Hey, peoples! No, I haven't died, despite what you may have thought. It just took me a long time to get this longer-than-usual chapter written. I just finished it about five minutes ago, and... I'm really sorry I took so long. I'm aiming to have the next chapter up by Christmas.
Sora: But that only gives you fifteen days to write it!
Me: I know, but I have that one pretty much planned out. Some of the dialogue is still a little fuzzy, but I honestly think I can get it done.
Link: Well, someone's feeling confident.
Me: -growls- Why are you so negative?!
Link: Because you write the comics that way?! I don't know!
Gaara: Will you two just stop? This arguing isn't getting us anywwhere!
Malon: I agree with the scary boy!
Gaara: I'M NOT SCARY!
Me: Sorry pal, but you are kind of scary.
Gaara: -crosses his arms and refuses to look at any of us-
Me: -.-; Well, there goes my plan to have him do the disclaimer. Now I have to find somebody else.
Malon: -waving both hands in the air- Ooh, ooh, me! Me! Pick me!
Me: Hmm....
Malon: Me! Me! Me!
Me: How about...
Malon: Ooh, come on! Me! Please pick me!
Me: ...You, Trunks!
Malon: WHAT?!
Trunks from DBZ: Could you not see that the red-head was begging you?
Me: Yep. I dislike beggars.
Malon: You're so mean! -joins Gaara in not looking at people-
Sora: She's a lunatic!
Link: You have no idea.
Me: ...Well? Get on with it, Trunks! We don't have all day!
Trunks: -blushes a little- Right. Sorry. Ahem... destinykeyblade does not own The Legend of Zelda, Link, Morpha, Tektites, those bird things, Lake Hylia, the Water Temple, or anything else mentioned that came out of the video game. She also does not own the song Indestructible by Disturbed, the lyrics to the song that she got off , or the menu music from The Last Unicorn. She does, however, own Angel, Shadow, the Dark Master, his cronies, and the Black Castle in which they reside. Oh, and the new and unexplored part of Hyrule that the castle's in. Also, she sends her thanks again to Kiarra-Chan, her reviewer.
Me: Very good, Trunks-kun! -hands him a cookie-
Trunks: ...Cool. Chocolate chip.
Night had fallen. Angel could tell from the darkness of the watery entrance. She guessed that she and Link had been inside the temple for about five hours, since they had arrived at Lake Hylia around midday and it was obviously autumn in Hyrule. (While riding Shadow to the lake and ignoring Link, the brownish-blonde haired girl had paid very close attention to the Hyrulean landscape.)
Huh... I wonder what happened to Shadow and Epona? Angel wondered. Horses are kind of smart; I don't think they would have just stood there and let themselves be attacked. Shadow probably high-tailed it out of there the moment I jumped off him.
She looked over at Link. He was still just sitting there, grumbling to himself. "That's just sad..." Angel remarked quietly, shaking her head. Her gaze traveled over the Hylian and to the portal that connected the Water Temple with the living world. ("It's as quiet as death in this place!" she'd shouted earlier, a bit unnerved by the silence. "Not anymore it's not," Link had said irritably.)
"....I've got to get out of here." the Earthling said. She did not try to keep her voice down.
Link cast her a sideways glance, curiosity shining in his blue eyes. "And how do you intend to do that?"
"Just like this," she replied in a low voice. In an instant she was dashing towards Link and the pile of possessions scattered on the floor around him. Angel didn't know when or why he'd emptied his pockets, (she didn't know why because she hadn't been listening when he explained) but she did know that she'd found her ticket out of the temple. And that ticket was a small, bluish wind instrument.
~Link's POV~
What the heck is she doing?!
That was all I could do, watch and wonder. With my arm in its current condition, (stupid Morpha...) it wasn't as if I could stop Angel by grabbing her wrists like I had back in Kakariko Village.
As she ran towards me, I searched her face for some clue as to what her plan might be. I saw her gaze fix on something, and followed that gaze to the Ocarina of Time.
I almost laughed. Even if she got the Ocarina, she couldn't do anything with it; she didn't know how to play the thing! ...Or did she? That determined gleam in her eyes made me uneasy.
What if she does know how to play your Ocarina? Then what, Link? What are you going to do if she warps out of the temple and leaves you behind? Sit here until you die or Morpha comes back in to kill you?
At that moment, Angel snatched the Ocarina up off the floor and, after wiping the mouthpiece on her sleeve, she raised the instrument to her lips. The melody of The Serenade of Water rang out clear and strong through the quiet temple, and I found myself lunging toward Angel, shouting "Not that one!" as I did so. She and I both knew where that would take us - right into Morpha's watery, waiting tentacles.
~Outside~
~No One's POV~
Angel and Link appeared in a flash of blue light, said flash illuminating the inky, black darkness of the Hyrulean night. The moon was hidden behind a thick covering of clouds, making this darkness possible.
Link quietly cursed the blackness. "Dang it! We'll never make it out of here alive," he muttered.
Angel glared at him (or was that a tree she was looking at...?). "Don't be so sure," she whispered. "I have wasted countless hours in front of the TV, playing this video game. And I have the Official Player's Guide from Nintendo! I know Hyrule like the back of my hand."
This said, she used her hand to take hold of Link's - she was careful to grab his right - and lead him to the bridge.
"Step lightly," Angel told him. "You won't make much noise that way, and if we're quiet as mice, I think we can get to the field without being spotted."
The Hylian boy scoffed. "That's your plan?"
"Yep."
"If we last longer than ten seconds, I'm going to be very surprised."
~Link's POV~
Here I was in yet another wonderful situation. Thank you, Angel. Thank you. For trying to get me killed!!!
Did she honestly think that we could sneak past Morpha and the army of creatures that had followed her out of the temple? ...Apparently so, since she started dragging me across the bridge. I wondered vaguely what was going to happen if we were discovered. I didn't have to wonder very long, though.
One of those obnoxious black birds swooped down towards us, cawing loudly. Morpha's eye was immediately on us, as were those of the Tektites and whatever else that demon had working for it.
What happened next was completely unexpected, and I must admit I'm not quite sure how it all happened. I do know that in about two seconds, Angel had gone from standing in front of me with a clueless look on her face to hacking that bird to pieces with the Master Sword, a fierce, determined gleam in her eyes.
"Take that," she said darkly, glaring at the creature as it lay writhing on the ground.
I stared at her. "Wh-"
"Look out!" Angel shouted, and pushed me out of Morpha's reach. I hadn't even noticed the watery tendrils slithering through the air like snakes, and I had my suspicions that if Angel hadn't... well, I probably wouldn't be here to tell about it.
Now that she'd saved me, though, Angel was Morpha's target instead of myself. I saw the terror taking over her her as the demon came closer. You see, fear has a way of paralyzing people. Your blood turns to ice as it spreads through your veins, and no matter how badly you want to run from whatever's coming after you, you find that you can't move an inch from where you stand.
This isn't gonna be good.
~Angel's POV~
I'm dead. I'm dead. I'm gonna die! I'm dead!
I had a sword in my hand, but I didn't know how to use it. A big scary demon thingy was coming straight for me. Link couldn't help me 'cause said demon thing hurt him. ...Yeah, I was pretty much done for.
The Master Sword started to slip out of my hand, and I quickly tightened my grip. It's a wonder I could hang on to it at all, what with my entire body trembling like it was.
Morpha, wielding multiple tentacles, rose up into my line of vision, the eyeball-like nucleus staring at me. Not wanting to see my end, I squeezed my eyes shut and turned my head, jabbing desperately toward the monster in a futile attempt to save my life.
I waited for the blow that would finish me... but it didn't come. Water began to splash on me and the ground, making me wonder what the heck was happening. When I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was Link staring at me in amazement.
Why's he looking at me like that? I asked myself. I couldn't have...
I turned my attention to Morpha and saw, to my own astonishment, that the evil being had a sword sticking out of it. My sword. (Well, Link's sword, but it was mine for now.)
With this sight I beheld came a realization: I had beaten Morpha. And with this realization, a single thought entered my mind.
Time for the victory dance.
~No One's POV~
Angel danced around, yelling and squealing joyfully. The water around Morpha's nucleus had long since returned to the lake, and both the monster and the Master Sword had fallen to the ground at her feet. Seeing that their leader had been defeated so easily, the Tektites and black birds took their leave, bouncing and flying away as quickly as possible.
"HAH! YES! TAKE THAT, MORPHA! IN YOUR FACE!" the Earthling shouted excitedly. She grinned down at the creature in front of her before twirling off again. In her joy, she began to sing a not-so-joyful song.
"Another mission
The powers have called me away
Another time
To carry the colors again
My motivation
An oath I've sworn to defend
To win the honor
Of coming back home again
No explanation
Will matter after we begin
Unlock the dark destroyer that's buried in me
My true vocation
And now my unfortunate friend
You will discover
A war you're unable to win
I'll have you know
That I've become...
Indestructible!
Determination that is incorruptible!
From the other side
A terror to behold
Annihilation will be unavoidable
Every broken enemy will know
That their opponent had to be invincible
Take a last look around while you're alive
I'm an indestructible Master of War!"
Link felt himself frown. Her song was quite dark and rather unpleasant, and the smile on her face as the words came forth made him uneasy.
I'm aware that I know next to nothing about her, but... this kind of worries me. She's so... powerful. She clearly doesn't know it, but if she were a villain... I don't think anyone would be able to stop her.
He thought back to the day before at Lon Lon Ranch, to the darkness that had surrounded her, the bitterness and dislike in her eyes when she'd looked at him.
Everybody's got a dark side, and if hers was to take over... Hyrule would be in deep trouble, to say the least. I've got to keep her from getting angry and depressed like that again. And the best way to do that would be to befriend her. If I can't... I don't even want to think about that.
Knowing the task that lay ahead was both comforting and unsettling for Link. Still, he knew what he had to do, and that it would be best if he started on that task at once. And besides that... Well, let's just say there was an empty room in his heart, and, though it would take a while, some unseen force was busy carving five letters into the door.
A...
Angel stopped after the chorus and looked around. "Hmm... I wonder how I should call Shadow? I mean, everybody knows Epona's Song, but what's Shadow's Song??" she asked out loud to no one in particular.
She gave her mental song library a quick search, selecting a melody that made her think of the black horse. (A/N: If any of you own The Last Unicorn on DVD, you might want to put it in and listen to the menu music. If you don't have it... well, I'll figure something out. I might be able to e-mail you the music, 'cause I've got it on my computer.)
Very shortly after the music had erupted from her throat, the sound of galloping could be heard, and a black spot appeared on the lightening horizon. Night was nearly over, as the rising sun clearly showed. It was obvious that the horses hadn't run too far away from their riders.
Link had been watching Angel as she sang the tune that had become Shadow's Song, and noticed a strange glow coming from inside her pocket.
The Ocarina!
The Earth girl stroked her horse's black neck fondly, happy that he hadn't been hurt in the earlier battle. Giving him a final pat, she took a step backward and sang the notes of Epona's Song. The red Hylian horse was soon in front of her as well, whinnying and tossing her head around excitedly.
Link appeared by Angel's side silently and suddenly, startling her when he requested that she hand him the Ocarina.
"Why?" she asked warily, holding the bluish instrument in her hands.
"I need to see something."
When she continued to glare at him suspiciously, he sighed. "When you were singing that song, the Ocarina started to glow. I think that melody might do something other than call your horse to you," he explained.
Her frown dissapeared almost instantly, and she handed Link the Ocarina of Time.
"Sing that again, will you?" he asked, wiping the mouthpiece off on his sleeve.
The girl did as she was told, and Link followed along as best he could. Several times, he messed up, but when at last he had completed the song, the Ocarina sparkled as it had so many times in the past.
Angel's greenish eyes sparkled as well, and a smile began to spread across her face. "Wow!" she exclaimed, looking at the Ocarina excitedly. "I can't believe that a little-known tune from Earth is a song to be played on the legendary Ocarina of Time!"
Link manage to supress his own smile as he gazed upon the gleeful face of his companion. The happiness fell away suddenly, giving way to guilt and remorse.
"What's the matter?" he asked, concerned by the sudden change.
"I shouldn't have been like that in the temple," she said morosely, looking down at the ground as she spoke. Her long, brownish-blonde hair curtained around her face. "...I'm going back inside to get your stuff," she informed the Hylian. Before he could protest, she had run to the small island that connected the two bridges and jumped into the lake.
Link watched anxiously as Angel dissapeared under the waves, trying his best to watch her progress.
Stop that, he ordered himself. After what she did yesterday, it should be obvious that she can get into the temple with no problem.
In no time, he saw her break the cerulean surface of Lake Hylia, several items in her arms. She flashed him a grin when she caught him looking at her and swam back to the island on which the warp point was located. To her surprise, Link was there to help her out of the water when she reached the edge.
"Thanks!" Angel said brightly as she wrung the water out of her hair. The teen was clearly very pleased with herself for retrieving his belongings.
Link inclined his head to her before gathering up his weapons, careful to use his right hand to put them away.
"So..." Angel looked at Link questioningly. "Are you going to play the song?" she asked.
The blonde nodded, taking out the Ocarina.
"Wait... What about Shadow and Epona? We'll probably need them. What if they can't find us after we warp to wherever it is this song's gonna take us?"
Link thought for a moment. "Well... Let's see... We'll try this: You and I will get on our horses. Since I'll be touching Epona, she'll come with, and if you reach out and hang onto her mane or something, you and Shadow should go, too."
Angel nodded. "Right."
Once the two were on their mounts and Angel had a firm grip on Epona's reins, Link raised the Ocarina of Time to his lips and played his new melody. The two horses and their riders vanished then in a whirl of midnight-black sparkles.
Angel gazed around her in confusion. "I've never seen this place before..." she murmured as she looked at the unfamiliar hills and distant mountains. "Where are we, Link?" the girl asked her partner.
Link was silent for the better part of three minutes. Finally, he spoke up. "...I'm not sure."
Hehe... went a little crazy with the lines there. Sorry 'bout that. ^^;
Link: Save the apologies.
Trunks: Quit being so mean to the authoress, Link! -he and Link glare at eachother-
Me: -pushes them apart- Knock it off, you two. I have a review to answer, and I can't do that if you're trying murder one another.
Kiarra-Chan - The reviewer has spoken! Romance it is! I'll try not to let it move too fast... I'm bad for making love blossom a little too soon, among other flaws. If anyone knows me from Quizilla or is one of my friends, they are no doubt well aware of that. Yeah, I don't think many people have seen a Hylian whine (unless it was Zelda, of course) lol. Thanks; I might consider that. I looked at them the other day, but I can't remember what any of them were... That's why I have this little notebook that I fill with random quotes. (I've filled up twenty of those pages...)
Also, I want to let you know (this is to 'Arra-Chan and anyone else who reads this) : After Christmas, I may take a short break from this story to work on some others that I've been neglecting as of late. Not to mention I'm in the middle of reading Brisingr by Christopher Paolini and The Lord of the Rings series by J.R.R. Tolkien, and attempting to write my own book as well. Just wanted to let you know all that. I will continue to up-date this story, though; don't worry about that.
One last thing before I let you go: I have planned out four different endings to this story. It all depends on what you, my readers, want. Would you like an ending that is slightly sad, one that is happy, or one that, while it finishes the story, leaves room for a sequel?