Just why has our room become the designated princess hangout spot again? Mal wondered as she tried to concentrate on the book she got from Professor Thatch.
Okay so Jane and Lonnie weren't technically princesses...but Audrey was and wouldn't let anyone forget that fact. Even now, she kept babbling on about her royal heritage. Evie tried to block her out by playing with a few designs she was considering for her new dress-making business. It was harder for Mal.
"You know my mother was one of the Seven Princesses of Heart! Ben and Chad's too, but they're guys. I, on the other hand, am only a natural to be one of the new Seven!" Audrey oozed.
"The Seven What now?" Mal asked, closing the book around her finger to hold her place.
"Oh, they're the Seven Hearts of Light because there's no darkness in them," Jane explained, "Bringing all seven together is one of the ways to bring forth the Door of Darkness to control the worlds, get to Kingdom Hearts, and stuff like that."
"Really..." A wicked smile grew across Mal's face. She was intrigued about the control aspect.
"Hey! Now don't be getting any ideas!" Audrey snapped in front of her. "Your mother already tried that decades ago. Only thing she accomplished from that was losing her own heart in the process."
Mal couldn't tell if Audrey meant that literally or figuratively, but if her mom used to have a heart and altogether lost it, no wonder she shrunk so small when she became the size of the love she had in it.
"Woah! I'm not planning anything," Mal defended, "I'm just wondering why all this talk of Doors and Kingdoms and Hearts of Darkness and Light."
Audrey huffed, "Well obviously if we have Keyblade Masters hanging around, they must be looking for the new Lights so they can protect them!"
Oh right, those visitors she had dinner with at Ben's. Was that why they needed her mother's scepter? The connection was cloudy, but one thing for sure, it sounded like her mother was a central figure in the past events she was trying to learn about. It was a long shot, but maybe her mother could enlighten her about some of the finer details.
She stood and headed for the door.
"Where are you going?" asked Lonnie.
"I've got this book I'm trying to read, so I guess the library would be the best place."
To read was not her only intention though. Her mother was currently being kept under security there, but Mal at least had some visitation rights. Somewhere quiet to read and perhaps ask her mom about some of the things she just heard about; kill two birds with one stone!
"You mean this book you left on your bed?" Jane pointed out.
Mal looked at her hands and then the bed where her book was. She must have put it down without realizing it. Acting like it was intentional, she crossed back to grab it and headed out with an, "Of course!"
She schemed about the best way to get her mom to talk as she walked the quiet campus halls. As she entered the library and made her way to the massive doors that guarded Maleficent, she was shocked to find them open. Cautiously, she crept to the edge of the entrance.
"Why didn't you tell me?" she heard a masculine voice demand.
Mal peered around the doorway into the room. Her mother was still in the cage, motionless and staring up at a silver-haired man: Master Riku!
He continued, "The fact that there was no magic or phones is not an excuse! I deserved to know!"
The small, purple lizard simply stuck its tongue out at him.
"Deserve to know what?" Mal interrupted the interrogation. She entered the chamber with her arms crossed in front of her.
Riku turned with a shock. Upon seeing Mal, his expression softened. "Something that happened a long time ago. Before you were born."
"Try me. You've a better chance getting me to talk than a lizard." Mal's peripheral vision caught her mom flicking her tongue at her, but this time seemed more of a Good luck knowing the answer to what he's going to ask than condemning her for being a snitch.
The silver haired man sighed and gazed at the wall in thought.
After a moment, Mal said, "Look. I don't think you have permission to be here right now. Now I am going to get security unless you start talking and stop being so cryptic. Why are you harassing my mom and why do you want her scepter?!"
A hiss sounded that made the two turn, attention being drawn down to the purple figure under glass.
"Well that confirms we're on the right track," stated Riku. He walked past Mal, moseying out of the library.
"Yeah...weird. What was all that about, mom?" Mal looked down at her reptilian parent.
They were all worn and tired. It took everything they had, but it seemed all the villains were rounded up and accounted for. Riku looked over the group of heros for his friends.
"Where's Kairi?! And Sora?" he exclaimed.
A laugh sprouted up from the gang of bad guys. It was Maleficent, both hands gripping her staff to hold her up. "Search the sky, search the sea, you'll never find them!"
The nearby Prince Phillip stabbed her where her heart should be. That quieted her down. Passed out from exhaustion, they moved her body to the island with the rest of the villains.
Her mother wasn't much help, just kept up the silent treatment. The book wasn't much help either, only talking about endless battles on different worlds.
By the next tourney game, she felt no closer to any answers, but mysteries around Keyblades and Kingdom Hearts grew. It seemed almost fortunate when she heard someone call her name while she and Evie were cheering in the bleachers.
"MAL!" she heard over the crowd. She looked down and saw Skyler with his dad. He waved enthusiastically at her.
Professor Thatch did say asking a Keyblade Master directly would be her best bet. The child of one might be just as good.
She lifted a hand in a polite greeting. That was all the encouragement he needed to bolt up the steps towards her, excusing himself with every spectator he accidentally pushed along his way.
Lonnie grabbed Mal's shoulders from behind and shook her in excitement. She squealed, "Ohmigosh! I can't believe Skyler knows you by name!" When the boy reached them, she reached over Mal's shoulder to shake his hand. "Hey! I'm Lonnie, Mulan's daughter. Our parents fought together! I'm pretty good with a sword as well. I bet I could do a bunch of great things with a Keyblade if given a chance."
He chuckled as he shook her hand. "Good to meet you, Lonnie. My dad speaks highly of your mom!"
"So what's up?" Mal asked before Lonnie could continue bragging or flirting or whatever it was she was doing.
"Oh, you know. Just came here with my dad and saw a familiar face," Skyler chirped.
Lonnie exclaimed, "Totally understand. I mean we all love our parents but who wants to be seen with them at a tourney game, right?"
Music rang over the din of spectators as the play ended and the band marched out to the field for halftime.
"I'm going to see Doug during the break," Evie announced over the music with a hand on Mal's shoulder. She then turned to the row behind them. "You know Lonnie, I have a quick minute to take your measurements for the dress you commissioned if you want to come with me under the bleachers real quick."
Lonnie hesitated but Evie assured her it would only take a moment while the band put their instruments away for intermission. Everyone would still be there when the next quarter started. It took the length of the performing song, but the desire to have her dress done won out in the end.
Mal mentally thanked her friend for providing an opportunity that she was hoping for. But this left the two with an awkward silence, neither sure how to strike up a conversation with the other. Merely looking at each other with cheesy grins from Skyler and nervous chuckles from Mal.
Eventually Skyler commented, "Wow, your hair really stands out in the sun! Is it natural?"
Without thinking, she twirled a lock as she shrugged. "Yeah, I get it from my mom."
"That's pretty cool. I haven't come across purple hair that often."
"Yeah, I suppose it's something from my mother that I enjoy." Steering the conversation more towards her goal, Mal said, "Do you get a lot of good things from your dad? Like controlling worlds with keyblades and stuff?"
"Ah haaa…" Skyler chortled, "Keyblades don't exactly work like that. It's the heart of the world that controls it. Keyblades can lock up the hearts of the worlds to keep them safe, or unlock them to open new paths. You really don't know much about them, do you?"
"Excuse me," Mal feigned offense, "We weren't exactly taught this stuff where I grew up. But I'm trying to catch up now." She pulled out the book she had kept on her person at all times since receiving it and waved it a little.
"Is that a...textbook? Boring," he nearly choked.
"Well, I really don't have many choices right now. It's not like I can hear it from the horse's mouth." Or the horse's son...
He looked down, scratching the back of his neck in thought. Then his eyes brightened with an idea as he slapped a fist into his palm "Hey! I've got a game that can give you a crash course on Keyblades, if you'd like to borrow it. You've got access to a console, right?"
"A game? For serious?!" Way to make learning fun. "Well, yeah sure. I'd love to check it out." Score!