Author's notes: Sorry for the long wait, everyone. Here's a good long one and should have another one relatively soon. Enjoy!
Riku stood nervously before Minnie's throne. Beside him stood Beast, at his side Aladdin. Both were in handcuffs. Beside the Arabian thief stood an infantryman with the little monkey, Abu, in a birdcage. The little menace having already tried to free his owner. The queen's eyes were somber and serious, but not accusing or angry. Dubois and Kaiser (his helmet removed) both looked pensive and inquisitive, but not overtly hostile. Riku was not on trial himself, but couldn't help feeling sorry for the other two. Standing in the surrounding crowd off to the side were all the various living furniture and ornaments that were once Beast's servants. They had been overjoyed at the sight of their old master, and he even took some comfort in seeing them again. The queen had already spoken to them privately before summoning the prisoners. Riku, of course, knew of both the prisoners; the true Riku's memories still in his head. The purpose of this hearing was to decide if Beast and Aladdin could be trusted.
Minnie nodded to Dubois and he snapped to attention. "The accused are hereby denied all rights to legal representation, and cannot question the authority of this hearing. Upon completion of these proceedings, her majesty will announce a fair and just verdict."
"What exactly am I being accused of? Apart from having been cursed?" Beast shrugged bitterly.
"You will speak when spoken to!" Dubois snapped. "Any charges against you shall be defined as this hearing proceeds. And since you are so eager to shoot your mouth off; Habsburg, Adam! Step forward!"
Beast blinked in shock at the familiar name. "I haven't heard that name in so long," he muttered before taking a step towards the throne.
"We have heard a great deal about you since yesterday, Mr. Habsburg; of the Bavarian Habsburgs. Cousin of Austrian royalty. So caught up in your wealth and privilege you couldn't even bother to shelter a helpless old woman. Go figure, she turns out to be an enchantress with a chip on her shoulder for snobs, so she turns the beastly little brat before her...into something..fitting! Sadly, the help shared your fate, and the only way out of that little curse of hers...well...needless to say, you blew that. Ran off in a fit of madness, traversed the void to another world, and here you are. Have you anything to say for yourself?"
Beast was silent for a long time. Riku was annoyed by the Major's vitriol. It was missing plenty of context and gave no heed to him having fought the heartless during the yesterday's battle. "I did help you win your battle, didn't I?" Beast growled.
"Soften your tone, Mr. Habsburg!" Dubois thundered. Beast hung his head. Minnie jumped slightly but suppressed her frightened squeak. Having grown accustomed to Dubois, rougher ways. The major turned to the other prisoner. "Aladdin son of Cassim, step forward!" the young thief obeyed in silence. His head hung in shame. Abu chirped sadly in the cage. "Eyes up! You will face the queen!" again Aladdin obeyed, his face morose as it had been since his arrest after the battle. Like before, Dubois sternly read off (from memory) what was know of Aladdin. Orphaned as a boy, he had survived by thievery. By chance he was recruited by an ambitious sorcerer to steal a magic lamp from a cursed treasure trove. Making off with the lamp himself, it turned out to have a genie inside with three wishes to grant. He used said wishes to make royalty of himself to marry the young woman he was smitten for, a princess. The sorcerer found him out, stole the lamp and turned the powers of the genie on him. And now the sorcerer reigned supreme, having enslaved both the sultan and the princess. Aladdin was cast away to some distant snow-capped mountain.
"And how exactly did you end up here?" Dubois asked pointedly.
"I...I don't know," Aladdin sighed. "I was trying to make my way down the mountain with Abu. I couldn't find Carpet-"
"That would be the 'magic carpet' you looted from the so-called 'Cave of Wonders'?" Dubois ventured.
"Yes. It was freezing cold, I was going numb. The wind was howling. Suddenly I heard some kind of snapping sound and I fainted. When I woke up, I was in the sewer system here. And I've been here ever since."
"Stealing!"
Aladdin shrugged, managed a weak smile. "Gotta eat to live, gotta steal to eat."
"So you abandoned your maiden-fair, and your city, to start leeching off a new town. Leaving the queen and we, her servants, to clean up your mess?"
"I didn't CHOOSE to come here! I was trying to go back when I found myself here! After a while I just...figured Agrabah was better off without me. Maybe I was brought here because there was just nothing I could do! I couldn't protect Jasmine. I couldn't even keep Genie a secret!"
"Couldn't even keep that promise to set him free?" Dubois snapped. Aladdin nodded. "According to her majesty, you and Mr. Habsburg have been identified by the wizard Merlin as two of the fated 'princes of heart.' Though from what I've seen and heard, neither of you are worthy of such a title. Do either of you have anything to say for yourselves?" Aladdin and Beast silently hung their heads. "Riku, step forward!" Dubois turned to his savior with an accusing stare. Riku obeyed with a look of defiance. "You have been an immense help to all of us. We trust your judgment. Do you think either of these...delinquent princes, can be salvaged?"
Riku nodded. "I do!" he snapped. "In the memories of my namesake, both of them proved formidable. And were dedicated to stopping the heartless and forces of darkness. Both of them may have been discouraged. Maybe even lost hope! But somewhere inside is a light that never goes out!" Riku gasped as he found himself reciting the words of Sora. A young man he still couldn't help but feel a brotherly connection to.
Dubois and Kaiser exchanged nods. "The queen will now consider this case," Dubois announced before he and Kaiser turned to speak with Minnie in hushed voices. Riku, both princes and the surrounding crowd listened intently as their leaders held council. A little over a minute later, Dubois and Kaiser turned around with stern faces. Minnie looked equally sincere. "Adam Habsburg, Aladdin son of Cassim," Dubois snapped. "Her Majesty, Queen Minnie, finds you both guilty of gross dereliction of duty," hushed gasps rounded the chamber. Beast and Aladdin's eyes fell. "And she has resolved to here-by sentence you both to Communal Service, specifically; conscription," more gasps went up, though these sounded less depressing. Riku and his companions blinked in astonishment.
Dubois snapped in loud voice that the court was adjourned and instructed Riku and the defendants to follow the queen into a private conference room, where the particulars of their sentences would be hashed out. With a bow and graceful wave of the hand, Dubois invited the queen to lead the way. Riku and the others followed behind Minnie. Her slow pace made it somewhat tedious, but even without a stern look from Dubois, Riku knew better than to complain. Cloud and Leon strode from the throng of the departing audience to join them. Dubois pivoted towards them with an upheld hand, "No, not you two. The queen wants you out among the populace now. With all the new faces around town, and the recent tragedy, she believes it's important that familiar faces be visible," his voice was sociable as always, but with a slight firmness to it. Cloud and Leon exchanged glances and blinked in confusion. "The queen's orders," Dubois said innocently. The two young men nodded and strode away.
At first Riku only shrugged. They entered the queen's office, where she sat down behind a squat-desk. Dubois locked the door behind them before taking his place beside the desk, Kaiser stood on oppoiste side. It suddenly occurred to Riku that he had never seen Queen Minnie without Cloud and Leon before. He quickly picked up on the tension in the air. Still there was silence, the loudest Riku had ever heard. Prolonged seconds elapsed before Minnie turned to Kaiser, who returned her gaze as if on cue. She nodded, prompting him to approach the two prisoners and remove their handcuffs before returning to her side.
"I'm so sorry about all this," Minnie said with frown. "But Dubois and Kaiser concurred this rouse was for the best." Riku and his companions blinked in confusion.
"Rouse?" they all said in unison.
"The truth is, we had already decided to take Aladdin and Beast on. We learned from Merlin, long ago that they were two of the fated Princes of Heart," Minnie explained. "But we couldn't make it too obvious. And this way we've created the illusion that we hold them both in contempt and are suspicious of them."
"But why?" Riku insisted, feeling somewhat indignant at being kept in the dark. Minnie's eyes fell.
"We believe the enemy has an informer here in Traverse Town," Kaiser said.
"I guarantee it," Dubois put in. "How else do you suppose they knew to come in through the sewer system? They've been showing up at random since the beginning, but never with any tactical maneuvers or anything to suggest strategy. It is our belief that the heartless who've been showing up in town at random were not acting under direct instruction from their higher-command. Darkness seeking light autonomously. It's unlikely that those pulling the strings had any knowledge of Traverse Town until recently. Someone must have tipped them off."
"That's why we're having this discussion in secret," Minnie said. "Playing our cards close to the chest." Riku smirked, suspicious she had learned that line from Dubois.
"You keep calling us 'princes of heart' what do you mean?" Beast inquired.
"We first learned about this from Prince Philip, Mickey told him about this when he helped him escape," she paused for a moment with a worried frown before continuing. "As you know there are many worlds out there, many of them are gifted with a princess of heart. But there are also princes of heart, fated to be with them and guard the light of love in their hearts. If a princess's heart falls to darkness that light can only be restored by love, otherwise there is no choice but to destroy her before the entire world can be swallowed by darkness. Your Belle, Adam, is a princess of heart and you are her prince. As you, Aladdin, are to Princess Jasmine," she paused for both of them to take it all in. "And don't worry, either one of you. Your princesses are both alive, and if they had really lost all hope in their hearts, the fight would already be over and all of us destroyed. But you must find them, and restore their light. The reason why so many worlds are already swamped with darkness is because most princesses are tainted by dark forces. Find the princes, unite them with the princesses. Then and only then will Riku be able to seal off the worlds from darkness permanently."
"Is there truly still a chance? The last pedal already fell from the magic rose! How can I ever earn her love like this?" he shrugged at his own hideous shape.
"She loves you, Adam," Minnie smiled. "Otherwise she wouldn't have run once she recognized you. She just needs time. And she needs you."
"Which brings us back to your sentence," Kaiser cleared his throat. "That 'community service' will be to travel with Riku for the duration of his quest. We have even prepared a new ship for you, which I believe you'll find most interesting. You will resume operations immediately."
"But what about Abu?" Aladdin gasped. "I'm not going anywhere without him!" With a brilliant flash, the little monkey appeared on his shoulder! Aladdin shrieked in surprise, but was quickly overjoyed at the reunion. Before anyone could utter a word, two more flashes brought their attention to opposite side of the room, where stood the wizards Merlin and Yen Sid.
"I do believe that settles that, my boy," Merlin chuckled.
"Better that he travel with you, where his larcenous expertise might be harnessed for good," Yen Sid grunted, as always unclear if he was speaking positively or negatively.
"Welcome, Merlin! Master Yen Sid!" Minnie beamed at the new arrivals. Dubois and Kaiser gave nods of greeting as the queen introduced them formally. Merlin had left shortly before the Mobile Infantry's arrival, to consult with Yen Sid on the recent events. Merlin went on to explain that the queen had kept in touch with him all of while, thus he already recognized the two military leaders. "Now that introductions are out of the way, have you learned anything about this young man, Riku described? Joshua?" Minnie eagerly asked.
Merlin's eyes fell. "Nothing conclusive, my queen," he sighed.
Yen Sid stepped forward. "I have sensed a mysterious power. Power beyond anything we have ever encountered before. And yet, somehow a familiar one. It surged some time ago, about the time of Prince Philip's escape and Riku's arrival here in Traverse Town. That this Joshua managed to bring him into this timeline from a parallel one is fascinating enough, but that he could equip him with a keyblade! Whoever, or whatever, Joshua is, he certainly took action in the nick of time! Darkness is prevailing throughout all realms. The recent windfalls may yet prove the key to reestablishing light and restoring order to the chaos we find ourselves in."
"So you think Joshua is truly good?" Minnie inquired.
Yen Sid nodded. "Very much so, but immensely powerful, and even more mysterious."
"Then why wait until now?" Riku snapped. All eyes were on him, defiance blazed on his face. "If he's so powerful and so good, why didn't he do something sooner? Why would he let things get this out of hand?" Riku's fists tightened and his head lowered as he spoke, he was almost shouting.
"Calm yourself, young man," Yen Sid ordered. "Those with power cannot be blamed for the actions of others. The weak often bring far more misery and distress than the strong! It is the choices we all make that bring forth good or ill. That we have the freedom and free-will to do as we please is not an evil in and of itself. Without the ability to choose, there can be neither good nor evil. That someone with power should see fit to allow others to pursue their own destinies is good by nature. What we do with our freedom and our will, is up to us."
"Words of wisdom indeed, sir," Dubois chimed in. "Making our own decisions is the only true freedom we have."
"I should know this better than any," Kaiser said. "I was never given a choice in my life. None of my men were; born and raised to be unquestioning soldiers for the Republic. Only our general, Anakin Skywalker, ever treated us like our will had meaning. And if I know him, he would fight to defend this realm too."
Riku blinked in astonishment at the sense they were all making, suddenly his face was burning more from embarrassment than anger. With a deep sigh, he loosened his fists and bowed to Minnie with an apology. Minnie brushed it off, assured him there was nothing to be sorry for.
"In truth, Riku," Kaiser managed a faint chuckle. "You actually remind me of General Skywalker." Again, Riku blushed.
Merlin cleared his throat. "But to bring us back to the point, despite our limited knowledge of Joshua and his motives, for now we should simply be grateful he is on our side."
A soft clapping of hands and a faint laugh was heard in another corner of the room. "Good thinking, Merlin. You always were the brains of the outfit," said a young voice with a slight edge of cockiness. All eyes gazed in shock at the blonde teenager, leaning against the wall. Even Riku was taken aback. For several seconds all eight of them stared in awkward silence. Joshua sighed, "Will you all just relax! I won't bite."
"How long have you been standing there SPYING on us?" Riku demanded.
Joshua smirked. "Too long, you should really learn to reign in that temper of yours." Riku tightened his fists again and cringed with rage. He was stopped by Aladdin and Beast's hands clasping his shoulders. Riku softened at the timid looks on their faces. As much as Joshua annoyed him, Riku sighed in defeat. "Well don't look so abused, Riku. Need I remind you how well you were doing before I came along? I'll tell you some people just can't accept help graciously!"
Minnie left her desk and approached to greet Joshua with a bow. "Welcome to Traverse Town, Mr. Joshua." The blonde teen's smile took a warmer tone as he laughed gently.
"You can just make it Joshua. Stand at ease there, soldiers," he winked at Dubois and Kaiser, who awkwardly relaxed their stances. "It's too bad the sages here only just returned, I can already tell they would have given Riku and his new team the necessary nudge out the door. But you've been progressing a lot slower than I anticipated. Which is why I'm here in person to point you in the right direction. One world is very near total destruction, it's up to all of you to save them. Oh, don't get me wrong, Riku, Al, and Beasty here are all well and good. But this time you might want to bring some of your soldier-boys along," he casually waved to Dubois and Kaiser. "Sorry to spoil the ending, but I'm pretty sure that new ship of yours should be able to carry enough men for the job."
"New ship?" Riku blinked. Joshua turned to Minnie with a knowing smile. The mouse queen blushed.
Without a word, the queen led them all from the room and down a nearby corridor as quickly as her legs could carry her. She practically ran, which enabled most of the crowd to keep a brisk walking pace, except for Beast. Soon they entered into the same hanger where the Gummi-ship was docked, but parked alongside was a much bigger vessel. It was vaguely crescent shaped, but with three prongs coming out in front like a fork. The middle, with a windshield, was obviously the cockpit. Exterior weapons built into the vessel were visible. An entry ramp stood between the cockpit and the starboard-side. Painted white with sheets of red lining the three prongs. Riku stepped closer to read the name on the hull, "Ebon Hawk."
"Chip and Dale found this ship in the void between worlds on their way back from letting you off at Kaiser's world," Minnie explained. "They've already calibrated the bridge for themselves, I was going to show you this ship after our meeting, but it looks like you need to get going!"
"Very good, my queen," Dubois gave a curt bow. "Kaiser and I will organize a strike team for this outing. From what I've seen of the inside it should fit at least a platoon in there, maybe more. Perhaps if Joshua wouldn't mind relaying the coordinates of this world to our pilots?"
Joshua chuckled and waved his hand dismissively. "Trust me, it'll be fairly obvious once they're in the void. You should be able to handle things from here," he shrugged and turned to casually stroll out of the hanger.
"Wait!" Beast cried as softly as his throaty voice could manage. Joshua stopped bud didn't turn. "What about Belle? Can you tell us where she is?"
"And Jasmine!" Aladdin gasped.
"And what about the spy?" Riku snapped. "You might at least tell us who the traitor is!" Joshua shrugged and stretched out his arms.
"You'll find your princesses soon enough. They're both alive and, if you're strong enough to save them, everything will be fine. As for your rat in the house, it's someone fighting for the same thing you princes are. Try not to hold it against him, he's really not so bad," with that, the mysterious blonde exited in silence.
…
A great crash shook the fortress as the main gate was shattered by the massive point of an ice battering ram. The snow giants manning the ram kicked and punched their way through the shattered fragments of the gate. Archers and crossbowmen, massed in the inner compound, peppered the giants flaming arrows and bolts. The monsters fell writhing as they melted. A horde of snow and ice monsters poured in as the giants fell, only to be splashed with hot tar from a cauldron above. Prince Hans smirked with menace as the fell creatures dissipated into molten water. He gave a nod and a thumbs up to Kristoff, who returned the gesture before turning to swing a torch at another frozen monstrosity. Hans cried out as another icy horror came at Kristoff from behind. Thankfully Spen sped in to impale and toss the monster with his antlers.
"That-a-boy!" Hans sighed. It always amazed him that his two best men were a mountaineer and his reindeer. Sensing movement behind him, he flipped his crossbow over his shoulder to fire into the head of the encroaching snowman. The beast stumbled backward to fall over the side of the wall, knocking several of his cohorts down with him. Thinking quickly, Hans sighted a pot of hot tar behind the palisade, dropped his crossbow, scooped it up with all his might and gradually poured it over the side as he ran along the wall. Over a dozen ice-monsters liquefied and fell by the time the pot was empty. But still more came!
With the last few drips of tar in the pot, Hans soaked his sword then thrust it into a nearby soldier's torch to set it ablaze. He then spun to cleave a snowman's head from his body and kick him back over the ledge. In quick succession, Hans drew a flintlock pistol with his free hand and sent another snowman tumbling with a bullet to the head. He then tossed the spent weapon at the head of another, which fell seconds before Hans could draw his second pistol and down another. With a sweeping motion Hans' flaming sword beheaded three more snow monsters. But still more came!
All around Hans' men were struggling to keep the enemy at bay. Kristoff and his mountaineers were making a valiant stand atop the main gate, but most others were being overwhelmed. Down below in the courtyard snow and ice monsters were pouring through the breached gate. Soon they would break through to the town itself! All men and women knew what to expect and armed themselves with whatever they could find, but they wouldn't last. Barely a hundred yards from the main gate, Hans could see the Snow Queen herself; Elsa of Arrendelle. Whatever goodness Anna had once seen in her was gone. There was no warmth left in the cold, pale-blue eyes that beamed through the flurries to glare into Hans' own soul. There was no Elsa, only the Snow Queen! A wave of despair swept over the young prince. It was over. They put up a good fight, but this was the end!
Kristoff's voice snapped Hans out of his wallowing and he saw his best lieutenant being swarmed on both sides by the foe. With a furious roar, Hans charged into the fray and hacked his way to the parapet. Multiple slashes melted snowmen and doused the flames on his sword, but the prince kept swinging the blade, determined to die with his friend. He reached Kristoff's side in time to pistol-whip an ice-fiend, shattering both it and the weapon to pieces. Kristoff returned the favor with an axe to the face of another snow man behind the prince. Spen stomped like a mad bull before rushing head-first into the horde come from the opposite direction. His antler's skewered the monsters, some shattered and crumbled but others latched on and began pulling the reindeer by his antlers.
"SPEN!" Kristoff cried out as he rushed to his long-time companion's aid. Hans was at their side in an instant, deflecting deathly stabs directed at Spen's head. Dozens more snow and ice monsters swarmed from both sides of the gate. All hope seemed lost.
An earth-trembling roar sounded overhead. Like that of a dragon from ancient myths. Hans had always loved such tales, but trembled at the thought of facing one! Had the Snow Queen summoned one? Crafted one from snow and ice! His eyes bulged upwards as he saw the great metal behemoth descending from the sky. Shaped roughly like a crescent moon. Red lighting cracked from it and burst down among the rampaging monsters beyond the city walls. Demons of snow and ice fled in terror as the crimson bolts blazed down upon them, vaporizing them in instants! Had this creature come to their aid?
The rumble of an earthquake shook the gate to it's foundations. Hans took a might swipe at the enemies clinging to Spen, toppling them backwards and leaned over the edge to the inner courtyard to scan the source of the sudden tremor. What he saw brightened his face like dawn. Hundreds of small, round figures with skin as gray as mountain peaks had emerged from the ground and were swarming the frozen horde that had nearly overtaken the courtyard!
"Pabbie!" Kristoff cried at Hans' side. A squat figure below with a long staff waved up at them before swinging swatting off the head of an ice-serpent. Hans raised his sword high.
"THE TROLLS HAVE COME TO OUR AID, MEN!" the prince roared for all to hear. "KEEP FIGHTING! WE CAN WIN!" All across the battlements soldiers cheered and fought with renewed vigor. Soon the frozen horde gave way. Hans cleaved another snowman's head before turning over the front of the wall to see the metal crescent was landing just outside the wall. It's sheer weight crushed dozens of monsters to snow and ice particles. Moments later a ramp dropped from near it's mid-section and dozens of strange figures stormed out of it's belly. All wore armor, some white and others gray, they appeared to be carrying rifles, though in mere seconds they formed a line and began spraying shots like raindrops. Surely no rifles Hans had ever seen! Those in white fired blue lightning bolts, those in gray were firing mostly conventional bullets; as the rising stink of gunpowder made clear.
Soon the Snow Queen's horde was decimated. The seemingly endless stream of nightmares was whittled down to a fleeing fragment. Especially as snow and ice fiends from the far side of the encircled city tried to rush around to the defense of their mistress. The alien soldiers shifted formations to attack enemies from either side, cutting them down long before they could be a threat. One pitched-battle had replaced another. The snowfall had ended without notice and Hans looked up in awe as the clouds broke to reveal a brilliant blue sky. A new tide of light had counter-swept a tidal wave of frigid darkness.
…
Riku, Aladdin, and Beast leapt into action as the troopers and infantrymen separated in two formations to pepper regrouping monsters on either side of the city. Aladdin clutched a scimitar as he strode to Riku's left. On his right, Beast flexed his claws and roared with fury. Riku had drawn the keyblade and pistol, tensing himself for a fight as they rushed towards the biggest of the snow and ice fiends, and the cold-hearted queen commanding them. Even as they ran, her frigid eyes seared into Riku's heart, promising cold hatred and misery. Riku charged on, unafraid.
As two snow giants rushed forward to meet them, Beast lunged forward at full speed between them with outstretched arms. His claws dug into both below the jaws and send them toppling over. He ripped and clawed like a feral wolf at the downed enemies. Aladdin rolled between one giant's legs then brought his blade down on it's ankles from behind. He then narrowly avoided being crushed as it toppled backwards. Riku peppered multiple giants with his pistol, dislodged jaws and severed limbs with calculated swings of the keyblade. Beast and Aladdin quickly moved in to attack those trying to rush Riku, angered by his pistol shots. As three giants closed in on Riku, he crouched for a brief second before spiraling upwards in a vortex. The keyblade made minced meat of all three.
Riku hit the ground and brought up the keyblade just in time to deflect a pike-sized icicle. A whole wall of them arose from the ground, he swiped them away in the nick of time. The Snow Queen had surrounded herself with a wall of icicles, each thrusting and protruding at her three foes. All the giants had been slain. The Snow Queen now faced a last stand of her own.
With a mighty roar, Beast sprang over her wall of icicles with his claws akimbo. The Queen's icy eyes glared upwards, summoned two spears of ice up from the ground, and sent them sailing up to her aerial attacker. Beast caught both icicles with his paws, they burst through his palms like nails. His feral roar continued as he slid down to her. Before she could cast another spell he sent her flying backwards with a mighty head-butt. The Snow Queen crashed through her own ice-wall and toppled over on her back. She summoned a blade of ice just in time to catch Aladdin's downward swing and sent him flying with a burst of snowy air. She then spun around to block Riku's keyblade. Instantly summoned another ice-sword to deflect a shot from Riku's pistol. Soon she was fending off both Riku and Aladdin, neither could get the better of her. Then a massive force clamped both her arms. The queen craned her head to glare up at the Beast, whose wounded hands clenched her in an unyielding grip.
"NOW, RIKU!" Beast roared. Riku was already on the move. The Snow Queen barely had time to realize her danger as the young man lunged forward, stabbing the keyblade into the left of her chest. Then with a brilliant light, the Snow Queen vanished in burst of shattering ice.
Suddenly the air warmed. The whistling blizzard winds ceased. All remaining snow and ice fiends crumbled and shattered. Across the land the sun seemed to shine brighter and warmer than ever. Aladdin gave a deep sigh. Riku wondered how he'd managed to fight in such could with only a ragged vest on his torso. With a shrill chirp, Abu sprang from his hiding place under the back of Aladdin's vest. The little monkey leapt about pointing at the ground as he chirped hysterically.
"Abu, will you relax!" Aladdin hissed. "There's nothing to worry about, we got her!" He went quiet as he paused to look down. His eyes widened, his face turned grim. Riku followed his gaze, his face contorted identically. The ice below their feet was melting and beneath it was nothing but water. They were standing on a frozen sea! "Um, can either of you swim?" Aladdin asked mere seconds before the ice gave way and the three heroes plunged into the surf.
…
Hans and Kristoff watched with gaping faces the Snow Queen was slain, the coldness vanished from the air, and the frozen sea melted. For a moment Hans looked on in fear as his world's three saviors fell through the ice. But he sighed with relief as the burly beast fished both the smaller once from the waves, placed them on his back and began stroking for shore. The prince was about to rushed own to greet them when two soft lights shone to his side and he turned to gasp in shock at the ethereal images of the two most beautiful women he had ever seen. Anna and Elsa of Arrendelle!
"Anna!" Hans and Kristoff gasped in unison. Both stood hypnotized by their dead, shared, love.
Anna smiled. "Hello Hans, Kristoff." An animal moan snorted towards her as Spen approached eagerly. Anna giggled, "And you too, Spen."
"But, how could?…" Han's voice trailed off. "Are you?" Anna's eyes fell and her smile took a somber tone as she shook her head.
"I'm gone," she sighed. "All that was left of me shattered and vanished with when Elsa did." Hans fell to his knees fought hard to hold his tears at bay. Anna's phantom knelt beside him in an instant. "I'm sorry it had to be like this. But you fought bravely, it's thanks to you the keyblade-wielder could defeat Elsa before her heart was lost forever." Hans looked up, tears flowed freely. His mind was racked with so many questions, but couldn't form his words. The phantom leaned forward to plant a kiss on his cheek, he felt nothing, but knew it was there and managed a smile. "Be strong, both of you," she paused to rise and stroke Kristoff's cheek, itself streaming with tears. "You are the princes of Heart, everything will be fine."
Before either the men in her life could say a word, Anna glided back to her sister's side and took her ethereal hands into hers. Both glimmered into globes of light and rocketed into the sky. All present were gazed up in awe as two majestic lights soared into the heavens and vanished.
…
Riku frowned as he and his two companions splashed ashore to the be met with the laughs and mocking whistles of the clone troopers and infantrymen. The soldiers stood on the beach beside the Ebon Hawk, dry as could be. Already the jokes were rattling off like gunfire. "You bathing-babes done suntanning?" "Did the Polar Bear plunge, did you?" "Nothing smells worse than a wet Wookie!" "You ain't in the desert no more, Ahab-the-A-rab!" "You always were a Feraxan Shark out of Manaan!" The laughter echoed on.
Riku was about to say something when Beast turned to him with a muttered growl to get down. Beast crouched down to twist his head sideways. Riku saw what was happening and tackled Aladdin to the sand just in time for Beast to violently shake his whole body, like a dog drying itself. The soldiers' laughs were quickly replaced by shocked gasps and annoyed growls. In seconds they were as wet as Riku's trio had been. "Looks to me like you're the ones who are all wet!" Riku huffed with a smile.
"Nice thing about the desert, you don't need to worry to much about THAT!" Aladdin laughed. The soldiers soon began laughing too.
"Looks like you boys finally managed to make a woman wet!" on Infantryman chuckled with a nudge at an Infantry-woman beside him. Who repaid him with a fist to the groin. More laughter ensued, even the who'd been hit managed a painful, high-pitched, laugh.
"ALRIGHT, LOCK IT UP!" snapped a young infantry lieutenant. When all went quiet he began snapping of orders. Different squads were to secure the perimeter around the ship, the rest were to come with him and Riku to make contact with the locals. Soon Prince Hans and the battered remnants of his rag-tag defenders emerged from the shattered gate. Riku's trio and the command squad slowly approached and introductions ensued. It took some awkward conversing to explain everything. Normally keyblade wielders were forbidden to tell all to other worlds, to avoid interfering. But circumstances had changed and Riku thought better of such a rule. More of a guideline anyway.
"Thank God you came when you did!" Hans gasped after all had been explained.
"Indeed, greater powers are to be thanked," Pabbie and about a dozen trolls waddled up. Kristoff knelt to embrace him and Bulba, the troll woman who adopted him as a child.
"Where were you all? I looked everywhere for you?" Kristoff sounded frustrated, but was too overjoyed to be angry.
"We took shelter in a sanctuary, deep underground. We knew a fight was ultimately doomed, so we appealed to nature and the powers beyond for help. After months we finally got an answer from a mysterious and powerful messenger, who told us help was coming. That was when we knew to come to your aid here!"
"Messenger?" Kristoff blinked.
"Let me guess," Riku sighed. "About my height, thin, long blonde hair, light-blue shirt, blue denim slacks, gray eyes, kind of an attitude?" Pabbie smiled up at Riku.
"Then you must be the keyblade-wielder he spoke of!" the old troll beamed with admiration.
"A genuine keyblade-wielder!" Bulba gasped with glee. "I never thought I'd live to see one in person! Oh, and a handsome one at that!" she winked with a playful giggle. Riku decided he liked her. "And your exotic friend there is rather dashing too!" she beamed at Aladdin who blushed with an awkward shrug. "As for this one…" she grimaced up at Beast, who could only sigh. "A bit of a fixer-upper, but I can handle that!" she smiled before turning to wink at Kristoff. Everyone had a good laugh. Even Hans and Kristoff managed weak smiles.
"At least it's over now. Over at last," Hans sighed.
"Don't bet on it," Riku huffed. "That witch may be gone, but darkness is still out there. And I won't be able to seal this world off until..." Hans blinked in confusion. Before he could speak, a bright light shone from the left of his chest. At the same time, the same light shone from Kristoff's. Both yelped in surprise. Several seconds later the lights vanished. "So you're both Princes of Heart!" Riku snapped in realization.
"That's what Anna called us!" Kristoff gasped to Hans.
"And Elsa and Anna were both princesses of heart," Pabbie said somberly. "With both of them killed, there's no way to seal this world off from darkness." Riku blinked in surprise that Pabbie knew all that. Somehow he figured Joshua had told him that. About time he started giving out more information!
"Looks like the two of you had better come with us then," Riku sighed. "The Queen and the wizards will need to hear this." Go figure! Two princes and two princesses of heart, both princesses were dead! Their work was cut out for them.