AN: I can't believe I had a fortnight and this thing is still late. Gosh, I'm so bad at this. Well, nonetheless, great big thanks to SunnyStormCloud and silverheartlugia2000 for your reviews, as ever they really, truly do mean a lot.
Now, I won't keep you waiting any longer, so let's get this show on the road. Enjoy chapter seven!
7- A Stroke of Luck
For a moment Link was suspended in darkness, imagining high ledges and pits of lava, before he distinctly felt something change. There was a flare of blinding golden light, warm like the sun, and then he was stood ankle deep in frigid water, blinking spots from his eyes. Before him loomed a large, shining shape, curled around a pulsating sphere of even brighter light. Link got the impression of a great, barbed tail, of muscular arms and long-fingered hands, and from somewhere within it there seemed to resonate a faint, mournful calling, almost like music but not quite.
A Light Spirit. Right in front of him. It certainly had a different impact to the Great Fairies of years gone by.
Taking a slight step back Link craned his head back, feeling water splash up the back of his leg as he moved. It was cold and made him grimace, so he instinctively looked towards the unexpected sensation.
He froze at the sight of what he found there. Never mind the change in location, there had been another, more significant change.
His clothes. His clothes were different. Different but oh-so familiar. Horribly, disgustingly familiar. He knew that shade of green, knew the stiffness of those boots, those fingerless gloves. Chainmail hung heavy on his shoulders, clinking just slightly with even the smallest movement. He twitched uncomfortably when the tail of that familiar hat brushed against his neck in a slight breeze, and he reached up to brush it aside. For a moment he was tempted to tear it from his head, to free himself of the whole ensemble, but he didn't really fancy stripping down when Midna was residing in his shadow and he was standing in a pool of icy water. Plus he had no idea where his other clothes had gone.
The whole thing made him profoundly uncomfortable. Why had his clothes even been changed in the first place? It made him feel a little violated. And of all things they just had to have been changed to the stupid hero's outfit.
'My name is Faron.' A sudden voice, reverberating with power, distracted Link from his discomfort, and he lifted his eyes to regard the spirit. It was swaying back and forth just slightly, its ancient burning eyes fixed on him. Link tried to hold its gaze but found he couldn't, instead settling for a point on its broad forehead. This was much different to meeting one of the Great Fairies. He almost missed their more… forward personalities. In Faron's presence he just felt overwhelmed.
'O Brave Youth,' it continued, its voice seeming to make the air tremble as that mournful almost-music continued to play softly from nowhere. 'Your triumph in the Forest Temple is a sign of your powers awakening – the powers of the chosen one.' Link opened his mouth to argue, but couldn't get his voice to work. 'Now you stand in your awakened form, in the garb of the ancient heroes.'
Gritting his teeth Link huffed a breath, managing to arrange his face into a disdainful expression. He didn't appreciate this sudden meddling. He hadn't awakened anything – if anything he had been awakened this entire time. He didn't need some glorified ball of light telling him that.
'What turmoil I sense inside you,' Faron murmured after a moment, its barbed tail flicking slightly. 'Brave Link, hero chosen by the gods, you cannot fight your destiny.' Link rolled his eyes openly at that; not even a Light Spirit would stop him expressing his scorn at the idea. There was a deep rumble, and it took Link a moment to realise it had been Faron chuckling softly. 'I know what you seek, brave youth; I sense a darkness about you. It is a forbidden power, one those dwelling in the light should never touch. But this world lies on the brink of an ever deeper darkness and you must match its power. Match the power of the King of Shadows. Let my fellow spirit, Eldin, guide you. You will find what you seek to the west.'
Then it disappeared, as if directing Link towards this 'forbidden power' had forced it to depart. For a moment its words continued to echo, the music continued to wail, and then everything faded to silence. Link stayed where he was, stood very still, before he sucked in a deep breath and placed a hand to his chest. He felt like a great pressure had been suddenly lifted off of him, as if he had been weighed down by Faron's presence. He wouldn't be surprised if that were the case. Even his legs, to his utmost horror, felt a little shaky. Ridiculous. He'd been in the presence of countless powerful, ethereal beings before, so being shaken like this was utterly ridiculous.
'So you really are a Hero, eh?' Sighing Link attempted to school his expression as Midna floated up to hover before him, teeth flashing bright as she grinned her wicked grin. 'I guess it must be true if a spirit of that calibre says so.'
Acting like he was ignoring her Link tugged at his newly acquired tunic, rolling his shoulders as he resigned himself to having to wear the musty old outfit. Faron hadn't exactly offered him his old clothes back, so he was kind of stuck with them. He got the feeling Midna wouldn't let him return to his house to change. Especially not if she knew his new outfit made him uncomfortable.
Turning away from her he muttered a soft complaint; he really wasn't a hero, and he really didn't want to be.
'And why's that?' She asked, drifting after him as her sly tone got his hackles up. He really didn't like the way she always seemed to insinuate things, or seemed to know more than she let on. He needed to be careful around her. Very careful.
Shaking his head Link walked on, offering her no explanation even when she huffed and prodded. To the west. That's what Faron had said, and if Link's memory served correctly – highly debatable, all things considered – this Hyrule's Death Mountain lay to the west. Which meant that was his next destination. Hardly surprising, given how similar proceedings were between each new incarnation. Wherever the largest body of water was would probably be his destination after the mountain, as well.
Recalling Epona with a high tune played with a hastily plucked reed Link set out for the next temple. Because there was undoubtedly going to be another one. They always housed relics and ancient powers, so of course there was. He got the feeling this next one wouldn't be quite as "pleasant" as the Forest Temple, because it was Death Mountain and there was always lava and fire involved with Death Mountain.
But a deal was a deal and Link needed to find Midna's forbidden power if she was going to help him find the children, even if it was forbidden. The whole 'Fused Shadow' thing probably should have tipped him off, but Link was becoming more and more unsure as to what Midna's goal actually was. Did she really need such dark power to defeat this 'Zant' person? Link had his doubts, but if Zelda trusted her then he supposed he should too. Well, maybe trust was a little too strong. Believe, that was better.
He tried to force the thoughts aside as he mounted Epona and they struck out for Death Mountain, Midna settling once more into his shadow. Link hadn't noticed when he'd been stood in a spring all lit up with Faron's shimmering, but it was much closer to dusk than he had thought. It made it feel like he had been in that temple a long time, even if he still wasn't sure exactly how long it had actually been. All the same as he steered Epona out past Coro's house once more, across the rapidly greying fields, he couldn't help but feel the continued exertion begin to pull at his limbs, at his eyelids.
Eventually he gave in, folding away the map Rusl had gifted him as he directed Epona towards the tall wall that seemed to border the entire network of fields, looking for another shallow cave to rest in. Midna put up much less of a fuss this time, which was actually more unnerving than comforting. Had Link really already grown so used to her snide remarks? The silence made him wary.
Unable to find the energy to make a campfire Link instead let the setting sun, and then the moon when it rose, act as their source of light as he leaned back against the wall of the alcove he had found, feeling a dull ache settling into his bones. Maybe he should have taken it a little easier in the Forest Temple; he wasn't exactly acclimatised to this lifestyle yet. It had just been all so familiar, and apparently he had pushed himself without realising. He was definitely going to regret that in the morning.
Letting his head loll to the side Link regarded Midna, who was sat just outside the little cave, a dark shape against the moonlight. Link almost wanted to ask her if something was wrong –she was still unnervingly quiet– but then he told himself he didn't care. He highly doubted she would appreciate his asking, either.
All the same he couldn't help but watch her, small and still against the vast sky, helmeted head tilted back as if she were watching the stars. He was less worried that he wouldn't wake because of some mischief of hers that night, as he finally gave in to his heavy eyelids and the call of sleep.
Strange dreams weren't exactly an unfamiliar thing to Link, given all the memories he had crammed in his head, but that night's felt a little different. Unfamiliar, strangely. He lay in a deep pool, staring up at a bright sky as the water blackened around him. It was a little like he was bleeding, but the swirling stains weren't rusted orange. Ink came to mind, when he caught sight of the dark tendrils spreading out from around him, but he wasn't sure. Someone was talking to him, voice muffled by the water so that he couldn't make out words, and the dream ended before he could establish who it was.
It was bright when he woke. Painfully so. Blinking sleep from his eyes Link stifled a yawn, mulling over the rapidly fading dream as he lifted a hand to shade his eyes from the sunlight filtering into their little niche. He glanced towards the cave entrance, on the right side of which Midna was now curled up, and wondered if it had something to do with the Fused Shadow. He wouldn't be surprised. Something like a terrible, evil forbidden power would probably cause strange dreams.
Stretching his arms with a sigh Link tilted his head from side, trying to work out a little of the tension his awkward sleeping position had caused. Rolling his shoulders he pulled a face at the wall opposite him. He hadn't missed this part of the whole hero thing. A sedentary life was definitely more comfortable than one where travelling was involved. But what else had he been expecting, really? At least it wasn't going to last forever; just until he found the children.
Midna was stirring slightly as he wandered from the cave, looking for a place to relieve himself, and when he wandered back she was fully awake. He was struck by a sudden regret; he kind of wished he'd lingered a little longer to see what she looked like when she slept. Then again it probably would have been weird, seeing her relaxed and unguarded for once. Still, he would have rather had that than what he got instead. A tired, half-asleep Midna who seemed a lot more sarcastic than usual.
'This is a waste of time,' she griped as Link demanded they stay put for a little longer so that Epona could graze for a spell. 'You do realise Ganondorf and Zant are growing in strength, and their little following's growing in number, with every moment we waste, don't you?'
Folding his arms Link regarded her with raised eyebrows, telling her that he didn't think things would be proceeding quite that quickly.
'You might be some "chosen hero" or whatever,' Midna continued, now glaring at him rather than glaring out across the fields, 'but you have no idea what those two are capable of, and we have no idea what they're planning. We have a time limit – for all I know Zant could be going after the Fused Shadows as well.'
With a soft snort Link pursed his lips, informing her that that really wasn't his problem. She stared at him for a long moment, expression torn between something like shock and contempt, then scowled when he pointed out that Epona was their quickest means of travel and she needed rest and food like any other living creature. Unless Midna wanted to teleport them, of course. The suggestion just made her even snarkier.
Eventually the sarcastic comments petered out, and once they had Link made his way over to Epona, who snorted a soft greeting at him. He replied with a quick neck rub, then hauled himself up into the saddle once more. Midna vanished into his shadow and they set off.
They made good time, very good time considering the amount of monsters roaming the fields of Hyrule, and within the hour were approaching what Link figured was the entrance to Kakariko Village. If he'd followed Rusl's map correctly then that's exactly where they were, but he was still new to this Hyrule and wouldn't be surprised if he'd gone wrong somewhere. He was glad Kakariko was still standing; he held a kind of fondness for the village in his heart, and all the little civilisations dotted around Hyrule really. Their residents might always send him on ridiculous quests, but he couldn't fault their good-naturedness.
He wasn't expecting the three shadow beasts awaiting him just beyond the short, high-walled passageway between the fields and the village, though. One had been bad enough, but apparently they came in packs. They were no less unnerving in a group, in fact the opposite was quite true and Link couldn't help a slight thrill of anxiety as all three turned to face him with their blank, lifeless mask-faces. To make matters worse he quickly found that dispatching of them was no simple matter. It was easy enough to put them down one by one, but as it turned out they could be brought back to life if one of the surviving ones let loose a terrible shrieking roar, no matter how much damage Link inflicted. In the end he had to settle for downing one, then decapitating the other two in quick succession before either one could start screaming.
It was a messy, painful ordeal. This wasn't exactly how he had wanted to start his day, especially not if he was going to have to explore another temple later on. Now he was tired, a little battered, and his ears were ringing.
But it couldn't be helped, he supposed. He really ought to be used to these less than beneficial twists of fate that befell him on such a regular basis.
Sheathing his sword Link surveyed the village, eyeing its run-down state and wondering if the monsters he'd just slain had something to do with it. The long main street was empty, silent, the buildings looked like they were all falling apart. Or to be more precise, they looked like they had been torn apart. Leading Epona, who had been waiting patiently for his fight to end, to the edge of another Spirit Spring – as silent as the rest of the town – Link patted her mare's neck absently as he squinted down the road. No signs of life anywhere aside from a few crows now that the monsters were dead.
And then the surface of the spring started rippling, light dancing across its surface before coalescing into a second great, shining form. Link watched in silence, the impact a little lessened now that he had already encountered one light spirit, but it still left him a little awe-struck. This one had large, shimmering wings that waved steadily but caused not the slightest breeze. It held in clawed feet another of those strange orbs, so bright Link couldn't look at it directly without squinting. Instead he focused on the spirit's face, the wise old eyes that were staring off into the distance. They flickered onto him as if sensing his gaze.
'Brave Youth, you come at a grave time.' Its voice, like Faron's, resonated with power, steady as its beating wings. 'I am Eldin, and I can tell you that the power you seek lies in the sacred spaces of the proud mountain dwellers. Spaces that have already been defiled, corrupted by shadow.' Again its gaze slipped away and Link followed it this time, finding himself looking over his shoulder at the great red face of Death Mountain, its summit wreathed in smoke and mist. So the Gorons, then. The thought of them being corrupted provoked a heavy sensation in Link's chest, forcing a sigh from him. For all their gentleness they had always been strong, so if said gentleness had been worn away… well, it was going to make a trip up the mountain even more difficult that necessary.
Rubbing a hand over his mouth Link huffed sharply, looking back to Eldin expectantly.
'You must go to those sacred grounds and cleanse them of the evil that has befallen them,' the spirit said after a moment, to which Link rolled his eyes. Well, he was going for the Fused Shadow, which was probably the source of the corruption anyway. Goddesses, why exactly was he helping some shady 'Twili' collect these things again?
Apparently that was all the spirit had to say, however, as it vanished a moment later without so much as a goodbye. Curling his lip at the space it had just disappeared from Link sighed to himself. Sure, just order him around then disappear, what did he care?
'What are you standing around for?' Midna protested from his shadow a moment later, her tone really not making him want to go any faster, or even move at all. 'Let's go get the second Fused Shadow.' The way she said it made it sound like she was actually doing something rather than just making rude comments, but Link decided not to start a fight. Instead he backed away from the spring, regarding the silent village for a moment before heading for the nearest building. There had to be someone somewhere, all he needed to do was look.
He was right, there were people still there; he could hear their voices as he approached the building. Apparently the screeches of dying monsters and the song of a lamenting spirit had fallen on deaf ears, because none of them seemed to have noticed in the slightest.
'We are safe as long as we remain inside, child,' one voice said, deep and calm. Another, hoarser and much less calm, snapped a sardonic reply that Link couldn't quite make out, though he was fairly sure he heard mention of bombs. Interesting.
'Barnes.' The first voice came again, harsh now, reprimanding. It made Link start slightly; he'd been concentrating on trying to make out the other's words so the sudden increase in volume startled him. A moment later came the high sound of a child crying. Link frowned, pausing as he halted outside the building's front doors. A child? That couldn't be…
'Don't cry, Beth,' a soft voice, a third, said and Link blinked once in surprise. So apparently the goddesses weren't going to screw him over entirely today, because he knew that voice. He definitely knew that voice.
'Link's going to come save us,' Colin continued, voice as determined and strong as Link had ever heard it. He still rolled his eyes, though. What exactly had he done to instil such confidence in the people of Ordon? He was pretty sure he'd made a point of being borderline brusque to them a lot of the time, tried to keep them at a distance. Apparently unsuccessfully.
He knocked on the door, not particularly wanting to hear any more dramatic words about himself. There came a few soft gasps, a whimper from what sounded like the guy who'd been talking about bombs, and after a long pause careful footsteps.
The door swung open, to reveal a tall man wearing long robes and a guarded expression. For a brief moment they watched one another, assessing. The stranger had a serious face, but he didn't seen threatening. Wary, but not threatening.
And then a cry went up behind him, and there came the patter of many small feet before the man was being swarmed by children trying to get past him out the door. Link backed up a few steps, getting maybe five seconds to compose himself before they were upon him, chirping and chattering and safe. Beth, Malo, Talo, all staring up at him with bright, excited faces. Beth's nose and eyes were still a little red from where she'd crying, but her smile was just as bright as the others. Link checked them over swiftly, making sure they were unharmed, before lifting his eyes to the doorway, still propped open by the robed man. Peeking out from behind him was Colin, and his shy face lit up when Link's eyes fell on him.
Hurrying forward he joined the others, and Link offered him a small smile of greeting when it became clear he wasn't going to be able to talk over Beth and Malo, who were both regaling him with wild tales of how exactly they had ended up this far from home. Any fear they might have had inside the building seemed to have dissipated completely.
A minute later, maybe more, another three people emerged from the house; the robed man and what appeared to be his daughter, as well as a second, stouter man who cast Link suspicious looks from beneath a battered welding mask. Link followed the first man's approach, ignoring the second.
'Could you be the one from Ordon these children spoke of?' He asked, tilting his head slightly. 'Well met, I am Renado, shaman of this town. This my daughter Luda.' He gestured with a hand completely swamped by a voluminous sleeve to the girl at his side, and Link nodded to them both in greeting. The children had quietened, watching him expectantly now. He didn't know what they were expecting.
Still, it was a relief to know they were all safe. Glancing between them Link smiled faintly, only for a sudden realisation to hit him a moment later.
Where was Ilia?
Faint panic twisted in his stomach as he noted her absence, catching him off guard. He hadn't realised how fond he had grown of her. Perhaps the goddesses would grant him another little spot of luck, and let him find her by coincidence as he had the children.
Still, he had to check the situation first, so he focused his gaze on Colin and asked after their missing friend. She and Colin had always seemed close, and Link could see his own worry reflected in the boy's wide eyes at the mention.
'Those… monsters took us and left us here but Ilia… I didn't see where they took her – when I woke up she was gone and Mr Renado was looking after us.' Fiddling with the hem of his shirt Colin shifted from foot to foot anxiously, seeming almost guilty. Sighing softly Link reached out, patting his blonde head lightly in a gesture of consolation. It couldn't be helped; what were children supposed to do against monsters like these shadow beasts, after all?
'Link, everything's been so horrible,' Colin continued, lips trembling slightly all of a sudden as his voice became more passionate. Link hoped Renado knew how to handle crying children. 'Up until now everything's just been like a- a-'
'A nightmare,' Talo supplied, speaking for the first time since leaving the house. The children all nodded slightly in agreement, before suddenly Colin was smiling, beaming even.
'But you're here now Link, and I know everything's going to be okay!' The trust in his face made Link want to groan; it was all he could do not to so he just nodded slightly, knowing he would do all he could to keep the children safe. Well, almost all. And they seemed safe enough here in Kakariko, so really there wasn't much else he could do, beyond maybe escorting them home. But before that he needed to find Ilia, as well as the other two Fused Shadows. A deal was a deal, after all, and he supposed it was technically thanks to Midna that he had even found the children in the first place.
'In any case.' Renado suddenly spoke again, serious voice an almost comical contrast with Colin's. 'You must take these children and flee back to Ordona Province, before any more nightmares befall this place.' The shaman glanced back at the mountain as he spoke, as if he knew what was occurring with the Gorons. Living as close to their home as he did Link wouldn't have been surprised if Renado really did know at least a little of what was occurring. Something bad, clearly.
Shaking his head Link explained shortly that he couldn't do that, not yet. All the faces watching him seemed surprised, aside from maybe Colin's. The kid was sharp, Link would give him that. When Renado tried to protest Link cut him off, explaining that there was something he had to do first and that he was placing the children in the man's care. And anyway, if the children had been kidnapped once who was to say Ganondorf wouldn't just send his goons to do it again as soon as they were home once more?
No, it was easier to just keep them here for the time being, until Link didn't have the world's most impatient imp hitching a ride in his shadow, until he found Ilia.
Removing himself from the little group Link set out for the mountain, refusing the children's requests to stay with them. He didn't have time to babysit right now. There was something in Renado's gaze that set Link on edge as they parted ways, as if he were missing something important, but again he didn't have the time to dwell on it. As Midna had said, Zant, and by extension Ganondorf, could also be pursuing the Fused Shadows if they were really as powerful as everything seemed to imply. No doubt if they got their hands on them Midna would just make him go and get them back anyway. That wasn't something he wanted to deal with, so he might as well get on with it to stop something like that happening.
He wandered slowly up the road through the village, veering off down the path leading to the mountain trails, only for a small hand to grab the back of his new, old tunic as soon as they were out of sight of the village. Halting Link turned, surprised that she hadn't just grabbed his hair like before.
Folding her legs up under her Midna floated silently for a moment, regarding him with narrowed, suspicious eyes. As the silence stretched on Link heaved a sigh, raising his eyebrows and demanding what the problem was. If anything that just made her narrow her eyes even further, glowing orange slits amidst the shadow she was composed of.
'I was expecting you to bail,' she said at length, sounding almost surprised. 'You really don't seem to care about this place at all, so now that we've found those little gremlins I was expecting you to just leave with them.' Link didn't think she'd appreciate him mentioning the irony of her calling them gremlins, so he bit his tongue and just shrugged. When she just kept staring at him he told her that a deal was a deal. Maybe he was apathetic about saving Hyrule, but he wasn't about to ditch prior agreements. If there was anything the years of carrying out useless tasks for people had taught him it was not to break agreements. Especially when there was something in it for him. Midna still had to help him find Ilia, anyway.
Plus, he preferred the idea of her getting her hands on this great forbidden power than Ganondorf or any of his lackeys, even if he had no idea who Midna really was, or what her goals were.
With her eyes still narrowed she smiled sweetly – which was honestly borderline terrifying – when he said as much and, seeming satisfied, vanished back into his shadow without another word. Link wondered if he was making a horrible mistake in finding such a terrible power for her, but there was nothing he could do about it now except keep going and see where this path led. So he kept going, slipping his hands into his pockets as set off along the mountain path.