Chapter 10: beastly no more
I do not own kingdom hearts or the properties shown in this fanfic. They belong to the respective owners and the original story is based on the works of Darius Almighty. Kingdom hearts and trials of the keyblade is owned by square Enix, Disney, and Tetsuya Nomura. Please support the official release.
Right. This is where we visit beast's castle! and speaking of beast's castle as a person who liked the 1991 film and the christmas sequel and didn't like the 2017 live-action film because emma watson's character suffered from stockholm syndrome (which i'm certainly convinced)
With that out of the way, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!
"That wrenched, disgusting, vile, underhanded SCUM!" Maleficent shouted in anger, "How dare he use me! How dare he insult me! ME! The Mistress of all Evil! Curse that Horned King!"
She paced about the control room of The Castle That Never Was, muttering, but mostly shouting curses about the Horned King. The castle traveled through the vast emptiness of space, heading toward their unknown destination. Pete was behind the wheel, the unfortunate conduit for Maleficent's frustrations, "He stole the Heartless, my Heartless, for his own. And to top it all off, Sora has returned, with a new Keyblader!"
"No offense, Maleficent, but I really got to keep my eyes on the road," Pete said, gesturing out the viewport at the large empty space in front of them. Maleficent scowled at him, "Hey, you never know when Haley's Comet might come flying at you. Or a dragon. Or an errant baseball. Safety is all-important."
"Shut up!" Maleficent shouted, causing Pete to cringe, "This is serious. Another Keyblader means another person to oppose us. We are at a severe disadvantage as it is."
"Ah, what's there to worry about?" Pete said waving his hand, "That Horned jerk may have gotten some of the Heartless, but we got more than enough from that there World That Never Was. And with me going around, we'll soon have more than even Sora could handle!" Maleficent stopped pacing and sat down on her dark throne.
"Perhaps," she nodded, "But we still need a foothold. We require allies. After we take care of Radiant Garden, we shall begin our conquest."
Pete rubbed his hands together excitingly, "That's right! Without Sora there to protect them, that place is going downtown. Not to mention this thing!" He gestured to the castle all around them, "This castle will knock that place down like building blocks!"
Maleficent smirked, "This time those accursed Nobodies cannot interfere. Radiant Garden will be mine again. How far are we?"
"Well, we're here but..." Maleficent cocked an eyebrow at his hesitation, "Were those always there?", Pete asked pointing to the large arrow-shaped vessels orbiting the planet. The largest one made the massive castle look like a toy. "Uh, are we at the right world?" He pulled out a road map, "Let's see, take a left at Albuquerque, swing a right around Middle-Earth, go through the Tiger Woods..."
The communications speaker being contacted gained their attention. An accented voice came through with puzzling words. "Attention unidentified vessel, please transmit your identification code."
Mulan sat in her chair in the Shera, Mushu on her shoulder, quiet for once. Their destroyed world was behind them, but the depression that followed had settled on their spirits. She stared sadly at the floor, her Keyblade propped against the seat. A bar of chocolate was put in her field of vision. She turned away from the floor and looked at Marlene who was smiling shyly, holding out the candy. Rufus was perched on her shoulder, also smiling. Mulan cocked her head and stared at the bar curiously. Rufus understood and leaped off Marlene's shoulder onto Mulan's lap. He took the chocolate bar and ripped the wrapper off, holding out the tasty wafer to the Chinese woman.
Mulan took it and sniffed it. She took an experimental bite and chewed. She smiled gratefully at Marlene and Rufus, seeing that it was good. Mushu's curiosity got the better of him and he also took a bite, "Mmmm!" He couldn't help but comment, "This is better than those juicy nightcrawlers. And I do love the nightcrawlers."
Rufus stuck his tongue out in disgust. Sora came up to her, "Mulan?" He proceeded to ask her, "What happened? Who were those guys?"
Mulan bowed her head. Rufus patted her hands comfortingly as she answered honestly, "I don't know. That man, the Horned King. He just appeared out of nowhere."
"Yeah! Me and Mulan were on a really important mission from the Emperor," Mushu exclaimed, "Cause we're the big dogs! The alpha-males! Er, and female!"
"We were collecting herbs," Mulan deadpanned. Mushu slapped his scaley head. In the back, Ron snickered. "We were the first to see him. The Horned King. He called an entire army using some kind of magic. Fearsome warriors were revived from the dead. They attacked the Imperial Palace and the surrounding lands, and our army rose to meet them. But it was no use. They were too strong and too many. For every wound that the skeletons struck, the people would simply disappear. Vanish out of thin air!" Tears began to form in her eyes, "I survived because Shang...he told me to hide, hide away until the battle was over. I was against it, saying that I would not stand by and let my home be ravaged. It came to the point where he actually begged me not to join, saying he couldn't bear the thought of anything happening to me. I didn't argue after that."
She looked out the window of the ship, marveling at its vastness, as she continued, "When I emerged hours later, everyone was gone. The people, the soldiers. Everyone. Not even the un-dead soldiers were around. The city was completely empty. Mushu and I tried to find anyone who may have survived but came up with nothing. Exploring the palace, we found you, Sora. And that creature occupying the throne," she said with a clenched fist. "You know the rest."
"Yes we do," Merlin said looking at the Hidden Dragon Keyblade. "From what you told us, the Keyblade appeared when your strong loyalty to your world overpowered your sense of judgment. Your love for your home is what made your heart so strong."
"As if the Empire wasn't enough," Quistis said dryly. "Now we've got this Horned King to deal with."
"Not to mention Maleficent," Leon put in, "And both of them have the Heartless now. They'll rip each other to shreds, with the universe caught in the middle. Paradox was right."
"We need the Keybladers more than ever now," Aerith stated.
"So, congratulations girlie," Adelbert turned to Mulan. "You've been drafted."
"D-drafted," she stammered.
"That's right! You've been chosen to join the few, the proud, the key-wielding! You're going to help us get our home back." He got in her face like he does everybody. "Why is it, I ask you, that all the Keybladers look like wimps? God forbid that some muscled steroid guy would get lucky."
"Hey, who are you calling a wimp?" Mushu shouted, jumping onto Adelbert's face. He screamed and flailed about, trying to get the guardian dragon off. "Now you done it! You've gone and pissed off the dragon! Biting the nose! Biting the nose!"
Adelbert cried in pain as Mushu did just that. Lula snickered from her holster. Yuffie cheerfully stated, "I like them!"
Mulan sighed before giving a small smile, "At least I don't have to dress up this time." Sora offered her his hand which she accepted, as he helped her help, "anyway, Despite of what happened, it's good to see you again, Sora."
"Likewise," Sora smiled in agreement.
KHKHKHKH
On a far off world with a name long forgotten, the Horned King plotted. His new Heartless scurried about his feet, hungrily searching for hearts to feed on. His servants stood to the side, undaunted in the presence of the monsters of the dark. In the middle of the dark room was a large, black cauldron. Foul smells rose from the putrid substances bubbling within, vile, horrid monstrosities were carved into the metal. It radiated with a dark power.
The Horned King stood before this object of darkness, his skeletal face illuminated by the glowing concoction. "Tell me, Shelke," he said in his hoarse voice. The Tsviet came to attention. "How goes your research of the Keyblade War?"
"It is progressing very slowly," she admitted. "Given what little of Ansem's research was recovered, we don't have enough to gauge any kind of weakness in the Keyblade's strength."
"Could it be that the Keyblade has no weakness?", Nero questioned.
"Everything has a weakness," Azul stated. "Perhaps in this case it is the wielder that is the Keyblade's flaw."
Shelke turned her attention back to her master. "Any further information would be on Ansem's home world."
"And that place is currently off-limits," Rosso said. The Horned King nodded understandingly.
'The Keyblade War," the Horned King said to himself more than to the Tsviets. "The greatest conflict ever to be fought. A war that plunged the worlds into darkness and destruction and destroyed countless lives. The mighty Keybladers against the oncoming evil." His hand shot down and he grabbed a shadow by its antennae. He lifted it off the ground and stared at it. His piercing red eyes boring into its frightened yellow ones. "But now, it is time for a new era of darkness. My era!" He then dropped the Heartless into The Black Cauldron. It plunged into the substance, writhing and trying to claw its way out.
The cauldron then began to churn and bubble, its vile properties spilling out of its mat. The Tsviets watched this with peaked curiosity and anxiousness. A column of pure darkness then shot out of The Black Cauldron., snuffing out the torches that lit the room, plunging it into blackness. Out of the cauldron reached a black, muscled arm. Its razor sharp claws gripped the mouth of the cauldron and it slowly pulled itself out.
The monstrosity that was attached to the arm lifted its head out. It had the physical makeup of a Neo-Shadow, but was much broader. Its muscles bulged as it climbed out of the cauldron, revealing its sharp claws on its feet. A new feature was the filed teeth that decorated the new mouth the Heartless sported. Instead of the normal yellow eyes all Heartless had, this one's eyes were blood red. It licked its new lips hungrily and gave off a menacing snarl, stalking about the other Heartless who cowered in fear before it. It then snatched up a small shadow in its long claws, and promptly gobbled it up in one large bite.
The Horned King witnessed this with sadistic pleasure. He then began to laugh. Softly at first, but then it quickly turned maniacal, the mutant Heartless snarling and drooling all the while.
Riku lay in his cell with his hands behind his head. His accommodations weren't bad, but he was still a prisoner. He was in a spotless steel prison, trapped behind an electric force field. His Keyblade wouldn't work on such a door. Radiant Garden sure knew how to build a jail. Just perfect.
Riku sighed. This was some mess he was in. All alone. Prisoner to a power-hungry Empire. Then again, it was his fault he was here in the first place. He lost. He lost bad. Really bad. To a jerk with asthma. He hadn't been able to land a single hit on Vader. All his power, all his skill, no match for the Dark Lord. At least Sora and Kairi had gotten away safely. If Paradox was right, the universe had a chance with
He was snapped out of his thoughts when a visitor stepped in front of the force field. It was none other than Darth Vader himself. Riku scowled but didn't move from his position. General Darius was also present. He typed in the commands to deactivate the force field on the control panel just beside it. The field lowered and Vader stepped inside, Darius following.
"Well, not the best company, but I could do worst I suppose," Riku said mockingly. "I think I deserve some kind of lawyer. Preferably a single female one. And when do I get my one phone call?" Vader said nothing. All that was heard from him was his steady breathing. "Oh, the silent treatment, eh? Well fine, I didn't feel like talking to you anyway. Your probably just whine about Sora getting away. Well, tough toenails buddy. And if Sora has any kind of brain power, he'll stay far away from you jerks."
"Sora is no longer needed," Vader said calmly. Riku turned to look at him, confused. "Your friend was only useful to the Empire for his Keyblade. I knew the stories about you Riku. How you turned to the dark side to visit other worlds, how you betrayed your closest friends to get what you wanted." Riku seethed at each remark, "But what I did not know was your possession of the legendary Keyblade. You're quite a special boy. You remind me of myself."
"Tch, right. Just hand me a stupid mask and I'm all set," Riku spat out. Vader ignored him.
"A Keyblade Weilder of darkness. Almost like a Sith. But now we are leaving. My master, the Emperor, requires your presence." He stepped aside to allow Riku to exit. Darius then brought out a pair of high-tech handcuffs.
"Alright, I'll go quietly," Riku frowned. He walked past Vader towards Darius to receive the cuffs. His Keyblade then appeared in his hand and with a mighty swing, he rounded on Vader. The masked man brought his hand up and caught the Keyblade before it reached his neck. His other hand shot to Riku's throat, gripping it tightly. He easily lifted Riku off the ground by his neck so he was now at eye level with the silver-haired youth. Riku choked as his feet dangled in the air, forcing him to let go of his Keyblade and grip the hand strangling him. Vader glared at him through his mask.
"You are vital to the Empire's plans," he hissed, still holding him, "But do not try my patience, boy. The Emperor never specified what kind of state he wanted you in."
Riku glared at Darth Vader before he was dropped back on the ground. He clutched his throat and drew in steady breaths. Vader, who had been holding Riku's Keyblade in his other hand, tossed it to the ground in front of Riku. It vanished in a flash of light. Sparks flew from the hand that held it and Riku noticed that a long cut had been inflicted. From the wound, wires sprouted instead of blood. Riku turned his eyes to Vader, shocked. Vader hid the damaged hand in the recesses of his cape and walked off, motioning to Darius to detain the boy.
Darius complied and slapped the cuffs on Riku's wrists. As soon as they were on, Riku felt all the power drain from his hands. He couldn't summon his Keyblade. He couldn't use Dark Sphere or Dark Shield. He was helpless.
"Let's go," Darius said, pushing Riku out of the cell. They stepped into the hanger, which had now been filled with Imperial ships, and headed to Vader's shuttle. On the way they walked past Chief Bast, who saluted.
"Chief Bast, I leave this world in your charge," Vader said to the officer, who nodded. Riku glared at the man that Radiant Garden had trusted, only to have him sell out. Bast brushed the glare off as they walked on.
They were soon flying in the Y-shaped shuttle towards the Star Destroyer blockade, the massive Super Star Destroyer overshadowing the other battleships. Looking out the cockpit window, Riku noticed that the regular smaller Star Destroyers had some extensive damage done to them. Large blaster marks were present on the ships' hulls. One of them even had a large chunk missing from the tip of its shape. Darius, noticing Riku's confusion, answered his unvoiced question, "We had a bit of a...situation..."
The shuttle flew toward the Super Star Destroyer, which was unscathed compared to the other Imperial ships. A large door opened to the hanger and the ship flew inside. Riku took one last look at Radiant Garden before the ship's hanger doors closed, knowing he probably wouldn't see it again for a long time...
KHKHKHKH
"Now just hold out your hand, and reach into your heart," Sora instructed. He, Kairi, and Mulan were sitting cross legged on the floor of the Shera and Sora was helping them learn how to summon their Keyblades. They did what they were instructed to do.
Kairi held out her hand in front of her and reached inside herself. There it was, deep in her heart, waiting to be summoned. In a flash of light her Keyblade, which was named Floral Fragrance, appeared in her hand. She grinned proudly.
Mulan was having a bit more trouble. Her eyes were closed as she tried to focus her energies to summon the Keyblade. There it was! In a flash of light it appeared.
Right over Ron's head.
Said boy had been sleeping in his chair, when the Keyblade fell on his blond head. "Monkeys!", he screamed as he was jerked awake. Denzel and Marlene, who had been playing with Cait Sith, laughed. Ron blushed embarrassingly.
Mulan was also blushing. "Don't worry," Sora laughed good-naturedly. "It'll be a lot easier in battle. Your instincts will kick in then." Mulan grinned weakly in response.
"Coming up on the next world!", Cid announced. Sora rushed to the cockpit dome, a familiar world coming up to greet them.
"Hey, that's the Beast's Castle!" Sora cheered. The world floating in space was indeed the castle of Sora's old friend, Beast. The large, hairy, selfish prince who's heart was melted by a beauty named Belle.
"Beast?" Aerith questioned.
"Long story," Sora said simply.
"World number two,' Leon said. "Now who's going down there?"
"Uh, maybe it's better if Kairi and I just went down there," Sora said nervously. They all gave him confused looks. "Beast isn't exactly what you call a sociable guy. I don't know how he would react to all these strangers popping up at his doorstep. He's kinda got a temper." Leon shrugged.
"Your call," he said.
"Can I go too?" Mulan asked. "I would like to see a new world."
Sora shrugged. "I suppose one more person wouldn't hurt. Lets go!" He, Kairi and Mulan headed to the shuttle hanger.
While flying in the shuttle, Sora told him of his adventures in the castle. "You see, the Beast and everyone else in the castle was cursed long ago by an enchantress, because the Beast was too selfish to help her out. The curse turned all of the prince's servants into talking furniture, and the prince himself was turned into a monster. A Beast."
"Talking furniture?", Mulan said.
"Yeah, they're great guys!", Sora said.
They soon landed in the pine forest that surrounded the castle. The sun was shining brightly, unlike the other times Sora had been here where it was night. They emerged from the forest and saw the large stone castle behind the steel gate. It looked different somehow, Sora realized. Less gloomy. He could have sworn that the stone carvings on the parapets were of hideous gargoyles and demons, but now he could see they depicted beautiful white angels. The whole castle seemed brighter. It must have been the daylight. They waked through the steel bar gates, which were normally closed, and along the long stone pathway to the castle doors.
"Okay you guys, just a friendly heads up," Sora said to Mulan and Kairi, as they neared the doors. "When you see Beast, try not be freaked out by his appearance. He may look and act mean and scary, but deep down, he's just a big old softy. There was this one time he tried to kill us and rip our heads off, but that was just a teeny bit of a misunderstanding." Mulan and Kairi visibly gulped.
They reached the large doors to enter the castle. Sora decided he would knock this time. He pounded on the oak doors, the sound vibrating throughout the castle. They didn't have to wait long before the door was answered. It opened a crack, allowing someone's eye to peek through.
"Hello?", a sophisticated voice called through the door. The eye in the crack turned to the only boy in the party. "Sora? Is that you?"
"Uh, yeah it's me," Sora answered.
"Oh splendid!" The door swung open to reveal a pompous man with curled brown hair. He wore a red blazer and a white undershirt. A pocket watch hung from a chain that emerged from his pocket. "You have come! You have returned! And you brought friends!", he said looking at Mulan and Kairi. "Come in! Come in!" He ran behind them and forcibly pushed them all inside.
Sora tumbled inside and took in his surroundings. Instead of a dark, gloomy, scantily lit castle, he was now in a large brightly decorated castle foyer. The pillars supporting the ceiling now sported blooming flowers. Wonderfully carved statues, depicting more angels, were spread across the room. The sunlight shone down from the windows up above, spreading a golden glow on the red carpeted stairs leading to the upper levels. They all marveled at the castle's beauty. Am I in the right castle?, Sora thought.
"Everyone! Everyone! Sora has returned!", the pompous man shouted throughout the castle. For a moment, nothing happened. Then many people began filing into the foyer. Men and women all dressed in serving clothes, rushed into the room to meet the new arrivals.
"Sora, mon amie! You have come back!", a French accented voice called. A tall man, dressed in performer's clothes, grabbed Sora and began dancing with him, much to his dismay. "Oh isn't it wonderful, Sora! Isn't it fabulous! And where did you learn to dance with those huge feet?" Sora couldn't answer, too busy being swept off his feet by this stranger.
He was then pulled away from the man (Alleluia) and pulled into a large hug by an old woman dressed in a maid's outfit. "Oh, Sora aren't you looking lovely!" At her side was a small redheaded boy with a chipped tooth, smiling brightly.
"Mmmh rhhhs!" Sora said, but it was muffled by the lady's chest. He finally was able to pull himself out and backed away from these people who he's never seen before. "Hold on a minute! Who are you people?", he shouted.
"Sora?", a new voice said.
Everyone turned to see a young man at the foot of the stairs. He had a very handsome face that showed nothing but kindness. His long dark blond hair was done into a neat ponytail. He wore the type of clothes that a royal might wear. He also wore a purple cloak that looked strangely familiar. Mulan and Kairi both blushed at this new arrival. "It is you Sora! How wonderful to see you", the man said happily. He ran to Sora an swept him into yet another bone crushing hug. Sora swore he felt his ribs crack.
He then noticed Sora's female companions. "Ah, you brought new friends!", he said dropping Sora, who fell on his back. He went over to Kairi. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance my lady," he said kissing her hand.
Kairi blushed. "H-hi," she managed to get out.
Sora picked himself up and ran in between Kairi and the stranger. "Hey back off buddy!"
The man merely smiled. "I'm sorry, Sora. I meant nothing by it. She's still your girlfriend."
"Yes, the sweet flames of jealousy burn in his heart!", the French man said.
Sora and Kairi both blushed, while Mulan looked on in confusion and slight amusement. "Alright pal, who are you? What are you doing here? Where's the Beast?" Sora shouted.
The man stared at him for a few moments. He then burst out laughing as did the people all around them. "Hey, what's so funny?" Sora asked, slightly miffed.
The blond man wiped a tear from his eye before he answered. "Perhaps you could explain it, Belle," he said, motioned to the stairway. Coming down the stairs was none other than Belle. She was wearing her blue and white dress and a shining smile. She reached the foot of the stairs and approached the group.
"Sora, how nice to see you again," she said kindly. "Don't you recognize everyone?" She went to the man's side and held his hand in her's. Sora's mouth hung agape. He stared at the man, dissecting him with his eyes. Then it hit him.
"Beast?", he whispered. "Beast?", he said again. Adam smiled again and nodded. Another thought then struck Sora's head. He turned to the plump man with the pocket watch. "Cogsworth?" The man flashed him a toothy grin. He faced the French man. "Lumiere?" The accented man took a deep bow. He then turned to the maid and the little chipped tooth boy. "Mrs. Potts? Chip?"
"Hi Sora!", Chip exclaimed. Mrs. Potts patted the boy's red head.
"Unbelievable. You're all human!" Sora said. "I can't believe I didn't recognize you! You all look great!" He turned to the confused Mulan and Kairi. "This is Mulan and Kairi. Guys, this is Belle and the Beast. Er, I mean the prince. Or uhh..."
The prince laughed, along with Belle. "Please," he said. "My name is Adam."
And that conclude another chapter. Be sure to write nice reviews adapt the original story (Darius Almighty's work) on DeviantArt or post the story on TV tropes or follow and favorite it. And remember may your heart be your guiding key!