The Twilight Princess 2: The Time Forgotten

Seven

"Hey, what's taking you so long Redhead? Hurry up!" He quickly rushed over to the table to dust it off one more time, and make sure that everything looked perfect, before she came up. "I'm waiting!" He called, trying to hold back a chuckle as he did so. He simply couldn't wait to see her reaction when she saw what he had done for her. "Aria?" He shouted, starting to grow worried when she didn't respond. "Are you coming?" He popped his head out the doorway to see what the holdup was. All he could see though was pitch black. "Oh right, I bet that's it."

He reached over and flipped on the light. "Better?" He looked down the stairs, but there was no sign of her. Nowhere. Had she ditched him? Maybe she didn't believe him. He really hoped not. Suddenly, something broke through the glass, shattering the windows. Startled, Tom picked it up. He frowned as he realized what it was. A small purple and green textured disk, with a yellow circular button engraved on the front. On the very back, was a familiar symbol. One that he had hoped he would never see again.

"Mr. M," he mumbled. "Thought we were done playing your little games." He pressed the yellow button, which projected a small hologram of a middle-aged man. His slicked back hair stood perfectly in place as he tossed his head back laughing. "Looking for ya new little sweetheart? Well come and get her! Of course, only in exchange for that little priceless emerald of yours."

He laughed once again, and showed a tied-up Aria on the floor struggling to get free, right before the hologram ended.

Frustrated, Tom slashed his arm against the vase he had made for her, causing it to fall to the ground and break. "He'll pay for this." He took a deep breath to let out his anger right before storming out down the stairs. "Oh yes he will."

.......

Drops of rain tapped ever so violently against the windows. Thunder and lightning clashed into each other as the storm outside raged on. By now, it was pouring quite heavily. It was if rocks were dropping from the sky as heavy taps occurred above. The stern sounds suddenly woke her up. She studied the area, trying to pick up the pieces as to what had happened. It was completely dark in the small room in which she was being held captive. Alone. Lost. Afraid.

She tried to get up, but somehow her body couldn't budge. She looked down at her wrists, which were tied together uncomfortably by scratchy rope. A knock occurred against the locked doors on the other side of the room. At first, she thought it was just the rain, but then the doors ever so slowly swung open, revealing the silhouette of a man. Behind him were two other men, who followed him closely from behind.

"Welcome to my humble abode dear," he said, bowing before her. The light flipped on all of a sudden. "I see you've taken a look around, yes?" Aria tried to resist the ropes in an effort to break free. "What do you want with me?"

He turned his head slightly to the men behind him and laughed. "Ooh, looks like we've got a feisty one here boys." All three of them flashed a cunning smile. Aria pushed and pulled on the rope, struggling to free herself. "You won't get away with this, whatever you're planning..." He stopped pacing, his back facing her with his arms tucked behind it. "Planning? Why I do believe I'm already past that part." He spun around and came closer into the light, letting Aria get a closer look at him for the first time. "Hey, wait a minute, you're the bus driver that stopped me earlier!"

He laughed again, getting even closer. "See darling, you're finally starting to pick up the pieces." He stared at her intensely for a moment, right in the eye, before backing away. Her eyes narrowed as he exited the room. "Have fun trying to escape, because in this manor, that's nearly impossible!" The door slammed shut with an evil chuckle. And then she was left alone once again.

Struggling to break free, Aria laid her tied up wrists on the surface of the window side bench and tugged in an effort to break the rope. But no matter how hard she tried, it just wouldn't budge. She needed a sharp object to cut it with. She quickly scanned her surroundings to search for such an object.

But except for the lonely bench and window, the dark square-shaped room was completely empty. It was filled with darkness. The only way out was through the locked door. Suddenly, Aria got an idea. She stood up, legs slightly wobbly, and headed over to the door. The handle was a long, pointed one. She positioned her body so that her tied wrists caught onto the handle, and the rope broke, setting her free at last.

She sighed with relief as she examined her wrists. The scattered rope burns on them were evident. Now, for an escape plan. She obviously couldn't go through the door, but lucky for her there was another way. Back to the very place she was being held captive, she went. The stain glass window seemed as though it was innocent, but little did it know that it was secretly part of Aria's escape plan.

She closed her eyes and trusted her clenched fist at it. Shards of glass soared across the room along with a loud bang. Particles dripped down into her warm skin as she swung one leg over the window sill, followed by the other. She smiled slightly to herself as she climbed out on the other end.

But, much to her surprise, she wasn't outside. She was in another room. The floor was red sheer carpet embellished with black dots in the shape of diamonds. A toasty fireplace burned fuel in the corner. The dark wall was lined with dozens of paintings of portraits. On the ceiling above hung a golden chandelier. The whole room had a ghostly aura to its atmosphere. Something felt oddly familiar about this place.

"Welcome to Marigold Manor," a distant voice fluttered. Startled by the sound, Aria looked around to see where the voice was coming from. But there was not a single soul in sight. Oddly enough, she couldn't even quite make out which direction it was coming from. In fact, the voice sounded a bit inhuman. It was almost as if it was the room itself speaking to her.

"Don't just stand there," it said. "Please, take a seat." Out of nowhere, an oval red chair appeared and scooted up to her, running right into her legs, causing her to lose her balance and fall into it. "There.... that's better," said the voice. Aria tried to get up, but she just couldn't. It was as if her legs were glued down to the chair. "Who are you? What do you what with me?"

The voice chuckled. "Why the frown dearie? There's nothing to be afraid of. You're perfectly safe in here." The lights flickered all around her as the voice faded. Then, all of a sudden, a creepy melody evaded her surroundings. It sounded as if it was coming from an organ, but there were no organs in sight. Aria searched for another window to escape out of, but the room had no windows nor doors. It was like being inside a box with no air, as it was very hot and stuffy in there as well. And the burning fireplace certainly didn't help either.

Even when she tried to stand up, something kept holding her back. Like an invisible force. Like, magic. No, it couldn't be, she thought, shaking her head to herself in denial. In this area and time, magic didn't exist. Not like how it does back home. But something felt extremely off about this place. Who did that voice belong to, and where was it coming from? How were the lights flickering? How come there are no windows or doors?

She felt trapped. Hopeless. Scared. She wiggled and struggled in the chair, yelling for help. But nothing happened. At least, not how she hoped it would. The room seemed to grow taller. Maybe it was just an illusion. Maybe she really was going crazy. Perhaps it was just her mind losing it. She squeezed her eyes close ever so tightly, wishing it all away. To end. To just disappear. Disappear. That's all she wanted to do right then and right there. Disappear from it all.

It was her duty to find that emerald and bring it back to restore peace to the kingdom. It was her responsibility as The Chosen One, to succeed. But she had failed. Failed an entire kingdom. Who even chose her to be the Chosen One, and why? She seeked answers, answers only those beyond reality could answers. Answers, to who she really is.

She felt her whole world sink as the room grew taller, and the walls on each side began to close in. Goosebumps lined her spine, despite being so hot. Sweat dripped down her forehead. And, as that final moment took place, a single tear dripped down her rosy cheek.