“Don’t be bashful now!”
Lumière and Donald chimed in, followed by Mrs. Potts and Chip, Cogsworth and Goofy.
The Beast took a nervous breath and returned his attention to Belle. “I’d like you to stay here…with me. Always.”
Smiling, she reached out with her right arm.
It was an invitation to dance.
He took her hand and placed his other on her waist.
Her voice was low and gentle as she answered, “I will.”
The others watching broke into grins, finally able to breathe again.
“Maestro—music!” Lumière called in a stage whisper, and a waltz began playing. The Beast and Belle twirled around the courtyard, unhurried in their happiness.
“That’s good to see…!” said Sora, still grinning, and then it happened.
A ray of light shot out from the rose and formed an enormous keyhole in the air.
Sora held the Keyblade high, and a beam streamed from it into the keyhole. The lock clicked.
“Looks like it’s time to go, then,” said Sora.
“Right!”
The trio departed from the Beast’s castle, which perhaps now wouldn’t be quite so gloomy.
High above on the castle rooftops, two more were watching Belle and the Beast dance across the courtyard.
“Guess that’s all settled, huh?” said Axel.
Beside him, Riku’s focus remained on Sora and his friends. “Yeah.”
“So, they took out Xaldin without any help from us, huh?” Axel mumbled.
“Maybe,” Riku said quietly and gave no visible reaction.
Sora and the others had managed to defeat Xaldin. But Riku had not managed to just stand there without doing anything to help.
“Well, not that it matters.” Axel’s attention was on the bridge where Xaldin had fallen. Unlike when a Heartless fell, the Nobodies of the organization turned to darkness and evaporated into nothing.
The sight was like watching his own future unfold. It rattled him.
But Axel only stretched, arching his back and shaking off the unpleasant thoughts. “What now? Head back and report to Naminé?”
He opened up a dark rift behind him.
“I wonder where they’ll be going next,” Riku murmured, watching Sora and his friends laughing together.
“That’s anybody’s guess. I’d like to at least know where we’re going next.” With that, Axel swept into the portal.
Riku turned away from the sound of their laughter and followed him.
CHAPTER 5
DISNEY CASTLE
“ARE YOU QUITE FINISHED GIVING YOUR REPORT of how you managed to fail at absolutely everything?” Maleficent’s fury boomed through the halls of Hollow Bastion. “What’s more, I hear you put on airs in my absence, thinking you could take my place. Well, as of now, you’re finished. When our time comes, there will be no place for you!”
Pete hung his head. There was nothing else to do while he was thoroughly rebuked.
“Useless imbecile,” Maleficent spat, whirling to stalk out of the room.
“But—but… But I…,” Pete stammered miserably.
He’d been working as hard as he could, but all he did was fail. He didn’t know what he could do to gain Maleficent’s approval.
“For cryin’ out loud… She didn’t have to go and say that,” he grumbled. “Okay, I mighta messed up here and there. But I’m a lot more things than useless. Why, back when I was startin’ out…”
He sighed, looking up at the ceiling.
“Ohh, I miss those good old days. What I wouldn’t give to go back in time… Just go back…”
As he daydreamed, a door appeared faintly in the air right in front of him.
“…Gee, what’s this?” He tiptoed closer and examined it. From the other side, he could hear the shrill whistle of a steamboat.
“Hey! If that ain’t my old…”
Pete flung the door open and took off through it.
The Gummi Ship sailed again through the Other Sky.
Goofy leaned forward, staring out the front viewport. “I wonder what sorta gate opened this time?”
“There it is!” said Donald.
Sora leaned over, too, and saw a big white castle with blue rooftops.
Donald let out a glad “Wak!”
“Another place we’ve never been before,” said Sora, a little glum, but Donald spoke over him.
“It’s Disney Castle!”
“Disney Castle?” Sora repeated.
“Our home!” Goofy explained, just as glad.
“It is?”
“We’re back!”
Donald and Goofy hugged and danced around in celebration.
“So that’s where you guys come from…” Sora gazed down on the spires of Disney Castle.
The Gummi Ship touched down in the castle’s hangar.
“So this is your castle…” Sora took in the sights of this new place, although it was familiar to his two friends. “Must be nice to be home, huh?”
But Donald and Goofy didn’t seem to hear him. They were staring farther into the castle, both wearing frowns.
“What’s wrong?” asked Sora.
“Somethin’ just doesn’t feel quite right…” Goofy cocked his head.
“Uh-huh,” Donald agreed.
“Really…?” Sora tried to figure out what was amiss as two tiny figures came scurrying into the hangar.
“You’re back!” Chip and Dale scampered right up to them—urgently rather than happily. “But there’s trouble!”
“The castle’s in danger!”
“Queen Minnie needs to see you! Quick, to the library!”
Seeing their alarm, Sora, Donald, and Goofy nodded.
“Let’s go!” the boy urged, and Donald opened the door that led out to the courtyard—
“Wak!” He immediately closed it.
“Gawrsh, what’s out there? …Yipes!” Goofy cracked open the door to peek out and did the same, slamming it shut.
They both exclaimed at the same time, “It’s full of Heartless!”
“I sure hope Daisy’s okay!”
“And the queen, too!”
“What about all the broomstick servants?”
Donald and Goofy huddled close together, talking almost too fast for Sora to keep up.
“Guys, cut it out!” He pushed them apart. “We have to go to the queen, right? C’mon!”
He opened the door himself. Just as Donald and Goofy said, the prettily pruned courtyard was overrun with Heartless.
Goofy’s head drooped in disappointment. “The castle used to be so nice…”
“Don’t let it bother you right now, okay?” Sora gave him a friendly thump on the back and took out the Keyblade. “Which way’s the library?”
“Over there!” Donald pointed with his wand.
“Then let’s go find the queen!”
“Right!” Donald and Goofy nodded and dashed into the fight.
They battled their way through the garden and down the long corridors with Heartless at their heels. Finally, they burst into the library, slamming the heavy doors behind them.
“Your Majesty! We’re back!” Donald promptly announced with a salute.
Wearing a fine gown, the queen standing before them was a mouse like King Mickey. A crown adorned her head between the ears.
Donald and Goofy lined up together to stand at attention and give a more proper salute.
“Welcome back!” Her voice was kind and mild as she clasped her hands over her breast.
“Where’s the king?” Sora asked, poking his head between Donald and Goofy.
“And you are…?” The queen blinked at him.
“This is our friend, Sora…”
As Goofy explained, she grinned. “Oh, it’s you, Sora! The king told me all about you in his letters. He said you’re a very brave young man. I’m Minnie, the queen of this land.” She curtsied as she introduced herself.
“Nice to meetcha,
Your Majesty. So, do you know where he is?”
To Sora’s question, Queen Minnie only shook her head sadly.
“Aw…” His shoulders slumped.
“Your Majesty,” Donald asked, “what are the Heartless doing in your castle?”
“Oh my… So those are the Heartless…” The queen sighed quietly, lowering her long lashes.
“Don’t worry—we’ll take care of ’em!” said Sora.
She smiled at him again. “I know I can count on you, Sora. Now, there’s something I’d like all of you to come and see. Would you escort me to the audience chamber?”
“Yes, ma’am!” At the royal request, Donald and Goofy snapped their heels together and saluted again. Half a second too late, Sora did the same.
“Oh!” Queen Minnie gasped. “I forgot to warn everyone else in the castle. We must be sure they’re hidden somewhere safe!”
“Okay, we’ll do that first,” Sora said breezily.
Donald didn’t take it as calmly. “Oh no!”
“What’s the matter?” Sora looked at him curiously.
“Well, there’s…in the castle…” Donald trailed off, as if it was hard to explain.
Goofy filled in. “A-hyuck! Daisy’s here somewhere!” he said with a shrug.
“Daisy? Who’s that?” asked Sora.
“She’s Donald’s special sweetheart.” Goofy chuckled.
“Really…? Donald has a sweetheart, huh?”
“Wak! C’mon, we gotta go tell everyone!” Donald hopped irritably as Sora gave him a teasing grin.
“We should probably split up,” Goofy suggested lightly.
“I can make sure everyone knows!” Sora was eager to get moving.
“No, you can’t. You’ll just get lost!” Donald snapped, shutting him down.
“Are you just saying that because you wanna go see your girlfriend?”
“Wak! You be quiet!” Donald shook his wand at Sora.
“Hee-hee…” Queen Minnie covered her mouth, but a giggle escaped. “I’m glad to see you’re all such good friends. Sora, would you come with me? Donald and Goofy, you two make sure everyone is safe.”
The trio looked at one another, then all saluted in unison. “Yes, Your Majesty!”
Then Donald and Goofy hurried out of the room.
“Now, shall we?” said the queen, and Sora led her to the door.
Outside the library, the corridor leading to the audience chamber was still teeming with Heartless.
“Your Majesty, can you run?” asked Sora.
“Yes.”
The second Queen Minnie replied, Sora took off—but perhaps because of her gown, she couldn’t actually run very fast. And on top of that, the Heartless began flocking to her rather than Sora.
“Oh no—c’mon, Your Majesty!” He tried to get back to her side, but there were so many enemies that he could barely move.
And then—
“Holy!”
With that resolute cry from the queen, white light flared around her and blasted the Heartless back. The word was a chant for a spell.
“Wow, that’s amazing!”
“Let’s be on our way, Sora.” She hurried to join him. Each time the Heartless surrounded them, they managed to fend off the creatures with Sora’s Keyblade and Queen Minnie’s magic, and finally they made it to the grand audience chamber.
“Just one moment.” The queen lifted her hand before the doors. “When the trouble started, I made sure to seal this room.”
The great doors glowed, and the magical barrier fell away.
“Let’s go.” She quietly opened the door—but only found more Heartless swarming inside. “Oh, not here, too!”
“We’ve got ’em!”
They kept going just as before, fighting with the Keyblade and the queen’s spell to scatter the Heartless, making their way along the red carpet to the throne.
“Ugh, gimme a breather…,” Sora complained under his breath as the queen dashed to the throne and fiddled with something behind it.
Then the throne slid aside with a rumble, and brightness poured out from beneath it.
“Whoa…,” Sora breathed.
The light chased away all the remaining Heartless.
“The room below is called the Hall of the Cornerstone,” Queen Minnie explained, turning back to Sora. Under the area where the throne usually sat was a staircase leading down. “Our castle has always been safe from invasion by evil worlds thanks to the Cornerstone of Light that we keep there.”
“The…Cornerstone of Light?” Sora repeated.
“This way, Sora.”
He followed her down the stairs.
The Hall of the Cornerstone was dim and gloomy, the walls overgrown with thorny vines. The tangle of brambles reminded Sora of something…
Hollow Bastion when Maleficent had ruled over it. These were just like the thorns twining through the castle back then.
“Sora!” Donald and Goofy came running down the stairs behind him.
The queen turned to them. “Did you make sure everyone knows?”
“We sure did, Your Majesty!” Goofy saluted her.
“Thank you,” she replied, then moved toward a sphere in the center of the room. It resembled a giant crystal ball, except that it shone with light from within.
“This is our cherished Cornerstone. But—the thorns…” She lowered her eyes in dismay. “This must be the work of someone evil. I don’t know what it could mean.”
Before she could speculate further, a burst of green flame rose in front of the Cornerstone.
“Wak!” Donald gripped his wand.
The green fire coalesced into a figure—a familiar one.
“Maleficent!” cried Goofy.
“Well, well, well, what have we here?” the witch drawled. “If it isn’t the wretched Keyblade boy and his lackeys!”
“We’re not lackeys!” Donald hopped in indignation.
“Yeah, why don’t you face us fair and square?!” Sora added.
“All in good time. I promise you won’t be left out of my vengeance. But you must be patient.”
“Just what are you doing here, Maleficent?!” the queen demanded.
“Ah, Queen Minnie. Radiant as always.” Maleficent gave her a polite nod, but not without a smirk. “Now, I’m here on a property venture. I want this castle for my own. Although it’s a bit too bright for what I have in mind. I think I’ll fill every room with my personal touch of darkness.”
She spoke with a cruel, patronizing smile.
“You’d better stop right now, if you know what’s good for you!” Queen Minnie told her.
Maleficent reared back mockingly. “Oh, how frightening. Very well, I’ll stop—after the castle is mine!”
With that, she vanished, but her parting cackle still reverberated through the hall.
“Ooh, she’s the worst.” Sora resentfully crossed his arms.
“Nothing like this has ever happened before,” the queen worried, lowering her eyes again. “I looked through all the records in the library but couldn’t find a single clue.”
“Wak! But there’s someone who knows lots of stuff that isn’t in books!” Donald realized with a jump.
“Oh yeah!” Goofy grinned. “Merlin the wizard.”
“Yes, that’s perfect. Merlin might know something about this mess.” Queen Minnie raised her head, determined. “Let’s ask his advice.”
“We’ll go to Hollow Bastion,” said Sora, and Donald and Goofy agreed.
With the Gummi Ship, they arrived back at Hollow Bastion in short order.
The trio ran into Merlin’s house but found no one there. “Hello? Anyone home?” Sora called.
“Merlin!”
“The castle’s in danger!”
Donald and Goofy tried, too, but only silence answered them.
Just as they turned back to one another, Merlin’s voice sounded from empty space in the room. “What is all that racket?”
With a little poof! of white smoke,
the wizard appeared.
“Oh-ho, so it’s you three. Hmm, it seems you’ve grown a bit more dependable since I last saw you.”
“Really?!” Sora drew himself up proudly, while Donald, deadly serious, went straight to Merlin.
“There’s big trouble at Disney Castle!”
At that, Merlin’s bushy white eyebrows rose a bit. “What sort of trouble?”
“Maleficent trouble! She’s there!”
Goofy stood beside Donald. “Heartless, too!”
“Dear me…” Merlin folded his arms as Donald told him the rest.
Queen Minnie was still standing in the Hall of the Cornerstone, gazing up at the precious glowing sphere, when she thought she heard Donald’s voice from somewhere.
As she searched for the source, a puff of white smoke rose beside the Cornerstone.
“Oh my…!” she murmured in wonder.
“Wak?”
“Whoa!”
“A-hyuck?”
The trio was suddenly back in the room, this time with Merlin.
“Better to get a look for myself,” Merlin said with a sly smile, peering at the Cornerstone of Light. “Mm-hmm… Interesting…”
Queen Minnie looked up at him anxiously. “What’s happening, Merlin…?”
“Well, it’s not good,” he replied, deep in thought. “In fact, I’m afraid it’s quite serious.”
“What should we do?” Sora asked.
“Hrmm…” Then Merlin nodded and waved his hands to cast a spell. With another cloud of smoke, a gleaming white door appeared in the corner of the room.
“What’s that?” said Sora.
Merlin observed him and then the queen before answering. “That is a gateway to a very special world. Someone beyond that door is responsible for what’s going on in Disney Castle—I’m certain of it.”
As he spoke, Donald stepped closer to the gate and began knocking on it here and there.
“We knew you’d be able to help, Merlin!” Goofy joined Donald at the door.
Sora followed. “Whoever it is, we better go get ’em!”
“Now, just a moment!” said Merlin as they were about to leap through. “The perpetrators must be stopped, of course. But there is an even more important task. Somewhere in that world, there should be another door identical to this one. I believe our enemies are utilizing that other door, and as long as it remains open, the castle will be in grave danger. Sora, you must find that door, and when you do, lock it up tight with your Keyblade.”
Kingdom Hearts II Vol 2 Page 7