AN: To make up for the late update, here is another chapter. Please read and review. Hope you readers enjoy the story.
Disclaimer: I do not own KH or Legend of Zelda, if i did, KH3 would've been released already.
Chapter 6: Malevolent premonitions.
Aqua's eyes shimmered at the sight of the hall. Bedecked in full body armor and feeling slightly a bit out of place, her cape fluttered behind her as she ascended the steps. Perhaps one day she could have a wedding like this but for now those thoughts where whacked to the back of her mind. Entering the large hall, she spied many nobles mingling about; however none of her fellow knights were present. Thinking that she might do something useful instead of just waiting, she scoured the room.
The ballroom was stunningly decorated. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, golden light spilling from them. Underfoot lush velvet carpeting muffled steps. The windows were draped with thick cream colored curtains, the symbol of the triforce glittering on them. Hyrule's imperial colors of white, purple and gold have been used. Waiters delivered excellent service, balancing trays of snacks and refreshments and offering them to visitors. Off to one side, musicians performed a melodious piece, soft and lilting adding serenity to the general mood. In short, it was a fantastic place to be, except for one individual:
Poor Sora.
Wearing a tuxedo and standing like a mannequin, Sora had to content himself with princess Zelda fussing over him. She straightened his already straight tie, brushed his suit off like a hundred times and tried to comb his hair stopping when the comb broke. The princess herself was dressed impeccably as usual, this time a sleeveless ruffled ball gown complimenting her figure. Unfortunately the happier she got, the more miserable her husband to be felt. Finally feeling close to tearing his hair out, Sora gently took her hands off his tie, on the other end, she immediately froze and reddened.
He felt a lump in his throat, her strange behavior and false happiness was all his fault. If the public found out that her judgment was clouding as well, she'd be dethroned. Sora could not let that happen, Zelda was a wise and kind princess, putting her people above everything else. She cared about this kingdom more than Sora or the Master Knights would ever care.
Casting his eyes down, he guided her out to the ball room.
"Let's go princess" he spoke softly "the people are waiting for us"
Looking at all the finely-dressed groups milling around, Link poked one of the blue jewels that was set on his golden armor. Feeling a bit embarrassed because he was never this well dressed his entire life he almost jumped out of his boots when Aqua exclaimed:
"Wow Link, you look very handsome!"
Link couldn't help it, he blushed.
She examined him from different angles, her armor creaking with each step.
"You have short hair; I was always under the impression that your hair was long under the green, uh, cap you wore"
"Do I also get compliments and a free ogling? Asked a voice behind them.
They spun around to face Zack, clad in his Soldier's uniform, the hilt of the buster sword sticking out from behind his back.
"Oh, its you Zack, I haven't seen you in your Soldier uniform for quite some time" she stated.
"What, is that it?" he protested "Aren't you going to say; hey Zack you look really gorgeous, want to dance?"
Link laughed while Aqua threw him a politely deadpan look.
Turning to Link, Zack gave him a once-over and asked:
"Dude, where did you get that? It looks like it belonged to a king or something."
Link began to relate his story of how he panicked when he heard Sora say that the Master Knights were to be dressed in formal armor. Owning only the worn, green, hand-me-down tunic, he went to his mentor for help. Guard Captain Rusl then pulled out the set Link was currently wearing and called it the Magic armor. It seems like the armor belonged to an ancestor of Captain Rusl's.
"And he just gave it to you like that?" Zack prodded.
"Well no, he said I could borrow it for the ceremony"
Further conversation was cut off when there was a commotion and the guests made a wide path to let a group of people through.
There was a lot of hushing, shushing and general whispered gossiping.
"They are here"
"Oh my, the second born looks exactly like his older brother."
"With black hair and golden eyes, isn't he just dreamy?"
"He does not look dreamy, more like evil. The older one looks much more attractive"
"The twins are all grown up, they're absolutely perfect"
"Do you think he'll accept my marriage proposal?"
"No, way, I hope, I want him to be my husband!"
And so it carried on.
Vanitas, clad in a black and red body suit with metal guards framing his face and back of his head, wanted very much to put up his domed helmet, but the sight of Sora standing at the top of the stairs, made him stop doing any unnecessary things. Roxas and Ventus were sporting identical armor pieces, fashioned similar to Aqua's. Shaded mostly in blues and gold, their silvery capes wavered behind them with each stride they took. It was regal company and even though most nobles wanted to join them, they were afraid to approach, doubly so now that the eldest son is getting engaged to the princess.
Also it did not help the confidence of the surrounding company when Vanitas glared at them each time they tried to shuffle forward.
Vanitas was angry, no, not angry, livid. He'd just about had it with girls giggling and batting their eyelashes at him. And there were the twins to worry about. Whilst making the grand entry, he spied an older woman winking at Ventus who thankfully was too dumb to notice. Maybe he should introduce Void-gear to that hag's face. Grabbing the younger twin's cape when he started to venture too far Vanitas hissed at him:
"Ventus, if a crazy woman kidnaps and forcibly marries you, I'll tell Sora it's your fault"
Said boy ignored his warning and nodded to a group walking towards them.
The big brother, still clutching Ventus narrowed his eyes and prepared to stare them to death, only to falter when he realized it was his fellow Master Knights approaching with Aqua in the lead.
"Still as popular with the ladies huh?" Zack spoke first.
"Shut it commoner."
Upon seeing Link, Vanitas smirked while the younger ones gazed at him in awe.
"Did you sell your-" he began but was interrupted by Aqua before he could spout anything rude.
"How are you guys? And I must say Roxas, Ventus you two look awesome" she complimented and added as an afterthought "Vanitas, as well"
Link smiled politely and greeted "Hello"
Out of nowhere Sora appeared and the duo immediately rushed to him and hugged his waist, armor clonking together.
The rest of the Knights' save for Vanitas bowed down to him.
Running his fingers through their hair, his younger brothers looked up and beamed at him. Their smiles simultaneously shrunk and disappeared when they saw his face.
Sora was crying, tears spilling silently down a face set in stone.
Standing safely away from the crowd on the Second floor, Sora clutched the banister and viewed the surroundings with red-rimmed eyes. He made a mental note of the attendance of the Knights'; fortunately all of them had kept their word and attended the ball. Some dressed lavishly (who knew Link had golden armor stored in his closet) and others simply, like his most trusted colleague Impa. Hearing someone behind him, he prayed to every deity he could think of that the person coming to him would not be a giggling, blushing Zelda.
"It is quite rude, prince Sora to ignore a guest" said a gruff voice.
Spinning around Sora saw the prince of the Gerudo kingdom, Ganondorf, giving him a dry smile.
"I'm sorry, I don't mean to ignore, I was lost in my thoughts"
The Gerudo's eyes twinkled with malice: "Is the responsibility of running a kingdom too much for you? To think that the leader of the famed Knights' was this spineless is quite…disappointing"
Sora was too tired to argue back.
"Well if you do become king, I assure you, you will make a fine one. You have all the qualities required to be a great leader, nobility, kindness and love for your people. But you have one short coming"
"Tell me more" Sora was a bit hypnotized by Ganondorf's little speech and it provided a nice distraction from the depressing thoughts swirling in his head.
"Power" The holder of the triforce replied arrogantly "You, Sora lack power, which is why you are in this position"
"Power" Sora repeated.
"Yes, to have ultimate control you need to rule through fear, everyone will bow down to you, they will obey you unquestionably"
"That is a dubious way to run a kingdom" Sora snapped out of his daze, "Zelda rules with wisdom and care, she has not let Hyrule disintegrate"
Sneaking a glance at the princess who was spying Sora from behind a pillar, Ganondorf continued:
"I suppose her infinite wisdom is muddling her mind? She seems to be behaving a bit abnormally. Fortunately it is none of my business, I hope you lead Hyrule to prosper prince Sora, please do not let it end up like my once glorious desert kingdom. It now lies in ruins and is the fascination of many archeologists."
Giving Sora a stiff bow, he turned his heel and marched off.
Ignoring the hiding princess, he went back to clinging the banister and cleared his throat in preparation of a speech. For the last few weeks, one of Zelda's appointed teachers drilled this particular lecture in his mind. Through the lessons of etiquette, dancing and the general running of the kingdom, Sora had steam coming out of his ears. Also the worst part was that he could not go out anywhere, he was confined to the castle. Therefore he only saw his siblings at the Knights' table.
It drove him insane. How did the princess endure this?
Calming himself, he nearly screamed when he felt two dainty hands gripping his arm. The princesses' concerned face swam into view.
"Are you okay? You look disturbed" she spoke.
"I'm fine princess, pay me no attention"
She looked away "I would prefer it if you called me Zelda"
Zelda, somehow it felt strange to address her only by her name but he decided to give it a shot.
"I'm fine…Zelda"
Mercifully she let go of his arm.
The mellow atmosphere was making Link giddy. Zack was cracking jokes and making their little company laugh. Vanitas and the twins left a while ago and they were joined by Ashei, Auru and his wife. Excusing himself, he stepped outside and breathed in fresh air. Link was so engrossed with gazing at the night sky; he didn't notice Vanitas standing next to him.
"Are you enjoying yourself?" He asked in the friendliest tone he could muster.
Which was not much since it still sounded close to a growl.
"Yes sir" came Link's reply
"You hate crowds?"
"No, I was just overwhelmed a bit; I have never been to any function like this before"
Vanitas snorted at this "Get used to it, there is more coming your way."
The sound of a bell resonated from the direction of the hall. Vanitas motioned Link to go inside.
"My princely brother needs to make a speech" he listlessly said.
Inhaling deeply Sora addressed the people below him:
"Greetings everyone, firstly I would like to thank each and every one for attending this occasion. The princess and I hope to get married in a private ceremony sometime next week and this engagement ball was the preliminary celebration. Secondly, it is my great honor to be engaged to the princess and becoming the prince of Hyrule. I promise to try and uphold all the duties I am given and to lead Hyrule to greater heights. Even though I have become a prince, I'll still be leading the Master Knights' so rest assured that the country's defense is in good hands"
Underneath, some visitors started clapping and wiping tears, Sora was both good-looking and a great orator.
"Lastly I aspire to lead like princess Zelda, it is under her rule that we enjoyed many years of prosperity and I aim to keep it that way, so all hail princess Zelda!"
"ALL HAIL PRINCESS ZELDA" the gathering chorused.
His speech done Sora gave a satisfied sigh, it was not verbatim to the script, but it'll do.
"Sora there is something wrong" The princess' grave tone cut into his musings.
He rotated towards her.
She blinked at him as if seeing him clearly for the first time.
"Why are you wearing a suit?" Sweeping her gaze around the area she further questioned "And where am I? What is this place?"
Sora frowned.
'Is the curse-'
Focusing her attention back to him she continued:
"Well, I will deal with the distractions later, but listen Sora, Ganondorf, the chief of the now derelict desert kingdom is the holder of the triforce of power. I'm sure of it, we must stop him or else he will plunge Hyrule into an era of darkness. One other thing, He is risen again and he plans on using you."
By now Sora was understandably confused.
"Zelda slowdown, who is-"
Unfortunately, she had fainted in his arms.
"So how is my pet?" An aged voice rasped from the shadows
An orange haired man replied:
"Fear not, he is breaking, his mind cracking, he will go mad before long."
AN: My sister always assumed that Link's hair was long, so once she glimpsed TP Link without his windsocky hat she was like: "Oh my god! If he doesn't have long hair why does he wear such a long hat?" When i tried to explain to her about the hero reincarnation thing, she fell asleep.
Yeah, she's adorable like that.