Authors Note: Another chapter for you all. Thanks for waiting. I got a lot of mixed answers to my last question, but the most common was to sorta stick to cannon but add my own little arcs and adventures, similarly to what I did with the first season. I think that would be a good idea as well for this season, but next season, things will start branching out. The other most common answer was "Its your choice." Ha ha, I know that, but I wanted to ask still because I am still a relatively new author on this sight. Anyway, I give a warning that some confusing things may happen in this chapter and I had to stretch a bit of logic here and there to make it work. But that's not really new in this story. To make some things work, I have to stretch some of the KH and ZNT lore, which I apologize for, but it's really difficult to make things work when I keep everything exactly the same.

I got a suggestion for a story OVA where they all go to the beach. Now I know that in anime, there is usually a mandatory beach episode and ZNT is no different. Now I would do this, but I only have one concern. In the anime, Saito is recruited by the headmaster when he found a box of swimsuits to try and get the female cast to ware them. The regular ZNT swimsuits leave much to be desired, so I don't have a clue how to incorporate that. I have a few ideas of what the OVA could entail after this little situation is fixed, but if you have any ideas, please let me know. If I do this, it will just be like a side thing, not really cannon.

Last question. I know that when Prince wales died in the anime, he gave the wind ruby to Louise, who gave it to Henrietta. How in the world did Prince Wales get it back when he convinced Henrietta to go with him? I could not find it for the life of me, so if anyone has the answer, I will make a note and change it in my story after. Right now it feels like a little plot hole though.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Warning: It's a fanfiction, not a published work, so spelling and grammar error will be present. But I will try my best to find as many as I can.


A Heart in the Void

Chapter 21

Henrietta was standing near the glass doors that lead to the balcony, gazing out into the night sky with a thoughtful expression on her face. The conversation she had with Roxas and Louise had gone very well. If she were being honest with herself, she would say that those two and Agnes were the only reason she was able to stay sane. The whole process of her becoming queen had taken a toll on her, both physically and mentally. She felt a little better after her talk with Roxas and Louise, knowing that they would be there when she needed them. It made the immense burden she carried just a bit easier to bear.

However, it did not change one little fact.

She was completely on her own when it came to running the country. With her mother being too distraught about the death of her husband, she was in no position to help Henrietta much. In fact, her mother was the one that completely dumped the title of Queen on her, even though Henrietta was still just a young woman.

Henrietta took a deep breath as she turned away from the window and walked over to her bed. Sitting on the edge of it, she rested her hands in her lap. She was to stressed at the moment to even think about sleep. How was she supposed to run an entire country by herself? She was only 17 years old and she had the responsibilities of the kingdom thrown on her without anyone there to help.

Noticing a cold wetness on her hands, Henrietta glanced down at them. She saw a few drops of water on her knuckles. Reaching up, she felt that the water was actually her own tears as they started to uncontrollably stream down her face.

Quickly, she reached up and tried to wipe them away. She could not afford to cry anymore. She needed to be strong for her country. They were looking up to her now and she couldn't afford to show any weakness.

Not anymore.

However, the more she tired to wipe them away, they more they started to leak from her eyes. They just wouldn't stop. Finally, she stopped trying to hold back the tears. They began to feely fall from here eyes as she sat on the edge of her bed, the weight of her own responsibilities crushing her beneath their immense weight.

"Freedom must be nice." She murmured to herself as she thought about Louise and Roxas. Even though she knew that their relationship was not the most ideal, Henrietta still envied Louise. She envied that Louise had someone that would go to extreme lengths to protect her. Someone that would simply be there for her.

Henrietta didn't have anyone like that. No one could really understand her position ever since Prince Wales died. Very few people knew, but when she heard about the death of her lover, Henrietta was completely distraught. The only people that saw a glimpse of that devastation was Louise and Roxas, but for everyone else, she had to act strong and be there leader in this time of need.

However, she was still human. She was not immune to pain and sadness just because she was royalty. It was when no one was around that was then she was finally able to fully greave the loss of Prince Wales. He was one of the few that could understand her.

And he was gone now.

"Wales" Henrietta whispered as she the tears continued to cascade down her cheeks. "I miss you so much."

Bum-bump

Henrietta gasped as she felt her heart suddenly throb wildly. It pounded against her chest, beating harder than she had ever felt before, as if it were trying to escape her own body. She clutched her chest, nearly in pain as her heart continued to pound.

However, it only lasted a few seconds before it slowly began to calm down again. She was breathing heavily, nearly frightened by the experience. If felt like her heart nearly ruptured for some reason.

"W-What was that?" she whispered out Loud, continuing to hold her chest after the strange experience.

"Henrietta"

Immediately, Henrietta forgot all about the strange occurrence as she jumped to her feet. She frantically looked around the room, trying to find the source of the voice. Someone had called her name. She was sure of it. But how? Who had managed to get past the guards and the other security?

"Henrietta. Out here."

The frightened princess looked towards the balcony door before she could make out a humanoid shadow standing there behind the glass. Immediately, she drew her wand and backed up a few paces, ready to signal Agnes.

"Who's there? You realize that you have trespassed onto royal grounds." She said, a threatening edge to her voice.

Vaguely, Henrietta could hear the faint sound of a very familiar laughter coming from behind the door. "How you wound me, my sweet Henrietta. After this short time, you have forgotten who I am?"

Henrietta blinked a few times in confusion as she listened to his voice. Why did that voice sound so familiar, and why did he call her his sweet henri…

Suddenly, her breath disappeared as a thought entered her mind. There was only one person whose voice matched this stranger, only one person who was that familiar with her, only one person who had ever dared call her that.

"Wales." She whispered as she slowly lowered her wand. She cautiously approached the door, her mind in complete shambles at this point. The closer she came to the window, the more she began to make out his features. Finally, she stood near the glass before peering out, hoping that her eyes were not lying to her.

The moons was shining brightly that night, gently radiating its vibrant glow off of the man that was standing there. Henrietta could not question it any longer.

It was him.

"W-Wales." She repeated, tears streaming down her face. "No, you are supposed to be dead! Louse and Roxas saw you die!"

"No, I am very much alive." Wales said with a soft smile.

"How-How can I be sure its you?"

At this question, Henrietta saw the Prince give a small smile as he raised his left hand. She gasped when she saw what was on his finger.

The wind ruby.

It was glowing brightly in the night.

The water ruby on her finger suddenly burst to life as well, glowing a bright blue as it reacted to Prince wales ring.

"The wind blowing in the dark knights" Wales said quietly.

"The oath of the water spirit." Henrietta whispered, tears streaming down her face, her eyes wide. Without a moments hesitation, she rushed to the door and threw it open. Her eyes widened again when she saw who was there.

He looked exactly how she remembered him. His golden hair, perfect face, and piercing blue eyes were exactly the same as the person she loved.

Rushing over to him, she threw her arms around his neck, crying onto his shoulder. "How? How is this possible? Wardes killed you! Louise and Roxas saw it!" she asked, her questions muffled through his cloak.

He slowly wrapped his arm around her lower back and pulled her close. "Henrietta, the person who died was my double. I managed to escape, but now, I need your help. Will you go to Albion with me?"

The Queen pulled away slightly before she shook her head. "No, if you go to Albania right now, they will kill you and me. I am the Queen now and I can't leave Tristan."

Wales cupped her chin before pulling her face towards him, silencing her with a soft kiss. It only lasted a moment before he pulled back and looked into her eyes. "I love you Henrietta. I want to be with you."

Henrietta blinked when she heard that. There had been a few times he had said that to her in the past. Each time there was warmth and conviction that penetrated her heart when he said those words.

But now…

It felt empty.

Slowly, she looked up into his eyes. Her own eyes widened a bit when she saw something very different about the man she loved. The look in his eyes was so…Empty, like there was nothing in him at all. Almost like he was an empty shell, just standing there.

"Henrietta?"

Henrietta blinked a few times as his words shook her from her bewilderment. She looked up at his smiling face again. She wanted so much for this to be real, to have her lover back. And he was standing right in front of her.

How could she say no.

"I love you to Wales. I-I will come with you."


"Agnes, you can't be serious!" Roxas shouted as he saw Agnes standing there in the doorway. Right when she had told them about the kidnapping, Both Roxas and Louise were wide-awake. They had literally seen the Queen just hours ago and someone had already managed to kidnap her.

"How in the world did she get kidnapped so quickly? What happened?" Louise asked. She was standing in front of the musketeer knight in just her nightmare, but she didn't care at the moment. She had other things to worry about.

Agnes grit her teeth together in frustration as she looked away from their piercing gaze. An ashamed look crossed her face as she clenched her fists. "It was my fault. I didn't think that someone could get to her through the balcony. But someone came and took her that same night I took you two homes. My knights are on their trail right now."

"Where are they headed?" Louise asked as she turned and rushed over to her dresser, pulling out a few articles of clothing.

"From what I know, they are headed towards Gallia. Or more specifically, Lagdorian Lake. For what purpose, I don't know." She said before she gave them a stern look. "We can't let anyone else know about this. If people found out that the queen was kidnapped, there would be a widespread panic. We need to rescue them with just my musketeer forces and you two. I need your help."

"Do you even have to ask?" Roxas said as he walked over to his bed and grabbed his coat. He threw it over his head before he turned to Louise. She was still in the middle of changing however.

"Then when you are ready, catch up to us. I will go on ahead and join the rest of my knights." Agnes said. "And be quick about it. If they get past Lagdorian Lake, we may never see Queen Henrietta ever again." She finished as she turned and raced out the door.

That last phrase made Louise freeze in horror. A look of complete dread filled her as she slowly looked over at Roxas.

Roxas met her gaze, but his eyes were a bit firmer. "What are you waiting for? Get dressed, we have to go!"

"R-Right!" Louise said as she started to change with more haste. She threw on her cloths with speed Roxas didn't know she was capable of. When she was finished, she turned to him. There was worry in her eyes…not just worry, but shear terror. "What if we can't make it in time? What if they get away with the queen?" Louise asked, tears nearly pricking the sides of her eyes.

Roxas turned away form her, his eyes narrowing. "That wont happen. We promised to help her didn't we? She is relying on us."

Louise clenched her fists, trying to get ahold of her fear. Finally, she walked up besides him, a more determined look in her eyes. Roxas was right. Henrietta had personally said she would be relying on them. And right now, she needed them more than ever.

And Louise was not going to let her down.

They were just about to walk out the door before Suki grabbed the back of Roxas's hood. "Wait!" She exclaimed.

Roxas turned to her, his teeth clenched a bit. "What is it Suki?" Roxas asked impatiently.

Suki flinched a bit at the bite in his voice but quickly shrugged it off. She could tell that Roxas and Louise were both very stressed at the moment. She quickly flew over to Roxas's bed before she dove under it. She emerged just seconds later with a potion in her paws. Recognizing it immediately, Roxas's eyes widened.

"How did you make this so fast?" Roxas asked.

Suki huffed as she held out the item for Roxas. "Who do you think your talking too? I am one of the best brewers among the Moogles." She said.

Roxas held out his hand as Suki dropped the potion in his palm. He smiled up at her. "Thanks Suki. You must have gone through a lot of trouble to make this."

Suki waved him off before she pointed at the door with her paw. "Get going! The Queen is not going to save herself."

"Right." Roxas responded as he and Louise exited the room.

While racing down the hallway, Louise looked over at Roxas. "What was that potion?" she asked.

Roxas grinned over at her. "Mega-Elixir."


It only took a few moments before Roxas and Louise were sprinting down the stairs of the academy. Agnes was long gone by now, racing her way to meet up with her fellow musketeer knights.

Truthfully, Roxas was a bit frustrated with himself. When the queen said that there were very few people she could trust, he took her words with a grain of salt, thinking that she was well protected. But just when he had taken his eyes off of her, she was kidnapped. Just like that!

"I cannot believe this." Roxas growled as he and Louise exited the academy.

"Nether can I. But we know the Musketeers wouldn't just let her Highness be kidnapped so easily. Whoever took her must be good." She said as she turned to Roxas. "We need to use the Corridor of Darkness. We could cut them off at Lagdorian Lake."

"Its possible, but if I use the corridor, then only I would be going." Roxas said.

Louise stopped cold as she glared at him. "What! Why? There is no way I am staying behind."

"The corridors are dangerous. Without this coat…" Roxas said as he tugged the collar of his jacket. "You would be directly exposed to the darkness. You could end up like Wales."

Louse paled a bit. She didn't know that little detail about Roxas's particular way to traveling, but she didn't have time to ponder it right now. "Then what are we supposed to do? How can we catch up to them?" She said as they approached the hoarse stalls. "The horses wont be fast enough for us to catch up."

"You let me worry about that." Roxas said as the Forgotten Light flashed into existence.

"How is that going to help?" Louise asked, frustration and impatience thick in her voice.

Roxas gave a small grin as he realized he never did show Louise what this keyblade was capable of. He suddenly threw it into the air. Both Louse and Roxas watched as the keyblade began to shine brightly before it suddenly transformed. The glider lowered itself until it was only a few feet off the ground.

Louise gasped as she recognized it immediately. "Its-Its that thing you used in the war. This is where you got it? It was one of your keyblades?"

Roxas nodded as he walked over to it and hopped on the seat. Amazingly, the glider didn't budge an inch as it continued to float a few feet off the ground.

"Why didn't you tell me about this?" Louise asked angrily, glaring up at Roxas.

"You never asked." Roxas replied simply. "Now are you coming or not?"

Blinking a few times, Louise realized that Roxas was right. After the war, her mind was so boggled by everything that had happened that she didn't even ask where he got the flying…thing.

However, she glanced at the Keyblade glider with a bit of uncertainty in her eyes. There was enough room for her behind Roxas, but she was still a little skeptical about this new way of transportation.

"Louise, hurry up! If you don't get on right now, I am leaving without you! Roxas said, becoming a bit more impatient.

Louise swallowed her fear as she approached the hovering vehicle. It still boggled her mind that this vehicle was hovering with out any indication of how. Even the floating continent of Albion relied on the wind stones to keep it in the air.

However.

She had seen this strange device in action before. She knew how fast it was and if they were to make it in time, they needed that kind of speed. Shaking off any fear she had left, Louise carefully got onto the glider and situated herself behind Roxas, wrapping her arms around his midsection.

"Ok, I am ready." She said

Roxas nodded before he faced forward. He was about to take off into the sky before a blue dragon suddenly landed in front of him. He paused as he looked up into the teal eyes of Sylphid. Even though she was in dragon form, he could see the worry on her face. Usually, it was around this time where Roxas would be exiting the kitchen, where she would be waiting to either be fed a second breakfast, or maul over Roxas and cuddle with him.

"Sylphid, this is important, please move." Roxas said impatiently.

Cocking her head, Sylphid gave a questioning look. Biting his lower lip, Roxas knew that if he told Sylphid what he was up to, she would immediately tell Tabitha.

And was that really a bad thing? If things went south, they could use the back up. Besides, Roxas trusted Tabitha.

"Alright Sylphid, listen closely." Roxas started, causing the dragon to inch her head closer to him. "The Queen has been kidnapped. They are on their way to Lagdorian Lake. We need to catch up to them before they get to far. So please let us pass." He more of less begged.

Sylphid's dragon eyes widened a bit before she stepped aside. Roxas gave her a grateful smile before he faced forward again. Without another second's hesitation, both he and Louise shot into the sky above the trees.

Sylphid watched as they disappeared into the distance only for her to make a B-line straight to Tabitha's room. She needed to tell her master what was going on. Maybe they could help.


The wind was violently whipping around Roxas and Louise and they flew on the glider. The trees whizzed by as they shot through the air. Had the situation not been dire, Louise would have enjoyed the feeling of the wind brushing through her hair. This thing was much faster than riding any dragon or griffin, not to mention much smoother. Glancing down, she could only watch in awe as they zoomed over the trees.

Roxas's mind was focused on the direction they were supposed to go. He knew the general idea of where to go based on his previous venture to Lagdorian Lake, but it was a bit more difficult to tell from up here. Glancing down, he made sure they were still following the dirt path that leads to Gallia. He gave a slight smile when he saw they were still heading in the correct direction.

Suddenly, something else on the path caught his eye. There were a few objects lying in the middle of the path just ahead. Zooming forward, Roxas got close enough to get a better look.

What he saw made his eyes widen in horror.

"Louise, we have to make a quick stop!" Roxas said suddenly.

"What? Why?" Louise asked.

Roxas pointed down towards the path, causing Louise to turn her attention there. That's when she understood what Roxas was talking about. There were objects lying on the rode, and not just any objects.

Bodies.

Roxas suddenly lowered the glider until he pulled it to a stop. He leaped off the glider before he approached the first body. He immediately recognized who it was.

"Agnes! Are you alright?" Roxas called as he knelt down and gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

The downed knight groaned a bit as she slowly pushed herself to her knees. Looking up at him, she gave a painful grin. A bit of blood was trailing down the side of her lip. Blood was also trailing down the side of her face from a cut on her forehead.

"Roxas, what took you so long?" She asked as she forced herself to a seating position.

"Sorry." Roxas said as he looked around at the rest of the bodies. There were a few groans, testifying that they were alive, but hurt. Roxas turned back to Agnes before he extended his hand. "Cura."

Immediately a green light enveloped the knight. Agnes nearly panicked and drew her sword, but then noticed that the pain was already starting to dissipate. She curiously looked at Roxas, who was only showing a slight sign concentration. The cuts and bruises began to vanish within seconds. It was only a moment later that the spell ended.

Agnes blinked a few times as she clenched and unclenched her fists, trying to feel for any form of pain. Finding none, she stared over at the Nobody. "That…is a pretty useful spell."

"Yeah I know. What about the others? Do they need healing?" He asked.

Agnes looked at the rest of her Musketeers. Honestly, the extent of their wounds was not that sever. They were already staring to push themselves back to there feet. Making her decision, she turned back to the Nobody.

"You let me deal with them. You need to catch up to the queen before they get past Lagdorian Lake." Agnes responded as she stood on her feet. She approached the nearest knight before helping her to stand.

Roxas paused for a bit as he also stood up. "Are you sure?"

Agnes opened her mouth to respond, but the knight she helped stand cut her off. "We are ok. The queen is more important than a few minor wounds." She said. "But be careful. We caught up, but whoever took the queen is also skilled at magic."

"Michelle" Agnes said as she looked at the blue-haired knight.

"We are fine. Go help the queen." Michelle said as she struggled to stand on her own feet.

Roxas bit his lower lip before he nodded. He needed to save his magic anyway. If he showed up tired because he had to heal every one of the knights, he would not be much help.

However…

Roxas walked over to Agnes before he reached into his pocket. Pulling out the potion that Suki game him, he handed it over to Agnes.

"Take this."

Agnes stared down at the glowing potion in his hand, eyeing it skeptically. "What is it?"

"Mega-Elixir. If your knights are standing close and you use it, it will heal everyone around you." He said as he forced it into her hand.

Agnes stared at him for a few seconds before looking at the potion. "Are you serious?"

Roxas nodded. "When everyone is healed, catch up to us. We will go on ahead." Roxas finished as he turned to Louise. "Lets go."

"R-Right." Louise said as she glanced over at the potion. "Are you sure about that Roxas? Will it really heal them all?"

"Yes. I have used it many times before and I have faith in Suki's ability." Roxas confirmed.

Louise gave one unsure look at Agnes and the rest of the knights. She didn't like the idea of leaving injured people like this. But if Roxas were so sure, then she would not doubt him how. And besides, the more they waited, the further the queen got away.

Louise and Roxas hopped on the glider before taking off down the road again.

Agnes and Michelle watched them disappear into the distance before they began to help the other Knights to there feet.

"Agnes…That thing they were riding…was that the same as the one in Tarbes?" Michelle asked.

Agnes looked over to Michelle before she nodded her head. "Don't speak of it to anyone Michelle."

"But why not? If that's the same one, then why don't we use it to wage an attack on Albion?"

"The Queen gave her orders Michelle. She must have her reasons." Agnes replied as she approached another knight. Honestly, after the battle of Tarbes, there were no words to describe the amount of confusion Agnes had experienced. With the arrival of Sora and Riku, all the way to the Mysterious Roxas, there was just no end to the amount of questions that plagued the knight's mind.

Who was Roxas? Where did Sora and Riku come from and where did they go? What was with the conversation they had after the battle of Tarbes? She wanted to ask the Queen so badly about it all, but with Henrietta's advancement to the role of Queen and all the preparations that went with it, she didn't the time.

Agnes was a patent person, but these questions needed answered and soon.


Roxas and Louise were racing down the dirt road, sending up a dust trail as they rode along. From what they could see, the perpetrator could not be that far ahead based on the condition of Agnes and her knights. There wounds looked fresh, so they should be catching up soon.

"Go a bit higher Roxas." Louise said.

Roxas nodded as he steered the glider higher into the sky to get a better view. Above the trees, they saw the sun's reflection off of Lagdorian Lake. They were almost there, but there was still no sign of Henrietta or the person who had taken her. They few over the trees before finally reaching the lake.

True to the Water Spirits word, the lake had gone down quite a bit since they last saw it. Scanning the shores of the lake, Roxas and Louise tried to spot anything suspicious.

That's when they saw it.

Racing across the shores of the lake, there were two cloaked people riding on horseback. Because their hoods were up, neither Roxas nor Louise could tell who they were, but it was the best lead they were going to get.

Shooting across the lake, Roxas and Louise headed straight towards them. It was just a second later that the glider reached the shore and completely cut off the two on horseback. The hoarse slid to a halt as the two hooded people stared at the glider.

Roxas and Louise jumped off before the glider suddenly transformed back into the forgotten light. Roxas reached out his hand as the keyblade flew threw the air and landed in his palm. He then got into his one-keyblade stance, eyeing the two people with suspicion.

Both hooded figure looked at each other for a second before they dismounted the hoarse. With once quick slap to the rear, the hoarse whinnied in pain before it galloped into the forest.

The two parties stared at each other for the longest time, as if waiting for one or the other make the first move. Louise made the first move as she suddenly stepped forward.

"Q-Queen Henrietta. Is that you?" she asked carefully, her wand clenched in her fist.

Both hooded figures paused for a few moments before one of them took a step forward. Reaching up, she grasped the end of her hood and removed it from her face.

There was no mistaking it.

"Queen Henrietta!" Louise exclaimed as she lowered her wand. She was about to rush forward, but a sudden gust of wind violently collided with her, nearly sending the girl to the ground.

Roxas rushed forward and placed a hand on her shoulder to stabilize her balance before he glared at the other hooded figure. That person had his own wand out, clearly indicating that he was the one that cast the spell.

Looking up at Henrietta's face, Louise was shocked to see her expression had not changed. Louise glanced at the other figure as she narrowed her eyes. Raising her wand, she pointed it at him.

"Henrietta! Get away from him." She shouted.

Henrietta didn't move an inch towards them; rather she shifted herself until half of her body was behind the hooded person. She rested on hand on his shoulder as she narrowed her eyes ever so slightly.

"Henrietta! What are you doing?"

Henrietta stayed rooted in her spot, her face showing conviction of her actions. She knew perfectly well what she was doing.

And that scared Louise.

Suddenly, the hooded figure started to chuckle, causing Roxas and Louise to look over at him. "Clearly from her actions, she does not want to go back with you." Said the person, his voice clearly male.

Louise glared at the man. "What are you talking about?"

"What I am saying is that she chose to come with me. She will not be going back with you."

Both Louise and Roxas's eyes widened as they turned their attention to the Queen. She was looking away from them with a bit of shame on her face, but her eyes showed the same resolve. There was no question about it. This man was telling the truth.

And that hurt.

"Why? Why would you do that Henrietta? Why would you go with a complete stranger?" Roxas asked through gritted teeth.

The hooded figure laughed again, catching Roxas's attention. "You don't recognize me Roxas? Or you Louise?" he asked as he turned his gaze over to the girl. "And after I gave my life to save yours."

Louise frowned a bit as she looked at the hooded figure. What was he talking about? The only person who had given his life to save hers was….

Roxas was in the same train of thought as well. There had been only one person who had died in Louise's place, one person who had sacrificed his own existence to save hers.

"It can't be." Roxas whispered, his eyes widening by the second.

Slowly, the hooded figure raised his hand and with one quick motion, removed his hood. Immediately, Roxas and Louise gasped when they recognized the person standing there.

"Wales." Roxas whispered. "How is this possible!? You were directly exposed to the darkness. It should have consumed you…" He started before he realized what he was saying. He suddenly remembered what happens to a person with a strong heart when they are consumed by the darkness.

Biting his lower lip, he looked into the eyes of the former prince of Albion. Just from one glance, Roxas could tell a distinct difference between the Wales he saw before and the Wales that was standing in front of him now. His eyes were completely empty, void of anything. It nearly reminded Roxas of looking at himself in the mirror when he first joined Organization 13.

"How is this possible? It can't be."

"It is possible!"

Roxas and Louise tore their gaze away from the prince before they turned their attention to Henrietta. She had her staff out, pointing at them with tears pricking the corners of her eyes. "This is prince Wales. His double was the one that died that day. He told me himself."

Louise was looking between the prince and Henrietta a few times, obviously a loss for words at the situation. Roxas however turned his attention back to Wales, staring into his lifeless eyes. The smile Wales had on his face…He had seen it many times before.

It was the exact same fake smile that most of the members of organization 13 would use.

It was the smile of a Nobody.

"Wales." Roxas started, catching the Prince's attention. "You're a Nobody. Aren't you?"

Henrietta and Louise snapped their gaze over at Roxas, there eyes widening a bit. They then looked back at Wales.

"Roxas! What are you saying?" Louise asked.

"Louise, you remember what I told you about the Nobodies? They are born form those who have lost there hearts to the darkness. After someone looses there heart, all that remains is…

"An…empty shell." Louise finished as she turned back to the prince.

Wales no longer had a smile on his face as all the attention was turned towards him. Henrietta was staring at him, her eyes wide and her mouth dropped open a bit.

"Is-Is it true?" Henrietta asked, her voice barely above a whisper. Wales looked over at her for a few seconds.

The prince breathed out a sigh as he turned his attention back to Roxas, the fake smile returning to his face. "I am surprised that you guessed it so fast Roxas, but considering who you are…or what you are, I shouldn't be surprised." Wales said as he raised his wand again.

Roxas paused for a few moments before the meaning behind Wales's words rang clear. His eyes widened a bit. "Wha…how would you know about that?" Roxas asked. The only people he had told he was a Nobody was his group of friends. There was no point in time where he had told Wales about himself. There wasn't anyone else that knew about it. Did Henrietta say something?

"That is none of your concern. My only objective is to retrieve the Queen so I can get what was promised to me." Wales said, his smile vanishing again.

"Prince Wales. What are you saying?" Henrietta asked, tears forming on the sides of her eyes before cascading down her cheeks.

Wales looked over at the princess for a few moments, his features softening slightly. "I remember everything Henrietta. I remember how I felt about you, how I felt about my country, and how much I love both." He started as he cast his gaze down to the ground. "But now I feel nothing. You don't know what it is like to have memories of these powerful feelings I used to have, only for them to remain in my memory. It's…Agonizing. I need your help to get my heart back. Please Henrietta."

Henrietta felt her lower lip tremble as she heard his words. Suddenly, She gave a small gasp in pain as she felt her own heart throb within her chest. It only lasted a brief second, but it was enough for her to clasp her hand over her chest and take a few breaths.

"Henrietta?" Wales asked. "Are you ok?"

Henrietta took a couple more deep breaths before she looked up at him, clear conviction in her eyes. She then turned toward Louise and Roxas, her staff raised. "As your Queen, I command you to step aside."

Louise stared wide-eyed at the queen. "What are you saying? You can't go with him Queen Henrietta. Your country needs you!"

Henrietta grit her teeth as she glared at her friend. "And you don't think I know that? Well, what about what I want?"

Roxas and Louise stared at the Queen for a long time before Louise stepped forward. "What do you mean?"

Henrietta glared at Louise. "Do you understand the burden being Queen puts on a person? I have no one to share that burden with, no one who is there for me. I have to rule this country with no one to rely on while corrupt officials try and take over this country from within. Can you understand what that's like? To not have hardly anyone you can trust?" Henrietta bit back, causing Louise to flinch. "You don't understand. Friends and people you can trust constantly surround you. You have a dedicated familiar who will protect you with his own life if it comes down to it. What would you know about the kind of pressure I am under?" Henrietta finished, tears streaming down her face.

Louise looked like she was just slapped in the face. It was true that she didn't know what that was like. Everything the queen was saying was true.

Roxas also felt a bit hurt by her words. He knew that the responsibilities of the Queen were an immense burden, but he didn't think it would have affected Henrietta like this. It was true that she didn't have anyone. Ever since he let Wales be consumed by the darkness, she had been alone.

His heart was consumed.

If the prince was consumed by the darkness, then were was his heart? Who would be able to restore it and how?

"Wales." Roxas said, getting the princes attention. "Who told you that they would get you back your heart? That should be impossible unless you know where it is…or what heartless was created from it."

Wales stared at Roxas for a few moments before he scoffed. "What does it matter? He was the only one that offered a way to restore my heart. I will take any chance I can get."

Roxas narrowed his eyes. "Someone told you they would be able to restore your heart?" Roxas asked as his mind went into a frenzy. If someone told him that, then they must have knowledge of kingdom hearts and the heartless. If that's true, then they must not be from this world.

"Who was it? What did they look like?" Roxas asked again.

"Like I said." Wales said as he raised his wand. Magical energy started to form around his being, causing Roxas to crouch down in his keyblade stance. "It does not matter as long as I get my heart back."

Suddenly, the prince chanted a quick spell, causing a gust of wind to erupt from his wand.

"LOUISE! LOOK OUT!" Roxas yelled as he dashed over to the shocked girl and tackled her out of the way. The gust of wind ripped through the beach, casting sand and dust into he air before it crashed into the tree line.

Roxas sped backwards a bit before he shot to the right, Louise thrown over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Wales continued chanting spells, sending condensed channels of wind shooting after them. Roxas weaved around them, trying to avoid being hit directly by the spells. The channels collided with the trees, causing major gashes to appear on the bark and even slicing through a few branches free.

Roxas had to admit, Wales was good. Dashing into the tree line, Roxas dodged another particularly powerful gust of wind. It was a good thing that he did too. The wind sliced straight through the trunk of a tree he just passed. He dashed forward, narrowly avoiding the tree as it loudly fell to the ground. It smashed into the ground, sending dirt and dust cascading up into the air.

Gritting his teeth, Roxas crouched down behind the fallen tree as she carefully placed Louise on the ground. She was still a bit of shocked at what was happening. Roxas grabbed her shoulders as he shook her a few times.

"Louise! Snap out of it!" he whispered loudly.

Louise looked up at him, her eyes still wide with fear. "H-How is this happening Roxas? How could the Queen betray us like this? Why is Wales attacking us?" She asked, tears starting to prick the corner of her eyes.

Roxas bit his lower lip as he felt another gust of wind smash into the tree they were hiding behind. The bark was being ripped from the trunk because of the power of the spell. He knew exactly why Wales was attacking. He knew how much a Nobody wanted a heart; especially one that remembered what it was like.

"Louise, we don't have time to think about that now. The Queen needs you." Roxas said.

Louise slowly looked up at him as another gust of wind slammed into the tree. Her hair was thrown in all directions by the wind, but she didn't pay it any mind. She was listening to his words.

"Now more than ever, Henrietta needs your help. She is right when she said she is alone, but going with Wales will not make anything better." Roxas continued. He took a second to look over the fallen tree to see Wales standing there, looking directly at them. Wales pointed his wand at the tree, chanting a spell.

Without a second's hesitation, Roxas grabbed Louise and dashed out from behind the tree just as another wind spell completely sliced it in half.

"But-But what am I supposed to do? Wales is a Triangle class wind mage. I-I can't control the light quite yet. Not enough to fight him." Louise said as Roxas shot behind another tree. He weaved through the trees before he emerged from the tree line again. He skidded to a halt on the sandy shore of Lagdorian lake.

"You let me worry about Wales. You need to talk some sense into the Queen." Roxas said as he put Louise down. The oblivion flashed into existence in his right hand as the oathkeeper appeared in his left.

Louise stared at her familiar for a few seconds before she looked down the shoreline. Henrietta was standing there with her staff out, her face showing determination. Wales had just emerged from the tree line as well, standing next to the Queen.

Louise stared at her childhood friend, remembering all the memorable moments they shared together as kids. Her whole life consisted of people looking down on her because of her inability to use magic. No one, not even her own mother and father, had showed her and ounce of love or respect. The only people that had given her the time of day were one of her older sisters, and Henrietta.

Henrietta had always been her friend. She never cared that Louise struggled with magic. Henrietta never cared about the status of Louise's family. She simply saw Louise for the friend she was, and was always there for her.

Now it was time for Louise to do the same. She needed to help her, even if Henrietta didn't want it.

She looked back up at Roxas; a determined look filled her eyes. She only gave a small nod before she turned back to the duo. Slowly, she reached into her blouse and pulled out her wand, a very faint white aura beginning to surround her.

Roxas gave a small grin as both he and Louise slowly started to walk towards Henrietta and Wales.

Henrietta narrowed her eyes a bit as she watched the two approaches. "I am going to say this one last time Louise. As your Queen, I order you to stand down. Please obey this last order from your Queen." She said, just a hit of pleading in her voice.

"I can't do that Queen Henrietta." Louise said as she stopped in front of her best friend. "I have to stop you."

"Why?" Henrietta asked, frustrating tears forming in her eyes. "Why can you just let me go?"

"Because…" Louise started, a sad smile forming on her face as she lowered her wand a bit. "Because you are my best friend. Even if you don't want to come back, I have to stop you. I have to protect you even if you don't want it."

"She is not going anywhere." Wales said as he stood in front of Henrietta, pointing his wand at Louise. He quickly chanted a spell before another devastating gust of wind blasted straight at the girl.

"Reflect!"

The wind smashed into a barrier of light before it shattered. The result was a minor explosion that nearly made Wales and Henrietta loose their balance. They stumbled a bit before they fixed their gaze on the settling dust. Standing there was Roxas, his oathkeeper raised in his hand as he glared at Wales.

"I am the one you should worry about Wales." Roxas said as he suddenly dashed forward at the prince. Wales sent another stream of condensed wind at Roxas, but the Nobody made a sharp turn, completely dodging the spell before he turned and shot back at the prince. He swung the oblivion at Wales, trying to connect with his torso, but the prince suddenly chanted another spell.

Without warning, Roxas's keyblade collided with a wall of wind that erected just a few inches in front of the prince. However, Roxas pushed against his keyblade, trying to break through the barrier.

Wales grunted, his teeth clenched as he tried to keep the barrier erect, but the sheer amount of strength Roxas was pushing with made it difficult. Finally, when the barrier was about to break, Wales pointed his wand at the sand. Another gust of wind collided with the ground, effectively throwing Prince Wales away form Roxas with the force of the blast. Wales rolled over his shoulder before he was quickly on his feet. He turned to Roxas, only for his eyes to widen again as a spinning projectile headed straight for him.

Wales dove out of the way as the weapon whizzed over his head, taking a few hairs off his head as it passed. He rolled again before he looked back at Roxas.

Roxas simply extended his hand as he caught the weapon as it returned to him. Roxas glared at Wales as he drew his hand back again. "Strike Raid."

Wales barely had time to erect another barrier of wind before the keyblade violently smashed into it. The keyblade ricochet off the wind, but Roxas was already moving. He dashed at the prince, the oathkeeper ready to strike. With one swing, Wales felt the immense force of the strike against his wind barrier. It didn't help when the other keyblade sored threw the air and landed in Roxas's palm. Roxas then started to mercilessly smash his keyblades again the wind barrier one after the other.

Wales grunted as he tired to keep the barrier up. He never realized that Roxas was this strong. He was forced to a knee as Roxas raised both his keyblades at the same time and smashed them down on the barrier. The barrier shattered as the wind died down. Roxas was about to strike again, but Wales was quick. He pointed his want in the middle of Roxas's chest, point blank. Roxas barely had time to cross his keyblades over his chest before a blast of wind collided with him.

Clenching his teeth, Roxas tried to stay on his feet as the force of the wind started to push him backwards. He had to admit, Wales was talented with magic, even more so that Wardes himself. Roxas felt the force of the wind increase, causing him to be lifted off his feet. With a final blast, Roxas was thrown threw the air, however, he was able to roll and land on his feet, ready for another blast.

A small smile crept on his face as Roxas faced Wales. The prince was breathing hard and sweating already, but he still looked determined. Roxas had to admit.

He was having fun. Maybe he could step it up a bit.

"Your good." Roxas said.

Wales gave a small smile as he got into a stance, his wand pointed in front of him. "You are as well. I was warned that you would be difficult to defeat. That was why I received a bit of training from the man that found me. He taught me a few things about wind magic."

"Is that so?" Roxas said as he got down in his dual wielding stance. "And you never saw what he looked like?"

Wales grinned. "I didn't. He kept his hood up, but I will say this…" Wales said as determination filled his eyes again. "He was stronger than anyone I have ever met. In any of our training sessions, I could never even touch him once."

Roxas blinked a few times as he took in Wales's words. His eyes widened a bit. Roxas wasn't going all out, but Wales was no slouch either. The fact that he was not able to even touch the person that trained him was a bit frightening.

But also a bit exciting.

"Then I guess I will have to take it up a notch." Roxas said, causing the prince to glare over at him.

"What do you mean? Are you not fighting at your peak?" Wales asked.

"Not at all." Roxas replied as he closed his eyes. Wales watched curiously for a few seconds before arcs of red energy began to cascade down Roxas's coat. Suddenly, Roxas opened his eyes before his entire being erupted in a flash of light.

Wales had to shield his eyes for a second before the light was gone. He lowered his arm only for his eyes to widen again.

Roxas was standing there, but instead of his black coat, he was wearing a red one. It was dark rad with a large symbol of a Nobody on the front of his chest. Arcs of red energy were bouncing around his frame as he held the oblivion in one hand and the Oathkeeper in the other. The sheer amount of power he was showing was almost frightening.

"I probably didn't need to use this." Roxas said as he looked down at his red gloves. "But I haven't used it in a while, and I think I could use a bit of practice."

Wales readied himself, but nothing could prepare him for what happened next. It was almost as if Roxas blurred out of existence before he was standing right in front of him. Wales's torso erupted in pain as the oblivion collided with him. He was thrown off his feet, but Roxas was not done. Dashing forward, Roxas appeared behind the prince as he was falling to the ground. He swung his keyblade again before it collided painfully with Wales's back, throwing the prince back into the air.

With another dash, Roxas appeared right above the prince, only to smash his keyblade into his chest, sending him straight down into the ground. However, Roxas had one more move left. He blurred to the ground before he swung his keyblade one last time. It smashed into he prince's shoulder, sending him hurling to the side and landing roughly into the sandy ground. His body rolled a few times, kicking up sand in the process, before he came to a halt on the ground.

Roxas looked over at his downed opponent before he slowly started to walk over to him. He saw the prince struggling to push himself to his feet, but his body was so battered, that he doubted the prince could stand anymore. As he continued to approach, he saw that Wales was able to push himself to his knees.

Wales looked up at Roxas, a trail of blood leaking down the side of his head and mouth. He saw that Roxas was slowly approaching, both his keyblades in his hands.

"Well, I have to say…I wasn't expecting that." Wales said as he tried to push himself to his feet, only to fall back to the sand. "It seems that I was severely misinformed about your power."

Roxas stopped walking forward before he pointed his keyblade at the downed mage. "Do you really think that these people will be able to restore your heart?" Roxas asked Wales.

"What else am I supposed to believe in?" Wales shot back. "You don't know what it is like Roxas. You were born with nothing. You were nothing to begin with. You never understood what it was like to have a heart. And because of that…" Wales started, his teeth clenched as he looked up at Roxas. "You don't understand what it's like to loose it."

Roxas stared at Wales as Wales wiped the blood from his lip. "You're right. I don't understand, but I was in your position at one point. Others around me described what it was like and I couldn't help but desire that for myself. So I worked for an organization that promised us that we would have hearts of our own one day."

Wales stared at Roxas for the longest time, as if beckoning him to continue. So Roxas did. "We were promised hearts of our own if we followed the person in charge. We blindly listened to his every command because he was the only one that promised us what we wanted. But…" Roxas paused.

"But?" Wales said, intrigued by the story.

"It was all just a lie." Roxas finished, his eyes narrowing and his grip on the keyblades tightening.

"A lie?"

Roxas nodded. "The leader of the organization lied to us. There was no way for us to regain our hearts through his means. He never intended for us to regain our hearts. The only way to restore ones heart is to either know where it is, destroy the heartless that was created from it, or grow one of your own." Roxas finished.

Wales grit his teeth as he looked at the Nobody. "Then where is my heart? If they are lying to me, how can I find it? What hope do I have?"

"I don't know." Roxas said sadly. "But trusting this person, a person that wares the same coat as I do, you will never regain your heart with his help."

"And why should I trust you?"

"Because…Like you I am a Nobody." Roxas finished.

Wales stared at Roxas for a long time. He knew that Roxas had a heart. "What do you mean? You have a heart."

"Yes." Roxas said as he brought his right hand over his heart. "But I was still created when someone strong lost their heart. I was not able to have my heart returned to me, so I had to grow one of my own."

"What do you mean?"

"The person I was created from already had his heart restored. So there was no way for my heart to be returned to me. I had to grow my own. It took time, but with the help of those around me, I began to understand what it was like to have a heart. However…" Roxas said as he narrowed his eyes at Wales. "That means I am still a Nobody. I am still a lot like you. Please Wales, don't to this. You remember what it was like…would the Wales with a heart do something like this?"

Wales paused for a long time as he thought about Roxas's words. He thought long and hard about his memories, the memories of himself when he had his heart.

"I-I"

"GET AWAY FROM WALES!"

Roxas had no time to react as he felt a sharp pain in his abdomen. He gasped as he looked down, only to see a few shards of ice imbedded in his stomach. He grunted as a bit of blood dribbled down the side of his mouth. He raised his oathkeeper, ready to cast a cure spell, but for some reason, it didn't work.

That's when he remembered.

The Valor drive form increased all his physical abilities, but it completely took away his magic. He collapsed to his knees before he let the drive form dissipate, turning his red coat back into its usual black.

Immediately, a wave of exhaustion overcame the Nobody, causing him to nearly fall flat on his face. He cursed himself for letting his guard down, but he didn't expect a surprise attack. Looking up, he saw Henrietta standing there next to the prince, trying to help support him by slinging his arm over her shoulder.

"H-Henrietta" Roxas said as more blood escaped his mouth.

"Roxas!" Louise shouted as she ran up to him. Roxas turned to look at her. Just by that one glance, He could tell that she wasn't just standing by and watching the battle happen. Louise's cloths were ripped in a few places and she supported a few gashes as well.


A bit earlier

Louise watched at Roxas and Wales started to fight, but her attention quickly turned to Henrietta, who was about to step in.

"Queen Henrietta!" Louise shouted, causing the queen to look at her. Louise raised her wand, pointing at her. "I will stop you."

"You defy your Queen?" Henrietta asked dangerously, her staff raised.

"If I have to." Louise responded, the aura of light increasing a bit more.

"Then I apologize for what I am about to do, but I have too." Henrietta said, tears streaming down her face.

"Why? Why do you have to do this Queen Henrietta?" Louise asked.

Henrietta grit her teeth as she looked at Louise, her gaze softened a bit. "Have you ever loved someone with all of your heart Louise? The kind of love that would drive you to give up everything to be with them?"

Louise stared at the princess, a bit lost for words. "You really feel that way?"

Henrietta nodded as she clenched her staff in her hands hard enough for her knuckles to go white. Suddenly, Henrietta gasped in pain as her heart gave another nasty throb. She cried out as she clenched her hand over her chest.

Louise watched in confusion as she saw the Queen fall to her knees, her hand clenched over her heart. Immediately, a worried look crossed her face and she was about to rush up to her Queen. "Henrietta! What's wron…" She started before she noticed a small red glow light up the queen's chest for just a second before it died down. She stared at the Queen for a few seconds, watching her catch her breath and stand on her feet.

"W-What was that Henrietta?" Louise asked, about to approach her friend again.

"Stay back!" Henrietta demanded, raising her staff at Louise. "I am warning you Louise, I will fight."

Louise grit her teeth as she raised her wand. "Then I will as well."

"Then you leave me no choice." Henrietta finished as she started to chant a spell. Suddenly, the air turned extremely cold before a wave of ice spikes erupted from the ground and shot at Louise.

Reacting quickly, Louise pointed her wand downward at the ice. "Explosion!"

Immediately, the ice exploded, sending shards flying in all directions. Louise quickly ducked as a few sailed over her head, while Henrietta quickly jumped behind a tree, allowing the spikes to imbed themselves in the bark.

Louise quickly got back to her feet, looking around in fear, hoping that she didn't hurt the Queen to bad. She received her answer as another wave of ice shot at her from behind the trees. Quickly, she raised her wand, "Explosion!"

The ice exploded again, casting a good amount of sand and dust into the air. Using it as cover, Louise rand into the tree line, hoping to hide. She knew if she hit Henrietta with her explosion head on, then it might kill her. She couldn't do that.

"Louise. You have been practicing haven't you? Being able aim your explosions like that and control them. Its impressive."

"If I cant cast regular spells, then I might as well practice with what I've got." Louise responded from behind the tree. She remembered the few times she trained with Roxas after the battle at Tarbes. Roxas insisted that she learn to control her explosions and even learn to aim them.

Gritting her teeth, Louise jumped out form behind the tree and pointed her wand at the ground in front of Henrietta "Explosion!"

The ground erupted and the shockwave sent the queen off balance, causing her to land on her back, her staff flying from her hands. Henrietta tried to get back on her feet, but Louise was a bit quicker. She ran over to Henrietta's staff before she picked it up. Henrietta stared up at her, narrowing her eyes.

"Give me my staff Louise." She demanded.

Louise shook her head. "I can't do that." She said as she slowly approached the Queen. "Please stop this madness Henrietta. You know what will happen to you if you go to Albion."

"I don't care!" Henrietta cried. "Please!"

A sudden noise caught their attention. They looked down the shoreline to see Wales on his knees, staring up at Roxas, who was wearing his red coat. Wales looked worse for wares however.

Seeing her Wales like that, Henrietta felt another painful throb in her heart. She cried out in pain as her chest started to glow red again.

Louise looked back at Henrietta in concern before she quickly approached. She knelt down next to her, putting a hand on her back. "Queen Henrietta! What's happening? Are you hurt?" She asked fearfully, wondering if it was her fault?

The pain only lasted for a second before her heart clamed down again. She didn't have time to think about it because her thoughts were on Wales. Glancing over at Louise, she saw that her guard was down. With one quick movement, she snatched her staff right out of Louise's grasp before she quickly drove her elbow into Louise's stomach.

For a brief second, Louise lost all the air in her lungs, just long enough for Henrietta to get away.

"GET AWAY FROM WALES!" Henrietta shouted as she set a series of ice spikes heading straight for Roxas.


Now

"I'm sorry Roxas. She caught me by surprise." Louise said as she rested a hand on Roxas's back.

Roxas shook his head as he looked up at the duo. Both he and Louise were at there mercy right now. He looked at Wales, who was staring down at Henrietta. He could see the confliction in his eyes.

"Roxas, I'm sorry. I know that he may be lying about restoring my heart, but that is the only option I have." Wales said as he pointed his staff down at Roxas and Louise. "This is the end."

Roxas clenched his eyes closed. He knew how fast Wales could cast a spell, so he didn't have time to use Cure to heal his wounds. And even if he did, there was no way they would heal fast enough for them to escape.

Both he and Louise watched as Wales finished chanting the spell. A massive gust of wind erupted from his wand before it shot at them. Louise closed her eyes, waiting for the impact.

BAM!

Louise kept her eye closed as she continued to wait for the impact, but it never came. Slowly, she opened her eyes only for them to shoot wide open. The wind from Wales's spell had collided with another barrier of wind that had erupted in front of Roxas and Louise. The two spells cancelled each other out, dispersing the wind harmlessly over the water.

"W-What happened?" Louie asked.

Roxas just had a small grin on his face as he pointed into the air. Following his finger, Louise saw a couple familiar faces riding on the back of a blue dragon.

"Darling! Zero!" said the redhead.

"Kirche! Tabitha!" Louise shouted.

Sylphid landed behind Roxas and Louise while Kirche and Tabitha jumped from her back, aiming their wands at Prince wales and Henrietta.

"Roxas, Is that who I think it is?" Kirche asked as she looked over at Wales.

Roxas only nodded.

Tabitha and Kirche continued to stare at them. "What is going on?" asked Tabitha.

"There is no time to explain." Roxas said as he raised his Oathkeeper. "Cura"

Immediately, the wounds on his stomach began to disappear, but he was still exhausted from using Valor form. He really needed to practice a bit more with it. Slowly, he turned to Wales and Henrietta.

"You are outnumbered. Please stop this." Roxas said.

Henrietta looked up at Wales, wondering how they were going to get out of this one. Wales, on the other had, was looking downward, his hair covering his eyes. It only lasted a second before a fake smile covered his face.

"You know." He said as he raised his right arm, his hand in the position to snap his fingers. "There are perks to being a nobody, though I didn't think I would have to use them." He suddenly snapped his fingers.

Just as he did so, Roxas's eyes widened as silver portals appeared in front of them. Just seconds later, a small army of dusks appeared in between the two parties.

"W-What!" Roxas exclaimed.

Wales just gave a satisfied grin as he waved his hand. Just as he did so, the dusks suddenly attacked the group. The quickest people to react were Tabitha and Kirche. Tabitha pointed her wand forward before a gust of wind erupted from her wand. Kirche did the same, but only fire came forth. The fire collided with the wind, creating a devastating firestorm heading straight for the dusks. The fire engulfed them all, burning them to a crisp, but other dusks took their place.

Roxas and Louise managed to jump away as the dusks started to attack.

"What's going on!? I thought they were on our side!" Louise exclaimed as she pointed her wand at one of the approaching dusks. It completely exploded as she cast her spell.

Roxas bit his lower lip as he glared at the grinning face of Wales. Roxas knew why he was able to control some of the Nobodies, but he didn't know how? How did Wales learn to control them?"

He couldn't answer that question now because he had other things to worry about. Roxas raised his right hand and snapped his fingers. Immediately, more silver portals opened, only this time, a wave of snipers appeared.

"Destroy the Dusks!" Roxas commanded. His nobodies immediately responded by unloading their projectiles at the army of dusks.

On the sidelines, Henrietta watched in horror as the battle commences. She never expected something like this. This was like an all out battle. She watched at Kirche casted a massive fire spell at an oncoming group of dusks, while Tabitha blew them away with a wind spell. She watched as Sylphid swatted them away with her massive tail, while the snipers shot them out of the sky.

"Henrietta!"

Henrietta turned her attention to the person who had called out to her. It was Roxas.

"Is this what you wanted?" he gestured to the battled before he whirled his keyblade at an oncoming dusk, completely obliterating it in the process. "You always talked about how much you wanted to avoid fighting! Did you think that would end if you went with Wales? What do you think would happen to Tristan if you left? What would happen to your home?"

"I-I" Henrietta said as she clenched her teeth. "What am I supposed to do? I can't survive without Wales in my life." She said as he looked up at Wales. He also turned to look into her eyes. Just as they made contact, the pain in her heart return, but this time with a vengeance. She cried out in pain as she fell to her knees, her hand over her heart. Her chest started to glow red again. Henrietta had never felt this kind of pain before, almost as if her heart was trying to escape her chest.

"Henrietta, my dear, what's wrong? Are you hurt?" Wales asked as he knelt down next to her, his hand on her back.

Roxas caught his keyblade after he threw it at another dusk. He turned his attention back to Queen Henrietta and Prince Wales before he frowned. It wasn't until he noticed the glowing light on Henrietta's chest that his eyes widened a bit. For some reason, this situation seemed really familiar…

Suddenly, A memory hit Roxas like a ton of bricks.

Don't you see yet! The princesses' heart is responding. It's been there all along; Kairi's heart rests within you.

Roxas's eyes widened when he finally realized the truth. With the queen on her knees, her hand clutched over her heart, and the only one without a heart just standing inches form her; Roxas knew where Wales's heart was. How had he not seen it before?

But…

But even if he knew where Wales's heart was, how could he separate his heart from Henrietta's without hurting her? Sora had given his own heart I order to restore Kairi. He couldn't do that to Henrietta. That would only cause more damage then good. But what could he do? How could he separate Wales's heart from Henrietta's?

A sudden blast from his right caused his eyes to widen. Louise's had just blown up another dusk with her explosion spell. He stared at her for the longest time.

"Being able to separate a heart without hurting the other person. Just like how I was separated from Sora without him being hurt." Roxas pondered. Suddenly, Roxas felt another tug on his keyblade, just like how he felt when Louise had shown him the prayer book. This time, he was not going to resist. He allowed the keyblade to aim itself at Louise.

"Louise!" Roxas called, getting the girls attention. Her eyes widened a bit when she saw Roxas's keyblade aimed at her.

"W-What are you doing?"

"Louise! Do you trust me?"

Louise raised an eyebrow in confusion as she turned to him. "What are you talking about?"

"My keyblade is responding. I think that means there is another spell you need to use right now."

Louise looked at him like he was crazy. "Another spell!?" She exclaimed.

Roxas nodded. "You remember the battle at Tarbes, when I unlocked your light magic?" He said, before his eyes widened. "Louise, behind you!"

Louise whirled around to see a dusk that had just launched at attack at her. It nearly landed before a pair of jaws came down on the dusk, completely crushing it. Louise looked up at Sylphid, who had just saved her life. The dragon then turned and swung its tale at another dusk, before a sniper shot it out of the air.

"Yes I remember!" Louise shouted as she turned to Roxas. "Just get on with it? What do I need to do?"

Roxas nodded as he felt his keyblade begin to charge. "I need you to direct your next attack at the Queen."

"…"

"ARE YOU INSAINE!?" Louise screamed. "That's the queen! What if I kill her?" Louise finished, remembering what her last big spell did to the battleships of Tristan after Roxas unlocked her light magic.

"I know but please!" Roxas begged. "Trust me!"

Louise grinded her teeth together as she battled internally with herself. She knew that Roxas wouldn't say something like this unless he had an extremely good reason for it. She was extremely reluctant though. This was asking a lot of her, to trust him and direct her light magic at her best friend. The same light magic that annihilated the masses of heartless and the Albion battle ship.

Suddenly, Roxas heard a small movement behind him. He ducked, only to see a Dusk strike where his head used to be. He swung his keyblade upwards and destroyed it completely before he turned back to Louise.

"Louise, HURRY!" Roxas said as he dodged another oncoming Dusk. He waved his hand as a couple samurai appeared through silver portals and dispatched an oncoming group of dusks.

Louise grit her teeth before she drew her wand. "I swear Roxas, if something happens to the Queen, I will MURDER YOU!" She screamed as she pointed her wand at Henrietta.

Roxas nodded as his keyblade began to charge. He noticed that the group of Dusks were sprinting at him, thought his Samurai took cake of the majority of them. The painful thing about the Dusks is that there were so many more of them than of other Nobodies.

It seemed to take eternity, but Roxas finally finished charging the Keyblade's beam. It erupted from the tip before it collided with Louise's chest. With a quick flick of the wrist, he heard a small click before the light died down. He looked at Louise before he saw her go into the same kind of trance she was in when she destroyed the ships of Albion. It was so similar; that he feared it would be the same kind of attack.

She was standing in the same spot, chanting her sell and completely venerable, making her an easy target. A few Dusks came up behind her, ready to attack.

Roxas whirled his keyblade before it collided with the closest Dusk, completely destroying it. He rushed forward and attacked any and all things that tried to interrupt Louise.

Henrietta was still gasping in pain as she clutched her chest with Wales kneeling besides her. She didn't know why her heart was hurting like this, but it was very painful. However she looked up carefully, only to see Roxas fending off a group of Dusks while Louise was chanting a spell. There was one thing that worried her though.

Louise had her wanted pointed straight at her.

"Louise! What are you doing!" she yelled before she gasped in pain again. Her chest felt like it was about to rip open.

Wales looked over at Louise as well before his eyes narrowed. "I will not allow you to interfere, I will regain my heart." He yelled as he shot a gust of wind at her.

"REFLECT!"

The current of wind ricochet off the barrier of light. The barrier exploded, sending any surrounding dusks into he air.

"Wales, whoever told you they would restore your heart lied." Roxas shouted as he stood in front of the chanting Louise.

Wales glared at the Nobody. "How would you know that?"

"Because I know where your heart is."

Wales instantly stopped when he heard that. He stared at Roxas for the longest time. "How would you know where my heart is?"

Slowly, Roxas turned to Henrietta as he heard Louise finish chanting the spell. Her entire being started to glow with a bright light. "Please. Just give us a chance to prove it. As a fellow Nobody, no one can understand more than me your desire for a heart."

Wales stared at Roxas for the longest time before he slowly lowered his wand. He raised his hand, causing the Dusks to halt in there attack. Kirche and Tabitha were both breathing hard after the intense battle with the Dusks. However, they shot a confused look at the silver nobodies, keeping their guard up just in case they tired something.

Roxas also stopped his Snipers and Samurai from attacking anything else.

Wales turned to Henrietta, who was looking at Louise in fear. Louise was glowing brightly, her wand still pointed at her.

"You better know what your doing, Roxas." Wales said with a glare.

It was just a moment later that the entire area was engulfed in an extremely bright light. Everything was consumed to the point where there was no shadows left. Everyone had to shield their eyes from the light as it continued to consume everything around them.

Finally it was all over. The bright light dimmed down before everything was visible again. Louise had collapsed due to the sheer amount of fatigue, but that was not what everyone was focused on. In the middle of the battlefield was a glowing red heart.

Henrietta stared at the object for a while before her eyes widened. Her chest didn't hurt anymore, but he glowing object reminded her of something.

Her eyes widened when she remembered what it was. It as when the same as the young man that warned them of Albion's attacked. She remembered that she saw a heart before he turned into a heartless.

"Is that…Is that my heart?" Henrietta asked fearfully.

"No." Roxas said as he shook his head. He pointed over to Wales. "It's his."

Henrietta's eyes widened as he stared at the heart. "But how? How is it here?"

Roxas gave a soft smile as he remembered the similar scenario with Sora and Kairi. "Do you remember in my story, how Sora was able to revive Kairi?" He asked, causing the queen to look over at him. She didn't nod, but Roxas could tell that she did remember. "Well, it seems that your connection with Wales was what attracted his heart to you. His heart took refuge within yours when he was consumed by the darkness."

Wales stared at the heart, his eyes wide and his mouth slightly ajar. "How…how did you know it would work? How did you know Louise could do this?"

Roxas gave a soft and tired laugh. "Because she was the one that separated me from Sora. She was the one that released my heart from him. So why couldn't she do the same for you?"

Wales cast his gaze to the ground as he clenched his fist. "I-I was once again just played by my enemy, wasn't I? I was about to hand over Henrietta just because they claimed that they could restore my heart. And here it was, right front of me all along." He said as he approached the heart. Slowly, the red object approached the prince before it hovered in front of his chest. "I really owe you a great debt, Roxas." Wales finished as the heart entered his being.

Suddenly, all the emotions the prince longed to feel came rushed back. All the feelings that accompanied his memories filled him, almost like a dam had burst within him.

Gasping, The prince fell to his knees as he clutched his chest.

"Wales!" Henrietta exclaimed as she rushed over to him. She knelt down next to him and placed a careful hand on his shoulder, a bit of hope entering her eyes.

"Henrietta." Wales responded as she looked up at her.

It was that moment that Henrietta's eyes suddenly widened. She could see the emotion behind those eyes once again. She knew that the person she was staring at right now was the one she loved. Suddenly, tears stated to flow down her face again as she wrapped her arm around his neck, nearly chocking him to death.

"Wales! You're back! You're really back this time." She sobbed.

Wales's couldn't help it either. He slowly reached up and wrapped his arms around her back. "I am. I am so sorry for what I put you through."

As Roxas watched the scene, he could not help but breath a sigh of relief. He slowly sat on the wet sand as he glanced around. The dusks had all disappeared through the silver portals. Looking at his own Nobodies, he waved his hand, dismissing them from there duty. They also disappeared in portals of silver.

"Um…"

Roxas looked to his side, noticing Kirche and Tabitha standing there, obviously confused as to what just happened.

"What was that all about? Why is Wales alive?" Kirche asked.

Roxas gave a huge sigh as he closed his eyes. "That is a VERY long story." He responded.

"It does sound interesting though. I swear, nothing is ever boring with you around." Kirche said with a wink.

"True." Was Tabitha's only contribution to the conversation.

"Ugh."

Roxas turned his attention to the girl lying next to him. She slowly sat up while rubbing her eyes. "I swear, everything I do that…" She started before she noticed Wales and Henrietta sitting in the sand, there arms wrapped around each other. "What…what happened?" She asked in confusion.

Roxas shook his head as he rested a hand on her shoulder. "You did it Louise. Well Done."


"A Hunch! You risked the Queens safety on a HUNCH!" Agnes roared as she stood in front of the group. It was a bit later after the battle that Agnes came bursting through the trees to see Henrietta in the arms of Wales with Roxas and Louise watching from the sideline. She was about to attack the prince at first, but that's when Roxas and Louise came in to save him. After that, they told her what went down.

Needless to say, Agnes was not happy with what they did to save Wales. It wasn't like she understood much of it anyway. But from what she could interoperate, they had risked Henrietta's life on a hunch, and she was not happy about that little fact. Currently, She had her sword pointing at Roxas's neck, her teeth grinding together.

Roxas blinked a few times as he took a few steps away from the angry knight. "It was the only chance we had to stop this fight. It was the only way I could think of to save Henrietta and Wales."

"And what made you come to that conclusion?" Ages responded as she threw another glance at Henrietta and the prince. Henrietta still had her arm around Wales's neck but was looking at her knight, her eyes puffy and red from crying.

"Because…Because…" Roxas started before he gave a sigh. It seemed that Henrietta had forgotten to inform Agnes about anything related to him and the keyblade. Sure, she was there when they had that discussion with Sora and Riku, but she didn't understand half of what they were talking about. And revealing that kind of stuff right now would only arouse more questions. "Please, I had my reasons."

"That's not GOOD ENOUGH!" Ages shouted.

"Agnes, t-that's enough." Henrietta choked out.

"But your majesty, they risked your life for this. What if it didn't work? What is it harmed you somehow?" Ages responded.

"It didn't. And even if I knew the risk, I would have still commanded them to do it." She responded, a firm look in her eyes. "Because they took that risk, Prince Wales is alive."

Agnes looked at the prince again; still unsure as to what she was seeing. "How did he return anyway? You can't just bring someone back to life! You have to explain it to me!"

Henrietta opened her mouth before she closed it again. "Agnes, you will be assigned to Tristan soon. Please wait until then and I am sure Roxas will explain it to you."

"Wait! What?" Roxas exclaimed.

Henrietta turned her attention to him. "Please, I trust Agnes with my life. She is trustworthy enough to know everything." Henrietta said before she gave him a small grin. "Besides, you owe me that much for using me as a guinea pig with no evidence before hand that it would work."

Roxas blinked a few times before he scratched the back of his head. "I guess that's fair."

Henrietta nodded again before she turned her attention to the prince. She bit her lower lip as she looked up at him. "What are you going to do now?"

Wales looked down at her before he gave a sigh.

"Honestly, I-I don't know. I should go back to Albion and try to reclaim the kingdom." He said.

"What!" Henrietta exclaimed as she grasped the front of his shirt. "They will kill you! The entire country has been taken over by Reconquista. If they find out your alive, they will stop at nothing to kill you…again." She said as tears started to stream down her face. "I can't loose you again."

Wales looked down at her for a few moments before he gave a defeated sigh. "Then what should I do? I-I can't just leave my country in the hands of Reconquista."

"For the time being, you should stay with Henrietta." Louise said suddenly.

Everyone turned their attention to her in surprise

"What?"

Louise nodded. "Wait out this war until we defeat Reconquista. After we win this war, the country should be open enough for you to return."

"But how? What would I say if I show up after the war? They will say I betrayed them. There would be no way they would listen to me." Wales said.

"And you think they will listen to you now? Did they even listen to you before? Wales…" Louise started as she approached the Prince. "You were in hiding even before this war started. Reconquista had an iron grip on the country. It was only a matter of time before they killed you."

Wales stared at the girl for a long time. She did have a point. The majority of the country had already supported Reconquista. Wales would have died a long time ago had Wardes not did what he did.

"Wait out this war. Return afterwards. I don't know what you can say that will make them listen to you, but I know you will think of something." Louise said as she bit her lower lip. "I-I never did get to thank you for saving my life that day."

Wales looked down at the petite girl before he gave a warm smile. He reached down at gently cupped her cheek. "There is no need to thank me. After all, you played a major role in my return. So if anyone has a debt of gratitude, it is I." He said before he turned to the Queen. "She does have a point. If I were to return to Albion right now, they would only execute me."

"So…" Henrietta said, her eyes widening a bit.

Wales smiled warmly at her as he wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close. "I will stay here and wait out this war for now. It will give me time to find a way to rebuild my country. I have been given a second chance, I cannot waste it this time."

Tears were streaming down Henrietta face again as she launched herself up at the prince. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his face towards her. There lips interlocked with each other, not caring about who was watching at the moment. Slowly, Wales wrapped his arms around her lower back as he deepened the kiss.

Everyone who was watching the scene had a red tinge on their faces.

Everyone except for Roxas. Louise had kissed him on the lips before, but it meant nothing like what he was seeing in front of him right now. The sheer amount of emotion shared between the two was nearly alien to the Nobody. Obviously this was more than just friendship.

But if this wasn't friendship, what was it?

Love

Roxas's eyes widened a little as he watched the two break apart from each other. They still gazed deeply into each other's eyes. Again, that look was nearly impossible for the Nobody to comprehend.

However…

After seeing something like this, Roxas wondered if he would ever be able to look at someone like that and fully understand the meaning behind it.


"So, you're sure you didn't see who it was?" Roxas asked

Wales shook his head. Currently they were sitting around a table back in the castle. Agnes, Henrietta, Roxas, Louise, Wales, Tabitha, and Kirche were all sitting there as Roxas asked a few questions.

"Damn" Roxas cursed as she looked over at the Prince. "Is there anything else you tell me about him?"

Wales thought for a moment. "Well, he was a bit taller than you, he had a very deep voice…" He said before he glanced at Roxas. "And he had the same coat you have on right now."

That little detail caused Roxas's eyes to narrow a bit. He remembered Wales mentioning that before. If whoever this person was bore the hood of the Organization, then whoever manipulated Wales was truly from another world. Could it be a member of the organization like Xigbar or Saix? Or was it Xehanort himself.

"Damn!" Roxas said as he clenched his fist. "And he told you all about me didn't he?"

Wales nodded as he rolled his shoulder. "Yeah, but not everything. He never mentioned how strong you actually were. Just gave me the run down of what you could do. It was actually a lot more painful to fight you than I though." Wales finished as he grinned at the Nobody. "Now that I have my emotions back, I can say that I am surprised to learn about your backstory." He responded as his eyebrows scrunched a little. "You have had it tough, haven't you?"

"We both have." Roxas responded as he stood up. "I think it is time for all of us to get back to the academy."

"Yes, I think so to." Henrietta responded. Everyone at the table stood up. They were all walking to the door before Roxas felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around to see Henrietta standing there, a smile on her face. "Roxas, you have only been here for a short while, but you have done so much for this kingdom. You will never understand how much we appreciate what you have done for us."

Roxas blinked a few times as he scratched the back of his head uncomfortably. "Well, this is my home. If I can help than I will."

"But you have helped so much more than most would." She said as she approached him. Roxas felt a small peck on his cheek as the Queen moved away.

Roxas slowly brought his hand up to his cheek, a faint blush on his face, however he noticed something. The way she was looking at him was completely different than the way she looked at Wales. This look was something he comprehended quite easily.

Friendship.

Giving a small smile, he nodded to her. "Your welcome. If you ever need me, you know where I will be."

Wales Also approached him, his hand extended. "I am not going to kiss you." He said with a grin.

Roxas gave a small laugh as he shook the prince's hand. But then he looked down for a moment. "I'm sorry I got you killed in the first place."

The prince blinked a few times before he laughed. "You know, if that didn't happen, I would have been killed by Reconquista. There would have been no reviving if that happened. But now I get to be with Henrietta for a while longer. So Roxas…" He said, getting the Nobody to look up at him. He rested a hand on the Nobody's shoulder. "Don't blame yourself anymore."

Roxas paused for a few moments as he absorbed Wales's words. He gave a smile as he turned away form them. "Again, if there is anything you need, you know where I will be." He said, as Agnes escorted him out the door.

Henrietta and Wales watched as they closed the door behind them. "Roxas sure is something." Wales commented.

"He sure is." Henrietta responded, her hand slowly moving towards Wales's. He met her halfway as they interlocked fingers.


Authors Note: Yep. I know a lot of you wanted Henrietta to have a romantic relationship with Roxas, but it would have seemed forced at this point in the story. Besides, a long time ago when I had Wales killed, I planned for his return. But in doing so, I know that If Wales did return, then Roxas would not have a romantic relationship with Henrietta. That was the choice I made when I was editing. Sorry if that bothers anyone. I will want Henrietta to be happy though, and that was a big reason why I had the price stay in Tristan with her. Henrietta and Roxas will be close friends, but it won't go beyond that.

"Whew" This chapter was the longest one I have ever written yet. With 15K+ Words, I really had fun with this chapter. Please show me some love if you did like it.

I stretched a lot of logic with Wales's heart resting inside of Henrietta. I pulled from the fact that Ven's heart traveled across worlds to find Sora, so it's not too much of a stretch that Wales's heart found his way to Henrietta since they are lovers.

Also, the part where Wales controlled the Dusks, I will leave it up to you. Should Wales retain that power? Or should he not. Honestly, I think it would be cool. I would use the fact that Wales was a Nobody that had his heart restored, so the nobodies would still listen to him because his nobody form was never destroyed, rather he had his heart return to him. But I will leave it up to you. Roxas still controls the rest of the nobodies however. The Dusks listened to Wales because he was a newer Nobody. He didn't quite have the power to control stronger nobodies like Roxas can.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please leave a review if you did and thank you for reading.

Until then!