Author's Notes: Yeah, I know, Guardian of Time should be the next in line for writing and here we are. I assure you that Guardian of Time is on the way, though I really wanted to see how this would be taken. I've had this idea for a good few months now, and I simply want to know what you think of it and whether it should be continued or not. This idea starts out as a hybrid between The Legend of Zelda and The Hunger Games, however has become very different as the planning has progress. There will still be the Games, but the build up to it won't be as exact to the books, and neither will the aftermath of it. This will also be my second attempt at a modern context, and the first went flat on its face, so let's hope that this does a little better!

Extra Note: Like in Ancient Roots, I will use symbols in between my writing to show certain moments. If there is a: ~*O*~ , then it is a dream.

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to The Legend of Zelda, nor The Hunger Games, only the rights to any OC that I create.

"The only people who fear death are those with regrets."

~Anonymous~

24

One: Outcast

I could say that I was shaking, but that would be a complete understatement. I'm shaking so violently that I am actually rather surprised that I haven't lost my balance yet. And I would like to say that I'm standing in front of my worst fear too, which would explain why I am trembling so much, but there isn't anything here to even make me start quaking in the first place. The only thing that I can see is a desolate land of whiteness that stretches on for miles and miles, like white-hot flames cutting through the darkness with their heat and brilliant light.

Something isn't right.

I have been lost in a land like this before in the realm of dreams, but this time is different. I have experienced something like this dream before, usually when I am at my lowest, but something laced into this land of sadness and sorrow is warning me. Something is coming, and it sounds dumb to think it. Being such a lucid dreamer, I shouldn't be afraid, and yet the idea of this dream seeming different than the others chills me to the bone. I don't know what this dream consists of, and I don't want to think about how this will morph into a nightmare.

I dart forwards, determined to break free of this illusion, only to skid into a stop when I hear something echo around me. I can hear singing, sweet and soft. The lyrics seem nothing but gibberish to me in the beginning, although it isn't too long before they soon become more and more coherent the more time that I spend in this wasteland. My eyes widen as the voices soon register too, my heart stabbed with phantom pain. Two people singing together in the exact same tone, and I can piece the first voice out to be Aryll, the sister who wouldn't dare want to believe that I am related to her after what I have done to her.

I don't blame her either.

I suddenly gasp in pain when the second voice isolates itself to morph into the woman who both pieced together my broken heart before destroying it all again within months of us being together: Zelda Nohansen. The thought of her sends my entire body numb, and I want to scream her name for all that it is worth, begging to the Three that she will answer me in the sweet tone that I have been deprived of. My desires are granted. "Run, run, run away." She beckons me, and I find myself running ahead of me in order to search for her. "Buy yourself another day. A cold wind's whispering secrets in your ear, so low only you can hear..."

"Zelda!" I shout. "Zelda, where are you?!"

Before she can answer me in some way, another voice soon contradicts her words, determined not to allow her voice continue. Their voice is deep and imposing, the potency of their tone freezing me on the spot. "Come away little lost, come away to the water." They call out to me, sending me into a trance that drags me in the other direction. "To the ones that are waiting only for you. Come away little lost, come away to the water. Away from the life that you always knew. We are calling for you..."

"Run, run, run and hide." Aryll joins in now, her bitter sweet tone enough to snap me from the trap of my mind and throw me away from the second voice's source. "Somewhere no one else can find. Tall trees bending, pointing where to go. Where you will still be all alone..." As their voices draw away from me, I start into a run through the whiteness, almost at their command. They urge me onward, and I follow until I fall to my knees.

I attempt and get back onto my feet, but no prevail aids me from Nayru, and their voices fight against the second in a war of words; booming into my fragile ears as they grow in volume. "Please..."

"Come away little light, come away to the darkness. In the shade of the night we'll come looking for you." The second voice chants back with a raised tone, knowing that Aryll and Zelda won't give up in their plight to help me. Tendrils of shadow and darkness close in and around my prone form, leaving me vulnerable to the shadows cloaking my mind. "Come away little light, come away to the darkness. To the ones appointed to see it through. We are calling for you. We are coming for you..." I close myself up into a tight ball, flipping onto my side as the horrible sound of gun shots are sounded; bringing back too many harsh memories for me to manage. Phantom pain slices through my body like all of the shards of shrapnel have done in my life, and I can't fight this wave of pain this time.

The voices, however, are unaware of my agony.

"Run fast as you can!" Zelda and Aryll cry in alarm. "No one has to understand. Fly high across the sky from here to kingdom come. Fall back down to where you're from..." Soon enough, their own words are drowned out by the darkness around me, and I am lost to the influence once more. Their words scream out for me, but I am unaware of them any longer. I push myself up onto my feet, the shots fired cutting through my body to a point where I no longer feel them. I yearn towards the second voice, staggering this way and that from the shots. I care none for them, the voice being my only light of hope in the darkness.

"Come away little lamb, come away to the water." They continue, Aryll and Zelda lost to the nothingness of my mind. "Give yourself so we might live anew." The force of their voice drags me down into submission. Memories flash through closed eyes, and I can feel myself starting to lose it. In the distance, I can hear Zelda eliciting a high pitched screech that forever rings throughout my mind, Aryll's cry of pain soon following. "Come away little lamb, come away to the slaughter. To the ones appointed to see this through. We are calling for you, we are coming—"

"Stop!" I finally scream, my hands almost crushing my skull from trying to keep my sanity. "Please..." The voices are all silence, and I force my weak legs to handle my weight so I can run again. My eyes lock onto something ahead, bringing me into a land of horror when I rush towards it. I find myself in an infinite grass plain surrounded by the bodies of those who I care about; shot down and left for dead. I reach out for Aryll first, but even reaching out for her sends out a violent flurry of screams; and I can't handle any more of it.

I lay myself down with those that I love and pray to the Goddesses that it will all be over before I a deafened by this horrible ordeal, my wishes finally granted by the Holy Three themselves...

~*O*~

"Hey! Hey! Hey, listen! Hey! He—" I snap awake by the sound of the terrible hologram, bolting upright and slamming my fist into it before I can lose any more shreds of sanity that I am desperate to hang on to. Of course it was Navi, a good friend of mine loves everything about manipulating technology to craft new ideas straight from her brain, who decided that it would be fun to record her voice saying: "Hey! Hey, listen!", and then proceed to set it as my alarm without me being able to change it back because I know very little about those sorts of things.

I fall back onto my bed with a groan, rubbing some feeling back into my face as I let my eyes slip shut. Women...

I don't know how long I lay there for, lost in a daze of dreams, nightmares, and vivid ideas spawned only from the empty land of my mind. But this is when I realise just how much I am shaking. Of course I've had bad dreams before, but they have never been like that was. Never so vivid or dark, never like a warning. Due to the nature of my past, I have seen many friends and comrades harmed and left for dead in my dreams on numerous occasions, although I haven't ever heard singing or seen so much chaos in the space of a night or so.

Glancing over at the clock displayed underneath Navi's flickering image, the time reads half past seven in the morning, the dawn of the day that I suddenly feel very concerned about enduring. My whole body is shaking even worse that I had been in my dream, which doesn't help my current situation of facing the day's challenges that now lie ahead of me. I just have to get my mind off of it, and I'll hopefully forget all about it.

But what we want to forget is what we remember the most, an inner voice sneers, snapping me from my haze of deep thought in an instant. I shrug all thoughts away, locking them into another separate part of my brain.

As much as I could lie here all day, I need to leave. With a deep huff, I drag myself out of bed and change, cleaning myself up to at least be satisfied knowing that I look half decent. Usually, Skyloft City would be renowned for the wind power that it produces for Castleton City while Kakariko Village is known for the production of various ores and minerals. However, after an infestation of an unknown gas in the Goron Mines, all production turned to Skyloft City after it found some rare metals that were never collected in the Goron Mines before.

It's not the best job in the world, but it's a job I can do. It's money I can use to show Aryll that I care.

I soon find myself shuffling across the landing and down the stairs. Aryll is getting ready for school as my bare feet meet with the splintered ground beneath me, the fifteen year-old crouched over her bag by the doorway. Still groggy form getting up so early, I don't realise that she's there until I sink into my chair at the main table of the kitchen.

"Oh, hey Aryll. I didn't see you—" I'm not even done greeting her before she has scooped up her rucksack, carelessly slung it over her shoulder, and slammed the door shut behind her with a loud bang. I sigh deeply and sink lower into my chair, leaning my head back and letting my eyes slip shut.

She still hates me. Has ever since she was adopted, and has ever since I came back for her.

We were set up for adoption for too many years that I lost count (one year, three months, and six days), and Aryll was split up from me because her adoptive family couldn't afford us both. They were a nice family too, had a son called Pipit around my age. On the day she left, I told her that I wanted to join the Army as I was sixteen and more than able to enter.

But what traspired transformed into two opposing forces: me wanting to enter, and Aryll wanting to keep me away from there at all costs. Dad had died in the Army, and Aryll didn't want me to die as well. And yet, I had completely ignored the past after how much pain it had caused me, and the fight left us hating each other's guts as she was taken away from me. I came back from the Army when I was eighteen, discovering that her adoptive family couldn't support her after a year so she was given to a woman known as Telma, who tended to a tavern in Skyloft City.

I got the money I was paid from service and bought us this home, and she had no choice but to come with me. We've been walking on eggshells ever since. I've tried and tried, yet she's ignored me all of the time. There's nothing left I can do but wait for the Goddesses to see my pain, my suffering, and then choose to help me. While I know that I should be devoted to such beings, I can't believe in them as much as I had done if they have let our country suffer; their people suffer.

But that's when Zelda came into the mix...

I slam my palm down hard against the table, ignoring the tingling sensation that runs up my hand, refusing to think about her. In a feeble attempt to take my mind off of everything, I allow myself to tune into the cracking radio resting on the side board. Aryll is obsessed with the radio, always sombrely eager to hear everything that is going on in the richer world. Skyloft City has never been rich, nor has any other city opted to supply any form of money or opportunities for us to benefit from. I shake my head, my ears pricking up when I hear someone's report from Castleton in Medius, the central Province of Hyrule.

'—all ready hunted down twenty of the Traitors necessary for this year's Anniversary.' My stomach sinks, realising what in Din's name they are talking about instantly. I can't understand why Aryll was listening in to such a report due to how dark and sombre it is, but it has captured my attention. I lean in closer, staring at the radio crackling against the table. 'I believe that we'll have a fine group this year. Do you not remember the last Games five years ago? What you you think of this year's current line up, Ghirahim?'

'Well!' I cringe when the booming voice strains the power of the tiny radio. 'I think that we'll certainly be seeing more bloodshed than before. With the amount of resources that our fine country uses in order to generate these Games, they were all but wasted trying to force those pacifists into battle last time. They had no choice but to spill each other's blood. But,' He adds before the first voice can continue. 'I believe solely that these Games will be something to keep your eyes on this year! The bets will make millionaires even richer than before!'

The two of them laugh, though I switch it off before their manic laughter gets to me too much. The Games that they were discussing so casually are the "Insidiae Games", roughly translating to the "Treachery Games" from Ancient Hylian. Very close to the dawn of time, the first bloodthirsty Kings of Hyrule forced traitors together into duels to the death in order to teach the traitors their places and offer some form of entertainment to the King and his subjects.

However, when one young King rose to power, the "Games" were immediately banned despite the controversy that this even caused, the King understanding that the traitors could learn of their "places" in society in much better ways without the use of death in such a cruel way.

From then until now, those Games have only had the support of few to return them, a few riots sprouting ever now and again, although even they are rare. And yet, five years prior to now, a rebellion sparked into a fire that could not be contained. Those protesters laid a siege upon the entirety of Medius and mainly the Presidential Palace, Daphnes Harkinain being the President of that time, and killed both the President and his daughter.

On that same day, Ganondorf Geru (Daphnes's right-hand man) took up that seat of power and has reigned ever since. His first action was to liberate the idea of the Insidiae Games back into Hyrule; everyone agreeing, or having no choice but to.

The Games were held on the same year that Ganondorf came into power. These Traitors, twenty-four of them to be exact, were rounded up due to the nature of the crimes that they had been accounted for, whether it be for things like murder and desertion of the Army to simple things like theft in Medius, and each were split up into pairs of two. Many were pacifists that did not want to murder each other no matter what their "crime" was.

These pairs would be formed due to their homeland, so those in North (the Borras Province) and South (the Austri Province) Hyrule would be paired while those in East (the Oriens Province) and West (the Occidens Province) of Hyrule would be paired, leading to main alliances and betrayals that did not end in the bloodshed that was expected – which is why they were forced by those who controlled the Games into battle against their will.

No one in Central Hyrule, Medius, are chosen; as they are the central point of the bets and creation of the Games anyway. Only one can win, left behind to be showered in money and praise for killing traitors and innocents "alike".

The arena in which they fought in was set to change with each group of Traitors that set foot in the Games, and they have finally crafted the said arena for the Insidiae Games that are to take place on the fifth anniversary of the first Games under Ganondorf's control. Constant reports on the rounding up of this year's Traitors have flurried into Skyloft's broadcasts, and this time is no different. If there are twenty out of twenty-four, then the Games must be held in the next few weeks.

I shake my head, clasping my hands tightly. They may be "traitors", but to kill each other in such a way? Poor Souls...

Shaking my head, I push the chair away from the table and rise onto my feet, knowing that the Mines will be calling and not attending my job will be the bane of my existence. I slip my shoes on, not bothering to eat any food as I shut the door behind me, my body used to the lack of food all ready. With a sigh, I unlock the door and look out on the city atmosphere as I follow my steps to join the passers-by on the street.

Compared to Castleton, Skyloft City would be considered a slum to some but compared to other cities and towns this place could be the perfect idea of Heaven. The pale, slightly dusty streets guide you through the maze of cobbled roads, the sun almost always shining down on the City. It is said that this City was the first to be built in Hyrule, formed by the outcropping of earth that the Hero of the Sky bought back down to the "Surface". I'm not sure whether it's true, but it's something for the tourists, huh?

The street lamps are still lit even this morning, illuminating my pathway through the morning mist that still lingers this late into dawn. The smell of burning all ready fills my nostrils, even if I have grown used to it, and the sounds of mining are being sounded so early in the morning. The few people that are up this morning keep their heads low as they make their way to their destination. I do as well, honestly, the thought of being confident and assured is more than a distant memory for me; far out of my hands to reach now.

I cut down as little side-streets as possible, knowing the amount of "deals" and other crimes are committed down these roads, and walk sombrely towards the Mines; knowing that the next six hours will consist of lack of daylight, food, and other necessities that I take for granted. I always ask myself why I work there, though I always know that my answer is the same: to show Aryll that I am doing everything for her. The boss won't let me leave unless I am critically injured, and there are people down there who have kept me from withering away ever since I met them.

Take Darunia, for example, who hurtles towards me at the speed of sound from the entrance to the Mines as I near it.

"Sheik, my boy, how ya doing?" Darunia, the wildest Goron I have ever met, ruffles my hair in greeting, his laughter booming around the caverns when I immediately set my hair straight. He slaps me on the back, almost sending me to the ground, making me smile greatly when he grins at me; something that is rather rare with me. I don't know how long I have known Darunia, but that doesn't matter. We really are like brothers, even if I know that I am not worthy of being his. "I haven't seen you at Telma's lately, not even on weekends. You all right?"

I nod eagerly, trying my best to keep a smile plastered on my face as I lie through my teeth. He grins back at me, thankfully taking the lie without a care in the world, dark eyes gleaming with mirth as he finally drops the conversation.

No matter how long it has been since I left the Army just over two years ago, I will still never be able to get used to the name "Sheik". I had altered my name mainly because I never liked the name "Link" anyway. No one here knows of my actual name, only that I had left the Army and my life is far from perfect. Nonetheless, I work to convince myself that the origins of myself is all but in the past and nothing to care for.

Acting on this, my smile finally fades and I take one last look at the dying light of Skyloft City before heading deeper into the Mines with Darunia. I light the nearest lamp with a match (Castleton would have sensor-controlled lights, but we aren't as rich as Medius) and fall into step beside Darunia; walking down the cold and narrow corridors of the Mines. "How have you been recently, Darunia?" I ask as we walk, holding the lantern out ahead of us. "You're right when you say that we haven't spoken in a long time..."

He chuckles, wrapping his arm around my shoulders for a moment, almost crushing them in the process, before releasing me. "I've been better than ever, Brother." He doesn't hear my small sigh as he speaks. "But you know that you can't not have a good time when you're at Telma's! Speaking of which..." He looks at me, eyes gleaming with mirth. "We were all thinkin' of going to Telma's after our shift. Nothing special, just a few drinks. Whatcha say, eh?" I avoid his gaze for a long time, to which he shoves me playfully for. "Come on, Brother! You need a break from life, and the Goddesses are willing to give it to you."

"I'll never have a break from reality..." I mutter.

"Hmm?"

I shake my head violently, jerking the lantern's flame in all different directions. "Oh, sorry. It was nothing." His piercing, yet soft, gaze watches me intently for a long time; especially when my hands start shaking. I can feel something inside of me compelling me to run, and this sensation doesn't help when Zelda's voice softly whispers out to me: "Run, run, run away. Buy yourself another day."

They want me safe, even in the presence of one like Darunia, although I can hear the second voice also calling out to me, begging that I wither away under their influence. In the distance, I can hear Darunia's gruff voice questioning something. I don't have the will to answer him, knowing that these voices are worse than that, and ignore him. I only return to the world of reality when the lantern collides with the ground, the flame going out and startling Darunia.

"Brother?"

"S-Sorry." I mutter curtly, leaning down to pick up the lantern and relight it, surging on ahead without him. "My fault, again..." By the time Darunia catches up with me, the rest of the trip down the Mines is silent. Darunia, although extremely happy most of the time, tends to worry about me a lot, and it shows by his brows knitting together every time he glances down at me. He knows when I have my dark days while many don't, and helps me as much as he can to get me out of them when others can't. He's there for me when no one else is, and I couldn't do anything without him.

But right now, I need to be on my own, and I think he knows that.

We carry on down the dark paths and into the very bottom of the Mines within another few minutes, where the thirty people on shift have all ready begun work – more tunnelling in by the minute. The constant beating of the pickaxes and shouts of miners is somewhat comforting, knowing that I am far away from the surface of Skyloft to feel safe from the world above it; no matter how large the constant danger of the Mines collapsing now that our work down here is growing in size and consistency.

Darunia moves on ahead as I dispose of the lantern now that many more down here are far brighter. He bumps his hip softly into another person's as an act of fun, to which the latter whirls around, slaps the Goron's shoulder and meets my gaze. They drop their work straight away, flipping her orange her over her shoulder and rushing up to slap me across the shoulder. I wince and pull away from her, causing her to roll her eyes.

"That did not hurt, you dummy. I'm only doing it because you're late again. Gods, all ready twenty and you still sleep in too much." I send her a flat look, not because of what she said though more so because of how sarcastically she said it. She notices this and hugs me tightly, friendly, her pale lips tugging up into a smirk over her dark skin when she pulls away. "It's good to see you, Sheik."

Midna, nineteen years of age now, came from the Twili Province over in Termina after she graduated from University. She acts arrogant around some, but less so around her friends. I'll safely admit that she was a handful when we first met, especially with how cold she was towards me, but we're close now – and I think that Aryll likes her.

She also has more tattoos than anyone else here, and they are by far the most amazing that I have ever seen. They gleam in both light and dark lights, and are designed in such a way to represent many Twili sayings and legends; the latter much more surprising than the former. I never saw Midna as a historian, though it seems that she is so much more than that. I'm surprised that they even allowed her into the Mines, with how sexist some people still are. It's not as bad as it was before, but it will always be there.

However, I heard that no matter how sexist the boss of the Mines is, desperate times call for desperate measures, and we need all the miners that we can get in order to satisfy Medius. It seems that old "traditions" die hard when money is on the line, and they'll let pretty much anyone into the Mines. Not that I don't mind it, either, since Midna is another good friend of mine, but it really is strange what some people will give up for money.

We get to work straight away. Returning to Darunia's awaiting side, Midna and I begin hurtling the pickaxes down at the cavernous walls, ranging sizes of rocks and minerals falling to the ground with every collision that we form. We are rarely permitted breaks down here, so it's hard to keep going for so long, though we make ourselves stretch on for as long as possible. And it's also the fact that things can get a little boring too, as staring at a wall for six or seven hours every day is not the most glamorous job in the world, nor the most fun.

Idle conversations keep some energy alive down here, although it is the radio that is the most helpful during this time.

I'm not sure how long we get into the six hours of Hell before something on the radio alerts me. '—our great President has come here especially to discuss the Insidiae Games with me today!' The first voice from earlier remarks. There is a round of applause that slices through the frequency, and I know that most of us would shout something disgusting at the radio if there weren't so many guards down here to regulate the work process and make sure that nothing else happens down here. 'So, President, how are you feeling about the fifth Anniversary of your incredible reign as well as the Games?'

'I think that these Games will certainly be significant.' The President responds professionally. 'Hyrule has prospered during this Era of Peace, and I hope that many more years of my reign shall continue this. And, on the subject of the Games, I find that reviving this old tradition is nothing but a perfect way to continue this Era of Peace. Showing the scum of society their place while holding some entertainment is something of a "win-win", wouldn't you say? I certainly believe in this tradition, and it seems that the people think so too. We are united as one under the pledge for justice!'

I straighten, most of the President's words blurred out when I realise something in particular: his voice is a near perfect representation of the voice in my dream, beckoning to "come away to the water", the one whose influence I fell under too many times to count and the one who destroyed the voices of those who I care about too dearly to ignore. I halt my work for a few moments as the President continues his "justice" speech, no one believing it here anyway, lost in a torrent of thought. Midna and Darunia continue on, muttering something under their breath about the President as they go.

Now something definitely isn't right.

My mind is much too clouded for me to properly concentrate. All I want to do is escape through the City boundaries and never look back, only because I know that I have spent too much time here. When searching for Aryll, I had to stay hidden and never stay in places for too long. Now that I have Aryll, no matter how much she has disowned me, I know that I have spent far too long here. I've made friends while I shouldn't have, and now it's going to come back. Aryll and I need to leave here as fast as possible, and I'll drag her away if I have to

And yet, this suddenness to be free has thrown me off. The lack of light is making me nervous, the lack of food is starting to bug me, the entire situation with speaking to others in a place like Telma's is getting to me now, those blasted voices can't give me a break, and it doesn't help when I see Zelda's face in front of me and slam the pickaxe into the rock; startling everyone and even sending a ear-splitting sound through the radio frequency.

Many turn to stare at me, including many of the guards. I glare back at them, unnerved at everyone's sudden intent on me, although it isn't long before I turn away from them all and continue on with my job at hand. "Sheik...?" Darunia whispers from beside me after a while when one of the guards swaps out of their shift. "Are you—?"

"I'm fine."

There's a long time where no one speaks, the sound of pickaxes returning to my ears. The radio comes back on soon enough, and things quietly return to normal. "Sheik." Midna mutters after a while. "What the Hell is that?!" I follow her crimson gaze to find a the part of the rocks that I hit is glowing slightly. I lean in further and chisel the rock around it, my fingers soon able to pull out a dark blue metal that sparkles in the lantern. "It's like one of those Pure Metals..." She whispers, looking around for guards before leaning in to inspect it. She takes it from me and looks at it. "Darunia, what is this? Do you know?"

The Goron moves closer, but shakes his head after looking at it for a few moments. "Sorry, Midna. I'm not a Georgraphy teacher..."

"Sheik." I glance up to watch Midna's glowing eyes, ignoring the kind Goron's words. "Take it with you. I can make some experiments on it, and we may even be able to cash it in big time. The guards won't think anything of it if you don't make a song and dance about it." My lips part in shock. The last thing that I need right now is stealing the minerals from the Empire, especially minerals that could be the most valuable on Farore's green earth and potentially create a small fortune.

No matter what I would be able to do, I can't let this happen. "But if they do catch me, I'll be—"

"Sheik, you're all about sneaking about." I smile a little when she adds: "That's what you told me after we first met, remember? You'll be able to do it easily. Most of the guards down here don't care for much after a metre radius, and we can bargain them out of saying anything to "His Jackass Highness" anyway. You'll be fine." She winks at me, though I'm far too used to the gesture. "With some help, of course." I stare at her for a moment, dumbfounded as she waltzes off towards one of the guards and begins talking to him; making sure that he is turned away from me.

That's until she kicks up a storm.

She begins yelling at them, begging that she be let out otherwise she'll grow even worse due to her "claustrophobia". And, because she has done this many times before to cop out on some of the worse shifts, they believe her. There's natural resistance from the guards, and many of the miners heckle them, either making sexist comments or some defending Midna's rights.

Within minutes of the guards circling her and attempting to calm her, the first guard that she spoke to shouts over the din: "Escort her out! It's not like she should be down here in the first place." In my mind's eye, I can imagine Midna's gleaming eyes narrowing at the comment, although our eyes do finally meet when she is taken away with a guard on either side of her. She nods at me, only I'm too busy staring at her for doing such a thing. Midna, realising instantaneously what I am doing, rolls her eyes and subtly nods towards Darunia.

I am still far too out of it to understand the situation before Darunia snatches the gemstone from my hand and shoves it into my pocket, spinning us both away from Midna as she is escorted out from the Mines. Once her and the guards have left, things begin to die down again a little. To the other miners, who aren't used to so much "drama" around in a place like the Mines, continue on with their chores; small conversations bubbling as they do so.

I constantly find myself scanning the guards, feeling the heavy weight of the stone in my pocket. Darunia shoves me almost every time that my mind drifts away from my target of the wall, understanding why I am suddenly incredibly spaced out, even if he will ask me later to speak out. I won't of course, and he knows it, but for him to even ask is the trust that I feel wrong to take from him. And, to make things worse, one of the guards who didn't escort Midna out of the Mines watches me intently as I work; not even bothering to make it subtle when I catch their gaze.

My blood chills when I read their dark expression from under their helmet, their face guard deep but easy to read. "We are calling for you. We are coming for you..."

The rest of the shift is slow, but I'm a lot happier by the time I feel the sun on my skin. As Darunia and I break out into the dying sunlight of Skyloft City, dirtier than when we first entered it, a deep weight is lifted. Nothing else is said about the stone in my pocket, and none of the guards seemed to have noticed it. Even the guard who forever bored into my form made no comments or arrests, and I can feel the sensation of freedom course through my veins.

Darunia forces me into going to Telma's, breaking away from me as he returns to his own home on the western half of the city, myself moving off into the east to do the same. The morning mist has more than lifted now, though the blood red sun has all ready began its descent once the guards called us back for an extra two hours. The street lamps have grown in intensity by this time too, forming shadows that dance across the streets that I cross in order to escape the very idea of life.

My erratic thoughts of escaping Skyloft hasn't left my mind either, although the thought of being with my friends at Telma's is enough to dull them; even if it is only for a moment. The evening goes by in a blur. By the time that I step inside the building that I refuse to dub a home, Aryll is still nowhere to be seen. This isn't unusual, since she is always trying to do everything in her power to stay away from me and anything that I have done for her, which includes the patch of land that our "home" resides on.

I dump all of my things and start the fire. The warmth that sparks against my fingertips is more than comforting, even if this comfort is shortly felt before I force myself into movement again. Before long, I push myself into the other sections of the building, returning to my own chambers and change into into something far more comfortable. I stand before the mirror in the bathroom, the blank space untouched my any form of personality. I brush out the final specks of dust and dirt from my hair, staring at the thin embodiment that is me.

The dull, empty expression it wears is more than depressing, and it deepens when a voice echoes at the back of my mind: When did your life go wrong?

I avert my gaze from the mirror, attempting to discuss my own answer. At first, the answer is obvious to me, although I soon begin to realise that it is far from that. I would say that the day I left the Army is the key source of my lost life, though wouldn't it be the day that I signed up that created the foundations of this. Not to put anything on her, but maybe it was the day that Aryll was born. Our family was split after that, and nothing was the same ever since, and she didn't want to do that to our family no matter the scale of the happenings after her birth.

My heart wants to blame her, but I know who is to blame and the answer of my question soon after: it was the day that I was born, clear and simple.

By the time that I finally pull myself away from the mirror, I return to my empty room and kneel in the centre; pulling away a dusty and stale rug. This, in tow, reveals an out-of-place wooden plank that merges in with the flooring. It's been here ever since I had bought this patch of land, since Skyloft City isn't the most fancy place in Hyrule. I think the previous owner of this place had used it as well for the same reason that I am using it now: to hide what I don't want anyone else to see in this life.

I tug away the wooden board and pull out the small, wooden box inside. Without hesitation, I rip the box open and shove the gemstone from the Mines inside, locking the box back into place and throwing it back under the flooring before anything else can hit me. Pictographs of Zelda and I tumble onto the floor from my suddenness, her smiling face haunting my waking and sleeping life. My face pales, and I rush onto my feet, slamming the door shut without bothering to pick up the Pictographs from off of the floor to save my sanity.

I can't handle what's happened to her.

I cast my mind back to the happier times, the times before Aryll had been born; again, without any form of offence to her because I lover her so much. I had grown up on Outset Island in the West with my parents and Grandma who passed away a few years back. I never got a say goodbye. It had been the simple life, and that was all that I needed; all that we all needed. When my parents weren't at work, I was attached to my Mother and Father by the hip. We rarely left each other's sides, and Grandma was more than happy to see it.

I was extremely happy growing up on an island filled with joy and wonder. It was incredible.

Then the opportunities of urban culture arrived, where education, health, and job opportunities were far too good to deny. We had left Grandma and moved to Castleton, and then things went downhill. My Mother was pregnant with Aryll, although the time leading up to her birth and after was a time where money was an honour to have and time with each other was extremely rare. Compared to Outset, living in Castleton was more about growing up and facing the world instead of collecting shells and playing in the rock pools.

And then the President had died, leading to the worst day of my life.

The memories hit me harshly, and I can feel heat stinging at the back of my eyes instantly. Before I can fully register it, I am out of the door and flying back into the fray of Skyloft City. I may not ever spend time in the patch of land that our building is situated on, and I couldn't care less for it. We have no Pictographs of family members, and there are no personal items that we can look back on fondly. Both Aryll and I hate it, but we would rather be there instead of homeless with no shelter.

I find myself moving all around the City. People walking about don't mind me, nor do the guards around the edges of Skyloft City where the boundaries barring the forbidden depths of the forests around us are where no citizen of Hyrule are allowed to step foot in; as they will be punished with lashes as it may be classed as attempting to escape. And, with that dark thought lingering with my memories of that day, I'm glad that I realise what happens next.

Whether it be by instincts or Darunia's words, but I soon subconsciously flee towards Telma's in the corner of the City; the gleaming lights beckoning me. I don't care about anything else. I want a drink and somewhere to escape, and Telma's is the only place that can do.

And Telma's is just how I remember it. In the south of Skyloft City, deep within the maze of back streets, lives Telma's bar. Darunia had introduced the bar to me back when I had first come here for escape, coincidentally was the place where Aryll had lived with Telma, and I have been down there ever since. Once Aryll and I had moved to a better place in the city, I had returned with my friends after days in the Mines, and I met the legendary Telma in the flesh.

The half-Sheikah, like myself, half-Gerudo draws in much male attention, though the bar is what she classes as a "safe house for her friends". She had given me the most suffocating hug that I have ever experienced in my life, and she has forever welcomed me to her bar. The bar isn't like some of the other ones in Skyloft City, as this is far more casual, and is much more comfortable to sit in. Numerous times has Telma come to sit with us and chat herself, her booming cackles spell-binding enough to bring a smile to the darkest of faces.

I push open the oak door, the sun blotted out by the plague of buildings as I step inside. The dull lights and smoky smell immediately hits me, and I take it in with all that I have. As I drag the door to behind me, my shoes tap against the soft stone floor beneath me. Many tables are filled with miners and other citizens of Skyloft City, most visiting the city never knowing or wanting to enter such a place due to how irritated Telma gets when it comes to tourists. She always bats me around the head when I laugh at her rants over tourists, or rants in general, though her toothy grin is enough to make me feel like the mother that I once had.

In the corner, semi concealed by a thick curtain draped from a thin rope to the floor, is where I always sit. A small smile tugs at my lips as I step into the bar, only for a loud feminine voice to call out: "Sheik, honey! I didn't think you'd turn up!" I snap my gaze over to the figure behind the bar, shifting around and into the light so that I can lay eyes upon Telma. Her fiery red hair stands out more than anything else here, bright eyes glowing with mirth. Her dark clothes cover her tanned skin, splashes of colour from her skirt a usual here, even if her breasts are clear to see.

She throws herself at me, drawing me into her crushing hugs that I have grown accustomed to, swinging me back and forth. By the time that I wrestle out of her iron grip, I run my fingers through my hair and smile sheepishly. "I didn't think that I would come either." I reply honestly, knowing that it's the answer that she would have expected anyway. Her smile drops a little, yet it soon returns with double the power as she wraps her arm around my shoulder.

"Well, I'm glad that you did!" She replies as she slips behind the bar.

I rest my elbows on the top of the bar, rolling my eyes when she snaps a wooden spoon near them to force them off the worn away wood. "How are the tourists?"

She smacks the spoon around my arm, her grin as clear as day. She points it at me, smirking. "Kept away from my wrath, and you know it!" I laugh lightly, pushing myself back against the wood like I'm not supposed to. Her eyes sparkle, and I remember just how much of a mother she will ever be to me. "You, boy, will never shut your trap when it's expected, will you?" I shrug and she leans in close. "I like it, honey." I grin back at her, wondering why I had stopped coming here as she gestures to the table behind the curtain, winking at me. "They're through there. I'll get ya round of drinks ready in a jiffy."

I force one last smile at her before pushing myself off of the bar and shuffling towards the curtain. I may have had a genuine smile across my face, but it is soon wiped away when the sensation of an omen returns to me with full force. Within seconds, though, I lean my mind into an abyss of calm, one that does not feel any of the darkness surrounding my thoughts; and I raise a shaky hand towards the curtain. As soon as I brush it aside more, my friends come into view, their heads snapping up to meet my own and grinning when they realise just exactly who it is.

"Hey! Listen!" Navi cries. "It's Sheik!" Sat about the table is five members: Darunia, Midna, Colin, Navi, and Ravio. Colin, a young boy who came to Skyloft City from Ordon Village in search of a better way of life, rises from his seat and smiles at me innocently. He the youngest out of our "group", though he is one of the most intelligent, as a pile of books are stacked high on the table even now. There's very little that you could know about the twenty one year-old Ravio, although, other than his near obsession with rabbits and nature. He loves it, though he can also be very quiet, the strangest fact since most of the members here are extremely loud.

As Colin returns to his seat, Navi literally grabs my hand and drags me down to the seat between her and Ravio. The table is a sudden burst of activity, Telma briskly arriving with the drinks and slamming them down on the worn wood, the dark liquid sloshing against the rims of the glasses. Everyone, including Colin and Ravio, rush to take a glass and raise it high into the air. Even I fall into the unknown territory of cheering and taking a large swig of the drink, the sensations it brings along more than comforting.

Darunia was right: you can't not have a good time at Telma's.

I cradle the glass in my hand as Midna rips the book in Colin's hand away, no matter how she would read it too when a drink wasn't in front of her. "You can't be reading, Colin. It's time to celebrate!" He raises a brow at her, knowing as much as I do how the matter of my arrival not being a "celebration". She giggles at this and rests her elbows on the table. "So..." She muses. "How long has it been since the Dream Team have been together, huh?"

I can tell from her eyes that she and Darunia have had a few starting drinks to "celebrate" this moment. "Too long!" Darunia booms, slamming his fist into the table and sending some of the drinks over the tops of the glasses with the jolt that it causes.

"I suppose that it has been a while since we have seen each other all together like this." Ravio adds with a small smile directed towards everyone. Navi, drink in hand, has also had a few drinks all ready because she decides that my shoulder is going to become a pillow. I laugh lightly and let it happen, my worries fading with every sip, knowing that I'll be able to remind her of it the morning after when the plague of hangovers strike the Mines. I have experienced those days before, and they are incredible to say the least. "I prefer it like this. I miss you all..."

He takes another drink, and a moment of silence befalls us. We all feel the same. When we aren't in the Mines, Darunia isn't locked up in the few schools we have to teach Music and History, Midna isn't keeping away from her strict parents, Navi isn't holed up in the labs in order to perfect her next device to develop Hyrule's future, Colin isn't with Navi to help her in her ideas or helping his family in the deprived Ordon, and Ravio isn't trying his hardest to pay for his sister Hilda's sickness, we never see each other.

We know that being in Skyloft with the lives that we have is hard, but that is how we all connect, and being deprived of that in most ways is harder than you would expect.

"But we're all here now." Colin remarks before we can all delve deeper into our thoughts. "And that's what matters. No matter how many times we may be able to see each other, being friends won't let us forget the friendship that we hold." We all grin at each other, Colin always being the ones to look on the bright side of things. Navi, who seems to be sleepily drinking from her glass, mutters something under her breath and snuggles closer to my arm; her blonde hair highlighted with blue falling in an array over me. "Maybe we could toast to that: friendship?"

"Too cheesy!" Midna shouts with a slur after Darunia releases a loud burp. "Maybe we could toast to... to crap lives!"

Ravio, who has kept relatively quiet, simply says: "What about us?" His dark eyes scan the rest of us when we turn to him. "I mean, we could toast to how bad our lives can be, or to the friendship that we have, but both of them circle around us." He shrugs, the bracelet Hilda made from him, designed with a rabbit no less, available for all to see as he raises his glass. "To us?"

The smiles on our faces grow. All glasses, sans Navi's, are raised into the air, clanging together with a high pitched sound. "To us!"

After that, the atmosphere begins to perk up a little. The idea of the toast still lingering on our clouded minds, more and more conversations ranging from each other to dares. I recall Telma attempting to keep these dares to a minimum once Darunia and Midna begin dancing, though she and many of the others soon begin to rise from their seats and join in. I settle Navi in the corner of the room, Telma's old record player playing scratchy old tunes that we all remember from the good old days before anything had badly threatened our lives.

Even Colin and Ravio join in soon enough, Navi perking up enough to dance too.

The music blasts into our ears, but none of us care. Most of us here are miners, and the others here don't have much better jobs, so to have a time were misty lights filled with alcoholic fumes and old fashioned music could not be any better – and we all revel in it. At some point in the night, we are all laughing, cheering, and waltzing across the cobbled floor in a tipsy daze. Telma grabs onto the fit of fun as well, being that she was the one who pushed for it to begin with, and claps along until I force her into dancing with me. I don't know much of what I am doing, but who cares?

People seem to care, however, when a gunshot is sounded.

Everything comes to a halt instantaneously, the crackling music snuffed out and the joy dying in a single moment. Many cry out or scream in shock, the crowd of people turning in unison towards the doorway where the gun was sounded. Standing in the slightly ajar doorway are three figures arranged in a triangular formation, the one at the front holding a gun high in the smoky air for all to see. The atmosphere, once filled with happiness and mirth, falls into a continued stupor that transforms into a fit of sombreness.

Guards never come to Telma's, as the owner knows more than anything that stepping out of line from the rules will shut down her business, though there are one or two that maybe choose to step out of their own lines and have a drink. But that's only once in a blue moon, and I have a feeling that they aren't here for a drink like we all are.

No matter how drunk or sober the crowd is, no one dares to speak. As the guard at the front drops his gun to his side, the three of them cast their gaze across the sea of people here. We all stare back, begging that they aren't here to shut down Telma's or arrest someone. In a single moment of joy fuelled by drinking, we let our guards down, and I can feel the ice in my stomach return with a vengeance. My stomach churns, yet I don't dare allow myself to cringe or flinch in pain. I can't let myself do that to people like them.

The guard at the front soon lands their eyes onto me, and my stomach twists in such an unnatural way that I can't help but wince for a fraction of a second. The guard's eyes, the one I soon come to realise is the man from the Mines whose eyes never left me after Midna had been escorted out, seem to glint in achievement and advances. The crowd parts in unison as he moves forwards, the other two guards hanging behind in order to keep the control that they have gained over us.

As the main guard shifts towards me, Telma moves closer to rest a hand on my shoulder. I can't return with a glance, though, because the feeling of realisation paralyses me before I can do anything. The guard stands tall over me, raising his helmet to reveal a cleanly shaven man who seems to be in their late thirties. His bright green eyes are sickly in colour, defying the beautiful colours of nature and all that they are worth, although they are far too familiar to ignore. The tension continues to rise so much that I hold my breath in order not to take it in.

I know what is coming, and I know that it is the one thing that I have been running from for years. It almost seems ironic that he now stands before me, the old battle scar scratching at his worn down face, grinning in such a manic way that it chills me to the bone. "Link Mesa." Captain Viscen, my old Captain before I had left the Army, remarks slyly. "The elusive deserter. We finally meet again for me to toss you into a place only worthy of scum like you."

'I believe solely that these Games will be something to keep your eyes on this year!'

Author's Notes: Well, there it is. I'm not proud of how it came out, but I'm "average" with the concept. Anyway, please drop a rate (if it's good enough) and review to tell me how you thought it was, though please do this if you do: if you dislike a certain part(s) of this then tell me, but also justify why and tell me what I can do to improve it. If you like it, then that's fine too! Also, if this continues, who would you like to be this story's version of the "Tributes", the 24? I'd love to know.

~RandomButLoved~