Even though he had agreed to go with them, Link was still fighting tooth and nail to try and get away from the Gerudo. He didn't like the way Samira said, 'particular sentence', and didn't care to find out what she meant by that. Unfortunately, he was unarmed, and outnumbered with little hope of actually being able to get far in these close quarters.
They had made it out of the tunnels, the sudden bright light forcing Link's eyes to squint. He vaguely heard a voice say something about tying him up. Link tried to pull away again, but these women were a lot stronger than they looked. The irons were added to a type of leash, which was wrapped around a nearby tree. He was locked in to where, no matter how much he pulled, there was no chance of getting free. Samira had just pulled a rope out of her bag when one of the other Gerudo ran from the cave. "Samira, there's a problem."
"What is it?"
"We checked the area where we found him, but there was nothing there. Apparently he was digging a dummy hole." She glared over at Link and he just grinned back. "We tried checking other areas of the forest, and there're holes everywhere. I don't even know where he found time to do it all."
"Is that right?" Samira's eyes flicked to Link as well. She jerked the rope in between her hands. "Well, then we'll have to settle this, won't we?"
"Do you want us to search the forest?"
"No need." Samira tied a loop at the end of the rope and threw it around Link's neck. The other end was flung around the tree, and she tied it to the loop and jerked it tight. Link gagged shortly, her face coming right up to his. "Brother's going to tell us where to find the stone."
Link's eyes narrowed to meet her gaze. "I wouldn't count on it."
xXx
Knil was trying to divert his boredom by sharpening his sword. The one good thing about being trapped in the water prison was that there was plenty of water to use his wet stone. He was bored a lot, being stuck in this place, so his sword, as well as his skills, stayed quite sharp.
Course that was about where it stopped.
Knil jumped out of his skin when the door to his chamber slammed open. There seemed to be a large flame of power standing in the doorway. "He's done it again."
Ivan zoomed up to hide up in the branches of the tree. Knil scrambled to his feet, the sword having fallen from his hands. "Wh-what's he done, M'lord?"
Ganondorf stepped closer towards him, his eyes still flaring with rage. "He keeps getting stronger. Every time I think I have something to beat him, he overcomes it. He manages to plow through my obstacles, like they're nothing. Even my own phantom was no match for that brat."
Knil backed away as he closed in on him. "Per-perhaps they're i-insufficient?"
"My own power went into each of these creatures." Ganondorf grabbed the front of Knil's tunic and jerked him off his feet. "Are you saying I'm insufficient?"
Knil stuttered in a panic, fighting between pushing him away, and his fear of what he might do to him. "N-no. Of course not. I would n-never say s-something like that. It's just-just th-they're not you, M'lord. Of-of course th-they'd be insu-su-suf-"
"I don't want to fight him." He pulled Knil closer to his face. Those normally menacing red eyes widening in terror, as Ganon's voice slipped into a threatening growl. "This little worm isn't worth my time, but nothing I do is stopping him. He's going to be here soon. You better destroy him."
"I-I will."
"If he makes it out of this temple alive I'm going to make sure you regret it. Do you understand me?"
"Y-yes M'lord. I-I understand."
Ganon held onto him a bit longer before dropping him. Knil clutched at his throat, trying to catch his breath. He was too afraid to stand up straight, backing away from him. He knew this wasn't over. It never was. Ganondorf was in a rage, and it didn't look like it would dissipate any time soon. Which didn't bode well for him, since he liked to think Knil was a good source to vent his anger towards Link. "Are you afraid of me?"
Knil froze trying to decipher what the correct answer would be. "Yes?"
A wicked smile spread across Ganondorf's face. "Are you now. That's strange. That boys supposed to have unfathomable courage." He closed in on him again. "Then again, being opposites, that would make you a coward?"
"I-uh- I don't think-"
"And since he's beaten all of my best men that would make him strong?"
"I suppose."
"So, would that mean you're weak?"
"No." Knil nearly snapped, biting his lip to try and pull it back. "I-I'm not weak."
A sharp pain cut into Knil's shoulder when Ganon slammed him against the tree. He leaned into his face again, growling at him. "Are you disagreeing with me?"
Knil opened his mouth as if to speak, but nothing wanted to come out. "N-n"
"Y'see, I don't think you can beat him. I think you're just as weak as all the others."
"No, I can. I've been training for this. I'm stronger than him. I can beat him. I can beat anyone."
The lowering in Ganondorf's eyes made him wish he could rewind time. "So you think you can defeat me?"
"No!"
A hand snapped up around his neck, cutting off Knil's windpipe. "You think you're stronger than me?"
Knil clambered at the hand, feeling his vision start to fade.
"Well, you're not. You can't beat me, Link." Ganondorf snapped his hand to the side, flinging Knil into the shin high water, lead by his neck. He gasped, coughing for air, feeling as if his windpipe was partially crushed. "I-I'm not *cough* I'm not Link." He wheezed, feeling it strain his throat.
"You're close enough." He crept closer, circling around him like a vulture. "You aspire to be Link, so you must already think like him."
Knil got to his knees, backing up. "I don't."
"And if you think like him, then you must believe that you can defeat me. You must believe that you're stronger than me."
"Of course not, M'lord. I'd never think such a thing."
"You lie."
"No really." Knil got halfway to his feet, ready to bolt. "I-I don't."
"You're not stronger than me." Knil tried to gain more distance, but he didn't get far. Ganon's hand snapping to the back of his neck, pushing his face down into the water. Knil sputtered, trying to at least push his face out of the water, but he was too powerful. He couldn't lift himself up at all, half breathing in the water. "You can't beat me. I'm not second to you."
"P-please, M'lord. Don't do this. Not again. Please."
Ganondorf leaned over him, his hand free hand grasping onto his hip with enough force to where he was sure it would bruise. "I am your king, and you will do as I say."
Knil clenched his eyes as tight as he could, trying not to cry, but it didn't work. He always cried. He tried not to scream, but he couldn't stop that either. This wasn't fair. He didn't do anything wrong. This was all Link's fault. Ganon was angry at that little bitch and he was taking it out on him. Trying to prove his influence over any part he could. Why did he have to suffer for Link? Why did he have to take his punishment? This was all his fault, and he was going to make him pay. He was going to make him suffer just as he had.
"I'm going to kill him!" Knil screamed, his eyes snapping open. He looked around, panting, taking in the deck of the ferry. His heart didn't want to settle down, and he barely registered the people staring at him.
"Knil?" Ivan was sleeping on his shoulder, and darted off when he yelled. She flitted back to him, placing a comforting hand on his cheek. Knil clutched his sword, eyes falling to the ground. "I'm ok. Everything's ok now." He curled his legs in more, voice falling to a whisper. "Ganondorf's gone. He's not ever coming back."
Ivan's eyes fell, feeling like her heart was going to break. She hugged his head as best she could, brushing a hand against his cheek. His heart didn't want to stop throbbing, and it hurt each time it did. His anxiety didn't seem to want to settle down, the pain sliding to his stomach, making him feel sick. The burning made his eyes sting. He didn't want to cry, but there seemed to be no fighting it. Knil curled in as tight as he could, sobbing into his knees. Why was he still having these dreams? Why was he still feeling this way? Why was he still scared?
xXx
Link bit back a scream, tears trailing down his face. The dagger sliding over his skin whipped up over his clavicle, and he screamed when his arm spasmed. He didn't really mind to scream, mainly so they could see that it didn't matter what she did to him, but he didn't want to seem too broken. There were shallow cuts all along his torso. Not deep enough to cause serious injury, but enough to still hurt. The pain was causing him to feel sick, and he started to wish he could at least wipe his face off. Between the sweat and tears it was starting to feel rather awkward. Something told him that that shouldn't be his main worry at the time though.
The dagger came up dangerously close to his throat. "Does it hurt?" Samira hissed in his ear. "I can make it stop. All you have to do is tell me where the Stone is."
Link breathed in a sob, trying to steady his voice. "I already said there's nothing you can do to make me tell you."
She pushed the dagger in further, and a warm trail of blood, slid along his throat. "My patience is wearing thin. Either you tell me now, or I kill you."
"You kill me, you'll never find it."
"Then I've got nothing to lose." She growled, tilting the dagger up enough to make him nervous.
Navi was screaming for them to stop, though she'd been doing that for a while, and it didn't seem to be doing any good.
"Come now, Brother. What do you owe these people? They're nothing to you."
"I told you to stop calling me that." Link snapped, his voice taking on a sort of gagged strain.
"Tell me where the diamond is."
"You'll have to kill me."
Taking the offer to heart, the dagger snapped away from his neck, and plunged into Link's stomach, just below his ribs.
"LINK, NO!" Navi shrieked, banging on the side of the glass jar.
Link's eyes were wide in what could have been shock, voice failing him. "You're a fool, Link. No wonder the Princess can use you so easily." Samira snarled, tilting the blade to push up into his chest cavity.
Link gagged, blood sputtering from his mouth. Samira jerked the blade out, and Link collapsed to his knees, coughing up more blood, struggling to breath. Both from his wound, and the rope tightening around his throat. "Let's go. If we split up we should be able to find it." She glared down at Link. "Damn waste of time."
They started off back into the cave. Navi screamed, banging on the glass. "LINK! LINK, HANG ON!" Link was feeling weak, his vision turning a deep red. His eyes started to close, and Navi's voice hit a higher pitch. "LINK, WAKE UP! YOU CAN'T DIE ON ME! DAMMIT, LINK, WAKE UP!"
Link looked up at the fading blue light that was his hysterical partner, unable to hear her pleads. As much as he wanted to, he didn't think he could heed her request.
"(Please, I need you. Come back, Knil.)"
xXx
The pain in Knil's stomach became sharper, and he felt like he was going to puke. His tears were starting to dry up a bit, hand held over his mouth.
"Are you ok?" Ivan asked, hesitantly.
"I don't know. I feel strange." The hand went up to the hazed feeling in his head.
"Seasick, maybe?"
Knil laughed shortly. "That'd definitely be something."
"Well, you don't like water, so maybe that could be it."
He shook his head slowly. "I don't think so. I should be ok as long as I don't loo-" Knil gasped, being cut off by the sound of an agonized scream. He jumped up, to his knees, looking back from where it sounded like it came from. "What was that?"
Ivan flittered over his head, looking around. "What was what?"
"You didn't hear that? It sounded like someone was screaming." Knil suddenly felt very frightened. "I could have sworn they said my name."
"Nobody here knows your name."
Knil's eyes fell in thought. "I know."
"Are you sure you're not just hearing things?"
It wasn't so much as a scream that caught his attention this time, but more of a desperate gasp, and a sharp ping in his chest that made Knil jump up. He darted to the back of the boat, staring out over the dark water to where he could still make out the lights of Hyrule on the horizon. A hand fell to his chest. "It's Link."
Ivan followed. "What do you mean?"
Knil's eyes seemed to haze over. "Something's wrong."
Ivan started. "Like what? Is Link in trouble?"
"I don't know. I feel like he may be though."
"What's wrong with him?"
"He's in pain."
Ivan looked over to wards Hyrule, anxiety starting to set in. "Are you going to help him?"
Knil could feel his feet heating up. "I-I'm not-" In the darkness of the ship, a small light flooded the area. Knil located the light to find that it was coming from him. More specifically his left hand. He tore the glove out to reveal something he hadn't ever seen on himself. It was upside down, but the upper left triangle of the Triforce was glowing on his skin. He stared at it in awe. What did it mean?
Ivan landed on his hand, looking down at the glowing triangle, then up to her master. "What are you going to do?"
Knil's eyes shifted back up to the far-off shore. His mouth agape slowly closed, and he bit his lip, brow furrowing in thought. He knew, but he might not like it.
Knil darted back to retrieve his rucksack, and took off down the side of the ferry. He started to unhook one of the lifeboats when a member of the crew rushed over to him. "What do you think you're doing?"
"I need to get back to shore."
The crew member pulled out a flint-lock pistol and aimed it at his head. "Don't be stupid. Do you really think we're just going to let you take that boat?"
Knil's eyes sparked at him. "Do you really think you're going to stop me?"
"Don't think I won't shoot you."
Before he could make another move, Knil whipped out his sword, and sliced the man's wrist, barely resisting the urge to just cut his hand off. He glared down at the man, now huddling at his feet. The black Master Blade whipped back to cut the ropes holding the life-boat, and it fell to the water with a resounding splash. "I don't have time to play with you. I have to save my brother."
AN: Is it just me, or is the site getting more annoying to post stuff?
