Me: Hiya! It's PolkaDotKeyblade here, but you can call me Ki-Ki or Akina, everyone else does! I'm just here to wish you happy reading!
Oz: Hey, Ki-Ki. It's time to... you know.
Me: Aww shoot! I don't wanna! Gil, you do it!
Gil: Wh-Why me?
Me: 'Cause you'll be the bestest buddy EVAW if you do!
Gil: O-Okay. PolkaDotKeyblade does not own anything to do with Pandora Hearts! She does however own Grace, this story's main character.
Me: Yay! *Huggles* Thank you!
Gil: Y-You're welcome Akina.
Oz: Ooooohhh! Gil has a crush on Ki-ki!
Gil: N-N-No I don't! You do!
Oz: Do not!
Gil: Do too!
Me: *sighs* Readers, please continue on with the story while I sort this out.
All: HAPPY READING!
"Young Master! Where are you, Young Master Oz?" A middle-aged maid ran through the halls of the Bezarius household and darted around one of the many hallways, bumping into a girl who was walking whilst diving her head into her book. The girl stood back in shock.
"Oh I'm so sorry Mrs. Kate!" The line of maids bowed in synchronisation.
"Please forgive us Miss Grace." The girl nodded in reply, to which after the head maid, Mrs. Kate, continued. "Please excuse us Miss, but we must go and find Master Oz. We must prepare him for tonight!" And the maids ran off in file through the halls again. Once the maids were out of sight, Grace smirked knowingly.
"Typical Oz…" Swiftly afterwards, Grace's footwork quickened as she made her way in the opposite direction to where the maids went.
Grace knocked lightly on the door and peeked her head inside to find Gilbert, one of her closest friends, sitting alone in the middle of the room facing away from her, towards a wardrobe. Grace smiled knowingly and walked inside closing the door behind her.
"Good afternoon Gil." Gil jumped up in fright and froze in a karate pose. When he saw Grace he stood normally but with an awkward blush on his face, obviously from the shock.
"G-G-Good afternoon, Miss Grace!" Grace laughed sweetly.
"I told you before Gil! Call me as a friend, not as your superior. I don't like it when you address me like that." Grace pouted, as Gil scratched his head.
"Yes, of course, Grace-chan." Grace smiled in satisfaction, then smirked and raised an eyebrow.
"So where's Oz this time? No wait, let me guess…" And she pointed to the wardrobe Gil looked at before. Gil sighed and nodded. Grace sighed knowingly. "I knew it." Grace gestured Gil to the chair, to which he nodded and sat down. Grace walked over to the couch and sat down, opening her bookmarked page and read. After a bit of awkward silence, Grace looked up and found Gil staring at her in disbelief. She smiled and put a finger to her lips, then with the same finger pointed to the door. With the same hand she held up three fingers, then counted down while mouthing the words,
"Three. Two. One." Suddenly the maids from before burst in.
"Young Master!" Gill and Grace looked up in surprise. "Gilbert! Miss Grace!"
"Yes!" We replied. The head maid walked up to them, before curtseying to Grace.
"Pardon for intruding Miss, but," She then turned to Gil. "You are always with Young Master!" She gripped his shoulders. "So you should know!" The head maid suddenly emitted a scary aura. "Gilbert. Where is Young Master Oz hiding?"
"I don't know what on earth happened to-"
"It's almost time for the banquet, but I can't find him anywhere!" She let go and took on a scared pose. "Don't tell me… could it be that he decided to boycott?"
Grace's P.O.V:
I closed my book and put it down.
"Actually, neither of us have seen him since lunch either…" The maid suddenly looked nice and said,
"Speaking of which Gilbert, I heard from Young Master…" She held up a kitty glaring. "That you're terrible when it comes to dealing with cats!" I sweat dropped while Gil ran behind me.
"The lake! He was headed towards the lake with Lady Eda!" The head maid put the cat down and skipped out with the other maids.
"The lake, eh? Well, here I come to catch you! Hohoho!" The cat walked over to the wardrobe and started to scratch it's door. I turned to the cat while Gil twitched.
"Young Master… please stop playing around and come out now." The cat walked out of the way as Oz kicked open the doors while carrying his younger sister Eda.
"Good work, Gilbert!" Gilbert was on his knees crying.
"Ah! I'm going to get scolded by Mrs. Kate!" Oz laughed.
"That's too bad, Gilbert!" Eda ran over to me and hugged my waist.
"Grace-chan! You're back!" I laughed and hugged her back.
"It's great to see you too Eda-chan." Eda let go and I turned to Oz, who smiled goofily, holding his arms out. I smiled and walked into his hug, which he lifted me up and spun me around. When he let me down he laughed.
"Grace-chan! I haven't seen you in such a long time!"
"You mean lunch?"
"Yeah! But I missed lunch so it's almost as twice as long since I've seen you!" I sighed and shook my head then looked up smiling as Oz continued. "So Grace, you have to some with us!"
"What?" Eda took my hand.
"To the chapel of course!" I nodded my head.
"Of course." Oz took my other hand and I was dragged by the Bezarius siblings.
"Well, Eda next lets go to the chapel with Grace!" As I was being dragged away Gil ran behind us.
"Oh, please wait! Young Master Oz!"
"Don't yell so loud, Gil! Mrs. Kate will hear you!"
"Sorry!"
We were all walking towards the chapel and Gil was admiring the scenery.
"They did a great job making it look new again. This very old building… was completely renewed for you." Oz turned back to Gil.
"That's an exaggeration!" We all walked through the doors of the chapel. It was so grand! It was filled with rows of seats and at the back a giant red staircase leading to a whole other level. Eda looked around in awe like the rest of us.
"So beautiful!" We all walked down the centre aisle as Gilbert asked Oz,
"This is where the ceremony will be held tonight, isn't it?" Oz and I nodded.
"Yeah." We all stopped at the foot of the staircase. Gilbert looked up in admiration.
"It seems that everything is giving blessings to Young Master and Miss Grace." I didn't even bother to reply because I was in a trance looking at the clock above the staircase. The clock was at exactly one minute to 12 o'clock. Suddenly all I could see was a black void, then back to the clock tower. It seemed that Oz experienced the same thing, for I sensed him looking at the clock in the same way.
"That's the silent clock tower." An eerie voice rang through the chapel.
"That's right. The silent clock that has been asleep for the past century." The whole group turned around towards the door.
"By prophecy, when the awaited one ascends on the promised land, the sound of the bell, which destroys the silence, shall resound." Oz stepped forward yelling.
"Who is it?" Gil and Oz was grabbed by the collar from behind and lifted into the air. By Oz's uncle.
"So you brats were hiding in a place like this!" Oz turned to him.
"Uncle Oscar!" Oscar laughed.
"Putting me through all this trouble."
We were all taken to Oscar's room, where we were sitting on either of his two couches. Eda and Gilbert were on one, and Oz and I on the other. Oscar was by the window smoking a cigarette.
"Geez, you guys… You really shouldn't be making Mrs. Kate worry so much." Oz replied,
"But she's even more tense than usual, so I couldn't help but want to mess with her!" Oscar laughed.
"Well, I don't blame her for being tense… when it's the coming-of-age ceremony of Oz Bezarius, the next head of the house of Bezarius, one of the four Archduke families." Oz sighed and fell backwards in his seat.
"That's just it! Why do I have to do something like that? It's such a bother." Oscar laughed again.
"That's the fate of an aristocrat who turns fifteen. Give it up."
"Yeah, I guess I should be happy to be able to come to this mansion for that. Even though it's been two days, there are still things that I haven't seen yet. It's fun!" Oscar sighed happily and turned to the skies outside his window.
"It's a beautiful castle. It was built more than two hundred years ago, but now it's only used for conducting coming-of-age ceremonies." Oz sat up.
"This place is that old? So, even way before the Tragedy of Sabrie…" An image of a great dark void surrounding a once great city entered my mind. But it instantly dissolved as if burning away along with Oscar's cigarette.
"Well, it's not really a place you can come to very often… If you just think of it as a weird party, you'll have fun." Oz and I nodded. Oz sat back in a playful way.
"Uncle, you're conducting the ceremony for both of us, right?"
"Yeah. Sorry, usually it would be you're parents jobs, but I'm taking their place." I smiled sadly, for I haven't seen my parents in such a long time, for as long as I could remember. I've been taken care of by my sister and her servant. To be honest, we all take care of each other. I shook my head lightly and pushed those thoughts to the back of my mind as Oz smiled brightly.
"What are you saying? You're just like a dad to me. If anything, I'm happier that way." I raised my hand and smiled brightly.
"Me too!" Oscar smiled lovingly at the pair of us and coughed a little, regaining composure.
"Oh, that's right Oz. That thing you asked for… Somehow I managed to finish it in time." Oz climbed on the sofa to face Oscar.
"Really? That's great!" Oz jumped off the sofa and I ran around, for a lady should never risk showing her undies in front of men. Oscar held out a large box, handing it to his nephew.
"I hope the size fits well." Oz took it.
"It should be fine." Suddenly there was a bang on the door and Mrs. Kate's voice echoed.
"Oscar-sama. Is Young Master Oz and Miss Grace in there?" Oz turned to his uncle.
"Uncle, please! Can I go play for a little longer?" Oz walked towards the window when Gilbert stood up.
"That won't do! The exploration was only supposed to go until three!" Oz's face turned angry.
"Shut it! I said just a little longer didn't I?" And he grabbed my hand and ran to the window.
"Young Master!" Oz turned and clicked his fingers.
"Dinah." Eda's cat suddenly clung into Gilbert's head which caused the boy to start wailing.
"Ah…Ah… I'm sorry! Sorry!" I turned to Oz.
"Hey, you don't have to bully Gil so much." Oscar walked over to us.
"Grace is right. You want time to hand it over, right? Go on." The door knocked again.
"Oscar-sama!"
"Yes, yes. Just a moment please." Eda ran up to us.
"Me too!" Oscar turned to Oz and pointed his index finger.
"Listen up Oz. You better not fool around at tonight's ceremony." I was helping Eda climb out the window.
"Aren't you going to warn me too?" Oscar laughed lightly.
"Why should I? You never cause any trouble," He gave a ninja glare. "Without Oz." Oz turned and glared at his uncle.
"I get it already!" He started to climb too.
"If I find you pulling any tricks… I'll cal upon the Emissary of the Abyss." A soft gust of wind blew through the room, and after a moment of everyone's silence, Oz laughed.
"Sorry, but I'm tired of hearing these childish threats." He jumped out of the window. "Come on Eda, let's go! Grace are you coming or what?" I helped Eda jump down and stood at the window.
"Do you want Mrs. Kate to hear you? Of course I'm coming!" And I jumped. Gilbert cried.
"Wait a second! Young Master!"
We were all running through the grounds and came to a staircase that went deep into a small cliff. Gilbert was being worried as usual.
"Where are you going, Young Master?" Oz lead the way up the grand staircase.
"It's a secret place. We won't be found by anyone there." We stopped halfway up for Eda to look at the view.
"Ah… pretty!" Gilbert finally caught up with us.
"It's the capital city Leverru." Eda turned from the view to her brother.
"Hey, onii-chan… What's 'abyss'?" My eyes darted from the innocent girl to her playful brother, who replied.
"It's a prison where bad people are locked up." He put on a playful evil face. "Rumours say that once you're taken there, you can never come back out again!" Eda hid behind Gil.
"Gil, is it the prison we saw in that book before?" Gil looked down to her.
"That's right. An emissary from the abyss comes to snatch up those who committed heinous crimes, and take them away to a truly horrifying place. At least that's what they say."
"You three, come look!" We all turned to find Oz already at the top of the staircase waving at us. "Hey, this way!" He ran into the illuminated tunnel, and we all swiftly followed.
We were running through a beautiful tunnel, all following Oz, who seemed to know where he was going. We all stopped and turned to the sky, and admired how it beautifully combines all of the shades of blue together.
"What is this place?" I asked. Oz replied.
"Isn't this place amazing?" We all looked down to take in the lush greenery split by the azure rivers twisting and winding creating paths for itself. "I found it this morning." We all ran over to the fence.
"So beautiful…" Eda nodded and cried.
"It's so pretty!" Gil nodded too.
"It really is…"
"Gil, here." Gil turned and Oz threw him a white garment with gold trimmings.
"This is… isn't this a bit small for Young Master Oz?" Oz was facing the other way.
"Idiot, it's fine!" He turned to Gil. "Because you're the one who will be wearing it!"
"Huh?" Gil's face turned blue. "WHAT?" Oz smiled calmly.
"The truth is, it's been decided that you will participate in tonight's coming-of-age ceremony as well." Gil's face turned an even deeper shade of blue. Oz smiled sheepishly and blushed slightly. "My clothes are too big for you, so I asked Uncle, and he tailored them for me." Gilbert flinched.
"What's up with that? I haven't heard anything about this!" Oz retaliated.
"Of course! If I told you, then what?" Oz smirked in satisfaction. "I wanted to see the flustered face that you always make, so I kept quiet." Gil made that same flustered face and fell to his knees, to which Eda patted his head.
"Gil, it suits you well." Gil stood up.
"I can't do this! Please get someone else to do it instead!" Oz put his hands on his hips.
"It's okay! As for your responsibilities, they're not a big deal. All you have to do is put each of our robes on at the end of the ceremony. It's okay if you don't show up, it just seems right for you." Gil stepped forward.
"No, it's not that."
"Then what's the problem?"
"I'm just a servant! I'm not qualified to participate in that kind of a ceremony."
"You're wrong Gil." We all turned to Oz, who smiled calmly and sweetly. "You won't be there as my servant. I want you to participate as my friend." I smiled and blushed slightly, but Gil flinched again and stood back.
"That's even worse!" Eda, Oz and I pouted.
"Huh, why?"
"If they know that an orphan like me is friends with the Young Master and Mistress, you'll be insulted by all other aristocrats." Oz's gaze diverted.
"I don't care about that."
"I'll be scolded by the Master!"
"It's okay, really." Oz turned to where he was facing before, at the garden in front of him. "Even though it's his son's coming-of-age ceremony, he didn't even come home from work. He won't go out of his way just to scold you." I suddenly flinched.
"Wait! What did you just say?" Oz turned to me.
"Me? I said-" I waved my hand.
"No, not you! Gil!" I turned to Gilbert and grabbed him by his collar. "What did you just say Gil?" Gil's face turned white, for I never acted very angry at my friends.
"I-I-I-I just said that if p-p-people find out that an or-orphan like m-m-m-m-me is friends with the Young Master and Mistress, then-" I let go of his collar.
"What do you mean Mistress? I'm not a Young Mistress, I'm a friend of the family." I laughed awkwardly. "You know that." Gil fixed his collar.
"I thought you knew." His gaze darted from me to Oz to me to Oz. "This isn't just a coming-of-age ceremony of two separate people." I started to worry. My heart was pumping. Oz walked forward.
"What are you saying Gil?" Gil started to sweat rapidly.
"It's… a Betrothal Ceremony." Oz and I turned from Gil to each other then back again.
"WHAT?" Gil was frightened and it showed.
"You two are betrothed, that's why you're completing the ceremony together tonight." Oz and I turned to each other.
"We're… betrothed?…" A gust of wind sent cherry blossoms all around us, which made my eyes turn blank. Suddenly I heard a sound, like a tune from a music box. I looked around, and so did Oz, from I'm guessing him hearing it too.
"Young Master, Young Mistress!" We kept looking around.
"This sound…"
"Sound?" We both walked forward. "Young Master! Young Mistress!" We kept walking, and that same image of a dark void swallowing the city flashed in my mind.
"This sound… a music box?" Suddenly the ground crumbled from beneath the pair of us. I heard Gil from behind us.
"Young Master! Young Mistress!" Gil fell with us. Eda was still on the ground above us, calling us.
"Big brother! Grace! Gil!" The three of us were on hard ground, lying, obviously hurt from the fall. All of us were facing the ground, with myself in the centre Oz on my left and Gil on my right. Oz was the first to speak.
"Ow… Are you two still alive?" We all started turning to try and get up. I grabbed my right arm.
"Yeah…" Gil grabbed his head.
"S-Somehow…" We all looked up at the same time and saw a grave. It was a huge golden cross leaning on a tree surrounded by overgrown earth. The light from the hole above gave it an eerie aura. I held onto my arm.
"Where is this…?" We all stood up and looked around. Gil looked at the trees.
"Could this place be… a cemetery?" Oz replied.
"Yeah, but there's only one grave here…" We all walked up to the grave and Gil bent down to the gravestone.
"There's a name engraved… I can't read it. It seems to be pretty old." My gaze turned to the watch hanging from the cross. I saw that Oz started to reach for it. Gil noticed too.
"Young Master?" Oz ignored Gil completely and clasped the watch in his palm. I suddenly became overwhelmed with an over-powering headache. Oz pulled the watch's chain from around the cross. I saw the void.
"What is this feeling?"
I stared at the cross, in complete sync with Oz. Gil stood up beside us.
"Young Master? Young Mistress?" I stared at Oz, who returned the gaze. At the same time we looked down to the watch, and I clasped Oz's hand in mine. An almost invisible gold ribbon seemed to be wound around both Oz and my hand. I blinked, and it was gone. Regardless, we both simultaneously clicked the button, opening it. We both gulped and I wound the top of it, making a song enter the air. It was the same song as before. But before where?
"This melody… I've heard it before, but where?"
"A pocket watch, but who does it belong to?"
"But… Somehow…" I looked up and I was in a room. Alone. I looked around, eyes frantic.
"Huh?" The room was filled with shelf after shelf of china dolls. "Where is this place?"
I turned around and there was a huge cabinet of dolls, all moving and staring at me, as if cheering.
"She has returned."
"Finally she has returned!"
"He shall be pleased."
"Finally she has returned!"
"That boy will definitely be pleased."
"Of course, she's been waiting for so long!" I stood my ground, but still showed great fear.
"What is this place?"
"Will everyone please be quiet." The dolls were silenced. "She's a little startled." I flinched, and slowly turned around. There was a boy standing in front of me. He had golden-blonde hair covering his eyes, with a white attire, and a face of pure stone.
"You are…" The boy walked towards me.
"It's true… you've come." He jumped towards me. "I'm so happy!" I didn't feel the boy's embrace, for he fell through me. I gasped in shock and turned around. The boy seemed unmoved by it. "Everyone hates me. That's why no-one comes to see me." I turned fully to face him.
"Wait a moment! I don't get what you're saying. You are… What in the world is this place?" The boy lent his head to my right.
"What are you saying?" He held his arms out. "You always used to come here. Didn't you?" I stood back in shock.
"I-I…?" The boy walked over to one of the doll's and cupped it in his hand.
"That's right. When I was feeling lonely, you'd always be by my side." He lifted the doll higher into the light. "As long as you are here, I don't care if I can never escape from this place!" Beads of swear started to form on my forehead.
"What in the world are you?" He became silent, and held the doll in both his hands.
"I… am…" The doll dropped to the floor and instantly burst into fierce flames. I gasped, and tried to turn to escape, but the flames ended up forming a circle blocking my way. I turned back to the boy, obviously fearing for my life. "I am…"
"What the hell is this?"
"You are…" My hands automatically clasped my head and I screeched,
"STOP IT!" The room disappeared and there was nothing but black. The boy wound his arms around my shoulders.
"I'm going to kill you." I pulled his arm's away and turned around. Suddenly the boy clasped his hands around my neck, robbing my lungs from vital air. I grabbed his arms in attempt to make him release, but in vain. We were suddenly sucked into the darkness, with the boy still strangling me. "I will never forgive you. I'll never… never…" His face turned to that of a wooden doll before paint, a scary sight to see. "…never forget. No matter where you hide, I will find you." I began to struggle, trying to make him go away.
"Let me go!" I felt ground and I ended up lying down with the boy on top of me. He eventually let go and leant forward, caressing my face with one hand, the other pinning my arm down.
"What's wrong? Are you afraid of me?" I could only stare, speechless at what lay ahead. His hand that was pinning me down gently reached mine, and wounded his fingers in mine. "Very well… Let the fear engulf you." He lent his face to my ear, almost down my neck. I couldn't move. Would I ever see anyone again? "Lamentation." Eda? "Quivering" Gilbert? "Despair." Oz? "I will gently teach you all of it." Would I ever see Oz again? "And in the end, I will kill you with these hands!" The boy held up a dagger, which gleamed in the unfounded light. I screamed as I saw the dagger reach me.
"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"
"Young Mistress?" I was back in the grave with Gilbert and Oz. I looked frantically around.
"What happened?" When I realised that Gil and Oz were there, I brought them into a group hug. "Guys, thank goodness you're still alive!" I stood back and examined myself. "Thank goodness I'm still alive." Gil walked forward.
"Both of you were all spaced out." He looked at the watch. "Did that watch?" We all looked at the watch, and Oz eventually closed it, making the music stop.
"What was that just now?" I looked around, then I spotted the hole from above.
"Are you sure it's alright to take the watch along with you?" Oz looked to Gil, who asked the question.
"It's alright. Later I want to ask Uncle whose grave that was." He put the watch in his pocket and turned to us again. "Well that's that." He threw the black box to Gil. "Here. Go ask Kate about the specifics regarding tonight." Gil pleaded.
"I told you, Young Master! Someone like me can't appear at a ceremony like that!" Oz looked at Eda and patted her head, to which she turned off trying to find Dinah. I turned to Gilbert with a calm smiling face. Oz however, held onto Gil's shoulders, smiling as I was.
"I get it. I won't force you."
"Young Master." I stepped forward.
"Even if you don't come, we won't mind at all." Oz then gripped excruciatingly tight onto Gil's shoulders, making Gil sweat in fear. Both Oz and I looked at him as if we were hurt but were trying to understand. Then we glared and ran off.
"Well then, we're going to go change too. Eda! Dinah!" We walked away leaving Gil on his knees shaking.
"It's absolutely a lie."
"Young Master Oz! Miss Grace! What happened, your clothes are so dirty!"
"Sorry, Mrs. Kate!"
"Hurry up and get changed, both of you!"
"Yes!"
I was in a separate room alone, getting ready for the ceremony.
"What happened earlier… Was it just a dream?" I caressed my neck.
"I can still feel the sensation of being strangled." I looked in the mirror and saw five marks on my neck, one for each finger that tried to kill me.
I was being escorted up a flight of stairs to meet with Oscar one final time before the ceremony, when I felt a presence behind me. I stopped and turned.
"Back then… If I hadn't come to this mansion…"
"What's the matter, Miss Grace?" I turned with a fake smile on my face.
"N-Nothing!" I turned back again.
"In retrospect, I think those kind of 'what if' thoughts." I turned to the window, and saw the clouds. They were an awfully dark shade of blue.
"The sky sure has grown dark, huh?"
"What about Gil?"
I was still walking down a hallway with Mrs. Kate in front. When I heard that same music from before. My eyes widened.
"Why do I hear that music everywhere? It hasn't stopped playing since earlier."
In a place no human has voyaged before, there was a boy. He was floating above water within te never ending darkess, with his head in his knees.
He heard music. He lifted his head.
"A nostalgic sound… Is it calling to me?…"