Child No Longer

Let me start off by explaining the meaning of this Interlude. Everything that is marked as an interlude will at some point in time or another hold significance with the remainder of the story. So pay attention everyone, otherwise you might miss something important. grin

Disclaimer: If I owned Kingdom Hearts, Riku and Sora would never have gone back to the Islands.

Interlude: A Child's Fairy Tale

Sitting comfortably in her chair before the fire, the wizened old woman looked over the faces of the children sitting before her. A toothless smile stretched her lips as she took note of the excited gleam residing within the depths of their eyes as they waited with bated breath for the storytelling to begin.

Clearing her throat, she stifled the chuckles that threatened to escape her as the children tried (and failed) to resist the urge to fidget in impatience. Closing her eyes she calmed herself, before opening her eyes, and revealing not the old woman of the village, but the storyteller of the land's history.

"Long ago," She began her tale in a raspy voice, looking on as the small children quieted and stilled, entranced with the beginning of her well-known tale. "When the worlds were still one, they were united under the rule of one family whose name has been lost to us by the ravages of time."

"For many years, far too many for us to ever count, peace reigned within the kingdom, and it's people were happy. But as all things are apt to do, their time of peaceful coexistence with each other ended with the arrival of the Darkness."

"Never before had anything of the like been seen by any mortal still upon this land. Taking shelter within the hearts of the people, the Darkness grew and festered until civil war spread throughout the once peaceful lands."

"Frightened as any sane man would have been, the King remained determined that he would combat this threat to his kingdom, and so he rode off to fight to bring an end to the civil wars plaguing his lands."

"One by one, the twinkling gems hung in the sky by the Gods began to dim and fall as yet another part of our world was consumed by the Darkness. Panicked by the turn of events, the King called to him the finest of all the magic users and blacksmiths. Once gathered, he set before them the task of creating something strong enough to defend against the Darkness effectively."

"And that, my little ones, is how the Kingdom Key first came into being."

"During the successive wars that followed the creation of the Keyblade, it became the symbol of both the Light and the ruling family. Unable to be used by those not pure of heart, it slowly became the means by which the next heir of the throne was chosen. All Kings of old fought using nothing more than that simple, unassuming blade."

"Generations passed and still the end of the wars was not yet in sight for those involved. That time arrived as the last star in the sky hung in silent testament to the power and dominance of the Darkness. As the lone star began its slow descent from the skies above, the last remaining descendant of the royal family tried one last desperate action."

"Bringing the Keyblade with him, he went to the place where the children of the lands were gathered to hide in safety. In unison, they began to pray for the worlds to be saved, and for the Darkness to be banished. Some say, that the God's above were moved by the pleas and by the Light that still remained in their hearts and so granted their prayers. Yet others maintain that in those final moments the Keyblade shone with a magnificent brilliance in a manifestation of its power against the Darkness."

"What the answer truly is we shall never know, for that answer lies solely with the family of our lost rulers. That fateful day, our world was split apart into many different ones, and never again have we seen the others from those worlds. Our great King and his weapon the Keyblade were taken from us, and it is said that in our time of greatest need the most worthy of the heirs shall return bearing the Keyblade as sign of his claim."

"In the meantime, the Keyblade bides it time, waiting for it's rightful ruler to once again lay hands upon it's gleaming handle. Prosperity, and peace shall return to us, but in the meantime we must keep our faith and hope alive for when that joyous time comes."

As the last words escaped her, she sat in silence waiting for the story to slowly make it's way into the minds of the children. With a soft sigh, she pushed herself up from her chair and shuffled to the closed door. Opening the door she poked head outside of the door and peered up at the twinkling sky. A lone tear escaped her eyes and traveled its way down her wrinkled skin as she whispered a soft prayer to anyone who would listen.

"I pray that when the time comes for our King to return that I shall be here still to witness it with my own eyes."

Lifting one arthritic hand she gingerly wiped her fingers along her paper-thin skin brushing away the single tear from her face. Bowing her head in respect to the ones who hopefully grant her wish she pulled her head back in, and with a soft click the house was closed again.

End Interlude

As I said before, the Interludes are meant to provide info that will later prove important. How much later I can't say since that would completely ruin the surprise.

—Moonlight's Childe