Cathleen found herself backing away from the menacing figure of the masked man before her. Not only had she found her father dead the moment she stepped into the room, but now she realized that her own life was in danger. Could it be that this man was one of the supposed invaders that had brought war upon her land?
The Princess trembled as her breathing escalated to an all new height of fear that she had ever experienced in her life. The hairs upon her arms stood on end and with each turn of her head, she found she could not find her voice.
At the sight of the unexpected presence of the girl before him, Emmett smirked behind the mask, his mind entirely lost. No longer in control of his own body or thoughts, Majora realized she was so very close to finally freeing herself from the mask entirely.
"Blood…I must have…more…"
While she had been slowly backing away in hopes of fleeing the room, Cathleen unexpectedly lost her footing, and she sat there on the floor using the heels of her feet to push her away from the approaching person. "No…no…s-stay away!"
A sickening crack resounded within the room as the man snapped his neck to the side, though unfazed by the cringing noise; he continued his trek towards the girl. "Give me…more…I must have more!"
'I don't want to die…oh father what do I do?'
She screamed, and very loudly too. Yet before he could reach out and touch one strand of her blonde hair, his threatening approach towards Cathleen abruptly ceased.
"Princess!"
Because she had closed her eyes out of fear, Cathleen's eyes snapped open. In front of her, she saw her royal guard, Roshan standing protectively in front of her, a long sword drawn and her legs apart and prepared for battle. "R-Roshan…" A tear slid down her cheeks and she suddenly relinquished her hold upon either side of her head. So she was saved…
'Blood…I must have it…"
Cathleen gasped and frightfully clung to Roshan's leg. "We must flee! H-he k-k-killed…" Unable to control her tears, Cathleen broke down into a fit of sobbing, the sight of her dead father not far from them.
Though she felt the pain that burdened the weeping Princess, Roshan however kept her feelings locked away. There was no time for tears. There were three things that dwelled heavily on her mind. The first regarding the Palace very much caught up in flames, and the second concerning the fast approaching invaders soon to attack. Lastly, she needed to get everyone, or as much as she could to safety through the tunnels as quickly as possible.
"F-father!" Cathleen cried, her face hidden in her hands as she sat upon her knees behind the standing amazon woman.
Eyeing the specter before them, Roshan saw that he was wearing the very mask that had posed a threat to their Kingdom earlier that day. It had been sealed away in Stone Tower last she remembered, and she had a hunch he stole it to rid the Kingdom of the King. Looking behind her, she saw the tearful Princess at her feet with her face buried in her hands and quaking in fear. Thankfully she had gotten there in time.
"Princess, leave quickly! Your father's last words were to get you to safety! Quickly! I'm sure the others are waiting in the dining room."
Looking up, Cathleen watched as her protector stepped away from her before picking herself off the ground. "Y-yes…You'll…be right behind me…"
"Yes, I promise you. Now go."
Swallowing her fears, Cathleen nodded before quickly running from the room, her legs shaking with each step. From what she gathered from Roshan, the others were likely waiting there in the Dining Room to escape. However, before that, there was something she had to do first on the third floor, something that sent all thoughts of escaping to the back of her mind. Her father and her people came first most of all before herself.
OOO
A scorching fire consumed the room they had previously occupied and they found themselves out in the hall. Roshan had explained that they should evacuate through a secret passage located in the Dining Room on the first floor.
"We should search for the King's bed chamber. I'm sure we'll find the pendant there," Link explained. "There isn't much time left, so we should be quick about this."
Agreeing to the young boy's plan, Inuyasha turned away from the two before looking over his shoulder. "Since the Robe of the Fire Rat protects me, I should be fine. How about you two head upstairs and search there while I look around this floor?"
Kagome frowned. From what she could see, her friend was unarmed; he had no sword to protect himself if something should go wrong, not to mention he was in his human form, thanks to the necklace Adrian had given them to repress Inuyasha's demon form. "Are you sure?"
He cracked his knuckles before rolling his eyes. "I'm not completely useless. Now get going. Once we find that stupid pendant that faster we can get the hell out of this place."
"Agreed," Link replied before grasping Kagome's hand to pull her with him the opposite way.
With one last look behind her, Kagome watched as Inuyasha began searching through the rooms as Link led her further down the hall. She hoped they would find the King's bed chamber before the entire castle fell from the fire.
A sudden thought hit her suddenly and she couldn't help but stop. "Wait, I forgot my bow and arrows!"
Link grasped her hand before she could run back. "The room is already on fire. We don't have time to backtrack, Kagome."
She realized he was right, but it was the Great Fairy's gift to her, the Light Arrows, and now they were gone. There was nothing she could use now to protect herself or her friends.
As Link once again pulled her with him down the hall, he couldn't help but notice from the corner of his eye how distressed the priestess appeared. There was nothing they could do about her weapons now. "When we return to the present, I'll get you a new one."
Kagome blushed, but instead of refusing his offer, she only nodded. After locating the staircase, Kagome and Link began searching all the rooms upon the third floor. It was difficult to figure out which one was the King's; they were after all very luxurious and grand.
OOO
Inuyasha cursed as he held his sleeve up to cover his nose and mouth. How in the hell would he find the pendant with all this smoke surrounding him? Most of the rooms on the floor had been completely empty and to his annoyance locked up. Since there were only five rooms on this floor, three of them impossible to get inside, he was left with only two, and with the smoke causing his eyes to water, he realized there wouldn't be much time until the castle completely fell.
Pillows, blankets, books and all sorts of objects were tossed into the air onto the floor as Inuyasha demolished the room. He had searched under the bed, through drawers and closets and had even pushed aside an entire bookshelf in hopes of finding the blasted pendant. Sadly he had no luck.
A noise from the down the hall shifted Inuyasha's attention from his search, and curious, he stealthily maneuvered himself against the door and peered out into the hallway. There were at least three dark figures running in his direction, and from the looks of it, they weren't his friends and nor were they the Princess and her nursemaid.
Though it was none of his business, he kept his back to the wall inside the room and as they passed the room entirely, their footsteps rather quick, Inuyasha watched them out of curiosity. He had a hunch he knew who those people were armed with swords.
Inuyasha cursed. Link knew his history well. It was no doubt in his mind that those were the very men Link had warned him and Kagome about. "Damn it! Kagome…" She and Link were in danger! Allowing his eyes to scan the room one final time, Inuyasha darted out of the room and in the direction the Garo had gone. Screw searching for the pendant! Like hell he would let those bastards hurt his friends!
Yet as he chased after, he realized his fists alone would do little against swords. Immediately after realizing this, he remembered a very familiar sword the King had in one of the rooms on this very floor; it was the last room he had yet to search. If he hurried, he could get to Kagome and Link in time.
After kicking the door open, Inuyasha entered the large and ornate room. The fire place was directly across from him and above it, hanging from the wall, was the very sword the Great Fairy had given him in the present time. The King had explained to them during lunch that the sword was a gift from a demon years ago. And even though the medallion around his neck kept his demon form under control, Inuyasha had a feeling that even if he wielded the curved blade, it would not grant him its powers. But a sword was a sword either way.
Reaching up, he grabbed the hilt of the blade and after pulling it from the wall; he immediately left the room.
OOO
The moment they had arrived upon the third floor, Kagome and Link had easily found the very bed chamber that they presumed belonged to the King. The Royal emblem was intricately painted onto the rather large oak doors. It was also to their relief that there hadn't been any trouble getting inside, and they immediately set about their task.
On one side of the room, Kagome searched through many cabinets hanging on the walls while Link searched along every crack in the room and through every furnishing. At least a good five minutes had gone by and their hunt proved unsuccessful, that was until Kagome stumbled upon a familiar Script.
"Any luck Kagome?" Link asked from across the room.
"Link isn't this the Royal Script we found the other day?" She asked, looking into a very elaborate box that held the parchment securely inside. Link had found it just last night when they found Cathleen tied up and unconscious at a camp littered with numerous bodies.
Pausing from his search, he was about take a gander at what Kagome had stumbled upon but something from outside the room had shifted his attention away from the priestess. Someone was running down the hall towards the room and it seemed Kagome was too distracted to notice.
"Link I—" Kagome suddenly squeaked when she found herself pulled unexpectedly towards the back side of the bed where Link surprisingly held a hand over her mouth. If there hadn't been a war upon them at that moment and a time limit, Kagome would have blushed at their predicament, but she realized there must have been a reason Link had pulled her behind the bed and out of sight. She sat there, her knees pulled to her chest and her head resting against Link's shoulder.
"Shh someone's here…" Link whispered into her ear suddenly before pulling his hand away from her mouth in order peek underneath the bed.
To their surprise, they saw someone without any shoes step into the room before lightly and very quickly pilfer through one of the cabinets. Because of this, Link had ushered Kagome very quietly and as quickly as they could manage, underneath the bed to avoid detection.
They couldn't see which cabinet the individual was going through, but after a couple minutes, the person immediately ran out of the room so quickly that it left Link and Kagome stumped. Whoever that person was, they sure seemed in a hurry.
When Link and Kagome saw that the coast was clear, they pulled themselves out from under the bed and looked at one another. They said nothing but quickly resumed their search, but unfortunately, before they could pull apart completely, masculine voices from outside the room caused them to freeze.
Realizing this time there were more of them, Link reached out and grasped Kagome's hand and because she was unable to react in time, she turned half way and accidentally tripped over her foot and stumbled onto the young boy. They fell rather loudly onto the floor, their legs awkwardly entangled with one another's and Kagome's face lying upon Link's chest. It wasn't surprising they were both blushing.
It was too late to untangle themselves from one another when a group of young men with their faces hidden by the hoods of their cloaks stepped inside the King's Chamber Room. Thankfully and to Link and Kagome's relief, they only stepped partially inside, talking rather loudly to one another, though their accents were very similar to Kagome's.
With his hand resting on the hilt of his sword, unfortunately caught underneath Kagome's body that was still lying atop of him, Link knew it would be a little difficult to pull it from its sheath if they had been caught.
"Īe yoiga, kono fukutsu no seishin-nai no ta no surviors ga aru yōnimieru shimasen!" (No good, there doesn't seem to be any other survivors within this fortitude!) One of the masculine voices said aloud.
"Kuso!" (Damn!) Another replied.
It was at this moment that Link found himself unable to comprehend the strange language they spoke, though he thought he recognized a familiar comparison between the way they spoke and the way Kagome and her friends often spoke to one another. However it sounded more like gibberish coming from these rogue men.
Although she had been temporarily distracted by her close proximity with Link, Kagome's ears couldn't help but recognize the language as that of her own. The way in which they spoke was a lot less, how could she put it, clearer than what she was used to in her time period. Yet she recognized bits and pieces as they conversed just on the other side of the room.
"Kare ga kore o kiita toki, jōshi ga shiawase ni naru koto wa arimasen." (Boss won't be happy when he hears this.)
The other scowled. "Watashitachi wa sono Neiji ni tsuite dekiru koto wa nani mo arimasen. Mata, chōdo anata-tachi wa sore o kanjite inai... Mohaya hitsuyōijō ni kono basho ni iru watashi no hada no kurōru o tsukutte iru?" (There's nothing we can do about that Neiji. Besides, just being in this place any longer than necessary is making my skin crawl...Did you guys not feel it?)
"Anata wa ō ga genzai iesu sonogo, jōchū heya-nai ni sonzai suru omnious pawā to ieba shite iru baai. Zan'nen'nagara, doa ga shikkari to rokku sa rete imasu. Watashitachi no dansei wa sore o ai priestara, saishū-tekina dageki wa toriatsukawa renakereba naranai."
(If you're speaking of the ominous power residing within the room the King presently resides, then yes. Unfortunately the doors are locked tightly. Once our men pry it open, then the final blow shall be dealt with.)
Kagome gasped. What was happening within the Throne Room? The priestess couldn't help but wonder if the King, Cathleen and if Roshan were alright, not to mention if Flat was either. These men must have been the Garo Link spoke of earlier since their arrival to the past. They were here to assassinate the Royal Family!
"Kagome," Link whispered suddenly, and she tilted her head up in order to meet his gaze. "What are they saying?"
Kagome frowned. "They have come to assassinate the King and that they can't seem to get inside the Throne Room downstairs…" She paused before loudly gulping as she clenched the boy's tunic. "I…think…something bad is happening downstairs…"
A sudden silence befell the men standing within the room, their gazes searching the interior of the bed chamber warily. Their keen hearing had caught the sound of soft murmurings and they realized they were not alone within the room.
"Nani datte? Koko no dareka ka?"
(What was that? Is someone in here?)
Link mentally cursed. Not good. Somehow they had heard them whispering and would likely stumble upon them behind the bed. Link's eyes quickly glanced over Kagome. Without her weapons to protect herself, she was obviously vulnerable, especially where there were three armed men within the room.
With the hilt of his sword still clenched tightly in his grasp, Link silently motioned for the priestess to hide under the bed, and at first she was hesitant. Yet on account of their approaching footsteps, she did as instructed, her breath hitched in her throat and her heart pounded very loudly.
"Ima detekuru, to watashitachi wa anata no shi wa sugu ni shūryō shite ageru."
(Come out now, and we'll make your death end quickly.)
Before Link could reveal himself to the approaching Garo, another voice presented itself within the room, and Link easily recognized the temper behind it.
"That's as far as you assholes go!" A certain ebony haired man dressed in the Robes of the Fire Rat exclaimed hotly from the doorway, brandishing a familiar and large sword. "You even think about touching my friends, I'll kill you!"
OOO
After finally managing to retrieve the Sacred Script from her father's room, Cathleen ran as quickly as she could down two staircases and towards the main dining room. After accidentally losing her slippers during her escape from the room where her father had been maliciously killed, Cathleen found herself running in her bare feet.
Though the halls were ominously dark and foreboding, the Princess realized she was returning down the very hall where the Throne Room rested, and she was sure Roshan was still in battle with the mysterious and murderous masked man. Yet she abruptly stopped on her way near the very room when she noticed an abundant of robed men standing just outside the closed doors that separated them from the battle.
Her eyes widened in alarm. There were more men inside the Palace?! Had they also come to attack them as well? The Princess silently wondered if their army had truly succumbed to a terrible defeat. Ever so slowly, she found herself stepping away from the Garo directly ahead, attempting to infiltrate the throne room.
'What do I do? They're blocking the way to the dining room!' Cathleen was sure Priestess Kagome and the others were waiting impatiently there for her to return so they could escape but getting past these men was a problem for her. There had to be another way. If she had listened to Roshan earlier, she knew she wouldn't have been in this predicament, but she had to get the Sacred Script from her father's bed chamber no matter what. If only she could get past them to the other end of the hallway…
She turned around the moment one of them spotted her down the hall, and to her disbelief, two were chasing her with their swords drawn. With the Sacred Script clutched tightly in her hands, she ran as quickly as her feet allowed her, but they were gaining on her.
They were yelling at her, those two hooded men, their language puzzling to her. But despite that, all she knew was that they wished for her demise; that was enough to send her running down the dark and empty halls. If she screamed, she had a feeling it would alert more of them to her presence.
Unexpectedly, she lost her footing, falling ungracefully onto the carpeted floor, and just as she saw the glint from the sword swing towards her, something happened. The men who were just a few feet from her lost their footing suddenly when the entire Palace shook around them. It was so alarming that she couldn't help but shriek in fright. In all her life, she had never experienced anything like it.
But despite the horrifying sight around her with the walls and floor shaking uncontrollably, Cathleen realized it was a blessing in disguise. The men were unable to keep their footing, and it gave Cathleen just enough time to gather her footing and escape back down the hall, though she couldn't help but stumble from time to time.
Decorative vases and tapestries fell upon the floor loudly and as she past the stumbling men unable to hold their balance, Cathleen hugged the wall as much as she could to keep herself from falling.
Eventually the shaking happening around her immediately stilled, but Cathleen didn't stop to look back. She could hear the same men chasing after her, but at least there was some distance between them.
Directly at the end of the hall, Cathleen saw the double doors that led to the dining room and after pushing open the doors, she immediately shut them. With her shaking hands, she pushed a strong and thick plank into its slot fastened to the inside of the door to securely lock herself inside. After which, she backed away.
Turning around and delighted to have reached the room to greet her friends, Cathleen was surprised to find the dining room empty. Confused, she looked around, holding the Sacred Script to her chest as she ventured further into the room. There was no one here…
"Priestess Kagome? Swordsman Link?" She called out, but there was no reply.
Yet a bright and almost golden light turned her attention away from the room and towards the glass window leading directly ahead of her. Curious, she stepped past the dining table and looked outside. Despite the fire consuming the village across the river in the dark of night, Cathleen couldn't tear her gaze away from the sky. It was there that she noticed three golden lights hovering over her Kingdom.
"What's that?" She voiced aloud. It didn't seem natural at all, and she wondered if it had anything to do with the stories her nursemaid once told when she was a child about the true deities that governed the land.
Poundings from outside the room shifted Cathleen's attention away from the window and back to the door. There wasn't much time and her friends were no doubt still in the Palace somewhere; there was no way she could abandon them! Yet there was no way she could get out of the room without evacuating through the secret passage to the tunnels that only the Royal Family knew of.
"No…I can't abandon them!" She told herself before holding the Sacred Script before her sternly. Since there wasn't much time, she could at least summon help. Cathleen wasn't a fool; she knew that her father used to frequently call upon the Fierce Moon God in the past.
She had to do this now.
Kneeling upon the ground, Cathleen unveiled the Sacred Script, her blue eyes skimming over the ancient writing inscribed upon the parchment. Long ago, it was said the Moon God saved her people from a malevolent beast and because he pitied the humans, he granted them the power to summon him only in dire need and to never abuse his gift. Today her Kingdom needed saving. Her people were no doubt suffering just outside the walls of her Palace. Now her very life was on the line as well as her friends.
Folding her hands together, Cathleen prayed.
The smoke from outside the Palace had no doubt covered many of the rooms on the first and second floor. Though she paid little attention, Cathleen couldn't help but smell the smoke infiltrate the room. With the shouts of the men on the other side attempting to break down the door, Cathleen pushed them into the back of her mind; her thoughts were focused entirely onto summoning help.
Opening her eyes, she realized her prayer had not been answered, and despondently she reached out and clutched the parchment to her chest. Tears welled up in her eyes and she turned her head upward. "Why won't you answer me? Please, help me! Please!" She cried.
None of this was supposed to happen, but it was happening. For many years, her father had told her how prosperous and forgiving their Kingdom was, how their people always smiled joyously to his reign over them, but it was during these dark days that Cathleen realized the truth. Had she truly been so naïve to the protests outside the Palace walls? Had she truly believed all was well within the Palace?
She begged and pleaded for the Moon God to appear, but still he did not.
Yet she should have realized it long ago, during a time when her twin brother had disappeared from the family as if spirited out of existence. Cathleen had asked and asked for her brother, but all the servants around her were unable to tell her his whereabouts. After some years had passed and her memory of her twin slowly faded, her father finally told her the truth. He said her brother had been spirited away by the gods, though he gave no answer as to why it had happened, but Cathleen had accepted it though she did however mourn the loss of a loved one for a time.
Shortly after that, her father's form had altered into a horrifying sight to the point in which their own castle needed expanded in order to accommodate his large size. Because Cathleen hadn't thought much of it, she blamed it on her father's unnatural growth spurt, yet deep down, she often wondered if he had been cursed by the demon god she often times witnessed him summoning during her youth.
Tears clouded her vision as she wept. Was this really happening? Was it possible only her father could summon the deity? As she was about to accept the inevitable, a bright and shimmering blue light suddenly enveloped her vision and she brought her hands up to cover her eyes in shocked surprise.
A heavenly being shrouded by a mystical white and blue light hovered mere inches from the polished floor where Cathleen kneeled. With a stature of at least eight foot, this man was dressed in silken white clothes, with a breast plate covering his torso and a magnificent sword held in his mighty hand. He looked upon her emotionlessly with his pupil less stare piercing through her. It was extraordinary; he looked every bit like Roshan had described in her stories when he was younger. Beautiful white hair was pulled back behind him, braided at his lower back.
This was the Moon God.
A vengeance no one dreamt possible burned within his stare as he had expected to look upon the King for a third time after his summoning. However, his gaze softened somewhat when he saw a young blonde haired Princess weeping before him on her knees.
"Please…Please…help me…"
The Fierce Deity noticed the strain in her soft voice and after examining her further, he realized she was the daughter of the King, though the difference in personality was astounding, yet he appreciated that it was no longer the King this time that called upon him.
Despite his intimidating stare and stature, Cathleen showed no fear, but she sat there on her knees with her hands clasped together pleadingly. "I beg you. Save my Kingdom. My father…father has been murdered…" She exclaimed sorrowfully with tears brimming her reddened eyes. "The castle is afire and strange men have infiltrated these walls to harm my friends and family," She replied despondently.
All the while the Moon God listened, watching her weep before him so dolefully that he couldn't help but feel pity for the creature.
"Please…please…save them. Save my people from this terrible onslaught. That's all I ask of you. Please," Cathleen begged.
"Your wish," He began, his voice cold and husky that it surprised the Princess as she hadn't expected him to say anything. "is not selfish but pure…however you do understand what you are asking?" The Fierce Deity was referring to the sacrifice at stake. "There is always a price for summoning this Fierce Deity."
Gulping and wiping away her tears, Cathleen nodded. "That my life is at stake. I realize this," She replied. "I realize that my loved ones are in grave danger and if someone should suffer, I'd rather it be me. Take my life if you must, but save them, please."
For a moment, he stared at her and he saw within her eyes that she was determined to fulfill their bargain. Lowering himself closer to her, he knelt down and placed his hand upon her forehead in order to fulfill the agreement, but he only touched her head and nothing more. There was no intense flame shooting out from his palm to end her meaningless life, and he didn't intend to kill her.
Instead, he pulled away, much to Cathleen's surprise. "Very well. It shall not be I who takes your life this night. I shall do as you have wished and I shall use my powers to quiet this land of all its anger and sin."
For a moment she hesitated. He would not kill her? This Fierce God was willing to allow her to live for such? Smiling at him, fresh tears fell down her cheeks. "Thank you…"
Without a response back to the young Princess, the Fierce Deity disappeared within a radiant light and at that moment the doors to the dining room broke open.