Did not expect the chapter to be as long as it turned out to be but here you go! A good chunk to make up for weeks of studying.


Chapter 34

The Fortress Stormed

The heavy rain and dark sky signalled what was to be a dismal day in the lives of Sora, Luna, Donald and Goofy as well as the residents who would be hit hardest. The announcement of a heavy taxation swept across the town like wildfire following Prince John's embarrassment. It was his way of getting revenge and it seemed like the Sheriff was all too happy to assist him.

Luna watched all of this from the window of the house belonging to the boy named Tim and his mother. She could see very clearly people being rushed out of their houses and lined up where they would face imprisonment for failing to pay their unfair taxes.

"I beg ye Sheriff, please spare me, at least for the meanwhile. I had it hard enough as it is with the normal levy. Just give me a few more days-"

"Sorry? All I'm hearing is an empty pocket. Time to go soldier, move it!" commanded the Sheriff who seemed to be enjoying his authority way too much. With nothing to bargain with, the middle aged individual, or a badger to be more precise, gave a final goodbye to his wife and kids before joining the increasingly longer line of the newly imprisoned.

"This is ridiculous," Luna muttered turning to Tim and his mother. "It's like the world's gone crazy all of a sudden."

"It's always been crazy. It just took a bump in people's pockets for everyone to realize it," said the mother.

Luna was about to reply when a rhythmic tap was heard on the door, the very same that she knew was specific of the oncoming storm himself.

"You don't have to answer the door," Luna whispered as Tim's mother tried to stand up, albeit rather weakly. As things stood, she definitely would not survive a week in wherever they would be taking her with her illness.

"Well I don't expect them to leave either," she replied. She started walking when Luna blocked her path to the door.

"You have Tim, you can't leave him alone. I'll handle this," Luna decided. She didn't know exactly what she would do. It certainly wasn't like she was planning on going to jail in her place either but what choice did she have but to intervene? She took a deep breath before opening the door.

"Why hello there little one. I'd certainly have recalled someone of your… description living here, and trust me when I say I don't remember many faces." The gaudily dressed Sheriff was quick to show off a deceptive grin, one that alerted Luna to the fact that he was even more dangerous than she had first thought.

"You don't remember, or you don't care to remember?" Luna asked.

"Is there a difference? I don't care much for those either," The Sheriff addressed before quickly squeezing past her before she could so much as stop him. She had held up her hand only to have it be left hanging in the air as the Sheriff knocked her aside with his obese form.

"Well if it isn't the honorable Sheriff. What brings you to my doorstep on this fine day?" Tim's mother had decided to engage in casual banter, perhaps hoping to mitigate the blow that about to come or divert the Sheriff's attention elsewhere that he might just give her a pass.

"Well I wouldn't say fine. It is raining after all but you know what they say, money doesn't wait for the rain to stop," replied the Sheriff letting out a howl of laughter.

"I- I don't think they say that," Luna mentioned quietly.

"Would you like me to boil some tea for you, Sheriff? I'm sure it must be quite taxing for a man such yourself to be doing this all day long," Tim's mother said.

"Oh that's quite the offer there but I feel it's just better to get my work out of the way so I can have a nice cuppa after and relax, not that I don't enjoy my work," replied the Sheriff batting his eyelids and holding out his hand expectantly.

"Oh, surely you know that we're a poor family. You already took my husband when he was unable to pay. Surely you can ease up slightly on us this time around. I have a child to take care off after all."

But the Sheriff shook his head. "Sorry, no exceptions I'm afraid. If you live under a roof, you can afford to pay, them's the rules."

"You can't! Don't you have a heart? What do you think happens to Tim when she's gone?" Luna asked.

"Oh, is that the problem? Well in that case, he can join her!"

"No!" Luna yelled and summoned her Keyblade, pointing it at the Sheriff. "You can try that all you like but you won't get anywhere, not with me around. Leave. Now!"

"Are you threatening me?" The Sheriff asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, I guess I am." Inside Luna couldn't help but smile broadly at the thought of having just shot down the massive grin on the Sheriff's face. "Turn around and head back out."

"Now I remember you. You were with that Robin Hood back at the competition yesterday. You're making a big mistake missy," the Sheriff warned but did as he was told nonetheless. The moment he brought his second foot over the door's threshold, Luna grabbed the door and slammed it in his face.

"Well, guess there's a new Sheriff in town. I've always wanted to say that!" Luna squeaked overjoyed at her victory.

"Thank you, Luna, but won't he be after you now?" Tim asked weakly.

"Don't worry. I'm used to people being after me, not that that's something I'm proud off," Luna said. "I'm more worried about you guys. If he comes back then there won't be anything to stop him from taking you away."

"We'll head to Friar Tuck's then. He might be able to keep us safe," Tim's mother suggested.

"Yeah, my other friends are over there right now. Just… make sure you stay behind me, alright?" Luna waited for them to nod in approval at the plan before opening the door slightly. She looked left and right and only when she was sure that it was safe did she open it all the way and step through. Her hand opened up and invited the light rain onto her palms. The ringing of a bell nearby brought her eyes away from her hands and to the church down the road where the others would be waiting.

"Is there something wrong?" Tim asked noticing the look on Luna's face.

"It's nothing. It's just… familiar," Luna said. The last time she had heard a bell like it was in Traverse Town when Sora had rung one after the end of the Reapers' Game. Comparing the two atmospheres added some humor to this gloomy day. This proved to be short-lived however when Luna, Tim and his mother arrived at the church.

"Sora? What's going on?" Luna asked as the guards that had been at the Sheriff's side locked their hands around the friar's arm like a vise.

"Get off me. Let me go this instance," Friar Tuck yelled but the guards failed to take notice of his cries.

"Well you see. He tried to do the same exact thing you tried. The only difference between you and him though ya see is that he's easy pickings. He'll be tried for obstruction of justice, threatening and attacking an officer of the king, and treason. When, not if, those charges stick, well, let's just say he'll be hung out to dry." The Sheriff laughed so hard that Luna thought he would fall over. He didn't though, much to her dismay.

"You can't do this!" Luna shouted furiously.

"You'll find that I can, and I am!" the Sheriff said. "Unless you'd rather take his place?"

"Now hold it right there. That won't be necessary. I'll go," Friar Tuck jumped in before Luna could reply. Luna wanted to protest again but something else stopped her. Before she could utter a single word, Stephanie rushed past her and pounced, grabbing onto the Sheriff's arms and biting into it with her teeth.

"YEOOOWEEE!" The wolf howled in pain before trying to shake her off. Stephanie tried to hold on for dear life but she eventually lost her grasp and was flung onto the ground.

"Stephanie, are you okay?" Luna asked, rushing to her side.

"Yep! That was fun, hehehehe!" Stephanie giggled.

"Why I oughta-"

"You don't want to finish that sentence," Sora said standing in front of Stephanie protectively along with Donald and Goofy.

The Sheriff scowled and threw his hand to the side. "I guess the Friar's enough for now. Do make sure to tell Robin Hood. I'm sure he'll be glad to know a friend of his is soon to lose his head."

He clicked his fingers and issued the guards to follow him. Friar Tuck gave one last meaningful look at Luna and the others before being carried away. The rain had stopped but the dark skies hanging above their heads were unchanging. For a while, no one knew quite what to say. The shock had probably gotten to them more than they had previously thought.

Then Luna looked at her friends. "I feel like I failed. I couldn't protect him or anyone else."

"That's not true! You kept me and my son safe. It's just that sometimes you realize that no matter how hard you try you can't save everyone," Tim's mother acknowledged.

"Thank you, but it really doesn't make me feel any better. I mean, things can't go on like this." Luna then paused for a moment and sighed. They probably weren't going to like what she had to say next, but still… she had to say it. "Look, guys, I know we're not supposed to interfere with world affairs and everything but there are some things you just can't help. When people's lives are in danger are we just supposed to sit back? No, it's not the Heartless or the forces of darkness, but it honestly feels just like that. I can't sit and just watch this."

Sora nodded his head and started pacing back and forth forcing everyone to wait with anticipatory breaths. Finally he stopped. "You're right. Didn't Robin say that Prince John wasn't the rightful ruler of the land?"

"That's right. It's King Richard, the prince's old brother, who should be ruling but he's away on important matters," the mother clarified for him. "If only he were here now, we wouldn't be in this mess."

Sora nodded. There was something different with Sora, a calmness and collectiveness that Luna had never seen before. "That explains the 'false king' thing then. It's been happening all over town today. Then if it comes to it, we'll fight him, but that's not the priority. Our priority should be getting everyone out of those prisons. Okay… I think I have a plan but we'll need Robin and the others for this."

"So we're breaking into a probably highly guarded facility and might even rebel against an established authority…" Luna counted them off with her fingers.

Sora folded his arms and grinned. "Should be easy for you, Luna. You've already done both of those before."


Sora finished scanning the fortress from the hills and returned to Robin and Little John.

"So what exactly was this plan you had in mind?" Little John asked.

"It's pretty simple actually. Me, Luna, Donald and Goofy'll distract the guards and lure them away from the cells allowing you two to rescue all the prisoners. They don't really seem that smart so I think luring them to the moat to trap them will help," Sora said.

"Yes, I can see how that would work… but the question stands as to how we infiltrate the premises in the first place," Robin pointed out.

"Well that… let's see…" Sora thanked Neuge for helping him to think calmly as he looked around for some sort of epiphany. The meditation he had been doing for weeks had pretty much prepared him for situations like these. He finally found what he was looking for in a nearby tree that was bent at a sort of odd angle. "I've got it! We'll use that tree over there as a catapult to launch us forward. Don't worry about how we'll do it either. I've got just the thing!"

Despite their uneasiness to this plan, Sora remained confident. He forwarded his plan to Luna, Donald and Goofy back once back at the camp and received much praise from Goofy and Luna and scepticism from Donald.

"Are we really sure about this? I dunno… what if we end up making it worse than it already is?" Donald asked.

"What do you mean worse? There's no possible way it could get any worse. If we let this drag on, then this prince will pretty much have locked up the entire town," Sora said. "All it takes for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing. I don't care if we're breaking rules and meddling in affairs we shouldn't be, because there's a lot more at stake than a bunch of stupid rules."

"Sorry, I couldn't help but listen. What exactly do you mean by 'breaking rules'? You talk as if you don't belong here, which I suppose makes sense judging from your appearance. Are you perhaps from the continent per chance?" Maid Marian asked.

"Continent? Uh- yeah, something like that?" Sora wasn't sure if his reply was a statement or a question. He had no idea what a continent was after all.

"You've really been on the top of things, Sora. Did Neuge push that brain of yours into overload?" Luna teased.

"Hey, I'm always thinking. But I guess you could say that she's helped me to see things from a different perspective, yeah… oh, one more thing. In case we fail, we should make sure that they don't find Maid Marian, right?" Sora asked.

"Well I have high hopes that you'll succeed and I doubt Robin will let anything happen otherwise since he did promise to consummate our marriage. I'd rather not think of the worst case scenario at the moment," Marian replied.

"Fair enough, and we're pretty confident in our abilities. On second thought you needn't worry madam. You shall see your marriage through by our capable hands." Sora bowed playfully.

Donald shook his head. "Sora and whatever that accent is totally should stay as far apart from each other as possible. He can't pull it off at all."

"And you can?" Sora shot back.

Luna laughed and pulled both Donald and Sora in against their will. "Ahahaha, aren't they a bundle of laughs. Can't live without 'em! Well, I guess we should be preparing."

Before long, night came and it was time to enact the plan. Sora held his Keyblade in the air like a fishing rod before throwing it forwards. A long ghostly elastic hand extended forward from the tip of the Keyblade and latched onto one of the branches of the bent tree.

"Are you sure you can hold it? It looks like you're having a tough time," Luna said noticing bullets of sweat starting to form on the brunette's face.

"I'll be fine. Just need to… there!" Sora managed to activate Ars Arcanum and felt the pain from the tension on his arms lessen considerably. He pulled back even further until even the branches farthest away made contact with the ground behind them. "Alright. Luna. Donald. Goofy. You first."

Luna nodded and followed Donald and Goofy to the tree. She wrapped her legs around the branches and squeezed her eyes shut. Considering how much she hated heights, it was safe to say that this was going to suck for her.

"Okay… on three then. One. Two. Three!" The aura from Ars Arcanum died off around his body and the plasma hand dispersed into speckles of light as the tree was launched forward with incredible force. Luna screamed as loud as she could as she was propelled forward into the air. It was too late when she realized that she had to open her eyes eventually in order to land, but fortunately Donald and Goofy had created a soft landing for her and she crashed into them.

Great start Luna, you definitely have the smooth criminal thing going on, Luna applauded herself mentally before rolling off of Donald and Goofy.

"I wanna do that again," Goofy said.

"No retakes! We have people to save!" Donald yelled while brushing himself off.

"Hey, did you here that?"

"Go check it out then, why don't you?"

Luna spun around in the direction of the new sources of noise and grinned. "It looks like our plan is proceeding according to plan. We just need to cause a bit of ruckus and then lead them away from the jail cells. You two ready?"

"A bit too late to not be prepared," Donald said as the watcher (a crow) rounded to the corner and spotted them.

"Er, boss, I think we have some trouble," he shouted upon seeing them.

"You think or you know?" The Sheriff of Nottingham's voice called back just as loudly. "If it's the latter then blow the bloody whistle already!"

"Oh right, so that's what this thing is for…" The watcher looked at the object around his neck before grabbing it and blowing hard. A combined group of rhino guards and crow watchers moved quickly in on the trio. Luna got into a battle stance and cloaked her fists in flames before punching forward with both of them. The flames transferred from her firsts into ripples that surged forward and knocked down the guards that were in their way.

"How in the world did you do that?" An amazed Donald asked.

"Hardly the time to ask, is it? Run!" Luna set off down the path she'd created and with her mind in full gear trying to remember the path she had planned from before on the hilltop. While she was figuring this out, a barrage of arrows were being shot their way from behind. The majority of them landed and deflected against Goofy's shield but a few of them were still close calls.

They soon reached the portcullis and Luna quickly noted the lever used for operating the gate before heading out onto the drawbridge. When the last guard stepped out onto the drawbridge to meet them, Luna used Aeroga to launch herself past them like a rocket. She landed back in the fortress and quickly threw her Keyblade at the lever to bring down the portcullis. Donald and Goofy were just able to squeeze their way through while making sure that none of the guards were able to follow them before the gate closed.

"You know, sometimes I'm glad our enemies have a less than average IQ," Luna said before pulling a face at the guards. She turned her head to look at Donald and Goofy victoriously but instead found her eyes meeting the Sheriff.

Donald followed Luna's eyes and turned around. He readied his staff. "Then again, it would be pretty boring if they were all the same, right?"

The Sheriff leaned forward and tapped his left foot while scanning the area. "Hey, where'd those buffoons go? Confound it! Do I gotta do everything around here?"

"I guess you do. Might be some good exercise for you as well," Luna jeered. "Do you really not feel anything when you do this? You just take and take and punish those who don't have? That's called being a dictator!"

"In fact, King Mickey could probably do a better job than this!" Goofy added in.

"Not probably. Definitely!" Donald corrected just as passionately.

"Well we're about to put an end to it. How about you ask the prince to stop all this? If you do then we promise you won't get hurt," Luna said.

"Ha! The only one who'll be in a world of hurt will be you three once I clobber ya!" The Sheriff charged forward to prove his words, his fist raised high in the air and his sights focused on Luna first.

"Fine, but don't say we didn't ask," Luna said before running forward to meet him. Before his punch could connect, Luna put jumped and put her hand on his shoulder to flip behind him. She landed without trouble and hastily swung Dream Seeker into the Sheriff's left side. The Sheriff tumbled forward only for Goofy to smash into him with his shield sending him into the air momentarily. Donald threw an Aeroga spell resulting in the Sheriff spinning around and around before landing back on the ground.

When Luna neared him again, the Sheriff put up his hands in submission. "Alright, alright, ya got me! Just let me go and I promise I'll tell you what ya want to know."

"Nice to know you see things our way then. But why would we need you to tell us anything?" Donald asked.

"Oh come on, who doesn't like juicy info?" asked the Sheriff, or more accurately, it was more like he was begging, and why wouldn't he with a Key-shaped weapon pointing at his head.

"We're listening…" Donald said after Goofy and Luna both gave him a quick look.

"Well there's some other guy who checks in with Prince John from time to time. All I know about him is that half of the money from the taxpayers' fund goes directly into his pocket while the prince and us nobles keep the other. He also mentioned something like being from some group called… uh… KRONOS! That was the name."

Luna's eyes darted over to Donald and Goofy quickly to see they both had the same reaction. So the KRONOS that Master Neuge had asked for Sora and her to find out about was actually a group.

"Did the man give his name?" Luna questioned.

"No… I swear I don't know nothin' beyond that! He was wearing some kind of armor so I couldn't see his face.

"Do you know why he wanted the money?"

"No, he wouldn't tell us anything and besides, I certainly wouldn't want to know anyway. I have a pretty good intuition and it tells me that he is certainly not one to mess with. Heck, I bet he could even make the prince bow to him at the click of a finger."

Luna slowly brought Dream Seeker away from the Sheriff's head and lowered it at her side. "Alright. Bind!" Three rings appeared around the Sheriff and glued him to the ground.

"Hey! What's the big idea? I told you everything I knew!" The Sheriff snarled in protest. He tried to move his arms but both were held down firmly in place.

"And you did. I said you wouldn't get hurt, not that we would let you go," Luna replied. "You can stare there and have a nice long think about what you've done."

The Sheriff growled at her like the wolf he was but there was little he could do now. He could hate her all he wanted but by the time Luna and her two companions rounded the corner, it wouldn't matter. He was stuck there and there was nothing he could do until Luna chose to release him.

Luna's eyes travelled up one of the towers in front of her. "So what do you guys think? Some person in armor from KRONOS is using the munny that the Prince collected from the townspeople for something?"

"Doesn't sound like Kefka with the way he described him," Donald considered thoughtfully. "Goofy and I encountered him once along with the King. We were in Wonderland searching for clues to her disappearance when we met him. That's when the name KRONOS first came up."

"Ah, I see. But I still don't understand their plan. Why the munny?"

"Well, there is only one world currency and that's munny, has been for a long time. It was the moogles that chose to do so to make it easier to trade. It's a lot easier to trade if you have one uniformed currency after all so I guess it wouldn't matter if our mystery person took the munny from here to another world," Donald explained.

"Wait. Trade? Are you implying that moogles can travel to different worlds even with the barrier?" Luna asked.

"Moogles are on a completely different playing field. I'm sure Kupopo would be able to tell you more," Donald said. "But let's focus on the problem! What do we do now?"

"Well Sora, Robin and Little John should have entered by now. Should we meet up with them?" Goofy asked.

"Sounds like a good idea. Let's hurry," Luna said.


Sora put his hand on Robin's shoulder to stop him from attempting to unlock the door to the jail cell. Something wasn't right. A sudden fog had engulfed the area and though he could still see in front of him, there was certainly no mistaking the weird and instantaneous aberration in the weather.

"What in the world is going on?" Little John asked. Before Sora could answer, something swooped down from the fog and attacked him. He felt the impact on his chest and his launched backward but quickly aerial recovered and landed back on his feet.

The mysterious fog cleared and an image of his attacker became a lot more pronounced. It was the same Chimera that he had fought against yesterday. Sparks flew off from the bottom of Asb'el's staff as it slammed the weapon repeatedly into the ground. It's creepy human and yet monstrous eyes stayed fixated on Sora during this period in which the Keyblade Master soon began to understand why Luna had reacted the way she did.

"That's strange. I must say I've never quite seen fog that appears and then disappears as quickly as that before," Robin observed.

"That's because it's not normal fog. Robin, I'm gonna need your help with this one." Sora sprung forward, keeping his heels off the ground and kicking off the ground with his toes to sprint. He swung forward initially pretending to strike Asb'el only to pull back and slide behind the Chimera's body, this time striking downwards for real.

Robin quickly pulled out an arrow and shot took a shot as Asb'el grabbed for Sora's Keyblade in time. The arrow accurately pierced the right eye and partially blinded the Chimera. When it moved to pull the arrow out of its eye, Sora quickly switched to the Oblivion keychain and jumped before bringing the Keyblade down on the Chimera's head with a Fire Strike.

Asb'el doubled over and let out a furious yell. Still, that was not enough to halt its aggression. It moved one hand over to its remaining eye while peeking in between its bony middle and ring fingers. It threw its scythe straight at Robin only for Sora to jump in the way and clash with the Kingdom Key. The scythe was adamant in trying to hit something, and Sora found himself pushed backwards slightly by the continuously spinning object. Sparks flew off both weapons as they connected and for a moment Sora thought that it was never going to end.

A second Keyblade soon proved these thoughts wrong as it was hurled forwards from its owner's hand and smashed into the scythe, knocking it to the ground.

"Looks like we arrived just in the nick of time?" Luna brought her hand up to catch her Keyblade and pointed it at the creature.

"Who's Nick and why haven't I met him?" Sora joked, relieved at having the heavy weight of the scythe taken off him.

"You're a funny guy, Sora," Luna responded with little emotion in her voice.

"I try," Sora said. He turned behind him and gave Robin and Little John a nod. "You guys get to work on freeing the townspeople. We'll handle this thing."
The two gallant thieves wasted no time in starting to pick the lock off the door behind them. Sora cloaked the Kingdom Key on fire and then cut through the air, the ripples of fire surging forward and hitting the Chimera.

Luna was about to attack herself when the single blue eye remaining turned to look at her. Once again, she was frozen in her spot just like yesterday. Her body was shaking and a look of terror formed on her face. The images were coming back, ones which had haunted her dreams ever since she had learned of her accursed past. The Chimera's eye spoke more than words ever could. It knew.

We are the same…

Luna was about to back away when a firm hand took hold of hers. She looked left and found Sora giving her a reassuring smile. That was when she realized that she couldn't run away. Sora had put his trust in her, no, not just Sora, but she felt the entire town had put their trust in her, and to run away now would be to lose that trust.

"It's okay. I won't let you guys down this time. Let's just finish this quickly," Luna told him. Sora's smile turned into a sad one for a brief second before looking at Asb'el instead.

"What do you say to trying the one-two combo that we came up with?" Sora asked her.

Luna seemed surprised that Sora had even brought that up. "We haven't even tested that yet… but I guess there's no time like the present."

Sora slashed upward as soon as he heard Luna's approval. A shard of ice appeared behind Asb'el, preventing it from retreating any farther. Luna repeated Sora's emotion, instead unleashing fire magic that aimed for the Chimera. While it blocked with both of its arms, Sora took advantage of this and warped over to it in time to deliver a powerful slash at its lower body. Sora backed away slightly as Luna leapt over him and Blitzed into Asb'el, knocking it to the ground.

Hearing Donald's warning to step back, the two of them jumped either side and watched as the duck launched of Salvo of fiery magic at their target. Explosions akin to fireworks ruptured off Asb'el's body, spitting flames in every direction.

"We're going to have to finish it off," Sora said. It would usually be a strange thing to say, because normally there wouldn't have even been a second thought about it, but he sensed the hesitation from Luna. Being or having been a Chimera herself, it wasn't a surprise that she'd think there was something they could do. He made his point clearer. "It's hurting. The best thing we can do, not just for it, but for all of them, is put them out of their misery. It's not pretty, but it's the right thing to do."

"Maybe… but if it were Quasimodo, would you do the same thing? Or… me?"

"Luna!" Sora glared at her. "I know this may sound selfish, but you're not them, neither is Quasi. Don't ask me to think of what I'd do if either of you were…"

"I understand. It wasn't fair of me to ask that," Luna admitted. "It's just I can't help but wonder what would have happened if Abraxas had gotten his way, if he'd been successful in turning me like the others."

"You need to have more confidence in yourself!" It was Goofy who was the one to say it. "Whether you think it or not, getting to meet me, Donald and Sora, and travelling together… I don't think all that stuff and the stuff to come was a coincidence. I think we were meant to be friends from the very beginning."
"Goofy… thank you." Luna smiled at him after considering these words. From the very beginning… It was a nice few words, enough for her to believe that she was the missing piece to complete a magnificent puzzle. "Okay, but let me do it."

Sora wasn't so sure about and was about to ask for opt for doing it instead but Luna already had her Keyblade charged. She gripped the glowing Keyblade tightly with both hands and ran forward before stabbing into the Chimera's chest. The next moments were unaccountable to her as she had closed her eyes instead of watching for the result, but for the others, they saw a bright erupt from the back of the Chimera's chest, travelling farther onwards still. Asb'el slowly began to wither away until there was nothing left, the heart being the last thing to go.

Luna gradually opened her eyes to look at what was only the glass shard Sora had erected earlier in front of her. "I saw him. The person behind the Chimera, just like the others… I feel like I'm killing normal people…"

"Then you don't have to do it, Luna. If it's too much for you to bear, that's why you have your friends," Donald uttered sagaciously.

"Yeah, we're a team so we share the responsibility," Sora added. The sound of metal swinging open and excited and relieved voices from behind them interrupted the team's motivational speech. Many people, most of which they had never seen before, all seemed to share a similar emotion, happiness, as they poured out of the building and went straight to praising the four heroes. As modest as they tried to be in the situation, they couldn't help but feel a sense of pride from having helped, Sora especially. It was as if whatever walls he had surrounded himself with over the past few months to keep himself away from the title of hero that had been designated to him had just come tumbling down. For the first time in a while he felt as if he could do anything, and he knew that wasn't a good thing.

The last two to leave the cells were Robin, Little John and Friar Tuck, with his arms comforting a tired Skippy. So they even had no qualms putting in little kids… Sora shook his head in disgust.

"Are you two alright?" he enquired.

"Well it could have been much worse. Far worse actually." Friar Tuck rubbed at his neck partly to illustrate his point. "Besides, I think we've made our point clear to Prince John. His tyranny and oppression of his subjects will not be allowed. He's pretty much outnumbered at this point."

"We're not done with him yet." Luna continued to explain how the prince had been giving the taxes he had taken from the townspeople to a third party.

"Then we have to find out who that mystery person is," Robin said. With their next goal set, Luna led them all to the tower where she believed Prince John to be, the tower that she had been looking up at earlier. A light shone from the very top floor window of the tower though other than that, there seemed to be very little evidence indicate that anyone inside knew of the chaos happening on the other side of the fortress.

"I'm hoping for the element of surprise here, but even if we don't have it, there shouldn't be too much of a problem," Luna said while Sora used the Keyblade to unlock the door.

"I really need that. I suppose asking for it wouldn't work, would it?" Robin eyed the weapon hungrily as it fell to Sora's side.

"How did you guess?" Sora replied mockingly before pushing the door open. He put his arm up quickly before any of them could enter before summoning Yuna, Rikku and Paine. "Can you three check out this tower to make sure the coast is clear?"

"Good thinking," Donald commended.

Yuna nodded and was about to fly in when she was tugged back by Paine. "Hold it. We have a question that needs answering," the silver haired pixie started.

Sora let out a sigh. "About getting your human bodies? Look, Merlin told me that he was working with the three fairies to create a temporary solution. These things take time."
"He is? He never mentioned anything about it to us," Rikku said with a pout.

"Well they wanted it to be a surprise. I shouldn't have even told you." Sora clamped his hand over his mouth. In truth, neither Merlin nor the fairies had told him any of this. He wasn't even sure it was possible for them to create something to give the Gullwings human bodies and if they could, he doubted Merlin would help given the pranks they liked to play on the wizard from time to time and their laziness at doing chores.

"We're counting on you." Paine gave him piercing glare that made Sora consider retracting his lie. The Gullwings disappeared into the tower and they didn't have to wait long either before they returned. Confirming the way up was clear, Sora thanked and dismissed them before following the group up the stairs.

The only exit that awaited them at the top of the stairs was a single door. Luna pressed her ear against the door before backing off.

"Whoever's behind that door is a really loud snorer," Luna whispered.

"Louder than Goofy?"

"Hey! No one ever told me it was loud…" Goofy replied sadly to Sora's comment. Robin opened the door slowly and let the others into the room before joining them. It was a room fit for king, with a purple drapes covering both window and hanging from the bed. With this also came a kingly bed of matching purple, the sleeper covered under the purple sheets. Despite the fact that the room was so disgustingly purple that Sora wouldn't have thought it possible for any room to be like this, there was something even more so. The person under the sheets, Prince John, was snoring loudly while… sucking his thumb at the same time.

"Oh dear, anyone have a camera cause I am so not gonna let this guy live down this moment," Luna managed to giggle out.

"What's a… camera?" Robin asked. He didn't receive his answer because Sir Hiss, the snake who had been pretending to sleep (or actually couldn't because of his master's snoring) hissed into Prince John's ear, sending him up into the air and awake.

"What did I tell you Sir Hiss, you know I'm ticklish. Now let me get some sleep so I can rejoice at Robin Hood's defeat tomorrow."

"B-but Master, there are- there's-"

"Now now, that's quite enough out of you. We have a big day tomorrow, now go to sleep."
Robin smiled slyly while inspecting his fingernails. "I doubt he can, given how you sleep."

For the second time, Prince John bolted forward from his pillow, his eyes completely open this time.

"R-r-r-robin Hood! What are you doing in my bedroom?" Prince John's arm wavered unsteadily in all directions as he pointed at Robin and his companions.

"I can already tell where this is going," Luna said unable to stop her incessant giggling.

"Luna, I don't think this is going where you think it's going… Good thing Stephanie isn't here, you're turning out to be a bad influence, big sis," Sora said slightly taken aback.

"You're the ones from the before. What are you doing here?" Prince John yelled, but any action to reassert his superiority was now lost on the group.

"Quiet, we're the one asking questions here!" Donald shot back. "Who's the guy taking money from the townspeople?"

"How did you kn-" Prince John quickly covered his mouth upon realizing what he had just said but it was too late.

"No use hiding that now. We learned all about it from the Sheriff. Someone from KRONOS came here and is using the tax money that you took from the town to do something with it. So…? Tell us everything about him or else…" Luna's summoned Keyblade pointed straight at the Prince and he backed up hard against the wall and started sucking his thumb again.

Donald shook his head disappointingly. "And this guy is the ruler of the land?"

"I'd advise you answer the question quickly lest you wish the lady here set fire to these elegant drapes," Robin said.

"Alright, I'll tell you, just leave me and the drapes alone!"

"What about me sire?" Sir Hiss asked.

"Well they can take you."

"WHAT?"

"We don't have all night. Hurry up!" Sora ordered.

"Well I don't know the man's name but what he was saying was completely crazy talk. He was talking about other worlds and how he was going to build the greatest project in humanity's history and- well I honestly couldn't be bothered to listen to it all. All I know is that he promised me long term wealth for short term loss."

"And you believed him?" Luna asked.

"Well he can be very convincing. I'm sure if you met him you'd feel the same way. Of course I've never seen his face, not even once. He was clad in an armor of which I'd never seen before, certainly not from around here." The prince dug a finger into his ear and moved it around for a bit before pulling out a bit of earwax. He looked at it casually before flicking it away.

"That's it?" Sora asked, not completely satisfied.

"Yes, that's all I know. Even Sir Hiss can vouch for me!"

But Sir Hiss looked away as if he had never even heard the request, understandable after what Prince John had said about him.

Luna's face grew dark and tense. Her Keyblade lowered before disappearing. "You're a despicable person, you know that? The weak and vulnerable aren't yours to take advantage of as you wish. They have feelings, and if you can't understand that, if you can't listen to what they're saying, then all you'll ever be is ruler in name only. They won't accept you because they will never see you as someone they can look up to. That's also why Robin Hood will always be one step ahead of you."

Robin gave Luna a look of surprise that soon manifested as a grin.


"So what happens now, Robin?" Sora asked. Night had transitioned into day and with it, Sora and the others were about to take their leave. Sora watched Stephanie from afar playing with Skippy, Tagalong and Maid Marian. It felt wrong to separate her from her new friends now but it was something she would have to get used to.

"With King Richard coming back, the people of Nottingham should be able to sleep well in their beds tonight and many onward. Prince John and the Sheriff will answer for their crimes, and peace will return, or at least I hope so," Robin answered. His eyes were observing Maid Marian the entire time.

"I meant for you," Sora said.

"Well what else is there? It's just that I've made so many others happy and changed so many lives. I think it's about time I've found my own happiness, don't you think?" Robin asked.

"Yeah, you deserve it. You and Maid Marian can finally be together now. I'm happy for you…" Sora's eyes dropped to the ground lost in thought.

Robin noticed this and placed his hand on Sora's shoulder. "And what about you? What's next for you? Have you found your happiness?"

"Well, our journey continues. We need to find out who this mystery person is who received the munny from the Prince and track them down. As for my happiness, I… don't know. All I know is that I'll have to keep fighting as long as I have the Keyblade."

"Ooh, kind of glad I didn't steal it away from you now," Robin said wincing. "Are you sure about that?"

"It's not a question of do or don't. I suppose in a way, the only thing I really know how to do is fight. It's the only way I know how to protect people and even then, sometimes it does more harm than good," Sora explained his thoughts. He didn't know why he was so willing to confide his feelings to Robin but none of his closer friends. He supposed he just needed to get it off his chest and Robin was the closest person to him at the moment.

"Are you sure it's not a question? Do you really not have a choice, or do you just believe you don't?" Robin asked. When Sora failed to answer, Robin continued on, "When the time comes, I know you'll make the right decision. What I would tell you is that when a chance for happiness presents itself, it wouldn't be a bad idea to take it. You never know when you'll find it again."

"Thanks, Robin. Well…" Sora felt like he wanted to say more and that if he didn't he was going to burst or something equally as painful, but he couldn't. He didn't want to ruin the day by offloading his burdens on Robin. They weren't his to worry about after all. He instead put his fingers into his mouth and whistled loudly to alert the others. "It's about time to be heading off."

"You'll come see us again, won't you? It would be delightful to talk and have some tea," Marian asked.

"Now how could we turn that down?" Luna said. She looked back to Tim who she had been talking to beforehand, knelt down and hugged him. "You're going to be fine taking care of your mother?"

"Lady Kluck and Friar Tuck said they could help us, so we'll be fine. I'll miss you," Tim answered.

"You too." Luna soon let go off Tim and stood up, gave him one final smile and rejoined the others. As they reached the woods, Stephanie's hand found its way into her own. Luna held onto it firmly. She had only visited one world since returning to Alexander and she already had a lot to write about to Aunt Kit.