Chapter 10: Map Trouble/Memories

The cart stopped unexpectedly, and Link and Gor Coron slid across the wagon bed. "Hey? What's going on?" Link asked, standing carefully. He popped his head out the front next to Gannon. "Why've we stopped?"

"Ah, for Din's sake," Gannon swore. He jumped from the drivers seat and began to walk to the front of the train.

"What's-" Link slipped and fell into the seat in front of him. "Ouch."

"Link-goro, be careful."

Link nodded as he got out of the cart, Gor Coron following. They walked after Gannon.

"-no idea."

"No idea of what, goro?" Gannon turned to the old Goron, then frowned looking back at the Sage.

"This idiot-" The Sage gave Gannon a look, "has an outdated map."

"Well, how was I supposed to know?" the Sage retorted. "Well, what's done is done."

"What about that place? Isn't that close by?" Link asked, peeking at the map.

Gannon shook his head, "It's outdated. That place could be gone by now."

The Sage frowned, giving a look to Gannon, "I don't think that it is that old."

"Well, it seems as if that is the closest place anyways," Gor Coron added. "We might as well go there; if anything, there may be some forgotten supplies that we could use. If there is a map, we can compare the two and such." The Sage nodded, "Any other ideas?" Gannon shrugged, walking back to the wagon.

"Seems as though that's what the plan is, if he's okay with it," The Sage grinned, hopping onto the lead wagon. Gor Coron laughed. "We'll keep going then."

"Wait!" the Sage looked up to the boy running up to him. Oh great, Link thought, What NOW?

"The...The," the boy panted, "food's gone."

"What?" The Sage frowned. "We should have had more than that."

Gor Coron's lips turned down also, "We should have. I think maybe someone is getting more than their share."

Another one of the rich boys ran over, "The water's gone from multiple barrels, too."

"More in food and water," the Sage said grimly. "Let's pray to the Goddesses that village is still there." Gor Coron nodded, beginning to walk back to his cart.

"I bet it was that creeper that drives the old rock's cart," One of the boys whispered to the other as they began to walk back to their own cart.

"Hey!" Link shouted; he felt offended, even though it was Gannon that had been insulted, not him.

"What?"

"He hasn't eaten anything since we got out here, and you think that he did it?"

"He probably gets his fill while we are all asleep, then acts all innocent when we wake."

"If it is anyone, it's one of you snobs," Link spat.

The boys looked at Link, faking hurt. When they saw that it didn't get to him, they sneered. "So what if it is?"

Link gasped in awe at their ignorance, "Then we'll all starve because you idiots couldn't go a day without a full belly."

"We're going to a village aren't we? You and you pal rocks can go buy more supplies."

Link's hands tightened into fists, "We don't even know if that village even exists! The map's dated." The boys frowned.

"Wait... So we are in the middle of the desert, and no one thought to take a decent map?" One of them shouted, the other backing him up with a dirty look.

"Yeah, idiots!" Link frowned and stomped away from them back to the cart. He leaned against it once more, folding his arms angrily across his chest. Gannon looked over to him, distracted from the horse.

"What has you so riled up, boy?" the man asked, amusement thick within his voice.

Link looked at Gannon, "You still do that thing."

"Hm?"

"Where you change from one emotion to another really fast," Link explained. Gannon laughed. "One moment you're angry at the Sage because he has an outdated map... And the next..."

Gannon's eyebrow raised, "Who says I am not angry anymore?" Link stared in confusion. "I'm still very frustrated, alright. When you spend an eternity in a dimly lit cell hung from the ceiling by a chain, you'll understand."

"You never told me why you were in prison down there."

"I guess I didn't."

"Did you want to tell me yet?" Link asked pleadingly, a sheepish smile lingering on his face.

"Go... Practice meditating. Well, it helped did it not? Ha. That's what I thought," Gannon's voice was even thicker with amusement. "We're going to head out now; get in." Link did as he was told and sat next to Gor Coron in the wagon.

Link frowned, "Gor Coron?" the Goron nodded to Link, "Why don't our wagon's get stuck in the sand?"

"That is because... Well..." the old Goron laughed at himself, "You know, Link-goro. I honestly don't know."

"Oh." Link sat pondering this. Unconsciously, he had crossed his legs. He had started to count to himself, One... Two... Three... Four...

He began to be able to take his breaths by the rhythm of horse's hooves, no longer needing to count. His mind could focus on other things. One such thing that his mind thought of was Gannon. He began to try to picture what the adult looked like when he was a kid. He tried to picture the girl that was his friend, Saria.

His mind worked backwards, until it came to the beginning of the tale that Gannon had told. His father, Link could see in his mind's eye, battling off hundreds of monsters. They were creatures he had seen before, and others were monstrous beasts that Link had never before laid eyes on.

Link could see Gannon's mother looking down at Gannon; only he saw her face as Gannon would have, a babe in his mother's arms. He saw her sweating face and heard her panting as she ran. He could even feel a sudden pain as Gannon's mother fell...

"-STOP IT NOW!" Link jerked in surprise when he was suddenly pinned to the floor by a thick black boot. Gannon stooped above him, his eyes filled with fury. The wagon was stopped. Gannon leaned closer to the boy, his boot pressing harder against Link's chest. Link swore he could hear a few ribs crackle.

Gannon's hand clamped around Link's neck, "If you ever try to look into my memories again, I will kill-No, I will give you something even worse than death. You hear me, boy?" Gannon stood. With one last look of disgust, and a kick to Link's stomach, Gannon returned to the driver's seat. He whipped the reins hard, and the horse reared with a loud neigh! It ran to catch up with the wagons ahead, dragging the cart they were currently in behind it.

Gor Coron reached down and laid Link on some cushions that had been packed away for bedding. "What did you do, goro?!" the old Goron asked with worry, checking to make sure none of Link's bones were broken.

"I-I don't know."

Neither of them saw the triangle on Link's left hand glow with a soft golden light.

Author's Note: Oh my goodness. Has anyone heard of Twilight Symphony? Yeah, it's been out for a couple months... I don't have it but I want it REALLY bad.

twilight-symphony(.com)

It wouldn't let me put the link, but the address is above^ 'Tis amazing. P.s. When copy and pasting the URL leave out the (and). Derp. When you get to the site, on the upper right-hand corner is a mask that looks like Midna's and says 'Music' under it. You won't regret it. You will fall in love. (Is it possible to fall in love with music? You can with this stuff.)

It was done by the people who did zreomusic. (/u/)

Oh, and I am guessing that you all are wondering why I, being the "troller" that I am, decided that it'd be a brilliant idea to write "Gannon" instead of "Ganon" or even "Ganondorf."

*slight spoilers peeps*

My reasons for that is that "Gannon" is not "Ganon." "Gannon" believes himself to be evil for "killing" Zelda. Deep down though he knows that he is not "Ganon" and he doesn't want to be "Ganon" (or "Ganondorf" if you prefer). He gives himself a little freedom from the prison that would be calling himself "Ganon."

I hope this clears things, so please no flames on that subject.