Cowardice
Chapter Nine
'The rewards yielded from battle are many. They range from rupees to priceless treasures.' - From the Book of Din
Tetra is by my side, bow strung and arrow pointed at our opponents. Light glares at the Zoran prince from the flat of my blade. A nice reflection of the Hylian crest burns into the Goron's face, courtesy of a new reflective shield from the royal family.
"How do we do this, brothers? I'd feel guilty if I was responsible for your deaths."
"We fight until a yield. Does that seem fair?"
Three nods are the response to the pirate's question.
"Alright."
An arrow streaks through the air, its head sparking before exploding on contact with the hide of the Goron. Dunaria rolls after the fleeing pirate, leaving Ronas to face me.
Small blades strike my shield, blurs of blue and green returning to the Zora's arms.
"Just testing your reflexes, tadpole. Are you ready, friend?"
A nod and a swish of my blade are the Prince's answer.
"Then we shall dance."
Sparks and clinks fill the air as the blades mingle. The fast pace keeps me from focusing on the tones.
I flee battle, moving to hide in the woods. The sword returns to its sheathe, shield becomes strapped to my back. The pipes are in my hands as I focus on a prior memory. Guitar notes fill my mind, a ballad of the waves causing me to grin.
The notes fill the air, gracing the Zoran prince with a song of his people. The book allowed me to understand little about it, but hinted at the ballad's sacredness to the Zoran people.
The song ends. Ronas wipes tears from his eyes, smiling sadly at me as I place the pipes in the pouch.
"Wonderful rendition of the Ballad of Lulu and Mikau, friend. That story has always been my favorite."
The Zora reaches for my hand, shaking it when he grabs it.
"It's been too long since I've heard it. Thank you."
I nod, smile, and release the prince's hand. The boomerang returns to my hand in an instant, a tornado spiraling into existence at my will. My guilt is only minor as the Zoran prince falls to the ground unconscious. I grab Ronas's tunic and drag the prince to the edge of the field.
"Ronas is unable to battle! Seems that this battle is all up to Dunaria!"
An explosion brings me to the side of my partner. I watch as the pirate dodges the Goron's punches and rolls, firing bomb arrow after bomb arrow into the boulder's tough skin.
I blink in surprise as Tetra hands me a lit bomb. It flies through the air at my command. I am unwilling to hold it when it explodes. To my surprise, the bomb lands inside the Goron's maw as he laughs gleefully.
Singed rock falls to the ground, the laughter dead in Dunaria's throat.
"Tetra and Link have won this match!"
'The Goron's hide is tough. Near impossible to shatter, it takes wits and luck to defeat such a behemoth in battle.' - From the Book of Hylia
"Hey, Link!"
Ronas smiles as Tetra and I rest on a bench. My partner pants heavily, likely from running away from Dunaria.
"Good work. I'm sure Dunaria would be quite proud to have been bested by two children. Most Gorons would be quite frustrated, but Dunaria's a bit different."
"Heh, I can tell. Link, I think the next match is starting soon."
From the bench, I watch the four competitors walk onto the field. Sir Rusl is an older man with gray hairs on his face. He pulls a face mask down, protecting his features.
At his side is his partner, Sir Talo. Talo seems a bit young to be a knight, perhaps fifteen. He shifts about anxiously, hopping from foot to foot.
The two opponents stare them down. They are a strange duo. General Roane is a massive man rivaling Dunaria in size. His hand is on the hilt of his broadsword.
By contrast, Cloak is about Talo's size. The two make a strange pair comprised of a heavy hitter and whatever Cloak does. It's odd. No one seems to know anything about the man. In fact, the only thing that everyone is in agreement about is that he is brutal.
The king's herald steps forth from his place beside the king, waving the starting standard.
Immediately, two of the four fighters burst into movement. General Roane rushes the older knight, broadsword moving faster than should be possible. Sir Rusl flips backwards, unleashing his own sword upon the general. Soon, the two are enshrouded by a cloak of dust, clanks of clashing metal sounding from within.
Sir Talo seems confused by his opponent. It is easily understood, for the entirety of the audience is similarly afflicted. The strange cloaked man simply stares at the young knight, unmoving from his spot while the older men battle within the cloud.
The young knight raises his sword at the first of the Cloak's movements. The strange man draws not a blade of his own, but rather his fists. Too late does the younger knight react, for within seconds, his own blade sticks out of his chest.
My peers in the audience start cheering at the senseless death. Disgusting... Such a waste of life. If the threat of death wasn't hanging over my head, I'd leave to find my sister.
Aryll, where are you?
From the king's elevated position, the princess smiles sadly at me. Her face is tinged green. I am glad that she finds all this death unnecessary. I fear for Hyrule if the day comes when she embraces the willingness to harm others.
Cloak giggles madly. I grimace, finding bile rising into my throat at his evil actions. Golden Goddesses, please take the young boy's soul before this fiend further desecrates his body.
As if in answer to my silent prayer, the dust clears from the center of the field. Sir Rusl stands victorious over the older general, sweat staining the cloth under his arms. He cries out at the sight of the Cloak maniacally slashing the younger knight's body.
Still the spectators rumble their approval. I cannot stand it. I turn from the field, unable to bear witness to the horrors the Cloak shall inflict upon the unfortunate knight.
I need not my eyes to know of the Cloak's evil. A raged cry sounds before the crowd of bloodthirsty spectators erupts into cheer. The poor man.
As the king's herald declares the Cloak and the general as the victors, I turn back to the field. A shudder runs down my spine.
From under the cloak, soulless orange eyes grin back at me.
'The goddesses take care of the victims of crime. The sacred realm opens its arms to the unfortunate souls of the dearly departed.' - From the Book of the Mudora
End Chapter.