Chapter Twenty-One – Forgotten Dream
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Chapter Twenty-One – Me, myself and I
Having never before come around from a faint before to the sensation of having her face licked by a huge hairy dog-wolf-type-thing, Zelda did what came naturally. ZAPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP. Amber yelped in surprise and jumped back, her hackles were raised but as her fur was standing on end, it was hardly noticeable.
"Oh Amber, I'm so sorry." Cried Zelda, whilst making 'come here' motions with her hands. Amber watched her for a long moment, deciding on whether the strange human could be trusted or not, before taking a somewhat cautious step forward to offer Zelda's hand a perfunctory sniff. The peace thus being repaired between them Zelda took stock of her surroundings. She was disappointed - but not surprised – to see that she was still in the deepest, darkest cavern of the catacombs. She was still trying to flatten her body against a cold wall, and it was still as nasty and scary as she remembered. And there was no sign of her companion.
"Link?" Zelda called into the darkness. When there was no response, she called again, louder. Amber joined in by offering some completely sinister howls into the equation, which so threw Zelda that she had to fall silent again. Every time she even opened her mouth, she heard Amber take a deep breath, and every time she so much as squeaked, Amber seemed to take delight in sitting back on her haunches and singing at the top of her eerie voice.
"You are just as bad as Link." Reprimanded Zelda, as she patted the dog's head.
"Aaaaawooooooooooooo." Replied Amber, her tail bashed happily against Zelda's legs.
"Yes, I daresay that's true." Continued Zelda, above Amber's wails, "But you should Hush."
Amber fell silent.
Zelda was surprised by the dog's abrupt obedience. She began to wonder what other words and tricks were in her repertoire. She decided to investigate later, for now she wanted to find Link and get out of this horrible place.
"Find Link." She ordered. Amber sniffed loudly but didn't do anything. Zelda sighed. "I thought it would be too much… Amber, HUSH!!" The wolf stopped her singing and whined. Incredibly guilty, Zelda rested a hand on the dog's ruff. The instant her hand touched her, Amber moved forward.
"Hey…" Began Zelda, jolting her hand away from the dog. Amber stopped again. "Don't do that to me…and HUSH!" The wolf-dog sighed loudly and waited until Zelda gently pulled one of her ears before moving forward again. Zelda loosed her grip again and Amber halted. She could almost feel the animal's contemptuous glare on her as she sighed again. "Are you trying to lead me?" Zelda wondered aloud. Amber whined and bashed her tail against Zelda's bare legs. As she rested her hand on Amber's coat, she felt the dog walk forward again and she came to an unsurprising conclusion: "Wow, you are much smarter than your master!" She exclaimed. "Good girl! Now – find him."
Pleased that the stupid human had finally understood what she had been trying to tell her (in Amber's opinion all human's were pretty dense), the wolf began tracking Link.
Following a trail as clear to her as a roadway, Amber paced slowly onward through the darkness of the tomb, the only sound was her constant sniffing. She worked methodically, taking her time, for she knew the human hanging onto her fur so tightly could not see through this hateful darkness. Her master had commanded her to stay with the girl and she had never yet disobeyed his voice.
It was an erratic pattern her master had taken and there were many false trials, some the wolf could distinguish, some that she would follow for a few moments before realising her mistake. The odd thing was, thought Zelda as Amber began retracing her steps; they always seemed to return to the same place: Zelda Emalia's grave.
After a couple more circles, Amber gave up and sat next to the tomb. Amber Zelda patted her head lightly and sighed herself. She shared the wolf's frustration. The only sign of Link's presence was the lantern that he had been holding just before vanishing. It had been placed neatly on the stone slab of Emalia's crypt. Zelda had taken it and lit it whilst managing not to take a look at the fallen princess. It was hard enough for her to be in the same room as this many corpses, let alone for her to actually start examining them, yet she knew she would have to. Zelda Emalia was the only thing that might hold a clue to Link's whereabouts. Grimacing and trembling violently, Zelda mustered her courage to look at the skeleton. As her eyes alighted on the body, she gasped.
As Link had observed, Zelda Emalia was remarkably well preserved. Perhaps because of the cold of the chamber, or perhaps because of some ancient enchantment that had lingered in her blood long after the breath departed from her body, the young woman appeared to be sleeping. Apart from the odd twist of her slender neck, she looked like a porcelain doll. She had been a remarkably beautiful woman and was still exquisite after nearly one thousand years of slumber. A thin veil covered her body. Her left hand rested on her breast, perhaps it had once clasped a flower; the right lay by her side, twisted slightly. The only thing that marred her beauty was the turbulent sadness of her expression. She was not enjoying a peaceful slumber. Her dreams were filled with nightmares. In the dim lamplight, Zelda could see dark patches on her wrists and neck.
"Poor girl" Whispered Zelda as she turned away, with tears glistening in her eyes. It was clear to her, for she had seen such marks before, that Zelda Emalia had been strangled and her wrist broken. That such a beautiful, peaceful creature should meet such a horrible thing was repugnant to Zelda. Not being conversant with Emalia's history, Zelda did not know that Emalia's body had been discovered years after she vanished, hanged in the very chamber where she now rested, nor did she see the mark on the back of her right hand. The goddesses' power had departed her body with her last breath but the scar of their glory still marred her skin.
Zelda sniffed and wiped her eyes. She blamed her unexpected sorrow for a girl she had never known on the lateness of the hour and the unsettled state of her nerves. She discounted the instant empathy she had felt for the forgotten princess as a mere fancy of her imagination. She straightened her shoulders and shook her hair from her shoulders. "I must find Link." She decided. "Come on, Amber."
As she stepped forward, her foot glanced against something hard. Startled she leaned over to see what she had tripped over. "Huh? The Lens of Truth?" She whispered, gazing at the Sheikah artefact with a frown. She remembered clearly what Link had said about the tool – it could see things unseen. She shrugged. "Might as well give it a shot." Slowly she raised it to her eyes.
Suddenly the room changed before her eyes. It was no longer dark but filled with thousands of tiny sparkles that lit it eerily. The corpses and bones vanished, and in their place lay sleeping figures, beautiful in their eternal rest. Her heart pounding in her chest and her breath clutching painfully at her throat, Zelda slowly turned. The air was so cold she could see her breath rising before her eyes.
"If you are looking for me." Came a soft voice from behind her. "You must be seeking the Ring of Deception."
Zelda swore, jumped and dropped the lens of truth in one fluidic motion. The room went instantly dark and sinister again. Fortunately the Lens had not fallen to far from her feet and after a moment of frantic scrabbling around in the cold dust, Zelda's fingers clutched its handle again. She raised it again and swung around to Emalia's grave.
In years after, when recounting this tale, Zelda was often heard to remark that all her fear had vanished the instant she saw Zelda Emalia's ghost. Although her aura was cold and calm, it was also kind-hearted, and this seemed to transmit into Zelda's conscious thoughts, stilling her panic and engendering her confidence.
Only when Zelda had recovered her poise, did Emalia speak again. Her voice was soft and refined (as befitting a Princess) and her manner was slightly aloof. "You seek Lord Tolmei, my husband." Her words were neither statement nor question, and no emotion showed on her face. "Therefore you must be cursed by Saeru. If that is the case I understand why you must destroy him…
"I…I'm sorry…" Began Zelda, stammering.
"For what are you apologising?" Interrupted Emalia, raising a translucent white hand, "I would not regret his passing to hell." She laughed as she saw Zelda's reaction to this, "Do not think I loved him. I would be happy to see his demise. He was a despicable man." She smiled enigmatically and stood, shaking out her skirts. "If you seek Tolmei, then I will assist you. Come."
"Wait." Said Zelda, running to catch up with the graceful figure. "I do not seek Tolmei, well not on my own at least. I had a companion…Link."
"Link?" Emalia stopped in her tracks and swung around repeating the name. "Link is with you?"
"Do you…know him?"
Emalia bowed her head again and turned away. "I forget sometimes that I have long departed from this mortal coil. The Link I knew perished long ago. He was too late to save me. He was the one who eventually found my body, long after Tolmei had hung it…" She stopped recounting her tale as she noticed that Zelda's face had turned a peculiar shade of green. "Does my tale distress you?" She asked, quite surprised. "I suppose I have grown accustomed to viewing myself from afar, I forget it may upset others hearing me speak in such a manner. I believe that you are the first person ever to visit me in my slumber to notice that I did not augment my own death. My Link believed that was because I had lost my husband. He always was a little…dim-witted." She smiled at the memory. "But that is in the past. Where has your companion gone?"
"I don't know. He was looking at your grave and then it went dark and the next moment I was alone."
"He was at my grave? Oh, I see. I know where he will be. I will take you to him." Emalia smiled, "My companionship will be useful to you yet, I know the quickest route to the burial mound where Tolmei lurks, and whilst we are travelling, I will teach you how to use your magic more effectively."
"You know about my magic?"
"Of course. All women in our family have the Potential."
"O-our family…?" Began Zelda, but Emalia had already drifted a good distance away. She sighed and called Amber to her side.
"Will Link be alright?"
Pausing mid-cast of a fire spell, Zelda Emalia surveyed her companion slowly. "You adore him." She remarked.
"WHAT?" Zelda fairly screamed, "You think I love that idiot?"
Emalia chuckled and returned to her spell. Sparks flew from her fingers, drawing strength from the power of the goddess Nayru. The sealed door blocking their path had no chance. Zelda much preferred this method of 'dungeon crawling' to the more traditional mode adopted by Link. Instead of looking for keys, or solving puzzles, Emalia used her magic to blast holes through doors and walls, slice through thick metal bars, and light lanterns. She glided across the threshold before returning her gaze to Zelda and saying, "Well, don't you?"
"No!" She noted Emalia's amused look and turned away. "Maybe I like him, a little but…"
"That's how it always starts out." Mused Emalia, as she incinerated two unwary un-dead creatures with a bolt of light, whilst floating across the room. "Does he love you?"
"No…at least I hope not...I think" Stammered Zelda, fixing her embarrassed gaze on Amber's shadowy form. "Does it matter anyway?"
Emalia chuckled again, "Perhaps. It depends on what Tolmei has done with your Link."
"He's not my…oh never mind, what will Tolmei do to him?"
"You'll see." Laughed Emalia, and glided on ahead at an even faster pace.
Zelda could only be glad that the conversation had ended. Puzzling over exactly what she felt when she imagined her unconventional friend was a fruitless exercise. The answer was, she didn't know what she thought. Nor did she know what to make of Emalia.
She still hadn't made up her mind when they reached the final sealed door. Emalia had grown more and more cheerful the further into the gloom they had travelled. For a ghost she knew an awful lot of magic, and was more than capable of using it. Her fingers were at that moment glowing silver, ready to melt the lock on the final door. Her eyes were glowing peculiarly in the darkness, and she was floating about a foot off the floor. She was also humming.
"My dear, whilst Tolmei breathes this is as far as I can take you. Are you prepared?" She asked, breaking off her song to look at Zelda. She smiled sweetly, "One last thing before we cross into the unknown – did you earn your Sheikah armour?"
"Pardon?"
"I mean: can you fight?"
"Um…well…"
Emalia sighed. "Oh dear." She glided back over to Zelda and gazed at her, "And you don't love your Link? Then I wish you the blessing of the Goddesses in your forthcoming trial and wish I could be of more assistance to you." Emalia nodded and blasted the rusted metal lock. The chains glowed white for a second before crumbling to the floor. She cast a glance over her shoulder at Zelda and smiled. "Perhaps I should warn you before you advance: there was only one thing in the whole world that had the power to terrify Lord Tolmei...me."
Zelda had thought that nothing could be worse than the catacombs but she was wrong. The air in Tolmei's lair was oppressive and thick. It seemed to catch in the back of her throat and it stung her eyes. She felt breathless, tired and disoriented. Even the lens of truth could not cut through the darkness. Once again she was forced to rely on Link's pet.
Amber was reassuring her by keeping up a nice morale-destroying growl, she stalked slightly ahead of Zelda, crouching as she walked, hackles erect, ears pricked. For once Zelda did not object to Amber's growling. Well, she did, but she had the feeling she would infinitely prefer any noise Amber could make to the dead silence of the tomb. It was reassuring to know there was one other creature alive in there. Emalia was not able to cross the threshold.
"L-L-Link?" Zelda called his name softly and was not at all surprised to hear that her voice was shaking as much as her whole body seemed to be. She shivered and reached out her hand. Her other she kept held firmly on Amber's collar. All around her she could feel the presence of something else – a dark and sinister thing that pervaded her very thoughts yet remained invisible.
There was no answer to her soft call. She tried again, a little louder. Her voice seemed to echo off walls that were invisible to her. Amber growled a little louder.
Terrified and almost alone, the weight and horror of the darkness started to slip into her mind, making her almost desperate to give in, turn back, or just curl up into a ball, crying.
The feeling of hopelessness smothered her further. Only Amber's presence, felt through her thick fur and deep rumbling growl, encouraged Zelda to keep on her feet. She could feel cold tears of pure horror stinging her cheeks and hastily wiped them away. She felt almost as though she was trapped. A whole wave of emotions crashed into her as soon as she said the word in her mind: trapped – she was trapped in this hateful darkness, she had no hope, and no one could save her…
Amber's growls diminished and she halted as she realised that the human was weakening and lagging behind. A careful olfactory study of the girl showed she was being consumed by terror. Her sweat glands were excreting water, her body was trembling and her temperature was cooler than it should be. Amber toyed with one or two ways to tackle this (both were lessons her master had taught her): reassure the pitiful human, or bite her.
After one long sniff, which drew no response from the petrified Zelda, Amber decided on Option Two.
Amber sat on her haunches watching the theatrics after Option Two with an almost self-satisfied look on her face. The two-legged-idiot-puppies usually frowned on any form of biting (for some odd reason) but every good wolf-come-dog knew that the best way to get a fellow's attention, make them obey you, or just to warn them, was a gentle nip on a nice fleshy limb. In her humble opinion, the girl was over reacting by screaming then crying then shouting "Bad Dog!" She waited until the colourful magical display was over before sniffing the leg she had bitten (a nice clean little nip, thought Amber, with no breaking of the skin but enough pain to snap the stupid creature out of her terror) and whined.
"It's no good apologising now!" Retorted Zelda, although she did place her hand back on Amber's collar. "I won't forgive you." Amber whined again, and just for the sake of peace, gave the part of Zelda's arm she could reach a kiss. "You know what, Amber?" Decided Zelda, "You are as bad as Link." She smiled at the thought and rubbed her leg. Her Sheikah armour had saved her from any actual injury but it had been a shock. She stood up and patted Amber's head. "You know, I don't feel so scared now… "
If Amber could have spoken she would have told Zelda in a few choice words that not being scared was only to be expected – a shock tends to have that effect on one, but having not been blessed with the gift of speech, the wolf could only sigh.
The lens of truth was not very good at picking through the darkness but Amber was. She had found Link's scent again and was following the trial purposefully, and rather quickly. The floor was even so Zelda didn't stumble, but even so, she felt rather breathless as she was dragged behind the fast moving wolf. This time they were not travelling in circles. Amber was heading in a definite direction and somehow the darkness seemed to be thinning and lifting. As the darkness began to lift, Zelda began to hear snatches of a soft melody.
"Hello?" She called.
The song stopped and far ahead of her, a light appeared. Amber growled and practically sprinted towards the lantern, dragging poor Zelda behind her. She came to an abrupt stop, as she perceived the person holding the lantern, Zelda almost falling flat on her face as she did. Blinking the dust from her eyes Zelda raised her eyes and then gasped.
"Link?"
Link blinked as he saw the two and tilted his head. "What are you doing here?"
"We came to find you, dummy." Replied Zelda, tripping over to him, grinning. He looked a little shell-shocked but other than that, okay.
"…Zelda…?" She heard him murmur, as she embraced him. She guiltily enjoyed the relief of finding him, and the feeling that all her fears had just been brushed away. But something seemed different. Link did not immediately return her hug, and when he did, he did not try to crush her bones (as he normally did) or say anything stupid.
"Are you alright? You seem…odd?" She remarked, pulling away, a look of worry visible in her eyes.
"I am well." Replied Link, a little robotically. "I have a headache…"
"That explains it." Laughed Zelda, relieved once again. "Hit your head again?"
Link smiled ruefully, "Something along those lines, yes."
Zelda hugged his arm and grinned, "Never mind, I am just so glad to see you. I was worried. What happened to you? Did you find Tolmei?"
"Yes. And I have the Ring of Deception." Replied Link; again his manner was a little stiff as he raised his hand to her so she could see the glittering amethyst signet ring, placed on his right hand.
"Oh, well done." Said Zelda, glancing up at his eyes. "What about Tolmei? Where is he?"
"He is in that cage over there." Replied Link, "I cannot destroy him for I do not possess the power of Illumae. I trust you can do the honours."
Casting another glance at Link's profile, she nodded. "I suppose." Link smiled at her and took her arm, leading her towards the cage. She did not find a man locked there, but the beautiful Zelda Emalia. Zelda was not surprised to see this, for she knew that Tolmei would have become into the thing he feared the most, which in his case, had been his wife.
"What I don't understand," Said Zelda, as she looked at the Lord Tolmei, locked into the body of his beautifully fragile looking spouse; "Is what Tolmei was so frightened of in the first place."
Link's hand touched the magical barrier surrounding the cage and for the briefest of moments, Zelda saw a strange look fill his eyes. "Zelda Emalia was not all she seemed." Explained Link. The caged woman glared at him. "She appears to be a beautiful, enchanting creature, but in reality she is full of deceit, hurt and lies.
"Lord Tolmei feared for his life when he was with her." He continued, deliberately provoking Emalia, or Tolmei, by smiling at her. "She was a great sorceress, but only he knew her true nature. The people believed her to be a goddess reincarnated, he knew her to be a witch. She hated him with a passion that consumed her heart so deeply that she began to practice the dark arts. Tolmei feared not only for himself, but also for the lives of his family, and indeed for Hyrule. She was allied with the devil himself and sought only her own advancement."
"She sounds rather nasty." Commented Zelda, her eyes drawn to 'Tolmei's' dark blue orbs. The creature in the cage shook her head slightly.
On seeing this, Link laughed, "Oh do not believe those innocent looks, my dear, Tolmei seeks to deceive you just as his beloved Emalia would deceive him. If you cut into his heart, it would be as black as his blood. Kill him now and let us depart from this place."
Zelda took one last look at the captured Emalia and returned her gaze to Link. "Very well." She concurred. "I suppose it is only fair, he did murder Emalia after all."
"Yes, a life for a life." Agreed Link, his eyes flashing happily.
Zelda gazed at him for a moment, remembering Emalia's words. If the Link in the past had not realised the true nature of her death, then her Link wouldn't know either, would he? He met her eyes squarely and smiled.
"Link?"
"Yes?"
"Before we go, will you tell me something, honestly?"
"Of course." Said Link, smiling again.
"Is Amber really a wolf?"
"Amber…?" Link's confused look did not go unnoticed by Zelda; his eyes flicked passed her and rested on her companion for a brief moment. "Ah…what an odd question, my dear, of course she is a wolf. Anybody could see that."
"Then she is not a Hylian Terrier?"
"Of course not." Laughed Link, he shook his head with amusement. "What kind of an idiot would ever suggest that beast was?"
"You." Replied Zelda, quickly drawing her sword. "Well, not precisely you – more the man you are trying to impersonate. Lord Tolmei, you might as well tell me now. Where is Link?"
"What nonsense is this?" Link laughed a little unsteadily and took a step back, giving the sword a nervous glance.
Zelda poked it towards him and advanced, "I repeat: you are not Link. Tell me where he is. Now."
"I tell you: I am he!" Exclaimed Link, stepping back again, almost cowering before Zelda.
"Fine, then answer me this: where did we meet?"
"Er…"
"Who is my guardian?"
"I…"
"What did you steal from Tingle? What's the name of your betrothed?"
"That is easy – the name of my betrothed is Zelda? Correct?" He flashed a grin at her. "Now, my love, do not be hasty over this matter. If I am behaving in a manner to which you are unaccustomed, blame it on the grievous injury I have sustained to my head. I do beg of you to reconsider. Lord Tolmei – that creature in the cage – is your enemy here, not I, Link, your love."
Zelda paused and watched him thoughtfully. "I see why Emalia despises you." She commented. "You are truly a contemptible man. Do you really think I would not see through your feeble disguise? If you seek to convince me that you are indeed Link – the Link I know, and incidentally do NOT love - then you should at least attempt to model your speech on his. Link is not really the smartest man I know, most of his sentences are constructed by guess, and he is only less annoying than Tingle, but no amount of bashing him on the head could possibly have so dramatically changed his personality into that of a self-centred, snobbish coward. Plus," Added Zelda, swinging her sword menacingly at him, "Link does not cower. Ever."
At this moment, a screech of rage and frustration was dragged from "Link's" throat. His hands curled into fists and his snarled at her and suddenly the trappings of Link fell away from him like a curtain falling. In his place stood a version of Zelda Emalia, only this version of the fallen Princess had a very ugly look in her eyes. "Stupid girl. Hah! You may have seen through my disguise but do you think that will help you?" He sneered and struck Zelda's sword from her hand. "I am Lord Tolmei! The greatest of all Saeru's Dream Snatchers!"
He sprang forward and grabbed Zelda's throat, lifting her from the floor. "Do you know why I feared my wife?" Snarled Tolmei, as he drew Zelda's face to his. "She had the power to destroy me! But I turned the tables on her! Hah! That fool! She knew my game, oh she knew, but she could not stop her own destruction. I will kill you just like I killed her, dear little princess!"
Zelda struggled and kicked out at Lord Tolmei, she couldn't quell the panic rising inside her. She tried to scream but Tolmei's grip was so tight she could not breathe. Suddenly, he threw her to the floor. Laughing maniacally he continued to rant about his wife, "Do you know what else? Pitiful sweet Emalia, so powerful and wise, she could not stop me. I walked in her shoes for a whole six years, whilst I trapped her in the body of that blasted bird of hers and nobody noticed. You know, you only really know someone until you walk in their shoes and I only saw her for what she was then – a fool despite all her "knowledge". I used her power against her – I wonder how she felt as she was killed by the man she really loved?"
"What?" Gasped Zelda.
"Oh, don't think I was in this guise when I strangled her." Laughed Tolmei, advancing again, "The experience was so much more pleasurable seeing it through the eyes of the man she truly loved. Just as it will be with you…"
He waved his arm in front of him and suddenly his body became Link's again. Zelda kicked out at him as he advanced, but it made no difference. It was surreal, even though she knew it was not really Link, it was horrible seeing him coming at her like that. All of a sudden, she became aware of a movement at her side and then a flash of gold shot by her.
Amber stood in front of Zelda, growling at Tolmei. He laughed at this devotion and aimed a forceful kick at Amber's midriff. As he moved, Amber sprang for his throat. The result was inevitable. Having the advantage of momentum on her side, plus being armed with teeth and claws that she had no hesitation in using, Amber forced Tolmei to the floor, and clung on to his throat with bullish determination. Tolmei struggled, just as Zelda had before. Clawing at Amber only made the wolf angrier and her bite harder. He fought back with weak versions of the spells Emalia herself would have used, but against the enraged wolf, they were almost ineffective.
"Stop! Stop! Mercy!" Screamed Tolmei, as he gave in the struggle.
"Amber. Enough." Ordered Zelda. She was unwilling to fight against a foe so cowardly and defenceless but she was not going to let him go either. She pressed the point of her sword against his chest, ready to strike, Amber at her side. "Tell me where Link is." Demanded Zelda.
Tolmei gasped for breath and the guise of Link fell away from his body once again. He did not answer.
"Tell me." Ordered Zelda, moving the sword so it pressed against his neck.
"Go ahead. Do it. End this!" Mocked Tolmei, as he felt the cold hard steel. Zelda did not move. He laughed. "Hah. Just as I thought! You cannot end this yet because you do not know what I have done with your precious Link. It seems therefore that I have the upper hand."
"Not necessarily." She retorted. "I could still kill you and then find him. I was just trying to be nice."
"Hah. You Hylians are all the same." He sniggered and moved himself away from the blade, only to be confronted by Amber, who appeared to take exception to his very existence. He glared at the wolf and continued, "You think you can bargain with your executioner, well you can't. Without me, you will never find Link. Or at least, you will never, shall we say "restore" him to his true self."
"You're mad." Scoffed Zelda. "I have magic. I can…"
"You couldn't. You lack the knowledge…" Suddenly he swung around and somehow managed to knock Zelda off her feet. In a strange role-reversal, he managed to pin Zelda down, both hands firmly around her neck, choking the life from her struggling body. "Should I do this in the guise of your little friend?" He mocked, allowing the stolen mantle of Link to wash over him again. He laughed at the horror in Zelda's eyes but was not quite prepared for what happened next.
The white light that erupted from Zelda's body engulfed him in its white-hot anger and dazzled and confused him.
"What is this?" He screamed hysterically.
Zelda pushed him away and stabbed him in the arm. "AMBER! HELP!" She screamed.
"You…little…bitch…" Screeched Tolmei, trying to wrestle the sword from her. He smashed his fist into Zelda's face and she yelped. The next moment, Amber had launched herself onto him and only a matter of moments later, he slumped forward. All the life drained from his body. With a massive groan and more strength than she had thought herself capable of, she managed to shrug the burden from her. The stolen body of Emalia had gone, in its place was a twisted, evil looking man – powerfully built, with lifeless grey eyes and pale hair. His face was twisted into a sneer. Zelda waited until she had caught her breath before twisting the Ring of Deception from his cold fingers.
The power of Illumae had again come to her rescue.
She sighed as she watched his body disappearing. Now to find Link, she thought, calling Amber to her side again. She looked around, and instantly her eyes fell on the caged figure of Emalia. She stared at her for a long, silent moment before crossing to the cage. "Link?"
The Emalia nodded and smiled.
"You know, I think I like you more when you're silent!" She said, with a grin.
The Emalia pulled a face and held out her hand to Amber. The wolf licked the hand happily and pressed herself against the bars, trying to get into her (admittedly odd-looking) master. After petting Amber for a while, the Emalia held her hand through the bars towards Zelda, the dark blue eyes filled with amusement.
Zelda took the hand with both hers. "How am I supposed to cure you? Tolmei was right; I can't do it."
"No, but I can." The soft, genteel voice of Zelda Emalia drifted over to them, accompanied by her much happier and peaceful looking ghost. "You did well, child." She added as she approached. "You saw through Tolmei's trickery even though you profess you do not…"
"Well never mind that!" Zelda interrupted hastily. "Please will you return Link to his normal self?"
"Of course. I should have also told you that should your heart fail to guide you through Tolmei's deception then you could use the Lens of Truth to see through his lies. It shows you the things hidden."
Zelda nodded and raised the lens to her eyes and gazed at the caged Emalia. In place of the fragile princess stood her rather less fragile and more colourful Link.
Emalia watched them indulgently for a moment before clearing her throat, "Shall I?"
"So what happened to Saeru?" Pondered Link as he walked at Zelda's side, "Doesn't she appear whenever you defeat one of the Dream Snatchers?"
"I've not really thought about it." She replied, sounding worried. "But you are right. I didn't even feel her presence in there. Maybe she will meet me later. Oh I don't know. I'm so tired!"
"I'm not surprised, you fought hard back there." She gazed up at him, surprised. Link smiled, "What's with the look? You did really well, considering your woefully inept sword-handling."
"Woefully inept?" Repeated Zelda, dangerously.
"Well from where I stood it looked remarkably chaotic."
Zelda stopped and turned so she could properly glare at him. "Care to repeat that?"
"It's not your fault. Blame Impa!" Said Link as he grinned disarmingly, "Even so you did look pretty…pretty, even though you were dressed as a man, although to be fair, I feel more comfortable admitting that considering I was wearing a woman's body at the time." Zelda's lips twitched but she remained straight-faced. Link sighed happily and continued, "You know, that was the first time I've ever worn women's clothes."
"I'll bet you enjoyed it too." Remarked Zelda, before she could stop herself.
Link chuckled. "I felt so pretty and girly. I really must do it again sometime. Preferably in Impa's presence! I could picture her reaction now." A smile adorned Link's face. "Perhaps I should buy myself a dress…and a bag, and some shoes and a pot of rouge…and…"
"You know, I think you are a little too enthusiastic about this idea."
"What do you mean? I am embracing my feminine side! Only because I was so cute as a girl mind, if I had looked like a heifer crossed with a pig I wouldn't be so keen on the idea…don't you think I made a pretty girl?"
"I think you'd make a pretty good candidate for admission into an asylum." She retorted.
"Why?" Link appeared to be genuinely surprised. Only the telltale glint in his eyes gave him away.
Zelda sighed. "You know, I worry about you sometimes?"
"Only sometimes? Wait, that means you really do like me? Oh JOY!!" Cried Link, hugging her. He then conducted a happy dance with one of the nearby corpses, accidentally knocking a leg off in the process. "Oops." He said, and hastily replaced the body back onto its tomb. "Er…I think we'd better leave."
Zelda shook her head at his antics, quashing the giggle that was threatening to emerge and exchanged a glance with Amber. The wolf seemed to have the same thought as her. "You know, I don't think I'll ever understand how your mind works." She lamented as she caught him up.
"No, I don't think I do either." Replied Link, at his sunniest.
"I wish I did."
"Did what?"
"I wish I understood you better, Link." She said.
As soon as the words were out of her mouth there was a bright flash of purple light. Amber yelped, Zelda screamed, and Link felt as though his body was being torn apart. The light burned their eyes and seemed to make their bodies buckle. And then it was gone.
When his senses came too, Link realised he was flattened against a wall. His whole body ached and his head felt fuzzy. "What was that?" He whispered, finding Zelda's leg and prodding it.
"I don't know." She breathed. As Link did, she suspected some kind of magical trap that had attacked them and did not want to trigger it again. "I feel…weird…" She admitted, moving very slowly into a sitting position.
Link felt more than weird, he felt downright extraordinary. The magical attack had extinguished the lantern and even if there had been light in the chamber, it would have been difficult to see anything. His vision was filled with pretty glowy lights. He waited until they had gone before relighting the lantern. He glanced down at his legs and suddenly frowned. A quick glance at his arms and hands and a very quick touch of certain vital areas made an unholy grin pass across his face.
"Uh, Zelda?" He whispered. "I think we might have a leeettle bit of a problem."
"What do you…huh? What's with my voice…why do I sound like…oh…oh dear goddess, no…" As Link had done only moments earlier, she stared in horror at her limbs and touched her face. Her face suddenly drained of all colour as the realisation of what she (or rather the ring of deception) had done. She turned to Link but instead of seeing him, she saw herself.
"Oh no…" She cried, burying her face in her (now big) hands and clutched at the short blond hair that came within reach. She heard her companion giggling and moaned again. "But I don't want to be you, Link!"
Sorry the chapter end was a little lame (again) but I hope it makes sense. The next chapter is entitled 'Body shocks' so I'll bet you can you guess what it'll be like!!