A/N: Out of the other six Princesses, Aurora is the one who will seem the most out of character here. This is because the Disney Wiki has pointed out that of all the Disney Princess lineup, Aurora is the least in control of her life, while the KH Wiki doesn't even have a section on her personality. Those two facts are the main inspiration for her nightmare. Hopefully, you all like the direction I took her story in.
This chapter documents Kairi's adventure fighting Aurora's nightmare, in the latter's heartscape modeled after the Enchanted Dominion, as the latter struggles to stop something far beyond her control.
Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts in any, way, shape or form.
The following scenario is inspired by/based on the movie "Maleficent: Mistress of Evil".
!~K~I~N~G~D~O~M~~H~E~A~R~T~S~~D~O~N~T~~W~A~K~E~~M~E~~U~P~!
Don't Wake Me Up
Chapter 3: Moira
"A person's fate or destiny."
~Destiny Islands, 10 Years Ago~
Kairi let Sora lead her by the hand to the corner of the school's courtyard. His touch was warm and comforting, and she would quickly become addicted to it. She tried her best to focus on him and where he was going instead of the chatter around them.
"There she is! The new girl!"
"This is my first time seeing her. Why is she so pale? Has she never been outside?"
"What about the color of her hair? It's so red!"
"Have you heard her talk yet?"
"No. It's like she has no voice."
She clutched her lunchbox closer to her chest, feeling more insecure about herself the more comments that she heard. Her hand also found itself clenching Sora's tighter, desperately seeking comfort from anyone. She was alone here, with no one to talk to. The therapist's job was to be that person, but where had that gotten her so far? She hadn't even found her voice yet.
Kairi was always the odd one out on these Islands. Her skin was too pale. Her hair was too red. Her eyes were too indigo. And as discovered later, her vernacular would be too formal. Her body language would be too proper. She would always burn easily in the sun. No matter how much people reassured her otherwise, part of her would always feel out of place.
Five-year-old her missed the fact that Sora was glaring at every kid who was talking about her. Looking back on it, he was still kind and open-minded to everyone, but he never really forgave anyone who made settling in for Kairi harder than it had to be—these kids included.
(And if Sora holds a grudge against you, you definitely screwed up.)
But he didn't say anything then. Instead, he tightened his grip on her hand and continued to lead her to a nearby planter surrounding a palm tree, on which a familiar silver-haired boy was sitting. His aquamarine eyes were piercing yet also warm; it was a strange feeling.
"Riku!" Sora waved at the boy. "I found her!"
"I can see that," the boy—named Riku—replied with a soft, gentle smile.
Sora, the sky... Riku, the land... and Kairi, the sea... a trifecta that worked best together...
The silver-haired boy turned to her, "Hi there. I'm Riku. Would you like to have lunch with us?"
Kairi shyly nodded, still afraid to break these two friends apart, still afraid that she was actually an omen of bad things to come for these innocent people. They didn't ask to suddenly be looking after her, to pick up the pieces of whatever had happened to her, to have their lives turned around just because she appeared. She didn't want to be a burden...
But these two boys...
There was something about them, and she didn't know what it was. Even ten years later, Kairi still wasn't sure. Maybe it was Sora's openness as big as the sky, or Riku's steadiness as strong as the land, but they would always be there to catch her. Whenever she was in trouble, they were right at her side in the blink of an eye.
(Sora protected her heart, and Riku protected her body.)
"You don't need to be scared," Riku continued, seeing her hesitation. "You're safe here."
And she believed him.
All she needed was comfort. Her throat finally opened up...
"Kairi."
Both boys were surprised.
She smiled, "My name is Kairi."
The sky and the land finally found their sea.
!~~~K~I~N~G~D~O~M~~H~E~A~R~T~S~~~!
~Present Day~
It had been five years since the curse was broken. Aurora was now the necessary age to take up the crown, so she was currently in her bedroom, getting ready for her coronation scheduled for later this evening.
She wished dearly that Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather were here to help her steady her nerves. They had promised to be here, but they weren't. Maybe their business wasn't quite done yet...?
Regardless, she hoped they would be here on time. They were the ones who had raised her, after all, all her life. She wanted them to see her crowned as the kingdom's queen, defying the odds placed on her by Maleficent so long ago. Out of everyone's attendance tonight, she really only cared about them.
Aurora was honestly proud of herself, truly. She was never expected to make it this far, and she had counted herself as one of those people. But she did, and now, here she was, ready to live the rest of her life freely.
There was a knock on her door, which opened upon her invitation, "It's open."
In stepped her parents, King Stefan and Queen Leah. Leah's eyes immediately filled with unshed tears of pride mixed with happiness, as she smiled at the sight of her fully-grown daughter.
"Well?" Aurora twirled around, modeling the dress she chose to wear. It was her usual dress, with the compromise of the color being pink on the top and blue on the bottom, with the two colors blending beautifully near the middle in a vibrant violet.
"You look beautiful, sweetheart," Leah said.
Stefan stepped forward, "Indeed you do. We just came here to tell you that we are so proud of you."
"You are?" Aurora asked, a part of her disappointed. To be honest, she wanted to hear those words from the three fairies more. "I don't think I'm ready."
"You are ready," Stefan calmly replied. "You always know what to do, and whenever you don't, then you find your way soon enough."
"He's right," Leah softly cut in. "Your heart is strong, and you are able to remain calm even in dire situations."
Aurora smiled, a hint of sadness mixed in with her joy and anxiety. She only knew her parents for the past five years, and this was honestly the closest she had ever felt with them.
"But we do have some bad news," Leah continued, and Aurora's smile fell into a concerned frown.
Stefan was the one who solemnly explained to her, "The fairies and Prince Phillip will be unable to attend your coronation."
"What?" This is what set her off. "Why?" What happened? Was there an accident? Or a storm?
Neither parent gave her an answer. Her mother only said, "We're sorry," before she and Stefan left Aurora's room.
And that just made it all worse. She was just given bad news with zero explanation on why.
She quickly made her choice, and there was no other that she could make in that moment; her heart wouldn't allow it. Neither the three fairies nor her beloved would be able to attend her coronation, and her parents knew exactly why. Sick and tired of being kept in the dark, she had decided to find the answers herself.
She snuck out of her room, as quiet as a mouse, and secretly tailed her parents, while hiding behind the various columns. She shadowed them all the way to their own bedroom. The closer she got, the louder their voices became, and the more she could hear their conversation.
"...can't believe they'd do something like this," her mother was saying. "Are you sure we can't change the council's mind? There's no proof." The council was the monarch's group of advisors.
"Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather are the only people in this area who are well-versed in magic," her father replied, in a serious tone. He meant business. "If they can give us the counter-spell, then the council will consider changing their minds."
"But they won't."
"I am aware," Stefan said. "That is the problem."
"Because they maintain their innocence," Leah responded. She was trying her best to remain calm. "And frankly, I cannot determine why they would curse Prince Phillip. He's been nothing but kind to them."
Aurora barely managed to hide her gasp of shock and give away her presence. Her three fairy friends cursed her one true love?! Her father was using his serious tone, meaning it wasn't a joke.
"And them to him," Stefan added. "I do not understand it either, but the council will riot if they are not executed by dawn tomorrow."
"You will hold off the execution for as long as possible, won't you?" Leah asked, her voice soft and sounding more like a mother than she'd ever have in the time that her daughter has personally known her. "Aurora adores them, so we owe it to her to give Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather the benefit of a doubt."
"I'm trying my best," Stefan admitted, his voice just as soft as his wife's. "But I cannot make any promises."
The two did not talk any more after this, making it clear that the conversation was over. Knowing this, a crestfallen Aurora hurried back to her room, wondering how she was going to fix this.
If she could...
!~~~K~I~N~G~D~O~M~~H~E~A~R~T~S~~~!
The moment Aurora's door closed behind her, she began pacing.
What was she going to do? Was there anything she could do? Why was the council interested in this witch hunt so much? Judging by what her father had said, and how he sounded, there was nothing he could do either!
What to do, what to do, what to do, what to do, what do to–!
"Trouble in paradise?" a strangely familiar voice cut through the storm cloud that was her thoughts.
She twirled her head around to see who had spoken, and found sitting on the window sill a red-haired girl with indigo eyes and a pink dress with a pleather of zippers on it. "...Kairi?"
The redhead smiled, "It's been a while." Kairi's smile then faded as she remembered why she was here, "You were calling out to the rest of us."
To her surprise, Aurora seemed surprised at that news. Confused, she asked, "I did? When did I do that?" The elder of the two wracked her brain and soon, certainty became evident in her features, "Ah, I did. I took a nap and had a terrible nightmare that felt incredibly realistic."
If Snow White was right, then Aurora was probably still asleep.
"But I soon woke up, so the danger has passed."
Kairi didn't buy that, but she pretended like she did. "But you were pacing the moment you came into the room. Something's wrong."
At first, she was concerned to have arrived here and not see Aurora in her room, but now she was even more concerned about how trouble her elder appeared to be in.
Aurora was considered the de-facto leader of the seven Princesses. She held the strongest presence of authority, and she was able to remain the calmest while Sora was fighting the Behemoth and locking the Keyhole in Hollow Bastion. She was also the oldest, so it only made sense that she'd be the one in charge.
So it was very disconcerting watching her breaking down like this. Kairi could feel fractures all around her. They were small, so it made her optimistic that Aurora could be saved. In that respect, Kairi knew she had to act fast.
The redhead's presence seemed to be calming Aurora down, as evidenced by her stepping closer to the younger and taking a deep breath to calm her nerves before explaining, "My parents told me that the four people I want at my coronation the most will not be able to attend, but when I asked why, I received no answers."
"Okay," Kairi said, showing that she was following along so far. While she was listening, she was also analyzing Aurora's emotions. Though calm, Kairi could tell the elder of the two was still stressed. Not much better, but she'll take it.
"So I followed my parents to their room and overheard their conversation," Aurora paused, taking a deep breath to relax herself as much as possible. "They–...they said that–...that Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather had cursed Phillip. And them knowing magic is the only evidence the council needed to deem them guilty. They're to be executed by dawn tomorrow."
Kairi could feel the heartache all around her, "I see. So you wish to prove their innocence before then."
"Yes," Aurora replied. "They have raised me since I was a baby. I know them. They would never curse anybody. They don't have the ability to use dark magic! They are light, through and through!" Aurora was raising her voice, and the stress she was under was only fracturing her heart more. "I need to prove them innocent! But the problem is that I can't do anything about it!"
She needed to find a way, Kairi realized. Aurora needed to find a way she could fix this. Otherwise, her heart would be too broken for her to continue as a Princess of Heart. A paralyzing thought came to her then—what if Aurora's heart shattered completely? What would it take to do that? Was it even possible?
"I know how you feel," Kairi was quiet. "There are times were my friends and allies try to tell me what to do out of fear that I'll get hurt, but I still feel safe with them, because I know I can count on them to have my back in case things go south. You make the choices you feel are right, Aurora, and I'll be watching your back the entire way."
"Y-You would do that? For me?" Aurora asked.
"Of course, I would." And she meant it. She too wanted to control her own destiny, so she would always sympathize with those who felt the same way. "We're sisters-in-arms, aren't we?"
Aurora smiled, and it felt real, for what felt like the first time in a while, "Thank you, Kairi."
"No problem," Kairi smiled back, before getting off the window sill and onto her feet. "What's our first move?"
"First things first," Aurora said, taking charge like she did against the Behemoth, "I want to get their side of the story."
She seemed very much in her element, far more confident than just a minute prior. It caused Kairi to realize that it was because she was in control of something. Knowing her backstory (the seven exchanged stories in Hollow Bastion), it just made sense.
So Kairi relented to letting Aurora take the lead here. It was only fair, and the least she could do.
"Alright. Where are they being kept?" the redhead asked.
"In the dungeon," the elder replied. "Let's go."
As Kairi followed Aurora to their new objective, she couldn't ignore a presence of darkness within the shadows. The same presence was in Snow White's heart as well, which would make sense if someone had put them all to sleep.
It also made sense that that darkness would surround their hearts, as it was that darkness that put them to sleep in the first place. But this precence was interesting to Kairi for one simple, but alarming reason:
She had felt this darkness before, from a time she couldn't remember...
!~~~K~I~N~G~D~O~M~~H~E~A~R~T~S~~~!
There were Nightmares here too, proving to Kairi that Aurora was, for sure, also asleep. The elder was surprised by the strange-looking creatures, and she also thought they were Heartless at first until she corrected herself.
Meanwhile, Kairi saw the use of her keyblade becoming more refined. Her movements became more fluid, allowing her to jump off walls, grind rails, leap great heights, and dynamically attack opponents. It felt exhilarating, almost like she was flying, flowing with the motions.
She even found herself being summoned to her keyblade, rather than it being summoned back to her. It was an accidental discovery, but she was glad it happened, because it helped her chain combos together.
The Nightmares blocked their way to the dungeon, as if placed there on purpose. Aurora had no weapon, but she helped her own pretty well, avoiding most hits and her only injuries being light ones that a simple hi-potion could easily fix.
Once they reached the dungeon, Aurora immediately locked eyes on the three good fairies and made a beeline straight for the cell they were being kept in. Kairi stood nearby, Destiny's Embrace in hand, close enough to hear what they were saying but far enough way to not be intruding. She kept glancing back at the entrance, standing guard and watching for any surprise Nightmares.
"Flora, Fauna, Merryweather!" Aurora cried as she dropped to her knees in front of their cell, her hands tightly clutching the bars that separated them from her. "I know what happened, at least according to the council. I need your side of the story!"
"We did not curse Prince Phillip," Merryweather said, sounding upset and desperate. "We swear!"
"I know," Aurora replied. "I believe you, but the council does not."
"They keep telling us that if we reveal the counter-spell, then they will consider letting us go," Fauna added. "But we can't reveal the counter-spell of a curse we have no knowledge of!"
"Keyword: consider, not 'will' by itself. They have no tangible evidence, and yet they plan to burn us at the stake," Flora reminded her fellow fairies. "We didn't even get a trial, much less a fair one."
"Again, I believe you," Aurora told them. "I know for certain that none of you would ever do something like this, and I think my parents know that as well. The problem is convincing the council."
Kairi finally spoke up with a sudden idea, "Aurora, you're about to be named queen tonight, while the execution is tomorrow morning at the latest. Maybe you can use your newfound power to call off the execution."
Aurora smiled at the realization, and nodded, "Great idea. I never considered that." Her fists clenched in determination. "Thank you, Kairi. I know what to do now, and it's something only I can do."
For once.Kairi knew that made Aurora happy. She did not feel any more fracturing, so she felt confident that she could at least save Aurora.
But she spoke too soon, because right then, the dungeon door banged opened and in stepped King Stefan and Queen Leah, both looking as upset as Aurora was before this talk.
"Aurora!" The blonde princess turned around to face her parents the moment after her mother said her name. "What are you doing here?"
"What does it look like?" Aurora talked back. She usually didn't, so it was a testament to how upset she was about this situation.
"This place is off limits," Stefan replied. "Especially to you, Aurora."
"Why?" The blonde asked as she got back to her feet. "Why am I not allowed down here? To prevent me from learning the truth?"
"Not now," Stefan scolded. "We'll talk about this later, including the bad influence you call a friend." He stole a glare at Kairi as he said this. Kairi glared back. "We have news. The council has decided to hold off your coronation until dawn so that the execution can be moved to tonight instead."
Kairi immediately felt irreparable cracks appear in Aurora's heart the moment her father said this, and she felt her own heart fracture, knowing that just moments before, she was the one who had brought Aurora's spirits up only for them to be brought down.
"What?" Aurora's voice was surprisingly calm, which told Kairi that one of two things was about to happen. One: Aurora was finally going to accept that there was nothing she could do after all, or two: she was about to blow a gasket. The second option was obviously the most likely scenario.
But either way, it wasn't good for Aurora.
No one spoke as Aurora finally vented, "No! I won't accept that! I am so sick and tired of people running my life for me! It's been that way since I was born! First, I'm cursed by Maleficent as a baby, which led to me living in the woods, away from my parents, before someone else breaks my curse! It's no different now! The three who raised me are being blamed for something they clearly did not do! I was planning on calling off their execution at my coronation, but now you tell me that the events have now switched places! I've never had any agency whatsoever, and the least you two can do is let me break one simple rule with the one person who truly cares about me and my problems!"
Kairi—the one person Aurora was referring to—wanted to interrupt, because with each word, a new crack was formed in Aurora's heart, and by the time she was done, her heart was obviously broken beyond repair. Aurora could no longer be a pure heart.
But maybe it was for the best. Being a Princess of Heart was yet another set of expectations that Aurora didn't need.
Kairi wanted to cry, but she didn't. Just like with Snow White, Kairi knew that there was no way she could ever fully understand Aurora's trauma—her stress, her insecurities, her frustrations, all of it. It was only right to let Aurora keep ranting until she felt better.
Even if it meant that Kairi had to say goodbye to her as a sister-in-arms.
Stefan and Leah were speechless, as were the three fairies. Seeing this, and remembering the Poison Apple Nightmare, Kairi jumped in with another solution. Aurora also deserved a happy ending, pure heart or not.
"I think I know who's really behind this, who really cursed Prince Phillip," the redhead said, mainly addressing Aurora's parents. "It may be a creature from the darkness. If you two will permit me, I can hunt it down and defeat it. When I do, Prince Phillip will wake up and everything will return to normal."
Snow White had a Nightmare. Aurora probably had one too. Snow's had cursed Florian by turning him into a bear, so it was possible that Aurora's had cursed Phillip as well.
"I'm going with her," Aurora immediately added.
"Aurora, sweetheart–" Leah began, but Aurora cut her off.
"Don't you dare tell me to stay," the blonde replied. "It would be a fruitless endeavor. I'm going with Kairi no matter what any of you say."
Leah was quiet, "I wasn't going to. I was just going to apologize."
"W-What?" Now, it was Aurora's turn to be speechless.
Leah continued, "I'm so sorry, dear. I never realized the depth of your problems. Honestly, I just assumed that you didn't have any. The fairies said that you were such a happy and innocent child."
"I wasn't happy and innocent," Aurora corrected. "I was ignorant—blissfully unaware of the reality of my situation."
"We understand that now," Stefan cut in, finally speaking. "We regret not raising you ourselves. We wish we hadn't sent you away. That decision prevented us from forming a proper connection with our daughter." He then turned to Kairi, "You may hunt this creature down. If you need back-up, all you must do is ask. All we ask of you is that you keep our daughter safe. In the meantime, Leah and I will try our best to hold off the council as long as possible."
Kairi smiled before curtsying in respect, "Thank you, and to be frank, I believe your daughter is more than capable of keeping herself safe."
The two Princesses of Heart left the dungeon in better moods than when they entered.
!~~~K~I~N~G~D~O~M~~H~E~A~R~T~S~~~!
It was thirty minutes—and at least one hundred more Nightmares slain—later when the two sat down on a bench in the Castle Garden. The main Nightmare had not shown its face—despite the two searching every inch of the castle—which Kairi found weird since Snow's Nightmare had attacked her at least three separate times.
Until Kairi remembered that Snow White had mentioned one of her worst fears was freezing up in the presence of danger. Aurora's, meanwhile, was being unable to control her own life. Thus, it made sense for Snow's to attack her frequently and Aurora's to stay hidden until the truth was revealed.
"Aurora," Kairi had to ask, "what would you say is a traumatic item for you?" Snow White's was an apple, thus resulting in the Poison Apple Nightmare. There was no doubt that the other five were the same way.
"The spindle of a spinning wheel," Aurora solemnly replied. She seemed to be deep in thought. "Pricking my finger on it was what sent me to sleep."
Of course! A spindle! Why didn't she remember something so obvious before?
God, she was so bad at this 'saving people' thing, wasn't she?
"Why?" Aurora suddenly asked, bringing Kairi back to reality. When Kairi didn't answer, Aurora continued, "Oh, it's what my Nightmare looks like, isn't it?"
Kairi was about to respond, until she realized what Aurora said: 'My Nightmare'.
She knew, just like Snow White did.
"Yes," Kairi replied. "How long have you known?"
"Since you first arrived through my window," Aurora revealed. "I can sense Snow's χ-blade fragment within you."
"She gave it to me," Kairi replied. It was no question why or how Aurora could sense the multiple sources of light within Kairi's heart. The other four Princesses would be able to sense that Kairi had more than one χ-blade fragment when she arrived to save them.
"I know," Aurora was calm. "And I know why." The sky was still filled with the setting sun, but the world turned dark as a bright light began to shine from Aurora's chest. Her hands cupped the light that emerged from her. Kairi watched as, like Snow White, the light formulated into a crystal-like flower petal, this one colored a vibrant violet.
"...You're giving me your fragment too?" Kairi asked, not wanting to believe the full weight of what was actually happening.
Aurora nodded, "Yes. Snow gave you hers because she knew she was beyond saving. As am I." The look in her bright blue eyes reminded Kairi that the redhead knew this too. Kairi hung her head in defeat. "Hey, Kairi." She looked back up at the elder. "You being here is better than you not being here at all. You may not be able to save us, but you are giving us the chance to prevent the darkness from winning."
And that was the most important thing. It was why the seven Princesses of Heart even existed in the first place.
Kairi swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded, before taking the χ-blade fragment and accepting it into her own heart. "Doesn't mean I can't try."
"Oh, I agree," Aurora replied. "The more of us that survive, the better. It will be fairly difficult to find and keep in touch with the New Hearts, and even harder to protect them when they don't know who is after them and why. But all of us are aware of the worse case scenario and how likely it is."
Kairi nodded, knowing both of those answers herself. The worst case scenario was that the darkness would win and receive all seven χ-blade fragments, thus sending every single world into darkness that could never be vanquished. And the likeliness of that happening, as of right now, was very high, especially since all seven Princesses were asleep.
"And out of all seven of us, you are the best choice," the blonde continued. "You have something powerful at your disposal."
Her keyblade, Aurora meant. Kairi had a keyblade and the spirit to fight back.
"One more thing," Aurora said. "This darkness has a name. I don't know what it is, but I can feel the presence of someone here. You can too."
She could. In fact, Kairi could not stop wondering where she felt this darkness before. Her best guess was that old man, but she didn't know for sure.
"Remember that this is my choice, Kairi," Aurora finished. "I know what this means, and what will happen once you leave. Just don't forget to wake me up before you do."
"Yeah..." Didn't mean she couldn't be sad about it, though.
Out of nowhere, an explosion sounded from inside the castle, sending the two to their feet and back inside.
!~~~K~I~N~G~D~O~M~~H~E~A~R~T~S~~~!
Prince Phillip had suddenly awakened without warning, and now in a trance, he had made his way towards the dungeon, where Aurora's parents and the three good fairies were.
Flora's warning is what saved Stefan from being slain by Phillip's sword. Fauna's explanation of Phillip being under a trance is what allowed Leah and Stefan both to finally understand what really happened to cause this whole mess in the first place. Merryweather's urgent call for them to run for safety is what led the two monarchs to the Great Hall—where the thrones were, and where their daughter's coronation was being prepared.
Even if they were currently being attacked by an entranced Phillip, Leah and Stefan both knew for certain now that the three fairies were indeed completely innocent. All three had helped them. If they and Kairi were right, then this creature cursed Prince Phillip and pinned the blame on three innocent fairies. Aurora was right all along.
In the Great Hall, the floor below them suddenly broke apart before a monster emerged from it. It looked like a giant spinning wheel, with the spindle heavily emphasized and the whole thing colored a sickly green.
His facial expression unmoving, Phillip raised his sword again, this time stopping when a voice called out, "I knew it!"
Kairi and Aurora were at the front doors, having just arrived and seen the chaos. Kairi already had Destiny's Embrace summoned, and she promptly threw it at the monster, before teleporting directly to her keyblade. As she began beating it down, Aurora rushed over to her parents—faster than she had ever been before—placing herself between them and Phillip's sword.
Aurora must have seen her beloved's eyes, or at least suspected this to be the case, because she didn't seem put off by the trance he was under. She just braced herself and ignored her parents' pleas for her to move as she stood her ground.
Phillip swung his sword down, only for Aurora to catch it with her hands. She then apologized, "Sorry, my love," before kicking his knee, sending him stumbling to the ground. Two armored knights immediately stepped in and kept a firm grip on the entranced Phillip, who, with his sword now in Aurora's possession, was not as harmful as he was initially. The Nightmare's grip over him only put him under its control, not given him any special powers.
"That was amazing, dear," Stefan praised his daughter, he and Leah awestruck. "Where did you learn that?"
"Phillip taught it to me," Aurora replied, before turning back to where Kairi was, right in time to witness the redhead being hit and sent flying back, only to quickly recover by landing on her left hand and flipping over so that she had landed on her knees. This Nightmare was tough.
The Curse Spindle Nightmare—just as she suspected—was the one who had cursed Phillip, allowing it to control his body to attack Aurora's parents, prepared to do anything to pin the blame on the three fairies still in the dungeon and awaiting execution.
Now, all she had to do was defeat this Nightmare, then Aurora would receive a happy ending, exactly what she deserved.
As Kairi got back to her feet, Aurora ran up to her and stood at her side. The two shared a glance, and Kairi immediately knew what the blonde was trying to tell her.
She wanted to go down fighting, much like Snow White had.
Kairi nodded at the elder, before the two turned back towards the Nightmare, both ready to fight. The two promptly charged at it with full force, holding nothing back.
As she fought the thing, she suddenly realized a pattern. She tended to use her anger as energy during a fight. It happened before with the Heartless in The World That Never Was and the Poison Apple Nightmare, and it was happening again with this Curse Spindle Nightmare. Now that she thought about it, it had also helped fuel her in getting away from Axel. Well, before she ran into Saïx.
Every so often, she glanced over at Aurora to see how she was holding up. Just like she told the blonde's parents, Aurora was indeed fairing just fine. She wasn't as good at dodging as Snow White was, but her hits were pretty powerful, and her blocking made up for her lack of speed. Again, just like Snow, her strongest attack was using Faith with the sword—which was still often used as a distraction for Kairi to get in more hits in.
A dual combo attack was what finished it off.
And just like she predicted, the defeat of the Nightmare broke the trance over Phillip. He blinked and looked around frantically, "W-Wait a minute. How did I get here? What happened? The last thing I remember was passing out during lunch hour."
"You were cursed by a monster," Leah explained. "It took over your body and made you attack us."
"Oh, my apologies!" Phillip was understandably startled by this revelation. "Did I hurt anyone?"
"No," Aurora replied, walking up to them with his sword in her hand. She readjusted her grip on it so that she was holding out the handle to him. "But I may or may not have used this to beat the monster."
"Well done, love," Phillip said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "I wish I could've seen you in action."
Aurora simply smiled at the praise. She felt extremely proud of herself, and Kairi felt the same amount of pride for her friend.
Stefan cleared his throat, "Aurora, dear, if you still wish it, I will give you the honors."
Aurora's smile got wider, knowing what he was referring to. She then turned around to face the council members that had been watching the fight, and sternly ordered, "There shall be no execution. The danger has passed. Free the fairies."
Kairi and Aurora both took great pleasure in watching the council members nervously nod in agreement, before the knights raced down to the dungeon to release Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather.
All was well now. And that was enough for them.
Aurora then connected eyes with Kairi one final time, who knew what the elder wanted to say. Though sad at needing to pass her role on to someone else, she understood that it had to happen. Like Snow White, Aurora had accepted her fate, and now just wanted Kairi to visit the other four before it was too late for them.
Her keyblade still in hand, Kairi sadly smiled and nodded back before pointing Destiny's Embrace at the sky, where a bright lock appeared. A light shot from the tip of her keyblade and straight at the lock, engulfing it in light.
The sky turned back into day, though the sunshine was not as bright as it was before. Darkness was beginning to enter Aurora's heart, filling in the fractures that had appeared thanks to the Nightmare. The world was also fading due to Aurora finally waking up.
Kairi made no move to stop it, knowing that this had to happen. Instead, she let the light from the keyhole envelop and take her back to the void between hearts.
Hopefully, Aurora would be much happier with a normal life at last, full of agency and control. She deserved no less.
But it was time to move on, and save the other four.
This time, Cinderella's image appeared, flickering before it turned into her heart station. Kairi promptly dove right in...
!~~~K~I~N~G~D~O~M~~H~E~A~R~T~S~~~!
~Destiny Islands, 10 Years Ago~
It was two weeks (and one crash course about life on the Islands) later before Kairi felt courageous enough to venture beyond her new house and the school. Sora and Riku wanted to show her the play island, and when she finally accepted—on her mother's urging, thinking it would be good for her—Kairi swore it was like music to Sora's ears, because he immediately jumped up and said that was good, because there was something on the island that he and Riku wanted to show her.
Now, here they were, approaching what Sora said was their destination: a cave. Kairi seemed unsure, because she felt that there was something inside of that cave that she felt needed to be avoided.
"Sora, are you sure about this?" Riku was asking Sora. "It's our secret hideout."
His voice was quiet, but Kairi heard it anyway. His words and the fact that he wasn't intending on Kairi to hear him brought a twinge of pain to her heart. It was just a reminder that she was probably driving a wedge between Sora and Riku. That's not what she wanted.
Sora's grip on Kairi's hand tightened, feeling protective. Kairi felt what she recognized nine years later as sparks flying. She had to fight to contain the blush this little gesture caused.
"Calm down, Riku," Sora whispered back, seemingly forgetting that he was currently holding her hand. "She's our friend now. It's only right. No secrets, remember?"
They had previously shared a conversation about it apparently. Sora urging Riku to 'remember' told Kairi that Riku had agreed earlier but was currently having second thoughts.
Which he got over, judging by how Riku then sighed softly, "Right. No secrets." He then turned to their new third. "Kairi, this is the Secret Place, mine and Sora's special hideout. No one else knows this cave exists except for us...and now you."
"Keep it a secret, okay?" Sora added, with a smile.
Kairi nodded—and she meant it—before following them inside, albeit reluctantly. That feeling from before was still persisting.
The first thing she noticed, despite all the cool drawings on the walls (most likely done by Sora and Riku), was the door smack dab in the middle of the farthest wall of boulders. It was wooden with a lock in the center, but it was dark and foreboding.
"W-What is that?" she asked. She couldn't take her eyes off of it.
Both boys turned around to follow her gaze. Once they saw what she was looking at, they turned back to her with understanding.
"Oh, we don't know," Riku replied. He seemed to understand her hesitation in trusting the door.
But Sora didn't. He seemed to be too innocent, as he put his hands behind his head and shrugged, "And we probably never will. It's locked and there's no key."
"I don't like it," Kairi muttered. She couldn't ignore the bad feeling she got when looking at that door.
However, neither Sora nor Riku heard her. They instead asked her something completely different and mood-changing.
"Hey, Kairi, have you ever played on the beach?" Sora asked.
"...What's a 'beach'?" It was honest curiosity, as she couldn't remember if wherever she was from had beaches or not.
Sora and Riku shared a quick glance, before turning to her with smiles. "C'mon, we'll show you," Riku said. "Follow us."
She did, and they led her out of the cave . They repeatedly told her to close her eyes and not to peak as they led her there by the hand. She falsely defended herself whenever she said she wasn't (when she actually was), until they told her that it was safe to look.
They had taken her to where the ocean met the sand, the waves moving back and forth thanks to the wind—a place where all three of their elements met and melded together the way that friends did.
This was the beach? She had seen it so many times before. She lived on an island now, for destiny's sake! She had crash-landed on one, back on the main island!
"Well?" Sora asked, bringing her back to reality.
She felt a smile come to her face, "I love it." It was the most beautiful sight she'd ever seen, and ever would. It was the one place where the sky, the land, and the sea all met, the one place where you could forget all your troubles and just be the kids you were.
For the first time since she arrived here, Kairi finally felt like she belonged.
Sora and Riku both smiled at her words, apparently glad to hear her say this. "We knew you'd like it," Riku said.
"Water fight?" Sora asked them both, an excited grin across his face.
Riku waited for Kairi to nod before replying, "Let's do it!"
The three all left their shoes behind on the dry sand before running straight into the water. It was the first time Kairi ever remembered having fun, or had ever felt like the child she was. She couldn't remember where she came from, but that was okay, because she knew where she was now, and she felt safe here.
And that was soon all that mattered to her.
!~~~K~I~N~G~D~O~M~~H~E~A~R~T~S~~~!
To Be Continued...
!~K~I~N~G~D~O~M~~H~E~A~R~T~S~~D~O~N~T~~W~A~K~E~~M~E~~U~P~!
A/N: Aurora has also given up her role as a Princess of Heart, and the name New Hearts has been dropped in official dialogue.
Chapter Notes:
-Like with Snow White, the first scene sets up what Aurora's nightmare is. Emphasis is placed on the abnormality of Aurora's childhood, more specifically on who actually raised her. Things are also happening beyond her control, including other people's expectations she feels she has to live up to. Even as a fully grown adult, and about to become the ruler of a kingdom, she still has very little autonomy.
-In this story, Kairi also joined Sora in returning to Hollow Bastion in KH1. She didn't do any fighting, but she tagged along to give the other six Princesses a hand. When Sora, Donald, and Goofy entered the End of the World section, Kairi impulsively followed them. That being said, Sora is still the one who doesn't see the Keyhole in the door in the Secret Place. Kairi can see it because she's a Princess of Heart.
-Last chapter, Kairi learned her dodging ability. Here, she learns Strike Shift.
-Aurora's fighting style is like Terra's, which is a nod the first visitor to her world in BBS.
-The final flashback of this chapter is from the Fragmentary Passage's cinematic opening.