Chapter 1: Departure

Isabella exited her room, using a levitation spell to carry the trunk that she had packed the night before as she did so. She had been waiting for what seemed like ages for this moment, and she couldn't be more excited. She was finally going to school instead of seeing private mentors - and not just any school, but the famed Ever After High, the school in which her mother had attended in her youth long ago. She'd been told many stories about it and couldn't wait to see what fairytales she would meet and maybe even befriend.

She had gotten halfway down the hall when she heard footsteps approaching from the opposite direction.

"Princess, what do you think you're doing?" The voice of one of her father's apprentices that doubled as one of the castle guards asked.

Isabella paused.

"Um ... nothing?" She replied with a small smile. She had a habit of trying to handle a lot of things on her own despite her noble birthright, much to some of the castle staff's chagrin, as it sometimes kept them from doing their jobs.

"Allow me to carry your trunk." Her father's apprentice stated as he walked up.

"But I-"

Before Isabella could finish her protest, her father's apprentice grabbed her trunk.

"Let's go. Master Ansem and Queen Evalyn are waiting for you in the foyer." He said.

"But Aeleus, isn't that heavy for you?" Isabella asked, looking at him with concern. Sure, she'd seen him wield a huge sword and swing it with ease in battle, but she still worried.

"It's fine, princess." Aeleus assured her, his expression as serious as ever, yet his blue eyes were gentle as he addressed her. He topped it off with a nod before beginning to head back the way he came.

Isabella followed after him.

The castle foyer was a bustling hub when Isabella came down the stairs, just as she expected. The whole staff and the rest of her father's apprentices were there along with some familiar faces she'd long come to know and care about - some of which she knew had come from other worlds entirely.

"There she is." Her mother beamed as she came up to where her parents were. "I see you're ready to go."

Isabella glanced back at Aeleus, who stood dutifully off to the side of the stairs still holding her trunk.

"Thank you, Aeleus." Her father thanked him.

Aeleus nodded, giving a small, respectful bow.

"I'll go ahead and put this in the Gummi Ship." He said. "Excuse me, master."

He bowed again, heading for the main doors of the castle.

"Thanks, Aeleus! I appreciate it!" Isabella called after him.

"Let me guess, you tried bringing that down on your own, didn't you?" Her mother asked.

"Maybe..."

"Silly girl." Her mother sighed, laughing softly. "Well, anyway, your father and I have a gift for you."

"What, a list of who I should and shouldn't talk to?" Isabella asked jokingly.

Her father laughed.

"No, your mother talked me out of it." He replied, presenting her with a small box. "This is so you can keep in touch."

Isabella gingerly took the box, surprised.

"A ... MirrorPhone?" She asked slowly.

Her parents nodded.

"We figured it was time you had a phone for use outside of emergencies." Her mother said.

Isabella looked the box she held in her hands again, then smiled as she moved to hug her parents.

"Thanks, mom! Thanks, dad!" She said gratefully.

"You're welcome, sweetheart." Her father replied while he hugged her back. "Just try not to give your number out to too many boys."

Isabella laughed.

"I'll try, dad."

She released her parents, looking up at their warm and loving faces before another voice spoke up.

"I have something for you too, Isabella."

Isabella turned to find one of her private mentors standing just off to the side, with her stepping closer once she had her attention.

"It's not much, but..."

Her voice trailed off as she held out a necklace with a star-shaped pendant on it to her. Each point of the pendant appeared to be made from stained glass, yellow in color. A silver frame encompassed it, and there was a token in the center of it that was a symbol Isabella recognized as the Mark of Mastery - an important symbol to Keyblade Wielders.

"I figured you could use a good luck charm." Her mentor went on. "So I made it with your favorite color in mind."

Isabella smiled up at her.

"I love it!" She said as she accepted the gift and hugged her. "Thank you, Master Aqua!"

"You're very welcome." Her mentor replied, continuing on once she let go, "I also put a spell on it, so you'll be able to summon the power of those you befriend if you ever have the need."

"Really? That's so cool!" Isabella beamed, brown eyes sparkling.

Her mentor continued to smile at her, then excused herself when another of her mentors approached, bowing to the former respectfully, as he was much older than she was.

Isabella was somewhat surprised to see him, as he usually kept to himself in a mysterious tower located in between the worlds, quickly bowing herself when his gaze became focused on her.

"Master Yen Sid." She stated. "Forgive me, I didn't know you were here."

"It is alright," Yen Sid assured her. "Please, rise."

Isabella obeyed.

"It's still good to see you, Master." She said.

Yen Sid smiled warmly at her and nodded, going on to say, "I wished to see you off as well."

"You honor me, as does everyone else here." Isabella took a glance around the room as she spoke. "Thank you for coming."

Another nod from her eldest tutor. He, like Aqua and her parents before her, then presented her with a parting gift - a warm and soft hand-knit blanket. Isabella held it close, snuggling into it when she did, the blanket smelling like the tea Yen Sid often served when she would be visiting his tower for lessons and training.

It was a few minutes later that the hour was announced, signaling it was time to depart. After saying and waving bye to everyone present upon Isabella's mother holding her gifts for her, she walked out with both her parents. Several guards escorted them from the castle to the town square, where a spaceship was stationed in the center.

Standing just outside of it, near the open hatch door, stood a solitary figure - a young man with long silver hair and bright blue-green eyes that peered out from underneath his bangs, a proud smile on his face.

"Ready to fly, princess?" He asked in a teasing manner once Isabella came to stand in front of him.

"That depends if you're going to be the one piloting, Riku." Isabella responded with a playful snicker.

"That's Master Riku to you." The man shot back.

Isabella put her hands on her hips, leaning forward slightly, simply staring at him for a moment before they both busted out laughing.

"Where's Sora and Kairi?" Isabella asked once she calmed down a bit, taking a second glance around to make sure she hadn't passed by them. "I thought they'd be coming too."

"Sora's at home sick. Naturally Kairi stayed behind with him." Riku explained with a sigh. "They send their apologies though."

Isabella frowned a bit despite replying with a "It's okay". Sora, Kairi, and Riku, despite them being older than her and Riku also doubling as one of her mentors, she viewed them as friends-slash-older siblings and was a bit disappointed that the other two hadn't come to at least see her off to her new school.

"Hey, chin up. You can call 'em once we're in the air." Riku said, lightly bumping the underside of her chin with the crook of his index finger in order to get her to lift her head.

A soft, amused sniff escaped Isabella as she smiled and nodded again. She turned around, giving her parents one last hug and a wave good-bye before finally boarding the Gummi Ship.

"Hey," Riku spoke a few minutes after Isabella had called Sora using her new phone, breaking the silence in the ship as he piloted it to the world of Ever After.

Isabella turned her head, away from gazing out the cockpit window.

"Here's a present. From all of us."

Riku tossed something at her, with it landing in her lap. Isabella picked it up, immediately able to tell it was some sort of fruit by the touch.

"What is it?" She asked in confusion. The fruit was shaped like a star, and it was quite large, requiring her to hold it in both hands.

"It's a Paopu Fruit." Riku explained, glancing at her and stating just as she was sniffing the fruit curiously. "Don't eat it yet."

"Why not?" Isabella asked.

"It's a special fruit." Riku told her. "If two people share it, their destinies become intertwined. They'll remain a part of each other's lives, no matter what."

Isabella paused, staring down at the fruit, remembering Kairi telling her a similar story of a fruit she shared with Sora years ago.

"Is this ... the fruit Sora and Kairi shared once?" She guessed.

"Bingo." Riku grinned as he glanced at her again. "So save that and share it with some handsome prince you're likely to meet at your new school."

"Won't it go bad before I find a boy to share it with?"

"Not if you keep it on ice."

"How long will it last then?"

"Knowing how good you are with elemental magic, it'll last a good while."

"What if I wanna share it with multiple people?"

"What, you planning on having multiple boyfriends?"

"Riku!" Isabella instinctively wacked Riku's arm with a laugh. "I meant what if I share it with friends?"

"I know, I was just messing with you." Riku laughed. "But there's nothing that says you can't. Do whatever you want with it, just be careful with who all you do share it with."

"How will I know who the right people are?"

Riku just shrugged, then said a line that she had heard her other mentors say whenever she or someone else faced uncertainty:

"May your heart be your guiding key."

Author's Note: For those of you who remember me, yes, I re-used the first name of my very first Ever After High OC. I just really like the name. This is sort of a remake/overhaul of my original fanfic series Royal by Birth, Rebel by Choice. This new fic will have elements from the video game series Kingdom Hearts as well, but it is mostly an Ever After High fanfiction, as subsequent ones will have less Kingdom Hearts references.

I started this new fic wanting to just make the main character the daughter of Ansem the Wise and have her "story" be Kingdom Hearts, but once I sat down to start writing, I remembered that there was a Disney version of a character from my favorite fairytale that never got an EAH child. I know the show/doll line features the sons and daughters from the original tales, but I'm doing a mix of the original/Disney versions when it comes to my main character and another OC that'll appear later on (and is mentioned in the next chapter).

Thank you to all who read this. I've put a lot of my spare time into this story and greatly appreciate it.

Extra Note: Sora, Kairi, and Riku are aged up a bit. Sora and Kairi are 19 while Riku is 20.