Zomg! Achitka's finally updating this story!!

Meh, if it wasn't apparent before, I'm quite sure it is now. I am still a slacker of grand proportions...and to make it take even longer I'm also incredibly lazy. I noted at the ending of the chapter prior to this one, that it was incomplete. I've finished it this time and while I am hopeful there won't be another huge gap between posting...I know myself better than that. Still it's funny how one piece of music can force me bodily back into a story I've been studiously ignoring since last year.

- My apologies to everyone.

So with all that said -

Reunion
by achitka

Chapter 13

The One Who Waits

Unarge was indeed a remarkably fast horse. Still the Potter stuck to the road, he didn't want to risk having the horse stumble in the darkness. The easy rhythm of Unarge's footfalls helped to distract the Potter from his worries as the horse found his own pace. There was a lot of distance to cover before morning. Rinku was relieved when Unarge's surly reputation never manifested as he saddled him. The only real tense moment evaporated with the offer of the first carrot.

While he was not surprised there were no stahl children around, they tended to shy away from large animals; he did however wonder what became of the poes that used to frequent this area. Ghosts with no real purpose they used to delight in startling travelers on horseback. He'd been riding for at least an hour and hadn't seen or sensed even one. Rinku filed all this in the back of his head and focused on the terrain ahead of him. The tall grass swayed gently in the wind as he slowed the horse. At the crossroad he came to a halt and pulled out his map.

Once there were only two ways you could travel from here, but that appeared to have changed. Studying the map in the light of the full moon, he located the dot that indicated his place on the field and said to it, "Show me the safest route on horseback to the Goron City." The Potter watched as the magic embedded within the map caused a thin blue line to snake its way east then north along the river. "Now show me the fastest." A second line appeared, this one red, and Rinku noticed something he'd never seen on the map's face before. A fissure appeared that ran almost the full width of the map where it previously shown only grassy field, effectively splitting Hyrule in half.

The balance of your world is threatened

Rinku didn't doubt the fracture was part of the same, but the why of it...Unarge danced beneath him and the Potter grabbed the reins to keep from being unseated. He scanned the area, as the horse grew even more restless. Rinku half turned in the saddle and caught out of the corner of his eye, the approach of a ball of shimmering light from across the darkened field behind him. The Potter growled and decided if it was making the horse this nervous, he most likely didn't have the time to spare for it. Turning back around, Rinku spurred the horse forward following the course set by the red line on the map. Unarge, needing no further prompting, took off.

Hammering along at top speed, Rinku let Unarge pick his own path through the knee-high grass as he bent close to the horse's neck. Glancing ahead, he realized they were probably headed straight for the large gorge he's seen on the map earlier. This turned out to be the case and though surprised that they'd come upon so quickly, he wasn't particularly interested in tumbling over the edge in the darkness either. So the Potter eased Unarge into a right turn as he twisted to try and get a glimpse at whatever was following them.

The light wasn't gaining ground, but what wasn't apparent before were the three smaller purple lights that now overtook the larger ball. Zipping along, they dove in and out of sight into the grass. The smaller ones were moving much faster and were undoubtedly catching up. Weaving would only tire Unarge faster and he'd definitely need all the stallion's speed just to maintain the distance between himself and whatever those balls of light were behind him. Rinku continued along the fissure, still leaning in close, relying on his knees to nudge the horse in the direction of the bridge that he could now see in the distance. As they continued pounding through the grass, Rinku also remembered just how very much he loved riding. He would have preferred not being chased, but he smiled in spite of that.

Reaching the entrance to the bridge, horse and rider slowed only long enough to make the turn. As they neared the halfway point, Rinku became aware that some of the side sections were missing from the bridge and pulled up hard on the reins, Unarge skidded to a halt and both Rinku and the horse looked down into a very deep gorge.

Well that certainly explains the red line, he thought.

The horse nickered in an irritated way, echoing his rider's thoughts as Rinku checked on the whereabouts of his followers. He noted the large ball was still a good ways off, and that the smaller purple ones had already halved the distance between them. While it was too dark to try and assess the true distance of the gap, he could at least see the other side and that it was slightly lower. Unarge was a Lon Lon horse, so there was a very good chance he'd been trained as a jumper as well as for distance. Rinku knew he'd only get one chance at this before the smaller caught up to them.

"How do you feel about this one, eh?" Rinku asked leaning over to look into the abyss below. The only way to survive these sorts of things was to go full out, halfway would only get you killed in a messy way and the Potter felt a strange mix of dread filled excitement. When the horse whinnied and shook its head. The Potter smiled and said, "Me too, so I'll let you decide. Do we wait?"

Unarge whinnied again and abruptly trotted back to the entrance of the bridge then turned to face toward the gap, pawing at the ground.

"As I thought, you're as bad as me," Rinku said. This was also good; a horse that lacked confidence would be a bad thing at this point. The Potter adjusted himself after taking a last look at the lights. "Alright then…Heeya!"

Unarge took off, gaining speed even faster than last time. The horse wasn't holding anything back and Rinku kept his eyes glued to the bridge, knowing Unarge was relying on him to give him to signal the jump. Squeezing his knees into the horse's sides, Rinku snapped gently back on the reins and felt his stomach drop as he and the horse lifted into the air. Leaning as far forward as he dared, the Potter refused to close his eyes and prayed harder than he had for some time.

They weren't going to make it. Or so Rinku first thought. Unarge's weight was now working against them, but just as gravity started to take hold, the smaller purple lights finally caught up with them. Almost too quickly for the Potter to track, the lights shot below them, each exploding in succession causing a strong updraft that lent the pair just a little more buoyancy. Just a little longer in the air. Just enough lift to make the crossing.

Surprisingly the horse took it all in stride. Landing hard on the other side of the broken bridge, the horse stumbled a bit, but still somehow managed to keep his footing without toppling over. Rinku immediately dismounted and examined the horse. Concerned Unarge might have broken a bone from the force of it; he pulled the horse gently forward but noticed no limp in the horse's gait. Pulling out a few of the carrots and Rinku patted the horse as he offered them up saying, "Thank you, you're one helluva mount, Unarge. Malon will be most pleased."

The horse grunted as if this should have been obvious from the beginning and shook out his mane after head butting the Potter taking the carrots. Unarge had responded perfectly. Rinku truly couldn't have wished for a better horse in this situation, but for all that, Unarge was exhausted from the effort and Rinku knew he'd need a few minutes rest before they started out. Though a larger animal than Epona, he lacked some of the mare's maneuverability, but for sheer stamina and power, the stallion responded as if he'd been born for this task. The Potter paused in his thoughts and realized that was entirely likely.

Rinku continued to absently scratched the horse's ears as he pondered again at the source of both lights, the purple ones especially. Since coincidence was something that simply never existed in his world, there was no way to tell if they meant to help or hinder. Obvious conclusion, Hyrule was definitely messed up. The more time Rinku spent within its borders, the more he felt the bothersome magical pressure that driven him from it so long ago.

Looking back across the gap the Potter saw that the larger finally caught up with them. It flew off the edge of the bridge heading straight for them. Pulling out the axe handle, Rinku set himself just in case. As he suspected, the ominous glowing ball of something, lacked the momentum to carry it fully across the gap. Clipping the very end of the bridge, it shattered, sending up a spray of sparkles that dazzled the Potter for a moment. Unlike the smaller ones though, there was no explosion and Rinku walked over to the edge and watched the pieces as they disappeared into the blackness of the gorge. That is a long drop, Rinku thought and turned to leave but had only taken a few steps and froze when he heard a voice he never imagined he'd hear again.

"Hey! Don't leave!"

It was coming from the gorge and Rinku returned to the rim and blinked when a small yellow fairy popped up in front of him. It dove back and Rinku followed the fairy with his eyes until he saw the figure sitting on an outcrop. He stared at the sandy blond boy dressed in green and wondered if it were in fact one of the forest children. He was a long way from the lost woods if he was. Fado? His memory of this kokiri was scattered at best. Though Rinku remembered Fado could often be found amongst Mido's posse of loyal followers, he rarely joined in the harassment of Mr. No Fairy, but then he never tried to stop it either. Only Saria was brave enough to do that.

Reaching down Rinku plucked the kokiri from his precarious spot and set the boy down.

"Wow, thanks mister, I thought I was a goner for sure."

Rinku nodded, Fado it seems did not recognize him. This didn't surprise the Potter, a lot of years had passed since he last visited the Kokiri Village. Fado sat down and pulled his knees up under his chin resting his head on them and Rinku asked, "Will you be alright here by yourself?"

"I think so," Fado replied.

"How did you end up down there anyway?"

"Well, I was waiting on the bridge for someone when it just broke in half. I lost my balance then I was stuck where you found me."

"That must have been quite frightening."

"Yeah, but I need to make sure I don't miss him," Fado said smiled up at the Potter and Rinku remembered what the goddess told him through Lunnaei.

"You have lost your way Chosen and the balance of your world is threatened. You must find the one who waits."

There was one unshakable rule amongst the Deku's children. If you left his forest you'd die, but here sat Fado at the center of a broken bridge, in the middle of the night, obviously frightened, waiting for someone Rinku was very certain was himself. The Potter sighed even as he thought of how his task was now further complicated. Looking down at the boy, he squelched his irritation, but there was no doubt about it. He'd have to bring the kokiri along. Convincing him might prove problematical though.

"So what's your name?" Rinku asked.

"Fado."

"Nice to meet you, Fado. My name is Rinku. I'm a potter from Durstin."

"Durstin? Where's that?"

"Just outside of Hyrule proper, about few days walk beyond the Lost Woods."

"No kidding? I live in the forest you know."

"You don't say...you must be one of the Kokiri then."

"Yeah! How'd you know that?"

"I'm a good guesser. Mind telling me why are you here?"

"Well I'm only supposed to tell a certain person."

"That's too bad and I am in a bit of a hurry right now, so perhaps we'll meet again some other time." Rinku walked away and patted the horse's neck as he passed by on his way toward the other end of the bridge. Unarge snorted and followed the Potter without any further prompting.

Fado's fairy which had been flashing very brightly smacked the boy square in the middle of his forehead. Once it had Fado's attention the boy tilted his head then suddenly turned to the Potter and shouted, "Link? No way, Bento, he just said his name was Rinku!"

The fairy flashed even brighter as wide-eyed Fado gaped at the potter and said, "Wow, is that really you, Link? What happened to you? You're huge!"

Rinku smiled and nodded remembering his first encounter with an adult after leaving the forest. Fado let out a cheer and the kokiri smiled at the Potter.

"Don't you want to hear it?" Fado asked as he trailed after, doing his best to keep up with the Potter's longer strides.

"Not especially."

"Not a-whatchally?"

"No. You said it was for a certain person."

"Oh yeah...but I didn't know it was you, Link. Mido did says it real important and he said it was from Saria."

Rinku came to an abrupt halt and Fado bumped into him before he came around in front and the Potter asked warily, "Saria?"

"Yeah, Link, and it didn't make a whole lot of sense to me, but Mido told me it was real important that I say it right."

"Go ahead then," the Potter prompted while trying to figure out the source of his growing irritation.

"Right! Mido said that Saria said, I should tell you: 'The enemy has found the chosen's son and is bringing him to brother's of the rock'."

Rinku cocked an eyebrow and asked, "You're sure it's chosen's son and not chosen one?"

"Yeah, for sure it was son, cause Mido got real mad when I asked him that."

Rinku glanced in the direction of Death Mountain and sighed. Lem, he knew, was perfectly capable of looking after himself and Rinku almost felt sorry for whoever it was that 'found' his son. It was good information to have, but Lunnaei was his priority and if they were headed for the Goron Pass there was a chance he'd run into him. Again the Potter paused in his thinking and decided the chances of that not happening were pretty slim.

"Fado, why did Mido send you?"

Fado blinked at his tone, but only shrugged and said, "Don't know, he told me to deliver that message and come with you to Death Mountain. I have to deliver a message to Link of the Goron's too."

"You don't say?"

"Ummm…it is alright if I come with you right, Link?"

Well that was easier than he expected, but the Potter found it odd that Fado knew where he was headed. Then the only thing that was apparent to the Potter now, was that he was being drawn, however unwillingly, into a much larger conflict. But Rinku was no longer a naïve boy and knew how the game was played. So the Potter waved the kokiri to him and picked the boy up putting him on Unarge. The horse's only reaction was to jostle his new passenger, causing Fado to clutch the saddle horn. Rinku smiled up at Fado to reassure him as he patted the horse's neck.

Lost in thought the Rinku twitched when Fado asked, "Link, why did you leave that time? Didn't you want to stay with us in the forest? The Deku Sprout said it was cause you were really a Hylian who was destined to be a great hero."

The potter did not stop smiling, but he did realize what was at the source of his irritation. There was no reason for it really, but, there it was so he said, "Fado, do me a favor, call me Rinku from now on."

"Why, isn't your name Link anymore?"

"No, not for a very long time."

"Oh okay. Does that mean you're not a hero anymore?"

Taking the reins down, the Potter started walking and replied, "Exactly that."

And that's it for this one -

6/15/08 oh my-- good lord...well at least I managed it before august .