Ok everyone! Here it is! The chapter that has consumed my thoughts for the past month basically! This one is gonna be INTENSE! That's kinda why its so long! XD I'd love to get to it right away, but we have business to get to first. Thank you pyroknight95, adamsimpson8081, and TheRealPurpleLink for following and favoriting! Now for the reviews!
TheRealPurpleLink-Thanks! Glad to be of assistance/inspiration! XD
Zelink005-Yeah... Anyway... You'll see what's gonna happen in this chapter! Also, I just noticed this while writing this chapter, but I have been especially mean to Link in this story, haven't I? I mean seriously! The poor hero just can't seem to catch a break! Now I just wanna hug him and kiss him, but I think Zelda can do that for me! XD
Mekuda-You want Sheikahs? You got em! This chapter is loaded with them! XD And I have a feeling that this chapter is going to reinforce just how much Link and Zelda care for each other... but you'll just have to read on and see what I mean! :D
Shadowninja1011-That was a 'whoa' kinda chapter, wasn't it? :)
Wolfrunner362-Well, you're about to find out exactly what they're up to! ;D
silverhawk88-Just because he needs to tell her, doesn't mean he will unfortunately. :( But hopefully everything will work out in the end!
And here we go everyone, chapter 8, in which the plot kicks off! Let's get started!
Chapter 8: Enemies of the Goddess
"There is evil in this world; hatred, and revenge..."
-Maleficent, Maleficent
Zelda frowned uneasily as she glanced up at the Triforce while standing on the hands of the Statue of the Goddess in the early morning air. She was filled with dread for two reasons: the first was centered around her ongoing worry for Link, but the second came from a new source entirely. The girl took in a deep breath as she glanced out across the forest behind her. The wind felt strange for some reason as it blew by her and the skies overhead were oddly grey and cloudy instead of their usual clear blue and sunny. She could feel something in the air, but she couldn't tell exactly what it was. But all the same, she raised her guard, just in case it was a cause for alarm.
Looking towards the Triforce once more, Zelda slowly took out the Ocarina of Time that Terminus had given her and held it in her hands, noticing how the glow of the golden relic reflected on its blue surface. She remembered what the goddess of Terminus had told her about the instrument when she had given it to her: "The crest of the golden power is a sign that the goddesses intended for the Ocarina of Time and the Goddess's Harp to be together from their creation. They gave it to me ages ago, in the hopes that the two of us would reunite and that both instruments would be used to protect the Triforce. The people of this land no longer have access to the golden relic, and I don't think they ever will again. Now the Triforce rests in your land, Hylia. My hope is that this gift will help you keep it from falling into the wrong hands..." Zelda realized that, in the midst of all of her uncertainty, perhaps the ocarina and the harp could help her take at least one of her many pressing concerns off her mind.
The girl solidified her idea in her mind as she caught sight of Link's Loftwing flying directly overhead, bearing the hero on its back. Leaping off the bird, he landed on the statue's hands near Zelda and greeted her with a silent nod, still feeling guilty for the foreboding events of the previous night.
Instead of giving him a weary and grief-filled look like he thought she would, she smiled invitingly and greeted him warmly. "Good morning!" she said cheerfully, as though nothing had happened at all last night. "I'm glad you're here. I was wondering if you could help me with something before we left."
Link eased up, letting go of his dread about the situation as a whole for the moment upon seeing that Zelda had done the same. "Sure," he said cooly. "What is it?"
Zelda held the Ocarina of Time out to him with one hand, while pulling her harp out with the other. "I was hoping you could help me play a duet so we could strengthen the Triforce's seal."
"Why?" he asked, taking the small wind instrument. "Is it weakening?"
"No..." the girl shook her head as she glanced up towards the golden relic. "But... I'd feel a lot better if we made it stronger than it is... I'm not sure why, but I have a feeling like something bad is going to happen soon..."
"You mean something worse than everything that's already happened?" the hero muttered despondently as he glanced away from her. She frowned as she looked back to him, placing her free hand on his shoulder consolingly.
"Hey..." she said with a comforting smile. "Its going to be ok... We'll go and get Terminus's help, and everything will go back to the way it was before... I promise."
Link returned her smile half-heartedly, knowing that she would never be able to fulfill that promise. As Terminus had told him, there was really nothing that could be done about the corruption that threatened to overtake him. It already seemed that with each spell of it he was swept into he was falling deeper and deeper into something that he wouldn't be able to escape forever. Going back to Termina would prove to be nothing more than a waste of time that it would ultimately end with Zelda discovering what he should have kept a secret from her all along. But he knew that it was too late to change her mind now, especially after everything that had happened last night. She was determined to get answers, even if those answers would certainly break her heart. "Alright," the hero said, positioning the ocarina to play. "Then we'd better hurry."
Zelda nodded solemnly as she poised her harp. "Ok then," she said, focusing her gaze on the golden triangles. "Follow after me." She closed her eyes and began strumming the Ballad of the Goddess as Link repeated her on the ocarina. The two formed a pleasant sounding duet of the melody as a soft blue glow formed around the Triforce, signifying that a new seal was being crafted for it, one that was much stronger and more durable than the last. When their song ended on a harmonious crescendo, that glow flashed and the new seal was formed, ready to stand against all those who might try to steal the sacred power for themselves.
Placing her harp aside, the girl looked out towards the forest and strained her eyes to see any irregularities about it, feeling that something was definitely off about it. The hero noticed her investigative gaze and glanced towards the woods with her, curious to know what she was seeing. "What is it?" he asked her quietly, knowing that she was focusing intensely.
"I wish I knew..." she said, her eyes not moving away from the forest. "Its like... I can sense something hiding out there, lurking in the shadows... And, while I can't be too sure... it feels like a dark presence..."
"Then we should go find out what it is," Link said, getting ready to leap off the statue. He knew that Zelda was rarely ever off the mark about such premonitions thanks to her divine powers and if there really was a threat of danger hiding within the forest somewhere, he wanted to take care of it as soon as possible so it would be one less thing he'd have to worry about.
Zelda was quick to grab his arm and stop him before he could dive off. "Not until we get you some help," she said firmly.
Link took both of her hands in his and smiled somewhat sadly. "I can't wait, Zel..." he said patiently "Besides, I'm not that important..."
"You are important..." she said, resting her head against his chest. "To me..."
The hero was silent for a moment, unable to come up with an argument for this. He was touched that she cared so much for him, despite the fact that there was really nothing that could help him. It made him feel all the more guilty for lying to her, even if it was a necessity. He was tempted to tell her everything right then and there to just get it all over with and save them both the trip, but he couldn't bring himself to do it, no matter how much he wanted to. He couldn't cause her any more pain and emotional sorrow than he already had. And so he finally relented, showing that he agreed with her by giving her a small kiss on the forehead. Without another word, the two leaped off the statue and landed on the ground to prepare for their return to Termina. However, neither of them could see the prying eyes that hid within almost every shadow nearby, watching their every move as they waited for the perfect moment to strike.
Link and Zelda walked through the woods at a steady pace, both of them in a stated silence. They had little to talk about at the moment, but they both had much on their minds. Aside from her strong concern for the hero, the girl was also still worried about the Triforce. What if there really was an evil hidden out there, seeking to lay their hands upon the golden relic? While there hadn't been any disturbances on the surface since the destruction of Demise and his followers, she still felt uneasy. Zelda knew that the special senses that she had gained along with the goddess's memories were trying to tell her something, but whatever it was, it was very unclear to her. And though she knew it was a risk to leave the surface and the Triforce unguarded even for a few hours was risky, she was determined to get Link the help he needed and deserved first, even if he didn't want it. Even aside from the fact that she wanted things to return to normal, she also knew that if this unknown threat did exist, she would need his help to take care of it.
At the same time, Link was also filled with anxiety about the unfolding situation. As had been proven the previous night, the demon's corruption was not only pressing and strong, but it was also erratic and unpredictable. He knew well that he could fall into another spell of corruption at literally any time and breaking out of it easily wasn't a guaranteed thing. Majora was clearly pushing him to kill Zelda, but the hero couldn't help but wonder why. Was it simply to leave him with no reason left to resist corruption or did the demon have some other hidden motive? Whatever it's insane plans were, Link realized that clearly it was becoming too dangerous to keep Zelda ignorant about everything. He had no idea how she would react to the news, but almost definitely wouldn't be good. She could be heartbroken about what was going to happen to him, angry over the fact that he had lied to her about something so important, or resolved to fix something she could do nothing to change. And the more the hero thought about it, the more he didn't want to delay the inevitable. He had to tell her, to leave her with no more confusion or questions, before it was too late.
"Zelda, wait," Link said, gently grabbing the girl's hand to stop her in her tracks.
"What is it, Link?" she asked, turning to him and raising a curious eyebrow at him.
The hero took in a deep breath as he looked down, avoiding eye contact with her dark blue gaze. "There's something important that I have to tell you..." he said, trying to formulate his explanation.
She said nothing but simply gave him a questioning look that told him to continue. Looking to her once more, Link closed his eyes and prepared to begin. "Zelda..." he said slowly. "I-" Once more, he was cut off by a new wave of pain rushing through his chest, stronger than any he had experienced before. Unable to stop the corruption coming over him once more, he cried out in agony loudly as he collapsed to the ground, much to Zelda's surprise and worry.
"Link!" she shouted fearfully as she kneeled down beside him and put her arms around him, helping him pull himself up to a sitting position. "What's wrong?! Is it happening again?!" She shook him frantically, recognizing the signs from the previous night. She knew that she had to do everything she could to help him out of it, but she had no idea where to even start.
The girl continued to hold onto him as the hero languished in pain, his chest wound tearing itself open again and his body wracked with feverish shivers and sweats. Majora's sadistic voice rang out louder than ever within his mind, pressing its influence more than it ever had before. "Yes... That's right, hero..." it cooed evilly as Link felt everything begin to grow numb both physically and mentally. "Succumb to the darkness... You cannot escape it... Fighting it will only cause you more suffering..."
The demon cast another wave of intense pain throughout the hero and he cried out once more as Zelda wrapped her arms around him even tighter, trying to bring him comfort with her presence. "N-no..." he audibly begged in absolute misery to the demon. "Please... S-stop..."
"Stop?" the girl asked with deep pity, having heard him and believing that he was talking to her. "Stop what? Link, what's wrong?! Please, tell me!" By this point, she was almost on the verge of tears with worry for him and she wanted nothing more than to be able to heal him, even though she didn't know how.
"You know as well as I do that you want nothing more than the pain to end..." Majora continued to taunt him. "And there is only one way to end it... Relent... Stop your useless fighting, hero... Its so much easier to just... give up..."
Give up... those softly-said words repeated themselves over and over in the hero's mind as he fell deeper and deeper into corruption. The pain, both physically and mentally was just too much for him to bear and as his mind fell into a haze, he unknowingly heeded the words of the demon, loosing complete control of everything all at once.
"Link!" Zelda continued to call out as the hero fell limp in her arms. Her pressing tears finally began to stream down her cheeks as she cried out in desperation, knowing that they would be getting no help from anyone since they were really the only ones in the immediate area. Or so she thought.
As Zelda began to think that Link had fallen into unconsciousness, he suddenly stiffened up and seemed to awaken. But when he opened his eyes, the girl noticed something extremely unnerving about them. Not only were they distant and unfocused, but they almost appeared to be glazed over and his already light blue eyes were even lighter than usual, to the point that they almost seemed to be white. His pupils also took on a very pale color and as Zelda gazed into them in both fear and wonder, she realized that, at least for the moment, her hero was lost to whatever was happening to him once more. She quickly scrambled to her feet and backed away from him, afraid that he'd attempt to hurt her once more. No more than a second after she had stepped away, Link also rose to his feet slowly and unnaturally, as if he wasn't moving on his own. The girl kept her eyes locked onto him as he took a step towards her, her heart pounding in adrenaline and dread.
"Link!" she shouted as she continued to move away from him wearily, though he followed her every step. "Link, please! Snap out of it! I don't know what's wrong with you, but you need to wake up, now!" Despite the fact that she was practically screaming, her pleas fell on deaf ears. It was like the hero couldn't hear a word she said, much to her sorrow.
Eventually, Zelda backed herself up into a large tree and much too late she realized that she was cornered. Her eyes were wide as Link continued his approach and all too quickly, bridged the small gap between them. The girl was at a complete loss for words as the hero pushed her into the tree roughly and smashed her shoulder against it, pinning her by to the wood of the tree by it using his strong hand. She struggled to free herself from his grip, especially as she watched him draw the Great Fairy's Sword and poise it in a position to strike, but it was no use. She was trapped, most certainly about to die at the hands of her beloved hero. It was simply too much for her to bear. With a slow, grieved breath, she lowered her head so she wouldn't have to watch him bring the sword down against his will. This was the last way she wanted to die, but it seemed to be happening and the situation was completely out of her control. And so, she glanced up at her hero's cold, emotionless face and let her tears fall freely as she gave him her final goodbye. "Link..." she whispered morosely, remembering how happy she had been only a few nights before with him as they proclaimed how they felt to each other, memories that were long gone now. "I... I'm sorry I wasn't able to help you... This... this isn't you... I know you would never do this... Because... because you love me... and... I love you..."
The hero still had his sword raised, but he didn't bring it down after she said this. The girl stared at him intensely, wondering what he was waiting for until she noticed that his sword hand was shaking. She took in a sharp gasp of surprise, realization and hope as he closed his eyes tightly and lowered his head, apparently fighting off whatever had overtaken him. Unbeknownst to Zelda, Link had heard her final words and they had filled him with a renewed desire to fight the demon harder than he ever had before. Majora pressed its dark influence hard against him, but the hero continued to resist. All the while, the girl stood in a stunned state, still pinned to the tree as she watched and prayed that her hero could make it out of this.
"You infernal hero!" Majora screamed in rage inside of the hero's mind. "You will pay for such insubordination, and so will SHE!"
Despite the demon's warning, Link continued to struggle against the corruption, knowing that if he didn't, Zelda would be the one who would suffer. But Majora still had a strong hold over him physically, even if he had broken free mentally. And under this tight control, the demon forced the hero's hand. Slowly, he began to bring the sword down towards the girl against his will, resisting the movement as hard as he could, but ultimately failing. Zelda let out a sharp, pained gasp as the sharp sword touched her free shoulder blade and began to dig into her flesh slowly, drawing blood. She let out a soft cry as she tried to pull away from it, but couldn't thanks to Link still holding her down.
However, upon hearing her pained cry, the hero's resistance grew even more until he shattered the demon's influence all at once. He opened his eyes wide as he gasped, being drawn back into full control of himself. And the very first thing he noticed was that the tip of his sword was still dug into Zelda's shoulder as she watched him with worried, tearful eyes. Without any further hesitation, he quickly slipped the sword out of her skin as painlessly as he could for her and relinquished his harsh grip on her. Neither of them said anything as they gazed into each other's eyes in sorrow, fear and dread.
Zelda slowly clutched her shoulder to quell the light flow of blood and looked down, unable to find any words to say. She was certainly glad that he was returned to normal, but for how long? This was the third time as far as she knew that something like this had happened. She knew that they might not be as lucky the next time and it could end with one of them, if not both, loosing their lives. Now more than ever, she knew that they had to hurry to get Terminus's help, if she could even help them at all.
At the same time, Link stood still, catching his lost breath and simply trying to recover and cope with what had just happened. He unceremoniously dropped his blood-stained blade to the ground as he looked away from Zelda, knowing that he had almost killed her this time. And even more than that, he had actually physically wounded her, something he had vowed to never do. The demon had taken complete and total control over him, and he had been too weak to break free from it until it was almost too late. For the first time, he began to doubt whether he could actually overcome this corruption once and for all. Link knew that if he failed, not only would he loose himself once and for all, but the demon would also force him to kill Zelda. He wanted to fight it, but with each spell of corruption that he fell into, it became increasingly more difficult to. The possibility of him breaking free from it forever was growing more and more slim, but he couldn't let her know that. He had already put her through enough. The chances of him hurting her or worse were just too high. He wasn't going to put her life in danger simply by being around her any longer. He wasn't sure where he was going to go, but he had to put a distance between them until he could either sort this out or be so far away from her that if he really did succumb to corruption, then he wouldn't be able to hurt her. And so, before she could protest, he backed away from her and then turned and ran out of the clearing they were in as fast as he could.
Zelda gasped as she saw him flee once more and she immediately started to chase after him. "Link!" she called out, trying to get him to stop so they could at least talk this time. "Wait!"
Link heard her clearly as he crashed through the deep woods, but he didn't stop or even bother to glance back. Instead he kept his focus on the path ahead of him, not even really caring where he was going but know that he had to get as far away as he could. He couldn't stop to explain it to her because he knew that she would refuse to let him go, even though he knew what he had to do for her sake. It was really the only think he could think of that could keep her safe. He could only hope that their separation wouldn't be permanent.
Eventually, Link made it to the edge of the forest that opened out into the field as Zelda's calls for him grew more and more distant. But he still continued to run, not wanting to leave any tracks by which she could follow him. However, he had only made it a few feet out of the woods when a sudden explosion rattled the ground directly in front of him, sending him flying back several feet violently. The mysterious blast created a vast amount of lingering dust and as the hero tried to pick himself up from it he suddenly felt excessively weak for some reason, as if the explosion had carried some sort of magical effect with it. He struggled to breathe and see clearly in the dust, but as it began to settle, he barely made out a figure leaping high into the air in an attempt to pounce on him with their weapons. Link rolled out of the way just in time as the figure landed, embedding their two knives into the ground in the spot where he had been. He rose to his feet and watched them warily as the figure also stood and he reached for his sword, which unfortunately wasn't there anymore.
As the dust finally cleared, his attacker's appearance became clear, as did the fact that they were not alone. A band of at least ten warriors of various genders, all armed with various weapons. The only things that they all had in common in their appearances were their piercing red eyes, lightly tanned skin and the conspicuous eye symbol that they all bore on their clothing. Their leader, the one who had initially attacked Link, was a young woman, thin, limber and clearly not much older than the hero himself. Like the rest of her companions, she had dark skin and deep, fierce red eyes, though one of them was covered by a thick bang of unbroken orange hair with a single silver highlight running down it. The rest of her hair was quite short, only reaching down to the back of her neck and she wore a dark violet midriff-bearing top bearing the eye symbol on it. Her pants were dark blue and reached down to her ankles and hanging along her red belt was a banner that bore an eye symbol that looked different from the original one. She stood firm before her followers, holding onto her matching sharp knives that shined as though they were made of gold. Her bitter red gaze locked onto the hero and she scowled viciously, angry that her sneak attack had failed.
"Who are you?" Link questioned her, taking up a defensive position despite the fact that he was unarmed and unprepared for a fight.
The young woman smiled wickedly, her crimson eye seeming to flash with violence. "Who are we?" she repeated with a slight snicker, glancing back to her followers. "Why, we're allies of her grace..." Her sarcastic grin deepened as she raced forward on fast, light feet, both of her knives poised to run the hero through. He luckily had the wits about him to dodge her attack, but the woman didn't give up so easily. She snapped her fingers, sending her followers into action. They surrounded Link on all sides, their weapons positioned to attack him from every angle. He had been out of tighter spots before, but in all of those occasions he had been wielding a sword. The fact that he didn't have one, coupled with the fact that his chest wound was still causing him a significant amount of pain, made his chances of escape quite slim.
The group of warriors didn't even give him any time to strategize however, as they already began to rush for him all at once. The moved like lightning, pouncing upon the hero before he could even try to react. All of them used their deadly weapons to land at least one cut or minor injury upon him in one way or another. And while none of the cuts were that significant, the warriors apparently had some type of dark magic infused into their blades because with each hit was more painful to him than the last. They continued their assault and he was unable to do anything to stop them as he collapsed to his knees from the increasing pain.
"Enough!" their leader finally called out and the attack came to a grinding halt. The entirety of the group backed away from Link, clearing the way for the leader to approach him slowly with a malicious grin on her thin lips. "So," she sneered as she placed the tip of her knife under his chin and forced him to look up at her. "You're Hylia's precious, loyal, courageous little 'hero'... You don't look that impressive up close. You're just a boy!" She snickered cruelly and all of her followers joined in.
Link scowled at her, but quickly came up with an insult to send back at her. "Well, you're just a girl!" he said smartly. The young woman glared wickedly at him and he could clearly tell that he got the better of her.
"You must think you're pretty clever, huh hero?" she taunted him, slowly moving her knife down to his left arm. "You won't be so foolishly brazen when you see our true power!" She laughed coldly as she plunged her knife into the skin near his shoulder and ran it down the length of his arm slowly and torturously, the magic of the blade filling him with an unbearable burning sensation. Unable to keep quiet any longer, the hero cried out loudly in agony, a sound that Zelda clearly heard as she searched for him in the woods. It took her less than a second to know he was in trouble and she ran in the direction of his cry as fast as she could, wanting nothing more than to help him and ease his pain.
The young woman slipped her knife out of Link's arm and slowly moved to stand behind him while he continued to suffer from the lingering pain of both his new arm wound and his still bleeding chest. She raised her knife high into the air and flashed an evil smile that the hero did not see. And before he could turn around to see what she was doing, she brought the handle of the weapon down and smashed it into the back of his head roughly, knocking him down completely and throwing him into semi-consciousness. "Where's your beloved goddess now, hero?" she said mockingly, positioning her knife high above him so she could plunge it into his exposed back for the final blow.
"I'm right here!" Zelda said firmly as she broke into the field, having already witnessed the woman strike him down from the woods. The young woman smiled with satisfaction as she watched the girl run to stand in between her and Link, protecting him from the deadly blade. "And if you want to kill him, then you're going to have to go through me."
The woman's grin deepened as she lowered her knife and took a step back. "Hylia..." she said smoothly. "What an honor it is to finally meet 'her grace' in the flesh..." She mockingly bowed before Zelda, showing no signs of respect as the rest of the group copied her, muttering curses against the goddess under their breaths.
"Who are you?" the girl asked, glaring suspiciously at their leader.
"You don't know?" the leader asked. "We are your loyal servants, Hylia..." she said sarcastically. "We are of the Sheikah tribe..."
Zelda glanced over every member of the group and noticed that they all bore the symbol of the Sheikah tribe on their clothing, but she still refused to believe them. "You are not Sheikah," she said, glaring at them. "The Sheikah were charged by the goddesses to help Hylia protect this land, not assault her chosen hero viscously. So who are you really, and what do you want?"
The young woman finally frowned as she glanced back to her followers. "I suppose you're right..." she said calmly. "We are not Sheikah... anymore. We broke away from your loyal little followers quite some time ago..."
"Why?" the girl asked warily, knowing that these people had to be considered as enemies.
"Because... we want two things: glory and power."
"And how do you intend to get them?" Zelda asked.
The woman smiled. "Firstly by taking the Triforce as our own and then making you pay for disregarding us," she explained.
"How did I disregard you?" Zelda asked in confusion. "I've never had anything but the deepest respect for your tribe. If it wasn't for Impa, I wouldn't even be alive now."
"I bet you would like to think that all of us are as noble as Impa was..." the woman said coldly. "But we're aren't. Some of us have much more ambition than our brethren. We aren't satisfied with simply living to serve you. Our purpose is so much more than that and we're going to make sure you know that."
Zelda glanced down, wondering why these former Sheikah were so bitter towards her when she really didn't do anything. And even more than that, why did they attack Link? Because he had been vulnerable? Because they wanted to make her suffer by seeing him in pain? Their plan didn't seem to make any sense to her but it filled her with dread nonetheless. It was obvious to her now that the dark presence she had sensed earlier had come from these rebels and she knew that they must have had control over some kind of evil power, whatever it might be. "So who are you?" she said directly to the young woman. "Are you the one in charge of all this?"
The woman smirked and nodded. "I am," she said with pride. "I was the first one to realize just how much of a tyrant you really are. My name is Veress."
"Why did you attack Link?" Zelda asked. "He isn't a part of this. Your problem is with me, not him."
Veress scowled down at the hero as he slowly began to stir back into consciousness. "But our problem is with your hero, Hylia..." she said hatefully. "We were supposed to be the ones to take on Demise for you, but then you decided to pick a random hero to do the job instead of us! Its only fair that he suffers just as much as you do for stealing away the glory that was so rightfully ours! And..." she said, starting to take a step closer towards the two of them as she raised her knives a bit. "If you'll move aside, I'll be able to finish the job that I just started."
"Wait!" Zelda cried out in desperation, knowing that this was no hallow threat. Veress had every intention of killing Link right then and there, and there was no way he could protect himself against it. Zelda wasn't about to sit by and just let it happen. She had to do something, but she had no idea what she could do at a moment like this. "Please. Don't hurt him," she said as calmly as she could, fighting back her fearful tears. "If you leave him alone... then... then... I'll do anything you want..."
Veress raised her eyebrows upon hearing this suggestion. "Your offer is quite tantalizing, Hylia..." she cooed evilly as she sheathed her knives and slowly moved to circle the girl and the hero. "Or should we call you Zelda now... But what could you possibly do for us that we'd want...? How about... breaking that little seal you cast over the Triforce earlier today, hm?"
Zelda's expression hardened, knowing that as much as she wanted to save Link's life, this was the one thing she absolutely couldn't do. "I can't..." she said, looking down in grief. "And I won't. I'm not just giving you the Triforce like that. But... anything else... anything at all, I will do it..."
As the girl made her entreaty to the rebel leader, the hero finally found his way back into consciousness, even though his mind was still in a haze and he was unable to really move, thanks to the paralyzing magic that Veress had cast over him earlier. But nonetheless, he had heard Zelda's voice nearby and with a quiet moan, he glanced up to look at her. "Zelda..." he muttered tiredly as the girl looked down at him with worry. She was tempted to lean down to his level, but she was afraid that Veress would try for a sneak attack on both of them is she did. So instead, she simply gave him a small smile of reassurance, though she was unable to hide the dread and sorrow in her eyes as she tried to work her way out of an impossible situation.
"Anything?" Veress asked, glancing down towards the hero as well. "So, not counting the Triforce, you would be willing to give up anything at all for your beloved hero?"
"Yes," Zelda nodded. "Anything."
Veress smirked darkly. "What a waste..." she scoffed.
"No its not!" she protested firmly. "He would make the same sacrifice for me! I know he would! And besides, I love him! So tell me what you want and I'll give it to you. Just spare him!"
Link had heard what she had said clearly and gained an understanding of the conversation. Zelda was willing to give up almost anything for him and though he knew that he would do the same for her, he couldn't let her do something like that. Especially if Veress and her followers sought the girl's life. "Zelda..." he moaned up to her again, louder this time as he tried his hardest to move but failed. "N-no..."
Zelda glanced down at him sadly, almost on the verge of tears. "I have to..." she mouthed to him before looking back to Veress with determination. "So... what do you want?"
Veress was silent for a moment before giving her a broad smile. "I know exactly what I want, Hylia..." she said, putting her hands behind her back. "But first, I'd like to make a little trade with you. The life of your hero for one of two options: the Triforce... or your freedom."
Zelda took in a deep breath as she weighed her options. "I won't let you have the Triforce," she said firmly. "And I never will... And I won't let you hurt him anymore."
"And so your only option seems quite clear... doesn't it, Zelda?" Veress asked with a triumphant grin.
The girl looked down to the hero behind her in grief that he returned in his own gaze. "Please..." he begged her softly, knowing that he wasn't worth her giving up her freedom for his sake. "Don't do this..."
Finally relenting, she kneeled down beside him and took his hand. "I have to..." she whispered back, finally letting a few tears spill down her cheeks. "For you..." She took in another deep breath as she rose to stand and face Veress once more. "Fine," she said in resignation. "I'll go with you..."
"You will go quietly?" Veress asked, crossing her arms. "And you won't fight?"
"I won't fight," Zelda nodded solemnly. "You have my word."
"And you have my word that I won't lay another finger on your dear hero..." Veress said with a cold grin. "See how easy that was, Hylia? You can actually be quite compliant when something you care about is on the line..."
Zelda sucked in a tearful breath as she realized exactly what she had just agreed to. She had basically sold herself into captivity, a captivity that would most likely be filled with awful torture and pain. And there would be a great chance that she would never be free again. But at the very least, she had done what she had to and had saved the two things that she absolutely had to protect. "Can I at least have one more moment before we... go...?" she asked, glancing down at Link again.
Veress scowled at both of them but nodded nonetheless. "I don't see why not," she said callously, turning her back to the two of them. "After all, you won't be seeing him for quite some time..."
Zelda wasted no time. She kneeled down beside her hero once more and took both of his limp hands into hers. "Zelda..." Link pleaded with her desperately. "Please. There's still time. You can still get out of this. Save yourself before its too late."
The girl shook her head and tried to press her tears back. "I can't, Link..." she said morosely. "You saved me more than once... Now I'm returning the favor the only way that I can... I'm so sorry..."
"No," he said, giving her hands a slight squeeze. "Don't be. If anyone should be sorry, it should be me. I couldn't protect you when you needed me to."
"We don't have time to blame each other now..." Zelda whispered, knowing how heartbroken they both were over the whole situation. "Right now I need you to listen carefully. I need you to take the harp and the Ocarina of Time and keep them safe," she hurriedly slipped both of the instruments into his gear bag, so Veress and her followers wouldn't find them. "Right now, they're the only things that can ensure the Triforce's safety. Please Link, protect the Triforce. Don't let them get their hands on it."
"I promise," he said firmly. "And I also promise that I will come find you. I don't care how much magic they have, I'll do anything it takes to save you."
"Oh Link..." Zelda said in grief. "I... I love you... Don't forget that..."
"I love you too," the hero said, wishing with all his heart that he could do anything at all to keep her from going with these scum. "And Zelda-"
"Time's up, your grace!" Veress's voice broke through whatever he was going to say as one of her followers grabbed Zelda roughly by the arm and started to drag her away. "Say goodbye!"
"Zelda!" Link called out after her, breaking through his strong paralysis to extend a hand out to her.
"Link!" Zelda called back, tears flowing down her cheeks as she took in perhaps her final glimpse of her beloved hero before the warrior that held onto her threw something down to the ground and disappeared with her on the breath of the small flash it created. Soon enough, the entirety of the group vanished in a similar manner until the only one left was Veress. She stood triumphantly over the hero, looking down at him in superiority.
Link glared up at her with hostility, wishing that he could move simply so he could strike her down for taking Zelda away from him. "You'll never get away with this," he hissed angrily. "If you hurt her, then I'll-"
"You'll what?" she interrupted him coldly. "Try to finish her off yourself like you did in the woods earlier? You know, for Hylia's supposedly 'strong, great' hero, you certainly are weak. Its almost not fair that I have to kill you..."
"But you promised her that you wouldn't!" he shouted, not trying to save himself but rather not wanting to let Zelda's selfless sacrifice be in vain.
"You really think that vow meant anything?" Veress cooed. "Please. You're both so gullible... But don't worry hero... I'll be fair. I think you've suffered enough, so I'll make this simple..." Before Link could say another word, the woman kicked him in the back of the head brutally, sending him into full unconsciousness. With a bloodthirsty grin, she raise one of her knives high into the air, but before she could plunge it into his back, another knife whizzed past her face, narrowly missing it. Veress jumped back, drawing her other knife as she watched another figure leap onto the scene from the forest.
"Ah..." Veress said as she watched the Sheikah land gracefully in between her and the hero. "Sheik... I was wondering when you were going to show up..."
"Veress!" Sheik shouted in raw fury. "What do you think you're doing?!"
"Well, whatever I've done, you've clearly arrived far too late to stop me..." Veress grinned. "The only thing you prevented was the death of that useless hero, though that will happen sooner or later, I'm sure of that. But there's no way either of you can possibly help the goddess now..."
Sheik's scarlet eyes widened as she took in a sharp gasp. "What have you done with her grace?!" she demanded hotly.
"We've taken her away..." Veress explained coyly. "To someplace you'll never find her..."
"Why?" Sheik asked, barely able to contain her extreme anger and frustration. "Why are you doing this, Veress?"
"Why?" Veress repeated as her smile faded. "Because... I want what you can never give our tribe. Glory! Honor! Power! And the only way I can do that is to make Hylia and her hero see the error of their ways."
"You speak of honor?!" Sheik hissed, drawing out her long wooden staff in preparation to fight. "You don't know what honor is, Veress! You and those who blindly follow after you are a disgrace to our tribe! I have no choice but to banish you and all other traitors from the Sheikah tribe forever! If you come into our territory, you will be considered an enemy and we will not hesitate to strike you down on the spot!"
"Ha!" Veress laughed triumphantly. "You really think you can stop us, Sheik? Then you're just as much of a fool as the hero is! We have power unlike any you have ever seen before! And when we unleash it, then no one will be able to stand against our might!" She laughed wickedly as she vanished using the same method of her followers to parts unknown, leaving Sheik to stand before the unconscious hero.
The Sheikah sighed bitterly as her new adversary disappeared, knowing that for the first time ever, she had failed in her duty of protecting the goddess. It was a task that she had been charged with ever since she had been appointed to her position as the matriarch of her tribe. Great shame overcame her as she knew that there was really nothing she could do at the moment to undo what had been done. But, as she looked down to the injured hero at her feet, she knew the only thing she could do at the moment to carry out her duty in full.
AHHHHHHHH! I THOUGHT THIS CHAPTER WAS CRAZY! But seriously, I almost broke down and cried like five times while I was writing this chapter! I really poured my heart and soul into it, as you can most likely tell. But I'm excited for the next chapter because we're really going to meet Sheik in depth and I already have her character really developed! I can't wait for it! So as always leave a REVIEW! Until Next Time!