This is a work of fiction and is not to be sold in any way shape or form. It is simply for my amusement and the challenge of writing these characters in a strange and dangerous world. All the characters are owned by Disney and I do not claim ownership of any of them. Please let me know what you think in the comments below! Without further ado, welcome to The Kingdom.)

If you have not read the previous chapters, HEAD HERE!

Chapter Twenty

Mowgli

The wolves turned to Mowgli and stared at him intently. He wasn’t sure if they were planning to eat him or carry him off. There was no way of knowing as their beaded eyes bore down on him, peering inside his soul.

“Thank you,” he said.

“She called you the King,” said one of the wolves.

“Yes, yes, she said you would be King,” said a panther.

“I’m sorry,” replied Mowgli. “But I don’t know what she meant. I’m just an orphan from the jungle across the sea. I’m not a King.”

Murmurs broke out amongst the crowd of beasts. “The test,” said one of the wolves. “He must take the test.” Several barks and howls exploded from the pack as they began moving in the jungle. One of the panthers stopped beside Mowgli and allowed him to jump atop his back. Together, they followed the pack down a long stretch of winding trail, through trees and foliage. Eventually they came to a clearing with a hexagonal stone pedestal where a tiny pebble sat, glowing softly. It was a light shade of yellow. All of the panthers and wolves stopped, afraid to get too close.

“What is the test?” Asked Mowgli.

“You must pick up the gem,” said the Panther which he rode.

“And how will I know if I pass?” Asked Mowgli, dismounting the large cat.

“You will not be dead,” said the panther with a look of worry in his eyes.

Mowgli took a deep breath and then stepped into the clearing, towards the pedestal. Step by step, he got closer. He heard a soft whispering in his ear, though it was in a language he didn’t understand. It was as if the gem were speaking to him. He reached out a hand and slowly placed it atop the gem and then closed his fist.

There was a wild whoosh as wind raced around him, and he felt reality warp for a moment. For a split second, he felt as though his body might be flipped inside out, but as soon as it had come, it subsided. He turned his hand over and eyed the gem in his hand, which glowed even brighter than before.

“It’s him,” said one of the wolves, and quickly put his nose to the ground. The other beasts followed suit until, as Mowgli looked around, all the creatures of the jungle were bowing him.

“All hail Mowgli,” said the panther he’d ridden in on. “The one true King.”

Ariel

As the Princess took a deep breath, her eyes fluttering open, she realized that she was no longer breathing air, but water. Her scaly green tail hung below her and her red hair waved back and forth listlessly in the current. As she adjusted her shoulders, she noticed that she couldn’t move her hands from behind her back. She tried again. No use. They were tied together, as if she were a prisoner. Consciousness flooded back to her as she realized that in all the chaos, she had been captured, but by who? She looked around frantically, but all she could see was the outline of a long set of stairs and her father’s throne in front of her. Darkness permeated the water, preventing her from seeing who sat atop the throne.

“Hello?” She said. Why would her Father imprison her? Perhaps this was all just a big misunderstanding. “Father? It’s me, Ariel.”

“Father is not here,” said a melodic voice. Ariel recognized it instantly.

“Attina?” Asked Ariel, squinting into the darkness.

From the shadows, a slim mermaid swam towards her. She had short brown hair and an angular face with two orange shells over her chest and a deep-orange colored tail. A golden crown sat atop her head.

“Hello Ariel. I’m so happy to see you.” She did not appear happy at all.

“Where is Father?” asked Ariel, a cold feeling creeping through her.

“He left,” said Attina, sharply. “A lot of people have left since you did. Father lost all his respect from the people for letting you go shoreside. Our Kingdom is crumbling and it’s all your fault. That’s why I’m so glad you’ve returned to us.” She smiled. “Now we can get back to the way things were.”

“I’m sorry sister,” said Ariel defiantly. “But you can’t keep me here. I have a new people on the surface, and they need me now more than ever.”

“Oh dear,” said Attina. “I’m afraid you don’t have a choice in this matter.”

“You can’t keep me here forever. I will fight to escape until the day I do.” Ariel stuck up her chin. She was no longer the weak little girl that her sisters knew her as.

“Oh, I think you’ll stay.” Attina waved a hand through the water. “Because if you don’t I’ll have no choice but to kill him.”

“Him?” Ariel felt her heart sink.

Attina snapped her fingers causing a cloud of bubbles to swirl through the water, revealing the body of a man with wavy jet-black hair, dressed in a white shirt and tight black pants. He was asleep and wrapped in thick seaweed. And though his body looked bruised and beaten, Ariel recognized him instantly.

“Eric?!” She wrestled with water, struggling to free herself from her handcuffs. “What did you do to him?!” she screamed at her sister.

“I found him drifting in the water South of here, as good as dead,” she said smugly. “I saved him, Ariel. And now you are going to help save us or I will finish him for good.”

Attina snapped her fingers and Ariel’s handcuffs released themselves. She immediately swam for Attina, ready to attack, but the mermaid simply held up her hand, causing purple electricity to wrap around Ariel.

“This is not a negotiation sister,” said Attina. With another wave of her hand, Eric’s body disappeared in a swirl of bubbles. “King Triton is gone. I am the new ruler. Now bow before me or you will never see your beloved prince again.”

“I will get him back,” said Ariel, rage filling her eyes.

Attina smiled. “I have no doubt. There’s a fire in you that I’ve never seen before. The question is, will you get him back alive or dead?”

They stared at each other, both ready to fight to the death if it came to it. The purple electricity swirled around Ariel, occasionally stinging her skin, yet she barely felt it in her current state of anger.

“Now bow,” said Attina.

Gritting her teeth, Ariel bowed her chest, but never took her eyes off of her sister. Attina simply smiled, taking in her small victory over her sister. The one who had been her Father’s favorite. The one who had caused the destruction of her Kingdom and her family.

“Welcome home Ariel,” she said, knowing full well that as long as she sat in the thrown, Ariel would never leave again.

Merlin

The old wizard stood outside the stone structure staring up at the glimmering jewels above, while puffing away at his pipe, lost in thought. Much had been revealed in the past 24 hours and while he was glad to be alive, he wasn’t exactly sure what the next step would be.

“Mind if I join ya?” Asked Goofy. Merlin turned to see that the dog had removed his armor and now wore only a simple tan shirt and pants.

“I never say ‘No’ to good company,” replied Merlin.

They stood together, staring up at the jewels.

“It’s so beautiful down here, you almost forget what’s going on up there,” said Goofy.

“Very true,” said Merlin.

“We’ll have to take the city back,” said Goofy. “But without the castle, we don’t stand a chance.”

“We’ll need to be careful from now on,” said Merlin. “We’ll need to observe and wait for the perfect moment to strike. More than anything. We’ll have to know who our allies really are. Tell me, Goofy. How much do you trust Queen Minnie?”

Goofy regarded Merlin for a moment before speaking. “I don’t.”

Merlin nodded. “Good.”

Together, they continued to look up towards the ceiling of the cavern. Tomorrow would be a new day for fighting a new battle.

Minnie

Donald approached the Queen who sat in the large master bedroom of the stone enclave, staring at herself in the mirror. The mouse she saw was not the mouse she had once been. In fact, she found that she barely recognized herself.

Donald sat a cup of hot tea in front of her and then pulled up a chair to sit beside her.

“I was there the day the King disappeared,” he said and then gave a heavy sigh. “We both thought he was dead. We both knew it.” He shook his head. “But now, if you’re saying he might be alive…”

Minnie turned to Donald. “Then only one question remains,” she said calmly. “Where is he?”

Mickey

In the darkness, a tiny blue crystal hovered, floating on its own. Around it, several bits and bobs made of metal drifted through the air lazily, as if searching for their place in the universe.

“The time has come,” said a raspy voice. “Nothing left to teach you, I have.”

The crystal began to spin as all around it, the pieces of metal began to form a shaft, fitting together like a three-dimensional puzzle. A round piece fit perfect into a longer piece and then a square bit topped off the whole thing. At last, all the pieces closed around the crystal, sealing it inside. Together, these pieces formed what appeared to a be a metal cylinder with several concentric rings and a small button on one side. At one end was a small circular opening. The newly formed device floated in the air for a moment.

“You are ready,” said the voice. “Take up your lightsaber. Time for you to leave, it is.”

A white gloved hand reached out and wrapped itself around the lightsaber hilt. Mickey pulled the hilt back and pressed the button. A long blue saber made of light burst from it, illuminating his face; his large eyes, his black nose, his round ears. His master had taught him well. At long last, Mickey Mouse was ready to go home.

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Thank you so much for reading!  I hope you’ve enjoyed the first Season of The Kingdom!

Next up – Read my Author’s Notes on how this story came to be and what’s to come next.