Another new chapter! Honestly, getting to write out the Once Upon a December scene was so fun! It's one probably my favorite scene from the movie! So I hope you enjoy it! Let's get started.

Chapter 4: Glowing Dim as an Ember

Far away, long ago
Glowing dim as an ember
Things my heart used to know
Things it yearns to remember

"Next!" Riku called, rubbing his temples. They'd been at this all day, for the past several days, with essentially nothing to show for it. Unsurprisingly, there were plenty of boys on the islands willing to pass themselves off as the prince as long as the allure of millions of munny was involved. The problem was, not a single one of them even remotely resembled the real thing.

Another young man took the stage of the run-down theater they were working out of. From a single glance alone, Riku could already tell he was a good ten years older than Sora should have been. The unshaven stubble dotted across his chin didn't do him any favors. and neither did his less than stellar "audition".

"Princess Kairi!" he proclaimed. He puffed his chest out as he flashed a seductive smile. "It is I! Your beloved Prince Sora!"

Donald groaned, throwing his head down on the table. Goofy winced as Pluto slumped to the floor, whining and covering his eyes with his long ears. "Oh brother…" Riku muttered as he waved the man offstage.

Just about every audition had gone the exact same way. A few had tried a bit harder than others, donning wigs to emulate the prince's infamously messy hair or doing even the most basic research into how a proper prince would act or speak. While Donald and Goofy had liked a few of their candidates, Riku had turned down every one. He saw each of these imposters for exactly what they were; and if he could see straight through them then he had no doubts that Kairi would too.

"It's me, princess!" another boy, one who at least looked a little more like Sora than the last, hopped up onto the stage. He might have almost been convincing–if his performance wasn't the driest, most wooden thing imaginable. "Your precious Sora! I escaped the Organization and came all the way to Radiant Garden to tell you I'm alive!"

A beat of awkward silence passed. Riku shook his head, scowling as the boy turned his nose up at them. "I'm not really an actor."

"No kidding," Riku sneered.

"Uh… thanks, fellas," Goofy tried his best to be polite as he got up to escort their candidates out. "We'll let ya know if any of you made the cut."

"You know," one of the more disgruntled boys spoke up. "What you all are doing here is against the law."

"Yeah!" another one piped up. "If the Organization found out about this, you'd be-"

"Who's going to tell them?" Riku interrupted. "A bunch of boys who just tried to pass themselves off as the prince they definitely want to kill?" He crossed his arms, leaning back in his chair. "Go ahead. See how well that turns out for you."

A nervous hush fell over the group. Riku stood from his chair, his patience with these cheap frauds running far too thin far too fast. "Out," he ordered, pointing to the door. A few of the boys shot him cross looks before he told them again, this time much more harshly. "Out!"

They did as they were told, hurrying out of the theater and leaving a thoroughly disappointed group behind. Goofy sighed, patting Pluto on the head to try and console him. Donald, however, was much more surly as he slammed his hands on the desk.

"Well, that's it! Might as well call it quits now. We're never getting out of here at this rate. I knew this plan was a dud from the minute you suggested it, Riku!"

"It's not a dud," Riku leaned against the foot of the stage. "I'm not giving up. Not until we find our prince. Not until we get off of these islands for good."

"We could always try and get the ship running and leave… without a Sora, ya know," Goofy proposed. "It's almost all fixed up anyway; just a few more days and we'd-"

"No," Riku looked away. "We're not leaving without him. If we show up to Radiant Garden without a prince, then we'll never even see Princess Kairi, much less get that reward."

"But do we really need that reward?" Donald asked. "Goofy and I worked for King Mickey, so we had it pretty good back in Disney Town; you could come with us there, start fresh and-"

"I told you," Riku squared his shoulders, his voice low and rigid. "I am not giving up on this."

Already exhausted from such a tiresome day, he didn't want to argue with them any further. He turned to pack up and leave for the palace, not even looking either of his friends in the eyes. The weight of their worried stares trained on his back was almost more than he could bear. Fortunately, they didn't let him carry that weight on his own for too long.

"Well," he stopped just shy of the door when he felt Goofy's hand on his shoulder. "If you're not givin' up, Riku, then we're not givin' up on you!"

"...Really?" he turned back to the pair, surprised.

"Ugh, I still say this whole thing is screwy," Donald said, scowling. "But if it really means that much to you, then we'll keep at it."

"Even if we gotta audition a hundred more Soras until we find the right one!" Goofy joked as they headed out together.

Riku smiled, even despite the quiet storm of anger and anxiety still brewing in his heart. Feelings he doubted would go away even when and if they did find their lost "prince". "Let's just hope that we don't have to."

It took Skye longer than he would have liked to figure out a way to get to the castle's island. There was no ferry to connect the town to it, no bridge other than the ruins of the one that had been burned eight years ago. Skye had just about gotten ready to swim over to it when a kindly older fisherman offered to take him on board his boat.

"Not sure why a kid like you would want to be comin' out here all alone," the man frowned as they paddled up to the island's decrepit dock. "But that's no business of mine. Just be careful, boy. They say that ol' palace is haunted."

"...Suuuure, it is," Skye glanced over to the castle's blue towers, rising high over the rest of the island. A peculiar feeling washed over him, not one of fear, but of something else entirely, something he couldn't quite place. He didn't think the castle was haunted, but there was something strange about it all the same. He just had to find out what that something was.

"Anyway, thanks for the-" He stopped short to find the fisherman had already started paddling away, far from keen on sticking around such an ominous place for too long. Skye almost wouldn't be able to blame him–if he wasn't so fascinated by the abandoned structure before him.

There was a short path that led from the shore to the castle, overgrown with weeds and half-buried by rocks and sand. Skye tried to follow it, though it was a short-lived effort for his shoeless feet. So instead, he stuck to the softer sand inland, at least until he spotted the mouth of a cave halfway down the shore. He didn't expect to find much in it, but he couldn't help himself as he wandered inside to take a peek.

To his surprise, the walls of the cave were lined with faded drawings. They weren't anything too intricate or artful–if he had to guess, they were likely made by children. But even despite their simplicity, the care and creativity put into them spoke volumes to Skye as he looked between them all.

He didn't notice his hand resting against his charm when he stopped to stare at a certain drawing. It featured two smiling faces–a boy's and a girl's, he assumed–with shooting stars connecting them both. He faintly traced his fingers over those stars; the stone wall was so cold and yet… he somehow felt so warm, in a way he hadn't in what felt like forever. When he closed his eyes, he could almost see it–a smiling face. He could almost feel it–a hand holding his. He could almost hear it–a voice whispering in his ear:

"You've gotta promise not to tell anyone, ok?"

"As long as you have that charm, then you'll always have a piece of me…"

"Together in Radiant Garden…"

"Together in Radiant Garden…" he echoed softly to himself. He gripped the charm just a bit tighter, reminding himself why he came here. There was no time to get distracted, not when he had somewhere far more important he wanted to be. Not when he had so much he still had so much to remember.

Still, that didn't mean his heart wasn't strangely heavy when he left the cave behind.

There wasn't any clear way into the castle–all of the doors had long-since been boarded over to keep trespassers out. Skye roamed the perimeter of the palace, trying every loose-looking plank he could find. After a handful of attempts, he finally found one weak enough to give way with a hearty yank. The small hole it made wasn't the easiest to squeeze through, but he still managed the best he could.

Skye could see why the townsfolk believed the castle was haunted almost as soon as he stepped inside. Its halls were deathly silent, covered in cobwebs and a layer of dust coating every surface. He had to watch his step to make sure he didn't cut his foot on any of the broken glass lying on the tarnished marble floors. A chill ran down his spine as he began wandering the long corridors, wondering why they seemed so familiar–and so wrong–to him all at once.

"Hello?" he called, trying to break the unsettling silence. "Anybody home?" His own voice was the only thing that echoed back at him. He hated how dark this place was, how quiet, and empty, and sad everything about it seemed to be. There'd been life here once, he could almost imagine it as he ascended up a vast staircase. There'd once been light and laughter and music and warmth. There'd once been people here, children chuckling as they chased each other up the same stairs he was on. Skye could have sworn he saw them: four boys with a little girl toddling after them, every last one of them as happy as could be. But just as soon as he spotted them-

They were gone.

He frowned as he stepped up to a dusty mirror, one that might've been ornate and elegant once. He slowly wiped a hand across it, finding his reflection beneath the grime. For just a second, a woman stood behind him, smiling sweetly as she reached her hand out to touch his shoulder. He spun around only to find that no one was there. He was alone, and yet…

"This place…" he whispered to himself. "It's like a memory from a dream…"

His head began to hurt again, but even that pain fell away when he found himself wandering into what he could only assume was the castle's ballroom. It was a wide, vast space, with grand paintings lining the walls on each and stained glass windows letting sparse, yet colorful light slip in through the shadows. The air here rang just as hollow and cold as it did in the rest of the palace, and yet… Skye couldn't deny there was something oddly nostalgic about it all.

As if he'd somehow been here before.

Despite it all, he smiled as he slowly ventured further into the ballroom. He hummed a tune to himself, something he'd never heard and for all he knew, could be making up. But the sound of that song still echoed through the ballroom, much like it might have in a different time, a different world altogether.

Once more, he imagined what it might have been like before. He closed his eyes and pictured the paintings on the wall bursting to vibrant life–women in glimmering, gorgeous gowns and men in finely-tailored suits dancing gracefully across his memory. They cascaded down to the floor, twirling with streams of colorful light as they continued dancing, all but inviting Skye to join them.

And so, that's exactly what he did.

He made his way down the short set of stairs, bowing along to the imaginary partygoers with poise he never knew he had. He spun happily in time with the dancers, envisioning himself in a suit, sharp and stately to match all of other young men around him. Its dark blue fabric matched well with the long crimson cape draping from his shoulders, a stark but welcome change to the dirty rags he'd usually wear.

His fantasy became even better when he spotted the large, regal painting hanging on the far end of the room. He could almost feel a warm embrace, a kind of safety he hadn't felt in years as his imagination brought that portrait to life. Three boys emerged first, dressed just as handsomely as he was. A boy with black hair reached him first, a smug smirk on his face–which looked startlingly similar to Skye's own. He elbowed him lightly, playfully, letting out a laugh Skye couldn't hear but still felt as he echoed it. An older boy, blonde, with dark blue eyes, caught him off guard, ruffling his hair with a proud, caring smile. The final boy, a good few years younger than Skye, grabbed him by the arm, pulling him in for a hectic, yet happy spin. A girl–clad in a radiant dress and bows in her black hair, joined in as she took the younger boy off to dance on their own.

Skye hardly minded. He soon found himself caught up in a string of other dancing partners, both girls and boys with kind smiles and golden clothes as they each let him lead them across the floor. He didn't know any of their names, didn't even know if any of them ever even existed. He barely even knew how he was able to imagine any of this up to begin with. It all felt so far away, so very long ago, glowing in his mind as dimly as an ember. Like something his heart might have known once, something it was trying to remember, something he almost did remember, something he yearned to remember more than anything else, and yet-

He slowed when he came to face his final dancing partner. He saw her before, in the mirror; her long blonde hair was tied loosely at her back, her teal dress far outshining any of the others around them. She held her hand out to him, her loving smile never leaving her face as they began to dance. He shared her smile, his heart light and heavy all at once when she leaned in to gently kiss his forehead.

She pulled back, leaving him to stand alone in the middle of the ballroom, staring up at her as he slowly took a seat on the floor. He almost dared to ask her every question he's ever had: "Who are you? What is this? Who am I?"

But then… a dog barked. And just like that, Skye was broken out of his dream and thrust back into reality.

He gasped, hurrying to his feet as he faced the other end of the ballroom. His first thought was to run, until he saw a bright yellow pooch clumsily galloping his way. "Whoa, hey there, buddy!" he chuckled when the dog all but barrelled into him, licking away at his face. "Where'd you come from? Who do you belong to?"

The dog simply barked, cheerfully wagging his tail as he sniffed the ground around Skye's feet. He laughed again as he petted the surprisingly friendly animal. "Don't tell me you got left behind here. If you did, then you could always come with me. I'm trying to find my-"

"Hey! What are you doing in here?!"

Skye backpedaled, quickly finding the source of this new voice standing on the balcony overlooking the ballroom. Fortunately, the Organization hadn't found him; but considering just how angry the young man running toward him seemed to be, he didn't know if this was much better.

"Hey! Stop!" Riku shouted as he gave chase. They'd never had any intruders before–most of the other islanders weren't brazen enough to even step foot here. So to come home to one now, almost eight whole years after they moved in, was unexpected to say the least. Alarming, to say the most, especially if this uninvited "guest" turned out to be one of the Organization's many spies.

Skye made it to the top of the ballroom's dias before he realized he wouldn't be able to outrun the other boy. The dog continued barking as it ran between him and the group of new arrivals, oblivious but excited all the same. One of the boy's companions, a tall, silly-looking fellow, leaned down to quiet him.

"Hold on a minute!" Riku easily outpaced Donald and Goofy by the time he came to a stop. The boy finally did the same, in front of the royal family's portrait. "Now, how did you get in… here…" Riku drew in his breath. It was stolen all over again by what he saw when he looked up at the boy standing before him. When he saw the painting of the prince hanging right behind him.

Suddenly, Riku felt like he was nine again. He felt like he was standing face to face with him again, staring into his bright blue eyes, drinking in the warmth of his easygoing smile. He felt like time had leapt forward in a matter of seconds and suddenly they were both grown, both different, but both here.

True, the boy who stood before him lacked any of the royal regalia he'd last seen him in. There was no golden crown resting atop his messy brown head–an old, ratty-looking black cap had taken its place. What had once been a suit and sash was replaced with a tattered short-sleeved jacket, patchwork pants and hole-ridden yellow socks. But when Riku looked beyond his clothes, he could see it, as clear as day.

After all, it was hard to forget the face of the boy who still haunted his dreams every night.

He stepped forward, the name slipping out of his mouth before he could think better of it. Before he could notice the blank, confused look in the boy's eyes, before he could realize this was far too good to be true. "...Sora?"

"...Who?" Skye frowned, glancing around to see if the older boy could be speaking to anyone else.

Riku finally let out the breath he'd been holding in. It came out more like a sigh than anything else though. "S-sorry," he shook his head, biting his disappointment back. "I thought you were… never mind."

Skye tilted his head, confused. The older boy at the bottom of the steps seemed oddly familiar, like so many other things seemed to be lately. His silver hair was long enough that he kept it tied up tight, his teal eyes bright, yet startlingly sharp. Unlike most of the folks back in town, his clothes seemed well-maintained; simple blue slacks and a white shirt with a light yellow vest to cover it. He couldn't help but wonder if the boy had his two companions, both dressed much more humbly by comparison, to thank for that.

"Garwsh." Only now did Riku realize Donald and Goofy were right beside him. Their jaws were hanging as they stared up at the boy, likely noticing the exact same thing Riku already had.

"Riku," Donald began, awestruck. "He looks just like-"

"I know," Riku covered his beak to stop him before he could say too much too soon. "I know."

"Are you Riku?" the boy spoke up.

"Depends on who's asking," Riku turned back to him. He tried as best as he could not to look into his eyes for too long. Just like he tried not to let himself feel the spark of sadness that struck him every time he did.

"I'm asking," the boy grinned. The way the corners of his mouth turned up, the way he hung his arms behind his head and leaned a bit to the side… it was all so uncanny. Too uncanny for Riku's comfort.

"And you are…?" He regretted the question as soon as it came out of his mouth.

"My name is Skye," he said, standing a bit straighter, his tone a bit more serious. "And I need to leave the Destiny Islands." He dropped his voice down into a whisper, just in case. "They say you're the man to see even though I can't tell you who said that."

"Oh…?" Riku looked back to Donald and Goofy. Their reactions couldn't be any more different; the captain nodded eagerly while the magician distrustfully shook his head. Pluto, as usual, seemed to be up for anything as he sat nearby, gnawing on a bone he'd stashed away.

"Yeah, I want to go to Radiant Garden," Skye said as firmly as he could.

"Do I know where it is?" Riku asked, incredulous. "Of course I do. In fact, my friends here and I were planning on going to the exact same place."

"Nice to meet ya!" Goofy stepped in, vigorously shaking Skye's hand. "I'm Captain Goofy!"

"Oh, cool, a captain!" Skye grinned, impressed.

"And I'm Donald Duck, Official Court Magician for King Mickey of Disney Town!" Donald proudly proclaimed.

"Really? You're a magician?" Skye laughed, leaning down to his level a bit. "Ok then, show me a spell."

"Well, I can't do magic right now," Donald crossed his arms. "Not without my trusty scepter, which… is back home."

"So… you guys want to go home then–to Radiant Garden?"

"Naw, our home is Disney Town," Goofy corrected. "Riku's the one who wants to go to Radiant Garden."

"For what?" Skye turned his attention back to the older boy.

"Never mind that right now," Riku quickly changed subjects. "Now–Skye, was it? What kind of name is that anyway?"

"It's not my real name."

"Then… what is your real name?"

Skye hesitated, biting his lip. "Ok, so… this is gonna sound crazy, but… I don't actually know?"

"What do you mean?" Riku asked, narrowing his eyes.

"I mean, I don't know," Skye shrugged, unsure of how else to explain it. "I barely remember anything about my past. The first thing I do remember was waking up in some alley when I was eight. Anything before that? I… have no idea…" Skye sighed. He would have thought, after eight years, he'd be used to admitting that. But the unfillable gaps in his memory, in his mind, still manage to sting so strongly all the same.

"Hm. That's… convenient," Riku noted, more to himself than to Skye.

"But I do have one clue," Skye twisted the seashell charm tied around his neck. "And that's Radiant Garden. Someone's waiting for me there, I just know it. I don't know who they are, but… I'd do anything to find them."

"Anything, huh…?" Riku narrowly suppressed a smile. The pieces were lining up perfectly, almost too perfectly. His intuition told him not to trust this, not to believe a word this boy was saying to him. But his heart… his heart was practically begging him to take this chance, no matter how bizarre it might seem.

And this time… his heart was speaking to him just a little louder than everything else.

"So?" Skye pressed. "Can you guys help me or not?"

"Well," Riku threw on the smoothest smirk he could muster. His years on the streets had taught him a thing or two about pulling off a convincing con, lessons that were sure to come in handy now. "We sure would like to. Now, don't go around telling anyone this, but… we just so happen to have our own ship that we've been working on fixing for the past few years now."

"Really?" Skye asked, excited.

"Yes, but… it's pretty small," Riku winked at Donald and Goofy, silently telling them to play along. "In fact, there's only enough room for myself, Donald, Goofy, and Pluto–and of course, for him."

He pointed up to the portrait, at one of the many children depicted in it. Skye raised an eyebrow at the sight of the boy, only barely registering his spiky brown hair and ocean blue eyes, so very much like his own. "Uh… who is he?"

"Don't you know anything?" Donald scoffed in disbelief. "That's Prince Sora!"

"They say he's the only member of the royal family that survived when the Organization took over," Goofy explained.

"And we're going to Radiant Garden to reunite him with his childhood best friend, Princess Kairi," Riku added evenly. "You know, you do kind of resemble him."

"What?" Skye started, completely caught off guard.

"The same blue eyes," Riku began to list, averting his own eyes away from them.

"The king's nose," Donald pointed out.

"The queen's smile," Goofy noted.

"The same hair color, the same–how old are you?" Riku quickly asked.

"Uh… 16?"

"The same age," Riku shook his head, trying not to act too shocked. Even if he was. "Same build. Just about everything lines up-"

Skye snorted out a laugh. "You're not serious, are you? You're not really trying to tell me that you think that I'm this Sora guy."

"All I'm trying to tell you is that I've seen dozens of boys all over the islands and not one of them looks as much like the prince as you do," Riku said swiftly, sternly. "I mean, just look at the portrait."

"I knew you were crazy from the beginning, but now I think you've all lost it," Skye threw up his hands, walking away from the group. Riku was quick to pull him back, Donald and Goofy doing the same to draw his attention up to the royals' portrait again.

"Is it really that hard to think it could be true though?" Riku countered. "You don't remember what happened to you."

"No one knows what happened to him," Goofy shrugged.

"You're looking for someone in Radiant Garden," Donald said with a knowing smirk.

"And there's someone in Radiant Garden looking for him," Riku finished. "So… don't you think…?"

"That I could be royalty?" Skye scoffed. "Well, I don't know. It's kind of hard to think of yourself as a prince when you're sleeping out in a worn-down shack with no food or water. But sure, yeah, I guess every lonely kid would hope they're someone special."

"And somewhere out there, one kid is," Goofy offered the boy a sincere, reassuring smile. It was far more than either Riku or Donald had given him so far at least.

"Anyway," Riku cut in. "Really wish we could help, but… like I said, there's only enough room for the prince, so…" He turned, pushing Donald and Goofy to follow suit. "Good luck."

It was only after they headed down from the dias that Goofy ventured the question he and Donald were both thinking. "Shucks, Riku," he asked, making sure to keep his voice low. "Why didn't you tell him about the plan?"

"All he wants to do is go to Radiant Garden," Riku smirked, confident in his scheme. "He isn't going to need a share of the reward munny, so why bother giving it away?"

"Smart thinking," Donald agreed, rubbing his hands together at the thought of the riches that awaited them.

"We aren't gonna lie to him too, are we?" Goofy frowned as he looked back at the boy. Skye still stood in front of the painting, completely fixated on it to the point that he didn't even notice the hushed conversation happening just a few feet behind him.

"It's not a lie," Riku said. The irony that he was lying just by saying that wasn't lost on him. Luckily, he'd long-since moved past the guilt that came with that. "It's just… telling him only part of the truth."

"Well, it's not even gonna matter because we're walking away too soon!" Donald fussed, glancing back at the boy.

"Don't worry," Riku assured. "Just walk a little slower."

All the while, Skye kept his focus on the painting, or rather, on the prince. He couldn't deny that they had a point; the boy did resemble him more than a little, though how that was possible, he had no idea. It was probably just a huge coincidence, that had to be all it was, and yet…

The portrait told Skye a story he couldn't help but wonder and wish was his own.

The smile on the prince's face told him he'd been a happy child; the family gathered close around him told him he'd been loved. Both things Skye always wanted… but never really had. He had to have had a family of his own once; why couldn't it have been them? He had to have been someone once; why couldn't he have been a prince?

None of the royals were left alive to confirm it for him; but there was still someone who could. That princess, all the way in Radiant Garden, the exact same place he wanted to go. If Riku and his friends were right, then maybe, just maybe, she could be the key to unlocking his past, unlocking his identity, unlocking all of the secrets his heart was hiding from him.

But he'd never know unless he took the leap, unless he played the part. Unless he pretended to be a prince in the hopes that he might just actually be one.

Riku slowed his pace even more, prompting Donald and Goofy to do the same. How he was so certain this was going to work, they didn't know, but they decided they might as well trust him anyway. For better or worse. "Three, two, one-"

"Riku! Wait!"

"Right on cue," Riku patted his friends' shoulders. They all turned around to find Skye chasing after them. "Yes?"

"If I don't remember who I am, then who's to say I'm not a prince, right?" Skye began, trying more to convince himself than anyone else.

"Right, right,," Riku encouraged, playing along.

"Yeah, and if I'm not Sora, the princess will know just by looking at me and it's all just an honest mistake."

"Exactly," Riku nodded. The second Skye looked away, he winked back at Donald and Goofy, knowing they had their "prince" right where they wanted him.

"But if you are the prince," Goofy stepped forward, practically dragging Donald behind him. "Then you'll finally know who ya are!"

"And you'll have an entire kingdom ready to follow you!" Donald added before muttering to himself: "Anything's better than the Organization at this point, even this kid."

"That's… ok, I hadn't really thought about that," Skye rubbed the back of his neck, his eyes wide with sudden fear. "That's kind of a lot-"

"Don't worry too much about that part right now," Riku quickly intervened. "Just think about getting to Radiant Garden. That's all you really want, right?"

"...Right," Skye nodded, shoving his nerves to the side. He firmly took the hand Riku held out for him to shake, sealing the deal. "I guess we're going to Radiant Garden then!"

"I guess we are," Riku stood a bit taller. He smiled in spite of himself as the thought sank in, as he realized, in just a few days' time, he'd finally get to see Kairi again. He could hardly wait.

"May we present…" Goofy bowed low. He urged Donald to follow suit and finish where he left off.

"Ugh… His royal highness, Prince Sora," he rolled his eyes as Skye strutted past them, throwing on a playful, regal flair.

Riku narrowly held back a laugh when Pluto ran in front of him, nearly tripping him up. It'd take a lot of work to get this scrappy, amnesiac orphan to look and play the part convincingly. But it was work he was more than willing to put in–for Kairi's sake, and for his own.

The group continued chatting about their plans as they headed deeper into the castle. As distracted as they were, they didn't even notice a black-coated figure lurking in the shadows of the ballroom. They didn't realize they'd been caught before their plan could even truly begin.

Demyx was one of the Organization's less powerful members, seen as an incompetent coward by his comrades. Still, he prided himself on what he already knew was the discovery of a lifetime as he listened in from afar. It was only after the others had all left that he emerged from his hiding place, a smug grin spread wide across his face.

"Oh man, this is juicy!" he rubbed his hands together. "Squatters at the old castle, fixing up a Gummi Ship and pretending to pass some kid off as the prince?" He laughed, beside himself with how ridiculous, how perfect it all was. And at how he'd certainly be hailed as a hero, finally getting the recognition he knew he deserved for uncovering something so monumentally huge, something that, if left unchecked, could very well stop the Organization's conquest in their tracks. "Just wait until the king hears about this!"

Next time... let's see what our villains are up to... Until then, don't forget to REVIEW!