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Chapter Text

Cass Hamada of Number 14 Montgomery Street, San Fransokyo, was content to say she was as perfectly ordinary as you could get, if you were inclined to ask. She was the last person on earth you’d expect to be involved in anything unusual or fantastical, because she simply didn’t have the time for it.

Cass owned The Lucky Cat Café, a popular coffee shop and bakery that specialized in Japanese pastries, and lived in the apartment above it. She was fairly slender with large green eyes and short wavy auburn hair, and considered herself attractive for her age (which she made a habit to never divulge).

Cass had everything she ever wanted, except for three things: a good man, a cure for her stress-eating habit (her kitchen cabinets were stuffed with snacks that she knew wouldn’t do her figure any favors, but she couldn’t refuse them), and her brother, Tomeo. It felt like years since they last spoke. In fact, it had been years. After his wedding, Tomeo Hamada and his wife Maemi had slowly distanced themselves from Cass for reasons she could hardly fathom. The last time she heard from him, Maemi had given birth to a son, but she had never seen him. Only a photograph of them together on his wedding day existed to prove that Cass even had a brother. She tended to ignore the picture up on the wall; looking at it made her think, thinking made her depressed, being depressed made her unable to work, not working made her eat and…well, you get the idea. Keeping busy kept a roof over her head, her worries at bay, and her world turning.

When Cass Hamada woke on the dull, gray Tuesday our story starts, there was nothing about the foggy weather outside to suggest that strange and marvelous things would soon be happening around her. Cass hummed along with the music piping from her clock radio as she popped her favorite black t-shirt over her head and dropped some bread slices in the toaster.

She didn’t notice a ball of bright light flutter past her window.

At 6:30, she hurried down the side steps and outside to prep the café. It was when she stepped onto the street that the first in a long line of peculiar things she would witness that day caught her eye - an owl perched on the telephone wires. For a second, Cass didn’t realize what she’d seen. Then she jerked her head up to look again. Sure enough, there was a rather small brown owl with amber eyes sitting right above her. Cass blinked. She didn’t think owls even lived in San Fransokyo. The owl looked down on her, unblinking. It barely swayed in the light morning breeze. It was as if it were carved from wood. She peered closer. It was made of wood. Cass let out a sigh, feeling oddly relieved. Maybe this was one of those citywide art projects where she’d find similar owls hidden all over San Fransokyo in the weeks to come. Cass entered the café thinking aloud about a large order of red bean paste she hoped would arrive today, still feeling the owl’s eyes on her back.

But as the café opened its doors and the first steady stream of customers trickled in, something else drove the thought of owls from her mind. While Cass served her hungry patrons, she couldn’t help but notice there seemed to be more strangely dressed people than usual; people in cloaks and capes, exotic dresses, funny faces, even a few that looked more like animals than people. Cass normally didn’t mind customers whose fashion sense strayed from the norm, self-expression and all that, but the number of folks appearing in such outlandish costumes all in one day…it put her on edge in a way she couldn’t describe. Quite a few of them were huddled together, whispering excitedly.

Then she saw a few with swords in scabbards attached to their sides, and it struck her – these people were obviously here for a comic convention, yes, that was it. Cass was no stranger to the con scene; once every summer, her café hosted hordes of hungry convention-goers, many of which cosplayed as their favorite heroes and villains. Why, when she and Tomeo were younger –

Cass froze as memories tinged with sadness surged at her. She and her brother had such good times together before he left…

“Uh, Miss Hamada?” one of her employees asked. “Table ten’s still waiting for their croissants.”

Cass shook herself out of her daze. She couldn’t get lost in the past, not now. The café needed her. She dropped off the croissants and continued her work, refusing to stop and think about why none of her cosplaying customers wore any badges or waved signed photos around.

In spite of the uptick in unusual clientele, the rest of Cass’ morning passed by unremarkably. She baked several batches of melonpan, anpan, cornet and shu kurimu, paused only for a quick bathroom break, and even received some generous tips. She put an order in for a gelato display freezer, something that she’d been saving up for a long time. She went over a list of flavors she planned to feature along with some potential ones she wanted to experiment with – matcha and green tea were at the very top. She was in a fairly good mood until the afternoon. Once the lunch rush was done and Cass was ready for her own repast, she thought she’d be a little generous and support one of her fellow restaurateurs for a change. She called for one of the staff to take charge as she grabbed her purse and strolled out the door.

She hadn’t given the people in funny costumes another thought until she saw more of them milling about in the streets. They still made her uneasy, but why she couldn’t put her finger on it. Some greeted each other like old friends with hearty laughs and embraces, others huddled together whispering and giggling like schoolchildren sharing a dirty secret. It was one such group Cass passed by when she overheard a snatch of their conversation.

“That’s right, the Hamadas –”

“Yes, their son, Hiro –”

Cass halted mid-step. It was a warm spring day, but she suddenly felt very cold. She looked back at the whisperers, ready to interrupt them with a single question, but thought better of it. Instead, she booked it down the block.

She slowed down after she put some distance between herself and the little group, and plucked her phone from her bag. She had just found Tomeo’s number in the contact list when she changed her mind. Tomeo never picked up his phone, for one thing. She’d be silly to try again, thinking she’d get an answer this time. Besides, Hamada wasn’t that unique of a name, the more she thought about it. There were plenty of people who had that name. There were probably plenty of people who also had a son named Hiro. Come to think of it, she wasn’t sure her nephew was called Hiro. He might have been Hayao. Or Goro. Or Harry. But, she reasoned, there was no point in worrying on an empty stomach. And to her great relief, she had reached her destination.

Tony’s was a quaint Italian restaurant with a welcoming atmosphere that sometimes bordered on the romantic. The food was delicious, and she got on swimmingly with Tony himself, despite them technically competing with each other for customers on a daily basis. The aroma of freshly cooked spaghetti and meatballs wafted through the air, making Cass’ stomach growl with anticipation. She opened the door, her mind already set on her order – only to stop dead in the doorway.

The restaurant was filled with dogs – barking, slobbering, hungry dogs, and not a single human in sight. Bulldogs, Sheepdogs, Great Danes, Chihuahuas, Dalmatians, Basset Hounds, Bloodhounds, Scottish Terriers, Cocker Spaniels, mutts, even a wild-looking hairless canine, all barking madly and making a huge mess of food across the tables. Cass could only look on in shock. There was no way Tony in his right mind would allow this - but no, there was Tony himself in the middle of the chaos, happily serenading his four-legged customers with an accordion as they slurped spaghetti and scarfed down whole pizza slices.

Joe, Tony’s head chef, popped his head out of the kitchen and noticed Cass standing there. “Hey, it’s-a Miss Cassidy!” he said with a grin. “I don’t-a suppose you’d be joining us for lunch in this doghouse, eh?”

“Uh, sorry, Joe,” Cass stammered. “I…I think I’ll be taking it to go this time.”

Cass hurried back to the café with her doggy bag – food bag, tightly gripped in one hand, her heart thumping like she just ran a marathon. Was she losing her mind? She couldn’t be the only person who saw everything going on for the madness that it was. She was so caught up in her anxiety that she quite literally bumped into a small parade of people in South American garb. Men in straw hats and striped shirts played instruments while ladies in voluminous colorful skirts laughed as they danced. The bag with Cass’ lunch went flying into the crowd and was tossed among the celebrants like a beach ball at a concert. She tried to keep track of it, but her thoughts turned to whomever she collided with. “I’m sorry, I –”

It was a few seconds before Cass fully comprehended that the person she was talking to wasn’t a person at all, but a rooster that stood up to her waist and was wearing a jacket, chaps, spurs, and a sombrero. Oblivious to her discomfort, the rooster enthusiastically shook her hand. “Eyyy, no need to be sorry, chica! Nothing could upset me today! La Maléfica is gone at last! All pretty ladies like you should be celebrating this día de felicidad! AAAAHH HAAAAA!”

The rooster fired a pair of pistols into the air with wild abandon. He hopped along waving his guns as he caught up with a dancing green parrot about the same height as him. None of the revelers batted an eye at this, even when the two birds began shamelessly flirting with the dancers. One of them, a dark-haired woman balancing a tray of cookies on her head, caught Cass’ lunch and handed it back to her with a cookie and a warm smile. Then she hitched up her skirt and rejoined the parade. She and the entire street, even the buildings, and lampposts, swayed to the infectious Latin rhythm. Cass, however, was immune. She watched, still as a statue, as the party passed her by. Only when it faded from her sight and her hearing did her feet finally obey her thoughts and carry her back uphill.

She knew it. She had gone crazy.

As she stormed up to the corner of Number 14, the first thing she noticed – and it didn’t improve her mood – was the owl she’d spotted that morning. Was it her imagination or did it move since she last saw it? It faced her as she came up the block. “Shoo!” Cass shouted and waved at it, trying to get it to stir.

It did not.

Half-furious and half-unnerved, Cass broke eye contact with the bird and hurried back into the café. She ran past the tables, behind the counter and into the break room where she flung her uneaten lunch into the fridge. Then she jammed an apron on and took over the counter as before. “You have a good break, Miss Hamada?” one of her employees asked her. Cass only smiled, perhaps a bit too tightly, and took the customer’s change.

“Just keep working. Just keep working,” she repeated in her head. “Just keep smiling and working. You can lose your sanity at the end of the day when everyone’s gone home and no one can see you crumble like yesterday’s crusts. Just. Keep. Working.”

In Cass’ haste to restart her routine, she failed to notice a woman partially hidden under a tattered red cloak sitting in a corner silently watching her, and, occasionally, the owl on the wires.

Miraculously, Cass made it to closing time without having a nervous breakdown. At roughly 9:30, she turned off the lights, locked the door, and trudged her way up the stairs. She resisted the urge to check if the owl was still there watching her. It wasn’t worth getting electrocuted if the desire to get rid of it herself overtook her.

Cass usually enjoyed the tired feeling that came at the end of a long day’s work. It meant she labored hard and well, and had earned a few hours of snacks, television, and maybe a relaxing bath before going to sleep. But Cass wasn’t tired tonight. She was exhausted.

Electing to forego the bath and snacks, Cass flopped onto the couch, kicked off her shoes, and snuggled under a blanket. She turned on the TV, hoping the noise would stave off that creeping feeling of loneliness as she fell asleep. A weatherman was in the middle of his forecast.

“And some people as far as Orlando have reported not the rain showers I predicted early this week, but showers of fireworks! I’d say it’s a little early for the Fourth of July, but all things considered, it’s not the wildest phenomenon I’ve seen today. Some startling new footage from Greece reveals just what – or rather, who’s been behind all those thunderstorms as of late. Can we get some pictures up, Ron?”

Sure enough, images and video recordings of a storm taken straight off social media replaced the weatherman. The lightning flashes revealed an enormous bearded man in a toga standing on the clouds and hurling the electric bolts across the sky.

“If eyewitnesses are to be believed, then what you are seeing is Zeus, the mythological Greek god of lightning and ruler of Mount Olympus, controlling this storm. The lightning bolts themselves hit some open plains and the Republican Party headquarters, so there are no major losses. Speaking of storms, we can some expect rain tonight, but don’t worry; Zeus has no plans to thunder down upon us.” The weatherman chuckled awkwardly. “Back to you, Herm.”

“Thank you, Dean, for that “enlightening” report. For those of you just tuning in, our coverage of the unusual activity worldwide today continues. Despite the awe, excitement, and no small amount of astonishment these displays have inspired, we have yet to learn the cause for them. What you are about to see may come as a shock to some viewers, but our fact-checkers have assured us, and we, in turn, assure you, that this footage has not been altered or fabricated in any way, shape or form.”

Cass sat frozen in her blanket as images that could only come from the most imaginative stories came to life on the screen before her:

Pirate ships blasting their cannons at each other on the seas.

Leprechauns throwing dances all over Ireland.

Monster sightings in Oregon.

Alien spottings in Hawaii.

Nannies flying about London.

The queen of Norway wielding ice magic.

Medieval kingdoms emerging from mists of time.

She hadn’t gone mad after all. But she still felt very lost. What’s more, none of events featured made any mention of Tomeo or his family.

“In addition, there have been reports that animals from mice to horses to house pets are revealing increased intelligence, far more than what we believed they were capable of – ”

Herm paused, and then cleared his throat.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we have just received word that world leaders are currently gathering at the United Nations along with representatives of an emerging community of previously unknown royals, scholars and…did I hear that last one right? Uh, they are arriving to address and discuss the changes taking place. We take you live to our New York correspondent, Hannah Long.”

The camera switched to a view of a red-haired woman holding a microphone standing outside the United Nations building. “Herm, as of this time, most of the global leaders have arrived on the scene and are entering the building. We have one of them with us now, the Duke of Weaselton –”

“WESELTON!” came an annoyed shout from offscreen.

“…Yes, Weselton,” Hannah continued, “who wishes to share his thoughts on these events.” The camera moved down to the Duke, a short-statured gentleman with a long nose. He smoothed down his toupee and blustered into the microphone:

“I for one, will not put up with this, this…unnatural abnormality! This treason! This sorcery! This –”

Cass shut off the television.

When the Duke said that one word, everything had clicked.

The next thing Cass knew, she was rummaging through her purse for her phone again. This time she hit the call button when she reached Tomeo’s name. Her hand shook as she lifted the phone to her ear.

It rang…and rang…and rang…

And a voice came through the other end.

“Please leave a message with your name and number, and your call will be returned as soon as possible.” BEEP.

“Hey Tomeo, it’s Cass. You know, the sister you used to have but sort of forgot about? Heh, heh… uh, I’m just calling because there’s some weird stuff going right now…fireworks…thunder gods…talking animals…and I just wanted to know if it had anything to do with, you know…you? I think I heard your name mentioned also and, um…”

Cass pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. This was not going like she had envisioned. It was time to lay it all down.

“I miss you, Tomeo. I don’t know where you are or what you’re doing, but I hope you’re safe. It hasn’t been easy wondering all this time, alone, with nothing to go on. I hope Maemi’s all right, and I hope…I hope Hiro’s well, too. Please call me back. I love you. Bye.”

She hung up and placed the phone on the table. Cass had long ago given up hope that she’d hear from Tomeo again. Yet saying the very words she longed to tell him, even if he wasn’t there to respond, left her feeling free, weightless…empty…drained.

The silence in the apartment was deafening. Cass turned the TV back on, but flipped through the channels until she found an old black and white French melodrama. She laid back and let the lush orchestral music wash over her. Cass’ last comforting thought as her eyelids grew heavy was that maybe Tomeo would call her back this time. Maybe by tomorrow, things would all make sense once more and life would go on as it always had.

How very wrong she was.

Cass Hamada might have been drifting into an uneasy sleep, but the owl outside was showing no sign of sleepiness. It sat still as a statue, its eyes focused unblinkingly across the street. It didn’t so much as quiver when a car door slammed down the road, or when three kids in Halloween costumes sneaked past in a walking bathtub. In fact, it was nearly midnight when the owl moved at all.

Sparkles began to appear in the air, forming the shape of a man. He wore a tall, pointed hat, had a long white beard that came down to the hem of his sky-blue robes, and twinkling eyes beneath a pair of bushy eyebrows and spectacles. Within seconds, he fully materialized on the corner of Montgomery Avenue.

This man was a wizard, and his name was Merlin.

The little owl drew Merlin’s attention with a small hoot. Merlin looked up and chuckled. “I might’ve known.”

He took a careful look around, and then pulled from his sleeve a long wooden wand. Gently, he waved the wand at the streetlamps and whispered:

“Hockety pockety wockety wack
Abra abra dabra nack
Shrink in size, douse the lights
There’s magic that must be done tonight
Higitus figitus migitus mum
Prestidigitonium!”

As he chanted his spell, the electric lights guttered and dimmed like a candle flame at the end of a wick until they had all gone out. Satisfied, Merlin tucked away his wand.

“I must say, I’m surprised to see you of all people here, Eda.”

The woman in the old red cloak stepped out from behind the telephone pole as if she had been hiding there all along. She had a mane of tangled red hair with streaks of gray, gleaming golden eyes, a fang jutting down from her upper lip, and held a long staff. The wooden owl glided down from the branch, perched on top of the staff and folded its wings, becoming nothing more than a lifeless figurehead. The woman cocked her head and grinned.

“How’d you know I was here?”

“My dear Eda, there’s only one witch I know of whose affinity for owls exceeds my own. Have you been here all day?”

“Pretty much,” Eda shrugged, “though Owlbert did most of the spectating for me.” Her eyes dropped down to the figurehead.

“Odd, I imagined someone like you would be off celebrating. I must have passed a dozen parties and festivals on my way here,” Merlin said with a hint of amusement.

“Tell me about it. I haven’t seen this much partying since the coven system was abolished. Now I know what I’m about to say is gonna make me sound like a hypocrite, but you’d think everyone would show a little more discretion. I get it, the Villains are defeated, curses and barriers are broken everywhere, and magic is literally in the air. But did everyone have to go public all at once? The ordinary folks wasted no time freaking out over it, I heard it on the news.” She jerked her head at the apartment window. “You can bet the highfalutin saps like Weselton are gonna use every bit of their power to make us all miserable, just because the thought of something different from them puts their pants in a twist.”

“We’ll worry about that when the time comes,” Merlin said gently. “While I see where you’re coming from, I can’t really blame us for going overboard, now that we have something worth celebrating after these dark, unsure times.”

“I suppose,” said Eda, leaning on the pole and staring into space. “Hmph. Magic, finally out in the open on the same day the Villains and their mighty leader go poof – that’s what people are saying.”

“It would appear so,” mused Merlin. He lifted his hat and removed a bowl of soft-serve ice cream balanced on the top of his head. “Would you care for some Dole Whip?”

“Some what?”

“Dole Whip. It’s vanilla mixed with fresh pineapple, an island treat I find rather refreshing.”

“Uh, no thanks,” Eda murmured, as though she thought now wasn’t the time for frozen desserts. “Anyway, even if the so-called Mistress of All Evil is gone –”

“My dear Edalyn,” Merlin interrupted, “surely someone like you could call her by her true name?”

“Ugh, THANK you!” Eda cried. “I’m sick of all this “Mistress of All Evil” malarkey; for years I’ve had to play polite because people were too scared to say her true name: Maleficent.”

“Indeed,” Merlin agreed. “I’ve never seen any reason to be frightened of saying Maleficent’s name.”

“Well, you’re different, said Eda. “Ask anyone to name one of the greatest magic wielders of all time, and it comes down to either you or her. Besides, everyone knows that all the Villains – even Maleficent – were terrified of you.”

“Lucky it’s so dark right now. I haven’t blushed this much since Miss Fauna complimented me on my new earmuffs.”

Eda shot a sharp look at Merlin through the corner of her eye. “You know, those of us coming out are nothing next to the rumors flying around. Have you heard what everyone’s been saying? About why she’s disappeared? About what finally destroyed her?”

It seemed Eda had finally reached the point she was most anxious to discuss, the reason why she and her familiar waited on a city corner all day, for neither she nor Owlbert had fixed Merlin with such a piercing stare before. It was plain that whatever “everyone” was saying, she was not going to believe it until Merlin told her it was true. Merlin, however, was helping himself to another spoonful of Dole Whip and did not answer.

“What they’re saying,” she pressed on, “was that last night the Hamadas turned up at the base of Bald Mountain. Something was stirring there lately, something powerful, something…dark. Anyone with an ounce of magic could feel it growing. I know I did.”

Eda shivered in spite of the warm spring air. Merlin nodded morosely in agreement. She continued.

“Whatever it was, the Hamadas hoped it would draw out some of Maleficent’s forces and they could spring an ambush on them. Only…only they were walking right into a trap. They were attacked first, and not just by one of the goon squads, either. Maleficent herself was there, along with some of her right-hand witches and the most important Villains in her fold. And Tomeo and Maemi…now they’re…they’re…”

Merlin lowered his head. Eda gasped.

“No, I…I didn’t want to believe it…” she choked out, her golden eyes brimming with tears. “I should have been there. I could have…”

Merlin patted her shoulder. “I know,” he said wearily. “But, if I may paraphrase a wise old cricket, it’s a very lovely thought, but not at all practical. Wondering what might have been only steals time away from the present, and the present is all we really have, Eda.”

Eda nodded, wiping away her tears with the back of her hand. “But that’s not the end of it,” her voice trembled as she went on. “They’re saying Maleficent tried to kill their youngest son, Hiro. Don’t ask me why they thought bringing him along was a good idea, he’s still a baby, but the point is – she couldn’t. She couldn’t kill that little kid. No one knows why or how, but when she wasn’t able to destroy Hiro, her powers broke, or backfired, or something – and that’s why not only she’s gone, but the rest of them are, too.”

Merlin gravely nodded. Eda’s jaw dropped.

“It’s…it’s true? After everything they’ve done, all the people they cursed, the lands they decimated…they’re defeated all because she couldn’t kill one baby? And all those heroes who threw themselves in harm’s way thinking they were the ones destined to conquer them just for an infant to show them up…How is that even possible? How could he survive? It doesn’t make any sense!”

“We can only guess,” said Merlin. “If there is such an answer, I’d like to know myself. But, as is often the case,” he continued as he removed a golden pocket watch from his robes and looked at it, “things will reveal themselves at the appropriate time.”

“Speaking of, I don’t suppose you could share why you’re here right now?”

“I’ve come to bring Hiro Hamada to his aunt. She’s the only family he has left now.”

“Wait, you’re dropping him off here?” Eda pointed at the café. “Look, Merl, I’ll level with you. I’ve been hanging out here all day, and the lady who runs the place? She seems nice, but a bit too…well, I don’t know how to put this, but I don’t think she’s ready to handle this kind of destiny, let alone raise a kid. If she were any more tightly strung, she’d snap in half.”

“It will be the best place for him,” Merlin said firmly. “And I must kindly ask you not to call me Merl. Now, his aunt will be able to explain everything to him once he is older. I’ve written her a letter.”

“Whoah, whoah, whoah, hold up here!” Eda cried, pressing out her hands for him to stop. “A letter? A single, solitary letter? Forgive me if I’m overreacting here, but you’re about to leave our world’s messiah on the doorstep of his aunt, who, along with millions of other people, has just come to grips with our very existence, with nothing to elaborate on who he is, what he’s done and it means for his future except A LETTER?!”

Merlin patiently waited as Eda paced frantically back and forth as she continued her rant.

“She’ll never be able to fully understand it. He’ll be famous – a legend – an icon! There’ll be stories, tv shows, movies, musicals – hell, even fanfics written all about him! And it won’t stop there. Rides, parades, look-alike meet-and-greets in theme parks and tourist traps. I wouldn’t be surprised if today was officially declared “Hiro Hamada Day” years from now. There won’t be a child in the world who doesn’t know his name!”

“Exactly!” cried Merlin, half-exasperated. He frowned at Eda through his spectacles. “All that fame and glory nonsense is no good for anyone, let alone a child! Imagine him, famous before he can walk and talk! Famous for something he cannot even remember! He’ll be far better off growing up away from all of that as an ordinary boy with a simple, average childhood until he is ready for it.”

Eda opened her mouth, changed her mind, and said, “Yeah, you’ve got a point there, old man. But how exactly is he getting here?”

Merlin studied his watch again. “Hmm, Ralph should be arriving with him any moment now.”

“Ralph? You really think it’s a good idea trusting Ralph with something as important as this? Don’t get me wrong, he’s a sweet guy and all, but he’s not exactly the most responsible fella. Remember the cy-bug incident?”

“I couldn’t forget if I tried,” Merlin chuckled. “Regardless, Eda, I’d trust Ralph with my life.”

“I’m not saying he’s untrustworthy,” Eda continued. “I’m just – do you hear something?”

Merlin blinked and turned his head toward the sound Eda referred to. It was a distant yell growing louder by the second, and the source was heading straight for them.

A giant of a man in rustic red overalls was barreling through the air on a collision course for Montgomery Avenue. Under one arm he carried what looked like a metal crate. In the other he held a bundle of blankets close to his massive chest.

“Yep, that’s Ralph all right,” Eda muttered with an air of worry. “And if we don’t save him, we’re all toast!”

Merlin took out his wand again. “Concentrate, Eda! The spell I have in mind should be enough, but only if we work together.” Eda spun her staff in her hand, building up magical energy around her and Merlin. Merlin waved his own wand and spoke the incantation:

“Higitus figitus, soft and slow,
Soften the blow,
Softly, WHOOOAAAH!!”

The spell flew from the staff and wand and hit the pavement just as Ralph did. Instead of leaving a concrete crater, Ralph plowed through the street, feathers flying in his wake as if he had crashed into the world’s biggest pillow. He finally came to a halt several yards away.

Merlin casually checked his watch again. “Ah, right on time, Ralph, give or take a few seconds.” He reached out a hand and helped Ralph up to the sidewalk. “No problems, I trust?”

“Apart from that spectacular landing?” Eda sarcastically added.

Ralph spit out some feathers and brushed himself off with his free hand. “No sir, Eda, Merlin. The little guy fell asleep as we were crossing the Caribbean. It’s a wonder the noise from Tortuga didn’t wake him.”

“It’s a wonder your yelling didn’t wake him and half the street!” said Eda.

“Hey come on, you know it’s not easy to fly when you’re running low on pixie dust. Especially when you keep thinking of…” Ralph’s eyes glistened.

Eda felt a little guilty over chewing him out. “Well, at least you both made it here in one piece.”

Merlin waved his wand again, and the street filled itself back up. This had the bonus of bringing the metallic red box up to their level. Eda noticed it, and raised an eyebrow.

“What’s in the box, Ralph?”

“Dunno. It was the only thing there left intact. I figured maybe it could give us some answers, but heck if I know how to open it.”

Merlin adjusted his spectacles and studied the box closely. “I see…this is a very sophisticated piece of technology. Its outer casing is a part of the very thing it’s withholding from us. And those characters near the bottom; if my Japanese isn’t off, they translate to…Yes, exactly as I suspected. There’s only one thing to do.”

Eda and Ralph leaned forward in anticipation.

“Ralph, could please place it on the step next to little Hiro?”

Eda facepalmed. “I don’t know what’s worse; the letter thing, or leaving an unidentified techno box out in the open with a helpless infant.”

Merlin fixed her with a glare.

“Tomeo and Maemi were no slouches when it came to the art of technology. Magic is a simple solution for anyone who wields it, but for the rest of the world, science is the key. I’ve studied it to a great extent myself, you know. There’s nothing that can’t be explained or built without sound scientific understanding. Whatever the Hamadas crafted, it was meant to withstand magic in a way that ordinary humans could understand and utilize – or, perhaps, it was meant for Hiro. Either way, I see no reason why it should be parted from him.”

Ralph nodded in agreement. He carefully handed his bundle over to Merlin, and lugged the box to the café step.

Merlin unwrapped the cloth to reveal a small baby boy with a tuft of jet-black hair, fast asleep. Cautiously, Merlin slid the blanket further down until the child’s right arm was exposed; a criss-cross of jagged scars, resembling a tangle of thorny briars, marked him from his wrist to his elbow. A black mark like a stone embedded in his skin stood at the base of the scars.

“So that’s where Maleficent…couldn’t you do something to fix it, Merlin?” Eda asked.

“Even if I could, I wouldn’t,” Merlin replied. “Scars can come in handy. I have one myself on my left knee that is a perfect map of Marceline, Missouri. Well, we’d best get it over with.”

“Could I – could I say goodbye to him first, sir?” asked Ralph. Merlin placed little Hiro in Ralph’s enormous arms. Ralph gazed at the child. “Hey kid,” he murmured to him, “you hang in there. You’ve got friends, even if you don’t know it yet. You’re gonna be amazing, and we’ll be there for you, even if…”

He paused, feeling very self-conscious.

“Sorry, it’s just…Maemi and Tomeo gone, and Hiro having to grow up here without his parents…”

Merlin gave him a gentle smile. “There, there, Ralph. Goodbye doesn’t have to last forever, you know.”

Ralph smiled through his tears, and returned Hiro to Merlin. Merlin carefully laid the child on the step, took a letter from his sleeve, and tucked it in the boy’s blankets. For a full minute, the witch, wizard and giant stared at the bundle. Eda gripped her staff tightly, Ralph blinked furiously, and the twinkle usually present in Merlin’s eyes seemed to have gone out.

“Well,” Merlin said finally, “that’s that. We’ve no more business here. We might as well go and join the celebrations.”

“Uh, mind if I come with you, Merlin?” Ralph asked shyly. “I’m all out of pixie dust.”

“Of course, Ralph. I’d be happy to have your company. And you, Eda?”

“No thanks,” Eda demurred. “I think I’ll check in on my sister first. Seeing the look on Lilith’s face when I fly up to her doorstep without an invisibility spell is just the thing I need to cheer up right now.” She climbed onto her staff. Owlbert’s wings flapped open, and in moments, Eda was lifted into the air. It wasn’t long before she disappeared over the San Fransokyo rooftops.

Ralph and Merlin made their way up the street. Merlin stopped on the street corner and took out his wand again. He tapped the nearest lamppost four times, and all the lights popped back on down the block one by one. The sorcerer could make out the tiny bundle dwarfed by the red box on the doorstep of the Lucky Cat Café.

“Good luck, Hiro,” he murmured. And with a turn of his heel, he and Ralph were gone.

A breeze rustled the telephone lines of Montgomery Avenue, the last place you’d expect marvelous things to happen. Hiro Hamada rolled over in his blankets without waking. His tiny hands closed around the envelope beside him and he slept on, unaware that he was special, unaware that he was famous, unaware that he would be awoken in a few hours’ time by his Aunt Cass’ scream as she went to open the café, nor that he would spend the next several years raised to be as ordinary as she was. He couldn’t know that at this very moment, men, women, animals, fairies, pirates, witches, kings, queens, princesses, princes, chiefs, mermaids, dragons, and countless fantastic and magical beings around the world were meeting to celebrate and raise their glasses to him:

“To Hiro Hamada – The One Who Conquered Them All.”

Chapter Text

Nearly ten years had passed since Cass had woken up to find her nephew on her doorstep, but Montgomery Avenue had hardly changed at all. The sun rose on the same city block and lit the cat statue above the café door; it crept into the apartment, which was almost exactly the same as it had been the night Cass had seen that fateful news report. Only the photographs on the walls showed how much time had passed. Ten years ago, there was no shortage of pictures of an infant wearing a variety of colorful animal-themed onesies – but Hiro Hamada was no longer a baby, and now the photos showed a skinny black-haired boy chasing seagulls at the beach, on a carousel at the boardwalk, beating his aunt in another one of their intense video game sessions, earning his first martial arts belt, attending a sci-fi convention, building his first robot, winning ribbon after ribbon in a multitude of science fairs, and hugging a chubby bobtail kitten.

Hiro himself was currently fast asleep in his bed. He didn't stir when the first rays of sunlight crossed into his room, neither did the large cat snoozing at the foot of his bed. Cass, on the other hand, was already awake.

"Hiro, get up! You don't want to sleep in today, mister!"

Hiro jolted from his slumber, accidentally startling the cat. It jumped up with a cry and bolted from the room. "Sorry, Mochi!" Hiro yelled after it, stifling a yawn. He had been having a pretty awesome dream. He was flying…

"Get a move on, Hiro! The showcase only comes once a year!"

That was enough to fully wake up Hiro.

After months of waiting, the San Fransokyo Institute of Technology Student Showcase was finally here. SFIT's best and brightest students, as well as important tech companies worldwide, gathered in one place to demonstrate astounding breakthroughs in robotics, computers, and engineering. To Hiro, it was like his birthday, Christmas, and con season all wrapped up in one day.

Hiro was a remarkably intelligent boy for his age, to the point where he was moved up several grades. This left him with very few friends and a large number of students and bullies pressing him to do their work for them. Regardless, Hiro excelled in his studies; science, however, was his special interest. Unlike the rest of his class, he understood that it was more than dissecting frogs and memorizing what mitochondria were for; it was understanding how the world around them worked, even the things they took for granted like cars and gravity and the very air they breathed. What's more, he knew that you could take those facts and, under the right circumstances, use them to build and discover something new.

When Hiro learned there were leaps in technology that were bringing robots similar to the fictional ones he grew up with into real life, he was hooked. The idea of building his own bots and controlling them for all sorts of things enthralled him. His shelves were full of miniature models and books about them. He always kept up to date on the latest news in gadgetry and engineering. And growing up in a technology-forward city like San Fransokyo, well, he was never in dire want of information or tools. He even tried his hand at designing and creating a few prototypes on his own. Though he did most of the physical work in the garage, he liked to call his room, where he planned his ideas, his "attic lab"; it used to be the attic until Hiro came to live with Aunt Cass.

"I'll be down in a minute!" Hiro yelled, throwing himself out of bed. He grabbed the shirt lying closest to him, almost tripped over some discarded underwear as he tugged on his cargo pants, and jammed on his socks and sneakers. He barely stopped to wrap himself in his favorite hoodie and check himself in the mirror; grinning back at him was a small, thin ten year-old Japanese boy with excitable brown eyes and uncontrollable black hair.

Hiro never gave much thought to his appearance. The one thing he thought was interesting about him, however, were his scars. The angry red lines ran up his right arm like thorny vines, stemming from a deep black birthmark at the base of his wrist. No matter how warm the weather or the number of layers he covered it in, that one mark was always cold to the touch.

He had these scars for as long as he could remember, and one of the first questions he could remember asking Aunt Cass was how he had gotten them.

"In the car crash that killed your parents," she said. "Now let's not talk about this anymore."

Let's not talk about this anymore – that was as common a phrase heard in Cass' home as "Hello" or "I love you" or "Pass the chips".

Hiro raced down the stairs and sat at the kitchen table. Cass had already cooked up a sumptuous breakfast of pancakes, bacon, and eggs. She had even added a bowl full of gummy bears – his favorite candy – to sprinkle on top.

"Did you comb your hair?" she asked over her shoulder. Hiro must have done more to style his hair than every boy band in the world put together, but it made no difference. His hair simply fell that way – all over the place.

He shrugged and helped himself to his aunt's cooking. Cass was a phenomenal chef, and owned the café downstairs. She was supposed to be catering some wedding on the other side of town today, but was leaving it in the hands of her staff so she could accompany him to the showcase.

Less than a half-hour later, Hiro could hardly stay still in the passenger seat of Aunt Cass' car. His bag was packed with essentials and a few tricks he hoped to show anyone who would listen, and they were finally on their way. But before they left, Aunt Cass took Hiro aside.

"Hiro, I know you're excited about the showcase," she began, "but if anything happens…well, don't rush into it or encourage anything. And try to stay by me, okay?"

"Nothing's gonna happen," said Hiro, "Honest…"

But Hiro knew it was a piecrust promise: easily made, easily broken, even by accident. The problem was strange things, things that even all the scientific research in the world couldn't explain, often happened around Hiro without him even trying.

Once, Aunt Cass, tired of her nephew returning from the hairdresser's looking like he hadn't even gone there, took a pair of kitchen scissors and a bowl and went to town on his hair. The results proved that she was far more suited for cooking than hairstyling. Hiro went to bed dreading having to face his classmates the following day. Next morning, however, he woke up to find his hair exactly as it had been before Aunt Cass sheared it off. He tried to explain that he couldn't explain how it had grown back so quickly, but Aunt Cass seemed eager not to discuss it.

Another time, Aunt Cass attempted to force him into a hideous old sweater her elderly godmother "Aunt" Sarah gave him for the family Christmas photo. The harder she tried to pull it over his head, the smaller it became, until it could have fit a sock puppet – or a cat. And that was the first and last time Aunt Cass tried to dress up Mochi.

While Hiro wasn't blamed for that incident (Cass assumed the sweater shrunk in the wash), there was that time he nearly got into trouble for going on the school roof. Once again the same pack of bullies were chasing him around the yard, eager for his blood, homework and lunch money, when, much to Hiro's surprise as well as everyone else's, he was suddenly teetering on the edge of the chimney (a friendly chimney sweep who happened to be working up there that day saved him from falling in). The principal called Cass in to rant at her about how Hiro was climbing school buildings. She in turn raged back that Hiro was lucky to be alive, how the principal did nothing to curb the school's bullying problem, and that she wouldn't sell so much as a crumb at the next bake sale unless something was done about it. Meanwhile Hiro kept saying that he really meant to jump behind the dumpsters outside the kitchen door and the wind must have somehow caught him in mid-leap, but his voice was drowned out.

Nothing would go wrong today, however. Hiro was going to the coolest place in the world, where there'd be people who shared his enthusiasm about the future of technology. Plus, none of the kids in his class were into robotics like he was, so there was no chance of any bullies showing up to spoil it.

While she drove, Cass alternately sang off-key with the radio or complained – no, not complained, "vented", she called it, though Hiro didn't see much of a difference. There were plenty of things Cass liked to vent about: traffic, customers, late deliveries, the government, her thighs, and bad movie remakes were just a few of her favorite topics. This morning, a low-flying plane that swooped over them on the highway joined the list.

"Geez, where'd that maniac go to flight school?" she ranted. "Doesn't he know he could crash winging it like that?"

"I dreamed I was flying last night," Hiro suddenly remembered.

"Oh…like in a plane?" Cass asked, trying to sound nonchalant. Hiro knew that worried tone, and now wished he hadn't said anything.

In his dream, a massive pair of arms held him up, though he couldn't see to whom they belonged to, and together they flew through a starry sky over cities and oceans. But he couldn't say that. If there was one thing that upset Cass more than questions about his parents, it was mentioning anything magical or out of the ordinary, unless it was something he explicitly saw in a comic, movie, or on TV. Was it too late to backtrack?

"Uh…yeah. In a plane."

Cass sighed. "Oh. That's nice. First class?" she joked.

Hiro didn't respond.

It was a bright, clear Saturday. Sunlight glinted off the enormous Exposition Hall standing proudly in the middle of the campus. Hiro and Cass were overwhelmed by how many people had already filled the venue. From where he stood, Hiro could see some amazing tech on display on the show floor. He walked on ahead, mouth gaping in awe, unaware of his aunt saying they should pick up a map and heading to the information desk.

Hiro wandered up and down countless carpeted aisles, drinking in the sights as a hundred conversations washed over him:

"This protocol droid is fluent in over thirty languages…"

"If something can't be done with X-S, then it shouldn't be done at all…"

"No need to worry about the turkey this year, not with an oven that will do anything your father tells it to do…"

"I rarely use it myself, sir, it promotes rust…"

"Can a hamster fly a plane? Let's find out…"

"I don't know where to start! What do you think, Aunt Cass? Aunt Cass?"

Hiro looked around. Aunt Cass was nowhere to be found.

"Oh great, everyone's lost but me," he groaned.

He knew he should either stay in one place or ask someone for help finding his aunt, but he had barely covered a fifth of the hall. There was still so much more to see, and he wasn't tethered to anyone. Besides, he could always reach out to Cass on his phone to let her know where he was.

In a short amount of time, Hiro got to see an underwater exercise bike, a shrink-ray demonstration, a memory-finding machine, and a banana sharpener (Hiro didn't see the point in that one, but the presentation was entertaining). He was waiting in line to watch X-S Tech's teleporter demo when he heard some men yelling nearby –

"Hey, where'd it go?! If this is another scam, Stan, you're leaving this place in pieces!"

A small white and orange spherical robot bowled its way through the crowd. Its domed head veered precariously from side to side as it zigzagged away from the shouting match. Hiro leaned over the queue rope for a better look. The robot looked similar to one of the droids he'd seen on display.

The droid stopped and turned around – a group of large, angry men were pushing their way through the crowds towards him. Their leader was an overweight man in a tacky purple and yellow tracksuit. His lips curled in a furious sneer as his beady eyes scanned the floor for his quarry. He reminded Hiro a lot of one of the school gang leaders that frequently tormented him.

"Pssst!" Hiro beckoned to the droid. "This way!" He ducked out of the line and hid behind a wide column. The little droid rolled after him. Once they were out of sight, Hiro knelt down to the droid's level.

"You okay, little guy?"

The droid burbled and whistled.

"Good, I thought for a second you –"

Hiro paused. It was as if the droid's mechanical noises went through a translator in his head.

"Wait, I understood that! How did I understand that? Say something again, anything!"

The droid beeped several times.

"This is incredible! Do you have a universal translator among your components? Maybe it's a side effect from one of the devices on show or the hall has some sort of –"

The droid buzzed impatiently.

"Sorry," said Hiro. "I kinda get carried away like that sometimes. But what happened with those guys? Why are they chasing you?"

The droid went off on a series of worried squeaks, whistles and beeps. Hiro listened intently.

"You were stolen from your owner and brought here…sold to the big guy to compete in bot fighting…and if you don't fight, he'll take you apart?!"

The droid trembled and whimpered. Hiro laid a comforting hand on its rotund body.

"It's okay, I'm not gonna let anything happen to you. Do you have a name, little guy?"

The droid warbled again.

"BB-8, huh? I'm Hiro, nice to meet you."

"Gotcha!"

The man in the purple suit snatched up BB-8. The droid whirred and whistled; its head spun in a panic and tools popped out of hatches all over its round body, poking and prodding his assailant. One of the other tough guys grabbed BB-8's head and ripped it off. In the struggle to reattach himself, BB-8 pulled back his gear and tried to magnetically force his head out of his hands in an invisible game of tug of war.

"Leave him alone!" Hiro shouted. He raced towards BB-8 but a muscular dark-skinned man blocked him.

"Beat it, kid, this bot's mine!" growled the man in purple as he grappled with the droid.

"His name's BB-8," Hiro shot back, "and you stole him! He doesn't belong to you!"

The ruckus was beginning to draw an audience, something that didn't go unnoticed by the gang. The man in purple surveyed the scene, then put on an innocent face.

"I paid for this bot fair and square. Stan, show him the bill of sale. Right pocket."

Stan, the man standing between them, backed up and plucked a piece of paper from the suit pocket. He shook it open, revealing two roughly scribbled signatures.

"As legit as I am, Yama," Stan smirked.

This seemed to appease the crowd, and they dispersed.

"This bot'll make me a fortune in the fighting ring," Yama continued. "And if he doesn't…well, I'm always in need of a few spare parts."

He, Stan and the gang sniggered knowingly. Hiro, turning red, reached into his backpack.

"Yeah, well, I've got a bot of my own who could take on yours on any day! Meet Megabot!"

He held out a small bot that looked more like a floppy rag doll than something you'd fight with. It was made up of black balls and rounded triangular points resembling arms, legs and ears, and had a yellow smiling face drawn on it. It dangled limply in Hiro's hand.

Yama took one look at it and burst out laughing. The rest of his goons followed suit.

"I'm not wasting my time on a toy! Let's go."

He and his cronies began to walk away.

But Hiro wasn't about to give up so easily.

"Why?" he asked. "What have you got to lose? You're scared you'll be beaten by a kid? You don't want to look like a chump in front of your guys, is that it?"

Yama stopped mid-step. He glared at Hiro, death burning in his eyes. The boy kept talking as Yama shoved BB-8's body into Stan's arms.

"I knew you bot fighters were all talk. You make a big deal about being the baddest, but when a kid offers you a challenge your first instinct is…to…"

As Yama finally approached him, Hiro realized just how huge the man was. And now that those deadly little eyes were boring right through him, his sudden burst of bravado dried up all at once. Yama leaned down until the tip of his nose was inches away from Hiro's face.

"You really think you got what it takes, kid?" he said in a deadly whisper. "Tonight, Good Luck Alley, 8 PM. No cops. All or nothing for that."

He jerked his head towards BB-8.

"No one makes Yama look like a chicken in front of his men, especially not little snot weasels like you."

Without another word, Yama rejoined his crew. BB-8 continued to struggle as they carried him out of sight.

The full gravity of what Hiro had just done struck him like a cannonball to the head. He had just challenged a bot fighter eight times his size to a rumble with no way of getting out from under Cass' watchful eye. The thought of leaving BB-8 to his fate sickened him, but the more he stood there and thought about it, the more inevitable it felt.

"There you are, Hiro!"

A frantic Aunt Cass dashed up to Hiro and began checking him for any signs of harm.

"Thank goodness you're all right! Don't ever run off like that again, young man, do you have any idea how worried I was? Oh and there's someone I want you to meet!"

Cass dragged him to a tall blonde man waiting nearby. He was dressed in a sharp suit and had an equally sharp pointed nose. Hiro instantly recognized him from countless tech news reports and apps he had downloaded.

"You're…you're –"

"Alistair Krei, CEO of Krei Tech. Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Hiro."

Krei gave him a firm handshake and a gleaming smile.

"I was just telling your charming aunt I recently joined SFIT's Board of Advisors. I'm glad my contributions to this school have finally left a mark, especially after helping them rebuild from that fire a couple years back. Cass here tells me you're quite the accomplished little inventor yourself. Is that one of your robots?"

Hiro was eager to show off Megabot, but something about the way he leered at his aunt when he talked about her made him feel gross. Cass, for whatever reason, giggled and blushed.

"Yes, you'll have to come by the café and check out all his hard work –"

Cass' gushing was mercifully interrupted by Krei's phone ringing. He impatiently picked it up.

"Yes, what is it…oookaaaay…keep the room locked down for now. I'll call security…and a cleanup crew…"

He turned back to Hiro and Cass with an ever-so-slightly forced grin.

"Slight malfunction at the X-S teleporter demo. Everything's fine. Apparently the attempt to beam up Chairman Clench went a little haywire and they brought back…well, it's nothing to worry about!"

Judging by the faint sounds of screaming from the other end of the phone, Hiro doubted that.

Hiro tried to enjoy the rest of the showcase, but his heart wasn't fully into it. He kept thinking of poor BB-8. By the time they were on their way home, he could only gaze at Megabot in silence. Not even Cass' cheerful nattering could get through to him.

"Wouldn't it be great to go to school here, Hiro? Maybe if we talk with Alistair we could work something out…"

Cass glanced at her nephew, and was almost taken aback by his despondency.

"Aw, why the long face? Wait, don't tell me – you're feeling down because it's over, right? I know it too well; you get so built up with anticipation over this special day and you have such a great time that it's depressing when it ends. I used to feel that way after every con I ever went to. But that means you get to find something new to look forward to after. Hey, there's a Mecha Vs. Kaiju movie marathon on Channel 8 tonight. That sounds like fun."

On any other night, it would be. But real fighting robots trumped filmed ones at the moment. Hiro tried to smile as his mind continued to race around in circles.

At home, Cass happily prattled on about having a good night in while preparing some extra-spicy chicken wings, stopping only to answer the phone. Hiro slumped over in his chair, trying and failing to formulate a way to get out to the rumble.

He could say he had homework to do – except that he already made an effort to get every bit of work done before today so he'd be free to enjoy the showcase, and Cass knew it. If he suddenly remembered he missed something, she might get suspicious.

He could say he was sick – no, Cass would dote on him so hard that he'd never have a chance to sneak away.

He could wait until she fell asleep to break out, but it might be too late by then.

Hiro was so lost in his thoughts that he hardly heard Cass at first.

"…gray stuff…all right, all right, I'll be there in fifteen minutes." She hung up the phone.

"Bad news, Hiro. There was a big scuffle at the wedding and most of the food went flying. I need to get down there fast to try to salvage it. Oh, I hope Mrs. Effgee won't be too upset at me calling her last-minute…"

Anytime Cass had to work late all day at the café or do some catering, Mrs. Effgee would babysit Hiro. She was a sweet, plump old woman who would let him stay up late if he was good, and liked to tell him unusual stories, most of them about mice for some reason. She also fixed up his and Cass' clothes in exchange for sweets from the café – well, more like Cass piled them on her in gratitude over Mrs. Effgee's modest protests. Hiro liked Mrs. Effgee, but there was no way he'd make it to the fight if she were watching him. There was only one solution for it – and it was the most difficult one of all.

"Aunt Cass, do you think…I could stay by myself tonight?"

The phone dropped from Cass' hand.

"Hiro, you've never been home alone before," she said, "at least not with me not immediately downstairs."

"I know, but I'm getting older and…well...you trust me to run my own lab in the garage. Why don't you trust me with looking after myself?"

"It's not that I don't trust you, it's just that…you're still young, Hiro. Anything could happen. I could come back and find the house blown up –"

"I won't blow up the house, I promise! I won't do anything in the lab at all; I'll just sit on the couch, play video games, and eat chicken wings like a good growing boy should."

Cass pinched the bridge of her nose and shut her eyes. Hiro was on the brink of mentioning that all this waiting was stealing time away from where she needed to be, but that might give him away. After a moment or two of deep thought, Cass faced him.

"Keep your phone with you. Leave the lights on until I get back. Don't use the pressure cooker or put anything metal in the microwave. And make sure you feed Mochi before midnight."

Hiro dared to not change his expression. He reassured her fifty more times all while his heart leaped with excitement. The moment he heard Cass' car fade away down the block, he stuffed Megabot into his bag along with some snacks and crept down the fire escape. He quickly searched bot fighting rings on his phone and found the one Yama said to meet him at. If he played his cards right, he'd be home before his aunt suspected a thing.

It was already dark by the time Hiro reached his destination. If he wasn't mistaken (and he really hoped he wasn't) the fight was down a dim, dingy alley in the shadier part of San Fransokyo. He knew he was at the right place when he heard the sounds of clashing metal and excited cheers.

A woman's voice called out:

"The winner, by total annihilation – Yama!"

And there Yama stood among a throng of rowdy onlookers, laughing triumphantly with a wad of cash in his fist. Hiro squeezed Megabot tightly. He was going to enjoy taking this guy down.

"Who's next?" Yama bellowed. "Who has the guts to step into the ring with Little Yama?"

He proudly held up his bot, a hulking gray and black mass of metal and blades modeled after a samurai. The crowd fell silent. Some of the other fighters backed away. One even yanked the head off his own bot to save time.

"Hey, Yama!"

The crowd parted to make way for Hiro. The boy stepped forward with as much confidence as he could muster.

"We had a deal. I'm here to fight for BB-8. Where is he?"

BB-8's head slid out from behind Yama's leg. An ungainly cylinder was attached to the side. The little droid whistled and screeched, struggling to roll towards him.

"Restraining bolt," Yama sneered. "He's not going anywhere unless I say so."

The spectators began passing bills amongst themselves as the two fighters placed their bots in the ring and sat opposite each other.

Yama cracked his neck intimidatingly. Hiro tilted his head and made what he hoped was a convincing cricking noise.

The ringleader, a slender woman with an eyepatch, lowered an open red parasol between the two bots.

"Two bots enter, one bot leaves…now, FIGHT!"

Little Yama pounced the instant she lifted the parasol. It snatched Megabot and sliced it neatly in three with a buzzsaw. Yama howled with laughter over his assured victory, as did the onlookers.

Then Megabot pulled itself back together and struck a fighting stance. The happy yellow face flipped over, revealing a red one with an angry smile. Hiro made a similar grin.

"My turn."

Megabot whizzed and cartwheeled around Little Yama, avoiding the thrusts of its saw and claws with ease. Beads of sweat trickled down Yama's face as he strived to catch up. Hiro, for his part, was already having fun.

Megabot split itself in three; each part crawled up Little Yama like an insect and fastened around the arm bearing three knife-sharp blades. It popped off with a twist. Now armed with a new appendage, Megabot hacked off Little Yama's sawblade. The spectators ooooohed and yelled for more.

With Little Yama now completely defenseless, Megabot kicked and punched its head, then coiled around it and squeezed tightly until it popped off. Sparks fizzled from Little Yama's neck hole before it collapsed in a lifeless heap. Megabot returned to its usual happy smile, made a little bow, and fell inert once more.

The crowd went wild. Yama sat there completely flabbergasted. In all his years as an underground bot fighter, no one had dared to best him before. "But…how…this is not possible!" he shrieked as he held Little Yama's remains.

"What can I say, beginner's luck," Hiro shrugged. He was beginning to enjoy the attention he was receiving from the onlookers. Some congratulated him; a few even gave him a share of their winnings. Unfortunately, that blinded him to BB-8's pleas to go and Yama's temper.

"All right, kid, you win," Yama said. "You can have your toy…IF…"

Yama plunked BB-8 into the ring.

"…You beat it."

The crowd roared sadistically. Hiro mentally kicked himself for thinking Yama would be a graceful loser. BB-8 looked frantically at Yama, then Hiro, then Yama again. He screeched and whistled, begging the boy for help.

"Don't worry, BB-8. I have a plan," Hiro whispered.

He didn't. He just hoped what he had in mind would work.

Hiro put on a cocky attitude. "Won't it be a little one-sided with that restraining bolt on? These good people are here for a fight, not to watch a ball get deflated."

The spectators laughed and cheered in agreement. Yama begrudgingly leaned over and removed the bolt with a flick of his wrist. Hiro subtly winked at BB-8.

The ringleader repeated the signal to fight. Once she raised her parasol, Megabot flipped into the air, soared over BB-8 in a graceful arc…and landed right on top of Yama's head.

The bot jammed its arms into Yama's eyes, flipped over and tweaked his nose. Yama yowled in shock.

"NOW!" Hiro screamed.

A small welding torch popped out of one of BB-8's hatches and he jabbed it Yama's massive stomach. The burned bot fighter toppled backward, crying out in pain.

BB-8 made a sound like a battle cry, and all at once, the fighting bots that hadn't been destroyed yet sprung to life and turned on their masters. In the chaos of revved engines, flailing limbs, and confused screams, Hiro scooped up Megabot and fled down the alley with BB-8 in tow.

"Woah, you are one sadistic little guy," Hiro said to the droid with a note of admiration.

BB-8 burbled modestly.

"You're right, I'd wail on my master the first chance I'd get if I was forced to fight for my life every day."

"There he is! Don't let him get away!" Yama's shout echoed after them.

A glimpse behind reassured Hiro that Yama was well behind them, but two of his cronies stepped in front of them, blocking the only way out. Hiro and BB-8 quickly found themselves surrounded.

Yama grabbed Hiro by his shirt and thrust him against a wall.

"No one hustles Yama!" he roared in Hiro's face.

Yama swiped Megabot from the boy's hands.

"Teach him a lesson," he snarled.

Yama's goons closed in, cracking their knuckles and chuckling ominously.

BB-8 whirred in terror. Hiro held up his hands.

"H-hey guys, let's talk about this –"

Wailing sirens filled the air. The alley lit up in red and blue. Yama and his squad froze.

That split-second distraction was all Hiro needed to whip out his controller and pummel Yama in the face with Megabot. The enormous man thrashed about, knocking his accomplices senseless. Hiro stopped to swipe some cash from one of their pockets before bolting to the street once again.

"Ha! Bot fighting – so illegal, but so lucrative," he laughed to himself. "And there's no stopping us!"

A police car screeched to a halt right in front of Hiro.

The next thing he knew, he was being led away in handcuffs along with a hoard of bruised and bloodied bot fighters; some of them still whimpering over being attacked by their own creations.

Hiro glanced over his shoulder. BB-8 rolled out from behind some trash cans – he was safe. Hiro gave him a smile and a thumbs-up. The little droid stuck out its welding torch again; its blue flame pointed up in an equal gesture. He drew it back and rolled down the alley out of sight.

In hindsight, Hiro considered himself lucky that he got a cell in the police station all to himself. If he had been thrown in with Yama and the rest of the rounded-up fighters, he probably wouldn't have made it home in one piece. Still, the sight of them all glowering at him from across the way wasn't a comforting one.

The only thing that made him feel worse was his phone call to Aunt Cass. Hearing her go from full-blown panic on learning he was in trouble to dead silent when he told her why made his blood run cold. He didn't know whether or not to be glad that she came to pick him up instead of leaving him there overnight.

Thankfully, due to Hiro's age and this being his first offense, the police let him off with a strong warning. They also made plans to visit his school with a new crime-deterring program that was in the early stages of development, R.R.A.N.T.: Robot Rumbles Are Not Tubular ("The title's a work in progress," the desk sergeant shrugged embarrassedly).

In stark contrast to their earlier ride, Cass didn't utter a word the entire way home. She fixed her eyes on the road ahead. As much as he wanted to break the heavy silence, Hiro couldn't find it in him to speak up.

It wasn't until they crossed the kitchen threshold that Cass rounded on him.

"How could you do something so reckless, Hiro?! And after I trusted you to stay home by yourself! Do you have any idea how humiliating it is to abandon a client in the middle of a job so you can pick up your nephew from jail?"

"I had to, Aunt Cass! There was this droid I found at the showcase, he was in trouble –"

"The police would have handled it."

"They stole him and were going to strip him for parts if he didn't fight. He told me himself."

"You shouldn't have listened to those thugs, you know better than to talk to strangers."

"No, it wasn't Yama who said it, it was the droid!"

"Robots don't talk, Hiro!"

"I know, but I understood him! It was like he was speaking in my head –"

"This is ridiculous, of all the excuses to come up with to completely undermine my trust –"

"I'm telling you the truth, Aunt Cass! BB-8 said –"

"I've had enough of this. Hiro, you're grounded!"

"…But…but Aunt Cass…"

"Go to your room now. And if I hear one peep out of you the rest of the night…just, just go."

Hiro lay on his bed in the dark, staring up at the ceiling. Mochi's purrs did nothing to calm him. He was sure Aunt Cass would forgive him eventually, but her refusal to listen to him about BB-8 on top of being screwed out of ever being left home alone again cut deep.

He'd lived with Aunt Cass for as long as he could remember, ever since his parents had died in that car crash. He couldn't remember being in the car when his parents were killed. Sometimes, when he strained his memory long enough on nights like this when he couldn't sleep, he came up with a strange vision: a blinding flash of green light and a burning pain on his arm. He supposed this was the crash, though he had no idea where all that green light came from.

Hiro never shared this with Aunt Cass. She didn't seem to hate his parents, but when he was younger he couldn't understand why she didn't like talking about them. When he asked Mrs. Effgee about this, she told him it was probably because it hurt Cass to remember them. "Everyone has their own ways of dealing with grief, Hiro," she said. "I once heard someone say, "What is grief if not love persevering?" She loved your mother and father, and she'll open up about them when she is ready." So Hiro didn't press Cass for more information, and he certainly didn't say anything about his vision. He knew that sharing the slim memory he had of the night they died would only make her feel worse.

Hiro wished he had a real memory of his parents. The only reason he even knew what they looked like was due to the single photograph Aunt Cass had of them, which hung near the steps leading up to his room. They, along with Aunt Cass, were standing in the park dressed in traditional Japanese kimonos and smiling at the camera; according to her, this was their wedding day. He wondered if they would be happy knowing their son was a tech genius – and a criminal – at age ten. He also wondered if they would have understood more about the unusual things that sprung up around him, or if they'd not notice or seem to willfully ignore them like Aunt Cass often did.

One night when he was six, a small one-eyed monster emerged from his closet – but instead of scaring him or eating him, it proceeded to tell Hiro a string of bad jokes. Frustrated with Hiro's lack of reaction, the monster ate his microphone and let out a magnified belch. This had the young boy in stitches and woke up Aunt Cass, but she insisted Hiro had only dreamed what had happened.

A few years later, Hiro had the sneaking suspicion that something was going on with his toys; they never seemed to be in the same place that he left them. To test his theory, he left his laptop camera recording in his room the next time he left the apartment. When he returned hours later and checked the footage, he couldn't believe his eyes – once he was gone, the toys got up and walked and talked as if they were alive! He brought Aunt Cass up to show her his discovery…only to find the video had somehow been deleted. Once again Cass said he was imagining things, though the idea of toys coming to life sounded like a great idea for a movie, if he could get his camera working. Coincidentally, it was around this time Hiro stopped playing with toys and turned more towards science.

Cass seemed pretty selective about what was and wasn't aligned with her idea of reality.

She denied those previously mentioned instances passionately, and asserted those accidents at school weren't Hiro's doing at all; that he was a healthy, normal boy and nothing strange was going on – but she also treated the talking animals or unusual people that visited the café as no big deal. Still, if it wasn't an issue, then how come he attended one of the few schools in the state that was humans-only? Also, any time something came on the news that was related to magic or royalty (or both, as was often the case), she loudly stated that how glad she was that nothing ever happened here. Maybe that was why she encouraged his scientific studies so much; it was grounded in facts and made sense in a world that rarely seemed to.

Or maybe she knew something she didn't want him to know. Maybe she was worried that if she told him the truth, Hiro wouldn't love her anymore. There were other people, strangers, whom he sometimes ran into that seemed to be in on those out-of-the-ordinary occurrences – specifically, they appeared to know who he was.

While serving some tea in the café to an elderly woman in a purple maid's uniform, her young son saw his scar and pointed and shouted, "Mama, Mama, look! It's him!" "Now Chip," she scolded, "it's very rude to stare." But as she was leaving, she clasped Hiro's hand, looked at him tenderly, and whispered "Bless you, child," as if she were thanking him for saving her life. Mrs. Corry, who ran a bakery Cass stumbled across while shopping for gingerbread house ingredients, took one look at Hiro and gave him an entire jar full of gingerbread stars, free of charge. A girl wearing devil horns waved to him while stepping through a portal she conjured. A dreadlocked pirate with a wobbly gait tipped his hat to him in the street.

From time to time, Hiro thought about what it would be like to follow these people wherever they went off to, to see if strange things happened to them too, learn how they did what they did, and if there was someplace special hidden just beyond his sight that would give him all the answers he craved.

But that was nonsense. Cass was the only family he'd ever known. He didn't want to leave her. And there was nothing she could do that would ever make him hate her.

Hiro turned over in his bed. He wondered if anyone at school would be talking about the showcase or the rumble after. The last thing he needed was the entire student population learning he went to jail – or maybe it would give his reputation a boost; people were drawn to bad boys, after all. And spending an hour in jail must certainly count for something.

Chapter Text

Hiro received his longest grounding ever as a result of his sneaking out. By the time Aunt Cass lifted his punishment, school was already out for the summer. Hiro was glad to be on vacation, but that meant the tourist season was upon them, and Aunt Cass needed all hands on deck in running the café. Hiro spent his precious free time either tinkering in his lab or hanging out down at the pier with some sea salt ice cream. Not only did he enjoy the view of the city and smell of the ocean, but the solitude also helped him clear his head.

He'd be going to a different school next year. On the one hand, he no longer had to put up with bullies, students cozying up to him so he'd do their homework, or teachers who were far less informed in their own subjects than he was. On the other, it wasn't exactly his decision to transfer to a college.

It all started when Alistair Krei walked into the café "by chance". He and Cass talked up a storm about Hiro among other things, and returned many times after that. Hiro was often called upon to demonstrate some of his prototypes; he also had to make sure Krei never found out about his venture into bot-fighting at Cass' behest. After Cass had several meetings with Krei both in and outside the cafe, he offered Hiro the chance to enroll in SFIT on a substantial discount. Cass eagerly accepted the offer on his behalf.

Hiro was grateful Aunt Cass was invested in his interests and future, but he couldn't deny the strange sinking feeling in his stomach when she agreed to the scholarship for him. He would have liked to have a say in the decision.

Later that week, Aunt Cass took him shopping for brand new clothes, which, in her view, befit a college freshman – smart shoes, dress pants, cardigans and the like. She even stopped by the SFIT store and bought him a sweater with the school's logo on it. When Hiro tried it on, Cass was ready to burst into tears; she couldn't stop saying how her special little guy was growing up so fast. Hiro thought it looked okay, but it didn't feel right on him for some reason – and not just because the smallest size she bought was still several sizes too large for him. He tried to shake those feelings off, but couldn't. He knew he should be thrilled that he was going to such an amazing school, one that hosted his favorite event and encouraged students like him to push their limits. So why wasn't he happy? Was it because of how sudden it was all happening? He tried to focus on the upsides, but the question lingered in the back of his head.

There was a terrible smell in the kitchen the following morning when Hiro went downstairs for breakfast. It was coming from a large metal tub in the sink. He went to have a look. His new wardrobe was swimming in murky water.

"Um, Aunt Cass, what are you doing with my clothes?" he asked.

"Well, I remembered what you said about them being a little big and "kind of blah", so I thought I'd try dying them a few different colors," she said. "Then I'll leave them out to shrink when they're done. How hard can it be?"

"I think this is why Mrs. Effgee takes care of our clothes herself," Hiro mumbled. Cass continued to stir the tub, not having heard a thing.

He sat down at the table as Mochi came into the kitchen, his nose wrinkling from the smell. Hiro popped some waffles in the toaster and scrolled through his phone as he waited for them to defrost. The cat's ears perked up when they heard the click of the mail slot downstairs.

"Get the mail, Hiro," said Aunt Cass from her place by the sink.

"Get the mail, drone," Hiro spoke into his smartwatch.

A tiny drone buzzed down from his room, hovered in the air, flew smack dab into the wall and lay twitching on the floor. Hiro shrugged. "Well, it was worth a shot."

Hiro hurried down the steps to fetch the mail. Three things lay on the doormat: a postcard from Aunt Sarah, a brown envelope that looked like a bill, and – a letter for Hiro?

Hiro picked it up and stared at it, his eyebrows furrowing. No one ever wrote to Hiro, unless it was a warning from the library about late books or threatening notes in his locker demanding he do someone's science project for them. Yet here it was, a letter addressed so plainly there could be no mistake:

The envelope was thick and heavy, made of white creamy paper, and the address was written in purple ink. There was no stamp.

Turning the envelope over, Hiro saw a red wax seal: one big circle with two smaller ones on either side.

"What's the holdup, Hiro?" Aunt Cass called from upstairs. "You win any sweepstakes?"

Hiro went back up, still staring at his letter. He handed Aunt Cass the bill and postcard, and slowly began to open the envelope.

Aunt Cass opened the bill, looked at it for a second, tossed it over her shoulder, and then flipped over the postcard.

"Oh, Sarah's unwell, ate a funny whelk…whatcha got there, Hiro?"

Hiro was at the point of unfolding the letter when Cass plucked it from his hands. "Hey!" he shouted. "That's mine!"

Cass shook the letter open with one hand and glanced at it. "If this is another overdue notice from the library, you're gonna have to start paying for it out of your allow –"

Her face went deathly pale as her eyes scanned the letter down to the bottom. Her free hand fell on her heart.

Hiro gulped. "Um…Aunt Cass?"

She didn't respond. What was in that letter that could turn her into a statue?

Slowly and subtly, Hiro reached for the letter, but Cass chose that moment to snap out of her horrified trance. "My God…Hiro! Go to your room, now."

"But it's my letter," Hiro whined. "Give it back!"

"Hiro, please go to your room," Cass repeated.

Hiro didn't move.

"Let me read my letter and then I'll –"

"HIRO! ROOM! NOW!" Aunt Cass roared, making Hiro flinch. She had never shouted at him like that before. He backed away slowly and then made for the stairs.

When Hiro reached the first stair that put him out of sight from the view of the kitchen, he stepped on it a few times, each foot dropping quieter than the last, and then stopped. It was a trick he used many times before: with Aunt Cass thinking he was all the way up in his room, he was free to listen in on things happening downstairs when he knew he shouldn't be. At the moment, Cass was pacing the floor frantically muttering to herself. "Can't believe it…not again…no…Tomeo…"

Hiro had to stuff his fist in his mouth to stifle his gasp. That was the first time in ages he heard her speak his father's name aloud. His aunt continued.

"Watching, they're watching the house…watching the café too, probably…I knew this would happen someday…but why now? I raised him right, raised him normal…he hasn't got a drop of that…no, just keep the course. Ignore it, and they'll ignore him and move on. I'm not going to lose him like I lost Tomeo…"

Hiro could hear Cass choke up on saying his name again – then a cabinet opening and the crinkle of a plastic bag being torn, followed by the crunch of fried snacks.

Hiro didn't see Cass again until that evening when she took a break from work to visit him in his room. She brought him a freshly made anpan with a side of gummy bears. Mochi followed her in, and they both stood next to him in awkward silence. Hiro turned in his seat to face her.

"Where's my letter?" he demanded. "Who's writing to me?"

"It's…it's nothing to worry about," said Cass, almost as if she were afraid to speak. "Just another one of those scams, like those fake calls about the power bills; you know how they happen. I got rid of it."

"Hmph. For an everyday scam, you seemed awfully upset about it," said Hiro disbelievingly.

"I just don't want anyone taking advantage of my special little guy." Cass put down the plate and knelt at his level, stroking his head. She sighed.

"Hiro, for ten years I've done the best I could to raise you. Have I been perfect? No. Do I know anything about children? No. Should I have picked up a book on parenting? Probably…where was I going with this, I had a point…"

"…You think I'm mature enough to make my own choices and read my own mail?" Hiro continued hopefully.

"What I mean is, everything I'm trying to do is because I love you, and I want you to be safe and happy. Yeah, I may act a little…"

"Stressed? Uptight? Aggressive? Overbearing?"

"Firm," she insisted, "but it's only because I want the best for you."

"I get it," Hiro moaned, "but how do you know what's best for me? What if, maybe once, I decide what's best for me?"

"I just…I just try, all right? And you're still a child. An incredibly gifted child, but still a child."

Cass headed for the door.

"Think about what I said, okay?"

Hiro didn't watch his aunt leave the room. He listened to her walk down to the kitchen, grab something from the fridge, and then leave for the café.

He sighed and absentmindedly stroked Mochi. Not too long ago he had been looking forward to the SFIT Showcase. Now he was beginning to wish he had skipped it entirely.

Breakfast the next morning was rather quiet. Cass focused heavily on preparing a quality meal and hummed more audibly with the radio than usual; Hiro got the impression that she was trying to avoid speaking with him. It was bad enough not having anyone to talk to at school, but it felt worse at home considering it was just the two of them. He wished he had opened that stupid letter downstairs.

Just as Cass was serving him eggs and bacon, the mail flap clicked.

"I'LL GET IT!" Cass shouted louder than she intended. She and Hiro leaped to the stairs at the same time, squishing each other at the threshold. The two struggled to fit through the frame before the other – but Aunt Cass pulled through first.

She raced down the stairs and tripped over her own feet three-quarters of the way down. Hiro dived from his spot halfway down and landed on top of her. They scrambled for the letter. Cass grabbed it first but Hiro got his hands around the free half. They pulled, and twisted, and pulled, and twisted – and ripped it right in half.

"Go to your room," Cass wheezed. "Hiro, please…just go."

Hiro sat on the edge of his bed flexing his fingers. Someone knew he hadn't received the first letter. Surely that meant they'd try again? And this time Hiro would make sure they didn't fail. He had a plan.

His phone alarm went off at 4:30 the next morning. Hiro quickly turned it off and dressed silently. He couldn't wake Aunt Cass. He stole downstairs, making sure to skip the steps that creaked louder than the others, and didn't turn on any of the lights.

He was going to wait for the mail carrier and get the letter first. His heart hammered as he reached the landing of the front door –

"AAAAAAGH! SON OF A –"

Hiro leaped into the air; he'd trodden on something big and squishy on the doormat – something alive!

He turned on his phone's flashlight and found the thing he stepped on was Aunt Cass. She had been lying on the floor wrapped up in a quilt, clearly making sure Hiro wouldn't do exactly what he'd been trying to do. She shouted at Hiro for a good ten minutes and told him to go make her some coffee.

By the time Hiro got back, the mail had arrived – right into Aunt Cass' lap. Hiro could see three letters addressed to him in purple ink.

"I want – " he began, but Aunt Cass tore them to pieces and shoved them through the slot right before his eyes.

Had either of them looked outside afterward, they would have seen the ripped-up pieces of the letters float into the sky one by one, carried away by an invisible breeze.

Aunt Cass called one of the assistant managers of the café and told them she couldn't come in that day. She stayed at home and nailed up the mail slot.

"See," she explained to Mochi, who was waiting to be fed, "if they can't deliver them, they'll just give up."

Mochi cocked his head as if to say, "I don't think that's going to work." Or perhaps he meant, "Give up this idle foolishness and feed me now."

"Oh, you don't know these people like I do, Mochi. I'm not going to let them take my boy away from me," she continued as she tried to knock a nail in with her copy of Chef Gusteau's cookbook.

On Friday, no less than twelve letters arrived for Hiro. As they couldn't go through the mail slot, they had been pushed under the door, slotted through the sides, and even forced through the small window in the bathroom.

Aunt Cass stayed home again. After burning the letters in the oven, she found a hammer and nails and boarded up the cracks around the door so the only way out of the apartment was the fire escape. She hummed "It's A Small World" as she worked, and jumped at small noises, scaring Mochi whenever he passed by.

On Saturday, things began to get out of hand. Twenty-four letters to Hiro found their way inside the apartment, rolled up and hidden inside each of the two-dozen eggs Aunt Cass had bought at the supermarket. She shredded them in the food processor while she made furious phone calls to the post office and dairy, eager to find someone to complain to.

"Who the heck wants to talk to me this badly?" Hiro asked Mochi, who simply meowed in response.

On Sunday morning, Cass flopped down at the breakfast table looking tired and ill, but extremely satisfied. "I love Sundays," she said to herself with a vacant smile. "Best day of the week, Sunday. Why is that, Hiro? Go on. Guess."

Hiro poured his aunt some tea and tried not to get too close as he handed her the mug. "…Because there's no mail on Sundays, Aunt Cass?" he asked with a hopefully placating grin.

"Right on the nosey, Hiro." Aunt Cass took a long sip of tea and let out a relaxed sigh. "No mail on Sundays. Not a single letter today. Not one!"

She took another drink, and then slammed the mug on the table, making Hiro jump. "I feel like going down to the café. Come on boy, there are customers waiting!" Cass leapt to her feet, grabbed the keys off the counter, and climbed out the window onto the fire escape. Hiro reluctantly followed suit.

Cass had unlocked the café door by the time Hiro reached her. He went inside and began sweeping the floor. Cass stayed in the doorway looking out at the street, her smile growing broader. "Good morning, world!" she cried out. "You're not getting the best of Cass Hamada! I've won! I –"

Something hit her right in the middle of her forehead and landed at her feet with a small thump. Cass looked down.

It was a letter.

The café began to rumble. Hiro, who was no slouch when it came to earthquake safety, dropped the broom and skedaddled to the doorframe between the kitchen and serving area. He heard the refrigerator and oven doors burst open. Hiro turned his head and his eyes popped open as a wave of letters poured out of them, flooding the kitchen.

Aunt Cass screamed. She was hit face first with a torrent of envelopes flying at her from out of nowhere. Soon the whole café was filled with letters on the floor and in the air. Hiro jumped up trying to grab one, but as soon as he did, he slipped on several beneath him and lost his grasp. He scooped up as many as could, but Aunt Cass regained control of his senses and grabbed him by the arm. "OUT! OUT!"

Ignoring the curious onlookers, Cass stormed outside, broke down the apartment door, and dragged Hiro upstairs. "That's it. Pack your things, Hiro. Clothes only. I want you downstairs in five minutes ready to leave. NO arguments!"

Cass looked so frazzled that Hiro didn't dare argue. He stuffed a pair of pajamas, a t-shirt and a laptop into his extra-large backpack. He could hear Aunt Cass on the phone with one of the assistant managers of the café: "Oh yeah, everything's fine, just gotta go out of town for a bit…I'll let you know…burn those letters for me, will you? And hold on to the ashes…"

Hiro couldn't find his hoodie in his closet. He supposed Aunt Cass unthinkingly hung it up in the hallway closet by the stairs. He came down and looked inside it; his hoodie was thrown haphazardly on the shoe rack on the floor. Hiro grabbed it, but the hood snagged on one of the wire loops and took the rack – and a pile of sheets underneath – with it. He winced at the clatter of falling shoes and clanging metal against wood. Hiro looked over his shoulder – Aunt Cass had her back to him; she was still on the phone and didn't notice the noise. He knelt down to clean up the mess when he saw it – half-hidden in the sheets was a red metallic box.

Hiro pulled away the sheets and took a closer look. The box resembled a squished little man in red armor; it had a white oblong face with a thin black line stretching across it, and two bumps on either side resembling arms. On its chest was a small white circle. Hiro had no idea why, but there was something familiar about this strange box. But where did it come from? And why was it stuffed in the bottom of the closet?

He wanted to investigate further but he could hear Cass wrapping up her phone call. Hiro opened his backpack, flattened his things as much as he could, and tipped the box inside; it was heavier than it looked, and he strained under the weight. Then he quickly zipped up the bag, threw everything else back in the closet and slammed the door just as Cass hung up the phone. When she turned around, Hiro was on his feet whistling nonchalantly. "Good, you're ready to go," she said, none the wiser.

In ten minutes, they were speeding down the highway. Hiro held Mochi's carrying case as the cat cried mournfully inside. The boy was too afraid to ask where they were going and tried to content himself by watching the world zip past his window.

They drove. And they drove. Every now and then, Cass would take a sharp turn and go in the other direction. "Shake 'em off, shake 'em off," she muttered whenever she did this.

They didn't stop to eat or drink all day. As evening fell, Cass finally stopped outside a gloomy-looking hotel on the outskirts of a city. She woke the elderly clerk, who was sleeping at his desk in the lobby. "Excuse me, we'd like to check in for the night, please." The clerk, whose eyes were barely visible behind his thick glasses, seemed quite surprised. "Really?" He rang the bell on the desk and shouted, "Somebody's checking in!"

At once, all the doors on the upper level burst open and the unusual-looking guests inside repeated, "Somebody's checking in?!" One of them started playing a banjo and the clerk burst into song –

"Oh there's no fire in the fireplace,

There's no carpet on the floor –"

"Thank you, we'll show ourselves up!" Cass shouted over him as she threw her credit card at him, grabbed a key and pulled Hiro past a group of rats in bellhop uniforms into the elevator.

The room had one damp, musty bed that folded into the wall, and was lit with a single bare bulb hanging from the ceiling. Cass climbed into bed and closed her eyes. "Hiro, could you get the light, please?"

The bulb fell to the floor and shattered.

"Thank you."

Cass snored away, but Hiro stayed awake. He sat on the windowsill, staring down at the lights of passing cars, and wondered…

They ate soggy cornflakes with orange juice for breakfast the next day with a saucer of milk for Mochi. They had just finished when the owner of the hotel came over to the table.

"Excuse me, is one of you Mr. Hiro Hamada? I got about a hundred of these letters waitin' for you at the front desk."

He held up a familiar envelope, this time with the purple ink address reading:

Hiro made a grab for the letter but Cass bolted up from her chair and said, "I'll take them." She followed the man from the dining room.

Hiro pouted and stirred the remaining cornflakes with his spoon. His sour mood caught the attention of the janitor, a brown fuzzy fellow in a plaid shirt who was cleaning the next table over. "Don't worry, kid," he said comfortingly. "One day someone will send you a hundred letters, and you'll know how wonderful it feels to get them."

The only thing that stopped Hiro from dumping his cereal bowl on the janitor's head was the sight of Mochi hungrily chasing the bellhops.

"Hey Aunt Cass, here's a wild idea…maybe we could go home now?" Hiro suggested timidly. Hours passed since they left the hotel, and he still had no idea where Cass was taking him. She had already driven right into the middle of a forest, got out, looked around, shook her head, got back in, and driven off again. The same thing happened in the middle of a plowed field, halfway across a suspension bridge, at the top of a cliff near a waterfall, and on the coastline.

Hiro didn't want to say it, but he was fairly convinced his aunt had gone off the deep end.

Cass parked by a marshy bog as daylight gave way to dull gray. She locked him and Mochi in the car, and walked off.

Rain began pattering against the windows. Hiro shivered and rubbed his arms. He took his phone from his pocket; the front screen showed that it was Monday 6:30 PM, and that the weather would soon take a turn for the worse.

Monday. That reminded Hiro of something. If it was Monday…then tomorrow, Tuesday, June 21st, was the first day of summer, the longest day of the year – and Hiro's eleventh birthday.

Aunt Cass usually went overboard for Hiro's birthday: trips to museums, zoos, theme parks and the like, followed by a big dinner of all his favorite foods at the café. But unless this was all part of an elaborate setup for some big surprise, he didn't think spending his birthday freezing in the middle of nowhere was what she had in mind this year. Admittedly, Hiro himself had forgotten about the big day in the excitement of all those letters in the past week. Still, it wasn't every day you turned eleven.

Cass returned, and she was smiling.

"Found the perfect place! Come on, everyone out!"

Aunt Cass pointed to deep in the bog. "Storm forecast for tonight!" she said gleefully, clapping her hands together. "And this kind woman has agreed to rent us her houseboat in the bayou."

A woman with a shock of red hair and a garish amount of makeup grinned wickedly and waved at a distance. An old motorboat bobbed up and down in the iron-gray water next to her.

"I've already got us some rations," said Aunt Cass, "so all aboard!"

It was a long, freezing trip. Icy spray and rain crept down their necks, a chilly wind whipped their faces, and the boat's guiding light did little to cut through the fog. After what seemed like hours, they reached a massive, dilapidated riverboat. It was the most dismal place Hiro had ever seen, and he'd seen news coverage of Staten Island. Aunt Cass, sliding around the slippery deck, led the way inside.

The inside was horrible; it smelled of mildew, the wind whistled through the gaps in the walls, and the fireplace was damp and empty.

Aunt Cass' rations turned out to be a bag of chips each, some bananas, and two water bottles. She tried to start a fire but the peels barely smoldered.

"Could do with a few of those letters now, huh, Hiro?" She joked cheerfully.

Cass was in a much better mood. Obviously, she thought nobody stood a chance of reaching them in a storm to deliver mail. Hiro privately agreed though the thought didn't cheer him up at all.

As night fell, the promised storm blew up around them. A fierce wind rattled the filthy windows and flashes of lightning illuminated the makeshift living room. There were some bedrooms on the upper deck, but both Hiro and Aunt Cass were a bit too little rattled by the storm and overall creepiness of the boat to sleep alone. Instead, Aunt Cass took some blankets and pillows and made up a bed for Hiro on the moth-eaten sofa while she hunkered down on the rug. Despite being cooped up all day, Mochi didn't wander off to explore; he planted himself by his boy's feet, purring intensely as his fur stood on end.

The storm grew fiercer as the night wore on. Hiro couldn't sleep. He turned over and over, trying and failing to make himself more comfortable. The rolls of thunder drowned out Cass' snores and the grumbles of his empty stomach. He was cold, he was hungry, he had no wi-fi, and he was miserable. His phone told him that he'd be eleven years old in ten minutes' time. He lay and watched his birthday tick nearer, wondering if Cass remembered, and what the mysterious letter writer was doing now.

Five minutes to go. Hiro heard something creak outside. He wondered if the boat was going to sink or get struck by lightning first. Maybe it would catch fire if the latter happened. If it did, at least he'd be warmer.

Four minutes to go. Maybe the Lucky Cat Café and the apartment would be so full of letters when they got back that he'd manage to steal one somehow.

Three minutes to go. Was that the water from the bayou or the rain, slapping so hard on the boat like that? And (two minutes to go) what was that thumping noise? Was the deck collapsing?

One minute to go and he'd be one year older. Thirty seconds…twenty…he didn't think he'd get any birthday notifications on his phone, no connection, after all, but it was worth a shot…ten…nine…maybe he'd wake up Aunt Cass just to mess with her...three…two…one…

BOOM.

The whole boat shuddered and Hiro jumped upright, staring at the double doors.

A muffled voice outside called, "Hello? Anyone in there?"

Someone was knocking to come in.

Chapter Text

BOOM!

They knocked again. This time, Aunt Cass jerked awake.

“Officer, I swear I didn’t –”

BOOM!

Hiro dared to peek over the sofa cushions. Aunt Cass leapt to her feet and grabbed a rifle that was mounted on the wall. She aimed it the doors.

“Who’s there?” she shouted, her voice quavering.

There was a pause. And then –

SMASH!

The double doors were forced clean off their hinges and landed flat on the floor.

A giant of a man stood in the frame. His features were hidden in shadow, but Hiro could make out spiky tufts of hair, and hands and feet the size of Christmas hams. He was carrying an old carpet bag. The giant stooped under the doorway and squeezed inside the boat.

“Uh, sorry ‘bout that! Lemme get those for you.”

He effortlessly picked up the doors and fit them back into the frame.

Hiro turned on his phone’s flashlight for a better look at their intruder. He was barefoot, and wore a pair of red overalls; one strap was missing, which made him look even more muscular and huge than he already was. He squinted his small mud-colored eyes in the light.

The clearer view of their interloper must have returned some of Cass’ courage to her. She readjusted her aim and shouted:

“I demand that you leave at once, sir! You’re breaking and entering! And if you harm a HAIR on my boy’s head, I’ll –”

The giant held up his hands and grinned apologetically. “Okay, lady, calm down, I don’t mean any harm –”

Thunder cracked outside the window, and a frightened Cass yelped and dropped the gun. It went off with a bang, blasting a hole in the ceiling.

The giant gingerly stepped forward.

“How about we get rid of this before someone gets hurt?”

He twisted the barrel of the rifle into a knot as if it were a balloon animal, and tossed it over his shoulder.

Cass gulped.

“Hiro,” the giant said.

Hiro looked up into the stocky face and found an unexpectedly warm smile.

“I haven’t seen you since you were a baby. Look at you, all grown up!”

He ruffled Hiro’s hair, which, considering his hand was as big as his head meant that Hiro was shook around like a bobblehead doll.

“You look a lot like you mom, but the hair’s definitely your dad’s. Ooh! I got something for ya! It might have jostled around a bit on the journey, but it should still taste good.”

The giant opened his bag and searched inside until he found what he was looking for – a box tied with a ribbon. Hiro opened it curiously. Inside was a slightly burnt pie with holes poked in the crust spelling out “Happy Birthday Hiro!”

Hiro looked back up at the giant, a smile growing across his face. “Thanks. But, uh…who are you?”

“Oh, where are my manners? The name’s Ralph. I keep the grounds, tend to the animals, and if some part of the castle needs to be knocked down before renovating, well, I wreck it.”

He posed with his arms up, showing off his astounding muscles.

“You wouldn’t mind if I threw something to eat on the fire, would you? It’s been a long trip.”

Ralph dropped his bag by the fireplace, knelt to the floor and pulled out some things Hiro couldn’t see. Within moments, warm, flickering firelight flooded the room, washing over Hiro as if he’d sunk into a hot bath.

Ralph, meanwhile, continued to fish through the bag and took out all sorts of things: a chipped teapot and cups, some cans of alphabet soup, two squashy packages of hot dogs and buns, some sticks, a pack of paper plates, and a party-size bottle of root beer that he took a swig from before starting to roast the hot dogs over the fire. Hiro didn’t think it was possible to keep all that inside that one bag. Nobody said anything while he worked, but as he slid the first three, juicy, slightly burnt frankfurters on to the buns, Hiro licked his lips in anticipation.

“Don’t touch anything he gives you, Hiro,” Cass said sharply.

Ralph puffed through his lips.

“What do I look like, a witch? If I was trying to poison your nephew, and I’m not, I’d be offering him apples, not hot dogs.”

He passed one to Hiro, who was so hungry that it was the most wonderful thing he had ever tasted then. But, as no one seemed about to explain anything, he said, “I’m sorry, but I still don’t understand who you are.”

“I’m just Ralph,” the giant said, his mouth half-full of hot dog. “I brought you to your aunt’s when you were a baby on Merlin’s orders. He’s headmaster of the Magic Kingdom. Of course, you know about the Magic Kingdom, right?”

Aunt Cass blanched.

Hiro shook his head. “Sorry, no.”

Ralph raised an eyebrow. “No?”

Hiro felt embarrassed. “Sorry, should I?”

“Sorry?!” Ralph barked. “You’re not the one who should be sorry, kid. I knew you weren’t getting your letters, but not even knowing about…did you even wonder where your mom and dad learned it all?”

“All what?”

“ALL WHAT?!” Ralph thundered. “Now wait just one cotton-picking minute!”

He jumped to his feet, which shook clouds of dust down from the rafters. In his anger, Ralph seemed to fill the whole room. Cass slowly backed into a wall.

“Are you telling me,” he ranted at her, “that Hiro doesn’t know nothing about…ANYTHING?”

Hiro thought this was going a bit too far. He’d been accepted to college at ten years old, for crying out loud.

“Hey, I know a lot of things!” he cried. “I’m the best in my class at math and science; I even know Pi to thirty digits.”

But Ralph simply waved his hand and said “I mean about our world – well, technically it’s not just our world anymore. But people like you and me and your parents –”

Aunt Cass suddenly found her voice.

“Stop!” she shouted. “Don’t say anymore! I forbid you to say another word –”

Ralph wheeled around and glared at her like a bull eyeing a red flag.

“You never told him? You never showed him what was in Merlin’s letter? I was there! I watched him leave Hiro on your doorstep myself! And you’ve kept it to yourself all these years!”

“Kept what from me?” Hiro asked eagerly.

“NO! Hiro, please listen to me –” Cass begged desperately.

“No way, lady, you’ve kept this from him long enough. I’m telling him,” said Ralph. He took a deep breath.

“You’re enchanted, Hiro.”

Everything felt frozen in time. Hiro could hardly move.

“…I’m what?” he gasped.

“Enchanted, magical, you have a touch of destiny about you, take your pick,” said Ralph. “The point is, you’ve got the power to wield magic, and pretty darn well I’d say, once you’ve trained up a little.”

Warmth and pride poured from Ralph’s voice, but Hiro felt neither pleased nor proud. Him? Magic? There must be a mistake. Magic was for princesses and sorcerers in far away lands. He was all science and technology; it was the only thing he was ever good at. If he was magical, why wasn’t he living in a castle and singing songs at the drop of a hat? Why hadn’t he turned his bullies into toads? Or made silverware dance? Or surrounded himself with talking animals?

“No, no, no, you’ve made a mistake, Ralph. I-I can’t be magical. I’m a science geek. I study all day long, I build bots in my aunt’s garage, I was voted “Mr. Technology” in my school’s yearbook, for crying out loud!”

To his surprise, Ralph simply grinned.

“Well then, ‘Mr. Technology’, have you ever made anything happen? Anything you couldn’t explain when you were feeling really happy or angry or scared? Or managed to do something you loved so well that nobody else could top it?”

Hiro looked into the fire. Now that he thought about it, every odd thing that his aunt tried to downplay when he was upset…every time he was harassed, he always found himself out of his tormentors’ reach…dreading going back to school virtually bald, he’d managed to make his hair grow back…and just recently, hadn’t he been able to communicate with a sentient droid, even though it didn’t speak any human language?

Hiro, comprehension dawning on his face, looked back at Ralph, and saw that he was positively beaming at him.

“Thought so. Now, I think it’s about time you read this.”

He pulled a familiar white envelope from his pocket. Hiro stretched out his hand at last to take it, addressed in purple ink to Mr. Hiro Hamada, The Sofa, The Abandoned Riverboat, Devil’s Bayou. He pulled out the letter and read:

Questions exploded in Hiro’s head like fireworks and he couldn’t decide what to ask first. After a minute he stammered, “How do I respond?”

“Oh, Jiminy Cricket, that reminds me,” said Ralph, clapping a hand to his forehead. He took a pen and pad of paper from his bag. With his tongue between his teeth he scribbled a note that Hiro could read upside-down:

Ralph rolled up the note, put his fingers to his mouth and whistled. A green dragonfly buzzed through a crack in the door and landed on his outstretched finger.

“Hey Evinrude, think you can get this to Merlin tonight?”

Evinrude took the letter, saluted, and flew back out into the storm.

Hiro realized his mouth was open and closed it.

“Now where was I?” Ralph pondered aloud. But at that moment, Aunt Cass stepped back into the light, ashen-faced and tight-lipped.

“He’s not going.”

Ralph grunted.

“Sorry, lady, but there’s nothing you can do about it. He’s had his name on the registry since he was born.”

“I don’t care what any registry says!” Cass shouted. “I promised the moment I took him in that I’d keep him away from all this magic stuff and I’ve done a pretty damn good job so far!”

“Wait, you knew?” said Hiro, nearly falling off the sofa. “You knew that I’m…magical?” The word still felt strange coming out of his mouth.

“Since the day you first arrived at the cafe,” Cass continued breathlessly. “How could you not be, Tomeo being who he was? He got a letter just like that and he disappeared to that – that school – and he’d come home every summer just itching to go back. It was all he ever talked about. Mom had to drag him away from his magic practice just to have dinner with us. He ditched me so he could meet his friends, then the letters dried up, and the next thing you know, he’s getting married and suddenly he remembers he has a sister! And just when I think maybe we could get things back to normal, he vanishes again. Hardly a word from him in years! The last thing he ever gave me before he and your mother burst into flames was a note telling me you were born. Well, I’m not letting magic take away anyone else. I’m not going to lose my family again!!”

A harsh silence fell over the room. Even the wind and rain outside seemed muted. Hiro had never seen Aunt Cass like this before, not even on her most stressful days at work. It seemed like she had been waiting – and fearing – to say all that for years.

Aunt Cass shuddered, and fell on the sofa next to Hiro. When she spoke again, she looked straight ahead into the fire.

“What you have to understand, Hiro, is that I was adopted, too. When my parents – your grandparents – brought me home, I was no older than you were when I found you. Tomeo may not have been my brother by birth, but he might as well have been. We were so close once…He promised me that going to a different school wouldn’t change anything…but it did in the end. Sure, he kept me in the loop for a while, showed me incredible things he was working on with magic and technology…but nothing I ever did was enough to keep him from leaving me behind. No matter how long I waited for him, no matter how much I reached out…And the day you arrived on my doorstep was the day I learned that he was dead. Then I knew I could never get him back. I couldn’t even hold a funeral for him. There wasn’t anything left to bury…”

And now, Cass collapsed into her lap and sobbed; years and years of repressed tears and heartbreak flowed free at last. Ralph, whose expression gradually shifted from cold and indignant to sad and sympathetic as she told her story, gently placed a hand on her shoulder. Cass leaned into him, still crying. Ralph didn’t pull away.

Hiro was still taking it all in.

No bodies…

She knew…

He was special…

She knew…

“So…so everything with school…and the droid at the showcase…but…but you told me they died in a car crash…”

“A car crash?” asked Ralph incredulously. “A car crash killed Tomeo and Maemi Hamada?”

“I had to say something,” Cass wept.

“Merlin said he explained it all in the letter he left with Hiro; how his parents died, why everyone knows who he is,” Ralph said. “Did you open it?”

Cass wiped her nose with her sleeve.

“I did, but…I hardly understood it then. Hell if I do now.”

“Wait, what is it that makes me so special?” Hiro asked urgently.

Ralph grew nearly as anxious as Cass.

“Well…that’s kind of a hard story to tell,” he said in a low, worried voice. “I mean I thought she would have…or at least…but if someone’s got to…you can’t go to the Magic Kingdom not knowing who – or what – you are.”

He sat on the floor and took a deep breath.

“I’ll try to tell you as much as I can – thing is, I can’t tell you everything since I don’t entirely understand it all myself…”

“Just say however much you can. Please.” Cass replied gently.

Ralph stared into the fire for a few seconds.

“All right…I guess it begins once upon a time with a fairy, except, well, fairy’s not the right word for someone like her; ‘witch’ is a lot closer, though she was way more intense than any witch you’d meet on the street. Even nowadays people are still too scared of her to say her name. She was bad, as bad as you can go. Worse. Worse than worse.”

“What was her name?” asked Hiro

“Her name is – was – Maleficent,” Ralph answered in a low, somber tone. “Years and years ago, she started looking for followers. Got ‘em too, all sorts of sorcerers and hunters and even royalty – some were afraid, some wanted a bit of her power, ‘cuz brother, she was getting power all right. It was dark times, Hiro. You didn’t know who to trust, didn’t get friendly with even the most charming princes…terrible things happened. Those Villains, we called them – not an original name, I know, but, they were taking over the world, bit by bit.”

“Wait, wouldn’t the worlds’ governments be up in arms over sorcerers and witches trying to conquer the planet?” Hiro interrupted.

“That’s the thing, Hiro,” said Ralph. “Magic people like us were underground back then. It just wasn’t safe to reveal that magic was real. People saw it as a threat in the old days. Some still do. And a lot of the countries and kingdoms the Villains were attacking? They were hidden behind all sorts of enchantments and barriers. Many of them were from different times and dimensions, but still existing at the same time as each other…it’s kind of a wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey, Jeremy-Bearimy…thing. I hardly understand it myself.”

“Anyway, one of the last safe places left was the Magic Kingdom, thanks to Merlin. He was the only person Maleficent was ever afraid of. She didn’t dare try to take over the school while he was there. There were lots of brave and powerful heroes who stood up to her, thinking they would be the ones to end her reign of terror, but most of them ended up dead, or cursed so horribly that they wished they were dead. And your mom and dad, they were part of one of the groups fighting her. And they weren’t the only ones. A lot of folks put their whole lives on the line to keep the world safe, like them. They had to lie to their families or cut them out altogether to protect them from her wrath.”

If Hiro hadn’t been sitting next to Cass, he might have thought he’d imagined the tiny gasp she made.

“Now your parents, they weren’t like most of the people on our side, Hiro. They created some insane stuff to fight the Villains with using magic fueled by technology…or technology fueled by magic, either one. Some people thought they were crazy for using unmagical means to fight this war. Others thought that abandoning magic and embracing science was the only way to defeat Maleficent. It was a big deal; almost split us up. But Merlin, well, he’s got more than enough room in his heart for both. You’ll see, at the school they’ve got this alchemy lab where you can build these really cool – um, like I was saying, some of the work they did with him helped turn the tide for us. And then…just around spring ten years ago…it happened.”

“…What happened?” Cass asked quietly.

“There was…I dunno how to describe it…a feeling, a tremor from somewhere called Bald Mountain. It’s a place that’s steeped in magic – dark magic. No one knew what it meant, except that it wasn’t good, and it was getting stronger. But Tomeo and Maemi, well, they dropped everything and started researching it. They knew that Maleficent would come running to Bald Mountain the first chance she got and use whatever was going on there to finish her world conquest tour. Sure enough, all their studying and espionage pointed them to the exact day she was gonna strike. They headed out there with as many of our guys as they could to stop her once and for all. Heck, they were so confident that this would be the deciding victory that they took you along as well, even though you were barely a year old. And maybe things would have worked out, except…”

Hiro hardly dared to breathe.

“Except, what, Ralph?”

“…She already knew. Once they settled at the mountain base, she attacked. And not just her, but everyone. All her witches and cronies and demons and, and…all of them! Every Villain in her posse! They all fought them and, and…”

Ralph hung his head.

“Nobody survived. No one. Except you, Hiro.”

Silent tears streamed down Cass’ cheeks. Hiro felt a chill in spite of the warm fire. After sitting in silence for several minutes, Ralph found the will continue.

“But here’s where things get complicated. It wasn’t as if she was being careless and overlooked you. You know those scars you got?”

Hiro instinctively brushed his arm; the scars poked out from under his sleeve. Ralph nodded.

“Not exactly a paper cut, is it? You only get a mark like that from a curse, and an evil one at that. Why she would try to kill you too is anyone’s guess. Frankly, she was so far off the deep end I shouldn’t be surprised that she’d want to kill a baby. But whatever she tried to do to you, it didn’t work. It did the opposite, in fact; it not only bounced back on to her, but her entire army too. Wiped them out, woosh! Not a trace of them left! And when that happened, all their evil spells broke, and magic came pouring out into the world like it never did before. The barriers hiding us from the world came crashing down, and all those separate lands and kingdoms and worlds were brought together. Magic was out in the open. We were not only free from Maleficent, but free to show ourselves as we really are. That’s why you’re famous, Hiro. That’s why everyone knows your name. You did what hundreds of heroes tried and failed to do. You’re the One Who Conquered Them All.”

Something painful was going on Hiro’s mind. As Ralph’s story came to a close, he once again saw the blinding flashes of light more clearly than he had ever remembered it before, a wall of violent green flames – and he could remember something else, for the first time in his life: a high, cold cruel laugh echoing all around him.

Ralph looked on sadly.

“I took you from the ruins myself. Brought you to your aunt. Merlin said she’d raise you right.”

“And I have, haven’t I?” said Cass. Hiro jumped; he had almost forgotten his aunt was still there.

“Well, I can’t say I agree with your methods,” Ralph said, scratching the back of his head, “but after what you said I understand why you did what you did.”

“It’s not like I had any resources or a support group for this sort of thing,” Cass continued. “How do you tell your child that he created an entirely new world because somebody tried to kill him? In fact, how do we even know that all of those witch’s followers are dead and that they aren’t plotting some kind of revenge? If he goes to SFIT, he’ll have a normal life and be safe and happy studying what he loves.”

“And he’ll only grow more powerful, except he’ll have no way to control his magic and nobody to show him how. And then what’ll happen if someone does come looking for him?” Ralph retorted.

“How do we even know if anyone’s gonna come after me?” asked Hiro, trying to mentally sort through his other hundred questions. “What even happened to Maleficent? I mean, she’s dead, right? There’s no way she could come back to kill me?”

Ralph frowned.

“Well, a lot of people think she’s dead, but…I dunno. I don’t think she was even human enough to die. She disappeared completely, but she could be out there, for all I know, just biding her time, too weak to carry on for now…”

Hiro coughed and nodded his head towards Aunt Cass, who looked ready to faint. Ralph quickly realized he was not helping his case.

“But, ah…some of the people on her side returned to ours after. Yeah. They came out of trances and spells, said she made them do things against their will. Whatever the case, something about you nipped them in the bud that night, Hiro. Something she didn’t count on and stopped her cold in her tracks. Besides, if anything does happen, he’d be under the protection of Merlin, the greatest teacher the Magic Kingdom ever had. And I’ll be there, too.”

He thumped his chest proudly. Aunt Cass was suddenly focused on twiddling her thumbs. “I don’t know…”

Hiro thought fast; this was his one chance to find all the answers to the questions that plagued him at night. If he couldn’t make Aunt Cass understand that, he didn’t know what he’d do. He put his hand on Cass’ and looked her right in the eye, hoping – praying – that what he was about to say was enough.

“Aunt Cass, you’ve done a lot for me. I know you’re trying to keep me safe, but this” – he gestured to the dingy room – “this isn’t safe! You’ve told me my whole life that I’m normal, but I’m not! What I am is…I don’t know yet, but I want to find out for myself. I want to know more about my parents and what they did. Going to the Magic Kingdom, learning more about this magic stuff…I think this is my best shot at that. And Ralph is right; if I make a mistake or lose control, there’ll be someone there who knows what to do. Maybe I’ll even make some friends for once. There’s gotta be other kids there like me. And whatever happens, we can always reach out and talk to each other.” He tapped his phone knowingly. “So please, Aunt Cass? Can I go?”

Aunt Cass’ mouth became a thin white line. She had that determined look on her face Hiro recognized from all the times she had to make a difficult decision (usually over whether or not to have that last helping of mac and cheese at dinner). Finally, she closed her eyes and exhaled.

“…All right. You can go, Hiro.”

“YES!!” Hiro pumped his fist and jumped around ecstatically. “Thank you, thank you thank you!”

“But I would feel better knowing there was someone to look directly after you,” Cass murmured. “There’s only so much a couple of teachers can do.”

“I – WOAH!”

Hiro stumbled over his backpack and fell backwards on the floor, scraping his hand against the warped wooden planks. “Ow!”

A series of beeps and flashing lights came from hiss bag. Hiro crept up to the bag and zipped it open. The noise was coming from the red metal box.

“I know that box,” Ralph gasped. “I brought it with Hiro.”

Two black circles popped open at the ends of the black line across the white space. The top folded back, revealing a round white head carefully perched on top of a mass of squished up vinyl. It rose up, inflating like a balloon as the box stretched out from side to side. Hiro scrambled backwards as the robot, for that’s what it was, finally stood on its own two feet. In its full form, it was surprisingly round and cuddly-looking. The robot carefully stepped out of the box and waddled up to Hiro.

“Hello. I am Baymax, your personal healthcare companion,” it said in a pleasant, almost humanlike voice. “I was alerted to your need for medical attention when you said ‘Ow!’”

Hiro stared up, gobsmacked.

“You have fallen,” Baymax stated matter-of-factly.

“You think?” asked Hiro. He got to his feet.

A rectangle lit up on Baymax’s chest; ten little cartoon faces showing varying degrees of pain appeared on it.

“On a scale of one to ten, how would you rate your pain?” he asked.

“Physical or emotional?” Hiro asked skeptically.

Baymax did not respond. He straightened up.

“I will scan you now.”

He blinked. Hiro could hear gentle whirrings from inside the robot as he moved his head up and down.

“Scanning complete.”

The faces on his chest became an outline of Hiro’s body; the left hand lit up in red.

“You have a slight epidermal abrasion on your left hand.” Baymax raised a pointed finger and held out his hand. “I suggest an anti-bacterial spray.”

“Woah, whoah,” Hiro said. He had to admit, this robot was beginning to impress him. But he still had no idea what he was capable of. “What’s in that spray, specifically?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

“The primary ingredient is bacitracin,” said Baymax as a diagram of the medicine’s chemical structure came into view.

“Oooh, that’s a bummer,” said Hiro. “I’m actually allergic to that.”

Baymax tilted his head and blinked.

“You are not allergic to bacitracin. You do have a mild allergy to peanuts.”

“Huh. Not bad,” Hiro mused. He held out his hand and let Baymax spray it with his finger. “There’s some serious coding on this thing.”

“I am programmed with over ten thousand medical procedures,” stated Baymax.

Hiro let Baymax finish, then began carefully inspecting every inch of him.

“Hyper-spectral cameras…titanium skeleton – no, carbon fiber…killer actuators! Vinyl makes him look like a walking marshmallow – no offense.”

“I am a robot. I cannot be offended,” Baymax said cheerfully.

Hiro nodded. He tapped the circle on Baymax’s chest. It opened, and a card slot bearing a green data card popped out. Hiro could make out a smiling doctor face logo with the word “Hamada” handwritten above it. Next to the card were three empty slots. With a light tap, they slid back in again. Hiro knelt to the floor and studied the strange box his new robot emerged from.

“A charging station, lithium ion battery. Super capacitors would charge him way faster, though.”

“Merlin said Maemi and Tomeo created that thing,” Ralph wondered aloud as Hiro continued his observations. “It’s supposed to withstand against magic, otherwise it would have been destroyed along with everything else at the site. Nice to know what it finally is after all these years.”

“Tomeo and Maemi built that?” said Cass.

“Yeah,” answered Ralph. “Merlin thought they did it to protect Hiro.”

Cass made a sound like “owmydizzy”. Baymax turned to her.

“I heard you say “ow”. On a scale of one to ten, how would you rate your pain?”

“Oh no, I’m fine,” Cass said, wiping her eyes.

“It is all right to cry.”

Cass laughed with a painfully forced smile.

“Whaaaaat, who’s cryin’? Not me!”

“Crying is a natural response to pain.”

“I’m not in any pain!”

“I will scan you now.”

“No, you don’t have to –”

“Scanning complete.”

“Unbelievable!”

“I see no evidence of physical injury; however, your heart rate is at a rapid pace, your neurotransmitter levels indicate low levels of serotonin, and you are hyperventilating, sweating and shaking. These are signs of a panic attack.”

“You don’t need to tell me that, you’re Hiro’s robot!” Cass nearly screamed. Baymax blinked again.

“You are my patient, too. I would like to help.”

Baymax reached down and touched Hiro’s laptop. Random images flashed across his chest and the screen.

“What are you doing?” said Hiro.

“I am downloading a database on mental health.”

Baymax lifted his hand, and both screens went blank.

“Database downloaded. Treatments include mindfulness exercises.”

He turned again to Cass. A soothing ocean scene appeared on his chest, complete with the sounds of rippling waves and seagulls.

“Take deep breaths, inhaling through your nose and exhaling through the mouth. When you are ready, name five things in this room that you can experience with each of your senses.”

Cass, still feeling rather self-conscious, took a few breaths.

“Okay, um…I taste, smell and see the hot dogs, I hear the storm outside, and, uh, I feel my clothes. How’s that?”

“Very good,” said Baymax. “Focusing on senses in the present helps maintain mindfulness and reduce stress. Would you like me to look up available therapists in your area? Therapy can aid with understanding trauma, learning coping mechanisms, and improving your physical, mental and emotional health.”

“Well…okay,” Cass sniffled. “But not right now. Maybe tomorrow.”

The view on Baymax’s monitor changed to a calendar. A green check mark popped up with a ding on the following date.

“Reminder noted. You are both very good. Have a lollipop.”

Two red lollipops appeared in his hand. He gave one to Cass and Hiro.

Cass looked at Hiro, full of awe.

“…Can we keep him?”

Hiro’s laugh quickly turned into a loud yawn. Ralph soon joined him.

“I don’t know about you guys, but I’m ready to turn in for the night.”

Ralph stuck his entire arm into the carpetbag and pulled out three large colorful quilts. Hiro looked into the bag; it was totally empty. He picked it up off the floor. There were no hidden compartments or flaps.

“Okay, that’s gotta be magic, right?” he asked.

“Correct,” Ralph grinned. “But, uh, I’d appreciate if you didn’t tell anyone at the school about this. I’m not really allowed to do all that much with magic stuff, not since I was expelled.”

“You were expelled?” said Hiro.

“Yeah, fifth year. But Merlin let me stay on and work at the school so I wouldn’t have to go back to living in the dump. I had no parents, no home; I’d be nowhere if it weren’t for him. He’s a great guy, Merlin.”

“Why were you kicked out, Ralph?”

“It’s getting late and we’ve got lots to do tomorrow,” Ralph said loudly. “Gotta get your thingamabobs and watchimacallits for school.”

He tucked Hiro in and gave one of the quilts to Cass. Ralph settled down against the wall with his quilt and soon he was snoring away. As for Baymax, he was quietly observing and petting Mochi, who had taken a shine to him.

“Hairy baby…” the robot murmured.

Hiro closed his eyes, smiling to himself. His last thoughts before drifting off to sleep were of what wonders awaited him the next morning.

Chapter Text

Hiro woke early the next morning. Although he could tell it was daylight, he kept his eyes shut tight.

"It was a dream," he thought. "I dreamed a giant named Ralph came to tell me I was going to a magic school that my parents went to, and I got my own robot they made for me. When I open my eyes, I'll be home in bed."

There was suddenly a loud tapping noise.

"And there's Aunt Cass knocking on the door."

But he still didn't open his eyes. It had been such a good dream.

Tap, tap, tap.

"All right," Hiro mumbled, "I'm up."

He sat up and Ralph's heavy blanket fell off him. The storm had ended and the boat was full of sunlight. Ralph was asleep in the corner. Cass was still snoring on the rug while Baymax sat on the floor stroking Mochi, and there was an ostrich tapping at the window.

Hiro scrambled to his feet, so happy that his heart could burst. He ran to the doors and threw them open. The ostrich wandered in; she wore a large pouch filled with newspapers across her body. She gave one to Hiro, who didn't know what to do with it. The ostrich noticed Ralph's bag and cooed excitedly. She stuck her head inside and began to rummage through it.

"Hey! Cut it out!"

Hiro tried to pull the ostrich out, but she wouldn't budge. "Ralph, wake up!" he cried. "There's an ostrich – "

"Huh? Oh, pay her," Ralph grunted sleepily.

"What?"

"Hortense needs to be paid for delivering the paper. My wallet's in the bag. Just think real hard about it and reach in and it'll turn up."

Ralph's bag seemed to hold everything but his wallet – bunches of keys, balls of string, a bag of sour balls, a lamp, a fern, some seashells, an exclamation point that stood upright and made a surprised noise when touched…and finally, his wallet.

"Give her two coins, and make sure you drop them in her pouch and fasten it, otherwise she'll – "

There was a gulp, a hiccup, and a muffled jingle of coins.

Ralph sighed, and got to his feet.

"All right, Hortense, we'll do this the hard way."

Ralph sneaked up behind Hortense the ostrich and grabbed her. Hortense leaped in the air and hiccupped in fear; this time, the coins came flying out of her mouth. Hiro caught them and stuck them in her pouch. Ralph let Hortense go, and she zoomed out the doors.

"Mail ostriches. The delivery's speedy but they'll eat anything in sight," Ralph chuckled.

Cass sat up and yawned. "Morning," she said groggily.

"Oh good, everyone's awake," Ralph beamed. "We got a lot to do today, have to head out and buy all of Hiro's school stuff."

Hiro had a thought that deflated his spirits somewhat.

"Um, Ralph? How expensive are these supplies going to be? We had a scholarship for SFIT that was going to help us there, but now…"

"Oh, you don't need to worry about that," Ralph assured him. "Your parents had it covered in their will. Anything you need for your education or in case of an emergency comes right out of their vault. They didn't want anyone looking after you to have to break the bank."

Cass looked away thoughtfully.

"That reminds me," Ralph continued, "I got an errand to run for Merlin while we're out. School business. He usually trusts me to do important stuff for him. Oh! And we have to get you registered, too. Anyone who uses magic has to be registered as part of that law they passed when we came out. They keep a record of your abilities, make sure you're going to a school for them, and unfortunately, they'll keep tabs on you until you're older. It stinks, but it could have been far worse if it weren't for people like Queen Elsa speaking up for us. Have another hot dog, they're not bad cold. And I wouldn't say no to more of that pie, either."

"I cannot recommend that as a nutritious breakfast," said Baymax.

"Ehh, we'll get something while we're out, too," Ralph shrugged.

As Hiro ate his breakfast, he read his supply list:

UNIFORM

First-year students will require:

3 sets of plain work robes (black)

1 plain hat for daywear (black)

1 pair of protective gloves (white, three or four-fingered optional)

1 winter cloak

Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags.

COURSE BOOKS

All students should have a copy of each of the following:

The Standard Book of Spell Animation (Level 1) by Ub Iwerks

A History of Magic by Dave Smith

Magical Color Theory by Eyvind Earle and Mary Blair

Alchemy: The Marriage of Science and Magic by Tony Baxter

The Magic Behind Music by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken

A Beginner's Guide to Transformation by Glen Keane

One Thousand and One Magical Flora by Ruth Shellhorn

Magical Drafts and Potions by Art Babbitt

Fantastic Beasts and How to Draw Them Out by Milt Kahl

The Villains: A Guide to The Dark Forces and Self-Protection by Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston

OTHER EQUIPMENT

1 wand

1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)

1 set of glass or crystal vials

1 telescope

1 set of brass scales

Students may also bring one pet OR familiar OR sidekick (animal or otherwise).

"Can we find all this in one place?" Hiro wondered aloud.

"If you know where to go," Ralph said with a wink.

Cass ushered Mochi into his carrier and she, Hiro and Baymax followed Ralph outside. Standing before them on the deck was a large brass bed.

"Awww! I could have slept on this last night instead of lying on the floor," Cass groaned.

"Sorry to break it to you, Cass, but this bed isn't for sleeping." Ralph carefully climbed on to the mattress, which creaked under his weight. He motioned for the three to join him.

"You know what? You take the reins, Hiro. See that loose bedknob on the right? Say "Take us to the Snuggly Duckling", tap it three times and turn it to the left."

Hiro shyly did so. The bedknob began to glow and sparkle. The bed shook as light spread from one end to the other. There was a flash, and the bed and its occupants vanished.

When Hiro opened his eyes, the bed was flying at incredible speed over towns and forests. They were soaring so fast that the sights and colors blended into each other, inverting in strange hues and shapes until they became a field of rainbow stars.

Ralph nudged Cass. "Bet you've never seen anything like this before, huh?"

"Not since my college days," Cass murmured.

Uninterested by the view around him, Ralph took out his newspaper and glanced at the front page. "Ugh, Frollo's fudging things up as usual," he muttered.

Hiro turned around. "Who?"

"Judge Claude Frollo, a real stick in the mud and pain in my side if there ever was one. He makes a big talk about serving justice, but good luck seeing any from him if you're not rich or powerful enough. The Northwests, the Blights, David Xanatos, they practically bought his way on to the council."

"Council?"

"The Magic Coalition Council. Lots of magic users and representatives from ordinary people trying to keep the peace, hash out rules and make sure everyone stays in line. People were really hoping Merlin would take a seat there, but he'd never leave the school. He loves teaching. So Frollo wormed his way in. For someone who made an oath to be impartial, he really hates magic users. A lot of Council members pester Merlin for advice everyday because he keeps trying to mess up things "for our own good"."

At this moment, the bed slowed down. The air around them shimmered and the once vague shapes began to take a more definite form.

"This is it!" Ralph said. "The Snuggly Duckling. Don't worry, it's a very quaint place."

The bed materialized in a dark, crowded pub. The patrons were armored men (and one mime) almost as big and brawny as Ralph. They raised their mugs and cheered his name at the sight of him; apparently he was a popular figure here. A burly bald man with a hook for a hand emerged from behind the bar. "Hey, Ralph! Good to see ya! The usual, I presume?"

"No thanks, Hook Hand, I'm on the clock," replied Ralph. "Just helping Hiro get registered and pick up his school supplies."

"Son of a gun…" Hook Hand whispered. "It's Hiro Hamada!"

The room fell silent.

Hook Hand marched over to Hiro, glared down at him…then laughed heartily and clapped him on the back.

"Welcome back, Hiro!"

The whole pub burst into cheers. Everyone crowded around the bed eager to shower Hiro with attention.

"Name's Atilla. Have a cupcake!"

"Vladimir. I can't believe I'm finally meeting you! What's your opinion on ceramic unicorns?"

"No one's gonna believe me when I tell them I saw you in person!"

"I really like your marshmallow man!"

"Best! Day! Ever!"

Hiro lost track of how many people shook his hand and complimented him as he made his way around the room with Ralph and Cass. At one table he bumped into a tall and exceedingly thin man about to bite into a large pie. He had a long, beaklike nose and wore a worn tailcoat and a tiny tri-corn hat.

"Oh! M-mister Hamada! Can't tell you how pleased I am to meet you," he said.

"Hey, Professor! Didn't see you there," said Ralph. "Hiro, meet Professor Ichabod Crane. He'll be one of your teachers this year."

"What sort of magic do you teach, professor?" asked Hiro.

"Oh, not magic, goodness no," muttered Ichabod. "Magical Myths and History is what I teach. Not that you need it, eh?" he added with a cheeky grin. "You'll be getting your equipment, I suppose? I need to pick up a new book about ghosts myself," he laughed nervously.

But the others wouldn't let Ichabod keep Hiro to himself. It took another ten minutes before they reached the door. "All right, gotta get a move on. Lots to buy!" Ralph hollered over the hubbub. "Hook, keep an eye on the bed, will ya?"

Hook Hand shook Hiro's hand one more time, and Ralph led them out into a sunny wooded area down a dirt path.

"What'd I tell ya? You're famous, kid," Ralph winked at Hiro.

"So, do all your errands start with a trip to the pub?" Cass asked him.

"No, no, it's my way of parking near Main Street without having to pay the fees. Speaking of, here we are!"

The dirt path led them out of the woods past an ice cream parlor and straight into a town plucked from the turn of the century, right down to the barbershop quartet singing in harmony on the corner. Two rows of three-story Victorian buildings sandwiched a neatly paved street lined with lampposts decorated with flower baskets. People and animals in all manner of period costumes walked about doing their shopping or chatting happily with each other. At the far end of the street stood an impressive brick train station.

"Welcome to Main Street," said Ralph, grinning at Hiro and Cass' amazement.

Hiro wished he had more than one pair of eyes so he could see everything at once. There was a movie theater whose marquee boasted a 24-hour marathon of classic cartoons. Children bustled in and out of an old-fashioned penny arcade begging their parents for more coins. The Emporium department store had enchanted dioramas depicting scenes of heroes and princesses in its windows. A piano player at a café filled the air with colorful musical notes as penguin waiters served the customers. Tiny lights shone from the moving crystal figurines on display in the glass shop. The heavenly scent of sugary sweets wafted out the doors of the enormous Confectionary. A white-haired man dazzled a crowd of onlookers with some impressive card tricks outside of the magic supply shop.

The first place Hiro, Ralph, Baymax, and Cass visited was the Town Hall to get Hiro properly registered as a magic user. After filling out a ton of paperwork given to them by a slug-like monster, their next stop was the bank.

"Fidelity Fiduciary Bank," Ralph told them, "There's no safer place in the world if you've got something to store away, except maybe the school."

It was an imposing building, almost as tall as the train station; Grecian columns flanked the steps, and the words "Fidelity Fiduciary Bank EST. 1773" were engraved in white marble above the doors. A doorman in a top hat bowed them in. Inside the vast hall, bankers stood behind the long counters assisting customers, counting money, and weighing coins. Others bustled up and down stairs carrying safe deposit boxes or stacks of paper. Ralph led them to an open counter.

"Morning," he said to the old man before them. "We've come to make a withdrawal from Hiro Hamada's safe."

The man, who was Mr. Dawes Jr. according to the nameplate on the counter, peered down at Hiro through thick spectacles.

"I see," he said. "And does Mr. Hamada have his key?"

"Hold on, got it here somewhere," said Ralph. After a moment of fishing through his bag, Ralph held up a tiny golden key. Mr. Dawes nodded in approval.

"Father will be pleased to hear you've returned, Mr. Hamada. Your account has been gathering dust and interest for quite some time. Just don't go feeding the birds with it now!"

"Oh, and there's one more thing," Ralph continued. He handed Mr. Dawes an envelope similar to the one he gave Hiro last night. "Merlin gave me this. It's about the you-know-what and other you-know-what in Vault 03-20."

Mr. Dawes read the letter carefully.

"I see," he muttered. "Very well then, we'll have someone escort you both downstairs."

Hiro and Ralph went off with one of the bank associates while Mr. Dawes offered Aunt Cass a cup of tea; Baymax stayed with her. After going down several flights of stairs, they stopped in front of an enormous vault. The banker turned the great, heavy wheel, and the door creaked open. Inside was a long, earthen tunnel lit by lanterns.

"Just walk straight ahead and wait by the tracks," the banker said. He closed the door on them.

"What's in Vault 03-20?" Hiro asked, his voice reverberating against the walls.

"Sorry, Hiro, can't tell you," said Ralph. "Very secret. Merlin's trusted me not to say anything."

They stopped by some railway tracks on the floor. A row of swinging mine carts driven by a bespectacled dwarf pulled up in front of them. A nametag on his shirt read "Doc".

"Good day, gennelten – uh, mentlegen, uh, nettle…hello. Where to?" asked Doc.

"Vaults 11-14 and 03-20," Ralph told him.

He and Hiro squeezed into one of the carts. Doc pulled a lever, and the carts surged forward. At first, they drove peacefully along the tunnels, switching left and right at leisure, until they scaled an impossibly tall lift and –

VROOM!

They hurtled down through a maze of twisting passages, left, right, right, middle, left, right, until Hiro could hardly keep track. The carts clattered along past seams of glittering gemstones in the walls. Hiro thought he saw more dwarfs hacking away at them with pickaxes and shovels before zooming past.

"We mine for diamonds on bebank of the half – uh, behalf of the bank, in addition to keeping the vaults hafe – safe," Doc called over his shoulder.

When the carts stopped at last by a stone door in the passage, Ralph looked ready to be sick. He stood against the wall and took deep breaths, waiting for his knees to unbuckle. Doc, meanwhile, unlocked the door.

Hiro's eyes nearly popped from his head as he walked into a veritable treasure trove – piles of coins and bills littered the floor, a silk-screen tapestry was mounted on the wall, and a mannequin decked in impressive samurai armor, minus the helmet, stood guard in the corner.

"Yep," said Ralph at last, "all yours. Try to resist the urge to go swimming in it, though. You're not a McDuck, after all."

Ralph helped Hiro gather some money into a bag. Then they returned to the carts.

"Can we go a little slower this time?" he asked Doc.

"That was the speedest slow – slowest speed," Doc replied.

And they were off again, going deeper than before. There was far less light now, and Hiro could hardly keep his eyes open thanks to the wind rushing past. When he tried to take a look down a vast ravine as they rattled over it, Ralph had to grab him by the scruff of his shirt to keep him from falling over the side.

Vault 03-20 was much bigger than Hiro's vault and had a set of grand double doors. There were runes and images carved in, though Hiro could hardly make them out in the darkness. Doc tapped the door on the left, and a tiny keyboard turned out of a seamlessly hidden panel.

"A musical lock," Doc informed them with a wink.

He punched in the same sequence of five notes twice. The keyboard folded back in. Both doors swung open into the vault. Hiro peeked around Ralph's bulky frame to catch a glimpse inside. What was in there that was so important that it had to be kept a secret? Jewels? Forbidden knowledge? A gateway to another world? A lifetime supply of gummy bears?

On a pair of daises stood two small, grubby packages wrapped in brown paper. Despite the fact that they were miles underground, a shaft of bright, warm sunlight shone down on one, while the other sat in a paler, dimmer spotlight.

Ralph carefully placed each package into his carpetbag individually.

"Best not to mention this to anyone, Hiro," he said knowingly. "Come on, the sooner we head back, the sooner the ride will be over."

One wild mine train ride later, they were standing blinking in the sun outside of the bank. Hiro didn't know where to run to first now that he was loaded with cash.

"We might as well get your uniform," Aunt Cass decided for him. Hiro shrugged. Last night he learned he saved the world and Aunt Cass was still calling the shots; at least they were getting the boring stuff out of the way first.

Ralph pointed the way to Mode Fashions, a shop with a modern aesthetic at odds with the early 20th-century look of the town. Hiro entered with Aunt Cass; Ralph chose to recuperate from his motion sickness outside with a little help from Baymax.

One look at Edna Mode told Hiro this was a woman who carried herself with the confidence of someone three times her size.

"Magic Kingdom, dahling?" she said, when Hiro tried to speak. She pushed him along into the shop. "Oh, you can't believe how thrilled I was the day Merlin finally got rid of those capes! The robes are still a bit too loose for my liking, but one improvement at a time. I've got another boy being fitted as well."

Aunt Cass trailed along until she received an unexpected phone call. Reluctantly, she returned to the foyer to take it.

In the back of the shop, a scrawny boy struggled under a tower of packages and shopping bags almost as large as he was. Hiro had a bad feeling that it would all come crashing down sooner than later. Nearby, a strapping boy with a shock of red hair was being measured; he stood tall enough on his own that there was no need for a footstool. Edna stood Hiro on a stool next to him, slipped a robe over his arms, and began pinning it to the right length.

"Oy," said the boy to Hiro in a thick British accent, "Magic Kingdom, too?"

"Yeah," Hiro said.

"Me dad's up the street looking at wands. I'm stuck with the wart 'til he gets back," the boy replied, jerking his head to the boy trapped under the shopping load. "When I'm done, we're gonna have a look at the new swords. Dunno why they won't let first years bring their own. I'll get one and bring it in somehow, you'll see."

He had an arrogant, drawling voice. Hiro was reminded of some of the more unsavory kids at his old school, the ones who thought they could get away with anything because their families were rich.

"You play grudgby, or are you a Quester?" the boy went on.

"Neither?" said Hiro. The boy didn't bother to clarify what either one was.

"I play both meself," he boasted. "Dad says it'll be a crime if I ain't picked for the house teams, an' he's right. Know what house you'll be in?"

Hiro bit his tongue so he wouldn't blurt out "Hopefully one you're not in".

"Ah, it's not like you know 'til you get there," the boy continued. " 'Course, I know I'll be in Felinus; that's where the strongest and the best of us goes. Imagine being punted off to a bunch of gormless pillocks like Canis. I'd tell 'em it to shove it if that happened!"

"Uh-huh…" said Hiro, wishing he could say something else.

"Hey now, what in the world is that?" the boy cried suddenly, turning to the windows. Ralph and Baymax were standing there, waving. Ralph pointed to a large striped carton of popcorn in his fist to show why he couldn't come in.

"That's my robot, Baymax –"

"Not that, you twit, that man there," the boy interrupted.

"Oh, that's Ralph," said Hiro, pleased he knew something the boy didn't. "He works at the Magic Kingdom."

"Hmph, I've heard of 'im," drawled the boy. "He's some sort of servant, isn't he?"

"He's the groundskeeper," said Hiro. Every word coming out of the boy's mouth made him like him less and less.

"Yeah, like I said, a servant. I hear Merlin found 'im in a dump and raised 'im to be his stooge. He's some sort of savage – lives on a hut at the edge of the woods, and whenever he gets mad he destroys half the castle with his bare hands."

"He's not a savage, he's great!" Hiro shot back.

"Great, huh?" said the boy with a sneer. "Why's he hangin' 'round with you? Ain't you got no mother or father?"

"They're, um, they're dead," Hiro answered awkwardly.

The boy grunted without even showing a hint of polite remorsefulness. Hiro didn't think it was worth his time going into details.

"Yeah, well, they were our kind, weren't they?" the boy went on.

"They could do magic, if that's what you mean," Hiro replied. "What about it?"

"I don't think they should let the other sort in. It's bad enough they're welcoming commoners who ain't even from royal families, let alone noble ones, but them? Some of 'em ain't never heard of the Magic Kingdom until they got the stinking letter! It's just not right, not being raised like us. They oughta keep the magic in the older families, where it belongs. What's your name, anyway?"

But before Hiro could respond, Kay yelped and grabbed his bottom. Edna stood behind him with a jagged pin and a devilish grin.

"All done, dahling. You know where the register is. Now out, I've got more customers waiting!"

Hiro was not sorry for an excuse to stop talking to him. The boy grumbled as he removed his robes and tossed them on top of the unsteady mountain of supplies his "wart" carried.

"See ya at school, I suppose," he drawled to Hiro. He swaggered out of the room, followed by the swaying tower of packages on legs.

"Wuh – wit – WOAH!"

Just as Hiro predicted, the kid carrying his load stumbled over his own feet and buried the unpleasant boy under an avalanche of boxes.

Hiro was rather quiet as he left the store shortly after.

"Everything okay?" asked Aunt Cass.

"Yeah," Hiro lied. They bought paper and pens in the stationery department of the Emporium. Hiro cheered up a little when he found a pen with ink that changed color as you wrote. While they traversed the shop floor, he said, "Ralph, do you know anything about "grungy" or…something with a Q? Quickster?"

"Oh yeah, grudgby!" said Ralph. "It's kinda like basketball except with spells. It's a fun game if you know what you're doing, but the rusty smidge makes it all pointless. I mean, why go through all that effort when it comes down to one person catching that thing in the end?"

"Are there any other magical sports like that? Ones that I should know about?" Hiro asked.

"Well, there's questing, but it's a bit complicated; the players race to get to the treasure first, avoiding obstacles and setting traps to beat the other team. You gotta see it for yourself to understand it. Why do you ask?"

Hiro told him about the boy he met while being fitted for his robes.

" – and he said that people who aren't from magic families shouldn't be allowed in."

"Ugh, he's from one of those families, isn't he?" Ralph snorted. "Listen, kid, if he knew who you were, he'd have thought twice before mouthing off like that. Your dad came from a non-magical family, and look how brilliant he was, right, Cass?"

"That's right," Cass agreed. "Never thought I'd hear that kind of talk in a perfect fantasy world, though."

"Fantasy, yes; perfect, no," said Ralph. "If we're not dealing with stuffed shirts like Frollo, then you can count on those tired old families to raise a stink over who should be allowed to use magic and who shouldn't."

"And what are Canis and Felinus?" said Hiro.

"School houses. There's four of them. Canis, well, they're nice if not exactly the smartest bunch. Felinus, on the other hand, they always look out for number one. Some of 'em aren't all bad, but chances are they'll use that friendliness to their advantage."

"Which houses were my parents in?"

"Hey, look! It's half-price at the bookstore!" said Cass.

They bought Hiro's books in the Emporium's sprawling bookstore. The shelves were stacked from ceiling to floor with books the size of paving stones bound in leather; books the size of postage stamps in covers of silk; books full of peculiar symbols and books with nothing in them at all; more books than Hiro would ever be able to read in a lifetime, books on every subject by every author who set pen to paper. Cass almost had to drag Hiro out of there so they could continue shopping. Ralph also had to take away Curses and Counter-Curses: Bewitch Your Friends and Befuddle Your Enemies With the Latest Revenges – Extreme Hair Growth, Shadow Stealing, Transmogrification and Much, Much More by Dr. Facilier when Hiro tried to sneak it into his stack of purchases.

"I just thought if I ever ran into some bullies…"

"I'm not saying that's not a good idea, but you can't go using magic on anyone else just like that. Besides, you couldn't work any of those curses anyway. You'll need a lot more training before you get to that level."

Aunt Cass told Hiro he couldn't buy a solid gold cauldron either – though she needn't have worried.

"Gold has an extremely low melting point and is one of the most malleable metals on earth. Why would anyone think making a cauldron out of that would be a good idea?"

In addition to his simple pewter cauldron, Hiro got a nice set of scales for weighing potion ingredients and a collapsible telescope. Then they visited the pharmacy, which was fascinating enough to make up for its strange smell, a mix of mildew and burning smoke. Barrels of slimy stuff stood on the floor; bottles and jars of multicolored liquids, herbs and powders lined the walls. While Ralph and Aunt Cass asked the man behind the counter for basic potion supplies for Hiro, Hiro himself pestered his assistant with questions about how they made things like Scream of Fright, Frog's Breath and Black of Night into tangible ingredients. The assistant quickly got fed up and kicked him out of the store.

Hiro was content to wait outside for Aunt Cass and Ralph – right outside the Main Street Athletic Club, that is. A score of excited boys and girls had gathered in front of the shop window. Hiro squeezed himself between a blonde boy and a black-haired young woman in armor gazing in awe. A variety of shining new lances, swords, and staffs were hung on display over a moving model depicting two teams – some wielding swords and shields, others flying through the air, jumping over pits and casting sparks at each other – racing towards a golden idol atop a pyramid. A banner in the window read:

QUESTING SEASON HAS BEGUN

SUPPLIES IN STOCK

ASK ABOUT THE NEW DUNGEONS, DUNGEONS & MORE DUNGEONS: QUESTING EDITION

NOW AVAILABLE

Hiro caught snippets of the chatter around him, of admiration for the latest equipment models, which teams they'd be cheering for, the strategies they'd devise for the next rounds they'd play. He was never gung-ho about sports, but strategy, adventure, magic? He could get behind that.

"Looks like the last thing you need is your wand," Ralph said as he reviewed Hiro's list. "Good thing Gepetto's is back by The Snuggly Duckling. We can ride the trolley there instead of walking all the way up the street."

A magic wand – Hiro had never dreamed that he'd be looking forward to receiving one until now.

Hiro, Cass, Ralph and Baymax stepped on to a bright red trolley stationed by a flagpole. It was a calm, slow-moving ride through the bustling crowds. They hopped off at the ice cream parlor and made their way back up the dirt road. Down a fork in the path stood a humble cottage. An old, carved wooden sign hanging by the door read:

Gepetto's

Woodcarver, Puppetmaker

& Wandcrafter

Est. 1940

A tinkling bell rang over the door as they stepped inside. It was a cozy place, filled with shelves of finely crafted wooden toys, music boxes and marionettes. Colorful cuckoo clocks adorned the walls. In one corner, a half-completed puppet and several wands sat in a row among wood shavings, pots of paint, and a bowl with a goldfish swimming inside. Hiro felt an unusually warm glow inside him, as if he had stepped into a picture book drawing from his childhood.

A white-haired old man whom Hiro assumed was Gepetto ambled down some stairs followed by a black and white kitten.

"Ah, welcome, welcome," he said in a soft, raspy voice. He adjusted the glasses at the end of his cherry nose. "Yes, I thought I'd be seeing you soon, Hiro Hamada. It seems only yesterday that your mother and father were in here buying their first wands."

Gepetto led Hiro to a large chest of drawers. He began looking through each one; they were filled with rows of wands of all shapes, sizes and styles.

"The wands I craft are custom made for each caster; everything from the core to the casing is unique. And you'll never get such good results using another's wand."

"Okay, I have a lot of questions about this works," Hiro said enthusiastically as Gepetto continued his search. "Does magic come from some kind of force around us, or do we draw on our own energy to cast spells? Is it possible to do magic without a wand? What happens if –"

"Slow down, Hiro," Gepetto laughed. "Magic depends on three things: the wand, the spell, and the caster and his intentions…though I suppose that makes it four things instead of three…and some powerful enchanters don't need a wand or a staff, but they're very rare."

Gepetto settled on a wand and placed it in Hiro's hands. It was twice as long as the others and had a golden star on the end. Hiro looked at it, confused.

"Do I say some magic words, or…"

"Oh no, my boy. Just give it a wave, and see what happens."

Hiro gave the wand a quick wave. The goldfish bowl jumped into the air of its own volition. Gepetto caught it just in time and carefully put it back.

"Apparently not." He took the wand and replaced it with a simple white pointed stick. "Perhaps this one will do."

Hiro flicked it. The clocks all went off at once, making a cacophony of cuckoos, quacks, squeaks and other noises. Everyone slammed their hands over their ears.

"No, I suppose not!" Gepetto shouted over the hullabaloo. "No matter, the right wand will show itself soon."

Hiro tried wand after wand, and in that time he turned Cass' hair blue, overinflated Baymax, shrunk Ralph, and changed Gepetto's kitten into a mountain lion, among other catastrophes. Luckily all the spells were temporary. The growing pile of discarded wands didn't faze Gepetto, however.

"A tricky customer, eh? Not to worry, we'll find the perfect match in here somewhere…hmmm…I wonder…"

Gepetto disappeared back up the stairs. When he returned, he carried an intricately carved box in his weathered hands. It was made from a deep red wood, inlaid with colored glass, and locked with a clasp in the shape of a dagger plunging through a heart. He opened it with an old key; lying inside on a cushion was a wand fashioned entirely out of silver.

Hiro took the wand in hand. Something about this one felt different somehow.

Nobody noticed the dark mark at the end of his scar gleam for a second.

Hiro swallowed and waved the wand in a huge arc. As he did, the cottage fell dark, and red and purple sparks burst from the end of the wand, illuminating Hiro's awed face.

Aunt Cass and Ralph applauded enthusiastically; Baymax awkwardly followed suit. Light returned to the room, and Hiro could see Gepetto rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"Curious…very curious…"

"Sorry, but what's curious?" Hiro asked.

"I remember every wand I ever sold, Hiro. Like I said before, no two wands are the same – however, pieces of former wands find their way back to my shop from time to time. They're used to help create new wands – recycled, if you will. It's curious that you should be destined for this wand when it was once was part of the very staff that gave you those scars."

Hiro shivered and instinctively clutched his arm.

"The wand chooses its wielder, Hiro. No one really knows why, but I think it's safe to say we can expect great things from you. After all, the Mistress of All Evil did great things – terrible, but great."

The late afternoon sun hung low in the sky as the four made their way to the now mostly empty Snuggly Duckling and got back on the bed. Hiro didn't say a word as they flew back to the Lucky Cat Café; he didn't even notice how many people were gawking at them when they reappeared on the street and carried his many packages up to the apartment.

"Well, who's hungry?" Cass said as they dropped everything off at the kitchen table.

Soon they were all sitting around a table at the café eating a hearty meal. Hiro found himself unable to touch his yakisoba pan, though. Everything seemed different somehow.

"You all right, Hiro? You're pretty quiet," said Ralph.

Hiro couldn't find the words to explain. He had just had the strangest and best birthday of his life – and yet…

"Everyone thinks I'm special," he said at last. "The guys at the Snuggly Duckling, the bank, Gepetto…but I just learned about magic hours ago. They're all expecting me to do something great because I'm famous for something I can't even remember. I don't know what happened when Maleficent died. All I know is she took away my parents. What if I…what if I can't…"

Aunt Cass rested her hands on top of Hiro's with the kindest of smiles.

"You don't have to listen to them, Hiro," she said. "Trying to meet other people's expectations? It's never worth it. You just keep being the smart, sensitive, sweet little guy you are, and you'll do great things for yourself, not because they say you will."

"You'll learn fast enough," said Ralph. "Everyone does. You're gonna have a great time at school. I know I did. Still do, as a matter of fact."

Aunt Cass rose from her seat and hugged Hiro. Baymax waddled up and joined in with Ralph, who enveloped them all in his huge arms. Hiro could already feel some of that weight lifting off his shoulders. With a growing smile, he returned their warm embrace.

"Whatever happens," Cass whispered in Hiro's ear, "you're my wonderful, brilliant boy."

"Woah, is that the time?!" Ralph cried as he saw the clock on the wall. He stumbled back, knocking over two chairs and a table in the process. "Sorry Hiro, I gotta go, Merlin will be wanting his…um, he'll be wanting to see me. Now don't forget this."

He gave Hiro another envelope from his pocket.

"That's your ticket to ride. Go to the nearest train station on September First. Show it to the conductor, and he'll put you on the train to the Magic Kingdom. Just make sure you get there on time because once it's gone, it's gone!"

Ralph grabbed his bag and headed for the exit.

"Thanks for the noodle sandwich, Cass! I'll see you soon, Hiro!"

Ralph stepped outside and on to the bed. He waved to Hiro through the window. Hiro smiled and waved back.

In the blink of an eye, Ralph and the bed were gone.

Chapter Text

Hiro's last few months with Aunt Cass were bittersweet. True, he was looking forward to school even more with each passing day. Aunt Cass allowed him to stay home and study instead of working at the café so he wouldn't feel completely out of the loop when classes started. On the other hand, Hiro didn't know how he felt about spending months away from the only family he'd known his whole life. He had never been apart from Aunt Cass for so long, not even for a sleepover at a classmate's house.

Meanwhile, Aunt Cass told Alistair Krei that Hiro didn't want to leave his friends in his current school behind, and she asked about him possibly attending SFIT when he was a little older. Krei was disappointed, but said to call him if Hiro changed his mind.

Cass also took Baymax's suggestion and rifled through a list of therapists until she found one that seemed a good fit for her. She attended her first session a week later (she left Hiro at home, knowing Baymax would be there to look after him). When Cass returned, her eyes were red and puffy and she ate three donuts in one sitting, but she informed Hiro that it went well and she was scheduled to return next week.

Hiro distracted himself from his concerns by poring over his new textbooks, which were endlessly fascinating. He lay on his bed reading well into the night, stopping only when Baymax urged him to get some sleep.

"Eight hours is the recommended amount of time a child your age should sleep nightly."

"Just a few more minutes and I'm done."

"It has been three hours since you said that."

And so it continued like this for the following weeks. Every night before going to bed, Hiro ticked off another day on his calendar, counting down to September First.

On the last day of August, Aunt Cass went all out in preparing a feast for Hiro before he went off to school the next day. She cooked all of his favorites – and didn't forget about the gummy bears, either. Even Baymax joined them.

"So, we're supposed to catch the train at the San Fransokyo station?" she asked him.

"Yep, everything's down on the ticket," Hiro said through a mouth full of food. "If you've got the ticket and you're on time, then the train will show up anywhere."

"Funny way to get a magic school. Guess there's not enough flying carpets to go around." Cass chuckled at her own joke.

After dinner, they sat on the couch and marathoned as many of Hiro's favorite kaiju movies as they could before they started to doze off.

Hiro woke at five o'clock the next morning and was too excited and nervous to go back to sleep. He got up and pulled on his clothes; he'd change into his uniform on the train. He checked and double-checked his supply list to make sure he had everything packed, even Baymax. Not long after they returned from their trip to Main Street, Baymax asked if there was anything more he could do for him and Cass.

"I cannot deactivate until you say you are satisfied with your care."

"Well then, I'm satisfied with my care," said Hiro.

Baymax waddled back into his charging case and shrank back in. There he stayed unless Hiro or Cass summoned him for help with something.

Once Hiro was sure he had everything packed, he waited downstairs for Cass to wake up. Several hours later, his huge, heavy trunk and Baymax were loaded into the car, and they set off.

They reached the train station at half-past ten. Aunt Cass lifted his entire luggage onto a cart and wheeled it into the station for him. Finding the platform was easy enough; what surprised Hiro was how many people were also there.

A red and blue steam engine was waiting next to the platform. An electric sign overhead said Casey Junior to Magic Kingdom – 11:00. The train hissed in anticipation over the chattering of the crowd and the scraping of heavy luggage. The first few carriages were already packed with students, some hanging out of the windows to talk to families, some fighting over seats. Aunt Cass pushed the cart further down in search of an empty compartment.

There was a sudden roar of an engine, and people jumped out of the way as a rail-thin, grizzled man in a shabby overcoat drove a motorcycle through the platform, trailing colored chalk dust in his wake. Sitting behind him and in the sidecar were five barking dogs and a boy.

"Told ya we'd make it through the chalk pictures," he said proudly as he came to a halt near Cass and Hiro. "And you wanted to fly all the way to school!"

"I could have done it," the boy complained. He was dressed all in green and had an impish look about him.

"Not carrying all that luggage, you would!" the man snapped back. "Now get a move on, boys, Peter's gonna be late!"

The dogs began pushing and tugging his trunk toward the train.

"Here, lemme give you a hand," said Hiro.

He had less luck than the dogs, no thanks in part to the drool-covered handles making it hard to keep a grip.

"Wait! I have an idea!"

Hiro dropped the trunk and heaved Baymax's case to the ground.

"Ow!"

Baymax rose out once more.

"Baymax, can you load this trunk on for us?" Hiro asked.

"Certainly, Hiro."

Baymax lifted the trunk with ease and carried it through the train door.

"Thanks," said Peter. "Lemme get yours."

Peter took Hiro's trunk by one handle – and floated into the air. He dragged the trunk along partly on the ground as Cass and Hiro watched, jaws agape. The shaggy man laughed to himself.

"Yeah, that was my reaction when I learned he could fly."

"Woah, is that real flying or some good illusion magic?"

The question came from a pair of green-haired twins, a boy and a girl with a mischievous look in their eyes.

Peter whipped the trunk onboard and flew up to them.

"It's all me! I'm Peter Pan!"

"Edric and Emira Blight," said the boy.

"We were gonna offer some help, but it looks like you got it covered," the girl, Emira, said jokingly.

A girl just a few years younger than Edric and Emira ran up to them; she shared their amber eyes and pointed ears, but her hair was mint green with auburn roots as opposed to their deeper forest shade. An older boy with the same ears but cropped blonde hair and tired red eyes accompanied her.

"Wait up you two, I didn't get to say goodbye yet!" the girl said.

The blonde boy tussled her hair playfully.

"You've got plenty of time, Amity, don't worry."

An older green-haired woman who must have been their mother caught up with them. The blonde boy's demeanor changed at once; he stepped aside and stood straight with a serious expression. The woman grabbed a handkerchief from her pocket and wiped hard at a spot of ink on Amity's cheek.

"Amity, hold still," she said primly. "These children will be your classmates next year. You don't want to make a fool of yourself in front of them already, do you?"

"Awww, does widdle Mittens have something on her face?" teased Emira.

"Moooom, stop it!" Amity whined.

"Hush! Do as you're told and don't make a scene. That's how Hunter got to be the top of the class last year."

"Oh, did he, Mom?" said one of the twins with an air of feigned surprise. "You should have said something, Hunter, we had no idea."

"Hang on, I think I remember Mom saying something about it," said the other.

"Once –"

"Or twice –"

"A minute –"

"All summer –"

"Oh, shut up," muttered Hunter, a streak of annoyance crossing his stoic face.

The twins then remembered Hiro was still there.

"Hey, we didn't get your name," Edric said to him.

"Um, I'm Hiro," he said. He still felt a bit shy about telling anyone his full name.

"YOUR ATTENTION PLEASE," a voice boomed over the loudspeaker, "THE CASEY JUNIOR TRAIN TO THE MAGIC KINGDOM WILL DEPART IN TWO MINUTES. ALL ABOARD!"

Hunter took this opportunity to climb onto the train by himself. Edric and Emara's mother turned to them.

"Now, you two behave yourselves this year. You're both Blights, and it's time that you started acting like it. If I receive one more letter telling me you've…you've…blown up a toilet –"

"Blown up a toilet? We haven't blown up a toilet yet, have we Edric?"

"Nope. Great idea, though. Thanks, Mom!"

"It's not funny! Think of the example you're setting for Amity!" She shooed them to the train.

"We'll see ya on the train, Peter, Hiro!" one of the twins called out. Amity looked at Hiro and gasped; she tugged her mom's sleeve and pointed at him.

"Mom, Mom, look who it is!"

"Quiet, Amity, it's rude to point." She continued admonishing her older children. Hiro looked back to Aunt Cass.

"Well, I guess this is good –"

Aunt Cass trapped Hiro in an enormous hug.

"Please be careful, Hiro," she choked through tears. "I love you so much."

"Iluffootoouhntcass," Hiro squeezed out between breaths. She eventually let him go. Hiro shuffled his feet awkwardly.

"Hey, I know this gonna sound crazy, but I might as well ask before I go to school – there aren't any other secrets about me or my parents that you're keeping from me, are you?"

"No, of course not," she replied after a second of silence.

"YOUR ATTENTION PLEASE, LAST CALL FOR THE CASEY JUNIOR TRAIN TO THE MAGIC KINGDOM. ALL ABOARD!"

He scooped up Baymax's case and hurried aboard. He hadn't even realized Baymax hadn't returned to him yet when he ran right into Peter.

"Hey! I put your luggage with mine. Come on, your Baymax thing is there too!"

He took Hiro's hand and flew – literally flew – down the corridor until they reached his compartment. Sure enough, Baymax was standing there waiting for him. Hiro could also see Aunt Cass outside searching for whatever compartment he was in. He leaned out the window. The Blight twins were in the compartment next to him saying their goodbyes to their little sister.

"Don't cry, Mittens, we'll send you lots of letters."

"We'll send you a Magic Kingdom toilet seat!"

"Emira!"

"Just kidding, Mom!"

Hiro whistled to Aunt Cass. She sprung over to the window.

"Don't forget to keep in touch!" she called to him.

"I will!"

"And be sure to come home for Christmas and spring break!"

"I will!"

"And remember to change your underwear!"

"I make no promises!"

The train blew five shrill whistles that sounded very much like it was shouting "All abooooooaaarrd! Let's go!" It began to move. Hiro saw the twins' sister, and Aunt Cass, half-laughing, half-crying, running to keep up with them until the train gathered too much speed; then they fell back and waved.

Once they were out of sight, Hiro fell into his seat. Peter sat cross-legged across from him piping away at a small pan flute, watching him curiously.

"So, what is Baymax anyway?" he said after a while.

Hiro was about to explain, but his robot companion beat him to it.

"Hello, I am Baymax. I am Hiro's personal healthcare companion."

"Um, he's supposed to look after me if I get hurt," Hiro clarified, noting Peter's confusion. "My parents made him for me."

All of a sudden, there was a frantic chiming of bells and flashes of light from the keyhole of Peter's trunk.

"Oh, that must be Tink. I wondered where she was."

Without further explanation, he rose up to the trunk stashed above him and opened it. A ball of light no bigger than Hiro's fist darted around the compartment before settling on the windowsill. Now that it was relatively still, he could see that it was a tiny woman with luminescent yellow skin in a green dress and shoes, and delicate wings emerging from her back. Her voice sounded like the ringing of a dozen tiny bells. She chimed angrily at Peter and turned her back to him.

"Well how was I supposed to know you got yourself shut in there?" he answered grumpily.

Hiro could only point in astonishment as she twinkled something rude back to the boy.

"Is…is that a fairy?"

"Yep, that's Tinkerbell. She's my fairy."

"Yours?"

"Uh-huh. I've known her almost as long as I can remember."

Baymax waddled up to Tinkerbell.

"Do I have permission to scan your fairy?"

"Huh?" said Peter.

"He wants to study her, just let him do it," Hiro replied.

"Uh, sure, I guess," said Peter reluctantly.

Tinkerbell wagged her finger at Baymax and said something that sounded like an insult, but Baymax scanned her in less than a second.

"Scanning complete. Tinkerbell is indeed a fairy, a magical creature short in stature that is capable of flight and enchantments. I have added her to my database."

An image of Tinkerbell appeared on Baymax's chest. The fairy stumbled back in surprise, then flew in for a closer look. Tiny specks of glowing gold dust fell from her wings as she flittered about. Her chimes of impatience turned to pleasure as she admired herself.

"Yep, that's you, Tink, just as the robot sees you."

"How can you understand her?" Hiro asked.

Peter scratched his head.

"Don't know. Guess it comes with being friends with a fairy."

Hiro had to admit that made some sense, considering not too long ago he was able to understand the beeps of a runaway droid.

Tinkerbell chimed something to Peter while smirking in Hiro's direction.

"What'd she say?" Hiro asked.

"She says she thinks you really need a haircut," Peter replied.

"Well, tell her I tried but it just keeps growing back." Hiro shared the story of when his aunt tried to cut his hair, which she and Peter found hilarious.

"I'm Peter, by the way," he said once he regained his breath. "What's your name?"

"I'm Hiro…Hiro Hamada."

Peter raised an eyebrow.

"I think I know someone with that name…"

Tinkerbell, meanwhile, gave a ring of alarm and pointed at Hiro much like how Amity did.

"Wait, you're THE Hiro Hamada? Do you have the scars?"

Hiro dragged back his sleeve to show the thorny scars crawling up his arm. Peter stared.

"Woah, so that's where –"

"Yeah," said Hiro, "but I can't remember how it happened."

"Nothing?" said Peter eagerly.

"Well…I remember a lot of green fire, but nothing else."

"Wow," said Peter. "Wicked." He sat and stared at Hiro for a few moments, then, as though he had suddenly realized what he was doing, he quickly looked out the window again.

"So, does your dad do magic, too?" asked Hiro, who found Peter just as interesting as he found him.

"Oh, Fagin's not my dad," said Peter. "I just live with him and his dogs and the other Lost Boys."

"Lost Boys?"

"Yeah, that's what we call ourselves. No parents, no rules – at least most of the time – just flying around having fun."

"Sounds awesome," said Hiro. "Mind if I ask how you fly?"

"It's easy, all you have to do is to…is to…huh, that's funny."

"What's wrong? Don't you know?"

"No, it's just that I've never thought about it before – say, that's it! You think of a wonderful thought!"

"Any happy little thought?"

"Yep! Watch me!"

Peter jumped into the air again and stayed there.

"I could do a lot more if we weren't stuck in this tiny room."

"Maybe once we're off the train – and I'm gonna have to take notes when you do because learning how to fly sounds awesome!"

While they talked, the train carried them through various cities and suburbs. Now they were speeding past fields and farms and rolling hills. Baymax had long since returned to his case, leaving just the two of them and Tink.

Around twelve-thirty, there was a clattering outside in the corridor. A frowning green ball with hands floating along its sides slid back the door and droned, "Candy from the trolley?"

Hiro, who felt like it was ages since he had breakfast, leapt to his feet.

"Come on, let's get some!"

At this, Peter looked away again.

"Nah, you go ahead."

"Why not?"

"It's just that, um…Fagin doesn't always have money for food," he said ashamedly. His stomach growled a little to emphasize his point.

Hiro had never been in want of food his entire life, so it always made him sad whenever he saw someone who didn't have any. He believed no one should ever go hungry, especially a kid like Peter.

"Wait right here."

Hiro stepped outside. His pocket was stuffed with leftover cash from the vault, and he was ready to buy as many gummy bears for him and his new friend that he could get his hands on – but there weren't any gummy bears. What was available were Itzakadoozie pops, Goofy's Candy Co. Jellybeans, Wonder Balls, Cool Creations ice creams, gingerbread stars, churros, enormous candied apples and pretzels, bags stuffed with colorful cotton candy and popcorn, and blocks of fudge in over twenty flavors. Not wanting to miss out, he got some of everything.

Peter stared as Hiro staggered back into the compartment and dumped it all onto the seat.

"Uh-oh, looks like I bought too much. How am I ever going to get rid of all this before we get to school?" he said with a wink. Peter was dumbstruck. Hiro held out a large green caramel apple.

"Go on, it's not poisoned."

Peter happily took the apple. Tink snatched a single piece of popcorn almost as big as she was and munched away on it. Hiro smiled, and dug into his haul.

"What are these?" he asked Peter, holding up a Wonder Ball box. "Do they do something crazy when you bite into it or something?

"Nah, it's just a chocolate ball that has different candy inside each time. But it's the cards you want. Each box has a card with a famous person inside them to collect. Let me know if you find Calypso, I've been trying to get her next."

Hiro unwrapped his Wonder Ball and bit into it – it was filled with sweet and tart fruity candies – and flipped over the card in the box. It showed a man with a flowing white beard and mustache wearing small steel-rimmed spectacles and a tall, blue pointed hat. Underneath the picture read:

"So this is Merlin," Hiro wondered aloud.

"Eh, I've got about six of him," Peter shrugged. His eyes strayed to the pile of Wonderballs waiting to be opened.

"Help yourself," said Hiro with a smile.

"Thanks…oh no, not Narissa again! You want her? You can start a collection too."

Soon Hiro not only had Merlin and Narissa, but also King Brian, Hercules, Eglantine Price, Scrooge McDuck, Agatha Cromwell, and The Sanderson Sisters. He finally tore his eyes away from Captain Nemo long enough to open a bag of Goofy's Candy Co. Jellybeans.

"Be careful with those," Peter warned Hiro. "They throw everything in the works so you get different flavors – really different flavors. There's good ones like apple or orange, but also broccoli, liverwurst, and ink. Fagin swears he got an earwax one once, too."

He bit into a pink one.

"Blegh!" he choked. "Cough medicine!"

They had a good time sampling the jellybeans, laughing over the flavors the other ended up with. Hiro got coconut, chili pepper, eggs, cinnamon, kale, cardboard, spearmint, blueberry, lobster, and a gray one that Peter refused to try which tasted distinctly metallic.

"Have you thought about what house you'll be in?" Peter asked unexpectedly.

"Nope," said Hiro. "I only know two houses, Canis and Felinus, and the last one doesn't sound too great." Peter nodded.

"Fagin told me a lot of Maleficent's supporters came from Felinus. He said to watch out for kids from there 'cause their parents were probably once on the Villains' side. Let's see…there's Anatis, they're supposed to be real smart, and Mus, where lots of the bravest warriors and heroes come from. That's where I want to be!"

There was a knock on the compartment door. Two children entered - one was a scrawny blonde boy in a simple red shirt, the other was a girl in a dress just a few shades lighter than her twinkling blue eyes.

"Excuse me, have either of you seen a stuffed bear walking around? A boy named Christopher Robin's lost him," the girl asked kindly.

"Sorry, no," said Hiro.

"Hey, did you do that with magic?" said the boy, pointing at Tinkerbell.

"No, she's a real fairy," Peter said. "Who are you?"

"My name is Wendy," replied the girl, "Wendy Moira Angela Darling –"

"Wendy's enough," Peter interrupted.

"And my name's Arthur, but everyone calls me Wart," said the boy.

"Wart – why does that sound familiar?" thought Hiro.

"Oh I'm so excited that we're going to the Magic Kingdom, aren't you?" Wendy said to none of them in particular as she sat down next to Peter. She continued talking so quickly that none of them could get a word in –

"Nobody in my family is magic at all, and I was ever so surprised to get my letter, though I was very pleased, of course. It's the very best school to learn all sorts of magic; at least that's what I've heard. I've grown up listening to stories and reading about all sorts of wonderful, magical heroes that came from that school and all the incredible things they've done. And now I'm going to the same place where they learned it all! I have no idea what house I'll be in; I heard they were named after each of the school's founders and somehow they're involved with who gets sorted where, even though nobody's seen them in years. Mus sounds the best by far but Anatis isn't too bad, I suppose. I've studied all my course books half by heart and I've even tried a few simple spells for practice, but they've all worked for me so far. I just hope it'll be enough –"

"Girls talk too much!" Peter cried out loud.

"Yes, girls talk too – oh."

Wendy turned her eyes to the floor. Hiro felt a little better about spending his summer memorizing his books now that he knew he wasn't the only one who did. He also agreed with Peter that Wendy had said a mouthful and then some, even if he had been rather rude; the best he could do now was clear the air between them.

"Um, this is Peter Pan, and I'm Hiro Hamada."

This revelation immediately shook Wendy from her embarrassment.

"Good heavens! Are you really?"

Once more, Hiro showed off his scars. Wendy's hand fell to her heart; Wart's eyes looked ready to pop from his head.

"Jumpin' hoptoads!" he gasped.

"I can't believe it!" cried Wendy. "I read all about you in some of the extra books I picked up; you're in Modern Magical History, and The Rise and Fall of Black Magic, and Great Enchanting Events of the Twenty-First Century!"

"Really? What do they say about me?" Hiro asked, feeling a little curious.

"Goodness, didn't you kow? If it were me, I'd have found out everything. Well, they start off with your family in Modern Magical History, but in The Rise and Fall of Black Magic they only mention Maleficent's – oh, it's all so much I ought to show you them myself. Come on, Wart, I'll need help carrying them."

She and Wart exited the compartment. Peter, who had been sulking in the corner while this was going on, snorted.

"Whatever house she's in, I hope I'm not in it."

Tinkerbell nodded vigorously.

"She's just excited," Hiro said. "We all are. I don't blame her for wanting to get a leg up on things."

Peter turned the conversation to a more familiar topic – sports. "Do you play questing?"

"No, but I want to learn more about it. It sounds cool."

"It's the best game in the world! Me and the Lost Boys play it all the time."

He went on to explain the finer points of the game, what each player did, how the field they played on affected each game differently, and so forth, until the compartment door opened again. But it wasn't Wendy and Wart this time.

A boy and two girls entered, and Hiro recognized the boy at once. It was the stocky red-haired boy from Main Street, and he seemed much more interested in Hiro now than when they first met.

"So it's true then, what people are sayin' on the train – you're Hiro Hamada, aren't you?"

"Yeah, that's me," said Hiro. He eyed the girls standing on either side of him; they looked less like his personal cheerleaders – even though the girl on the left was dressed like one – and more like his bodyguards. The girl in the cheerleader outfit was blonde, and the other had three eyes – three! – and skin and hair in different shades of pink. Both of them leered over the boy's shoulder back at Hiro.

"This is Sasha 'n Boscha," the boy said, "and I'm Kay – Sir Kay in the future. I'll be the first person in this school to be knighted before sixteen if Dad has anythin' to say about it. You'll see."

He snatched up a bag of popcorn and stuffed a greedy handful in his mouth.

"What I wanna know is, how come you didn't say nothin' 'bout who you were back on Main Street?" he said, spraying flecks of popcorn from his mouth.

"I don't know," said Hiro. "Maybe if you stopped talking about yourself for five minutes you'd have found out sooner."

Boscha gasped. Sasha broke into a coughing fit that sounded quite a bit like laughter. Peter didn't bother to hide his guffaws. And Kay, he stopped his munching, swallowed, and glowered at Hiro.

"If you weren't from a proper magic family, I'd box your ears for sayin' that."

He turned to Peter.

"You on the other hand? No need to ask where you're from. Ratty clothes, and a hand-me-down trunk? You ain't got no family. You're an orphan, a nobody born and dumped in the gutter, where you belong."

"No I don't!" Peter shot back, rising until he was eye to eye with Kay. "So what if I don't have a family? One day I'm gonna be the greatest hero there ever was! Everyone will want to hear stories about Peter Pan a lot more than they will about dumb old "Sir Kay"!"

"Ugh, alliterative names?" Boscha scoffed. "What are you, like, a wannabe superhero or something?"

"I think it's cute," said Sasha, "reminds me of the names my friends would make up for our dungeon campaigns."

Kay sniffed and returned to Hiro.

"You'll soon find out that some us are better than others, Hamada. You don't wanna go 'round makin' friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there."

He held out his hand. Hiro didn't need to think twice.

"Meh, I think I can tell the wrong sort for myself, thanks," he said coolly. "By the way –"

He snatched the popcorn from his grubby hand.

"Get your own."

Kay's cheeks went pink.

"I'd be careful if I were you, Hamada. Your mum and dad didn't know what was good for 'em either. You hang 'round with riffraff like Pan 'ere and that giant, and it'll rub off on you."

Hiro and Peter stood up.

"What, you're looking for a fight now?" sneered Boscha.

"Unless you get out now, then yeah, we are," said Hiro far more bravely than he felt since he was outnumbered.

"But we don't feel like leavin', do we, girls? All our sweets are gone and you've still got some."

He reached for a bag of candy but Tinkerbell zoomed up into his face and poked him in the eye.

"Ow! Blasted pixie devil!" Kay yelled as he swatted around blindly.

Up rose Baymax.

Tinkerbell buzzed around Boscha and Sasha, who had as much luck catching her as Kay. She hovered between them making faces until Kay approached, ready to swing his hands together to capture her. She swooped up right as Peter and Hiro tripped him, resulting in Kay falling over and smacking his and the girls' heads together. Infuriated, they both punched Kay in the stomach. He fell backwards into Baymax, and bounced off his stomach right back into Sasha and Boscha. They fell out of the compartment on top of each other. Maybe they thought there were more nasty surprises hidden among the snacks, or perhaps they heard footsteps, because all three scrambled back down the corridor. A second later, Wendy returned.

"What is going on here?" she exclaimed as she surveyed the upturned compartment.

"I think we just met our bullies for the year," said Hiro, brushing himself off.

"Oh dear, you haven't been fighting, have you? I'd so hate for you to get into trouble before we arrived."

"To be fair, it was Tinkerbell who did most of the fighting," said Peter proudly. "Good job, Tink.""

Tinkerbell blushed.

The Blight twins appeared in the doorway.

"Edric! Look!"

Their eyes fell on Hiro's exposed scar.

"Geez, he's –"

"Yeah, you are, aren't you?"

"What?" said Hiro.

"You're Hiro Hamada!" chorused the twins.

"Oh him – I mean me. Yes. I am," said Hiro.

"Wow! Hey Viney! You'll never guess who's right next to us!" Edric and Emira ran down the corridor.

"I don't think I'm ever going to get used to this," Hiro sighed.

"Oh, I almost forgot," said Wendy, "I was going to bring the books but I heard from the conductor that we're almost there, so you'd better hurry and put your robes on."

The sun was setting, and a purple haze settled over the forests and plains. The train seemed to be slowing down. The boys changed into their uniforms after Wendy left. A voice echoed throughout the cabins:

"Just ahead is the Magic Kingdom station. Please remain seated until the train comes to a complete stop, then watch your step as you're getting off. Your luggage will be brought to the school separately. Permanezcan sentados, por favor."

Hiro deactivated Baymax and he and Peter crammed the rest of the sweets into their pockets. The train soon came to a halt.

All the students made their way onto a tiny platform in the woods. Hiro shivered in the cold night air. Then a lamp came bobbing over the heads of the students, and a familiar voice called out –

"First years, this way, over here! Come on now, don't be shy! Hiya Hiro!"

Ralph beamed over the students' heads.

"All right, watch your steps, first years! Follow me this way!"

They followed Ralph down a steep path through the forest until they reached a wide river. Several boats were waiting on the shore.

"Okay, no more than four to a boat. Come on now, hop to it!"

Hiro and Peter got into a boat, followed by Wendy and Wart.

"Everyone in?" Ralph shouted. "Stay seated, and keep your hands, arms, feet, and legs inside the boat. Right then – onward!"

And the little fleet of boats moved off all at once, silently gliding down the river.

The sky had turned a deep blue with a few scattered clouds capturing the last pinks of sunset. The first evening stars began to emerge. Every now and then a firefly would spark in and out of view among the trees or by the riverside. Nothing could be heard except the lapping of water and the gentle croaks of frogs and crickets.

They turned around a bend that led them out of the woods and in view of their destination. There was a cry of "Ooooh!" among the students –

An enormous white castle stood before them, glowing from the warmth of a thousand torches along its walls. Towers capped in blue and gold reached towards the heavens. Fireworks exploded above in a shower of glittering colors; one soared over the towers in a graceful arc like a comet. It was a vision out of a fairy tale.

The portcullis rose at their approach, allowing the boats through an archway underneath the castle. They came to a halt by a pair of large wooden doors in the tunnel wall.

Ralph checked the boats as everyone clambered out of them onto the rocky shore.

"By the way, anyone here lose a bear?"

He held up a yellow bear in a red t-shirt by its arm.

"Pooh Bear!" a boy cried out. He pushed his way to Ralph and gratefully took Pooh from him.

Everyone crowded around the doors.

"Okay, now that's settled, everyone's here?" said Ralph. "Good."

He raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times.

Chapter Text

The door opened at once.

A gray-haired witch in a red dress stood there. A yellow fang jutted over her lower lip. She surveyed the newcomers with curiosity.

"The first years, Professor Eda," said Ralph.

"Thanks, Ralph. I'll take it from here."

The doors opened wide. The entrance hall was big enough to fit Hiro's house and then some. The stone walls were lit with torches, and a spiraling marble staircase facing them led them to the upper floors. After following Professor Eda up several flights, they stopped before a pair of enormous oak doors. The students crowded close together nervously.

"Welcome to the Magic Kingdom," said Professor Eda. "The start-of-year feast will begin in a moment, but before you take your seats, you have to be sorted into your houses. They're Mus, Canis, Anatis, and Felinus. Each house has a proud history and has produced outstanding heroes, magic users and…others." Her gaze lingered on Kay as she said this.

"While you're here, you'll have classes with your house, sleep in your house dormitories, and spend free time in your house common room; basically your house is like a family you can never get away from. Enjoy any second of private time you can get," she laughed. "Your triumphs will earn you house points, and rule-breaking will lose you points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points wins the House Cup, and bragging rights for the whole summer. The Sorting Ceremony will start in a few minutes, so get yourselves smartened up and shake out those nerves. I'll be back to bring you in."

Professor Eda left the chamber. Hiro gulped.

"How exactly do they sort us?" he asked Peter.

"Some sort of test. Fagin said it hurts a lot, but he was joking...I think."

Hiro's heart gave a jolt. A test? In front of the whole school? But he hardly knew any magic yet. He didn't expect something like this the moment he arrived. He looked around anxiously and saw everyone else was terrified too. No one was talking much except Wendy, who was whispering about the trials different heroes from her stories faced and wondering which one this would be like. He'd never been more nervous, not even when one of his former teachers accused him of slipping a tack on to his chair and tried to use video evidence against him.

He kept his eyes on the doors. Any second now, Professor Eda would come back and lead him to his doom.

Then something happened that made him and almost everyone else around him gasp –

Shimmering letters appeared in the air before them, spelling out the word "Kree".

Most of the kids, including Hiro, murmured the word in confusion.

The word grew larger and bolder, as if it were urging the children to say it.

Those who hadn't said it already did quickly out of fear.

The word changed, this time to "Kruh". The assembled first years repeated it. Was it Hiro's imagination, or was it getting chillier in the hall?

The word changed again as each student said it, to "Vergo", then "Gabba", "Kalto", and finally "Kree" again.

As the last syllable left their lips, several transparent blue-green shapes began to materialize around them. Hiro whispered "No way," as he realized what they were – ghosts.

The spirits talked over one another as they formed into pearly semi-transparent people:

"Will the Madame be joining us this year?" "Oh you know her; she prefers to watch the ceremony from the comfort of her crystal ball…"

"Forgive and forget, that's what I always say –" "Phineas, haven't we given that darn cat all the chances in the world? He gives us all a bad name, and he's not even a ghost!" "He's hardly even a cat, seeing how he's not all there…"

"I say, what are you all doing here?"

One ghost with a skeletal face carrying a hatbox finally noticed the children watching them. Nobody answered.

A woman in a bridal dress with a glowing, thumping heart in her chest floated down next to him. "You don't suppose they know we're here, do you?"

A few students shook their heads and mumbled, "Yes." The bride smiled.

"Ah, the Madame has worked her magic again! Most mortals can't see or hear us unless they speak the proper incantation."

Three ghosts – a squat one holding a carpetbag, a tall thin one in a bowler hat, and a short bearded one carrying a ball and chain – looked over the crowd.

"Well, well, new students!" the thin ghost grinned down at them. "About to be sorted, I assume?"

A few nodded meekly.

"Wonderful! Hope to see you in Canis, students who get sorted there really go places!"

"Okay, show's over, dead people," said a sharp voice. Professor Eda had returned. "Into the Great Hall with you, chop chop – no offense, Hatty."

The ghosts, who had all stopped their chatter at the sound of Eda's voice, floated through the wall. The one with the hatbox stuck his hand holding the box back through – with his head now inside it.

"None taken, Eda," he chuckled darkly. "Now "look alive", all of you, and do what she says," he said to the students. "We're just dying to see you sorted!"

"Puns. Oy." Eda groaned under her breath. "Everyone follow me," she told the first years.

The great doors opened on to an astounding sight: an enormous hall lit by thousands of candles, many in candelabrums and sconces, others floating in midair above dozens of round tables covered in red, blue, orange or green tablecloths with silver and gold plates and cutlery. The students sat at these tables, while the teachers were seated at a long table on a dais at the other end of the hall. They looked at the first-years with eager anticipation.

To avoid their piercing stares, Hiro turned his eyes to the ceiling. He saw a velvety night sky dotted with twinkling stars. He heard Wendy whisper, "It's bewitched to reflect the sky and the mood of everyone in the hall. I read about in A History of the Magic Kingdom." It was hard to believe the ceiling wasn't even there at all, that the hall opened up to the heavens themselves.

Red, orange, blue and green banners bore animal symbols with words encircling them; Hiro figured they must represent the four houses. They read "Courage and Kindness" on the red, "Wit and Determination" on the blue, "Loyalty and Optimism" on the orange, and "Ambition and Strength" on the green.

Hiro quickly looked down again as Professor Eda put a four-legged stool in front of the first years. On top of the stool she reverentially placed a pointed hat. This hat was a deep blue and embroidered with white stars and moons.

"Maybe we have to try to pull a rabbit out of it," Hiro thought.

That seemed to be the thought going through the other first years' heads. There was a murmur among the students that soon fell hushed as a spotlight shone on the hat. A drum roll filled the air. From out of the hat came a plume of blue smoke. It swirled up to the ceiling and with a loud POOF, it took the form of a curvy blue creature resembling a man.

"Hello people! It's me, the Genie of the Lamp, right here to fulfill your entertaining cameo wish fulfillment!"

The hall burst into ecstatic cheers. The Genie addressed the first-years.

"Hey kids! You're getting sorted! And you're getting sorted! You're aaaaalllllll getting sorted! Now, I bet you're wondering what kind of future awaits you here. So why don't you ruminate whilst I illuminate the possibilities?"

Jazzy music began playing as the Genie burst into a show-stopping song and dance number filled with lights, pyrotechnics, dancers, animals and more in an impressive display of his powers, with a bit of surprise audience participation, too:

The Magic Kingdom is now where you're at
And you're excited from your head to your tails
Well, kids, you're all in luck
'Cause up this hat
You got an awesome spell that never fails!

You've got some powers in your corner now!
A real sweet gift has fallen in your lap!
You've got some spark, pizzazz, magic, and how!
See, all you do is just put on that cap
And it'll say -

"Mr. Hamada, sir,
Where do you want to be?
Lemme pick the house
That fits you best
'Cause you ain't ever had a hat like me!"

You're in your new home now
You'll find comfort and bliss
Come on and whisper where it is you want
You ain't ever had a hat like this!

Yes sir, you'll get a big surprise here
When you meet the cat, dog, duck and mouse
What choice they dish
Shows your true wish
When they send you to your new hooooouse!

Have faith in yourself, kids,
It won't send you to the abyss!
It's in the mood
To help you, dude!
You ain't ever had a hat like this!

See Canis help this!
Anatis outwits that!
And Mus will pull some nerve
Out that little haaaaat…
And Felinus goes BOOM!
Well, looky-here! Ha ha!
And all your friends go abracadabra,
Let 'er rip all together now, there ain't no fear!

So don't just sit there slack-jawed bogey-eyed
This hat's here to answer all your prayers
To be a wizard hero certified
And it won't even give you bad hat hair!
It's got a powerful urge to help you out
And it'll tell you where you oughta go
Now you've been waiting long enough, no doubt
So now it's time to put on that hat, ohhhh –

Mr. Hamada, sir, your future's up to this
Shake off those blues
(Hope no one sues!)
You ain't ever had a hat, ever had a hat
You ain't ever had a hat, ever had a hat
You ain't ever! Had a! Hat! Liiiiike thiiiiiiiiis!
You ain't ever had a hat like this!

The Genie's riotous show vanished in a whirl, and he hovered over the high table with a buzzing neon sign reading "Applause" – which the assembly gladly did, many of them standing up from their seats. The noise even drowned out one student complaining, "You can't rhyme "this" with "this", what amateur wrote these lyrics?"

Hiro, even after his unexpected moment in the spotlight, felt somewhat relieved.

"So we just have to try on the hat!" he whispered to Peter. Peter looked somewhat disappointed.

"Aww, Fagin told me we'd have to fight a troll!"

Hiro smiled weakly. Yes, putting on a hat was leagues above trying out a spell, but he wished he didn't have to do it in front of so many people. He didn't feel courageous or quick-witted at the moment. If only the Genie mentioned a house for people feeling slightly nauseous, that would be the house for him.

The Genie bowed and sidled up next to Merlin.

"Bravo! Magnificent performance, I must say," said the wizard.

"Thanks Merlin! Mind if I stick around for the sorting and feast? These things are always a hoot."

"By all means," Merlin replied, "we'd be happy to have you."

The Genie conjured up a reclining chair between Merlin's seat and another professor's and leaped into it now wearing a sports jersey, a foam finger and a soda guzzler cap.

Professor Eda stepped forward with a clipboard. "All right, when I call your name, you'll step forward, put on the Sorcerer's Hat, and it will sort you into your house," she said. "Banks, Jane!"

A nervous blonde girl stepped forward, sat down and put on the hat, which fell over her eyes. There was a moment's pause and –

A bright orange glow enveloped the hat. The hem of the girl's robes changed to orange.

"Canis!" declared Professor Eda.

The students at the orange tables cheered and clapped as Jane went to sit with them. Hiro could see the trio of ghosts from earlier waving merrily at her.

"Banks, Michael!"

This time, the hat and his robes glowed blue.

"Anatis!"

The students at the blue tables clapped this time; some of them shook hands with Michael as he joined them.

"Birdbrain, Bertie" was the second Canis. "Boonchuy, Anne" became the first new Mus student, and joined Edric and Emira at one of the red tables. "Chase, Melissa" soon followed.

"Darling, Wendy!"

A few people snickered at the name. Wendy calmly stepped forward but quickly put the hat on. She sat there for almost a full minute before it lit up red.

"Mus!"

Peter groaned, but the rest of the Mus students applauded. Sometimes, Hiro noticed, the hat revealed its colors right away, but other times it took longer to decide.

Kay swaggered forward when his name was called and instantly got his wish; the hat barely touched his head when it lit up in green.

"Felinus!"

He strutted to a green table, looking rather pleased with himself.

"Flour, Maddie" and "Flynn, Candace" also joined Felinus. Hunter, who sat among them, politely applauded. Perhaps it was Hiro's imagination, after all he heard about Felinus, but he thought most of the kids looked like the type you didn't want to be left alone with.

He was definitely starting to feel sick now. He started having flashbacks to all the times he had been picked last to join teams in his old school's gym class.

"Foxworth, Jenny!"

A flash of orange.

"Canis!"

A horrible thought struck Hiro, as they often do when you're nervous: what if he wasn't chosen at all? What if he sat there with his hat over his eyes for ages until Professor Eda ripped it off his head, said there had obviously been a mistake and he was sent back home on the train?

"Hamada, Hiro!"

It took Hiro several seconds to unfreeze and step up to the stool. He could hear whispers like little hissing fires all over the Great Hall. A few of the teachers, including Merlin, leaned forward anxiously.

The last thing Hiro saw before the hat dropped over his eyes was the hall full of people craning in to get a good look at him. Next second he was looking at the inside of the hat. And then –

Black everywhere.

Hiro blinked. He looked down.

He was still sitting on the stool, but he was no longer in the Great Hall, and the hat wasn't on his head. It was so quiet he thought he could hear his heart beating.

"Hmm, this is a tough one, fellas," came a voice.

Hiro looked up.

Standing before him was a short mouse with large round ears, a tall lanky dog, a duck with his arms folded, and an overweight black cat.

"Hiro's plenty courageous, and eager to make friends," said the dog in a country twang.

"He's real smart, too," the duck quacked enthusiastically.

"He's got a lot of talent, and he really wants to prove himself. All he needs is a nudge in the right direction," the mouse said encouragingly. "The question is where should he go?"

Hiro gripped the edges of the stool and thought "Not Felinus, not Felinus…" only for the words to come pouring out of him on their own. He clapped his hands over his mouth.

"Sorry, Hiro," the dog said. "There's nothin' you can hide in here, not even your thoughts."

The cat, meanwhile, stroked his chin thoughtfully.

"Not Felinus, eh?" he said in a rough, deep voice. "You sure about that, kid? You could be hot stuff, you know. It's all here, in your head." He pointed to his skull with a menacing grin.

"Lay off him, Pete," said the mouse. "It's pretty obvious he doesn't want to be a part of your house."

"His brain don't lie, mouse!" Pete snorted. "Whaddaya say, Hamada? Forge a new path for yourself? Be the number one smartie there was? Never get pushed around again, not even by that clingy auntie of yours? Just take my hand and you'll be on your way to greatness, no doubt about it!"

Pete outstretched his hand and Hiro shrank back, his fingers clutching the stool even harder now.

"No! Not Felinus! Anywhere but Felinus!" his mind and mouth cried out again.

Pete grimaced and stepped back.

"Hmph! Toldja so!" the duck smirked.

"Hey fellas, mind if I take this one?" the mouse asked his companions.

The dog shook his head. "Go ahead, Mickey," replied the duck.

Mickey stepped forward.

"Hiro, it's ok to be scared right now. I've been through my fair share of tough moments and big decisions, and I was terrified through 'em all. It took a lot of courage to see me through, but I also couldn't have made it without the help of some great friends."

He smiled over his shoulder to the duck and the dog – Hiro recognized the latter as the face on the bags of Goofy Jellybeans.

"I think that's what I really want," Hiro said. "I mean, I really want to learn things, but I don't care about being a hero or even being number one in class. I just don't want to go through all this alone. I- I don't even know what house my parents were in, so..."

"It was a tough call for your mom; me and Donald almost fought over her. But in the end, she came to me."

"But I still got Tomeo!" Donald quacked triumphantly.

"Whatever happens, you don't have to decide where you go because of your family. Just follow what your heart says is right."

He held out his hand to Hiro.

"Courage and kindness aren't just marks of a great hero, they're the signs of a great friend, too. I see them in you, Hiro. If you really want this, if you feel deep down that this is the right path for you, I'd be happy to guide you there."

Deep in his heart, Hiro knew what his answer was.

He slowly, carefully, placed his hand in Mickey's gloved one. The white fingers softly closed around Hiro's. Mickey thrust his free hand upward. Red fireworks shot out of his fingertips.

"MUS!"

Eda's shout broke through the silence.

Hiro blinked and suddenly he was back in the Great Hall with the Sorcerer's Hat being pulled off his head. The sight of the Mus students cheering wildly greeted him. Edric and Emira were doing a silly dance and chanting, "We got Hamada! We got Hamada!"

Hiro walked shakily to one of the Mus tables and sat next to Wendy. The applause continued for several more minutes as his fellow Mus students shook his hands, but he hardly noticed it.

Hiro looked back at the hat. He wasn't sure if he imagined Professor Eda winking at him or not. He knew for sure that Ralph, who was seated at the far end of the high table, was clapping enthusiastically for him, as was the Genie. Hiro also recognized Ichabod Crane, who seemed more interested in his plate full of dinner rolls than the ceremony. His eyes drifted over to Merlin, whom he recognized from his Wonder Ball card. The wizard smiled at him and raised his goblet in his direction.

The sorting continued without incident…for the most part.

"Murphy, Milo" was so excited about being declared a Mus that he ran off while still wearing the Hat and knocked over the line of waiting first-years like dominoes. One of them crashed into a Felinus table, which sent the plates and cutlery flying into the floating candles, knocking them out of the air. While the Mus tables ducked to avoid the falling knives and forks, the candles landed haphazardly on the floor, setting random tables on fire as well as burning Ichabod's pile of rolls. Milo lifted the Hat and surveyed the damage.

"Well, that's one way to start the year," he mused nonchalantly.

He looked down and noticed a small spotted dog that had somehow gotten in the hall amidst the chaos.

"Diogee, go home!"

And so, once the fires were put out, the list continued, until –

"Pan, Peter!"

Hiro noticed Peter, for all his earlier bluster, looked unusually pale. He crossed his fingers under the table. Moments later –

"Mus!"

Hiro clapped loudly with the rest of the Mus students as Peter shot up into the air with an overjoyed crow. In a flash he seated himself between Hiro and Anne.

"All right, Peter!" Hiro put out his fist. Peter looked at him, confused.

"Bump your fist against mine," he told him. "It's what friends do."

Peter made a fist and tapped Hiro's. Hiro jerked back his hand and made a little explosion noise with his mouth as he wiggled his fingers. He never told anyone that, even as he rolled his eyes when he saw students at his old school share the same gesture of friendship, he wished he had someone to do it with. Moments later, both he and Peter fist bumped again with Wart when he was sorted into Mus as well.

Eda continued down the list: Pinfeather, Penelope…Plantar, Sprig…Proud, Penny…Robin, Christopher…Sparrow, Suzy…Sundew, Ivy…Underwood, Zack…Waybright, Sasha…ending with Wu, Marcy, who was made an Anatis. Eda stuck the clipboard under her arm and took the Sorcerer's Hat away.

Hiro looked down at his plate. He didn't realize until now how hungry he was. All that candy and ice cream seemed ages ago.

Merlin got to his feet. He beamed at the students, his arms open wide, as if nothing could have pleased him more than to see them all there.

"Welcome, welcome to another year at the Magic Kingdom! Before I begin out banquet, I would like to say a few words: tonight we'll prop our feet up, but for now, let's eat up!"

At once, more food than Hiro had ever seen in his lifetime blossomed on to the plates. There were steaming platters of steak, chicken, fish and pork with heaping bowls of vegetables, potatoes, applesauce, and salad, but he also recognized and nearly drooled over countless other familiar and international dishes – sushi rolls, spinach puffs, rice, gumbo, shrimp, pizza, French fries, bisque, larb gai, curry, tamales, gyros, hot dogs, dumplings, spaghetti and meatballs, macaroni and cheese, beef ragout, cheese soufflé, and, for some strange reason, bowls of unshelled peanuts. Hiro piled his plate with a little of everything (except the peanuts) and dug in. It was all so delicious.

"Looks rather good, doesn't it?" said the ghost with the hatbox, watching Hiro cut through his chicken. Hiro felt a bit guilty.

"Could you –"

"I haven't eaten for over fifty years," said the ghost. "I don't need to, of course, it simply…goes right through me." He chuckled at his own joke. "We haven't been properly introduced. I am the Hatbox Ghost, but you may call me Hatty if you wish."

"Hey, I know you!" said Sprig, a pink frog sitting next to Anne. "My grandpa told me about you. You brought the ghost count here up to nine-hundred and ninety-nine!"

"But there's room for a thousand," said the Hatbox Ghost with a grim grin.

"Why would a place like this be haunted?" Wendy asked nervously. "I didn't read anything in A History of the Magic Kingdom about the school having that many…accidents…"

"Oh, most of us aren't from the Magic Kingdom," explained the Hatbox Ghost. "Merlin invited us from mansions and graveyards and all sorts of haunts around the world to impart our wisdom and "liven things up" as it were. Do you see Baron Ravenswood over there? He's from a Western mining town that hit its peak during the gold rush."

Hiro looked over at the Felinus tables and saw a horrible ghost standing there, a grimacing skeleton with bottomless black eyeholes wearing a suit, top hat and black cape with a high pointed collar. He was right behind Kay who, Hiro was a little happy to see, didn't look very pleased with his company.

"How come he's a skeleton while everyone else is…relatively normal?" Sprig asked.

The Hatbox Ghost shrugged.

"I've never asked. Anyway, I do hope you will help Mus win the house championship this year. You poor mouselings have never been on such a losing streak before. Felinus has won for six years straight. The Baron's become almost unbearable to be around – we wager on who will win every year and he always bets on Felinus."

When it seemed as though everyone had their fill, the food was replaced with dessert; an ice cream sundae loaded with twelve different flavors and all the fixings appeared before each student, in addition to puddings and pies of all kinds, brownies, beignets, tarts, cream puffs, éclairs, cookies, donuts, churros, Dole Whip, fruit, hot chocolate, and even some anpan.

As Hiro helped himself to one, talk turned to their families.

"I'm half and half," said Anne. "My dad's ordinary. He really liked my mom's cooking; he said she was magic in the kitchen. He didn't realize she really was until after they married!"

The others laughed.

"So, did you guys know about magic and school before you got your letters?"

"Well, a lot of weird things happened around me growing up," Milo began. The others nodded and murmured in solidarity. "Of course, I'm a descendant of the founder of Murphy's Law; anything that can go wrong will around me and my family. But somehow things would always right themselves in the end, like magic. Well, I guess I can't say it was like magic if it was magic all along, can I? Still, the folks were really happy about it when I got accepted. What about you, Wart?"

"Oh, um, I don't really have a mother or father," he said. "I was found by a knight named Sir Ector when I was a baby and he took me in. I didn't know I had magic in me and neither did he until my letter arrived. We could hardly believe it!"

"I know what that's like," said Sprig. "My grandpa, Hop Pop, raised me and my little sister. He teaches here; guess it'll be interesting to see how learning's different between here and doing things on the farm."

Hiro, who was starting to feel a bit warm and sleepy, looked up at the high table again. Ralph was drinking deeply from a mug of root beer. Professor Eda was in the middle of a conversation with Merlin and the Genie. Professor Ichabod was talking to a teacher with ivory skin, pale green eyes, and straight blue hair so dark that it was nearly black.

It happened suddenly. A girl crossed tables past Hiro, and in the second the pale teacher was blocked from view, she went from looking at Professor Ichabod to staring coldly straight into Hiro's eyes – and a sharp, hot pain shot across the scars in Hiro's arm.

"Ow!" cried Hiro, clutching his arm. Unfortunately, Baymax wasn't there to see what was wrong or try to fix it.

"Hiro, what is it?" asked Peter.

"N-nothing."

The pain vanished as quickly as it had come. Harder to shake off was the feeling Hiro had gotten from the teacher's look, as if she didn't trust him.

"Hey, Edric, who's that teacher talking to Professor Ichabod over there?" he asked.

"Oh, you know him already? No wonder he looks so terrified, that's Professor Lilith. She scares everybody."

"What does she teach?"

"Transformation, though everyone knows she's after her sister's job. Eda's an expert when it comes to fighting evil magic, but let's just say Lilith's got some firsthand experience with it."

Hiro looked back at the table; Eda, wild-haired and golden-eyed, was cracking up over a joke the Genie made, while Lilith remained stonefaced and silent throughout Ichabod's rambling. He would never have guessed that they were related. Hiro watched Lilith for a while, but she didn't look at him again.

"What about the Genie? What does he do?" Peter asked.

"Every year they get someone to come and open the ceremony with a song all about the hat. Pretty cool way to start the year, though we've never been able to guess who it will be."

At last, the desserts also disappeared. Merlin tapped his glass with his wand and got to his feet. The hall fell silent.

"I have just a few start-of-term notices to share now that we're all fed and watered. The first-years should note that The Forest of No Return is out of bounds to all students, some of whom would do well to remember that also."

His twinkling eyes flashed in Edric and Emira's direction.

"I have also been asked by our caretaker, Mr. O'Dell, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors. Grudgby and Questing trials will be held in the third week of the term. Anyone interested in playing should speak with Professor Timothy. And finally, I must tell you this year that the third-floor corridor on the right hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a most painful death."

Peter and Hiro laughed, but they were among the few that did.

"He's not serious, is he?" Hiro muttered to Emira.

"Must be," Emira mumbled back. "He usually gives us a reason why we're not allowed to go somewhere."

"The forest's full of dangerous beasts and stuff, everyone knows that," Edric continued. "You'd think he'd say why about this one."

"And now, before we hobble off to bed, the school song!" cried Merlin. Hiro noticed some of the teachers' smiles became a bit rigid.

Merlin gave his wand a flick as if he were trying to get a fly off the end, and a long golden ribbon flew out, rising high above the tables, followed by three balls. The ribbon twisted itself, snakelike, into words, and the three balls assembled themselves into the shape of the school seal. They hopped in anticipation above the first word.

"Now, everyone follow the bouncing ball," said Merlin "and off we go!"

Music struck up from out of nowhere, and the school bellowed:

There’s a great big beautiful tomorrow
Shining at the end of every day
There's a great big beautiful tomorrow
And tomorrow's just a dream away

Man has a dream and that's the start
He follows his dream with mind and heart
And when it becomes a reality
It's a dream come true for you and me

So there's a great big beautiful tomorrow
Shining at the end of everyday
There's a great big beautiful tomorrow
Just a dream away!

Everyone finished the song together, except the Blight twins, who tried to hold the final note for as long as possible, even after the music ended. When they finished, Merlin was among those who clapped the loudest.

"Interesting song choice for a school that focuses on magic," Hiro wondered.

"Yeah, this is the new song," Edric said. "The original one was all about star wishing making your dreams come true, but people thought it was getting unrealistic so they changed it."

"Ah, music," Merlin said, wiping his eyes. "It brings more magic to this world than any spell ever could. And now, bedtime. Off you go!"

The Mus first year students followed Professor Eda through the chattering crowds, out of the hall and up the next flight of stairs. The people and animals in the portraits along the corridor whispered and pointed or waved hello as they crossed passageways and up more stairwells. Hiro, yawning and dragging his feet, wondered how much further they'd have to go when they came to a sudden halt.

A pair of yellow eyes and a wide toothy mouth appeared on the back of Eda's head and stuck its tongue out. Some of the students cried out in surprise. The face disappeared as quickly as it came when Eda started looking around. It appeared next to her, rolling its eyes, and vanished as soon as she turned in its direction.

"Wait – don't tell me. Ches! Show yourself!"

A sing-songy laugh bounced off the walls.

"T'was Brillig and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe
All mimsy were the borogroves
And the momeraths outgrabe…"

"You want me to tell Baron Ravenswood that his pet's making trouble again?"

A purple cat with pink stripes and a very large grin materialized on the banister next to Eda.

"Second chorus?" he asked casually.

"Why, it's a cat!" cried Wendy.

"A Cheshire Cat," the cat said, politely tipping the top half of his head in greeting. "My, my, little first-years, what fun!"

"Beat it, Ches," Eda barked, "or I'll sic every dog in the ten-mile radius on you, I mean it!"

"This way, that way, all ways are the school's way. It doesn't matter which way you go!" The Cheshire Cat began to laugh ominously as his body slowly vanished, followed by his head.

"And the momeraths outgraaaaabe…"

"Yeesh, I hate when he does that," Eda shuddered. "You want to watch out for the Cheshire Cat. Few of us can control him – or understand him, for that matter."

They set off again, climbing staircases and hallways. At the end of one corridor hung a painting of a hippo in a yellow tutu and ballet slippers dancing in a garden.

"Password please," she said in a sweet voice.

"Fortuosity," said Eda. The hippo curtseyed, and the painting swung open to reveal a hole in the wall. "Make sure you remember that," Eda told them. "The password changes every couple of weeks – and it won't be the same one but with a number added to the end." They all scrambled through the opening – Wart needed a leg-up – and found themselves in the Mus common room: a cozy, round room full of squashy armchairs.

Eda directed the girls up to their dormitory and the boys to theirs. At the top of one last spiral staircase – Hiro figured they must be in one of the towers by now – they found their beds at last: several four-posters hung with red velvet curtains. Their trunks and things had already been brought up. Too tired to talk much, they all changed into their pajamas and fell into bed – all except Hiro.

His bed was by a half-open window overlooking the castle grounds and the world beyond. Hiro sat on the sill, looking at the star-filled sky, feeling both too excited to sleep yet at peace for the first time in ages. He had finally made it. Tomorrow would be his first step into a world he could never have imagined. And before he knew it, he had dozed off.

Perhaps Hiro had eaten a bit too much, because he had a very strange dream. He was wearing the Sorcerer's Hat, which spoke to him in Aunt Cass' voice, and told him that he must transfer to Felinus right away because it was his destiny. Hiro kept telling the hat that he didn't want to, but it grew heavier and heavier. He tried to pull it off, but it tightened painfully. And there was Kay, laughing and laughing at him as he struggled – then Kay turned into the pale teacher, Lilith, whose laugh became high and cold – and as she vanished into a burst of green flames, she grew tall and dark and indistinct, and a pair of horns sprouted from her head –

And Hiro awoke, sweating and shaking.

He rolled off the windowsill into his bed and promptly fell asleep again. When he awoke the next day, he didn't remember the dream at all.

Chapter Text

"There, look."

"Where?"

"Next to the tall kid with the red hair."

"You mean him with the black hair?"

"Did you see his face?"

"Did you see his scars?"

"Dude, the sleeves are, like, way too long. Chill."

Whispers followed Hiro from the moment he left his dormitory the next day. People lining up outside classrooms stood on tiptoe to get a good look at him, or doubled back to pass him in the corridor again, staring. Hiro wished they wouldn't, because he was trying to concentrate on finding his way to his classes.

There were at least nine acres worth of staircases and passages in the Magic Kingdom: wide, sweeping ones, narrow, rickety ones, some that led somewhere different on Wednesdays, some with a vanishing thirteenth step that you had to remember to jump.

Then there were doors that wouldn't open unless you asked politely, or tickled them in exactly the right place, or were just paintings of doors on the walls that would turn into real doors at specific times of day.

And of course, there were the Utilidors, but only official Magic Kingdom staff could access those.

It was also difficult to remember where anything was, because it all seemed to move around a lot. The people in the portraits kept going to visit each other, and Hiro was sure the suits of armor could walk. You couldn't get anything from the enchanted brooms, which were so single-minded in doing their tasks that they would walk right over you if you tried to stop them in their tracks.

The ghosts were of some help, though it was a nasty shock whenever one of them glided through a door you were trying to open. Gus, Phineas and Ezra – or the Hitchhiking Trio, as they were frequently referred to – were always happy to point new students in the right direction, provided they came along with you to your destination.

The Cheshire Cat, on the other hand, reveled in confounding anyone unfortunate enough to cross his path. You could expect a conversation with him to go like this:

"By the way, if you'd really like to know, it's that way."

"What is?"

"The Transformation classroom."

"It is?"

"What is?"

"The Transformation classroom!"

"What classroom?"

"Transformation!"

"What transformation?"

"But didn't you just say –"

"Can you stand on your head?"

"Oh, forget it! I'm running late anyway!"

He would also sneak up behind you, invisible, and laugh loudly in your ear, or trip up other students or rip open their book bags in such a way that it looked like you were the one responsible.

Not as bad but nearly as annoying was the caretaker, Mr. O'Dell. Peter and Hiro managed to get on his bad side the very first morning. O'Dell found them trying to force their way through a door that turned out to be the entrance of the out-of-bounds corridor on the third floor. He wouldn't believe that they were lost, was sure they were trying to break into it on purpose, and was threatening them with expulsion when Professor Ichabod, who was passing by, rescued them. O'Dell had a tendency to bluster about the rules and how he was the castle's first line of defense regarding law and order, but his stammering, knock-knees, and near-constant surprised look made him as threatening as a kitten.

O'Dell owned a dog named Bony, and you couldn't imagine a sorrier-looking hound than him. He was so small it was easy to mistake him for a puppy, especially with his oversized brown ears, and he was so hunched and incredibly thin you could see his ribcage (hence his name). He patrolled the corridors, and wherever he went, rest assured his master wasn't too far behind. At the first sign of trouble or lawlessness, he'd howl for O'Dell to come running – unless, of course, you happened to have a treat in your pocket.

And then, once you managed to find them, there were the classes themselves. There was a lot more to magic as Hiro quickly found out, than waving your wand and saying some funny words.

They had to study the night skies through their telescopes every Tuesday night, and learn the names of different stars and which ones could be wished upon – and which ones were simply fireflies that got stuck up there. The professor was a bubbly Southern blonde who insisted they just call her Lottie ("Professor LaBouff is such a dull, boring name, and I am not boring!"). Lottie was always happy to share everything she knew about the wishing stars. It was easy to get her to start talking about anything, really. The difficulty lay in getting a word in.

Three times a week they went out to the greenhouses behind the castle to study Venebotany with an elderly orange frog, Professor Hopadiah Plantar, who taught them how to identify and take care of strange plants and fungi, and what they were used for. Hopadiah, or "Hop Pop" as Sprig called him, was as knowledgeable about all things plant-related as Lottie was about astronomy, but nepotism was not alive and well in his classroom. Sprig worked as hard as everyone else did. It was a rare day when anyone left the classroom without being covered in sweat, dirt or mud.

The class that surprised Hiro the most was Magical Myths and History, which Professor Ichabod taught. Apparently the world of magic was a major influence on many of history's biggest turning points. Some things like the sinking of Atlantis made sense – others, like the fact that all of Benjamin Franklin's best ideas really came from a mouse named Amos were a bit hard to swallow, however.

Professor Flora, the Charms teacher, was a gray-haired human-sized fairy, though she was still a bit on the short side. She had to hover on tiny wings to see over her desk. At the start of their first class, when she took roll call, she cried "Good gracious!" once she reached Hiro's name and almost fell out of the air.

There were also music classes taught by a jovial blue owl named, fittingly, Professor Owl. "Within each of you is a song waiting to emerge!" he proclaimed after taking attendance. "We shall begin by learning about melody, before moving on to the study of musical instruments, how music affects our lives from beginning to end, and finally, what inspires us to express ourselves through song." Hiro, who was never seized with a sudden desire to sing once in his life, was certain he wouldn't fare well here at all. He took some comfort in the fact that he'd likely be the second-worst student, however, as Bertie Birdbrain's goofball antics drew Professor Owl's ire to him instead. They spent the first morning listening out the window to the sounds of nature to discover what music could be drawn from there. Hiro wasn't sure if it was the boredom or if he was listening very hard, but after twenty minutes he swore he could almost hear a pattern in the chirping birds, the occasional cricket, and the rustle of the wind through the leaves of the willow tree outside the classroom.

Then there was Potions, taught by living proof that dinosaurs once roamed the earth – or, as she was properly called, Professor Yzma, an incredibly thin and very old, wrinkled woman who ruled over her students with an iron fist. Her classroom was deep in the dungeons, which was a long walk down.

"Wouldn't it be nice to just pull a lever and be sent there and back up instantly?" Hiro wondered aloud as he huffed and puffed his way back up the stairs after their first lesson.

The first class that Hiro immediately felt at home in was Magical Modern Inventions. One half was dedicated to teaching students from the more fantastical worlds about modern technology, while the other introduced alchemy, the study of combining science and magic. Professor McGucket was an odd-looking fellow with his long white whiskers, tinted glasses, and raggedy brown hat, the last person you'd expect to know how to build his own machinery; but he was the first teacher who Hiro felt was speaking his language, albeit in a thick country accent. McGucket was awed when Hiro introduced him to Baymax, and told him his door would always be open if he wanted to discuss robotics with him.

Defense Against Evil Magic was also very different from what Hiro expected. Out of all the teachers, Professor Eda was the most eager to show off – and to scare the bejeezus out of her pupils.

"All right, kiddos, you made it to your wonderful magic school where you learn something new and exciting every day and your dreams come true, so let's get some facts straight. Number one, if you sit and wait for something to happen because you were deemed special, you're gonna be waiting around forever. Number two, despite the insistence of certain nannies, not every problem can be solved with a spoonful of sugar. Sometimes the things you'll face will be a little…spicier."

She banged her staff once on the floor. The torches in the darkened classroom lit up, revealing murals of epic battles and duels on the walls.

"With any luck, you won't be caught in scrapes like these, but it's always good to be prepared. Take it from someone who personally fought against Maleficent and her dogs."

Some of the students gasped in terror; Hiro learned after he casually mentioned Maleficent over breakfast one morning that people really were too afraid of her to say her name, even ten years after her demise. He wasn't trying to be brave or cocky, he just didn't know. While he privately thought referring to her by the grandiose title of "Mistress of All Evil" was a little silly, he didn't want to upset anyone. Eda seemed to feel that way as well.

"Sensitive types, huh? All right, no more mention of Miss Mean 'n' Green here today. The point is, you name a fight and place, and I've been there, done that, and got the wanted posters to show for it." Eda spent the rest of the class regaling her students with some of her rebel exploits in the Boiling Isles before realizing how much time passed and showing them a simple light spell thirty seconds before the bell rang.

All in all, it was a fascinating, exhausting week. Hiro was relieved to find out he wasn't behind everyone else. Lots of people had come from ordinary families and, like him, hadn't had any idea that they were special. There was so much to learn that even students like Peter or Anne didn't have that much of a head start.

Friday was a very important day for Hiro and his friends. They finally found their way to the Great Hall without getting lost once.

"What have we got today?" Hiro asked Peter as he smeared peanut butter and jelly onto his bagel.

"Transformation with Felinus. Professor Lilith's the head of their house. Hope she's not as tough on us as she's supposed to be with them."

"If she is, well, at least Eda's not so bad," said Hiro. Eda was the head of Mus, but unlike most of the teachers, she didn't load them with any homework the day before; she merely told them to practice the light spell if they were able. The only one who continued studying the textbook after class was Wendy, despite the fact that she already read through the whole thing beforehand ("I just want to make sure I didn't miss anything; oh, if I knew Professor Eda was going to be this lenient…")

"Hey! Here comes Pedro!"

Everyone in the hall perked up and turned their heads to the ceiling. Hiro had gotten used to this by now, but it gave him a bit of a shock on the first morning when a little red airplane – a living one if its mouth and windshield eyes were any indication – zipped in through the open window, and flew around the ceiling dropping off letters and parachuting packages to their respective owners below. Pedro, as Hiro soon learned, was always on time and very efficient at his job, even though he was considered a "baby" by plane standards.

A plain envelope fell on to Hiro's bagel. He brushed off the jelly and peanut butter; there was a drawing of the cat statue above the Lucky Cat Café's door on the back. It didn't take a genius to know who sent it. Hiro quickly opened the letter and read:

Dear Hiro,

I'm sorry it took me this long to write. My therapist, Angela, suggested I give you a little space to settle before I start hitting you with letters. How was your trip? Did you make any friends? Were there fireworks when you arrived? What house did you get into? Did they sing that pretty wishing star song over dinner? How –

I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bombard you with so many questions. It's something I'm going over with Angela. You'd like her; she's incredibly sweet and knows how to talk through the sorts of things we discuss without being judgmental (and she takes my insurance, always a plus).

It's been really quiet around here without you. Even Mochi seems lazier than usual. Don't worry, I'm not touching the garage, and I only go up to your room once or twice to clean a little. The café is busy as always. I thought about sending a couple of surprises from there, but I wanted to see if this made it safely to you first before I try to send any packages. Let me know (a few words were crossed out here) if you want something sweet to come your way – if you have the time to write between all the homework you must be getting, that is. Don't worry, take your time.

I love you.

Hugs and kisses to my special little guy,

Aunt Cass

Hiro smiled and pocketed the letter, making a mental note to write his reply when he had a free moment. Just then, Ralph appeared at the table.

"Hiya, Hiro!"

"Ralph! What are you doing here?"

"Well, I heard through the grapevine that you have Friday afternoons off, so I wanted to invite you over to my place for some root beer and catch up on how your first week went. Whaddaya say?"

"Can Peter come? I think you'll like him."

"Sure! The more the merrier. Mine's the brick house at the edge of the grounds, you can't miss it! See you at three!"

With the thought of hanging out with his first two friends brightening his morning, Hiro collected his things and headed to class with a spring in his step.

When Hiro entered the Transformation classroom, he felt like he was about to watch a gladiator fight more than do some learning. The desks were set up in rows like sports stands circling the room with a big empty space in the center.

And of course, Professor Lilith was another matter entirely. From the moment she swept in, everyone could see she wasn't a teacher to cross. She gave them a stern lecture the moment they sat down.

"Transformation is the most complex and dangerous magic you will ever learn in this school," she said. "Anyone who refuses to take these lessons seriously will leave and not return. You have been warned."

Lilith then spun her staff and changed her desk into an ice sculpture of the castle so large that it touched the ceiling. With another wave, it burst into a flock of ravens, which merged back into the desk again. Everybody "ooohed".

"It's easy to admire such feats from a distance," Lilith continued, "but few are willing to put in the effort of carefully crafting each subtle layer of spellwork, to understand the extraordinary power that's channeled into altering corporal forms down to the base level of consciousness, to accept the monumental responsibility of changing the world and people around them lest they risk permanent destruction…"

Hiro quickly copied all this down just in case. He didn't want to risk missing anything important.

"…then again, some teachers pettier than I might use such witchcraft to ensure all of their students were paying attention."

Peter nudged Hiro's side. He looked up. Professor Lilith was glaring right at him.

Oops.

"Well, well, Mr. Hamada. Our new celebrity."

Kay and his friends Sasha and Boscha sniggered behind their hands.

"Sorry, Professor, I was just taking notes," Hiro explained.

Lilith came over and inspected his notebook.

"Hmph. I admire your enthusiasm, Mr. Hamada, but I'll say when you should be copying things down."

She waved her staff, and the air around her filled with notes and diagrams made of light. The students hurried to write them all down as she explained the finer points of the beginner's level of Transformation.

"Mr. Hamada," she said suddenly, "since you seem so eager to partake in today's lesson, why don't you join me for our first demonstration?"

With a wave of her hand, the desks before Hiro parted and formed steps leading down to the arena. Hiro walked down to Lilith's level and met her in the center of the room.

"You will not be doing anything as advanced as I've shown for quite some time, yet even the basics require total concentration and all your skills at the ready."

She summoned her desk, which walked over on clawed feet, then took a book of matches from a drawer. She placed a match on the desktop.

"I want you to turn this match into a needle. Simple enough."

It didn't seem so simple for Hiro. Everything about this clashed with what he learned in science class. One couldn't simply transfer the energy and molecules of one object into another and turn a handkerchief into a banana.

"Visualize the needle in your mind's eye and place your focus and intentions into the spell as you say it," Lilith offered, somewhat encouragingly. "It's only impossible if you let it be."

Hiro swallowed and followed her advice. He pointed his wand at the match and muttered the incantation. It quivered, shriveled, and began turning silver – then it unfolded again. It looked like a bit of crinkled chewing gum wrapper. Lilith looked mildly disappointed.

"I think I nearly got it," said Hiro. "Maybe if I try channeling through some electrocurrents like in Modern Magical Inventions –"

Hiro took out his phone but Lilith slammed her hand down over it.

"You cannot rely on technology for everything, Mr. Hamada. The sooner you realize that, the sooner you'll be a proper student here."

She sent Hiro back to his desk. He trudged on amid chuckles and snorts from Kay, Sasha and Boscha's direction. Surprisingly, this didn't go unnoticed by Lilith.

"Miss Waybright, thank you for volunteering. Come down, please."

That put a stop to her laughter at once.

The class continued with Lilith calling on one student after another to change the match. It was incredibly difficult work. Wendy succeeded after a few tries, but Lilith still found something to complain about.

"Not terrible work for a beginner, even if it's not nearly straight enough."

Wart was one of the last to go. By now he was extremely nervous. His wand quavered in his hand.

"Concentrate, Mr. Pendragon," Lilith told him. "Your lack of confidence will be your undoing."

Wart gulped. The words for the spell were stuck in his throat.

"I…I…"

"Even a second of hesitation as you cast the spell can have drastic consequences," she admonished. "Focus, be bold, and do it, NOW!"

With a cry, Wart whipped the wand. The spell shot out and ricocheted against one of the pillars – which changed into a palm tree – bounced off Sprig – he became a human boy – and finally hit the desk. It transformed into a massive trumpeting elephant.

The classroom erupted into chaos, with most of the students either laughing or freaking out (Sprig was most definitely in the latter camp). Lilith was taken aback for only a second before she made a wide circle with her staff. She pushed through it, and a wave of energy swept across the room, restoring everything to normal. She wheeled around to glare at Wart.

"Pendragon – see me after class."

As they left the classroom, Hiro's mind was racing and his spirits were low. He hated to think of what Lilith must be doing to poor Wart by now; moreover, he was sure he disliked Lilith almost as much as she did him – the question was why was she so eager to humiliate him like that?

At five to three Peter and Hiro left the castle and made their way across the grounds. They passed stables, henhouses, and a herd of sheep quietly grazing on one of the sprawling lawns until they reached Ralph's house, a small, ramshackle brick cottage on the edge of the forest.

When Hiro knocked, they heard a faint scrabbling inside and something loudly whimpering. Then Ralph's voice rang out, saying, "It's all right, Lambert, it's just company."

Ralph's big smiling face appeared in the crack as he pulled the door open.

"Hiro! Come on in! Look, Lambert, meet your new buddies Hiro and, uh…sorry, didn't catch your name."

The cottage was made up of one cozy room with a brick fireplace and shelves of roughly carved figurines on the walls. While Peter introduced himself, Hiro noticed trembling under the bed was…a lion?

"Uh, nice kitty?" he said nervously.

"Aw, come on, Lambert," Ralph coaxed. "It's okay. Hiro's a friend, see?"

The lion wiggled out from the bed with a rather sheepish grin. He carefully sniffed Hiro, and then gave him a big wet kiss hello.

"How the heck did you get a pet lion, Ralph?" said Hiro, wiping his face.

"Funny story about that. There was a bit of a mix-up with the stork when he was a cub; he was supposed to go to a den in Africa but the silly bird dropped him off at the flock of sheep. By the time he realized his mistake, one of the ewes already took a liking to him and refused to give him up, so Lambert was raised as a sheep."

"Baaaaahh!" bleated Lambert proudly.

"Oh that's – wait, you're telling me the stork is real?!" cried Hiro. "I thought that was something parents told their kids so they wouldn't figure out where babies really come from!"

"Hey, where do babies come from?" Peter asked curiously.

"Oh, you don't know? What happens is –"

"HEY, WHO WANTS ROOT BEER?!" Ralph quickly shouted. He sloppily poured two mugs and shoved them into Hiro and Peter's arms. They sat down around the tiny table and helped themselves to some cherry pie. Hiro told Ralph all about the lessons he had, ending with Lilith's. Ralph told him not to worry about it.

"But out of everyone in the room she had to call on –"

"Lilith likes to gauge which students have the most potential. Just between us, Eda told me she hopes that teaching the next great enchanter will get her a little recognition. Lily may act all high and mighty, but she's a bit of a glory hound."

While Ralph began dishing some interesting tidbits about the teachers and his time at school, Hiro picked up a piece of newspaper that was lying on the floor. It was a clipping from The Main Street Morning Report:

"Hey Ralph, look at this!" said Hiro. "This bank heist happened on my birthday! It could've happened while we were there!"

Ralph gulped and offered Hiro another slice of pie without looking him in the eye. Hiro read through the story again.

The vault that was searched had in fact been emptied that same day.

Ralph emptied Vault 3-20, if you could call it emptying, take out those two little packages. Had that been what the thieves were after?

As they made their way back to the castle for dinner, Hiro thought that almost none of his lessons so far had given him as much to think about as his visit with Ralph. Had Ralph saved those packages just in time? And if he did, where were they now?

Chapter Text

Hiro had never thought he'd meet anyone he'd hate as much as Kay and his friends. Still, he was grateful he only had a few classes with the Felinus students so he didn't have to put up with them much – or at least until he spotted a notice pinned up in the common room that made him groan.

Flying lessons would be starting next Thursday – and Mus and Felinus would be learning together.

"Great, just what I always wanted," Hiro griped, "to make a fool of myself in front of Kay."

He had been looking forward to learning to fly more than anything else.

"Nah, you won't make a fool of yourself," said Peter. "Besides, Kay's always going on and on about being a knight, and last I heard, knights don't fly." Peter signed up for lessons too, not that he needed it when Hiro asked him why. "I just want to show everyone what I can do," he boasted.

Not many of the other first-years apart from Peter knew much about flying. Wart claimed he had never flown in his life; privately, Hiro thought this was a good thing. Wart had his head in the clouds so often that he got into almost as many accidents as Milo, even with both feet on the ground.

Milo himself admitted the closest he ever came to flying was the time he was abducted by an alien spaceship, but nobody except Zack and Melissa believed him.

Wendy was almost as excited as Hiro was about their first lesson. Apparently learning to fly was something you could learn by heart from a book. She nearly bored them all out of their minds at breakfast the following morning with tips she'd gotten out of a library book called You Can Fly! You Can Fly You Can Fly! Wart, Milo, Zack and Melissa hung on to her every word, desperate for anything that would help them – or at least protect them if things went awry.

As for Hiro, he and Peter discussed all the different ways one could fly.

"Oh, there's pixie dust, brooms, maybe attachable wings, or an animal you can ride. There's no limit, really."

Peter showed off the former earlier in the common room with some begrudging help from Tinkerbell; it turned out when he said on the train that happy thoughts lifted him up, that was only the half of it. He sprinkled the dust from Tinkerbell on to Hiro's head, and in no time his feet were far above the floor! It was fascinating at first, but he couldn't maneuver himself so easily as Peter. He found himself either hanging upside-down or bumping into things until he could make his way back to solid ground. Baymax fixed up his injuries, but made it quite clear that he didn't consider learning to fly a safe activity.

As "interesting" as that experience was, Hiro decided he wanted some amount of control and security when he was up in the air. He had an idea that could give him that, alleviate Baymax's concerns, and scratch something off his "always wanted to do this" list all in one go, but he needed a little help first…

"3D printers?" said McGucket, scratching his head.

Hiro stayed after class to share his plan with him.

"Yeah, it'll be the best way to mold something light but durable. Does the school have any, or is there a way we can get some?"

"Nope, not to my recollection, and if we did buy 'em, it could take a long time to get 'em here."

Hiro tried to hide his disappointment. He had a feeling this would happen. McGucket cracked a gap-toothed grin.

"Oh well, guess you'll have to use one of mine!"

Hiro thanked the professor effusively and promised that he'd return with Baymax after dinner.

"Aw shucks, t'ain't nothin'," McGucket replied. "It's not everyday you get to help build a flyin' robot! 'Course, there was that stretch when I built a new robot everyday to track down and destroy everyone who'd forgotten my birthday, but none of them could fly…"

In no time, and with no small amount of help from McGucket, Hiro's plans were ready.

"Will flying make me a better healthcare companion?" Baymax asked as Hiro fitted the last bit of gear on to him.

"No," said Hiro. "It'll make you the BEST healthcare companion."

The students were nearly too excited and nervous to eat on Thursday morning. Nobody expected Pedro to drop off a small package in front of Wart. He opened it hastily and showed them an ancient coin attached to a gold chain.

"I saved up enough pocket money for this. It's something I've always wanted – a real pirate medallion!"

"I've read about those," Wendy said warily. "They're supposed to be cursed."

"Are you sure it's a good idea to have one?" asked Zack.

"It only curses the person who stole it, not the one who gets it after," said Peter.

Wart was still admiring the medallion when Kay, who was passing by, snatched it out of his hands.

"What's this you got 'ere, Wart?"

Hiro and Peter jumped out of their chairs. They were half-hoping for a reason to fight Kay, but Eda, who spotted trouble just as quick as she attracted it, showed up.

"What's going on, boys? Fighting over jewelry? You could do a lot better than this old junk."

"That's mine, Professor. Kay took it."

Scowling, Kay dropped the medallion back on the table.

"Just looking," he said, and he sloped away with Boscha and Sasha behind him.

At three-thirty that afternoon, the Mus students hurried down to the grounds for their first flying lesson. It was a clear, breezy day, and the grass rippled under their feet as they marched to one of the sloping lawns facing the forest, its trees swaying darkly in the distance.

Hiro showed up shortly after them with Baymax, and their arrival caused quite a stir among everyone present –

Baymax was dressed from head to foot in red armor. Gone was the puffy white adorable guardian; here stood a battle robot straight out of an anime, complete with horned helmet and oversized gauntlets.

Hiro was also dressed in similar armor, albeit purple and black with red accents. His gloves, kneepads and shoes came with magnetic pads so he could lock onto the ports in Baymax's back. Once Baymax's wings popped out and the thrusters in his feet took off, there would be no stopping them. Hiro couldn't wait to see the looks on everyone's faces when he took to the skies.

Unfortunately, Kay was there after all, bragging to anyone who would listen about how he would be the first knight who could fly. When he saw Hiro, he guffawed "You plannin' on flyin' to the moon, Hamada?"

Hiro rolled his eyes.

"Ha ha. A few more alterations to this and I could."

A large shadow soared over them. The kids looked up and saw a baby elephant with ears twice as big as it was flying overhead. They parted to make way as it landed amongst them. Riding along in the brim of its tiny hat was a mouse in a ringmaster's uniform.

"Hiya kids, I'm Professor Timothy," he said in a heavy Brooklyn accent. "Some of yous might recognize my good buddy Dumbo from his high-flyin' circus act" – Dumbo waved his trunk in greeting – "Together we'll be your flight instructors. Everyone who hasn't got your own mode of upward mobility grab yourselves a broom or some pixie dust. If you're feelin' a bit nervous, we've got some magic feathers on standby too."

He pointed to a box full of black feathers next to a broom rack and an open jar of glittering dust. Most of the students made their way over, then formed two straight lines at Timothy's behest.

Hiro turned to his left and whispered "Psst! Wart, where's your broom?"

"Oh, I don't need one," he said. "No pixie dust either. Watch this."

Wart tapped his forehead with his wand and whispered a few words. A swirl of stars enveloped him, and when they vanished, there stood a small orange and yellow bird. Hiro's jaw dropped.

"Woah! Where'd you learn to do that?"

"Professor Lilith taught me. She thinks I've got talent. That's why she wanted me to stay after class; she's been giving me private lessons!" Wart said feeling pretty pleased with himself. Professor Timothy went on.

"Now, since each one of yous has got a different mode of flyin', me and Dumbo will walk among you and give you tips as you get yourselves situated. Just try to go a few inches off the ground. Don't worry about shootin' for the stratosphere; that comes much later. Pixie dusters, think your happy thoughts. Fellas on the brooms, clasp your broom with both hands – don't worry about sitting sidesaddle – and repeat after me – "La Kipo Nekriff Scrumpet Leech". Everyone else…uh, good luck."

Hiro climbed on to Baymax's back as the other students began their attempts. He planned on waiting until Dumbo and Timothy got to him to show what Baymax was capable of. Peter did fine as always, while Milo, Melissa and Zack were either bucked off or nearly got whacked in the face with their brooms. When Dumbo and Timothy stopped at Wart, he got into position and flapped his wings. He hovered in the air effortlessly.

"Hey, that's pretty good, kid!" said Timothy. "Is this your first time flying? You're almost as graceful as a –"

A screech filled the air, and a black shape swooped down from the sky straight at Wart with outstretched talons.

"Duck!" cried Professor Timothy.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but that's a hawk," said Milo.

Wart flew away as hard as he could. Everyone ducked or jumped aside as the hawk plunged after him. It chased him well out of anyone's reach around the towers. Wart narrowly dodged sconces and gargoyles that his pursuer avoided with ease.

"Professor! Help!" he cried.

"Let's fly, Dumbo!" Timothy declared.

With a flap of his enormous ears, Dumbo took off after the hawk.

No matter how much Wart tried, he couldn't shake off the wild bird. He stopped on one of the parapets to catch his breath just as it dove, talons and beak wide open, at him.

THWACK!

Dumbo smacked the hawk off course with his trunk. One of its wings splayed out as it hurtled away and knocked Wart off the parapet. He hit a torch sconce on the way down before crashing on the ground below.

Everyone crowded around him. Wart lay there, whimpering, hardly able to move. Timothy and Dumbo flew down and carefully inspected him.

"Ooh, tough luck, kid. You've got a busted wing."

Dumbo gently lifted Wart and Timothy on his trunk and deposited them safely in his hat.

"Okay, everyone stay put while we take 'im to the infirmary!" Timothy ordered. "If I catch anyone in the air, they'll be outta here faster than they can say 'pink elephants'!"

With that, Dumbo took off in the direction of the castle.

No sooner were they out of earshot than Kay burst out laughing.

"Did you see his face, the wretch?"

Only a few other Felinus students joined in.

"It wasn't funny, Kay. He could have gotten killed," said Candace.

"Ooh, got a thing for pathetic little birdies, Flynn?" Boscha sneered.

"Oy, look!" said Kay, darting forward and snatching something from the grass. "It's that pirate necklace Wart got this morning. Maybe it really is cursed – look what happened to him after he got his hands on it!"

"Hand it over, Kay," Hiro said, marching forward. The corners of Kay's mouth turned up.

"Nah, I think I'll find it somewhere for the Wart to find. How about on the roof?"

He splashed himself with pixie dust and rose up.

"Come on, Hamada, don't make me wait!" he taunted.

Hiro clenched his fist, then turned on his heel and ran to Baymax. He was about to climb on when someone grabbed his arm.

"Hiro, please don't," begged Wendy. "You know what Professor Timothy said –"

"Yeah, you're gonna get us all in trouble!" said Zack. "Can you even fly that thing?"

"Now's a good time to found out!" Hiro replied.

He climbed aboard Baymax and activated the magnets.

"Baymax, wings!"

A pair of red bird-like wings swung out of Baymax's back.

Everyone murmured in excitement. "No way!" Zack gasped.

"Thrusters!"

A burst of power from Baymax's feet lifted him several inches. The students backed away in awe. The robot held out his hands to keep him steady.

"I still fail to see how flying makes me a better healthcare companion," he said to Hiro.

"I fail to see how you fail to see that this is awesome!" Hiro replied. "Full thrust!"

He pointed to the sky. Baymax prepared for launch –

And fell flat on his stomach.

The thrusters went out in full force, and everyone leaped out of the way as Baymax dragged Hiro along the ground screaming. Baymax twisted himself until he was back in the air; the students ducked as he narrowly missed their heads. Hiro and Baymax awkwardly spiraled upward.

"Steady, big guy, let's just take this slow – AAAHHHH! Up! Up! Up!"

They were on a collision course with Professor Eda's office window.

"Thrust! Thrust!" cried Hiro.

Moments before they crashed, Baymax flew straight upward. Hiro's cheers carried on the wind.

Eda perked up from her desk and opened the window.

"What the…"

At the rate they were going, Hiro probably would hold Kay to his word about going to the moon. They were almost at the highest point of the tallest castle tower and there were no signs of Baymax stopping from there.

"Too much thrust, too much thrust!"

The thrusters shut off. The momentum carried them up and over the tower, just missing the round gold ball at the end of the flagpole.

And now they were falling.

"No no no, back on, back on!" Hiro screamed.

The thrusters returned with a vengeance. They zoomed past rows of classroom windows, bringing lessons to a halt as students leaped from their desks to catch a glimpse of them.

Baymax now had complete control over himself, and Hiro couldn't be more ecstatic. They were really flying! He gave a whoop of joy as Baymax did a few loop-the-loops.

They soared back to the field. Baymax steadily hovered over everyone's heads. Hiro waved to them, then looked at Kay. He took great pleasure in seeing a split-second look of fear on his face.

"Give up, Kay, or do you wanna see Baymax really cut loose?" he shouted at him.

Kay growled something inaudible, but he seemed worried. Hiro somehow knew what to do. He leaned forward and Baymax surged at him. Kay rolled out of the way just in time. The students hollered and clapped. Someone below even shouted "Olé!"

"No one here to help you weasel out of this one," called Hiro. "So do yourself a favor and hand it over."

Kay must have had the same thought.

"Is that so?" he sneered. He began whipping the medallion around in a circle.

"You'd better catch it first!"

He let go, and the medallion streaked towards the forest. Hiro watched it rise, then fall, in slow motion. He leaned forward– the blastoff from Baymax's thrusters sent Kay tumbling backwards in midair – next second they were gathering speed, racing in a steep dive to catch the medallion – wind whistled in his ears, along with the screams of everyone watching – he stretched out his hand – and he caught it.

Hiro waved the medallion in his fist as Baymax glided back to the cheering children.

Then one of the Felinus students pointed and screamed.

Kay was dangling helplessly from his robes on one of the dangerously high sconces – and they were beginning to rip.

Hiro really didn't want to, and yet…

"Baymax, catch him!"

They surged towards Kay. His robes tore through and he would have had just as bad a fall as Wart if Baymax hadn't caught him in his arms at the last second. The robot gently carried him like a baby back to terra firma.

The elated students swarmed Hiro and Baymax. Even Wendy congratulated them on a job well done. Their hurrahs drowned out everything.

Well, almost everything…

"HIRO HAMADA!"

His heart sunk faster than it just dived. Professor Eda, riding her flying staff, landed right behind him. She glowered at him, almost unable to speak.

"Never have I…do you have any idea…could have…I just…"

"It's not his fault, professor –"

"Quiet, Peter."

"But Kay –"

"Enough, Zack. Hiro, you're coming with me, now. And bring that oversized toy with you, too."

Hiro caught sight of Kay, Boscha and Sasha's triumphant faces as he left, walking numbly alongside Baymax in Eda's wake as she strode towards the castle. He was going to be expelled, he just knew it. He wanted to say something to defend himself but there was something wrong with his voice. He hadn't even lasted two weeks. What would Aunt Cass say when she found him on her doorstep – again?

Eda swept along without looking at him or saying a word. Maybe she was taking him to Merlin. He thought about Ralph, expelled but allowed to stay on and work for the school. Maybe he could get a job as his assistant; his stomach turned as he imagined watching Peter and his friends go on to learn all sorts of great things while he stumped around hauling bricks or whatever Ralph did.

Finally, Eda stopped outside of Professor Ichabod's classroom.

"If I may, Professor –" Baymax began.

"Save it, robot. This won't take long."

She poked her head inside the room.

"'Scuse me, Icky, mind if I borrow Cass for a sec?"

Cass? Surely she hadn't already been summoned to take Hiro home?

But no, this was a different Cass entirely, a tall sinewy seventh-year student with short, curly black and gray hair.

Eda pointed them into a classroom that was empty except for the Cheshire Cat, who was busy doodling on the blackboard.

"Out, Ches!" Eda ordered. The Cheshire Cat flipped the piece of chalk into the air and passed through the board, leaving behind a puff of smoke and his outline on the board in pink chalk. Eda closed the door and faced the two confused students.

"Hiro, meet Cassandra DeGuard, captain of the Mus Questing team. Cass – meet our new Chaser!"

Cassandra's face turned from puzzlement to shock.

"Are you sure, Professor?"

"Absolutely! The kid's a natural!" Eda said, clapping Hiro on the back. "And that machine of his is something too. Don't tell me that your first time flying, right Hiro?"

"I-it was," Hiro stammered. He had no clue what was going on, but the possibility of getting kicked out felt further away with each passing moment. Some of the feeling returned to his legs.

"He caught that coin AND some hapless kid in a fifty-foot dive," Eda told Cassandra. "And not a scratch on 'im. I haven't seen anyone do that since my gory days on the field."

Hiro couldn't bring himself to ask if she meant "glory" or not.

Cassandra didn't look entirely convinced.

"You ever seen a Questing game, Hamada?" she asked.

"No." He shook his head.

"He's a fast learner, trust me," said Eda, now walking around Hiro and studying him. "He's got the right build for a chaser, too. Light, good eye, and that robot can bring on the speed."

Cassandra had her hand to her chin as she contemplated this.

"We haven't had a great chaser in years…"

"And wouldn't it be nice to finally beat Felinus at their own game?" Eda smacked her fist in her palm. "I couldn't look Lily in the face for weeks after our last match. Lousy cheaters wouldn't have gotten us so bad if they played as hard and fair as you do, Cass…not that I'd know anything about using dirty tricks to win…" She coughed a little on that last sentence.

Cassandra nodded.

"All right, Hamada. I'll give you a test run. But you work hard, be punctual, and do everything I tell you to, understand?"

Hiro nodded. Something about her steely gray eyes as she stared down at him made her even more intimidating.

"Yes!" Eda pumped her fist in the air. "We are gonna knock 'em dead this year! And win a lot too!"

"Metaphorically, right?" asked Hiro.

Eda shrugged.

"Wait, if you brought me here just to say you want me to play on the team, how come you didn't say so in the first place?" Hiro said.

"One, I had to make it look like you were in trouble so it wouldn't seem as though I was playing favorites," Eda counted on her fingers, "and two, I just love seeing the look on my babies' faces when they think they're screwed." She laughed.

"By the way, what Cass says goes double for me, Hiro. If she says you're not putting in the effort, I just might have to punish you after all. And you don't wanna know what detention is like around here, believe me."

Eda suddenly smiled at him.

"Your mom would be proud, kid. She was an excellent Quester herself."

"You're kidding!"

It was dinnertime. Hiro just finished telling Peter what happened between him and Cassandra. Peter had a bacon sandwich halfway to his mouth but immediately forgot about it.

"I start training next week," said Hiro. "Just don't tell anyone though, Cassandra wants to keep it a secret."

Edric and Emira plopped down next to Hiro.

"We just got the news, Hiro," Edric said cheerfully. "Lemme shake hands with our new teammate."

He drew a glowing circle with his finger between him and Hiro and held his hand out. Hiro put his hand in and shook Edric's. When he pulled it back out, it had transformed into a slimy green tentacle.

Edric and Emira laughed until their stomachs hurt. Edric drew another circle and sent it whooshing over Hiro's arm, restoring it to normal.

"Illusion magic. That's how we got on the team. You're looking at the most powerful pair of Rogues in the history of Questing."

"I'm telling you, that cup is ours!" said Emira. "You've gotta be good, Hiro; Cassie was practically fuming when she told us. She hates being outdone."

"Why? What's up?" Anne, who was sitting at the table right behind them, asked.

"Oh, Hiro's going to be the new chaser on our Questing team," Emira said nonchalantly.

"But don't tell anyone, okay?" said Edric. The twins winked at each other.

"Oh. My. GOSH!" Anne gushed. "This is so exciting! Don't worry, I won't say a thing." She stuck her phone under the table while she smiled at Hiro and began quickly texting. Hiro frowned at the twins.

"Seriously, guys? I'm trying to make a good impression with Cass. Once this gets out –"

"Aw, don't worry about it. Cassie needs to lighten up. Besides, the news would have come out anyway."

"We just gave it a little push out the door."

"Anyway, gotta go. Viney and Barcus think they've found a new way into the Utilidors."

"Betcha it's the one behind the Partners statue. See ya, Hiro!"

Emira and Edric had hardly disappeared when someone far less welcome turned up: Kay, flanked by Sasha and Boscha.

"It ain't true," Kay sniffed. "You're enjoyin' your last meal, aren't ya? Tell Sasha you ain't gotten on no Questing team and that you're on the next train outta here!"

"Boy, word gets around this place fast," Hiro said.

"You're a lot braver with your girlfriends here to protect you," said Peter.

Kay, Boscha and Sasha growled; it was all they could do with the teachers present at the high table.

"Might as well say it," Hiro shrugged. "Sasha's right; I am going to be on the Questing team."

"Ha! Told you!" Sasha pointed at Kay. "And you called me a liar!"

"Shut it!" Kay barked at her. Sasha turned red and gritted her teeth.

"I don't believe either of you," Kay thundered. "You're no Quester, you never even heard of the sport 'til you met me. And I can take you both meself anytime. No puny brains or flyin' machines can outdo pure strength."

"Not unless you're about to fall fifty feet," smirked Hiro.

Kay grabbed Hiro by the scruff of his robes and ripped him out of his seat.

"Why you –"

"Hey!"

Peter shot up between them.

"There's only one way to settle this – a wizard's duel!"

A nasty grin crept across Kay's face.

"Yeah, that's it, a wizard's duel!"

"A wizard's duel?" asked Hiro.

"I'm his second," Peter continued, pointing a thumb at his chest. "We'll meet you in the trophy room at midnight."

"All right. Boscha! You're my second," Kay answered, ignoring the shocked look on Sasha's face. "Better not back out, Hamada. Your house is supposed to be the courageous type, after all." They sauntered back to the Felinus tables.

"You know, if any of us gets caught out of bed, we could get in major trouble," Sasha told him.

"Then we don't get caught," Kay said bluntly.

"But what if someone found out they were going to sneak out? They might even get expelled," she replied with a growing devious smile.

"Yeah," Boscha caught on. "Maybe if someone told that gross old janitor that a bunch of Mus students were planning on dueling tonight and exactly when and where they'd be, they'd be kicked out by morning."

Kay paused, and rested his chin in his hand.

"Hmmm…"

"Wait, what happens in a wizard's duel?" Hiro asked Peter. "And what do you mean you're my second?"

"Oh, you turn into animals and try to destroy each other. Your second takes over if you die. None of us knows enough magic to really do any damage, though. The most you and Kay could probably do is give each other bunny ears."

"And what if I wave my wand and nothing happens?"

"Hmmm…throw it away and kick him in the –"

"Excuse me."

They looked up. It was Wendy.

"Can't a fella eat in peace around here?" Peter complained.

Wendy ignored him and spoke directly to Hiro.

"I couldn't help overhearing what you and Kay were saying and I'd just like to say I don't think you should go through with this. Think of all the points you lose. Think of how much trouble you'll be in! It's not very becoming of a hero to jump into something like this for such selfish reasons."

"Sorry, but it's none of your business," stated Hiro. "And if you care that much, go tell a teacher and see what happens."

Peter waved his arms and shook his head, but it was too late to take it back.

"All right then, maybe I will."

Wendy marched up to the teachers' table, then paused. She looked back at Peter and Hiro, then at the teachers, then down at the floor as she fiddled with her fingers. Eventually she hurried out of the Great Hall without saying a word to anyone.

"Not exactly what you'd call the perfect end to the day," Hiro thought as he lay awake much later listening to Milo, Zack, and Sprig fall asleep (Wart wasn't back from the infirmary yet). Peter spent all evening giving him advice such as "If he tries to curse you, just dodge it and try to cast something worse". There was a strong chance of getting caught by O'Dell or Bony, and Hiro felt he was pushing his luck breaking two school rules in one day. On the other hand, Kay's leering face kept looming out of the darkness – this was his big chance to beat him face-to-face. He couldn't miss it.

"Pssst – nearly midnight," Peter whispered. "Let's go."

They pulled on their robes, grabbed their wands, got Baymax up and running as quietly as possible (Hiro figured having a medic on hand would help if things went pear-shaped), and crept down into the common room.

"Are you really going through with this?"

It was Wendy, sitting in an armchair and wearing a blue nightgown and a frown.

Peter and Hiro groaned.

"What are you doing here?"

"I thought about telling Professor Eda. She would have stopped you."

"Not really!" came a shout from Eda's private quarters the floor above.

"Go back to sleep, Wendy," Peter moaned. He, Hiro and Baymax moved for the portrait hole. But Wendy wasn't about to give up so easily. She got up and continued to scold the boys as she followed them out. Hiro wondered for a moment if he sounded like her around his old school, and was no longer surprised that he was scorned so often.

"All right, then, but I warned you, and before you're both sent home on the train tomorrow, I'd just like to say you're –"

But what they were, they didn't find out. A horde of cape-wearing crocodiles chased the dancing hippo out of the painting, leaving nothing but an empty garden in the frame. They were locked out.

"Oh, now what am I going to do?" she asked in frustration.

"Beats me," shrugged Peter. "We're late."

"Wait! I'm coming with you!"

"You are?!"

"I'm not going to wait around in this frigid night air until someone finds me and blames me for your –"

"Who's there?" a voice quavered.

"Shh!" Hiro quieted them. "I hear someone." They looked around but saw nobody.

"Down here," the voice told them. They looked to the floor.

It was Wart, still in his bird form, with a tiny sling around one wing.

"I couldn't remember the password, but Hyacinth – she's the hippo who dances here – she wouldn't tell me what it was. So I've been waiting here all night for someone to let me in."

"Keep your voice down, Wart. It's Bye-Um-Pum-Pum, but it won't do any good now. The hippo's stranded us out here."

"How's your wing?" said Hiro.

"Fine. Miss Fauna and Miss Merryweather mended it right away! But they told me to wait until tomorrow to change back so there won't be any problems just in case."

"Oh, good. Listen Wart, we gotta be somewhere, so we'll see you later –"

"Wait, don't go!" Wart cried. "I don't want to stay here alone! It's dark, and Baron Ravenswood's been here twice already…"

Peter rolled his eyes.

"Oh all right, but you gotta take orders! And don't get us caught!"

Wart saluted with his good wing. Wendy carefully picked him up and carried him with her.

They crept along corridors stripped with bars of moonlight. Hiro expected to run into O'Dell or Bony at every turn, but luck was on their side. They sped up a staircase to the trophy room on the third floor.

Kay and Boscha weren't there yet. The crystal trophy cases glimmered where the moonlight caught them. Cups, shields, plates and statues winked silver and gold in the darkness. They edged along the walls, keeping their eyes on the doors at either end of the room. Hiro took out his wand in case Kay leaped in and attacked at once. The minutes dragged by.

"He's not coming. I knew he was a coward," said Peter.

A door creaked open, making them jump. Hiro lifted his wand when someone spoke – and it wasn't Kay.

"That's it, boy, get a good sniff of 'em. They could be lurking anywhere."

It was O'Dell speaking to Bony. Horrorstruck, Hiro waved at his friends to follow him as quickly as possible. They scurried along to the door furthest away from O'Dell's voice. Baymax barely toddled around the corner when they heard O'Dell enter the trophy room.

"They oughta be in here somewhere," he muttered, "hiding, probably."

"This way!" Hiro mouthed to the others, and they tiptoed down a hallway full of suits of armor. In the dead silence, they could hear O'Dell coming closer.

Without warning, one of the suits leaped out in front of Hiro with its axe raised. Hiro screamed and stumbled backwards into Peter, who stumbled into Wendy, who stumbled into Baymax, who bumped into the row of armor and sent it clattering and banging down the hall like a line of dominoes. O'Dell turned the corner.

"What the devil is going on here? Ches, if this is your idea of a joke – "

A helmet fell on to his head, and the next thing he knew, he was buried under a heap of metal.

"RUN!" Hiro yelled, and the five of them sprinted out of there, not looking back to see if O'Dell was following them – they swung round the corner and through a doorway, then another hall, Hiro in the lead with no idea where they were or where they were going – they dashed through a tapestry into a hidden passageway and came out into the Defense classroom.

"I think we lost him," Peter gasped, learning against the wall and wiping his forehead.

"Kay was never gonna meet us, was he?" panted Hiro.

"Of course he wasn't," Wendy snapped, fighting to catch her breath. "He must have told Mr. O'Dell you were coming. It was a trap."

Hiro knew she was right, but was hesitant to say so.

"Let's go back to the tower."

But as he reached for the door, a laugh echoed behind them near Professor Eda's desk, ending in a familiar song.

"…And the momeraths outgraaaaa-BUH!"

"Oh fudge, the Cheshire Cat," muttered Hiro.

"Were you expecting a white rabbit, perhaps?" the enigmatic feline asked innocently, his ears stretching out to a rabbit's length. "I don't recall Merlin changing the rules about staying out late. I wonder if Mr. O'Dell knows..."

"He doesn't, Ches, and we want to keep it that way, so please –"

"He doesn't? He doesn't? Oh, but he must! He'll be simply mad when he learns that you're here, simply mad!" he cackled. His voice echoed loudly around the classroom as he began his song again and vanished.

Hiro threw open the door and they ran for their lives down one corridor and another – until they slammed into a locked door. They banged on it and tugged on the latch, but it wouldn't budge. They pointed their wands and said every spell they knew; still, it remained locked.

"This is it, we're done for!" moaned Wart.

"Uhhh…anyone try 'Open Sesame'?" Hiro joked half-heartedly.

The lock clicked, and the door swung open.

"It worked?!"

"Come on!" Peter dragged them in and they slammed the door seconds before O'Dell hobbled into the corridor, shaking off the last bit of armor stuck on his leg.

Hiro and his friends pressed their ears to the door.

"Which way did they go, Ches?" they heard O'Dell squawk. "Quick, tell me!"

"Have you ever heard of a word called 'please'?"

"Gosh darn it, Ches, I don't have time for games! Now where did they go?"

"Won't say nothing if you don't say please," said the Cheshire Cat in his teasing singsong voice.

"Oh, all right – please."

"Very well, then…nothing."

"What?"

"I said I won't say nothing if you don't say please, and you did, so nothing!" he laughed and zoomed away, leaving O'Dell to sputter and curse.

Hiro turned to get a good look at their surroundings and was instantly sure they were trapped in a nightmare. The others continued talking unaware.

"Strange, most of the doors here aren't usually locked."

"You think this is one of the Utilidors?"

"Wait, this is the third floor corridor! We're not supposed to be here!"

"And for very good reason," Hiro muttered.

The others turned around slowly.

"Oh no," Baymax said quietly.

A gigantic lizard with a large narrow head, tough, scaly gray skin and a long heavy tail stood on its hind legs staring down at them. It wasn't a dragon; it didn't match any of the descriptions from Fantastic Beasts, but Hiro had seen something like this in one of his old science books.

"It…it's a dinosaur!"

The dinosaur roared and swiped a spiky claw at them. The children screamed and ran for the door – between death and O'Dell, they'd take O'Dell. They fell out in a heap and scrambled to shut the door as the dinosaur charged at them. They barely managed to hold their ground against the beast's pounding while Wendy locked it. The moment it clicked back into place, they flew – literally in Peter's case – back down the corridor all the way to the Mus tower. O'Dell must have hurried off to look for them someplace else, but they didn't care, not so long as they put as much space between them and that monster. They didn't stop until they reached Hyacinth's portrait.

"Now where have you all been?" she asked impatiently.

"Never mind that – Bye-Um-Pum-Pum!" panted Hiro. The painting swung forward, and they all collapsed, sweating and shaking, into the armchairs.

It was a long time before anyone said anything.

"What the heck are they doing, keeping something like that locked up in a school?" said Peter finally.

"Yeah, I thought dinosaurs were supposed to be extinct! Or does having magic mean you can mess with the laws of science and bring giant monsters back from the dead?" Hiro huffed.

Wendy got both her breath and her temper back again.

"Didn't you see it? What it was on top of?"

"I wasn't looking at the floor!" replied Hiro. "I was bit preoccupied with the living, breathing, bloodthirsty dinosaur locked up in the room with us!"

"You don't use your eyes, do you?" she replied, rolling her eyes. "It was standing on a trapdoor, which means it's guarding something."

"Guarding something?" said Wart.

"That's right," said Wendy. "Now, if you two don't mind, I'm going to bed before either of you comes up with another clever idea to get us killed – or worse, expelled!" She turned without another word and stormed up the stairs to the girls' dormitories.

"She needs to sort out her priorities," Peter muttered.

But Wendy had given Hiro something else to think about as they fell into their own beds. The dinosaur was guarding something…the teachers closed off the corridor to guard it from something or someone…it was probably protecting something like whatever Ralph was trying to hide…

Or some things…

Hiro realized where those packages from Vault 03-20 were now.

Chapter Text

Kay could hardly believe his eyes when he saw that Hiro and Peter were still in class the next day, looking tired but cheerful. Indeed, by the next morning, the boys thought that discovering the dinosaur had been a most excellent adventure, and they were keen on having another one soon. In the meantime, Hiro did some research and soon found a dino whose description matched the one they ran into – an iguanodon; a herbivore, but dangerous if provoked.

Hiro filled Peter in on the packages that seemed to have moved from the bank to the Magic Kingdom, and they spent a lot of time wondering what could need such heavy protection.

"It must be either really valuable, or really dangerous," said Peter.

"Or both," said Hiro.

But all they knew for sure was that each one was no more than a few inches, so they didn't have much chance of guessing what it was without further clues.

Hiro had to silence Baymax to make sure word of their late-night escapade didn't get out; he came dangerously close the next time they passed the corridor and he asked Hiro if he was going to go back there any time soon.

Neither Wart nor Wendy showed the slightest interest in what lay under the trapdoor. All Wart cared about was never going near the dinosaur again. Wendy barely spoke to either Peter or Hiro if she could help it. She seemed awfully hesitant to when she did, not that it mattered to them. All they cared about was a way of getting back at Kay. To their great delight, the very thing arrived in the mail a week later.

While Pedro circled around the Great Hall ceiling as usual, he parachuted a large package down to Hiro's place at the breakfast table. Hiro was just as curious as everyone else to see what was inside. No sooner than he reached for the tab than a letter fluttered down on top of it. "OPEN FIRST" was stamped on it in red. Hiro ripped it open, and it said:

Hiro had difficulty hiding his glee as he handed the note to Peter to read.

"Wow! Let's go see what it looks like!"

They left the hall quickly, but halfway across the entrance hall they found Sasha and Boscha blocking the stairs. Kay seized the box from Hiro and shook it.

"Your aunt sent you some hand-me-downs to give to Pan 'ere?" he said, throwing it back to Hiro with a mix of spite and smugness.

Peter couldn't resist.

"They're not just any old clothes, Kay. It's a new Questing uniform!"

"What was that you said about getting on the house team, Kay," said Hiro, "that it'd be a crime if you weren't picked? Well call the wizard cops, because I'm in and you're not!"

"You filthy-mouthed liar –"

But before Kay could say more, Professor Plantar appeared at his elbow.

"Not arguing, I hope, boys?"

"Hamada says he's on the Questing team, Professor," Kay said quickly.

"That's right," said Professor Plantar, beaming at Hiro. "Professor Eda told me all about it. My heart's always been more in the theater than in sports, but I'm looking forward to seeing you play, Hiro."

"Yep, my new uniform just arrived," said Hiro, fighting not to laugh at Kay's gobsmacked expression. "And it's all thanks to Kay here that I got it!"

Hiro and Peter headed upstairs, smothering their laughter at Kay's rage and confusion.

"Well, it's true," Hiro snorted as they reached the top of the marble staircase. "If he hadn't stolen Wart's medallion, I wouldn't be on the team."

"And I suppose you think that's a reward for breaking the rules?" Wendy muttered as they passed her. She looked disapprovingly at the package.

"Hey, I thought you weren't speaking to us," said Hiro.

"Well, I…" Wendy hurried down the stairs.

Hiro had a lot of trouble keeping his mind on his lessons all day. It kept wandering up to the dormitory where his new uniform lay waiting on his bed – it was a silvery, almost transparent smock, but made of extremely light chainmail – or straying over to the field where he'd be learning to play that evening. He bolted his dinner down, then rushed upstairs, threw off his robes, and put on his flight armor. He wondered how exactly the smock was supposed to adjust to it like Eda's note said. Carefully, he pulled it on over his head.

Starry sparkles twirled around him, changing his armor from purple, red and black to red and gold. His chest bore the school seal, which coincidentally doubled as Mus' symbol, the shape of a certain mouse's head. His last name blazed on his back in gold. He ran his fingers down the front, and silver light rippled in the form of the chainmail at his touch. It was an extra layer of magic protection, so light that he could hardly tell it was there. Hiro couldn't deny it – it looked great on him.

As seven o'clock drew nearer, Hiro got Baymax into his armor and they both set off in the dusk towards the Questing field. Hundreds of seats in high stands surrounded the field so the spectators could have every possible view of the action. Enormous poles bearing lights stood on either end of the stadium, along with several screens.

Too eager to fly again, Hiro mounted Baymax and they lifted without a hitch. What a feeling – he made a few loop-the-loops, slipped between the light poles and did a complete lap around the entire field unbidden by gravity. Baymax turned wherever he wanted at the slightest touch.

"Hey, Hiro, come on down!"

Cassandra arrived with a scroll and an idol under one arm. A chestnut-colored owl sat on her shoulder. Hiro and Baymax landed in front of her. She looked almost impressed, despite her smirk.

"Now that I've caught a sample of your flying skills, I've gotta say, not bad. I can see what Professor Eda meant. But there's a lot more to Questing than racing around in circles. I'm going to show you the ropes this evening. If you can handle it, you'll be joining team practice three times a week."

"Thanks. Nice owl, by the way. What's his name?"

Cassandra looked him.

"…Owl."

"Oh. Just Owl. Okay. Nice." Hiro said awkwardly.

She put down the idol and unrolled the scroll. There were illustrations and diagrams showing various players, objects, and scenes.

"Now, Questing is easy enough to understand, even if not so easy to play. At least ten teams can play at a time, though here it's limited to four since there's one for each house. With the exception of the end-of-year free-for-all, the matches are usually one-on-one. Each team has seven players."

"Four teams, seven players, got it," Hiro repeated.

"Right. Now the goal is to be the first team to reach the Treasure. Sometimes it's out in the open, sometimes it has to be found first. See the field? It looks ordinary now, but when it's game time, it completely changes into a whole new terrain. Mountains, caves, forests, deserts, ruins, there's no limit to what it can transform into. What form it will take is completely random, so you always have to be prepared for anything – battles, natural disasters, spells to break, guardians to defeat, riddles to solve. Every victory earns you points, but you can only win when you and your team find the treasure."

"Oh, so it's like those game shows with the temple maze and the giant mountain. My Aunt Cass said she loved watching those when she was a kid."

"Game shows?" Cassandra asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Um, never mind," said Hiro.

"Now, on to the players," Cassandra continued. "The Captain – that's me – leads the team, plans our strategy, and is usually in the forefront when it comes to direct combat. Then there are the Rogues; they set up traps and play tricks in order to trip up the other teams. I'm sure Edric and Emara have already given you a demonstration of their illusion skills."

Hiro remembered Edric's tentacle trick and nodded grimly.

"There's also three Warriors who fight alongside the Captain, protect the other players, and pave the way to the treasure whenever possible."

"So one Captain, two Rogues, three Warriors," Hiro stated, making sure he got it right. Cassandra nodded.

"And then there's you, the Chaser, one of the more important members of the team. You scout the terrain and search for the Treasure, usually from above. You'll also have to deal with the other team's Chaser, try to beat them to the Treasure or throw them off your trail. You can also provide air support when it comes to battles, like taking out team members with one good swoop or a magic bomb or something like that."

She picked up the idol and turned it over in her hands.

"The Chaser's usually the first to find the Treasure. The team who discovers it first gets some kind of surprise advantage to help them get that much closer to winning. It could be anything from ten seconds of flight to enhanced weaponry to invisibility. But the opposing team will also receive something that could counteract that advantage if they use it wisely. How you play could be the tipping point between victory and defeat, Hiro…any questions?"

Hiro got the gist of it, what worried him was if he could pull it off.

"Has anyone ever…died playing this?" he asked nervously.

"Died? No. Sometimes players were accidentally teleported elsewhere or turned to stone or something like that, but never anything that couldn't be reversed," said Cassandra. "Now, I want to see what you and Baymax are really capable of. I won't set the field to anything too hard since it's only you out there. Just try to get to the Treasure as fast as you can."

Hiro mounted Baymax again and Cassandra threw the idol to the center of the field. A control panel popped out of the ground and she pressed a few buttons. For the next half-hour, Hiro flew through a canyon, a swampy marsh, and various other locations. He found the idol every single time, thanks to his keen eye, quick understanding of the terrain, and Baymax's scanner. Cassandra made notes about his timing and maneuvers, though less and less as time wore on. When it got dark enough that Hiro and Baymax had to rely on their built-in flashlights to see, she called them back.

"The cup's going to have our names on it this time, I just know it. It'll be nice to end my final year here on a high note," she said as they walked back to the castle.

"How long have you been playing?" Hiro asked her.

"Since I was a kid. My dad's the captain of the Corona royal guard. He taught me all about fighting and self-defense, and that really came in handy on the Questing field," Cass said with a smile, the first genuinely happy one Hiro had seen since they started training. "I always thought that if I could prove how strong I was, he'd finally let me join the guards. Unfortunately, all these losses haven't done me or the Mus team any favors. It's not gonna happen this time, though. I won't be waiting in the wings any longer."

She gripped the idol tightly.

Perhaps because he was now so busy, what with Questing practice thrice a week on top of all his homework, but Hiro could hardly believe it when he realized he had been at the Magic Kingdom for two whole months. The castle felt as close to home as San Fransokyo ever had. His lessons, too, were also becoming more interesting now that they had mastered the basics.

On Halloween morning, they awoke to the delicious smell of baking pumpkin and chocolate wafting through the corridors. Even better, Professor Flora announced that she thought they were ready to try the classic catchall spell, Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo. It was something they were all dying to try since she made Milo's dog zoom around the classroom. Professor Flora put the class into pairs to practice. Hiro's partner was Milo, which put him on edge. He liked Milo, sure, but you could never predict what would happen with him around. Peter, however, was miserable to be stuck with Wendy. Tinkerbell, who rarely left Peter's side after learning about the dinosaur encounter, felt the same.

"Don't forget the nice wrist movement we've been practicing," Professor Flora said cheerfully. "Wave, wave and flick. And saying the magic words properly is important too – never forget Gwen Piper, who said her 'P's too softly and blasted her enemies with flowers, not powers. All together now!"

It was more difficult than they imagined. The feather Hiro and Milo were trying to levitate stayed put no matter how hard they waved and flicked. Peter wasn't having much luck at his desk, either.

"Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo! Bibbidi Bobbidi –" He waved his arms like a conductor.

"Peter, stop, please," Wendy urged. "You're going to take someone's eye out! Besides, it's Bibbidi Bobbidi BOO, not BIBBIDI Bobbidi Boo."

"Well, you do it if you're so smart. Go on!" Peter whipped back.

Wendy pushed back her sleeves, cleared her throat, waved her wand and said:

"Just a wave of my stick

Will do the trick,

Bibbidi, Bobbidi, BOO!"

Their feather rose up and up above Professor Flora's head.

"Oh, well done!" she cried. "See here, everyone, Miss Darling's done it!"

Peter threw down his wand and folded his arms. He refused to even look at Wendy. Milo noticed Hiro's equal frustration and gave him an encouraging smile.

"Ah, don't worry Hiro, we can still do this! Lemme have another go at it –"

"No, that's okay, Milo, you don't have to –"

"Bibbidi bobbidi BOOM!"

Perhaps Milo ought to have taken Professor Fauna's words on pronunciation to heart. The explosion he caused could be heard from the other end of the castle.

"It's Bibbidi Bobbidi BOO, not BIBBIDI Bobbidi Boo!" said Peter, doing an unflattering imitation of Wendy as he left the classroom covered in ash like the rest of his buddies.

"Yeah, I may have been a know-it-all at my old school, but I was never that bad," Hiro replied in agreement. The boys chuckled. Tinkerbell waggled her head chiming furiously. Peter snorted.

"You're right, Tink. Wendy's a nightmare, always telling us what to do, acting she knows everything. It's no wonder nobody hangs out with her! Who'd want to be stuck with a girl like that for a friend?"

Someone shoved their way past Peter and Hiro. It was Wendy – and Hiro could see she was crying.

"Ohhhh I think she heard us," he said, feeling a bit guilty now.

Wendy didn't turn up for the next class, or the one after. Nobody saw her in the Mus tower as they prepared for the Magic Kingdom's Halloween party. All students were invited to dress up in costumes and dance and play games until the stroke of midnight. Hiro made a few cosmetic additions to his armor so he resembled a mecha from one of his favorite mangas. Peter grabbed a long coat, feathered hat, and prop sword from the free costume closet and went as a pirate.

A thousand live bats fluttered from the walls and ceiling of the Great Hall, flickering the candles in a hundred floating jack-o-lanterns. Everyone was dressed in all sorts of wonderful colorful costumes, from fairies and mermaids to animals and superheroes. The floor was cleared so there'd be room for dancing; the ghosts opened the festivities waltzing to the strains of a creepy organ before pulling other students in to join them. The tables were piled high with more candy than Hiro had seen in his life.

Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to push Wendy from his mind.

"Hey Anne, have you seen Wendy anywhere?"

Anne, who was dressed as a sparkly blue dragonfly, swallowed her mouthful of jellybeans.

"Yeah, Marcy overheard her in the bathroom. She's been in there all afternoon, crying. Apparently some jerks were making fun of her and saying how nobody likes her. If I ever find out who they are, I am gonna hex them so hard… "

Thunder rumbled across the ceiling, and Hiro swore Anne's eyes flashed along with the blue lightning. He no longer felt like he could stomach anything sugary. He turned to Peter and saw he had something resembling the same guilt-ridden look he had.

But neither of them had time to dwell on it as Professor Ichabod sprinted into the Great Hall, coat flapping about his spindly legs and arms, looking for all the world like a scarecrow escaped from a cornfield.

"TROLL! In the castle! Troll in the castle!"

The organ pounded to a halt as everyone stopped what they were doing and faced the flustered professor.

"…Thought you ought to know."

He sank to the floor in a dead faint.

There was a brief moment of silence – and then the Great Hall was flung into chaos. Students screamed and scrambled past each other to be the first to reach the doors. Merlin jumped on one of the few tables that weren't overturned and raised his wand.

"Higitus figitus koma kazung!
I want your attention everyone!"

At this, everyone in the room froze and turned to Merlin as one.

"Will everyone please not panic," he said calmly but firmly. "Now, students, the heads of your houses will escort you safely back to your dormitories. The teachers and I will find and deal with the troll."

Eda made her way to the front of the hall and led her charges out.

"Follow me, kids! Everyone stick together! No need to fear any troll while I'm here! Move aside, teacher coming through!"

"How did a troll get in the castle?" Hiro asked with concern as they climbed the stairs.

"Beats me. Maybe the Cheshire Cat did it as a prank. Wish I thought of it first," said Peter.

Hiro grabbed his arm.

"Wendy! She doesn't know about the troll!"

Peter, whatever he felt about Wendy, didn't need to be told twice. Ducking down, they followed the Anatis students headed in the other direction. Tinkerbell slipped next to Peter and tugged on his sleeve, trying to pull him back to the stairs.

"Stop it, Tink!" Peter hissed. "If you don't want to come, go back to the tower!"

Tinkerbell huffed, but followed Peter and Hiro anyway.

They slipped down an abandoned corridor and were just turning a corner when they saw a shadow approaching them on the wall. Peter pulled Hiro behind a stone gargoyle.

Peering around it, they saw Lilith. She was alone, and seemed to be in a hurry. She crossed the corridor and disappeared from view.

"Weird, isn't Lilith supposed to be with the teachers?" Hiro whispered. "Where's she going?"

"Who cares?" said Peter.

Hiro suddenly recognized what part of the castle they were in.

"Wait, she's headed for the third floor –"

There was a rumble and a crash of stone from somewhere below.

"What was that?! The troll?" Hiro trembled.

"Maybe Merlin got rid of it."

"Maybe it's on its way here!"

Hiro yanked Peter's hand and dashed down the corridor to the girls' bathroom. He knocked on the door.

"Wendy, are you in there? You've gotta come with us fast!"

He put an ear to the door. He couldn't make out a sound. Despite how awkward it felt to him, Hiro knew he had to go in. He pushed his way through with Peter right behind.

The room was made of white stone and tiles with a row of brightly painted stalls opposite marble sinks. A huge round window overlooking the mountains stood in the furthermost wall. Hiro could hear a faint sobbing from one of the stalls.

"Wendy, come on out."

"Go away!"

"Look, Wendy, we're sorry," said Hiro slightly exasperated. "We didn't mean anything by it, honest. We were just kidding."

"And I suppose everyone else in school is joking too?" she sniffled. "I hear what they say, the names they call me, even when I'm just trying to help. I even do my homework during lunch because nobody wants to sit with me. Ever since my mother told me stories about heroes and princesses and their adventures, I wanted to learn all I could so I could be special like them…but now I-I sometimes wish I never came here…"

"You don't mean that!" said Peter suddenly. "Those jerks who talk like that, well, they're jealous of you because you do a lot right and you know so much, right, Hiro?"

But Hiro hadn't heard what he said. He was too busy staring at the enormous eye glowering at them through the window.

"Eye-eye-eye-eye –"

"I what?" sniffled Wendy.

"I EAT you now!" a voice boomed.

A thick yellow arm smashed through the window. Peter and Hiro dove under the sinks. The arm flailed around trying to grab on to anything and crashed into the row of stalls. Wendy screamed. She crawled out from under the broken wood, her hair full of splinters.

"Hey, no fair! I is allowed to eat you!"

The arm withdrew and a bald misshapen head burst its way in, demolishing the wall entirely. It was the troll, all right; it had climbed the castle wall outside in search of its meal. It stood at least twenty feet high and glared at them with mean little eyes. Wendy froze in place while the boys began hurling whatever they could at the troll's head.

"Wait a minute, what are we doing?!" said Hiro after a moment. "We have magic!"

He took out his wand and began whipping it around, building up magical energy. He charged towards the troll, ready to cast it – and slipped on a puddle; the troll had managed to destroy one of the toilets in the stalls and now it was flooding everywhere. Hiro slid across the floor straight towards the troll's open mouth.

"Tink, dust Hiro, quick!" shouted Peter. Tinkerbell flurried over to Hiro, showering him with pixie dust. The next thing Hiro knew, he was floating off the floor – though it did nothing to stop his momentum. Instead of sailing right into the troll's mouth, he flew legs-first up its bulbous nose. He hung out of the nostril like a large purple booger.

"Blegh! Someone get me outta here!" he cried as he attempted to squeeze himself out.

But the disgust he felt was nothing compared to the troll's. It roared and shook its head, trying to dislodge Hiro. Finally, it grabbed hold of one of the broken pipes sticking out of the busted wall and pressed its other hand against its free nostril. Hiro was blasted out in a spray of snot onto the floor.

As Wendy ran over to help him up, the pipe the troll clutched creaked and bent under its weight. The troll groaned in terror – it was many stories up from the ground – and frantically tried to grab at the opening in the wall to steady itself. Tink chimed something sharp to Peter and flew out to the troll. She sprinkled him with pixie dust. Peter pulled out his own wand and pointed it at the pipe – hardly knowing what he was going to do, just knowing that he had to keep it away from his friends, he heard himself cry the first spell that came to his head:

"Bibbidi, Bobbidi, BOO!"

The troll, now free from the confines of gravity, swung back towards them on the pipe. It cackled gleefully as it slammed a gigantic hand down on the tile floor, cracking it. Hiro, Peter and Wendy backed away as it leered towards them…but the troll had no idea of the amount of pressure it was putting on the pipe against Peter's spell.

The next thing they knew, the pipe sprung in the other direction, flinging the troll far into the distance hollering "WAAAAHHHH-HOO-HOO-HOOOEEYY!"

The four of them would have celebrated their victory right then and there, had it not been for the growing cracks the troll's handprint left behind. There was a loud crumble, and Wendy fell with a large chunk of the tile floor. Peter swooped down without a moment's hesitation, arms outstretched as he speeded towards her, the wind blasting in his face nearly blinding him as Wendy's screams rang in his ears. Seconds before she hit the ground, he caught her and held her tight in his arms. For a moment, Wendy could hardly speak.

"Oh, Peter…" she gasped breathlessly.

They gently rose back up to the bathroom, where Hiro was jumping up and down pumping his fist in the air and cheering.

"All right, we did it! We –"

The bathroom door burst open, and Eda, Lilith, and Ichabod ran in.

"…oh boy."

Hiro, Wendy and Peter hadn't realized what a racket they had been making, but of course, someone must have heard the crashes and the troll's roars. And now there they were, sans troll in the middle of a completely demolished bathroom. The normally unflappable Eda stood there in shock. Ichabod gasped and clutched Lilith's arm. Lilith elbowed him in the stomach. Hiro had never seen her look so angry. She slammed her staff on the floor.

"Explain yourselves, now!"

The boys stumbled over their tongues when –

"It was my fault, Professor Lilith."

Lilith looked like someone had slapped her across the face.

"…Miss Darling?"

Wendy stepped forward.

"I went looking for the troll. I read about Prince Edward's conquests of Andalasian trolls and thought I could handle it, but I was wrong. If Peter and Hiro hadn't found me, I'd probably be dead."

Peter and Hiro's jaws dropped. Even Tinkerbell looked shocked. Wendy Darling lying to a teacher?

"Hiro tried to cast a spell but flew up his nose, and Peter and Tinkerbell sent it flying away on one of the pipes. There wasn't any time for them to fetch anyone. It was…just about to eat me when they arrived."

Peter and Hiro quickly nodded as if this story was old news to them. Hiro was speechless. Wendy was the last person to defy the rules, and here she was, pretending she had, to get them out of trouble. He couldn't have been more surprised if Professor Owl took a vow of silence.

"Well, if that's the case," said Lilith, staring down the three of them, "I'm extremely disappointed in you, Miss Darling. That was a dangerously foolish thing to do. I'd have expected far more rational behavior from you. Five points will be taken from Mus for your serious lack of judgment."

Wendy hung her head.

"Hey, and what about these two guys, huh?" said Eda, clearly trying to lighten the mood. "I haven't seen many first-years who could take on an Andalasian troll and live to tell about it. That kind of bravery deserves a reward. How about –"

"I suggest you refer to the rule book before you dish out points at random," said Lilith. "We wouldn't want to give any houses an unfair advantage, now would we?"

Eda groaned. "Ugh, fine, hang on a sec."

An enormous leather-bound book titled Keys to the Kingdom and Points System appeared in Eda's hands. The pages flipped themselves until she found what she was looking for.

"All right, let's see here…five points?? For defeating a full-grown troll?! I gotta talk to Merlin about this system, it makes no sense…"

"It's to discourage students from doing something so foolhardy twice, Edalyn," Lilith admonished her.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Eda rolled her eyes. "Five points to you both. Don't let it happen again or it'll be fifty points next time."

"Edalyn!"

"Get yourselves to the common room, kids, we're continuing the party there. Hold on, Wendy. I want to have a word with you."

The boys waited outside the bathroom as Eda whispered something to Wendy. Lilith and Ichabod watched them for a moment, then departed down the hall.

"I-it's good to see a teacher take a firm hand with her students," Ichabod said with an air of false confidence. "Spare the rod, spoil the child, I say."

"Truly you are a disciplinarian of the highest fortitude, Crane," Lilith grumbled sarcastically.

When she was done, Eda winked at Wendy.

"I'll be letting Merlin know about this. You go on ahead now."

And she went her own way.

"What'd she say?" Hiro asked Wendy once Eda was out of sight. Wendy fiddled with her hands.

"Well...she said that I must have some really great friends if they're worth covering for, and that I shouldn't let them go."

There was a slightly embarrassed pause.

"Well, we did save your life," said Peter awkwardly.

"She might not have needed saving if we hadn't made fun of her in the first place," Hiro reminded him.

"What are friends for?" Peter said.

Wendy found herself smiling at that.

"I meant what I said earlier," Hiro said sometime later as they climbed the stairs to the tower. "I'm sorry about calling you all those things."

"Me too," said Peter.

The common room was packed and noisy. Kids were eating the food that had been set up, some were dancing to a jaunty tune Sprig played on his violin along with a hodgepodge ghostly band, and a few sat by the fire as the Hatbox Ghost regaled them with how he lost his head. Nobody noticed the three of them enter.

There was an awkward pause as they found a place to sit, broken only when Wendy noticed one of her storybooks lying nearby.

"So that's where I left Stories of the Sea," she murmured, picking it up.

"Sea, huh? Are there any stories about pirates in there?" asked Peter.

"Oh yes, I know a lot about them that aren't even in this book. Did you ever hear the story of how Davy Jones became captain of the Flying Dutchman? It all began when…"

And the two spent the rest of the night listening enraptured to Wendy's tales. From that moment on, Hiro and Peter counted her as their friend. There are some things in life you can't share without ending up liking each other, and showing a gigantic troll how to fly is one of them.

Chapter Text

As they entered November, the weather turned colder. The mountains and hills around the school became icy gray and the river like chilled steel. Every morning the ground was covered in frost. Ralph could be seen from the upstairs windows breaking logs apart with his bare hands into firewood, bundled up in a long overcoat and plaid trapper hat.

Questing season had officially begun. On Saturday, Hiro would be playing in his first match after weeks of training: Mus versus Felinus. If Mus won, they would move up into second place in the House Championship.

Hardly anyone had seen Hiro play because Cassandra had decided that, as their secret weapon, Hiro should be kept, well, secret. But the news that he was the new Chaser leaked out thanks to the Blight twins, and Hiro didn't know which was worse – people telling him he'd be brilliant, or that they'd be running around underneath him holding a mattress.

It was really lucky that Hiro now had Wendy as a friend. He didn't know how he'd have gotten through his homework without her, what with all the last-minute Questing practice Cassandra was making them do. It was nice to finally have a friend who shared his enthusiasm for learning, and the two quickly found themselves swapping theories about spells and the inner workings of magic. Peter didn't have much to say during these discussions, but he was more than happy to listen to her tell stories of all the brave warriors and heroes that she knew of, and loved showing off his flight skills to her.

Wendy also lent Hiro a book she found about Questing, which turned out to be a very interesting read. Hiro learned that there were seven hundred ways of committing a Questing foul and that all of them had happened during a World Cup match in 2005; that Chasers were usually the smallest and fastest players, and that most serious accidents seemed to happen to them; that although people rarely died while Questing, referees had been known to vanish and turn up months later in the deserts of Agrabah. The book was also an audiobook; if you tapped your wand on the page, it was read aloud in a dry, humorless voice that stood in stark contrast against the chaotic moving illustrations.

Wendy had become a bit more relaxed about breaking rules since Hiro and Peter saved her from the troll. The day before Hiro's first Questing match the three of them were out in the freezing courtyard during break, and she had conjured up a tiny flame that stood at the end of her wand. They huddled together warming their hands over it, when Lilith crossed the yard. Hiro noticed at once that she was limping. He, Peter, and Wendy moved closer together to block the fire from view until Wendy put it out; they were sure it wouldn't be allowed. Unfortunately, something about their guilty faces caught Lilith's eye. She limped over. She hadn't seen the fire, but she seemed to be looking for a reason to tell them off anyway.

"What do you have there, Mr. Hamada?"

It was the Questing book. Hiro showed her.

"Library books are not to be taken outside the school," said Lilith. She snatched it from his hands. "Five points from Mus."

"She just made that rule up!" Hiro muttered angrily as Lilith limped away. "Wonder what's up with her leg?"

"Dunno, but I hope it's really hurting her," said Peter bitterly.

The Mus common room was particularly noisy that evening. Hiro, Peter, and Wendy sat together next to a window. Wendy was checking Peter's Charms homework for him. She'd never let him copy ("How will you learn?"), but by asking her to read it through, he got the right answers anyway.

Hiro felt restless. He wanted his book back to take his mind off his nerves about tomorrow. Why should he be afraid of Lilith? Getting up, he told Wendy and Peter he was going to ask Lilith if he could have it back.

"Better you than me," Peter said, but Hiro believed that Lilith wouldn't refuse if there were other teachers listening.

He made his way down to the staffroom and knocked. There was no answer. He knocked again. Nothing. Perhaps Lilith had left the book in there? It was worth a try. He pushed the door ajar and peered inside – and a horrible scene met his eyes.

Lilith and Merryweather, one of the fairies who assisted Professor Flora in the infirmary, were inside, alone. Lilith was holding her robes above her knees. One of her legs was bloody and mangled. Merryweather was wrapping it in blue bandages.

"Blasted reptile," Lilith was saying. "I'm surprised anyone could squeeze past a creature like that when it takes up the entire room."

Hiro tried to shut the door quietly, but –

"HIRO!"

Lilith's face was twisted with fury as she dropped her robes quickly to hide her leg. Hiro gulped.

"I-I'm sorry, I just wondered if I could have my book back –"

"GET OUT! NOW!"

Hiro sprinted back upstairs before Lilith could take any more points from him.

"Well? Did you get it?" Peter asked as Hiro rejoined them. Hiro shook his head.

"What's the matter?" asked Wendy. In a low whisper, Hiro told them what he'd seen.

"You know what this means?" he finished breathlessly. "Lilith tried to get past that dinosaur on Halloween! That's where she was going when we saw her – she's after whatever it's guarding! And I'd bet Baymax that she let that troll in to create a diversion!"

Wendy's eyes went wide.

"No – she wouldn't," she said. "I know she's very strict, and doesn't seem very nice, but she wouldn't try and steal something Merlin was keeping safe."

"Honestly, Wendy, you think all teachers are saints or somethin'," snapped Peter. "I'm with Hiro. I wouldn't put anything past Lilith. But what is it that dinosaur's guarding that she wants so badly?"

Hiro went to bed with his head buzzing with the same question. Sprig was snoring loudly, but Hiro couldn't sleep. He tried to empty his mind – he needed to sleep, he had to, he had his first Questing match in a few hours – but the expression on Lilith's face when Hiro saw her leg wasn't easy to forget.

The next morning dawned very bright and cold. The Great Hall was full of the delicious smell of fried sausages and the cheerful chatter of everyone looking forward to a good Questing match.

"You've got to eat some breakfast."

"I don't want anything."

"Just a bit of toast," wheedled Wendy.

"I'm not hungry."

Hiro felt terrible. In an hour's time he'd be walking onto the field.

"Hiro, you need your strength," said Melissa. "Chasers are always the ones who the other team targets first."

"Thanks, Melissa," said Hiro.

"Good luck today, Hiro."

Hiro nearly jumped; Lilith was standing behind him. The thoughtful look on her face quickly gave way to a smirk; he must have imagined it.

"Then again, after facing a fully grown troll, a little game of Questing should be easy work for you, even if it is against Felinus." She strode off to the high table without another word.

By eleven o'clock the stands around the Questing field seemed to overflow with the entire student body. Many of the spectators had binoculars. The seats might be raised high in the air, but it was still difficult to see what everything going on sometimes.

Peter, Ralph and Wendy joined Anne, Zach, Melissa, Wart and Sprig up in the top row. As a surprise for Hiro, they had painted a large banner on one of the sheets. It said "Fly High Hiro", and Zach, who was good at drawing, made a pattern of the Mus symbol underneath. Then Wendy performed a tricky little charm so that the paint flashed different colors.

Meanwhile, in the locker room, Hiro and the rest of the team were changing into their Questing uniforms, a tunic and armor both in varying shades of red (Felinus would be playing in green).

Cassandra cleared her throat for silence.

"Okay, men," she said.

"And women," said Warrior Alberta Falls.

"And women," Cass agreed. "This is it."

"The big one, " said Edric.

"The one we've aaaaall been waiting for," said Emira.

"We know Cass' speech by heart, " Edric told Hiro, "we were on the team last year. "

"Shut it, you two," said Cassandra. "This is the best team Mus has had in years. We're going to win. I know it."

She glared at them all as if to say, "Or else."

"Right. It's time. Good luck, all of you."

Cassandra patted Baymax's back.

"Baymax's a helluva sturdy flying machine. I can practically taste that cup."

Hiro could only muster a "yeah". She laid a hand on his shoulder.

"One more thing, Hiro: in this game, you can earn extra points for helping out teammates if they're in real danger, even if they're from the other team – but don't expect them to do the same to you. Be careful who you trust."

Hiro followed her out of the locker room and, hoping his knees weren't going to give way, walked onto the field to tumultuous cheers.

Professor Timothy was refereeing. He stood with Dumbo in the middle of the field waiting for the two teams.

"Now, I want a nice fair game – from all of you," he said, once they were all gathered around him. Hiro noticed that he seemed to be speaking particularly to the Felinus Captain, a large scarred toad named Grime. Hunter, who was Felinus' Chaser, was there too. He winked at him before slipping a golden featureless mask over his face; Edric and Emira warned Hiro earlier that Felinus' past victories were due in no small part to his dexterity and cunning.

Out of the corner of his eye Hiro saw the fluttering banner high above, flashing "Fly High Hiro" over the crowd. His heart skipped. He felt braver.

"Right, teams, get to your side of the field. Chasers, mount your steeds."

Hiro clambered onto Baymax while Hunter straddled a staff tipped with a glowing red gem between his legs. The screens around the stadium lit up and hundreds of words flashed across them before stopping.

"PARADISE FALLS" a mechanical voice echoed over the speakers. The field terraformed into a vast jungle surrounded by rocky chasms. To the east, a huge waterfall cascaded down a vast cliffside. A countdown appeared on the screens.

3…2…1…

Professor Timothy gave a loud blast on his silver whistle.

They were off. Cassandra led the team into the jungle while Hiro and Baymax took to the air. Hiro scouted the area. There were no signs of Hunter or anyone from Felinus. He caught sight of the conspicuous waterfall.

"Ha! Doesn't take a genius to know they've got something hiding there!"

He was about to fly on over when something rustled in the trees several yards away. He could hear a voice coming through the speakers –

"And it looks like we've got our first skirmish, folks! Jim Hawkins of Mus – what an excellent Warrior he is, look at him, slashing that sword with those rippling biceps, hope he doesn't get any scars, then again a scar or two would look kind of hot on him –"

"Jerbo, less catcalling and more commentary!"

"Uh, sorry, Professor Eda!"

One of the Blight twins' friends, Jerbo, was commentating for the match, closely watched by Eda and Lilith.

"Cornelius Fillmore of Mus catches up to Hawkins. He leaps into the fray on a vine and gets the drop on Felinus Warrior Percy – literally! That's gotta hurt!"

Hiro saw up on the screens Fillmore crashing into Percy, another toad, and they nearly tumbled into a ravine. A squirt of blue paint whipped around Fillmore's wrist and pulled him and Percy to safety.

"Oooh, nice save by Alberta Falls of Mus with her magic paintbrush. She's rescued her teammate AND one of her opponents, and that certainly counts for something!"

Ten points appeared on Mus' scoreboard. Mus cheers filled the cold air with howls and moans from the Felinus'.

"Hey guys, is this the Felinus stand, or did I walk past it?"

"Milo, what are you doing?! You're supposed to root for our team, not Felinus!"

Milo was wearing a green jersey, foam cowboy hat and finger, green and silver facepaint, and carrying a banner and green and silver pompoms. Melissa put a hand on Peter's shoulder.

"It's okay, Milo cheers for the opposing team at every game we go to. That way, they're guaranteed to lose!"

Peter thought about it, until it dawned on him.

"Oh yeah, Murphy's Law!"

"Wait'll you see the cheers I have planned, they'll knock your socks off – Diogee, go home! He's not supposed to be at the Questing game."

Diogee, who had a large foam finger over his head, ran down the stands, knocking students over, until he tumbled onto the field and into an old tree. It fell over, grazed an enormous boulder sitting at the top of a hill, and it rolled its way down into the jungle.

"Hey, wait a minute," said Professor Timothy, "the giant boulder wasn't supposed to go off until after they made it halfway through the course! Somebody stop that rock!"

The boulder plowed its way through the trees, right to where the other Mus and Felinus warriors had joined the battle. Just as they realized the boulder was upon them, Hiro and Baymax zoomed in and stopped it in its tracks. The stadium rang with more cheers as the Mus score changed to thirty-nil.

"You guys okay?" Hiro asked.

"We're fine," Cassandra snapped. "Just keep searching for the treasure."

"I already know where it is," said Hiro. "Get to the waterfall as fast as you can."

No sooner did he take off than Hunter appeared out of thin air.

"And now I know too – byeeeeeee!" He waved to Cassandra and flew off in hot pursuit of Hiro.

"Stop him!" Cass yelled.

Alberta chased after him, whipping her paintbrush into a frenzy; paint spiraled over her head like a lasso She took a running leap off a tall rock, but before she could cast her line, a giant spider web sprung up from the ground and trapped her.

"Ohhh! Hunter's just avoided becoming Alberta's prey thanks to Felinus' romantic Rogues, Grim Gloom and Hildy LaVerne!"

Boos erupted from the Mus stand as Felinus gained ten points from their capture. While Alberta's teammates worked on setting her free, Hunter caught up with Hiro and Baymax.

"Sorry Hiro, I've enjoyed winning for far too long to wonder what defeat's like."

An enormous stone fist burst out from the cliff at Hunter; had he moved one second later it would have hit him. More fists surged out at him as he and Hiro climbed higher and higher.

"And look at that!" Jerbo shouted. "Edric and Emira Blight prove that all's fair in sibling rivalry as they try to stop their own brother from reaching the top first!"

Hunter vanished in a bright red flash. He kept popping in and out dodging the fists until –

WHAM! A roar of rage echoed from the Mus students below – Hunter appeared in Baymax's path, forcing him to dodge right into the path of one of the fists. Hiro held on for dear life as Baymax took the hit and spiraled into a tree. When he opened his eyes again, he saw a large brightly colored bird, something between a peacock, an ostrich and a dodo, staring at him from the ground. It squawked curiously.

"Go on, beat it!" Hiro spat. The bird squawked again and ran off. The Mus fans booed and cries of "Foul!" rose from the stands. Jerbo was finding it difficult to not take sides.

"So after that obvious disgusting bit of cheating –"

"Jerbo!" growled Lilith.

"I mean after that open fu –"

"Jerbo, I'm warning you…"

"All right, all right. Hunter nearly kills the Mus Chaser, which could totally happen to anyone, and we're calling a time-out to see if he's okay…It's aaaalll good! And the game's back on."

Timothy ordered Hiro and Hunter to start over at the base of the waterfall. As the teams' Warriors and Captains sprinted into a clearing, a pack of dogs jumped out and began chasing them. Jerbo continued commentating.

"Uh-oh, looks like Mus and Felinus have gone to the dogs, or more accurately, the dogs have gone to them! Hope they go after Grime first – only joking, Professor Lilith."

Everyone in Felinus scattered in different directions; only a few stragglers pursued them while the rest of the pack hounded Mus.

"Fillmore! Hawkins! Falls! Lead them to the ravine and jump your way across the outcroppings," shouted Cassandra. She turned to Owl, who was flapping alongside her. "Stick with them and help them along. I'll keep an eye out for the alpha and take him out myself." She patted the crossbow at her side; the loaded arrow had a pouch full of sleeping powder tied at the end. "One hit and the pack will fall apart without him." They split up, Cassandra climbing up a tree and the Mus Warriors leaping from rock to rock with the snarling dogs at their heels.

It was while was Hiro speeding upwards, debating whether or not he should abandon the chase to help them that it happened. Baymax gave a sudden, frightening lurch backwards. For a split second, he thought he was going to fall. He gripped on tightly with both his hands and knees. He'd never felt anything like that.

"Baymax, everything okay?"

"My sensors indicate –"

It happened again. It was as though Baymax was trying to buck him off. His left thruster shorted out temporarily. Hiro tried to turn him towards the ground – he had half a mind to ask Cassandra to call a time-out – and then he realized that Baymax was completely out of his control. He couldn't turn him. He couldn't direct him at all. He was zigzagging through the air, and every now and then making violent swishing movements that would have thrown him off if it weren't for the magnetic pads keeping him in place.

The spectators were so caught up in the race against Mus and the dogs that they didn't seem to notice Baymax behaving strangely. He was carrying Hiro higher, away from the game, jerking and twitching as he went.

"What's going on with Baymax?" Ralph mumbled, staring through his binoculars. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say Hiro's lost control of him…but he can't have…"

Suddenly, people were pointing up at Hiro all over the stands. Baymax began doing barrel rolls, with Hiro only just managing to hold on. Then the whole crowd gasped. There was a fizzle and a spark in the magnetic notches holding Hiro's feet. Baymax gave a wild jerk and Hiro swung off it. He was now dangling from him, holding on thanks to the pads in his hands.

"Did something happen to Baymax when he got hit?" Sprig whispered.

"Can't have," Ralph said, his voice shaking. "Baymax is built to withstand anything…it'd have to be something really strong to make him go bonkers…"

At these words, Wendy seized Ralph's binoculars, but instead of looking up at Hiro, she started looking frantically at the crowd.

"What are you doing?" moaned Peter, gray-faced.

"I knew it," Wendy gasped, "Look – Lilith!"

Peter grabbed the binoculars. Lilith was in the middle of the stands opposite them. She had her eyes fixed on Hiro and was muttering nonstop under her breath. The eyes of the raven figurehead of her staff glowed a bright blue.

"She's jinxing Baymax!" said Wendy.

"Jinxing Baymax?! I'll stop her!"

"Peter, wait! Leave it to me."

Before Peter could say another word, Wendy had disappeared. Peter turned the binoculars back on Hiro.

"Baymax! We have to land now!" Hiro shouted.

"My armor is undergoing a –"

Baymax was jolting so hard that it was almost impossible for him to hang on much longer. There was a bang and a spark from the left hand port, and Hiro was left hanging by just one hand.

The whole crowd was on its feet, watching, terrified. Even Hunter, who was almost at the top of the falls, had noticed. He turned around and tried to teleport to Hiro, but couldn't get close enough to Baymax to pull him on to his staff.

The Blight twins abandoned their rock 'em sock 'em rocks and conjured up vines to grab him, but it was no good – every time they got near Hiro, Baymax would jump higher still. They weaved the vines underneath him, obviously hoping to catch him if he fell. Grime rallied the Felinus team and they surged onward without anyone noticing.

"Come on, Wendy," Peter muttered desperately.

Wendy fought her way out of the stands to a tent just outside the stadium entrance. Stacked inside were boxes of fireworks that were to be set off when the match ended. She carefully turned a good many of them so they were facing the stand where Lilith sat, then pointed her wand at one of the fuses and whispered a spell. Sparks flew from her wand, igniting the fuse. Wendy darted out of the tent with her hands over her ears.

There was a crackle and a whistle, and all of a sudden, a hundred fireworks careened into the stadium. Some blew up overhead, others whizzed around the stands, forcing the spectators to duck or dodge them. Many zoomed onto the field and exploded all over. The pyrotechnic riot also put a halt to the dogs' pursuit – they howled in terror as they ran off to hide from the violent noise – and allowed the Mus Warriors to escape unharmed.

Wendy ran back into the stadium and looked to the stands as Peter turned his binoculars to them – a frazzled Lilith was gingerly climbing back to her feet, along with Ichabod, who was shaking like a leaf.

It was enough. Up in the air, Hiro was suddenly able to clamber back on to Baymax.

"I have regained full control of my flight capabilities," Baymax told him.

"Yes! We're back online!" Hiro cheered. "Let's finish this."

"Wart, you can look now!" Anne said. Wart had been covering his eyes for the last five minutes. Together they and the rest of Mus rooted for Hiro at the top of their lungs.

Hiro continued his ascent up the cliff. Hunter, seeing his opponent was perfectly fine, caught up not long after. They were neck and neck; racing at the highest speed their steeds could reach. Both shot over the precipice with one arm outstretched, ready to grab –

Nothing.

The cliff was completely barren – except for that strange bird again. Both boys hovered in the air in silent confusion. Then, Hunter began to laugh.

"Just one huge bluff…"

He lifted his mask. To Hiro's surprise, he was smiling.

"You played me like a fiddle, Hamada. Not bad!"

Hunter slipped the mask back on.

"You may have bought your team some time, but it's still anyone's call. See you at the winners' circle!"

And he vanished. The bird clucked and trotted up to Hiro.

"Not my intention, but…" Hiro shrugged. As long as Hunter was out of his hair, he could come up with a plan. "Baymax, scan the area for anything unusual."

The bird chattered beside him.

"Some view, huh?" Hiro lightly patted its beak.

A bell rang across the stadium. Cheers and screams exploded from the stands. Hiro and the bird looked around, alarmed. Then he saw them both on one of the screens with the words "TREASURE FOUND!" flashing underneath their bewildered faces.

"It was you all along?!" Hiro cried.

The bird chirped obliviously.

A thousand words flashed across the screens again before settling on "ANTI-GRAVITY".

The ground shook, and the Felinus team watched in astonishment as rocks, trees, and chunks of earth began to float upwards, carrying the Mus team with them. Grime pointed his sword at them.

"Percy! Braddock! Hatchback! Don't let them get away!"

The bird squawked in surprise as it also started to float off the ground. Its legs kicked and flailed out as it tried to run away. The momentum from its limbs might have allowed it to escape if Hiro hadn't quickly thrown his arms around its long neck. Baymax seized the bird from behind and took off.

"Steer us to the team!" said Hiro. Baymax carefully maneuvered around the flying debris towards his teammates, who were already making their way towards them. The bird skipped and skimmed along every surface in its path, giving them an extra burst of speed. Alberta Falls tossed out lines of paint from her brush onto whatever was closest and swung on them up to her destination. As soon as she got close, Hiro reached out a hand and she climbed on to the bird's back. The stadium erupted as Mus racked up more points.

Fillmore jumped from rock to boulder, off the cliff face and across more floating rocks in an impressive display of parkour while Jim Hawkins held off Hatchback and Braddock. As soon as Fillmore reached the bird (the cheering increased as Mus' score climbed), Jim kicked back Braddock and leaped at the nearest boulder – and fell right through it. He landed hard on a passing tree. Jim looked up in shock as he scrambled to stay on; the air was filled with double the amount of floating rocks, indistinguishable illusions courtesy of Hildy and Grim.

"Oooh, we've really got them this time, Grimmie!" Hildy cackled as she viewed their handiwork below. As she stepped back to admire their handiwork, a vine snaked out behind her and tripped her. The spot where she fell on her rear shifted beneath her into a deep pit.

"Grimwold! Get me out of here this instant!" she shrieked.

"Don't worry Hildy-Pie, nothing will stop me from –"

A giant tarantula crawled up to the hole, hissing through its hairy pincers.

"AAAAHHHH! SPIDER!" Grim screamed and he sprinted away as fast as his feet could carry him. From their perch hidden in the canopy, Edric and Emira laughed themselves silly. They vanished the illusionary tarantula and then pushed themselves off the branches. With the two Felinus Rogues out of commission, the spell was broken and Jim, Edric and Emira reached the team safely. There was just one person missing.

"Where's Cassandra?!" Hiro shouted as he searched the jungle.

"There!" Fillmore pointed down to his left. Cassandra, in a heavily singed uniform, sweat mingling with a nasty cut on her forehead, was leaping her way up towards them with Captain Grime hot on her heels.

"Top speed, Baymax!"

The team plunged ahead, hanging on to the bird for dear life as Baymax surged towards Cassandra. She nearly lost her footing on a crumbling chunk of earth, giving Grime the second he needed to climb up behind her, sword raised. She dodged his attack and whipped out her own sword. They parried and thrust at each other, Cassandra's speedy moves barely outmaneuvering Grime's brute strength. The swords clanged again and again as the two Captains pushed back against each other with all their might. As Grime forced Cassandra towards the edge, the piece of ground they were fighting on began to tilt over. Cassandra held out her arms for balance, and he knocked the sword out of her hand.

"You've lost again," Grime purred, his sword pointed at her chin.

"CASS!" came six shouts. She looked to her right – the team and the bird were just within reach.

Cassandra took a flying leap –

The chunk of earth turned over –

Baymax put on one last burst of speed –

A falling Grime outstretched his hand, his grubby fingers inches away from Cassandra's ankle –

– And she touched the bird's beak.

A buzzer went off amid the deafening cheers all around them. Everyone drifted back down to earth, and the field returned to normal. The Mus team couldn't help but scream and whoop along with the crowd, spreading hugs and high-fives all around.

"We did it!" Cassandra shouted. "We finally did it! We won!"

"But he didn't bring the treasure to his team, it brought him to them!" Grime shouted at Professor Timothy.

"Still counts!" the mouse countered. "Says here in the rulebook."

Grime peered closely.

"Rule Nineteen-Ninety-Seven: There's nothing in the rulebook that says a dog can't play basketball –"

"Oops, wrong page."

Regardless, Hiro hadn't broken any rules and Jerbo was still happily shouting the results to the ecstatic spectators – Mus had won by one hundred and seventy points to thirty.

Nearly a half-hour later, Hiro learned what had gone down in the stands while Ralph served them some fresh cherry pie in his cottage.

"It was Lilith," Peter scowled. "Wendy and me saw her. She was sabotaging Baymax."

"Bull pie," said Ralph, who hadn't heard what was happening earlier. "Why would Lilith do something like that?"

"I don't know," said Hiro without thinking. "Why was she trying to get past that dinosaur on Halloween?"

The pie tin fell from Ralph's hands.

"Who told you about Aladar?" he said.

"Aladar?" asked Peter, confused.

"That thing has a name?" said Wendy.

"Yeah, we borrowed him off a guy from the Dino Institute in Florida," Ralph said. "We couldn't get a three-headed dog because things are a little iffy with the Underworld right now, so we brought Aladar to the school so he could guard the –"

"Yes?" said Hiro eagerly.

"I shouldn't have said that…" Ralph quickly muttered. "Look, don't ask any more questions. It's top-secret, it is. You're talking to a brick wall right here."

"But Lilith is trying to steal it!"

"Ridiculous," scoffed Ralph. "Lilith's a teacher, she wouldn't."

"Teacher or not, I recognize a jinx when I see one, Ralph. I've read all about them," said Wendy. The afternoon's events certainly changed her mind about Lilith. "You've got to keep eye contact and Lilith wasn't blinking. Her staff's eyes were glowing too! She had to be casting a spell at Hiro!"

"I'm telling you, you've got all wrong!" said Ralph hotly. "For one thing, Baymax is supposed to be magic-proof, so how could a jinx affect him?"

"He may be safe against magic…but his armor isn't…" Hiro slowly realized.

"Correct," Baymax stated. "At the time, I was unable to fully articulate that something was affecting the inner workings of my armor, which caused me to nearly lose control."

A terrible thought gripped Hiro.

"I accidentally walked in on Lilith when she was being patched up after she tried to sneak past Aladar. She was really upset…what if she enchanted Baymax's armor so she could kill me and make it look like an accident before I got the chance to tell anyone?"

"Oh for the love of…" Ralph ran his hand through his spiky hair. "Lilith is a lot of things, Hiro, but she is definitely not a killer. Now listen to me, all of you. You're messing with things you shouldn't be getting into. It's dangerous. Forget the dumb dinosaur and what it's guarding. That's strictly between Merlin, King Frederic, and King Edmund!"

A hush came over the room.

"King Frederic and King Edmund?" asked Hiro finally. "Who are they?"

Ralph looked ready to smack himself.

"I shouldn't have said that, I shouldn't have said that, I should not have said that…"

Chapter Text

- Hi Aunt Cass! I got your note. How are you doing?

- Hi Hiro! Everything is ok over here. How was your first week?

- AWESOME! The classes are super weird but interesting.

- Except for this one teacher, she's a pretty big jerk.

- And there's ghosts! Did you know there are ghosts here?!

- I think your dad may have mentioned it to me once, yes. How is Baymax?

- Baymax is fine. He's been looking out for me, though
nothing bad has happened since I got here.

- I also made a couple of friends.

- That's nice. Please tell them I said hi. =)

- I will! Going to dinner now. Talk to you soon.

- Hi Hiro, how was your week?

- Great! You'll never guess what happened!

- What? Tell me!

- I got on the house Questing team!

That's nice. What's Questing?

- It's this sport that's supposed to be
really big in the magical world.The team captain's
going to start training me once my uniform arrives.

- Good luck! Bring Baymax with you!

- Don't worry, I will ;)

- Hi Hiro, how's school going?

- All right. Kind of in the middle of homework now.

- Oh sorry! You get back to work, I'll be right here.

- K, talk to you later.

- Hey Hiro, what's up?

- Not much. You?

- Things are all right. School going well?

- Yeah.

- Hi Hiro! How is school?

- Hi Aunt Cass, love you 2

- Love you too, my special little guy ^^

- Let me know if you ever want to call
or anything, I'll be right here =)

- Hi Hiro, how are you?

- U stink!!!

- WHAT?!

- Jia y8[ay ) y8thgeTVB:O

- Ka'FOIngweutohgp*(TPkqe

- Hiro, what's going on? Is everything okay?

- Sorry Aunt Cass. Peter grabbed the phone from me.

- Oh it's ok, lol

- Hope things are okay at home.

- I'm starting to miss your anpans.

- Say no more! They're on the way!

- Thanks Aunt Cass, love you

- Love you too Hiro ^^

- Hey Hiro, send me a photo of your
sports uniform when it comes in! I'm dying to see it!

- AAAAHHHHHH you look so cute!
This is going up on the wall!

- Happy Halloween Hiro! Hope things
aren't too spooky at school!

- Hi Hiro, hope you had a nice day today!

- Hi Hiro, did you have your big game yet?

- Next week.

- Okay, keep me posted! I'll root for you from home!

- Hi Hiro, hope you had a good week.

- Hi Hiro, how are things?

- Hi Hiro, I'm here if you want to talk anytime ^^

Chapter Text

The holidays were coming. One morning in mid-December, the Magic Kingdom awoke to find itself covered in several feet of snow. The river and the lake on the school grounds were frozen solid, and the Blight twins got in trouble for setting traps that catapulted snowballs at whoever got caught in them. Mail was more difficult to receive, as Pedro had to battle his way through the stormy skies. The ghosts began traversing the halls singing spooky versions of carols, such as "We Wish You A Scary Christmas" and "God Rest Ye Merry Grinning Ghosts".

Hiro and his friends could hardly wait for winter break. While the common rooms and Great Hall had roaring fires, the corridors were drafty and icy. Bitter winds rattled the classroom windows. Worst of all were Professor Yzma's classes down in the dungeons, where their breath rose in mists and they huddled as close as possible to their hot cauldrons.

"C-c-can't wait to get back to L.A. for break," Anne shivered. "The coldest it gets there is sixty degrees. What about you, Sprig?"

She turned to her partner. Sprig had completely frozen over in a block of ice.

"Professor, it happened again!"

"You know," said Kay to no one in particular, "I almost feel sorry for all those blokes who have to stay at school over Christmas. Guess they're just not wanted at home."

He was looking over his shoulder at Hiro as he spoke. Sasha and Boscha giggled. Hiro, who was measuring out spoonfuls of fire bee honey, ignored them. Kay was acting more unpleasant than usual since the Questing match. Disgusted that Felinus had lost, he tried to get everyone laughing at how Hiro could join a rodeo with his bucking robot act, until he realized nobody found it funny since they were more impressed that Hiro stayed on Baymax and flew the Mus team to victory. So Kay, jealous and angry, returned to taunting Hiro about his lack of a proper family.

In truth, Hiro had meant to return home to Aunt Cass for Christmas like he promised, but the search for the mystery kings drove it from his mind. He felt slightly better knowing Peter would be staying, as well as Edric, Emira and Hunter. Besides, making sure whatever Aladar was guarding was safe from Lilith took precedence over his own holiday. He'd just tell Aunt Cass that he got so caught up in schoolwork that he forgot to let Eda know he'd be leaving. Come to think of it, when was the last time he wrote to Cass?

When class ended and everyone left the dungeons, talk turned to what presents they hoped they would get.

"Santa's gonna bring me a new sword or dagger, I know it!" Peter said excitedly.

"Santa?" said Hiro disbelievingly.

"Don't tell me you don't believe in Santa!"

"Well, no, I mean…I just don't know how one guy can deliver millions of presents around the world in a single night. It doesn't match with anything I've ever studied."

"Maybe it's because he uses, oh I don't know, magic?" Melissa replied, waving her wand in front of Hiro's face.

"…Yeeeeaah, okay, you've got a point," Hiro admitted; no matter how much he was getting into magic, it was still difficult to reconcile some things from his standard scientific views. "Still, has anyone here ever actually seen Santa, just to be sure?"

"No, but I haven't heard of anyone who's been let down by him before. He's never missed the big night before and he never will."

"My parents told me one time when they were kids, a skeleton took over his job and delivered spooky presents to everyone in the world that year. That must have been the best Christmas ever!" Zach gushed.

Hiro listened to the others around him talk about how they thought Santa worked. None of their theories aligned with each other in the slightest.

"This one podcast I listened to revealed he's secretly an alien living among us under the name Carl Featherbottom."

"I heard he sends teams of highly trained elves ahead of him to prep the houses he visits and put everyone to sleep. That's why you never see him."

"Nah, he doesn't have any elves. He gets all his toys from a magic sack that gives you anything you ask for."

"I heard that if you kill him, even if he accidentally dies on your roof, then you're forced to take his place and become the new Santa. And if you try to weasel out of it, Christmas is ruined forever."

"That's…really messed up," said Hiro. "So if I ask him for something ridiculous like tap-dancing underwear or singing food, he'll actually bring it to me?"

"I wouldn't do that," said Zach. "Look, just ask him for something you really need that you forgot instead of something uber-specific, and chances are it'll turn up Christmas morning. What have you got to lose?"

Hiro smirked and rolled his eyes.

"All right, fine."

He handed Zach his phone.

"Just put in his email address and I'll be happy to send a request his way."

Zach did so.

"He started taking emails a long time ago," he said nonchalantly.

A large fir tree blocked the corridor ahead. The two enormous feet sticking out at the bottom and a loud puffing sound told them Ralph was behind it.

"Hello, Ralph, would you like any help?" Wendy said, sticking her head through the branches.

"No thanks, Wendy, I'm fine. Come on to the Great Hall, you won't believe how it looks!"

So the three of them followed Ralph and his tree to the Great Hall. Professor Owl stood on a podium with the school choir practicing for the upcoming pageant while Professor Flora and Lilith were busy with decorations.

"Ah, Ralph, the last tree. Would you put it in the far corner, please?"

The hall looked spectacular. No less than twelve towering Christmas trees stood around the room, each one decorated differently from the other. One was festooned with colorful toys, another with silver and gold ornaments, blooms of holly and poinsettias adorned a third, and so on. Tiny blue fairies skated past the windows, spreading frost spirals on the glass. Even some of the snowflakes that fluttered from the ceiling were fairies gracefully waltzing downward in snowflake skirts.

"How many days have you got left until vacation?" Ralph asked.

"Just three more," said Wendy. "Oh, that reminds me – Hiro, Peter, we have a half an hour before lunch. We ought to be in the library."

"The library?" said Ralph, following them out of the hall. "Don't tell me they've already piled on homework for over the break?"

"Oh no, we're not working," Hiro said brightly. "Ever since you mentioned the two kings we've been trying to figure out who they are."

"You WHAT?!" Ralph was shocked. "Listen, I've already told you – drop it. It's for me to know and you to not found."

"We just want to learn who King Edmund is," said Wendy.

"Unless you'd like to tell us and save us the trouble?" Hiro added. "We found King Frederic easy enough, he's the king of Corona. But we must have been through hundreds of books already and we can't find King Edmund anywhere. Just give us a hint."

"I'm not sayin' anything," said Ralph flatly.

"Guess we'll have to find out for ourselves then," Peter shrugged, and they hurried off to the library leaving Ralph feeling quite disgruntled.

They had indeed been searching for the kings' names ever since Ralph let them slip, because how else were they going to find out what Lilith was trying to steal? The trouble was, most of their studies led them to dead ends. They did find King Frederic's name in an encyclopedia about kings, but the only information about him listed there was that he started the annual Corona Lantern Festival. Hiro could've sworn he read the name Corona before, but he couldn't put his finger on where. There was no mention of King Edmund at all in the book. He also wasn't in Notable Monarchs of the Twentieth Century, and neither he nor Frederic appeared in Recent Magical Achievements. They weren't in A Study in Recent Developments in Fantastical Realms or Important Modern Magical Discoveries either. And then there was the sheer size of the library: tens of thousands of books, thousands of shelves, hundreds of narrow rows, and so little time to go through them all.

Wendy took out a list of subjects and titles she wanted to search while Peter strode off down a row of books and started pulling volumes off shelves at random. Hiro wandered over to the Forbidden Stacks. For a while he'd been wondering if Edmund was hiding in there somewhere. Unfortunately, you needed a special permission slip from one of the teachers to look in there. He thought about going to Eda since she was usually the most laidback of the teachers, but he was worried about her asking too many questions. These were books containing information about advanced levels of spell casting, and the darker side of magic that wasn't taught in normal classes. Hiro was sure even Wendy would be abhorred by the thought of wandering around in there.

"What are you looking for?" a deep echoing voice rumbled behind him. It was Malphas, the demon librarian. One glowing golden eye glared down at Hiro through a mess of long tangled hair.

"Um, nothing," Hiro gulped. Malphas parted his hair with one claw, revealing a griffon's face.

"Okay, then you're gonna have to, like, move on then, man," he said, his voice suddenly sounding much lighter and nasally than before. "I can't even have people standing around here doing nothing, it's, like, a major pain to me".

Hiro was taken aback by the change in his tone, but quickly did as he was told, wishing that he had thought of a good cover story sooner. He, Peter and Wendy had already agreed they'd better not ask Malphas where they could find Edmund and Frederic. They were sure he'd be able to tell them, but they couldn't risk Lilith learning what they were up to.

Hiro waited outside in the corridor to see if his friends had found anything, but he wasn't very hopeful. They had been looking for two weeks after all, but as they only had odd moments between lessons it wasn't surprising they'd found nothing. What they really needed was a nice long search without Malphas breathing down their necks.

The last night before winter break started and the students left for home, the school was entertained by the annual holiday pageant. Professor Owl led the choir in a range of Christmas tunes, both familiar and new to Hiro. Students re-enacted the stories of Hanukkah and Kwanzaa, setting the stage aglow with the light of red, green, black, and blue and silver candles. Professors Plantar and Flora enchanted several flowers and mushrooms to dance to the Nutcracker Suite accompanied by a troupe of lively fairies. The ghosts recited a version of Zach's story about a skeleton usurping Santa Claus entirely in rhyme ("See? Told you it happened!" he said as everyone applauded once they were done). And finally, Merlin led them in all in one last sing-along:

From All of Us To All of You,
It's good to have you with us,
You can't go wrong, just sing along,
And have a Merry Christmas!

Everyone went to bed full of good cheer, but Hiro, Wendy and Peter still couldn't shake the kings from their minds.

"You will keep looking while I'm away, won't you?" she asked as they climbed into the common room. "Mother knows a lot of stories so I'll ask what she knows about Corona and King Edmund, and perhaps Father might too since he works at the bank."

"All right," Peter sighed, "even though we must have looked through the library a hundred times already."

Wendy leaned in with a small secretive smile playing on her lips, and whispered –

"Not in the Forbidden Stacks."

Whatever Peter and Hiro were expecting, it wasn't that. Wendy grinned in defiance of their gobsmacked looks.

"Good night. Happy Christmas," she said cheerfully, and she went off to bed.

"I think we're a bad influence on her," Hiro whispered to Peter.

Once the vacation began in earnest, however, Hiro and Peter had too much of a good time to think about research. They had the dormitory to themselves and the common room was mostly empty, so they could get the best seats in front of the fire. They roasted marshmallows while plotting ways to humiliate Kay, which were fun to talk about even if they would never work.

Peter also started teaching Hiro a game called Maelstrom. It was a lot like Battleship except the miniature boats could actually sink each other. They could also move around their half of the board to elude the enemy's firing range, but if they got too close to the raging whirlpool in the center, they were sucked in with no hope of escape. It was very much like commanding troops in a naval battle. Peter, who loved a good fight and knew a surprising amount about pirates and ships, was in his element, and beat Hiro every time they played.

On Christmas Eve, Hiro went to bed looking forward to the food and fun the following day. When he woke early the next morning, he never expected to see a mountain of presents sprawled beneath the enormous Christmas tree in the common room. Peter was already sitting on the floor unwrapping his gifts.

"Merry Christmas Hiro! Come open your presents!"

Hiro sprinted down the dormitory steps and all but dived on to the pile of boxes. The first parcel was wrapped in thick brown paper and had "To Hiro, From Ralph" scrawled on it in black marker. Inside was a round holey pendant that looked almost like a big whistle carved from stone on a simple string. Ralph had obviously made it himself. Hiro blew into it – it sounded almost like a flute.

"Nice ocarina," Peter said admiringly. "Now we can play music together!"

"Fat chance of that if my playing's as good as my singing," Hiro chuckled, remembering the scolding he received from Professor Owl for being out of tune during their last class.

"I think I know who that one's from," Peter pointed to a lumpy bit of newspaper nearby.

He showed him a simple green knitted beanie with a red feather embroidered on it, similar to Peter's favorite hat.

"Fagin makes us something from yarn every year. Looks like you got one too."

Hiro opened it up. There lay a white knitted hat with two black felt circles sewn on connected by a line of black yarn; it was Baymax's head in beanie form.

"You don't have to wear it," Peter said.

"It's not bad," laughed Hiro, and he put it on. "Keeps my ears warm."

Wendy sent him a package full of Wonder Balls and assorted Christmas sweets. His next present was a healthy-sized box from Aunt Cass. What was inside could have made him weep – a big bag of gummy bears (which he hadn't had since he left for school) and a framed photo of Aunt Cass hugging him. Their faces were smeared with ice cream and they were laughing hysterically. Hiro remembered that day well; she took him out for a treat after one of his first robot test runs went awry, and managed to cheer him up when he was down.

Ignoring the lump in his throat, he opened the next gift. It was a snow globe. Inside the glass dome was –

"The café?"

A perfect miniature model of the Lucky Cat Café and the apartment above, right down to the little cat statue sitting over the threshold. A sudden pang of homesickness hit Hiro like a dart. He shook the globe and watched the tiny flakes swirl around the café like a blizzard.

At once, the view inside the globe changed to Aunt Cass brewing coffee in the kitchen humming "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" to herself. The apartment was decked out for the holidays, but Cass lacked any of her usual yuletide cheer. She looked almost as disheveled as she did when she was trying to keep away Hiro's acceptance letters, but much more tired and lost. She sat alone at the table and sighed. Mochi jumped on to her lap and mewed softly. Cass smiled a little as she stroked him, though it never quite reached her tearing eyes. The vision cleared, leaving nothing but the miniature café and the reflection of Hiro's guilt-ridden face staring back at him. Then he noticed the card in the box:

"I gotta go talk to her," he murmured. Hiro put down the snow globe and got to his feet. "I promised…"

"Wait, there's one more present left!" said Peter. "Don't you want to open it first?"

Hiro paused at the foot of the stairs. He knew he should go call Aunt Cass – and yet…

"Well…what's one more present?" he thought.

He returned and unwrapped the final gift. It was an ancient samurai helmet. He knew there was a special name for it, but he forgot what it was. Time colored the iron a dark brown, but did little to diminish the silver etchings of ivy and winter roses all around it. It was surprisingly light. He read the folded up note that came with it:

There was no signature. Hiro playfully placed the helmet on over his beanie.

"Well, what do you think?" he asked Peter.

Peter looked like he saw a ghost – and not the ones that roamed the castle.

"Hiro? W-where'd you go?"

"I'm right here, I – WOAH!"

Hiro looked down and saw right through his hand down to the floor.

"I'm see-through!" he cried.

"I can't see you at all!" Peter replied.

Hiro scrambled to his feet again, sending bits of wrapping paper flying away. He ran over to the mirror. Sure enough, his reflection was completely absent. He took off the helmet, and his body returned to normal.

"The helmet…it turned me invisible!"

"Wow!" gasped Peter. "Who sent you that?"

"It didn't say," Hiro said. "Only 'use it well'…"

He felt very strange. Who did send the helmet? Had it really once belonged to his mother?

Before he could say or think anything else, the dormitory door burst open and Emira and Edric Blight bounded in. Hiro stuffed the helmet quickly out of sight. He didn't feel like sharing it with anyone else yet.

"Merry Christmas!"

"Hey, look, Hiro got on the nice list!"

"Too bad for us, looks like we were judged naughty again."

Edric and Emira each held up a necklace with a purple quartz pendant. They casually tossed them both into the fireplace.

"Mom sends us the same lousy gift every year. She thinks she can control us at school and home? As if!"

Before Hiro could ask what that meant, a tiny ringing came from Emira's pocket.

"Ooh, looks like we've got company!"

She ran to the portrait door, opened it, and pulled Hunter into the common room. He was wearing a similar quartz necklace.

"Um, hey guys, how'd you know I'd be coming?" he said shyly.

"Come on, Hunter, it's Christmas at the Magic Kingdom! A day for family! Just one thing, though – it's casual dress only!"

"And no outsiders allowed!" Edric said with a wicked grin as he approached.

"But I –" Hunter said thickly as Edric yanked the necklace off him and threw it into the fire.

"We're thrilled you could join us," Edric continued. "You guys aren't leaving our side until you've had the best Christmas ever!"

Hiro had never in his life had such a Christmas dinner: mince pies, roast turkeys, suckling pig, mountains of roast potatoes, string beans, cranberry sauce, pot roast with pistachio gravy – and stacks of things called crackers every few feet along the table. Edric and Emira explained they were a Christmas tradition from England that Merlin brought over from the last time he visited there; open one and it would release some surprises. Since these were enchanted, however, he was told to expect more than just a few cheap toys. Hiro pulled one with Emira and it didn't just bang, it went off with a blast like a cannon and engulfed them all in a cloud of purple smoke, while from the inside exploded a rear admiral's hat and a horde of live miniature snowmen. Up at the High Table, Merlin had swapped his pointed wizard's hat for a propeller cap, and was chuckling merrily at a joke Ichabod told him.

Dessert followed the turkey; red velvet cake, chocolate cake with crumbled candy cane pieces on top, macarons, panettone, fruitcake (which nobody touched), plum pudding, fudge, trifle, peppermint bark and peanut brittle, a yule log almost as long as the high table, and a working miniature carousel made entirely out of gingerbread. Hunter nearly broke his teeth on a silver coin hidden inside his bite of pudding. Hiro watched Ralph get redder and redder in the face with every cup of eggnog he consumed, finally kissing Eda on the cheek, who, to Hiro's amazement, laughed so hard she fell out of her chair.

When Hiro finally left the table, he was laden down with stacks of surprises from the crackers, including a pack of luminous mouse-shaped balloons, a Grow-Your-Own-Beanstalk kit, and his own Dungeons, Dungeons & More Dungeons set. The snowmen had run off, leaving little wet footprints in every direction, and Hiro had a nasty feeling they'd be giving O'Dell and the brooms a hard time until spring.

Hiro, Peter, and the Blights spent a happy afternoon having a furious snowball fight on the grounds. The twins were able to build a working fort in a matter of seconds via illusion magic, but they didn't count on Peter and Hiro bombarding them from above with help from Baymax. Then, cold, wet and gasping for breath, they returned to the common room fireplace for a few rounds of Maelstrom. Though Hunter came the closest to winning, Hiro, Edric and Emira all lost spectacularly to Peter. Hiro suspected maybe he wouldn't have sunk himself so badly this time if the twins didn't try to "help" him so much.

Soon, everyone was too tired to do much of anything except watch the fire roar and help themselves to some leftovers from dinner. It had been Hiro's best Christmas day ever. Yet something had been nagging at the back of his mind all day. It wasn't until long after Hunter returned to the Felinus common room and he and Peter started to lope off to bed that Hiro really thought about it.

"Hey, what are you two doing?" he said, noticing Edric and Emira hanging around the portrait door.

"Oh, definitely not getting ready to sneak out and see how the Wailing Star affects stuff around the castle," said Edric with a wink.

"The what?"

"The Wailing Star. It's a meteor shower that happens once a season, and this time it's supposed to happen real close to the Magic Kingdom," explained Emira. "It leaves a ton of wild unpredictable magic in the air when it happens. We're dying to see what we can do with it. Wanna join us?"

Hiro barely stopped himself from saying yes outright. He was eager to see the Wailing Star, but things had been going so well with Questing and escaping punishment for the troll that he was hesitant to risk everything for that.

Ah, but there was a way he could go without getting into trouble: the invisibility helmet – his mother's helmet.

Use it well, the note said...

"…Nah, you guys go ahead. Maybe I'll catch up with you later."

"Whatever you say."

Edric and Emira quietly pushed the door open and slipped out. Hiro tiptoed upstairs. Peter was already snoring in his bed. Something held him back from waking him and telling Edric and Emira about the helmet. He felt that this time – the first time – he wanted to use it alone.

He pulled out the helmet from his trunk. His mother's…this had been his mother's. The silver etchings gleamed in the moonlight. Reverently, he put it on his head. Looking down at his legs he only saw the bare outlines of his feet, and moonbeams and shadows. It was a funny feeling.

Use it well.

Suddenly, Hiro felt wide-awake. The entire Magic Kingdom was open to him in his helmet. Excitement flooded through him as he stood there in the dark and silence. He really could go anywhere in this, anywhere, and O'Dell would never know.

He crept out of the dormitory, down the stairs, across the common room, and climbed through the portrait hole.

"Who's there?" squeaked Hyacinth. Hiro said nothing. He walked quickly down the corridor.

Where should he go? He stopped, his heart racing, and thought. And then it came to him. The Forbidden Stacks in the library. He'd be able to read as long as he liked, as long as it took to find out who Edmund was. He set off, straightening the helmet as he walked.

He stopped at a row of windows and watched in awe as streaks of stars lit up the purple night sky. Against the snowy landscape it was a sight to behold.

Then, very faintly, he could hear the sound of crying coming from one very large star passing overhead. The Wailing Star really was wailing.

"Huh. Weird," Hiro muttered.

The library was dark and eerily silent – and the books all glowed green. Hiro wondered if this was an effect of the Wailing Star. Their light was just bright enough that he didn't need to light a lamp, but the effect still made his skin crawl.

The Forbidden Stacks was right at the back of the library. He jimmied his library card through the crack between the two heavy doors until the lock gave way and they parted. Stepping carefully over the threshold, he read the titles as he strode down the rows.

They didn't tell him much. Their peeling faded gold letters spelled words in languages and symbols Hiro couldn't understand. Some had no title at all. The hairs on the back of Hiro's neck prickled. Maybe he was imagining it, maybe not, but he thought the books kept rearranging themselves and flying off the shelves when he wasn't looking. And he was almost certain the busts on the shelves were watching him as he walked by…

Hiro knew he had to start somewhere. He looked along the bottom shelf for an interesting-looking book. An ancient volume with a colorful beaded spine caught his eye. He pulled it out with difficulty, because it was tightly wedged between two heavier books. Two blue-pink gems were embedded in the leather, each one in the spaces of the number 8 drawn on the cover – or was it an infinity symbol? He opened the book to a page full of drawings of broken bones and a black hand emerging from a circle.

At once, the pages glowed green, and the black hand shot up out of the page and grabbed blindly at Hiro. The book had come to life! Hiro screamed as the fingers turned into long, slimy tentacles and he shut the book. The hand vanished and the book slipped from his grasp. It landed on the floor with a thud that the silence magnified into a crash. He stumbled backward and knocked over a shelf into the wall. All the books fell off and burst open as they hit the ground. Birds, beasts, monsters, and dangerous-looking plants emerged from their volumes and began running amok.

Panicking, Hiro saw the light of a lantern coming down the corridor outside. He ran for it. He passed O'Dell in the doorway; O'Dell's pale wild eyes looked straight through him, and Hiro slipped under his outstretched arm and streaked off up the corridor, the sounds of the zoo the Forbidden Stacks had turned into still ringing in his ears.

He came to a sudden halt in front of a tall suit of armor. He had been so busy getting away from the library that he hadn't paid attention to where he was going. Perhaps because it was dark, he didn't recognize where he was at all. He knew there was a suit of armor near the kitchens, but that was at least five floors away from here.

"You asked me to come directly to you, Professor, if anyone was wandering around at night, and somebody's been in the Forbidden Stacks in the library."

Hiro felt the blood drain out of his face. Wherever he was, O'Dell must have known a shortcut, because his voice was getting nearer, and to his horror, it was Lilith who replied.

"The Restricted Section? I should have known this would happen tonight. They can't be far from there, we'll catch them."

Hiro stood rooted to the spot as O'Dell and Lilith turned the corner. They couldn't see him, of course, but it was a narrow corridor. If they came much nearer they'd knock right into him – and the helmet didn't stop him from being solid.

He backed away as quietly as he could. A door he had never seen before stood ajar to his left. It was his only hope. He squeezed through it, holding his breath, trying not to move it, and to his relief he managed to get inside the room while avoiding their notice. They walked straight past, and Hiro leaned against the wall, breathing deeply, listening to their footsteps dying away. That had been close, too close. It was a few seconds before he paused to look around the room he had hidden in.

It was pitch black. Hiro did a quick light spell and saw nearly all the walls were draped with heavy curtains. At the far end of the room a magnificent mirror hung on the wall. Stone depictions of the Zodiac encircled its ornate gold frame, which was in the shape of two intertwining snakes and studded with rubies and pearls. Hiro wondered what it was doing here, and why anyone would want to hide it away. His panic fading now that there was no sign of O'Dell or Lilith, Hiro approached the mirror.

As he touched the glass, a wall of flames shot up behind it. Hiro jumped back and clapped his hands to his mouth to stop him screaming. The flames subsided, and a green mask-like face appeared from out of the smoke.

"What wouldst thou know, young Hiro?" it intoned as its empty eyes bore into him.

Hiro's heart was pounding far more furiously than when the books sprung to life – whatever this thing was could still see him even though he was invisible.

"Who…what are you?" Hiro whispered.

"I am the Slave of the Magic Mirror
I come through wind and space
Your approach and desires have summoned me here
So that you may see my face.
I speak only truths, I give only answers,
I tell you no riddles or lies.
Now ask what you wish to know from me
So that you may claim your heart's prize."

"Wait, so I can ask you anything at all, and you have to answer truthfully?"

"Yes, young Hiro.
The truth is what I show."

"So if I ask you what my Aunt Cass is doing right now, you'll know it?"

"Yes, though she is currently sleeping.
A day of joy was marred by her weeping."

Hiro felt a twinge of guilt once more. But then a thought occurred.

"Can you…tell me anything about people from the past?"

"Yes, the past is an open book.
I can tell you and even give you a look."

Hiro steadied himself and inhaled.

"…I want to know about my parents. What were they like?"

From there, the Mirror told Hiro everything he asked for and more about his mother and father from their school days, and, from time to time, showed images of them growing up into adulthood. Hiro stood there, spellbound, as he tried to take in everything.

Tomeo, his father, had a knack for technology at a young age, much like Hiro. He was soft-spoken and had trouble making eye contact, which gave some the impression that he was a snob. To the few people who knew him best, however, he was a warm and sensitive boy who was endlessly curious about the magical world and had some brilliant ideas about combining magic and technology, even if not all of them worked. He was excellent in Alchemy, naturally, though he also had a gift for Charms.

His mother, Maemi, was a spirited young woman with a strong sense of justice. She had zero tolerance for bullies and was quick to defend anyone who was being picked on, helped by the fact that she was a Warrior on the Mus Questing team. Her friendship with Tomeo began when one of his class projects was stolen and she helped get it back. She went on to teach him as much martial arts as he knew so he could have an easier time defending himself, and he in turn helped her boost her grades in Modern Magical Technology as well as spark a similar interest in creating "magitech" as he called it. Her strengths lay in Transformation magic. Together they formed their own ragtag group of friends whose talent, camaraderie and penchant for chaos were both the pride and bane of the teachers' existence.

As Hiro listened, he began to feel like he really knew his family for the first time in his life. The question of how they had perished under Maleficent played on his lips, but he couldn't bring himself to ask it. Hiro wanted to reach through the glass and pull them both out. He had a powerful kind of ache inside him, half joy, and half terrible sadness.

How long he stood in that room, he didn't know. It wasn't until he heard a distant noise from somewhere outside that he was brought back to his senses. He couldn't stay here; he had to find his way back to bed. He tore his eyes away from the Mirror, whispered, "I'll come back," and hurried from the room.

"You could have woken me up," said Peter, crossly.

"You can come tonight. I'm going back to learn everything about my mom and dad. We can ask the Mirror about your real parents too."

"No thanks," said Peter. "I don't care about them."

"Really? There's nothing you want to know about who they were or what they were like?"

"Oh, I knew what they were like, all right," Peter said. But he refused to elaborate. "Shame you couldn't find anything about Edmund. Have some bacon or something, why aren't you eating anything?"

Hiro couldn't eat. He had seen his parents and would be seeing them again tonight. He had almost forgotten about Edmund. It didn't seem very important anymore. Who cared what the dinosaur was guarding? What did it matter if Lilith stole it, really?

"Are you all right, Hiro?" said Peter. "You don't look so good."

Hiro was terrified that he might not be able to find the Mirror room again. He learned that if Peter held on to him while he put on the helmet, he became as invisible as he was until he took it off. They had to walk much more carefully the next night now that there were two of them. They tried retracing Hiro's route from the library, wandering around the dark passageways for nearly an hour.

"I'm freezing," said Peter. "Let's forget it and go back."

"No!" Hiro hissed. "I know it's here somewhere."

They passed the ghost of a Roman emperor gliding in the opposite direction, but saw no one else. Just as Peter started moaning that his feet were frostbitten, Hiro spotted the suit of armor.

"It's here – yes!"

They pushed the door open. Harry threw off the helmet and ran to the Mirror. Once again the spirit within appeared and asked what he wished to know.

"See, I told you we'd find it!" Hiro grinned. He pushed Peter up to the Mirror.

"Ask it anything! Go on!"

Peter stood silently for a moment in thought.

"Um, Magic Mirror, how are things back at…at where I used to live?"

"The window is closed,
The bars are still there,
The little boy sleeps,
Dreaming dreams without care."

Peter looked as though someone had punched him in the gut. He turned away, his fists clenching. Maybe it was the low lighting in the room, but Hiro thought he was about to cry.

"I don't like this mirror. I'm going back to the tower."

"Wait, don't go!" said Hiro, stepping in his path. "Not everything it says is bad. Lemme show what it does when I ask about my parents."

"I don't want to know about your parents! I want to leave!"

"Don't push me!"

A sudden noise outside in the corridor put an end to their fight. They hadn't realized how loudly they'd been shouting.

"Quick!"

Peter grabbed Hiro's arm and he jammed the helmet back on as Bony's wet black nose sniffed its way through the door. Hiro and Peter stood as still as could be, both thinking the same thing – did the helmet work on dogs? After what seemed like an eternity, he turned and left.

"I bet he's coming back with O'Dell. Come on."

And Peter dragged Hiro out of the room.

The snow still hadn't melted the next morning. Hiro gazed into the Great Hall fireplace, unaware of Peter sitting down beside him.

"Want to play Maelstrom, Hiro?"

"No."

"How about we go visit Ralph?"

"No…you go…"

"You're thinking about that mirror again, aren't you, Hiro? You can't go back tonight."

"Why not?"

"Something about it's not right. And you nearly got in trouble again with O'Dell and Bony and Lilith –"

"So what? You're always okay with getting in trouble if it means you get to show up Kay."

"I'm serious this time! What if they walk right into you? Or find you sitting there when you're not supposed to?"

Peter tried to turn Hiro to face him, but Hiro pushed him away angrily.

"You sound like Wendy. You're just mad because you didn't like what the Mirror told you."

Peter's face turned red.

"All right, go on, go back to that stupid mirror again! But I'm not coming with you, and I'm not helping you if you get caught."

But Hiro had only one thought in his head, to get back in front of the Magic Mirror, and Peter wasn't going to stop him.

The third night he found his way more quickly than before. He was walking so fast he knew he was making more noise than was wise, but he didn't meet anyone.

And there was the face of the Magic Mirror, sharing all sorts of little details and stories that made his mother and father feel more real than they ever were before. Hiro sank down to sit on the floor in front of the mirror. There was nothing to stop him from staying there all night, asking every question he could think of. Nothing at all…

"Heh heh heh…Back again, Hiro?"

Hiro felt as if his insides had turned to ice. He looked behind him. A pair of spectacles hung in the air as patches of tiny stars formed into Merlin. Hiro was relieved to see the old wizard was smiling.

"So," Merlin said, kneeling down beside Hiro, "I see you like so many others before you have discovered the wonders of the Magic Mirror."

"Yeah. It's like a search engine that talks back – and tells you anything you can't find on the internet."

"I never thought about it that way, but yes, I suppose it is," said Merlin, scratching his chin thoughtfully.

"Wait, how did you know I was here before?" Hiro asked fearfully.

"During the Wailing Star shower I was overcome with the urge to make sure there wasn't too much mischief occurring around the castle," Merlin replied, his eyes twinkling knowingly. "I may have left a few doors open during my investigation. As I returned to close this particular one, I found the room occupied, though I thought it would be rude to interrupt at the time."

Hiro couldn't think of a way to respond.

"This Mirror gives us knowledge and truth about all things – whether we want to hear it or not. Tell me, Hiro, you have asked the Mirror for information previously unknown to you about your parents and the kind of people they were – what else will you do with it?"

Hiro sat and pondered this. The only thing he had on his mind at first was getting to learn more about his parents. There was an infinite resource of information at his fingertips with nothing hidden from him. He thought of Aladar, a creature brought back after thousands of years. Maybe…

"What if…there was a way to bring them back? Maybe with the Mirror and the right amount of research and spells –" But Merlin cut him off.

"Hiro, there's an old saying about the powers we're gifted – all magic comes with a price. There are limits to what we can and cannot do, and I'm afraid reviving the dead is beyond them."

"But it's not impossible, is it? Wendy's read us stories where the good guys died but came back in the end. How come they get to live and not my mom and dad?" Hiro's voice cracked, and he found himself furiously wiping his eye. "It's…it's not fair…"

Merlin gave him a sympathetic look and laid a hand on his shoulder. "You're right, lad. It isn't fair that you should grow up without your mother and father," he said.

"I was happy learning about them, but knowing they're gone makes it hurt more." Hiro looked back up at Merlin. "If the Magic Mirror really does know everything, couldn't you have used it to save them? Couldn't you have asked it what Maleficent's next move was and make sure she didn't kill them?"

Before Merlin could answer, the Mirror spoke up:

"Alas, my vision does not extend forward through time.
But even if I could, would it truly be sublime?"

Hiro's hopes plunged into his stomach like a stone. When he looked at Merlin again, he was surprised to see he wasn't angry with him after his accusations. The old wizard looked down on him kindly.

"It's a wonderful thing, pursuing the truth, especially regarding the ones we loved and knew so little. But to obsess over what could have been, to try to change what is long out of our hands does us more harm than good, lad. People have wasted their lives chasing the ephemeral because of what they could not accept, even gone mad. Why, the Mirror's previous owner used its powers for her own vainglory, and it drove her to commit terrible crimes of jealousy and rage over what she could not control. That is why the Mirror will be moved to a new home tomorrow, Hiro, and I must ask you not to go looking for it again. If you do ever run across it, you will now be prepared. It doesn't do to dwell on the past and forget to live in the present, remember that. Now, why don't you put that admirable kabuto back on and return to bed?"

"Huh, so that's what it's called…."

Hiro stood up.

"Sir…Professor? Can I ask you something?"

"Obviously, you've just done so," Merlin smiled. "You may ask me one more thing, however."

"What would you ask the Mirror if you could?"

"I? I'd ask it the best way to go about building my own miniature train I can ride in my backyard."

Hiro stared.

"So few people appreciate the power of a locomotive, the beauty of a steam engine, and the fun and thrill that comes with riding along," sighed Merlin. "Another Christmas has come and gone, and I haven't even gotten a model train set. People will insist on giving me books and new robes because it seems I'm too mature to enjoy such things."

It was only when he was back in bed that it struck Hiro that Merlin might not have been quite truthful. But then, he thought as he turned over in his blankets, it had been a personal question.

Chapter Text

Merlin had convinced Hiro not to go looking for the Magic Mirror again, and for the rest of winter break the kabuto stayed at the bottom of his trunk. Hiro wished he could forget his experience with the Mirror as easily, but he couldn't. He started having nightmares. Over and over again he dreamed about his parents disappearing in a flash of green fire, while someone cackled with cruel laughter.

"I told you, Merlin was right, that mirror could drive you nuts," said Peter, when Hiro told him about his dreams.

Wendy, who returned the day before term started, took a different view of things. She was torn between disappointment that Hiro hadn't used the mirror to learn more about King Frederic and Edmund, and terror that he had nearly gotten caught out of bed.

They had almost given up hope of ever finding the connection between the two monarchs in a library book or even through a quick look online (Professor Ichabod explained in one of his lessons that most of the magical lands hadn't fully adapted to modern technology yet, so the best you could hope for when doing research on them was through books instead of the internet), though Hiro swore they were so close to the answer he could feel it. All they needed was a nudge, a word, to put them on the right track. Once term started, they were back to skimming through books during their breaks. Hiro had even less time than Peter and Wendy because Questing practice resumed.

Cassandra worked the team harder than ever. Even the endless rain that washed away the snow couldn't dampen her spirits. The Blights complained that she was turning into a fanatic, but Hiro was on her side. If they won the next match against Canis, they would overtake Felinus in the House Championship for the first time in seven years. Apart from wanting to win, Hiro had much fewer nightmares when he was tuckered out from training.

Then, during one particular muddy and wet session, Cassandra gave the team a bit of bad news. She was already furious with Hiro and Baymax, who kept dive-bombing and pretending to crash.

"Quit fooling around, Hamada!" she yelled. "That's exactly the sort of thing that'll lose us the match! Professor Lilith's refereeing this time, and I don't want to risk her knocking off points just because you're goofing off!"

Hiro nearly did fall off Baymax at these words.

"Wait, Lilith is refereeing?" he sputtered. "When has she ever been interested in Questing? There's no way she's gonna play fair if we overtake Felinus."

"I heard she was captain of her team back in the day," said Emira. "This is the first time I've known her to do any refereeing, though."

The rest of the team complained along with them until Cassandra raised her voice.

"Don't pin this on me! We've just got to make sure we play a clean, fair game so we don't give her a reason to pick on us."

That was all very well, thought Hiro, but he had another reason to not have Lilith anywhere near him while he was out on the field…

Hiro headed straight back to the common room after practice and sent Baymax upstairs. He found Peter teaching Wendy the finer points of Maelstrom as Milo and Anne looked on.

"Shh!" Peter said as Hiro sat down next to him. "I need to concentrate on this next move."

"You're looking a little down, Hiro," said Milo. "Everything okay?"

Hiro told all four of them about Lilith's sudden, sinister desire to be a Questing referee. Even Milo and Anne, who knew nothing about her attempt on Hiro's life, were concerned. They remembered how she treated him during their first lesson all too well.

"Don't play," Wendy said immediately.

"Tell them you're sick," said Peter.

"Pretend to break your leg," Anne suggested.

"Really break your leg," said Milo.

"I can't," said Hiro sadly. "There's no backup Chaser and the team's counting on me. If I pull out, we can't play at all."

At that moment, Wart stumbled into the common room. How he managed to find his way to the portrait hole was anyone's guess, because his head and clothes were covered in paint and trash, someone had doodled all over his face, and his legs were partially stuck together.

Wendy, Anne and Milo leapt up and helped Wart into a chair. Anne performed a water spell that washed away the worst of the mess.

"Thanks," Wart muttered.

"What happened, Wart?" Wendy asked him.

"It was Kay. Boscha too," Wart said shakily. "They started flinging things at me during Music class, but I figured they couldn't follow me around all day. But they did. They followed me around all day!"

"Go to a teacher," Wendy urged Wart. "Report them!"

"I did," said Wart. "They just told me to ignore them, but it only got worse when I tried to. Ignoring them never works."

"Then whoop their butts!" said Anne. "Somebody's gotta take those guys down a peg."

Wart shook his head.

"I don't want any more trouble. I'm only here 'cause –"

He paused, considering what to say next.

"…If Sir Ector found out I was fighting, then he won't let me come back to school next year."

"It doesn't matter. You've gotta stand up to him, Wart!" said Peter. "Kay's used to walkin' all over everybody, that doesn't mean you gotta lie down in front of him and make it easy."

"Besides, I'm sure Ector will understand if he knows Kay's been bullying you," said Milo encouragingly.

"You don't understand," Wart choked out. "Kay's from a proper noble family and I'm just nobody. I can't do it. I wish I could…"

He sniffed and wiped at his face.

"You don't have to tell me I'm not brave enough to be sorted into Mus. Kay's done that enough already."

Hiro felt in his pocket and pulled out a Wonder Ball, the very last one of the bunch that Wendy sent him for Christmas. He gave it to Wart, whose eyes were wet with unshed tears.

"You're worth twelve of Kay," Hiro said. "The Sorcerer's Hat chose you for Mus, didn't it? And Kay's stuck in Felinus with the rest of those phonies."

Wart's lips twitched into a weak smile as he unwrapped the box.

"Thanks, Hiro. Here, you can have the card, it was yours after all."

He held out the card, which had a very familiar face on it. Hiro gently pushed it back.

"Nah, it's okay, Wart. I've already got Merlin –"

His eyes popped open. Without a word he took the card from Wart and read the back. Confused, Wart backed away and went up to the dormitory. Hiro looked to Wendy and Peter.

"Wendy," he whispered, "did any of the kings you found rule over a place called the Dark Kingdom?"

Wendy gasped. She hadn't looked so excited since their first test results came back.

"Wait here!" she said, and she sprinted to the girls' dormitories.

"What's going on?" Anne asked, confused.

"Uh, it's kind of a private thing – for homework. Yeah," Hiro said quickly. He'd rather not get anyone else involved if he could help it. Milo yawned and joined Wart upstairs for bed as Anne shrugged, plugged her earbuds in and started watching a video on her phone.

"What's this about the card and the Dark Kingdom?" Peter asked Hiro.

"Okay, on the train coming here, I read this on the first Wonder Ball card I got – 'Merlin is particularly famous for yadda yadda yadda, and his extensive research on the magical histories of Corona and the Dark Kingdom'! We already found Frederic; he's the king of Corona. Maybe if we find the Dark Kingdom, it could lead us to King Edmund and what's connecting the both of them!"

Wendy dashed back down the stairs and plopped an enormous old book in front of them.

"I never thought to look in here!" she whispered excitedly. "I checked this out of the library weeks ago for a bit of light reading."

"This is light?" said Peter. Wendy silenced him with a look and continued to flip through the pages.

At last she found what she was looking for.

"Of course! Here they are!"

She showed them a page with two ancient-looking drawings, one of the sun with a trail of golden drops falling from it onto a flower, and one of the moon with silver drops descending on a castle with wicked black rocks poking out of it like needles.

"It makes perfect sense," Wendy said. "King Frederic and King Edmund are the keepers of the Sundrop and Moonstone!"

"The WHAT?" said Hiro and Peter. It wasn't the reaction she anticipated.

"Honestly, don't you two read?"

She pushed the book towards them and began to read:

Peter and Hiro gasped. Wendy continued.

"See?" said Wendy once she was finished. "Aladar must be guarding the Sundrop and Moonstone!"

"I bet Merlin is looking after them because of how much he knows about them and where they came from," Hiro said. "Maybe the kings asked him to do it because they knew someone was after them again. And look – the incantations to activate them are right here! The one for the Moonstone seems much shorter for some reason."

He took out his phone and snapped a picture of the pages.

"A flower that can give you eternal life, and a stone with the power to wipe out entire kingdoms. Who wouldn't want those?! You could rule the world with them! No wonder Lilith's after them!"

"And no wonder they weren't in Recent Magical Achievements," said Peter. "They're not exactly recent or achievements if they're hundreds of years old and meant to be a secret, aren't they?"

The next morning in Magical Myths and History, while copying down the names of notable princesses, Hiro and Peter were still discussing what they'd do if they had the Sundrop and Moonstone. It wasn't until Peter said he'd throw a never-ending Questing match that Hiro remembered about Lilith and the upcoming match.

"I'm going to play," he told Peter and Wendy. "If I don't, everyone will think I'm just too scared to face Lilith. I'll show them…it'll really wipe the smiles off their faces when we win."

"Just as long as we're not wiping you off the field," said Peter.

As the match drew nearer, however, Hiro became more and more nervous, despite what he told everyone. The rest of the team wasn't too calm either. The idea of overtaking Felinus in the House Championship was wonderful; no one had done it in seven years, but would they be allowed to with a referee eager to punish anyone at the drop of a hat?

Hiro didn't know whether he was imagining it or not, but he seemed to keep running into Lilith wherever he went. At times he even wondered if she was following him, trying to catch him on his own. Transformation lessons were becoming something of a weekly torture for Hiro as she constantly called attention to him and his progress, or lack thereof. Could Lilith possibly know they'd found out about the Sundrop and Moonstone? Hiro couldn't see how she could – yet sometimes she had the horrible feeling that Lilith had eyes and ears everywhere in the castle.

Hiro knew, when they wished him good luck outside the locker rooms the next afternoon, that Peter and Wendy were wondering whether they'd see him alive again. It wasn't exactly what you'd call comforting. Hiro hardly heard a word of Cassandra's pep talk as he draped his uniform over his armor and fitted Baymax's flight gear on to him.

Wendy and Peter, meanwhile, found a place in the stands. They sat with their wands out looking grim and determined. It drew a number of curious stares from their classmates, including Wart, but they were ignored. Little did Hiro know that the two of them had been practicing a body-binding spell in secret and were ready to use it on Lilith the moment she showed signs of wanting to hurt Hiro.

"Don't forget, the spell is Corctant Cum Vites," Wendy whispered as she slipped her wand up her sleeve.

"I won't, don't worry," Peter replied.

Back in the locker room, Cassandra took Hiro aside.

"Don't want to pressure you, Hiro, but if we need an early victory, it's now. Get to the treasure before Lilith can favor Canis too much. Better yet, let me find it first and I'll signal for you to arrive with the rest of the team."

"The whole school's out here," said Edric. "Even – Jiminy Cricket! Merlin's in the stands!"

Hiro's heart did a somersault.

"Merlin?!" he said, racing to the door. He had to make sure.

Edric was right; there was no mistaking that beard.

Hiro was so relieved he could have laughed until he cried. They were safe. There was no way Lilith would dare try to hurt him or Baymax with Merlin watching.

Perhaps that was why Lilith looked so furious as the teams marched on to the field, something Peter noticed too.

"Gosh, I've never seen her look so mean," he told Wendy.

The field became a snowy mountainside. The first signs of an oncoming blizzard hung in the air.

"They're off – ouch!"

"Oh sorry, Pan, didn't see you there."

Boscha grinned at Sasha and Kay.

"Wonder how long Hamada's gonna stay on his robot this time? Anyone wanna bet?" said Kay.

Peter didn't answer; Lilith just awarded Canis a penalty because one of Emira's stray snowballs hit her. Wendy crossed her fingers her fingers in her lap. She squinted fixedly at Hiro, who was circling the game like a hawk, looking for the treasure, swooping in every now and then to take out one of his opponents. Cassandra and the rest battled the elements and the other team with vigor.

"You know how I think they choose people for the Mus team?" Boscha said loudly a few minutes later, as Lilith awarded Canis another penalty for an obscure rule in the playbook. "It's people they feel sorry for. There's Cassandra, who's got no mom, then Hiro, who's got no parents, then there's the Blights, whose parents hate them."

"You oughta be on the team, Wart, you've got no brains," said Kay, shoving Wart from behind and guffawing loudly.

Wart went bright red but turned in his seat to face him.

"I'm worth twelve of you, Kay," he stammered.

Kay, Boscha and Sasha howled with laughter, but Peter, still not daring to take his eyes from the game, said, "You tell 'em, Wart!"

"You think you're hard enough to best me, Wart?" Kay laughed. "You've hardly got any muscle or trainin' on you. You're almost worse off than Pan 'ere!"

Peter gritted his teeth.

"One more word, Kay –"

"Peter!" cried Wendy suddenly. "Hiro!"

"What? Where?"

Hiro had gone into a spectacular dive and swooped straight upward, drawing gasps and cheers from the crowd. Wendy stood, crossed fingers held up, as Hiro streaked to the top of the mountain.

"Look at that, Pan, Hiro's spotted some gold for you!" said Kay.

Peter snapped. Before Kay knew what was happening, Peter was on top of him, wrestling him to the ground. Wart hesitated, and then clambered over the back of his seat to help.

"Come on, Hiro!" Wendy screamed, leaping on to her seat to watch as Hiro sped past Cassandra, who was scaling the mountain on her own. The rock cracked beneath her feet, and she was left clinging for dear life to the mountain face. The crowd gasped as one. Hiro and Baymax reached the peak and held up a pointed gold tiara. Amid the roars and cheers came the announcement of Mus' new advantage –

"SNOW GUARDIAN."

A hulking mass of snow rose from the top of the mountain in the form of a behemoth on icy legs. It roared, and sharp icicles sprung from its back and fingertips. The monster jumped down to fight off the Canis team as the rest of Mus made their way to the peak.

Cassandra fought to maintain her grip. The wind blew in her face and her fingers slipped – she fell.

The onlookers got to their feet amid a wave of concerned cries – but they needn't have worried.

Less than five feet from the ground, Baymax swooped in and caught Cassandra. Ecstatic shouts overwhelmed the raging winds. Cassandra glared at Hiro.

"I told you to let me get to the treasure first! I had this!"

"Geez, you're welcome," Hiro replied, rolling his eyes.

Baymax carried her and Hiro to the rest of the team, where they lifted the tiara in the air together. The stands erupted; it had to be a record, no one could ever remember the game ending so quickly.

"Peter! Peter! Where are you? The game's over! We won! Hiro won! Mus is in the lead!" shrieked Wendy, dancing up and down and hugging Melissa.

Hiro jumped off of Baymax. He couldn't believe it. They smashed through the game and came out on top. As everyone spilled onto the field and raised Hiro onto their shoulders, he saw Lilith land nearby, white-faced and tight-lipped – then Hiro felt a hand inserted into his, and looked into Merlin's smiling face.

"Well done," Merlin said quietly, so that only Hiro could hear. "Nice to see you haven't been brooding about that Mirror…been keeping busy…excellent…"

Lilith harrumphed and stormed off the field.

Hiro stayed in the locker room alone for some time to properly calibrate Baymax's armor and give it a good cleaning. He couldn't ever remember feeling happier. He'd really done something to be proud of now; no one could say he was just a famous name anymore.

The evening air had never smelled so sweet. He walked over the damp grass, reliving the last hour in his head, which was a happy blur: all of Mus House carrying him out of the stadium; Peter and Wendy in the distance, jumping up and down, Peter cheering through a heavy nosebleed.

Hiro looked up at the castle, with its windows glowing in the setting sun. There was no one around but he and Baymax to take in this beautiful sight – no one except Cassandra.

Hiro hadn't realized she was still there. She gazed into the sunset, her sword held out and her back to him. She didn't seem to know that he was there.

“Guess we all are born with parts to play.
Some of us are stars and some are just in the way.
I know I was meant for glory,
But that's never what my story brings…

And yet I keep on waiting…

When you have the passion and the drive,
You expect your moment, center stage, to arrive.
I show up with heart a-blazing,
Ready to achieve amazing things…

But I'm left waiting in the wings.

I hear my cue,
And yet I’m kept there waiting.
Know what to do,
And I still stand there waiting.
It's always someone else who sings
While I'm left waiting in the wings

And so I keep on keepin' on.
My chances come and then I blink and they're gone.
Always overlooked unfairly
While pretending that it barely stings –

But it stings, yes, it stings!

And I'll shed no tears,
I’ll only keep on waiting!
If no one cheers,
Well, I can keep on waiting!
Who cares how loud the silence rings…

You'll find me waiting in the wings...”

Her song done, Cass turned her eyes downward and walked away along the forest edge.

Hiro swallowed the lump in his throat. Did him reaching the treasure that quickly really tear her up that badly? They won the game and Mus was in the lead, even if it didn't go exactly like she had wanted.

"It'll be nice to end my final year here on a high note…" the words echoed in his head. "I always thought that if I could prove how strong I was, he'd finally let me join the guards… I won't be waiting in the wings any longer…"

"Oh…"

He had stolen the spotlight from Cassandra, even though he hadn't meant to, even though she nearly got herself killed just to win. That sudden realization could have sunk him into the ground.

Hiro headed towards Cass. Perhaps if he talked it over with her, told her he never meant to overshadow her, they could work out a new strategy where they'd both lead the team to victory. He just hoped she'd be willing to listen. His awareness of the situation made his win feel less than victorious, but hey, at least he'd shown Lilith.

Speaking of Lilith…

A hooded figure came swiftly down the front steps of the castle. Clearly not wanting to be seen, they walked as fast as possible toward the Forest of No Return. Cassandra faded from Hiro's mind as he watched. He recognized the figure's prowling walk. Lilith, sneaking into the forest while everyone else was at dinner – what was going on?

Hiro scanned the perimeter; Cass was nowhere to be seen now. He climbed on to Baymax.

"Be as quiet as you can, Baymax. Keep an eye on Lilith, don't lose sight of her."

They took off. Gliding silently over the castle he saw Lilith enter the forest at a run. They followed.

The trees were so thick he couldn't see where Lilith had gone. They flew in circles, lower and lower, brushing the top branches of trees until he heard voices. They glided toward them and landed carefully in a towering beech tree.

Hiro leaned as forward as he could without falling off, trying to see through the leaves. Below, in a shadowy clearing, stood Lilith, but she wasn't alone. Ichabod was there, too. Hiro couldn't make out the look on his face, but he was stammering worse than ever. Hiro strained to catch what they were saying.

"…d-don't know why you wanted to meet here of all places, Miss Clawthorne…"

"Oh, I thought we'd keep this private," said Lilith in her icy voice. "Students aren't supposed to know about the Sundrop and Moonstone, after all."

Hiro's eyes nearly popped out of his skull. Ichabod was muttering something. Lilith interrupted him.

"Do you know anything about how to get past that beast of Ralph's?"

"B-b-but I-I don't –"

"You don't want me as your enemy, Crane," said Lilith, taking a step towards him. The eyes of her staff glowed an unearthly blue.

"I-I-I don't know what you –"

"You know perfectly well what I mean."

An owl hooted loudly, and Hiro nearly lost his balance. He steadied himself in time to hear Lilith say, "…anyone else. I'll know."

"B-but I –"

"We'll have another little chat soon, when you've had time to screw your courage to the sticking place."

She threw her cloak over her head and strode out of the clearing. It was almost dark now, but Hiro could see Ichabod rooted to the spot, trembling.

"Oh Hiro, where have you been?" Wendy squealed.

Peter crowed triumphantly.

"We won! You won! We won!" he shouted, spinning Hiro around. "And I punched Kay in the stomach, and Wart nearly took on Sasha and Boscha single-handed! Well, Anne held Sasha back and Boscha gave him a black eye, but Professor Flora says he'll be all right. Talk about showing Felinus who's number one! Everyone's waiting for you, they're throwing a party in the common room! Edric and Emira are stealing food from the kitchens –"

"Never mind that," said Hiro breathlessly. "Let's find an empty room, you wait 'til you hear this…"

He made sure the Cheshire Cat wasn't inside before shutting the door behind them, then he told them what he'd seen and heard.

"So we were right, it is the Sundrop and Moonstone, and Lilith's trying to force Crane to help her get it. She asked if he knew how to get past Aladar. There's gotta be other things guarding them apart from him, other spells and monsters and things, and Crane must know something that Lilith needs in order for her to break through!"

"So, you mean the Sundrop and Moonstone are only safe as long as Professor Crane stands up to Lillith?" said Wendy in alarm.

"They'll be gone by next Tuesday," Peter shrugged.

Chapter Text

Ichabod, however, must have been braver than they thought. In the weeks that followed he grew paler and jumpier, but it didn't look as though he cracked yet.

Every time they passed the third-floor corridor, Wendy, Peter and Hiro would press their ears to the door to check that Aladar was still growling inside. Lilith was sweeping about in her usual stern manner, which surely meant that the Sundrop and Moonstone were still safe. Whenever Hiro passed Ichabod these days he gave him an encouraging sort of smile, and Peter started leaving him snacks at his desk.

Wendy, however, had more on her mind than the Moonstone and Sundrop. She started drawing up study schedules and color-coding all her notes. Peter and Hiro wouldn't have minded, but she kept encouraging them to do the same.

"Wendy, the exams are ages away."

"Oh no, they're ten weeks away," Wendy replied in a worried tone. "That's not ages, that's a second to someone like Gothel."

"But we're not six hundred years old," Peter reminded her. "Anyway, you already know everything from memory."

"Yes, but we need to pass these exams to progress to our second year! I should have started studying months ago…"

Unfortunately, the teachers seemed to be thinking along the same lines as Wendy. They piled so much homework on them that spring break wasn't nearly as much fun as Christmas. Hiro once again had to write to Aunt Cass that his workload was so much that he had no time to come home. It was hard to relax with Wendy next to you reciting the twelve principles of spell animation or practicing wand movements. Moaning and yawning, Hiro and Peter spent most of their free time in the library with her, trying to get through all their extra work.

"I'll never remember this!" Peter burst out one afternoon, slamming his book shut and looking longingly out of the library window. It was the first really fine day they'd had in months. The sky was a clear, forget-me-not blue, and there was a feeling in the air of summer coming.

Hiro, who was looking up painted roses in One Thousand and One Magical Flora, didn't look up until he heard Peter say, "Ralph! What are you doing in the library?"

Ralph shuffled into view, hiding something behind his back. He looked very out of place in his worn overalls.

"Just looking," he said, in a shifty voice that got their interest at once. "And what are you three up to?" He looked suddenly suspicious. "You're not still looking for King Edmund, are you?"

"Oh, we found out who he is ages ago," said Peter impressively. "And we know what that dinosaur's guarding, it's the Sundr –"

"Shhhh!" Ralph looked around quickly to see if anyone was listening. "Don't say it out loud! What's the matter with you?"

"There's a few things we wanted to ask you, as a matter of fact," said Hiro, "about what's guarding the…things apart from Aladar –"

"SHHHH!" said Ralph again. "Listen – come and see me at my place later. I'm not saying I'm gonna spill the beans, but don't go blabbing about it here. Students aren't supposed to know. They'll think I told you."

"See you later, then," said Hiro.

Ralph shuffled off.

"What was he hiding behind his back?" said Peter thoughtfully.

"Do you think it had anything to do with the Sundrop and Moonstone?"

"I'm going to see what section he was in," said Wendy. Peter, who had enough of working, joined her. They came back a minute later with a pile of books in their arms and slammed them down on the table.

"Ice magic!" Wendy cried. "Ralph is looking up books related to ice and snow!"

"Look at these," said Peter. "Magical Energies of Hot and Cold Climates; Yetis, Snowgies and Abominable Snowmen, Oh My!; The Four Elemental Spirits Vol.1: Ice and Snow; and The Cold Never Bothered Me Anyway: The Official Biography of Queen Elsa of Arendelle."

"But Ralph said he's not allowed to really do anything with magic since he got expelled," said Hiro. "Why would he be interested in ice magic all of a sudden?"

He noticed a bookmark sticking out one of the books.

"Hang on…"

He opened it to the pages the mark was stuck between. It was a chapter all about enchanted snowmen.

"Snowmen? What is he up to…"

When they knocked on the door of Ralph's cottage an hour later, they were surprised to see that the curtains were all closed. Ralph called "Who is it?" before he let them in, and then shut the door quickly behind them.

It was freezing inside. Even though it was such a warm day out, the refrigerator was wide open and blocks of ice were piled up along the walls. Ralph poured them some root beer, which froze to Peter's lips as he drunk it.

"So, you wanted to ask me something?"

"Yes," said Hiro. There was no point in beating around the bush. "We were wondering if you could tell us what's guarding the Sundrop and Moonstone apart from Aladar."

Ralph frowned at him.

"Oh no you don't," he said. "Not again. Sorry. For one thing, I don't know myself. And second, you know too much already, so I wouldn't if I could. They're down there for a good reason. They were almost stolen from the bank – or do you already know about that too? Beats me how you even found out about Aladar."

"Oh, but Ralph, you might not want to tell us, but you do know, you know everything that goes on round here," said Wendy in a warm, flattering voice. Ralph's mouth twitched into a smile. "We only wondered who had done the guarding, really," she went on. "We wondered who Merlin had trusted enough to help him, apart from you."

Ralph's chest swelled at these last words. Hiro and Peter beamed at Wendy.

"Well, I guess it couldn't hurt, as long as you don't do anything stupid…let's see…Me and Professor Owl worked on Aladar together, then the rest of the teachers paired together for their enchantments…there was Professor Flora and Eda…" he ticked them off on his fingers, "…McGucket and Timothy, Plantar and Lilith…don't remember who Yzma got paired with, though…Oh, and Merlin did one too, of course."

"Hang on – Lilith did one?" said Hiro.

"Yeah – look, you're still not on about that, are you? Lilith's one of the teachers protecting the stones, she's not about to steal 'em."

Hiro knew Peter and Wendy were thinking the same as he was. If Lilith was in on protecting the Moonstone and Sundrop, it must have been easy to find out how the other teachers had guarded it. She probably knew everything – except, it seemed, how to get past Aladar.

"You're the only one who knows how to get past Aladar, aren't you, Ralph?" said Hiro anxiously. "And you wouldn't tell anyone, would you? Not even one of the teachers?"

"Not a soul knows except me and Merlin," said Ralph proudly. He paused. "…I shouldn't have told you that."

"Well that's something," Hiro muttered. He shivered and rubbed his arms. "Hey Ralph, can we open a window? I'm freezing."

"Can't, Hiro, sorry," said Ralph. Harry noticed him glance at the fridge. Hiro looked in it too.

"Ralph – what's that?"

But he had an idea of what it was. Situated between a carton of milk and some ice cream was a mound of snow with a few sticks, some coal, and a carrot sticking out.

"Ah," said Ralph, fiddling his hands nervously, "that's, uh…"

"You're trying to build a snowman in the middle of spring, Ralph?" said Peter, lightly hovering over the table to get a better look. "Where'd you get all that snow?"

"Won it," said Ralph. "Last night. I was at one of the villages having a drink and got into a game of Hexes Hold 'Em with a stranger. I think they were glad to be rid of it, as a matter of fact."

"But why, Ralph? What are you going to do with it when it's built?" said Wendy.

"Well, I…I get kinda lonely this time of year," Ralph said, his eyes turned to the floor. "So I reckoned it's about time I build myself a friend, one that won't ever go away or get hurt." He pulled a large book from under his pillow. "Got this out of the library. It says that magic snow is made of cold and memory – keep it in the coldest place you can and over time it'll rebuild itself to its original form."

He looked pleased with himself, but Wendy didn't.

"Ralph, you can't expect to keep the cold up like this forever," she said.

But Ralph wasn't listening. He was humming merrily as he made more room in the fridge.

So now they had something else to worry about: what might happen to Ralph if anyone found out he was hiding an illegal magic snowman in his hut. "Wonder what it's like to have a ordinary life," Peter sighed, as evening after evening they struggled through all the extra homework they were getting.

Then the news broke.

While word quickly spread over the breakfast tables and students began wondering where Olaf could vanished, Peter, Wendy and Hiro turned to each other nervously.

"Well, we don't know for sure that it's the same one as Ralph's," said Hiro, not quite believing it himself. "He could have an entirely different snowman growing in his fridge…"

Moments later, Pedro dropped off a note from Ralph. He had written only two words:

They were ready to skip Venebotany and go straight to Ralph's, but Anne noticed them heading in the other direction.

"Woah, dudes, where you goin'? Venebotany's this way! You don't want Professor Plantar to think you're cutting class, do you?"

"She's right, you know," sighed Wendy. "We'll get in trouble if we're caught, not to mention what kind of trouble poor Ralph will get into once someone learns what he's doing –"

"Shhh!" Peter whispered.

Kay, Sasha and Boscha were walking by and paused only for a moment to listen. How much had they heard? The way Kay was staring was making Hiro's heart pound.

They said nothing more on the way to Venebotany. In the end, they agreed to dash over to Ralph's during morning break. When the bell sounded from the castle at the end of their lesson, the three dropped their trowels at once and hurried across the grounds. Ralph greeted them, dressed in his winter gear.

"He's just about formed!" He ushered them inside.

Snow and ice had piled up in the corners of the cottage. In the center of the room stood the snowman on two round little legs. Two pieces of coal stood in for buttons on its body. The head was an oblong shape with a buck-toothed overbite, and it had twigs for arms and hair. They all drew up their chairs to him and watched with bated breath.

At once, the snowman straightened up. A wave of snow covered the coal-eyes and settled. After several seconds, a pair of fully formed large eyes fluttered open. The snowman blinked and looked around, smiling.

"Hi! I'm Olaf, and I like warm hugs!"

Hiro, Peter and Wendy's grins tightened.

"Aww, isn't he adorable?" Ralph gushed. He ruffled the top of the snowman's head, sending snowflakes flying every which way. "Hi, Olaf, I'm your new friend, Ralph!"

"Hi, Ralph!" said Olaf cheerfully. "Is this your family?" He motioned to the kids and whispered rather loudly to Ralph, "Don't tell them I said this, but they don't look so good."

"Oh, they're all right. This is Hiro, Peter and Wendy, and they'll be your friends too."

"And who's that looking outside the window? Is he a friend?"

All the color drained from Ralph's face. He leapt up and ran to the window.

"Oh barf…"

"Ohbarf? That's a funny name. It sounds kinda like Olaf – my name is Olaf, by the way, not Ohbarf, heheheh."

Hiro looked out the door. Even at a distance there was no mistaking him.

"I think someone saw Olaf," said Ralph. "There's a kid runnin' back to the school –"

"It's Kay," said Hiro. "He's seen us."

Something about the smile on Kay's face during the week made Hiro, Peter and Wendy incredibly nervous. They spent most of their time in Ralph's icebox cottage trying to reason with him.

"Let him go," Hiro urged, "just set him free."

"I can't," said Ralph. "He'd melt the moment he steps out the door."

They looked at Olaf. A couple times he did try to wander out the door and Ralph had to pull him back in before he was spotted. The snowman kept obliviously playing with anything he could find and making up random little songs about being out in summertime. The snow and ice was warping the wood floor. Ralph hadn't been doing his groundskeeping duties because Olaf had been keeping him so busy.

"I've gotten started on showing him how to carve from bricks, I think maybe I'll build him a little go-kart next. He can ride it in here until winter returns and then he can go out and play…"

"He's ca-raaaaaazyyyy…" Peter whispered in Hiro's ear.

"Ralph," said Hiro loudly, "Kay could rat on you any day now. Then you'd lose Olaf AND your job."

Ralph bit his lip.

"I know, I know I can't keep him forever…but I can't just give him up now."

Wendy suddenly turned to Hiro. "Elsa!" she said.

"Great, now you're losing it too," said Hiro. "I'm Hiro, remember?"

"No, Queen Elsa of Arendelle! She must be looking for Olaf everywhere. If we told her we found him, maybe she could take him back."

"Yeah, if we just tell her it was all a misunderstanding or Ralph rescued him or something, then there's no way he could get in trouble," agreed Peter.

"Perfect!" Hiro said. "How about it, Ralph?"

Ralph told them to give him a few days to think about it. Wendy penned a letter to Elsa in the meantime, one that tried to paint Ralph in as positive a light as possible.

The following week dragged by. Wednesday night found Hiro and Wendy sitting alone in the common room, long after everyone else had gone to bed. The clock on the wall chimed midnight when the portrait hole burst open. Peter appeared out of nowhere as he pulled off the kabuto. He had been down at Ralph's, trying to help Olaf find a new favorite food to eat.

"I-it's too darn cold down there!" he said in a stuffy voice. He sneezed, and wiped his nose with his arm. "I think being stuck in that freezing house for hours has made me sick. I'm telling you, that snowman gets so up in your face all the time that he's driving me crazy, but the way Ralph goes on about him, you'd think he won an Oscar or something!"

There was a tap on the dark window.

"What on earth…"

An envelope carried by a breeze full of fluttering leaves hovered just outside. Hiro hurried to let it in. The three of them put their heads together to read the note:

Dear Wendy,

They looked at one another.

"We've got the kabuto to cover us," said Hiro. "It shouldn't be too hard – it can make us and Olaf invisible."

It was a mark of how bad the last week had been that the other two agreed with him. Anything to get rid of Olaf – and Kay and his friends.

There was a hitch. By the next morning, Peter's sneezes blew him halfway across the room. That afternoon, said sneezes also began spawning a bunch of tiny living snowmen exactly the same as the ones that burst from Hiro's Christmas cracker. Though he feared Professor Flora or her assistants would recognize the source of his cold, he had no choice but to go to the infirmary.

Hiro and Wendy rushed to see him at the end of the day only to find Peter in a terrible state in bed.

"It's not just being sick," he wheezed, "even though my nose feels like it's about to fall off." He blew his red nose loudly. "Kay told Flora that he wanted to borrow a book from me so he could come and laugh at me. He kept threatening to tell her how I really got sick. I told her it's just a cold, but I don't think she believes me. I shouldn't have trounced him at the Questing match, that's why he's doing this."

"Don't worry, it'll all be over midnight on Saturday," said Hiro, but this didn't soothe Peter at all. On the contrary, he sat bolt upright and broke into a sweat.

"Midnight on Saturday?! Oh no no no…"

"What is it?" Wendy begged.

"I just remembered, Elsa's letter was in one of the books I borrowed from you Wendy, the book Kay took. He's going to know where we'll be with Olaf."

His friends didn't have a chance to answer. Flora fluttered over to them at that moment and made them leave, saying Peter needed his rest.

"It's too late to change the plan now," Hiro told Wendy. "We don't have time to send Elsa another note, and this could be our only chance to send back Olaf. We'll have to risk it. And hey, Kay doesn't know about the kabuto."

They found Lambert, the sheepish lion, basking out in the warmth of the sun when they went to tell Ralph, who opened the door to a crack to talk to them.

"Okay, I'm not gonna lie, Olaf was cute and funny at first. But then when you're stuck with him for hours and hours having to listen to him prattle on about summer and water and love, all of a sudden he starts to get reeeeeaaally annoying. I think it's time for him to go home."

"Iiiiiiiiiiiin SUMMEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRR!" Olaf belted from inside, rattling the windows. Hiro and Wendy walked back to the castle feeling Saturday couldn't come quickly enough.

They would have felt sorry for Ralph when the time came for him to say good-bye to Olaf if they hadn't been so worried about what they had to do. It was a dark, cloudy night, and they were late arriving at Ralph's cottage because they had to wait for the Cheshire Cat to get out of their way in one of the halls; he'd been playing tennis with his own head against the wall. Ralph had Olaf packed and ready in a crate full of ice cubes.

"See ya, Olaf," Ralph said with just a hint of a sniffle. Olaf waved goodbye through a peephole in the crate. Wendy took Hiro's hand and Olaf touched his knee as Hiro slipped the kabuto back on. He warned Olaf to stay quiet no matter what happened, and they set off.

How they managed to get the crate to their destination, they never knew. Between the weight and Olaf constantly whispering questions about their surroundings, Hiro's fortitude was stretched to its limit. Midnight ticked nearer as they heaved the crate along the dark corridors, up one staircase and down another – even one of the Blight twins' shortcuts didn't make the work much easier.

"Nearly there!" Hiro panted as they neared the Great Hall.

Then a sudden movement ahead of them made them almost drop the crate. Forgetting that they were already invisible, they shrank into the shadows, staring at the dark outlines of two people grappling with each other ten feet away. A lamp flared.

Eda, in an oversized pink sweater thrown over her nightgown and fuzzy old bunny slippers, was dragging Kay by the ear.

"That's it, I've had enough of you, mister!" she shouted. "Detention and twenty points from Felinus!"

"But Professor – ow! – Hiro Hamada's comin' with his friends, honest – he's got that snowman that was kidnapped from Arendelle!"

"Where do you come up with these stories? I haven't heard this much bull since Master Wortlop's "alternative medicine" seminar. I'm taking you to Lily, she'll know how to deal with you."

The steep spiral staircase down to the ground level seemed the easiest thing in the world after that. Not until they'd stepped out into the cold night air did they throw off the kabuto and drop the crate. Wendy did a sort of jig.

"Kay's been stopped and he's getting detention! Oh, I could sing!"

Music swelled out of nowhere -

"Don't," Hiro advised her.

The music came to a sudden halt.

Chuckling about Kay, they waited. About ten minutes later, something came galloping out of the darkness.

It looked like a horse running atop the river leading to the castle. Riding it was an elegant woman with white-blonde hair flowing behind her. As they came closer, Hiro could see that the horse was made entirely of water. Wendy dipped into a deep curtsy as the lady approached.

"Y-your Majesty, Queen Elsa, it's an honor to meet you."

Hiro quickly bowed as well. Elsa smiled.

"You must be Hiro and Wendy. Is Olaf all right?"

"Yes," said Hiro, opening the crate. "We had to bring him in this. It was the only way we could do it so he wouldn't melt."

"I can help with that," Elsa replied.

With a wave of her hand, Olaf flew out of the box. A light layer of translucent blue snowflakes settled onto him.

"Oooh, I missed having my own layer of permafrost!" Olaf said, hugging himself.

"Queen Elsa, are you sure Ralph won't get in trouble for this? He wasn't the one who kidnapped Olaf, he just stumbled upon him," said Hiro.

"Yeah, Ralph is one of my new best friends," said Olaf warmly. "He's got a nice little house, and a pet lion, and he made sure I was nice and cold all the time…"

Elsa laughed lightly.

"Don't worry, you won't hear a peep from me. Oh, and you don't have to call me Queen either. It's more of an honorary title now. My sister Anna has assumed the throne in my place."

Elsa scooped him Olaf and placed him in front of her on the water horse.

"I ought to repay you for reuniting us…perhaps this will do."

Ice crystals swirled around her fingertips, fusing together until they formed a whistle on a thin chain. It floated into Wendy's open palms.

"If you ever need me for anything, blow on this near some water and you'll summon me and the Nokk. It'll only work once, though, so use it wisely."

And at last, Olaf and Elsa were going…going…gone.

They headed back up the spiral staircase, their hearts as light as a feather, now that Olaf was out of their hands. No more singing snowmen, Kay in detention, what could spoil their happiness?

The answer was waiting for them at the foot of the stairs. As they stepped up into the main hall, Lilith's face loomed suddenly out of the darkness.

"Oh dear," she said. "We are in trouble."

They'd left the kabuto out on the castle's shores.

Chapter Text

Things couldn't have been worse.

Lilith took them to her office and left them there. They sat and waited without saying a word to each other. Wendy was trembling. Excuses, alibis, and wild cover-up stories chased each other around Hiro's brain, each more feeble than the last. He couldn't see how they were going to get out of trouble this time. They were cornered. How could he have forgotten about the stupid helmet? There was no way on earth that Eda could cover for them being out of bed and creeping around the school in the dead of night, let alone actually leaving the castle. Add Olaf into the mix, and they might as well be packing their bags already.

Had Hiro thought that things couldn't have been worse? He was wrong. When Lilith returned, she was carrying Wart, as a bird, in a tiny cage.

"Hiro!" Wart burst out, the moment he saw the other two. "I was trying to find you to warn you, I heard Kay saying he was going to catch you, he said you had a – "

Hiro shook his head violently to shut Wart up, but Lilith had already noticed. She looked more likely than Elsa to freeze them all into statues as she towered over the three of them. Eda, still in her pajamas, strode through the doorway. She was surprised to see Hiro there.

"I never would have believed it if I hadn't seen it myself. Lily says she found you coming up from the portcullis." She yawned. "It's one o'clock in the morning. Explain yourselves, and do it fast."

"I hardly think now is the time for such flippant disregard of the school rules, Edalyn," said Lilith. "Nothing, I repeat, nothing gives a student the right to walk around the castle at night."

"Oh please, it's not like they were running any secret clubs or planning to assassinate Merlin. Besides, you and I both know a thing or two about –"

"Deciding what punishment would be most fitting," Lilith quickly interrupted.

"Give them a chance to explain themselves first, Lily. It's the least we owe 'em. Come on, you were sleepwalking, right? Forgot a book in one of the classrooms? Needed a late-night pick-me-up from the kitchens?"

It was the first time Wendy had ever failed to answer a teacher's question. She was staring at her slippers, as still as a statue. Hiro was dying to tell Eda the truth, but that would mean throwing Ralph under the bus, the very thing they were trying to avoid; Elsa may have understood about what happened with Olaf, but that didn't mean the school still couldn't fire him for that. Eda's friendly smile faltered.

"Come on, give me something to work with," she whispered to Hiro. "I can't back you guys up unless you give me a reason to."

"I think I have a good idea of what's been going on," said Lilith smoothly. "It doesn't take a genius to work it out. The two of you fed Kay some cock-and-bull story about an enchanted snowman, trying to get him out of bed and into trouble. I suppose you think it's funny that Pendragon overheard it and believed it, too?"

Hiro caught Wart's eye and tried to tell him without words that this wasn't true, because Wart was looking stunned and hurt.

"Therefore, as punishments for your actions, all three of you will receive detention, and fifty points will be taken from Mus."

"Fifty?" Hiro gasped. They would lose the lead, the oh-so-important lead he'd won in the last Questing match.

"Each," said Lilith firmly.

"What?!" roared Eda. "What makes you think you can take a hundred and fifty points away from my students?!"

"You did, right after their encounter with the troll as I recall. 'Don't let it happen again or it'll be fifty points next time', weren't those your exact words?" Lilith replied with a hint of arrogance.

Eda gritted her teeth.

"You know I meant –"

But what she meant she didn't get to say. She inhaled sharply and crouched over her desk. Her left fingernails dug into the surface – were they growing longer? Lilith's mask of indifferent cruelty slipped off for a split-second.

"Edalyn, are you all right?"

Eda frantically searched the drawers until she found a round bottle filled with what looked like liquid gold. There was a torn tag around the neck that Hiro couldn't read. Eda chugged down the bottle's contents and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. She looked incredibly tired.

"I…I can't deal with this right now…I'm sorry…t-talk about it in the morning…"

Lilith's cold eyes followed Eda as she stumbled out. Hiro and Wendy ran up to Lilith.

"Professor, please –"

"You can't do this –"

"Don't tell me what I can and can't do, Mr. Hamada. Now get back to bed, all of you. And as for you, Pendragon –" Lilith turned on Wart. "I'm appalled that you would use your gift so irresponsibly. I've never been more ashamed of any student. Consider our private lessons terminated."

Lilith released him from his cage. Wart slunk back to the tower alongside Wendy and Hiro's ankles, too ashamed to turn himself back into a boy.

A hundred and fifty points lost. That put Mus in last place. In one night, they'd ruined any chance Mus had for the House Cup. Hiro felt as though the bottom had dropped out of his stomach. How could they ever make up for this?

He didn't sleep all night. He could hear Wart sobbing into his pillow for what seemed like hours. Hiro couldn't think of anything to say to comfort him. He knew Wart, like himself, was dreading the dawn. What would happen when the rest of the school found out what they'd done?

At first, the Mus students passing the giant hourglasses that recorded the house points the next day thought there'd been a mistake. How could they suddenly have a hundred and fifty points fewer than yesterday? And then the story started to spread: Hiro Hamada, the famous Hiro Hamada, their hero of two Questing matches, had lost them all those points, him and a couple of other stupid first years.

In a matter of hours, Hiro from being one of the most popular and admired people at the school went to the most hated. While Canis was more sad and disappointed than angry, Anatis turned on him outright. Everyone had been longing to see Felinus lose the house cup. Everywhere Hiro went, people pointed and didn't trouble to lower their voices as they insulted him, or refused to even look at him if they weren't. Most of Felinus, on the other hand, clapped as he walked past them, cheering, "Thanks Hamada, we owe you one!" Even Hunter couldn't help joining in.

Only Peter, Milo, and the Blight twins stood by him.

"They'll all forget this in a few weeks."

"Yeah, we've lost ton of points in our time here, and people still like us."

"None of you have never lost a hundred and fifty points in one shot, though, have you?" said Hiro miserably.

Edric and Emira suddenly grew very quiet and pensive.

"Well…no," said Milo. "Still, there's a first time for everything."

It was a bit late to repair the damage, but Hiro swore to himself not to meddle in things that weren't his business from now on. He'd had it with sneaking around and spying. He felt so ashamed of himself that he went to Cassandra and offered to resign from the Questing team.

"Resign?!" Cassandra thundered. "What good'll that do? How are we going to get any points back if we can't win the final matches?"

But even Questing had lost its fun. The rest of the team wouldn't speak to Hiro during practice, and if they had to mention him, they referred to him as "the Chaser".

Wendy and Wart were suffering, too. They didn't have as bad a time as Hiro because they weren't as well-known, but nobody would speak to them, either. Wendy had stopped drawing attention to herself in class, keeping her head down and working in silence.

Hiro was almost glad that the exams weren't far away. All the studying he had to do kept his mind off his misery. He, Peter, and Wendy kept to themselves, working late into the night, trying to remember the ingredients in complicated potions, learn charms and spells by heart, memorize the dates of magical discoveries and royal weddings…

Then, about a week before the exams were due to start, Hiro's new resolution not to interfere in anything that didn't concern him was put to an unexpected test. Walking back from the library on his own one afternoon, he heard somebody whimpering from a classroom up ahead. As he drew closer, he heard Professor Ichabod's voice.

"No…no…not again, please…I can't –"

It sounded as though someone was threatening him. Hiro moved closer. "All right…all right…" he heard Ichabod sob.

Next second, Ichabod came hurrying out of the classroom. He was pale and looked as though he was about to cry. He strode out of sight; Hiro didn't think he had even noticed him. He waited until Ichabod's footsteps had disappeared, then peered into the classroom. It was empty, but a door stood ajar at the other end. Hiro was halfway toward it before he remembered what he'd promised himself about not meddling.

All the same, he'd have gambled twelve Sundrops that Lilith had just left the room, and from what Hiro had just heard, she'd be walking with a new spring in her step – Ichabod seemed to have given in at last.

Hiro went back to the library, where Wendy was testing Peter on Astronomy. Hiro told them what he'd heard.

"Lilith's done it, then!" said Peter. "She's found out how to get past Aladar without asking Ralph." He looked up at the thousands of books surrounding them. "I bet there's a book somewhere in here telling you how to tame a dinosaur. So what do we do, Hiro?"

The light of adventure was kindling again in Peter's eyes, but Wendy answered before Hiro could.

"Go to Merlin. That's what we should have done ages ago. If we try anything ourselves, we'll be thrown out for sure."

"But we've got no proof!" said Hiro. "Ichabod's too scared to back us up. Lilith's only got to say she doesn't know how the troll got in at Halloween and that she was nowhere near the third floor – who do you think they'll believe, her or us? It's not exactly a secret we hate her, Merlin'll think we made it up to get her fired. And we're not even supposed to know about the stones or Aladar in the first place."

Wendy looked convinced, but Peter didn't.

"But if we just do a little poking around –"

"No," said Hiro flatly, "we've done enough."

He pulled a map of Jupiter toward him and focused on learning the names of its moons.

The following morning, notes were delivered to Hiro, Wendy, and Wart at the breakfast table. They were all the same:

Hiro had forgotten they still had detentions to do in the furor over the points they'd lost. He half-expected Wendy to complain that this was a whole night of studying lost, but she didn't say a word. Like Hiro, she felt they deserved what they'd got.

At eleven o'clock that night, they said goodbye to Peter in the common room and went down to the entrance hall with Wart. O'Dell was already there – and so was Kay. Hiro had also forgotten that Kay had gotten a detention, too.

"Follow me," said O'Dell, lighting a lantern and leading them outside. "I bet you'll think twice about breaking a school rule again, won't you, eh?" he said patronizingly. "Oh yes, hard work is the best teacher if you ask me…you should be grateful they let the old punishments die out…back in my day, detention meant they'd hang you by your thumbs down in the dungeon…I've still got the chains in my office. Sometimes at night I can still recall the screaming…"

They marched off across the dark grounds. Wart kept sniffing. Hiro wondered what their punishment was going to be. It must be something really hard, or really horrible, or O'Dell wouldn't be sounding so confident.

There was no moon in the sky, and they were almost in complete darkness. Ahead, Hiro could see the lighted windows of Ralph's brick cottage. Then they heard a distant shout.

"Is that you, O'Dell? Hurry up, we don't have all night."

Hiro's heart rose. If they were going to be working with Ralph, then it wouldn't be so bad. His relief must have shown in his face, because O'Dell said, "I suppose you think you'll be enjoying yourself, young man? Well, think again – you're joining Ralph in the Forest of No Return."

At this, Wart let out a little moan, and Kay stopped dead in his tracks.

"The forest?" he repeated. "We ain't going in there, are we? It's swarmin' with wolves!"

"Well you should have thought of that before you got in trouble," said O'Dell, his voice cracking.

Ralph came striding toward them out of the dark, Lambert at his heels. He was also carrying a lantern.

"About time," he said. "I could have climbed a skyscraper in the time I was waiting. All right there, Hiro, Wendy?"

"I wouldn't be too friendly to them, Ralph," said O'Dell, "they're here to be punished, after all."

"So that's why you're late, huh?" said Ralph, frowning at O'Dell. "It's not your job to lecture them. You've done your part, I'll take it from here."

"I'll be back at dawn," said O'Dell, "for what's left of them," he added nervously, glancing at the woods. He turned and started back toward the castle, his lamp bobbing away in the darkness.

Kay now turned to Ralph.

"I ain't goin'," he said, and Hiro was pleased to hear the note of panic in his voice.

"You are if you want to stay in the Magic Kingdom," said Ralph fiercely. "You've done wrong and now you've gotta pay for it."

"But this is servant stuff. I expect the Wart to do somethin' like this, not me. I thought we'd be copying lines. If my father knew I was doing this, he'd –"

"Tell you that's how things are done around here," Ralph growled. "Writing lines! The only thing you get outta that is carpal tunnel. You either do something useful or you get out. If you think your noble father, the great Sir Ector, would rather see his only son expelled, then get back to the castle and start packin'. Go on!"

Kay didn't move. He looked at Ralph furiously but then dropped his gaze.

"If I'm going in there, I'm going armed," he said.

"Fine, there's an extra bow and arrows behind the door if it'll make you feel better, but we're wasting time." Ralph jerked his head to the cottage.

Kay fetched them and rejoined the group outside.

"Right then," said Ralph, "listen carefully 'cause what we're gonna do tonight is dangerous. There's nothing in the forest that'll hurt you as long as you're with me or Lambert, and you stick to the path. And if you do see anything dangerous while you're in there, whatever you do, don't provoke them."

He eyed Kay's bow and arrow warily.

"Now follow me."

He held his lamp high and led them down a narrow, winding earth track that disappeared into the trees. The forest was black and still. Occasionally an owl hoot or the sound of insects broke the silence. Maybe it was Hiro's imagination, but some of the trees looked down on them with twisted eerie faces; when he blinked, they were gone.

They stopped at a fork in the path. Hiro could see droplets and trails of something wet – in the light of Ralph's lamp, they were a deep, dark red.

"Ralph, is that…"

"It's what we're here for, Hiro. For the past week or so, something's been running around killing the deer living in these woods. I found one dead last Wednesday. This one's been hurt badly, must have staggered around since last night. We're gonna try to rescue it. With any luck, we'll learn what's been doing this to them too."

"And what if whatever hurt the deer finds us first?" said Wart, unable to keep the fear out of his voice.

"That's why you listen to me and stick together. Right, now we're gonna split into two groups and follow the trail in different directions."

Kay interrupted before anyone could point out the obvious flaw in this logic.

"I want the lion to come with," he demanded, jerking his head towards the path he was on.

"Okay," shrugged Ralph. "Just so you know, he's a cowardly lion."

Kay grimaced. Ralph went on.

"Hiro, Wendy, you'll come with me. Wart, you go with Kay and Lambert. If anyone finds the deer, send up green sparks. If you need help, send up red sparks and we'll come and find you. Be careful now – let's go."

They walked in silence, their eyes on the ground. Every now and then, the light of Ralph's lamp lit a spot of blood on the fallen leaves.

Hiro could see that Ralph was worried.

"Do you think it's a wolf killing the deer?" asked Hiro.

"Not likely," Ralph said. "It's not easy to catch the deer in this forest, and no animal is dumb enough to tackle with the Great Prince's herd."

They walked past a mossy tree stump. Hiro could hear running water; there must be a stream somewhere close by. There were still spots of deer blood here and there along the winding path.

"Don't worry," Ralph whispered, "it can't've gone far if it's this badly hurt, and then we'll be able to – get behind me!"

Ralph seized Wendy and Hiro and hid them behind a towering oak. He made a fighting stance, ready to tackle whoever approached. The three of them listened. Something was slithering over dead leaves nearby: it sounded like a cloak trailing along the ground. Ralph squinted up the dark path, but after a few seconds, the sound faded away.

"I knew it," he murmured. "There's something in here that shouldn't be."

"A wolf?" Wendy suggested.

"I hate to break it to you, Wendy, but that was no wolf, and it certainly wasn't a deer either," said Ralph grimly. "It might just be what's killing them. Okay, follow me, but careful, now."

They walked more slowly, ears straining for the faintest sound. Suddenly, in a clearing ahead, something definitely moved.

"Who's there?" Ralph called. "Show yourself!"

And into the clearing came – was it a man, or a horse? To the waist, a blue-skinned man with black curly hair, but below that was a horse's gleaming indigo body with a long, black tail. He wasn't alone; a lighter blue-skinned woman, her hair in blonde pigtails, flowers braided across her chest and waist, and with a horse's body the color of a summer sky, stepped out of the shadows. Hiro and Wendy's jaws dropped.

"Brudus, Melinda, it's just you," said Ralph in relief. "How are you?"

He walked forward and shook the centaurs' hands.

"Good evening, Ralph," said Brudus.

"Were you really going to attack us?" Melinda asked in a timid voice.

"Can't be too careful, Melinda," said Ralph. "There's something bad loose in this forest. This is Hiro Hamada and Wendy Darling, by the way. They're students up at the school. Hiro, Wendy, meet Brudus and Melinda. They're centaurs."

"Yeah, we noticed," muttered Hiro.

"How do you do?" Wendy curtsied, still in awe of them.

Melinda smiled a little.

"You're in the wild, child, there's no need to be formal around us."

"You shouldn't have come here, Ralph," Brudus said in a worried tone. "Artemis sleeps tonight. No one is safe in these woods until dawn."

"Brudus and Melinda follow the Greek gods," Ralph explained to the children. "Artemis is the one who's in charge of the night and watches over the woods."

"Well, not quite," replied Melinda.

"She reigns over the moon and stars, and blesses those who hunt for survival," said Brudus, "but these midnight hunts aren't natural. We're returning to our home. I advise you to do the same."

"We will once we find the deer," said Ralph. "Have you two seen anything unusual? Anything different about these hunts that's got you so worked up?"

Melinda gasped.

"You don't know?"

A movement in the trees behind Brudus made Ralph raise his fists again. A lean black panther emerged and leaped onto a rock.

"Oh, hello Bagheera," said Ralph.

"Good evening, Ralph. I trust you are well?" the panther spoke back.

"Well enough, thanks," Ralph replied. "Look, I've just been asking Brudus and Melinda, have you seen anything off around here lately? There's a deer that's been injured. Would you know anything about it?"

Bagheera shook his head.

"I take it your Merlin has been ignoring our messages. We’ve been trying to warn him about this for many moons now,” he sighed. “Always the innocent are the first victims."

"Messages? This is the first time I’ve heard about that," Ralph said, confused. "I’ll have a talk with Merlin when we get back, there’s no way he’d turn you down. Right now we're trying to put a stop to these killings. We have to do something."

"Then I suggest you follow Brudus and Melinda's advice. These mancubs have no place here, Ralph, especially on a night like this."

A sound like a firework echoed through the trees, and the sky lit with red.

"Look! Red sparks!" Wendy cried. She pointed to where they shot up. "Wart and Kay must be in trouble!"

"You two wait here!" Ralph shouted. "I'll come and get you once I find them!"

He crashed away into the undergrowth.

"You don't think they've been hurt, do you?" said Wendy.

"I don't care about Kay, but if something's happened to Wart…"

Hiro swallowed.

"He shouldn't even be here. It's our fault he's in trouble."

Brudus put a hand on his shoulder.

"They'll be all right. If anyone can protect them, Ralph can."

"He has the courage of a lion and the strength of ten," said Bagheera admirably. "While I'm not overly fond of men, he is one I am proud to call a friend."

The minutes dragged by. Their ears seemed sharper than usual. Hiro's seemed to pick up every sigh of wind, every rustling branch. What was going on? Where were the others?

A great crunching noise announced Ralph's return. Kay, Wart and Lambert were with him. Ralph was positively fuming.

"'Sir Kay' here tried to shoot something – which he wasn't supposed to do – and made Wart climb up a tree to fetch his arrow. His branch broke and Mr. Saturday Knight stood there and laughed while Wart was clinging for his life. Lambert didn't like that, and he made sure Kay knew it, so Kay threw up the sparks."

"S'not my fault the Wart's a clumsy oaf," Kay grumbled. "So what if it was funny? Your bleedin' pussycat shouldn't punish me for it."

Hiro had never seen Lambert look so angry before. The lion growled at Kay and snapped at him. Kay took a step back and instinctively clutched his behind.

"You're lucky he only took the seat of your pants. Lambert may be a sheepish lion, but he won't put up with bullies," said Ralph. "Right, change of plans. You're comin' with me, buster." He pulled Kay closer to him. "Hiro, stick with Lambert and Wart. I know I can count on you to handle yourself better than some people here. We'll escort Melinda and Brudus home and be on our way."

"Ralph, I don't believe it's wise to let two mancubs wander about with hardly any supervision," Bagheera replied. "Their very scent could make could make them easier for predators to find."

"I think I could help a little with that," Wart spoke up. He whispered a few words to his wand. Once again a sparkling whirlwind whipped up around him, turning him into a dusky orange squirrel.

"Well, what do you think?" Wart asked, showing off his new form. "Will I fool any animals we meet?"

Bagheera came up to Wart and sniffed him.

"You don't smell exactly like a squirrel, but it'll do for a disguise, I suppose."

So Hiro set off into the heart of the forest with Wart and Lambert, chuckling at the glimpse he got of Kay's ridiculous heart-patterned underpants as he left. They walked for nearly half an hour, deeper and deeper into the woods. A thought occurred to Hiro as they traveled.

"Wart, Ralph said before that Sir Ector was Kay's dad…you told us Sir Ector adopted you. That makes you and Kay…"

Wart sighed.

"Yes, Kay's kind of my stepbrother. Even though Sir Ector raised the two of us, he made sure Kay got the better education and training for knighthood since he's his only son by blood. The best I could hope for was being made a squire someday. Then I got my acceptance letter to the Magic Kingdom and Sir Ector thought there was a mistake, that it should have been Kay instead. He made a big fuss until Merlin agreed to run a few tests and found a bit of magic in him, just barely enough to be accepted into school."

"Woah, woah, woah," Hiro said. "Back up a minute. You're telling me you got accepted on the spot, while Kay got waitlisted?"

Wart nodded.

"I was as surprised as you are. There was nothing special about me up to that point. It took a lot of convincing, but eventually Sir Ector said I could go as long as I behave myself and listen to Kay."

Eventually the path became almost impossible to follow because the trees were so thick. When it became too much for Wart to try to keep up with them, Hiro let him ride on his shoulder.

"Thanks. Being a squirrel's not too bad, but I wish I could change into something that could go faster. This was about as far as I got before Professor Lilith…" he choked.

Hiro's stomach churned with guilt. Lilith could punish him all he liked, but to take away something that meant so much to Wart just because he wanted to help was just cruel. Even though Hiro believed a simple apology wouldn't cut it, he hoped telling the truth would help somewhat.

"Wart, I'm sorry about your lessons. I never meant for this to happen to you. I need to tell you – look!"

There were splashes of blood on the roots of a tree, as though the poor creature they were tracking had been thrashing about in pain. They followed the crimson trail to a clearing. Something large was lying on the ground. They inched closer.

"Oh no," Hiro murmured.

It was the deer all right, and it was dead. An arrow pierced its side. Hiro had never seen anything so beautiful and sad. The once strong yet delicate body lay cold and still on a bed of fallen leaves. Its graceful neck and long, slender legs stuck out at odd angles where it had fallen. The large, brown eyes were closed forever.

But the body wasn't the only thing there.

A dark, indistinct figure was drinking deeply from the deer's wound. Its silhouette was fuzzy, as if it were partially erased around the edges. Hiro stepped on a twig, and its head shot up. Through the dark, Hiro could make out yellow eyes staring right at him, blood dripping where its mouth should have been, and a pair of horns sprouting from its head.

Then a pain like he'd never felt before pierced his arm; it was like his scars were on fire. Without thinking, Hiro dropped his wand and clutched his arm. With a cry he staggered backwards and tripped over a root. The figure glided over the deer and forest floor towards him. Hiro, still in immense pain, backed up into a tree.

"Wart…get help…" he groaned through clenched teeth.

"No, I won't leave you!" Wart cried.

Lambert charged at the wraith, but without even looking at him, it waved its hand and sent him crashing into a tree trunk. The being proceeded towards Hiro until it towered over him and Wart. The pain in Hiro's arm was so bad that he couldn't see straight. Through his haze he could make out Wart standing on top of him, shaking, with his arms stretched out to shield him – the wraith reaching out for them – and then it jerked back suddenly.

A large sloth bear was on its belly clutching the tail end of the creature.

"Run, kid, run!"

There was a roar and Bagheera burst out of the trees. He pounced on the wraith, pinning it to the ground. The panther raised a mighty paw to strike the creature, but it dissolved into a thousand shadows that flew off in every direction.

The pain in Hiro's arm slowly subsided. In a moment or two, he could clearly see again. Lambert had fled the scene. The bear walked towards them.

"You all right there, little britches?" he said, pulling Hiro to his feet.

"Yeah, thanks…what was that?"

"Our worst fears realized," Bagheera said gravely. "It seems my instincts were correct. The moment you left us I knew you'd be walking into danger."

"Hey, you're that Hamada kid, aren't cha?" said the bear, eyeing Hiro's scars. "The name's Baloo. Lemme give you a lift back to your buddies."

He helped Hiro on to his shoulders.

"Keep your head down in case of low-hanging branches. And watch out for snakes!"

Bagheera noticed Wart looking up at him hopefully, and he shook his head.

"Very well," he sighed, "I'll carry you too if you wish."

Wart scrambled on to Bagheera and held tight to the back of his neck.

"I never thought I'd be a taxi for errant mancubs," the panther muttered to himself.

"Aw, you know you love it, Baggy," said Baloo with a wink. "He may not act like it, but he's got a soft spot for little guys like you," he told Hiro and Wart. Bagheera rolled his eyes.

"What was that thing you saved us from?" Hiro asked.

"Something you're better off not knowing about," replied Bagheera.

"Like that'll help 'em understand," said Baloo.

"They're still young," said Bagheera. "Besides, most men hardly wish to understand further when it comes to animal matters. They still see us as savage beings or food unless we walk on two legs, wear clothing, and abandon our world for theirs."

"Well, maybe these two are different," Baloo responded. "They actually showed up to help."

"I hardly think a pair of mancubs will make a difference in the grand scheme of things, Baloo."

"You don't get it, do ya, Baggy?"

"No, you don't get it, you great oaf!" Bagheera rounded on him. "They will never lift a finger for us unless they're hurt as well, and by then it's always, always too late. If the best they can do is send one man and four mancubs to barely investigate this danger, then we're better off on our own."

A young, lonely voice echoed somewhere in the distance.

"Mooootheeeerrr…Mother, where are yoooou…"

Hiro's breath caught in his throat as the realization of where the voice's mother was now sunk in.

Baloo sniffed and wiped at his eye.

"Poor kid…good thing the Great Prince of the Forest will look after him."

Bagheera sighed sadly.

"What we've seen tonight confirms my suspicions. The attacks on the deer in these woods aren't random killings. Their murderer has been targeting does – specifically, mothers."

"That's awful," Hiro and Wart murmured.

"It's a monstrous crime, matricide," Bagheera continued. "Only one who'd have nothing to lose and everything to gain would commit such an act. Whether you're a human or animal, a mother's love is a powerful thing, something that can be felt in their very blood. Stealing that life's blood for your own will keep you alive even if you are an inch from death – but at a terrible cost. Just as you've deprived a child of the most powerful form of love there is, so too will you be deprived of all love and warmth for the rest of your days. It's a fate that many would choose death over."

"But who'd be that desperate?" Wart wondered aloud. "If you're going to be cursed forever, wouldn't dying be better?"

"It is," Bagheera agreed.

"…Unless of course you just need to stay alive long enough to find something else that'll restore your health –"

"Hush, Baloo!" Bagheera snapped.

"What?" the bear said, trying to sound casual. "I'm just saying that maybe if someone was waiting forever to return to life and full strength 'til the chance to steal something that could give you all that came along –"

It was as though an iron fist clenched around Hiro's heart. Over the rustling of the trees, the cracking branches and Baloo's rambling, he heard what Ralph told him on the night they met echoing in his head:

"A lot of people think she's dead, but…I dunno. I don't think she was even human enough to die. She disappeared completely, but she could be out there, for all I know, just biding her time, too weak to carry on for now…"

"That's enough!" stormed Bagheera. "There are some things these mancubs are better off not knowing for their sake. I've said far too much as it is." He continued onward without looking back.

Baloo slowed down until he was a safe distance away from Bagheera, then whispered to Hiro.

"Psst, hey kid, call it animal instincts, but somethin' important's hiding in that school of yours – and I bet you know what it is, too."

"…The Sundrop and Moonstone…" Hiro whispered back. "And that thing in the clearing…that was Mal –"

"Hiro! Wart! Are you all right?"

Wendy and Lambert ran down the path, Ralph and Kay puffing along behind her.

"I'm fine," said Hiro, hardly knowing what he was saying. "The deer…she's dead, Ralph. She's in the clearing back there."

"This is where we'll leave you then," Bagheera said somberly as Ralph went to inspect the deer. "You are safe now."

Wart thanked him and jumped off his head. Bagheera waited by the tree line for Baloo. The bear helped Hiro down, then held him by the shoulders.

"Good luck, little britches," he told him. "Maybe you can help save your world and ours one more time."

He turned and walked back into the depths of the forest with Bagheera, leaving Hiro shivering behind them.

Peter had fallen asleep in the common room under Baymax's watchful eye, waiting for them to return. He shouted something about codfish when Hiro roughly shook him awake. In a matter of seconds, though, he was wide-eyed as Hiro began to tell him and Wendy what had happened in the forest.

"Lilith doesn't want the Sundrop and Moonstone for herself. She wants it for Maleficent…and Maleficent is waiting in the forest for her…after all this time…"

He paced up and down in front of the fireplace, his hands still shaking.

"Baloo saved me, but Bagheera said he shouldn't have told me about this…that I'd be happier not knowing…they know she's trying to come back…I guess he thought I'd be better off dead than worrying when I'll die, right? All I got to do is wait for Lilith to steal them both and then I'll be gone first thing in the morning."

Peter looked on, paler than ever. "Geez…and here I was just worrying about my potions final."

Wendy took Hiro by the hand. "Hiro, hold on. There's only one person here that Maleficent ever feared, and that's Merlin. She wouldn't touch you while he's around. You're still safe. And if Bagheera thinks you're helpless, well, we've got something he doesn't – magic."

"As your healthcare companion, I must agree," Baymax chimed in. "You are under the protection of the most powerful magic wielders in the world as well as in my care. If you are feeling anxious, we can work through simple affirmations and grounding exercises together."

The sky was turning light by the time they stopped talking. They went to bed exhausted, their throats sore. But the night's surprises weren't over.

When Hiro pulled back the bed curtains, he found his kabuto sitting neatly on the pillow. There was a notecard propped up against it:

Chapter Text

In the years to come, Hiro would never quite remember how he had managed to get through his exams when he half-expected Maleficent to burst through the doors at any moment. Yet the days crept by, and there was no doubt that Aladar was still alive and well behind the locked door.

Finals were upon them, and they perturbed the students in equal measure. They were given special new pens and pencils for the written exams that were charmed to rap them on the nose if they tried to cheat. Professor Flora had them attempt to enchant a mop, bucket and broom to life and use them to clean the classroom; points were given for how quickly and neatly the job was done, but taken away if they couldn't make the broom stop. Professor Yzma made them all nervous, breathing down their necks while they tried to brew both a potion that could turn you into a llama, and the antidote to make you human again. Eda brought a dummy to life and made them fight against it in teams using all the spells she taught them, while Lilith brought them in one by one to see if they could change bread and water into tea and cakes.

Hiro did the best he could, trying to ignore the throbbing pains in his arm. It had been bothering him ever since his trip into the forest. Sprig thought Hiro couldn't sleep, but the truth was that Hiro kept being woken by his old nightmare, except it was worse than ever because there was a black horned figure dripping blood in it.

"I must say, that was much easier than I thought it would be," said Wendy as they joined the crowds flocking out onto the sunny grounds after their Magical Myths and History exam. It was a grueling hour of answering questions about all sorts of royals and their conflicts with good and evil. They wandered over to a tree perched near a small lake and settled in the shade. The Blight twins and Hunter were throwing scraps of food to an enormous crocodile making a mysterious ticking noise.

"Ahhh, just one more test and then no more studying," Peter sighed happily, stretching out on the grass and playing a little on his panpipes. All they had left was Musical Magic in another hour; Professor Owl told them that they'd only have to sing something spontaneous from the heart. "Come on, cheer up, Hiro. We've got a week before we find out how badly we did."

Hiro was rubbing his forearm.

"I wish I knew what this means!" he burst out angrily. "My scars keep burning. It's happened before, but not as often as this."

"Go to the infirmary," Wendy suggested.

"I'm not sick," said Hiro. "I think it's a warning…it means danger's coming…"

Peter refused to get worked up; it was too hot for that.

"Hiro, relax. Wendy's right, everything's safe as long as Merlin's around. Anyway, we don't know for sure if Lilith ever found out how to get past Aladar. She nearly had her leg ripped off the first time she tried, so she's definitely not gonna do it again soon. And Milo will win the Questing World Cup before Ralph lets Merlin down."

Hiro nodded, but he couldn't shake off a lurking feeling that there was something he'd forgotten to do, something important. When he tried to explain this, Wendy said, "Oh, that must be the exams. I woke up last night and was halfway through my Transformation notes before I remembered we'd done that one already."

Hiro was quite sure the unsettled feeling didn't have anything to do with work, though. He watched a green dragonfly flutter toward the school across the bright blue sky, a note clamped tightly in its hands. Ralph sent a message to Merlin that way once. Ralph would never betray Merlin. Ralph would never tell anyone how to get past Aladar, never…but…

Hiro suddenly jumped to his feet.

"Where're you going?" said Peter sleepily.

"I've just thought of something," said Hiro. "We've gotta go see Ralph, now."

"Why?" panted Wendy, hurrying to keep up.

"Don't you think it's weird," said Hiro, scrambling down the grassy slope, "that what Ralph wants more than anything else is a new magical friend, and then a stranger turns up who just happens to have the world's friendliest snowman in their pocket? How many people wander around carrying enchanted snow? Lucky they found Ralph, huh? Why didn't I see it before?"

Ralph was sitting on the stoop of his house; he was carefully chiseling a brick into a new sculpture.

"Ralph!" Hiro yelled.

"Oh, hiya Hiro," he said, smiling. "You got time for a root beer?"

"Of course!" said Peter, but Hiro cut him off.

"Never mind that. Ralph, I've got to ask you something. You know that night you won Olaf? What did the stranger you were playing cards with look like?"

"Don't know," said Ralph casually, "they wouldn't take their cloak off."

He saw the three of them look stunned and raised his eyebrows.

"It's not that strange, you get a lot of funny folk in Tapper's – that's one of the watering holes down in town. I never saw their face, they kept their hood up."

"What did you talk to them about, Ralph? Did you mention the Magic Kingdom at all?"

"It might have come up," said Ralph, frowning as he tried to remember. "Yeah... they asked what I did, and I told him I was groundskeeper here…they asked a bit about the creatures I looked after…so I told them…and I said it can get lonely some nights, though, on account of..."

He paused, and for a moment a curtain of gloom crossed over his face.

"Anyway, the next thing I know, they kept buying me drinks, and I don't remember much after that…except…yeah, they mentioned they had a special friend I could grow on my own and we could play cards for it if I wanted…but they had to be sure I could handle it because they didn't want it to go to any old home…So I told them, after Aladar, anything would be a piece of cake."

"And did they… seem interested in Aladar?" Hiro asked, trying to keep his voice calm.

"Well yeah, it's not every day you come across a live dinosaur, even in a place like this. So I told him, Aladar's easy if you know how to calm him down. Just play him a bit of music and he dozes off faster than Sleeping Beauty in a spinning wheel convention –"

Ralph and the kids suddenly looked horrified for very different reasons.

"I shouldn't have told you that!" he blurted out. "Forget I said it! Hey, wait! Where are you going?!"

Hiro, Peter, and Wendy didn't speak to each other at all until they came to a halt in the entrance hall, which seemed very cold and gloomy after the grounds.

"We've got to go to Merlin," said Hiro. "Ralph told that stranger how to get past Aladar, and it was either Lilith or Maleficent under that cloak; it must've been easy, once she got him drunk. I just hope Merlin believes us. Baloo might back us up if Bagheera doesn't stop him. Where's Merlin's office?"

They looked around, as if hoping to see a sign pointing them in the right direction. They had never been told where Merlin lived, nor did they know anyone who had been sent to see him.

"We'll just have to –" Hiro began, but a voice suddenly rang across the hall.

"Well, howdy there! What are you three doing inside on this brazzle dazzle day?"

It was Professor McGucket, carrying a large pile of books and blueprints.

"We want to see Merlin immediately," said Wendy, rather bravely, Peter and Hiro thought.

"See Merlin?" Professor McGucket repeated, as though this was an impossible thing to do. "Why would y'all wanna do that?"

Hiro swallowed – now what?

"It's sort of a secret," he said, but he wished at once he hadn't, because Professor McGucket's eyebrows turned up sympathetically.

"Aw, sorry, Hiro, but Merlin done left with Eda ten minutes ago," he said. "He got a message from the Magic Coalition Council tellin' 'em to come lickety-split and they plum flew off."

"They're gone?" said Hiro frantically. "Now?"

"Well, gosh, Merlin's a big wizard, Hiro, he's in real high demand –"

"But this is important, " said Hiro, throwing caution to the winds, "Professor, this is about the Sundrop and Moonstone –"

Whatever Professor McGucket had expected, it wasn't that. Everything he carried tumbled out of his arms, but he didn't pick them up.

"How in the blazes did you know –" he spluttered.

"Professor, I think – I know – that Li…that someone's going to try and steal them. I've got warn Merlin."

Professor McGucket eyed him with a mixture of shock, suspicion and worry.

"Aw, consarnit, I dunno how you kids found out about the stones, but there ain't no way no one can steal 'em, they're too well protected."

"But Professor –"

"Hiro, I know what I'm talkin' about, " he said brusquely. He bent down and gathered up the fallen books. "Merlin'll be back tomorrow. Now, y'all better go back outside and enjoy the sunshine. Everythin' is fine, nothin' to worry about, honest."

But he didn't sound so sure. And they didn't return outside.

"It's tonight," said Hiro, once he was sure Professor McGucket was out of earshot. "Lilith's going through the trapdoor tonight. She's found out everything she needs, and now she's got Merlin and Eda out of the way. She must have sent that note; I bet the Council will get a real shock when they both show up."

"But what can we – "

Wendy gasped. Hiro and Peter wheeled round.

Lilith was standing there.

"Good afternoon, " she said smoothly.

They stared at her.

"You shouldn't be inside on a day like this, " she said, with an odd, twisted smile.

"We were –" Hiro began, without any idea what he was going to say.

"You want to be more careful, Mr. Hamada," said Lilith. "Hanging around like this, people will think you're up to something. And Mus really can't afford to lose any more points, can it?"

Hiro flushed. They turned to go outside, but Hiro called them back.

"And one more thing, Hiro – any more nighttime wanderings in the Forbidden Stacks or any part of the castle and I will personally make sure you are expelled. Good day."

She strode off in the direction of the staffroom. Tinkerbell did a rude imitation of Lilith walking away. Out on the stone steps, Hiro turned to the others.

"Here's what we've got to do," he whispered urgently. "One of us has to keep an eye on Lilith. Wendy, Tink, wait outside the staff room and follow her if she leaves it."

"Why me?"

"Isn't it obvious?" said Peter. "You can pretend to be waiting for Professor Flora." He put on a high voice, "'Oh Professor, I'm so worried, I think I got Question 14-B wrong…'"

"Oh, be quiet," said Wendy, but she agreed to go and watch out for Lilith.

"And we'd better stay outside the third-floor corridor," Hiro told Peter. "Come on."

But that part of the plan didn't work. No sooner had they reached the door separating Aladar from the rest of the school than O'Dell turned up and lost his temper.

"Your heads must be harder than that door!" he stormed. "If I see you anywhere around here again, I'll be going right to Professor Lilith!"

Hiro and Peter waited impatiently outside the music classroom for Professor Owl to call them in for their test. Hiro had just said, "At least Wendy's on Lilith's tail," when Wendy appeared with Tinkerbell trailing her.

"Oh, Peter, Hiro, I'm so sorry!" she wailed. "Lilith came out and asked me what I was doing, so I said I was waiting for Professor Flora, and she went to fetch her, and I only just got away! I don't know where Lilith went."

Tinkerbell chimed in.

"Tink says she hid and tried to follow Lilith, but she was discovered and Lilith nearly zapped her," Peter translated.

"Well…that's it then, isn't it?" Hiro said.

The other two stared at him. He was pale and his eyes were glittering.

"Hiro Hamada, it's your turn," Professor Owl trilled through the door. Hiro took one last look at his friends before entering. Professor Owl stood waiting alongside some enchanted instruments.

"They will pick up on the music within your heart and the song that flows forth from you. They'll only begin, however, when you are ready. Take the first thing that comes to your mind and rrrrroll with it!"

He tapped a baton on the music stand. Hiro took a deep breath. All he could think about was Lilith. The moment she got ahold of the Sundrop and Moonstone, Maleficent would return. The thought of expulsion didn't scare him anymore because if she came back, there'd be no Magic Kingdom to get expelled from. By his reckoning, she'd blow it up or turn it into a school for evil; no House Cup would stop her from hurting anyone he cared about, just like the last time she was in power.

He hardly noticed the band strike up into a quick-tempo tune.

Hiro knew what he had to do. He had the kabuto back, he had Baymax, and he had the will. It might mean he would die sooner than later, but was no way he would ever turn to the dark side, and no way anyone would stop him from going down that trapdoor tonight.

Without realizing it, he began to sing:

"My mind is racing but my heart it beats faster
I'm in control, commander and master
Lady Fate's creating disaster
But she ain't the boss of me, nuh-uh
Head-on collision with a catastrophic setback
Makes you either want to get lost or get back
I choose the latter; let's not forget that
We hold the cards this time
So there's no need to bitch and whine

There's no way I'm gonna take another option,
No way I'm gonna settle with a loss,
No way I'm gonna sit around and watch
There's no, no way
There's no way you're gonna find me in the background
No damn way you're gonna see me satisfied
No way she's ever gonna make me back down
No, no way

Field advantage, the upper hand is mine
So the game is on
The clock ticks but I've got my tricks
And plus I can fix what's wrong
Let's wake up and go, guys,
Take out the bad guys,
Break out your mad eyes, yeah-ah!
We'll take it all together
We're stronger and we're better
And if there's a problem, ha! Whatever!

There's no way I'm gonna leave it up to chance
There's no damn way I'm gonna go without a fight
No way you're gonna see me on my ass
There's no, no way
There's no way I'm gonna settle with sorrow
Leave right now if you think this ain't real
Today, I'm not waiting for tomorrow
No, no way, there's no way
No, no way, there's no way
No, no way, there's no way
There's! No! Waaaaaaaaaaaay!"

The music came to an end as Hiro finished the final note breathlessly. He turned to Professor Owl. The bird stared at him.

"Thank you, Mr. Hamada, that was…interesting. If you could please send the next student in on your way out..."

Hiro exited the classroom, his whole body still shaking. Peter and Wendy were waiting by the door.

"Did you hear that?" he asked, feeling even more self-conscious than before.

"Yeah. We heard," said Peter.

Hiro exhaled.

"I'm going to try and get to the Sundrop and Moonstone first. Tonight. I've got the kabuto and, uh –"

"Will it cover all three of us?" Wendy asked.

"All…all three of us?"

"Oh, come on, you didn't think we'd let you go alone, did you?" said Peter.

"Of course we wouldn't," said Wendy briskly. "We'd never abandon you, Hiro. We'll all need to work together if we're going to stop Maleficent. I'd better go and took through my books, there might be something useful in my stories that can help us..."

"But if we get caught, then you'll be expelled too."

"Not if I can help it," Wendy said, determined. "Professor Flora told me in secret that I got one-hundred and twelve percent on her exam. I don't think they'd throw me out after that."

"And if I get kicked out, I'll never have to do any homework again. Everyone wins!" said Peter with a cocky grin.

After dinner the three of them sat nervously apart in the common room. Nobody bothered them; they had nothing to say to Hiro anymore, after all. This was the first night he hadn't been upset by it. Wendy was skimming through all her books, hoping to come across one of the enchantments they were about to try to break. Hiro and Peter didn't talk much. Both of them were thinking about what they were about to do. Slowly, the room emptied as people drifted off to bed.

After talking it over with Peter and Wendy, Hiro decided it would be best to bring Baymax along with them, considering all the dangerous spells they'd have to work through. Up in the dormitory, Hiro divided the holding space of his backpack in two with a thick book. He remembered Lord Demanitus' theory about the Sundrop and Moonstone reuniting, and hated to think of what might happen if two such powerful artifacts accidentally touched each other while being jostled about on his back. His eyes then fell on the ocarina Ralph gave him for Christmas. He draped it over his neck with Aladar in mind – he didn't feel like singing anymore today.

Once he and Baymax got into their flight armor, they hurried down to the common room with the kabuto.

"We'd better make sure it affects all four of us, if O'Dell spots one of us walking around –"

"What are you doing?" said a voice from the corner of the room. Wart appeared from behind an armchair.

"Nothing, Wart, nothing," said Hiro, hurriedly putting the kabuto behind his back.

Wart stared at their guilty faces. "You're going out again," he said.

"No, no, no," said Wendy. "We're not. Why don't you go to bed, Wart?"

Hiro looked at the grandfather clock by the door. They couldn't afford to waste any more time, Lilith might even now be playing Aladar to sleep.

"You can't go out," said Wart, "you'll be caught again. Mus will be in even more trouble."

"You don't understand," said Hiro, "this is important."

But Wart was clearly steeling himself to do something desperate.

"I won't let you do it," he said, hurrying to stand in front of the portrait hole. "I'll…I'll fight you! I'll tell one of the professors!"

"Wart," Peter exploded, "get away from that hole and don't be an idiot –"

"Don't call me an idiot!" said Wart, his eyes filling with tears. "You were the one who told me to stand up to people!"

"Yeah, but not us," said Peter in exasperation. "Wart, you don't know what you're doing –"

He took a step forward and Wart took out his wand. In a flash, he transformed into a bird and fluttered around the room.

"Wake up! Wake up! Hiro's going out again!" he shouted.

"Stop him, Tink!" said Peter.

Tink chased after Wart until managed to grab him by his tail feathers. The two struggled against each other in the air.

"Wart, I'm truly sorry about this," Wendy said as she pointed her wand at him. "Filigree Apogee Pedigree Perigee!"

There was a puff of smoke and sparkles, and when it cleared there was an orange rabbit flailing about in midair. Wart the rabbit fell on the floor. Hiro dove on him before he could get away.

"Quick, the pot!" he cried, looking over at the fireplace. There was an empty cauldron hanging over the dying embers.

"You want to cook him?!" Peter cried.

"No! Grab it and trap him inside!"

Peter quickly lifted the cauldron off its hook and brought it down bottom-side up over Wart. Hiro wriggled his arms out before the rabbit could escape. Wendy took some books lying on a nearby table and placed them on top. It kept the cauldron in place as Wart banged against the sides.

"Sorry, Wart," said Hiro, "no time to explain."

"We ought to hurry, that spell isn't permanent," said Wendy.

"What was that?" Peter asked in awe.

"Wart wasn't the only one practicing transformation magic on the side," Wendy said, a hint of a smile.

"You know, you're a little scary sometimes," replied Peter. "Scary, but brilliant."

Wendy blushed while Tinkerbell frowned and turned a fiery shade of red.

"Tink, you stay here and keep an eye on Wart," Peter told the fairy. "Make sure he doesn't tell anyone where we are, and if he does, come and join us."

Tinkerbell stamped her foot and pouted, but did as she was told. The three of them and Baymax headed for the portrait hole.

"Sorry, Wart," Wendy called one last time over his shoulder.

"You'll understand later," said Peter as he pushed open the painting.

Everyone touched Hiro's shoulders, and he donned the kabuto. In an instant, he vanished, and Peter, Wendy, and Baymax followed suit.

But leaving Wart fighting to escape his iron prison didn't feel like a very good omen. In their nervous state, every statue looked like O'Dell, every distant breath of wind sounded like Baron Ravenswood or the Cheshire Cat swooping down on them.

At the foot of the first set of stairs, they spotted Bony lying there with his head on his paws.

"Did anyone think to bring a snack?" whispered Peter.

None of them did. Bony's head shot up and he looked around. One sniff and he knew there were intruders about. Baymax continued to walk towards the dog.

"Baymax, no, stop!" Hiro hissed. But Baymax had already reached him.

"Good dog. There, there, boy," he said mechanically but sweetly. He gently patted and stroked Bony, and scratched him behind his floppy ears. Bony leaned into Baymax's hands, too happy to bark and scare away his new invisible friend. He yawned deeply, lay his head down, and with a few more affectionate pets from Baymax, fell fast asleep.

Hiro gave his robot two thumbs up, and they carefully stepped over Bony.

They didn't meet anyone else until they reached the staircase up to the third floor. The Cheshire Cat was bobbing halfway up, loosening the carpet so people would trip.

"I wonder who's there?" he said suddenly as they climbed towards him. He narrowed his yellow lamplike eyes. "I may not see everything, but I know someone's about who shouldn't be. Are you a ghoul, or a ghost, or a student who's lost?"

He floated in the air and lifted his head off his body. He squinted as he looked around for them.

"Perhaps I ought to call Mr. O'Dell. It'll be loads of fun!"

"Shhh, I got this," Peter whispered to Hiro and Wendy. He darted unseen around the Cheshire Cat and flew up onto the arch over the doorway. He sat there and spoke into his hat.

"Cheshire Cat," he said, his voice sounding eerily similar to that of a certain ghost, "Baron Ravenswood has his own reasons for being invisible."

For once, the Cheshire Cat was caught off guard. He froze in midair, his yellow eyes darting around the room. "Why, Baron, I had no idea it was you!"

"I have business here tonight, Cheshire Cat. Stay away from this floor and make sure no one else comes here either…UNDERSTAND?!"

The Cheshire Cat gasped in terror and dove down through the stairs away from them. Wendy covered her mouth to stifle her giggles.

"All right, Peter!" whispered Hiro.

"And one more thing," Peter continued in his ghostly voice, "Tell the kitchen to send up every dessert they have to Mus Tower –"

"Okay, now you're pushing it," Hiro said. He yanked Peter's foot and dragged him back down to their level.

Moments later, they were outside the third-floor corridor – and the door was open. The sounds of a gentle harp floated out.

"Oh boy, looks like Lilith's already got past Aladar," Hiro said quietly.

Seeing the door ajar somehow seemed to impress upon all three of them what was facing them. Hiro turned to the other two.

"If you want to go back, I won't blame you," he said. "You can take the kabuto, I won't need it now."

"Are you kidding?" said Peter.

"We're coming," said Wendy. Hiro pushed the door open.

A golden harp with the figurehead of a beautiful woman stood in the corner playing itself. Aladar was fast asleep with one claw draped over the trapdoor. The music was making Hiro, Wendy and Peter feel sleepy as well.

They began to shove Aladar's claw aside.

"Come on, push," Hiro said through gritted teeth.

The harp suddenly stopped playing.

"Who is it? Who's there?" she asked fearfully.

One of Aladar's eyes popped open. His growl rumbled through their bones as he got to his feet.

"He must wake up the moment the music stops," said Hiro. "Well, here goes…"

He put Ralph's ocarina to his lips and blew. He tried to remember one of the lullabies he learned in music class. What came out was a close approximation of a tune. Aladar yawned but didn't go back to sleep.

"Stay awake, don't rest your head,
Don't lie down upon your bed…"

The harp joined in with Hiro's melody, making it stronger and sweeter. Slowly, Aladar's growls ceased. He tottered on his claws and fell to his knees, then slumped to the ground, fast asleep.

"I can take it from here, Hiro," Peter said, whipping out his panpipes. He continued playing as Hiro took off the kabuto and set it aside.

"Thanks," Hiro addressed him and the harp. "I think we'll be able to pull the door open now."

"Are you here to face the challenges as well?" the harp asked.

"We're here to stop someone from getting through them," said Wendy.

The harp nodded gravely.

"A dark-haired woman transported me here from the music room and forced me to help her so that beast wouldn't slaughter her."

Hiro bent and pulled the ring of the trapdoor, which swung up and open. He could see nothing but pure blackness, and no way of climbing down.

"Baymax, can you scan for anything down there?"

Baymax gazed down the trapdoor.

"Scanning complete. There is a large body of water with several hundred life forms beneath the surface."

Hiro gulped.

"I'll go down first with Baymax. Peter, if everything seems okay, I'll call you to come down with Wendy."

Peter, who was still playing, nodded. Hiro climbed aboard Baymax.

"If anything happens to me, don't follow. Get yourselves out and send a message straight to Merlin, understand?"

Wendy and Peter nodded.

"Right. See you in a minute…I hope…Geronimo!"

And Baymax fell through. Cold damp air rushed past them as they fell down, down, down and – FWOOSH.

Three feet from the water Baymax activated his thrusters and hovered steadily over the surface. Hiro looked around, his eyes adjusting to the gloom. He couldn't see anything lurking underneath them.

"It's okay!" he called up to the light. "There's nothing down here! I think I can see the door to the next room!"

Back above, Wendy sat at the edge of the trap door.

"I suppose I'll have to jump," she said nervously.

Peter dropped the panpipes and held her back.

"Wendy, don't! I can carry you."

Aladar growled to life once again – and collapsed just as quickly as the harp began to play.

"I'll keep him asleep. Go now, hurry, stop her before it's too late!"

Peter tenderly picked up Wendy and they flew down the trapdoor to where Hiro and Baymax were waiting.

"We must be miles under the school," Peter said.

"Guess whoever made this trap thought we'd be dumb enough to go swimming in it," Hiro said cockily.

"Hiro!" shrieked Wendy as she pointed to his leg. "Look out!"

Something long and slimy emerged from the water as Hiro was talking and wrapped itself around his ankle. With a jerk he was ripped off of Baymax's back and into the lake. He could make out a thousand yellow eyes all gazing at him through the inky darkness of the water. Hiro activated the flashlight built into his helmet – and immediately wished he didn't.

Limbless mottled gray-green creatures with gaping mouths all moaning in a tormented chorus surrounded him. Hiro screamed, letting out his only breath of air.

There was a splash next to him, and he could see two legs kicking beneath a billowing blue skirt. A pair of hands scooped Hiro up from under his arms and pulled him back above the surface. It was Peter, wide-eyed and partially dripping wet. Wendy floundered about in the water – Peter had dropped her in order to save Hiro.

"There's…things…pulled me under…" Hiro gasped for breath.

Wendy screamed, and in an instant she vanished below. Hiro and Peter cried out her name.

"Peter, get me on Baymax!"

Peter dropped Hiro off on Baymax's back, and Hiro climbed to the highest set of notches set in.

"Baymax, do you see Wendy down there?"

"Scanning complete. A creature is wrapped around Wendy's leg, and her oxygen is running low."

"Can you reach down there and save her?"

Baymax leaned forward, his thrusters slowing down so he hovered slightly more horizontally, and stuck his arms into the water. Seconds later, he pulled her back up. Wendy choked and sputtered, then something tugged her closer back in again.

"Pull harder!" Hiro cried.

Peter took hold of Wendy's arms and pulled along with Baymax. They finally ripped Wendy free, but no sooner had they done that then two more creatures shot out of the lake and wrapped themselves around Peter's ankles.

"I know what these are," said Wendy as Baymax gathered her into his arms. "They're polyps, plant creatures that were once people who signed dark magical contracts they couldn't fulfill, so they're turned into these as punishment! They usually root themselves outside of evil enchanters' lairs to warn others against making the same mistake they did."

"Of course, nobody can sell their souls if they're drowned first!" yelled Peter sarcastically. He struggled against the creatures, but they put up a strong fight.

Wendy tried to think.

"Professor Plantar said something about polyps, what was it…poor unfortunate souls, in pain, in need..."

More groaning polyps whipped themselves around Baymax's arms and legs, dragging him closer to the water's surface. Hiro tried to reach for his wand.

"Maybe if we just give them a quick blast –"

"No!" Wendy stopped him. We can't hurt them; they hardly know what they're doing! We just need to cross the water –"

She gasped.

"That's it!"

Wendy reached down her dress, pulled out Elsa's whistle, and blew into it. A sharp high note blasted like an icy wind through the room.

The more Baymax and Peter resisted the polyps, the harder the polyps fought back. A third tangled itself around Peter's wrist as the water passed his thighs –

Soon Baymax's armor was inches away from the surface –

Hiro steeled himself for that horrible, groaning sight yet again –

There was a whinny and a splash –

Elsa and the Nokk burst out of the water. The polyps shrank back as she bolted towards them. Baymax shook the creatures off and surged back into the air with Hiro and Wendy. Elsa grabbed Peter as she rode by and plunked him behind her on the Nokk's back. The water horse galloped across the surface; patches of ice formed in its wake and blocked the polyps, until it reached the far end of the chamber. A landing with a door well out of the creatures' reach was waiting.

Wendy was ecstatic as Baymax brought her to her feet.

"Oh, Your Hi – Elsa, I knew you'd come!" she said joyfully.

"Good thing we didn't panic," said Peter as he dismounted.

"Good thing your friend knew who to call when you were in trouble," Elsa replied with just a hint of a smirk.

Wendy looked at the whistle in her hands. It shattered back into a thousand tiny ice crystals and scattered into nothing.

"One time only," Elsa repeated sadly. "Will you be all right from here?"

"Yeah, I think we got it – actually, could you go to the Magic Council and tell Merlin he needs to come back to the school right now?" Hiro asked her.

"You've got it!"

Elsa and the Nokk vanished back into the water.

"Let's hope she makes it in time," Hiro murmured.

They opened the door to a round metal passageway, the only way forward. Baymax retracted his wings, and they crawled in one at a time. All they could hear apart from their gentle bumps was the quiet drip of water trickling down the walls. The passageway sloped downward, and Hiro was reminded of the bank's underground tunnels.

"Can you hear something?" Peter whispered.

Hiro listened. A soft clinking and scraping of metal seemed to be coming from up ahead.

"Do you think it's Lilith?"

"I don't know…sounds mechanical."

They reached the end of the passageway and entered a dimly lit chamber. Rusty metal squares covered everything from the ceiling to the floor; some were blank, some had strange symbols etched into them. There was no other way out but the way they came.

"Look around, but don't touch anything," Hiro warned them. He tiptoed around any squares that had symbols; he'd seen enough movies to know they spelled a booby trap. Peter and Wendy examined the walls and Baymax –

"Oh no."

Hiro whipped around. Baymax had stepped on a tile with a marking resembling the play button on a remote.

The door slammed shut and sealed itself. All the marked tiles glowed an ominous red. The room shook as a klaxon horn blared, and random squares began to poke out from the walls, floor and ceiling towards them.

Peter pushed back against one.

"Come on, move…"

Wendy, Hiro and Baymax tried the same, but nothing could stop the blocks' encroachment. If they didn't hurry, they would be crushed.

"Hiro, what do we do?" Wendy begged.

Hiro's mind raced around the room. If only he had a sign – but he did, hundreds right before him.

"The symbols! Maybe if we press the right ones, the room will stop! Baymax! Blacklight on!"

Baymax's built-in searchlight switched on and glowed purple. In addition to their sets of footprints, a fifth one appeared on the floor along with handprints on four different and increasingly separate tiles higher up on the walls.

Wendy climbed two blocks rising from the floor and hit the first one. It turned a bright blue. Hiro, Peter and Baymax took to the air. Peter slammed his hand on the second, and Baymax touched the third. Hiro climbed onto Baymax's shoulders, weaved his way through the interlocking blocks, took a flying leap and caught hold of the block with the final symbol. He punched it with one hand.

There was a ding, and a door opened up in the western wall, though the blocks continued to grind towards each other.

"Run for it!" shouted Hiro as he lost his grip. Baymax cut his fall thankfully short, and carried him through the door with Wendy and Peter right behind. The blocks clanged together, sealing their exit. The three friends laughed nervously as they composed themselves.

"That was nuts! You ruled back there," Peter told Hiro as he playfully punched him in the shoulder.

"Ah, thanks," said Hiro modestly.

They surveyed the room they were in now. It was very dark and damp and foggy. The air smelled of salt water. They could hear the slow creak of timber and lapping of water. A crack of lightning illuminated the room and an eerie voice echoed with the thunder:

"Dead men tell no tales…no tales…no tales…"

They were standing on the edge of a vast body of water that had to be as big as seven Olympic-sized swimming pools. In the dead center was a monstrous whirlpool with an enormous wall of mist cutting across, keeping the other end of the pool from view. Moored on the shore were two dinghies, a Chinese junk, a submarine, a Viking boat, and three impressive sailing ships, each one bigger than the last.

"It's a giant Maelstrom set!" Peter gasped in awe.

Hiro blinked. "Does this mean…"

"Isn't it obvious?" said Peter gleefully. "We have to play the game to get across. Hiro, you take the Dauntless. Baymax, get on the Nautilius. Wendy, you commandeer the Empress. As for me, I'll be captain of the Interceptor."

The Interceptor was the largest of the ships. At Peter's words, a gangplank emerged from each of the four vessels, allowing them to board.

"You seem pretty confident about this," Hiro shouted to Peter from his ship.

"I'm the best Maelstrom player in the Magic Kingdom! Just leave it to me," he replied confidently.

"Peter…you don't suppose this will be like a real game of Maelstrom, will you?" Wendy asked.

Peter commanded the smallest of the fleet, a tiny dinghy with only one sail, to move several spaces ahead. There was tension in the air as they waited for their opponent's move. Hiro kept a tight grip on the steering wheel. What if they lost?

A cannonball breached the wall of fog and sunk the dingy in one fiery blast. Peter laughed, a little less brashly than before.

"Yes, Wendy. I think this is gonna be exactly like Maelstrom."

Every time they lost a ship, their opponent showed no mercy. Soon there was nothing but flotsam where the dinghies, the Viking boat, and the abandoned sailing ship stood. Peter still kept Hiro, Baymax and Wendy out of harms' way, even if it was just in time, and helped them figure out where they should go and when they should fire. Peter himself sailed all over the board, only narrowly avoiding the whirlpool, taking even out even more ships than they lost.

"There's just one left," he called out suddenly. "It's The Wicked Wench, the head of their fleet…I can't shoot at it; I'll just be wasting my shot if I don't know where it is…but if I move, it'll have to choose between running and hiding again or taking me out and revealing where it is."

Hiro realized where he was going with this.

"I'm down to my last mast, so it'll go for me, and that'll leave it open for you to sink it, Hiro!"

"But if it does, then you'll be hit!" Hiro shouted.

"Peter, you can't sacrifice yourself!" cried Wendy. "There must be some other way!"

"You wanna stop Lilith from getting the stones or not?" snapped Peter. "You know all the stories you read us, Wendy? Sometimes the good guys had to give themselves up, even if it meant they were gonna get hurt, so the real heroes could go on and save the day. That's what I gotta do, 'cause you're the one who's gotta go on and beat Lilith, Hiro, I know it. Not me, YOU."

They had no choice. Peter had made up his mind.

"Right…bring me that horizon."

Peter whirled the ship's wheel and moved into place as far from his friends as possible.

A long, horrible silence fell over the water.

And then, the boom of a cannon, and a whistle that grew louder as something hurtled towards the Interceptor.

Peter turned to Hiro and Wendy with a smile. He crowed triumphantly as the cannonball struck, and the Interceptor exploded into fiery timber.

"PETER!" Wendy screamed. She ran to the side of her boat and prepared to jump in the water.

"No! Don't move!" Hiro yelled. "We're still playing! Once we win, we'll find him."

Wendy hesitated, then nodded and swallowed her tears. Hiro gripped the handles of his wheel and squinted into the fog. There, through the billowing mists, he could make out the silhouette of the final ship.

"Fire port broadside!" he called.

The Dauntless' cannons rang out as the shells pierced through the fog. Their aim was true; there was a blast of thunder and fire greater than the one before it, so much so that Hiro could see it almost clear as day through the cloudy haze. The whirlpool subsided and the fog vanished, revealing the flaming wreck that was formerly The Wicked Wench sinking below the surface to join its brethren.

Hiro wasted no time.

"Baymax! Find Peter now!"

Baymax zoomed overhead and scanned the detritus bobbing where the Interceptor once stood. Suddenly he dove in. Seconds later, he burst through the surface carrying Peter in his arms. Baymax softly landed on the deck of the Dauntless and carefully laid the boy down. Peter coughed up some water, but his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he fell limp once more.

"His lungs are clear, but he has several contusions, bruised ribs and signs of a concussion. It would not be safe to move him or leave him without professional medical assistance for very long," Baymax noted.

"Well then, I guess we'll have to return quick with the Sundrop," said Hiro. He returned to the wheel, but before he could touch it, it spun about on its own. The sails of the Dauntless and Empress billowed and carried them across the vast pool to the other side. The gangplanks reemerged and they disembarked. With one last desperate look back at Peter, Hiro and Wendy charged through the door and into the next passageway.

"What if he's –"

"He'll be all right," said Hiro, trying to convince himself. "What do you think's next?"

"We had Professor Plantar's and Lilith's, that was the polyps; McGucket and Timothy made the symbol room; Eda and Flora enchanted the pirate ships; that leaves Yzma."

They reached the next door. Hiro pushed it open, both of them hardly daring to look at what came next – but there was nothing frightening in here, just a table with twelve bottles of all different shapes and sizes, each with a tag saying "Drink Me" strung around the neck, standing in the middle of the room.

They stepped over the threshold, and the door suddenly closed behind them. In an instant, it grew to gigantic proportions; the doorknob must have been fifty feet out of their reach. At the same time, the door ahead of them shrank until it was little over three inches high.

"Look!" Wendy seized a roll of paper lying next to the bottles. Hiro looked over her shoulder to read it:

Danger lies before you, while safety lies behind,
Three of us will help you, whichever you will find.
Two among us bottles will let you move ahead,
Another one will send the drinker back instead.
Six among our number are only bottles of rum,
Three are llama potions, which will make you feel quite dumb.
Choose, unless you wish to stay here forevermore,
To aid you in your choice, we give you these clues four:
First, however essence of llama tries to hide,
You will always some sitting on rum's left side.
Second, different are those that stand on either end,
But if you would move onward, then neither is your friend.
Third, as you see clearly, all are different size,
Neither dwarf nor giant holds rum on their insides.
Fourth, the second to the left and the second to the right
Are twins once you taste them, though different at first sight.

Wendy let out a sigh and Hiro, amazed, saw that she was smiling, the very last thing he felt like doing.

"Of course!" said Wendy. "This isn't a test of magic or character – it's logic! A riddle! Some of the greatest heroes of all time have hardly any logic in them. How many times have they been given good advice, yet they very seldom follow it? I know I've read about a riddle like this somewhere before…"

She put on a look of serious contemplation.

"Twelve bottles: three are llama potions, six are rum, one will send us back through the big door, and two will send us forward through the little one – but which of us should go ahead and who should go back?"

"Peter was right," said Hiro. "I have to be the one who goes on."

"Then I should go with you."

"Wendy, no, I don't want anything to happen to you –"

"But someone needs to help you! And besides, Baymax can't drink anything."

"If I may, Wendy," said Baymax, "there is a strong likelihood that pouring the potion onto me will have the same effect on myself as it would Hiro if he consumes it."

"But I…"

"Baymax was made to look after me, Wendy. I'll be okay. The question is, which are the bottles we need?" Hiro asked.

"Give me a minute," said Wendy.

She read the paper several times. Then she walked up and down the line of bottles, muttering to herself and pointing at them. At last, she clapped her hands.

"I've got it!" she said. "The smallest bottles will get you through the little door to the Sundrop and Moonstone."

Hiro looked at one of the tiny bottles, then back at Wendy.

"Which one will get you back through the giant door?"

She pointed to a rounded bottle right at the end of the line.

"When you get through, see if you can rouse Peter and fly yourselves back up the trapdoor. If Merlin and Eda aren't back yet, send a message to them. I might be able to hold Lilith off for a bit…"

"But Hiro…what if Maleficent is with her?"

Hiro choked out a laugh.

"I was lucky once, wasn't I?" He brushed his arm. "I might get lucky again."

Wendy's lip trembled, and she threw her arms around Hiro.

"You're brilliant, Hiro, you know that."

"Aw come on," said Hiro, embarrassed, as she let go of him. "Even I don't know as much as you do with all the stories you know."

"Me?" said Wendy. "If I've learned anything from them, it's that friendship and bravery are the most important things of all, more than knowing everything and being the perfect hero…and…oh, Hiro, please be careful!"

Hiro nodded.

"You drink first," he said. "You're sure you know which is which?"

"Of course," said Wendy. She took a long drink from the bottle at the end. In an instant she shot up until her head nearly bumped the ceiling.

"Hurry! Go before it wears off!" Hiro shouted to her.

"Good luck, Hiro, take care –"

"GO!"

Wendy turned the knob and hurried through the giant door.

Hiro took a deep breath and uncorked one of the tiny bottles. Baymax leaned his head down to Hiro's level, and he poured the bottle's contents on him. No sooner had the first drop hit his head than Baymax shrank down to the size of the door.

Hiro exhaled.

"Here I come, Lilith," he said, and he chugged down the bottle in a few gulps. It tasted like cherry tart, then custard, pineapple, roast turkey –

And the next thing he knew, he was smaller than the bottle itself, and just the right size to get through the door. Hiro let the bottle roll away and joined Baymax's side. The robot opened the door. Inside was a long, dark tunnel. Hiro lit up his wand, and they quietly made their way through.

At the next corner, Hiro stopped.

"Wait here," he whispered to Baymax.

Hiro braced himself, then made the turn and found himself in the archway of a spacious room. There was already someone there –

But it wasn't Lilith.

It wasn't even Maleficent.

Hiro pointed and shouted –

"You!"

Chapter Text

It was Cassandra.

She smirked at Hiro.

"I told you to be careful who you trust."

"But…but I thought Lilith –"

"Lilith?" Cassandra laughed coldly. "Yes, Lilith does seem like the type, doesn't she? Who'd suspect me with that overgrown crow flapping about?"

Hiro couldn't take it all in. This couldn't be true, it just couldn't.

"But, at the Questing match – Lilith tried to kill me."

"No, Hiro, I tried to kill you. And I would have succeeded if those fireworks hadn't gone off and nearly blew me up. Another few seconds and you'd have fallen off that overinflated bot of yours. I'd have done it sooner if Lilith hadn't tried to take out the bug I planted on his armor with a counter-curse."

"Lilith was trying to save me?"

"Of course," Cassandra said coolly. "Why else would she want to referee the next match? She was trying to make sure it didn't happen again. Funny, really, she shouldn't have bothered. I couldn't do anything with Merlin watching. All the other teachers thought Lilith was trying to stop Mus from winning. What a waste of time, when after all that, your destiny ends here, and I seize mine at last."

Faster than Hiro could follow, Cassandra whipped out her wand.

"Corctant Cum Vites!"

Thorny vines shot up from the floor and wrapped themselves around Hiro. Cassandra sauntered up to him as he struggled in vain against his bonds.

"It's not enough that you soak up all the attention while the rest of us have to work to be noticed. Your nosiness has constantly thwarted my plans. Running around the school like that on Halloween, for all I knew you saw me sneaking off to find out what was guarding the corridor."

"Then you let the troll in!" he gasped.

"Guilty as charged."

Hiro's face contorted with rage.

"You nearly got Wendy killed!"

"It's not my fault the lumbering brute found her first," Cassandra shrugged. "Anyway, I only said he could eat whoever he met just so he'd do what I told him. The teachers would've stepped in before any real harm was done. Unfortunately, while everyone was searching the castle for it, Lilith suspected that it was a diversion and ran to the third floor to head me off. The least I could do for her was rile up that stupid lizard, but it couldn't even take her leg off properly. Thankfully, it took just a few threats and that annoying snowman to pry answers about the trials from Ralph and that coward Ichabod. Now wait there quietly like a good boy. I need to examine this interesting mirror."

It was only then that Hiro realized she was standing before the Magic Mirror.

"This mirror will help me find where the Sundrop and Moonstone are. Trust Merlin to come up with a plan like this…but I won't be here by the time he gets back."

Hiro stopped fighting the vines. He had to keep Cassandra talking and stop her from concentrating on the mirror.

"But what about Questing? The team? Winning the cup?!" he shouted. "Why try to kill me if you cared about that so badly?"

"It was the easiest way to get rid of you. Besides, there are greater things waiting for me than a childish game, Hiro."

"Like earning your father's approval? I don't think stealing from Merlin will get you any brownie points with him."

For the first time, a spasm of regret flitted across Cassandra's face.

"I used to think that way, too…until my friend set me straight."

Hiro gasped.

"I met her over the summer. She revealed to me that it was my destiny to wield the Sundrop and Moonstone," she continued. "She told me my father overlooked my potential because he felt threatened by it, and that a boy put on a pedestal his whole life would try to take what was rightfully mine. She even came with me to school after I failed to steal them from the bank. She's been disappointed by my past failures, but she helps with my plans, comforts me when I'm alone…"

Cassandra's voice trailed away. Hiro remembered his trip to Main Street – Cassandra had been right next to him, gazing at the Questing display in the Athletic Club. How could he not have noticed?

She glanced over her shoulder.

"I'm getting to it, keep your skirt on!"

Hiro's brow furrowed.

"I didn't say anything."

"I wasn't –"

Cass exhaled, then touched the glass. The familiar mask-like face appeared out of the flames.

"What wouldst thou know, Cassandra?"

"Tell me where the Sundrop and Moonstone are and how to get them."

The Magic Mirror frowned.

"I hold what you seek deep inside
But no matter how much you curse or deride
Neither of them is yours to take
For little you know what's truly at stake."

Cassandra was livid.

"What are you playing at?" she shouted. "I'll get them from you even if I have to shatter you to pieces –"

She paused, as if listening to something in the air.

"Of course…the boy…Hiro, come over here, now."

She gave a quick wave of her wand and the vines melted away. She kept her wand pointed at him. The tip glowed a dangerous red.

"Ask the Mirror about the Sundrop and Moonstone," she repeated.

Hiro reluctantly stepped towards the Mirror.

"I have to find them before Cassandra does," he thought. "But how can I ask where they are while she's hanging over my shoulder? Maybe if there's another way to phrase the question…"

"Magic Mirror…how do you keep the Sundrop and Moonstone safe?"

Cassandra glared at him. The Mirror raised an eyebrow.

"Why do you ask such a personal query?
Has your greed put you in a thoughtless hurry?"

"Look, I don't want them, all right?" Hiro blurted out. "I just want to keep them out of her hands!"

Cassandra backhanded Hiro and he fell to the hard stone floor. When he looked back up, the Mirror was smiling at him.

"You've asked the right question
And proved yourself true.
Now the answer is one
That you carry with you."

Cassandra looked back and forth between the mirror and Hiro.

"What does that mean?"

Hiro staggered to his feet. His backpack felt much heavier than it was moments ago.

The answer is one that you carry with you.

A light went on in Hiro's head. Somehow, incredibly, he'd gotten the Sundrop and Moonstone.

Now he just had to fake his way out of there and away from Cassandra.

"I…I don't know," he said. "I'm a genius at magitech, not riddles."

Cassandra's gaze momentarily fixed itself to the space next to her. Then she grabbed Hiro by the front of his armor and held him up to her level.

"Tell the truth, Hiro! Where are they?!" she screamed in his face.

Her eyes flickered to her left and she paused.

"Speak to him? But you're not strong enough!"

Hiro raised an eyebrow. Who was she talking to?

In the space of silence that followed, Cass turned pale as a ghost.

"What do you mean you have strength enough for –"

Cass let go of Hiro and stumbled backwards as if she'd been hit. She clutched her head and shrieked. Black ooze poured from her eyes and mouth and pooled around her head. Hiro wanted to scream, but he couldn't. From out of the inky mass sprouted a joyless rictus of a mouth, yellow pupiless eyes, and worst of all, a pair of spiraling horns.

It couldn't be…

"Maleficent?" Hiro gasped.

The wraith threw back Cass' head and laughed.

"You'd think I was that witch, wouldn't you?" it said in a raspy voice. "No, Hiro, I am the demon Zhan Tiri. Over the centuries I've taken the form of whatever suits my needs: a warlock, a tree, even a blizzard…but this is what I've been reduced to – a parasite! Since I fell with Maleficent at Bald Mountain, I wandered the world trapped as a spirit without a body, my loyal followers dead, and hardly any strength to interact with the physical world. It wasn't until I met Cassandra that the opportunity to regain my full power and form arose. She was terrified that her father would never see her for the warrior she was, that she would never attain the glory she was meant to reach, and that she'd be left behind again..."

That last part struck a chord in Hiro's mind.

"It's amazing what fear and desperation will drive a person to do, especially with a little encouragement from a friend," Zhan Tiri continued. Her face morphed into a young girl with two hair buns where her horns were and a grin far too maniacal for one so young. Then, just as quickly, she shifted back again.

"Throughout my time in this world, I've found the form most people respond to is that of a sweet, helpful child. I made Cassandra believe she was doing the right thing, and she in turn obeyed my every command. Little did she realize her ego would fail her, just like her mother – oh, I suppose you wouldn't know, Cassandra's mother was my former apprentice Gothel, the one who betrayed me and then abandoned her only daughter for beauty and immortality. Considering how easily she lost both, it seems carelessness runs in the family."

She laughed again mirthlessly.

"Still, I could hardly excise my own magic without inhabiting a more corporal form first. You saw me feasting upon the deer in the woods. Cassandra hunted them for me so that I could build up my strength. She had no idea that she was helping me prepare to possess her the whole time. It may not be enough to give me a body of my own…but there are some things hiding in your backpack that can."

She knew. The feeling surged back into Hiro's legs and he bolted to the exit.

"Baymax! We have to go!" he shouted.

Zhan Tiri raised Cassandra's hands, and flames burst in front of the archway. Hiro skidded and stopped just short of the fire. He faced Zhan Tiri again with his wand out; the summoning of the flames seemed to have winded her.

"Don't be a fool, boy," she rasped. "We don't have to resort to violence…I'm a generous sort…perhaps you'd be willing to make a trade…"

"There's nothing you have that I want!" Hiro yelled at her.

"Don't you want to know what happened the night your parents died?"

Hiro froze. Zhan Tiri grinned.

"I was there. Before the battle commenced I went on ahead as a scout, and learned some awful secrets about their plans…"

"You don't need to tell me. I knew they were there to ambush the Villains."

"Oh, you naïve child. They weren't trying to stop Maleficent from reaching what was inside Bald Mountain – they were trying to awaken it first."

Hiro felt the room turn upside-down. He could hardly stand on his own two feet.

"No…no, you're lying!" he cried. "They were fighting Maleficent, they knew what it was in there was evil –"

"Good and evil are nothing but stories fools tell themselves to justify their actions. The truth is, there is only power and those too weak to seek it. And your dear mother and father were growing into the most powerful wielders of their kind thanks to breaking the barriers between science and magic. That's why that witch Lilith can't stand you, because she hated your parents and what they were doing to this world."

"Why should I believe you?" Hiro shouted back.

"Because I can let you ask them yourselves," said Zhan Tiri. Her smile grew as wide as Hiro's eyes. "I can use the Sundrop to bring them back. You could have a real family again, and all the answers to everything you ever wished to know about them. Isn't that what you've always wanted? You three can live the rest of your days out peacefully, while I claim my rightful place as the greatest force in this world and all others. Give me the Sundrop and Moonstone, and you will never want for the truth again."

She held out a hand.

Hiro swallowed. Zhan Tiri was right. His whole life he wanted to know who his mother and father really were. Merlin was wrong about there being no magic that could return the dead, not with the power of the Sundrop. He had to know the truth –

Then he caught a glimpse of the Magic Mirror, and something stirred in his head –

All magic comes with a price.

Hiro gripped his wand. If everything the Mirror told him about his parents were true, then they wouldn't give in if they were in his shoes – and they wouldn't want him to, either. Whatever they were doing at Bald Mountain, the Villains were defeated and he was still standing; he knew that's what mattered to them in the end. Allowing Zhan Tiri to return and wreak havoc across the world just so he could have his parents back for himself would spit in the face of everything they stood for.

He looked right into Zhan Tiri's empty yellow eyes. Even if he hadn't already made his decision, one glimpse of the demon's crazed expression told Hiro she'd never honor her bargain.

"You LIAR!" he shouted.

"So be it!" Zhan Tiri hissed. Black tendrils emerged from the sides of her head and surged at Hiro.

A red blur flew between them and shielded Hiro with its body before the first tentacle struck.

"Baymax!" Hiro cried. His loyal robot looked over his shoulder at him as he blocked Zhan Tiri's onslaught.

"I am afraid this is a dangerous situation, one that Aunt Cass would not approve of."

"You think?!"

Hiro blasted some water from his wand at the fire in the archway, but it only evaporated in the heat.

"We have to get out of here!"

"I have a built-in extinguisher that should douse the flames," Baymax told him, "however, that would leave you open to Zhan Tiri's attacks."

"I'll dodge her however I can. You just take care of it and pick me up when you're done!"

The moment Baymax turned to extinguish the doorway, Hiro rolled out of the path of one of Zhan Tiri's tendrils. He didn't count on bumping into one of the columns lining the room. Before he could spring to his feet, a tentacle grabbed one backpack strap and yanked it off Hiro. He snatched the other strap and stood his ground. Hiro and Zhan Tiri held fast with all their might, neither of them letting up until the bag ripped apart. A pale blue opal tumbled out and rolled away.

"Mine! All mine!" Zhan Tiri cried, letting go of the strap. But before she could snatch the stone, Cass' right arm shot out and grabbed it. Zhan Tiri roared in pain. Her tentacles shrunk back. Blue energy surged up Cassandra's arm, pushing Zhan Tiri away from the right side of her face until one eye and half of her mouth was free. Cassandra looked more terrified than Hiro had ever seen her before. She stared at him, tears streaming down her cheek.

"Hiro…I'm sorry…I didn't…know…GO!"

"You think you can wield the Moonstone against me, foolish girl?" the demon snarled. "Fine, I'll even help you get started –

Wither and decay,
End this destiny,
Break these earthly chains,
And set the spirit free!"

Hiro instantly recognized it as the Moonstone's incantation. Cassandra screamed in agony as the Moonstone flared even more in her fist. She dropped to her knees. Blue fire enveloped her hand, burning it black. The Moonstone fell from her fingers and Zhan Tiri caught it in one of her tentacles.

"Yessss! At last!"

The tentacle transformed into a thick black arm in a gauntlet. The demon locked the Moonstone in the gauntlet, and in an instant, her right eye turned blue.

"Having just one of the stones gives me more strength than I've ever had in one lifetime!"

Zhan Tiri grew in size, her unshapely mass forming a torso and second arm. Hiro ducked behind a column. He reached into his backpack and found a glittering golden stone – the Sundrop. It was like holding a piece of warm sunlight right in his hand.

He peeked around the column. Zhan Tiri slithered off of Cassandra on a mass of writhing tentacles. Cassandra moaned weakly and collapsed.

"Where are you hiding, child?" said Zhan Tiri. "You are only prolonging your own demise." She swept her arm across the room and a wave of spiky black rocks burst from the floor, spearing and knocking over columns. Hiro scrambled away from the collapsing stone pieces. He hardly dared to breathe as Zhan Tiri scanned the room for him.

Hiro turned to the Sundrop. He remembered what Wendy's book said about how the Sundrop and Moonstone were possibly meant to reunite. But he had no idea what would happen if those two massively powerful little rocks did touch. The effect could amplify or negate Zhan Tiri's rampage – or destroy them both.

"Well," he said as he grasped the Sundrop tightly in his hand, "only one way to find out."

Baymax zoomed up to Hiro, alerting Zhan Tiri to his hiding spot. The demon raised more rocks where they were standing, but Hiro was already on his robot's back, racing around the room.

"Keep her distracted, Baymax, and when you can, hold her back until I say so. I've got a plan!"

As Baymax veered around a corner, his front facing Zhan Tiri, Hiro jumped off and crouched by a tilted column. The demon focused on trying to spear Baymax as he flew about, distracting her enough that Hiro could climb up the column. The rocks sliced the air, each one a hair's breadth away from Baymax until –

CLANG!

A rock smashed through his right wing and tore it off completely, and Baymax crashed to the floor.

"I've grown tired of this. It doesn't matter how much you try to avoid your fate," Zhan Tiri proclaimed to the open air. "At last, the Magic Kingdom dies, and the world will know it is once again time to fear me! Wither and decay…"

A ripple of blue light swept over the room and out into the corridor, sucking away all color. It didn't seem possible, but Cassandra grew even more pale and lifeless.

"End this destiny…"

Hiro felt the spell sap away at him until he could barely lift his feet.

"Break these earthly chains…"

The Sundrop in his hand radiated warmth down into his body, giving him the strength to go on until he reached the top of the balustrade.

"And set the –"

Zhan Tiri's suddenly found her arms pinned behind her. She turned to see Baymax holding them fast.

"What is this?!" she roared as she struggled against him. "You should be dead!"

"I am a robot, and technically not alive," said Baymax matter-of-factly.

"Why you –"

"Hey, Zhan Tiri!" Hiro called out from above.

The demon glared at him.

"You think you can keep the Sundrop from me forever, boy?" she yelled.

"I'm not keeping it away from you," Hiro shouted back. "I'm giving it to you – NOW!"

He leaped towards Zhan Tiri. As she fought to free herself, Baymax let go of her arms. They swung forward together out of her control. As if in slow motion, Hiro thrust the Sundrop into the Moonstone seconds before Zhan Tiri's wrists could make contact.

The two stones collided in a burst of light that blasted Hiro across the room. He could hear Zhan Tiri shrieking and glass shattering – there was a sharp pain in the back of his head – and then nothing.

Fireflies. Fireflies stuck up in that big bluish-black thing.

Hiro blinked. It wasn't fireflies; it was a pair of glasses. Merlin's smiling face swam into focus before him.

"Good afternoon, Hiro," said Merlin.

Hiro stared at him. Then he remembered: "Professor! The Moonstone! Cassandra! The Sundrop! She's possessed by –"

"Calm yourself, dear boy, you are a little behind the times," Merlin said. "Neither Cassandra nor Zhan Tiri have the Sundrop or Moonstone."

"Then who does? Sir, I –"

"Hiro, please, settle down, or Flora, Fauna and Merryweather will throw me out."

Hiro swallowed and looked around him. He was in the infirmary, lying in a clean bed next to a table piled with what looked like half of Main Street's Confectionary Shop.

"Tokens from your friends and admirers," said Merlin, beaming. "What happened down in the dungeons between you and Cassandra is a complete secret – so, naturally, the whole school knows. I believe your friends Edric and Emira Blight tried to send you a toilet seat as well. No doubt they thought it would amuse you. Professor Flora, however, felt it wouldn't be very hygienic and confiscated it."

"How long have I been out?"

"Three days. Your friends will be most relieved to hear you've come around. They've been extremely worried."

"But Professor, Zhan Tiri –"

"Oh dash it all, boy, I was getting to that!" Merlin, sighing, sat on one side of the bed and ran his fingers through his hair. "Now, Zhan Tiri didn't manage to take the stones from you. I thought I had arrived in time to stop that, but you already took good care of her on your own."

"You got Elsa's message?"

"We must have just missed each other. No sooner had Eda and I reached the Council than she felt we were needed back at the school. She took one look at the note I received, recognized Cassandra's handwriting, and we both hurried back. I arrived just in time to see you place the Sundrop on the Moonstone and destroy Zhan Tiri."

"Destroy? Wait, does that mean –"

"Yes, Hiro, the demon is gone for good now – though the effort nearly killed you. For one terrible moment, I feared it had."

Hiro suddenly remembered Cassandra unconscious on the floor, wiped out from the pain Zhan Tiri inflicted on her.

"What about Cassandra? I-is she…"

"Don't worry, my boy. Cassandra is safe, though she still has a way to go before she fully recovers."

It was then Hiro noticed her laying several beds away from him. Her eyes were closed and she was still pale, but he could make out her chest slowly rising and falling with each breath. The hand she used to grab the Moonstone was withered and black down to her elbow.

"Professor, it's not her fault. Zhan Tiri was making her do all those things. She tricked her into thinking it was her destiny and then possessed her when the stones showed up so she could steal them. Please don't punish her."

Merlin nodded.

"Considering how much she was put through in the dungeons, I believe she's suffered enough. It will be a long time before she allies herself with a Villain again, or else I'm badly mistaken."

"And what about the Sundrop and Moonstone?" Hiro asked. "Will King Frederic and Edmund –"

"Oh, you know about Frederic and Edmund," said Merlin, sounding quite delighted. "You did do the thing properly, didn't you? Well, the three of us have had a little chat and decided that it was all for the best."

Hiro looked at him curiously.

"What was?"

"Well, my boy, it turns out Lord Demanitus was right all along. The Sundrop and Moonstone, equal in their opposing strengths, were fated to reunite as one entity – and to return to the heavens from whence they came together."

Merlin smiled at the look of amazement on Hiro's face.

"To one as young as you, I'm sure it seems incredible, but to their majesties, it's like casting off a tremendous weight they bore on their backs for over twenty years. The Moonstone and Sundrop, as marvelous as they seem, can cause more harm than good. Eternal life and youth, and the power to smite your enemies with a wave of your hand! Two things that most human beings would choose above all – the trouble is, humans have a knack for choosing precisely the things that are worst for them, in addition to doing terrible things to others in order to acquire them."

Hiro sat there at a loss for words. Merlin hummed a little and gazed at the ceiling.

"I suppose we're not all that different from demons then, huh?" said Hiro.

"Oh, I wouldn't say that," Merlin said cheerfully.

"Professor? I've been thinking…even if the Moonstone and Sundrop are gone, Mal – uh, the Mistress –"

"Call her Maleficent, Hiro. Always use the proper name of things. Fear of a name increases fear of the thing itself."

"Right. Well, it looks like I was wrong about Maleficent trying to come back. Guess that means she's really dead after all, right?"

At this, Merlin cast his eyes downward.

"I dearly wish that were true, Hiro. Maleficent rarely left things to chance. I wouldn't put it past her to have at least one contingency plan in place to keep herself going in some form. And even if she can't return, then someone else just as bad might come along and continue her sinister work, as you saw yourself with Zhan Tiri."

The thought formed a pit in Hiro stomach. Was his fight all for nothing?

"Oh, but all's not lost, my boy," Merlin continued warmly, placing a hand on Hiro's shoulder. "You've done a remarkable thing. You chose to do what was right instead of letting fear and complacency win out. You did your parents proud and stood up to one of the Villains. And if you and others continue to do so again and again using your wits, courage, strength and kindness, why, Maleficent and her kind may never return to power!"

Hiro felt much better hearing that. He smiled and nodded, but quickly stopped because it made his head hurt. Then he said, "Sir, there are some other things I'd like to know about my parents, things Zhan Tiri said about what they were really doing at Bald Mountain the night they…the night they died. Could you tell me? Or could we ask the Magic Mirror, please?"

Merlin shook his head.

"I'm sorry, Hiro. The power of Sundrop and Moonstone's reunification shattered the Mirror in addition to ending Zhan Tiri. I would tell you what I know myself, but I'm afraid I cannot."

"But I –"

"You will know the truth one day, when you are older and ready for it, Hiro, I promise you that. Put it out of your mind for now. When you are ready, you will know."

Hiro knew it would do no good to complain, no matter how frustrated he was.

"Zhan Tiri also said Lilith hated me because of my parents. Is that true?"

"Not entirely true, Hiro. Believe it or not, Lilith was quite good friends with your mother and father in their school days."

This was the answer Hiro least suspected. Merlin grinned at his astonishment.

"Oh yes, you'd be surprised how much mischief they got into together, especially when Eda was involved. Lilith, however, comes from a purely magical family devoted to the old ways, and her disdain for Tomeo and Maemi's experiments with magical technology put them at odds with each other on more than one occasion. Unfortunately, she was unable to reconcile her differences with your parents before their deaths. Suffice it to say Lilith is still reticent to embrace the intermarriage of the magical and technological worlds, as a good many in the magic community still do, but I know for a fact that she's worked so hard to prepare and protect you this year because she sees so much of your mother and father in you. Why else would she give you your mother's invisibility kabuto for Christmas?"

It took several seconds for those words to fully sink in. Lilith, iron-fisted stickler Lilith, helping him? He thought back to all those times she threatened him with expulsion and criticized his work in the classroom. Had she been playing him all along, encouraging him to do better in her own twisted way, egging him on under the guise of a no-nonsense authoritarian? Hiro tried to comprehend this, but it made his head whirl, so he stopped.

"Just one more question, professor –"

"Just the one, lad?"

"How did I get the Sundrop and Moonstone from the Magic Mirror?"

"Ah, now I'm glad you asked me that. You see, only someone who wanted to find the Sundrop and Moonstone – but not use them – would be able to receive them. Another one of my more brilliant ideas, and between us two, that's saying something."

Hiro couldn't help but smile at that. Merlin turned to the table of sweets.

"Aha! Goofy's Candy Co. Jellybeans! I was unfortunate enough in my youth to come across an extra-spicy Tabasco-flavored one once, and I'm afraid I've lost my taste for them since…however, I think I'll be safe with a nice banana or buttered popcorn."

He popped the yellow and white bean into his mouth. His grin quickly turned into a grimace.

"Alas," he gurgled, bubbles floating out of his mouth as he spoke, "a bar of soap!"

Professor Flora was a caring woman, but just as strict a nurse as she was a teacher.

"Just five minutes," Hiro pleaded.

"Absolutely not!"

"Well, why shouldn't he? You let Merlin come see him," said Merryweather.

"Yes, but he's the headmaster," Flora insisted. "And besides, the boy still needs his rest."

"I am resting, look, I'm lying down and everything. Please, Professor Flora?"

Flora looked to Merryweather, whose indignant frown told her where she stood, to her second assistant Fauna, a fairy in green.

"Well, he is lying in bed…" said Fauna kindly.

"Oh…very well. But five minutes only!"

And Flora let Peter and Wendy in.

"Hiro!"

Wendy looked ready to hug him again, but Hiro was glad she held back as he still felt very sore.

"Oh Hiro, I was sure you were going to… Merlin was so worried…"

"I knew you'd make it," said Peter jovially. "Hey Baymax, come in and see Hiro!"

Baymax waddled in, none the worse for wear. Peter explained that Professor McGucket took it upon himself to inspect Baymax for any damage. "He said he held up perfectly fine despite everything. And don't worry about the armor; he took care of that too. It's as good as new."

It was then Hiro noticed Wart peeking around the door. Hiro grinned and waved him over. Wart timidly approached them.

"Hiro, I-I'm sorry about what happened the other night. I was just trying to…but if I did then you wouldn't…"

Hiro held up a hand for silence. "You don't have to apologize, Wart. You were only trying to do what was right."

"If we had time, we would have told you everything," said Wendy.

"If anything like this happens again, I…I'd like to help if I can," Wart continued. Hiro smiled.

"Thanks, Wart. We could always use a first-class transformer on our team."

Wart smiled for the first time since he entered the room.

"The whole school's been talking about what you did. What happened down there?"

"That's what I've been dying to know!" Peter agreed.

"Oh please don't say anything about dying, Peter," moaned Wendy.

Hiro regaled them with his showdown in the final chamber. He left out nothing: Cassandra, the Magic Mirror, the two stones, and Zhan Tiri. It was one of those rare occasions when the true story was even more strange and exciting than the wild rumors. Peter, Wendy and Wart were a great audience; they gasped in all the right places and when Hiro told them about Zhan Tiri possessing Cass, Wendy nearly screamed.

"So the Moonstone and Sundrop are gone?" Peter said finally. "They just blasted back up into space?"

"That's what I said, but Merlin thinks that it's for the best. What was it he said? "People have a knack for going after what's bad for them," or something like that."

"So much for that eternal Questing match," said Peter. Hiro suddenly remembered –

"What about the Questing match? Are we still on?"

"It's been cancelled," Peter replied sadly, "Same with the free-for-all. Everyone's disappointed. Felinus is number one and we're still in dead last."

"It's the least I deserve," Cassandra croaked from her bed. She had finally woken up. Peter and Wendy stood up defensively. Cassandra turned on her side to face them; she winced as she moved aside her stiff, black arm. "I let my pride get the best of me and you nearly suffered for it, Hiro, and I let everyone down. This is my fault."

"Darn right it is!" said Peter angrily. "You nearly killed my best friend! You don't deserve to be Captain!"

"And I'll have you know that Professor Crane has been so traumatized by your threatening him all year that he's leaving the school," scolded Wendy.

"Come on, guys, she's been through enough," Hiro told them. "Cass, what you did wasn't right, but I get why you did it. Plus, Zhan Tiri was controlling you, so you can't blame yourself for everything."

"No, Hiro. I should have known she was just using me, but I chose to listen to her anyway. I'm sorry, I really am…but I don't deserve your forgiveness."

Tears filled Cassandra's gray eyes. Hiro thought for a moment, then he whispered something to Baymax. The robot toddled over to her, and wrapped her in a soft hug. He lightly patted her head. Cassandra looked surprised, almost frightened.

"How could you…after I…"

"Let's just say you're not the only Cass I know who doesn't deserve to be abandoned, not when I promised I'd do right by you both," Hiro said.

A small smile crept up on Cassandra's face, and she reciprocated Baymax's hug. Her eyes began to flutter close as exhaustion reclaimed her.

"You really are a hero…" she muttered. And she fell back into a much more gentle sleep.

"Anyway, what happened to you two?" Hiro asked Peter and Wendy.

"I got back through the door perfectly fine," said Wendy. "The potion wore off in no time and I was back to my normal size by the time I reached the ships. I brought Peter around – that took a while –"

"You try wakin' up right after being blown to smithereens," Peter said sulkily.

"Yes, well, we were running up to the mailroom to contact Merlin when we met him and Professor Eda in the entrance hall. They already knew – he just said, "Hiro's gone after her, hasn't he?" and he hurtled off to the third floor."

"Say, do you think Merlin meant for you to go do the challenges, what with him knowing about Lilith giving you your mother's helmet and everything?" said Peter.

"Well if he did," Wendy exploded, "I mean to say that's awfully reckless – you could have been killed!"

"I dunno," said Hiro thoughtfully. "Maybe he was just testing me. I think he knows a lot more about what goes on here than he lets on. Instead of stopping us, maybe he gave just a bit of an edge to help. It can't be a coincidence that he found me discovering the Mirror and learning how it worked. It's almost like he thought I had the right to face Maleficent if I could…"

"Yep, he's insane," said Peter.

"Listen, you've gotta get better for the end-of-year feast tomorrow, Hiro," Wart spoke up. "Felinus may have won the House Cup, but at least the food'll be good."

At that moment, Flora bustled over.

"There now, you've had the better part of an hour to yourselves. Now please let him rest!" she said firmly.

After a good night's sleep, Hiro felt almost back to normal.

"I want to go to the feast," he told Flora as he straightened his many candy boxes. "I can, can't I?"

"Merlin said you were allowed to go," she said primly, as though in her opinion Merlin didn't realize how risky feasts could be.

Hiro turned to Cassandra. "Are you coming, Cass?"

Cassandra had made almost as swift a recovery with some extra help from Baymax. She had changed into a new green tunic with a black cloak and an iron gauntlet covering up her disfigured hand.

"Nah, I don't think I'll be entirely welcome," she said. "I'm heading out."

"What are you gonna do now?"

"I'm going to find my own destiny, one that I choose for myself and no one else. Whatever I'm meant for isn't in these walls or at home, it's out there."

She gazed out the windows at the river winding through the green hills and forests.

"Speaking of destinies…"

She tossed him something; his reflexes kicked in despite the aches and he caught it. It was the crown he picked up from their second Questing match.

"I hope you find yours," she continued. "If there's anything I can do to help along the way, just whistle for Owl. He'll know where to find me."

A burly middle-aged man with a full chin of brown hair was waiting by the door. Cassandra ran over to him and the two warmly embraced. With one last smile, Cassandra departed. The man stayed for a moment, looking at Hiro with tears in his eyes.

"Thank you for saving my daughter," he said softly before he left.

Soon after, Fauna fluttered in.

"Oh, Hiro, you have another visitor," she told him.

"Sweet," said Hiro. "Who is it?"

Ralph sidled through the door as he spoke.

"I'm so sorry, kid! It's all my fault! I told that witch how to get past Aladar! And all for a lousy snowman! I'll never drink another root beer as long as I live! I should be fired and go back to scrounging in the dump!"

"Ralph!" said Hiro, shocked to see his friend shaking with remorse. "Ralph, it's okay. Zhan Tiri would have found out about Aladar somehow anyway, even if you hadn't told Cassandra."

"But you could have died!" he sniffled.

"Come on, Ralph, the stones are gone and no one can ever use them again. Everything's going to be fine. I made it in one piece, and so did Baymax. You want a Wonder Ball? There's plenty left."

"No, I don't really care for chocolate," said Ralph, feeling a little better. "That reminds me, I've made something for you."

"It's not another pie, is it? I've got enough sugar to last me the summer," Hiro said, glancing at his miniature candy mountain. Ralph laughed a little at that.

"Nah. Merlin gave me and Eda the day off yesterday to fix it for you. 'Course, he should have fired me instead, but who am I to argue…here."

It was a handsome leather-bound book. Hiro opened it curiously. It was full of photographs. Smiling and waving at him from every page were his mother and father, laughing and gazing at each other dreamily at their wedding, play fighting with each other on the castle lawns, testing out gadgets in a workshop, making silly faces at the camera with two orange-haired girls, and Tomeo holding a very pregnant Maemi next to a smiling teenage boy in a baseball cap. Every photo had a few lines written next to it detailing the circumstances in which they were taken, who else was in the frame with them, and other personal facts.

"We sent messages to all your parents' friends asking for photos and stories about them…do you like it?"

Hiro couldn't speak, but Ralph understood.

Hiro made his way to the end-of-year feast alone that night. Flora held him up with her fussing about and insistence on giving him one last checkup. The only reason why he wasn't an hour late was thanks to Merryweather putting her foot down and shooing him out the door before Flora could get another word in. To his pleasant surprise, Peter, Wendy and Wart were waiting for him by the great doors.

The hall was already full of students. It was decked out in green and silver banners bearing the Felinus crest to celebrate them winning the House Cup for the seventh year in a row. When Hiro walked in, there was a sudden hush, and then everyone started talking loudly at once. The four friends found a seat at one of the Mus tables. Hiro tried to ignore the dozens of eyes upon him.

Fortunately, Merlin tapped his goblet for attention. The babble died away.

"Another year gone!" he said cheerfully. "And I must trouble you with an old man's ramblings before we tuck into our delicious feast. What a year it has been! Your heads are a little fuller now than they were when you arrived…and hopefully they won't be too empty by the time next term starts. Now, as I understand it, the House Cup needs awarding, and the points stand thus: in fourth place, Mus, with three-hundred and twelve points."

The students broke into polite applause between each house's placements.

"In third place, Canis, with three-hundred and fifty-two points. In second place, Anatis, with four-hundred and twenty-six points. And finally, in first place, with four-hundred and seventy-two points, Felinus."

A storm of cheering and stamping broke out at the Felinus tables. Hiro could see Kay banging his goblet and grinning smugly across the way at him. It was a sickening sight.

"Yes, yes, well done, Felinus, well done…however," said Merlin, "recent events must be taken into account, and I have a few last-minute points to give."

The room went very still. The Felinus' smiles faded a little bit.

"First, to Wendy Darling, for keeping her head and moral compass while in the face of peril, I award Mus fifty points."

The cheers from the Mus tables nearly raised the enchanted ceiling; the stars overhead quivered and shone unexpectedly bright. Wendy gasped and clapped her hands over her mouth. Hiro strongly suspected she was about to burst into tears.

There was silence again.

"Second, to Peter Pan –"

Peter turned as red as his hair.

" – for the greatest game of Maelstrom the Magic Kingdom has ever seen…fifty points."

The Mus students were beside themselves. Peter had no idea how to react to the sudden amount of attention he was receiving. They were now one hundred points up.

"Third, to Hiro Hamada…" said Merlin.

The quiet in the room was deafening.

"…for his ingenuity and pure courage of the heart…I award sixty points."

The din was overwhelming. Shooting stars streaked across the ceiling. Those who could add while yelling themselves hoarse knew that Mus now stood at four hundred and seventy-two points.

"We're tied with Felinus!" Wendy cried happily.

"Yeah, couldn't he have given us sixty-one points?" said Peter. "We're so close!"

Merlin raised his hands for silence. When the noise dimmed down, he continued.

"Finally, it takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies – but a great deal more to stand up to our friends. Therefore, I award ten points to Arthur Pendragon!"

Wart froze, his teacup halfway to his mouth, eyes boggling from his head. He had hardly won any points for Mus during the year, and now almost every student was cheering for him because he earned ten. Kay, Boscha and Sasha couldn't have been more stunned and horrified if they'd just been turned into rabbits.

"Assuming my calculations are correct," Merlin called over the storm of applause, "I believe a change of decoration is in order."

He clapped his hands. A blast of wind rustled the banners, and in an instant, they changed from green and silver to red and gold; the Felinus cat's head vanished, and in its place stood the three circles that made up Mus' mouse head.

Even though it went without saying, Merlin proudly declared to the assembly, "Mus wins the House Cup!"

Anyone standing outside the Great Hall might have thought there was an explosion going on; so loud was the noise that the students made. Even Canis and Anatis were celebrating Felinus' downfall, shaking hands with their fellow Mus students and throwing their caps into the air. Red and gold fireworks boomed all over the ceiling, showering the hall with radiant light.

Hiro, still cheering, nudged Peter in the ribs and pointed at Kay, who was sulking after tossing down his own hat in a fit of anger. He also noticed Lilith grudgingly shaking hands with Eda; the wild witch pointed at her and laughed.

"You've been defeated, don't get heated, get yo stank face treated!"

Lilith looked like she was using every bit of her willpower to not change her sister into a slug.

"No love lost between those two," Peter joked. Hiro wasn't worried. Life was going back to normal, or at least as normal as it would ever be at the happiest place on earth. It was the best night of Hiro's life, better than winning at Questing, or celebrating Christmas, or defeating trolls. He would never, ever forget this night.

Hiro almost forgot that the exam results were still to come, but come they did. Unsurprisingly, he received the highest grade in Magical Modern Inventions, and he and his friends did well in the rest of the courses. Wendy, of course, made top marks in Magical Myths and History, while Peter excelled in Defense Against Evil Magic. The one disappointing grade Hiro received was from music class. Though he scraped through, Professor Owl's scathing observations about his finals song cut deep.

"Tempo too quick…lyrics difficult to follow…inappropriate language…song 'not canon'? What the heck does that mean?!" he ranted to his classmates, most of whom fared significantly better.

Everyone was astounded by Wart topping the class when it came to Transformation, none more so than Wart himself. Not long after, he showed them a note he received from Lilith stating that she had an opening in her schedule next year should he wish to resume lessons with her. Hiro thought back to what Merlin said about Lilith in the infirmary and wondered if he was right. Lilith might never be his favorite teacher, but if she could help him out and change her mind about punishing Wart, then maybe there was some good in her after all. Everyone hoped Kay, who was as thick as he was mean, would have flunked every test, but he passed too. It was a shame, but as Milo said, you couldn't have everything in life.

And suddenly, their wardrobes were empty, their trunks packed, Baymax was trundled up neat and tidy in his charging case; notes were handed out to all the students warning them about using magic improperly over vacation ("I always hope they forget to give us these," said Edric sadly), and Ralph was there to take them down the river.

"Feels strange to be going home, doesn't it?" Wendy wondered aloud as their boat sailed away.

"I'm not going home," Hiro said, his eyes on the castle shrinking in the distance. "Not really."

The next thing they knew, they were boarding Casey Junior; talking and laughing and eating Goofy's Jellybeans and Itzakadoozie pops as the scenery blurred past the windows; and finally, pulling into San Fransokyo's train station.

It took a while for Hiro to gather up all his things and make his way off the train down to the platform. A pit was forming in his stomach. Would Aunt Cass be angry that he hardly spoke to her during the year? Would she be thrilled to see him, would she cry hysterically? Or would she not even show up at all?

No, there she was on the platform, keeping an eye out for him. As Hiro approached Aunt Cass, her tensed look faded into nothing. It was as though all of her emotions had been sucked out. She straightened up and held out a stiff hand to shake, not like her usual convivial self at all. The two stared at each other in drawn-out silence before she lowered her hand and finally spoke.

"Hello, Hiro. You look…well. Did you –"

Hiro flung his arms around Cass. He unexpectedly found a lump forming in his throat.

"Hi Aunt Cass…I…I remembered to change my underwear."

Everything about Aunt Cass seemed to melt. She wrapped her arms around Hiro and laughed even as the tears flowed down her cheeks.

"I missed you too, my special little guy."

Peter looked away uncomfortably while Wart watched curiously and Wendy, Anne and Melissa had to hold back an "awww!" Hiro led Cass up to the windows.

"Aunt Cass, meet my friends. Guys, this is Aunt Cass – you know, the one I couldn't stop saying how awesome she is?"

A moment of silence, and then they burst into a chorus of "Oh sure, sure" and "Lovely to meet you" and "Have you lost weight?"

"Hey, you gotta come visit for the summer – all of you!" Peter said to his pals. "Fagin's always got room for more at his place!"

"Thanks, but…I've got some catching up to do first," said Hiro.

The whistle blew, and the train began to pull out of the station, taking his best friends with him.

"Bye, Hiro!"

"See you soon!"

"Have a good holiday!"

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do!"

Other familiar faces – Sprig, Hunter, Edric, Emira, Candace, Zach, Milo – and many more, waved and shouted goodbye as the train sped away.

"I'm sorry I didn't reach out as much as I promised, Aunt Cass," Hiro said once it was out of sight. "A lot happened this year, and I mean A LOT. I don't know where to start."

Aunt Cass smiled and took his hand.

"Well, how about we go to the café and begin over some anpan and gummy bears?"

"Sounds great! Do you know they don't even have gummy bears at the Magic Kingdom? If I had known that, I would have filled my whole trunk with them before I left! But the Wonder Balls are all right, and…aw man, I've got so much to tell you, Aunt Cass…"

Somewhere, in a deep, dark place hidden beyond all human sight, two figures watched Hiro depart the train station with his aunt.

"So much for your master plan," one scoffed as he ran his fingers through his flaming hair. "You give an intern an inch, and they gun for your position. Why would anyone keep a creep like that around for so long?"

The other gave him a sour look. "I've known of Zhan Tiri's overreaching aspirations long before our downfall; she was never the master of subtlety. The only reason she wasn't dealt with sooner was because her immense power and inspiring thirst for destruction served us well. When I learned that her essence was still floating about, I knew she would be a good test case regarding the possibilities of revival."

"And look where it got you, back to square one," the first said.

A small smile crept up on the corners of his companion's lips.

"I wouldn't say that. True, had she succeeded, she would have rid us of that meddlesome boy and brought about the end of the Magic Kingdom. Her failure, on the other hand, shows that infiltrating the school is much easier than I anticipated, and removes a wild pawn from the board. It's still a victory, regardless of the outcome."

"Hmm…didn't take you to be the optimistic type, but you've got a point there," he said, stroking his long chin thoughtfully. "The question is what do we do about the kid? He's only gonna get stronger and smarter the longer he's alive. I can't exactly axe him myself, union rules and all…buuuuut if I was to arrange for a little accident to happen while he's away from the castle…"

A raised hand silenced him.

"The wards around his home are too great for any direct interference. Even spying on him will be difficult. No, let young Hiro enjoy his precious holiday from school. There are remnants of my legion still lurking about that even you have missed, Hades, and by the time the boy discovers them, it will be too late."

And she laughed a high, cold, cruel cackle that sent a shiver down the God of the Underworld's spine.

Chapter Text

Hi all, I know some of you (one reader in particular) have been wondering where the sequel, Hiro Hamada and the Cave of Wonders, is. So I thought I'd make a little update post regarding it. Quick warning, there will be some discussion of some uncomfortable subjects, including current events, anxiety, and depression.

Rest assured, the story is not canceled. I have up to Chapter Five entirely written as well as Chapter Nine, since I enjoy bouncing around writing out of order and publishing the whole fic chapter by chapter once it's all ready. It probably would have been finished by now, however, if it weren't for things that were mostly beyond my control. Around the time a favorite creator and trusted friend of mine was outed for doing some pretty despicable things (for which I've cut all ties with them), events overseas sent me into a crippling spiral of depression and anxiety. I had virtually no motivation to create anything because I was terrified of the worst happening at any second - and I mean the absolute WORST that I was certain would happen when The Former Guy was president. I talked it out with my therapist and began anti-anxiety meds in the spring. Though I sometimes still have panic attacks when I catch fearmongering posts about the fighting and escalation on social media, I've gotten much better at controlling my fears and living in the moment. Therapy helps, and prescriptions do too, so long as you are responsible with them, have a strong support network of family and friends, and focus on mindfulness in the meantime. (Out of respect, please don't bring up world events in the comments or mention them in PMs. Thank you)

But this isn't the only story I've been working on. I finished writing a new children's book (the third one I've ever done), which my agent is currently shopping around to various publishers. Think creating kids' books are easy? You wish! But they are so rewarding to make and I hope to see them on bookstore and library shelves someday. I've got a good feeling about this one, so we'll see what happens!

I've been reading other fics as well, many well-written ones, which have given me considerable pause over where Cave of Wonders is going. Looking back on Hiro Hamada and the Magic Kingdom, there are some things I wish I could redo. But the best I can do is move forward and fix its flaws in the next story. There are still some ideas and plot threads that I'm ironing out in order for things within the fic and for future installments to make sense, and to avoid many of the problematic elements that are present in the original stories. I'm also constantly worried about the characters sounding and acting in character properly instead of being Ron, Harry etc. with the names crossed out. I'm even second-guessing my decision to make Hiro the hero (ha) since he's such a scientific character in a very heavily fantasy-centered world. Fantasy I can work with, science is difficult. I want to bring that aspect into his adventures more, though I'm not sure how yet.

I ended up taking a break for a bit, but the fanfic bug didn't go away for long. I started developing another fic that I'm having a lot of fun with. I don't want to give away too much since I've only written a few chapters, but here's a hint: it's a tale as old as time, but with a different magical twist (hoot hoot!)

 (Yes, I made that artwork! I'd love to include art in any future stories I post here.)

On top of that, I've been making time for friends, editing videos for contests and collaborations, possibly starting up a podcast, looking into colleges to get my Masters degree, and I just started a new job at the biggest library in my district. So life has been pretty busy overall! Whatever happens, I'm fortunate to be here and grateful to have a set of fans who genuinely enjoy this story and anticipate the next installment. I promise I'll do my best to keep working on it. I welcome any and all beta readers to give it a read so I can make this story the best it can be.

Thank you for your patience and understanding. Hope to see you soon!

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Hi everyone, I wanted to share some promising news for you all. After going back and forth for some time as well as undergoing a number of life changes, I would like to announce that I'm finally committing to finishing Hiro Hamada and the Cave of Wonders this year. My goal is to have it ready sometime this summer. With the introduction of many new characters, plot twists and worldbuilding elements in this entry, the story has grown way more than I anticipated going into it, so I want to ensure it's as neatly edited and complete as possible before I start posting chapters. This time around I'll be posting one chapter a week every Friday - but the first two will be going up on the same day because I love you all and want to thank you for your patience and support after two years of silence on my end. Anxiety and depression may have gotten better of me in the past, but I've gotten the mental help and support I needed from friends, family, and my therapist, and really turned my life around. I got a job at my local children's library, and last year I made the big decision to go back to school to earn my masters degree. Both are a big part of why it's taken this long to finish the story, let alone post any updates, but it's incredibly fulfilling work that's given me hope for the future.

In regards to Cave of Wonders' progress, the first five chapters are complete, barring any last-minute revisions. I'm still ironing out details and dialogue for the rest; frankly it's a matter of just making the time to sit down and type everything. As for the other stories I mentioned I was working on in the previous update, well, it was nice to take a break for a while and plot those out, but they're on the back burner for now. Maybe one day I'll post them, but I'd like to get Cave of Wonders finished first. As a quick reminder, in light of JK becoming a fully radicalized transphobe as well as some unsavory elements in the original books and films being more carefully scrutinized by both HP fans and critics, I plan to address or alter them in Cave of Wonders and all Hiro Hamada installments to make this a more genuinely inclusive, diverse, and LGBTQA+ positive alternative series with that Disney flavor we all love. Having The Owl House characters and elements playing a huge part in it practically guarantees that. ;)

And as one final treat for you loyal readers, I'd like to share a trailer I made to promote Hiro Hamada and the Cave of Wonders! It will remain unlisted until the story is posted here and on FFNet, so you will be among the very first people to see it. Warning: some spoilers ahead!

Thank you all again, and I hope to see you soon!

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Hi y’all, since summer is finally here I thought I’d try something a little different. Inspired by BuckJohnson and JPRyder’s Luz Clawthorne series (of which I am a big fan of), I’m doing a Q&A - with me AND the main cast of Hiro Hamada and the Magic Kingdom!

You can ask me/us any questions you want, just keep the following in mind:

1. Please don’t ask when Cave of Wonders will be ready. I had to find a new beta reader, I’m taking a summer course, and am participating in an extended summer work program so I’ve been busier than I expected. Just know that I’m working on the story in the meantime, ok?
2. No asking for spoilers.
3. Please be direct and specific with your questions; being vague and broad means you likely won’t get the answers you want.
4. Have your questions submitted by this Sunday, 6/16.

Thanks, and see ya real soon!

Chapter Text

Hi everyone, just checking in to give you a long overdue update. I'm sorry I missed the summer deadline I promised, but it's for a very good reason.

You see...I'm illustrating my first published picture book!! Ava's Chalk will be out sometime next year with illustrations by yours truly, and I couldn't be more thrilled. It's a really sweet story and if you love classic colorful children's books, you're gonna love what

As you can imagine, this took precedence over a lot of things, though that's not to say I've abandoned Cave of Wonders. I've got a great new beta helping me tie up loose ends and brainstorm through the last couple of chapters. As of this update, there are four chapters that need to be completed, and two of them are the final chapters. The others are a little closer to the beginning, and I don't feel comfortable posting the story until those are done. As such, my goal is to start posting Cave of Wonders once a week every Friday starting next February at the very latest (because lord knows we could use some nice things and stories of good triumphing over bigotry and evil in the coming year).

In any case, I apologize again for the lengthy silence on my end and thank you all for sticking around. As a little treat, here's a round of Two Truths and a Lie about what will go down in Cave of Wonders. See if you can guess which are the truths and which one is the lie!

A) The Lumity ship sets sail in this book.

B) The Genie won't make an appearance in the book.

C) There will be lots of obscure Aladdin references in this book.