The Darkness Within
Chapter 8: Castle Horrors
"Hey! He's moving!"
"Riku? Riku are you okay? Can you hear me?"
Slowly Riku opened his eyes to a world full of blurred and mixed colors. He blinked a few time, trying to clear his vision, and eventually he could see the colors in shapes. When his vision became close to normal he could see Jetta's worried face looking down at him, Max at her side.
"You okay?" Jetta asked again. Riku moaned as he closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead.
"W-what happened," Riku finally managed to ask.
"I think we should be asking you that question," Max started. Riku reopened his eyes as he gave the two a questioning look.
"You passed out after you saved me," Jetta explained, knowing Riku was a little confused at the moment.
"...Right..." Riku said as it all started to come back to him. As Riku reminisced on what happed a song started in the back ground, "Where are we, and what happened to Neron?" Jetta simply smiled.
"We're at a celebration," Jetta proclaimed, throwing her arms up in the air with a smile, "It's for Robin and Maid Marian reuniting, and the escape from the evil Prince John. Mainly it's from escaping him, but lets keep it as a party for the two love birds."
"Neron's partying," Max said, answering Riku's other question. Jetta giggled before she added onto Max's answer.
"He got asked to a dance by Ziggy, hasn't been back since," Jetta's smile turned into a grin as she tried to hold in her laughter.
"Partying?" Riku asked as he started to look around. He eventually found where the party was being held, and, at the same time, he also realized what he was laying on. Riku quickly bolted up into a sitting position; a light blush crossing his face, after realizing his head was resting in Jetta's lap. 'How long had I been there?' he asked himself.
"Well, I'm hungry, and that food's starting to smell really appetizing," Max said as he started to walk off, "Come when you feel fit to, Riku."
"Are you felling well enough to go party?" Jetta asked as she stood.
"Wait... what happened after I passed out? How did we win?" Riku asked, a little curious about the subject.
"Well, technically we didn't win," Jetta said, "Robin came back after taking Maid Marian to a safe place, and after seeing you unconscious he decided to get you away from the battle as well. Me, Neron, and Max continued to fight, not making much progress, until Lady Kluck and Little John stepped in. We managed to defeat at least three rhinos and a ton of heartless before we decided it best to flee. There were just too many. Anyway, you know how the rhino's were acting all strange, almost like zombies?"
"Yeah."
"Well, it turns out that they were zombies," Jetta proclaimed, "The only way they could be defeated was by destroying the heartless that was controlling them-"
"The ones that stool their hearts."
"Exactly!"
"Wait a second, how do you know their hearts were stolen?" Riku asked, "You were still in the darkness when it happened."
"Neron filled me in on it," Jetta said with a smile, "But isn't that whole thing just kinda odd? Or am I the only one who thinks so?" Riku shook his head.
"No, it is odd," Riku said, "They couldn't do that before. Which means they have gotten stronger..."
"What was that?" Jetta asked, not catching the last part since Riku had said it so low.
"It's nothing," Riku sighed as he stood from the ground, "I just wish I could have helped more."
"Oh but you did Riku," Jetta said with a smile, getting a questioning look from the albino fox, "You saved me didn't you? By the way! I didn't get the chance to thank you." Jetta smiled before she wrapped her arms around Riku in a big hug, "You the best Riku."
"Um... it was nothing." Jetta simply smiled at him as she pulled away.
"Come on Riku! Lets go party!" Jetta shouted as she grabbed him by the wrist, dragging him along behind her, "You dance don't you?"
"I can but I don't like to," Riku answered, "Why?"
"You're going to dance with me. That's why."
"Oh really?"
"Yep," Jetta laughed before they reached the party.
"He throws an angry tantrum if he can not get his way. He calls for mom and sucks his thumb, and doesn't want to play," The Sheriff of Nottingham sang cheerfully as he marched into the castle, "Soon to be known as John the first he's sure to be know as John the worse." The wolf ended his little song with a high pitched out of tune note, before he leaned against Sir Hiss's desk. The snake could only laugh in amusement after hearing this little song.
"Where ever did you get such a tune?" The snake asked, peering over his glasses.
"Everyone in town is singing it, though I might too," The Sheriff answered, "It's a mighty catchy song anyway."
"Indeed it is. May I try?"
"I'm not stoppin' ya." Sir Hiss smiled as he cleared his throat, preparing to sing to his heart's content.
"To late to be know as John the first, he's sure to be known as John the worst-t," Sir His began to stutter and shake in fright at the sight of Prince John in the doorway. Quickly he decided to change the song, "I mean fabulous, marvelous-"
"No, no, no. Now you're just messing it up," the Sheriff said with a frown, "It's sniveling, groveling-"
"Enough!" The Prince shouted, "How dare you sing such a song in 'my' castle!"
"But Sir, everyone in town is singin' it," The Sheriff stated, a slight worried hint to his voice as he backed away from the Prince.
"Is that so?" The Prince asked as he calmly walked over to the two, "Then how about I just raise the taxes and squeeze every last drop of munny out of those, musical, little peasants."
"Do you want me to double it then?" The Sheriff questioned.
"No, triple it, quadruple it for all I care!" The Prince shouted with an evil smile, "And if they can't pay, arrest them, throw them in jail!" The Prince laughed. "That should teach them to make fun of me."
Friar Tuck smiled at the still sleeping forms, resting in the church pews, as he passed them by. Since the four outsiders had no place to stay, Friar Tuck let them stay at the church until they found a more suitable place. It was early in the morning, but the dreary weather outside made it seem close to nighttime. The rain poured down and beat against the windows and roof, creating a soothing sound.
"Empty," Friar Tuck sighed after checking the poor box, like he did every day.
"Here Friar Tuck," Said a small voice from below. The friar looked down to find a mouse rolling a single coin of munny out from his hole. "I know it's not much, but take it."
"I couldn't do that," Friar Tuck said with a warm smile.
"It's okay, I was saving it for a rainy day anyway," The mouse said, holding up the coin with a smile.
"Bless you," The friar said as he took the coin and placed it in the poor box, "It's a shame that Prince John raised the taxes. Everyone that couldn't pay was thrown in jail. I wonder if anyone will come to the services today?"
"If they can't come then maybe you can just ring the church bell. Just to let them know there's still a sign of hope," The mouse suggested.
"That's a marvelous idea!" Friar Tuck proclaimed. As he was walking towards the rope to the church bell, old Sheriff of Nottingham came trotting in like he owned the place. The first thing he did was walk over towards the poor box to take a peak.
"Morning to ya Friar Tuck," The Sheriff greeted warmly before he opened the box to find the single coin, and frowned a bit.
"What are you doing Sheriff?" The friar shouted as he ran to stop him, "That's for the poor!"
"Good, most of them couldn't pay full for their taxes," The Sheriff said as he held up the single coin, "I doubt this will help them, but it's a start."
"How dare you!" Friar Tuck shouted, waking up the light sleeping Riku, "You must have absolutely no heart to come in here like you own the place and take munny from a church, and not only that, but the munny is going to people who need it! Unlike you, who's working for that no good Prince, taking munny away form others like it's the highlight of your life!" Friar Tuck was enraged, to say the least, and he had been for some time. As he shouted and yelled at the Sheriff, giving him what he disserved, he kept pushing him out of the church. Eventually both were standing out in the rain, Friar Tuck still yelling at him.
"I can't believe you have the self-esteem to go anywhere, with so many people hating you and all. I find it quite appalling that you can walk around whistling a marry little tune, knowing good and well what kind of wrong you are doing!"
"Alright now!" The Sheriff said, now pushing back, "I've had enough of your mouth! You're going to jail!"
"Not without a fight I'm not!" Friar Tuck shouted before he picked up a piece of wood and started to swing it around violently, smacking the Sheriff in the face or gut several times before he was fully arrested. Somehow, the Sheriff had managed to snap a collar to his neck and chained his wrist together, rendering the friar unable to fight back anymore.
"Friar Tuck!" Jetta shouted as she ran out side, fallowed quickly by Riku and Neron. Before Jetta had a change to beat the living tar out of the Sheriff, like she was planning to, Riku and Neron had managed to catch her, stopping her before she could reach him.
"A wise decision boys," The Sheriff chuckled, "If she was to have laid one of her little claws on me I would have arrested her for being an accomplice to this insane man who calls himself a man of the church."
"You have no room to talk you rotten excuse of a Sheriff!" Jetta shouted. The Sheriff simply laughed as he pulled the friar away in chains. Once they were out of site Riku and Neron found it fit to let the feline go since she wasn't struggling any more.
"How could you do that?" Jetta shouted as she turned her furry on the two boys, Max wisely stood behind in the dry church, watching the scene play out from afar, "Why did you hold me back?"
"Look Jetta, we're just as mad about this as you are, but fighting isn't always the answer," Riku said softly, "Sometimes fighting can only worsen the situation, like right now for example."
"I know, but he just arrested Friar Tuck, and man of the church. He had no right to be arrested out of the cause of good!"
"Didn't you see him lashing on the Sheriff-"
"He was going to arrest him before that!" Jetta yelled, interrupting Neron.
"She's right he was," Riku sighed, "This is just madness, we have to do something-"
"No!" Max yelled for the church, knowing exactly what the albino fox was thinking,
"That's meddling! We can't meddle!"
"Meddling or not, I'm helping! That man has done nothing but care for us since we got here, and I feel as if it is my sworn duty to at least assist in saving him," Jetta spat before she started to walk away.
"Wait!" Riku called out, "Where do you think you're going?"
"To find Robin. I know he'll help," Jetta answered, before she continued on. Riku looked to the ground for a moment, thinking about what Jetta had said, letting the rainwater drip off of his snout. Eventually he came to the conclusion of helping as well, and ran off to catch up with the feline. Max, and Neron soon fallowed as well even if it was meddling.
Much later that day, close to eleven at night, Little John and the others sat in the bushes on the outskirts of the castle, waiting for Robin to give them the signal to enter. Max sat off to side and bit at his thumb nail with a worried look on his face. He seemed to be the only one that really cared that they were meddling. Robin appeared at the gate entrance moments later, waving for them to fallow him. Quietly they entered the castle through another gate that Robin had cleverly opened, making absolute sure not to wake the Sheriff that was resting peacefully by the gate.
"Okay," Robin whispered after entering well inside the castle, "Little John's going to take you four so you can help release the prisoners while I go do a little 'barrowing'." Robin gave the group a wink of his eyes before they spit up.
While Little John and the others were freeing the prisoners, Robin had made it safely to Prince John's bed room. Once he entered from the balcony he shot an arrow off with a rope tied to it into the bared windows of the jail cells. Moments later Little John had looped it through an empty shackle on the wall and shoot it back towards Robin. Once every prisoner was freed, sakes of munny started to come through the bared windows by the rope.
"Take all the munny you can and we'll leave as soon as Robin is through," Little John whispered as he started to hand each of the animals sakes of munny to carry out.
It was around the last bunch of sakes when he got caught. One of the bags had a hole in it, and was dropping coins of munny onto the floor. Several dropped onto the head of Sir Hiss, waking him up and causing an outrage. Robin grabbed the last sake and hopped on the rope, sliding out of the bed room window, just as Prince John woke up to find he had been robed blind.
"Get him!" the Prince shouted, "Get Robin Hood! I want his head!"
"What was that?" Jetta screamed after there was a loud bang at the jail room's door.
"Something's trying to get in!" Max shouted.
"Heartless," Riku growled, "Little John, get every one out of here, I'll go hold them off." No one had time to stop him before he went running off with his sword drawn through the door, slicing the three heartless that were trying to break down the door. He continued his attack on the ones behind them until the doorway was cleared.
Everyone started to flee the room with Max, Neron, and Jetta ushering them out, making sure that if any heartless escaped from Riku's attacks that they'd get it. Robin showed up at the bared window and passed John the last sake of munny before he dropped to the ground outside, telling John he'd find his own way out. Once the room was cleared, Little John and the others took their leave.
"Riku come on!" Jetta shouted a little ways down the hall after realizing Riku wasn't fallowing.
"Go on ahead, I'll catch up!" Riku grunted as he fought off the heartless.
"But-"
"Just go!" Jetta stood in the hall a moment longer, realizing Riku wasn't going to let her stay and help or fallow anytime soon, so she took off after the others. Riku glanced back; making sure Jetta was out of sight, before he held his hand in front of him. His aqua blue eyes started to glow as he pushed the heartless away, making them disappear back into the darkness. Once he couldn't handle it anymore he lowered his hand and fallowed in the other's direction.
"Where's Jetta at?" Max asked once everyone had escaped the castle, "Wasn't she behind you?"
"She was..." Neron said, a slight worried hint to his voice. He looked back after helping a raccoon into the back of a wagon to find Jetta, just now, running out of the gates carrying Bouncy in her arms, since she had been left behind again. She had several arrows shot at her, luckily they all missed, but she had been caught and she wasn't going to get away easily.
The iron bars to the front gate started to lower rather fast, causing Jetta to pick up her pace, though she knew she wouldn't make it. She reached the bars just as they hit the ground with a metal clang that echoed through the night. Neron ran up to the bars just to get Bouncy shoved into his arms.
"Take her and the others to safety," Jetta ordered, "I'll go back and get Robin and Riku then find my own way out." Neron opened his mouth to object, but Jetta went tarring off, dogging arrows, back into the castle.
"We have to go help them," Neron stated as he placed Bouncy with her family and turned to Max. Max gave him a quick head nod before they started off to find a way in, ignoring Little John's shouts to stay by the wagon.
Jetta was retracing her steps as she ran through the castle halls to hopefully run into Riku, which moments later she did, literally. As she turned a corner she ran smack dab into Riku's chest, sending them both to the ground. Riku growled as he sat up, rubbing his throbbing head, making him feel like he had hit a brick wall. He then glared down Jetta, who had fallen on top of him, just as she was getting up. Wait... Jetta?
"Jetta!" Riku shouted, "What the hell? I thought I told you to go! You don't listen, do you?"
"I did leave!" Jetta screeched, "But the guards spotted me and closed the front gates. We have to get Robin and find another way out of here."
"Leave it to you to get the easiest way out sealed," Riku sighed, "What about Max and Neron?"
"They got out," Jetta said as she stood with the help of Riku. It was then that Riku remembered what he was running from. His ears suddenly perked up and turned to face behind him. All he heard was the faint sound of scurrying foot steps and every once in a while claws scratching at the stone floor, and that was all he needed to hear to get him moving again.
"Lets go find Robin," He said as he grabbed Jetta roughly by her upper arm, practically dragging her along behind him since it was hard for her to keep up in a dress.
"Come one Max, pick up the pace," Neron complained as the two scaled the castle wall with a few vines that had been growing on it for several years.
"You're the one who didn't want to go first," Max spat. The dog was getting fed up with the weak vines that kept breaking in his hands, slowing him down, and not only that but Neron's whining was starting to get annoying as well.
"Well I guess that was a big mistake on my part," Neron mumbled, "Are we almost to the top?"
"Almost."
"Good cause I'm tired of having to look up only to find your ass is my only view."
"Hey!" Max shouted, "Whose idea was this?" Neron quickly shut up as he mumbled a few things under his breath. Just as Max was reaching the top of the castle wall, the main vine snapped and Max went plummeting to the ground, taking Neron with him. Both hit the ground making a painful sounding thud echo off of the castle walls.
"...Maybe... we should have went up one at a time," Neron grunted from below Max.
"That would have been the better plan," Max mumbled, "Now what do we do?"
"How about you get off me for a start?" Neron spat, shoving Max off, "Do you think there are any other vines? We could try again-"
"Oh no," Max cut in, "No more vines."
"Then how are we supposed to get in?"
Jetta screamed as a barrage of arrows came flying her way, and just before they hit Riku pulled her behind a pillar. Most of the arrows hit the stone pillar and ricocheted off while the others imbedded themselves in the ground. Riku glanced around the pillar only for another barrage to be shot at him.
"'Lets go look in the court yard', he says," Jetta growled, "'I bet he's out there finding a way out', he says."
"Shut up Jetta!" Riku spat, "It was a stupid idea, yes, but not entirely stupid."
"How so?"
"We're pretty evenly matched where ever we go, there's no getting away from trouble," Riku said before he explained, "The castle is full of heartless, and the out side is guarded very securely by mindless puppets. Which would you rather handle, take your pick."
"Well, at least we can defeat the heartless." Riku opened his mouth to argue, but finding she was right he shut it without saying a word. Every guard around them was a mutated heartless puppet that couldn't be defeated without finding the puppet master first, and since all the heartless were inside of the castle it was pretty useless to fight them off.
"I hate you."
"Only cause I'm right," Jetta stated with a smug smile on her face, that is until an arrow pierced the pillar right in between the two. Jetta screamed as she backed away, only to get pulled back into the 'somewhat safer' area the pillar created by Riku, just as more arrows were shot at them.
"Where did this one come from?" Riku asked, more to himself then to Jetta as he looked around, not spotting any guards on that side, yet. His eyes soon reached the castle roof, finding the small, distant figure of Robin Hood shooting off arrows at a swarm of heartless that had him cornered.
"Robin Hood?" Jetta gasped as she glanced at what Riku was looking at, "We have to save him."
"I don't think we'll make it in time," Riku stated.
"Of course we will."
"Not unless you can sprout wings and fly us up there," Riku spat.
"Well, we're definitely not going to make it with you downing us both like that!" Jetta shouted, "Why don't you try looking on the positive side for once?" With that said Jetta took her chances and ran off to the other end of the courtyard, getting bombarded by arrows, but she managed to out run, or dodge, them.
Riku frowned as he looked down at the ground, feeling a wave of misery wash over him. Mickey had said the same thing to him; that he was a downer. His mind began to drift away as he thought of his mouse friend. Is he okay? Is he still alive? He could only hope that he was okay, and that the King hadn't fallen into darkness as a last resort. Would Mickey even do that? No, of course not, he was sure Mickey wouldn't do something that drastic.
"Riku!" Riku's head snapped up to find Jetta had made it inside of the castle. "Are you coming or not?"
"Yeah, I'm coming!" Riku shouted back before he ran for the door, dogging arrows along the way.
"This is ridiculous!" Neron shouted as he ran trough a castle hall fighting off any heartless that stepped in his way, "How many heartless does one villain need?"
"Apparently a lot," Max answered, firing fireballs at the heartless gaining on them from behind. The two had managed to enter through a second story window by scaling the wall, using misplaced stones or cracks big enough grab on to. It was hard, but they managed to make it in, after a few slips.
"I hope we find them soon," Neron mumbled, but stopped short when he didn't hear Max's footsteps behind him anymore. Glancing over his shoulder he found that Max had stopped at the doorway of a room.
"What are you doing?" Neron shouted.
"Come take a look at this," Max said before he slowly walked into the room, almost afraid of entering. Neron growled, but nonetheless he fallowed Max into the room. The boy's mouth dropped slightly out of confusion as he stared at the thrown at the other end of the room. It was a normal king's thrown, but the odd part was the golden yellow light coming from underneath it.
"What's making that light?" Neron asked, unaware of the heartless sneaking into the room behind them.
"Lets go see," Max said as he started to walk up to it, but before he even got two steps a heartless tackled him to the ground. As Max struggled to get up, being pined under now five heartless, Neron fought off a few more that tried to do the same to him. Another group of heartless entered the room and headed strait for the thrown, knocking it over with ease.
"The Keyhole!" Neron gasped, now remembering it's odd glowing light from Skylight City, "They're after the Keyhole!"
Sora: Hello reviewers! Demon's not here right now because she got stuck with a ton of math homework. Wait... isn't school almost over for you? ((Looks over at Demon who's across the room))
Author: Yes, but that doesn't stop my evil homework giving math teacher from giving me tons of homework. ((Glares at her math book)) Burn you retched book, burn!
Sora: School is so evil isn't it?
Riku: I'd call it a blessing if it got her busy… at least enough to leave me alone.
Author: Since when do I bug you? You're the one fallowing me around trying to annoy the hell out of me you leach! ((Throws her pencil at him, but misses and hits the wall))
Riku: You suck.
Author: I know. ((Sighs)) Now can you hand me back my pencil?
Sora: So since she's busy she asked me to do the talking about nonsense stuff and read the notes to the reviewers. Cool huh? I feel very privileged. ((Gives a big grin)) So... how was everyone's day? Mine was fine. I got to stay at Demon's house and play her video games all day! It was fun... until I lost...which kinda sucks. Don't you just hate it when you lose? I was playing Super Smash Bothers and I was Zelda. She's really pretty, but not as pretty as Kai-...uh... ((Laughs nervously before he continues)) ...Anyway, Riku didn't do much, he was boring. He just sat around and read this little purple book. Myself, I don't think it look that interesting. ((Riku glares at Sora))
Author: You read my journal?!?! ((Gives Riku an very hateful look))
Riku: Looked like a diary to me. ((Smirks))
Author: I'll kill you!!!! ((Chases Riku out of the room with her hard back dictionary, since the pillow wasn't cutting it))
Sora: o.O ...So anyway, my day was pretty good. Oh yeah! Demon wanted me to read the notes for you guys. Good thing I remembered. I sure wouldn't want Demon chasing me around with a dictionary because I forgot to give you guys the notes. No way. So anyway here they are.
Inuyasha's apprentice's note: Apparently someone stole everyone's squiggly lines. ((Glares)) We're going to have to form an angry author mob and find this scoundrel. I call a torch! ((Grins)) You really don't think my fight scenes are bad? ((Grins in excitement)) Oh wow! That makes me so happy to know, even if I still think they are horrible it's good to know somebody likes them. I don't think your fight scene are bad at all, so don't even say they are. I think they are most excellent. ((Grins)) As always, thanks for the review!
Rurouni Saiyan's note: I'm glad you liked the heartless rhinos. You and animefreak321654 seemed to like them. ((Grins)) Truthfully the rhino guard thing was a spur of the moment thing that came up that kinda has to do with something later on... maybe I said to much. ((Grins sheepishly)) Look at that, you made me ramble about important stuff, for once. LOL! I would have done it eventually. Thanks for your review! It was most appreciated.
animefreak321654's note: You liked the rhinos too, how cool is that! I'm super glad that you liked it. It's okay that you don't know where my squiggly lines and stars are, even if I wish you did so it'd make my life a little easier. ((Grins)) I'm gonna start an angry mob to get them back, wanna join? I'll call it 'Give me back my stars and squiggly lines' mob. Very original, I know. ((Nods head)) Thanks a bunch for you review. I loved it! ((Grins))
Sora: Well, that's all folks. ((Laughs)) I've always wanted to say that. ((Grins)) I hope you'll join us for the next chapter of this story, and hopefully Riku will be back as well. I can only pray for his safe return. ((Goes silent for a moment or two)) Bye-bye Demon's faithful reviewers!