Disclaimer: I do not own Link, Midna, Zelda and other canon stuff.
Gargravarr is l33t for beta'ing this stuff
Chapter 21: I Can Explain
This is going to be interesting…
Link barely had time to think about it when the Queen asked him if he wished to accompany her back to the castle. Not that he would have gained anything should he have refused, but still.
Now, he was walking through town, trailing behind his country's monarch.
It did not take them long to get out of the alleys. It seemed that the sound of Link, Ashei, and Zelda's scuffle was easily heard in the main streets because a small crowd was already gathered by the exit, curious as to what the ruckus was about. Link could practically smell the sudden fear rolling off of them the moment he stepped into view, and how they backed away as the group he was a part of stepped into their midst.
Link did not miss it when the lone guard at the head of the column kept throwing wary glances over his shoulder at the great beast, nor the dubious, open mouthed stares of Hyrule's populace boring into his fur.
"What is that thing?"
What, never seen a wolf before?
"That's the biggest wolf I've ever seen!"
THANK you for stating the obvious!
"Is that…the Queen?"
"No that's just a…wait that is Queen Zelda!"
Their chatter instantly livened up at the sudden revelation. Link snorted in amusement; the soldiers had not recognized her, but the commoners did without any proof. Much to his annoyance, and to the Queen's as well he noticed, the citizens rapidly started crowding around, trying to catch a glimpse of their ruler. Some of them tried kneeling, an arduous task given the mixed actions of the crowd.
"It is her!"
"Queen Zelda!"
"Out of the way, I wanna see!"
"Oi! Clear off!" Their escort soldier barked, waving his spear about. Predictably, the crowd ignored him, trying to force their way forward. "Back off!"
"Why is the Queen with that thing…?"
"It's huge!"
"Is that blood?"
The guard made another futile attempt to keep order, trying to shove commoners back with the shaft of his spear, but to no avail. Shame his compatriots were busy hauling the survivor from the group that had attacked the Queen off to…wherever they haul off prisoners to.
Link was unsure if the cells in the castle dungeons are really ever used, or if they are just a relic of a past era. The last couple of times he was down there, they were all empty…unless he was looking in the wrong place, and/or all prisoners were killed in the invasion.
"Get back!" The guard hollered, anxiety and panic evident in his voice at the rapidly swelling crowd, that he was failing spectacularly to contain on his own. Where were other guards when they were needed?
Zelda tried to placate the situation with a few simple gestures, and some words, but the words were drowned out by the droning of the crowd.
Link considered simply leaping into the crowd. That would scatter them. More than that, he was seriously considering it. He sank back slightly onto his hind legs, and…
"HEY, SHUT UP, YEAH!" another voice decided to cut in, loudly. Link cringed at the sudden assault on his sensitive wolf ears. But that outburst did the trick. Link didn't have to turn to the shouter to know it was Ashei; she looked intimidating when he sent a glance her way, her back straight, steel in her eyes. The incessant chatter died down instantly, quickly devolving into a few scattered whispers. "Thank you," said Ashei, a smirk on her lips. They all looked at Ashei, their mouths agape, and then to their Queen.
Zelda cleared her throat, and then spoke up in her authoritative voice, "Citizens of Hyrule. As much as I appreciate your…" she glanced towards a few of the citizens who had taken a knee, "…gestures of respect, it is imperative that my party and I return to the castle uninterrupted," she swept her eyes over the crowd, "That is all."
Now placated by Ashei's outburst, the crowd was much more inclined to obey their monarch. The gathered masses rapidly dispersed, the citizens returning to their daily lives. Link noticed that many of them shot final glances, and sometimes words were mixed in, both about the Queen, and the beast accompanying her.
"…and that's why I prefer sticking to the alleys," Zelda said after a moment of silence.
The guard with them stared at her in shock, "…my lady?"
"Yeah, I can see what you mean," Ashei responded, walking to her Queen's side. "How can you stand crowds like that?"
"…You Highness, it is extremely irresponsible for you to…"
"I manage," Zelda responded, cutting the soldier off, "Most of the time it is slightly more orderly, though."
"My Q-Queen you could have been killed!" he practically shouted. At that statement, he drew scathing glares from both women.
"Don't mention things like that aloud; I don't want to incite a panic!" Zelda hissed. Already, the former statement drew more than one shocked stare from passing citizens.
"I…sorry, my Queen…" the soldier said sheepishly, "It's just…"
"Apology accepted," Zelda said curtly.
An odd 'harumph' sound drew their attention. All three of them turned to find it was their lupine tagalong.
"Castle, get going, remember?" rang through Zelda's head.
"Right, castle, get going," Zelda parroted the unheard statement, gesturing towards the soldier. He nodded, and the quartet was off again.
"By the way…" Zelda started in mid-step, turning her head towards Ashei, "Nice job dispersing the crowd back there, the only other person I know capable of shouting like that is the castle caretaker."
In the rear, Link silently prayed that he didn't meet the caretaker. Ashei's abrupt auditory assault was bad enough.
Ashei blushed slightly and beamed for the praise, "T-thanks, yeah…I'm s-sorry if I came out too strong…"
Zelda smiled back at her knight and patted her on the shoulder, "Nonsense, Knight Ashei, you did well. There was a reason I chose you to be part of my elite force."
Ashei only beamed more.
Based on her reactions, Link doubted that the she-warrior was used to receiving praise. He had heard her mention that she was discriminated against, on account of her gender; hell, the reason she had accompanied him on his mission in Eldin Field was that her superiors had been searching for any reason to keep her off of anything important.
Morons didn't seem to know what they were missing out on…
It was a bit of a cathartic experience for Link, freely walking through a populated area as a wolf. Prior to this, he always had to either stay out of sight, or just sprint through the town, listening to the screams of the frightened citizenry the whole time.
As they were entering the central plaza, Link realized that he hadn't actually looked around town since two weeks and…how many days was it, three? Time was so distorted for him, the past couple of days seemed like an eternity ago. Previously, he had essentially come to town, made a beeline towards Telma's, and got right to work. He didn't take any time to enjoy himself.
All the rubble from the castle explosion had been cleaned up from castle's proud spires were slowly being raised back up to the sky. Link could see the scaffolding. Aside from the odd look he got from many a citizen, they were just going about their days as usual, just like he remembered. He saw a Goron or two mixed in there, but thankfully, they paid him no heed. If only every citizen acted in the same way towards him…
As usual, he could see plenty of people both entering and leaving Malo Mart, which in turn was 'combating high prices, unfair deals, and egomaniacal cheapskates', or whatever their slogan was now. Link suspected that within more of the patrons were busy dancing to the omnipresent music in the store than were actually shopping. He never found out where that music was coming from.
Link couldn't help but be impressed…no, he was really impressed that a boy a decade his junior had managed to set up something like that.
The tent where he had gotten his picture taken with Midna seemingly forever ago was long gone, either the photographer was only temporary, or his official place of business had been repaired. That was something he missed about being in his current form. That picture had been transformed along with him. He would frequently spend hours staring at it, delving in memories…
He shook away his thoughts, That's the past…stay on the present… he told himself.
Almost as if on cue, they passed by the bakery in which Link and Zelda had purchased Midna's 'goodbye' gift. No matter how hard he tried, he could not blot out the memory of her near childlike giddiness when presented the basket full of junk-food.
A fond smile came to his face, Knowing her, she probably ravished the whole thing the moment after she broke the…
His smile quickly slipped away and sadness suddenly came over him.
…Mirror.
He was near tears now. Those memories still did that to him. The image of her dissolving into thin air before him, her tear-stricken parting words, the Mirror shattering…
…said Mirror launching a large fragment of cursed glass into his chest, and the troubles that came after…
He swallowed loudly and glanced towards the ground.
If I had known that would have been the last I would have seen you, I would have gotten you so much more than just sweets… he mused to himself, Midna, I…
A gentle tugging on his shoulder roused him out of his sad reminiscing. He shook his head, rapidly hiding his sorrow and glancing up at the Queen. Her expression was concerned.
"Link?" said Zelda, "What's wrong?" she wordlessly mouthed. Link looked around and noticed that he was still standing in front of the bakery. In his grief-stricken state, he had not realized that he had stopped moving.
"N-nothing…" he muttered, "Nothing's wrong," he said more firmly, squaring his shoulders and putting his chin up, "I'm fine, let's keep moving."
From the expression on her face, Link could tell that she didn't buy his dismissal. Shooting one more glance at the bakery, he continued on his way.
"What was that all about?" Ashei asked.
"Nothing," said Zelda, mirroring Link's lie from moments prior, "He's fine."
Before long, they had passed through the town square and were following the road north, towards the castle. Both guards flanking the great arch were too busy daydreaming contemplating their boredom to notice the party file past them.
Zelda glared angrily at both of the oblivious sentries as she passed; she considered chewing them out on the spot, but decided against it. No wonder the situation nearly got out of hand out of the alley, or how assassins had managed to steal uniforms if most guards were in this state.
She supposed it was by sheer luck that a patrol actually stumbled upon their little…altercation in the alley earlier.
Inches from the great gate, the guard abruptly stopped and wheeled around the face them, "I have to say, my Queen, I don't really think it's a good idea to bring this…thing with you…"
"He's not a thing! He's a noble beast!" Ashei said angrily, getting into the guard's face, who paled visibly.
Link's chest seemed to puff out and his back went a little straighter at the complement, being one of the few he got as a wolf from someone who wasn't Midna. A lot of people didn't refer to his beast form as 'noble'.
Zelda made eye contact with the man, who was still recoiling from Ashei's verbal assault. "My decision, not yours, soldier," she said firmly, "I say he's coming with us."
"I…very well your Majesty."
Wordlessly, the man gave the gate a mighty push, and one of the massive doors swung inward. Even seeing someone else do it, it still perplexed Link how easy it was to open it. He had thought they would at least keep it locked.
The castle garden looked very different than how he remembered it. Last time it was so vast, so ominous, so…unwelcome; not to mention the fact that it was raining and that there were plenty of beasts running amok, all out to kill him. But now, a variety of colorful flora lined the cobblestone path. It looked like something out of an idyllic painting.
He had been so enthralled at the welcome, unfamiliar sight that he didn't even notice that he veered off the path into wet mud to sniff a budding bush. It took Zelda tugged at his shoulder again to get him back on track, both of them completely oblivious to the new layer of filth coating his paws.
Through the doors, like the garden, the large foyer just beyond the doors was also far more inviting. The last time he was here, he was too busy brooding over his recent loss to notice. Zelda's makeshift throne was still in its place here; seemingly the throne room had not been repaired yet.
The multiple chandeliers were lit, brilliantly filling the room with light, the streaks playing across the numerous paintings on the wall, and drawing attention to the white, marble walls. He hadn't realized that they were marble before, it was far too dark for him to notice the last time.
While Link was admiring the scenery, Zelda's eyes were fixed on the trio of people before her. Her top advisors; the older man in the robes was Oren, the castle's head scholar, the woman in the dress was Elizabeth, her assistant in managing domestic affairs, and the man in the ornate armor was Captain Jas, one of the few remaining military officers, and currently the top ranked.
Oren was the first to speak in a squeaky, high pitched voice, waving his hands about, "Oh, your Majesty! Thank goodness you're alright! I've already heard the news…"
"News? Already? What have you heard?" Ashei blurted out. Zelda glanced at the soldier who escorted them. Was it from his outburst?
The man fixated Ashei with a glare, "I was talking to…"
"That you had been attacked," said Jas, "Seriously, my Queen, what were you thinking wandering around the town without an escort? In the alleys? Do you know how dangerous that could be?"
Zelda took the reprimand silently while Ashei muttered under her breath, "It wouldn't be dangerous if your men would do their damn jobs…"
If Jas heard her, he didn't show it.
"I can take care of myself," said Zelda. Zelda glanced at Ashei then back at the man, "Would you care to explain, captain, how those men managed to get a hold of our weapons and armor?" At the man's stunned expression, she continued, "What? Did someone leave the armory unguarded and unlocked when you weren't looking?"
"Uh…I…"
"I'm sorry, I know that I asked for you to manage rebuilding our security and our armies, but the new recruits seem to be doing a lackluster job," said Zelda.
Lackluster? That's generous… Link thought darkly.
"On my way here, a couple of posted soldiers didn't even notice us passing by. You need to impose steep penalties for guards who are…less than vigilant. I trust this won't happen again?"
"I…" he stuttered. A moment later he nodded and crossed a single arm over his chest, "Yes, your Majesty," he looked the Queen in the eyes again, "But still, you should really take a guard regimen with you when you go out."
"Noted," she glanced back at Ashei, "But I had one of my elite with me, and as you can see, everything worked out," and a huge wolf who is this nation's greatest hero, though I doubt he'd appreciate it if I divulged that… her voice fell to a whisper, "They do a much better job anyway…"
"…they?" the older scholar mouthed, "My lady, there is a huge beast behind you!" he shook his finger at Link; the other advisors also seemed to realize this as well, and they were instantly alarmed.
Great observational skills, sir! Link thought irritably.
"My Lady what are…watch out!" the captain scrambled for his blade. Ashei groaned in annoyance while their escort shied away.
"Stand down captain," Zelda hissed. "He is no danger to anyone unless they directly threaten him," she stated pointedly.
"But…but…it's covered in blood!"
"They threatened me," said Zelda, leaving the trio advisors wondering who 'they' consisted of, or to be more specific, were. "I say he accompanies me, so he's with me."
After a moment of silence, Elizabeth spoke up, "You know, she isn't going to be very happy about this."
From his spot next to the Queen, Link glanced at the advisor, 'She'?
To his surprise, Zelda visible shuddered, "I'll deal with the caretaker when I can. I hope she'll listen to reason…"
Elizabeth chuckled, "Good luck with that, your Majesty."
Zelda shrugged and glanced between the three assembled, "Anything else?"
"Just one," it was the woman again, "Scouts reported that Eldin Field is safe again. I guess your 'specialists' did their job," she glanced at Ashei, contemplating something briefly, and then she glanced at the captain, "Unlike some of us…" she said quietly, derision heavy in her voice.
Jas glared at her.
Zelda smiled knowingly at the information, "Thank you, that will be all."
After a few hasty bows and a few muttered, 'my lady's, Jas, Oren, and Elizabeth rapidly dispersed to go about their business, leaving the Queen, the knight, and the wolf alone with their temporary escort. Zelda glanced at him, "You too," she commanded.
"Uh…right, your majesty," the guard stuttered as he saluted, then he quickly left, glancing once more at the great wolf.
A moment later, Ashei spoke up, "So, uh…what now?"
"Don't you worry about our 'guest', I'll take care of him," she glanced at Link, then back to Ashei, "Why don't you go wash up? You look like you could use it."
Ashei's quick self inspection noted the numerous blood and dirt flakes splattering her armor. She blushed slightly at its condition. It was just then that she realized that the last time had cleaned herself and her armor was two assassination attempts ago. She took a quick whiff of herself, recoiling at the smell, "Y-yeah…I don't think I'd disagree…yeah."
"Alright, be seeing you, Ashei," Zelda said with a smile as Ashei began leaving.
Ashei turned around a smiled back, bowing as she did so, "Yeah, you too, your Majesty."
Zelda chuckled, "We know each other well enough, Ashei, just call me Zelda."
"Uh…okay, right your M-…Zelda. Bye."
Link watched her as she made her way to a nearby door, disappearing behind it. He held his gaze there for a moment before the sound of someone clearing her throat caught his attention.
"We'll get somewhere more private, and then you can give me a report," she said quietly, glancing around for potential stragglers. She would have looked odd talking to a wolf.
"Got it," said Link.
The group, now reduced to two members walked out of the foyer. Link quickly arrived in an unfamiliar corridor, silently tagging after the Queen. Bright red carpet dominated the floor, and numerous paintings dotted the brightly lit, stone walls, similar to the foyer. Just how many paintings were in this place?
He didn't exactly have a chance to take the scenic route the last time he was here. He was far too busy saving the world at the time. Although it was much less uninviting than before, it still seemed…so…quiet. At least in a place like Ordon natural ambience compensated for the low population and grandeur. Here, in the castle, there was nothing, even though there was no immediate threat. It put him on edge.
"So…who were those people?" Link asked, trying to liven the mood.
"Hm?" Zelda glanced at him, "Oh, that was Elizabeth, Jas, and Oren," at Link's quizzical look, she continued, "My advisors. Oren and Elizabeth have been around since before the war, Jas on the other hand is new. His predecessor was killed during the invasion," she explained, "He wasn't first in line, everyone above him was also killed. He's not the best…but he will have to do," her expression darkened slightly, "Though, so far he hasn't been doing so well…"
"That's putting it lightly…" said Link.
"Don't be too judgmental, it is a difficult task, rebuilding after a terrible war," said Zelda, "I just hope those reports about trouble brewing in the desert were exaggerated…"
Link looked up at her, "Reports?"
Zelda shrugged, "I don't know what to think about it. I shudder at the thought of another war so soon…ah, here we are."
Link had lost track of how much of the corridors they had walked through, but based on the décor around this particular door, he assumed that this was the Queen's chambers, complete with a lack of a guard.
Seriously…what is up with these guys?
"Queen Zelda?" said a new voice. Both turned towards the source. Zelda smiled at the familiar sight of her butler hobbling towards them, whilst Link stared quizzically. The older man froze up slightly at the sight of the big wolf, but shrugged it off. Apparently seeing him behave around the Queen was assuring, "I had heard about what happened and…I'm glad to see that you are alright…"
Zelda chuckled, "You worry too much, Cecil. I can take care of myself."
"I understand, Queen, I meant no offence," his eyes drifted onto the massive wolf, "And uh…what is this?"
"Before you object, I say he stays," Zelda said preemptively.
"Oh it's not that, your word goes, I understand that, it's just…" he paused and swallowed once, "She'll never let you hear the end of it."
Zelda sighed once, "I can handle her."
Link glanced up at the two bipeds, Another mention of 'She'. Who is 'She'?
"Um you Majesty..." he gestured downward, towards the carpet, "Did your…friend…step in something?"
Both woman and wolf followed the gesture. Zelda's jaw dropped in dismay as Link averted his gaze sheepishly. There, on the carpet was a trail of large, muddy paw prints trailing behind them.
"Link!" she hissed, slapping Link on the shoulder, "Why didn't you…ugh!"
Link shrugged, "Uh…oops?"
The elder man couldn't stifle a laugh, "Hah…um…well…I'll let you get to it…" as he turned his back to them and began staggering away, Link caught a look of pity on his face.
As soon as he was out of sight, Zelda slapped Link's shoulder again, "Well, we're in for it now…wait, I'm in for it now!" she said glumly. She glared at him, "It was when you went off the path wasn't it? Why did you…do…" she raised her hands in a futile shaking gesture, "Pfft!"
"Um…sorry?" Link said sheepishly, "What are you so afraid of?" he paused for a moment, "Wait…who is 'she'?" he said, putting extra emphasis on the last word.
"The caretaker," Zelda said with a shudder, "She's never going to let me hear the end of this…"
Link suddenly cringed at the revelation. He had heard the Queen mention the caretaker briefly as they left the alley…and it had something to do with shouting.
Link swallowed loudly once and did the lupine equivalent of clearing his throat, "Well, before your imminent doom, shall we get to what we were originally here for?"
Zelda glared at the former half of that statement, and then relaxed at the latter. She gestured at the door, turned the knob, and opened it, "You're right, go on in," she said dismissively and waved the big wolf into her personal chambers, following in his wake.
Link took a moment to take in the exquisite interior of the Queen's chambers. He suspected that he was one of the few to ever set foot in here. What first caught his eye was the fantastic crystal chandelier suspended from the ceiling, sending bright streaks of light all over the room, while a large carpet with the royal family seal superimposed on it covered the majority of the floor. At the far end of the room, the large windows and balcony door showing the day outside were hidden behind heavy, embroidered curtains. A large, extremely comfortable-looking four-poster bed dominated the center of the right wall, complete with soft, downy sheets and far too many pillows.
On both sides of the bed were two end-tables, each with an unlit brass candle on top of them. To the right of the bed was a wardrobe, naturally being far too large (fit for a Queen), and to the left was a changing curtain.
On the wall opposite the bed was a grand fireplace, the remnants of some past blaze still lingering in the hearth, a large, plush chair sat in front of it.
All in all, it was pretty impressive.
While he was busy gawking, the Queen strode across the room and sat in the chair, beckoning him to come forward. He did.
"So…care to tell me why you are walking around my castle like this?" she started as Link was making his way over.
"It's a long story," said Link, as he was parallel with her, setting his hindquarters on the carpeted floor, meeting her gaze.
Zelda winced at the further mud prints he was making, but cleared her throat and continued speaking, "Well, start from the beginning then."
"Well, you see it's like this… well, you know that that evening Ashei and I had left on our mission…" Link started, and then he began reciting the events of the last couple of days from memory. From how the fight in the dark, against the undead, and how he and Ashei had stomped them. Zelda smirked slightly at the revelation that Ashei had handled herself.
His story became more confused though. He told her about how they had walked into the fog, and how they had gotten separated.
"I didn't even know when it happened, I didn't even realize that she was gripping my shoulder anymore. One moment she was there, and then she was gone."
"I see…"
He told her about the mysterious figure he had seen stalking him in the fog, how he had blindly chased it, and how it suddenly appeared in such a way as so that he practically collided with it.
"That was when…I found something…" Link said hesitantly. Zelda would be the first to hear this particular bit of information. About the Fused Shadow, about him…
"What?"
"…a fragment of the Fused Shadows, the one that…she wore all the time before Ganondorf broke it," said Link glumly, hating having to mention Midna.
Zelda cocked her head, "Was that it? Was that what was causing all those troubles? But we saw Ganon shatter it to pieces! I thought Ganon broke that thing!"
Link laughed darkly, "Not even close…" he said. He tilted his head towards her, trying to draw attention to what was hidden beneath his fur. She stared at him oddly, "Look under my mane…"
Zelda shrugged and did as what was suggested, running her fingertips through the thick, grey fur. She was only absorbing his warmth briefly before her she came into contact with something cold and very solid. She recoiled with a yelp as if it had shocked her.
"Zelda!" said Link, his voice alarmed.
Zelda, regaining her composure, looked at him again with a look of disbelief. Once again, she reached into his hair, brushing aside large tufts of fur. With the thick hair parted, the ancient relic beneath was exposed to her vision. Her jaw opened and closed at the sight. That dark grey coloration, the intricate pattern, the feeling it gave her…it couldn't be anything else.
"This is…it's really…it…" she said shakily, letting the hair go, concealing the ancient relic again, "But how?" she had a million questions running through her head at the moment. "How is that thing is still…working? How is it that you can…wield it? I mean, I know from Midna's memories that anyone else who came into direct contact with those things…Patriarch Darbus comes to mind…well…you know," she let the statement hang.
"Well, first off it turns out I accidentally revived it just by touching it," he said with a shrug, "Apparently I have a large chunk of a shadow-saturated Mirror lodged in my chest, imagine that?" he said, trying to sound nonchalant about it. At her expression, Link's eyes narrowed slightly, "You don't seem to be too surprised."
"Huh? Well, I suspected it, but this confirms it," she said, forming a triangle with her fingers, "After the Mirror shattered…" she caught the glimpse of hurt that briefly shot across his face, "And after you were done…convulsing, I noticed lacerations on you. Before the Triforce healed them over, I thought I noticed that…something in the largest cut was…glittering."
Link snorted, "Pray tell why you didn't mention this earlier, Zelda?"
She shrugged, "You were already in a…sour enough mood. I didn't want to potentially damage it further."
Link stared at her silently for a moment longer before shaking his head and continuing. "As I was saying, other than the fact that I have a piece of cursed glass in my chest, apparently now I absorb shadow energy." This time, he thrust a slightly muddied paw near her face.
She recoiled a little at the sudden personal-space intrusion, but this time, she examined the offered extremity without being prompted. Upon closer inspection, around the familiar, faint impression of the Trifoce of Courage, she could clearly make out fine, glowing lines under the fur. Their appearance, that cyan coloration, the distinct exotic patterns…it brought up memories.
"What in…" she mouthed, "How…?"
Link snorted, "I wish I knew WHY…the spirit that dwells in this relic on my head and a little bit…in me, wasn't exactly forthcoming with information as to WHY I'm looking like this."
"Spirit…?"
"Ah yes. His name is Oni. He is a…something. I'm not sure how to describe it. I would introduce you but he isn't exactly corporeal," Link shrugged, "Don't you worry though, he isn't malicious."
Zelda nodded, "Okay, so is your new…ability to absorb shadows why you are stuck in this form?"
Link shook his head, placing his paw back on the floor, "Ah, I was just getting to that. Oh, by the way I can do more than just absorb shadows now, just to let you know," at her raised eyebrow, he continued, "Later. Anyway, after I found the Shadow, I used its power to guide me to the source of that fog…"
He then relayed to her the events of his little discovery. Zelda's expression varied throughout his story of his trek through that…awful place. It varied from intrigued, to disgusted, to fearful, to worry.
"…and after I killed the beast, that's when I saw…him."
"Him?"
"…tell me, does the name Majora mean anything to you?"
Zelda bit her lip, deep in thought. Majora…Majora…where have I heard that before…? She thought, drumming her fingers against her cheek. Those dreams she had…were they a warning about him…? "That name is…familiar…I'm not sure how, but I feel that I know it…"
"He was an ancient demon…or spirit…or…something. I'm not exactly sure. He has destroyed countless worlds. He nearly destroyed this one thousands of years ago as well, but the Goddesses intervened this time. They created Oni, the spirit in the Fused Shadow to fight him. In the end, Oni succeeded in sealing him away, at the cost of his physical form," said Link, to Zelda's rapidly darkening expression, "Both of them were sealed in masks. Eventually, the Dark Interlopers found them, and used their power for their own ends…" he then explained that it was through those masks that the people who became the Twili created the Fused Shadows. She listened intently the whole time, nodding at several of his statements. "Oni hasn't told me what happened to the masks after that, though…"
Zelda swallowed loudly, obviously disturbed by this new information, "I…see…and is it because of this…this…entity that you are stuck as you are now?"
Link nodded firmly, "Yes, after I had escaped those caverns, I saw him again, and he cursed me," he gestured at himself with a paw, "…and now, I am stuck in this form."
Zelda gently placed a hand on his shoulder, "I am sorry. I sent you on this mission, this is my fault."
Link leaned into her touch slightly, "No it isn't. I had to do this. Who knows what horrors that…thing would have awoken had I not destroyed his pet," he paused for a moment, "Besides, I don't exactly mind being in this form; it is actually quite comfortable. Shame I have no thumbs though…"
Zelda couldn't help but giggle at his optimism, "If you say so."
"By the way, I didn't mention that the entrance was directly on top of the place where Ganondorf was killed."
Zelda glanced at him, arching an eyebrow, "Really?" she cupped a hand to her chin, "What could that mean…"
"The monster within, it was… I guess you could say feeding on Ganondorf's remaining corruption," he wrinkled his nose in disgust, "It was so nasty in there," he suddenly thought of something, now that he was thinking about the deceased Dark Lord. "Say, you wouldn't have any idea what happened to the Triforce of Power, would you?"
"We saw it leave him as he was dying," said Zelda matter-of-factly, "According to legend it will be waiting until a new, worthy wielder comes forth," she glanced down at him, "The new wielder could be alive now, or it could be a thousand years until it chooses a new master."
"That worries me though…uncertainty," said Link, "I mean, what if he gets it? Hell, the goddesses needed to intervene the first time to stop him."
"It will probably seek out someone worthy that desires power. From what you told me, this spirit only wants destruction. The two are not the same, so I believe we shouldn't concern ourselves with that possibility."
Link chuckled, "I hope you're right."
They were silent for a few moments longer, "Anyway, after that is when I rushed off to save Ashei."
"Ah, this," said Zelda, "Ashei was somewhat unclear about this part when I asked. Care to clarify?"
"…well, counting the four who were already dead when I got there, Ashei killed them I supposed, there were twenty-four of them …or was it twenty three…" his brow scrunched up in thought, "Forget which, doesn't matter. It was very much the same way as to what happened today. No defined emblems, no definite faction… well, these ones weren't wearing stolen uniforms, but judging from new information gathered from the leader of today's hit squad, they were from the same group."
"I understand, and?"
"I took a few hits, and I killed all but two of them," Link's eyes narrowed, "…they…fled. Oh goddess, they're the ones who reported back. They're the ones who told…whoever this 'Mr. Dark' is about Ashei."
"Link…" Zelda said, gently rubbing his shoulder trying to calm him down.
"I should have killed them…in letting them go…I put my friends at risk…"
"Link, it's not your fault…"
Link glared at her, "Due to my hesitance to chase down those men, they got away. They reported back to their…master, and in doing so told him about Ashei…most likely. And then he sent more men to take out anyone who…knows…about…" he shrugged, "something…sorry Zelda, all evidence points to me."
"Regardless of whose fault it is, we're all safe, Link. Put it behind you."
Link snorted and stared into the unlit fireplace, "I suppose I could try…"
"There's something that annoys me though," said Zelda, leaning back in her chair, "Those men we fought today…they seemed to be horribly uninformed."
"What do you mean?"
"What I mean is that all they knew about what happened to that other group is that they were killed, and Ashei was somehow involved. No mention about how there was a high probability that they would be mauled by a giant wolf. Besides, even without that knowledge, they should still have known that Ashei was involved with the demise of two dozen of their men," Zelda looked Link in the eyes, "Why would only six men be sent? It was extremely poorly done. Besides, you mentioned that four of them were already dead when you got there; Ashei did that without any help, and she was very outnumbered."
"What are you getting at?"
"It's like…this 'Mr. Dark' knew that this would only get his men killed."
"I'm curious as to why he'd send men out to kill us in the first place," said Link.
"Well, you are a hero," Zelda said matter-of-factly, "People like you would stand in the way of an evil man's ambitions."
"That's just the thing, I don't know who this 'evil man' is, and Majora doesn't seem like the type of person to hire killers! Unless…" he paused, "Unless this 'Mr. Dark' is a servant of Majora? Or maybe some loyalist of the late Dark Lord?"
"That doesn't seem to be such a farfetched assumption…" Zelda agreed.
"If that is the case, whoever is out to kill me hasn't been doing a very good job…" said Link with a hint of amusement, "I've seen enough crap in the last year, having someone sending less-than-skilled at me after what I've endured isn't a very good idea."
Zelda giggled, "Is that pride I hear?"
"…maybe," he muttered, "Anyway, after I saved Ashei and got her to trust me…as apparently I'm oh-so-terrifying, we simply went back to town. The rest is history."
"I see. So I guess this means your mission was a success."
"Before you ask, I don't need a reward. This was as a favor to you?" Link said preemptively.
Even after this got him stuck in that form, he's still so modest… "I…if you insist."
"I think Ashei deserves something extra though, she took quite a beating," said Link, his nose wrinkling at the memory of Ashei's heavily bruised face after he rescued her.
Zelda smiled, "I'll see to it."
"Thank you…"
"Now…let's recap. You killed some undead, found a Fused Shadow, repaired said Fused Shadow, used said Fused Shadow…" her brow furrowed, "I still don't understand how that is possible, shadow and light aren't supposed to mix."
"The evidence says otherwise," said Link, "Besides, I'm as clueless about this as you are."
"Alright…then you made your way through a horrible cavern, killed a huge monster, fought your way out, and got cursed by some ancient world-destroying demon…thing?"
"That's pretty much the gist of it…oh and saved Ashei, can't forget that part."
"Riiight…" her expression became worried, "But still, this whole thing with Majora…returning? That sounds…bad. I mean, really bad."
"Tell me about it," the beast said sarcastically. "I feel that a storm is coming…" his tone was serious this time.
"So do I…" the Queen said quietly, "Another terrible war…oh goddess I hope we don't have another terrible war…"
"You mentioned something about trouble brewing in the desert earlier?"
"Yeah, I did," she mumbled, "With what you've told me just now, I feel that this is much more serious than I first imagined. Ganon's forces would have been leaderless; I doubt that they would turn away a new master."
"King Bublin, Ganondorf's top general follows the strongest side, he told me this himself," said Link, "I've defeated him in single combat multiple times, both on foot and on horseback…" his expression calmed slightly, "That reminds me," said Link, "Could you see to it that Epona is taken care of? She is currently stabled at the east gate of town."
"After what you've done, it's the least I could do," said Zelda, "…you were saying?"
"Oh yes. I've proven myself to be the stronger, so I doubt he'd attack ME, and by extension, the country I serve. So unless he is…replaced, I doubt that he will lead them to attack this country again."
"…but if he does?"
Link was silent for a moment, his snout pointing towards the door, "Regardless, you should not ignore this."
"I didn't plan on it."
Link nodded, "Yes. Whether this country is attacked again or not, you should not be unprepared. Zant caught you totally by surprise last time."
Zelda grimaced, indeed he did. They were already defeated by the time anyone even realized there had been an invasion. Hell, the town itself was practically untouched in the attack. Zant essentially made a beeline straight for the castle, burning anything in his path. Other than being well…defeated, the biggest troubles started after the fall, during Zant's brutal occupation.
"I understand, we have a warning this time," said Zelda firmly, "We will not be crushed so easily…though it sort of helps that this time we have the legendary hero among us from the get-go," Link swelled with pride slightly at that statement. "Rebuilding our defense takes priority; I will personally oversee this effort. It shouldn't be too hard to sway the people. It is common knowledge that we are vulnerable to any other attacks, I hope they will support this. I'll get it done."
"That's good to hear."
"By the way, thank you again for…doing this task for me. I know you asked for a month of recuperation, but…still. You sacrificed that for this country. I will not forget this," she crossed her arms across her lap, "I don't know about you, but I think you are slated for another adventure."
Link extended the paw with the Triforce mark on it in an awkward salute across his chest, "It's no trouble, apparently the goddess' decreed that that is my job anyway. Besides, the adventuring is kind of fun."
Though it won't be the same without Midna…
Zelda chuckled, "I suppose it is, but still, thank you…"
Before she could finish that statement, a high-pitched shriek reverberated throughout the wing of the castle. Zelda visibly cringed, while Link recoiled from the loudness of the cry.
"By ze goddess…VHAT IS ZIS MESS? Oh if it's zat GIRL again, zen I vill…"
"On second thought…un-thank you!" Zelda said through gritted teeth, "Oh damn you and your muddy paws, why didn't you wipe them on the doormat!"
"How was I supposed to know!"
The sound of loud thudding, footsteps, accompanied by audible disgruntled mumbling rapidly grew louder and louder. Both the Queen and the wolf suddenly got a feeling of imminent doom.
"Ah, of course, zey lead right up to HER DOOR! Why I ought to…"
The statement was interrupted as the door burst open, and Link got his first look at the Hyrule Castle caretaker. Wild, long since grayed hair sat atop a head with hawkish features, with a prominent nose and eyes magnified greatly behind bulky spectacle, with her mouth a thin line. Her attire was black, frilly, and old. Link could smell the mustiness from it all the way from where he was sitting. All in all, she was scary.
"Ah, Queen Zelda," she hissed, "Vhat on earth have you been…" Link felt a feeling of dread as the large, searchlight like eyes swiveled onto his body, "BY ZE GODDESS, VHAT IS ZAT?" she screamed, the loud, high pitched sound making Link whimper in pain. "My Queen, VHAT DO YOU ZINK YOU'RE DOING? BRINGING SOMETHING LIKE ZAT INTO ZIS CASTLE!" Link cringed further from the auditory assault. The woman was pacing back in forth, making random gestures with her hands.
"Oh, um…hello to you too, Inga," Zelda said weakly. The crazy old caretaker had been around for as long as she could remember. When Zelda was younger, the woman had also served as a nanny…a very strict nanny. Zelda never found out where the woman came from, judging from her strange accent, she wasn't from Hyrule, but a foreigner.
'Foreigner' was an uncommon term in Hyrule. The goddesses had seemed to place the kingdom in such a position that it rarely ever encounters travelers from other lands. A vast, uncharted forest to the south, a boundless desert to the west, and mountains to the north and east had rendered the kingdom to be quite isolated.
"Don't you 'hello to you' me, young lady!" she shrieked.
Link suspected that this batty old woman was one of the few people allowed to talk to their monarch that way.
"Oh…so irresponsible! You've always been so irresponsible, I know your father tried, but he obviously failed to properly teach you discipline! Always sneaking out of ze castle, always bringing beasts in…" her gaze flicked over to Link, who was currently lying on the ground, trying to clamp his paws over his ears, "Don't think I haven't heard what nearly happened today, your Highness!"
"Inga…"
"I haven't forgotten zat time vhen you turned my room into your own personal garden, or how you once put vorms in ze main course for an important feast…."
Link's head perked up at this mentioning, much to his distressed when he unshielded his ears as the woman continued her rant. He couldn't help but silently chuckle. Vorms? Worms? Is this a side of his Queen that he had never seen before?
"…or zat time vith ze pigeons…or ze time vith ze ferrets…or ze cuccos…" the crazy old woman continued to rant.
Link couldn't help but feel amused at all this dirt on his monarch…while at the same time being afraid of the woman doing the digging.
"…but zis is too far! It's filthy! It's dangerous! I won't tolerate zis!"
"This beast," Zelda said, her voice firm "Is my guardian!"
Well, that works…
"Zat's what you said about ze pigs!"
"I'm serious this time!"
"You said zat ze last time too!"
Zelda rolled her eyes, "You seem to forget, I'm no longer a princess, I'm the Queen! I say he stays, so he stays!"
"VHAT YOU SAY!"
"He's. Staying!" Zelda borderline yelled.
The woman's face was already red from yelling, and now it looked like it was turning a shade of purple. If looks could kill, Link's head would have exploded. "Fine! Zat's it! I quit! I'm finished!"
"That's what you said the other five hundred times!"
"I am SERIOUS!"
"You said that too!"
"Bah!" the woman turned on her heel and strode for the door, she turned and shot Link a venomous glance, "At least vash the vetched thing! Is filthy!" with that, she slammed the door behind her.
Both Link and Zelda stared at the place where the batty old caretaker had left moments ago. Link was still quivering from the brutal assault on his poor wolf-ears, while Zelda was trying to form words.
"Well…that went better than expected," said Zelda.
Better than expected? I'd hate to see what her definition of a disaster is… a hint of a smile came to his face, Well, at least it's not like she'd force me to take a…
Amidst his thoughts, he didn't seem to notice Zelda sniffing him, "Yeah, she's right. You need a bath."
...bath. Oh…ah…
"Seriously, what have you been rolling in?" said Zelda with a hint of amusement in her voice, "Well, I guess you're a dog, so I can't say I'm too surprised."
Link glared at her, "You wouldn't dare."
"Oh I dare. Seriously, have you smelled yourself recently? Besides, if you're going to be staying here, you might as well do this as a favor to me."
"…here?"
"Yes, I'd like to keep you close at hand if I need you. I'll make arrangements."
"…on second thought, can I take 'not take a bath' as a 'reward' for that mission I did in Eldin Field?"
Zelda shook her head, "Nope, sorry. That will not be something I grant."
"Why not?"
"Link, you're filthy! Why are you making such a big deal out of this!"
Link legitimately though of a reason. Though all he could find was some part of him thoroughly didn't want to. "I…don't know!" he truly didn't. He washed himself somewhat earlier, in a shallow pool of fresh water shortly after his ordeal, but he didn't feel this way then. Why now?
"Then why?"
"I…just…what am I supposed to do with this shadowy relic on my head?" he asked.
"…hide it somewhere?"
"And how am I supposed to do that? I have no thumbs and it looked like it shocked you when you touched it!" Link spat, "Besides, I wouldn't put it above some moron to break into here to steal it!"
"You worry too much!"
"Grrr…"
(I think I might have a solution, Link…) Oni's voice reverberated through his head
Link's eyes shot towards the relic hidden beneath his hair, "What?"
"Who are you talking to?"
"Shh!" His response only confused her.
(I think you have enough shadow energy in your body itself to do this simple spell, I will guide you…)
"…Link?"
(You do it like this…) Link suddenly had a weird…feeling come over him. These thoughts told him to focus on the shadow, and imagine it in a…dark place. Where it was, he was uncertain, but it felt…personal, familiar. He pictured the Fused Shadow, suspended in the void. He concentrated, harder and harder.
Suddenly, he felt warmth spread out from the shard on his chest, along the azure lines on his paws and seep towards the crown of his head.
Zelda watched with her mouth agape as she could see black squares rapidly flow from the top of Link's head, dissolving into thin air. As he panted, Zelda placed her hand atop his skull, running her fingers through the fur. The shadow was gone.
"What did you do?"
"Hang on…give me a moment…" he said. To him, he could see the relic in the dark pocket…wherever it was. He concentrated again, trying to recall the artifact from his own personal void. He imagined that it was back on his head. The black squares appeared again, reversing what they did before, and the Fused Shadow reformed on his head.
(Well done, Link…) said Oni.
"Well, that's convenient…" said Link. He now had quite a good idea of how a certain Twili's bottomless pockets seemed to work.
"That was…interesting," said Zelda, "Are you alright."
"Yeah, I'll be fine…it's just that doing any kind of shadow magic is…unfamiliar and pretty taxing, especially since he didn't help me on the recall," said Link, "A bit too tiring to be practical to constantly store things like that, at the moment."
"But…can you use it as a place to hide the Shadow while you take a bath?"
Link groaned, "Ugh…why are you still going on about that?"
Zelda glared, getting annoyed, "Because it's my house, my rules. You WILL take a bath!"
Link fell back and whimpered at the Queen's quickly worsening temper. The one thing he feared worse than hordes of giant killer monsters were angry women.
"Okay, you send something about a bath? Let's get to it! Whee!" he said in a far-too-high pitched voice.
Zelda could only arch an eyebrow.
Surprisingly, the castle staff worked quickly. When Zelda announced her intention to her butler, Link's 'torture' chamber was already prepared when he arrived.
It was a plain, unadorned room. A tub of water, large enough to hold his size sat in the very center, with nervous-looking servants eyeing him as he came in, his Fused Shadow hidden away in his personal 'storage'.
As he was on his way to this room, Link thought about his unusual hesitation. It took a great deal of thought before he finally understood. He didn't forget how when he had seen his fellow Ordonians bathe their pet dogs, and how they would always put up a fuss. How they would always act like they were being tortured. But now, with all the Shadows he had absorbed, his more feral side was more prominent.
Much to the servants' bewilderment, he willingly leapt into the warm water, splashing them all. Some part of him was amused. He had to suppress his wild instincts, and it was difficult.
That part of him made him realize something. Amongst both dogs and wolves, it seemed a good layer of filth was their equivalent of a stylish beard, for the males anyway. What he had now, traces of that slime from the caverns, flecks of dried blood, the remnants of being caught in the rain…what he had now was the canine equivalent of a goatee of unparallel masculinity. Oh the shame of having such a thing forcibly removed.
Link had to use much of his willpower to suppress the urge to escape from the vile torture of having his canine goatee removed, but he persevered. He stood there and took it like a manly wolf as the servants scrubbed away at him with fine soaps.
Occasionally, he saw the Queen peek in through the door. He tried to put on a pitiful face, but that only made her giggle. In response, he shot a scathing glare her way, which only amused her more.
It seemed like it took forever for the servants to strip away his hard-earned coat of grime, though it was only around ten minutes. Link was still standing still like a statue as they finished off, the last traces of his previous uncleanness disappearing into the soapy bathwater.
He felt clean… unnaturally clean, and it was almost humiliating. Damn these feral impulses. His fur was heavy, soaked with water, and his wet mane sagged down into his eyes. He huffed irritably.
To his amusement, the servants tried to direct him onto a strategically placed towel outside the tub. Before they even grabbed his shoulders to do so, he left the tub, sending them recoiling as he splashed them again. His mind was dulled to the faint feeling of abrasiveness as the servants fervently attacked his fur with fine towels when he could see Zelda reenter the room, partially obscured by his bangs.
She knelt slightly, brushing his waterlogged hair out of his eyes, a smirk was on her face. "Aw that wasn't so bad was it?"
In one final act of defiance, Link responded by self-drying in a canine matter. Amidst the startled cries of the castles staff and the Queen as he splattered them all with a torrent of water, he couldn't help but feel satisfied.
Zelda would probably find some way to get back at him for this, but still…
…it had definitely been worth it.
(A/N): Told you that this one would be out faster! ;)
Think of it as an earlier Christmas present or something!
Happy/Merry (Insert relevant holiday here), everyone!
If you've ever given a real dog a bath, you probably know how they are always like OH BOO HOO!...or at least mine is, so that's how I came up with that part.
Random trivia time!
The answers to last chap's questions were:
1. It is indeed 12 heart containers! ThatFanFic and blarfshnorgull got it, though the former got it first. Internet…muffins for you!
2. blarfshnorgull was correct (again)! The name of the achievement is "I can has nukes?" Internet…cupcakes this time!
This chapter's questions:
1. In A Link to the Past, what item do you get in the 6th Dark World dungeon?
2. In Mass Effect 2, finish the quote, Shepard: "I've had enough of your…" To clarify, Shepard is saying the line.
Random closing thoughts: as I write this, I just ate chili.
Until next time!
Megatoast