SUMMARY: When Zelda heals Midna from her injuries given by Zant, her life force drains away in the process-but the triforce of wisdom has to go somewhere. When the triforce finds a new host-a local girl who took up a position in the Hyrule Castle Town Guard, and has been having frequent dreams about the end of her town-she feels a pull that suggests there is more in store for her than just commanding the cowardly soldiers around. But can she find the ability to not only trust, but follow the orders of the mysterious boy who's been coming to the town that, according to Telma, could truly use her help? Rated T for language. LinkXOC. Reviews appreciated (:
AN: My first LoZ story! Sorry if there are any mistakes or such. If so, please PM me and let me know(:
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, or any of the characters; however, I do own Nina and the soon-to-be-presented Loki(:
It was an absolute scorcher out today. The sunlight was beating down on her incessantly, and under all the armor she felt as if she was about to sweat out into a little puddle on the sidewalk. But nonetheless, SOMEbody had to whip these so called 'men' into shape. They were terrified of the little goblin like creatures out in the fields, so how were they ever going to take on the bigger beasts that were the actual threats? It was beyond her how this sorry bunch became those that the townspeople were supposed to look to for protection….or how she had come to be in charge of some men that were more than double her age.
"Harrison! For god's sake, I told you to CHARGE the enemy, not sit back and allow them to take you out with a bow shot. And Carson! I appreciate the fact you're trying, but that doesn't mean to swing wildly. You almost took McCullogh's head off…..ugh, you men disappoint me. You know what? Training is suspended for today. Go home and put some serious thought to if you really want to go out in that field or not. If you're only going to hold me back, I don't want to deal with you. Tomorrow at eleven A.M….break for now." She shook her head and turned on her heel, heading in the direction of Telma's bar, which was her usual destination after a quite annoying day of trying to turn the boys into men.
Turning back into one of the more secluded alleys, the girl took a few steps towards the door, before pulling it open and being met with a blast of cool air that calmed her quite a bit. Her eyes twisted to the older woman standing at the bar, who offered a warm smile. "Nina! I was wondering when you were going to make it here. How'd the training go?"
Pulling off her helmet, the girl allowed her dark, shiny brown hair to fall over her shoulders, green eyes brightened a bit and face more open at the sight of her old friend. Upon first glance, one might have guessed she was in her early twenties; but in all honesty she couldn't have been more than seventeen. She tucked the helmet under her arm and shook her head. "Honestly, Telma, I hope this town never gets attacked or we're done for. These men are either to afraid to battle, or to enthusiastic and have no skill."
Telma gave a slight laugh, knowing exactly what she meant. "Isn't it ridiculous? I had to trust some boy who couldn't have been older than you over a mess of soldiers with a few years on them to take me to Kakkariko with the injured Zora boy a few days ago."
Nina shook her head and set her helmet on the bar. "It's a damn shame. With as many monsters as there are around anymore…." She gave a bit of a sigh, before biting her lip and looking up at Telma. "Hey. I have….I have to talk to you about something. In private."
Telma nodded slowly, not really liking the sound of the girl's voice, but lifted a portion of the bar so she could get behind it. Once making sure all the customers were satisfied, she closed the top of the bar and opened a door in the wall that led to where everything was stored. Once they were both in the room, she shut the door and pulled a string to turn on a light bulb, brightening the room. "Okay, honey. Now what's got you so worried?"
Nina ran a hand through her hair, and looked back up at Telma. "Well….I think it has to do with the weird sort of barrier that's appeared around the castle. But I woke up the other morning and, well…" She pulled off both of her gauntlets and set them on a barrel, before pulling off a glove on her right hand and making her hand into a fist, holding it up to show Telma. "This was on it."
"Oh, honey…" Telma started, unsure of what to say as her eyes fixed on the golden triangle on the girl's hand. "Don't you know what that is?" she asked, and as the young girl shook her head, Telma leaned back against the barrels of beer and crossed her arms. "It's called the triforce. I truly can't understand why it might appear on your hand except….perhaps you're chosen."
"Chosen?" Nina questioned, her voice riddled with curiosity. "For what?"
Telma paused a moment, and then launched into her explanation. "You remember the young boy I told you about, the one that helped me to Kakkariko? He had the same mark on his hand. I talked to him briefly…he said he had to figure out how to help save our land. Said it was his duty. Now, I don't remember these old stories the same as I used to, but from what I recall from the legends, there are supposed to be three people who have that mark: two good, one evil. The one corrupted by evil has the mark of power, while the two 'good' or pure people have the marks of courage and wisdom. The two pure of heart have to band together to take down the corrupted one." Seeing the look on Nina's face, she gave a soft smile to her and rested a hand on her shoulder. "Look. How about I send a letter to Link and have him come in to talk to you? We'll see what he can tell you and figure out where to go from here."
The brunette bit her lower lip, then nodded. "Okay. When should I come back?" she asked, sliding her gloves back on. "Tomorrow?"
Telma laughed a bit and shook her head. "No. I know a postman who will get my letter to him right away, and knowing Link, he'll be right in. Why don't you go home and wash up, and then come back? He should be here by then."
Nina didn't think the boy could be that quick, but decided to take Telma's word for it and headed back to her home. She felt a wave of relief and cooling air as she took off her armor, and then turned the water in her shower on to wash away the days sweat, troubles, and tension. Upon getting out, she pulled on a pair of boots, brown shorts and a light blue top that resembled a shortened tunic with a belt around the middle that she attached the sheath of her sword to so it was easily reachable. She turned to head out, after pulling her gloves back on.
Moments later, she pushed the door to the bar back open and saw a wash of new people perched in different seats. She walked up to Telma, who excused herself from a customer and made her way over to Nina and motioned for her to follow. She made her way over to a table where a lone boy sat, and moved around to take a seat, motioning for Nina to do the same. "Link, honey? This is the girl I was telling you about. Nina, this is Link."
Nina turned her eyes to the blonde boy before her, thinking he seemed somewhat familiar. The shockingly blue eyes, the blonde hair, even the green clothes stirred up something that made her feel as if she had met him somewhere before. She paused a moment, before giving him a quick nod which he returned with a soft smile.
"So, I'm guessing you know what all this is about?" Nina asked, and Link gave a soft nod. "Telma gave me the short version of everything."
"So, what do you think then?" she asked, curious as to what his answer may be. Still, everything seemed almost like a joke to her now-as if somebody had drawn the triforce on whenever she was sleeping. She rested her elbow on the table, chin in the palm of her hand as she fixed her eyes on the boy before her and listened.
"From what I've heard…" he started, thinking back over what information he had gathered thus far on his journey. "I'm guessing you're meant to help."
Nina's brow furrowed, a slight expression of confusion crossing her face. "Help with what? You're going to have to give me some details here."
Link held back a bit of a sigh, he could already tell this girl was going to be a bit of an issue. "You've noticed the spread of monsters over the land, right?...well, there's a way to take them out. It isn't quick and it isn't easy; and a lot of the journey is pretty out of the way. But I suppose this means you're meant to help me get rid of them, and help everything be more….peaceful."
"Woah, wait…journey?" she asked, fixing him with a look of disbelief. "You really expect me to drop what I'm doing trying to train these soldiers and run off to fight monsters? Sounds like some sort of screwed up fairy tale…..but why me, anyway?"
The boy shrugged a bit, unsure himself. "You probably have some sort of skill that will help. Or some type of knowledge. I'm not sure why I have mine either, but there has to be some reason."
Nina blew her bangs back out of her face, and folded her hands. "So, lemme get this straight. I'm essentially supposed to drop everything I'm doing, leaving this town virtually unprotected, and set off with you, somebody I don't even know, in attempt to make everything a-OK and peaceful. And I'm willing to bet there's a pretty high chance that I'll die doing this. Am I right?"
Link hesitated, but then nodded. "Basically. I never said it was fair, or even promising. But it's sort of your duty now."
Telma rested her hand on Nina's shoulder, causing the young girl to look up at her. "Think it over, sweetie. Didn't you say that you wanted to get out in the world and do some good before, anyway?"
_FLASHBACK_
"Dad, why are you always leaving? You're never home anymore," a five year younger version of Nina pouted, arms crossed and standing alongside the door. Her father was gearing up, his sword and shield lying on the table as he pulled his armor on.
"It's my job, sweetheart," he told her in a gentle tone. "I'm in charge of my crew of men. We just have to go out and take care of a few monsters, and then we'll be back. I promise."
Nina stamped her foot and gave an exaggerated sigh. "But why you? Why couldn't they pick somebody else?"
"Nobody else was up to it. They're all to worried," he explained, pulling on his last gauntlet, and reaching for the two items on the table.
"Scared? But they're soldiers. They're supposed to be fearless! Not afraid of anything….aren't they?"
"They are supposed to be. But sometimes, you can't live up to everybody's expectations. Some of them are still young, only a few years older than you."
"But there's brave girls who could help! Why won't they let them in the army?"
He sighed, and kneeled down, resting a hand on his daughters shoulder. "The soldiers don't think that woman can help. They think that they'll only get in the way and be a pain, and make our job even harder."
"I'll show 'em someday, dad! I'm gonna become a soldier, just like you. And when I'm as strong as you, I'll find a way to kill all the monsters and make it safe again!"
Her father chuckled, a small smile on his face. "Promise?"
"I promise!" she echoed, a proud smile on her face. "If it's the last thing I do. I'll make it safe so you and all the other soldiers don't have to leave their families all the time!"
He gave his daughter a kiss on the cheek before standing up. "I know you'll make me proud," he told her, before ruffling her hair. He said his goodbye, promised to be back soon, and headed out the door, leaving Nina alone to her thoughts.
It was the last time she ever saw her father.
_PRESENT_
Nina raised her eyes from the table and looked at Link. She had made a promise to her father. And even if it was in the foolishness of her youth, that very night he gave his life to keep her and the other townspeople safe. She felt she owed him that much, to carry out her word.
So it might kill her. But she knew in enlisting as a soldier that was a possible consequence. And this boy had a lead….a head start, so to speak, on how to fix everything.
But did she really want to take the risk?
It was either go out in the field, do what she could, and risk death; or stay in the town, generally safe, and train the sorry bunch of soldiers for a battle that may or may not happen. She really favored her life…..
I know you'll make me proud…
"Alright," Nina resolved, knowing as soon as the words were out of her mouth she would regret the decision. "I'll do it."
