Hello everyone!
Sorry about the really long update. I somehow got it into my head that a month is actually a week and a half... ugh. But school is over for the summer, so I no longer have to be the diligent student.
I'd like to say a big, big thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read my story, and to those who have followed and faved! It really means a lot!
Disclaimer: I do not, and never will, own LoZ- just my OC's and plot.
I wasn't sure how long I sat there with my mouth hanging open as I stared at the door at the top of the stairs.
That's it? That's all I got? To hear a simple, cold "whatever" before he goes running up to his room?
I heard Telma click her tongue once and saw her shake her head.
"Will he be coming back down?" I asked.
"Link? Probably not. He is most likely already asleep as we speak. The boy sure does love his sleep," Telma answered placing her hands on her hips. "Besides, almost everyone here in the village knows how to defend themselves. Him watching over us is not really necessary."
"Is he always like that? Rude, I mean," I asked. I was actually kind of scared of her answer. I think my head would explode if she said that he's actually a jerk.
"Nah, he is a kind lad." (I felt relief wash over me). "Nobu likes to treat him as if he were a soldier," Telma continued. "Orders him around a bit too much; gets on his nerves."
"But he's the Chosen Hero. Can't he just tell this Nobu guy to back off?"
Renado chuckled softly. "Nobu is not someone who would just "back off". If he believes in something, there is no stopping him until it is achieved."
Believes? What does he mean by that?
Before I could ask him what he meant, Parker asked, "So, who is this Nobu guy?"
"Nobu is Princess Zelda's personal guard. And at twenty seven he is the youngest guard to ever have the privilege to protect a royal. He takes his job very seriously," Renado said.
"So he's a true Hylian knight. That's pretty cool," I said looking at Parker.
"Nobu is not a Hylian," Telma said. "He is human."
"Oh?"
"For the last hundred years, the royal's personal guards were Hylian as they are born with more of an advantage over humans," Renado started to explain. "You see, Hylians are born with many traits that differentiate them from humans- aging being one. The older a human becomes the more they start to lose their youth-like stamina. Hylians, on the other hand, do not."
"You better believe it, hon," Telma said to Renado, giving him a sultry wink. I had to bite my tongue to stop myself from laughing as I was sure I saw Renado shudder slightly.
"Humans," Renado continued as if Telma didn't say a word, "at around the age of sixty can start to become frail, sickly, and slow. However, a Hylian at sixty could very well be in the prime of their life; quick, focused, agile. This is why they are considered the best choice- they can protect their charges longer; better."
"So, why is Nobu Zelda's guard then?" Parker asked.
"He is an extremely skilled warrior. Very few compare to him on the battle field as he is truly deft with a sword. Blessed by the goddesses some say," Telma said, her voice going soft as she raised her eyes to the giant smoke hole in the ceiling. She stared at the stars as they blinked in and out of focus through the white smoke of the fire that rose into the night sky.
She lowered her eyes back to us and smiled. "Well, I think that is enough chit-chat for now. What do you say I take the four of you to your rooms? Get you cleaned and settled for the night?" She took the cups from my and Parker's hands and gave them back to Renado.
I smiled with surprise at her mention of having rooms, and nodded. All I wanted at this moment was a hot shower and a warm bed. We told Calli and Charlie where we were headed, and all four of us followed Telma out the back doors.
It was pretty chilly outside, and the four of us started to shiver in our shorts, tank tops, and t-shirts. Telma noticed and mentioned something about grabbing a proper set of outfits for us in the morning.
She led us down the half-lamp-lit dirt road of the village, towards a dirty brick building on the right that was three stories high. We walked up a small side ramp that joined with the porch and entered through the doors.
The inside was not as shabby as I'd expected.
We stepped into the main room and immediately my eyes were drawn upwards. There was nothing but open space from floor to ceiling, three stories up. A large, candle-lit chandelier hung low from the ceiling, casting a golden light bright enough to illuminate the atrium.
On the main floor, a bunch of mismatched couches and chairs were gathered around a small fireplace on the far left-hand wall. On the opposite side and a little further into the room, a lobby desk and cubby was pushed up against the wall underneath a long, narrow staircase. There were what looked like liquor bottles and glasses lining the cubby holes, and chairs placed in front of the desk.
Passed the makeshift bar, a giant cave was carved from the stone of the back wall. I could see that there were multiple long tables with benches inside. There were a few people sitting in there, talking and drinking. That was probably the inn's dining hall.
The staircase over the bar went up two flights. The stairs connected to a landing on the second floor, which was really nothing more than a balcony in front of six doors along the stone wall of the building. The rest of the stairs led up to a single opening within the rock that I assumed led to a third floor.
"Welcome to the Elde Inn. I'll show you to your rooms," Telma said as she headed for the stairs.
There weren't a lot of people here: only two women sat around the fireplace (I noticed them staring at us as we headed up the stairs) and the few people that I saw in the dining hall.
"This place doesn't seem to be very busy," I said as we got to the second floor landing. I expected Telma to lead us towards one of the doors on the balcony, but she kept climbing.
"Most folk are down at the hot springs at this time of night." (I heard Calli gasp with delight at the mention of hot springs). "There is nothing better than hot water and cool air to take your worries away. And we have been worrying for far too long," she said with a sigh.
"How long has everyone been here?" Parker asked from behind me.
"About seven months."
Seven months?
I turned my head to look at Parker. "That's a long time," I said to him, my expression just as puzzled as his.
As we got to the top of the stairs we entered the single door that lead us down a short corridor cut within the mountain, which then curved to the left and opened up into long and narrow hallway. The hall was lit by thick, waxy candles placed in dark metal sconces that sat in-between the four doors that lined each side of the walls. Beside each door were hooks that held a medium-sized oil lamp; and as Telma walked to the third door on the right, she lifted the lamp next to it, lit it by twisting a small knob on the base, and lead us inside.
"This room is for you ladies," she said, handing Calli the light and stepping out of the way for us to see inside.
The room was tiny. There were two single beds with just enough space between them to put a single bedside table. A small, two-drawer dresser sat just to the left of the door, and the only window in the stone room was a tiny skylight above the right bed.
"And for the men," she said as she eyed Charlie up and down before walking to another door with a smirk on her face. Charlie shuddered a little.
Telma lit another lamp, handed it to Parker and opened the second door on the left-side of the hall. We peered inside. It was exactly the same as mine and Calli's, except that the skylight was slightly bigger and in the middle of the room.
"I hope everyone is not too tired to take a quick dip in the hot springs. After a day like yours I would say that you are in need of a nice relaxing bath," Telma said as she stepped back into the hall. We all nodded our heads vigorously in agreement. "Good," Telma smiled at us. "You will each find a bathrobe and a towel in the dressers in your rooms. If you need the bathroom it is on the second floor, right under the staircase. I will go and grab everything you will need to wash. Be back in ten minutes." She winked and then turned and disappeared down the hall and around the corner.
We stood in silence in the hall for a moment until Charlie said, "I think I'm going to see if I can get a drink downstairs. Hopefully they won't ask for I.D. here," he smiled and walked away quickly.
"You know, I think I could use a drink too," Parker said. He turned off the lamp he was still holding and hung it back beside the door, then exited the hall after Charlie.
To be honest, I could have gone for a shot or two of something strong, but Calli turned and went into our shared room. Out of the three of them, she seemed to be the most upset at me. I had to fix things before it got any worse.
When I entered the room the lamp was on the bedside table, and she was sitting on the right-side bed (guess that one's hers) examining one of her flip flops with a frown. I noticed that she didn't seem to be wearing the other one.
"What happened to your other shoe?" I asked as I sat down on the opposite bed.
"Lost it back at the forest earlier today," she said still staring at her one flip flop.
"So, you've gone this whole time with just one shoe?"
"Yup," she said, popping the 'p' at the end. I hate it when she does that.
"Why didn't you say anything?" I asked, annoyed.
"Oh, I did." Her tone was dark. "It fell off my foot as I was being half-dragged away from that forest, and then that creature came and started attacking, and everyone was screaming. Only I wasn't screaming because it almost took off your head. No, I was screaming because I wanted my shoe back!" she finished, glaring daggers at me.
I just stared at her, and then I couldn't help it, I started to laugh. And the harder I laughed, the softer Calli's eyes got until she was laughing along with me. We finally calmed down, gasping for breath as tears streamed down our faces. Then she was beside me, her arms tight around my shoulders as she hugged me.
"I was so scared, Del! Parker's arm was bleeding so much. And then that thing turned on you… We could've lost you!" Her words were muffled and she cried into my shoulder. All I could do was stroke her hair and reassure her that I was okay, that we all were going to be okay. A few minutes passed and she finally calmed down enough to release me from her tight grip.
"Where are we, Del?" she asked as she wiped the tears from her eyes.
"Hyrule, if you can believe it." She gave me a puzzled look, and I smiled. "It's the world the of Legend of Zelda game series. Somehow, we found a way here. Parker says most likely a portal-"
Calli cut me off by raising her hand. "I don't think my brain has the capacity to take in all of that at the moment. Just tell me that we're safe here, that we'll be alright?"
"Yeah. Yeah, I think we'll be fine." I surprised myself by how much I actually believed what I was saying. "So…are we okay?"
"We're okay," she said taking my hand.
She started talking about needing to find someone who could get her a new pair of shoes when Telma walked in wearing a soft blue robe and holding a large basket filled with cloths and small bottles of coloured liquids. She also had a pair of slip-on sandals for Calli as she happened to notice her footwear situation. They were too big, but Telma promised that Calli would get a more suitable pair tomorrow. We grabbed our robes and towels from the dresser, turned off the oil lamp, and headed down to the main floor to find the boys.
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO
Apparently they didn't I.D. here in Hyrule because it looked like both Charlie and Parker were already on their multiple glass of alcohol. I was about to ask if there was a bartender when I heard shuffling underneath the bar and saw a small tuft of dark hair bobbing here and there.
Well, at least there's someone to cut them off.
"You two coming to the hot springs?" Calli asked the boys.
"No, I th- think I'm going to have another glass, then go to bed," Parker said, his words starting to slur.
"And what type of a person would I be if I left my drinking buddy behind?" Charlie said, slapping Parker hard on the back.
"You guys smell, really, really bad, I hope you know," Calli said, wrinkling her nose.
"We don't smell bad! We smell like men!" Charlie yelled proudly as he lifted his arms and then flexed his biceps. Calli rolled her eyes, and I shook my head in disgust.
Given the state of drunkenness that they were in, it was probably safest for them to stay away from deep pools of water. I turned to Parker and asked if he would be okay.
"Yeah," he said. "Renado told me that I shouldn't get my bandage wet anyways. He said it should come off in a couple o' days, but I'll wash tomorrow. I'll be fine. If I can survive a bo-bo-klin attack, I can survive anything."
"To survival!" Charlie roared as he and Parker raised their glasses and toasted. Who knew that near death experiences was the key to having these two finally bond with each other?
Telma, Calli, and I left the boys to their drinking, exited the inn and headed around to the back of the building. The hot springs were just above the inn, and the path that lead to the springs was illuminated with a few small oil lamps that casted a soft glow on the ground. The walk wasn't too steep up the mountain, but it did make you work up a small sweat.
Once we got to the top we started heading towards a bunch of outcrops that were nestled around a small mountain peak. There was soft light coming from them- more oil lamps I guessed. I could see steam rising from the middle of the rocks and had to resist the urge to run over to them. I wondered if they had some sort of shower system up here, or if everyone just took turns using the pools to wash. As we got closer to the outcrops I could hear a bunch of voices. I grew a little concerned because it sounded as if quite a few people where already up here and I didn't want to wait forever for my turn.
Then we rounded the rocks and the hot springs came into view. My heart sank and my cheeks turned red.
It was a public washing area. And it was communal…
The hot spring (not springs!) was quite large. There was a rock wall that ran down the middle of the spring (whether it was naturally there or man-made, I wasn't sure), and seemed to be the only divide between a male and female side. The wall was high enough to provide some modesty, but if you really wanted to take a peak all you had to do was stretch your neck.
I tried to focus on the spring and how the steam was warm against my hands; how the water was dark green like an emerald; how the air didn't smell of sulphur but of something that reminded me of cinnamon. I tried to soak up the beauty before me… but that was really hard to do when a naked body would float by every now and again.
"Telma? Are there anymore hot springs around? Like someplace more private?" I whispered.
"There are, but this one is the closest- and safest," she said with a smile.
I turned to Calli and asked what she was going to do. She thought for a moment, and then gave me a smile that was all mischief.
"When in Rome," she said with a shrug of her shoulders. She dropped her robe and towel onto a boulder close to the edge of the water, stripped off her shirt and bra, and shrugged out of her shorts and underwear. Then she jumped into the spring.
Calli has always been pretty bold, and with the way she looks, she's always been pretty confident with herself. And it's not as if I have problems with how I look. I'm just not as comfortable with the idea of having to wash in front of a bunch of strangers.
"Hey, Calli? Are you cool if I head back? I'm actually really tired. I'll take a bath tomorrow."
"Sure, but I'm staying here. I'm in heaven!" she said, closing her eyes and letting the hot water soak into her bones.
"Are you sure, sweets?" Telma asked me as I started to turn around.
"Yeah, I'm good with washing tomorrow."
"Suit yourself." And with that she ripped off her robe and jumped into the spring, but not before I got an eye-full of her ginormous breasts.
I think I'm going to be mentally scarred for a while with that image burned into my head.
Blinking my eyes to try and erase the image, I turned to head back to the path when I noticed the bath basket by my feet. "Mind if I take a few of these for tomorrow?" I asked Telma.
"Sure. The clear bottle is for washing your hair, and the purple bottle is for your body," she said.
"Can you hand me a few?" Calli asked me. I grabbed one of each for her and left them on the edge of the spring, avoiding eye contact with anything that moved. I took some bottles for myself and a wash cloth.
As soon as I left the outcrop of rocks I instantly regretted it. It was cold out here! I almost turned around to head back to the warmth of the steam, but if I wasn't going to bathe then there was no point in being here. I stopped to put my robe over my shoulders, and as I did I caught a glimpse of the stars. There were thousands upon thousands, all twinkling and shining brightly as I stared at them. They were beautiful, but a somber thought crossed my mind: I didn't know these stars. There was no Big Dipper, no Orion, no North Star; and it hit me of just how big of a mess that the four of us were in.
Overwhelmed, my eyes started to fill with tears, but then those tears of worry turned to tears of joy as I saw big wisps of steam rising from the small mountain peak about thirty or so feet above the communal spring.
Looking around in the little light provided by the oil lamps, I searched for some sort of path to the top. I finally found one. It wasn't much of a path as it was covered with rocks and tough grass, but from what I could see it looked slightly worn as if someone had walked this way few times.
I pushed my arms through the bathrobe sleeves, and put the bottles and wash cloth in the pockets as I started up the trail. It was steeper than I thought and the light ended sooner than I would have liked, but I took it slow, and used my hands to help guide me. Eventually, after God-only-knows-how-long, I hit level ground.
As I stood up I gasped at the sight before me.
Up here in the dark, the water glowed with a soft green light. The steam rising to the sky was a blend of iridescent green and pearly silver, while that smell reminiscent of cinnamon filled the air. Although I wasn't able to see further than a few feet all around me, the water gave off enough light that I wouldn't hurt myself getting in and out of the spring- which was a good thing as there was a giant boulder right in the middle that took up most of the pool.
I gave a triumphant yell, stripped naked, and jumped into the warm water, the water level coming to just under my shoulders. Calli was right, this was heaven!
The luminous water was clear, and when the ripples settled it was as if I was looking through a window made of light green glass. I smiled as I leaned my back against the wall, anchored my elbows to the rim of the pool, and tilted my head back looking at the stars again.
The day's events started bombarding my mind, along with all the emotions that came with them: confusion, fear, disbelief, amazement. How did such an ordinary day get so off track? When I woke up this morning all I had to worry about was making sure Calli, Charlie, and Parker got along on our hike, and to pick up milk for mom.
My heart squeezed tight at the thought of her.
Mom…
She would've realized that something must've happened to us by now. My eyes started to water again as I thought of how scared she must be, not knowing where we are, if we're okay. Parker and I are all she has left, and both of us are here. If only there was some way to send a message to her, to let her know that we're fine.
… But a gut feeling told me that there wasn't a mail system between different worlds.
My tears where threatening to spill over, and I almost gave in to the sob-fest that I was sure was coming when I heard a sound like bubbles popping. Curious, I looked at the water and saw that a few bubbles were escaping from the bottom of the boulder. I wondered if this spring had a small fissure that connected to the volcano of Death Mountain. I grabbed the bottled soaps, intending to wash quickly in case the temperature of this particular spring felt the need to rise. I at least wanted to be clean before being forced out by boiling water.
Just then, more bubbles started to escape and the boulder started to shake violently causing the water to slosh up my face and into my eyes. As I was coughing and rubbing the water away, the boulder started to move and rise from the pool. Frozen with fear, all I could do was watch as the rock before me stood up on two legs, two muscular arms materializing from its sides, crossing over a bulbous chest while a grim face stared right at me.
A Goron!?
"Enjoying my spring, little human?" The Goron's voice was rough and raspy, as if he had gravel in the back of his throat.
I just stared at him until my flight or fight responses kicked in.
I flew.
Water spilled over the edge as I jumped out of the springs and ran with every intention of going back to the inn, but stopped behind a very low boulder as I realized that I left my clothes. There was no way in hell that I was going to go all the way back to the inn naked!
Tentatively, I stuck my head over the rock to see the Goron looking at me. He was mostly in shadow as the dull glow from the water didn't illuminate his tall frame well, but from what I could tell, he didn't seem too pleased.
"Umm, ex-excuse me? Could…could you turn around for a second? So I can grab my clothes. I'll leave your spring right after, promise!" My voice shook a little as I spoke.
I couldn't really tell what expression was on his face. Shock? Confusion? But I was able to see his wide mouth split open as he bent over holding his stomach and burst out laughing; his shaking body causing more water to splash over the sides of the spring. His laugh was rich and gravelly, and I was shocked by how non-threatening the sound made him seem.
His laughing continued as he emerged from the pool. He composed himself, faced me, and smiled. "You are pretty funny, little human. Most people check the springs to see if there are Gorons bathing before they get in." His voice didn't have any trace of anger, only humour.
"I'm not f-from around here. I…I'm actually not e-even from this world," I said with a slight stutter as the chilly night air was biting into my exposed skin.
"Hmm," he said, giving me a curious look. After a short pause he said, "You may finish bathing if you wish."
"R-really?" I wasn't expecting that. "Th-thank you! I'll only be a f-few minutes, p-promise." I was waiting for him to turn around, but he just kept looking at me. I started to get a little uncomfortable. "Uh, d-do you mind leaving so I can f-finish? I can c-call you when I'm done s-so you can use your spring again if y-you'd like?"
The Goron started to laugh again- uncontrollably I might add- but thankfully turned around and started to walk away. I didn't understand what I kept saying to make this guy laugh at me, but as I stepped away from my rock cover the Goron took a seat on the ground, his back facing the spring.
"H-hey, now w-wait a minute! C-can't I get a little bit of p-privacy?" I yelled, stepping behind the rock again.
He chuckled and said over his shoulder, "Do not fret, little human. Your soft body has no appeal to me." When I didn't make a move, he said, "I am keeping guard. Even this far up, danger can still lurk close by." He remained where he was, turned his head forward and started to stare at the sky.
I shuddered at the thought of danger lurking in the shadows- and there were a lot of shadows up here. So I took a deep breath, quickly ran and jumped back into the springs. My skin burned from being out in the cold for too long, but I just ignored it as I grabbed the clear bottle for my hair and uncorked it. The liquid smelled like sweet, summer oranges.
As I lathered my hair, I turned my eyes to the Goron. I could only see his silhouette in the darkness, but he remained seated on the ground, his back still facing me.
The silence was starting to get the better of me, so I dunked my hair under the water to rinse, then grabbed the purple bottle and wash cloth, and asked, "So, what's your name?"
He shifted a little, and I lowered myself just in case he turned around. But he stayed where he was and after a moment of silence he answered, "Rux."
"Rux?" I said as I scrubbed at the dirt on my arms. I tried to think if I knew his character, but nothing came to mind. "I don't think I've heard of you." I heard him give an indignant snort as he shifted again, and I realized he was not impressed with my comment. "I'm sorry, that was really rude of me," I amended, shame in my voice. "My name's Del."
"Del? I believe I have not heard of you either." His tone wasn't spiteful, it was teasing and light. I laughed.
"Well, as I said, I'm not from this world." I said softly as I started to clean my foot.
He didn't say anything after that, and I finished up with my washing. I told Rux that I was done but I just needed to change, and to not turn around yet. He laughed once more but didn't move. My robe was soaked from when hastily I jumped out of the spring and the towel was too short to act as a wrap, so I had to settle with wearing my dirty yoga top and shorts with the bokoblin dust still in the fibers. I wrapped the towel around my shoulders, gathered my things and approached Rux.
"I'm all done. Thank you again for letting me use your hot spring. I'll remember to keep an eye out for bathing Gorons next time."
He stood and turned towards me. "Feel free to use my spring anytime," he said and then turned to head down the mountain from the opposite direction of me.
"Oh, umm…thank you!" I said surprised and happy that he would allow me to continue bathing up here. As I started to scan the area for the trail to get me back down, I remembered something.
"Wait," I called after Rux's retreating form. He stopped but only turned his head slightly over his shoulder. "Thank you, for watching over me." I didn't know if he could see my smile, but I hoped that he could at least hear my gratitude in my voice. He bowed his head slightly to me, and then disappeared down the mountain.
I found the trek down the peak to be a little more nerve racking, but I took it slow again. Once I reached the bottom I was thankful to see that the the oil lamps were still lit and I made my way back to the inn. I didn't know what time it was, but it must be pretty late as there was no one around. I walked up the stairs to my room, and hoping that I wasn't mistaken that ours was the third on the right, I opened the door to see Calli turning down the covers of the bed on the left. She was wearing a long, black nightgown that had a short V-neck and sleeves that cut off at her elbows.
"There you are!" she practically yelled as I closed the door. "I was starting to get worried that something happened to you."
"Nah, I managed to find another hot spring and used it." I decided I wasn't going to mention about meeting Rux tonight. I was too tired and didn't want to have to explain what a Goron is to her.
"Oh, that's good," she said, going back to fussing with her bed. "Telma said to tell you that tomorrow morning she is going to take us to get new clothes!"
"That's good, because I'm tired of having this creature dust in mine," I said, moving my hips and making the dust glitter in the lamp light from the bedside table. She made a face at that.
"That's for you," she said pointing to a square piece of material on the right bed. I lifted it up and it unfolded into a sleeveless, dark brown nightgown with a scoop neck. I mentally rolled my eyes because of course she would pick the nicer of the two. I laid it back down and started to get undressed.
I pulled the gown over my head. It hung large and loose at my sides, and stopped just above my feet. However, the neckline swooped a bit deeper than I would've expected from a modest-looking nightgown, revealing a good amount of cleavage.
Well, at least the top shows that I'm a woman underneath this tent.
"So, the left bed is yours, I take it," I said.
She looked at me sheepishly. "The skylight is right where my head is. I can't sleep if the sun is in my eyes."
"I know. I don't mind the sunlight," I said, smiling at her as I pulled down the covers and hopped into bed.
"I know," she said and smiled back.
We said our good nights and she switched off the lamp. I was out even before my head hit the pillow, falling into a calm and dreamless sleep.
Yay for new chapters!
Once again, thanks to everyone who's been reading this. I know that things are progressing a little slow story-wise at the moment because of the initial world and character intros. But in the next chapter there will be a little more of Link, and more action coming a few chapters later.
So review, review, review, follow and fave!
~lavender phoenix~