Disclaimer: I do not own Link, Midna, Zelda, or that other canon stuff.
That Gargravarr character is l33t for beta'ing this stuff! Thanks a bunch!
(A/N) Blame Minecraft, Fallout, and Mass Effect for the waits! …and I recently started playing Civ V so blame that too!
Chapter 20: Going Home
So far, Ashei had been having a good day. Telma was right; she did need to go out for some fresh air. She spent most of her day strolling at a leisurely pace through populated areas, watching the crowds. Sometimes, she deigned to sit on a park bench and relax.
It had been hours since she had left Telma's place. High above in the cloudless sky, the sun had passed its zenith, and was slowly moving towards the western horizon.
Sometimes, she listened in on the gossipers. Though, she didn't hear anything interesting, nothing she would care about.
It was a nice day. The air was still filled with the fresh smell following a rainstorm. The cobblestone was damp in some places, but most of the rainwater was running off into sewers.
Now, she thought it would be a good time to start heading back. She still had to meet with the Queen, and if she was to be held up again, the postman probably would have delivered her a letter by now.
Ashei was idly eating a cookie as she walked down the familiar streets. It was warm, moist and delicious. Her mind had long since drowned out the buzzing of the crowds as she went, the rhythmic sounds of her footsteps being the only definite noise.
"Ashei?" a voice said behind her.
Ashei turned to see a beautiful woman in plain looking clothing walking down the street towards her. It took her a moment to recognize the Queen. Ashei nearly knelt, but held herself back, knowing that the Queen was likely trying to avoid being recognized in public.
"Oh, your Maj-…um…hello, yeah!" Ashei stammered, "I was just thinking about you, yeah!"
"And I was just about to go meet you at Telma's," Zelda made a motion with her hand, "Shall we go there together?"
"Oh, about our mission…" Ashei started.
"Let's wait until we get there," Zelda interrupted her with a raised hand, continuing with a hushed voice., "We will be better able to notice potential eavesdroppers. Okay?"
"Yeah," Ashei replied.
Ashei and Zelda were quiet on the walk back to the bar. It was an odd feeling for her, just walking along with the Queen as if she was an old friend. Not many people had the honor of freely seeing the Queen. Something Ashei noticed about the Queen was just how silent her footsteps were, compared to her own. Guess that explains how she was able to get out of the castle without being hassled by guards, she supposed, or how she seemingly disappeared for months. Seemed her Queen was quite stealthy.
Then again, she never did ask Link if he knew what happened to the Queen during the war; details on that were so unclear.
Speaking of companions, Ashei suddenly remember something important: how was she going to explain to the Queen how her old companion seemingly vanished, while the new appeared out of nowhere? Hopefully, the Queen wouldn't have too negative of a reaction when they were introduced…
In what seemed like almost no time at all, the two found themselves outside of the familiar tavern. With a movement of her arm, Ashei gestured for the Queen to enter first.
The sounds of cheerful activity greeted them as they stepped inside. Friends were gathered around tables, spending their breaks conversing amongst their selves. Once again, Jovani was busy getting drunk early in the day, though he wasn't the only one. A few more people were also getting hammered, though who they were, Ashei didn't know. Involuntarily, her gaze swept across the high shelves going along the length of the room. Against the shadows, she discovered exactly what she had come to expect – a large dark shape set against the ceiling.
Apparently, it seemed that her companion was doing a good job keeping himself hidden, despite his great size.
The two women weaved through the small crowd towards the same table in a corner that they had sat at the other time. Ashei snorted irritably when she noticed them drawing the gaze of pretty much every man in the room. Near their table, she noticed that there was a group of six soldiers sitting there, their heads down. What struck her as odd was that they were not eating anything, nor were they even conversing amongst themselves. Of particular interest was the lack of tankards, too. Ashei rolled her eyes when one of them lifted their heads and stared at her rather unsubtly.
Both women sat down at chairs on the opposite sides of the table, the wood creaking beneath their weight. The two stared at each other briefly, before Zelda cleared her throat and placed her forearms on the table, "So tell me, did you do as I asked?" Zelda said in a hushed voice.
Ashei nervously scratched the back of her head, "I…guess?" she replied.
"You guess?" Zelda said in confusion, "Could you clarify…?" she trailed off, and then glanced around, "Say, where is Link?"
"That's just the thing: I have no idea, yeah," Ashei said honestly. "I haven't seen him since…well…I'm not sure when…" Ashei said uncertainly. She suddenly sat up slightly straighter in her chair, "But whatever he did, it obviously worked."
Zelda thought back to the previous morning; she had a funny feeling as if something evil had been purged. She couldn't help but agree with Ashei's assessment.
Getting back on topic, "So, what did you find out there?" Zelda asked.
Ashei cleared her throat, and lowered her voice, "Well, there were monsters, yeah."
Zelda raised an eyebrow, "What kind?"
"Undead," Ashei responded, "Link and I…" she paused briefly, "Well, mostly Link, took them down without much trouble," she said honestly, and somewhat bitterly, still uncomfortable with how much she had been forced to rely on Link.
Zelda paused a little at the sound of uncertainly in Ashei's voice, "And…there was something about fog, I assume?"
"…yeah, there was. I never found out what it was, but that's gone too…" Ashei said.
Zelda cleared her throat, "So…how exactly did you two get separated?"
Ashei shrugged in response, "No idea."
The Queen raised an eyebrow. "Are you absolutely sure that…this problem is resolved?" Zelda asked quietly.
"Pretty sure, ma'am," Ashei said, "I would ask Link, but I have no idea where he is, yeah."
"Don't worry, I believe you," Zelda said, sighing slightly, "That takes one problem off my list…" She said contentedly.
"There's something else…" Ashei said, leaning in close. She glanced to the side to see if anyone was listening. The nearest people, the group of soldiers was well within earshot. A confused look came to Zelda's face, and she did the same. "There were assassins…they were after Link."
An alarmed look came to Zelda's features, draining out her previous relief, "Wha…what? Are you serious?" With great effort, she was able to keep her voice as quiet as Ashei's.
Ashei nodded, "It was a large group, two dozen of them…I think…" her voice dropped even quieter, "They killed my horse. Didn't stick around long enough to count if they all died in the end…"
"You…" Zelda started, feeling a pang of guilt at the news that Ashei's horse had died; that was a gift to her. "I'm sorry that your horse was killed, but how did you take on two dozen men all by yourself? I mean, not that I doubt your abilities, but still?"
Ashei scratched her head nervously, "Um, I had help…" she said uncertainly. Here we go… she thought, Now…if I was able to convince Telma… her thoughts trailed off.
A pair of quiet, very familiar voices was the first thing to hit his ears as he slipped back into consciousness. His ears perked up at the sound. Quickly setting aside thoughts of what he had just dreamt, he listened closely.
They were speaking in barely above a whisper, but with his keen hearing, he could make it out.
"Um…I had help…" the voice he recognized as Ashei say.
"Help?" another familiar voice said. He lifted his head from the shelf at the sound of the Queen's voice.
Ah, she's here… Link thought to himself.
"Help from whom?" Zelda said again.
Slowly, Link lifted his bulk, and slowly, noiselessly padded his way towards the voices, his body low. The bar still buzzed amiably beneath him as he walked. He had no idea how long he had been sleeping.
"An um…interesting character, yeah," Ashei said. Very eloquent... yeah, Link thought with a hint of a grin.
"Who? Where is…this person?" Zelda pressed. He could tell her patience was starting to wane at Ashei's stalling. He smiled to himself, deciding to 'help out' his friend.
As he was moving, he noticed that the group of soldiers from earlier was still here. At least he was certain they were the same group. Still, they hadn't done anything, it seemed. Haven't eaten anything, haven't seemed to utter a word. They were lucky that Telma didn't seem to have a no-loitering policy.
Ashei shuffled uneasily in her chair, "Oh, he's around here somewhere," she said as Link was drawing close. Out of the corner of his eye, he could feel Ashei's gaze sweep over him. He imagined to her that he looked like a slightly darker outline. "Yes, around here somewhere…" she said nervously.
Cautiously, trying to avoid catching any other wary eyes, Link shifted his head into a position in which he could see the Queen sitting nearly directly below him. Ashei's eyes kept darting up to his bulk, then back to the Queen.
"Ashei…are you well?" Zelda asked.
Link suddenly got a very nasty idea. Concentrating deeply, he prepared his 'mind-voice'.
Zelda eyed the woman across from her with an odd expression. She was acting very…weird.
"Nope, nothing wrong here, yeah," said Ashei, her eyes glancing upward once more.
Curiously, Zelda looked up, trying to follow her gaze. She swore she could have caught a glimpse of something moving above her. She held her gaze on the spot for a few seconds before dismissing it.
"Ah, you must be jumpy," Zelda said, "Still shaken up from the other night?"
"Uh, I guess," Ashei said, forcing a smile.
As Zelda stared at Ashei for a moment more, Zelda suddenly had a curious sensation. It was that odd feeling she got when she was around something saturated with shadows, the feeling that something was touching her mind. It was something that she had not felt since Midna was around.
"Zeeeelda…ohhhh…" said an unseen speaker. Zelda nearly jumped in her seat, startling her companion. Zelda frantically glanced from side to side.
"Um…ma'am?" Ashei said.
"Did you…hear something just now?" said Zelda.
Ashei gave her a perplexed look, "Um…no?"
"I could have sworn that I heard something…"
Ashei rolled her eyes, "Now who's the jumpy one…"
Zelda cleared her throat, trying to get back on topic, "So…these…assassins. Do you have any idea who sent them?"
Ashei shook her head, "None," she said honestly, "No emblems, no flags, no distinct uniforms, nothing," she trailed off, "And they were human," she nearly spat.
Zelda shook her head in disbelief. Not even a month and her own countrymen…maybe, were already stirring up trouble. "Why would anyone…"
"Boogidy boogidy boo!" the voice from earlier snapped again, startling Zelda to the point where she yelped audibly.
"Uh…are you okay?"
"What the…" Zelda muttered. Suddenly, she had a pang of recognition. She knew that voice. She recognized that feeling. Hesitantly she looked up again. This time, she barely caught a glimpse of a very familiar snout disappear into the shadows. She huffed irritably. Oh, you think that's funny do you? "Say Ashei?"
"Yeah?"
"The…one who helped you…" her voice dropped really low, "He wouldn't have happened to have been a wolf…would he?"
A look of sheer incredulity shot to Ashei features, "Um…how did…how did…"
"Just call it a hunch," she lied.
Ashei sighed with relief inwardly that the Queen already seemed to know about the wolf…but how did she know about it? Was she the wolf's master?
Zelda glanced upward with annoyance towards where she knew Link was hiding. "Had your fun now, boy…?" she said extremely quietly. Soft enough to fall beyond the hearing threshold of all but the most attuned listeners…and wolves.
"I'll explain later…" the disembodied voice responded.
Ashei followed the Queen's gaze at noticed that it was locked on to the very tip of the wolf's nose, barely protruding past the edge of the shelf. A hint of a smile came to her face, "You're the first person to notice him up there, yeah," she said quietly. At least she didn't cause a huge ruckus…
"Mmhm…" Zelda replied, noticing with intrigue just how well such an immense animal was able to keep itself hidden.
"So…" Ashei started, "Are you familiar with…" she subtly pointed upward, "That."
"I've…seen him around," Zelda said, trying to keep just how much she knew about him hidden, "I know he's not a problem unless you get on his bad side…"
Ashei recalled briefly just how effortlessly he had taken down that group of thugs, "Yeah I know…"
As Link was subtly listening in on Ashei and the Queen, he also took it as a moment to watch the nearby soldiers as well. Something curious hit him, something a human wouldn't notice. They did not smell like soldiers; the strong scents of rain, whiskey and horses normally followed soldiers. His sensitive snout detected none of those distinctly. Curiously, he recalled their uncharacteristic scents elsewhere. Somewhere around a camp, close to the site of a once-permanent thick fog…
Very suspicious.
"So…is there anything you can do…about…" Ashei glanced his way, "him?"
"I'll arrange something, but for now…" she trailed off, letting the statement hang, "Anyway, care to accompany me back to the castle, now that your current job is done?" Zelda said softly.
"Sure…I guess, yeah, let me get my things," said Ashei. With that, she stood up and weaved around the tables and chairs in her way towards the bar. She exchanged words with the bartender, which were lost to the sounds of the crowd. Telma nodded once, crouched, and handed the woman a bundle of items that were stashed behind the counter. Ashei wordlessly accepted them, and disappeared in a room behind the counter. A few minutes passed before Ashei stepped out again, fully clad in her armor with her sword belted at her hip.
As Ashei made her way back over to the Zelda, she rose from her chair; the Queen glanced Link's way once more. A hint of a smile came to her face as her blue eyes swept over his hidden, large, furry body.
"We'll talk later," she said extremely quietly. She faintly touched the back of her right hand. With his keen eyes, Link noticed the Triforce mark on the back of her hand glow ever so slightly, and his own mark glowed in response, his paw abruptly warming up. "I'll know where to find you," she whispered to his mind.
Link nodded slightly in response as Ashei returned to the table. "Okay, let's go," she said.
The two slowly made their way through the tavern. Link did not miss it when they glanced his way not so subtly. His gaze was locked on to them as they weaved between tables and chairs, their footsteps lost in the sounds of activity.
His eyes were locked on to the door as it opened, and the two women disappeared behind it. Link sighed quietly in dismay; he felt anxious that he would be stalled, not doing a whole lot for now…especially when someone like Majora was lurking around.
"Okay…let's go…" a new voice said quiety.
Link's head snapped towards the source. His eyes narrowed when his gaze fell upon the table of suspicious soldiers. With a noisy chorus of creaking wood, the whole group, all six of them, rose to their feet. Link was busy analyzing the situation, his jaw absently opening and closing.
They've been sitting around in that same spot all day, they don't smell right, they're getting up now…right after Zelda and Ashei left…and…
He stopped. All of them were armed; he counted a couple of swords, a few daggers, and a mace concealed beneath their uniforms, only just visible to his sharp eyes as their clothes moved in standing. He started making connections in his mind. He had not forgotten that a couple of those thugs from the other day had gotten away…
Link had a sneaking suspicion that someone had ordered them to eliminate the swordswoman, her identity revealed courtesy of the survivors' from the botched hit.
As the sextet of questionable people hastily made their way towards the exit, rudely bumping into more than one person along the way, Link quickly became more agitated. He was becoming more and more convinced that his suspicions were true. Link noticed when Telma sent the disruptive men a scathing glare their way, along with a statement of disproval. Their highly objectionable retort, which Link did not hear was enough to make the woman recoil in disgust.
"Get out!" Telma spat, gesturing towards the door. To Link's surprise they actually complied…probably thanks to the Goron bouncer who was glowering menacing at them. Link became tense as they started filing outside. Sure all the Hylian soldiers he had encountered before were highly incompetent morons, probably because Zant killed the better ones, but none of them were so…inflammatory.
If Link's fears proved true, he would have to chase after those men before something bad happened. He knew that Ashei could take care of herself, she handled herself pretty well against the undead the other night, but he was unsure of Zelda's capabilities. Sure she had proven herself to be a good shot with a bow, although she had borrowed his weapon, along with those light arrows she had conjured up, in that fateful battle versus Ganondorf. However, at the moment she appeared to be unarmed.
Link's eyes shot across the narrow shelves that were running along the length of the interior of the room. Unfortunately, as usual there were plenty of pots that he would have to weave around, and he didn't want to draw attention to himself. The last time he had snuck around in this area, he was significantly smaller, so finesse was less necessary; he could barely fit between as he was now.
Sure he could just drop down into the common room and make a break for it, but that would be too disruptive. He had already turned the place into pandemonium once…and he was drunk that time. He doubted that Telma would be so forgiving. She would probably come at him with female wrath rather than a broom this time. He did not envy the thought.
Then again…I did drop 400 rupees… he thought to himself. Nah, that was kinda funny once…again…that would just be cruel…
Of greater consequence, he soon thought, was being delayed in leaving the building. He had to get moving now. The last thing he wanted was for terrified people to stop in their tracks along his route to the door.
He rapidly tried to come up with a way to quickly get out of here without being seen. He thought back to what he had seen Midna do before. Come on…think…think…
The fog in his mind cleared. What was one of the things he had seen Midna do all the time while they were in the light? Of course!
"Oni?" he asked his unseen companion.
(Hm, yes Link?)
"Would it be possible for me to be completely concealed by shadows? Like, hide in them as Midna did?"
The spirit was silent for a moment, (Partially…)
"Partially? What do you mean partially?"
(Midna was a being of shadow, so she could become one with them naturally. You on the other hand…) he trailed off.
Link rolled his eyes, "Spit it out. Can I get out of here without being noticed or not?"
(Only one way to find out…) Oni grumbled. The relic on Link's forehead suddenly grew warm, and he swayed slightly at the curious sensation that overtaken him. It felt as if someone had shattered eggs all over his body, and their contents were slowly flowing over his fur. Link closed his eyes and panted quietly at the sudden feeling of nausea that had taken him. It went on for a few moments before the sensation abruptly stopped. Link felt oddly cold.
Slowly, his eyes creaked open. Everything seemed brighter; he gasped and squinted at the light. He tried extending his paws to take a good look at them, and his jaw dropped at what he saw. Or rather, what he didn't see. With his sharp eyes, he could see a very faint outline around as to where he assumed his paws were. He doubted that he could be seen at all by human vision. Carefully, he extended one paw over the edge of the shelf, into the light below. To his relief, he didn't instantly become invisible again the moment he touched light. However, it did have a sort of chameleon effect. If someone was looking closely, they would be able to see a distorted wolf-like shape.
(Interesting. That worked better than expected…) Oni said quietly.
"Well, I guess I better give this a test run…" Link said tentatively. Turning his bulk towards the edge, he took a deep breath, and leapt. He landed with a predator's grace in a shadowed corner. He noticed his landing drew a few curious looks from patrons, their gazes locked onto where they had heard a thud. Dexterous as he was, that didn't stop the fact that he was heavy.
He held still for a moment. Thankfully, no one had noticed him, and everyone went back to their socializing. Link took another deep breath, contemplating the walk between him and the door, and all the unwary folks in between. At least on the bright side, if he messed this up they at least wouldn't realize that it was a wolf, and hopefully he would be able to skirt off Telma's wrath. As any man knew, a woman's fury was terrifying to behold.
His body low to the ground, he took one step into the light…and another, and another. If anyone noticed the faint distorted shape padding its way towards the exit, they didn't show it. He breathed a sigh of relief that this was going as planned so far. Slowly, he noticed the relic on his head grow warmer and warmer. He weaved around chairs, tables, and occasionally the leg of a wayward patron. Luckily, when those men had left, they failed to latch the door properly and it was slightly ajar. Link did not miss it when he started getting an odd feeling, sort of like a whisper in the back of his mind that he just couldn't quite understand.
As he was approaching the exit, the sensation in his head suddenly became a full-blown headache. He gasped at the sudden pain, his footsteps faltering. He did not miss it when his cries drew a couple of curious stares towards the sound. He did not know if they actually realized he was there. Summoning his willpower, he forced himself the remaining distance to the door. He put his muzzle to the door and forced it open, the fresh air outside beckoning him.
"What did…?" he heard Telma exclaim behind him. Alarmed, Link quickly padded out the door. "Oh, those damn soldiers must not have closed it properly. Not a moment later, the woman made her way from behind the bar and to the door, closing it behind Link.
Much to his surprise, the moment he stepped into the shadow outside the door, the headache he had abruptly gotten disappeared just as quickly as it came. He was now totally concealed as well now that he was in shadow.
Still blinking away the pained tears that had accumulated from his brief ordeal his jaw moved up and down, trying to form a question.
"O-okay so…" he stuttered, "What was that?"
(Unexpected side effect…) Oni responded.
"What did you do in the first place?" Link questioned.
(Rather than hiding you in shadows, I bent light around you…) he explained, (It is slightly more…um…strenuous when you are standing in light…hence the pain. Just keep in mind, you are still solid. You were unable to completly become one with shadows, unlike your former partner.)
Link nodded once in understanding. That makes sense…I suppose… he thought to himself. He was still a bit…intrigued by the fact that he was pretty much invisible.
(Not to be intrusive but…didn't you have a plan to assist your friends?) Oni interjected, (Wasn't that the whole point of getting out of there?)
Link groaned quietly, "Oh yeah…" shaking himself from his thoughts, he got himself back to worrying about Zelda and Ashei. Hugging along the wall, he made his way out towards the streets.
While he was, for the lack of better words, invisible, the contrast between light and dark was far more extreme. He still had to squint to look directly into the light. The best plan, unless he wanted to get another sudden headache would be to stick to the shadows as much as he possibly could.
Glancing skyward, he could not see where the sun was, its position hidden behind buildings. The bright cloudless sky itself dazzled him in his current state, he shot his gaze away from the seemingly radiant blue, groaning in pain quietly. Closing his eyes and shaking his head once, he continued on.
As he crept along, in the distance he could still hear the armored footsteps of the suspicious soldiers he had seen in the bar. He quickened his pace as they started blending into the commotion of a nearby crowd.
As he passed familiar venues, now looking oddly bright thanks to his current condition, he knew that he was getting closer to the main streets. His jaw dropped in dismay when he made it to the end of the alley that led to Telma's place. His line of sight no longer obscured by the buildings, he could see just where the position of the sun currently was, which was nearly overhead. The wide street, with its bustle of everyday men and women were completely bathed in sunlight.
The artificial candlelight in Telma's place was already taxing on him, but he could already tell pure, uninhibited sunlight would be a whole different story. He most certainly didn't want to drop his concealment and rush out into the open; he would probably lose his quarry in the resulting chaos.
Meh…why can't people just realize that I'm a NICE wolf? Link thought bitterly. Now…how am I going to do this?
Staring out into the brightly light location, he tried to find…anything. At least a small shadow cast by a merchant's stall so he could stay hidden. His blue eyes swept around, he froze up when he caught sight of his target in the distance. He merely caught a glimpse of them before they rounded a corner out of sight.
As he looked however, he noticed something else. His line of sight to where those soldiers had been mere moments ago also coincided with a nearby stall, right outside of the alley. His gaze traced from it, to a support beam protruding from a building, and then to a low roof.
He had an idea.
He took in a deep breath, and then ran out into the light. Almost immediately, that annoying buzzing feeling in his head returned. With a mighty leap, he reached the top of the stall, then directed his body towards the beam. Mid-flight, the headache came back in full force. He gritted his teeth and shook it off as he reached the beam, then promptly used his momentum to fling his bulk onto the roof.
His mind was screaming in pain from the strain of keeping himself concealed. He closed his eyes and placed his paws over them to try to blot out the overwhelming light, now that he was on the roof.
"Oni!" he shouted, "Stop this…thing!" he stammered.
(As you wish…) the voice said, and almost immediately, the world darkened. Link had a feeling like he had just been underwater, and he broke the surface, minus the wetness as the shadow magic receded from him.
Blearily, he reopened his eyes to find the light bearable. Examining himself, he found that he was indeed fully visible again. Thankfully, he didn't hear any worried chatter from below, meaning that no one had seen him. His belly low to the roof, he hastily padded along the roof, using his claws for traction on the tiles. He moved like a hunter stalking his prey, his footfalls completely noiseless.
Thankfully, many of the buildings in the city had little or no gaps between their roofs, making navigation very easy. His going went even quicker as the slanted, tiled roofs gave way to flat stone ones.
It seemed that his quarry had disappeared down another alley, probably pursuing Ashei and Zelda if his suspicions proved true. Looking below, in the distance, he once again caught sight of the men, disappearing around yet another corner. However, the ground had split; three of them turned, three of them went straight.
Effortlessly, Link cleared the gap the alley had created with a single large jump, making an audible thud against the stone. He could still see the group that had continued going straight. Link quickly scaled a slightly taller building with a great leap. With his keen eyes, he could clearly make out the paths the alleys carved between the buildings.
He quickly noticed that from the routes, the two separate groups of soldiers could easily box in…someone. He didn't have time to guess, and he jumped down from his perch, and he sped along after them. With his great speed, it didn't take very long for him to catch up. Thinking ahead, he sprinted past the men below. If they had somehow managed to hear him, they didn't show it.
Less than fifteen seconds later, he found the women they were seemingly tailing. Below, he could clearly make out Ashei and Zelda, the two chatting amiably. He could not make out the words, even with his superior hearing. The ambient noise of the city drowned out their sound. To his amazement, he thought he saw Zelda glance his way.
Must be the Triforce… he thought to himself. Damn it girls, why did you have to take a route through an alley somewhere? Would it have killed you to have…you know…taken a normal road?
Off in the distance, he could hear the armored footsteps of one of the groups of soldiers approaching…in a position ahead of the women below. Craning his massive head around, he could make out the other group coming up from the rear.
By this point, he was absolutely positive that his suspicions were correct. He glanced around briefly. He realized just now how close he was to the actual main street. Seriously, did they have to take the alley?
He sighed sadly, he did not look forward to likely having to kill more fellow humans.
Then again… some darker part of him said, as I am now, that worry does not really apply to me any more…beast…
Ashei was feeling uneasy.
It was that strange feeling as if she was being followed. Ever since the attempt on her life a short while back, she has had the constant urge to keep looking over her shoulder, as if she expected more assassins to pop out of the shadowed corners and attack her.
It did not help that the Queen decided to take an alley of all things. She had insisted that it was so they don't get hassled by the guards. Ashei understood…sort of. As their ruler, the guards would get irritable if their monarch was allowed to roam about unassisted.
Then again, at first glance any regular person would just see the Queen as a beautiful young woman; without her distinct gown and tiara, Zelda looked no different than anyone else. The Hylian military could barely tell the difference between rowdy friends and a mugging, let alone recognize their own ruler on sight.
Nearby, Zelda noticed her companion's unease and turned her head towards her.
"Are you alright?" she said quietly, snapping the other woman out of her musings.
"Wha…?"
"You looked a little distant there…"
"Sorry…I was just thinking…" she said as she idly rubbed the bruise on her cheek.
"About what?" Zelda responded, her gaze locked on to the blemish in question, already certain that she knew what Ashei was wondering about.
"…nothing," Ashei lied. Suddenly she tried to change the topic, "Say, exactly how are you familiar with…um…that great wolf?" she asked. As Zelda raised an inquisitive eyebrow, she continued, "I mean…you don't just…see something…someone," she corrected herself, "Like him every day." Even though it…he, wasn't human, he damn sure acted like one sometimes; a huge, silent, furry, four-legged beast of a person.
Zelda considered dodging the question, but decided against it. "I've…seen him around," said Zelda, "Got into the castle a few times during…the occupation," she injected a little venom into the last word. Even though it had been months since Hyrule had fell to Zant (and by extension, Ganondorf) the memories still left a bad taste in her mouth.
"How'd he pull that off?" Ashei asked, curious. "I mean, I can still remember how those black…things were crawling all over the castle. Several people were crazy enough to try going in, but those who did never came back out."
"You'd have to ask him," Zelda replied, "He isn't much of a talker…" she joked.
"You're right about that, yeah," said Ashei with a hint of smile touching her voice, "So…did he do anything? Or did he just break in for kicks?"
"Oh no, he helped us…me with uh…" she tried to think of an elaborate plot. Something so convoluted as to throw off even the most perceptive souls. She doubted that Link would appreciate it if she free told others about his…condition. The words were on the very tip of her tongue, ready to be unleashed, and "…stuff."
Was that the best you could do, o wise ruler? Some part of her being taunted, some remnant of Midna's personality that remained from their shared body.
Ashei raised an eyebrow, "Stuff yeah? I sure do a lot of that…" she said sarcastically, "Such as?"
"Well…sneaking around…" she supposed that would work, "You know how quiet he can be right?"
Ashei nodded in acknowledgement. "I know, yeah," Indeed he could. It seemed that it was mere minutes ago, rather than hours when she had found the big lupine perched over her without her noticing…until of course he breathed down her neck. Did he deliberately cause people to nearly soil themselves like any mischievous person?
"What I'm curious about is why he suddenly just…appeared in Telma's place during the victory celebration...yeah…" said Ashei, "…and he was drunk of all things…"
Zelda cringed in response at that memory. First day of her official rule and there was a beast 'terrorizing' the people. She knew Link was depressed over losing Midna, but still… At least the backlash blew over quickly.
"…what I'm even more curious about now…" said Ashei, getting Zelda's attention, "is how the same wolf arrived in the nick of time to save me, yeah," Ashei stared at the Queen, "And then I find out that you are familiar with the wolf," Ashei cocked her head to the side slightly, "You uh…didn't send him after me did you…yeah?"
Zelda laughed quietly, "No, Link did that on his own…" her breath hitched in her throat. Oops…
"I…right…wait what?" Ashei did a double take at the Queen, "What did you call him?"
"I…um…" Zelda cursed inwardly at her slip up. She through a quick look over her shoulder, as if to see if anyone else heard her say that. Up above, a large dark shape perched on the roof caught her attention. It looked like…wait it was gone. Hm…did he follow us on his own? To confirm her theory she reached for her concealed Triforce mark with her other hand…
"Your majesty?" Ashei cut in.
"Oh, it's just a nickname…I guess," Zelda lied, "He sort of…reminds me of our hero."
Apparently, Ashei bought it and nodded, "Heh, I was talking to Telma about that earlier, believe it or not, yeah. It's a good name for him…" a concerned look came to her features, "Speaking of which…you think that you will try to find what happened to him?"
Zelda glanced over her shoulder at the rooftops again. Once more, she thought she saw the dark outline of a large, hulking creature high above, but like before, it quickly disappeared.
"What are you looking at?"
"Hm? Oh…I thought I…saw something…" Zelda said honestly, though she was growing confident it was Link. The mark on the back of her hand grew slightly warmer.
That didn't do a whole lot of good for Ashei's mood. She was feeling on edge already. Clearing her throat, she spoke again, "So, about looking for Link, yeah?"
At the hint of concern on Ashei's face, Zelda did her best to alleviate her fears, even though she knew that Link was probably following them from the rooftops right now. "I highly doubt I'd have to…" she said honestly, when Ashei's expression darkened, she continued, "But, yes. I will try to find out what happened to him," she took an opportunity to steal a glace up at the rooftops again.
Satisfied, Ashei nodded, "Okay, good."
The Triforce mark on Zelda's hand grew steadily warmer. It did not go unnoticed by Ashei when she reached over to rub the concealed mark with her other hand. Other than resonating in the presence of the other fragments, she had heard that the feeling could also mean other things, like a sign or a warning.
Personally, she was not well acquainted with her own power. When it was needed, it sort of just…came to her. Like a voice whispered in her ear what she needed to do, like when she saved Midna. There was no long-heralded premonition that she would do it, she just did.
"Zelda!" an unseen speaker said to her. She yelped audibly, startling her companion. That was Link, without a doubt. This only confirmed that he had been following them. She threw another glance over her shoulder. This time she defiantly saw the grey fur of the heroic beast up above.
"Um…your majesty?" asked Ashei.
"I think someone is following you…well, someone other than me, and I don't think they have noble intentions," he said, "There were six of them, but they split. Just to warn you…ugh…why did you have to take the alleys?"
Because I'm less likely to be hassled by guards! She nearly said out loud. Almost as if on cue, a group of three men rounded around the corner ahead, turning towards the two women. They were dressed in the usual uniform of the typical Hylian soldier, the distinct crest emblazoned on their chests, and Zelda wanted to believe they were just on patrol. But, something seemed…off. She stopped in her tracks. Coupled with what Link had just told her, and the fact that the mark on her hand was now itching, she indeed believed that she had the right to be concerned.
Ashei glanced back at her with a puzzled look, "Um…Zelda?" she said quietly, "Looks like just a couple of soldiers, yeah…"
"Ashei…something is wrong…" she said urgently, slowly reaching into a pouch at her belt, fingering the hilt of a small, hidden blade. She wasn't stupid; she knew that as the Queen (and an attractive woman) it would be a good idea to carry a weapon with her everywhere. It didn't have the same…power as her sword of course, but it did its job.
"Huh…?" said Ashei. Still a short distance in front of the Queen, she looked at something over Zelda's shoulder. Concern came to her features at what she saw, "Your majesty…more behind us…" she said while subtly gesturing behind Zelda.
Zelda turned and looked, sure enough, there was another group approaching, boxing them in. "Ashei…be ready to fight…"
Ashei turned to her, "What?" curiously though, her tone was not surprised. Already her hand was straying to the hilt of her sword. After her near-death experience with a certain group of ruffians the other day, she was prepared for anything.
"I don't think these are Hylian soldiers…" Zelda warned, her grip firmly on her hidden dagger.
"Heh, you're right about that," one of the 'soldiers' said in a guttural voice. Through his helmet a cruel leer could be seen, his eyes glinting maliciously. A collective laugh passed through the rest of them as the majority of them drew their weapons, while the 'leader' crossed his arms.
"So, you're the one who killed our boys the other day," he said, eyes fixed on Ashei, "To be honest, I was expecting more." In response, Ashei slowly drew her blade from its scabbard. The leader's eyes turned over to Zelda, "The boss didn't say anything about two people but…" a twisted smile came to his face as his gaze swept over Zelda's body, "Can't really complain, can I? I mean, we are getting paid a lot for this…think we'll take you as a prize…"
Zelda tensed and an appalled looked came to her face. If they had any idea who they were currently talking to, they wouldn't be half as smug. The leader's eyes went back over to Ashei, "Wish we could take you too, such a waste. But…Mr. Dark doesn't like it when people kill his men."
"Mr. Dark?" said Ashei.
"Yeah, and he doesn't…people disrupting his operations."
Ashei cocked her head, "And what did I disrupt?"
"Does it matter?" he drew his sword and pointed it at her, "All I was told is that some bitch killed his men. So, he sent us, some of his best to take you down! …and get paid a lot for it! Not a chance in hell we'll let this pass by!"
I highly doubt 'the best' Ashei cocked an eyebrow, "So…nothing about how many men I killed?"
"No, nothing. I don't know how someone like you did it, but I won't make the same mistake," he said smugly, "The men you killed were clearly fools, unfit to work for someone like Mr. Dark!"
Ashei suddenly thought of something. Nowhere in that arrogant bluster did she hear anything regarding a great wolf that did most of the mangling. These fools didn't know what they were getting into.
She was about to speak but Zelda interrupted her, "If you value your lives I suggest you stand down immediately. You overestimate your chances…" she glanced towards the rooftops again, "…greatly."
The man laughed loudly, as did the rest of his men, "Ha! What could someone like you hope to do to me?" he said, his voice quivering with sadistic mirth, "Do you seriously think you can take me?"
Ashei tensed up, ready for a fight as Zelda glared coldly at the leader, "Last warning," she said with a commanding tone that she usually reserved for speeches. She glanced upward at where she knew Link was perched.
"Think you could lend us a hand?" she said to him telepathically. That was one thing she could easily do without being prompted at least.
His large head poked over the edge in response, staring down at them. She was the only one who noticed him. "Can do, your Majesty…"
"I hope you have a plan…" said Ashei, her blade held aloft.
"Yes, what exactly do you think you can do?" the man said, his voice dripping with conceit.
"Not me," she said, her lips curling into a sly smile. At the man's confused expression, she gestured upward with a movement of her head, "HIM."
Suddenly, a loud snarl echoed through the alley as something leapt down from above. They could see his shadow blotting out the cobblestone well before they could see the rest of him. By the time everyone had looked up, he had already landed and crushed one unfortunate grunt beneath his bulk. A collective cry of dismay and fear resonated throughout the remaining five disguised thugs as a huge mass of irate fur, claws, muscle, and teeth dropped into their midst out of nowhere.
As Link pulled himself off of the first casualty and tackled the next, Ashei seized initiative and lashed out with her blade at one of the startled opponents. There was a spurt of scarlet as the fine blade hacked right through his chest, and he fell to the ground with a thud, a nasty gurgling sound coming from the throat of the soon-to-be former assassin. Using her gathered momentum, she thrust her sword at the second combatant, who was similarly dazed. He too fell swiftly.
Zelda was no slouch either. Apart from being taught how to get around unseen, she was also taught how to effectively use blades of any kind, a talent she seldom used, but nevertheless, she found herself to be quite skilled with them. As Ashei's first kill was falling, she whipped her concealed dagger out from its place in her pouch and swiftly thrust it into the unarmored neck of the enemy nearest to her. Although they had somehow acquired the uniforms and armor of one of her own soldiers, they seemed to put it on incorrectly. The man spluttered in disbelief as she yanked it the side, leaving a gaping wound in the man's neck.
Morons… she thought with a hint of Midna's condescension lingering in her mind.
By now, Link had already killed the other, leaving only the sixth and final, who was also the leader. Unlike the others, the last man standing had enough time to partially raise his blade as the huge wolf barreled into him. Link gasped in pain as the steel blade cut his forepaw, but it was superficial. The blade was thrown from the ruffian's hand and clattered uselessly nearby.
It all happened within the span of about five seconds.
Now, firmly pinned beneath Link as the blood of his dead cronies was pooling on the street, all the smugness that was in the man's face mere moments ago had drained away to terror. An odd strangled sound came from his throat as he looked into the rows of nasty sharp, pointy fangs that were hovering mere inches from his face, the teeth being stained by the blood of his late comrades.
Link glowered hatefully down at his prey…wait why am I thinking of him like this? The man looked so weak beneath him. But his mind was locked into a haze. This fool had tried to harm his pack! The primal lupine part of him shouted. This was the second time in the past two days. Link reared back, his wild side yearning for blood. He prepared to go in for the kill, and…
"Wait!" Zelda's voice cut in. The sound of his 'pack-mate's' voice almost instantly shook him from his haze. Slowly, he craned his neck towards the Queen, who was making her way to his side as his would-be victim squirmed fruitlessly beneath him; he noticed Ashei was approaching him as well.
"I want him alive please," Zelda said honestly, placing her hand on his broad shoulder, stroking his fur gently. Link quickly calmed down at her touch. She leaned close to his ear, "We'll see just what he knows about this 'Mr. Dark…'"
As he was looking at her, he felt someone else gently touch his forepaw. He looked over and saw that it was Ashei, checking the shallow cut he got.
Huh? Healed over already? She thought as she noticed the thin line. She then suddenly realized she never checked the wolf's wounds from the other day, where he got stabbed in the shoulder and shot in the hip. To her amazement, they were already gone too. Why didn't I notice that? "Your boss didn't tell you what you were getting into, did he?" Ashei said condescendingly, turning her head to glower at Link's prisoner.
"Wh-wha-wha…" the former sort-of threat stammered.
"So much for being the 'best', looks like you're expendable…"
The man glared at her hatefully, "J-just you wait! I-I'm…h-he…"
"Yeah, yeah yeah, ha…you're…ow!" she said suddenly as the wolf lightly headbutted her from his position on top of the prisoner, "What was that for?" she said accusingly as Link looked at her and growled disapprovingly, shaking his head slightly. Even though he spoke no words, the look on his face said it all. No taunting. "Okay, fine, yeah."
"What's going on here! What's with all this racket!" a new voice yelled as armored footsteps were rapidly approaching. From around the opposite corner, a trio of soldiers appeared. Real ones this time, Link could tell. "What are you…what are you…" the one in the lead's word trailed off at the carnage in front of him. Their eyes darted from Link, to the blood, and finally to the uniforms the corpses were wearing. "By the Goddesses…what is…how the…" he stammered. He shakily pointed his spear at them, obviously somewhat demoralized at the scene in front of him. Hesitantly, his companions mimicked their leader. "Why…you…you beast!" he shouted, his eyes fixed on the huge wolf, seemingly oblivious to the two women calmly standing right next to him. Link could smell the fear rolling off of him. "I'll…We'll…"
"Stand down, soldier!" Zelda barked, taking a step forward, trying to seize control of the situation.
The man acted as if he just noticed her now, "I…who are you…you…murderer!" he spluttered.
Zelda groaned in annoyance. Sometimes it was problematic when someone didn't recognize who she was. Promptly, she reached into the pouch on her belt. The lead guard's eyes followed her hand. A moment later, she pulled out a glistening golden signet ring, holding it aloft.
The man's eyes were fixed on the ring. Then his eyes darted to Zelda's face. It took a moment, but finally his eyes flashed with recognition. "Q-Queen Zelda?" he stuttered. Abruptly, all three soldiers dropped to one knee, much to the chagrin of their ruler, "Your Majesty. W-what are you doing out here?"
Zelda rolled her eyes, "Rise," she said promptly, and the men obeyed. "That is my business."
The lead guard's eyes darted back to Link, and only now did he realize that there was another woman standing right next to him. "Lady Ashei?"
Ashei snorted at the title. Being a knight technically made her a noble, but the title…Lady just sounded so…girly. She wasn't exactly the girliest woman around. "Yep," was all she had to say.
"And what are…this beast," he gestured at the corpses, "And the soldiers but…I…"
"They were impostors," Zelda said promptly, "And the wolf just…" she decided to play up Link's role, "…protected me from an attempt on my life."
The dumbfounded look on the guard's face was priceless, "W-what? It…"
"He," Ashei cut in.
"Yes, and that reminds me," she gestured to the man pinned beneath Link's bulk, "Their leader is still alive, take him into custody."
"Uh…yes, right away your Majesty," he said. He gestured for his followers to go forward. Hesitantly, they both approached the huge wolf, their steps becoming shakier and shakier the closer they got.
"Oh show a little backbone!" Ashei barked irritably.
Oddly, they actually heeded her advise and closed the distance to Link.
"So um…" one of them muttered.
"How are we going to do this?" the other said.
Noticing the situation Zelda pointed at Link and made an upwards gesture, "Would you kindly?"
Barking in response, Link lifted his bulk off of the prisoner. As he did, the attempted assassin mumbled something. Now, no longer pinned down, both soldiers hesitantly bent down and seized the man underneath each armpit. The man groaned as he was pulled out from underneath Link.
As he was getting dragged away, the remaining soldier cleared his throat. "So uh…" he pointed at Link, "What are going to do with it…" Ashei shot him a harsh glare, "er…him. What are going to do with him, your Majesty?"
Zelda glanced at the lupine hero as he sat down on his hindquarters and stared at the non-quadrupeds quizzically. "Well, seeing as how he saved my life, I think I owe him," she walked over to him, crouched slightly and wrapped her arm around Link's neck, "I think I'll take him with me, unless he has any objections?"
Link snorted once, "Not at all, Zelda…" he replied.
"Well…uh…okay? Shall escort you to the castle then?" said the guard.
Zelda nodded as Link got back to his feet, "Very well, lead on," she made a gesture with her hand. "She glanced back at the corpses, "And get someone to clean up this mess, would you?"
Link glanced at the Queen and huffed once as he fell in step behind her.
This is going to be interesting…
(A/N) Again, sorry about the huge ass wait! Review pl0x! The next chappy WILL be faster, I swear to you in the name of [REDACTED]!
Random writing gripe: If English isn't your main language, and it's less than stellar, you should get a beta who does speak fluent English
FYI, the answers to last chap's questions were:
1. Boomerang, you NEED the magnifying glass to get it, and it's real damn OP in Link's Awakening! Sadly, no one got it
2. blarfshnorgull was correct! That line was indeed spoken by one General Lee Oliver from Fallout:NV! Congrats, you win a slice of internet cake.
This chapter's questions:
1. In the very first LoZ game, how many heart containers do you need to wield the magic sword?
2. In Civilization V, what is the name of the achievement you get for nuking someone?
Hurrah! 100 reviews! I'm like…that's like…uh…thank you all for your comments, reading this stuff, and other stuff!
One last thing: I'm trying to think of a l33t new description for this story! If you have any ideas, put em in the comments!