The Silent Kingdom
By: Freedan the Eternal
Longest gap in updates yet. No worries, though. Playing an FF4 hack with ZSNES called "Terra+Celes" which changes most of the main characters and involves a yuri romance. Yes, I'm a perverted man.
Chapter 20: The Future
The groups of four eyed the entrance of the cave, debating silently whether they preferred the blizzard or the dragon.
The hulking brute filled the cave before them, the tips of its folded wings nearly scraping the roof of the cavern fifteen feet up. Its bulk filled the cavern side to side, and its jaws were large enough to easily swallow a human whole. And the teeth that were visible were each about half the size of a sword, and likely just as sharp. The six-inch claws on its feet dug into the stone beneath them like mud.
The dragon sat on its haunches, somewhat shaped like an oversized scaley dog, its six-foot tail lay out behind it, occasionally swishing across the rock floor. Its scales, while they may have once been silver, were now a dark gray, tarnished with age and weather across its back, and a pale yellow across its stomach and the bottom of its neck and jaw.
"Well?" it asked again in a low voice that resonated through the rock beneath their feet, "What are you doing in my home?"
Link was slowly reaching for his sword. "I suggest you put that hand down," the dragon said, "Away from the sword."
Link put his hand back down. He tried to gather his thoughts, how best to deal with this.
"You're on borrowed time as it is if you've come after me or my horde," the dragon said, "I get so sick of bloody adventurers showing to try and take the fortune I've amassed through my life, or wannabe heroes intending to carve a reputation out of my hide. I live in a cave at the arse end of the world for gods' sake! Tell me why you're here, the truth, mind you, and maybe I won't throw you off the cliff."
Link glanced at the others. Zelda had taken a step back, closer to the entrance, and Sheila was looking at him, as though expecting him to do something. Midna had dove into Link's shadow and disappeared. The dragon leaned down, its red eyes focusing on Link with two streams of smoke curling from its nostrils. "Well?" it demanded, "You look like you're in charge, human. Yes, those elf ears don't fool me. You still smell like a human. Are you or someone else going to answer me, or have you all been stricken mute when you realized I was here?"
Link took a deep breath, and managed to find his voice. "We're not here for you," he said, "We're trying to find an ancient temple in a vale about a day north of here. The snow and wind started to rise, and we took refuge here."
The dragon raised its head, watching them with its red eyes moving from one to the other and back. "At least you're not lying," it said at last, "Now tell me about that sword, and why I sense such a familiar energy radiating from it."
"Familiar?" Zelda asked, "The Master Sword is a sacred weapon from Hyrule! How could you recognize its energy?"
The dragon laughed, the bass rumblings deep within its throat causing the floor to shake beneath their feet. "'Master Sword?' Is that what it's called now? They don't name weapons like they used to, do they? The last time I felt that energy, the sword was called Silver Fang. I would never mistake another weapon for it, either. That sword is one of a kind. I suppose in the end, it doesn't matter what the sword is called. How did it come into your possession?"
Zelda shook her head with a sigh. "It predates all our histories and legends. We don't know how it came to Hyrule."
"Ah! Then you've got no proof I'm wrong!" the dragon said, "I knew I wasn't getting senile yet! Twenty thousand years isn't enough to impair my memory!"
"Twenty thou . . . " Sheila said with a gasp, "But that would mean that you saw . . . "
The dragon centered its gaze on her. "Saw what? Out with it, girl. I've seen quite a bit, so you'll need to be more specific."
"The ancient war," Sheila said, "The fall of the ancient civilization."
"Well, if you can call that mass congregation of humans in large cities that level forests and kill nature civilization, then yes," the dragon said, "A bunch of wizards threw temper tantrums regarding who should be in charge, and the humans and elves started killing each other. Didn't pay much attention after that until a necromancer paid me a visit, intent on making an 'undead dragon' as his steed. He didn't live long after he said that," it added thoughtfully.
"Anyway," it said, "Back to the matter at hand. What to do with the four of you. I don't believe you've been lying to me, and you soft skins would certainly have a hard time staying alive in that weather. I'll tell you what," it leaned down so that its massive snout was about even with Link's face, "I'm not completely heartless. If you're on your best behavior, I'll let you stay here until the weather lets up. The moment it does, though, you're out the door. You cause any problems and you're out the door, but with a nice shove that sends you over the cliff. Got it?"
"Got it," Link said, "No trouble here."
"All right," the dragon said, raising its hind end into a standing position, then somehow managed to turn itself around and was walking further back into the cave. Link and the others watched it go for a moment, then it called back to them, "Well, are you coming? Or would you rather sit in the cold wind by the entrance?"
"Sheila," Link said, turning to look at her, "What is going on? I've seen a dragon before, and it couldn't even talk."
"Modern dragons can't," she said, "In the time of the ancients, the great wyrms were more populous than they are now. They were highly intelligent, but for the most part stayed out of the affairs of man. They were supposed to have gone extinct."
Link motioned for them to follow him as he started into the cavern after the dragon. "Seems a lot of things that are supposed to be extinct are showing up lately."
"Link, we could be very well in the company of the last of the great dragons," Sheila said, "Did you notice how tarnished his scales were? He also claims to be more than twenty thousand years old. When he dies, it will likely be the end of the species. The end of the mighty creatures that ruled this world before the gods created men."
"Everything has to end sometime," Link said as they stepped into a wider room deep in the cave.
The dragon had moved to the far side of the chamber, which was in itself at least fifty feet wide in any direction, and running through the center to their left and right was a massive stone table carved directly out of the rock and was nearly fifteen feet tall. It would have been ideal for a dragon the size of their unexpected host, and could have seated at least ten of them comfortably.
On the walls of the chamber, at six foot intervals, were hung massive tapestries depicting scenes of history, some Link could recognize, others were new to him. There were at least twenty of them on either side of the cavern, all of them at least ten feet long, clearly visible in the light.
Hanging from the roof at the center of the chamber was a rope basket, containing a glowing white orb about a foot across that lit the chamber almost like daylight. It was a sun stone, just a rock enchanted to give off light. Such an enchanted object would glow in the dark, but it must be placing in the sun for several hours every few days to regain its light.
Across the far wall, above where the dragon lay on a gigantic pile of cloths, blankets, and cushions, hung a massive red drape, featuring the image of a dragon's head facing toward the viewer with two swords crossed underneath its neck, the blades passing either ear, all of it stitched into the red fabric in gold.
"This is incredible," Zelda whispered, her gaze fixed on the tapestries to their right, then she pointed to one, "Look, Link! That one depicts the legend of Hyrule's creation!"
The tapestry she indicated held a picture of the three golden goddesses in the sky, their power giving life to their land. Din's red light shaping the land, Nayru's blue light giving it life, and Farore using the green light to create the nature of law, and by such an acting creating the difference between good and evil.
Link's eyes moved to the image to the left of that one, depicting an image on the sea of several ships fleeing into torrential waters as lightning appeared over their heads and the land behind them erupted in flames. The ships were crewed by men in dark cloaks, some of them even depicted with glowing red eyes.
The next was an image of a single man, dressed in blue, flowing robes, a massive tome clutched in one hand, his other gripping a stout oak staff as he stood upon a cliff, chaos all about him. Storm clouds the color of steel and spitting lightning over his head, fire creeping up the cliff-face in the foreground beneath him, and filling the background of the image behind him was a seemingly endless army of mixed images. There were humans, strange bipedal beasts resembling wolves, swarms of zombies and skeletons, and even monsters of rock filling the ranks that were moving toward him.
The man himself was not smiling in the image, but nor was he frowning. His face, creased at the brow, showed grim determination. His robes were stained with blood, but Link was sure that very little, if any, was his own. "Who is that?" he asked Sheila, pointing to the image.
"That is Darius," Sheila said, "He was the hero of the ancient war who fought the usurpers at every turn. He was a mighty wizard and created many of the ancient magics, though most of them were defensive or reparative spells. He was the one who created the counter-spell that we are trying to recover. He was also the only of the ancient wizards to survive the war, other than some of the apprentices of the usurpers that fled across the sea to the east once their masters were slain by their own creation. No one knows what happened to them."
Link looked back at the image of the fleeing ships. I bet I can guess, he thought.
"What happened to Darius after the war?" Zelda asked.
"He helped with the rebuilding effort of the lands, but when he was offered leadership over them all, he turned it down," Sheila said, "He said that if he were to accept such an office, he would become exactly what he and his fallen comrades had fought to prevent; he would have become the wizard ruling class. He helped guide the countries to get back on their feet individually, then settled to a life in Tyr, where he built the cathedral used to this day as a school for all the magicians in our kingdoms. About eighty years later, when he was well over three hundred years old, he finally died. In his final will, he bequeathed his personal spell book to the school, then he asked to be cremated and have the ashes scattered to a strong east wind from a high cliff in the western mountains, so that he may become a part of all of Mystara."
There was a thud behind them, and they all jumped as the dragon's voice appeared directly over their heads. "It was not from a cliff in the mountains. His ashes were scattered from high in the sky by a dragon who was not just an ally, but a dear friend."
Link turned his head to see the dragon staring at the picture of the ancient wizard. "Darius was so much more than other men," the dragon said, a hint of regret in his voice, "He was more than willing to die for what he believed in. The fact that he kept his sanity in spite of all his friends and family dying around him speaks for itself. That he managed to avoid his heart turning to stone from such events is even more incredible. When the usurpers unleashed their mightiest creation, the demon with hair of fire, a voice of thunder, and god-like power, it killed them first, and nearly all of their followers that did not escape. Darius had nothing left to lose at that point, and was intent on killing the beast, even if it meant killing himself in the process.
"And yet still he lived. The beast was cast through a gateway into the gap between dimensions, a realm of emptiness so vast, no mortal mind can comprehend it, and not even the gods could escape it. What is not known by most mortals is that at that moment, the three golden goddesses appeared and forged a lock for the gateway to assure that it could never be opened again, even from this side."
The dragon indicated a tapestry to the left of the image of Darius. It depicted a black circle on a stone pedestal, thin rays of light projecting through the air into a black obsidian wall, creating a circle of green light upon it, and in the center of the circle of light was the triple triangle Link knew so well.
"Link," Midna said, appearing at his shoulder, "That's the Twilight Mirror!"
The dragon turned so suddenly that they jumped, and Midna hid behind Link. "You know of it? How so?"
"It is a gateway," Zelda said, "It is located in a safe location in the desert near Hyrule. It is the only connection between Hyrule and the Twilight Realm."
"So that's where it ended up," the dragon said, "I was curious after all these years . . . What about the key? Do you have it?"
"What key?" Midna asked, "I just use a little of my magic when I'm near it, and it opens."
"So you don't know," the dragon said, turning away, "Never mind then. The key is probably lost, anyway."
"Wait a second," Link said, "You know something about the mirror that we don't, don't you? How was it used to banish this demon to the gap between dimensions? I thought it only opened to the Twilight Realm."
The dragon settled himself onto the blankets and cushions, turning his head toward them. "Come on, sit down. I don't completely understand it myself, but I'll tell you what I know."
They seated themselves on the floor on provided pillows while the dragon wallowed himself deeper into his pile. "First of all, you must understand that ours is not the only world in existence. The Twilight Realm is one of the others, for example. But you must understand that there are nigh-infinite worlds, all lined up parallel to one another in reality, like the strings of a harp."
"Sheila's told us this already," Link said.
"If I may continue without the interruptions?" the dragon said, and Link held up his hands in accedence, "The worlds could be said to be aligned in a vertical manner. Most of them are very similar to one another, but if you go downward through the worlds far enough, you'll eventually wind up in the worlds that very much resemble the image of Hell, right down to magma lakes. These lower worlds are where demons originate. Similarly, if you go higher through them, you'll eventually find the worlds that resemble the concept of heaven. But no, the gods don't live there. They live in their own private world, disconnected from the reality that defines these worlds.
"Now, I'm sure you're wondering how I know this to be true," the dragon continued, "The fact of the matter is, I was friends with Darius long before the war. He mastered one of the more complex travel spells that literally allowed him to travel from world to world. I was with him at that time. I saw most of them myself. Darius told me he was looking for something in this traveling, but he himself was not sure what it was. He said he'd know it when he saw it. When we finally made our way back to this world, to our homes, he had found what he'd sought.
"It was a mirror that allowed passage to other worlds relatively easily. You see, the travel spell that allowed passage sapped massive amounts of energy from the caster, and he would have to rest for nearly a week to recover. The mirror itself was controlled by a key that he kept on his person at all times. I'm not sure exactly what it was, but it must have been quite small. The key would allow the determination of the destination of the gateway the mirror would open.
"Darius wanted to see as much of the gods' creations as he could. He wanted to learn absolutely everything there was to know. That was the reason for the mirror. Little did he know that he would end up using it as a weapon to save this world from utter destruction."
Link's gaze had drifted back to the tapestry of Darius. At this distance, he thought he could see something he'd missed before. A vague shape to the clouds, almost looking like the image of a woman's face with two darker areas in place of her eyes.
"I think I get it," Zelda said, "After he cast the demon into the gap between dimensions, he locked the mirror to the Twilight Realm and destroyed the key, right?"
"Oh, no no no," the dragon said, "The mirror and key were both in possession of the magic academy at the time of his death. I believe it was determined that the best thing to do would be to drop both of them to the bottom of the sea and be done with them. Unfortunately, the ship taken out never returned. And now that the mirror has turned up in Hyrule, I imagine someone decided to take it for themselves. If the key is lost, however, the mirror cannot be tuned, and thus cannot be used to free the demon. Besides, the second lock, forged by the goddesses, would also have to be broken."
"Wait a minute," Link said, turning back to him, "Is the second lock the Triforce?"
The dragon looked at him for a moment. "I believe so," he said, "It think it went something like 'So long as the three remain intact, all will be well, but should one fall in this land, the gateway shall be open."
Link was on his feet, holding his head with both hands. "Oh, that son of a bitch! I knew he was trying to play me!"
"What is wrong, Link?" Zelda asked, looking up at him.
Link shook his head, then swore again. He turned back to Zelda. "When I spoke to Khall yesterday, he offered me a deal. The complete counter-spell to the Silencing if I would help him kill Ganondorf. I didn't tell you two about it because I wanted to think about it myself for a while. I get it now. The Triforce was left as a mark of where the three goddesses left the world, right? Essentially, it was a piece of their power left behind by accident.
"What if it wasn't an accident, though?" he asked as he knelt down to look his three companions in the eyes, "If it was the locking mechanism that held this demon in thrall? It would certainly explain the legend of the Hero of Time, and why the Triforce was locked away at that time in a nigh-impossible to reach location. The ancient sages who built the locking mechanism to contain it must have known its true purpose. But once in the possession of humans, it loses its power as a lock unless all three parts are in living hosts!
"Now," Link stood up, turning away from them and started pacing, "Why kill Ganondorf when they surely know where we are, and are likely easier targets? Because he's the most dangerous of the three of us, that's why."
"But you beat him, didn't you?" Sheila asked.
Link gestured to his sword. "The Master Sword evened things out. Ganondorf can't abide its touch, let alone getting it rammed through his gut. If we were to fight barehanded, I know I'd lose. So, they must want Ganondorf dead because he poses the greatest threat to their plans, or at least they believe he does."
"Link, listen to yourself a moment," Midna said, "You're implying that they want to release this demon that nearly destroyed the world! No one could be that crazy!"
"You heard what he said!" Link said, pointing an accusatory finger at her, "He wants Ganondorf dead! What else could they be after?"
"In any case," Midna said, "I still have one piece of the Twilight Mirror. It's useless without being complete, and the rest is safely back in the desert. They would also need this 'key,' whatever it is. What they are after is impossible!"
Link put one hand on his chin, thinking quickly. "But that Zero made a point of taking the fragment of the mirror hidden beneath Ordon. Shit, now I wish there was some way to get back to the desert to check the mirror, without costing too much time."
He turned to the dragon, his eyes clearly showing what he was thinking.
"Don't even think about it," the dragon said, "Maybe when I was younger, but I doubt I could get all the way across the ocean in one go now, and there's nowhere to stop in between to rest. Besides, your friend here says she possesses one piece of the mirror, yes? So long as you can keep that from them, the mirror is useless, even if they do have the key."
"He is right about that, Link," Zelda said, "It would do no good to rush back now. If they do have the mirror, we would then have to come back here anyway to get it back."
She sighed softly. "It seems you were correct in your first assumption, however. Khall and the others will have to be dealt with sooner or later, and its looking more and more like sooner."
"Well," the dragon said, "At least you may have some help. This group wants your Ganondorf dead, correct? That means you have a common foe. 'And enemy's enemy is my friend,' and all that."
Link sat down with a sigh. "I suppose so, but I doubt Ganondorf would be so receptive. I'll keep that in mind, but if I see Khall again, I'm going to slice him wide open, with or without help."
"In any case," the dragon said, "The blizzard seems to be getting worse. I can hear it from here. If it doesn't ease up, you four may be spending the night here. I'm about to go out and see what I can find to eat. I may have to go some ways to find something that hasn't taken shelter from the blizzard, so I may be a while."
With one front leg, he gestured to a back passage at the fare left-hand side of the room. "That passage over there leads to the rest of the caves of my home. This here is the greeting hall. You'll find an area set aside for a latrine, as well as my modest library. In the far back is the treasure room where I store the more valuable items I've collected over the millennia. I'm not going to warn you out, for if you intend to explore, that won't stop you, but should you desire to look about in there, don't touch anything. Some items are quite dangerous and others I don't know exactly what they do. You might find a useful magic ring that turns you invisible, or you might find one that turns you into a frog."
The dragon stood up, shedding pillows and cushions as he did so. "It's your own damn fault if you don't listen to this advice. If you can wait until I get back, I'll bring some fresh meat for a meal. Any problems with beef?"
After multiple no-es, he disappeared down the passage to the front entrance.
Link lay back on his pillow, staring up at the ceiling. Imagine that, a hospitable dragon. He'd never given his name, but he must be the 'Roxim' that the giant mentioned.
"So much is happening so fast," Sheila said, leaning her head on her hands, "If the Lords of Chaos are trying to release that ancient demon, it explains why they've never attacked Whitos-Neiki in force. They were biding their time until everything was in place."
"They don't have everything in place yet," Zelda said, "We still have a fragment of the mirror. Question is, who do we warn about what they are planning?"
"King Erenon of Darimar," Sheila said, "Darimar has the largest standing army of any of the kingdoms, and this knowledge will be all the evidence he needs to launch an attack on the Lords' citadel."
"I thought no one could take the pass to reach the citadel?" Link asked.
"We'll just have to cross that hurdle when we get there," Sheila said, "In any case, this doesn't change our plan yet. We'll get the fragment of the spell here, then get Metallicana's on our way through to Darimar. After that . . . "
"After that, we deal with Khall and his friends," Link said, "Provided I don't see him again before we reach Darimar. How far to the vale from here?"
"If the weather is better in the morning and we leave early, we can reach it by tomorrow evening," Sheila said.
Midna settled down on the floor next to Link. "What if that dragon just went to get Khall? What if he's going to betray us?"
"I think we can trust him," Link said, "He's done nothing to warrant mistrust yet. Besides, if he brings Khall back, that will save me the trouble of finding the bastard."
Link suddenly yawned. "Well, nothing better to do right now," he said, "I'm gonna take a nap."
No sooner had he said those words than his eyes were shut and he was out.
Link woke to the feeling of grass underneath him. He could feel the soft needles sticking into his arms and legs. With a groan, he pushed himself upward, yawning hugely as the sun warmed his face. He scratched himself, noting the sun was sinking low on the horizon, silhouetting the great bridge above Lake Hylia.
Wait, what am I doing here? he thought, standing up, I'm going to be late for the feast! Got to get back home! Where'd Epona get to . . .
He turned look about, his foot catching on something next to him, sending him rolling forward onto the ground, getting a mouthful of grass in the process. He pushed himself up and looked down to see what had got him.
And he nearly screamed.
It was a corpse, lying in a pool of its own blood, its entrails trailing from the savage wounds across the gut and chest. One arm and both legs were torn away from the body, lying a scant foot away. The head was nowhere in sight.
Link backed up a step, and felt his heel strike something. He looked down to see another body, this one's limbs broken askew at impossible angles, shattered ribs visible around its caved in chest.
Beyond it lay another. And another, and another, and as Link looked about him, he could see bodies, all brutally mutilated everywhere, the grass stained red beneath them
Gods, what happened here?
He stopped and glanced at another. Oh, gods, no!
Ilia's dead eyes stared up at him. He recognized her in spite of her crushed jaw and missing arms. Link fell to his knees, his mouth half open, his breath coming in short gasps, his hands hovering inches from her body, as though afraid to touch her. His hands were shaking violently, and he felt the hot tears running down his cheeks unchecked.
He threw back his head and let out a howl of agony, sounding more like his wolfen counterpart than himself, and the echo came back to him as though mocking the pain in his heart, his heart feeling like it was ready to explode, and if it would, it would be a blessing.
He finally ran out of breath and turned from Ilia's mangled corpse, unable to look at it any longer. The first thing to come to his vision was yet another corpse, this time of someone he felt he knew, but had never seen before.
The woman he saw had pale blue skin, and she was dressed in a knee length black skirt, a black blouse and cloak, the hood laying back loosely behind her head, her face too narrow, her smooth skin perfect, but her eyes empty and staring. A massive hole, nearly six inches across, was punched clean through her chest, her blood mingling with that of so many others.
Link couldn't breathe. He couldn't even scream. He lay over, putting his arms around her shoulders, burying his face in her neck, and he wept silently.
A hand touched his shoulder. "You can prevent this."
Link looked up.
A woman stood over him. She was nearly seven feet tall, her hair was red as fire, and she wore fully body armor as dark red as blood. Massive spikes nearly a foot long protruded from the shoulder plates, three on each, and one about three inches long extended from each of her elbows and knees.
Looking into her eyes was like gazing into dark caves. They were completely black in color, with no irises or whites, yet one could see the near infinite knowledge within them. She knelt down next to Link. "You are dreaming now, Link. This is but one of many possible futures. This one will occur if you take the counter-spell and leave Mystara without defeating the Lords of Chaos. Their villainous conquest will eventually come to your home. At that time you will be unable to stop them. No one will be safe. No one."
She lifted one hand and pointed to another corpse Link had not seen. It was Ganondorf. His body was not mangled in the manner the others were. He lay on his back, staring upward, a gaping hole in the left side of his chest, his broken ribs clearly visible through the red bloody meat, his heart missing, as though it had been ripped from his chest.
The woman then pointed to another. This body could hardly be called such, as all for limbs were missing and the torso was so mangled it was difficult to tell whether it had been a man or a woman. Then the head suddenly rolled to the side, and the empty eyes of the Princess Zelda stared toward him.
"You have the power to prevent this," the woman said, "You simply do not know how to use it. If you fight Khall as you are now, you will lose."
She took his left hand in hers, rubbing her fingers across the gold symbol on the back of his hand. "I can teach you, Link, as you dream. I can grant you the power of the gods to use as you will. I can make you a god among men, capable of ruling this world. With the kind of power I can grant you, no one will be able to stop you."
Link jerked his hand away from her. He looked down at Midna's face, his heart ready to die at any moment. He then stood up and glared at the woman. "I don't want power!" he said, nearly shouting in her face, "I want my life back! I want the killing to stop and to be rid of this thing in my hand! It's caused me nothing but grief! And I want to be free of wretched, cursed sword!"
Link jerked the Master Sword from the scabbard and with a mighty heave, hurled it through the air away from him. It landed point down in the dirt some distance away, standing upright in the failing light.
"The mark of the gods is upon you, Link," the woman said, rising to her feet, her dark gaze upon him, "That is not something that is so easy to escape. The power is yours whether you like it or not. It is your choice as for how to use it. If you do not desire power for yourself, what about for these others?"
She waved her hand to indicate the corpses. "Against the coming threat, they are defenseless," she said, "It is your choice to stand up and defend them, or to flee your destiny."
Link was breathing heavily. He slowed himself down to try and catch his breath. "I never wanted any of this," he whispered.
"It is said that those most suited to bear great responsibility are those who don't want it," the woman said, "I am presenting myself to you as an ally, Link. Think upon it. I shall return to you another time, with another image of a possible future. Don't reject my offer to aid you out of hand. You are not facing a simple megalomaniac this time, nor are you fighting for just your country. The fate of the world rides on how these events play out. I trust you will make the right decision."
The landscape around them began to fade as Link began to wake up.