I don't want to ruin the mood at the end of the chapter so all of the
author's notes are at the beginning. Just want to thank everyone that has
read the story so far and all my reviewers. The reviews really, really,
really keep me going. This chapter is sure to please you action lovers
and I'm sorry that I went out of order in the poem titles but it will work
better this way.
One Heart
By: Catty Engles
"Look at him." Thistle nudged Daisy, and inclined her head in Mickey's direction. Mickey's chin had slumped onto his chest and he was breathing steadily at the breakfast table. The rest of the boys were laughing and joking amiably amongst themselves.
"Shhhh!" Daisy hissed. She pointed at Mickey and the rest nodded, barely containing the urge to laugh. Dandin began edging for the door, carrying the rest of the pancake breakfast on a plate. The rest of the company followed, Daisy and Thistle blowing Mickey a kiss and the boys snickering as they hurried past the comical figure.
"Ahhhhh, I'm glad we came out." Dandin sprawled against the steps leading to the hotel. Thistle leaned against the wall to his left. Donald, Daisy, and Goofy we stretched on the stones farther away, staring into the bright sky and whispering conspiratorially. Thistle smiled, forgetting for a while the dark presence locked in her heart.
***
Mickey was dreaming fitfully. He knew he was looking for something, but had forgotten what. He wandered in the satiny mist, straining his eyes for the elusive prize.
Minnie's voice rent the stillness, "Mickey, I'm trapped, you must find the heart, the heart of this world, please hurry, it's so dark and cold." Her voice faltered slightly and the mist seemed to congeal, he could only hear her next words as if they were spoken from behind a wall. "The worlds are connected, you can travel through their hearts, use the key, I'm in- MICKEY THE HEARTLESS!" At these words Mickey was jerked from his sleep, without pausing he dashed outside.
Black shapes were forming around his dozing figures. Mickey summoned the keyblade and threw himself at the creatures, striking left and right shouting to wake his friends. Goofy and Daisy were the first up soon followed by Thistle, Dandin, and Donald.
Daisy and Donald were casting one spell after another as Goofy distracted the heartless around the two. Thistle had pulled a short dagger from her boot and was slashing madly at the shadows, seeming to get nowhere. Mickey's keyblade sliced through the shadows easily. Dandin's sword had more effect than Thistle's dagger, but he was still having trouble.
Dandin fought back to back with Thistle and Mickey, slashing at the endless tirade of darkness. Two shadows jumped at him from the front, he swung high, cleaving into the first one but only nicking the other, it landed on his shoulder and dug it's claws into his skin.
Dandin's flesh turned to ice as the claws tore at his shoulder. He ground his teeth and wrenched the creature off with a flick, thanking luck that it was his right shoulder and not his left, his sword arm. Dandin averted his gaze from the crimson pool staining his tunic and continued to fight.
Thistle brushed against Dandin's wet shoulder and her eyes widened in surprise. Thistle redoubled her efforts upon the heartless, bending her knees to lower her center of gravity.
Mickey knew something was wrong when he saw Dandin flagging. He overpowered a heartless directly in front of him and blasted two behind it with a weak fire spell. If Dandin was hurt they couldn't hold off much longer. Mickey estimated that about thirty heartless were attacking the friend's, more were materializing by the moment. He shouted to Daisy, Donald, and Goofy, "Get to the courtyard!"
Mickey's voice held the command of one born to lead, the trio obeyed instinctively. They fought to follow Mickey's measured retreat to the stairs opposite their position. Negotiating the steps while fighting was no small feat and they only just made it to the flagstones in one piece. Mickey dashed to the fountain; his golden keyblade was pulsing with warmth as he moved closer.
He intuitively raised the keyblade until it was level with a mural upon the stone. "To me!" Mickey hollered above the fray. His friends submitted, making a half circle around the prince. As a thin blue light shot from the end of Mickey's keyblade he reached out to touch Donald on the shoulder, connecting them all to him. They were coaxed into the ensuing calmness and Mickey let his mind surrender to the tranquillity.
The floating sensation returned and Mickey felt Donald's tense shoulder relax as the peace engulfed their senses. Sheer bliss. The peace coaxed the friend's to an exit, solidified ripples tenderly embraced them and they were raised in and out of a heart shaped pool, remarkably dry.
Mickey opened his eyes. His hand was still resting on Donald's shoulder and he gazed around at his familiar surroundings, "We're in the gardens." Mickey whispered. Dandin collapsed.
His shoulder was bleeding freely. Thistle was crouching over him, working at the sleeve of his tunic with the small dagger. The dagger cut through and she opened his shirt. The wound was deep, running from just above his armpit to a quarter across his chest. He was breathing raggedly and his eyes drifted in and out of focus.
Thistle's amethyst eyes were overly bright with unshed tears. She desperately bound his slash with strips of her own sleeves. The rest of the friends hovered anxiously over Dandin's prone form.
"Can you try a cure spell?" Mickey muttered in Donald's ear.
"No, I never learned." Donald turned his eyes away and slumped in sorrow.
Goofy was wringing his hands and Daisy bit her lip until a thin trickle of blood streaked down her downy white feathers.
Thistle was still binding frantically. Dandin's eyes focused slightly and he gazed at her face. He sputtered and managed to say, "G'bye Thistle." She whimpered in anguish as his body went limp. On an impulse she surged forward and forcefully pressed her lips against his, tears streaming down her cheeks.
No Dandin I won't let you leave me. Thistle's crying heart found the faintly dancing yellow one and touched the pale radiance. Nothing happened for a beat and then the yellow grew stronger, taking the essence from the already weak amethyst one. Thistle's face grew calm, she knew Dandin would survive now, she didn't know about herself. Thistle lost consciousness and slipped to the ground beside Dandin.
Dandin's eye's fluttered and he started to breathe again. The wound stopped bleeding and traces of faint amethyst hovered over the injury. The color returned to his cheeks and his eyes jolted open. He tried to sit up but Mickey held him back, Goofy was checking Thistle's pulse. The beats were infrequent and weak. He let her wrist drop, clenching his fists.
Mickey wasn't sure what had happened. The situation now seemed dire for Thistle but she had no obvious injury that could be treated. Daisy was latched to Thistle's other hand and she was gasping for breath between sobs and futile protests.
Thistle shuddered and then lay still, too still.
Donald gently pulled Daisy away and she began to cry into his shoulder. Goofy lowered his head, tears trickled down his long snout. Mickey buried his head in his hands and sat against the low pool's wall. Dandin lay by Thistle staring straight into the sky. His warm hand found her cold one and he held it gently, until, it too became warm!
Thistle seemed to come back from the dead, she sighed and opened her eyes. But they weren't her eyes. Dead black pools of darkness stared back at Dandin.
***
One Heart
By: Catty Engles
"Look at him." Thistle nudged Daisy, and inclined her head in Mickey's direction. Mickey's chin had slumped onto his chest and he was breathing steadily at the breakfast table. The rest of the boys were laughing and joking amiably amongst themselves.
"Shhhh!" Daisy hissed. She pointed at Mickey and the rest nodded, barely containing the urge to laugh. Dandin began edging for the door, carrying the rest of the pancake breakfast on a plate. The rest of the company followed, Daisy and Thistle blowing Mickey a kiss and the boys snickering as they hurried past the comical figure.
"Ahhhhh, I'm glad we came out." Dandin sprawled against the steps leading to the hotel. Thistle leaned against the wall to his left. Donald, Daisy, and Goofy we stretched on the stones farther away, staring into the bright sky and whispering conspiratorially. Thistle smiled, forgetting for a while the dark presence locked in her heart.
***
Mickey was dreaming fitfully. He knew he was looking for something, but had forgotten what. He wandered in the satiny mist, straining his eyes for the elusive prize.
Minnie's voice rent the stillness, "Mickey, I'm trapped, you must find the heart, the heart of this world, please hurry, it's so dark and cold." Her voice faltered slightly and the mist seemed to congeal, he could only hear her next words as if they were spoken from behind a wall. "The worlds are connected, you can travel through their hearts, use the key, I'm in- MICKEY THE HEARTLESS!" At these words Mickey was jerked from his sleep, without pausing he dashed outside.
Black shapes were forming around his dozing figures. Mickey summoned the keyblade and threw himself at the creatures, striking left and right shouting to wake his friends. Goofy and Daisy were the first up soon followed by Thistle, Dandin, and Donald.
Daisy and Donald were casting one spell after another as Goofy distracted the heartless around the two. Thistle had pulled a short dagger from her boot and was slashing madly at the shadows, seeming to get nowhere. Mickey's keyblade sliced through the shadows easily. Dandin's sword had more effect than Thistle's dagger, but he was still having trouble.
Dandin fought back to back with Thistle and Mickey, slashing at the endless tirade of darkness. Two shadows jumped at him from the front, he swung high, cleaving into the first one but only nicking the other, it landed on his shoulder and dug it's claws into his skin.
Dandin's flesh turned to ice as the claws tore at his shoulder. He ground his teeth and wrenched the creature off with a flick, thanking luck that it was his right shoulder and not his left, his sword arm. Dandin averted his gaze from the crimson pool staining his tunic and continued to fight.
Thistle brushed against Dandin's wet shoulder and her eyes widened in surprise. Thistle redoubled her efforts upon the heartless, bending her knees to lower her center of gravity.
Mickey knew something was wrong when he saw Dandin flagging. He overpowered a heartless directly in front of him and blasted two behind it with a weak fire spell. If Dandin was hurt they couldn't hold off much longer. Mickey estimated that about thirty heartless were attacking the friend's, more were materializing by the moment. He shouted to Daisy, Donald, and Goofy, "Get to the courtyard!"
Mickey's voice held the command of one born to lead, the trio obeyed instinctively. They fought to follow Mickey's measured retreat to the stairs opposite their position. Negotiating the steps while fighting was no small feat and they only just made it to the flagstones in one piece. Mickey dashed to the fountain; his golden keyblade was pulsing with warmth as he moved closer.
He intuitively raised the keyblade until it was level with a mural upon the stone. "To me!" Mickey hollered above the fray. His friends submitted, making a half circle around the prince. As a thin blue light shot from the end of Mickey's keyblade he reached out to touch Donald on the shoulder, connecting them all to him. They were coaxed into the ensuing calmness and Mickey let his mind surrender to the tranquillity.
The floating sensation returned and Mickey felt Donald's tense shoulder relax as the peace engulfed their senses. Sheer bliss. The peace coaxed the friend's to an exit, solidified ripples tenderly embraced them and they were raised in and out of a heart shaped pool, remarkably dry.
Mickey opened his eyes. His hand was still resting on Donald's shoulder and he gazed around at his familiar surroundings, "We're in the gardens." Mickey whispered. Dandin collapsed.
His shoulder was bleeding freely. Thistle was crouching over him, working at the sleeve of his tunic with the small dagger. The dagger cut through and she opened his shirt. The wound was deep, running from just above his armpit to a quarter across his chest. He was breathing raggedly and his eyes drifted in and out of focus.
Thistle's amethyst eyes were overly bright with unshed tears. She desperately bound his slash with strips of her own sleeves. The rest of the friends hovered anxiously over Dandin's prone form.
"Can you try a cure spell?" Mickey muttered in Donald's ear.
"No, I never learned." Donald turned his eyes away and slumped in sorrow.
Goofy was wringing his hands and Daisy bit her lip until a thin trickle of blood streaked down her downy white feathers.
Thistle was still binding frantically. Dandin's eyes focused slightly and he gazed at her face. He sputtered and managed to say, "G'bye Thistle." She whimpered in anguish as his body went limp. On an impulse she surged forward and forcefully pressed her lips against his, tears streaming down her cheeks.
No Dandin I won't let you leave me. Thistle's crying heart found the faintly dancing yellow one and touched the pale radiance. Nothing happened for a beat and then the yellow grew stronger, taking the essence from the already weak amethyst one. Thistle's face grew calm, she knew Dandin would survive now, she didn't know about herself. Thistle lost consciousness and slipped to the ground beside Dandin.
Dandin's eye's fluttered and he started to breathe again. The wound stopped bleeding and traces of faint amethyst hovered over the injury. The color returned to his cheeks and his eyes jolted open. He tried to sit up but Mickey held him back, Goofy was checking Thistle's pulse. The beats were infrequent and weak. He let her wrist drop, clenching his fists.
Mickey wasn't sure what had happened. The situation now seemed dire for Thistle but she had no obvious injury that could be treated. Daisy was latched to Thistle's other hand and she was gasping for breath between sobs and futile protests.
Thistle shuddered and then lay still, too still.
Donald gently pulled Daisy away and she began to cry into his shoulder. Goofy lowered his head, tears trickled down his long snout. Mickey buried his head in his hands and sat against the low pool's wall. Dandin lay by Thistle staring straight into the sky. His warm hand found her cold one and he held it gently, until, it too became warm!
Thistle seemed to come back from the dead, she sighed and opened her eyes. But they weren't her eyes. Dead black pools of darkness stared back at Dandin.
***