The smell of dust filled the large, open area as half a dozen men on chariots raced around the circumference of the arena. The powerful, specifically bred horses' hooves thundered the dirt below them, billowing up clouds of dust that settled in the air as the chariots raced by, leaving a seemingly forever trail behind them. The men driving the chariots themselves whooped and hollered, however their sounds as well as the occasional whip crack went unheard as those sitting within the spectators in the arena drowned out all, their cheers, boos and shouts swallowing up everything within the arena. The seats themselves within the arena were packed, each onlooker forced to stand shoulder-to-shoulder, unable to sit even if they wanted to. There was one area, however, that remained quite roomy.

Facing to accommodate to the sun's setting position, a gazebo was placed on the lower level of the stands in what was the 'perfect' spot. Usually, a single throne remained in the dead center, reserved for the King but as Scar had a guest, the throne was moved slightly to the right and a lavish settee was brought out for Maleficent. Between the settee and throne, a small table where a wooden bowl of fruit was laid out for them, a bucket of ice with a bottle of wine placed inside next to the bowl and two respected glasses.

Standing within the gazebo towards the opening, Scar rested his hands on the old stone lip that served as a barrier of sorts to keep those within the arena separate from those in the stands. A slight breeze picked up, sweeping away the clouds of dust the chariots left behind and blowing a bout of cool, welcome air into the gazebo.

The King's dark eyes were not on the small display of entertainment of chariot racers. Instead, they flicked between two steel trap doors, placed a hundred or so feet apart from each other, and about fifty feet from the center. To an outsider, they were just that. Two plates of steel on an otherwise dirt foundation, but to Scar, and to those who were familiar with the 'games' Scar held within the arena, it what was happening underneath the trap doors that held his interest. Unseen to the public, about five men stationed underneath each trap door were readying the lions. Closing his eyes for a moment, Scar could almost hear the clinking of chains that held the animals restricted, bringing a shadow of a smirk to his lips.

No. Maleficent would not be disappointed.

Bringing her arm up she let it rest over the arm of the settee that had been provided for her comfort, her legs coming up from the ground as she leant into the cushions, her body relaxed as she lounged over the comfortable material that made up the couch, her dark brown eyes slowly roaming over the arena that she had found herself in before she let them come to a rest on the towering figure that stood before her looking out over the proceedings, both of them waiting for it to begin, "Well... You certainly know how to throw a party now don't you. I'm impressed, I can't remember the last time I watched a tournament..."

Frowning slightly as her mind began to wander back over past memories, she lowered her gaze, letting it fall down to where the well-bred horses were galloping around pulling men on the chariots behind them. So her words weren't entirely accurate, the last time she had been anywhere near a tournament such as this was during her time spent in Camelot, the sound of clashing metal and shattering jousting rods still ringing clear in her mind, the men each fighting for a chance to impress the King and his ward. Though those times had changed, she was no longer the young Lady Morgana...

"Child's play." Scar said without even so much as turning to face Maleficent. Instead, his shoulders hunched as he stooped his body lower, resting his elbows on the arena lip and put his hands together, pushing them over the barrier and out into the arena a bit. "To entertain the mass of hyenas I allow to spectate; such simple minded people, so pointless..."

As though to continue his thought for him, the trap door closest to them opened slightly, enough for a man to climb out from underneath and stood up. The trap door closed back up immediately, the man out on the arena waiting for the chariots to pass him by before he made a break towards Scar. Even from his distant placement on the arena before the man even reached him, Scar's enhanced sense of smell caught a strong whiff of blood, and as the man came closer, he could see the leather armor ripped to shreds on his right side, blood pouring from the open wound though camouflaged by the dark-colored armor though the male didn't even seem to notice, the way he carried himself across the field as natural as though he were unscathed. Scar stood up straight, crossing his arms over his broad chest, his similar armor shifting up on his shoulders a bit as he did.

"Sir!" The man addressed with a quick bow. "My lady." The man addressed towards Maleficent and offered a second bow before turning his attention back to Scar. "They are good and angry sir, shall I fetch the women?"

Giving the man a pressing look, Scar simply nodded his head once; a quick jerk that should the man had blinked, he would have missed it.

"Sir!" The man bowed again and hurried off towards the exit of the arena, disappearing from sight.

"We've a slight problem with the census here in The Pride Lands." Scar continued on, talking to Maleficent as though the exchange between himself and the informer hadn't occurred. "Too many bodies, not enough space." Finally, Scar turned his body, arms still crossed over his chest, and faced Maleficent. The corners of his lips turned up into a mock smile, a soft glint in his eye; the closest the man ever came to looking excited. "I do hope you are not squeamish, Your Majesty, a lot more than just blood will be spilled today."

Tilting her head slightly as she listened to his words, her gaze dropped down to the table that lay in front of her, her free hand reaching out towards the basket full to the brim of fruit so that she could grab up one of the clusters of grapes, her body once again relaxing as she brought them back into her, a soft chuckle escaping through her soft pink lips, "My dear Scar... What do you take me for? I've seen much, and in turn been through much myself. I'm not as squeamish as you believe me to be..."

Settling herself back down into the seat she let her gaze flick back up to meet with his, a small but unmistakable smirk playing over her features as she lifted up one of the grapes, softly dragging it over her lips causing them to shine slightly with the juice before she slipped it inside, taking her time to enjoy them one by one, her head giving a small nod towards his throne, "Won't you join me..? Or shall you be standing throughout the entertainment..?"

"I made no such claim to the strength of your stomach, Witch." Scar bouted, losing his anger for a fraction of a moment, though he was quick to reclaim it. Ignoring her invitation altogether, Scar turned his body back to the open mouth of the gazebo, watching as one by one the chariots began to exit the arena, having received a signal that their time was over. In their stead, a line of women were being led out onto the arena floor. Their ankles were chained together, keeping them in an organized line, the man who had been the informer leading the front and another male guard bringing up the rear.

The very moment the first of the five women came into view, the crowd erupted into chants and cheers, doubling in volume from when the chariots had been providing entertainment. Even Scar had his lips turning up a fraction more. He turned his head to look over his shoulder back at Maleficent, seeming pleased with himself.

"Take a closer look, Witch. And you will see how The Pride Lands deals with it's mass populace."

Placing her hand down on the cushion that she was resting her body upon, she pushed herself up into a sitting position, her other hand coming up to slip a couple more grapes past her lips as her bare feet touched back down on the ground, her body lifting from where it was she had been resting moments beforehand. Lifting her other hand up she let her eyes close for only a moment as she reached back ruffling her long dark brown locks, her hips swinging lightly from side to side as she made her way over to where he was standing, the woman slowly coming to a stop at his side as she let her gaze drop down to the area, her eyebrow lifting ever so slightly at the sight of the shackled pregnant women being led out, each of them obviously in different trimesters of their pregnancy.

"Well now... This looks as though it is most definitely going to be worth the visit... You have surely outdone yourself Scar. I look forward to this evenings entertainment." Reaching back behind her, she gently scooped her hair around and over her shoulder leaving her back almost completely bare besides the low and thin back of her saree top, her skin still glistening slightly in the light of the Savannah sun, her eyes tearing away from the arena to glance at those that were moving about around them silently and fearfully.

Watching as the two men led the five women to the center of the arena, Scar began to explain without even so much as looking at her, despite Maleficent joining him by his side.

"We hold many games here in The Pride Lands, most have their designated pre-show, some have no pre-show at all. The chariots, as you saw before, are used the most to tie over the crowds while the men prepare for battle and the stadium fills. There are times, however, when those who work within my palace are... well... unable to work..." He paused to gesture a light hand to the women out in front of them. "Lack of work within my kingdom is not tolerated, and these women clearly know no discipline. Single women, all of them. Some of them seduced by my own men who are dealt with accordingly, some of them having shared my own bed. Either way, their lack of responsibility is terms to immediate termination; the bastard children they protect unneeded for an over-populated kingdom. Thus, the games.

"Each time a woman within my palace is discovered with child, they are taken immediately from their position and held in the dungeons where they will wait with the others. When a fifth woman has been found, they immediately become the upcoming events entertainment before a tournament. You were lucky, Your Majesty. There were only four women just this morning, and I would have had the utmost displeasure in settling for a chariot race for the pre-game to your promotion ceremony."

"I see... Well then, lucky me then." Slipping her tongue out slightly she let it glide over her lips adding moisture into them, she turned her attention back to the woman who were down below them in the arena, her hands lifting up to rest softly upon the wall that was in front of them both keeping them from going any further, her eyes lingering for a few seconds upon each of the five women before she lifted her gaze back up, turning her attention back to Scar himself, "A little bloodshed in the name of both entertainment and population control is always a fun way to end the day..."

Turning his thick neck to look over and down a bit at Maleficent, Scar's usually permanent frown turned up into a smile though it did not reach his eyes.

"Oh, it's much more than just bloodshed." He told her, keeping that smile, the gleam in his eye returning as he gave his attention back to the field where the woman, one by one, were being unshackled from each other.

Lifting her eyebrow only slightly as she listened to him continue on with his explanation of the pre-show she let her dark brown orbs flick over his figure once more, her curious gaze slowing to a stop as she caught sight of the excited gleam flashing across his eyes, a small yet almost gentle smile playing over her lips as she let him continue on without so much as an inkling of interrupting.

"An expecting mother has every right to fight for her child, as they so often state whenever there is a threat to their little abomination." His head turned back to look at Maleficent. "So I let them fight."

As if on cue, the messenger pulled his sword from his hip, the second guard having just finished positioning the women in a 5-pointed star shape. The messenger walked into the middle and laid the sword down on the earth, giving each woman a skeptical glance as he stood back up straight, ensuring that none of them would do something they they would regret. The women themselves were a range of varying emotions. One woman, who was the most obvious in showing, fell to her knees, holding her swollen stomach, bowing her head to hide the tears she shed from view. Two others were crying out their fears and pleas, one to the guard, the other to Scar himself. What the women were saying exactly was drowned out by the sound of the crowd, but it wasn't hard to guess. The remaining two women seemed to still be in the phase of shock, standing completely stoic with their eyes glued on the sword in the direct center of everything.

The messenger and the guard nodded once to each other and removed themselves from the arena. The noise of the crowd dissipated to almost nothing, leaving the sound of the women's hysterics to echo through the arena and even an eagle's screech as it flew by.

Scar straightened up his posture, feeling each and every eye within the arena on him, silent, waiting. He looked over the crowd, and then to the women in the center, smiling at them each individually. He raised his arm up slowly, keeping it bent at the elbow and opened up his palm until it was flat, the universal sign for 'hold' and continued to stare down the women.

"You know the rules, ladies." Scar called out to them, his voice calm and pleasant as though he were discussing the weather though loud enough to be heard not only by them but to everyone else within the arena as well, the echo carrying it far. "Last one alive gets to keep their child, and their life." He stopped to chuckle. "Unless the lions get your first of course."

The two steel trap doors on either side of the arena sprung open, two lions lunging out from the confined hole they had been kept cooped up in to stir their anger. They were both very strong looking males, one of them issuing out a roar that had some of the walls of the Colosseum crumbling with bits of debris falling from the tops as the structure vibrated.

Turning her attention back down to the arena as the sounds of vicious roar echoed around them she leant herself forward slightly, her eyes gleaming with anticipation and excitement at the very thought of watching the five women before her fighting not only the lions but each other for the right to live, the small smile that had been playing over her lips growing and twisting into a disturbingly delighted grin, "I must say... I am genuinely impressed by your ingenuity. You truly know how to bend a situation to your advantage."

"Kill them." Scar swung his open-palmed hand down, a command the lions had been trained in because the very second he did, they attacked.



The spectators were in an absolute frenzy, their cheers and screams reaching levels so high that it had Scar wincing harshly as his ears picked up on more than the normal humans. Seeming disinterested in the blood bath before him, he retreated from his post at the front and went to his throne, taking a seat and held his head in his hand, his head tilted slightly and looking out before him with a face of normalcy, almost looking... disappointed.

"They usually last longer than that..." He sighed.

Turning her head slightly as she heard his words of disappointment she couldn't help the soft chuckle that slipped through her lips, her body turning until she was resting her back against the railing, her attention once more completely focused on him and her eyes still gleaming with the blood-lust that she had gained while watching the scene unfolding before their very eyes, "Magnificent... It has been quite some time since I have seen such a spectacle, and honestly Scar, I am hurt that it has taken so long to have received an invitation to bare witness to such entertainment... I do hope that in future you allow me to once more keep company at your side during such events."

Pushing her body away from the railing she had been leaning on, she let her bare feet carry her back over to the settee that she had been lounging moments before the show had caught her attention, her body dropping down to once more lounge over the cushions as she reached forward, her hand taking up a bright green apple before she brought it back to her lips so that she could take a bite.

Lifting his gaze over to Maleficent lazily, keeping his head in place in his hand, Scar exhaled a small sigh before lifting his head back up and sat himself straight in his throne. He moved his eyes back out in front of him, watching boredly as soldiers began to drag the bodies of the women off of the arena and keeping the lions contained, as they had just been denied their meal. Lifting his hand off of the arm rest of his throne, he waved at Maleficent's direction dismissively.

"You are only here now because we had a deal, Witch. Step into my kingdom uninvited and you shall see what I am truly capable of," he told her in a very deadpan tone, keeping his eyes forward.

Raising her eyebrow only slightly as she listened to his threat towards her she couldn't help the small and amused smirk that crossed over her lips, a soft and gentle chuckle escaping through them at the thought that he believed he could tell her what to do; it was no secret, no matter how strong a man he might be, no matter how good a fighter he became, no matter how powerful a King he was... there was just no comparison, he would never be a match for her, and they both knew it.

With the 'pre-show' out of the way, the arena was now undergoing the small preparations for the main event; the event that Maleficent was invited to in the first place. He had promised her a handful of men and two top generals. The men would be simple enough to hand over, he had thousands of them, but the generals...

"The promotion ceremony, as you can imagine, is done just a bit differently here in The Pride Lands. Those who cannot amount to anything, die. Through their general, they request an increase in status and are thrown into the games voluntarily. Their pride keeps them willing; their will to prove that they are better than their current position within the army. Usually, these games are held only once a year, as the generals elected must prove that they are still within good standing. However, since these men will not be taking the place of another, and instead will be leaving with you, the exception was made."

Turning her full attention back down to the arena that was lain out below them she watched as about fifty or so men began to file out, each of them getting themselves ready for whatever it was that awaited them in the challenge to get promoted, causing the woman to straighten her back slightly as she continued to watch on with curiosity flashing across her dark brown eyes, "I see... Such an interesting way to hold such promotions... I look forward to learning more about such proceedings, your men certainly do look as though they can handle anything that you throw their way..."

"Which is why you are here." Scar told her blatantly, shifting his eyes over to Maleficent for a moment before looking forward again. "The Pride Lands does not rely on magic of magic wielders to keep the kingdom safe, but the raw strength bred into us through generations upon generations. Physically, we remain supreme over any other army within the world and have for centuries, even when my fool of a brother ruled before I did."

With the men all stationed out within the arena, the overall massive size it once held seemed to be smaller, in comparison to the five women and two lions. Two soldiers had the lions held to the sides by chains attached to iron collars around their necks, keeping them restrained from the potential new feast out in front of them. The contenders themselves wore not a stitch of clothing save for the strap of cloth that kept their important bits shielded, but more than that, a place for them to sheath their weapons at their sides before battle.

A third soldier came in through the entrance of the arena holding a third lion, restricted as the other two were, however this lion was female and ready for blood. Her claws were retracted, shackles on end and large teeth bared as she tried to fight against the restraint the soldier held on her, but the moment she caught sight of the 'free-range' men before her, her frenzy tripled, her inner will and desire snapping a link in the chain and she was free, starting the games before they were rightly supposed to. This got a chuckle out of Scar as the two remaining soldiers released their male lions as quick as they could so that they could escape with their own lives, the contenders quickly springing to action and defending themselves against both lion and man.

"There will be two winners, something their general should have already gone over with them before entering the arena. Those two men will be your new generals and as promised, a handful of men to go with them. After the winners are decided, I will take you to the barracks where you may pick them out personally."

"I shall be certain to pay good attention towards the way you run your Kingdom... Your rule may yet inspire much change when it comes time to return back to the Moors... The men in which return with me, will be the first and the top of the army in which will preside under my reign." Lifting the apple up so that it was level with her eyes she twisted it slightly, watching the light gleam of the light on the green peel for a few moments before she spoke once more, her head tilting slightly unwittingly showing him honesty in her words.

"A lot of what I have witnessed and will continue to witness here today, will most definitely be put into use... I will be implementing them as soon as the light lifts above the horizon in the morn..." Turning her attention back to the men below so that she could watch them carefully, taking note of various things that would come in handy once she had managed to make the necessary changes within the army she already commanded, her lips closing around the apple once more as she took yet another bite.

"What you do with my men after the fact is of no concern of mine." Scar replied, sounding rather bored as he stood from his throne to make his way back to the front of the gazebo. "What is my concern... is your end of our deal. I don't care what you need, or how you do it. I just want it done." Scar turned his head to look back at Maleficent from over his shoulder. "I want your guarantee. Can you do that?" There was no venom, no sarcasm, not even a hint of hostility in his voice the king carried like a constant companion. Instead, his eyes looked a little lighter than usual, brows furrowed in, if one didn't know better, concern.

Tilting her head slightly as she turned her attention over to where he stood, she paused her arm lowering down so that her forearm was resting lightly over her knee, the apple that she held in her hand twisting with two distinct bite marks piercing the skin, the woman taking her time to think for a few moments before she leant forward placing the apple down on the table. Lifting herself up off the settee once more she slowly let herself cross back over to where he stood, her body turning around until she was facing him completely allowing herself the time to look him over, the woman only slightly taken aback by his loyalty towards a young woman that he barely knew and spent time with.

"I can give you my word... as a Queen, as Maleficent, and as the Lady Morgana. Once the proceedings have ended, and my men have been chosen, we shall go and I will uphold my end of the bargain..." Lifting her hand up she held it out to him, a small and slightly reassuring smile playing over her lips, "And you know that I am good for my word..."

Seeming satisfied with her words, Scar nodded his head; a quick jerk only once showing a small fraction of his own military training he had undergone before he took over the kingdom. His eyes, darkening in color to what was considered normal for him, flitted down to the hand offered to him. He had made a point to avoid any contact with the naturally-flirtatious Overlord Queen, so there was a sense of hesitancy in his body as his eyes looked back up to meet hers.

"There is also the... other matter we discussed." Scar went on, though it was more of his own demand than a discussion. "A smaller favor is owed to me for making me wait." Scar paused, wetting his lower lip with his tongue as he tried to think on what it was that he needed, his mind quickly going through the last few days until something stuck out to him, a fleeting thought he had earlier when it came to what this smaller favor would be once the time came. "I have a dancer. Beautiful, graceful, unique... but with a mouth and quite unruly. Her back is sliced to ribbons and even if the wounds do heal, she'll have marks for the rest of her time within my castle; the rest of her life. This, of course as you can see, poses a problem for me. My dancers must be flawless both physically and in bowing to my will. The, uh, methods I used on her should have done the trick to have to only mar her as I did only the once. I want you to heal her."

"I can indeed heal her wounds... it is of no concern to me, nor does it particularly interfere or hinder on any plans that I may have. However, causing her to bend to your every whim flawlessly is not something that I will be able to provide to you... I can only give you a means to be able to punish those who defy you without leaving a permanent mark or blemish upon their precious skin..." Turning her head away from him as she spoke she lowered her hand down to rest on the railing in front of her, her attention turning over to the single woman who for all this time had been standing silently towards the back of the tent, waiting for either one of them to give her something to do that would cater to what they wanted.

Raising her eyebrow slightly she nodded over to the jug of wine that stood untouched on the table beside her apple, her free hand coming up as she turned her full attention back to the arena to quickly glance at how the men were doing below, taking hold of the goblet once she felt it brushing against her fingers she brought it up to her lips so that she could take a sip before lowering it down in front of her, "The marks would remain for... just enough time for the pain to cause them to come to their senses... Once they have seen the error of their ways, the blemish will disappear, as though it were never there in the first place..."

Scar raised both arms to cross over he broad chest, his lips pursing together in a firm line as though he were trying to hide the fact that her idea had piqued his interest. Keeping his arms crossed, he raised his hand to his chin, thumb and forefinger running over his goatee in thought before he lowered his hand back down, unfolding his arms and extended his hand out to Maleficent, this time for her to shake.

"So long as the Gypsy is healed of her wounds, I will not turn down this generous gift." He said, waiting for her to complete the handshake. His eyes looked to the right, catching the motion of the arena and let his lips split into that rare smile. "And it seems your two generals have been decided."

He wasn't sure just how long they had been talking, though it seemed long enough for an entire fleet of men and three lions to dismantle one another in a blood bath until only two remained. The lions had already been put away, the victors reveling in the spoils of their efforts and continuing to keep the crowd pumped by their own shouts of victory.

Tearing her eyes away from the fighting she turned her head to look over at him, her gaze lingering for a few moments on his extended hand before she flicked it up to meet with his own as she reached out placing her hand in his, the woman's lips turning up in a small smile as she gently shook his hand in agreement of their deal, "And I shall be more than happy to provide you with such a gift, I am sure that you will find it quite a useful tool to add to your collection..."

Her lips parted slightly as her attention was called back down to the arena where her new generals were moving about, each of the men now under her command basking in the attention that the crowd was giving to them, the actions of the two men causing her to raise her eyebrow as the smile that she had over her lips began to grow slightly, "Indeed, it seems so... Are your men always this... engrossed in the attention of the people..?"

"We are all born natural-leaders, all alphas struggling to lead whatever pack we can to get to follow us." Scar explained, dropping his hand after their handshake and turning to face the front of the arena again. "I promise you one thing, Witch. Your men won't know what hit them once my men reign supreme over your current generals. I would expect bloodshed. My men do not take intolerance lightly." He paused to smirk. "I'd say they had a leader to teach them as such, but it is such the way of our people. Always has been. Always will be; for as long as our history books takes us."

Lifting his hand, he extended it outwards into the field a small ways, gesturing towards the men to get off the field so the clean-up crew could do their job before the blood dried too much on the dirt. The newly-made generals turned their attention to Scar, their demeanor shifting quickly as they both issued a deep bow of respect and exited the arena. Turning his body sideways, Scar kept his arm extended, his hand reaching the small of Maleficent's back as he urged her forward as he himself began walking.

"Come. We will meet them at the barracks where you will choose the remainder of your men. And then, Witch, you will uphold your end of our deal."

Esmeralda and the other dancers were led out to a small platform that looked over the arena. The women all seemed rather excited about whatever was about to happen, just as the rest of the crowd was. Stepping forward to see what was happening she watched as five women were walked into the arena before they were placed around a sword. Esmeralda felt her heart clench in her chest as she caught on to what was happening. She looked around the arena at the people chanting and applauding and felt her stomach twist. These people had be raised or taught to care little about a human's life... She wondered if they even cried when loved ones died if they were so ready to watch death for entertainment.

She could hardly watch at the women fought and tried to distract herself by speaking to another woman, "Why... Why does this happen?"

"The Pride Lands is overpopulated. It's just a way to deal with that," The woman replied candidly before going to cheer on whatever woman or lion she chose to cheer for.

Esmeralda shook her head, killing five women pregnant or not weren't going to fix any kind of overpopulation. It would be a mere dent in an ever growing problem. She took a step back when the 'game' finished, the women all dead, and allowed for her place to be filled by other dancers eager to watch what ever atrocity was to come next.

The pounding of feet and fighting almost drowned out the sounds of the cheering when the men began to fight. Esmeralda only caught glimpses of the massacre between the heads of the women in front of her. She was not weak of stomach, she had seen death before. She had killed before but she had never seen it happen and be cheered about. That was not the King's doing though, this had to have been engrained into the people long before he took the throne. This was a history, something people grew up watching and allowed for their hearts to harden at the display.

She let out a small sigh when it all ended, glad to be allowed to leave the arena. She had seen enough death for today....

Previously...

Nodding her head in thanks to the DJ as he passed her the microphone Eliza slowly glanced at the people that stood surrounding her, the nervous knot that had seemed to form in her stomach tightening with every moment that passed her by, her feet slowly carrying her away from the DJ as she moved into her position in the very center of the room, a small and obviously hesitant smile replacing the one that she had moments earlier.

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen... As you all know, my name is Eliza Brie, and on behalf of my father I would like to give a very warm welcome to all of you here tonight, as we celebrate what looks to be another successful Snowfest!" Pausing for a few moments she closed her eyes, giving herself time to take a deep breath before she opened them once more so that she could continue, the young woman's smile becoming less forced as she relaxed herself, "Tonight is sure to be... an exceptional evening - and I am so glad that so many special people have been able to join us here this evening; you all look so great. As always, to our absent friends - we will dearly miss you here. However, tonight is all about celebrating! Tonight is supposed to be one of those wondrous nights! So let's capture some magical moments, let's create many happy memories... and more importantly, let's surround ourselves with laughter and friendship as we celebrate this special occasion together. So please, have fun, mingle and enjoy your evening..! Remember, tonight is just the beginning of something bigger."



Blushing lightly as the crowd around the room began to applaud her lightly, Eliza once more gathered up the bottom of her dress, lifting it up and only just off the ground as she made her way back over to the DJ's table, the young woman sure to hand the microphone back to him before she did anything else. One of two major things down; she had managed to get up and speak in front of everyone without her nerves getting the better of her, now if her luck only continued and no one asked too many questions, then there would be no need for her to do the second thing that had been helping to cause the nervous knot that was both unwanted and occupying her stomach...

Keeping her head down slightly as she walked, Eliza quickly made her way back over to where she had left Alan standing on his own, a small and warm smile returning to her lips as she lifted her gaze back up to meet with his, her free hand dropping the hold she had on her skirt and instead reaching out so that she could take hold of his hand, her face scrunching up and her shoulders hunching slightly as she finally came to a stop in front of him, her eyes searching his for some sort of answer before she had even gotten the question out, "So... Let me hear it... how bad was I really..?"

Not particularly paying attention to anything with purpose, Alan's attention was pulled from the twins who had taken off shortly after Eliza had left to go do her speech. From what he could gather, the darker-haired one of the two (Sebastian, if he recalled correctly from Dominic's files) was wandering around in search of something to do while the other one followed to make sure he wasn't getting into anything that might cause trouble. So long as they weren't over here trying to mosey in on his girl again.

Wait... his girl? He was only in this for one thing... and now that he knew what he knew... was that even a possibility anymore? His stomach twisted into more uncomfortable knots as he looked back to Eliza, listening to her ask if she was okay with her speech or not. In truth, he sort of tuned the whole thing out; his mind being... elsewhere.

Regardless, he straightened up his posture and faced Eliza entirely, squaring his shoulders and gave her a series of small nods, trying to comfort her in whatever way he could.

"You did fine, Eliza. Really."

Unable to help herself as she let a bright smile cross over her lips, her features lighting up at his words and relief washing over her, helping to ease the nervous knot that was still in her stomach even if just a little. Squeezing his hands lightly in her own, she took a step closer to him, closing the gap just a little so that their bodies were pressing lightly against each other, her head tilting ever so slightly as she leant in pressing her lips against his, allowing them to linger there for what felt like a lifetime before she finally pulled away, leaving only inches between their faces, "Thanks, it means a lot coming from you. I was so nervous... I thought I was going to screw it all up... I'm so glad that I managed to do okay though."

Twisting her hands slightly in his, Eliza's expression softened as she entwined their fingers with one another, her thumbs gently brushing back and forth over the pads of his own thumbs, her eyes soft as she closed the gap once more, her lips once again pressing softly against his in a gentle kiss.

Standing on the sidelines of the audience during Eliza's small speech, Dominic joined in with the rest of the applause with a wide, hearty grin on his face, clearly pleased with her words.

By the time his hawk-like gaze had caught onto her getting rather personal with Pinocchio, however, Dominic felt a somewhat protective urge well inside him as he strode towards the duo, unable or unwilling to hide the almost soldierly gait he moved in.

Stopping just mere feet away from the both of them, Dominic rather not-so-subtly cleared his throat, trying to alert them to his presence.

Alan had kissed her back, though his heart wasn't entirely into it; his mind elsewhere thinking about a whole slew of things he wouldn't have ever thought of before... all because now he knew who she was. Hearing a not-so-subtle throat-clearing, Alan pulled himself away from Eliza slightly, his blue eyes happening on Dominic and gave him a half-hearted grin coupled with a light shrug, though subtle enough that Eliza wouldn't have caught on that he and Dominic already knew one another. That wouldn't exactly be easy to explain right now...

Turning around as she heard someone clearing their throat behind her, Eliza lifted her fingers up to her lips, checking to make sure her lipstick was okay before her gaze came to a stop on Dominic standing not too far away from them, his gaze causing her cheeks to turn a light shade of red as she shifted uncomfortably on the spot, always having hated it when he looked at her like she had done, or was about to do something he didn't like, "So, uh... Uncle Dom... what did you think of the speech..?"

Raising a somewhat bushy eyebrow at both their reactions, letting a single hand rest inside his coat pocket.

"Hm? Oh, yes, marvelous speech." He said firstly, letting a small smile cross his scruffy features, though he kept a rather pointed gaze at Alan, a definite stiffness to his posture saying that something -- or someone -- was bothering him.

"You know, that friend, Jaidyn of yours. Incredibly polite young man....he should come up more often." Dominic then declared, his words sounding conversational and non-hostile, though that hardened gaze never left his eyes.

"Huh..? Oh, Jaidyn? Yeah, he's a great friend, we see each other quite a bit actually, especially during our competition seasons. Our sponsors like to encourage us meeting up with others who are like us and are around our age, so they arrange all these parties and events for us." Doing her best to ignore the look that her uncle was giving the both of them, Eliza leant herself back into Alan's arms, her gaze flicking over to where she could see Jaidyn and Sebastian standing and conversing with one another, though what about she couldn't even begin to know.

"We're both quite busy during the year, him especially, so he doesn't get the luxury of coming up here too often. And when he does, the three of us try and have as much fun on the slopes as possible before he has to leave again." Smiling sweetly as she watched them for just a few more moments, she turned her attention back to Dominic in front of her, her head tilting slightly as she brought he hands together in front of her, "Uncle Dom, I'd like you to meet someone. This is my boyfriend; Alan Woodard, the guy I was telling you about earlier. Alan, this is my uncle; Dominic."

Raising both eyebrows and pressing his lips together in what was supposed to be a half-assed, forced smile, Alan inclined his head towards Dominic in a gestured nod of hello. As if things couldn't get any more awkward around here. He hadn't missed the way Dominic had been looking at him, nor the conversation Dominic seemed intent on discussing - he was trying to get Eliza to notice someone else... anyone else except for him. It made sense really, should Alan had been in Dominic's shoes, he couldn't say that he wouldn't do the same thing. Dominic knew who he was... who he really was. A relationship with a piece of talking wood was no good for a Princess, and they both knew it. So the raise in eyebrows and the quirky, pressed smile was more than just an awkward way to say 'how do you do?' It was a look of understanding that went far beyond 'I know' in response to what Alan was sure Dominic was thinking. But, to keep up appearances...

"A pleasure to meet you Uncle Dominic. I have learned so much about you! Quite recently, in fact." Alan said, sticking out a hand for Dominic to shake.

"Yes, of course..." Dominic replied in a tone that was less-than-certain as he took Alan's hand in his own, giving a firm shake though half of his mind was intent on strangling him instead.

"Eliza's kept your identity much of a surprise, I must say." The grizzled man added on in a forced tone, managing a smile.

"How long have you been seeing my niece, then?" He asked in a tone that almost fit an interrogator as his solid gaze never left Alan, receding both hands into his coat pockets.

"Not long actually..." Alan stated nonchalantly, drawing back his own hand to stuff inside the pocket of his (very uncomfortable) dress slacks. "You see, I'm not from here, was doing a bit of vacationing and bumped into her by accident but uh, we'll figure out the details later..."

"Well...I've certainly hope you have good intentions, Mr. Woodard....I find that the best traits in a man are: selflessness, bravery, and truthfulness. My niece is smart...I'm certain she's chosen you for such traits." Dominic replied in a tone that was perhaps more forced than necessary, echoing the three traits that kept reappearing all throughout the tale of Pinocchio, a sort of bitter irony in how he spoke the words.

Alan's jaw tightened immensely, those three words sending his mind into a spiral of self-loathing, bringing him back to the initial point of where all this started. With a bottle of Vodka in the park, thinking back on home.

Shifting slightly, Eliza let her gaze flick back and forth between the two of them as they spoke, the tension was clear... settling around them... thick enough that she could probably cut straight through it with a knife. There was no way she could let it go on, if she did, who knew how much more uncomfortable things were going to get between the three of them. Lifting her hand up, she cleared her throat quietly, her gaze dropping down for only a moment before she lifted her eyes up to meet with that of her uncle.

"Uncle Dom... you flatter me. I'm not as smart as you give me credit for, but I thank you for the compliment under the circumstances." Lifting her hand up, Eliza let her finger lightly brush at her lips for a moment, making sure that her lipstick was still okay, though it was more because she was getting nervous with how things were going, "I'm with him because he makes me smile... he makes me laugh, and feel special... he makes me feel wanted, and loved. And for that I can't thank him enough, though I can only hope that I make him feel the same way, as he makes me feel."

"Hmm?" Alan shifted, coming out of his dark fog of thoughts and giving Eliza his attention again. She had asked him something, or, at least said something to him. Of what, he wasn't sure, so he simply nodded his head a few times and replied with a practiced fake smile, "Yes, of course."

Dominic nodded slowly at Eliza's resolve, though he still seemed slightly unconvinced. "Well, don't leave it to me to ruin a good relationship." He said with a small forced half-smile (he was never one for acting or subterfuge).

"So, Mr. Woodard...when did you first come to Lake Tahoe. I've heard you're performing magic up in the ski lodge, correct?" He asked next, apparently testing (or taunting) the young man on his cover story for the time being.

"I've been here for about a week." Alan replied, giving Dominic a nod to accentuate his words which, for the most part, he was relieved to be able to start speaking straight truths again. "I'm a street performer, thought that a place like this could benefit a little bit from what I do. Though, I didn't come here to show off magic tricks - that was just a bonus. I needed some time away from New York, so like anyone else who visits Lake Tahoe, I'm here for the vacation."

"I'm sure such a vocation keeps you on your feet often. Very interesting...." Dominic replied with a slow nodding of his head before turning his solid gaze onto Eliza. "I'm sorry to separate you two, but I'd like to steal Eliza away for a few minutes, if you please." He said next, casting a brief glance in Alan's direction.

“Of course…” Turning her body slightly so that she was facing Alan, Eliza lifted up on the balls of her feet, her lips pressing softly against his for only a moment before she pulled away again. She was in trouble, or at least, she could tell straight out that her uncle didn’t approve of her choice in boyfriend…

“I… shouldn’t be too long. Wait here for me..?” Sighing softly, Eliza turned around and began to walk, gesturing for Dom to lead the way so that she could follow along behind him, the young woman shooting a small and apologetic smile back over her shoulder at Alan before giving her uncle her full attention, “Okay… so what have I done wrong now..?”

Taking a moment, Dominic brought his hand up to his mouth, clearing his throat briefly before looking down at his niece.

"Listen....I know I'm not around much....you only see me a couple times a year if I manage to even get longer than an overnight trip. But of all the nice boys to find around here who would certainly love a girl like you -- why him?" Dominic asked with slightly furrowed eyebrows, planting both hands in his trouser pockets.

Pursing her lips slightly, Eliza dropped her gaze down to her hands as she brought them up in front of her body, watching her fingers playing with themselves as she ran through his question in her mind. She knew it was going to be something like this… she didn’t even know why it was that she thought it could have been about any other subject. Of course he was going to question her about why she liked Alan… at least until he was happy with the answer.

“I already told you... He makes me laugh; I’m always smiling whenever we’re together… He’s sweet, and charming, and gentle- he doesn’t push me into doing things I’m not comfortable doing.” Unable to help the small smile that crossed her lips, her cheeks turned a light shade of pink at her words, adding to the color that was already there, “He makes me feel special, almost like I’m a Princess… like I’m his Princess... Uncle, I’ve never felt like this towards anyone before; don’t get me wrong, I know it’s stupid- I mean we only just met, but... Forget it, I’m being a moron, things like love at first sight don’t exist…”

"Eliza I've been around a while. Wandered by myself, seen a lot of things....boys like that...more likely than not only want you for sex. It's a harsh reality we live in these days, but that's the way it is. I know how he makes you feel: like you're the one, like you're the most important girl in the world to him....but they don't know commitment. They're like fire...warm and inviting, a comfort, but get too close and you'll burn yourself." Dominic explained in a clearly pained voice, appearing to age before her as he let the blunt words hit her. It was at moments like these where he truly began to look older than he was: his face marked with various stress-wrinkles and subtle scarring, flecks of gray in his shaggy mane of brown hair, and eyes that simply looked....tired. Constantly weary, as though they had seen enough to close now and not open again.

“No…” She didn’t want to hear this… He was wrong about Alan, it was as simple as that… he didn’t know what was going on between the two of them, he was never around long enough to even talk to her about guys, and now all of a sudden he wasn’t approving of the guy that she had chosen… Shaking her head, Eliza unconsciously lifted her hand up to her neck, holding softly onto the wooden pendant of the necklace that Alan had given her earlier when the two of them had been getting ready. That there was proof that her uncle was wrong…

“No, you’re wrong about him. You don’t even know him, so what right do you have to judge him in the way that you are… He may have hinted that he's interested in that sort of thing, and I understand that... he's a guy, but he has never pushed me, he’s respected my boundaries, and he’s shown me nothing but love and kindness…” Raising her eyebrows slightly, she leant her weight over her right hip, her head tilting only slightly as she looked at him questioningly, wondering why he thought he had the right to say what it was he was saying, to judge her choices the way that he was, “I’m sorry, that doesn’t sound like a sleaze to me uncle Dom…”

"No....no I don't know him. But I know his type, Eliza. You're a smart girl....don't let that smile trick you, you'll only end up hurt that way. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, maybe not the day after or even a week from now. But if you're not careful, he will." Dominic added in a somewhat stern but not hostile tone, adopting a posture similar to that of a soldier.

“Heh… I seriously can’t believe that you’re doing this to me… God, I was stupid…” Closing her eyes as she dropped her head slightly, Eliza let go of the pendant, her head shaking lightly from side to side as she thought about how much of an idiot she really was, “Why can’t you just be happy for me..! I have a boyfriend- my first boyfriend… I thought that out of everyone, you would be supportive of me, that you would respect my choices… But now I can see that I was a moron to think that…”

Letting out a heavy breath, Dominic's rather stoic exterior didn't fade at her words, though a slight twitch of his lips was all she needed to see to tell her words had affected him.

"All I want....all I've ever wanted is what's best for you." He said on a final note, clasping her shoulder once more before turning and walking off towards the larger swell of the crowd.

“And how would you know what’s best for me… you’re never here…” Not bothering to wait for a response from him, Eliza turned on her heel, wandering back through the crowd until she was once more standing by Alan’s side, a small and forced smile crossing over her lips as she reached out hugging his arm lightly. This was where she wanted to be, she had made that choice a couple of nights ago when she had first gone out with him, and now people were just going to have to respect her decisions, if they didn’t… well, that was their own fault…

Closing her eyes slowly, Eliza tilted her head so that it was resting lightly against Alan’s shoulder, her grip tightening around his arm ever so slightly. She was tired, already… the party had barely even begun, she had barely even socialized with the other guests in the room, and honestly, she was in doubt that she ever would. The night was just beginning, and she was already wishing that it was over…

A lone buzzard let out a resonating cry that echoed as far as the planes extended in all directions causing Simba to look up from his perch to watch as the large bird soared overhead, eying it's prize.

/It's gonna eat me!/

Simba lowered his head from watching the vulture fly past to watch as the small warthog began to run around in frantic circles, squealing and grunting as he tried to find a place to hide though amongst the vast terrain of The Wildes, the feat was impossible.

/He's not going to eat you, Pumbaa. Settle down buddy, you're scaring the buffalo./ Simba shook his head lightly, unable to help but smile at the expense of the warthog as the animal slowly started to settle himself down. /He'd want you dead before he tried anything, anyway./

/Dead?!/ Pumbaa began to circle himself again, letting his paranoia get the best of him, but before he could get back into the grunts and squeals, Simba let out a verbal laugh which immediately let Pumbaa know that he was only joking.

From the time that Simba had left Atlantis earlier that day, he did just as he had told Kidagakash and sought out the buffalo herd he had recalled passing a few days prior. It was simple enough to track them down; he had bonded with the leader of the herd so that finding them when there was a food shortage could be easy. It took very little convincing on Simba's part to get the herd to agree to turn back from where they came - closer to Atlantis - so that the Atlanteans could use them as a food source until he could come up with a better solution to the problem. The only thing that Simba hadn't exactly been counting on was the rate at which the herd traveled.

Drawing out a soft sigh, Simba pushed his torso forward so that it was flush against the back of the buffalo he had decided to ride during the trip back to Atlantis, his arms swinging uselessly on each side of the animal. He could have swore that the snails he had swallowed yesterday for a quick lunch were moving faster than these smelly, over-grown cows. Reaching back a bit, he adjusted the blue strap of cloth that he had been gifted by the queen as it was starting to ride up... again. Perhaps it wasn't the smartest thing to wear whilst straddling a buffalo, but it sure beat walking the plodding pace the animals had set. At least he had Pumbaa and Timon to talk to. Once he reconnected the bond of his friends after he left Atlantis, they met up with him rather quickly.

/Well I for one think the old buzzard has the right idea. I'm starving!/

Looking back at his leg, Simba watched as the small meerkat jumped off of the back of the warthog and grabbed hold of one of the strands of cloth Simba was using and climbed up it and onto the buffalo with Simba. Keeping his torso pressed forward, he strained his neck to then watch as Timon then ran up his bare back and sat himself down on Simba's shoulder.

/So when do we eat?/ Timon asked, tilting his head cutely as he looked back at Simba.

/We are not eating. You and Pumbaa are going to leave just as soon as we get there. I told you that already. This place has been lost for thousands of years, it's important enough that they are letting me in. The last thing they need are more strangers running about the city./

/And I told you that you ain't goin' nowhere unless I'm there to protect you./ Timon remarked, puffing out his chest rather proudly on Simba's shoulder.

Simba turned his head back to look forward and let out a quiet chuckle.

"So besides from this being a recently found lost civilization that dates back before all existence in a never-ending cycle of life, what's so important about this place anyway?" Pumbaa asked, keeping up a steady pace at the buffalo's feet below them.

Simba sat up a bit at that, bracing his palms out on the shoulders of the buffalo and looked upwards to the sky where he found the vulture still circling. He didn't answer right away, closing off his mind to be alone with his thoughts while he tried to come up with an answer.

/There's... well... they are like me.../ Simba said after a while, opening his mind back up.

/Like you?/ Pumbaa asked.

/He means that they are able to talk to animals too./ Timon clarified for Simba.

/Actually... no, Timon. I meant, they're human... human like me./

Timon jumped up from Simba's shoulder and onto his head, burrowing himself into Simba's mane of blonde hair and began scratching around, messing it up even more.

/You mean there's more of you hairless things? I always thought you were like, an extremely small albino lion or something... like, the kind with the disease the hyena's like to pick off from the herd./

Simba chuckled and shook his head, feeling the weight of the meerkat there and promptly raised one hand to pluck Timon from his hair and set him back on his shoulder.

/Nope. I'm all human. I just... I never thought I'd see another one for the rest of my life.../ Simba paused to let out a quiet sigh. /She's different though... different than were I came from. She-/

/Woah, woah, woah! She? As in... a girl?/ Timon piped up, an air of snark in his tone that for some reason, put a blush on Simba's face.

/Well why didn't you say so? Timon and I would be happy to help out. You see... the art of willing the female to mate is as complex and terrifying as-/

"Woah! Hey! I didn't say anything about that!/ Simba interrupted quickly.

Timon and Pumbaa took a moment to look at one another before looking back to Simba, both with expressions on their faces as to being completely lost.

/Well she's a girl, aint she?/ Timon asked.

/Well, yeah... but-/

/And she's like you, ain't she?/ Timon interrupted.

/Yeah but-/

//Then she's your mate!// Timon and Pumbaa both expressed at once, now looking quite pleased with themselves.

Simba sighed and let himself fall back into the back of the buffalo, hiding his face between it's massive shoulders to give him some time before he even touched on that topic with them. He may have been raised by the wild, but that didn't mean that he wasn't completely unaware of how things worked in the human kingdom either. And though he didn't know exactly how they were different, something just felt... different about it all.

/Let's... let's just get back to Atlantis guys.../

True to his word, Scar led Maleficent from the arena to the barracks where the victors were instructed to wait for their King. Aside from the two newly-made generals, Scar kept his promise and allowed Maleficent to create a small group of soldiers to her choosing and with a quick snap of her fingers and a plume of purple smoke, the make-shift army was transported back to the Moors where they were given immediate control over the military Maleficent had beforehand.

The two said very little between one another as Scar then led her from the barracks back to the castle, seeking out the chambers in which he kept his dancers. There would have been more than enough time for the arena to clear out in the time they had spent at the barracks - the soldiers would have escorted them out first not only because they were a high priority to keep protected amongst the rabble of citizens, but because most (if not all) of the dancers had a high flight risk.

Giving very little into patience, the moment Scar reached the doors of the chambers, the two stations guards scrambled out of the way just in time for Scar to force the doors open with a push of his hand, swinging so hard that they banged against the walls to a stop. Immediately, the women within the room gasped, one even shrieked but they all fell into uniform, dropping to their knees and bowing their backs until their heads were level at his feet save for the few who were stationed to provide food and water. But even an air of uneasiness was clear on their features as they held their breath, averting their gaze from Scar in hopes that he wasn't there for them.

Esmeralda was silent as she was escorted back to the room. She was starting to see a common trend in these outings in the Pride Lands... Not one of them ended well. She slipped quietly into her room as her thoughts raced about and she came to the realize she'd be dead with in the month if she didn't leave. She wasn't going to let Scar break her... No more than he already had. Besides, the fire that lived inside her was going to do those around her more damage as Scar's own fire burnt them all.

She didn't have much time to dwell on it all when the door suddenly flew open and hit the wall. Esmeralda turned slowly and looked as the King entered. There was a feeling in the pit of her stomach that he was there for her. All the same, she followed in suit and sunk to her knees with all the other women and lowered her head. She felt dirty down there on the ground, which was bemusing considering this floor was probably cleaner than any place that she had called home before she was captured. Unlike the other dancers, showing that small fire that still burned with in, she looked Scar straight in the eye from her position.

It didn't take long for Scar to spot her; she was the only one with a blood-stained bandage wrapped around her torso and with their backs all bared to him, she stuck out like a rock amongst diamonds.

"Gypsy." he called though his tone remained conversational, motioning for her with two fingers, beckoning her forward.

Esmeralda held a moment, the smallest act of defiance that she could muster, before she sat up straight before moving to her feet. Careful of those around her, she walked forward. Surely, this wasn't more punishment... She was absolutely certain she hadn't done anything wrong this time. She taught the dancers against every fiber of her being and they performed well enough at the dinner... Had he not been pleased? Well, he couldn't see it as her fault that the others didn't learn fast enough for his liking.

She stopped in front of him and took a deep breath but said nothing.

Scar opened up his hand he had been motioning to her with and placed it palm-side up between his body and Maleficent's, as though expecting something from her.

"You lot dabble in a bit of magic, aye?" he asked her rhetorically, making sure that his posture was straight and his head held high so he could look down at her as much as possible.

She had remained silent up until this point- her arms crossed loosely over her chest as she watched on with amusement; the way that the guards hurried to please their King, the way that the little dancers cowered about before him the moment that they heard the doors open and slam back against the walls… it was glorious to watch. Catching movement in the corner of her eyes, Freya turned her attention over to where his hand was held out to her, the small but simple action causing her eyebrow to quirk and a soft smirk to play lightly over her lips- she knew exactly what it was that he wanted, the very thing that she had offered to him while they had been watching the evening entertainment; and at this point, she was so ever willing to comply to his demands...

Lifting a single hand up from where it was folded over her chest, Freya lazily flicked her wrist, the action seeming to cause the small though still thick plume of purple smoke that engulfed his hand completely, only dissipating once the weight of the whip that she had promised to him was now within his possession, her head nodding once to him in encouragement as she once more returned her hand back to its place over her chest, her soft pink lips maintaining the mischievous smirk that she had gotten not moments before as she continued to watch on silently.

Flinching lightly, obviously not used to any sort of display in magic no matter how simple, Scar quickly regained himself by fastening his grip over the handle of the leather whip. If it did as the witch had promised, then this enchanted weapon would not only be able to inflict pain and leave a mark, but that mark would soon dissipate into nothing - as though it were never there.

For good measure, and just to ensure that the gypsy was paying attention, Scar rolled the whip loosely around his hand and gave it a quick flick. The snapping crack filled the air as the strip of black leather uncoiled; louder even than the willow-branch whips he used on the normal which gave him a pleased smile, though degrading as he was still looking down at Esmeralda.

The Gypsy couldn't help but flinch slightly when the whip cracked in the air. After all, she had become rather accustomed to the stinging pain caused by such a weapon. Despite that though, she managed somehow to keep her face calm as she held his gaze.

He let his shoulders hunker down a bit, sliding his head forward so that he was on an equal level as her's and spoke directly into her ear in a hushed, graveled whisper.

"You defy me again, Gypsy, and I'll be able to whip you all day, all night, and then all day again until my own hands begin to bleed. You see... this is a very special kind of weapon, one that will allow me to handle you as much as I please, and the wounds just. Keep. Healing."

He smirked as he pulled his head away, standing back to his full height and let both hands rest behind his back - the position of a well-trained soldier that came out of habit.

"Now turn around and see that I can also be a gracious King when my subjects obey my word. You taught my dancers your way of dancing, and for that I reward you."

Scar moved one of his hands from it's resting position on his back to cup Esmeralda's chin, jerking her head upwards a bit so that she was looking at him in a way he saw fit.

"I hope to reward you often, Gypsy. I trust by now, you have learned compliance."

Esmeralda's jaw clenched as he took hold of her chin not even allowing her the chance to turn around as he had instructed. As he brought his face close to her's once more, she resisted every urge to spit on his face. Not only did she not want to give him any reason to use his new toy, she didn't want to see how his guest might react to such a show of disrespect. She had heard whispers that the horned woman wasn't too fond of such things.

She didn't move her chin from his hand, instead waiting for him to release it, a small sign of the compliance that he had beaten into her. After all, there were too many innocents in the room to give him any reason to hurt someone as he had the little boy and his mother. The thought of them practically ripped the wound back open as she felt the weight of the limp boy's body on her chest. Slowly, she turned, doing as he had asked.

Freya couldn’t help the soft yet still quite malicious chuckle that slipped out through her lips as she watched the scene before her- the fact that he had only once cracked the whip, yet seemed to enjoy the feeling of it in his hands causing her to feel a warmth in her heart. He could use it to his hearts content, and as she had promised him before at the arena, all wounds inflicted would be healed- vanished as though they had never existed, though the stinging pain would remain; causing those who had done wrong to remember their punishment clearly. Pushing away from the wall that she had been leaning happy against, Freya slowly moved herself forward, a single arm dropping to her side as she passed him by, while her other reached out towards the girl that she could see was clearly injured beyond healing naturally without leaving marks of any kind. Scar had been right; such wounds required magic, especially if he wanted her to remain as flawless as the others that surrounded them in the room.

“My, my… you certainly did pull a number on her didn’t you darling…” She let her eyes flick up from following her fingers as they brushed over the bandages while she circled around the girl once, her gaze meeting with that of the gypsy for only a moment before she tore it away again, her fingers pressing slightly harder against the bandages so that she was purposely agitating the wounds that were underneath, “..no matter my dear- nothing that dear old Maleficent can’t fix for you…”

Esmeralda heard the sound of skirts brushing along the ground as she stood facing the other dancers. Her back tensed slightly as she felt fingers brushing along her bandages, which only caused her back to ache slightly. However, she did not move away from them, keeping her head looking forward. It was difficult not to look at the woman though when she was suddenly standing in front of her. Esmeralda stared back at her until the witch continued her circle around her once more. That was when the pain erupted through her back as she felt Maleficent's fingers pressing against one of her many wounds. Unable to hold it back, a small whimper escape her lips.

The sound of the girl’s whimpers, no matter how soft, caused Freya's lips to spread wider into a more obvious grin like smirk, mirrored almost to the T by Scar. She had to admit that the sound had her reveling in her own ego boost, it was something that she loved… inflicting pain on those when she had the chance; she might have to pay a visit with Jafar to the village to the west of the Moors, it had been quite a few years since they had last gone for a stroll together, “Well… she has a voice… how interesting…”

Pulling her now slightly blood-stained fingers from the woman’s back, Freya took a single step backwards as she once again flicked her wrist lazily, though this time the action caused the bandages and the girls top to disappear completely- her eyes then dropping down to look upon the gypsy’s back as she tilted her head, bringing her hands together in front of her body so that she could look upon the extent of the wounds.

Esmeralda was mentally kicking herself for allowing herself to vocalize any form of pain but really, she couldn't help it. The pain had demanded more of a reaction from her, the fact that she managed to keep it to a soft whimper was just short of a miracle. As the sharp pain turned into a dull throb as the woman removed her fingers from her back, Esmeralda looked down to see purple smoke wrapping around her torso before quickly dissipating. With the disappearance of the smoke, she noticed her top had gone along with it. She blinked a few times, staring at her bare chest but made no movement to cover herself up. Taking a deep breath, she raised her gaze to look over the kneeling women and passed any guards, acting as though nothing were different. Scar and Maleficent wanted to torment her but her pride wasn't about to allow that to happen.

Freya was getting bored, and very quickly as well- the Gypsy was doing all that she could to show her defiance to her by keeping her mouth shut, and that was quickly taking all the fun out of the little game that she had been playing with the girl. Quirking her brow slightly as she took in the woman’s posture, Freya shifted on her own feet, being sure to take another step closer to her as she reached out her arm, her hand pressing flush against the wounds on her back causing more pain as she pulsed her magical energy into the injuries, feeling them burning almost red hot beneath her palm as they began to heal and seal themselves off underneath her very touch; the thought of forcing more pain while helping the child causing her grin like smirk to return full force to her lips once again.

Esmeralda's jaw clenched when she felt the pain against her back once more. Along with the normal throbbing and insane sting from where the woman placed her hand, there was now a burning sensation as well. Remembering how the woman had reacted before to her whimper, Esmeralda did her best to internalize her pain, however, that did not stop her eyes from watering. She quickly dropped her head, not wanting anyone to see her tears. However, Maleficent seemed to know exactly what was happening.

“Oh my darling- am I hurting you child..? Well do forgive me… it should only last but a few seconds longer; you have the word of the Queen…” Pushing slightly harder against her back for no apparent reason at all, Freya waited until she was sure that each of the wounds had been properly healed before she pulled her blood covered hand back, letting it drop down to her side as she looked over the handiwork that she had performed- not a single scar could be seen upon the Gypsy’s back, not a sign that she had been injured at all besides the lingering pain that could be felt by the child; though getting duller with each moment that passed the them all by, “..I’m sorry my dear… seems the pain will be lingering a little longer than I had originally thought… Oops; my bad…”

Another unintentional whimper escaped her lips as she pressed harder against her back. Esmeralda was only vaguely aware of what it was that the Queen might be doing but all it really seemed like was the woman attempting to torture her for pleasure. As though Scar brought her here just to allow her to cause pain. However, moments later, the pain dulled slightly as the woman removed her hand from her back. She apologized again for the pain but Esmeralda knew that she had greatly enjoyed it... As the moments past and the pain slowly died out, Esmeralda was certain that she was right to assume the woman had just healed her as her 'reward' from the King.

Turning her back to the Gypsy so that she was now looking over to where Scar was standing, Freya inclined her head to him ever so slightly, letting him know that what it was that he had wanted her to do was now completely done- his precious little dancer was once again blemish and mark free; ready again to perform at a moments notice without drawing the unwanted attention that she had been with her injuries. Lifting her hand back up, she dropped her gaze down so that she was staring at the bright red crimson blood that covered her palm, her eyes seeming to flash over golden for a few moments as she passed him by, the blood disappearing from her figure as she once more made her way back to the shadows, allowing him to take over the situation- for now, her job was done.

Smirking with his arms now crossed over his chest, clearly enjoying Maleficent's theatrics, Scar waited patiently until the wounds were healed; merely spectating the entire ordeal until he caught the witch's glance that she was done. Giving her an affirmative nod - a jerk of the head only once, Scar unfolded his arms from his broad chest and approached the Gypsy closer, circling her just as Maleficent had done before him until he was facing her front properly.

He lowered himself down onto his haunches, tilting his head slightly as he reached his hand out to once more take hold of her chin, though this time with an air of gentleness in his grasp. He didn't even seem to notice that the Gypsy was topless in front of him, his eyes never once strayed though within the Pride Lands, nudity was just as common as walking on two legs.

"There." he said softly, keeping the conversation between just the two of them. "Perfection. Just as it should be." He smirked a bit then as he moved himself to stand, patting her cheek a few times like one would their pet dog. "I do hope you've learned your lesson, Gypsy." Scar then said, raising his voice up to a normal level. "Come later tonight, I'll show you just how rewarding I can be." There was a sort of glint in his eye, followed by an arrant smirk as he turned away from Esmeralda and back to Maleficent.

"Now, if you don't mind, I have it rather set in my heart to not be conversing with a swan at dinner tonight."

Esmeralda looked up at him with her tear filled eyes as he spoke. His voice was soft and held no malice in it. She listened to him as he spoke of perfection before patting her cheek and rising again. It was his next words though that made her stomach churn. Another 'reward' was to come later that night and from the look in his eyes, a look she had seen many times before, she had a feeling she knew exactly what was to come... She needed to leave.

“..and here I was led to believe that cygnet’s held such great conversation…” Chuckling softly as she came to a stop half shrouded in the shadows of the room, Freya turned her head back so that she was looking over her shoulder at him, she reached her hand out in front of her, gesturing to him to lead the way so that they could complete her reason for being within the Pride Lands. It was, after all, the reason he had called upon her in the first place- to allow his swan Princess to walk about the castle as she pleased; the Gypsy and the whip has just been small little gestures between the two that seemed to work in the favor of them both.

“..please- after you my dear Scar…”

Alan couldn't take it anymore. There was only so much 'faking' that even he could do in one night. Ever since he found out... ever since he was told about Eliza; about the others... everything changed. It was as though someone had gone into his mind and re-wired the way he saw things and it did not help matters anytime Eliza- no, anytime Elsa would brush her lips up against his or hold onto his arm tight. Each smile that she spread across her lips, each laugh he heard her make... it was torture. She was so unknowing... so blissfully unaware of the truth... they all were. So he made his move.

After about an hour after Eliza's speech, Alan finally managed to convince her to go and get herself something to drink and leave him be for a few moments, and that's when he pounced. He located Dominic within the crowd, making a direct beeline towards the older gentleman and stopped abruptly at his side, keeping his head turned in the opposite direction to keep anyone who might be watching unaware that he was speaking with him.

"Look. I don't know what you, Wheels and Jew-nose got planned for this whole thing, but you've got two options right now Pin Feathers. I'm taking Elsa aside to the balcony and I'm telling her. Now. You can either back me the fuck up by bringing everyone else out there too, or you can sit there and do nothing just like you have been for thirteen years."

Without even so much as giving Dominic a glance, Alan continued on his way, heading towards the (non-alcoholic) bar where he had spotted Elsa and joined her at her side, shaking off the anger he had just demonstrated towards Dominic and put his mask of normalcy back onto his face - even with a smile.

“Thank you.” Smiling brightly at one of her other co-workers, Eliza reached out taking up the two drinks that she had ordered, her body turning to offer Alan her full attention as he joined her by her side, one hand lifting up to pass him one of the drinks that she had just gotten for them both. She knew it wasn’t something that he would have wanted, he would have wanted alcohol, but she wasn’t old enough to get it legally, and with the Tahoe police as guests at the party, she wasn’t going to push her luck.

“Hey, I was just about to come find you. I got you a drink- sorry, there’s no alcohol in it, I’m still underage and with some of our guests… I’m not going to risk getting us any.” Smiling once he had taken the drink from her, Eliza lifted her own glass up to her lips, taking a small sip of it before she glanced around the room, her eyes catching on people here and there before turning back to meet with his, “If you want, we can leave soon, I did promise you that we only had to stay for about a couple of hours at least.”

"Yeah..." Alan replied in a general statement to everything Elsa said to him. His eyes were off of her, for the moment, however. After taking his drink, the mention of some of the guests, namely police, had his attention turning to Detective Morgan - another unsuspecting victim to the game Dominic and company had been playing for years. He forced his attention back to Elsa, taking a small drink and though he didn't even register what the beverage even was, he gave her a small nod of acknowledgement. "It's just fine. Thanks."

Not exactly having it in him to down the rest of the nameless beverage, Alan shrugged his shoulders and once more looked out at the people within the room.

"I think I can handle a bit more of this..." he told her nonchalantly as he turned to look back at her. "...If you give me a ten minute break and come out with me to the balcony?"

“Heh, ten minute break huh..?” Reaching out with her free hand, Eliza gently took a hold of his as she stepped closer towards him, her hand twisting in his slightly until she was able to entwine their fingers with one another, her brilliant ice-blue eyes searching his as she nodded her head softly. A ten minute break sounded perfect, she needed to get away from the people who were surrounding her. She was fine when it came to organizing the perfect event, she was even fine when it came to socializing with the occasional guest, but crowds like this had never been her thing, they made her nervous… uneasy, it was something she was doing her best to work on.

“I think I can allow that… Let’s go then, lead the way honey.”

Alan quickly took hold of her hand, eager to get out, to get this growing mass off of his chest. Though as they neared the threshold, Alan took one look over his shoulder at Dominic, and nodded. Whatever the old bird did now was on him, but Alan wasn't playing this game anymore. He had a conscience to clear.

---

Quirking a disapproving brow at Alan's rather harsh and commanding words, Dominic nevertheless retained his front of jovialness, sifting his keen eyes through the swelled crowd in search of anyone he could find at the moment.

Locking gazes with Jaidyn and Sebastian, the Twins, Dominic nodded once shortly. If Alan was fully intending on going through with his words, he would only have minutes to gather everyone else together before revealing their true heritage. The Sorcerer had told them so just hours before. How long had he been holding onto that information...? Dominic pushed such random questions to the back of his mind for the time being - right now he had to focus.

Politely making his way through the crowd, Dominic finally made it within speaking distance of the twins, clearing his throat initially to grab their attention.

“..-see dude, I told you she wasn’t into me like that.” Shaking his head softly from side to side, Jaidyn shoved his hands back down into his pockets, his features no longer carrying his normal happy and welcoming smile, but instead holding a slight grimace as he shot a quick glance over to where he could see Eliza and Alan making their way through the crowd, “And what’s the damage with that guy that she’s with? There’s something not right about that one… I don’t like him. There, I said it.”

He wasn’t going to deny the fact, something about the whole night felt… off… though whether it was just the fact that he didn’t like Eliza having a boyfriend, or whether it was something else about the night, he wasn’t too sure. Hearing someone clearing their throat behind where he stood, Jaidyn raised his eyebrows in surprise as he turned his head to look over at who was making their presence known, his gaze coming to rest on the man that they had been introduced to earlier by Eliza, “Hey, Mr. Greyjoy, good to see you again. Please, come join us.”

Flashing his most dazzling smile (a trait that was far more effective in youth), Dominic planted a single hand in his coat pocket as he strolled closer. "Good evening again. I don't mean to disturb at this moment, but I believe Eliza was wanting to gather....close friends and family on the patio outside, she'd be delighted if you two could be in attendance." Dominic hated lying...it was the worst part of the job, the deception; made the words taste like bile as they left his lips.

Unable to help the smile that crossed over his lips, Jaidyn nodded his head, his body shifting slightly in place as he shot a glance over at his brother, wondering just what it was that he was thinking about the situation and about what it was that Eliza wanted with all of them, “Yeah, I don’t see any issues with going out to meet with her and the others… What do you think Seb?”

Giving his brother merely half an ear, Sebastian had been eyeing the covered-up drum set in the corner of the room. Such a shame really; a fantastic place for a party - Eliza definitely had that right, but the atmosphere could have used with a bit more... well... him.

He was even amidst the first half-step towards the drum set when Dominic had his brother's attention. His shoulders visibly slumped after Dominic told them what Eliza wanted. As much as he liked Eliza and reveled in the thought of being able to torture his brother's bad luck with women a bit more, he was itching to liven up the party just a smidgen more than that.

"Uh..." Sebastian turned his body to face his brother and Eliza's Uncle who they had just met that evening. Realizing that he didn't have much choice in the matter (as there was absolutely no way Jaidyn would leave him on his own) he stuffed his hands into his suit pants pockets and lowered his head a bit to look at the tops of his shoes. "Yeah... guess we could do that..." he replied, swinging his right foot a small ways as though he were kicking an imaginary small rock.

"Good! With me, please!" Dominic beckoned, motioning towards the rather grandiose doors that led to the balcony overlooking the slopes and mountains of Lake Tahoe.

While passing through the crowd with Twins in tow, Dominic scanned the crowd once again, rather easily picking up the massive frame of Ilya sticking a bit away from the rest of the guests.

"One moment, wait here, please." Dominic directed to Jaidyn and Sebastian, his tone still cordial but a bit more serious than before.

Making it within speaking distance of the Russian giant, Dominic lowered his voice to that of a subtle whisper, "The Time has come, my friend....gather Rapunzel, Daria, and Morgan and meet me on the balcony overlooking the hills." Not bothering to say anything more than necessary, Dominic continued on his way as though he was simply greeting an old friend, waving for Jaidyn and Sebastian to follow him once more.

Catching sight of Dominic’s motion for them to follow along behind them, Jaidyn shot his hand out towards his brother, lightly tapping him on the chest with the back of his hand as he gestured towards the direction they needed to go in, “Come on Seb, cheer up… You never know what Eli’s thinking- she loves your music, you know that, she might even ask you to get up with the DJ and play for a bit… even if she isn’t thinking it, we might be able to convince her.”

Chuckling softly at the look on his brother’s face, Jaidyn shook his head lightly as he draped his arm around Sebastian’s shoulders, tugging lightly for a moment before his hand returned back to the recesses of his dress pants pocket, his feet carrying him along behind Dominic, knowing that his brother was going to follow along behind him.

Sebastian shot his brother a quick look and though his face lightened up a bit at the idea, he kept his shoulders slouched.

"I know, I know. I'm just bored is all. Being all cooped up in the plane, then getting stuck in this..." he gestured lamely towards his suit and then brushed off the front to make sure everything was pressed correctly. He may have been complaining about what he had to wear, but he still wanted to make himself look the best he could. Stuffing his hand back into his pocket, he shook his head, watching Dominic head away from them for a moment before giving his attention back to Jaidyn. "Ah well. Anythings better than that flying, pressurized sardine can anyway."

One more. There was one more left to find before Dominic could join Alan on the balcony: Annalise. Truth be told, Dominic spent more quality time with Eliza than with her sister, due to their own mutual interests, but the older man was sure he'd be able to lead his other 'niece' on just as easily.

"Annalise!" Dominic called, loud enough for her to hear at the bar as he approached, feeling much more like a fetching dog than a Guardian at the moment.

"My, my, how long's it been since I've seen you last? A year, maybe?" He began in his most polite of demeanors, adopting a casual yet elegant air that he carried with him since his youth.

"Now, I think Eliza's been planning something for her close friends and family out on the balcony. For what, I'm not entirely sure, but I was sent to find you all the same." He finished with a smile, though inwardly was hurtling curse after curse at Alan for rushing plans.

Annalise was leaning over the bar taking a sip from a glass of water, looking over her shoulder watching as all of the party goers were having fun and dancing. She caught a glimpse of her sister heading out onto the balcony on the other side of the room, but she didn't recognize the man who was with her due to the distance.

She jumped suddenly when she heard her name being called, her eyes going over to see Uncle Dom which made her smile even more and quickly ran over to give her uncle a loving hug. "Uncle Dom! Its been awhile, and it was more like a year and a half ago the last time I saw you. Eliza was at one of her competitions last time you visited." Annalise said with a smile.

She took a moment and looked over at the balcony and nodded. "Lead the way then Uncle Dom."

Chuckling shortly, Dominic strolled throughout the crowd towards the large glass doors that led out to the crisp outdoor air, feeling excitement well up in his chest as his mind raced. This was it....the moment he had been waiting for. Yet it felt so....anticlimactic, almost. As though there should have been more fanfare. No...no that would come later.

"Go on now, out you go. I'm sure Eliza's waiting!" Dominic declared, trying to usher the teenagers out the door.

Annalise followed behind Dominic, then she stood next to Jaidyn and Sebastian giving the two of them a friendly nod an smile, then looked at Dominic for a moment. Annalise opened the door and headed outside.

Raising an eyebrow as he watched Annalise wander out before them, Jaidyn tilted his head to the side ever so slightly, his eyes flicking back and forth between the two sisters that were now out on the balcony. They couldn’t have been any more different from one another. He hadn’t formally met Annalise yet, but from what he saw, she was the more excitable of the two of them, where Eliza kept a cool and level head about her most of the time, “Alright, let’s see what Eli wants, shall we..?”

Shooting a bright smile over at where his brother stood beside him, Jaidyn moved himself forward towards the door, his hand coming up to push it open as he made his way out onto the balcony and into the cool evening air, his feet slowly carrying him over to where the rest of the group seemed to be gathering by the railing.

Letting out one last sigh, Dominic watched as the three teens headed out, taking a moment to look behind him before following in suit, hands shaking in a mixture of apprehension and anticipation.

---

At this point Ilya had made his way to Funes to relay the news. Funes was happy that Alan had finally taken some initiative of his own, but worried about his methods. He hoped to delay things a little bit, and began to talk to Ilya about more trivial matters. "So, is there alcohol at the bar? I don't drink, but I do recall you and your friend talking about drinking." "There's no alcohol." "Oh, well I'm surprised you got any enjoyment out of it"

"Funes, I think we have some more important things happening now. We could just stay here and hang out, but things need to move on, and the pace is finally picking up."
Funes protested, but Ilya had already turned his head and seen Morgan. He motioned for her to come closer and said "Hello, nice to see you again. I have a friend here who'd like to talk to you if you have a moment."

Morgan was talking with her partner, and she had turned her head to see Ilya from earlier today motioning for her to come closer. She sighed, and expected that Eliza Brie told him to escort her out of the party. She groaned and she told her partner "I'll see you later. I think I'm about to be kicked out,"

Morgan walked over to Ilya and she raised an eyebrow at the fact that 'a friend' wanted to talk to her. She came to the conclusion that this friend was Ms. Brie. She greeted politely with a heavy sigh, "It's nice to see you again, Mr. Pechorsky. I have a pretty good idea what Ms. Brie wants to say. I can escort myself out, Mr. Pechorsky,"

"Did I say it wrong?" Ilya said, sounding confused "I just meant that my friend here would like to talk to you. You see, he likes to read a lot, and one of his favorite genres is detective stories, he even knows an author who's written a few. He's always wanted to talk to a real detective, and now that you're here I was wondering if you'd help him out." Ilya pointed to Funes, who was doing his best to hide his annoyance at Ilya and act genuinely interested in speaking to Morgan.

Morgan blinked and she answered in realization as she spotted that his friend was actually the man in a wheelchair, "Oh! Oh, I see," She then apologized "I apologize, I made an assumption. You didn't say anything wrong," She then answered "I can talk to him and help him out,"

"Thank you so much. I've got to attend to some other business, so I'll leave you two to talk." Ilya hurried away, heading in the direction where he last saw Daria.

Funes waited to speak, letting an awkward silence arise. He then said "Well, what he said is true. So, uh, do you ever read any stories about detectives? Do you think they're realistic?"

Morgan walked up to him, and at first there was an awkward silence. He soon broke it with his statement, which made Morgan raise an eyebrow inquisitively. When he asked, she answered "I haven't read detective stories in a long time. But the ones I have read seemed unrealistic to me in retrospect,"

Funes kept on talking, using it as a launching point for further inquiries. "I'm not even sure if realism really necessary for a good detective story. The first real detective story was part of 1001 nights, and is still highly acclaimed even though the reality that created it is far removed from the one we experience today. My friend Borges always aimed for fiction to feel convincing, but only occasionally worried about realism. Some people even argue that the line between fiction and reality isn't a defined as it seems. Discovering forgery can change what we think of as real, and fictional stories can have a real influence on their authors and others. Now, sorry about that, but I've got a lot stored in my head, sometimes I need to share it."

Morgan listened to Funes talk about realism and she raised an eyebrow at the mention of Borges. When he apologized, she answered sincerely "It's fine, I don't mind listening,"

Funes got a strange feeling that it was time to see what was going on outside. "Come on, let's talk more on the balcony, it's nice out tonight."

Morgan nodded and answered "Alright, let's go outside," She then led the way to the balcony.

Daria was dancing away on the dance floor, trying to just have fun. Annelise had gone somewhere... She hadn't seen much of Eliza and beyond Rapunzel, who was sitting alone at a table, she didn't know anyone else really. Daria never had a problem with not knowing people though. She always found a way to still have a good time. After all, a boring life was a life where nothing changed.

She did a little spin and noticed Ilya walking towards her. She smiled at him, "Do you intend to dance?" She joked, using the Russian language once more. He didn't seem like much of a dancer.

Ilya chuckled a little bit "I would need more alcohol and better music before trying to dance. Are you and your friends enjoying yourselves? I must've missed where the Brie sisters ran off to, I hope they didn't abandon their own party."

Daria laughed a little, she had assumed as much of him. When he mentioned the Brie sisters, she stopped her own movement and looked around before shrugged, "I saw Annelise earlier... I don't really know where they've run off to though," She glanced over at the table that she had seen Rapunzel sitting at earlier and nodded over to the girl, "Rapunzel is still here, so I don't think Annelise has run off completely...."

"There's a few other people who I don't see around right now. The odd characters, the magician that likes to hang out in the front lobby, and my friend from the history museum. Life around the hotel is a little more interesting with them around, although I might prefer it if Alan didn't become a fixture around here."

Daria looked at Ilya as he rambled on about the people who were attending the party. At some point she lost interest in the conversation, that moment was when she saw Alan and thought of better things to do. Things that might actually include some alcohol. As she started to make her way over to the older man, she noticed Rapunzel sitting by herself at a table and caught her arm, "Come on, I'm going to show you how to party. Come along."

Rapunzel jumped slightly but didn't question it any, merely allowing the girl to drag her along toward and out onto the balcony.

Ilya was glad that this worked out naturally, and wondered if the others would say that he took too long. He followed them to the balcony.

Aurora lay in her bed high up in her tower, the wind whistling through the window, playing with the curtains. The small princess tossed and turned in her bed, whimpering. Nightmares had been disturbing the girl's sleep since Maleficent had stolen her away and brought her to the castle. She often cried out in the middle of the night for her mother and father as she had done the day she was taken. Aurora finally escaped her nightmare with a loud scream as she sat up. She looked around the room as she shook, pulling her blanket up to her nose. Her eyes scanned the dark room for the monsters from her dreams. Her eyes saw the shadows of the curtains on the wall making frightening shapes and screamed once more before she pulled the blanket over her head entirely, hiding away. She sat there, her arms wrapped tightly around her legs, her blanket drapped over her as she whispered, "Go away. Go away. Go away," Tears poured from the small girl's eyes as she tried to will away the shadows that danced on her walls...

Crossing her legs under the desk she shifted in her seat her back straightening as she leant forward her eyes lowering down to the piece of paper that she was using her fingers moving the quill over the top of it leaving her words behind in bright green lettering, reaching out she carefully dipped the tip of the quill back into the ink her face scrunching up and her shoulders hunching over in slight annoyance as she once more heard the shrill screams of the young girl she had taken in as her ward allerting her to the fact that there was going to be another night in which the peace of the castle was to be interupted... How someone so small could make such a noise was beyond her, and even after putting her up in the highest tower away from all the other rooms she was still able to hear it... While she wouldn't admit it, she was quite impressed by the set of lungs on the little child.

Groaning in frustration knowing that she wouldn't be able to get her work done until the child was settled and once more sleeping she lowered her quill bringing herself back to her feet before she moved away from the desk her fingers reaching out to glide over the books closest to her before she took hold of one pulling it down as a thick plume of purple smoke surrounded her whisking her away from her study and up into the girls room, "Enough... And no, I will not go away. Little beastie, if anyone is to be going anywhere it will be you if you aren't careful..."

The lump jumped when Maleficent spoke up, the small child's heart pounded in her chest as the woman spoke. She shook her head under the blankets, causing strands of hair to escape from her braid and go every which way. She spoke from under the blankets, "Not you... The monsters," She pointed to the wall that the shadows had been on fron under her blanket, "O-Oogie Boogie sent monsters," She said, terror in every syllable as she cried more.

Sighing almost inaudibly she stood stock still her eyes locked on the rather large lump in the blanket that she knew was the young princess hiding away from whatever it was that had frightened her, turning her gaze away she glanced around the room her free arm coming up as she sweeped it around above her head the action causing the room to change from the dark decor to that which the child would be more used to, the walls brightening as toys of all shapes and sizes began to pop up around them the once dark and scary looking curtains changing into something heavier though brighter so that they wouldn't be blown about while keeping the wind from entering the room. Crossing over the room she reached out taking the blanket off from over her face as the bed changed underneath her becoming a large and beautiful four-poster bed complete with curtains, "Enough child... Are you happy now? If yes, then go to sleep, I have work I need to do."

Aurora heard the woman sigh and rested her head on her knees. The two sat in near silence, the only noise being the sniffles coming from Aurora under the blankets. Suddenly the blankets were being pulled away and Aurora looked up to see Maleficent looking down at her. Slowly, she let her wet eyes scan the room again as she looked over the new toys and decor. She reached one hand out and took hold of the curtain, "Will this keep the monsters away?" She asked as her eyes returned to looking up at Maleficent, "Will you keep the monsters away? Are monsters scared of you? Cause you've got magic?" She used the back of her hand to wipe away her tears, "Are you scared of monsters?"

Straightening her back in slight surprise Maleficent furrowed her eyebrows together her soft pink lips parting ever so slightly as she tried to sort through the questions the young girl was asking her carefully chosing her words as she tried her best to answer them though why she was doing so in the first place was far beyond her, "Both..." Turning her gaze to the curtains she lifted her hand up letting her fingers glide over the material causing it to sparkle like the stars in the sky, "Both child. Monsters will not come for you as long as you are in the safety of my charge and as long as you have these curtains surrounding your bed..."

Bringing her hand back in to the book she turned lowering herself down onto the edge of the bed her legs crossing as she looked over the small child her hands folding neatly over the leather bound cover in her lap, "I am scared of monsters child... Though my monsters are a lot different to the ones that you are afraid of... My monsters, are ones that you will never have to face, not if I can help it."

Aurora looked at Maleficent as she spoke explaining that she too was afraid of monsters. When she finised, Aurora tossed her blanket off her shoulders and backed off of the bed. She rose onto her tippy toes and untied the first curtain from the post and let it hang down before she ran around and put down the rest until they were completely surrounding the bed. When she finished, Aurora pushed aside the curtain and grabbed onto the blanket of the high bed and pulled herself on before she ensured that the curtain returned to its spot. She looked up at Maleficent before she sat down in front of her, "There... Now the monsters won't come for you either."

The girl was frightened of Maleficent but she was also curious about her. Lots of people at home were really scared of her and Aurora didn't know why... Maleficent could keep monsters away... She looked over the woman's face for moment, "You're really pretty.... Why are people scared of you?"

Raising her eyebrow her head turning slowly as she watched as the young girl moved about the bed lowering the curtains so that they draped around them causing her to lift her legs up resting them on the bed as she waited to see what it was that the child had in store for her the kind words leaving her lips causing the Queen to become slightly taken aback, sliding the book to the side she let it and her palm rest upon the matress her head tilting to the side as she waited watching with a new found curiousity for the girl her eyes softening a tinge at the unexpected compliment that she had been given, "Child... People in this world are scared of what they do not know nor understand... Most wish to live their lives in such ways and therefore do not and will not change. I just happen to be the one thing they fear... In their opinion, I am the root of all nightmares."

Aurora shook her head furiously when Maleficent said people believed her to be the root of all nightmares, causing more strands to slip from her braid and stick up every which way, "Nuh uh, Oogie Boogie is the... root of all nightmares. He's scary.... His monsters go like this," She rose her hands above her head and made a face that she deemed scary before dropping her hands and looking up at Maleficent, "You're not scary," She scrunched up her nose, "Not like him, at least..."

She crossed her legs and yawned, "Can you stay with me? So the monsters don't come... for you?" She added, trying to act braver than she really was, "Who knows what will happen if you go out there... Mr. Boogey man could come for you and gobble you right up!"

Closing her eyes she lifted her hand up to cover her lips unable to help herself from chuckling at the small girls words about the man she wasn't very fond of herself, he was immature... Childish... More than Aurora was, and far worse when he threw one of his many temper tantrums, "I will be sure to pass on your critique the next time I see him. But remember what I have told you, there are no monsters... Not even Oogie Boogie, who will hurt you while you are in my care. No man will lay a finger on my little ward..."

Pursing her lips slightly she turned her head looking over at the door before she tore her gaze away once more returning it to the young princess sitting in front of her, "I will stay until you have fallen into a peaceful slumber, I still have work that I must do... Now, come on. Lay down, under the blankets." Lifting her hand up she flicking her wrist gently watching the flames of the candles in the room dim slightly though still leaving enough light for the two of them to see each other, "You say that I am pretty. If you wish to be pretty as well, then you must sleep when you are told to. Like you're being told to now."

Pulling back the blankets, Aurora slid under them and laid down as she was asked. She looked up at her from the pillow as she told her she had to sleep when she was told. She quickly closed her eyes and lay there in silence for several moments before she whispered, "I can't sleep..." She opened her eyes again and looked up at Maleficent. Her eyes flicked down to the book the woman had brought into the room with her, "Can you read to me? My mommy used to read to me..." She looked up at the Queen, "Please?"

Moving her body after a few moments of the girl having closed her eyes she placed the ball of her foot against the ground her body stopping in its tracks as she heard the soft voice speaking to her once again this time asking her whether she could stay and read to her rather than just staying in silence as she waited for the girl to sleep, "I-... Oh, alright, if it will get you to sleep the night through..."

Shifting her position on the bed she leant back against the bed head pulling the book back into her lap before she sighed opening it up to the first page her voice softer than normal as she began to read, "Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the bank, and having nothing to do: once or twice she had peeped into the book her sister was reading, but it had no pictures or conversations in it, 'and what is the use of a book', thought Alice 'without pictures or conversation?'-..."

Lifting her free hand up she ran her fingers through her hair pushing it back through the gap between her horns allowing them to keep her long dark brown locks from falling back down over her face, "..So she was considering in her own mind (as well as she could, for the hot day made her feel very sleepy and stupid), whether the pleasure of making a daisy-chain would be worth the trouble of getting up and picking the daisies, when suddenly, a White Rabbit with pink eyes ran close by her..."

A smile play on little Aurora's lips as Maleficent agreed to reading to her. She looked up at her as she shifted positions and opened the book to start reading. The little Princess watched her as she read before she scooted under the blankets toward her. She managed to slip under the woman's arm and rest her head against her chest. She looked up at the book she held her eyes scanning over the meaningless words, the young girl learnt very minimally about reading before the Queen had whisked her away. So instead of reading along, the Princess looked over at the little picture of a young girl and a rabbit.

Aurora enjoyed the pictures and was fighting sleep a little to see them all. However, sleep did come as the small girl closed her eyes and curled up against the Queen. She was rocked into her slumber by Maleficent's easy breathing and lulled by her quiet tone. Soon enough, the girl was fast asleep in the arms of her captor.

With the small favor now payed in full; his Gypsy dancer once more in the immaculate condition in which she had arrived in, there was only one thing left to do before Scar could rid himself of the witch completely. Once more saying very little as they walked, Scar led Maleficent through the confused jumble of identical hallways until they reached the stone, spiral stairs that would take them below to Scar's grotto where he had left Odette that morning. He felt a very small pang of guilt in having left her there all day; he just hoped that she had used the time that he was gone to rest up from her journey from Swan Lake to The Pride Lands and not spent it thinking that he had abandoned her.

Leading the way, Scar was the first to emerge from the staircase and into the grotto, his bared skin immediately coating in a light sheen of what looked like sweat though it was due to the drastic change in humidity that had miniscule droplets of water covering his body. Paying it and the sudden climate change from the otherwise stale air of the castle no mind, Scar continued down towards the waters edge, not finding Odette swimming there and had to assume that she was still in the area below the stone bridge where he had left her, either swimming around the deeper side of the pool or perhaps resting in the grassy area.

Shooting a quick look over to Maleficent, narrowing his eyes as though to discern that she would still uphold her end of the bargain, Scar returned his attention forward and squatted down at the waters edge, eyes wide and watching the opening of the bridge.

"Malaika!"

He had been gone all day… or at least, it felt like he had been gone all day- time was easier to discern when she was able to see the sunlight properly, though with only the small streams that she could see coming from the roof of the cave-like grotto, it made it hard to tell the exact time of the day. All Odette knew was that hours had passed her by- hours of swimming around the waters, hours of resting upon the grassy knoll so that she could rest up from her journey… at one stage, she was pretty sure that she had also spent almost a full hour hobbling up the large stone staircase only to find her path blocked by the large door that kept her separated from the rest of the castle. He hadn’t abandoned her; she knew for a fact that he would never do that, he had promised to protect her like his own- after all, she was his daughter…

Her head shot up from under her wings the moment that she heard it- heard him calling out her name from the other side of the grotto. He was back; she knew he would be. Not even bothering to lift herself up properly from where she had been resting on the edge of the knoll, Odette slid herself down and into the water, using her webbed feet to push her forward through the cool liquid before eventually she broke free through the surface on the other side of the opening, her wings lifting from her body slightly and her feathers ruffling causing stray droplets of water to go flying about as she made a beeline directly to where her father was waiting for her at the bank of the pool- her neck extending out towards him and her wings folding in neatly the moment she got close enough to him in a sign that she wanted to be picked up and held close to him.

Relief flooded into Scar the moment he saw the blur of white swimming towards him; she hadn't left. There was no telling what that sorcerer who had brought her to The Pride Lands in the first place was capable of. It would be all too soon if he ever saw him again. But she was still here in his private grotto, and she was still safe.

"Take it easy, kid." Scar told her gently, though he made no move to pick her up. Instead, he stood himself back up to his full height to look over at Freya, giving her a curt nod, dropping the very subtle air of gentleness he had in his voice. "You promised me you could do this, now do it."

It was the first time that Odette had noticed the woman that was standing in the shadows- she had seen her before at Swan Lake, had heard whispers about the woman with the horns growing from her temple; though she had never once been this close to her… never once officially met her, nor had she seen what she was truly capable of- though if her father felt as though the woman could help, that she was here to help them both, then she would give her trust in his decisions.

“..as you wish; my lion King…” Moving herself forwards and out of the shadows that seemed to always follow her around whenever she felt the wish for them to do so, Freya lifted a single hand up from her side so that the tips of her fingers were brushing ever so lightly against her lips, her warm breath flowing out an over her palm as she flattened it away from her, the simple action seeming to cause a small ball of her normal purple smoke to appear, the contents ever swirling around though this time with a slight difference, light streaks of gold flashing through it much like bolts of lightning striking the ground from the sky above them. It wasn’t magic that she used often; stuff from the old religion- things that she had learnt during her time in Camelot as King Uther’s ward… magic that was long lost, though still known to those few such as herself, the druids… and Emrys…

Slowly allowing her feet to carry her until she was standing beside Scar himself- it wasn’t something that Freya had done in a long time; let alone a language that she had spoken in quite a long time… She was extremely rusty; she hadn’t needed to enchant spells for years, not since she was still under the lessons of her Mistress... however she knew that she could do it; even if she hadn’t been as practiced as of late, the magic was simple, something that she had used many times when she had been living in the castle. Reaching out her hand over the water, her eyes seeming to gloss over slightly, once again turning a bright golden color as she spoke softly though fluently, “Illumina tenebras videam aquam per asperam libera lunam mare Agnus ad nos de..!”

Turning her hand over the moment that the last word slipped through her soft pink lips, Freya watched as the ball of magic fell from her palm only to hit and break apart over the surface of the water, thick purple lightning smoke slowly seeping out, covering the grotto’s surface and forcing the young swan to quickly back away from her protector and back into the water as she tried to get away from the magic that seemed ready to consume her completely. Smirking softly to herself now that her work was finally completed here in the Pride Lands, she took a couple of steps back, her arm dropping back down to her side as she once more slunk back into the comfort of the shadows, watching on as her magic took care of what it was that Scar desired- the lightning smoke seeming to soon calm itself before disappearing completely, leaving the water clear and calm once more save for the perfectly reflected moon that rested peacefully over the surface.

Odette could feel it- she could feel the pull of the moonlight once more against her before she had even seen the light of it against the pool of the grotto. It was like the light called out to her, like a beacon in the night- it was hard for Odette to resist, and in this case she just couldn’t. She couldn’t wait to be able to wrap her arms around her father and thank him for all it was he had done for her. Pushing herself forward through the water, she made a bee-line straight for the shallower part of the pool; it had already begun, the magic was already starting to make its change, causing her to come to an abrupt stop where she floated, her small eyes closing delicately as she bowed her head down towards it, her wings lifting up from her body as the water began to raise around her; circling her body with small beads of light that could only be compared to the gentle light of fireflies until she was completely hidden from view. Her stomach was twisting with the familiar sensation as she felt herself beginning to once more rise from the water- her body changing its shape, its form, until the water once more settled down around where she stood, the once beautiful swan now the young girl that he had met during the small time he had spent at Swan Lake all those months ago.

Odette was reluctant- her soft pink lower lip quivering softly as she slowly but surely opened her stunningly light blue eyes, her body shaking slightly as she lifted her hands up from her side so that she could look down at them; make sure that she wasn’t dreaming- that she was no longer the white swan, but that she was actually… her, “I-… I-I am myself again… I am not a swan…”

Scar watched quietly from his position, crossing his thick arms across his chest and tilting his head a bit in curiosity at what was happening before him. The spell, the incantation, the faux-moon reflecting on the water, the transformation... it was all new, unfamiliar ground to the King of The Pride Lands and he didn't like it one bit, but it what was going to help Odette with the curse the two of them shared so he held his tongue.

His shoulders seemed to become less rigid as Odette spoke and he nodded, confirming her small train of thought he knew was meant out of her own surprise and not a statement towards either of them. The witch had done it, despite having seen it with his own eyes, he didn't know how, exactly, but he didn't care. She was the beautiful, young woman he had met at Swan Lake all those months ago, not some honking bird that would ruin his image when he tried to talk with her.

"Alright, what are the rules?" Scar asked gruffly, keeping his arms crossed on his chest but moved his head to look at Maleficent. "Magic always comes with a price... if it were that simple to dispel The Great Animal's curse, I'd have done it long ago."

“The curse, darling, is still very much active upon your precious young Princess; however I have just been able to give her more liberty- more freedom throughout the day…” Doing the magic was easy; explaining it to others however, not so much- especially when it came to the magic that was born of the old religion. While it was old to her and few others, it was new to everyone else; and while it carried the same three core rules- there were ways to get as close to breaking them as one could. Lifting her hand up from her side as she let her back rest against the wall, Freya ran her fingers softly through her hair, pushing it all back off of her face and back between her strong auburn horns so that it was no longer covering her face, “..it’s simple; the pool before you now shares the same waters as that from Swan Lake- the moon you see is a reflection of the one in the sky above us; no matter in the sky it is, as long as its light is able to be seen, it shall be reflected in this pool and your sweet little Odette shall remain the perfect young lady you see before you now.”

Lowering her hand once more before bringing both together in front of her body, Freya shifted her position slightly against the wall behind her, being sure to take her time making herself comfortable before she even thought about continuing on with her explanation, “However we are all… intelligent beings here; and all know that the moon is not always in the sky- at most, on a normal day, she will have to spend but a few hours as a swan, again to change back into the young woman she is, she will have to return to the water. Though on moonless nights, she will be forced to spend a full days cycle as the cygnet she was moments beforehand.”

Scar nodded his head a few times. Though there was very little he understood about magic, Maleficent's explanation was easy to understand. Essentially, Odette would be spending less time as a swan and more as a young woman. It wasn't necessarily breaking her curse, like he had promised he would, but it was at least a few steps closer. He stole a glance over at Odette from out of the corner of his eye, still standing in the water, amazed at what had just happened. He would have liked to show just a bit more enthusiasm for her sake, but with Maleficent around, there wasn't any way he would be opening up like that anytime soon.

"You're welcome to stay for the feast, if you would like, Witch. As my guest, of course." It was clear that it almost pained him to extend the invitation, but hidden underneath even that was a small sense of pride, as though he did indeed want her to accept. His dancers would be providing entertainment, after all, and with his new enchanted weapon and the Gypsy once more physically flawless, it was bound to be a good time. "I can promise you two things. You will have never eaten so well in your life, and you will have never witnessed better dancing entertainment. The Pride Lands is known for many things, among them being the food and... talented women..." Scar stole another glance over to Odette before deciding to just give her his full attention altogether. "You hungry, kid?"

Freya had barely been paying attention to what it was that Scar was saying to her, instead focused on the look that she could see as clear as day in his eyes whenever he chanced a look over to the young swan Princess. It was the same look that she sometimes caught herself giving to her young ward, Aurora- and even if he didn’t want her catching onto it, she knew that he cared for the young child that stood before the two of them in the pool of crystalline water; and it was clear that while his invitation for her to join them for the feast was completely sincere, he wanted to have some alone time with his young Princess. Doing her best to (though failing to completely) snap herself out of her daydream and away from her wandering train of thought, Freya slowly turned her head so that she was looking over in his direction, her eyes taking a moment to refocus on him as she did all she could to give him her complete attention, though her mind seemed to be quite far away and on thoughts that she wasn’t ready to share with those around her.

“..it would be an honor to accept your invitation, and to dine with you tonight Sire…” Closing her eyes as she bowed her head towards him out of both respect and gratitude for his invitation and thought towards her, she lowered her arms slowly back down to her side, the pointer and index fingers on her right hand nervously rubbing against her thumb over and over as she tore her gaze away from the both of them, her attention seeming to focus in on the waters that surrounded them for only a moment before she once more gave him her full attention, her usual playful though still quite malicious smirk playing over her lips as she continued on with her thought, “I look forward to enjoying such festivities in your company- however, I believe it rude of me to enjoy such hospitality without looking the part of course; please excuse me while I go and freshen up for tonight’s feast…”

“Bedyrne ús... Astýre ús þanonweard..!” Not bothering to wait for a response from either of the others within the room, Freya lifted her head up slightly higher than she had been holding it moments before, her eyes for the third time flashing over a beautiful gold in color as her fingers came to a stop at her side, a thick plume of purple smoke slowly wrapping around her body starting from her bare feet before working its way up, the small flashes of lightning that she had used earlier once again mixing with the smoke as it consumed her completely, dispersing only when she had disappeared completely from the grotto, leaving the two of them alone in the silence that she had left behind.

Odette barely had enough time to open her mouth with a response to her father’s question before the woman who had helped them both disappeared in a flash of lightning and smoke- the sight of it causing her to flinch and take a couple of steps backwards, moving her further back into the water that she had spent most of her day in. She still had no idea what was going on- one moment she had been a swan, and the next… Turning her head down so that her gaze once again dropped down to her hands, she couldn’t help the small and gentle smile that crossed over her lips as she shook her head softly from side to side, as though she was still trying to wrap her mind around the fact that she was no longer the bird- that she no longer had to worry about honking and confusing her father and the others around her, but instead that she could actually talk and be herself completely.

Lifting both her head and her gaze back up until she was once more focused on her father’s figure standing on the bank, Odette quickly did her best to pull her mind back to the present, her hands dropping to lift the remains of her dress under the buffalo cloak that she wore as she waded her way over towards him, her feet picking up their pace as the water became shallower with each step that she took. She could finally hug him- finally show him the affection she wanted to; finally hold a true conversation with him, without the confusion about what it was she was trying to say. Slowing down once she had gotten close enough to him, she let the material of her dress slip through her fingers, her arms reaching out only to soon wrap as tightly as they could around his midsection, her sky-blue eyes fluttering closed the moment that she felt her body pressing against his own, “..father, I have missed you…”

Scar seemed rather taken aback by Odette's gesture; feeling her thin arms wrapping around his torso, pressing her body into his for a hug, for a moment it seemed as though Scar hadn't the faintest idea as to what it was she was doing - let along what a hug was. Tentatively, however, and after a short period of time, Scar raised his hand to pat her gently on her back, feeling the material of the buffalo hide cloak he had given her when he had left Swan Lake all those months ago.

"I know, kid. I've... missed you too..." Scar said slowly, seeming as though he were trying to think of what words to say or he was having some sort of difficulty in getting them out. He removed his hand from her back to then take hold of her shoulder, moving his free hand to do the same on the opposite side and pulled her away from him so that he could look down at her and into her eyes. "But don't think that just because you're no longer a swan that I'm not still upset with you. It was a dangerous thing you did by coming here. And throwing in your luck with that sorcerer? Do you even know him?"

“I-I understand father… but you have my word that Dominic meant no harm- he only wished to see me safely to the castle, to make sure that I was not hurt along my journey… if it were not for him, I would have been left wandering the wood through to the dawn on the night that I set out…” Odette knew that this had been coming- she knew from the beginning that she was always going to get into trouble for her rash actions, her choice to come here to the Pride Lands to see her father was something that had put them all into danger… she knew that there was going to be consequences for what she had done, and now that she was human again and could explain herself, she knew that the punishment would soon be following the conversation they were going to have…

“I will admit to you father that I truly have not known him for very long… but he has been by the lake side watching over me for many years it seems; the wise owl, ever watching over me- and while it may be that we only formally met on the day that we both set out, he has taught me much.” Bringing her hands together in front of her body as she lowered her gaze, Odette let her fingers nervously play with themselves, the weight of his hands on her shoulders feeling heavier than ever, though it was still a comfort to have his touch upon her skin, letting her know that even while she was in trouble, he was still there for her, “He-… He is like us father- once set out to destroy Rothbart where he stood, though just as with all who defy him, that monster set a curse upon him… I was truly lucky that the day we arrived within your Kingdom was the very day that he was once again allowed to roam freely upon two legs…”

A muscle in Scar's lip twitched. Clearly, he wasn't liking what he was hearing though for many various reasons. The poor girl truly was naive, and that could cost Odette her very life. This... Dominic... even if his intentions were just as Odette was saying... well... she only got lucky, but no one was that selfless; Scar knew this for a fact; experience taught him that.

"Magic isn't to be trusted, Malaika. Ever." Scar told her sternly, though the concern he had for her was held in his black eyes. "Magic is what made us the beasts we are and though I went to magic to help alter your curse, magic will never cure it. Magic is forbidden here in The Pride Lands, which means your friend, Dominic, should he ever show his face here again, will be ki- imprisoned. For a very long time."

Scar sighed as he retreated his hands from her, standing back to his full height and crossed his arms over his chest mostly out of habit, but also to keep her from trying to hug him again. It's not that he didn't want her to hug him, he just didn't know what to do with such an open expression of love. He could try to explain the ways of The Pride Lands to her until his face turned blue, but right now it wasn't time for a history lesson. Right now, she needed to eat.

"C'mon, kid. Let's get you out of this cave." he then said, shifting his tone a bit as he jerked his head to the side, gesturing towards the staircase before he headed there himself to ascend the stone steps.

“I-I… yes father…” She wasn’t truly happy with what it was he had said to her- she understood where it was that he was coming from when he said that magic could not be trusted, it had made them into the creatures that they were, and kept them in a never-ending cycle… however the mere thought of Dominic being imprisoned- it was just something that she didn’t want to live with, something she couldn’t live with; not when she knew that it would be her fault in the first place. She had brought this on them all by leaving Swan Lake; her impatience to see her father again had led them all into the situation that they were now in, and for that she would never forgive herself.

Dropping her hands back down to the front of her dress as he began to lead the way, Odette quickly collected what was left of the ragged and dirty material that covered her, holding it up only slightly from the ground as she hurried to follow along behind him, her bare feet lightly making soft thuds against the stone as she began to ascend the stairs after his lead. From what she had seen the night before, dinner was more than just a show… though hopefully they would this time be able to enjoy their evening without the interruption of any flashy spectacle of magic that seemed to cause a Kingdom wide panic…

Esmeralda lowered to her knees once the two left and remained there on the floor as those around her sprung into action. Casual conversation filled the room as she cried silently, unnoticed by the other women. She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Sarabi standing over her, "Come," She said softly before helping Esmeralda to her feet and walking her into the small room that contained the dancer's beds as well as a small wardrobe. Sarabi reached into it and grabbed a royal blue top, similar to the one that she had previously been wearing. Esmeralda was slightly curious if the witch had just poofed it in there when she poofed it off of her.

Esmeralda was quick to put it on and looked at the older woman, "I need to leave," She said softly, keeping her voice down, "I can't stay here... I'll be dead before the moon finishes a cycle."

"If you leave and are caught... You'll be dead tonight," Sarabi informed her.

Biting her lip, Esmeralda thought about it, "I would rather be dead than learn what he believes a reward is."

Sarabi seemed reluctant for a moment. Then, she saw the chance, if this girl made it... Scar would be furious and if there was one thing she loved to do, it was making Scar furious. She nodded her head, "I will help you... I can get you out of here but... From there, it will be better for you to go alone."

Esmeralda nodded, understanding, and it wasn't long before the two stood on the other side of the door. She didn't know how Sarabi had gotten rid of the two guards that were normally stationed there but she felt like it wouldn't be long before they were back. She looked at Sarabi, "Thank you," She whispered before gathering her skirt before she ran down the hall as quietly as she could. Thanks to her bare feet that wasn't too hard.

It didn't take her long to get lost though. She was more amazed by the fact that she hadn't stumbled upon any guards as she raced through the halls. Well, she hadn't until she had. Just ahead of her now was a man, whose back was to her, that seemed to be patrolling the area. Thinking fast, she quickly slipped through a door and into a spiraling stone staircase. She took a deep breath and made her way down a few steps, ensuring that she would not be seen if someone opened that door thinking they had heard something. She waited there, silently, practically holding her breath when a voice suddenly echoed off the walls.

"Malaika!"

Esmeralda's heart clenched in her chest, of all the places for her to wind up in this damned palace, it was the one place that the King that she was trying to escape from had wandered off to. She closed her eyes, trying to think about what next to do when she suddenly remembered the conversation between the Queen and King... Something about the swan. Her curiosity was going to be the death of her as she silently crept down the stairs.

She stopped the moment she could see them, trying to keep herself as hidden as possible as the King first addressed the swan before speaking to Maleficent. After that things moved quickly and suddenly a young girl was standing in the water looking between the two of them. Esmeralda silenced any audible reactions, she'd be dead if she dared make a noise. However, this all did make a little sense, after all it explained why the King had been chatting away to a swan.

Once Maleficent had left the cave of sort, she watched as the young girl ran forward and hugged the King. He seemed rather awkward about the encounter but didn't push her away she, to be honest, might have expected. She listened as he voiced his concerns and was ultimately a little amazed by just how much he seemed to care for this girl. She believed there was more to their relationship than the usual father and daughter... for starters they didn't exactly look anything alike.

She listened to them as they spoke about a man and magic... a curse... The girl's curse was clear but she was unaware about what Scar's curse was... She most likely should have left sooner. As she was encroaching on a private moment but she saw something new... something different... She saw a warmer side of the King. A kinder side.

That's when she realized that her curiosity was going to kill her both because Scar was suggesting they leave the grotto and because she was actually thinking about staying. Not in the grotto, no the moment he uttered the suggestion she had taken off up the stairs to avoid being caught. However, she was curious about this curse and the Scar that she saw with the girl... Besides, she was lost and wasn't going to make it out of this castle... not today. If that was the case, she might as well learn about Taka... Which meant she was sticking around even if it was possibly the death of her.

Taking a deep breath of the cool fresh air in through her nose she held it for a few moments, doing her best to steady her heart beat as she let it out slowly through her soft pink lips, the breath coming out shaky and almost inaudible as she lifted both of her arms up, her right arm bending back as she pulled back on the string, holding it strong and tight with the arrow notched into the bow. Flicking her dark brown eyes down to glance at the arch of the bow she quickly checked the arrow that she was using, the shaft of the arrow resting softly against right side the polished wood unlike most of the men under her command and in the Fairy Tale World who had gotten used to shooting the arrow off the left, allowing herself to take her time as she let her lips part from one another, the fingers resting on the string brushing lightly against her ear.

Letting the string slip from her fingertips she watched as the arrow shot forward towards the target she had set up, the action only lasting but a few moments before the arrow head embedded itself into the center of the target with the others that she had shot off during her training session, her lips pursing slightly as she slowly but surely lowered her arms back down to her sides, a sharp shooting pain pulsing through her body from the wound in her stomach that she had received hours beforehand. Turning her head to her stomach she curved her back slightly, her eyes flicking down to look at the wound that she had only roughly wrapped up, the normally white bandages now stained through with crimson red blood that also stained her skin, the young woman scrunching up her face at the thought of needing to re-dress the injury that was still inflicting pain on her.

Tearing her gaze away from the bloodied sight that was her stomach she let her eyes flick about the grounds around her, her free arm coming up as she slid her fingers over her forehead and into her long locks of hair, pushing them back off of her face so that she could see properly though it seemed to be all in vain as they fell back down into place, the long dark brown waves framing her face sweetly as she moved away from the archery field, her hand lightly resting against her stomach as she moved over to one of the large tents that had been set up around the training grounds. Moving through the tent and over to one of the couches that had been set up she lowered herself down onto it, her body perching on the edge of the settee as she closed her eyes, her body dropping back onto it as she let her mind wander over the events that had transpired that day and what was to come in the days to follow starting tomorrow.

Belle's thoughtful reverie, however, was soon to be interrupted by the abrupt feeling of something resting on top of her stomach. Not heavy, on the contrary rather light, but a presence nonetheless.

A simple, complacent, "Meow!" came from the creature on her middle - undoubtedly a cat - before a soft purr followed.

Furrowing her brows slightly as she heard the soft sound of a cats meow she lifted her head up from the cushions, her eyes opening slowly to look at the creature that had seemed to make itself comfortable upon her stomach, the young woman taking a few moments to watch it before she bent her arms, her upper body lifting up from the settee as she gently let herself rest on her elbows, the gentle purring coming from the cat causing small vibrations to sink into her stomach causing slight discomfort but nothing she couldn't handle, "Alright... Not sure when we got a cat..."

Softening her expression ever so slightly she leant her body over to one side, her arm reaching out so that she could lightly scratch behind its ear with the tips of her nails, her head tilting slightly as a small but unmistakable smile played over her lips, "You're such a good kitty... so content... I wonder where you came from..."

The cat's purrs seemed to increase in fervency as she began petting it, the cat easing its head into her touch, bright green orbs shutting tightly.

For the most part, the cat appeared to be clean and healthy, it's black fur lacked much in the way of dirt or markings. It appeared well-fed but fit and lithe, with piercing eyes that seemed to look past Belle's defenses....familiar.

Eventually, the cat decided to simply curl up into a small ball atop her stomach, occasionally letting its coarse tongue lick at her bloodied bandages, but otherwise remained still.

Shifting her body slightly she couldn't help the soft chuckle that slipped through her lips, her already soft (and almost loving) smile growing over her lips, lighting up her features as she watched the contented feline lean eagerly into her hand, the pressure of her touch increasing as she scratched him a little harder behind the ear. Raising her eyebrows only slightly, she caught sight of the slightly familiar and fierce green eyes that seemed to be looking straight through her, her head tilting and her body shifting into a more comfortable position as she watched it curl up into a ball on her stomach, "So, have you got a home..? Or should I be taking you back up to the castle with me..."

The cat, however, being an animal, said nothing, merely purring softly as it began making itself more comfortable on its new bed.

In reality, the cat was little more than the Queen's Assassin, shape shifted into this more inconspicuous form. Maleficent would be busy dealing with the Pride Lands and the Lion King, and Katts felt a certain sense of intrigue in regards to the young Huntress who was in Gaston's service. Naturally, the Assassin felt it best to spy on her in a less obvious form.

"Well, someone looks as though their comfortable enough to sleep..." Her eyes softened slightly as she watched the black cat curled up so naturally, the felines small chest gently lifting up and down with every breath that it took, the soft purring continuing to send vibrations through her body, though the young huntress was getting used to it, "Maybe that's what I should do... I grow tired of training..."

Pulling her hand back from his head so that she was no longer petting him she slid her arms down and around his body, the brunette doing her best to support his small and lithe frame as she shifted her own position on the settee, her body slipping to the edge of the couch before she lifted herself back up and onto her feet. Turning her head down so that she could see what she was doing she shifted her arms slightly, cradling the creature lightly against her chest as she began to move back through the tent, her feet slowly carrying her down the slightly long though familiar path that led back up to the castle, "I believe it is time to retire for the night, what do you think hm..?"

The cat, or Katts, opened his eyes with half-hearted irritance as she began to stand up, but he quickly made himself comfortable once more, resting his head against her very warm and comfy bosom while she walked them both to the castle.

In response to her question, he merely gave a small and content, "Mew!" as reply.

Lifting her gaze up to look at the castle as it began to get closer and closer she let her smile slowly fade back into her usual bored expression, her long dark brown locks bouncing lightly over her back and her hips swinging from side to side with every step she took, a single eyebrow raising only just slightly as they both grew closer to the doors that led inside the castle, the action causing the new guards that she had assigned to stand watch to quickly open the doors for her, the two of them exchanging questioning looks as they caught sight of the cat resting comfortably in her arms and against her chest.

"My Lady... Does the King-..." Snapping her head around as she heard one of the two of them tentatively beginning to address her, she narrowed her eyes causing his words to be cut off only moments after he had begun to speak, irritance flashing across her eyes at the thought that those who were in her command were questioning her actions, "The King, though he likes to think so, does not control every little thing that I do. If I wish to get a cat, then that is what I shall do. Now I suggest you focus on your post... or this time it will be my hands that your blood is on... Do I make myself clear..?"

Not bothering to wait for a response from her soldier she turned her back to them both once more, her body once again moving as she headed over to the large grand staircase that led to the upper floors of the castle, her heels making soft clicks against the stone as she began to make her way up them, her arms tightening slightly around the cat to make sure that she wouldn't drop him.

Katts did very little during the journey but simply enjoy the ride, continuing to play the role of the innocent, benign kitten while being led through the very castle he savaged just earlier that afternoon.

Lifting one of her arms up from around his body as she got closer to the door that led to her room she pressed her forearm hard against the polished wood, the huntress using her strength to push it open just enough so that she could slip into her room with him, her arm sliding down the door before she let it drop back down to her side, the door closing behind them both with a gentle thud. Slowing her pace now that she was alone in her chambers she made her way over to her bed, her body leaning over slightly as she relaxed her arms slightly around the cat, letting him down easy so that he could curl up and rest gently on the top of the bed, "You just make yourself comfortable, not that I think that will be quite hard for you to do. It seems as though you can sleep anywhere and at any time."

Turning her back to him as she began to cross over the room she slowed to a stop in front of her armchair, her arms coming up to cross over her body as she gripped hold of the bottom of her top so that she could began to slowly remove her clothes, laying them one by one down over the the arm of the chair so that she would be able to find them in the morning once she woke up.

Katts, still trying to keep the guise of an innocent feline, pawed at the soft, expensive bed-spread before sauntering towards one of the pillows and curling up atop it, yawning noiselessly.

But as Belle began undressing in front of him, Katts couldn't help but let a single eye wander, investigate - analyze.

Her body was pleasing, with lean, well-defined muscles and voluptuous, bosomy curves that might have made even the Dark Queen jealous.

Katts cursed himself inwardly for his averting eye, the curse of being male. Trying to push her out of his mind as best as he could, Katts once more lay down on the pillow and attempted to fall asleep, feeling a....quickening in his chest. Unusual.

Lifting both her arms up from her sides once she had finished undressing she ran her hands over her forehead, her fingers slipping through her long dark brown locks as she pushed it all back off of her face, her arms dropping back down to her sides as she made her way over to her bed, her body leaning over as she began to pull the covers back. Climbing up onto the mattress she slowly dropped back, her arm lifting up so that her forearm was resting gently against her forehead, her eyes focusing on the canopy that was hung above her as a gentle and relaxed sigh slipped past her lips.

Katts moved himself closer somewhat, enough that he was pressed up against her leg. With one more light purr he closed his eyes and seemed to drifted off to sleep.

Turning her head down slightly as she felt the soft fur of the cat brushing lightly against her leg she couldn't help the smile that once more lit up her features, the huntress deciding to take her cue from the feline as she turned her body onto its side, her arm sliding up and under the pillow to support her head as she quickly drifted off into a slumber.

After about a half an hour when he was sure Belle was fully asleep, Katts stealthily slunk off the bed, being sure not to disturb her as he did so.

With a sudden shift, the cat grew exponentially and became human again, the now regular Katts brushing off his shoulders lightly.

Wearing a cool expression he quickly investigated the bedroom, his eyes keen for anything of interest, of note. Finding nothing, the Assassin let out a small sigh before turning towards the window, ready to jump out and escape.

But one look back at Belle halted him, stopped him. His lips curved into a deep frown as he knew exactly what was going on.

'You know the rules, don't get sentimental...' He hissed inwardly at himself with a narrowed, venomous look to his eyes. But, finding himself unable to leave so soon he walked back towards the bed, shaking his head disgustedly to himself before once more shifting back into cat form and jumping back onto the bed, nuzzling himself against her once more to fall into a restful sleep.

Dominic leaned over the balcony overlooking the snowy slopes of the ski lodge, strangely comforted by the cool, icy air whipping against his face, billowing his hair slightly in the wind as his eyes veered up to the dark sky, already noting the glinting stars like pinpricks in the heavens.

"How long will I be gone? Be on this 'Earth'?" Dominic heard his own voice inside his head, echoing the same question he had asked thirteen years ago - when he was still home.

"As long as necessary." The Sorcerer's voice replied vaguely as ever.

This was it, though. After all these years....

Dominic turned on his heel as he heard the glass balcony door opening and closing once again, with Ilya and Funes walking out proceeded by their own charges, causing Dominic to crack a soft smile, nervous as he may be.

“..-Jaidyn, I don’t know what you’re talking about..! I didn’t ask for anyone to come out here. Why would I..? I was having a pretty good time out here on my own…” Crossing her arms over her chest as she spoke, Eliza shifted her stance slightly so that her back was pressed further back into Alan’s arms, as though she was trying to press the point that she in fact did want to be left alone, rather than have everyone she knew follow her out onto the balcony when they were supposed to be having a private moment together.

“I’m sorry Eli- relax okay? We were told that you asked for us to come and meet you out here.” Lifting his hand up so that he was rubbing the back of his neck, Jaidyn sighed softly before shooting a quick glance over at his brother for a little help with trying to explain what happened, his attention turning back to her completely as he once again dropped his arm down to his side, “Your uncle Dominic said that you had some sort of surpr-…”

"Man, I knew there was a reason I didn't want to come out here." Sebastian remarked, shaking his head a bit, accidentally catching Alan's gaze and stuffed his hands back into his pockets, averting his eyes to look past the both of them to where he could see Dominic standing. "The dude going through Alzheimer's already?"

“He what…” Narrowing her eyes as soon as she heard her uncles name slip out of Jaidyn’s lips, Eliza shot her head around so that she was glaring intensely at Dominic’s back, her body tensing up against Alan’s as she shook her head in disbelief, “Are you serious right now? So because you don’t like the fact that I chose Alan as my boyfriend, you’re now going to lie to my friends to make sure that we don’t spend any time alone together… that’s a new low, even for you, uncle Dom…”

Ignoring his niece's words for the time being, Dominic eyed the group as a whole, lifting his hand up to his mouth to clear his throat before beginning in a clear voice, loud enough for the whole group to hear.

"May I have your attention, please? All of you."

Moving his hands up Eliza's arms, Alan patted her shoulders, a small gesture that told her non-verbally that everything was going to be okay.

"Just... listen to what he has to say." Alan told her quietly before pulling away from her and went to sit at one of the tables at the corner of the balcony, propping up his feet on the chair opposite of him both to get comfortable and he didn't want anyone else sitting there.

Daria felt like she was walking into something that she maybe shouldn't have been walking into. It seemed like the few people that were on the balcony were at odds with each other and only caught the tail end of the conversation. The piece that really seemed to stick out was Eliza saying something about Alan being her boyfriend. She glanced at the guy and cocked an eyebrow, he clearly made quick work with Eliza considering he had spent a good portion of yesterday in her room. Then she remembered Eliza sneaking out last night and realized she knew exactly where she had gone. She felt bad for the girl, thinking that Alan was in it for the long run. She looked over at Alan, "Boyfriend, magic man?" Magic man... Ya, as soon as Eliza put out he was going to pull a disappearing trick.

She was about to say something further when Dominic called for their attention. Rapunzel, still holding Daria's hand poked head around the other girl's shoulder, "Maybe we should go back inside," She whispered, feeling as though she were intruding on something...

As Annelise stood there she looked at her sister for a moment when she was told that Alan was her boyfriend, and knew who he was from the night before during the snowstorm. But she decided to not say anything for now, thinking it best to talk to her about it when they were alone. Annelise shifted slightly and leaned herself up against the wall looking over towards Uncle Dom who told her to come out here because Eliza asked her to, but there seemed to be something else going on here.

"So mind telling me why we are out here?" Annelise asked looking over towards Dom and then Alan, seeing as the two of them knew something more about what was going on.

Morgan had come out to the balcony and maintained her distance away from Eliza and Alan, in order not to cause a scene. She noticed that Alan had pulled away from Eliza, but she didn't comment. She figured that was going to happen. She looked towards Dominic, when he called for their attention, and she raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms. Why had Dominic gathered all of them here? Something about this seemed off to Morgan.

Now having everyone's attention on him, Dominic took a brief moment to swallow hard, eyes glancing up to the sky as he let a single thought cross his mind, perhaps in hope that the Sorcerer would be able to hear:

'Wish me luck.'

"I suppose you're all wondering why I've gathered you out here." Dominic began aloud, once more assuming the clear, loud voice that mirrored that of a public speaker or military officer's.

"I apologize for all the cloak-and-dagger that was involved in organizing this meeting, however I can assure you that all your questions - and more - will soon be answered." He added on, eyeing each one of the people gathered outside, as though personally speaking to them individually.

"I would like to begin, with a question of my own. Have you ever looked at yourself in the mirror, maybe dreamt of something especially astonishing one night, or perhaps felt a little different inside? Think maybe you don't belong in the traditional sense...that you're outside, that there's something more to you than what seems so apparent, so obvious?" Dominic asked, beginning to pace across the balcony while seeming to grow more passionate with each word.

Morgan sighed silently at the questioning that was taking place. To her, this sounded like he was starting to advertise for some kind of cult. Her gaze hardened at Dominic in a way to give him a silent warning, but she didn't speak up or leave just yet, because he hadn't finished making his point yet. She wouldn't admit that in the back of her mind that she did feel different, but she didn't show any sign of it.

“..yeah, I get that way at times- but it’s whenever I’m out riding the waves…” Shifting on the spot slightly as he listened to the questions that were being asked of them all, Jaidyn shot another quick glance over towards where his brother was standing before slowly but surely lifting his hand up just a small amount, as though he were gesturing to himself though was still unsure about why it was that he was doing so in the first place. It was like Dominic could see right through him- whenever he was out on the water; he felt different somehow, like he was destined for something greater than he was already achieving… he had long ago stopped trying to explain to others just how it was that he felt whenever he was out among the waves; the feeling that something was missing in his life, though he could never seem to pin-point exactly what it was…

Shaking his head lightly as though to try and pull himself back to the present, Jaidyn shifted his stance slightly as he brought his arms up to cross over his chest, not in a defensive manner but as something to do as he tried to make sense of his own thoughts and just what it was that he was hearing from the man he had only just met that night, “I don’t know how to explain it… It’s like, when I’m out on the water, I really belong; I can be myself- like when I’m out there I’m free, like I’m in another world altogether…”

“Jaidyn, that’s just because you’re great at your sport- I don’t think that’s what my uncle is trying to get at with all these weird questions.” Crossing her arms tightly over her chest as she shifted awkwardly on the spot for a moment, Eliza quickly shook her head and moved herself forward so that she was standing in between the two brothers, her weight ever shifting from one side to the other as she did her best to not let on too much that she was seriously thinking about what it was that Dominic was asking them to think about- it wasn’t like she hadn’t thought about these sorts of things in the past; she had always been the odd one out growing up… and even with her father’s complete and utter honesty about her and Anna being adopted, she had always been curious. She was always just-… different… but she had also always been open when it came to wanting to know about her past before being found that night in the snow, and while she was okay with who she was now and where she was in her life, there was always going to be that burning feeling to find out more- and Dominic knew that for a fact…

Clenching her jaw for a moment in her own personal anger and frustration towards her uncle, Eliza quickly once again relaxed her body, her gaze turning to glance at the snow covered mountains as she did her best to calm herself before she turned her attention back to her uncle, “..what exactly are you trying to get at with the sudden interrogation, uncle Dom- you’re acting so strange tonight.”

Sebastian had been eerily quiet for being, well, Sebastian, but Dominic's words were piercing through him on a level he didn't even know existed. His eyes bore into Eliza's uncle, as though trying to surmise if he was really speaking to the group as a whole, or if it was a way for Dominic to speak directly to him. Jaidyn wasn't getting it, Eliza seemed too pissed off to really care, but each and every word Dominic had spoken felt as though it had been made for him specifically.

"Shut up, let him talk!" Sebastian snapped, mostly towards his brother but also at the tail-end of what Eliza had been saying. It was exceptionally out of character for Sebastian to be so brash, but this was something that used to bug him when he was just a small boy - the very first memories he had being adopted into the Beachley family. Time of course filled (or at least attempted to) that empty void he felt in being adopted, to begin with, but his creative mind couldn't help but to believe that there was something more to all of this.

He looked around at the group, only knowing Anna, Eliza, Dominic and Alan as of that day and his brother. The others, however, were strangers to him, but something was tickling the back of his mind.

Rapunzel released Daria's hand and stepped around the girl slightly as the man spoke to them about being... different. Rapunzel only had memories from the last year, if there was something else that made her feel as though she didn't belong it definitely had something to do with her lack of knowledge of her life before San Francisco. She felt like she stuck out like a sore thumb, like she didn't even belong in this time. There were things that just didn't make sense to her, like cell phones or cars... The doctors that Agatha brought her two were just as confused as they couldn't find any reason for the amnesia.

Was this an answer?... Did this man that she had never met have the answer? The feeling that she should go back inside disappeared from her as she looked on, listening to him, ignoring the squabbling around her.

Daria's hand rose slowly and touched the gold pendant that rested against her chest. Daria had always been a kind of social chameleon of sorts, fitting in as she needed. She was the perfect daughter for her parents, the 'A' student for her teachers, and the wild child for her peers. She almost always felt like a square peg in a circular hole that was just slightly bigger. Big enough for her to fit but she never filled the hole completely. A lot of that not fitting perfectly laid in her necklace, proof of the past that led to nothing but dead ends. A question with no answer. She always liked to think that the necklace had been her mother's... it seemed like something a mother would give their daughter before abandoning them but the truth was, she didn't remember where she had gotten it from at all. She wrapped her free arm around herself and looked at Dominic, curious as to just what it was he was getting at, slightly discomforted by how he hit her feelings right on the nose.

Annelise would look over towards Dominic once more as he started to speak up she would look over at her sister for a second before turning her attention back to him as he asked them a question. Something in his voice made her think for a moment and had to agree with the others who were outside with her. Back in high school she felt different from the other kids somehow but she never thought about it much, the person she felt the most connection to was Eliza other then that she knew she was adopted by the man who raised them. "So what are you trying to say Uncle Dom?" Annelise asked.

Looking about the group at all the conflicted expressions that practically themselves spoke of conflicted thinking, Dominic's smile of confidence grew wider.

"Allow me to continue." He added on, now keeping his gaze fixed on the group as a whole. "How many of you are either adopted or have incredibly vague backgrounds, childhoods, things you can't seem to remember or things that simply seem like coincidence? Eliza, I know you and your sister were found alone in the snow, rescued by your father. What of the rest of you?" He asked aloud, letting his silence fall almost dramatically as he awaited the answers of the people in front of him.

Hearing her name being called and her past so casually thrown out there for the rest of the group to hear for themselves, Eliza tightened her arms over her chest as she shifted awkwardly on the spot that she was standing on, her angered expression morphing instead into one of embarrassment as she dropped her gaze, tilting her head down ever so slightly as she stared at the ground between her and her uncle.

“Eli…” Reaching out his hand so that it was resting lightly upon Eliza’s shoulder rather than in his pocket like it had been moments before, Jaidyn lifted his gaze to look at his brother, waiting until he was sure that it was okay before he once again spoke up, his eyes returning back to Eliza though he instead spoke to the group that surrounded him, “Eli- you’re not the only one, I promise. Sebastian and I-… Our mother and father found us during their morning training session. We were found alone, on the beach and soaking wet in the surf. They took us in and adopted the both of us so that we wouldn’t be split up.”

Daria wrapped her arms around her stomach as the cold started to nip at her bare skin. She had always hated the cold despite spending a vast majority of her life in Russia or other cold corners of the world. At the mention of being adopted, she looked between Eliza and Annelise, that had been the very thing the three of them had bonded over, the fact that they had been found at a young age with no recollection of the time before it. Noticing Eliza's discomfort, she was about to move to her when one of the boys did instead, comforting her. Daria instead reached out and gave Annelise's hand a little squeeze before it returned to her side. She nodded her head, "I was too... My parent's backyard... in Russia..." Her eyebrows knitted together for a moment, the five of them were all rather close in age... What was the coincidence of them all being found abandoned on completely different contents with no memories.

Rapunzel pulled her hair over her shoulder and started to pull at it a little. She had a sensation to want to wrap herself up in it and hide, a sensation that wasn't uncommon when she was nervous or scared. Of course, that wasn't possible her hair was far too short... now. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and cleared her throat, "I was found in San Francisco last year... No memory of anything..." She looked at the girl in blue and offered a small smile. It was kind of nice being around people who had been in a similar situation, even if it was at a different time in their lives.

Annelise looked over when she felt Daria reaching over to hold her hand and smiled at her for a moment. Her eyes going over towards the other members of the group, it was odd that they all pretty much said the same thing. Annelise would then gently give Rapunzel's arm a gentle rub her before walking over towards Eliza.

When she was beside her sister Annelise would look at her with a concerned look on her face and held Eliza's hand. "Are you okay?" Annelise asked softly pulling Eliza slightly closer to her.

Lifting her gaze for only a moment so that she glanced up at Jaidyn as she felt the weight of his hand upon her shoulder, Eliza turned her attention over to her sister as she felt her warm touch and soft voice asking her whether she was okay- how could she be okay… their uncle was hitting a sensitive nerve, and it wasn’t just with the two of them, but also with their friends and everyone else that was standing around them. Squeezing Anna’s hand softly before she slowly pulled her own back, Eliza once again crossed her arms over her chest, her head shaking softly from side to side as she once more took a step back, staying close to the two brothers rather than moving away to stand by her sister’s side, “..not particularly Anna- but I’ll manage…”

"I apologize for bringing up any sensitive points here....but look around you, that's the one similarity that seems to connect each and every one of you." Dominic continued on, clearly coming closer to a final thesis.

"What I'm about to tell you is going to sound strange, it's going to sound crazy, and it's going to be unbelievable. But I urge you all to open up your minds and think about these next few words I'm about to say." Dominic warned in a sterner tone before heaving a deep sigh.

"None of you are who you think you are." He said in a blunt, if still semi-vague manner, taking a moment to let the words sink in before elaborating.

"This world, Earth, is not your home, not where you were born; neither is Earth mine, or Alan's, or Ilya's, or Funes'. All of us here tonight, on this balcony, hail from a distant land known as the Fairy Tale World."

Not stopping to let anyone interrupt for fear of rousing disbelief or skepticism, Dominic hurriedly continued.

"Many of you are Royals from where you hail, sent to this place, this realm to escape the clutches of the Evil Queen, Maleficent. Eliza, Annalise, Daria, Rapunzel, Jaidyn, Sebastian, and Morgan...I believe it is time you learned your true names." Dominic finished, looking at the group as a whole again for signs of reactions.

Dominic had absolutely and completely lost it in Eliza’s eyes… different worlds, fairy tales, true identities… the fact that he not only believed that he came from this so called Fairy Tale World, but also that everyone else standing on the balcony with him came from there as well- it was nothing more than ridiculous… and embarrassing. Tightening her arms slightly over her chest as she took a couple of steps closer to where her uncle was standing, Eliza quickly glanced around at everyone else who was standing out in the cold night air with them- Anna, Jaidyn, Sebastian, Daria, Morgan, and the other girl she now knew to be Rapunzel… They couldn’t be falling for this- they had to have more common sense than that…

“How much have you had to drink..? Because that is the only rational explanation that I can come up with for your weird behavior tonight, really…” How did he expect them to believe that what he was telling them was the truth? He was physically standing there, telling them that they were all Royals from a world straight out of bedtime stories and Disney movies- he had to be drunk, because she didn’t want to believe that he had lost his mind. Dropping her arms from over her chest as she moved a little closer to him, Eliza reached out taking both his hands gently, and even though she was more than pissed off with him at that precise moment, her features were filled with worry, “What you’re suggesting to us- it’s completely insane uncle Dom. Fairy tales don’t exist; they’re things you used to read to me at night, to get me to fall asleep… movies you used to put on, so that Anna and I would stay out of trouble… they aren’t real.”

A different world and-… and a Royal..? To say that he had been expecting any of that would be a complete and utter lie- Jaidyn had always known that he was different from others around him, but that different..? It was a lot to take on, and he wasn’t sure if he could take everything that was being said to them as seriously as his heart was telling him to take it- there was something inside of him wanted to believe in what it was that they were being told… to pull Eliza back an away from Dominic so that he could continue to explain what it was that he was trying to get at, but he just couldn’t- the skepticism was just too strong in his mind. Shaking his head as he brought his hand up and around so that he could awkwardly rub the back of his neck, Jaidyn shifted slightly on the spot before he moved over to the railing, leaning his body back against it as he tried to wrap his mind around everything that was going on, “I’m really sorry sir, but I’m going to have to agree with your niece on this one… What you are suggesting is slightly far-fetched; and the odds of this being true are extremely low, even it were possible…”

From his position towards the back of the balcony, Alan simply shook his head in minor disappointment. So much, in fact, that it brought him to his feet to make his way in between the small crowd of people until he reached Dominic and gave him a light pat on the back.

"Terrific job you're doing there, feathers." Alan complimented, but his tone was anything but. If this was the way that they were going to go about things, they would all still be there by the time they began to die of old age, one by one. No... no he had better things to do than hang around here for the rest of his life. So he took matters into his own hands; at least for this bit.

"Alright, yeah, you're all adopted, you've all got vague memories of your past and none of you know where you come from. That's a fact. So let's look at facts, then, shall we?" Alan gestured over towards Eliza and Anna. "Do you know the exact date you were found? I do. Your Uncle Dominic does and so does-" Alan glanced quickly over at Illya and Funes, forgetting their names already. "-uh, Professor X and Oscar the Grouch, over there." He paused before going on, looking back to the two sisters. "If your adopted parents told you, and you know the date you were found, great. Makes this all seem less stalker-ish." He gestured over to Jaidyn and Sebastian. "What day were you guys found? On the beach in an entirely different country. If we are to look at facts here, then turn to each other and tell them the day you were found. Go on." He looked then to Daria, motioning for her to look Morgan. "You two too. In fact, everyone. What day were you found?" Alan looked over to Rapunzel and then shook his head. "Yeah, no, not you. You can't play this round. Amnesia's a bitch."

Annelise stared at her sister as she answered her, she was feeling the same way she watched Eliza breaking away from her to stand near the two brothers. She then decided to stand back next to Daria and Rapunzel her eyes looking back over towards Dominic as he started to speak, the things Dominic was saying sounded completely insane and started to think the same way Eliza was, but something still kept her interest.

Annelise leaned up against the wall and stared at Dominic, then her attention turned towards Alan and stared right at him before finally speaking up. "If you say that all of this is true, and we don't have any memory, is there any real or hard proof that you claim us all to be?" Annelise asked crossing her arms over her chest, and started to shiver slightly due to the cold mountain air.

Nodding a wordless thanks in Alan's direction, Dominic couldn't help the look of uncertainty that darted across his features as more and more skepticism seemed to unravel among the Children - how could he blame them?

And suddenly, he heard it, his solution: The Folder.

"You want proof, Annelise? I have all the proof you need - that any of you need." Dominic replied, crossing both arms behind his back and looking amidst the group with the look of a mad scientist in his eyes.

"Alan...do me a favor and go fetch my binder from inside, would you? I believe it will help ease this transition." Dominic requested, managing to maintain a rather stately tone of voice, though his expression still mirrored that of a child in front of a candy store.

Alan threw up his hands in the air, both palms facing out though he was unable to get them to reach the height he wanted given the uncomfortable boundaries the suit (despite him rolling up the sleeves) gave him.

"By the Gods, the man actually does something that makes sense!" he exclaimed, his chin pointed up as though he were talking to the stars. "As luck would have it, though," Alan continued, bringing his gaze back down to "Earth" and speaking to Dominic. He reached his hand back behind him, lifting up the tail-end of his coat a bit and pulled out the small binder that he had taken all but ten minutes to memorize from cover to cover - well, at least the pictures. "Don't think you're getting rid of me that easy, Grizzly Adams, I brought it with me."

Stepping forward, keeping his eyes on Dominic, Alan took the binder and with a light flick of his wrist, slammed it down onto the table in front of him and then finally let his eyes detour someplace else, landing on Anna. Somehow, Alan kept his face from flushing at not only the recollection of taking the girls virginity, but also the knowledge he held now of who she was, and who she was.

"Ya might want to get to readin', the man seriously does his homework."

This was getting ridiculous- how on Earth could he possibly prove anything that he was saying… it was impossible, nothing more than a fairy tale, and the fact that both Dominic and Alan were playing on a topic that was so sensitive for the rest of the group; it was just making her frustration and anger levels rise. Shaking her head as though giving up on trying to be reasonable with her uncle while she let go of his hands completely, Eliza took a couple of steps backwards, putting space in between the both of them as she turned her back to him, her hands dropping to pick the front of her dress up just the tiniest amount as she began to head back towards the door that would lead her back into the lodge, and into the party they were all now missing thanks to this nonsense, “You’ve completely lost it- you really have uncle Dom… and I’m done playing your little game; I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m going back inside- you know, back to reality…”

Daria caught Eliza's arm as she started to head back inside. Daria was hardly one to believe the mumbo jumbo that fairy tales spat out but there was something... Something weird about all of them. She looked at her friend before speaking a low voice, "Five kids found in three different countries on three different continents... All of the with no memory of who they were before that... Even without knowing exactly what date you were found on, that's weird, Eliza."

She stole a glance at the girl's uncle and sighed, "Your uncle might make strange fashion choices but... I don't think he's crazy. I mean, your dad never would have let you near him if he thought he was off his rocker," She held Eliza's gaze, "The one time he starts talking crazy... and he is talking crazy... You turn your back on him? Eli... That's not you."

She sighed, "I know this is a touchy subject.... It is with all of us but," She reached up and touched the gold amulet that rested against her chest, "Don't you think that if there is even a chance of finding out where we are from... that it's worth it to hear him out?"

Morgan crossed her arms when Alan spoke up. So...the car thief was in on this too. She glared at him, showing her complete distrust and disdain towards him, when he spoke to them. She agreed with Anna when she asked for proof.

She pointed out to Dominic, her gaze hard, cold, and completely distrusting. She told him sternly, and loudly for everyone out on the balcony could hear her, "Sir. Even if you do have proof of some kind, do you really expect us to believe you when a repeat offender is backing you up on this?" She had pointed to Alan when she said repeat offender. She added "He tried to steal somebody's Lamborghini last night," If anything, the fact that Alan was backing up Dominic on this matter only gave Morgan reasonable suspicion to believe that Dominic may be running some kind of scam.

Dominic had zero credibility right now in Morgan's eyes.

She shook her head and she turned saying, "I too am heading back inside. This is a waste of everybody's time,"

Annelise looked over at her sister watching as she started to turn around and head back inside, she was tempted to as well. She turned to look back at the strange amulet that Dominic was holding out to her. With a sigh Annelise approached Eliza overhearing what Daria was saying to her.

"I kind of have to agree with Daria, even if Uncle Dom sounds like he's saying complete bullshit. All of us have something in common, we were all found in different places with no memory of anything that happened. I don't believe in fairy tales either, or that we are royals as he put it, but if its a chance to find out who we really are, we have to look into this." Annelise said before turning her attention back to Dominic.

"Give me a few moments of your time, Detective....and all will be made clear." Dominic reasoned as Morgan turned to head back inside.

"Now then. For the more practical of you, I have evidence that will not only correlate with what I've been telling you tonight, but hopefully allow us to reach a goal we've been trying to for over thirteen years." Dominic explained, once more to the group as a whole, planting both hands in his coat pockets.

The sound of high pitched screeching filled the air around her in the cave that guarded the entrance of her home, the sound alone causing her to lift her attention to the air above, her bright blue eyes honing in on the graceful yet still quite dangerous creature that was circling above her head, enjoying its moment of freedom by exploring every little inch of the cave, much like she herself had done when she had first discovered it many years ago- the very sight of it causing her heart to soar within her chest, and her features to light up in understanding to how it was that the creature was feeling. She knew the feeling- that feeling of spreading her wings and having just that small moment of freedom; away from all the pressures that came with the title and responsibility of being Queen. She would not deny her that opportunity; though she knew that she would need to keep an eye on her- the outside world was barely ready for someone like her… if they ever caught glimpse of any of the creatures from Atlantis…

“Aithusa..! مجھے اپنی لڑکی کے لئے آو..!"

She couldn’t help the large and proud smile that crossed over her lips as she watched the dragon-like creature soar through the air, slowly but surely making its way back to where she stood upon the rocks, her arm coming up and around the back of her head so that she could scoop her long pure white locks over her to her left, her head tilting ever so slightly so that it was easier on the creature as it finally touched down upon her opposite shoulder, its claws gripping firmly though softly against her skin almost as though it were being careful not to harm the Queen as it folded her wings back in and against her body, “It should not be too long. Then we shall return to the city, and feast to our guest- welcome him into Atlantis.”

Dropping her head down to her hip as she reached across to the small pouch that she had resting lightly against her body, she took a moment to reach into it before pulling out a small bit of torn and raw meat, her attention lifting back to the creature resting lightly upon her shoulder as she brought the piece of meat up, offering it before she watched her snap out, snatching it quickly from between her fingers so that she could take pleasure to the treat that was being graciously offered to her, “Truly you are the pride of your species, Aithusa. Hold your head up high my girl; we both are warriors.”

/Alright, fellas, this is your stop./

Simba reared the buffalo he had been riding for the duration of the trip, using the mental bond he had created between himself and the animal to tell it what he wanted. In turn, the buffalo being the leader of the herd, the rest of the buffalo slowed to a stop and began to graze on the grass just outside of the cave he now knew would lead him to Atlantis.

There was a small scuffle among Simba's mane of hair before the small meerkat, Timon, popped his head out from behind Simba's neck, his black, beady eyes blinking as he tried to get them adjusted to the sun but more than that, the meerkat looked confused.

/This? This is Atlantis?/ Timon moved himself around Simba's shoulder, using a lock of his blonde hair to grab onto while he pulled himself onto the top of Simba's head and sat up on his two back legs, his front paws pulled into his narrow chest and put his head on a swivel to see if he might have missed anything. /Uh, Mwoga... buddy... I know you said that this city was ancient, and lost... but there ain't nothin' here!/

/Well maybe you're not looking hard enough Timon. Remember, patience is a virtue and only that which is lost will reveal itself to those who have proven themselves in time./ The warthog then gave a small grunt, billowing up a small cloud of dust at his hooves as if to hammer in his point indefinitely.

Shaking his head a bit, Simba reached his hand up to pluck Timon by the scruff of his neck, pinching it with two fingers as he lifted him up and then gently set him down on top of Pumbaa, ignoring Timon's startled and rather angry rants of protest about 'being treated like an animal.'

/Look, I already told you guys, I'm not taking you to the city. It is ancient, and it is lost, which is why we are stopping here. I can't have you two following me./ Simba told them gently, looking past the sad eyes Pumbaa was giving him in return.

/Oh, I get it!/ Timon replied, a bit of hostility in his voice before he stamped his foot on Pumba's back a few times, tryin to urge the warthog to turn around. /He doesn't want us around anymore, Pumbaa. He's got new friends. Ya think ya know a guy! Sheesh!/

/New friends are great! I wish I could make new friends. It would make our afternoon slug-slurping contests so much more fun with more than three and-/

/No no no no, Pumbaa, buddy, you're not getting it.../ Timon interrupted. /We've been replaced./

The warthog slowly lowered his head, looking down at his front two hooves.

/Oh.../

A small pang of guilt ran up through Simba's heart, but more than that, he could feel their disappointment as if it were his own.

/Fellas... I haven't replaced you. I promise. All I need is a little time. Get to the city, tell their Queen I brought back the buffalo herd, and then I'm out. We can go right back to Hakuna Matata./ Simba pushed his thoughts forward, on top of that, opening up his mind a bit more so that the sincerity of his words would be soon to reach their minds and hopefully their hearts. The bond worked two ways, Simba could just as easily shut them out as they could, he just hoped it wouldn't come down to that.

The sounds of grunts and hooves hitting the ground and growing louder outside the mouth of the cave caught her attention, causing her to turn her head slightly so that she was looking towards the opening that led to the world outside the safety of Atlantis, her eyebrow raising only slightly in a moment of curiosity before a soft pain shot through her shoulder pulling her attention back to the dragon-like creature that was perched upon her, its eyes (very much like her own had been) honed in on the entrance to the cave as though it too were curious to see what it was that was lurking just outside. She couldn’t blame her- just as herself, Aithusa wanted to explore the world beyond, though until she felt better about those who weren’t Atlantean, she just couldn’t allow that to happen… but it wouldn’t stop her from giving the creature even the smallest of peeks…

Twisting her body ever so slightly so that the palm of her hand was resting softly upon the top of the ledge in which she had been perching, her curiosity getting the better of her as she pushed herself forward and down to the ground of the cave, the young woman hesitating for a few moments before she finally straightened herself up, her arms softly swinging by her side and in time with her hips as she moved herself forward, her head tilting as she lifted her arm up, gently brushing the thick curtain to the side so that she could slip her body through- the dragon-like creature shifting it’s body over hers as it turned its head, it’s dark and almost completely black eyes honing in on the meerkat that was seeming to throw a little fit on the bigger creatures back; her own attention flicking from the two animals before finally coming to a rest upon the familiar figure that was Mwoga.

“..Mwoga- I welcome you back; truly, I am in your dept for your service to Atlantis…”

Turning his head at hearing his self-given name being called, Simba's light blue eyes fell on Kidagakash, Queen of Atlantis. But she was so much more than that in Simba's eyes, and she would never know it. She was human; another human being - a reminder that no matter how many years he had spent learning from the animal kingdom, he himself was also human, despite his greatest desires to forget it. Truly, things would just be easier as a lion. The males got to sleep all day.

Ignoring the multitude of questions that were being fired his way through the mental bond between himself, Pumbaa and Timon, Simba slid himself off of the large buffalo to cross over to her, stumbling a bit as one of his legs seemed to have fallen asleep but he recovered quickly and stopped a few feet away from her, giving her a quick, embarrassed smile.

"Kidagakash..." Simba stopped abruptly, his eyes catching sight of the creature he had never before seen or even heard of perched precariously on her shoulder, it's black eyes honing in on something behind him close to his feet. "What is that?" he then asked, forgetting all manners and etiquette when addressing royalty. Not that he learned much in The Pride Lands to begin with.

She had almost completely forgotten about the fact that he would have never seen a creature such as Aithusa before- the native creature of Atlantis, much like the people of her home, lost to the world long ago when the great floods had come through, cutting them off from the rest of the world like it had all those years ago. Turning her head ever so slightly so that she was able to let her gaze lift up and linger upon the creature on her shoulder, she watched on as it shifted its body over her shoulder, its head lowering and neck extending as it continued to stalk the small meerkat that sat upon the warthog’s back, its wings extending and beating a couple of times as it took a couple of steps further down her arm causing her to lift it up slightly as to accommodate the free movement of the creature.

“This particular breed; Opaleye… The species- Taragorn.” Turning her head back around so that she was once more looking directly at Mwoga as he approached her, she shifted her body over the spot in which she stood, her body standing a little taller and prouder as she moved her arm so that he could look over the creature better than he already was, her features softening slightly as a small though unmistakable smile played over her lips “Aithusa is my own- as well as one can be. I do not control her. We are warriors, respect runs deep between the two of us… just as it should always.”

"Opaleye, Taragorn, Aithusa..." Simba repeated, committing the names and their meanings to memory. It was a truly remarkable species, it's dark purple scales glittering in the light of the evening sun, casting a soft purple tint over the exposed skin of it's Queen - another breathtaking wonder. Truly, did everything that came from Atlantis expel beauty? Simba had never seen anything that would contradict otherwise, therefore it had to be so.

Simba's thoughts were then quickly pulled away, feeling an urgent series of tugs on the cloth he wore around his middle. Looking down at his feet, Simba saw that Pumbaa, at some point, had made his way over to his heel, his eyes fixated on the Opaleye with a slight tremor in his thin legs. Timon, the culprit of the tugging as he had a pawful of the blue cloth bunched up in his paw, also had it's eyes on the Opaleye, seemingly looking frozen in fear. Realizing then that Simba had shut out their thoughts and was unable to hear what his friends were saying now, he re-opened their bond, once again feeling rather guilty.

/What are they?/ Timon asked, and Simba, for the first time, realized that his friends weren't just staring at the Opaleye, but Kidagakash as well. It hadn't occurred to him until then that he had been the only human they had seen alive before. He could feel their apprehensiveness coupled with a small amount of fear, making Simba feel the same way for a moment before he quickly shook his head and pressed his own feelings forward.

/It's okay. They are friends./ Simba started to explain and then held out a hand, gesturing towards the Queen of Atlantis. "Kidagakash." he told them both, giving them a name to know her by but also speaking it out loud so that Kidagakash might understand what it was that he was doing. "Aithusa." Simba then said, now gesturing towards the dragon-like animal.

/I think they want to eat us.../ Pumbaa then replied, rejecting Simba's emotions and keeping his apprehension as all the small warthog could do was stare, making Simba laugh out loud a bit.

Her stomach twisted with guilt for a moment, though why she was suddenly feeling this way she wasn’t too sure- the bond that had been formed between the two of them was still completely new to her; unexplored territory which left her feeling both defensive and also extremely vulnerable. She had never before seen such magic, and now to have another able to put influence onto her own emotions and thoughts; it still left her weary, though excited to explore the possibilities that came with the sudden closeness she could feel towards him. Quirking her eyebrow slightly as she heard both her own name and the name that she had given to the Taragorn that sat upon her shoulder, she dropped her gaze so that her attention was now resting upon the creatures that were huddled up against his legs, realization dawning over her features as their conversation from earlier once again coming to the forefront of her mind as her stunningly blue eyes lingered upon the warthog that she had attacked earlier that day.

"..Pumbaa..?” Glancing over at Mwoga for a moment to make sure that she had gotten the name correct before she turned her attention back down to the warthog, she lowered her arm and brought her hands together in front of her body as she bowed herself over in his direction as a way to apologize for her actions earlier, her sudden movement causing Aithusa to ruffle her wings in surprise and screech out in protest, its eyes and attention turning back to the meerkat after a few moments of regaining its composure, “..forgive my actions this day-… Aithusa no..!”

Shooting her head up instantly the moment she felt the weight of the Taragorn lift up from her shoulder completely, she stood herself back up and straightened her back, her eyes quickly working to follow the path of flight that it was taking before her eyes came to a rest upon the meerkat that was tugging upon the clothes that she had given Mwoga earlier that day, moving forward as quickly as she could, she leant her body forward as she reached out with her left hand so that she could scoop the meerkat up into her arms before she turned to face Aithusa, her right hand shooting into the pouch resting upon her hip before she pulled out a larger piece of raw meat than she had before, her face once more expressionless as she threw it up into the air, watching as it was quickly sought out and snatched up into its mouth, “میں بعد میں آپ کے ساتھ نمٹنے گی... please- forgive her. She knows no better..."

It was an instinctual thing. The very moment the body of the Taraorn flexed, getting ready to take flight, a terrified squeal came from the warthog, digging his hooves into the ground and dove underneath the 'skirts' of Simba to seek refuge between his legs, twitchin his tail a bit to ensure the small, twisted thin came in from pokin out of Simba's cloth. This, however, left Timon holding onto the bit of cloth he still had in his hands, the back of the warthog no longer underneath him forcing him to hang as he just began to realize what was happening. Issuing out his own cry of terror, unsure whether to drop down and run or scamper up and hide in Simba's hair, he suddenly felt a soft, warm hand scooping him up that didn't at all belong to Simba. With a surprised, high-pitched bark, Timon began to squirm as much as he possibly could in Kidagakash's hold, using his paws to try to pry open her fingers around him.

/I changed my mind! I changed my mind! Give me up to the bird lizard! At least I'd go quick that way-/ Timon stopped then, watching as Kidagakash threw up a piece of meat that came from a pouch around her waist, tilting his head to the side as Aithusa very suddenly lost interest in him and went after the free meal. Timon then looked up to Kidagakash, keeping his head tilted, blinking his large eyes a few times before relaxing in her grip. /You know, I always liked you. Brave, daring, bold. The perfect warrior!/ Timon then looked over to Simba. /And you were just gonna let me die!/ Something that sounded like a snort came from Timon's nose as he started to make himself more comfortable in Kidagakash's grip.

Simba, in the meantime, found the spectacle rather humorous and had to press the backs of his knuckles to his lips to keep from laughing out.

"It's fine. I would have eaten them both too if I hadn't bonded with them thirteen years ago." he admitted, the amusement in his tone ungiving if he was joking or not.

/Timon?/ Pumbaa then asked with obvious hesitancy as he was unable to see what was going on. /Timon? Are you dead yet?/

“You are bonded with this creature as well?” Tiling her head ever so slightly to the side as she lifted the meerkat up in front of her, she brought her other hand up from her side to help support his small frame as she allowed her stunningly blue eyes to look him over, a small and curious smile playing over her lips as she did her best to try and figure out just what type of creature he was, and just whether or not it was okay for her to handle him in the way that she was. He seemed to be enjoying it, but then without the bond that she was sure that the creature had with Mwoga, there was no way for her to truly know, “..you are what they call cute, yes?”

Lowering her arms and bringing them into her body once again so that he was resting softly against her chest, she relaxed her grip around his figure completely so that he would be able to move about as he pleased, her attention lifting back up before she turned her head, allowing her gaze to meet with Mwoga’s once more, “These are your friends? The ones that you spoke of earlier?”

Timon was soaking up the new-found attention as though he had been starving for it. The moment she gave him freedom within her gentle hold, he twisted his body around so that he was laying on his back, using the crease of where her arm met with her breast as a sort of pillow and support and nestled himself in.

/Keep talking strange albino lion. I wouldn't necessarily say cute - ferocious and terrifying maybe, but I like the direction you're going./ Timon answered, seeming to be unaware that she wasn't able to hear his thoughts like Simba was.

Simba chose to ignore Timon, instead taking a large step backward leaving Pumba exposed, the warthog having made himself as small as possible by curling up in a tiny ball though he lifted his head the moment he realized his shelter had moved.

"Yeah, these are them. I told them they could hang around while I brought the buffalo back here, but Timon-" Simba gestured towards the very comfortable-looking meerkat. "-and Pumbaa-" He gestured towards the confused looking warthog. "-were just leaving."

Bringing the arm that he wasn’t resting upon up and over so that she was able to gently scratch the top of his head with her nail, she shook her head lightly as her gaze flicked first from Timon to Pumbaa before once again returning to where Mwoga stood gesturing to the both of them in succession, her head tilting away from her shoulder as she once again felt the weight of Aithusa pressing down upon her body, its claws causing her skin to turn a light pink from the pressure of her gripping hold as so not to slip from her place upon the Queen, “I will hear none. Just as you; both are now my guests… and as such, shall be allowed to join in the welcoming festivities. Tonight, we feast to your arrival in Atlantis.”

Keeping her arm pressed lightly against her body as to accommodate for Timon as she began to lead the way into the cave, she reached for the third time into the pouch resting upon her side so that she could pull another piece of meat out from within it, her hand coming up and in front of Aithusa as she offered the small treat to her in reward for leaving both the meerkat and warthog alone once she had finished the meal that she had been given as a distraction.

Pausing for a moment, both Simba and Pumbaa looked at one another, and then both looked to Kidagakash as she headed back towards the mouth of the cave, and then looking back to one another. Pumbaa then uncoiled himself from his protective ball and pawed at the dirt a few times, shaking his body to expel the filth that covered his body from the initial dive he took and happily started to trot after Timon and Kidagakash.

"Pumbaa!" Simba called out, though it came out as more of a question.

Wiggling his tail cutely, knowing that Simba could only see his backside, Pumbaa promptly closed off his connection to Simba, letting out a few pleased grunts as he finally managed to catch up to the Queen.

/Hey, so long as we aren't the feast, I see no problem./ Timon piped up, then like Pumbaa, closed their connection leaving Simba standing there with a rather blank look on his face. He remained that way for a few moments before shaking his head and jogged after the small group. His friends.

Previously...

"Give me a few moments of your time, Detective....and all will be made clear." Dominic reasoned as Morgan turned to head back inside.

"Now then. For the more practical of you, I have evidence that will not only correlate with what I've been telling you tonight, but hopefully allow us to reach a goal we've been trying to for over thirteen years." Dominic explained, once more to the group as a whole, planting both hands in his coat pockets.

---

Jaidyn couldn’t help the way that his eyes dropped down to the folder that Alan had slammed down on the table in front of Dominic- that was supposed to hold all the answers to the questions that they all seemed to have burning in their minds? It looked so plain, so boring, so… normal. It was like all of the other binders that any of them would have used for work or school if it was ever needed; so what the hell was so different about this one in particular? Furrowing his brows in his own confusion as he tried to sort through the different questions that were bubbling away in his head, he shot a glance to the side and over to the others that were standing around him- Sebastian, Eliza, Daria, the detective whom he hadn’t officially met yet, the quiet blonde who had a substantial amount of hair, the guy who was completely silent while in the wheelchair and the one standing behind him who looked as though he worked at the lodge, Dominic, Eliza’s little sister-… Was that a look between her and her sister’s boyfriend?

Clenching his jaw tightly for a few moments as he shoved the thoughts to the side so that he could discuss them later on with his brother, Jaidyn lifted his hand up from his side to lightly rub at the back of his neck as he pushed himself away from the railing, slowly letting his feet carry him forward until he eventually came to a complete stop in front of the table that the folder was resting on, his brilliant sea-blue eyes dropping down to stare at it for a few moments before reaching out to pick it up, the pages bending slightly as he let the cover flick out from under his thumb so that he could look at everything that was written inside, his brows furrowing with each page that he flicked through until he came to a stop, his heart seeming to sink low in his chest as he stared down at a couple of pictures of himself; one as a young boy, and the other more recent, “..Eric Bourdelle..?”

Snapping his head up after a few moments so that Jaidyn’s gaze met with Dominic’s searching for some kind of confirmation that what he was reading was true before turning to face his brother, his feet taking a couple of steps towards him as he motioned to the folder before looking back down at it completely, “If what they’re saying is true; then according to this… my name is actually Eric, and that I’m some prince of a place called The Southern Isles- I’ve never even heard of it.”

“I’ve heard of it- but it isn’t a real place Jaidyn.” Eliza hesitated for a few moments before she made her way over to where the two of them were standing by the railing again, her arms wrapping over her chest as she quickly shot a glance down at the folder before looking between the two boys, “The Southern Isles is a place in that Disney movie ‘Frozen’; it’s the place that the villain comes from, I think his name is Hans, or something like that. I have the movie in my room with the rest of the movies in my collection.”

Daria trained her attention on Jaidyn when he started to speak as he looked through the file. Prince Eric... Her curiosity won out and she walked over to him and looked at the file as well. Slowly, she flipped the pages until she saw her own picture, her other hand holding her necklace tightly. She stared at the picture, she was in the clothes she had been found in. A gold scarf and a blue beaded dress of sorts which was far too cold for Russia.... Her eyes slowly drifted up to the name, a name she was somewhat expecting to see.

"Jasmine Singh," She said quietly, "Princess of Agrabah..." She shook her head, "None of these places actually exist. Did the two of you just decide to stalk us and felt like putting a Disney twist on it to make it fun and delightful? Make our lives a joke?"

As much as she wanted answers... As much as she was trying to get Eliza to listen to her uncle. This was too far. Had her home been a real geographical place maybe she wouldn't be getting upset but now she was just starting to feel like they were playing with them. Toying with them. She wouldn't exactly put it past Alan. Maybe this was just some big magic trick he felt like playing. Got the photos from the uncle and since none of them had actually said when they were found, just deciding it must be the same because they were told it was...

Rapunzel stepped forward and placed her hands on Daria's arm, "Hey... Benefit of the doubt, right? Wasn't that just what you were telling Eliza?"

"Ya... Well, that was before I realized these two creeps have been stalking all of us..." Daria hissed, pulling her arm back.

"Me next! Me next!" Sebastian nearly vaulted himself over the table that was placed between himself and the table where the group was slowly starting to congregate. He couldn't help it. As completely unrealistic as this all was, a surge of excitement began to flood his veins, spiking his attention disorder he had a cap on since their arrival and his next scheduled medicated time wasn't for another few hours thanks to the time zone change. Jet lag? What jet lag? Sebastian felt completely and entirely alive for those few moments as he finally made his way through the group, having to push some people aside a bit in his efforts.

"Prince Eric, huh? Sebastian asked, looking towards his brother for a second before he started to flip through the binder, expecting to find his picture either right before or right after Jaidyn's considering their family ties but he was unable to find it in either place. Not letting that perturb him, he kept looking. "The only Eric I know in the Disney-verse is from The Little Mermaid, the fish banger..." Sebastian paused to give his brother a dirty look, though with a twisted sort of smile. "Thought you were riding those sea waves a bit hard." Sebastian chuckled and elbowed his brother in the ribs a few times before his attention fell on his own picture towards the front of the binder.

Another spike through his system, though this time it wasn't excitement. Sebastian wasn't actually even sure what it was - it was hard to read over the words in his state but the very first word was all he needed before reality began to set in on him.

"Peter..." Sebastian felt his jaw hanging open for a bit, his posture straightening up as he met eyes with his brother as though he held the answers. "Pan..." he then finished, and then with a quick, unpredictable flailing of his arms, Sebastian awkwardly pointed to his rib-cage where he knew his brother would know rested the ink of a very particular tattoo Sebastian had done on his eighteenth birthday, and then flailed his arms again at his brother, expecting yet again an explanation. "Unless my ex-girlfriends have been talking to someone... you're the only one that knows, Jai..."

Prince Eric..? The Little Mermaid..? Argh, his brothers words made his stomach churn in pure disgust at the very thought that he was supposed to somehow fall in love with a fish-woman. This was just all too much; yeah, so he had a thing for being in the water and on the beach, it didn’t mean he was going to fall in love with a mythical creature and then run some octopus Lady through the chest with the bowsprit of a damn ship. It was some joke… it had to be a joke- he’d give it to them though, they had all put a lot of damn effort into getting all the little things right, like the pictures of when they were all young… it must have taken them a while to track them all down and convince their parents to get in on the gag.

“Dude; there is no way that I’m going to run off into the sunset after marrying some mermaid- I love fish, but not that much Seb, and you know it.” He was trying; oh Gods was he trying, but eventually he just couldn’t hold it in any longer- Jaidyn’s lips split into a huge grin as the sound of his laughter began to fill the area around them, his arms dropping back down to his sides so that his hands were able to once more slip into the recesses of his pockets, his head shaking lightly from side to side in his amusement at his brothers actions in front of him. Sebastian was acting as though he had all the answers to their questions, when in reality Jaidyn was just as clueless as the rest of them were- but the thought that his brother was supposedly the one character he had idolized as a child was more than ironic, “Hey Seb… to die would be an awfully big adventure; don’t you think? Heh, so I’m related to the infamous Peter Pan- think I’m good enough to become one of the lost boys? Or are you going to fly off and get a thimble from dear old Wendy?”

"You shutup!" Sebastian yelled back at his brother. This wasn't funny. None of this was funny anymore. All his life he had been searching for answers as to where he had come from and sure, most of the time he was the care-free kid who loved nothing more than to screw around and make light of hard circumstances but this... where he came from... it had always been a raw nerve hidden deep within the fun-house that was Sebastian Beachley. But he wasn't Sebastian Beachley, not really. Though he wasn't exactly hot on the trail of starting to call himself Peter Pan just yet, it was the only damn thing that was making any sense in his life... and that scared him just a little bit.

Dominic's expression became stoic, like stone as he watched a few of the now-grown children come up to read their file...and react with varying degrees of disbelief.

“Open different doors, you may find a you there that you never knew was yours. Anything can happen.” He recited once, simply, concisely, looking on the group as the words seemed to echo off his lips. A quote, from Mary Poppins of all places, but it didn't fit any better than it did now.

"You're scared and confused...I know you are. But please, keep an open mind. Read between the lines, know that this is your heritage." Dominic added soberly, reaching a hand up to cup his chin.

Rapunzel shook her head at Daria's outburst before she glanced over at the folder. There seemed to be pictures of the other's missing years... Maybe... Maybe there were something to fill the empty void that was her memory. She walked over to the folder and looked at the brothers, "May I?"

She asked quietly before taking the binder from them and flipping through the pages. Daria rose an eyebrow, "You really need to look to see who you are, Rapunzel."

The blonde looked at the girl, who seemed to go from a hopeful optimistic to rather irritated about it all. She supposed she could understand that... There was a difference between blind faith and accepting facts, especially when those facts seemed more fictitious than anything. Rapunzel shook her head, "I've just... never seen a picture of myself."

She buried her nose back in the book until she found a picture of the girl she had seen in the mirror. It was... strange, looking at the unmoving picture of herself. What was crazier was the sheer amount of hair that she had. She had thought it long before, when it was trailing on the ground behind her.... But in the photo, it trailed behind her and hung from the banister, it raced up stairs and lay of the floor.

There was only one other photo of herself, sitting just below the first. Curled up in the arms of what she assumed to be her mother, a man, her father, with his hands on the woman's shoulders. Rapunzel bit her lip. She knew her story despite not remembering her history... They never really knew her. Robbed from her cradle when she was just a babe... They knew as much about her as she did them. She pulled the baby picture from the file and looked up at Dominic, "May I?"

"Yes, yes, of course." Dominic replied quickly, motioning for Rapunzel to have free ownership of the picture. He otherwise remained silent, his gaze stern and heavy as he kept a close eye on each of them, hoping maybe, maybe for that one shred of hope.

Annalise stood in the back silently as the others started to look at the file that was laid out before them, hearing some of their reactions, such as Jaidyn's, as she watched him looking over his own file. She heard him say his real name, Eric Bourdelle, and where he was actually from, a place called The Southern Isles. Annalise quickly thought it was a huge joke, she shook her head looking over at her sister Eliza as she explained that the place was actually from the movie Frozen. "This really and truly has to be a joke, if what you are saying is true then..." Annalise pointed over towards Sebastian. "Then he would have to have the ability to fly around or something, right?" Annalise asked.

Taking a few steps forward, she looked over towards her friends then looking over towards Rapunzel, watching her look down at her own file for a few moments. "Mind if I take a look?" Annalise asked in a soft tone before she slowly took the file away and took a few steps back, looking over towards Daria as she stood next to her friend. Quickly flipping through everyone else's files until she found her own and quietly read through it, her eyes looking down to some of the pictures, one of them was of her when she was five years old, without the white streak of hair she always had... "Anna Bryndís, Princess of Arendelle.." Annalise said to herself, remembering watching the movie Frozen herself with her sister, and opened the next page to see that Eliza was there as well. She looked over towards her sister before putting the file back down, knowing how Eliza would react.

"You were all brought here, to this realm - to Earth, to escape a dark and terrible fate that befell your home, The Fairy Tale Realm. We four: Igor, Funes, Alan and myself were assigned as Guardians, to watch over each of you until the time was right for you to return home and claim what once was yours."

Turning towards the rather impressively sized folder, Dominic began to dexterously flip through the pages, eyes rapidly scanning each one until it reached its destination, a series of pages near the far back, as inconspicuous and unassuming as the rest. Yet as he reached the page, he treated it with immense care, as though it contained priceless artifacts from an ancient time.

"This is the last piece of evidence I have for you." Dominic spoke up once more, his voice turning serious, almost reverent.

"These pages contain any lasting sentiments or artifacts from your family and friends back home. You may look and examine as you will." Dominic added before receding from the table, allowing the group to come up and look as they wished.

The sudden change in the atmosphere around him caused Jaidyn to shift slightly where he stood, his arms crossing tighter over his chest for only a moment before they dropped back to his sides. There was something different now than there was before… the way that Dominic was talking; the tone of his voice, the word he chose to use, the posture of his body, the look on his face… it made it all just feel that much more final- maybe this wasn’t all a joke after all… The thought had Jaidyn second guessing everything that he had ever known, but then… could they really blame the others and him for believing that everything that they said had been a joke? The Fairy Tale realm… Mermaids… Evil Queen … darkness and destruction… Princes and Princesses… it was everything that made up a great fairytale or Disney movie, and because of that, it was also a lot for someone to take in, let alone take seriously enough to believe any of it...

Unable to help but hesitate for a few moments as he tried to shake the nagging feeling in his mind that told him to believe everything being said to him, Jaidyn made his way over to where the folder had been left on the table, his bright sea-blue eyes flicking over the things lain out on top of it before they came to rest on a slightly yellowed envelope. Eric Bourdelle. The name was written clearly and precisely in beautiful penmanship that obviously belonged to a woman. It was so… familiar; like he had seen it before, but couldn’t pick out just where from. Quickly shooting a glance over his shoulder at his brother for only a second, he reached out and picked the envelope up from the table, lifting it up in front of him, staring at it for what felt like a lifetime before he flipped it over in his hand, his eyes lingering upon the red seal on the back before he broke it and pulled out the contents, his jaw dropped only slightly as his eyes flicked over the words written over the page he held.

“..this really isn’t a joke… is it..?” Lowering the letter down slightly as he lifted his head up so that he was once more looking at Dominic, Jaidyn stared at him in slight disbelief before he once more returned back to the letter that he now knew had come from his mum… his real mum… her words seeming to just confirm everything that had been spoken out loud for them to hear. His whole life he had thought that he had known exactly who he was- thought that he had been happy not knowing about his real family because he already had one; one that loved and supported him, and who was there every step of the way… but now the opportunity was there… Frowning slightly as his eyes read over a particular sentence towards the end of the letter, he turned the envelope over completely; his eyes widening slightly something cold and hard fell out onto the table, the ring like object held fast on a black cord. Shifting so that he was holding all the paper in one hand, he reached out to pick it up, wrapping the black cord around his hand, “..it’s… my families royal seal...”

Rapunzel was surprised that she spotted an envelope with her own name on it. She hadn't expected to have any last sentiments from her parents... They didn't even know if she was alive... She stepped forward and took the letter into her hands, staring at her name. It was in a woman's writing... Her mother's. Turning it over, she broke the seal and removed the letter from inside. Her eyes took in the writing of her mother and her wishful thinking, praying that she would be reunited with her baby girl again. There was another picture inside, a picture of the sky lit up with paper lanterns. Her mother had mentioned how they were for her. She stared the picture for a long while, there was a faint and distant memory of seeing the lanterns but didn't know where or when.

Looking back at the envelope, she reached in and pulled out a long necklace. At the center there was a small purple pendant with yellow sun on it. She stared at it for a long while. Finally, she let out a long exhale as she blinked back any tears. She had been lost for the last year and now it seemed like she had never really been with her family... Not her true one. Going back with the guardians meant that she might be able to reunite her family again... Her parents deserved that...

Annalise stared at Dominic as he pulled out a series of envelopes one with each of their names on it, seeing how he was handling them she assumed that they contained delicate items. Crossing her arms over her chest Annalise watched Jaidyn grabbing an envelope with his name on it, and watched Rapunzel reaching for the one with her name on it as well. As curious as she was Annalise took a step closer to her friend seeing the letter as well as a long necklace in it. She took a few steps forward Annalise reached for the envelope with her name on it and opened it.

Dumping the contents of it was a small box one half of it was purple and the other half was green with a symbol of a golden flower in the middle of it. The crest seemed to be oddly familiar to her she opened it up inside contained a small ring with the same exact crest on it. Inspecting the ring Annalise rolled the ring around in her fingers as she inspected it. Along the band of the ring Annalise could see her real name inscribed in very intricate and delicate writing also had her parents names inscribed into it. Annalise had a shocked look on her face as she started to remember that it had her kingdom's crest on it. Her eyes looking along the rest of the group and then over towards her sister. The more she thought about it the more Annalise thought that this whole thing was actually real.

Daria reluctantly approached the envelopes before she grabbed the one addressed to her. Opening it, she found a letter, like the first two. However, unlike the others, her own was written in a language that she didn't understand. The letter looked more like a piece of art over a beautiful sentiment to an estranged child. Shaking her head, she folded the useless letter up and reached into the envelope again as she felt something resting at the bottom. Grabbing it, she pulled out a long blue ribbon with the largest sapphire she had ever seen in the center. She gasped, by simply looking at it she could tell the gem was real. There was no way that Elsa's uncle or Alan would have gone to any extent to try and get something so expensive for a prank.

She ran her finger of the gem and shook her head. It was exactly like the one from the movie... She laughed a little before she wove it through her hair. Looking at herself in the reflection of the window, she thought that... maybe this was all real...

There was only a single letter left. And it wasn't even a letter really, more like a thin package you would expect to come through the mail that would otherwise be too big for a standard envelope, but too small for a true package. Sebastian stepped forward, still feeling that frantic beating of his heart against his rib cage, and picked up the packaged envelope.

Tilting it, Sebastian held out his hand, feeling the contents inside sliding down to the opening and stopping once it reached his palm. He could feel his fingers beginning to tremble, but his curiosity won out in the end, forcing them to pull the envelope up, allowing the contents of the package to fall neatly into his hand.

For a moment, Sebastian just stared, his brows furrowing in confusion as he looked over what looked like a wad of thick jungle leaves though slowly, the leaves began to unfold themselves, forced outward by creases he didn't know existed until the wad of just leaves actually began to take on the semblance of a child's hat, folded in half. A small, red feather, perhaps belonging to a tropical parrot, pierced through the leaf-made hat but more interesting than that, the hollow shaft of the feather also kept in place a small piece of paper, though upon sight he knew it wasn't exactly paper at all; more like very thin tree bark.

Gently setting the envelope aside on the surface of the table behind him without looking at it, Sebastian's hand came to the hat, pulling out the red feather and with it, the small note that had been attached. There was writing on it, the sight in itself causing his heart to leap into his throat rendering him unable to speak. It was messy, blotchy black ink, and hard to read, but it was indeed a message. A message to him.



It wasn't until he read over the words in his mind three times did Sebastian began to consciously become aware of a distinct smell. When he had first opened up the package, his subconscious had assumed the aroma had been from the old packaging envelope itself, or the waxy seal that kept it together at the top. It wasn't at all unpleasant, though not quite savory either - simply it was just too faint to be able to tell heads or tails out of it, but once Sebastian understood that it came from the hat, it all began to make sense.

Unable to help himself, Sebastian brought the hat up to his nose, taking in a deep, slow breath. His eyes closed as his mind tried to make sense of the familiar smells, but before he could, something from within the folded up hat slipped through and fell to the floor, making a strange, hollow-sounding clink.

His eyes opened and his head tilted downwards, spotting the object at his feet though it was hard to tell what it was in the dark. Slowly, almost as if he were afraid to, Sebastian squatted down onto his haunches and picked it up. There, being held within his fingertips, was a child-sized, crudely made pan flute kept together only with what looked like bits and pieces of twine. He couldn't bring himself to look away from it, however, as though there were some deep, magical connection between it and he. A history.

Scrunching up the hat a bit in his opposite hand, he maneuvered it to hold onto the other side as though it were the most natural thing to do. Of course he had seen pan flutes before - his wide musical almost-career having exposed him to many different instruments, however he had never held one before. At least... he didn't think he had. The weight of the instrument was light, much lighter than how it looked and yet he couldn't bring it in himself to be surprised. His fingertips began to tingle, followed closely by his lower lip - a muscle memory he didn't even know he had.

"Never say goodbye." Sebastian said out loud, though more to himself than to those around him. He didn't understand where the words were coming from, but they tumbled from his tongue as though there were his own at one point... some time ago... "Because saying goodbye means going away, and going away means forgetting."

Bringing the pan flute to his lower lip, the leafy hat still clenched in his palm pressing against the instrument, Sebastian ran his lip back and forth over the pipes a few times before taking a small breath, and began to blow as he stood up straight again.

A song began to form after a few random notes, until finally, a full-fledged, obviously practiced tune came from the pan flute. In that moment, no one else existed. In that moment, Sebastian wasn't even on the balcony, being watched by his peers. There was only him and the music.

His eyes remained closed all the while though the passion that would have otherwise been held within them reigned prominent upon his features. Halfway through, a single tear rolled down his cheek, catching the light of the moon until it caught on the strong line of his jaw and splashed down onto the shoulder cuff of his green suit jacket.

After finishing, he paused before letting his eyes slowly open, revealing the unshed tears left behind within them. Taking a moment, coming back from whatever place he had just been taken to, his eyes found that of Jaidyn's.

"I want to go home."

Jaidyn couldn’t help the way that his hand clenched tightly around the black cord that held the ring as the beautiful melody from the pan flute floated around the balcony. His eyes shutting tightly for a few moments as he felt a quick sting run through them, giving him plenty of warning that if he didn’t do anything to stop them, tears would threaten to bubble over and run down his cheeks- his grip on the cord relaxing and his head turning so that he was looking over at his brother as the extremely beautiful melody came to a close, his own bright sea-blue eyes seemingly glazed over with the tears that he was holding back himself as he met with Sebastian’s gaze; his head nodding lightly up and down in agreement with his brother, showing him that he knew that going home was the only right thing for them to do… at least, for the two of them anyway.

“..I know; I wanna go home too. And we will- I promise Seb.” Dropping his left arm down to his side, Jaidyn turned and closed the gap that was left between the both of them, his right arm coming up to wrap tightly around Sebastian’s back, pulling him close against himself in a hug. This wasn’t a joke… not anymore- it was their lives… and he was going to sacrifice anything to make sure that he and his brother were happy again. Holding the embrace for just a few seconds longer, Jaidyn relaxed his arm from around him, his hand coming around to cup Sebastian’s neck as he lent in closer to him; his forehead pressing lightly against that of his brothers before he stood himself up straight at his side again, his attention turning over to where Dom stood silently watching on, “..we wanna go home, sir… please, take my brother and I back where we belong…”

Dominic couldn't help but smile softly at the varied reactions from each of them as they saw their respective mementos and gifts from their families. It had worked...after thirteen long years.

"Don't worry, we'll all be heading home soon. Each Guardian is equipped with an amulet capable of opening a portal from this realm to ours. Events required me to use mine recently and it won't be ready for another use for another few hours. For now, though, feel free to talk among yourselves and look through all the files if you'd like to. You've a lot to catch up on." Dominic finished, the smile never once leaving his grizzled features.

Morgan crossed her arms tighter over her chest as she listened to everything that was going on around her. They were all completely off their rockers. They were willing to listen to the crazed ramblings of a raving old man and a car thief, over the cold hard facts of reality. Shaking her head as she took a couple of steps backwards, she kept her already cold and hard gaze locked on Dominic- she had lost every bit of respect for him that she had ever possessed, and the others were quickly losing her interest as well. They were all nuts.

“Sir. You say you have proof, but any of that- maybe even all of that could have been forged and faked. And to be honest, I cannot believe that you’ve managed to convince and scam everyone else that’s here tonight.” Letting her disapproving gaze slowly glide over each and every person who was out on the balcony, Morgan shook her head once more before she turned and started walking back towards the door, her voice monotonous and with a cold edge to it as she spoke, “My apologies to everyone here, but I bid you all a good night. I cannot afford to stand around here and be sucked into your crazed delusions. Hope you enjoy the rest of your party…” Pulling open the door the moment that she reached it, Morgan quickly shot another disapproving glare back at them all from over her shoulder before she slipped herself through the door and disappeared into the crowd on the other side of the glass, leaving the group standing one less on the balcony.

The sound of someone speaking out almost everything that was going through her mind caught her attention, causing Eliza to lift her head up and watch as the detective quickly called them all out and said her farewell before leaving. She wanted to follow after her; to walk through the door and to just disappear into the crowd as if none of this had happened, but she just couldn’t… this was her family… these were the people she loved, and as much as she wanted to call them out on their slightly crazed behavior… she wanted to believe in everything that they were saying- she just couldn’t.

Biting softly upon her lower lip, Eliza hesitated for a few moments where she stood on her own by the railing, her stomach muscles tensing and her hands tightening the grip they had over the bottom of her dress as she tried turned her attention back to all the others in front of her- Jaidyn and Sebastian; they believed with all their hearts, she could see it in their eyes… Anna, Daria, and even that girl with the long hair; they all believed as well… so why couldn’t she..? Shutting her brilliant ice-blue eyes for a few moments as she shook her head lightly from side to side, Eliza slowly turned her back to the group before she began to move away down the balcony- she needed space… time to think… none of this was making any sense to her.

Reaching the far end of the balcony, Eliza brought her hands up, letting them rest softly upon the railing as she looked out over the view lain out before her; a gentle sigh escaping through her lips as her eyes came to a rest upon the moonlit and snow-covered mountain that was looming overhead. She wasn’t like the others; she couldn’t believe in things like magic, and portals, and pixie dust…

Dominic couldn't help but sigh as Morgan, staunch in her stubbornness, left the group, still unwilling to take that leap of faith - to believe.

However, not letting one loss hurt the morale of the group, Dominic looked to them, that brilliant smile once more returning to his careworn features.

"Now then, we all will meet back here tomorrow afternoon around four o'clock. Our amulets should have enough power then to let us return home. You may continue to look through the folder if you wish, but if not then you are free to return to the festivities for the evening." Dominic bid, sounding almost like some kind of glorified tour guide leading a bored group of high school students.

His eye caught onto Eliza as she separated herself from the rest of them, not as quick to believe as the rest of them were...she was ever the practical one.

Moving away with a hurried, "Excuse me" Dominic approached his adopted niece slowly, letting both hands fall to his pockets yet again.

Not stopping until he was right beside her at the edge of the balcony, Dominic initially said nothing, doing as she was and overlooking the view.

"It's a lot to take in, isn't it...?" He asked, though the phrasing of his question implied he already knew the answer to that.

Previously...

His eye caught onto Eliza as she separated herself from the rest of them, not as quick to believe as the rest of them were...she was ever the practical one.

Moving away with a hurried, "Excuse me" Dominic approached his adopted niece slowly, letting both hands fall to his pockets yet again.

Not stopping until he was right beside her at the edge of the balcony, Dominic initially said nothing, doing as she was and overlooking the view.

"It's a lot to take in, isn't it...?" He asked, though the phrasing of his question implied he already knew the answer to that.

---

The sound of her uncle’s soft and weary voice sounding so close to her wasn’t a surprise to her in the least. Of course he was going to try and get her to believe what he was saying- the rest of them had believed him, so why shouldn’t she, right? Shaking her head softly from side to side as she felt a light sting go through her eyes, she tightened her grip on the railing that she stood in front of. How was it that she was expected to take a leap of faith into something that was just so unbelievable..? Unlike the others in the group that all seemed to have jumped in with both feet forward, she just couldn’t… she couldn’t bring herself to open up to believe in such childish things- none of what he had said was possible… was it..?

“..uncle Dom, just stop… I’m too tired to listen to what you have to say about this; and I’m too old to believe in such childish stories… You’re asking me to take a leap of faith but-… but there’s just no such thing as magic, or witches, or pixie dust, or anything like that…” Closing her eyes tightly for a few moments as though she were holding herself back from saying something she knew she was going to regret, she once more shook her head, her arms shaking lightly as she eventually loosened the grip that she had over the railing, her hand coming up to lightly brush at the corners of her eyes in an attempt to rid herself of any tears that were forming before they could fall and help to ruin her makeup. She was no Princess; she was just herself… and honestly, now she wasn’t even sure about whether she knew who that was anymore...

“I’m trying… but, it’s so hard to believe what you’re saying- I just can’t see what it is that they see…”

Dominic kept a small smile, despite the skepticism in her tone and words. "You're very much like your father, you know. Practical, realistic, inquisitive. Those are good traits, solid. But for just one moment, I want you to forget being practical, being realistic, open your eyes if only for a split-second and simply flirt with the notion that maybe, just maybe...there's a whole other world, a whole other life outside this one. If you let skepticism and disbelief rule your life, Eliza, then you'll never be able to rise up to your full potential." Dominic finished on an optimistic note, clasping his hands together over the rail as he once more turned to look out across the horizon.

“Dreaming is what my sister does… not me.” Sighing softly, she fell silent for a few moments before she dropped her hand back down to the railing and once more lifted her gaze up to the mountain in front of them both. He wanted her to open her eyes… to try and entertain the possibility for even a moment- she could do that; or at least she could try and do that. Taking a few more minutes to herself so that she could collect her thoughts, she eventually turned her body so that she was facing him completely, her hip resting softly up against the railing as she tilted her head ever so slightly so that she could try and see any doubt or any sign that he was joking within his eyes, “..okay, fine, I’ll humor you just this once…”

Pausing for a brief moment as she turned her head to glance over at what was left of the group lingering upon the other side of the balcony, she took a deep breath as though readying herself for what she was about to hear and turned her attention completely back to her uncle, “..so there’s a whole ‘nother world, that’s full of magic and other childish wonders- and we were all sent here to Earth from that world to keep us safe because some witch went on a massive power trip and wanted to take over the entire world… okay, for this little exercise's sake, I’m with you so far… But really, me? I’m meant to be a Royal Princess..? If that’s true, then everything that I’ve known up till now is a complete and utter lie… Uncle, if that’s true... then who am I..?”

"When you came here, to this land, with your sister, you were given a new name. The only knowledge of your heritage is that you and Annalise were found alone in the snow. Your sister had almost contracted hypothermia by the time your father found you, yet you were perfectly healthy - content, even. However, the life you lived here, Eliza Brie, was hardly a lie. Your experiences and memories are real - sincere. But there is much more to you, who you are. Where we come from, home, you are called Elsa, future queen of Arendelle. And I'm sure you can quite easily guess who your sister would be." Dominic finished sounding slightly amused, yet optimistic at the same time. Her piqued curiosity and interest were all signs that she was opening up, if only a fraction.

“Elsa..? Arendelle..? You telling me that back ho-… that in this magical place we’re meant to be from, that I’m meant to be the snow Queen from that Disney movie ‘Frozen’..? I mean, yeah okay… I see some similarities; we both love snow, and well, the cold doesn’t really bother me as much as it bothers everyone else that I know-…” Her sentence trailed off lightly as she seemed to freeze where she stood upon the balcony, her mind only seeming to catch up with what it was that he had said to her about who she was supposed to be- Queen… future Queen of Arendelle… She could barely control her sister when their father was away on his business trips; how was it she was suddenly expected to rule over an entire Kingdom that she hadn’t ever been to, let alone wasn’t even sure existed.

“..wait, future Queen..? As in-… You mean with the whole sitting on a throne, ruling over a Kingdom, looking after a lot more than just one or two people..? I’m sorry, that’s not me- you have the wrong girl, uncle Dom…”

"You underestimate yourself." Dominic replied simply, a somewhat stern edge to his voice but not unkindly. "Eliza, royalty is in your blood - I've seen it here, at the lodge. And you won't be alone. The Sorcerer and I both will be there to guide you every step of the way. You're young, yes, and inexperienced -- but not alone. Arendelle needs its Queen, and that's you. As daunting as it may seem." Dominic clasped a single gentle hand on her shoulder, offering a small, warm smile.

“..you really think that I’m that special, don’t you…” The words were soft as they slipped through her lips, though just by staring back into her uncle’s eyes, she already knew what his answer was going to be on the matter: yes. He did believe her to be completely capable of everything that they were both discussing with one another… of putting faith into everything that he was saying to her… of believing in not only everything that she had heard, but also believing in herself… of becoming the very Queen that he seemed to think her capable of being… It was daunting, that’s for sure.

Tearing her gaze away from his own as she dropped her head, she focused her attention instead on both of her hands which had at some point pressed up against her stomach, her brilliant ice-blue eyes watching on as her fingers nervously played with not only one another, but also with the beautiful blue material that made up her dress- she was still unsure; it was clear in her features. The others had all been so willing to believe… and as much as she wanted to, there was just something seeming to hold her back from letting herself go completely, “..if I’m supposed to be Queen, what’ll happen to Anna..? And then-… then do you know what supposedly happened to our parents..? I mean, our real parents, not our adopted father…”

"Your sister is royalty, like you, but being the younger sibling she will not inherit the throne." Dominic explained, adopting a more scholarly tone that he had gained through the thirteen years of experience working at a museum.

As Eliza approached the subject of her parents, Dominic gave pause for a moment. "Your parents ensured that you and your sister were safe with us but...we lost contact with them after a dangerous ship crash in the midst of a terrible storm. I do not know if they are still alive or not." Dominic explained cautiously, clearing his throat.

"However...they left you gifts, mementos to remember them by." Dominc quickly shifted gears, moving over to the envelopes gathered near the folder, finding one that looked no different from the rest aside from an elaborate wax seal.

Carefully opening the envelope, Dominic procured two items from it. A single, delicate tiara fit with gems that made it glint in the moonlight, and a pair of elbow-length gloves, made of the finest silk and colored the most brilliant shade of blue, decorated with simple dark blue patterns along its length.

Approaching Eliza once more, Dominic held out the items for her to take, a look of nostalgia across his features.

She couldn’t help the way that her soft pink lips parted at the very sight of the items that were lain out in the palms of his hands, her own hesitating against her stomach for a few moments before she slowly reached out towards him with her right hand, her finger tips lightly brushing over the delicate metal of the tiara causing a small but sad sort of smile to cross over her features as she continued to look it over- the gentle light from the moon above them lightly dancing over the gems causing them to shine ever so beautifully, the very sight of it reflected within her eyes as they seemed to gloss over with tears that once again seemed intent on forming. She knew this tiara… she could feel it deep in her heart; it had belonged to her mother.

Pulling her hand back from the tiara as though in fear that it was going to break into a million pieces or disappear completely if she wasn’t careful, she slowly turned her attention down to the beautiful pair of elbow-length gloves that he held in his other hand; the young woman hesitating for only a second before she reached out to take them from him, the feeling of the silk brushing upon her skin so familiar to her… Lifting her gaze to meet with his as though she was looking for some kind of encouragement that it was okay before she dropped her eyes back down to the gloves, pausing for what felt like a lifetime before she took a deep breath and slowly began to pull them onto her arms one by one, “..conceal; don’t feel…”

"These have waited many years for you to see, Eliza." Dominic said simply, believing there was little else to say at this moment. "Will you return home?" He finally asked after pausing for a few moments, letting his free hand move to his pocket while the other still held onto the tiara as though it were a delicate artifact that would shatter if even the wind blew a certain way.

Lifting her newly gloved hands up ever so slightly so that they were instead hovering in front of her at around chest height, she continued to stare at the gloves, seemingly mesmerized as her eyes lightly followed the strange but still beautiful patterns that were embroidered upon the material- the small floral images from her home causing her lips to turn up further than before, causing her smile to get bigger than it already had been. Though she was still skeptical in some senses, she knew in her heart that he was right… the lodge may be where she lived, but it just wasn’t her home…

Lowering her hands back down so that they were once more resting together against the front of her dress, her head nodding softly as she returned her gaze back to meet with that of her uncles, “..yes; I-... I wanna go home…”

With a wide smile, Dominic took another step closer, holding the tiara with both hands he reached out, placing it gently on top of her head. "Then we will." He said simply, for there were no more words needed.

The stars had long since appeared in the sky, but it wasn't until the moon was hanging straight above that Jafar returned to the Moors, needing an ample amount of time to think to himself in preparation. By far, this was the most terrifying thing he had ever done not just for the content thereof, but for anticipating Freya's reaction. Her mood was... unpredictable at best, it didn't matter what the subject matter or situation was; always keeping others on their toes, terrified to step on hers. During his time in Agrabah, he had scrubbed himself clean three times over, shaved the scruff on his chin and neck, leaving only a clean, defining line of his goatee that circled around his lips and chin all the way up the strong line of his jaw and applied a generous amount of cologne; a rather unique, spicy blend that Freya often remarked about smelling like cinnamon and nutmeg, combined with his natural scent of parchment and earthy smoke.

He had undergone a change of clothes too, doing away with the dark blue kurta and red turban for something more appropriate for the occasion. He swapped out his black doti for a light golden pair, the kurta now a dark brown with patterned gold spots that resembled scales similar to that of a cobra, the lining an even more prominent gold that stood out against the other fabric. Completing his wardrobe change was a matching turban, though more ceremonial in style with crested beads and jewels along the center and over the top of the brown and gold fabric. Matching beads in the style of three necklaces in varying lengths rested on the open v-neck of his chest, overall giving him a very regal appearance; fitting for that of the Sultan of Agrabah.

Walking through her castle, it was clear that Freya hadn't returned from The Pride Lands just yet, as he could not sense her presence. There was always that tickle of magic pulling on the back of his mind when she was near him, able to pick up on her magical capabilities with his own, though very faint. But now he felt nothing but his own magic. That was just as well. Under more normal circumstances, Jafar would have found himself feeling somewhat anxious that she had spent so much time in The Pride Lands and would have sought her out, but any extra moment he had now he would take. Besides, he knew more than most that she could take care of herself.

He ascended the multiple spiral staircases and maneuvered through the winding stone halls, thanking Allah that he didn't even so much as get a glimpse of that blonde-haired, doe-eyed brat Freya had taken some strange shine to for all these years. Running into Aurora would be the absolute last wind on his already fraying string before he snapped. Finally, after navigating the massive castle by the sheer memory he had gained from the last thirteen years of popping between Agrabah and The Moors, he came to the door that would lead him into the bed chambers that he had been able to call his own for a number of years now; always the toy of The Dark Queen but now... for the first time... the lover to Freya Beauchamp.

Running his hand down the hard wood of the door, thinking back over the last thirteen years in his mind with a content, audible sigh, Jafar eased the door open and allowed himself inside. Just as he already knew, Freya was no where to be seen, or even felt. Stepping inside the room and shutting the door behind him, Jafar discarded his staff on one of the settees in the center of the room (a usual place for him to keep it while in Freya's chambers) and made his way out onto the balcony. Immediately, Jafar was greeted with a fresh breeze of the cool night air, helping to still his nerves as he continued to walk out until he reached the railing. Resting each forearm on the railing of the balcony, he clasped his hands together out in front of him, bending at his back a bit and overlooked the kingdom that spread out as far as the ocean some leagues away. Here he could wait in peace. Here, he could feel brave.

The large plume of purple smoke billowed out around her feet, lingering for only a few moments before finally it began to dissipate, her bare feet creating soft thuds against the floors as the woman allowed herself to be carried through the corridors of her castle, and down the familiar path that led to her private bedchambers. It had been a long day- her time in the Pride Lands, while tiring, had been extremely productive and beneficial for both herself and the Lion King. Scar had gotten what it was that he wanted, and more- his precious little swan was once again walking around as his beautiful Princess, the Gypsy had been healed and was once again flawless, and as a bonus he now had a way of dealing out punishments without the repercussions of leaving marks upon those who defied against his word… Reaching out as she grew closer to the door, she placed her hand lightly upon the polished wood of the door that separated her from the pure relaxation of her chambers, her weight shifting slightly as she pressed her body against it, pushing it open only just enough so that she was able to slip her body through the gap before letting it come to a close behind her.

She felt him the moment that she had returned to the castle, though the soft glint of his golden staff caught a hold of her attention, causing her to turn her head and her gaze to linger upon the serpent like staff that she could see laying upon the settee, resting in among the cushions and confirming her thoughts that there indeed was no need for her to call upon Jafar- he was already there, lurking within the room that the two of them shared, waiting until she was ready to grace him with her presence. To say that she was hesitant was a far understatement- the last time they had spoken… it hadn’t ended on quite good terms… Closing her eyes as she took a moment to herself, she lifted her head up slightly higher as her feet once more began to move forward, carrying her through the room before she paused in front of the unbroken mirror that she had hanging on the wall, her head turning so that she could quickly glance over her appearance, being sure that her attire was to her liking before she did anything else.

It was the same thing that she had worn to the feast earlier on in The Pride Lands- the material, though loose around her body, showing off and accentuating her each and every curve; and leaving not much more to the imagination, though what needed to be, was indeed covered from the eyes of those who were unwanted. Pleased with what it was that she was looking at within the mirror, she finally tore her gaze away from her own reflection and back to the lightly fluttering curtain that kept the room separated from the balcony beyond, lifting her hand up as she closed the gap, she lightly brushed aside the material so that she could pass through it and out into the cool night air where she had guessed that he was indeed waiting for her- the sight of him leaning over the railing staring out at the Kingdom below causing her soft pink lips to part slightly, and her heart to skip a beat within her chest, “You have returned earlier than I had anticipated… I did not think you would be back in the Moors until I had summoned, and called for you to join me Jafar…”

Hearing her voice carry the small distance between the opening of the balcony to him, Jafar kept his gaze forward, feeling his heart lodging itself in his throat rendering him unable to reply even if he wanted to, though a very small portion of him was relieved that she had finally returned, sounding somewhat less agitated than she had been with him that morning. The other part of him, however, was wondering why she had arrived back to the castle so early, despite his earlier qualms with her being in The Pride Lands for far too long. He wasn't ready for this, he needed more time... and he couldn't move. It didn't matter how calm she sounded now. Just like a viper, she could strike at any moment without any prior warning, able to catch even him off guard - and he knew a thing or two about snakes.

She hesitated a moment before she moved forward and over the balcony so that she could look out over the Kingdom that was lain out before them- he hadn’t replied to her… hadn’t given her any sign that he had even heard what it was that she had said; and that right there made her nervous, perhaps he was a lot angrier with her than she had first believed him to be. Lifting her hands up from her side as she shifted her body slightly, she placed them lightly upon the railing that was in front of her while she relaxed her posture, doing her best to keep her cool and calm composure from cracking and showing the nerves that were coursing through her body- her thoughts however, were still quite focused on their last encounter, knowing that the behavior shown from the both of them was bound to be brought up at one point or another; especially if he was still angry at her for it.

“Am I to get the impression that you shall be joining me through the night..? Or shall you be returning to Agrabah once you have said all it is that you wish to say to me…"

Jafar managed a small amount of movement in his eyes to look over and up at Freya after feeling her coming to join him at his side. His neck then seemed to be able to follow suit, inclining his head as his eyes now were able to take in what it was that she was wearing. He hadn't ever seen this dress before, the style was a bit different than that of the Moors and definitely not that of Agrabah, though at the same time it held quite a bit of modesty... for The Pride Lands at least. He appreciated the way it looked on her, however, pushing his questions as to where she had got it in the first place to the side as he allowed himself another few moments to drink in her beauty; something he always knew she had even from the beginning thirteen years ago. And it all belonged to him. That thought alone had his blood thawing and his body able to move just a bit better, his mind finally able to take into account what she had been saying to him, realizing immediately what she must have thought of him right then for not answering her the first time.

"If you'll have me, I will stay." he told her gently, defaulting back to the way Jafar the toy and ever-loyal-servant would have spoken with her.

She could hear it in the way that he was speaking to her- his tone of voice, his choice of words… it was like their relationship had been set back once again, and she knew that it was because of her own stubbornness; whatever it was she got now, she deserved it. Lifting her head up slowly so that she was gazing up from the land to the sky that spanned out above them, she let her beautiful dark brown eyes flick back and forth for a few moments of silence, taking in their gentle twinkling as well as the soft moonlight that filled the area around them both, her hand slowly though surely sliding over the top of the railing, her fingers brushing lightly over the stone before she brought her movements to a stop, her hand coming to a rest closer towards him rather than in front of her like it had been moments beforehand.

“..I wish for you to stay by my side always Jafar- is that such a wrong thing for me to ask of you? Too selfish of me to want the world, and some small glint of happiness as well..?”

He felt a slight chuckle coming up from his chest, but his heart wasn't in it to let it come through as even a simple sound. The world and a bit of happiness? It would seem that if one was owned, the other would follow, but in Freya's case... hell in nearly everyone he knew who owned a small portion of the world's case, that wasn't so. They were always wanting for something that would bring them happiness in one way or another. For Freya it was his company on top of power, for him over the last thirteen years, ever since the death of his wife and child, it had just been power. But hearing Freya speak so candidly of what it was that she wanted had him thinking, realizing quickly that his actions he would set into motion in just a few moments aligned his true desires with that of Freya's almost exactly.

Turning his torso slightly to face her, moving one arm off of the railing a bit but keeping himself propped up with his elbow with the other, Jafar laced his fingers back together and looked upon her fully, his head tilting to the side a bit, completing the slight arc of his body as he leaned against the balcony railing.

"Your efforts in The Pride Lands rendered you unhappy then?" Jafar asked, though saying it more as a statement than a question, his dark brown eyes looking over her attire once more before resting his eyes back on hers again.

“I would not necessarily say that my time within The Pride Lands rendered me unhappy- quite the contrary actually… my visit proved to be quite beneficial for both parties; Scar got what it was he desired and more, and in return, I got what it was that I sought.” Turning her head ever so slightly so that her gaze dropped down from the heavens before focusing on his figure, she took a few moments to take in (for the first time) all that she could of his attire and general appearance before she allowed her eyes to finally meet with his own- the man looking more like the Sultan of Agrabah now and in this moment, than she had ever seen him be in the years that had passed them both by. It made her heart soar in her chest, though she did all that she could to keep it from showing over her features.

Curling her fingers slightly on the railing after a few moments of her open invitation for him to take her hand, she slowly and reluctantly took it back over the stone and back in front of her body once more, putting just a small amount of distance back between the two of them as she turned her head away from him, her shoulders hunching over slightly as she felt her heart sinking slightly within her chest, “..though I will not lie to you- there are other places in which I would have been so much happier to be…”

Looking down as movement caught his eye, Jafar watched as Freya pulled her hand back to her, once again realizing that his thoughts had been detouring his mind - he hadn't even been able to pick up on the small gesture of physical contact she was extending out to him... and now it was too late. He closed his eyes for a moment, keeping himself from sighing knowing that if he did, Freya would have questions... and he didn't exactly have the answers. It hurt him knowing that he was continuing to disappoint her. If only she knew... his mind was far from easy. Perhaps he had been able to pull off his practiced face of normalcy too well... it wasn't exactly helping him right now.

She couldn’t continue on like this for much longer; there was something going on- there was something wrong between them… and if that mornings events had anything to do with what was going on between the two of them now, she knew that this was more her fault than it was that of his. Keeping her attention away from him and instead focused out to the far side of the Kingdom, she took a few moments of silence so that she could once more relax herself, and gather her thoughts before she continued on with the conversation they seemed to be trying to have. She didn’t want to end up in another fight- it had been a long day, she wanted to relax, but more importantly than that was the fact that she wanted to relax with him… to lay wrapped up so lovingly in his arms like she had the night before- Gods, she could dream…

“..would I be correct to assume that you were able to fulfill all that you needed to get done while in Agrabah today..?”

Nodding slightly, to her question, unable to create much more of an answer than that, Jafar's mind once more began to wander. He needed to do this now before he pulled himself away from her entirely. He could feel the strain he was putting between them, and somehow, by the grace of Allah, she was trying to fix it where he was rendered useless. His mind was a blur, trying to grasp onto anything that might help him get done what he needed to, to push him in the right direction. Then he focused in on what she had actually said to him, the matter of what he needed to get done in Agrabah bringing him back to the sole purpose of why he was there. And though it wasn't what he obtained in Agrabah, per say, that had him standing there being quite unlike himself, it was her belief of his being there today that was the main point. And that's when it clicked - he knew now what he needed to do to be able to pull this off.

Jafar nodded his head again, seeming to have a new, confident air about him as he turned once more to face her, standing up straight to his full height but keeping a hand on the railing.

"Have I ever told you the old Agrabah legend of Crenshinibon?" he asked, somewhat randomly, choosing to ignore her question verbally in favor of one of his own.

“I-… I beg your pardon; what..?” Furrowing her brows heavily in her own pure confusion towards what it was that he had said to her, she turned her head so that she was once more looking over at where he was, her dark brown eyes raising from his chest to meet with his eyes as she tried to figure out just what he was trying to do by so suddenly changing the topic of their conversation in the manner that he had. She was beyond confused, not even bothering to hide that simple fact from him at all as she searched his eyes for clues as to why he was so suddenly asking her about a legend from his home- though she wasn’t about to deny the fact that she was even the slightest bit curious about it and just what he was trying to get at.

“I… do not believe that you have mentioned such a fable to me before- please, will you tell me about this legend..?”

Unable to help the small flicker of a smile at Freya's confusion, taking pride in the fact that he was probably the only person able to catch her so off guard in all the realms, Jafar kept the corners of his lips turned upward as he opted to just look upon her face before finally answering her, the story-teller part of him coming out as well as the natural brogue of his accent.

"Crenshinibon is a sentient artifact; a crystal shard which draws magical energy from the light of the sun. It is rumored to be evil in nature, the stone itself desires a powerful wielder it can manipulate and control and will willingly abandon him or her for a more capable 'master'. It is also told, however, that the stone greatly enhances the inherent powers of it's wielder and can summon other beings of evil intent to create an army of conquest. The wielder of the shard can create an enormous crystalline tower, sort of an exact duplicate of the shard that has been magically expanded in size and impenetrable to external attacks. It is said that Crenshinibon tempts and controls the greedy and deceptive with promises of power and wealth."

Turning her body so that she was facing him as she listened to the tale that he was telling her, she let her hands slip from the stone railing before eventually coming together in front of her body, her hip resting ever so lightly against the railing as she made herself comfortable, her features seeming to light up with both her amusement and interest in the story that he was weaving to her, “It seems as though this… crystal, is the darker equivalent to that mentioned within the legend that tells of the lost city of Atlantis… however, legend or not- please tell me more…”

"Crenshinibon was created by seven different liches as an artifact of ultimate power that absorbed it's own creators upon completion. Legend has it, many millennia ago, the Sultan of Agrabah used this stone as a tool, attempting to use the stone's powers to enforce a peaceful existence with his many warlike neighbors by creating a defensive line of crystalline towers between the major cities. These towers, however, overstretched the powers of Crenshinibon and were destroyed by a sandstorm which preceded an invasion by one of the neighboring cities. Agrabah was overrun and the Sultan executed with Crenshinibon absorbing a small fraction of his spirit. This is what caused Crenshinibon to change, giving it the drive to attain and hold ultimate power at any cost...

"Since then, the stone has been passed down from owner to owner, each trying to attain it's powers for themselves but none able to control it, driven into madness or blood-lust. Even more than those who wanted to control it strived to destroy it, though they lost more than their lives as the stone proved to be, truly, indestructible.

"Finally, a demon by the name of Errtu who was a descendant of the servant of the seven liches who created Crenshinibon, cast himself into an abyss and he, along with Crenshinibon, were both destroyed at long last."

Tilting her head ever so slightly as she continued to listen silently to the wondrous tale that he was spinning her, she quirked her eyebrow slightly out of curiosity, her eyes continuing to search his own for some reason, any reason as to why it was that he was bringing this up with her right here and now- it wasn’t that she minded the change in topic, it had the both of them talking again, as though the events of that morning hadn’t ever happened… however the thought that such a rare and powerful artifact, legend or not, had been lost in such a manner had her frowning slightly, her head turning so that she could once again look out at the Kingdom that spanned out in front of them both.

“If I am to be truly honest with you Jafar; I find it really to be such a shame- that something as magnificent as the crystal was lost to the world in the manner of which it was, all thanks to the hands and stupidity of one who was so unworthy of wielding such power…” She paused for a moment as she allowed her thoughts to settle in her mind before she even thought about speaking again, her hand lifting up from her side so that she could gently brush away some of her long dark waves back off of her face, a small though unmistakable smile playing lightly over her lips as she shook her head lightly from side to side, “But as you have stated, such things are mere legends; nothing more than stories that parents spin in order to fuel a child’s imagination… So please- what is the point of such tales tonight..? Other than to help the both of us relax within each others company of course…”

"A relic before it's time, I'm afraid, with no one capable of controlling it." Jafar agreed, nodding his head only slightly though his eyes remained on her despite Freya looking away from him. Quietly, he pushed himself away from the edge of the balcony and took a few steps towards Freya, stopping when their bodies were just a hairs breadth away. He lifted his arm, having his hand take hold of hers before she could rest it back to her side and used his opposite hand to brush her hair back for her. "I'd like to see... at least one more wielder... try their hand with Crenshinibon..." He stated simply, his eyes looking into hers in a way that told her that there was more to what he was saying than he was letting on.

“Jafar… I do not understand what you are talking about- you stated yourself that such a thing was nothing more than a mere legend; so how are you to wish to see another try their hand at taming it one last time?” He wanted to see another try their hand at wielding such power... She was far beyond confused, not even bothering to hide it from her features as she turned her head, first allowing her dark brown eyes to linger for a moment on the hand that has a firm though loving grip upon her own, before she tore her gaze away, lifting it up until it had met once again with his own- her heart seeming to quicken its pace within her chest the moment that she had.

“If what you are saying has more substance to it- if this truly is more than just a fable or myth; then this crystal is lost to the world, and all those within it… Please, help me to understand what you mean…”

Jafar's smile returned some, dropping his hand from brushing her hair back to rest it on her hip, his opposite hand letting go of hers to take it's position on the other side, pulling her hips closer into him.

"Wishful thinking, perhaps. Spent a bit of time in the Agrabah's Palace Library this afternoon." he replied, Freya seemingly finally being able to tie together what and why it was that he had brought up the stones origin to begin with. "But cultural legends weren't the only thing that kept me apart from you today, and to answer your prior question, yes, I have fulfilled what I needed to get done. But it wasn't in Agrabah..." Pressing his neck forward a bit, Jafar planted a gentle kiss on the crest of her prominent cheekbone just under the corner of her eye, his thumbs moving up and down on her waist lightly.

She couldn’t help the way that her smile grew considerably as she felt his hands take up their normal position upon her hips, her eyes fluttering closed and her head turning ever so slightly as she felt his lips pressing lightly against her cheekbone, the simple action causing them to take on a gentle red tinge in color as she lifted both her hands up, resting them against her chest as she took a single step closer to him, allowing their bodies to brush closer against one another, “..wishful thinking has never been something that could cause harm, nor has it never not managed to surprise me. I used to dream of somehow tumbling into and through the pages of the stories in which I used to read- and then one day… it just seemed to happen…”

Shaking her head lightly from side to side as memories of her first few days within the Fairy Tale World filled her mind, she lifted her hand up from his chest before she reached out to gently rest her palm against his cheek, her thumb softly brushing back and forth over the skin as she caressed it for a few moments before once again dropping it back down to where it had been resting beforehand, “..I found myself here within this world- with a new life, and the chance to get all that I desired… I am glad that you got done all that you needed to do; it just means that we will be able to spend the night together with no regrets to our actions throughout the day…”

"Freya..." Jafar paused to move one hand up from her waist to once more take hold of her hand, bringing it up to his lips where he kissed her soft knuckles, though he kept his eyes on hers. "you have entrusted me with the most sacred parts of who you are. You have given me your true name, where you came from... you gave me your full trust. It only felt right to reciprocate the gesture and entrust you with something of mine equally as important to me..."

Letting go of her hand, Jafar looked down at the silk belt he used to keep his kurta together and moved his hand to pluck something from the hidden pocket on the underside, procuring a small object. He brought his hand back up, holding the object between the two of them at eye level so Freya could see what it was that he was holding. There, pinched delicately between his thumb and forefinger was a golden ring. Decorated along the side of one band as well as on the center was a series of what looked like diamonds, but even under the pale moonlight that lit up the balcony one could see that the stones held an abnormal sheen of a glowing blue color that seemed to be pulsing - breathing, giving away that these were no ordinary diamonds if that was what they even were.

Letting her eyes settle on just what it was he was showing her for just a moment, Jafar took a single step back and dropped to a knee, still holding the ring up and out to her, his eyes never leaving hers despite his heart hammering in his chest and his every sense telling him to stop and run. Raising up his free hand, Jafar removed the fanciful turban from his head, placing it on the ground next to his bent knee allowing his dark curls to fall down to their proper length just above his shoulders and bowed his head downwards slightly, a gesture of both respect and humility towards her.

"Freya Beauchamp... Maleficent, Lady Morgana, Queen of all the land...I wish to entrust you with my heart, fully and completely. It is only a small fraction of what it is you have given me, but it is a start and I hope to spend the rest of our lives finding ways to make up the rest." he stated firmly, his accent coming out thick showing just how truly nervous he really was. He bent his neck back up, meeting her gaze once more. "Will you marry me?"

She was confused- beyond confused; though this time it wasn’t because of a quick change of topic, but instead due to his words, and the actions that seemed to go along with them. Remaining silent as she tore her gaze away from his so that she could instead follow his hand, she tilted her head ever so slightly as she continued to watch his movements, her body once again straightening itself as he brought his hand back up though this time in between the two of them so that she could see just what it was that he held in his hand- the soft glint of gold perched ever so delicately between his fingers causing her heart to jump up and into her throat, her cheeks taking on a bright red tinge to them as she finally managed to catch on to what it was that was going on in this very moment…

He was proposing to her- how had she not seen it sooner? The way that he had been acting, the way he had been speaking; he wasn’t himself, and now it was all beginning to make sense... Bringing her left hand back into her body so that it was resting softly against her stomach while her right hand lifted up to her lips, the tips of her fingers brushing lightly over them in her own shock as she watched him take a step back before lowering himself down onto one knee before her. She didn’t know what to say- she could barely even move an inch in this moment… The Sultan had well and truly managed to throw her completely into uncharted territories with his proposal, and all she could do was try and will herself to speak- to give him a response to his question, “Jafar, I-…”

Her breath had been caught in her throat- her voice lost to her completely… She had kept him waiting for long enough; too long in fact, for the answer that she wanted to give him… Closing her eyes for a moment as she slid her hand down from her mouth before letting it come to a rest over the nape of her neck, she took a few moments to herself so that she could try to calm her heart as she softly nodded her head, slowly at first before she soon began to pick up the pace with her enthusiasm, finally finding her voice once again.

“..Yes! Yes of course I will marry you..!”

Frozen in place, beginning to hear a light buzz in the air as his pulse pounded something fierce in his ears waiting for a reply, her sudden acceptance had Jafar merely blinking in rapid succession, surprise written all across his dark features as his lips parted, trying to process what had just happened. Forgetting for a moment of what to do, he remained in his position, a sound that almost sounded like a laugh starting up in his throat until finally he managed to get out what it was that he had intended. Relief. Pure, exasperated relief in the most joyous of ways.

Pushing himself up back onto both feet, leaving his turban on the balcony floor, Jafar once more closed the distance between them and taking her hand in his, used his other hand to place the ring on the proper finger. His own hand was shaking slightly, and it took a bit of effort and concentration on his part, but the ring eventually eased onto her ring finger and slid back to it's new home, wrapping snugly around her flesh as though it had been custom made for her... which wasn't a far stretch from the truth.

"Freya... I..." Jafar stopped to shake his head slightly, dropping his gaze from her eyes to look down at the small space between them, at a complete loss for words and actions, he felt more vulnerable now than he ever had in his entire life put together.

It was as though her heart couldn’t seem to make up its mind- freezing completely one moment, only to then beat quickly the next, but she didn’t care… this was the without a doubt one of, if not the happiest moments of her entire life; she wasn’t about to let a small detail such as her heart beating wildly within her chest, to distract her from the man standing in front of her. Doing her best to keep her excitement within her control as she watched him slip the ring onto her left hand where it would forever stay, from that moment onward- the very thought of it caused her heart to leap within her chest and her the already bright blush to glow even brighter than before. Reaching out with her right hand so that she was gently cupping her fingers under his chin, she tilted her head ever so slightly as she guided his own up softly, the corners of her eyes sparkling slightly with the tears that she hadn’t even realized had been forming.

“..Jafar, I love you…” Dropping her right hand down from his chin to rest softly upon his side the moment that the words left her lips, she took a step closer so that she could close the gap that had been left between them, her eyes fluttering closed as she leant in, her soft pink lips at first pressing lightly against his before she began to put more passion and pressure behind them, her feet taking her a single step closer against him as she slid her left hand up and over his shoulder, her fingers (now adorned with the beautiful engagement ring that he had presented her) curling slightly as she cupped the back of his neck, keeping the both of them as close to one another as she possibly could.

Jafar's eyes widened for a moment as he felt her lips being pressed to his, her words of endearment (even though they had been spoken before) shooting his heart back up into his throat rendering him unable to do anything save for stand there like a fool for a few moments until finally his heart relaxed (slowly) back into his chest and he was able to return her kiss. He reaffirmed his hold on her hips, pulling her back into him and meeting her passion with his own before easing his hands around her and scooping her up and off of her feet, holding her body into his chest with his arms.

Pulling his lips away from hers for a moment, he inclined his head up a fraction to once more kiss her cheek, next to her ear, the tip of his nose brushing up against her temple as he exhaled a soft breath.

"And I love you too..."

Finally, the evening had come to a plesant end. The witch was gone, vanished from Scar's castle entirely after the lull of the feasts' entertainment had come to an end, though not without a final gift given to The Swan Princess before they even had a chance to enter the Dining Hall. Having not even taken into consideration Odette's apparel, as his thoughts were more on the relief that she was no longer a swan, The Dark Queen changed the damp, torn rag of a dress she wore, bestowing Odette a beautiful blue dress that had just enough Pride Landish roots to be towards Scar's liking and approval.

During the feast, Maleficent sat to his right, and Odette to his left. The selection of food that evening perhaps the finest arrangement The Pride Lands had to offer in order to please their magical-horned guest. The entertainment fell far from short, as once more his dancers were brought back out, led by the Gypsy and this time, Scar was able to give his attention to them fully, having missed the duration of their last display since his mind was far from easy - having to converse with a swan...

But now the evening was over and just as soon as Scar was ready to make his way to the chambers in which he kept his dancers to fulfill his promise given to the Gypsy earlier about a more fruitful reward, he quickly realized his own lustful desires would have to be quelled a day longer, as now he had Odette to look after. He didn't want to keep her too far from the enchanted water at a time... just in case. It only felt right to convert his grotto into some sort of living space for her, because no matter how he looked at it, the area that used to be his quiet little haven away from the stresses of being King, his grotto now belonged to her. Though he couldn't help but to feel that he was condemning her to some sort of dungeon, the way the grotto was placed. It was far from a dungeon, he knew that, but the feelings remained.

Pushing open the door that led out into the halls, holding it open for Odette, he waited until she passed him by before following behind, letting the door's heavy weight close it on it's own, his longer strides allowing him to catch up to her quickly and then adjusted his pace to hers.

Tightening her grip ever so slightly over the material that made up the beautiful gown that she had been given by the Dark Queen, she smiled excitedly up at her father as she passed him by, her long and wavy blonde locks bouncing lightly upon her back as she gave him a gentle nod, thanking him for holding the door open for her, though just as quick as she had given him her attention, she had taken it away again; allowing her eyes to flicker excitedly back and forth between everything that she could see , unable to keep her attention upon anything in particular for too long a time. Everything was just so new to her… everything from the decorations that were hanging and standing tall about the castle around her, to the people that surrounded and moved about around them as they walked… even the Guards that were posted around were unlike anything else that she had ever seen before, and for the life of her, she just couldn't seem to get enough of the sights being offered to her.

Unable to help herself from stumbling over her own two feet ever so slightly due to her own excitement about not only once again being with her father, but also about being able to explore a whole new part of the world, she quickly came to a stop within the middle of the entrance hall, her sudden and slightly abrupt halt causing some of those that were in the room to slow down and watch her as she lifted the bottom of her dress higher, her face seeming to scrunch up as worked to kick off the beautiful blue heels that she had been given along with the dress. Shoes… she had never really had any need for them before, always having spent most of her life bare foot and wandering around the gardens of Swan Lake, but here it was different… she was expected to dress, carry herself and to act in a certain way; but anyone who saw her knew that it was going to take some time for her to learn the ways of those who already called the Pride Land’s their home.

Catching sight of something over the other side of the room, the young Princess all but forgot about her heels as she once more began to move, her now bare feet barely making any sound against the floor as she made her way over to one of the Guards who seemed to be carrying a weapon that was different to the ones she had seen the others carrying; the young girl hesitating for a few moments as she just looked up at him before she reached out towards it, her finger tips lightly brushing over the metal and her eyes lingering on the slight reflection of herself that she could see within it.

Watching quietly as Odette made herself comfortable within his castle, letting her curiosity lead her feet over towards one of his guards, he simply stood by, leaning his large figure against one of the stone pillars that extended all the way up to the high ceiling and crossed his arms over his chest. It was a natural thing for a child to be curious, but Scar knew that Odette would be even more-so, given her upbringing. Having been practically raised by Rothbart, there had to have been very little opportunities for Odette to step foot inside of her father's castle after The Great Animal took it over, and even less opportunity to examine what splendors were held within - that including soldiers, and well... people. He learned that just as soon as he learned that the Princess of Swan Lake still resided there, but had been shut off from the world around her to appease the greedy, trapping claws of the dark sorcerer.

The guard that Odette had been inspecting the weapon of, did not move, instead taking on a more statuesque pose as though he were nothing more than mere decoration than human. His eyes bared forward, unrelenting to look down at the small child who was all but a stranger to him. He had been trained well, however, just as all the others under Scar's rule had been - to know better than when their King was present, the situation was well under control unless specified otherwise. He was, after all, their war general before he was their King.

"Kukri." Scar said from his station at the pillar, giving a name to the weapon Odette was keenly interested in. Tilting his head to the side a bit, as though in thought, Scar then pushed himself from the pillar, letting his thick arms fall back to his sides as he crossed the small space between himself and his adopted daughter to stand behind her, putting a hand on her small shoulder. "Go ahead. Take it." It was not even of mind within Scar to believe that letting a young girl handle a weapon was to be considered dangerous. In fact, it was quite common within The Pride Lands for noble sons to pick up their first, real weapon at the age of seven straight before being thrown into training for the kingdom's army. But even before that age, exposure to weapons of all kinds was strongly encouraged - to better acclimate the children into becoming well-versed in the art of combat and war.

“..kukri…” Being sure to repeat the name of the weapon after she had heard her father speak it, she leant herself in just that little bit closer towards it, her bright blue eyes sparkling slightly and her lips turning further up in her smile as she manages to catch sight of her own reflection staring back at her from within the blade- it was just so… different. There were so many things surrounding her that she had never seen before; things that she wanted to look at, to touch, to learn about… but where it was that she wanted to begin she wasn't quite sure. Turning her head slightly so that she could look up at her father as he approached her, she just couldn't seem to hide the curiosity that flickered across her young features before she once more turned her attention back down to the sword; her finger tips running further down the length of the blade until the next words to leave his lips caused her to take a step back and pull both her hands tightly into her body as though she had just injured herself upon the weapon in question.

“Father, I-I could not… I only wish to gaze upon the beautiful craftsmanship of blade; I do not intend to wield such a weapon of any kind…” Pressing her hands only slightly harder as she shook her head lightly from side to side, as though trying to push the point that she didn't ever want to have to take up arms against another living being, she shifted her body nervously over the ground before taking yet another single step backwards; her head dropping down ever so slightly to stare at the ground that was between them as she spoke, her voice softer than it had been moments before, “..fighting… violence… such things are never the answer; I do not understand why such methods are to be put to into practice when there are other ways to deal with the issues that those who are in higher power seek to throw your way…”

Scar was silent for a moment. Of course he had to come to expect that just like anyone outside of The Pride Lands, Odette would not understand warfare and even... maybe even had learned to hate it. The very thought perturbed him, but Odette was young, and her loyalty to him (shown by her actions of leaving Swan Lake to come and see him) made her quite impressionable. That was something Scar could work with. With his quick wit, silver tongue and ability to manipulate, he managed to get an entire army to turn on their own King. A teenage girl who looked up to him as 'father' would be an easy task in comparison.

"Because there are those who fail to see reason, Malaika. You of all should know this. Does not the very man who killed King William - the man you once called father, and held you captive in your own birth home - not hold true to this? The Great Animal sees no reason, and must be dealt with by other means than negotiation and rationale of which I have promised you. Surely you have enough intelligence in that space between your ears to know I speak truth."

At the very mention of the man who had been her captor for as far back as she could remember, her stomach quickly began to twist and tighten nervously within her, causing her to hunch her shoulders over ever so slightly and to press the palms of her hands against it- Rothbart was nothing more than a monster… and Scar was right; there was no amount of negotiation or reason that would be able to get through to a man who was like him. There were cases, it seemed, where violence and bloodshed were the only answer… the only option that you could turn to, “I… understand father…”

Seemingly unwilling to allow herself to relax as she willingly took in the valuable life lesson that he was providing her with, she slowly lifted a single hand up from where it had been resting with the other one against her stomach, her fingers lightly brushing over her untouched flesh as she pulled some of her long wavy blonde locks back off of her face before neatly tucking them back behind her ear, the young girl still showing reluctance in once again allowing their gazes to meet as she kept both of her eyes focused upon the ground, “Your words ring with nothing more than truth and honesty- please father, forgive me my questioning of such things in which I do not understand… I only inquire that I not be made to handle such instruments of death and destruction.”

That was good enough for him. For now. There was plenty of time to mold her into the woman he knew she was capable of becoming under his care - just like his Vitani would have become, had he not given in to the temptations of magic to solve his problems. Had he not killed her in cold blood in his blind rage as a cursed beast...

Moving his hand down from her shoulder, he pressed his palm to the middle of her small back and with a gentle nudge, pushed her body closer to his. Bending his head down at the neck, he pressed his lips to the crown of her head in a firm, though not without love, kiss.

"He can't harm you here. I won't allow it." he told her, dropping his voice down into a soft, soothing tone before withdrawing his head to stand back up at his full height, his hand never leaving her back but instead gently guiding her to turn and face front with him so that they could walk down the hall together - side by side, closely.

The gentle feeling of his lips pressing lightly against the top of her head caused a warmth to spread throughout her body, and her heart to soar within her chest at the sweet bit of affection he was now giving to her. All the things that she had been warned about… Dominic had been sorely misguided in his words about her father. How anyone could of ever dream to think ill of him was far beyond her comprehension- he had shown her nothing but kindness and love within the time that she had known him, and even more so since she had come to be within his care… she could ask not, nor feel want for anything more. Relaxing once again within his company as she felt the ever gentle nudge against the small of her back as he encouraged her to continue their stroll through the palace, she lowered both of her hands so that she could once more take up the bottom of her dress, holding it only just inches above the ground as she walked by his side, allowing him to take control and to lead her wherever it was that they were headed to.

“..father..? Are all the men that reside within the Pride Lands as brave as you are..?” Falling into what she felt was a comfortable silence for a few moments, she turned her head so that she could gaze up into his face, her eyes filled with nothing more than her own curiosity, mixed with the adoration that she felt for the man who had taken her in out of the goodness of his own heart, “..I mean, I have met very few within my life, with courage enough to face the Great Animal; those few whom I have had the pleasure of making acquaintance with, they all seem to linger for but a single night before they leave once again with empty promises of returning, or before they are forced into suffering a fate far worse than our own... nevertheless, you chose to face him alone- would such a task of ridding the evil that is Rothbart from this world not be swifter if there were more men whom shared in your strength and bravery..?”

Her words had Scar thinking. Right away, Scar's immediate response would have been 'no' followed by a slightly arrogant laugh, but the men she mentioned, the men who had faced The Great Animal before him, and perhaps even after, they had all failed, just as he had. But none of those men were driven by the same means as he was. No one wanted his curse broken more than he did. Of that, he was certain. So his want was stronger, not necessarily his strength, nor his bravery. It was his will. But of course, he couldn't go into such things with Odette, she would find out in due time what made the King of The Pride Lands tick, but tonight was not the night, and perhaps not even tomorrow night or a weeks time from now. But someday, yes, he planned to tell her everything. So he kept his answer simple.

"There is only but one me, Malaika. The fight I bring to The Great Animal is of personal nature for what he has done to m- us. I will find a way to reverse the curses, or kill him trying. Perhaps both. But what I do will be by my own hand." Scar wasn't sure how much Odette knew about war tactics, but he knew it had to be very little. He had an entire army at his disposal to throw at Rothbart if he so chose to, but even with his army, as strong and numerous as they were, they were no match for The Great Animal. No, Scar knew this Dark Sorcerer required a different approach. It was the main reason he returned to The Pride Lands to begin with - to surmise a plan as to how to get the ante up on Rothbart, to catch him off guard at his own game. But that was the problem with the bastard - he always saw it coming. "One day you will understand. I will teach you." Pausing on that thought as they both began to descend down into the grotto so that they could retire for the night, he let his mind wander, realizing only then that he rather liked the sound of that. "Yes, I will teach you all that there is to know here in The Pride Lands, as though you were born here. As though... you truly were my own..." Vitany was not dead. No longer. No, she lived. She lived through Odette. He would make it so.

Daria kept staring at her own reflection... Not knowing really what else to say as those around her decided that they wanted to go back to this fairy tale home where they were Princes and Princesses. Some part of her wanted to... But another part thought about her parents who had actually raised her. Parents that would be meeting up with her in a week... Sure, they had grown distant as she grew older but she knew they cared deeply for her. They wanted the best, that's why they sent her off to boarding schools and let her travel the world. To them, she already was a Princess and now, she was actually thinking about leaving them behind for world she doesn't even remember...

Jasmine at least had a loving father though... Or should, who knows what the witch did to him. She wondered if he really loved her as much as he seemed to in the disney movie. Looking down at the letter, the writing similar to that on her necklace, she shook her head. Maybe if she could actually read his words, she'd be able to make a decision. She huffed a little before looking around at the group and leaving the balcony, heading for her room. She need sometime to think, sometime alone... And most of all, she needed a drink.

Having quietly been watching up until this point, Alan couldn't help but to feel a small shred of pride once the 'children' began to accept who they were, one by one. His (very) impromptu plan worked! Of course there were the skeptical ones, as he had come to expect, but the majority finally seemed to grasp onto the fact that this was all very real. He had taken a few steps over towards Eliza's direction, as she was one of the ones having a hard time coming to terms with what was happening, but the grizzled uncle beat him to it, making him retreat those few steps. He wasn't about to intrude on that - there was no telling what sort of disaster that would begin to create if he tried to intervene. So he let them be, instead his eye catching a bit of movement as Daria began to leave the balcony, able to notice what looked like a confused, almost disbelieving expression on her face before she disappeared from sight.

Sighing and taking a moment to run his fingers through his long, brown hair, Alan went after her. He refused to lose another one to disbelief; not like Morgan. He actually kind of liked Daria- or, Jasmine. Whoever. Morgan he could have cared less about, really. That bitch arrested him for trying to hotwire a car and even had the nerve to call him Pinocchio.

"I can show you the world." Alan said from behind Daria in a deadpan tone, his feet picking up a bit into a sort of hop before rushing to close the fair amount of distance between them. "Shining, shimmering, spendid." Finally, he reached her and came up directly behind her, putting his hands over her eyes, both forcing her to stop walking and to keep her from seeing. "Tell me, Princess, now when did you last let your heart decide?" He was singing now, slowly easing into it from his blatent, speaking voice into something that wasn't all that half-bad.

Daria was wrapped up in her throughts as she exited the large room, that was filled with merriment and celebration, into the quiet lobby. She was nearly at the elevator when she heard a voice behind her. She rolled her eyes, despite not knowing him long at all, she knew exactly who it was and took this time to ignore him. After all, he was part of this insanity and she needed to escape it to see it all from the outside... That didn't last though as Alan seemed a little relentless, continuing with his reciting of showtunes. Her ability to ignore him though, ended when his hands covered her eyes and brought her to a halt. She sighed, standing there, blinded, "What on earth are you doing, Magic Man?"

Although she couldn't see, Alan smirked and released his hands from over her eyes to place them down on her shoulders, using them to turn her body to face him.

"I can open your eyes. Take you wonder by wonder. Over-" He dropped his hands from her shoulders, instead letting one of his hands trail down her arm to take her hand and then circled himself around her. "-sideways-" He brought himself back into her at her side. "-and under-" Alan then stooped himself down, maneuvering his body underneath the arm he had a hold of still before letting her hand go, now behind her and gave her a gentle push into the opened elevator. "-on a magic carpet ride!" Unable to hold his grin, Alan hopped into the elevator next to her and pushed the 'door close' button.

Well... she hadn't hit him yet. That was a start.

With his hands off of her eyes, Daria was able to see again but that didn't mean she could make anymore sense of what on earth was happening. She watched him as he took her hand and danced around her to the words of the song. She couldn't help but laugh at him as he decided to make her life even more like a disney movie than Eliza's uncle already had.

She watched him as he pushed the button, making the doors close with the two of them inside. She shook her head, "You need to choose a floor number," She informed him as they weren't moving and were merely trapped in the elevator.

She crossed her arms and looked at him, a little skeptical, "Now, care to tell me what you are doing?"

Alan's otherwise light-hearted expression fell a bit once he realized that she was right. He had no idea where they were heading, only that she was heading for the elevator to take her back to her room, assumedly, but for the life of him he couldn't remember where that was, exactly, despite having been there the day before for quite a few hours.

"Uh, right." Alan said, dropping the singing to default to his normal speaking voice before turning his head to look at her, a bit sheepishly. "What floor again?"

Daria laughed a little before uncrossing her arms and pushing the button for him, the elevator starting up and beginning to rise. Returning her arms their crossed position, she looked at him, her smile fading back to the skeptical look she had been giving him moments prior, "Will you tell me now what it is you are doing following me back to my room singing Disney songs all the while?"

His smirk returned to his lips, his shoulders rolling in a slight shrug as he slipped his hands into his dress pants pockets.

"I just wanted to talk to you about..." He audibly cleared his throat, before changing his tone back to the singing pitch he held just a few second ago before getting caught up with where they were going. "A whole new world! A new fantastic point of view! No one to tell you no, or where to go, or say you're only dreaming."

Daria rolled her eyes when he started to sing again. Shaking her head as she walked off the elevator she looked over her shoulder, "You are dreaming if you think I'm going to start singing."

She walked down the hallway to her room and opened the door, leaving it open for him to follow her in. She walked straight to the bar and pulled out another bottle of wine and poured herself a large glass. She looked up at Alan, "I'm more interested in talking about you and Eliza brushing shoulders... Do you want a glass?" She asked, reaching for another.

Stepping into the room without even so much as a slight hesitation, Alan's eyes first glanced over to the couch where he and Daria had spent a good amount of time the day prior before bringing his eyes back over to her, his nose scrunching up at both the topic now at hand and the offer of wine. It was only a matter of time before people started to ask him about his relationship with Eliza. He had just hoped it could all wait until he knew what his relationship with Eliza was. He thought he knew yesterday - a manipulative scheme in order to land her in bed. But now... now he wasn't so sure. He had been on a rollercoaster of emotions since finding out who she, and the rest of the 'kids' were. He just needed a break from it all. He just wanted to be done with this 'guardian' business.

"Got anything stronger?" he asked in regards to the wine as he made his way over to the couch, closing the door behind him, and plopped himself down onto the lush cushions, resting his elbows on the couch back and reclining as though he owned the place.

"You are asking a Russian if she has anything stronger?" Daria said with a small laugh before turning around and digging through cooler. Straightening, she held a large bottle of vodka. Grabbing a couple shot glasses, she walked over to him and joined him on the couch, "Balkan 176," She informed him as she poured them each a shot, "I suppose eighty eight percent is strong enough for you?"

She smirked and grabbed her shot, downing it with more ease that an underage girl should. She looked at him, "It's Batya and Mamka's favourite. Don't drink too much... Or they'll be carting you out of here on a stretcher."

"No, I'm asking an Agrabah-ian...? How the hell do you say that? Um... Agrabian, Agrabaite... whatever."

First taking the shot glass and holding it up to the light to examine the purity of the liquid, Alan then sat up and reached out with his opposite hand, taking the vodka bottle and looked over the label, only able to get bits and pieces of the words written there but was able to understand immediately that he should be impressed. And he was. Nodding in approval, he put the bottle back down, relaxing back into the couch while simultaneously slamming the shot down his throat and handed the empty shot back to Daria.

"Says the girl who helped me to down two bottles of flavored vodka just yesterday." Alan teased, grateful that he had managed to sway the conversation away from Eliza. He shifted himself a bit, pulling one leg underneath him as he sat himself sideways, keeping one arm on the back of the couch, so that he was able to look at Daria more directly. With his opposite hand, he reached out towards the top of her head, gingerly touching on the sapphire jewel encrested into the headpiece she had put on - a gift from her parents (or was it just 'father'?) back from Agrabah. "It really is beautiful..."

Daria watched him as he stumbled to find the proper name of her true ethnicity. She laughed a little at his attempt before informing him, "Arabian... Like Arabian Niiiights."

She pulled both her legs onto the couch and looked at him before shrugging, "That vodka was probably thirty percent... The Tequila was probably less. You don't stand a chance," She joked.

Next thing she knew, he was touching her head. Well, not really her head but the jewel that rested in her hair. She looked down at her empty shot glass, "Ya... It's real too... Probably costs a fortune. It feels... weird having it on my head," She reached over and grabbed the bottle again, filling their glasses once more before draining her cup again. She sighed and rested her head on the couch, "I can't even read the stupid letter though... Just a bunch of scribbled nonsense. If I go back... If my father is even still alive, I'm not going to understand him... Or my people. I speak English and Russian... That's it."

She pinched the bridge of her nose, calming herself slightly, "I just... This can't all be real?...." Then something struck her, "Who are you even?"

Retreating his hand, Alan winced a bit at her question. Another topic he didn't necissarily want brought up. He was surrounded by incredible people. Princess Jasmine, Princess' Anna and Elsa, Peter Pan for Gods sake! Who was he? He was a nobody. A hunk of wood that could talk, at most. Not exactly very exciting.

"This is all very real, I'm afraid. But what Grizzly Man Adams and his two silent henchmen out there didn't even begin to explain is that you have a choice. Even if you do believe, you don't have to go back. You made a life for yourself here. Hell, you might even be happy here. I don't know. But it's entirely up to you. As for that letter... well I dunno, Owl-man could probably decypher that for you if you really wanted to know and if you did go back, well I've never been to Agrabah myself, but I know that you wouldn't just be dropped off there to fend for yourself, especially since Jafar took the place over. Somone would be there to help you adjust - even learn the language." He was avoiding her question on purpose, he just hoped his somewhat enlightening speech was enough to keep her distracted from revisiting the topic.

"Oh perfect, nothing screams ruler like needing a translator for the first... three years, if I pick it all up quick, of my reign," Daria leaned back further into the couch, "The people will be begging for Jafar to come back," She rose her voice into a high pitch mocking tone, "Bring back Jafar, at least he can understand us," She shook her head, her voice dropping back to normal, "Of course... I won't know they are saying that... Because I'm sure that is something a translator doesn't want to tell a Princess."

She looked at him seriously, "I've been that translator before... I know that we only really say what the other wants to hear. I'd send them into a democracy... They'd go all French Revolution and ask for my head!"

She sat up and poured another shot, drinking it down again. The alcohol was helping calm her nerves slightly, unfortunately, she wound up so tight that it didn't appear to be doing much at all.

For some reason, Alan found this all very amusing and couldn't help the light chuckle that came up from his throat. He closed his eyes softly and shook his head, keeping his smile before looking back to her.

"Yeah, well it might take that three years even to get Jafar's brown ass of the throne anyway. I don't know the specifics, but from what I understand he's kind of a hard-ass. But I dunno, you might just have to go there and find out for yourself. Could be a total push-over." Alan shrugged.

"If he's anything like the movie verison... He's a creep," She shook her head before dropping back once more into the couch. She looked over at him before gently kicking him, "Stop smiling while I'm in the middle of a crisis," She said sternly despite a small smile playing on her own lips.

She crossed her arms and sighed, "I can't not go... I mean... It's my birthright even if I didn't know before. I need to protect my people and if Jafar isn't treating them right... then I have to fix that..."

"There, you see?" Alan said, bending his body over to the side a bit to pick up the bottle of vodka and poured himself another drink. "Already talking like a snobby, pointed-nosed royal. Almost like you are one, or something." With a teasing smirk, Alan sat back upright and tilted his head back, draining his second shot quickly and shook his head a bit as he felt the fire burning down his throat - a welcoming sensation he was overly familiar with.

"And you are terribly annoying," Daria informed him, mimicking his smirk as she did. She sighed as she sat there and came to the realization that she was right. She couldn't stay on Earth. She had to go back to Agrabah because whether or not her life was fantastic here... There were other people she needed to worry about. People's lives were worse off since she had been on Earth. Not because of her absence but because of who took her place in her absence. She shook her head, "So... You've talked to me about this whole new world... Now what?"

"Now?" Alan blinked, twice. He hadn't exactly thought that far ahead. It was clear that particular conversation was over. He had somehow (or even indirectly) convinced Daria to return to their world, though he was sure that Eliza would be a tougher case to crack and might be a bit longer, maybe even a few days. Bringing his arm he had resting on the back of the couch down so that his hand could scratch at the small amount of stubble on his chin, his eyes then glanced back over to the vodka bottle and shrugged, once more bending to the side to refill his shot glass. "Now we forget about the problems of tomorrow and get drunk." It may not have been 'good' advice, but it was all he had left in him.

Daria laughed and nodded her head, "I'm down with that."

She leaned over and filled her glass once more. Finishing it off, she looked at him, "I mean... That was my original intention... Although, with a significantly lower percentage."

Four shots in and she was already well on her way to being considerably drunk, "I mean... If I'm leaving and never coming back... We could drink my parents entire fridge and they'd have no one to get made at because I'm off being a Princess."

She stood and walked over to her glass of wine that she had poured earlier before carrying it back to the couch, sipping on it now. She smiled, "Now.... Did my mention of Eliza drive you to the bottle. You two seemed quite friendly and she doesn't get that friendly with anyone... Are you two dating?" She snickered at the thought, "Oh my god! You are the guy she snuck out to see last night!" Her snickering turned into a laugh, "Alright, I see your little game..." She suddenly got very serious, "Just know... That if you hurt her... I am very capable of kicking your ass, Magic Man."

Alan couldn't help but to roll his eyes, setting his empty shot glass back down on the table, no longer in the mood to make his second drink a third. The mention of Eliza had his stomach twisting in uncomfortable knots, and it seemed that the alcohol was only making it worse, in a strange turn of events.

"Relax, okay? It's nothing serious." Alan said, matching Daria's tone of seriousness. "Hell, I didn't even know she was... well, I didn't know who she was until a few hours ago." With a slightly irritated sigh, Alan relaxed back into the couch in a comfortable slump and shrugged his shoulders. "So now that there's no chance for my game, as you called it, I'll probably break it off with her tomorrow. No sense dragging on the impossible." He was getting agitated, and he didn't know why, which made him even angrier. It was true though, he had been thinking of breaking things off with Eliza the moment he found out that she was a Princess. Saying it out loud, however... well that just made it that much more real. But why the hell was it bothering him now?

Daria watched him as he explained that he was going to end it with her tomorrow due to the information that had come to light for all of them... Maybe that was for the best, they all had a lot of thinking to do and maybe having her first boyfriend when she is trying to rediscover herself would just be bad timing... Not to mention, it wasn't like Alan really intended to remain her boyfriend. She knew guys like him, he was stringing her along until he got what he wanted then he'd drop her. Now, she and Alan both played the same game but Daria had never stooped to that level. It really was the best outcome, this way Eliza didn't give everything to a guy that wanted one thing before leaving her. She took another sip of her wine, "Good... Because Eliza won't see it as nothing serious and if you aren't going to treat it the same..."

She shook her head a little before taking a long sip of her wine before setting it aside, "Problems of tomorrow," She said, pointing at his empty shot glass, "Drinking them away for the night, remember?"

Smirking a bit, once more grateful for the topic change, Alan raised a single eyebrow at Daria, unable to hold back the small chuckle he held in his throat.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were trying to get me drunk, your Majesty..." he said, sounding quite amused. "Stealing a man's tactics and not even giving him credit. A dictator if I ever saw one." He chuckled once more, giving Daria an approving nod. "You'd do well in Agrabah."

Daria laughed at his comment, "No... I believe it was your idea to get drunk. I think your exact words were," She cleared her throat a little before mimicking his voice to the best of her ability, "Now we forget about the problems of tomorrow and get drunk."

She grinned at him before speaking normally, "You are kind of losing in the whole get drunk category," She took another long sip of her wine as an example of just how he was losing.

She adjusted herself on the couch slightly and found that she could not get comfortable. At first it was fine, with drinking the shots she wasn't really sitting back much. Now with the wine, she wanted to relax. However, her clothing choice wasn't really letting her. She sat up and placed her wine glass on the table and brought her hands to the bottom on her fine shirt, "Do you mind?" She asked, looking at him.

After a moment, she stood the shirt coming off as she did. Walking to her bedroom, she removed her shoes as well and her skirt came off just before the door. She disappeared for a moment before she returned in a short white silk dressing gown that was tied at her waist. Returning to the couch, she grabbed her wine glass and took a sip, "Much better."

Before Alan even had a chance to respond, let alone react, Daria had removed herself from the couch to go into where he knew to be her bedroom, stripping herself free from her evening wear along the way. Now... it wasn't as though Alan hadn't ever seen Daria without a shirt before... amongst other things. But something in his head switched the moment he saw her dress shirt hitting the floor. His mind, for once since learning about who the children were, was finally free of thoughts about Eliza and the problems he had caused over the last few years. He was simply Alan again, just the way he liked it. And Alan liked young, drunk, half-naked women.

The idea of ridding himself free of the confining dress suit became more and more appealing as he waited for Daria to return, so he stood up from the couch and shrugged himself out of the dress jacket, tossing it to the side where it caught the arm of the couch by chance. He was just beginning to loosen the tie when Daria came back out, wearing something he could have sworn he saw her in once before, but couldn't for the life of him remember wh- Oh. Yeah. Yesterday, for like, half a minute...

"I suppose you don't have one of those for me, huh?" Alan asked, joking of course as he gestured towards the silk dressing gown she was wearing. Smirking at his own comment, he finished loosening his tie and tossed it over to where the suit jacket lay, now working on rolling down the sleeves on his dress shirt. "Fucking hate these things..." he mumbled more to himself than to her.

Daria laughed and shook her head, "I'm not sure I have one big enough," She smirked and took another long sip of her wine.

She walked over to the large window that led out onto the balcony and looked out to the snowy mountain. No one seemed to be coming down at all... She wondered if they were all at Eliza party. Turning around, she looked at him as he rolled down his sleeves and smirked, "I don't know why. You look quite dapper. We all wear things we hate to look good sometimes... Like heels, they kill my feet but they make my legs look great," She joked.

"Dapper, huh?" Alan asked, finally managing to fix the sleeves before starting to work on the buttons, eager to get out of the confining clothing. "That's quite the compliment, coming from someone as stuck-up and picky as you." he teased. With the dress shirt buttons undone, Alan quickly removed that as well, adding it to the slowly growing pile on the arm of the couch, leaving his top half now completely bare save for a white wife-beater that, for some reason, came with the suit Eliza had picked out for him. He supposed it had something to do with keeping the shirt clean, but he didn't particularly care enough to think about that.

"Picky? I liked you enough in what you were wearing yesterday to bring you up here. That's hardly picking considering," Daria teased, turning back to the window.

Coming up behind Daria at the window of the balcony, aiming to steal her wine glass simply for the reaction, his eye instead caught on something towards the juncture of her neck, otherwise hidden by the dress shirt she had been wearing earlier - a spot darker than the rest of her skin. At first he was confused, but as he got closer, he couldn't help the airy laugh as he raised his fingers to brush against the hicky he was more than sure he had left on her the day prior.

"And sometimes we let complete strangers leave reminders of moments we love that we have no choice but to wear for a few days." he said softly, tracing the mark with his fingertips before lowering his neck to brush his lips against her skin there in a sort of apologetic kiss. "Doesn't look as good as that sapphire gem in your hair, but it's all I could afford at the time." he mused.

Daria looked over her shoulder as she felt Alan running his fingers over the mark that he had left. As she saw him lowering his head, she moved her own head out of the way and allowed him to brush his lips against her skin. She laughed slightly and took another sip of her wine, "I may have been raised on money that can buy gems and jewels but I don't always need expensive things," She teased, "Like your cheap vodka and tequila."

She rose her glass to her lips and allowed it to rest gently against her lower one before she spoke, "You know... You have a girlfriend... who happens to be one of my best friends... Maybe it would be wise that you don't kiss my shoulder, Magic Man."

Alan chuckled against her skin, keeping his lips barely touching her but made no move to pull away.

"I told you. I'm ending it tomorrow morning, soon as she's done talking to the pedo." he reminded her, planting another kiss on her shoulder, closer to her neck, moving one of his hands to rest against her hip. "We both know I'm not the kind of guy that gets tied down to those sorts of things anyway." Another kiss, this time at the base of her neck. "And..." Another kiss, higher up on her neck, his fingers that had been tracing his mark sliding down the length of her arm until it too was resting on her opposite hip. "We both know I'm not the type to make 'wise' choices." He nipped at her this time, using the tips of his teeth to playfully toy with the small patch of skin on her neck that covered her pulse. "Besides... don't we have a score to settle? You are losing hilariously."

Daria's head moved to rest against her shoulder, leaving the side of her neck entirely open to him. She bit her lip, "Tomorrow and today... aren't the same thing. And... Who am I going to beat up if I'm the girl you hurt her with?"

Her words weren't matching her actions. She leaned back into him, the alcohol taking more control than her brain. She laughed a little at the mention of their score and shook her head lazily, "What you call losing, I definitely call winning."

"You won't have to beat up anyone so long as Eliza never finds out..." Alan pointed out, now pressing his lips to her neck more firmly and dragged them back down the length of her neck, back to where he started at the small bruise on her shoulder. "And I certainly won't be saying anything anytime soon." He smirked against her skin, using his hands on her hips to pull her back into him completely, making their bodies completely flush with one another as he moved his lips back up her neck and to her ear, just behind the shell of her ear. "Now, watcha say, baby girl? Care to 'win' some more?"

Daria seemed to be having an internal battle with herself as the sober part of her brain was telling her to stop. Unfortunately, it was majorly outnumbered. Daria tilted her head back and downed the rest of her wine before bending at the waist and placing it on the ground. Straightening once more, she turned in Alan's arms and wrapped her arms around his neck, "I'm going to kick you ass," She teased before pressing her lips against his own.

She couldn’t help the soft chuckle that slipped through her lips as she pressed her palm lightly against the palm of another, her head turning away as she swung her hips lightly from side to side along to the gentle beating of the drums, the beat easily able to be heard over the excited and warm conversation that was being held around the opening that the Atlantean’s had gathered in for the feast- cushions aplenty had been lain out in a large circle around the opening, allowing for everyone to be able to sit in comfort as they enjoyed the company and traditional meals prepared while they welcomed the new comers into the Atlantis. Bringing her opposite hand down the length of her body before she swung it up, she allowed her bare feet to turn her around every so often as she circled the roaring fire that had been lit in the center of the clearing- the blazing flames keeping them all warm and comfortable as they did their best to enjoy their evening, and to make sure to welcome Mwoga, Timon and Pumbaa into the city.

Pausing for a moment as her feet brought her to a stop in front of where she had left him sitting when she had first gotten up to dance, she smiled brightly before she quickly made her way forward and back towards him, her body leaning over and her arm reaching out so that she could grab up one of the many apples that were piled into the large fruit bowl that sat among the many other dishes that lay between the two of them, the light of the fire lightly illuminating her features as she flicked her gaze up so that it met with his own while she brought the apple back into her body, “I do hope that you are enjoying the evening- the people are very excited to have new comers in the city. You are all very welcome here.”

Straightening herself up once again as she took a couple of steps backwards, she lifted the apple up to her lips as she allowed her eyes to linger upon him for a few moments longer before she finally took a bite, her body turning away from his as she once more joined in the dancing with a few of the other Atlantean women, her long and wavy pure white locks bouncing lightly over her back and shoulders as she moved about.

Simba had never felt so full in his entire life. The feast in which Kidagakash had organized for him a rich variety of different things Simba had never tried before. And of course there was the buffalo that they had killed from the herd he had brought closer to their city for them. But there was a multitude of fruits, vegetables and breads that were all strange to him. Some he recognized back when he had the luxury of eating meals like this every day in The Pride Lands, but living among the wild and having the majority of his diet being bugs and pooly cooked meat, everything in front of him had been an absolute treat. And of course he had to sample it all.

Having reclined back, propping himself on his elbows, Simba was merely passing the time by watching the Atlanteans dance - something he could vaguely remember from the feasts they would have in his father's castle for entertainment. There was something almost familiar there, but he tried not to dwell on it in order to remain having a good time. His blue eyes flicked away from watching one of the other male Atlanteans dance as Kidagakash approached him, taking an apple for herself. With a lazy nod brought on by what might be the beginnings of a food coma, Simba looked over to his two friends, Timon and Pumbaa.

/Boy, I ate like a pig!/ Pumbaa grunted out, rolling over until he was on his back, his engorged belly up towards the sky where Timon began to pull himself up and onto, circling around the warthog's stomach a few times on all fours before he found a comfortable spot and laid himself down.

/Pumbaa... you are a pig./ Timon reminded him, being too tired to do or say much else.

Simba chuckled outwardly, shaking his head before bringing his attention back to Kidagakash who began to dance with the others again.

"Everything was great. Thank you."

Stumbling forwards slightly as she felt the light pressure of hands upon the small of her back urging her forward and towards him once again, she turned her head to quickly shoot a glance back at the three women of whom she had been dancing with moments before, the more mature and older woman flicking her hands lightly in his direction as though encouraging her to step forward and engage him while the other two stood by her sides, doing their best to hide the small though excited smiles that were playing over their lips as she finally turned her attention back to where Mwoga lay in front of her. She knew what they were doing; the woman urging her on was a part of her royal council- the very people who had been stressing the point of her taking on a King and providing an heir to the throne… but she had refused before, and there was no way her mind would change on the matter just as it had changed about welcoming the outsiders into Atlantis.

Bringing the bright red apple up to her lips so that she could take a small bite as she moved herself forward a couple of steps, she reached out her free hand towards him as her body leant over ever so slightly, her stunningly blue eyes meeting with his own as she kept her hand steady and held out as an invitation for him to take, the young woman quickly swallowing the food that she had in her mouth before she spoke, her cheeks turning a light red in color adding to the warm glow that came from the light of the fire behind her, “Come- you must dance with me.”

Quirking both eyebrows as Kidagakash extended out her hand to him, Simba simply stared at it as though he wasn't sure what to do with it until she spoke. His head tilted slightly, trying to shake his head no but his own hand was moving upwards to take hers, using the strength in his legs to pull himself up rather than depend on her as his anchor as he got to his feet.

"I don't dance." Simba tried telling her, though that wasn't explaining why he moved from his lazy position on the ground to stand by her side. It wasn't that he didn't want to dance; he had seen how much fun Kidagakash and the others were having, he just never learned how - not even as a boy in his father's Kingdom.

Unable to help the bright smile that crossed over her lips the moment that she felt his gentle touch against her hand, she reached out so that she could quickly place the apple that she was eating down onto the plate she had been using earlier during the feast, her body straightening itself as she led him over to a clear place beside the fire, her hand twisting ever so slightly in his so that their palms were pressing flat against one another as she once more began to move her feet underneath her, her hips swinging back and forth as she moved slowly for him, “Perhaps then, it is time that you learnt.”

Pressing her palm just that little bit harder against his own as she lifted both of their hands up higher into the air, she took a single step closer to his body as her own turned and ducked gracefully under his arm, her back brushing lightly against his chest as she turned her head, allowing her gaze to once again flick up to meet with his own, “Tell me... do you enjoy the city..?”

Unable to do much else than to follow her lead, Simba's body moved with her own, watching as she twisted herself against him, instinct kicking in telling him to place his free hand on her hip. Perhaps it wasn't instinct, after all. Somewhere, deeply recessed into his mind, were memories of dances at his father's palace, the evenings entertainment during banquets and feasts. It was very much a possibility that he had been paying more attention as a boy than he thought.

"If I were to be completely honest..." Simba started, feeling the way her body swayed from side to side against his chest as his hand held her hip lightly. "...it makes me a little homesick. Atlantis... reminds me a lot of home..."

His light touch against her hip sent her heart fluttering wildly in her chest, though just why she wasn’t exactly sure- it was just dancing… something that she had been required to do with many, if not all of the men that lived within Atlantis; so why did this feel so… different? Her soft pink lips parted slightly as she brought her head around so that she was looking back at him from over her opposite shoulder, her free hand slowly gliding up the length of her body before she reached back towards him, her light touch brushing over the side of his face before finally it came to a stop- her palm softly caressing his cheek as she allowed her gaze to lift up and meet with his once again, the look in his eyes causing her cheeks to turn a light shade of pink as she nodded her head lightly in response to the answer that he gave her. He was homesick- that was understandable, and if there was anything that she could do to make him relax and feel more welcomed within the city, she would do in a heartbeat.

“I see…” Smiling softly as she twisted her hand slightly within his so that she could take a hold of it gently, she guided it around in front of them, following the path of a semi-circle with both their arms and her foot as she brought them both in close against her, her foot resting softly against her other while she softly pressed their hands in close against her bare chest, “..aside from the feeling sick for home- how do you enjoy the city, and my people..?”

Thinking over her question, letting his body do as it wished while she continued to lead them in dance, Simba turned his head to look over at his friends; the warthog and meerkat seemingly asleep in their cozy little place of choice by the fire, both bellies stuffed. He turned his head back around, guided by her hand to look back down at her and gave her a gentle nod, feeling his hand and hers being pressed to her chest, just above her breast - like a tight, one-armed hug.

"I stand by what I said before, Kidagakash. I think what you have here is absolutely beautiful. I can't see why anyone wouldn't like it." he told her honestly, repeating his words from before when she had first told him about her concerns of outsiders and her city. His eyes then moved from hers out of habit, glancing around at the others dancing around them and about the fire, more-so watching the males to see what it was that he was supposed to do though he couldn't help but to notice that each of them, the females included, were all giving him a giddy sort of grin. No, he would never get used to being around so many people ever again, he decided.

"Why do you ask?" Simba asked, giving her his attention again, speaking quieter for some reason even he didn't know. "What's concerning you?"

She had stopped- her feet were no longer moving, her arms no longer guiding his own, their bodies no longer doing anything other than breathing and resting against each other; she had just stopped dancing around, and just when she had done so, was entirely beyond her. She couldn’t understand these feelings- everything was just so new to her… the way that her heart seemed to no longer wish to beat the same as it had done for the last four hundred and seventy-two years, the way that his gaze seemed to cause her to lose her train of thought or her voice to catch in her throat whenever he so much as glanced at her… the way that his touch seemed to send her emotions into a frenzy and cause her cheeks to burn as brightly as the very flames of the fire that lit the area around them.

“..I wish for you to stay…”

"S-stay?" Simba repeated, unsure if he heard her correctly. Well of course he knew he heard her correctly, there weren't very many words that rhymed with 'stay' that would have fit that sentence very well aside for maybe 'pray' or 'neigh' but he had good reason to believe it was neither of those. He wasn't a city man. Every hope of him learning how to live in a city had vanished the night his father had been murdered and he chose to run away from it all. Away from the consequences, away from the responsibilities, away from what was expected of him. He wanted no part of that, he had spent the last thirteen monsoon seasons very well out on his own. Well, Timon and Pumbaa helped a little...

"I... I suppose, I mean, for maybe a night or two... if it's not too much trouble..." he slowly answered her, just now taking into account that they had stopped dancing - and the only reason he picked up on that was that he felt a slight shift in the way Kidagakash's mood had been from just a few moments ago; a confused tangle of emotions he couldn't make any sense of so he did what he always did when he bonded with a confused animal - he put forth his own emotions into her; calm, assurance, relaxed, carefree.

"I haven't lived in a city for a long, long time. The Wildes... it has always provided for me..." he then slowly began to explain to her, knowing through the link of their bond that his first answer wouldn't be enough for her.

She could feel it- she knew from earlier that day just what it was that he was doing to her. He was using the bond that he had created between the two of them to help try and calm her already raging emotions; to fill her instead with a relaxing and carefree feeling which she could feel spreading through her body and fighting against what she already had. She knew what he meant, she could see it in his mind- in his memories; the Wildes had been his home for so long, provided him with everything that he could possibly need… food, shelter, friends… but the company in which he shared was only with the animals in which he managed to bond with, having not had any contact with other people until the two of them had run into one another earlier that day.

“I understand- but please-…” Shifting her body slightly within his arm as she gently tightened the already soft hold that she had over his hand, she shook her head ever so softly from side to side in response as she tried to think of the words that she wanted to say to him, her body brushing up and down his as she unintentionally and unknowingly pressed herself closer against him… Why was she finding it so hard to tell him what it was that she wanted- she had never once before had any issues voicing her opinions and desires to others, so why she was suddenly finding it so hard to not only pick her words, but to also speak them out loud was completely and utterly baffling, “Stay… with me…”

His words were lost to him, as were his emotions. This wasn't even about him going and bringing back a buffalo herd anymore. This went far deeper than that, but he fought those particular emotions he felt coming from her, because he himself did not understand it. He practically severed the bond completely, though being that he had never bonded with another human before, there was still that feeble pulse he could feel coming from her. No matter how hard he tried, he simply could not shut it off; not like he could with Timon, Pumbaa, and the other animals.

/What? Are ya deaf? She asked you a question!/ Timon suddenly piped up, breaking Simba's concentration so hard, that it nearly gave him a lingering headache, though he had to admit he was relieved for the slight interruption - even if it was Timon. He looked down at his feet, watching as the meerkat rode on top of the warthog over towards them from their napping spot.

/That's right! Birds of a feather, stick together!/ Pumbaa added on, sitting down by Simba's ankle once he reached him which threw Timon off balance. He hopped off of Pumbaa quickly, deciding to find a new perch and scampered over to Kida, using her cloth she used for clothing around her middle to climb up and soon found his way onto her shoulder.

/Speaking of birds, you're friend ain't gonna be no trouble is she? I can't live in a place where I constantly have to fear for my life!/ Timon exclaimed, brushing Kidagakash's hair to the side so that it wouldn't be in the way of his comfort, speaking as though he had already made up Simba's mind for him, despite Kidagakash not being able to understand him... Pumbaa either for that matter.

That got a chuckle out of Simba, watching Timon then pull Kidagakash's hair back into him after he laid himself down on her shoulder and used the long, white locks as a sort of blanket.

"Timon, you live in the Wildes. You're always prey." Simba responded out loud, forgetting for a moment that he could just use his thoughts to communicate with the animal. He brought his attention back to Kidagakash and gave her a small, apologetic grin. "He wants to know about Aithusa..."

Quirking her eyebrows in slight surprise as she felt a light tugging on the material that was draped around her hips, keeping only the bare minimum of her body covered and out of sight to those around her, she dropped her head down so that she could watch as the meerkat she now knew as Timon hurriedly made his way up her body and onto her shoulder before making himself comfortable where he lay, his claws (much like that of Aithusa’s earlier) leaving light red marks and gentle scratches upon her otherwise flawless skin as he climbed. She could no longer feel the calming and soothing sensation that he had been trying to help her feel moments before; something had stopped it completely- as though it had been cut off in some way or another, though her thoughts now were consumed by the hopes that he would agree to her invitation… that he would say yes, and that he would choose to stay with her in Atlantis.

Lifting her head back up so that her attention was once more focused on Mwoga as he began to laugh at something she didn’t know or understand, she couldn’t help the warm and amused smile that crossed over her lips, her fingers curling ever so slightly against his cheek as she slid her hand down, instead choosing to cup it lightly around his neck as she stood her ground, giving no hint or sign that she would be moving away from where she stood in his arm and against his body any time soon, “..Aithusa..?”

Pausing for a moment as she thought about how best to answer the question being given to her by the meerkat, her gaze softened slightly as she slipped the hand that had been holding onto his away from her chest and over to her shoulder so that she could lightly scratch behind Timon’e ear for only a second before she returned her hand back so that she was once again holding onto his, “No harm will come to either of your friends here. They, like you, are my guests- as such; you shall all be treated as Royalty. Aithusa rests within the jungles, or by my side upon the throne when I am in need of her. She will bring no danger to any- you have my word.”

/See? Nothing to worry about!/ Timon said after a relieved sigh from getting scratched behind the ear. He burrowed his way into the crook of her neck even further, rolling over onto his side and let his eyes closed to get some sleep. /Tell her we accept. This place ain't too bad./

Laughing somewhat nervously to keep his own anxieties about living within a city again away, Simba moved a hand from Kidagakash' hip to rub the back of his neck out of habit.

"Timon..." Simba half-whined, half-warned, though it appeared that the meerkat had already fallen asleep or had turned off their bond once again, making Simba shake his head at the expense of his furry friend. Looking down at Pumbaa, he was somewhat startled to see the small, beady eyes of the warthog looking back up at him, the thin brush tail flicking back and forth, as though waiting to hear it from Simba that they were staying. "I..." He closed his eyes and brought his chin back up to look back to Kidagakash who was also awaiting his answer. "We... we can't stay here... this city is for your people... Atlanteans. We - Timon, me and Pumbaa - we're from the Wildes. It's always been our home." he tried to explain without coming across as ungrateful. "Besides, we don't have a place to stay here anyway." he added on, hoping that his point might be enough.

Visiting Atlantis was one thing, but living here? There were so many people! And though it was very old in it's buildings and customs, it still thrived like any city would. Like The Pride Lands. And that scared him just a bit too much. He gave himself the name 'Mwoga' for a reason. Just as 'Simba' meant 'Lion' in the tongue of his people, 'Mwoga' translated directly to 'coward'. And he was. For years now he had every chance to return to The Pride Lands and face his Uncle; force him to stand down so that he could take it's place as the rightful King. But he was afraid. Besides, he had a new life now. Hakuna Matata! A life without worries for the rest of his days. Yeah... he rather liked the sound of that. And to have no worries meant not to be around other people. The Wildes had always been his comfort, and it's all he needed.

His reluctance at her offer was more than obvious- she could see it clear as day written all over his gentle features, feel it seeping into her through the bond that was there between them… she had to let him know somehow that this was okay; that she was not just asking this of him on just a whim, but that she had truly put thought into her decision. Reaching up and over to her shoulder with her free hand, she scooped up the meerkat as gently as she possibly could before she leant down, resting him once more on the back of the warthog that seemed to be staring up at Mwoga with an expectant look within his eyes, turning her body around though keeping it still pressed against his own, she reached up to take his hand, squeezing it gently in reassurance as she spoke, her voice as soft and sweet as the gentle sound of wind chimes moving in the breeze, “..come…”

Not bothering to give him any time to answer or respond to her sudden request, she turned her back to him, her hand still holding firmly though gently onto his as she allowed her feet to carry her away from the warmth of the fire, her body leading him away from the dancing and conversation of the celebration and over to the outskirts of the small clearing, her arm coming up to brush aside some of the native flora before she slipped through and out of the sight of the other Atlanteans. She had been giving quite a bit thought to a lot of things since the two of them had parted ways earlier that day- especially towards what it was that she was supposed to do with him now. He knew about her city and her people; she had failed to be able to help that, and now he knew more of her world than anyone else outside the safety of the city. She could no longer kill him- she was too close to him, and now, she was also indebted to him for his service to her and her people… now there was only one other solution that she was able to think of…

“..this was once part of the city- my mother would bring me to the temple and teach me the ways of our people…” Slowing her pace once they drew closer to the ruins of the temple, she relaxed her grip over his hand before she let go altogether, her own hand dropping back down to her side as she stepped forward, her eyes shining slightly in the little light that was around them, gifted by the slow moving fireflies that made their home in the deserted part of Atlantis, “This temple was once an important part of our culture- when a child was brought into the world, the family would bring them here before the King and Queen. It was then that they would be given their crystal…”

She hesitated a few moments, allowing her words to sink in before she turned around to once more face him where he stood, her brilliant blue eyes catching on his own as she searched them, though for what she wasn’t quite sure. Why did things seem to be so much harder now, ever since he had arrived in her life… everything had been so natural, so normal before- she could speak her mind out loud with ease, she wasn’t thinking too much about how she acted or what others thought of her, but now that he was here… Dropping her hands down to her hip for a few moments, she fumbled with the material that was covering her lower body, her fingers closing around something small before she turned her attention back over to him, her chest rising and falling nervously with each breath that she took, the young Queen taking a pause for herself before she stepped forward, reaching out with her free hand to take hold of one of his own.

“..you have brought smiles and hope back to my people- and you have shown me that I am too quick to judge outsiders… I am forever indebted to you…” Turning their hands so that his palm was resting upwards, she reached forward with her other hand, placing the small object within his palm before she curled his fingers over so that he was holding onto it, a small though extremely proud smile playing over her lips.

“I, Kidagakash Nedakh- Queen of this city and of its people; welcome you, Mwoga, to Atlantis…" Dropping her hands back down to her sides as she took a couple of steps back, she lowered her gaze for just a moment before returning it back to meet with his own, "..you are one of the people of Atlantis now- even if you choose to leave us behind.”

Simba was grateful to leave the throng of people behind. A chance to talk to Kidgakash alone was definitely a welcome reprive; he felt much less anxious that way and the further she took him (seemingly) away from the city, the more relaxed he became. So much, in fact, that the bond between himself and the Queen was opened back up to a comfortable level. It was strange, though. With the bond now open, Simba, despite never being in this part of Atlantis before, seemed to feel a strange sense of awareness to everything that was around him. Certain trees, rocks and foliage rang familiar - a distant memory and it wasn't until he felt a very sudden sense of pride welling up in him that wasn't at all his own. It belonged to Kidagakash and the moment the temple came into view, understanding reached his simple mind. He had been sharing her distant memories, memories of following the (now) familiar trail to the temple which she began to explain to him.

Familiar or not, the area was absolutely breath-taking. Simba had to suppress the bond just a bit to allow his own thoughts to come to him at the marvel around them, taking in it's beauty and heritage as his bright blue eyes drank in everything there was to see, though always keeping an ear open for Kidagakash to further explain.

He knew immediately what crystal she had been talking about. He held a strange sort of understanding of the life force here in Atlantis from the moment they had bonded - a floodgate of information about the history and culture of Atlantis filling his mind until it was so much that he had passed out. It wasn't exactly an easy lesson to learn, his head still throbbed a bit from the experience, but she didn't need to explain any further than the simplicity she gave him.

His eyes were brought back around to look at The Queen of Atlantis as he could then feel her mood altering slightly to a more serious manner, giving her his own serious expression in turn - like a mirror. He watched her curiously, procuring something small from her hip and felt something cool and hard being placed into his palm. Carefully opening his fingers back up, his blue eyes looked over the crystal she had placed there, his mind and body both emotionless as he stared it down having no idea what to make of this gift. Eventually, a sense of reverence passed over his mind that filtered into her before he forced his eyes to look back up at her.

"You- your... people... They... they... accept me?" Confusion fueled him then, but the reverence of such a high honor was not misplaced, as there was a deeper meaning behind it. He hadn't felt accepted or wanted by anyone for quite a long time and this... this was almost too much, but the gesture... her words, did not go unappreciated.

She hadn’t even noticed that her heart was beating quickly within her chest once again… her foot nervously shuffling over the ground as she watched him- listening, feeling, waiting… The swell of reverence that seeped in through the bond that they shared mixing with her own sense of pride at the thought that he understood what it was that had just happened. He had been accepted… not just by herself, but also by her people… and by the mother crystal itself. It had deemed him worthy of the city, rather than the threat she had first thought him to be- she could see clear as day that she had been wrong; feel that he meant none of them harm, and instead had helped by once again giving the people hope that she had thought long lost, “Yes.”

She couldn’t help the small smile that played over her lips as she turned her head to look back over her shoulder, her brilliant blue eyes flicking up to gaze at the ruins of the once great temple that stood before them- she had brought him to this place for that specific reason. He had done nothing but be kind and help her, even after she had been so mistrusting towards him… Nodding her head softly as though to reaffirm the answer she had given him, she turned her full attention back to where he was standing, pausing for a moment before she took a single step closer, her soft pink lips parting ever so slightly as her cheeks turned a light shade of red, “The court of Atlantis approached me on behalf of the people- they spoke of their gratitude towards you and all you have done for this city. I… had done much thinking on the matter myself…”

Bringing her hands up and together in front of her body, she allowed her fingers to nervously play with themselves against the soft skin of her stomach, her gaze dropping down to watch them for a moment before she once more lifted them up to meet with his own again, “The people accept you, I accept you… and the mother crystal accepts you. You are now one with Atlantis.”

Clearing his throat from the lump he felt beginning to grow there, Simba let his eyes rest back on the crystal in his open palm before reaching with his free hand to the leather cord that made it a necklace. Picking it up, Simba's eyes met with Kida's as he then used both hands to loop it around his neck feeling the weight of the crystal on his chest as it settled. It was so much more than simply wearing the crystal as a new piece of jewelry, and they both knew it. It was his acceptance for the gift, for the proclamation that he was now one with the people of Atlantis - one with the life force that kept them alive for so long and gave life to their ancient land.

His eyes dropped to her hands that had fallen to her abdomen, his own reaching out to take both of them in his and let his thumbs mirror each other as they brushed over the soft skin of her knuckles as he brought his eyes to look back to her. The bond was opened, stronger and more vulnerable than ever before as he related his gratitude and understanding to her, unable to find the right words that could even hold a torch to what it was that he was feeling.

"Thank you." he said after a long silence, though the emotions pinging between them was more than enough to make that silence a comfortable one. "But all I did was bring back a buffalo herd for your people to eat from. You make me out to be some sort of hero... and I'm not."

The wave of emotions that were filling into her through the bond mixed with her own was more than she had ever felt before- gratitude, understanding, vulnerability… it was all there between them and more. Her own pride and happiness swelling up inside her heart as she watched him place the crystal around his neck, her body not even resisting and her feet closing the gap that was left between them as he reached out towards her, taking both her hands in his, the gentle though still calming touch of his thumbs brushing back and forth over her skin causing her breath to catch in her throat, her chest lightly pressing against his own as they once again gained the intimacy that they had held when they had been dancing with each other before the raging fire of the feast.

“You brought hope to my people… to me…” Lifting her head up slowly, she let her gaze meet with his once again, her brilliant blue eyes searching his own, trying to figure out the best way to explain just how much it was that his actions meant to her- just how much it was that he had done. It wasn’t just bringing back the buffalo… it was oh so much more… “Mwoga; to know that someone not of this city can accept us- accept our world and our culture just as you have, it means much. You say you are no hero; but to the people, and to me… you are. I can never thank you enough for what you have done.”

Simba processed her words, finding reason within them as much as he didn't particularly like it. It seemed that the one strike of consciousness he had for wanting to help out her people by bringing the buffalo herd back to the mouth of the cave that he now knew as the entrance to Atlantis stained permanently onto his fate line - a decision that would now forever change his future onto an alternate path he never believed possible until now. Could he truly live here with the people of Atlantis? He was already one of them whether he liked it or not, but could he give Kidagakash what she wanted and stay?

"You... you don't have to thank me, Kidagakash." Simba told her softly, letting his eyes drop a bit as he started to feel his cheeks growing warm, his modesty now starting to show on him physically. "You said thank you enough by accepting me into your culture." He moved his eyes to his chest where the fragile looking crystal lay against his bare skin and reached his hand up to fiddle with it, twisting it in his fingers and watched as the light from the fireflies caught onto the small shards within. "This... this is more than enough."

“..Kida…”

Hesitating for only a moment before she lifted up the hand that he had let go of, she lightly pressed her palm against his bare chest, her fingers curling ever so slightly as she gazed at the small blue crystal that was resting softly against his chest, the color standing out against his skin even in the darkened area in which the two of them were standing. The sound of her name falling so naturally from his lips… she didn’t understand why it was having such an effect on her- there were many people who used her name, so why was it so different when it was him speaking it out loud- when it was him who was calling for her, or even acknowledging her presence, “..you may call me Kida…”

Tilting her head slightly as she watched him play with the crystal that she had given him, she stayed silent for a few moments before once again giving him her full attention, her eyes meeting with his again as she shook her head softly, her gaze and expression both softening as she pressed her body just that little bit closer against his own, “You have a home here within the city; you and your friends may stay in the palace… that is, if you wish to stay. Do not feel obligated, even when I have asked you to. Though I do wish you would stay… with me… please…”

"P-palace?" Simba repeated, stuttering on the word as that lump began to form in his throat once more and a wave of uneasiness began to tickle at his stomach. His eyes closed for a moment, willing for the last bit of memories he had the last time he had been in a palace to go away, unable to deal with the memory of bloodshed right now. Aware suddenly that the bond was still open, Simba quickly withdrew his mind, opening his eyes again to find her still looking at him, again awaiting the answer she had already asked him once before.

Her offer was genuine, her motives sincere. With what little was left open from their bond, he could feel it from her - reluctance. But not towards herself in what it was that she wanted from him, but of what it might mean if he declined; if he returned to The Wildes without a second thought, pretending the entire thing never happened.

Sighing and dropping his head a bit, Simba knew then that there wasn't any way that he would be able to say no - if only because he didn't want to disappoint her.

Why? Why did that matter suddenly? He couldn't allow his mind to dwell on that, however, as Kidagakash - Kida was still waiting.

"Alright, Kida." he stated, using the shortened name she had given him out of respect to what it was that she wanted. "I'll... I'll stay."

It was like everything in the world around her had frozen, even if for only a moment as she did her best to progress the answer that he had given her. He was staying… he had actually agreed to stay in Atlantis… with her… Taking a moment to herself so that she could gather her thoughts, she leant herself up towards him, her eyes fluttering closed as she pressed her lips softly against the center of his forehead, allowing them to linger there for a few moments before she slowly pulled herself back and away from him- it was something that her mother used to do, a small gesture of her gratitude that was offered to her whenever she had done something that her mother had wanted, or something that had made her feel happy towards her daughters actions.

“You have my word- you will not regret the choice you have made here today.” Unable to help the bright smile that crossed over her lips, lighting up her features brightly, she quickly slid her hands back down his body, her hands once again taking a hold of his own as she took a couple of steps backwards towards the way they had originally emerged at the temple from, “Come, let us rejoin the feast! There is much to celebrate!”

Allowing one of her hands to slip away from his as she turned her back towards him, she began making her way back the way that they had come, leading him back out of the temple clearing and into the forest, following the familiar path and the sounds of the celebration back to the feast they had disappeared from earlier.

Tinker Bell was fiddling with the pouch that she often wore at her side that was normally filled with Pixie Dust. She had just about run out and was going to get a refill, but her bag refused to detached from the belt she wore around her hips with all over her tools. She decided as she walked into the tree that that was something she needed to fix. Maybe she'd find a lost thing on her way back to her kettle. Absorbed in her thoughts, the young fairy didn't notice that she wasn't alone in the room and nearly ran straight into the Blue Fairy who seemed to be inspecting the dust that was following into a large pool. Tink stopped herself just in time, changing her direction just enough to slip around the woman as she finally detached the bag, "Hiya Blue," She held her bag under the stream before looking back at the woman and noticed the look on her face. Straightening slightly, she looked at her, "Is everything alright, Blue?" She asked with a twinge of her worry in her voice.

The older fairy looked at the girl and sighed, "No Tinker Bell... Terrance thinks we might be missed some of our blue dust again and... I fear Zarina has been sneaking in again."

Tinker Bell's eye brows knitted together as she shook her head, "We haven't heard or seen anything from Zarina in nearly... fifty years."

Blue shook her head, "It would not be the first time that she returned after us not seeing her for a great length of time... And we weren't even aware of it until there was a flying pirate ship," She looked at Tink for a moment before she took a deep breath, "I have another job for you, Tinker Bell... I need you to go find Zarina and ensure that she hasn't gotten her hands on any of our Pixie dust... Who knows what she'll do with it this time."

Tink bit her lip and looked around the room, "Well... Did Terrance double... triple check that there was something missing? I mean I don't even know where to start looking for her.. and..."

"The Bayou... I don't know exactly where but I know for a fact that she is indeed there..." She stepped toward the panicking girl, "I know that it has been a while since you last saw her and I know that it doesn't bring up the fondest of memories but... I need you to do this for me, Tinker Bell."

With a large sigh, Tinker Bell seemed to deflate a little before she nodded her head, "Alright, I'll go... But I'll need another bag of dust for a journey that long..." She said quietly, clearly not to impressed with the outcome.

Blue smiled and handed the girl another bag which she held in her hand before walking out, "Thank you, Tinker Bell," The Blue Fairy called after her.

With a wave behind her, Tinker Bell flew into the air, heading back to her kettle to prepare for her long journey. At this point... Seeing Zarina was the second last thing she wanted to do. The last thing was to accuse the girl of the same crime that Tink had gotten her banished for years ago. Finding a small piece of wire, Tinker Bell wrapped it around her belt and tied her two bags of duck to it. She looked around her small place a little, deciding what it was that she would need. Grabbing her leaf coat and hat, she pulled them both on, putting her short hair up in her classic bun. She walked back out of her kettle and took a deep breath, the trip to the Bayou was a long one... But at least it gave her time to work up the courage to face Zarina. With another deep breath, Tinker Bell took off into the air and left Pixie Hollow behind her as she began her flight to the mainland.