Why is plateau spelled so weirdly? I mean it sounds like pla-toe not freaking pla-teau. Well, I mean, it's English so what do I expect XD
"W-wait…" Zelda croaked, reaching out into nothing. The color from her face was gone, and she looked as if she might start to cry. But then again… Link felt just as worse. Everything now made sense, but that somehow made everything more confusing.
Where to begin? First, they face a hideous, terrifying creature that was out for blood, and now they must face an ancient monstrosity that already defeated them 100 years ago? And not to mention that that creature had also destroyed an entire kingdom.
But all of that must have passed right over Zelda's head. She had just met her father who, apparently, was already dead. Link looked over at Zelda, his heart sinking as he saw tears trickling down her cheeks as she stared at the spot where the king had once stood.
"He...he was my dad." She said quietly, looking at Link. "All this time. He was my father, and he didn't care to mention it until now."
Link didn't know what to say. Should he comfort her? Should he stay silent? Hug her? "Do you… remember him?" He asked, wincing as he realized how brunt that sounded.
Zelda sniffed and wiped at the tears on her face. "No. I only have these blurry images in my head. I can't make sense of it." She answered bluntly, walking to the two chests that sat patiently. She bent down and opened one, pulling out a strange contraption made of wood and fabric. It was folded up somehow, but when it was out of the chest it popped open, revealing some sort of glider. It had brown fabric with a large design on it that reminded Link of a bird. Two curved handles came out underneath the fabric.
"It's a paraglider," Zelda said, seemingly forgetting the tear stains on her cheeks. "But there's only one."
In response, Link bent down and opened the second chest, revealing a second paraglider, although when he pulled it out and it popped open, it was completely different. It was a dark, calm purple that didn't draw attention to itself. It had a strange symbol on it, one that almost looked like the symbols that were on the king's blue robe. It was three golden triangles placed in a way that it created a complete triangle, with bird-like wings and feet stretching out from it. Zelda reached over and grabbed the paraglider, handing Link the brown one. She stared down at the symbol with sad eyes.
Link regarded Zelda with a worried look. She had brushed off her emotions so quickly. He still couldn't believe everything the king had said. It all seemed like a haze or some fevered dream.
"Zelda…" Link began, struggling to find the right words. "Are you okay?" He asked. The words felt out of place in his mouth.
Zelda made eye contact with Link, a fiery anger in her green eyes. "We need to get off of this plateau. I'll use this one, and you can use that one there that you're holding."
She brushed the question away. Link thought to himself, hoping the torment that he was sure was inside Zelda's head wasn't going to blow up in their faces. But, he decided to let the matter go… for now.
Together, they stood and walked to one of the missing windows, paraglider in hand. Zelda stepped in front of Link and raised her paraglider, immediately stepping out of the steeple and into the open air. Link quickly followed suit, jumping for good measure.
The air was refreshing, but the thrill of it all was terrifying. Link knew that if he let one finger slip while soaring through the sky, he'd be dead.
He wouldn't have had it any other way. The view was terrific, and the breeze that pulled eagerly at his clothes was ticklish. He smiled as he clung to the paraglider, dangling his feet over the stretching horizon.
Zelda was just ahead, silently slicing through the air with her purple paraglider. They were almost to the edge of the Great Plateau, and Link could already feel his arms starting to tire. As they soared over the cliffs, the breeze started to feel thicker than fresh honey. His legs seemed to have 100-pound weights tied to them, weighing him down and mercilessly pulling on his arms.
They were closer to the ground now, a long ways away from the isolated plateau. Ruins stretched out before them of crumbling roads and roof-lacking buildings, all made up of stone. And just when Link was sure he was going to fall from exhaustion, they landed, Zelda collapsing as her paraglider splattered onto the ground beside her.
"Who knew that would be so exhausting!" Zelda said between breaths, laughing nervously. Her hair was blown out of her face, wildly dancing behind her in the slight breeze that weaved in and out of the ruins.
Link smiled and dropped the paraglider, swinging his arms to loosen his muscles. "I never exp-" The paraglider at Link's feet burst into flames, making Link yelp and jump back in surprise.
A deep rumbling roar sounded from the ruins, when I bokoblin stepped out into the open, wielding a bow and an arrow that was on fire. Except…the bokoblin wasn't the thing that roared. Behind the pig creature stomped out a much taller version of the gurgling monster with the same gross orange color. Its snout was almost as long as Link's sword, swinging and flinging in a disgusting way. A long, thin mouth lay slightly open from the snout, with a surprisingly green tongue flipping out of the side. The giant monster had a large curved horn on top of its tiny head, tall enough to almost look like it could snap at any moment. The rest of its body was hunched over and lanky, with ape-like arms that almost touched the ground and short legs with flat feet.
The giant was wielding a stubby club that seemed to be too small for it. It swung the weapon violently, tilting its head and snout up as it let out another skull-rattling roar. The bokoblin gurgled in suit, almost smiling with its flat, hideous face.
"Let's get out of here!" Zelda exclaimed just as the bokoblin raised it's bow again, taking aim. Link was amazed the thing could actually hold the bow, much less fire it.
Turning and snatching Zelda's hand, Link sprinted into the ruins just as a flaming arrow whistled past them, where he hoped the crumbling buildings would offer protection.
They weaved in and out through different piles of rubble and walls, Link having to catch Zelda from falling multiple times. The ground was peppered with deserted chunks of stone and wood, making it almost impossible not to stumble.
The roar of the giant was still behind him, but Link thought it sounded more distant. The bokoblins strange sounds were completely gone now though, which only quickened Link's steps.
Soon they both left the ruins, finding themselves on a dirt road, leading to a firmly built stone bridge that spanned a wide rushing river. The bridge was definitely used frequently, as little fires flickered in little torches along it. And if it people had been there, maybe the monsters wouldn't follow them onto it. But, maybe they wouldn't have to worry about that. The roar of the giant thing had disappeared, which could only mean two things. Either the monster lost interest and gave up the chase, or it's actually smart enough to try to sneak up on them.
"I… I think we lost it." Zelda said, gasping for air.
Link turned around and narrowed his eyes at the ruins, scanning for any signs that the monster was still pursuing them. He nodded in agreement, facing the bridge again. He briskly jogged to the structure, even if there was no monster in sight. His senses were on alert, which also meant his nerves were as well.
As Zelda followed him onto the bridge, they saw a young man leaning over the railing. He was looking out at something, with his hand on his forehead, preventing the noon-day sun from blinding him. He looked to be average height, with casual short-trimmed brown hair. His ears were long and pointed, just like Link and Zelda's. He was wearing a thick red shirt with a tan vest over it, with dark blue wool trousers and high, brown boots and a large pack on his back that looked completely stuffed. All in all, he looked like an average casual man. Except… he was holding a spear. But then again, Link had a sword.
"The end is here…" Link heard the man groan as they walked closer to him. He continued. "I may be somewhat used to seeing bad omens by now, but everything that's been happening… Well, let's just say it's badder than most." He turned, his eyes wide with fear. "We're doomed!" He exclaimed before his gaze softened. "I mean, don't panic! Sorry. who are you two? Have we met? Well, it doesn't really matter who you guys are, really. I was getting tired of talking to myself, so you've come at a good time."
"What do you mean by… doomed?" Zelda asked, almost tentatively.
The young man sighed as if Zelda were a naive toddler who didn't know the harsh reality of the world. "Monsters have always been in Hyrule, but ever since yesterday they've popped up all over the place! So, I've been keeping a look on that thing, just to see if it starts moving, ya know?"
Zelda raised an eyebrow. "What thing?"
"I'm talking about that Guardian, of course! Haven't you heard the old stories of Hyrule?" He pointed out across the river, showing them a hunk of rusted and moss-covered material sitting on the shore. It looked almost like a spider, with a cone-like head with a flat top and a rounded body, with legs sticking out around the whole thing. "See that thing over there? The one shaped like an overturned urn? THAT is what I'm talking about."
He faced them again. "Did you know some of them can move? One of them chased me and tried to kill me!"
"This one here?" Link asked.
"No, it was a different one. That one was closer to the castle but before the forest… when they spot you, they shoot beams of light at you! Man, I was so sure that was the end for me. I was prepared for the worst. But I somehow managed to escape into the nearby woods. You think it was my lightning-fast reflexes that saved me?"
The man let out a laugh. "Ha, I wish. Truth is, I just got lucky. Anyway, I hear Guardians like that still wander around Hyrule Castle. Be careful."
Zelda nodded and smiled. "Thank you…"
"Brigo." The man finished for her, giving her a warm smile. "I patrol this bridge, Proxim bridge, so if you two ever need someone to chat with, I'm your man." He smiled again before continuing on his way down the bridge, spear in hand.
Link and Zelda crossed back onto the dirt road and off of Proxim Bridge, looking up at the two looming mountains. They looked like they had once been one, but then a divine being had smacked the rock with an ax, cutting a jagged line in the rock, creating a narrow canyon.
The river that had gushed underneath Proxim Bridge had forked into two, with one burrowing straight through the crack of the two peaks. A wide dirt road ran alongside the river, marking their path.
Zelda pulled out the Sheikah Slate, looking continuously up at the mountains and down at the slate. "Those two mountains are called the Dueling Peaks, and on the other side is a stable." She said, putting the Sheikah Slate back on her hip.
"A stable?" Link repeated.
Zelda nodded in return before beginning to walk. Neither of them had mentioned a thing about that Guardian sitting on the sandy bank of the river, or what Brigo had told them. The Guardian had looked so painfully familiar and after the story King Rhoam, or… Zelda's father had told them, it appeared to be even more menacing. They knew what those things were capable of.
In truth, Link had wanted to talk to Zelda about it. He not only wanted to make sure she was okay, but he also wanted to confide his muddled feelings in someone. But, maybe silence was the coping mechanism Zelda used with harsh information. Or maybe their supposed past was too painful to talk about right now.
The answer was most likely the latter.