A/N: Welcome to Memories! If you're a past reading then you may notice this is a repost of sorts. I have started editing current chapters before I post anymore. There has been slight changes as I saw fit, and so if you've already read these chapters, it's really optional to read the revision, though I'd be more than happy if you did. Anyway, I hope you enjoy, and let me know what you think along the way.
The wind rustled through my hair, caressing my face as it sped towards the direction of the loud market behind me. Normally, the autumn breeze left a comfortable warmth in my heart whenever it came flying back in after the hot summer. And yet today, I felt chilled to the bone as it pushed its icy fingers through the last portion of my being. I wrapped my shawl tighter around myself, the worn thing unable to bring the heat back, and too impotent to create its own. To top it off, the sun had set, leaving streaks of orange and yellow that stretched across the tree tops, only a memory of what it was during the day.
Ideally I wouldn't have gone out to the Traveling Market so late in the evening, especially after these last few , fate hadn't allowed me to be so lucky as to choose when I would make the trip through the forest. It was just this afternoon that Dominus had finally handed over my payment for this month's work. After a brutal five weeks, I'd been left with not a single rupee in my pocket. My empty wallet told me in agreeance that it wasn't the time to be buying books. Thus I'd had to wait.
I had begun to believe that Dominus might stall another week to pay me, courtesy of the slow season. Honestly, I was surprised that he'd handed over his beloved bundle of rupees at all. Had he not been ignorant of my plans to visit the Traveling Market, I'm well convinced the wretched rupee-hoarding churl would have even withheld payment until tomorrow, for no other reason than to spite me! After all, the entirety of Ordon, including myself, was convinced that his goal in life was to condemn one person to misery for each day that passed. Somehow I'd manage to leap over that hurdle without much trouble, and now my victory's prize was pressed tightly against my palm.
Turning the leather bound object over, my fingers grazed every bump and line in the surface, and I took in the title etched along the cover. The Hylian characters were curved into graceful patterns. I memorized the words, and analyzed the possible meanings. Goddesses, how long had it been since I'd held a new book in my hands? Well, I suppose that would have to be since the last time the Traveling Market came, this time a year ago. The caravan of merchants used to come seasonally, selling fresh and diverse goods with each journey round. Now they only managed to come during the fall, at the point when most of their stops aligned in Faron Province.
Clutching my possession, my focus turned towards the path ahead. A scowl formed at the sight of the cave before me. The tunnel allowed passage from Faron Spring to the rest of the province, and I had no choice but to enter. Light was nonexistent, save for scarce lanterns hung at random points along the rock walls, and many of those had dwindled to nothing without daily maintenance. Thinking back to the days that this very cave was a cozy little place, where many young children of the provinces came to play, an ache settled dully in my chest. Those times were long past. It was rare to see an Ordonian child even leave the village, let alone come all the way out to play at the spring. I dreaded this dank place now.
Tucking the precious book to my chest, my arms hugged it almost protectively as I trudged forward, willing the length of the cave to shorten. In attempt to ignore the eerie silence, I began to clutter my thoughts with trivial things. I would need to feed Baily when I got home…oh, and I still had to check on the crops! I also promised Belle that I would help fix up the baby room; she was expecting, and the baby could pop any time within the next month. It was just terrible that Cal wouldn't be back in time, and she was left to be taken care of by her mother. I also would need to fetch some fresh water from the stream. And, of course, I would soon go to pay respects to her. A week had passed since I last saw her, and a visit to the temple would be necessary at the earliest light.
Having successfully been distracted by my torrent of thoughts, I glanced up to find the golden afternoon light streaming into the opening of the cave. Relief filled me, and I slowed to a comfortable stroll once I'd fully emerged from the darkness. My eyes shifted about, glancing at the familiar scene of the forest. Momentarily, my gaze fell upon the bubbling spring to the right, and I came to a stop, sucking in a deep breath through my nose with a hard stare set on those crystal falls. If it had been like before, I would have stopped to pray to the Light Spirit, but now I found only contempt as I studied the waters through narrowed slits. Without much more thought, I turned my back on Faron Spring. Ready to exit the immediate area, I took a step forward when my body came to a full halt, fear rattling through me. A strange light resembling magic reflected off the stone walls which surrounded me. The sound of a splash, and water slapping against the sand alerted me to something having entered the spring. I swallowed hard, eyes wide in terror; after all, only one blasphemous spawn could possibly perform such rare alchemy.
In time with my dreadful assumption, the air shuddered, and the wind died. My heart stopped, then proceeded to fly off in my ribcage, beating relentlessly in my horror. A chill penetrated under my skin, raising the hairs on my arms and neck, and leaving an ache in my belly. The earth seemed to stop spinning for a time, and the only movement, the only noise, was the thing behind me, and my restless heart.
It couldn't be anything else but…a monster.
