Iea
V : Cheery
Forever, Ain and Nia had been almost the same person. Although they were born a year apart, they always acted like the other was just as old as they. It was, as far as the village was concerned, the evidence behind the 'fact' Ain and Nia were only a whole person when together, otherwise, alone, they were only half-souls, incapable of doing anything but spreading bad luck.
Together, though, they were 'Iea', an imaginative person that was only there as long as the two were together. When called upon by the name, mysteriously both of the kids would answer in unison, and could even say full, long sentences that way. The children, themselves, could only explain by saying 'I know what the other would say', which somehow became proof that they were part of the dark forces.
While standing in the embrace in the wet darkness, they probably looked much like the so-called 'Iea'. After both were finally relaxed among the dark chaos, Nia let go of Ain. "Now, what did you want to say?"
"What happened? I was captured... and then it was cold... but... something saved me."
"..." Nia gazed at the floor, finding that a shadow was nowhere to be seen. "I think... that was Ecoule."
"Huh?"
"I fell down when I tried to get you back..." Nia's eyes wandered as her mind did, from thought to thought, "Something... called itself Ecoule... Ecoule retrieved you for me."
"Ecoule?" Ain slowly recalled the harsh whispers he heard from his savior, remembering it had once said the very 'word'. "Uhm... is it... a good person?"
"I think so. It did help, after all."
"It said something to me... but I don't know what... It sounded like it was angry."
"Aren't they all..." Nia frowned, thinking of the rest of the hundreds of shadows she witnessed while in the dark.
"So, where are we going next?"
"Through a door. Hopefully." Nia took his hand and led him across the dark, wet platform. Heading through a crack in the wall, Nia found the two trapped in a cell in the castle's dungeons. "Woah."
"What?"
"Cages." Nia wandered to the front door, looking at the black iron bars. Taking out the frying pan, she moved Ain back a bit. Resting the pan against the door, she swung her arm out and slammed the object against the door, causing the bars to reverberate. Water came off the ceilings like rain, and a few rats fled in shock.
Continuing, she managed to knock the door from it's hinges- last, she threw her weight against it, and brought the door tumbling down, still hanging off the strong lock which once secured it.
"You okay?" Ain wandered to the bars, feeling across them in an effort to find Nia.
"Yes."
"Really okay?"
"Yes, don't you believe me?" Standing up, she rubbed her shoulder, which impacted the door. Taking her brother's hand, with the frying pan at the ready, she began walking across the fallen door and into the wet hallway.
Torches crackled, suspended from the walls. The sound of endless dripping echoed from wall to wall, enough to drive one insane after only a few minutes. More cells lined the walls, standing locked and empty.
"It's a whole prison."
"It is? Anybody in there? We need to get them out, if they are!" Ain pulled slightly at Nia's sleeve.
"I don't see anybody. Of course I wouldn't leave them if they were. We've got to, though, worry about getting ourselves out first. Come on, this way." Taking off into a sprint, Nia valiantly tugged her brother along. Two pairs of feet splashed through thin puddles on the stone floors, creating an odd rhythm. "This place is depressing."
Stumbling along, Ain replied, "Then make it happier."
Thinking for a minute, while running, Nia suddenly took a breath in and began singing across the halls, "Oh ever there ever was a wish to be had..."
"Would be to make my fair lady glad!" A faint grin appeared on Ain's face.
"And never to ever make her heart sad..."
"So be glad that you're still walking!"
Both of the kids suddenly chimed in together, voices echoing off walls and bars, "Light of foot and turn of toe, remember this where-ever you may go; a lady yet delicate mean can be, take this advice straight from me! Ever upset a lady you see, be glad that you're still walking!"
The running had turned into some fine skipping, faint laughter echoing across the walls. The room almost seemed to get brighter as they continued gaily.
"A fine lady, heaven sent, my heart and words a'flying they went..." Nia suddenly came to a pause, turning to Ain.
"Asked her kindly, 'May I be your gent?'" Ain made an appropriate bow...
"...Though heaven's glory she did reflect, all of her kindness had been spent..." Both of the kids grew quiet, then suddenly jumped up, singing EXTREMELY loudly, "So I'm glad I'm still walking!"
Taking each other's arm, they both pranced about in a circle, before taking off, skipping for the open archway-doors, singing the rest of the lyrics loudly. It was almost as if they weren't trapped at all, but rather skipping across a sunny courtyard like how children should.
"...So be glad that you're still walking!" Finishing the song with a sharp stomp of feet, the both kids collapsed to the floor, laughing. Sitting in a pile on the wet stone floors, with faces red with laughter, they clung to each other, in absolute hysterics. Though several dark shadows were hiding in the corners, they all refused to come close to the joyous noise, almost cringing in it.
"That's really great, I'm glad we still know the words." The words came out between laughs, Nia resting her head against Ain's, still giggling away.
"If that doesn't make the room happier, I don't know what will!"
After breathing enough to move, the kids both got up and headed through the open door. Walking through a room filled with various devices of torture, Nia grew very quiet and moved closer to her brother. Past that room was the bottom of a stairwell that ended without going anywhere at all. Way up above, a closed door awaited them.
"That's convenient." Nia huffed.
"What is?"
"There's stairs that lead to nowhere. Stay here... Shout if something happens."
"Okay." Ain promptly sat on the floor.
Running up the stairs, Nia glanced around from the top step. Several slots in the walls hinted that there were once wooden planks leading up to the next levels. In fact, as she looked up, several more sections of stairs were seen, leading up to the door.
"Hmm." Walking to the wall, she tucked her feet into the niche and began shuffling across the wall. Slowly, she made a spiral up to the next staircase. Crawling up to its top step, she again shimmied up the groove to the next stairs.
Reaching the platform before the closed door, Nia gazed up and down the room. Spying an open window, she crawled into it and looked around. Below her feet were the missing boards, running up around the outside of the tower instead of within.
Hurrying down them, she got to the bottom and came across a bubbling, dark pool. The platform she was standing on otherwise didn't lead anywhere else, so she quickly jumped in.
Wading under the wall, through the mists, she found herself just under Ain in the clean air. Walking ahead, she came in contact with a wall, and soon found out it was a maze. Heading around curves, she came across a switch under the floor. Pulling on it, she heard some gears below her begin to move.
Inside the tower, the wooden planks slid into place, and the door at the top slid open. Just in the corner near Ain, a black pool spread out, several shadows crawling out. The last figure that emerged from the hole was Nia, who took up her frying pan and immediately jumped at the man-sized beasts that crowded her brother.
Hit across the face, Nia was sent flying at the floor- coming to a halt, she rebounded and smacked the creature carrying Ain across the waist, causing it to drop the boy. Whipping him out of the fray and into a corner, Nia turned, holding the pan out threateningly.
"Come, you cowards, try and get him!"
Ain was busy trembling, not knowing what else he could do.
Oddly, the monsters did nothing for a moment, staring at the girl. Without any explanation, they all faded away like stray mists, leaving them alone.
"...Huh." Nia relaxed a bit, still gazing about the room. "Well... come on."
Both of the kids began scaling the tower, reaching the top and heading out onto a balcony. Whoever had designed the castle really didn't want them to leave, as suggested by the fact they had to crawl into the next building via a window. They found themselves in a great hall, graced by a black iron chandelier, complete with glowing candles.
"Where are we?"
"A big hallway. There are some pretty lights up above."
Long bridges ran across the second floor of the room (where they were) and below, a beautiful stone floor with a massive inlay-design led to two doors. Quite oddly enough, there were some couch-like benches in the center of the design, awaiting weary feet like welcome arms.
Looking at the window and staring at the evening's fading light, Nia found it high time to take a break. "Hey, we're going to go downstairs, because there's a place to sit. I think we can get some sleep down there, too."
"Okay..."
Walking across the bridges, under the chandelier, Nia searched for a way down. A clumsy, black-iron ladder was the answer as both kids slowly climbed down, Nia ever patiently heading down just behind her brother. Reaching the bottom, she lifted him off and walked him to a couch, setting him down.
Sitting upon it herself, she found that, even though it was made of stone, it felt as comfortable as if they were sitting on feathers.
"Nice..." Ain yawned, "This is our bed, then?"
"Yeah, I guess."
Taking it a bit literally, Ain suddenly lied down, his head resting in Nia's lap. Without a second word, the tired child focused on sleeping, drifting away into easy dreams.
"Hey, not..." Nia sighed, a bit annoyed. "Fine. Be that way."
Resting her head back against the couch, she closed her eyes and soon joined her brother in sweet dreams.