Alright, for serious guys: this has nothing to do with Spirit Tracks, or Twilight Princess. I came up with this years ago, before TP was released, and I've hardly heard of the new game let alone played it. Cross my heart, I didn't steal this. This will make more sense later, but for now....*sigh* that's that.
---:--- Chapter Notes ---:---
-Sheik is a separate character in this story.
-Juna is the cuccoo lady, just in case no one got that. It just seemed silly to call her that in the story. And if you rearrange her name, you'll get another name that will make everything make sense. Well, at least in this small case. :,)
-Alruthe is a cameo character by a friend of mine. I wanted to thank him for the generous use of said character. :D
-The layout of Kakariko is bigger and way different than in the game. Same style, just more space. Just in case there's any confusion about that.
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"What do you mean, she's dead?" Impa demanded. What treacherous foolery was this?
The young servant ranting became manical. "She is! Just that- she's dead! Deceased! Gone! There remains nothing of her but her corpse!!!" She dissolved into hysterical tears, the sound of which bounced off the stone walls and created a chorus of despair.
Impa, however, remained ever resolute. Indeed, the news had shaken her, but... "That is absolute nonsense. I was in Her Highness's presence but an hour's time since- she was conscious and healthy and, I vouch, quite alive."
"But your grace, tis not the case any longer! She's cold, and not even limp- but frozen in the grip of death!"
But rather than lose her cool, Impa remained calm. There was no indication of even a hint of death- life in the castle was as peaceful as it had been for years. Certainly there would have been a foreboding wave of doom to indicate such a disturbance? She was certain that the princess was quite alive, and that the servant was having a fit of hallucinations. Naturally, there was nothing but to see the princess and to prove herself correct- and the maddened girl wrong.
Because, of course, she herself was correct. The princess was well. Naturally.
Assumingly.
But when her strong strides drew her closer to the Princess' bedchamber and another servant approached her with wails of grief, she began to feel the weight of doubt in herself, and the cold stabs of dread in her chest. Her steps became quicker, less assured and more rushed, until she was finally runnning up to the tall double doors of the grand bedchamber.
Even before she entered, Impa could hear the cries of people within. And though her stomach chilled to think of finding a horrid truth within, the doors were open with strong decision and she marched firmly inside to investigate. The capacious chamber, crafted of gold and marble and filled with luxuries fit for royalty, echoed with people calling for her attention. "Lady Impa, Lady Impa!" bounced about amongst the sounds of mania and panic. People shouted, people cried, people raved. A maddened crowd surrounded the bed, blocked her view of its precious consignment.
Impa cleared a path to the bedside, reached the bedclothes, and reeled in shock.
The princess lay rigid, her flax hair spread across her pillow in a neat arc, her arms straight against her body over the covers. Her skin was dry and a pallid blue. Her lips were chapped and sealed tightly together in a rigid line, and her half-lidded eyes were dull as her discovery sharp.
It was true.
Princess Zelda was dead.
Impa stood, rigid as the princess's body itself. Though the rest of her face was blank, her eyes told volumes- of the horror, the pain, the grief. This woman, this child, this babe- she had nursed, cared for, protected her, and now in this moment all was for naught and she had nothing at all.
Impa had no words. No movement, no words, but simply stood petrified by circumstance, staring down upon her beloved charge.
"My lady..."
Impa did not respond.
"Lady, draw your attention away- this is a matter of interest to you."
Impa slowly animated, coming back to reality, remembering there were others here. She reluctantly took her eyes from Zelda's corpse, to peer up at the people. Who spoke to her, address her at a moment as this, and in such a fashion of nonchalance?
Who?
Her eyes scanned the crowd. The guilty party must have felt just that, as almost all had their eyes downcast or hidden behind hands or handkerchiefs. They must have just turned their head away, pretending not to notice, realizing just what a precious situation this was-
Impa caught the perpetrator.
He possessed a pair of glittering ruby eyes, full of intent, not one ounce of sorrow, hidden by straw colored hair, further wrapped down by rough bandages. The Sheikah crest was painted across the excess of his cowl. Standing shoulder to shoulder in the distraught bedside crowd, he proved again that the best place to hide oneself was right in plain view.
He was involved. This was a fact. Why else would he, of all people, be present at a devastating time such as this?
He knew something about this.
And Impa had every intention to gather the answers he held.
She slowly backed away from the bed, stillness in her features, and turned about slowly. The young bandaged man did not move at all, simply watched her.
In Sheikah fashion, she was gone.
And so was he.
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Scoop.
Plup.
Cluck!!!
Scoop.
Plup.
Cluck!!!
"Link, I need you to count all the cuccoos."
Link looked up from the frenzied, clucking mass swarming his feet. He was half covered in muck and feathers, as was the shovel he was using. "What?! I just counted them all!"
"Are you sure? Did you do it right?" Juna asked, eyebrow raised.
"Twice," said Link, "just like you told me to."
"Did I say that? I don't remember, I thought I said thrice."
"....But I did count them thrice. That's what I just said."
"Is that what you said?"
"That's what I said."
"Said what, again?"
"Just that."
"Hmmm..." Juna was slightly suspicious, but as she couldn't remember what exactly she had said anymore, she allowed it to slide.
Of course, he may have fudged a little. When you have fifty-odd cuccoos, and fifty-odd-minus-one look and sound exactly the same, and all are running around crowing like their heads were cut off, and you're blinded by the constant flurry of angry feathers and slightly intoxicated by the overpowering smell of cuccoo dung and rotten eggs which you were just shoveling out, you can expect your ability to take an accurate tally to be slightly compromised.
Of course, it would also help if the little ****s would actually stay in their pen.
"You just may want to do it again," Juna piped. "I saw a few wandering around the market."
"What, again?!"
"Yes, again. I'm not sure why you're surprised about this- you would have known this if you counted them properly."
"Are you even sure they're yours?"
"Positive. All my cuccoos have a distinctive look- I specificaly bred them for it."
Link decided not to question the supposed selective breeding. "Juna, if you know they're escaping, why don't you just build a more secure pen so that they can't get out?"
"I don't think this has as much to do with the pen, as much as it does with someone's dilligence." Juna wore a small smirk of power. She was clearly in it for much more than just cuccoo care.
Link grumbled, ousted by power. "Should I go get them then?"
"No, count them first."
"I just DID!"
"But see, that was the number of cuccoos you believed included the missing ones. Now that you know they're gone, you must recount them to make sure that when you gather the escapees and count them again, the numbers match up." Juna's smirk became a mockingly sweet smile. "That's accuracy!"
Link couldn't help but gawk at the insane logic of this woman's plan. How does one even respond to a statement like that? He wasn't sure, but he thought there might have been a muscle twitch in his face, and the hand holding the dung shovel was tingling slightly. He realized that the tingling was actually a slight pain from unconscously gripping the shovel too tightly.
"So count them again, and then tell me what you got, and then go fetch the cuccoos," Juna ordered. "And be quick about it- who knows what trouble they're up to now?"
Link threw the shovel haphazardly out of the pen (in Juna's direction, when her back was turned and purely unintentional of course) and set about the task again. Maybe the little buggers would slow down now that the threat of the big bad shovel was gone.
"Oh, by the way," Juna turned, with her most evil grin yet, "that apron does wonders for you."
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Impa quietly latched the door to the private quarters she was currently in possession of. It was not the most physically secure, with only a wooden door and drafty walls, but it was insignificant and private. A conversation here would not be heard.
Without turning around, she spoke. "To what do we owe the pleasure of your arrival?"
"Lady Impa, if only to match wit and charm that shant be found elsewhere, would I make such a journey to return."
Impa then turned to meet her guest eye to eye. "Sheik," she acknowledged.
"Impa," Sheik replied.
He had followed her inside with the same cunning and skill that she herself possessed. It wasn't a surprise. She knew what he was capable of: she had given him his skill. Still, she had reason to be cynical. This youth was sardonic, and at no worse a time to be so.
Impa wasted no more time reaching her point. "Why are you here?"
"I could only assume that evil has once again returned to Hyrule." was the answer. He had made himself comfortable by leaning against the wall. Arms folded and leg crossed, he was the very picture of indifference, which further tinkered with Impa's rising temper.
This was not a satisfactory response. Any obvious statement was not enough to answer her questions. "What evil has permeated our sacred barriers?"
"Tis but old friends returning for tea, and all the latest gossip," he said, straight faced as ever.
Impa then was right under Sheik's chin with her blade. Her training allowed her such soundless speed, though it was a deadly combination with anger. "This is no laughing matter!" She hissed. "Our kingdom is in jeopardy, our leader is defunct, and there are few who can gather our forces together in time, let alone at all." She pressed the blade closer into his skin, "That being said, I would implore you to have respect for this imminent danger."
Sheik had not moved. Perhaps he knew that Impa could take him out the moment she felt it necessary; perhaps he simply didn't care. His eyes were averted with a hint of distain. If ever there was a rebellious youth, it was the one who took a knife at the throat like another would take a berating lecture. For sure, it was very much that parallel.
On the other hand, he rarely saw Impa lose control like this. That in itself was a foreboding sign.
He sighed. "I know not what to make of this. And this is the sincere truth." He looked up, straight into Impa's eyes, this time without a hint of mockery.
Impa studied him for a moment. "I believe you," she finally said before withdrawing her blade and replacing it. Sheik remained planted against the wall, though he gave his throat an unconscious rub of reassurance. "But your lack of understanding of this situation does nothing for us."
"I realize this. Hence, I came to you." An indirect return of the criticism. But it remained true that neither knew what was happening to their kingdom, or what had become of their princess.
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The market was as bustling as ever. Though it wasn't quite the same size as the market square of Hyrule Castle Town, for activity per volume of market it was an equal contender. There were stalls set up in rough rows, set up on woven grass tarps that protected the goods and wares from the ground below. People called out their daily specialties and their lower prices than anyone else above the hum of customers. Animals called out as they waited to be sold, and the smell of plucked fruits, baked breads and freshly prepared meats perfumed the air.
A monger cheerfully set about arranging fresh fish and other foods and goods up for display in anticipation for people to come along and appraise it, and possibly purchase it as well. He was a cheerful, middle-aged guy by the name of Alruthe with a mane of black hair and a thick goatee. His clothing would have been considered high quality if years of wear and tear hadn't taken its effect on them. Indeed, he had partaken in his own share of adventures in the younger years, and he had delighted in Link's arrival into the village as it meant someone to recount the old days with. As he was placing karp into a bucket of water, he noticed the familiar green figure walk up out of the corner of his eye, and lifted his head in welcome.
"G'afternoon Li- oh?!" His same old smile dropped at the sight of him.
A filthy, disgruntled Link stopped his trudge and stood there before him. He was completely covered in cuccoo poop and mud up to his knees, and the rest of him was covered in splotches and feathers. The only clean spot was the square across his waist and torso.
"Hi Alruthe," greeted Link awkwardly.
There was a short pause. Then Alruthe burst out laughing.
Link sighed. "Go ahead, laugh." And Alruthe did just that- roaring with loud laugher so that people looked over wondering what was going on.
Finally, Link got fed up. "Sheesh, your laugh is loud!"
"M-my...a heh heh!" Alruthe said haltingly, "My apologies, Link- ha ha!- no one's going- hee hee hee- going to care, a ha ha ha ha!!!"
Link winced. Even if the neighboring stall owners hadn't been staring, Alruthe's loud laughter alone was embarassing enough. If there weren't other people in Kakariko who were just as dirty from daily work, his bellows might have prompted others to take a look at him and join in.
Finally, Alruthe calmed himself down to a chuckle. "Forgive me, my boy, but you're just a sight. Juna's really working you hard, isn't she."
"Yeah, it's pretty silly actually," Link responded, "She tries to give as many tasks as she can, but then- wait a second. How did you know I was working for Juna?"
"She was by earlier, looking to purchase more cuccoos for that brigade of hers."
"WHAT?!" Link shouted, then caught himself as people gave him questioning stares. He continued softly, but with as much contempt as before. "She told me that she breeds those cuccoos herself, that they have some sort of special trait that makes them uniquely hers, or some bullshit like that."
"She probably doesn't remember where she got any of them." Alruthe responded with a smile.
"Which is probably why she can't remember how many she has," Link grumped.
"Anyway, she seemed so calm and healthy today, that I figured that something unusually good must have happened to her. It may have been that she wasn't sneezing as much as usual."
"It may have been her having finally released the beast inside."
"She made you wear the apron, didn't she."
Link jerked. "The apron?"
Alruthe straightened up with surprise. "My boy, you don't think that you're the first to don the Flap of Shame, do you?"
"The Flap of Shame? So...have other people have worn it too?"
"Have others worn it too?! It's Juna's trademark seal of servitude! How do you think she was able to keep all those damn cuccoos she's so allergic to for so long? Why, if she did half of the work that goes into those birds herself, she'd have been in Dampe's care years ago!" And with this he roared again. "Everyone knows to sympathize with the poor bastard who comes through here wearing that henpecked old thing!"
Amusing as it may have been for Alruthe, Link wasn't quite as tickled. He felt more a sense of self-consciousness, wondering how many people had discretely turned their heads away and whispered behind his back. And indeed, there were some giggling in his direction, and others tutting and shaking their heads.
This was a most appropriate time to end the conversation. Link tried to wrap things up. "Alright, well, I was gonna ask if you'd seen two...no wait," he looked at a piece of paper, "....two and a half cuccoos around, but knowing that Juna probably doesn't own them anyway, I'll just-"
"Here." Alruthe brought out two cages, each with an expressedly confused cuccoo inside. "She'll nail you for it anyway."
"Damn. Well, how much did you want for them?" Link reached for his wallet.
"They're on me," Alruthe said, waving his hand. "Somehow, I have a feeling they'll make their way back anyway."
Link finally gave a chuckle. "I bet you she'll be surprised by the new arrivals," he said with a grin. "Well, thanks! I'll be off then...hiding my face for awhile. If you do see Juna, remember, I never-"
SMACK
Link stopped. He thought he heard something coming from nearby, outside of the marketplace, but he wasn't entirely sure of what it was. "Did you hear something?"
Alruthe listened.
SMACK
"Perchance," he said, thoughtfully. "Sounds like something being smacked up. Mayhap an old rug being beaten out?"
"I don't think that was it," Link said. "It sounded....I don't know, more solid."
"Like, say, metal on metal?"
"I don't know....but I think it's coming from the other end of the market."
"Best go check it out then, I suppose?" Alruthe quipped. "I could go with if you needed."
"Nah, that's alright, it's probably something silly anyway. Besides, who would watch your stall?"
"Aye that," Alruthe regretfully agreed. "Well then, leave those cuccoos here, and you can gather them back up in a bit after you see what's happening."
"Thanks...I'll be back in a second." Link started off towards the opposite end of the market place to where the strange noises seemed to be coming from.
....
SMACK
....
SMACK
".......think you can just...."
"....who......hell....."
SMACK
Link listened in. It seemed to be....coming from behind the windmill. The closer he got, the more he could hear, and the more clearly. It seemed to be several different people...
"...what the.......outsider.....?!"
SMACK
"Little.......freak.......eyes?!"
He was sure that he was hearing things now, and these things weren't good news. He began walking faster towards the sounds. As he got closer, he began to recognize most of the voices as boys. But there was one female voice:
"Leave me alone!"
Cuccoos forgotten, he picked up into a run, realizing just exactly what was going on.
"What the hell are you doing in our village?!"
Link curved around the edge of the windmill and saw exactly what he feared. There were four older village boys surrounding a fifth person who he didn't recognize, a young girl. One of the boys was flipping around a decorated staff. Two of the boys were restraining the girl by holding her arms behind her back and standing on her bare feet to keep her from kicking. A third was pulling her hair back, restraining her head and pulling the red bandages on her eyes so tight that they threatened to rip.
Bandages! She was blind!
Link was appalled. These hooligans were picking on a blind girl!
The first boy, clearly the leader of this bunch, was interrogating the girl. "I said, what the hell are you doing in our village, you little bitch?!" He smacked the staff against the side of the windmill to emphasize his question. The girl winced at the sound but did not answer.
"Hey, he asked you a question, Little Bitch!" said one of the restraining boys.
"Let her go."
The boys whipped their heads around and saw Link standing there. The girl twisted her head as far in his general direction as she could. They looked somewhat startled at his presence, but they stood their ground. Link tried to act confident, but in truth, he was confused. What was going on here? He knew these boys- or he thought he did. They shouldn't have been the type to pull a stunt like this...
The leader defiantly shoved the staff into the ground. "Why should we?"
"Because," Link said carefully, "What you're doing right now is terrorizing not just a girl, but a girl with a crippling handicap, while using brute force in numbers against her without reason or cause. In short, what you are doing is beyond amoral- it is absolutely wrong, and it's going to stop NOW."
With that, he drew himself up to establish authority. With luck, these boys would get the hint and leave.
But no such luck.
"That was cute. But you didn't answer my question," said the leader. He picked the staff back up and aimed it towards Link. "Why should we?"
This little punk is threatening me?
Link drew his sword and pointed it dead between the leader's eyes.
"That's why."
Not exactly the way he wanted it to go, but the desired effect was won. The other boys were bug eyed with fear at this point, clinging to the girl rather than holding her down. The girl herself, though still stagnant in bondage, seemed amused at the change in events. The leader seemed shocked at having a weapon shoved back into his face, but held his surprise well. He was silent for a few moments before lowering the staff and ordering his gang.
"C'mon guys, let's go."
He walked past Link, glaring at him but not making any other sort of advance. The boys all silently dropped their hold and followed him, not daring to make eye contact. The girl stood quite still, her hands curled up against her.
Link waited til the boys were nearly out of sight, before sheathing his sword and turning back to check on the rescued girl. "Are you all right?"
The girl was now quickly fixing the crimson bandages on her face, almost manically, making sure that they were still in place. In fact, this girl was not so much a girl at all, but more a woman close to his own age. It was rather hard to tell at first sight, based on her short stature and ragamuffin appearance- not to mention those bandages which, crisscrossed over her eyes and cheeks, covered the majority of her face. But what features could be seen were clearly that of a woman's, and she possessed a woman's body.
"You're a visitor, right?" Link continued. "I'm sorry, that sort of thing almost never happens in this village, I promise you. Did they hurt you at all?" Link began looking her over for injuries, but he ended up taking in more of her general appearance instead. He could see why the boys would think her weird- she was weird. Her hair was a frazzled violet-hued mess, and her scalp was circled with a braid that looked as though it was plaited in a windstorm. She wore a brightly colored, patterned tunic dress that was too big for her, which was cinched with an even more brightly striped bodice. There were bandages wrapped around her wrists as well, though they were an off-canary color instead of deep red. She had feathers hanging from one ear, bangles from another, gold and silver rings from both, and under her bloomers she wore a thick ankle ring. She wore no shoes, and based on the condition of her feet, hadn't for quite some time.
In short, she was disheveled.
She finished fixing the bandages over her eyes. "I'm fine. You can stop gawking at me now." She said.
Link started. "Huh? How did you know I was...?"
"I, uh....I get that a lot." She said, uncertaintly. "Plus it was quiet for awhile. I mean, what else would you have been doing?"
Link conceded that her logic made sense. Go figure that she would use sound- or in this case, the lack there of- to figure out what he was doing. "Well, I'm just glad you're alright," he concluded sheepishly.
The girl paused for a second, facing him dead on. Link felt a little unnerved by this, wondering what exactly she was trying to pick up on now. But then she smiled.
"Thanks for saving me from those boys." She tilted her head slightly. "It's kind of embarassing, being so helpless to a bunch of kids."
"No, those kids were a different kind of menacing. I hadn't seen them act like that since...well, ever." Link shrugged. "Probably just.... growing up. Hopefully this was the one experience they needed to set them straight." Although there shouldn't have been anything like this at all...
He looked up and saw that the smile had dropped right off her face. He wondered if he had perhaps said something insulting to her unknowingly, or perhaps just generally strange.
There was another pause. She was lost in her own thoughts- if she wasn't blind, Link would have thought she was staring off into space. But then she came to and turned her head towards him again. "Did they take my staff?"
"That was your staff?" Link turned his head back towards the direction the boys left.
"No point in worrying about it...it's probably too late. They're surely gone by now."
Link turned back to her. How did she know-? She was facing him dead on again.
He cocked an eyebrow. "Are you....only partially blind?"
"No, fully blind," she responded quickly.
"Ah," Link replied. He wasn't so sure how to respond, or even think about this situation. Perhaps that was a rude question to ask. She was, after all, a stranger.
She then held up her hands. "Where are you exactly?" She made small, careful steps toward Link. He hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should follow through and guide her, before giving in. He stepped forward and gave her his hand. She gently grabbed it. But rather than simply hold on as a base, she began to feel it with both her own hands. Her fingers danced, picking up information. Left hand, he was left handed. It was calloused here and here, he was a swordsman. Smooth here, it's been some time since his last fight. This finger is so long, it meant this, his palm shifted here, it meant that. On and on.
She seemed, for some reason, to also take interest in his wrist as well- particularily the softer underside. Occasionally her fingers would travel down there, her fingers searching for something like hounds on the trail, but then would snake back to his palm and continue to read its secrets.
Perhaps he felt a little invaded, but moreover Link was intrigued by this woman's actions.
"What is your name, by the way?" She asked. "I believe I forgot to ask you."
"It's Link." The fingers stopped for a moment, then continued on. "And yours?"
She hesitated before responding. "My name is Veio."
"Nice to meet you," Link said with a smile. He wondered if Veio would pick up on it.
"Likewise," she responded. "Um....I have a strange request."
Link shifted his eyebrow. "What's that?" Who knows what this strange woman would ask for?
Veio stopped moving her fingers. "May I....feel your face?"
All considering, that made sense for her to ask- especially during an introduction. He agreed. But when he reached for her hands, they floated off and somehow managed to land straight on his face.
But her touch was gentle and, though startled, he allowed her to continue. Fingers brushed his cheeks and jaw, the length of his nose, his chin and lips, eyebrows and forehead, and hovered jealously around his eyes. During all this, her face was stoic- this was serious, a normal everyday experience. This was how the world was learned. Link supposed her seriousness helped to keep the nags of 'this is weird' at bay, at least to some degree.
After a length of time her fingers stopped and she drew her hands away. She smiled. "You're very handsome," she said mischeviously.
"Ah!" Link could feel the heat in his cheeks rise somewhat, and he swore he saw her smile broaden.
"Are you....eighteen years?"
"That's right. You could tell that?"
"Experienced hands." Her smile became toothy in what was most certainly a look of bawdy relish. She reached for his right hand. She felt scratches.
"You were holding some sort of animal?"
Link chuckled. "Several cuccoos."
"Not at once.....one at a time, under this arm?" Her hand slid under his sleeve, and he leaned away with surprise at the invasion. But no sooner had she done that, that her hand returned to the comfort zone of his palm.
"Two at a time. And they weren't happy."
Link was stunned for a moment, but then responded. "It was a busy day. And no, they weren't happy at all." He smiled again, despite the absurdity of the situation. In a way, there was the same sort of amusement that one gets out of having their fortune told, or seeing card tricks performed.
"Indeed." She had grabbed his left hand again and was feeling the back of it now, searching for more answers and trying to impress him with her ability to gather information with lesser senses. Somehow, there was a strange pleasure from being able to entertain with such cheap tricks.
But then, her fingers began to feel a certain spot with intention, and Link realized that she was feeling the raised metallic shapes that composed the mark of the triforce. Link watched her smile die away, replaced by a look of shock.
"You're the Hero of Time."
Link felt a familiar sting at hearing the title. He didn't like to make conversation around this fact, but when it arose, what more could be done? He tried to keep it simple. "Yes, that's true."
There was a pregnant pause. Things couldn't be more uncomfortable if they tried. She was struck into a frozen state by this fact, her fingers still and her face locked on Link. Link didn't know what to do, but to stare into the red fabric surrounding her eyes.
Finally, she began to stir. She gingerly pulled her fingers out and off, and brought her hands up to her face. Her body waivered, wanting to shift away but too frozen to move regularly.
And suddenly, she was running.
"What- wait!" Link cried out in alarm. He began moving after her. "Veio, stop! You're going to run into something-!"
And then he stopped and realized, she wasn't going to run into something. Veio wasn't going to run into anything. He knew this because without the aid of her staff, or a rail, or any sort of support or guide, she had managed to run full speed past a steep ledge, down a flight of stone steps, and turn the corner and run completely out of sight.
.
===----%----===
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