Hello everyone, and welcome to a late upload for Before KH: Shadows!

Creativity: Yeah, we were ready to upload last week, but the website was acting funny for us. So, we decided to postpone chapter 11 a week.

Author: But, here we are! and we're ready to roll!

That said, we don't have much to say right now, so let's just get into it! First thing's first though, as a reminder, we have a Discord server! We discuss the stories we publish, get feedback, chat about movies, TV, video games, post pictures of home-cooking (I like to bake. a LOT), so if you're interested, the password to join is right here: 5RRcGwh

Creativity: So if you're interested in chatting with us and other enjoyers of our writing, you know where to find us!

Author: But now is the time for THIS story!

So, without further ado, allow us to proudly present chapter 11 of Before Kingdom Hearts: Shadows!

"Young magician."

Those two words had cause Ryo's blood to turn to ice as he stared back at one Arryn Soloro Riehn. The Queen of the castle he was now the 'guest' seemed amused by the reaction, but Ryo could tell this instance was a façade. Queen Reihn's gaze was unsettling; piercing and searching.

"What do you want?" Ryo bit out, previous exhaustion temporarily forgotten.

"Well, let's start with an explanation; Who are you really, and why are you here?" The queen replied. There was a clear emphasis on the latter half of her inquiry.

"My name is Ryo. Me and my friends lived in a village called Woodfell that was destroyed not too long ago by the Dread King's forces. We've been traveling from place to place ever since, trying to figure out what we're supposed to do now." Ryo explained tersely. The queen seemed to have some sympathy, but Ryo couldn't tell very well through her inscrutable mask.

"I offer my condolences. Perhaps you could tell me how you escaped?" She suggested. Ryo frowned as he considered how best to answer. Considering he was being interrogated not just be a Queen, but one who could sense his magic where her court magicians had apparently failed, it was probably best to stick to a restricted truth.

"Veris's father ordered us to flee the village. As we were making our escape, we were waylaid by a group of soldiers. We got extremely lucky and managed to kill them, whereupon one of them dropped a Breach Stone, though we didn't know what it was at the time. The next thing we knew, the stone lit up like the sun and whisked us away from the battle."

"A Breach Stone? Ah, that was the stone we found among your belongings, correct?"

"Probably. Anyway, a few hours ago, the stone suddenly sparked up again and dropped us in one of your city's back-alleys."

The queen cocked an eyebrow.

"It just 'sparked up'? You didn't use it to come here deliberately?" She pressed. Ryo shook his head.

"If we wanted to come here, we would have tried coming through the front gate. We have no idea how that stone works or why it just randomly tosses us from one part of the world to another." Ryo answered. He could tell that Queen Arryn was dissatisfied with the answers, but he was going to hold firm to them. They weren't dishonest.

"I can't help but note that you neglected to mention your magic in your recounting. It would make your defeat of the Dread King's forces in your escape from Woodfell not nearly as dependant on luck, as you stated earlier." The queen pointed out. Ryo grimaced and closed his eyes.

"And here we go…"

"I can't use magic." Ryo bit out.

"You can't lie to me about this. I already know the truth." The queen responded firmly.

"I didn't lie. I can't use magic."

"Repeat that as you wish, it is falsehood! I sense your power all the same, despite your efforts to suppress it!"

"You can sense my power all you want; it doesn't change the fact that I can't use magic!" Ryo hissed as he surged to his feet, his purple eyes snapping open as a simmering frustration boiled over to outright fury! The queen was taken aback by this sudden display, but quickly rose to her feet and raised a hand, multiple forms of magic crackling in her palms!

However, Ryo was not scared. No, the sight of the magic only sapped him of his rage as quickly as it came. He slumped down in the chair as his head hung in misery. Every time he was forced to say it out loud, a small piece of him fell away into a cold, empty abyss. How many more times did the world need to drag this admission from him?

For her part, the Queen slowly began to realize what Ryo was trying to say as her magic fizzled away.

"You have… but you can't…" She started to say, but Ryo wasn't listening anymore. He was tired of this; Tired of being reminded of his powerlessness, of being torn from his home and severed from his power and freedom, of constantly being reminded that it was always there, always near, but always out of reach.

"It's thought that such a thing is possible, but to actually…"

"I'm done talking." Ryo numbly decided aloud, interrupting the Queen's thoughts. He slowly rose from the stool that he'd been sitting in and went back to the cot, slumping down in it and refusing to look at anything but the floor. The queen went to press further, but caught herself and withdrew an outstretched hand. She rose to her feet and stepped away quietly, her footsteps steadily growing further away until they vanished from Ryo's ears. Not that he was paying all that much attention.

After a few minutes of staring at the stone floor, Ryo rose and seated himself in the back of the cell, next to the cot before tucking his legs to his chest and bending his head down to rest on his knees. Four years he'd been able to forget everything and live. It had taken time, but eventually he'd been able to deal with the loss of his power and make a new life for himself in the world. It wasn't glamorous, but it was his. And now, just like before, it was all ripped away from him and all he was left with was reminders of what he'd lost. The cursed soldiers that had greeted him here, Veris developing magic, Leiptr discovering his true nature, and now this.

was this all that was left for him? An endless string of reminders of his loss until he was finally killed by the Dread King's forces or some other horror that was out to get them all?

"How long are we going to be kept like this?"

"Your guess is as good as mine."

Garren just grumbled as he paced back and forth. Veris' question was hovering in everyone's mind, though an answer would not be forthcoming for quite some time. Besides, Garren was more concerned with how well-treated Ryo was at the moment. Whatever was going on with him, the magicians obviously didn't like it, but also weren't sure exactly what it was. Ryo had looked rather sickly, and certainly wouldn't be up to being poked and prodded in the name of discovery, nor was he in a fit state or position to stop them.

That red haze… The magicians said it comes from getting attacked by those creatures caused that reaction, right? They had been remarkably lucky in not having been struck by those red creatures during their encounters, but that still ran counter to the fight that had gotten them run out of town with Leiptr. Both Ryo and Veris had been struck by the Summoner cat monster, and showed no signs of being afflicted by that Curse of Wrath at the time. Perhaps it needed to be a cut rather than blunt force trauma? Maybe the creature had to consciously inflict the curse on contact?

"Well, we won't be figuring it out in here. Unfortunately, we won't be getting out of here either." Garren thought to himself as he continued pacing.

"Would you stop that? You're digging a trench."

Garren rolled his eyes at Barkos' remark, but obliged him and stopped pacing.

"You think Ryo's okay?" Veris wondered aloud as she looked up from her seat at one of four decently-sized beds; certainly, much roomier and softer than the ones back at Woodfell or the inn they'd called home not too long ago.

"My guess is no, but I don't think they're making it worse." Barkos answered as his frown deepened. "Given how relatively kind they've treated us so far, I don't think they will harm him, intentionally or otherwise. That said, I can't help but wonder what help they may or may not be offering for him."

"Do you think there's something he's not telling us?"

Garren turned his gaze sharply to Veris at the sudden question. The answer was obvious. Of course, there was something he wasn't telling them; a lot of things, probably. Something relevant to what was happening now though, that was a different story.

"Not telling us what? Do you have an inkling of something me and Garren don't?" Barkos questioned back.

"It's just… He's been different since Woodfell…"

"We all have. Honestly, Garren's changed more than Ryo has, at least to me."

"I mean, he's been more… frustrated. I'm not talking about the weird Wrath thing earlier, either."

"I haven't really noticed anything like that, beyond what's expected from... you know…" Garren chimed in. "That said, you're closer to him than me or Barkos, so you might be picking up on something I'm not."

"It's nothing overt, but… I think it has to do with magic. I don't know why, but I feel like whenever magic gets brought up, he gets a bit clipped. At least, I feel he does." Veris revealed.

"He didn't seem to like Leiptr that much." Barkos recalled. "Like you said, not really overt, but he didn't seem all that pleased to have her around."

"I got the impression that the feeling was mutual, actually." Garren realized as he started pacing again. "Until the day she left at least. Before that, they looked like they were both counting the seconds until they could get away from each other."

A knock at the door interrupted Veris as she was about to respond. Her mouth quickly snapped shut as the door opened and one of the magicians from earlier entered the room, flanked by two guards in notably more ornate armor than the soldiers they'd met before.

"What's going on?" Barkos asked suspiciously. The magician's eyes flicked to Barkos with a look of annoyance before he folded his arms within the sleeves of his cloak.

"I would suggest you pay more respect within these walls, child. We will not harm guests or prisoners for talking out of turn, but there are other punishments for such slights." The magician warned. Barkos clammed up, clearly wanting to bite back but wisely restraining himself.

"Could you tell us of our friend, sir?" Garren inquired. The magician seemed to relax but was no happier for it.

"I cannot say personally. I have not been guarding him, nor have I been contact with those who are. I can assure you, however, that he is in very capable hands." The magician responded before holding up a hand to forestall further questions. "I am sure that you have more questions, but I am not able or at liberty to divulge them. Nor is it why I am here."

They were displeased with the answer, but Garren, Barkos and Veris all held their tongues as the magician uncrossed their arms.

"Until tomorrow morning, you all are to be confined to this room. Your weapons and other equipment will remain confiscated temporarily, and will be cared for until your departure. Dinner will be delivered to you in four hours. Tomorrow, if your companion has satisfactorily recovered, you will all be taken before the King and Queen. I suggest you compose yourself for the audience."

With that, the magician and the guards immediately departed the room, with an almost too-audible click indicating the door was locked.

"Well, that's just fantastic." Barkos muttered as he rose from his seat and started pacing. Garren bit back the urge to tell Barkos to stop. It wasn't like either of them could sit still now, what with this most recent bit of news.

"So, what should we tell them?" Veris asked nervously.

"How do you mean?" Garren muttered as he continued his pacing at an increased gait.

"Well, they're obviously going to be asking us about what happened in the square and what's going on with us." Veris stated with grim confidence.

"That's assuming that they haven't questioned Ryo about that already." Barkos pointed out.

"And that's assuming he was able to give them answers, remember?" Garren reminded the hunter, who grunted in acknowledgement.

"I'd say it's best to only answer what they specifically ask. No peripheral details, nothing that isn't immediately related to whatever they ask about." Barkos suggested. Veris cocked an eyebrow.

"Do you really think it's a good idea to withhold information like that? We need them to trust us enough to not lock us up, or worse." She argued.

"We also don't want to share anything that they might decide is good reason to lock us up. Or worse, as you pointed out." Garren added. Veris frowned.

"I don't like how precarious we're thinking of this all as. Given how well we've been treated so far, relatively speaking, I'm not sure we have much to worry about." Veris muttered as she eyed the locked doors.

"We're not lying. If they ask us, we'll answer. Simple as that." Barkos argued easily before he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I'm going to try to organize my thoughts for tomorrow. You two should do the same."

Garren huffed, but didn't disagree, instead continuing to pace.

"As if it were that simple. What mess have we gotten ourselves into, Ryo?"

Ryo jolted awake as a loud clang echoed from just outside his cell's range of view, followed by many loud footsteps on stone that were rapidly approaching him. He rose from his cot, ignoring the headrush as two robed magicians came into view.

"Please sit on your cot with your hands in your lap."

Ryo frowned at the request, but did as he was asked as one of the magicians produced a key from within their robes and unlocked his cell before both magicians stepped inside. One of them strode up to Ryo and motioned for him to stand.

"Pardon me a moment." The magician requested before they held up a hand that was now glowing blue and began to run it along Ryo's arms and torso, then gently grabbing his jaw and bending it up to take a closer look at his neck. After a few gentle (but still uncomfortable) pokes and prods, the magician stepped back.

"He is free of the curse. Bring him breakfast, then take him for washing and measurements." The magician called out of the cell. No sooner had the words finished leaving their lips than a maid hurried into view, arms laden with a tray of food that looked as delicious as it smelled. Ryo's stomach let out perhaps the loudest gurgle it had ever made in his life, though his focus on breakfast prevented him from noticing.

Once the magicians had departed, Ryo began attacking his food with as much restraint as he could muster. It wasn't a lot. The servants of the castle would recount the day as horror story for many moons to come…

Once Ryo had finished cleaning his plate, he was swiftly escorted out of the cell and through a maze of ornate corridors until they reached a room that was tiled top to bottom and filled with steam. Sat in the middle was a large wooden tub, filled with steaming water. He didn't like where this was going.

Some ten minutes later and Ryo emerged from the room in new (temporary) clothes in the form of a simple white tunic, blue pants and a black cord for a belt. They weren't the best fitting, but they were apparently enough for wherever they were going. He'd been completely correct in his assessment of the bath he'd been forced to endure, but he had to admit that he was probably cleaner than he'd been since before he'd arrived in Woodfell.

Unfortunately, the staff weren't done with him quite yet. Ryo was once again all-but-dragged through castle to another room, though this one was instead filled with various clothing articles that were in varying states of completeness, fabrics of all kinds and colors, a few stools, and wooden stands, some of which were dressed in different clothing articles.

"I can see where this is going…" Ryo thought in mild dread before he was swiftly pulled onto one of the stools. The next several minutes were a whirlwind of measurements, fabrics and clothes being thrown on him, getting poked and prodded with pins, and many a scolding to keep still from the palace staff. Still, it was better than the scrub-down from before…

It took an uncomfortable amount of time until they were finally done with making him stand still with his arms out, but when they were, the next place they dragged him was a large room with four beds, one in each corner.

"Please let this be the end…" He pleaded in silence, bracing himself for the torment to continue, only to be met with an audible click from behind him.

"They just locked me in here."

It was at least an indicator that he had a moment of peace and, given the four beds, perhaps a reunion.

"Wonder what I missed."

Unfortunately, he wouldn't be learning that until he met up with Veris, Garren and Barkos again, and he had no idea when that would be. Though, if he were to hazard a guess, he imagined that numerous words best left out of royal company were permeating the minds of his friends at this very moment, to varying degrees of intensity.

Still, that left him with the question of what he was meant to do in the meantime. All of his possessions were currently confiscated, and he likely wouldn't be having them back for some time. There also wasn't any reading material at the moment, nor anything to write on or with; likely a precaution against leaving him alone with a sharp object. That didn't leave him with many options.

Well, there was one, but the thought of it had his innards knotted unpleasantly, anticipating an all too familiar debilitating pain. However, now that he was considering it, perhaps there was a miniscule possibility that going back to complete basics might help him to recover, or at least diagnose what was actually wrong with him.

"Well, what do I have to lose?"

Ryo took a seat on the ground, pressing his back against the footboard of one of the beds and crossing his legs before resting his palms on his knees. After taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and exhaled through his nose.

"Okay… Next step, find my power…"

As if it could be that simple.

And that's where we're ending it for now!

And I'd like to say more, but my head's really not in it today, so I think it's best I call it here for now. Maybe I'll add some extra post-chapter dialogue/discussion later.

Creativity: Here's hoping! Also, start taking better care of yourself on the weekends!

Author: ...

I'm giving you a five minute head-start.

Creativity: At which point you'll start napping.

Author: Four minutes.

Creativity: And that's where we sign off! Thank you for reading, please review, hope to see you on Discord and we'll see you next time!