A/N: Hello, my lovely readers! It has been a long time since I have a published a new story. No, the unfinished ones have not been abandoned, but life has gotten in the way. Life has been crazy the past few years! But, this story came to me in a dream, and since my birthday is this week, I decided to go ahead and write it. Please let me know what you think!
Disclaimer: I own nothing. All Kingdom Keepers and Disney properties mentioned in this story are owned by Ridley Pearson, The Walt Disney Company, and Walt Disney World Resort. I am just borrowing them for a little while.
The Power of Light: A Kingdom Keepers Adventure
Prologue
Kingdom of Darkness, Present Day
The storm had only gotten worse as the night wore on, but he kept running. Curfew had started an hour ago, meaning only the kingdom guards patrolled the streets.
Anyone caught outside at this late hour without prior approval by the Council would be arrested. Few people, if any, ever saw freedom again.
But the young man had no choice.
He had to make it to the station.
He had to reverse the curse that had covered the entire world in shadow and darkness. It was up to him to save everyone….
Even if it had been him who had lit the flame that had caused all of this…
Faster and faster, he ran on, sticking to the shadows as much as possible. The cloak he had stolen from the guards' tower provided little warmth, but it mostly covered his face. He could handle the chill in his bones if it meant that this nightmare would soon be over.
He paused briefly to catch his breath in a side street halfway to the station. A few pirate guards were patrolling just in front of the entrance.
Damn! He would be spotted immediately if he wasn't careful! Now, what was he going to do?
The decision was made for him not even a moment later.
The young man was accustomed to the loud echoes that came from the alarms, but he still nearly jumped out of his skin. The unwelcome sound meant that company was coming.
It meant that a prisoner had escaped… the prisoner.
And, somehow, he doubted that they were going to ask him to come quietly.
At the sound of the alarms, the guards patrolling the entrance of the station abandoned their post.
Now was his chance! If he hurried, he might just succeed! By sunrise, everything would be back to the way it was before the curse.
He wasted no time. Every second counted as he sprinted down the street, still standing in shadow and keeping an eye out for any reinforcements. Finally, he reached the empty station lobby.
And, there, sitting on a pedestal, was the Beacon of Darkness.
It was a giant, glowing crystallized heart surrounded by green and purple flames. The pedestal on which it was displayed was covered in thick, prickly thorns.
Cautiously, he approached the Beacon, feeling as if his own heart was going to burst out of his chest. An icy pit in his stomach made him uneasy, but it was too late to turn back now.
All he had to do was touch the heart, and this would all be over…
Slowly, he reached out his hand towards the crystal, then stopped.
Something wasn't right.
Shouldn't he be surrounded by guards right now? The alarms were still echoing in the street from whence he came, yet he was all alone.
His mind was made up. It was now or never.
He reached for the heart again, and this time, his hand found its mark.
The warmth from his fingers triggered an immediate reaction from the cold surface of the heart. It rose in the air, causing him to take a few steps back in bewilderment. The wind began to pick up as the heart spun three times above him.
Was it working? He could feel the hope in his heart swelling like a balloon. He had done it!
His happiness was short lived.
As quickly as the phenomenon had happened, everything stopped. The wind was no longer blowing through the hall. The flames went out. The heart stopped spinning in midair.
Everything was still.
Everything was quiet.
Even the storm outside could no longer be heard.
Before he could even register what he had just witnessed, the heart vanished.
A fake Beacon. A dead end.
He let out a growl of frustration just as three dozen pirate guards stormed the room. Within seconds, he was surrounded by the enemy.
The rebel didn't even have the strength to fight back as he found himself forced to his knees in the center of the large circle. His captors made short work in securing his hands behind his back in heavy shackles. One of the guards ripped the hood of the cloak off his head, grabbed him by the hair, and placed a sword at his throat. The rest of the pirates in the room grinned maliciously and pointed at him with their swords.
"You never give up, do you, Boy? I must admit, I never thought you would make it this far! This, is what? Your fifth escape attempt?"
"Seventh, Barbossa," replied the prisoner, looking into the eyes of the scraggly man who approached him. "But I don't blame you for not knowing how to count. I wouldn't want the Chief of Police to hurt himself."
"Don't you try to insult me, Finn Whitman! If it were up to me, I'd send you straight to Davy Jones myself!"
"Oof! Old Squid Face? Yeah, we're not exactly having afternoon tea these days. I think he's still mad at me for putting starfish in his pants. Guy just can't take a joke!"
"We'll soon be seeing who gets the last laugh, you brat! If you thought your life was bad before, just wait until the Red Moon next month. Remember: she likes to take her revenge nice and slow!"
Finn went pale as a ghost at his captor's words. He had almost forgotten about her. If he didn't find a way to break the curse by the Red Moon, all hope would be lost.
The young man finally gave up his struggle against the pirates who held him and stared at the floor.
"Smart lad. Struggling will only make things worse for you. Take him away!"
Finn was lifted to his feet and marched out of the station. The street was lined with hundreds of kingdom guards all the way to the Dark Castle. At the Hub, the party made a sharp left turn towards what had once been known as Frontierland. Finn said not a word during their trek, even as they boarded the raft to the island and entered the Fort.
It wasn't long before he was once again locked in his cell where he had just escaped a few hours before. The guards removed his shackles only after securing him to a heavy ball and chain near his bed. His hands were then reshackled in front of him. Once they were satisfied that there would be no further escape attempts tonight, the pirates left him alone in the cell and locked the iron barred door.
Exhausted from the night's events, Finn laid down on his bed and drifted off into an uneasy sleep.
In the sky up above, the moon began to wax and turn a light pink.
Time was running out…
A/N: And, that is the prologue! What did you think? Should I keep going? Don't forget to follow, favorite, and review!
See ya real soon, my lovelies!
Love, Mickeygirl20