c h a p t e r - o n e :: Darkness On Wind
The smell of roasted meats and wine filled the main hall of the palace in Enchanted Dominion. Jesters enthused the masses of people who had come to the palace for the feast to come. Merriment was everywhere. It was not just within the confines of the palace, of course, but all through the streets as well. It was a holiday to be celebrated. It was the young prince's sixteenth birthday and his curse had not done him any damage. The King and Queen were speaking to their guests, paying no mind to where their son was or who was watching him. Sixteen or not, he was a prince with a curse that could very well be the end of him. There was only one person who knew the prince's whereabouts, and currently she was chasing him down in hopes of bringing him back to the party.
The prince was known for running off every now and again, hoping to find adventure throughout the kingdom that would one day be him own. His goal for that day was the small lake in the center of the enchanted forest. He'd told this to Aqua of course, who had adamantly refused to take him there, but even so he had run off. The young knight sighed. Keeping Ventus in one place for any prolonged time was usually an impossible task. She had only just reached the bridge in her haste to find him when someone took a firm hold of her wrist. A pair of golden eyes shone out from under a dark mask. The entire body was covered in armor- the armor of the Dark Army. Aqua recoiled and pulled herself away from the opposing knight.
"What are you doing in this place? Knights of Darkness have no right being here." In her hand a blade appeared and she took on a defensive stance. "Leave now, or I will be forced to fight you."
"Well isn't that just nice. It just so happens I came for a fight." The boy drew his blade as though he had not a care in the world, like this fight meant nothing. Aqua decided to make the first move. Lunging forward, she made to strike him, but he vanished just before she could. "You'll have to do better than that."
In a moment, Aqua felt the boy's blade come down on her back with great force. She gasped in pain, but sprung around in an instant to strike back. Once again her blade met nothing, but she was prepared. Moving from her previous position, she avoided the hit to come and shot out a blast of ice at the mysterious fighter. It connected. The boy shot backwards and gripped the side of his abdomen in pain. His discomfort was gone a moment later, however, and the two's blades clashed together. The boy's smirk could be seen in his eyes and it confused the Warrior of Light. Aqua pushed forward, trying to knock him back.
"You know, I'm just here to buy some time. Are you really too stupid to see that?" As he ended his sentence, darkness began to pour out of his hands. Aqua jumped back in a flash, avoiding the darkness that would try to poison her mind. "You may want to run off and find your little prince. By now, he will have met Terra."
That being said, the boy disappeared, dissolving into the darkness that surrounded him. Aqua paused for a moment, taking in what he had said and thinking on it. Terra… where had she heard that name before? Then it occurred to her. Terra was the prince of Maleficent's evil kingdom.
"Oh no, Ven!" Aqua ran off as quickly as she could, desperate to find the prince.
Ven's ankles were dipped into the cool water of the lake. Everything around him was absolutely beautiful. The green of the leaves made those in his home land pale in comparison. The lake was a stunning blue that reflected the light of the sun that snuck through the canopy of tree branches and leaves. Small birds sang songs as they flew every which way throughout the forest that surrounded him. He extended a finger and watched as a robin landed on his finger, chirping at him all the while as it left the flock it had been flying with. Ven moved his legs through the water excitedly, smiling at the tiny bird. He brought a finger up to stroke the feathers on the robin, listening to it happily chirp as he did so.
"Hey there, birdie, how's it going?" It replied excitedly as if to say 'I'm great!' "Well that's good, but you should fly off and catch up with your friends. I bet they're worried, since you just left them like that."
The bird left his finger as it was lifted into the air, as if to send the bird off. Ventus smiled at it as it's song began once again. The chorus of birds from before joined it, filling the forest with it's soothing sound. It was hard to think that the lake was a border between the Realm of Light and the Realm of Darkness. Everything was too beautiful. The lake had been where the first battle between the realms had taken place, where warriors clashed with each other and died. How the land could stand so lovely through that was a mystery to him. Then again, this was also the place where his mother and father had met each other. It was the place where they had danced to the melody of the birds and spent the day together in peace. It was beautiful, but it was a terrible sort of beauty. It was the type that hid many things behind such a lovely vista.
The prince lay back upon the plush grass, looking to the canopy above him. It was peaceful there. It felt as thought nothing in his life existed as he lay at the lake. The castle walls were no longer holding him in like a prisoner, he was not being followed around dutifully by Aqua, and his mother and father were not cooing over him. It felt like a hidden paradise. It remained in such a way until he heard the sound of footsteps drawing near, and in an instant he was upright. He threw on his shoes and unfolded his pants to cover his damp ankles. As he stood, he listened to hear where the sound was coming from. As if to spite him, the sound had left for the moment. He needed to find a path he could leave through, but if he didn't know where the apparent stranger was, he had no way of getting out without being seen. It could have been someone safe, of course, like his Knight and friend Aqua, but it also could have been someone who wished him harm.
Taking a leap of faith, Ventus ran towards the easiest path home. If the person was over there, it was possible that he could outrun them. As he made his way to leave, however, a hand he had not noticed took hold of his wrist. Blue eyes looked down to the hand, seeing sun kissed skin in contrast to his pale white skin. The prince whipped around and looked at the man who had a hold on him. Darkened eyes met his own, the man before him seemed to exude strength. It could have been the muscles that wrapped around his body that fit like a perfect glove, or his demeanor in general, but either way Ven was both enticed and frightened. If he had to struggle to get away, he knew he hardly had a chance of winning.
"You know, it's dangerous around here, you should go home." The man spoke, his voice deep and filled with a strange warmth. It sounded almost… caring. That was the only feeling Ventus could pull from it. "The Heartless are on their way here, let me escort you out of the forest."
"You don't have to do that. I'll be alright, really." Ven gave the man a gentle smile before drawing his wrist out of the man's grip. "I'm not helpless or anything."
"I see, alright then, will you at least tell me your name before you leave?"
"My name is…" Ventus knew he could not give his true name, for that could have led to problems later on. He scratched the back of his head during the awkward moment, wracking his mind for a suitable name. "It's Ven, just Ven."
"'Ven'…" Terra said the word, as if to feel how it felt on his tongue. "Odd, that name is close to a certain Prince of Light's name, isn't it?"
"I guess it is." The prince did not like the feeling he was getting from the man. He took a step back and gave him a strange look. "Sorry, but I really need to get going now. It'll be sundown soon and I want to make it back before this place is absolutely teeming with Heartless."
Without asking for the man's name, Ventus turned to leave the man. He needed to get home before sunset, if not to avoid the Heartless, than it was because the real celebrations would begin then. It was only when the town was in view that he could hear a chuckle whispered upon the wind and the feeling of darkness brushing against his skin like the gentlest breeze. Turning on his heels gradually, he looked back to the forest. Nothing could be seen, though, aside from enormous trees that stretched towards the sky. Even so, he could not shake the feeling that something was there. That it was watching him. Trailing him. It was not a Heartless, though, that much he knew for sure. The Heartless reeked of darkness. It was not an intoxicating smell, though, like that of a person who could control darkness. They lured people in with the promise of power and a charming smile that hid their devilish intentions. The Heartless, on the other hand, were creatures of that held no mind or will. They existed only to act as murderous pawns.
The Heartless were, in myth, the people from the Light which were drawn in by the Darkness and turned their backs on righteousness. In reality, though, they were the people who had lost their hearts to the darkness. Either they were stolen or they had been given willingly when power was promised.
Ven was forcefully spun around by someone's hand. Then he came face to face with his knight, Aqua, who he smiled at in relief. Even with the feeling of darkness nearby, he knew he was safe. Aqua could and would protect him. They could fight side by side and destroy whatever came to them.
"What took you so long to catch up? I've been there and back already." Ventus went to step past her. As quick as the lightening she could cast, Aqua took hold of the prince's shoulder and held him in place.
"Where have you been, Ven? You know how dangerous it is in the forest, especially at the Borderland!" Her glare was like ice. It froze him in place. "Not only are the Heartless out there, but there are people from the Land of Darkness. What were you thinking? Do you know how much trouble I will get in when the King and Queen find out about this?"
"Aqua… I had to see it at least once. It's not like anything happened. I'm perfectly fine, so don't worry." Ven's trademark smile was on his face in an instant as he reassured his friend.
"Perfectly fine? But that guy said- never mind, it's not important. You need to go home, Ven. I'll be back in a little while. I just need to check up on something first."
With those words, the two parted ways, Ven to the palace and Aqua into the forest and towards the Borderland. She needed to know if that masked boy had been lying to her. If Terra had been there, she would be able to tell in an instance. The Prince of Darkness held a distinct scent, after all. Perhaps Ventus had not noticed it, but she was trained to notice things like that. She'd make sure that damned prince had not come in contact with her best friend. It was her duty, after all.
The Grand Hall was full of people, from wall to wall. It was time for the final part of the celebration, where everyone was welcome to dance the night away as the band began to play. Food was laid out for the hungry. Ventus was seated beside his mother, the two of them smiling in joy at how well the event was going. He truly was his mother's son. Their similarities never seemed to end: they both had a smile made of sunshine and the heart filled with light and so much more. They both held glasses of wine in their hands, sipping on it slowly as if to savor the flavor of the fermented grapes. The prince had, for the most part, ignored the crowd of people around him. He was never one for large gatherings, no matter what the occasion was.
He did not even look into the crowd until his mother fell silent, her eyes locked on two men standing and staring at them. One of them had black spiked hair and eyes glowing gold, while the other looked familiar. It was the man from the forest earlier. 'Oh great, I am so dead now.'
"Good evening, gentlemen. How are you enjoying the festivities?" Aurora stood to greet the men, motioning for her son to join her. Even if her words were regal and sounded rehearsed, it was her smile that touched her eyes- eyes she shared with Ventus- that made people fall in love with her in an instant. "I do hope you are having a good time."
"Thank you, your majesty. This is quite the party you have here." The man from the forest bowed to them, a smirk present on his lips. "I must say, though, I didn't think I'd run into you so soon, Ven. Least of all at a place like this."
And that's all she wrote for the first chapter~
I'm glad everyone seems to be enjoying this so far, and I'm glad that people have been reviewing. It's made me want to update quickly. ^ w ^
A bit of a cliff hanger ending, I apologize. Either way, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. More will be coming soon.