It's the weekend, which means it's time for another chapter! I have something I need to say, but I'm gonna stick it at the end so that this doesn't get too wordy.
Linkachu: Eyyy, I see what you did there XD Glad to hear you're enjoying the story!
Katriss: Yeah, I figured some alterations were in order because there's no way Rinku would keep her mouth shut. Plus, she'd been gone from Skyloft for a month. Link was bound to be worried about her.
Water Solace: Hooo, this a long one. I'll break it up into parts.
-Yeah, I've never been a big fan of stories that make the girls seem weak. Where's the fun in that? Tbh, the original reason I made OoT Link female is because when I first started writing this, I had little to no confidence in my ability to write from a guy's perspective. I feel a bit better about it now, but I decided to keep with it for my sanity
- I actually got the idea to use Rinku from A Tale of Two Rulers! For those who don't know, it's a super good in-progress comic online. I know it's on Tumblr, idk about anywhere else, but I recommend reading it! Before I rewrote this story, I had originally used Kurokuu (calling out high schooler me for coming up with lame names. Fiona also had a lame name that I can't even remember anymore)
-Yup, the reason Rinku's sentences were less than graceful at first is because of the language barrier!
-Normal falling physics? From a height of way-too-fucking-high? That makes too much sense!
-You see, the reason Rinku knows about the Hero of Twilight is because [spoilers] and [spoilers]. Also, [spoilers]. Do not fear, there is a master plan behind my dumbassery!
(It's been awhile, so obligatory I don't own the Zelda franchise, blah blah blah)
Chapter posted 6.9.18 ...nice
Chapter 12: Indecision
I wasn't given even a second to recover from the warp before I was shoved against a tree and had a dagger held against me. I gulped. Ghirahim was pissed.
"You! How dare you get in my way!" Ghirahim yelled. "I was so close to finally capturing the Spirit Maiden, and not only did you refuse to fight for me, you fought for that stupid child of Hylia! You betrayed me!" He shook his head and pressed the dagger closer to my throat. "Do you not recall the events of the meeting? Many of them thought the idea of bringing back my Master laughable. If I had captured the Spirit Maiden, I could have shown them all just how wrong they were to sneer down upon me as if they were of higher status!"
I looked Ghirahim directly in the eyes. The meeting happened that day, of course I hadn't forgotten how the other demons were against reviving Demise. It seemed more like he was the one who forgot that I was also against the revival.
"I could very easily kill you right here," Ghirahim continued. "You've tested my patience time and time again. That alone is infuriating, and then you have the audacity to change sides on me! Have you no honor?"
"I'd like to point out that I never agreed join your side in the first place," I grumbled, careful to keep my throat from moving against the blade being held to it.
"Quiet! I never asked for you to speak. I have you at my mercy. One flick of the wrist, and your life is over. And yet…" Ghirahim faltered, lowering the blade ever so slightly. "And yet I cannot seem to get myself to do it. It should be so simple, and yet it feels as though there is a force, an unseen bond between us that keeps me from killing you outright. What spell did you place on me, you useless skychild?"
I looked at Ghirahim in confusion. I had no clue what "bond" he was rambling on about, but it wasn't like that was the only weird thing that ever happened to me. If this bond was keeping me alive, I wouldn't question it. "I'm not talented enough with magic to do something like that. If what you're saying is true, then it's an outside force that did it, not me."
Ghirahim glared at me for several seconds before sighing. "You don't appear to be lying. Perhaps it's some string of fate that keeps me at bay. Well, if you truly haven't casted any spells, answer this: why did you betray me like that? I placed my faith in you, and you went and shattered it without hesitation."
My mind raced to come up with an excuse. I couldn't exactly tell him that Link was me in a past life, after all. I had to choose my words—and reason—carefully. "Well, I thought it was already clear I'm not for sacrificing Zelda, but I guess not. Plus, why would I want to hurt my own brother?" It wasn't a far cry from the truth, but I still had to hope Ghirahim wouldn't sniff out the lie.
"Your…brother?" Ghirahim scrutinized my face before letting me go in disgust. "Yes, I suppose the two of you do share strikingly similar features, namely your horrible taste in clothing."
"Hey, come on, quit dissing my hat already!"
"Do not act as if we are on familiar terms, skychild," Ghirahim snapped. "You still got in my way, and that is quite frustrating. Although…" A grin appeared on his face, one that I wanted to wipe off, preferably with a sword. "If I have you captive, perhaps I could get that boy to bend to my will. I doubt he'd want to see his precious little sister getting hurt by the big, bad demon, after all."
I winced and looked at the ground. A hostage situation was definitely not something that had crossed my mind before I spoke, but there wasn't a way for me to back out of what I had said. I could only hope that Link and Ghirahim wouldn't be in the same place long enough for the topic to come up.
A rustle somewhere behind Ghirahim caught my attention. I looked around warily as my instincts kicked in. A normal person in a normal situation might have thought it was just wildlife, but I wasn't exactly a normal person, nor was I in a normal situation.
The glint of metal was all I needed to spring into action. "Get down!" I grabbed Ghirahim's arm and tugged him to the ground, cursing myself all the while for saving his life again. A crudely-made blade flew through the air where Ghirahim had just been and embedded itself in a nearby tree. Bokoblins streamed out of the trees seconds later, each brandishing a sword like the one thrown.
"I am absolutely not in the mood to deal with you rebellious scum," Ghirahim snarled as he summoned his sword. "Get out of my sight!"
Ghirahim leapt to his feet and began smiting the bokoblins as they swarmed us. Most of the bokoblins were focused on him, but there were a few that noticed my lack of weaponry and aimed for whom they believed to be the easier target. I ducked and dodged their blades as I slowly but surely made my way over to the sword in the tree. By the time I reached it, the owner had as well, and it glared at me as it reached for the handle.
"Oh, buzz off already! I need this more than you do!" I decked it in the face with my fist and with a grunt, tossed it away as it tried to recover its footing. With it out of my way, I returned my attention to the sword and pulled it out of the tree. The blade was dull and in dire need of repair, but it would have to do.
Sword in hand, I whirled around and joined Ghirahim in confronting our attackers. I made sure to keep my distance, though. There were a few times his swings nearly hit me, and after what had just transpired, I doubted they were accidental. I silently thanked the bokoblins for homing in on Ghirahim. Fighting hordes of enemies was not something I had much experience in. Generally, I'd end up fighting a few of them at a time as I explored dungeons, which made picking them off much easier.
Once the last bokoblin turned to dust, I sighed and dropped my defensive stance. That was a mess I'd rather not have to deal with again anytime soon. Knowing Ghirahim was watching me, I allowed the sword I was using to clatter to the ground, signaling that I had no intentions of continuing the fight from the temple.
"You know, skychild, you seem to have a hard time choosing a side," Ghirahim said with a raised brow. "You're constantly switching between trying to kill me and saving my life. It's quite perplexing."
"Pah! You're just lucky I have a second nature for saving people," I scoffed. "If I had more restraint, I'd let you be cleaved in two, no questions asked."
"How touching to know that you care." Ghirahim crossed his arms and looked away. "I do believe it would be best if we went back to the manor, lest more rebels show up."
I tilted my head in curiosity. "So you're not just going to dump me out here?"
"No, but if you dare double-cross me again, I might just do so. Now, let's go, before I change my mind."
Once the day was over, I was forced to sleep in the cell I was originally placed in. I couldn't find it in myself to be mad at Ghirahim for that. I mean, I was still mad at him for trying to capture Zelda, but that was a different story entirely. I could understand him not wanting to be near me for a while. Frankly, I was surprised he even took me back to the manor in the first place.
The screech of unoiled metal followed by light footsteps alerted me to someone's presence. Fiona. She was carrying a small basket that held a blanket as well as a bit of food.
"Well, would you look at that," I laughed. "It's almost like the first time we met; I had the shit beaten out of me, got thrown in a cell by diamond boy, and you came in to make sure I don't die of hypothermia."
"You appear to be quite cheery despite your current situation," Fiona remarked as she unlocked my cell. "You have also proven yourself to be quite the troublemaker. I have never seen anyone cause Lord Ghirahim this much trouble in multiple years as you have within the timespan of a month."
I shrugged as I accepted the basket from her. "Well, I'd like to think that it's not that I find trouble, it's that trouble finds me. I can't remember the last time I went even half a year without something going horribly wrong!" I couldn't help but laugh when I thought about how often misfortune struck me, even during my time on Romani Ranch. Cow stampedes, cucco attacks, the nights when "They" tried to abduct the cows…
As fond as I was of the memories, they also had some bitterness to them. I hadn't seen anyone from Termina in over a year. There was no way for me to know if I'd ever set foot in that world again. If I never went back, I had left Cremia and Romani without any form of notice, and just the thought of that made me feel awful. They gave me a place to stay when I found I couldn't get back to Hyrule.
Hyrule. I may have been gone from Termina for a long time, but I had been gone from Hyrule, my Hyrule, even longer. I was physically ten when I had last touched the soil of the Lost Woods. My body aged seven years since then. I was almost a completely different person, and Hyrule probably looked different, too. Were the Kokiri still confined to the forest? Was Princess Zelda doing alright? And Navi. Was she even still alive? I never found her after she disappeared in the Temple of Time, and there were times I missed the company and light she gave me.
"Rinku, are you still listening?" Fiona's voice jarred me back to reality, serving as a reminder that retreating into my thoughts was not an appropriate thing to do during a conversation. "Perhaps you should get some rest. I would imagine that the day was not the kindest to you. I will come to fetch you in the morning. Until then, I bid you goodnight."
"Yeah, you could say that. Night, Fiona." I laid down on the hard bed and, after what felt like hours of tossing and turning, allowed sleep to take me away.
That probably wasn't the greatest chapter, but hey, the things I do for Plot(tm)
Now, the thing I need to say. Turns out organic chemistry is going to be hard, but not in the way I expected. The department's a bit…disorganized? And that makes it difficult to figure out what to do/where to even begin. I doubt I'll have a lot of time to write over the next month. I'll still try to finish up Chapter 14 so that I'll still have two chapters locked and loaded, but there's a high chance this story will hit a bit of a hiatus. I'll be sure to mention my plans once that time comes.
Until next time, dear readers!