Chapter 3: The Dark Power
Hey Guys, I'm back! Sorry for the slight delay, but like I say, I'm at school all day (wow that rhymed really bad). Plus, I've had quite a bit of homework, but I digress. Anyway, thank you, the two people who reviewed last chapter: Guest and SoulfulGinger. I really appreciate reviews, and if I don't get any, I might just lose it and destroy a small island, like Hawaii! So please, review, for Hawaii's sake. Anyway, On with the Show!
It was close to 11:00 in the evening at Hyrule Castle, and the Festival had just ended about an hour ago. Inside her spacious royal bedroom, Princess Zelda lounged lazily on the edge of her bed. Opal and Crystal stood next to her bed, a light smile on the former's face as the young princess animatedly recounted her exciting evening. Zelda had just begun to recount her sword duel with Link, babbling breathlessly on as she fondly recalled the skirmish.
"...I knew he didn't want to fight me," Zelda rambled on, "But I wanted to prove to everyone that I'm not some weak little princess who can't handle herself. The manager obviously didn't want me to fight, but by that point I wasn't gonna let anything stop me from fighting."
"I don't think your father would approve of you participating in such a dangerous sport," Opal doted, taking a motherly tone. She knew Zelda had a rebellious streak and was surprisingly tomboyish for a princess, but she nevertheless lectured her anyway. She thought of Zelda as her own sister, and worried about her just as much as her own father.
"It's not like we were fighting with real swords, Opal," Zelda retorted as she dramatically rolled her eyes. "Besides, I think I gave Link a run for his money. I almost got him to trip up, but he did some fancy spinning attack and managed to get me." Just as Zelda finished saying this, she unconsciouslessly massaged her shoulder, still feeling the bruised tissue where Link had managed to hit her only a few hours before.
Crystal raised an eyebrow before stating, "You are rubbing your shoulder as if it pains you. I suspect that is the spot where Link managed to injure you." No sooner had she said this did she promptly pull back on the collar of Zelda's dress until her injured shoulder was revealed.
"Zelda!" Opal exclaimed, worry bursting from her like an explosion. Reluctantly, Zelda took a look in her mirror at her injured shoulder. As soon as she saw the bruise, she winced; just looking at it seemed to hurt even more. The bruise was a dark purple hue, the skin soft and tender. The bruise stretched from her collarbone to her armpit, and any movement she made seemed to only amplify the sore muscle. Though it didn't seem to be bleeding, there did appear to be pus oozing out of the wound, causing Zelda to nearly vomit at the sight of it.
"I do not believe it is anything serious," Crystal stated matter of factly as she walked toward Zelda's end table, "But I theorize you will be sore for several days." As she spoke, she began to search meticulously through the table's drawers, before grabbing a cluster of bandages and a simple healing potion.
Carefully, she handed the potion to Zelda as she wrapped the bandages around her bruised shoulder. Zelda winced as the bandages pressed against her tender skin. Next to her, Opal continued to watch Zelda in concern. Her face had only worry written on it, and it was clear she was shook up over Zelda's injury. Feeling guilty as she saw Opal's worried expression, Zelda forced a grin.
"Don't worry, Opal," Zelda reassured through gritted teeth, "It doesn't hurt so bad." However, Crystal tightened the bandages just as Zelda said this, causing Zelda to grimace in pain. Opal's brow furrowed, her concern only intensified now. Zelda immediately glared at Crystal, who stared at her innocently. "You didn't have to wrap them so tight, Crystal," Zelda said irritably.
"I assumed you would understand that I would need to tighten the bandages in order to seal the wound from any blood or pus that may escape the open wound," Crystal explained, her usual emotionless expression softening just a little after she said it. "I recommend you drink that potion immediately," she continued, gesturing toward the bottle Zelda still held tightly in her hand.
Nodding, Zelda eagerly plucked the cap off the bottle and poured the drink down her throat. Instantly, she could feel herself feel better, her sore muscles seemed to relax, the pain seeping away as though swept away by a soothing river. Zelda heaved a sigh, feeling peaceful as the pain washed away. Opal seemed to sense Zelda's relief, and breathed a sigh of her own. She gave a wide smile as she looked at the two girls.
"I never knew you were such a competent doctor, Crystal," Zelda complimented, giving the stoic girl a cheeky grin as she patted her on the shoulder. "I feel almost as good as new now."
Surprisingly, Crystal returned Zelda's grin with a small smile of her own. "Thank you, Zelda," Crystal said, "but your arm will still need a day or two to heal."
"I guess that means you won't be practicing your usual sword routines for a while then?" Opal questioned, her motherly nagging seeming to resurface. She chuckled lightly as noticed Zelda's genuinely disappointed expression.
However, both Opal and Crystal were caught off guard by Zelda's next words. "But I was hoping I could invite Link to the castle to help me practice my sword techniques." The look of disappointment in her eyes and the way she seemed to long for Link's company could mean only one thing.
"You have a crush on Link, don't you?" Opal asked slyly, smiling deviously when she saw Zelda's face turn as red as a cherry.
"What?!" Zelda sputtered, nervously looking away as she struggled to control her burning cheeks. "How can I like him? I only just met him today! Not to mention that nasty bruise he gave to me." However, Opal seemed unconvinced, smirking at the younger girl knowingly. Even Crystal seemed to find this amusing, a tiny smirk appearing on her face.
"Blushing, stumbling over your words, avoiding eye contact, and flustered behavior are all accurate indicators of one's infatuation with another person," Crystal stated as if she was listing the symptoms to a contagious disease. Zelda only blushed further, her face even redder as she glared at the older girls.
"How would you even know what infatuation is, Crystal?" Zelda retorted in an annoyed tone, clearly getting sick of the argument. "I've never even seen you show the slightest interest in a man, let alone an 'infatuation'." Zelda had hoped to get a reaction out of Crystal, but Crystal simply shrugged.
"I've never really found much appeal in a man before, I suppose," she stated simply. Zelda grumbled to herself as Opal chuckled and gently patted the princess' uninjured shoulder.
"We're only teasing, Zelda," Opal said with a tender, motherly tone. "It's just a little crush; you don't need to get worked up about it." She gave a reassuring smile to Zelda, whose incessant blushing had finally come to an end. Zelda managed a smile of her own. "And besides," Opal continued with a teasing tone, "I'm sure Link feels the same way about you as you do him."
Zelda groaned again, her cheeks flaring up yet again as she playfully shoved Opal, who laughed lightly. To her surprise, Zelda felt herself laugh along with her. Despite their occasional teasing, Opal and Crystal were always there for her, and she loved them for that. "You two aren't going to drop this, are you?" Zelda asked in a hopeful tone after she finally managed to calm her giggling. Opal and Crystal both shook their heads, teasing smiles lighting up their faces. Zelda mockingly rolled her eyes before speaking. "As much as you may want to pair me up with Link," Zelda firmly declared, "I just want to be friends with Link first."
"That's how it starts," Opal chuckled to herself, earning yet another groan from Zelda.
"Do I have to hit you?" Zelda threatened, playfully glaring at Opal. Opal held up her hands in mock surrender, but her teasing smirk remained.
"Fine, we'll drop it,"Opal gave in. She opened her mouth to say something, but before she could say anything, she seemed to freeze. Her eyes widened, her face contorted into a look of pure, unshakeable fear. Her body was absolutely rigid, as if she were having a seizure, and her hands were tightly gripping the side of Zelda's bed.
Just as suddenly as the seizure began, however, it disappeared. The look of fear remained on Opal's face, yet she seemed to visibly relax and her body was no longer rigid. Both Crystal and Zelda looked at Opal with concern.
"Are you alright, Opal?" Zelda asked apprehensively. The fearful look on Opal's face disappeared quickly, but there was one thing Zelda knew for sure: Opal was not okay.
Opal quickly put on a composed face, as if she had not just seized up only moments ago. "I'm fine," she muttered, clearly disturbed by the event. She quickly glanced at Crystal, who met her look and seemed to understand, then turned to Zelda. "I'm sorry, Zelda," she apologized weakly, "But I think Crystal and I are probably going to be heading off to bed now." Crystal nodded in agreement and made their way toward the exit.
Zelda quickly got up from her bed. "Wait!" she cried. "You just went into shock a few seconds ago! You can't just shake that off!" Opal gave her a weak smile, as if to reassure her that everything was fine, but Zelda quickly stopped her. "What's really going on, Opal? There's something you're not telling me, and I can tell it's important!"
Opal sighed, but kept her hand on the door handle. "I wish I could tell you Zelda," she confessed in weak voice, "I truly do." Without another word, Opal left the room. Crystal turned to look at Zelda, giving her an apologetic look as she followed Opal out the door. With that, Zelda was left alone in her room, confused, worried, and hurt.
"We shouldn't have left Zelda without an explanation like that," Crystal argued yet again as she Opal returned to their shared quarters. It was a small room, but neat and orderly, thanks to Opal's obessive compulsive urge to keep everything in complete and absolutely order. However, the state of their room was the last thing on Opal mind as Crystal continued to lecture her about their abrupt exit.
"You know we can't explain the situation to her, Crystal," Opal responded, irritation in her voice. Why was Crystal being so hard headed and sensitive all of sudden. Under normal circumstances, Crystal was the most logical, analytical, emotionally detached person you'd ever know. So why did she have to pick now to start acting from her heart?
"Zelda's not an idiot, Opal," Crystal stated. "She knows something's up, and because we haven't told her anything yet, she is likely in even more danger."
Opal scowled at her before replying in a firm voice, "If we tell her about what's going on, she'll likely become the dark power's first target. I refuse to put her life in jepoardy, even if it means keeping her in the dark."
Crystal gave her a disapproving look. "She's not some innocent bystander who has nothing to do with this, Opal, and you know that. We need to tell her."
Opal sighed, but refused to back down. "You didn't have the premonition, Crystal," Opal spoke softly; it was clear the vision was still affecting her. "The dark power already knows who we are. He is ready to make his move on us, and it will be soon. We cannot afford to jeopardize Zelda, not when the dark power is so close to attacking."
Crystal gave Opal a sympathetic look, before gently deciding, "If we can't tell Zelda, we must at least warn the others. If we can act quick enough, we can prevent whatever the dark power is planning." Opal gave her a small smile before nodding.
"Alright," She agreed, "I'll tell them to meet with us as soon as possible." Crystal nodded, and turned to lock their bedroom door for the night. However, just as she touched the door handle, the door suddenly opened, revealing a mysterious figure, wearing a red cloak that covered his face. All that could be seen were his murderous red eyes, which gleamed with sadistic triumph.
"Oh, I agree," the dark figure hissed, chuckling darkly as he stepped into the room. Opal turned to see the figure, her eyes wide with horror. Crystal stared at him in fear as well, petrified by his appearance. "Come now," He said in mock offense, "No greeting? I'm disappointed. I had always thought the Seven Maidens would have much better manners."
He reached out to grab Crystal, but before he could, a burst of white magical energy smashed into his chest, sending him tumbling backward. He got to his feet, his eyes burning murderously as he glared at Opal, who threw another ball of energy at him.
However, this time the dark figure was prepared, and he caught the energy ball in midair. Opal's expression changed to horror and shock, and behind his cloak, the figure smiled darkly. "Now, that wasn't very civil, young Maiden," he chastised, tossing the ball back at Opal. It struck her in the chest, exploding harshly against her and sending flying like a ragdoll into the wall. she hit the floor, unconscious.
The figure turned to look at Crystal, who was still frozen in fear. "Do I frighten you?" he asked, reveling in the sheer terror he was bringing to his prey. "Does my dark power bring you nightmares?" He took another step forward, causing Crystal to quickly shuffle backward. At this, the figure cackled.
"And here I thought you were the rational, emotionless one. But I guess even the most stoic of creatures feel fear when cornered by a being of my Power." He made a sickening chuckle beneath his cloak as he continued to approach her. "But don't worry," he assured, caressing Crystal with his gnarled hands, "I won't kill you. No, I have something much more important for you and your friends, my precious Maiden." As he grabbed Crystal, he only asked one more question.
"Tell me," he asked in a low, dangerous whisper, "Where are the rest of the Maidens?"
Meanwhile, back at Link and Uncle's house, Uncle was bickering with Aura and Emerald, trying to convince them to spend the night.
"We've told you, Uncle," Aura argued, continuing to deny his hospitality, "As much as we'd like to stay here, we need to be getting back home. It's nothing personal, you should know that."
Uncle simply waved his hand, dismissing her claims. "I don't care what you say, Aura," he replied, his stubborness taking over, "It's too late for you two to return home. It's an hour trip from here to Kakariko, not to mention it's dangerous with all the creatures that have been appearing recently. I insist you stay here for the night, you two."
Aura just groaned at this. Emerald, however, seemed much more obliged to accept than Aura. "I want to stay here, Papa!" Emerald enthusiastically shouted, earning her a glare from Aura. Link just chuckled at this, along with Uncle.
"Sorry, Aura," Link said in slightly smug voice, "Looks like you've been overruled." Aura just gave him a look, before groaning in defeat.
"Fine," she muttered dejectly, clearly more upset about losing the argument than about being forced to stay there. "I guess it isn't so bad," she admitted, earning a smile from Link and Emerald, and a chuckle from Uncle. "Besides," she added, a bit of her bright attitude coming out, "I have missed being here with you guys, as a family." Uncle smiled at this, wrapping his arms around Aura in a tight hug.
"Of course you have!" he shouted, laughing at her surprised expression. He then proudly boasted, "We're the best family in all of Hyrule! Who wouldn't want to spend time with us?!"
At this, everyone laughed. Link smiled as he looked at the people in the house with him. Even though Aura and Emerald weren't his biological sisters, he still thought of them as closer than blood. And even though Uncle wasn't his father, Link would always look up to his Uncle like a father figure. Through and through, Link couldn't ask for a better family.
After a few hours of chatting, goofing around, and overall fun, Link, Uncle, Aura and Emerald went to bed. Emerald and Aura, despite having moved out almost a year before, still had there room in the house, and fell asleep almost instantly. Uncle and Link followed soon after, the house becoming quiet and peaceful. However, as they slept, a pair of shadows crept into the house from the outside. Silently, they slithered through the house like snakes, searching for their prey. They scanned the house, before finally finding their bounty. Like silent thieves, the shadows crawled into the room, and like ghosts snatched their targets.
No sooner had the shadows laid their claws on their prey did they scream. The blood wrenching scream woke the rest of the house, who quickly ran to the room to investigate the commotion. But it was too late. The shadows had made off with their targets.
"Who could have done this?" Uncle breathed, too shocked to say anything else.
"Whoever it was, he is a monster," Link growled, barely able to contain his rage. For what the shadows had done, what the shadows had taken, was both horrible and evil. It was unforgivable.
The shadows had kidnapped Aura and Emerald.
So, yeah. I know my chapters are kind of short for now, but I've still been having a writer's block, and it doesn't help I have a narrative essay due in a week. I thought I did pretty good for the circumstances. Anyway, I know this chapter focuses quite a bit on Zelda and then on Crystal and Opal, but next chapter we'll get to see more of the dark figure, because it's very mysterious who he is. Besides, this chapter was mostly build up. Next chapter though, will include the beginning part of the game, so heads up everyone. Read and Review, Favorite, follow, whatever. I hoped you liked this chapter.
Until Next Time, take my hand and let's swan dive toward adventure!
~The Supreme~