Disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Zelda. (No curses at the moment. Sorry)
K'ger: Second chapter! Yay! I'm excited to introduce these new characters.
Also, Shout out to Link'sLily, Foyet-The-Reaper, & Don'tKillMe32! Thank you all!
The Caravan
"We don't need more cargo than we already have."
"Mistress Fala says we bring him, are you questioning her authority?" Another voice inquired, tone harsh and questioning. He opened his eyes tiredly, unsure of what exactly was going on. What had happened? The sky above him was a clear cerulean blue, soft clouds lazily drifting across the surface.
Where was he?
"But we don't even know if he's what her client is looking for!" The first voice pressed further, pitch rising slightly. He experimentally balled his hands into fists, and then released them. There was some kind of resistance, like something was holding his arms close to his body. With some struggle, he pushed himself upright, and his eyes widened, not comprehending what he was seeing.
He wasn't in the forest, instead all around him a massive field stretched as far as the eye could see, long yellow grass billowing in the wind like waves on the ocean. Where the field ended, the sky began, and in the farthest distance, he could faintly see something tall, a man-made structure of some kind. It looked like a tower.
Closer to him, a half a dozen wagons were scattered, white canvas covers' stretching tight on the wagons' frames in the wind. Massive horses were hitched to each of the wagons, two each, with grayish-black coats splattered with white markings all over their bodies. Their manes were longer than any he had ever seen, hanging down to their chests on both sides of their necks, and their huge hooves were all but obscured by the thick plumes of feathering that adorned their hocks.
They were easily the most beautiful horses he had ever seen, even more beautiful than Epona.
Large brass bells were attached to their harnesses, catching the sun's bright yellow rays and glinting, giving off faint golden glows and jingling as the horses shifted and pranced.
"Don't push your luck, Asami. Mistress Fala is our leader, and we're here to serve her." The other voice snarled, startling Link. He whipped his head around, and saw that two people were standing behind him. They both had their backs to him, one was a woman, with long golden-brown hair that cascaded down her back in a mass of tightly curled ringlets. The other was a man, his dark brown hair was cropped short, hanging just above his rounded ears. They weren't Hylians.
He stiffened when they both turned their heads, and their eyes met his.
"Oh, look. He's awake." The woman said, a devious look curling across her lips.
Link tried to stand up, pushing against the ground with his feet, but something stopped him. He glanced toward the ground, and found that he was tied. Thick ropes were wrapped around his wrists, binding them together and keeping him on the ground.
"What the hell?" He hissed, struggling against the stake that kept him grounded. The woman gave a soft laugh as he strained against the ropes, and the man walked away, heading for one of the wagons.
A few minutes later, he emerged again, stopping a few feet away. Another woman stepped gracefully of the wagon after him. This woman was a little shorter than the one that was standing over him, with long, wavy brown hair. A blue scarf was wrapped around her head, keeping her hair in place and tied together at the front with an amethyst pendant. Over her chest and midsection, she wore a billowy azure blouse, with spiraling red patterns across her sleeves, and underneath a skirt swirled gracefully around her ankles.
A dusky spread of green rested atop her eyelids, framing her eyes, which glinted like liquid silver. She walked over to him, stopping mere feet away, and leaned forward, eyes taking in every inch of his face.
"Who're you?" Link growled, setting his jaw defiantly. The woman laughed gently at him, and he stiffened when she ran a silken hand across his cheek, donning a seductive grin.
"You'll do well," she said in an elegant, husky voice. "My client will pay double for you."
He gave her a questioning look, not realizing what she was insinuating for a moment.
"Wait, what do you mean?" He asked as it dawned on him. She laughed again, and swept a hand across his hair, slender fingers playing with a few golden locks.
"I mean, that you're my paycheck."
"This is wrong!" He said, snarling, voice rising.
"There really is no rest for the wicked, as they say. I have mouths to feed, and you're quite the catch. Its nothing personal," she responded, smiling at his angered expression. "Our careers go by many names. Thieves, paid companions, slave traders, nothing can keep us tethered, we just float around the world, doing as we please and making a little cash on the side."
"And if someone 'buys' me, what will they use me for?"
She smiled, and walked a few feet away, reaching out and stroking on of the horses' necks.
"What my client chooses to do with you is not my concern. As long as I get my money, I'm happy. You look strong, they'll probably use you for labor, although, you aren't a bad looking boy, they might use you for entertainment. It's not my place to ask."
She turned to the man, and nodded softly.
"Get this one into the cart." She commanded, jabbing a thumb at one of the wagons. He gasped when he felt someone's hands grab at his, and he was hefted roughly to his feet. The woman held tight to his wrists, bending his arms violently and sending searing pain jolting through his muscles. He was pushed forcefully toward the wagon, and gasped when the woman shoved him inside, closing the door after him.
He could hear a soft click, and knew that she had locked the door. He was stuck inside. Looking around, he found that the inside of the wagon was all but barren of any furniture, and the only source of light came from a barred window near the rounded ceiling. Naturally, he had been locked into the one wagon that had solid walls, which provided no means of escape.
Soft yellow sunlight filtered in from between the iron bars of the window, casting strangely shaped shadows on the wooden floor of the wagon, and just as he stepped forward, and stopped short, realizing that he wasn't alone.
Two people were sitting against the wall, faces obscured by the shadows. Link gave a startled cry as the wagon suddenly surged into motion, and he was thrown off his feet, falling forward and landing on his chest.
"Hey, mister, are you ok?" A voice asked, youthful, with a tone of concern. He looked up from the floor, and found that one of the people had moved slightly, leaving their face visible. It was a boy, probably in his mid-teens, fifteen or sixteen years old, with shaggy black hair that hung loosely below his ears.
"I'm fine, thanks." Link muttered, pulling himself up into a sitting position on the floor.
They sat in silence for a few moments, merely listening as the wagon creaked and the wheels rattled outside.
"My name's Benjamin, but everyone calls me Benji. What's yours?" The boy asked, looking at him curiously.
"Link." He answered somewhat gruffly, looking toward the window, yearning for the freedom beyond, and feeling a bit claustrophobic. After years of working outside with the fresh air and open space of the ranch, confined spaces were not his favorite.
He cautiously glanced back at the boy. Were these people really going to sell a teenage boy? It was bad enough that they had kidnapped him, but he was an adult, to kidnap and have the intent to sell off a minor on the slave market was disgusting.
The other person that was sitting next to Benji shifted slightly when he moved, and revealed that it was a girl. She was younger than Benji, his best guess was eleven or twelve years old. Her hair was long and wavy, and hung all the way toward the small of her back. A simple white dress clung to her form, and staring at him, she hugged her knees, sparkling green eyes glinting with fear.
Benji caught Link's gaze, and looked toward the girl for a moment.
"And this is my sister, Annalise."
Noticing the girl's frightened expression, he gave her a bright, calming smile. She softened slightly, but the fear remained.
Benji leaned closer to Link, lowering his voice so that only he could hear.
"She's um…she's," he stammered for a moment, searching for the right word. "She's got…issues."
Link raised an eyebrow, head tilting to one slightly in interest and curiosity.
"Issues?" He asked in a low whisper, watching as the boy nodded.
"She's kind of…special, we'll say. If anyone but me touches her, she breaks down."
They went silent for a few minutes when the wagon bumped, throwing them all off balance.
"Why is that?"
Benji looked toward his sister with a caring smile, reaching toward her and patting her knee. When he returned his gaze to Link, a fiery anger had suddenly found its way into the green pools of his irises.
"Let's just say that our childhoods' weren't…conventional. Our father was abusive, and our mother was never around to stop him. She was a traveler, moving all over the world, and when she finally did come back from her traipsing, it was only because she was in a casket."
The wagon bumped again, and was followed by the loud clopping sounds of horses' hooves on a hard surface, like cobblestones. Link stood carefully, putting his arms out to balance himself, and made his way over to the barred window, grabbing onto the bars for support.
Outside, he could see that the caravan had taken to a wide cobblestone road. He had no idea where this road had come from, or where it was headed, but in the distance, he could see a huge, most likely man-made structure. It was tall, reaching toward the sky like a tower, and all around it, massive walls guarded it from below.
As the wagon moved toward the tower, details started to become clear, and he found that the tower wasn't just a tower. It was a clock tower.
"We're almost there, aren't we?" Benji asked from his place on the floor, looking up at Link with a reserved expression.
"Almost where?"
A rueful smile crossed Benji's lips.
"We're almost to Clock Town…"
Five huge black horses sped across the barren landscape, hooves sending up large plumes of dust in their wakes. On their backs, five people rode, one woman, and four men, all with hair as black as the horses they rode. The sky was a perpetual, gloomy overcast, swirling with a foreboding aura that would have unnerved anyone but the current travelers.
The horses galloped agilely up a steep incline, passing by the dilapidated remains of a long-dry river. They continued, following a switchback path that led high into the mountains, soon entering a dark, natural tunnel that went on for about a hundred feet.
The riders slowed their horses to easy trots when they exited the tunnel. Before them, a huge tower stood, massive walls adorned with colorful murals that made the structure look like a monster, gigantic maw serving as the entrance.
Standing in front of the entrance was a tall figure, ratty leather cloaks obscured all but the glowing orbs of his eyes, and underneath, it could be seen that the figure was holding tight to the hilts of two long swords, blades glinting in the strange light that was filtering through the overcast sky.
"Greetings, Garo Master." The woman said in a silver-tongued voice, riding up to the figure.
"Did you bring them?" The figure said in a gravelly voice, looking toward the horses.
"Three Hylians and one Gerudo. As promised." She responded, turning her horse slightly to one side, revealing that there was a young woman, tied and slung, unconscious over her horse's haunches.
Three more people were slung over some of the other horses, and the woman smirked in content as the figure stepped aside, allowing her and the others' access to the temple.
"Proceed. Her Grace is waiting for you…"