Jaden awoke with a bolt upright jolt, breathing heavily and drenched in her own sweat. She hastily looked around in fear, her nerves calming as she realised she was still in her makeshift bed of clothes on the floor in her new home of Dreamlight Valley. She straightened herself up, taking a deep breath in an effort to return her breathing back to a normal state. Even whilst in a dream world, she still couldn't get a decent night's sleep. Clutching her clothes tightly, images of the past that she'd rather forget plagued her waking thoughts, her nightmare trying to creep its way into her conscious state.
Once her breathing returned to normal, Jaden rested her back against her clothes, taking the time to lie there for a few more moments to completely calm herself. Despite the fact that the cause for such nightmares was the haunted memories of her past, she knew that sleeping alone certainly didn't help matters in this case. Never did she think that she would miss sleeping next to her husband, though she understood that it wasn't exactly her husband she was missing right now, it was just any warm body in general she was desperately craving for.
When she felt sure that her composure was back in check, she finally dragged herself to her feet and swept her now sweaty clothes off of the floor and began to get dressed.
Before she left the house however, her head snapped up from her still sleepy daze as an agonisingly familiar tune assaulted her eardrums. Following the source of the sound, she detected that the sound was coming from a small radio tucked into the corner of the room. The song playing was unfortunately one that she had heard many times, thanks to her children's obsessive natures towards the films.
Like a violent switch had been flicked on inside her brain, Jaden closed her eyes and channelled all her energy into her magic. Now that she was fully rested, she was able to cast a fireball, which went catapulting at full force towards the radio. As the chorus of Frozen; Let it Go blasted out of the speakers, the fireball hit its impact, destroying the radio to a burnt crisp. If Jaden was already being subjected to this crazy world, there was no need for her to also be subjected to the shitty music as well. Now all that was left was for the people of this world to randomly start bursting out into song. Now, that would be pure torture.
After the damage to the radio was done, Jaden smiled to herself as she walked out of the house, heading for the Dream Castle where Merlin would be no doubt waiting for her arrival. It took Jaden the better part of half an hour to reach the castle, but if anything, the long walk gave her some time alone with her deep thoughts before having to face up to the wizard.
Merlin, just as she imagined, was waiting by the castle entrance, his back towards her so she couldn't gauge what the wizard was thinking.
Hearing the light footsteps behind him, Merlin smiled to himself and turned to see the younger mage, Jaden. So, she had turned up after all, a small part of Merlin was doubting whether or not she'd actually show.
With a flourish of his arms, Merlin indicated the castle behind him. "Jaden! This is Dream Castle! It holds many secrets... er... answers... er... oh, blast it all! I can't seem to remember what's inside." Merlin rushed his speech, trying desperately to scramble his brain around to remember.
Jaden, seeing the old man struggle, decided to lighten the mood by giving the wizard a bit of encouragement. "I bet that inside the castle, we'll find find riches beyond measure!" She said with the same excitement you'd have to muster yourself for when trying to entertain a small child.
Merlin seemed to appreciate the kind gesture. "ha-ha! You sound rather like a Mr. McDuck I know. Well, I have no doubt the castle contains many wonders. Let's hope they include the secret to restoring Dreamlight Valley to its former glory." Merlin said with hope.
"Remember anything else?" Jaden prodded him, seeing if this would help.
Merlin nodded. "Yes. The Dream Castle was the home of our ruler, until the day they disappeared. The Night Thorns that encase the Dream Castle aren't like any you've dealt with before. They're stronger and will take more of your magic to defeat. Follow me, there's still much to show you." The wizard turned around, indicating that Jaden follow him.
Jaden followed the wizard down the path to a well that was in the middle of the plaza. She vaguely remembered passing by it yesterday when she reached the abandoned restaurant where she found the magical shovel. She sat down on the edge of the well, being mindful not to fall in the glowing depths, having already done that stupid traumatic deed of falling down a well as a child back in Ferelden.
She reached into her back pocket trousers, pulling out a small flask of whiskey as she waited for Merlin to continue his speech.
The wizard started pacing the well as he spoke, stroking his thick, bushy white beard as he did so. "Everything in Dreamlight Valley is made of, well, Dreamlight! It's the sparkles you see over everything and everyone - even a wizard such as myself! But, Dreamlight became scarcer and scarcer as the Forgetting fell over the valley. Ever since you arrived, though, the magic has started to come back!"
Jaden frowned at the wizard's rambling. "The magic is connected to me? I want to make it stronger."
"All right, but it's not through the desire for power that the magic grows. Dreamlight magic grows through acts of friendship, love and care. Simple acts like removing thorns of forging a friendship with me." Merlin explained.
Jaden blew out a breath. "Ah, all the things I'm incapable of doing... aside from removing the Night Thorns of course..." She trailed off, of course it was all about making friends and spreading love and care throughout the world, it is Disney after all, she shouldn't have expected any less.
Merlin moved closer to Jaden. "Gaze into the well, and you'll discover the different tasks that will create more Dreamlight. But, to fully embrace the potential of Dreamlight, you'll need to gather the royal tools that were lost during the Forgetting. Remember for some wizards, magic requires magical implements. You'll need those tools to save Dreamlight Valley." He seemed to think for a moment on how to solve this problem, his head perking up as the solution came to mind, "Mickey's been the gardener in the valley since the Forgetting, perhaps he knows the whereabouts of the watering can."
Mickey Mouse, fantastic. Jaden thought with dread. "Great, so, can you tell me where he lives?" Jaden asked trying not to sound to disappointed.
Merlin nodded. "If you get out your map for me, I'll point it out to you."
Jaden sighed dramatically. "Let's just pretend I don't know how to read a map, old man. Just point me in the direction of the house and I'm sure I can find it."
"Ah, I see, well if that's the case, then it's just over there." Merlin pointed to a house in the direction Jaden had come to get to the castle. As her gaze followed in the direction of Merlin's finger, she realised with horror that she was neighbours with the annoying mouse.
She thanked Merlin before heading out to Mickey's house, mentally preparing herself along the way as she did so.
Once she was sure she reached the right house, wanting to get this over and done with, Jaden walked straight in, not even bothering to knock. Not even a few seconds went by of her entering the house and she already had none other than Mickey Mouse running straight at her, clearly not bothered by personal space whatsoever.
"Jaden! Oh boy! Am I glad to see you!" The mouse happily exclaimed, pleased as all hell to see her.
Jaden, now slightly confused as to how Mickey knew it was her considering this was the first time the mouse was seeing her, took a step back, her behind now against the closed door. "Um…how do you know who I am?"
Mickey appeared to be unfazed by this question. "Why, Merlin told me of course! I've been waiting for your arrival!"
Of course. Merlin must have told him about me whilst I was out cold. Jaden rationalised. "So, do you need help with anything?" She supplied, trying to shake off the awkwardness.
Mickey's entire demeanour changed in a split second, going from cheerful to confused that it almost looked depressing. "Yeah, but, uh... I forget what I need help with. Pretty silly, huh? I saw you talking with Merlin and came in to get... something for you... But I can't seem to remember what..."
Jaden, all used to this exchange by now, put on her merry voice. "It must be because of the Night Thorns... and the Forgetting!"
The mouse snapped out of his daze. "Gosh, these Night Thorns are the worst! I've tried everything and nothing works."
" I'm just as sick of them as you are..." Jaden muttered as she began clearing the Night Thorns around the house, restoring it to its former glory. She placed the magical shovel she found yesterday on the ground, giving Mickey the hint that he could help her.
Seeing as Jaden wasn't in any need of help, Mickey sat himself on the nearby sofa, watching Jaden work her magic on the Night Thorns.
Jaden, whilst clearing away the Night Thorns, couldn't help but roll her eyes at the lazy little bastard. He could at least help her with that magical shovel she found.
When she finally cleared the last Night Thorn, Jaden pulled out a small glowing orb, almost identical to the one she found in her house. This one also came with a photograph, thankfully this time it wasn't of Mickey's ass, but instead it was of Mickey sat at a table outside the boarded up restaurant with a blue rat, that Jaden identified as Remy, remembering him from another of her children's Disney movies she had to watch.
She walked over to the sofa and sat down next to Mickey, placing her feet up on the table in front of them, ignoring the disapproving look coming from the mouse.
Scooting closer next to Jaden, (still not understanding the concept of personal space), Mickey's eyes widened at the photograph. "Hot dog! It's all coming back to me now. Dreamlight Valley used to be so full of friends! I also remember, when Remy had to leave... he left me all his recipes to keep safe for him."
"Why did he leave, if you don't mind me asking?" Jaden asked carefully, not wanting to cause further upset to the once jolly mouse.
"'Cause the Night Thorns came and everyone started to forget. I buried his recipes all over the valley to keep 'em safe." Mickey replied.
Jaden raised a brow at this very idea but kept silent as she saw Mickey wanted to continue.
"It uh... well, it seemed like the best idea at the time," he tried to explain himself, cutting off when his eyes caught sight of the shovel on the ground. Clearly, Jaden's earlier hint had gone unnoticed. "Hot dog! You found the shovel! Now that you have it, there's one recipe we can get right now, the memory you found should give us a clue as to where we find the recipe."
"You mean to say you don't remember where you buried the damn thing?" Jaden sighed, trying to keep the annoyance out of her voice. "I really shouldn't be surprised by all this anymore... all right mouse, let's go." She jumped to her feet, ready to get moving.
She led Mickey out of the house and across the plaza to the abandoned restaurant. With the shovel now in her hand, she began to dig up the ground beside the building, wiping the sweat off of her brow as the work set in. Multiple times she had felt like snapping at the mouse, who was currently just standing there watching her work her ass off whilst he did nothing. Just as she was about to say something, she saw a small bit of muddied paper hanging off of the shovel.
This must be the recipe. She thought with relief, not sure how much longer she could have kept going, both from a mental standpoint as well as a physical one.
She pulled the piece of paper from the shovel and cleaned off the mud as best she could without ripping the delicate bit of paper. Not the best way to hide a recipe, but from the looks of things, these Disney characters were lacking in knowledge and common sense, so there wasn't any point in arguing with them.
She cast a glance at Mickey. "You couldn't even be bothered to bury it in a box? How much of an idiot are you?" She glanced down at the recipe and frowned. All of her anger simmering to the surface as she glanced over at the contents on the paper. "All this trouble for a fucking fruit salad?! This better be some kind of magical fruit salad or something."
Mickey had the grace to look embarrassed. "Well, all of Remy's recipes taste magical, even the simple ones! And if you keep looking you'll find some recipes that are a bit more exciting. I know Remy would trust you with his recipes, and I'm pretty sure you'll like making 'em." The mouse said, trying to gain his lost confidence back.
Jaden considered this for a few seconds. "Hm, if I find more of Remy's recipes maybe I could... start my own restaurant and get rich." She pondered.
"Ha-ha! you sound like Donald's uncle Scrooge! Now, before you start collecting other recipes, we gotta make this one first." Mickey faced Jaden, looking rather excited. "First, we'll have to gather the ingredients. I'll go see what I've got in my garden, meet me there when you want to make the fruit salad! it's been so long since I tasted one of Remy's recipes, I can't wait to try it." His eyes widened as he realised something. "Oh, and here are some overalls for you to wear if you want to look the part for what comes next, gardening!" Mickey handed her some overalls and Jaden just stared at him.
This day just keeps getting better and better… Jaden groaned inwardly. "I know next to nothing about gardening. Hell, I'm lucky I even know how to cook! Damn templars punishing me for stupid reasons..." Despite the awful experiences she had suffered within the Circle Tower, if there was one thing Jaden could thank the templars for, it was teaching her how to cook properly. At least she ended up being somewhat helpful to her teammates on the journey of the blight by giving them a decent meal.
As she contemplated her current predicament, Jaden leaned against the wall of the restaurant, taking a small break whilst smoking a cigarette. Puffing the last bit of smoke out of her mouth, she throws the used cigarette butt onto the grass, causing Mickey to unexpectedly throw a hissy fit about Jaden ruining the grass. Jaden didn't reply as she watched Mickey walk off towards his garden. Instead of following him, Jaden took out her small whiskey flask and started to drink. After the day she had today, she was going to need a hell of a lot more.
Twenty minutes later, Jaden decided to join the mouse in the garden. When she found him however, he looked rather depressed, looking up at Jaden with the beginnings of tears in his eyes, his ears down like a sad puppy. His depressed mood could explain about his earlier outburst, Jaden noted with sympathy.
"Gosh, Jaden, there isn't much left of my garden." Mickey's voice was low and slow, further expressing his miserable mood.
Jaden nodded in agreement, not quite sure what to do. "It sure is a mess."
Mickey sighed sadly. "It sure is. Minnie definitely wouldn't be happy if she saw it like this, she loves gardens. Well, sooner we make this recipe, the sooner we can make Dreamlight Valley a place she'll be proud of again!" Mickey's made an effort to make his voice sound more uplifting, much more like his older self. "Okay... the recipe says to prepare the fruit salad, we need fruit, like apples, I bet you can find some of those around the village. Oh, and you know what would be great with a fruit salad?"
Jaden shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know, a bottle of whiskey?" She said teasingly.
Mickey responded by giving her a judgemental look. "No, some crackers!" He exclaimed happily.
"You want to make crackers and fruit salad!? That's so…simple. Should be easy to make!" Thank the Maker. Jaden added silently.
"Yep, and there's nothing wrong with simple. But uh…" Mickey dawdled, looking somewhat embarrassed. "To tell you the truth, the real reason I wanna make crackers is 'cause that's what Minnie used to make. Guess I just wish she were here to make 'em now."
Jaden sighed, seeing that Mickey's mood had dampened again. The mouse was refusing to make eye contact with her. "Mickey, are you okay?" She questioned cautiously.
Mickey looked up into Jaden's kind, green eyes. "Me? Aw, I'm fine. I miss Minnie, but it sure helps that you're here now." He brightened to some extent, "okay, Minnie's crackers are super easy to bake. They only take some wheat, here's the recipe..." He cut himself off as he remembered something important. "Yikes! I forgot. We'll have to start gardening before we can start cooking! To get some wheat, we'll have to plant it. Here are some seeds we can use," he handed Jaden a few packets of seeds. "It'll be great to replace the Night Thorns with some plants!"
"Maybe you're right," Jaden told the mouse, hoping to keep him focused on the task at hand to keep him in good spirits. Then the mage had a thought come to mind, "but uh, Mickey? You said a fruit salad right? Well, doesn't a fruit salad have, you know, more than one fruit? Is there any other fruit you want added besides apples?"
Mickey smiled at her in response. "Nope! Just apples will do just fine."
Then it isn't much of a fruit salad is it? It may as well be an apple salad. But Jaden bit her tongue, choosing not to question Mickey's logic out loud. He'd already made it crystal clear earlier that the mouse was lacking in common sense when he decided to bury a piece of paper underground without a box.
Jaden sighed as she turned around, dispelling the remaining Night Thorns from the garden. Once there was a big enough space cleared, Jaden got out the shovel and started digging small holes into the ground to plant the seeds she was given.
Mickey appeared pleased with her work. "Great work Jaden! Now we need to water 'em before they dry out. Minnie always says to pay attention to the leaves on a plant, they'll let you know when it's time to water. I used to take care of some of the gardens in the valley, like the one of your house... but then the Night Thorns took 'em over. I tried to protect the royal watering can... but I lost it, just like the shovel." Mickey said, ashamed of himself.
Jaden groaned. "You managed to lose the shovel and the watering can? Really Mickey…"
The mouse lowered his head in shame, making Jaden feel guilty. It wasn't his fault, she had to reminded herself.
"It must be the Forgetting. I don't remember losing stuff before that. Hey, but now that you're here, my memories are starting to come back. I think the last time I saw it, it was near your house. Let's check over there!" Mickey pointed towards Jaden's house, rather excitedly.
Walking away from Mickey, Jaden started to smoke another cigarette. She approached her house and searched around her garden for this mysterious watering can, trying to remember if she had seen it when she first came here. It didn't take her long to find, as she cleared away some rocks and more Night Thorns, she spotted it just behind the house.
Before returning to Mickey, Jaden spotted an apple tree just beside her house. Knowing that she was going to need the apples to cook Mickey's not-so fruit, that was more of an apple, salad, Jaden picked a few of the apples hanging from the tree, and scooped up a few more lying on the ground. Placing them in her bag, she headed back to Mickey's place. Only apples for a damn fruit salad, what kind of fruit salad is that? Mulling over the question over and over again, trying to keep herself sane in this crazy world.
Mickey beamed at her presence. "Wow, Jaden! You're sure got a green thumb!" Mickey said once Jaden was done watering the plants and seeds she just planted.
"Thanks, Mickey. Gardening is so…stressful." She said, not even bothering to hide her distaste for the activity.
"Aw, don't worry, Jaden. If you treat your garden with love and care, it'll all come out just fine. Well, now that you know how to garden, why don't you get some ingredients ready for the fruit salad? Apples grow all the time on the apple trees around the village. If you already picked some you might need to wait for more to grow. But don't worry, it shouldn't take too long, and make sure to keep some of each ingredient so you'll always have something to make for your friends!" Mickey said, looking much happier than before.
"They're too yummy to save up! How I managed to cook anything is beyond me…" Jaden marvelled, the apples in her bag making her stomach growl.
Mickey laughed in agreement. "I understand that. I used to try and save raspberries to bake for Minnie... but I'd always end up eating 'em on my way home!"
Jaden smirked. "Oh, Mickey…"
"Okay, when you're ready with the ingredients, we'll make the fruit salad at your house. Oh, and don't forget to pick up the wheat you planted!" He reminded the mage.
Jaden looked confused. "Wait, my house? Uh, as a medical doctor I would advise against that. Unless you want to end up with food poisoning then by all means." Though she supposed if she was currently residing in a magical world, perhaps that same logic didn't apply here.
Without another word, Mickey went straight to Jaden's house, not even bothering to help the mage pick up the wheat she harvested that was now fully grown.
As Jaden entered her house, she saw Mickey inspecting the burned radio in the corner. She had completely forgotten all about that, considering it had only happened this morning.
"Uh, don't ask about the radio. Fire and radios…don't mix." She told him.
Mickey turned to her, ignoring her comment. "Gosh, I guess we're still missing one very important ingredient... a stove! You'll need one in your house before we can start cooking. Lucky for us I've got an extra one!"
"Who needs a stove Mickey when you've got fire magic?" Jaden said in an off-handed comment, but Mickey, once again, ignored her statement.
"Well, one thing you'll learn about Dreamlight Valley: the more you share, the more you have! Here you go!" Mickey dumped a stove next to Jaden, appearing out of nowhere.
Jaden scratched her head in wonderment. "Do I even want to know where you've been keeping this?" Jaden questioned, unsure whether or not she wanted to know the answer to that. She pushed the stove into the corner next to the kitchen counter, with Mickey sat on a nearby chair as he waited for Jaden to begin the cooking.
After two long hours of baking the crackers from scratch, and five of those minutes making the so-called 'fruit' salad, Jaden was finally done, (with no help from Mickey whatsoever). She walked over to him, plate in hand, and gave him his food.
Mickey looked the happiest Jaden had ever seen him be. "Oh boy! It looks delicious, Jaden! I know one day Remy will be back in Dreamlight Valley, but in the meantime, you're a really good chief!"
Jaden however, didn't look so sure. "That's a lot of responsibility Mickey. I mean, I know I can handle three jobs but this seems way too much."
"Don't worry, I know you'll be great! All you gotta do is find Remy's recipes, or you can come up with some of your own. And if you want you can share your meals with the villagers in the valley. I'm sure they'll really appreciate it. Gosh, we sure are lucky to have you." Mickey said gratefully.
"Uh…sure. Here, take this fruit salad." That isn't even a fruit salad. Jaden added silently, gesturing to the front door. Right now, she just wanted to be left alone. She had enough of one mouse for one day.
Taking the hint, Mickey jumped to his feet and walked out the front door, shutting it behind him. Once the mouse was finally gone, Jaden walked over and sat down in the chair Mickey had got out of. There was still some left over crackers, and she was starving.
Picking at the crackers, Jaden let out a tired sigh. That damned mouse sure worked her hard today. She had enough socialising with needy, helpless villagers for today.
Yep, it sure felt good to be alone for once.
