DISCLAIMER: I don't own Kingdom Hearts nor do I own The Black Cauldron or The Chronicles of Prydain...

Chapter 38

Divide and Be Conquered

"We just hafta split up."

-Goofy

Both Sora and Kairi were relieved to find that Disney Castle had indeed been saved. Riku and Edge were resting, their bodies the most heavily taxed out of the whole trio from containing the bomb there and as soon as they arrived and had given their disastrous reports, Mickey sent them off to chambers to rest. They were pleased to find that Jim Hawkins, Captain Amelia, B.E.N. and Doctor Doppler had made it off the world and were heading home to Montressor Spaceport with all of their prisoners stuck in the brig of Chip and Dale's newest Gummi Ship, the H.M.S. Legacy (which seemed a little ironic to both Sora and Kairi). Regardless, they were grateful for the sleep that soon claimed them.

While those four Keyblade wielders were sleeping, Mickey was meeting with Edge's other nine generals as well as Donald and Goofy who had just recently arrived and they all came to a decision. The generals would go to many of the worlds and garner the help of as many sorcerers and magicians as possible while Donald and Goofy went to seek the help of Genie on Agrabah. All of these efforts would hopefully help in being able to rebuild Radiant Garden, Twilight Town, and Destiny Islands. Meanwhile, the king himself would contact his old master yen Sid in order to discuss what seemed to be yet another new threat to the galaxy, based on Sora, Kairi, and Riku's description of them. Of course, Mickey knew that the Horned King and Maleficent still needed to be taken care of…but so did Gentai who was a very different and much more formidable threat. For now, however, Mickey allowed them to rest; they would need their strength for the battles to come tomorrow.

Mickey himself was also tired and decided to himself that he needed to rest as well. Yen Sid could wait until the others were safely (or not safely) off to Prydain the next day. The other nine generals were out and about, looking for magicians or the like (from Sora's storied he had Hercules in mind) and so would discourage any kind of attacks on the rest of the worlds…but Mickey was worried. Gentai was able to enter the castle because he had no darkness inside him and yet he was doing all of these despicably evil things. He would have to ask Yen Sid about that…could any one who had light in their hearts and no darkness enter the castle? Or was it that perhaps Gentai was so conflicted inside that he could still enter? These ruminations didn't matter much and soon, as night fell on Disney Castle, Mickey found himself falling asleep in his throne.

It was indeed morning again when the mouse king found himself being shaken awake by Edge. However, it was not just the two of them in the throne room. Sora, Riku, and Kairi were also there as well. Mickey rubbed his eyes, still groggy from his sleep given that he had just woken up. He hopped out of his throne and looked at the four adults standing before him.

"Your Majesty, my nine generals have indeed left and we're here per your request." Edge said and Mickey nodded. "What do you need of us?"

"Gentai's a problem, fellas, and he's one that we need to take care of. But Maleficent and the Horned King are still out there…" Mickey said with some sadness before he looked at his fellow Keyblade wielders. "We need to split up and make this a double attack."

"But where will we even find Gentai?!" Sora asked with trepidation and all of them thought on this for a moment, Riku the first to realize something.

"A castle…Gentai said something about observing us from a castle." Riku said. "But I don't know which castle he could possibly be talking about. I doubt that any castle we know of would harbor him." Edge gave a start next to him and looked at Riku.

"Castle?! You're sure that he said castle?" Edge asked and Riku nodded curtly, unsure of where Edge was going with this at all. "There's only one castle in all of existence that has been abandoned for a very long time. I know Gentai could not have gone to Castle Oblivion therefore the only place he could have gone was Crown Fortress."

"Crown Fortress?" Kairi asked in confusion over this whole thing. Edge began pacing around them.

"Crown Fortress was once the castle of the Chasers before they fell under the powers of Master Xehanort and his horde of Unbirths…We once thought of inhabiting it but my men feared it to be a tomb of the Chasers long past. I'm sorry to say that I merely felt the thrill of death merely gazing upon it." Edge turned to face the younger Keyblade wielders around him. "If what Riku said is correct then that's where we'll find Gentai." All three of them nodded, trusting edge for this moment and with this piece of information.

"Then I'll go to Crown Fortress and the rest of you will go after the Horned King in Prydain." Riku said with a sense of finality and Sora staggered backward in shock.

"Riku, are you crazy?! There's no way you can take on Gentai alone. We need all of us if we're going to do this! We can't afford to split up." Sora yelled and Riku just glared at him for a moment.

"I need to do this Sora. It needs to be me. Gentai is my burden and mine alone!" Riku said, his voice going a little higher than he had intended it to.

"Riku, none of us want to see you get hurt, that's all! It'll be better if you just come with us to Prydain." Sora said and suddenly Riku's body grew rigid and he went on the defensive.

"You just want some of the credit for yourself!!" Riku yelled and for a moment it almost seemed as though the voice speaking was not Riku at all, but a voice familiar and yet foreign. Sora took another step back in hurt. Riku suddenly clutched his head with his hand and peered at Sora with a pleading gesture. "I'm sorry…I don't know what made me say it."

"It's okay…" Sora insisted and Riku gave him a weak smile.

"You must understand…just like with Xehanort's Heartless, this is something I must do one my own. Gentai is my responsibility." Riku then turned to Edge and Edge nodded.

"Then I'll go with Sora and Kairi to Prydain while you go after Gentai." He summoned his Keyblades and opened a portal to the Chaser's Castle. Riku nodded at him in thanks and prepared to step through but Edge's words called him back. "Riku! Hold strength in your heart…you'll beat him." Riku nodded again and without another word was off.

He felt the portal close up behind him as he strode through the brief corridor and emerged into the new world. He stopped for a breather. He hadn't been himself when he had snapped at Sora like that…and he knew that he had lied to Sora when he said that he didn't know why he said that. He knew why. He placed a hand over his heart. Xehanort was drawing closer to him…and it was making him uneasy. He didn't want him to take his heart before this was over. Well, he didn't want him to take his heart at all but it would be better for it to happen after rather than now. At last Riku gave himself a chance to look up at Crown Fortress.

Its gates were wide and made of fine woodwork that was now scorched. Riku could only imagine what had happened here so long ago to make an Order as strong as the Chasers fall. He strode up to the gates and summoned Way to Dawn into his hand. He pointed them at the gates and they swung open after a thin beam of light pierced them and Riku had quickly dismissed his Keyblade. And so he delved into the castle halls. Riku quickly got a feel of how the attack had gone down. As he strode along he saw many rooms but no bodies whatsoever…it clearly wasn't the tomb that Edge thought it was, but he had to give credit to Edge to even coming near this place: he himself already felt like turning tail and fleeing.

He chanced glances into the room as he strode by and stopped before one of the larger ones. He knew he had to loom for Gentai and felt that perhaps he was in this room. However, all he found was a library filled with books. Many were extremely tattered, ripped and torn but some were still in prime condition. Riku searched through the wreckage of tomes and soon stumbled across a scary sight: the only skeleton that Riku had found in the entire castle was seated there amidst the rubble. In his hand was clutched a small silver disk. Riku bent down and removed it quickly from the figures hand. It was rather dusty and so Riku blew on it, soon finding a small button on its side. He pressed the button.

"They've taken the gate and are streaming across the ramparts." the voice, probably belonging to the skeleton, was saying hurriedly. "Why have they betrayed us? Only one with a Keyblade can enter…they are allowing the creatures in…the Unbirths are bringing death upon us. They are streaming the halls…soon they will fall. The ten thrones will be crushed and the Round of the Crown…Windsor! What are you-?!" There seemed to be a commotion coming through the device that must have been a sound recorder. There was the sound of metal on metal until a gagging noise was heard and the noise coming from the recorder was muffled. "Then…we have…failed. I am so sorry my son…I love you Ale-"

In front of Riku's eyes the recorder suddenly burst into flame, now having played its message. Unbirths? Was that what those creatures were? And what was that about Windsor coming in at that moment? And who had the voice been speaking about at the end? Riku shook his head, it didn't matter anymore. He still needed to find Gentai. He pelted out of the library and into the hall. He then began dashing down the hall. In his mind, he figured that the hall must end somewhere and when it did…

He never noticed the change of scenery as he pelted down the hall. He had never noticed that the color of the walls were blue or that red eyes were staring out at him from behind the wall. He only fully realized all this when he entered into a large circular chamber. It was a lower level that he was standing on, and about five feet above him were nine circling thrones with the tenth throne that completed the circle, residing slightly above the other nine. Riku gasped upon entrance. He knew this place. He had never been here before…and yet….

There was a bright light suddenly from where the tenth and highest throne sat and Riku immediately covered his eyes. The bright light persisted for about a minute before a voice spoke the words that Riku knew and dreaded to hear. "I didn't think you'd come, Riku." Then Riku took his hands from his eyes and looked into the light, trying to discern who the figure was emerging. But unlike the year before when he had this dream…he knew who was coming. That was why, when the light faded, he remained unsurprised to see Gentai.

"You have a lot of guts coming all by yourself, I'll give you that." Gentai said with a smirk. Riku scowled at him for a moment.

"Then let's finish this now!" Riku said, quickly summoning his Keyblade to his hand. Gentai seemed to chide him a bit whit his tsking noise while he shook his head.

"Riku…I don't want to fight you. You were my friend for this past year. Can we not put our differences aside?" Gentai asked with a simpering smile that Riku did not believe for a minute.

"We'll do that after you're finished." Riku yelled out. Gentai heaved a great sigh and summoned Pale Twilight to his hands.

"All right then, have it your way." Gentai said with a smirk and with a flick of his Keyblade he sent a great torrent of raging fire at Riku. Riku crouched low and erected a shield around him. The flames battered him for a moment until Gentai released them. Riku quickly dropped the shield and sent a shot of dark aura at him which Gentai swung his Keyblade at and deflected. He then raised his Keyblade again before swinging it in an arc. Suddenly, ice needles emerged from the floor where he was standing and carried him up. Riku jumped off and switched his Keyblade around, rubbing the grooved handle of his Keyblade against the ice to slow his fall.

Gentai grimaced and released the ice, opting instead to created a tomb of rock around Riku. Riku saw it coming and quickly enacted a shorter but similar strategy to that which he had used against the creatures known as the Unbirths. In but a moment the earthen shield collapsed and broke away. Gentai wasted no time and sent a wave of water at the unsuspecting form of Riku. Riku flipped backwards and peppered the waves with Dark Aura. It managed to break the wave up and it crashed in among itself. Gentai scowled at this occurrence as Riku leapt into the air and sent a wave of dark energy soaring at his former friend. Gentai plunged his Keyblade into the ground where it broke the waves of darkness and left him virtually unscathed. Gentai chuckled.

"It's clear that magic abilities are useless in a contest to see which one of us is better." Gentai said and he jumped down to the same level that Riku was on. "So clearly…we must test our strength and skill of our Keyblades." Gentai's eyes opened the challenge, and without a single word, Riku ran at him.

Their Keyblades collided with momentous force and the two began clashing and whirling around the hallway. Both of them hacked and slashed at each other. Gentai flipped over Riku and attempted a strike at his backside which Riku wasn't fooled by, quickly whipping around and blocking the blow to his midsection. He smirked and pushed Gentai off of him. Gentai staggered back slightly and Riku angled his Keyblade so that the point was facing straight at Gentai. He ran at Gentai and the two Keyblades collided again. Gentai pushed back at Riku with extreme force and the two seemed to be locked in an eternal struggle as neither Keyblade wanted to move. So Gentai extended his foot and kicked Riku away from him.

Way to Dawn flew out of Riku's hands and scattered to the floor. he stretched out his hand to summon the blade back but Gentai looked at him, his eyes glistening with a sudden flash of yellow. And Riku crumpled in pain, the scar on his back searing with a thousand different levels of pain. He didn't know why there was son much pain within him, or why it was happening now that the pain surged through his back. He tried to crawl forward but even that option was denied to him since his back was in so much pain. Gentai strode up to him and pointed his Keyblade at him. Thick ropes of light bound themselves around Riku. Gentai dismissed his Keyblade and for a moment, Riku thought he saw Gentai's shoulder sag slightly.

"I'm sorry, Riku…but it looks like you lost." Gentai said before he gave Riku a sharp kick to the head and he was out.

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Light blossomed in the world of Prydain; a patch of light that no one would have possibly thought would appear there, given the dark times under the Horned King. Out of that portal emerged the forms of Sora, Kairi, and Edge ready to take on the Horned King at last. Sora glanced around. Edge's portal had brought them into a wooded area with trees that had life and yet some small ways to the distance showed a thrill of death.

"Well…this is a real cheerful place to bring us out." Sora said with sarcasm dripping from his voice.

"This is probably the most sheltered place in Prydain other than Caer Dallben. But I'd rather not get Dallben too involved with this matter, or in any danger." Edge said with simplicity, explaining his reasons for dropping them out here. Sora took a moment to glare at Edge fully.

"Oh, so you've been here and never thought to take down the Horned King?" Sora said with anger quivering in his voice and Kairi could already tell where this line of thought was going to lead. Edge turned to him with a stern look on his face.

"When I came here, it was years ago and the Horned King's realm was rather small; he wasn't much of a threat, and he certainly hadn't joined forces with Maleficent yet." Edge said, his own rage beginning to build.

"Yeah, but when he did join up with Maleficent and started to grow you and your order didn't exactly do anything to stop him did you now?" Sora asked with ferocity and Edge strode up to him and got in his face.

"Understand me Sora. I am not proud of my order's actions but you know very little about leading men into battle. People like you disgust me…you remind me of my father." Edge said with a repulsive look on his face. "He thought he could question the Round of the Crown back in the day with their leadership quality when he knew nothing of how to lead men at all. Well, you just have to look at what happened to him! Dead, for eighteen years now since the fall of the Round of the Crown."

"I know how to lead people. I've led Donald and Goofy into a bunch of battles!" Sora commanded and Edge drew away from him, shaking his head.

"No, Sora, you don't understand anything about leading men into battle. Leading two of Disney Castle's most accomplished court members is no mean feat since they can just as well take care of themselves. You've never been a leader in battle, much less a leader of so many men at your disposal." Sora glared at him with a very deep scowl on his face. "You act like I made all the decisions for my Order…I was merely allowed to approve them. There are ten generals, ten! Not one person who decides all things like a dictatorship but like a democracy where all ten generals decide on a course of action and all must follow it.

"Even had I wanted to take action against Maleficent I couldn't. Why? Because my other nine generals vetoed against it. When you've butted heads with members like Onyx and Cothius who you know are strong in their use of the Keyblade but choose to sit things out like cowards, then you can accuse me! But I wanted to fight…I really did but my Order vetoed it…so I spent years reasoning with myself that it was to give the time needed to train our younger members. I'm not happy about leaving the worlds to their undeserved fate…but I had no say in it…I couldn't storm the Castle That Never Was on my own." At last Edge quieted down from his rant and though Sora was still glaring at him, his features and softened and Kairi was looking at Edge with worry. He had turned away from them and so none of them saw the tears streaming down from his eyes.

"I need your allegiance Sora…if my Order, and indeed the entire galaxy's way of life, is to be preserved." Edge said, turning around, his tears suddenly vanished. Before Sora could answer however there was a sharp outcry. All three of the wielders quickly called their Keyblades to their hands and ran in the direction of the cry.

"Great prince give poor, starving, Gurgi munchings and crunchings! Nice apple! Good prince, good apple!" cried a slightly nasally voice and soon all three of the companions broke out into a slightly small clearing where they saw a young boy, perhaps about Sora's age when he had first received the Keyblade, struggling over a juicy red apple with a fairly furry hide that was continuously referring to himself in the third person as Gurgi. All of them dismissed their Keyblades.

"Hey! No you don't! I didn't give you that apple, you took it!" the boy yelled as he struggled for the apple. The creature bit down on the boy's finger and Sora decided that it was time to intervene with such a trivial affair.

"Hey, give the kid his apple back!" Sora yelled out as he approached them and the furry creature tried to dash away from the people he regarded as spiky and scary. However, Sora was a bit quicker on the uptake and managed to catch him and hold him with one hand while he struggled to break free. With his free hand, Sora demanded the apple back and Gurgi solemnly gave it to him and he meanwhile handed it to the boy.

"You horrible greedy thing!" The boy yelled with a slight amount of anger. "You should be ashamed of yourself!" The creature broke down and started to cry, complaining about his terrible misfortune.

"Hey, there's no need to be so angry with him. he might be a thief but that's all he is. I've known lots of good thieves in my lifetime." Sora said and the boy rubbed his eyes.

"I'm sorry…it's just…I'm searching for my pig Hen Wen and I don't know where to find her. She ran off and I promised Dallben that I'd look after her and if she…Oh, what's the use?!" the young boy said and he started to slouch off but Edge quickly ran around and blocked him.

"You know Dallben?!" Edge yelled, surprised at this little piece of information. Sora gave a look to Kairi and she shrugged her shoulders.

"Well, yes, he's my master." the boy said. "I'm Taran, Taran of Caer Dallben and Assistant Pig-Keeper." the boy, Taran told them.

"You said you were searching for a pig…might this be an oracular pig?" Edge asked with earnestness and Sora instantly knew that this conversation was starting to fly over his head.

"Uh…hello! What's an oracular pig?!" Sora asked and Edge glanced at him. He smiled a little at him, realizing he hadn't explained anything but before he could answer the creature named Gurgi began shouting out.

"Piggy? Round, fat piggy? Big snout!" Gurgi cried out and Taran whipped around to face him.

"Yes, that's her! That's Hen Wen!" Taran cried out but Gurgi began shuffling his feet.

"Uh…nope, Gurgi has not seen her." Gurgi said and Sora snorted.

"That's a lie if I ever saw one. Gurgi here knows where your pig is I'm sure of it." Sora said with a wicked little smile and Gurgi immediately began cowering in fear. "Keep that apple safe though. There's no telling what he'd do just to get it." Gurgi's eyes brightened up at the mention of the apple and suddenly he began bouncing about.

"Oh yes! Now Gurgi remembers! Yes, clever, sharp-eyes Gurgi remembers piggy running before…" Gurgi began and Taran leant in towards him.

"Yes, Gurgi, come on, what is it?!" Taran yelled and Gurgi suddenly had a shadow of fear pass over his face.

"Piggy was snatched by dragons and carried to castle of gnashings and thrashings." Gurgi mumbled, almost inaudibly but to Sora it seemed like a thunderclap. Here it was, the direction they needed. The pig, Hen Wen, which Taran was searching for had been carried off to the Horned King's castle and Sora could only hope that Taran was planning on going after him and could lead them there.

"I must get her out of there, then!" Taran yelled and he began to dash away but Gurgi grabbed onto him. "What do you want?! Let me go!"

"Gurgi want to be your friend. Don't go to wicked castle, master!" Gurgi yowled and complained but Taran merely shrugged him off.

"Why would you care?! All you care about is that apple!" Taran said, pulling the apple out of where he had placed it in his vest and tossing it to the sad form of Gurgi.

"But if Great Lord go into evil castle, poor Gurgi will never see friend again!" Gurgi complained but his complaints went unwarranted as Taran was already full steam ahead. Sora, Kairi and Edge decided to follow the boy as he was their only ticket into the Horned King's realm and castle. Edge was the first to take command of the situation.

"How exactly do you plan to break into the Horned King's castle, Taran?" Edge asked and suddenly Taran stopped. Sora took a look at the scenery and saw that it was changed and was now a bit more open than it had been before.

"I don't know…but you look like warriors, do you have an army?!" Taran asked excitedly as all three of them shook their heads. he sighed. "Oh, I thought…"

"But we can help you Taran of Caer Dallben. My name is Edge." He extended a hand towards Taran who took it graciously. Sora and Kairi then introduced themselves in turn. Sora could already tell what Edge was thinking, and though he didn't really like the man, he approved of the plan.

"We can use our weapons, the Keyblade, to unlock the gates into the Horned King's realm and somehow find a way to take him down." Sora said cheerfully, knowing that they had somehow faced worst than the Horned King. Taran looked at him worriedly.

"That's the thing…I don't know if there's a way. Dallben said that the Horned King was searching for something called the Black Cauldron and he needed Hen to find it. It's rumored that if he gets that…then he can cover all of Prydain in darkness." Taran said, the fear causing his voice to quaver a bit.

"Then we find that Black Cauldron and destroy it!" Sora said but before he could spit out another sentence Edge shushed all of them.

"We are being watched…" he said in a low whisper. Sora strained his ears for some kind of movement and soon heard a rustling in the trees above. All three of the Keyblade wielders went to form a circle around the defenseless Taran as well as summon their Keyblades when suddenly very large and very burly men dropped down and with one swift movement conked all four of them on the head. Sora barely managed to regain consciousness and the last thing he remembered before being dragged off into what he presumed would be oblivion was a harsh speech regarding taking the three of them to the Horned King. Well, we're getting somewhere…at least… he thought, and then he passed out.

Author's Note: Okay, so I didn't do very much with Prydain this chapter but the next two chapters focus fully on that while Riku's being held captive. I hope you enjoyed that fight between the two of them and if any of you can guess as to what Gentai's plan is, then kudos to you though I doubt you'll be able to figure it out till Chapter 42. Also, as a note to Gentai, yes, he's repulsed by what he's doing but there is a much greater part of him that is reasoning out why he should do it. Yes, I changed the way things happened in the movie and the book for that matter but you know, what, Agrabah is my defense for that. Next chapter may be horrific though and will surely live up to my T rating but I won't say much more till tomorrow or Thursday when that chapter is posted. We're nearing the end…very soon. Let me know of what you think of Edge's reasoning, the history that I've added to, and drop me a review. Oh, and Dare to Be Silly.