Chapter 3: "Aslan is on the Move"

The group came closer to the beaver. He gestured for them to come in closer and closer. Finally, he stopped and said in a very soft voice, "Are you the Keyblade Wielder?"

"Yes, I'm Sora," Sora answered.

"Shh!" the beaver hissed, whistling between his teeth. "It's not safe to talk so loud, even here."

"Sorry. I'm not used to this whole 'the trees are spies' thing."

"SOME of the trees are spies, mind you. Most of them on our side. Still, we cannot take any chances."

"Right. How did you get that handkerchief?"

"Tumnus gave to me just before they took him. He knew they were coming, and he told me if anything should happen to him, I should find you and take you in. So, here we are."

"Is he ok?" Goofy asked.

"He was taken to the Witch," the beaver answered solemnly. "No one who is taken to the Witch is 'ok.'" He looked over at Riku as he said this. Riku just stared back.

"I'm curious," Sora said. "Just who are the secret police."

"They're wolves."

"Nobody wolves?"

"Yes, most of them are Nobodies. The leader, Maugrim, is a real wolf."

Sora knelt down to his level, "Look, Mr. Beaver, I know it's my fault that Mr. Tumnus was taken, and I don't want anybody else to get into trouble. So just tell me where I can find the White Witch, and we'll leave you alone."

"It'll be no trouble, Son of Adam, if we take the necessary precautions. As for finding the Witch . . . well, discussion for that is better left for safer quarters."

"Meaning?"

"Follow me." The beaver waddled forward.

"Are you sure we can trust him?" Riku said.

"Well, he says he knows Mr. Tumnus," Goofy said.

"He's a beaver! He shouldn't be saying anything!"

"Ahem!" Donald said loudly as he gave Riku the stink eye and tapped his foot angrily.

"OK, there are some exceptions to the rule, but–"

"Riku," Sora said condescendingly.

"I know, 'Stranger things have happened.'"

"Come on, you turtles!" the beaver called. "We don't want to be out caught out here after nightfall."

So they followed the beaver through the thickest part of the woods to a little house near a beaver dam. As they came nearer, they heard a female voice say, "Beaver, where've you been all day? I've been worried sick! If I find you've been out with Badger again–" A female beaver waddled out, and as she saw the party, she stopped short. "Well, those aren't badgers. Beaver, are these–?"

"Yes love," he said in the softest whisper. "The Keyblade Wielder and his friends."

"Ohhh." She came forward to Sora. "I never thought I'd see the day. We never thought you would come. But you are here, at last!" She turned spitefully to her husband. "Look at me, I'm a mess. You couldn't give me some warning?"

"Uh, I think you look fine," Sora answered as he stroked her head.

"Oh, I like him. Come in, my dears, and I will fix you up some good fish to eat."

"All right!" Sora said. It felt like a long time since the tea, and he was hungry. Sora, Donald, and Goofy eagerly came in, but Riku stood outside for a moment. He could see the two hills the queen told him about the closest here. "Riku, are you coming?" Sora called.

"Oh, yes. Just enjoying the scenery." He ducked his head, for the ceiling was rather low, and came in. They had a good, filling meal. Mr. Beaver told them a few jokes, and his banter with his wife really eased the tension. But as soon as dinner was over, the conversation turned serious.

"How do we find this White Witch?" Sora said. "We gotta save Mr. Tumnus."

"Sorry, Son of Adam," Mr. Beaver replied, "but as they say, there's few that go through them gates that come out again. After all the experiments the Witch has done, I don't think even you're safe, even with the Keyblade."

"Experiments?"

"Of course! Ever since she's heard of you lot, she's been trying to counteract all your powers. The White Witch, you see, is a Nobody."

"What!" Riku said.

"That's right. Never had anything close to a heart."

"So, she's a member of Organization XIII?" Sora said.

"No. In fact, Organization XIII is how we heard about everything. About a year ago, a couple of members of the Organization came to talk to her about joining them, but the Witch declined. She saw herself above even them."

"But she did search for more information about you and the Keyblade," Mrs. Beaver added. "And when she heard, eventually word spread."

"But those wolves, and the trees, they were Nobodies too," Sora said. "So, were they under her control?"

"That's right. They say, Sora, that she has the power to turn someone into a Nobody without turning them into a Heartless."

"How can she do that?" Donald said.

Mr. Beaver shuddered and whispered, "She turns their heart to stone."

Sora gasped, and there was some mixed conversation of fear and concern.

"Yes, it's dreadful," Mrs. Beaver said. "And with her magic, she can do it in the blink of an eye. Word is she wants the whole kingdom to be made of Nobodies so that she could have total control of Narnia."

"And," Mr. Beaver added, "there is nothing she wants more than to destroy the Keyblade."

Everybody cried out in fear when they heard that.

"But . . . but she can't!" Sora said as he stood up. "It's impossible! I'm the only one who can hold the Keyblade, and I'm not going to destroy it."

"Don't immediately discount it as impossible, Son of Adam. I'm telling you, she's done her homework! The things we've seen her do, it makes my fur curl just thinking of it. If she hasn't found a way to do it yet, she will at the very least torture you and make your life miserable. You're not exempt from her powers, Sora. Your heart can be turned to stone like anyone else's, and then she can take control of your Nobody."

Sora laughed a little. "I don't think that's gonna work."

"Don't assume anything, Son of Adam. We need that Keyblade, so you better not risk your heart."

"But if she's a Nobody, I can destroy her first, like I can any Nobody."

"Bless you, Sora, for being so ambitious. However, it may not be your fate to destroy her."

"What do you mean?"

Mr. Beaver leaned over and said in the quietest whisper possible, "Aslan is on the move."

All at once, Sora felt a wonderful feeling come upon him. It was just as he felt when he thought he heard the roar coming from the wardrobe, that sudden feeling of renewed courage. Riku felt a strange feeling come over him, too, but it was much different. It was fear, as though he was expected to be judged and criticized. But along with his emotion, Sora had a revelation.

"It's him. Aslan. That's the friend King Mickey sent us to see. It's Aslan, it's gotta be him. I heard him calling for me before we came into the wardrobe."

"King Mickey?" Mrs. Beaver inquired.

"He's a big mouse with round ears."

Mr. Beaver slowly nodded. "I think I might have heard of him. He may have come to Narnia a long time ago, before we even knew of Keyblades and Heartless. But at any rate, Aslan is expecting you. He's waiting to meet you by the Stone Table."

"So, who is this Aslan?" Goofy asked.

Mr. Beaver burst out laughing. "'Who is Aslan?' he says. No wonder they call him Goofy." Mrs. Beaver gently hit his arm, and he saw confusion on everyone's face. "You really don't know?"

"We haven't talked to King Mickey in a while," Donald said.

"Yeah, and I've never heard of him," Sora said.

"Well, he's only the king of this whole world, the true King of Narnia."

"He's not married to the Witch, is he?"

This time, both of the beavers laughed. "Lord love you, Keyblade Wielder," Mrs. Beaver said. "If she can stand on her two feet and look him in the face it'll be the most she can do and more than I expect of her."

"Aslan has returned to set right all the evils she has done in Narnia," Mr. Beaver said. "He has magnificent powers much greater than the Witch's. Some say that he alone can return a heart to one who has lost it. If you receive his counsel and fight by his side, he will protect you and the Keyblade."

"And he will destroy the Witch?" Donald said.

"Well, you see, there is this prophecy. It goes, 'When Adam's flesh and Adam's bone / Sits at Cair Paravel in throne/ The evil time will be over and done.'"

"What does that mean?" Goofy said.

"It means that the Sons of Adam and Daughters of Eve, the human race in other words, will rise against the White Witch and end not only her reign, but her life. You have to understand, Sora, no human has come to Narnia in 100 years. And though you are wonderful heroes that all of us in Narnia admire, you are only two Sons of Adam, a dog, and a duck. There are no Daughters of Eve. Therefore, you are probably not the ones who will fulfill the prophecy."

"Though I'm sure you will help it along," Mrs. Beaver added cheerfully.

Sora shook his head and sighed. "I knew Kairi should have come with us. Don't you think so, Riku?" He turned to his best friend, only to find he wasn't there anymore. "Riku? Riku!" The party immediately ran out and called his name. It was snowing hard out there.

"There's no use in wasting your breath," Mr. Beaver said solemnly. "I know where he has gone."

The beaver led them up to a small hill. Standing from there, they saw a great castle made of ice. And there, in the valley, they saw a figure walking toward the castle. He was hugging him arms. There was no use hiding it this time; Riku was cold. And yet, they saw his face was filled with determination.

"Riku!" Sora shouted.

"Shh!" the beaver hissed. "She'll hear you!" Riku heard him. He stopped in the snow and looked straight at Sora with a probing stare, then walked on.

Sora ran toward the castle, but the beaver caught him. "Let me go! I'll take her on! I don't care what happens to me. Riku's my friend! I lost him twice! I can't lose him anymore!"

"Don't you see, Keyblade Wielder? This is exactly what the Witch wants. Riku is the bait! She wants you to come save him so that she can destroy you!" The beaver sighed. "I knew right when I saw him, that look in his eyes. He had been with the Witch. He had eaten her food. He had believed her lies. I did not want to say it aloud and risk being rude, but the moment I set eyes on him, I thought, 'Treacherous.'"

Sora looked at Donald. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I don't know," Donald answered. "I was surprised at him myself when he lied to you. I wanted to tell you the truth, and I don't know why I didn't."

Sora knew that getting angry at Donald wouldn't solve anything. He just wanted to break down. "What can we do?"

"The best thing you can do to save your friend is go to Aslan. He's the only one who can save him."

"Then let's go to him, now."

But they didn't know that Riku wasn't entirely treacherous, just doubtful. The horrible things he had heard about this Queen filled his mind, and he wanted to discover for himself if they were true. The first thing he saw when he came in clarified what the beavers were saying–statues as far as he could see. Somehow, he doubted that the Queen was merely a lover of sculpture, because all of the statues had expressions of supreme terror. He'd seen expressions like that when he was in the darkness. It was the kind of expression people made when they lost their hearts. As he approached the threshold, he saw a great wolf sleeping on the steps. "It's just another statue," Riku thought and attempted to step over him. Immediately, the wolf jumped up and attacked him. Just as quickly, Riku drew his keyblade. "You must be Maugrim!"

"Stay still stranger, and lower your weapon if you value your life!" the wolf threatened. "Identify yourself."

"I am Lord Riku. The Queen knows me. I have questions for her that she must answer if she desires my service."

"Very well," the wolf said. "Follow me, fortunate favorite of the Queen."

Riku angrily swung around his keyblade before putting it away. "Or else not so favorite," he added.

He followed the wolf to a grand, empty throne room. Riku paced the floor, so angry, going over what he was going to say.

"Lord Riku?"

He looked up. The Queen was looking at him, and her face was much more serious now. He bowed to her. "Yes, your Majesty."

"Tell me, Lord Riku, are you deaf?"

"No, your Majesty."

"And Sora, is he dumb?"

"No. Well, he's not the brightest, but–"

"THEN HOW DARE YOU COME ALONE? Did I not ask you to bring Sora and the Keyblade with you?"

"Not so fast, your Majesty! I've heard a lot of evil things about you!" He drew his keyblade. "If you dare recognize me as a lord, you must tell me the truth. Are you a Nobody?"

The Queen stared down at Riku and the Keyblade. She did not look threatened. "I am."

"You told me many in your realm were losing their hearts. It's because you're taking them, isn't it? All those statues out there came to be when you took their hearts, right?"

"Yes, it's true."

"And is it true that you desire to destroy Sora's Keyblade?"

"Yes, I do."

"I WON'T LET YOU!" He approached her and held his keyblade up to her neck. "Sora is my friend. Our hearts are connected, and I won't let you take away his destiny!"

"Who are you to threaten me, Son of Adam?"

"Why, I'm the more clever, stronger warrior, am I not?"

"Ginarrbrik!" she called. The dwarf ran to her side. "The weapon in this boy's hand is a keyblade. It is not THE Keyblade. Therefore, it can be taken from him." The dwarf came for him, and Riku stepped forward to fight, but the Queen waved her wand, and he could not move. The dwarf slipped the keyblade out of Riku's hand with ease. He handed it to the Queen. She smiled evilly and just held it, just to prove that she could. Then, she tapped it with her wand, and it turned to stone. Then she drew a sharp sword and struck the petrified keyblade, and it fell apart at Riku's feet. Then, the Queen released the spell on him. "You see how easy it is? How can you stop me now?"

Riku fell to his knees. He felt so defeated. Once again, he picked the wrong side. He allied himself with darkness.

"There's nothing to gain from turning you into a Nobody yet, Lord Riku." This time, she said the title with marked sarcasm. "The drink you drank from me today and the Turkish Delight you willingly devoured put you under my power. You owe me a debt that you cannot begin to pay." She pointed her wand and her sword both at Riku's neck. "Now, where are your friends?"

Riku didn't want to say, but something about the look in her eyes forced the information out of him. "They're at the beavers' house near the dam."

She gave a small, satisfied smile. "There now. Keeping you in this state is not a total loss, is it? Maugrim!" The wolf appeared at her side. "You know what to do." The wolf raised his head and howled, and several Nobody wolves appeared at his side and charged.

Riku bowed his in shame and thought, "What have I done?" He hugged his arms again. Well, if he was resigned to serve her and there was no way out of it, he might as well make the best of the situation. "Your Majesty?"

She looked down at him. "Yes, Son of Adam?"

"I am cold. Please give me something warm to drink or a coat to wear before I freeze to death."

"Of course, that will not serve me. Ginarrbrik, fetch our guest a coat."

The dwarf slammed on Riku's shoulders a course coat that made his bare arms itch terribly. It was also much too small and tight to him. Riku looked at the Queen angrily. "Maleficent and Zemnas treated me better than this!"

"Silly Son of Adam," she said. "I told you before. I am not Maleficent or Zemnas. I am simply giving to you what you rightfully deserve."

Riku's eyes grew wide. He knew he was in trouble now. He could picture all of his friends, and Aslan whoever-he-was, saying together, "I told you so." If he survived this, he knew there was no way the King would send him on a mission again.

"Take him away," the Queen ordered. Riku felt the edge of a knife in his back as the dwarf pushed him toward the dungeon.

Back at the beavers' place, Mrs. Beaver was frantically packing food. They heard howling. "It's the police!" Mr. Beaver cried.

"You guys go on," Sora said. "Donald, Goofy, we gotta fight some wolves."

"You be careful, dears," Mrs. Beaver said.

"I know they're tough. I fought them before. But with my friends, we got a good chance of winning." They ran outside. The pack of wolves was already circling around the house.

Maugrim confronted Sora. "We're not very happy with you, Keyblade Wielder. You took out half the pack and some of my Queen's most trusted spies."

"You took two of my friends," Sora said.

"So now you think we're even, don't you? Well, not quite." The wolves pounced on them, and the fight began. It was just as difficult as the last time, but the fact that there were now three fighters rather than just two made it a bit more evenly matched. As soon as Sora's MP was charged, he launched into a Limit attack. Comet seemed to do the most damage. Donald also constantly healed the party. Sora even briefly went into Valor form, but his Drive Gauge was low from last time, so it wasn't for long. Still, the wolves kept coming. Even if it was half a pack, they were still as strong as they were last time.

"Will this ever be over?" Sora said in frustration.

"Come along, Son of Adam!" Mr. Beaver called from inside. Sora and the others ran in. The beavers led them into an underground tunnel. "Badger and me dug this. It leads right near his place."

"You told me it led to your mum's!" Mrs. Beaver yelled.

Sora heard some growls from the entrance. "They followed us in! Come on!" The beavers ran ahead. Sora stayed behind to fight the oncoming wolves. He destroyed a couple. One fought back, and Sora's HP was starting to go down to critical. So he ran as quick as he could to the exit. As soon as he got out, he smiled. "A Save Point! Finally!" He collapsed on the disk of light and sighed as his HP and MP restored.

But then he looked over and saw statues everywhere. Mr. Beaver sadly approached one of a badger. "He was my best mate," he sobbed.

Sora looked closely at the statues and their scared faces. "So, this is what it looks like? To have your heart turned to stone? This is what we're dealing with?"

"This is what comes of those who cross the witch," a voice said. They looked up and saw a fox watching them.

"Traitor!" Mr. Beaver yelled.

"Calm down. I'm on your side."

"You look like you're on HERS!"

"An unfortunate family resemblance, but we can argue about that later. Right now, we got to move. These folks' Nobodies are nearby, and sadly, they are in her power now."

"Let me at them!" Sora yelled. "I'm ready for them!"

"Son of Adam, no!" Mrs. Beaver said. "If you fight their Nobodies, their hearts will be stone forever!"

"Oh," Sora said sadly.

"Come, Keyblade Wielder. I have a plan," the fox said. He hid Sora and the others in a tree. When the wolves came out of the tunnel and demanded the fox to tell them where the Keyblade Wielder had gone, the fox told a half-truth and said rather loudly they went north. As the wolves ran away, Sora started to come down. The fox shook his head, and Sora froze. He heard another sound. He turned around and saw other silvery animals come out from the forest and run with the wolves. Then the fox motioned them to come down. "That should slow them down, at least."

"Why did this happen?" Sora asked as he gestured to all the statues.

"They were helping Tumnus," the fox answered. "The Witch got here before I did."

Donald went over to the badger statue and worked every spell he could think of. Nothing changed.

"I'm afraid you're just wasting MP, my feathery friend," the Fox said.

"So there's nothing we can do?" Sora asked.

"Nothing? No, Aslan is waiting for you, and he has that power. And I'm afraid now I must go. He has asked me to gather more troops in his name."

"You've seen Aslan!" the beavers said eagerly. "What is he like?"

"Like everything we have ever dreamed. He was frightening and intimidating even to me, but he is very good. You will be most secure when he fights by your side against the witch. And word is there will be others whom you know that will join us."

"Who?" Sora asked.

"Ah, that is all I can say, but you are in for a joyful surprise." With that, the fox scurried away.

"I wonder what that could be," Goofy said.

"I don't know," Sora said, "but I just hope it's Riku."

Meanwhile, Riku was in the cold dungeon just feeling very sorry for himself. The rough coat didn't offer him any warmth at all. The dwarf came in and put a plate of moldy bread and frozen water in front of Riku. "Turkish Delight for Lord Riku," he sneered.

"You can tell your Queen I never liked sweets!" Riku yelled at him. The dwarf just laughed cruelly and left him. Riku pushed the plate out of the way and buried his face in his arms. Then he heard scraping. He looked up and saw another prisoner reaching for the bread. Riku scooted over as much as his chains would allow and handed it to the prisoner, who ate the bread eagerly. Riku got a closer look at him. "Are you the faun?"

"What's left of him," he replied. "And you, you are the Son of Adam the Keyblade Wielder spoke so fondly of, Riku, right?"

Riku turned away. "I am no one, a wanderer in the darkness."

The gate suddenly slammed open, and the Witch approached Riku. "I lost more of my police because of your Keyblade-wielding friends! And then they vanished." She grabbed him. "Where are they?"

"How should I know?"

"WHERE ARE THEY?"

She gave him the same look, the one that made him reveal where they were the first time. "Aslan," Riku said.

"What?"

"They went to see someone named Aslan."

"If you are lying–"

"I'm not. But I'm afraid I don't know much more than that. I left too soon."

She ordered Mr. Tumnus to be released from his chains. "Do you know why you are here, faun?" she said.

"Because I believe in a free Narnia," he replied.

"No. You're here because Lord Riku turned you in for sweeties."

"I did not say anything about a faun!" Riku cried.

"You told me the Keyblade Wielder was in Narnia. It wasn't long before we found out where he had been and who took care of him."

Riku couldn't believe it. He looked at the faun with eyes begging for his forgiveness. Mr. Tumnus just looked back in shock and disbelief.

"Take him upstairs, and prepare my sleigh with the harness without bells. I'm sure Lord Riku misses his friends." The guards dragged him out still chained. When he went to the floor with all the statues, Riku saw a new addition–a faun with the most terrified face of all. He felt a stab of guilt in his heart as he thought of how he was responsible for that. "Now, Son of Adam!" the Witch ordered. The dwarf put Riku in the sleigh at the Witch's feet, and they were off. Riku could see now what Donald meant about the reindeer looking strange. They were all Nobodies.