Author's Note: Sorry, guys. My computer crashed with this chapter on it. I had to rewrite it from scratch. Luckily, it came out better than the one I had. Also been super-busy. Hope everyone had a good Christmas and New Years. :)
Just gotta say...Can't wait for OoT 3D. D:
Reviews:
ano170: Thanks! I got my inspiration for the tablet from the older Zelda games. They always had something like that. And I agree. Water Temples suck. D:
bmp112: Thanks. Sorry it took so long. ):
DamnBlackHeart: I like writing action scenes, but it's hard. I hope any ones I've written here sound good. Let me know what you think.
Kokiri-Warrior: Sorry 'bout the wait. xD
Chapter Twenty-Eight: Nightmares
"No!"
Time seemed to stop for a moment as he disappeared and the stalactite came into my field of vision. Others fell around me, but I couldn't seem to move. I was paralyzed, my mind barely registering the fact that the snake was coming towards me.
...He was dead.
If the impact alone hadn't killed him, being crushed under there for longer than a minute would.
My hands began to move on their own. They reached for my halberd, which was still encased on my back. It was light in my hands, familiar and strange at the same time. It seemed to be pulsing with some kind of weird energy.
Without a thought, feet began to move me forward slowly. Then faster. Faster, until I was running. Then I was in the air, halberd raised. There was the sickening sound of tearing flesh my weapon tore through the snake. Not deep enough to kill it, but enough to make it thrash angrily.
Pain shot through my gut as it's tail sent me flying. The only thing that stopped me was the glass-like walls that encased the room. It shattered as I hit it, cutting through my skin just like my halibard had done to the monster. I should've been in terrible pain, but I felt nothing. Even the pain in my stomach was gone now.
I stood up, more shards falling to the floor and shattering into even smaller pieces. They crunched under my boots as I walked back towards the snake, halberd in hand.
If the last attack didn't kill it, then I would make sure this one did.
I got another running start and leapt into the air, launching myself off of a stalactite. I was directly over the snake's head now. A split second before I could hit it, the monster raised it's head to snap at me. I quickly changed my position mid-air and leapt off of it's open mouth.
It was a clumsy move, and I fell to the ground landing on what seemed like the only bare part of the floor. My halberd slid several feet away from where I stopped.
I wasn't in pain, but my limbs were heavy as I tried to get up. My vision was a little blurry, too.
I stumbled in the water as I tried to get up. My boots squeaked as I backed slowly towards the weapon I'd dropped. With one eye on the snake, I slowly bent down to pick it up.
A brilliant green light stopped me. A blur of green and white flew forward, landing a strike and doing more damage than I'd done. It landed on top of one of the large rocks, and flipped onto the head of the snake.
I didn't even cringe as a sword was plunged into it's head. I just stood there, halberd in hand, as the snake exploded into black mist with one of those terrifying shrieks.
The figure who leapt out of the light turned towards me, sword still in hand. "He shouldn't be bothering you anymore."
The voice was male, that I could tell. I blinked, trying to get my vision to focus.
The distorted figure reached towards me. "Are you all right? You look a little unwell." My legs nearly gave out. The man caught me just in time and I finally saw his face.
Ganondorf was just inches from me, and his features twisted into a sick grin. I wanted to scream, but nothing would come out. I reached for the knife in my bag, and quickly whipped it out, plunging it into his chest. He dropped me on my back, causing my head to spin wildly.
When I finally was able to sit up, he wasn't there anymore.
The Hero of Time stood there in his place, my knife in the exact same spot, bleeding out over the hand that was over the knife.
...What had I done?
"N-no..." I finally managed to choke out.
I tried to stand, but the floor began to crack. When I tried to move, it collapsed underneath me and I fell into the water, which was now blacker than the fog that had enveloped the snake.
I couldn't see anything. I struggled to swim, but something held me in place. I couldn't even breathe.
The darkness swamped me until I felt nothing anymore.
I stopped moving, stopped struggling. I didn't have any strength left, anyway. I couldn't even tell if my eyes were open anymore. It was so dark...
...Was this how it was going to end?
A vision of Link flashed through my mind. 'Just...promise me you'll be careful.'
'Amanda, I'm saying this as your friend...Yes, you are that bad.' Maya's friendly laughter echoed in the water around me. 'But we still love you anyway.'
'Okay, okay. So you're only a few years younger than me. But after this last day or so, and the time I've spent with you in the village, I realized really am starting to think of you like a sister. I hope you don't think that's too weird...' I could almost see Hane's worried face as he'd waited for my approval.
Jillian's motherly gestures towards me. Siri's effort to speak again. Everyone back in Kakariko and Ordon. The princess' trust in me. And...my family waiting for me at home.
...No. I couldn't die like this. I had to live. I had find a way to get back.
I used every ounce of my strength to move. I could see a light above me. I tried to reach for it, but it was still far away.
Please...
I willed every inch of myself to move closer to the light.
I could almost touch it. My fingertips brushed it and my vision turned completely white.
"...Amanda? Can you hear me? Answer me! Please!"
Someone lifted me out of the water. I felt soft grass brush against my skin as they set me down on solid ground.
My eyelids were heavy as I pried them open. Link was hovering over me, frightened blue eyes fixated on me.
"Miss Amanda?" The princess came and sat down on the other side of me. "Are you all right now?..."
I tried to speak, but still nothing came out. It felt like someone had been choking me. My hand automatically went to my throat, but there were no marks, no sign of any such thing.
Link pulled me up against him so I could sit upright. "Don't force it."
I closed my eyes and leaned against him. I didn't want to tell them. The Hero of Time was dead. And it was my fault.
I killed him.
"Amanda? Are you okay? Are you hurt?"
I felt tears begin to fall when Zelda touched my shoulder. Soon, I was sobbing against Link, my tears soaking his tunic. His arms wrapped around me comfortingly and he held me close. "Shh. It's okay now."
"I killed him..." I managed to choke out. "This is all my fault..."
The Princess sat back, confused. "What? Killed who?"
"All four of us are alive." Link said. "Unless you count the poor fish that were in that room...No one is dead."
I heard footsteps behind us. "Oh, good. You're back." Zelda stood to greet someone. A minute later, the hero stepped around him and knelt down next to us, some medical supplies in his hand. "How are you feeling now? Better?"
I nodded, furiously wiping at my tears. How was this possible? I felt like a little kid like this...unable to move or say much of anything.
I noticed he was only wearing a white shirt and several more bandages than just the one I'd given him the last time, but there was no blood anywhere, and none where I remembered I'd stabbed him.
I let out a sigh of relief and I suddenly felt drained.
"She needs to rest. We'll talk more when she wakes up." Link said.
I don't remember them saying any more. If they did, I was fast asleep before I could register anything.
It was dark when I awoke again. I felt stronger now and I was able to sit up on my own. My throat felt less constricted, and I felt bandages tied around my midsection.
"Oh, you're awake." The Princess was sitting next to a fire a few feet away. "How are you feeling?"
"Better." I managed. "What...happened?"
"That, I couldn't tell you. You'd have to ask Link. When we got back here, you were both bleeding and you had collapsed."
My heart sunk. "Then I did hurt him."
"What? No. You both had cuts from the battle, but that was the extent of the injuries." She scooted closer. "Why do you keep saying that?"
I pulled my blankets around me. It was cold. I took a breath and told her the whole story. The Hero of Time getting crushed, my body moving on it's own, the blurred images I saw...and the stabbing.
She listened quietly. "...I see. No wonder you were so shaken up."
We both turned when the grass rustled. Both of them came out of the shadows.
The hero, who was still dressed in that white shirt only looked sheepish. "Sorry. We didn't mean to eavesdrop."
Link sat down next to me. "You okay now?"
I managed a smile. "Yeah...Thanks. I'm okay. Sorry about earlier..."
He shook his head. "No...Don't be. I'm just glad you're okay."
The shadows moved on their own now and Midna took form. "Okay, so...What happened?" She leaned back, looking fairly undisturbed, but curious all the same. "When we got back here, it was a mess."
The Hero of Time leaned against the wall. I realized we were camped underneath an outcropping of rock. "It started when we got into that room. Everything started coming down. I wasn't fast enough and nearly got crushed."
"...I thought you had been..." I said, the vision flashing through my memory.
"Me? Nah. I can use magic, too, you know." He said. He held his hand out. "Here, watch."
There was a green flash of light and a gust of wind, and he disappeared. Moments later, he reappeared a few feet away.
Farore's Wind. I should've known.
"I remember that and you killing it after I had hit it. But after that..." My head hurt trying to even think about it
Midna jerked her thumb in the direction of Link. "He had it the pinned down so it couldn't move. That's probably how you were able to hit it before he even got there. It still smacked you both around pretty good, though."
"There was this black smoke..." I murmured. "...Unless I dreamed that, too."
"That must've been what gave you that nightmare." The hero said. "You pushed me out of the way of it just before it touched me."
"You were brought here after that." Zelda finished. "Link here told us the spring waters have healing powers."
"A...spring?..." I said. "This is Lanayru's spring, then?"
"Yeah." He said. "Anywhere else was too far away."
"Are you okay?" I asked.
"Fine. Just some scratches like the rest of you." He didn't take his eyes off of me when he said it and I felt shivers run down my spine. He looked tired and the shadows covered parts of his face. He was almost as scary-looking as the wolf I knew he could turn into. I would've been scared if I didn't know him better.
The princess glanced from me to Link, then stood up and brushed off her clothes. "I think I'm going to go take a walk. Want to come with me?"
The hero must've gotten the hint. "Of course." He offered her his arm like a gentleman and they left fairly quickly.
"Did anyone threaten you?" Link asked quietly.
"What? No." He never even said anything at all. His grin had been scary enough. I shook my head. "Don't worry. It was just a bad dream." I tried to smile as I layed back down and snuggled into the blankets around me. "I promise."
He visably relaxed. He must've thought it'd been someone's attempt at me. I wouldn't put it past Ganondorf, but somehow it felt like it'd come from somewhere-someone-else.
"We'll head back to the village in the morning." He said, scooting closer and leaning against the cave wall.
I sat up again. "What? Why? I'm fine now."
"I know that. But I'm not letting you spend your birthday in a place like this."
I smacked my forehead and flopped back down. "I completely forgot. It's the day after tomorrow, isn't it?"
He chuckled. "More reason to go back. Try to sleep. We'll leave early in the morning."
"Okay." A yawn came out on it's own. I closed my eyes and waited a minute before asking, "How did you find out?"
Link laughed now. "Guess."
I tried to sigh to cover up a giggle, but it didn't work. Jillian was so pushy. "No need. I know. Goodnight."
"Goodnight, Amanda."
It was cold when I opened my eyes again. I sat up, and rubbed my eyes. Both of the guys were still asleep. The princess wasn't anywhere to be seen.
I pulled my blanket around my shoulders and tiptoed quietly away from the camp.
The princess was sitting on the shore of the spring, dipping her feet in. She brightened when she saw me. "Good morning, Miss Amanda. Sleep well?"
"Very well. How about you?"
"Just fine, thank you. Please, sit if you like." She said, gesturing to the spot next to her.
I dipped my bare feet in the water and settled down in the grass. "The water feels good."
"It does." She agreed. "Just the thing to wake you up. My feet were sore yesterday and the water has done a fine job of healing them."
My shadow took an unusual shape until Midna appeared from it. "I must say, you two were quite the handful yesterday. No wonder the twins in there are still asleep."
The twins. I tried not to smile and bit my lip instead. I suppose that was accurate. They did look alike. "What do you mean, Midna?"
"She refused to stay on the side while Mr. Hero in there tried to fight pin that thing down." She snorted. "Sounds like you did the same thing."
"Maybe...but I don't know how." I said.
"Why do you say that?" Zelda brought her knees up, and leaned on them. Such a normal thing that I did often myself, but it made her seem as young as she really was. She might've been younger than me, even. But she acted with such dignity all the time, you'd never know it.
I sighed. "It's...happened twice before. Every time I get really scared or angry, my halberd seems different. Then it's like I lose control of my body." I leaned back on my hands. "I was doing things I wouldn't normally do. It's weird."
She was quiet for a moment, thinking. "May I see it?"
I got up and grabbed it from it's place leaning against the wall. She slipped her feet back into her shoes and stood up.
"Rusl said it was ancient writing. He couldn't read it." I said as she examined it.
"It is, but it's so rusted that I can't read it." She replied. "Do you have someone who could restore it?"
I remembered the piece of paper Renado had given me. "Yeah."
"Once you get it restored, bring it to me. I should be able to read it for you. We might be able to find out why this is happening."
"I will. Thank you."
"Well, good morning ladies." The hero stretched as he stepped out of the outcropping.
We both said out greetings and I went to put my halberd back as they talked quietly. Link was sitting up in bed when I went to lay it against the wall.
"Good morning." I said cheerfully.
He yawned, scratching his head and rustling his messy hair. He didn't seem awake yet. "Good morning." He mumbled. He looked a lot better than last night, and I was relieved. "You're sure cheerful."
"Guess I'm a morning person every once and a while."
"Sure, once every million years." Midna chimed in from nearby.
She had to ruin it by saying stuff like that. I chose to ignore it and began to roll up my things and put them away. Eventually he got up to do the same. All four of us ate a quick breakfast afterwords before heading up the steep incline and outside into the sunshine.
It was a gorgeous day, too. It was only morning, but it was already beginning to get warm. There were no signs of a storm that had ravaged the country a few nights earlier.
"Wow. What beautiful weather." The Princess said, shielding her eyes from the light.
"It doesn't even look like there was a storm." The hero agreed, echoing my own thoughts.
Did they read minds now?
"We should get back, Amanda." Link said.
He nodded. "So should we, Zelda."
The princess and I exchanged glances. "So impatient. these two." She shook her head and took out her ocarina. "But before we go, I must thank you two. Without your help, that awful twilight would still be there."
I'd almost forgotten about that.
"Yes, I must thank you, too." The Hero of Time said. "I wouldn't have been able to do this by myself."
He held out his hand for Link to shake and he hesitated before giving him his hand. Zelda and I both stood next to each other arms folded watching.
"Wow, they're getting along."
"It's a miracle."
"Okay, we're going." Link said, grabbing my arm and leading me up the wooden walkway.
"Us, too." The other said, pushing her in the other direction.
I laughed as I was being pulled away. "Later!"
She looked over her shoulder and gave me a wink and a mischievous grin. "See you soon!"
I tried to keep up with Link as he pulled me along, but he was fast. I heard a soft song and the breeze picked up. They were gone now. "Slow down! Sheesh! They left already."
"Sorry." He let go of my arm. "It still is a little weird to talk to someone that looks exactly like me."
"So how exactly are we getting back up there?" I asked, pointing to the bridge above us. "I didn't see any stairs."
He scratched the back of his head. "Uh, about that..."
Uh-oh. This didn't sound good. "What?"
"Well, maybe I should just show you."
He led me down to the lake and we walked across a wooden bridge floating on the water. At the end was...the cannon. Goody.
"On second thought, I'll take my chances climbing the cliff." I turned and Link just grabbed the back of my shirt, keeping me with him.
"Don't worry." The clown-like man said cheerfully. "It doesn't hurt a bit."
"That makes me feel so much better." I muttered.
"It'll only last a few seconds." He said, stepping inside. I hesitated and he held a hand out to me. "I won't let anything hurt you. Come on."
Darn it. What was I supposed to do when he said things like that? I stepped inside with him and the clown-man poked his head in just before he closed the door. "Make sure to hold onto the little lady tight. Have a fun trip!"
I wanted to strangle him for being so cheerful. He wasn't the one riding in the scary cannon.
The cannon shook and the door slammed shut. He pulled me against his body as it began to spin around. The floor rose up several feet and soon we were almost lying on our sides. I was so close to him, closer than I was on the horse with him. Or at least it seemed that way.
Neither of us had a chance to say anything before something powerful shot us up and out and into the air. We were flying, flying...and then he grabbed me and landed on his feet in the chicken pen, still holding me.
"There, see? It's over." Link said, setting me on my feet.
"You say that, but you look pretty shaky yourself." I replied.
"It's just your imagination."
Sure it was. I shook my head and followed him up the ramp and out.
"I need to make a stop in the Castle Town. You think you can go back yourself halfway?" He asked, as we exited.
I checked to make sure I'd heard what I thought I did. He seemed to be serious. "Yeah...but is everything okay?"
Link picked up a piece of grass and played a sweet, familiar tune before he nodded. "Just something important I need to take care of." The piece of grass was tossed aside as horses' hooves sounded in the distance.
"Yeah, I can. Don't worry about it."
Zale and Epona came running together around the corner. He stopped just an inch away from me and nudged me, nipping at my arm affectionately.
"Glad to see you're okay, boy." I whispered, patting his soft nose.
"Shall we go, then? It'll get hot before too long. You don't want we to dunk you in that water again, do you?" He teased.
No way in heck was I getting back into deep water for a while. "Okay, okay." I quickly climbed onto Zale and we were off.
I stepped into the inn alone several hours later, breathing in the smell of fresh bread. I realized how hungry I was. "Hello? Anybody home?"
"Amanda?" I heard something clattering to the floor and Maya came flying out of the kitchen. She nearly knocked me over when she tried to hug me. "I heard everything that happened from Hane! I'm so glad you're okay!"
"I'm fine, Maya." I pulled her back. "So Hane is okay?"
She waved her hand. "Oh that? He's been in much worse shape. He's completely fine."
Jillian came out of the kitchen, drying her hands on her apron. "You must be hungry, dear. Come eat."
I was led away by the two and into the kitchen. Ilia was in there, stirring something in a pot. Jillian patted her on the shoulder and put her to work cutting the fresh bread I'd smelled.
It was nice to be around something so normal after my nightmares in the temple.
"So where is Hane if he's all better then?" I asked, finishing off my food.
"He's in town, meeting up with Link." She said, propping her chin on her hand.
I lowered my voice to a whisper. "So...What are they up to?"
"Ah, ah, ah." Jillian waggled a finger at me. "You'll find out tomorrow. You should go rest. You'll need it."
...For what?
Maya whisked my plate away from me. "Yup. We need to finish sorting out some things anyway. Ilia, take her upstairs, would you?"
Ilia nodded and smiled. "Sure thing. Let's go."
"Pushy, pushy. Okay, I'm going."
I heard excited whispering coming from the kitchen as I walked out with Ilia.
"Don't worry." She said, when she saw me glance back towards the kitchen. "They care about you a lot. That's why they're being so secretive."
I smiled back. "I know."
I changed quickly when I got upstairs. My nightgown felt cool against my skin. It was nice to get out of that lake water-soaked white tunic dress and into clean clothes.
Ilia was sitting on her bed when I brought my dirty clothes out and dropped them in the basket to be washed.
I sat down on my bed across from her, tying my hair back. "How are you feeling?"
"Oh, much better, thank you." She said politely. "I still can't remember anything, though."
I watched her as she answered. The polite smile was genuine, but it was clear she still didn't know me or anything that'd happened. "It's okay. You will in time."
"I sure hope so. But you all are so kind to me. I won't worry about it for now." She stood and waved. "Well, goodnight."
"Goodnight." I waited until she left and pulled my legs into bed with the rest of me.
What a long several days it had been. I didn't want to dream, but I knew I was exhausted. Sleeping outdoors was nice, but it was nothing compared to the inn's beds.
I pulled the pillow over my head and tried to sleep.
My birthday...I wonder what they were planning?
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