Chapter 67: Fractured Friendship, Family Forgiven

A/N: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. It is the property of Square Enix and the Walt Disney Company. I do not own The Dresden Files, which is the property of Jim Butcher.

This is a creative project that I do not profit off of in any way, shape or form.

Ah, my dearest readers. There's nothing I love like a cliffhanger! We've come to a head with Aqua and Ven. They have reached an impasse and there's no turning back now.

Read on, my dear ones, read on!

oooo

Ven slashed out with Wayward Wind. He didn't reach for magic, not yet. But he couldn't let Aqua do this. He wouldn't let it happen. Couldn't, wouldn't, shouldn't. Anastasia had done bad things and she had a very mean cat—if Ven never saw Lucifer again, it'd be too soon. But that was then…this was now. Anastasia hadn't done anything to them today. She'd barely even said anything to them. But did that matter…no, none of it mattered to Aqua. Aqua, who was always convinced she knew what was best. Aqua, who never listened to anyone when she was angry with them. Aqua, who never listened to anyone when they said they were sorry.

Ven snarled and lunged forward. His Keyblade struck out and Aqua parried the blow. Ven grit his teeth. He didn't have to win. He just had to make it long enough for Anastasia to get away. He wouldn't let her get hurt…he wouldn't fail her. To like he had failed Xion or Roxas…or Sora.

He hadn't said anything when Xion had had her Keyblade taken away. Not until it was too late to stop it. And now her Keyblade was gone and even though it wasn't forever that didn't change the fact that Xion's Keyblade was gone. And worse, it hurt her when she tried to summon it again. Keyblades were not supposed to hurt their wielders. Masters shouldn't hurt their students…

"Forgive me…but you must exist no more…"

Ven bit his lip. He hadn't had it easy. And Roxas and Xion hadn't had it easy either. Master Eraqus had loved him but he'd been willing to hurt him for the greater good of everyone. It was terrible, it was awful, it was his worst memory. Master Eraqus had raised him…and he'd been willing to hurt him.

Again Ven struck with Wayward Wind and again Aqua brushed his attack aside. Ven wasn't surprised, really. He had sparred with Terra and Aqua dozens of times from when he had first come to the Land of Depature. And in all of those spars, all of those practice matches, time and time again, Ven had been beaten. Aqua was a Master. She knew all sorts of Keyblade techniques that went far beyond what most others knew, even Terra and Ven.

But none of that mattered. All of the training, all of the magic, all of the technique…what did any of that matter if all you used it for was to hurt others? A Keyblade Master was supposed to protect others. Not strike down anyone who got in their way, even if they'd done bad things in the past.

Aqua was agile, almost like a dancer. She was graceful and she never held still for more than a second or two. It was pretty…and it made it all the weirder that they were fighting this way. Ven didn't want to hurt Aqua. He really, really didn't. But he couldn't let her hurt Anastasia and if he didn't stop her from moving, then Aqua would likely find a way to sneak around him and hurt Anastasia. It wouldn't take much at all for even the weakest Keybearer to strike down someone who had no weapon.

"Blizzard!" Ven shouted. Ice formed around the edge of Wayward Wind and he slammed it forward. His Keyblade missed, but as it hit the floor, a small burst of ice shot out and up, almost like a fountain. Ice magic wasn't his strongest power. The element that Ven had always been partial to had been air. But if he could get enough of the ground all icy, then Aqua could slip and fall and then he could put an end to the fight.

He wouldn't dare use Fire magic. He wasn't Lea, who had a knack for it like nothing else Ven had ever seen. But besides, they were in a library. Books would get burned if he used Fire magic and that wasn't fair to the books or to Cinderella or to the King who lived here. Especially to the books.

"Blizzara!" Ven cried out and an entire sheet of ice shot out of Wayward Wind. It spread across the floor of the library. Terra called out in alarm and Cinderella and Anastasia both gasped. Jaq squeaked and fell over. Ven bit the inside of his cheek. He didn't want anyone to get hurt. But if someone got a little bit hurt…wasn't that still better if he stopped Aqua from hurting Anastasia badly? Or worse?

But then again…maybe he could steer this fight out of the library. Maybe if he could get Aqua away from the library and out into the courtyard, then he could use a bit more powerful magic. And the further he got Aqua away from Anastasia, the better.

"Rah!" Ven shouted. He swung Wayward Wind again and Aqua was ready with Stormlight. She blocked his blow, but Ven was ready for it this time, and swept his leg forward, hooking his foot around Aqua's ankle. Ven pushed Aqua back and she fell onto the ice, sliding away, towards the door to the corridor.

Ven nodded, mostly to himself, as he pushed forward. Aqua wasn't fighting back as hard as she could, but the way she glared…that was gonna change. Well, that was okay. He could take it…if Xion could still go off with Roxas and Lea and travel and help people without her Keyblade, then he could take Aqua being angry at him…

But Aqua was his best friend. She was one of the very first people he'd ever met…or at least, that he could remember meeting. She'd been there at the Land of Departure, when Master Xehanort had handed him over to Master Eraqus. And she'd been there when he'd had nightmares…of things he couldn't even remember. And she'd taught him how to cook. And how to turn a cartwheel while using his Keyblade. She was his family…

But Anastasia was Cinderella's family…

They were in the corridor again. The windows gleamed as the sun shined through them. Aqua's boots skid against the polished floor. Ven winced. He hadn't meant to create more work for the servants who worked here. Buffing those scratches could take a long time. But it wouldn't take much more to get them out of this castle.

"Aerora!" Ven shouted. The gusts of wind erupted from Wayward Wind and caught Aqua in the chest. Rather than resist the blow, Aqua fell with it and it made her sail through the air. Ven pressed on.

oooo

Aqua landed delicately as the effects of Ven's magic wore off. It wasn't easy to take the hit, when every instinct told her to try and resist the gusts of wind, but one thing Aqua had learned very early on in her training was not to resist currents. Water and air were powerful elements, but given that they were rarely cast in such a way to actively hurt the opponent, their true strength came in wearing down an opponent's defenses. The harder one fought against them, the weaker they became. By allowing the winds from Ven's Keyblade to push her, Aqua was able to conserve her energy.

And the winds of Ven's Keyblade did more than just that. They fanned the flames in Aqua's heart. How dare he. How dare he. The idea that Ven would raise his Keyblade against her was absurd. She would never have entertained such a notion. It was outrageous, a scandal.

"Ventus!" Aqua barked. "That's enough!"

Ven glared at her and ice formed at the end of his Keyblade again. They were out of the library now, into the main corridor. There wasn't any sign of the servants. That was fine with her, preferable really. Aqua did not want any to suffer without due cause, and certainly none of the servants had wronged anyone. They weren't like Anastasia who had deliberately done bad things.

Aqua remembered all too well the last time she had visited this world. Where Anastasia had stood beside her spiteful sister Drizella and her despicable mother, Lady Termaine. A woman whose heart was filled with nothing but jealousy and hatred and darkness. Together, the three women, vile as any witch, had summoned an Unversed. As creatures spurred on by evil emotions, Unversed were distinct from Heartless and Nobodies. Aqua grit her teeth. So many had suffered because of the Unversed…and now here, someone who summoned them walked free?

Anastasia had sought to hurt others. She had sought to hurt innocents. There was no justification for why she should not be under guard. Aqua didn't even understand how it was that Anastasia had survived. Last she remembered, all of Cinderella's horrid family had been blasted away by the Unversed they had summoned. She had thought they'd been consumed by fire, the darkness in their hearts overtaking them.

It didn't matter though. Aqua wasn't going to let anything happen to Cinderella or Prince Charming or anyone else who lived here. And if that meant taking Anastasia down…then so be it.

But first, she had to handle Ven. He was so very skilled…he'd grown up more than she realized. But he still had so much to learn. Aqua wasn't sure how much Ven had seen when he had visited this world. She deflected his next blow and took another step backwards. Ven was fighting hard. Too hard. He was going to wear himself out if he wasn't careful…which meant that he was going to start making mistakes and that would allow Aqua to take her shot.

There were lots of suits of armor and marble busts in the corridor. Aqua frowned. She didn't want anything to happen to them. The servants worked hard to maintain this castle. It would not be fitting to damage it with haphazard magic. Luckily, she was hardly haphazard with her methods. But Ven wasn't. His earnestness could cause all sorts of disasters—the number of times a sparring match had ended in something getting broken because Ven had misjudged a strike. Master Eraqus would usually shake his head and have Ven repair whatever it was he broke. He'd always been slow to anger, except where darkness was involved.

Ven continued his assault and Aqua began taking deliberate steps backwards. She was quicker on her feet, more agile than just about any of the Guardians of Light, except for Mickey. It would not be difficult for her to steer this fight into a direction she wanted. Already, she was retracing their steps to get them back into the courtyard. There were horses to worry about there and the guards, but it wasn't the same thing as the servants being in the crossfire.

"Rah!" Ven leapt backwards and then threw Wayward Wind. His Keyblade began to glow as it soared towards her and Aqua only just dove out of the way. She grit her teeth. What was Ven thinking? Aqua shook her head. If she had to…she wouldn't hurt Ven, but she would stop him if she had to. She watched as Ven caught his Keyblade. He directed it at her.

Ven charged forward, swinging Wayward Wind. Aqua tightened her grip on Stormlight. She would have to be precise in her timing. Ven took big steps…he was closing in…just a little longer…she would make him see.

"Reflega!" Aqua cried out, just as Ven reached her. The barrier erupted from Stormlight and shimmered in front of her. Ven's Keyblade struck it, but Aqua's defensive magics were one of the things she took pride in. Light shined where Wayward Wind had made contact with her shield, but it held firm and Ven was blasted backwards. He tumbled and even though Ven had always been at home soaring through the air, he was completely off balanced. He crashed against a stairwell and fell over it.

Aqua's innards turned to ice as Ven fell. He landed to the floor with a sickening crunch. She leapt off the stairwell and dove downwards. She hadn't meant to hurt him. She really hadn't…

"Ven…" Aqua whispered. "Ven, are you alright?"

"Raaaaahhhh!"

Ven leapt to his feet. His blue eyes gleamed like fire and he snarled as he swung Wayward Wind forward.

"Ven, please!" Aqua cried. "Just stand down! Now, before someone gets hurt!"

Ven was hurt. He was favoring his left leg and lurching forward. Aqua felt her insides burn with guilt and with anger. He was hurt…because of her…because Ven wouldn't listen to reason. Anastasia…if Ven had stood aside and let Aqua deal out justice, then this wouldn't have happened. She took a step forward and raised Stormlight.

"Stand down, Ven. Please."

"No."

"Aqua, Ven! That's enough!"

Aqua turned her head. Terra was running towards them, as fast as he could…which wasn't very. He already was looking worn out. He held Ends of the Earth in his hand, but his face was twisted with alarm. That made sense. Terra would never want to hurt Ven either. Maybe together, they could make Ven see sense. But right behind Terra was Cinderella…and Anastasia. And Anastasia was holding Fairy Godmother's wand.

How dare she wield such magic!

"Augh! This is all my fault!" Anastasia wailed. "Make them stop fighting! Bippity boppity boo!"

oooo

"Gah!" Ven cried as the glowing of Fairy Godmother's magic faded. "What's going on? Why can't I move?"

"Release us," Aqua commanded. "Now!"

Terra lowered his Keyblade and glanced at Anastasia. She was trembling and her pale face made her red hair stand out all the more prominently. She looked at the wand gripped tightly in her hand and then shook her head.

"I'm not doing anything until you two promise to stop fighting!" Anastasia protested. "You two are friends, aren't you?"

"We're supposed to be," Ven said through gritted teeth. "But sometimes, Aqua can be awful."

"Ventus!" Terra snapped, turning towards him. "That's not helping anything. Apologize to Aqua, right now."

"No!" Ven argued. "Aqua always thinks she's right about absolutely everything and she never ever listens to anybody and you don't care how sorry someone is, you'll hurt them anyway!"

"Er…" Anastasia said. "Does this involve just us? Is there something else that's going on?"

"You needn't worry about that," Aqua said. "It is nothing of your concern. It does not involve you."

"It does too involve her," Ven said. "But it also involves Roxas and Xion! You treat them awful, because you are awful, Aqua!"

"I said knock it off," Terra said sharply. Aqua's face hardened and Ven's eyes widened. Had he not meant what he said? That was a nonsensical notion—Aqua was certainly not awful and Ven knew this. He knew this as truly as anything. The three of them had always been one. Always…always…always…

"I will not allow," Aqua said. "I cannot tolerate…Ventus, please try and understand things from my perspective…"

"Oh my goodness, oh my! Just a moment, dears!"

Terra turned his head again. Fairy Godmother was hurrying towards them as fast as her legs could carry her…which wasn't very fast at all. Scurrying behind her were the little mice that she'd been reading to. Terra

"Wha wha! You no hurt Cinderelly! Or Cinderelly's steppy-sister!" One of the mice squeaked. He was tiny, but that didn't stop him from rolling up his sleeves. Another mouse grabbed him by his tail and began tugging him backward.

"Fairy Godmother," Aqua said stiffly. "Anastasia stole your magic wand and used it against us."

"I didn't steal it this time!" Anastasia insisted. "I only borrowed it—Cinderella and I can run faster than Fairy Godmother! I was going to give it back, honest! See—here you go, Fairy Godmother!"

"Oh, thank you dear," Fairy Godmother said. She waved the wand and tutted. "Now, I must agree. It is not at all fair for you to raise your Keyblade to Anastasia like that, my dear. Not fair at all."

"Was it fair when Anastasia helped Lady Tremaine summon that Unversed?" Aqua asked. "Cinderella was attacked. She was nearly killed. How can you be so nonchalant?"

"A great deal has happened since then, dear," Fairy Godmother said. "As you well know. Our world fell to darkness and so many were lost…it took a long time for everything to recover. There are still lingering scars."

"If I may," Cinderella said, holding up her hand. "I understand that you are upset, Aqua. And I know that Anastasia hurt you, if indirectly. But some time ago, she helped me, at great risk to herself. I won't allow you or anyone else to judge her. She is not just my sister. She is my friend."

Terra felt his mouth become very dry. Cinderella was staring hard at Aqua and Ven. Neither of them looked happy—Aqua's gaze was steel and Ven was glowering as if Aqua had just drowned his goldfish. Anastasia looked flustered and nervous. Fairy Godmother looked most put out.

"What in blazes is going on here?"

Three men were running towards them: a short man who was very fat, very bald and having an impressive mustache; a man about Terra's age, with neatly cut black hair; a tall, thin man with dark hair, a mustache and a monocle. Terra wasn't sure who the first man was, but he recognized the Prince and the Duke at once…going off that, logic would dictate that the first man would be the King. The King and the Prince both held rapiers, though as Terra paid closer attention, he realized they were fencing rapiers. Tools for sport, but hardly weapons.

"Your Majesty, I apologize for the intrusion," Terra said, bowing. "My friends and I have come a long way. Ven was overrtired from the long journey and stumbled off the stairwell."

He did not like lying, but if Terra thought about it, there was very little he said that was actually inaccurate. They had indeed traveled quite far—they were far from Disney Castle and farther still from the Land of Departure. Ven had been increasingly fatigued with his ever-increasing nightmares and that fatigue was likely clouding his judgment. Given that there was very little damage to the castle itself, perhaps there would be a way to end this peacefully.

"Oh, I remember you!" The Duke said. "You fought those wretched monsters that tried to attack the people who attended the Royal Ball…my goodness, you haven't aged a day."

"Thank you," Terra said with a nod. "My friends and I found that we liked this kingdom very much. We are sorry to have disturbed you."

"Well, that's quite alright," The King said. "Magic is as magic does and there's very little that I've seen that Fairy Godmother wouldn't be able to set right."

"Right then, your Majesty," Fairy Godmother said. "Alright now, if everyone remains calm, I can set things back to the way they should be…bippity boppity boo!"

There was a great flash of light, but if Terra hadn't known better, he wouldn't have noticed any difference. But Aqua and Ven had been released from whatever magic had been binding them in place. They were still glaring at each other. Terra glanced at the others. Fairy Godmother in particular looked upset. And Anastasia was shaking.

"If I may," The Prince said. "I believe it may be appropriate if we allow your friend to rest."

"I'm fine!" Ven insisted. "Really, just leave Anastasia alone!"

"Alone?" The Prince said. "Tell you what, Ana, you look a little shaken up. Why don't you and—Ventus, was it? Why don't you two go take a walk somewhere…not here? I think Bruno would like a nice walk."

"Er…alright," Anastasia nodded. "Yes, I think I would like that very much. Thank you, Charming."

His name is literally Charming?!

oooo

Anastasia needed no excuse to get away from the lady with blue hair. She'd met her before, a long, long time ago, back when she and Cinderella still lived with Mother. That'd been back when all those strange monsters were showing up. Anastasia wasn't sure what they'd been or where they'd come from.

In her heart of hearts though…the lady with blue hair was right to be so upset with Anastasia. Oh, Anastasia could barely stand to think about how awful she'd been back then. She'd been so desperate for Mother's approval and so resentful of Cinderella for not needing it or wanting it…she'd done so many bad things. Calling up that really big monster hadn't even been the worst thing she'd done.

When the shadows had come, things had gotten dark. So very dark. Everything had been destroyed. And while it was happening, Anastasia had gotten a real look at herself. Every single horrible thing she'd done—every time she'd sabotaged Cinderella's chores to have Mother punish her more, the way she would help Mother cheat the miller and the butcher, the horrible way Mother squandered Father's fortune and she had all to happy to demand extravagant gowns and perfumes to hurry it along…

And then, when the darkness went away and they were back, she'd still done so many bad things. Mother was determined to seize power, by any means. Anastasia had stolen Fairy Godmother's wand and then Mother had tried to make the Prince forget Cinderella even existed and when that didn't work, she had used the magic to make everyone think Anastasia was Cinderella.

"Are you alright? Look, I'm really sorry about what Aqua did," Ven said. "It wasn't right of her.

Anastasia blushed. She hadn't realized just how deep into thought she'd been. They were well away from the inner chambers of the castle now. Bruno waddled up to them on old legs. The boy, Ven, seemed quite taken with ol' Bruno and crouched down to rub Bruno's ears.

"I'm…fine, I guess," Anastasia said. "I guess I just…well…your friend, Aqua's her name, right? I didn't do very good things the last time I saw your friend."

"We're not friends," Ven said, keeping his eyes on Bruno. "Not anymore. Not with the way she treats people…she was going to hurt you…"

"To be honest, I can't blame her. I did do things that hurt people," Anastasia said. "If it weren't for Cinderella and Charming's mercy…and the King…I would probably be in the dungeons now."

"I don't think that matters that much," Ven said. "If you're sorry, you're sorry…people should get the chance to say they're sorry…and when people say they're sorry, you should listen to them."

There was something else there that was bothering him. Anastasia wasn't sure what. Could he have other friends who Aqua didn't like? Or maybe there was someone who had wronged them in the past and Ven wanted to forgive them and Aqua didn't trust them? Anastasia frowned. It was usually Cinderella who was the one who was helping people when they had problems. It was something she was good at. Anastasia wasn't sure if she should…but then again, it wouldn't be right for Ven to have all these hurt feelings bumbling up inside him.

She hadn't spoken to Drizella or Mother since she'd moved into the castle. She wasn't sure if she'd ever speak to them again or if she wanted to. But the way that Ven and Aqua talked to each other was different than the way she had ever talked to them. As angry as he was, Ven definitely cared about Aqua a whole lot.

"I saw Aqua help Cinderella out, a long time ago," Anastasia said gently, crouching down next to Ven. "It takes a special kind of person to help a total stranger. I know you're angry, but I think she is still your friend."

"She always thinks she's right," Ven muttered. He'd said something just like that just a little while ago. Anastasia thought for a moment.

"Or maybe I was wrong," Anastasia said. "Maybe I was wrong. Maybe Aqua just cares about herself and doesn't want to help anyone at all. Maybe she's trying to figure out how to get the King to give her a big fancy reward! She only wants to get rich!"

"That isn't true!" Ven protested. "Aqua would never! She's got a heart full of light!"

"See," Anastasia said, watching as Bruno rolled onto his back. "You do still care about Aqua. You're just angry with her…and I'm guessing it goes back a lot further than just me, right?"

"It's kind of complicated…I'm not really allowed to talk about it. But," Ven pressed a hand to his head. "No…I can't not talk about it. Not with what I know."

"I don't know much about magic," Anastasia said. "But I know about holding grudges…and how bad that can be. I know you're upset with Aqua…but I don't want the last thing you said to her to be mean."

"It wasn't just me she's been mean to," Ven said. "I have…a friend. I know what you're thinking, that it was really me, but I really do have this friend. She did something she shouldn't have and even though she was really sorry about it, Aqua…punished her. Really, really, really badly. I'm worried about my friend."

"Did you talk to her about this?" Anastasia said. "I think things might have been easier between me and Cinderella if we had talked more as kids."

"I'll…I'll…think about it," Ven said.

That would have to be enough for now, Anastasia sighed to herself as Bruno rolled onto his belly and licked Ven's hand. She should talk to Cinderella about this soon.

oooo

Cinderella watched as Anastasia walked off with the boy called Ven. Terra excused himself and Charming looked from her to Terra and back again.

"Do you think he's alright?" Charming said, raising an eyebrow. "He seems very tense."

"Terra's been under a lot of stress," Aqua said. "Our teacher…passed on recently, and he asked Terra to watch over Ven and me…"

Aqua trailed off. Whatever happened to her teacher was something she definitely didn't like talking about and Cinderella decided it wasn't worth trying to push the issue. But that didn't mean there wasn't anything that needed to be addressed.

"You two fought," Cinderella said. "It wasn't just Ven falling over the stairs."

"I cannot lie," Aqua said. "Ven and I exchanged blows…what on earth is Anastasia doing here, Cinderella? After what she's done, she has no right to be here."

"I believe that any such edict falls under my jurisdiction, young lady," The King said. "And I would ask you not to judge the decisions of the royal family. Anastasia does indeed belong here."

Aqua's eyes widened and then her cheeks began to flush. She opened her mouth, but didn't speak. Apparently, she didn't have a response to that.

"You wield a Keyblade and you've seen great wonders," Cinderella said. "Is it really so strange that someone can change?"

"What happened then?" Aqua asked. "What did Anastasia do that made you change your mind about her?"

"To make a long story short?" Cinderella answered. "Anastasia was every bit as controlled by Step-mother as I was. She was being forced to do something she didn't want to do and would never have chosen. When she finally did get a chance to choose, she chose to help me and Step-mother was so angry with her, she'd have killed her. Anastasia knew this. She chose anyway."

"She would have…but she chose to help…I didn't know," Aqua's eyes grew very wide and her face blanched. "I didn't know…I didn't know…"

"Neither did I," Cinderella said. "For a very long time, I had no idea how much Anastasia suffered. But things are different now. She's my family. She belongs here.."

"Cinderella," Aqua bowed her head. "You're unfailingly kind…I had no idea…oh, Cinderella! You need to know, you very well may be in danger. Your Majesties, have any of you heard of a witch named Maleficent?"

"Of course," Cinderella said. "She made our world disappear in the first place. Sora destroyed her, back in Hollow Bastion."

"She's not back is she?" The King shouted. "Why, I will have all the defenses around the castle increased tenfold, and I will have my guards armed with iron crossbows! That old witch shall be shot on sight! I will not have any of my family under threat ever again!"

"It's more than just that," Aqua said as the King began running around, waving his arms. "We have reason to believe that Maleficent is targeting extremely powerful magic users. Fairy Godmother, you survived the destruction of this world. You boast incredible power. Maleficent may try to steal your powers for herself."

"Oh my," Fairy Godmother said. "Well, she wouldn't be able to do much of anything if she doesn't get ahold of my wand…oh, bother where did it go now?"

"You just had it ten minutes ago!" Aqua protested. "Where could it have gone?"

"Well," Cinderella said. "It didn't just get up and walk away….oh no!"

The King had gotten ahold of Fairy Godmother's wand. The Grand Duke and her mice friends were cowering under a table.

"Protect my castle, protect my kingdom!" The King shouted, waving Fairy Godmother's wand. "Do not let any creature called Maleficent darken our home! Bippy Boopy Bee! No wait, that's not right…Beepy Bopp Bi!"

"Give me that back now," Fairy Godmother said. "Magic can be very dangerous if you're not properly trained."

"We need to protect our home!" The King shouted. "You want just as much as I to hear the pitter-patter of little feet!"

"Oh yes," Fairy Godmother said. "I would like that very much…alright then, bippity boppity boo!"

There was a great flash of light but Cinderella didn't feel that anything had changed. Aqua and Prince Charming looked similarly bemused.

"That should act as an alarm," Fairy Godmother said. "If there be any who would use darkness, then we can be alerted to it immediately."

"Excellent, most excellent," The King chortled. "I do so enjoy your magic, Fairy Godmother. Now…I think I'll go and visit the kitchens. I think I can smell something cooking…something with chocolate…oh and something with stewed prunes!"

He hurried off, stopping only to scoop up Jaq and Gus. They both squeaked in delight at the idea of being let into the kitchens. The Duke followed shortly thereafter.

"I need to talk to Ven…" Aqua said. "He's right…I've…I've not been what I should be. But I still don't understand…my Master taught me to fight darkness, to destroy it…and what Xehanort was willing to do…"

"Xehanort?" Cinderella asked. "I've never heard that name before. Is he related to Ansem?"

"In a way—Ansem was Xehanort's Heartless. As man, Xehanort was a deranged fanatic," Fairy Godmother said. "I'm not as out of the loop as I appear. He sought to spread the darkness to remake the world in his image."

"And he needed to be destroyed," Aqua said. "And he was…but it took light to do so. I don't understand how darkness can be fought, except with light."

"But that's just it dear," Fairy Godmother said. "What was it that made Xehanort finally stand down from his attempts to destroy everything?"

"Master Eraqus…offered him a chance for peace," Aqua said. "He offered a hand of friendship…he offered him light? How do you even know that?"

Cinderella startled. On a much, much smaller scale, that was not unlike what had allowed her to finally reconcile with Anastasia.

"Light and darkness exist in duality," Fairy Godmother explained. "But there's different tools for different jobs. And sometimes a gentle hand does the job better than a fist. A candle does the job better than a torch."

"I think I'm starting to understand," Aqua said. "I should find Ven…Cinderella, thank you, for everything. Both of you…take care. Be safe."

"Oh, I'll be coming with you dear," Fairy Godmother said. "I suspect I'll be needed. I can feel it…you and your friends are being haunted by dreams…and dreams are my specialty."

Cinderella's heart twinged. She had become quite used to having Fairy Godmother living in the castle. She was going to miss her very much.

"Don't fret, Cinderella," Fairy Godmother said. "We will see one another again."

"Alright," Cinderella nodded. "But before you leave with them, we should probably go to the kitchens."

Prince Charming smiled at her and took her by the hand. While Aqua walked ahead of them, nearly marching, their pace was much more leisurely. Charming had wonderful hands…

"Remember the last time we left the mice alone in the kitchen? They tried to cook cheese and chocolate cake."

"We better hurry…"

A/N: Here we are, my dearest readers! Here we are again! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I must admit, I was running on fumes when I wrote it. I apologize for the delay.

Aqua and Ven have started to rebuild the bridge, but the gap is not insurmountable. And Fairy Godmother has a role to play.

Thank you for reading my dear, dear readers. Please leave a comment if you're so inclined! I appreciate each and every one of you!