AN: nothing to say.
Review Responses:
ZombieDragon: Thanks for the tip; I put the dream in italics.
LinkIsaacANDLloyd: Testudo, that's the word I was looking for. I think I read about it somewhere, part of the reason I put it in is so I could have SOMETHING historically accurate. Anyway, I'll probably use the morning star; I'm always trying to get new ideas for weapons as I mention different knights. Sorry, about the horse thing, I should have realized that, I mean, I play Age of Empires and that's the point of cavalry in AOE 2. I just don't think realistically when I'm writing, please forgive stupid mistakes like that.
The knights stood in a circle over the coffin containing Kirk's body. It was in its open grave. There were no teary faces, but the mood was solemn and sad. Even if Kirk wasn't the most likeable, he was the first royal knight to die in battle in over thirty years. It was a bizarre death; he was clearly killed from the front, not the back. The wound proved it. But then, the knights were only human, so there was bound to be a death now that they were active.
Very few were invited to the funeral; the knights were all there of course, as was the king. A Hylian priest presided over the funeral. They Hylians believed each goddess kept an afterlife, and that the dead were chosen for whichever one was most suited to them. Those of evil, however, wandered the sacred realm forever. The priest said what was required of him, and then two workers began to fill the grave. Everyone bowed their heads until the grave was filled. They were in a large graveyard reserved for the royal knights, behind the temple of time. As was tradition, Link, the current leader, picked up the man's weapon, and raised it above his head. He drove the war hammer down into the earth as hard as he could, handle first. Every knight in turn pushed down on it once, so by the end it was driven in deep. They filed out of the graveyard, past the statues of eyes, always watching.
Afterwards, Link walked off by himself. He stopped at the locksmith's shop in the market. He pulled the small chest out of his pocket, and opened the door. It was a small place, but the man who ran it was very well known for his skill with making and hopefully breaking locks. Link would have blasted or burned it open, but whatever was inside may be fragile. The lock had to be removed.
The man behind the counter was facing away from Link, bent over something. Link strode over to the counter, and placed the box down. The man turned around at the sound, and his face broke into a grin.
"Hello there, sonny! Can I help ya'?" he said jovially, in a rough but friendly voice. He was a big man, with a potbelly. He wore simple overalls with a white shirt, and had a brown beard and moustache. He was almost bald.
Link gestured at the box. "Can you open it?" He said.
"I can try. Name's Curtis, how 'bout you?" he said.
Link told him.
"Link? Odd name, but I kinda like it. No let me take a look, I ain't been that busy this fine afternoon."
Curtis pored over the lock, and held it up to the light, peering into the keyhole.
"Can you do it?" Link asked.
"Well, this is a darn good lock, you can be assured. Ain't never seen nuthin like it. But I reckon I can get it, but it will take a little time. Want me to get started? It'll probably run you about forty rupees, that alright?" He answered.
Link nodded. He had found plenty adventuring.
"Well, you can pull up a seat, should be ready in a half hour. Oh, and do you need the lock to work after?"
Link shook his head, and sat on one of the chairs on either side of the shop. Curtis had set the chest down, and was picking at it with a small needle. He put that away soon, and tried several keys on it. None of them were close enough. Eventually, he got an idea. He took a magnifying glass, and placed the lock near a window. He aimed the glass inside, and kept it still. It took well over half an hour, but the inside of the lock got very hot. He went back to the metal needle, and poked around inside, this time breaking and twisting everything. Before long, he was able to wrench the lid open a bit, but he kept it closed out of respect for Link's privacy.
"There we are! Got it! Little bugger was tricky, but I memorized the inside, make a good lock for important doors in the castle! Gotta thank you boy, that alone was almost worth it. Twenty rupees will do me fine." He said.
Link paid him, and thanked him. Curtis said, "I'm mighty curious, mind showin' me what you got in there?"
Link thought a moment, and shrugged. He set in down, and opened it again. The inside was padded, and on the very centre, about as big as Link's thumb, was some sort of gem. It seemed almost luminous, and the colour was ever changing, depending on how you looked at it. Was that it? It sure looked valuable, but still…
"Wow, bet that's worth a few rupees. Never seen nothing like that before in my life. You didn't steal it, didja'?" he said.
Link didn't answer. He picked it up, clenching it in his left hand. He felt an odd tingling on his left hand, under the gauntlet. He had the same feeling in his head, deep in his skull, an itch that couldn't be scratched. He put it back in the box, and closed the lid.
"Thanks." Link said, striding out of the shop. The strange tingle… there must be some sort of magic inside it, and if anyone could recognize it, it was Zelda. He set off towards the castle. The guards let him through reluctantly, and he went to the king.
"Ah, you got the box open! Good, good… what was it? Need any help?" The king asked, standing up.
"Actually, I need Zelda's help. May I see her?" Link asked.
The king nodded. "She's in the courtyard; I'll give you a note so the guards will let you through. Can I see what was inside?"
Link opened it. He felt the faint tingle, but fainter now that he wasn't holding it. He tilted it so that the king could see. The king' eyes widened, but only in mild curiosity. Gems, though rare, weren't that unique, after all. He signed a parchment, and gave it to Link, who headed off to find Zelda.
He had no trouble with the guards, and was allowed into the courtyard, where Link had met Zelda as a ten year old, nine years ago… She was there again, but not spying through a window. She was sitting in the grass against a wall, and reading a book. The garden was very surreal, with white stone very dissimilar to the Jarmanian stone. The stone here felt more organic, and along with the flowers, ponds, and grass, made this are of the castle very natural. Link walked in, and Zelda looked up, breaking into a smile.
"Hello Link. Father told me you were back, it is nice to see you!" She said, getting up. Link smiled, and walked towards her. She hugged him, and then took the chest he had offered her.
"I stole this from Jarmanians. I felt odd when I picked it, it's not normal. I think it may have some sort of magical property, can you tell?" Link asked.
Zelda opened the chest. She picked up the jewel, and held it up for a minute. Suddenly she cried out and dropped the gem and the container, clutching her head and falling to the floor.
Link knelt down quickly. "Are you alright!?" he almost shouted.
She nodded, rising to her knees. "It's… it's powerful… It seems to have no… real purpose… but… I felt a powerful pulse… probably what you felt… but you… aren't as… in tune with it." She said, panting.
"So, wait… it has strength, but can't be used?" Link asked, confused.
Zelda, who was standing now, said "Yes. It doesn't do anything, at least nothing I can recognize, but it calls out to anyone sensitive to magic…"
Now that was odd. Link knew the Jarmanians didn't use magic, so why would they need this? They wouldn't even know it was unique because they couldn't sense magic.
"How could this be useful?" Link questioned aloud.
"I'm not sure yet… can you put it back? I'll keep it for now." Zelda said.
Link nodded, and picked it up, putting it back in the container and closing it tight. He handed it over to Zelda, who took it tentatively. Link waved and turned to leave.
Zelda gasped. "Link, you still have the Master Sword!" She shouted.
Link looked back over his shoulder. He had forgotten, and so had everyone else.
"What about that thing you did? How long does it hold?" Link asked.
"Depends, but I'm a beginner at protective magic like that, it will have begun to dissolve by now!" Zelda replied.
Without a word they took off out of the castle. Link was silently counting how long it had been. He set off, was a gladiator for over a week… must have been at least a month, with traveling time and the week with the knights.
They burst out of the castle, running through the market. They reached the temple of time, still running. The door of time was open, just as they had left it. But inside the main chamber, it was like a light show. Gold sparks were spewing out from the pedestal, and a purple mist was rising. Flashes of red light were illuminating the room.
Link ran forward, sword out. He cleaved aside the purple mist, which had begun to ensnare him. He raised the sword above his head, twirled it so that it was upside-down, and grasped it with his other hand. He drove it down into its pedestal with all his strength. He felt resistance, some unseen force pushing it back up. An almost inhuman cry of rage emanated from everywhere it seemed. Link knew that voice all to well. With a strained cry, Link rammed the sword down as far as it would go. The light stopped, and the cry was cut off. There was a final shower of sparks, and then all was quiet. The purple mist hung around, slowly flowing out of the temple. Link stood panting. Zelda breathed a sigh of relief.
"How could we forget!!??" Zelda almost yelled. She was visibly shaken.
Link strode over to her, and put his hand on her arm. He looked straight into her eyes, and she slowly calmed down. She let out a shaky laugh. They walked back to the castle, Link feeling very vulnerable without a sword.
"Zelda, what I really need is a good sword. I can't just use the Master Sword whenever we feel I need it; look what almost happened. Think I could get one?" Link asked.
Zelda looked at him, and said, "Of course we can find something. I shall speak to my father, I'm sure he would be happy to forge the best sword in the land for you."
Link thanked her, and they continued on. When they reached the castle, at about four o'clock, Link asked Zelda where Elisa was.
"Top floor, North hallway, her room has her name on it. She may be in a meeting in the war room; you should wait outside if that's so." Zelda replied, not making eye contact with him.
Link thanked her, and headed for the stairs. He climbed up to the top floor, and eventually found Elisa's room. He knocked, and there was no reply. He called her name, still nothing. So he headed to the war room, which was just a round room in one of the towers, which had recently been turned into a meeting room for those dealing with the Jarmanians. He almost knocked, but stopped himself. If they were there, he shouldn't interrupt them. But what if they weren't in there?
Suddenly the door opened, and Elisa, who was talking over her shoulder, ran into him. She staggered back, and looked at him. She grinned.
"Hi Link! I didn't know you were coming back so soon." Elisa said.
Link shrugged and smiled. She gave him a small hug, and then stepped back.
"This is Link, everyone." She said, walking back in and motioning for Link to follow.
"Ah, Link, leader of the Royal Knights! I've heard so much about you, come in," The man at the head of the table began, "I'm Samuel Thompson, This is Jerry Swanson, and this is Cecilia Rose."
Link stepped in, waving.
"I've wanted to meet you. We sit here and talk all big, but it's down to you and every other soldier to actually win the battle. From what I hear you are a very competent leader." Samuel said.
Link had no idea where he had heard that, since he hadn't really helped accomplish anything. He thanked him nonetheless.
Link was allowed to sit in on this meeting, which had been ending before he had showed up. Now he gave reports, explained the Jarmanians recent movements, and told them what Ocral had discovered. When the meeting ended, Elisa told him everything that had happened to her, and he did the same. When Link explained abut the death of Kirk, Elisa looked at him sadly.
"Were you blamed?" She asked.
Link thought about lying, but found himself nodding.
"Well, it wasn't your fault; don't let them convince you it is. Just because you lead them doesn't mean you can save everyone." She said fiercely.
"I'm more worried about how much they trust me… as soon as I can, I'm traveling solo again." Link replied.
"Link, they'll come to trust you. Just keep on going. You've done so much…" She said.
By this time, they had reached her room. Link said, good night, and she went inside. Link left, and spent the rest of the day rounding everyone up. They ate a meal, and set off again. They made Gerudo Valley, and spent the night there. That night, Link had the dream again.
AN: Ok, not an interesting chapter. Next time I plan to get some back to the basics action in there. Please review anyway.