The Silent Kingdom
By: Freedan the Eternal
Chapter 9: Departure
Three weeks earlier...
On a road running along the western coast, at nearly midnight, she found it. Laying there in the dust, a thin layer of dirt across its surface, placed by the wind. A small object about the size of her fist, and light as an empty jar when she picked it up. She brushed the dirt from its surface, the gold casing glinting in the moonlight, with four red gems spaced evenly around its circumference.
It was beautiful. Some rich traveler must have dropped it. Well, they'd hardly miss it. Yes, they certainly wouldn't miss it. After all, what was the real use of a gold sphere with red gems? Might make a good paper weight, but hardly any real value in it.
Perhaps she could sell it in town. Then they could melt it down, break it up, whatever was done with this sort of thing. Or maybe it would be better to keep it? Yes, she could keep it. It wouldn't hurt anyone. Maybe she could even show it off and earn favor with someone. Careful, or some pickpocket would just take it. She could have it forever. Forever...
And all she had to do was say the name.
She recoiled in terror as she realized the ideas in her head were not her own, but a low whisper, accompanied by a forked tongue. She lifted the object, ready to hurl it from her. No, don't throw it away! She could be rich! Powerful! She could even become the queen of the country of her choice, if she so desired!
Even the queen of Hyrule. All she had to do was say the name.
The name that inserted itself into her mind. The name that burned in her brain . The name that would release it from its prison within the object.
Prison? There was something trapped within? What kind of being could be contained within such a small object?
That didn't matter! Just say the name and all the rewards she would desire could be hers! Say the name and release it from this infernal prison! Say the name!
No! No! No! Don't say it! Can't trust voices! They always try to mislead innocent folk! It must be some being of dark power never intended to walk the earth again! Can't say it! Mustn't...
Say it or die! Say it or it would find someone else to say it, and then it would rend her body to pieces and feast on her flesh! Say it or her soul would burn forever in fiery torment! Say it! Say it!
With a scream, she broke into a run, as fast as she could toward town. The voice followed her all the way, shrieking at her to say the name. She gripped the object tighter and tighter in her hand without even realizing it.
She could not escape.
A lone figure, further down the road from which she came watched her flee into the night, her shriek the most pleasant sound he'd heard in weeks. He smiled, the red S on the back of his right hand glowing brighter for but a moment.
Present Day...
It had taken another four days to reach the second oasis, and a five day journey from there until the last of the desert was at last in sight. Small shrubs began to grow at irregular intervals, then clumps of grass began to appear, and at last, the thin, slipping sand gave way to solid turf, green grasses growing everywhere, and trees spaced along.
A few hours after reaching the grassland, the trio came across a small stream running south and were allowed to drink their fill for the first time in days.
The first night, they settled down under a large oak tree, and set watches, Link taking the second watch, as it was the most difficult, thanks to one's sleep being divided.
The following morning, they finished off the last of their supplies, and set out westward once more. Shortly before noon, they came to a road, running north and south. Deciding that either way had to lead to civilization eventually, they turned north.
Evening arrived, stomachs were growling, and the lights of a town were visible in the distance in the failing light.
It seemed they had misjudged the road, or it had changed direction so gradually that they hadn't noticed, for as they drew close to the outer walls of the town, no make that city, against the horizon tall masts of ships were visible against the increasing number of stars.
Signs of life in the town were evident even from a distance, and as they drew closer, voices could be heard shouting in the distance, and even a few cases of steel clashing against steel.
About twenty yards from the gate into town, lit by torches burning on either side of the large wooden door situated in the stone wall about fifteen feet high, Link stopped them to lay down some ground rules.
"Okay, first, we're here to get a ship, not advertise Hyrule's condition. I'm sure people will find out one way or another, but we don't want to cause a panic if we can avoid it. We also don't want unwanted types to figure out it would be relatively easy to loot homes at this point. We're here for a ship to Mystara, and rooms for the night, in that order. Princess, I suggest you don't advertise who you are, either."
Zelda nodded. This was no longer her land, and she knew there were types who wouldn't hesitate to attempt a kidnapping for ransom, though at the moment there would be no one to pay. "If anyone asks, I can be your sister," she said.
Link still couldn't get used to her hair braided into a tail like it was now, though. After the first stop at the oasis, she had done so to help keep sand out of it, and to keep it from gluing itself to her neck in sweat once again.
"Good enough," he said, then turned to Midna, "And for you..."
"I know," Midna said, "People might not react too well if they saw me. I'm all too used to that. I'll just go back to hiding in your shadow when people are around."
With a dive, she vanished into Link's shadow in the torchlight. A second later, two yellow eyes appeared in it, looking up at him. "Okay, all set!" she said, then the eyes vanished.
Link shook his head. "Okay, let's go, and see if we can locate a ship sailing soon."
He and Zelda made their way to the gate into town. Link rapped the butt of his dagger against the wood. A moment later, a small opening large enough for a man's face appeared off to the side in the wood. "Who's there?" an ugly man with a jutting chin and beak nose demanded.
Link turned toward it. "Travelers seeking lodgings for the night."
The ugly man eyed them over for a moment, then shut the sliding portal, and there was a loud click from the other side. A normal sized door opened, revealing him within, and he gestured for them to come inside.
Inside the town, there were still lights in many windows, and lanterns hung at regular intervals along the roads to allow lighting at night. Most of them were still lit.
"You seekin' lodgings, you said?" the watchman asked as he slid the bolts on the door back into place.
"Yes," Link said, "Is there any place with food and vacancy at a decent price at this hour?"
The watchman gestured toward the center of town. "Head straight up this street for six blocks, turn left and go two more down. On the right side, you'll find the Glittering Wizard."
"Do you know if there are any ships headed to Mystara soon?" Zelda asked.
He thought for a moment, scratching his chin. "Aye, there be the Angel Marie. She's a merchant vessel, goes to Mystara regularly. Deals mostly in non-spoiling foodstuffs and ale and wine, sometimes get goods from Hyrule to take across. Hyrulian steel is some of the best stuff imaginable, to my knowledge."
"Where's the Angel Marie docked?" Link asked.
He pointed down the street. "Straight thattaway, turn right when you reach the docks. She's at the far end. They're gettin' ready to ship out tomorrow, so I imagine her captain or someone in charge will be there to help you."
Link tossed him a blue rupee, thanking him as he did so, and he and Zelda started walking. The town was bigger than it appeared from the outside. The majority of people were either already in their homes, though the occasional drunk was visible staggering home from the taverns.
There were three ships in port, two were fishing vessels, evidently offloading their catch, and the Angel Marie. A two mast ship, with her masts rising high above them. On either side, six canon barrels were visible, situated on the second deck, and at the prow of the ship was a carved relief of a nude woman with feathered wings.
At this hour, evidently supplies were being loaded last minute, ready for departure with the morning tide. Link spotted one man, who, with a great deal of cursing and waving his arms, was guiding about twelve other men in loading crates onto the ship. "Excuse me, sir, are you in charge here?"
The man turned toward them. A large scar ran down his right cheek, his eyes were set a bit too far apart, and Link could barely make out a small, curled mustache behind the enormous cigar jutting from his teeth. "Aye, I be in charge. Name be Samuel Herrig, Cap'n o' the Angel Marie. Ye have business with me?"
"We seek passaged to Mystara," Zelda said, "We heard you are departing tomorrow."
He took a long puff of his cigar, then turned to curse at one of the crewmen who nearly dropped a crate of something Link didn't catch the name of among all the rather colorful names the captain was coming up with for the crewman, then turned back to them. "Don' like takin' passengers. They eat our food and aren't worth as much once we arrive. Ye'd best be able to pay well, else ye got no chance of gettin' on my ship. How many?"
"The two of us," Link said, "We'll need lodgings for two, but food for three."
"Three?"
Link smiled. Oh, she was going to kill him. "My sister's pet."
He could hear Midna growl at him, almost inaudibly.
The captain chewed his cigar. "What currency?"
"Rupees.
He thought again for a moment. Then decided on a sum. "One hundred fifty, all in advance."
"Ninety," Link said. He'd be damned before he was cheated like that.
"One thirty."
"One hundred."
"One fifteen!"
"Done," Link said, pulling out the small bag of rupees he had brought from Ordon. He counted out the number the captain desired.
"All right," the captain said, "We be departing with the morning tide. Be about an hour after sunrise. Ye be late, we leave ye here."
"Thank you," Link said, turning to leave, Zelda following after.
He counted what rupees remained in his purse. "Damn, only thirty-two left. Hope that's enough for a meal and a room."
"I think we could afford some baths as well," Zelda said, producing a small purse from the front of her tunic. She opened it up, and then handed Link two purple rupees.
"What in the?"
Zelda tucked the purse away down the front her tunic. "Don't worry, there's plenty more where that came from," she said, "I just didn't bring much smaller currency, so I hope we can break it."
Backtracking to the street the watchman had previously indicated, they turned and walked down the dark ways until at last they sighted a sign from a brightly lit building with a carving of a pointed hat and stars, alongside which was engraved The Glittering Wizard.
Link pushed the door open. Well, the place was still lit well, but most of the customers had evidently gone home. Lanterns were mounted into the walls all about the room, lighting nearly sixteen tables spread about, only about four of which still had occupants, either finishing off meals or nursing mugs of ale.
At the far side of the room was a long bar, behind which a man, likely the tavern owner, wiped a white cloth through some mugs before setting them onto shelves behind him. To the right of the bar were stairs heading upward, and a doorway behind the bar itself that likely led to the kitchen.
Link and Zelda threaded through the tables toward the bar, and the owner turned at their footsteps. "Hello, my friends, coming in a bit late are we?" he said in a sweet voice.
Goddesses almighty, that's a woman! Link thought.
She was a heavily built girl, even taller than Link, her arms nearly twice the size around as his, and she was considerably wider at the shoulders as well. "You still have any food left tonight?" Link asked.
"Sure, sure!" she said with a large, friendly smile, "Sit down, I'll get you some of my famous lamb stew!"
She disappeared through the door behind the counter, returning with two large bowls full of steaming stew. "I always tend to make too much," she said, setting them down before them, "Have to throw what's left to the dogs, but it's good to have plenty in case night owls like yourselves arrive. Good thing, too. You two look half-starved."
The stew was a thick blend of strips of lamb, potatoes, beans, carrots, and rice, and seemed like the best thing Link had ever tasted. The owner asked if they would like something to drink, and Link soon had a mug of Schnogger's Yellow Ale, while Zelda took a glass of a red wine with a name Link couldn't pronounce.
They both downed the delicious stew and were soon into seconds. "Would I be correct in assuming you two need a room for the night as well?" the owner asked with a wink.
"Two beds, please," Link said, "My sister and I will be leaving on the Angel Marie in the morning, so could we get a wake up at about dawn, and possibly have bath-water for then?"
"Oh, sister," the owner said, looking toward Zelda, busy shoveling the stew with most un-princesslike manners, "Yes, I see. That won't be a problem, dearie. Price is twenty rupees for food and room, then another ten for heated water. You can pay in the morning if you like."
"Rather have it out of the way," Link said, counting it out of what small change he had left. He'd prefer not to be flashing around larger currency unless he had to.
The owner took the gems and deposited them beneath the counter. "Thank you. Any more stew?"
Link and Zelda both felt they had had enough of the stew, which had been remarkably filling. Link ordered one more bowl, though, and took it up to the room with them, where Midna leaped out of his shadow the moment he closed the door, and attacked it ravenously.
The room was fairly small, with two beds along the left wall, a small table to the right with a single chair, and a window at the far end.
Link at last unshouldered his shield and removed the baldric over his head, dropping the sword and shield both next to one bed. Zelda put her quiver of arrows and bow on the table, but placed her sword on the floor next to the other bed, realizing Link's reason for it being close at hand.
Link managed as far as removing his tunic and chain mail before falling back onto the bed, into the wonderful feeling of being able to sleep on something soft once again. He had heard that sometimes, after sleeping on the hard ground for so long, people grew unable to sleep in beds. He had never had that problem, at least.
It would also be the first time in a while that he didn't have to sleep in his clothes. It wasn't like trying to sleep in full plate mail, Link knew, but lay or turn just wrong and chain mail would chafe the hell out of you.
He glanced toward Zelda, who had shucked her clothes in a similar fashion, and he had glanced over just in time to see her cover herself up with the white blankets, still wearing a dark blue breast band, and she lay her head back on the pillow, moaning in the pleasure of such an action.
Link shook his head with a smile as he removed his undershirt. She hadn't done badly thus far, for a princess. That was likely the hardest part of the trip overall, unless they had to cross another desert in Mystara with the same conditions at the Gerudo Desert, though he fervently hoped not.
Link shucked his boots and pants and crawled into the blankets, and was confirmed in his assumption that soft beds and good food after a long hard march was better than sex. He was already drifting off when something poked him in the chest.
He opened his eyes to see Midna standing on the bed next to him. "Now, we need to talk about that 'pet' comment earlier."
"Oh, geez," Link turned over, putting his back to her, "It was just to make sure you stayed fed on the trip. It was in your best interest."
Midna leaned over him, putting her face right next to his. "I know that. Just wanted to make sure you realized that, and weren't getting ideas."
"Good. Can I go to sleep now?"
"No. You still owe me that song."
Link groaned. Somehow, he had known she wouldn't forget it. "Wonder how much the owner wants for enough water to drown a rat," he muttered.
"Throw in enough to drown you, too," Zelda said over her shoulder, "Both of you shut up."
Link and Midna both snickered. "Later, then," Midna said, laying down on the bed, snuggling herself into Link's side as he lay back onto his back.
"If we live through this," Link said with yawn.
Link woke when Midna poked him in the ribs again. With a massive yawn, he sat up, stretching his arms. Looking about, he saw that Zelda was fitting her belt and sword about her waste, her tunic and armor already in place. "Wake up, Link," Midna said, "We let you sleep so Zelda could bathe in peace. Yours is there on the table."
There was a large bowl that held maybe a quart of steaming water.
"Okay," Zelda said as she lifted her quiver onto her shoulder and reached for her bow, "I'll go down for some breakfast while you tidy yourself up. We've got about a half-hour before we need to get to the ship."
"I'm stickin' with you," Midna said, diving into Zelda's shadow, "Try and slip me something while we're there."
Zelda disappeared out the door. Link sighed. Okay, let's get rid of the grit, Link thought, getting up and heading for the bowl of water. There was a rag available, so Link made quick work of himself, washing away the worst of what still clung to him, thinking as he did so that he needed some time in the future to was his clothes. No doubt someone in the world would complain about the smell.
He dressed and gathered his weapon and shield before descending into the main room. He spotted Zelda seated at a table near the door and threaded his way through the rapidly filling room to sit down across from her. The owner arrived shortly later, placing a generous helping of bread and a bowl of porridge.
Link ate quickly, wishing he didn't have to, gods, the bread was even still warm!
They reached the docks as the Angel Marie was readying to depart, the final lines being cast off and men working to unfurl the sails. Link and Zelda arrived at a run, dashing onto the ship before the plank was drawn up, and nearly crashed into the captain.
"Didn't think ye'd make it," he said, lighting a cigar on a match.
"We're quite capable of taking care of ourselves," Link said.
"Right," the captain said, turning to gesture to two people standing nearby, a woman standing in the shadow of the main mast, her arms clutched around a package wrapped in brown cloth, most likely her possession, and a man leaning on the ship's railing, just out of the way of the sailors readying the ship to make way.
"These are our other passengers," the captain said, "The woman is just a traveler, but the man is a swordsman, and I suggest you stay out of his way."
Like I'd be dumb enough to pick a fight with a guy I've never seen before, Link decided not to say out loud.
"Other than them, just stay out of my mens' way so they can do their jobs," the captain said, striding off to find someone to curse at and order about.
The man wore dark brown leather armor, his arms bare, and grey pants with black boots, a longsword at his left hip and a small shield on his left arm. It was more of a buckler, a shield small enough that it could be used, but not so big it would get in the way of his hand. He was staring off to the open sea, not paying much attention to anything on the ship.
The woman seemed to be trying to watch everything at once, clutching the package in her arms tightly. She was wearing a brown tunic and pants, with a dagger strapped to her left leg. She was a traveler at least, ready to defend herself, but no warrior.
Zelda turned to look toward the rapidly receding dock. Within a few hours, it would be out of sight completely. "I feel like we're leaving everything behind," she said.
"No choice in the matter," Link said, "In a way, this is where this really gets started."
He leaned on the railing next to her, watching the receding land.
He's right, Zelda thought, Everything up to this point was just to reach Mystara. When we arrive, we'll just be getting started.
"You don't seem too upset to be leaving everything you know behind," Zelda said.
"Mixed feelings," Link said, "I like Hyrule, and I know every living thing there is depending on me, but when I'm not starving to death or trekking through desert wastes, I love an adventure."
Zelda turned back to the fading land in the distance. "Goodbye, my precious Hyrule," she said softly, "I swear, I will return one day."
"Look what I've got for you!"
Khall looked up to see Zero enter his study. He was smiling, as usual, and seemed to have added a black sword with a blue pommel gem to his repertoire since last time Khall had seen him.
Zero gestured, and two men entered the chamber behind him, carrying a massive object covered in a white tarp. The two men leaned it against the wall, then with another gesture from Zero, pulled the tarp from it, revealing the broken Twilight Mirror, about one third of the mirror missing at the top.
Zero then handed Khall a smaller bundle, which the wizard unwrapped, revealing about half of the missing pieces. "Excellent," Khall said, taking the piece and seating it at the top of the mirror, smiling as the glass fused, the pieces becoming one once more.
Only one piece remained now, and that piece was in possession of the three themselves. "You've done very well, Zero," Khall said, turning to the man, "My faith in you is well founded. Now, what about the ring?"
"The princess keeps it on her person," Zero said, "It's unlikely I'd be able to retrieve it without severely damaging her, if not killing her entirely."
"Unfortunate," Khall said, thinking for a moment, then, "Where are they now?"
"Just boarded a ship bound for the eastern border," Zero said, "I made use of the travel spell you provided to beat them back."
He tossed a small red gemstone to Khall, the blood ruby that had contained the travel spell. "How goes the war?" Zero asked.
Khall pocketed the gem. "There is no war yet. Our troops are nearly assembled, and we'll be ready to begin the attack soon, but I want Link and Zelda in place before we move. In the meantime, we need to retrieve the ring and the last piece of the mirror."
"Well, if they make it to Mystara, I'll be all to happy to oblige," Zero said.
Khall turned to him. "What do you mean, 'if they make it?'"
A sinister smile spread across Zero's face. Khall stepped toward him, "Zero, what have you done?"
"Just a small gift," Zero said, "I'm sure they'll be most entertained, if they survive."
Khall raised one hand and clenched it into a fist. Zero cried out in pain and fell to his knees as the invisible magic clenched about his heart. If Khall squeezed any harder, it would explode. "If they die," Khall said, relaxing his grip, "I'll give you over to Shaklator. She will not be as forgiving as I am. Now get out of my sight."
Zero glared at the wizard as he backed out the door, his hatred and loathing undisguised on his face.
Meronia huddled in the dark night upon the ship's deck, slowly opening the folds of cloth around the package she carried. There was no one around to see, so one look couldn't hurt.
She opened the cloth, revealing the small gold sphere with four red gems embedded in its surface around the circumference.
It belonged to her. No one could ever take it away. Everyone wanted it, envied her. They were all thieves! All of them!
Maybe someone in Mystara could help her hide it... No, it was a mistake to even be on this ship. No matter who she asked, they would all try to take it away! No one could be trusted! No one!
It could end. It and she could finally both be safe.
All she had to do was say the name.
Say it!