This tale is based on "The Princess and the Goblin." Particularly the film, but I have read the books as well.

I tangled with this old story of mine for a while, sort of embarrassed by it, and ended up taking it down a few years ago. Well, now I am uploading it, but with changes so as not to follow the story 100% (as I usually try to avoid doing) and to not bore people who remember the movie/books/my crapfic. XD

The film is an old guilty pleasure of mine that makes me cringe but also laugh and smile. It's definitely worth checking out if a) you look back fondly on the 90's, b) you're a fan of animation or fantasy, and/or c) you like ham. There is so much ham...

Prologue

"What bird is that, Papa?"

King Cloud smiled and reached down to ruffle soft, spiky blonde hair. It was so very like his own, but shorter and windswept to one side. He was hard-pressed to imagine a crown sitting comfortably upon that hair one day.

"That is a song thrush, Roxas."

"And that one?" the little boy asked, grabbing his hand and pointing it to a branch high above them on a nearby tree. He rode in front, double with his father, because there was no pony in the kingdom small enough to carry him.

"A robin. Very common in these woods, and a cousin of the thrush, I believe."

There was much more to tell about each species, but the king kept things short. The boy had only so much attention to give, eagerly curious as he was, and there was so much around them to see. Roxas was a very excitable, inquisitive child. He was almost wild at times; willful, but kind-hearted, much like his mother.

"Do you see that one, Roxas?" A brown-haired man, muscled and tall like Cloud, rode up beside them, his grey mount taking a playful snap at their chestnut. The man reined his stallion in a bit before pointing at a tree far ahead.

The prince squinted, then cupped his hands to resemble a spyglass. "Which one, Leon?"

Squall Leonhart chuckled, reaching over and lowering tiny hands. He pointed, instructing the boy to follow his finger.

"The little brown one there. It's the bird with the red head."

Roxas looked for a minute, smiling as the procession moved closer. "I see it!"

"Do you?"

"Yes! It's so pretty!...What is it?"

Leon and Cloud exchanged a brief smile. Despite themselves, they found the boy's wonder infectious to their humor.

"That is a rosefinch. As with many other birds and animals, the male birds tend to be very vibrant and colorful."

"Boys are much prettier," Roxas said, so matter-of-factly that the two men beside him snorted, trying to contain their laughter. "Papa?"

"That's very true in nature," Cloud said, after regaining his composure. "For humans, women are the more aesthetically pleasing."

"Asteticully?"

"It means that girls are more beautiful," Leon added helpfully.

Roxas wrinkled his nose a little.

"Yuck! Girls are gross!"

His father blinked a little at that. It was only natural that he did not yet understand the appeal of breasts. For many years, girls would be completely foreign to him.

And yet…

'Could it be that he already fancies boys?' he thought to himself, looking to his old friend again. As if reading his mind, Leon shrugged and smiled helplessly.

He was aware of such attractions, though they were seldom allowed for royalty. It was too soon to tell for sure, but the more he considered it, the more he realized that it wouldn't matter for many years. It may pass by then, anyway.

Roxas never elaborated, so Cloud let it go at that.

After a bit of pleasant chatting, the company reached a small meadow. The grass sloped down a bit, leaving the king to guess that the whole thing sat on a hill. It was full of butterflies and wildflowers, the latter of which all shimmered with leftover dew in the brilliant morning sunshine.

'Aerith would have loved this…'

The thought was like an iron kick to his gut, and he blinked rapidly before the tears could come. This trip was not about grieving. He had spent enough time sitting in the dark doing just that.

Roxas didn't understand death. He didn't understand why his mother had left him, or indeed, to what extent, and Cloud desperately wanted to erase all fears of his father abandoning him as well. He loved his queen dearly and missed her terribly, and in his all-consuming sorrow and loss, he had nearly forgotten that a part of her was left behind. Roxas was a precious gift from her; one of the greatest joys in both of their lives, and he needed his father in his life, now more than ever.

Aerith would never be truly gone, so long as he and Roxas cherished each other. Cloud said that, but at times he would neglect to believe it.

Hopefully, she was happy in Heaven, playing with Roxas's older brother Ventus. They were born prematurely, both very weak and sickly, but Ventus died shortly after the twins were born, much to the young couple's dismay. It nearly broke their hearts; life stripped from one so young and full of potential, and poor Roxas, robbed of a brother and playmate.

Cloud could never have known that his wife would go to join the babe only a few years later.

Sadness and misfortune seemed to stalk Roxas like a shadow, but he did not understand any of it yet. And Cloud refused to fault him for it. Children needed hope and happiness. As adults, they would need to remember, even in their darkest moments, that there was real good in the world.

But for a time, Roxas has been left alone. His father, in his weakness, had shut him out, and he needed to remedy that now.

Some shifting in his seat drew him from his thoughts then. The king looked down with a weary smile, finding his son bouncing and fidgeting a bit impatiently. He wasn't terribly surprised. They had been riding for some time, nearly half an hour.

"We will rest here a while," Cloud said to Leon, who called back to his men. He was the captain of the guard in this kingdom, and one of the most loyal, caring friends the king had ever had. They had grown up very close together, despite the gap in status, and Cloud did not think he would have maintained his sanity this long without him.

"Is it time for lunch?" Roxas asked, biting his lip a bit and watching the soldiers dismount.

"Yes, it is. Would you like to explore a bit before we eat?"

"Oh yes! Yes, Papa, I would!" He nodded eagerly, wincing a little when his father raised an eyebrow at him. "I mean….yes, please."

Cloud's smile brightened considerably. "As you wish."

Leon held both of their horses' reins as the king climbed down from the saddle. Cloud lifted Roxas with ease and swayed and spun him a bit in mid air, making the child shriek and giggle.

Leon coughed, drawing the young boy's attention to him.

"Now, remember not to wander too far," he said sternly. "Don't speak to strangers, and don't eat anything, even if it looks tasty. Be wary of any animals you may see; looks can be deceiving. Do you understand, Roxas?"

The boy's head bobbed excitedly. "I do! I'll be careful, I promise!"

The brunet crossed his arms. "Good. Come back in ten minutes, or I'll find you and drag you back myself." He coupled his last words with a sharp grin.

Roxas paled, nodding again quickly before toddling off into the field. He wasn't as fast as he would have liked, and the tallest grass came up to his shoulders, but he looked determined to make the most of his time. He had never seen the land surrounding the castle this closely before...

Leon laughed, turning to the soldier nearest him.

"Vaan, keep after him at a distance, will you?"

"Yes, Sir." The man grumbled a little under his breath, but moved to follow the young prince just as he disappeared into the trees. The king made a mental note to speak to him later, however. A soldier with poor discipline was a weak brick on the castle wall; bound to crumble, and possibly take others down with it.

"Don't fret. It's natural for a boy his age to want to wander. He'll be fine," Leon said simply. He grinned then. "Vaan's got him. We'll give him some space, but not as much as he thinks."

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Roxas spied a butterfly with big red and black wings. He tried to catch it, but it fluttered off the flower it had been sitting on, hovering just out of reach.

"Wait!" He gave chase as it flew deeper into the forest. "Come back!"

If only his arms and legs were longer. He could jump up and catch the little thing in his hands, then bring it back to show his father and Leon.

His father had been very sad lately, sitting in his rooms with the doors closed most of the time. It had something to do with his mother leaving, but Roxas thought he didn't need to be too upset. His mother was never gone long, after all.

He was happy that his father had started playing with him again. And today was his first outing in ages.

'Maybe Papa will cheer up if I catch it!' he thought. After all, his father seemed to like looking at all the colorful birds with him. It was the least the boy could do to thank him.

He followed the butterfly for a while, taking in all the thick trees and bushes as an afterthought. Sometimes he had to climb over roots or under bushes, and he had to be quick about it, or he'd lose the thing for good. Luckily, it never flew that far from the ground.

Every now and then, he would get stuck or accidentally scratch himself on something, but it was never that bad and he was on a mission.

What he couldn't have known about was the guard following him on Leon's orders. Or that he'd lost the man a while back as he raced carelessly through the forest.

Finally, the butterfly stopped, landing on a big yellow flower.

As he crept closer, Roxas saw that he was standing on a cliff, and the flower was growing right near the edge. When the bug made no move to fly away, but only slowly beat its wings, Roxas dared to look over the edge.

He didn't know much about forests or mountains; just that his home was right in the middle of them. Forests had lots of trees and animals, and mountains had rocks and high places all over. The cliff he was on had a really steep hill below, with a bunch of trees along the way. He couldn't see the bottom because of them.

But further down the hill stood three deer. They were skinny, red with white speckles on their backs. They looked up at him, as if startled, but didn't move to run away.

"Wow…" He'd never seen live deer before. He'd eaten some dead ones, however, when his father's hunters brought home the meat. They were delicious and, if he remembered correctly, not dangerous.

The butterfly long-forgotten, the little boy stepped closer to the edge, seeing the animals tense a little, but remain in the same place. Curious ears flicked occasionally; nostrils twitched and flared. Not a single one of them had antlers of any kind.

"Hello!" the boy chirped, waving excitedly. "I'm Roxas! Will you play with me?"

Suddenly, there was a hard hand on his back, and the butterfly took off like a shot into the air.

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The young soldier from before rushed into the clearing, stopping before the rest of his comrades and leaning on his knees, panting and choking.

"Vaan? What are you doing back so soon?"

Cloud looked up from his reading, confused. Why was he alone?

Vaan held up a hand, and the other soldiers jumped to their feet immediately, barraging him with questions.

"What's the matter with you?"

"Where's the prince?"

"Boy is…whew…faster than he looks," the young man replied, gasping slightly even as he straightened. "I couldn't…keep up with…him…"

"Did you call him?" A young, dark-haired soldier asked, offering him a water skin. Vaan accepted it gratefully.

"Yes, but I doubt he heard me…"

Before Leon could utter a word, Cloud was on his feet, storming into the group of soldiers.

"Where is my son?"

The soldier winced. "I don't-"

The king grabbed seized him quickly and began to shake him, making him drop his drink and spill the leftover contents on the soil. "Where is my son?" he snapped again.

A distant, wailing cry answered him, ringing through the trees.

"PAPA!"

Cloud's head snapped up. He looked around, but the sound died before he could gauge where it came from.

"Roxas!"

"PAPA! H-HELP!" He sounded like he was crying heavily, even from so far away. His voice sounded strained a bit as well, as if the volume was painful to achieve.

"WHERE ARE YOU?"

"I F-FELL! I-I F-FELL D-DOWN! I-I'M SCARED!"

"ROXAS!" Leon shouted this time, drawing his sword. "WHERE ARE YOU? WE'LL COME GET YOU, BUT WE NEED YOUR HELP! KEEP CALLING!"

This time, there was no reply.

"ROXAS? ROXAS, YOU HAVE TO ANSWER US! WHERE ARE YOU?" Leon looked calm and cool as ice, but the growing sweat on his brow and the back of his neck easily gave his distress.

Cloud gripped his hair frantically. None of the soldiers had moved, but they were all listening, straining to hear even the faintest sound.

Then a high-pitched scream shattered his world; loud like thunder, but fading away quickly into a troubling silence.

Cloud began to tremble violently, his stomach knotting wildly in fear.

"ROXAS!"

"Split into groups!" Leon's voice cut through the tense air like a knife. "Four of you, go with His Majesty! You four, with me! The rest of you spread out and search the woods! Be prepared for anything!"

"Sir!"

The soldiers scrambled to their horses, mounting and readying their swords. Leon dragged his still-stunned king back to his chestnut mare by his elbow, urging him to mount quickly.

"We'll find him," he said firmly, slapping the kind's shoulder hard. "We will, but we must go, Cloud. Now."

The blonde blinked at him for a second, then nodded, swung up in the saddle, and squeezed his heels tightly. The mare took off at a gallop; swifted and sure-footed, even as the ground became rocky and narrow ahead.

Four soldiers rode after him, calling Roxas's name with him. All the while, the king prayed desperately.

'Aerith, I'm so sorry…Please, please watch over him. Keep him safe from harm…'

He promised that if only Roxas was returned to him, he would keep the boy safe from then on. He would never let him vanish ever again.