A/N: Greetings, earthlings :3 WELCOME READERS NEW AND OLD! I've anticipated writing this for you would not BELIEVE how long. So, about four months ago, a few friends and I put our heads together and began planning out this could-be masterpiece. I expect highly of myself, as I'm sure you do too x3 So, without further ado, I present…"Harbinger". I wrote this otherwise dark story whilst listening to Justice Crew and MrSuicideSheep. Is that weird? (Title credit goes to user Starry's Light. Character Mindy belongs to my good friend and cocreator Toxic Toon.)
FACT OF THE DAY: In Mindy's earliest stages, her name was actually Cindy and she had red hair and green eyes. She was going to be an extremely good fighter, a romantic, and overly shipping-happy when it came to her friends.
The girl peered out the window, bored, and observed the outside surroundings. She blinked her blue eyes when a warm wind stirred her blonde hair and a drop of water, melted from frost, dripped off a tree branch. Her gaze landed on a tiny flower bud that had pushed its way through the thin layer of snow and watched, fascinated, as its petals slowly bloomed.
Spring has sprung, she thought gleefully. No more freezing morning drills!
Her name is Mindy. She is known as the left-handed heroine, personal guard of Princess Zelda, and bearer of the mark of the Triforce. Her greatest adventure begins right here, in Hyrule Castle's barracks.
Mindy turned upon hearing a knight crash through the mess hall. A light cavalry soldier in iron armor paused in front of the commander, First Knight and Mindy's adopted father.
"First Knight Erik," he said breathlessly. "There are two knights in the castle town, fighting bandits- Jago's gang- in a local tavern. We need a bit of backup."
Mindy was immediately attentive at the prospect of fighting. "Father!" she called, not caring about the dozen or so pairs of eyes that turned her way. "Father, let me fight!"
The cavalry knight looked at Erik, then at Mindy uncertainly. Mindy's heart sank when Erik gave that familiar headshake. "No, Mindy. Jago's band is dangerous. This is a job for elder knights."
A frown tugged at Mindy's lips and she turned away, disappointed. Again with the 'elder knights' crap again. I think he just knows I'm more skilled than his whole unit combined, even though I'm only fifteen. He must not want to embarrass himself, she thought with a sly grin. Well, I'll show them.
Erik and a couple knights had already left. The remaining men had resumed eating or conversing. Mindy knew he had limited time to do what she had in mind. She checked to make sure no one was looking, then climbed out the window.
"Help! Bandits! Jago's gang!"
Mindy's ears almost visibly perked up at the cry. She took another running leap onto another building, as the crashing of destruction grew ever closer.
Finally, she found the source of the cries. As soon as she arrived, a broken leg of a chair flew out of a building, shattering a window. Mindy's lip curled into a grin.
Inside, a young girl of about seventeen in a yellow dress ducked behind the bar as shattered glass flew through the room. She let out a wail as Jago himself grabbed her by the waist and began to pull her away, crowing "I like you, pretty one!"
A strong shove to the back of his head sent him reeling forward. The girl fell to the side, crying out.
"Run while you can, lady!" Mindy shouted to the girl. She clutched her sword in hand, looking at the surprised faces of the bandits and the recovering Jago. Once Jago got back up, Mindy wasted no time in lunging for him again, knocking him with the broad side of her sword.
Horse hooves clicked from outside. One of the panicking men took a look outside, relieved to see six or so knights on horses racing down the road. Then there was a crash and more screaming from inside the tavern, this time from Jago's crew. Mindy had knocked over a shelf, trapping Jago under. Another few fled upon seeing their leader apprehended, the last one knocked out by Mindy herself. When the knights finally filtered in, they were treated with the sight of trapped, Jago, half-dead bandits, and Mindy sheathing her sword.
Erik was leading the small troop. His eyes landed on his adopted daughter and he paused, surprised.
"See, Father?" Mindy said smugly. "I could beat one of your 'elder knights', if I can take on these goons. Why can't you accept that?" She blinked as her smile faded, and jumped from the bar to a shelf, then out a window.
People in the tavern stared after the knight, then a light applause arose from them. Erik looked around at the villagers, sighed, and turned around, leaving the tavern. "Come on, men," he said. "We must return to the castle. I have business to attend."
She perched on her pedestal in the courtroom, looking though the stained glass window at the peasants speaking to the king. She sighed, then turned when armor clanked from behind her. First Knight Erik knelt below her.
"Princess," he said. "I apologize for the unexpected audience, but I need to speak with you."
Zelda turned around and smoothed her ruffled dress. "Is it Mindy again?"
Erik nodded. "Unfortunately, yes. She deliberately disobeyed orders once again. I'm afraid that if her rebelliousness will be her end someday. You and I both remember an incident where Mindy was nearly executed for insubordination to the king?"
"All too well," Zelda said, just barely able to keep her voice from quavering. "I-I'm just not sure if I can get through to her, no matter how many times I've tried."
"Could you please at least try? You're the only one she really ever listens to."
"I will see what I can do, if you promise to take into consideration how she feels. You are dismissed, First Knight."
Erik looked stunned for a second, then nodded. He stood up, turned, and left Zelda's courtroom. She watched him go until he turned the corner, never losing attention until her elfin ears could no longer hear his armor.
"Curtis," she called to a knight in ceremonial gold armor. He stood at attention. "Tell Mindy she can come out of hiding, and cover us for anything we may or may not do tonight. Got that?"
Curtis nodded, then strolled over to a line of flowers. He leaned don and shook some of the plants, whispering the girl in green's name.
A blue-eyed face poked out of the red flower patch in that area. "I heard my name," Mindy whispered. "Is he gone?"
"Yes, Mindy, you're safe," Zelda said with a good-natured smirk.
Mindy tumbled out of the flowers, then popped back up and stormed over to Zelda. "Sometimes he's just too much!" she blurted, probably referring to her father. "First he takes me out of Termina- something I did not want, mind you- then he puts me in this dump of a feudal system and expects I obey every order when I could actually be out, taking laps around Hyrule and maybe doing something worthwhile with my life."
Zelda laid a hand on the agitated girl's shoulder, calming her. "Maybe," Zelda murmured, "if you tried some thoughts of liking him, you'd see a touch of reason. I'd say it's worth a try."
Mindy gave her such a desperately miserable look that Zelda had to stop herself from flinching away. "We both know that isn't possible," Mindy whispered. "They took every ounce of feeling out of me. I'm just...empty. And I hate myself for it."
The girls averted their gazes from each other. Zelda wrapped her arms around Mindy's shoulders. Mindy gingerly hugged back, focusing her comfort to Zelda and not herself.
"Tell you what," Mindy said, pulling away eager to change the subject. "Why don't we go out and have a little fun? I've got enough rupees to pay for junk food and a few games."
She is terrible at directing the conversation away from herself, Zelda thought, though I will take the junk food. "Okay," she said, avoiding addressing Mindy's awkward conversation skills. "If you're gonna smuggle me out again, it's best you don't go home tonight. Meet me at the castle gates about seven."
"I'll be there."
When Mindy was there at the castle gates, pretending to be on late night guard, Zelda waited by the castle drawbridge, hiding in the shadows. She was wearing one of Mindy's old orange tunics and grey slacks. She had her hair up in a braided bun and was wearing so much makeup she was unrecognisable.
Mindy stood in front of Zelda's hiding place, ready. Zelda checked her surroundings, then raced away and leaped as far across the rather thin moat as she could. She jumped most of the five foot cross, and Mindy was able to reach out and grab Zelda's hands as she drew close. Zelda scrambled up the side, trying not to pull Mindy down into the water with her.
"Okay," Mindy whispered breathlessly once Zelda was safely on solid ground. "Just to recap; what's your persona for tonight?"
"Sofia Booker-Taj," Zelda replied promptly. "An old friend of yours, passing through Hyrule on her journey from Holodrum to Termina and back. Sound good?"
Mindy thought for a moment. "Crazy, but only a decent cover. How about you're just an old friend from Termina? C'mon, let's hurry. I'd rather not take the weird exit through the Fountain of Magic. You remember what happened there last time," She shuddered at the memory of a crazy, scantily-dressed fairy almost blowing their cover.
Few words were exchanged between the two as they crept over the landscape. Apparently, the guards were really bad at their job. At some point, Zelda tripped over a loose stone and all a nearby guard did was sneeze. Eventually, Mindy and Zelda jumped down from the castleyard's gate and scrambled off to Hyrule Castle Town.
Most bustle had died down once they arrived. Shops were still open, and the nightly dogs were up and about, but that was about it. Mindy pointed at Zelda, then at the bombchu bowling alley with a questioning look on her face. Zelda shook her head. "I'm starved," she declared. "Know any good food around here?"
"None," Mindy said with a sigh. "I can buy junk from the market, but if Father and I ever wanted to go out, we'd go to this resteraunt in Kakariko Village."
"D'okay," Zelda replied cheerily. "I'll eat sugar. I never get any around the castle."
"Works for me."
So they ran around, ignoring the strange looks people gave them. Mindy and Zelda sampled many of the sweets offered at the food stalls, at the expense of few rupees on Mindy's part. As the night air cooled, Mindy noticed fewer and fewer people in the town's marketplace, until there were only a quarter dozen or so stalls open and almost no people up and about.
"Well," Mindy said with a laugh as they left the bombchu bowling alley. "I could've sworn we'd have enough time to play at least two. Didn't expect to be kicked out so soon."
Zelda grinned at her. "This wouldn't happen so often if we would balance our time between food and games better."
Mindy rolled her eyes. "Well, excuse me, Princess, but I'm still on my quest to find food here in Hyrule that actually matches Clocktown's delicacies. Now everything's closed; do I take you out to Hyrule Field or will you go home?"
Blinking, Zelda turned away. "Neither," she said quietly. "There's something I have to do. And when I do it, you have to promise me that you will keep quiet about it." Her tone made Mindy worry.
"Sounds serious," she murmured. "I swear to Nayru I won't tell anything to another soul." Mindy crossed her heart for good measure.
When Zelda looked back at Mindy, her eyes and tone were dead serious. "I must check on the Four Sword sanctuary. I feel a disturbance in the balance of nature, and the clouds around Death Mountain are reddening. Perhaps...perhaps he is returning..."
A pang shot through Mindy. Could she mean...the demon Vaati? "B-but the demon was slayed ages ago by Link the Third!"
Ages and ages ago, a peaceful Picori grew discontent under the apprenticeship of a powerful magician. His name was Vaati, and when he obtained the wish-giving Minish Cap, he used its power to become the world's first mage- at the expense of his innocence and pureness. Vaati retreated to Hyrule and its overabundance of magic, growing strong enough to nearly tear apart the prosperous land with a dark wind. A hero rose from the ashes of ruined Hyrule one day. It is said that whenever the he drew his sword, he magically split into four. The four heroes used their combined powers to cast away Vaati within the sword, which now sleeps under the royal family's protection.
"I know," Zelda said, sounding stressed. "But something is clearly not right. Come; accompany to the Temple of Time. We can reach the sanctuary from there."
No one opposed them going, as expected. When they arrived at the gates to the temple, six figures were retreating into the temple. Mindy wrapped a hand around the sword on her hip on the familiar impulse to protect Zelda. Zelda noticed Mindy's maneuver, and shook her head. Her eyes were relaxed, like she was anticipating the people inside the temple.
Mindy sighed and followed the princess with her head low. The air inside the temple was heavy when they entered. The six figures were at the end of the long hall, standing at the wall with the royal crest painted on it. Mindy's left hand began to throb, to the point where the blue veins in her hand were clearly visible.
Eww. Stupid crest, she though as she rubbed her hand. When she'd been born, even the Terminians, who weren't even allied with Hyrule, considered Mindy to be very important. She learned, after her parents had been killed, that her bloodline was traced back to Queen Chennary, who had been the first queen of Hyrule and also had borne the crest- which became an important sign to the royal family. Making me royalty...I guess? It was probably the entire reason that she, at fifteen and female, was allowed to join the Hylian guard.
Zelda had take the braid out of her hair and was rubbing her face was a cloth until she looked like herself. She shook her head and looked up at the six. They were maidens, each wearing a dress and hair color different from the other- one each color of the rainbow.
"Princess Zelda," the red one said with a respectful dip of her head. "We have been waiting."
The princess nodded in return. "I understand. Mindy here is sworn to secrecy- I assume she may accompany us?" Mindy stood at attention, a bead of sweat falling down her face. Why am I so nervous?
But the green maiden smiled at her reassuringly, and Mindy allowed herself to relax, just a bit. The maidens formed a circle in the center of the temple. They began slowing their breaths- breathing in sync?- and cradled their hands in front of them. A circle of light on the ground connected each woman.
Suddenly the green one let out a choked cry. Her outline wavered, and she disappeared. The blue one beside her opened one eye to look, and then the exact same thing happened to her.
Zelda gasped. Mindy grasped the hilt of her small sword and unsheathed it, ready to charge forward against...anything. But before she could even finish pulling out her sword, the other maidens had disappeared. What...what's going on?!
The violet maiden was the last to disappear. She'd been looking around in shock and horror before she began to shimmer away like her comrades. When the edges of her dress had begun to dissolve she cried out to Zelda and Mindy.
"Please!" she cried. "Something isn't right here. Protect the Four-!" Before she could finish, her mouth dissolved away. Her dismayed violet eyes hung in the air for a second more, then she was gone.
The circle of light was still on the ground, though fading fast. "Mindy!" Zelda cried, grabbing Mindy and pulling her by the wrist. "Hurry! We must make it to the sanctuary!" Mindy cried out in surprise, but still jumped at Zelda's request.
Zelda screeched to a halt when inside the circle, an enormous violaceous flame erupted from the ground, its center black. Mindy pushed her glasses further up her nose and dared to step closer to it. Strangely, no heat came off the flame as she drew closer.
Its center was black. As Mindy looked on, the blackness took form of a girl. A girl a few inches shorter than Mindy, with either extremely short hair or held back. Then two eyes blinked open. They were large and piercing, yellow and serpentine. Then the fire begin to shrink rapidly. As it shrunk, she stepped out.
She looked...strikingly like Mindy.
Her tunic and cap was black. She flipped her hair over her shoulder, exposing a long, violet braid. She even had the equipment Mindy carried- a sword on her hip and a darker Hylian shield on her back.
"Darlin'," she said sweetly. "are you upset that I had to take those pretty girls?"
Mindy wasn't sure if she wanted to laugh or rage. She decided, with pleasure, on raging. She charged at the girl, sword poised to strike. With uncanny speed, The shadow girl jumped to the side unscathed. She clicked her tongue disapprovingly.
"Sweetheart, manners!" she exclaimed, pretending to be offended. "Are we at least not going to get to the introductions?"
Whatever she plans on setting up, I'm not buying it. Mindy pressed her lips into a thin line. "Careful whatever you say," she spat. "I bite. Who are you, and what have you done with the maidens?"
The shadow smirked. "Why, I'm the heroine...Mindy!" When she grinned, her teeth were yellow and fanged.
Why does that look seem so...eerily familiar?
"But, you know..." the shadow said. "I prefer the name Melantha." She flipped her braid again. "And you, princess, are mine." Before Mindy could get another word out, Melantha lunged for Princess Zelda.
"Oh, no you don't!" Mindy snapped, pouncing on the shadow. But Melantha was slippery. She wriggled out from Mindy's rather firm hold and jumped onto Zelda like a cat hunting its prey. Melantha smiled devilishly back at Mindy, then with a wave of her hand, two spiraling vortexes formed at the ends of the temple. Mindy felt herself being pulled backwards. She tried to jump at Melantha and Zelda again, but the powerful wind pulling at her sent her flying through the air- right through the violet spiral
She looked up to see Melantha darting through her own portal, Zelda in tow. Mindy reached for them, desperately trying to escape, but the world was spiraling into nothing.
Mindy could hear Zelda screaming, then her head contacted a rough object and unconsciousness consumed her.