Ok guys... So I know its been a while, but allow me to explain! School has had me running around in circles lately! More than half of this chapter was written on a cramped bus on the way to a student leadership conference that i went to this past weekend in Ohio. Let me just say that while it was fun, it was certainly a time sucker! Anyway... Thanks to DarkPhoenixFire, Zeldafreak64, AngelWildWings181, JediMadchen86, and hammerbrofro64 for following or favoriting! Now for the reviews before we begin!
Nikrael-Thanks! This upcoming chapter is quite a change from the last one though, since so much is going to be happening in it! And I encourage you to try fanfic writing! Its a ton of fun! I hope you continue to enjoy!
Anon-Hahaha yes, Fi is back, but more epic than ever! ;D and as for your review for chapter 7, I just seem to have this bad habit of interrupting important moments with drama, dont I? hahaha :D and I do certainly ship, VERY HARD!
Lovely girl 10-oh things most certainly are going to get interesting... You'll see what I mean ;D
ShadowNinja1011-uh... ok! :D
Mekuda-Yeah, I'm really liking the dynamic between Sheik and Link too... the training scenes later on are going to be pretty fun and yes, Fi does have arms as she's gonna use them too! XD
DarkPhoenixFire-Thanks, SS is a game that's actually not too hard to connect to other games, since it is the one that started it all canonically :D And while I think your theory about Terminus is totally awesome and it would be a CRAZY twist, I have to say that she's actually legit. Sorry, but she is really an ally through and through! And I hate to say it, but the design i have for Sheik in my mind for this story would make her too feminine to ever be confused for a guy, so... :D Anyway keep enjoying!
And that's all for this time. Though i gotta say, I am simply stunned by how popular this story is getting. Only 12 chapters and I already have like 60 some reviews? This may just be the first one of my stories to reach 100 reviews! Thanks a ton to all of you who have been reading! Let's get started!
Chapter 12: The Dark Interlopers
"Among those living in the light, interlopers who excelled at magic appeared. Wielding powerful sorcery, they tried to establish dominion over the sacred realm..."
-Lanayru, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
"Veress..." Sheik growled under her breath in raw fury as the rebel leader leaded down through the opening of the temple's ceiling, followed by her small group of about ten followers. The still-loyal Sheikah leader was quick to draw out her small knife as Link brandished the Master Sword. Fi also took up an offensive pose, despite the fact that she clearly lacked a weapon of her own. Veress simply smirked wickedly as she placed her hands on her hips, glancing between all three of them.
"Well, well, well," she said slyly. "Look at the motley crew we have here... An inferior Sheikah, an unfeeling sword spirit, and a metally fading hero... This should be interesting..."
"What do you want?" Link asked, glaring at the woman who had taken Zelda away from him. "And what have you done with Zelda?"
"Oh, I wouldn't worry about her, hero," Veress grinned at him. "She's safe and sound in our stronghold... We're even keeping her alive... for now. But be warned, hero: cross me, and I will personally kill her. I can promise you that."
By this point, Link was so enraged with the rebel leader that he was unable to contain it any longer. He rushed forward without thinking, aiming the Master Sword right for her, prepared to end this before it even began.
"Link, no!" Sheik called out in warning, knowing that his efforts would be both futile and dangerous. But the hero didn't care; the only thing he could think of was how Veress had torn him and Zelda apart in such a cruel way and how she had went even further by threatening the girl's life. It was clear that Veress and her followers were nothing less than pure evil, a dangerous threat to the surface and all who lived upon it that needed to be stopped as soon as possible. And though the details of their plans still obscured in mystery, it was obvious that the Triforce and complete control of the surface were their ultimate goals. But as Link raced towards the Interloper's leader, fully prepared to put an end to their dark ambitions, Veress had other plans in mind. With a sly smirk, she drew both of her gold-colored knifes out in a flash and met the hero's blade squarely. Though it was obvious to tell by both height and stature that Link was physically stronger than Veress, the rebel leader had the underhanded advantage of dark magic on her side. As the two of them pushed their respective blades together, she used a little of this magic to send a paralyzing shock through her blades and into the hero's, stunning him long enough for her to drop low to the ground and give him a rounded kick, knocking him off his feet and pinning him to the ground with her feet.
"Demise must have been pretty pathetic if he was so easily defeated by someone as weak as you," she laughed callously as she held one of her knifes high above him. Before she could drop it however, she was suddenly knocked aside by Sheik, who had pounced at the former Sheikah with her own knife drawn. The two of them crashed to the ground and grappled for a moment or two before Veress kicked Sheik off of her and rejoined her companions. The leader of the loyal Sheikahs also rose to her feet and stood alongside Link and Fi once more, as the two groups glared at each other in animosity and disgust.
"Attack!" Veress commanded her followers. "Do whatever you have to. We're not leaving without that harp!"
The moment the rebel leader said this, Sheik and Link exchanged a glance, finally realizing what her motives in coming to the Sealed Temple were. She wanted the Goddess's Harp, no doubt because she had somehow discovered that it could break the seal Zelda had placed on the Triforce, though it was apparent she still knew nothing about the Ocarina of Time. And while the girl had entrusted Link with the care of both sacred instruments, that morning before they had arrived at the temple, he and Sheik had come to an agreement that for their safekeeping, the Sheikah leader would hold onto the harp, while the hero would protect the ocarina, so that the Interlopers would not get both at once, if any at all. But there was no time to reaffirm their plan, as Veress's followers were already rushing upon both of them, and it was clear that they were greatly outnumbered.
However, before the Interlopers even cleared the distance between themselves and their adversaries, Fi, who had been standing behind Link and Sheik during the entire previous exchange, quickly preformed a high, magnificent flip over the two of them, landing between them and the Interlopers. Veress's followers came to a grinding halt as they examined the sword spirit with curiosity, but Fi simply grinned at them cleverly for a moment, before holding out both of her hands and snapping her fingers. A set of long, thin, matching rapiers formed out of thin air, and she held one in each hand. The Interlopers looked on in awe, and even Veress looked surprised as the sword spirit took up a fighting stance, poising both of her blades to attack. But even so, the band of rebels was only phased for a moment before they ganged up on Fi, wanting to take out whom they perceived as the smallest threat to them. Fi met all of their blades squarely and precisely, hardly even flinching as she gracefully defended against each attack and landed several of her own.
"I shall handle these underlings!" she called out, glancing back to Link and Sheik in the midst of the melee. "Both of you, dispatch of their leader and protect the Goddess's Harp!"
The hero and the Sheikah nodded as they hurried around the main battle towards the back end of the temple, where the rebel leader stood with a victorious smirk on her face, her dark red eye almost shining with bloodlust as she watched them draw their weapons. "So..." she said quietly, pointing one of her two knives at either of them. "Which one of you should I kill first?"
Zelda was exhausted and miserable. She had been wandering around the maze-like labyrinths of the Interloper's temple for several hours now, and she was certain that she had not gotten anywhere close to an exit at all. The corridors of the temple were small and dark, making her feel tight and claustrophobic as she inched her way through them. Most of the rooms she encountered were either empty, locked or unentered, as the noises that emanated from outside their doors made it sound like creatures of darkness were enclosed within them. She had taken countless twists and turns, and yet the only thing she could absolutely confirm was that she was hopelessly lost. The only positive things about all of this was that she had not encountered any of the traps that Veress had spoke of and the place was devoid of any of her malicious followers.
But even so, the girl was filled with dread about the entire situation. She knew that she needed to get out of this forsaken dungeon soon, not only for her own safety, but also because she needed to get back to Link. Not only did she want to help him with whatever was wrong with him, but there was also the fact that Veress had made it very clear that he was one of targets of her hatred as well. There was no question his life was in danger just as much as Zelda's was, and while she wanted to believe that he'd be able to take care of himself, she knew that his current condition was by far less than perfect. The hero was most likely out there searching for her, alone and completely vulnerable to both a physical and mental attack. He needed her help and support now more than ever, and yet, she could not be there for him until she broke out of this prison. And even beyond that, she missed him terribly. She craved the comforting sensation of being in his strong arms and she desired the feeling of having his lips pressed against hers. She closed her eyes and pictured him holding her tightly and securely as she took a brief break in the middle of the hallway she was in, taking a seat against the stone wall as she took in a deep breath.
"Please be careful, Link..." Zelda whispered as she let out a small, sad sigh. Too tired to pick herself up off the ground to keep going, the girl remained sitting in the dense silence of the area, watching as the nearby torch fire flickered softly. Complete stillness bothered her though; it always had. She had grown up in the sky, where the sounds of high whistling winds and Loftwing calls were always the norm. Even after her and Link had settled on the surface, she had grown accustomed to the natural noises of the forest that rang out every hour of the day and night. They were a comfort to her, a sign that all was right with the world. And even more than that, when she had gained the goddess's memories, one of the abilities that she had also gained was a more sensitive sense of hearing. It was a sacred power allowed her to pick up on things that most other humans would easily overlook, but in the near complete and utter silence of the Interloper's stronghold, it was completely useless to her. As Zelda sat there, she grew so bored of it that she breathed audibly and loudly so she wouldn't have to put up with it.
Closing her eyes once more, she tried to put the idle thought of silence out of her mind and instead let it wander to thoughts of her hero and thoughts of freedom. Eventually, her breathing slowed until she had drifted off into a slight snooze, but it only lasted for a few minutes before her ears finally picked up on something. It was a small noise, unidentifiable and almost completely unnoticeable, but as she opened her eyes and listened for it again, she unmistakably heard it. Being as quiet as possible, Zelda slowly rose to her feet and looked down the hallway in the direction that the noise was coming from and with almost silent steps, she began to head towards it. The closer she seemed to get to it, the more it started to sound like a low hum, but the sound wasn't the only thing that seemed strange to her. She began to pick up on a certain presence in the air, the same kind of presence she had been able to sense the previous morning before the Interlopers attacked. The presence of a great darkness lurking nearby.
Despite the fact that she was almost certain she was heading in the direction of something undoubtably evil, Zelda pressed on, knowing that maybe it could lead her to a clue about exactly what the Interlopers were planning or, better yet, a way out. But whatever it could be, she was determined to find out what it was. She followed both its sound and feeling, making several turns as she headed down the corridors. By the time she had felt the presence at its strongest, she had been walking for quite some time and much to her dismay, she had ended up in what seemed to be a dead end. She let out a long sigh of disappointment, despite the fact that the sound was ringing out louder than ever from one of the nearby stone walls. In curiosity, Zelda reached out to touch the thick wall only to find that her hand went right through it. Surprised, she examined it closer and discovered that the entire wall was only an illusion. She was able to walk right through it and into the next room, where the presence of dark power seemed to surge to unimaginable levels.
Turning around from the wall, Zelda found that she was in a very large room that seemed to be a gathering hall or throne room. Like the rest of the temple, it was dimly lit and lofty, but banners bearing the Interloper's inverted eye symbol lined the stone walls. There were two other, more visible doors on either side of the room and towards the front was a platform upon which sat a simple throne and beside it there was a pedestal. Something rested above it, but Zelda couldn't make it out from her current position, though she had a feeling it was the source of the pervading evil energy. Even though she was the only person in the room, she cautiously made her way over to the other side slowly, trying to silence her echoing footsteps.
Her heartbeat began to quicken as she finally came to stand before the pedestal and see what was positioned on it. Floating above a few inches above it in midair hung a strange item made of dark-colored stone. It seemed to be some kind of mask or helmet, large enough to cover a human head and then some. It was perfectly carved, with many intricate designs patterning it all over. A dark aura emanated from it, putting Zelda off as she approached it. The evil power that came from it was so strong that it gave her a pounding headache, physically weakening her somehow despite its lack of movement. But nonetheless, she came to stand a few feet away from it to get a better look, despite its overpowering strength.
"A dark presence..." the girl whispered tensely as she stared at the mysterious relic. As she did so, she came to the realization that this thing must have been what was supplying Veress and her followers with their dark magic. They must have created it, infusing all of the forbidden power they had claimed, and then allowed it to grant them that same power whenever they needed it. Zelda glared at the object, wanting nothing more than to destroy it right then and there to put an end to their seemingly unlimited power. Without it, they certainly wouldn't have defeated Link and captured her. If they lost it, then all of their evil plans would fall through completely and they would be easy to stop. And Zelda knew, that if there was to be any hope for herself, her hero, or the surface, then Interlopers' dark source of power needed to be destroyed at all costs.
The Master Sword was the first blade to clash with Veress's as the true battle between her, Link and Sheik commenced. However, the two metals only touched for a second before the hero jumped back, anticipating that the rebel leader would use more of her dark magic on him. Veress simply grinned as Sheik began to charge for her with her long, broad staff, leaping out of the way of her advance. From there, she raised her fist into the air for a brief moment as red flames surrounded it, and in one swift movement, she turned and swung her fist at the loyal Sheikah, hitting her squarely in the back with her burning knuckles and sending her plummeting into the closest wall roughly. Seeing that Sheik was the current target of Veress's violence, Link sprang into action, rushing for the Interloper's leader with his sword brandished once more. However, before he could land a blow, she used more of her cunning magic to create another ball of flame, which she was quick to hurl at the hero with incredible force. There would be no way of dodging it, so he simply closed his eyes and braced himself for the painful impact, but it never came.
Opening his eyes once more, Link saw that Fi had rushed from the other battle that she had been embroiled in and had used her twin swords to protect him from the attack. She glanced back at her master for a brief moment with a small smile, which he returned along with a grateful nod. As Fi started to rush towards the enraged Veress, the hero took a quick look behind him to find that the sword spirit had quickly dispatched her entire group of followers, injuring or immobilizing them all in one way or another. Clearly, Fi was proving her worth and usefulness in more ways than one. Since she was not human, there was no worry about her receiving any form of injury or fatigue. She was a capable fighter, and even more than that, Link knew that she was also very wise from their initial travels, a wellspring of knowledge in a sense. He was glad to have her allegiance and loyalty on his side; with her help, perhaps their odds against the Interlopers would not be so small after all.
As Fi dealt with Veress, the hero hurried over to where Sheik was as she tried to pull herself off the ground despite the pain in her back. "Are you alright?" he asked as he got to her and started to help her up.
The Sheikah leader nodded, and gave him an audible answer as well, despite the fact she was out of breath. "Yeah," she said, casting a brief glance at Fi and Veress as they continued to duel. "I'm fine."
"Do you still have the harp?" Link asked quietly, hoping that Veress wouldn't overhear them.
"Yes," Sheik said as she fully rose to her feet. "And I won't let her get it. I promise."
The two of them exchanged another nod, but unbeknownst to either of them, Veress had happened to overhear their entire conversation in the midst of her battle with the sword spirit and she had formed a plan almost instantly. Summoning up a great deal of dark magic, the rebel leader swung her blades towards Fi, sending with them a great amount of force, enough to repel her several feet backwards and casting a barrier around her to keep her restrained. With the spirit at bay, Veress rushed for Link and Sheik while they were still distracted and used her knives to send several bursts of flame flying towards both of them. Luckily, the pair had the wits about them to dodge most of her attacks, but they had only served as a diversion. The real danger was Veress herself, who had leaped high into the air and pounced right for the hero when the flames had disappeared. Link didn't see her until it was too late to react and using the magic that was infused into both of her knives, the rebel leader swung her blades down onto the Master Sword with so much force that it knocked the blade of evil's bane clean out of the hero's grasp. The sacred sword landed several feet to his right and as Fi watched it embed itself into the stone floor, she let out a warning call immediately, despite the fact that she was still restricted by the barrier Veress had cast.
"Master Link!" she shouted, worry and foreboding entering her melodic tone. "Please hurry and reclaim the Master Sword as soon as possible. Without it in your possession, you are fully susceptible to corruption once more!"
Upon hearing this, Link started for the sword without a moment's hesitation but before he could reclaim it, a familiar sting ripped through his entire body, this time much more brutal than it had ever been before. The crippling pain cause him to cry out and collapse to the ground only a few feet away from the Master Sword, much to the worry of both Sheik and Fi, who could do little but watch as he suffered.
"Foolish hero..." Majora's cruel voice rang out inside of the hero's mind once more. "You thought a simple sword could free you from my grip? You know that no matter what you do or where you go, in the end there is no escaping your fate? You shall be my slave for all eternity, and there is nothing you or anyone else can do to stop it!" The demon laughed in triumph as it closed off Link's control over his movements, but fortunately it left his thoughts alone this time. But even so, Majora pressed its dark influence upon him harder than ever and at the worst possible time, as another wave of unbearable pain coursed through the hero, nearly rendering him unconscious do to the strain it put upon him both physically and mentally.
"Link!" Sheik cried out in worry as she started to run to help him, only to be stopped by the end of Veress's knife. The loyal Sheikah came to a hesitant halt as the rebel leader pointed the tip of her blade right at her chest. Sheik glared relentlessly at Veress, who simply gave her a dark, malicious grin. "Get out of my way," the Sheikah leader hissed firmly at her former comrade.
"I don't see why I should," Veress said coyly, though there seemed to be a hint of hurt in her tone as well. "After all, you've stood in my way for years."
"Veress," Sheik said, keeping a straight face so she wouldn't reveal how truely worried she was for the hero's welfare. "Your petty jealousy isn't important right now. Move out of the way or I will fight you."
The rebel leader simply laughed callously upon hearing this proclaimation. "Oh, I'd like to see you try, Sheik," she said, touching her twin knives together. "After all, you've never been able to fight me and win before. What makes you think you will win now?"
Sheik's calm, firm expression did not change as she drew her own knife. "I never go into a battle thinking I will win," she said as she took up a fighting stance. "I go into a battle knowing I can win."
Veress did not reply to this perfect answer but instead hurried towards her former leader in a furious rush. Sparks seemed to fly as the two of them clashed their respective blades together and exchanged a series of attacks and blocks. They moved quickly as their fought, as all Sheikahs were naturally trained to do, and never once did either of them leave a single spot open. Despite Veress's boasts of power and magic, she didn't seem to be using them in this battle. But all the same, both of them were matched in strength and skill, making the duel a stalemate as it dragged on for several minutes. Throughout it, Sheik would cast the occasional glance at Link, who was still fighting hard to resist the demon's corruption, but from the pained expression on his face, it was clear that he was loosing his own battle. It was clear to the Sheikah leader that success in her own fight was vital, otherwise, both the Triforce and the hero would be lost.
However, just as Sheik was about to head in for another attack against Veress, the rebel leader had decided to finally switch to more underhanded tactics. In a burst of light, the Interloper leader vanished into thin air, creating a cloud of smoke that surrounded the Sheikah leader as she disappeared. The smoke blinded Sheik, and though she fought hard to see through the illusion, she wasn't able to spot the blast of magic that Veress shot right at her until it had knocked her roughly to the ground, stunning her completely as she went down. Before the loyal Sheikah could even try to pick herself up, the rebel Sheikah had planted a firm foot on her back, pinning her down to the ground hard. Though Sheik tried to struggle against her adversary's hold, it was to no avail. She was completely and totally at Veress's mercy and she knew well that the Interloper leader had none.
"Well Sheik, I have to say that this is fortunate," Veress grinned mockingly. "After all, you do have something that I want."
"I'll never let you take the harp," Sheik growled angrily, but the rebel leader simply chuckled as she ripped the Goddess's harp from the ties that bound it to the Sheikah leader's back.
"What was that?" Veress asked, holding the harp over Sheik triumphantly. "I couldn't hear you over the sound of me winning."
The Sheikah leader glared up at her enemy hatefully, but ultimately, she knew there was little she could do thanks to her paralysis. "You cheat, Veress!" she accused harshly. "You always have and you always will! That is why our people denied you as their leader! They could see the dishonesty in your eyes!"
Veress returned Sheik's cold look for only a moment, before turning it into an even grin. "The only reason why our people denied me was because they were blinded to the truth," she said calmly. "The truth that the one who we're sworn to protect had abandoned us and denied us the glory that was rightfully ours! Open your eyes, Sheik and see the truth!"
As the rebel leader was making her speech, she failed to notice that the stunning magic she had used on Sheik was fading. The moment Veress had finished speaking, the Sheikah leader rolled out from under her foot and in one swift movement, she pushed her adversary into the closest wall and pinned her there firmly, glaring at her in fierce anger the entire time.
"The only one who is blinded to the truth is you, Veress," she said in quiet rage. "You are blinded by greed, jealously and hatred. And what's more is that you didn't used to be like this... What happened?"
"What happened?" Veress asked, not even struggling against Sheik's hold. "I'll tell you what happened. I woke up and realized that our people were capable of so much more than a simple existence of serving a goddess who doesn't even care about us! Don't you see, Sheik? Everything that Impa told us, everything that she taught us when we were young, was wrong. She claimed that the hero who was destined to vanquish Demise would be courageous and unstoppable, but look at him now!" She nodded towards Link's direction, as the hero still lay on the ground, trying his hardest to fight against Majora's influence. "Crippled by an unseen force that he is powerless to stop! You expect someone like that is to be the one to aid the goddess and 'protect' the Triforce again? How foolish it is to put your faith in such an unreliable place... Then again Sheik, you were always foolish. You have no vision as the leader of our tribe. If it was up to you then nothing about the Sheikah tribe would ever change or evolve. My dreams for our people are so much more than a simple existence of servitude. We have power! We have strength! We have the capability to strike both the pitiful goddess and her weak hero down and take this land as our own completely!"
"Enough!" Sheik shouted out in anger, pointing her knife right at Veress's neck. "I'm not like you, Veress. I don't want any honor or glory for myself beyond what I already have. All I want is to keep the goddess and our people safe in the safe way that the matriarchs of our tribe have for generations. That was the sole purpose Mistress Impa entrusted to me when she declared me leader of our tribe."
"So then how does it feel, Sheik?" Veress asked with a tempting grin on her face. "To know that you'll never be as good of a leader as Impa was?"
Infuriated by the rebel leader's burning insult, Sheik let her temper get the better of her. She pressed the side of her knife against Veress's neck, fully ready to end her life right then and there. The rebel leader simply kept her clam smile, though there was a malicious confidence in her dark scarlet eye. "Go ahead, Sheik," she said quietly. "Do it. Forget all of the years we spent growing up together and just get rid of the one thing that standing in the way of your so called 'peace and safety'. That'll prove that you're no better than me."
The moment Veress said this, Sheik suddenly averted her gaze completely. She knew that the rebel leader was trying to trick her, but at the same time she couldn't help but feel as though Veress was right in a way. If the Sheikah leader was to kill her, especially considering the relationship the two had once shared when they were younger, it would make her no less vengeful and full of hatred that Veress herself. And so, slowly she lowered her knife and took a step back, glaring at the ground in anger all the while. "I told you, Veress," she said with quiet resolve. "I'm not like you..."
"No, Sheik," Veress grinned as she simply walked past the Sheikah leader with the Goddess's harp sill in her grasp. "You're not like me. If our roles had been reversed, I would have killed you without any hesitation. And you know exactly why; because you took everything that I could have been right out of my hands." The rebel leader was silent for a moment as she approached the unmoving hero, who had fallen into semi-consciousness from the pain that the onset of corruption was bringing him. "And that's why I'm not only taking the harp, but I think I'll also take the hero that you put so much faith in as well..."
"What?!" Sheik exclaimed in both fury and surprise as she turned to see that Veress had grasped Link firmly by the back of his collar and since the hero was too weak to put up any kind of physical struggle, he simply looked up at Sheik with pain and pleading in his exhausted blue eyes. The Sheikah leader returned his heartbreaking gaze with one of determination and reassurance that she was not about to let him fall into the hands of the enemy at such a vulnerable moment. "You already have the goddess. What could you possibly want with him?"
"Two things," Veress smiled evilly. "The first is that with both the goddess and her hero in our grasp, there will be no more resistance from either of them. And the second is that I'd just love to know more about that 'corruption' that the sword spirit spoke of..." She said, glancing back towards Fi, who was trying her hardest to break free from the barrier that Veress had trapped her in, but was unable to do so on her own.
"Let him go, Veress," Sheik said with firm anger. "He has done nothing. Are you so afraid of resistance to your little coup that you must prey upon those who are suffering on levels that you could not even know?"
The rebel leader's expression darkened at at this accusation, but even so, she held onto the hero tighter than ever. "Its not my fault that he's loosing himself more and more," she said hotly. "I heard what the sword spirit said! You might as well face facts, Sheik. Your trusted little hero is going to die and there's nothing that anyone can do about it. I simply want to reunite him with his precious goddess before that happens. Its only fair, don't you think?"
By this point, the Sheikah leader was so enraged that she was unable to contain it. "I mean it, Veress," she said, aiming her knife to throw it at the rebel leader. "If you don't let him go, this time, I won't hesitate to finish you!"
Veress laughed at this threat, believing that Sheik had no intentions of following through on it. "I'd like to see you try," she scoffed with a cocky grin.
No more than a second after those words came out of the rebel leader's mouth, Sheik's knife flew past her face, only missing her nose by a few inches before embedding itself into the far wall. Veress glared at her adversary, realizing that this time, Sheik had been provoked and she fully meant it. And so, she hesitantly relinquished her grasp on Link, taking careful steps back as her followers began to gather around her once more. "Don't think this is the end, either of you," she said darkly. "I will have my revenge against you, Sheik, and you will be mine soon, hero. I can promise you both that." Without another word, Veress threw something down onto the ground and along with her entire legion of followers, they vanished on the breath of its explosion, taking the Goddess's harp with them.
The moment the Interlopers had left, the barrier that Veress had cast around Fi vanished and without hesitation, the sword spirit rushed towards the fallen Master Sword. At the same time, Sheik, though still harboring feelings of both shame and frustration, hurried over to Link nonetheless, kneeling down to his level to try and help him in any way she could. But before she could even say a word to him, Fi approached them both, holding the Master Sword in her grasp as she laid it on the ground directly in front of the hero and also kneeled down before him. After giving a quick distrustful glance to Sheik, she turned to look at her master with clear pity and worry before taking both of his hands and placing them on the pure metal of the blade. A soft blue light surrounded both of them as the demon's influence was driven away once again and Link was brought back from the brink of corruption once more. For the fourth time, his chest wound was sealed up and all of the pounding pain he had felt earlier vanished all at once, replaced with rejuvenating relief and comfort.
As the sword spirit helped to heal the hero, the Sheikah leader slowly stood and walked over to the open side doors of the temple, letting out a long sigh of agitation. This was the first time she had ever really failed before and while the Interlopers had only gotten one of the two keys to breaking the seal on the Triforce, the one that had been her duty to guard had so easily slipped out of her hands during a moment of emotional weakness. She knew that she should have done what she had to end the threat that Veress posed when she had the chance, but her morals and the scarred past that she shared with the rebel leader prevented her from doing so. But even so, she knew that she was failing on all accounts. She was failing her people, her former mentor, the goddess, but most of all, she was failing the hero, for she knew that in the end, nobody, including her, would be able to save him.
After a little less than an hour of scouring the nearby rooms of the temple for something heavy, Zelda was fortunate enough to come across a large hammer amongst several other weapons. She wasted no time in dragging it back to the room where the dark relic was, despite its weight, and she approached the stone object with a firm resolve to destroy it before the situation got any worse. Mustering up all of her strength, the girl lifted the hammer up as high as she could, but just as she was about to bring it down upon the relic, she caught onto the sound of approaching voices and footsteps. Her eyes grew wide as her thoughts began to race for a plan. The Interlopers were obviously returning from wherever they had gone and so now there was no time to destroy their source of power. Zelda knew that if she were caught trying to smash their dark relic into pieces, the penalty would be severe. Her desire to escape from her prison was stronger than her desire to cut off the rebels' power and so, she dropped the hammer and hurried out of the room through the other door as fast as she could. However, she stopped short when she had rounded the corner to catch her breath, silently hoping and praying that the Interlopers would not find her.
The rowdy conversation of the rebels went on for several minutes as their entire legion of around two hundred began to file into the room. However, they were all silent as their leader climbed onto the platform to speak to them. "My brothers and sisters!" Veress called out in a commanding voice. "I am proud to say that our efforts over the past two days have been quite fruitful. Not only do we have the goddess herself in our custody, but just today, my elite warriors and I encountered the hero and our former 'leader' Sheik, within the Sealed Temple, and it is my pleasure to report that the key to breaking the seal upon the Triforce is finally ours!" Upon hearing this, the Interlopers cheered, but Zelda gasped in surprise and worry as she glanced around the corner to see that Veress was holding up her prize, the Goddess's Harp, to show off to all of her followers. She bit her lip nervously as she continued to listen, hoping that they did not abscond with the Ocarina of Time as well.
"However, we mustn't be too hasty, my Dark Interlopers," Veress went on once the group was quiet. "Now that we have the harp, we may have access to the Triforce, yes, but there is another pressing matter at hand. Thanks to Sheik's incessant meddling, the hero of the goddess has evaded capture once more." The moment the rebel leader said this, Zelda let out a sigh of relief that the Interlopers had not subdued Link, but Veress was far from finished. "As you all know, we have need of the hero in order to exact our vengeance upon both him and the goddess, which they so richly deserve. However, I believe that we might find another use for the hero as well..." Zelda leaned forward with curiosity and worry, listening carefully to get any piece of information she could get to help in their plight. "As we were spying on the hero as he went to reclaim the Master Sword, the spirit of the blade mentioned something that peaked my interest. The spirit spoke of a corruption that was pressing its influence upon the hero, wanting to claim his very being and soul. We are unsure of what presence is causing it, but perhaps we could use this to our advantage once we capture him. Do you not all agree?"
A roar of agreement went up among the Interlopers as Zelda let out a quiet gasp of surprise and fear at this revolution. "Corruption?" she whispered, wondering what Veress had meant by that. She had figured before that Link had been hiding something from her, but this sounded much more serious than she had previously thought. And now she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he knew exactly what was going on. He had been lying to her, but why? Did he think that she wouldn't have been able to help him? Did he just not trust her enough to share this with her, even though it was clearly threatening them both? The girl couldn't help but feel both betrayed and deceived by the hero who claimed to love her. But all the same, she was going to get to the bottom of this. And if he wasn't going to give her the answers she wanted, she knew exactly who would. "I have to talk to Terminus..." she said to herself, reaffirming her resolve to get out of the temple. However before she could start down the hall once again, a murmur of sudden anger arose among the Interlopers.
"Find the goddess!" Veress's enraged voice rang out throughout the meeting hall as Zelda's eyes grew wide with sudden fear in the realization that they had discovered the hammer near their dark relic. "Do not let her evade you! She must pay for trying destroy our Fused Shadow! And if any of you let her get near it again, then you will have to answer to me. Now go!"
The sounds of many footsteps echoed throughout the hall as the Interlopers quickly dispersed, rushing through every hallway in an attempt to find the girl. However, she had already started running, racing down the hall she was in simply in an attempt to escape from their leader's wrath. She was fueled on fear, anger and adrenaline, but even so, she had absolutely no intention of letting herself get caught. She could hear the rebels' as the hurried after her, but none of them seemed to spot her, much to her good fortune. Eventually the sounds of their feet and voices faded into nothingness, but she continued to run anyway, even to the point of exhaustion. Every part of her body was sore from physical exertion and her heart was pounding wildly but even so, she knew that getting apprehended again now would destroy her chances of escape.
After what seemed like hours of running, Zelda eventually slowed down into a walk, realizing that she was completely and utterly lost once more, but at least the Interlopers were nowhere in sight. But all the same, she needed rest if she was ever going to get out of their stronghold. She had no idea if she was close to an exit or not, or even if their was one at all, but if she ever wanted to find it, she had to get some sleep. And so, after a few minutes of looking for a secure place, she found a small, hidden nook to curl up into. But all the same, her heart was heavy with dread and worry. Not only was her life in grave danger, but she could not forget what Veress had said about Link. Just how deep did this corruption run? What was its cause and most importantly, how could it be stopped? Though the girl was angry with the hero for lying to her about something so dire, she still wanted to do everything she could to help him, especially if his life was on the line. After all, he had saved her life before. If she could return the favor in any way, she would be happy to. And even more than that, she still loved him, despite the grave struggles that they both faced. She knew that alone, they wouldn't be able to overcome those struggles, which was why, now more than ever, she craved to reunite with him, even if it was only to feel secure and loved in his presence once more. And so, even though her mind was filled with grief and sorrow, she let it all go as she embraced sleep, dreaming of all the things that currently evaded her: freedom, comfort, hope and the days of peace and love that she couldn't wait to share with her beloved hero once more.
Dang, this chapter was long! Sorry about that, but I couldn't find a good breaking point soo... So anyway, who wants some dramatic backstory next chapter? I know I do, which is why its gonna be mostly all dramatic backstory in the next chapter, in which we will uncover the mystery behind Sheik and Veress's mysterious past! oooooo!
Anyway, who's all hyped for Wind Waker HD? I know I am, which I why I recently posted the first chapter of my brand new Wind Waker story, Twisted Fates! Its dramatic and heavy on the same levels that the Bound Destinies stories are, which is awesome! I encourage you to check it out here: s/9684447/1/Twisted-Fates You won't be disappointed! :D And that's all folks! Always review! Until Next Time!