Jenova Remnant AKA Fishie, freakyanimegal456, Poet Bucky, Rini Tsukino, Canada Cowboy, mandrakefunnyjuice, NightmareSyndrom, pokemon-35055, and Toyax reviewed the last Chapter.
Ubella: "There you go again, thanking random people with seriously off-the-deep-end names. Who in Hyrule names their kid 'mandrakefunnyjuice'?"
Uhh… no one, they're not from Hyrule. These fine people live on Planet Earth. And those are their pen names, not their real names.
Ubella: "Uh… Err…."
Link: "Wow… she's speechless. How'd you do that?"
Dark Link: "I can get her out of that…" (Walks up to Ubella.) "Hey hot stuff. Wanna get dump these losers and hitch a ride with me?"
Ubella: (Growls and stomps on Dark Link's foot. Then walks off with her fists clenched.)
Dark Link: "I guess not…" (Sighs while clutching his foot.)
Link: "Uh… okay. So, do we get to see what that new power is in the mask?"
No, this chapter takes place in Hyrule, mostly.
Link: "But… but what about Lloyd, and everthing else going on?"
Sorry, this chapter is about what's happening in Hyrule. I do not own Tales of Symphonia or The Legend of Zelda.
Link: "But-"
On with the story! Oh, the Desert Colossus has been reformatted/shortened for ease of use/exploration.
- - - Hyrule/Desert Colossus - - -
"Just how big is this place?"
"You mean you don't know," Colin asked incredulously. "Didn't the Gerudo build this place? How could you not know how big it is?!"
"Stop shouting, you stupid Hylian dog!" Ubella spun around and glared at Colin. The young boy clenched the scimitar in his hands tighter and glared back. "Do you really want to wake up all the monster in here," she asked, her voice steady and quiet, but louder than a bullhorn.
Colin swallowed loudly and glanced about the room they were in warily. The walls were covered with ornate, but old and half eaten red cloths with golden symbols of the Gerudo woven into them. The stones, all of them, were still just as sandy brown as the day they were carved. The room itself was completely square and had no corners or dark places to hide in.
"There aren't any monsters in here," he said with wary confidence.
"Keep shouting and there will be," she said, already walking toward the exit on the other side of the room. "And if nothing appears," she said under her breath, "I'll shut you up."
"What was that?" asked Colin
"I said, let's hurry up, there's no knowing what's happened to Colette and the others. Goddess knows that stupid fish doesn't know what to do with herself and that other Hylian is too scrawny to have any strength."
Ubella walked up to the door and stared at it with a critical eye. It was composed of several wooden planks sitting on their edge, stacked up to the ceiling. Running perpendicular were two parallel strips of thick hard leather. Large iron nails were used to fasten the leather strips to the panels of wood. The bottom most panel of wood had several nasty metal spikes protruding from it, insuring anyone who tried to lift the door would walk away unable to use their hands for the rest of their lives.
Colin bent his knees and sat on his haunches while staring at the door. Then he clasped his hands together and closed his eyes. Ubella stopped thinking of ways to open the door and stared at Colin.
"What the Dark World do you think you're doing?"
"I'm praying to the Goddesses for help," he replied quietly. Ubella rolled her eyes and looked around the room for something they might have missed. When they entered the room, there were several blocks on the floor and several holes that they had to go into. When they were done putting the blocks into the holes, she expected the door to open or at least make a noise to assure the puzzle solver that it was unlocked. However, nothing happened.
Ubella scratched her head and walked back into the center of the room. Something seemed a little bit off. Whenever the Gerudo built someplace, they usually added a vent or some other kind of air hole. The only thing in this place was the two doors, one of which was locked tight.
"Where is the air coming from?" she pondered.
Suddenly the door opened, not the locked one, but the door that from which they entered the room. Before Ubella even had the chance to become alarmed, she grinned. Into the room, five people appeared. The first three that entered were Sisters Brea, Anna, and Lucia. Their hair and clothes were worn and sand blasted. Sister Natalina appeared behind the first three to enter. She didn't appear any better, in fact, the whole of the cloth covering her right leg was simply gone. And behind her was…
"Sister Nabooru!!" Ubella jumped into the arms of the older woman. Though all Gerudo shared a red shade of hair, Ubella and Nabooru shared the same dark plumb red hair. Colin stood up and faced the six women behind him. Nabooru hugged her younger sibling and faced Colin.
"I think you should be giving Sister Anna her sword back, young man," Nabooru said sternly. Colin grew red in the face and looked at the floor. Slowly, Colin fumbled with the scimitar until he had it in his hands. He walked up to the Gerudo lady who had only one sword attached to her hip and handed the hilt to her.
"Sister Ubella," said Nabooru, "you too. Sister Brea got those swords from her mother as a gift you know."
"Oh," said Ubella excitedly, "yes, here you go." Ubella quickly handed the two scimitars she was holding to the Gerudo who didn't have any swords at all.
"Okay, now Sister Anna is going to take you two back to the entrance-"
"What?!" shouted Ubella.
"-where she will teleport you to safety."
"But Sister-"
Nabooru raised a hand into the air, quieting Ubella. "Hear my will, Little Sister. I would not have you rush into danger if there was anything that I could do to stop it. Now you will obey, won't you Sister Ubella?"
Ubella twisted her mouth up and wringed her hands, but she nodded all the same. Colin followed Ubella as Anna led them from the room. When the door shut closed, Natalina turned to Nabooru.
"I didn't expect Twinrova to show up," she said. "Do you think we can still finish this part of the Princess' plan in time?"
Nabooru nodded. "With any luck. We were already supposed to be in the Forest Temple by now with the Angel. Hopefully, we can rescue the Angel before those two witches can do anything to her."
"Why do we need the Angel anyway?" asked Brea.
"According to the Forest Sage," explained Nabooru, "we'll need this Angel to open a portal to where Princess Zelda is. We need the Princess to stop the weakening of the seal on the Sacred Realm. Ever since she disappeared, the seal has begun to weaken gradually.
"Couldn't the seven sages simply come together again like last time, but before the King of Evil breaks free?" asked Lucia.
"It's not that simple," said Nabooru as she walked up to the wooden door Colin and Ubella were examining earlier. "Princess Zelda and Tetra are twins. Because of that, they share the inherited powers of the Sage of Time. Without Zelda, there's no strengthening the seal."
"But that's not all of Tetra's plan," said Natalina. "At least, she said there was more to it than that, but she never explained it to me."
"She hasn't explained it to anyone," said Nabooru. She placed her palm on the wooden door and concentrated. Magic flowed from her core into her shoulders, along her arms, and into the door. The mechanism holding the door down inside of the wall clicked loudly. Then the door began to rise. "And it's that fact that has all of us Sages worried. We don't like just sitting by while darkness and chaos roams the lands. The Sage's council is taking a big risk, but the end result could possibly seal the Sacred Realm for all eternity. Ganon would never again haunt our children."
"So…" said Natalina as she strolled through the now open door. She glanced about and frowned at the dust everywhere inside of the outer Sanctum. "Let's make sure to not screw this up. Who knows what could go wrong…"
- - - Hyrule/Hyrule Castle Town - - -
It was all going wrong. The Baron, the council, the whole of Hyrule! Everything was falling into ruin around her and there was practically nothing she could do. This wasn't part of her plan.
Natalina was supposed to take the Angel to see Nabooru, who would then escort her to the Forest Temple. There, the Sages would meet and cast a spell that would open a portal to the Angel's home world. They'd go in, find Zelda, bring her back, and go about fixing up the seal on the Sacred Realm.
Once that was done, and the King of Evil was assuredly contained, they'd use the combined might of the Seven Sages to empower an army to repel the angelic invaders. Once that was done, they'd use the Sage's staff to separate the Sacred Realm from Hyrule so that Ganon would never again have any way of entering Hyrule. She already had one of the two pieces of the staff. The last one was thought lost until the Twilight Invasion two generations ago, when it turned up and was now being safe guarded by the remaining Sheikah.
That was how it was supposed to have gone. Now Shix, her only contact with the Sheikah, was missing, the Angel that she sent to Nabooru was kidnapped, the Angels were killing and kidnapping any and all people that might have taken up arms to protect the lands, the Baron was slowly sucking up power from the Council, and she was now under house arrest due to her 'involvement' in the Angel's escape. The fact that the evidence pointed to the Baron didn't mean a thing because he saw the Princess' 'Gerudo friends' helping the Angel and her cohorts escape. Her plan had all but failed.
At one time, she felt that she could trust the Baron because he seemed set on gearing up for a war with the Angels. Originally, before she learned from the Angel that her sister was sill alive and that the seal on the Sacred Realm was failing, she planned on doing what any self respecting leader would do when under attack. Attack back. But the possibility of gaining her sister back and stopping all of this madness before there was any bloodshed was too tempting an offer to refuse.
So she convinced the Sages to help her retrieve her sister. Her sister's mentor, Impa, vouched for the plan. A plan was then come up with on the fly to free the Angel and her friends from the Castle prison and get her help to find her sister. That was when the Baron's actions started to become rather erratic. Tetra knew that he was the one responsible for setting the Angel and her friends free before Natalina could even get to them. He killed one of the soldiers loyal to her and made the whole thing out to be her fault.
At first he seemed happy to just let the country walk down the road of war. As soon as the Angel arrived though, something changed. Before he always supported her and her actions. Now he was practically taking over the throne. It was almost as if the Baron didn't want to avoid bloodshed.
She stood at her balcony, fully knowing that the Baron had a guard watching her every move. She told Shix she would wait for him to return from the hidden Sheikah village for two days. It was a half day journey, he said. Something must have happened to him to slow him down or worse.
Tetra turned around and set her jaw. It was go time. Two days had passed and no one had returned. If all else failed, use a sword, or so the Gerudo say, and she was going to get some answers from that blowhard of a Baron one way or another. Thus, Tetra opened her armoire and pulled out her custom made battle suit. It was really just a form fitting piece of cloth and leather over coat that tied together around each leg and arm. It even came with a hood.
Over the battle suit, Tetra fastened a long cape that draped down to her feet, but didn't manage to get under foot while walking. Satisfied that she was ready, and that all the knives and other weapons she had stored in the cape were still there, Tetra walked toward the door. Before she opened the ornately carved wooden door, the Princess pulled the twin Katana swords down from the wall and tied them to the belt around her waist, which was made specifically for these swords. One on each side.
Satisfied that she was ready, the Princess knocked on the door and waited. She knew that one of the Baron's men was standing out there. Impatiently, she knocked on the door again. She didn't have long to wait after that, for several seconds later, the door knob started turning.
Tetra took a step back and reached for a small pouch attached to her cape. When the guard's face appeared, she flung the leather pouch at the man's face. Pink dust filled the air around his head and shortly thereafter, the guard slumped to the floor, snoring loudly.
"Too easy," Tetra murmured. The Princess grabbed the snoring soldier and dragged him into her room. She made sure that her closed door looked as unsuspecting as possible.
It didn't take long for her to sneak past the guards patrolling the castle. Fortunately for her, it was completely dark out and the castle halls were nearly pitch black. She stopped just outside the entrance to the North Tower Stair. At the top of the northern tower was the Baron's private chambers.
After several minutes of waiting though, Tetra couldn't find a way through the patrols guarding the base of the tower. That meant it was time for plan B.
Tetra climbed up to a window and pulled a pair of grip gloves from her cape. Once they were on securely, she leaned out the window and grabbed onto the vines growing there. Praise to the Gods whoever thought of planting wall crawling vines outside of the castle, she thought.
For several minutes, the Princess concentrated on climbing the vines that crawled up the face of the seven story northern tower. The thick and leafy plant came to an end far too quickly though, and Tetra found herself hanging halfway up the northern towers' outside wall.
While keeping a firm grip on the vines, Tetra glanced left and right. She noticed a small window about a foot from the where the vines ended, but it was within easy jumping distance. She'd just have to time it right.
Taking a deep breath, Tetra made her way to the closest point she could get to the window. She closed her eyes and visualized the jump. Before she could have any second thoughts, she calmed her nerves and leaped.
Had she any doubts before she leaped, they were proven defunct when she easily grabbed firmly onto the window sill with both hands. With a heave, Tetra pulled herself up and sat on the sill. While she caught her breath and let the adrenalin flow from her system, she looked into the window and noted that it was the Baron's study. Careful to stay as quiet as she could, she pushed on the glass window and stepped inside.
"So the Princess has finally come to see me."
Tetra's eyes flew open wide. She quickly dropped to the ground and rolled a good three feet. When she came back up, one of her katanas was in her hands pointed in the general direction of the Baron's voice.
"Baron," Tetra said, her voice wavering slightly in the cold night air, "show yourself."
Baron Barker emerged from the shadows, from the only corner of the room that she was unable to see from the window. Behind him were two of his soldiers. In their hands was a chained up and beaten up Shix.
"Shix!" Tetra started forward, but both guards holding the Sheikah lowered their spear points toward her.
"Hahaha," laughed the Baron, "now I see. You were involved in this little miscreant's ring of spies. That's too bad, I guess we'll just have to off your head to the people and show them what it means when someone of stature doesn't work for the people."
Tetra's face wrinkled up in fury. "You!" she spat. "Why you! You're the one not working for the people. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you worked for the King of Evil himself."
"Oh, ho, what charges are these," laughed the Baron. "You'd do well to keep your tongue in check, or else it will be cut out. Not that it will matter for long, seeing as you'll both be dead soon, for High Treason."
Tetra unsheathed her second Katana and leveled a glare that could shatter bones at the Baron. The large fat man didn't flinch. He only grinned all the more.
"I see," he said, "you're planning on fighting your way out of here. No doubt you hoped to save this whelp and escape with them both to some hiding place out in the Lost Woods." Tetra's glare faltered for a second. Had the Baron tortured information from Shix?
"I can see you're confused," laughed the Baron. "I suppose there's no need for any more of this charade anymore then. Look." The Baron leaned forward and pulled something underneath his desk. As the center of the desk pulled back to reveal a glass orb the Baron said, "You were right, Princess. I suppose now that you've figured it out, you're of no use to me anymore. Though, perhaps before I kill you, I can make use of your death."
"What are you talking about, you snake," hissed Tetra.
The desk finished its transformation and the glass orb began giving off a foul and dark light, full of the red hues of fire and cold glowing glare of the King of Evil himself. Tetra nearly dropped her swords as she back into the arms of a pair of guards she never noticed. The guards wrenched the blades from her hands and clamped iron cuffs onto her wrists behind her back.
"What a foolish Princess," chuckled the Baron darkly.
Then the image of Ganon moved and his large yellow tusks came into view. His foul breath caused the image to fog for a moment, as if there were but a glass screen between the two worlds. Then he spoke. "Did you really think you and your feeble Sages could defeat me?" grunted the huge pig head. "I have been waiting, and planning, and waiting for this day. The day when I am set free! Haahahahahaha!"
- - - Hyrule/Desert Colossus - - -
Ubella was fuming. She wanted to help, badly. The stinking Hylian, Colin, wasn't helping either since he looked relieved to be free of having to save Colette and the others. Didn't that boy have any self respect or honor?!
"What's wrong with you?" Ubella whispered tersely. "Don't you want to help at all?"
Colin looked at Ubella hurt and confused at the same time. "I want to help," he replied, "but what can I do? I can't use a sword! And… we should just leave it to that one lady. She knew what she was doing!"
"Is that how all you Hylians think?" asked Ubella incredulously. "You stinkin whiners always leave it up to someone else, is that it? Maybe that's why the King of Evil is always killing you guys, cause not one of you lifts a finger to stop him!"
"We do to!" Colin nearly shouted. He stopped himself and glanced at Anna leading them back to the entrance. "We fight back! The Hero is always there to defeat the King of Evil!"
"Where is he now?" asked Ubella tauntingly. "I don't see him? And that doesn't disprove what I said, you Hylians whine about things till someone else gets it done. All you do anymore if danger comes knocking is sit there and wonder where your stinkin Hero is! Well not me and not the Gerudo. We don't need any stinkin Hero!"
"Take that back," Colin shouted, no longer caring about who heard him. "The Hero's are all great men! They always win against Evil and they don't wait for someone else to do their work."
"I'm not talking about the Heros," Ubella shouted back, "I'm talking about you stupid Hylians that sit there always waiting for some badass Hero to come in and save the day! When are you going to take your destiny into your own hands, stupid Hylian?!"
"Oh yeah," shouted Colin. He turned forward and tackled the unsuspecting Anna. Before she could stop him, Colin pulled one of her swords free, turned and ran back the other direction. "I'll show you," he shouted over his shoulder. "We Hylians are better than that!"
Ubella quickly took Anna's second sword and dashed after Colin. "Not without me you aren't!" she shouted back.
Anna was swearing as she back flipped onto her feet. After several more swear words and stretching the pain out of her back from Colin's blow, she took off after the two errant youths.
- - - Hyrule/Desert Colossus (Inner Sanctum) - - -
"Ke ke ke ke ke ke!" Koume swooped down to the center of the room, taking up a position floating directly above Colette, who was still lying on top of the surface of a giant mirror. "It's only a matter of time now, until our son arrives. Ke ke ke ke!"
Colette winced at the horridly butchered form of laughter. The cackling was so bad that Koume began to choke. As she got over her ailment, Kotake swooped down into the room, she too was cackling.
"In several minutes our Lord Ganon will arrive back into the world of his birth, free of his millennia long prison in the Sacred Realm." Kotake cackled loudly again, sending involuntary shivers down Colette's spine. "It will be a day long remembered as the day the world was reborn and knew the terror of its rightful lord and master!"
"Not if we have anything to say about it!" Koume and Kotake ceased their cackling and turned their booms to face the four Gerudo that appeared on top of the giant altar.
"Oh my Din…" gasped one of the women, "That can't be… the Twilight Mirror?!"
"Don't be so surprised," cackled Kotake. "It has long been said amongst the Gerudo that the Twilight will rise again from our bosom. This Mirror, the Mirror of Dawn, was buried under the sands of the Desert. The ancients considered it an insurance policy in case someone really did manage to destroy the Mirror of Dusk. It wasn't a popular mirror, to say the least."
"Regardless of what it is," said Nabooru, "we can't allow you to use that Mirror, nor can we allow the escape of the King of Evil! Ladies, you know the plan, execute."
"Not so fast Spirit Sage," cackled Koume. "First you have to play with our toys!"
Two clouds of dust rose from the floor in front of the women. They raised their hands to shield their eyes from the localized sand storm. When it was over several moments later, two Iron Knuckles were standing in front of them. "Consider this our insurance policy," cackled Kotake.
Colette watched the Gerudo engage the two Iron Knuckles. The four of them were moving pretty fast, and avoiding a lot of the slower, more powerful hits from the Knuckles. Slowly but surely, the iron armor began falling off. She was about to shout some of the more colorful words Lloyd used when he hurt himself in crafts class (which Professor Raine said never to ever use again) as encouragements, when she felt a sudden suction from the Mirror.
The surface of the glass lit up, runes of light going this way and that until a giant circular patter covering the entire mirror was lit up and shining behind Colette. The feeling of being drained wasn't so bad, she thought. All she had to do was grit her teeth and-
"Oh my Goddess," she whispered, her eyes going wide. She opened her mouth and, "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!"
- - - Hyrule/Hyrule Castle Town - - -
Baron Barker let his feet fall heavily onto the floor as he strutted into the packed Council Chamber. Every member of the council was present as well as every member of the upper and middle class that his men could fit into the room. He smiled as he walked up to the chair reserved formerly for Princess Tetra and sat down. Some of the crowd murmured but the councilors remained quiet. Several of them glared at him, while the others looked at him expectantly. He replied to all of that with his best, widest, and slimiest of grins.
"Fellow Hylians," he began, "Councilors, I have called you here for news of great and dire consequence. Not one hour ago, I was attacked. I was attacked by none other than the cancer of our society. A Ganon Worshiper!" The crowed erupted in loud speculation while several of the Councilors stood up, demanding answers.
"Calm yourselves, please," said the Baron placatingly. "As you can see, I'm still here and now that I have found this cancer upon our holy nation, we may finally strike back at the King of Evil and the Angels. For she was working with both sides see. And it wasn't just her. It was the Sheikah as well!" The crowds erupted again, raging and roaring, demanding answers, whispering about rumors, playing telephone with the false facts.
"Who do you think he's talking about?"
"I demand to know who supposedly attacked you!"
"I wonder if it was the Princess. Wasn't she helping the Angel escape?"
"I want proof that the Sheikah are involved!"
"What proof do you have?"
"Why would the Princess attack the Baron? He's only trying to help everyone!"
"I heard it was cause she was jealous."
"No, it was because the Baron tried to marry her!"
"No, it was because the Baron refused to marry her and she was jealous of another woman!"
"Baron Barker," said Andrea Agdy loudly, over the crowd. The began to quiet down as she continued speaking. "I would be interested to know who exactly the one who attacked you was and how you came to these outlandish conclusions about this nation's state of affairs? It was my impression, from your own testimony, that we hadn't attacked the Angels because they outnumber us ten to one we were simply building our forces up, or was that a lie? And of the Sheikah, they've been our staunchest of allies in all the years past that anyone can remember. For what reason would they aid our foes?" Andrea sat down, cringing as the Baron stood up and smiled his slimy grin again.
"I thank Councilor Agdy for her attention to detail," said Barker, "indeed, we didn't attack the Angels right away because they did outnumber us. And had this vagrant continue to interfere with Hylian affairs, we would never have built up an army ever. Now that we have her we can finally focus on fighting the real enemy, the Angelic armies." The Baron stood and walked to the center of the room, in the center of the ring of councilors. "And as for proof of the Sheikah having aided our enemies… well… why don't I show you." The Baron swept his hands toward the door he entered from and shouted, "Bring in the Traitor and the Sheikah."
The clinking of the chains were heard before they were seen. Tetra walked in with her head held high, her arms held behind her by iron braces. Many in the crowd gasped, not in surprise, but excitement. Tetra and Shix were marched to the center of the room, right in front of Barker.
"As many of you suspected," stated Barker, "the one responsible for our maladies is the only living member of the Royal family, Princess Tetra de Hyrule." The crowd behind the councilors started whispering again, but the Baron didn't give them a chance to get any louder again, continuing his accusations. "The man standing next to her is a Sheikah. He has been her contact to the rest of the Sheikah tribe and their hidden village. My men intercepted him on his way back yesterday, on his possession was this note," the Baron pulled out a piece of parchment.
"That's forged," Tetra whispered to herself.
"Don't worry," Shix said quietly, "They're aware and are coming."
"Like that's any kind of consolation right now," Tetra bit out.
"The note reads as follows," announced the Baron, "The council of the Sheikah Tribe have unanimously decided agree with the Princess of Hyrule, Tetra de Hyrule, that the nation of Hyrule is without a doubt, doomed. We, the Sheikah people, agree and support the Princess and her alegience to outside powers."
"Councilor Barker," shouted Ehk, the Zora representative, "It is unthinkable that the Royal Family of Hyrule would ever align themselves with the powers of Darkness!"
"Quite right," answered Barker smoothly, "and I was just as taken aback about this turn of events as you are now. How could our only remaining heir to the throne betray us like this?"
"What proof do you have of this alliance," asked Ehk. Barker grinned again, which nearly made Tetra throw up.
"Bring in the table," he shouted. Four more guards shuffled into the room, carrying the table with the crystal ball attached to it into the room. After they put it down, the guards left. "This," said Barker, "is a table like any other in the castle correct?" The Baron walked over to the table and rested his hand upon its surface.
"Unlike other tables though, this one obviously has a crystal ball attached to it. When I was confronted by the Princess as she attempted to assassinate me, I asked her who she was working for, why she was doing it, and once I and my men had subdued her, she told us, look in the table. We searched her room and eventually one of my men discovered a hidden cache in this table. When pulled this crystal ball appeared from inside the table. But it was within this crystal ball that I found the foul King of Evil himself, Ganon!"
The room erupted. Councilors were up and screaming. The gathered crowds were screaming and shouting. There were cries for peace, cries for order, and cries for the intercession of the Goddesses. But above all that was a cry for the death of the traitor. Tetra swallowed the bile built up in her throat.
How could this have happened? How could one evil man turn an entire nation on its head and make the weak beg for their own destruction? The rich beg for their own damnation? The righteous demand injustice. Where did she go wrong?
There was a sudden 'wumping' sound and the entire room fell silent, dead as a door nail. The Baron knew who was behind him. But he acted surprised nonetheless when he turned to find Shadow Sage Impa and a short green haired girl.
"That's quite enough, Barker," said Impa. "I thought you'd have been banished after your little act with Princess Zelda three years back, but I was mistaken."
"Why if it isn't the Sage of Shadows, Impa," said Barker. "I am saddened to hear that you haven't gotten over… old grudges. You've come just in time. I was just about to execute this traitor to Hyrule." Barker walked to the guards standing behind Tetra and unsheathed one of her katanas. He looked down at Tetra and grinned evilly, a grin that only she was able to see. "Goodbye, Tetra, last of the Royal family of Hyrule." Barker raised the katana into the air and swung down.
His large lard filled, armored body hit the ground before he was even able to swing the blade an inch. The sword flew from his hand and clattered to the floor of the chamber. The little green haired girl cracking her neck as if she were preparing for an all out fight. Impa was just finished popping each of the four guards in the back of the neck and began to unchain Shix and Tetra.
"What are you doing," Barker shouted, faking distress. "Who're you to free these traitors? They deserve to be executed as soon as possible!"
"Shut up, Barker," said the little girl. "I may be a small Kokiri, but I've had over twelve hundred years to train in the arts of war." She looked up and addressed the crowd and the council. "Some of you may know of my work, I've been called the Forest Guardian by travelers. I am also the Sage of the Forest, Saria. This man is evil. He works only for himself and his lord and master, the great King of Evil that I myself helped to seal inside of the Sacred Realm so long ago with the help of the Hero of Time. What this fool doesn't want you to know is that the seal on the Sacred Realm is weakening. He's tricked all of you into wanting the death of the only remaining Sage of Time, without whom, we'd never be able to repair the Seal. The Sage of Time is none other than Princess Tetra."
The crowd began whispering and murmuring. Many of the Councilors were nodding their heads while others had their mouths twisted in fury. Baron Barker slowly stood up and cracked a grin.
"Do you honestly want us to believe that you're the Sage of the Forest from over twelve hundred years ago?" he asked incredulously.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!"
The scream of a thousand heartaches pierced the air. It was the scream lovers gave when their loved ones died in their arms. It was the anguish mothers cried out when their children were presented to them, dead. It was the scream of a million tortured souls from the depths of the underworld.
The scream was so loud that everyone in the room fell to the ground, covering their ears, which were bleeding. Everyone but the Baron. He stood up, grinning like a fool.
"You lose," he laughed. Somehow his voice carried over the scream. Several windows shattered. "I stalled you stupid people long enough. This scream signifies the arrival of my master, your master, the Lord and Master of all things, Lord Ganondorf Dragmire! I'll see you all later, slaves."
Barker clasped his hands together. Dark smoke erupted form his feet, enveloping his large, fat body. When the smoke dissipated, he was gone. Gradually, the scream died down until there it was gone completely. But everyone who heard the scream would never forget it. The despair and anguish carried along its wavelengths had made its mark, just as Ganon intended.
"Now what?" someone in the crowd cried.
"Ganon has escaped!"
"We're all doomed!"
"Aaaah!"
"No!" shouted Tetra. She couldn't let the people give in. Somehow, she had to make them fight the despair, the feeling of certain doom. She picked up her sword and raised it above her head. "Now, we fight! We fight for our lives! We fight for our freedom! We will not give up because the consequences would mean our children would be subject to eternal slavery. Generations ago, it was your young men, knights of the land, that drove back Ganon's dark armies during the Imprisoning war. If we could do it then, then we can do it now!" Tetra jumped onto her chair. "Let no man, woman, or child despair, for we Hylians will never give into the Darkness. Now let me ask you, can we do this?"
For a moment, the entire room was silent. Then one by one, everyone in the room stood up and started shouting 'Yes!' over and over. Eventually the chant grew to such intensity that the people below the chamber in Hyrule town proper, who were running around blindly in their panic stopped to listen. They picked up on the undercurrent of the chant.
"What was that Hyrule," Tetra shouted as loudly as she could. "Did you say we can do this?"
"Yes" they shouted back, "Yes we can!"
Whooo! How was that? I know, I know, I borrowed Barrack Obama's chant, but I couldn't help it. It's just so catchy and rebellious. That's the kind of thing one shouts into the dark at night just to prove that you can… Anyway, this chapter's been a long time coming. Some out there will appreciate this chapter more than others, but over all, I like this chapter, I really do. I wonder what's going on with Colette though…
Link: "That mirror is sucking her magic out of her, that's what."
Well, yeah, that much is obvious. Anyway, that's the end of this chapter. I hope to finish up this bit of the Hyrule story soon, but the next chapter goes back to Sylvarant. Carried along the screams of the weak…
Link: "What? What's that mean?"
Oh… err, nothing. Just thinking about the next chapter. Anyway, please, review.
Link: "And thanks for reading!"