Disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Zelda. If I did, I would use Keapora Geabora for target practice.
K'ger: Ok, here's chapter 37. This one is kind of like a breather, last chance for anything calm. More psychological than action-y. Trust me, it's gonna get INTENSE from the next chapter onward. Enjoy!
A hero walks on air
When he opened his eyes again, he found that he was back in Castle Town. At least this time he was standing up.
Impa and Sheik were standing exactly where they had been when he had left. He wondered how long he had been gone. To him, it had felt like a breeze, there and back again in flash. But his sense of time could be completely off.
Hand still gripping the hilt of the Master Sword, Link made his way over the rubble toward the two of them. They tried to hail him as he passed, but he ignored them, striding down the dirt path toward the stone staircase. Epona when he came into sight, and pranced impatiently as she waited for him to reach her.
The mare lowered her head and sniffed at the new sword, her breath fogging on the metal blade. He stopped and allowed her a few moments to acquaint herself with the new object. After a few moments, he swung onto the mare's back, holding onto her mane with his right hand and the Master Sword with his left.
Epona pinned her ears, annoyed, as Sheik and Impa took their time coming down the hill. Link calmed her again with a soothing touch he had learned. But as he stroked her neck, he fought desperately to keep his mind from wandering too far away from the mission at hand. It was impossible, he couldn't stop himself from thinking of Malon. He looked down at the Master Sword with distaste.
The sword had sealed his fate. When he thought back, he wondered why he had done this in the first place. He had had every opportunity to bail out before the princess had bound him to his word with her stupid spell. In a way, he even wished that he hadn't met Malon. Not for his own sake, but for Malon's.
Impa and Sheik finally made it to their horses, and mounted them with ease, the younger male occasionally stealing a glance at the Master Sword with curious eyes. Link ignored him, and turned Epona around, steering her once again toward Hyrule Castle. This time, Impa and Sheik didn't stop him, but instead kicked their horses' forward, Sheik's horse bumping into Epona and blowing past her, another show of dominance.
The mare squealed indignantly and threatened to chase after the younger horse. Link held firm to her mane, keeping her in check as she begrudgingly stayed at her current pace, ears flicking back and forth as if considering the notion of disobeying her master.
She apparently decided to listen to him, as she trotted up the steep grade. Her coat was soaked from the rain, although it had dissipated slightly, slowing to a drizzle that still soaked the horses and riders as they continued up the path.
The dirt quickly turned to mud beneath the horses hooves as they trotted, and forced Epona to slow, breath occasionally coming in heavy gasps as her hooves slid on the slick ground and she had to save herself from falling. He sighed silently, and even in the dark, moonless night, he could see his own breath, a sure sign that fall was coming.
The air was cold, and nipped at his exposed nose and ears, and he fought the urge to shiver. He wasn't wearing any winter clothing, only his simple, dirty, bloodstained white shirt and thin cotton pants. Definitely more suited to summer temperatures.
Epona stopped abruptly, jarring him from thought when she reached the widened area before the castle. Impa and Sheik had stopped their horses as well, and were staring straight out ahead of them. He followed their gaze, and could hardly believe his own eyes.
Hyrule Castle was gone. In its place, a huge black fortress stood, great towers clawing at the dark night sky like the fangs of a beast unknown. The black stones that it had been built from glinted a sickly grayish-red color from a light source none of them could see, and the giant doors that provided entrance were closed tight, with no way to access them.
The horses took a few more steps toward the fortress, and it was then that the three of them discovered the light source. The fortress was built over a pit of lava. The red-hot substance bubbled and swirled beneath the fortress, and an occasional pop sent embers flying high into the air above, threatening to singe those who dared jump the pit.
Gauging the distance, Link could already tell that it was too far to jump, even with Epona. He watched with narrowed eyes as Sheik craned around on his horse, looking behind them. He gave a small noise that caught Impa's attention, and she too turned to look.
Finally, tired of wondering what they were so interested in, he looked over his shoulder to see.
He did not expect to see five people waiting there. Instinctively, he whipped Epona around, brandishing the Master Sword with a grimace. His jaw opened slightly and the sword drooped against the mare's side when he actually recognized them.
They were all women, ranging in ages from probably fifteen to late twenties. One of the women, around eighteen years old, lit up when her green eyes found him. She let loose a joyful shriek and charged toward him, her shorter, olive-green hair bouncing around her ears as she ran.
Epona threatened to rear up when the girl drew near, and whinnied in confusion when Link slipped from her back of his own free will. Impa and Sheik jerked their heads toward him when they heard a strange clang, and saw that he had dropped his sword. The girl wrapped her arms eagerly around him, pressing one side of her cheek against his chest as she hugged him.
It was Saria, his best childhood friend.
"I thought you were dead." She whispered breathlessly against him. Slightly embarrassed by the public display of affection and unsure of how to react, Link slowly wrapped his fingers around the girl's wrists, gently coaxing her to pull away.
"We found your blood in the forest. What are you doing here?" She asked in an unsure tone, looking at him with shock-widened eyes. She scanned his every feature, as if double-checking to make sure that he was real. He let go of her wrists, and leaned over to pick up the Master Sword from the ground, where he had dropped it in his surprise. Upon straightening himself again, he found that Saria's expression had changed to that of utter disbelief as she eyed the blade in his hands.
Without saying a word, she took a few steps back, confusing him with her behavior, and he watched as she looked back at him with a hint of fear sparking in her irises.'
"You're the hero." She said lightly, her voice a barely audible whisper. She clutched both hands over her chest, and staggered back again when he tried to approach. She rejoined the group, settling in between two of the others'.
One of the other girls, probably younger than Saria by a few years, moved nervously away from the group. Her brown hair was long and flowed freely around her shoulders, occasionally brushing against the glimmering red and gold fabric that was wrapped tightly around her chest. She hugged her own shoulders, shivering in the cold. Her clothes were obviously more suited to hot temperatures.
When Impa and Sheik dismounted their horses, it drew the girl's gaze again, and this time, her eyes met Link's. Her face lit up as she looked at him, and it was then that he recognized her too. In fact, he was pretty sure he knew all of the women in the group.
The nervous one was McKenna, the girl from Death Mountain. Another was Ruto, the bossy Zora princess he had drug out of that giant fish in what seemed like forever ago, and the other one…he didn't know her name, but he remembered seeing her in the Desert Colossus. She was one of Ganondorf's minions.
Why is that one here? He wondered, narrowing his eyes when she boldly met him with a harsh amber gaze. She put both hands firmly on her hips and sneered at him, one corner of her mouth lifting in a snarl.
Epona nudged his shoulder, breaking the staring match between the two of them. Sheik approached the group of women, and they all gave him acknowledging looks as he stopped to stand between them and Link.
"Good, you all made it," he said in a melodic voice, fingers plucking at the strings of his harp every now and then. "You know what you're supposed to do, right sages?"
The group nodded, several making affirmative sounds along with. Sages? What were the sages? Link wondered, looking at the group of women. Sheik looked at them, eyes glazing over each one before moving on to the next one. He then turned his gaze to Link.
He could vaguely remember some kind of mentioning of the sages from his childhood. One of the books he had been given to read when he was young had talked about the sages, a group of people who represented the places from which they were from.
"Are you ready, hero?"
He let loose a long breath through his nose, closing his eyes for a moment. Feeling the hilt of the sword in his hand, how it fit perfectly in his grip, as if made specifically for him. He opened his eyes again, and gave a single, terse nod as his answer. Sheik made a quick, almost mocking smirk, and brushed past him, walking confidently toward the lava pit.
Link watched as the younger male stood on the edge of the pit, not even flinching when an ember flew up and came dangerously close to singeing him. He yet again rested his harp against his chest and started to play, nimble fingers plucking at the stings. The song he played was even more melancholic than the one he had played in the Shadow Temple. It was seven notes, shifting in pitch and sending a shiver down his spine.
The song continued for several minutes, the eerie, saddened sound echoing across the desolate landscape like the laminating hymn of a funeral march. A requiem. The group of women stood idly behind him, some watching with curious stares, while others seemed bored, shifting their weight from foot to foot.
When the song stopped, an unnatural, ghostly silence followed. Link decided that the silence was worse than the song, like the calm before a storm. Epona squealed and rose up onto her hind legs when the earth began to shake. Link braced himself as the rumbling became more violent, threatening to throw him off his feet.
Sheik stayed completely still, not wavering from his place on the edge of the pit. Link wondered how he could stand there, so close to the lava, and not fear falling into the pit of molten earth before him. The quake continued for close to a minute, shaking him to his core and forcing him to use the Master Sword as a brace, burying the tip of the blade in the gray, crackling earth beneath him.
As quickly as it had started, the quake stopped, and the eerie silence returned, broken only by the lava as it bubbled and popped and sent up embers. He pulled the Master Sword's blade from the ground, and lifted his chin slightly when Sheik gave him an expectant look, as if willing him to approach the edge.
"Let's go, hero," he said, and Link's jaw dropped when the younger male stuck a foot out over the pit. He watched in wide-eyed confusion as, with a springy, cocky leap, Sheik jumped out over the pit. His sapphire eyes widened even further when he realized that Sheik hadn't fallen. He was standing on thin air, hovering over the bubbling lava. With his free hand, he made a beckoning motion, urging him to follow.
He walked forward until his toes reached the edge of the cliff, and stared down into the fiery depths beyond. He fought the desperate urge deep in the pit of his stomach to back away, run away. Jump onto Epona and leave, go back to Malon and deny the path that had been set out for him. But when he took an experimental glance over his shoulder, he saw the small group of women, all looking back at him with hope in their eyes.
He couldn't do it. He turned back to the lava pit, eyes focused on Sheik as he stood expectantly on thin air. He took a breath, and stepped forward. There was no fall, but it didn't feel like standing on the ground. It felt like he was floating, and looking down, there was a faint golden light beneath his feet, pulsing around him and fading out as it stretched away into the air. Sheik smirked at his expression before turning on his heel and striding further toward the doors.
Glancing over his shoulder, he could see that the "sages" had followed, Saria quickening her pace so the she was just behind him. The Gerudo lagged behind, moving with a bored kind of gait, an unwilling slump to her shoulders.
They reached the doors, feet once again on firm ground, and with a simple push, Sheik opened the huge, looming iron doors, revealing the thick, inky blackness beyond. The dark seemed almost to exude an evil aura, making Link's stomach churn as he was ushered into the dark…
K'ger: Welp, there you go, we're heading into the dark. The BIG FIGHT is coming really soon.
Also, I have two people to shout out to today!
Shout out to mah best buddy, Link'sLily! She's just plain amazing! And she gave me an awesome shout out on her story According to Legend! You're the best!
And Shout out to Jen Ramen! My newest reader/reviewer with a comedic side! If you're reading this note, than I apologize for the back ache you must have from all this binge reading! Thank you for putting up with the length!