Disclaimer: We'll be singing, when we don't own anything, we'll be singing... "I get knocked down, but get up again, and I still don't own anything in this story..."
By the way, you won't get to see what was in the letter until, like, the last stage. But you WILL get to read it eventually. I think...Teehee. :3
P.S. I totally and completely forgot to thank everyone who reviewed Stage the Third...so thank you to k2, Lydia-hime, summerIIfire, lebrezie, Din's Daughter, Ryusabre, Random, dragonlover131313, namixasfan (they so look good together, don't they? I like your icon, by the way), and everyone else who's reading along!
The Black Thirteen
Stage the Fifth: Journey of the Renegade Dream
While the younger de Luz brother and his redheaded friend, apparently enshrouded in mystery, are preparing for travel to the deserty island, a completely different scene is taking place on the island of Bikanel...
One adjective to describe this entire week: Boring. Dull. Trapped. Okay, maybe that was three adjectives, but they all described how she felt; or at least, her bleak situation. How did she even end up here, in this stupid bird cage in the middle of that stuck-up Prince's room? Maybe not in the middle of his room; the cage was on his desk. She was only kept in a cage because currently, she was five inches tall and could probably get out of this godforsaken place if she was let out.
Ah, yes, this was the fairy Princess Rikku. Not exactly a fairy--a half fairy. A big difference, you know. For one, she reverted back to her naturally short stature of five feet four inches when she had energy. Right now, she currently lacked that energy because she hadn't eaten in a week. Not because they refused to give her food, in fact, she had plenty of it, it was just that she wouldn't eat. Eventually they would let her out of this stupid cage if she refused to eat, right?
Initially, she had preferred being in this stupid cage thing, because it meant that she didn't have to hang around the Prince of jerks all day, since he insisted that she not wander off on her own. But now she felt like a bird with it's wings clipped. She didn't know if she'd be able to stand it in here another day, and therefore, she was starving herself. Not exactly a bright idea when she was parched and barely had any energy to move, which was why she was laying on her stomach on the cage. Although, from her perspective of being five inches tall, she could tell they had done their best to make her comfortable. They probably used toy furniture, but it mimicked a nice living room, even if the couch and bed was just a piece of fabric with cotton balls stuffed inside it.
"I hate that stupid, stuffy headed eye-patched...ooohhh! Just thinking of him makes me so mad!" She said, rolling over on her stomach and sighing in frustration. Somehow, her words didn't seem genuine.
She groaned when she heard the doorknob creak open. Rikku shut her emerald green eyes shut, in hopes that the Prince (which it undoubtedly was; no one else was allowed in his room) would think that she was asleep and leave her alone. She could see that he tried to make sure she was comfortable, but she just wanted to be back home and would make sure she could do everything to make that apparent. Even if it meant starving herself. Oh boy, if her father, King Cid, found out, he would be furious. He was always telling her that she was too skinny for her own good and needed to get more meat on her bones.
Didn't this airheaded Prince get it? This kidnapping escapade was only going to make her kingdom hate his even more, not make them be friends. At this point, they had been fighting so long Rikku was almost close to believe that the fighting would never stop--if she had been a pessimist. But no, she was the exact opposite, being somewhat of an optimist. But the situation she was stuck in was just plain bleak. Why hadn't some people already tried to rescue her? Or maybe they had, and failed, and no one alerted her of this failed attempt. And, she was stuck here with him, the most infuriating person alive! Could this get any worse? Hearing no noise, she popped an eye open, thinking that maybe he left the room quietly. But no, instead there the blonde Prince was, at his desk and doing papers.
He glanced at her, grinning when he saw her awake. "Well, well, well, if it isn't the little Princess."
"I-I'm not little!" She exclaimed, and he rose an eyebrow. "Alright, maybe I'm little now but once I start to eat I'll be as tall as you, you big meanie!"
"So eating is what makes you back to your normal form, huh?" He asked, propping his head up on his elbow, "We've offered you every kind of food--"
"It's not the food!" She said in a whiney tone, "I hate it here! I want to think that Sanubia and Bikanel are going to be all happy happy joy joy again, but Pops isn't going to like that you kidnapped me! He already hates you--and why shouldn't he; this is just going to make it worse, Gippal!" Since they were both royalty, Rikku felt no need for any formality. Especially since they had been 'friends' in the past.
"He hates me?" Gippal asked, raising an eyebrow. "When we were younger, he used to love me."
"Yeah, but he didn't know you were his archnemesis' son then!" Rikku piped, "I didn't know who you were, either! I never thought that you'd just come strolling in my Kingdom. You tricked me, Gippal!"
"I didn't 'trick' you, Rikku. I was only trying to become friends with you," He said, seeming...hurt? No, definitely not hurt; nothing could pop Gippal's big ego. Or that's what it seemed to Rikku, anyway.
"You were my friend until Pops found out you are who you are and then shipped you all the way back to here! He thought you were trying to brainwash me into getting me to betray my country!" The emerald-eyed fairy said, crossing her arms. Although only five inches tall, her voice still projected as it normally would--or perhaps it was because she was such a loudmouthed girl ordinarily. That's what Gippal thought, anyway.
"I was thirteen at the time, Rikku," Gippal said, sighing, "Let's be realistic. How the hell would I, a little adorable thirteen year-old, ('Of course he always makes himself look good,' Rikku thought dully) brainwash a tomboyish ten-year-old?"
"Why else did you come over to Home?" She asked, letting her hands drop to her lap. Normally she would be all jittery, but since she didn't have any energy from practically starving herself, she didn't have the energy to move.
"Listen, Rikku, my mom died right before that time. I didn't know about it because I was off giving troops a morale boost with my aunt. She received news from my father, and he didn't want me to know about it. The only place he could send me was Home--your kingdom. He thought that maybe if my aunt and I went over there, no one would recognize us," Gippal said.
"Oh, so you only went over there because your mom died and your father didn't want to know. It wasn't because you wanted to brainwash me..." Rikku puffed up her cheeks as if angry, and then took a deep breath, "Ah, I didn't believe Pops anyway!"
"I don't know, Rikku, you're pretty gullible," Gippal said, chuckling slightly.
"I am not gullible, you big meanie!" She retorted, turning her head to the side and closing her eyes, hmphing slightly.
Gippal got up suddenly, "Look, over there!" He shouted urgently. The urgency in his tone made Rikku jump to her feet and look around.
"Where? Where?" She asked, and saw nothing out of the ordinary. Hearing him laugh, she sat back down and adopted her angry look again. "Gippal, I hate you to death!" She didn't know if that was a common phrase, but if you could love people to death, then surely you could hate them to death, too!
"That's a little harsh, Princess," He said seriously, but there was an amused expression splashed upon his face. As his chuckling faded, he turned back to whatever paperwork he had to do. Rikku, not having anything better to do, just watched him with an angry look on her face. The silence continued into minutes which seemed to turn into hours which could have turned into years for all she cared, before something disrupted the silence that had draped over the Prince's room.
That noise was none other than the sound of the lovely Princess' stomach growling. Things always seemed to happen to her at the worst times; and her face flushed. Much to her surprise, Gippal did not laugh, but looked up at her with a serious expression on her face. "Rikku, you should eat. You're going to pass out; you haven't eaten anything I've given you since you've arrived. What's it been? A week?"
"Maybe I will if you just let me out of here!" She growled, kicking one of the bars with her foot, and then recoiling in pain. Bad move. She made a mental note to herself: don't kick steel.
"Is that why you stopped eating? You could've just said so," He said, and opened the cage door with a flick of the wrist.
She blinked, surprised by this. "You're not afraid I'm going to fly away?"
"Judging by your condition, you probably don't have enough energy to fly away even if you wanted to," He replied, and when she tried to even levitate, Rikku found she couldn't. Growling, she began to pick at some food that was lying about in her little dollhouse of a cage. Perhaps she would have eaten earlier, but even she knew that transforming in the middle of a birdcage wasn't exactly the best idea in the entire world.
"H-Hey! It's rude to stare at a girl--especially while she's eating!" Rikku said, throwing a loaf of bread at him, which was the equivalent of a breadcrumb to him. She hated being small; especially now because she couldn't be as intimidating as she'd like. Not that she'd intimidate Mr. Big Ego anyway, but she could try, right?
"Whatever," He mumbled, going back to his paperwork. She ate until she felt like she had eaten enough to stave off world hunger for thirty years, and then she stood up and stretched. Seeing that Gippal was entranced with his fun paperwork, she silently got out of the cage and landed on the floor. In a moment, she was back to her normal height. Which, was still shorter than Gippal. But it was better being five foot four than five inches.
He noticed the vacant birdcage, stood up, and then turned around and said, "Well, getting taller didn't really do much for you--"
"That's so mean! I hate you to death, Gippal!" She wailed, growling and punching him in the arm lightly. He was about to reply with something, when the door swung open to reveal Gippal's father, the King. Rikku knew that the King of Bikanel was not exactly an easygoing father. She knew this because of the way Gippal spoke about him, and because when he entered the room, the Prince immediately bowed. Rikku followed suit, thinking, 'Man, and I thought my Pops was a cantankerous old fart! But the King seriously has a stick up his butt if he thinks he's superior to everyone; even making his son bow to him.'
However, the King moved right past his son and towards Rikku. She was frozen, afraid to do or say anything that was going to make him throw her outside in the middle of the desert. Gippal was a jerk, but at least he wasn't a cruel-hearted person. (He seemed like it at times, but Rikku always thought that he generally meant well...for the most part) But his father was waaaay beyond a jerk. He was like, a jerk to the fifth power if there ever was one! He was a condescending person and if you didn't act the right way around him, he would send you down to the dungeons. Gippal even said he's been down there before, and it wasn't a pleasant place.
"Princess Rikku," The King began, making Rikku stand up straight and bow her head slightly.
"Your Majesty, it's um, nice to meet you," She said, swallowing down a lump of nervousness that fluttered about her stomach. Gippal straightened his composure and looked toward them.
"You are fully aware that our countries are at war and that you are in your enemy country as a hostage, correct?" The King asked rather coldly. Rikku glanced at Gippal, who just gave her an apologetic look. She obviously wasn't going to receive any help from him.
"Yeah, but not because I want to be here!" She shouted, and then cleared her throat and added, "Um, with all due respect, Your Majesty." She didn't really know what he was getting at. But it was better not to ask.
"Gippal," The King then addressed his son, who bowed his head respectfully in response, "You do realize that hostages should not be living in comfy little crannies of your bedroom. We are in a war; this palace is not meant to be a hotel room."
"We should give the Princess the treatment she deserves," He answered, "When she goes back to her own country and if she tells King Cid that she was maltreated here--"
However, the King interrupted his son before he could finish, "Gippal, I do not think you understand. Princess Rikku is here to establish peace. We may need to keep her here as long as she has to. If, or rather, when King Cid drops this foolish war--maybe we can seal it with offering her hand in marriage. Until then, I do not think special treatment is needed. Princess Rikku is at our mercy, but the way everyone in this palace has been treating her, it seems like the opposite. She is our enemy and should be treated as such. What would King Cid think if he found out his beloved daughter was staying in a room with someone he clearly hates?" The King sent a wary look to Gippal, and then crossed his arms, "I am sure he would prefer her to stay in the dungeons. Even if we give her this so-called 'treatment she deserves', all the people from her kingdom are barbarians, and the Princess is no exception. I am sure she would lie and tell him that she was maltreated anyway, what difference will it make?"
"What about--" Rikku started, obviously upset at the idea of marriage. (and that he just called her a barbarian! The nerve!) She was a free spirit, or at least that's what she had always considered herself, "What about Queen Naminé and King Mickey? They should know about this!" Although, she knew that marriage to an Al Bhed originating from Bikanel (which would made Gippal a candidate. Blegh.) would probably be the best political move to make, Rikku wasn't into politics and all of those things. Which sucked, because after her father died, she was next in line to the throne since her elder brother was no longer in contention for the throne after he removed himself of his title as Crown Prince. So, sooner or later, she was going to have to get married--or at least have a child. Ugh. Maybe she'd adopt.
"They already do," The King replied sharply, "I suspect that innocent, doe-eyed Queen Naminé of yours is sending out a troop of knights to come and rescue you. Though, on the same note, our King Mickey should have suspected this move. But he knows we want peace, though she may not; he will probably send out his own brigade of knights."
"Hey!" Rikku placed her hands on her hips, "Don't count your chocobos before they hatch! Queen Naminé is intelligent and intuitive!" Noticing the look on Gippal's face and the anger momentarily flashing through the King's face, she let her arms drop to her sides and gulped, tugging at her scarf and laughing a little nervously. "Um...that's not what I meant! King Mickey is cool and all too! I just...I want to think that peace can be established and that it might start with our kingdoms, but it goes beyond our little island! Square and Disney have been fighting for years and years...our great-great-grandparents started this all and I don't know how, but can it ever be righted? Fighting is the only thing we're all accustomed to; it's going to be difficult for us to change." When the King opened his mouth to reply, Rikku cut him off without meaning to, "I mean, even if we make peace with each other, citizens of Square will hate Disney, and citizens of Disney will hate Square. That's how it will be, no matter how much we want that to change. It seems like...the only option that's left is to let one side obliterate the other."
After Rikku's speech was over, the King didn't seem too happy with it since she had sounded so anti-peace. Rikku honestly hadn't meant it that way, but the King seemed to have taken that statement beyond what she meant. "If that is the case," He said quite coldly, drawing the sword at his side, "Then why don't we finish things now?"
This made Gippal tense up and immediately he stepped in between his father and the Princess. "Father, you are being unreasonable. If the Princess goes back to King Cid and tells him we want peace, then this can be achieved! But if you kill her, then this war is going to continue! Everyone on both sides has lost someone we care about; no one wants this to continue any longer!"
"Then why," The King said, sheathing his sword and regaining his composure, "will the Queen Naminé and King Mickey not sort this out through a treaty?"
"Father, you're an intelligent man. You should see that even if they do both want peace, there is always going to be feelings of mistrust for one another. Uneasiness leads to suspicion, which will just lead to another war. This war is something that is not going to just dissolve away; it's going to take time. But it can start with us," Gippal said, trying to reason with his father, and then added, "Why are you contradicting yourself? You want peace, yet you want the Princess to stay in a dungeon? You want peace, yet you're willing to kill her on the spot?"
"Silence, boy!" The King roared, making Rikku jump. However, Gippal did not flinch. He was probably used to his father yelling at him all the time. He seemed like a strict person. "You will not tell the King what to do. You forget that this girl just said she wishes for one side to obliterate the other." Rikku was about to say something in reply to this (she didn't say that), but didn't want any more misinterpretations so she figured the smart thing to do was keep her mouth shut.
"I was not telling the King what to do, and father, I will be King someday," He replied, crossing his arms. The tension between the two was so thick, the blonde Princess could swear that she could actually pull some out of the air.
"Until that day comes, Gippal, I am King and my ruling goes. But--" The King took a deep breath, "I will not forget what the Princess has told me. If that is how her kingdom feels, then we may have some work to do..." Then, he left. As soon as he did, the blonde Prince released a deep breath and closed the door once more; though he didn't close it with enough force to slam it shut, just enough to leave it ajar.
"Sorry about that cross-examination, Rikku. My father has been getting very emotional lately. The anniversary of my mother's death is coming around--he tends to go a little overboard when that day is coming near." Gippal sighed, and then shrugged.
"But Gippal--" She started, wringing her hands nervously, and then lacing them behind her back as if she did not know what to do with them, "What if I'm right? What if the only way to win this war is for one side to obliterate the other?"
"Rikku," He said with a laugh, but with also a serious undertone, "When was the last time you were ever right?" This made her puff up her cheeks and hit him in the shoulder.
"Oooohhhh! Gippal, you just make my blood boil!"
"What?" Sora's mouth dropped as the words told to him by the King were registered in his head. "Me? Going to a hostile environment by myself?" What the King had told him consisted of this: That Sora was going to have to go to Bikanel to ensure that it was not attacked. And much more, he was going to have to go by himself.
"It is not a hostile environment, Sora. Goofy and Donald would accompany you, but I do not know what the Queen is planning so I need them here," The King explained, and Sora frowned.
"I guess I'm not living up to my name then, huh?" He asked, scratching his head and sighing.
"I think you are good enough to go by yourself, don't I?" the King asked, and said, "I think you have the ability to surpass your father and Goofy and Donald. You have not even been knighted yet, Sora. You should take this as a compliment that I am letting you go on to Bikanel by yourself."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Sora bowed, and then asked, "When am I going, Your Majesty, and how long will it take for me to get there?"
"You should get going as soon as possible, Sora," He said, then noticed the worried look on Sora's face. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, Your Majesty," The brunette said, nodding his head, "But I'm really terrible at navigating things..."
The King laughed at this, and Sora wondered what he said. "I think you misunderstand, Sora. I'm not sending you out on a raft all by yourself."
"Oh..." Judging by his relieved expression, one would think that the squire actually thought King Mickey was going to send him out on the unforgiving ocean all alone!
The King laughed even more at this, and then smiled, "I would never do anything like that! There's a rumor that there's a Kraken plaguing the oceans, so of course you are going in one of our battleships in case anything attacks you. So there will be able sailors on the ship, but you are going to be the only one actually trekking to the palace in Bikanel to make sure nothing is attacked."
"Speaking of that..." Sora rubbed the back of his head, "Why am I going there, anyway? How long will I be there?"
"You are just going there to protect the palace from any knights Queen Naminé may send. You will stay there as long as the King and Prince Gippal need you there. I don't suspect it will be long, they have plenty of able fighters there. But, I just want to be sure." The King smiled and said, "You will be my eyes and ears in Bikanel. Be ready to report the situation there to me."
"I will, Your Majesty." He took a deep breath once more and then said, "Do you think I will need to pack a lot?"
"I have already got it handled, Sora." King Mickey waved a hand and the door opened, as if on cue. Revealing Kairi in a maid outfit, carrying a big bag of luggage, apparently with some difficulty.
"Geez, Sora, your wardrobe is about as big as the entire castle!" She said jokingly.
"Ah! You shouldn't have to carry that, Kairi! Sorry!" He mumbled, turning scarlet as he went over to her and grabbed the bag of luggage. It was heavy; well, it wasn't to him but he could see how Kairi could struggle lifting a big bag such as this.
"No, that's alright. It's my job, remember?" She laughed, tilting her head slightly. "Which reminds me...you have to leave for Bikanel, don't you?"
"Yeah..." He looked glum, "I do."
"I hate the desert." She shivered involuntarily, and then clasped her hands together, "Come back safe, Sora. I--those Al Bhed can be cruel at times. Most of them are good at heart but the King of Bikanel you need to watch out for."
"Did you live there, Kairi?" The brunette asked, curious about her past. He didn't want to pry--but he wanted to know at the same time. Everyone in the entire world knew about him--and if not, then everyone knew about at least one de Luz. He was a celebrity, practically. If the citizens hadn't grown used to him, they would shower him with presents everyday. Actually, he had been out to a town once with Goofy and Donald and man did the people love him. One girl even asked to marry him. Actually, a couple had. But anyway.
But before she could say anything, King Mickey interrupted this conversation by piping, "I think you should get going, Sora. If Queen Naminé has already sent out her knights, then they will arrive before you will."
As the brunette was about to leave, the King suddenly said, "Oh, I almost forgot!" This made Sora turn around as the King explained, "Aside from the battleship you will take, I asked some friendly, seafaring pirates who are experienced with battling the Kraken to aid you on your excursion. Just tell them who you are, and they won't rob you." That made Sora feel better.
"It's not like they'll believe me, though. I mean, I guess they will...but anyone can tell the pirates that they're me! I've heard that all of the de Luz family members have these really amazing blue eyes...but anyone can have really amazing blue eyes," He said thoughtfully.
'Sora's right; he DOES have amazing eyes,' Kairi thought to herself. Honestly, she could just stare at them forever--especially since where she came from, blue eyes weren't common. She knew about one person from her hometown who had blue eyes, and that person wasn't exactly the type to just let people stare.
"Why don't you give him something from your kingdom, like a symbol or a stamped letter or something, Your Majesty?" Kairi suggested.
"Hmm..." The King seemed to think for a moment. Then, suddenly, his eyes widened as he held a finger up in the air, "Ah-ha! I've got it! Sora, Kairi, come with me." He walked to the throne; a long walk actually, with both Sora and Kairi in tow. Once at the throne, the King turned around and said, "Wait here." He then went back inside his room.
"I wonder what the King is retrieving," Kairi said, placing a finger on her cheek. The brunette just nodded in agreement as they both waited there patiently. Then, the King came back in a moment's time. In his hand he held a golden sword with a white hilt.
"This is my personal sword," The King said, holding it out to Sora, "Show them this and they'll know you're from me."
Sora was surprised at this; surprised that the King was trusting him with this. "A-Are you sure? Isn't this valuable to you?"
"It sure is, but that's why I'm letting you take it. It will allow you to get a feel for what handling a real sword is like, and I trust you, Sora. I believe you won't lose it. If you handle it well enough; maybe I'll give you the Oathkeeper or Oblivion when you get knighted!" The King said, and grinned.
"Oblivion? Oathkeeper?" Sora asked, tilting his head. He glanced at Kairi, who just shrugged.
"Aside from that sword right there, Oblivion and Oathkeeper are my most treasured swords. They have special abilities that have protected Disney for years! This castle's been attacked numerous times, but luckily the magical powers of the sword have been able to protect my kingdom. I really owe a lot to them!" The King chirped, laughing slightly and then saying, "Alright, well, that's settled! The boat is docked on the harbor; you can leave whenever you are ready!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Sora bowed to the King, and then the brunette turned to Kairi, "See you in a little bit, Kai."
"Hey! What happened to Miss Kasei?" She asked, crossing her arms and looking angry. It was so convincing that Sora was about to apologize, but stopped when she laughed and let her arms drop to her sides. "Just kidding! I will see you later, won't I?"
He froze momentarily, before raising an eyebrow, "Of course. Wh--Why wouldn't I? I can't die on this mission, can I?" He glanced at the King, who now wore a somber look.
"The possibility is always there. We don't know how powerful the Kraken is--we just hope that it won't attack you on your way there or back. But if you are, then you are surrounded with people who are experienced in handling it."
"Then, Sora, promise me you'll come back," She said firmly, a serious look on her face.
"Yeah, of course!" He nodded, and with that, left the throne room. He was slightly perturbed by the fact that this was a potentially fatal mission, but refused to let that down his optimistic demeanor that had bounced back after he met Kairi. It was weird, being so depressed and then having a girl cheer up your whole attitude. Besides, he couldn't die yet--he still had to become a knight for his brother, and he had a promise to keep to Kairi, anyway! Who would protect her if he died?
As Sora left the throne room, King Mickey turned to Kairi with a worried look on his face. "What's the matter, Your Majesty?" She asked, afraid that he was going to tell her that there was no chance of survival for Sora.
"I think I should have taught him Al Bhed first..."
This is where the story gets confusing, not gonna lie. It's not that it gets CONFUSING, like, plot wise (I mean, two brothers separated in countries warring 'gainst each other...how confusing is that??) well, you guys might think so, it's just that there's a lot of characters and they all have their own backstories, so it might be hard to keep track.
Like, it's easy with just two perspectives because you can just split a chapter in half, but now that there's more...well, I like fleshing out characters. Besides, they all meet up at some point so it works out. God, I hope this doesn't lower the bar for anyone. n.n The only thing I really HATE about reviews is that when people are like, 'omg this story is the greatest', I'm always scared that the next chapter/rest of the story will be a huge disappointment. (Don't get me wrong; I LOVE reviews; don't let that scare ya!) But, there's nothing worse than disappointing readers.
-sigh- Maybe it's just a lack of self-confidence. It doesn't matter too much. Anyway, see you guys next chapter! (Hopefully xP)
P.S. I would just like to add that the two main characters in here are really Sora and Roxas, but I thought that if I put them as the two main characters, everyone would think this story is incest or narcissism or whatever the hell the Sora/Roxas pairing is called. (I think Sora and Roxas would make great friends/brothers, but I just can't ever see them being all lovey dovey...-shudders- Maybe it's just me and the fact that I don't really like yaoi. Not that I'm a homophobe or anything; I just don't like it. Yaoi fangirlism just never rubbed off on me. Wonder why...)
Anyway, so, that's my two cents. While Nami IS a main character and really reaaally important in terms of the world, (she's the QUEEN of SQUARE, for heaven's sake! Of course she's important!) it's not HER story you see flesh out; it's Roxas and Sora's. Anyway, longest author's note EVER, so BYE!