Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, Square Enix and Disney do.

A/N: Now is where the story starts. Sorry but this will be a sad chapter. So bear with it and I hope that you still will like it. But you will get a happy little treat at the end of this chapter. So enjoy!

Lover of the Lake

Chapter Two: The Fall of Midgard

"Prince Riku! Find shelter!" yelled Sir Reno as he and Rude battled the rebel knights, slaying them with ease. Grabbing his sword, the now nineteen-year-old prince nodded to them and fled down the hallways. He didn't understand what was going on and who really was attacking them but he knew that on this once peaceful morning they were ambushed. There were screams and cries as he could smell the faint odor of smoke.

'A fire!' he thought as he ran at full speed down past the courtyard. He had to find his mother who he knew to be in her chambers at this time. His father would be able to take care of himself and escape but Queen Aileen was becoming frail from a disease she had contracted a few years back. The kingdom believed it was her broken heart after Prince Sephiroth abandoned his throne and traveled to the East that seven years ago. Now she wouldn't be able to even take walks out in the countryside as she had loved to, she was confined to her room.

Slamming open the doors, Riku managed to evade the rush of the rebels and found the queen's chambers. Everything was in total array and his worried eyes searched each way to find the queen.

"Mother!" he cried, shoving open each door in search of her. All he could hear was the constant rustling of papers from the broken windows and the screams of women being ravished and murdered. He couldn't understand how this could happen? How could his brother do such a thing to his own people, his kinsman? The people who had raised him and shown nothing but love?

He heard something moving and ran to the bedchambers. Upon the floor, lying in a pool of her own blood was Aileen, grasping onto life as it was leaving her. Riku dropped his sword and ran over to her, pulling her up to lie in his lap. Her beautiful features had grown even paler as she winced in pain, clutching at the gaping wound at her stomach.

To him, the queen appeared to be like a fallen butterfly, her long white robes falling all around her as she tried to suck in breaths, feeling life draining from her. She had been so beautiful once, so full of life and happiness. They all had been happy long before the damned incident with the oracle Jenova. He felt her cold and delicate hand brush against his cheek lovingly, letting her crystalline tears flow.

"My son," she started, giving a glowing smile. It was the smile he had remembered all of his life, the one that told him that everything would be alright. But everything was not alright. The castle was ambushed and everything he held dear in his life was falling apart before him.

"Don't speak mother, I'm here to rescue you," he whispered, preparing himself to carry her. She weakly grasped his arm and shook her head.

"No my child, I'm not worth the saving." This made a few tears fall down his own face, landing on her gauze sleeve.

"Of course you are mother, I'm going to save you and everything will be okay."

She smiled as she caressed her son's face. "You need to leave this place and don't come back. If you don't your brother will kill you."

Pausing, she reached up to her neck and, with a final hard pull, she tore off the chain around her neck and handled the charm to him. It was a good luck charm to the people of Midgard, a silver orb wrapped in what appeared to be silver ivy. It glittered and shone as he held it, inspecting it quickly.

"It is the tear of the Ancients. As long as you have it close to you we'll always be in your heart," she said as she watched him slip it into his pocket. Smiling through her tears, she laid her head against his chest.

"Your father and I have always been so proud of you my beautiful child," she continued as she began to close her tired eyes. "I love you."

With tears streaming down his face, he hurriedly ran out of the palace and down to the courtyard to the long gateway to the outer stables. The fighting was getting worse as he watched Midgard Castle, the place where he was born, where his family lived happily, and where his mother and father now rested, all burn in flames. The once clear sky of a happy day was now tinged red and gray with the smoke.

His legs had gone weary as he still continued to run. Ahead of him was Sir Zack, kneeled over his love Aeris, long dead in his arms. He paused as he saw the sight of his mentor mourning over her, her bruised legs peeking out of her torn skirts. Almost everyone was dead, Sir Rude and Sir Reno, his mother, and recently his father as he saw his head being sliced off by his own son Sephiroth on the highest tower overlooking the city. He almost vomited again at the recollection of how his head, once tall and mighty, loving and fatherly, bounced off of the rafters and rooftops before he heard a loud squelch as it hit the ground like a fallen melon.

A few extra soldiers came and, after noticing the weeping knight, they drew their swords and each plunged them into his back, hearing a muffled choking sound before he fell in a heap at the floor. Holding back his cries, Riku clutched his mother's necklace close to him and squeezed his eyes shut, hiding against the hedges, trying not to be seen.

As soon as they had been gone, the prince then ran to the other side, charging to the gate when he felt a rough hand grab his arm, making him drop the necklace as he was spun around. It was another rebel soldier, his bright yellow eyes sending fear to his very soul. Grasping his sword quickly, he sliced the man from his belly to the top of his chin, feeling his muscles quaking with each inch of his blade.

With a hollow shriek, the man clutched at his gaping wound as his intestines poured outonto Riku's boots, making him clutch his own stomach in repulsion. The man then collapsed in the sea of his own filth, eyes still shot open in terror. Leaning over to the bushes,Riku's stomach lurched upward as he emptied out the last of his earlier meal, quivering at the feel of his energy waning. He had never killed a man before, or any living thing for that matter and it had shocked him to no end. Wiping the rest of his vomit from his mouth with the back of his hand, he grabbed the necklace on the grass behind him and staggered out to the stables.

Luckily there were no warriors left at that area, it was pretty well hidden for such situations as this. There were two horses left, his mother's gray mare and his father's great black steed. Grabbing every supply left in the barn, he put the sacks on Gala, his mother's horse and then hopped onto Ragnarok, the midnight horse and quickly galloped away.

Looking back, he saw that the flames had fully engulfed the castle, the screams suddenly ceasing eerily, acknowledging the fact that they were all dead. But the scariest thing he had seen, one thing that would haunt him for many nights was the sight of his brother, standing tall on the highest tower, his long hair waving in the wind and his black cloak rustling behind him as he gave out a loud and maddening laugh.

It was night and he was now walking the two tired horses down the heavily wooded forest. The cold wind brushed against his now tired skin, making him shiver. It had been a few weeks since he had left and he was soon growing hungry, having eaten the last carrot from the pack an hour ago. His stomach grumbled painfully and he choked back on tears yet again.

He had missed his mother who would always hold him close when he was lonely and told him how proud she was of him. His father was now gone from him as well as he cried, feeling the loneliest and weakest at this particular time. There was no one to protect him now; he was alone to protect himself from all that could hurt him. He was also alone to fight his brother. He knew that there would be a time when he would have to slay him and avenge his family and kingdom.

Pushing back the brush from the ancient and eerie trees, he viewed a large clearing. It reminded him again of his mother, of the stories of fairies that would skip in the enchanted forests with unicorns and bathe in beautiful glowing pools like the one before him. It seemed so calming and soothing that he stumbled over to it, not caring to tie up the horses. He didn't care at this time as he fell upon his knees and cupped his hands into the water.

Drinking the cool water from his hands, he felt truly at peace. It was so soothing that he sighed and leaned his head back, looking up at the stars. They twinkled and shone above him, each as he knew it being one of his ancestors, watching over him. His parents were now there as well, shining next to each other somewhere in all of their magnificence.

Tears then streamed down his face again, landing in the pure water. At this time, more than ever, he wanted to be a part of those stars, to be able to be at rest, not having to fight to live on, being content to just watch other wretches suffer on the planet as he could show off his own beauty. It was an inner beauty that was now waning. His soul was dimming as he made each step on his journey, on his journey where? Where was he truly going? How far did he have to continue until he could be out of Midgard and into the next country?

The country of Balaam didn't even like his family and he knew that he would only be sent away like the plague onto the next country until he was killed or faded away. But the glow of the lake was comforting; it seemed to hold life itself in it, like the tale of the Life stream that runs beneath Midgard herself. It was said that if one plunged themselves into the Lifestream the person would be granted their greatest wish.

Smiling despairingly at the water, he threw himself over the small ledge and into the deep pool with a loud splash. He could faintly hear the horses rear up and whinny as he sunk down the glowing blue water. After a while, he stopped hearing the frightened horses and only heard the sound of the water bubbling and flowing around him as he held out his arms, embracing it.

The air soon began to leave him as he closed his eyes, smiling as he too began to feel life leave him. It was perfect, cool, and felt as if everything around him sparkled. He felt new and perfect, free from the blood stains from the stains of his mother upon his tunic, free from the sweat and filth he had when he ran for his life away from his only home, and free from the residue from the guts of the first man he had ever killed in his life. Riku was free as he smiled and felt the weariness of death on him as he remembered to think of his wish.

'I wish for…'

Suddenly the prince gasped feeling oxygen in his lungs as he looked around him sitting up, clutching the necklace at his chest. He was back on the ledge where he had fallen into the water. Feeling his face, he felt the wetness of what he assumed to be the water from the lake upon him. Looking to his hands, he tried to remember what had happened.

He was sure he had fallen in the water, drowning himself. Everything glowed and he made his wish. It should have been it, he should have died. However he was here and it didn't add up. Then, he felt a tingling sensation upon his lips. Touching them delicately, he remembered.

As he was drowning, he remembered the feeling of someone swimming up to him, gently holding his face. Then, he felt angel soft lips press gently against his own filling him with needed air and his heart fluttering back to life. When the prince opened his eyes, he saw the most beautiful blue eyes he had ever seen, gazing at him with concern. At that moment, he remembered not wanting those beautiful eyes to be sad but to be happy, to fill with the light that he knew that it had to have within them.

Then he remembered kissing those lips again, feeling calm wash over his soul. And he then blacked out, leaving himself here at that particular moment. Looking around, he sighed, not being able to find the maiden with the beautiful blue eyes, the woman who had saved his life. Another tear fell down his cheek as he laid back down, trying to find sleep. This tear however was different from the others. It wasn't out of fear or from anger, it was from true sadness from the thought of never being able to see such a beautiful pair of eyes again.

May it be an evening star

Shines down upon you

"Mmm…" moaned the now rousing prince as he turned to the side, squeezing his eyes shut as he was leaving the realm of sleep. He dreamed about those haunting blue eyes and what he envisioned the body of the maiden to appear as. There was an enchanting voice floating around the lake, singing a beautiful song. The voice was heavenly, like that of a goddess, stranded upon the land to sing her haunting melodies.

Riku then heard the sound of water lapping and the voice continued, the song filling his soul.

May it be when darkness falls

Your heart will be true

Looking over to the side, and clearing his sleep fogged eyes, he saw her. She was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. Her back was to him but he could tell her beauty as she pulled her thick and wavy brown hair over her shoulder, running the water from her fingers to her long locks to clean it. Her back was curved just so, showing off her perfect figure as she bathed in the glowing lake, her long fingers moving over her tanned hips and soft shoulders.

His heart stopped as he watched her continue to sing, the song flowing from her beautiful body.

You walk a lonely road

Oh how far you are from home

The song touched him as he slowly began to sit up and then, feeling daring, stand. It was as if her song was drawing him in, making him a slave to her lovely melody. Walking over slowly, he stood at the edge of the pool, watching her. Each move she made was filled with grace and he soon was succumbing to the urge to touch her to see if she was indeed real or a figment of his imagination.

Right when his boot touched the water, the woman turned eyes wide in shock. He gasped at them. There they were those bright blue eyes, the ones that saved him from his death, the one that breathed life back into his body and soul.

He then panicked. She was going to run and he knew it. Rushing over to the water, he waded in to the naked woman, trying to prevent her from leaving.

"Don't leave. I won't hurt you," he said as he waded over to her. She stood there in the middle of the lake, eyes frightened at what he might do. With a quick dive, she went under the water and disappeared.

"Wait! I didn't even get your name!" he called as he then dove down too, trying to find her. However, she was nowhere to be found and he felt his heart ache at that thought. All was clear blue and there wasn't a sign of her. She was gone.

Resurfacing, he looked around the surface for any sign of her there but she wasn't on land either. Tiredly, he went back to the bank and plopped his soaked body back down onto the water's edge, watching the two horses nuzzle each other and whinny. She was gone now and there wasn't any hope in him that she would come back.

As he began to walk over to the horses, he heard a bubbling sound from the lake and turned around curiously. Shooting out from the water was the woman, throwing back her head and breathing in the air as she bobbled back in the water, smoothing the hair from her face. Her eyes looked over to him in recognition and she smiled, walking her way slowly out of the water until she was at the bank, dry and wearing a long array of white cotton and gauze.

"My name is Sora,"

A/N: Wow, this chapter was a rush. Sorry about that. I know I should have added so many more things to make the fall of Midgard a lot more sad and tragic but I wasn't in the mood right now. So I guess I might just have to re-upload a longer version some time in the future. Well, Sora is in here but you might be wondering, 'isn't Sora a boy?' Well, the story shall be getting to that in the next chapter hopefully if all goes well. Until then, you all can just wonder about it. But it is the same Sora that we all know and love, don't get me wrong. Just see. Review you all!