[A.N. – Woo, another
chapter! C'mon, people, "Yay!" with
me! LoL, yeah, I know I haven't written
anything in a while, but hey, better late than never, right? Well, you know the deal, but incase you
don't…I do not own Zelda. If I did, I
wouldn't have this crappy computer. Thank you, and enjoy the third installment of "The Quest for the Key"!
*Dramatic music*]
~~~~~~~
Link wiped away the cluster of sweat drops that had
accumulated on his forehead. Although
the ride to the castle was easy, it was long. Also, most of it occurred under the harsh assault of the sun's
rays. It was journeys like these that
made Link wish they hadn't sold the old Lon Lon Ranch; it was so much closer to
the castle!
Link glanced up at the sky. The sun that was so intent on antagonizing him and his travel
partner was quickly moving across the sky. Link estimated it to be around noon, and although it had been only a few
hours since he left the ranch it seemed like two eternities had passed since
the last time he saw his wife.
The soldier seemed to sense Link's morose thoughts, and
suggested they stop to rest for a bit. "I can also explain the situation," he
added. Link agreed, and the two strayed
from the road a bit and headed toward a small pond surrounded by a group of
trees. The men allowed their horses to
drink and allowed themselves to sit.
"So, what is all this about?" Link inquired, taking a sip
from his flask of water. "Does the
princess have particularly bad feelings about this dream?"
The soldier looked at him, surprise clearly marking his
features. "Dream? We know nothing of a
dream. I was sent here to inform you
that Princess Zelda is missing!"
Link felt his eyes widen. Missing? That could only
mean…"When did you discover her absence?" Link asked, barely managing to mask
the urgency of the question.
The guard considered the question. "Early this morning. A guard making his rounds found the door to
her room open. This caused him to
become suspicious and, upon entering, he saw that her bed had been slept in,
but was then empty. A search of the
castle took place, but it was in vain. The princess is missing."
Link swallowed hard, fighting to remain composed, "Were
there signs of a struggle?"
Once again, the soldier paused to think, "The milk bottle
that had been sitting on the princess's mirror was spilt. Other than that, everything was normal."
Link was beginning to feel ill. He knew he should disclose the information he had about the
dream, but for some reason, he hesitated to speak of it. He threw up his hands in a sign of
exasperation, "I suppose the only thing I can do is consult the king."
"And
that's why we're going to the castle," the guard finished for him. Without speaking, Link rose and stared at
the sky. He was about to say something
to the soldier about continuing on when a shout caused him to turn abruptly.
It
was the soldier who had cried out, and the reason was quite apparent. Three, large wolfos had closed in on them
without their knowledge. Each man's
right hand flew to the sheath that encased his sword, and each beast looked hungrily
at its foes.
Link
was the first to attack, selecting the largest wolfos. He swung his sword high into the air,
bringing it down swiftly upon his enemy's head. The creature paused, as if dazed, but was not to be thwarted that
easily. The now irate wolfos threw
itself at Link who managed to prevent the completion of the maneuver. Instead, he grabbed the wolfos's
outstretched paws, and slammed its body against the tree that was nearby. The monster let out a final yelp before
slumping lifelessly to the ground.
Link
checked to see how his partner was faring. The guard seemed to have one of the remaining two wolfos under control,
but the other one was snapping its jaws relentlessly at the man. Determined to be of assistance, Link rushed
forward to aide the struggling soldier.
There
are events that must be attributed to fate; things that cause further occurrences
that would never happen otherwise. What
unfolded was one of those events. As
Link ran forward, the toe of his boot became snagged on a root, and, with arms
flailing wildly, Link fell face down on the ground. Link's heart almost stopped as he became aware of the warm, moist
air on the back of his neck. He knew a
starving, crazed wolfos was standing over him, ready to sink its dripping fangs
into its prey's neck. The breath was
getting closer; Link could feel the saliva dropping onto his exposed neck. He shut his eyes tightly and awaited the
inevitable.
~~~~~~~
[A.N.
– Yes, I DO realize that this is almost a thousand words shorter than my first
chapter. I know exactly what happens
next (which is more than I can say for all of you. *Evil laugh* what, you don't think I will kill Link off? You say, "Aww, she would never do that, she's
too nice!" Well, just you wait and see…*another
evil laugh*), and I could have actually added a lot more to this chapter, but
this seemed like SUCH a convenient place to stop. *Giggle* Now, go be a dear and review, please ^-^]
