Leaping Sassafras! You can put little pictures to represent your story now! How cute is that? Too bad I don't have one...
Anyway, so before you get started reading this, keep in mind this chapter is a bit longer than what the other chapters will be. I was reading through some of my old stories and realized that the chapter lengths I used were horribly long, so I'm cutting that old length in half for shorter, more reader-friendly chapters. Except for this chapter. This one is not so reader-friendly, because it's just as horribly long as my past chapters from older stories.
Also, there are major SPOILERS for Ocarina of Time throughout, so if you haven't played through that game yet I would recommend you do that first (this story will make a lot more sense that way anyway).
I don't own nothin'. Also, this fic is rated T for Ta-da! ...And some minor cursing and the killing of random monsters and stuff.
Chapter I
In which the protagonists are introduced...
It had to be the most annoying creature... no, monster, that could ever exist. It constantly taunted her, never once giving her a moment's peace to rest or recuperate. It would sometimes allow her to get closer, almost close enough to grab it, but the moment she tried it would immediately let out the most deafening screech before scampering off again. Other times it would sit just out of her reach and stare at her with dark, mocking eyes, as if daring her to try again what she had been trying to do for the past few days now.
The sun struck hotly against her back. She paused for a moment to catch her breath, putting her hands on her knees and panting heavily.
"It's too hot to do this today," she grumbled to herself.
An obnoxious cluck took her attention from the heat that surrounded her, back to the creature she was still trying to catch. The bird tilted its head curiously, its white plumage ruffled from all the running.
"Why do you have to do this everyday?" the girl groaned at it. The only response she received was the cucco's crowing before it scuttled off once again, casting back a few glances to see if she would follow it. "Come on, Yorick! Aren't you tired yet? It's going to be lunch time soon."
The bird seemed quite happy to ignore her however, as it began to circle back in order to zigzag around right in front of her. Preparing herself for yet more running the young girl fixed the white bonnet on her head, hitched up her yellow colored skirt, and then sped off after the family pet.
Several minutes passed before she realized that someone else had joined in the chase. Glancing to her side she spotted a strangely garbed boy not much older than herself, a large grin on his face as he chased after her chicken. The young girl found herself slowing down as she studied this newcomer. The bright green tunic and hat was something she had never seen before, and as she continued to stare the boy looked towards her to see if something was wrong. Large, blue eyes met her her own blue ones. The two smiled largely before continuing the chase again; weird clothes or not, there was a game to be played and she wasn't about to ruin it by staring.
The two were soon giggling loudly as they tried to snatch up the large bird, but it was all to no avail. Yorick seemed to have no problem avoiding the pair. As the sun sank lower the young girl paused and glanced to her side again. The boy had disappeared. Sighing, she slowly started to trudge back home. The familiar sound of clucking and talons scraping against the cobblestoned streets followed her as she navigated the darkening alleyways.
Child and cucco entered their home together, both acting as if the events of the day had never happened and that they were the best of friends.
"Oh there you are, Hana," the girl's mother greeted. "I see you found Yorick."
Hana seated herself at the table, where a modest supper was being laid out. Yorick stood as a sentry near her seat, pecking at her shoes in the hopes that she would drop some of her bread for him.
"If Papa could just remember to shut the door behind him when he leaves for work, Yorick wouldn't get out everyday."
Her mother laughed. "You know how forgetful your father is. Now eat; tomorrow I need you to run down to the store and pick up some things for me. And for heaven's sake, feed that poor cucco before he starves!"
The next day Hana spent her hours in much the same manner that she usually did: chasing after Yorick. The only difference this time was that after dinner her mother sent her off with a shopping list.
"Do hurry before they close, Hana!"
"I'm going, I'm going!" Hana shouted back.
She was nearly out of the alley that led to her house when she suddenly thought she heard the clanking of the drawbridge. Frowning, she glanced up at the sky. The sun was already almost completely hidden behind the hills, the drawbridge should have already been lowered. She stood still, ducking under one of the empty market stalls when a fat raindrop hit the back of her neck.
The sounds of the drawbridge began to fade away, only to be replaced by the rapid beating of a horse's hooves against the ground. Hana stared in awe as Princess Zelda suddenly came into view, mounted on a white steed along with an older woman whom Hana didn't recognize. She felt like she should say something; it wasn't everyday one got to meet the princess. But then she was gone. The horse flew past her, neither of its riders sparing her a second's glance.
Hana waited a few seconds before daring to step out from under the stall. The rain was pouring heavily now, masking the sounds of a second horse approaching. The horse itself was pitch black, and if it weren't for the blazing red hair of the man riding it Hana wouldn't have seen it at all. Once again she was forced to duck behind the counter of fruits and vegetables, this time to avoid being trampled to death.
"Watch it!" Hana shouted, but her voice was drowned out by the rain.
Knowing that by now the bazaar would be closed, and desperate to tell her mother about seeing the princess, Hana quickly scrambled out from her hiding place and into the rain. She was instantly soaked by the pouring water. Lightening flashed around her, and the distant sound of thunder could just be heard over the droplets hitting the streets.
Shivering, Hana quickly began to make her way back when she suddenly bumped into another man. She instantly recognized him as one of the twins, though what his name was she had no idea. All she knew was that this was the blue one, so called because he always wore a blue shirt.
"Did you see that? That horse almost ran over me!" the man shouted over the storm, his hair dripping against his face.
"Me, too! I'm going home!"
"Good idea! My brother will never believe this!"
Hana opened her mouth to respond, but the man had already left. She frowned, realizing that her mother would probably never believe her either. Feeling despondent over this realization, and noticing that the rain was beginning to let up, she decided to run towards the store anyway and see if she could convince the owner to let her buy her things anyway. The man was nice enough, he probably would.
Splashing through the shallow puddles, she quickly made her way across the streets. Before she could make it, she recognized the sound of soft footsteps approaching. Still anxious from her encounter with the giant, black horse, Hana quickly ducked behind the stone fountain in the center of the square. It was around the time that she was peeking out from her hiding spot that she realized there was a disturbing lack of guards in the area. Usually the square had several guards patrolling the area at night, but tonight there was no one. Not a single soul.
Then the person she was hiding from revealed himself, and Hana instantly recognized him to be the boy who had tried to help her catch Yorick the other day. She was about to jump out and greet him when she noticed the desperate expression on the boy's face. Feeling uncertain, Hana decided to follow him for a while instead, and see what was going on.
The boy rushed inside the Temple of Time. Hana hesitated before running to the side of the sacred building and peering through one of its many windows. Her eyes widened when she saw the boy placing three beautiful stones onto a pedestal and then pulling out a blue ocarina. At first Hana couldn't hear a single note being played, but then the walls of the temple began to resonate with a deep hum. Low notes flew through the temple, surrounding the entire area in their music.
Hana stood, mesmerized, as the notes faded and the Door of Time began to slowly open to reveal a darkened room that Hana couldn't see into. The boy rushed inside, disappearing from the young girl's view. Barely a few seconds passed before another figure entered the temple and cautiously approached the same room. Hana covered her mouth to muffle her gasp when she was able to recognize the figure. It was the same man that had nearly trampled her and the blue twin. The tall Gerudo was soon out of Hana's view as well, leaving a distressed Hana to wonder if she should go in and warn her new friend.
Before she could make a decision, the entire temple was suddenly surrounded by a blinding, blue light. It knocked Hana away from the wall, sending her flying into the nearby bushes. She remained where she had landed, cowering in fear, until the light finally disappeared. Surrounded by darkness, Hana carefully pushed back the leaves of the bush she was currently sitting in and peered out at the temple. She saw the Gerudo march out of the temple, laughing about something under his breath. Then he was gone, back to the town. Hana waited with bated breath, but when he didn't appear to be coming back she quickly scampered into the temple to check on her friend.
The Hylian had been inside the temple many times, and it had always given off an air of calm serenity. This time, however, there was a strange feeling in the air, as if several people were sitting around waiting tensely for something to happen. It was an incredibly uncomfortable feeling, and Hana felt a shiver run down her spine. Nonetheless, she was still concerned for her friend; forcing herself to continue on, she tiptoed past the stones and into the second room.
Inside was a long flight of stairs that led to some sort of pedestal. After approaching it, Hana realized that the pedestal was meant to hold some sort of sword. Whatever weapon it had been holding, however, was gone, as was the boy. Hana glanced around but couldn't find anything else, not even a place where someone the boy's size could've easily hidden if he had wanted to.
"Hello?" Hana's voice echoed throughout the room hollowly. Multiple copies of her own voice washed over her, but that was the only sound she could hear. A few minutes passed, and finally Hana left. She took a few steps towards the path that led back to town when there was a sound of something rustling in the bushes. Hana froze and peered towards the plant life, trying to make out what was behind them.
"Who's there?" Hana demanded, wincing at the unsteadiness in her voice. The rustling instantly stopped. The young girl could just make out a throaty cackle before the sounds of some sort of small creature scampering away from her reached her ears. Heart beating loudly in her chest, Hana ran the rest of the way home.
Months passed, and in that time the town became more and more subdued. The market stalls were barely visited, and most people refused to speak louder than a whisper. Why they acted this way they had no idea, however there was a thick feeling of despair that grew everyday. Rumors of strange creatures being seen near the castle were being spread until finally the town began to believe that the king was dead.
"There's no more news from the army, and they left just a few days ago. Do you suppose...?"
"No news from the castle still; I heard that the princess and her attendant disappeared..."
Hana sat next to the small gathering of people, watching as each in turn voiced their concerns over the lack of information they were getting from the royal family. Finally the Hylian grew tired of hearing what she had been hearing every day for the past few weeks. She stood and went back inside her house, only to find her mother packing her things into a bag.
"Are we going somewhere?" Hana asked.
"Kakariko Village," her mother answered breathlessly. "A few others are planning on going there, we're going to travel together. It'll be safer that way."
"Are we at war?" Hana asked just as her father entered their house. Her mother froze, but her father looked sharply down at Hana.
"Where did you hear a thing like that?"
Hana shrugged. "It's what some of the others are saying. The army was called away and nobody can get to the castle because of the tight security. I think it's that Gerudo."
Her mother groaned, "Not this again."
"He was at the temple when that light was there! I think he killed that one boy, and he was chasing the princess before!"
"Hana," her father began. "You're too young to be worrying about this."
"Well if we aren't at war then why are we leaving home?"
"One of the guards at the castle told me it would be safer to leave for somewhere less important for now. It's just a precaution, the extra guards will protect this place while we're gone."
"But why are there extra guards here if we're not at war?"
"Hana, help your mother pack."
Scowling, Hana did as she was bid. Soon the small family was lugging out their bags and joining with a small collection of other townsfolk, all similarly burdened with luggage. There were a few people there that Hana personally knew, including an elderly man that was always happy to share his knowledge with anyone who asked, and an older woman whose only child was her dog Richard. Hana hung close to her parents as they began the long trek to the village. Yorick trotted behind the group, pecking at the ground happily as he went.
The sun was sinking low behind some hills by the time they arrived. With numb legs and sore feet, Hana began to trudge wearily up the steps that led to the mountain village. She was so exhausted that she barely registered the rising commotion around her. It took the heavy set guard almost crashing into her for her to wake up from her daze and notice that her group was falling behind.
"The castle!" one woman shrieked.
Hana whirled around and saw her parents, along with the others, staring in terror back the way they had come. All weariness was wiped from the young Hylian's body when she saw what they were looking at. The town they had left just that morning was alight with a bright glow and horrified screams.
"Is that fire? The whole town's under attack!" she heard her father say.
"The goddesses help those people," her mother said. "Where's the army? Why are they so far away?"
More guards ran past Hana, spears in hand. One paused long enough to turn to the group. "They were all called to the desert to deal with the Gerudo threat. Quick, any able bodied man, grab a weapon and follow us, we're the only defense in this area!"
Hana stared as her father and a few others took up some spears and ran after the other guards. "No, papa, don't go!" Hana screamed, but he was already surrounded by the fully armored guards, and her voice never reached him.
"Quickly, Hana, into the village!" Hana felt her mother grab her arm and yank her roughly up the remaining stairs. The group of women, along with the elderly man, stopped at the village's entrance; the Kakariko villagers were all gathered underneath the gateway, staring at the sky. Hana turned and looked as well, her heart sinking when she saw that the area above Hyrule Castle Town was lit up as if it were daylight. Distant screams could still be heard, but they began to fade as time slowly dragged along.
The next few minutes passed in a blur for Hana; when she became aware of her surroundings again she found herself in large house that, apparently, they were going to share with several other refugees.
"When will Papa be back?" Hana whispered to her mother.
"Soon, Hana. Go to sleep."
The next day, her father had not returned. Neither had any of the others that had left the previous night. There was no news, and everyone else was too afraid of what they would find to risk a journey to the town. Hana was sitting outside with Yorick, picking at the grass glumly and watching the thick clouds of smoke that were rising above the village from where the town stood.
An unfamiliar voice brought her out of her thoughts. "Hey, want to hunt ghosts with me?"
Hana looked up to see a boy of about her age, perhaps a bit younger, staring at her. He had a single tuft of red hair sticking out over his eyes while the rest of his head was shaved completely bald, and wide blue eyes that reminded her of the boy who had disappeared in the Temple of Time. "What?" she asked, not quite comprehending what he was saying.
"Ghost hunting! Want to come? The adults usually don't have time for it, but I thought you would, since you're... you know... not an adult."
Hana stood up and brushed off her skirt. "I guess."
"Awesome! I'm Takashi, by the way, but you can just call me Tak. That's what everyone else does!"
Hana followed Tak quietly as he led the way to the graveyard, chatting away amiably. "There's an old grave keeper here, Dampe; he's terrifying! One look at him, and all the ghosts just run away! I'd like to be like him someday, but I'm so cute I doubt it will happen."
Hana couldn't help the snort of laughter that escaped her after hearing that.
"What? You don't think I'm cute?" Tak suddenly stopped and turned sharply to face her. He was shorter than her by a few inches, and had to stare up to meet her eyes.
"Can we just look for ghosts please?"
"Fine, fine," Tak grumbled, and continued to lead the way.
They reached the graveyard; Hana glanced around and surveyed the field that was covered with grave stones. A cold, empty wind hit her face. She couldn't hold back the choking sobs that suddenly began to overwhelm her.
Told you it was horribly long! But, like I said before, the other chapters will be about half this length, excepting (possibly) the final chapter. If you have any questions whatsoever, please leave them in a review (or PM), and I'll answer as much as I can unless it gives away something that will happen later! Also, bonus points/cookies to anyone who can guess where I got the name for Yorick from!
Questions/comments/problems? Leave a review, please and thank you!