First Interlude: Search for a King
Life at Disney Castle used to be enjoyable, fun even for the highest ranking individuals with the most strenuous responsibilities. Even the brooms, strangely animate for cleaning supplies, did their menial duties with a bounce in their step. Their king, though rodent-like in form, ruled with a fair and wise hand, genuinely keeping the best interests of the kingdom in mind as he made his decisions.
Two years ago, with nary a note nor a goodbye to anyone, the king and his faithful dog had vanished, apparently starting some quest that no one else had needed to hear of. His queen had taken over the throne in her husband's absence, and while she too was a wise and fair ruler, her heart was too distraught over the disappearance of her husband to rule with the passion and vigor that the king had.
Thinking of these recent events, the royal wizard, a short, white-feathered duck, waddled his way to the throne room, a slightly cross look on his face. Not her fault, he kept trying to reason unsuccessfully to himself. Everyone felt the king's absence these days, and the queen must have felt it hardest of all. But he and the knight captain had been the king's closest advisors and friends. They too were suffering under the loss of their king, and yet they managed to carry on in their daily duties.
The duck shook those thoughts out of his head and raised a hand to smooth the scowl off his feathery brow. Whatever his feelings towards the situation might be, he had to keep at least an air of civility as he talked to the queen at their daily meetings.
In front of the oversized door to the throne room, the duck gave the special knock --three taps to a particular beat– and waited for the smaller, functional door to open. He stepped in with a strained smile pasted across his bill.
"Good morning your–" He stopped suddenly as he noticed the occupants of the throne room. The queen, of course, sat regally on the throne at the end of the red carpet. Her advisor, and the duck's sweetheart, stood at the queen's right side, while kneeling in front of the throne was the captain of the guard, a lanky dog-like person. All of these people were to be expected as they were the participants in the morning meetings. The fourth occupant though, sitting on the queen's left side, thin black tail thumping against the ground, with some sort of note in his mouth, set the duck into his stupor.
"Donald," the queen said at last, breaking the duck out of his trance, "we've been waiting for you."
"Pluto!" Donald shouted to the dog in shock, forgetting where he was. "Pluto, what are you doing here? Where's the-"
"Donald," echoed the queen's advisor, "calm down for a second, okay? We'll find out what's going on."
Under his white feathers, Donald could feel his cheeks turning red. "Yes, Daisy." He walked towards the throne and knelt down, taking his place next to the captain of the knights. He bowed his head in deference to the queen, although only a mere second passed before he raised one of his eyes to regard the dog and, more specifically, the note he held in his mouth.
"Ahem." The queen cleared her throat. "Donald, step forward please."
Hesitantly, Donald rose from his bowing position and stepped forward, one webbed foot in front of the other. "Yes, Queen Minnie."
Queen Minnie gestured to the dog at her side. "Pluto has a note for you."
Pluto stepped forward, nudging Donald's hand with his head for a little pat before giving the duck the letter. Donald took the note and saw that it indeed was emblazoned with the King's seal, a representation of a mouse's head. He slipped a finger under the seal, trying not to break the seal itself while opening the letter. Curious eyes watched him from all directions as he read the contents of the letter.
Donald,
Sorry to rush off without sayin' goodbye or tellin' anyone, but there's been big trouble
brewin'. Not sure why, but the stars have been blinkin' out, one by one. And that means disaster can't be far behind. I wish I didn't hafta leave you all but I've had to go check into it. There should be a "key"-the key to our survival. So I need you and Goofy to find it. Got it? We need that key or we're doomed! So go to Traverse Town and find Leon. He'll point you in the right direction.
P.S.
Would ya apologize to Minnie for me? Thanks, pal.
He read through the letter at least three times before he folded it up and tucked it inside one of his jacket's pockets. He caught the other three peering at him curiously, their eyes silently asking him to summarize the letter's contents.
"He-he said," Donald sputtered, trying to force out the words. "He said that he's sorry that he left us, but that something bad is just around the corner. He wants Goofy and I to go out and find a special key." He removed the letter from his pocket and offered it to the queen.
The queen's gentle, mousy face grew solemn as she read the words her husband had printed on the page, her mouth silently saying each word as she read it. When she was done, she handed it to her advisor, who in turn handed it to Goofy, the captain of the knights, who merely looked confused until he must have reached the part about their assignment. His expression of puzzlement changed into one of fixed determination. Donald almost burst out in a fit of laughter at seeing that expression on Goofy's face. The look that the normally easygoing captain wore now seemed so out-of-place and comical that Donald almost forgot the seriousness of the mission.
"You will help the king," the queen said, more as a request than an actual order.
Donald nodded immediately, and after he had glared at Goofy, the captain hesitantly nodded as well. "Of course, your majesty," the duck answered for the both of them, "We'll find the king and this 'key.'"
The queen bowed her head slightly in gratitude. "Thank you, both of you." With that, she waved her hand and dismissed the meeting for the day. Goofy ambled out of the stark throne room, probably to fit in one last doze in the garden before they started on their journey. Donald trailed behind him, purposefully dawdling until he glanced at Daisy and saw her shooing him off with a wave of a feathery hand and an urgent look. He quickened his pace a little, completely aware that Daisy and Minnie must have had something important to talk about. The red carpet leading out of the throne room, usually long, could be all too short sometimes, and the ladies, usually talkative, could remain all too silent. By the time he had reached the door leading from the throne room, not a word had been spoken, and he could stall no further.
Once Donald had exited the throne room and closed the door behind him, he leaned against it, his ears on alert for any interesting information that might leak from the room. He could distinguish nothing from the muffled strains of conversation that managed to carry across the gigantic throne room. He let out a quack of frustration at his inability to eavesdrop. Immediately, the ladies' voices hushed, and Donald could only wonder what they were talking about.
Daisy exited the throne room a few minutes later, a refined slowness disguising her waddle and a look of annoyance in her eyes as she regarded Donald.
"Daisy..." Donald started, unsure whether he was about to give her an excuse or an apology, before she prevented him from continuing.
"The queen and I have been talking. We think that after you and Goofy have left on your mission, we're going to... going to seal this world. Prevent anyone on the outside from coming in, and prevent anyone on the inside from going out."
"What?!" Donald flared.
"Could you and Goofy do one thing for us when you get to Traverse Town?" Daisy asked, gracefully ignoring the impending temper tantrum. Donald managed to relax somewhat and looked at her quizzically.
"Your nephews, they run a shop there if I recall correctly. Could you bring them back here for us? The queen has already agreed to let them in for safe-keeping. But you and Goofy and him..." She pointed to a small green creature decked out in a top hat and a semi-formal suit that Donald had not noticed before, probably because he had been spending way too much time looking at Daisy.
"Who is he?" Donald interrupted.
Instead of letting Daisy answer, the green creature jumped up a couple of times and said with a flourish, "Cricket's the name. Jiminy Cricket at your service." The cricket bowed once and hopped over to the confused wizard. Seeing him up close, Donald realized that the cricket could probably fit in both his hands. "Daisy..." he started, glancing from the cricket to the other duck repeatedly.
"The queen wants him to chronicle your travels and send back reports. You see, in order to protect this world... we're not going to be able to let you or Goofy back in until you either have the king or the key."
For once, Donald did not let his infamous temper take control of him, not at that exact moment, anyway. He understood. The first concern of everyone, now that they knew that the worlds were in danger, was to keep their own safe. "I understand," he said, his eyes downcast. "We've got to protect the kingdom."
Daisy reached out to touch his shoulder with a gentle hand. "Minnie and I, we appreciate what you and Goofy are doing. Come back safely, you hear? Both of you, the king, and the key."
He was not tearing up. The wetness that was gathering in the corners of his eyes was just from the wind hitting them or something. Maybe they were just itchy and he needed to blink. That this was goodbye was only a coincidence.
"Daisy, can you take care of the ..." Donald trailed off, knowing that she knew exactly what he was talking about.
She nodded solemnly. "Of course. You be careful. Now you go and get ready. Good luck." Slowly, Daisy turned away, gliding down the elegant marble corridor and pausing occasionally as if viewing the gardens below.
He paused as well, wondering if he should say goodbye to her or just let things stay as they were. Daisy herself gave no clues that he could figure out as she meandered down the hall for a few steps, looked out into the gardens for a few seconds, and meandered again, never looking back at him. Donald finally choked and quacked out a quick "Goodbye" before he ran off to retrieve Goofy from the garden and prepare for the long journey ahead.
Just as Donald had suspected, Goofy had been sleeping in the garden, dozing peacefully with the last few minutes of free time they had before being shipped off to another world. After normal poking and prodding had failed to wake the knight commander, a taste of thunder had worked nicely, startling him into waking and giving Donald a well-needed release for his nervous tension.
"Gawrsh Jiminy, your world disappeared too?" Goofy asked a few minutes afterwards as Donald, Goofy, and Jiminy started down the spiral stairs that led to the Gummiport.
In the dim reddish light, Donald heard rather than saw Jiminy scramble between their feet as he answered. "It was terrible. We were scattered. And as far as I can see, I'm the only one who made it to this castle."
Donald reflected on this and his earlier conversation with Daisy. He understood now, what her and the queen's concern had been. If worlds were getting destroyed, then the safety of the citizens had to be the first priority of everybody. "Goofy?"
For a moment, the tall dog looked at Donald, confused, before his usually dopey eyes brightened with realization. "Oh, right... I gotcha. While we're in the other worlds, we can't let on where we're from. We've gotta protect the world border."
Would he never learn English? "Order!" Donald corrected vehemently. Around the queen and Daisy, he might have to control his temper, but at least around Goofy, he was free to let go of his frustration.
"Right," Goofy said, undisturbed by Donald's temper, "World order."
It was going to be a long journey, Donald mused as they reached the bottom of the stairs and proceeded down the hallway leading to the Gummiport. They all lapsed into an uncomfortable silence, preoccupied with their own concerns, or in Goofy's case, a lack of concerns.
"So, uh," Goofy said as they approached the automatic door at the end of the hallway, "I guess we'll need new duds when we get there." He motioned to his and Donald's gear, official-looking and functional enough for their duties at the palace, but not practical for journeying and a rather obvious sign as to their origins. It was a good idea, and so Donald did what he usually did on those rare occasions when Goofy had a good idea: he filed it away for later use and otherwise ignored it.
They reached the door leading to the Gummiport, and it opened automatically, revealing a tangled system of cogs and pumps and conveyor belts that managed somehow to work as a coherent whole to provide the interworld transportation from Disney Castle.
Confidently, Donald walked up to a brass pipe situated near the entrance. "Hello up there! Donald Duck to launch crew! Anytime you're ready!"
From the command center above, one of the members of the launch crew, a chipmunk with a black nose who Donald always mixed up the name of, sent an okay signal at him, while his companion, a nearly identical chipmunk with a red nose, whose name Donald could not remember either, pulled a lever that started the rumbling of machinery. From some hidden door, a line of mechanical hands emerged, picking up Goofy, Donald, and Jiminy in turn. Not to be left behind, Pluto leaped up and grabbed hold of the last hand, boarding the ship at the last moment.
The ship that the launch crew had prepared for the journey was small, though roomy enough for its crew of two and a dog. The cockpit even had an extra seat, presumably for King Mickey when they found him. Donald settled himself in the seat nearest the window and felt the metal click as he fastened his seatbelt. Donald allowed himself one last glance out the window and a happy wave goodbye to Daisy and the queen while he prepared himself for the journey ahead.
Finally, feeling the weight of the other's impatience on his shoulders, he pointed forward and gave the command. "Blast off!"
One of the chipmunks pressed the button, and Donald leaned back in his seat, preparing for a swift forward motion. At the last minute, a sign in front of the ship blinked, revealing a large down arrow. The wizard had only a second to gather his stomach and his sense of foreboding before the ship dropped through a hole that had appeared just below them. Just when Donald thought he would succumb to motion sickness, the ship emerged from the bottom of the planet and slowed its descent.
Donald took advantage of the ship's slowing and grabbed the controls, preparing to steer the ship on course and full speed ahead toward its first destination: Traverse Town.
***
Umm...long time between updates, ne? *commits seppuku* I have been an awful, awful author. Yeah, the next part still only has 2 pages, and I was home for about a month... My only excuse was that the PS2 sucked my soul from its shell, and I found myself unable to let go of the controller long enough to go onto the laptop in the next room over. Yeah, both FFX and FFX-2 were part of my Christmas haul, and I only had a month to enjoy them... excuses, excuses.
*shrugs* I'm back at college, and the laptop now has my full attention.
Special thanks to Koorino Megumi who edits, beta-reads and puts up with my general worthless whinings.
Naela: Hmm... I think this part probably answers the question of whether the Disney characters have a role.
To everyone else... thanks for reviewing. Sorry, I don't have much else to say. Except that those are some interesting ideas on the pathway...hmm... we shall have to see.
Life at Disney Castle used to be enjoyable, fun even for the highest ranking individuals with the most strenuous responsibilities. Even the brooms, strangely animate for cleaning supplies, did their menial duties with a bounce in their step. Their king, though rodent-like in form, ruled with a fair and wise hand, genuinely keeping the best interests of the kingdom in mind as he made his decisions.
Two years ago, with nary a note nor a goodbye to anyone, the king and his faithful dog had vanished, apparently starting some quest that no one else had needed to hear of. His queen had taken over the throne in her husband's absence, and while she too was a wise and fair ruler, her heart was too distraught over the disappearance of her husband to rule with the passion and vigor that the king had.
Thinking of these recent events, the royal wizard, a short, white-feathered duck, waddled his way to the throne room, a slightly cross look on his face. Not her fault, he kept trying to reason unsuccessfully to himself. Everyone felt the king's absence these days, and the queen must have felt it hardest of all. But he and the knight captain had been the king's closest advisors and friends. They too were suffering under the loss of their king, and yet they managed to carry on in their daily duties.
The duck shook those thoughts out of his head and raised a hand to smooth the scowl off his feathery brow. Whatever his feelings towards the situation might be, he had to keep at least an air of civility as he talked to the queen at their daily meetings.
In front of the oversized door to the throne room, the duck gave the special knock --three taps to a particular beat– and waited for the smaller, functional door to open. He stepped in with a strained smile pasted across his bill.
"Good morning your–" He stopped suddenly as he noticed the occupants of the throne room. The queen, of course, sat regally on the throne at the end of the red carpet. Her advisor, and the duck's sweetheart, stood at the queen's right side, while kneeling in front of the throne was the captain of the guard, a lanky dog-like person. All of these people were to be expected as they were the participants in the morning meetings. The fourth occupant though, sitting on the queen's left side, thin black tail thumping against the ground, with some sort of note in his mouth, set the duck into his stupor.
"Donald," the queen said at last, breaking the duck out of his trance, "we've been waiting for you."
"Pluto!" Donald shouted to the dog in shock, forgetting where he was. "Pluto, what are you doing here? Where's the-"
"Donald," echoed the queen's advisor, "calm down for a second, okay? We'll find out what's going on."
Under his white feathers, Donald could feel his cheeks turning red. "Yes, Daisy." He walked towards the throne and knelt down, taking his place next to the captain of the knights. He bowed his head in deference to the queen, although only a mere second passed before he raised one of his eyes to regard the dog and, more specifically, the note he held in his mouth.
"Ahem." The queen cleared her throat. "Donald, step forward please."
Hesitantly, Donald rose from his bowing position and stepped forward, one webbed foot in front of the other. "Yes, Queen Minnie."
Queen Minnie gestured to the dog at her side. "Pluto has a note for you."
Pluto stepped forward, nudging Donald's hand with his head for a little pat before giving the duck the letter. Donald took the note and saw that it indeed was emblazoned with the King's seal, a representation of a mouse's head. He slipped a finger under the seal, trying not to break the seal itself while opening the letter. Curious eyes watched him from all directions as he read the contents of the letter.
Donald,
Sorry to rush off without sayin' goodbye or tellin' anyone, but there's been big trouble
brewin'. Not sure why, but the stars have been blinkin' out, one by one. And that means disaster can't be far behind. I wish I didn't hafta leave you all but I've had to go check into it. There should be a "key"-the key to our survival. So I need you and Goofy to find it. Got it? We need that key or we're doomed! So go to Traverse Town and find Leon. He'll point you in the right direction.
P.S.
Would ya apologize to Minnie for me? Thanks, pal.
He read through the letter at least three times before he folded it up and tucked it inside one of his jacket's pockets. He caught the other three peering at him curiously, their eyes silently asking him to summarize the letter's contents.
"He-he said," Donald sputtered, trying to force out the words. "He said that he's sorry that he left us, but that something bad is just around the corner. He wants Goofy and I to go out and find a special key." He removed the letter from his pocket and offered it to the queen.
The queen's gentle, mousy face grew solemn as she read the words her husband had printed on the page, her mouth silently saying each word as she read it. When she was done, she handed it to her advisor, who in turn handed it to Goofy, the captain of the knights, who merely looked confused until he must have reached the part about their assignment. His expression of puzzlement changed into one of fixed determination. Donald almost burst out in a fit of laughter at seeing that expression on Goofy's face. The look that the normally easygoing captain wore now seemed so out-of-place and comical that Donald almost forgot the seriousness of the mission.
"You will help the king," the queen said, more as a request than an actual order.
Donald nodded immediately, and after he had glared at Goofy, the captain hesitantly nodded as well. "Of course, your majesty," the duck answered for the both of them, "We'll find the king and this 'key.'"
The queen bowed her head slightly in gratitude. "Thank you, both of you." With that, she waved her hand and dismissed the meeting for the day. Goofy ambled out of the stark throne room, probably to fit in one last doze in the garden before they started on their journey. Donald trailed behind him, purposefully dawdling until he glanced at Daisy and saw her shooing him off with a wave of a feathery hand and an urgent look. He quickened his pace a little, completely aware that Daisy and Minnie must have had something important to talk about. The red carpet leading out of the throne room, usually long, could be all too short sometimes, and the ladies, usually talkative, could remain all too silent. By the time he had reached the door leading from the throne room, not a word had been spoken, and he could stall no further.
Once Donald had exited the throne room and closed the door behind him, he leaned against it, his ears on alert for any interesting information that might leak from the room. He could distinguish nothing from the muffled strains of conversation that managed to carry across the gigantic throne room. He let out a quack of frustration at his inability to eavesdrop. Immediately, the ladies' voices hushed, and Donald could only wonder what they were talking about.
Daisy exited the throne room a few minutes later, a refined slowness disguising her waddle and a look of annoyance in her eyes as she regarded Donald.
"Daisy..." Donald started, unsure whether he was about to give her an excuse or an apology, before she prevented him from continuing.
"The queen and I have been talking. We think that after you and Goofy have left on your mission, we're going to... going to seal this world. Prevent anyone on the outside from coming in, and prevent anyone on the inside from going out."
"What?!" Donald flared.
"Could you and Goofy do one thing for us when you get to Traverse Town?" Daisy asked, gracefully ignoring the impending temper tantrum. Donald managed to relax somewhat and looked at her quizzically.
"Your nephews, they run a shop there if I recall correctly. Could you bring them back here for us? The queen has already agreed to let them in for safe-keeping. But you and Goofy and him..." She pointed to a small green creature decked out in a top hat and a semi-formal suit that Donald had not noticed before, probably because he had been spending way too much time looking at Daisy.
"Who is he?" Donald interrupted.
Instead of letting Daisy answer, the green creature jumped up a couple of times and said with a flourish, "Cricket's the name. Jiminy Cricket at your service." The cricket bowed once and hopped over to the confused wizard. Seeing him up close, Donald realized that the cricket could probably fit in both his hands. "Daisy..." he started, glancing from the cricket to the other duck repeatedly.
"The queen wants him to chronicle your travels and send back reports. You see, in order to protect this world... we're not going to be able to let you or Goofy back in until you either have the king or the key."
For once, Donald did not let his infamous temper take control of him, not at that exact moment, anyway. He understood. The first concern of everyone, now that they knew that the worlds were in danger, was to keep their own safe. "I understand," he said, his eyes downcast. "We've got to protect the kingdom."
Daisy reached out to touch his shoulder with a gentle hand. "Minnie and I, we appreciate what you and Goofy are doing. Come back safely, you hear? Both of you, the king, and the key."
He was not tearing up. The wetness that was gathering in the corners of his eyes was just from the wind hitting them or something. Maybe they were just itchy and he needed to blink. That this was goodbye was only a coincidence.
"Daisy, can you take care of the ..." Donald trailed off, knowing that she knew exactly what he was talking about.
She nodded solemnly. "Of course. You be careful. Now you go and get ready. Good luck." Slowly, Daisy turned away, gliding down the elegant marble corridor and pausing occasionally as if viewing the gardens below.
He paused as well, wondering if he should say goodbye to her or just let things stay as they were. Daisy herself gave no clues that he could figure out as she meandered down the hall for a few steps, looked out into the gardens for a few seconds, and meandered again, never looking back at him. Donald finally choked and quacked out a quick "Goodbye" before he ran off to retrieve Goofy from the garden and prepare for the long journey ahead.
Just as Donald had suspected, Goofy had been sleeping in the garden, dozing peacefully with the last few minutes of free time they had before being shipped off to another world. After normal poking and prodding had failed to wake the knight commander, a taste of thunder had worked nicely, startling him into waking and giving Donald a well-needed release for his nervous tension.
"Gawrsh Jiminy, your world disappeared too?" Goofy asked a few minutes afterwards as Donald, Goofy, and Jiminy started down the spiral stairs that led to the Gummiport.
In the dim reddish light, Donald heard rather than saw Jiminy scramble between their feet as he answered. "It was terrible. We were scattered. And as far as I can see, I'm the only one who made it to this castle."
Donald reflected on this and his earlier conversation with Daisy. He understood now, what her and the queen's concern had been. If worlds were getting destroyed, then the safety of the citizens had to be the first priority of everybody. "Goofy?"
For a moment, the tall dog looked at Donald, confused, before his usually dopey eyes brightened with realization. "Oh, right... I gotcha. While we're in the other worlds, we can't let on where we're from. We've gotta protect the world border."
Would he never learn English? "Order!" Donald corrected vehemently. Around the queen and Daisy, he might have to control his temper, but at least around Goofy, he was free to let go of his frustration.
"Right," Goofy said, undisturbed by Donald's temper, "World order."
It was going to be a long journey, Donald mused as they reached the bottom of the stairs and proceeded down the hallway leading to the Gummiport. They all lapsed into an uncomfortable silence, preoccupied with their own concerns, or in Goofy's case, a lack of concerns.
"So, uh," Goofy said as they approached the automatic door at the end of the hallway, "I guess we'll need new duds when we get there." He motioned to his and Donald's gear, official-looking and functional enough for their duties at the palace, but not practical for journeying and a rather obvious sign as to their origins. It was a good idea, and so Donald did what he usually did on those rare occasions when Goofy had a good idea: he filed it away for later use and otherwise ignored it.
They reached the door leading to the Gummiport, and it opened automatically, revealing a tangled system of cogs and pumps and conveyor belts that managed somehow to work as a coherent whole to provide the interworld transportation from Disney Castle.
Confidently, Donald walked up to a brass pipe situated near the entrance. "Hello up there! Donald Duck to launch crew! Anytime you're ready!"
From the command center above, one of the members of the launch crew, a chipmunk with a black nose who Donald always mixed up the name of, sent an okay signal at him, while his companion, a nearly identical chipmunk with a red nose, whose name Donald could not remember either, pulled a lever that started the rumbling of machinery. From some hidden door, a line of mechanical hands emerged, picking up Goofy, Donald, and Jiminy in turn. Not to be left behind, Pluto leaped up and grabbed hold of the last hand, boarding the ship at the last moment.
The ship that the launch crew had prepared for the journey was small, though roomy enough for its crew of two and a dog. The cockpit even had an extra seat, presumably for King Mickey when they found him. Donald settled himself in the seat nearest the window and felt the metal click as he fastened his seatbelt. Donald allowed himself one last glance out the window and a happy wave goodbye to Daisy and the queen while he prepared himself for the journey ahead.
Finally, feeling the weight of the other's impatience on his shoulders, he pointed forward and gave the command. "Blast off!"
One of the chipmunks pressed the button, and Donald leaned back in his seat, preparing for a swift forward motion. At the last minute, a sign in front of the ship blinked, revealing a large down arrow. The wizard had only a second to gather his stomach and his sense of foreboding before the ship dropped through a hole that had appeared just below them. Just when Donald thought he would succumb to motion sickness, the ship emerged from the bottom of the planet and slowed its descent.
Donald took advantage of the ship's slowing and grabbed the controls, preparing to steer the ship on course and full speed ahead toward its first destination: Traverse Town.
***
Umm...long time between updates, ne? *commits seppuku* I have been an awful, awful author. Yeah, the next part still only has 2 pages, and I was home for about a month... My only excuse was that the PS2 sucked my soul from its shell, and I found myself unable to let go of the controller long enough to go onto the laptop in the next room over. Yeah, both FFX and FFX-2 were part of my Christmas haul, and I only had a month to enjoy them... excuses, excuses.
*shrugs* I'm back at college, and the laptop now has my full attention.
Special thanks to Koorino Megumi who edits, beta-reads and puts up with my general worthless whinings.
Naela: Hmm... I think this part probably answers the question of whether the Disney characters have a role.
To everyone else... thanks for reviewing. Sorry, I don't have much else to say. Except that those are some interesting ideas on the pathway...hmm... we shall have to see.