Kingdom War

Book Of Prologues

Prologue 4 The Final

1061 Winter

He and Minnie had never had children. They had wanted to, but something had always gotten in the way. Running the kingdoms, special peace envoys to far off lands, Minnie's illness and now the war. He was almost resigned to never having a son of his own, or a daughter even like Minnie had wanted. He was sure that she would have made a great mother. She proved it everyday as she looked after her people; listening to their problems, helping to heal their sick…

They had looked after Donald's nephews once. Minnie had grown so attached to them that she had cried herself dry when they'd left.

Still even with the war she never lost hope. She spoke about the war as if it was already in the past, though now after a year of fighting her optimism had dulled, if only a little.

She had thrown off her crown and donned a nurses uniform the moment the fighting had started. Just another reason to love her as much as he did.

It killed him to watch her nurse the patients that the healers couldn't save, to listen as she told them not to loose hope and finally as she held their hands describing the afterlife she envisioned for them, letting them know that the pain would end and bring on better things.

God her loved her.

There was a grown from the stretcher beside him snapping him momentarily from his reverie. "Riku are you awake?" he asked.

Another grown and the body was again silent.

Why were the children always the first to suffer? This child had been doomed from birth.

Minnie breezed into the room looking exhausted, she offered him a weak smile before placing the bowl of water in front of him and handing him the cloth.

"If you're going to sit here all night you can make yourself useful," she teased taking him hand and dipping both it and the cloth into the water.
"Keep that on his forehead, it might bring down his fever," she ordered her face turning pitying. She leant over and kissed him on his button nose.

"It's not your fault." she whispered, "He'll be fine."

Mickey nodded and watched his wife leave. He wondered how long it had been since they'd both last slept.

He looked down at the sleeping boy and couldn't help but feel guilty. The boy had been found by the generals Cloud and Sephiroth collapsed less than a mile from the camp. If they had just tried to stop Ansem and Malificent earlier this would never have happened. If he had just decided to step in when King Valentine had made that deal…

Mickey shuddered and placed the cloth on Riku's head.

He was so tired.