Credits go to Evanescence - I don't own the song or the lyrics.
Chapter 11
As the sun was setting on a picturesque day near the Disney Castle, two weary teens, two sleeping children, and three barely awake children made their way back to the castle gates. Sora had the little hare on his back snoring soundly; he had found out his name was Skippy. Geni was carrying the little duckling named Webbigail in her arms. Geni quietly hummed a lullaby-like tune while she walked, swaying Webbigail gently. Sora smiled, and shifted Skippy once again as they approached the castle gates.
A vixen was waiting for them as they arrived; seeing the tired children she smiled and walked over to Sora. Sora paused, wondering what the young lady was doing, until he realized she was taking Skippy off his back. Sora smiled, and mouthed the words "thank you" to her. Smiling back, she turned and headed back into the castle. His arms now free, he helped to herd the other sleepy children inside. Seeing the entire group inside, the guard from before let out a shout and the huge gates swung closed with a loud thud behind them. Following the vixen, Geni and Sora came toward a cross section in the hallway where she turned.
"I'll take the children from here, Lady Geni. Thank you for watching them for me," the vixen said with a nod of gratitude.
"Of course, Maid Marian, anytime. How are Sir Robin and Friar Tuck these days?"
Skippy woke up, hearing his favorite person's name. He wriggled a bit until Maid Marian put him down. "Just wonderful! Oh, with King Richard back things have been splendid. The town has returned to normal; however, there are still some bandits loyal to that horrible Prince John and the Sheriff of Nottingham that are trying to regain rule."
"I'm sure things will quiet down with Robin on the job. Speaking of you two, I heard that some wedding bells were rung recently between you." Mentioning their wedding, Maid Marian blushed profusely. "Congratulations! I knew you two were perfect for each other. Happy memories and happy years to you both."
"Thank you, Lady Geni. Thank you as well, sir…" Maid Marian looked at Sora inquisitorially.
"Sora, just Sora. I'm Geni's twin brother," he said, stating the obvious.
Maid Marian nodded and smiled, saying, "I thought you two looked quite similar, but I wasn't sure. Congratulations are in order to you as well," she said, looking at Geni.
Geni blushed, looking down. "Well, if you'll excuse us, we must be going. Will we see you at dinner?"
Maid Marian shook her head no. "Unfortunately, the gummi ship to home is taking off within the hour, so I have to get these mischief makers ready and packed. Thank you for your kind offer, though."
"Of course. I hope you can come back soon. Have a safe trip!" Shifting Webbigail, Geni turned to Sora. "Let's get Webbi back to the nursery and then see when dinner is." Sora nodded, and they turned to continue down the hallway while waving goodbye to their friends from the world of Old England. Thank goodness for the duo, the nursery was situated on the first floor of the castle not too far from the dining hall. Leaving the sleeping Webbigail with one of the nursery attendants, Sora and Geni headed in the direction of the dining hall. Many other workers in the castle were heading in the same direction, so they could only assume it was quite close to dinnertime.
Walking down the hallway, Sora noticed that many people were looking at him and Geni and talking in excited whispers and occasionally pointing. Leaning towards Geni and crossing his eyes, he asked, "Do I have something on my face?"
Geni turned to look and let out a laugh. "Nothing that I can see except for your optical problem. Why do you ask?"
Sora shrugged. "People are staring and talking. Probably about me, you, or the two of us."
"Well, it has been a long, long time since we've hosted a legendary Keyblade Master here. Or, people want to see if I've turned into a monster from my year long association with Organization XIII."
"Well, we'll find out soon enough." Sora and Geni had just entered through the main doors to the dining hall. Almost all of the tables were filled, and they could see Donald motioning for them to come and sit up at the main table with them. Making their way through the maze of chairs, they finally reached the main dais. The table was set to face the other tables in the hall; Queen Minnie was seated in the middle with Lady Daisy, Donald, and Goofy on her left with two empty chairs on her right. Geni seated herself next to Queen Minnie and Sora took the last open chair. Smelling something delicious coming from the kitchen, Sora's mouth began to water and his stomach – yet again that day – began to grumble. Geni laughed, and said, "Don't worry – Queen Minnie usually gives a short address to everyone, then we eat."
"I hope it's short," Sora said, rubbing his stomach. As if on cue, Queen Minnie stood up and everyone in the hall quieted themselves.
Smiling, Queen Minnie addressed the residents of the castle. "My dear friends, today is a special day. As most of you know, our dear friends and family members have returned to us after a year long absence. They were gone fighting the darkness for us, to keep our home safe. For this, we thank you Donald and Goofy." Loud applause echoed off of the walls. "As well, a very special and a very dear person to me has returned as well; she was taken from us a year ago and put under a spell by Organization XIII. However, thanks to the efforts from our friends in Hollow Bastion, Lady Geni is now back among the residents of the light." Even louder clapping and shouting was heard, making Geni blush. "Finally, we have one last – and very important – guest with us. I would like to introduce Sora, the Keyblade Master, and also Lady Geni's long lost brother." To this, the applause was just as loud, but mixed in to it were excited whispers and plenty of astonished gazes. "Tonight we celebrate the homecoming of three of our own, and our thanks for their continued efforts in their arduous fight. So, let us celebrate!" Throwing up her hands, a blue light was emitted, covering the entire hall blindingly. After it dissipated, food had magically appeared on the tables, and the hall was covered with decorations as well as a large sign that said "Welcome Home!" on it. However, Sora was too engrossed in the massive amount of food in front of him that he barely noticed the other changes in the hall. Sora's eyes shone as he began to pile up his plate with at least ten different kinds of food. As soon as he finished, he picked up his spoon and fork – one in each hand – and dug in.
Donald and Goofy acted in the same way as Sora – probably the rations they had been used to on the gummi ship were definitely not as nice as real home cooked food. On the other hand, Lady Daisy, Queen Minnie, and Geni still took regular portions and ate gracefully. Looking around the hall, Geni could only smile at all of the happy faces. It's good to be home, Geni thought to herself. Looking over at Sora, Geni wondered if he had a black hole for a stomach, considering the massive amounts of food he seemed to be devouring. I wonder if he misses the Destiny Islands as much as I missed Hollow Bastion and the Disney Castle. Shaking her head at him, she continued eating, listening to the conversations around her.
As Geni was finishing the last of her vegetables, she happened to feel a tap on her shoulder. Looking to her left, she noticed Queen Minnie had a serious expression on her face. Motioning her to move closer, she whispered "After the festivities have finished for the night, please come to my chambers. There are several individuals you need to confer with." Opening her eyes wide, Geni knew exactly whom Queen Minnie was talking about. Swallowing her food rather quickly, she nodded. She then pushed her plate aside, quite losing her appetite after Queen Minnie's statement. It was good timing, however; almost everyone in the hall had finished eating, and seemed to be eagerly awaiting something.
Sora noticed as well, after finished his third helping of everything. Putting down his silverware and using his napkin, he turned to Geni. She seemed distant, staring off into space. "What's everyone waiting for Geni? Geni? Hey, Geni!" Sora finally shook her shoulder, snapping her out of her musings.
"Dancing," she said, still staring.
"What?"
"Usually we have dancing on special occasions such as this. You do know how to dance, don't you?" she asked, finally looking at him with a raised eyebrow while reaching for her glass of water.
"Um…" Sora began to fidget in his seat. "Does the Macarena count?"
Taking a drink while Sora was talking, she almost sprayed water all over the table. "What?! Is that supposed to be a joke or something?"
"No." Looking so honest and sincere, Geni could only laugh. "Well, I suppose that means no ballroom dancing experience?"
Sora looked at his sister in horror. "Like…waltzing?"
"At least you know the name of one. Don't worry, I'll help you out; one of the things you have to learn living in a castle is dancing etiquette. But, we also do more contemporary dancing like the Macarena and the Electric Slide; for the children we dance to songs like the hokey pokey and the chicken dance. You could call it a well-rounded mix."
Sora let out a sigh of relief; maybe he could make it through the night without too many problems. His relief was cut short when Queen Minnie stood and raised her hands for silence. This seemed to be the cue everyone was waiting for. "Thank you for your patience; as you all know, we can't have a welcome back party without having a little fun. If everyone could stand please? Geni, could you help me with this one?" All at once, chairs across the hall scraped the floor and Geni went to stand next to Queen Minnie. Grasping hands, they shouted "Let the festivities begin!"
The chairs, tables, and food vanished leaving behind a clean wooden floor that spanned most of the hall. Sora found himself standing below the dais now, and where he was just sitting sat an orchestra tuning their instruments. Everyone in the hall seemed to move on an invisible cue; walking to the perimeter of the dance floor, they waited for the traditional first couple. Queen Minnie walked over to Geni and Sora, asking "Would you two lead us tonight?"
Geni immediately said yes, whereas Sora was slightly apprehensive – to say the least. Grabbing his arm as she pulled him to the center of the floor, Geni whispered "Just follow my lead." Standing in the epicenter of a huge and expectant crowd, Geni and Sora waited for the cue from the conductor. Finally, after a long moment, he turned to face the crowd and bowed. Turning back towards the orchestra, Geni noticed he was beginning with a three count. Hurriedly whispering to Sora, she said "It's a waltz, so count in three when you step. 1-2-3, 1-2-3, got it?" Without waiting for an answer, Geni grabbed Sora's right hand in the air, and with her left placed his hand on her side just under her left shoulder and put her own hand on top of his shoulder.
Swallowing loudly, Sora was as red as a beet. "Are you sure about this?"
Geni looked at him for a moment, then smiled. "Positive; just relax." Suddenly, the orchestra began the overture for Waltz for the Moon. After hearing the first few measures, Geni began to step in three, moving in a circle. Sora was a tad clumsy at first, but picked up quickly after watching Geni's feet and how she moved. Now he was moving as gracefully as she was. This is easy! Wait until I tell Kairi I can waltz, he though smugly. After another minute of dancing, Sora noticed several other couples were joining them as the swirled across the dance floor: Donald and Lady Daisy, Goofy and Madame Mouvelle, and several others. Within moments, the whole hall was swishing and swaying in sync to the beautiful music. All too soon, the dance was over; male partners bowing to their female partners and female partners curtsying to their male partners.
While coming back up to eye level, Geni said, "See? That wasn't so hard."
"Maybe not for you; I think I would like to sit out the next one."
Geni shrugged. "Whatever suits you. Usually we start off with more traditional dances and work our way up to the more contemporary ones that you would be familiar with."
"Okay. We'll, I guess I'll see you later then."
Geni looked at her brother, worry in her eyes. "Are you sure? I could come –" Geni was cut off by a tap on her shoulder.
"May I have this dance, Lady Geni?" a young and handsome buck asked. Geni looked at Sora once again.
Smiling, Sora said, "Go and have fun. This is your party too, you know. I'll see you in a little bit." Nodding, Geni allowed herself to be led away into a foxtrot. Sora walked to the edge of the room and found a door that led to an outside balcony. The sky was full of sparkling stars, and a light breeze played in the wind. The music and laughter from inside the dining hall drifted out into the peaceful night.
Leaning on the balcony, Sora closed his eyes. He couldn't help but think of Kairi and Riku, of his home on the Destiny Islands. Smiling, he remembered the surprise party for Riku's last birthday they threw on their favorite little island near the large island where they lived. They stayed there all night with a huge bonfire, dancing to the radio, roasting marshmallows, telling ghost stories. Sighing, Sora wondered how Kairi was doing all alone back home. Well, not all alone; Wakka, Tidus, Selphie, and the others would be there for her. But what about Riku? The king hadn't – or maybe couldn't – tell them where he was or what he was doing. But by admitting to that, he at least had seen Riku since they closed the door to the darkness together. Opening his eyes, Sora stared out into the brilliant night sky.
He didn't know how long he had been standing there, but Sora was startled out of his stupor when he heard someone calling his name. "Sir Sora! Sir Sora! Are you out here?" Turning, he saw the same girl who had led them to the Audience Chamber this afternoon.
"Mita?" Sora said questioningly.
She halted in the direction she was heading, and spun around to grab Sora's arm. "Sir Sora! Lady Geni is about to sing for everyone! You must come and watch!"
Nodding, Sora followed Mita into the dining hall where everyone was watching the dais with the orchestra on it. A microphone on a stand had been set up, and Geni was just ascending the stairs next to the platform. Whispering to the conductor for a moment, he nodded and turned to speak with the orchestra. Arriving at the microphone, Geni smoothed her skirt several times in nervousness. Clearing her throat, she looked towards the conductor, who nodded affirming that the orchestra was ready. Looking out into the hall, she smiled.
"When coming back to Disney Castle, I was ecstatic and uneasy at the same time. While I couldn't wait to see everyone here again, I was worried that my absence might have been cause for…concern amongst you. However, my doubts were greatly put to rest by the overwhelming support you have all shown me since my arrival. And now, I would like to dedicate this song to a very special person; one of the people who raised me and taught me how to be myself despite many hardships." Nodding to the conductor, he began to lead the orchestra. A haunting melody filled the room, drawing everyone in to an endless abyss of sound. Her eyes closed, Geni began to sing – soft and gentle at first, but growing louder and stronger every second...
I'm so tired of being here
Suppressed by all my childish fears
And if you have to leave
I wish that you would just leave
Cause your presence still lingers here
And it won't leave me alone
These wounds won't seem to heal
This pain is just too real
There's just too much that time can not erase
When you cried, I'd wipe away all of your tears
When you'd scream, I'd fight away all of your fears
And I held your hand through all of these years
But you still have all of me
You used to captivate me by your resonating light
Now I'm bound by the life you left behind
Your face it haunts my once pleasant dreams
Your voice it chased away all the sanity in me
These wounds won't seem to heal
This pain is just too real
There's just too much that time can not erase
When you cried, I'd wipe away all of your tears
When you'd scream, I'd fight away all of your fears
And I held your hand through all of these years
But you still have all of me
I've tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone
But though you're still with me
I've been alone all along
When you cried, I'd wipe away all of your tears
When you'd scream, I'd fight away all of your fears
I held your hand through all of these years
But you still have all of me.
As the music continued, vanishing into nothingness, no one dared move or breathe in the hall. Several people had tears in their eyes, while others stared blindly. Sora was in a group with the latter; the singing he had heard from his sister in Hollow Bastion was nothing compared to what she just performed. Now he knew why Mita had come to get him – Geni was far more accomplished in the art of voice than she let on. As the music finally faded, Geni bowed deeply to the audience. Finally, some clapping was heard towards the back, cracking the dam of silence. Shouting, yelling, applauding, whistling, any kind of appreciative sound was heard in a large chorus. Smiling, her face quite red, Geni thanked the orchestra behind her and walked off of the makeshift stage.
Queen Minnie was waiting for her at the base of the stairs. You couldn't have seen a more pleased foster mother anywhere – Queen Minnie was beaming, pride radiating off of her. "That was wonderful," she said to Geni as she reached the floor.
"You liked it?"
"Of course! And so did everyone else, although I have to say I'm slightly biased." Squeezing her hands, she continued. "I am so proud, and so lucky too."
"Thank you. Did you enjoy it Sora?" she said as Sora joined them.
"That was amazing! I was so caught up in it that I almost didn't realize you had finished. That was some teacher you had." Queen Minnie looked at Geni strangely, realizing the person to whom Sora was referring to was out of Geni's mysterious past. Noticing Queen Minnie's raised eyebrows, Geni quickly intervened.
"Well! I'm so thirsty I think I could down the bay! Want to go get some water Sora? See you later Queen Minnie!" as she practically dragged Sora to the back of the hall. Shaking her head, it seems like the "talk" later with Geni was going to be quite interesting.
Reaching the back of the hall, Geni slowed down. "What was that for?" Sora asked, rubbing his arm where Geni had grabbed him so suddenly. "Are you that thirsty?"
"Oh, sorry about that," she said, looking distracted.
"What's up? Did I say something I shouldn't have?"
"Don't worry about it," she said smiling. A large grandfather clock in the back of the dining hall began to strike to the hour – it was ten o'clock. "It's getting kind of late, did you want to see or do anything before bed?"
"Hmm, not really. Now that you mention it –" here Sora yawned very loudly "– I am kind of tired. I think hitting the sheets early tonight might be a good idea, considering we might be leaving tomorrow or the day after."
Nodding, Geni walked out into the hallway. Walking back the way they had come, they reached the grand staircases in no time and began ascending the right staircase towards the third floor. After passing the first flight, Sora noticed that Geni was getting slower and slower until he was almost a full flight of stairs ahead of her. Looks like I'm not the only tired one, he thought to himself. Sora reached the third floor first and waited for Geni. She was slightly out of breath and gently massaging her bruised ribs when she arrived. "Are you okay?" Sora asked.
"Yes, just a little tired, nothing to worry about," Geni said, smiling widely at Sora.
Sora turned and continued down the hall. "Okay. Well, I think I can find the way from here –" he turned back around to say goodbye just as he saw Geni slumping to the floor. "Geni!" Sora ran over to her, grabbing her before she fell hard. "Are you alright?!"
Geni looked up at Sora tiredly. "Yeah. I guess I'm more drained than I thought. Sorry," she said meekly.
Noticing how close they were to Sora's room, he said, "Let's go to my room, and you can rest there for a minute before going up to your own room. Okay?"
"But Sora, I can –"
"No buts. You remember what Queen Minnie said earlier."
Well, that silenced her. "Okay, but only for a minute, then I'm going."
"Deal. Let me help you." Sora gingerly helped Geni to her feet, supporting her as they walked slowly the last few feet to his door. Grabbing the knob like Geni had showed him earlier, the door swung open with a faint click and then they were inside. Closing the door behind them, Sora noticed that a fire had been lit inside the small hearth. Looking for someplace Geni could sit, he saw that the only chair was a wooden one at the table. Sora decided to lead Geni over to his bed instead. "Here, sit on the bed."
With Sora's help, Geni sat down carefully on his bed. "Did you still want a glass of water or something?"
"Yes, please, if you don't mind," she said, feeling the soft material under her fingers.
"One moment." Sora walked into the adjoining guest bathroom. "So, what did you want to do tomorrow if we don't have to leave right away? If it's okay with you, could we look either in your library or the Grand Library you were talking about for information on the Nobodies?" Sora had found a glass and was filling it with cool water from the tap. "What do you think?" Sora walked back out into the main room, planning on continuing his conversation only to realize it was one-sided. Geni was fast asleep, her legs dangling off of the bed and her torso lying back so it seemed she had just fallen over where she had been sitting.
Sora smiled, and set the now useless glass of water on the table. Walking over to Geni he quietly took off her boots, setting them gently on the floor. Carefully, without waking her up, he picked his sister up in a bridal style fashion, moving her from sleeping vertically to horizontally on the bed. She was so light; Sora felt like any large movements could have broken her. Geni made a small noise in her sleep, but otherwise was peaceful. Now sleeping comfortably on the far side of the bed, she rolled on her side to face Sora. He took off his own clunky shoes and went over to stoke the fire. As the embers flared to life once again, Sora wondered where he was supposed to sleep now. Walking back over to the bed, he watched his sister breathe in and out deeply, no cares or worries etched into her normally solemn face. Finding no other solution, Sora leaned over her. "Goodnight Geni," he whispered softly. Sora climbed up gently as to not move the mattress, and he lay down on the edge of the bed opposite Geni, his back facing her.
The bed was so soft and comfortable; Sora's eyes were soon closing to the soft lullaby of Geni's even breathing and the soft crackling of the fire. Little did they know that they were being watched from the shadows...
"What lazy bums those two are. I can understand Geni, but Sora was always an unlimited fountain of energy. Well, at least they're safe in the castle with the Cornerstone of Light protecting them." Two beings in black, one tall and one very short were looking through a window made of darkness into the guest room where Sora and Geni were currently sleeping.
"It makes me feel better, knowing that she's back in a place that can protect her. But what about when she leaves?" said the short person.
"Why does she have to? As soon as Sora defeats the Organization she can do whatever she wants to."
"I don't think she would be very happy with the idea of being locked up in the castle for an indefinite amount of time." The dark window began to waver. "Uh oh, looks like the Cornerstone is trying to block us again. Since we can't enter the castle yet, did you want to...?"
"Not yet. Let Sora visit a few more worlds before then." The tall individual waved his hand and the window of darkness disappeared. "For now, let them sleep. It's only fair, considering what they – and all of us – will be up against soon." The little person nodded in agreement, before both beings disappeared into the darkness around them.
Knock, knock. Someone was gently knocking at the door to Sora's room. Knock, knock. They tried again, hearing no one moving about.
Geni slowly opened her eyes, confused by a large black lump in front of her. Slowly reaching out her hand, she touched something warm and…snoring? Geni sat up like a shot when she realized what it was: she was still in Sora's room, on Sora's bed to be more precise. Blushing profusely, Geni wondered what had woken her.
Knock, knock, knock someone pounded insistently. Geni carefully crawled to the foot of the bed, creeping around Sora's sleeping form and stepped carefully onto the floor. Walking to the door, she opened it slowly as not to wake him. "Hello?" she whispered.
"There you are! I've been waiting for you! I had to cast a locater spell since you weren't in your room, the dining hall, the library..." Queen Minnie was standing outside the door, hands on her hips. "It's already eleven-thirty, you know."
Rubbing her eyes as Queen Minnie talked, she shot her an incredulous glance when she mentioned the time. "Queen Minnie, I am so sorry. Sora and I came back...I was so tired when we were talking...I must have forgotten..."
Queen Minnie put a finger to her lips. Sora was shifting on the bed, sprawling over to where Geni had been sleeping moments ago. "Don't worry, it's alright. Just put on your boots and let's get going before we wake the poor boy up."
Nodding, Geni padded softly over to the bed. Smiling at Sora's unconcerned use of personal space, she took the blanket from the foot of the bed and laid it over him. "Thanks Sora," she whispered in his ear. Sora mumbled something incoherent in his sleep before he rolled to his side. Grabbing her boots, she brought them with her into the hallway and closed the door before she put them on. "All set; let's get going before it gets too late."
Queen Minnie and Geni set off down the hallway and preceded down the grand staircase only to walk up to the fourth floor of the other staircase. That whole floor was dedicated to the royal couple and their personal facilities. Walking to a large door with the Mickey insignia on it, Queen Minnie pushed it open to reveal a comfortable sitting room with a roaring fire at one end. "We're using the gateway in the library, considering the central connection we have there. Are you sure you're feeling up to this right now?" Queen Minnie asked, looking Geni over.
She nodded, saying, "I'll be fine. That little bit of sleep helped a lot, and I can always catch up on some while I'm there after the discussions have finished. I take it you are not coming with me?"
Queen Minnie shook her head. "No, unfortunately the council's condition was that when you returned, you must immediately go and see them without delay. About what, I was never told. Even her majesty couldn't tell me anything. Considering you did arrive here this afternoon, they'll want to see you tonight rather than tomorrow morning."
"I see," Geni said thoughtfully. Queen Minnie walked over to another door, opening it to show a large library similar to Geni's own. However, one of the walls was left with an empty door shaped archway. On the wood were intricate designs drawn in chalk in some ancient language.
Walking up to the door, Queen Minnie said "Be careful. And do your best, no matter what; I'll be waiting here for good news."
"I will be," Geni said. She kneeled down to hug the small monarch who happily hugged her back. "It's time," Geni said.
Queen Minnie nodded, stepping in front of Geni towards the archway. Raising her hands, she said in a commanding voice "Velus atrupa na Keepers eruhia di Queen Minnie!" Suddenly, the chalk drawing on the wall burst into a pool of bright shimmering light. Queen Minnie stepped away, and Geni stepped forward towards the portal.
"See you soon," she said with a smile, before walking into the door of light and disappearing. The portal vanished into nothingness moments after. All Queen Minnie could do now was hope for good news.