The Island was brightly colored, everything seemed alive. Even the dirt and the dead trees they walked past seemed to possess some form of life about them.
Perhaps it was because of the magic this place contained. Shedea could feel it bleeding from everything, even the air around her. It awoke a sort of yearning in the pit of her gut, one that hungered for power and magic.
Aladdin walked beside her, a hand around her arm to keep her from falling as they navigated the busy forest floor. At one point Shedea's foot caught on a root and she pitched forward. Aladdin grabbed her, gently yet strongly, and pulled her into his embrace.
"Careful." He said suavily, making Shedea blush. Rapunzel giggled behind them and Quasimodo simply rolled his eyes in amusement, Pascal growling an agreement to Quasi before rolling his own eyes. Aladdin helped Shedea a few feet before he allowed her to resume walking on her own.
"They look so cute together." Rapunzel whispered to Quasimodo. Quasimodo shrugged rather guardedly and kept walking. Pascal growled something.
"I guess," Quasimodo said as the silence grew awkward, "But you see any two of the opposite gender interact and people say that."
"I guess..." Rapunzel said, "I wonder if Eugene and I looked like that."
"Who?"
"Oh! He goes by Flynn though so don't call him Eugene." Rapunzel giggled, then sighed at her memories, "He's the one who got me to come out of the tower, and took me to see the floating lights..." She sighed and the smile on her face reminded Quasimodo of the look on people's faces when they were young and in love as they walked through the Parisian streets. Quasimodo had once tried to carve that face and couldn't manage it, always making them look constipated instead. He'd supposed it was because he'd never felt those emotions before.
Of course, he had recently. Right before Shedea offered to take him to see the world... for a moment there with Esmerelda... it was a mere spark but it had survived after all this and he knew if he ever saw her again he'd probably run to her... try to take her with him to see the world. Shedea would be there guide and Quasimodo would get to experience the world with someone who loved him as much as he loved her.
"But of course... he did try to sell me out to those thugs..." Rapunzel was apparantly still speaking. A dark shadow crossed her features, "I was only lucky that my mother showed up when she did otherwise," Rapunzel shuddered, "I'm not sure what would have happened." Pascal growled something again and Rapunzel nuzzled his head in affection.
"That doesn't sound right." Aladdin had apparantly been listening. He turned to look at a surprised Rapunzel, "If he took such good care of you why would he do that?"
"I made him take me. I stole his crown and promised to give it back when he took me to see the lights." Rapunzel addmited.
"So he's a prince?" Shedea asked.
"No, a thief. He stole the crown and tried to hide in my tower."
"For someone with no worldly experience, you seem very capable." Aladdin grinned and Rapunzel blushed, muttering a simple thank you. Shedea tripped again and Aladdin caught her again.
"You're just not ment for this are you?" Aladdin laughed and Shedea grinned cheekily before pecking him on the cheek.
"I am when you're with me."
"Eww." A voice said above them. Everyone looked up to see a kid in a ornange fox costume staring down at them from the trees with about five other kids. All were staring at the party of four down on the ground in a mix of couriosity and disgust.
"They seem so non-threatening yet I feel we should run." Shedea muttered.
Then the fox-kid pulled out his slingshot and took carefull aim.
Adam, Charming, and Phoebus found Genie at the attic, where the carving of an island with two mountains on either side and a large lagoon near the middle of one side was engrained into the stone over the rickety and falling apart bed.
"Was this a guest room or something?" Adam asked as Lumiere and Cogsworth ran into the room alongside Flynn, Esmerelda and Jasmine.
"You could have atleast mentioned you were coming up here." Jasmine said snappily.
"We wanted to check it out first... where it wasn't so cramped." Adam grunted.
"Umm, guys?" Flynn interrupted, "How am I going to get Maximus up here?"
"We'll just leave him here with that guard Charming didn't want to tell us about." Phobeus grinned. Charming rolled his eyes, "That's right Little Prince, I saw him ride up here."
"He's to guard this portal so they can't run back through here."
"Oh they wont, don't worry." Phobeus said before he climbed onto the bed to inspect the picture. The bed screamed under his weight but he ignored it. Charming rolled his eyes again and turned to Flynn.
"Don't worry, I'm sure your horse will be fine. And we can always come back for him."
"Well that's allright, but what if we need him? That's an island, so there's probably a jungle. And what's faster to get through a jungle?" Flynn pointed out.
Adam seemed to consider the question, "He may have a point you know." Charming shrugged and turned to look at the carving.
"How hard would it be to get the horse up here?" Charming asked, "I mean, the stairs are narrow and they may not support his weight, not to mention he could very well have troube manuvering into the portal itself."
Jasmine and Genie shared a look.
"Okay," Genie said loud and dramatically, "Guess this Magical Genie will just open the portal now." He waved his finger and the small carving lit up, the bricks coming alive and moving to create an entrance to a jungle clearing. He turned back to the blank looks of several princes and their servants, and a captain of the guard. Esmerelda rolled her eyes and giggled.
"Men can be such idiots." She rolled her eyes, "Genie, you'll just have to do it after they pass through so the horse has some room."
"Oh! Abu's downstairs still, don't forget him."
"How could I forget such a furball?" Genie asked as he ushered the others through and then waved his hand again. Instantly Mazimus and Abu appeared in the room. Charming, Phobeus, Adam, Lumiere and Cogsworth all looked at eachother in embaressment.
"Oh." They said simultaneously and Jasmine giggled, Esmerelda ruffling Phoebus' hair as she jumped through the portal.
"One horse al la mode coming up!" Genie said as he magically lifted the Maximus and guided him through the portal. Abu rode on his back and immeadiatly hopped onto Genie's shoulder. Genie chuckled and waved his hand again as he passed through. The portal closed behind him and he looked around the new area.
They were in the middle of a jungle, the sounds of animals accompanied by drums from somewhere even farther away. Flynn hoped up onto Maximus and held a hand out to Jasmine. She regarded the hand like piece of trash and Flynn huffed.
"I'm sorry okay? I was trying to be lighthearted." His apology earned an eye roll but Jasmine accepted the hand anyway.
Shedea's group had not escaped the stones pelted at them by the Lost Boys, children who lived on this island and planned to never grow up. They were led by a teenage boy with red hair and a definant ADHD possibility. The boys had first attacked, then tied their prisoners up and sprinkled fairy dust over them to float them to a dead tree, where Shedea was surprised to see it was more than just a tree: it was the entrance to these kid's hideout!
Shedea now sat next to Rapunzel, a gag over her mouth and rope binding her hands while Aladdin and Quasimodo were thrown to the ground by the shouting children. The teenage boy crowed like a rooster and laughed, flashing his wood sword at Aladdin, like he was making ready to stab him. Pascal had been thrown in a bag and now hung in it, thrashing to get free.
"Come on! That all you got?" The boy asked, laughing maniacly. A small woman maybe two inches tall at the most and glowing buzzed around him, making small bell noises that resembled laughter.
There was a slam from above and everyone looked up to see a small girl looking furious at the boy.
"Peter!" She blusted, "You untie them right now!" Peter gave her a pouty look before he signaled to the kid in the fox costume to stop.
"Gee Wendy, you sure know how to ruin a good bit of fun."
"Fun doesn't mean you treat people like savages!" Wendy said stiffly as she bent down to untie Aladdin, then rushed to release Pascal who scurried over to Rapunzel for protection. Aladdin rubbed the rope burns and cracked his neck before he stood up.
"Are you a sailor?" The kid in the rabbit costume asked Aladdin. Aladdin grinned, and shook his head, "Oh," The kid continued, "'Cause you look like one."
"How?" Aladdin asked as he sat down on the more comfortable bearskin bed.
"Well, you're tan!" A kid in a raccoon costume said and his twin nodded, "And you have a big puffy white shirt."
Wendy had just untied Rapunzel and had paused, surprised by Shedea's appearance. Shedea regarded her dryly, waiting to be untied.
"How peculiar." Wendy noted as she undid the gag from Shedea's mouth.
"What is so peculiar?" Shedea asked, knowing the answer already.
"Where are your eyes?" Wendy asked softly, so as not to draw attention to the conversation.
"I wasn't given an eye color. I don't have proper eyes. And I covered her's, can't have her finding a way out you know."
"What?"
"I'm magical." Shedea said simply, hoping to distracte the child.
"Ooh!" A boy in pink footie pajamas clapped his small hands, "How?"
"Like this!" Shedea took her palms and pressed them together. Then she drew them slowly apart and between them was a curtain of white sparkles.
"Hey that looks like fairy dust!" Peter announced and Shedea grinned.
"Can fairy dust do this?" She asked before pointing at Wendy and enveloping her in white sparkles.
Wendy cried out in fright but as the sparkles dissapated she looked down to see she was wearing a white dress that reached the floor. Her hair had been done up to sit in a bun on the crown of her head and fall in ringlets like a fountain spewing water. In her hair sat a diamond encrusted tiara along with small diamond clips here and there to make her hair sparkle. Her arms from fingertip to elbow were covered in a pair of sparkling gloves. Wendy looked around at herself completely shocked, the rest of the boys drinking in their eyefull of the diamond encrusted vision before them.
"Hey there gents," The boy in a nightshirt and top hat brandished a black umbrella threateningly, "Let's not forget our manner's huh?" All the boys in animal costumes looked down sheepish while Peter grinned a little wolfishly and turned his head.
Aladdin laughed and Quasimodo and Rapunzel shared a giggle before Shedea waved her hand and Wendy was again returned to her blue nightgown.
"No, fairy dust cannot do that." Peter said and chuckled again. Shedea smiled confidently at him and stood up.
"We're more than mere travelers boys... and girl," Shedea nodded her head at Wendy who kept her face blank, appearing to not notice the jibe, "We are newcomers from strange and magnifecent lands. Rapunzel," Shedea waved a hand at Rapunzel, "Is a girl from a far away world who lived in a tower all her life until she was rescued by a thief. Aladdin," Shedea indictated the bronze beauty, "Is another theif from a far off desert kingdom where he defeated an evil sorcerer. And Quasimodo is the strong bell ringer for the church bells in the Parisian Cathedral Notre Dame."
"That's you?" The boy in the nightshirt asked, ecstatic, "I'm John." He thrust his hand out and Quasimodo shook it eagerly. Quasimodo seemed to be blushing from his apparant fame.
"And what about you?" fox boy asked.
"Me?" Shedea asked with a dramatic flourish, "Well... I'm from a strange world where it's possible to live on merely paper and between papers. Now, who's in charge?" All the boys instantly looked to Peter and Peter nodded at them.
"I'm the one in charge. Who else would it be?" Peter asked arrogantly, to which Wendy merely rolled her eyes.
"So you know where the most adventure is right?" Shedea asked.
"Of course."
Shedea grabbed Aladdin's hand and then stuck the other out to Peter, to which Peter accepted.
"Let's go."
The jungle was simple to navigate with a horse. And when said horse was in a cooperative mood, navigation was all the easier.
Flynn and Jasmine made time like nobody's buisness, within the first hour of their being there they had made it to a rocky cliff where they spied Indians sneeking along the ravine below.
"I wonder what they're doing." Jasmine speculated and Flynn looked for a way down.
"Let's find-argh!" Their horse had been hit from behind and with several screams, none sure who's scream belonged to who, the three fell down the cliff.
"Jasmine!" Adam screamed.
"Flynn!" Phobeus screamed.
"Maximus!" Lumiere, Genie, Charming, and Cogsworth screamed all at the same time. Abu shrieked alongside the rest of them. However they were all attacked by the Indians who'd pushed Maximus over the cliff and within seconds they'd knocked Genie out and hogtide the rest of them. Adam growled at the indignaty of it all and Lumiere and Cogsworth dutifully looked away.
Esmerelda was stunned that she'd been so easily caught, and failed to notice Phobeus watching her as they were carreid down a worn trail back through the jungle.
Down below, Flynn and Jasmine had miraculously survived, Maximus being left with only a few scraps and a cut on his flank from hitting a rock on accident. They too were busy being hogtied. Maximus was fitted with leather reigns and an Indian forced him to lead the way up a trail cut into the rock.
"This cannot end well." Jasmine mused to which Flynn merely nodded.
They ended up on a corner of the island, it being removed from the rest and the only connection was a thin piece of rock jutting this way and that as a sort of trail. The small area was completely overtaken by teepees and in the middle was a smoking fire pit.
All the prisoners were lined up on one side of the fire pit, the Indian Chief standing before them. He regarded them with a single black eye.
"Please." Phobeus said finally, "We don't mean you or your people any harm. We just want to find our friends."
"Friends?" The Chief said in a deep, rough voice that sounded like something rusty being forced open. Most of the prisoners flinched.
"They were captured by a woman who makes them do whatever she wants." Jasmine said bravely. The Chief regarded her briefly before looking to the others with suspicion.
"Please," Adam said, "She means to kill anyone who gets in her way, including your people."
"Are you threatening my people?" The Chief asked.
"No!" Everyone shouted quickly before Adam, red in the face, continued, "She lusts for power and she'd kill for it. Or for fun. We've been following her in an effort to help our friends and now she's come here. We need to find them before they can escape again."
"Why should we help you?" The Indian Chief asked, "What purpose could this serve besides killing my men in battle?"
"She can possess people. She could possess anyone." Adam continued, looking the Chief straight in the eye, "And she could possess your people. She is a threat and she needs to be dealt with. No one is safe as long as she is around." The Cheif was briefly reminded of his daughter, an adventourous and selective listener at best. What if she came in contact with this person? What would happen to her?
Acting as more of a parent than a Cheif, the Indian Chief waved to the guards who immeadiatly cut the ropes around their prisoner's wrists. Then he signaled for them to make ready.
"What are you doing?" Adam asked.
"We go to one who can help us search island faster. Little Flying Eagle can find them much faster."
Shedea wasn't so much vested in the adventure as she was in the oppurtunity it provided.
The plan was set in her mind, the results playing out in her fantasies like clockwork.
You see, she'd realised something when the Lost Boys had attacked her.
She could be hurt, rather badly from the bruises she'd already recieved.
And she didn't like that. At all. So she decided she'd need something stronger to protect herself. The only question was how to get it.
She remembered one of the movies she'd watched Him work on when he was still alive, back in the early days when she was still a thought on a piece of paper on that cluttered coark board.
It was a rather dark tale, yet it was considered one of His crowning achievements. And in that tale He'd placed a character very powerful yet almost impossible to find. If Shedea made it there with what she had planned, she'd have to time things right or else she'd lose her chance completely. Or worse, it would fall apart so badly she'd lose her host body. You never knew with these "Good Fairy" types...
Peter flew infront of Shedea and Aladdin, who were holding hands as they walked.
"So do you know anything about Pirates?"
Shedea considered the question... all she really knew was the bits and scraps she'd been able to pick up around the studio...
"A little bit," She admitted, "But I bet you know more."
Peter puffed out his chest, "Well of course! And I bet I know more about Indians too."
"Whats to know? They live in teepees on the other side of the island." Shedea shrugged. That she remembered from watching Him and his coworkers at the storyboards.
Peter looked a little put out that Shedea had managed to sound intellegent about the Indians but quickly got over it.
"I bet you don't know about Tiger Lilly."
"I don't know much about her. You know more." Shedea said, and both she and Peter ignored the indignant sound Wendy made.
"I sure do." Peter grinned, "I know alot about her."
"Peter," Wendy said, turning to face the three, "If you had to choose, fight the Indians or fight the Pirates?"
"Pirates of course, they scream better and besides, the Indians are just for fun." Peter didn't seem to notice the shadow that crossed Wendy's eyes but she nodded and turned back around to keep walking. Shedea and Aladdin shared a smile but turned their attention back to Peter as he turned to face them again.
"So what else do you know?" He asked.
The Indian Chief sat atop his strongest horse, watching the procession of Lost Boys and newcomers as they walked down a trail. The lost boys had wood swords strapped to their sides and were bouncing around with the short man who also seemed excited. The blonde woman giggled and hurried to keep up.
Flynn sighed next to him on Maximus, who was still a little miffed at his recent treatment.
"You know small girl?" The Chief asked, pointing to the blonde woman.
"Rapunzel," Flynn sighed, "I joined the others to find her. I'm just glad she hasn't been harmed."
"Chief!" One of the warriors, a scout sent ahead with Lumiere, came running back. Lumiere headed straight for Adam and Phobeus.
"Little Flying Eagle is leading the demon!" The Scout proclaimed, "He's joined her!"
"Belle looks okay, but sire... It appears she's... Started something with the Aladdin boy."
"What?" Jasmine cried, "Take me, let me see!"
"Jasmine!" Esmerelda cried as Jasmine made to run forward, "Jasmine!" But it was to late, she'd run off.
"Ready your weapons!" The Chief said, "We must attack before they reach the Pirates."
"The Pirates?" Cogsworth asked.
"Pirates live on this island, make big trouble." The Chief said, "If your demon-woman wants to cause trouble she'd go to them."
"And take your Little Flying Eagle friend with her?" Phobeus asked.
The Indian Cheif shrugged, "If he not know danger, he will soon." And with that he rode off on his horse, his warriors following.
There was a shriek from the brush and then a rain of arrows descended on them.
"Shedea look out!" Aladdin cried as he tackled her and rolled her to the side.
"Allright boys! Get the Indians!" Peter cried before crowing again and flying to meet the arrows. He swung at them and when he reached a height that was above them he dove down at the Indians, laughing as he used his sword to hit the bows out of the warriors hands.
"Sire!" A man cried somewhere.
"I got him!" Another man cried and he managed, amazingly, to grab Peter's ankle and throw him to the ground.
"Ouch!" Peter cried, "Hey that's against the rules!" He hit the man in the face with his wood sword and the man shouted in surprise, his grip loosening. Peter cackled and shot back into the air.
"Little Flying Eagle!" The Indian Chief shouted but Peter had already flown off.
"Go! Go!" Peter cried, urging everyone on. Shedea and Aladdin had already broken into a run and everyone was following close behind. Only the Lost Boys and John and Micheal had stayed behind with Peter.
There was a shriek from the horses and Adam and Flynn had run after the rest of Shedea's group, there comrades shouting at them to come back but with no success.
The horses made good time, jumping over fallen trees and thick, tangled underbrush. Within minutes they could see Shedea and the others, Adam urging his horse on further and begining to nip at the heels of the ones in the back of the running group, namely a young girl with brown hair who tripped and fell to the ground.
"Peter!" She shrieked as the Horses descended towards her.
As Flynn was sure he was about to witness one of the most horrific accidents ever, there was a flash of green and the girl had disapeared.
And two arrows took down Adam's horse, which blocked Maximus and within seconds the two men were tangled in their horses and their targets had gotten away.
Adam looked up in time to see the boy in green disapear with the girl in his arms.
The fight was short and sweet, the Lost Boys hadn't really been trying as they believed they were still playing games with the Indians.
So they were understandably confused when The Indian Cheif wouldn't let them go.
"Where is Little Flying Eagle?" He asked.
"He heard Wendy scream so he went after her." Slightly said, "Now please untie us. You won."
"Not yet." Phobeus said, pushing his way to the front. He knelt down infront of Slightly, "Where are they going?"
"I dunno," Slightly said suspiciously, "Why do you wanna know. And why are you dressed all funny?"
Phobeus looked down at his gold armor, "I'm not dressed funny, you're the one in a fox costume."
Slightly sneered at him angrily, "At least I don't have a funny haircut!"
As what was promising to be an entertaining, lengthy, argument began to unfold Esmerelda smacked Phobeus on the shoulder.
"We're kind of in the middle of something here." She reminded him before turning to Slightly, "Now, little boy, it's important you tell us where they are going."
"Why?"
Esmerelda snorted impatiently, "Because, one of the women you were traveling with is very dangerous. And her friends are her prisoners."
"Whadda ya mean?" The boy in the rabbit costume, Nibs, said.
"She's an evil woman who captured a girl and-look, we don't have time to explain the full story. But your friends Peter and Wendy are in danger."
"From the Pirates? No way." Cubby laughed.
"They're headed for the pirate ship!" Lumiere cried, "Hurry!" The Indian Chief nodded to his warriors before riding off ahead of them.
"You go, I'll unite them." Esmerelda said and Phobeus nodded before running to his horse and following the rest.
"Why are the Indians afraid of a bunch of Pirates?" Nibs asked.
"It's not the Pirates, it's Shedea."
"Shedea's cool!" Cubby protested. The rest shouted their agreements.
"She killed a woman for trying to run away and another woman for protecting her daughter!" Esmerelda exclaimed. The Lost Boys looked shocked, Micheal looked afraid.
"Oh no... Wendy's with her!" John cried and before anyone could stop him he ran off into the woods.
"John come back!" Micheal screamed, trying to run after his brother but was stopped when Esmerelda picked him up.
"We do this together okay?" She asked. Micheal nodded and they and the Lost Boys took off into the woods.