Chapter 2: Touch of Heavenly Light

We galloped through the snow, the tall trees blurring past. I knew it was risky, both for Epona and the woman, to go that fast, but it was risky to go slow as well. The eyes had shown up again. They would find us eventually.

It would be only a few more minutes to Anju's Inn, but a lot can happen in a few minutes, a fact I knew from experience. So we galloped- our breaths' flying behind us in crystalline vapors. That was the only warmth I felt. It was pretty disgusting, honestly.

I heard them in the distance. Wolfos howls. I cursed inwardly and urged Epona to go faster. She nickered in response and I knew she couldn't, not in these snowdrifts.

Goddesses, I thought, don't let me die now, not here.

A streak of white flew past a tree to my right, then disappeared, followed by more streaks. Epona stopped abruptly, rearing back on her hind legs, whinnying in fright and almost throwing me and the woman. In front us, three dozen yellow eyes glared at us. White Wolfos.

I recalled a story my grandmother had told me before she passed, a story about when the sun still shone in Hyrule. In the story a hero had encountered a wolfos. The wolfos had been gray, with yellow eyes. Compared to the greenery that surrounded the hero and the wolfos, the wolfos hadn't blended in at all. Yet the wolfos could morph into shadows and move with incomparable speed. The hero had battled and defeated the creature. In return for winning the wolfos bestowed upon the hero a key that led to endless treasure. At the time, I thought battling a wolfos would've been the coolest thing.

Now, with the snow constantly covering Hyrule's landscape, the wolfos had adapted. Now their coats were white, and instead of blending in with shadows, they blended in with the snow. They became almost invisible, only betrayed by the incredible color of their eyes. They also had the same speed but less intelligence- they were no longer able to commune with humans. They were also almost impossible to beat, especially when they came in packs. There wasn't so much glory in facing them anymore. It was more like a death sentence.

I held tightly to the woman and Epona's reigns so that neither of us would be thrown off. My mind raced, fear making every muscle in my body jittery. I knew I wouldn't be able to stop them all. We'd all die.

Epona fell back to all fours, and moved backward skittishly. I thought for a moment. There was one way I could save them. But that way terrified me to the bone. I would be left alone to face the pack. But it was the only way. I took a deep breath and unsheathed my sword, hopping off Epona at the same time. I rolled in front of her, letting a primal yell erupt from my core. The wolfos glared back at me, all of them roaring in response. I had to keep the wolfos' eyes on me and allow Epona a chance to escape. She would understand what I was doing.

A single set of eyes moved toward me, one was red one was yellow. That wolfos had to be the leader.

It growled, baring its yellow lethal fangs. It reeked of blood and death, and I suddenly felt the need to vomit. I was unable to move, my legs turned to jelly. Yet it didn't attack. Its eyes kept moving, glancing uncertainly Epona and then back to me. Like hell I would let it attack Epona. Breaking through my fear, I moved to block its path when a small moan met my ears.

I glanced back. The woman's eyes stirred, another moan escaping her lips. The rest of the wolfos pack whimpered, and when I looked back at them, I saw the yellow eyes skittering backwards, including the leaders'.

I was confused. They were scared of her? Why?

An idea suddenly struck me. I remounted Epona quickly, positioning myself behind the mystery woman again. Gently, I propped her head up, to make her seem awake. A gasp left her lips this time, and several of the eyes took off running. Now only a few wolfos were left, including the leader. I figured I could beat them, but only at great costs to my health and only if Epona and the woman out of the picture. So I had to scare a few more off. No big deal.

I dug my heels slightly into Epona's sides to urge her forward, which she did grudgingly. The wolfos backed up, but still gave no intention of leaving like their other brethren. The woman moved again, adjusting herself so that she lay comfortably against my chest. That did the trick. The wolfos took off running, yelping as if they were in pain, leaving their leader alone. The eyes disappeared, as if the leader was looking behind him. I could tell it was confused about why its entire pack had suddenly abandoned it. It looked back at me, its eyes suddenly angry, and both of them red. Yet it didn't attack, it glared at me for a few more moments before it padded away after its pack.

A sinking feeling settled in me, one that told me that if I had fought against that wolfos, I would've lost.

Yet we were safe now. I let out a breath I didn't know I had held. I looked down at the woman, who had fallen back to sleep, her still hooded head resting lightly on my chest. Somehow, she had saved our lives. I grinned stupidly to myself and urged Epona forward, but slowly now that the threat was gone.

Ten minutes later, we arrived at the gates of Anju's inn. A tall stone wall surrounded it, with an iron gate in the middle. A weathered sign was posted on the one side reading The Stock Pot Inn. It swayed slightly in the wind, and the black gates clattered together. Epona's hooves clattered softly on the wooden road that led to the gates, already partly covered in snow that still insisted on falling.

A woman's figure stood in front of the gate, bundled tightly in every imaginable article of cold weather clothing. Gripped tightly in her mittens was a broom, she must've been sweeping the snow off the road. She paused when she saw me, and cautiously raised her hand in greeting. I smiled as Anju called to me.

"You made it back in one piece!" she said happily. I winked at her and dismounted. I took the woman off the horse and Anju's eyes widened.

"What happened…?" she asked, but I could only shrug.

"I found her in a clearing." I started to tell her the whole story, but then Epona nickered and stomped her hooves impatiently.

"Why don't we go inside," Anju said, smiling, "I'll get her set up in my room, Link. You take Epona to the stables."

I gently gave the woman to Anju to carry and then I took Epona's reigns. Together, we went inside the gates. A large, desolate, courtyard met us, with dead bushes placed randomly about. Anju had once told me that when she was just a baby the courtyard had been a flush with all the colors of the rainbow, and insects and birds of all shapes and sizes called the garden their home. People from all over had come to the inn, owned by her mother at the time, just to see their beautiful garden, now people barely came at all. People were too afraid to travel much nowadays, what with the freezing conditions and wolfos infestation all across Hyrule.

I veered to the left with Epona, heading towards the stables while Anju walked to the front door. I was surprised she was able to hold the woman's weight so well. It must've been the difficult work of running an inn. It was just her and her husband, Kafei, after all.

The stable wasn't much warmer than outside, but it was dry and out of the wind. Clean hay was strewn in the four stalls, and several candles were lit to keep the room bright. There was only one other horse in the stables, Anju's mare Sunbeam. I always wondered why Anju named her that. Maybe it was a silent wish for the sun? That was something everyone wished for, but it never seemed to do any good. It had been missing for about thirty years now. Sadly, that wasn't going to change anytime soon.

I quickly dried Epona off and removed her gear. I brushed her, and she nickered appreciatively. The two of us had been through a lot. I had bought her five years before, and since then I took her with me on all my travels around Hyrule. No other horse could compare.

I finished brushing her and went to grab one of the wool blankets that Anju kept clean for the horses. I draped it on Epona's back so she could stay warm through the night. I stroked her head and gazed into her chocolate eyes.

"Thanks for staying with me back there girl," I murmured and touched my forehead to hers. She snorted, and I chuckled, rubbing her neck. Then, I left and headed into the inn.

Heavenly warmth met me. I could feel my bones slowly start to loosen and then melt and my fingers to unclench. Amazingly, I had been out in the snow for a little over two days, it was about time I sat in front of a fire and relaxed. Yet I knew I couldn't- I still had to make sure Anju or Kafei didn't need help, and that the woman was okay. She might even need a doctor, which meant back out into the snow for me.

I sighed and walked past the reception desk and passed the staircase next to it. I turned left and walked down the hallway and made my way to the kitchen. Kafei, the one who did all the cooking at the Stock Pot, wasn't there, but a large pot of thin clear soup bubbled over a cheery fire. It smelled delicious, but then again, I had been running on bland, foul-smelling potions for last two days. They were made completely of animal remains and didn't taste great, but they kept me going and didn't need to be heated. The latter was important because that mean I didn't need to stop and start a fire and attract wolfos attention.

Leaving the kitchen, I then went up the stairs to Anju's room. As I reached the top of the staircase, a long hallway stretched to my left, lined with doorways. They were the suites- most were empty except for a few of the permanent residents that stayed in Faron. There were two- a young woman named Ilia, and a middle-aged man named Rusl. At the moment they were probably out back chopping wood for the fires. Since it was almost impossible to get a job nowadays, especially in a mostly deserted area like Faron, Anju had them do chores around the inn to make rent. Although I highly doubted Anju would turn them out even if they didn't. She was too kind to possibly send someone to their death.

I knocked on Anju and Kafei's door. It was the first one in the row of doors in front of me. I heard soft padding of feet coming towards the door and then Anju opened it. Finally out of her cold weather clothing, I could see her features once again. She was a petite middle-aged woman with reddish-brown shoulder length hair, hazel eyes, and a fair complexion. She wore a royal blue skirt with a gold design and a mahogany vest with a white wool undershirt. She smiled at me and gestured for me to enter.

It was a small room compared to some of the other suites, but I knew Anju really didn't mind and neither did Kafei. There were two beds in the room, one that Anju and Kafei shared, and Anju's mother's bed. Her mother had passed about five years ago, but Anju never had the heart to get rid of her bed. In between the beds a large armoire. There was also a curtain decorated with suns and flowers stretched around the second bed, separating it from the rest of the room.

"She's still asleep, but more peacefully this time, "said Anju who pointed at the second bed, "she should be fine, but it's a good thing you found her. She's in severe shock. What happened?"

We sat down on the empty bed and I told Anju everything. She took it well, even when I described the carnage that had surrounded the woman when I found her. Anju was a gentle creature who hated violence, but even she was no stranger to death. After I was finished, Anju remained silent for a few minutes, thinking.

"What made you save her, Link?" she asked.

I shrugged, "everyone else was brutally murdered. She was the only one left- the only one alive. It was the right thing to do."

Anju tilted her head thoughtfully, an unspoken pain in her eyes, "but didn't you ever think that maybe… she was the cause of the carnage?"

I stared confusedly at her. The idea had never once dawned on me, but now I felt like kicking myself. Anyone else would've seen the signs- would've understood the situation. But of course I hadn't. I had only accomplished endangering every living thing at the inn. I was at a loss for words.

The pain left Anju's eyes and she quickly spoke again to correct herself and to console me, "ah, but that's only speculation. You said she was crying, yes? And she apologized when you picked her up? Well that has to mean something, right? Ruthless murderers don't apologize for their crimes, so there is no way she could've killed those people."

I nodded slowly, still unconvinced. I was grateful to Anju for trying to cheer me up, but I could tell it was forced. She was worried too.

I cleared my throat, "then I should just keep watch over her just in case."

Anju nodded enthusiastically, "good idea. You and Rusl could have shifts, and once she wakes we'll have our answers," she stood, brushing off her skirts, "I'll go call them in from the snow and fill them in. You rest here, and later I'll bring some soup and extra blankets up. Then tomorrow we can go to the authorities."

I smiled, "alright, thanks Anju."

She smiled and left the room, shutting the door behind her softly. Once she was gone, I stood and made my way over to the second bed. I drew the curtain back and looked at the woman. She was sleeping peacefully, her breaths coming out in soft, even puffs. Her dark lashes curled and moved slightly, her eyes watching whatever dream that surrounded her at that moment. Her hair- which was actually black, not auburn now that I got a good look at it- was splayed across the pillow, and her lips were parted slightly. She looked so vulnerable- so harmless. I had to be mistaken, there was no way she had killed all those men. It was physically impossible- it had to be.

I noticed her arms. Dark grey tattoos snaked up them, displaying several religious icons, including the icons of the seven sages. More importantly, however, I noticed that on her left hand was a tattoo of a large triangle with smaller triangles in it. The Triforce- the symbol of all the power in Hyrule. I hadn't seen that icon in a really long time, and it confused me as to why it was displayed so proudly on her hand- her left one too. It was like she was screaming heresy against the king, the one who told the country that the Triforce had left them. That's why the sun was gone. I believed it, I couldn't explain why, but I deep down I knew the king wasn't lying. The Triforce was no longer in Hyrule, and there was no bringing it back.

The woman shifted slightly in her sleep, and I almost smiled before I heard the voice from before mumble a phrase that chilled my bones even worse than the snow and ice outside. The irony in how peaceful the woman looked below, but how evil the voice spoke, made my legs shake and teeth chatter.

She had said, "I will set the world ablaze."


Thanks for reading chapter two of Recesses of the Heart!

Oh, what will happen next? Will the woman kill them all?

Will she pay for the crimes she committed? Did she even commit one?

Leave your thoughts on these questions in your review, and then find out

the answers in chapter 3, coming soon!