Alright, so we get into some heavier plot points in this chapter, but you do learn some interesting facts about my OC. :P I wish I could tell you, but you'll just have to read c:
As usual, I hope you enjoy!
Please read and rate/comment, I'd love to hear what you have to say!
The Other Hero of Time
Chapter 7
"Azra… Azra, wake up, sleepy head." I hear Link's melodic voice and slowly raise my head with my eyes beginning to adjust to the blinding light. "We're here."
"Huh?" It takes a moment for me to see that we're at the entrance of a village wedged between the sides of two steep mountains. There's no one out, except for us, which I find is weird, but I decide to focus on the question of how I got here in the first place. After I'm fully awake, I realize that I had fallen asleep. "How long was I out?!"
"Not too terribly long." He says with a small chuckle. "Since you were up all night, I didn't want to wake you until the last possible moment. You shouldn't be lacking on so much of your sleep or you won't be able to defend yourself sufficiently in a fight."
I blush hoping that I didn't snore or anything else embarrassing like that. Seeing his shoulder dry, I let a sigh of relief out, happily taking note that at least I don't drool. Looking down at his arm that was bandaged, I can see that it has continued to bleed through the bandaging since yesterday. "Link, we need to get to that shaman!"
"Don't worry, I'm fine." He looks forward and points to a large building by the lake ahead of us with his unharmed arm. "That's the shaman's house right there. No need to panic."
Why not? You're injured and bleeding for the Goddesses sake! I frown, hoping that he would pick up his pace now that I'm awake.
As we near the house, a girl who seems to be in her early teens walks out of the shaman's house with a small basket in hand. Her short dark hair frames her face beautifully as she scuttles over to the large spring, beginning to pick some weeds and pile them into the simple woven basket. She seems so innocent. She notices us and runs over with a smile, forgetting her basket by the lake. "Link! What're you doing all the way out here?"
"We need to see the Light Spirit Eldin." He smiles before showing her his arm. "But as you can see, I need to pay a visit to your father first. We had a bit of difficulty getting here."
She gasps and begins running back to her house yelling, "Father, Father! Link's here and he's injured!"
"At least I'm not the only one who sees this as a problem." I say to Link as he dismounts. I watch him for a moment before he offers his hand.
I take it, easily reaching the ground below, but I begin to stumble as I take a step forward, falling right into him. He thankfully catches me and as I look up at him, I feel my cheeks burning in my embarrassment. He just smiles down at me, "Careful. We don't need you to get injured as well."
"R-Right." I nod as I regain my balance. After a moment of guaranteeing my hold on the concept of balance, I begin follow close behind him towards the house. Great, now I'm turning into a klutz… How much more weak-kneed am I going to get over him?!
"Link?" A man with long brown hair steps out of the shaman's house and approaches us. He looks at Link's arm suspiciously, and then gazes suspiciously back up at us. "Would this be an injury from exchanging blows with each other?"
"We were attacked by a few monsters." Link's face changes from a light smile to seriousness. It takes me back how he can become so solemn with just a few small words. The way he handles this is so… regal. It's amazing.
"Monsters? Those should have disappeared years ago." He frowns, obviously troubled by the thought of such a thing. "Come. First I need to treat that wound of yours and then we'll talk."
"That sounds like a plan." Link agrees as the man walks off, starting towards his house. He turns to me with the same smile he had moments before he started talking to the shaman. "Come on, let's not make them wait. Epona will be fine if I leave her here."
"Okay." I nod and slowly follow him into the house. Immediately, the girl from before drags him to her father where he has some medical supplies set out.
For a moment, I just stand in place feeling a little awkward and out of place as the three move around so freely within the area; I on the other hand, feel like I'm within a small box that's continuing to shrink, slowly crushing me. I watch as he sits down in front of the shaman and begins to take off his gauntlet, carefully rolling up his sleeve. He then looks at me with a smile, motioning me to come over.
I sit next to Link and the man, watching as his dirtied bandages are removed. I see that the wound is still far from healed, as I expected; the blood nearly dried in most places, but it's red and puff in others. A frown settles on my lips as a twinge of guilt rushes through me. If only I had gotten there sooner…
"Hey, I'm okay." Link smiles at me, wincing once as the shaman sets a wet cloth on his wound. "It's just a scratch."
I just smile, nodding back at him, which makes his smile grow just a little wider. The man takes his time cleaning the wound of the crusty blood while the girl, addressed as Luda, is sent out to fetch some lake water. She comes back quickly with a small bucket of sparkling water. The man soaks a rag in the water and rings it out gently, the water twinkling unusually as it splashes. When the rag touches the wound, it begins to glow brightly with a soft yellow hue. Soon, when the strange light dims down into near disappearance, I see that the cut is gone; not even a scar left behind.
"Whoa…" I look at the bucket of water in awe, still wonder what in the world I just witnessed. Amazing.
"This is blessed water from the Spring of Eldin. It has magical healing qualities as do the other Spirit Springs. Unfortunately, when taken from its source, the water slowly begins to lose that magic, so we must always work fast." He explains as he lets the rag drape over the side of the bucket. He looks up at me with some curiosity. "I don't believe we've met before. I am Renado, the shaman of this village, and this is my daughter, Luda. What is your name?"
"Well, that's a question I was hoping to get an answer to." I laugh nervously, not quite sure if I should be telling him this. He seems nice enough and Link seems to trust him, so I suppose it's safe enough. "For now, I guess just call me Azra."
"You don't recall your own name?"
"That's what brings us here so suddenly." Link says as he finishes readjusting his gauntlet. "She was seen delivered to the outskirts of Hyrule Fields by Eldin. We were hoping that he could explain to her why she's here and why her memories are missing."
"I see." He looks at me, as if studying me to see if there's something specific about me; something like my mark. I find myself being thankful that the back of my hand is out of his sight; not sure if my status as Hero should be publicly known about yet. "Then I'll leave you two to your mission then."
"Yes." Link stands, bowing to the man. I follow his lead, making sure to keep my hand discretely out of sight. "Thank you for healing my wound."
"Anytime." He says as we exit the building. I try to refuse the urge to look back, a nervous feeling bubbling within me. Did he see my mark? I don't think it's something that should be made public… Not yet anyways.
I follow Link as he walks to the spring that lies close to Renado's house. We only need to travel a few meters to get to the edge of glistening water, much clearer than another body of water I have seen so far. He steps into the water, beginning to head towards the center; I stay hesitantly at the edge, unsure whether I should follow or not.
Somehow, I'm starting to come to terms with what's about to happen. This is where everything I know, however little that might be, is going to change. This is where I won't have to guess about my past and be innocent to the knowledge of whatever is going on. I won't need to guess about what my mark truly means or what role I play in the larger picture of the events that are about to or have been taking place. It makes me second guess whether I'm good enough for what the Goddesses need me for.
Link turns to me after a moment of not hearing my footsteps following him. He lends out his hand to me with a gentle smile. "It's fine. You don't need to be afraid."
I shake my head. "I'm not afraid, just nervous."
He only nods, as if in understanding what's going on in my mind, and leads me a few feet into the shallow spring. I stand behind him, wondering just what exactly we're supposed to do next; wondering just how we call Eldin. All of a sudden, as if answering my thoughts, a bright light begins to form the shape of a strange bird with a ball of light in its claws. I stare in awe, knowing that this figure is faintly familiar to me.
Link bows before the creature in respect. "I've brought this girl to you, the same one you left in the Fields of Hyrule. She has many questions that she wishes for you to answer."
"I thank you, Chosen Hero." He says to Link before looking at me. His eyes seem as if they are peering into my very soul, seeing what truly lurks within my very being that I cannot see myself. It's intimidating, to say the least, but I try not to show it; I'd rather not offend one of the servants of light. "You wish to know your past, correct?"
"Yes. I want to know who I am, why I'm here, and why my memories are gone." I say, trying to not let his gaze faze me. I want to show that I'm strong, that I'm ready for whatever I'm meant to do. "And what this mark on my hand means."
"You are Nasia, the maiden chosen by the Goddesses to save the land of Hyrule from the darkness that's slowly overtaking it."
"But Hyrule doesn't seem to be in any danger at the moment. In fact, I don't believe there has been any threat to this land for some time." I point out skeptically. "So why would I be chosen to save the land that has already been saved? Especially when Link has already proven himself to be the Hero of legend?"
"You are not originally from this era, chosen maiden, but from one that still has some time to come. Your life was in danger and therefore, so was Hyrule. I had transported you back in time to save your life and protect the land of Hyrule from a devastating fate."
Back in time?! I stare at him bewildered and stunned, not knowing if I can fathom such a tale. "I'm... from the future?"
"Yes. You come from a dire time where the Hero of Time wasn't able to be reborn." He explains. "Since the Hero wasn't able to be reborn as needed, the Goddesses had to find someone who had the potential of bearing the power of the Triforce as well to protect the land in his stead."
"So I'm the replacement?" I finish with disbelief. I stay silent for a long moment, trying to come to terms of who and what I'm supposed to be. It's hard though to imagine that this is really my fate. "What about my memories? Is there a reason why you had taken them from me?"
"It wasn't I, but the effect of going back in time, for you still have a ways to go before truly becoming the Chosen Hero. Your memories shall return to you in time." His figure begins to fade in a bright light as a shining amber descends down into my hands with the shape of the Triforce in the center. The little triangle at the top begins glowing red as the stone settles in my palms. "This is the Stone of Trials. For now, you need to gain the blessings of Light Spirits Lanayru and Faron. Only then will you be realized as the Hero and be able to wield the power necessary to defeat the darkness."
"The Stone of Trials?" I look at the amber mystified, then back at where his figure used to be to see that his light as disappeared. I sigh feeling bewildered by everything that was just thrown at me.
I stare down at my reflection, knowing that this is the face of the supposed 'Nasia' and that there's too many things I don't know about myself. There's too little to argue against what Eldin had just told me and a whole lot that supports it; the visions, my mark… and the fact that a Light Spirit just told me all of this makes it seem very probable.
Rubbing my hand against the cool surface of the stone, I continue to stare at the little glowing triangle, knowing that the symbol is incomplete without the other two that stand faintly below it. Well, I guess I have two more "trials" to over come; as if this adventure isn't one big trial anyway…
Link puts his hand on my shoulder, but I don't look at him. I'm too caught up in the though that I don't know what to do. Well, I do know what to do; I just don't know how to process it. This is what I wanted, to have my questions answered, but I never wished for this. I didn't exactly desire to be a servant of the Goddesses and save Hyrule. I just wanted to find out who I am, but it turns out I'm this powerful figure. I'm the other Chosen Hero.
"You're going to be fine." Link's gentle voice sooths my thoughts for only a moment. I look over at him, hoping he could help calm the storm forming in my mind. He smiles, possibly seeing the uncertainty in my eyes. "Let's head to Faron first. His spring is much closer than Lanayru's and I'm sure he'll have some more answers for you."
"Right." I mutter with a small nod, following him out of the spring water. I glance back at the apex of the spring for only a moment before continuing to follow Link. It seems like my questions are only going to multiply with every answer I get…
