A/N: I'm just gonna let this chapter speak for itself.
Shioru felt delirium pulling him in deeper. He knew he was on a bed, but not where or how. He buckled shortly after his display of bravado, and he hadn't risen since. Everywhere, demons shrieked around him, demanding entrance. These demons could only hurt him, however. He screamed against his will. "Go away! You have no place here! I did all I could I did all I could I did all I COULD! They were too strong they stabbed me slashed me hurt me! I tried, please! Let me go!" They did, for a while. He was aware of Link hovering over his bed. "Leave now, before they come back," he croaked. Link said something, but it was lost on him as another wave of pain wracked him. Is this how I die?
-…-…-…-
Link grimaced, sitting in a chair near Shioru. "He doesn't sound like he's getting any better." The injured man in question tossed about the bed, occasionally howling. It sounded as if he were tortured. Link turned to Ilia, watching as she winced every time Shioru howled. "It's awful," she whispered. "What happened to him?"
He frowned. "I don't know. I only met him five days ago, and while he's far from shy, he doesn't share a lot of his past," he commented, still unable to move his eyes from Ilia. He still couldn't believe they had started dating, even now. It was like his best dreams come true. Ilia had always been there for him, even in the beginning. It was better than a dream come true to Link, actually. It felt right. But he wasn't focused on that currently. He was wondering if Ilia knew what was wrong with Shioru. Ilia was silent for a while, then finally said, "he has a fever, and he's hallucinating. He's probably seeing something from his past. I'm glad I wasn't there, whatever it was."
Link nodded after a moment. "Me too," he agreed, shivering as Shioru moaned again. The mystery would have to wait, though. Shioru wasn't getting up anytime soon. Link would almost bet on it.
-...-...-...-
It's a good thing Link isn't a gambler. The fever broke the next night, and Shioru was sitting up a few hours after that. Sitting up was all he could do, however, because Ilia made sure he didn't move. This was severely aggravating him. "You think your village is the only one threatened?" he asked, taking a dangerous tone.
Ilia got right up in his face. "If you die, then who is going to save them? You're only one man, Shioru. You have to be able to let yourself recover, or you won't be saving anyone!"
"…Women." Ilia looked like she was trying not to laugh as she sat back down. The good news was that despite her wishes, he would be able to move again by the night after tomorrow. Unfortunately, because of his and Link's tendency to get themselves cut to bits on a day to day basis, she would be coming with them. The other good news is that while recovering, Link brought up a map of Hyrule, placing it on a bare table. They began setting up markers for important locations, trying to devise a path they would follow.
"…Okay," Shioru said after a long moment. They knew most of the minions of the Red Fury (the demons who attacked the village) came from beyond south of Ordon, Link and he knew the general location of their main base. This they marked with some little red flags from one of Talo's board games. Green markers indicated a safe zone, blue uncertain, and they placed single yellow markers for places they needed to go.
All of Ordon and south of it they marked red. Villagers were going to evacuate to Kakariko, which would be much easier to defend. Kakariko was blue for now; they would bring the map with them and change the markers to the correct color once they were sure it was safe. Kakariko also had a yellow marker, since they needed to go check it out and move the villagers there. They placed a yellow marker in the general location of Sacred Grove, and put green markers there. No way would the Red Fury be able to figure out Lost Woods, they were certain.
Link narrowed his eyebrows. "Okay, we could head east along this ridge…"
A/N: Just to clarify, I am using the GC version of TP, so Eldin is on the right, and the Desert on the left.
Shioru shook his head. "No, they can mobilize from the south and come out of the canyon here," he pointed, and then pointed further north, "and here, which would cut us off."
"Not entirely. If that was the case, then we could head west and north, and seek refuge in Castle Town," Link argued.
Shioru sighed. "Castle Town was overthrown once; it can be done again, and easily. Because of the location of Hyrule Castle itself, there is a huge weakness near the wall along the west road, one that can be bombed, and breached. He stared at the map for a moment. "Hang on a second," he murmured, following a path. Link appeared to be trying to follow his eyes. He wasn't doing a good job, so he pointed. "That mountain, there, it used to have a tunnel, yes?"
Link nodded. "It did, but there's no bomb powerful enough to clear that landslide."
"No bomb? Perhaps. What about Gorons?"
Link sighed, clearly agitated. "Yes, they could clear it with the right amount of hot spring water. But we're trying to get to Kakariko. If we could get to the Gorons to bring word, why would we need him to clear the mountain?"
Shioru deflated. "True."
A voice interrupted their thoughts. "That is unless you could contact them while staying here." It was a cloaked and hooded figure, but judging from the voice, female.
Link stared at them. "That's impossible." Then Link started. "Do I know you?"
Shioru grinned. He had figured out this person's identity as soon as they spoke. "Not for the princess."
Link groaned. "Are you paying attention? We don't have… the…" He slowly turned and stared at the stranger, who gasped after Shioru's statement.
Shioru chuckled. "Oh, but you're wrong, Hero. I think we do have the princess." With that, Shioru bowed.
Link slowly bowed, as well, his eyes trained on the princess. "Why aren't you in Hyrule Castle, gathering an army, or speaking to the people?"
Zelda sighed gravely, removing her hood. "I regret to announce that I have been betrayed. The Castle has fallen, due to three corrupt members in my council. They hired men to kill me in my sleep, but I… wasn't sleeping. I was able to leap from my window, and I used my shield to soften my fall. I came here, figuring you to be here. It's worse than that, though. They have banded up with a group of Gerudo, who still live, and they have summoned-"
Link cut her off. "The Red Fury and all his minions, I know. We killed a group of them that had been laying siege to the villagers of Ordon, trapping them in their houses."
Zelda gasped. "They'll just come back. The only things that can kill them is my magic-"
Link did it again. "And the Master Sword, and Shioru's blade. Again, I know."
Zelda turned to Shioru so fast it looked like it broke her neck. "Your sword can kill them?" Shioru motioned to his blade. Zelda picked up the sword, pulling out the blade. She abruptly hissed in pain as shadows writhed around her hand. Shioru jumped out of the bed, grabbed the sword by the blade, and yanked it out of her hand. "I didn't say to pick up the blade." He threw the blade to the ground. He had been holding it so tightly that the onyx edge cut into his palm. He didn't notice that, however, as he turned Zelda's hand over on his, looking for marks. "Are you hurt?"
Zelda shook her head. "No, but I was in pain while holding it. Why didn't it harm you?"
He shook his head for a moment, but said, "The Master Sword only responds to one owner as well, does it not?"
Zelda finally discerned what the blade was, and gasped in horror. "The Master Sword repels the non-worthy with a blinding light. This blade uses shadows, which means… that sword is the Shadow Sword, also known as the Blade of Darkness… Let me see your hand," she suddenly said. Shioru slowly realized he wasn't going to like what she said next, but he had no choice. You wanted to know, didn't you? He thought bitterly as he peeled off his glove, and revealed the Triforce mark. Zelda nodded, fear on her face. "I knew it. You see how all the other triangles is right side up, and point towards the Goddesses? Yours is upside down, meaning you were chosen… by the God of Darkness himself!"
Shioru flinched, his mind wanting to reject the theory immediately, but he knew it was true. It burned into my hand, and I screamed… He finally said, in a bitter voice, "This means I'm evil, right?"
The secret has been revealed... Now how are Zelda and Link going to make sure Shioru stays on their side? Time will tell. As will my next chapter.
