So, welcome to my first fanfic. YAY... Anyway, this story follows my own OC Link who goes on his own adventure and stuff. There will be a few character bring overs, but the story is set some long time before Majora's Mask. Back in a time when the Ikanans where still at war with the Garo. The Termina here is not a parallel Hyrule but a distant country. Dark Link here is not from Ocarina, but my own DL, so yeh. Continue reading please.
Darkness Eats At The Heart - Ch1
Sweat trickled across my brow, and I moved slightly to wipe it away. In front of me stood a large, burly man, who had at least two heads height on me, but he provided exactly what I needed. A place to hid. And when inanimate objects wouldn't do the trick, people worked just fine too.
He was arguing profusely with the stall attendant, and to my advantage, luring the stall attendant's and pretty much everyone's attention in to listen in on the argument. I had to hand it to the man; even with his stature, he had quite the way with words. I used the moment's distraction to slide my way over to the merchandise part of the stand.
Inside various crates, was a multitude of fluffy baked breads. Some fresh out of the oven, still steaming, others I noticed began to harden. I took a hard look at the piece that was about to become my next prey. A slightly cold piece that looked about four to five hours old. Not delicious, but it would suffice, and wouldn't cause the merchant much of a loss in terms of money. After all, if it hadn't managed to make its way into someone's hands already, it wasn't about to do so now.
Another glance slithered its way back to the burly man and the merchant. He was still making some cogent points about the bread prices along with some wild hand gestures to boot. I returned my wandering gaze back to the bread, and with a sigh, I slipped my hand out from under my cloak, and took hold of it.
With the bread safely in my possession under my cloak, along with my stockpile of other stolen food stuffs, I shifted my way through the crowd of bystanders and shoppers until the stall was out of earshot and out of sight. I didn't stay any longer in the midst of the string of markets, and swiftly worked my way back home. Staying any longer meant people would start to recognize me and that could jeopardise my means of survival...there were still a few guards who always seemed to have my face on their list however. It seemed in my years of thievery I had become an infamous child delinquent. I swiveled my through sparse groups of on-goers, and snuck through a few back alleys.
It wasn't long until I stopped in front of a half broken down pile of what used to be, I believed, a school. It was located along the edge of the bordering mountains surrounding Ikana. From the looks of it I would say the Garo blew it up on one of their attacks. From what I could tell, the Garo's main line of thought seemed be either: assassinate the king or bomb crowded areas. And what no one ever seemed to notice, was that, little by little, their attacks penetrated our defenses and cost us more lives every time. Our King has made no noticeable changes in the line of defense, and I could only ponder what they were deciding about at meetings.
Carefully, I found my way through rubble and rubbish. I halted my bumpy travels so I could climb through one of the broken windows near the left side. I squeezed my supplies a bit closer to my chest while I jogged through the dilapidated corridors. My bare feet scrapped across a few pebbles and some unnoticeable shards of glass. Looked like I was in for another trip sweeping the halls again. I didn't want Colin or Aryll to hurt themselves on the sharp ground. They suffered enough, already having to deal with hunger on a very familiar level.
Strobe lights, penetrated through leaks in the ceiling as I rounded the corner. The life of an orphan was difficult enough here in Ikana. In fact, had I not chosen to escape my empty house, it was likely we would have become slaves.
At first, it was just Aryll and me who lived here after my mother and father died because of the war. We were underage at the time, and had no close relatives to take us in. We would have become slaves, where we would work to pay for the new "home". But Aryll would not have even had that luxury because she was just a little girl at the time. They would have killed her, had they the chance, and I wasn't about to let that happen. This was the place I found, and it has been our home ever since.
Two years ago though, a young boy about Aryll's age, named Colin, managed to shuffle his way in here as well after his parents too, had been murdered in one of the raids. I never quite caught his full story, but I wasn't one to ask to many questions anyway. I didn't think Aryll minded the company either. She would have probably befriended an ant if she had the chance.
I've been doing my best to support them by stealing when and what I can, but I have thought about it, and I didn't think my career as a thief was going to last much longer. The guards haven't been turning a blind eye to my antics like they were before, and it wouldn't be long before I wound up thrown in jail. And I couldn't let that happen. I didn't know what I would do, knowing there would be no one to look after Aryll and Colin.
Through my reminiscing, I arrived at the empty classroom we designated as our main living area. Stools and what might have been the remains of desks, stood piled one on the other until we created a formation resembling a table...Well, we tried. Probably.
Aryll stood on top of the table, stick in hand, and was jabbing at something hiding on one of the wooden ceiling beams. The hard glare that came through the windows opposite made me unable to fully view my surroundings,so I was unable to ascertain what she was poking at.
I walked up to the table's jagged edge and proceeded with placing my stolen goods on the wood. Aryll took notice of the sudden sound and spun around. She looked a bit frightful at first, maybe fearing a ReDead had snuck its way inside, but the looked immediately cooled when she saw me.
Her, face brightened, and she put her actions on hold and raced towards me. I was about to greet her, but she took sudden hold of my arm and dragged back near her original spot at the center of the table.
"LinkLinkLink!" She wailed at me, pointing frantically at something above us," There's a cat. In the rafters! I've been trying to help it down for the past hour, but I think it's stuck,"Her jolly facial features had shifted into a look of concern just as quickly as they came.
I looked up, and sure enough, I finally noticed the gold flecked, glowing eyes peering right back at me. I was nearly positive the cat would climb back down, given some space, but Aryll's worried expression told me she wouldn't stand there and not help. I smiled inwardly at Aryll's innocence, and began carrying a stool back to my position atop the table.
I stood on the stool and reached for the cat...and stretched my arm a bit...maybe I made a groan or two. Not quite sure if I wanted to recall. I did a mental sigh. Being short had its advantages, but not in cases like these. I couldn't reach the cat, and when I turned back to Aryll to relay my results she was holding back a chuckle. I decided not to say anything.
I resorted to different tactics. They mainly included attempts at coaxing the cat towards me. Soft purring sounds escaped my lips, and I gave my best innocent look. Not quite sometime I excelled at, I'd admit. As an crook, I've done many thing I'm not proud of and seen many things I wish I could unsee. It was hard pretending to be innocent in a time where life was so difficult. But the fact was, I was living a life where every day was a ball of stress, just tumbling around my head, never truly dissipating. I was way to young for this, I thought, and this cat was not helping my life at the moment either.
After around five minutes of embarrassing kitty kitty kitty noises, the sleek black cat gave in and sauntered its way towards my hand. "Finally," I breathed, and I stretched my hand a little further out only to have my face used as a landing pad. The crafty bastard clawed its way down my spine and bolted straight for an open window. It stopped for a moment, the glaring sunset behind the dark feline's body left nothing but glowing eyes staring straight at me. The gaze only lasted a few moments before it quickly leaped into the cooling afternoon.
I stood where I was, slightly irked, but swiftly resumed my previous passive nature. A cat scratching my face was the least of my problems.
"So," I stated casually, directing my gaze back at Aryll, " Um, foo-you already started eati-and you already finished eating? That was. Uh. Fast..."
Bread crumbs floated around on her small lips and faded blue dress. Her hands had swiftly made a retreat behind her back while she shifted weight between feet and looked around nervously, " I...the uh...cat. Yes! The cat took off with it when...you...where uh..? Blinking. I barely even realized what was going on because he was so fast,"Aryll declared her last statement with confidence. I only stood there quietly, slightly wondering how long her composure would last, but she gave in relatively soon, " Ooh, I saved yours and Colin's's share...Come on~...don't be angry," she twiddled her fingers about before continuing," Mmm...say something."
I chuckled quietly. Her innocence was so cute, I only wished it would stay that way for the remainder of her childhood, "It's alright. I would have done the same thing," smiling, I patted her and gathered myself near the food. I divvied up the remaining food into three proportional piles...Well, Aryll's had a bit less since she already claimed most of hers. I noticed our third family member hadn't yet appeared.
"Hey, big brother, how was today!? Did you meet a princess yet? Maybe the Great Fairy showed up?" Aryll bounced up down energetically waving her arms around in big gestures to indicate the Great Fairy's enormous size. Sadly though, she hasn't shown up in many years and the people have begun to believe they might actually by eternally damned by the gods. Personally, I didn't care. No god has ever helped me or my family. Though it would be nice if they showed their face every once in a while.
I answered Aryll's question with a mix of my own disappointment in it, "No. Sorry. No Fairies. No princesses. Sadly. But, anyways, Aryll, where is Colin?" I inquired. Aryll seemed to miss a step in time and it resulted with a bitten tongue.
"He's ab de uh, badroom...szill. Yeah," she pulled the same pellucid face she had tried earlier and glanced to her right once.
I followed her gaze to the window, and outside, just a bit further was the city limits. I sighed, "Aryll. You know. You're a terrible liar," no response,"It shows on your face," that caused her to flinched but she recoiled and stood up taller, standing only a little less than a head shorter than I was," He's outside. Right?...just keep the bugs away from the food. Kay?"
Aryll noticeably relaxed, exhaling a large breath. I was fairly certain Colin went down to the graveyard again. I really wished he would stop doing that. Why didn't he realize the ReDead down there are dangerous?
"Um, big brother. Could you not tell Colin?" She stated quietly," I kinda promised him I wouldn't tell you where he was..."
"Alright," I nodded and headed back in to the corridor, "Though, I'm serious about the food. I'm still hungry," I heard Aryll shout a gleeful goodbye, returning to her normal cheerful self, as I picked up a jogging pace towards the graveyard.
The blazing ball of fire that provided light had just about set over the dingy graveyard. The place had been abruptly shut down after the massive appearance of ReDead crawling out of their graves. The war between the Garo and us produced innumerable losses, and most were promptly buried here in their graves. But not even two days later, people were chased out of the graveyard by masses of ReDead. People soon stopped trying to bury their deceased and instead opted to get rid of the body. They tried to burn them but the regretful souls just became Poes. No matter what they did, they weren't able to rid themselves of the infestation. Some people even opposed it because they believed their loved ones were still "in there". Now they just dumped the dead bodies here, where they could relive however they wanted. I didn't know what exactly happened when you die around here, but few souls remain sane enough to reason after death.
I wanted to reach the boy before dark, when the Poes came out. Often, after losing their bodies, the Poes were able to concentrate more on thinking than supporting bodily functions. Poes often stayed by their bodies, but it didn't mean they wouldn't attack someone if they thought it would quell their regrets. Surely Colin knew it was dangerous to be around the dead during this generation? After all, we all grew up with it as a potent part of our lives.
When I arrived Colin was sitting with his knees cuddled close on a cliff that overlooked the graveyard. A cool breeze swept past, chilling my skin and signifying the start of a cold night. When I approached, he gave me an acknowledging mumble, but otherwise his constant attention remained on the moans and sparkling Poe lanterns emanating from below. I knew what this was about. He became like this occasionally when he remembered his parents.
"Colin," I began and he looked up at me, I could barely make out his features in the darkness. We needed to get going soon but I didn't want to push him," Your parents. They weren't buried here. You won't be able to find them here, you know.
"I know Link. I know, it's just...I'm not strong like you. I can't seem to forget about my parents. And I know they died but, nowadays everybody comes back from the the dead. So you know, maybe they're still out there...I don't know. Maybe as a Poe or something. Just, you know..." He let out a big sigh.
"Yes... I know. I haven't seen my parent's reanimation either. But...I do like to think, that, their souls were lucky enough to escape this curse. And that, they were able to the ascend into the afterlife. Like they're supposed to," At least that was what I wanted to believe. The more likely truth was that their souls are wandering throughout Termina, forever to remain as part of the dead.
"I hope so," and with that he gathered himself and stood up," Hey, thanks for not getting mad. I know it's dangerous to be out at night, but..."
I placed my hand on his shoulder and shook my head. No matter how much I wanted to protect him, I knew just how much people sometimes need time to themselves. I was one who knew that well.
"Come on. Let's go. I brought back some food. It's back home."
We walked the rest of the way back to the school grounds in silence. It wasn't a very long walk, and was a semi-enjoyable hike through a moonlit dark with warm house fires lit in the farther parts of the city. The part mostly owned by middle and upper class. Wax candles weren't expensive, but it was still a luxury we couldn't afford.
Aryll didn't meet us at the entrance, but instead waited for us in the same large classroom I was in before. She was sitting on the window sill swinging her legs against the creaking wood, humming a soothing melody to go along with the beat. She finally noticed us and happily jumped off of her perch and bounded towards us.
"Big brother! Colin! You guys are back!"
Colin waved shyly back and calmly proceeded towards the table. I followed Colin's actions and started helping my self to a more than stale bite of bread. Aryll joined us at the table but instead of eating, she regained the previous action of swinging her legs over the table's edge.
Of the three people in the room, Aryll was really the only talkative one. Colin and I were both grateful there was always someone who was able to break the ominous silence a run down school provided. However Aryll was quiet this time, which was a little strange. She looked deep and thought. I didn't want to interrupt her train of thought, so I sat down next to Colin on the opposite. The two of us sat quietly, simply enjoying each others company.
Aryll broke the silence first," Hey, Big brother...do you think we could visit Great Bay sometime? I wanna go places! Plus, this nice lady told me there's big white birds there that don't live here," so that was what she was contemplating about, "So? Do you think we can? Preferably, I dunno, like, this week?"
"Whoa. Slow down. The Great Bay is far. Maybe a few days far even," I laughed, but I did give it some serious thought. It has been my dream to sail the vast sea and reach new places. Hyrule was mainly where I wanted to go, the home of our ancestors. Termina had long since lost all contact with its neighboring county until it was now just an unspoken name. The mysterious place seemed to be beckoning me from where ever it hid. Surly if we left Ikana, anything could be better than living off of stolen food scraps and in a dilapidated building I thought optimistically. Nothing worse came to mind.
"Link," It was Colin this time, "I think the Great Bay sounds pretty cool."
So Colin wanted to go too? Now I knew we were all pretty much thinking the same thing. A new start. I wasn't about to say no, but I couldn't say yes either. We were orphans, dirt poor. A boat and passport was far beyond any profits I'd be able to scrounge up. That left us with stealth and a lot of walking.
"We can't go back. If we go."
"Did we have to?" She almost sounded disgusted.
"Colin. Are you alright with this?" He just stayed quiet and gazed at some broken floorboards, "We'll have to sneak past the border. Once over. There won't be a chance to return. Patrol will be to tight. They'll probably mistake us for an invading Garo...," Was I too harsh? He still wasn't answering. He showed interest before. Why not now? Was it because his parent might still be wandering about?
"I don't mind if we can't come back. After all, there so many other things that I can do, so I won't even have time to feel sad," she proclaimed. Aryll and I had since long forgotten our family's death, but Colin was another story. His parents passed away not even two years ago and he was still unable to move on. Moving now might break his heart temporarily, but I was beginning to think we didn't have much of a choice in the matter. Unless I was about to let Colin and Aryll grow up and become juvenile thieves like I had, than something needed to change.
"I-I'm not sure anymore. I'm not sure if I actually want to leave forever," he finally replied.
"But, you'll have fun! We always make the best of situations. I'm sure if we leave we'll have an awesomer time than now," Aryll threw her hand in the air and waved them around looking a bit idiotic, like she was on a sugar rush.
"I know Aryll. It's just, I've been here my whole life, and to just up and leave is kinda...weird. Maybe you guys don't have anything you want here, but I still miss my parents."
"Colin, Big Brother and me miss our mom and dad too but we know we won't see them again. And we've accepted that," Aryll wrapped a comforting arm around Colin's thin body in a light embrace,"Colin's parents are the same."
My socially awkwardness left me a bit envious of Aryll's innate ability of dealing with people. I wished I could have helped comfort Colin, but I felt my abilities might still have left him sad.
Colin exhaled a deep breath and looked at both Aryll and me. I gave him a slight smile which was outdone by Aryll's bright, ear to ear grin. Again I wished I could've been as socially adept,"I'm sorry," he breathed,"I kinda said too much. Link," he looked straight at me, I would've diverted my gaze like I normally did when people spoke to me, but this was one of those moments that needed eye contact," I don't think I'm ready to leave just yet if it means I can't come back. But. I think eventually I will."
I gave him a confirming nod and placed my hand on his head and tousled his dirty blonde locks, " It's fine, I understand," I assured him."Why don't we go to bed now, then?"
"What? Why! We just started talking."
"The moon is high. That means sleep. You can wake up as early as you want Aryll."
"But...if we sleep...then we can't...listen to the pretty crickets chirping?" She tried, but to no avail.
"Sorry Aryll, but I'm with Link, I'm tired. It's been a long day." She instantly deflated but didn't press the issue.
My only family stood up and retreated to a old, dusty, lilac couch we had dragged in and surrounded with the rest of our few possessions. They crawled under a light blanket together and huddled close for warmth. Nights in Ikana Canyon tended to get rather chilly in comparison to the heated day. Currently the stiff couch multipurposed as a couch in the day and bed at night because there wasn't much other furniture in our occupied classroom.
Aryll popped her head out from under the cloth and asked me if I was going join them or not. When I told her I planned on staying up a little later she replied with "Cheater" and stuffed her head back where warmth flowed. Leaving me to solemnly stare out at the still active, city night.
The night pasted uneventfully. I watched as most of the city lights began to flicker off, and the crickets hummed a mesmerizing melody. I sat up on the window sill, unable to fall asleep. Aryll and Colin fell asleep a few hours ago, but my insomnia wouldn't leave. Quite a few things ran through my mind. Mainly about the earlier conversation. If Colin decided to change his mind, that left me to formulate a plan of escape. Ikana wouldn't let just anyone out, only those who had an expensive passport. The price of those had skyrocketed because of the war because many people wanted to escape. Escape not only the deaths but also the rising amount of ReDeads that seemed to be directly proportionate to the war.
No one knew for sure why anyone born in Ikana was cursed with a higher chance of being revived as a ReDead. Normally souls only lingered when they had an abnormally strong regret left in life. Our scientists, from what I heard, were studying this bizarre occurrence but discovered little to nothing. I was pretty sure the war started around fifty years ago, but it wasn't until recent years that nearly everyone who died revived as a ReDead, or Poe if the body was inaccessible. Those years had been the bloodiest of the war. Day after day, the Garo bombed our city, ending countless lives. We sent troops out into the mountains to search for the Garo's headquarters, only to never return.
I remembered the day after one of their bombs. People were running around screaming like maniacs, all running from the source of the explosion. I was six at the time, and hid behind my mother's ruffled skirt hem, my newly born sister Aryll tucked tightly to my mother's bosom. We watched in the sidelines, my mother and I wearing confused and scared expressions.
As the stampede dispersed we were able to see the mangled remains of a shopping district. Bits of rubble thrown into buildings and spewed across scorched earth. Tens of singed bodies littered the used-to-be-lively place. Normally the guards rushed to the scene to clean up the bodies, but something kept them at bay. The few guards that arrived on scene stood stone still, pointing their swords at the unmoving bodies. My mother and I stared in silence and shock, but soon we realized the guards' actions.
The bodies slowly began to rise from their slumber. Some, whose bodies were unusable, detached themselves from it and became a physical manifestation of their souls. What we now called a Poe. My mother understood what was happening and immediately dragged my sister and me back home, away from the undead. I understood now that if we stayed, there was a good chance we would have been attacked.
As we ran away from the scene, I noticed sweat gather around my mother's face and dripping into her eyes. She paid it no heed as she huffed her way through dry, dusty streets and the occasional straggler who hadn't fled. When we arrived home she immediately released my hand, slammed the door shut and locked it. She brought multiple chairs up next to the door along with some heavy weights. Our living room looked rather plain now that a large percentage of furniture was pressed against the door.
During the time, I had absolutely no idea what just happened in that span of five to fifteen minutes, and my mother's sudden embrace didn't help. She breathed hard and her face was flustered, but her hug made me feel safe. I could feel Aryll moving around in her wrap situated between my mother and me, probably gasping for a bit more air. I think I should have been surprised Aryll didn't start crying during the entire episode, but that was Aryll. Nearly nothing could bring her down.
That night my mother whispered some ominous words in my ear, "Link. Know that no matter what happens I'll always love you. And know that your father loved you just as much as I do. And if anything happens to me I want you to take good care of Aryll and yourself. And remember, we'll always be with you. In life and in death," she kissed me on my forehead and hugged me once more.
It was only after that did I learn what made my mother run so hard that night, and why my father never returned home.
My mother never returned home one night a few years later, and it's been just Aryll and me until Colin came along.
I glanced back at the two's sleeping form, I heard soft breathing noises coming from underneath the blanket. I hoped dearly that nothing would ever come between my family and I. I wasn't sure if I could take someone else in my life disappearing.
My eyes had started to fall, and I figured it was time to sleep. I guess there was no point in mulling over things that were out of my control. I crawled onto the couch with Aryll and Colin and put a long day behind me. Besides, I had more relevant things to worry about. Like waking up early tomorrow and finding food for the three of us.
Dawn cracked through holes in the ceiling, and I trudged my way up through drowsiness. Through the night Aryll had found her way to floor, at least most of it. Her legs still hung over the cushion and her head rested in a awkwardly bent position. I felt a bit bad. That was going to hurt when she woke up, and Colin continued to sleep comfortably in the middle of the couch with the entirety of the blanket wrapped around himself. The poor kid never did realize he tended to become a blanket hog in the middle of the night.
I stretched a bit, and then made my way outside. The nighttime coolness had already worn off and was replaced by an unfriendly glare of heat. By the time I had made it to an abandoned well the three of us used as our water supply, even my feet were sweating.
Loose pebbles stirred underneath my walk and I began to draw our little water bucket. No one else ever lived so close to the graveyard so we never had to worry about thieves, or guards for that matter. No idiot would have the gal to come this close, not even the Garo bothered anymore. Although I hated to think about it, but it must get pretty lonely here for the two. There was not much to do in town when you were dirt poor. In fact, most people down there thought orphans like us grew up to be the best slaves. Probably because we wouldn't have anyone to long for while working. This led to slave traders lurking in the shadows. I haven't run across one in my line of living, but I wasn't about to say they weren't there. I hefted the bucket away from the pulley and started my trek back home.
Colin awoke from my sudden arrival and gave me a sleepy smile. He took a quick look at Aryll's amusing sleeping position and chuckled slightly, "Hi Link. Did you just wake up?"
I nodded, "Not too long ago. Yeah," The heavy bucket I was carrying was placed onto the desk table. From there I sorted it into two chipped bowls that were at least somewhat clean. One was for drinking, the other, washing,"I'm going to go out. I'll bring back food. Keep an eye on Aryll. Would you?"
"Alright...Hey Link, why won't you let us help?" He looked at me, sincere. He was expecting an answer this time,"We both know what you do, and we wanna help. If me and Aryll helped, then we wouldn't have to worry about food as much. Maybe then we wouldn't even have to worry about moving."
"Sorry. It's selfish. I know. But I made a promise to myself. To never let you become what I have. A criminal. And I don't want to go back on my word," It was true. Once a criminal. Always a criminal. I wasn't about to let some crummy life circumstances turn them into that.
I didn't want to hear Colin's rebuttal, so I said my goodbyes. A bit rude. I knew, but it was for the good of both of them. At least that was what I thought.
Once again I weaved my way through the morning crowd, doing, once again, what I hated doing. Stealing. I couldn't help it though. Once I started I couldn't stop. And who would hire a scraggly orphan in these times?
My current target was an over populated stall with a blue and white stripped overhang that provided shade for the customers lucky enough to stand under it. Those not so lucky waited under the sun's rays. I had my eye on a fluffy bread this time, one part of the fresh morning batch.
Carefully, I delved deeper into the sea of bodies, forging a path to the front. I used my lacking height to an advantage here and hid in the shadows of those with more blessed height genes than I had. About the only good reason to being short I thought sarcastically.
Currently, I was camouflaged behind a robust woman who held a large basket at her side. Inside the woven container were a few loaves of bread, a cabbage or two and some other delicious food I mentally drooled over. Why hadn't I seen her supplies before? Stealing from this woman would, by far be easier than stealing from a stall in front of so many hungry eyes.
Prey relocated, I shifted my position to stand directly behind the basket. I inched my hand towards it when my ultramarine eyes crossed paths with a wandering child's eyes. The little girl, who held hands with the tall woman before me, I could only assume was her daughter.
In the world of thieves, eye contact meant one very bad thing. Your cover was blown. At least it was a child, I could deal with that. Was it an adult they would've already called the guards by now.
I still had a chance to escape unscathed before the nonchalant child gave me away. But the girl's big almond eyes held mine for more than I would've liked. Yeah. A little too long,"Mister has really pwitty eyes! Jem wishes she had eyes like yours," I could tell she wasn't going to stop jabbering with that looks of awe that twinkled in her big eyes," Jem only has plain brown eyes. But Mister's eyes are really really pretty! Like ball of...B-BLUE! AND JEM LOVES BLUE! IT'SMYFAAAAAVORITECOLOR!"
The mother in a pale yellow dress turned around and located me as the source of her daughter's sudden explosion of happiness. She looked at me, then at Jem. The glances directed at were skeptical, and I fell still under the mother's stare. If I was lucky, she would associate me with a normal boy out shopping, rather than the boy who was just about to take their dinner.
I got the later.
"Jem hunny, it's not good to shout at people."
"But Mommy, Mommy. He's got such pwetty eyes. Why doesn't Jem have eyes like his?"
When she looked in my previous spot for me, perhaps to apologize, she found I was no longer there. I was blending in with a group of shadows from a nearby building. I would've liked to share my comments too, but it was better if people didn't remember my face. I couldn't have people calling me out on the streets when I passed by. It would make my life harder than it already was.
I cut through a shrouded path until I ended up on the other side of the of the market street. A market could be found in practically any part of the city, but the main areas were situated along the river that split the city in two. It was supported by flowing spring water that eventually dropped steeply into the river below. Honestly, it was a bit troublesome that I was required to walk quite a distance to encounter another crowded market, but beggars couldn't be choosers.
The remainder of the morning was spent snatching bits and pieces of food from the vendors until I had collected a sizable amount of food kept hidden in a light basket underneath my dust colored cloak. I was just about to make my final stop when I noticed the small brunette girl from earlier. She wore frantic and worried expressions plastered on her face. Every now and then she would stand on her toes, little help it did, and spin her head around. Searching for something. I searched but couldn't locate the mother from earlier. She must have been lost.
I waited a moment. Then another. Still no sign of the mother. I could hear her soft snuffles and figured it wouldn't hurt to comfort her until her mother came.
"What's wrong?" I knelt down near Jem's whimpering form.
Her eyes stared at me. It took a few, but she recognized me,"Oooh, it's Mr. Fairy!"
"...Fairy...?" Why was I a fairy?
"I named your Mr. fairy 'cause Jem once saw a fairy, and it was just like your eyes!" Fairies were a rare occurrence in these time. Seeing as though the Great Fairy seemingly abandoned her people when the war started.
"You're lucky. I haven't seen one before. Where did you see it?" I was truly curious. Fairies were know to be messengers of the Great Fairies. Perhaps this land wasn't entirely damned.
"The, uh. I don't know. Now that I think about it it might have been yellow..."
Couldn't have everything could we? "Do you know where your mother is?" She shook her head passionately, "Then why don't we wait for her. Together." She appeared unsure but nodded anyway.
We sat down on the side of the street under some kindly provided shade. I offered to share part of my spoils and she gladly accepted. I would replenish the stock some other time.
Maybe ten? Fifteen minutes passed before I recognized the concerned wails of a searching mother. I took that as my que to leave. Didn't need any misunderstandings after all,"See you. Jem," I whispered and faded into the shadows. I saw her whirl around to catch me leaving, but I was already gone.
Sorry Jem, I thought to myself, your mother wouldn't like seeing you next to a dirty orphan. I did however, watch and confirm that it was her mother and not some creepy old lady. The mother in question immediately tackled her daughter with hugs and a few kisses and I recognized her as the women from earlier. Jem gratefully returned the hugs with a bright smile stuck on her face. They walked away, hand in hand, Jem however abruptly turned around to shout a goodbye in my general vicinity and then she returned to her mother's loving side. I couldn't help but feel a bit jealous but I pushed it away.
Now that my little side quest was done, I was about to finish up my morning scavenge with one last raid, a tiny shop down away towards the east. It hosted cute headpiece I planed on taking for Aryll's upcoming birthday. Not that she really ever wore such fancy things, she always wears her hair in twin pigtails, but I hoped she would like it anyway. I stopped by everyday, waiting to make my move, and looking for a chance during the day that would be far and few, but it didn't hurt to try. I had tried to creep inside during the night, but I found every last window boarded up with a metal plate, making infiltration impossible.
I cut through the shadows cast over dirt roads, avoiding any major crowds, until I reached the brightly painted building. A golden tip of Ikana Castle peaked over some building tops in the nearby distance.
In contrast with the dull environment of Ikana, the citizens appreciated bright, bold colors. It created a lively atmosphere for anyone who wanted to judge by looks. Out of sight places generally never followed the same philosophy. Crates and barrels filled the alley behind and two neat window slits lined the top of the emerald wall.
I scaled a barrel further in and peaked inside. The lighting was extremely dim and the only light that penetrated inside where from the windows opposite and through the cloth doorway. The same lethargic shopkeeper sat on a stool surrounded by various nick-nacs. Some of which I would go as far as to call junk, but the hairpiece I desired was situated on a shelf in front of the thin man. A few seconds passed and he scratched at his back before he resumed playing with a quill.
No luck today. Again. Does the guy ever use the bathroom?
I was going to climb down, but from the entrance I heard a soft chuckle that made my body freeze.
"Well, well. Howdy-do, brat. We meet again," I stood there frozen. Surly this wasn't happening, "I didn't think I'd find you again so soon. I still haven't repaid you for last time we met."
Slowly, he marched his way over to me, unsheathing his short sword in the process. He smirked at me. Dang it. It was happening. He was the only guard who clearly remembered my face, and seemed to have nothing better to do than to try and arrest me. Added with an unhealthy dose of homicidal instincts, and you've got yourself a man who I really shouldn't have been near.
A ray of sunlight glistened off of his Guay helmet's beak and at that moment he made a lung for me,"I'll get you, you little RAT!" My feet narrowly avoided the pointed jab and I immediately sprinted towards the cracked wall at the end of the corridor. The guard's face was enraged and steaming. He easily vaulted over the wooden obstacles while I hopped from crate to crate, each one squeaking under my weight.
Could I make it over the wall? I was going to have to. I heard the deafening sound of poor crate number five being smashed to pieces. I picked up my pace however much I could. I didn't want to be related to a box. At full speed I pounced on the jagged wall. My feet found small crevices I used to boost myself up. My heart was racing and my hands were clammy, but I could let myself get caught. Not now.
Just when I thought I had cleared the stone barrier a calloused hand reached out of the shadows and clasped my ankle," Let. Go!" I screamed, but his grip just tightened and he started chuckling.
"You won't get away now!"
I bashed my free foot repetitively against his hand but this man's iron grip was as good as glued. My grip on the wall was slipping and it wouldn't be long before I fell.
Wasn't there anything useful in this back alley of stuff?
Some broken wood. No.
I spotted a cat's gleaming eyes on a roof above. A little help? No? Okay then, I growled.
I urged my last bit of strength to come out as I tried to scale the wall. My last effort failed me though. My grip slackened and I was sent backwards, crashing into the man. His arms moved so that they were encompassing my torso. Things weren't looking so good now. I needed to make an escape plan, but nothing came to me. My feet flailed about perhaps a foot above the ground, and the bulky guard was carrying me towards the slim entrance.
Had I the mobility in my current situation I would have already kneed him in the crotch and escaped, but luck wasn't with me at the moment. I chose my second best option and chomped down on his arm. Irony liquid flooded my mouth and I heard a beastly yowl escape from his mouth but he didn't loosen his hold. Instead I felt his fist slam into my skull and I went blind for a short moment. Currently, pain was all I thought of. An intense ball of pain that erupted from the left part of my head. I wasn't even able to fully understand the half growled threat the guard issued.
Come on Link, think! Find a way to get put of this. If he locks you up you're not getting out. My vision still neared black the second time I looked around, but from what I managed to see there was still absolutely nothing I could use. Not good.
The bastard was about to make his final attack on my poor brain, probably so he could easily carry me back to jail, when a hissing flew in from my right. Before I knew it I was back on my feet. I didn't waste any time and headed straight for barren wall from earlier. In the back muffled hisses and meows tangled with unintelligible shouts.
"You little piece of shit!" Was one of them and, " Get your filthy ass back here," about summed it up. Most likely, the unidentified cat noises belonged to the feline I spotted earlier. Possibly the same cat I met with last night, but why it was helping me I couldn't be sure. I wasn't about to let a perfectly good opportunity go to waste though.
Three running steps up the piled stones and I was just about over. I risked a glance over my shoulder and was saddened to find the jet black cat getting slammed into the bordering building. It slid onto the dirt but from there and didn't move. I thought It might've died, or at least broken its spine, but I couldn't check to be sure. I quietly thanked the cat for its efforts.
My attacker had quite a few bleeding claw marks running across his face mixed with intense anger I could only guess was directed at me or possibly the downed cat.
I assumed it was me because not a second later did he resume his pursuit. I leaped off the wall and made a bee-line towards the exit as I dodged through another box infested alley way. Out on the street, dozens of people flowed by. Some big, some small. The guard shoved people left and right, trying to forge a path to me, but my slender form allowed my to maneuver through the crowd.
I kept sprinting through the mass of bodies until my heart was pounding against my chest and my previous head injury had picked up aggression again. I stopped in my tracks and looked over my shoulder. My short, heavy panting caught some weird looks from bystanders, but otherwise no massive form came barreling through.
I took that as a sign that I had lost him. Hopefully we'd never have to see each others faces again because I was sure neither of us wanted too. The man had some serious rage issues.
I can't believe that just happened. The guy almost had me. It shocked me how close I had been to to getting caught. Just a little more and I would have been locked up. Wow. I laughed a bit, probably a sure sign I was going crazy, but I ignored that bit. That was...intense. I definitely didn't like it at the time but the after affects were rather exhilarating? Who knew. I made a mental note to go back and bury my cat savior when I went back.
The sun rose high in the sky, leaving me to believe it was around noon. I was about to return home when I realized I had lost my basket of goodies back at the accessory shop. I wouldn't risk going back there even if someone gave me twenty rupees... OK I would, but one close call was enough adventure for me today. I quickened my pace through the crowd, if I stayed there long enough then the guard would likely find me again.
I was pretty sure I was two streets over from the river that cut the city in half. A little further in and I'd be at the richer part of town. Rich people apparently wanted to have no association with the poorer side of town, so every single one of them lived on the other side of the river, closer to Ikana Castle. The war had also caused a greater dispute between the classes. While the nobles, who had a hand in the government system managed to avoid taxes, those who lived down south were stuck paying cumbersome bills to fuel the military funds.
Nothing has happened in the past few months though, and it made me wonder why our king hasn't launched an attack yet. Now would be a perfect time. Our last attack had the Garo retreating from the Snowhead-Ikana Canyon river entrance. Had we set up a base of operations there, and launched a finishing attack on their retreating soldiers, we would have reclaimed the North-western border. But no, Kind Igos du Ikana decided it was better to clear off the Southwestern river entrance because he suspected the Garo would attack someplace else. He's been fighting them for about fifty years now, shouldn't he know their attacking style by now?
Whatever. Wasn't my business. What was, was that I needed to get some food. When I heard my stomach growl, I knew it agreed with me too. At noon, the heat was starting to scorch the orange ground beneath my feet, so I stuck to the shadows where it was at least five degrees cooler and the ground wasn't burning just yet. I stood there beneath a sun-bleached overhang and watched the crowd.
Perhaps...going across the bridge wouldn't be such a bad idea this once? I would be able to re-acquire my food supply a lot faster. With what I was thinking I couldn't help but notice my feat were already being drawn toward that area anyways. Hopefully I would just be in and out.
By the time I reached the opposite side of the river, I realized how tired I was. My head was still pounding, and the heat was starting to get to me. Plus, it was already a long morning, filled with more adventure than I would have liked.
Maybe if one of those factors were removed I would have noticed the shadows that crept through the crowd. Three speedy forms clad in cloaks swept past me and I felt the after-wind of their speed brush against my face. At first I didn't think anything of the three strangers. Everyone ran by every once in a while, there was no helping it. But these guys were sprinting like they wanted to get the hell out of there. Why? I wondered. It was a relatively nice day out and-oh.
Oh.
Shit.
So that was why.
Those sons-of-frickin'!
They had planted a bomb right underneath the base of a bright green bush some yards away. They were Garo! And they were terrorists at that. Why I couldn't react to the bomb fast enough still confused me, but now I was going to pay for it. My bad day had just about turned into the worst day this year.
Normally I had much better reflexes and would have dashed out of there the minute I saw it, but this time I was glued to my spot, my eyes fixed on the dwindling flare. Maybe it was fear of death? Or curiosity, but my mind was set on staring down that fuse until the last spark, and its blue body went up in flames. No one else around seemed to take notice of the bomb, and they all just continued on their way like they weren't about to die any second now. Why I was the only one who noticed, I couldn't be sure, but once I saw that bomb explode it didn't matter anymore.
No stress anymore. I supposed that was a good thing. But I couldn't help feel I had something more left in my life to do. Colin and Aryll were probably the ones I was thinking of. I never did fulfill my promise of finding a better place to live. We wanted to go to great bay didn't we? I guessed that wouldn't be happen now.
The flash lasted only a split second, but it was long enough that I could feel the flames encasing my body. Soon everything in my vision was surrounded it flames. The people, the buildings, everything. I couldn't even hear the crackling sounds fire usually made because my ear drums had been blown out due to the blast. Every second that passed was followed with excruciating heat and agony as I felt myself melt away along with my subconsciousness. Everything slowly faded to black, and at that point I think I was dead.
*GASP* I just killed the main character! And yes, he did actually die. Don,t worry though, he'll be back
So...Wow, I actually finished something. AND posted it online. That takes awesomeness on my part.
Of everything, I think I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing. I haven't even finished the plot. I know I suck, right? I always thought I could write good story, but now that I've written one, I realized , I kninda sucked... Please though if you managed to read though my horrible writing and wouldn't mind more, please comment. It doesn't even have to be a review, heck you could type "." And I'd be happy.
So this story takes place sometime before Majora's Mask, back when the Ikana civilization was still around and at war with the Garo. The ending results wouldn't lead up to mm, I wanted them too, but that would mean Ikana would be totally desecrated then. Dark Link will be coming soon, and he's not the same one from oot. U'll see.
When I decided to write this I had originally wanted a brand new zelda story. But thought about it. And holy cow that would be a lot of work. I'm a bit ocd, so I always have to have small stupid details planned b4. I can write without a plot sure,but I need to know what a rupee is made of before I can write ( it's a crystal that grows in dark, damp areas like pots and grass. eh ehh, see what I did there? Yeah, Just in case you wanted to know.)
This is my first fanfic, and hopefully not my last. This Link is also an oc in this one, he's part of the line of heros but he won't have the triforce because there is no evil mastermind threatening the safety of mankind, it's just a normal war. The Goddesses will come in later, but the people of Termina have given up faith in the godesses, because they seem to focus more on Hyrule than not. So instead they worship the four Giants and the Great Fairies. The Godesses will show up a bit later.
Oh and btw, I HAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTEeeEEe writing Aryll. I'm not a fan of little kids because I think they're rather annoying ( there's exceptions). But I love Aryll( is it pronounced Arill? I know the Jap is Ariru- Eng- Arilu? w/e) and she's my favorite child character, but i can't write her, she's too energetic... Imma stop here, it's getting long... Anyone case my title word
If you're like me and wanna comment but don't know what to say, you can answer my questions. ^°^
1) Do I have a gender in my voice? I wanna know.
2) Do I fully portray a setting? Or do I need more details or somth?
3) What personality do you think Link has? Is it consistent?
4) Am I funny? My writing?
DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING OF THE LEGEND OF ZELDA FRANCHISE, THEY ALL BELONG TO THEIR RIGHTFUL CREATORS : SHIGERU MIYAMOTO AND NINTENDO.