*****(click music on the side)
Chapter II: Gallery Walk
An old man sat on a large wooden chair with a pointy hat with large, thick covered books stacked on his desk. He wore a long blue robe with sky blue linings and a point blue hat decorated with several yellow stars and a white crescent moon. The wizard sat tall and straight on his chair, with a serious expression on his face. Stroking his long gray beard, the wizard folded his arms, his eyes closed, deeply immersed in his thoughts.
In front of his presence was a small mouse, a duck and tall, goofy looking dog. Mickey Mouse and his two trusted companions, Donald and Goofy, stood before the wizard, waiting for him to notice them.
"Um...Yen Sid sir?" Mickey said with uncertainty, carefully walking closer to the desk.
"I think he's sleeping your highness guh-hyuk!" (goofy's laugh) Goofy pointed out, bending his neck to see if he was actually sleeping.
Donald Duck snorted and crossed his arms. (Imagine the way Donald speaks with that duck accent) "Yeah right Goofy! People definitely sleep while stroking their beards!"
"Now, now that's enough you two," the King warned them, shooting them stern looks. "This is no time to argue. We have a serious crisis on our hands."
"Indeed we do," Yen Sid bellowed in a low voice.
Immediately, Donald, Goofy and Mickey jumped back with alarm, their eyes wide opened. "Master Yen Sid!"
"You're awake!" Donald exclaimed. "Why were you sleeping?"
Yen Sid looked at the duck and frowned at him. "I was not asleep Donald. I could perfectly hear what you all were saying."
Embarrassed, Donald and Goofy looked at one another with nervous smiles.
"Master Yen Sid," Mickey began, putting his hand on his heart. "I have a strange feeling that Xehanort will be planning to take the princesses very soon. We must act quickly."
"Indeed we must," The old wizard agreed solemnly. Suddenly, he rose up from his chair and stood up tall. "It is time I act quickly as well."
The three friends stared with surprise as Yen Sid stood. With a wave of the wizard's hand, a magical image hovered in the air. A young woman with blue hair was wandering in the darkness, engaging fights with countless Heartless.
"Aqua!" Mickey Mouse cried out, putting a hand over his mouth. "What has happened to her?"
"It seems that Realm of Darkness has drained much of her strength over the past ten years," Master Yen Sid said gravely. "For a decade she has been fighting against the Heartless, lost in the world of nothing but eternal darkness. Yet her will has not faded and still stays strong. The darkness has not tainted her heart."
"Gawrsh she must be pretty strong then!" Goofy commented, turning to King Mickey. "Do you know her your highness?"
Mickey nodded sadly. "A very old friend of mine. She's a Keyblade master, a true master. The darkness is a terrible place to be in." The mouse recalled his time in the Door to the Darkness and shuddered, shaking his head.
Waving his staff, Donald grabbed Goofy and Mickey. "We hafta save her then!"
"To enter the Realm of Darkness requires great strength and a strong heart." Yen Sid gestured with his hands. "But even with a strong heart, staying in the Realm of Darkness for far too long will cause even the strongest heart to falter."
"Then what are we gonna do?" Goofy wailed, throwing his hands in the air. "If we can't enter without protection, how are we gonna save Aqua?"
Then, an idea snapped into Mickey's head and he turned to his master with hopeful eyes. "Master, you don't mean the armor, do you?"
"What armor?" Donald put his hands on his hips, tapping his foot.
Master Yen Sid nodded intently. "Yes Mickey you are correct. It is time that I gave you and Sora and Riku their armor."
With another wave of his hand, his desk shifted to the side magically, revealing a secret underground passage. He motioned Mickey, Donald and Goofy to follow him. "Come with me."
Awestruck, the three watched as the old master walked down the secret passage and disappeared. Mickey quickly followed Yen Sid down the stairs and Donald and Goofy looked at each other with sheepish expressions.
"After you, Donald!" Goofy pushed his duck friend towards the stairs.
"No, no no after you Goofy!" Donald protested, pushing Goofy down the stairs.
"WHOAAH!!" Goofy tripped and tumbled down the stairs, rolling down with his outbursts of "Oof!" and "Ow!" echoing behind him.
Watching Goofy vanish, Donald peered down into the dark passage, gulping as he slowly took a step down. "Don't be afraid of dark. Don't be afraid of the dark." He repeated to himself over and over and took a deep breath. "Wait for me!" He exclaimed as he raced down the steps.
Master Yen Sid opened a large door with a small key and left it open for the others to enter. Inside, the lamps magically flickered on, glowing with bright flames. The white room was bright illuminated by the white and blue flames. Inside, there were antiques of paintings, armor and weaponry that hung on the walls.
"What is this place?" Mickey asked with awe as he entered the room. Quickly, Donald and Goofy caught up behind him, fascinated by what they were seeing.
"This my friend is the Gallery of Hearts," Yen Sid spread his arms open, walking deeper inside the gallery. With a wave of his hand, a chair appeared before a dead end, where a large wall engraving of a Keyblade glowed magnificently.
"As you know, I am a retired Keyblade master." The old master started, sitting down in his chair. "I watch the balance between the darkness and the light. These are all the adventures and items that I have collected over the many years. The glory of every Keyblade warrior that I have encountered lie in this gallery where I make sure that their recognition and honor still thrive."
Struck with amazement, Donald and Goofy excitedly ran to a large painting of three ancient Keyblade warriors who posed on top of a rocky cliff.
Mickey turned to his friends and then to his mentor. "Master, you have never showed this, but what you have collected over the years just may be the key to help us win against Xehanort."
"I do agree Mickey," Yen Sid smiled, watching Donald and Goofy run around th e gallery like excited children. "When I started my collection, I had a feeling that one day it would prove to be useful. And I believe that day has already come."
"Look!" Donald burst out with enthrallment, pointing at a painting. "It's Aqua!"
Both Mickey and Yen Sid walked over to where Donald and Goofy were looking at. It was a portrait of Aqua, Terra and Ventus together.
"Aqua and her friends must have been real heroes guh-hyuk!" Goofy beamed. "I betcha they must have been real strong."
Yen Sid and Mickey looked at each other with sorrow in their eyes and nodded in agreement. "Indeed they were strong," Yen Sid said gravely. "Trainees under the great Master Eraqus. But sadly, all of them are missing and have been torn apart by Xehanort's foul plans."
Clenching his fists, Mickey turned to the painting of his old friends. "Xehanort will pay for what he has done."
"Yeah!" Donald proclaimed. "We'll beat Xehanort and help Aqua and her friends!"
Yen Sid smiled at their optimism and then he walked towards pieces of armor magically floating off the ground on the other side. Donald, Goofy and Mickey all turned to look at the armor Yen Sid was observing.
"What's that?" Goofy inquired.
"Keyblade Armor," Mickey gasped, looking up at Yen Sid. "These don't look like the other old Keyblade Armor you have in the Gallery of Hearts."
The old wizard placed his hands on one of the armor. It had orange, black, and red markings on it and it shined brightly with overflowing energy. "This is Keyblade Armor, legendary armor that Keyblade wielders used in battle. Thanks to Princess Aurora's three good fairies, they have helped me create new Keyblade Armor to protect our Keyblade wielders from harm."
"That means we can use this and find Aqua!" Donald bubbled, leaping up and down. "We hafta get Sora and Riku!"
"You don't have to. We're already here!"
Startled, everyone in the room turned around and saw two young teenagers standing near the doorway. The one with brown spiky hair rubbed the bottom of his nose and grinned cheekily. "Did you miss us?"