#luxkeeper

     The first time it was brief; a motherly instinct of catching sight of something a boy usually tries to hide. A pain in their eyes that went unnoticed by most, behind a fake smile, and yet she’d seen it loud and clear. And as much as she wanted to, she didn’t want to intrude or bring up memories of everything that had happened for the young boy. She didn’t want to make things worse for him.

     The second time was more upfront than the first. With the trio from Destiny Island’s staying over for a few weeks, the Queen had thought things would be okay. The three needed some time off to kick back and relax at Disney Castle as if it were a vacation spot; and they seemed to be enjoying it. Kairi and Riku were bouncing back better than Minnie could ever hope for, and Sora to an extent was as well… and yet she knew he wasn’t doing as well she the others, or as well as she had hoped. Still, she knew his mother back home must have helped him out in some way… Surely he would be fine. She hoped he would be.

     The third time was during the first week of their stay. In the middle of the night she heard one of the doors open and close, almost quietly, as if trying not to wake anyone. She was quick to hop out of bed and investigate, only to discover Sora wandering the castle, eyes tired and yet haunted at the same time. He didn’t seem to be able to sleep, and Minnie wanted to help, but she didn’t know how to approach him. She sighed and went back to bed herself, hoping that he would find his way back to his bed as well.

    The fourth time was after the first week. Every night Sora would wake up in the middle of the night and not sleep. The Queen would overhear his door open and close and not open again until very early in the morning, just as the sun was rising. And finally Kairi and Riku had approached the Queen, the way children run to their mother when their sibling got hurt or wasn’t doing well; out of concern for their friend, and they had gone to her, entrusting her like a mother. They’d been trying to help him and yet he wouldn’t let them, they said. Sora wasn’t doing okay and it was becoming painfully obvious. Something needed to be done and now Minnie knew she has to step in and help.

    The fifth time was when she finally stepped in and helped, hoping Sora would at least talk to her. If he wouldn’t talk to his two closest friends, she wondered if he would talk to her. She came to his guest room before he could leave to wander around, and with a mother’s sternness, told him she knew what was going on and that everyone could see he wasn’t doing well. She sat on the foot of his bed and waited, hoping he would speak. And she told him that he didn’t have to tell her, she just wanted him to know that she cared and that he could talk to her about anything if he needed to. And somehow her words or the way she spoke got to him; the boy who had been a hero at the risk of much of his own safety and mental health finally broke down after months of holding everything in. He seemed to reach for her, like a child wanting to be held by their mother, and while by birth she wasn’t his mother, and his own mother was very much alive and well back on the islands, well… In her heart she saw Sora and Kairi and Riku as her own. Children she never had and always wanted, and in many ways now had. The Queen just smiled and held Sora close while he cried, letting him know that, while time heals all wounds, help from family and friends makes the process go by a lot easier. “It makes the healing process much easier to handle,” she said softly, gently petting his head and rocking him in her arms. “And we’ll be here to help you every step of the way. Myself included. I’ll always be here for you.”