Chapter Text
Author's Note: Welcome one and all to Book 2 of The Heart of All Worlds! That's right, BOOK 2! Meaning if you're new to my stories and haven't read Book 1 yet, you should probably go do that first! To those of you who HAVE read Book 1, welcome back, thank you for returning, and hope you enjoy this new story!
Quick Disclaimer: Just stating this here and now for the entire story - I do not own Kingdom Hearts or anything from Disney.
THE HEART OF ALL WORLDS: SPLIT ENDS
~*~
Look at the world - so close, and I'm halfway to it!
Look at it all - so big, do I even dare?
Look at me - there at last, I just have to do it.
Should I? No.
Here I go...
~*~
The warm light of dawn streamed through a regal set of floor-to-ceiling windows. The sunshine seemed to dance as it fell upon several books lying on the floor. A few were stacked in piles - some neat, some disorderly - while others lay open, displaying pages where text had been circled or crossed out, and extensive notes had been written in the margins. These books scattered along the giant colorful, quilted rug were just an insignificant fraction of the trove decorating the northern wall of the room.
Volumes of varying sizes and of every hue imaginable filled the shelves that started at the ground and, not wasting an inch, reached all the way up to the high-vaulted ceiling, requiring a rolling ladder to be able reach every book. The sheer amount of tomes would put some public libraries to shame. The subjects available were vast, ranging from quantum physics to art, romantic fiction to horror, how-tos on dancing to fencing to computer programming, and many, many more. Not a speck of dust clung to any of the books and all looked worn and well-used.
These books did not comprise the only collection in the room, though it was by far the largest. On a wall that adjoined the bookshelves in one corner of the room, several more shelves surrounded an 84-inch flat screen TV mounted into the wall. The left half of the shelves were filled with DVDs and box sets, boasting titles such as Avengers, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Breaking Bad, Friends, Sherlock, and Vicious Beauties: The Secret World of the Jellyfish, just to name a few. The right half held an immense accumulation of video games, with the bottom shelves reserved for the game consoles themselves, which included an Atari, PS4, and what seemed to be every other game system that had been invented in between. Resting on the cushions of the sumptuous, green couch sitting before the entertainment center were a Nintendo DS and a PSP, along with several more misplaced books.
Taking up the space next to it was an impressive stereo system with all sorts of blinking lights and digital displays. It was hooked up to a pair of speakers taller than your average sized human, as well as accompanied by yet another huge set of shelves brimming with music CDs from all different genres. An electric guitar that was a misty purple color detailed with gold, elegant swirls laid nearby, plugged into one of the speakers.
Moving on to another corner of the room, there was a goodly sized kitchen with several well-stocked cupboards and state-of-the-art appliances. A tower of cookbooks was stacked up on the counter here, with the top one open to a certain recipe. The delicious scent of something being baked was wafting from the oven. Several dishes and bowls that needed cleaning cluttered the kitchen surfaces, while the dishwasher ran with a soft hum. A gorgeous dining room set made of dark mahogany was placed nearby.
Several other recreational items were littered throughout the rest of the room. Here, there was a painting area, complete with an easel, a canvas with a half-finished art piece on it, brushes, and more paints than one person could ever use in one lifetime. Papers and sketchpads filled with doodles were strewn across the floor. Not too far off from there was a grand desk that housed a top-of-the-line computer with three monitors hooked up to it. In another spot was what appeared to be some sort of crafts section as it was home to a sewing machine, knitting needles, and power tools that seemed to be for woodworking projects. To the left of that, several board games, card games, and puzzles were stockpiled around a broad table, along with more books, these ones with Dungeons & Dragons emblazoned across their covers.
In one corner of the room where the southern wall met the windowed wall was a plush, luxurious canopy bed with deep blue drapes that had silver trimming. Upon the layered sheets and comforters were a multitude of pillows and stuffed animals. Accompanying the bed was matching vanity, wardrobe, and dresser set that were handsomely built and had been hand carved with care.
The room itself was enormous - it would have to be to accommodate all the stuff in it and still somehow manage to look as open and spacious as it did. It had to take up most of the floor of the building it was in and could have comfortably fit a herd of elephants inside it. The walls were thoroughly decorated with posters (one of Doctor Who and another of Merlin, for starters), sports memorabilia (the Corona Chameleons seemed to be a favored team), and art (prominent among them being Starry Night). Where there wasn't something hanging on the walls, they were painted - endless, vibrant murals of plants, animals, people, sunshine, stars, and more. Hanging from the ceilings - which had not escaped the mural work - were hundreds of faery lights for brightening up the space at night.
The room had three doors. One led to an opulent bathroom that was bigger than some apartments. One was the exit and had several security measures in place, with an intercom attached to the wall directly beside it. The last one was a set of glass doors built into the windowed wall and led out onto a balcony.
The balcony was airy and about half the size of the room it was attached to. It had a thriving and lovingly cared for garden that some might consider a small forest. It seemed to consist of everything - trees, vegetables, fruits, herbs, and flowers, some of which looked quite exotic and rare. At the edge of the terrace was a colossal bronze telescope, adorned with fancy gears, knobs, and buttons. The ground surrounding it was buried under star charts and books on astronomy.
A low stone wall bordered the balcony, with a carved bench affixed to it. It was on that bench that the inhabitant of the lavish condominium now sat. The young woman had her legs tucked beneath her, her feet bare. She wore a lavender night gown embroidered with delicate pink and purple curls and loops. Her face was lightly freckled and a spattering of syrup from whatever she had been baking was smudged across her cheek as well as on the tip of her nose.
Her slightly rumpled golden hair was long. Very long. Extremely long. So long that it pooled like flaxen silk on the ground beneath her, then forged a path through the garden, over the threshold and back into the condo where it was practically everywhere, tracing what could have only been her journey through the room earlier that morning.
Her bright, apple green eyes were fraught with concern as she looked down into her hands. Cradled in her gentle palms was a little brown, speckled bird with a white belly. One of its wings was bent at an odd angle, clearly injured. It was emitting weak peeps of distress, most likely due to being in pain, as well as the fear of being handled by a human.
Carefully maneuvering the hurt bird to one palm, she used her free hand to take hold of a handful of her hair. She then slowly and with great care began to lightly wrap the long lock around the bird's small body. The creature's cries grew more frantic, but it did not try to escape. After looping the gilded strands around it a couple times, the girl stopped, cupping both her hands around her charge once again.
Then she began to hum. Her voice was soft and silvery, the tune unrecognizable but absolutely beautiful to hear.
The teenager was about to demonstrate that length was not the only absurd thing about her hair.
With the first note produced from her throat, her hair began to glow. It started at her scalp then flowed down each strand, like billions of tiny streams of pure sunlight. The radiance cascaded through the hair that cocooned the bird and kept going through the rest of her long mane. She continued to hum for a minute more, the glow never wavering. It was not until she sang the last note that her hair began to dim and return to its normal color.
She tentatively removed her hair from the bird and studied it. Its wing, now folded more naturally against its body, appeared to be repaired. The distraught noises that it had been making previously were now replaced with soft, almost confused chirps. It hopped up onto its feet, experimentally stretched its wings, then cocked its head up at the girl.
She giggled, "Go on, little guy. You're all better now!" She lifted her hands up above her head to provide some momentum and the bird took off flying into the clear, blue morning.
She watched it go, contentment in her eyes... but also just a hint of envy. She sighed, turning and resting her head on the ledge of the terrace wall, casting her gaze below. She resided at the top of a rather tall building - almost the tallest building in the city, as a matter of fact. She had no idea how many floors were in the building that her home was perched atop of, but it was enough to make the people on the streets below look like fleas. Indecipherable specks though they were, the girl often loved to people watch from her vantage point. However, they were not the reason she peered below today.
Roads were being blocked off so cars could not drive through. Tents were being pitched and stages were being erected. Decorations were being put up while supplies and equipment were being moved into position and set up. All preparations for the upcoming yearly celebration that would commence in a few short days from now.
The Starlight Festival.
How she longed to go, she had been dreaming of it her whole life. But she had never been allowed to. That was all about to change however. There was no way she could be denied this time. Soon she would be there, she just knew it.
Soon.
Reluctantly dragging her eyes away from the outside world, she rose to her feet and with a determined look in her eyes, she jogged back inside, leaving the glass door open behind her.
For a moment, all was still on the balcony. Then an odd, pale white, spindly creature appeared, floating and coiling through the air, like a scarf caught in the wind. It swiftly and silently slipped through the door behind her, unnoticed.
Author's note: That's right! This book we're going to be diving into a modern spin on Tangled! Sorry no action this first chapter, it was meant to be more of a prologue, a bit of a teaser to give you a peak into the new "world" our heroes are off to next (if the summary and the tags didn't give clue you in already xD). BUT there was that bit of intrigue at the end... just what could that strange little creature be that followed our dear Punzie inside, hmmmm? Maybe you can guess, maybe not... :3 Either way, you'll find out soon enough! AND THE REAL STORY IS GONNA BEGIN NEXT CHAPTER!
Alright, some good news: I have several chapters pre-written, yay! So I'll be updating weekly, double yay! Some bad news: those chapters are gonna run out before I am able to finish writing this book :( I just wanted to warn y'all now so you can revel in the weekly updates while they last.
And I think it's worth reiterating my note in Book 1: please keep in mind that this is an AU, which goes for KH, Frozen, and Tangled, and thus while some things will be the same, other things will be very, very different. You'll know what I'm talking about when it comes up... several chapters from now :P
Special thanks and much love to everyone who have shown support for my quirky little series! Thank you all for reading, hoped you liked it, please leave feedback and let me know what you think! Hope to see you all back for the next chapter in a week :D