Chapter 3
"Good morning, Aislinn," said Pegasus from the opposite side of the long table. Aislinn took a seat as an aide brought out food.
"Good morning, uncle Max," she replied, hoping the old nickname would soften the formality. She hadn't called him that since she was six and had trouble saying Maximillion. The nickname seemed not to fit, and nobody used it but her father, who would always look on Maximillion as a younger brother.
She needn't have worried.
"Aislinn, I believe you have a problem."
"I do, uncle. Do you remember my brother Talon?"
He frowned. "Yes, I do."
Aislinn sighed. "Well, he's my problem. He kicked me out of the house with barely enough money to make a life for myself. I tried playing my violin, but I couldn't make much money, then I acquired a cheap image editing program. I've discovered I have a little talent in digital art--" at this he smiled "--and I could do well with it, but my brother is keeping me under." The old bonds were beginning to return, and she knew what he was about to say before his lips began to move. "I'm sorry for coming now, in the middle of the tournament, and I would have come sooner, I did not forget about you, but I was--" she hesitated a moment, then fixed her gaze sternly on the man who used to be her uncle, watching intently for his reaction. "I was forbidden to see you by my parents. We were told many reasons, few of which I am inclined to believe. That's my story, now I would very much like to hear yours."
A flash of pain crosses his visible eye but was quickly drowned by the over-expressive mask that she had seen before. The connection between them vanished like dust in the wind.
He tilted his head and raised his wine glass, gently swirling the ruby liquid, a hint of somewhat demented amusement on his features. Aislinn clutched her hands together under the table to help her control her own shock, anguish, and mild revulsion at this change.
"Ah, my dear Aislinn, of course. So much has happened, and I apologize profusely for my inconsideration." He took a sip and set down the glass before clasping his hands together before his bowed head in a gesture of weary depression that seemed real and true, and made him look so young and vulnerable and much more like Aislinn knew him, yet it had nothing of his true soul. Aislinn was reminded of what Kathy had said the night before about transforming one emotion into one to hide in.
"Yes," he whispered. "So much has happened. And it all began with her death. I'm sorry, dear niece, I know how close you were."
Aislinn clutched her hands tighter until the nails dug into the skin but tears still blurred her vision. Her fears had been true. The worst had happened.
"No, uncle, I'm sorry. You two were much closer." Her heart ached so badly to walk around the table and wrap her arms around him, to plant an encouraging kiss on his forehead and let him cry on her shoulder and whisper her sympathies in his ear, to just be his compassionate niece as she would have done in the past, as he had done for her so many times.
But times were different, a fact of which she was acutely aware.
"Aislinn, I have something I must show you." With a slender hand he brushed aside the hair falling in front of his left eye, and Aislinn gasped. In place of his eye was a golden object, a simple caricature of the shape of a human eye, gleaming forebodingly in the light of the chandelier.
"What is it?"
"It's something I... I obtained it in Egypt, on my journey there." He sighed heavily. "It's a cursed object, but it has interesting, supernatural abilities."
He shuddered, Aislinn waited, and the next words from his mouth seemed to be dragged out by force of will.
"I don't know if you'll understand this, but one of these abilities involves transferring souls."
Just then the doors opened and an aide walked through.
"Croquet," Pegasus growled, his mask firmly back in place, "this had better be good."
"Sir, I just wanted to inform of the duel between Seto Kaiba and Yugi Moto, taking place just outside."
"Thank you, Croquet. Aislinn, I apologize for cutting this short, but I would like very much to watch this duel. You may join me if you wish."
"Thank you, uncle, I think I will." Aislinn knew enough about dueling to know how it was played and who Seto Kaiba was, and though she had never heard of this Yugi Moto, he must really be something if that egotistical CEO consented to duel him. It ought to be an interesting duel.
***
Kathy leaned on the wall around the balcony, closing her eyes and letting the wind blow through her hair, imagining herself to be Rapunzel and wishing she'd chosen a dress so she'd look the part.
It was beautiful, the view, and so peaceful. Up here all of her awkwardness seemed to fly away on the breeze. She could think. Think about what she had learned so far. However, she could think all she wanted and wouldn't be any closer to knowing how the high class normally lived. Frustrating, but nothing could be done about it until she got a chance to talk to Aislinn.
Instead, she looked out at the island. The beautiful, green island with luscious grass, sparkling waters, clean air... And the landscape wasn't the only beautiful bit...
She bit her tongue to keep from smiling. Musn't go down that path, could be dangerous.
Just as she was about to go inside and change, there was a movement at the entrance of the castle.
By the looks of it, it was a group of kids confronting a tall individual... she gasped. She knew that guy: Seto Kaiba. The puffed up, icy-eyed, and downright terribly hot megalomaniac himself, right here on this island.
A couple minutes later they were on a dueling arena. This is a thing that Kathy knew she shouldn't miss, so she decided to stay on her balcony and watch. There was another balcony closer, but she did not know how to get there. Just as she thought of this, Pegasus and Aislinn appeared in that balcony. Down below, those at the dueling arena did not appear to see them.
Aislinn spotted Kathy, waved, spoke a few words to Pegasus, and disappeared from view. Pegasus turned his attention back to the duel, and Kathy managed to do likewise until she heard Aislinn come up behind her, looking in her finery and her noble smile like the princess Kathy had been imagining herself to be. In her element, Kathy supposed.
"Hey, Az, how was breakfast?"
"Well, I did not get to eat much, but it matters little. How was your morning?"
"I think I've found a dungeon in this castle, but I've yet to look into it."
The expression on her friend's face soured for a heartbeat. "That is interesting."
"Well look at you, all hoity-toity and princess-like."
"Drawn any conclusions yet?"
"Well, I've learned I can't leech anything off the servants."
Silence, the wind blowing through their hair as the duel continued on below.
"I think I know part of the problem, Kath," Aislinn said quietly.
Kathy shot her an alarmed glance. Her friend only used nicknames when she was extremely upset or guilty. The tomboy waited.
"I-- he used to be married to this lady named Cecilia--"
"Oh," interrupted Kathy, "I guess that's the lady that you mentioned earlier. What happened?"
"I was getting to that," Aislinn answered, peeved at the interruption. "Apparently she died."
Shock shone from Kathy's brown eyes. "Did he kill her?"
"No!" Aislinn gasped. "She meant more to him than anything in the world! They worshipped each other!" Suddenly she realized that her voice had been loud and glanced downward and over to her uncle to see if they had heard, but the noises from the duel below seemed to have drowned out her horrified rejections.
"Oh," breathed Kathy to herself, her eyes focused on a far-off point and golden shades of a gossamer nature filling her mind, softening her views, and reassuring her of something that she had hoped. "A tragic romance... His undying love to her driving him to madness in the wake of her demise..."
Aislinn pierced her with a glare, silver hair flying as she whipped her head around. "Do you romanticize all your patient's cases?"
Kathy felt blood rise to her cheeks and fought vainly for control. "He's not my patient, remember? I'm respecting your wishes."
Her friend stopped and stared, horrified realization spreading over her face.
"You--you're falling for him..."
Kathy suddenly became fascinated with the duel, cheeks burning, trying not to think of him standing there like a broken angel, poised like a prince, the sunlight glancing from his silver hair and fair skin, hiding the scars of a painful love under a mask... I didn't mean to, really I didn't... I just wanted to study him...
"Kathy you can't! I don't think--"
"Aislinn, I won't, I know, I can't help how I feel, but I won't act on it, I promise. I've more dignity than that, Az!"
Aislinn seemed not to hear, however, she was staring at the dueling arena. "Kathy, look."
Kathy looked. Seto Kaiba was standing on the edge of the precipice.
"He must be crazy, not your uncle."
They watched in fascination as his opponent attacked, then for some reason cut it short.
"Close call," muttered Kathy, then it struck her as the CEO turned around made the final blow. "Hey, he cheated! Your uncle ought to throw him out."
"No," said Aislinn, "I don't think he will. I don't think Kaiba broke any rules, and he was extremely creative."
"But... that can't be fair! How can you say that wasn't cheating?!"
"He simply used his opponent's weakness against him. My uncle will be pleased."
A glance in the direction of said host revealed that he was indeed smiling. Noticing them, he nodded and then disappeared from view.
****
Moments later they stood at a semi-hidden opening to the room where Kaiba was confronting Pegasus, munching little sandwiches Kathy had managed to obtain from the kitchen. Aislinn noted that nobody seemed to notice them there, and that was fine with her. Acoustics were good, so they could easily hear everything both persons said, but they also had to whisper so as not to disturb anything.
She hadn't told Kathy about the Eye, and felt a little uneasy at withholding this information, but she needed to understand it herself first.
Aislinn noted with fear that the manic gleam in her uncle's good eye was stronger than before, then heard something that make her cringe.
"Kaiba's brother?" she whispered to Kathy. "Wha--"
"Sssh, I'm trying to hear. It must have something to do with the dungeons."
Pegasus's aides brought out a young boy, Kaiba's brother, Aislinn supposed, but something was wrong... his eyes...
Then her uncle, demons dancing in gaze, held up a card with an image Kaiba's brother, and understanding slammed into Aislinn like a tidal wave. Before her eyes, the room darkened, her feet went numb, and her stomach turned. Desperately she spun away from the horrid reality and fell to the floor, retching.
Kathy's arms were instantly around her, pulling her away.
They stumbled to a lavatory connected to one of the rooms, and Kathy set Aislinn over the toilet before she began running water in the sink, but Aislinn's wave of sickness was over. Shakily, she got to her feet and plunged her face into the icy water, the cold giving her system a jump-start, then let herself slide numbly to the cold floor and her head lean back against the wall. Kathy was sitting on the bathtub, staring at her hands.
For a long moment they sat in stunned silence.
"I'm afraid I don't understand just what happened there," Kathy finally said, her words echoing in the tiled room.
Aislinn did not answer, could not answer; her mind was numb, her stomach sick, the skin on her knees bloody from her fingernails. As she began to recover and life slowly leaked back, she realized that she was shaking. Kathy's arm went around her shoulders.
"Az, pull yourself together. What's wrong?"
"Kathy, he--it's--unbeliev--monster--"
"Az, calm down!"
Aislinn took a deep breath, and struggled to get her thoughts in order.
"His left eye is--is replaced with something... false...it's like, gold or something... It--he said that it--it has something to do with souls. I think he trapped Kaiba's brother's soul somewhere. In that card."
"That's really difficult to accept." Kathy sounded as though she was walking on eggs. Aislinn had no response.
"Would pain induce insanity?" she asked finally, softly.
"You think this false eye is the cause of some of this... eccentricity?"
"It's what I want to think."
"Perhaps the Eye combined with the loss of..."
"Cecilia." Aislinn was beginning to feel a little better now, now that she could rationalize this out. "But... it still doesn't explain why he would steal souls."
"Perhaps you could ask him?"
"Kathy, I'm--I'm afraid," she began, then remembered that he had never finished what he was going to tell her. "Then again, maybe he wanted to tell me."
"If I were you, I'd approach it indirectly," Kathy said. "Do something that you both love to do. Let him remember how much he loves you, you, his family, his dear niece. Then say something, like... maybe discussing old friends, or something, something that will eventually lead up to discussing Cecilia or the Eye. Be kind."
She took a deep breath. "Alright. I'll try it."
"Want to go watch the duel?" asked Kathy, and Aislinn's stomach turned.
"No, thank you. You go. I'll wait in my room."
Kathy winced. "I'm not so sure I can find it, and I'm not so sure you can walk."
Aislinn couldn't help but smile. "Then you can help me back first and watch the duel later. I'll draw you out a map while I'm at it."
Together they worked their way back to the rooms, wondering what the future would bring to the castle.
****
[Due to the exciting lack of reviews, I'm taking my jolly sweet time writing this. If you want it to get done faster, I need a REVIEW. And if you've got any advice, I am trying to write this well, so anything that doesn't flow right or doesn't make sense, just inform me, k? And I know it's probably boring, which is probably why nobody seems to be reading this, but I'm having too much fun to drop it. Thank you, come again!]
"Good morning, Aislinn," said Pegasus from the opposite side of the long table. Aislinn took a seat as an aide brought out food.
"Good morning, uncle Max," she replied, hoping the old nickname would soften the formality. She hadn't called him that since she was six and had trouble saying Maximillion. The nickname seemed not to fit, and nobody used it but her father, who would always look on Maximillion as a younger brother.
She needn't have worried.
"Aislinn, I believe you have a problem."
"I do, uncle. Do you remember my brother Talon?"
He frowned. "Yes, I do."
Aislinn sighed. "Well, he's my problem. He kicked me out of the house with barely enough money to make a life for myself. I tried playing my violin, but I couldn't make much money, then I acquired a cheap image editing program. I've discovered I have a little talent in digital art--" at this he smiled "--and I could do well with it, but my brother is keeping me under." The old bonds were beginning to return, and she knew what he was about to say before his lips began to move. "I'm sorry for coming now, in the middle of the tournament, and I would have come sooner, I did not forget about you, but I was--" she hesitated a moment, then fixed her gaze sternly on the man who used to be her uncle, watching intently for his reaction. "I was forbidden to see you by my parents. We were told many reasons, few of which I am inclined to believe. That's my story, now I would very much like to hear yours."
A flash of pain crosses his visible eye but was quickly drowned by the over-expressive mask that she had seen before. The connection between them vanished like dust in the wind.
He tilted his head and raised his wine glass, gently swirling the ruby liquid, a hint of somewhat demented amusement on his features. Aislinn clutched her hands together under the table to help her control her own shock, anguish, and mild revulsion at this change.
"Ah, my dear Aislinn, of course. So much has happened, and I apologize profusely for my inconsideration." He took a sip and set down the glass before clasping his hands together before his bowed head in a gesture of weary depression that seemed real and true, and made him look so young and vulnerable and much more like Aislinn knew him, yet it had nothing of his true soul. Aislinn was reminded of what Kathy had said the night before about transforming one emotion into one to hide in.
"Yes," he whispered. "So much has happened. And it all began with her death. I'm sorry, dear niece, I know how close you were."
Aislinn clutched her hands tighter until the nails dug into the skin but tears still blurred her vision. Her fears had been true. The worst had happened.
"No, uncle, I'm sorry. You two were much closer." Her heart ached so badly to walk around the table and wrap her arms around him, to plant an encouraging kiss on his forehead and let him cry on her shoulder and whisper her sympathies in his ear, to just be his compassionate niece as she would have done in the past, as he had done for her so many times.
But times were different, a fact of which she was acutely aware.
"Aislinn, I have something I must show you." With a slender hand he brushed aside the hair falling in front of his left eye, and Aislinn gasped. In place of his eye was a golden object, a simple caricature of the shape of a human eye, gleaming forebodingly in the light of the chandelier.
"What is it?"
"It's something I... I obtained it in Egypt, on my journey there." He sighed heavily. "It's a cursed object, but it has interesting, supernatural abilities."
He shuddered, Aislinn waited, and the next words from his mouth seemed to be dragged out by force of will.
"I don't know if you'll understand this, but one of these abilities involves transferring souls."
Just then the doors opened and an aide walked through.
"Croquet," Pegasus growled, his mask firmly back in place, "this had better be good."
"Sir, I just wanted to inform of the duel between Seto Kaiba and Yugi Moto, taking place just outside."
"Thank you, Croquet. Aislinn, I apologize for cutting this short, but I would like very much to watch this duel. You may join me if you wish."
"Thank you, uncle, I think I will." Aislinn knew enough about dueling to know how it was played and who Seto Kaiba was, and though she had never heard of this Yugi Moto, he must really be something if that egotistical CEO consented to duel him. It ought to be an interesting duel.
***
Kathy leaned on the wall around the balcony, closing her eyes and letting the wind blow through her hair, imagining herself to be Rapunzel and wishing she'd chosen a dress so she'd look the part.
It was beautiful, the view, and so peaceful. Up here all of her awkwardness seemed to fly away on the breeze. She could think. Think about what she had learned so far. However, she could think all she wanted and wouldn't be any closer to knowing how the high class normally lived. Frustrating, but nothing could be done about it until she got a chance to talk to Aislinn.
Instead, she looked out at the island. The beautiful, green island with luscious grass, sparkling waters, clean air... And the landscape wasn't the only beautiful bit...
She bit her tongue to keep from smiling. Musn't go down that path, could be dangerous.
Just as she was about to go inside and change, there was a movement at the entrance of the castle.
By the looks of it, it was a group of kids confronting a tall individual... she gasped. She knew that guy: Seto Kaiba. The puffed up, icy-eyed, and downright terribly hot megalomaniac himself, right here on this island.
A couple minutes later they were on a dueling arena. This is a thing that Kathy knew she shouldn't miss, so she decided to stay on her balcony and watch. There was another balcony closer, but she did not know how to get there. Just as she thought of this, Pegasus and Aislinn appeared in that balcony. Down below, those at the dueling arena did not appear to see them.
Aislinn spotted Kathy, waved, spoke a few words to Pegasus, and disappeared from view. Pegasus turned his attention back to the duel, and Kathy managed to do likewise until she heard Aislinn come up behind her, looking in her finery and her noble smile like the princess Kathy had been imagining herself to be. In her element, Kathy supposed.
"Hey, Az, how was breakfast?"
"Well, I did not get to eat much, but it matters little. How was your morning?"
"I think I've found a dungeon in this castle, but I've yet to look into it."
The expression on her friend's face soured for a heartbeat. "That is interesting."
"Well look at you, all hoity-toity and princess-like."
"Drawn any conclusions yet?"
"Well, I've learned I can't leech anything off the servants."
Silence, the wind blowing through their hair as the duel continued on below.
"I think I know part of the problem, Kath," Aislinn said quietly.
Kathy shot her an alarmed glance. Her friend only used nicknames when she was extremely upset or guilty. The tomboy waited.
"I-- he used to be married to this lady named Cecilia--"
"Oh," interrupted Kathy, "I guess that's the lady that you mentioned earlier. What happened?"
"I was getting to that," Aislinn answered, peeved at the interruption. "Apparently she died."
Shock shone from Kathy's brown eyes. "Did he kill her?"
"No!" Aislinn gasped. "She meant more to him than anything in the world! They worshipped each other!" Suddenly she realized that her voice had been loud and glanced downward and over to her uncle to see if they had heard, but the noises from the duel below seemed to have drowned out her horrified rejections.
"Oh," breathed Kathy to herself, her eyes focused on a far-off point and golden shades of a gossamer nature filling her mind, softening her views, and reassuring her of something that she had hoped. "A tragic romance... His undying love to her driving him to madness in the wake of her demise..."
Aislinn pierced her with a glare, silver hair flying as she whipped her head around. "Do you romanticize all your patient's cases?"
Kathy felt blood rise to her cheeks and fought vainly for control. "He's not my patient, remember? I'm respecting your wishes."
Her friend stopped and stared, horrified realization spreading over her face.
"You--you're falling for him..."
Kathy suddenly became fascinated with the duel, cheeks burning, trying not to think of him standing there like a broken angel, poised like a prince, the sunlight glancing from his silver hair and fair skin, hiding the scars of a painful love under a mask... I didn't mean to, really I didn't... I just wanted to study him...
"Kathy you can't! I don't think--"
"Aislinn, I won't, I know, I can't help how I feel, but I won't act on it, I promise. I've more dignity than that, Az!"
Aislinn seemed not to hear, however, she was staring at the dueling arena. "Kathy, look."
Kathy looked. Seto Kaiba was standing on the edge of the precipice.
"He must be crazy, not your uncle."
They watched in fascination as his opponent attacked, then for some reason cut it short.
"Close call," muttered Kathy, then it struck her as the CEO turned around made the final blow. "Hey, he cheated! Your uncle ought to throw him out."
"No," said Aislinn, "I don't think he will. I don't think Kaiba broke any rules, and he was extremely creative."
"But... that can't be fair! How can you say that wasn't cheating?!"
"He simply used his opponent's weakness against him. My uncle will be pleased."
A glance in the direction of said host revealed that he was indeed smiling. Noticing them, he nodded and then disappeared from view.
****
Moments later they stood at a semi-hidden opening to the room where Kaiba was confronting Pegasus, munching little sandwiches Kathy had managed to obtain from the kitchen. Aislinn noted that nobody seemed to notice them there, and that was fine with her. Acoustics were good, so they could easily hear everything both persons said, but they also had to whisper so as not to disturb anything.
She hadn't told Kathy about the Eye, and felt a little uneasy at withholding this information, but she needed to understand it herself first.
Aislinn noted with fear that the manic gleam in her uncle's good eye was stronger than before, then heard something that make her cringe.
"Kaiba's brother?" she whispered to Kathy. "Wha--"
"Sssh, I'm trying to hear. It must have something to do with the dungeons."
Pegasus's aides brought out a young boy, Kaiba's brother, Aislinn supposed, but something was wrong... his eyes...
Then her uncle, demons dancing in gaze, held up a card with an image Kaiba's brother, and understanding slammed into Aislinn like a tidal wave. Before her eyes, the room darkened, her feet went numb, and her stomach turned. Desperately she spun away from the horrid reality and fell to the floor, retching.
Kathy's arms were instantly around her, pulling her away.
They stumbled to a lavatory connected to one of the rooms, and Kathy set Aislinn over the toilet before she began running water in the sink, but Aislinn's wave of sickness was over. Shakily, she got to her feet and plunged her face into the icy water, the cold giving her system a jump-start, then let herself slide numbly to the cold floor and her head lean back against the wall. Kathy was sitting on the bathtub, staring at her hands.
For a long moment they sat in stunned silence.
"I'm afraid I don't understand just what happened there," Kathy finally said, her words echoing in the tiled room.
Aislinn did not answer, could not answer; her mind was numb, her stomach sick, the skin on her knees bloody from her fingernails. As she began to recover and life slowly leaked back, she realized that she was shaking. Kathy's arm went around her shoulders.
"Az, pull yourself together. What's wrong?"
"Kathy, he--it's--unbeliev--monster--"
"Az, calm down!"
Aislinn took a deep breath, and struggled to get her thoughts in order.
"His left eye is--is replaced with something... false...it's like, gold or something... It--he said that it--it has something to do with souls. I think he trapped Kaiba's brother's soul somewhere. In that card."
"That's really difficult to accept." Kathy sounded as though she was walking on eggs. Aislinn had no response.
"Would pain induce insanity?" she asked finally, softly.
"You think this false eye is the cause of some of this... eccentricity?"
"It's what I want to think."
"Perhaps the Eye combined with the loss of..."
"Cecilia." Aislinn was beginning to feel a little better now, now that she could rationalize this out. "But... it still doesn't explain why he would steal souls."
"Perhaps you could ask him?"
"Kathy, I'm--I'm afraid," she began, then remembered that he had never finished what he was going to tell her. "Then again, maybe he wanted to tell me."
"If I were you, I'd approach it indirectly," Kathy said. "Do something that you both love to do. Let him remember how much he loves you, you, his family, his dear niece. Then say something, like... maybe discussing old friends, or something, something that will eventually lead up to discussing Cecilia or the Eye. Be kind."
She took a deep breath. "Alright. I'll try it."
"Want to go watch the duel?" asked Kathy, and Aislinn's stomach turned.
"No, thank you. You go. I'll wait in my room."
Kathy winced. "I'm not so sure I can find it, and I'm not so sure you can walk."
Aislinn couldn't help but smile. "Then you can help me back first and watch the duel later. I'll draw you out a map while I'm at it."
Together they worked their way back to the rooms, wondering what the future would bring to the castle.
****
[Due to the exciting lack of reviews, I'm taking my jolly sweet time writing this. If you want it to get done faster, I need a REVIEW. And if you've got any advice, I am trying to write this well, so anything that doesn't flow right or doesn't make sense, just inform me, k? And I know it's probably boring, which is probably why nobody seems to be reading this, but I'm having too much fun to drop it. Thank you, come again!]