Chapter 3 - The Wheels Put In Motion

Zelda, still wearing the clothes of Sheik, stepped out of the wall, followed closely behind by her captor. The two had passed through the black world of Shadows, and had stepped into what seemed to be the remnants of an old castle. The walls were smooth, a dark grey that looked old, and were cold to the touch. They walked down a short hallway, and stepped under a grand arch into a huge room. It was rounded, with a stained-glass rotunda above it. The glass was decorated with a black rose and thorns, and a light behind it shone through, giving the image a haunting flare. The floor of the room was shiny, like that of a ballroom, and in the center of the floor was yet another black rose, thorny vines coming out from behind it in a spiral pattern. The room was lit by torches that burned green and reflected off the floor, giving the room an eerie, green glow. These torches hung between the seven pillars that stood an even distance from each other. More thorn vines grew up these pillars, with small, black roses on them. The entire room looked like a macabre garden, both beautiful and frightening. Zelda looked around, enchanted by the dark room, and didn't notice the man who had captured her had walked up beside her.

“It truly is beautiful, is it not?”

“Indeed,” Zelda answered awestruck. She turned to the man when she remembered who he was, and saw him kneel down to something behind her. She turned around and saw a woman. She was dressed in a long, black robe, and the bottom was so long that it trailed behind her. The sleeves hung far below her hands, and the lining was a purple color. The collar went around her neck, and looked like bat wings. Framing her face and rising off of her head was a black chaplet that resembled horns. Her eyes were almond-shaped and filled with a wickedness that was accentuated by her evil smirk. In her left hand was a long staff, which was the same height as the woman. The staff was made of onyx, and an orb that rested on top that looked like an emerald, though its color was pale, and a strange smoke filled the green sphere.

She approached Zelda, a triumphant look in her wicked eyes.

“Welcome,” she said gracefully, though a strange twinge in her voice gave Zelda shivers. “This is Hollow Bastion, and I am Maleficient.”

Zelda realized that this woman was using Zelda's welcome when Lulu had arrived at Castle Hyrule. “Why am I here?” Zelda asked, her voice sounding unafraid, though it quivered slightly. Zelda could sense the power this woman held, and the evil presence around her frightened her more then anything.

“Patience, my child” Maleficient replied, her voice mocking a soothing tone. “All shall be explained. I had you brought here for a very specific reason.”

At this, the man stood up and glared at the wicked woman. “I have carried out my part of the deal. Now carry out yours!” The Maleficient's only response was a maniacal laugh.

“You don't order me, Sir Valentine,” she replied calmly, though Zelda heard a dangerous undertone of anger in her voice. “But, a deal is a deal,” she continued, sighing as if it were below her, “Here is your love.”

She turned to one of the pillars and raised her hands. Zelda saw that the bottom of her robes were cut into a pattern that billowed like flames when they moved. A bolt of electricity shot from the orb on her staff and struck the pillar. As it did, the gray colors melted away, revealing an icy blue beneath. Slowly it melted into a tall pillar of glass, and at the bottom, frozen in a standing position, her eyes closed, was Lulu. She looked like she was asleep, and Zelda couldn't believe her eyes. The man rushed over to the pillar, but when he touched the glass, he was thrown back by an invisible force, landing on his side and sent sliding across the polished floor.

Maleficient sneered at the man, who tried to get to his feet, the very air knocked out of him. “You, you said,” the man panted, “You said that if I brought the princess you would free her!”

“Yes, but I still have need of you. The way I see it, I am the one in control here. You are in no place to expect anything from me.”

The man clenched his fists, then pulled out his blade and dove for Maleficient. “You witch!” he screamed as he dove for her, his sword leading. Maleficient stood calmly, and without moving at all, shot a beam from the orb. It struck the man squarely in the chest, and he hung in the air. The electricity of the beam coursed through him, and his body jerked and trembled with each passing current. The man grunted for a moment, forcing back a scream, but then it forced its way out, and he released a terrible roar of pain.

After a moment, though Zelda felt it to be much longer, the beam dissappeared and the man fell to the floor, thin whisps of smoke rising from his groaning body.

Zelda couldn't help but run to him. She knelt beside him, and checked for a pulse. He was still alive, but wasn't moving. Zelda looked down at him, then looked up to Maleficient. She was cackling wildly, holding her stomach. Zelda rose to her feet, and the wicked woman stopped laughing and looked at her.

“Why am I here?” Zelda asked again, this time anger in her voice. She stood straight, ready to attack the woman herself. Maleficient looked at her, her eyes widening slightly.

“I have brought you here to make you a proposition,” she explained slyly. Zelda could tell she had something evil in mind. “I want you to rule Hyrule under my instruction.”

“What!?”

“Yes, I want you to follow my orders in ruling Hyrule. Then, when the time is right, I shall have you hand the entire kingdom over to me. By that time, the kingdom shall be the way I desire, and I will rule it as I see fit,” she explained calmly. Zelda just stared into space, her mind reeling. She couldn't imagine Hyrule in the hands of such a powerful and ruthless queen. “Now, will you help me? If you don't, I have ways to make you, just like that worm over there,” she said, pointing at the man. He was struggling back to his feet. Zelda helped the groaning man by letting him lean on her shoulder.

“I will never allow such a thing!” Zelda shouted, when she had helped the man to stand completely. Maleficient smirked again, and turned to the pillar next to Lulu's. Another beam came from the orb on her staff, and again the stone melted away.

“I knew you would refuse, my dear, so I took the liberty of inviting a special guest; though he wished to refuse my invitation, so I was forced to insist.”

As the stone melted away, Zelda saw that her fears were true. Frozen in glass was Link. His handsome face and strong body seemed cold and lifeless to her; she couldn't bear to see him like this.

“Release him,” she demanded, then realized that, like the man, she was in no position to demand anything.

“I will release him, after you agree to assist me.”

Zelda thought about it. If Link were concious, he would want sacrifice himself, and Zelda knew that that was the proper thing to do. She could not allow the people of Hyrule to suffer in exchange for one man, but Zelda couldn't help but want him free, even if it cost the kingdom.

When Zelda didn't answer right away, Maleficient grew impatient. “Perhaps I could help make a decision,” she suggested, then turned to the pillar and shot a beam at it. Electricity ran through it, and Zelda thought she saw Link's eyes wince slightly.

“Stop!” she cried, running next to Maleficient, “Please, don't hurt him!”

“Then make your choice,” Maleficient answered, “He is in quite a bit of pain, and will most likely not survive for much longer.”

Zelda didn't know what to do. She couldn't choose, though she knew what the answer was. She just couldn't bring herself to do it. Images of Link flashed through her mind, all the times that she had been brought joy through the young man's actions. She wanted more then anything to go back to the that time in the garden, but only sorrow filled her heart when she knew she couldn't. There was no hope for the two of them.

Suddenly, a bright light appeared on her right hand. Zelda gazed at the glow in wonder, confused. Then the light took form, and Zelda understood what had happened. Glowing warmly on her hand was the Triforce of Wisdom. The man stared in wonder, then said quietly, “Unbelievable.”

Zelda felt the power flowing through her, the warm strength of the Golden Power. Suddenly, she felt the power flow out of her, as if separating itself from her. The light of the Triforce drifted into the air, breaking apart and scattering into a thousand tiny pieces, then came together. It became unbearably bright, and those watching had to shield their eyes. When the light dimmed, there was a fourth being in the room.

She stood about as tall as Zelda, and looked remarkably like her, though this woman had longer hair that shimmered like waves in the sea, and her eyes seemed a bit more alluring then Zelda would ever want them. She lokked to Zelda, then spoke in a mellodic voice, beautiful and mysterious.

“What is your wish, my master?”

Zelda's eyes widened with surprise, then realised that this was a friend. “Please,” she asked desperately, “Please save them,” she answered, pointing to Link and Lulu. The woman nodded, then turned to the glass prisons. Maleficient, who had stopped to watch the development of this situation, moved in front of the woman, and Zelda saw the wicked being prepare to attack. Then, the ground began to shake, slightly at first, then I slowly built to the point where Zelda had a hard time keeping her and the man on their feet. A rushing sound was heard down the hall the pair had entered by, and Zelda turned around to see a rushing wall of water coming down the hall. It was moving fast, and Zelda tried to move out of the way. When she was unable to, though, she found that panicking was unnecessary. The wave passed right through them, like they weren't even their, and continued on. It passed through the woman as well, but when it reached Maleficient, it roared over her, blasting her against the stone wall, right between the two glass pillars. She did not get up.

The woman opened her mouth and began to sing a single, beautiful note. Zelda didn't understand, but then the note started to go higher, until it reached an unbearable pitch, and Zelda and the man fell to their knees on the floor, trying to cover their ears. Zelda's eyes were wincing shut when she heard a loud cracking sound rising above the piercing sound. She looked up to see a large crack forming and then climbing up Lulu's pillar. It reached just above Lulu's head, then the entire thing shattered, the glass disappearing into thin air before it ever touchd the ground. Lulu started to fall forward, her eyes still closed. He had been hurt bad, but the man on Zelda's shoulder grunted and ran forward.

“Lulu,” was all he said as he ran to her and caught her. “Lulu, please, say something,” he begged.

The note stopping when the glass shattered, the woman turned to Zelda, nodded her head once and disappeared. “Wait,” Zelda called, “What about Link?” Link's pillar hadn't been destroyed; not even a crack could be seen on its smooth surface. Zelda ran over to the pillar and placed her hands on the glass, not caring what would happen to her. She gazed at his still form, but then felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around and saw the man standing there with Lulu at his side. She was smiling, but then she grew serious.

“Zelda, dear, we must go, immediately,” she explained.

“Go where?” Zelda asked, truning back to Link. “I'm not leaving without him.” A sudden shift off to the side brought the attention of all three, and they saw Maleficient moving.

“Quickly,” the man said again, “We need to go!”

“We can't leave him!” Zelda shouted, but before she could say anything else, the man ran over, wrapped his arms around her waist, and dragged her away. She fought to break away, to get back to her love, but found herself unable. She was too overcome with grief, and gave up on trying to get free.

Lulu was on her knees, now fully conscious, and was muttering something as she placed her hands on the black rose on the floor. A black circle appeared around it, and began to spread into a large black hole. The man, still holding the weeping Zelda, stood next to Lulu, and together, the three melted into the floor, and away from Maleficient's grasp.

Zelda didn't notice the travel throughthe strange portal, which Lulu had opned in the floor for their escape. The group appeared in a field of brown and gray grass. He sky overhead was clouded and the trees around the area were bare, their gnarled branches pointed and stretching out for the skies. Zelda looked at the grim surroundings and felt that it matched her mood. She felt nothing but loss and despair now. Then she turned and saw him, the man who had taken her from Link.

“You!” she shouted, leaping towards him. She grabbed onto his arm and hair and started to pull and kick in frutstration. “I hate you! I hate you! You vile, disgusting-“

The man broke away, then grabbed Zelda's wrists. “That wasn't Link,” he declared loudly. Zelda kept struggling until his words sunk in.

“What do you mean?”

“He's right, Zelda,” Lulu said stepping in, “That wasn't Link. It was a Shadow Spirit.”

Zelda thought on it. Lulu explained that a Shadow Spirit was being of evil that could be shaped into any form its creator chose.

“So Maleficient made one to trick you into helping her,” Lulu reasoned, “She probably couldn't find the real thing.”

“That's good, I guess,” Zelda sighed. “But now, I have more questions, who is he and where are we?”

“My name,” the man said quietly, “is Vincent Valentine. I am a Hallow Knight, and a servant to his majesty, the King of Hallow Bastion.”

“So, is that where we are now,” Zelda asked, “Hallow Bastion?”

“No,” Lulu replied, “Hallow Bastion is the capitol city of the land we are in. This is the land of Macabrenon.”

“Macabrenon,” Zelda echoed, the name sounding familiar to her. “Where is it on a map? You know, compared to Hyrule.”

“Below it,” Vincent replied simply. When Zelda looked confused, he explained. “Macabrenon is a land that is a reflection of Hyrule, though, as you can see, it's a bit darker then the world you know.”

“So, it is an evil realm?” Zelda asked, starting to get nervous. She glanced around at the threatening trees and dead fields, imagining horrors that could be contained within them.

“Well, it does have monsters,” Lulu admitted, “But most are friendly enough. And though the land looks dead, it's just as fertile as Hyrule's land.”

“So, to put it simply,” Zelda sorted through the information, “It's like Hyrule, only the people and lands are darker.”

“That's about right,” Vincent nodded, leaning up against a tree. “So, now that we've gotten you up to speed on your situation, now I have a question for you.”

“Yes,” Zelda asked, curious about what he wanted to know.

“How long have you been able to summon eidolons?”

“I beg your pardon,” Zelda asked.

“You summoned Siren,” Vincent explained, “I want to know how long you've been able to do that.”

“That was the first time,” Zelda said, guessing that he was talking about that woman who had helped them.

“Strange,” Lulu added thoughtfully, “Usually, summoning abilities come forth at a much younger age. I wonder why they were released now.”

“A question we can answer at a later time,” Vincent interrupted, “Right now, we need to get to Hallow Bastion, and see the king. He needs to be informed of Maleficient's return.” Without another word, he walked off into the spread of trees.

“Is he always like that?” Zelda asked Lulu as they followed behind him.

“Most of the time,” Lulu said, looking at him, “But that's why I like him, and that's why we're engaged.”

“Engaged?” Zelda asked, surprised, “What about Wakka?”

“Who?”

“Never mind,” Zelda answered dismissively, remembering that it wasn't Lulu she had spoken to before.

Zelda thought about what had happened within the past few hours, about how much her life had changed because of one visit and a snow storm. Would this be happening if Link had gotten back sooner? Zelda knew there was no way of knowing if things would be different, and no way of knowing whether Link was alive, but decided that Link was stronger and smarter then that, and she trusted him to stay alive. He had to. She wanted to marry him, she would deny it no longer. She wanted to spend every moment with him, and she wanted to share her life with him. That was all she wanted. She only hoped that Link felt the same.

The three of them walked for about half an hour, and Zelda was beginning to grow weary when they came out of the tree and saw the city of Hallow Bastion. Its great, black onyx walls rose from the ground and they jutted in and out in a strange crooked pattern. Metal spikes were spread out on top of the wall with no real pattern or order. On each spike a pumpkin had been placed, a face carved into each. Lights of different colors shone from inside each one, giving them different seeming emotions, anywhere from comical to frightening.

The gate's bars were crooked as well, mishapenly dropping from an onyx arch. Zelda was almost frightend to approach it, but Vincent walked right up to gate. It opened slowly, creaking eeriely as it was raised up, seemingly all by itself. He turned around, almost dramatically, and spoke to Zelda in a loud voice.

“Welcome, your highness, to Hallow Bastion!”

Maleficient walked down the long halls of Hollow Bastion, her footsteps echoing off the stone walls. She had been summoned by her leige, probably about how the princess had escaped. She knew that he would not be pleased, and he was the only person that Maleficient feared and even more so when he was angry. He would be angry now. She stopped in front of the large stone doors that opened into his throne room, preparing herself for what was to come.

The doors opened on the own, and she heard her master's voice, a powerful, commanding tone, simply order, “Come in, Maleficient.”

She stepped through the doors and into the center of the huge stone room. Her master sat on a bare, stone throne. She looked at his face, his pale, handsome face. It was emotionless, his pale skin accentuated by his long, thick, silver hair, but his briliant green eyes spoke volumes about his current mood. Maleficient couldn't deny that she found him attractive, for he was, but she would never admit it, for fear of his anger. He gazed at her, an angry scowl buried deep in his eyes, and when Maleficient could bear the silence no more, she spoke.

“You called for me?”

“Indeed,” he answered quietly, “We need to talk.” Maleficient knew what was coming. “Where is the princess?” he asked, Maleficient knowing he knew she had escaped.

“She is not here, Lord Sephiroth,” she answered, bowing slightly. She could predict what was about to happen.

“I know, Maleficient. I also know who is responsible for her escape. Who do you think it is?”

“It was me, my lord.”

“Yes, it was,” he replied quietly. “Now, did the knight and his love escape as well?”

“Yes, my lord,” Maleficient answered through gritted teeth.

“Well, Maleficient, I will not say I told you so, but you should have seen this coming. I could tell instantly by the way you forced the knight and princess to do your bidding that they would look for an escape, and you practically permitted it.”

“I did no such thing,” Maleficient responded, her tone rising, “The princess took me by surprise.”

“See that it doesn't happen again,” Sephiroth said quietly. “If you do, I promise you, Maleficient, that you will wish you were dead, but will be unable to achieve that sweet release.”

“So, what do you wish for me to do? They are beyond my reach now.”

“That is quite alright,” Sephiroth answered with a smirk, “I'm not interested in them anymore.” Maleficient raised her eyebrow, slightly confused. Sephiroth saw the need for an explaination. “I want to take care of Link now. I forsee him becoming a pest, and since he doesn't know where Zelda is, or how to find her, he'll be within our grasp, endlessly searching this world for her. First, however, I need to claim the throne of Hyrule. With Zelda and her father gone, now is the time to scoop up the power. Then, when Link is removed, none can stand against us.”

Maleficient smiled slightly, her eyes showing her wicked mind was working. She returned to the ballroom, the place Zelda had slipped away from her. She walked up to the glass pillar and waved her hand. The pillar melted away, releasing the cold form of Link. He opened his eyes, then shuddered slightly. The imposter Link shrugged his shoulders and the green of his tunic changed into a deep black, and his blue eyes melted into a blood red. He scowled at Maleficient.

“You know I can't stand that look, Maleficient,” the Shadow Link growled, referring to the green tunic. “It's too nice. Too much like Link.”

“Yes, but it was required,” she said, laying a hand on his shoulder. He shrugged it off, then glared at her again.

“And you didn't have to really shock me!” he growled again.

“That too was necessary, but well worth the pain.” Shadow Link looked at her confused. “Your reward for aiding me is the one thing you have wanted for a very long time.”

The wicked Shadow needed no further explaination. He smiled as he drew his blade. “I will relish seeing my dear other half's blood on this blade,” he chuckled.

Maleficient was pleased. With this wicked servant on the job, she no longer had anything to worry about. Now, she could focus on other things.

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