"Oh please for the love of god, please get up and do the dishes already, I mean, how hard is it? Why can't you be more like your brother? He's a good boy, he's nice, charming and…" 'Blah blah blah, yada yada yada' I thought as I wondered down the hallway, ignoring what my mother was saying. I wasn't being mean, oh no, it's just that this happens everyday, that's all. It's either do the dishes or clean your room, it varies with her mood. Though the last part is always the same, my brothers so great at being a gentleman whenever she's around, but when she's not he is the devil reincarnated. Ugg I hate him so, so much! He steals my video games so he could mess up my saves or delete them all together! I don't know how many times I had to start over in Twilight Princess, not that I mind, I love the game, it's just I want to see the ending.
"Ember are you listening to one word I'm saying?" Came a screeching noise from that woman's mouth. I heard stomping foot steps from down the long hall. 'Oh jeez, she's pissed' the thought passed over me like a humming bird. "Heh heh, love you too mama!" I giggled as I ran to the end of the bright yellow hallway. I stopped abruptly in front of a photo covered door, mainly of a young man with dirty blond hair, like that of adult wheat, in a forest green tunic with a large sword, the Master sword. 'Aww link, how I love you so' I paused for a moment to admire the Hero of Time, my one true love.
I opened the door reluctantly, wanting to stare at the perfect being taped to it, but knowing that if I didn't dodge into my room right now, there would be hell to pay. With that said, I quickly stepped into the blood red room. 'Hmm, maybe mom's onto something' I thought as I looked around the trashed space. I mean this place would put a war zone to shame! I sighed as I picked up the bamboo stick that was propped agenst the nearest wall, and got into a running stance. With one huff, I started running. I stabbed the bottom into the same place I do every day and flung myself, over the holy stink pile of clothes and molding ramen cups, right onto the queen sized cloud I called a bed. My head almost hit my wii, which I always leave on my bed every night out of laziness. "Ugh, I have to rest tonight so I don't fall asleep during the big math test tomorrow, what a drag." I mumbled to myself, stripping off my oversized sweater and flinging it carelessly into the 6ft. tall pile of cloths that'd been building up for months now. 'Heh, I guess I have a lot of laundry to do' I thought lazily, not really planning to bother. I flopped my back against the four propped pillows that were against the country styled headboard and grabbed my wii controller awkwardly placed under my back and set it next to me. I snatched up my mini link plushy and held it close to my heart. "Oh link, my glorious hero of time…" I sighed as I snuggled up close. Darkness soon enveloped me in its sweet embrace.
Dark, shadow felled branches reached towards a winding path, like a hand reaching out to grab who ever is careless enough to step near them. Down the path, past the dancing shadows, came a spine chilling scream.
"AAAAAAAhhhh!" Came a luminescent voice, drenched in fear and dread. It came from a beautiful young woman in a bright green robe that floated around her like an autumn wind. Her long blond hair swirled behind her as she stepped back from the approaching darkness. A devilish head crept out of the shadows, its large snarling teeth clacked as it stepped closer to the beautiful maiden. The wide startling eyes fixed on her, its wolfish ears perked forward, listening to the small whimpers that emanated from her full lips. It stopped, lifting its furry head and sniffing the air. A thud was heard, its white eyelids widened, shock showing briefly in the glowing eyes. The monstrosity fell to its knees, an arrow deep in its back, piercing the heart. A short howl called out into the dark night. Another figure stepped out of the black, his dirty blond hair dancing in the slight breeze. Wild, ferule blue eyes pierced the night, putting the scared maiden at ease, oddly enough.
The maiden stepped toward the handsome man in the green tunic, placing her delicate hand on his shoulder. "Oh great knight, I thank thee for saving me, for that beast was sure to kill. I have but one question for my brave sir knight, what might I call thee?" Her musical voice echoed in the falling leaves.
"I have many names, but you may call me Link…" Link's small yet powerful voice finished as a crimson red curtain fell upon a wooden stage. A roar of clapping hands that could raise the dead came soon after. The wolfo, Link, and the beautiful maiden came out and bowed low, ignoring the renewed vigor of the large crowd. They walked calmly to the back of the stage, the wolfo lagging a bit behind. The crowd chattered with ecstatic faces as they stood up and moved out of the small room. When every last one of them were gone, a strained woman's voice came from behind the wolf head.
"Couldn't you be a little less accurate, Link? I think a couple of inches farther and I would be as dead as a tree stump." The voice rasped as the clawed hands reached up to take off the mask. The maiden rushed over to the woman, taking the gloves from her sweaty hands and telling the woman to wait as she rubbed some red potion around the stab wound. She yanked with all her might, the woman's flesh ripping as the arrows head came out. She gave a sharp gasped as she fell to the floor in pain. The maiden gave Link a short glare, then bent down to help the poor woman.
"Ow. Ow. Ow, geez Zelda, could you be any rougher? I swear I'm abused," the woman mumbled jokingly as she stood up. The red potion worked its magic and the hole was no longer there, only a small knot of scar tissue left behind. She finally took off the mask, a wave of shiny midnight black hair fell to a pair of thin white shoulders, her hair falling over her right eye, but it still resonating its bright violet waves through the black curtain. Her eyes flashed at Link as he began to speak.
"Sorry Ember, you know how I get when I'm in the moment, I just can't help myself. You were just so good that it brought me back to that time, you know, when the world was in danger." he mumbled, the strength from before no longer there.
"No, no Link, please don't look so down, I know how you get, so please show me a smile," Ember said as she patted his back. Link gave a small smile, feeling a little bit better. "There we go!" Ember giggled as she danced around her small group of friends. "I think we did pretty good out there, Zelda you were absolutely splendid! I was almost convinced by the fear in your eyes!" Ember exclaimed as she grabbed hold of her royal hands and danced in circles, both of them laughing. Link just watched with a grin at the total opposites that spun around, like yin and yang. Not long after the three had to go their separate ways, Zelda going back to her castle and link going back to his peaceful forest. Ember though, walking slowly over to a near by tree, slumped down and stared at the small amount of rupees she had gotten from the great act. She sighed, the playfulness draining from her eyes. She turned and pulled back a piece of loose bark. Hidden beneath, glinting with a blood lust was a pure black obsidian sword, the evil presence making her shiver in dread. She lifted the familiar handle and placed it by her side, through the sash that clung to her tightly. She turned quickly towards Death Mountain, her black cloak billowing behind her in the brisk wind.
The golden boulders of the mighty mountain seemed ominous in the sleepless night as Ember, her dead black cloak hiding her small yet strongly built frame and the black blade from sight, made her way up the winding path. Her job tonight was to kill a wealthy old man, to see to it that his ex gets her revenge for all the years of ruthless beatings. Ember saw a candle dancing in a beautifully crafted window and pulled out a skull from in side her cloak, then placed it silently in the shadow of a near by rock. She pulled out her lantern and lit the new fuse, the fire burning a bright blue before fading into a dull red flicker. She turned the small knob at its side and got ready for a new play.
"AAAAAAA!" Ember screamed loud enough so that the old man could hear her. She fell backwards, as if in fright, and pointed at the cleverly placed skull. She let fear show on her face, planning to lure the old man out to meet her. She held her hand in front of her mouth, and as soon as she did, out of the intricately carved door stumbled the old man in a silk robe and a silver lined cane in his left hand.
"Are you alright miss? What frightens you so?" His surprisingly strong voice called out to her. She shook her head, her black hair sifting left and right franticly. She waved him to come over to her and, not knowing her intentions, he did just that. She held up her light towards the skull, which grinned like a madman at the old fool. The man gasped as his pale eyes met the empty sockets, and as he did Ember imitated a sadistic smile that made the skull look like a pansy. She felt no humor in this, this taking of another life, it was just a job and that's it, nothing more. It was what the client said to do, give him real fear before stealing his last breath, verbatim.
She felt nothing as the pray turned back to her and saw the devilish face that resembled a white wolfo, felt nothing as the old man stumbled back, and felt nothing as he gave out a cry of fear. She held that devilish face as she crawled towards the man, her movements slow and deliberate, but also like that of an animated corpse. The old fool gave out a terrible yell and swung out the cane that was tightly gripped in his left hand and hit her rib cage, hard. A wave of pain came up her spine, but she did not show any emotions on her face except that sadistic smile and her darkened eyes glinted in the lantern's light. She quickened her pace and grabbed the skull and tilted her head to the side, grinning still. She stood up slowly then turned around quickly and faced the cowering man. She seemed to tower over him, her 6 foot 4 looking like 7 foot 5, and whispered in a haunting voice a verse that seemed to fit the moment.
"Ask not for whom the bell tolls," she paused to stoop down to his level, and leaned near his large ear, pulling the black sword out of its sheath," for it tolls for thee." and with those final words, she plunged the evil blade into his racing heart. A pained yell glanced into the night, before being silenced by a sharp hack to the throat. Ember sighed, and then gasped, gripping at her right side. Her hand felt a warm wet spot so she held it in front of her violet eyes and gasped again. The last part of her job will be long and tedious, the bloody wound was going to slow her down. She had to get rid of the evidence before sun up; luckily she had left at dusk and ran through the vast plains of Hyrule and first stepped foot here when the light was almost dead. She would have plenty of time. With that in mind she started on her grim task, ignoring the pain that stabbed at her with every movement. The heavy dead weight on her back caused her to stumble a bit, first right then left, in till she gained back her balance and limped over to the edge of a cliff. The blood of the dead fool flowed out onto Ember, her cloths a now dull red instead of cloud gray. She huffed as the body slid off her back, the head hanging limply to off the side of the cliff. She looked down at the pitiful fool and kicked at his side for wounding her, but shrinking back at the sound of his ribs snapping. She sighed, hating the fact that she just murdered another living being, hating the fact that she needed the rupees. She kneeled down; her knees now soaked in his blood, and began to pray for his soul. "Oh goddesses in the sacred realm, please watch over this man and tell him to forgive me…forgive me for taking his last breath in such a terrible way…" a single tear fell from Ember's eye. She sighed, swiping at the lonely tear and pushed the stiffening body over the edge and watched as it turned into a falling shadow in the night fog, until she could see it no longer. She lifted herself up and limped over the smiling skull, picked it up, and tossed it over the edge, forever to smile at the decaying corpse.
She gave one last look at the cliff edge, and limped down the mountain, her weak shadow doing a choppy waltz on the side of the foreboding rocks. She swore she saw pale blue eyes staring at her from the cliff edge.
A lone figure stumbled through the dense forest, the sun yet to come and shine for the new day. In the darkness she could barely see her own hand in front of her face, and the pain only blurred her eyes even more. She looked around, finding a comfortable tree to lean against as she caught her breath. She didn't really know how tired she was until she collapsed on the tree, the man's and her own blood smearing into the pure bark as she slid down to the soft ground. Her head fell forward, taking in the silence that surrounded her. Heavy breathing was all that was heard, the crickets not wanting to play their melodic tune for the soaked intruder. She was all alone, for nothing wished to be near the scent of blood. So Ember sat in her delirium, the silence only making her more concentrated. She always had to do this after she killed, the ghosts of her past coming to scream at her, to tell her that she should die for all the people she'd killed. The same old routine, but for some reason this time it was much louder, much more venomous. She stared at her blood spattered shoes, clutching her head in madness. Then she heard it, the crackling of fallen leaves, the footsteps that caused them were light and experienced. Ember scrambled to her feet, her legs complaining against the movement. She drew her blade as a solid figure of a man came around the shadowy bend. The figures head looked toward her as she lunged at him, his body stiffening at the demonic appearance. A sharp blade dug into his shoulder and he gave a sharp cry as he stumbled back grabbing the wound. Ember didn't want to hit him; she only wanted to scare him, so that she could be alone to brood.
Just then, through the dense foliage, shined the first rays of light, and Ember's face glowed like a phantom. A gasp of recognition came from the mans lips and Ember quickly turned trying to run away. She ran ten feet before a hand grabbing her stopped her. She struggled, wanting nothing more then to get away, to seem nothing more then a bad dream to her best friend, Link.
"Ember, wait!" he said in a panicked voice. Ember struggled harder, but knew that it was hopeless and her delirium only grew stronger. "Ember, please stop struggling, please, I wish to talk to you." she stopped all movement; you could barely see her breathing. Her head tilted down in defeat, her once bright dancing eyes now shadowed by her crusty red/black hair. "Please tell me why you're covered in blood, why do you have such a horrible sword as the light's bane?"
"I… I… I ….I killed a man, as an assignment. I'm so sorry Link, so, so sorry! I never wanted to do it; I never wanted any part in it! I needed the rupees, and acting just isn't enough to put the bread on the table, not enough to get me a night at a nice inn, not even enough to get me a single potion!… I'm sorry link…" Ember then fell to the ground, sobbing, her face cradled in her elegant tainted hands
She waited for the dejection, for her best friend to push her away in disgust. All her life she wanted nothing more than to be by his side, to be near him, but that one hope was now crushed under the sins she committed. When she felt a strong hand on her shoulder, she flinched; shocked that he would even want to touch her after what she's confessed to. She was even more shocked when the other hand gently grab her other shoulder. She was then lifted up onto her feet, a wave of confusion nearly knocking her over again. Looking up with sad eyes she saw something that amazed her, link was smiling at her.
"Wha, what are you doing, smiling at a murderer!" she cried out. Links expression didn't change didn't even a flinch when she yelled right in his face. Ember looked down again, this time in confusion. Why was he smiling, even after she told the horrible truth about herself? She didn't have long to think about it before she felt two strong arms snake around her slender waist. She gasped, looking up at her best friend and crush for eleven years.
"Ember, I would never hate you, of course what you did was wrong, you could have asked me or Zelda to help you out…" link stopped so Ember could speak.
Ember mumbled "I didn't want to be a burden…"
"Even more so, you can depend on your friends a little bit more." Link sighed in exasperation. "I've wanted to say something for a long time now, but I didn't have the courage before to tell you this… I, I think I'm in love with you," he rushed the last part, but somehow Ember still caught it. She looked up surprised to find that Link was leaning in, and going with the moment, Ember closed her eyes. And just as they were about to kiss, Ember woke up.
"WHY GOD, WHY!" I cried out into the early morning at my alarm clock that was happily buzzing about a new deal on auto parts. "Damn you straight to hell you stupid contraption!" And with that out of my system, I chucked the ugly little dream stopper right into my pile of cloths. I watched it writhe back and forth, just noticing how flimsy the base really was. I looked up just in time to watch it fall on top of me, cloths untouched and unwashed for months surrounding me. 'Aw crap' I thought as I crawled out of the horrible stench pit. I poked my head out of the stinky clothes, not noticing the moldy sock dangling until it was too late. The sock fell onto my face. 'I bet you anything that that was the grossest thing that could ever happen to me' I thought at the imaginary audience in my head. And thinking back to my wonderful dream I wined "I didn't get to see the ending…"
Don't you just hate it when you don't get to read the ending of a good book, or the end of a super movie full of awesomeness and wonder! I know I do….TT-TT