Heart of a Heroine Ch 8

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Ilia's Point of View (Just to see what its like)

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It was early in the morning as I rode Epona. I didn't really want to ride her while she was injured, but she didn't trust those Bulbins with her, or herself with those giant Boars.

I look up at the clouds, the storm that started on the day of the attack on Hyrule Castle refused to leave. All of them were dark, but that was probably because the sun hadn't even risen yet.

I take the lamp from off of Epona's sides, and light it, illuminating my surroundings better.

Far in front of me is King Bulbin, to my right is Princess Zelda. I'm sure she's as tired as I am, but the look of determination in her eyes doesn't show it. Zelda seemed to love Hyrule, and refused to see it conquered for a second time during her reign.

Surrounding us, are dozens of Bulbins, some riding boars, two riders per beast, some of them walking beside us.

We were headed to the Zora's domain, going around Eldin field, instead going through the northern foothills of Death Mountain. The terrain was very rocky, the only vegetation was a small patch of grass, of some mold on the rock.

I opened my mouth wide to yawn, it was way to early to be up. "Zelda. Please remind me why we are up this early? I thought we were supposed to rest up."

"The King thought otherwise. He said it would be best to get up early incase there is another attack." She said, sounding just as tired as I was.

"And why did you agree?" I asked her.

"Because he didn't give me a choice." She told me.

"Whatever. As long as we can stop stop those things." Ilia said. 'As long as we can save everyone.'

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We finally reached Zora's Domain, sticking close to a bank near the river.. The clouds still hung heavy in the sky, the tropical air just made it seem like a tropical storm would happen at any time.

I looked around, and in the water, I couldn't see any Zoras. Not even a guard.

"See, I knew the beasts would've struck here," King Bulbin said. "now we must search the area."

The Bulbins dismounted from their boars, and unloaded some wooden posts they brought with them, and began setting up camp. As much as I hate them, they are rather industrious.

"King, do you have an instrument on you?" Zelda asked. The King was puzzled by her odd request, but motioned to one of his subjects, who gave her a small horn. "I'm used to a harp, but this will do." She said. "Ilia, King, if you would follow me."

The King jumped off of his blue Boar, causing a small tremor as he did, and I jumped off Epona. "If these guys cause you any trouble, run like the wind." I whispered into her ear.

I followed Zelda, still wary of King Bulbin. We followed along the bank, and Zelda was looking intently at the waterfall. She raised the horn up to her mouth, and blew on it a few times, experimentally. After getting the hand of it, she tried to blow a short song on it, but seemed to mess up, as she tried again a few times.

She tried it one more time, and the entire place began to shake. Suddenly the waterfall split into two separate waterfalls. Then, the stone wall behind the waterfall, split, and opened inwards, revealing a giant doorway, about half the size of the waterfall. Then to their right, stone steps emerged from the stone. Zelda walked up them, and me and the King followed. We ended up on a ledge, and then, the stone came out of the wall on our side, and from the giant doorway, meeting in the middle. Zelda stepped on to the bridge experimentally, but it seemed sturdy.

I ran up to her, asking her, "How did you know about this?"

"That tune was used to help me sleep at nights. My father told me that it's used as proof of the royal family, but I just thought some guards would hear it, and know we are friends, not this." This meaning the giant doorway.

'Why didn't my dad teach me any magic lullabuys?' I thought. We used the stone bridge to get to the mysterious doorway, the King and a few Bulbins following us.

As we approached the door, I was amazed by it's size. I couldn't believe that something like this was hidden. We went into the small cave that was previously concealed by the rock wall behind the waterfall. In front of us an immense doorway.

"So how do we get in?" I asked.

"We knock." Zelda said. She stepped up to the huge doorway, and knocked on it as hard as she could, but after a while, it was apparent that they hadn't heard.

"Allow me." The King said, approaching the door. He banged on it so hard, it echoed in the small cavern.

"I can hear something." Zelda said after a while.

"What?" I asked.

"Listen." She told me. I listened hard but couldn't hear much, aside from the roar of the waterfall outside. I tried moving closer to the door, and it seemed if I listened hard enough, I could hear something.

I put my ear against the door, trying to hear what seemed to be an argument.

"Look, all I know is that I'm not opening that door." Someone said.

"And all I'm saying, it's someone from the royal family, no one else could even get to the door."

"Look, I'm head guard, I tell you what you can and can't do, and I'm telling you, you are not going to open that door. Only Prince Ralis himself can tell me otherwise."

"Well that's a good thing then."

"How's that?"

"He's here."

"What's going on here?"

"Your majesty, you see..."

"Your majesty, someone's knocking at the front gates."

"Then open them."

Suddenly the great doors opened, I stepped back to avoid being hit by them. They revealed a huge cavern, the lower parts lit by torches, the upper half lit by stones in the roof that had a luminescence of their own. In front of me was a pair of guards, and Prince Ralis himself.

"Ilia!" He said, overjoyed at her arrival. He ran over to her, and gave her a big hug. "It's great to see you are safe! Please come in, we are not used to non-Zora's, but please come in, your friends too."

"Thank you Prince Ralis." I said.

"You know these people?" The head guard asked.

"This woman saved my life." He told him. "And you've just been demoted. You" He said facing the other guard. "have just been promoted, you take his old job."

Me, Zelda, the King, and a couple Bulbins came in to the cavern. I have never seen a place like this, or even imagined a place like this, it's beauty was breathtaking.

"We have fallen on hard times. We were attacked." He told them.

"So have we." I said. "Everyone in Ordon was taken."

"Everyone?" He asked shocked. "Even Link? And Colin, and Talo, and Malo, and Beth?"

"Yeah, them too." I said, trying not to remember to hard.

"I'm sorry." He said. "We were taken by surprise, we barely made it to the city." He said.

"Excuse me, Prince Ralis?" Zelda said speaking up. "I am Princess Zelda of the Hylians. Hyrule Castle town has also been attacked."

"You are from the Royal family?" He asked. "Forgive my shock, I wasn't expecting the Royal Family to be dressed the way you are."

"We too, have fallen on hard time." She told him. "This is King Bulbin, he leads the Bulbins, and has declared his allegance with us."

"Yes, I remember him. The only reason I haven't had him run out of here, is that you seem to trust him." Ralis said.

The King just chuckled at this. "I get what I deserve." He said.

"Is there a place where we can speak?" The Princess asked.

"The entrance to the fountains will do nicely." Ralis said. "Come, it's this way."

The young Prince led us through the city, it was hard to think this was the same young Zora who she had helped keep alive in Hyrule Castle town, he seemed like such a natural leader. I looked around the City. The place was a huge caver, on my left was a steep drop into a deep pool of water, the Zora's were all swimming in.

The waters were all crystal clear, I could see all the way to the bottom. ahead of our path Ralis took a left, past a pair of guards, and up a spiral staircase. We followed, a few pots decorating the steps, and a torch lighting the way. The wall on our left came down into more of a banister, again showing the cavern. Very little of the cave seemed to be built, almost all of it was natural cave formations, with just a corner cut here, or there.

I can see a small waterfall coming out of the rock face, a Zora sitting down in it, watching the others as they swim.

We kept going up the stairs until we came to a large hall, beautifully lit by torches, and glowing rocks. The far wall at the end had water slowly dripping down it, making the entire floor to be flooded by a few inches. In the middle of the room was a table covered in a red cloth. Ralis sat down at the end, so I decided to sit next to him. Zelda sat next to me, and King Bulbin sat across from me, taking up two chairs.

"So, Princess, what is it you wish to discuss?" Prince Ralis asked.

"Hyrule Castle has been attacked." She said. "We need allies to fight this threat. So far the Bulbins have promised military aid, and the Gorons have allowed us access to their mines, and are willing to lend us any man who wishes to help."

"We want to ask you to help fight this fight, on behalf of your people." King Bulbin said.

"Of course, Ilia saved my life, all you need to do is ask. I give you whatever the Zora's have to offer." Prince Ralis said. "As a token of my faith, take my mother's necklace." Prince Ralis took off his Necklace, a piece of gold shaping the symbol of the Zora, with three Saphire's inbedded in it, attached to a string lined with pieces of coral. "It was her mother's necklace, and her's before that. She told me it's used as a symbol of good faith. Keep it until the threat is dealt with." I put it around my neck, and tucked the jewel under the chain mail.

"Can you tell us about what happened during the attack?" Zelda asked.

"They attacked us, and we barely made it here. I don't know why, but I-"

"PRINCE RALIS!" One of the Guards said, coming up from the staircase. "They're back, we need you to get to safety, now!"

"They're back?" He asked. "No, I'm not leaving my people again!"

"Prince Ralis, I went through they same as you," Princess Zelda said. "If you are captured, then your people will lose hope."

"They're coming to the gates!" The guard said panicking. Then I heard a chilling roar, echoing through the caverns, making it a hundred times worse, draining all courage I had to face this them.

"Prince Ralis, we need to leave now!" I told him.

"Through the fountains!" The guard said. Ralis, Zelda, and myself followed the guard, but King Bulbin stayed.

"It's not our way to run, don't worry, we will meet again. I can hold my own." He told them. "Now go!"

We followed the guard through a corrider on the right. We emerged above the hall we were just in, I could see King Bulbin picking up a fallen guards spear, and charging at something. The guard continued to lead us through a tunnel, and to the outside.

Outside, a tropical storm raged, the winds howling, the rain practically pelting us, and lightning blazing through the sky. In front of us was a Lake, it's waters angry, and frothing. I didn't know where the deep end was, as the water level was raised all along the shore line. He took us along the wall behind us that covered the underground caverns, and hit a rock along the the rock face, making a secret entrance be revealed. In side seemed to be a tunnel that would lead to safety, it's floor wet and slick.

"Prince Ralis you go first." The guard said, pushing him into the tunnel, making him slide down all the way and out of sight. "Okay now you." He said to Zelda. She looked at the tunnel, then back at the guard, then jumped in, sliding like Ralis had. "Okay, now you-" Suddenly, one of the beasts jumped out from the cavern they had come from, and barreled towards me and the guard, the look of it almost freezing me in place. It knocked the guard into the swirling waters in the lake, and then looked at me.

I don't know how, but Link's sword was in my hands, I was clutching the handle hard. I swung at it, clumsily, but I hit it's shoulder blade, but it didn't bleed, instead of darkness seemed to drip from it's wounds, and purplish lines seemed to glow on it's body. I ran into the tunnel, the beast trying to jump in after me, but it's shoulders too big, dropping the sword, and tumbling through the tunnel.

At the end, I tried to get up, amazingly I hadn't cut myself, and picked up the sword. I turned around to get my bearings, and I saw Zelda firing arrows not too far from me, and Ralis hiding behind her. I joined her, and saw we were standing on some sort of ledge slash balcony over the river, and saw she was firing at the Shadow beast on the opposite side, attacking the Bulbins. I drew my bow too, and tried to fire at them, but missed a lot.

Then, I saw something in the skies. I shouted to Zelda, but the winds were so loud that I couldn't even here myself, but she seemed to notice too. It was like some sort of decrepit bird, sailing around the sky, smoke trailing behind it's wings. It seemed to notice us, and flew towards us. It landed on the ledge in front of us, but it's size was so big that it couldn't fir through the roof part, and it tried to peck at us with it's beak, but we had backed against the walls, so it failed. I pointed to another tunnel and we took it, this one heading downwards.

"What is that thing? I have never seen something like that." Ralis said.

"I honestly don't know." Zelda said. "I just hope we survive this."

We kept going down the tunnel, but as we reached the banks of the river, we came across what seemed to be the worst yet. It was a person, but he was made of pure darkness. He sat atop what seemed to be a horse, but it seemed to be only bones with rotting flesh hanging on to it. The man was tall, and he radiated fear and respect, but he seemed almost soulless. He turned to us, his eyes, a bright red, and took out his sword, made of deep, black obsidian, and raised it as if for a signal.

Suddenly, another Shadow beast came, and grabbed Zelda, she was struggling desperately, and suddenly the Triforce symbol on her hand lit up. She raised her hand, and suddenly a burst of light came from her hand, seeming to knock the beast down for good, but the dark rider grabbed Zelda by her throat instead. I had the sword my hands again, and for some reason, I charged at him, but he gust struck me down with his free hand. The mark on Zelda's hand continued to glow, but the rider grabbed her wrist with his free hand, and it then began to fade. It had stopped glowing, he then threw her at me, Zelda seemed drained, I placed her hand on mine, the mark beginning to glow again, before fading out completely.

Another shadow beasts came, throwing me against the wall, causing me to lose consciousness. That last thing I remember was the dark rider holding the lifeless form of Ralis, and placing him on the backside of his horse before leaving the conscious realm.