Kingdom Hearts Fan Fiction ❯ A Fragmented Tale ❯ The Queen ( Chapter 18 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any of the characters therein. They belong to Square Enix and Disney.

Although, I do own Aleron- she�s mine! ^-^ That includes Ryo, Aleira, Matty, Enya, Donovan, Kerri, Van, and Keaira.

Our heroes & heroines continue on...

Non Anime: Kingdom Hearts Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Romance / Adventure / Action | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 04.14.2007 | Updated On: 04.14.2007 | Pages: 21 | Words: 15.2K | Visits: 248 | Status: Completed

A Fragmented Tale by cursed l0ve

Chapter Eighteen: The Queen

Once again, there was chaos. After several days on the road, they were finally ambushed. What a coincidence, huh? This was just the proof they needed... that it was definitely not over.

Yet.

"Damn it! We've got to be really careful... Do- Not- Get- A- Single- Scratch!" Ryo yelled over his shoulder. "We shouldn't have abandoned our armors back at that village, so mind those beasts!"

"What about us?" Kairi cried. "We don't have a weapon anymore!" She hid behind Sora for safety.

Aleron unconsciously moved to hide behind Riku, who tensed up when their auras touched. Aleira stayed beside Aleron. Her hazel eyes snapped from the beasts to the ones holding the keyblades.

Enya and Matty both stood beside each other back- to- back in defense. Ryo stood beside King Mickey, who had just arrived in time as the Beasts appeared. Donald and Goofy could barely contain the urge to jump on Sora once they caught a glimpse of the brunette. They rushed to protect the ones without a weapon instead, keeping in mind to greet their friend later.

"Ready!" King Mickey shouted, raising his golden Keyblade to the air.

"Ready!" Sora and Riku yelled in return.

The mouse took a quick peek at the others and narrowed his eyes. "Chasers and girls, run once there is an opening!" He glanced over to his lackeys and commanded them to follow in protection.

"Yes, your Majesty!" Donald and Goofy both accepted. Nodding in approval, he turned face forward with his Kingdom Key in front.

There were ten beasts surrounding them in a circle. They sneered at the group with their vicious red eyes; some were hot wire white, and others were orange- pupil-less and dangerous. Their jagged teeth reared and snapped at them, and several were foaming. Their sharp, shiny, black furs bristled, and their tails were raised. They crouched low to the ground, ready to pounce.

King Mickey's eyes widened as he noticed three had begun to advance on Riku. "Whelp! Riku! Sora, go help him!" he ordered, rushing to cover for Sora.

Five ran after the mouse, while two chased Sora. The brunette managed to parry against one before it had harmed his best friend. One stayed behind, keeping an eye on the vulnerable ones.

"Ahh! Aleron! It's staring at me!" Kairi squeaked, hopping behind the dirty blond. The red head grabbed the back of Aleron's tank top as if it would hide her from the danger.

Aleron snared at it, annoyed. She scoffed at Kairi, but did not turn. "Relax; it's just keeping an eye on us. And," she spoke, raising an eyebrow. "... didn't you fight Heartless before? Why are you afraid of this one?"

She heard Kairi reply nervously, "Yes, but look at them! They're scarier than the Heartless!"

"Don't worry about it, it's not gonna attack us. There's too many of us, and only one of it," Ryo said, still watching in case it decided to advance upon them.

"True, but..." Kairi argued, but was cut off.

"No buts, we have Donald and Goofy to protect us," Matty said.

"Oh alright!" Kairi sighed, crossing her arms.

Riku had jumped sideways, blocking one of the three beasts with his Way to Dawn. He was thankful for Sora helping him out at the critical moment. The second one was crushed under the first as the blow sent it backwards. The third fell to the soil, hissing and growling.

"Donald, cast Thunder now!"

Riku risked a glance at the mouse, who was currently trying to fight off five. A jolt of thunder zapped them, and two disappeared. Three remained, and King Mickey flipped in the air, landing behind them. He swung his golden Kingdom Key against their backsides, and they howled in surprise.

"Riku!" he heard Sora shout, and he swiftly spun around, effectively blocking an attack in time. Jumping back and spinning low to the ground, he thrust his keyblade up in the air as the two that had chased Sora soared above and pierced it in one. It dissolved away, and it left seven total.

"No scratches yet?" Sora asked, taking a breath.

Shaking his head, Riku replied, "No."

Sora gave a nod before swiftly ran to the side, missing a charge from the second one. He swung his silver Kingdom Key in the air and threw it as he passed by. It dissolved away, and now there were six.

"THUNDER!" Sora heard Donald shout for the second time. The three that were hounding King Mickey disappeared.

"Three left," the brunette mumbled under his breath as he glared at the one watching the others. Two were circling Riku; the same two that had first advanced on him, although he had destroyed one. "I'm coming, Riku!" he yelled. He saw Riku steal a quick glance at him.

Together, Riku and Sora stood back-to-back. Riku held his keyblade high, while Sora held his low. King Mickey scurried towards them, holding his loosely.

"Ready?" Riku asked.

"Ready!" Sora and King Mickey yelled.

The two reared at them, baring their fangs. One charged at Sora, while the other went airborne after Riku, and a third one slowly crept towards the mouse.

Sora swung at it, left-right-left, and then jumped and threw the keyblade down at it. It disappeared. Landing safely at the ground, he rushed over to the others.

Riku dodged his at the last moment, allowing him a close enough distance to turn away and pierce it before it could attack again. It hissed as it generated into black dust. The silver-haired teen looked over at King Mickey, who was wiping his hands, while grinning up at him.

"All done!" They heard Sora shout from behind them. Running towards the group, they found that Sora had destroyed the last beast that had just begun to try to attack their friends. "Turned out there were eleven, not ten."

"Good job, you guys!" Ryo complimented. "And no wounds, I see!"

"Yeah! We wouldn't have wanted to end up like Aleron last time," Sora said.

"Hey! Just what was that supposed to mean?!" Aleron spoke vehemently, glaring at Sora.

Sora flinched and grinned nervously as he scratched the back of his head. "Nothing," he said quietly.

"It better be nothing," Aleron hissed, crossing her arms.

"Heh-heh..." Sora looked down at the ground. Looking back up after a moment, he spoke, "Well, let's continue! We must be almost there, right?"

Looking up at the sky, Ryo made an estimate. Grinning, he announced, "It's after noon, so I'd say we'd get to the gates by twilight."

"Yeah, closer to the end of my destiny," Enya sighed.

"Being Queen can't be that bad!" Sora yelled. "At least you get people to wait on you and do whatever you want!" He grinned.

Enya gave him a disgusted look. "Who in the world wants that?" she retorted.

"I would! I can see it now..." Sora said, before falling into a dream-like state. "King Sora! That's me!"

Riku, who had been standing beside him, smacked Sora in the head. "Sora, shut up," he said, annoyed.

"I'll never forget what happened in the Pride Lands," Donald Duck began, waddling towards the brunette. He peered up at Sora with one eye, and pointed accusingly at him. "You tried to be King, when it belonged to Simba!"

"Aw, Donald! You can't blame me, who would reject being King?" Sora whined.

"I would. I'm fine being beside King Mickey!" Donald quacked. "You're spoiled, that's why you wanna be King!"

"Hey!" Sora retorted. Riku chuckled. The brunette shot him a glare.

"Donald," King Mickey warned.

"Ah! King Mickey, not that I meant you were spoiled!" Donald amended.

"Gawrsh! Donald, how come you're all mad at Sora? I thought you were happy to see him?" Goofy asked, confused.

"HMMPH! I'm not mad!" Donald quacked, crossing his arms, and tapping his left foot. He shut his eyes.

"Hey..." Donald heard Sora say. It seemed he was close, too close. Snapping open his eyes, he found Sora's face in front of him. Grinning, Sora said, "I thought this boat ran on happy faces?"

Goofy came in the picture, grinning next to Sora. "Yeah! So no frowning, okay?" he said, mocking Donald's words.

Unable to resist, Donald smiled and hopped on Sora. "I ain't mad! I missed you, Sora!" he quacked, hugging the brunette. Sora hugged back before putting him down.

"That's better, now come on you guys!" Sora announced, walking over to Kairi. He threaded his fingers with hers, and then continued down the path.

They were walking across a field. There was a forest up ahead. Donald and Goofy walked alongside King Mickey. Matty had his arm around Enya, and Ryo was in front of the girls. Aleron and Aleira were chattering away in an unknown language. Riku was trailing behind them. He studied them in curiosity.

'What are they doing?' he mused to himself. 'What are those hand stuff?' His eyebrows fell into a frown. They were giggling, and he caught them peeking at him before turning away in embarrassment. 'Okay... What's going on?' he wanted to know.

"Haha, Riku looks confused!" Aleira giggled.

"Yeah! I know! Good thing he doesn't know how to use sign language!" Aleron answered back.

"Ah, he caught us."

"Yeah, but he doesn't know anything!"

"True..."

More giggles.

"So, you DO like him?" Aleira asked to make sure.

"Yeah, so?" Aleron glared back at her.

"I knew it!" Aleira was bouncing up and down, squealing.

"Aleira!" Aleron yelled out loud.

More giggles from Aleira. They both stole glances at the silver- haired teen.

"His eyebrows are twitching! I bet he's trying to understand what we're saying!" Aleron giggled.

"This is fun!"

"Hey, Ryo's looking at you!"

"What? Who?" Aleira asked, confused.

"The one in front of us!"

"Oh, him? What do you mean he's looking at me?"

"He is! Maybe he likes you!" Aleron squealed.

"Well, he IS cute..." Aleira signed. Aleron glared at her. "OKAY! He's hot! Happy?"

Grinning, Aleron put her hands together, "I double dare you to tell him!"

Riku nearly crashed into Aleira at the sudden stop. "Hey! Careful," he said, jumping back. "You okay?"

"Sorry Riku," she apologized before giving Aleron a full glare. "Aleron! NO WAY!" she yelled.

"Careful, or you'll reveal it..." Aleron smirked, before starting to laugh. She watched her best friend's cheeks flush. They started walking again. Aleron heard Riku sigh in frustration.

Reverting back to sign language, Aleira flipped her the middle finger. That only made the dirty blond laugh harder.

"Hey, what IS that?" Riku finally asked from behind.

Looking up behind her, Aleron grinned at him. "Secret!" she sang.

"I can see that... I meant what is it?" Riku asked again. Aleron giggled under his amused glare.

"Sign language, but you can't learn it!" Aleira said, winking at Aleron.

"Sorry," Aleron said, shrugging her shoulders.

Riku smirked, "And... why not?"

"It's our thing, so no one will know what we are saying, and we are keeping it that way!" Aleron said, rolling her eyes.

"Then how do I know you WERE talking about me?" Riku said dangerously. Aleron tensed as a blush crept on her face. He dropped his voice, "And Ryo, as of recent." Aleira gasped.

Defeated, Aleron pouted at him, "I guess you can learn some..." She grinned over at Aleira.

"Really?" Riku raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah! Finger spelling!" Aleira nodded, looking back at her best friend.

"You two aren't really going to teach me everything, are you?" Riku frowned.

"Nope! I told you, it's a SECRET!" Aleron said, putting her head high.

"Well, I could learn on my own," Riku said thoughtfully.

Aleron frowned, "And how are you going to do that?"

"I'm not telling," he crossed his arms. "It's a SECRET!" He smirked.

"Hey! No fair putting that back on us!" Aleira argued.

Still smirking, Riku placed a steady glance on Aleron. She turned away from him after a moment, turning red.

"What are you guys yelling about back there?" Sora yelled from up front.

"None of your business!" Riku shouted back. Sora shrugged before focusing on the road.

"So, what did you say to make me nearly run her over?" Riku asked Aleron.

"Oh um, I dared her to do something, and she got freaked out!" Aleron answered, and then giggled.

"Hey! I thought we weren't going to tell Riku anything?" Aleira said in sign language.

"So?" Aleron signed back.

Riku was chuckling to himself. They didn't know they were mouthing the words sometimes while they signed. He caught Aleira say his name and finger spelling it.

"Talking about me again?" Riku said.

"Maybe," Aleira retorted.

They saw Riku pin them with a knowing look. They exchanged worried glances.

"Do you think he knows what we are saying?" Aleron asked in sign.

"I don't know... I think he found a way to figure us out..."

"Aren't you going to teach me finger spelling?" Riku asked, smiling.

"Now?" Aleron asked, voicing and unconsciously signing it. She curved her right hand into a upside down 'Y', sticking out her pinky finger and thumb, and moved downwards.

"Kills time," he shrugged. He recorded that one mentally. 'Heh, if I keep them signing, they could forget to only voice it to me...' he smirked inwardly.

"Okay," Aleira said.

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It was getting dark, and they could see the village in the distance. There were glowing white walls as its border, and they could see a couple of towers.

"Almost there!" Ryo shouted. Everyone began to cheer, and soon they were moving in a faster pace.

The girls were quiet. Sora and Kairi were now behind them. Ryo took up the front, leading them. Enya and Matty followed just behind him.

Riku was behind everyone else. He constantly went through the ABC's, making sure he could sign them correctly. 'A, B, C, D, E, F'

"Hey Riku! What are you doing?" Sora asked, confused.

Looking up at his best friend, he grinned. "Sign language," was his only reply. 'G, H, I, J, K, L'

"Eh? Where did you learn it from?" Sora asked, curiously.

"Aleron and Aleira," Riku answered without looking up. 'M, N, O, P, Q, R'

"Oh, and why do they know it?"

"I don't know, something they use on Earth," Riku replied. 'S, T, U, V, W, X'

"Can I learn?" he asked, excitedly.

'Y and Z' Riku looked up at Sora in surprise. "You want to learn it?" A smirk crept on his face as he formed a plan. If he could learn from them, and then teach Sora in secret, then he'd teach Kairi, and so on, then everyone would know sign language. And Aleron and Aleira won't hide any conversations from them! "Sure, why not. Come here."

Sora fell back with Riku. Leaning into Sora's ear, Riku whispered, "I'll learn as much as I can from them, and then teach you. You teach Kairi. Have her teach someone else. Keep this a secret. They can't know that everyone's learning it."

"Okay!" Sora smirked, nodding. He ran off to pass it to Kairi. Kairi nodded and hid her giggles behind a hand.

'A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, and Z'

---------------------------------------------------------

It was twilight, and they'd finally reached the entrance gates. The two guards moved forward from their posts and blocked their access.

"Halt!" both shouted.

"Hey, don't tell me you've forgotten us," Matty grinned, as the three stepped forward.

"Ah! Matty! How have you been?" the first guard said in recognition.

"Very well, thank you," the Chaser answered.

"And there's Ryo and Enya!" the second guard greeted, bowing. "Have you come to claim the throne, your highness?"

Ryo bowed in return, but Enya gave him a horrified look. She quickly shook out of it and smiled remorsefully. "Yes, I have," she replied.

"Well! By all means, go right on!" the first guard spoke quickly. "Don't want the seat to get any colder!"

Ryo chuckled. "Ah, no we wouldn't want that," he said.

"One question before you go, your highness, if I may?" the second guard asked, bowing.

"Yes?" Enya forced out, grinding her teeth, but smiling nonetheless.

"Who shall be your King?" he asked carefully. "If you have chosen, that is?"

Enya turned red. It was a sight that nobody thought they'd ever see. Ryo grinned as he looked at the elder princess. Matty was looking past the guards, towards the gates. He appeared nervous. Riku had crossed his arms, and he and Sora were both sharing smirks. Kairi was giggling along with the other girls. King Mickey beamed up at the Queen to Be. Donald and Goofy were listening silently, awaiting her answer.

Everybody watched as Enya stole glances at Matty, who seemed to stand impassive at the moment. She knew he knew, but she had never said it out loud. She took a breath as she relaxed her nerves.

"I apologize, but you shall have to wait until the Ball to find out," Enya replied as coolly as she could, smiling in a slight embarrassment.

Everyone's faces and posture fell at the statement. The guards both shared glances. The first guard looked at her and gave her a smile.

"I see, and we shall wait until then," he said, bowing once again.

"Have a nice evening, Sirs," Enya said smoothly, as she led the group through the gates, towards the fountain. There, she gave out a frustrated sigh before smiling at the others, and continuing on.

From this point, Aleira, Sora, and Kairi were all in the back. They followed after Aleron and Riku, who hadn't realized they were walking side-by-side until Sora ran and crashed into Riku on purpose, making them both fall over in a pile. Aleron paused and looked down in front of her, where the boys had fallen. Behind her, she heard Kairi and Aleira laughing.

"Sora, what are you doing?" Aleron asked, amused.

"GET OFF ME!" Riku yelled, elbowing the brunette.

"Ow!" Sora retorted, jumping back and rubbing at his bruised ribs. "Riku, you didn't have to abuse me!"

Riku sat up, rubbing his head. He glared at Sora. "Then what do you call crashing into other people?" he said, rolling his eyes.

"Abuse," Aleron answered for the keyblade wielder. "And just what were you doing, Sora?" she asked, as she gave out a hand for Riku.

He stood up and brushed off the dirt from his clothing. Not that it helped, since his white outfit was already pretty much soiled. His hair was still a bit copperish from the orange sand. The brown boots were pretty frayed by now. He groaned at his appearance, looking up at the palace. There was a nice shower waiting for him, and he was eager to get inside. Forgetting about the others, he rushed to catch up.

"Nothing, he seemed bored," Sora lied. He shrugged his shoulders as he made the same attempt to brush the dirt off of his white assets. Sighing, he realized what Riku was getting at, and rushed ahead after him. 'Shower, shower, shower, shower...' he chanted inside his mind.

Aleron watched after the two boys in confusion. 'What's on their mind?' She looked down at her dirty white tank top and padded shorts, and suddenly a shower came to mind, so she bolted after them.

Aleira and Kairi both looked at each other and shrugged, before running to catch up with everyone else.

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"I feel so much better!" Aleron sighed happily.

Once entering her rightful home, servants quickly took notice of her and dragged her into one of the rooms and began ridding her of her soiled clothing.

Enya had received the same state of care. The others were left behind; staring as if they didn't realize what was going on. Soon, one by one, a servant or two dragged each of them into separate rooms.

Aleron was pushed behind a screen, where she was to remove her dirty clothing and boots. Wrapping herself with a robe that hung on the wall, she stepped out to find one of the servants pushing her towards another door. It was the bathroom, where a nice, hot, bath was waiting for her. Behind her, the door shut, and she was left to enjoy her bath in privacy.

Almost an hour later, she emerged out of the bathroom, finding clean clothing waiting for her on what she supposed was her bed.

That was where she was as of now. Walking towards it, she found that it was-

A dress.

Raising her eyebrows, she groaned inwardly. 'So, I have to wear a dress? I guess it is proper since I'm a princess... Now I understand how Enya feels,' she mumbled mentally.

She put on her undergarments, which she found were pretty much modern. She was glad for that. She slipped on the dress, which she found was almost like what a prom dress would look like. It was periwinkle blue, with beads on the bodice. The straps were thick and tied behind her neck. Her arms were left bare, and the front of the dress ended at her knees and flowed to the back. She looked around the room until she found a mirror in the corner and studied herself in it. Twirling around, she decided she'd accept it. She found silver heeled shoes beside her bed, and slipped them on.

Aleron decided to wait for the servants to return, since she didn't know what to do with her hair or what else they wanted her to do. To kill her time, she walked around the room; at the same time, practicing walking in heels.

The walls were in red, with transparent white curtains that adjourned the huge windows. The room had high ceilings. Her bed was huge, with red and silver sheets. There were bedside tables, and a vanity in the corner, opposite of the mirror. One of the double doors led to the hall, and the other led to the bathroom. A smaller set of doors led to her closet.

'I wish I could just get a regular room...' Aleron sighed. 'I hope everyone else has the same, so I'll be okay with it.'

Once she reached the window, the door opened and Enya walked in. Aleron gasped at the sight of her older sister. She looked fit for a Queen!

"Can you believe what they have me wearing?" Enya complained in disgust, walking over to Aleron in golden heels.

Enya was wearing a dark red dress with golden threads embroidered in the bodice. There were no straps, and the dress went all the way to the floor. Transparent gold lace was overlapped with the red. Her cherry-red hair was up and curled into a bun. There were gold and diamond gems in her hair. Black eyeliner and red lip-gloss completed her make-up. On her neck was a gold necklace, and her right arm had several gold bangles. She tapped her foot in impatience as Aleron studied her.

"Are you done gaping at me like a fish?" Enya snapped.

Aleron blinked.

"You look... Wow," was all she could say.

Enya gave her a once over and smirked, "So do you." She circled around Aleron. "Well, you still have the towel in your hair, no make-up, and no jewelery."

Aleron crossed her arms in a lady-like manner. "Well, the servants didn't come back in, so I was waiting for them," she explained.

Enya snickered and walked over to the vanity. She motioned her arm to the soft seat in front of it. "Sit," she said.

Aleron walked over, trying not to trip over with her heels, and sat on the seat, facing the vanity mirror.

"This, I did myself," Enya bragged, loosening the towel, and rubbing Aleron's hair dry. She threw the wet rag to the floor and stood behind Aleron. "I'll help you with your hair."

Aleron ended up with her hair half up in a curled bun, and half down straight. Her bleached blonde bangs framed her face, and Enya placed some sapphire gems in her hair. Afterwards, there was an argument with who would apply the eyeliner and mascara as Aleron kept blinking and drawing away as the point came close to her eye. Aleron won out and ended up with copper lined around her eyelids. She applied brown eye shadow, and a bit of blue blended in to bring out the color of her eyes. She accepted lip-gloss and a slight pink blush to her cheeks.

For jewelry, she wore similar to what Enya wore, but in silver. Her nose stud was already matching with her outfit.

"Perfect," Enya said, nodding. "Come on, the others are probably waiting for us."

And so, together, the sisters walked out into the Hall.

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"Ah, we have waited for this day to come!" a male with long, black hair spoke. "Princesses Enya and Aleron, welcome home." To show his respect, he bowed.

"Thank you, Sir," Enya spoke, walking down the main stairs. Aleron followed behind, carefully minding her steps.

"I'll bring you two to the Dining Room. Dinner shall be served soon. All the others are inside waiting," he announced, giving Enya a hand. She took it, and he helped her down the last several steps.

At the last step, Aleron stumbled on her heel, and almost ended up sprawling on the marbled floor. Another servant caught her arm and steadied her. She looked at him, and gave an embarrassed smile.

"Thank you, Sir," she said, straightening herself. The two must be twins, since both had long hair. One was black, and the other blonde. One had blue eyes, and the other purple. They seemed elfish to her.

"Careful, your Highness," the blonde said, giving Aleron his arm. "Allow me to escort you to dinner."

Aleron nodded, and took his arm. She looked at Enya, and found that she did the same.

"Ah, you two need your crowns," the maid yelled, scurrying over towards them with two tiaras.

Aleron bowed her head as the maid placed hers on her head, and watched as Enya received hers.

"Ain't a princess without no crown," the maid said, shaking her head. "Now you two go and enjoy your evening."

The doors opened, and the sisters found themselves looking at a long, white covered, table. They could hear gasps from their friends seated along it.

"The seating have been arranged. Enya, you sit at this end," the black-haired servant said, bringing her towards the other end of the table. Matty, of who was seated to her right, stood up and drew back the chair for her.

"And Aleron, you sit here," the blonde said, bringing her to sit at Enya's left. She found that Riku was seated on her own left. And from his clothing, he looked more handsome than ever. She found her blush deepen at the thought.

Across from her, was Matty, of course. On Matty's right, were King Mickey, and Ryo, who had Aleira on his right. Beside Riku, was Sora, and then Kairi. Donald sat beside the red-head, and Goofy, next to him.

Aleira was dressed as fit as a Princess, as was Kairi. Although, Aleira had a crown. The males were dressed in black pants, boots, and a blouse. Their hair were either gelled or brushed. Riku was wearing a black, and Sora, a navy blue. Ryo had crimson red, and Matty had white. Donald was in his new blue wizard's outfit, as was Goofy, in his Captain's apparel. King Mickey wore his usual King's clothing. Aleron guessed they'd used magic to gather their original clothing.

'Ugh, compared to the guys, I feel so over dressed...' Aleron mentally groaned.

Feeling weird, she looked down beside Riku and found Sora smirking at her. She narrowed her eyes and looked at Kairi. She was grinning. Sitting back in her seat, she looked at Aleira, who was giving her a mischievous smirk.

Using sign language, she asked, "What is so funny?" Beside her, she felt Riku's eyes on her and using her perpetual vision, could see him barely hiding his smile.

Signing back, Aleira replied, "Nothing."

"Yeah right!" she retorted.

All around her, conversation started up. Enya was talking to Matty. King Mickey was talking to Sora. Donald and Goofy were making jokes, causing Kairi to giggle. Riku was sitting quietly, appearing to be spacing off. Looking at Aleira, she smirked as she found her talking to Ryo. Aleron quickly sighed, leaning against the back of her seat.

"You shouldn't sit like that," she heard Riku say. Looking up at him, she raised her eyebrows. 'So he wants to talk...' she thought.

"And why not?" she asked.

"You're a Princess, and Princesses are supposed to have manners," he answered, amused.

"Well, I wasn't raised as one in the first place, so I sit however I want to!" she argued back, crossing her arms.

"Well, at least you could try being one while you're here," he raised a silver brow.

"I don't want to, and I don't care," Aleron hissed as she slumped even further in her seat and looked away.

"Aleron!" Enya shouted, sounding very much like a mother scolding her child. "Sit up! Where are your manners? If I have to do it, you might as well!"

Narrowing her eyes at her sister, Aleron straightened herself up and looked down at her empty plate, glaring at it. Beside her, she heard Riku give some sound that told her he won.

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Enya was to take the throne after dinner. So, the servants paired them all up and led them into the Hall outside the Throne Room, which was also the room where the Ball would take place in a few hours.

Enya stayed behind, allowing everyone else to go first, before showing herself to the audience. Matty stayed with her.

"Pair up now," the black-haired servant said.

"Kai, be mine!" Sora said quickly, allowing the girl to take his arm. Kairi giggled.

"Of course," she said.

Aleron now saw that Kairi was wearing a flowing pink dress, with lace straps and was glittered with some kind of confetti. She had her favorite necklace, and her usual bracelets. On her feet were pink pumps. Her burgundy hair was put up in an elegant bun, with a pink sakura comb. Aleron glanced at Sora, and found he was now wearing a jacket over his blouse. It was navy blue with gold stitchings and brass buttons. She also noticed that the guys pants were actually tight and had boots that were up to their knees.

She blinked as she heard Aleira squeal. Aleron turned her head and found her grinning shyly at Ryo, who just looped his arm with hers. He, too, wore a similar jacket. Aleron had a purple dress, no straps, and was glittered with stars. Her curly hair was left down, but styled up neatly. Aleira also wore a purple headband. Star earrings dangled from her ears, and a moon amulet hung from her neck. On her feet were purple heels.

"I never thought you would ask," Aleira asked softly.

Ryo smirked, studying her with his rose colored eyes. "Heh. I was trying to find the right moment to approach you," he said.

Aleron giggled when Aleira blushed. "Really?" she heard her best friend say. "I have something to tell you, Aleron dared me to earlier, though."

Aleron watched with wide eyes. She was really going to confess? 'Seems like everyone has enough confidence to confess, not me...' Aleron observed. 'Although, he should already know by now.'

Aleira looked around and caught Aleron's stare and grinned at her. She faced Ryo again.

"What?" he grinned. She took a breath.

"Ryo, I think you're hot, ...and I'm curious about you," Aleira said nervously.

For a moment, neither of them said anything. Aleira had begun to get worried. Another moment passed before Ryo finally smirked and wrapped his arm around her bare shoulder. Aleron saw her tense up at the contact.

"Heh. How our minds think alike," was his reply. It had been so close to her ear that she had to resist the shiver from going up her spine.

Aleira let out a breath, and grinned at him. She snaked her arm around his waist and went to stand behind Sora and Kairi. She looked over her shoulder at Aleron. Aleira gave her thumbs up, and Aleron returned it along with a wink.

"Hey, you gonna pair up or watch everybody else?" Donald quacked, tugging at her dress.

"Huh? Yeah," Aleron said, looking around. King Mickey stood in front of Goofy, who was waiting for Donald to take the place beside him.

She realized that everyone had been paired up, and that left her and Riku. She blushed when she found him standing a little off the line, looking at her. He waved her over.

"Pair up with me?" he asked, grinning as she stood beside him.

"I'd love to," Aleron replied, taking his arm. She looked at him, and he was even wearing the same jacket. His hair was tied back into a low ponytail. "By the way, how come all the guys are wearing those?" she asked.

Riku led her towards the front of the line. He shrugged. "We were told to. Shows them who we are, I guess," he answered.

"Maybe. At least now I don't feel so over dressed," Aleron sighed.

"Over dressed?" Riku asked, confused.

"Yeah, at dinner, you guys looked like you could have been wearing jeans and blouses, while all the girls were in fancy clothing," she explained. "But now you have the jacket, and those pants and boots, which makes you just as fancy, so yeah."

"Gotcha," Riku said, nodding his head.

"I assume you all are ready to proceed," the blonde servant said.

"Yes," everyone in the line said.

"Then let this ceremony begin!" he said, opening the majestic doors.

Now, they were all walking into the room. Aleron grinned at the people nervously. She knew she must be gripping Riku pretty hard, but he had not made any move to fix her hold on him. She hated being in the center of attention. Beside her, she heard Riku chuckle.

"Princess Aleron, and the Keyblade Wielder Riku, son of Braeden, one of our best Chasers" the announcer boomed. Everybody fell silent as they entered the room and the blonde servant brought them towards the throne. They were to stand to the right side of it. Aleron listened as the people gossiped. Everyone quietened down just as the Announcer continued.

"Keyblade Wielder, Sora, son of our two former Chasers, Narieka and Skye, and the Princess of Heart, Kairi," he announced. The crowd cheered and hooted. The two smiled and waved as they made their way to stand beside them.

"Our very own Chaser, Ryo, and Princess Aleira of King Donovan and Queen Keaira." A dead silence fell upon the room. Angry murmurs filled the air, and Aleron saw that Aleira had turned rigid. Ryo wrapped his arm around her shoulder to reassure her.

"Silence!" Ryo yelled. "King Donovan has made amends, so all of you shall pardon him for all he did in the past." Everyone fell silent once again, as they accepted their fate. "And do not take your anger upon her. If you do, I will find you and hunt you down." The threat floated upon the bystanders like a plague waiting to engulf them.

"Thank you," Aleira said quietly. Ryo patted her arm. He gave her a genuine smile. They continued towards the throne, and stood beside Sora and Kairi.

The Announcer cleared his throat, and continued, calling in King Mickey, and Donald, and Goofy. "And... Here is the moment you have all been waiting for," he boomed cheerfully. "Princess Enya."

Everyone seemed to hold their breaths as the fiery Chaser stepped in the room. She stood straight and tall as she made her way to the Throne. There were words of awe and admiration as she made her way through. Aleron knew Enya wanted this, even if she said otherwise. She grinned as Enya looked at her, before turning around to face the crowd.

Everyone from the whole village had filled inside the room. Some came from far away. Some came from other worlds. How they knew about this, no one knew.

"Hello everyone," Enya began, taking her role. "I am very pleased to finally be able to follow my inheritance. I shall be Queen."

Everyone applauded.

She took a moment before announcing, "I shall be Queen, but I will not be alone."

Gasps of excitement and curiosity echoed. The group grinned and smirked at each other.

Enya grinned, "I have chosen my King, and here he comes." She swept her arm towards the entrance, and all heads turned.

Matty stepped in, walking with grace to stand beside Enya. Aleron took notice that he wore a King's jacket, red with gold stitches and brass buttons. They beamed at each other, before a priest came upon them. Beside him, were two young boys carrying pillows bearing their crowns.

Aleron smiled. Whenever did Enya speak to Matty about this arrangement? She wondered. Also, who had known they were returning? It was an urgent manner for Enya to claim the throne before the true chaos befell them. Marriages took a while to prepare, but they had pulled it off, and not anyone in the group knew how. She stored her thoughts and focused on the ceremony.

Enya and Matty were facing each other with shy smiles on their faces. The priest stood before them, joining both of their hands and tying it with a ribbon.

Soon, they both wore crowns upon their heads, and royalty rings announcing their bond in marriage. It was a strange marriage, that did not have the bride wearing a white gown, but it was a marriage, nonetheless.

"And now, I am glad to announce that the Ball has begun! To honor and cherish our new King and Queen of Likannaka!" the Announcer roared. "All hail King Matty and Queen Enya!" Everyone cheered and somewhere, music began to play.

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End Chapter Eighteen.

Next time- Chapter Nineteen: The Final Quest