O HAI THAR. This is late. I am sorry. Honestly, it was just that I completely forgot that it was my update week. I started actually writing the chapter Friday and wasn't able to finish it until today because I was busy with real life. Also, did you know that e3 happened? because I didn't remember until like Wednesday. But more of that at the bottom.
Hmm, my opinion on this chapter at the bottom too. I have a lot to say. D: What I can say about this chpater here, however... is that involves copious amounts of Vaati being a creepy douchebag. I also apologize for crappy short action sequences. I HAVE NO DESCRIPTIVE SKILL FOR IT. SAD FACE.
Erm, anyways... Thanks for putting up with my emo last chapter. I still think it was shitty, though. Anyways, I'm in a significantly better mood today. I shall speak to my beloved reviewers now. The rest of you who don't review, SHAME. SHAME ON YOU. I like talking to you guys, you know.
Drozan, haha, well if you just went through all the chapters, I don't mind so much. ... That last chapters was still the most horrible thing I've written in a long time, though. -w-
Beforethedawnbreaks, no last chapter was terrible. I don't care what you say. But thank you for thinking it was well written~
Midna Hytwilian, I'm a terrible influence like that apparently. But remember... VaatiZelda is ALWAYS the way to go.
SubZeroChimera, even more shit happens in this chapter. D: And yeah, Dark's more fun to write this time around. XD
Zelda did not have pleasant dreams. In fact, many of her dreams had just been re-livings of memories she would much rather have forgotten. The murder of her father at the hands of Ganondorf; the Gerudo invasion; her capture by Ganondorf… In the end, she ended up waking feeling just as tired as before… and just as conflicted.
She had also woken up in the dark. She may not have slept well, but she did sleep for a long time apparently. Judging from the darkness outside her window and the eerie quiet, she could only guess it had to be very late in the night. No doubt everyone was asleep… except for herself. And she didn't see herself going back to sleep any time soon.
The princess merely sat up in her bed, staring at the covers. She let her mind go blank… and she rather liked it. When it was blank, the troubles of Hyrule weren't upon her shoulders. But it could only stay blank for so long, and soon enough everything swarmed within her mind again. An impending war, a mage of legend, Link and Brodrick - all of it buzzing in her head like an angry beehive.
She rose from her bed and summoned a witchlight. She didn't want to be in her room.
Actually, she didn't know where she wanted to be. Perhaps she just wished to be up and at it… at what, she had no idea, but doing something. And apparently, that something was wandering through an unfinished and dark castle all by herself. Eventually, she found herself in a large, empty room. The emptiness was easily explained by the gaping hole in the ceiling, due to an unfinished roof. She dismissed the witchlight, staring up at the hole in the ceiling in an almost awestruck way. The moon and the stars were shining so brightly, enough to light the large room so she needn't worry about where her steps may land.
As she continued to look at the rather uninteresting room, Zelda could only conclude that when it was finished it would be a ballroom. With a room that large, that was the only thing it could be. A ballroom…
She sighed, her hand resting on a pale, stone pillar. The princess's memory had returned to happier days… merely a child during one of her father's grand parties. She could still remember it as crisply as if it had been yesterday. Everyone in their fanciest clothes, laughing and dancing to the music of the finest minstrels the king could afford. Caught up in her own nostalgia, she remembered herself as a little girl twirling through the crowds with joy. As if attempting to relive it, she ended up twirling through the unfinished ballroom, trying to go back to the days before Ganondorf had taken over; before her father had died; before she was in charge of a country and trying to avoid a war. And for a moment, as she remembered the music and the happiness, she did forget.
But only for a moment.
The sound of the phonograph, the gift given to her by Chopin and his fellows, filled the empty room. She stopped her twirling immediately upon hearing it, her eyes opening wide and looking around. It was on the floor, it's handle spinning with the record on top of it, singing a lovely 3-beat tune. She was absolutely sure it had still been in her study… yet there it was. How did it get there…?
"Care to dance, Princess?"
The voice sent chills down her spine. She didn't need to turn to know who it was. Zelda had heard of him by reputation… and was actually acquainted with an act of his. She turned to face the wind mage, stoic and business like. "Do I have a choice?"
Vaati merely stood there, smiling confidently with a hand politely offered to her. He seemed to be the picture of a perfect gentleman – poised and handsome, looking perfectly harmless. But cuccos looked harmless too. "Not really." He answered.
"I thought as much…" she found herself clutching her right hand protectively.
He chuckled a bit, as if he was dealing with a child. "Just a dance. I vow on my magic, I shan't take your Triforce during it."
Zelda pursed her lips. That was… that was a serious swear he'd made… no magic user in their right mind would dream of breaking a swear like that… She hated the very idea of even touching him… but at the moment, this seemed the best way to handle the situation. He seemed to mean no harm just yet… and she might be able to get some information from him. She hesitated, wondering if she was absolutely sure this was the best way to go about this, before reluctantly allowing her hand to slide into his. She needed to keep him from taking her Triforce for as long as possible… and currently, this was the only way she could think of that didn't involve herself or others being turned to stone… or any other horrible fate.
In no hurry whatsoever, he moved her free hand so it was around his upper back, then placed his own free hand on her waist. Zelda was sure she didn't like that; she was even more she didn't like it when he lead and she could do nothing but stumble along with him. His smile simply turned playful, "You've never done a waltz before, have you?"
"My father's kingdom fell before I had a chance to learn." She said moodily.
"Isn't that a shame," the mage commented, ignoring her glare completely. "Anyways, a waltz is simple enough. It's walking three steps at a time to the beat of the song. So follow my lead."
She thought of stepping on his foot just to spite him and say it was an accident… but she had a feeling it wouldn't work. She simply grumbled, looking down and watching his steps while she hastily followed.
"That's it; one-two-three, one-two-three. Simple, eh?"
Zelda glared up at him as soon as she was confident she wouldn't stumble into him. That was the last thing she wanted. "How did you get in here?" She snapped.
He unexpectedly twirled her, but she made a quick recovery, getting back into step with him without much issue. "You truly are a natural, Princess." He complimented her as if he hadn't heard her question at all.
"Answer the question!" She demanded.
Vaati had a smile on his face that was irritatingly reminiscent of the Ilantian demigod who loved to taunt her, "You don't have any new statues on your lawn. It's easy enough to sneak past fool guards when the wind is on your side."
She furrowed her brow, letting her next question come out in nearly a snarl, "What do you want?"
"I want a lot of things, Princess. But I thought you would know by now what I'm after."
Zelda gritted her teeth, wishing she could just stop this pointless dancing with this… this creature! "Do you have any idea what you would be doing?"
"Oh yes," Vaati said, "Endless wishes, they can be extremely useful… and dangerous. It's caused brutal wars that some only attribute legend. I'm quite aware of it; no need to worry, love. It's actually the goal I had in mind."
She gaped; a part of it being from the disgust she felt at being called 'love' and the majority of it being from his goal. "Why would you want that?" Zelda gasped in shock.
Vaati forked an eyebrow, his smile getting a bit icy. "Don't take me for a fool, Princess. I'm not about to tell you my reasoning; and even if I did, I wouldn't expect you to understand the logic behind it."
"You're right, because no matter what you say it's not going to make sense!" She said, finally forcing herself from his grip, stopping their stupid dance and increasing the distance between her and the mage. And while she was on a rant of things not making sense, "Just like… like that didn't make any sense! That dance! What was the point?"
The mage had a somewhat surprised look on his face. "I simply wished to dance with a beautiful woman. Is that so hard to believe? I've been sealed away for quite a long time, you know." For a moment, he actually looked a bit confused. His red gaze then focused on a particular tile on the floor, stoic and calm. "Do you know what that's like?"
She didn't answer. What was he playing at, she wondered. The pity card? Was he trying to drop her guard by making her feel sorry for him? The princess simply gave him a hard stare, all the while doing her best to be extremely mindful of her surroundings.
The phonograph died down, leaving the room in an eerie quiet.
He broke the silence with a humorless laugh, but his gaze remained on that one tile. "No, you wouldn't. I imagine the only other one who could understand is currently sealed up himself." Vaati then looked at Zelda, angry red eyes staring right into calmly worried blue ones. "Do you know what that does to one's mind?" He was closing the distance that Zelda had put in between them. She bit the inside of her cheeks and stood her ground, even as the mage's face was within an inch of her own. "It's an endless expanse of nothing. Nothing as far as the eye can see… not that one has eyes – the body is all but non-existent there. So even if you'd rather prefer death, it's just out of reach." He finally backed away, taking a deep breath as if to calm himself. But when he looked back at Zelda, his gaze was still seething. "And do you know who always puts me back there?"
The princess continued to stand her ground. She would not back away like a frightened child.
He let out a short snort of laughter at her attempt at bravery. "You and that wretched boy." Vaati let out a sigh, and with it his anger appeared to dissipate. Again, he closed the distance between himself and the girl. His fingers caressed her golden hair, despite the glare she gave him. "Zelda… Always a Zelda. You all look slightly different than previous incarnations but you're all so beautiful…"
Zelda slapped his hand away. "I've had just about enough of you. Get out." She said calmly before adding a quick, "Please."
The wind mage's smug smile returned. "I came here for more than just a dance, love." He glanced at her right hand.
Yup. Zelda had certainly had more than enough. Seven years of being Sheikah certainly paid off with the warp skill. But as if he'd anticipated she'd do such a thing, Vaati flicked her on the nose. It was surprisingly painful and sent the princess's hands right to her face. She still managed to warp, but sloppily and not nearly as far as she wanted. In fact, she'd barely made it to the doors that lead out of the unfinished ballroom. The wind mage managed to catch up quite quickly with a warp of his own. Zelda was about to attempt another warp, but a sharp gust of wind suddenly knocked her to the floor, disorienting her for a few seconds. But those few seconds were more than enough. Vaati had grabbed her right hand – thus making her warps useless. If she tried to warp, he'd be taken along for the ride. Worst of all, Sheikah fighting skills were horrendously hindered in a goddess-forsaken dress – not to mention that there was no place to hide Sheikah needles without sleeves. Her only hope was a punch… which Vaati grabbed with his own hand before twisting her arm around painfully.
"You know, I really hate causing a beautiful girl pain – but when it happens to be a Princess Zelda, it becomes rather enjoyable." He said with a smirk.
Zelda's only response was a loogie to his face.
To her dismay, his smile remained and he said, "One of your ancestors was much more talented in the spitting game. Now be a dear and stop moving."
Before she could hawk another one at him, her struggle stopped. Everything just about to seem to stop except her heart beat. She just fell limp to the floor, trying to find her voice. But she couldn't even manage that. Apparently, when he had emphasized 'stop moving' those had been words of power – a spell… and it worked.
Vaati kept hold of her right hand and let go of her limp fist, which fell promptly to the floor. He still remained crouched over her, examining the back of her right hand… and Zelda found herself terrified. She was completely at his mercy right now, unable to even make the simplest facial expressions. Nor could she see entirely what was going on. She was watching him from her peripheral vision, due to her head having landed facing away from the situation. All she could make out was that he was digging under his cloak somewhere… then a glimmer of gold. She mentally braced herself for pain, but instead, she just felt something cool pressed against the back of her hand…
And then a sudden absence of… of something. Something she couldn't quite place.
Her right hand dropped with a soft thump. "If you hadn't fought, it certainly would've been much easier." She heard the wind mage say.
He loosened the spell on her to let her speak. "What makes you think I would want to make anything easy for you?" She hissed.
He stood, looking down on the girl with pity. "Nothing, I suppose. Which is a shame. Despite the fact I hate you and you your ancestors with every fiber of my being, I still find it most unpleasant to reduce you to… this." He said, gesturing to her limp form on the ground.
Zelda, still unable to move her extremities, was more than a little alarmed when she did rise from the floor. As her feet awkwardly brushed the floor and her head lulled downwards, she realized Vaati was essentially puppeteering her at the moment… And she hated to think what he could do with that. He cupped her chin to tilt her head upwards, so they were face to face. She wanted to spit in his face again, but he wagged a finger in his free hand and let out a, "Tsk, tsk. Remember who's pulling your strings…"
She gritted her teeth. "You've got what you wanted. Leave."
"I remember saying there were a lot of things I wanted. Did it ever occur to you that I may want you as well?" He said, letting a hand brush lightly against her waist.
Before she had the chance to get a nice phlegmy spitball, there was a, "Release her at once!" Were Zelda not already paralyzed, she would have frozen.
The wind mage looked to where the voice had come from, looking absolutely unconcerned. Upon seeing the person by the ballroom doors, Vaati did give the princess a look of surprise. "I wasn't aware the princesses had any other beaus aside from the idiot in green."
"Release her!" Brodrick demanded yet again.
Vaati again gave the newcomer his most disinterested face, but he stepped away from Zelda and snapped his fingers. Again, the princess found herself limp and immobile upon the floor… and she had been further up that time, so it definitely hadn't been a painless experience. However, she had landed well enough to have a full view of the situation. Brodrick was holding out a sword, looking ready to charge the mage.
"You've never held a blade in your life, have you?" Vaati asked disappointedly.
"And you are unarmed – you are at a disadvantage." Brodrick said. Of course, he was also under the assumption that Vaati would be playing the game of a gentleman.
The wind mage rolled his eyes. "Your gallantry is sickening… But I've never been one for interruptions. I'll leave, and you can have your wench too." The wind then picked up around the mage and he flew off at an unrushed pace through the unfinished ceiling of the room.
Zelda was able to move again; she quickly picked herself up and looked to see a very pale Brodrick dropping the sword he picked up and rushing towards her. Before she could completely register what had happened, the foreign prince was holding onto her tightly.
"Are you well?" He asked shakily. He was still holding her as if he she was about to be plucked from ground.
"Yes…" She managed through her stunned state. "I'm… more or less fine…" She found herself hugging him back. She was actually very far from well, knowing that Vaati now had her own Triforce in addition to Link's piece and the Force Eternal. But it didn't seem to matter just then as she and Brodrick held each other. The only other time she had felt safer was when Link had rescued her from Ganondorf.
Link. She immediately pulled away. "Really, I'm just fine!" She said quickly. "In fact, we should probably go tell the guards to be more alert than ever! Quinn might need to know this too!"
Brodrick simply gave her an almost incredulous look, before seeming to come back to himself as well. He nodded, "Yes; you're right."
With a nervous smile, Zelda turned tail to exit the ballroom.
The gruesome sound of flesh being torn rang through the unfinished ballroom, so did a terrible scream come from Brodrick. The princess spun around, letting out a gasp of terror. There was a curved blade jutting out of the prince's torso. Just as quickly as it went in, it was pulled out. The prince collapsed, his attacker now in plain view. A Big Poe with a crooked smile cackled, cradling its scythe in the crook of his spindly elbow. "An order from Master Vaati; just business, Princess~" And with another cackle, it dissipated, scythe and all.
She ran to Brodrick, putting her anger for the mage and his servant at bay. "Brodrick!" She cried out, kneeling down to look at his wound.
"This… this really hurts…" the prince coughed.
"Oh goddesses… Brodrick…" she felt tears stinging at her eyes.
About the chapter: In the original, this actually happened later, when Link was actually there for Zelda. And Vaati was the one who did the actual stabbing. But I just wanted to show that Poe is not just the buttmonkey of my OCs. He can be pretty damn malicious when he wants to be... And the scythe is particularly new to his design, a tribute to Twilight Princess (even though that's after OoT but shhhhh) - please assume he just always had it in hammer space. -w- Anyways, I also thought it would be interesting to see how Zelda would handle this by herself. In the original, she required Link to get out of her EMO and... And I just figured this time around, the characters need to be away from each other to find their right paths. That and I wanted to a different dynamic to Zelda's characterization this time around, mostly attributed to the "She don't need a man to pick herself up" type of thing... I have no idea when I became such a feminist. D:
e3 stuff: ARE YOU GUYS ALL EXCITED FOR SKYWARD SWORD LIKE I AM? Because I was very near close to fainting from excitement. Debbie seems like an exceptionally creepy villain... I'm sorry, his name is Ghirahim now... He's too fabulous to be a Ghirahim. I think I shall always call him Debbie. It's very fitting. Still, he's the kind of bad guy that is to be admired from afar. Because he creeps me the fuck out and makes me want to cry. Which is both awesome and not awesome at the same time. And Zelda is absolutely adorable in Skyward Sword. ADORABLE. I mean, she's so CUUUUUTE! I can go on and on about how cute I think she is~ I mean, I can easily say I would be bisexual for SS Zelda. She's just THAT adorable.