Author's note: This is the sequel to my Zelda fic, "Legend of Zelda: Palace
of Hope." I know that at the time of this writing, I haven't finished it,
but I know already how it ends. (I have an outline already... It's just a
matter of sitting down and writing it.) Reading that fic is not necessary
to understand and enjoy THIS story, yet it would help to understand a bit
of the character himself.
Warning: Maybe the story's a Mary-sue... Maybe not. I don't know, you can be the judge. If you find that it IS, in fact, too Mary-sue for your taste, I have three words for you. "I don't care." Honestly. If you have constructive criticism on my writing, great. I don't want reviews that say "Your story is a Mary-sue and I HATE Mary-sues!" To you, I say, "You were warned that it may be construed as a Mary-sue, and you read on ANYWAY. That makes you stupid, doesn't it?" Also, Colt is a HOMOSEXUAL CHARACTER! That's right. He's GAY. Guess what that means! If I decide to add a romantic aspect to this story, it will be SLASH. S-L-A-S-H. You have been warned. I will not be held responsible for homophobes reading past this point.
Disclaimer: Ah... The compulsory disclaimer. Here goes. I own nothing! Any and all characters I create are MY property, so hands off, without express permission from the author. Namely me. As I have received no requests for use of my characters, I better not see them in anyone else's fic. No exceptions. Also, no archiving without permission. *Stops to catch his breath* And now, if everyone is clear on where we stand... My story:
Chapter One: Threads of the Pattern
*SPLASH!* The bus turned the corner, sending a wave of water cascading across the pavement. Deftly dodging the spray of mud, I muttered under my breath. Lately, it had seemed as though the world were conspiring against me. Perhaps I'd spent too much time being chased recently. In the REAL world, the bus doors swung open with a loud clank. Shaking my head, I pulled myself aboard. The driver watched me silently, barely waiting until I was fully up the steps before slamming the door shut and pulling away from the curb. I deposited the fare, and slumped into one of the nearby benches. The drab scenery drifted past the window dreamily, slowly, as the bus crawled its way down Topanga Blvd.
"Lovely day, ain't it?" A voice, hinting vaguely of Texas, wafted up from behind me. I ignored it. I didn't know anyone on the bus, after all. Who would be speaking to me? "I SAID, lovely day, ain't it?" A finger jabbed me painfully in the back. I turned, my hand reaching reflexively to the sword that no longer adorned my back. *Great, Colt.* I chided myself. *Back a month, and you STILL aren't used to being unarmed.* I found myself face to face with a small, balding man with no truly distinctive features. He could have been anyone's uncle, or cousin. "Ain't it?" The man smiled at me; his crooked teeth and foul breath inspired me to scoot back a little.
"No, sir. I'm not fond of the rain." I shrugged. "Bad memories." To say the least.
"Ah. But the rain washes things clean." He laughed. The sound grated against my ears. "But you know about that, dontcha?"
"I'm not sure I know what you mean," I stammered. But of course I did. The last time it had rained, I had ended up fraternizing with Hylians and Zoras. Not something anyone soon forgets.
But he just smiled at me. " You should know, he won't wait for you. He'll keep living. Like the rest of them. They go about their insig'nif'cant lives, not knowing, refusing to see what you understand all to well." I groaned. Gods save us from Prophets that wax poetic. "When the time comes, can you do what needs to be done?" The western accent had faded into obscurity, and his toothy grin seemed forced.
I arched an eyebrow, a move that took me months to perfect, and of which I am immensely proud. "Aren't you supposed to be an old geezer in ragged clothing? That's what I got LAST time. I figured it was a rule that all creepy riddle spouters had to be old and ragged." The man's vacant look vanished, and he gave me an alarmed look.
"What the heck are you talking about?" He glanced longingly towards the bus door, as if he'd rather have braved the elements than talk to me, an obviously deranged individual. I sighed. Wasn't that the way of it? I guess questions were out of the question, excuse the pun.
"Never mind. I thought you were... someone else." Someone sane, more like. He frowned at me, and quickly shifted himself to another bench. Ah, well. No lose there. His odor was offensive, anyway. I returned my attention to the window, musing over what I had just been told. He wouldn't wait for me? Who? And why would he wait for me, anyway? Was I going somewhere? I certainly hoped that wasn't the case. I needed to figure out my life as it was.
Finally, the bus inched towards my stop. I reached up and pulled the cord, signaling the driver to stop. A curt 'thank you' and I was out in the rain again, staring up at a foreboding office building. Checking the slip of paper I had shoved into my pocket earlier that morning, I made my way into the vast foyer. The security guard, obviously perturbed that I had interrupted his soaps, gave me a quick once-over before nodding briskly, and motioning me towards a row of elevators. "Eighth floor. They're expecting you." Of course. They're ALWAYS expecting me.
The office itself was cold and sterile. Cause it wouldn't do to get TOO comfortable. I might NEVER leave. Right. After a cursory glance at the light switches that adorned the wall by the door, I selected the one under the name "Kristine Nostradom." It was ironic, really. You'd think someone with a name like that would have a little more faith, wouldn't you?
The magazines in the rack were all at least a year old, and I'd flipped through almost all of them. So I just contented myself with playing with the legos on the floor. Idly, I wondered if I could recreate a scale model of Hyrule castle. I had just finished the moat when the door opened and my therapist stuck her head out. "Colt? Come on in." I forced a smile, and stood, leaving the legos where they fell. Some other poor sap would surely enjoy playing with them, after all.
The room we came to was just as plain and sterile as the waiting room, with only a picture on the wall to spruce it up. Even the couch seemed designed to create a feeling of numbness. I chose to sit on the floor. I can be difficult, if I want to. Kristine frowned at me. "Now, Colt. Let's not get off on the wrong foot. I'm afraid you have to sit on the furniture, so we can talk."
I shook my head, stubbornly. "I'm comfortable." Sure, it's juvenile, but if I had to go through with this, I was gonna do it MY way, and no moronic therapist was going to stop me.
She didn't try. She just sighed, and put her 'I'm-your-therapist-and-I- really-give-a-shit-about-your-problems' look on. "So your mom tells me you've been having problems lately? Would you like to tell me what KIND of problems?"
I shot her a dirty look. "Don't take me for an idiot. I know you already KNOW why I'm here. And it CERTAINLY isn't for your intriguing conversation." Gods, I hate therapists.
"I'm sensing some hostility here."
"Well, hot damn. You just don't miss a beat, do ya?" Like I said, childish. But hey, it's not like I'm here of my own free will.
Another sigh. Wow. Two, and it hadn't even been five minutes yet. I was on a roll. "Okay, fine. According to your files... You attempted suicide a few months ago, is that correct?"
"You know it is."
"Right. Now, tell me, Colt. How did that make you feel?"
I blinked. "How did WHAT make me feel? Almost DYING?" She wasn't very intelligent... Even for a therapist.
"Right. Moving on. Your friend... what's her name? Annie?"
"Amy." I didn't offer anything else.
"Right. Amy. She found you, right? Got you to the hospital just in time to hook you up to life support, isn't that correct?"
"I suppose." Non-responsive anyone?
"And you were in a coma for..." She checked her files, and I couldn't help but smirk. Someone hadn't been doing all of her homework, apparently. "...two months. And when you came out of it, you were spouting some nonsense about Hyrune?"
"HyruLE. It's Hyrule." This was getting old, fast.
"Right. Do you understand why you're here, then?"
I nodded. I had been practicing this line since yesterday, when my mother informed me that I was signed up for therapy, no ifs, ands, or buts. "Because I have delusions of grandeur brought on by the stress of work, the delayed reaction to the death of my twin brother, and the heartbreak of losing my ex?" Did they actually expect me to believe this stuff? But she just nodded.
"You came to, a month ago, and started babbling about a fantastical place no one has ever been. I like to call what you have 'Oz Syndrome'. Did you ever see that movie?"
"I read the book. It was better." I still didn't want to talk to her. She was DEFINITELY getting on my nerves.
"So you like reading? Cool! Remind me, when we finish, I have a book I think you'd like. Don't let me forget." Ah. Buying my cooperation, huh? Well... I'm game. "Yes, it was a book. But do you remember what happens?"
"She hits her head and imagines that she's traveled to another world?" It wasn't hard to see where she was going with this.
"Exactly! She made up a world, and had an adventure."
"Um... Actually, she didn't make it up, since she, and several OTHER characters visited Oz several times afterward, without the requirement of bumping heads." I smiled sweetly, and shifted. My foot was falling asleep, but I wasn't going to tell HER that.
"Whatever. Do you think you can relay the tale of what happened to you while you were in Hylure?"
"HyRULE!" I sighed. What harm could it do, after all? So, I launched into the tale of my adventures. "It was raining..."
****
"...And I didn't even notice the rain." The look on her face shifted from surprise to outright awe. Apparently my story was more detailed than your average delusion. Honestly, I felt better now that the story was all told, give or take a few minor details, such as the duet in the field and other things I had felt were too personal to bring up. I hadn't even given the full details to my mom. I figured some details of the story were better left unsaid. "Well? Analyze me, doc."
She just shook her head. "Such a grand scale delusion... You have some imagination, Colt." I scowled at her. The fairy ocarina I had found in my bag after my return home lay forgotten on the floor, a useful prop when the time had come, but now... Even with that proof, she refused to see. Even with the scar I had received. The triforce burned into my hand by the Oracle of Power. Then, suddenly, the words the old man had spoken on the bus came back to me. 'They go about their insig'nif'cant lives not knowing, refusing to see what you understand all to well.'
I sighed. I knew how to get out of this, and it made my stomach twist. I didn't like lying, not after what happened the LAST time, but in this case... "Okay, you got me. The story is all bullshit. I made it up. The coma was just a coincidence, but it was timed perfectly. I had this in the works for a while." I felt like shit, but if I didn't do this, I would be in therapy for the rest of my life while they tried to analyze and deconstruct me. No thank you.
To my amazement, she didn't look at all surprised. "This seemed like a definite cry for help to me." She smiled knowingly. I wanted to smack her. I wanted to shout in her face. I wanted to call her a lying bitch and to point out that she didn't know her butt crack from her forehead. Instead, I smiled, and nodded.
"You got me." I put on my best apologetic look. "I'm sorry. Next time, I'll be sure to talk to someone when I have a problem, instead of fabricating elaborate tales. Now, if you'll excuse me, my boyfriend Bryant and I are meeting for dinner."
She nodded, and handed me her card. "If you ever have a problem, just call. Any time, day or night. Especially if you feel like hurting yourself." I nodded, but it was halfhearted. I'd heard the same line time and time again, and didn't actually believe that she gave a damn at all.
"You promised me a book?" I added, hopefully. Something to take my mind off the horrendous lie I had just told. After all, lying is bad, but panhandling is okay by me.
"Right!" She rummaged through her drawer for a minute, before surfacing with a small, leather-bound book. "I had to get it rebound, since I've read it so much, the cover fell off. But you can go ahead and keep it. I know it front-to-back anyway." She tossed the battered book to me and I caught it. I stuck it in my pocket, before standing and offering my hand.
"It was nice meeting you, Dr. Nostradom." That name still amused me, considering she had NO clue.
"No more lies, okay, Colt?"
I forced myself to nod. After all, I HAD told a lie... Just not the one she THOUGHT I told. We walked out to the waiting room, where her next victim sat flipping through the magazines. Not bothering with farewells, I dashed out the door. It wasn't until I stood in the elevator descending back to the lobby that I recalled the book in my pocket. I pulled it out and studied the timeworn cover. "The Legend of Zelda" it proclaimed, in bold, shining letters. Under it, in smaller, but no less brilliant, letters, "The Flame of Eternity" was written. I hadn't realized they'd written a book. Ironic, though, that I'd been given this by my therapist. ~Ex-therapist~, I reminded myself. I turned to the first page and began to read. I had the feeling it would be a long night.
A/N: No therapists were harmed in the writing of this fic.
Warning: Maybe the story's a Mary-sue... Maybe not. I don't know, you can be the judge. If you find that it IS, in fact, too Mary-sue for your taste, I have three words for you. "I don't care." Honestly. If you have constructive criticism on my writing, great. I don't want reviews that say "Your story is a Mary-sue and I HATE Mary-sues!" To you, I say, "You were warned that it may be construed as a Mary-sue, and you read on ANYWAY. That makes you stupid, doesn't it?" Also, Colt is a HOMOSEXUAL CHARACTER! That's right. He's GAY. Guess what that means! If I decide to add a romantic aspect to this story, it will be SLASH. S-L-A-S-H. You have been warned. I will not be held responsible for homophobes reading past this point.
Disclaimer: Ah... The compulsory disclaimer. Here goes. I own nothing! Any and all characters I create are MY property, so hands off, without express permission from the author. Namely me. As I have received no requests for use of my characters, I better not see them in anyone else's fic. No exceptions. Also, no archiving without permission. *Stops to catch his breath* And now, if everyone is clear on where we stand... My story:
Chapter One: Threads of the Pattern
*SPLASH!* The bus turned the corner, sending a wave of water cascading across the pavement. Deftly dodging the spray of mud, I muttered under my breath. Lately, it had seemed as though the world were conspiring against me. Perhaps I'd spent too much time being chased recently. In the REAL world, the bus doors swung open with a loud clank. Shaking my head, I pulled myself aboard. The driver watched me silently, barely waiting until I was fully up the steps before slamming the door shut and pulling away from the curb. I deposited the fare, and slumped into one of the nearby benches. The drab scenery drifted past the window dreamily, slowly, as the bus crawled its way down Topanga Blvd.
"Lovely day, ain't it?" A voice, hinting vaguely of Texas, wafted up from behind me. I ignored it. I didn't know anyone on the bus, after all. Who would be speaking to me? "I SAID, lovely day, ain't it?" A finger jabbed me painfully in the back. I turned, my hand reaching reflexively to the sword that no longer adorned my back. *Great, Colt.* I chided myself. *Back a month, and you STILL aren't used to being unarmed.* I found myself face to face with a small, balding man with no truly distinctive features. He could have been anyone's uncle, or cousin. "Ain't it?" The man smiled at me; his crooked teeth and foul breath inspired me to scoot back a little.
"No, sir. I'm not fond of the rain." I shrugged. "Bad memories." To say the least.
"Ah. But the rain washes things clean." He laughed. The sound grated against my ears. "But you know about that, dontcha?"
"I'm not sure I know what you mean," I stammered. But of course I did. The last time it had rained, I had ended up fraternizing with Hylians and Zoras. Not something anyone soon forgets.
But he just smiled at me. " You should know, he won't wait for you. He'll keep living. Like the rest of them. They go about their insig'nif'cant lives, not knowing, refusing to see what you understand all to well." I groaned. Gods save us from Prophets that wax poetic. "When the time comes, can you do what needs to be done?" The western accent had faded into obscurity, and his toothy grin seemed forced.
I arched an eyebrow, a move that took me months to perfect, and of which I am immensely proud. "Aren't you supposed to be an old geezer in ragged clothing? That's what I got LAST time. I figured it was a rule that all creepy riddle spouters had to be old and ragged." The man's vacant look vanished, and he gave me an alarmed look.
"What the heck are you talking about?" He glanced longingly towards the bus door, as if he'd rather have braved the elements than talk to me, an obviously deranged individual. I sighed. Wasn't that the way of it? I guess questions were out of the question, excuse the pun.
"Never mind. I thought you were... someone else." Someone sane, more like. He frowned at me, and quickly shifted himself to another bench. Ah, well. No lose there. His odor was offensive, anyway. I returned my attention to the window, musing over what I had just been told. He wouldn't wait for me? Who? And why would he wait for me, anyway? Was I going somewhere? I certainly hoped that wasn't the case. I needed to figure out my life as it was.
Finally, the bus inched towards my stop. I reached up and pulled the cord, signaling the driver to stop. A curt 'thank you' and I was out in the rain again, staring up at a foreboding office building. Checking the slip of paper I had shoved into my pocket earlier that morning, I made my way into the vast foyer. The security guard, obviously perturbed that I had interrupted his soaps, gave me a quick once-over before nodding briskly, and motioning me towards a row of elevators. "Eighth floor. They're expecting you." Of course. They're ALWAYS expecting me.
The office itself was cold and sterile. Cause it wouldn't do to get TOO comfortable. I might NEVER leave. Right. After a cursory glance at the light switches that adorned the wall by the door, I selected the one under the name "Kristine Nostradom." It was ironic, really. You'd think someone with a name like that would have a little more faith, wouldn't you?
The magazines in the rack were all at least a year old, and I'd flipped through almost all of them. So I just contented myself with playing with the legos on the floor. Idly, I wondered if I could recreate a scale model of Hyrule castle. I had just finished the moat when the door opened and my therapist stuck her head out. "Colt? Come on in." I forced a smile, and stood, leaving the legos where they fell. Some other poor sap would surely enjoy playing with them, after all.
The room we came to was just as plain and sterile as the waiting room, with only a picture on the wall to spruce it up. Even the couch seemed designed to create a feeling of numbness. I chose to sit on the floor. I can be difficult, if I want to. Kristine frowned at me. "Now, Colt. Let's not get off on the wrong foot. I'm afraid you have to sit on the furniture, so we can talk."
I shook my head, stubbornly. "I'm comfortable." Sure, it's juvenile, but if I had to go through with this, I was gonna do it MY way, and no moronic therapist was going to stop me.
She didn't try. She just sighed, and put her 'I'm-your-therapist-and-I- really-give-a-shit-about-your-problems' look on. "So your mom tells me you've been having problems lately? Would you like to tell me what KIND of problems?"
I shot her a dirty look. "Don't take me for an idiot. I know you already KNOW why I'm here. And it CERTAINLY isn't for your intriguing conversation." Gods, I hate therapists.
"I'm sensing some hostility here."
"Well, hot damn. You just don't miss a beat, do ya?" Like I said, childish. But hey, it's not like I'm here of my own free will.
Another sigh. Wow. Two, and it hadn't even been five minutes yet. I was on a roll. "Okay, fine. According to your files... You attempted suicide a few months ago, is that correct?"
"You know it is."
"Right. Now, tell me, Colt. How did that make you feel?"
I blinked. "How did WHAT make me feel? Almost DYING?" She wasn't very intelligent... Even for a therapist.
"Right. Moving on. Your friend... what's her name? Annie?"
"Amy." I didn't offer anything else.
"Right. Amy. She found you, right? Got you to the hospital just in time to hook you up to life support, isn't that correct?"
"I suppose." Non-responsive anyone?
"And you were in a coma for..." She checked her files, and I couldn't help but smirk. Someone hadn't been doing all of her homework, apparently. "...two months. And when you came out of it, you were spouting some nonsense about Hyrune?"
"HyruLE. It's Hyrule." This was getting old, fast.
"Right. Do you understand why you're here, then?"
I nodded. I had been practicing this line since yesterday, when my mother informed me that I was signed up for therapy, no ifs, ands, or buts. "Because I have delusions of grandeur brought on by the stress of work, the delayed reaction to the death of my twin brother, and the heartbreak of losing my ex?" Did they actually expect me to believe this stuff? But she just nodded.
"You came to, a month ago, and started babbling about a fantastical place no one has ever been. I like to call what you have 'Oz Syndrome'. Did you ever see that movie?"
"I read the book. It was better." I still didn't want to talk to her. She was DEFINITELY getting on my nerves.
"So you like reading? Cool! Remind me, when we finish, I have a book I think you'd like. Don't let me forget." Ah. Buying my cooperation, huh? Well... I'm game. "Yes, it was a book. But do you remember what happens?"
"She hits her head and imagines that she's traveled to another world?" It wasn't hard to see where she was going with this.
"Exactly! She made up a world, and had an adventure."
"Um... Actually, she didn't make it up, since she, and several OTHER characters visited Oz several times afterward, without the requirement of bumping heads." I smiled sweetly, and shifted. My foot was falling asleep, but I wasn't going to tell HER that.
"Whatever. Do you think you can relay the tale of what happened to you while you were in Hylure?"
"HyRULE!" I sighed. What harm could it do, after all? So, I launched into the tale of my adventures. "It was raining..."
****
"...And I didn't even notice the rain." The look on her face shifted from surprise to outright awe. Apparently my story was more detailed than your average delusion. Honestly, I felt better now that the story was all told, give or take a few minor details, such as the duet in the field and other things I had felt were too personal to bring up. I hadn't even given the full details to my mom. I figured some details of the story were better left unsaid. "Well? Analyze me, doc."
She just shook her head. "Such a grand scale delusion... You have some imagination, Colt." I scowled at her. The fairy ocarina I had found in my bag after my return home lay forgotten on the floor, a useful prop when the time had come, but now... Even with that proof, she refused to see. Even with the scar I had received. The triforce burned into my hand by the Oracle of Power. Then, suddenly, the words the old man had spoken on the bus came back to me. 'They go about their insig'nif'cant lives not knowing, refusing to see what you understand all to well.'
I sighed. I knew how to get out of this, and it made my stomach twist. I didn't like lying, not after what happened the LAST time, but in this case... "Okay, you got me. The story is all bullshit. I made it up. The coma was just a coincidence, but it was timed perfectly. I had this in the works for a while." I felt like shit, but if I didn't do this, I would be in therapy for the rest of my life while they tried to analyze and deconstruct me. No thank you.
To my amazement, she didn't look at all surprised. "This seemed like a definite cry for help to me." She smiled knowingly. I wanted to smack her. I wanted to shout in her face. I wanted to call her a lying bitch and to point out that she didn't know her butt crack from her forehead. Instead, I smiled, and nodded.
"You got me." I put on my best apologetic look. "I'm sorry. Next time, I'll be sure to talk to someone when I have a problem, instead of fabricating elaborate tales. Now, if you'll excuse me, my boyfriend Bryant and I are meeting for dinner."
She nodded, and handed me her card. "If you ever have a problem, just call. Any time, day or night. Especially if you feel like hurting yourself." I nodded, but it was halfhearted. I'd heard the same line time and time again, and didn't actually believe that she gave a damn at all.
"You promised me a book?" I added, hopefully. Something to take my mind off the horrendous lie I had just told. After all, lying is bad, but panhandling is okay by me.
"Right!" She rummaged through her drawer for a minute, before surfacing with a small, leather-bound book. "I had to get it rebound, since I've read it so much, the cover fell off. But you can go ahead and keep it. I know it front-to-back anyway." She tossed the battered book to me and I caught it. I stuck it in my pocket, before standing and offering my hand.
"It was nice meeting you, Dr. Nostradom." That name still amused me, considering she had NO clue.
"No more lies, okay, Colt?"
I forced myself to nod. After all, I HAD told a lie... Just not the one she THOUGHT I told. We walked out to the waiting room, where her next victim sat flipping through the magazines. Not bothering with farewells, I dashed out the door. It wasn't until I stood in the elevator descending back to the lobby that I recalled the book in my pocket. I pulled it out and studied the timeworn cover. "The Legend of Zelda" it proclaimed, in bold, shining letters. Under it, in smaller, but no less brilliant, letters, "The Flame of Eternity" was written. I hadn't realized they'd written a book. Ironic, though, that I'd been given this by my therapist. ~Ex-therapist~, I reminded myself. I turned to the first page and began to read. I had the feeling it would be a long night.
A/N: No therapists were harmed in the writing of this fic.