Hello everyone, and sorry for being late! Again! Not really any excuse this time, we were just busy all Sunday and decided to wait until next Sunday to publish.

Creativity: Lets try to not let that become a habit...

Author: Yeah...

Anyway, welcome back to Before KH: Shadows! I'd say we're about halfway through the first season, and I'm excited for you all to see where it's all going!

Creativity: Alright, let's plug the Discord server and let's get this show on the road! Password to join the server is here: 5RRcGwh

Author: Many thanks, friend!

Now, without further ado, allow us to proudly present chapter 12 of Before Kingdom Hearts: Shadows!

Ryo wasn't sure how long he'd been meditating for he was stirred by a key turning in a lock. He quickly rose from his seat on the floor and turned as the door slowly swung open and soon found himself mobbed.

"You're back!"

"You're okay!"

"When did they let you out?!"

"Woah, ease off!"

Despite his sudden and pressing need for personal space, Ryo was genuinely elated to see Garren, Veris and Barkos again. By the fragrant smell in the air, he guessed that they'd just undergone the same treatment as he had prior to being locked in here.

"You're alright? They didn't hurt you?" Veris demanded as she started looking for signs of injury, only to be waved off by Ryo.

"I'm fine. They didn't lay a finger on me until the scrub down."

Everyone shuddered a little at the mere mention of it.

"So, what did they do?" Barkos inquired.

"Mostly just kept an eye on me. I slept through most of it." Ryo replied, deciding to omit his meeting with the queen. He wasn't ready to talk about that. "They did a sort of medical examination with magic earlier this morning, then gave me breakfast and… well, you can guess what happened after."

"Well, I guess we know why they did that now." Garren muttered, getting wide-eyed looks from the others and confusion from Ryo.

"Right. We're supposed to be presented before the king and queen, now that Ryo's better." Veris realized. Ryo suddenly felt very nervous. He'd already met with the queen. Was that going to come up during this audience? He gave it 50/50 odds on that possibility. He hoped and prayed it wasn't, but he had to anticipate the possibility it would come up eventually.

"Anything I should know before we go?" Ryo asked to distract himself from his worries.

"Don't ask, don't tell; We keep it as simple and stripped down as we can and only elaborate on what is strictly asked." Barkos replied, prompting a less-than-confident frown from the swordsman.

"That feels like playing with fire. Are we sure we want to risk it like that?"

"I'd rather not bombard them with too many details that would make things sound too ridiculous or suspicious. It's not like we have all that much to hide anyway, especially since we aren't carrying anything illicit."

"What about the Breach Stone?" Garren pointed out. Barkos frowned as he considered it.

"I don't think we have anything to worry about there. It's not like we can control it, and the court magicians might be able to verify it. Besides, how attached to that thing are we, really?" Barkos suggested. Ryo frowned as he considered the proposal. On the one hand, being rid of that stupid rock was probably for the best, lest one of them suddenly get launched off to who-knows-where without the others. On the other, was it really a good idea to hand that same likelihood off to someone else, no matter how powerful and/or experienced they may or may not be at magecraft?

"If they don't trust us with the breach stone within their borders, let's just ask for them to give it back to us at the gates. No asking where it is while they have it, no going to look for it, nothing. We let them keep it if they want, but request that we get it back at the last step out the gates." Ryo proposed. The others looked a bit unsure, but no one objected. It wasn't like they had a lot of bargaining power to get the rock back anyway.

They continued to discuss strategy for the upcoming audience for a while before being interrupted by a knock at the door.

"I guess it's time to…" Veris started to say before the door was opened and several of the castle staff came marching in, bearing a series of boxes, as well as what appeared to be the dividers Ryo had seen in the room he'd been fitted and measured in. Before there was even time to protest, the group was quickly pulled apart into separate sections of the room before the dividers were set up to conceal them from each other.

Out of the corner of his eye, Ryo could see a few of the boxes being opened to reveal new clothes, much more fitting for someone living in a palace.

"Wait, why would they…" Ryo thought before he suddenly found himself divested of his clothes and promptly thrown into the new ones at alarming speed. He didn't even have time to think of words of protest!

By the end of this latest bit of cruel and unusual torture, Ryo was now dressed in a purple shirt with a collar and black buttons, black coat with silver clasps, purple lining and purple trim around the collar and sleeves, black pants with a gray belt and silver buckle, all finished off with black boots.

Despite his misgivings, he had to admit that the ensemble felt rather comfortable, and glance in a full-length mirror showed that he indeed wore it well.

There was a couple more minutes of poking and prodding to make sure that everything was in place, but at last the palace staff were satisfied with their work and let Ryo step out from behind the separators. A few moments later, he was joined by Barkos, who looked similarly annoyed with this latest event. He was now dressed similarly to Ryo, though his colors were a forest green, black and brown. There were a few noticeable differences aside from color as well. For one, his coat sported to black lines running from the shoulder down to the lapel, brass clasps with silver trim on his coat. The lining of the coat, his shirt and hist boots were black while his trousers and belt were brown.

"Please let this be the end of it…" Barkos ground out under his breath. Ryo was sympathetic, but didn't react. The staff were only doing their jobs after all, and he had to imagine (hoped beyond all hope rather) that this was just as uncomfortable for them too.

The next person to emerge from behind the privacy screens was Veris. She was dressed in a white shirt with a frilled collar, a red high collar coat with silver clasps and white trim around the sleeves and attached red skirt, white pants with a red floral pattern stitched into the left side of her left leg and black shoes. Despite her obvious discomfort with how she wound up in them, she seemed to appreciate the new clothes more than Ryo and Barkos did.

"Garren's the last one?" She asked as she joined them. Ryo nodded.

"Seems so. Gotta say, much as I'd like none of today to have happened, they did a real good job with the wardrobe." Ryo commented, just in time for Garren to walk out from behind the privacy screen. His outfit consisted of a dark blue coat with black leather patches on the shoulders and elbows, silver trim and clasps, a dark gray shirt, black belt with silver buckle, black trousers and black boots. He looked distinctly unimpressed with what had just transpired.

"If it's any consolation, you do look more like a knight out of armor now." Ryo offered, getting a ground from Garren, but light chuckles from the others.

"Let's just get this over with." Garren grumbled as the servants promptly exited the room with the boxes and a familiar court magician entered the room, flanked by two guards.

"Your audience with the king and queen will begin soon. Before we depart however, Be mindful. You are expected to show proper respect to the king and queen at all times, and failure to do so is very much punishable. Do not speak unless questioned by the king or queen, and do not ask questions or make requests of the king and queen unless they have offered so prior." The magician instructed them. "Do you understand?"

The group nodded with pursed lips. The magician peered at them skeptically for a moment before letting out a huff of breath.

"Very well then. Follow me."

The magician turned and strode out of the room, with the four friends following behind at a similarly brisk pace. They followed the guards and magician through a winding maze of corridors until they eventually reached two enormous wooden doors that had Radiant Garden's crest carved into them. Ryo swallowed and steeled himself as the doors began to swing open.

Stepping through the doors and into the throne room, Ryo was awed by how restrained it was. He'd been expecting a lot more splendor and/or opulence, but it was actually barer than he'd expected. The décor consisted mostly of tapestries, with the thrones at end of the room being the most 'royal' looking item; made of expertly chiseled wood and inlaid with gold and jewels, as well as cushioning on the seat and armrests.

Queen Arryn's scrutinous gaze was quick to focus on Ryo, then shift to Veris. The fire mage seemed to notice, and quickly averted her eyes as they group followed the example of the court mage, and bowed before the royals.

"Your Majesties, the young travelers."

"Thank you, milady. You are relieved of your charge." The queen declared. The magician bowed and strode to the right until they reached a space between two pillars. There, they crossed their arms within the sleeves of their robes and waited in silence.

"Hmm… Would you four be so kind as to introduce yourselves?" The king asked, quickly drawing Ryo's attention back where it belonged. He could practically feel everyone's muscles tense at the king's voice.

"Oh, sorry your majesty. My name is Barkos." Barkos replied quickly.

"Veris, your majesty." Veris introduced herself.

"Garren, your majesty." Garren added, leaving one more.

"My name is Ryo, your majesty." Ryo concluded. The ruler continued to eye them. Ryo wasn't sure what he was looking for, but it was a bit unnerving. After a few more moments, the king spoke once more.

"I am King Ansem III, and this is Queen Arryn." The king replied. His gaze slowly passed over each of them in turn. It felt similar to the queen's own piercing stare, though Ryo could feel it wasn't as intense. That said, there was something else to replace it. Whatever it was though, Ryo couldn't place it.

"We were informed that you four engaged in battle against those creatures that had attacked our people." The king continued before pausing, which Ryo took as an invitation.

"That's right, your majesty." Ryo confirmed. The king continued.

"And during this battle, one of you fell victim to the 'Curse of Wrath' that these creatures can inflict." He stated. Ryo chose not to answer this time. He didn't want to seem like the voice of the group, especially since he'd been out of the loop for at least a day now. Besides, Barkos seemed perfectly happy to speak up.

"That is our understanding, your majesty." He replied, getting a look from king that Ryo did not like at all.

"Your understanding?" The king repeated.

"We haven't had encountered this Curse of Wrath before, your majesty, nor were we familiar with its symptoms. We didn't have a good look at our friend who was cursed until the affects had mostly expired, so we mostly have to take the word of your court magicians, who are naturally more experienced and informed than we are on these matters." Barkos elaborated. Ryo almost wanted to admire Barkos for his careful wording, but he also hoped he wasn't about to let his cleverness run away with him.

"I see. And which one of you was this unfortunate soul?"

"My, your majesty." Ryo answered, suddenly feeling much more anxious. From what little he'd been able to piece together, possessing magic apparently allowed you to fight off the curse quicker than others, so now was the moment he was exposed.

…

"While I dislike citizens or visitors taking martial action within our walls, I believe an exception is due for exceptional circumstances."

"…Wait a minute." Ryo realized after a few moments.

"When our citizens were threatened, you four aided our soldiers in quelling the danger, even at risk to your own health and life." The king continued. Ryo's gaze flicked to the queen, who didn't seem to react. However, Ryo was certain that the king not asking the obvious question of how he'd fought off the curse so quickly was due to the queen.

"Tell me more about yourselves; Where are you from, and what brought you to Radiant Garden?"

"We come from a small village once known as Woodfell, your majesty." Veris started to answer, only to be interrupted by the king.

"Once called?" He repeated questioningly. Veris nodded as she cast her gaze down.

"Yes, your majesty. It was destroyed not too long ago by the Dread King's soldiers."

The king suddenly became more alert, but also had the grace to look somber.

"My apologies for your loss."

"While we were fleeing, we were cut off by one of the soldiers and were forced to kill him to escape. However, he was carrying something we later learned was called a Breach Stone. It's activated at random twice since we found it; The first time pulled us away from Woodfell, while the second time brought us here." Barkos elaborated. Ryo glanced to the side, noticing Veris seemed relieved to have the spotlight off her. It was probably best to let Barkos handle as much of the talking as possible. He was better equipped for it than anyone else among them.

"We can confirm that the youths were in possession of a Breach Stone. We've contained it for now to avoid any… accidents…" The mage called from the side. The queen nodded before turning her attention back to the group. The king's eyes slowly panned over the four of them before he closed his eyes.

"Hmm… All things considered, I think it would be best you be kept in Radiant Garden for the time being." King Ansem declared, catching everyone by surprise. Mouths opened to protest, but they were prematurely silenced by the king holding up his hand.

"I am making this decision with your best interests in mind as well as Radiant Garden's. While your friend has indeed recovered, it would be best to monitor his condition in case he takes a downward turn." The king elaborated. Ryo could follow the logic, but he also didn't buy that anything they outright said to them was the real reason they wanted to keep them around.

"Additionally, you all need time to recover from your journey, and we need to keep an eye on you for security reasons. While you don't appear to dangerous, we can't just have someone who arrived here via magical artifact walk around unchecked." The king continued, which Ryo also had to conclude were sound enough reasons to keep them around.

"That said, you won't be complete prisoners here. You will be able to roam the palace with limited freedom, with more being granted as I and the king see fit." Queen Arryn added, catching Ryo off-guard. This was the first she'd directly spoken to them this whole time. Ryo had a feeling that wasn't a coincidence.

"Now then, since you'll be staying here for some time, it's best that you become acquainted with your new surroundings. Medeia, if you could show our guests the lay of the land?" Queen Arryn requested of the mage off to the side, who merely bowed before beginning to the throne room's massive doors, awaiting their charge. Somehow, he got the impression that the mage didn't appreciate the assignment. If that was the case though, it didn't show in body language or tone of voice as they were led out of the throne room.

Ryo glanced at the group as they were escorted through the winding halls of the castle. While being confined to a royal palace might sound wonderful to anyone else, Ryo did not trust the king and queen weren't up to something. What that something was, Ryo wasn't sure. However, he had a feeling it involved himself primarily. And he was without access to a weapon of any kind…

"Now on the left passage, you'll find the grand library, which houses tomes and scrolls on virtually any subject one can conceive, while the right passage takes you to the gardens, which also overlook the training field."

Ryo snapped back to reality at the mage's words and chided himself for losing focus. Meanwhile, both Barkos and Veris were very interested in the library, though likely for very different reasons. Garren looked passingly interested, but that was about it.

The next thing they passed by was a practice field for the soldiers. Unfortunately, they wouldn't be able to use it without their weapons, and Ryo imagined they wouldn't be getting those back for quite a while. Garren seemed more interested in the practice field, but it seemed he too had remembered that they were without weapons to train with. Well, perhaps there were practice weapons they could use, but Ryo preferred a proper blade to practice with.

After the practice field, they were shown the 'gallery of kings' which was a long hallway that bore portraits of each previous ruler of Radiant Garden. Ryo wasn't terribly interested in that, nor were any of the group, save possibly Barkos.

Lastly, they were shown king Ansem's 'personal collection', which Ryo was confused by, at least at first. An initial glance showed an assortment of old relics like weapons and pottery, old stone tablets with carvings on them, some broken old statues and several antique paintings, though another pass made Ryo incredibly nervous. He'd recognize those runes and that language anywhere.

"Reign it in. No one else will recognize them. Just keep quiet and stop paying attention to them." He chided himself before forcing himself to relax. In fact, now that the moment had passed, he felt a little curious and craned his head a little to peer closer at a few of them.

"…"

"…"

"… RUIN…!"

Ryo's heart jumped a little as the word, faint as it was, seemed to scream out from within the collection of old relics and tablets! His eyes darted around for a moment, trying to locate the source of the voice, but a tap on his shoulder interrupted his moment of panic.

"You okay?" Garren asked with mild concern. Ryo quickly recomposed himself and shook his head, as if trying to shake a troublesome fly.

"Yeah, I'm good. Just fuzzed out for a moment."

The larger boy looked a little skeptical, but he didn't press the subject further. Ryo just prayed his little moment hadn't shown to anyone else as they were led on through the castle. Finally, they were led back to a familiar set of doors, where the mage turned to them and gestured towards the room.

"This is where I leave you. Tomorrow, you will be given supervised freedom within the castle. For now, I suggest you take this opportunity to rest. Someone will be by to escort you to and from dinner. Be well."

The mage promptly strode off into the castle and out of sight. With a shrug, Ryo and the others entered the room and closed the door behind them.

"Well, I can't say I expected all that, but it shouldn't be too hard to make the most of this." Barkos remarked easily as he took a seat on his bed.

"I guess… Still feels weird to me." Garren muttered as he lay down on his own bed.

Ryo frowned as took a seat on his own bed, resting his elbows on his knees as he laced his fingers under his chin. Whatever game was afoot, he hoped he figured it out sooner than later, lest the game turn deadly in the end.

Chatter between the four of them eventually petered out and they started taking the advice of their mage tour guide. Turns out the day had taken more out of them than one might have expected. Luckily, none of them dozed off. They had to be very careful not to mess of their new clothes too much (or worse, damage them) before dinner came around.

Knock knock knock!

A light rapping at the door quickly had them alert, and they quickly hopped to their feet and did their best to smooth their clothes out before answering the door. Instead of the mage from before, they were met with a male servant of the castle.

"Good evening, honored guests. If you would follow me, I shall show you to the dining room."

After a round of thanks, they stepped out of the bedroom and followed the servant through the castle to an enormous, slightly imposing dining room. There were several crystal and gold chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, paintings and tapestries along the walls (mostly landscape portraits of Radiant Garden for the former). The king and queen were already seated, waiting patiently for them.

Dinner was rather quiet, at least to Ryo. There was polite conversation the whole time, with Barkos doing most of the talking. Ryo kept quiet the whole time, not speaking unless spoken to. Additionally, he noticed that the queen kept eying both himself and Veris, which he found disconcerting. He didn't know why, but he had a gut feeling that the queen knew, or at least suspecting something about the two of them.

"So, your highness, I was wondering about a few of the paintings and weapons in your collection." Barkos started. Ryo felt his muscles tighten the moment Barkos finished that sentence.

"I see. What exactly were you wondering?" the king asked.

"Well, in regards to the portraits, they were all depictions of war, right? War with the tsubasa no aru." Barkos continued with hints of trepidation. The king nodded.

"Indeed. My whole collection revolves around the winged people. They are a subject of study for me when I have spare time." The king explained. Ryo's glanced between the king and Barkos before his gaze dropped back to his food and didn't leave it until dinner was over. After being escorted back to their rooms, Ryo immediately bade his friends goodnight and drew the curtains around his bed before sitting on the edge of it, rubbing his temples.

"As if I couldn't be stressed out enough." Ryo thought to himself as he folded the clothes and piled them neatly beside his bed before crawling under the covers. He heard quiet discussion from his friends for a few minutes before they all went to bed too. He could hear Garren's mild snoring across the room.

And that's the end of chapter 12!

Creativity: Okay, so we can't make it more obvious what's going on, right?

Author: In some respects, yeah.

Creativity: Annnnd...

Author: We aren't stopping, you know.

Creativity: I know...

Author: Anyway, we're taking it slower for a bit and easing into Radiant Garden, but I think y'all will like where it's going. No spoilers though!

Creativity: Anything else to talk about?

Author: Not at the moment. There'll be more to talk about later.

So, I think that's enough for now! Thank you for reading, please review, hope to see you on Discord, and we'll see you next week!