Warning – Battles ahead. And a new character introduced. Enjoy.
Two are better that one, because they have a good reward for their labor, for if they fall, one will lift his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up.
Ecclesiastes 4:9, 10
Ch. 2 - Killing Fields
Noises reached his ears, loud and strange noises. The bright sun swung into view as the gate pulled open. He was blinded by the brightness for sometime. He closed his eyes and moved his head away from the light. The noise was even louder now. When he could finally open his stinging eyes, he saw a dome full of people. They were up high and he was in a large pit. They shouted and cheered. He was so astounded by the sight that he did not notice the collar and chains had been removed. A sudden slam made him whip around. The gate had closed. And another opened.
A giant beast slowly lumbered out. A white wolf stepped out into the blinding sun. Its mouth frothed with saliva. It moved strangely, like a possessed animal. It stepped from side to side and spasms racked its body. The wolf's eyes had no life left. Gone was the hunter. Gone was the moon lover. All that was left was madness.
The mad wolf twitched and drool dripped from its gaping maw. It let out a roar-like howl and leaped at him. He was able to dive to the side just in time. The young man heard a tumble behind him and looked back. The white wolf had not landed on its feet. Instead it had fallen to its side and was struggling to get up. He watched the wolf spring up and begin snapping the air, as if fending off some unseen enemy. He spotted a sword next to him. The rusty sword was half buried under the dirt. He grabbed it with his left hand and sighed at the deteriorated state of it. The dirt covered wolf had ceased biting at the air and began starting at him again. This time the young man swung at the wolf. He let out a short cry. The quick slash left a small gouge on the giant wolf's shoulder. It paid no heed to the bleeding wound and charged at him. He rolled under the beast and spun on to his feet, landed a sound blow on the wolf's hind leg. It buckled, but only for a second. The beast snarled, foamy saliva dripping even more copiously. It leapt again.
He didn't know how much more he could take. The rusty blade was dull, barely scratched the wolf. His back burned from the heat and sweat. His stamina was running out. He dodged again, to the left and kicked the wolf as hard as he could, grunting in exertion. The wolf made a strange choking noise and fell to its side again. This time, the young man was upon the wolf, striking hard and fast. Raining blow after blow on the wolf's body, but the wolf was quick. It shot up onto its hind legs and tried to tackle him. He used one arm to hold the snapping jaws at bay and slammed the tip of the sword into the wolf. It barely noticed the sword in its stomach and continued attacking. He fell on his back and nearly screamed. The blinding pain almost overwhelmed him. The wolf was almost on top of him, but he rolled away from the open jaws in time.
The crowds loved this. They cheered and yelled, jeered and hooted. Blood, they wanted more blood. The lord looked over the stands and smirked. He signal for one of his guards and whispered an order. The guard left, but was back. He pulled out an iron sword and tossed it into the ring. The sword spiraled through the air and landed hilt up in the dirt.
The young man noticed and dove under the rampaging wolf. He bolted to the sword with the mad beast close behind him. He pulled the iron sword out of the ground. The wolf pounced on his back. The animal's hot breathe blew across his neck. He felt the wet drool on his bare back, the giant, rabid wolf closing in on his neck. He screamed.
Time slowed down. He dropped to one knee and swung his left arm and back, still screaming. The blade gleamed in the sun. It was sharp and true. The blade went through clean. The wolf's head fell. Blood spurted everywhere. He crashed to the ground with the headless carcass on top of him. The bloodied survivor shoved the corpse off of him and stood up shakily. His breathe labored.
The crowd went wild. "More! More!" they shouted. The lord laughed gleefully and waved a guard over. He whispered another order. The guard sped off. Everything was going better than expected for him. The unfortunate Hylian slave could fight well. He smiled and drank deeply from his goblet.
Another gate opened and out stepped three lizard men. They were covered in tunics and had swords. They hissed and snorted, eying the lone fighter with distaste. He was covered with the wolf's blood and the red dirt.. His back burned and stung his eyes with white spots. His body ached and longed for food and rest. His breathing had slowed down. He looked at the headless wolf and gazed at its lifeless body. A loud war cry made him look up. The three lizard men were advancing quickly. They screeched in their high guttural language and came at him. The young slave readied himself again.
They went at him all at once. He rolled between two and kicked one in the back. The lizard went down with a thud. He jumped to his feet and slashed at the other two standing. They sprang back and rushed him again. The third snuck behind him. He blocked a thrust and side stepped a slash. He heard the lizard behind him and rolled out of the way of its blade. The young man feet touched something. He nearly tripped over it, but was able to step over it. When he looked down, he could make out a circular shape. He kicked it out of the dirt. A large, brass shield lay at his feet. He snatched it up and blocked an incoming blow. The impact shook his arm and shoulder and nearly made him drop the shield. He was quick to strap it to his arm and resumed a stance that felt natural to him. He held the shield in front of his chest and crouched behind it. His sword lined up to the left side of the shield. The Lizard men circled him warily. He backed up and looked behind him, there was a broken column of pillars. The lone fighter fixed his sight on all three of his enemies and began backing towards the pillars.
The lizard men tried another rush. He vaulted over a broken base stood on the other side. The lizard men hissed angrily and one tried to vault after him. The fighter rammed his shield down on to the lizard's skull. It fell down to the ground and screamed something. He raised his sword and slammed the sword in as hard as he could into the downed lizard's back. The lizard gurgle blood and collapsed dead. He twisted out his sword and blocked another heavy blow from one of the remaining two. He parried a low slash and bashed the lizard with his shield. The lizard screeched and tripped over a rock and landed on his sword. The young man blinked owlishly at the corpse and kicked it off of his sword. The last foe jumped on a pillar and dove for him. He backed out of the way and tackled the lizard before he made it to the ground. He quickly slashed the lizard's throat, killing it instantly. He stood and wobbled to lean against one of the pillars.
The crowd was even louder now. What a spectacle, what a show, what a grand day. The lone survivor looked tiredly at the thundering masses. He sighed. A gate opened. Nothing came out. He looked at the crowds again, looked for an answer. Figuring it out, he walked slowly towards the gate. A group of guards came out. He tensed and readied for another battle. One raised a thin wooden thing and blew into it. There was a sharp pain in his neck. He dropped his shield and raised his hand to his neck. He pulled a dart out. His mind swam. He fell to his hands and knees. He tried to cling to consciousness, but the world faded into black again.
"Oh my little Link. One day, you'll be a man just like your father. Soon, your hands will be bigger than mine." The mother patted her young son on the head and continued, "You'll be able to help out more when you are older. For now, listen to your father and do your chores." The young boy pouted. The mother gave a small laugh and gave her son a kiss on the cheek.
"Don't worry son, your day will come. I bet you been practicing hard with your sword." The man smiled and ruffled his hair. The little boy looked at his parents and gave a smile. The father clapped his hands and said, "Say Link, why don't you get you practice sword and meet me outside, I want to see your progress." The little boy took off in excitement and raced up the stairs.
The drowsy young man came to in darkness. He groaned and felt all the aches and pain return. It took a while for his eyes to adjust. He groaned again and tried to get up, but his cold, pained body protested soundly. All he could do was ponder the dream he had. It was all vivid and real, but he couldn't make out the faces of the man and woman. In his dream, he had been called Link. Link, the name stirred a feeling in his chest. So was that his name? He chewed on the name for a moment and decided that it was good enough.
Link's chest ached when he watched the scene over and over again. Were they really his parents? His thoughts were cut off by a clanging noise. He looked at his cell door and saw a shadow of a small figure standing there. The little shadow made a beckoning gesture with its hand. Link was curious. He ignored his protesting body and sat up. He winced at each stab of pain. But squared his jaw and limped over to the unknown person. The shadow sharpened as he drew near. It was a…dwarf or a gnome, dressed in ridiculous green tights. It had a cap on its head that was also green. It had a kind and puffy face with a goatee and mustache. The thing gave a slight bow to him and said in a whisper, "I am Tingle from the moon. I come to aid you."
Link tilted his head in confusion. The one named Tingle continued, "I will help you by healing your wounds first." Tingle pulled out a small vial with red liquid in it. He handed it to Link and told him to drink the red potion. Link downed it in one go and instantly began to feel the calming effect on his worn body. All that was left was scars and dried blood. Tingle looked apologetically and whispered, "The scars remain, if I had a fairy, there would be no scars, but that is the best I could do. The fairy's light would have attracted the guards." Tingle suddenly looked over his shoulder and whispered urgently, "I hear one coming! I'll return as soon as I can, good luck on your next match. Oh, quick! Pants, put them on." Link raised his eyebrows, but donned the pants. The small man was gone in a flash.
Link now has a companion. Why Tingle? I actually wrote down all the companions that Link has had throughout the Zelda series and put them in a hat. I pulled his name out and there you go. Anyways, I hoped you enjoy this. And Link will be having more flashback dreams.
Did you notice why I didn't describe any clothing on Link? Because he was naked, but I left that out for fun until now. Hope some one thought of that.
