.-MX-. Dark Link-Okay! grabs a pen and starts scribling on computer screen Agh! No wait! I need to use the keyboard! Darn!
Azure-Link-Um, if Vaati had ever blown up Link than if you looked at the walls you'd see looks at walls Ew. never mind...
marium-They have to be brave to work as Zelda's guards. The least damage they ever took was when Vaati threw them all out of the way in Minish Cap. Most of them died of brainwashing/Link in Link to the Past, and who knows what happened to them in Ocarina of Time, plus they never get credit for anything (though they never really do anything either)
Fiddle Tia-Well, seeing other people suffer is part of the fun of cliff hangers. I think this chapter may end on a cliff hanger too, but I don't relly remember -.-;
Chapter 9
Vaati didn't let go of Link's hand for a second as he was led through the woods. He may have had his memories back, but they were powerless against the fear he'd learned from his little misadventure outdoors while he was still suffering from amnesia.
"How much longer?" he asked softly
"Not much. The stumps around here somewhere. You remember the chant right?"
"Yes" Vaati said sourly "Why wouldn't I? It's just 'make me small' in the Minish language"
"Found it. Can you speak with the Minish here?"
"No. I did try once. They use a different dialect than the one back in my world. I can only catch about a third of what they say"
"Yet you know that they can help?"
"Well…" Vaati bit his lip "They probably won't want to help me, but Minish magic is generally stronger than the stuff you Hylians use, and I'm willing to bet that the forest Minish have found a way to combine their magic with yours to make it even better."
"What do you need there help with"
"Remember how I was asking if I seemed as evil as before?"
Link nodded, after a pause, he realized Vaati would require a verbal response "Yes"
"And how Zelda's acting like a bitch"
"The whole kingdom has noticed"
"Well, someone cast a transfer spell on me"
"A what"
"It's one of the few Hylian spells I know" Vaati explained "It takes one quality or ability from a person and gives it to someone else. In this case, it took some of my negative personality traits and gave them to (if I had to guess) Zelda. I'm hoping that the Minish may know who cast it, to give me a better idea of why?"
"To cause chaos"
"In her position, Zelda is better suited for it" Vaati admitted "But I doubt that's it. This person took advantage of the mental shock from the moment I lost my memory to cast the spell around several magic defenses I have up at all times. And I felt something similar try to affect me when I got my memories back, but my defenses blocked it."
"And this concerns me, how?"
"Someone tried to transfer my magic directly from me to them, but I stopped it and put up another defense without checking who. If I had to guess, they're using the princess as a roundabout way of getting my magic"
"I thought they took your evil"
"Zelda's a lot more likely to be concerned about a sudden gain of power if she's a goody two shoes. If she's evil she won't think much of it. Plus, if they take my magic from her, they also get her piece of the Triforce."
"That wouldn't be good"
"No. It wouldn't. And I want to keep my magic. Which is why I want to find this person"
"Here's the stump"
"Help me up"
Link climbed onto the stump before lifting Vaati up, wrapping his arms around the Minish boy to make sure he didn't fall while activating the portal.
He found it hard to believe the long chant really only meant 'make me small'. Vaati must have taken a full minute of talking in his old language to get the portal to shrink them down to the necessary size.
Vaati clutched Link's hand even tighter as the Minish sized hero led him through the forest now. As a Minish, he'd had it burned into his brain that the world was one big danger. Once he'd become Hylian sized he'd learned to ignore this, but now that he was his original height the outdoors seemed even more terrifying as this mentality returned.
Choosing not to point out Vaati's obvious terror, Link helped the blind boy onto one of the floating lilies that carried them to the village.
"Why is it wet?"
"Just don't move. I don't know how to swim, and I don't think your ability to will do you much good if you don't know where to go"
Vaati clutched Link even tighter "Stop it!" he cried "You're trying to scare me"
"They say it's the best way to keep children in line"
"I'm not a kid!"
"If you're not an adult, you're a child. Now stay still"
Vaati scowled, infuriated by this. He could easily use his magic to get back at Link for taking advantage of his situation, even if it was only something petty, but he didn't want to jeopardize his ability to stay in Link's home. Living on his own with no eye sight was too risky, and he doubted that there were many other people willing to grant him hospitality. Maybe this was what Ezlo had meant when he told him 'crime never pays' back when he was a little kid.
"Here we go" Vaati felt Link shove him onto much more solid (and drier) ground. He went stiff as he couldn't feel his guide for a few seconds, relaxing again once Link hopped off the lily they'd rode on and grabbed his arm.
"You've gotten a lot calmer around me. I'm getting a real kick out of trying to imagine how this scene would have played out a few months ago"
"That's just-"
"That transfer spell?"
"The time I spent living with you" Vaati corrected, reaching out and grabbing a giant blade of grass "It's made me used to being around the person whose come closest to killing me. Hey, you know, when I was really little I'd always get lost if I wandered in to areas with grass in them. I bet it'd be even worse now"
Link didn't bother to scold Vaati for his obvious attempt at a change of topic, playing along instead "I think that's why there's a path leading up to the village. Come on"
Link yanked Vaati forward, turned and froze. He had just learned that Minish actually did have weapons. It would have been an interesting discovery-if all the sharp objects in the Minish village weren't pointed at him.
OXXXXXO
Rune Caster: Okay, so I was listening to Faith Hill, which I haven't done in at least a year, and I was in total shock. One of her songs fit perfectly with part of LitD (Which is the sequel to CoD for those of you who read my other fanfics)! I stuck it in the first chapter it applies to. That's right, I'm already working on that story, but you have to wait. MWAHAHAHAHA
