Chapter 1
Partial story is told.
A.N: After the last chapter - this goes back in time exactly 8 months. Zant has not made his move yet. But trouble stirs.
Again: I do NOT own LoZ at all. If I did...then Midna would be staying in Hyrule - with Link :P
It was by some unusual coincidence, I say, that I came to be here. Infact, it is very odd for anyone of the Lycan Nation to wander out of their vast territory. I don't know why I am here, or what I am supposed to do, but out of all the possiblilities - I chose my question:
Where am I?!
It was dark, like a room with a single torch - and all the light in the room was radiating from that single source. I could hear waves..no...water. Definately water around here. I slowly opened my eyes, but my head was throbbing with pain - I wasn't sure why. At the time, I thought that it was just a phase and that it would pass. Anyway, I needed answers.
I brushed sand off of my Militant clothes - was in disguise I guess. No one could recognize me - wait...
Can I even remember myself?!
Lo-Lokia. yes. My name is Lokia. My last name? Perhaps I do not have one. My objective? None that I know of. All I know is that the Three sent me here. Yes, the Three. Din, Farore, and Nayru. Right?
"Hello?", I called timidly - unsure of what was lurking in the shadows.
When no one answered I took in every detail that was in my view. Sand. Hot, golden sand. Water, cool, blue.....fairies? Lots of them.
Still: Where am I?
"You are in the Cave of Ordeals..", a harmonious voice stated. So there was someone here...
"Who the-", I spun around as fast as I could only to see a peculiar woman in a shallow pool of water. She had long, blueish hair and butterfly-like wings. Fairy wings.
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Meanwhile, somewhere in Castle town
"Marik! 'elp me out with this load right 'ere, yeah? You wouldn't let and old man like me do such a laborious job like 'at by me 'self, now would ya? ", The bearded old man yelled out the window - it was directed to the messy haired youth walking down the busy cobbled streets, but the old man was loud, thus gaining the attention of all the nearby citizens of Castle Town.
"Um, well..I have to- ", The boy was unsure of what to do.
"Of course you wouldn't! Now get you lazy bum up 'ere, lad!". The old man chucked a piece of wood at the boy in annoyance. He was utterly lazy and Marik had no choice other than to obey his demands. "What I tell ya? Get up 'ere, pronto!"
"Yes, Mr. King."
While Marik was busy entering the shop, an old lady was staring intensly at the cause of such racket.
"What you lookin' at woman?", King hissed.
The woman, easily offended, huffed, turned away, and resumed walking down the crowded streets of Hyrule Castle Town.
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Lokia POV
I had started walking what seemed over an hour ago. I could not hear the splashing of water anymore, nor the mysterious melodies of the desert spring. The Great Fairy sent me from the Cave - for a curcumstance concerning 'Not fighting my way down' - with a bottle full of fairies. And so I made my way out into the desert - to seek my......fortune ? I still don't know. But the sun was absolutely blinding - I am not used to the intensity of the sun...I don't think. I don't remember. I'm hungry. What is there to eat around here?
Boar. Bugs. Sand. Fairies. Bulblins.
err...narrow it..to something edible: Boar. Fairies.
No . Boar sounds better.
Boar it is then.
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Castle town
"Mr. King, I really need to go-", Marik started.
"Nonsense boy! Humph! Y'know you want to 'elp me.", King started, he was deep in thought and was unconsciously stroking his white beard.
"Actually, I have to get details on the new mission, and well, sir, I don't really think you realize-"
"Realize what, lad?", King's expression turned from serious to worried.
"That ....I am in the Royal Guard - we DO have missions!", the boy impatiently stated, he was on the verge of a complete mental breakdown due to the Old Man's ignorance.
"A'ight, lad..", King sighed. "You are off work now, get to your 'Royal Guard' play group or whatever. I can handle the rest by me self..I guess"
Marik suddenly felt guilty. "I mean, I can stay a bit longer...."
"Get OUT OF HERE, YOU FOOLISH SON OF A WILDMAN! SHOO shoo!!"
He ran out with as much speed as he could; his wild medium length dark hair falling out of the bandana he wore around this head.
"See ya, Kingy!!"
"See ya, lad", The old man whispered. He held back tears as he watched his shop clerk run away to seek his fortune with the army.
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Lokia POV
Well..Boar is definately hard to kill - well, actually I don't even know if that was boar or not. It was huge!
I camped out on the sand that night - away from the Bulblin camps and near some kind of huge drop off. I tried to look over the edge but could not see anything. I soon decided to lay back down and rest.
Morning came fast. First thing was to look at the drop off.
Oh. My. Goddesses.
It is just beautiful. There was a lake, a giant lake at the bottom end of a desert. The waters sparkled in the rays of the morning sun, and the birds surrounded chirped like if in some kind of paradise.
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Castle Town
"There has been some kind of disturbance in the desert as of late........", said the Captain. His old, strong voice caught the attention of every man there. "..It is in our Orders that we go and investigate the area as soo as possible! Understood, Gentlemen?", his answer was quickly answered by a ready chorus of, 'Yeahs, and Yessirs'. There were around 20 people in the Royal guard (section 8) - ages ranging from 18 to 35. They were meant to be specially trained assassins but the level of this segment was...how do I put it.......like the boy scouts with swords.
Marik sat near the back of the tavern-located assembly, which Telma the Barmaid kindly let Ol' Captain use for his emmergency meetings. Next to him sat a man who looked in his twenties.
"Hey! Marik - we gonna be the first boys to find somethin', yeah? I mean...if there's somethin' out there - which I'm sure there is..somethin'. We will be heroes!", Fado whispered. Fado whad been Marik's best friend since he came here to Hyrule. The farm boy lived down in the Ordona Province in Southern Hyrule. Marik had met him a few years back while Fado was on the village's annual Goat Drive.
"Yeah. Heroes." No doubt about it, Marik wasn't the most vocal of boys his age. I mean, he would talk - just not too much.
"Quiet today, huh?", Fado paused, "Well, no matter. See, where I come from - in Ordon - there is this guy who works for me at the ranch..he seems around your age- and he is the quietest guy around. Anyway, his name is Link - and all the people adore him, and-"
"Is there a point to this?"
"Yeah! See, even though you may be quiet people can still love ya.", Fado thought he had just told the most time appropriate moral of the day.
Marik just stared at him like he was retarded. "ah-huh", he slowly mumbled. He let him head fall onto his knees.
"Okay then boys, get back here at sundown - we want to avoid the hottest part of the day while strolling through that gods-forsaken plot of sandy hell, yeah? Pack your bags, say your ' byes, and such...you might not know what'll happen." Captain gave Marik in particular a twisted grin - which Marik readily replied with the roll of his eyes.
Little did he know (for he was not paying attention) that all the other young men in his age group were staring at him. Mumbles passed from ear to ear and Marik received the occasional glare from the crowd.
"Ok. Dismissed!", the leader patiently waited for the boys to leave. The Ranch boy stayed behind."That means you too, Fado."
Fado hesitated for a moment, "Okie-Dokie, Bud". Captain sighed. That boy will need some serious work..
Once everyone was gone, and the door secured and locked, he said:
"Marik. Step forth,lad.", Captain ordered. Marik did so...
Little did he know that the responsibility he would soon have would change his life forever......
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Lokia's POV
It looked like a hard climb. A VERY hard climb. I thought about jumping - but quickly decided against it.
Well..greeeeeat. How am I supposed to get down?
Well. It was early morning and I didn't want to commit suicide at such a lovely part part of the day...so I decided that it was best to take a good look at that strange builing in the middle of the desert.
After hours of walking, bugs, sand, near-death experiences, sand, walking, and dehydration, I finally found my way past the obsticles to the.....'Strange building in the middle of the desert'. It was bigger than I thought.
Something told me not to go in. Like they say. Curiosity killed the cat? I might definately not be a cat - I hate cats - but I am something that could be killed - I think...I couldn't remember if I could or couldn't be killed.
Did I listen to my conscience? No. The same concept applied through my entire life..see how I ended up a talking nothing? err- Dead Person?
So...I went in. Sand. Y'know when you see so much of something, you want to choke it (if that is possble with fine object such as sand)? Yeah, well...I HATE sand. Believe me when I say this:
The room was absolutely covered in ... sand.
sand.
sand. The word echoed throught my mind what seemed like a thousand times - but then a miracle happened. I couldn't see sand in one spot - or atleast, not as much .....sand. Instead there was a strange armored skeleton laying in ruins on the .....sand......covered floor.
Wait a minute - I have always been fascinated by ancient things - I think...I don't remember. Maybe it is a new found hobby of mine. Yeah, like I could definately see myself saying : "I like poking dead things" and "Hey little kid! Look! A corpse! Let's touch it!".
Well, whatever. So I made my way around the....sand....covered obsticles and looked at the ....sand....specked skeleton. I had seen drawings in the Royal Armory that looked similar to this when Fa-. *Ahem* Um...Far-iou-bhjks. What was his name... Farius. Yes. Guided me to my 'post' (for I was in hi-err disguise, perhaps?)
Anyway, It would seemed odd..that I was 2 foot away...from a potentially dangerous Re-Dead that was sneaking an attack on me - but I didn't know any better.....
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Trek to the Gerudo Desert
"How much longer, Capt'n?"
Everyone groaned at the question.
"Oh hush your big, spam covered trap, Fado", Captian turned around and glared at the Ranch boy. Fado had been asking, 'Are we there yet, Capt'n' and singing 'My Old Ordonian Home' (which the rest of the boys and - Captian included - agree is not actually a song) since the Kakariko checkpoint.
"Yessir" The boy shut up after mumbling something about 'goats'.
Captain and the boys were making their way up the zig-zag path roughly cut out from the cliff below the Gerudo desert. It was not yet midnight from what Marik could tell, but it seemed as though they had been walking for days. What made matters worse was the fact that they were carrying 50lbs of supplies on their backs.
"Alright, lads. Listen up! All o' ya", once all of the Guards turned towards the Older man, he resumed, "We will rest here the rest of the night, and resume at dawn. Remember - get up, or be left roasting in the desert sun. Before the sun gets too high tommorrow, we should try and make it to a bluff or even possibly the old prison-"
Gasps ran through the crowd. 'Cursed' and 'Arbiter's ground' were among the many things discussed.
"Aye. Arbiter's Ground.", Captain looked over at the confused Marik. He gave him a nod and resumed. "Come on boys, get to bed."
They set up camp that night on the bluffs. Unaware of danger, unaware of fate's plan, unaware of anything, they slept peacefully under the stars. Except for one. The one boy who would be tag along in one of the greatest quests Hyrule will ever know....
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Lokia's POV
It may be the first time I ever realized something....
When a sharp sword hits you in the head...isn't that supposed to kill you?
Something so important that it should not be forgotten.
Is immortality real? Or is it simply pure luck that I was hit in the head by a sharp sword and was left with nothing but a bruise?
But something like that can be forgotten - I mean, I had forgotten.
And for some reason I find it easier and easier to forget stuff when I get hit in the head..
Infact, I had forgotten most things - I think (even now I cannot remember)
Wait..maybe it has nothing to do with getting hit in the head..
Perhaps it is old age....
No, I am not old..am I?
I was just talking to Link the other day....wasn't I? It could have been weeks? Months, perhaps? Not years, could it have been?
I had lost control of something very important..
Time.
Last time I checked - I was 18 years old.
But now that I think about it...I was 18 when Link was little.
Seven years later when he awoken from his sleep - I was 18.
I was 18 when he defeated Ganondorf Dragmire.
I was 18 when he married Princess Zelda. I know I was there!
Gods. I was 18 when when they had grown kids. One of the few things I remember is babysitting the tykes when they were young.
I was STILL 18 when they ..no, no, aren't...gone, are they?
As much as I hate to say it...yes.
I think...I am not sure...but I think I have been 18 for the last .....300 years..
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Flashback in Marik's Mind
A young man ran in the courtyard of the castle. He could hear the rather loud and harsh insults coming from the lady chasing him. She had pure, green eyes and her hair was darkish brown and tied back in a low, loose, bun. The ball was at it's climax inside, but the two decided to head to the snow-covered courtyard to talk.
"Marik! Wait up!", the girl huffed. "I can't.... run as fast... as you..at the moment - you know that!". The boy stopped. "Plus, these shoes are ...killing me!"
"Sorry.", he smiled. Marik sat where he hadstopped. The girl plopped down beside him.
"What has gotten your breath? That isn't the Lokia I know..", he teased.
"It..is called..tight..dress." She waited until her breath stabilized until she continued, "Y'know that when Father sees us out here - he isn't going to like it.", the girl said.
"Well, no offense, but your Father is a power hungry old man, who doesn't want his daughter out with any other man besides the nasty suitors he chooses for his own bennefit. I don't like him", the boy crossed his arms and proudly looked away.
It was the girls turn now. She did the same, "That's ...extremely right" He knew exactly what she'd been thinking.
He cleared his throat. "Well, Pops says that old man Lyco is dealing with Dragmire now - y'know, like an alliance - know what that means?"
The girl looked up, rolled her eyes, and said "No, I don't know....enlighten me."
"Don't those private tutors teach you anything?!"
"No. They don't try hard enough to gain my attention.", she rolled her eyes, and then she said with sarcasm," But I like learning things from you, Marik! You make it much more interesting!"
Marik blushed, not getting the joke, "Um..w..well", he stuttered, "An alliance...makes sure that some guys don't beat each other up during war or something-", Lokia tried her best not to laugh at his choice of definition.
"Ok..and?"
"And Pops says that we shouldn't trust that Dragmire guy- he says he is a 'really bad man' - says Old Pops", the boy teased.
The girl rolled her eyes."Well if this ' Dragmire' is a 'Really baaad man', as you say - then why is it bad to make an alliance or whatever. Like you said - It stops him from destroying - beating us up?"
"But the thing is..an alliance also has to be in a war or a disagreement with another country or province..or something like that..", he could tell the girl was confused with his wording. " The point is..Lycania and the Gerudos are threatening to take over Hyrule!"
The girl gasped. "But why would Father do such a thing? I mean..the Harkinians who rule Hyrule are blood cousins. We share the same name!", she thought for a moment. "He wouldn't try and......kill them...would he?"
Marik did not know what to say. So they sat in silence for a few moments until Lokia shivered.
"Come on then..let's get you inside", Marik offered his hand and lifted her off of the cold ground. As they neared the doorway, Marik remembered..
He handed her a small box; although wrapped unneatly and crammed, he had remembered. She opened the little box and gently lifted out the silver necklace that it held.
"Marik..."
"I..I'm sorry about the wrapping..it's just I was in a hurry and-"
"Marik. Marik! It is beautiful! Thank you so much!", she turned around and hugged him.
"Here, let me put it on you..", he snapped the necklace on and positioned the small, runed pendant in front. Lokia smiled and they headed once again towards the doorway.
"Happy 18th birthday Lokia Harkinian!", he whispered in her ear. Soon enough, family members had dragged her away. Marik just leaned on the door frame and looked into the massive crowd of the winter ball.
That was the last thing he had a chance to say to her. After that she disappeared into the crowd, some people shouting ' You are looking young!' and 'Oh! I haven't seen you in ages, Dearest! But look at you! 18!! ' . And even after that, she disappeared from the face of the World it seemed. Some said she died, others have said that she had gone into hiding. None knew the real story. That is why I am still here to tell it.
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So? I know it is a little longer than my other chapter but still? Is it ok? Please press that button that says "Review this story/chapter" !!!!!
More to come still. If you review.....
*puppydog eyes*
~T.W.C.L
