A/N: YAAAAAAAAAAY I got another chapter done! Yes! *does a dance* Gwen is on a roll, it seems. *knocks on wood* Helps the latter part of this is one of my favorite scenes. At least in this arc. That and the next chapter. I finally managed to push through the stuff I don't like so much and be satisfied about it, so when I hit the fight scene I was like "...OMGIGOTHEREYAAAAAAAY!" =D
Ahem. I will stop squeeing now and let you enjoy the ride. Before I give any more of it away. ^^ xD
Chapter 7: Insidiae
"You're rather calm."
Raising an eyebrow, Link glanced over at Impaz, who had inexplicably ridden forward from her usual station. "Oh? What makes you say that?"
The smallest hint of a smirk graced her lips. "Tanya's not glaring daggers in your back today. I'd say that's an improvement." She returned his look, the raised eyebrow somehow managing to look natural yet unnerving on the Shekiah. "What did you do?"
The note of amusement in the question forced him to look away, suddenly embarrassed though not entirely sure why. He curled his fingers experimentally, testing the familiar fit of his gloved gauntlets before speaking. "It's amazing what a friendly archery contest will do."
"So that's what you were up to yesterday," Impaz mused. When Link didn't respond, she continued, "Yet you're being awful quiet about it."
He let a small moment of silence develop before he answered. "I've been…thinking."
Impaz chuckled once. "What about? I must admit, even knowing you as long as I have, you're still quite the mystery."
Link closed his eyes; even as used to the feeling as he was, the emptiness that threatened to swallow him at the Shekiah's remark about being a mystery was difficult to ignore. "Tanya's…predicament. What's going to happen next. What we can do. What we don't know." Taking a breath, he admitted, "I'm worried."
"The great Hero of Time? Worried?" Her voice was still tinged with amusement. When he didn't respond and his mood didn't lift, Impaz clasped his shoulder reassuringly. "We can get through this. Once we reach the castle, you and Zelda will figure out what to do."
"So we will," Link murmured, staring down at Epona's mane. 'I'll have to. I can't go on like this.'
Having said all that could be said, Impaz slowed her horse and dropped back behind Tanya. After a moment to recompose himself, Link turned his attention to the worn trail ahead. The Zora River cut like a knife-edged ribbon of blue a short ride ahead, glimmering as brightly as the Master Sword's blade in the midmorning sunlight. Link allowed himself a small smile when he turned in the saddle and saw Tanya's expression.
"Never seen a river before?" he said with a smirk.
She rolled her eyes and pinned him with an exasperated look. "Mountain rivers aren't the same; you should know that."
Slightly taken aback by the reaction, Link said amicably, "I'm sorry, but who's the most traveled Hylian here?"
He was greeted with the raised-eyebrow look to which he was becoming fast acquainted. For a moment he was afraid she was going to call him out on his pathetic comeback, but she merely reminded, "Aren't we on a truce?"
Rolling his eyes, he nonetheless refrained from retorting and turned forward in the saddle. Shortly after, he reined Epona in at the top of a rise, the last before the land sloped sharply toward Zora River and the enormous bridge connecting the distant banks. "Once we cross the bridge, we should be six hours' steady ride from the forest's edge. Once we get under its branches, we'll be within the Deku Tree's protection and can relax a little while we plan our last run to the capitol," he explained as Tanya and then Impaz halted on either side of Epona.
Tanya craned her head around to survey the horizon behind them; the gray shimmer of the Curtain could be faintly seen just beyond Lon Lon Ranch's walls. Worry clouded her eyes, the same expression that he'd seen so many times on Zelda's face. As Impaz turned her horse around to cover their ride over the bridge, Link carefully rested a comforting hand on Tanya's shoulder.
"We can outrace it. We've got a pretty steady lead," he said quietly, hoping to bring her out of whatever frame of mind she was in. They couldn't afford to lose focus now, when they were so close to their goal.
Apparently he had misinterpreted the reason for her worry. She shifted her gaze from the Curtain to her saddle horn, twisting the reins around in her fist. "I just…worry. About the people we're leaving behind. I can't see how they'll get out safely—why we should, when they can't." Her eyes suddenly met his, and he was caught off-guard by the desperateness for answers in them. "What kind of people are we to save our own skins when we can do so much to help?"
His grip on Tanya's shoulder tightened a little as a small knot of guilt formed in the pit of his stomach—one that had always been there, but always pushed down for the better. 'How did she manage to peg that?' he wondered.
Before giving her his answer, he cleared his throat and kept a sympathetic tone only through force of will. "If we had the time and ability to help everyone individually, I would. But I don't. And the best way to help everyone in the long run is to fight whatever's controlling this." He returned his hand to the reins, forcing himself to look Tanya in the eye. "Which means we have to keep moving, or we'll never have a shot at that, and we won't be able to help anybody."
After a moment of internal struggle visible in her eyes, Tanya looked away. Her voice was quiet with resignation. "I understand."
Link couldn't keep watching her anymore for the guilt that threatened to overwhelm him.His conscience nagged him mercilessly as he kicked Epona into a trot and then a canter down the slope. 'She doesn't know how the world works like you do, Hero. You don't have the right to break her like that.'
'…But what choice do I have?'
Once over the bridge, the pair settled in to a comfortable lope across the floodplain toward Kokiri Forest, a distant stripe of green lining the base of russet red mountains in the west. Despite himself, Link could feel a flood of memories pressing in on his conscious thought: arguing with Mido; storytelling from the Deku Tree; playing with Saria in the maze of the Lost Woods; fighting Ganon's phantom in the bowels of the Forest Temple…
Scowling at himself, Link shoved the memories back into the recesses of his mind. He forced himself to concentrate on something else, slowing Epona to a trot in order to better appreciate his surroundings. A hawk's cry drew his attention, and he shaded his eyes with one hand to look up into the early afternoon sun. The raptor was little more than a tiny silhouette-shaped dot at its height, but he could clearly spot it against the blue sky.
The warrior drew in a deep breath, eyes closed. 'I wish I had your wings.'
"Kinda makes me wish I had had the time to test my wings, before," Tanya commented wistfully, noticing the direction his attention had taken.
Somehow, Link felt a smile tugging at his mouth. The way she had unknowingly echoed his thoughts, but with an optimistic note, lightened the shadow that had threatened his mood. "You might yet get the chance before this is over."
Her response was slightly chagrined. "I'm trying not to think about that."
"I've found that occupying your mind with something else sometimes helps." He glanced at her with some amusement, even as he wondered why he was thinking about offering such advice. "For instance, music."
The look Tanya gave him made Link doubly question why he was talking about this. "Music," she repeated doubtfully.
"Yes, music," he said defensively. "Like sitars and ocarinas and…singing."
Surprise flickered across her face, quickly overshadowed by fascination. "You sing?"
Link could feel the first hints of warmth in his face at her reaction. He made it a point not to brag about his singing, especially because he preferred not to draw attention to himself. But it did make long, lonely rides a little less tedious.
"Every once in a while," he admitted with a tiny shrug and a sheepish smile. Out of curiosity, he asked, "And you don't?"
"Ha! Me? I couldn't sing my way into a three-year-olds' choir." She shook her head self-deprecatingly. "No, I'm no good at music. I'd rather stick to sketching."
Eyeing her curiously, he prodded, "What kind of sketching? Still-life?"
Her lips curved upward the slightest bit—a tiny smile. "Not really. I prefer something with motion and life. I draw lots of animals and scenes, like freezing a battle in mid-strike."
He whistled quietly, impressed. "That takes skill—and talent." After a moment, he added with a laugh, "Maybe you could draw something for the Kokiri. They'd probably adore you."
Now it was Tanya's turn to duck her head and blush. "I'm really not that good," she mumbled, though smiling.
"You don't have to be, with ten-year-olds," he countered good-naturedly. "They'd be impressed with a stick figure in sand."
Her smile widened momentarily, and she tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. Then, after a pause, she queried, "What are they like—the Kokiri?"
Link suppressed a sigh, letting his grin fade a little. Steeling himself against the memories again, he began to describe the child-like race's village and their guardian, the Deku Tree. Tanya listened raptly, nodding as he explained and interjecting with delighted laughter at anecdotes about his time in the village.
Eventually, however, the conversation turned more serious. As they approached the forest's edge, Tanya asked, "So, what exactly is the Lost Woods? Haunted?"
Exhaling quietly, Link amended, "In a way. But the hauntings are all side-effects of the Woods' original purpose: to protect both the village and the Temple. If you're not supposed to be there, the Woods will turn you around until you're so lost, you become a shell of what you once were—or worse, a Stalfos or Stalchild."
Seeing her face start to pale at his description, he hurriedly amended, "But we'll be fine. We have the Deku Tree's blessing, so we don't have to worry about that."
She hmph'd doubtfully, rubbing one arm with her opposite hand. "I sure hope so," she muttered just loud enough for Link to hear.
All thoughts Link had of retorting vanished when he saw what—or who—was waiting for them at the forest's edge.
"Saria!" he shouted, grinning hugely as he urged Epona into a canter to cross the remaining two hundred yards to the trees.
The Kokiri girl, who appeared to be eleven at first glance, returned his grin and his greeting as the massive horse slid to a stop in front of her. "It's good to see you again, Link! I trust your trip was relatively uneventful?" she questioned with a hint of cheek and a humored sparkle in her light green eyes.
Link laughed sardonically, dismounting quickly. "I wish. I'm the most wanted piece of meat out here to those monsters, unfortunately. They really can't seem to leave me well enough alone," he bemoaned jokingly.
Saria chuckled, walking past Epona's head to wrap her arms around Link's waist. Her head barely reached the bottom of his ribs, making it a little difficult for him to return the hug. He settled for patting her back and ruffling her chin-length green hair instead.
She pulled away as Tanya halted Katara on the other side of them, "I'm glad you're back, even if it's just for a visit," she said with a sad smile.
The shadow that always lurked in his heart shaded his eyes again; the smile he gave his childhood friend was only half-hearted. Desperate to shake off the mood, he nodded to Tanya as she dismounted. "Saria, this is Tanya. Tanya, meet Saria, the Sage of Forest and an old friend of mine."
"It's a pleasure to finally meet you," Tanya greeted courteously, extending a hand for the petite Sage to shake.
"Likewise," Saria agreed, taking the proffered hand with her small one. Once their connected hands dropped away, she turned toward the entrance to the woods. "Well, we'd better get moving; we can catch up while we walk. Don't want to be caught outside the village after dark, Deku Tree's protection or not."
After so many years, Link hardly had to think about where he put his feet along the narrow trail. Epona followed him calmly as the trees swallowed them up, plunging them into semi-darkness broken only by occasional rays of sunlight piercing the thick canopy. Behind them, Tanya watched the undergrowth warily, and Katara stepped lightly with ears pricked for the first hint of danger.
Link shook his head slightly, amused by the girl's attitude. Saria glanced over at him curiously. "So? What's the deal with her, Hero-boy?"
Instantly, the amusement he'd felt evaporated. "It's…complicated," he said quietly, not looking at Saria. "You remember…the incident with Kel?"
The girl inclined her head understandingly, her mouth shaped into a silent O of understanding. "So she's…?" He nodded; Saria sighed. "That's why the monster activity, then, isn't it?"
"I'm…actually not sure," Link admitted. "It does explain the activity in her world, but that's more a side-effect of what's going on here. The time-frame is about right for Ganon…but this Twilight stuff isn't."
She raised an eyebrow at him. "So you really think this isn't Ganon we're up against." At his nod, she turned back to the path and walked in silence for a few moments. "I can see why you spoke with me by Ocarina earlier, then. We can't predict this enemy like we can him. Have you spoken with the other Sages yet?"
He shook his head. "Only Impaz. Vanessa's going to speak with Marau, and we plan on stopping in Kakariko to warn the Shekiah and Darbus."
Saria nodded slowly. "I'll let Rauru know; he should be able to get a message ahead to Zelda." Her attention was suddenly drawn away from their conversation and to the path ahead. Link slowed as Saria did the same, wondering what had caught her attention.
He relaxed when a smile replaced her serious countenance. "I think you're in for a bit of a surprise, Link."
'Uh oh.' "What is it now?" he questioned, half joking and half wary.
"Liiiink! You're back!"
Link laughed heartily at Navi's greeting, holding a hand out for the fairy to land on. "Well someone's excited," he teased with a grin. His smile slowly faded as he watched her through the blue glow her wings gave off; she was catching her breath, hands on her knees and head bowed slightly. "Navi? What's wrong?"
She looked up quickly, her light-blue bangs falling in disorder before her worried eyes. "We've got a problem," she gasped between two breaths. "Listen."
The warrior frowned worriedly but did as his former guardian instructed. As soon as he concentrated, he realized could pinpoint the difference instantly; there was no laughter from the village. By now he should have been able to make out individual voices.
"What's wrong?" Tanya questioned from her place at his elbow.
"Something's disturbed the village," he murmured, dropping Epona's reins and slowly drawing the Master Sword. Navi nervously fluttered off his palm and into her customary place at his right shoulder as he stalked toward the edge of the trees. A moment later he heard Tanya hesitantly mimic him. Now Link was doubly glad he'd convinced her to learn to handle the sword he'd given her—at least she wouldn't slice herself instead of an opponent.
"Watch out!"
Navi's warning barely registered before he stepped out of the trees and something slammed him into the ground.
Adrenaline flooded his veins; honed instincts automatically tucked him into a side roll. The Master Sword met resistance halfway through its swing, drawing a bestial cry from his attacker.
He knew that sound.
Shadow Beast.
"Damn it," he hissed as the creature reared off of him from his blow. Link kicked both feet into its torso to shove it further away and off-balance. A moment later he was on his feet. Quickly glancing around him, he saw both Tanya and Saria were fighting four more Beasts.
"It's coming back, Link!"
He pivoted to meet its charge with a block, throwing his blade edge-first against the monster's clawed hands. His surprise when it stopped the blow without breaking stride nearly froze him. The hero pulled away before his foe could retaliate and circled it with new eyes; the Beast quickly reengaged, swiping at Link's legs. He easily leapt the strike, swinging vertically at its head as he landed.
The blow skidded harmlessly off its engraved helm with a metallic screech. At the same time, he faintly noticed that the din of battle behind him had receded. He pushed the thought out of his mind momentarily, moving to attack the Beast again—but found the creature had backed out of his blade's reach.
"I believe you're missing something, Hero."
A snarl of irritation on his face, Link whirled to face the source of the voice—and felt his blood freeze.
—
Tanya tried to hold as still as possible, but her whole body was shivering with fear and adrenaline. Not for the first time in the past minute, she was glad her captor had shoved her to her knees; if she were standing, she probably would have collapsed a few times already.
Now that the fighting had stopped, a deathly silence filled the clearing. It seemed as if even the woods knew what was happening and were staying as quiet as the Kokiri. Tanya's eyes were riveted on Link, however, and the most honest expressions she'd ever seen on him: surprise, suppressed anger, and—oddly enough—a hint of fear.
Her breath caught in her throat as she felt the flat of the dagger under her chin press upward, tilting her head. She could see Link's jaw tighten from here, and the anger in his eyes sparked. "I wonder where this pretty little ruby came from," crooned the dagger's owner. "Perhaps you could enlighten me, Hero?"
Link's countenance showed he was prepared to do anything but that. For almost the first time since they'd left the Twilight, Tanya could see the wolf in him coming to the fore. He remained silent, letting his eyes speak for him.
That didn't satisfy their enemy. "Well?" he demanded simply. Tanya gasped and her body stiffened in pain when the dagger twisted, the edge scraping the sensitive skin under her jaw. Link moved a step toward them as if wanting to help, but the cordon of five Shadow Beasts around him and Saria shifted warningly.
"What's she to you?" The hero's voice was rough, laced with anger and uncertainty; she could tell he was stalling for time more than anything else with that question.
"It's not what she is to me, Hero—" the hostage-taker replied calmly, "—but to you."
Link finally looked down, his gaze meeting Tanya's. Dismay and confusion jolted her nerves when she found helplessness behind the anger in his eyes. And yet, somehow, she could see the outline of a plan falling into place in his mind.
"Tanya. Do you trust me?"
All the times he had obviously lied to her. All the times he had avoided her questions. All the times he had dragged her forward into the unknown with little to no explanation at all.
And yet…
"I do."
She could sense his relief even through the sharp clarity of his focus. "When I tell you, I need you to push the dagger away and drop straight down. Understand?" A mental acknowledgement was all he needed—besides, she didn't dare move her head yet, anyway.
His eyes shifted up to meet her captor's again. There was no uncertainty, helplessness, or even a trace of fear in them now. Another moment went by, and then he gave the enemy his answer: "Every citizen of Hyrule is important to me."
There was just enough time for her to yell in her head, "What do you mean, "citizen of Hyrule"?"
And then Link told her to go.
"Now!"
Tanya quickly snaked an arm between the black-robed hand holding the dagger to her throat, pushing down and away from her. She threw herself forward as something broke through the earth where she had been a fraction of a second earlier. As soon as she was out from under it, the girl scrambled to her feet; she moved to bolt, then realized there wasn't much of anywhere to go. Link and Saria were struggling viciously with all five Shadow Beasts, and their leader had vanished—but Tanya didn't know where her sword was, and her bow was still in its tube on Katara's saddle.
Even if she did have a weapon, she wasn't sure she could be much help right now, anyway. So she stood where she was, filled with anxious uncertainty as she watched the fight.
Her decision whether to join them or not was quickly made for her. One Beast unexpectedly went down with a dagger in its throat; Impaz had finally caught up and—in some way that Tanya didn't understand—pounced on her victim just when it turned to strike Saria.
With the first monster down, the two Sages teamed up against the other three, drawing away one which had been trying to get at Link's back. Tanya watched in amazement as the hero now laid the pressure on a single opponent, his countenance one of sharp focus.
It wasn't long before the Beast found itself outmaneuvered and overpowered, and the Master Sword ripped straight through its torso. Black blood coated the silver blade; Tanya swallowed thickly but couldn't look away as Link quickly pulled the sword and turned it on a Beast that had tried to sneak up on him.
Just as his weapon met the monster's claws, a series of wing beats ripped through the air. Tanya nearly fell, staggering almost drunkenly from the force of Teresa's landing—both due to the tremors and turbulence when she hovered briefly and set her hind feet on the ground. The dragon let loose a vicious roar as she swiped her claws bodily into a nearby Beast, severing its neck and most of one leg.
"Looks like you could use a hand, Link!" Vanessa yelled cheerily, waving from Teresa's back.
"No kidding!" Link returned a bit snappishly.
Tanya tried to hear Vanessa's retort—really, she did—but the day's exertions and sights were catching up to her. She gritted her teeth painfully and screwed her eyes shut, hands to her temples, as the last two Beasts let out agonizing screeches. That, Teresa's not-quite-roar, and the smell of blood threatened to rip her skull open.
Though feeling unable to handle it anymore, she fought to keep her eyes open and see the skirmish through to its finish. She only got a glimpse of Link breaking into a run toward her, though, before her internal self-defense mechanisms overrode her willpower; she slumped into unconsciousness shortly before Link reached her.
—
The moment the last Beast shrieked its death-cry, Link turned to check on Tanya. Immediately he could tell something was wrong—she was unsteady on her feet and had her forehead cupped in her hands. Worried, he quickly sheathed the Master Sword and started toward her, breaking into a run as she swayed on her feet even more.
He was just in time to catch her, clumsily sliding his arms under hers as she slumped forward against him. Once he had checked her pulse, he breathed a sigh of relief; she had simply fainted.
"Thank the Goddesses," he murmured, shifting her weight so he could gently lay her down.
He didn't look up as Vanessa and Teresa approached, gingerly fingering the scrape under Tanya's chin to assess the damage. "What's her problem?" Vanessa wondered a little snidely. "Can't handle a little blood?"
Link shot the dragon rider a warning glance. "She's not a combat veteran like we are, Ven," he reminded coldly, resting his hand on Tanya's forehead to check for potential fever. "This also isn't the first time she's had a bad run-in with these Beats, either," he added, partly to himself.
Finally he could feel Tanya stirring. Link removed his hand and sat back to give her space, watching her appraisingly as she groaned and rolled to her side. She lifted a hand to her head blearily, blinked, then fingered the slice on her chin with a wince. "What exactly just happened?"
"I think we're all wondering the same thing," Vanessa muttered, crossing her arms.
Link felt the same—but he knew where to get answers. "Midna? Any idea what those Beasts wanted—and who their leader was?" he asked as Impaz and Saria joined their huddle. Navi settled herself on his shoulder, a light-weight he only registered when her aura appeared in his peripheral vision.
The imp reluctantly emerged from his shadow, holding her hands behind her back and avoiding direct eye contact. "Honestly, after what that guy did to Tanya, I'm not really sure anymore," she confessed, idly kicking one foot. "I'd thought they were after the Spirit here, but they didn't take the opportunity. They bothered to set up an ambush—" Her eyes flicked to Tanya briefly. "—all for the chance to grab her."
All eyes shifted to Tanya—all except Link's. He scrutinized Midna critically for a few moments, then growled, "You're not telling us everything."
She looked down at the ground as everyone's gazes returned to her. Almost sheepishly, she said, "That guy with the helm? His name is Zant. He's controlling the Beasts and—like you saw—can somehow travel wherever he wants nearly instantaneously. That's all I know, I swear to the Divine Three!"
Link's attention moved to Tanya, who had shifted into a sitting position with her knees drawn up toward her chest. "So…they really are after me," she said, her voice small.
For an instant, Link could hear a tiny child—an all-too-familiar child—in her tone. The memory nearly drowned him with its clarity and strength; for an instant, a three-year-old sat where Tanya did, fear in her eyes that should never have been. He tried to shake it off, but the image refused to leave the forefront of his thoughts as long as he looked at her. Finally he gave in and averted his eyes, his whole body tense from the struggle within him.
"Why do you think I've been protecting you?" he growled through gritted teeth.
Navi's tiny hand on his cheek cut through the storm in his mind. "Link? Are you alright?"
Realizing his emotions were getting the best of him, he surged to his feet and backed away from the huddle of people, shaking his head. "We…we can't let them ambush us like that again. Saria, let the Kokiri know we're here; I'll go secure the perimeter while you guys settle in. I'll be back as soon as I've checked the area and talked to the Deku Tree."
