Thanks to officerpup for being my 100th reviewer!
And a huge thank you to everyone else who reviewed, helping it reach the 100 count! It makes me very happy. 8D So thanks to Screen, Snowyflakes, Joseph Kuo, ZeLinkFanGirl, i-wish-799, Kmiyosis, FantasyFanatic01, Mangageek26, Sbirney, Lordetron911, and SushiLoverForLife!
Yukieclair: Talisman knows some magic, as do most Hylians. He also knows the weaknesses of the Sword of Spirits. Given that he got a shard from it, he could use it against Mordecai. This will all be dealt with in more detail later into the story. 8D
Disclaimer: I sure wished I owned Link! But I don't.
CH. 14
Months passed.
And the relationship between Link and Mordecai continued to deteriorate.
When he spoke to the Master, Link kept the same tired, submissive tone he'd had since his face had first been scarred. But there was an edge to it now. A quiet defiance that seemed to whisper "You may have beaten me, but you haven't broken me" under every word Link said.
It was evident Mordecai was growing increasingly frustrated. When they would have personal meetings – which was more and more rare – his tone was always tense and his brow furrowed. In every way it seemed he was trying to control the boy, but his spirit was too strong. Despite Mordecai forbidding him from leaving the castle unless it was to train with Logon, Link couldn't stand it anymore and had begun to sneak out at night to walk in the gardens. So far, he hadn't been caught.
He found himself secretly visiting Zelda's room often. There was no purpose to it. He would just look at her things, and a couple of times he'd laid down on her bed and drifted into a light slumber. He felt guilty for what he'd done to her. She had been counting on him to do the right thing, and he hadn't. He'd helped the enemy.
But Link knew hindsight was twenty-twenty. And that, at the time, it had seemed like the best decision.
Training had flourished with Logon. They still spent a good chunk of time learning to use swords, which was Link's favorite. But Logon had begun to have him practice archery regularly and even some hand-to-hand combat. He worked his body and sharpened his reflexes. Despite the fact that Link thought the man was just a great teacher, Logon would still tell him, "You're very talented. I've never seen anyone learn as fast as you."
His fourteenth birthday came and went. He hadn't been too aware of the changes in his body until one day when he'd sat down with Hassin for another round of lessons.
Hassin had smiled in greeting, pushing his glasses further up his nose. "Sit down, Link. We are talking about something different today."
The blonde had raised one eyebrow, taking a seat on the opposite side of the small, square table. He noticed no books were stacked about. "Oh?"
Hassin had seemed nervous, and had raked his fingers through his short brown hair worriedly. "Alright, Link . . . you are fourteen now. A young man."
He'd smiled. "Yep!"
"So, as your educator and mentor, that means there are certain coming-of-age things I need to discuss with you."
Link's jaw fell open as he realized what he meant. "Hassin, no! You can't give me The Talk. It will change our whole relationship!"
"Well, someone has to! I'm not sending you out into the world uneducated. The Master sure isn't going to do it. And I think it would be a little awkward for Nenya to."
He had a point. Link sighed, slumping into his chair. "Let's get it over with."
"Alright. So. You already know that boys and girls are different."
"I've noticed," Link responded dryly.
"Right. I'm going to tell you exactly how, what changes you'll go through, and how it all means babies in the end."
And what had followed was an hour of the most embarrassing conversation Link had ever had.
But afterward he'd really looked at himself in the mirror, and noticed that he did look older. He was taller, thinner, his body cut with lean muscle. Training had been getting him into good shape, but it had been so gradual he hadn't paid much attention.
Of course, Link would have taken that conversation with Hassin over talking to Mordecai any day. He'd only summon him to question him on his training and education. Once, however, he'd asked Nenya to send Link down to have breakfast with him. The fourteen-year-old had thought about faking illness but, knowing the Master wouldn't buy it, had reluctantly gone.
They had sat in the grand dining room, soft morning light coming in through the windows and gleaming off the polished table. Mordecai hadn't said anything to him, just had simply motioned for him to sit and eat the food already laid out.
Link had watched the Master eat his own for a moment before starting himself. It had seemed too quiet, and every noise of their silverware or glasses being picked up and set back down seemed too loud.
"My soldiers have consistently come up empty on finding the rebellion," Mordecai had begun, not looking at Link. "It makes me wonder where they might be hiding."
The boy wondered if Mordecai suspected he knew something he wasn't telling. But he didn't.
That's not entirely true, Link thought. I saw that Hylian soldier in the woods.
Still, that didn't necessarily mean a rebellion or Zelda was in that vicinity. So he just stayed silent and ate the breakfast.
"You know how little tolerance I have for resistance to my rule."
Oh, yes. I know.
"It sickens me that people are trying to resist. Form their little," he chuckled, "group of violent individuals that think they have a chance of challenging my power."
Link felt anger burn through him. He clenched his fork tighter, but didn't move it. He stared across the table as the Master continued with his monologue.
"But they will be found out. It's only a matter of time. Then they'll see how hopeless their situation is. It's amusing enough to hunt them down. But once they are rotting in my dungeons, I'll take great pleasure slaughtering each and every one."
Link shoved up from his seat, dropping his fork, and made his way to the door. He wasn't going to listen to this. He knew Mordecai just wanted to make him upset. It had certainly worked. Just as he reached for the handle the Master spoke in a simple, commanding tone.
"You are not dismissed."
He stopped, his hand halfway to the door. He was angry, but he recognized the warning tone in Mordecai's voice. If he didn't sit back down, his life would be unpleasant. More so than it already was. This caused flashbacks of being brought down the bottom levels of Hyrule Castle, unable to move, a knife tearing through his skin as he'd screamed. It made him feel sick all over again.
Frustration causing his face to heat up, he turned around and walked stiffly back to the table and sat down.
"Of course, you were there when that small group of civilians charged the castle," Mordecai continued, as if nothing had happened. "They could do nothing against Rolox, never mind me."
Link had a feeling that Rolox was much stronger than Mordecai, at least physically speaking. And that, without the Sword of Spirits, the man's threat would be reduced. But that was the whole point, wasn't it? Just like someone playing a game of chess, Mordecai had control over all the pieces and could move them as he pleased. Their power was his.
Link remembered thinking Ganondorf and Acroff were bad people. And, to an extent, he was right. But they paled in comparison to Mordecai.
It was exactly one month after his fourteenth birthday that Link snuck out of the castle again to go walking. He used a rarely guarded side door that led straight into the gardens. He peeked out to make sure it was clear before stepping outside and shutting the door behind him.
It was cooler, the year on the edge of the cold season. A full moon bathed the area in silvery light and outlined the battlements. Occasionally a soldier's silhouette could be seen patrolling the battlements, but Link was relatively sure they couldn't see him down in the shadows. They wouldn't be looking for a threat on the inside of the castle, anyway.
He made his way down the stone path, sticking close to the trees. His hands were buried in his pockets. He breathed in deeply. It was nice to be outside at night. It was quiet and peaceful. There was just something about the immensity of the night sky, stuffed with stars, that made it seem like he would find away to get free from all this. That anything was possible.
I feel like a cross between a pet and a caged animal, he thought glumly. I don't know how much longer I can stand this.
But he knew he didn't have a choice. There was nothing else he could do but wait. Tough it out until an opportunity – he had no idea what kind – presented itself.
Link found himself thinking about the four generals and their role in all of this. It seemed Rolox was undeniably loyal to Mordecai, which was a very dangerous position. Sephora had helped Mordecai achieve all he had, but she wanted his throne. Ganondorf and Acroff disliked the Master, but couldn't risk rebellion.
He let out his breath in a single puff. How would this all work out?
"Enjoying the night, are you?"
Link was startled so much that he gave a yelp of surprise, spinning around to the voice behind him. His heart leapt into his throat, his muscles tensing.
Mordecai stood in the dark shadows of a single tree, a soldier just behind him. "I thought I had forbid you from leaving the castle."
Panting from the split-second adrenaline rush and now a bout of fear, Link settled his face into a glare. Inwardly, he was cursing himself. He should have been paying more attention! Of course he would get caught eventually, who was he kidding? He'd been playing with fire. He wasn't sure how he'd managed to get caught, but there were a few possibilities. Mordecai could have been going on a walk through the gardens, a guard in or outside the castle may have seen him and reported, or maybe his increased absences had started to catch notice. It had all seemed worth it at the time. But now, he really regretted it.
The black-haired man seemed to be waiting for an explanation, so Link snapped, "You can't control where I go, Mordecai. I have the right to go outside if I choose." It was the most emotion he'd put into his voice while talking to the Master in a long time.
"The right?" His voice was icy cold. "The only rights you possess are the ones I give you."
Link wanted to turn and run, but to what end? He wouldn't be able to make it away from the castle, the guards would stop him. Inside the castle was just a dead end to eventually being caught. His shoulders slumped in surrender and he hung his head, but still looked sharply up at the man. Making it known that he surrendered in body and not in mind and certainly not in spirit.
Mordecai sighed. "Have it your way." He glanced back at the solider. "Bind him to the tree."
Link started, but didn't run. He didn't want to look afraid and give the Master the satisfaction. The soldier grabbed his wrists and bound them together in front of him with a strip of cloth. Then he yanked up and Link's arms were pulled over his head and tied to a branch of a thin, short tree.
The fourteen-year-old's heart began to pound, his palms sweaty. Oh, please . . . Goddesses, let him not hurt me so badly again! He'd already accepted that fact that he was going to be in a lot of pain. He just didn't want his body to be damaged in the way his eye was.
Mordecai and the soldier were standing behind him, making Link feel vulnerable. He craned his neck past his arm so he could watch them with his uncovered eye.
Mordecai crossed his arms and said simply, "Flog him."
Relief coursed through him – relief that he wasn't going to lose his other eye, or his tongue, or his fingers, or something personal that Hassin told him he could make babies with – followed quickly by fear. He'd never been whipped before, although he'd seen it happen to others. He wasn't looking forward to experiencing it.
With a thoughtful hum the Master appraised him. "You are a small thing for your age. I don't know how many of these you can take." He turned to the other man. "Give him five."
Link quickly turned his head away, staring at the trunk in front of him. He drew in a shaky breath, waiting for the first lash. The anxiety was almost unbearable, twisting his stomach into knots.
Crack!
His body lurched forward from the impact and a cry escaped him. He bit down on his lip to suppress any further sounds. It was so very, very painful.
Crack!
He gripped the binds securing him to the branch tightly, to steady himself and to have something to dig his nails into. I can't make another three, it hurts too bad!
Crack!
He threw his head back, screwing his eye shut as a strangled groan came from his throat. He could feel the blood trickling down his back, warm and wet. It was no doubt staining his tunic and the waistband of his pants.
Crack!
Due to his teeth sinking into his lip and him struggling to stay quiet, a noise that was a cross between a moan and a wheeze escaped him. His legs shook, trying to keep himself upright. One more. One more. One more.
Crack!
He gasped, releasing his lower lip and opening his eye. After a moment a knife sliced through the binds around his wrists. He dropped to his knees, breathing hard. The pain was so intense he didn't want to move. He just wanted to sit there until it stopped hurting, however long that would be.
Mordecai's voice said calmly, "Make sure he goes back to his room. And get Nenya to clean him up. We wouldn't want those getting infected."
"Yes, Master."
As the sound of footsteps went from behind him to the side, Link lifted his head wearily to look up at the man. Mordecai looked back down at him. His face was cast in shadow, but his eyes still glinted sharply. Then the man broke his gaze and continued on into the castle.
The soldier didn't allow Link to stay down very long before he said gruffly, "Come on, let's get inside."
The last thing the boy wanted was for the soldier to pull him up, so he slowly climbed to his feet, sucking in sharp breaths at the pain. He staggered back through the pristine gardens and into the castle. The soldier still trailing, he made his way to his room. He opened the door and drifted inside, standing still for a moment.
Shock, he registered. He was in shock. And it was that moment of self-reflection that woke him up. He went carefully over to the bed and peeled off his tunic, wincing at the pain. He didn't want the cloth to stick to the wounds.
"Oh, Link!" Nenya's horrified gasp came from the doorway. "On Nayru's Love I swear, boy, you will be the death of me!" She scurried over to the bed. "Lay on your stomach and I'll clean those off."
Whimpering because every little movement hurt, he slowly laid face-down, clutching the covers in his hands. Heat blossomed nearby as Nenya lit a lantern and brought it over. She sat down beside him, and he could hear the sloshing of water as she wet a cloth.
"Care to tell me what happened?"
"I was walking in the gardens when I wasn't supposed to," he said softly.
He felt the rag placed on his back and grimaced, sucking in his breath. It stung badly.
"I'm sorry, but this is going to hurt," she told him. "But I'm sure not as badly as the whip did. What were you thinking? I admire your defiance, Link, I do, but I'm scared that one day I'm going to be called to pick up your dead body."
Her voice shook with emotion. That, combined with the pain and the ordeal, made Links' eyes tear up and spill over. His left was a little slower due to it being closed, but a second later tears began to stain the cloth over his eye. He sniffled, and Nenya ran her fingers soothingly through his hair.
"The Master is losing patience with you, I can see it," she said quietly. "Please, Link. Find a way out of here before he kills you."
She was right, he knew. Why Mordecai had kept him alive in the first place – wanting to use his power as the Hero to his own advantage, his own little chess piece – wasn't working out. Link wouldn't bow down to him.
How long would it take before Mordecai decided the effort was no longer worth it, and got rid of him?
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LoZ
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As the months passed the Rebellion grew.
And that created a press on supplies. They were running low. Too many mouths to feed, too many bodies to cloth, and too many hands to put weapons in.
Zelda knew soon the situation would become dire, and then leaders of the Rebellion, Impa and Reego, would need to make some decisions. They continued to go on raids to get more supplies, but it still wasn't enough. When the princess would ask Impa about it, the Sheikah would respond, "You have enough to worry about right now without taking on the problems of the entire Rebellion."
She was right, of course. But Zelda supposed it was that royal instinct kicking in. The need to take care of a country was being replaced by the need to take care of nearly two hundred rebels.
But her Sheikah training kept her busy. Impa always set time out of her day to train her, but still the woman would leave her with instructions to do in her spare time. Most of her day was choked up by chores. The members of the Rebellion would cycle through who did what. Sometimes Zelda was helping to plant and cultivate the crops. Sometimes she was chopping firewood or carving a stool. She would hunt, gather food, skin animals, and even help prepare meals on occasion. She'd join the border patrols and go on raids whenever she could.
There was always so much to do that the only free time Zelda got was when she'd get pressured into it. Impa didn't like her to work all the time, and neither did her friends. She supposed part of it was the fact that she was the youngest. But also a general ideal around the cave system was that it was important to take at least an hour every day to yourself. It kept morale up and put people in good spirits.
It wasn't that there was so much work to be done that every member was constantly working. On the contrary, many had quite a bit of time to have fun. But Zelda liked to have a duty. She was one-third of the founding members of the Rebellion. She was brought up to be a ruler of a kingdom. She was the Princess of Destiny and had the Triforce of Wisdom. She felt a responsibility!
Whenever he'd observe her multi-tasking, Talisman would say in his calm, quiet voice, "You cannot do everything at once, Your Highness. Allow time for peace of mind."
Talisman was a welcome addition to the Rebellion, at least to her. He did a basic amount of chores, and seemed to know a lot about surviving in the wild. No one had even needed to train him like all the other new members they had. Still, he kept to himself and didn't speak much. Many wondered why he always kept his face covered, but he seemed not to hear their whispers.
Zelda knew he did, though. But Talisman had a different way of going about things. He possessed this mysterious aura that always made him stand out. She supposed it was because he'd lived longer than any of them could even dream about. He saw the world in a different light.
One thing that stood out to Zelda was that Talisman had an infinite amount of patience. Even whenever he'd join them on raids, which he did on occasion, and they would have a close call, he would say "We need to hurry, soldiers are approaching" in the most serene voice that it would take people a moment to realize they were in trouble.
He was quite a sneaky one, Zelda would give him that. He moved stealthily, always knowing the best route and the best places to hide. She supposed avoiding Sephora all those years made him an expert in that. He and Impa complimented one another whenever they teamed up. He carried along a short sword that was hidden under his cloak. Despite only having to use it on a few instances, he was very skilled. Zelda knew he would have to be, if he'd been Mordecai's right-hand man.
Zelda herself had had a small fourteenth birthday party. Whenever she looked at her reflection in the river or in her hand mirror, she could see subtle changes. She already looked starkly different than she did when she lived in the castle, but her age was affecting her, too. She was taller, more slender, and was developing feminine curves. It was kind of embarrassing, in its own way.
Especially whenever it was Mitch who commented about it.
He became more and more present, telling her things like, "You look prettier every day", "You're going to be a beautiful woman" and such. She'd ignore his advances. She had little patience for him.
Especially now, as she was working on getting a pile of branches cleaned of leaves for firewood. Afternoon sunlight broke through the trees in patches, the cave a few feet behind her. She was perched on a rock, working roughly with her knife. Other members of the Rebellion were coming and going from the cave. Two people were some yards away talking and laughing. A man was also working on cutting firewood right up against the cavern entrance.
Zelda knew Mitch was standing behind her, and had been for some time. He hadn't yet spoken, and she refused to acknowledge his presence. Her hair was pulled sloppily back from her face, some strands having worked loose.
"Zelda," he at last said.
She sighed heavily. "What do you want, Mitch?"
She didn't know if he was aware that she was Hyrule's princess or not. She had a good feeling that the majority of the Rebellion had no idea. She certainly didn't look like a princess. Zelda wasn't an uncommon name, and there had been an influx of baby girls being named Zelda after the princess. She didn't hold an elevated status above everyone else. She thought, though, if people were really interested they could figure it out. She was named Zelda, she was the right age, she was close to Impa and people knew the Sheikah guarded the royal family. Then again, they could also assume Impa was just protective of someone so young.
Maybe people just didn't care. Hyrule was no longer her family's, after all. Out here, a fugitive from the castle, she was just like everyone else.
He kneeled down beside her. "You're working hard."
She refused to look at him. "Everyone is around here. I do my part. Don't you have some chore to be doing?"
He chuckled. "I helped move supplies to different storage areas. It wasn't too hard, me being so strong." He flexed his biceps in a showy manner, one Zelda could not believe he was serious about.
"Mitch, I'm working."
"I'll help you, love."
Zelda glanced up in anger, only to see Impa leaving the cave and heading in the direction of the river, holding a bucket. The princess stood up. "I need to talk to Impa." She abruptly left, jogging after the muscular Sheikah.
She caught up several yards away from the cave, the woods growing quieter. "Hey, Imps! Mind if I join you?"
The woman frowned at her. "Is there something you need?"
She fell into step beside her guardian. "No, but Mitch keeps annoying me, so I'm trying to get away from him."
"Is this something I need to deal with?"
"No, I don't think so. He'll give up eventually."
Impa sighed. "Well, now that we're alone, I do have something I'd like to talk to you about."
Zelda instantly regretted coming after the Sheikah. Judging by the tone of her voice, she was in trouble.
After a pause, Impa said, "Talisman has told me you've expressed a lot of anger in regards to Link. He's concerned that, whenever we do get in contact with the Hero, you two won't work well together."
"He's not the Hero, Impa," she sighed. "I was wrong about my vision. He's not the one I saw."
Both of them stopped, and the woman's brow furrowed as she looked down at the fourteen-year-old. "Zelda . . . he has to be the Hero. He pulled the Master Sword."
She shrugged one shoulder. "It was some kind of mistake."
"Don't be foolish. You and I both know that's impossible. Link is the Hero that the prophecy mentions."
"The prophecy doesn't exist anymore!" Zelda shouted, throwing her arms out. She couldn't help the frustration taking over. "Okay, you're right. Link is the Hero. But that only disproves the prophecy. He didn't save Hyrule from evil; he helped it fall into darkness! We have no hope now."
After a moment of silence, Impa said carefully, "What makes you think the prophecy doesn't still hold true? Fate often takes turns we don't expect."
Zelda snorted. "Sorry, but I find it hard to believe."
"You are being ridiculous," Impa said harshly. "And if that's how you want to rationalize your anger, then so be it. I will not be responsible for any problems you cause because you are fixated on blaming Link."
Now Zelda was offended. How dare Impa speak to her like that! She'd never been talked down to in such a way. "It's not as if Link doesn't share any blame, Impa! He pulled the Master Sword to free Mordecai. He's living in Hyrule Castle with him right now!"
The Sheikah sighed. "I'm not arguing that Link is blameless, because he is not. But you're having a very narrow view of the situation."
The princess scoffed, glancing irately around the forest. "The situation." She turned back to her guardian. "Impa, the situation is next to hopeless. What chance does the Rebellion have against Mordecai? We're under supplied and underfed. We don't have enough people. We're in the middle of enemy territory. We'd have to break in through Castle Town and into the castle itself before we even got a chance at Mordecai! And then we'd have to contend with the four generals. I don't think Sephora and Acroff will be too big of obstacles when it comes to a battle, but the Triforce of Power and a half-beast shifter? We'll be lucky if one half of us even gets past them. It seems more and more like a suicide mission!"
Surprising the princess, who was panting from her tirade of passion, Impa gave a gentle smile. "We never had much hope to begin with. But look what the Rebellion has turned into in a mere two years. Give it time, luck, and a lot of courage and I think that we have a real chance."
Zelda studied her guardian pensively. Impa's words were calm and soothing. Too soothing. And it gave the princess the impression that Impa shared her worries. For now, though, she relinquished the argument. "I suppose so."
Impa gave her a pat on the arm as they continued on their way to the river. "You have a point about the supplies, though. We've reached a point where it is critical we get more."
"Oh, really?" she frowned up at her. "And what's the plan for that?"
Impa smiled one of her rare mischievous smiles. "I'm having Reego set up a meeting for the entire Rebellion tonight. We have a plan. Granted, it's a bit dangerous, but we are in a desperate situation."
Zelda favored her with a cocked grin. "All the best plans are dangerous. Tell me what we're going to do."
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Please leave a review!
Sorry this chapter isn't too long – close to 5000 words - , but I liked all this grouped together in a single thought. Plus the next section should be lengthy!