Neither Sam or Riku said anything as they followed Xivan and Knight down the Tower portal, but it seemed clear to each of them by their expressions alone that while nothing had happened as such, they had both still managed to enjoy borrowing each others lives.
"You're sure I can't talk you out of this?" Knight unhappily asked Xivan when they emerged.
"Trust me, my friend," she replied. "I know it's out of the ordinary, but I do know what I'm doing. Just be patient. You boys come with me. We're off to see the Wizard."
"Or hear from him, at least," Sam said. "I don't remember him ever actually appearing."
"You mean you've been up here too?" Riku asked.
He glanced back then quieter, "No, but I've heard your visit mentioned. I got a few ideas of what you were there for."
"Later," Xivan told them. "At the very least lets have Vitesse brought before the Wizard before you two start to catch up."
There were few differences to the Tower's uppermost room when they entered it, but most notable was that it remained completely devoid of dust. No doubt the magic the Wizard had cleared up that.
Just like last time, the Wizard himself was not present.
"Wizard, I would speak with you," Xivan called out in ringing tones. "I have evidence of hostile magic, enacted by one of the Major Arcana."
"Make your accusation," the Wizard's heavy voice came almost immediately. Sam, who had only provided memories of Riku's visit, showed more surprise than Riku did, though he still rubbed absently at his ears from the volume alone.
"The current Queen of Staves has been creating magic amulets with wide-ranging effects, many of which causing undesirable effects or becoming so when she forces their use on a card. These two have both been affected by this magic, and similarly one of them was present while I heard Queen Vitesse explain several of her amulets."
"Samuel, presently Ace of Staves," the Wizard boomed. "You will return to the Knight of Pentacles and have him take you to the Castle of Staves. There you will deliver summons to the Queen of Staves. You are empowered by me to command her presence here."
"Right," he nodded. "I'll be right back with her."
"He sounded almost like I do then," Riku murmured, watching him leave, then remembered something. "While we wait, may I also present something to you?"
"Speak Riku, presently Three of Pentacles," he responded.
"Well, before this happened Queen Vitesse also told me about a door here in the Tower shaped like a Keyhole, and she ordered me on the next Game day to try to reach it no matter what the cost, in case it was a way out I could unlock – one that she could use as well. She effectively stopped me from trying to do it any other way, and there wasn't anyone else I could go to about it, so-"
The Wizard interrupted him then. "You are released from that command. You will not speak of that door again for as long as you remain within the hold of this world. You will not summon your Keyblade within these walls unless you have been told to do so by one of the Major Arcana ranking higher than six. These rules will be carried to Sora, Three of Staves by the Fool so he will be aware of them as well."
"And the disqualification she gave me?" he asked hopefully. "Can I get that overruled too?"
"No," he responded. "You lied to your Queen, and she chose to punish you. You shall not sit in on the Game this week."
"Well, better than nothing, I guess. Thanks at least for the whole door thing."
"The command not to speak of it extends to you also, Queen Xivan."
"I guessed as much," Xivan said calmly. "If what's been suggested about it holds even partly true, I can understand why you don't want it talked about."
The Wizard did not reply.
"What is all this nonsense about?" a familiar voice demanded. "Get out of my way boy," Vitesse snapped at Riku, sweeping past him. "What's this about a summons? And letting him order me as well!"
"Accusations have been made against you," the Wizard said. "Vitesse, Queen of Staves, you stand accused of enacting hostile magic against other cards."
"Nonsense," she scoffed. "Hostile magic indeed! No card has ever been harmed by my magic!"
"I don't think that's entirely true," Riku spoke up again. "When she first told me about her amulets, she used one on me that turned me into a kind of spirit. She warned me not to come anywhere near the Tower like that, or I'd never be seen again."
"Sophistry!" she snapped. "The fault was theirs, not mine. I would have thought any card would know better than to pay a call on another magic user unannounced."
"Queen Xivan, present your evidence," the Wizard spoke. "If you require any card not already present, you shall have them brought here as needed. Begin."
Xivan moved back to Riku and held up the arm with the truth amulet on it.
"First example," she said. Vitesse looked momentarily concerned, but it disappeared in irritation. "This amulet has been enchanted to show when the wearer speaks truth. As an example: Card, speak truth: Your name and rank."
"Riku, currently Three of Pentacles," he answered. The emerald obediently lit up.
"Speak false, same again."
"Sam, currently Ace of Staves." Once again, the ruby lit up.
"Speak half-truth, a statement of your choice," Xivan told him.
Riku followed the same theme with this answer. "Riku, Ace of Staves."
Unlike Sam when he'd tried to give his real rank, the amulet reacted differently. As he spoke his name both green and yellow lit up, then when he moved to rank it was red and yellow.
"So you see Wizard, this magic can be used to force a card to speak truth," Xivan returned to address him. "Not hostile magic as such, but it can surely be used to elicit truth when one might prefer otherwise."
"Queen Vitesse, do you deny the creation of this amulet?" the Wizard inquired.
"Don't be absurd. Of course I made that one. Anyone can see it's hardly hostile. I've used it on several occasions when I needed true answers."
"Evidence inconclusive," the Wizard decided. "Continue, Queen Xivan."
"Second example," she said. "As you yourself are aware and as this amulet has proven just now, these two cards are both under the influence of another magic. Yesterday while the Queen of Staves visited, she had them both wear silver rings on the same hand and finger. Thus these two cards have been unwillingly exchanged into each other's places, forced to take their rank and suit instead of their own."
"Samuel, Ace of Staves, answer me these questions three: Is the body you inhabit your own?"
"It isn't, Wizard. He has mine," he answered, pointing to Riku
"Were you in any way willingly involved in the exchange?"
"Not at all. I wasn't even aware of it until after it had happened."
"Do you wish to return?"
Sam hesitated, glanced at Riku, then said, "Honestly? I know I have to, but... part of me admits that I wouldn't really mind staying. Only as long as he didn't mind too though, of course."
"Riku, Three of Pentacles," The Wizard spoke again. "You too will answer these same questions."
"Well you know this isn't my body after what he's said," Riku started. "And I didn't know about it beforehand either. The two Queens were discussing a selection of amulets Queen Vitesse had brought with her on her visit, but I was sent to find Three – Sam, that is – before they explained anything about it. All I knew was that the amulet needed two cards."
"And do you wish to stay?" he inquired.
Now it was his turn to hesitate as he thought about his answer, knowing the amulet on his wrist would still confirm anything he said.
"No, Wizard," he answered at last, to the surprise of Sam. "I can't deny I've enjoyed this, but I do want to get back to my own. If nothing else because otherwise the Four of Staves is going to either have to wait for me to grow up, or persuade Sam to play with him instead."
Xivan concealed a smile and Sam turned very slightly red.
"Inconclusive evidence," the Wizard announced again, causing Vitesse to look triumphant. "Do you have any further evidence, Queen Xivan?"
"No, I... thought that would be enough," she replied, visibly concerned.
"I do," Riku said. "I know exactly where Queen Vitesse's collection of amulets are and what at least two others do. I also know that somewhere is a book she wrote that details the effects of all of them."
"Describe the effects of the known amulets, Riku, Three of Pentacles," the Wizard ordered.
"No!" Vitesse shouted. "I forbid it!"
"Overruled," the Wizard said without a change in tone. "Continue."
"One I've already mentioned – it puts the wearer into spirit form. It was used on me two days ago by Queen Vitesse, who told me to spy on the Pentacles."
"I am aware of this," the Wizard said. "Continue."
"The two of us were affected by another, and one more you've already seen," he added, holding up the truth amulet. "One of the other two grants the wearer skill in a... I can't pronounce the word."
"Telekinesis," Xivan supplied.
"That," Riku agreed. "But it's a borrowed skill from someone else, so they can only work within its limits. Then the last one I know about removes the wearers free will and surrenders it up to the one who put the amulet on them. Unless they did it themselves, then they answer to everyone instead."
"He lies!" Vitesse cried.
"Guess again, your Majesty," Riku said coolly, turning the truth amulet to face her. "Defeated by your own magic."
"Brilliant," Xivan murmured. "Well, Wizard? Is this evidence conclusive enough for you?"
The Wizard merely said, "Abide here."
"When we get out of here Riku, you'll-" Vitesse started.
"You'll what?" he answered, taking a chance. "You'll punish me? You'll stick another amulet on me?"
"I am the Queen of Staves, and I am still your Queen!"
"No, you're not. I'm a Pentacle right now, by your own doing – I don't take orders from you!"
"Ah – Riku dear, perhaps you'd like to take a moment to compose yourself?" Xivan suggested mildly. "And maybe just take a few steps back – I don't think it'd be a good idea for you to remain too close knowing you still have your Keyblade."
"He can't use it, remember?" Sam said. "The Wizard said so."
"Just taking precautions."
"You want your body back though," Vitesse said in a low voice. "You'll be a Stave again soon enough. He can't punish me by throwing me out, that's what I've been looking for all along, so you'll be coming back to me sooner or later, Riku. I'll get you for this sooner or later."
"The evidence is conclusive," the Wizard spoke again at last. "Vitesse, formerly Queen of Staves, you are found guilty of utilizing magic in a hostile form against the cards of this world. I therefore remove you from this world, to arrive at the exact time and place you were taken from it, never to be affected by the cards again."
"What? No! You can't do that!" she protested. "I'll be killed! You can't do this to me!"
"Judgement passed," the Wizards said. A red bolt shot down from the ceiling into Vitesse, causing her to vanish.
"Wizard," Xivan said tentatively. "Was she... telling the truth?"
"Yes," his voice said. "She was sent into the cards to protect her. I removed that protection. To continue – the amulets of the Queen of Staves will be destroyed-"
"Hey, wait!" Riku interrupted. "You can't do that! We need one of them to get back!"
"Irrelevant. Your permanent exchange is a small price to ensure that this magic is not abused."
"Like hell it is! You can't just leave us like this! If you're not going to put us back yourself, you'd better leave the amulets alone!"
"Present an alternative."
"Why? One is already there. Trust them to the next Queen. Or are you too afraid they'll abuse them too?"
"Riku!" Sam exclaimed, shocked.
Riku ignored this and carried on anyway. "She left a book behind detailing what they all did. I told you this myself, so don't try to deny it. Leave it and the amulets and the keys to the boxes in the care of the next Queen. You don't know that they will abuse them, and you don't know that they won't, I'll admit that. But you can't find out without trying. Who's to say that the next Queen uses them to help us instead? Oh, there's some that can't, I'll admit," he went on relentlessly. "But a lot of them probably could. Are you really going to throw out that possibility just because you don't want to take a tiny risk?"
There was silence in the tower as the last echoes of his outburst faded. Both Xivan and Sam gave him mirrored looks of stunned astonishment, no doubt because no one dared speak this way to the Wizard unless they wanted to get punished themselves.
After a few moments, the Wizard simply said, "Have you finished?"
"I'll know for sure when I hear you've changed your mind," he answered.
"Then I continue: The amulets of the Queen of Staves will be destroyed by her successor if they feel they are too dangerous to leave intact. If they do not feel confident in this, I authorise you Riku, regardless of your suit and rank, to take them here that I may safely dispel them myself. Upon return to your own bodies you will unlock the amulet of truth from about the wrist of the one you currently occupy and then use the amulet in the golden box, which will allow each of you to re-live each others memories of the time you have spent in each others lives. You will all now go to the Stave castle, where you will enact the restoration. Queen Xivan, you are asked to take the place of the Queen of Staves in addition to your own temporarily until a replacement has been crowned tomorrow, and then you will inform the remaining Stave Royal Arcana of what has transpired as you see fit."
"Can I just ask," Sam said tentatively. "If Riku hadn't interrupted you the first time, would you have said the same thing? Or did he really persuade you."
"Decide for yourself," the Wizard replied. "Now depart."
