Here's the next chapter! Sorry it took so long to update, I've been trying to work on too many fanfictions at once! (Brain blows up) Augh! Anyway I hope you like it! Oh, and THANK YOU for all your reviews! Ya'll make me so happy! ToT And... I'm sorry to admit that Alice's room has finally been described! Sorry because I couldn't think of anything but yellow and bunnies. '^^
Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World.
The castle was not something that looked like Alice would live in. It was on the seashore, standing forlornly on the edge overlooking the endless sea. It was made of a dark gray rock, an ancient relic of civilizations past. It was this part of the countryside that was almost always dark. Gray, vicious clouds covered the sun almost all day, promising rain but never giving any. It gave the ageless castle a forbidding feeling that took root in the group's stomach and grew to dread. Their small wolf growled at the castle and began jumping around frantically.
"Are you sure she lives here?" Zelos asked, eyeing the castle skeptically. "It doesn't seem like her, if you know what I mean." Marta sighed as she remembered her days in the Vanguard. When she was little, her and Alice had been best friends, near inseparable. She remembered the inside of the house, and it was definitely her.
"Don't worry, the inside looks like her." She shuddered at the memory. "It looks exactly like her." They looked at the downed drawbridge, inviting them in like a gaping mouth, waiting to swallow them up.
"Don't you think it would be wise to get reinforcements? She is going to have the home field advantage, after all." Regal asked, the ever-thinking voice of reason. Marta's jaw nearly dropped off its hinges as she turned to stare at him.
"But Regal, we don't have time! The more time we spend floundering around looking for people, the more time Emil spends with her!" she hissed, stepping closer to the Tethe'allen royal. He sighed, shaking his long bangs out of his eyes.
"Yes, I understand that Marta. But the more time we spend 'floundering around' for people, the more well prepared we are to do battle, no matter what we come up against." Marta took a deep breath of sea-salted air, trying to control her anger… but failing in the long run.
"No, I don't think you do understand, Regal. The longer we spend trying to build up some dream army the longer he spends with that sadist," she spat out the word and Regal showed no sign of interrupting, only unyielding patience. "And I know I've said that before, but I don't think you- no anybody here understands the significance of that! The longer he's in there, the closer he is to losing everything! His pride, his dignity, his life! That witch will play with him until he's broken, then she will fix him and break him again! She will kill him, but it will seem like the life is being drained out of him at the pace of an asleep snail!" Tears were beginning to spring to the corners of her eyes, hot and burning, but she held them in check. "I've seen it happen, and no matter how much I wish I hadn't, I have. Those poor people were begging for death. They were begging to be torn apart from limb to limb rather than go through her! I care about Emil, I don't want him to die! And I'm not sure I can say the same about you, but I'd rather not see the person I love die because of something I did!" A considerable chill fell on the gang, and small gasps were heard from Sheena and Zelos, but she was past caring. The tears left hot trails down her face, and she impatiently dragged her sleeve across her eyes so she could get a clearer look at Regal, who was regarding her with heavily guarded eyes. Suddenly, it hit her, just exactly what she said. "Regal- I'm so…" he shook his head, only slightly.
"You're right. How about you go ahead, I'll go get reinforcements and support you. That way, we can get him out of there quicker." He said, his guarded expression reaching his voice.
"Regal," Sheena said, extending a hand.
"You three go on inside, I'll go find some willing citizens." He said, turning around and walking away, holding his head high. Zelos snorted and Marta turned around to see his sarcastic, cocky face sneering at her.
"Good going. You hit the only weak spot that Duke has. Congratulations, it took us most of the journey to find it." He gave a dry chuckle and Sheena lightly slugged him in the arm. He sighed and turned to her, not even bothering to rub his arm. "What's wrong? I was just telling the truth. You got some phobia of that?" he asked. Marta dried her tears, wondering how he could be so rude about it, when his friend was obviously hurt.
"Zelos…" she said softly.
He turned to her, fixing her with a violet-eyed stare before cutting her off stiffly, "What's wrong? You gonna' try to scare me away, too? Trust me, you can't, hunny, you're stuck with me." He turned towards the tall castle, and Marta could've sworn he heard him say something along the lines of 'my mother was', but she was fairly sure she wasn't supposed to. "Well, we better get going if you're going to save that knight of yours. The longer we sit here chatting, the longer he's with her, right?" he turned his head to look at her over his shoulder then walked towards the imposing castle, whistling jovially. Marta let out a sob that racked her body and made her heart ache.
Suddenly, two motherly arms were wrapped around her, comforting and warm. "Don't take it to heart," Sheena whispered, her spicy exotic breath blowing gently in her face. "That's the only way he knows how to act. The jerk," she gave a nervous laugh, trying to lighten the mood, but Marta knew she didn't mean it. "And as for Regal, try not to worry about him. He'll get over it," Marta waited for the eventually. "You just need to worry about Emil and yourself, they're tough." Marta sighed, her voice and body under control now.
"Thanks Sheena." Sheena extracted herself and started to walk after Zelos.
"No problem. And don't worry, I'll always be there." She stopped, turning around and waiting for her. Marta hurried and caught up, and then matched her pace to her ninja friend. "Don't you doubt that, either. I'm a ninja, I'm everywhere."
Emil woke up, shivering despite the suffocating heat. The numbness had dulled down but the young knight would've preferred that to what he had. Blinding, bone shattering fear racked through his body, crawling up his spine and then delicately running it's long tendrils back down. His heart, beating already faster than usual, began to leap over beats as fear decided it wanted to caress the vital organ. He felt oddly abandoned, or maybe that wasn't the word. Part of him was missing, bottled up in the back of his mind, and he felt as though his inner sanctuary had been violated.
"Eeeeeemiiiilll!" Alice sang, her footsteps echoing through the dank hallway outside the cell. Said young man flinched, then allowed himself a shaky sigh.
"What do you want, Alice?" he asked, not bothering to turn around and face his captor. There was a slight huff and the sound of a whip being slashed through the air.
"I just wanted to tell you something, but if you're not even going to look at me, I don't think I should." Emil had seen her enough to know that there was a fake scowl plastered on her face. Emil forced himself to sit up and look her in the eyes. Her scowl quickly turned into her little grin. "Oh! You're eyes look so dead and gorgeous! I've never seen such a pretty dull green before!" she giggled. Emil stood up and walked to the bars.
"What is it you wanted to tell me?"
"I just thought I should let you know that MartMart's here! And she is rushing as fast as she can!" she laughed at some hidden joke, and Emil's poor, running heart took another flying leap.
"Marta's here?" he asked, his feet rooting themselves to the rock ground.
"Oh yes, and she's worked herself into a fit trying to find you! You should see the blood! There are Vanguard members being flung here and killed there! It's simply a wonderful sight, I wish you could see it!" she sighed as though it were an old lover she was talking about. Her face dropped suddenly, her dreamy expression morphed into disgusted joy. "And there are two more there. A silly little ninja and her pet, I'll have to get rid of them before I can have my fun." Zelos and Sheena, he thought, vaguely noticing as she ran a semi-gloved hand over his chin-bone, then caressed it up to his ear. "You're such a cute, little knight, it's a shame I have to use you. You'd make a simply adorable pet," he felt his scarf gently come off his shoulder then flutter to the ground, but that nagging, insistent fear made him stay there and see what was happening. She gently reached into her pocket, her gaze never wavering, and pulled out something. Then, while he was still slightly muddled, she whipped her hands though the bars, wrapping something around his neck, then notching it thought a buckle and pulling it tight. He gave a small yelp in surprise as it tightened a little too tight.
"What?" Emil quickly brought up his hands, but Alice blocked and gently slapped the top of his hands like he was a naughty child.
"No, don't touch it! It's a present from me," she grinned and gently tapped the buckle on what Emil could only guess was a collar. She daintily cleared her throat, then let out a sharp: "Decus!" Alice had hardly said his name, before he was right beside her, bowing like a true gentlemen. "Get away from me! Go… stand over there!" Albeit a bad smelling gentlemen. Emil would've laughed if he had laughter left in him.
"As you command, oh Mistress Alice!" he said, jumping to where Alice's finger had pointed. Almost as soon as he got there, Alice's expression changed. She contemplated for a moment, before stepping away from the door.
"Oh Decus. I think it's time for playtime! Go fetch my toy, and I'll go show it to Marta! But I never was one for sharing." She looked pointedly at Emil before he realized that she recognized him as an 'it'. The young man gave another obscene bow, before retrieving his sword from the Iron Maiden that followed him like a second skin. Once again, his heart ran in hurdles, but instead of stopping after one, it decided it wanted to run a whole marathon of jumps.
Decus was at the door, using an ancient skeleton key to unlock the door and he threw it open. Emil flinched at the enormous racket produced from the metal clanging against the rock.
"Again, as you wish, my darling." He paused, examining the already bruised knight and sneering. "You don't mind if I… bruise him a bit, do you?" Alice giggled.
"Of course not, you silly man! In fact, that's the best idea I've heard all day!" she giggled, prompting Decus to brandish his sword. Emil backed up a few steps.
"I'll come out! You don't have to come and get me!" Emil stated, holding up his arms by his ears as a sign of good faith. Decus let out a snort and juggled his sword.
"But then my lady will think me weak, and you wouldn't want that to happen! I'm too gorgeous for anyone to think me weak! I'm sorry it's come down to this, you were as nice a fan as any of them!" It was then that Emil saw the ropes thrown lazily over the man's shoulder, proving that even if he were to go quietly, it still wouldn't be quiet. While the ropes distracted him, Decus rushed, slamming the flat side of his sword into Emil's stomach. That forced his back to the wall, and Decus saw his chance to prove himself.
Emil let out a small scream, biting his bottom lip to keep the rest of it in. He didn't want his inner fear, pain, and weakness to show, so he bottled it up like his animosity. The foul-smelling man had stabbed his sword into Emil's arm, successfully pinning him to the rock wall. The pain became like a haze, fogging over almost everything except for Alice's giggling. There was a crack as the sword was pinned in the grout, Alice shouted something, and then there was a cloud of dark smoke.
"Marta?" Emil asked, his voice a hushed whisper. 'Marta' grabbed the ropes off her shoulders and raised it to his neck.
"Oh Emil. You've saved me so many times! This is the only way I know how to repay you…" after a deep moment of air constriction, the sharp twine of the rope was doubled over the collar, cutting his air supply short, if only by a little bit. Through the mist, he smelled the odor wafting off of the girl and realized it wasn't his Marta, but a cheap impersonator.
"S-stop it!" he slurred, his body growing numb, but still throbbing hot from the wound. He tried to push off the impostor with his one free arm, but failed as the Marta only snorted disdainfully and regarded him with cool eyes.
"It hurts me how you think I'm someone else!" she pouted gently, pulling down another long string of rope and then pushing the knot tied around the leather strap into his throat.
"Stop!" he said, conviction entering his tone. 'Marta' 'tsk'ed slightly with his tongue before grabbing the hilt of his sword, jiggling it, and then ripping it out towards the ground. It ripped through more of his arm, causing him to nearly collapse from the new eruption of pain. "Stop…" he murmured, seeing Decus's Marta-like grin through hazed eyes.
"We couldn't have you having hope, now could we?" The next thing Emil knew, his face was being pushed into the wall and his arms unceremoniously twisted behind his back. Rough hands squeezed his cut, prompting a shout to sneak out of his traitorous throat. He felt cold air wash over his arms, and then twine snake itself around and around his wrists, tightening almost to the point of beheading his arms. The rough material bit venomously into his wrists, and then in another twist of the world, he was facing the azure eyes of fake Marta. With a flourish, he pulled the knot around to the back of Emil's collar, turned him to face the wall, then yanked the string. The collar choked him as he was still off-kilter, pulling his slightly limp body to the cobblestone ground. It seemed to happen in slow motion, he fell through air like it was thick water, maybe his own blood, and then landed, an overly obnoxious cobblestone jutting up to stab and invade the festering scratch on the back of his neck.
Emil let out a scream, vividly noticing the heat throbbing invasively from his neck and his arm, warming up his body and overcoming the numb invader. It rattled his ears, giving him a pulsing headache but he didn't care. It echoed around the cell, vibrating around the dank hallway. The scream sounded hoarse as the young man's throat ripped itself into shreds. His heavy head suddenly turned light, and darkness encroached upon his vision, snaking through and grabbing until all he saw was black, and his thoughts crashed around him, empty and meaningless while he stumbled out of a consciousness he would give anything not to have.
"Another one down," Marta sighed, slashing through another Vanguard member. She cast a glance at Zelos, who had run through the last man in that area, pulling out his sword and not even bothering to clean of the ruby blood before putting it in his scabbard. Sheena seemed to appear out of nowhere, glancing around the room with grim satisfaction. She made to walk off, but stopped when she noticed the red headed Chosen walking over to where they stood. Expecting some mini-war chat, what Marta heard took her off guard.
"You were right about the inside, it's definitely her." He looked at the yellow walls, his mouth twisted in a disgusted sneer. Marta regarded the walls, remembering them quite well despite the years. They were still the same off-yellow, the trimming lace the color of snowdrops. The castle's bottom floor had no walls, just one cavernous room. Giant stuffed rabbits sat dejectectly along the wall, their ears drooping with the years of dejection. The tiles were blood red, inset so close that the rusty grout could hardly be seen. All together, if that was all you saw, could've been the room of a child's. But you could've been blind and still would've seen that this was no little girl. Chains cast shadows on the ground, stuffed dolls wrapped in their nooses danced. Assortments of needles, blades, and wicked looking knives hung randomly on the walls. Assorted bones sat in their little piles, picked clean and separated around the room. Mini wind chimes hung from the ceiling, made from dejected bones that had apparently looked 'nice' to the young lady. Candles hung upside down from the ceiling, so the wax pulling suicidal dives from the candles burned anyone unfortunate enough to stand under them. As was the story of the Great Zelos Wilder as he cursed and peeled off the quickly drying wax.
"I hope she forgets those are there one day," he muttered, staring at the ceiling. Marta giggled darkly at a memory of Alice and her having a tea party, and wax dropped into the sadist's tea cup and she got so mad, she wouldn't light the candles for days. "I would laugh too, but I think she's off her rocker," Zelos muttered to Sheena, earning him a slight slap, but it wasn't full-force. Marta scowled at the perverted Chosen and stalked past the two of them.
"C'mon! We can't just stand here talking!" She ran to the stars, almost tripping over a discarded stuffed rabbit.
"We're right behind you, my darling diamond!" Zelos called, his echoing voice followed by the snap of Sheena's slap. Marta couldn't help grin, seems his sense of humor is back. As she rushed up the stairs, she heard echoing footsteps behind her, reassuring her that her comrades were following her.
"Shouldn't you wait up for them? It makes more sense to face Alice with more than conviction on your side," Tenebrae said, appearing in a cloud of smoke beside the still climbing Marta.
"I've got more than conviction," she muttered, slightly breathless.
"Lady Marta," he started to say, before being interrupted as the two caught up.
"Oh, hey Tenny! What's shaking?" The Centurion's eyes opened wide before shaking his head and muttering something about humans and their silly sayings.
"Never mind that!" Sheena huffed, panting to catch her breath. "Let's go!" Marta heard the worry in the Chief's voice and continued to bounce up the stairs. The reached the peak of the stairs, only to find another wave of Vanguard members, waiting to flood the visitors. Marta pulled out her spinners and immediately began slashing down the members, ignoring the blood as it painted her face. She heard a slight explosion, then felt the air pressure constrict as Zelos cast a spell and killed a large gaggle of members. Sheena's cards spread out, killing the members left and right. Marta's hands were beginning to cramp around her spinners, but she gripped them even harder and pushed through the crowds, aiming for the stairs on the far side of the hallway. Due to the narrow room, the three of them were forced to almost fight elbow-to-elbow. Slowly but surely, they made their way to the end of the hallway. Marta stopped when they reached the end of the hallway, pausing to glance out the window.
It was a breathtaking sight, the slate ocean attacking the tall cliff with all its might, trying to eat away at the castle, but always falling short. It hit Marta with a stab just how much their fight was like the ocean. Eating away at the Vanguard, but never quite reaching the sadist upstairs. Only two stories stand between Alice and me she thought, then sighed inwardly. She had no honest clue where Alice was, but it was the best bet that they would be in her bedroom. Marta shuddered, at the thought of Emil, her Emil, anywhere near that witch's bedroom.
"Marta!" Sheena's shout brought her out of her horrid nightmare. "How many more levels?"
Marta glanced up to see her comrades already at the top of the stairs, "two." The ninja grunted and continued up the winding staircase. Marta hopped after her, the spinners still clenched in her hands.
The first thing Emil felt when he awoke was pain, but he was used to that, as was the pattern of his life. It was like the pain had replaced his blood and was flowing in his veins, circling around his body. He managed to open his eyes, but all he saw was wine. It puddled around him and filled his nose with a metallic twinge. Wine doesn't smell like that… his muddled mind thought, desperately trying to iron out the wrinkled edges of his consciousness. He moved his arm and a sharp pain shot through him like a lance, stopping his thoughts and cutting through him with surprising accuracy. Emil flinched and as his now-awakened mind recognized the wine not as cognac, but blood. He tried to move his head away from the pool that was inching towards him, but he was jerked back only to have his head none-too-gently slammed into tile floor.
For a moment, all the Ratatosk Knight could was lay there, not wanting to move an inch. After a moment, he gingerly raised his head slowly to test his limitations. The rope tied around his collar was knotted to a hook protruding from ground. It allowed him to move his head so he could set his chin on the scarlet tiles. The unfeeling cold penetrated his skin and cooled him where his bare skin touched the ground. He allowed the cool to clear his mind for a moment before chancing a glance around the room.
He was leashed in a corner of the room, allowing him to have a full view. It was small and cozy, the walls a rather cheery shade of yellow. The trim was off-white, closely related to a pale yellow. There was a large bed a couple feet away from him; it had a frilly canopy that cast its yellow bedspread in a shadow. Pillows stacked lazily on the bed and stuffed white rabbits seemed to have converged and spawned around the room. Stretching his neck, he glanced up at the black ceiling. A chandelier dangled, it's square frame setting the room in a bright light. A rabbit's foot hung on each of the corners, and the tail and head sat on opposite sides. Glassy eyes stared forlornly down at the trussed up boy, telling him of his future if he didn't find a way out. Emil shuddered, and decided it would probably good for what little food was in his stomach if he ignored the dangling warning. As he glanced around the cheery room, all evidence pointed to a small child living here, reveling in their child-like dreams. But Emil knew better, and that knowledge made him want to throw up.
There you are! I hoped you like it! (I think it's the longest chapter I've ever made for a fanfiction!) Yayz!