Chapter 6: Introduction to Keybearing

The feeling of fingers gently combing through Namine's hair is something she's grown used to since she came back in time. Though not generally with arms around her, pulling her tight against someone's chest. Usually, she wakes to find Ame gently doing so next to the bad, old sad eyes looking down at her from above. That's not quite what she wakes up to this time.

Namine slowly opens her eyes to an unfamiliar room, blinking a few times. "Hnn?"

"Good morning, apprentice," comes a soft, warm, and very happy voice.

Namine tenses fearfully for a moment, the hair-thumbing pausing, "Namine?"

She swallows and tilts her head to the side a little to see who...

Oh.

Aqua.

Right.

She's a keybearer now.

Namine closes her eyes and swallows. "Sorry, just... woke up in an unfamiliar bed and I..."

"It's alright," said Aqua softly, "It will take some getting used to waking up here."

"Was... was it hard for you?" asked Namine.

Aqua hums. "I don't actually remember. My earliest memories were of being my Master's sole apprentice around... six or seven? Somewhere around that age."

Namine frowns a little. As a memory witch, she knew people had memories years earlier than that, even if they are somewhat forgotten or faded, morso as they grow older. Not having any before then is... odd. The only methods she's aware of that dealt along those lines were repression or suppression/smudging a memory. The former being Kairi and her youth at Radiant Garden because of the Fall, the latter being... being Namine's crimes at Castle Oblivion. At least, those are the methods via Namine's power. Actual erasure for example is something Namine isn't sure she's capable of, and if she was, nothing she'd want to do.

Being able to completely shatter memories of a person is horrific enough, but even that isn't actually erasing them, just breaking every link at once.

She's... uncertain what it means in Aqua's specific case.

"Terra though, he took a bit, was kinda skittish early on, jumped at loud noises," mused Aqua.

"Why?"

"Don't know," answered Aqua, "I didn't ask about his life before becoming a Keybearer, and he never offered. I have the impression he'd rather forget about it. It took him a few weeks, but he got a lot happier with his life after that, jumpiness took a bit longer, but it's gone nowadays."

She snickered. "He also got competitive."

Namine smiled a little. "Well... I guess it's a good thing I'm the one apprentice for you three at the moment. I'm starting from basically nothing."

"Everyone starts somewhere, apprentice, and you start today," said Aqua, "So, let's get started then, shall we?"

Aqua unwrapped her arms around Namine and nudged her. She took the hint and scooted out of bed.

"Let's go get some food," said Aqua.

Namine hesitated a moment. "You don't start with a shower?"

"No point when we'll be exercising in an hour or so, waste of water," answered Aqua, going for the door.

Namine looked at the door for a long moment, stomach starting to tie itself in a knot. It all started today. She licked her lips, took in a shaky breath, let it out, and walked out. She takes in the place as she goes, noting what she missed when she was carried in tired. Rich gold and beige walls illuminated by chandeliers or lamps in wide hallways with smooth stone or marble floors. Every so often there are patterns or markings on the floors, symbols that she doesn't know what they mean. Its warm, welcome, homely...

Yet...

Something...

Something about this place is... familiar... tickles at her in an uncomfortable way.

She lingers briefly on a flower pattern on the wall. Something about that... is familiar. She stands in front of it, a small frown on her face. The flower makes her think of the color white, she's not quite sure why. She doesn't like dwelling on that color, if only because it reminders of the White Room, of Castle Oblivion...

Castle Oblivion...

She takes a sharp intake of breath. That's where she's seen this before. What does this place have to do with Castle Oblivion? Do Keybearers have something to do with that place maybe?

"Is something wrong Namine?" asks Aqua, eyes lingering on Namine's pale face, flickering to the flower symbol, puzzled.

Namine looks down, fidgeting, not wanting to lie, but... maybe avoid instead with a half-truth. "He liked flowers."

"He?"

"Marluxia," she whispers quietly, "It's like something he had where I was kept."

Aqua's face pinches. "Namine... I cannot and will not make light of what you went through, but letting someone destroy such a thing as flowers for you, or anything really, is a power they don't deserve over you."

Namine shrugs. "All things considered, not being able to stand flowers or the color white isn't that bad."

It had taken a while to get used to people touching her in a way that wasn't followed by pain or possessiveness. A comforting hand on the shoulder or hugs were nice.

"...white?"

"The rooms were all white," was all Namine answered before looking down the hall, "Where too?"

Aqua lets it drop for the time being and resumes leading her through her home. The dining hall is huge, with multiple tables, banners hanging down with that symbol that was on Aqua and her friend's clothes. She points. "Aqua, what does that mean?"

"It's the mark of the Keyblade Masters," Aqua explains, "Now, take a seat and I'll get us some food."

Namine sits down in the middle of the middlemost table, frowning and looking around. "Why is it so big for so few people?"

"That," comes Master Eraqus's voice, "Is because long ago, there used to be far, far more Keybearers."

She turns to see the man enter the room, not a strand of hair out of place. "Good morning, sir."

"Good morning, my grand-apprentice."

She flushes a bit at the small smile he has on his face as he said that.

He moves to sit across from her, his face becoming stern. "Now, before you begin on this path, there is something that you must be aware of, for a keybearer of your background."

She frowns a little. "L...like what?"

He levels an uncomfortably hard gaze at her. "Keybearers are meant to protect the worlds, to defend them from outside influence. That includes us ourselves. I am aware that you were hurt by detestable individuals, but a Keybearer cannot use their power for revenge. You will never be permitted to track them down to deliver your own brand of justice, is this clear?"

She blinks at him. "...if I could go my entire life without seeing them again, I'd be happy."

He hums. "No doubt, but in the case you do encounter them again..."

"I... I understand," said Namine quietly, "Turn around and walk the other way."

He sighs. "If only it were so simple. In a normal encounter, yes, but now I ask, if they are the ones being attacked by outside forces, what would you be expected to do?"

Namine grimaces, looking down at her hands clenched tightly in her laps. She feels sick at the mere thought of it. Of being forced to defend Marluxia or Larxene.

"That's a bit harsh for day one Master," comes Aqua's voice, walking out levitating four plates of eggs, maybe-ham, and maybe-bacon? Worlds have a lot of similar-but-not-the-same-name-food.

"It's best to eliminate such preconceived notions early," said Eraqus sagely, "Let she continue training under such assumptions only to find out later that she cannot. It would be most unfortunate if this were to have been a subject she refused to budge on. You do understand what that would mean, do you not?"

Aqua's jaw sets, she stiffly moves to set or levitate the plates down. "From what I've seen, Namine isn't that kind of person."

He gives her a patient look. "I am not saying she is, Aqua, but you do understand procedure, do you not?"

Aqua sighs and sits down next to Namine. "Yes, I do."

Aqua lays a gentle hand on Namine's shoulder. "As awful as it is, you would be expected to defend them from outside forces if it were to happen."

Namine swallows and says quietly, "Okay."

She picks at her food silently. It's not like either of them even exists at the moment. Most likely their somebodies are still alive, and who knows if they were anything like their nobodies would be. Either way, she'd rather never see them again... and now that she thinks about it, they wouldn't even know her anymore, but, for the sake of appearance, she asks, "Wouldn't... wouldn't them seeing me cause issues?"

"That is what Keyblade armor is for," said Aqua, smiling, "There are also spells that can be learned to disguise your appearance. There are also ways to seal memories, but... that's really advanced stuff, even I haven't really learned much besides the basics."

Namine blinks. There are other methods of memory manipulation than just what she was born with? "...really?"

"It's an ability of Keyblade Masters," advised Eraqus, "To lock away memories. But it is a very, very dangerous ability ripe for misuse or mistakes. You could so easily damage someone irreversibly instead of sealing a select memory. It is likely something that you will not learn until you yourself are an experienced Keyblade Master, if at all, some do not have the aptitude for it..."

Then the door bursts open and Ventus bumbles in, still in pajamas, "Yesssss! Real cooking!"

Aqua rolls her eyes and slides the spare plate to the spot next to Eraqus.

Namine wrinkles her nose as Ven digs in messily, Eraqus merely grins a little indulgently before glancing at Ven. "Well, if you had not wandered off, perhaps you would not have missed it so."

Ven makes a face. "I know I know, keep rubbing it in."

Eraqus hums before he begins eating. "Gladly."

Ven groaned but resumed stuffing his face.

Aside from the munching of food, it becomes a companionable silence for a while that helps Namine unwind from the previous topic. When they are all done, Eraqus sends Ven off to change and meet him outside while Aqua takes Namine to the kitchen.

"We swap off daily for chores," said Aqua as she sets the plates and silverware into a sink.

Namine nods and moves to help, even if it's just setting things in a drying rack.

"Alright, now, let's head outside," said Aqua, "I don't know about you, but I'm more than ready to start."

Namine smiles a little nervously, but gives a nod and follows her out of the kitchen, the dining hall, through hallways, outside, down the long set of stairs, through the courtyard, and out onto a grassy area on the mountainside with what looked like... wooden poles with rings hung from them? Eraqus was watching Ventus, arms crossed, eyes critical, as the boy went through maneuvers with his Keyblade.

Aqua paid them no mind and instead sat down a good distance away, patting the ground. "Now, there are a few basics we need to go over first. We won't be starting with anything Keyblade related aside from classwork for a while. We need to get your body up to par first, which means exercising."

Namine looks over Aqua's arms. "You're not really muscular."

Aqua hummed. "I'm not, but for Keybearers, and plenty of other beings, our strength doesn't usually develop in overly physical ways. Terra has because that is his general focus, and he puts the extra effort in. Believe me, I exercise a respectable amount, but rather than improve our bodies, it improves..."

She struggles for a moment to find wording. "In a sense, our growth is an improvement in our power, our spirit, our hearts. I might look flimsy, light knows Terra teases me about being a twig, but I can move with superhuman speed and strength. But I hit and maintain a certain level of fitness first."

Considering Sora was a gangley teenager that took down Ansem, and the Organization, yeah, Namine gets it.

"Now, its important to start with light activity to get yourself warmed up, a quick walk or a light run is always a safe bet, we'll do a few loops around the courtyard," instructs Aqua.

Namine had never really given working out a thought before outside of a random memory from Sora of it being a 'guy's thing'. "Why is it important?"

"If you start into a harder exercise or stretching before your muscles have a chance to warm up you can pull an unready muscle among other things," Aqua advises, walking briskly, Namine trailing a bit behind with her shorter legs, "Once your blood has started flowing, well I mean your blood is always flowing, but once you get a focused blood flow to the area, then your body is ready to go."

They go for five or so minutes before Aqua has them plop down on the ground, pushing her legs outward, leaning forward to touch her boot. "Next comes stretches."

"Why?" asked Namine, doing the same.

"It lets your muscles become more pliable," she explains, "And as a warning for something to be wrong. Stretching should cause some tension, but not pain. If you feel actual pain while stretching, you're either stretching to far, or have an injury in the area most likely. Which, honestly, if you're injured you should be resting and recovering rather than working out, but good luck telling Terra that."

Namine gives a small giggle, watching and mirroring Aqua. Not all the way, no, she doesn't stretch anywhere near that far yet. She's kind of a little awed, Aqua is incredibly flexible.

"Now, we're not going to be doing much more than working on cardio to begin with," explains Aqua after they're done, "We need to build your endurance first, and the simplest method? A good old fashion run, or well, jog for the first few weeks. We also have lakes near the base of the mountain we're on for swimming as well, which is also good exercise."

"I erm... I don't know how to swim," admits Namine.

Aqua simply nods. "Something I'll teach you, don't worry. For now, we're going to start jogging. The intention isn't to push us to our limits with an all out sprint, but to set a good pace and slowly increase the duration and speed day by day to train your body."

"Probably won't be able to go for very long," murmurs Namine.

"That's fine Namine, everyone starts somewhere, now, lets do a few laps around both the training around and the courtyard, we'll save heading up the mountain path for when you've started to improve your cardio..."

The shower after is nice, and she likes the blue robe plus purple shirt and shorts left for her along with underclothes. Aqua gives her a smile small when she walks out, "Come, lets hit the library for lessons."

When they arrive, there is already a small stack of books, pencils, and notebooks waiting. Aqua briefly looks over the books briefly, seeming a little indecisive on where to start. "Hrm..."

Namine sits and grabs a pencil with hesitation. She can draw, but... when she scratches her name into the top of the page as she vaguely recalls Kairi doing in schooling the few times she looked as part of 'note-taking'. Name and date at the top, though she has no idea what calendar system they use here so she doesn't write that. Her hand writing however does not in any way look like her drawing, she winces at her sloppy name. She gets a soft 'oh' from Aqua. She glances up and finds the woman giving her a considerate look. "Namine... what schooling have you had up to this point?"

Namine flushes with embarrassment and looks down. She's never been schooled in her life. Outside of peering into memories here and there she's never been taught much that she didn't learn herself or was forced to learn. There were a few things she was born knowing, like speech and stuff, but... "I've... never been to school."

"It's alright Namine," said Aqua softly, "Its a place to start. I'm going to start from the beginning with letters and numbers and penmanship and work our way up."

Namine pulls back an indignant reply. She can count just fine, and she knows words... but there's no guarantee she knows everything or isn't missing something. Even if it makes her feel like a small child, she ought to really start from the basics to make sure she has them right. So... the next few hours, while embarrassing to her, are also a little... warm she supposes. Aqua is so unbelievably patient with her, guiding her through one thing to another. Correcting her grip on her pencil. A quick compliment here and there when she gets something quickly or already has an understanding of it.

Its...

Its nice.

Its embarrassing but nice to have someone so personally invested in helping Namine learn.

She is still relieved when they break for lunch and she can scramble out of the library.

"So... what will we be learning this afternoon?" asked Namine as they walked into the dining hall.

Please no more letters and numbers...

"Well, we can...," begins Aqua.

"It is unfortunate, but I would like to commandeer your afternoons for the next week or so," said Eraqus to Aqua from his spot at the table, "We barely had time for me to even cover the emergency responsibilities of a Keyblade Master before you were sent out on your mission. There is still much left to advise you of."

Aqua blinks and nods, turning back to give Namine a smile. "You can have the afternoons off to relax, play, explore, or read in the library for the time being. Consider it a slower start before we kick things into speed."

"I can give you a tour later!" says Ven excitedly as he walks in holding a few plates of... something mushy? Potatoes and corn and meat maybe?

"Smelly boys should take a bath first," teases Aqua when she sits down across from him.

Ven makes a face but nods, "Yeah yeah yeah."

"So master," Aqua says between bites, "I only briefly mentioned it in yesterday's report and didn't think to ask you. Did you know Master Yen Sid took an apprentice?"

"Vaguely," answered Eraqus, "My old friend mentioned him in the call when he advised me on the Unversed issue, said it was to be a part time apprenticeship, as his apprentice I believe was a king somewhere and would have to split responsibilities. We usually prefer someone who can devote their lives to being a keybearer, but Yen Sid's line of Keybearers has always had a supportive role to our own rather than a focus."

Aqua nods. "Mickey Mouse, king of Disney Castle. I've only heard of his kind in passing, was my first time seeing a fully-sentient humanoid mouse."

Eraqus hums. "The worlds are a wonderful place, full of many, many different beings."

"He was kind of adorable," she says with a small chuckle, "But he was pretty good with a Keyblade for our one fight together against the Unversed. He was acrobatic enough to make me jealous, the way he could flip through the air was crazy. Had a good head on his shoulders as well from our brief conversation."

Eraqus nods thoughtfully. "That is good to hear. I'm glad my old friend appears to have chosen his apprentice well."

They conversations are light for the rest of lunch before Ventus leaves to shower, Aqua leaves to grab a notebook and meet Eraqus in the throne room. Namine hesitates a moment before she asks, "Could I... ask you something Master Eraqus?"

The man was on his way out of the room, but paused and returned to the table. "What is it Namine?"

She hesitated but decided she really wanted to know. "Do... do you know why Aqua doesn't remember her childhood?"

"It is not polite to pry into someone's past," said Eraqus in a soft tone.

It's not a nice soft tone.

Namine swallowed and bowed her head, shoulders tense.

Eraqus sighed. "It's not a threat, child, but a warning. While not a guarantee, Keybearers don't often come from a pleasant background, and might not take kindly into pressing for their history. While it is not a stringent requirement, it's... 'suggested' by the precepts that our position is offered to those in a dire moment, who are likely to soon perish."

"...why?" asks Namine quietly, uneasily.

"Because taking someone from their world disrupts the role they would have played had they stayed, or that their descendants might have played," answered Eraqus, "If they were highly likely to have soon died for one reason or another, then their vanishing will usually have a much lesser chance of causing major disruptions. Its not a kind thing, and I would never suggest it was."

"I... can take the hint, about it being an unhappy life," said Namine quietly, "But... it doesn't explain why she doesn't remember."

"Because her past disrupted her daily life to a crippling degree that first year," Eraqus answered firmly, "So when offered the choice to seal her memories with my Keyblade, she begged to forget."

Oh.

Oh.

That... suggested very unpleasant things about her early life.

Namine forces herself to nod and makes the conscious decision to not dig anymore. "Okay."

He studied her for a moment. "You wish to know more."

Namine shook her head. "No, I... I get that I shouldn't."

"Part of being a Keybearer is understanding yourself, and how you act in certain situations," rebutted Eraqus, "While out in the worlds, there is always a chance you will meet people even while trying to remain anonymous. You should try not to impact their lives, and in that regard, you must understand what would drive you to want to. So I ask you, Namine, why do you wish to know more?"

Namine looked down at the table, fists curling, her throat constricting. "I..."

She takes a long few minutes to figure it out, then to work up the will to say it, "Some... morbid part of me wants to know, to compare, to... to see both: who had it worse and... and how much we have in common."

"Ah," said Eraqus, "I see."

He is silent for a moment before speaking, "She lived most of her early youth on the run, and witnessed the very brutal deaths of at least one parent in a world that was not tolerant of those with magic, that had factions whose entire purpose were to hunt down and eradicate any who could wield that power with extreme prejudice."

Namine flinches violently. "I... oh..."

"Are you glad you know?" he asks pointedly.

"No," says Namine, swallowing, feeling a horrid ache for Aqua.

"Are you likely to wish to know such things about more people?" he asked, "Those out in the worlds? To know more of their burdens to weigh down upon yourself? To potentially force them to relive and remember horrid pasts that could impact them to do so?"

Namine shakes a little. "N...no..."

Eraqus rises to his feet, rounds the table, and kneels down next to her. "I do not give this lesson to be cruel but to impart wisdom learned the hard way from generations of our profession. The life of a keybearer is never easy, Namine. It is a life of hardship to preserve the sanctity of the worlds from outside forces that seek to disrupt their ways of life. It is also lonely, to not be able to be truly known by more than your fellow Keybearers, and sometimes, depending on the duration of your mission or patrol, you can go months without seeing a fellow Keybearer."

"I tell you this for a simple reason," he answers, "That we must be incredibly conscious of how we interact with the worlds we protect."

He pulls up a chair and sits next to her. "Now imagine: It's been a long mission, several months without a conversation that is more than a simple greeting or goodbye. You sit at a bar in a tavern, soon to retire for the night. A person next to you strikes up a conversation with you. You spend an hour talking with them, listening to their woes, perhaps talking them through it, then part ways. An innocent thing, would you say?"

There is a trap to that. "Normally..."

He gives her a nod. "Normally, yes. But now consider, that instead of the person they were meant to talk to and befriend and listen to, instead, they talked to someone that they're never likely to see again, you. Perhaps this person you talked to is someone important to their world, a hero, and the friendship they were destined to start that night with another would one day determine if they would have lived or died depending if they had that friend at their back. But even before then, what if the advice you give them causes this person to do something different than they would have if they had never met you?"

"Oh," said Namine quietly, uneasily, "That's..."

"You begin to understand the complexity of our duty," said Eraqus.

Sora would have been in so much trouble... but wait..., "How does that work if a world is being affected by outside forces?"

Eraqus grimaces. "Then, it gets complex, and left up to the judgment of the Keybearer on how to handle the situation, depending of-course on how badly the world is being affected. The less the impact of the outside influence, the less a Keybearer should intervene."

So then... with the Heartless invading worlds... Sora might technically have been okay in how he went about his journey? Donald had harped to him on the World Order pretty much the entire time after all...

"Your master will, of course, go over specific types of instances and how best to handle them," said Eraqus, "But gut instinct, and following your heart, will come into play. If the situation is bad enough, there might be little a Keybearer can do but get deeply involved, such situations are... messy things. They don't happen often, but when they do they tend to be... stressful."

He looks to the ceiling in thought. "Its been a long while for myself, back during my early years as the Steward of the Land of Departure. Some warlock or another, I can't remember his name, thought it wise to draw beings from the Realm of Darkness to serve as his minions and lost control of them. To see a star starting to blink out in the sky... it was a terrifying thing. But thankfully, my own master had not yet left for retirement, and my fellow apprentices had yet to truly depart our land for their own roles. It was the last mission we had together, and perhaps the most trying, but we managed to push back the darkness before it could swallow that world whole."

"Telling old stories master?" comes Aqua's voice from the doorway, walking in with a notebook under her arm.

"My apologies, Namine had a question," says Eraqus.

She waves it off. "Perfectly fine. Shall we?"

He nods. "Until later my Grand Apprentice."

Namine once more flushes at the phrase. "Goodbye G-grandmaster, master."

Aqua smiled in her direction. "I'll see you at dinner."

Ven nearly barrels them over running into the room as the pair tries to leave. "Oops, sorry Master, Aqua."

"Mind running in the halls, Ventus," said Eraqus sternly, "And remember in your tour that certain parts of this land are restricted to apprentices."

"No problem, Master," answered Ventus, walking over to Namine with a goofy smile so similar to Sora's it made her ache, "Shall we?"

The tour starts off simple enough. The dining hall they're in, along with the kitchen, the pantry. They leave next for the laundry room, an open room with a soft breeze blowing through it, clothes hung on a line or in a basket to be washed. "We take turns on chores, the Master keeps us on rotation and doesn't allow us to pick what we do or don't do. Says it 'builds character'."

She offers a small laugh at the tone change.

There are a few different storage rooms in a section down a level from the first floor. The shapes of these rooms... something about them seems almost familiar, but she can't place a finger on it. "Us apprentices only have access to the first few. I know there are a few rooms in the locked areas that dangerous things are kept."

"Did you ever go looking?"

Ventus snorted. "No. Not in those at least. Not when the Master warned me, and did a reminder warning to Terra and Aqua during my tour of the place, that he'd paddle our butts bloody if he ever caught us in there without him present. Some of the things he said could really hurt if not cripple or kill us if mishandled."

He leans in and whispered. "He also mentioned there's a dark artifact vault that he'd take us through when we were master's ourselves to teach us about containment protocol and techniques. But yeah, I'm not sticking my nose in there to get it bit off."

"Probably smart," she agrees.

He mentions a dungeon in the lower depths of the keep, but says, "Hasn't been used in generations. Its rare that there's ever a threat big enough that has to be contained here that wouldn't just, ya know, be dealt with. Most really bad enemies according to the history books don't really let themselves be taken alive. There also hasn't been..."

He leans towards her to whisper something as if its a terrible, terrible secret, "There hasn't been a recusant in ages either."

Namine frowns. "What's that?"

"A keybearer who turns bad, really bad," he whispers, giving a shudder, "They get branded with the Recusant's Sigil and have their power to call a keyblade sealed away. More could happen depending on how bad they mucked things up. I think the last person got their powers and memories sealed before they were dumped back on their homeworld to live out the rest of their days."

"I... I didn't think Keybearers could go bad," said Namine, a little startled.

Riku being possessed by Ansem hadn't really counted. Though now that she thinks on that whole thing, she's kind of curious about the Keyblade of Heart, but can't think of a way to ask about it without giving herself away, so its probably something that will have to be dropped until she can look into it privately, probably as a Master herself years from now.

"Its rare," agreed Ven, "You'll cover it in your history lessons whenever they start, but yeah, as the Master says, being a Keybearer is a big responsibility. For our duties, and over ourselves to make sure we don't abuse our power. Those who abuse our powers..."

He shakes his head. "That lesson is really eye opening, the kind of terrible things that can be done with the Keyblade... that lesson probably wont be for awhile since you're just starting out."

He doesn't offer anything more on the subject; she doesn't ask. She's not sure she wants to know. She's already... she's already abused her own power, even if it was forced by others... she doesn't ever want to consider doing so with a Keyblade.

They move onto the dormitories. He shows her where he, Terra, Aqua, and Eraqus are assigned if she ever needs to speak to them late in the day or early in the morning as they wind down or up for the day. "You'll have your own room set up by the end of the day. It'll be pretty bare bones to begin with, but you're more than allowed to spruce it up yourself."

She nods. Thinking of the drawings she had put up all around the white room in the manor. "Alright."

Then he shows her the actual dormitories. A barracks where troops had once been housed in ages long past, long covered in dust. The guest wing, which at least looks somewhat maintained. Then the most curious thing to her is the Princess Wing. "Why is it called that?"

"Well, if the Princess of Heart are in real danger, we have a space set aside for them to be gathered and protected," said Ven proudly, "Hasn't been used in generations, but its here just incase."

Well, that certainly would have kept them safe from Maleficent in her time if the Keybearers had survived. It makes her ache, the more she learns, that an entire way of life hadn't survived the next decade in the original way of things. All of this, just... gone. She tightens her fists and thinks to herself 'Not if I can help it.'

He doesn't seem that thrilled by the library, but does mention, "There's a section for Masters that we won't have access to, and a further restricted section that only the Steward of the Land of Departure can get into. If a door is locked or sealed, don't try to get into it, especially when you get a Keyblade."

He hesitates. "The... the Master... I probably shouldn't give you a heads up, but when the Master means you shouldn't go into restricted area's, he really means it. There are a few places that are restricted, but will have locks that any old Keyblade can unseal. These are tests, temptations as the Master calls them, that only lead to empty rooms. The Master will know if you've gotten into them and punish you for breaking the rules and misusing the Keyblade."

"Know from experience?"

He winces. "Yeah... the chores I got saddled with after that weren't fun, followed by the lessons that got dumped on me after for why even the smallest misuse can lead to bigger and badder ones. Or the dangers of careless use of the Keyblade, all that stuff."

She thinks on the discussion she had with the older man a little while ago, the test-trap in his words. "Does... Master Eraqus do that a lot? The testing kind of thing?"

Ven exhales. "Yeah. It can be kind of frustrating, but he means well, and its kind of his job."

She considers it for a little bit as they walk. The differences so far between Eraqus and Aqua. The stern but wise VS the gentle and caring. She likes how kind Aqua is, but she also likes how Eraqus so far doesn't hold back, or doesn't act so careful about her past like some (most) did back in Radiant Guardian. Literally all he said on the matter was that Marluxia/Larxene were detestible and interactions that would be allowed concerning them, nothing more nothing less. She... she knows she's not okay, but she doesn't really like being treated as if she's going to break apart with a single misplaced word. So..., "I think... I can appreciate his method. Its not quite kind, but its necessary."

"You say that," he says teasingly, "But you haven't seen him in one of those moods. When he's forced to really act as the Steward. Its scary how he can just seemingly shut away anything he feels. He..."

Ven faltered for a moment. "He really kind of made me feel like dirt under his boot. I know I did wrong, but... I dunno. I dunno."

They're quiet for a few minutes as they keep moving upward in the keep. There is an observatory near the top with an huge extendable telescope. "No one here is really trained on how to use this hunk of junk. To view the stars for hints and clues, to monitor them for danger. Apparently you can even view the stars to figure out if someone is alive or not, but no clue on how that works. We can use this to look around, but without the proper magic, its just a telescope for us. I think Master said that Master Yen Sid was the most recent Keybearer trained in Star Gazing, but he's way past the point where he needs this thing to do so. The Master sounded pretty proud when he said he doesn't think there's ever been a Keybearer as good as Star Gazing as Master Yen Sid is."

She nods thoughtfully. "That's interesting. I wonder if Master Yen Sid would be willing to come and give lessons on it?"

Ven shrugs. "Maybe, but if I remember right, it might be one of those abilities you need to be born with, or at least have an affinity for."

That's a shame if that is the case.

They wrap up and head back downstairs and then outside. He shows her around the courtyard, the training area... "What are the hanging rings for? Just batting around?"

"Mostly, but watch this!" he says, leaping for one, grabbing it, hefting himself up a bit, and then using only his arms, flings himself to one ring after another, all the while the rings are start to move with him. But he is completely confident in his movements, until finally he does a backflip off the ring when they are going so fast it makes her dizzy to watch.

He lands effortlessly, not looking outbalanced at all. "Wow."

He grins. "Bet ya can't wait till you can do that."

"Umm... I think I'd prefer both legs on the ground, thanks."

He laughs and starts up the mountain path. "C'mon, saved the best for last."

Its starting to get dark when they reach the summit, and she's more than a little tired from the walk up. Ventus moves to the center and flops down, arms spread. "Last time I was up here, Terra, Aqua and I watched a meteor shower. It was a great view. Doesn't happen often, but its cool when it does. The summit is a nice place to go if you need to be alone. Though dress warm if you're going to be up here for awhile."

Namine sits on one of the benches, looking out across the distance. "Its a great view."

She wouldn't mind drawing this. Or if she ever got to try painting, this would be amazing, to see the sunet over the mountains...

She smiles faintly, lost in what she sees, until Ventus hefts himself up. "Alright, probably ought to head back before its completely dark."

"Whats your favorite part of being an apprentice so far?" she asks after a bit.

He grins. "Sparring with a Keyblade can get pretty crazy when we cut loose. Its a blast."

Namine falters a bit. She's never really been drawn to fighting, she doesn't see the enjoyment of it. She'd felt Sora's memories of those wooden playfights for Riku, but... who knows. "I can hardly imagine myself ever moving like you, Aqua, and Terra did against that giant monster."

He scratches the back of his head bashfully. "Yeah its... it just comes out of nowhere really. At the start, you're not going to be fighting anything like we did there. It just slowly crawls up on you then BOOM, one day your back-flipping over Terra and speeding around him so fast he trips over himself trying to keep up."

That gets a laugh from up ahead as they're walking into the courtyard, Aqua walking down the steps towards them. "I remember that."

Ven grins. "Gonna hold that over Terra's head forever!"

"If you end up tall enough," Aqua muses as they meet up dead-center.

"Hey!" he exclaims, "I'm still growing!"

She ruffles his hair teasingly, earning a scowl from him as he bats at her head. "Sure you are Ven."

"Just you watch, I'll end up the tallest!"

She merely smirks. "I suppose we'll see."

She looks to Namine. "Enjoy the tour?"

"It was thorough and enlightening."

Aqua raises a skeptical eyebrow, glancing at Ventus. "Enlightening?"

"Hey! Rude!" he exclaims, "I'm an awesome tour-guide."

Again, the ache hits her. Ven and Sora are so similar sometimes...

"He mentioned a few things that were interesting," Namine says honestly, "Its nice that you... we... have a whole wing for the umm... Princesses? If they needed it."

She considers that she really shouldn't know about the Princesses of Heart yet from their point of view, at least nothing detailed, not that she honestly knows that much. She's not sure if the names she recalls for them are accurate a decade in the past. "I think I've heard you mention them before?"

Aqua nods. "The Princesses of Heart are one of our primary responsibilities, they are woman whose hearts are of pure light. They are a subject we will start on later in the week. Now, I was coming out to fetch you both for dinner, lets go eat."

Namine tiredly forces herself back up the steps and into the dining hall. They greet Eraqus, sit, and dig in.

"Master Eraqus," says Namine.

"Yes Namine?"

"I was wondering... Ventus showed me the observatory at the top of the keep and told me how Master Yen Sid was skilled with it. Do... do you think he would be willing to come give lessons?"

Eraqus leans back in his seat, smiling fondly. "Interested in Star Gazing are you?"

"A little," she says, blushing.

"I'll admit, I don't really know much about it aside from old sayings," said Aqua.

Eraqus hums. "I can ask him the next time we speak, but it will be dependent on his schedule."

She nods before hesitating. "Do you... I mean, Ventus said it might be something you have to be born with?"

"Somewhat," said Eraqus, nodding to Ven in acknowledgement, "To truly master it and delve into some of the more finer parts you need to have a strong affinity for it. But anyone can learn the basics, just don't set yourself up for failure expecting to get similar results to my old friend unless you are born with an aptitude for it. Things that would take us hours of meditation and gazing he can get with a simple glance."

"Okay," she acknowledges before refocusing on her food.

Afterwards, with Ventus left to the dishes this time, Aqua leads her to her room. Not a prison cell or a guided cage. Not borrowing Kairi's room. Namine's own room. It even has a little plaque on the outside magic'd in if she senses right. It might seem simple and barren for now, but... she gazes at the bed that she'd hopefully grow into, the empty bookshelf, a desk and chair, a cabinet, a small little fireplace, and while the room might be small she knows that its hers.

She chokes up a little. "Thank you."

Aqua gives a small, sad smile. "We have a few stores in the know about the world's and the Keyblade that we frequent for supplies. At some point we can get you some things to spruce up the room."

"I... could I get... something to draw with?" Namine asks quietly.

"You like to draw?"

"Its... its one of the few things from before that I liked and was allowed to do," she answers honestly, "I've only ever drawn though... never got a chance to try painting or anything else.

"Of course," agreed Aqua, "I think we have some basic supplies here, but nothing special. Next supply run for the keep though, some art supplies."

"I...," she gives Aqua a hug, "Thank you."

Aqua gently thumbs through Namine's hair. "Of course, apprentice. Now, do you like things as they are, or do you want anything moved around?"

Some people might not like having light on them when they're trying to sleep, but Namine likes an open window, loves moonlight shining down on her. It reminds her that she's not trapped in the bowls of Castle Oblivion, or the White Room with its one huge window covered with curtains she wasn't allowed to open or look out of without getting in trouble with DiZ. The bed is adjusted so its right under the window, the bookshelf moved to allow for that. Aqua magic's the room, floating things around for her until Namine is satisfied.

Aqua leaves Namine with one more hug before departing. Namine sits down on the bed with a soft sigh, staring out of the window. She's a little suprised when Aqua returns not to much later, with...

Namine smiles at the heft of paper and writing utensils the woman's carrying. "Thank you."

Aqua smiles one last time before she departs. "Good night Namine."

"Good night Aqua."

Namine moves to the desk, moving the paper underneath save for a single sheet, putting most of the utensils in a drawer save for a pencil. She stares at the paper for a few minutes, considering what she wants her first drawing in this room to before she smiles and begins to draw herself at the library, Aqua leaning over her shoulder, hand on her own guiding her in their lessons...

Review Responses:

Nightfrightpony: As requested :P.

Enoch: Vanitas might be a bit, he needs to sort himself out first and make a few decisions, he will return however. I'm not quite sure on any new worlds or not. I'm very, very tempted to visit Narnia as a double-nod to the title of this story. White Witch VS White Witch could be fun. Though I haven't read/watched anything Narnia in ages. Anything new that I'm not familiar with I'd need to take the time to watch/read up on.

Noter: I don't follow KHX, nor treat it as cannon for my stories as an fyi. Namine will meet Marluxia/Larxene again in this story, I will confirm that, most likely not their somebodies, but how the encounters go, we'll see.

The Unplanner: Not to mention, most of this was completely unintentional. She had no idea about any rifts, or that Ven wouldn't return, or even who Vanitas really is, ect... the whole 'Time Traveler changes things without even trying just by existing' argument.