Author's Note: The more I proofread chapters at this moment in time, the
more I wonder how I could write this so that its worthy of you readers.
Nonetheless, I will post the chapters for your enjoyment. Thank you for
your support! And Anonymous Reviews are always welcome! Enjoy!
Secrets of Memories
Chapter 20: Time Is Pressing, Time Will Tell
Aozora jerked. Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Little John looked at him in surprise.
"What's wrong?" Sora asked worriedly.
Aozora shook his head, trying to look as though nothing was wrong; his eyes, coppery as usual, shone though with a feverish metal sheen.
"I-uh-no, nothing's wrong," Aozora replied, trying to sound as casual as possible.
"Shh!" Little John reprimanded. "You guys are missing it! Rob's gotten way too good with this!"
Huh?
Sora looked in the direction Robin Hood had gone.
Adorned in Nutsy's purple cloak, the vulture guard's pike leaning against the prison wall, the crooked sock cleverly shaped like a vulture's beak, Robin Hood was saying something to a very oblivious Sheriff, who was leaning against his chair and had a look of contentment on his face.
"Just close your sleepy little eyeballs," Robin Hood was crooning to Sheriff, who yawned and was borderline on dozing. "The sandman's a-coming, why don't' you...let me loosen that belt? Rock-a-bye Sheriff, just you relax..."
Sora felt his jaw drop open. Damn, Robin Hood was good.
"Oh relax..." the Sheriff sighed as Robin Hood carefully loosened the belt and gently fingered the keys out from the Sheriff's side.
"Di, di, di..." Robin Hood murmured, trying to keep the Sheriff too stupefied to know what was going on.
He inched the keys out of the belt slowly and carefully, but as bad luck would have it, the keys squeaked.
A million potentially violent curses ran through Aozora's head as the Sheriff suddenly yawned and said, "Aw Nutsy, that' mighty sweet. Sing it one more time."
Robin Hood, who had nearly jumped back, carefully sang, "Rock-a-bye Sheriff, just you relax, dum, pump, pump...do, do, do, do...."
"Amazing," Sora muttered to Little John. "He's so stupid."
"We knew that from the beginning," Little John said with a wink.
Robin Hood slid the keys out of the Sheriff's belt, then made frantic hand signals to the other to come.
"Come on, we gotta go," Little John whispered and they sneaked out.
"Let the party begin," Aozora was heard muttering under his breath as Robin Hood handed Little John the keys as they quietly opened the prison door. They snuck in, one by one, and all seemed safe until two things happened: Goofy's shield banged into a stone wall while, at the same time, the prison door squeaked as Robin Hood closed it.
"Wait a minute! Jail break! Jail break!" the ever attentive Trigger yelped at the top of his lungs as he rushed to the prison. "I heard it, Sheriff! The door! The door!"
Robin Hood, Little John, and Sora looked at each other in surprise. Donald was already reprimanding Goofy with rather silent hisses while Aozora's hands began to glow slightly purplish black and soft gold.
Sheriff woke up with a start. He glared at Trigger as the vulture guard approached him with panic, then looks to the prison door, which Robin Hood had shut.
"Now, for the last time," the Sheriff growled, "no more false alarms!"
Trigger nodded unhappily, seeing that he was wrong, and went back to his post. The Sheriff tripped him in the process, then went back to sleep.
"Phew...that was close," Robin Hood sighed as all six turned to the scenario behind them.
The view of the dark, dank prison slammed into their faces. The innocent prisoners, chained to heavy iron balls, looked at them at first with confusion, then with some recognition, as Robin Hood handed Little John the keys and told them all in an extremely serious voice, "Now, you guys release Friar Tuck and the others. I'll go visit the royal treasury."
He turned to go.
"Wait," Sora said. "Let me help you."
Everyone seemed to stop breathing.
"Its dangerous," Robin Hood finally said. "Very dangerous. And you gotta be quiet if you want to help me."
"Quiet? Him?" Donald muttered from under his breath.
"Hey!" Sora turned on him. "I want to help him, Donald. Go with Little John and the others."
"Oh no, no way are you going," Aozora spoke up firmly, in a voice of steel.
"Why's that?" Sora demanded, taking one step towards his look-a-like, his eyes challenging.
"There is no way we're gonna risk the Keyblade Master on a mission like that," Aozora said calmly, watching Sora boil with rage.
"I'm going to help him, Aozora," Sora said, his voice trembling, attempting to keep the volume down at a bare minimum. "You can't tell me what to do. If there's one thing I can't tolerate, it's that someone tells me what to do."
"You may not like it," Aozora answered, his voice so horribly cold, it made everyone within hearing distance visibly shiver, "but if there is one thing we cannot afford to do, it is to risk the life of the Keyblade Master."
"I will do what I want to do," Sora growled into his face. "So leave me alone!"
"He's right, though," Little John said carefully. "I mean, its great if Sora goes and helps Robin Hood raid the treasury but Aozora is kind of right. Sora, we can't exactly risk you doing this. Are you that sure you want to help ol' Rob here?"
"Quickly," Robin Hood found a very long piece of rope and was wrapping it around his shoulder. "You must make your decision. We don't have much time."
That could have been one of the worst things Robin Hood would actually say. The air between Sora and Aozora crackled as they glared at one another. Sora was actually become more unnerved by Aozora's copper brown eyes by the second but he steeled his resolve; he understood what it meant for the people of Sherwood if they make a successful raid to the treasury but he could not understand why Aozora was so against this.
What is it that makes you worried, Sora wondered, so worried that you would come a bit close to alerting the Sheriff of our whereabouts in prison?
Aozora gritted his teeth silently; he didn't like those blue eyes at all. They unnerved him; they forced him to remember two different pairs of blue eyes, the owners of them he doubted he would ever see again.
Why can't you understand the importance of things? Aozora growled deep in his mind. Why can't you see the danger that follows you, the darkness that threatens to overtake you?
They could have gone on like this forever, if Robin Hood tsked and said, " Tsk, tsk, you two children are worse than I thought. Sora, if you can stay quiet, let's go."
Sora grinned, despite the dark mood of the prison, and stuck his tongue out at Aozora. Aozora cocked an eyebrow at this show of child play, and then narrowed his eyes dangerously, his copper eyes sending a message filled with crackling anger.
Sora looked rather disturbed as he separated from the group and joined Robin Hood. They snuck out of the prison and tiptoed out of sight.
"Oh don't you worry, Aozora," Little John said rather cheerfully and clapped a hand on his shoulder as he watched them leave. "Robin Hood's really good at this. And it seems your friend is, too."
"I don't know him too long to say that with confidence," Aozora answered rather darkly, his voice chilly. "Come on, let's free the others."
Little John, Donald, Goofy, and a rather apprehensive Aozora crept through the prison, finally making out a single cell. Little John signaled the others to be quiet, and slowly unlocked the cell.
Inside was Friar Tuck. He was terribly dehydrated and tired; he was lying sprawled on moldy hay in the damp room. There was a bowl of water nearby but the water was disgustingly contaminated.
"Oh, Little John! It can't be!" the friar exclaimed in surprise as the prison door opened.
"Shh!" Little John quickly reacted. "Quiet. We're busting out."
He leaned forward and unlocked the iron ring on Friar Tuck. Friar Tuck spotted Donald, Goofy, and Aozora behind Little John at the doorway to his tiny, moldy cell but he didn't see Robin Hood or Sora. His mind began to panic.
"Where is he?" Friar Tuck demanded urgently as Little John helped him up.
"Robin Hood?" Little John asked as he undid all the keys from the ring and handed one to each person to unlock the prisoners.
"No, Sora," Friar Tuck answered as he undid the ring on Allan-a-Dale, the great rooster minstrel.
"Sora?" Little John was confused. Not only was Aozora worried about him, so was Friar Tuck! And he didn't have much to do with the outsiders, anyways.
"He's the Keyblade Master," Friar Tuck explained as he undid the ring on Mother Rabbit. Oddly enough, he looked pointedly at Aozora, who was undoing the ring on a badger.
"I know that! He went off with Robin Hood to raid the treasury," Aozora hissed. "A stubborn pain in the ass. He wouldn't listen!"
Little John was getting all the more confused by the discussion between the two.
"You're the Guardian," Friar Tuck said, his voice hinting the hardness growing in his tone. "That's a dangerous mission, I'm sure you know. You should've stopped him."
Little John decided to block out the conversation-that-was-turning-into-an- unusual-argument and unlocked Skippy.
Skippy, who had his bow with him, jumped up and exclaimed, "I'm ready. Where's the bad guys?"
He pulled out a hidden arrow and strung it.
Little John chuckled and said, "Take it easy, son."
Meanwhile, Friar Tuck was saying, "I happen to be of the Order of-"
"-the Hearts and Souls, yeah I know, I'm not stupid," Aozora snapped as he undid the chains on the group of raccoons. "My mentor told me-"
"Eldest," Friar Tuck reprimanded. "My dear boy, what have those years done to your head?"
Aozora gave him a hard stare, daring him to say more.
Little John, putting the keys back into the large iron ring they were originally fun, then headed to one of the prison windows. He looked intensely outside for a few seconds, then backed off as an arrow, with rope tied to it, soared in. Little John borrowed Skippy's bow, strung the bow, then shot the arrow back.
"What are you doing?" Donald asked.
"Receiving the riches," Little John and Friar Tuck said with a grin, as moneybags began to appear.
"Robin Hood! I'll get even," Prince John tossed and turned in his royal bed. "I'll get...It's Robin Hood I want. It's Robin Hood and that bastard child. Ha, ha, ha, ha!"
Robin Hood and Sora froze. They stared at each other, then at Prince John.
"He's obsessed," Sora mouthed to Robin Hood, who nodded and carefully picked up a bag of gold.
"Come on, Sora," Robin Hood was tying a long chain of moneybags to the rope that was constantly moving. "There's no time."
With that, the two gradually depleted Prince John's stores of gold.
At the receiving end of the line, Little John and Friar Tuck undid all the moneybags. Donald, Goofy, and Aozora distributed them among the others.
"Ha, ha. Praise the Lord and pass the taxes rebates!" Friar Tuck let out a mild laugh.
Aozora did not have a clue what the friar was saying. He decided to ignore the friar and help him pass out the 'taxes rebates', whatever they were.
"Is that all?" Sora whispered to Robin Hood as they tied (hopefully) the last of the moneybags onto the moving rope.
"Actually, there's one more...." Robin Hood's voice drifted off into the night as they both eyed the bag of gold Prince John had tight in his arms.
"Oh great," Sora cursed as they watched Prince John suck on his thumb, his arms creating a protective cradle around the bag of gold.
"We've got no choice," Robin Hood sighed as he tiptoed towards the prince and an oblivious Sir Hiss. "Sora, get ready to leave as soon as possible."
"I'm already ready," Sora replied. He had the Kingdom Key ready to appear in his hand at a moment's notice, but he felt he really was not going to need it that night.
How wrong he was.
The sound of a coin hitting the cobblestone alerted Trigger. He did not know where Nutsy was and he was not aware of the Sheriff's predicament. His 'Betsy' loaded and on the ready, the vulture guard carefully walked back to the prison.
"Sheriff, don't get your dander up," he was saying as he approached what seemed to be the Sheriff sleeping next to the prison door, "but I still got a feeling-"
The Sheriff suddenly moved. He snatched Trigger before the vulture guard could react and threw him into the prison. He then slammed the prison gate shut.
"Friar, get going," Little John whispered as he pulled off the Sheriff's clothing; he had stolen them from the Sheriff after shoving him into the prison. "Hurry!"
The friar and the villagers, each holding as many gold bags as possible, hustled away from the dreaded prison and towards a two-wheeled wagon. They clambered into the rickety wagon and Friar Tuck, after placing his bags of gold into the wagon, went to the front and set himself in between the poles that the carthorse would normally stand in. He pulled the poles-and the wagon-towards the suspiciously open castle gate. Little John looked behind him worriedly as they inched towards the drawbridge. Where were Robin Hood and Sora?
Aozora seemed to be having the same thoughts and kept throwing nervous glances behind him. He had begun to slow down, as though anticipating that any moment from now, Robin Hood and Sora would appear. Donald, who sat in the wagon, kept a watch, on the lookout. Goofy was also beginning to slow down as well, looking behind him, wondering where Robin Hood and Sora had gone. Then...
"Oh, oh, oh, oh ah...Aah! Aah! Hoo! Guards! Guards! My gold! Oh no, no, no!" they all heard Prince John's voice cry out. "They're getting away with my gold! Guards! Guards! Guards! Stop them! Stop them!"
"Jump!" they heard Robin Hood's voice yell a split second later.
"Guards! Get them!" Prince John shrilled at the top of his lungs. "No, not them! Them! Them! Rhinos halt! Stop! Desist! Aah! Ooh! Aah!"
The sound of wine barrels rolling was coupled by Prince John throwing a nasty fit. Then...
"Well, don't just stand there, you idiots! Get them! Stop them! Before they get away-no, not them! Them!" Prince John's voice was suddenly strong and angry.
Aozora had a sinking feeling in his heart and soul. He had a very good idea of who Prince John was talking about.
Robin Hood and Sora suddenly appeared, sprinting as madly and quickly as possible towards the two-wheeled cart. Friar Tuck by then had abandoned his position at the head of the cart and was reassuring some worried villagers in the wagon. Little John had taken up the task of pulling the wagon.
"Everybody!" Robin Hood shouted at the top of his lungs. "Come on! That's all of them. Get going!"
"This ain't no hayride people, people!" Little John bellowed as he gripped the poles and yanked the wagon forward across the drawbridge. "Let's move!"
"On to Sherwood Forest!" Friar Tuck shouted and pumped his fist in the air, as the villagers catcalled the squabbling rhino guards.
Aozora surveyed the whole group. Everyone seemed to be here, yes everybody was here-
Aozora stumbled. Robin Hood was to him quickly, helping him back up. It was then the fox saw crazed fear in the copper eyes.
"Sora," the teenager whispered and his eyes darted to the castle they were leaving behind, hopefully forever.
"Stop! My baby!" Mother Rabbit shrieked, her arms reaching out from her helpless position in the wagon.
Everyone looked behind their shoulders or turned to the castle.
"The Nobodies!" Goofy yelled. "It's the Nobodies!"
"May the Lord protect us," Friar Tuck whispered.
Sora was fighting off the Nobodies that surrounded him and Tagalong, Mother Rabbit's youngest child. He had cast Aeroga on them both but there was a limit to how long the Aeroga will protect them. And to those who knew magic, they were aware of the fact that Sora may not have the energy to procure two more Aerogas.
"Sora!" Aozora yelled and made to go but Robin Hood was too fast for him. He darted back inside the castle and dodged the Nobodies.
"Sora! Give her to me and let's get out of here!" Robin Hood yelled.
Sora made a wide arc with his Kingdom Key, pushing away the circle of Nobodies surrounding him and Tagalong. He the picked up Tagalong and 'tossed' her to Robin Hood. Then, to keep the Nobodies from following Robin Hood and Tagalong, he literally threw himself into the group of Nobodies.
"Mama, Mama!" Tagalong yelped as Robin Hood made a mad dash towards the castle gate.
Then, quite suddenly, the castle gate crashed down before their eyes, locking them within Prince John's castle. Little John, Aozora, Donald, and Goofy, who had made a mad dash of their own to Robin Hood and Sora, stopped short of the gate, horrified out of their wits.
"We got him now!" the Sheriff's voice shrilled over the chaos Sora was creating. "We got the both of them! Get them now!"
Robin Hood quickly pushed Tagalong through the spaces between the long, crude iron bars that made up the castle gate. "Get going and don't worry about me."
"It's not just you we're worried about though, Rob," Little John hinted as he handed Tagalong over to Goofy and the knight made a mad dash for the wagon. "You know what I mean."
Robin Hood took nearly a minute to realize who he was referring to. "No...we gotta get him out of here!"
"This time we got 'em for sure!" the Sheriff yelled. He grabbed a flaming torch and charged at Robin Hood.
"Go! Go now! I'll take care of him!" Robin Hood yelled.
"I'm coming in!" Aozora knew the exact words for blasting the iron gate into pieces but the look Robin Hood gave him spoke enough.
"You have to guard the people," Robin Hood said quickly. "They may come after the others. You have to guard them."
"I'm the Guardian!" Aozora yelled as Donald attempted to drag him away. " I have to go with you!"
"Buddy, we're getting out of here," Little John practically picked up the both of them and headed for the wagon.
Aozora wilted. Could they not understand what he had to do?
"You're not going anywhere but hell!" the Sheriff growled at Robin Hood as he chased the fox into the throne room.
"We'll see," Robin Hood answered as he jumped on top of the throne.
The doors suddenly crashed open and Sora tumbled into the room, followed by a massive swarm of Nobodies.
"Sora!" Robin Hood shouted, then jumped over the Sheriff and headed for the Keyblade Master, who had suddenly crumpled to the floor.
Grabbing a pike from the wall, he swung it in a wide arch, pushing back the Nobodies, and hoisted up Sora against his body.
"Sora, Sora, can you here me? Sora?"
Sora would not answer. Robin Hood held back a swear and fought off the Nobodies.
"There is no way I'm letting the two of you go," the Sheriff snarled behind him. "This is gonna be easy."
Robin Hood's mind worked furiously. He was handicapped carrying Sora. He had only one free arm and that held a pike. And the Sheriff was equipped with a burning torch.
A strange sensation ran through his body. He had suddenly formed an idea, an incredibly crazy idea. It involved climbing a tower.
Robin Hood hoisted Sora onto his back and bolted past the Sheriff. Furious, the Sheriff and the Nobodies followed him. But the Sheriff had the bad luck of waving the torch around like crazy. The torch set ablaze the whole room, something nobody ever expected.
The Nobodies shrieked and shied away from the burning flames; the Sheriff could not reach Robin Hood and Sora and dashed outside, while Robin Hood got Sora and himself out of the window and carefully climbed up the tower.
"Oh my god," Little John was saying from down below, safely hidden near the moat. "Oh my god, they're not gonna make it!"
"No!" Aozora appeared, his eyes shining fearfully. "Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no...."
He fell to his knees.
"Sora!" Donald and Goofy yelped. "No, they're not gonna make it, they're not gonna survive!"
Robin Hood looked behind him to the burning mess. Weasel archers were flinging arrows at Sora and him. The Nobodies were doing something to the towers, something he knew wasn't good. And the only way out of the castle was down, into the moat.
"Friar Tuck, now I will pray to God above," Robin Hood murmured as he looked to Sora, who was still knocked out. He looked at the peaceful face of the Keyblade Master. "God help us all."
To the horror of Little John, Donald, Goofy, and Aozora, Robin Hood and Sora fell into the moat.
"Little John, Little John, wha-" Skippy yelped as he approached the four people. He skidded to a stop as he heard a huge splash. Then arrows flitted from above and they ducked away. The arrows were aimed for the water however, where Robin Hood and Sora vanished. Bubbles blossomed from the water as the arrows pummeled into the water, then floated back up.
"Come on, Rob, come on," Little John whispered, not knowing what to think.
"He's just got to make it," Skippy agreed.
Aozora only felt hope ebbing away from him. Hope then spilled away in torrents as only Robin's hat surfaced. There was no sign of either one of them.
"Yes! They're finished!" Prince John cheered. He was wearing a nightgown and his castle was burning but he did not seem to notice. "Done for! La, la, la! Ha, ha, ha!"
"He's got to make it," Goofy was saying. "They have to be alive."
"He's going to make it...they're gonna make it, aren't they, Little John? Aren't they?" Skippy looked to the large bear helplessly.
"No...we failed..." Donald sat down suddenly, slumped over.
"Wait a minute..."Skippy stared at the water. Two reeds were sticking out of the water. That was normal, considering there were other reeds sticking out of the water as well. But reeds don't move, especially in a line towards them. "Hey, what's that? Look it! Look it! Look it!"
Aozora perked up. He knew what purpose reeds had. And if two reeds were moving towards them, sticking out of the water...
"Ha ha, did you have us worried, Rob. I thought you guys were goners," Little John wiped water off his face as Robin Hood surfaced from the water, pulling a woozy Sora after him.
"Ah not Robin Hood!" Skippy was jumping for joy. "He could've swum twice that far, huh Mr. Robin Hood?"
Sir Hiss, who had been watching Prince John jump for joy, spotted the commotion near the moat. "Look, Sire! He's made it! They've made it! They got away again!"
Prince John ran to the wall, aghast.
"A pox on the phony King of England!" Robin Hood, Little John, Skippy, Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Aozora shouted as they vanished. "Oo-da-lolly!"
Seconds later, Prince John was found sucking on his thumb and using a stick to whack Sir Hiss as the snake tried to flee.
It was a sunny day, when the fields were green, the sun shone bright, and life and joy bloomed everywhere. King Richard had returned and now Prince John, Sir Hiss, and the Sheriff were forced to work in the Royal Rock Pile as punishment for what they had done to all of England. And somewhere bells were ringing. A marriage.
"Long Live Robin Hood!" the people were cheering as Robin Hood and Maid Marian, the newlyweds, appeared at the front of the church. Smiling, they kissed and the crowd cheered. Then, as they headed for the carriage that awaited them, the regal King Richard appeared. "Long live King Richard!"
"Oh Friar Tuck," King Richard could not stop laughing, "It appears I have an outlaw for an in-law. Ha, ha, ha!"
"Ha, ha," Friar Tuck agreed. "Not bad."
His eyes, though, darted to the four outsiders who stood amongst the crowd, cheering with the people.
Godspeed, Keyblade Master. Godspeed to those who defend you, who guide and aid you on your journey. Godspeed.
"Gee, Skippy, how come you're going?" Toby, the slow turtle asked Skippy as he jumped to the front of the carriage besides Little John, who was driving the coach.
"Well, Robin Hood will have kids so somebody's got to keep all right things," Skippy answered, then clutched to the seat as Little John shouted, "Ho!" and got the horses moving.
"Ach! I've never been so happy in my life," Lady Kluck wiped away a tear, before leaving by a different route to where Robin Hood and Maid Marian were headed.
"Farewell, friends!" Robin Hood and Maid Marian called back to Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Aozora. "Good luck, Keyblade Master! Good luck!"
"Goodbye!" Sora yelled back. "Thank you so much! I hope we meet again!"
"Don't we all!" Maid Marian laughed with joy as the carriage vanished into the distance.
"Well, folks, that's the way it really happened," Allan-A-Dale said, then began strumming.
"Love goes on and on
Oo-da-lolly
Oo-da-lolly
Golly what a day
Oo-da-lolly
Oo-da-lolly
Golly what a day.
And may God bless us all."
"They had done the impossible," Princess Kida told the two who looked deep into the waters of the lake. "They made the ultimate sacrifice. That alone locked the world against the Nobodies forever. But time will tell if my words will hold true."
"They did the impossible," the young woman's voice mused. "Time pressed all around them, their lives were threatening to go in seconds, yet they survived it all."
"You have done fine work yourselves," Princess Kida smiled. "Very subtle but yes you have done well. If the castle gate was not open, the results would have been beyond disastrous."
"I could imagine it myself," the young man's voice agreed.
"Can you?" Princess Kida truly had a mysterious smile on her face. "I can see a disaster far worse than you two may ever see. We have only stalled it. It will take luck, in fact far more than luck, for us to truly advert the disaster. If we all fail...it will cost many lives. This is what Eldest wants of you two. To help the Keyblade Master stop the disaster before it leads us all to war...and darkness."
Secrets of Memories
Chapter 20: Time Is Pressing, Time Will Tell
Aozora jerked. Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Little John looked at him in surprise.
"What's wrong?" Sora asked worriedly.
Aozora shook his head, trying to look as though nothing was wrong; his eyes, coppery as usual, shone though with a feverish metal sheen.
"I-uh-no, nothing's wrong," Aozora replied, trying to sound as casual as possible.
"Shh!" Little John reprimanded. "You guys are missing it! Rob's gotten way too good with this!"
Huh?
Sora looked in the direction Robin Hood had gone.
Adorned in Nutsy's purple cloak, the vulture guard's pike leaning against the prison wall, the crooked sock cleverly shaped like a vulture's beak, Robin Hood was saying something to a very oblivious Sheriff, who was leaning against his chair and had a look of contentment on his face.
"Just close your sleepy little eyeballs," Robin Hood was crooning to Sheriff, who yawned and was borderline on dozing. "The sandman's a-coming, why don't' you...let me loosen that belt? Rock-a-bye Sheriff, just you relax..."
Sora felt his jaw drop open. Damn, Robin Hood was good.
"Oh relax..." the Sheriff sighed as Robin Hood carefully loosened the belt and gently fingered the keys out from the Sheriff's side.
"Di, di, di..." Robin Hood murmured, trying to keep the Sheriff too stupefied to know what was going on.
He inched the keys out of the belt slowly and carefully, but as bad luck would have it, the keys squeaked.
A million potentially violent curses ran through Aozora's head as the Sheriff suddenly yawned and said, "Aw Nutsy, that' mighty sweet. Sing it one more time."
Robin Hood, who had nearly jumped back, carefully sang, "Rock-a-bye Sheriff, just you relax, dum, pump, pump...do, do, do, do...."
"Amazing," Sora muttered to Little John. "He's so stupid."
"We knew that from the beginning," Little John said with a wink.
Robin Hood slid the keys out of the Sheriff's belt, then made frantic hand signals to the other to come.
"Come on, we gotta go," Little John whispered and they sneaked out.
"Let the party begin," Aozora was heard muttering under his breath as Robin Hood handed Little John the keys as they quietly opened the prison door. They snuck in, one by one, and all seemed safe until two things happened: Goofy's shield banged into a stone wall while, at the same time, the prison door squeaked as Robin Hood closed it.
"Wait a minute! Jail break! Jail break!" the ever attentive Trigger yelped at the top of his lungs as he rushed to the prison. "I heard it, Sheriff! The door! The door!"
Robin Hood, Little John, and Sora looked at each other in surprise. Donald was already reprimanding Goofy with rather silent hisses while Aozora's hands began to glow slightly purplish black and soft gold.
Sheriff woke up with a start. He glared at Trigger as the vulture guard approached him with panic, then looks to the prison door, which Robin Hood had shut.
"Now, for the last time," the Sheriff growled, "no more false alarms!"
Trigger nodded unhappily, seeing that he was wrong, and went back to his post. The Sheriff tripped him in the process, then went back to sleep.
"Phew...that was close," Robin Hood sighed as all six turned to the scenario behind them.
The view of the dark, dank prison slammed into their faces. The innocent prisoners, chained to heavy iron balls, looked at them at first with confusion, then with some recognition, as Robin Hood handed Little John the keys and told them all in an extremely serious voice, "Now, you guys release Friar Tuck and the others. I'll go visit the royal treasury."
He turned to go.
"Wait," Sora said. "Let me help you."
Everyone seemed to stop breathing.
"Its dangerous," Robin Hood finally said. "Very dangerous. And you gotta be quiet if you want to help me."
"Quiet? Him?" Donald muttered from under his breath.
"Hey!" Sora turned on him. "I want to help him, Donald. Go with Little John and the others."
"Oh no, no way are you going," Aozora spoke up firmly, in a voice of steel.
"Why's that?" Sora demanded, taking one step towards his look-a-like, his eyes challenging.
"There is no way we're gonna risk the Keyblade Master on a mission like that," Aozora said calmly, watching Sora boil with rage.
"I'm going to help him, Aozora," Sora said, his voice trembling, attempting to keep the volume down at a bare minimum. "You can't tell me what to do. If there's one thing I can't tolerate, it's that someone tells me what to do."
"You may not like it," Aozora answered, his voice so horribly cold, it made everyone within hearing distance visibly shiver, "but if there is one thing we cannot afford to do, it is to risk the life of the Keyblade Master."
"I will do what I want to do," Sora growled into his face. "So leave me alone!"
"He's right, though," Little John said carefully. "I mean, its great if Sora goes and helps Robin Hood raid the treasury but Aozora is kind of right. Sora, we can't exactly risk you doing this. Are you that sure you want to help ol' Rob here?"
"Quickly," Robin Hood found a very long piece of rope and was wrapping it around his shoulder. "You must make your decision. We don't have much time."
That could have been one of the worst things Robin Hood would actually say. The air between Sora and Aozora crackled as they glared at one another. Sora was actually become more unnerved by Aozora's copper brown eyes by the second but he steeled his resolve; he understood what it meant for the people of Sherwood if they make a successful raid to the treasury but he could not understand why Aozora was so against this.
What is it that makes you worried, Sora wondered, so worried that you would come a bit close to alerting the Sheriff of our whereabouts in prison?
Aozora gritted his teeth silently; he didn't like those blue eyes at all. They unnerved him; they forced him to remember two different pairs of blue eyes, the owners of them he doubted he would ever see again.
Why can't you understand the importance of things? Aozora growled deep in his mind. Why can't you see the danger that follows you, the darkness that threatens to overtake you?
They could have gone on like this forever, if Robin Hood tsked and said, " Tsk, tsk, you two children are worse than I thought. Sora, if you can stay quiet, let's go."
Sora grinned, despite the dark mood of the prison, and stuck his tongue out at Aozora. Aozora cocked an eyebrow at this show of child play, and then narrowed his eyes dangerously, his copper eyes sending a message filled with crackling anger.
Sora looked rather disturbed as he separated from the group and joined Robin Hood. They snuck out of the prison and tiptoed out of sight.
"Oh don't you worry, Aozora," Little John said rather cheerfully and clapped a hand on his shoulder as he watched them leave. "Robin Hood's really good at this. And it seems your friend is, too."
"I don't know him too long to say that with confidence," Aozora answered rather darkly, his voice chilly. "Come on, let's free the others."
Little John, Donald, Goofy, and a rather apprehensive Aozora crept through the prison, finally making out a single cell. Little John signaled the others to be quiet, and slowly unlocked the cell.
Inside was Friar Tuck. He was terribly dehydrated and tired; he was lying sprawled on moldy hay in the damp room. There was a bowl of water nearby but the water was disgustingly contaminated.
"Oh, Little John! It can't be!" the friar exclaimed in surprise as the prison door opened.
"Shh!" Little John quickly reacted. "Quiet. We're busting out."
He leaned forward and unlocked the iron ring on Friar Tuck. Friar Tuck spotted Donald, Goofy, and Aozora behind Little John at the doorway to his tiny, moldy cell but he didn't see Robin Hood or Sora. His mind began to panic.
"Where is he?" Friar Tuck demanded urgently as Little John helped him up.
"Robin Hood?" Little John asked as he undid all the keys from the ring and handed one to each person to unlock the prisoners.
"No, Sora," Friar Tuck answered as he undid the ring on Allan-a-Dale, the great rooster minstrel.
"Sora?" Little John was confused. Not only was Aozora worried about him, so was Friar Tuck! And he didn't have much to do with the outsiders, anyways.
"He's the Keyblade Master," Friar Tuck explained as he undid the ring on Mother Rabbit. Oddly enough, he looked pointedly at Aozora, who was undoing the ring on a badger.
"I know that! He went off with Robin Hood to raid the treasury," Aozora hissed. "A stubborn pain in the ass. He wouldn't listen!"
Little John was getting all the more confused by the discussion between the two.
"You're the Guardian," Friar Tuck said, his voice hinting the hardness growing in his tone. "That's a dangerous mission, I'm sure you know. You should've stopped him."
Little John decided to block out the conversation-that-was-turning-into-an- unusual-argument and unlocked Skippy.
Skippy, who had his bow with him, jumped up and exclaimed, "I'm ready. Where's the bad guys?"
He pulled out a hidden arrow and strung it.
Little John chuckled and said, "Take it easy, son."
Meanwhile, Friar Tuck was saying, "I happen to be of the Order of-"
"-the Hearts and Souls, yeah I know, I'm not stupid," Aozora snapped as he undid the chains on the group of raccoons. "My mentor told me-"
"Eldest," Friar Tuck reprimanded. "My dear boy, what have those years done to your head?"
Aozora gave him a hard stare, daring him to say more.
Little John, putting the keys back into the large iron ring they were originally fun, then headed to one of the prison windows. He looked intensely outside for a few seconds, then backed off as an arrow, with rope tied to it, soared in. Little John borrowed Skippy's bow, strung the bow, then shot the arrow back.
"What are you doing?" Donald asked.
"Receiving the riches," Little John and Friar Tuck said with a grin, as moneybags began to appear.
"Robin Hood! I'll get even," Prince John tossed and turned in his royal bed. "I'll get...It's Robin Hood I want. It's Robin Hood and that bastard child. Ha, ha, ha, ha!"
Robin Hood and Sora froze. They stared at each other, then at Prince John.
"He's obsessed," Sora mouthed to Robin Hood, who nodded and carefully picked up a bag of gold.
"Come on, Sora," Robin Hood was tying a long chain of moneybags to the rope that was constantly moving. "There's no time."
With that, the two gradually depleted Prince John's stores of gold.
At the receiving end of the line, Little John and Friar Tuck undid all the moneybags. Donald, Goofy, and Aozora distributed them among the others.
"Ha, ha. Praise the Lord and pass the taxes rebates!" Friar Tuck let out a mild laugh.
Aozora did not have a clue what the friar was saying. He decided to ignore the friar and help him pass out the 'taxes rebates', whatever they were.
"Is that all?" Sora whispered to Robin Hood as they tied (hopefully) the last of the moneybags onto the moving rope.
"Actually, there's one more...." Robin Hood's voice drifted off into the night as they both eyed the bag of gold Prince John had tight in his arms.
"Oh great," Sora cursed as they watched Prince John suck on his thumb, his arms creating a protective cradle around the bag of gold.
"We've got no choice," Robin Hood sighed as he tiptoed towards the prince and an oblivious Sir Hiss. "Sora, get ready to leave as soon as possible."
"I'm already ready," Sora replied. He had the Kingdom Key ready to appear in his hand at a moment's notice, but he felt he really was not going to need it that night.
How wrong he was.
The sound of a coin hitting the cobblestone alerted Trigger. He did not know where Nutsy was and he was not aware of the Sheriff's predicament. His 'Betsy' loaded and on the ready, the vulture guard carefully walked back to the prison.
"Sheriff, don't get your dander up," he was saying as he approached what seemed to be the Sheriff sleeping next to the prison door, "but I still got a feeling-"
The Sheriff suddenly moved. He snatched Trigger before the vulture guard could react and threw him into the prison. He then slammed the prison gate shut.
"Friar, get going," Little John whispered as he pulled off the Sheriff's clothing; he had stolen them from the Sheriff after shoving him into the prison. "Hurry!"
The friar and the villagers, each holding as many gold bags as possible, hustled away from the dreaded prison and towards a two-wheeled wagon. They clambered into the rickety wagon and Friar Tuck, after placing his bags of gold into the wagon, went to the front and set himself in between the poles that the carthorse would normally stand in. He pulled the poles-and the wagon-towards the suspiciously open castle gate. Little John looked behind him worriedly as they inched towards the drawbridge. Where were Robin Hood and Sora?
Aozora seemed to be having the same thoughts and kept throwing nervous glances behind him. He had begun to slow down, as though anticipating that any moment from now, Robin Hood and Sora would appear. Donald, who sat in the wagon, kept a watch, on the lookout. Goofy was also beginning to slow down as well, looking behind him, wondering where Robin Hood and Sora had gone. Then...
"Oh, oh, oh, oh ah...Aah! Aah! Hoo! Guards! Guards! My gold! Oh no, no, no!" they all heard Prince John's voice cry out. "They're getting away with my gold! Guards! Guards! Guards! Stop them! Stop them!"
"Jump!" they heard Robin Hood's voice yell a split second later.
"Guards! Get them!" Prince John shrilled at the top of his lungs. "No, not them! Them! Them! Rhinos halt! Stop! Desist! Aah! Ooh! Aah!"
The sound of wine barrels rolling was coupled by Prince John throwing a nasty fit. Then...
"Well, don't just stand there, you idiots! Get them! Stop them! Before they get away-no, not them! Them!" Prince John's voice was suddenly strong and angry.
Aozora had a sinking feeling in his heart and soul. He had a very good idea of who Prince John was talking about.
Robin Hood and Sora suddenly appeared, sprinting as madly and quickly as possible towards the two-wheeled cart. Friar Tuck by then had abandoned his position at the head of the cart and was reassuring some worried villagers in the wagon. Little John had taken up the task of pulling the wagon.
"Everybody!" Robin Hood shouted at the top of his lungs. "Come on! That's all of them. Get going!"
"This ain't no hayride people, people!" Little John bellowed as he gripped the poles and yanked the wagon forward across the drawbridge. "Let's move!"
"On to Sherwood Forest!" Friar Tuck shouted and pumped his fist in the air, as the villagers catcalled the squabbling rhino guards.
Aozora surveyed the whole group. Everyone seemed to be here, yes everybody was here-
Aozora stumbled. Robin Hood was to him quickly, helping him back up. It was then the fox saw crazed fear in the copper eyes.
"Sora," the teenager whispered and his eyes darted to the castle they were leaving behind, hopefully forever.
"Stop! My baby!" Mother Rabbit shrieked, her arms reaching out from her helpless position in the wagon.
Everyone looked behind their shoulders or turned to the castle.
"The Nobodies!" Goofy yelled. "It's the Nobodies!"
"May the Lord protect us," Friar Tuck whispered.
Sora was fighting off the Nobodies that surrounded him and Tagalong, Mother Rabbit's youngest child. He had cast Aeroga on them both but there was a limit to how long the Aeroga will protect them. And to those who knew magic, they were aware of the fact that Sora may not have the energy to procure two more Aerogas.
"Sora!" Aozora yelled and made to go but Robin Hood was too fast for him. He darted back inside the castle and dodged the Nobodies.
"Sora! Give her to me and let's get out of here!" Robin Hood yelled.
Sora made a wide arc with his Kingdom Key, pushing away the circle of Nobodies surrounding him and Tagalong. He the picked up Tagalong and 'tossed' her to Robin Hood. Then, to keep the Nobodies from following Robin Hood and Tagalong, he literally threw himself into the group of Nobodies.
"Mama, Mama!" Tagalong yelped as Robin Hood made a mad dash towards the castle gate.
Then, quite suddenly, the castle gate crashed down before their eyes, locking them within Prince John's castle. Little John, Aozora, Donald, and Goofy, who had made a mad dash of their own to Robin Hood and Sora, stopped short of the gate, horrified out of their wits.
"We got him now!" the Sheriff's voice shrilled over the chaos Sora was creating. "We got the both of them! Get them now!"
Robin Hood quickly pushed Tagalong through the spaces between the long, crude iron bars that made up the castle gate. "Get going and don't worry about me."
"It's not just you we're worried about though, Rob," Little John hinted as he handed Tagalong over to Goofy and the knight made a mad dash for the wagon. "You know what I mean."
Robin Hood took nearly a minute to realize who he was referring to. "No...we gotta get him out of here!"
"This time we got 'em for sure!" the Sheriff yelled. He grabbed a flaming torch and charged at Robin Hood.
"Go! Go now! I'll take care of him!" Robin Hood yelled.
"I'm coming in!" Aozora knew the exact words for blasting the iron gate into pieces but the look Robin Hood gave him spoke enough.
"You have to guard the people," Robin Hood said quickly. "They may come after the others. You have to guard them."
"I'm the Guardian!" Aozora yelled as Donald attempted to drag him away. " I have to go with you!"
"Buddy, we're getting out of here," Little John practically picked up the both of them and headed for the wagon.
Aozora wilted. Could they not understand what he had to do?
"You're not going anywhere but hell!" the Sheriff growled at Robin Hood as he chased the fox into the throne room.
"We'll see," Robin Hood answered as he jumped on top of the throne.
The doors suddenly crashed open and Sora tumbled into the room, followed by a massive swarm of Nobodies.
"Sora!" Robin Hood shouted, then jumped over the Sheriff and headed for the Keyblade Master, who had suddenly crumpled to the floor.
Grabbing a pike from the wall, he swung it in a wide arch, pushing back the Nobodies, and hoisted up Sora against his body.
"Sora, Sora, can you here me? Sora?"
Sora would not answer. Robin Hood held back a swear and fought off the Nobodies.
"There is no way I'm letting the two of you go," the Sheriff snarled behind him. "This is gonna be easy."
Robin Hood's mind worked furiously. He was handicapped carrying Sora. He had only one free arm and that held a pike. And the Sheriff was equipped with a burning torch.
A strange sensation ran through his body. He had suddenly formed an idea, an incredibly crazy idea. It involved climbing a tower.
Robin Hood hoisted Sora onto his back and bolted past the Sheriff. Furious, the Sheriff and the Nobodies followed him. But the Sheriff had the bad luck of waving the torch around like crazy. The torch set ablaze the whole room, something nobody ever expected.
The Nobodies shrieked and shied away from the burning flames; the Sheriff could not reach Robin Hood and Sora and dashed outside, while Robin Hood got Sora and himself out of the window and carefully climbed up the tower.
"Oh my god," Little John was saying from down below, safely hidden near the moat. "Oh my god, they're not gonna make it!"
"No!" Aozora appeared, his eyes shining fearfully. "Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no...."
He fell to his knees.
"Sora!" Donald and Goofy yelped. "No, they're not gonna make it, they're not gonna survive!"
Robin Hood looked behind him to the burning mess. Weasel archers were flinging arrows at Sora and him. The Nobodies were doing something to the towers, something he knew wasn't good. And the only way out of the castle was down, into the moat.
"Friar Tuck, now I will pray to God above," Robin Hood murmured as he looked to Sora, who was still knocked out. He looked at the peaceful face of the Keyblade Master. "God help us all."
To the horror of Little John, Donald, Goofy, and Aozora, Robin Hood and Sora fell into the moat.
"Little John, Little John, wha-" Skippy yelped as he approached the four people. He skidded to a stop as he heard a huge splash. Then arrows flitted from above and they ducked away. The arrows were aimed for the water however, where Robin Hood and Sora vanished. Bubbles blossomed from the water as the arrows pummeled into the water, then floated back up.
"Come on, Rob, come on," Little John whispered, not knowing what to think.
"He's just got to make it," Skippy agreed.
Aozora only felt hope ebbing away from him. Hope then spilled away in torrents as only Robin's hat surfaced. There was no sign of either one of them.
"Yes! They're finished!" Prince John cheered. He was wearing a nightgown and his castle was burning but he did not seem to notice. "Done for! La, la, la! Ha, ha, ha!"
"He's got to make it," Goofy was saying. "They have to be alive."
"He's going to make it...they're gonna make it, aren't they, Little John? Aren't they?" Skippy looked to the large bear helplessly.
"No...we failed..." Donald sat down suddenly, slumped over.
"Wait a minute..."Skippy stared at the water. Two reeds were sticking out of the water. That was normal, considering there were other reeds sticking out of the water as well. But reeds don't move, especially in a line towards them. "Hey, what's that? Look it! Look it! Look it!"
Aozora perked up. He knew what purpose reeds had. And if two reeds were moving towards them, sticking out of the water...
"Ha ha, did you have us worried, Rob. I thought you guys were goners," Little John wiped water off his face as Robin Hood surfaced from the water, pulling a woozy Sora after him.
"Ah not Robin Hood!" Skippy was jumping for joy. "He could've swum twice that far, huh Mr. Robin Hood?"
Sir Hiss, who had been watching Prince John jump for joy, spotted the commotion near the moat. "Look, Sire! He's made it! They've made it! They got away again!"
Prince John ran to the wall, aghast.
"A pox on the phony King of England!" Robin Hood, Little John, Skippy, Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Aozora shouted as they vanished. "Oo-da-lolly!"
Seconds later, Prince John was found sucking on his thumb and using a stick to whack Sir Hiss as the snake tried to flee.
It was a sunny day, when the fields were green, the sun shone bright, and life and joy bloomed everywhere. King Richard had returned and now Prince John, Sir Hiss, and the Sheriff were forced to work in the Royal Rock Pile as punishment for what they had done to all of England. And somewhere bells were ringing. A marriage.
"Long Live Robin Hood!" the people were cheering as Robin Hood and Maid Marian, the newlyweds, appeared at the front of the church. Smiling, they kissed and the crowd cheered. Then, as they headed for the carriage that awaited them, the regal King Richard appeared. "Long live King Richard!"
"Oh Friar Tuck," King Richard could not stop laughing, "It appears I have an outlaw for an in-law. Ha, ha, ha!"
"Ha, ha," Friar Tuck agreed. "Not bad."
His eyes, though, darted to the four outsiders who stood amongst the crowd, cheering with the people.
Godspeed, Keyblade Master. Godspeed to those who defend you, who guide and aid you on your journey. Godspeed.
"Gee, Skippy, how come you're going?" Toby, the slow turtle asked Skippy as he jumped to the front of the carriage besides Little John, who was driving the coach.
"Well, Robin Hood will have kids so somebody's got to keep all right things," Skippy answered, then clutched to the seat as Little John shouted, "Ho!" and got the horses moving.
"Ach! I've never been so happy in my life," Lady Kluck wiped away a tear, before leaving by a different route to where Robin Hood and Maid Marian were headed.
"Farewell, friends!" Robin Hood and Maid Marian called back to Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Aozora. "Good luck, Keyblade Master! Good luck!"
"Goodbye!" Sora yelled back. "Thank you so much! I hope we meet again!"
"Don't we all!" Maid Marian laughed with joy as the carriage vanished into the distance.
"Well, folks, that's the way it really happened," Allan-A-Dale said, then began strumming.
"Love goes on and on
Oo-da-lolly
Oo-da-lolly
Golly what a day
Oo-da-lolly
Oo-da-lolly
Golly what a day.
And may God bless us all."
"They had done the impossible," Princess Kida told the two who looked deep into the waters of the lake. "They made the ultimate sacrifice. That alone locked the world against the Nobodies forever. But time will tell if my words will hold true."
"They did the impossible," the young woman's voice mused. "Time pressed all around them, their lives were threatening to go in seconds, yet they survived it all."
"You have done fine work yourselves," Princess Kida smiled. "Very subtle but yes you have done well. If the castle gate was not open, the results would have been beyond disastrous."
"I could imagine it myself," the young man's voice agreed.
"Can you?" Princess Kida truly had a mysterious smile on her face. "I can see a disaster far worse than you two may ever see. We have only stalled it. It will take luck, in fact far more than luck, for us to truly advert the disaster. If we all fail...it will cost many lives. This is what Eldest wants of you two. To help the Keyblade Master stop the disaster before it leads us all to war...and darkness."