Was there any point in your life that you had this feeling of a great weight hanging above you? Feeling with dreaded anticipation as you wait for it to drop on you? To feeling all that emotion all bottled up but it seems to grow so much each passing second that the anvil of storms looks ready to snap from the thread that's the only thing from sending the crushing force down on you?

It certainly felt that way for a certain young mouse.

Mickey Mouse, the young prince of the Toon Kingdom, was by far scared stiff. Things had been going so fast in front of him that his mind could barely process what was happening right before him.

Maybe it was weariness from his works and studies that he couldn't focus? Maybe his mind was playing tricks on him? Or maybe it was the thousands of thousands of eyes all staring at him from his place up on the balcony overlooking them all that he suddenly gain a sense of stage fright that he wished that his hat's wide floppy brim was bigger so he could hide beneath it and that his clothes didn't suddenly feel so tight?

Or maybe it was the words of the high priest that was the cause of all this?

It must have been, because as soon as his mind started to finally register what was going on, the priest was finishing the last of his speech. "And it is with great honor that in just a few months' time, the Prince shall finally ascend the throne and become the new King of the Toon Kingdom!"

Applause roared far down below, yet they were deaf to the ears of the young prince. Mixed feelings of shock, surprise, but most of all terror were swelling inside of him.

King.

He was going to be king.

He knew the day would come but he never expected it to be coming so quickly. Or so soon.

His head filled with worry, questions swirling around that made his head spin and his legs weak. King. Sure a great honor but, such a great burden. Was he ready for such big role? For such heavy responsibility? Would he be a good king for his kingdom? He didn't feel ready for such a big job. Why did it have to be so soon?

A soft squeeze on his shoulder snapped him to attention, bringing him out of his storm of thoughts.

"Your highness? Are you alright?"

The voice was soft, soothing with concern laced within the words they spoke. His heart was soon in a steady rhythm as he looked over to the owner of the voice, trying his best to smile. "I'm fine Minnie." He placed a hand over the hand on his shoulder. "Just… in a bit of a shock, if I'm honest."

Minnie, second head maid of the royal staff, smiled softly, giving his shoulder a gentle squeeze. "I hope it wasn't too big of a shock to you. After all it was going to happen sooner or later."

Mickey held back a dejected groan, sighing deeply while he readjusted his hat. "Why couldn't it been later?"

Patting him sympathetically on the back, Minnie guided the young prince back to his chambers.

"In my perspective, Mickey. I think you'll make a great leader."

"But this is such a big step Minnie! Am I even ready for such a big responsibility? Is the kingdom even willing to follow my command? Will I even be a good leader?"

"Mickey." Minnie stepped in front of Mickey, placing both of her hands on his shoulders, smiling gently. "It's alright to worry, but you shouldn't worry about that right now. You still have plenty of time left before you become king."

Mickey bit his lower lip, rubbing his arm anxiously. "But so many thing are going to change. A-and it feels like there's so little time."

"Mickey, you don't have to feel afraid." Minnie lifted Mickey's head up so that his eyes were looking straight at her, making sure that the old soft hat stayed in place on top of the prince's head. "Just take things one at a time, okay? You won't be king right now since you're still not of age yet. There's still time before you become king, so maybe you can take the time to be ready."

She does have a point there, Mickey thought. It was true. It was months away till he would be crowned king, as the law stated that any royal heir must only be at the age of 21 till they can be crowned the new ruler of the kingdom. And his birthday was still months away.

"… Maybe you're right Minnie." A smile eased onto his face, his confidence slowly growing. "Maybe I should take this at a pace I'm comfortable with. I still have some time before I'm king, right?"

"Exactly." Minnie smiled, taking hold of Mickey's hand. "And if you ever feel that things are get just a bit too much, just know that your friends are here for you if you ever need them."

Mickey chuckled. "You bet."

Deep below the waves of the ocean, far away from any sight of land, in the darkest parts of the sea where not even the farthest reaches of the sun's rays could stretch. This was known as the Dark Chasm by the ocean's people. A place that few would venture into it, and even very less would come back. Not many brave souls would dare to enter such a place filled with unknown dangers and hidden creatures that could be dwelling in there.

Save for maybe some other creature who was used to the darkness and known.

A beaked sea snake glided through the waves, cutting through the water like a knife cutting paper in two. To anyone who would look at the snake would look like any other snake to them, but to the trained eye of magic, it was anything but a simple sea snake.

It traveled deep into the dark area, guided by the path its master had laid out for it.

The destination for its journey was even more unwelcoming than the Dark Chasm itself. On a pillar of a large boundary of rock, deep and far into the forbidden area, a mangled, half rotting corpse of what was once a powerful and deadly beast, laid forgotten to time on the sea's deep sea bed. Though no longer living, the beast's rotting remains were put into use as a home.

And only one being would dare live here at their own risks, as they too were one of the many things to fear in such a place.

Ursula, the sea witch of the deep, was hovering over her caldron, watching as the young prince continued on with his day without knowing the dark eyes following his every move. "So, the young prince is finally going to be king. How charming." She said with a slight sneer in her voice. "And so unsure to his destiny. Ha! Now this is going to be such an interesting game."

With a malevolent grin, she went over to the far side of the room, going to the cabinet that held various jars and items used for her spells. "Now then, what type of disguise will I need?"

(Maybe one with more curve than size?)

"… Well, I didn't expect you of all people to be visiting my home."

(On the contrary, it's more of a business run than a simple visit.)

Ursula cast a glance over her shoulder, seemingly unimpressed to see a snake curled up on the shelf. "Isn't it a bit rude to be spying on someone?"

(Says the one clearly spying on the young prince.) The snake gestured with the end of its tail to the caldron.

"Touché." Ursula huffed, returning to searching the cabinet. "And what brings the oh-so-powerful Jafar to send a little snake into my domain? Surely he's capable to his own master plans. Unless of course, his master plan has something to do with me included?"

(Perhaps. I'm certain that you're aware of the little mouse's upcoming promotion?)

"Why wouldn't I be?" She took out a jar, swirling its contents as she inspected it. "Everyone knows that on the twenty first birthday of the next heir in line for the throne shall immediately be crowned king or queen if there is no current ruler in charge." Placing the jar down, she cast the snake a dark frown. "Something that I'm not too fond of."

(Because of the law that forbids any villain from setting foot in the kingdom, preventing them from snatching away the crown? Or maybe it's because you're jealous of the little mouse's life style?)

Ursula huffed, grabbing the last of what she needed and went back over to her caldron. "There's nothing wrong with the way I live. I'm quite happy where I am right now." She looked to the ceiling, tapping the side of her head. "Though I will admit I wouldn't mind having a few dozens of servants at my beck and call. It gets tiring how long it takes getting all that I need for my spells."

(So you say.)

"Enough with this idle chatting already. I know you're not one who just stands by and talks big." She turned to the snake, locking it with a deep glare. "What's the reason for bothering me, Jafar? Surely you must have something brewing if you've come to bother me with it."

(…) The snake swam off the shelf, gliding over past the sea witch and stopped into a hover over the caldron. (Do you know why the royal family is so special?)

The question threw Ursula off a bit, but she was quick to regain her composure. "Because they're the descendants of the first ruler who was the first to create the Toon Kingdom. Yes, yes, we all know that little fairytale."

(Or maybe we don't.)

Again she was thrown off, getting more confused and frustrated by the minute. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

(More than what the whole story lets on.)

"Which is?"

The snake hovered in eye level with the sea witch, locking them both in eye contact that neither one wanted to break away or blink. (Has it ever occurred to you that there may be something… more to the royal bloodline? Something that, perhaps, we may have overlooked? Or maybe.) The snake glanced down at the caldron, eyes fixed on the young prince. (Something hidden just in plain sight.)

Her interest was piqued, looking at the one way mirror magic her caldron showed. A secret? Hidden by the royal family? Now that did sound interesting enough to gain a bit of her attention. What secret can be so important that the royal family had to hide it from the rest of the world?

"… What type of hidden?"