The Legend of Zelda: ReconciliationHey all! Another exposition-heavy chapter, but a necessary one! And at least it's up relatively quickly! I like how I apparently can't even decide what my story is called (Reconciliation vs. Reconciliations). There are two chapters (7 and 9 I believe) that have it as the latter, and everything else has it as the former. To avoid future confusion, let's say it's the former (Reconciliation) as listed above, no matter what kind of typos my oh-so-talented fingers may spring on me.
In the meantime, for those of who have a bit of extra money (far too few of us, I know) and feel like doing something nice for a stranger this Christmas, Penny Arcade (which I'm sure many of you already read and for whom this is likely old news) have started up their Child's Play campaign again: Visit www. childsplaycharity. org/ for more info if you're into this kind of thing (as per usual, remove any spaces). Please forgive the plug, but I thought it might be worthwhile.
Have I mentioned lately how much I hate how screws up my spacing and formatting? I'm sorry for any weird inconsistencies, but isn't cooperating and I haven't the patience today to deal with it.
Thanks, all! Enjoy the read!
Rose Zemlya
How poor are they who have not patience! What wound did ever heal but by degrees.
—William Shakespeare—
It is a mistake to try to look too far ahead. The chain of destiny can only be grasped one link at a time.
—Sir Winston Churchill—
xxx
Chapter 10
To tell you the truth, I don't "come to" so much as I stumble groggily back into consciousness, feeling more or less like a wagon full of thick, wool blankets has fallen on me – only the wagon landed first.
"Farore," I groan, raising a hand to my head and wincing. "What the Hell?"
"That's my boy," comments a wry voice to my side. "First word on his lips always has been and always will be an oath."
"Big words from an old man," I mutter, rubbing my face in a vain attempt at working some feeling back into it. "I learnt it from you, you know."
"Bah," he says, "you did not. You've been swearing since I came back three years ago."
"I've been swearing a lot longer than that, Dad. Somehow I doubt I picked it up off the Great Deku – agh! Farore!" I clutch my gut and shut my eyes tightly – apparently rolling over is a bad idea. "Someone wanna tell me why I'm still in pain?"
"Nabooru figured if you were able to walk around, you'd freak out and take off, straight for Castletown."
And with that simple statement, I remember exactly why it is I am in pain in the first place. I can feel my face darken suddenly.
"She'd be right," I answer. "So I'm assuming there'll be no healing potions for me until I promise to be a good little boy?"
"No offence, Link, but you're a bit of a weasel when it comes to promises—"
"Learnt that from you too," I point out.
"—and there won't be any healing potions for you until we've figured out the best strategy to deal with the current situation."
"And in the meantime Hunter and the others sit wherever it is Agahnim's sent them – assuming they're even alive – and Zelda sits in the Golden Palace's dungeons having Din knows what done to her until such a time as I decide to show my face long enough to rip out Agahnim's throat."
"Link …" His voice trails off and he starts again. "Link, listen. Before you start getting all self-righteous on us and thinking you're the only one who cares about the people in Agahnim's clutches, you stop yourself and remember that the rest of us have just as much reason to be upset over this as you do – maybe even more." I mumble my response into my pillow. Dad raises an eyebrow at me.
"I said you didn't get stabbed twice in a row by the possessed body of your girlfriend, now did you?" I narrow my eyes at him. "Excuse me if I'm just a bit upset by that."
"And by upset you mean insane with rage."
"And by upset I mean insane with rage," I agree.
"And that is why we're doing our damndest to keep you bed ridden until we come up with a plan for attacking Agahnim. A coherent plan," he adds, cutting me off before I can speak. "One that's got just a few more steps than go to Castletown, kill Agahnim, save Hyrule, all right?" I glare flatly at him and say nothing. He sighs. "Look, if it makes you feel better, I'm having some ethical issues with denying you healing, but on the other hand, you sort of have a track record, and Nabooru's right. A little pain now will save you a lot more later." For a moment there's silence as he sits there and feels guilty and I glare at him to make it worse. "You've got a real bad habit of shooting the messenger, you know?"
"Sometimes the messenger deserves to be shot."
"Link."
"Sorry," I grumble. "Didn't mean it like that. You'll forgive me if I'm a bit cranky." He cocks his head to the side.
"So, uh … so I'm going to assume that Agahnim managed to get access to Zelda's powers." I sigh and nod.
"I felt her contacting me in the Woods. She felt … I dunno, adamant I guess. I assumed it was an emergency and I let her in. Only it wasn't her."
"I take it he didn't exactly play nice."
"Stabbed me twice and used her powers to slam me off the altar."
"Altar?"
"Temple of Time," I say. "That's where this place is. If you can call it a place. I guess it's more of a non-place, but anyway, metaphysics and whatever else that might fall under isn't exactly my thing. It looks and feels and sounds like the Temple of Time, and that's what matters."
"What did he say?" I hesitate.
"He said … he told me he wouldn't make off with her right away. Said he'd wait for me to come so he could show me what he's doing with them. He said …" I grind my teeth and fight back the surge of rage that accompanies the memory. "Said he had plenty of things to keep her entertained until I got there." He squeezes my shoulder.
"Empty words, Link, that's all." I frown.
"How do you—"
"You haven't asked me how my trip went," he says with a bit of a smile, leaning back again in his chair. I frown at him.
"How did your trip go? Did you find Sahas-what's-his-name?"
"Sahasrahla, and yes," Dad answers. "And boy did he have a lot to say."
"Like what?" I demand. "Anything useful?"
"Plenty," Dad replies. "But I promised Neesha she could explain it to you." He made a chagrined face. "She, uh … she's not exactly pleased with me at the moment. Maybe you could put in a good word for me, hmm?"
"What did you do to her?" I demand. "I've been out for what? A day? And already you've got half the fortress wound up?"
"Neesha is hardly half the fortress," Dad points out. "And it's not so much what I did to her as what I said about her that's got her face in a knot. The Gerudo are proud of very odd things sometimes and I hit a nerve, that's all."
"Hit a nerve," I scoff, "yeah, with a truncheon. Why do you do this to me, Dad?"
"To you?" Dad demands.
"Yes to me!" I reply. "I won't let them take it out on you, so they take it out on me!" Dad frowns.
"I'm pretty sure I could handle it there, son," he comments. "No need to protect me." I stare at him incredulously.
"Dad, do you have any idea what half this fortress would do to you if I let them? Just on principle?"
"I don't understand what their problem is," he grumbles. I raise an eyebrow at him.
"Let me sum up for you then," I say. "One, you're a Sheikah. Two, you're a Sheikah who ran away with and corrupted their one-time leader. Three, you're a Sheikah who somehow managed to contribute to the birth of their King, which makes their king part Sheikah and they blame you for that. And four, you're not just a Sheikah, you're an asshole."
"I am not an asshole!"
"Why is Neesha mad at you?"
"I didn't know she'd get mad over that!"
"Ignorance is no excuse. You have a talent for blundering into the single most offensive situations you can possibly find and pissing off half the fortress!"
"That hardly makes me a—"
"To them, it does," I reply, cutting him off. "And coupled with everything else I mentioned, it makes them hate you with all their bitter little hearts." A disgruntled silence descends for a moment. "So what did you do, anyway?" He scratches at his chin.
"Promise you won't yell at me?"
"Fine, I promise."
"I asked her if she was a virgin."
"Dad!" I'm true to my word in that it's not a shout. It's more of a moan than anything. He at least has the grace to look embarrassed.
"What?" He demanded. "We had to know! She was there for the whole goddess damned story along with everyone else! She knew it was important!"
"You asked her in front of everyone?"
"Well … yeah."
"For Nayru's sake, Dad! Were there any Gerudo there?"
"Well … just Nabooru, and two of them in White guarding the door." I cover my face with my hands and shake it.
"I cannot believe you would do that to her."
"And what, exactly, did I do to her?" He demands, throwing his hands up in the air in frustration. "God knows she's not telling me! She's not even speaking to me!"
"Dad … all right, look. For 95 of the world it is admirable to make it to your wedding before you … you know." I gesture uncomfortably and he nods. "But the Gerudo are not 95 of the world, now are they? And they don't get married. They don't even have anything close to it. So it's more of a … I mean, for a Gerudo it's like a … I guess you could call it a … a badge of pride. But that's not it. It's more like … it's more like … oh Din this is awkward … once you pass your Rite of Passage, you're considered a woman, right? And once you're considered a woman, you're allowed to go out and … you know."
"But they're only thirteen then!"
"Dad, I didn't write the rules, all right? And besides, most of them don't at that age. Not right off the bat, that would require being sent outside the desert on a mission that left you free time. Generally speaking the young women aren't privy to those kinds of assignments. And Gerudo they may be, but they're still half-little-girl and it can take them a while to work themselves up to it. Not to mention that generally if a guy's gonna … you know … with a girl that young he's probably not the most desirable guy for a variety of reasons. I don't know if you noticed, but the Gerudo have an issue with Pride, and they're generally not going to sink that low."
"So what, then?"
"So Neesha's sixteen, Dad. That's three years past her Rite of Passage, and she's not exactly a scrawny little twelve-year old any more. She should have … well … she's fast approaching the point where it's embarrassing that she hasn't yet."
"That she hasn't … you know?"
"Exactly. You never should have asked her that – it's a touchy subject to start with at her age – let alone in front of other Gerudo."
"But … she's so young! You can't seriously—"
"I don't, Dad, I don't anything. It's the women, all right? They're the ones it matters to." Dad frowns disapprovingly.
"You can't tell me you and Hunter would just let—"
"Hunter and I don't let her do anything, Dad, do you understand me? We are about three quarters of the reason she hasn't, all right? When we were over the mountains where guys weren't immediately frightened off by the fact she's a Gerudo, Hunter and I spent half our time directing threatening looks and the other half following up on them." Dad looks amused all of a sudden.
"She put up with that?"
"We didn't really give her a choice," I comment. "I mean … I'll let a lot go because she's Gerudo and whatever else and she's got a right to be, but that? Not happening. Not on my watch."
"Well good," Dad says, looking a little happier with the situation. "I mean … I wouldn't go so far as to say she's like my daughter or anything, but … I mean she's not far from it, and I'd be very disappointed in all three of you if you just—"
"Glad to see you're not done ruining my life yet, Brayden."
"Neesha …" Dad says with a sigh. "It's not …"
"You didn't tell him everything, did you? You promised me I could!"
"I didn't tell him, no," Dad says with a resigned look. "Go ahead." He gets to his feet and pats my shoulder on his way by. "I'm going to go tell the others you're awake. Impa and Nabooru in particular would like to chat with you."
"No doubt," I mutter wryly. Neesha waits 'till he slips out the door, shutting it quietly behind him before turning to face me. There is, I can't help but notice, a decidedly sulky quality to her expression that usually only appears because someone's told her no.
"I'm not allowed to go with you to fight Agahnim," she says petulantly. I frown at her.
"Sez who?" I demand. She crosses her arms and slouches down in the chair beside my bed.
"Sez some crotchety old geezer your father brought back with him."
"Sahasrahla?" I ask. "Why?" Her expression changes into something a little less petulant and little more murderous.
"Because thanks to you and Hunter, I'm still a virgin, that's why! And now everybody's going to know it by the end of the day because your Dad has a big mouth." I roll my eyes.
"Oh forgive us for looking out for you."
"Looking out for me," she scoffs. "Bah."
"And what does that have to do with anything, anyway?"
"Well apparently, according to some random old loser who's probably crazy anyway, it has everything to do with anything."
"Neesha," I say flatly, "you're going to have to start making sense, or I'm going to kick you out and call for someone who does…"
xxx
A Brief Interlude
Nabooru could feel her face going pale.
"Sciarra, where did you find this?" She demanded, her voice just barely above a whisper. Sciarra shifted uneasily from one foot to the other.
"With all the other corpses," she answered. "Aliza and I dragged it in here before anyone else saw it. Not everyone will know what it is, but better safe than sorry. We didn't want to cause a panic."
"Good," Nabooru said thickly. "Good. There's no need for panic yet. It's just one. It may be a fluke or a freak, you never know." They stood there and stared at it for a moment more.
"Should … I summon the Elite?" Sciarra asked.
"No," Nabooru said quickly. "No. Not yet. Summon the Sages. I need to speak with them about this." Sciarra frowned.
"The Sages?" She demanded. "What do the Sages have to do with this?"
"If this thing … if this abomination isn't just a freak, Sciarra, this is going to have everything to do with the Sages."
"Should I summon them here?" She asked, deciding – given the look on her face – it was best not to question Nabooru further. Nabooru thought for a moment.
"No. Summon them to the King's room. This … he needs to hear this as well." She paused to think. "And the old wiseman, as well. Bring him here, though. I would like to speak with him."
"And the body?"
"Once you've summoned them get Aliza and come back here. When the wiseman and I are done, cover it up, take it out to the desert and bury it deep." Her eyes narrowed at the corpse on the floor, furious at the thought of what it might signify. "Let the carrion crawlers have it."
xxx
Chapter 10 (cont.)
I find it ironic in too many ways to count that the King of the Gerudo – the one person who is supposed to be the epitome of all-things-Gerudo – gets to have the single most comfortable bed you've ever seen. But I do, and not just me either. Apparently all the Kings get this. Ganondorf had one too (not mine, of course. You can crush that idea right there. First order of business when I actually moved here was to chuck out anything of Ganondorf's that was going to be anywhere I was, especially in the bedroom. His old study is still there, but that's because it's too dangerous to let anybody in there to sort it out and cleanse it. Even the Sages are leery of that room). I thought that was just his usual grandiosity showing itself, but no, lo and behold the next bed the Gerudo brought to me (and by "brought to me" I'm pretty sure I mean "stole for me" though how you steal a bed is quite beyond me) was just as soft and comfy.
Now, this isn't to say that Gerudo don't sleep on beds. There's nothing wrong with Gerudo beds – they're a million times better than Goron beds at least, not that that's hard (no pun intended, I swear) – it's just somehow I would have expected them to expect the King to sleep on a rock or something. It seems like a Gerudo thing to expect.
I have two theories for this. Number one is the idea that as the King of the Gerudo, I am the epitome of all-things-Gerudo, and therefore have gone so far beyond the usual Gerudo standards, that they no longer apply to me. I can be given a softer bed than everyone else because I won't be corrupted or ruined by it. I'm above that.
The other (and a million times more likely) theory is simply that yes, I am a Gerudo, yes I am King of the Gerudo, and yes I am the epitome of all-things-Gerudo, but I'm still a man, and men (according to the Gerudo) are ultimately less tough than women. The bed is likely the one little jibe they can get in at the man who comes around every century to boss them around. This big, soft, massive bed is technically a Gerudo insult, small and relatively innocent though it may be.
But to tell you the truth, this kind of insult I can usually live with.
Too bad I can't enjoy it right now.
As the Sages begin randomly coming in through the door, I've very little choice to but to force myself up into a seated position against the headboard, strangling the rather strong urge to wince audibly and visibly and to sit there and look like that didn't hurt like a bitch, and I didn't just reopen my wounds, and I don't want to curl up under the covers and just stay there until the world goes away after what Neesha's told me.
I am as I've said, supposed to be the epitome of all-things-Gerudo, and a Gerudo would do none of that.
But more importantly I am the Hero of Time and I've got a job to do.
And whatever Nabooru thinks no amount of being stabbed is going to keep me from it.
Apparently something of this is evident in my expression, because Acqul sighs heavily when he walks in through the door, Ruto on his arm.
"I know that face," he says, and in those four words I hear the sound of an old ally falling over the line and onto my side once more. I flash him a grin, which he returns wryly. "I know that face, too," he comments.
"Are there going to be enough seats for everyone?" Darunia rumbles, looking around at my room.
"If there isn't I can just have one of the girls run and get some extras, or people can just sit on my bed." I give a bit of a shrug. "There's only acres of it." Darunia eyes the bed and shakes his head.
"Don't know how you can stand it," he says. "It looks uncomfortable." I roll my eyes at him – as does everyone else in the room (with the obvious exception of Karun who's looking as though he seconds that thought). I raise an eyebrow as the door opens again and a familiar grey-haired Gerudo strides in, looking terribly annoyed with life in general. I throw her the cockiest smirk I can manage.
"I see Nabooru's respecting your wishes to be left alone, Rue," I comment. "How's the retirement going?"
"If you don't want a few more holes punched in you," Rue says darkly, "you will guard your words better than that." She drops into a seat with a frown. "Does anyone know why we have been summoned so frantically when the one who summoned us is not even here?" She frowned and did a head count. "And where are the Sheikah?"
"Ah … Dune and Brayden won't be coming," Acqul says. "Unless absolutely necessary. I'll fill them in on everything later. It just seemed unnecessarily cruel to pull Dune away from Thomas right now, and Brayden opted to stay with her in case she needed something. I offered to stay, but as he pointed out, he's neither Sage nor General, and we were the one's summoned, so it was better he stay with her than me." Everyone in the room raises an eyebrow at him simultaneously and he colors, turning his normally light blue skin a little darker than usual around the cheeks. "It's nobody's business but ours," he mumbles quietly. "Just know that it's solved and forget it ever happened." Darunia laughs outright.
"Glad to hear it!" He says.
"And Impa?" Rue demands, bringing everyone back around to the subject at hand with her usual single-mindedness.
"Impa is likely off, doing what Sheikah do," Ruto replies easily. "Snooping." I nod.
"Sounds like Impa," I say. "Found out something urgent was going on and instead of just heading to the designated location to wait like a good little spy, she likely went straight to the source. Ten rupees says she arrives with Nabooru."
"That's a fool's bet and one I won't be taking," Darunia says with an easy grin.
"20 says Nabooru managed to dodge her," Neesha says. I turn to her and smirk.
"You're on."
"You also lose," Nabooru says from the doorway. We both blink and turn around as she enters in, Impa and a little old man I've never seen before in tow. Three guesses as to who he is. "What did I tell you about betting with him? Don't. He cheats."
"I do not!" I say, indignant, then pause. "Well … maybe with Aliza, but that's just because it drives her insane." Nabooru, however, is not really listening to me. She looks harried and distracted and frazzled – a state I've rarely seen her in. I straighten.
"Nabooru, what is it? What's going on?" She tosses something onto my bed within reach. I blink in surprise. It's a bottle of potion. I look up at her again and narrow my eyes as I pick up the bottle. "I thought …"
"Situation's changed," she says flatly, "and for once Sage of Spirit trumps Leader of the Gerudo. Drink up, Hero. You're going to need it." Any and all levity in the room pretty much dissipates with that.
"Nabooru, what's going on?" Rue says flatly. Neesha surrenders her chair to Nabooru and Acqul does the same with Sahasrahla. Both of them climb up and settle themselves cross-legged on my bed as Nabooru takes a moment to gather her thoughts and I slug back the healing potion, unable to keep the relief entirely off my face as most of the pain from my gut and back starts to dull.
"Is this about Zelda?" I ask. "Or Agahnim?"
"Yes and no," Nabooru says, her tone dark. "One of the Elite – Sciarra," she adds for the benefit of those of us who know the names, "found something while overseeing the clean-up after the Moblin raid last night." I frown.
"There was a Moblin Raid last night?" I demand. I frown at Neesha. "You left that part out."
"I figured it wasn't as important as Ganondorf being behind everything," she returns defensively. "And you kind of stopped listening to me after I said that anyway."
"What did she find, Nabooru?" Acqul asks, cutting us off. Nabooru looks up and scans the room, tallying something up in her head.
"Everybody in here except for Ruto, Neesha, and Link remembers the Great War," she says. "Some of us fought in it, some of us had parents or siblings who fought in it, but we all remember it. You three were just babies – Neesha, you weren't even born yet – so you might not fully understand the importance of what Sciarra found, but the rest of us …"
"Nabooru," Rue says tensely, "you've never been one to beat around the bush. Get to the point."
"She found a Moblin," Nabooru says bluntly. "One of the old ones." As Nabooru predicted, eyes all around the room simultaneously widen and/or narrow as appropriate except for Ruto's, Neesha's, and mine. Ruto frowns.
"You mean like an aged Moblin or like one of the ones that Daddy used to tell me about?"
"One of the ones your Daddy used to tell you about," Nabooru says darkly. "The first Moblins. The one's from the Dark World."
Now, I may not know the difference between the first Moblins and the later Moblins, in fact I wasn't even aware there was a distinction, but I know what the Dark World is, and I know that anything that has the "Dark World" descriptor before it is not a good thing.
"Somebody wanna tell me what, exactly this means for us?" I demand.
"The Dark World Moblins," Darunia rumbles, rubbing his chin with a frown, "were much, much meaner than the ones you know today. The Moblins you kids have fought are a diluted strain. Fatter, slower, dumber." He shakes his head. "We were totally slaughtered the first time we came up against them. We just weren't ready for something of that level of ferocity."
"Try living with them," Nabooru says with her trademark dark humour. "We lost more than one woman to their rampant, random fits. Not that Ganondorf cared."
"No, he wouldn't, would he?" I remark wryly. Neesha's frowning.
"I don't understand why this is so serious," she says. "So we found one Moblin who's tougher than the rest, so what? Maybe he's a freak of nature or something." But the little old man is shaking his head.
"I'm afraid not, my dear," he says. "While I wouldn't say it is impossible, given the state of things I'm afraid that it's just not the case."
"Then what is the case?" Neesha demands. "Why do we care about one strong Moblin?"
"Because that one strong Moblin has to have come direct from the Dark World," Nabooru answers. "And where there's one, there's more."
"But … the seals…?" Ruto says, frowning perplexedly. "You said he needs all seven maidens to break them and we have one of them sitting right here." Neesha colors and stiffens beside me, but I nudge her with my elbow before she can say anything. Sahasrahla nods slowly.
"I did," he answers. "And I meant it. However he has six of the seven already. His spell is almost complete. It's likely given him enough power to bend the seals enough to let things escape."
"Things like Dark World Moblins." Impa says, her brow furrowing. "This is a problem."
"How many?" Karun demands. "How quickly? What are we facing here?" Neesha and I exchange a look, suddenly painfully aware of the empty spot on my other side where Hunter would normally sit, asking the logical questions before even Karun could.
"We don't know yet," Nabooru answers. "That's what we need to talk about. I'm going to send the Elite out on a Scouting Run to see if they can't figure out where—"
"The Towers," Neesha says suddenly, surprising everyone. They all turn to look at her. "Well it's obvious, isn't it? Why the Hell did he build those towers, anyway? They're all empty! There was nothing in them but the pendants and whatever monsters he set to guard them. You can't tell me he seriously built towers that huge just for that?" Everyone turns to look back at Sahasrahla and he's nodding his head slowly.
"It's possible," he admits. "It's definitely possible. They may be acting as a conduit for the Spell's power. Channelling it into the Light World, from the Dark."
"Light World?" Ruto asks.
"This one," Sahasrahla explains. "For ease of reference."
"Well … sure, but from what I could see the Towers didn't have any noticeable portals or other places for these things to slip through – half-completed spell or not."
"The don't need to," Rue murmurs. "If the old man is not just rambling incoherently, then the Towers would be able to activate any portals within range of its magic. They don't even have to do anything, they just need to be there."
"There are portals to the Dark World?" I demand flatly.
"There used to be," Impa says with a distant expression on her face. "If you knew where to find them. They've been there since long before the Dark World was formed. Back when it was the Sacred Realm."
"It wasn't really all that long ago," Karun points out. "Not quite 20 years ago?"
"18," I say, rubbing the back of my hand without really thinking about it. Without my gloves on the little glittering Triforce is exposed for everyone to see. "I was three."
"Two and a half," says a new voice. Everyone gathered turns to the door as Brayden slips in through it. "You were two and a half," he repeats.
"How is Dune?" Impa asks. Dad nods.
"She's all right," he says. "Told me to come here. She and Thomas are still talking, but I didn't want to grill him any more than I already had." He nods at Sahasrahla. "He doesn't know much but what he does know has all but confirmed everything you suspected." He turns to me. "And he wants to speak with you privately when you can. Said it was important." I blink in surprise, but nod.
"I'll talk to him after we're done here." Dad nods and moves over to stand against the wall beside Impa. They begin speaking in low tones as Impa fills him in on the conversation to date and the rest of us move back to it.
"So … basically what you're saying is that Agahnim built these towers as some part of his spell and he's using the people he's kidnapped in conjunction with these towers to reactivate portals to the Dark World in order to release the Moblins that have been trapped there since the seals were put in place in order to ultimately take over Hyrule in Ganondorf's name?"
"At Ganondorf's side," Sahasrahla corrects me, "but yes, that's what I'm suggesting."
"If these portals are reactivated, can't Ganondorf get out already?" Acqul demands. "How do we know he's not already out?"
"I'd know," I say darkly before anyone else can. I hold up my hand and point at the Triforce mark on my hand. "Believe me. This thing would let me know." Rue frowns.
"I do not believe," she says, "that the seals placed on the Dark World, are the same as the Seals placed on Ganondorf. Am I correct?" Nabooru nods slowly.
"Sort of," she answers. "The seals we placed work together, but yes, you could say there are two teirs of seals then."
"Then perhaps the maidens will only break the first tier."
"So you're saying Ganondorf needs something else to escape himself? He can let his army out but he's still missing the final ingredient to let himself out, is that it?" Dad asks. Rue looks at Sahasrahla, who looks thoughtful.
"Again it's possible. Magic like this … is complicated. It's hard to say for sure on any of this, and unfortunately I've hardly had the time Ganondorf has had to think all this out, but I would say it is definitely a possibility."
"So then … what would he need to escape himself?"
"I bet you any money it involves me dying," I say bluntly. Everyone blinks in surprise and turns to me. "What?" I demand. "It's true! The solution to all of Ganondorf's problems is apparently as simple as killing me. You can't tell me I'm the only one who's noticed this pattern!"
"I'd hardly call that one time a pattern," Nabooru says defensively.
"I'd like to point out that you are the ones who made a seal who's only loophole was my death."
"We did better the second time," Ruto says. "We fixed that. He won't be able to pull that again. Killing you won't help him, this time, Link. Not," she adds, "that you're exactly easy to kill if the stories are to be believed."
"Believe them," Dad, Neesha and myself all say at the same time. We were all there when I died that day.
"Either way, it won't work again," Darunia rumbles. "What we need to do now is figure out what will work and prevent it."
"Not to mention put a stopper in the portals that are currently activated."
"Well," Sahasrahla says, "with only six maidens, his range won't be very far yet. The spell needs to be complete for that, so—"
"Five," I say.
"Pardon?" Sahasrahla asks.
"Five," I repeat. "He's only got five." Sahasrahla frowns.
"I thought he'd captured the Seventh Sage as well."
"He did," I answer. "But he hasn't done anything with her yet."
"How do you know?" Sahasrahla asks.
"He's waiting for me. He told me so," I add when everyone gives me odd looks. "After he … well, after he stabbed me a couple times … he used Zelda's powers. Look, it's hard to explain."
"And you just randomly decide to believe an old wizard who's proven he's not to be trusted?" Nabooru demands with a raised eyebrow.
"What I believe is the fact that I can still feel Zelda on the other end of our connection if I concentrate for a while. It's … harder than it should be, Agahnim's blocking us somehow, but I can do it. She hasn't disappeared yet." Ruto's expression softens suddenly.
"Link, none of us can sense her," she says gently. "Are you sure you're not just—"
"It's not false hope," I say flatly before she can finish. "And it has nothing to do with personal feelings, all right? She's there. I don't know where, I don't know how, but I know she is." I just managed to stop myself before adding, and it's the only thing keeping me here, talking with all of you, instead of running hell-for-leather straight to Castletown. Expressions around the room vary. Some believe me, some don't, some aren't sure, but I don't care. I don't need their belief. I need their trust. That's all.
"All right then," Impa says. "Our path on this much is clear at least: we need to survey the Towers, confirm they are what we suspect, and find out just how far spread this Moblin infestation may be. Ruto, Nabooru …"
"Way ahead of you," Nabooru responds. "I've asked the Elite to gather in the Council Chamber. I'll brief them right after this and we'll head out. I'm going with them."
"I think that's for the best," Ruto agrees. "I'll do the same with the Zora." She offers a wry smile. "They'll be unhappy with me for dragging them out of our warm little grotto and into a frozen Lake Hylia, but there you have it." Impa nods.
"I as well," she says.
"What sort of timeframe are we looking at, here?" Darunia asks. They think.
"Three days," Nabooru answers. "It'll take us three days to do a proper reconnaissance of the area possibly affected and make sure we've found everything there is to find." Impa and Ruto nod as well.
"Sounds about right," Ruto says. Everyone in the room but me and Neesha nod. This does not go unnoticed. Nabooru frowns in irritation and opens her mouth to say something, but Sahasrahla beats her to it.
"Will you be able to give us this much time, Hero?" He asks, an odd expression on his face. Neesha turns to me expectantly, that say-the-word expression on her face that makes me appreciate her more than I can adequately express without getting the living daylight beaten out of me for being a sissy. Whatever I say she'll accept.
"I will give you," I say slowly, "what I can give you. But I am making no promises. And three days is a very long time."
"Much appreciated," Sahasrahla says, climbing to his feet. "And with that, perhaps we should get down to business. Rue, my dear, would you mind putting your head together with mine? I believe we have some research to do regarding the exact nature of any kind of counter spell that might be preformed to break the seal on Ganondorf, and I'm afraid you're the only one really qualified here to help me." Rue's expression is intensely annoyed but she nods and gets to her feet, a look of resignation on her face. She mutters something to herself about a crazy-old-rambler-who-talks-too-much on her way past my bed. Nabooru looks like she wants to say more to me, but the next instant Ruto and Impa are pulling her out of the room to speak with her about coordinating their scouting runs. Everybody else pretty much follows suit until it's just me and Neesha. She crawls down to the other end of the bed, then turns around so we can talk face to face.
"So," she says, "how long are we going to give them?" I sigh heavily and lean my head back against the head board.
"I don't know," I say. "This is more complicated than I thought at first."
"What do you mean?" Neesha asks. I gesture uselessly.
"I just have this feeling … like we've only just scratched the surface of this. I mean, I want to think this is an easy fix, but it's not going to be, is it?" Neesha raises an eyebrow at me.
"My biggest concern right now is which one of us has to be the responsible one now that Hunter's not here. I was thinking of maybe replacing him with Zelda temporarily, but now she's gone too. You think maybe we could hire one of the twins?" I grin helplessly at her and throw one of my pillows at her.
"You don't like the twins."
"I don't like Zelda either," she says, blocking the pillow, "but the fact remains that we need a responsible team member to blame for the things we screw up until we can get Hunter back." She pauses, uncertain suddenly. "We will get him back, right?"
"Yes," I say simply. "We'll get him back if we have to go to the Dark World to do it." Neesha nods, satisfied for the moment with that.
"Are you all right?" She asks. "You always get kind of off balance whenever Ganondorf's brought up. You're not going to like … freak out on me or anything are you?" I offer her a feral grin.
"I'm not afraid of Ganondorf," I answer – and it's actually half-true. Half-true or all true, it's enough for Neesha.
"Good," she answers. "Because something tells me we haven't seen the last of him."
"I'm starting to wonder if we ever will …"
xxx
I find Thomas on top of the fortress, taking advantage of the ever lengthening breaks in the rain to stare out over the desert with a far away look in his eyes.
Far-away, but not dead.
A weight I hadn't noticed lifts from my chest and it's suddenly a bit easier to breathe.
"Hey," I say, coming over to lean up against the rail beside him. "Dad said you wanted to talk to me."
"Yeah," he says heavily. "Yeah, I do." The mood is heavy and guilt-ridden and I'm suddenly very uncomfortable.
"Thomas, listen," I say, "about … well about everything. You don't need to apologize or beg for forgiveness, or any of that. I don't blame you for any of it. Any of it. Not even … not even Bruiser." I turn my face away from his profile and stare out at the horizon, taking a moment to breathe deeply and let the dull ache in my chest subside to the background once more before I continue. "It wasn't you. It was Agahnim, and he'll pay for it. But not you. Whatever … whatever forgiveness you need, it's yours." Thomas gives a small laugh.
"I … appreciate it," he says. "I couldn't figure out how to ask for it, you know? I'm … glad you don't hate me for it …"
"But?" I ask, picking up on the way he trails off.
"But it still doesn't make it better," he says dully. "It doesn't change the fact that Bruiser's … it doesn't change anything. Doesn't change what I've done. Doesn't change what I've betrayed."
"Thomas …"
"Link, I know you forgive me, all right? And I know … I know Neesha and Bel and Mel and half the Sages and half the generals forgive me. I know … I know the rest will eventually forgive me if … if everything works out. I know that, and I appreciate that more than I can tell you, but it doesn't change anything. Yes Agahnim used me, yes I had no control over my actions, but I still … I'm still the one who let it happen. I'm still the one who … I should have known better than to let him take me in like that. I should have … expected something like that, but I didn't. For all my training, for all my efforts, for all my everything, I still walked right into that, and let myself be used like I was." He stops, frustration evident in his voice. He runs an agitated hand through his hair.
"Look, that's not what I wanted to talk to you about," he says finally. "We can … I'm still trying to get used to having control of myself right now. It's been so long …" I hesitate.
"Then what did you want to talk to me about?" I ask. He pauses, throwing a distrusting frown over his shoulder at the Elite standing just at the door. I turn around and gesture for her to go back inside and leave us alone. She frowns, throwing an even more distrusting look at Thomas, but I frown right back and she makes a disgruntled noise and bows quickly, before turning on her heel and slipping back through the door. Once the door closes Thomas turns back to me, the tortured expression gone from his face and replaced with one of urgency and concern.
"Link, listen to me, Agahnim's ready for you." I blink in surprise.
"Thomas, I know that. He told me himself."
"No, no … I don't mean … look, he wants you to come after him, all right? I don't know why, but he wants you to …" He pauses at a loss for words. "Well, to be honest he made it sound like he wants you to kill him."
"What?" I demand with a frown. Thomas gestures helplessly.
"I don't know!" He says. "I don't know what he was talking about! All I know is he's got some kind of horrible plan for you. Link, I wish I could tell you more, but I can't. I don't know … maybe he'll do to you what he did to the others, but I can't … I don't …" He stops, frustrated again. I frown at him.
"You're not telling me to not go," I point out. Thomas hesitates, looking almost embarrassed suddenly.
"I … no, I'm not," he answers. "I'm just … warning you. I mean, even if I told you not to go, you wouldn't listen to me anyway, and I know you hate being told stuff like that. And … and truth be told … I want you to go." I blink in surprise.
"Come again?" I say. He winces.
"I know it sounds stupid, but you … you have this ability to fix things," he says. "I mean … you've … you've fixed things that shouldn't have ever been able to fixed. You fixed Hyrule when it was broken, you fixed the Moblins invading Castletown, I mean, you even kind of fixed the Gerudo! And maybe, I mean … maybe you can fix this too. That's what the Hero of Time is for, isn't it? That's what you do?"
"Yeah," I answer slowly, "yeah it is." Thomas nods.
"That's why I didn't tell anybody else, not even Mum. Because I knew they'd use it against you. If they knew Agahnim had a plan for you, they'd want to protect you from it, right?"
"You're right on that one," I say wryly. "And believe me, I appreciate it."
"Good," Thomas says, looking relieved. "Just be careful when you do go, all right? Watch out for him. He's a snake." I nod at him and we both turn back to the horizon again. For a long moment neither one of us speaks.
"Hey, look," I say, "I think maybe you should talk to Dad if you feel up to it. He … knows what it's like to be in a situation like yours. He's been there." Thomas gives a bit of a rueful laugh and lowers his head.
"Brayden can't even look at me, Link," he says. "I murdered his brother, remember?" I wince at the straightforward way he says it.
"You didn't murder anybody," I say flatly. "Let's get that straight first and foremost. And second, I think you underestimate my father's capacity for forgiveness." I pause. "The reason he can't look at you isn't because of Bruiser. It's because … it's because of what I said. About how he's been there. You remind him of all of that, and it's not a happy memory, if you take my meaning. Truth be told I think it would do him as much good as it would do you to talk with you about it. All this talk of the Dark World and stuff … it has him on edge." Thomas makes a noise half-way between a no and a we'll-see.
"I'll think about it," he says. We fall silent for a moment more, then I sigh and turn away from the balcony. I have a million things on my plate to see to and I should probably get to them. It's not until my hands on the door handle that Thomas speaks again.
"Link?" He calls.
"Yeah?" I ask. He hesitates.
"Do you think … do you think Hunter will forgive me?" I pause and frown down at the handle.
"I don't know, Thomas," I answer truthfully. "That's between you and him."
He turns silently back to the horizon and I slip through the door, shutting it quietly behind me.
xxx
A Brief Interlude
"Be quick about it," growled Liam, giving her a rough shove in the direction of the door. She gasped and just managed to keep her grasp on her tray without spilling it all over the place. She resisted the urge to cry. Liam had always been so nice to her, but ever since he'd been assigned to guard this strange boy …
It's only bee a day or so. He's probably just got something on his mind, that's all, Marni assured herself. He looks distracted … or something. It was true. His eyes had a dull quality to them they never had before. She didn't like them like that. She liked them better when they were happy and sparkling.
She pushed the door open with her elbow and carefully pulled herself and her tray into the room with the strange Sheikan boy in the cell in the corner, a funny kind of black aura around the lock on it. She didn't ask any questions, she'd been told not to. She'd been threatened not to. It had only been an insinuation, but it had been enough. Liam knew her and her brother too well, and she was afraid of what he might do to them if she questioned anything.
But she couldn't help but talk to the boy.
He looked so alone in the cell like that.
"Hello," she said with false cheerfulness once the heavy iron door had closed and she knew Liam couldn't here any more. "I've … I've brought you your lunch." She blushed suddenly and reached into her pocket, pulling out a well-wrapped sweet bun. "I'm … I'm not supposed to do this, but I brought you some desert today. Please don't tell anyone, though, all right? I'll get in trouble." The boy looked up sharply at her and Marni blinked in surprise.
"You can sneak things in here?" He asked, his tone urgent.
"I … well, yes … I'm … I'm not supposed to, but Liam doesn't really … I'm just a servant so no one really pays any attention. Do you like sweet buns? I can … I can try and bring you something else next time…"
"Marni," the boy breathed. "Marni …" His oddly crimson eyes moved back and forth suddenly, as though he was thinking of something. "Marni I need you to do something for me."
"Oh no, sir, I couldn't," Marni said, straightening suddenly. "You seem like a very nice person, but you're a prisoner, and people don't get put in here for no reason, do they?"
"Marni … Marni, listen to me," the boy said, on his feet suddenly. Marni took a step back, despite the fact there was no way the boy could get near her. "How loyal are you to Hyrule?" Marni bristled, despite how threatened she felt.
"My loyalty can't be bought if that's what you're suggesting!" She cried. "I won't help an enemy of Hyrule! Not even if you threatened to kill me!" The boy had a cunning look in his eye suddenly.
"Does that apply to the Princess as well?" He asked. Marni drew herself up to her full height and looked him straight in the eye, feeling very proud of herself for being able to do so.
"Yes, sir it does," she replied. "I would do anything for my Lady Zelda, bless her heart. And my Lord Link as well, before you even ask! So you can may as well save your breath because I won't listen to a word of your treason—" And before she could finish the boy did something very unexpected.
He began to laugh.
Delightedly.
Marni stopped ranting, flabbergasted.
"Oh Marni!" The boy cried. "Marni you wonderful thing you!"
"I don't understand," Marni said weakly.
"Marni, listen to me, and listen closely," the boy said. "Your Princess is in trouble and she needs your help."
"How do you know the Princess?" Marni demanded, glaring at him suspiciously. "You're trying to trick me!"
"Marni, I swear it, I'm not!" The boy said. He reached for his glove. "Marni I know the princess, because I am the Princess." Marni frowned.
"Sir, I may not be the smartest girl around here, but I'd know the Princess if I saw—oh!" The boy pulled off his glove and held up his hand. Gleaming in the torchlight on the back of it was a gold Triforce mark.
"I have certain magical abilities, Marni," the boy was saying quickly. "One of them is the ability to take this shape in order to disguise myself when I need to."
"Then prove it," Marni said, cautiously, unable to take her eyes off the Mark that belonged only on the hands of the King Link and the Princess Zelda (proof, in her mind, that they were fated to be). "Change back."
"I can't, Marni. Agahnim has … Agahnim is not a friend of Hyrule, Marni, and he's imprisoned me here and used his own black magic to trap me in this shape so no one will recognize me." Marni frowned.
"Then how can I believe you? Maybe you imitated that mark. Maybe … maybe … Agahnim's evil?" She asked, blinking. Her face turned smug all of a sudden. "Oh I knew it! I knew it! Anyone who says those horrible things about Sir Link has to be evil!" She pauses. "That still doesn't prove you're the Princess, though."
"Ask me something then, quickly," the boy said. "I'll prove it to you. Something only the princess would know." Marni thought about it for a moment.
"A year ago," she said, "in the middle of the summer, the Princess Zelda and Sir Link had a fight – their biggest one to date. What was it over?" The boy bristled.
"Well I hardly think that's any of your business, and how do you know about it anyway?"
"Just answer the question. Answer it and I'll believe you because the news of it never got any further than the two of you and me."
"It was over … he … proposed to me and I turned him down."
"Why? You wrote a note to him explaining why when he wouldn't speak to you, what did it say?"
"You read it?" The boy gasped.
"I caught a glimpse of it," Marni insisted, coloring. "That's all. What did it say?"
"It said … I told him no because … because I loved him too much to … to let him make the kind of commitment that … that would come with marrying the Princess of Hyrule. Because I couldn't … I couldn't bear to see him tied down like that. I can't believe you read it!"
"I can't believe you're the Princess," Marni said, her eyes having grown progressively wider during the boy's tirade. She gasped suddenly and dropped to her knees. "Oh! Forgive my rudeness, my lady …um, lord! I'm so sorry! I really am! And I didn't mean to pry with the letter, but I dropped it on my way to Sir Link and it got wet, so I had to replace the envelope and I really did just glance at it, that's all!" The boy swallowed his irritation and nodded.
"It's all right, Marni, get up. I need you to look at me." Marni did so. "Now listen, very closely, Marni, the fate of Hyrule rests on this."
"Anything," Marni said, somewhat breathlessly.
"I need you, with my next meal, to bring me down a piece of parchment and something to write with. By the next meal I'm going to give you back the piece of paper and you're going to hold on to it."
"All right," Marni said, looking confused. "But what—"
"Sir Link is going to be coming soon, Marni. I don't know when, or how he'll arrive, but he will come. I need you to watch for him, and I need you to give him that paper, do you understand me? Him and no one else! And you can't tell anyone! It must remain an absolute secret, for your own sake and everyone else's!"
"I will!" Marni said. "I promise! You can count on me!" The boy opened his mouth to say something, but the next second the door started to open and he threw himself suddenly back onto the little cot set into the wall and went back to glaring sullenly at the lock.
"Move it or lose it," Liam growled at Marni. "What's taking you?"
"N-Nothing," Marni stuttered, gathering up the tray and slipping it under the bars to where the boy could get at it. "Sorry …"
Liam stood aside and let her shuffle out of the cell before throwing a dark look at the boy and pulling the door shut once again.
Sheik continued to stare at the door for a moment after it had been shut, contemplating what he'd just done. He was involving Marni in something he really had no right to involve her in. If Agahnim found out she was helping …
But risks had to be taken, and sacrifices had to be made.
A hard truth but a truth just the same.
She settled herself down onto the cot and ignored her lunch entirely.
Maybe Link would actually be able to rescue her – he done the impossible so many times in the past, why not now? – but she had a feeling he wouldn't. She had a feeling things were going to get worse before they got better.
And this was the only way she could think of to help him.
She closed her eyes and let herself drift off into sleep …
Darkness.
Not solid black, translucent black, but black just the same.
She cast a look around, aware of the feeling of urgency and foreboding that dominated her awareness. She recognized the dream for what it was; not just a dream, but one of those dreams, and at that realization the dream took shape, as it always did.
She braced.
This would be a bad one …