The Legend of Midna: Shadow Falls
Chapter Eleven
"Sheik," Midna said as they crossed the bridge from Castle Town to Hyrule field, "what are you going to do about getting there? I can warp Link to the lake but what about you?"
"I have a horse," he said, and gave a high-pitched whistle. Just then, a white horse came sauntering out seemingly from nowhere, and stopped next to him. "This is Maewen. I believe perhaps you have met."
"That's Zelda's horse! What are you doing with Zelda's horse?"
"The Sheikah are the guardians of the royal family. The princess trusts me with Maewen, so there is no need to worry."
"Well…ok, let's get going then." Sheik mounted Maewen, and together the three of them made their way to Lake Hylia.
Night had fallen by the time they reached their destination, but they had no time to spare.
"We can rest once we've seen Lanayru," Sheik said as he dismounted Maewen. He started to head towards the spirit shrine, but Midna stopped him.
"Sheik," she began, "what will we need to do to convince Lanayru to give us his piece of the Medallion? Surely it won't be as easy as just going in and asking for it."
"I'm not sure. We'll just have to see when we get there, but I may be able to convince him. I just don't know."
As they entered the spirit shrine, they were met by a terrible sight. There in the spirit shrine was Lanayru, out in the open, but instead of shining brilliantly as he had done in the past, he flickered in and out of sight like a candle flame as it is about to die. Beneath him, the water of his shrine was a dark, murky purple.
"Be gone," he said as they entered. "I shall have no more of the likes of you."
"We aren't here to cause trouble," said Midna. "You remember us, don't you, Link and I? We came here before when your light had been stolen. You remember, don't you?"
"I do," he replied, "but I cannot allow anyone to enter here again. My spring has been poisoned, and monsters stand guard to prevent anyone from restoring my power. I cannot even trust the likes of you. You may be minions of the King of Evil sent to trick me and destroy me. If it is so, do so now and waste no more time."
"Let me handle this," said Sheik to Midna. "I have an idea. It may not work, but I can try." He turned then to Lanayru. "Oh mauru um puaersu Lanayru, nue vaisums goveimre soi cherix. Nue ataitums soi teusho to ul Mentaeliu to Leux. Nue ciu goveimums im ul numbru toe Gena Roila um tu to Hyrul."*
"What do you think he said?" Midna whispered to Link, who had cocked his head to the side in befuddlement. Whatever Sheik was doing, he'd better be sure about it.
"Thou speakest Ancient Hylian, I am impressed," said Lanayru. "Very few retain the ways of the ancients. Very well, thou hast earned my trust. At the source of this river, thou and thy companions will find the monsters of which I spoke. If the three of able to destroy them, you will be able to restore my spring and my power. If you have strength and courage, depart and make haste."
As the trio made their way up Zora's River, they could see the dark cloud of evil over Castle Town spreading across Hyrule. It's a strange sight, Link thought, to see that dark patch surrounded by sunlight…but then, I guess I've seen a hell of a lot stranger things than that. When they finally reached Zora's Domain, they were horrified by what they saw.
Before them lay the bodies of countless Zora, wantonly slaughtered. All around them, Zoras lay dead at their feet. Whoever or whatever had killed these people had done so for no other reason than for enjoyment. As the three of them made their way towards the slope that would lead them to the throne room of Zora's Domain, the despair lifted a bit with the sight of Prince Ralis.
"Who are you? Why are you here?" he said frantically. He was injured badly, and was barely able to walk.
"It's alright," said Sheik. "We are friends, and servants of the kingdom of Hyrule, the true kingdom, not the false king Ganondorf. We have come to cleanse the water here and restore Lanayru's shrine."
"You are either very brave or very foolish," said Ralis, a catch in his breathing. "The monsters that guard the throne room have all but obliterated my people. Some escape, but most were slaughtered. I have no idea how I was not the first one killed, but somehow, by the Goddesses' grace, I have survived, although for how much longer I can do so, I cannot say."
"Link, Midna," Sheik said, "you two go on ahead to the throne room. I will stay here and help the Prince. I am confident that whatever lies in wait for you, you will be able to handle without me. You have faced far worse on your own."
"Alright then," said Midna. "We'll try to hurry, and then we can take Ralis to Lanayru's spring. After Lanayru gives us his power we should take him to Kakariko to see Renado, just to be sure."
"I agree," said Sheik. "Now go, I'm not sure how much longer he can hold on, nor do I know how much I can help him."
"Got it," she said with authority. Link nodded his head in response as well. "Come on, Link. Let's get up there and show these losers who's boss."
Once they had made the familiar climb up to the throne room, they were met by a gruesome, but not unexpected, sight. More Zoras lay dead, and around the edges of the throne room pool stood monsters that neither Link nor Midna had ever seen before. They reminded them of Zant's shadow beasts in a way, but these were Ganondorf's minions, and as such they were much, much worse. They looked like tall humans, standing around seven feet tall, but as if they had burned to death and been mummified simultaneously. Their blackened skin was stretched tight over their bones and long, sinewy muscles. The area around their nails was receded to give the appearance of claws on their hands and feet, and their spines stuck out grotesquely under the skin of their hunching backs. What topped off their horrific appearance was their heads, bald and elongated. They had no identifiable nose beneath their small, beady black eyes, and their elongated jaws housed a mouthful of sharp, jagged, and crooked teeth.
"What are these things?" said Midna aloud, to no one in particular. "They look like they've already died. Well, let's – EEEEEAAAAAAGH!" Just then, one of the creatures swung its long, black arm and sent her flying off Link's back into a wall. Seeing this, Link went into an animalistic fury. He bared his teeth, growled, and then pounced onto one of the creatures, and within seconds had bitten its throat out. It fell to the ground, black, oily blood welling out from under its corpse-like chin. One by one Link slaughtered the monsters as only a beast could, reveling in their bloodshed. For a moment he forgot he was anything but a beast, until he saw Midna's crumpled form. He rushed to her side and nudged her with his muzzle until she opened her eyes.
"Wha…oh, Link, I guess you took care of those guys on your own then, huh? They really pack a punch if you leave your guard down." She got to her feet with difficulty, and the slowly floated up to take her seat on Link's back once again. "Link, look!" she said with sudden enthusiasm that belied her fatigue. "Now that those things are gone, the water is returning to normal!" Link wagged his tail vigorously with satisfaction. "Now let's go tell Sheik so we can Ralis some help."
Back at the spirit shrine, Ralis's wounds had healed drastically from when they had encountered him at Zora's Domain. The healing properties of the spirit spring were incredible, Link though, as he watched gashed and bruises fade before his eyes.
"You should still go and let Renado look you over," said Sheik after most of Ralis's wounds had healed. "I think you're fine, but you should still go as a precaution."
"Yes, I think you're right," Ralis replied. "I'll see if I can find any surviving Zora's on my way there. Good luck with your quest, too." With that, he left the trio alone with Lanayru, who shone with familiar light.
"Well done, young ones. You were able to return my spring to normal. Now, it is the Light Medallion you seek, is it not?"
"Yes," said Sheik. "I believe that with the Light Medallion restored, our Hero can return to his true form and repel the darkness that threatens our world."
"It is not an easy thing to do. You are aware of the repercussions of this decision, do you not?" His gaze pierced them like a spear.
"Unfortunately, yes," said Sheik. "With your piece of the Light Medallion in hand, darkness will be able to pervade the land without a Light Spirit to repel it."
"Well," said Midna, "it's like I said before: I'm at an advantage. I came from shadow, so hopefully it won't affect me like it might you."
"We can only hope," said Sheik. "Lanayru, have you made your decision? Will you sacrifice your light in order to restore the Hero to his true form?"
"It is with a heavy heart," replied Lanayru, "but yes. I know it is for the greater good. Although this land will be cast in darkness, I know that light will soon cut through the dark cloud once more. Take this, Hero, and may it aid you on your quest to save this world." Lanayru began to shine brighter than ever before, so brightly, in fact, that none of them could see anything in the shrine. After a moment of this, the light vanished, and in Lanayru's place was one quarter of a golden disc.
"Capital!" exclaimed Sheik. "We have our first piece of the Light Medallion."
"That's great," said Midna in agreement, as Link wagged his tail, "but where do we go from here?"
"Here is what I think we should do, and if you think you have a better idea, please feel free to step in. I think we should head to Kakariko and have everyone there relocate to Ordon. The reason for this is that once the world is covered in Ganondorf's darkness, they will be as far away from his castle as they can be, and he will likely overlook their presence. Then we get Eldin's part of the medallion, then Faron's and then finally Ordona's, at which point everyone will be in Ordon, far away from Ganondorf."
"That sounds like a great plan," said Midna. "I just hope it works." She scratched Link behind the ears, who wagged his tail appreciatively. "Well, I don't guess we have any time to waste, have we? Let's get a move on." Midna mounted Link, Sheik mounted Maewen, and together they set off towards Kakariko.
*"Oh great and powerful Lanayru, we come to ask your blessing. We need your part of the Light Medallion. We ask this in the name of the Royal Family and all of Hyrule."