Greeting: Hey there, guys. Kinda been in a shitty mood as of recently. Things have been kind of rocky with one of my best friends. I'm completely head-over-heels in love with him, and he's just being an ass about it. So, haven't really been in the writing mood. I'm really sorry. Hopefully this chapter will come out well. :S Oh, and did you know the last chapter was 12 fucking pages on MS Word? XD Damn, I'm good.
Listening to: The Rasmus
Summary: After the fall of the Dark King and the restoration of the Twilight, all was peaceful in Hyrule. Cities and lives were being rebuilt. But, in another place, despair was spreading. And their only hope was a small girl with strange eyes.
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Something pulled Link from a dream. A soft, whispering sound, echoing off of the stone walls. He sat up, careful not to wake Sheik, and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. The noise was growing closer. Somewhere, his mind pinpointed exactly what type of noise it was. It sounded like someone crying.
He didn't even bother to pull his boots on. Link bolted from bed and opened the door, determined that he knew whose voice was crying. In the hallways, the voice seemed to increase. The sound of bare feet pounded against the marble floors. Rusko's little arms hugged her shaking shoulders, black tears falling from her moonlight eyes. Link's heart broke into numerous little pieces when they settled on him. Her slow stumble turned into a dash as she ran into his arms.
"What's happened?" he asked softly, gently petting her hair. For a moment, Rusko continued to sob into his chest, curling into him like a frightened child, and as unfamiliar as the idea was to Link, that was exactly what she was. She sniffed and tried to hold it in for a moment to tell him.
"I had a… horrible dream." Her voice shook. Link rested his cheek on her head, squeezing her tiny body close. "Kaunis was hurt. He was hurt so badly! He was bleeding, and his bones were broken, and he couldn't see! He was hurting my brother! He'll kill him!"
"Shh." Link lifted Rusko into his strong arms. Her arms encircled his neck and she burrowed her face into his collarbone. "It was just a bad dream," he murmured. "A nightmare. Kaunis will be all right."
"It wasn't a dream," she wept. "Kaunis is calling me for help! I have to help him!"
"We'll save him, Rusko." Link sighed sadly. "I promise you. We'll get your brother back."
Rusko continued to cry. Her small frame shook in his arms. Link kissed her temple, tucking her hair behind her ears. His thumb carefully wiped away the murky tears on her pale, silvery skin. "How about you sleep with me and Sheik tonight? Would that make you feel better?"
Between the shaking sobs and soft sniffles, Link could make out the small nod against his chest. With the affirmation he began the short walk back to his own room, wondering how he would explain to Sheik why Rusko was nestled into his arms, crying and shivering. He had a small bit of trouble opening and closing the door, but nothing beyond that. Rusko's shaking subsided slightly by the time he gently set her on the bed.
"What…?" Sheik turned to see what had woken him, his eyes and speech slurred by sleep. When he saw Rusko, wrapped fingers rose to sift gently through her toussled hair. "What's the matter, sweetheart?"
"Nightmare," Link explained, slipping into the blankets beside them. Sheik reached for her hand, giving her cold fingers a comforting squeeze. Rusko hid her face in the pillows. Link put an arm around her small form under the covers. "It's all right now," he said softly.
"Yes," Sheik agreed. "You're safe here, with us."
--
The entrance to the tomb of fire was, to be blunt, not terribly spectacular. In fact, it was nothing short of a simple hole in the ground. The four of them, Link, Sheik, Rusko, and Nabooru, simply stood and looked at it for quite some time, almost as if expecting flames to shoot up the steep, stone stairway leading down into the earth.
"Well, let's go in, shall we?" Nabooru said and stepped down, decorated spear in hand. "I hope Palo's happy to see us."
"Wait one moment," Rusko said, snatching the lantern from Link's hand. She went deeper into the tomb, standing in the darkness with her eyes closed gently. Her hand rose, silver sparks emitting from the fingertips, face set in concentration. "It's the same curse as before. I can break it here, but I'll need a moment to locate the center of magic."
The other three faced the sunlight, watching as the desert pea hats flew lazily about in the sweltering heat. Link smiled at Sheik, hand habitually sweeping the windblown hair out of his face. "I was hoping that it would be a bit cooler in the tomb than in the desert, but it is the tomb of fire, so I wouldn't bet on it."
"I suppose you're correct," Sheik replied, his voice slightly annoyed and words cold. He kept his eyes on the view in front of them, ignoring Link's bewildered expression at his harsh comment.
"Is… Is there something wrong, Sheik?" he asked worriedly.
"No, Hero," Sheik lied. "Nothing is wrong."
"Did I do something?" Link's face gave away the fact that he was upset.
"No." Sheik sighed irritably. "Nothing is wrong."
Link looked away, a hurt glimmer in his eyes. "Okay." He nervously bit his bottom lip and turned away from the Sheikah. What was going on? The night before, they had talked and laughed like best friends. Why was Sheik being so cold?
"Got it!" Rusko announced happily, an air of triumph in her voice. "We can all go in now, but we have to be careful. I don't like the energies these rooms are emitting." She descended the staircase cautiously, taking note of the foreboding flashes of red and black that her mage's sense was getting.
The inside of the tomb of fire was just like the entrance, unglamorous and there was nothing special about it. The floor was stone and the walls were made of a rough, sandy rock. There were a few torches lining the walls and lighting the darkness, but nothing otherwise.
"Well," Nabooru groaned, "This place is completely dull. You would expect something a little bit flashier from the god of fire."
"Palo never was one for flash." Rusko's flashing eyes settled on the door at the end of the room. Just as there was in the tomb of water, a giant, glittering opal was set in the middle of the stone. And just as before, Rusko touched her palm lightly to it, muttering the word, "Aava."
Link glanced apprehensively at the stone slab he knew Rusko would have to break. Her little hands were still burned and bandaged from the last encounter with a cursed tablet. He could feel a dark, unfriendly aura pulsating throughout the tomb. It was more than unnerving.
"Princess," Sheik called tentatively. He could see Rusko unwinding the bandages on her hands, a determined shimmer in her eyes.
"If I don't open it, we can't get the key." The solid tone of her voice silenced him. Just as she did last time, Rusko placed her palms to the stone and muttered words in a language that was completely foreign to the three of them. Silver light flashed on her face, which was beginning to screw up in pain. But she was not screaming like before. Instead, her lips trembled and her body began to shake, until Sheik made a move to pull her back. But soon enough, the stone slab cracked underneath her hands and crumbled to the ground in pieces.
"Nice, Princess!" Nabooru grinned and pumped a fist into the air. Rusko gave her a weak, thankful smile, hiding her hands in the fabric of her dress. Link took a soft hold on her wrists, laying her hands facing palm-up in his. The very sight of the damaged skin made his lips draw in on themselves.
"Poison," Sheik murmured, gazing sadly at Rusko's black fingers. She bit her lip to keep in a yelp as Link gently ran a soft fingertip over the dark purple that had replaced the silver hue.
"It's numb, but it hurts," she murmured. "I can't feel things when I touch them, but it hurts."
"That's cactuar poison," Nabooru told them. "It's not deadly and it doesn't spread beyond the area of contact. But it hurts like a bloody bitch."
"Any antidotes?" Link asked sharply. Nabooru nodded.
"Back at the palace. But now, I believe we have an elemental to reckon with."
--
The room inside was beyond sweltering. Fire pits lined the circular walls, flames licking their way up to the ceiling, and the stone beneath their feet was almost too hot to step on. Rusko cradled her damaged hands to her chest, blowing on the purple skin.
"Where's Palo?" Nabooru whispered, bringing her spear into a defensive position.
"I don't see him." Link unsheathed and drew his sword, and Sheik his pulled his chain from his sleeve. "Is he even here?"
"He has to be here," Rusko said grimly. "He cannot leave this place."
"So it's true."
They turned to face the entrance to the fiery chamber, eyes landing on a lone figure. A blond man, dressed in nothing but a red robe and kilt. His skin was a deep, golden brown and his voice was sultry and uncontained.
"Found him," Nabooru muttered.
Rusko saw a pair of blindingly bright eyes settle into her. Where pupils should have been shone two burning flames, like those of a candle. "My sister told me that the Starlight Princess was here, in the mortal realm. And that you are looking for the keys to the Shrine in the mountains." His gaze flickered to Link. "And you. You are the Great Hero of Time. Chosen by the Goddesses to rid the world of evil that threatens all mankind. And you've come to help little Rusko out." Sheik could feel those eyes on him, and the smirk that was aimed in his direction. He suppressed a disturbed shiver and returned the glare.
"We are here for the key," Rusko announced. "I've come far, so far, and I'm not leaving here until I have the key."
"Child, do you know who you are speaking to?" Palo laughed, moving closer to them. Link held his sword up and his shield on his arm. "I am Palo. King of Fire, King of Passion, King of Rage! Blood, heat, lust, love, I am all of it! And who are you, little girl?"
"I am Rusko of the Stars!" Everyone in the room jumped at Rusko's shriek. She was trembling with rage, her chest heaving. Her lips were pulled back into a snarl, fangs bared viciously. "I am Princess of the Ilta! Loyal servants of the Goddesses! I answer to the Three, and the Three alone, and some day, my name will ring in your ears every time the sun falls, and every time the moon rises! I have seen the horrors of murder, sickness, and war alike, and have been caught in each! How dare you call me a little girl?!"
For a moment, her voice rang out after she spoke, the sound bouncing off the stone walls. Palo was grinning wickedly. "Do you feel that?" he asked her. "Do you? The pounding of your heart? The fire in your veins? The unadulterated rage that blinds you?" He laughed. "That is me, child."
The growl that came from Rusko's throat sounded feral and animalistic. Before Link or Sheik could stop her, she had launched herself at Palo, hands ablaze with silver light. They clawed through the air towards the fire elemental, but he only smirked. As soon as she reached him, Palo disappeared into a plume of flame. Rusko jumped back expertly, narrowly avoiding being burned. With a small cry, she pulled her hands into her chest. She had forgotten about the poison. Nabooru pulled Rusko close and examined her discolored palms. They throbbed painfully, but Rusko did her best to ignore the agony it took to lower her arms.
"You truly are foolish, girl. And now you shall pay for your insolence." The voice had no source; it simply glided throughout the room. The heat intensified. The fires raged in their pits, climbing up to the ceiling and barring the only entrance and exit to the chamber. "Come, my guardian of fire, Soraya!"
What seemed like an eternity of silence passed. The flames continued to lick at the stone walls, boiling the air. But the fire towards the northernmost wall burned far more brightly than any of the others, bright and orange against grey. A giant paw split the flames like they were merely a curtain. A majestic head came next, whiskers and ears twitching, followed by shackles and a long, flat back. Dark stripes contrasted loudly against fur that was a rich, golden orange.
The tiger locked its powerful golden eyes on Rusko, who narrowed her eyes and bent her knees, prepared to stand her ground. The magic pulsing about her hands was burning a fierce, bright white and dripping from her fingertips like sparks from a Roman candle. Soraya gave one huge, ear-splitting roar and charged.
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Author's Words: Holy mother of god, this chapter did not want to write. I think I'll end it here, to avoid slaughtering the storyline anymore. I'm terribly sorry. Ugh, please review. Make me feel better. ):
