#miss-alys

Your birthday was never anything important to you. Maybe when you were younger, but not as you grew up. Your parents were never the best, being explosive during unnecessary moments- your birthday included. Not to mention the presents some people gave you happened to be things that you would probably never use. It’s nice of them to get anything for you at all, but still. Hopefully, this year would be different- for it had been years since you had even looked forward to that so-called special day.

This evening, you had a dinner to go to. Bruce- your long-term boyfriend- invited you over to the Wayne Manor. It was supposed to be a pretty low-key thing, which you were thankful for. Not that you didn’t like getting dolled up from time to time, but the fancy scene was never your place to be. You were happy Bruce understood that. To say the least, you were excited to go. Not only because you got to see your boyfriend, but you adored his family. All four kids (even though two of them were 18+) called you Batmom, and you loved it.This nickname started a year ago when you were finally told the family’s secret. But with that aside, you even loved to see Alfred. They were all so lovely. 

Once you arrived, you rang the doorbell. Alfred answered the door as usual. The strange thing was that no one else could be seen or heard.

“Hi, Alfred,” you greeted, “where is everyone?”

The butler stepped aside, opening the door wider for you to walk in. After you entered, he closed the door. “Good evening, [Y/N]. Right this way.” 

He led the way to the Batcave, which you silently wondered why. This was only supposed to be a simple dinner, what would the Batcave have anything to do with it? 

When you arrived, all your questions were answered. You laid eyes upon the entire family waiting for you, along with a table of presents, and a gorgeous two-tier birthday cake. 

“Happy birthday!” Everyone shouted it at once. You were so surprised that they all went through the trouble of setting you up a party. Before you knew it, six pairs of arms were surrounding you in a tight embrace. It knocked the wind out of you, but you just smiled and giggled.

“You guys shouldn’t have,” you said with a sappy tone of voice. Soon enough, they pulled away. “We wanted to,” Bruce assured you. He grabbed your hand, intertwining your fingers together. “Let us open presents while the cake is being cut.” You nodded, thinking it was a good idea. 

You walked over to the present table hand and hand as you examined it. There were six presents- one from everyone you assumed.

“Open mine first,” Damian insisted and practically shoved a skinny rectangular present into your hands.

You knew it would be a necklace of some sort because of the unmistakable shape. You opened the colorful lid to reveal just that- a locket. It was no doubt gorgeous, but you had to see if he put anything inside it or left you to do so. There were two pictures in it. On the left, there was a picture of all four kids smiling for the camera. On the right was one of just your handsome Bruce. Now you would have them wherever you went. 

You hugged the smallest child tightly. “Thank you, Damian. This was very thoughtful of you.” He hugged back the slightest bit. Prideful, just like his father.

Now you had to choose one to open next. You went for the biggest one naturally, but you were stopped. 

“That one has to be last,” Dick exclaimed as he continued to help Alfred with the cake. You thought the request was a bit odd, but you honored it.

You picked up the bag next to it ‘From: Tim To: [Y/N]’. You pulled out all the tissue paper to get to the prize inside. A bunch of cloth bundles revealed themselves to you. As you began to pull them out, Tim began to explain.

“I remember you telling us you’ve been feeling more confident with yourself lately so… Two outfits worth of clothes.”

He actually listens. There was a reason you loved this family. “Thank you,” you unfolded them to analyze them. “Oh my god… These are cute…” He gave a shy smile, glad that you liked them. 

“Go for mine,” Jason said and motioned to an oddly shaped wrapped object. He had a cocky grin on his face, which you assumed meant he was confident he nailed it. 

You do as instructed, unwrapping the small thing. Just what you needed! Your eyes lit up. You loved baking so much, and this would come in handy. It was a little rubber rooster that had a slit on the bottom and one on the top. “Oh, I’ve seen these before! Now I’ll never have to place my spoon down and lose it every time. Now I can just clip it to the pot I’m using!” 

“Glad you like it. I knew you would,” Jason replied, hands being shoved into his pockets. 

You picked the next one at random. It was from Alfred. How sweet of him to get you something. He didn’t have to, considering how much easier he makes your life with just his presence. “Alfred, you’re already a gift though.” 

Alfred chuckled in response, “Thank you, dear.” He was sparing glances every now and again to see your reaction while keeping on his task. It was a cute box that could just fit on one hand. It was so adorable with a bow on top, you didn’t want to ruin it, but you had to. You untied the bow, lifting the lid. You saw a bundle of hair ties and bobby pins. You laughed a bit, but you were genuinely happy to receive it. “I do lose these constantly. This will mean more than you’ll ever know,” you commented. 

“That leaves mine before the finale,” Bruce commented.

You smiled, and you picked up the wrapped box. The wrapping was quick work, and you tore off the packing tape to get to the inside. Once you lifted the flaps, the most gorgeous journal you had ever seen showed itself. The intricate designs against the medium shade of grey were to die for. It looked like it cost a fortune, why must this man always spoil you?

“For all your writing needs,” he added casually. You smiled brightly and hugged him.

“Thank you so much,” you replied and kissed his cheek. However, you quick to pull away, as Dick interrupted. He practically ran over, not being able to contain himself.

He practically yelled it when he grabbed your shoulders, “open mine now!!” You laughed at his behavior.

“Okay, okay,” you said playfully. Time to see what all the fuss was about.

The box when to your waist, and you couldn’t possibly imagine what was inside. The wrapper was easy as before, so was the tape. But wait. There was another box. 

“What is this shit,” you whisper to yourself. Like you were expected to, you went to open the second one. The packing tape was replaced with duct tape, which made it slightly harder, but it was still manageable. 

Then there was a next box. “But why?” You were started to get a bit irritated, seeing the whole top of the box was covered in duct tape.

“Anyone have scissors-”

“NO! You have to use your hands, no outside help. It’s the rules,” Dick cut you off. You looked about at everyone’s face, and they didn’t seem surprised. How often does this happen around here?

You sighed and got to picking at it. This took way longer than it should’ve, and you were happy when it was over. Until you saw what was inside. 

You pulled out a small completely silver wrapped box. “Oh, come on…” Dick was way too happy with himself. 

You struggled for 10 fucking minutes. Eventually, you did get it, and even the victory was bittersweet. There laid, after all those layers, a little penguin phone. It was to die for! You looked at him and he hugged you.

“I hate you right now. But his case is so cute. Thank you,” you responded. Always such the prankster.

He chuckled, “I expected nothing less, Batmom. C’mon, let’s go eat that cake.” The nickname helped numb the mental buzzing of distress.

Everyone gathered around to do just that. Slices were handed out to everyone, and you all contently dug in. Bruce had taken a seat next to you, putting an arm around your shoulders.

“Are you having fun,” he asked. As he spoke, he pulled you closer to him.

You had finally done it! After a terrifying risk to get there, you found yourself stepping on new ground. The Surface. Your hands coiled around the straps to your backpack in excitement. The sack held everything that you deemed necessary for survival. You began to stroll with a pep in your step, a new conviction filling your being.

Thump

The corners of your vision started to dissipate until the blackness took over completely.

You weren’t sure how long you were unconscious for, but you came to in what felt like seconds. A splitting headache threatened your skull when you opened your eyes. Why was it so bright? Details of your surroundings made themselves known as your sight adjusted.

“You idiot!”

Your ears caught a male voice outside the door immediately. Heart picking up speed, you frantically looked for an escape route. Whoever was continuing to scold someone behind that door didn’t sound friendly, and you weren’t staying around to find out.

A window. It was large and you could easily fit your body through it. You scrambled to your feet, running to the glass savior. You unhatched it with ease. The breeze hit you heavenly, but this was not a ‘smell the roses’ occasion. With a leg out the window, you gazed down. That was a long drop, would you even survive if you fell?

The door to the room opened and was quickly slammed shut. Your eyes snapped to the source of the noise. You looked like a child that just got caught with their hand in the cookie jar. There stood a pale man with white hair and matching scandalous clothing. He was no Hylian, that much was clear.

“And what do you think you're doing,” he remarked and marched to you. His ice-cold fingers wrapped around your arm and yanked you back inside. “This is unacceptable behavior, and I will not condone it.”

Your brows furrowed. “And what makes you think I care what you ‘condone’? Who even are you?” Maybe your tongue was a bit more sharp than usual, but that was only a side effect of your anxiety and confusion.

A growl was sent your way, causing you to contract from the sound to the best of your ability. His grip tightened on you. “How dare you disrespect a Lord in his own castle? You are downright insufferable,” he spat like venom. You wouldn’t admit it, but those words stung a bit. A moment of silence went by when you hadn’t answered.

“Dinner is in five minutes. Be late and you shall receive nothing.” He left quicker than he came, disappearing behind a cluster of diamonds.

Great. Now you were in an unknown castle with a hostile Lord, not knowing how to get your time-sensitive destination. What a prick. If it wasn’t for the churning of your stomach feasting upon itself, you wouldn’t have bothered staying in the castle at all. You took a few calming breaths before exited the room.

A long, intricate hallway laid out in front of you. Hopefully, you could just follow it and find the dining area.

After a while of speed walking, you came across a woman that pointed you in the direction. You would’ve assumed she was a servant, but she was dressed too nicely for that. She could be a friend or lover of that guy.

You did end up finding the dining room in no time, turns out you were heading the right way the whole time. The Lord turned to look at you with a glint of amusement in his dark eyes.

“Just on time. I’m shocked.” His tone was a bit mocking, but you tried your best to push that aside. “I was sure I’d have to dine in front of you.”

You offered him no words in response, only a scoff. He motioned a hand to the chair in front of him as if beckoning you to sit at the table with him, which you did. There was a huge elephant in the room, and you wished to address it. There had to be a reason you were here, but he hadn’t offered you one.

“Why am I here?” There no use in sugarcoating it. As you spoke, a delicious meal was placed in front of you by a servant woman. You nodded your gratitude to her, and she seemed surprised. Her doe eyes widened a bit as she scurried off. Did he never show respect for his staff?

A grin started to tug at his lips as if he were pleased that you asked. Should that make you as uneasy as it did? “A sharp one you are,” he responded and paused, most likely for dramatic effect. Wait, did he just compliment you? He continued before you could contemplate further.

“You are here by mistake. My guards believed you to be an enemy and knocked you out. They brought you here to me. Do not fear, for I am a merciful Lord and will compensate for their foolish error.”

That explained why you blacked out and woke up here, plus him yelling at someone outside the door before he presented himself.

You nodded slowly. “Alright. What did you have in mind?” You hoped it was something you could actually work with.

“That depends. I know your kind,” he said almost threateningly as he leaned forward, ”why aren’t you in the sky?” His stare was agonizingly sharp.

You raised an eyebrow and pressed harder against the back of your chair. What did he have against your kind? “Exploration, really.” Your voice was small, but it wasn’t a lie. After a drawn-out silence, he deemed it as the truth as well.

His calculating eyes didn’t calm down, but his aggressive stance had. “You may rest here for a couple of months. That should be enough time to stick your nose around the Surface, but you must see yourself back home after. If you feel the need to go against my request, I could surely lead you to a hole in the graveyard instead.”

Was he trying to make up for your accidental kidnap or get rid of you in any sense? Maybe a bit of both. There had to be something he was keeping from you that would result in this defensive behavior. He doesn't want you down here, and you were going to find out why.

For the time being, you would lay low, but once you got the castle figured out you would stealthy learn what you need to about him. Perhaps you should leave the matter alone, but you had an aching feeling. You had to know. Good thing you would be here for a while.

The rest of dinner went by silently, and once you were done eating you were taken to the same room you woke up in.

You noticed that there was a neat and expensive nightgown waiting for you on the bed. At least the staff was thoughtful enough to bring you a change of clothes. When you changed into it, you had to admire the way the fabric caressed you. As much as you would love to let loose and stay lost in the luxury of this, you couldn’t waste the night away. There was work to do.

Tonight would mark the first night of your investigation. A black cloak was hung on a hook by the bedroom door. You slipped it over the white gown, knowing it would do a better job of concealing you into the darkness. Even if there would be less staff out during the night (you assumed), it was better to be safe than sorry. If you were caught snooping, who knew what sort of punishment would await? He already threatened your life once over dinner.

Your hand grabbed the doorknob and rested there without movement. A moment to catch your breath and calm your racing heart was in order. What you were doing was risking, and your body knew that. Once you shaky exhaled you twisted the knob slowly and opened the door with only the tiniest of creaks. It wasn’t enough to truly be worried over, but you were still on edge about it.

Looking both ways down the hall, you could confirm that there was no one nearby to catch wind of your plan. If you were lucky they would all be hidden away to rest for the night. You stepped out of your room and closed the door behind you carefully.

Then began the journey. You had no clue where you were going, but you were going somewhere. There would be plenty of time to distinguish different rooms and search them. Maybe then you'd find even a piece of evidence left behind of the man’s identity.

Perhaps an hour or two had gone by before you were actually getting somewhere. There were many useless rooms that could serve the purpose of guest bedrooms, restrooms, or storage rooms. After so much time in your personal mission, you were getting confident in your stealth. Not a single employee had come to check out noises you were responsible for.

You came across a door that was just like any other, telling yourself that this one would be the last one for tonight. There was only so much time in the night, and you were sure that you couldn't discover the whole castle before morning while also managing to sleep. You entered the room to find a library-like study. Now, this was something you could work with.

The dark room felt eerie, your stomach twisting itself. There was many books on many shelves that looks to be ancient, a desk, and boxes with the purpose of organized storage. You were convinced that if you wandered into the paths between the tall shelves you would be found in a maze for weeks. What intrigued you the most though was the desk. There was a burnt out candle that looked very used like someone spent a lot of time there and documents on top of the surface.

Jackpot! It all clicked at that moment, and your whole body straightened itself out in delight. What better way to collect the information you were looking for than writing? There had to be some indication of what type of person you were dealing with- or better yet, a name. You would accept any time of lead at this point, this was getting tedious.

The slight echoes of your footsteps on the hard floor were filled with determination. You stopped right in front of the desk and picked up part of the stack of papers there. Reading through these would be no easy task, but you would manage. Most of it was about spells, which was odd. So he uses some sort of magic and could potentially be very dangerous. You'd be sure not to cross him.

Spells. Spells. Spells. There was so many of them, and you swore that if you had to shuffle through any more you would call it quits.

Your hands froze at the next paper. It was a good thing you didn't give up just yet. This seemed to be some sort of diary entry? It was boring in short, but you found exactly what you needed at the bottom.

Ghirahim.

There is was. A name. But what was it about this name that made you question everything about the situation? You've heard it before. Up in Skyloft, there were legends of different people or events from the Surface. Of course, the Surface wasn't a truly confirmed thing, but that didn't stop people from talking. The most popular of all of them was of an evil being. The Demon Lord Ghirahim. Now it made so much sense. The attitude, title, witchcraft, stubborn behavior regarding your presence… You had to do something about this. This man was no good according to legends. If there was anything you could do to get rid of him, you would see it through.

Your thoughts were cut short by the sound of mutters outside the door of the study. A shot of adrenaline rushed through you. Someone was coming, you had to hide. You hastily put down the journal entry and rushed behind one of the bookshelves. Why was anyone awake this late? As if hoping to find a clue you scanned the area. A window was visible from your hidden position. It was slowly lighting up outside. Was it already almost morning? You thought it was only past the middle of the night. Either way, you found yourself in a mess. The door was opened and closed, the chatter making itself intelligible. You were not the only person in the room.

“I don’t understand it, Rossa,” one of the women began. You would assume this was a servant of some kind.

A familiar voice answered, “he’s a man of many mysteries. No one has really had a glimpse of what it’s like inside his mind.” That was the woman that pointed you in the direction of the kitchen the night before, the one that was dressed very nicely! Did she live here?

The woman scoffed at who you could now identify as Rossa. “You know very well it’s not like him to show kindness to strangers, let alone let them stay here. Without supervision too! She’s a sky child, there is every reason to assume trouble.” Great. They were talking about you, and this other woman didn’t seem to like you very much.

“Perhaps he knows something we do not. Though he may seem rash at times, he does not act without his own reasons. Do keep in mind that he is also your master. Any disrespect is punishable.” It also sounded like a warning as if Rossa could tell Ghirahim what was said for negative results. “Just get what he needs when he wakes.”

Shuffling was heard around the area of the boxes, which happened to be just on the other side of the shelf. Maybe you would be safe. But if these two were awake, who else was? Rossa’s words suggested that Ghirahim wasn’t awake yet, but that didn’t mind other servants weren’t. Would you manage to get back to your room undetected?

Without any more talking, you heard the women leave with whatever they came to retrieve. You waited a few minutes or so after the door was shut before coming out. This experience was a real eye-opener that you were getting too comfortable while snooping. By letting your guard down. you risked getting caught. On your first night too, you were you so foolish!

After gathering your bearings, you slipped out of the room. There was no telling who was up and about so you ran the entire way to your room in fear of having another encounter. You quickly went into your room and shakily closed the door. Your heart was racing and your body felt hot. The risk of that was almost too much to handle, but now that didn’t matter. You had gotten away with your charade, and it was time to at least get a little bit of sleep.