After writing this I thought it would be longer than this... oh well. Here is some background on what exactly is going on in Termina. The first act of Hamlet in 2,000+ words! I love the play and plot is A-mazing! The language gets pretty flowery because Link is now in the world of prim and proper-ness... not in the forest with a pretty nymph who, for all he knows, is uneducated. So give me some slack with he next chapters which are more slang-y
Chapter 6
Revenge, Murder, Ghosts, and Love
Back in Termina more ill winds blew. The guards of the castle sat by the gate whispering to one another.
"Have you seen it, Bernardo?" One asked the other.
"Aye, with mine own two eyes," Bernardo replied quietly.
"How long did it remain?" the first asked once more.
"Nigh 'till sunrise. The path is the same," Bernardo pointed to the statues beyond the path to the gate, "it travels from the statues on to the gate. It then turns to the left, its right toward the castle, the place where the King and Queen took walks together to be specific."
"It was clad?" another soldier asked.
"O, yes, in full armor from brow to foot."
"Perhaps the rumors of war are about to become true," the first noted.
"Hark," Bernard said holding his arm up to the other two men, "A figure approaches, much the same as the figure of the nights before."
"Could it be he?" the second asked.
"Perhaps, Horatio, on your mark. He comes closer."
"Prepare you weapons lads," Horatio said standing by the large pillar making half the gate.
"An apparition cannot be affected by the weapons of man," Bernard hissed.
"It approaches at a faster pace than the times before," the third moaned.
"Godspeed my good men," the figure called out.
"Hark, who be thou, my Lord?" Bernardo called out.
"Why it is I, Link," the figure called out from the darkness.
"My Lord," the three exclaimed.
"My friends, good evening," Link took Bernardo's hand and shook it happily, "Good evening, Bernardo, my friend," he turned to the third, "Ah, Marcellus, good man, I trust all is well?"
"Aye, merry, my Lord."
"As it should be," Link said grinning, "And my dear friend Horatio. What brings you to the gates?"
"A tale of the strangest sort, my Lord."
"Is there a tale of any other kind? Merry, tell me of this tale," Link said sitting at the fire.
"My Lord," Horatio began, "it has been a continual sighting, night after night, of an apparition."
"A ghost; my friend?" Link asked amazed.
"Indeed, of the strangest sort," Horatio added.
"Does it come in a certain shape?" Link mused.
"The same every night," Bernardo chimed in.
"Of what?" Link asked.
"Nay, my Lord," Horatio said leaning close to the young prince, "of whom."
"Whom?" Link rubbed his chin, "whom… Whom… WHOM! Whom might this apparition take the form of?"
"Thy father, King Gaiden himself," Horatio whispered to Link.
"My father," Link whispered in return.
"Aye, from the statues yonder," Bernardo said pointing, "to the path thy father walked on so many happy occasions with his wife, your mother, and many times with thee."
"My father," Link whispered to himself.
"Aye, thy father," Horatio said placing a hand on his friend's shoulder.
"Said he any words to you?" he asked at last.
"Nay, he only wanders the gardens," Bernardo mused, "he disappears upon the cock's crow."
Link stood suddenly, "I must meet him. Did he show any contempt for the household of the King of Termina?"
"He came in full armor," Bernardo pointed out.
"Something is rotten in the country of Termina, my Lord," Marcellus added.
"Indeed," Link said nodding, "I too suspect foul play among so merry a peoples in my own household."
Their musings were cut short when the flourish of trumpets resounded through the courtyard.
"My Lord," Horatio said pulling Link aside, "What hath the King taken reason to bring such attention to the castle?"
"Most wanton a passion to make merry in his halls and bring my mother, dearest queen down to his level of profane enjoyments of life. He has defiled the holy bosom of so fair a lady as our queen. Mark," Link said turning away from the castle, "upon my life, what is this?"
The air had become difficult to withstand and a heavy fog rolled silently over the ground.
"My Lord," Bernardo said pulling Link away from the darkness, "I advise thee to find safety from the horrors of the gardens."
"I will take note of thy concern, I shall remain."
"My Lord," all three men cried out in protest.
All speaking ceased when a figure began to walk slowly toward the gate.
"Alas," Link whispered eyes wide, "it is my father."
"My Lord," Horatio said pulling Link back, "What if it be no more than a demon on a mission to take thee to the darkness of hell?"
"I must know for sure," Link said looking to his friend. He took a step closer to the figure, "How now spirit? Whither wander you?"
The apparition said nothing.
The men continued to watch the figure travel toward them.
"Be thou friend or foe? Speak, that we may find thee rest!" Link cried to the figure.
The spirit raised an arm to Link.
"It beckons me go," Link said excitedly.
"My Lord," Horatio said taking a cautious step forward, "You may be walking into your death!"
"I must know if he be my father! I will follow!"
"My Lord," Bernardo called out desperately.
"Lead on Spirit!"
Before anything could be done Link disappeared into the darkness.
Into the darkness Link wandered. He raced after the spirit desperate to know. He soon came upon the royal graveyard. Link walked cautiously toward the tomb the spirit rested by.
"How now spirit?" Link asked once more, breathlessly, "Whither wander you?"
"I am come," the spirit responded.
"As whom?"
"Your father," he returned.
"Why?"
"To have you avenge my murder."
All Link's musings and suspicions became near fact in a second.
"By whom, tell me the villain's name and I swear it shall be done!"
"My brother."
Link's heart dropped.
"He stole into my orchard whilst I slept, dreaming of my loving wife. In an instant he poured a vile poison into mine ear, most painful of deaths."
"Had I but known; had I realized sooner! Cursed! Cursed be the foul ground tread upon by my mother, once noble lady; and goddess damned man, my uncle. May the goddesses deal justly with him?"
"Indeed," the Spirit noted, "through thy deeds will the wrongs of this world be purged clean."
"Father," Link said falling to his knees, "I am the instrument of the goddesses. Let thy will be done with my fate."
"My son," the spirit said turning toward a nearby tree, "the love of thy mother was fickle, but do not bring her harm. Her conscience is enough for her. But do not turn away from thy love. Be wary not to become engrossed in thy revenge you do not take advantage of the love available to thee now." The Spirit plucked a flower from the tree's branch, "Just as a flower needs the sun, water, and proper food to grow healthy, you too must have food, sleep, and love to grow healthy. Without these, the body cannot survive. Heed my warning. Do not forget thy heart and thou wilt survive as victor over thy enemies."
"My father," Link whispered nodding. As he lifted his head once more to his father the cock sounded its call to morning.
"Swear thy loyalty to me," the Spirit said disappearing.
"My Lord?" Link asked.
"Swear upon thy sword, thy loyalty," the voice called about the graveyard.
"To thy revenge?" Link asked once more.
"Swear," the voice roared to Link, causing the ground about him to quake and break.
"I do humbly swear it," Link said falling to his knees.
"Never forget thy love," the voice whispered before fading into what little night remained.
Link sat with sword trust into the ground and three fingers upon his heart as a sign of his promise to his father, "I do humbly swear it," he whispered once more.
Link stood and looked at the sunrise, "I shall find revenge. I will prove my uncle, damned man, to be a killer and send him to his death by my hand. I will also never forget nor abandon my love." Link's mind wandered to the maid he met in the forest the day before.
"I shall meet her again. Soon," he said smiling to himself. He walked back to the castle slowly. Preparing his plot of finding out the truth of his uncle.
By mid-morning he was more than ready to meet the maid, his Princess, once again. He made his way through the forest to where he first met her. When he saw his Princess with her guardian he left only to return that night. He found her sitting next to a tree looking up to the sky.
"I thought you would come back here tonight."
Polina stood up and looked around desperately.
She felt a hand on her shoulder. She jumped and turned to face the person.
"Woah, it's okay, I don't bite," even in the darkness his smile shone.
"I hoped you would get my hint that she was my guardian."
"She is very young, why is she your guardian?"
"Oh," Polina mused while walking, "I was abandoned when I was a baby and she and her two, fellow Oracles, took me in and are raising me until I'm 18, or so they say."
"Well, do you know what you will do once you're 18?"
"Go out and see the world beyond this forest."
"Be careful what you wish for," Link smiled to her, "I've seen the world, it's nothing to be excited about. There are threats of war where I'm from and your kingdom is bugging out over your Princess."
"Princess?"
"Yeah, you live in Hyrule, the king, King Fiero and Queen Elphaba, have a daughter, I don't know her name, but she went missing not long after she was born. There is a rumor that she will be coming back soon, on her 18th birthday."
"I'm turning 18 soon!"
Link laughed, "Congratulations, but she is in danger until she returns."
"Aw, that's too bad."
"That's why she disappeared."
"What was the danger?"
"I don't know. But, to be honest, I don't really care about that right now. There are plenty of rumors flying through my kingdom, Termina, which is not too far from here."
"What are the rumors?"
"That the King of my land did something very bad."
"Did he really do something," Polina lifted two fingers on each hand, "'bad'."
"Well, it depends on who you ask. If you ask the Prince, he believes that the King has done something absolutely evil. He," Link paused, "stole the crown from his brother."
Link sat down by a tree. He leaned back and put his hands behind his head. Polina sat on his lap.
"I'm sorry that your king is so bad. I wish I could help."
"I wouldn't want you to help; it's a very bloody world out there. The Prince may have to go to war with the King. I don't want you anywhere near battle."
"Just because you beat me in a simple sparing match you won't let me fight?"
"No," Link said sitting up and putting his arms around her, "because I don't want you to get hurt. I like you too much to let that happen."
Polina placed her arms around his back she buried her head in his shoulder. She was told by Naryu not to give her first kiss away to anyone, ever! She was already betraying their trust; she didn't want to make it worse.
Could he be the one?
Tada... Shakeaspeare as rewritten by ElectraGoob... imagine what my papers are going to look like now... yeesh.
Coming up...
Polina and the Oracles bring us back to the general plot of Sleeping Beauty.
Link has his first official confrontation with his Uncle.
A monkey-wrench is thrown into the mix.
Secrets are told.
Stay tuned!
We now return you to your regularly scheduled program.