The two walked through the dim streets of Hallow Bastion, Drizzt explaining special points in the city, and Zelda listening intently. There were some many wonderful things in the city to see, despite its initial, dark appearance. Drizzt took her everywhere, from the City Hall to the shopping district, and Zelda took it all in. After they had been talking for a while, Zelda decided that it would be all right to ask a question that had been bothering her.
"Drizzt," she started, not too sure of how to continue, "If…if you're a dark elf…then how-?"
"'Am I living here?'" he finished for her. He smiled slightly, "I wondered when you would ask. As you may have noticed, I'm not like others from my race."
Zelda nodded, understanding what he meant. Dark elves, or drow, were evil beings, and they lived their lives in a permanent state of chaos, each trying to rise to power by being as treacherous and despicable to even their own family, as much as possible. If there was one thing that could be said about drow, it was, 'Never turn your back on them.' Yet, here was a drow, walking through the city, receiving greetings and smiles from people, or corpses, when they passed the pair.
"Well, I found that I did not fit in with them," Drizzt explained, his eyes becoming distant, "I left the chaotic world of my people, actually, it was more like I was expelled, and sought out a life of peace and happiness. After a while, I came here, though trust was not easy to gain. It has been twenty years since I first came here, and people now treat me no differently then if I were not a drow, though it took ten years to build that."
"It must have been hard," Zelda sighed. It was rather sad knowing that such a noble person was mistreated just because of how he looked. What made it worse was the fact that he was not accepted by either side, his own race or others.
"It was," Drizzt agreed, looking back to his listener, "But, all the trouble was worth it, I think. I am now a knight, and trusted by all. Now, if I may ask, how is it that you came to accept me so easily?"
Zelda stopped, thinking about what to say. It was true, she did trust him quickly, despite the stories. Truthfully speaking, it may have been that, despite his skin, she saw him as rather handsome, along with his polite attitude. "Perhaps it was because of your attitude. You were very polite, more polite then Albel anyway." At that, Drizzt smiled.
"So, you had a run-in with Albel?" he chuckled.
"Yes, and I found him to be positively vile, which is probably why I took to you so easily. For every nice person here, it seems there is an equally rude one."
"Such is the way of Hallow Bastion," Drizzt agreed. The clock tower in the city square began to chime, and Zelda's attention was drawn to it. To her surprise, the clock had struck thirteen. There, between one and twelve was the number thirteen. She would not have believed it had she not seen it herself, for she wasn't sure if Lulu had been serious or not. Oh no! Zelda thought, Lulu!
"I'm sorry to cut this short," Zelda said hurriedly, "But I must get to the square! Lulu asked that I meet her there."
"I'll escort you there, if you wish," Drizzt offered, understanding her panic. "Lulu is definitely someone you don't want to cross". Zelda nodded with a smile, and then followed him through the city streets to the center. When they arrived, Zelda saw it bustling with people. Everywhere, people were dressed in costumes and masks, and Zelda searched for Lulu in the rush. Finally, she caught a glimpse of her cousin standing by a large fountain and waved good-bye to Drizzt, who disappeared into the crowd. Zelda felt sad to see him go, but hurried on to reach Lulu. As she approached, she saw the strange fountain that was surrounded by the city. The fountain looked like a gargoyle, with an angry face, and a stream of green water coming from its mouth, which fell into the deep pool a few feet below the pedestal that it sat on.
When Lulu saw Zelda, she came towards her quickly. "Zelda, come here," she said excitedly, "I want you to see something."
"What is it?" Zelda asked as Lulu dragged her through the crowd towards a large stage. On the stage were g of young people, boys and girls around the same age as Lyla, Zelda's hand maiden. Lulu stepped up onto the stage and spoke in a loud voice to the crowd gathering around.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to this year's Hallows Eve festival!" At this, the crowd, started to applaud, and the corpse standing next to Zelda nudged her slightly.
"I love this part," he said, his voice sounding dusty. Zelda, trying to keep from looking disturbed by being spoken to by a corpse, just nodded and turned her attention back to the stage.
"I am pleased to present for you, for your viewing pleasure, a special show performed by the Young Mage's Association!" Again there was applause and Lulu waited until the quieted down. "This year's performance is called, 'The Battle for Hallow Bastion!' Our story begins long ago, before the Hallow Bastion in which you live was built. When we lived in a place now called Hollow Bastion. We find our hero, Sephiroth Strife, locked in battle with the wicked Maleficent." With that, Lulu stepped of the stage and the lights went up on the stage. The orchestra struck up an exciting and dark tune, and the show started. Before the crowd stood a girl, about sixteen, with short, dark hair and pale skin. Her dark eyes opened and she stepped towards the other person on the stage, a young boy, who looked about fourteen, with long, silver hair and a black coat on. The boy's face had a confident set, but Zelda could see a nervousness in his eyes. The girl, who was dressed in a long, black robe, glided towards the boy, and hurled a green flame at him. The boy dove aside and stood up quickly. He seemed to freeze, not sure of what to do next. Before he could even think, the girl hurled another ball of flame. This time, the boy raised a shield, and the flame hit it, cause an explosion of spark. They changed colors rapidly as they flew up into the air and over the audience. Zelda, like the rest of the audience, was mesmerized by the display. As the battle continued, neither of the players making any real hits, the girl stopped and lifted her arms. A great puff of smoke appeared, and more sparks, and the girl was replaced with a dragon. It was made entirely out of flames, but it still seemed real enough. It blasted flames at the boy, but he raised another barrier. When the sparks stopped this time, the boy had changed as well. In his place, there stood a tall being in black armor and a long halberd in hand. It swung the halberd and cut into the flames of the dragon. The dragon roared and flew up into the air. When it was high enough for all in the city to see it, it exploded into a huge burst of fireworks, which spread across the sky in the form of a huge pumpkin with a smile in it. Zelda stood breathless at the sight.
After the performance and firework show, Lulu came to Zelda.
"So, what did you think?" she asked, and Zelda was surprised. She had never seen Lulu act this way before; the excitement in her voice was amazing.
"It was beautiful," Zelda answered.
"Wonderful," Lulu replied, "Because I want you to meet my students."
"Students?"
"Yes," Lulu answered, "I am the instructor for the Mage class here. I would love for you to meet my students."
"You only have two?" Zelda asked, remembering seeing only two people on the stage.
"No, there are more then those two. They were just for the performance. Now come on! We don't have much time before the festivities begin!"
"Festivities?"
"Yes," Lulu said as the two came around to the other side of the stage. Standing together, in a small group, was a bunch of young people. Zelda recognized two from the performance, but the others she had never seen before.
"Zelda," Lulu said proudly, "This is my class. Allow me to introduce Raven and Vivi, the two from the play."
A young boy stepped up, and Zelda recognized his face as the one who played as Sephiroth, only now, he had short black hair and golden eyes instead of green. He waved to Zelda shyly.
"You did well," Zelda commented.
"Really? You think so?" was the reply.
"Indeed," Zelda said, "You looked very brave."
Raven just rolled her eyes and sighed. Lulu threw a reproachful glance at her, but she ignored it. Lulu turned to Zelda.
"She's every bit like her brother," she whispered.
"Who's her brother?"
"Vincent," Lulu sighed, "Anyway, let me continue the introductions. These two here are Hermione Granger and Violet Baudelaire." Two other girls stepped up, one with blonde hair and a black robe, the other with brown hair tied up in a ribbon and a purple dress on.
"It's very nice to meet you," Hermione said properly. She curtsied then turned to Lulu. "Is she your cousin?"
"Yes, this is her," Lulu nodded.
"Excuse me," Vivi said quietly to Zelda, "But are you really from above?"
"Above?" Zelda asked before realizing what he meant. "Oh, yes, I am. I come from Hyrule."
"Wow," Vivi said, his eyes opening wide. By the way he spoke, Zelda guessed he wasn't as old as he looked.
Lulu spoke to them.
"You all did well," she said, "I want to thank you all for your hard work. You made this year's show another success! A for your hard work, I want you all to show up bright and early tomorrow. I'll see if I can't get you into the grand ball tomorrow."
Vivi cheered, Raven cracked a small smile and Hermione and Violet grinned to each other.
After the group returned to the castle, Zelda and Lulu went to Zelda's guest room to talk.
"So," Lulu said, settling down with some tea. "What do you think of Hallow Bastion?"
Zelda thought over what had happened, and then saw that the whole set up seemed very familiar. "I found it very nice," Zelda answered, "Especially the City Hall."
"City Hall?"
"Yes, I saw it," Zelda answered.
"You went exploring by yourself? That was rather brave of you. You could have gotten easily lost in a city like Hallow Bastion."
"Well, I had a guide."
"Really," Lulu said, her voice having an almost teasing tone, "Who was it?"
"Drizzt Do'urden," Zelda said quietly.
"Interesting," Lulu said with a smile, "Not in town three hours and you've already started flirting with knights."
"I wasn't flirting with him," Zelda answered, her face growing red, "He just showed me around town."
"Oh," Lulu rolled her eyes. Zelda started to blush again, and Lulu rose to her feet. "Well, it's getting late, and we have a big day tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?"
"Yes," Lulu said, "Remember? The ball? It's tomorrow."
"Oh," Zelda said, then got up, getting ready to change into her nightgown. Suddenly, she remembered that she wasn't in Hyrule castle anymore.
"You'll find some clothes in the wardrobe," Lulu said, "And your gown should be in there as well."
"Oh, thank you," Zelda nodded, but stopped, remembering something she had meant to ask. It was something that had been on her mind since the show that night, and she had thought about it up until now.
"Lulu," she began, "What happened with Maleficent? I know you had that performance and all, but I didn't really catch the idea of what had happened."
Lulu sighed, not in an annoyed tone, but more sad sound, as if the memories were painful. "Well, I suppose you'll find out sooner or later," she said as she sat down again.
"About 18 years ago, when I was younger, and you weren't even born yet, we, the people of Hallow Bastion, lived in another city, the original Hallow Bastion. It was there that Maleficent was an advisor and head wizard of the court. She had a great deal of power, both magically and over the people, and she had been in the castle for a long time. The king then, Victor Bastion I, was ruling the land in peace, and he and his wife had a son and daughter, twins, named Victor and Victoria. The kingdom had just silenced an attack from the dark elves to the south when Maleficent made her move.
One day, Maleficent came to the king and proposed an attack upon the world above, the world of light. His majesty refused, saying that they had no quarrel with them, and that Maleficent should not go looking for trouble. She didn't like that response, and gathered an army of demons and wicked spirits to strike at Hallow Bastion and take control of it herself. The armies fought, and it seemed that our side had the winning edge, but then, Tiamat struck."
"Tiamat?"
"Yes," Lulu quietly, and Zelda heard a quiver in her voice, "The mother of all dragons. She swooped down from the skies and attacked the city, destroying the buildings and citizens, without regard to the innocents. Her green flames consumed all, and many lives were lost." At this, Lulu's eyes became distant, her mind stepping back to that terrifying day. "I remember that day well. I was only five at the time, and hiding in my home. My parents had hidden me in the cellar, which had a passage into the house next door, Vincent's house. I was going down the stairs when a man burst through our door. He had a horrible face, with teeth that had been sharpened to points. Amidst the burning city and screams I heard my mother whisper, 'The Hessian,' before she shoved me into the cellar. I heard explosions, which I guessed were my parents casting spells, then ran to the passage leading up to Vincent's home. That was the last time I saw my parents alive." Lulu paused for a moment, wiping a tear away from her eye, then continued. Zelda wanted to stop her, seeing how painful this was, but something told her to listen on, so she remained silent, holding back her own tears.
"I found Vincent and his sisters standing over their parent's dead bodies, tears streaming down their faces. I ran to Vincent, for we had been childhood friends, and we cried together before going to the door with his older sisters holding Raven; she was only a newborn at the time. When we got out into the street, the Hessian saw us, and came towards us on a huge, black horse. We all ran, but before we could get far enough away, he had come around in front of us and prepared to cut us down. As he lifted his sword, I closed my eyes, but never felt the blade. I looked and saw a man, a knight named Sephiroth, slice through the horseman, and Vincent's sisters covered our eyes and led us away. We learned later that the knight had removed the horseman's head."
Zelda felt her stomach heave slightly at the image of all the carnage that surrounded these children, but remained silent.
"It seemed that all hope was lost for the city, but then Sephiroth, the hero of Hallow Bastion, called to Tiamat, saying she was a coward for attacking innocents. The two fought a titanic battle, I am told, but Sephiroth was the victor, summoning up the power of his eidolon, Gilgamesh, and Tiamat was discovered to be the Eidolon of Maleficent.
Although the carnage she had caused was great, his majesty did not see fit to have Maleficent executed, and instead banished her from Macabrenon, sending the remains of our city along with her.
Now, when a person is banished from Macabrenon, it becomes impossible for them to return, so Maleficent was gone for good. We rebuilt the city, which is what you see before you today. The old city, which is now filled with the wicked beings that Maleficent had called upon, is called Hollow Bastion, as a way of saying that the life is gone from it. It and Maleficent are now in a place between dark and light, the Shadow Realm. Unfortunately, some of her minions have leaked out, and many tales are told about their appearances in the world. His majesty died after that from wounds received from the battle and his wife soon followed him in grief."
"What happened to their children?"
"No one knows," Lulu sighed, "During the battle, they disappeared. Some say they were captured by Maleficent, while others say they were taken away to the other world for safekeeping. It's become one of the many mysteries of Macabrenon."
Zelda sat quietly, her mind racing with the entire story she had just been told. What a horrible experience it must have been, watching loved ones dying around you, and the only place you've ever known being destroyed. Lulu stood up again, and dabbed her reddening eyes with a black-lace handkerchief.
"I'm sorry," Zelda apologized, and "I would never have asked if I had known-"
"Don't worry about it," Lulu said, giving Zelda a small smile, "I think it is important to not forget these things, even if they are painful. I only ask that you don't speak of these things around Vincent."
Zelda looked confused, and Lulu continued, "You see, before that, Vincent had been a happy child. He wasn't as morbid as he is now. Nevertheless, seeing his parents lying dead changed him, and he became the way he is today. Speaking about this may cause him more pain then it did me."
"So, what happened to the two of you after that day?" Zelda asked.
"We ended up in the castle, were all the orphans of those lost in the battle went. This was set up so that these children could receive proper educations and be trained in the arts of magic and battle. I made it through, and continued on teaching, seeing it as a way to repay the favor. The class I have now are all orphans themselves, though they have lost their parents through other means."
Zelda sighed again. Despite the city's jovial atmosphere, it still had its problems, and Zelda felt a tear run down her cheek at the sad thought. Lulu smiled again, then spoke quietly.
"Shedding tears for the past is important," she said, "But even if you are from the past, you must make sure to look forward. You end up losing perspective otherwise."
Zelda gave her cousin, one who had been through a nightmare in her childhood, a hug, a hug of both sympathy and love. She felt so sad for her, but knew that what she said was true. It was important to keep your focus on the here and now, and not sulk over what had already happened. Lulu said goodnight, then left Zelda alone with her thoughts. So many things had happened to these people, she thought, I only hope that the reappearance of the one responsible does not cause more pain. Zelda got into her nightgown and went to sleep that night, thinking about the things she had seen and learned. Her thoughts finally made their way back to Link. Link, the man that Zelda loved. She wished he was here. She wanted nothing more then to place her head on his shoulder and cry, let out the pain she felt for these people and have his reassuring hand there to comfort her. Zelda fell asleep that night to the sound of her quiet sobs.
Later that night, there was a knock on the door. Zelda rose out of bed, her eyes blurry from the darkness of the room and opened the door. Standing before her was Lulu in a large, black ballroom gown. It was made of silk and shimmered in the dim light of the hallway torches. She smiled at Zelda, then laughed.
"Come on, wake up and get dressed. We have a ball to get to."
"Pardon me?" Zelda asked, looking out the window and seeing a full moon hovering in the middle of the sky. "The sun hasn't even come out yet."
"Oh, I'm sorry, you didn't know," Lulu apologized, "Here in Macabrenon, it's always night."
"What!"
"It's true," Lulu said, coming in and going to Zelda's wardrobe. She flung open the doors and pulled out a gown. It looked like Zelda old dress, though all the white was black and the pink red. The golden shoulder plates were a silver color, and Zelda's shoes were a deep onyx color.
"Come along," Lulu said, "The ball will start soon."
"How can you possibly tell?"
"The clocks around town," Lulu said plainly, "We rely on them to tell us the time."
After Zelda had changed out of her nightgown and convinced herself that it was the next morning, the two headed down to a grand ballroom in the castle. Zelda recognized it as the same one from Hollow Bastion, except it was larger, and the torches burned purple. Large tables, laden with food, were around the edge of the room, and an orchestra was on a platform at the front of the room. They played a beautiful melody, and Zelda felt like she was losing herself in the tune.
"Well," Lulu said, "What do you think?"
"It's wonderful," she replied, seeing all the dancing couples and other people in the huge hall.
"Well," Lulu said, "Go enjoy yourself. This ball lasts all day, so have fun. I have a dance with Vincent," she said, her tone sounding rather mischievous, "Last year, he promised me one, but we never had it, so now, he owes me." With that, she turned towards the table where King Jack and the knights sat. As she looked over the faces, she saw one that she was happy to see, the dark face of Drizzt.
As she approached, Jack rose from his seat, and Sally did likewise.
"Welcome, your highness," he said gracefully, "And thank you for your attendance. I hope you slept well last night."
"As well as could be expected from an eternal night," she answered.
Jack laughed, then directed her attention towards the other people sitting around him. "These two ladies," he said, indicating two women sitting next to Vincent, "Are Ivy and Rose Valentine, siblings of Vincent Valentine."
As he said their names, they each nodded to Zelda respectively. Ivy had a head of silver hair and a set of serious, piercing eyes. Rose looked more like Vincent, with dark hair and angular face. Both were wearing a suit of lightweight, blue armor.
"Here on the other side of Vincent is Albel Nox," the skeleton continued. Zelda shuddered as the rude man smirked at her.
"This is Drizzt Do'urden," Jack continued, gesturing to the unusual dark elf, and he smiled at Zelda, causing her to blush slightly. "And this is Auron." The man at the end of the table nodded to her, but Zelda couldn't even see his eyes because they were hidden behind a pair of smoked glasses. His mouth was hidden behind the tall, black collar of his dark red coat. "I'm sorry to say that Sephiroth is not here yet. He said that he would be in attendance soon."
Zelda nodded, then turned when she heard the orchestra start a new tune. It was a beautiful waltz, and Zelda wished she could be out on the floor with the other couples. If only Link were here.
A tap on her shoulder made her jump, and she turned around to see Drizzt standing behind her.
"May I have this dance?" he asked simply, then bowed gracefully. Zelda laughed slightly, then placed her hand in his. As the two stepped onto the floor, Zelda felt herself carried away. Drizzt was a wonderful dancer, his steps precise and balanced. He was confident as he looked into Zelda's eyes, and she gazed into his lavender orbs. She felt like she was floating, and when the tempo began to pick up in the waltz, the pair began to dance faster, creating an mesmerizing sight. Their movements were in total unison, and soon, everyone on the floor had stopped to watch the two. Drizzt's dark green cloak swirled around and the color mixed with Zelda's gown, creating a dark yet dazzling display. The music halted at the end, and the two found themselves out of breath.
Their audience applauded, and even Albel seemed impressed. As the music started for another song, a man approached the couple.
Was tall, at least as tall as Drizzt, but had smooth skin. A head of long, silver hair flowed down his back, and his eyes were a brilliant green. He had on a black jacket, pants and boots, and belted around his waist was a long, thin sword. As he walked towards them, the crowd parted for him, and Zelda guessed almost immediately that this was Sephiroth. He came up to Zelda and spoke politely.
"Excuse, madam, but may I have the pleasure of the next dance?"
Zelda glanced at Drizzt, and he smiled to her, letting go of her hand. "I 'll speak with you later," he promised as he walked back to the table. She watched him go, then turned to her new dance partner. She placed her hand in his black gloved hand, but shivered slightly. Even through her glove, Zelda felt a cold chill through his hand. She smiled at him, acting like there was nothing wrong, but Zelda had a strange feeling in her heart. His eyes were almost glowing and Zelda felt as if they were boring into her.
"You dance beautifully," he complimented, "I don't think we've been properly introduced. I am Sephiroth Strife."
"Zelda," she introduced herself, but questioned whether that was wise to do.
"What a lovely name," he said with a sigh, "Perhaps after this dance we should go and talk somewhere," he offered. His eyes flashed as Zelda gave him a fake smile, then pulled herself away.
"I'm sorry, but I have other plans," she lied. Something about him just didn't feel right.
"Very well," he said quietly, an almost angry hint in his voice, "I shall see you again." He turned from her and walked through the parting crowd.
Zelda was suddenly overcome with a dizziness, and stepped over to doorway that led to a terrace. In the cool, night air, she breathed deeply. The terrace was just a short distance off the ground, and she leaned down to see the moat running beneath it. When she did, her hand brushed against something rough tied around the balcony. She saw it was a cloth, and attached to it was another on and another one, until it had formed a long rope ladder all the way down to a small boat tied under the bridge, bobbing in the green current. She looked around curiously, but stopped when she felt a handclasp over her mouth and a blade rest against the side of her neck.
"You'll be wantin' to come with me, missy," she heard a voice whisper. It sounded rather slurred, almost distracted, and Zelda was jerked around to find that she was staring into the face of what she could only guess was a pirate.
Well, what do you all think? I'm sorry if it seemed somewhat rushed, but I really wanted to fit it all in, especially the history of Hallow Bastion, because some people were wondering. Well, anyone you recognize? Go ahaead and tell me. Also, I'm going to cover Zelda's half of the story first, and then go to Link after they meet up again. Tell me what you think.