Chapter 4: The Secrets of the Dawn

2008 was a bad year for me. I dropped off the FFN curve because I just couldn't stand writing this. I'm not doing very well, physically or emotionally. I needed lots of time off. 2009 will be better.


Alone in her rooms that night, Nabooru lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling. Nothing interested her anymore. She'd felt this way since her brother's death; incomplete, numb, with an aching sense of wrongness. To keep her mind off the emptiness, she became Maria's companion. She felt she owed it to the poor, parentless child, and was determined to keep Maria alive and safe.

But sometimes, taking care of Maria was a challenge. She was a secretive, independent creature that kept her own schedule, regardless of anyone else's desires. Many times, late at night, Nabooru heard Maria pacing in her room. It was almost impossible to talk to her about her troubles. By dawn, the girl was already up and finished with a morning run, and she worked with the others late into the night. Nevertheless, for all her flaws, Nabooru loved her all the same.

Now even Maria was gone.

A sob escaped her lips. It was all so hard. Her brother had been there her entire life. He'd taken care of her after their mother died, had raised her and their two other sisters. She still couldn't accept the fact that he was gone.

She rolled over to glance at the window. It was nearly dawn. According to her clock, she had one hour of sleep left. Not that she actually managed to sleep at all. Closing her eyes, Nabooru tried to sleep.

A few moments later, her eyes snapped open. The room was suddenly colder. She glanced at her window, only to find it firmly closed and locked. She tilted her head, confused, and then lay back down.

Sssshhh . . . . She sat up quickly, blankets tumbling to the floor. "Who's here?" she demanded, trying to sound braver than she felt. "Answer me!"

The hair on the back of her neck prickled, a faint presence filled the room. For many years, Nabooru had known that she was more responsive to the presence of spirits than other Gerudo. Her mother called it "Spiritual Awareness." Her chest tightened with a rarely felt emotion; fear. Something was here, be it spirit or human.

"Who's there?!" she yelled, a hint of panic slipping into her sleepy voice. "Ganondorf, is it you?" Nabooru had grown up with the firm conviction that unhappy spirits commonly came back to haunt people for many reasons, and Maria's disappearance was certainly a good reason. Nabooru knew that her brother secretly loved his daughter, however he may have tried to hide it.

There was, of course, no answer. "Ganondorf, if it's you, I'm sorry about Maria," Nabooru whispered. "I . . . . I tried to protect her, but it was beyond my control! Don't punish me, please!"

The air throbbed. Whoever was in the room was very angry, according to her born ability to identify Spiritual emotion. She fell to her knees, petrified at the thought of the unknown.

"Ganondorf, I'm sorry! I tried! I tried! Please, I never meant for this to happen! I tried to love and protect her the way you would have, the way you wanted, but . . . she's gone! And th-there's n-n-nothing I can do . . . ." she broke down and wept. "S-s-surely you've found her in the afterlife?"

There was still no reply, but a second emotion, something akin to sadness, drifted through the room as an invisible aura. Nabooru peered through her fingers into the room, but there was nothing there. "You haven't found her?" she asked blankly.

Agreement mixed with the sadness and anger, which had dulled into a vague pulsing at the back of Nabooru's consciousness. "Why haven't you found her? In the afterlife, surely you could be guided to her . . . ." Then it clicked. "She's not dead, is she?" Nabooru whispered huskily.

More agreement. The spirit seemed pleased that she'd caught on so quickly.

"Is Seva right then?" she asked. "Is Maria in a parallel universe?" In a softer voice, she added, "Is she okay?"

The feelings vanished. Confused, Nabooru turned around, trying to hear or see something, anything . . . . Then stopped. The soft, harmonious chords of a gentle melody filled the room, even though the windows and doors were closed. It was the sound of a piano, an instrument Ganondorf loved to play during his life. Suddenly terrified, she stood up and dashed from her room, down the halls, to Ganondorf's study.

As soon as she pushed open the doors, she screamed in horror. The piano was playing on its own, playing a song she knew from many years ago. Ganondorf had written it himself, for his wife. Terrified, she waited breathlessly in the doorway, frozen in place. Finally, the piano fell silent. She took a few steps into the room. Her feet padded softly on the worn carpet. The first thing she noticed was the note lying on the bench. Trembling, she stepped a little closer. Nothing happened. She raced across the room and snatched the note up. It said:

Maria. Lost.

Not safe. Help her.

Twilight. Twili.

Help.

Then, an apparent shift of emotions.

Sister.

Love you.

Be safe.

What does this mean? she thought. Not safe, help her, lost, I understand that. But . . . what does Twilight have to do with anything? What is Twili? Do I have to help it or them, him or her? Tears began to form in her eyes as she read the rest. "Sister, love you, be safe." Oh, Ganon . . .

She sobbed helplessly, clutching the note to her heart. Again, the overpowering pain crashed through her body like a deadly wave, reminding her that her brother was gone. Gone forever, never coming home.

And as the day wore into morning, Nabooru slipped into a deep sleep on the floor of her brother's study, dwelling once more on Maria and her plight.

Lost.

Twilight.

Maria.

Not safe. Help her.

Lost.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the parallel universe of Hyrule, Maria lay on her side, trying to breathe through her agony. Her bones still burned with fire, her muscles felt like they were being strained to their limits. She twitched convulsively, foam dripping down her long pink tongue from between her pearly-white fangs. Her tail, somehow able to move without her realization, swished back and forth rapidly as her paws jerked and dug at the ground. Goddesses help me, she thought wildly. Please. Someone. Anyone.

"Maria, it's okay!" cried Luna. She dove towards the transformed girl. A bolt of black energy shot from her fingers into the wolf's fur. She was relieved to see the taunt muscles beneath the black fur relax a bit. "I can't heal," Luna explained hurriedly, "but I can ease it. The Twilight is poisoning you, I think. I can't tell. Please, stop thrashing around."

She held the wolf's legs down, all four of them, praying to the gods for help. No matter how violently she shook, Luna kept her hold. She soothed the poor girl with meaningless whispers and more pulses of magic.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Maria stopped shaking. Luna peered anxiously at her face. Her yellow eyes were half-open, and her sides swelled with deep, difficult breaths. "Are you all right?" she asked uncertainly.

There was no response from the girl. "Maria? Maria?! Wake up!" The Twili shook her, hesitantly at first, then more urgently. "Maria . . . ." She bit her lip until a drop of silvery-blue blood appeared. She's unconscious, I guess. But what am I supposed to do until she wakes up? She glanced around. There's no shelter . . . .

And it was true. Besides the tunnel, there seemed to be nothing to hide in, no hole in the ground or patch of trees. A drop of rain fell onto her nose. Luna glanced at the sky. Black clouds obscured the stars. Uh-oh. That's not good. The wind, which had been calm, began to pick up. A storm was coming, no doubt about it.

Luna took hold of Maria's back paws. They twitched weakly. Gathering her nerve, Luna pulled Maria into the tunnel. It was slow work. Maria was dense, a dead weight that made dragging her along extremely arduous. By the time she was finished, both wolf and Twili were soaked to the bone from the rain.

Shivering, Luna slipped out of her sodden cloak. Cold wind whipped through the tunnel, bringing freezing rain with it. Numb, Luna crawled over to Maria, and placed a hand on her side. Her breathing and heartbeat were dreadfully faint. "Maria," she whispered. "Maria, please. Please wake up. Please. Don't die. I can't fail this early! I can't! Wake up!"

But Maria didn't even move. Stifling her moan of misery, Luna rocked back and forth, hugging herself in the cold. I have to get warm . . . she thought. Now. Or neither of us will make it. She glanced around. Near the mouth of the tunnel was a pile of wood, probably left by travelers. She dragged it over. Thank the gods, its dry! Calling upon her Twilight magic, she waved a hand above the wood. It burst into flames. Heat washed over her life a wave. Greedily, she hunched as close as possible to the tiny campfire. After a few minutes, she straightened and hauled Maria closer. "Come on," she murmured. "Stay alive, for me. Please."

Luna made herself comfortable, keeping an eye on the barely-breathing wolf, while the wind howled around them and the rain poured down from the heavens, as if the gods themselves wept over their suffering.

So absorbed as she was on watching Maria, Luna failed to notice when the whistling wind stopped rushing through the tunnel, but rather around it, as if a barrier had been erected around their shelter. She failed, too, to notice the strange creature that watched them from a tree. When it finally took flight, flapping on vast leathery wings, Luna was already asleep.

* * *

"Nabooru. Wake up."

"Go away, Hakkai. I'm not taking your shift."

"Nabooru! Wake up right now!"

Nabooru jolted to attention. Hakkai stood above her. "Finally!" she snapped, looking impatient. "What are you doing lying on the floor?"

The second-in-command blinked. "Huh?" Then she remembered, and leapt to her feet. She was in Ganondorf's study. "Oh, Din! I heard the piano, and . . . ." she hesitated. "I . . . . I went to see who was in here."

"There's no one, Nabooru. Besides, you're a couple hours late for your shift."

Nabooru scowled. "I knew that. The piano played on its own. And there was a note left on the bench . . . ."

"What note?"

"This one." When she held out her hand, she was surprised to find it empty. "It was here . . . ."

"There's no time for that. Someone came here to talk to you. He said he's traveled a long time to see you, and refuses to leave until he does. He even followed me in here."

Nabooru frowned. "Where is he?"

"Right here, my dear." A very familiar figure stepped out from behind Hakkai. His expression was openly amused. "Right here, and surprised to find you sleeping on the floor."

Nabooru gaped. "What are you doing here?" she whispered in alarm. "What the hell are you doing here?! You're . . . you're . . . ."

"What's the matter, surprised to see me?" He bared his fangs in a grin. When she didn't respond, he continued. "It has been quite a long time, yes, I am aware of that. I wouldn't have come at all, but I was asked to give you a message." He pushed his long hair back and cleared his throat. "A rather important message, if you would; a matter-of-life-or-death message."

"And what might that be?" she asked him. Unbeknownst to him, her mind reeled. This can't be happening. He's not . . . he's not supposed to be here. He's supposed to be dead! How dare he walk right in here, charming the guards into thinking he isn't dangerous, getting close enough to hurt me the most when I'm down. Ooh, if I ever find the guards who let him in, I'll . . . .

Despite all her rage and her muddled thinking, the very alive visitor smirked up at her. "Don't interfere," he ordered.

She scowled at him. "Very funny. Tell me the message!"

"That was the message," he said smoothly. Rage pricked her; she suddenly wanted to fling something at his arrogant face. "If you want your niece to live, don't interfere."

The fury drained away, leaving a sort of horror. How did he know about Maria?

"Is that a threat?" she asked him softly. Behind him, Hakkai drew her knife, face as hard as stone.

He shook his head. "No. Not a threat. Don't interfere, Nabooru. Don't send any more searchers. Everything will work out if you cease your tireless effort. If not, you may end up killing her with a false move." The smirk vanished. "Beware, Nabooru. The simplest thing you do to help her, may be what finally ends her life." He turned to leave.

"Wait!" she commanded. He paused. "If you know so much about my niece . . . ."

He smirked. "She's rather small for her age, pale, yellow eyes, reddish-brown hair, carries a thin sword, is always careful about her speech, and she has a scar on her forehead, over her left eyebrow. She is a pretty child, isn't she? Looks a lot like her mother."

This time, he really did leave. Nabooru stared after him, too dumbstruck to say another word. At the doorway, he said quietly, "Farewell, Nabooru. And remember what I said. This goes farther than a Shadow Crystal and a missing child. You don't want to mess with the Gods. This is their plan."

Then he vanished in a puff of black smoke.

* * *

The rain stopped just before dawn. Luna lifted her sleepy head from her arms and checked the fire. It was down to glowing embers. She groaned. The wood supply had run out hours ago.

Grimacing at the stiffness in her bones, she turned her head a little more to confirm that Maria was still among the living. It had been a hard night for Luna, desperately trying to stay awake and keep the fire going. At last, exhausted, she'd slipped into unwilling sleep with her head on Maria's stomach. Now she worried that Maria had passed on while she slept.

Much to her astonishment, Maria was still breathing. Furthermore, her heartbeat was strong and sure. Luna shook her carefully. "Maria?" she asked tentatively. The wolf twitched. "Maria! Maria! Wake up! It's nearly morning!"

Those yellow eyes opened drowsily; her mouth stretched in a doggy yawn. "Luna?" she asked groggily. "What's wrong?"

"Thank you, Mother Din," Luna whispered. She pulled at Maria's tail. "Come on! Get up! Gods, girl, get moving! It's morning!"

Maria sat up. "Oh. Gods, what happened to me?"

"You were having some sort of seizure and passed out. I've been trying to get you to wake up for ages."

"Well, I'm awake now." She yawned again.

"Can you walk?" Luna asked, picking up her still-damp cloak.

"I think so." Maria stood up unsteadily. "It still hurts." Attempting to take a step forward, she stumbled and plowed chest-first into the grass. "Ouch."

"Having trouble walking?" asked Luna sarcastically. Initial worry for the girl's well-being now hidden, she gradually began to revert to her original, cynical self. "Must be hard with four feet."

Maria bared her teeth. "If you're going to mock me . . . ."

"Oh, I am, don't worry. Look at it this way, no one's going to think you're a real wolf. Maybe a very confused, furry child . . . ."

"Shut up!" snarled the wolf-girl. Setting all four feet on the ground, she moved her legs in a sort of rhythm, firmly pressing into the dirt with her clawed paws. "See? I can do this!" She ran around the glade, feeling elated with her success.

Luna smirked. "Good," she said with approval. "Now, can we get going?"

Maria nodded and turned toward the tunnel. "I'm still in a lot of pain," she said. "But it's going away now. Let's go."

She started forward.

A large weight dropped onto her back. She yelped and spun around, trying to dislodge whatever it was. "Calm down!" snapped Luna. "It's just me!"

"Why are you on top of me?!"

"You're carrying me," Luna informed her, patting her on the back. "I'm not too heavy, and I refuse to walk while you run. Okay?"

"This is slave labor!" grumbled Maria. Her back was already throbbing.

"You're my slave, deal with it. Onward!"

Stifling a groan, Maria began to walk.

The journey wasn't as hard as they originally thought. Maria adjusted to the weight fast, Luna didn't move or drag her feet to slow their progress, and the pain had dulled somewhat, leaving a strange sort of euphoria. Running was so easy in this form. With the scent of pine in her nose and the soft grass beneath her feet, she felt like she could run for days.

A couple hundred feet from the tunnel, Maria spotted an old house. "Maybe someone still lives there," commented Luna. "Go in and check."

Maria shook her head. "It's too early. The sun hasn't even risen." Then she stopped. The surrounding area had grown lighter within the last few minutes. Excitement exploded into being in the pit of her stomach. Spurred on by her own anticipation, she ran towards a previously-unnoticed gate. The sign beside the gate said "Hyrule Field."

And as the first rays of sunlight appeared over the horizon, Maria skidded to a halt at the top of the hill leading down into the field. Luna gasped. Sunlight shone on everything. Each blade of grass appeared edged with gold fire. Raindrops clinging to rustling leaves reflected a thousand different hues into the early-morning mist. A fresh breeze smelling of pine and grass whipped into their noses, and Maria inhaled deeply, relishing the invigorating scent. Suddenly, she lifted her head and howled at the top of her lungs, transmitting all her joy, wonder, and relief to all those who heard. The terrifying night was finally over, and dawn had come.

Luna listened with amusement. "Someone's happy," she remarked.

"Morningtide," Maria responded. Her tone was dreamy, soft, almost awed.

Luna frowned. "Morningtide?" She remembered her mother saying that once, when a bolt of Light magic appeared in the sky from the depths of the Twilight Realm. It struck the Mirror of Twilight and reflected a thousand different colors, much like the rainbows from the water droplets. She remembered her mother's face, fiercely joyful, turned toward the Light. "The Light has come," she said. "There is hope for our world yet." And then she'd murmured, in that same tone of awe and delight, "Morningtide."

"It's more commonly used when you're on a boat," explained Maria. "When all seems lost, when the darkness is too deep, the sun hits the water first thing in the morning, and it's so beautiful, that everything seems better again. It's a bit like a prayer for sailors who want the Gods to help them. They can always look to the dawn and feel less hopeless."

Happiness swelled inside of her. She felt like she might burst with the joy. "Let's go, Maria," she said.

Maria shook her head. "No. Get off. Now."

Luna frowned. "What?"

The first fingers of light had begun to creep up the hill, and now they brushed against Maria's pelt. A shiver ran down her length. As the sun shone on her, it seemed to collect around her body. "Luna! Get off! Quickly!"

Luna slid off. "What's wrong, Maria?" she asked, suddenly frightened. What if the mysterious seizures had come again?
But Maria only smiled. Her gold eyes sparkled with the sun's light. "Nothing's wrong," she said simply. "Actually, it's all right for once."
And before Luna's eyes, the beautiful light wrapped around the dark wolf. It shone so bright, Luna had to cover her eyes with her hands. But when it cleared, Maria stood before her, human once more.

It was true, her clothes were dirty, her hair matted, and dark circled ringed her eyes. But she was smiling more broadly than she had since her father's death. "Let's go," she said simply, and started down the hill, warmed by the Light and the promise morning bestowed upon the living.


Oh God. I FINISHED THIS CHAPTER. EVERYBODY DANCE!!!!! :D

Yeah. Um….shut up. I get it.

Review!