"Oh gawrsh, what should I do!?" Mickey, having barely escaped the now burning house, was panicking in the garden. He knew by all accounts that he should go back inside and rescue Jaden, but the sensible part of his brain told him that unless he had a death wish, he should think twice about going back inside. This was all his fault, he thought with utter despair and he didn't know how to fix it.
Looking towards the horizon, Mickey's gaze travelled over to Merlin's house that was situated in the meadow. If there was anybody who knew how to fix giant messes like these, it was Merlin. It was only just a short walk from Jaden's house, as long as he was quick, perhaps they could make it back in time to save her.. Making his quick decision, Mickey ran off towards the wizard's house. He was going to save Jaden, he was sure of that.
When Jaden finally came to, she felt someone pounding their fists into her chest. She let out a pained groan as she slowly opened her eyes. The sight of Mickey Mouse beating into her chest at his poor attempt at CPR was one that Jaden found somewhat unbelievable, until she reminded herself that she was still currently dreaming, which made the notion plausible. The fact that she was somehow in this fantastical dream and the impact of the blast still hadn't managed to wake her up further confirmed the idea that she was in this for the long hall and wouldn't be waking up anytime soon.
She thought all this whilst the mouse was still pounding his fists into her chest, which was now starting to become quite painful. Out of all the citizens in this village, why did Mickey have to be the one to save her? Couldn't he have just left her to burn inside the house?
Jaden let out another low groan to indicate to the mouse that she was awake. "Would you please stop hitting me…" She spoke weakly, her voice sounding hoarse.
Upon hearing her voice, Mickey immediately stopped his beating, to which Jaden was relieved about that. "Oh, thank golly you're alive. I thought…" He trailed off, unable to even finish that sentence.
The sound of Goofy's voice startled Jaden, who looked up and saw that he was standing over her with Merlin beside him. Did Mickey decide to bring over the entire village to witness her near death experience? The idea would have been funny if it wasn't for the fact that she did actually nearly die. "We thought you were a goner. You're lucky that you only lost your arm." Goofy said, causing Jaden to frown.
"My arm? What are you…" Jaden glanced at her right arm, or what was left of it anyway. She was surprised to find that she didn't feel any kind of pain, but she supposed that was down to the fact that she was in a state of shock. Still, it wasn't the first time she had lost her arm in a fire, which also happened to be the same arm she originally lost. "So, how long was I?..."
"A few hours, I was the one who dragged you onto the lawn." Merlin answered.
Jaden managed to roll onto her side, coughing her guts up from all the smoke she inhaled. She cast an angry glare at Mickey who was watching her helplessly. "Care to explain what you were doing, mouse?" She tried to keep the bite out of her voice, not wanting him to cower in fear and blank her out.
He nervously rubbed the back of his head. "Uh…it was nothing. We should just forget about it and move on." Mickey said rather hurriedly, stumbling over his speech in the meantime.
Jaden's voice grew hard as stone. "While I have sworn to save this valley and I'm somewhat grateful for you saving my life, I also don't have a lot of patience…" Her face became a mask of scorn and supressed rage.
Mickey gulped in response. "I uh…was making cereal and it-"
Jaden cut him off with a groan. "Wait. How the fuck did you manage to burn cereal? Even a damn child can't screw up cereal and I should know, I have two of my own. The worst they can do is make a damn mess all over the kitchen counter." Her voice starting rising in anger, the need to contain her rage rapidly diminishing. "And second, why the fuck were you making cereal in my house!?"
Merlin knelt down beside Jaden and gently placed a hand on her shoulder in an effort to calm her. "Perhaps now isn't a good time to be questioning Mickey, he's got to be in a state of shock after what he's just been through." The wizard's gaze travelled over to Mickey, who nodded gratefully in return at the kind gesture.
Jaden sighed then nodded. "Fine, but we're not done here, mouse." She spat out her words as she slowly pushed herself back up to her feet. Goofy and Merlin approached Jaden on either side to steady her. She glanced behind her to survey the house. "So, what's the damage?"
Merlin's voice was kind. "You don't need to worry about that, Jaden. Scrooge and I fixed up the house as best we could whilst you were out."
"So there's nothing for me to do then?" She asked him.
The wizard gave her a pointed look. "Jaden, you really should be resting." He protested.
Jaden shook her head and scoffed. "I assure you, old man, I feel fine. A broken rib and half an arm missing is nothing when your me. Trust me, I've been through worse." Jaden said tiredly.
Merlin sighed. "You are a stubborn one, but if you insist, there is something for you to do. The Dreamlight is pooling in the depths of the well. You now have enough Dreamlight to repel the Night Thorns on the castle's door."
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go." Jaden pushed herself away from Goofy and Merlin and walked towards the castle with the wizard following in disbelief. The woman had just survived a house fire, knocked unconscious, broken a rib and lost an arm in the process and she still wants to be running around saving the village from peril? If it wasn't all so bizarre, Merlin would be feeling extremely lucky that they had this woman to save the valley.
Once the couple reached the entrance outside the castle, they stopped in front of the door.
"Focus your magic on the Night Thorns, Jaden," Merlin told her, doubting that in the condition she was currently in that she would be able to remove the Night Thorns.
But much to his surprise, she lived up to the task with little to no trouble. He smiled at her with pride. "Bravo, Jaden! Now we can finally enter the Dream Castle!"
Tentatively, the pair took their first steps inside the castle. Jaden, seeing the castle for the very first time, took in her surroundings. The grand hall really was a spectacular sight, with its plush purple carpet, to its grand staircase to the crystalised chandelier hanging from the ceiling. It was everything a Disney castle should be, Jaden thought with admiration. If her two kids were here to see this, they'd be in seventh heaven. She pictured them now, with their excited squeals and their urge to run around and explore to their hearts content. Jaden was once again reminded just how much she missed the pair of them, the loneliness was almost enough to knock her back on her feet. She vowed to herself there and then to tell them all about this magical place, the thought of sitting them down and telling them about her adventures was the strength she needed to keep going.
Whilst Jaden was reminiscing about her life back home, Merlin heaved a deep breath, the ruined sight of the castle causing deep sorrow within his chest. He knew he was going to be disappointed when he stepped inside, but he never imagined it was going to be this bad. The Night Thorns had managed to spread inside the castle as several doors in the centre of the hall were blocked off by the purple weeds.
He turned to Jaden. "I remember now, Jaden! It's not what's inside the Dream Castle, it's who! When our ruler left and the Forgetting took over the valley, some of us stayed…while others decided to return to their realms. Each portal before you leads to a different realm, a dream of their own world."
"The castle is full of doorways to other realms? Well, it'll be interesting to meet new people, I suppose." Jaden said, not at all too enthusiastic.
Merlin brightened at the thought of seeing his old friends again. "Oh, you'll find countless new friends behind those doors! Though, I'm afraid they won't remember Dreamlight Valley. So, it's up to you to find a way to bring them home. I see you have just enough Dreamlight left to unlock the first door. You must choose the first realm you wish to step into." Merlin told her.
Jaden thought about it for a moment, going through as many Disney movies in her head that she could remember. She ruled out on picking the least insufferable one and probably what would be the most important person for this village in order for them to survive.
"I want to visit a restaurant with a great little chef. Maker knows this village needs a fucking chef who isn't a complete idiot in the kitchen. I mean, come on! How do you screw up cereal so fucking badly that you blow up a stove? How does a stove even fit in with making cereal?" Jaden bellowed, her frustrations once again rising to the surface.
"You mustn't be so hard on Mickey," Merlin spoke sympathetically, "like all of us, he's dealing with this situation as best he can. But the chef you'll find works true magic with his food! Chefs and wizards have a lot in common, you know." He gestured with his hand towards the portal laid out in front of them. "Once you step through that door, you'll arrive in another realm. Help those inside as best you can, tell them about Dreamlight Valley and ask for their help. We'll need all our friends here to prepare for what's ahead."
Jaden took a glance at the glowing purple portal laid out in front of her. So, she just had to walk inside and she'll be in another realm? Was it really all that simple? Well, there was only one way to find out.
Giving Merlin a quick nod of her head, Jaden blew out a shaky breath and walked towards the portal. She turned her head around to look the wizard in the eye, who was beaming at her with joy. "Wish me luck, old man." Jaden said with staggering affection and turning back around, took her first step into another realm, wondering what her next big step into saving this valley could entail.
