fearlessly | batb part two: electric boogaloo

batb part two: electric boogaloo

[ alisaie is not afraid of the woods.

truthfully, alisaie is not afraid of much at all - not the things that most are afraid of, at least. she does not fear the dark, or wolves, or bandits. she does not fear loud storms or knives in the dark of faerie tale monsters stalking haunted forests. what she fears is being along. grieving. losing those she loves.

and that is why she is here. alisaie has ridden tirelessly through the night, driving baptiste hard over the hard, wintry earth, her breath frozen in her lungs, the frigid wind stinging her cheeks and ears and eyes. alphinaud is her entire world. he is all that she has, all of her family that remains, and the thought of living her life without him, moving forward alone..

she would rather not move forward at all.

and so she will find him, regardless of he consequence, heedless of the potential danger, for without him, she has no life at all.

baptiste remembers the way, and though she can feel the tension and fear in the body of the horse beneath her, still they press on, hooves slamming hard into the earth, empty branches pulling at her hair, whipping over their heads. the forest seems to go on and on, deeper and deeper into darkness and mist, until at long, long last the space opens up, and a dark castle looms ahead, its twisted spires climbing into the gray sky, its gloomy edifice frowning down as she approaches the wrought iron gates choked with decayed vines.

alisaie is not afraid of much, yet still the sight of it sends a chill down her spine.

what is this place? she's heard of no such estate as this - a castle, so close to the village? how have there been no stories? no history? she has ridden less than a day to find her brother, not far from home at all, and yet.. there is nothing in their books about this great castle, no tall tales, nothing at all. it is a phantom. still, somehow it feels familiar to her.. like a memory of a dream's dream.

exhaling a shudder, alisaie slides from baptiste's back, leading him to an icy, overgrown brook for a drink, looping the reins over a strong, bare branch before at last she approaches the castle. it's silent, sinister, but she.. she has no choice. if this is where alphinaud is, then she must press forward. the rusted gates groan, splitting the silence, and alisaie approaches the great doors, the old rotten oak swinging beneath her weight as she slips carefully into the great, dark foyer. ]

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[ the castle is as foreboding within as it had been without, dim and dank with high, endless vaulted ceilings choked with cobwebs, and colored glass windows thick with dust. everything is deathly still and quiet, and yet there is a strange, unnerving.. aliveness to the space, as if a thousand eyes are bent down toward her, a heavy, oppressive presence in the air that presses down from above, crushing the breath from her lungs.

gods, how did her brother come to a place like this? worry clutches at her heart with icy fingers. ]

Hello?

[ she calls, and her voice sounds so small echoing in the vaulted hall, meek and frightened as a mouse. it does little for her confidence. but confident or not, she cannot turn back, not if her brother is here. she must find him. she has no choice. there is only the way forward.

and so she presses on through the door, and her elfin eyes are keen in the darkness yet she cannot entirely pierce the veil. a silver candelabra sits dusty and ignored on the mantle nearby, its candles lit - she is not alone here. she cannot be. someone lit these candles. her brother..? ]

Alphinaud?

[ she calls again, her voice stronger now, and she seizes the candelabra and presses further into the dark. ]

Brother, are you here? Please, answer me!

[ a voice lilts on the too-still air, distant and thin - it's him. alisaie gasps sharply, forgetting her fear and gathering her skirts to dash into the darkness, following the call of her brother's voice. the closer she draws, the more her heart twists with fear - he sounds.. weak, pained, and her feet carry her down, down into dank dungeons - gods, how long has he been here? what has happened? falling to her knees, alisaie reaches thorough the bar for his fingers. he's so cold.. ]

[ Deeper and deeper she goes, undeterred by the aging wood and dusty stones that make up a castle that was once grand and full of life. Now its denizens slumber, barely stirring, although the presence of not one, but two unexpected visitors have brought some activity back within these walls. It has certainly seen Prompto up and about more often than before, though for no good reason. And she is far enough in now that he cannot allow her to leave. Not that it seems she would, anyway. So, he is her brother, and she has come to rescue him, it would seem. It's a shame and a tragedy. She should have just left well enough alone...

But of course it isn't that easy.

He trails her to the dungeon, to the cell where her brother has been imprisoned, where she seeks him out. Their reunion, their bond is something to behold, something he hasn't witnessed in a long, long time, but it doesn't reach his heart. How could it, when he has none? Cold and unfeeling is what he was made to be, and so he will accept the charge. It doesn't matter how much he might just want to set them free. It's too late for that now.

His approach slows, that whirring sound slowing to a few click-click-clicks, as he keeps to the shadows. There isn't much light down here to begin with, but he...shouldn't let them see his face. His body. He shouldn't let them have stories to tell about him, to wonder what he is. Better he be left as a phantom, an unknowable thing. ]

You never should have come here.

[ He utters into the dark corridor, his voice raspy from disuse and something distinctly inhuman. ]

[ normally alisaie is keen on her surroundings. she is a hunter, a wildwood true to the name, the forest is her home and her world, she knows every sound, the feel of the air as things move through it, but now she is caught unawares. too focused on the task at hand, deafened by the slamming of her heartbeat, she does not notice the hulking presence until it is too late, and though alphinaud attempts to warn her, it is not in time. with a sharp gasp she whirls around, pressing her body to the bars to protect her brother. ]

Who goes there? What have you done to my brother?

[ alisaie shouts, and her voice is tremulous yet fierce and forward. in an instant she is reaching for her belt, but her rapier is not there - it must have fallen away in her desperate run, or been tangled in the grasping vines at the gate - regardless of why it is gone, she is unarmed. her heart leaps into her chest.

she cannot be afraid. ]

Release him at once!

[ Even in the dimness of the poorly-lit and cobwebbed dungeon, Prompto can see her reaching reflexively for her rapier, and panic momentarily sparks through him. He doesn't want to fight her, but if it comes to that, then very well. However, her weapon is not where she suspects to find it, likely stolen away by some enchanted denizen of the castle that did not wish to see their confrontation come to blows. But maybe it would have been better that way...

...But no. He cannot be dispelled by a mere mortal blade. He would have had to take her life instead.

Growling deep in his throat, he surges forward. Though he keeps his hood pulled tight over his head, the outline of him is menacing enough, hulking and thick with creaking and groaning joints, gnarled, metal horns piercing through the hood and protruding wickedly upward. He does not move like a man any more than he speaks like one either — or, at least, not like a young one. But even if he is not swift, he strikes an imposing enough figure. ]

He has entered somewhere he never should have. As have you.

[ He huffs a low, mirthless sound. ]

You make demands of me after you trespass here?

[ all of this feels like a ghoulish dream. this circle of the woods that she has never seen before despite how well she knows the area, this impossible castle, too enormous to be meaningless, and now.. this. the master of the castle, a strange shadow of a man, cloaked and unnatural, the shape of him, even in the dimness, like nothing she has ever seen before, and the dank draft carries on it the scent of oil and steel.

alisaie feels her throat close up. but she cannot falter, not when her brother's life is at stake. ]

I trespass here because you have imprisoned my brother!

[ she says, a righteous fire kindling in her heart. ]

Surely this is far too cruel a punishment for him! He was cold, and lost, and in need of aid, that is hardly a crime!

[ There's fear in her eyes, but there is also fire. Fire in her words and her voice, fire that he has not heard the like of in such a long, long time. Even now, she doesn't shrink back in fear, but pleads her brother's case. She has conviction, and...love.

It stokes something uncomfortably deep, deep within his heart, too, but he banishes it away before it can manifest, turning it instead to fire of his own. ]

And will it be a crime when he returns home to tell all what he has seen here? You have already come, and that is more than enough of a crime!

[ She should have just stayed away and left her brother to die. It would have been better for her. This foolish, fire-tongued girl. ]

And for that he deserves this? To starve and freeze in this horrible place?

[ it's foolish, her anger - what will it earn her? she is weaponless, all she could do to save her skin is run, but she will not leave her brother behind, never, she would die first, so what good is it to provoke him? yet she cannot stop herself; alisaie is far too hotheaded for her own good, even at the best of times.

through the bars, she grasps at alphinaud's frigid fingers.

and then.. ]

.. he will tell no one.

[ .. ]

I shall stay in his place. With my life as leverage, he will say nothing.

[ Of course she doesn't relent, she continues to protest, and to what end? Surely she must see it, that her appeals fall on deaf ears, because Prompto had ground out the humanity that had remained in his heart. She cannot fight him, she cannot persuade him. What is left for her to do?

...She can bargain.

Her proposal catches him by genuine surprise. She would...volunteer to take her brother's place in such a place as this? ]

You would...take his place?

[ ...No, no, it's foolish. She's desperate, she doesn't understand what she is proposing. Doesn't she realize what that would mean for her? Doesn't she see the state that her brother is in? Isn't that enough to persuade her otherwise?

It's so stupid...and so selfless. ]

Even if you would never see him again? Even if you would remain here forever?

[ Not as long as his forever, but for the rest of her days, at least. ]

[ her answer is immediate, without hesitation. ]

Yes.

[ no! alphinaud shouts behind her, but she does not turn to him, her eyes fixed and unmoving on the dark and hulking figure before her. this is her only chance. that he has not immediately slain her where she stands gives her hope, hope that he might relent, that he may agree to this. her brother argues behind her, but alisaie forges on, squeezing his fingers in her own. ]

What should it matter to you? You will have your prisoner.

[ No, she does not even hesitate. She hands over her life without a second thought, accepting what may as well be a death sentence, so that her brother may have the chance to be free.

He should say no. He should lock them both up for their trespasses and let them rot down here together. He should let them see the futility of their foolish affection, their love, and how it only saw them to their deaths in the end.

...But her conviction is also so familiar, so painfully familiar, in a place within himself that he wishes he could forget, that he has tried to forget. But even now it surges up, giving him pause, causing him to consider her offer, to grant them this small mercy. He has seen enough to know that her word is true — if he lets her brother go with her life as collateral, he will not speak of what he has seen here to others.

Still, it is yet a moment longer before he answers. ]

...Very well.

[ He steps forward then, reaching out a hand — a gnarled, mechanical hand, rusted and creaking, to unlock the cell door and set the Elezen boy free. For just a moment, the flickering candlelight catches on the side of his face beneath his hood, on the jagged, uneven features fused with gears and pipes, broken in some places and bent in others. It would almost seem to be a mask, for how human his eyes seem to be beneath, but why would anyone ever keep on a guise so hideous, so unnatural?

This is no choice of his.

As soon as the cell door opens, another mechanical creature arrives, this one shaped like a spider with grotesque, spindly legs, large enough to ensnare Alphinaud and carry him on his back, whether he likes it or not.

This is Alisaie's only chance to say goodbye. ]

[ it all happens so quickly..

a flash of the creature glints in the light, wrenching the dungeon doors open, but alisaie does not have the time to be horrified when instead she must rush to her brother, grasping his arms in her hands. he has always been the weaker of the two, more sickly and vulnerable, and he feels so cold beneath her touch, so frail.. but he will be free of this place. the master had agreed. ]

Brother -

[ there is hardly time to appreciate their reunion, for all but immediately her brother is swept away, up into the spindly, myriad arms of a terrible creature, torn from her grasp and spirited away with a sharp cry. alisaie gasps sharply, reaching blindly into the space alphinaud so recently occupied, but it is no use. already the creature is scurrying down the corridor and away from her. ]

Alphinaud, please -

[ this is what she had wanted. what she asked for. and yet it still sunders her heart to have him pulled from her so suddenly, so quickly, that chance at goodbye barely a chance at all. ]

[ It isn't that the the thought doesn't occur to him. To let her go, to set them both free and forget that they ever came here. To let them live out their days away from this accursed place that has seized not only his life, but the lives of all those who had dwelt here. Their affection for one another is so strong, so pure. How can he take that away from them? How can he be so cruel?

Once upon a time, he would have found it unthinkable. But so much has changed since then. He has seen so much of the truth of the world, of its cruelty, its loneliness. If they were not separated here, today, they would inevitably at some other time. Or they'd grow to hate one another, to spurn what they once were. This is a mercy. Isolation is a mercy, because it means you never get hurt.

And even if he could find that merciful part of himself, he won't risk the safety of the castle's inhabitants. Without keeping her here, he has no promise that they will not talk, and all it would take is one lively night trading stories at the pub for everyone here to be put at grave risk. And he has already brought them so much misfortune...

The last of the mechanical spider's clicking sounds dissipates from down the long hallway, but Prompto remains a moment longer, unmoving. Has he just make a huge mistake?

At last, he looks down at the girl, at where she remains on the floor of the cell. He should...lock the door again, replace one Elezen there with another, but in the wake of her noble sacrifice, he just...doesn't.

Instead, he turns to start towards the stairs once more. ]

Follow.

[ Is the only word he gives before he begins to move, metal scraping to life with each step. ]

[ her brother is soon out of sight, and even the terrible skittering sound of the machine fades into the distance, leaving naught but the sound of her sharp breathing to fill the dark, oppressive space.

it's surreal. any moment she will wake up. she must..

his voice snaps her from her shocked reverie. follow. at first she does not move, or answer, frozen in place, staring blankly. follow? is she not to remain here in the same room as her brother? this damp and frozen cell? why should she be afforded anything different? or mayhaps it will be worse, for how she has inconvenienced him, a second trespasser. ]

What..? Where are we going?

[ Her questions wear down on his already thin patience. This conversation, terse as it has been, has already been more involved and emotional than any he has had in recent memory. He has tired of it quickly. Maybe he should just not answer her — his request was simple enough. But instead, he sighs, a sharp, harsh sound ushered from his mechanical lungs. ]

Would you rather remain here? In the dungeon?

[ He doesn't know...why he has decided to offer her different accommodations than her brother. Maybe because of her noble sacrifice. In any case, he doesn't wish to dwell on it, only on the fact that it is what he has decided, but if she would rather stay down here, he will not protest. ]

This castle is your home now. Make yourself useful, and I won't imprison you here.

[ How kind... ]

[ he means to keep her somewhere else. somewhere.. better than this cell. she cannot understand why, and it chafes her that she should be afforded better treatment when her brother was treated so poorly but - no, she would rather not remain here, and it would be an insult to the memory of her brother to place herself in a cold cell for the sake of simple suffering. alphinaud would not want that, and besides, escape will come far more easily if she is given leave to roam.. there are no guards here, after all, no one to stop her or dog her every step, it could not be terribly difficult to slip away unnoticed.

but this man.. this.. this creature - is it even alive? does it rest, or sleep? will it ever keep its eyes on her? if she is not careful, it may very well kill her for a misstep. and even if she is successful in her escape, what if she were followed? what if it killed them both? gods..

with a knot in her throat, alisaie straightens at last, pulling her cloak more tightly around herself, fighting the tears that well, prickling, in her eyes. ]

A prison is a prison, however large.

[ she murmurs softly, her eyes down as she follows, scrubbing an errant tear from her cheek the moment it dares to fall. ]

Was it not your choice to remain here?

[ If she is imprisoned now, then she can only blame herself for that. His actions were reasonable. Rational. He must protect this castle. It is the last act he can do while he yet persists in this infernal body. He won't see this place ransacked like it is some treasure trove to be plundered, or some thieves' den in the making. It is not of her world any longer, and whatever he can do to reinforce those walls is worth the cost.

Up the staircase he ascends without another word, though he is certainly not silent, with the way his body whirs and creaks. They pass through the main hall once again and up yet even more stairs, and as they go...the entire castle seems to turn to watch them. Quite literally, as clocks and candles and chairs seem to bend in their direction, even murmuring quietly to themselves. Do you see that? It's a girl! A girl has come to stay!

...Though word will spread quickly enough about how she came to be here in the first place. Even down in the dungeons, the walls have eyes.

Further up they go, past hallways and rooms and entire wings, the castle dizzying and spiraling as they ascend its tallest tower. At last, they arrive at a small room near its top, and he unlocks the door before stepping inside.

It's a modest room, but there's amenities enough to satisfy a prisoner. There's a large, soft bed with fine silks and blankets, a wardrobe and a basin, and even a bookcase with a handful of tomes within it. The windows are high and large, offering a breathtaking view of the forest, though it is closed against the storm right now.

Even here, the whole room seems to edge towards them, collectively holding its breath. ]

You will stay here. Unless, of course, you prefer the cell.

[ choice or not, it remains a prison, but alisaie has not the heart to argue further. with her brother saved and gone, the fire in her heart has burned low, pressed down by the walls of the castle, by the cold, and her imminent loneliness. will she ever see him again? will she ever walk freely beneath the trees? will she ever return home? how has this happened..?

the walk to the tower is long and arduous and more than a little unnerving. the same strange aliveness she had felt upon her arrival persists, and from the corners of her eyes she is certain that she sees movement, the wintry wind that whistles between the castle's towers and windows sounds almost like voices to her ears, but that cannot be. there is no one here, no other creature emerges to greet them, there is only the master and his screeching, halting footsteps, no other reveals themselves from the darkness. it can only be her imagination.

they climb and climb and climb, higher and higher until it almost seems as if the air will thin, until at last they arrive at a room. it is no dungeon, but it is nonetheless tricky in its isolation - at the peak of this tower she certainly will not find escape through the windows, and her passage down into the main passage of the castle could be closely monitored.

still she is trapped.

the room seems comfortable enough, at least. small, but she does not need nor want much, and cold and drafty for its isolation from the strong walls of the castle proper, but it is certainly a fair sight better than the cell her brother had been forced into. she cannot be grateful, for this is still imprisonment, a punishment by far incongruous with the offense, but she will have a comfortable place to lay her head. that is much more than alphinaud had.

wordlessly, she steps into the room with her back to him, and says nothing. even here, the walls feel oppressive and watchful.. ]

[ She says nothing, which after her biting remarks before, he thought she might. But no retort yet comes, no further commentary about her chosen imprisonment. And that's just as well. They have nothing more to discuss.

He is...tired, and wants to be alone. ]

Do not roam about unattended. Your meals will be brought to you.

[ And if she has any questions, then she can ask any number of the castle's denizens attending her room, even if she doesn't realize they're there yet.

Then without another word, he turns to go, pulling the door shut tight behind him. He doesn't lock it, but a suit of armor remains outside the door, ready to follow her should she decide to explore.

It's been a long, long day, and he must retire to decide how to deal with this new, unexpected presence in the castle. What is he going to do with her...? ]

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batb part two: electric boogaloo

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