Chapter Eleven
After laying in bed for several hours wide awake, my conscience starts to give. Suddenly my eyes shoot open at the sound of foot steps and I blink, seeing Zelda stumble through the dark to the door. "Where are you going?" I mumble, sitting up on the couch, rubbing my eyes. We were in Ruto's room again tonight after she decided to pay a visit to Nerida herself to confirm what Mira said that night. Ruto told us she hadn't anticipated to be back until the next mid day.
"Oh." Zelda says gasping and placing her hand over her mouth. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to wake you. I sense something so I was just going to see what it was."
"I wasn't really sleeping anyway." I respond, standing in the dim room. "I'll come with you." The two of us open the door into the torch lit domain. The Zora guarding the door blinks at us.
"It's rather late, isn't it?" She comments, looking us over curiously.
"Yeah, it's fine. We'll be back soon." Zelda explains simply walking down the path. I stagger behind her sleepily. It must be nice to be the Princess of Hyrule, to have no one question your authority.. except the Sages that is..
I hear more footsteps and Zelda and I round a corner and glance up to the main entrance of the domain on a higher path. Walking slowly through the door is a group of four. Two Gerudo, a Kokiri and a Sheikah. Zelda pauses looking at them, then sprints up the pathway to meet them. I take off on a dead run right after her.
"Impa!" Zelda shouts joyfully, as the group looks to us.
"Oh wonderful, you're actually here." Impa states, looking relieved.
"I told you.." Nabooru trails off with a sarcastic smirk.
"You found a way to get out of the desert? Where's Darunia and Rauru?" Zelda investigates.
"We are allowing the Sages to return to their homes, to watch over their land. Darunia was most concerned about his Gorons holding up in the mountains with the Bulbins, and we passed The Market on the way here, where we let Rauru return to the Temple of Time. The new bridge was finished just before dark, and we left as soon as we could. Knowing you two and Ruto left the dessert, Ashia told us the way you went, we figured you'd all end up together." Impa answered. "Thankfully we were correct."
"You didn't run into any of the monsters on the other side of the bridge?" Zelda asked implausible.
"No. They seem to have vanished as soon as the bridge was destroyed. It all seems very odd, how monsters like that appear and disappear like they did.."
"Have you spoken to Ruto yet?" I implore, remembering the mysterious person at the Market.
"Should we have?" Nabooru raises an eyebrow, puzzled.
"No-yes.. Well, it's just, there's news." I inform rubbing the back of my neck, not sure what exactly to tell them.
"What kind of news?" Saria chimes in. Turning my gaze past Nabooru and Impa I see Ashia standing quietly behind them in a uniform of red and Saria beside her. I hardly noticed the two until now.
"Well, let's go see if Ruto's returned. She may be back soon if the currents were kind. You all traveled quickly considering how far you came." Zelda interrupted. "If she's back she will be in her hall." The group follows Zelda, but I stand still until Ashia comes up beside me.
"Ah, so you survived those rapids, huh Hero?" She comments as we stride behind the group side by side.
"Yeah. I managed." I grin. "Epona safe?" She nods.
"Yep. All taken care of up at the fortress. I'm sure you gathered I cut the bridge in time, preventing anymore damage. I kind of saved the day." She boasts. "Earned the Red."
"Hey! That's awesome, and you didn't even have to conform to do the trials to earn it." I tease and she laughs. I glimpse Zelda turn her head back to us then quickly turn away. Then it hits me. Is she jealous of Ashia? Does she think something is going to happen between us? And even so.. why should she care? She said so herself that she doesn't have feelings for me.. and I'd established the same. Did she not mean it? I start to feel angry with her. So that's why she got so moody at the lake when I told her Ashia's name.
"You got yourself a new uniform too huh?" Ashia points out, looking over my blue attire.
"Uh-huh." I nod, not removing my eyes from Zelda, watching to see if she turns back to us again. Is she truly jealous of Ashia? Ashia and I are only friends.. and the Princess is acting bratty like this because she's jealous.. unbelievable. When we reach Ruto's hall we find her sitting in her usual spot, lost in thought.
"Oh welcome, welcome!" She exclaims seeing the Sages. "We were only saying this morning how we hoped you'd come find us soon. We have news I'm sure you all want to hear."
A Brief Interlude
Entering Goron City, Darunia finds the place in turmoil. Gorons demand a hundred questions the moment he enters. Others roll uncontrollably through the city in confusion. Coming up the mountain, he saw no Gorons placed on guard and he knew something is very wrong. Once he reaches the main floor he looks around the chaotic city and shouts. His voice bounces off the walls, catching the attention of all the Gorons. They all pause and peer over the ledges of the city to their King.
"What is the meaning of this? What has happened?" Darunia demands. They start grumbling all at once and he shouts again. "One at a time- you!" He points to an elder, serious Goron who remains calmly looking over the first ledge. "It's the volcano. Like before Big Brother. Monsters came from it. The dark cloud brews above." The Goron speaks slowly, and the rest remain quiet as they listen. "Some of us saw a masked man leaving the mountain. We think they taint the volcano. We are lost without you."
Darunia absorbs the words, looking at the fearful faces of his brothers. How can this be? What masked person do they speak of? "Is there anything else we know about the masked person?" He asks finally.
The Goron shakes his head. "We fear.." He pauses with a shiver. "We fear they taint the temples of the lands.. They send the races- our brothers- into fear." Darunia nods.
"I will go to the Volcano myself, and I will restore peace my brothers."
Chapter Eleven Continued
After Ruto explains Nerida's encounter with the mysterious masked figure, Impa makes an attempt to list the things we must do. "So, we question Nimyia, we discover the identity of this masked face and the threat the pose. Link," She eyes me, "Needs to continue to train some how. We have to keep that seal on Ganon as long as we can, and I still think we should continue with the plan to move Link to Lon Lon Ranch."
Nabooru picks us off. "Saria will return to the forest. Impa and I will attend to Nimyia. Link and-"
"Nabooru. Zelda and I will attend to Nimyia. We will bring Zelda back to the castle, and then we deal with the masked person in The Market. She is, after all, the Princess of Hyrule. The castle needs her more than we do." Impa corrects.
Nabooru turns to me and Ashia. "You will escort Link to Lon Lon Ranch and stay with him for his protection. You will provide him with training exercises." Ashia nods. I make sure to glance over at Zelda and see her purse her lips and turn to the wall avoiding me to hide her annoyance.
"There's only an hour or two left until daylight. Perhaps you two might want to leave as soon as possible. It's a calm night and there's few threats detected through Hyrule Field. You will be safer now then ever. The rest of us will leave in the morning." Impa says, eyeing Zelda as she speaks to us. She must have seen Zelda's reaction too.
Up to you Hero." Ashia says.
"Yeah, we'll leave in a bit. I'll just go gather my things. Be back here in a moment." I leave the hall and make my way back to Ruto's room. i can't get the thought of Zelda being angry out of my head. I didn't care if she was mad, but the reason she is is what bothers me. If she does have feelings for me, they're fake. They are fabricated from those dreams. She even said, we'd only known each other for a short time.
I enter the room and wake Fior. I attach my pouch to my belt and I swing my sword onto my back. As I turn for the door, it swings open and Zelda stands before me. "What a pleasure to see you, Princess." I scoff.
"What's with the tone?" She demands suddenly insulted.
"Nothing compared to the dirty looks you've given me." I shoot back. I try to slip past her but she leans her arm against the other side of the doorway and blocks my path. "Move." I command.
"Actually, I don't know what you're talking about. I came here to make you promise me you won't go do anything Heroic or stupid on your way to Lon Lon Ranch. But you're already acting pretty stupid as it is." She narrows her eyes at me and I duck under her arm and walk past her.
"I am promising nothing." I say, walking away as she stands, wide-eyed behind me.
I wonder if I'm being too rude, letting my annoyance get the better of me. Then I decide I don't care. I don't deserve to be glared at for no reason. It isn't my fault she's letting the past control her emotions, and then lie about it saying she wants nothing to change. She says not to look into the past when that's exactly what she is doing. Her asking me to promise that actually gives me a rather stupid, Heroic idea. I plan to follow through with it because the thing is, I am a stupid Hero and I am tired of sitting around.