham." There was suddenly a great moan of detesting from the crowd as the sheriff presented himself. "And the spindle-legged stork from Devonshire." Immediately, there was a roar from the crowd. Great boasting and hurrahs for the young archer.

From the royal box, Maid Marian waved at the disguised Robin. Her gesture caught Prince John's eye.

"My dear," he said, "I suspect that you favor the gangly youth."

"Why yes, Sire." She replied. "At least he amuses me."

"Coincidently, my dear, he amuses me too."-

"For the final shoot out, move the target back thirty paces!" the Captain ordered. Soldiers moved one of the targets back thirty paces. The sheriff and Robin took their places. It was the sheriff who shot first and his aim was dead accurate as the arrow hit the very center of the bull's eye. The crowd detested the result.

"Well that shot wins the golden arrow, the kiss, and the whole caboodle." The sheriff chuckled. But as soon as he had uttered those words, Robin stepped up to the line and drew his bow. He released the arrow and with incredible results, he hit the very center of the bull's eye, slicing the sheriff's arrow in two. There was a great roar of cheering from the crowd. It was this final stroke, which proved to Prince John without a doubt it was the infamous bandit in disguise. Glancing at the captain of the guards, the signal was made.

"They know…" Riku implied. "Without a doubt, they know…"

Robin Hood waved to the crowd as he approached the royal bow. Little did he know that six rhino guards followed close behind him.

"My dear archer." Prince John declared. "You have shown great skill and talent today. It is here and now that you shall get what is coming to you…our royal congratulations."

"Oh thank you, your high and mightiness." Robin burst out loud, shaking the prince's hand. "Meeting you face to face is a real treat, a real treat." However, his acting did not fool Prince John as the prince already knew who he was.

"Release the royal fingers!" Prince John demanded, pulling his hand away. He then took his sword and posed as if to dub Robin. "And now I claim you the winner…or more appropriately…the loser." He suddenly slid his sword into Robin's coat and cut it in the back, revealing the bandit standing on high stilts. The crowd was shocked when they saw what had happened. "Seize him."

With that order, the six rhino guards tackled Robin, constrained him and bound him with rope and chain. By this time, General Knives had made his way to the royal box and witnessed the entire scenario.

"Excellent." He thought to himself. "Now Prince John will have no other choice, but to execute him and when that happens, our own alliance shall be broken and his severed head will be placed right next to Robin Hood's."

"I sentence you to sudden, instant, and immediate death!" Prince John declared.

"Oh no!" Maid Marian cried. She placed herself before the prince. "Please Sire, spare his life! I'm begging you, please have mercy."

"My dear emotional lady why should I?"-

"Because I love him, your honor."-

"Love him? And does this prisoner return your love?"-

There was a temporary silence as Robin and Marian gazed into each others eyes. Marian could only stare at those warm youthful eyes that she had known since she and Robin were children.

"Marian, my darling," Robin suddenly spoke, "I love you more than life itself." Marian's eyes filled with tears when she heard those words. It was without a doubt that Robin still loved her even after all these years.

"Oh young love," Prince John uttered most cruelly. "Your pleas have not fallen upon a heart of stone. The traitors to the crown must die!"

"Traitors to the crown!" Robin filled with a terrible anger, finding John's declaration to be merely an act of arrogance. "That crown belongs to King Richard! Long live King Richard!"

"Long Live King Richard!" the crowd shouted.

"Enough!" Prince John shouted, jumping up and down angrily. "I am King, King, King!" With a last sneer, he shouted out for execution. "Off with his head!" The sound of the execution drum began to bellow and the executioner, armed with a headman's axe began to approach. The people could only watch on helplessly as they saw the hooded man come closer.

"What a fool that bandit is." General Knives uttered to himself. "Shouting out that fiery declaration has only caused him to seal his own fate. But then again, it is for the best. Once his head falls, John's own will follow." But it was at that moment that he realized that Sir Reginald had disappeared. "Now where did that other noble bugger off to?"

There were tears in Marian's eyes. Not bearing to see her lover's head severed, she drew her head against Lady Kluck's lap and wept. Lady Kluck could only comfort her up to that point. It seemed that the end had come for the bandit and with him the hopes of the people. But then a change of fate occurred.

"Stop, executioner, stop!" Prince John suddenly bellowed. "Hold your axe!" The reason for this sudden change in heart is that Little John had managed to creep behind the royal box, directly behind the prince's chair. Grabbing him by the back of his shirt collar and holding a dagger to the middle of his back, Little John made his own threat on the royal.

"OK, big shot," he implied, "Now you tell him to untie my buddy, or I'll…" He dug the dagger into the prince's back. Prince John, knowing his life was in danger, began to plea for Robin's release.

"Sheriff, release my buddy…" Prince John said, "I mean release the prisoner!"

"Untie the prisoner?" the sheriff asked.

"You heard what he said, bushel britches!" Lade Kluck shouted.

"What on earth are you saying!" General Knives demanded. "Don't you realize that you have his life at your disposal! All you have to do is initiate that one order and Robin Hood's head will fall! Then your thirst for revenge would be completed!"

"I have to agree with the general, Sire." Sir Hiss implied. "You have been waiting all this time to capture Robin Hood and here's your chance to dispose of him for good."

"Give the order, Sire."-

"Just one little word and you won't have to worry about this upstart anymore." agreed the sheriff.

"Sheriff, I make the rules!" Prince John cried. "And since I'm head man…" He felt the dagger poke him on a sensitive spot on his back. "Not so hard you mean thing…" But Little John only dug the dagger deeper. "Let him go for heaven's sake! Let him go!"

"Yee hee!" Lady Kluck cried. "Love conquers all!" There was a great burst of cheers from the crowd.

"I don't understand this." General Knives implied to himself. "Just a few minutes ago, he was demanding for the bandit's death. Now he can't even stand the thought to shedding the blood of the one he despises?"

Robin had taken the chains and ropes off of him as Marian ran up to him. They embraced one another. He then gazed into her eyes.

"I owe my life to you, my darling." He said.

"I couldn't have lived without you." Marian replied. They embraced again so tenderly. This sudden twist of fate had the sheriff confused.

"There's something funny going on around here." He uttered. He noticed Prince John's posture and despite moving about, his head stayed in the same place the whole time. He went around the royal box to investigate. It was there that he saw Little John, holding a dagger up to the prince's back.

"OK, buddy." Little John uttered. "Now tell my pal to kiss Maid Marian, or I've just found a new pin cushion."

"Why you…!" The sheriff roared. He swung his sword, attempting to strike Little John. But Little John was too fast and managed to duck. He then nailed the sheriff with an upper cut to the jaw. However, the minute he released his hand, Prince John was once again free and his so called sympathy was transformed into burning aggression and hatred.

"Kill him!" he suddenly roared. "Don't stand there, kill him!" Robin and Marian were shocked at this declaration along with everyone else. The guards immediately went into action, attacking Robin. Robin pushed Marian away as he engaged in combat. Little John threw him a sword and the two engaged in combat against the guards.

"Damn!" General Knives implied. "A battle has ensued. If you wish to take revenge, cut the bandit down!"

"Yes, yes," Sir Hiss agreed. "Strike down Robin Hood, Sire!"

Prince John drew out his sword and attempted to strike from behind. But Robin easily saw the attack and with one strike, knocked the blade out of the prices hand.

"Don't hurt me." Prince John pleaded. "Please don't hurt me! Help!" He ran out of the royal box and hid behind and ale barrel.

"Your Majesty!" Sir Hiss cried.

"Such incompetence!" General Knives implied. "I will have to kill this bandit myself."

"Run for it Lassie!" Lady Kluck said to Mad Marian. "This is no place for a lady." Lady Kluck, using the golden arrow, engaged in battle against the sheriff and the guards as well.

Amidst the chaos of the confrontation, Riku and Sora could only watch on as the pandemonium spread.

"It's a fight, Riku!" Sora cried. "What'll we do!"

"The one thing that we can do!" Riku said. "We battle them! However…" Riku picked up two fallen swords. "It's best we only use our basic fighting skills. No magic, no energy waves, nothing that'll attract attention. We don't want the faction to realize that we're here yet."

"But that limits my own abilities." Donald said.

"Then find another way to combat these guys without magic!"-

"Let's go!" Sora cried.

The battle grew more intense as the guards continued to assault the small band of freedom fighters and their allies. Robin Hood tried his best to stay close and protect Maid Marian, Little John used his heavy staff to fend off the hordes of rhino guards, Lady Kluck and Friar Tuck engaged in battle as best they could, the peasants scrambled to an area where they knew they'd be safe, and the KH team fought off the bulk of the attacking soldiers coming in as reinforcements.

"These peasants are pathetic." General Knives uttered. "Faction soldiers, to the front!" Just as he had given the order, it seemed as if the enemy forces had increase in numbers by ten fold. Now, faction soldiers rushed in to fight alongside the royal guards to eliminate the rebellion.

"Great!" Sora said. "Now the faction is starting to battle against us."

"The majority of these soldiers don't know who we are though." Riku said. "Let's keep it that way until the time is right." Many of the soldiers who confronted the band of merry men were struck down suddenly and defeated. However, things would change once General Knives entered the fray.

Robin Hood managed to fend off thirty of the rhino guards, the captain of the guards, and the sheriff of Nottingham, but it was in confronting General Knives that the situation would drastically change.

"You are quite skilled, Robin Hood." The general implied.

"And who might you be?" Robin Hood asked.

"I am General Knives, leader of the Midnight Faction's 2nd legion."-

"So I finally get to engage in a one on one battle with the infamous leader."-

"You should know that you stand no chance against me." General Knives suddenly unleashed twin swords from beneath his flowing red overcoat. "You confront an elite member of the Blade generals."

Robin Hood, with his sword dawn, attacked the general, but Knives was too agile and too quick for the bandit.

"You are a fool." General Knives implied. "If that is the best of your fighting skills, then you really are in trouble."

Robin Hood fought valiantly against the general, but it was apparent how wide the gap was between their fighting skills. Robin Hood, who excelled mostly in archery, had little knowledge in the manner of sword play. General Knives could have easily danced circles around him.

"Why don't you stand still and fight me right!" Robin demanded.

"Awfully overconfident aren't we?" General Knives implied.

"Perhaps if you'd actually fight me head on, you'll realize that I'm more skilled than you think!"-

"I can't help put down a death wish. Very well, but you will regret ever emitting such a declaration." Suddenly, General Knives attacked head on, using his double blades to battle. He struck at Robin Hood with simultaneous blows. Robin had realized that he was entirely outclassed by this officer and could only use his sword to defend himself.

"Robin's in trouble!" Little John cried.

"I'll give him a hand!" Friar Tuck shouted.

"I don't think so, fat friar!" a voice shouted out. Friar Tuck looked around to see that he was practically surrounded by faction soldiers and rhino guards. "Lay down your arms." Friar Tuck, not wanting to lose his life in such a meaningless fashion, dropped his staff. Little John, unable to give further aid, could only continue fighting on his own.

Several other peasants had been captured and shackled and were sent back to the castle dungeon.

It was the KH team that continued the brawl and made it difficult for the faction and the royal guards to quell the rebellion.

"These guys are starting to get on my nerves!" Riku implied.

"I'm with you there!" Sora added.

"Don't give up!" Goofy cried as he smacked several guards at the same time with the flat edge of his shield. It was in the midst of this battle that they saw Robin fighting and losing to General Knives.

"Riku," Sora cried, "General Knives is fighting Robin!"

"I'll go to his aid!" Riku said. "Keep up the battle!" Riku lowered his sword and rushed to where Robin Hood was doing battle.

"Riku wait, I'm coming to help you!" But as Sora attempted to break from combat to follow his friend, he confronted the Sheriff of Nottingham.

"Sorry, kid," the sheriff said. "You'll have to get through me first!"

"Get out of my way!"-

"I think not! And I believe I should be more than a match to a whelp like you!"-

"Idiot! You don't get it do you!"-

"What was that!" Sora and the sheriff engaged in hand to hand combat. Heavy sword clashed with heavy sword, causing sparks to fly.

"What's the point of fighting me!" Sora said. "You have other enemies to worry about!"

"What are you blathering about, kid?" the sheriff asked. Sora managed to push the sheriff away after a temporary deadlock between the two.

"Even if you did win against me, you still wouldn't have extinguished all your enemies."-

"Enemies?"-

"One of your enemies happens to be the one man that your prince has allied himself with."-

"General Knives?"-

"That's right. General Knives plans to start a coup against Prince John and gain total control!"-

"You lie!" The sheriff charged again and the two clashed swords again.

"It's the truth! You really think that someone like General Knives would allow himself to coexist with a leader like Prince John! He only allied himself with you so as to find out as much information as he can about you! Now that he has acquired all the necessary data, that makes you and Prince John unnecessary to him. He intended to break the alliance when you killed Robin Hood. He only wanted Prince John to savor his revenge. Once that was over, he could kill Prince John and all those closest to him without knowing he owed any favors!"-

"How do I know that this isn't all some big story you made up!"-

"Why do you think General Knives has been acting rather dominant and rebellious at times, even though he is a mere general? He knows that you and Prince John are no threat to him! Not only was his alliance formed to help gain knowledge about you, but also to get rid of my friends and I? he has no intention of helping Prince John take over this country!"-

"And what do you and General Knives have in common?"-

"We came here to stop him!"-

"And who are you exactly?"-

"I am a key bearer!"-

"A key bearer?"-

"We're the ones that he's after. When my friend Riku aids, Robin Hood, General Knives would've already figured out who we are. Then there will be no need to conceal ourselves any further."-

"And why would he want to get rid of you!"-

"Because we're trying to help save this world from being taken over! Once the Midnight Faction has gained its dominance in this world, there would be o need for any other dominant rulers!"-

At the same time, Riku continued to work his way to where the battle between Robin and Knives was taking place. Robin Hood, by this time was being pounded by General Knives.

"Do you now realize the large gap between us?" General Knives implied. "You stand no chance against the likes of me!" With one final blow, General Knives broke shattered Robin's sword in half. Robin fell to the ground, his broken weapon laying next to him. "So much for the infamous Robin Hood."

"Sir!" one of the soldiers interrupted. He and another soldier had managed to capture Maid Marian. "We've captured to girl!"

"Excellent."-

"Marian!" Robin cried.

"Robin!" Marian replied.

"You let her go!"-

"And what if I refuse to obey?"-

"I swear that if you harm a hair on her head…!"-

"Stop there!" General Knives approached Maid Marian and plucked a single hair from her head. He then broke it in half. "You were saying?" He turned towards the guards. "I want her to witness as I bring an end to the life of her lover." General Knives drew out his sword. Holding over his head, he made ready to deliver the final blow.

Suddenly, a voice cried out from afar.

"Robin!" it cried. General Knives looked to see Riku coming straight at him. Pushing his way through the crowd of soldiers, he rushed to the aid of the bandit.

"And who is this reckless youth who wishes to lose his life at such a young age?"-

"Riku!" Robin cried. It was that single word that caused General Knives's heart to sink.

"What did you say?" he uttered, his eyes filled with shock. Riku leaped upward and landed before Robin, shielding him from Knives. "It's you! Noctin Tilandir!"

"That's right." Riku replied.

"But how long have you been present in this world?"-

"Long enough to know your real plan! You only came here for the sake of luring us away from the key worlds that were the most important to the faction. Yet, you are important to us because you hold the key."-

"Yes, yes, I am quite significant to you aren't I." General Knives lowered his sword. "My intentions in this world are absolutely meaningless. This world was just one of those unfortunate worlds that happened to be opened to the Heartless. Otherwise, there is no other significance about it. But I'm sure you already figured that out."

"Enough talking and let's finish this!"-

"Oh, that won't be necessary." General Knives drew back his blades. "I feel rather fatigued now. Let's call it a day shall we?"

"What are you talking about?"-

"In other words, we should battle next time, when I'm more in the mood."-

"Don't give me that! You'll fight me here and now!"-

"I refuse to do so."-

"Then, I'll force you to fight me."-

"Idiot, you try to force me and there will be some heartbreak today." General knives pulled out one of his swords again and held it against the tender, young throat of Maid Marian. "That is unless you want this young woman to die."

"Marian!" Robin Hood cried.

"Go ahead and force me to battle." Knives chuckled. "But you'll regret it if you do. We can battle if you want, but as a result for forcing me, I'll have to take this young maiden's life. And I'm sure that's not what you want. So go ahead and insult me, put me down. Pressure me enough and I'll draw my swords, but not after I cover one of my blades with this woman's blood."

"You monster…"-

"That's it, keep fanning the flames."-

Riku did not utter another word and threw down the sword he carried. He didn't bother to release his keyblade.

"We're withdrawing back to the castle!" General Knives ordered. "All units withdraw. Take all prisoners back to the dungeon. Leave Riku and that bandit here, but take the girl."

"Robin!" Marian cried.

"Marian." Robin uttered. He watched as the faction and the royals all withdrew from the field, taking his love with them.

"Riku, what happened?" Sora asked as he and the rest of the KH team came running to him. "Did you fight General Knives?"

"I couldn't." Riku implied.

"Why not?"-

"He had the blade at Marian's throat. He threatened to kill her if I dared to fight him. I couldn't fight him." Riku fell to his knees. "Have I really become that soft? Before, I would have fought him, no matter what the circumstances? Have I grown soft?"

"Riku…" Robin implied. "I think you made the right decision. If you had not restrained yourself, Marian would have been killed. I thank you for making the right choice not to engage."-

"It wasn't weakness, Riku." Sora uttered, kneeling next to his best friend. "I think you've matured in attitude and have realized that being soft doesn't necessarily mean being weak."

"Thanks Sora."-

"Well, now what do we do?" Donald asked.

"We're gonna get Maid Marian and the rest of those people out of the clutches of the faction." Riku said. "We're gonna rescue them."

"That's a good idea." Robin implied. "We should plan a jailbreak later tonight. The we'll…"-

"No…"-

"What do you mean no?" Goofy asked.

"Explain Riku." Sora asked.

"We won't plan a night raid on the castle." Riku continued. "We're storming the castle now."

"Why now?"-

"General Knives would expect us to plan a night raid, but he would never suspect a full out counterattack just after a large battle. His men are tired and exhausted, which will give us the edge."-

"But to attack a heavily guarded castle in broad daylight?" Little John implied.

"Little John is right." Robin Hood added. "That would be mere suicide."-

"When matched against our power," Riku chuckled, "They won't stand a chance, no matter how thick the walls are."

"Riku's right!" Sora shouted.

"Let's give the faction a fight to remember!" Donald cried.

"Yeah!" the KH team shouted.

"They've lost their minds." Little John said, "Attacking the high walls of a heavily guarded castle head on and in broad daylight no less."

"But then again, we haven't seen what they can do in battle yet." Robin implied.