Chapter 9 (all we are saaaayiiinnngg~ is give gulls a chaaance~)
Disclaimer: How many times do I have to tell you that I don't own the Legend of Zelda series? That belongs to Nintendo! I also don't own helicopters, T.V. Football, any of the weapons/artillery mentioned below, or blankets. Actually, I do own a couple blankets, but I do not have a copyright over blankets. But I do own that pesky OC of mine. Even though he's a Mary-Sue.
Cherry-sama: Greetings, all! And the results are in! Toon Link won over OoT Link with six to two! Congrats, Toon Link!
Link: What? How is that even possible? He didn't get any votes in the favourite character popularity poll!
Cherry-sama: Beats me.
Toon Link: It's decided.
Cherry-sama: What's decided?
Toon Link: Your readers and I agreed that we are sick and tired of your infrequent updates, and therefore are revoked of your author's privileges.
Cherry-sama: But you're barely in this chapter!
Toon Link: That's besides the point.
Cherry-sama: You can't do this to me! I even started the Deku Fan Manga of mine, The Butler's Son, and posted the first few pages on my deviantart account! How will I be able to continue writing crappy fanfiction if you revoke my author's privileges?
Toon Link: Good point… Okay, then how about we just kill you instead?
Cherry-sama: Er, uh… Aryll? Little help here?
Aryll: (in barrel) Shh!
Cherry-sama: Er… Please read. Meep.
Light seeped through the crack of the window that was open. It rippled across the leg of a passed out Gonzo. In the center of the room lay our green-eyebrowed heroine, Tetra, sprawled across the floor, Nudge lay collapsed against a wall, and Zuko was crinkled in the corner. Mako sat limply at a table and just below the window lay Senza with his mouth hanging open.
The door at the bottom of the stairs burst open.
"Fine morning, isn't it, Gillian?" a burly man chuckled.
Silence greeted him.
"Gillian?" the burly man walked up a couple of steps.
It wasn't until he reached the top of the stairs when he got his response.
"…Good…morning…" was a woman's weary reply.
The burly man turned to the counter. A young blonde woman had leaned her head on the countertop. There were black circles under her eyes.
"…How are you…Kane?" Gillian slowly got up.
"My goodness, Gillian!" Kane gasped. "You look like something the cat dragged in!"
"I…stayed up…all night…" Gillian yawned. "…Entertaining…guests…"
Kane turned to look at the passed out pirate all around.
"Yes, I can certainly see that…" Kane paused.
"So…" Gillian dragged her feet, "…what will it…be…?"
"Just the regular Zora Coffee, thanks," Kane said. "But man, yesterday did seem like a really long night. I slept like a log through most of it though."
Gillian scratched her butt, "That's…good…"
Kane paused, "I'm sorry, is this a bad time?"
"No, no, no, no, no…" Gillian yawned. "…It's okay… Always…a good idea…to serve the first customer…of the day…"
"…C…Coffee…" Tetra gargled in her sleep.
"Shhhh…" Gillian raised a finger to her lips. "Not now, green eyebrows girl… I'm serving customers…"
Kane raised an eyebrow, "Uhh… Are you sure you're alright, Gillian?"
"Fine. Fine…" Gillian nodded. "Perfectly…fine."
Gillian handed Kane his cup of coffee with a wobbling hand.
"Say," Kane pondered, "aren't those pirates?"
Gillian slowly nodded.
"That would explain the random pirate ship parked right beside the one-man cemetery," Kane shrugged.
"Ship…?" Gillian yawned.
"Er, never mind," Kane chuckled. "It's not that important."
Gillian evidently took this to heart, since Kane subsequently saw her lean her head on the counter again.
"Are you sure you don't want to close up the shop for the day?" Kane sighed.
Gillian nodded.
Kane rolled his eyes, "At least for a couple of hours, Gillian. It'd be for your own good. I bet there's no one else in the whole Great Sea who is more tired than you are."
Bells rang throughout Forsaken Fortress.
"Turn that dang alarm off!" Ganondorf yelled from his room.
The alarm abruptly halted.
"That's better!" Ganondorf huffed.
Ganondorf walked back over to his desk, and took his seat. Nothing like a good book to keep one awake for the night. He turned his attention to the book that lay open, and began to read at the page he was reading previously. The Dictator's Guide to Ruling Scattered Island Nations was not the most exciting issue in the Dictator's Guide series, however it was currently the most insightful considering the current state of—
A black helicopter landed on the balcony.
"Oh Sand Goddess, not now—" Ganondorf sighed.
"Greetings, sir!" an Iron Knuckle stepped out.
"Please tell me you are the bearer of good news," Ganondorf held his head in his hand.
"That, er…may not be entirely possible…" the Iron Knuckled chuckled nervously. "As it seems I may have scratched the woodwork."
Ganondorf walked out onto the balcony to see several helicopter chopper marks torn throughout the walls. Fresh splinters were scattered across the floor.
Ganondorf grinded his teeth, "You do realize how long it takes the Restoration Spell to repair wood and other plant-like substances?"
"Indeed I am, sir!" the Iron Knuckle nodded. "Twenty minutes."
Ganondorf groaned, "Two hours. Under constant supervision by the caster."
"How fascinating, sir!" one could almost hear the Iron Knuckle grin.
Ganondorf face-palmed.
"What of the Pearl?" Ganondorf sighed. "Please tell me it's in that silly flying machine of yours…"
"No, unfortunately not, sir," the Iron Knuckle paused, "but I've come to inform you of the durability of that wall!"
"Oh, for the love of—"
Flecks of dust flew up as a small, red haired boy swept the floor. He gathered all the bits of random debris into a small pile, and then began flicking them off the edge. He groaned, how did an island without any plant life end up with so many stray twigs and splinters? He swept the last few pieces of debris into the seawater below. Augh. He hated this. He could feel his hands starting to blister…and it had only been ten minutes!
The boy made an irritated noise. He was supposed to guard the prisoners, not be on cleaning duty… And what did Ganondorf mean that he'd 'maybe finally learn something'!
"Better hurry it up, boy~!" came laughter from behind.
"After all, you wouldn't want to make his lordship angry!" chuckles began farther back.
He spun around, "Yeah, well, this would go a lot faster if you helped me!"
He glared at the two Wizzrobes floating behind him—one in black, and one in yellow. They began laughing even louder.
"Us? Help you?" the black hooded Wizzrobe keeled over from laughing. "How hilarious! Don't you agree?"
"Quite amusing indeed!" the yellow-cloaked Wizzrobe was shedding tears. "Why, dear boy, you never told us you were into comedy!"
"I'm. Not," the redhead said behind clenched teeth.
"Sarcasm too!" the yellow Wizzrobe roared. "Boy, you really are too much!"
He waved his broom around, "I have a name, you know!"
"Oh, you're killing me!" the black Wizzrobe giggled. "My ribs! Oh, heavens, my ribs!"
The boy turned his back to them, and began sweeping again. He didn't have time for this.
"Don't you two have something better to do?" he growled.
"No, in all actuality, not really!" the yellow Wizzrobe sounded like he was calming down.
"No?"
"Yes! Hard to believe, isn't it?" the black Wizzrobe giggled. "After all, the football game is on right now, and the two of us find that stuff dreadfully boring!"
"So we have to wait until the show is over!" the yellow Wizzrobe chuckled. "And in all honesty, I don't see what the other Wizzrobes see in the sport."
The boy paused, "Wait… The other Wizzrobes are watching football?"
"On the big screen T.V. as well!" the yellow Wizzrobe exclaimed. "Quite the comical situation, isn't it?"
"Why in the heck do the Wizzrobes have a big screen T.V.!" the kid yelled.
The black Wizzrobe raised an eyebrow, "Why in the heck does an Iron Knuckle have a helicopter?"
The boy was at a loss for words.
"Good one, brother!" the yellow Wizzrobe erupted with laughter. "I've got to remember that one for Thursday Night!"
He continued to sweep the floor. "How hilarious. I've got to remember that one for Thursday Night…Nya nya nyeeeaaaa." Stupid toucans. He bet they couldn't make an actual joke for the life of them. And why did they get a big screen T.V. ? It's not like they actually did anything, right? And why does that Iron Knuckle have a helicopter? Huh? Huh?
The redhead's sweeping grew stronger. Because Ganondorf's stupid, that's why. Wizzrobes? They don't do anything, so let's give 'em a big screen T.V. ! Same with that Iron Knuckle! Whaddya do? Give him a helicopter, of course! Nooo, don't give the only other person on this rock anything but a broom and a dagger! Why? Because Ganondorf's a big, old, fat stupid lard tub, that's why!
The boy's strokes became faster and faster. He hated this place. Everything about it was so stupid. Ganondorf, the Moblins, the Bokoblins, the Wizzrobes…and even the Iron Knuckles too!
The kid's broom almost went in rhythm with his thoughts. …Just so stupid… Stupid… Stupid… Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid! Stupid! Stupidstupidstupidstupid—
"STUPID!" he finally yelled.
"Duhhh… What's stupid?"
The boy turned to see a barrel that had not been there a few seconds prior. He looked over to see two more barrels in front of the Wizzrobes, who were still laughing at their own terrible gags.
"Ready?" the boy could have sworn he heard one barrel whisper.
The other barrel…nodded?
"FIRE!"
All at once, the barrels were flung up in the air to reveal two blonde girls wielding firearms. The redhead's eyes widened as the bodies of the Wizzrobes were littered with a rain of bullets. Though only a couple of seconds had passed, but it felt like forever to the kid. The two Wizzrobes went up in a couple puffs of smoke, leaving a couple of hearts behind. The boy blinked.
"Take that, overly-boisterous, mutated seagulls!" the shorter girl cackled.
"How was my performance this time, Aryll?" the taller one asked.
"Better, but you're aim is still off by 20%," the shorter one nodded. "And I thought I told you to refer to me as General."
"Nothing ever pleases you, does it?" the taller one crossed her arms.
The boy blinked again.
"Agent Maggie, get out from under that barrel, stat!" the shorter one barked. "Failure to assist will be seen as treachery. I'll have you court marshaled."
The redhead turned his head to the other barrel as a girl with brown hair emerged.
"Ha ha ha, soooorry," she chuckled.
"Hup to it, ladies," the shortest one huffed. "The guards will be alerted of our escape now."
The shorter blonde girl turned to the boy.
"Well, come on then!" she snapped. "Don't just stand there!"
The boy blinked once more.
"I'm talking to you," she sounded irritated.
He paused, "You're…you're those prisoners!"
"Yeah. Temporarily. Now move, boy, or we'll leave you behind."
The boy was about to say something, but stopped himself. He wasn't really a prisoner, he thought. Sure, he may have been brought here against his will, forced to do random chores around the place, and sleep on a cell floor ever since he came, but that didn't necessarily mean he was a prisoner himself.
…Plus, Ganondorf would skin the kid alive if he found the boy helping the other prisoners escape.
"But I'm not—"
"Exactly. Now let's go."
Wait, what? Before the redhead could move, all three of the girls had plopped the barrels over their heads again. One of their hands slide through an open knothole, and gestured for the boy to come with them.
The boy crossed his arms. Like heck he would! Ganondorf knows some pretty scary-looking spells!
…But then again, only two of these girls killed those Wizzrobes in seconds flat. The redhead gulped. He pondered if he would go up in a poof of smoke if they…they…
The kid let out an irritable sigh. Great. Just great. Either be scorched alive by the big, fat, tub of lard himself, or be pumped full of lead. The boy bet that no one in the world had it worse than he did right now.
"AHHH!" Navi screamed. "Another Big Octo?"
"…And I must tell you, sir," the Iron Knuckle chuckled. "Even though I may not be very good at poker on Card Game Wednesdays, I certainly am good at Go Fish!"
Ganondorf's gaze did not waver from the spell he wove over the damaged room.
"Or, at least, I thought that was the case. I just don't understand how they can tell I'm about to get a set of four," the Iron Knuckle pondered. "Maybe the boys are psychic, and aren't telling me—"
Ganondorf's eyebrow twitched. "What have I told you about speaking to me while I'm performing magic?"
"Oh, I know, my lord, but I swear, I smell a conspiracy…" the Iron Knuckle pondered. "Wait! What if they're all cheating?"
"Sir!"
Ganondorf turned his head slightly and saw part of the Iron Knuckle in the cape he promoted a month or so back.
"The prisoners have escaped, sir!" the second Iron Knuckle reported.
"Why does he get a cape and I don't?" the Iron Knuckle without the cape asked.
"What? How did they escape the magic barrier the Wizzrobes set up?" Ganondorf yelled.
"Sir, I believe it was you who ordered that the Wizzrobes to take down the barrier once the new cell had been put up," the caped Iron Knuckle explained.
"Right," Ganondorf sighed. "Well, then how did they escape this time? I thought they were under tight guard. Three Bokoblins if I recall correctly?"
The caped Iron Knuckle nodded, "Three indeed, sir. You wanted it to be under the tightest of guard, if I recall, sir. Except that one boy. He's sweeping the floors last you ordered—"
"Then why does this keep happening?" Ganondorf growled. "Are three Bokoblins not enough?"
"Negative, sir," the caped Iron Knuckle said. "I saw one of them sleeping on the job when I went in for the status report. The other two were shot down with a rail gun."
"Bokoblins," the first Iron Knuckle chuckled. "Can't trust them to do anything right. Now, us Iron Knuckles on the other hand…"
"Sir, if I may offer my opinion, sir, I suggest we tighten the guard further," the caped Iron Knuckle nodded. "That is, after we retrieve the prisoners."
"Very well, then," Ganondorf sighed. "Send a couple of Moblins to replace the Bokoblins. Also, send a Wizzrobe in with them…magic seemed to work against the girls last time…"
"But, my lord," the first Iron Knuckle looked confused. "Iron Knuckles are surely more than enough for the job—"
"Is it truly necessary to send a patrol of Iron Knuckles to guard three little girls?" Ganondorf asked.
"Oh," the first Iron Knuckle gulped. "Forgive me, sir."
The Iron Knuckle in the cape snickered a little bit. The first Iron Knuckle nudged his superior in the side. A loud 'clang' ensued.
"What of their motivation?" Ganondorf asked. "Have you discovered that much, yet?"
"Unfortunately not, sir," the caped Iron Knuckle said. "Based on observation, though, I'd say they're trying to overthrow you. However, for some strange reason, they have yet to make it past that large bird of yours."
"Helmaroc King," Ganondorf corrected.
"Right, sir," the first Iron Knuckle saluted. "Er…is that a new ranking you're giving me, sir?"
The caped Iron Knuckle smacked the first over the head. Another loud 'clang' ensued.
"That's the name his lordship gave the bird, you ignoramus," the caped Iron Knuckle hissed.
"Er, uh…roger that!" the first Iron Knuckle chuckled nervously.
Ganondorf rolled his eyes. "Get back on the Great Sea and do something productive. Preferably as far away from here as possible."
"Yes, sir!" the Iron Knuckle beamed.
With that, the first Iron Knuckle got into his helicopter and flew off.
The caped Iron Knuckle raised an eyebrow, "Sir, may I inquire as to why—"
"What have I told you about speaking to me while I'm performing magic?"
'Oh, and player Willy Bones of the Stalfos Stampeders kicks the ball…and… Touchdown!'
A roar of joyous laughter erupted from the T.V. room.
'Well, Bob, looks like the Runaway Redeads are heading straight for another loss.'
'Definitely, Jim, definitely. What can I say? The Runaway Redeads have never been the best team.'
'I've got to agree with you there, Bob. And by the sounds of it, they're quite sore losers too. I can hear them shrieking already.'
A barrel snuck up to the doorframe. An eye peered out from an open knothole. With a quick jiggle, it signaled something behind it. Three more barrels trotted up, and then plopped themselves down over their feet again.
With another quick jiggle from the first barrel, all the barrels got up and began moving again. Most of the barrels walked in unison, the last one being the exception, which trotted clumsily behind. It was at a slightly faster pace than the other three, so it wasn't long before it bumped into the barrel in front of it. Both these barrels stopped in their tracks, and hid their feet again.
After a small pause, the one that got crashed into got up again, and turned to the barrel behind it.
"Uncivilized barbarian!" came a harsh whisper.
With that, the peeved barrel stormed off.
"Hey!" came a muffled reply. "It's not my fault! I'm new at this!"
"Shh!" came from the leading barrel.
The last barrel muttered insults under its breath, and irritably marched forward.
What was he doing there anyways, the last barrel thought to himself. This whole thing was ridiculous—he could just lift this off of his head, stride right into the T.V. Room and no one would care. Seriously. No one bat an eye. What was the point hiding?
'Oh! Would you look at that, Jim! Rebecca Redead has got Stanley Stalfos in a headlock!'
"Fight! Fight! Come on, boys! Give us a jolly good fight, now!" chanted the Wizzrobes in the other room.
'Looks like the referee has finally decided to step in, but OH! Look now! The referee is frozen in his tracks by the Rebecca's shriek alone!'
The room behind the barrel erupted in laughter. The barrel sighed. Wizzrobes watching the Super Cauldron was an event very much worth hiding (or shielding your eyes) from.
"Try to keep up, soldier!" came from ahead.
The last barrel peered through its small knothole to see the other three barrels waiting for it by the door. The barrel grumbled and ran to catch up. It halted a little too late, and crashed into the same barrel again.
"Oh, I've had it up to here!" the barrel huffed.
The barrel lifted itself up off of a tall girl in a pink dress.
"Agent Mila!" the leader barrel hissed. "Do you want us to get discovered?"
"We're already loitering by the door," Mila rolled her eyes. "If we wish to pass through, then we'll have to shed our disguises anyway!"
"Miiiiillllaaaa's got a point," the second barrel said.
Mila glared at the second barrel, "I forbid you from speaking my name like that agai—"
"Wait, wait, wait," the last barrel could have sworn it missed something, "why do we have to get rid of the disguises to get through the door?"
"It's part of the programming," the first barrel explained.
The first barrel lifted itself up to reveal a girl smaller than the first.
"But that doesn't make sense!" the last barrel protested.
"Come on," the girl said. "We've got to get a move on, before the guards make their rounds here."
With that, the first girl opened the door, and proceeded into the next room. The second barrel revealed a brown haired girl in rags, who followed the first.
"Word of advice," Mila whispered to the last barrel, "when that peasant girl, Aryll, is preoccupied on this military charade of hers, she has this annoying habit of ignoring you. It's generally better if you just keep your mouth shut…no matter how irritating she may be."
The last barrel lifted itself up to reveal a tanned, red haired boy.
"That's stupid," the boy huffed, "Why should I take orders from her at all?"
Mila rolled her eyes, "Isn't it obvious? No…I suppose you're too dense to figure something like this out on your own…"
"Excuse me?" the red head growled.
"She's plotting to overthrow…him…" Mila whispered. "The lord who maintains this fortress."
The boy gulped, "You mean…Ganondorf?"
"Who else could she be after?" Mila huffed. "It's not like she'd have reason to attack anyone else but our captor!"
"Well, I guess," the boy huffed. "But why?"
"That I have yet to figure out," Mila groaned, "but for some reason, it seems she has quite the vendetta against him."
"And how old is she?"
"Eight, apparently."
The redhead's jaw hung open. He stared at Mila.
"Look, it's not like I like her or anything," Mila crossed her arms. "I do admire her determination. And, frankly, I want to get off this island more than anyone else does."
The redhead hadn't thought about that. He paused. With Ganondorf out of the way, he'd have no problems with leaving the island whenever he pleased, and would have to help with those strange girl-napping missions. Maybe then he'd be able to go back to his island. That would be n—
The small girl's head peeked out the door. She glared at them.
"There you are!" she huffed. "I was two rooms ahead before I realized that you two were A.W.O.L."
"Sorry, Aryll," the red head sighed. "That is your name, right?"
"That's 'General' to you," Aryll said.
Aryll slammed the door behind her as quietly as possible.
"So, um, I guess we follow?" the red head pause.
"Unless you have any better ideas," Mila huffed.
The red head opened the door and closed it behind him. Mila followed shortly after, muttering something about male chauvinist pigs. Aryll looked around the room, staring pensively at the hanging lanterns.
"Say…" Aryll raised an eyebrow. "Has anyone seen where Agent Maggie went off too?"
A lone barrel trotted up the stairs and stopped. It pulled itself off to reveal a young brown-haired girl. She walked over to the Moblin on guard, and tapped it on the shoulder. It turned around swiftly, only to see the brunette staring back at it. It relaxed.
"Hiii, Moe~" Maggie blushed.
"Hiya, Mandolin!" Moe, the Moblin waved.
"It's Maaaggie," Maggie smiled.
"Oh, dat's wright," Moe chuckled. "I thought it soundeded more like cupcakes."
There was a brief pause.
"Mmmm… Cupcakes…" Moe drooled.
"I bet I could make you some really good cuuupcakes," Maggie giggled.
"I bet you would be really good cupcakes," Moe smacked his lips.
Maggie looked, like, reaaaaaally deep into Moe's eyes. Moe looked back into hers, and he was droooooling a lot, but Maggie didn't care. But then she, uhh, noticed the necklace around Moe's neck. It had a skullll, and it was all orange and stuff. It looked real neaaaat.
"Hey, can I have that?" Maggie pointed to the necklace.
"Yup! Sure thing," Moe grinned. "I've gots a bazillions of these anyway."
DUH DUH DUH NUUUUUUHHHH! Agent Maggie got a Skull Necklace. Hmmm… I wonder if this is relevant to the plot later…
"Can I eat you now?" Moe asked.
"Ohhhh," Maggie blushed, "you're so…booolllddd~"
"Do you want me slather Green Chu Jelly all over you?" Moe asked.
"Sooorry," Maggie was red like a tomato, "now's not the time, Moe."
"Aw, shucks," Moe sighed.
"'Cause you know whaaat?" Maggie asked.
"Uh, what?" Moe smiled.
"I think this girl I'm sneaking out with wants to take out your bosss," Maggie explained.
"Naw," Moe waved his hand. "It'll never happen. Yup! You see, none of those gals are his type!"
"No… Seriously…she has a bazooka and everything," Maggie said.
"Where are those other gals of yurs anyways?" Moe looked around.
"Oh, that's right," Maggie gulped. "I should be getting baaack to them."
"Awww, do ya have to?" Moe frowned.
"Sorry," Maggie sighed. "It's the bazooka and all…"
"Okaaay," Moe said.
Maggie walked over to the corner, and pulled the barrel back over her head. Moe turned around, and pretended not to see the barrel waddle away.
Aryll peeked out the window. She examined the landscape. Her eyes scanned the landscape a second time. And then her eyes traveled over the terrain a third time, just for good measure. She pulled her head in again, then turned to her fellow comrades.
"It's no use, girls," Aryll sighed. "We're just going to have to assume that Maggie's M.I.A."
"M.I.A. ?" Mila hissed. "We can't assume that!"
"And I'm not a girl," the red headed boy piped up.
"Agent Mila," Aryll raised both eyebrows, "do you even know what M.I.A. stands for?"
"Well, uh, no," Mila huffed. "But if Maggie had been captured, we would have heard the alarms go off or something!"
"True, true," Aryll nodded. "Agent Maggie has always been the stealthier out of the two of you."
"Hey, just because I usually get captured first does not have anything to do with stealth!" Mila protested.
"Actually, yes it does," the boy added. "It's a lot easier to pick out your pink dress from the stone walls than her potato sack thing is."
"He's got a point there, Agent Mila," Aryll said.
"Thank you," the redhead huffed.
"That's 'General' to you," Aryll corrected.
"How dare you!" Mila growled. "I'll have you know that this dress is made from imported silk from the Forest Haven! And I'll also have you note this price is well over…"
The boy sat down. It was never a good idea to get in the cross fire of two women in a heated argument. He recalled the times his mother got in intense debates with other women from the island, over who cooked the best pies and whatnot.
As the minutes ticked on the redhead found it harder and harder to keep his eyelids open. He looked out the nearby window—surely the sun had moved a little bit. He gazed upon the moon. Oh, right. Permanent nighttime.
The boy turned his head back to the two nattering girls. Truth be told, it was that Mila girl who was doing most of the talking. It seemed that Aryll too had become bored for she was discreetly polishing a handgun. If the boy were her, he would point the pistol at Mila to get her to shut up. Or better yet shoot her. The boy's eyelids stayed half open—half glaring at the little blonde girl. Some master of weaponry she was. He bet even Karas was having more fun than he was right now.
The redhead yawned idly. All was quiet, except for the constant nagging of the Mila, and the cry of a seagull that came from behind. Must be the open window, he thought.
A shot rang out. Aryll had the gun pointed in his direction. With a newfound adrenaline rush, he leapt to his feet.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" he quivered.
Aryll pulled the trigger once more. It was the end. He knew it. He was gonna die. He was—
"Hold still, you little…!" Aryll hissed.
The redhead paused. He was holding still. He looked out the window to see the seagull, wearing a green army helmet and a stick of dynamite in its claws. With another bang, the boy saw blood splash out, and the bird fall into a downward spiral.
The boy watched as the bird hit the water. "…Don't you think that was a little cruel?"
Aryll blew the smoke coming from the end of the pistol. Ohhh… If only he knew!
Mila held her chest. "My Golden Goddesses, Aryll! Give me some warning before you do that!"
Aryll glared at Mila. "We've been over this."
Mila rolled her eyes. "My apologies, General."
The boy slide down the wall, eyes wide open. Th…that just happened. Holy Helmaroc crap, he could not believe that just happened. He could have died! That bullet could have hit him between the eyes if Aryll wanted—
Maggie came through the door. "Hiii, guys."
Both Mila and the redhead looked at Maggie with already widened eyes.
Maggie blinked. "Is this a bad time?"
"Of course not, Agent," Aryll twirled the gun around her finger.
"I guess this means we're not leaving without her," the boy chuckled nervously.
"My goodness, Maggie!" Mila breathed heavily. "Where have you been?"
"Oh, you know," Maggie smiled. "Abooouuut."
"You weren't fraternizing with the enemy, were you?" Aryll looked at Maggie suspiciously.
"Ha ha ha, nooo," Maggie grinned. "I would never do that. Whatever that it is you said."
"Excellent," Aryll said. "Now, there's no doubt that the enemy heard that just now. So, here's the plan…"
The redhead sighed with relief. Planning time. Finally, he was getting a break from all this stupid action. He smiled. This was going to be good.
A door burst open. Three Bokoblins stepped out, all of which looked very confused.
"…Shoot like THERE'S NO TOMORROW!" Aryll yelled.
Aryll pulled out a HK MP7, and shot like the dickens. Maggie and Mila too pulled out their own M1911s, and joined in with the shooting.
The boy fainted.
Link burst through the door. Lenzo turned around.
"Ah, welcome young Link!" Lenzo chuckled. "What can I do for you today?"
Link pulled out the bottle he had gotten when charting out Bomb Isle. Within it was a small firefly that glowed several different colours.
"I hope this was what you needed for to make my Pictobox shoot in colour," Link said. "I'd hate to sail all the way back to Forest Haven again."
Navi held her head in her hands, "The Zubat Method knows no bounds."
"Is… Is that…?" Lenzo gasped. "…Why I feared the secret light had been extinguished forever! Is that truly one of the long-fabled Forest Fireflies?"
"Wait," Navi pondered. "If this is little guy is so sought after, is he really a Firefly?"
"I thought it looked a lot like you, Navi," Link said. "Guess the Tax Collectors didn't get everyone."
Navi paused. "Great, now I feel like a sell out."
"Oh, glory!" Lenzo seemed too absorbed in glee. "My fine assistant, Link… For ages, it has been said that the Forest Fireflies possess a mystical power. For your efforts, I shall place this one inside your box!"
Lenzo held out his hand expectantly. Link glared at it.
"Come on now, hand me your Picto Box, if only for a moment…" Lenzo said.
"You won't steal this like you did my Still Life in the Form of the Mundane collection?" Link asked.
"My Farore," Navi groaned, "you're still upset about that?"
"Just give it to me," Lenzo glared at the boy.
Link handed the Pictobox to Lenzo. Lenzo turned his back and began fidgeting with the camera equipment.
"And with that…" Lenzo said to himself.
Lenzo spun around and handed the Pictobox back to Link. DUH DUH DUH NUUUUUUHHHH! Link got a Colour Pictobox! Now all his pictures will be in colour! Lucky him!
"Oh-ho! Now, those pictographs of yours that have forever lacked the scintillating palette of life should henceforth show the world as it was meant to be—in living colour!" Lenzo exclaimed.
"I…I…I…" Link's eyes watered.
"Oh, what now?" Navi sighed.
"I can't believe this is happening to me…" Link rubbed his eyes. "Sorry, dust in my eye."
"Hmm, now…" Lenzo muttered to himself. "That was quite an easy thing to do after all!"
"Link, it's just a Pictobox, I don't see what's so special—" Navi began.
Both Link and Lenzo glared at Navi.
Navi paused, "I'll go wait outside."
Navi opened the door and slammed it behind her…somehow.
"…Ah, well. Such is life," Lenzo smiled. "Now go out there and snap pictographs. Snap them in colour for me, for all the years I spent unable to do so! Go to it, Link!"
"Yes, sir!" Link exclaimed.
Link strode confidently out the door.
The redheaded boy awoke to the sound of crashing waves. His eyes cracked open. His body was leaning up against a thick stone railing. One of the three spotlights was in front of him, manned by Maggie. At least, he was pretty sure that was her name. He turned his head slightly. Beside him stood that Mila girl, looking out over the water. He squinted. Where was that other chick, Aryll? Pardon, General Aryll. He spotted her off by the other side of the ledge.
"So…uh…what?" the boy blinked.
"Oh good," Mila said, "you're awake."
Mila turned to face Aryll.
"Ary—Er…General!" Mila called out. "This scruffy ruffian has awoken!"
Aryll nodded, and began to walk over.
"I'm scruffy, am I?" the boy sounded unimpressed.
"Just look at that hair," Mila huffed. "When was the last time you combed it?"
The boy paused. He hadn't thought about that. Aryll now stood in front of him.
"Excellent," Aryll said. "Are you ready for duty?"
"I…I guess?" he asked.
Aryll nodded, "Excellent. Now, I want you to pay close attention to what I—"
"Just hold on one minute here!" the boy glared at Aryll. "Where are we?"
"You're telling us that you don't recognize this barbaric rock?" Mila asked. "I presumed that you had been around here longer than we have! If you don't know where we are, then how is that street rat, Maggie—"
The boy sighed, "No. That's not what I… Gah. Never mind. How'd I get here?"
"I ordered Agents Maggie and Mila to carry you after you passed out like a sissy," Aryll reported.
"And let me tell you," Mila huffed, "your feet were no basket of popery."
"Hey! I'm not a sissy!" the boy protested. "I'm no girl!"
Both Aryll, Maggie, and Mila glared at the boy. The spotlights pivoted out of position.
"Oh…" he paused. "I keep forgetting that you three are girls."
"Agent Maggie!" Aryll barked. "Are you slacking on the job?"
"Sorry," came Maggie's distant reply.
The spotlights got back into proper position.
"Aryll, I've been meaning to ask you…" Mila began.
"Eh hem!" Aryll tapped her foot.
Mila rolled her eyes, "General, why did you request to keep the spotlight running?"
"That's a good point," the redhead paused. "Why is Maggie running the spotlight?"
"It is so that we do not arouse suspicion," Aryll said. "If he notices that one of the spotlights is out of order for an extended period time, then his forces would be summoned to our current position to investigate."
"Which is reaaal smart of you, General," Maggie said from afar.
"Why thank you, Agent," Aryll grinned smugly.
The boy decided the grin Aryll had when she got her ego stroked was one of the scariest things he'd ever seen.
"Why is it that we're waiting around like this?" the boy asked.
"Most importantly, we needed to make sure that everyone is conscious. But now is a time to regroup and make sure that everyone is aware of our strategy," Aryll explained. "We must use it wisely."
"Okay…" the boy paused. "So, uh, now what?"
"We sneak past security and make our way to the top," Aryll nodded.
Aryll pointed near the peak of the Fortress.
"Sounds good to me," Maggie hiccupped.
"Let's just hope we can succeed," Mila huffed, "unlike last time."
"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait…" the boy spoke up. "Am I missing something here?"
"Do you need me to repeat that, lieutenant?" Aryll asked.
"No!" the boy groaned. "That's not what I meant! What I mean is why didn't you—er, we do that in the first place?"
"If we had attempted that heist right after we would have been captured, we would have wound up back where we started," Aryll explained. "And while he is evil, the enemy is not stupid. Clearly he knows that we've been plotting to take him out, and probably doubled the security to keep us from our destination."
Wow, the boy thought. Aryll really knew Ganondorf well.
"Is that why we're out here?" Mila yelled. "You told us we were looking for your brother! To see if he was still being held prisoner!"
"Uh, yeaah," Maggie piped up.
"That was my other reason," Aryll said. "But I doubted that he would be still out here after what happened."
The boy paused. That other guy was Aryll's brother? Ouch, the redhead flinched. Now he felt bad for probably leaving the guy dead in the ocean somewhere. Well, not really.
"Do you have any other questions?" Aryll asked. "Or may we begin our counter strike?"
"N-no," the redhead paused. "I think I'm good."
Aryll smiled, "Affirmative. Agent Maggie, stop what you're doing. We have to be long gone before the next shift starts."
"Aye aye," Maggie said. "I was gettin' kinda tirrred anyway."
"Everyone follow me!" Aryll called out. "Post haste!"
"Got any queens?"
"Go fish."
Jolene and Black Beard sat in a dimly lit room, in the bottom of the pirate ship. Each held a handful of cards, and a pile of cards rested between them. Jolene looked at her hand, and then picked up a random card. She put the card in with the rest, making sure that they were in they're numeric order.
"You know, that authoress has got to learn how to play poker," Black Beard huffed. "That way her characters would be able to play something more than 'Go Fish' all the time."
"Say…" Jolene chewed her bubblegum, "where do you think the other guys are? The meeting technically started half an hour ago…"
"Ya think I know?" Black Beard chewed his snuff. "Got any eights?"
Jolene shook her head. Black Beard picked up another card.
"Ya think it's still mornin'?" Black Beard asked.
"Outside?" Jolene asked. "No, it has to be past noon at least."
"Hmm," Black Beard grunted. "Either way, I'm as alert as a Big Octo right now."
"I know what you mean," Jolene said. "Last night was the best sleep I've had in ages. It's almost like the night was longer somehow."
"Do ya think them scallywags were dumb enough ta stay up all night?" Black Beard asked.
"Tch. No way," Jolene huffed.
A silence fell between them.
"As I recall," Jolene paused, "you were looking for some eights?"
"Darn it!" Black Beard growled.
Black Beard handed over the three eights he held in his hand. Jolene beamed, and stacked the four cards beside the other two stacks.
"I don't suppose you have any of them Kings, now do ya?" Black Beard growled.
"Nope," Jolene beamed.
Black Beard grumbled, then picked up a card. His face lit up.
"Never ye mind, Missy," Black Beard smiled. "I got what I asked fer."
Jolene's smile was wiped off her face as Black Beard put his pile of Kings with the other stack. Another silence fell between them.
"You know," Jolene paused, "I bet they're out plundering."
"Who?"
"The other members," Jolene said. "I bet they're out plundering…stealing…"
"…Gettin' proper pirate booty…" Black Beard trailed off.
"…Without us."
There was pause.
"Well, good for them," Jolene huffed. "It just shows that they just couldn't take it anymore, and they're…what was the word?"
"Relapsin'," Black Beard spat onto the floor.
"Exactly," Jolene said. "This just proves that we're better than they are! We haven't given into our evils. We haven't become crazed lunatics like they have! Who cares if they're out getting treasure?"
"…Shiny treasure…" Black Beard added.
"…With gold," Jolene blew a large bubble, "and silver…"
"And more rupees than we can count…" Black Beard drooled.
There was another pause.
"Aw, screw it," Jolene's bubble popped. "Get your ship. We're leaving."
Four barrels crept along the spotlight-riddled platform. A spotlight skimmed ever closer to the barrels. They all halted in they're tracks, and little clouds of dust formed at they're bases. The spotlight passed overhead. The barrels moved a foot farther before stopping again. The other spotlight rippled over them. The barrel at the front waited for it to be safe, before signaling the other three. They began to walk over to the opposing wall again.
"How much farther?" the barrel on the end whispered.
"Quiet!" the first barrel snapped.
The second barrel began to shush the last barrel, but they all stopped before another spotlight could catch them.
As soon as everything was clear, the barrels began moving once more. They crept along until they reached the far wall. The first barrel looked around, and then pulled itself off to reveal Aryll. She walked along and knocked lightly on the top of each of the other barrels. The last barrel jumped. Almost immediately, the other barrels pulled the barrels off to reveal Maggie and Mila. Mila turned to the last barrel.
"Don't just sit there!" she whispered. "Get out from under that barrel this instant!"
"She could have given me warning first!" the barrel huffed.
The barrel pulled itself off to reveal the redheaded boy.
"Don't woooorry," Maggie grinned. "You'll get usssed to it."
"Hmm…" Aryll pondered. "Security on the inside is tighter than on the outside."
Aryll spun around. The boy stopped adjusting his vest, Mila stopped fiddling around with her hair, and Maggie stopped picking her nose.
"How good are all of you at climbing walls?" Aryll asked.
Mila could have exploded, "C-Climbing walls? How preposterous! I've never climbed a wall in my life!"
"Then now's a good a time as any to learn," Aryll said. "And keep quiet! Do you want them to hear us?"
"It's just this whole thing is just…" Mila mumbled to herself.
"Okay, so here's the plan," Aryll looked at the group members fiercely. "What we do is climb up the wall. As soon as we get to an open window, then whoever needs a rest, can take a five second break. No more, no less. Then, when we get to the top, we'll take him down once and for all!"
Aryll pulled out a couple of claw like things.
"You'll all need some of these," Aryll nodded.
Aryll handed two to each of them.
"If my father knew what I was up to right now," Mila grumbled, "he'd have a heart attack! I just know it!"
"Tch," the boy snickered. "If my dad knew what I was up to right now, he'd beg us to let him in on the fun."
"Your father certainly does not sound like the most civilized man," Mila huffed.
"Well, actually, I guess he's not too—"
"Save the chit chat for later," came Aryll's harsh whisper. "Remember, we still have work to do."
Right, the boy remembered. He was on a mission. A mission to overtake Ganondorf. This was no time to talk of his family. It was an irrelevant topic now, anyway.
He looked up. He could see Ganondorf's abode looming above him. The boy frowned. That was a long way up. He looked at the claw things he held. His hands would be killing him by the end of this. But it was worth it, right?
The boy looked at Aryll. She was babbling on about something to the other two girls. Probably instructing them on how to climb walls. He had the feeling that he should have been listening, but he didn't feel like it.
He had to commend her, though. Her head was only up to his shoulders, but she was already leading a mission to assassinate someone. She was kind of like this super tank girl, he guessed. He still couldn't figure out why she shot that one seagull though. Heck, if she wasn't plotting against Ganondorf, he thought, he'd probably never go near her. Or want to go near her.
Aryll. Even though she was absolutely insane, they were both after the same thing. They both wanted Ganondorf dead. That was all that mattered here. And with Ganondorf out of the way, he and Karas could do whatever they wanted. Heck, after tonight, they never had to listen to anything anyone said.
He could be…free.
No one to tell him what to do. No one to watch his every move. No one to boss him around like he was some little kid.
No one to watch over him. No one to protect him. No certain place to get food or shelter.
Free.
He looked at Aryll. Aryll: a small, blonde haired girl, who just happened to have way too many explosives on hand. Who was she? Did she really have any idea of who she was challenging? This was Ganondorf they were up against. Sure, the boy didn't know much about the guy, except that he had the same name as one person in the legends. However, he had seen Ganondorf light his hands on fire without getting hurt. He had seen Ganondorf bring all those many, many, monsters to life with his own hands. And this was all stuff he could without lifting a finger. He was probably ten times scarier when seriously battling.
Could they really win?
…
No. No one could. It was impossible.
The redhead straightened up. This mission was doomed from the start. Dang it! He had been so stupid for letting himself get played along like this. What was he thinking? The boy paused, remembering the Wizzrobes getting shot to bits. Oh right—he wasn't thinking.
But, crap. What would he do from here? He couldn't go along with Aryll's plan (he couldn't climb walls, anyway). Ganondorf would skin him alive for sure.
Then there was that bazooka of Aryll's. If he just asked Aryll if he could leave, she'd probably blast his head off or something.
"Oy! Stop spacing out!" Aryll whispered.
The boy jumped at Aryll's outburst, and then paused. His face lit up. That was it. The Element of Surprise. The boy's face hardened with his determination. He still had a chance. And, he thought, he'd better not mess this one up.
The red headed boy seized Aryll's arm, and ran out toward the spotlights. The dash caught Aryll off guard, and swept her off her feet.
"What are you—" Aryll gaped.
He sped out toward the nearest spotlight. Aryll planted her right foot down, and made several attempts to kick him with her left. He held to her wrist tighter, his grasp almost bruising her.
"Have you gone mad?" Aryll yelled.
With her free hand, she reached for her pistol on her belt, but her hand ricocheted off since she had not yet taken off the wall climbing claw. The light from the spotlight swung away from them. He stopped and glared at her.
"It's you who's gone mad!" the boy yelled back. "You don't have a rat's chance in a vulture's nest against him! None of us do!"
Their eyes remained locked, even as the spotlight poured over them. Alarm bells rang throughout Forsaken Fortress. The boy let go of Aryll's arm.
"Strange…" he let out a weak chuckle. "For being armed to the teeth, you have next to no physical strength."
Several guards came from all directions. Aryll, unnerved, stomped as hard as she could on the boy's foot. His flinch made him take a step back.
"Owww!" the redhead winced. "Hey!"
Then she round-house kicked him to the face.
"He's insane!" Aryll called out behind her. "Tranquilize him, ladies! TRANQUILIZE HIM!"
The boy clutched his face. Aryll had given the other girls had tranquilizers?
After a couple of shots, the boy felt a sharp twinge of pain coming from his leg. Another followed. He looked down to see two small darts sticking out of his leg. Dang it all. She really had…give the other girls…tranquil…liz…errrrsss…
What the boy remembered after that was a huge blur. A Bokoblin had caught him. He assumed that he had fallen over. A couple more twinges of pain. Maybe the Bokoblin pulled the darts out too? He remembered seeing two splotches of blue going over to a pink splotch and a slightly lighter grey splotch. That was probably when Mila and Maggie were taken away. And he was pretty sure his feet dragged along the floor when they took him away. That would explain why the back of his shoes were so dirty, and why his feet felt so sore when he woke up.
But the one thing he could remember vividly was the expression on Aryll's face. A stone cold glare. Even as the guards restrained her, and as they towed her away, her glare didn't waver.
The boy's eyes cracked open. The ceiling he stared at comprised of wooden planks. He sighed—he was back in his cell, wasn't he? Wait, no. The ceiling of his cell was made of stone, not wood. He moved his arm a little bit. He wasn't laying on the usual straw, but on something softer. Fabric? He stretched his hand, and touched what he was laying on. Yup. Fabric all right.
He frowned, his eyes still half shut. He obviously wasn't in his cell, but he couldn't think of any other place they would dump him. So, where the crap was he?
"Are you awake yet, boy?" came a familiar growl.
The boy's eyes shot open. No, he couldn't be in the…! Ganondorf would never allow him to…!
A large shadow crept over him. He stared right into the eyes of Ganondorf, whose eyes almost glowed from his silhouette.
"Answer when I speak to you," Ganondorf said.
The boy gulped and nodded. Ganondorf walked a few steps away.
"Rise," Ganondorf demanded.
The redheaded boy lifted himself off the cloth in which he lay. He sat as upright as he could, despite how numb his one leg still was.
The boy looked around. He glanced to his disbelief; he was in Ganondorf's abode. The walls all around him were that from the broken pirate ship he had flown over several times before. Scattered across the room were ripped tapestries and several other trinkets. In the far corner was a large bookshelf, filled with proportionately large books. Not too far off was a desk of sorts, which also comprised of spare wooden planks, awkwardly placed together. Apart from the ship being so broken down, the boy thought to himself, it looked rather cozy.
He looked at what he sat on, a large coat on top of a long crate. He frowned. Ganondorf's coat. He quickly tried to stand up and off of the coat, but he fell over on his numb leg.
Ganondorf merely glanced over his shoulder, "I'm surprised at what you did, considering your lack of wit."
Oh crap, the boy thought. That was the reason he was here. The kid scrabbled to his feet.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he spluttered. "I know I was supposed to sweep the floors and all, but when I saw the other girls I just—"
"No explanation is necessary," Ganondorf said.
The boy gulped. He crawled his way up while leaning against the nearest wall, since his leg was still numb from whatever was in those darts. The boy stared at the bookshelf and began pondering which one of those many spells Ganondorf was going to use to kill him.
The large man turned to the boy.
Ganondorf paused, "I must…congratulate you on your efforts."
The boy knew it was the end. Ganondorf had probably spent the last half hour or so looking for just the spell to—wait, what did he say?
"R…really?" the boy asked.
"Indeed," the edge of Ganondorf's lip twitched. "We had been searching high and low for the prisoners for quite a few hours. It was quite the surprise when you and the small one showed up in the spotlights."
A smile emerged on the boy's face. Ganondorf? Praising him? Was this really happening?
The boy pinched his arm. It may have been a little numb too, but it hurt.
"I'm just at a loss as to why you did not turn them in earlier," Ganondorf paused.
"Oh! Uh…" the boy paused. "I was, er…"
"Planning on getting close to them so you could learn their strategies?" Ganondorf added.
"Yes! Exactly!" the boy exclaimed.
Ganondorf stared at the boy. The kid stood upright, almost fully regaining the feeling in his leg.
"…I find that hard to believe," Ganondorf finally said.
"No! I swear! That's exactly what I was thinking at the time!" the redhead exclaimed.
"If that is the case," Ganondorf turned to the boy, "then would you care to explain in detail what you have learned."
"R-right," the boy nodded.
The redheaded boy swallowed. Crap. What did he learn from Aryll? He paused.
"We…uh…just…" he stammered, "Oh! Wait! There was something! The barrels!"
"Barrels?" Ganondorf raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah!" the boy's face lit up. "The smaller one, she was the leader, see? And she led us around in barrels to avoid detection!"
"Hmm…" Ganondorf paused. "That never occurred to me. I'll have to make note of it."
The boy paused, "Question: why do you even have a whole bunch of hollowed out barrels scattered around the fortress anyway?"
There was a long silence.
"This is my questioning period," Ganondorf sounded annoyed, "not yours."
"Oh, er, right," the redhead flinched. "Anyway, they used the barrels to avoid getting caught and stuff…"
"That still begs the question as to why they were discovered where they were, as opposed to heading up to my abode," Ganondorf growled.
"Er…" the boy bit his lip. "Oh, I know! One of the other girls said that they were scouting out the farther areas to look for the smaller one's brother!"
"Looking for her brother?" Ganondorf asked.
"And to avoid detection," the boy nodded. "The smaller one said that too."
"I see…" Ganondorf paused. "That explains why the guards were unable to find them, and who that boy was earlier."
The boy pointed to himself with a confused expression on his face.
"No, not you," Ganondorf turned away.
"Oh, sorry," the boy blushed a little.
Ganondorf just groaned in response.
"Anyway, she smallest one seemed to know exactly what she was doing," the boy paused. "She even suggested we climb up the walls to avoid the other guards. She handed out some wall claw thingies."
"She had wall climbing tools at her disposal?" Ganondorf asked.
"She has a whole bunch of guns at her disposal, doesn't she?" the boy added.
"Not anymore," Ganondorf said. "We confiscated them, and hid them in another part of the fortress."
The boy rolled his eyes. That wouldn't stop Aryll for long.
"Well, I must say," Ganondorf began, "it was clever of you to accompany those girls as you did, even though if was out of the line of order. I didn't know you had enough brain power to think of it."
The boy smiled, "T-Thank you."
"Don't get cocky," Ganondorf snapped.
The boy made a small 'meep' sound as he recoiled.
"Under the circumstances," Ganondorf said, "it would not be entirely unreasonable to grant you a request."
"A…request?" the redhead asked.
"Yes," Ganondorf said. "I shall grant you any request—"
"Can I have the fortress?"
"—within reason."
"Oh."
The boy paused. One request, anything he wanted from Ganondorf. Except the fortress, the boy frowned, he couldn't have that. The boy closed his eyes, and thought for a while.
"I'll give you one hour to think about it," Ganondorf began, "Anything longer than that—"
The boy opened his eyes.
"No, I'm ready now," he said.
"Very well then," Ganondorf turned to the boy. "What is it you want?"
"I don't want to sleep in that one cell anymore," the boy said.
Ganondorf rolled his eyes, "If you think you're getting a bunk in here, then you're sorely mistaken—"
"No, not here either," the boy said.
Ganondorf gave the boy a puzzled expression.
The boy swallowed, "I…I want to sleep by the nest of the, er, Helmrock King was it?"
"Helmaroc King," Ganondorf corrected. "And I understand that you think you have some sort of ownership over that bird, but its rather strange you chose there of all places."
"I know what I'm doing," the redhead nodded.
Ganondorf raised an eyebrow at the boy, then turned his back to him.
"Do as you will," Ganondorf said. "Have your belongings out of the cell in the next hour. It can be used for future hostages."
The boy's eyes widened, and smiled with his mouth open. He could not believe he just got away with that. He wasn't going to sleep in that cell anymore. He could spend as much time with—
"If you're just going to stand there with that silly little grin on your face, then get out," Ganondorf growled.
The boy jumped a foot in the air, and bowed quickly. He was mood was barely dampened since he had to restrain himself from skipping out the door.
The three girls sat quietly in their cell. This new cell had been crafted out of studier wood than the previous cell and looked as if it would be more reluctant to catch fire. The cell was being guarded by two Moblins and a Wizzrobe.
Mila leaned against the wall with her arms crossed. Maggie was lying on her stomach, pushing around some large bugs that had just happened to wander by. Aryll sat in the corner, drawing in the dirt with her finger.
Mila used her fan to smack Maggie over the head, "Stop playing with the insects! It makes you look even more ridiculous than you actually are!"
Maggie pointed to Aryll, "But it's what she's doin'."
"Don't be ridiculous!" Mila huffed. "Aryll's more civilized than that! She's obviously drawing the layout of the fortress as per usual!"
Upon hearing this, Aryll quickly wiped away the doodle of the dead seagull with her foot, and began basically sketching out the floor plans to the extent she could remember.
"Er, positive," Aryll nodded.
The cellmates fell silent. The only sounds that were heard came from the Wizzrobe, who was telling the Moblins how the football game ended (with a few more laughs than necessary).
"Ary—oh, right. You wanted to be called Geeeneral," Maggie turned to Aryll.
"Whatever," Aryll waved her hand at Maggie. "You wanted to ask me something?"
"Yeaah," Maggie said. "What are we gonna do about that other guuuy?"
"That's right," Mila sighed. "I do wish to have him back. While he was a bit ratty, having him around helped me maintain some sanity."
Aryll remained silent.
"Are we going to find him and slap repeatedly him until he realizes his stupidity?" Mila smirked. "Because I'd be glad to do the honours—"
"He's a lost cause," Aryll said. "There's no point in going after him."
"Ahhh… I see," Maggie nodded. "Okaaay."
"Oh, now what? Are you going to suggest we start trying to kill him too?" Mila huffed. "I may be fine with the monster and random seagull killing, but I'm sorry, I do not want to go to jail for manslaughter!"
"Negative," Aryll grunted. "Eliminating him is not on the plan."
There was a pause. Mila and Maggie both turned to Aryll with an eyebrow raised.
"Pardon me?" Mila's jaw dropped. "I thought you would have wanted to bump him off after what he did!"
Aryll shook her head.
"So, then…whhhy?" Maggie asked.
"Elementary, my dear Agent," Aryll stood up. "No one would serve the enemy willingly."
Aryll turned around and looked at both of the girls with a serious expression on her face.
"The kid's been…brainwashed," Aryll proclaimed.
"Wooow, really?" Maggie gaped.
"Now I've heard everything," Mila face-palmed.
"We cannot kill an innocent civilian who's been ruthlessly brainwashed!" Aryll exclaimed. "We must not show the same cruelty as the enemy!"
"Says the girl who shoots seagulls on sight," Mila added.
"Woooww…" Maggie gasped. "Brainwashing… A lot of stuff makes more sense now."
"I suppose," Mila blinked. "If 'brainwashing' in itself makes sense…"
"There's only one thing we can do," Aryll began to pace. "Take down the enemy as swiftly as possible. If that doesn't snap the kid out of his ways, then I frankly don't know what will."
"Yeah, you're right," Maggie nodded. "We can focus on the brainwashin' laaaater. We're gonna stick to takin' the baddie down, right?"
"Affirmative," Aryll smiled a little.
"Well, alright," Mila huffed. "I still kind of want to slap him, though. It sounds more amusing…"
"The military is no place for comedy!" Aryll snapped. "Our goal is to eliminate the enemy! Repeat! Our goal is to—"
"I could understand what you said the first time," Mila rolled her eyes. "So what is our next course of action?"
Aryll pulled out a grenade from underneath her army helmet. She pulled the pin with her teeth.
"First of all," Aryll grinned, "we'll exterminate the current guard duty."
Aryll chucked the grenade. It flew through the bars and clattered between a Moblin's legs.
"Ka-BOOM!" Salvatore exclaimed.
"Link, shouldn't we be doing more productive things than fool around in an amusement shop?"
Link was currently at Windfall again, and playing a minigame in the shop at the windmill's base. It was similar to Battle Ships only it somehow incorporated bombs and squid. Link stopped and looked at Navi.
"Well, I suppose you're right," Link said.
Navi sighed with relief, "Good, now let's—"
"But I think I almost have this one," Link squinted for better aim.
Link spun back around. He began shooting fake bombs at the unknown places on the chart. Navi began banging her head against a wall.
A sharp gust of wind blew on top of the island. Atop a lone ledge near the peak of Forsaken Fortress, lay a nest. Within this nest sat a large bird, its plumage mostly navy purple, and on its face was a thick stone mask. As it nodded off into sleep, a small boy sat up against the edge of the nest. He clung to a small blanket that barely covered him, which flapped about in the wind. Another gust of wind swept by him, and the blanket slipped through his right hand. He grabbed onto the blanket as soon as realized what had happened. He pulled it over himself again and shivered.
"Stupid wind…" the boy grumbled. "Stupid Fortress… Stupid island…"
The bird half-heartedly turned its head toward the boy.
"Who's idea was this, anyway?" he huffed.
The wind picked up again and blew the bottom edge of the blanket onto the boy's face. He let out a sound of discomfort.
"Why is it so cold?" he groaned. "Why can't that lazy oaf just cast a spell or something to make this place a little warmer?"
The wind caused his hair hit his face.
"Augh!" he let out. "Or at least do something about the wind! It's freezing up here!"
The bird turned its head away, and began nodding off again.
"HUH, PUNK?" he yelled. "WHY CAN'T YOU?"
The boy's voice was swept away by another gust that blew right past him. His blanket whipped around him fiercely.
The emptiness of the fortress responded. The howls of the wind echoed around him. That's right, he realized. No one could hear him. There was no point to yelling.
The boy settled back against the various twigs and clung to his blanket irritably. Ganondorf was so cheap with his fortresses, the boy thought to himself. There was nothing good about this fortress and there never would be.
The bird yawned and ruffled its feathers. A funny feeling against the back of the boy's head. The redhead's eyes looked up. A rather comforting heat, the boy thought, emanated from the soft plumage. He sighed, leaned back, and smiled.
Well, at least they had each other.
He shut his eyes and leaned his head up against a larger twig, with the grin still plastered on his face. As his blanket flapped in the wind, and his matted hair fluttering all around him, he finally realized how glad he was to be there.
Cherry-sama: And that's all for this chapter—
Link: Whoooaaa… Is it possible? Cherry-sama wrote a chapter…with a plot she wrote herself?
Cherry-sama: I have written other fanfics that don't rely so heavily on the game script.
Navi: Still… It's so…weird…
Cherry-sama: Oh, not you too. Let me guess, Aryll's next in line, right?
Aryll: Shut up, I'm planning my escape.
Cherry-sama: (sighs) Anyway, guys, what is the character you miss the most from the previous two fanfics?
Navi: Obviously me. Duh.
Cherry-sama: You're one of the only characters that carried over.
Navi: Er…uh… They missed my lacking presence in this chapter.
Cherry-sama: Well, whatever. Please review.