Gamer4 in, and welcome, my friends, to my newest series! "Series?" you ask? Well, yes! This bears some explaining. So, I've been playing a certain game lately, sharing its title with the title of this new little mini-series I'm starting up here, with a very minor difference, Live A Live. It has given me the inspiration to do this thing. To those who are uninitiated, (which, frankly, is most people,) Live A Live is a game released by SquareSoft for the SNES, which, due to never having been released officially outside of Japan, has been delegated to 'cult classic' status. Its remake, on the other hand, is doing much better for itself. You may have heard of it, a little game called Chrono Trigger. Anyways, Live A Live is a game that features eight different shorter games, with scenarios scattered across time and space. And, naturally, completing the eighth unlocks a final ninth chapter that ties all the previous chapters together. This game has had me spellbound for a while now, so I decided to do what anyone who reads my stories could very easily have predicted: convert it into a fanfiction. The first eight chapters of the game, thusly, will become eight individual short stories, each starring a different fandom! Now, if anyone's been following me for a while, they'll remember that I already tried something like this with a story called What Lies Beneath, and it was a total disaster. Well, I'm taking steps to remedy that- unlike with What Lies Beneath, the reader won't have to be familiar with each individual fandom, as each story will be totally self-contained - while someone reading through all the stories will be able to spot the threads that will make this mini-series a mini-series, rather than just a random collection of stories belonging to different fandoms, someone who only wants to read an individual story will be able to do so as well! Anyways, the first fandom that will be stepping up to this story's plate is, as you already can tell, Legend of Zelda! I hope you enjoy.
Disclaimer: You know, it just occurred to me, with eight different stories spanning eight fandoms, I'll have to write out eight different disclaimers for them all. Aaaaaaahhhhhhhh... oh, well. No, I don't own Legend of Zelda. Or, for that matter, Live A Live.
Live Alive
Link's Story
Rescue
Night had fallen on the old castle on the outskirts of the land of Hyrule. At the top of the stone structure was a throne room of sorts, and upon the throne sat a strange woman, tall, pale-skinned, and with blue hair that stretched down to halfway down her back. She was currently engaged in watching the sky, but seemed to be waiting for something.
Finally, she looked down as wind began to blow through the chamber. Looking down, she saw a whirlwind forming in front of her. In the center, a human form was taking shape. Finally, the wind ceased, and the form became clear- a young-looking man dressed entirely in purple, including robes and a hat. His skin was shockingly white, and he bore strange designs under his eyes. "Lady Gavran," he nodded, raising an arm in a sort of salute.
"Vaati," the woman said, nodding curtly. "I hope you have some good news."
"We have her," Vaati said, smiling a very nasty smile. "We've captured her."
"It's about time," Gavran nodded, standing. "I expected more from you, with your reputation. That's why I revived you, after all."
"She was well guarded," Vaati muttered, shaking his head.
"It doesn't matter," Gavran replied. "We have her now. I'll go down to interrogate her."
"Lady Gavran!" Vaati suddenly stepped forward. "You do realize what this means, don't you?"
"If it's occurred to you, Vaati," Gavran muttered, "then I can guarantee it's already occurred to me."
"They won't take this lightly," Vaati continued, eyebrows narrowing. "They'll send someone for her. And if I know them, that person will be Link Faron."
"I would be disappointed if they didn't," Gavran muttered, smiling quietly as she turned to gaze at the stars.
XXXX
The next night found a man dressed in a green tunic riding across the plains to the castle. At his side was another warrior riding a horse, a tall woman with white hair held in a braid, dressed in the armor of the sheikah tribe. The two were riding hard and fast, eyes set on the castle as their ultimate goal. Finally, they arrived in front of it and dismounted.
"Nice place," the man in green commented as he looked up at the castle, framed against the dark of the night.
"So, this is where they took Princess Zelda," the woman alongside him nodded, observing the front.
"Do we have any idea who did this, Impa?" the man in green asked, eyes flicking to the woman.
"We can't say for sure yet, Link, but the witnesses we've talked to indicate that it's Vaati," Impa responded, her head bowed.
"Vaati?" Link responded with a gasp. "That's- that's impossible! He's supposed to be dead!"
"I hate to say it, but it wouldn't be the first time something like this has happened," Impa pointed out, eyes closed in thought.
"Even so, Vaati couldn't just come back on his own... could he?"
"I don't think so," Impa shook her head. "If he is back, then it's because somebody brought him back. And, of course, they seem to have developed an interest in Zelda."
"That seems to happen a lot," Link muttered, glaring up at the towers above them. "So, what's our plan?"
"Sneak in, find Zelda, sneak back out," Impa replied immediately. "There's no room for your usual theatrics here."
"So we're not going to find whoever's responsible for this and stop them?" Link asked, a note of frustration in his voice. "They kidnaped Zelda!"
"True," Impa agreed, "but we don't really know anything about whoever is living here- this place was deserted until only a month or so ago. King Daphnes wants us to find out more about our enemy before we strike."
Reluctantly, Link agreed, and the two began making their way forward. As they approached, two guards looked up and seemed to notice them. "Intruders!" one called, but he didn't get far before Link had deftly drawn his bow and fired twice, striking both guards down.
"Not off to a great start," Impa commented. "I was hoping to at least get into the castle without being seen."
Link shrugged and approached one of the guards. Searching him, he found a large silver key, set with intricate designs. Returning to the castle's door, he inserted the key and opened it up, allowing the two entrance.
The inside of the large stone structure was a tangle of long hallways. Link and Impa made their way forward, careful to stick to the shadows at all times that they could, doing everything possible to not get caught. This wasn't made any easier by the guards seemingly being on high alert since the shout of the guards out front. Link was largely relying on Impa to help him remain in the shadows- as they'd noted before, stealth was not his strong suit, as he tended to rush in with his sword out.
"Where are we going first?" Link asked quietly, after several long minutes of creeping in the darkness. "We don't seem to be making any progress..."
"Our first goal is to find the dungeons- that's where they're likely to be holding her," Impa whispered back.
Link glanced out of a nearby window. They were pretty high for people whose ultimate destination was the dungeons, but when he commented on this, Impa silenced him. "Trust me, this castle used to be a fortress of the sheikah- I know where I'm going."
Well, Impa's knowledge of the sheikah was certainly second to none, so Link quietly acquiesced, following her wherever she led him. Strangely, she seemed to be correct, as the winding hallways did, indeed, begin leading them downwards. Finally, the windows stopped appearing, making way for long, dark hallways lit with torches. Finally, the two were walking through what seemed to be a gigantic prison.
Link's eyes were taking a while to adjust to the darkness, so he took out a lantern that he'd brought and quietly lit it, illuminating the scene. It was somewhat eerie, with nobody seeming to be in the dungeons at all. Looking around, he couldn't see one occupied cell.
This only changed in the very last one, as Impa let out a quiet gasp and motioned for Link to approach slowly. He nodded and began stepping lighter on his feet, his lantern raising.
Inside the very last cell was what seemed to be a young man, asleep in the corner. He was dressed in a manner very similar to Impa, bearing the eye of the sheikah across his chest, and even wearing long hair in a similar braid. However, he also wore a small turban of sorts, and a cloth across the lower half of his face. His eyes, as he looked up at the people approaching, were a dark shade of red.
"Sheik!" Impa exclaimed.
"Ah, Impa," the young man, Sheik, nodded, standing up. "It's been a while. Did you come to rescue me?"
"Sorry, but no," Impa shook her head. "We're here to find Princess Zelda."
"I see," Sheik replied, his head bowed. "Well, if that is the way of things, then so it must be."
"Who is this?" Link asked, looking between the two.
"This is Sheik," Impa explained. "He and I are the last living Sheikah."
"I thought you were the last," Link raised his eyebrow. "I never heard about any others."
Impa shook her head. "It doesn't matter," she grunted. "Sheik, what are you doing here?"
"I was investigating this castle, and its newest residents," Sheik explained, standing and beginning to stretch, "but I got sloppy, let myself get caught. So, if you wanted to help me out of this cell, I would be happy to help you- I managed to collect some good information before they caught me."
"Do you know where the princess is?" Impa asked urgently.
"Upstairs," Sheik said simply.
"Right, I understand," Impa muttered. "I'll be right back. Link, keep guard here."
With that, Impa was gone.
Link turned and examined Sheik. He wasn't like anyone he'd met before. "So, what kind of things have you found out?"
"The owner of this castle is a woman who calls herself Gavran," Sheik began speaking. "Apparently, she's out to conquer Hyrule." Sheik scoffed. "Isn't she special?"
"Very," Link muttered. "And is it true? Did she revive Vaati?"
"It certainly seems so," Sheik nodded. "In fact, he's the one who captured me."
"Is he working with her?"
"That's what it looks like. I'd imagine they've promised to share Hyrule with each other."
"That'll last," Link snorted. "I don't know about this 'Gavran' woman, but Vaati isn't someone who shares power."
"And from what I've seen, Gavran is much the same," Sheik agreed. "I don't know how their alliance has gotten this far, but I doubt it will last much longer once the time comes to divide Hyrule up between them."
"Alright, I'm back!" came another voice, and they both turned to see Impa approaching, a key in hand. She quickly inserted it into the lock and a moment later, Sheik was free. "Okay, we've given our part of the bargain, now lead us to the Princess."
"Of course," Sheik nodded, stepping out of the cell and leading them to a nearby set of stairs. "Come on, we've got some climbing to do."
Thus did they return to a state of stealth and silence, ascending through the castle.
As they climbed, they stopped only once, when they heard a very slight noise coming from a nearby room. Looking in, they saw two people rustling through it. "Be more careful," one of them spoke in a soft voice. "We don't want anyone to hear us."
"They don't look like they belong here," Link commented, watching their furtive movements.
"Thieves, perhaps?" Sheik suggested.
"A fair guess," Impa nodded. "We should leave before-"
"HEY!" came a shout nearby. The three cursed softly and ducked into another nearby room. The guard that had shouted came rushing down the hall, ignoring their room, and turning into the room with the two thieves.
"Not good!" came a voice from the second thief, who revealed himself as a young man with dirty brown hair. "They found us!"
"Relax, Glen!" the soft-voiced thief said, showing herself as a young woman with blond hair. "Watch and learn!"
Link watched with quiet respect as the girl stepped forward and began to deftly dodge out of the way of the guard as he desperately swung his sword at her. It was pretty impressive- no matter how hard he tried, the guard could get his sword to contact nothing but air.
This only changed when she abruptly stumbled, not enough to actually fall to the ground, but enough to allow the guard to finally make his mark. The girl gave a grunt as the sword pierced her chest, collapsing to the ground as blood began to flow.
"Tarin!* NO!" the boy, Glen, cried, falling over the girl's body.
Link had had enough. He stepped out from behind the door, readied an arrow, and fired it into the guard's back. The guard grunted and collapsed. Glen looked around, surprised, trying to find his savior, but Impa held Link back. Finally, Glen, tears still in his eyes, stood, lifting Tarin's body over his shoulder, and carried her out of the room and down the hall.
"Tragic," Sheik muttered, shaking her head.
Link nodded as he sighed. "Come on, let's get moving."
Sheik continued leading them past the door, down some more halls, and further up into the castle.
Their trek only stopped as they approached a large, empty room arching above their heads. "Look, are we anywhere near where Zelda is?" Link muttered frustratedly.
"Very near," Sheik nodded.
"Which makes it even more tragic that you won't be getting any further!" came a new, cackling voice. A small whirlwind began to form in the center of the room, and as they watched, a shadow appeared in the middle, slowly taking shape.
"Vaati," Link growled.
"Is that any way to greet an old friend, Link?" Vaati smirked. "I'm touched that you came all this way to see me, but I'm afraid I can't let you go any further. I just can't."
"Why are you working with this Gavran woman?" Sheik asked, stepping forward. "Tell us the truth- what do you get out of it?"
"Nothing in particular," Vaati shrugged. "It's just convenient that she brought me back, and gave me another chance at life. Another chance to kill you and take over Hyrule."
"And you intend to share it with her?" Link asked scathingly. "That doesn't sound like you at all."
"She doesn't want Hyrule," Vaati smirked. "That's the great thing- she only wants what I want- to see you fall, Link."
"Me?" Link asked, an eyebrow raising. "Why is she so interested in... me? I've never even heard of this Gavran woman before!"
Vaati shrugged. "I didn't ask. We wanted the same thing, and that was good enough for me. And now, it's time..."
The air in the room began moving quickly, twisting into a whirlwind around Vaati once more. "Oh, boy," Link muttered. "Here we go."
Vaati was transforming, growing larger, and adapting to a sphere shape, entirely black with a single blood-red eye, blinking down at them. Bat-like wings spread out from the top of the sphere, and arms began to spread out, more closely resembling multiple bats working in close harmony than actual arms, complete with wings of their own.
Link, Impa, and Sheik all sprang into action, Impa and Sheik ducking behind the monstrosity as Link stepped forward to meet it head-on. He reached for his bow, and fired an arrow towards Vaati's eye. Unfortunately, the beast raised one of his arms and blocked, knocking the arrow to the side. Impa and Sheik, attacking from the sides, were having little success. The monster drove his arms into the ground, causing Link to look to the ground, where, sure enough, there were dark shadows forming. "Look out! The shadows!" he called out in warning as he ducked out of the way himself. Impa and Sheik were only just barely able to dodge out of the way as the shadows formed into Vaati's arms, plunging out of the ground swing at them. Link swung his sword at the arms, but failed to make contact.
Vaati's eyes began to glow, causing Link some more distress. He knew what was coming next, and instinctively raised his shield.
Vaati, however, surprised him, as he suddenly turned and blinked at Impa. Link dove forward, letting out a shout of warning, but it was too late, as the sphere of energy left Vaati's eye and slammed into Impa, knocking her to the ground. Not missing a beat, Vaati followed up by lashing out with an arm, plunging it into Impa's chest. The woman looked down at her own blood leaking out. Looking back up, however, Link saw no fear in her eyes. She reached for the arm, closing her hands around it, and, summoning all her strength, wrenched the arm from her chest. Struggling to stay upright, she reached into her clothes and produced a small item, glancing up at Link as she did. Link understood, and as one, both he and Sheik ducked as Impa tossed the Deku seed to the ground. A great flash went through the room, and when it died down, Link and Sheik turned to see Vaati looking dazed. Link wasted no time, taking out his sword and leaping forward, driving his blade through Vaati's eye. There was a loud, ear-piercing cry, and Vaati began to fade into darkness.
Link turned his back on the wind mage, and towards Impa, who was laying on the ground, bleeding profusely from the wound in her chest. Sheik had beaten him to the fallen warrior, but he rushed over nonetheless.
By the time he'd arrived, Impa had already drawn her last breath. Looking at Sheik's face, he could see tears forming in his eyes. "Sheik... I'm... I'm sorry. Were... were you two really that close?"
"Pretty close," Sheik nodded, cradling his mentor's head in her arms.
"Feeling sentimental?" came another voice from behind them, dry and mocking. Link jumped up, spinning around to see a tall woman with blue hair stretching down to the middle of her back approaching. She was carrying a rapier at her side. "Such a touching display that I could almost vomit."
"Gavran," Link growled, standing and drawing his sword again.
"So you've heard of me," the woman said, smiling unpleasantly. "What an honor for me. I see you've destroyed Vaati again- just as well, I suppose, spares me the trouble of doing it myself."
"Why are you doing this?" Link growled. "Vaati said you just wanted to kill me, but why do you care?"
"Kill you?" Gavran asked, raising an eyebrow. "I don't think we have to resort to that yet. Perhaps I will eventually, but what I believe I actually said was that I wanted to see you fall."
"Why?" Link asked furiously, his grip on his sword tightening so much that his knuckle turned white. "What's your interest in me? I don't even know you!"
"No, you don't," Gavran confessed easily. "There's no way you could. But I know all about you. Link Faron, the hero of Hyrule for so many years, always returning when the kingdom was in need... Oh, yes, I know you."
"I ask again... why are you so interested in me?"
"It's a long story," Gavran muttered, shaking her head. "One that we don't have time for right now."
"And that's why you killed Impa?" spoke an enraged voice, and both Gavran and Link turned to see Sheik standing up. "To get to Link?"
"I don't see why it matters so much to you," Gavran shrugged. "You're all going to die sooner or later, why not just have it be sooner and get it overwith?"
Sheik raised her eyes to look at Gavran, fury burning in them. "Does life mean so little to you? Isn't human life the most precious thing in the world?"
Gavran closed her eyes. "That doesn't even merit an answer," she replied coldly.
Sheik had had enough- he rushed towards Gavran, drawing a knife as he rushed forward. Gavran deftly stepped to the side and knocked Sheik to the ground. "Go away, little princess, the adults are talking."
Link gasped- Sheik had collapsed to the ground, his turban and mask flying off to reveal- "Zelda!"
He rushed over to her, completely ignoring Gavran as he knelt over her.
"Hi, Link," she muttered. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"
"What's this?" Link wondered out loud, looking from Gavran to Zelda and back again.
"Didn't you know?" Gavran asked, her smile widening. "The good princess didn't trust you enough to let you in on her little secret?"
"Wh-"
Gavran shook her head. "The truth is, she let herself get caught. She was trying to get into my castle to stop any threat she thought I'd represent before it began. You thought this was a rescue mission? No, this was her calling for back-up!"
"Is- is that-" Link stuttered, looking back at Zelda.
"More or less-" Zelda said, beginning to climb back to her feet. "But it's not like that!"
"Isn't it?" Gavran sneered. "You didn't know anything when you first came here- only that there was someone in the castle nobody had been in for so long. You thought it might be a threat to your precious throne, so you came to nip it in the bud, and when it was clear you couldn't do it yourself, you called on Link, trusting that he'd be so blindly loyal to you he'd never question what he was doing until he'd killed me, isn't that all true?" Turning to Link, she continued. "Thus is the true face of Zelda, princess of Hyrule, exposed. This is what your precious kingdom is worth, Link Faron."
"Is that all true?" Link asked.
Zelda slowly nodded. "To an extent..."
Gavran scoffed. "And do you think she'd ever show this much loyalty to you? This woman, so willing to sacrifice others to get what she wants, so quick to sacrifice those closest to her- even those she'd say she loved?"
Link closed his eyes, lifting his sword again. "That..." he growled, "is enough... out of YOU!"
He turned and swiped with the sword, causing Gavran to leap back, drawing her rapier. Link shook his head. "I know Zelda, and she isn't like that! If she ever does anything, it's with the good of Hyrule in mind! I don't know why she did what she did, but she would never have done it if it would hurt the kingdom!"
"You're very trusting," Gavran said scornfully. "I ask again, would she show the same loyalty-"
She was interrupted as an arrow went whistling past her head, prompting her to dodge out of the way. Link approached, rage in his eyes. "I do trust her. I trust her to do the right thing, to be able to lead this kingdom out of the darkness that people like you are always putting it in. She's never failed before, and I trust her never to fail in the future. And when I look between you, what are you? You're nothing more than a murderer."
Link's words seemed to spark something in Gavran's eyes- her previously calm demeanor vanished, and she was suddenly holding her rapier in more than a defensive position. "I am much more than that."
Link didn't respond, but ran forward with his sword raised, and the two began to duel. Despite her earlier statement that she didn't want to see Link dead, Gavran was fighting ferociously, and any onlooker would agree that it would be difficult for the battle to end in anything but a death. Link could get the measure of Gavran quickly- she was good with her sword, but she didn't seem to have as much experience with it as most people he fought. The people of Hyrule lived and died by the sword, and it seemed like the rapier was something Gavran had only acquired recently- she was good with it, but not nearly good enough. The two battled all around the room, until the outcome finally came- Link managed to break Gavran's grip on her blade, knocking it to the ground, and, wasting no time, plunged his sword into her chest. Gavran looked down as the steel pierced through her, and a flower of red began to bloom. Link released the blade, and Gavran staggered back several steps, collapsing against a nearby wall. With one last long, rattling breath, Gavran's head leaned back and she moved no more.
Link turned to Zelda. She spoke first. "I- I'm so sorry, Link. What she said... it is true, to an extent. I came here to see if she really was a threat, and when I saw that she'd revived Vaati, and realized that they were planning to take over Hyrule, I couldn't do nothing. But they captured me, so... I suppose, in a way, you really were backup..."
"It's alright," Link said, raising a hand and shaking his head. "Didn't you realize that you could have just told me what was going on from the beginning? I'd have been glad to help."
"I realize that now," Zelda nodded, her eyes downcast.
"Did... did you ever find out anything more about Gavran?" Link asked tentatively, glancing over at the woman's dead form. "Who is she? Where does she come from?"
"I told you everything I knew earlier," Zelda shook her head. "It was strange- it's like nobody ever heard of her until a month or two ago, and then suddenly, here she was, building up an army and preparing to conquer Hyrule."
Link blinked, looking at the dead woman's form. Who had she been? "Well... whoever she was, her secrets died with her," he muttered.
And then, inevitably, their eyes fell on the other dead woman in the room- the lifeless form of Impa. "We'll give her a proper funeral," Link said, stepping forward. "She was one of Hyrule's greatest warriors."
"She really was," Zelda agreed. Slowly, Link stepped forward and hoisted the fallen sheikah over his shoulder.
"Come on," he said, looking at Zelda one last time. "Let's go home."
XXXX
And thus closes the chapter on Legend of Zelda. I think I discovered something when I was writing this chapter- not sure what it was, though. Thanks to anyone who's read this. This is the end of this story (like I said, all these stories are going to be relatively short,) but not the end of this mini-series. Of course, if anyone read this just for this story, that's fine, too, but the story will continue- more or less. From now on, any stories on my profile beginning with Live Alive are part of this same mini-series, and all the questions will be answered by the end. Thanks once more for reading, and now for supreme redundancy as I say: please R&R, constructive criticism is welcome (I'm always looking to improve my writing, after all), flames not so much, Gamer4 out.