Godless

by LoweFantasy

The spell over Hanna's memory and body disguising her as human are broken when she imprints on Link. Dismayed at her failure to hide her child, her mother throws her out, and Hanna finds herself as an unwanted creation of gods who were defeated by the goddesses. She is the last of her kind, hunted, and mated to a man she doesn't know, but she will find her happiness at any cost.

14. Twilight

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Chapter 14

Getting to the lake took longer than I expected and my crappy saddle hardly protected me from Gramps's bony bock, which could have claim to be the boniest back of all bony horse backs. Thus, most of the way, I found myself practicing my flying, which came easier to me the more I played with the air underneath my feathers. Link often turned around to watch, and occasionally he would dare me to a race, which I could just keep up with until my endurance ran out. Compared to the burly mare beneath him, I was nothing.

The sun had reached its zenith by the time we came around a rocky corner to an immense stone bridge. From my height in the air I could see the lake far below, glistening a dark green-blue.

I landed next to him as he dismounted and an exhausted Gramps caught up.

"I'm blaming you if my horse dies." I said.

"I wouldn't say that's fair, I'm surprised he's not dead already."

I reached to embrace my sweaty horse's muzzle and glowered at him. "Take that back."
"Forgive me, your horse is immortal."

"His name is Gramps, not horse."

Link smiled at me as though holding back a laugh. "Pardon. Gramps."

I didn't like his attitude, but decided to forget it for the moment as I peered over the side of the stone bridge. The pillars it had been built upon had crumbled long ago, and it made my skin crawl to wonder what kept it up so high from the lake below.

"How did they build this thing?"

"I wonder the same thing." Link leaned on the old stonework besides me, expression soft. "Sometimes I wonder if it was someone other than Hylians who built this. I once met a strange race called the Oocca who legend says existed before the Hylians. They exist in the sky, the closest race to the gods. Maybe they did, though it beats me how."

"How did you meet them?" I asked, fascinated.

"Well, um, you see that gray cannon looking thing over on that island? Not the one in the colorful house, but the one on land."

I squinted out over the reflected sunlight off the lake's surface. The land that twined about the lake was narrow and scant, at best, and mostly rose up to cliff sides. Planks and docks made up almost half of the useable lakeside. But, sure enough, I picked out the stone cannon perched in the distance, looking more like a tipped over bell on chicken legs than a cannon to me.

"I was guided to that, in a way, by one of the Oocca, and that thing shot me up into the sky where their city is."

I stared. "No way."

But he looked serious. I just shook my head.

"No, seriously, that can't be true. Shot out of a cannon? Aren't those things suppose to be, I don't know, explosive? Weapons of war? Shoot fiery lead balls of death? And then to shoot you up into the sky the g-force must have been incredible! You're eyes would have bled out, at least!"

"Um," he scratched the back of his head. "I only got, like, half of that. G-force?"

"You know, gravity? The force of gravity and the air's resistance against you?"

"..."

"You're not the brightest, are you?"

His face flushed. "I'm plenty smart—smart enough to solve ancient riddles and puzzles and out think monsters with decades of training on top of me!"

"Wow, calm down, no one is arguing that. Chill."

"I am relaxed. I'm just arguing my point."

I sighed heavily. Hair had weaseled its way out form my braid in the trip and stuck to my neck and back with sweat. I felt tired, hot, and was starting to get impatient for a good swim. "I guess I'll meet you down there then." I grabbed a hold of the railing and readied myself.

"Wait, you're not going to-"

I leaped up, flinging my wings wide and knocking him to the side with a feathery blast. I grinned. Dummy should have stepped back. Revenge for being a jerk. I guess I could forgive him now.

With a loud cheer I tipped over the side, feeling the lovely way the air slipped past like silk and tugged on my wings stretched back behind me. My stomach spread out at the release of earth and even though the wind slapping against my face made it hard to breathe, I felt like I had, for the first time in weeks, gotten enough air.

Because laundry wasn't the only thing I loved doing. I also loved to swim, but not just in shallow little streams. No. I loved water so deep I couldn't see the bottom, because beneath the surface, outer space waited.

The glass-like surface wrapped up to catch me. Memories of water bled across my eyes, of father and play and growth, but mostly of my mother's pale hands over mine as she whispered to me about water's soul.

I closed my eyes. But it wasn't till tendrils of water responding to my call reached up and swallowed me that I finally allowed myself to wrap around the hole in my chest where mother had once been.

I really was alone now.

But floating in the wonderfully cool water, nothing could beat that.

I sunk just enough to feel completely submerged, watching the bubbles of my breath rise to the surface, which broke up the sky above like a faceted sapphire, struck through with lines of crystal light. The water in this lake was breathtakingly clear, and I found myself diving deeper in amazement, happy to let the beauty wash me away.

Mother was dead. But that was okay. We would all die eventually, and I'd see her again. Her, and father.

Dead, floating. There needn't be a point.

When my lungs started to burn I reluctantly broke the surface for a breath. It was only when the hot sun touched my face that I realized how cold the water was, but I smiled up at it and tipped onto my back. Huge wings made floating on your back amazingly easy. I felt like my own boat.

I could hear the echoes of my own heartbeat reflected back to me by the water in my ears.

"I should build a house here," I said to myself. "Then I could just float around all day and eat fish. Yeah. And soak in the sun."

"Hanna! Hanna!"

I would have ignored him if he hadn't sounded so frantic. I tipped back upright, wings floating on the surface of the water like my own personal floaties to watch Link swim his way over to me. An idea hit me then and I grinned at my own genius. It would be fun! If I was lucky, he'd pee himself.

Taking a deep breath, I lifted my wings and speared back down into the depths of the water. From underneath I watched him paddle and, ignoring the squirms at the fact that he had removed his shirt to come in, I grabbed hold of the water and whispered my wishes and dreams into it. Bubbles flurried about me in perfect, glass-like baubles. I gathered them about me and reached for an almost invisible mane of fizz.

Just as he had started to dive, I rocketed up on a great pegasus of water, whose wings broke through the surface with the force of small whale. Water broke into the air like diamonds and the horse's hooves galloped across the rocky waves of the lake like solid land.

I laughed high and breathlessly. I could feel the magic of my mother in my veins and I could see through the watery muscles of my winged steed.

I was there when Link came spluttering back to the surface.

"I thought you were drowning, you numskull!"
And then he realized he had to look up at me and his jaw dropped. Sun shining through the horse I had spread rainbows across the lake.

"Look what I did! Look what I did!" I squealed like a five-year-old. "Its a huge flying pony! Hyah!"

With a silent whinny the horse set off at a brisk run, hooves sending up sprays of water, watery wings flapping at its sides like two ginormous waves. It leaped-

And fell apart. I screamed like that same five-year-old girl as I crashed back into the now tumultuous water. Bubbles blinded me. For a brief, bewildered moment I couldn't tell which way was up and which was down. I hadn't taken a breath before falling and my lungs had started to burn.

Before the panic could set in, a strong hand grasped my arm and pulled me spluttering to the surface. I coughed the fish tasting water from my mouth.

"Look, I made a huge flying pony, she says. Oh yeah, you're going to destroy the world someday."

"What's that suppose to mean?" I said.

"Means I find you hilarious."

"Oh, come on, aren't you a little impressed?" I rubbed the last of the water from my eyes and took my first good look at him.

Link's hair turned dark bronze when wet and now hugged the muscles of his neck and shoulders in scooping curves. Despite the sarcasm, he was grinning at me, his cheeks balled up in preparation to laugh and blue eyes sparkling just like the water's surface.

Oh, mother goddess of us all...

"Course I'm impressed! Will you make me one?"

I blinked hard to clear the glitter in my eyes. Could a man technically be called beautiful? Jeeze, this couldn't be right, I was starting to feel ugly compared to him.

I pushed down these thoughts and frowned.

"You want what now?"

"A pony," he said, almost cheeped. "A flying pony, as you said."

I splashed him in the face. "I ain't making you anything until you get rid of that attitude!"

"Aw come on! That was the most freaking amazing thing ever, I'll beg if I have to! Come on, Hanna, let me ride the water horsey."

"Will you stop it with the baby talk? I can say pony if I want to."

"Of course you can."

I splashed him again as he laughed, then turned to dive back under. He grabbed my ankle before I got far and pulled me back.

"Horsey." He said.

Then he splashed me back.

A water war ensued, and when one of the participates can make water fly through the air of its own accord, things get interesting. We somehow ended up back on shore with Link dodging my cavalry of tiny galloping water bombs and rolling behind me to dunk me into the water. Rainbows sprayed about us with the destruction of each of my tiny bits of art, and amidst it all Link laughed, surrounded by lake spray and curls of dark gold hair. I found myself laughing too.

"You're as pretty as a girl!" I cried, kicking up water.

"Take that back!"

"And lie?"

He dunked me again and I just managed to squirm out and flap away into deeper waters. Through a veil of bubbles knocked out by my wings I saw him diving down to me, smirk evident even through the blur of water. I shot up just as I felt his hands on my waist. Gods, he was fast!
He yanked us back to the surface.

"Take it back." he gasped.

"Or what?" I flapped against him. Waves upon waves of water rushed over his head, but he held on tight to my waist. I could feel hot tingles where his fingers held tight.

And then they dug into my ribs.

The tickle seized me up and threw me into fits of giggles which only served to allow water down my throat. I choked.

"Stop!"

"Take it back."

"You're drowning me!"
"I won't let you drown. Say I'm manly."

I wanted to ask why it was so important, though by the wide grin on his face I knew it wasn't. I could only laugh uncontrollably.

"Okay! Okay! You're manly!"

He let go and I sunk down gratefully, only kept aloft by the buoyancy of my feathers.

"Come on, pony fan. Lunch time."

"I'd like to see you make horses out of water. You should be calling me Water Mistress of Noble Steads."

"Fine. Mistress Pony."

I twisted and slapped a wing right on top of his head, pushing him into the water. By the time he surfaced back up, coughing and spluttering, I was paddling my way back to shore and reaching for the planks of a dock.

"I think its a charming title!"

I heaved myself up. "Oh shut up, what's for lunch?"

"Whatever you can catch."

I looked back at him in dismay. "Seriously?"

"What? It shouldn't be a problem for someone who claims to be master of water. Just bubble a fish out or something."

"But I'd have to see one, and we've scared all the fish away for miles!"

"Guess you shouldn't have dived in like that then, huh?"

Annoyed, but happy from our play, I stuck out my tongue at him and proceeded to brush the water from my wings with my fingers. Somewhere in the mess the tie of my braid had gone missing and my black hair wrapped in a mess about my shoulders and face, showing of its blue tones in the summer sun.

Exhausted, I spread myself out under the warm heat of the sun and watched as Link clicked together a nifty compactable fishing rod. When he got up and started to walk up the docks along the shores of the lake, I got up and followed him to a small, lifted island where he sat down, stuck what looked like a dried larva of some sorts to the hook, and flung it out into the water. I took my place next to him and spread out once more in the sun. A companionable silence fell between us and I let myself drift off behind the burnished red of my closed eyelids. The warm instinct in my chest hummed in content to have Link near.

At some point I was roused from my nap by the sound of another voice. I opened my eyes to see a man with a bulbous nose, watery eyes, and a distinctive slouch that didn't help disguise the pot belly that poured out from a distasteful half vest. I rubbed my eyes hard but the strange man was still there.

"-long do you plan on staying here? I mean, with a water show like that, you could really be onto something."

"Well, we didn't really have any plans. We just sort of came here for the day to relax." Link said, attention on his float at the end of his fishing line in the water. "We don't really have a place to stay close to here to do something long term like that."

"That's easily fixed. Give me, say, forty percent of the proceeds and I'll let you have my guest room, food included."

Link glanced at him, a thoughtful turn to his mouth. He turned back to me and, on seeing I was awake, smiled.

"Did you get that, Hanna?"

"Um, I heard something about a water show?"

"That's the gist of it." Link gestured to the new fellow. "Fyer here suggests you could make a decent fortune by performing water shows on lake Hyrule for tourists and visitors and the like. He's offering to give you his spare room for a percent of the proceeds."

Fyer glanced at Link and I, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "I sort of meant it for both of ya. Aren't you two, you know...?"

Both Link and I blushed and denied it, though another twinge of pain went through my chest. That reaction was starting to get really annoying.

Fyer, however, got a funny little smirk on his face. "Awfully suspicious reaction, but however." he turned his attention to me. "Hanna, was it?"

I nodded, praying that the heat in my face would go away already. Despite his odd, floppy appearance, his smile was warm and open. I couldn't get the sense of any sort of malice coming from him, and I wouldn't have been surprised if he had had a similar soul to Ilia's or the childrens'.

"How about it then? I hear you've recently been evicted anyhow and it would really draw in the customers. Business has been in the pits lately."

"Um," I looked at Link for any hints as to what I should do, but his attention was back to the float in the water.

"And if you're worried bout me being a creep, don't worry, the room I have has a sturdy lock to it and I'd be sure to give you the only key—not that I am a creep, mind you. Had my fill of women and don't care for anymore."

I guess I had nothing to lose. And making a living off of doing something as fun as playing in the water, just for people to see, didn't sound so bad. And since there was only Fyer, mostly, if the green man decided to do something again I could just chase him down. I could remember the strength my hands had held when tearing into the dragons, and it gave me confidence enough to know I could at least stand a chance to downing the green man, no matter what he was.

"I guess I could try it for a bit. Do you mind if I only stay for about a week?"

"No problem at all."

"And, uh..." I felt my face heat up again. "Do you like doing laundry?"

Fyer's tipped his head in confusion just as Link burst into laughter.

"Do I like doing laundry?" Fyer repeated, as though the question didn't compute.

"She wants to do your housework." said Link through his mirth. "It's a hobby of hers."

Fyer's eyes widened. "You're kidding."

I wanted to hide. "It's no big deal! I'll stay out of your way, and its your house after all."

"No, no," he leaned in towards me, as though to get a better look. "You seriously like doing laundry?"

Right before I could really give in to my urge to vanish into the mud, he gave a happy little cheer.

"Please! Do all the cleaning you want! I hate that stuff—though, forewarning you, it ain't pretty."

I couldn't help but grin. "That's okay! Thank you!"

We made arrangements to meet up with him tonight to try out the room (he wanted the rest of the day to get it ready for me first as well as to write up a contract about his portion of the proceeds I would earn), and by the time he left Link had reeled up a long, fat, wriggling fish.

"You are by far the weirdest girl I've ever met." he said as he gathered up sticks for a fire.

"And you're saying this because I like to clean, not because I have huge wings and fangs. I think you're the weird one."

"Birds of a feather flock together." he said cheerily. "And lucky you I caught a big one. Ready for our late lunch?"

"More than ready, please."

I helped him cook up the fish. We didn't talk much, though when we did it was with the same friendly tone as before. He told me more about the Oocca and the city in the sky, and how he thought it strange that the city had been built with humans in mind rather than the small, chicken-like Ooccas. In return I told him of the story my father had told me of how our people had once lived in the sky, and we theorized that the same city of the Oocca may have once belonged to my people, and that the Ooccas took up residence when we abandoned it. We played with the idea of visiting it sometime, but I was still too reluctant to try my fate at being shot out of a canon to defy the g-force of the century. I still couldn't believe Link had actually lived through that trip, and unharmed, even.

"You can ask Fyer about it," he said after finishing his half of the fish. "He knows everything there is to know about the physics of canon flight."

And before I could think otherwise. "Why aren't you staying too?"

The pain in my chest twinged again, and I smothered it down.

Link shrugged. "I'll probably stay for a few days, I don't know. I do want to see how Mistress Pony puts on a show."

I groaned. "Do you have to call me that?"

"Yep."

"Why?" I whined.

"Because it's cute."

I pouted and took a big bite of what was left of my fish. I didn't want to be cute. I wanted to be gorgeous.

Afterwards, we put out the fire and sprawled out once more underneath the sun, listening to the hush of the lake waves. I could hear the breeze as a soft hush, like mother. The remaining dampness in my wings, clothes, and hair kept me from getting too hot in the sun. With full stomachs, I think we both drifted off. Every now and then I'd surface from my nap to see Link besides me, curled up on his side, blond hair lifting a strand now and then into the wind. I was relieved to see he looked peaceful, rather than tortured as he had the night before.

I could stay like this. Forget Ordon, this would be the best way to live. Side by side with Link besides a crystalline lake, eating broiled fish and napping in the sun.

As before when I slept near him, no nightmares or dreams plagued me. Just warm, comfortable, wonderful sleep.

When I suddenly found myself wide awake and staring up at a reddening sky, I tried to find what had woken me up. The sun was almost set and its dying rays dyed the lake a rich amber. A vague sense of anticipation welled up in my chest. Could something be coming? Was I starting to get a feel for the green man's presence?

I looked besides me to wake up Link, but he was already up with his arms resting against his crossed legs and his gaze dreamlike across the waters.

"Its almost that time." Something about the way he said it told me he was sad.

"What time?"

"That time when their world intercedes with ours and we can feel the spirits of those who left this world."

I folded my wings around me, concerned. "Why do you sound so sad?"

In answer, he just shook his head, and kept looking out over the water. I looked out with him, hoping to understand a little bit more of what he was trying to say. Maybe it had something to do with that twilight realm he had mentioned to me and the imp that had been his companion on all those adventures.

The warm instinct in my chest spiked in warning, though I shrugged it off as nothing. There was no reason for me to feel anxious. It was just a sunset.

"You know, that night at the spring, where you grew your wings...I didn't believe what I was seeing, at first."

"Understandable." I muttered, though the principle of reality hadn't even occurred to me in that moment. The pain was far to real to doubt. "Probably made you pee your pants, all bloody and freakish like that."

"Not at all." he glanced at me out of the corner of his eye. "I couldn't believe it because you were so beautiful. Unearthly beautiful. All that long dark hair and pale skin, and wings like some royal cape down your back. And your eyes, so bright blue, even in the dark. The moonlight and spring didn't help make it seem any more real."

Something within me trembled and I looked away, both delighted and unnerved by his words. "Be careful how you say stuff like that or I might think you're in love with me."

"I hardly know you. Besides, I already told you that I don't think I even know how to love in the romantic sense."

"That's stupid. Stop being so melodramatic."

"Yeah." he said faintly, looking back over the lake. "Yeah, I am being stupid."

We watched the last bit of the sun slip behind the canyon walls of the lake. The red and amber sky reflected down upon the rippling surface of the lake and spread gold light onto everything else. Link took a deep, slow breath.

"Twilight," he whispered.

Something flickered into being across the lake. At first I thought the shadows of the trees on the opposite bank were playing with my eyes and tried blinking to get a clearer view. But whatever it was steadily grew larger, coming for us, and the next time I blinked I realized it wasn't a what at all, but a her. Even at this distance there could be no denying the curves outlined by the black cloak that billowed behind her, or the long, bright orange hair that blended in with the dying light of the sun.

I heard Link's breath catch, and the instinct within me called out a sore, twanging warning.

"Is she flying?" I asked.

The closer she got, the more traits I found familiar. She had odd colored skin, bright orange eyes, and black, skin tight clothes. The way she held herself as she shot towards us, not leaving even the barest of ripples in the water below her, spoke loudly of the masked imp I had watched fight alongside Link.

Except she had become a tall, elegant, beautiful woman, and the skin tight, strange black clothing only served to show off the male dream her body was.

My heart had started to pound painfully and I scrambled to my feet. Link just sat there, looking as thought he couldn't believe his eyes.

She came to a graceful stop in the air before us, afloat with her hands to her side, as though to hold herself up in the air.

"I don't have much time," she said, and even her voice held a strange, tinging, inhuman quality. "Twilight will end soon."

"Midna?" breathed Link. I could see something in his face, something that made my stomach churn, but though he gazed on her in wonder, her orange eyes fell on me.

"Your god's spirits are terrorizing my people." she said, calm though a vague fire burned in her eyes. "They demand that we obtain the attention of their last child, a pale girl with black wings, black hair, and blue eyes, as well as the awakening of their true bodies in the land of light. They say they have already called you, and if you continue to ignore their calls they will force my people to drag you in to the valley of twilight. They beg your return."

"Midna, is that really you?"

She finally turned her attention back to Link. On meeting his eyes, the severe expression on her face fell. "Don't look at me like that, I can't stay, this was a one time deal from them."

"But you're here."

"And I need you to make sure this girl does something about her gods! No one has died yet, but everyone is-"

He cut her off when he reached out and yanked her to him. Before she could react he had her enclosed in his embrace and his mouth pressed against her purple lips.

Something within me just snapped. It felt as though my chest had caved in upon my lungs and heart, stealing my breath and making each beat a struggle. I clutched at my breasts, limbs growing numb, my vision budding with black stars.

"You bastard!"

But it wasn't Link I heard scream that, nor was it Midna. It was a different voice, one I thought I could recognize as the green man.

"You were suppose to protect her! You were suppose to keep her safe!"

"Hanna!"

This time it was Link's voice and I could feel his hands on my arms.

"I have to go now, Link."

"No, Midna, wait! Where do we find her gods?"

"I don't know."

A whoosh of wind brushed past my face. More dark stars were filling up my vision, morphing it into some sort of tunnel where I saw the darkening sky and the faded image of Link's head, topped with golden hair.

I felt the barest whisper of a touch through my numb arms.

"Get your hands off of her!" Link cried.

"No, you get off! You've done enough damage and if she dies I'm killing you next!"
"What? How is this my fault?"

"She's your soul mate, fool! The gods gave her to you and now you have killed her!"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

The world was flipping. Warm arms were slipping under me. I thought I could smell something musty, like the scent of rotting leaves on a forest floor. The last of my vision showed me green. Fuzzy green. I was falling. It hurt. It hurt so bad. What was happening?

"I warned you, little fledgling. Why couldn't you have listened?"

It was the last thing I heard, and the last thought was that I didn't understand why he sounded so dreadfully sad.

Just so you don't freak out on me, it does get better. But it's going to get worst first. It's the way of storytelling, so just huddle a little closer and trust me when I say I don't believe in tragedies.