Chapter 11
Ben promised himself that he wouldn't feel scared. He definitely wasn't going to cry. No way.
The children back at Lon Lon Town, they'd always tease him about that, about how he got teary at the littlest thing, like when he'd stubbed his toe on a broken slab and the blood had welled up really quickly. It wasn't his fault that he got upset so easily. At least he didn't think it was.
And the toe thing? The blood had been so dark and thick it had smeared his whole foot red. Ben reckoned that even the Legendary Hero would've been upset seeing it.
It was just the way he was. The other children didn't understand, though. That just made him angry. Then he'd feel teary. And then they'd start that stupid chant.
Lit-tle girl, lit-tle girl, Ben is a lit-tle girl.
And that just made him feel madder! He'd always wanted to prove them wrong. That's why he'd decided to go with Malon to the castle. He'd ignored Ma's fussing over him, just stuck out his chin and said that he was going and that was that. Da hadn't fussed, but Ben had been able to tell that he was worried. He had been all smiles and hugs, but there had been something sad in his eyes, too.
Ben hadn't liked that.
And now here he was, but he wasn't quite sure where here was.
He remembered falling through the floor when that big Goron had turned up, remembered falling and falling, then he'd hit his head and everything had gone black. When he woke up again, he'd found himself in this tunnel, with its slimy walls and brown, smelly water puddling the floor.
Sometimes there were little holes in those walls and he could see other rooms. Sometimes he even spied a bit of the outside. It was all very odd, but it was enough to tell him that he was still in the castle.
He liked those holes, though. They made sure that it didn't get too dark in this grey tunnel.
Ben wondered where Malon was and that wondering made his insides feel cold. That big Goron had looked like he had wanted to hurt all of them. Ben didn't want that. Especially not for Malon. He was supposed to be protecting her, after all.
He wasn't scared, though. He just didn't know how to get out of this tunnel. Sitting cross-legged on the solid wet ground, Ben decided to ponder his situation. There had to be a way out. He just had to think and it would come to him, like how he'd suddenly remember an answer to a sum when one of his tutors would ask him out of the blue.
He nodded to himself. That was it. He just had to think.
Ben scrunched up his face and made his brain think.
His stomach rumbled in response.
Ben frowned. Ma always said he could never stop thinking about food. It was a stupid time to do it now, too. One, he didn't know where to get any food and, two, there was a lot of badness going on, a lot of danger, and he had to find a way to escape from it all. And take Malon with him, of course. The other lady could come, too, if she wanted.
He looked around. There were things crawling in the tunnel, he knew that. When he'd first landed here, he'd felt something tickling his hand. When he'd brought it up to his face, he'd seen a humongous roach, as big as his fist, sitting there like a king on its throne with twitching antennae moving this way and that. He'd screamed then. He hadn't been able to help it. You couldn't be brave all of the time, could you?
Ben shuddered at the memory.
He wondered how hungry he'd have to get before one of those huge roaches started to look like a nice, filling snack.
His stomach protested sourly at the thought.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Ben twitched. Had he just heard a noise? His pointed ears pricked up as he strained and strained. No further sound came to him. Perhaps it had been nothing. Just his imagination.
After a moment, Ben decided that the only thing he could do was keep moving. After all, a tunnel had to come to end somewhere, right?
Right.
He nodded, pushed himself to his feet, and then started to walk.
…
How much pain can one person take?
Malon felt a vein throb near her right eye. Tension, that's what her Da would've said. Would bring on an almighty headache if she wasn't careful. Hurt right fierce it would, too, mind. But, then, it wasn't her head that bothered her anymore. It was her heart.
The inside of her chest felt like a cold slab of lead just waiting to burst. If it did, she thought, she might just crumple up and die.
Tayer, Ben, Link, Zelda – all gone.
Four mortal hammer blows to the soul and yet life fought on. She fought on.
True enough, girl, but for how much longer?
All she'd wanted to do was flee to the castle and find some sort of comfort. That, and some answers, too. Well, she'd found out about the Sorrow, that was true enough. She just couldn't make head nor tail of it. And as for comfort? Look her now: standing here under the pale marble pillars and blue domed roof of the Grand Hall just waiting for the end. The whole situation spelt out only one thing: yet another fine mess.
Skellow, their Gerudo captor, lounged in a large chair set in the centre of the Hall, his legs hanging over one gold-gilded armrest. The man made Malon's skin crawl and her stomach retch. Most of all, though, he filled the entirety of her being with a sense of cold, clammy dread.
I'm going to die here. I'm going to die, I'm going to die, going to –
She clamped down hard on her thoughts. Her breathing slowed. Casting a quick glance at the other woman – Vela – revealed a hard, stoic expression that Malon hoped was mirrored perfectly on her own face.
She should be angry with the Gerudo woman, she knew. Vela had just left Ben to his fate, caring only that the two of them should flee. She should be angry, but she found she couldn't. They were in this together now, strangers against a common foe.
How about that? Me, getting pally with a Gerudo.
Skellow cleared his throat, breaking Malon out of her musings. One of his guards approached carry a jade bottle and a thin, long needle on a silver tray. Skellow took both of these, then swung his legs off of the chair.
Malon braced herself.
Alright, then. Here it comes. I hope my Tayer's there to greet me. Hope Link and Zelda are there, too.
Skellow held up the bottle and gave it a little shake. Dark liquid bubbled and frothed within. He glanced at the two women.
"No, you won't know what this is," he said. "So don't bother asking." He licked his lips, the Adam's apple in his throat visibly bobbing up and down. "This, my pretties, is the sweetest of all elixirs. I had it made especially, you see, just needed my man here to mix it for me. I was going to give it as a wedding present to Princess Zelda. Had she not turned me down, of course."
Malon hated the man even more. He was trying to scare them and she, for one, had had enough of it. She raised her chin and found her voice. "Wedding?" she spat, forcing as much venomous disdain into her voice as possible. "I thought you said you were all high and mighty above all that."
"Let me finish," the Gerudo snapped. "Do you know what a drop of this potion will do, just one single drop? It'll work its way into your brain within moments. Then it'll bury itself deep, deep inside." He paused, clearly trying to savour their discomfort. "And then it'll place a seed in your mind. A…notion, if you will. An idea. A magnificent idea."
Lust blazed in the man's eyes and Malon felt a tide of choking bile rise in response.
Oh, why? Why did it have to end like this?
The Gerudo picked up the thread of his words. "There are a thousand and one ways to torture another person. Did you both know that? No? Shame. This liquid – this beautiful, wonderful potion – will choose one of those ways and convince your mind that you're living it." His lolling tongue licked his lips again. "Right now."
"Sick," Vela snapped. Her voice echoed in the cavernous room. "You're no Gerudo."
"Shut up." He flexed his shoulders with a sharp crack. "The best thing, though – and this, my friends, is the meat of it – is that not only do you endure the pain, but we on the outside will get to physically see what you're going through. It's incredible. Magical."
Malon felt her bladder weaken ever-so-slightly. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Vela tremble just a tad. The Gerudo woman wasn't about to show it, though.
"You're boring us, Skellow," Vela said. "Give us some weapons and the two of us will take on the three of you. That's better sport."
Skellow laughed. "Do you think I'm a fool? Don't you see what I've done? The sheer magnitude of it? I've done what even the great Ganondorf – and countless others - failed to do. I've defeated both the Hero and the Hylian Princess. Like I said, now it's time for my reward. Oh, don't worry. It'll all be in your head. Won't be the slightest scratch on your pert little bodies."
Vela held her gaze. "You talk too much, little man."
Skellow continued, without missing a beat: "Once the first drop wears off, I can keep giving you more. The potion will choose a different torture every time. Over and over again. Over. And over. Again." Skellow grinned. "That's how Zelda would have occupied our marital bed, but alas…"
He uncorked the bottle, then dipped the needle in. "So," he said. "Who's first?"
Malon stepped forward. "Me."
Her entire body shook, but she'd just about had enough of her own pain and loss, and now this creature wanted her to witness the same to another person? No. She wasn't going to watch anymore.
"Oh, bravo!" Skellow cawed. He looked at Vela. "You see that, girl? This Hylian whore is braver than your great Gerudo courage."
Vela snarled. "Don't you dare call her that, you pig." She stepped forward as well. "Give me the whole bottle. I'll down it in one."
Skellow snorted. "You would as well, wouldn't you?" he said, voice soft.
The Gerudo man stepped towards Malon. She felt her every nerve clench in response.
Tayer, I love you.
Skellow took another step – then lunged toward Vela and sank the needle straight into her neck.
"No!" Malon cried, but it was too late.
Vela stumbled backwards, her eyes blossoming wide. She grasped at her neck, her fingers clawing at thin air. Malon, shocked, could only watch on in helpless terror. Skellow on the other hand merely laughed, then sank back into his chair.
Four eddies of black light whirled into life in the Grand Hall. Malon watched transfixed as they began to each form a ghostly figure, all of them incredibly large, as big as oxen and with the same curled, obsidian horns protruding from their heads. They were robed in white, and hooded in black. Each carried a thick rope in their hands. Malon, confused, felt her breath vanish.
Skellow clapped his hands. "Oh, this is fun!" he hooted. "If only there was a way to capture these moments for posterity."
Malon saw Vela standing with stone-like stillness, her face rigid, her eyes staring into the distance. The four dream figures flanked the Gerudo woman, two to the left, two to the right. Vela swallowed, waiting.
The air began to chop as the four figures raised their ropes and swung them around their heads. Faster and faster they went, the current screaming like a banshee, until there was nothing there but a blur of motion and a rippling of their clothes. The ropes flew, wrapping around both Vela's legs and both of her arms. Two of the dream figures shot up into the air, the other two slid outwards across the floor. They pulled, and Vela was stretched into the shape of a star, spread-eagled in mid-air.
Malon shook her head slowly in disbelieving shock. Still the Gerudo woman made no noise. Her eyes were closed, and a thin film of sweat had sprung out over her face to coat her clenched muscles.
"How fitting!" Skellow boomed. "A good old-fashioned quartering! Isn't that how we the Gerudo deal with traitors?"
Malon threw the man a disgusted look. His pupils had dilated now, and his breath was little more than a pant. He licked his lips. "Pull!"
Malon's hand fist shot to her mouth. Vela groaned as she was stretched in all four directions. Her gritted teeth trembled under the effort.
"Pull!"
Fabric tore. Something popped.
Tears streamed out the corners of Vela's closed eyes. She gasped for breath. "Please…"
"Pull!"
Malon turned away.
How much pain can one person take?
And then the screams began.
…
Ben had found himself a deep pool of clear water. He chewed on the edge of his thumb, wondering what to do. First, he'd been very hungry, but now his mouth and throat were so dry and this water seemed very appealing. He frowned, trying to remember what Da had said about how to recognise stagnant water. This pool had to be better than the brown slush on the tunnel floor, right?
He was distracted by the sight of one of those holes again. This one had a bright javelin of sunlight shooting straight through it, sprinkling the pool with rippling light. Ben decided he wanted to take a look.
The faint layer of scummy sludge beneath his feet parted as Ben made his way over to the opening. Setting one eye against the hole, he peered outside.
Cool air, still speckled with the last few droplets of rain, kissed his face. Ben felt his throat hurt. He'd seen this place before, when he'd been upstairs with Malon and the other lady. There had been that shouty man, and he'd set fire to the dead man and –
Ben shivered. The dark, charred lump was still out there, all alone. Dark flecks of ash flew in the wind. It made Ben feel sad.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Ben blinked and looked up. There! There was that noise again!
He made himself become very still. Quiet as a mouse and as immobile as an Armos statue. The only sound was his breathing. The only thing that moved were his eyes.
They saw nothing.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Ben sniffed. He pulled away from the hole and hugged himself tight. He was starting to feel colder now. Colder inside. His ears pricked up as he heard the steady drip, drip, drip of water echoing somewhere deep in the tunnel. He twitched, his nose wrinkling as it caught a metallic, musty scent. The coldness inside grew.
He suddenly realised that missed his folks, and even his little sister, though she could really annoy him sometimes. Ben felt the corners of his mouth droop. It wasn't just cold now. He was starting to feel sad. Starting to hurt. Tears pricked his eyes. He sniffed.
Ben looked at the pool. What if, he mused, he just dunked his whole head in there, like how that bully Grayzer used to do to the stable boys back home? Yes. Put his head in there, and keep it there. Then the hurting would stop, right? It made so much sense.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
He wiped his eyes with his sleeve. Who was making that noise?
"Hello?" he called gingerly. He heard his voice bounce off of the walls. It would've been funny if he hadn't felt so scared. "Is there someone there?"
He looked at the pool again.
Close your eyes and dip in. It'll all stop. All the hurt will stop.
A slow smile spread over Ben's face. Feet heavy, he began to drag himself towards the water. He nodded to himself. It was hurting a lot now. The tears ran down his face. Why hadn't he thought of this before? So easy. To stop the hurting was so very easy.
Tap. Tap. Ta-
"Hey! Hey, Ben!"
He blinked, his mind coming back to its senses. He looked at the pool and a hurried step backwards. What had he been thinking?
Ben peered into the gloom of the tunnel.
A flicker of shadowy movement caught his eye.
There was someone in here! A girl – it had been a girl's voice, anyway - hiding in the shadows. She beckoned to him with a bandaged hand.
Ben wasn't stupid, though. "How do you know my name?"
A gentle laugh floated in the air. "It's alright, I'm a friend. I'm glad to see you, Ben." There was a smile in her voice that reminded him of eating apples in the orchard in warm summer with his folks. "I'm here to help you."
Ben decided that he trusted the girl. He didn't know why, but he did. All he did know was that a moment ago he felt cold and sad, and now he felt warm and happy. That was enough for him.
Water splashed under his shoes as he moved towards her. He couldn't see her face – or much of anything, really – since the shadows hid her so well. But as he got closer, he did notice one thing: the girl's eyes – at the very centre -were blood red.
Ben stopped short, suddenly afraid again.
"Don't worry," the girl said, as though she'd looked into his head and heard his thoughts. "Some people are different, that's all."
Ben chewed the inside of his cheek as he pondered this dutifully. Malon used to say the same thing, too, especially after he'd suffered yet another teasing session. So, it made sense.
Malon!
"I have a friend," Ben said quickly. "Up in the castle."
"I know."
"Are you going to help her?"
"I'll try."
"But how?"
"You'll see."
And she laughed again. Ben smiled. He felt safe with this strange girl. Buoyed by this comfort, he asked, "What are we going to do?"
The gentle laugh answered. "We won't do anything. I will. Follow me, Ben."
…
Malon knelt down beside Vela. The ordeal now over, the Gerudo woman had curled herself into a whimpering ball. Eyes blurred with tears, Malon wrapped her arms around Vela and held her tight for long moments just rocking her, as she would do to Ben whenever something had upset him.
Images of what she'd seen had been seared into the eye of Malon's mind. Vela torn apart, Skellow almost choking with laughter, and the blood. Had Malon still been a mere strip of a girl she probably would've swooned just thinking about it.
It was all gone now. The vision had ended, and the polished marble floor of the Grand Hall bore no trace of the horror that had just befallen them.
Slowly, Malon drew a trembling Vela to her feet. The Gerudo woman leaned on her for a few moments, then gently pushed herself away.
"I'm alright," she breathed. Spittle clung to her chin. "I'll be fine now."
The light is dying, that's what Link had once confided to her in one his oh-so-rare visits. She'd been confused, and so he'd poured out his worries, told her about how hearts and souls were so corrupted now, saturated with selfish pleasures and stripped of anything except the slightest hint of nobility.
Not high nobility, Link, Malon realised. Just simple decency.
Malon turned to face Skellow. "I hope you burn in the Pit."
The Gerudo raised an eyebrow. "Maybe you will first. It all depends on the whims of the potion, doesn't it, hmm?"
"No fantasy of yours can compare to the pain I already endure."
Skellow placed his palm on chest and fluttered his eyebrows theatrically. "Oh, how my heart weeps for you." His tone turned ugly. "Grow up! This is life! Stop your whining and take your place – you either use others as your pawn, or you become a pawn yourself. That is the world as it's presented to us, so accept it or perish."
Malon glared, her mouth a thin, hard line.
"Nothing to say? Good." He held the needle up so that it caught a glimmer of the sunlight streaming in through the Hall's large windows. "So. Your turn." He frowned, then leaned forward to peer at her. "Say," he said. "Who are you again?"
And that was the moment when a soft voice rang out in the Grand Hall.
"I spy with my little eye, someone who's about to die."
Skellow leapt from his chair and twirled around. The Gerudo and his guards looked this way and that in bewildered confusion. "Who's that?" he barked. His heel scraped against the floor as he twisted and turned trying to find the source of the voice. "Who's there?"
Malon frowned, equally puzzled. The voice had been female, she was certain. Female, and just a little…
A figure stepped out of the shadows just beside the far wall. Skellow froze, head turning slowly to greet the newcomer.
Clad in midnight blue, with the top of her head and the bottom half of her face covered in rags, Malon recognised the young girl with the scarlet eyes instantly. But it couldn't be…
Sheik?
Skellow held out his hands, gesturing for his guards to be wary. He cleared his throat, then peered curiously at the girl. "Who are you?" he said. "A castle boy…? No…" – he squinted – "castle girl." His shoulders sagged as the tension flowed out of them. Relaxed, Skellow licked his lips. "State your business."
The girl held up a bow in response. She seemed to be aiming it. Skellow frowned; Malon did, too – the string was empty, and the girl seemed to be carrying no other arrows.
"Do you remember?" the young girl said in her gentle voice. "Remember what you said, Skellow? That you would die at the hands of the Chosen One of the Vor Shahal?"
Skellow's cheek twitched. "Why?" he snapped. "What of it?"
Crimson eyes narrowed. "Boo."
An arrow of pure light flashed into life on the string of the girl's bow. Before anyone had a chance to react, the arrow flew, streaking across the room, a trail of pure radiance in its wake.
It burned straight through Skellow's left eye.
The Gerudo's neck snapped backward, and his mouth opened wide in a soundless scream. His body jerked in violent spasms as pure, naked light ran down the entire length of it, illuminating every bone, nerve and sinew. Arms flung out, face twisted in agony, Skellow stood for a moment engulfed in a golden glow. Then, slowly, his head dissolved, followed quickly by his neck, chest, arms, and legs. All that remained was a heap of blackened ash marking the spot where he'd last stood.
Stunned out of their shocked inaction, the two Gerudo guards lunged – but the girl was too quick, incredibly quick, moving in a blur. She leapt diagonally, kicked off of the wall, somersaulted over the first guard's head, then slid under the second's outstretched legs.
Springing back upright, the girl holstered her bow, grabbed both Vela and Malon by their wrists, then yanked. "Run!"
They did, Malon and Vela taking the lead, the girl dropping behind.
What was that? Malon's thoughts were screaming in her head. What in the world just happened?
She snuck a glance behind her. The young girl leapt again, twisting in mid-air, bow flying free and setting off a second light arrow, then a third. The first guard took it in the chest, and the second through the head, his sword spinning out of his hand and skating across the floor toward them. Vela paused momentarily to scoop the blade from the ground.
"This way!" the girl cried, pointing to a small door set in the Hall's left flank. She pushed it open easily – revealing a tiny antechamber beyond – then pushed it shut after Malon and Vela entered.
The young girl leaned back against the wall, breathing heavily. She was chuckling, a high, almost hysterical laugh. She stared at her hands and flexed her fingers.
"Fast…" she gasped. Another high-pitched giggle floated from her lips. "I was too fast for them."
Malon and Vela exchanged looks. The Gerudo woman shrugged imperceptibly. Malon took a closer look at the young girl closely. She certainly sounded a little like the princess. But her bearing and demeanour – her whole body and stature, in fact – was that of a much younger woman. One not quite in possession of all of her faculties, if Malon did say so herself.
The girl slapped one of the stone slabs in the wall. Dust puffed from the impact, then, with a hollow growl, the slab popped inside and slid apart. A cobweb coated hole remained.
Malon blinked, confused.
Something shuffled inside.
Malon glanced at Vela, saw the Gerudo woman grip her sword tightly.
An oval face appeared in the opening. Malon gasped.
"Ben!" She rushed to the hole, then dragged the boy out, engulfing him in a fierce hug. "Ben – are you hurt? Is anything broken?"
Ben, clearly happy if a little embarrassed, pulled himself free. "I'm fine! Really!"
"How did you get in there?"
Ben pointed at the young girl. He was beaming. "She helped me."
The girl held a smile in her eyes. "Tunnels inside the castle, would you believe it?" She laughed. "They lead everywhere. More importantly, we can use them to lead us out." She giggled. "It'd be rude not to."
Malon licked her lips in uncertain caution. "Zelda?" she said. "Is that you?" Not entirely knowing why, she reached out to touch the bandages wrapped around the girl's face.
"No! Don't touch me!" The girl snapped her head back, as though she'd just been slapped. Still breathing heavily, she stared at Malon with those eerie red eyes.
Malon swallowed. This was bizarre. Utterly bizarre. "Zelda," she said, voice soothing. "We need to know what happened."
The girl blinked. "I…I remember…remember looking straight at the crossbow. Heard it crack. And the pain…" – her face twisted – "...oh, the pain."
"It's alright," Malon cooed. She wanted to reach out, but she didn't dare touch the girl now. "You're alright now. What then?"
The girl nodded. "Then…there was nothing. I heard myself breathing. And heard my heart. Beating. It was just slower, that's all. I knew I wasn't dead. Then a voice came. A voice that said…" The words trailed away and her eyes seemed to turn inward.
Vela cocked her head to the side. "Said what?"
The girl blinked again. "It said…'The Vor Shahal have chosen you, Sheik of the Sheikah.'" Her eyelids fluttered. "Then I woke up in the tunnel with this bow and looking like this…"She pulled away from the wall, her steps unsteady. "I…"
Malon frowned. "Zelda…?" she said softly. "Are you…?"
Sheik stumbled. "I feel so…so strange…"
Her eyes rolled up and her body went suddenly limp.
"Zelda!"
Vela and Malon leapt forward, catching the girl as she tumbled to the ground.
