A heavy hand on Link's shoulder shook him awake with a start. His sharp eyes flashed open and followed the hand to an arm and the arm to the figure of Telma, standing outside at the edge of the wagon. He relaxed his grip on Auru's dagger and slid it back into his boot. But why was it still dark out? His mind was drowsy, and he had to mentally catch up to where they were. Also, the area where he had been branded hurt like Din, and he had a serious crook in his neck from the position in which he had fallen asleep.
"We've reached Dangoro Palisade," the woman whispered, beckoning him out of the cart. Of course! he thought. Without saying a word, he climbed out of the wagon and followed her around to the front where Pipit was coming down from the driver's seat. Half of a moon shone brightly down on them through a cloudless night sky. The night air was brisk, and although he wasn't truly cold Link found himself wishing that he had not been stripped of his shirt.
The Palisade was underwhelming. It spanned the entire breadth of Dangoro Pass, but Dangoro Pass itself was only about ten meters wide. The maw of the Pass opened into Hyrule Field in a southwesterly fashion. A fifteen meter tall sheer bluff formed the eastern wall of the Pass; the bluff itself clothed by the edge of the Great Faron Woods. The northern wall of the Pass was created by the vertical face of crags that reached up impossibly high, vanishing into the blackness of the night. These crags marked the beginning of the Goron Range and formed an impassable landmark.
The Palisade itself was just over three meters high; something Epona could probably vault if given enough of a run-up, Link thought with a slight grin.
Epona… The memory of his beloved steed brought a lump to his throat. He had no idea when - if ever - the next time he would see her again was. At least she was in good hands.
"We shouldn't have a problem getting through," Pipit said, moving toward the wooden barricade. There were various deteriorating parchment posters nailed to it which displayed sketches of the "Mountain Boulder Beast" as well as warnings to travelers to be-ware of the perils of the Dangoro Pass. The beast depicted in the sketches, as faded as most of them were - were massive beings made of stone, impervious to any normal weaponry, and evil as Demise himself (not that many believed in the Demon King anymore anyhow). Gorons, as they used to be known, were a mysterious race of people who lived among the mountains and largely kept to themselves. Not a single goron had been seen in the last half century. The sightings reported prior to that were spotty at best and never confirmed. The legends told that gorons had been friends of the hylian heroes and one or two of their number had even lived amongst hylians in peace. In the contemporary age however, few people believed in the legends. Or at least few would admit to believing.
At any rate, to the party of fugitives the warnings mattered not. They had far more to fear in the foe which they knew to be after them.
"Here," Pipit said, pointing to one of the massive stakes. "This stake is weakened by dry rot. It should break off at ground level if we can apply enough force to it." To demonstrate, he strode up to the length of wood that he had indicated and shoved it.
It gave way immediately, splintering near the ground, and Pipit nearly fell over with it as it did not resist any of the force he applied. The decayed rope that had been appearing to hold it tight to the next stake over pulled apart as easily as if it were made of freshly picked cotton. The stakes to either side of the one which Pipit had pushed over also gave way, and they seemed to create a chain reaction. Before they knew it, a gap in the palisade nearly wide enough for the wagon had been created.
Telma chuckled. "The thing must not have been touched in years!"
"A gust of wind could've pushed it over as easily as I did," Pipit said dryly.
"Odd that it was still standing," Link added. "Well, we may as well embark again and keep moving."
"I don't think the gap is quite wide enough for the cart yet," Telma said.
"Then go lean on one of the stakes like Pipit did, and let's be off," Link responded.
"Or," Telma said, her lips pursed, "we could just mount back up and let the cart knock it over… I do say I think the horses can fit through now."
"A fine plan; let's do it," Pipit said, moving back to the wagon. Link followed him to the cart and hopped nimbly up into the cargo area where the two royals still slept. When Telma was back on the driver's bench next to Pipit, she took the reins wordlessly into her hands and with them, encouraged the horses to move along.
From inside the wagon, Link only felt the slightest of resistance as the horses pulled the cart through the gap in the palisade and the vast wooden stakes gave way.
/~][- /\ -][~\\
When Link woke again, he could tell it was light outside the wagon. Furthermore, the wagon was stopped. His first notion was that his neck ached something awful. On top of that, his brand itched horribly. Glancing down at the severely burnt skin, he suddenly felt very self-conscious about still being half-naked. While he knew there was nothing he could do about it for now, it was still very uncomfortable to be in the presence of royalty in such a state.
The thick smell of smoke reached his nostrils, accompanied by the muted tones of lowered female voices. He glanced about and noticed that while Zeyde was still asleep, the princess was no longer inside the cart. Link climbed out and stretched once he was standing on the ground. It always felt good to stretch after waking up in the morning, especially when he had slept in an awkward position like he had this night.
Surveying their surroundings, Link saw that they were at a dead end and a tall but thin waterfall plunged down from a crack high up in the mountainside and into a pond at the end of the road. On their left, the edge of the Goron Range stood as immense as ever, and on their right, the cliff that had created the eastern wall of the Dangoro Pass remained unchanged unto this point; roughly ten meters in height with the top bearing the fringes of a vast and ancient pine forest. The bluff continued until it joined the wall of stone that was the mountain side, creating an unbroken wall that circled around the pond and created the dead end.
Link strode toward the campfire that had been built on the bank of the pond and the two women who sat across from one another.
"…and that's when I realized that my uncle was truly evil," Zelda was saying when the blonde sailor approached. He sat down quietly as Telma nodded sorrowfully in acknowledgment of the princess's revealed epiphany. Link wondered where his fellow sailor had gone to, but he wouldn't interrupt the princess.
Seeming to read Link's mind, Telma turned her gaze on him. "Pipit went for more firewood," she said. He was about to ask 'how' when the big barkeep pointed at the bluff. Link's eyes followed the direction of her index finger and scrutinized the wall of the cliff briefly before noticing something he had not seen before. Just near the spot where the pond came into contact with the cliff face, a steep but inconspicuous trail of switchbacks navigated the bluff precariously. If one simply glanced in its direction, one would completely miss the obscure trail - as Link had earlier when he had just gotten out of the wagon.
"I can't believe you aren't asleep," Link said, meeting Telma's eyes.
"Well, we don't know what to do. We're stuck here and we don't know how far behind us Ghirahim's men are. More of them could arrive here in minutes, hours, or maybe not even for days."
"What do you mean you don't know what to do? We need to keep moving. If that means following that trail over there," Link said, motioning to the path that Pipit had used, "then that's where we go. We can't afford to meet his men here. We'll be dead before the fight starts." Both Telma and Princess Zelda nodded at that statement, both aware of the truth in it. "That being said," the sailor continued, "we can't just keep going and going and going. Telma, you and Pipit need rest. I know you are tough, but you can't go days without sleep. So, either go get some sleep in the wagon or lay down here by the fire. I'll wake you if you are needed." The woman nodded again, resigning to the young man's advice. Telma was a headstrong woman and was accustomed to giving orders, but the past day's flight had taken it out of her. So, she gave in and after thinking some more, she nodded once again before leaning over and then curling up in the soft grass by the edge of the pond.
"If y'all need anything, just holler, ya hear?" she murmured, closing her eyes.
Link and the princess stared into the flickering tongues of fire for a few moments in silence. Again, Link's mind drifted to his powerful mare. His heart ached to see Epona again, but he knew she was safe with Malon. Then his mind drifted to the map. The map. How would he ever get it back from the man in the black cloak? Was that man in cahoots with Ghirahim? How was he ever going to stop them from getting to the Temple? The map; the temple; the Triforce of Power, they were his duty.
Zelda, for her part, was subtly concealing the golden tattoo on the back of her hand. Once again, it was reacting to Link's proximity, glowing and radiating slight warmth. Her mind thinking on the mystery of that reaction, she remembered another source of power. Her heart's beat quickened. The man in the black cloak. "Link…" The princess's voice broke through his thoughts. "You were telling us about another man on Volvagia before Ghirahim's men attacked us yesterday. Was that man wearing a black cloak?"
Link had to think for just a moment before he recalled the man from Zant's ship. "Yes. Black cloak with yellow markings on it?"
"Exactly," she confirmed.
"Do you know who he is?"
"No… I had never seen him until yesterday, but he was at your trial."
"He was?"
"Yes. He scares me," she said. Her piercing blue eyes flicked from the flames up to the sailor's face. She tried to ignore the gash in his forehead and the torn skin beneath his clavicle. When his eyes drifted up to meet hers, she continued. "He has power. A dark, sinister power." Link listened silently. "At your trial, when I saw him, something within me reacted, and I could feel his evil presence." She shuddered. Link Swallowed. Both of their gazes drifted back to the flames.
"He has the map," Link said simply, his eyes anchored in the fire. "I have to stop him." The princess's eyes once again went to the sailor.
"I will help you," she said with determination. "But first thing's first: we need to heal your and Zeyde's wounds."
"I'm fine, but your brother is not. I will find this Calinduela flower you spoke of yesterday."
"Do you know what it looks like?" the Princess asked. Link thought for a moment then nodded his head.
"Reddish orange, yes?"
"Yes. I also need violet flowers for the poultice."
Link's eyes were caught by motion up on the bluff near the switchback trail. He looked there to see Pipit returning, his arms full of small logs. "Perfect," he said. "Pipit is back. I'll go find the flowers now that he's here." Zelda looked back to the trail too and saw Pipit descending the switchbacks with the firewood.
"Wait, I can go find them," Zelda offered.
"It's fine, I can do it," Link said with a reassuring smile.
"Are you sure?"
"Yup. Besides, that forest is ancient and may harbor many untold dangers. I would feel much more comfortable if you stayed here with Pipit and Telma."
"I can handle myself, you know," the girl said with some indignation.
"Luckily, no one is questioning your valor, Your Highness," Link responded, the slightest grin gracing his features. Then Pipit was approaching them. The brown haired sailor strode up and set down the firewood.
"It's good to see you awake, Link," he said. Link nodded in response.
"Thanks for getting a fire started. You should get some rest," The blonde sailor said. Now it was Pipit's turn to nod.
"I am pretty tired, and I see Telma has given in to your pressure as well," he said, a smile creeping onto his face.
"She gave in pretty quickly; I think the full night of travel caught up to her," the princess said.
"Your Highness," Link began, changing the subject. She looked at him. "You'll need to keep watch until your brother wakes up. If you see Ghirahim's men coming, or even see or hear anything out of the ordinary, wake Pipit and Telma up." The young royal nodded her head in understanding.
"I will," she said.
Link then looked to Pipit. "I'm going into the forest to find the flowers that the princess needs to make her poultice with and then I'll be back.
"Sounds good," Pipit replied, "also, we should probably get moving again before the day is out. There's no telling when those soldiers will arrive and we'll be sitting ducks for them in this dead end."
"I agree," Link said. "I'll get back as soon as I can so we can treat Prince Zeyde's wound."
Pipit nodded at this, and waved his hand dismissively. "We'll see you when you get back then."
Link rose to his feet and stretched briefly before heading for the trail by the edge of the pond.
When Link reached the top of the switchback trail, he glanced back at his companions and they appeared small from his vantage point. Then, he turned to the woods and entered.
As he navigated the vast forest, he utilized lessons that Rusl had taught him long ago in the Faron Woods. The older man had taught him that moss had a tendency to grow on the north side of trees, so now he would use that as a compass. The aroma of pine was fresh and welcoming to him; it had been far too long since he ventured into the forest. As much as he had tried to grow accustomed to the sea over the past seven and a half years, his heart often longed for the green woods. In a flash, his heart was now filled with life, and he scurried up to a nearby tree and climbed up into its branches for a better vantage point of the nearby terrain.
Not only did he need to find the Calinduela and violet flowers for the princess's healing poultice, but he also needed to find something else. It only took a moment for his eyes to be caught by a patch of violet flowers some thirty meters south. So, he descended the tree and made his way over to them.
Unbeknownst to Link, as he foraged for the botanicals he needed, two small figures watched him carefully from high up in a nearby pine. The two beings crouched next to each other on a narrow limb, their eyes following the half-naked hylian with curiosity. Their garb was almost identical. They each wore a kelly green tunic fastened at the waist with a brown leather belt with a bronze buckle in the shape of a deku nut. Their feet were clad in forest green moccasins and one had strawberry-blonde hair while the other's blonde hair had the slightest twinge of green in it.
"Are you sure that's the hylian that the Great Deku Tree was talking about?" one whispered to the other.
"Elko," the other fellow turned his indignant gaze on his companion. "I'm sure. He said that the Chosen One would be in the North Woods when the sun reached its highest point in the sky."
"One of these days you're going to be wrong, Domi, and I hope i'm there to see it," Elko retorted quietly, looking up to the sky and seeing that the sun was indeed at its apex.
/~][- /\ -][~\\
It had been around noon when Zeyde had woken and Zelda had removed the dressing that Link had given; taken from the sailor's own pants. The dressing was saturated with blood, but the prince's wound had ceased bleeding, so she didn't need to replace it. With no one but her brother immediately present, she had tried her hand at a healing incantation which her mother had taught her long ago, but to no avail. After growing nauseous and retching bile onto the ground outside the back of the wagon, Zeyde had fallen back asleep between waves of pain.
Now the sun was nearing the western horizon and Zelda was sitting by the edge of the pond, bored and hungry. Pipit was up again and was sitting next to her in silence. They had let the fire burn out some time ago, figuring that keeping it going during the day was a waste of firewood. As Zelda's eyes gazed subconsciously at the surface of the pond, a flash of orange and green signified the passing of a quick Hyrule bass frolicking beneath the water's surface. Her hunger was suddenly in the forefront of her mind and she tried to think of how she could catch it, but she didn't really want to plunge into the cold water in her royal dress, and she didn't want to take it off as it would be extremely embarrassing if she were caught by a commoner - or anyone for that matter - in her white satin chemise that she wore underneath it. She was fractions of a second from mentioning it to the dark haired sailor sitting next to her when he stood up. He had already seen it. She glanced up at him and saw his eyes scanning the water intently. He crouched down, his eyes locked on his prey, which was now sitting in the water some foot or so beneath the surface. The fish was completely oblivious to Pipit's presence until his hands wrapped around it. The sailor dove in hands first with a splash, but successfully caught the bass in both hands. He brought it out of the water above his head with a big grin on his face until it flipped and flopped and escaped his grip with its slippery wriggling. It splashed back into the water and darted away and Pipit was left standing up to his knees with nothing but slimy hands and wet clothes. His expression immediately darkened, but just as he was about to grumble something, a loud guffaw rang out.
"You were so close, honey," Telma said in a jolly fashion. "Next time, grip that squirmy rascal as tightly as you can!"
"I know how to catch a fish, Telma!" Pipit said angrily, but as he looked at her face, her friendly smirk was such that he couldn't remain angry. His mood lightened and he let out a chuckle himself. "Good morning, ma'am," he added good-naturedly.
Then, his face changed. Telma's expression also changed.
"What's wrong?" Zelda asked, noticing Pipit's new demeanor. His eyebrows were arched and his eyes intense as he listened.
"Hoofbeats," he said.
"I hear'em too," Telma said quietly.
"It's just the sound of the waterfall…?" Zelda postured hopefully. Pipit shook his head.
"Put your ear to the ground," he instructed.
Confused, the princess obeyed. To her astonishment, a deep rumbling could be clearly heard, echoing from far away. Pipit followed suit.
"They're loud," he said, "I'd say they're a few minutes away."
"What do we have to defend ourselves with? And where's Link?" Telma asked.
"Blast," Pipit said, realizing his fellow sailor was gone. "He went into the woods to gather supplies for Zelda's healing poultice. We have my sword, the blunderbuss but no ammunition for it, and the pistol I gave Pipit. I also have my dagger."
"Doesn't sound like much…" Telma observed.
"Perhaps we should just surrender and hope for mercy?" Zelda suggested.
"Are you daft?" Pipit scoffed. "I would rather fall on my own sword than have my innards cut out before my eyes the way they do with traitors and the way they almost did with Link."
"We can escape once they have us," the princess offered. Our chances would be better if we could do that and steal some of their weapons in the scuffle than face them head-on."
"It isn't a bad idea," Telma said. "Besides, Pipit, you can commit suicide at any point along the way by provoking the guards enough. You don't have to ensure that you get to the hangman's noose alive."
Pipit nodded at this. "I don't like it, but you may be right."
"Ok, so what's the plan?" Telma asked.
"We need to get Zeyde out of the cart and then we need to stand out in front of it with our hands up when they arrive, so that they know that we are not looking for a fight. Also, Pipit, the pistol you gave Zeyde flashed in the pan, so you'll need to replenish its powder if you want to use it at any point."
"Thanks for the heads up," Pipit said, moving toward the wagon. "Telma and I will get Zeyde out of the carriage and we'll get him to our waiting spot gently."
"Thank you," Princess Zelda said.
A couple minutes later, the four of them were waiting side by side for King Ghirahim's men. Pipit had reloaded the flintlock's pan with powder and given it to Telma. She had tucked it into the rear waistline of her long skirt. Pipit was armed with his cutlass and his dagger. The two royals were unarmed, and Zeyde was once again asleep, laying awkwardly on his side.
It was only moments before the soldiers rounded the nearest bend and came into sight. There were eleven of them; ten soldiers and an officer of some sort leading the party. Their silver breastplates gleamed on top of their royal blue long sleeved shirts. The officer's helmet had a matching blue plume in it. They all wore bright white riding pants and knee high black boots.
Zelda slowly raised her hands above her head first, followed by Telma, and finally Pipit. The soldiers approached them, and then the officer stopped his men some five meters from the fugitives.
"I am Sergeant Konba. Myself and my men have been sent to take you back to His Royal Highness, King Ghirahim, dead or alive. However, I was led to believe there were five of you. I now only see four."
For a moment, Zelda almost panicked. If they knew there should be five of them, then they may torture them to find out where the fifth went.
"Yeah," Pipit began darkly, and the sergeant's eyes landed on him. "That's because the fool deserted us!"
"You expect me to believe that?" Konba said contemptuously.
"I don't give a dang whether or not you believe it. But if you want proof, just look at poor princey's arm. That traitor intentionally wounded him to slow us down so he could escape while the rest of us got caught."
Sergeant Konba chuckled."A pity," he said, "that you all risked your lives for him and he betrayed you. You're sorry now, aren't you? You know what? He probably abandoned HRNS Loftwing too. That would make sense, since he was the lone survivor. A man like that knows how to keep himself alive, I'll give him that much."
By now, Princess Zelda was sick of the sergeant's voice. She was also disgusted by the fact that he seemed to love it.
"Alright," the pompous officer continued, "Savelle, kill the prince. We'll say Link killed him. We can't afford to wait for him to recover, because these prisoners will be walking.
"No!" Zelda cried.
"We'll carry him!" Telma offered.
"Not with your hands bound behind your backs you won't!" the sergeant shouted.
"You can't do this!" Zelda exclaimed and moved to obstruct the soldier's way to Zeyde. "It's high treason!" Savelle easily shoved her to the ground and stood next to the prince, who was still asleep. He drew his rapier from its scabbard, but just as he was about to run the prince through, a strange sound greeted the ears of all present. It was the hiss of a projectile. In a flash, a wooden shaft tore through Savelle's unprotected throat and embedded itself in the dirt behind him. The man uttered a strangled cry and sank to his knees. He had dropped his sword at his feet and he gripped his neck with both hands, blood quickly seeping between his fingers and gushing over his hands. His face bore an expression of shock and horror.
The development was so unexpected by all involved that no one reacted for a moment. Everyone just stared at Savelle as he crumpled from his knees to the ground. Then, Sergeant Konba recovered and shouted, "kill them all!" All of his men as well as the fugitives were looking to the forest ridge from whence the arrow came, however, and the same hiss came again. This time, the missile picked out the leader of the soldiers, smashing into and penetrating the breastplate of Sergeant Konba. He screamed pitifully and jerked violently under the impact of the arrow. He fell from his saddle and struck the earth with a crash.
Pipit recovered next, and rolled Savelle over onto his back, procuring the dead soldier's flintlock pistol. Ghirahim's men were hastily dismounting to move forward and kill the fugitives. With the enemy's weapon, Pipit sighted in the nearest soldier and pulled the trigger. Smoke plumed from the firearm and it reported, sending its lethal munition toward its target. The lead ball smashed through the center of the soldier's breastplate, and the man was dead before he hit the ground. The crack of another pistol greeted Pipit's ears and he looked over to see Telma aiming down the barrel of the firearm he had given her, smoke rising from the weapon she wielded. Another of Ghirahim's soldiers hit the dust, screaming in agony. In a moment, another arrow sailed in and struck another man. Pipit glanced up to the ridge and this time saw him. It was Link. There were now six Hyrulean guards left, and one prepared to fire his weapon at Pipit. The sailor saw it in time however, and somersaulted to the side. He heard the crack of the pistol. He drew his sword and charged the attackers. He wanted to keep the fight in front of the royals in order to keep them disengaged. They couldn't afford to let either of them be captured or killed. Another arrow flew in and removed a soldier from the fight. Five left. Pipit engaged two at once, his cutlass flashing between the two guards' rapiers. To avoid allowing their combines assaults to overwhelm his defenses, Pipit suddenly lunged at one of them, tying up his sword and ramming his shoulder into the man's chest. That soldier stumbled backward and Pipit spun a lightning-fast cut upon the other man. Ghirahim's man barely parried Pipit's strike, but the sailor followed up with another slash that the man couldn't keep up with. Pipit's blade cut across his thigh and the man cried out in pain. The dark-haired sailor capitalized on his advantage and ran the guard through. He turned back to the soldier he had bowled over.
Telma watched the soldier she had targeted collapse like a sack of potatoes and scream when her shot found its mark. She looked to her left and saw Pipit rush toward two of Ghirahim's men. Three others still imperiled them. One was coming her way, while two more approached the two royal siblings. With no other weapon at her disposal, Telma hurled her heavy pistol at her attacker, forcing him to duck to evade it. Then, he kept coming toward her, an evil grin on his face. The barkeep took a step back, her mind racing. She hoped that an arrow would arrive and rescue her, but as the man came closer, none came. She glanced toward the cliff where the sailor was shooting from and saw him drawing another arrow back. She just needed to stall a little longer. In her peripheral vision, she saw Pipit finish one of his foes. Also in her peripheral vision, she noticed designs on the rock face to her right light up brightly. Her focus was on her assailant though, and she couldn't spare another glance. He was nearly upon her now, leading with the point of his slender rapier. Any second now, and Link's projectile would land. Then it did, but it did not strike the man attacking her. It took one of the two men advancing upon the royals in the arm. She heard that soldier shriek as she danced backward, evading a slash from her attacker.
There was a thundering crack as stone broke free of itself, and a previously hidden door burst open from the wall of rock where the bright designs had appeared. Everyone remaining in the skirmish stopped in their tracks and looked toward the origin of the noise and saw shards of stone and dust scatter as the section of rock rumbled open. Out of the new opening rolled three giant, greyish-tan boulders. The huge rocks were almost perfectly round and were roughly a meter and a half in diameter. All present stared in confusion as the rolling boulders picked up speed. These boulders were not rolling naturally or with gravity. They seemed to roll with minds of their own, turning slightly and angling toward the belligerents. As it happened, the Hyrulean guard attacking Telma was nearest the rolling boulders, and though he attempted to dive to the side, The leading boulder rolled into him at a high speed and crushed him. Telma was luckier and flung herself out of the way before the boulder reached her. It sped past. One of the other two boulders stopped rolling abruptly before it reached the humans and hylians present, while the other rolled slightly past them and then stopped. Then, to the astonishment of all the Hyruleans, each boulder unrolled. The one that had crushed the soldier unrolled behind the belligerents, creating a triangle with its two companions, surrounding both factions of fighters. All humans and hylians froze, none willing to move a muscle. Surrounding them were three of the legendary Mountain Boulder Beasts. Terror gripped each Hyrulean. No one in all of Hyrule had seen a Mountain Boulder Beast in more than fifty years. The three beings stood slightly higher than the tallest man, and their skin - if it could be called that - was grey like stone but with a hint of brown in it. One of the three, the one that had rolled through the skirmish and crushed the soldier attacking Telma, had less brown in his grey skin. They appeared to be made of totally of stone; living boulders. Their eyes a deep hue of endless purple and their expressions completely unreadable, they stood menacingly in their triangle around the Hyruleans.
/~][- /...to be continued...\ -][~\\