kingdoms_of_auradon | And I Wish That It Would Never End

I wish, my wish

The snow had finally been cleared from the room, the window fixed. And the snow outside was slowly following suit. It was still almost painfully cold outside, but the snow was no longer actively falling, and the more adventurous could find ways outside through upper floor windows. There was no way to get to the shore or anything, but there were odd glittering things in the perfect fairytale snow. The first time someone would touch one, it would grow brighter and brighter until the light exploded outward. The shards of light flew into the school mostly, but some went elsewhere, over and past the tangles of stuff.

When the light resolved, it and the other glittering things - both in the snow and now in the school - would prove to be small magic lamps. Each would have the name of one of the Missrecalled currently in Auradon, and a colour scheme that suits that person. It might be the one who picked it up, or someone else. When the person for whom the tiny jewelry sized lamp was for holds the lamp and makes a wish, that wish might come true. For a short time.

The wishes would only last the weekend, but What a glorious and bittersweet weekend that would be.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

kings_knight_rocks

"Don't thank me yet." He shook his head.

"Hey Specs, miss Aqua, we just about there?" That was Noct's voice calling from the back.

"For the love of-" Ignis muttered under his breath. He sighed and turned to speak over his shoulder. "Patience Noct, we've only been walking a minute."

"A minute too long- Hey!"

Prompto had elbowed the prince in the ribs. "Dude, you won't die, be nice."

From:

aquawayfinder

"We will be there soon. And you might be grateful for the walk when we arrive. It is warmer in here than otu there by a considerable amount."

From:

kings_knight_rocks

Gladio shrugged, "Eh, we'll live. Princess back there will just be happy for a chance to spread his wings."

"I heard that!" Came Noct's indignant reply.

From:

aquawayfinder

"I suspect if I had them I would be too."

"Would wings stop you from being - " Ven started to ask. Terra cut him off, rubbing his hair a little too roughly.

"You can think about teasing Aqua when you can actually beat her at Sparring once. Without help."

"Awwww, c'mon, Terra. I was only kidding," Ven protested.

From:

kings_knight_rocks

Prompto looked a bit uncomfortable, though it was obvious he was trying to hide it.

Noct, seemingly oblivious, bumped a shoulder against his. "Hey, speaking of, we still haven't gotten to fly together yet. I bet you're just as clumsy in the air as you are on the ground."

"Hey-"

"Now now. I think Prompto's wings need a bit of maintenance before you steal him away." At Ignis's words Prompto's cheeks warmed and he looked away.

Gladio ignored the awkward air of the conversation and grinned down at Ven. "I doubt I'd have you besting a master any time soon, but if you want I'll show you a thing or two. When I'm not watching over the princess here I help train the new recruits."

From:

aquawayfinder

Ven puffed up. "Maybe I'll teach you instead. We were taught by Master Eraquis and he's the best Master ever."

Aqua gave him a small warm sad smile.

"Unfortunately," Terra said, "Our Master was never able to teach Ven to be polite."

"Hey!"

From:

kings_knight_rocks

"Hey, if you think you got something to teach me I'll give it a listen. I just think I've got a little more experience under my belt than you pipsqueak." Gladio ruffled Ven's hair, an obviously familiar gesture.

"He's always that condescending, don't listen to him." Noct rolled his eyes. "Kick his Alstor bass!" Here his face slipped from smug to confused, before resigned annoyance. Prompto had filled them in on the swearing ban. It certainly ruined the impact of his statement though.

Ignis sighed long-sufferingly. "My attempt's for our young highness have proven equally fruitless I'm afraid."

From:

aquawayfinder

"Hey!" Ven protested. "I know lotsa stuff, and besides, our Master says you can learn from anyone if you only keep your mind and Heart open."

From:

kings_knight_rocks

Gladio hummed appeasingly. "Sounds like a smart man." He grinned. "Guess we'll have to let the steel decide then, huh pipsqueak?"

"Oh please, would you-" But whatever Ignis was going to say was drowned out by Prompto and Noct's chorus of "Fight! Fight! Fight!"

From:

aquawayfinder

"Steal? Why would I take anything from you?" Ven asked.

Aqua sighed as Terra joined in the chanting with a grin. She turned to give Noctis a look of shared pain.

From:

kings_knight_rocks

At Ven's misunderstanding Gladio let out a hearty chuckle and once again reached to ruffle the boy's hair. "Steel, as in metal. We'll let our blades speak for us if you will."

Ignis met Aqua's look with a resigned sigh. "Honestly, sometimes I feel I'm the only one of us cursed with a lick of sense." But if Aqua was observant, she might notice the faintest curl of fondness about the advisor's mouth.

From:

aquawayfinder

"You have Keyblades too?" Ven asked, excited.

Aqua sighed. "I am very familiar with that sensation," she said with a nod. But she too had a fond smile as she spoke.

From:

kings_knight_rocks

"A keyblade? Now that's an interesting name for a weapon. And rare, by the sound of it." Going off the excited tone that was Gladio's best guess anyway. "Sorry to disappoint you pipsqueak, I mostly just use a greatsword."

The topic had regained the interest of the rest of the flock, and Prompto voiced the question. "Sooo, what's a keyblade?"

From:

aquawayfinder

Ven raised his hand to summon his, but Aqua stepped in. "Outside, we can show them off outside, on flat ground. After the roof."

From:

kings_knight_rocks

"Yessss. Man am I stiff." Noct shook his wings with an easy smile.

"Highness, keep in mind-"

"Yeah yeah," Noct waved Ignis off. "Unfamiliar territory and all that. I'll be careful Specs."

Ignis shook his head. "And somehow, I'm not reassured." He sighed, and shifted his attention back to Aqua. "I would he eager to hear of these keyblades in the meanwhile though. If you don't mind."

From:

aquawayfinder

"So long as you don't get too near the ocean nothing in the air will be dangerous but you can't fly more than 4 feet high above your starting place," Aqua warned gently. "As to the Keyblades, Ven it will be good practice. You teach."

"Awwww, Aqua.... c'mon... you explain it better."

"All the more reason to practice," Aqua said.

Ven looked to Ignis. "You'd rather hear it from Aqua, right?"

From:

kings_knight_rocks

"Four feet from where you start? What kind of rule is that?" Noct ruffled his feathers in obvious dissatisfaction.

Ignis gave a small smile to Ven. "Well, I wouldn't wish to deprive you of an opportunity for growth. If I have a question of which the answer you are uncertain, we can loop Aqua in then. How does that sound?" He turned back to Aqua. "As for this four foot rule. I too am a bit curious about it. It seems... oddly specific."

From:

aquawayfinder

"Not so much a rule anyone set as a truth we've observed. None of us can get higher than that."

Ven huffed. "Of course I'll know the answers," he muttered.

From:

kings_knight_rocks

"Maybe you just didn't try hard enough?" Was Noct's blunt reply, to which he received an elbow from Prompto.

Ignis frowned at Noct with a heavy sigh, but ultimately chose to ignore the less than tactful words. He instead turned back to Ven. "Then I see no issue with the arrangement, my young tutor."

From:

aquawayfinder

"So long as you do not harm yourself or anyone else, you are welcome to try," Aqua said. "I will stay below with healing spells at the ready."

Ven huffed a moment then sighed. He seemed to think about how to explain it, how their Master explained it, as they hit the last flight of stairs.

"A Keyblade is more than a weapon or a tool. Something in our Hearts calls to something in the Keyblade, and the Keyblade chooses us based on that. If you have one it is a lot of responsibility because it is a lot of power. It makes your magic stronger, which means mistakes can hurt people lots more, so you have to be more careful. But Keyblade Masters, those who have trained for years... they have the responsibility of protecting all the worlds, protecting the Light, and keeping everyone safe. Even if no one knows they're there. It's like being sneaky for the sake of saving people."

From:

kings_knight_rocks

"I see..." By which Ignis meant he did not see, but he did see an opportunity to learn. Which to him was almost better. He pulled a small notebook and pen from his inside jacket pocket and his friends settled in for the singlemindedness of his focus for the next while.

"So would you say a Keyblade is a sentient force? Is the metric for the choosing known? A merit based system? Or is it possibly more related to potential? You mentioned magic. Do all Keyblade Masters wield magic?"

"Maybe one question at a time Iggy?" Gladio said with a light chuckle.

Despite Noct's previous attitude, he now had a small, secret smile playing his lips. This was a version of Ignis that the advisor did not permit himself to indulge in often. His friend's would happily put aside their stakes in the conversation for the time being.

From:

aquawayfinder

Ven shot a panicked look at Aqua who chuckled. "Alright," she said, ruffling his hair. She then took over answering. "Keyblades have perhaps a different sort of ability to chose than what you would call sentience." Of course there were the nanotech Keyblades, but that was a whole other rule set and would be too confusing to get into at the moment.

"A plant will move," she continued, "to get closer to the sun, which is a choice. The oceans react to the move. The plates of the world move. How much is choice, how much do the Keyblades choose? It is not an exact comparison but the way they choose is as different from how we choose as the tides and tectonic plates. As for the metric, there are theories, of course. But any time we think that we know for certain, someone is chosen that breaks the theory apart. So we are forever learning. But we know that being handed a Keyblade can be an indicator, how long it remains in your hand before it returns to the one to whom it is bonded can tell us how likely it is that you can have a Keyblade of your own. But there are those who feel we are confusing cause and effect, and that giving a Keyblade gives the potential rather than exposing it. As for magic, all Keyblade users I have met so far," in this reality series anyway "have the ability, even those who did not seem to have the capacity before the Keyblade called them. Those of us who walk the path of Mastery, we learn magic in our training. Not all of us use it, of course. That is a choice of personal preference. I tend to use my magic pretty consistently, Terra and Ven on the other hand tend to be more physical. But it does not seem to follow gender lines if that was what you were thinking, for our Master was fairly balanced between, as is Sora. Lea on the other hand uses quite a bit of magic, but only one element generally."

From:

kings_knight_rocks

Ignis took precise notes as she spoke. Bullet point, in a neat handwriting. When he wasn't writing, he tapped the back end of the pen against the paper. "So let me see that I understand; it is believed that these Keyblades might have a form of auto-sentience akin to plants, but lack a... perhaps will is the word I am looking for."

His brow had a thoughtful lilt. "Hm, if it is not possible to know one hundred percent of the time who may have the potential to wield one, could you accurately posit who would absolutely not? Then, in theory, if you let that person hold a Keyblade, you could then determine if the potential could be passed on, no?"

"I must say, your magic intrigues me. On Eos, there are very few who are able to harness magic. Noctis and his father-" His face soured briefly, and he quickly moved past the mention of the erstwhile king. "The Crystal has only chosen the royal bloodline to bestow it's power, and it is only through them that the Glaive are afforded their gifts. That I know of, little to none other humans have the ability to use the world's magic. Perhaps when we are safely outside, you could show me some of your magic?"

From:

aquawayfinder

They finally got to the roof. "I have no problems showing some of the safer spells. But there are some spells best performed only on solid ground and others that should be used in combat and in combat alone. As for knowing one hundred percent who could never have a Keyblade, if I have ever met such a person I did so unawares."