"Look, more people." A male English voice said as Sora shivered slightly on the cold wet ground.
"But are they alright?" a young female English voice asked.
"Lucy, stay back, we don't know if they're even alive." An older male English voice said.
"And you know how mum feels about us touching dead things." An older female and also English voice added.
"But what are these metal things lying next to them?" the young female asked.
"They look like some form of boxes to me." The younger male voice answered as Sora opened his eyes to see a young auburn haired girl standing over him.
"Lucy what did I tell you?" the older male voice asked as the girl over him smiled.
"Look Peter! He's alive!" she said happily.
"And so is the girl here." The older female voice said as Sora sat up and looked to the right to see Kairi pushing herself up out of the snow covered ground. Around them stood four people. The first was a tall blond haired teenage boy, the second was a raven haired teenage girl that looked slightly younger than the first, the third was a raven haired boy in his preteens and again looked younger than the last, finally the fourth was the auburn haired girl from before.
"Where am I?" Sora asked as he looked them over.
"We were hoping you could tell us." The older boy asked.
"Ok…that's the last time I trust strange furniture in someone's basement." Kairi grumbled as she stood up but as she did, she smacked her head on an iron lamppost with a loud clang and fell to the ground.
"Ooh." Sora cringed as he rushed over to help her.
"I'm ok, I'm ok…just tell me why there are two of you?" Kairi asked as she stood up.
"Who are you?" the raven haired woman asked.
"I'm Sora, this is Kairi…who are you?" Sora asked.
"I'm Peter Pevensie, this is my sister Susan, our brother Edmund, and our youngest sister Lucy." The blond introduced.
"Hello." Lucy greeted the spiky haired teenager with a grin.
Then they heard Wall-e's servos start humming as the small yellow robot sat up and blinked in confusion at the four stunned faces staring at him.
"Oh that's Wall-e…he's harmless." Sora said as EVE and M-O powered back up.
"Wall-e?" EVE asked as she hovered back into the air.
"Eva!" Wall-e said as the polished white robot giggled and hovered over towards the roving trash compactor as M-O rolled up next to them.
"That's EVE and M-O." Kairi added.
"Mo."
The four Pevensies stared in confusion at the three robots.
"What are they?" Lucy asked.
"They're robots…they're machines." Sora explained.
"Okay." Peter replied cautiously as he turned back to the others.
"So does anyone know where we are?" Kairi asked.
"We're in Narnia." Lucy replied as her siblings looked at each other with a shrug. Sora and Kairi on the other hand had bells ringing in their head.
"Wait did you just say Narnia?" Sora asked as Lucy nodded.
"Wasn't that the place from the letter?" Kairi asked as Sora nodded.
"Yeah…do you think my grandfather was here once?" Sora asked as Kairi shrugged.
"What are you two talking about?" Edmund asked.
"Oh it's nothing…it's just I think my grandfather came here once long ago." Sora replied.
"So where do we go from here?" Kairi asked.
"I think we should let Lucy decide." Peter said as he turned to the younger.
"Let's go see Mr. Tumnus!" she said excitedly as her older two siblings shrugged and nodded, but Edmund looked out towards a pair of large hills.
"Hey do you mind if we tag along?" Sora asked as the robots gathered around him and Kairi.
"Sure, the more the merrier." Susan replied with a smile towards the Keyblade master as they fell in step with the Pevensies. Kairi took notice of the woman's gaze and instantly knew to keep an eye on her.
After a moment of traveling through the snow, they came across a large rock wall with what appeared to be a doorway carved into it. But something chilled the group as they saw the door on the wall had been knocked off its hinges.
"Oh no." Lucy said in shock as she ran towards the door.
As they all approached the door Peter noticed a sign stabbed into the door with a dagger.
"Well this doesn't look good." Sora said as EVE flew in and started scanning the area. She hovered back towards the group and displayed a holographic image of a wolf.
"Wolves did this?" Kairi asked as EVE nodded.
"According to this, it was someone named Maugrim, who works for the Queen's secret police." Peter said as he finished reading the letter.
"Queen? Queen who?" Sora asked as Kairi noticed Edmund look back towards the two hills again.
Suddenly EVE activated her blaster and aimed it at a nearby log as Sora and Kairi summoned their Keyblades.
Then a beaver appeared from behind the log.
"Relax it's only a beaver." Sora said as he, Kairi, and EVE lowered their weapons.
"Only a beaver says you Mr. High and mighty Keyblade wielder!" the beaver replied in a male British accent startling the group.
"You talk?!" Kairi asked as the Beaver nodded as Lucy approached.
"Lucy Pevensie?" the beaver asked as Lucy nodded.
"Mr. Tumnus wanted me to give you this." The beaver said as he held out a small handkerchief, which Lucy obviously recognized as she sorrowfully took it.
"He gave it to me before they came and took him." The beaver added.
"Where did they take him?" Lucy asked as the beaver looked around suspiciously.
"Not here. Come I'll take you all to my place, we can discuss things in private from there." The beaver said as he started to go off in one direction.
"I think he wants us to follow him." Lucy said as Susan scoffed.
"He's a beaver, he shouldn't be saying anything." She replied.
"So…Kairi and I have seen stranger things…this is just run of the mill for us." Sora said as the four siblings looked at them, shrugged and followed off after the beaver.
Meanwhile…
The Shera dropped out of hyperspace just outside of Radiant Garden's world shell.
"So what are we after?" Aqua asked.
"I just need to get a few replacement parts for the engines is all." Cid replied as the radio crackled to life.
"Radiant Garden ATC to Shera, come in Shera, do you copy!" Reno's voice said frantically.
"Roger that Radiant Garden we're coming in for a landing." Cid replied.
"You have clearance but the WRO has been trying to contact you guys for almost a whole day! It's vital that you contact them ASAP!" Reno said.
"What for I wonder." Ven asked as Lulu shrugged.
"Hey Reno can you relay the transmission?" Cid asked.
"Just watch my smoke…stand by." Reno replied as Reeve's voice crackled onto the radio.
"Cid, do you read?!" Reeve asked.
"Ten four, what's the matter?" Cid asked.
"We've been trying to reach you! Some time yesterday we detected an explosion in space and the team we dispatched to investigate reported finding the remains of a certain gummy ship." Reeve said as the entire group looked up at Cid in shock and dread.
"Please tell me it's not the Fahrenheit!" Cid said with a shocked expression.
"(Sigh) I'm sorry Cid…at the moment there is no sign that anyone survived…but we're going to check some of the nearby worlds where the explosion occurred…with any luck they managed to escape." Reeve said as the rest of the group looked lost in despair and grief.
"Keep us posted Reeve." Cid said after a moment of stunned silence.
"I'll see to it personally that you remain informed." Reeve replied as the radio shut off.
"Do you think they survived?" Ven asked.
"I can still feel Kairi's heart…but the light from it is so…so far away." Aqua replied as Ven put his hand to his side. He then felt something and reached in his pocket and pulled out the compass.
"Oh of course…this will tell us if Sora at least is still alive." Ven said as the compass pointed off into one direction.
"Cid…the second we're ready, we are going after them!" Aqua said as Cid nodded.
"You bet your sweet blue furred ass!" Cid replied as the Shera flew in for a landing.
Elsewhere…
The Dutchman sailed quietly through mysterious waters. The sky above was filled with stars, and the water below was so calm that they reflected the stars like a mirror, giving the impression that the ship was sailing through the stars.
"This place..." Mune said as he looked over the water, "…I feel like I've been here before."
"Have you?" Will asked.
"I don't know…like a dream…my father once told me stories about this world he and a friend of his used to go to when they were young…I thought he was just making up stories…but part of me feels like he was telling the truth." Mune replied.
"I just hope that this doesn't turn out to be the last voyage of the Flying Dutchman." Luxa said as she and Jack looked over the charts.
Mune then looked in his hand where he held the heart shaped music box necklace that Jones once owned. He stroked it softly as he pondered.
"She's dead…face it…and if she isn't she's probably whoring herself to that Sora boy…give her up…and let me out." A sinister voice in his mind whispered, causing Mune to shudder at the voice.
"You will not control me anymore." Mune whispered.
"You know better than to let your heart control your actions…let me out…let me show you your potential, YOUR TRUE POWER!" Sanzun whispered as Mune gritted his teeth in determination.
"No…I refuse to be a slave to darkness again." Mune whispered to himself only louder, but he didn't go unnoticed.
"Let your power run free…you know you can save her then…destroy all those who stand between you and her…even if it is the slightest of hindrances." Sanzun whispered more as Mune growled.
"Mune…look at me." Riku said as Mune turned towards the white haired teenager.
"I know the evil you face…I know what it's like to have a dark voice in your head…some of us are meant to coexist with both light and dark…that's the path I accepted last year, but thanks to Fuu I found my light…well Mune, Kairi is your light, and we will find her together…but not if you let the beast within you loose." Riku said as Mune realized the wisdom in the teen's words and silenced Sanzun again.
"Thank you Riku…perhaps you can help me overcome this…burden." Mune said as Riku smiled and nodded.
"It would be an honor Mune." Riku replied as Will paled.
"I'm afraid it's going to be a short apprenticeship, LOOK!" Will shouted as they looked dead ahead and saw a huge waterfall.
"Oh we're good and lost now." Mune said confidently.
"Lost?" Namine asked confused.
"Aye, for certain you have to be lost to find a place which can't be found, otherwise everyone would know where it could be found." Mune replied as Will turned back to him.
"You do remember this…any advice?" Will asked.
"Ahead straight and true!" Mune said as Will ordered everyone to stations.
"All Mortals into the cabin!" Mune ordered as all of the said mortals ran into the captain's cabin and locked themselves in.
"BRACE YOURSELVES!!" Will ordered as the Dutchman sailed over the edge of the waterfall and into the dark abyss below.
Back in Narnia…
The heroes reached the Beaver's dam without incident, and the six humans and three robots entered the home.
"Ah the missus has the kettle on!" Mr. Beaver said as they entered.
"It's about time you got back, havin' a drink with the boys no dou-"Mrs. Beaver accused before laying eyes on the entering humans and robots.
"Well bless my stars…" she said as they entered, "…well this is a surprise."
"I was tryin' to tell you before you started yellin'" Mr. Beaver replied.
"Um excuse us?" Sora said.
"Could we get a bit of an explanation here?" Kairi asked.
"Oh why deary me…of course, come sit-sit-sit." Mrs. Beaver said as the heroes shrugged and sat down around a table.
"So what's going on here exactly?" Peter asked.
"Oh well, you're in Narnia dear…" Mrs. Beaver replied, "…though it's been many years since a son of Adam or a daughter of Eve was here."
"You mean a boy or girl?" Susan asked as Mr. Beaver nodded.
"Yes…the last time was when a young man came and romanced the last true queen of Narnia…queen Helen…he took her back to his world and no one has seen or heard from them since." Mr. Beaver explained.
"Helen…that name sounds familiar." Sora said as he scratched his chin.
"You know of her?" Mrs. Beaver asked.
"I think I do…I remember my grandfather mentioned a woman named Helen once." Sora said as Mr. Beaver furrowed his furry brow.
"What was your grandfather's name?" he asked.
"Ventus." Sora replied as the two beavers looked at each other and then back at Sora.
"Your grandfather was Ventus! The builder?!" Mr. Beaver asked excitedly.
"I don't even know what you're talking about." Sora replied.
"But that isn't nearly as interesting as the latest news…word has it that Aslan is on the move." Mr. Beaver said as the heroes leaned inwards with confused faces.
"Who?" Peter asked.
"Aslan, the king of all Narnia, he's like…well there's really no words to describe Aslan really…he's kind but he's not a really tame lion." Mr. Beaver said as Sora and Kairi's eyes widened.
"Wait…old lion…you think that he could have been the one my grandfather was referring to?" Sora asked as Kairi shrugged.
"There's more to the tale though…" Mr. Beaver said as Kairi got a strange feeling in her gut, and turned to look around, she then realized that someone was missing.
"Wait…where's Edmund?" she asked as the others started looking around.
"We better go find him." Peter said as they all got up from the table and ran outside with Mr. Beaver in tow.
They followed his tracks towards the two hills and beheld a towering castle made of ice.
"Oh no! The Witch's Castle!" Mr. Beaver said as they all crouched behind a large snowdrift.
"The who?" Sora asked.
"The White Witch, she's the self proclaimed queen around here, and is afraid of losing her power, that's why she's looking for ya…to kill ya!" Mr. Beaver replied as Peter watched Edmund enter the castle.
"There's no going after him…it would be suicide." Peter said as they turned and ran back towards Beaver's dam.
"So what do we do?" Susan asked as they ran.
"We have to make for Aslan's camp to the east of here. Only then can we hope to rescue your brother!" Mr. Beaver said as they approached the dam.
End Chapter 45.
I wanted to give Sora some biological connection to Narnia, a connection that will become clearer in later chapters.
I am departing somewhat from the initial stories, for a couple of reasons…
1. I don't have access to all the scenes or dialogue from the movies at the time despite the fact that I have both seen the movie and read the book.
And 2. I cannot remember enough of the dialogue between the characters to make it as accurate as I can.
