The Legend of Zelda

Legacy of the Sages

Chapter 8: Uncertain Times, Part 1

Link felt sore all over. No, scratch that; he was sore all over. He felt like he had been hit by a horse, and then a rampaging bull following after. The way that his arm felt sort of guaranteed such a notion, though the tightness in his skin on his arms and legs made him feel rather confused about what had happened while he was out.

He didn't feel like he was eaten. Crud, he could have felt worse for all he knew. In fact, with the soft soil on his back, he couldn't have felt more comfortable.

He suddenly remembered that there wasn't any soil in the Dodongo's Lair; rather, it was really more like dirt and rocks, or probably even dust, but not soil. So why did he feel like he was lying on something as soft as a mattress?

He decided to open his eyes to get a good look around. About ten feet up, there was a stone ceiling. The ceiling was rather low for it to be the cavern; then again, seeing as it wasn't hot anymore, how could it be the Dodongo's Cavern? He could see several familiar paintings of Gorons in dance, some of them holding up rocks or hammers, and he could also see several jars scattered on the rock floor of where he was apparently staying. He realized that this could only be one place…

With a gasp, he sat up, only to wish he hadn't. The headache that he received followed by the pain in his arms and legs was enough to knock him back out, so he lay back down again. He took a good look at himself from where he could see in his position. His arms and legs were covered in tight yet comfortable bandages, and his right arm was in a rather tight sling. The feeling of having his bones brush up against each other was gone, though his arm still hurt. Certain areas of his skin felt itchy, like they were attacked by swarms of mosquitoes and left open to them before they were carelessly brushed off. He couldn't scratch them because of the stiffness of his bandages, but it didn't take a genius to see that they were protecting his burns.

A noise off to his right caused him to turn around from where he was lying down. The familiar silhouette of a Goron was standing in the doorway, his mouth curled in a big smile.

"How are you doing, Link?" the Goron asked.

Link recognized the voice right away. "Gongoron!" he said weakly, "Boy am I glad to see you!"

The guard smiled. "It's good to see you too, Link, especially after what had happened earlier. You wouldn't believe the surprise we Gorons had when we heard the all too familiar sounds of Dodongos inside of our caverns. It was enough to drive us silly. Big Brother Goro-Link had declared it a state of emergency, and quickly had as many of the most able Gorons as possible get inside the caverns to help you out. It wasn't until after the big explosion that we realized you were deeper inside than we thought, and you wouldn't believe our surprise to see that you defeated an Emperor Dodongo in such a manner! Oh boy; that story will be talked about for quite some time to come, I can promise you that!"

"Wait," Link said, "That thing wasn't a King Dodongo after all, was it? Then what was it again?"

"I can see that you remember some of the stories we told you about your great grandfather before you set out," Gongoron said, "Yes indeed, that was no King Dodongo, but something much worse. A King Dodongo may be large, at least 50 feet long, and enough strength to level a village if they need be, but they pale in comparison to the might of an Emperor Dodongo, the rarest of the rare of their kind. They can only be born once every 1,000 years, and when they do a great campaign of Dodongos follows in their wake. They are ruthless monsters that redefine tyrants, and are probably even nastier than even, dare I say it, Ganondorf ever could before he was imprisoned! Oh boy, you should have seen the look on Goro-Link's face when he heard the news; he almost permanently turned into a sand color! Ohoho!"

"Warra-Link! You okay-okay!"

The familiar face of Biter peeked around the big body of Gongoron, his cute snout curled into a lizard-like smile.

"Hey Biter!" Link said, "How are you?"

"Much better-better, now see Warra-Link safe-safe," Biter replied, "Me heard you big-killa giant nasty-nasty Dodongo! You brave warrior, Warra-Link. Me proud be good-friend!"

"Thanks Biter," Link said with a smile.

Biter was about to say more, but quickly backed aside when two more people creeped inside the small room; one was an old Goron, whose head was covered with a small, turban-like hat. Link guessed that this was the doctor.

The other was none other than Goro-Link, leader of the Gorons himself.

"Link," the big Goron said, "I'm glad you are okay! You gave us quite a scare there. You've been asleep for at least two days!"

"Two days?!?" Link asked in alarm.

"Yup," the Goron leader replied, "Though you didn't give anybody more of a scare than me. To think that there were Dodongos in that cavern still, and right under my nose! I wouldn't have sent you in the cavern alone like that had I have known, though I am glad you turned out okay. The way you dealt with that Emperor Dodongo makes me feel proud to hold the name of your great grandfather in likeness to yourself. Yes indeed!"

Two days? Link had no idea that he could sleep for that long. Of course, he had no clue that creatures as big as Dodongos could exist before a few days ago either, and yet he was almost killed by several different kinds, ages, and species all within a single night.

It was then that he noticed someone missing within the group of people to see him.

"Where' Karnak?" Link asked, "Shouldn't he be here?"

"He would if he could," Goro-Link said, his eyes bent down in shame, "But I couldn't get him in."

"What?!" Link almost shouted, "He came and helped you guys in your time of need, even rescued me from a fate worse than death, and yet you don't allow him into the city to see me?!? Is this because your hatred for each other is so deep you won't even allow a peacemaker in your midst if he's from the other side?"

"I didn't say I didn't allow him in," Goro-Link said, his eyes looking as if both his pride and his feelings were hurt, "I said that I couldn't. We Gorons welcomed him in with open arms, but he refused. He said that he needed solitude until you were ready to move on, and that he needed to meditate. He even refused to enter the village for meals and sleep, though I couldn't understand why. He's been said to have been seen living off of the insects, berries, and other wild animals on the mountainside, and has refused to come near the village entrance for more than several yards."

Link was surprised. He didn't expect the Dinolfos to act this way. He wondered what could keep him from coming near, unless…

"I would like to see him," Link said.

"I'm afraid not," the Goron doctor said, "You are in no condition to move about right now. Your burns may have healed up a little, but your arm is still in fragile condition. If you were to move any more than your little outburst in getting up, you might break it again, and possibly ruin your arm permanently. I'm sorry, but I can't let you leave."

"Then ask Karnak if he could come," Link said, "Tell him that it is urgent. Use the excuse of me being injured if you have to. I need to see him."

Karnak was easily disturbed, showing his reluctance of meeting Link easily. He slowly walked into the room where Link was resting, and looked down at the bandaged boy with a sad look in his eyes. Everyone else had left the room out of Link's request, because he felt that their talk had to be alone.

The Dinolfos sat upon a rock seat, brushing his cloak of dust, and setting his staff down on the floor.

"This had better be good," Karnak said, putting on a mask of annoyance.

"Karnak, I have to ask you something," Link said, "Why is it that you are distancing yourself from me, even though you and I both know that you are as good a friend to me as the Gorons?"

"I beg your pardon?" Karnak said in disbelief.

"You heard me," Link said, "Why is it that you are staying away from me, when I still consider you a friend? You've saved my life, and helped the Gorons keep their food source from enemies, which is a big thing indeed. So I'll ask you again; why are you distancing yourself?"

Karnak looked as if he was about to deny what Link had said, but then sighed with grief. "I feel that I am responsible putting you in the danger that you've been through the past few days."

"What are you talking about?" Link asked, "It couldn't be helped. I knew the risks when I took on the Lizalfos and the Dodongos and won, so there's no need to-"

"Link, look at yourself!" Karnak said angrily, "You could have been killed or worse, and I am to blame. You should have gone in there with help, and yet I kept to old traditions of my kind and had you go on alone, possibly to face dozens of Lizalfos. The Gorons wouldn't help you either, because they thought that there were only a few of their kind in the cavern, but I knew for a fact that there were more than several dozen inside, and I kept quiet about it!"

"What?" Link asked.

Karnak sighed again, and then took a deep breath. He spoke up, "Your great grandfather, the Hero of Time as he is called by your people, was called a different name by my kind. He was called Rashk-Vanaak, the Green Warrior. We considered him a bold and respectful enemy, and throughout our kind stories of him defeating our warriors and the minions of Ganondorf had spread both fear and admiration for this simple Hylian, the Fleshed Ones as we call them. Some have stepped up to stating that he was a god in Hylian form, though many of the veteran warriors knew better. We still respected him out of pride that he was a warrior greater than us, and to even catch a glimpse of him was an honor.

"I had once received a vision that Rashk-Vanaak would return one day after his death, that he would lead our kind in glory in our darkest hour, and unite us, even if it is a select few, with our former rivals, the Gorons. The vision was enough to stir me to travel to the lands beyond my own, and I soon began to learn the words and customs of your kind. My knowledge was enough to fill a book, but I still couldn't find out more about the prophecy.

"That all changed about a week ago, when a party of travelers left the land that was called 'Lon Lon Ranch.'"

Link's eyes went wide. Karnak had seen him and his family when they had left to Hyrule Castle Town, and he didn't even know it!

"Imagine my surprise when I saw a boy in green riding a horse alongside one of the carts filled with supplies and children. I brought the question to the spirits of the earth, those forever bound beneath it from the curses of war, and my suspicions rang true; the one who I had considered a rival and an equal, the Rashk-Vanaak, had indeed returned; or so I thought.

"I brought this finding to the Shadow Claw tribe, the same tribe of Lizalfos that had attacked the Gorons not too long ago. I gave them my knowledge, plus the rumors of the strange Seven Sorcerers that has been going on amongst the suspicious townsfolk below, and they threw me out. They accused me of being a 'lover of Gorons,' and sent me away. Not long after, a man in a hooded cloak, his eyes bursting with flame, came to the Shadow Claws and cast his spells on them, making them his slaves.

"I knew that I needed help and fast, so it surprised me about a day or so later when I saw you on that ledge with young Biter at your side. When his father was about to kill you, I swiftly came to your side, knowing full well that your survival guaranteed the destiny of our people.

"I believed that, if the Hero of Time's blood truly ran through your veins, you would be invincible and would not need any help in defeating several Lizalfos warriors. My sending you alone was a mere test to see if you truly were who I suspected you to be, though I should not have had any suspicions to begin with.

"You can see now how much of a fool I found that I was when I discovered that you were in over your head, that while the Shadow Claws had lesser numbers than before there were Dodongos deep within the caverns. Had I have known that ahead of time I would have gladly fought along your side, but I found out too late. This is why I had been so distant from you these past two days; because I feel that it was my fault if you had died, thinking that you would be invincible, when I forgot that you are still a boy, and you are not your great grandfather. I guess that what I am coming up to saying is this; can you forgive me?"

Link was rather perplexed by all of this. Did Karnak really feel that strongly? Sighing, he looked up at the Dinolfos shaman, whose head was hung low in shame. "Of course I forgive you," Link said, "I won didn't I?"

Karnak looked up, and smiled.

"That was beautiful."

Link and Karnak both looked around at the strange voice. It wasn't until Link felt a familiar rustle in his pocket that he realized who it was.

Darin poked his tiny body out of the pocket, and hovered above Link and Karnak's heads. "Is it morning yet?" he asked with a yawn.

"Good morning sleeping beauty," Link said in annoyance, "I trust that you slept well?"

"Not as well as I hope you did," Darin said, looking down at his charge, "You gave me a scare there, buddy. It isn't every day that my charge goes unconscious because of extreme injury."

"Well, get used to it," Link said, "Once I'm able to get out of some of these bandages, we're heading down the mountain again."

"Down the mountain?" Karnak said, "You would go so soon?"

"I still have unfinished business," Link said, "Once I get the second Spiritual Stone I have to get going. I still have one more to go."

"You can't go just yet," Karnak said, "I still feel indebt to you after I sent you off to your doom, and I feel that it's my responsibility to make it up to you for it."

"Karnak, I said that I forgave you," Link said, "What more do you want?"

"To your kind it's forgive and forget," Karnak said, "Nevertheless, I still feel that I owe you something after what you have done." He sat in thought for a moment before coming up with an idea. "I've got it," he said, "Once you've gotten the Goron's Ruby, I want you to follow me up the mountain. There's someone I wish for you to meet."

"Not more climbing!" Darin said, more out of concern than of dread, "Link can't even climb with his arm, so how do you expect us to get up there?"

"I'll carry him if I have to," Karnak said, "Besides, we Lizalfos know of secret paths up the mountainside that even the Gorons wouldn't dream of. We'll be able to get up there, don't you worry about that."

"If you say so," Link said, "But I still have to get the Spiritual Stone first."

"That may not take as long as you expect," Darin said, "If I know Gorons, they never go back on their word. Trust me; Big Brother Link will probably give you the stone, and probably more since you got rid of that Dodongo for him."

"Alright," Link said with a yawn, "Boy, beating giant lizards really knocks it out of you. If you don't mind, I think that I'll sleep a bit more."

"Sleep on then, little one," Karnak said. And without another word, he left the room.

Zelda paced her gardens for the fourth time that morning. Ever since her dream where she witnessed Link fight the monstrous creature – a Dodongo, according to old records – she had become restless and concerned for the young boy. She barely even got a chance to know him, and almost right after she met him she sent him on a wild goose chase to recover three Spiritual Stones before the Seven Sorcerers could get their 'hero' to find them himself and open the gateway to the Sacred Realm, so that Ganondorf could be freed to rule the world once again.

If the feelings she had for Link were true, like Naru kept telling her that they were, then she vowed that when Link returned she would get to know him better.

She couldn't really explain it; in fact, she didn't even think that she wanted to either. All she knew was that she deeply cared for Link, deeper than anyone else in her life; almost deeper than her own father.

Oh mother, Zelda thought, what would you do?

As she paced, she heard footsteps approaching. She turned around gracefully, almost expecting it to be Naru, but was surprised to see that it was one of the servant boys from the castle. The boy bowed rather sweetly, and then looked up at the princess with eager eyes.

"Your highness," the boy said, "I have a message from your guest, Prince Vaati."

Not him again, Zelda thought, If this is another putrid attempt at a love letter then I'm going to puke.

She shrugged off the thought, and replied, "What is Prince Vaati's message?"

"He wishes to see you in his quarters, your highness," the boy said, "He is requesting your council on something important. Shall I escort you?"

She sighed. "If he insists. Certainly, you may escort me along with my nursemaid. Naru!"

The Gerudo leapt from her hidden balcony as graceful as a cat, and strode to the princess's side. The boy was almost taken aback from the sudden appearance of the 24-year-old girl leaping from out of nowhere, but he dismissed it and led the two women way from the garden.

"What is your name?" Zelda asked.

The boy glanced back in surprise, but quickly and expertly hid it, returning to his servant-like appearance. "My name is Mike, son of Garon," he said.

"Have you been working here long?" she asked.

"All my life, your Excellency," he replied.

"Then I have something to ask of you," Zelda said.

"Oh?" the boy asked, slowing down to allow the princess to come close to his ear.

The princess whispered, "I don't trust Vaati one bit. Do me a favor; if he or his men try to do anything that you think is the least bit suspicious, don't hesitate to tell the guards. This is a very important mission that I am instructing of you. Can you handle it?"

The boy's chest swelled up with pride. "With my life, your grace," he said.

"Good," Zelda said, "Carry on."

The boy walked with a little bit of a spring in his step as he walked the two girls down to prince Vaati's chambers.

"Well," Naru said quietly, "That was very well done, princess."

"You think so?" Zelda asked.

"Well, I wouldn't necessarily rank it as being worthy of a Gerudo warrior," she said teasingly, "but it'll do for a princess of Hyrule."

"Thank you," Zelda said. The two of them followed the servant boy as he led them on to the room of Prince Vaati the Wind Mage.

Prince Vaati had never felt more relaxed.

Reclining in his newly built armchair worthy of kings and with enough cushions to satisfy a Zora King, Prince Vaati couldn't have been more comfortable. Having just finished probably one of his better meals since arriving to the kingdom of Hyrule, he had never expected to enjoy himself so much in such a short time. There was probably only two other things in the world that would give him such satisfaction, though one was more obvious than the other; and while one involved scheming into the grand scheme of things, the other was a more "physical" enjoyment.

He decided, however, that now wasn't the time to reflect on the enjoyments of the past. Today, he hoped to win the heart of a gullible princess, so he needed to keep his thoughts as cleared as possible. Besides, he thought, such thoughts mentioned in a conversation might scare the pretty lady off. Wouldn't want that, would we?

There was a knock on the door. Now the musings would be done, and the time to act would begin…

"Yes Drakis, what is it?" Vaati asked nonchalantly.

"The princess and her bodyguard here to see you, my lord," the armored man replied.

"Well don't just stand there gawking like some idiot," Vaati said soothingly, "Let them in, and do hurry."

Without another word the door opened up. Vaati smiled within himself as he watched the beautiful Princess Zelda, followed by her nursemaid, the rather attractive Gerudo woman – What was that wench's name again? – though the boy he had asked for was nowhere to be seen. It was probably a good thing that his men were keeping the boy preoccupied; otherwise, the boy might cause trouble, and Vaati certainly didn't want any trouble.

"Welcome to this humble abode, princess," Vaati said, standing to give probably one of the most regal-looking bows that he could muster, "And welcome to you as well, humble Gerudo warrior. My, my, two attractive young ladies in my presence. I could just fluster with pride in looking upon such adorable ladies."

He gave off one of his winning smiles. As he expected, the Gerudo woman was unaffected, and neither was Zelda. In fact, if Vaati would guess right, the girl would probably be trying to keep herself from making a face in disgust while looking at his face. This could be good, Vaati thought, I love it when girls play hard to get.

"You asked for my council, Prince Vaati?" Zelda asked.

"Oh, yes, of course!" Vaati said in mock surprise, "I almost forgot why I asked for you. And here I am thinking that you came just to see your future fiancé. Of course, where are my manners? Here, let me pull you up a chair, your highness."

With the grace and speed of a gazelle, he had the two girls sitting on two chairs he had made just for them; one with a cushion-like style fitting a princess, while the other being the firm chairs specifically made for Gerudo Warriors; both of which he had moved over to them without even having to get up.

Returning his magical winds to his fingers with style, the prince looked down at the two girls from his chair. He smiled as he gazed down at Zelda, looking into her eyes. Not nearly as pretty as mine, Vaati thought, but they'll do when the time comes.

"So," Vaati began, "Here I am coming from the land of Minikus, hoping to make a treaty to the kingdom of Hyrule official by taking its lovely princess as my bride. However, silly me, while I asked the king and the townspeople what they thought, I forgot to ask the most important person of all. This is why I brought you here, young Zelda…I want to know exactly what you think of me being your future husband. I am asking you, as a man and not a prince, would you accept my hand in marriage?"

What do I think of you, Zelda thought, I think you are the lowest of scum. While your outsides are cute, I can see deep within your heart, and that heart is rotten to the core, just like your master. And no, I would never accept your hand, not even if you were the last man on earth! I hate you, Vaati, and I hope you get sucked away on one of your own winds!

Of course, Zelda was just thinking. Had she have said that herself, not only would Vaati be offended, but her father would as well. In the end, not only would she be lectured by her father, the King of Hyrule, but the marriage would take place as planned from the beginning, and she would have nothing to say about it.

"I'll think about it," was her reply, "Though I can't say that I enjoy marrying a man that I have only just formally met a few days ago. If you were in my shoes, I suppose you would feel the same."

"Actually," Vaati said, "If I were in your shoes, I would die to marry a handsome of a man as me. Besides, I believe in something known as love at first sight. Wouldn't you know the feeling from somewhere your highness?"

You have no idea, Zelda thought, reflecting on her feelings with Link.

"Anyway, thank you for your time," Vaati said, "Forgive me if I bored you. I would hate to bore any audience that would be living with me for the rest of my life, would you?"

Zelda didn't say anything. She curtsied lightly to the prince, with Naru bowing regally beside her, and the two walked off as straight as they could. The servant boy followed, a little upset that he didn't get to go inside to see the famous room of the Wind Mage, but still proud to be appointed a job by the princess.

"Well, one thing's for sure," Naru said after they went a distance away, "He's certainly full of himself."

"A little too full if you ask me," Zelda said, "To think that that…that…monster actually had the gall to ask me permission to undergo an arranged marriage! I hope that he gets hit by a dung cart and gets carried all the way to the desert to rot!"

"Well," Naru said, "I wouldn't say that. Getting taken to the desert on a dung cart is too good for the likes of him."

The three made their way back to Zelda's chambers, though they didn't see Vaati gaze at them from far off using his magical powers. He smiled to himself. She's got spirit, he thought, but one night between the two of us and that spirit will become my own! Look out Zelda, because Vaati's going to get you!

He cackled wickedly and slammed the door to his room, preparing his crystal ball for yet another report to his associates.

To be continued…

Kerian: Well, that little run in was...interesting. I wanted to get a chapter where Vaati tries to either get Zelda to like him or erase doubts of him being an evil person, in which both would end up going "blop!" Vaati will continuously mutter to himself about breaking Zelda's spirit, (though I plan on having that backfire someday. muahahahahahaha!!!)

Hopefully after that day's worth of waiting you guys will enjoy this chapter...this one might be short, but I am planning on expanding the overall chapter length to 4 and 5,000 words instead of the original 3 and 4,000. Hope you enjoy it!

-Kerian