I'm going to start today's chapter with a huge thank you to crestoflight3, YumeTakato, Scarlett-95 and AnimeMaster24 for your reviews, and a thank you to everyone who has added this story to their favourite list or their watch list. I try to respond to every review, especially to those who reviewed for the first time, so please check your Inbox in your profile!
I hope you enjoy today's chapter!
*SPOILER WARNING*
If you don't want to know what world is coming up later in this chapter, then stop reading this note and dive right in because I'm about to name-drop it. Here I go. This chapter contains mild spoilers for the end of Frozen II. I've avoided talking about what actually happens in the movie, which for me is the main reason to watch it, but this world visit takes place after the movie has finished.
If you're avoiding all spoilers for this movie, then stop reading at the scene change. If you'd still like to know what happens but don't want to read the scene, then drop me a DM and I will drop you a movie spoiler-free summary.
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE | LIGHT'S PROMISE
They'd barely lasted ten minutes in Neverland before being discovered.
Xion ducked under the bench to avoid the projectile of rainbow sludge (alleged to be food). It sailed over her and landed with a wet SPLAT against the trunk of the tree behind her. She lifted her head, watching as the slime began to slowly slide down the tree, only to feel something soft and wet hit the back of her head. She ran her fingers through her hair and they came away green.
Roxas was leaning heavily against the far end of the table, clutching his sides and wheezing with laughter. Green goop still stuck to his fingers and Xion narrowed her eyes.
"Aw, c'mon, Xion!" Peter Pan exclaimed with a grin. "It's only a game!"
"Don't worry," she said, leaning over to draw a large bowl closer. "I'm playing." It looked like some sort of wonky trifle complete with chunks of neon fruit and heaps of rainbow frosting. She dug her fingers in, scooping out a handful before launching it at Roxas. It splashed against his cheek and he finally stopped laughing. Peter began howling, backflipping through the air as he held his sides, and the Lost Boys were quick to join in. Roxas slowly lifted his head, wiping the jelly from his face as his eyes narrowed dangerously.
"Oh…" he drawled, face splitting in to a dangerous grin. "Is that how you wanna play?" He reached out with both hands this time and Xion quickly untangled herself from the bench.
"Tinkerbell!" she cried. Tinkerbell, who had been sitting atop an upturned candelabra, glared at Xion and folded her arms. Roxas lifted his hands, filled with brightly-coloured ammunition, and Xion reached for a silver serving tray. The attacks splashed over her fingers but she managed to save herself from the worst of it. There came the delicate tinkling of bells and then Peter was behind her with a very annoyed Tinkerbell clutched tightly in his hands. He shook her from side to side, dousing Xion in a shower of sparks that made her skin tingle.
"Just one happy thought and away you go!" Peter crowed as Tinkerbell huffed and wriggled her way out of his grip. Xion glanced at Roxas and the splattered mess that had made its way in to his hair, and before she knew it she was up in the air.
"No fair, that's cheating!" Roxas called. "Tink? Can you help me out?" Tinkerbell glared at Xion one last time before darting to Roxas' side and covering him in pixie dust too. He set off like a rocket, a pie in each hand as he made a beeline for Xion. She doubled back on herself and made for the table, scooping up a basket of heavily-frosted cupcakes for ammunition. She tossed one blindly over her shoulder and laughed when she heard Roxas groan and splutter. Bullseye!
"Try to keep up!" she called. She pushed herself faster, bursting through the canopy of trees and into the open sky. Roxas was behind her, shouting something, but she barely heard him over the rush of the wind. She spread her arms wide, several cupcakes spilling in to the forest below as she revelled in the feeling of being weightless.
The last few weeks had been a sort of anxious haze. The constant travelling and checking-in with the others had left her thinking of the Organisation more than she cared to admit, and on more than one occasion both she and Roxas had referred to their next world as their Next Mission. The first few worlds hadn't been that bad – a handful of heartless at most, and it had felt good to swing the keyblade after years of waiting – but all too soon the bad news had started pouring in. Encounters with the Apprentices – no, the Foretellers – and now the news about Maleficent… Xion shuddered and shifted her attention back to the feeling of the wind in her hair. She was glad that she had chosen to wear shorts today, she thought as Roxas began closing in on her.
"Xion!" There was a serious note to his voice that made her turn. His hands were empty now; one of them was reaching for her while the other was pointing. Xion followed his gaze and swallowed thickly at the sight of a single hooded figure standing on the beach below. The basket and the cupcakes disappeared, as did the colourful goop in her hair and on Roxas' face. The illusion was broken; their belief in their imaginings shattered by a solitary silhouette.
"Looks like Xig- Luxu." The name still took a conscious effort to remember. She was grateful when Roxas didn't address her slip-up; she knew he got it wrong just as often as he did.
"We should see what he wants." He made to dive towards the beach but Xion grabbed his wrist.
"We should warn the others. Just in case things… In case we need backup." Roxas nodded and pulled out his phone, tapping out a quick message before slipping the phone back in to his pocket with a decisive nod to Xion. She swallowed thickly and nodded back before following Roxas as he made a beeline towards the beach.
Luxu watched them descend in silence. Xion curled her fingers in to a fist, ready to summon her keyblade, and it was somewhat comforting to see Roxas do the same. Luxu was weaponless, at least for now, and so they would be too.
"Having fun?" he asked.
"What do you want?" Roxas asked coolly.
"What? I can't drop by to catch up with my old work friends?"
"Try again," Xion retorted through gritted teeth. Luxu grinned and planted his hands on his hips.
"Worth a shot. Good to see that you two still manage to make time to goof off. I can see how much Sora means to you. I'll make sure to tell him just how hard you've been fighting for him."
"Shut up!" Roxas spat.
"Ah… the cutting wit of the Guardians strikes again," Luxu drawled. "Is that what you've been doing with your time off? Coming up with witty retorts?" Roxas bristled.
"We've been-" Xion yanked at his wrist – hard – and he quickly bit his tongue.
"We've been busy," she said hastily. Luxu nodded.
"Right, the whole strengthening-the-connections-to-Sora's-heart thing. I remember." Xion's blood ran cold. Roxas' whole body stiffened. Luxu turned to them, placing a hand against his chest with poorly-feigned shock. "Oh, I'm sorry, was that supposed to be a secret?"
Xion couldn't speak. Her heart was wedged in her throat and her head was spinning. It wasn't possible… And yet it was. Of course it was. How else had they been able to come so far, if not because Luxu had let them? Questions she'd been ignoring suddenly had answers, and things she had overlooked suddenly seemed more important than ever.
Roxas seemed just as dumbfounded. He was staring at Luxu open-mouthed as warring emotions twisted their way across his face. Eventually he would recover, and after curling and uncurling his fingers several times he finally grit his teeth together and lifted his chin.
"If you know, then why haven't you stopped us?" he asked in a low, dangerous voice. Xion shivered. Luxu's laugh made her stomach churn.
"Because I think it's adorable! You Guardians really don't give up, do you? Besides, you're right." Xion blinked.
"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked. Luxu shrugged, his good eye gleaming as he grinned at her.
"What you're doing is the best way to help Sora," he said. "It just turns out that you can't help him without helping us. You haven't tipped the scales, you've just upped the stakes."
"What stakes?" Roxas demanded. "Why do you need Sora? At least tell us that." Luxu arched an eyebrow and his smile turned in to a smirk.
"Can't," he answered bluntly. Roxas' eyes narrowed.
"You don't know, do you? Maleficent said you won't tell the others what's inside the box. It's because you don't know that, either, isn't it?" Luxu's smile soured, if only for a moment, but Xion saw it nonetheless.
"So the old witch is still kicking, is she?" he asked. "I should've known she'd betray me at the first chance she got. She's of no further use to us. Our Master's plan is almost upon us now."
"What plan?" Roxas bit out curtly. "Do you actually know? Or are you just following orders?" Luxu studied him for a moment; his expression tightened, and the smirk quickly became a sour sneer.
"You should hurry up. Time is running out." He clicked his fingers and a corridor appeared behind him. He stepped backwards, but before he disappeared completely he fixed them both with a smug smirk. "Sora's waiting."
It was just what Roxas didn't need to hear. He lunged towards the portal, keyblade in hand, and Xion barely managed to grip the back of his jacket to keep him from leaping in to the darkness.
"Roxas, don't!" she barked.
"Xion-"
"What good will it do?" she asked. "He's baiting us for a reason. We need to tell the others."
"But-"
"They have to know." There were tears pooling in the corners of her eyes; she grit her teeth and blinked them back, swallowing thickly past the lump in her throat. "Roxas, this changes everything." For a moment she thought he might argue – the portal was closing in on itself, and Roxas spared it one last lingering glance before turning away, his shoulders slumping.
"I know," he murmured. "C'mon, let's get back to the ship."
They made their way back to Peter's camp. The Lost Boys were still there, flinging fistfuls of air at each other. Xion could no longer see the imaginary concoctions, and the realisation made her heart sink in to her boots. They bid Peter a sombre goodbye before making their way back to the ship where Roxas collapsed heavily in to the pilot's seat while Xion called Chip and Dale.
"We need to speak to everyone," she said softly. Chip and Dale quickly went to work, patching everyone in to the call until the screen was split in to quarters – Axel and Isa in the top left; Terra and Mickey in the top right; Aqua, Riku, Ven and Luxord in the bottom left; and – the last to arrive – Kairi, Naminé, Donald and Goofy in the bottom right.
The news was not received well. Kairi and Naminé both paled considerably, while Axel briefly disappeared from view followed by the sound of something smashing out of sight and several muffled curses before he reappeared looking thoroughly disgruntled.
"You two are okay though, right?" Axel asked as he collapsed back in to the seat next to Isa. "Luxu didn't hurt you or anything?"
"No, we're… we're fine," Xion answered.
"Angry," Roxas grumbled, "but fine."
"So what do we do now?" Ven asked. An awkward silence fell over the group, with nobody quite looking at their screen. Xion glanced at Roxas who was staring down at his hands. What could they do? Could they even trust that Luxu was telling the truth? It wouldn't have been the first time he'd lied to them to get inside their heads. What if this was just another mind game?
What if it wasn't?
"We keep going."
Kairi's voice was firm and unyielding. Xion didn't think she'd ever seen Kairi look so determined; her lips were pressed in to a thin line and her eyes were pinched and sharp. She was met with no small amount of apprehension, and it was impossible to miss how everybody shifted their weight or glanced away from their screens or fidgeted nervously. Even Donald and Goofy seemed somewhat unsure. Naminé was unreadable; she was turned away from the screen, her attention focused intently on Kairi whose resolve only seemed to grow in the silence that followed.
"Either Luxu's lying and this is all some trick," she continued, "or he's not. Either way, what Naminé is doing can only be helping Sora. Sora's friends are his power, and he needs us more than ever. Every connection we strengthen helps to keep him in the Realm of Light. We have to keep going, and we have to do it quickly." Xion didn't miss the note of urgency in her voice, and neither did Naminé judging by how she reached out for Kairi's hand and squeezed it tightly.
"How many worlds do you have left?" Riku asked.
"Three. San Fransokyo, Arendelle and then the islands." Riku nodded with a thoughtful frown.
"How long do you think it will take?"
"Three days," Naminé answered. "Maybe four. Destiny Islands will take the longest, but the others should be quite quick." Riku considered her words carefully before nodding.
"I agree with Kairi," he said. "Whatever we're doing, it is helping Sora. It has to be."
"Luxu said time is running out," said Aqua. "Sora didn't spend that long in the other worlds. Would it be better for them to head straight to Destiny Islands?"
"We're already almost at San Fransokyo, and Arendelle is pretty close by," Goofy answered.
"It should only take a few hours in each world," Naminé offered. "It'd be a shame to come all this way and have to turn back." Riku nodded.
"I agree, but if you can't find the people you need quickly then don't spend too much time looking."
"What about us?" Roxas asked. "There's no point us acting as diversions anymore." Riku rested his hand on his chin with a frown. After a moment, Mickey sat a little taller in his seat.
"Well, Terra and I are pretty close to San Fransokyo," he said. "We can stay nearby in case you need us."
"We'll stay off-world so we don't attract attention," Terra added, "but we'll be ready in case Luxu tries anything."
"We can get to Arendelle in a few hours," Xion offered. "We could go on ahead and try and track down the people Sora's met to save you some time."
"Thank you," Naminé said with a faint smile. "That would really help."
"I'll meet you on the islands," said Riku. Kairi smiled warmly and nodded.
"We should regroup at Disney Castle," said Mickey. "It's a little bigger than the Land of Departure, and closer to Destiny Islands, so we can all meet up there when we're done." This was met with several approving nods.
"I'll take Aqua, Ven and Luxord there before I go to the islands," Riku said with a glance to Aqua who nodded.
"And Vanitas!" Ven blurted. Xion stiffened as she heard Roxas suck in a sharp breath.
"Vanitas?" he asked. Xion placed a hand on his elbow as Ven ducked his head nervously.
"Oh yeah…" he murmured. "We didn't tell you guys…"
"He's back?" Roxas asked.
"He never left," Riku answered.
"Maybe this is something better discussed in person," Aqua quickly interjected. "For now, we have things to do." Mickey's smile was so strained it looked more like a grimace.
"I'll let Minnie know that you're on your way." He paused, looking uneasily at the screen. "I… I don't suppose-"
"Don't worry," Ven said with a bright smile. "I'll take care of Vanitas." The declaration was followed by a muffled "No you won't" from somewhere unseen and Xion bit the inside of her cheek. Had Vanitas been listening the whole time? She had hoped that it might have escaped Roxas' notice, but judging by the grinding of his teeth it seemed he had heard it just as well as she had.
"We should get moving," Riku said firmly. "The sooner we get started, the sooner we can regroup, and the less time Luxu has to catch us off-guard."
They quickly exchanged goodbyes and the call came to an end. Xion took her phone from where she'd propped it up against the control panel and slipped it back in to her pocket, glancing at Roxas who had taken to the controls with a white-knuckled grip. He turned the ship around and set a course for Arendelle, silent save for the grinding of his teeth. It wasn't an angry sound, Xion noticed, but rather somewhat more of a nervous habit. The two were barely distinguishable, and he often tried to pass one off as the other, but Xion knew him well enough to tell the difference. The vein in his neck hadn't quite popped, and his jaw was tight without being completely clenched.
"It's okay, y'know," she said softly, "to feel bad about what happened with Vanitas."
"I don't-"
"It wasn't your fault," she pressed. He huffed and narrowed his eyes, fluttering his fingers over several unimportant controls – reducing the cabin temperature, zooming out on the world map, checking the gun status. Xion didn't push him further; instead she rose from her seat and smoothed out her skirt. "I'm going to lie down. Let me know if you need me to take over." She offered him a small smile and he nodded slightly in return. Slowly she made her way over to the hatch, but as she clambered onto the ladder Roxas spoke.
"He's going to use it against me, isn't he?" he asked, his voice quiet but unwavering. Xion sat on the side of the hatch opening.
"Probably," she said. "I expect he'll hold it over you for a while." Roxas groaned.
"Great," he sighed. Xion smothered a smile.
"Just… try and avoid him," she suggested.
"In Disney Castle? The guy can move through shadows, Xion. You just know he'll be exactly where we don't want him to be just to annoy us."
"Well we'll just have to be the mature ones," she said, a smile pulling at her lips. "I know that will be a new experience for you-"
"Hey!"
"But we'll apologise, and then we'll ignore him if he tries to hold a grudge." Roxas twisted in his chair to fix her with a mischievous grin.
"Or we just hide out in Disney Town until everyone gets there." She folded her arms and fixed him with a pointed stare.
"We'll need to go back to the Castle to sleep."
"We can sleep on the ship."
"The ship will be in the castle."
"Not if we don't dock it." She rolled her eyes and lowered herself back on to the ladder.
"Goodnight, Roxas," she said, sighing to keep from laughing. She heard him chuckling as she descended.
"Night, Xion."
Kairi tried not to grimace as the sled hit another rock and veered sharply to the side, throwing her heavily against the ornately-carved wooden frame.
"Sorry!" Kristoff called, twisting in his seat to check on his passengers. "Everyone okay back there?" Kairi bit the inside of her cheek and nodded.
"We're fine," Naminé answered with a strained smile. Kristoff offered an apologetic grimace before glancing to Anna who was sitting next to him. She was hanging half out of the seat, peering at the road with a disapproving frown.
"The earth giants must have been through here recently," she murmured. "We'll have to ask Elsa to remind them about keeping the path clear."
"You okay?" Naminé whispered as Kristoff turned his attention back to the road. Kairi smiled.
"I'm fine," she answered, though she could tell that Naminé didn't believe her for a second.
In truth, she was torn. She knew that connecting as many hearts to Sora's as possible was important, even after Luxu's revelation – she'd been the one to suggest that they try and make it to the finish line, after all – but she hadn't expected to spend the better part of a day riding a wheeled sled to do it.
Roxas and Xion had kept their promise to scout ahead for them, and when Kairi and the others had arrived in Arendelle they had been delighted to learn that everyone they needed to find was inside the castle which was only a short walk from where they'd landed. The day had gotten even better when they had learned that Queen Anna ("Queen Anna?" Donald had exploded, as if the news were unexpected) had an open-gate policy and that people were welcome to come and go from the castle much as they did in Radiant Garden. And Kairi's heart had soared when Anna had spotted Donald and Goofy within minutes of them entering the courtyard, only to plummet when she told them that Elsa had slipped out of the kingdom in the early hours of the morning.
"She does this all the time," Anna had explained with a heavy sigh. "She worries that people might make a scene because she was supposed to be the queen and not me, and I've told her that it's fine but you know Elsa. Or, well, you've met Elsa, I guess that doesn't really mean you know her, but you know of her which is kind of like knowing her." She had cut herself off then before leading them towards the stables, promising it would only take a few hours to make their way up to the Enchanted Forest.
And that was how they had ended up in the sled, being pulled along by Sven the reindeer with Anna and Kristoff at the helm, Donald and Goofy keeping up a lively conversation from behind, and Kairi at the back with Naminé and Olaf, a talking snowman who kept them entertained with a colourful and sometimes confusing commentary, pointing out places of interest as they passed
"Over there is where Elsa made me with her ice magic," he had announced when the North Mountain had come in to view. "Over there is where Elsa built a huge ice castle because she thought she could run away from all her problems. And over there is where we met Sora and he couldn't figure out how to re-arrange my balls."
"Olaf!" Kristoff spluttered. Olaf turned to him, eyes wide.
"Don't you remember?" he asked. "I was all fallen apart, and parts of me had wandered all over the mountain. Sora found me but he couldn't put me back together again until Anna showed him how."
On any other day Kairi would have laughed, especially when Anna tried to get Kristoff to explain why his ears had gone so red, but since their encounter with Maleficent and Luxu's recent appearance Kairi had barely slept. Every time she closed her eyes she saw some new vision of Sora trapped and lost forever in the darkness. The most recent nightmare had her chasing a small shadow heartless through the halls of Hollow Bastion, and when she hugged it the shadow turned in to a shadow of Sora that clawed at her chest and tore out her heart.
I sense nothing of the boy within the heartless.
Maleficent's voice had been echoing in her ears since they'd left Enchanted Dominion, silenced only by the thought that this was all one big setup. She'd fallen for Luxu's tricks before; so desperate to believe that she was doing the right thing that she had ignored every red flag along the way. She couldn't think of any way in which strengthening the connections to Sora's heart could be of benefit to the Foretellers, but Luxu knowing about their plans from the beginning would certainly explain why he'd let them go about the worlds unhindered for so long.
A hand found hers, warm against the early evening chill, and it squeezed. Hard. One of Kairi's fingers popped but Naminé didn't apologise for it.
"You're doing it again," she whispered. Kairi linked their fingers together and tucked their hands under the finely-embroidered blanket that was spread across their laps. Naminé had tried to work on Anna's memories as they travelled, but the uneven road and Olaf's excitable chatter had proven too much of a distraction for her to concentrate. So she had settled in next to Kairi and done her best to keep her grounded.
It had almost worked.
"We're here," Anna announced as Kristoff brought them to a stop. Anna came to the side of the sled to help everyone down while Kristoff went to free Sven from the harness. Kairi was the last to clamber down, and as she took Anna's hand she found the Queen watching her carefully.
"I know that look," she said. Kairi nearly tripped over her own feet.
"What look?"
"That is the look of a chronic over-thinker." Kairi winced and quickly took her hand back. Anna smiled kindly. "Don't worry, you're dealing with an expert. Over-thinking kind of runs in my family."
"Anna," Kristoff said gently, "leave it alone." He was glancing between them almost nervously, and Kairi didn't miss the way that Anna's face fell.
"Sorry," she said at last with a small smile. "It's just… my sister used to look like that a lot. I was just trying to help." Kristoff circled the sled and placed his hands firmly on her shoulders.
"It's not our place," he said, steering her off the road. "And speaking of your sister, shouldn't we let her know we're here?" Olaf's face split in to an excited grin.
"Ooh! Ooh!" he cried, bouncing up and down "Let me do it! Let me!" He planted his stubby feet and lifted his stick hands to cup his mouth. He drew in a deep breath, but whatever he had been about to do was quickly stifled as a gust of wind blew a handful of leaves straight in to his open mouth. Anna laughed.
"Hi, Gale," she greeted warmly. Anna was answered by the melodic whistling of the wind as it danced with her skirt and shot up the back of Kristoff's jacket. "Could you tell Elsa we're here? It's kind of important." The wind whistled again and it circled the pair before stealing the leaves from Olaf's mouth and disappearing.
"What was that?" Goofy asked, staring after the leaves as they fluttered quickly towards the forest.
"That's Gale, the wind spirit."
"The wind spirit?" Donald asked.
"Are there any other spirits in the Enchanted Forest?" Goofy asked. Anna smiled and nodded, leading them down a steep path towards the open plain below.
"There's Bruni, the fire spirit, and there's the Nokk, the water spirit. There are the earth giants, although they don't exactly live in the forest, and then there's-"
"Elsa!" Olaf cried. Up ahead a figure had emerged from the forest – a beautiful woman with silver-blonde hair and a white dress that shimmered like diamonds as it billowed out behind her. She was riding a magnificent white horse that seemed to travel as fast as the wind, and in no time at all she had closed the distance between them.
"Anna!" she exclaimed, though her voice was coloured with concern. She slid to the ground some distance away and ran towards them. "Is something wrong? What is it? What happened?" Anna turned to Kairi with a smile.
"See?" she asked. "Classic overthinker."
"Everything's fine, Elsa," Kristoff said calmly, "we just need your help with something." Elsa reached her sister and took both of her hands, studying the Queen carefully.
"And you couldn't have asked when I was in Arendelle?" she asked. Anna shrugged and laughed a little.
"Well we didn't know until this morning, and you'd already left," Anna answered. She pulled one of her hands free. "You remember Donald and Goofy?" It took a moment for realisation to hit home, and when it did Elsa smiled, though the tension clung to her shoulders.
"Of course," she said. "And… And Sora. He's not with you?"
"Well, that's sorta why we're here," Goofy answered. Kristoff cleared his throat.
"Why don't we start walking to the village?" he suggested. "We'll fill you in on the way." Elsa nodded, and she turned to the great stallion beside her, dipping her head and murmuring thanks. The horse tossed its shimmering mane before quickly turning around and bolting back towards the forest.
Donald and Goofy did most of the talking, including introducing Kairi and Naminé, and by the time they reached the tree line Elsa was all caught up (as were Anna and Kristoff who had agreed to venture north with only half of the story and who both seemed grateful for the opportunity to ask questions).
As they reached the forest, passing between four great stones with ornate carvings at their centre, they were met by a young woman who came bursting out of the foliage.
"Elsa! Are you all right?" she panted. "Yelena said she saw you and the Nokk racing out of the forest."
"We're fine, Honeymaren," she said calmly, smiling and glancing at Anna out of the corner of her eye. "My sister thought she would surprise us with a visit."
"It's been so long since we've come up to see you all," Anna said somewhat nervously. "I hope you don't mind that we brought a few friends. They needed to speak to Elsa." Honeymaren relaxed a little, and after Anna had introduced everyone she began to lead them deeper in to the forest.
"I wish you'd told us you were coming," Honeymaren said as she fished a carrot from the leather pouch at her waist and offered it to Sven who took it with a delighted huff. "We would have made room for you."
"Oh, don't worry, we won't be staying long," Anna replied. Honeymaren looked at her warily.
"It's already almost nightfall," she said dubiously. Anna hesitated, no doubt hearing one of the many warnings Donald had given her about the importance of not telling anyone about their 'secret mission'.
"Our friends just needed to speak to Elsa, but they've never been this far north before," Kristoff quickly interjected. Kairi didn't miss Anna's sigh of relief. "We offered to drive them here and back so they wouldn't get lost."
"Do you think we could use your lavvu, Honeymaren?" Elsa asked. "It shouldn't take long, but we need to speak in private." Honeymaren glanced from Elsa to Naminé and back again before smiling.
"Of course, but I don't think everyone will fit inside." Elsa smiled.
"I'm sure we can find a way to make it work."
Darkness was beginning to settle in the forest by the time sounds of the village came drifting to them on the wind. Kairi jumped when Sven brayed loudly before taking off in to the trees where several reindeer answered his call. The village was made of several sturdy huts that circled a central fire, and several giggling children rushed towards them as they approached, taking Olaf by the arms and steering him away from the group.
"How I miss the energy and enthusiasm of my youth," he sighed as he was dragged away. Much like other creatures of magic they had encountered, Naminé wouldn't be able to establish a connection to Sora through Olaf, but he had been excited to come with them nonetheless.
Honeymaren led them past the fire where they paused to speak with a handful of the village elders. A woman named Yelena appraised Kairi and the others for several long moments before smiling and welcoming them, offering them room to stay if they changed their minds. Honeymaren was pulled away by her brother then, and she bid them a warm goodbye before disappearing to tend to the reindeer.
Eventually Elsa led them in to Honeymaren's lavvu, a tent made of notched wooden poles wrapped in leather and fur. It was much smaller than some of its neighbours, barely big enough for one person to live in. Or maybe two, Kairi thought as she spied the two sets of pillows on the small pallet bed.
"Maybe some of us should wait outside?" Donald suggested after several minutes of trying (and failing) to squeeze everyone in.
"I think that would be a good idea," Kristoff wheezed from where he had been wedged in between Anna, Naminé and the tightly-bound leather wall.
"Say, Donald," Goofy began, "why don't we go and see what Olaf is up to?"
"Great idea!" This was followed by several moments of uncomfortable jostling as Donald and Goofy squeezed back towards the exit and slipped outside. It was better but still uncomfortable, and Kairi glanced at Naminé who smiled and nodded.
"I'll head out too," Kairi said, and she quickly skirted around Naminé towards the exit. Naminé squeezed her wrist as she passed and Kairi answered with a small smile.
It wasn't until she was outside the lavvu that she realised she didn't know what she was going to do with herself. Donald and Goofy had already disappeared from sight, and she didn't trust herself not to get lost amongst the maze of tents trying to find them. She was also aware of the less-than-subtle glances from several of the villagers. Whilst she hadn't exactly felt as though she had belonged in any of the worlds they'd visited so far, she'd never felt as out of place as she did then – dressed in pastel pinks and yellows while everyone around her wore muted greys and browns decorated with rich, vibrant embroidery. Kairi rubbed the goosebumps at her arms, unable to tell if the chill was from the evening air or the feeling of so many eyes upon her. She considered taking one of the empty seats at the fire, but as she started walking towards it she locked eyes with a little girl who was staring open-mouthed and her resolve disappeared. Instead, she spied a small firepit behind Honeymaren's lavvu; the fire had long since died out, but it was tucked away between the tents and there were several small stools nearby. Kairi lowered herself on to the closest and let her head loll back to stare at the handful of stars that glimmered through the canopy of leaves overhead.
One world left, she thought. It would be the most difficult. It seemed so long ago that they had planned out the route, leaving Destiny Islands until the end. She had told the others she needed time to prepare herself before seeing her friends and family again, but in truth she hadn't thought they would make it this far. The more worlds they added to the list, the more confident Kairi had felt that they wouldn't even make it to the halfway point, let alone the home stretch. And yet here they were, less than a day away from completing the list, and they had Luxu to thank for it.
You can't help him without helping us.
What did that mean? The thought had been haunting her for days, but she was no closer to figuring out how giving Sora the strength to fight back could be useful to the Foretellers. The only answer that seemed to fit the bill was that perhaps the strength from his friends was making him stronger in every way, which made the thought of facing him again even more terrifying. She rubbed her fingers across the scars on her chest; they were barely visible now, but no less painful. If the power they'd been giving to Sora didn't stop at his heart, then Luxu would have it all at his fingertips so long as he continued to control Sora. Kairi didn't know which was worse – losing him to darkness completely, or watching him suffer an eternal half-life at Luxu's mercy.
Kairi shivered, rubbing at her arms. It really was cold now; she didn't know how long she'd been sitting there, nor did she know how much longer Naminé was going to be. She wished she'd thought ahead to bring a jacket, and she eyed the cold campfire before glancing around to make sure nobody was watching. When she was sure the coast was clear she held out a hand to summon her keyblade before pointing it at the campfire, only to freeze.
The campfire was watching her.
Two gleaming blue eyes were peering out from the middle of the pile of wood. They blinked. Kairi blinked back. The eyes glanced to the keyblade and then back to Kairi who remained stiff with shock. The sticks shifted and slowly a creature emerged. It looked like a lizard – or perhaps more like a salamander, she thought as it clambered on to the top of the small pyre, though it was a strange shade of iridescent purple-blue. It pulled back on its haunches, eyeing her warily, and after a moment of studying Kairi it began to inch forwards. Kairi didn't dare to move; she stayed as still as she could manage, keyblade still outstretched towards the fire, and she held her breath as the creature began to tentatively sniff at the edge. Its tongue darted out to clean its eye and it blinked several times before reaching out to touch the end of the keyblade with its nose.
Its eyes widened. It circled the pyre excitedly before leaping on to the keyblade and running along its length, coming to a stop on Kairi's hand. Its feet burned her skin and she tried not to wince. A cold breeze danced over the warm welts its footprints left behind and a shiver ran down her spine. The creature cocked its head, eyes darting up and down her body before it ran back to the tip of her keyblade. It lowered itself down and growled low in its throat before flashing with purple fire that leapt on to the campfire and instantly set it ablaze with violet flames that slowly faded to orange. The creature raced back up the blade again, sitting a little bit away from Kairi's fingers this time, and it looked up at her like an excited puppy.
"You must be the fire spirit," Kairi guessed. The creature nodded and bobbed its head eagerly as a wash of purple flames danced down its back. "Bruni, right? I'm Kairi." Bruni licked his other eye and opened his mouth in a toothless grin. His eyes darted down to her hands once – twice – before he tentatively reached out with his foot. Kairi sucked in a sharp breath at the searing heat on her cold skin and Bruni quickly scampered back like a scalded kitten.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, "but you're too hot." His head tilted again and Kairi's heart melted at the sight.
"I think he likes you." Elsa's voice made her jump and she looked up. Bruni clung to the keyblade, his tail wagging excitedly and his tongue lolling out of his mouth as Elsa came closer. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." She crouched down beside Kairi and cupped her hands together. Bruni leapt from the keyblade and landed spread-eagle across her palms with a gentle hiss. Kairi winced.
"Doesn't that hurt?" she asked. Elsa shook her head and settled in on the stool beside Kairi.
"Not at all," she said. "Bruni likes to cool down at night. He's the only one I know who doesn't complain about my cold hands." Bruni nuzzled his head against one of her hands and Elsa chuckled, shifting him in to her left palm. She lifted her right hand over him, and with a flourish of her fingers she created a flurry of snowflakes that drifted towards Bruni. Some melted on his back whilst others landed on his outstretched tongue.
"Cold hands, warm heart," Kairi murmured. Elsa lifted her head and Kairi felt her cheeks flush. "It's something my mum used to say when I was growing up." Elsa smiled slightly and she glanced down at her hands (and Bruni who was rolling around her palms on his back).
"I've never heard that before. I'll have to remember it." Her eyes glanced down at the keyblade in Kairi's hands. "Sora had one of those, didn't he? Only his looked different. Does that mean you can do magic too?" Kairi nodded and Elsa smiled. "Maybe that's what Bruni sensed in you." Bruni quickly rolled to his feet and began leaping up and down excitedly. Kairi didn't know what to say in response, and so she banished her keyblade and turned her gaze towards the main fire in the centre of the village. There were few empty spaces now, and everyone had huddled in tightly together, passing drinks and platters of food around amid a low level of chatter and laughter.
"Your village is beautiful," Kairi said, because she felt compelled to say something to fill the silence. Elsa flushed slightly.
"I've only been here for a few months," she answered.
"Anna said you were supposed to be queen of Arendelle." Elsa nodded.
"And I was, for a while, until the spirits called me here." Bruni collapsed heavily in her hands and nuzzled at her fingers. She laughed and gave him another flurry of snow, earning several small delighted squeals as the snowflakes melted on his belly. "Anna is better for the kingdom. She has such a big heart, and she cares so deeply for everyone, even people she's just met." Kairi tried to smile a little at that, but it felt more like a grimace. Elsa was watching her carefully and she sighed.
"Did she ask you to talk to me?" Kairi asked quietly. Elsa offered her a sympathetic smile.
"She didn't have to," she said, her voice equally soft. "I spent most of my life doubting and overthinking. I can sense a kindred spirit." She ran a finger under Bruni's chin and the fire spirit sighed happily. "Do you want to talk about it? I can't promise that I can help, and I know you can't tell me all the details, but it might help to let it out."
Kairi bit the inside of her cheek and stared in to the fire. What good would it do to talk out her problems with a stranger? Then again, what harm could it do? The chances of them meeting again after today were slim, and perhaps it would make a change to speak to someone who had only met Sora in passing.
"I just feel so… lost." Speaking in to the fire made it somewhat easier, and she lost herself in the flames and allowed the words to come tumbling out. "Every time I think I'm making the right decision, it comes back to haunt me until I don't know if I can trust myself. I used to want adventure more than anything, to have control over my own destiny for once, and now that I have it… I can't help wondering if everything I do – if everything I've done – is going to turn out bad. I just… I wish Sora was here. If I could just hear his voice or see his face…" She rested a hand over her heart and closed her eyes, yearning to feel something – anything – from the shard of his heart beyond a gentle wash of love and warmth which had long since lost its potency. She needed more.
Elsa shifted. Kairi opened her eyes and watched as Elsa rose to her feet with a smile.
"I think I might be able to help after all. Come with me." Kairi banished her keyblade and rose to her feet with a confused frown as Elsa ducked back inside the lavvu. The conversation within was low and murmured, but Kairi could make out Elsa's voice and Kristoff's. After a moment Elsa re-emerged with a small wooden bowl which she filled with snow. Bruni let out an excited squeal and clambered up Elsa's arm to leap off her shoulder and land atop the bowl, melting in to it with a satisfied sigh. Elsa smiled and buried him in a thin layer of snow before handing the bowl to Kairi.
"This was Honeymaren's idea," she said with a smile. "He seems to like it." Bruni burrowed deeper in to the snow and almost seemed to purr with delight. Elsa motioned for Kairi to follow, and she led her through the village until they came to a small babbling brook where Elsa crouched down and dipped her fingers in to the water, humming gently. After a moment the water began to bubble before suddenly bursting upwards, taking the form of a horse that pranced back and forth over the surface of the water. Elsa smiled and reached out to run her fingers through the creature's watery mane.
"I know you've already helped me today, but I have another favour," she said. The water-horse tossed its mane and splashed its foot into the brook. Elsa smiled. "You sure you don't mind?" It brayed silently, spraying her with water, and she laughed. "You enjoy running on land too much." It sprayed her again and tossed its mane impatiently. Several drops caught Bruni's feet and he quickly buried them in the snow, sticking his tongue out at the horse who snorted in response. Elsa put a hand against its cheek and pressed their foreheads together, and the creature's watery body quickly hardened to ice. It leapt high over them, kicking up flurries of dirt and ice as it circled them twice, coming to a stop before Kairi.
"A horse made out of ice," Kairi said softly. It had been the horse Elsa had been riding when she met them outside the forest; in the early evening light he had looked white as snow, but now in the moonlight he glistened like finely-carved crystal.
"This is the Nokk, the water spirit," said Elsa before introducing Kairi to the Nokk. Kairi ducked her head much as Elsa had, and she was surprised when the Nokk returned the greeting. Elsa turned away then and drew herself up tall before planting her foot firmly on the floor. A line of ice sped out from beneath her toes before sprouting up from the ground to form a small sled made entirely from glistening ice. Kairi did her best not to openly gape at it, and at Elsa's invitation she carefully climbed inside. Once she was seated Bruni leapt out of the bowl and settled on the seat beside her, walking in circles until he had melted a small hollow which he curled inside with a deep sigh. Elsa leapt nimbly on to the Nokk's back and summoned ropes of ice to tie the Nokk to the sled. She leaned forward, running a hand over his neck.
"Ready to see how fast you can run?" The Nokk reared up on to its hind legs and Elsa thrust her hand forwards, creating a river of ice that snaked around the edge of the village and out of the forest. They moved so fast that the countryside flew past them in a blur and Kairi's eyes streamed tears. They came upon the North Mountain and the Nokk began to climb, barely breaking his stride. Sora had told her about this mountain on more than one occasion. Was it three times he had climbed it? Or four? Kairi didn't like the idea of climbing it even once, and she was grateful for the Nokk and the sled.
Eventually the mountain began to level out, and they came to a stop before a great ravine that seemed to split the mountain in half. The two sides were joined by a magnificent bridge that glistened like crystals in the moonlight. Bruni leapt back in to his bowl of snow and Kairi carried him close as she stepped out of the sled. They had snow on the islands, but never like this. It crunched underfoot and she nearly tilted as it gave way beneath her, the snow coming up to her ankles. She was grateful of her thick boots then. Elsa slid from the Nokk's back and ran a hand along his neck.
"Do you want to come with us?" she asked. The Nokk shook his head and Elsa smiled. "All right. We'll make our own way back." The Nokk nudged at her shoulder persistently and she smiled. "Okay, I'll call you when we leave." The Nokk seemed satisfied with that and he turned his gaze to Kairi. Slowly he crossed to her, his tail dripping crystalline shards of ice in to the snow as he tossed it back and forth. Kairi ducked her head and dropped in to the best curtesy she could muster given the uneven snow beneath her.
"Thank you," she said softly. The Nokk came closer and Kairi tried not to hiss when he pressed his icy muzzle against her brow before disappearing in to the snow.
"This way," said Elsa, leading Kairi along the bridge. It was made from ice, which she supposed shouldn't have come as a surprise. It took a few minutes of slipping and sliding for Kairi to make it across, and then they began the last part of the climb. The cold quickly seeped through Kairi's boots and in to her ankles; she grit her teeth to keep them from chattering and distracted herself with the view. All around the world was blanketed in white, and the bright moon overhead made the ground sparkle as though it was littered with diamonds.
"Naminé told me a little about what you're doing to help Sora," Elsa said after a while of walking. "It sounds like you still have a big task ahead. Does that scare you?" Kairi bit the inside of her cheek and nodded.
"There's just…" She stopped herself, unable to tell Elsa about Luxu and the Foretellers even if she had the time. She sighed heavily. "I just don't want to mess things up."
"What things?" Elsa asked. Kairi chewed the inside of her cheek, glancing down at Bruni who was splashing in a bowl of lukewarm water with a mournful expression. Kairi scooped a handful of snow in to the bowl and his face split in to a grin.
"I'm kind of always the one who lets everyone down," she answered at last. She knew that if Naminé heard her say that she would have received a deep frown and a stern talking to, so it was almost a relief when Elsa laughed a little.
"I know that feeling." Kairi glanced over to Elsa who gave her a small, encouraging smile. "Once, when I was a little girl, Anna and I were playing with my magic when I lost control. It was the first time I remember being afraid of my powers, and it never really went away after that. Anna had to forget that I even had magic, and I had to hide it from everyone. Our parents closed off the castle, and the gates stayed closed until my coronation." She grimaced a little and Bruni made a small whine in the back of his throat.
"What happened?" Kairi asked. Elsa stopped walking and looked up.
"This happened."
Kairi had seen pictures of the ice castle before, but none did justice to the icy fortress that loomed high over them now. It was built against the peak of the mountain, several stories high, and the moonlight that filtered through its crystalline ceilings almost made it glow.
"You made this, didn't you?" Kairi asked. Sora had seen it happen; he'd told her about it once. Elsa nodded.
"I needed to get away," she said. "When we opened the gates for my coronation I did everything I could, followed every social protocol and did everything by the book, and things still went wrong. I thought if I could leave then everyone would be safe, but my magic was so unpredictable… I plunged Arendelle in to a deep winter."
"Even when you tried your best, people got hurt," Kairi murmured. Elsa nodded.
"I feel like you understand." She did. She thought of Axel, and of how crestfallen he had looked to see her shattered heart station. She remembered the bags under his eyes and the hollows of Naminé's cheeks when she had woken up from Sleep. She remembered Riku, Roxas, Xion, Ven… the way they had looked at her once the truth was out; the pain and betrayal that had been written across their faces. She thought of Sora, trapped in the labyrinth drenched in shadows because she hadn't been able to keep herself safe from Xemnas. She shivered.
"Yeah," Kairi said softly. "I think I do."
"Anna saved me. We ended the winter together and I went back to become queen, but… I was always so afraid. What if it happened again? What if I lost control? My powers weren't a secret anymore, but I still didn't understand them. Every day I felt torn between trying to be who I was and trying to be what everyone needed me to be."
"What changed?" Elsa glanced at her and Kairi felt her ears burning. "You don't seem torn now. You seem…" She struggled to find the right word; she bounced several around her head before finally settling on: "Peaceful." Elsa smiled.
"When the spirits called me here, I had to make a choice. I thought I would finally find the answers that I'd been looking for – about why I was different and why I had these powers. I just wanted to know what I was supposed to do and who I was supposed to be, until I finally realised that all I had to be was me." She paused, glancing down at Bruni. The snow had melted again, and steam was rising from the bowl. She reached out to take the bowl from Kairi and Bruni quickly crawled in to her hands, settling into them with a contented sigh. Elsa smiled. "I spent all my life believing in some higher power, some mystic destiny, when all along I should have been believing in myself."
Kairi's throat burned and she kept her eyes fixed on the ice palace. She could sympathise, in a way; her childhood might not have been haunted by magic, but it had been shadowed by her missing memories and a feeling of being different. She remembered the sleepless nights of her childhood, grappling with the realisation that she wasn't like the other children in her class. She remembered wrapping her hands around the hilt of her keyblade for the first time. Destiny's Embrace. It had been the perfect name – both for the blade and for the way she had felt. After watching Sora and Riku dance with destiny for so long, it had felt exciting to finally join them. The Realm of Light had called her to defend it and she had been too stubborn and too scared to face the thought of not being able to answer the call.
Maybe it's time to ask yourself if you're really cut out for all this.
She had been so angry when Vanitas had said that – because he had been right. She hadn't been cut out for this, not then.
She was now.
The last few weeks had been a whirlwind of new worlds, new faces, and new challenges. Time and time again she had shown herself that Sora had been right all along; she was strong. Stronger than she had ever dreamed she could be. Stronger than she'd ever given herself credit for.
And with that strength came a burning courage that had seared through the shadows and fears lingering in the cracks of her heart. She was no longer afraid of being alone, because all of Sora's friends had become her friends. She was no longer afraid to stand by herself, because she had learned to tell when to stand her ground and when to ask for help. And she was no longer afraid of being left behind, because wherever her friends went, she would follow.
Something was blossoming in her chest – a burning warmth straining to be freed. It coursed through her veins, rushing towards her fingers with an urgency that stole Kairi's breath. Her hand flashed and her keyblade appeared of its own accord, though it was no longer Destiny's Embrace.
The glistening wave at the hilt remained, splashing against the shaft, but instead of fading in to golden sands as it curved around the handle now the crystalline waters gave way to vines filled with flourishing blossoms – colourful peonies, gerberas and gleaming white bouvardias. The shaft was covered with a lattice of intricate metal that gleamed with vibrant blues, oranges and pinks. Not the colour of a sunset, Kairi realised, but a sunrise that was littered with tenacious vines and leaves. At the head was a gleaming golden star perched atop several sharp teeth which darted out like rays of light set below a crown of flowers.
Light's Promise.
The name echoed through her mind and her heart sang. The keyblade flashed with a burst of light that ran from hilt to tip and Kairi found herself smiling. The keyblade didn't feel particularly strong – not much stronger than Destiny's Embrace – but she felt stronger for holding it, as though she was somehow wrapping her hands around everything she'd learned and everything she had become. This keyblade was longer, sharper, and it shone with a light that came from inside the shaft and spilled out over the snow. Kairi glanced at Elsa who was watching her closely with Bruni clutched tightly in her hands.
"Thank you," Kairi said softly. Elsa's lips curled in to a smile.
"You're welcome," she murmured. "I'm glad I could help, even if it's not why I brought you here." Kairi frowned. It made sense, she supposed, that they hadn't come all this way for a pep talk. Elsa laughed a little at Kairi's confusion. "You said you wanted to see Sora, didn't you?"
"I… Yes, I did. I do," Kairi said, her frown deepening. "But he's… We can't see him right now."
"But you can still see his face." She glanced down at Bruni who tilted his head for a moment before his eyes grew wide and he quickly leapt down in to the snow at Elsa's feet. She crouched low, burying her fingertips in the snow and closing her eyes. A gentle wash of light raced beneath the surface, covering the mountain in a flash before shrinking down to a small, faint circle. The snow above it began to shift, whipped by an invisible wind until it became a tower that was taller than Kairi. Soon the snow settled and Kairi's breath caught in her throat as she found herself staring at a perfect likeness of Sora in a pose that was painfully familiar. He was stood with his weight on one leg, his hands knitted behind his head and his face split in a beaming grin.
Hi! I'm Sora! And I'm from… well… let's just say someplace a little warmer…
His voice echoed around her, his name bouncing off the castle and the cliffs and disappearing out in to the night. Kairi swallowed a sob and reached out a hand to stroke his icy cheek.
"How?" she gasped.
"Water has memory," said Elsa. "The snow on this mountain never really thaws, which means that it has preserved a small memory of him. I first met Sora on this mountain, when I was running from my coronation. He could see that I was upset and he asked if I wanted to talk. I wish I'd listened." Her lips curled in to a sad smile as a wind picked up around them, blowing a fine mist of snow in to the air.
Your Majesty, you look like you could use a friend.
A hot tear raced down Kairi's cheek as her hand fell from his cheek to his chest, coming to rest over his heart. She could almost feel him returning the gesture; the fragment of his heart blossomed with a warmth that fought back against the chill that was seeping through her boots. She studied his face, seeing the laughter dancing in his eyes and the roundness of his cheeks. She gripped Light's Promise tightly and sucked in a sharp, cold breath.
"We're coming, Sora," she murmured. "We're almost there."
Thank you so much for your patience with this chapter. It was a lot longer than expected! I had a lot of fun designing Kairi's new keyblade. I'll try and put some sketches up on my Tumblr soon – link in my author's bio.
(Also if anyone would like further insight in to Kairi's heart, you should absolutely look up each of the named flowers and their meanings as per the Language of Flowers.)
Take care, stay safe, and I'll see you in the next chapter!