Okay, this is a two part chappie, so bear with me. But hey, at least I'm getting one of the natural clichés out there: exploring a strange castle and finding something that would raise eyebrows.

Hope you enjoy this nonetheless.

I own nothing except my OCs.

Read, leave a review, but no flames.

Chapter 4: Searching the Castle, Part 1

When Mary woke to bright light gleaming at her eyelids, she couldn't help but silently question how long she was asleep since that long night after being brought to Hollow Bastion with her family. Not to mention, she also noticed that the castle has become significantly quieter without the night beasts roaming about in the wilds. Not wanting to waste the day questioning herself on matters utterly beyond her understanding, she decided to just get up, get dressed, and find out how her sisters are doing.

As soon as she changed to one of her day dresses and put her glasses on, Mary immediately left her room to look for Mina first, if out of paranoia for her safety since she's the youngest of the four. But the moment she stepped out into the hall, she quickly noticed how eerily quiet it was, and wondered if there is anyone still in the castle; it unnerved her that the staff and the host are not around to greet them or even tell them that they intend to leave elsewhere for a few hours. She strolled through the hallway searching for wherever Mina was settled in, wondering if she ever saw anything strange or experienced something that gave her chills down her spine. If something like that did occur, then she'd love to know who was harassing her little sister and make him pay for it.

Fortunately, she didn't have to look far because Mina was already coming out of her bedroom, all dressed and primed for the morning without a nitpicking fuss.

"How're you feeling, Mina? Did you sleep well?" Mary asked to make sure nothing was wrong.

"I slept alright. I must've felt rather tired the moment I settled under the sheets," Mina replied, "Although, for a moment, I felt like someone was watching me. But that feeling vanished as quickly as it came, so I didn't have any problems."

That raised Mary's brow a bit. "What do you mean, someone was watching you?"

"I don't know. I didn't see anyone, so I can't tell you who it was," her younger sister answered, "But I promise that I'm quite unharmed."

"Alright, then, if you say so…" Mary reluctantly agreed before changing the subject, "Well, in any case, we'd better go check up on Jane and Caroline. They're probably awake by now, and if I know Caroline, she's likely going to be complaining about the lack of services within this castle and annoying Jane with that speech in question."

"Perhaps the reason we're not seeing the staff or our good host today is because they're away on business," Mina speculated, "or maybe the master loves to make hunting trips during the day."

"Maybe…" Mary agreed, but in the back of her mind she was disagreeing at the same time.

Both sisters retraced their steps through the halls until they found Jane and Caroline's room where it was at the start. Sure enough, they could hear their eldest sister making a fuss about the residents not being around when they should and Jane trying her best to ease her with possible legit excuses the staff and host might have for not being around, but to no avail since Caroline was not buying the ideas one bit. Mary groaned in dismay at the one-sided bickering as she opened the door, thus catching their attention and letting them know they've got company.

"Mary, this is unbelievable! It's already later in the morning, and yet I don't see a single person coming to check on us," Caroline complained, "What is the meaning of this? You'd think at least the host would be generous enough to be hospitable during the day as well as at night. That man – what was his name again? – certainly had the audacity to have us fend for ourselves at these hours!"

"I tried to tell you, Caroline, that he might be doing other business and didn't want to bother us about it," Jane explained as she was brushing her hair, "After all, I am sure that Xemnas can be a busy man as well. Who knows? Maybe he has an established business."

"I'm not too sure about that, Jane," Mary responded skeptically, "He doesn't look like a businessman type of person."

Caroline would hear none of that. "Well, I'm not going to remain here with a neglectful castle owner if no one's going to be here to aid us. We should just go into the castle stable, grab their coach, and leave for Twilight Town posthaste."

"But we don't even know where the stable is, Caroline," Mina protested, "And it would be most rude to leave without saying good-bye. Xemnas was very kind to us, and he was very hospitable when we told him of our situation."

"You're most certainly right about that, Mina. After all, he offered to let us stay in Hollow Bastion until another ride can be found," Jane agreed wholeheartedly, "If we left now, it would be very offensive."

As much as I don't want to admit it, Mary thought, I can agree that it would be impolite to leave without any notification. But I do wonder where everyone has gone during the day. That was when a little idea crossed her mind. Maybe if we take a look around the castle, we might be able to learn more about this place…and that can get Caroline to stop making a fuss, if for a little while.

"You know, since we do have some liberty within the castle, why don't we walk around Hollow Bastion and see what this place has to offer?" Mary suggested, putting her plan in motion, "I'm sure there's plenty of places to explore, and perhaps we can learn more about the castle's history."

That caught Caroline's attention. "For once, you have a brilliant idea! Maybe there's something interesting hiding within these walls. Shall we go?"

"I don't see why we shouldn't look around," Jane agreed, "We might be able to find something entertaining to do while we're staying here."

It was settled then; as soon as Jane and Caroline were finished changing out of their clothes, they began to formulate a plan on who is going where within Hollow Bastion. Mary wanted to see if there's a library she can look into, while Mina simply wanted to take a stroll around the halls and see what there is to see. Caroline wanted to look for the staff, but Jane insisted that she not wander around alone. So it was decided that Caroline would stay with Mary and look for the library while Jane and Mina took a walk around the halls and see what can be explored within the castle.

On Mary and Caroline's part, they began to search through one side of the castle, trying to figure out what's what and where the library. Though, it was mainly Mary who wanted to know where the library is considering that she's not used to staying in a castle; Caroline wanted to search through every door she could find, but was always greeted by both spider webs and old furniture or nothing but cobwebs in an empty room. Just seeing her elder sister this way only justified Mary's irritation with her, making her question what Caroline was even looking for in the first place.

But then there did come a point where they stumbled across a stairway leading to a small hall where a lone door stood alone in the midst of darkness. To Mary, something about that door felt rather sinister…like there's an evil presence lurking within, and if someone got careless enough, it could get out and unleash what horrors it hides. Personally, she didn't want to know what was behind the door.

"Hey, Mary, let's see what's hiding behind this door!" Caroline said anxiously as she began marching down the stairs.

"Caroline, I don't think that's a good idea," Mary protested, following her elder sister. "Let's just keep moving."

"Oh, come now, don't be such a killjoy!" Caroline dismissed her as she tried to pull the door open to no avail, "I want to see what's inside here!" But then she discovered that the door won't open. "Oh! What is this, some form of sick jest? Whatever is in here must be well-guarded. Perhaps it's something very valuable."

But Mary was having none of that. "Caroline Chastain, you stop it! Let's head back upstairs right now, and look for the library."

Reluctantly, Caroline complied with her wishes and trudged behind her while leaving the abhorrently old door behind them. As far as Mary was concerned, it was for the better that they don't look down there just yet.

After a while, the two opposing sisters finally found one door that has been left ajar unlike all the others. Mary took the lead and opened it wide to find a wide room filled with bookshelves arranged in a square-like alignment, filled to the brim with countless old books galore; at the center of the room stood an old and dusty desk with a few papers scattered around the area, and near the desk stood two sofas carefully nestled on each side, also carrying a few books on their seats due to not being placed back on the shelves where they belong. There wasn't a lot of carpeting, and the single stained glass window that stood above the room was quite faded and dusty from lack of cleaning that seemed to have lasted for decades (it did make Mary wonder how on earth some light was able to seep into the room despite the neglect).

"What a dump. Hasn't anyone ever thought about cleaning this place up?" Caroline commented as she looked around at the dust.

"Well, at least we found the library. Now, let me see if I can find anything relating to Hollow Bastion," Mary said as she stepped inside to search the room. "Or better yet, if someone had a journal or something that had been cared for, then maybe we can learn something about this castle and why it went into decline."

As both sisters examined the room, Mary began to inspect every shelf she could reach in hopes that there's a history book or something she can read. However, as she did, she found that the books on the shelves were much older than she expected; in fact, some of them were either about to fall apart at a touch or were simply aged to a degree under the influence of little or too much use over the years. It almost frustrated her, but when she noticed one particular book that stood out from the others, she couldn't help but want to take a look inside and find out what was written in it.

Sure enough, as soon as she pulled out the book from the shelf, Mary noticed that the cover had no name or title present to explain what it is, which struck her odd at first. But once she opened it, she was amazed to find that it wasn't even a history book at all: she realized that what she had plucked from the rows of written antiquities was actually an individual's personal journal.

"Well…this is something I wasn't expecting," she said to herself, "Here I thought I found something historical, but this is probably not what I expected."

Caroline caught on that something was found, and came over to see what it is. "What'd you find, Mary? Did you find a map or something under one of those old thing's covers?"

"No, but I think I found someone's journal from who knows when. Maybe this could give some insight as to the life of the writer," Mary speculated as she began to mentally read at the beginning.

Caroline pouted in disappointment. "You do whatever you want. I'm going to look for a map we can use to get to Twilight Town."

The studious woman rolled her eyes as Caroline walked away and began to brush through the dust in the anticipation that she'd find some sort of map. She decided to just ignore her and focus on the journal in her hands, wondering what she could learn within the pages full of one person's private thoughts and experience. Carefully, she began reading one of the entries that had been marked by a folded corner, delving into the words of a person who had apparently been part of Hollow Bastion's history.

'A grave misfortune has stuck a small town several miles from Hollow Bastion, and among the refugees were a small handful of families that were of noble heritage as I am. I couldn't bear the idea of these poor people suffering outside, so I obliged on taking these lost souls under my merciful wings and gave them another chance to live.

'But out of all the unfortunate creatures that have taken shelter in my abode, there was one that fascinated my eye more than anything I have ever experienced: a little woman, obviously of noble heritage, but was a rather fragile soul with a thin figure and skin almost as white as the snow that comes with winter. Despite this, she somehow managed to maintain a beauty that is unparalleled by all. The moment she entered the castle, she felt rather ill and was almost about to collapse. As somewhat selfish as it may have been, I chose to give to her the best room I had to offer, and for greater benefit, it is settled above the gardens that have been cared for throughout generations. I believed that being near the fresh fragrance of nature from out the window would be of great benefit to her, and those who knew her couldn't help but agree on the matter.

However, I hadn't been able to learn her name. It is of utmost importance that I learn who this mysterious beauty is called by all who know her.'

Mary couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at what she had just read. She didn't think that she'd find a story of a person's life, much less speak of things that no normal person would ever discuss so openly. It made her wonder what this person went through, especially with the one figure that would be an influence on the legacy of the one who once lived in Hollow Bastion; she was sure that this was some sort of love story or something she's read in novels from her old home's library.

Her curiosity getting the best of her, Mary decided to keep reading and find out about this woman who has attracted the writer's attention so.

'I was able to find an opportunity to know more about the woman who is being nurtured by the physicians. One of her servants – a polite gentleman called Luxord, who told me of his service as her caretaker – informed me that her name is Hellene Steiner. She was once from a proud family, but she lost much of her family due to both illness and bloodshed; how so was most tragic: where she was from, those who were in the service of her family rebelled against her fellow kin due to uncontrolled oppression and abuse. What was worse was that her family and their families lost loved ones by a dangerous sickness that plagued her native land.

'Perhaps I may never know why such atrocities had to occur in the life of an innocent woman, but it pities me to see the lady Hellene in such a misfortunate position. But then why am I unable to remove her image from my mind? Is it this feeling that many call…love? Or is it something else?

Maybe I should watch her as much as possible, and find out what she does. Perhaps I can find my answers from there. Perhaps I might know what she thinks of me…'

That really raised Mary's eyebrows there. She didn't think that there would be someone who has experienced such things back who knows how many centuries, much less have someone question their emotions because of the sight of a woman (but then again, she has heard of such events in the novels she's read, but that's another story).

However, she just had to wonder who wrote in this journal to be able to identify the people and events; and who was Hellene Steiner?

"This is inconceivable! There's no map that can tell us where Twilight Town is!" Caroline shouted angrily, "Mary, we simply have to find the host and get him to tell us where a map to Twilight Town is. C'mon, let's get out of this place."

Mary frowned as she turned to her irritable sister and answered, "Caroline, you realize that I was in the middle of reading here? I'm sure that I found something that has a connection to Hollow Bastion, and here you are, complaining about not being able to find anything that can help us get to our intended destination. When are you going to ever learn about patience?" She growled a little bit. "Honestly, with that kind of attitude, you're only going to attract trouble until you reach a problem that you cannot avoid."

Caroline was upset when she heard this. "How dare you, Mary! How dare you say that to me! I sure hope you don't have the best of luck finding yourself a man in your life!"

With that, the rotten sister stormed out of the library in a furious huff while Mary trailed behind her with a dismal sigh of disbelief. She knew she shouldn't have lashed out like that, but there were those frequent moments where her patience and tolerance with Caroline would rapidly reach a dangerous breaking point. If anything, with the attitude and personality her eldest sister has, she might not be able to get herself a suitor that would fit her best…

Her thoughts were distracted when she looked out the windows of the halls to see that the sun was starting to set, making her think that they'd better look for Jane and Mina. Wherever they are, Mary could only hope that no harm has come to them.

But then she was caught off-guard when she heard a pained shriek of agony that echoed across the hall. Immediately, Mary made a mad dash to where the scream and – to her horror – she found Caroline squirming like a trapped animal as she struggled to free herself from a primitive hunting trap, releasing blood from the wounds on her left leg.

"Get me out of this, Mary!" Caroline cried as she began whining in pain, "I can't get my leg out of this accursed trap!"

"Alright, alright, just stay still and don't make any sudden moves," Mary ordered as she hurried over to help.

Though it wasn't easy, Mary was able to make use of an unused metal torch nearby as leverage against the trap to set Caroline's leg free. When she did, though, she was appalled to see just how bad and deep the clamp injuries were; if it was as serious as she thought it was, then she had to get help for her sister on the double.

"Okay, I got it. Can you still walk?" she asked out of precaution.

"Yeah…yeah, I think I can walk," Caroline whimpered.

"C'mon, we'd better get look for something to help your leg right now," Mary commanded, "And we'd better hurry before that injury causes too much trouble than it already is."

For once, the elder sister had to comply with her younger sister's will and follow along like her life depends on it. Mary began to lead her temporarily vulnerable sister through the hall with the intent on finding something to heal Caroline's wounds as soon as possible so that there wouldn't be any further hindrances later on. But where was she going to be able to get help in a place like this?