Chapter Nine: Rage, Fear, and Tears
Ilia jumped up. She had heard a scream. Not just any scream, but his scream. It was Link. And he wasn't too far away. Her entire body was filled with fear and sorrow at the same time. Was he in danger? Was his life on the line? Could she do anything about it?
Ilia looked frightfully at the shabby, rotting wooden door, and then down at her hands. She began to tremble. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, followed by a weak, terror-filled smile. Yes, she could do something about it.
"What's a few splinters compared to losing him?" She took another deep breath and backed up a few steps. Then she let out a loud cry as she took a running start and slammed herself into the door, smashing right through it like it was only a few wayward bushes.
Her arms were now bloody, however, and there were pieces of wood sticking out of her wounds. "Ouch…that's definitely more than just a few splinters…"
Ilia tried as hard as she could to laugh the pain away as she began to tear the thick splinters from her body…that is, until she felt hot, sticky breath down her back. She turned around and saw a strange, pig-like humanoid monster atop a huge boar, aiming a flaming arrow at her.
She gasped and took off running. "Oh, crap, not again! No more arrows, please!" As she ran, memories of the day she was kidnapped from Ordon Village along with the other children flooded into her mind. "No more arrows…please, no more arrows!" Sharp, deadly, flaming and non-flaming arrows flung in the air around her, missing her by only a small margin.
She kept running, following the sounds of Link's pain-filled screams, passed heavy wooden fences and other monsters. She jumped over splintering wood, blood streaming from all sorts of gashes and wounds on her body.
And then the sound stopped. She could hear his cries no longer.
She paused for a moment, listening intently to her surroundings to hear if Link would begin screaming again. She could hear fire crackling all around her, the result of the poorly-aimed flaming arrows…she could hear the grunts and squeals of the monsters and their boars…she could hear wood crashing to the ground as it fell over from it's own weight…but she could not hear Link's voice.
She began to panic. "No!" she screamed. "Am I too late? Too late to save you?!" she began to cry out even louder. Suddenly, she was filled with a burning rage. She picked up the nearest lump of wood and began smashing anything that even closely resembled a door. Anything that would help her find Link. Anything at all…
"Link!" cried Ilia over and over again, cynical tears streaming down her face. She would not accept the possibility that he was dead. She could not accept the possibility that she had failed him.
zzz
Aura kept following the pendant that was tugging her around. "What if it's just leading me in circles?!" she asked Zelda impatiently.
"Just trust me, Aura, I believe it will lead you to the other Tear! Just be patient!"
"How am I supposed to be patient if the damn thing keeps tugging me around?!" whined Aura as she was pulled viciously in the opposite direction she had just been heading, followed by an unsteady "Whoa!"
Midna let out a small chuckle. "How many times am I going to have to tell you to watch your mouth?"
Aura scowled at Midna as she was jerked in yet another direction. "It's not funny! And how many times do I have to tell you that you aren't my mom?"
"Yet, you mean," added the Twilight Princess.
"Not at all, if we're stuck here much longer…" sighed Zelda, her energy from before seemingly drained.
"What do you mean?" asked Midna.
"Just now…didn't you hear it?" breathed Zelda, almost in a whisper.
"Hear what? I didn't hear anything…" Midna was getting very confused, but she trusted Zelda above anyone…even above herself. She didn't doubt the fellow princess, but how could Zelda have heard something that she herself did not?
The two princesses were interrupted by a loud, happy shriek. "Look, look, you guys, I found it! Princess Zelda, you were right, it did lead me to the other tear!
"How come you address Zelda by her full title, but not me?" asked Midna.
Aura just stuck her tongue out at her.
Zelda and Midna rushed over to where Aura was standing. Her pendant was glowing even brighter than before, and an identical gem was floating very close to it, and moving closer with every second. The two tears then merged and sent off an enormous amount of light.
"Amazing…" breathed Zelda.
"Why did it do that?" asked Midna.
"I don't know, but it sure was neat," replied Aura, now holding the brightly shining pendant in her hands. The glow was not fading. "Though I don't know why it's still glowing. Maybe something's happening to it?"
Midna jerked her head up. "Smoke," she said hastily.
"Smoke? What do you mean, smoke?" asked Zelda.
"I smell it, don't you? Something nearby is burning…I smell it, it's so strong!" and she turned around and started running towards the opening that looked over the desert.
Zelda and Aura quickly followed her and looked out at the desert as well. It was true; there were huge billows of smoke all throughout the camps of Ganon's minions. Everything looked like it was up in flames, and if it wasn't yet, it soon would be.
Zelda gasped. "Oh my gods…what happened?"
Midna shook her head, her eyes wide in horror. "I don't know, Zelda…I just don't know…"
zzz
Four guards walked into Telma's bar, one of them holding the strange note written in ancient Hylian. They marched up to the counter and held out the note.
Telma looked up at them from cleaning a glass. "And what do you no-good sons of pigs want me to do with this here piece of Cucco-scratch?"
The guard who was holding the note shuffled his feet. "We're looking for a man who goes by the name of Shad. We heard that he often hangs around at your bar. Have you seen him around of late? It is of utmost importance."
"Shad? You mean the scholar, right?" replied Telma, cocking and eyebrow at them.
"Yes, the scholar. Where is he, if you know?"
"Haven't seen him. He just up and left a few days ago. Don't know where he was headed or when he'll be back," Telma replied as she crossed her arms.
"That's a shame. It seems that our dear Princess is lost forever then."
Telma suddenly jerked up, her eyes widened. "What do you mean the princess is lost? What happened?"
The guard smiled, happy that he had now captured her full attention.
zzz
Aura looked down at her hands and shrieked.
Zelda turned around. "What is it?"
"I'm…I'm…" Aura stuttered, her voice trembling uncontrollably. "I'm disappearing!"
It was true, Aura was glowing with the light of the tear pendant, and she was becoming see-through. Midna kneeled down and tried too put a hand on Aura's shoulder to console her, but she just fell through her, startled.
"What's going on here?" asked Zelda, her voice holding a trace of unfamiliar fear. Midna had never heard Zelda speak with even the slightest amount of fear in her voice before.
"I don't know! I just…know…that…I'm…" and then she faded all the way. She was absolutely gone, without a trace. All that was left was the Silver Tear pendant as it clanked to the ground after Aura had disappeared.
Midna's eyes filled with tears. "Aura!" she cried out. "Aura, where did you go?" She struck the ground with her fist, only to hurt herself in the process. Zelda kneeled down next to her and put her arms over her shoulders, picking up the Silver Tear and putting it around Midna's neck.
"Midna, we just have to…stay calm…everything's going to be...just fine…" But Midna could tell that Zelda didn't even believe her own words. The desert was in flames, Link and Ilia were still missing, Moblins had reappeared in Hyrule, and now…most devastating of all…Aura had disappeared.
