How Ramina arrived in the Dark World would remain a
mystery even to herself. She was a wandering soul who found her way to
the land of the lost. All she knew was the emptiness of the wasteland
around her, mirrored in her soul. She never cried, she could not cry
anymore. There was only a dull numbness, and the lack of feeling was
worse than pain.
And then she stumbled upon the tower. Its massive looming bulk
appeared, to Ramina, a beacon of light.
She made her way up the overgrown path, watching a small stone skittering
along the road ahead of her foot. The tune she might have whistled
died on her lips as she approached the door.
She knocked without hesitation. Immediately two glowing eyes peered
down at her through the barred window.
"Who goes there?" a light male voice demanded.
Ramina's eyes moved slowly up the rotting wood to meet the gaze of
contempt.
"Kamikane Ramina," she said simply.
"Don't take pathetic runts here," the voice said gruffly.
Ramina's eyes flashed, a spark of her old spirit returning. "So
that's how it is? Well, I'll make you regret it!"
The shadow behind the door chuckled. "You go ahead and
try."
"You bet I will. I'm not leaving until this door
opens." With that she cleared her throat, sat down comfortably,
and launched into an old Goron drinking song.
It took about a minute of Ramina's annoying voice for the door to
open. She smirked. The figure returned her confident gaze as he
stepped into the light and his true form was revealed-- a hulking orange
moblin in full battle armor. His deadly spear flashed in the dim
candlelight.
He seemed to have expected Ramina to flee in terror, and was rather
surprised when she looked him up and down and placidly remarked,
"You're tall."
He blinked. "I am?" Stupid, stupid answer!
The girl grinned. "I'm surprised. You lasted longer
than most."
The moblin beckoned her in and shut the door against the cold wind.
Ramina was still chattering on, and it was only the small part of him that
was intrigued which kept him from slitting her throat.
"So..." she asked with ironic etiquette, "who are you,
where're you from...?"
"Name's Imber," the moblin growled, "and that's all you need
to know."
"Are you going for the dark and mysterious impression?"
Ramina flashed her eyebrows at him. "The ladies like that, I'll
bet."
That hit too close to home. Imber flinched. Suddenly he turned
and grinned at her. She had found his weakness.
"I'm not really dark and mysterious. My brother is much more-- oh
gods, my brother!" He rushed her down the stone hall, shoving her
into the dark soldiers' quarters.
"Just hide under there or something," he said hastily, pointing to
a rough-hewn bed he had obviously made himself. "Don't worry,
I'll feed you."
"So you're protecting me now?"
"Maybe I'm keeping you for a pet."
Ramina looked pleased as she crawled into the tight, dusty space.
"For me, pet is an improvement."
"Malon! Visitor for ye!" Talon called
to his daughter. She nodded, not turning to face him, still lost in
silent misery. It was only when an unpleasant shadow fell across her
back that she looked around, and was met by a very angry Princess
Ruto.
Ruto didn't mince words. "You didn't need to say that to Link the
other day!" she snapped. "He's been upset about it all
week!"
Malon sighed. "I know. But it hurt so much--"
"You think you're the only girl who's ever been hurt? You think
you're the only one facing heartbreak here?"
"He didn't need to come back here!" Malon burst out angrily.
"I let that dream die long ago, and then he shows up to open old
wounds! Just when I thought I could finally be free of him haunting my
dreams, he puts me through that agony all over again! I hate
him! He didn't have to do that to me and I hate him!"
"Let me tell you something!" Ruto inturrupted. "This
isn't about you anymore! Ramina
Kamikane ran into Link just after he talked to you, and he was almost ready
to fall in love with her right there, but she told him what was best for
him, told him to follow his heart! She took it gracefully, said she
had know for a long time that they weren't to be, and told him to be
happy! She's gone now, gone from Hyrule so as not to hurt both of them
anymore, and here you are sulking and feeling sorry for yourself, instead of
being concerned about what's best for the one you love!" Ruto was
furious now. "I swear by all the gods, the day I take
losing Link better than you...!"
Malon was silent for a long time, soft tears falling from her eyes as she
stared at Ruto. Finally she looked down at her hands, sighed, and
asked "When is the wedding?"
"Why?"
Malon smiled up at her, drying her eyes. "There are some lovely
flowers over on the other side of the corral."
Ganondorf was pacing up and down the great hall,
muttering to himself.
"Seed? I still don't understand! And even now these dreams
keep returning, and that freak Naresome! Why?"
Onis watched him for a long time before he could no longer stand the sound
of Ganondorf's boots clicking across the marble floor.
"What?!" he growled suddenly. "Cut that out! It
could drive a man mad the way you're stalking back and forth!"
Ganondorf glared at him, obviously more than peeved that the moblin would
dare speak to him in such a tone. "It would seem you haven't much
to lose."
Onis appeared unamused.
"From a world of pain to a world of pain, seeking the last thing we can
give her?" he went on, more to himself than Onis. The general
shrugged and turned to go.
He ran into Imber in the hall, and immediately knew his brother was up to
something. Something about him was nervous, guilty. Onis poked
him hard and he jumped.
"Ow! What was that for?"
"I don't know, but I bet you do."
The crafty genius within Imber sprang to action as he feigned
sheepishness. "If you must know, I'm hiding a female under my
bed." It was a half truth.
Onis tried to glare, but his eyes were laughing in spite of him.
"You scoundrel! You change your woman more often than I change my
clothes!"
"That's not saying much for me, now is it?"
Onis made a small sound that might have been the beginning of a laugh.
And so all was quiet for a week.
Zelda and Link burst out of the Temple of Time,
greeted by roaring cheers from the gathered crowd. Link swept his new
bride off her feet and ran with her down the path into the marketplace, rice
flying through the air around them. She smiled as he set her down
gently, and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"You two really are happy together, aren't you?" a soft voice
murmered, somehow standing out over the bustle of the celebration.
"Malon?"
She stood in a simple but beautiful white dress with a delicate lace
bandanna tied in her fiery hair, a basket of flowers clutched in one
hand. Link returned her gentle, heart-warming smile.
"Link, about what I said the other day..."
He shook his head at her. "I know, Malon. I
know."
"I was hurting then. It seemed so much easier to be angry with
you when you broke my heart again, not to think about things. But I'm glad you can be happy with
someone."
"That's much better," a teasing voice broke in.
Malon looked less than pleased. "Hello, Ruto." She
was admittedly still a little sore from a few days earlier.
"Cheer up. The right man will come along someday," Link said
again.
"Even if he is an
immature geek who can't handle a spear who your father set you up with and
you just started liking because you felt sorry for him..." Ruto muttered
under her breath.
Link shook his head knowingly at Ruto. "...And you'd drop him
like the loser he is if he weren't so damn cute..." she went on, more
to herself than anyone else. Link just winked at Malon and slipped his
arm around Zelda's shoulders as they walked off toward the castle and their
new life.
The sound of Imber coughing caught Onis' attention as
he passed the empty barracks. Empty except for his brother, who sat
shivering on his cot.
"Oto-san," he said, trying to sound angry, "what are you
doing in bed?"
Imber immediately straightened, trying to find his voice. "Er,
nothing."
"Liar," Ramina's muffled voice came from under the bed.
"He's been choking like this for hours."
Onis raised an eyebrow.
Imber inturrupted before his brother could interrogate him.
"That's my lady love."
Ramina's tousled brown head popped out from beneath the cot. "What
did you tell him I was?! Your female?!"
Onis jerked back, his eyes bulging. "She's a Hylian? A
Hylian?!" He seized Ramina by her hair and dragged her
out. "What the hell is she doing in here?!"
"She's my pet," Imber admitted.
"Pet!" Onis spat. "If Ganondorf finds out--"
"If I find out what?" came a dangerously polite voice from the
door. Imber and Onis whirled and immediately formed a furry wall in
front of the bed.
"Ah... nothing, Sir," Onis said quickly.
"Absolutely nothing," Imber reaffimed.
Ganondorf narrowed his eyes at the two. "Imber, if I find out
you're lying, I'll torture you until--"
"Game's up, you found me!" Ramina yelled, shoving the moblins
aside. Imber gritted his teeth, bracing himself.
"Yeah, what're you looking at?!" she demanded after a shocked
silence.
"What in holy hell is an ugly little Hylian bitch doing in my
soldiers' quarters?!" Ganondorf roared in Ramina's face, the force
of his voice blowing back her hair. Ramina blinked, then blinked
again, unfazed.
Suddenly she burst out laughing. "Ugly? You've got no right
to be calling anyone ugly, hombre."
He glared at her with eyes that could cut stone. Naturally, Ramina's
skull was unharmed.
"You might want to shut up now, girlie. Your death will be
painful enough already."
Ramina narrowed her eyes at him. "Nobody calls me..."
She brought her foot up suddenly, "Girlie!"
Ganondorf dropped to his knees, gasping in pain. Onis and Imber winced
at where Ramina's kick had landed.
"You..." he choked from the floor, breathing heavily.
"You've got a lot of nerve." He stood with difficulty,
leveling his gaze at her. "So you're not afraid to fight
dirty. What name might I call my adversary?"
She grinned. "Name's Kamikane. And don't you
forget."
"Well," he huffed. "I guess Imber can have a pet."
Ganondorf slammed the bottle down on the wooden
table. "Do I have any challengers?"
Silence. They all knew better by now. Even the wild Cerasus had
been outdone last time.
"No?" he asked, his voice dripping with relish. "Well,
I guess you've all finally learned--"
"I'll take him!" Heads turned as the door opened with a bang
to see Ramina standing casually on the threshold. She smiled, twirling
a tendril of brown hair around her finger. "If you think you're
up to it, that is."
"You?" Ganondorf scoffed. "The little Hylian child
thinks she can outdrink me?"
"Let the glasses do the talking!" Ramina whooped, sweeping the
chair out and sitting down with a grand gesture. Their glares met, his
still a bit disbelieving, hers confident. He poured the first round.
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