Seven men were dead before he realized he was going about it the wrong way. Seven men before he realized that he needed something closer to divine for this mission. Something closer to the Goddesses Themselves...
The women of Hyrule--they were the closest he could get to the Goddesses.
And it was ten women dead before he heard something that gave him a new goal. Yes, there was something more important that he had found...
There was a child in Kakariko; a child rumored to hear Their divine voices.
He would find her before he killed again. If she was true, than surely she would be the one thing he needed to reach Them...
Everything would be fixed once he completed his mission. Once he found the perfect blood to bring the Goddesses back together. And then, back to Hyrule, where She were meant to be...
Onward then, to Kakariko village.
Closer to Madness
It took him two days to go from Castle Town to Kakariko. But the nights were warm and the weather pleasant. It was an easy trip. Then again, nothing short of death itself would stop him from seeing this task through. He wished to find this divine child, and by Nayru, Din, and Faore, he would!
He smirked faintly when he reached the top of the trail, and peered around. It was night, and it appeared that most of the residents were sleeping. Good, he thought, Much easier for me to move freely.
He shivered at the cool breeze that cut through his thin shirt. His cloak had been ruined several days ago during the scuffle with his last victim. He stood a little straighter and grinned, for tonight marked the true beginning of his destiny.
He gave a slight bow to the guard standing at the gate. "Good eve to you, sir," he said in his slightly rasping voice.
The guard gave a start, then nodded. "Good eve. A little late for traveling, mister...?"
"Zane. And... call it a pilgrimage," the skinny Hylian replied, smiling slightly.
"Oh?"
A hint of teeth in the smile now. "Yes... I've heard tales of a child who hears the Divine Ones."
The guard chuckled. "Ah, yes. We've had quite a few visitors. News travels rather fast." He leaned a little closer, lowering his voice conspiratorially. "To be honest, I think it's all completely ridiculous. Goddesses indeed... sometimes I wonder if they weren't dreamed up by the old ones to explain what they didn't understand."
A pale brow rose. "Really? What do you believe in, then?"
The guard smiled, and tapped a finger against his helmet. "Science, good sir. I don't think there's any mystical reason we're here. I've been speaking a lot to the man at Lake Hylia... he has some interesting theories that can explain most anything..."
"I see," Zane replied with a mildly amused smile. He leaned close, lowering his own voice. "Well, good sir, let me tell you what I believe..."
Suddenly, Zane's hand shot forward, clutching a long, thin dagger. The blade slid easily through a gap in the man's armor, and between the guard's ribs. The man's eyes widened and he stumbled forward, falling against the skinny Hylian.
Zane caught the guard, holding him close as he died. "The Goddess will forgive you for your lack of faith... if you are lucky..."
The guard spasmed, choking up blood, and was still. Zane smiled faintly as he leaned his head closer to the guard's. He closed his eyes and briefly brushed his mouth across the dead man's, smearing the blood on his own lips. He straightened and let the man drop to the ground.
"Now... where to put you, hm? Morning will be coming soon, and I can't have you around when daylight comes... that just won't do." He licked his lips, barely aware of the tang of blood, and looked around.
He sighted the small cliff just above the left side of the gate. A grin spread across his face. "Excellent..."
Without another word, Zane set to work hauling his unwieldy burden to the top. The guard would go unnoticed for at least a day.
The messy work taken care of, Zane dropped back to the ground and ambled through the gate. He decided he would stay at the inn for the night, and gather a little more information before seeking out the child.
"I will bring the Goddess home," he uttered in a low, determined voice as he strode towards the inn.
"Father, I had a bad dream again..."
The man stirred and sat up in his bed, blinking until his eyes adjusted to the darkness. He opened his arms to the child, letting her crawl up into the large bed with him. "What did you dream about, Zelda?"
The young princess shivered, hugging her father. "I dreamed about a bad man... he's hurting lots of people... there was so much blood! He killed seven men, but then he started killing women instead... he kept saying he was going to bring the Goddess home..."
"Oh my... that does sound like a bad dream. But do not worry, dear heart, you're safe here. It was only a dream," the old king said gently, patting the girl on the back as he held her. But inside he shuddered. How did she know? How had she heard of this strange killer that was loose in Hyrule...?
"Can I sleep in here, father?" Zelda asked in a small, frightened voice.
"Of course you can. Come, get under the blankets and try to go back to sleep. I promise nothing will harm you."
The king remained wide awake, even after his daughter had settled and fallen back to sleep. His mind tormented him with images of the madman's victims. Did these killings have really have something to do with the Goddesses? Was that the motive behind the carnage...?
He really didn't want to imagine such a thing.
But... what if Zelda was right? She had been right before...
Zane dreamed that night as well, the same dream he had been having for the past few weeks. The Goddesses, come as one to Hyrule. All because of him. But the time was drawing nearer now, he was much closer to his goal. This child, she would be the one... she had to be!
Her blood would bring the Goddesses home...
Zane smiled faintly in his sleep.
Hyrule had not seen its darkest day yet. No, there was something far more sinister stirring within the very castle walls themselves. A Gerudo king from the desert of the east had come before the king of Hyrule as an ally, an advisor. But in reality, he was merely the snake waiting for its chance to strike.
And strike he would, for soon all of Hyrule would belong to him.
All because of a princess and a boy from the forest...
Author's Note: Well, here it is. The first tentative chapter of my story. I'm not entirely satisfied with everything here, but I've enjoyed writing it. I hope you've all enjoyed reading it. Comments and crits welcome, as well as offers to Beta. I would love to have a good beta!
