Important: I DO NOT OWN THE LEGEND OF ZELDA OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS. THIS STORY IS A ROMANCE COMEDY, AND IS RATED T FOR TEENAGER.
Author Notes: I made this... and I'm posting this... My best friend loves this story... Hehe, funny Oni-
"I can't believe it! The poor Ahmels family!"
"The poor Ahmels family- think of the Dedricks! Kari has been selected as a sacrifice!"
"No! Kari, the flower shop worker? Daughter of Fay and Derrick? She's younger than the last selected sacrifice, surely it must just be rumors, I mean- Oh wait, hush, here she comes!"
Going back a little over a month, it was a casual day in Kari Dedrick's life. A hovering canvas of blue above with white puffy cotton balls filled the space above a small farm shack surrounded by one small field of tomatoes and a never-ending meadow of flowers, trees, and bushes. New yearlings of animals cleverly navigated the area to avoid contact with predators or people while humans went about their usual schedules in the town of Termina. Horses, cows, and chickens at Romani's ranch scavenged the tall grasses for breakfast while creatures in the woods hunted out on each other or the variety of plant life.
A girl just about sixteen with lengthy chestnut hair and pale gray-green eyes kneeled down beside the flowers and picked a few to put into a homemade willow weaved basket. She wore a long white gown with a homespun pale green apron unintentionally discolored brown from dirt. The girl had been working in the section for about two hours, collecting the needed flowers for her work. Finally satisfied with a bouquet of colorful flowers organized by color, she stood up and began walking to the main road.
"Kari! Kari! Hey Kari! Over here Kari!" A familiar voice called from the nearby river. Over the hill, came a smiling boy two years older than her.
"Oh, hey Hanz, how are you?" Kari smiled as she asked her neighbor and friend, "well I'm guessing?"
"Yeah!" Hanz grinned almost as if the whole world was on his side, "Spring fish Kari, the trout are back for mating and I've caught a bonanza! Anyway, on the way to town again?"
"Yeah, the shop needs more supplies and the meadow around my grandmother's house is always the best. I should be going to Hanz, or are you going to sell some fish? We should go together then!"
"S... Sure! Yeah!" Hanz nodded hurriedly before snatching up his buckets of fish. "You shouldn't be walking alone anyway, we have to go through the forest and there's tons of monsters in there."
"Creatures Hanz," Kari's face grew cross for a moment, "Just because they attack people doesn't make them monsters," said Kari as she began strolling once more.
"S-Sorry Kari... You have a really big heart y'know? I wish I was as tolerating as you."
"It's not toleration, it's acceptan..." Kari frowned and grew quiet.
"Kari? Kari, what's wrong?"
"... Hanz, can I tell you something? And you won't tell? Not a soul? Not anyone as long as I'm here?"
"You're here... wait, what are you talking about? Of course I won't tell anyone, you're my best friend! I promise!"
"..." Tears started bubbling in Kari's eyes and she dropped the basket of flowers. "H-Hanz... I got a black rose! A black rose! His sign! I'm the next...! I'm the next-" Kari fell to the ground covering her eyes as the waterworks let loose.
"The sign!?" Hanz froze. The black rose was not a mysterious thing starting from a few centuries back. The black rose was the sign of sacrifice, the sign of Fierce Deity's chosen. Being the chosen wasn't good, however, it meant you were the sacrifice to appease the fierce deity's anger in order to save Termina for a full three years. Only maidens the Fierce Deity found acceptable were chosen as sacrifices, and the most were never heard from again... "K... Kari... When!? Why didn't you tell me before...?" Hanz bent down to the ground beside her and drew his arms around her, pulling her close. "You got it two weeks ago, didn't you? When you stayed inside and skipped out of work... Right?" Kari nodded and the two fell silent. It had been a casual day. It had been, but what was it now?
Just a little more than a month later the peaceful day seemed so far off. The sky was ravaged with dark ominous clouds that poured waterfalls down onto the earth below. Rain pelted the cobble brick roadways in town and the civilians living there scurried through the streets like rats as they rushed throughout town. Kari stared out at the rain as she organized a gift of five red daisies. It was exactly a month from the day she received the black rose, Kari sighed as she thought of the last five sacrifices. He's coming today. The Fierce Deity always comes after one month of giving the black rose.
"Kari... Maybe you should take the day off," Mrs. Ernes, the flower shop owner, suggested with a sad tone. "You should be with your family and friends right now, not working."
"..." Kari sighed once more, "Of course, I'm sorry. Good-bye Mrs. Ernes, thank-you for letting me work here." Mrs. Ernes began crying bitterly as Kari hung up her work apron and exited the shop she had been so faithful in attendance to. That would be the last time she heard the small bell hanging from the door chime. The wind was biting and sent caustic chills running down Kari's spine as well as making her skin crawl. She would have been scared and nervous, but she had already done that for the last month. At this point, Kari felt... dead.
"Oh wait, hush, here she comes!" exclaimed a gossiper a few feet away. Kari had also gotten used to this too. Although Hanz hadn't told a soul, there had been an eavesdropper when she confessed to having received a black rose. Kari sat down on a bench in the rain; her hair became soaked and fell down to just above her hips. Lifting her head slightly, she let her eyes trace the sky. Would it be the last time she saw it? That was probably the only time she realized that even the sky was taken for granted. SHINK! BROOOM! A flash of lightning kissed the festival pillar and suddenly a dark shadow cast across it with a figure at the top.
"W.. What in the world...?" Kari's mouth dropped as she slowly rose. All the villagers had dropped their things and rushed around the pillar; all heads were cocked up ninety degrees. Another lightning bolt flashed ( as well as a woman screamed) revealing silver hair and glowing white eyes that stunned the crowd. "W-What's going on!?"
"I believe..." A man's voice came from the sky. "That it has been a month has it not?" With another explosion of lightning, the figure fell forward off the pillar, soaring to the ground faster than a comet. Almost dreamily and unrealistically, just before the figure hit the ground, he changed positions and landed gracefully on two feet. "I don't remember the last time I actually came into Termina." With the street lit up, the figure was revealed to be tall slender with special armor and a pale tunic with silver white hair like strands of moonlight had been cast into them. He had red "fang" marks on his cheeks like a tiger, two on each side, and eerie aglow eyes whiter like stars.
"I-It's..! It's..! It's the Fierce Deity!" An old man yelled out from the crowd and people began screaming and running away to their houses. Kari's legs remained glued to the ground with fear.
"I see, quite a welcoming you Terminans give a god don't cha?" The Fierce Deity chuckled as the people ran. He stopped noticing Kari still and everything seemed to freeze. "You are... You are Kari, aren't you?"
"U... U... Uh..." Kari's mouth could let a full grown stampede of horses run in as she tried to speak. T-T-This is... He's..!? She shut her eyes, imagining him killing her right on the spot.
"I wondered if you would come faithfully, or if I'd have to come looking for you," His voice grew closer and Kari began shaking. A cold finger and thumb touched her cheek and she shivered vigorously. "You're scared senseless, you poor thing. Don't worry, I won't hurt you..." His voice grew even quieter to where she strained her ears to hear, "...for now at least." With a few more raindrops, she opened her eyes and gazed straight at his. "There we go, open those beautiful emerald eyes. I guess it's time to go. I hope you said good-bye."
"... W... Wait! I don't want to go!" Her words surprised herself. Of course she didn't want to go, but to say so bluntly... "I love Termina, why can't you just deal with yourself! Why do you even need sacrifices!? Why must I leave my family while I go off and you kill me!?"
"..." This only made him grin. "Because your family and this town won't exist if you don't." Kari stepped back. "Nonetheless, time to go, I'm bored of this scene. Upsey-daisies!" Kari squeaked as the Fierce Deity snatched her up over his shoulder and began rocketing out of the town, the rain slapping against the two. H-Hanz...! Grandma, I'll miss you both very much! Because I won't see you again...
"Grandma! Hanz! I LOVE YOU!" Kari yelled at the top of her voice. "I'LL MISS YOU!"
"Could you scream any louder?" The Fierce deity, using his free hand, grabbed at his ear as he flinched.
"Actually, I can!" Kari retaliated with a kick to his side. If he's going to kill me, it doesn't matter anymore. I'm going to make his life a living nightma-
"Zesty much, that's always attractive in a girl, never took fancy to the ones who gave up so easily," His hand shifted grip on her as he laughed. The farther they got away from Termina, the more then rain grew thin to when it eventually stopped in a deep deep forest. "This should be sufficient for now." He walked around a few paces.
"Well..." Kari stirred as her hip began hurting on his shoulder. "are you going to put me down or what...?"
"Mmmm... I don't know," He flipped her to where it seemed like he was holding a new bride. "I kinda like holdin' onto you." She felt his hand slide across her rear end and she turned a deep red.
"P-Put m-me down you p-pervert!" She yanked away and fell hard on the ground. "Ow... What are you playing at!?" He bent down and sighed as he waved a finger back and forth:
"I need you to understand something my dear Kari," He began to explain, "that from this point on, you shall do as I say. You shall obey my every command. On my part, I won't... what's the word for it... dispose of you so quickly. The longer you last the more time the next sacrifice has before I deliver one of these." From out of nowhere, a black rose appeared in his hand. "If I say do my laundry, you must. If I say cook me dinner, you must. Oh, by the way, I expect those anyway. Als-"
"You're really lazy aren't you?"
"... Only a little!" He burst into a short laugh before smiling too big for his face. "Merely bored. I travel alone while training and..." He grew quiet. "I also deal with important matters of this world."
"This world?"
"You ask many questions."
"Only a little!" Kari mocked while she folded her arms. "What other worlds are there? And why haven't you killed me yet?"
"Have you been listening at all…!? You're going to be my maid, as bold and simple as I can possibly put it. There two worlds, but a mortal shouldn't be told of this... Ahh! No more questions!" Minutes passed of silence as he set up camp and a fire started blazing in a small pit he made. "Go get something to cook."
"What...?" Kari popped out from zoning out. "You mean... You're just going to..."
"Clean out your ears," He tore some branches down. "The river near here is home to many salmon. The fields have many carrots as well as animals. I'll prepare the bedding."
"... Ok..." Idiot. He's this stupid!? No wonder none of the maidens were heard from again- they all escaped!! Kari silently left the campsite, walking casually until she got to an open field. "Alright... Please four giants... Give me strength to keep going fast!" She broke into a steady run across the breathless plains. There was barely a wind except for that of which was caressing her cheeks. Her chest rose and fell rapidly with each breath. She ran for at least fifteen minutes before stopping and looking around. W... WAIT A MINUTE!? She gaped at the strange sight. She had run so long from the forest's edge, but there she was back at start. "This is... Some kind of trick!" She panted between breaths.
"Indeed it is."
"Huh!?" Kari jerked to see Fierce Deity standing a few feet away. "Y... You!"
"Yes, me, but I don't make it this way. I have brought you to what I call... A pace space. No matter how much you go a certain direction, you'll only be able to travel in a set perimeter. This is actually a mirror world of the one you know, but not the bigger parallel world I spoke of earlier. In truth, there are thousands of mini worlds in this universe. However, there are two main ones. Right now we're traveling in a pace space, which only a special being can change the perimeter. This is the underworld of the Termina world you know."
"Worlds... Spaces... Underworld? Where's... you know, Hades? The devil? Some under-being of evilness?"
"You Terminans always make things so technical. I didn't mean the death underworld, I meant a world very close to Termina, so close that it contains the things Termina has except for the people. There are people of course... but you'll find them... different. I don't feel like talking anymore. I'll help get the fish." He began walking away with a yawn. "Coming?"
"Right..." After thirty minutes of fishing, and fifteen minutes of gathering vegetation they returned to camp quietly and slightly tired. "Agh, dinner right?" Kari yawned and sat down, "Nothing to use?"
"What do you need?" He stood nearby, honestly confused.
"... Pots... Pans...? Ring any bells? We can't eat off leaves for the four giants' sakes!"
"R... Right..." He closed his eyes, and when he opened them, sure enough the needed tools appeared next to Kari. "You're grown tolerant, even in such a time..."
"Tolerant? Try working in a field for ten hours straight and then going to work for six hours. Some of us can't just make things magically appear. Some of us need to earn money for food and health. Some of us have only those we love to lean on, which I only have two of."
"You're grandmother and... this Hanz. Who's she?"
"HE, actually. Hanz's been my friend since I was five. My parents are gone so I've been raised by my grandma all my life. I know I should be said that they're dead but..." Kari stopped cooking, "... Should I be sad for someone I don't know? Should I be sad for my friend's brother's great-aunt's mother's dad? I never knew them. I had another friend but... Mm, my grandma was my mother. Hanz was my brother..."
"I see..." The Fierce Deity sat down next to the fire. "Mortals have such troublesome lives, with this and that and this death and that fight. Crazy, I like my life a whole lot better."
"Pfft! Having special powers, getting sacrifices, traveling between worlds, what COULD be wrong with that!?... Wait..." Kari glanced around the campsite. "You only put one bed!" He smirked playfully.
"It's going to be cold tonight I predict."
"..." Kari narrowed her eyes, "I'll sleep right here, by myself, thank-you."
"You're no fun," He laid back, resting his head on his arms. "Nonetheless, what about my orders?"
"You're orders are those of a perverted hermit! I'll cook, I'll clean, but when it comes to your own disgusting need, you'd best look for a new sacrifice!!"
"Hm... Fair enough I suppose, I'll see you tomorrow morning my dear. Don't let the monsters get you."