The Legend of Zelda: Reconciliations
Hey guys!
Well, at least I didn't make you wait two months for this one! :-) Many thanks to Maloire, Startide Risen, Penance, and Mudora (a.k.a. HailfireSano) for their comments on the forum, and for helping me to "stay on that roll." :-P
LoL … I feel odd having such short author's notes for once. Seems like lately it's always paragraphs …
Anyway, I hope you enjoy the read and it was worth the wait!
Rose Zemlya
"Now sometimes my heart is as true as a dove,
And sometimes my heart it betrays me.
So I draw my sword for to fight for my love
And without a whisper she slays me."
— GarthBrooks, "Pushing up Daisies" —
xxx
Chapter 9
"I'm just saying that is seems like a lot of fuss to go through over a sword, no matter how nice a sword it may be."
"It's not just a sword," I insist. "It's the Master Sword. It's a … it's …" I wave my hand around in the air in a vague, unhelpful gesture as I try to find what I'm looking for.
"It's a symbol of Link's position as the Hero of Time," Zelda supplies, leaning against my side and frowning at Amplisa. "And it's an artefact of immense power and importance." Amplisa snorts and gives her one of the most condescending looks I've ever seen.
"Maybe to your people," she responds coldly. "I wouldn't expect a Hylian to understand. A sword is a sword is a sword. It's the wielder who gives it any power it may have."
"With any other sword, yes," Zelda says primly, still frowning. "And even, in a way, with the Master Sword, since it's nothing but dead metal in anyone's hand but Link's. But if he does have it, he can do things with it that he couldn't with a regular sword." She just manages to cut herself off before uttering but I wouldn't expect a Gerudo to understand that. I know she does, I can feel it. I don't know what's gotten into her lately, but she's been just a bit edgier around the Gerudo and it's starting to worry me. Some of them are worse than others and I know quite a few who wouldn't take being talked back to by a Hylian woman sitting down. Amplisa is one of them. She doesn't take very much sitting down.
Thankfully, Amplisa doesn't appear to notice.
I drop my arm around Zelda's shoulders and give her arm a soft squeeze, begging her to relax. I love her to pieces, I really do, but if she sets the Gerudo on edge, it's my life they make miserable.
"Personally, I think you'd be fine with two good, Gerudo scimitars at your side, and the Elite at your back," Amplisa says, which is not unexpected. Amplisa thinks just about anything can be solved with two good Gerudo scimitars at your side and the Elite at your back. "I don't think it matters what sword you have. You still haven't told me why this one is so special to you."
"Well, like Zelda said—"
"I heard what the Princess said, and I understand what the Princess said. I know all of that. I'm asking why it's special to you. It can't just be that it's a symbol, or the power. You get attached to inane, unimportant, totally-not-powerful-and-more-often-than-not-in-the-way things all the time."
"Like what?" I ask, feeling sort of indignant. She raises an eyebrow and looks at the top of my head. "There's nothing wrong with my hat!" I cry, really indignant now. She smirks at me but doesn't say anything and I huff.
"So?" Zelda says, prodding my side. I blink and look down at her. She stares unfalteringly back.
"Amplisa raises a valid point," she says. "You haven't said why you think the Master Sword matters." Now they're both staring at me expectantly.
"Well I … I mean …" I pause. "I've never really thought about it. It just … it does, that's it." They both look unsatisfied with that and I start gesturing uselessly again. "It's like … it's like … yes Zelda, you are right, and it's a part of being the Hero of Time. I need it to do my job and everything else. It makes my life easier. But Amplisa's right too," I say quickly, before Zelda can shoot Amplisa the smug look I can feel her forming. "I don't need the sword to be the Hero of Time, anymore than I need my right arm to be Link. But it's … it would be like losing a part of myself. It's …" I pause, uncomfortable. "It's felt like that since I left Hyrule to tell you the truth. Like I'm missing a limb. Or a … I don't know. Just a piece of me. A really important piece." Amplisa's still frowning, but she nods slowly in acquiescence.
"I'll admit," she says, "that what you're saying sounds odd to me, but I have noticed a difference since we left. You're technique's been … well I wouldn't call it off, but you're not as fluid as you should be." It's not an insult, it's a statement of fact and a gesture on her part to let it go. I nod at her, relieved that she's willing to let drop a topic that makes me sound insane, and lean back, propping my feet up on the table.
"So anyway," I say, "I thought you were off duty today. Where's Aliza? Isn't she supposed to be my shadow?"
"What, you're not enjoying my company?" She asks with a wry smirk.
"I find you absolutely riveting," I assure her. "It's just that Aliza doesn't generally turn down an opportunity to boss me around. Is she all right?" Amplisa frowns, just slightly at that.
"You let her get away with too much," she says disapprovingly. "She shouldn't speak to you as she does. It's not right for anyone to be giving you orders." I flash her a cocky smile.
"She can order all she wants, Amplisa, it doesn't mean I'm going to listen to a damn thing she says. She's bossy by nature. She was a green, you know. Sometimes I think that's a requirement for getting the green." Amplisa rolls her eyes in agreement. Amplisa is one of the Gerudo who went straight from Red to White and tends to get impatient with the Green and their calmer, more methodical methods. I raise an eyebrow at her. "You still haven't told me where she is." Amplisa makes a disgruntled noise.
"We took bets on who would get back first, you or Neesha."
"And you bet on Neesha?" I ask raising an eyebrow. "Amplisa I'm hurt. I'm crushed. How could you bet on Neesha over me?" Amplisa makes a derisive noise.
"King you might be, Highness, but there are times when you aren't very Gerudo at all. But Neesha is Gerudo through and through. I figured she'd have you beat easily." I raise an eyebrow at her.
"Now why don't you ever tell her these things?" I demand. "When she's here all of you are on her back all the time for not being Gerudo enough, but the instant she's gone you haven't a bad thing to say about her." Amplisa's answer involves raising an eyebrow at me and rolling her eyes.
"Like I said," she answers dully. "There are times when you aren't very Gerudo at all." I open my mouth to explore that further than is perhaps wise, but before I can the door opens suddenly and a slightly out of breath red jerks a hasty bow.
"The other team is back, Highness. You asked to be notified." I draw in a heavy breath, all my previous levity deserting me in a rush. I gesture and the red bows once more before leaving again. I turn to Amplisa.
"Can you—" She's already on her feet.
"I'll find Neesha and send her straight to you," she says. "And make sure you have some privacy." And with that she's out the door and gone. Zelda squeezes me comfortingly around the waist.
"It's never easy, delivering bad news," she says. "I'll take a page from Amplisa's book and leave you two some privacy." I hold her in place for a moment.
"You don't have to go," I tell her. "Hunter's as much your friend as he is ours." She offers me a smile and kisses my cheek.
"There are friends, and then there are the three of you," she says. "Which is a class all its own. I want to speak with Dune anyway." She squeezes my hand once more before climbing gracefully to her feet and heading towards the door. "Good luck." I sigh and settle down further into my chair.
"I'm gonna need it," I grumble.
Not more than two minutes later Neesha bursts into the room, with none of the usual fanfare that accompanies someone coming to see me. Between Neesha and I throwing fits about it the guards eventually gave up even bothering to try to announce Neesha to me. Neither one of us cares.
"What is it?" She demands, then jumps when the red outside the door shuts it. She stares at the closed door for a moment, then slowly turns to face me. "What's wrong? Nobody's telling me anything. Something's gone wrong, hasn't it? Did you get the pendant? You didn't fail, did you?" She makes a face. "You'll never live it down if you did."
"No," I say wryly, "no, we got the pendant." A measure of concern finally cracks through the annoyance on her face.
"Then what…" She looks around and frowns suddenly. "Did Thomas show up?"
"Yes," I confirm. Neesha walks around my chair to get a better look at me and crosses her arms with a frown.
"Well you should have seen it coming, Link."
"What?" I demand, frowning at her. Neesha rolls her eyes.
"When does she not get kidnapped, exactly? I'm starting to think that's what Hylians are for." I stare at her incredulously for a moment.
"Neesha what are you talking about?" I demand. Neesha frowns.
"I'm talking about Thomas kidnapping Zelda. That's what he was after, wasn't it? Bel and Mel said—" I stare at her in surprise.
"You saw Bel and Mel? Is everyone all right? Did they say anything?"
"Yeah. A whole lot of nothing. They did say that Thomas was waiting at the Tower of Farore for you guys though. You can ask them yourself if you're that curious."
"Come again?" I demand, raising an eyebrow. She smirks at me.
"I did what Hunter would call 'negotiating' and managed to convince them that what they were doing was stupid." She glances around. "Where is Hunter, anyway? I want to tell him to shut up about me solving everything with a weapon." I rub my face tiredly.
"Neesha … Thomas took Hunter." Her arms fall away from her chest and her eyes narrow into two, glittering little slits.
"He what?" She says, her voice flat and unimpressed.
"It wasn't Zelda Thomas took, it was Hunter. He … well, it wasn't him so much as it was Agahnim. Look, it's a long story. Bel and Mel are here? Right now?"
"Yes. Hunter lost to Thomas? He lost? To Thomas?"
"It wasn't exactly a fight," I say, getting to my feet. "Look, I'll fill you in on the whole thing later, but right now, we need to go talk to Bel and Mel. Maybe they know where Hunter's been taken."
"So we can go rescue him?"
"No, so we can leave him to rot, Neesha. What the Hell do you think we're going to do?"
xxx
The emotion in the air is thick enough to cut with a knife and eat. If you did, I think it would taste kind of like misery, and chagrin, and loathing, with just a tiny dash of relief to give it that bitter-sweet flavour.
Bel and Mel sit at one end of a long table, looking for every inch of them like prisoners slated for execution. Impa stands against the wall, peering out the window with her backs to them, looking for every inch like a firing squad. I can't see her face or expression, but if there were any plants to be found in the desert, those outside the window and under her gaze would probably be withering away, not unlike the way Bel and Mel do every time she so much as twitches.
Oh man I am glad I was not on the receiving end of whatever lecture she just gave them. I've been there before, and it's not pretty. Impa doesn't yell and scream, like Rue or Nabooru or Dad, Impa sits there quietly and just looks at you, for a long time, until you're sure she can read every thought in your head. If you're lucky she'll speak to you. Tell you she's disappointed, or angry, or whatever. Tell you that what you did was stupid, or foolhardy, or some other word I often hear in reference to the things I do. You're lucky if she tells you anything. Impa's one of the few people in Hyrule who can actually make Hunter and I feel bad about our antics (Neesha too, not that she'll admit to a Sheikah making her feel ashamed). But when she's really, really angry with you, she doesn't say anything. She stands, like she is now, with her back to you and won't speak. And when she does it'll be to dole out whatever punishment is required, nothing more, and then you'll be excused to go kill yourself, because at that point it seems like your best bet.
And something tells me that Impa is very, very angry with the twins right now.
"The Golden Palace," Bel is saying. "It's Agahnim's HQ. That's where we've been taking the … well, the others. We bring them to Agahnim's quarters and then he and Thomas take them back through these curtains he's got strung up on the wall behind his seat."
"Looks like a throne," Mel mutters angrily. "Stupid bastard couldn't wait to take Zelda's so he built his own."
"There must be a door or something back there, but we never got the chance to look. We weren't allowed back there."
"We weren't even allowed into Agahnim's quarters without his permission, or Thomas. He's got some kind of seal on the entrance that we couldn't get past."
"Physical or magical?" Neesha asks.
"Magic."
"White or black?" I ask.
"Not sure."
"What does it look like?"
"Kind of like lightning, I guess, but you can't even see that until you've walked into it."
"Black lightning," Bel adds.
"And it hurts like a bitch."
"Black," Neesha and I both say flatly, unsurprised.
"That's fine," I say, pulling off my hat long enough to run my hand through my hair. "I can … I can get past that I think, once I've got my sword."
"Does he have any guards?"
"Not really," Bel says. "His chambers are on the top level of the palace. To get there you'd have to go through the whole Palace and all of it'sguards. Plus, that seal pretty much guarantees his privacy."
"There are ways of skipping the palace and the guards," Impa says. Bel and Mel both cringe away from her. "I can show you where the passages are on a map."
"Much appreciated," I tell her. I pause and hesitate. "Impa, could you … could you go summon the Sages to the War Room? The generals as well. We're going to need to regroup and come up with a new plan of action now that I've got the pendants."
"You have guards for that, Link. And we shouldn't be meeting until your father and the others get back from their trip. They may have helpful information." She pauses. "If you would like to speak with the twins alone, simply ask."
"May we speak with the twins alone?"
"You have fifteen minutes. I am not done with them yet."
And with that she silently leaves the room. Bel and Mel watch her retreating back with identical doomed expressions on their faces. They turn back to Neesha and I once the door falls shut. I offer them a sympathetic look.
"You two all right? You look like death warmed over."
"Working for Agahnim will do that to you," Mel comments, a hint of her old wry grin playing around her mouth. "That guy is death incarnate."
"So," Bel says with a sigh, "dare I ask why you've risked the wrath of Impa to speak with us alone? What can we do for you?" The question, I've no doubt, was meant to be ironic, but came out kind of desperate. They really want to help, to make up for whatever they're blaming themselves for out of this whole mess.
"I want to know what happened."
"You already do," Mel says, puzzled. "They must have filled you in by now. We've only told this story forty times."
"As a matter of fact," I say, "Neesha and I have been busy avoiding everyone. We've got all three pendants now and our plan is more or less to just warp to the Lost Woods before anyone tells us we can't. To accomplish this, we need to not talk to anyone because they're all just raring to tell us we can't, and you know how much I hate to disobey." I smirk at them until they both crack a helpless smile – if a small one, then settle back in my chair. "So if you're not sick of telling it, we'd like to hear it." Bel and Mel both sigh.
"There's … not really much to tell," Bel says. "Most of it you've probably guessed by now."
"Right after you left three months ago, Thomas got his first station, in Castletown. Partly because there was a bit of a gap in the higher levels of information gathering with you, Hunter, and Sheik gone, and partly because he kicked, screamed, and cried until they agreed to let him go. He was happy as a clam, but I think he was a bit lonely."
"Mel and I were still back in Kakariko, after all, and you four were gone off on a mission to God knows where over the mountains. Thomas isn't much of a loner when all is said and done and he's got an attention span of about five seconds."
"And that was about when Agahnim got his hooks into him. He told Thomas that he had a gift for magic, and offered to teach it to him." I sigh.
"And Thomas, of course, was all over that."
"Exactly," Bel confirms. "Here was something he was pretty sure he could be good at, and none of us had already done it first."
"So he agreed. Told the two of us that it would be a good way to keep an eye on Agahnim. Said you seemed to think there was something wrong with him, and that was reason enough to warrant getting close to the old man and finding out what he could. And if he learnt a bit of magic on the side, then who's to complain?"
"Nobody tried to stop him?" Neesha demands. "He just randomly decides to start learning from a black magician and nobody said no?"
"We were the only ones who knew," Mel pointed out. "He made us promise not to tell because he knew his Mum would say no. And it's not like we knew he was a black magic user at the time, now did we?"
"And what he said did make a certain kind of sense. It would be an easy way to find things out about Agahnim, and if Thomas was getting magic lessons out of it, power to him."
"But then the letters stopped …"
"… and people, Thomas included, started going missing."
"When Acqul said that it had been Thomas … we got worried. More than worried. We panicked."
"We knew he'd been studying under Agahnim. All we could think of was every time you, Link, had ever complained that there was something not right about the wizard."
"We couldn't figure how he was doing it. What he had on Thomas that could drive him to do something like kidnap friends."
"So we left the note, and went after him." There's a pause as they both retreat into their own thoughts for a moment. Neither Neesha, nor I say anything.
"Turns out Agahnim wasn't blackmailing him, or threatening him, or anything like what we expected," Mel said quietly at last. Bel shakes her head.
"We never expected for a moment that it would be Thomas we'd have to face. We realized right off the bat that Agahnim must be controlling him through magic—"
"That's the only reason he would have attacked us like he did."
"—and we figured it would be a piece of cake to take him out and drag him back to Kakariko for the Sages to fix if they could."
"But it wasn't."
"Nope," Bel agreed. "It sure wasn't. Together we used to be able to drop Thomas in ten seconds, flat. But this time?"
"We lasted about thirty seconds, at which point Agahnim showed up and it was game over."
"He took us prisoner, had Thomas tie us up, and ordered him to kill us." They both have a faraway look in their eyes.
"He was going to do it, too," Mel said quietly. "He was ready to kill us. Had his sword up and everything. But …"
"Something stopped him," Bel finished. "He looked at us for a minute, then turned to Agahnim and asked if he could keep us alive. Said he needed help if he was going to capture everyone Agahnim wanted."
"So … Agahnim let us go, but told us that Thomas was responsible for us now. He said that if we failed him, or betrayed him in any way, it would be Thomas who would pay the price. And then we would."
"We didn't … we didn't believe him at first," Bel said thickly, rubbing her eyes. "We tried to send a letter off to our Dad, but Agahnim found out. He had Thomas drag us to his chambers and he … he used his magic on Thomas." Her voice dies off and Mel is forced to pick up the story.
"He could have … he didn't kill him – he was only making the point that he would – but it very nearly did. He wouldn't even give us any potions for him. Not at first. We … watched over him for two days, and we weren't even sure he was going to make it. Not without help. On the second day Agahnim came back to us with a bottle of potion. Enough to save Thomas' life. He made us … we had to swear fealty to him in exchange for it, and he said this would be the last time he offered us mercy of this sort. The next time, he said, Thomas would die, and then we would." Bel's face twists in disgust.
"Said we could discuss amongst the two of us which one would go first." She shakes her head. "What were we supposed to do, exactly? We were … terrified! Not for ourselves, but for Thomas! I mean … I know there's no excuse, but … he was our best friend. Ever since … ever since we were little. We couldn't just … we couldn't just leave him there. He needed … he needed help. He couldn't even … with the control Agahnim has on him, Agahnim could tell him to throw himself off a cliff and Thomas would. And he had proven that he meant business."
"So you gave up?" Neesha demands.
"Hardly," Mel scoffs. "We tried everything we could think of to break the spell, but none of it worked. We even tried our original plan again – knock him over the head really hard and drag him back to Kakariko – once we were out of the palace and away from Agahnim, but …"
"But Agahnim is apparently in constant contact with Thomas, and he knew as soon as we tried. He can … he did the same thing as last time, from a distance. We were … we were on our way to get Saria then. Agahnim told us, through Thomas, that if we didn't make up for our attempted betrayal by getting Saria on our own, he would kill Thomas before the sun rose."
"So we went into Kokiri's Forest. Saria was in her house, so we snuck in. We … fought with her … sort of. She may be just a kid, but she's still a sage, and she was doing her best to hold us back, but when … when we told her about Thomas … about what would happen if we didn't get her back to Agahnim before the sun rose …" I cover my face with my hands for a moment.
"She went willingly," I sigh. "She's always been a sucker for pathetic boys in impossible situations." I look back up. "Her fairy …?"
"She wouldn't let him come with her. Told him to stay in the forest and watch over the Kokiri in her absence. Swore him to secrecy about Bel and I so our secret wouldn't be ruined and put Thomas in more danger. As far as I know he's still in the forest."
"She was probably betting on Impa and Nabooru being able to get to her in time to stop whatever Agahnim wanted her for, but he was ready for her, and understood the danger Impa and Nabooru represented. He took her, faster than he took the others, and he and Thomas disappeared behind that curtain. From the way I understand it, whatever they did in there, they did it fast. Nabooru and Impa didn't have a hope in hell of getting there in time, and they weren't exactly sleeping on the job."
"But why?" Neesha demands. "Why is Agahnim doing this?" Mel shrugs helplessly.
"We don't know," she says. "We weren't under his control, he was careful not to tell us anything except who he wanted kidnapped."
"And who else besides—"
"Link!" I twist around in my seat to look at the door. Nabooru's stuck her head around it. "How much longer are you going to be?"
"Not much, why?"
"We need to figure out how we're going to get your sword back. This much we can do without Rue and the others."
"Fine, fine, whatever. I'll be out soon." She nods and slips out again, closing the door after her. I get to my feet with an annoyed grumble.
"Well there goes our chance of doing this covertly."
"What?" Neesha demands. "You're changing your mind? You want to discuss it with them?"
"Hardly," I respond. "They'll just slow me down and insist I take other people. Not much point in that now is there?" I turn back to Bel and Mel. "I'll have to take a rain check on the rest of this story. Sorry to turn you back over to Impa so soon, but time is of the essence in this situation." I pause and study them for a minute. "I'm not going to lie to you. What you did was stupid, foolhardy, and reckless. You jeopardized more than you're aware of, and you've put a lot of people – a lot of civilians – directly into the line of fire." They both nod silently, taking this easier than they would have before I left for that damn mission. "But to tell you the truth, I can't say I wouldn't have done the exact same thing in your position – in fact I believe I have once or twice. As far as I'm concerned you can consider yourself forgiven on my end." I wink at them. "So cheer up. We'll get Thomas back, and all the rest of them too. Just have a bit of faith." I pull my Ocarina out of my pouch and Neesha lays her hand on my back. "There's about thirty seconds until Nabooru sticks her head in here and demands to know what's taking me. Let her know that if she wants to discuss my plan to get my sword back, she can meet me at the Forest Temple. Otherwise, just send an escort to the Spirit Temple for when we get back."
A few notes later, the Fortress disappears in a whirl of soft green. Neesha's hand has just enough time to tighten reflexively on my tunic before the swirl of color fades away and is replaced with the familiar sight of Saria's special place.
I feel a brief twinge of something akin to homesickness. A brief, painful awareness of two very important, very empty places inside me where Saria and Navi used to be. Navi's spot is an old wound at least. It twinges, it hurts, but I've learned to deal with it. Saria's is fresh, and catches me by surprise. It's easy to get distracted in times like this, and it's not always a bad thing. Sometimes distractions can actually help you to stay focused by preventing you from dwelling on things that are said and done by keeping your attention on what's left to do.
But every now and then something slips through and you suddenly find yourself caught by surprise by just how badly you've actually taken something, you thought you had taken quite well.
Neesha, mercifully, remains quiet and gives me a moment to catch my breath and my bearings. She may not entirely understand how Hunter and I can be assign such significance to little things, and be affected in such a large way by them, but she's learned to recognize the signs and is willing to give us that space, if only for a little bit. As with all things, Gerudo deal with their emotions in a different way than most.
"All right," I say, after a moment. "Let's go."
"Yes," says a quiet voice from behind me. "Let's." I wince and turn around.
"Hullo Impa," I say. "And what brings you to the Lost Woods?" There's a blue swirl behind her and the next instant Ruto is standing there as well, looking terribly unimpressed, as always. "Well, well, well. If it isn't my favourite lady. What can I do for you girls?"
"You," Impa says flatly, "are as reckless and undisciplined as the twins."
"I try," I admit. I throw them a wary look. "I'm not going back without the Master Sword, so you may as well not even bother." Ruto smiles wryly.
"We assumed as much," she said. "We're not here to drag you back, we're here to accompany you. In case something goes wrong, or the pendants don't work, or Agahnim's left some form of trap."
"Are any of the others coming?" Impa shakes her head.
"Zelda wanted to, but I don't want her leaving the desert, and the Gerudo scouts claim to have seen an approaching party, so Nabooru and Darunia are waiting to see if it's Brayden and the others."
"Wow," I say, "you actually got Nabooru to leave me alone, I'm impressed."
"Don't be," Impa says flatly. "She'll be waiting for you at the Spirit Temple with the Elite in tow." She raises a grey eyebrow at me. "You're not off the hook yet." I give her a wide smirk.
"The key word being yet," I say glibly as I turn and head towards the Lost Woods. A cool, friendly breeze slides in and around us, and I close my eyes for a moment, enjoying the simplicity of it.
Depressing holes in my heart aside, I can almost believe that things are going our way …
xxx
A Brief Interlude
He watched with an impassive stare as a pack of Gerudo on horseback cantered through the large gates that protected Gerudo Fortress from the desert predators beyond. Silky white uniforms adorned each woman, and every lock of hair in the group was cut short. The King's Elite. Headed out to the Spirit Temple, no doubt.
Which meant that the King had left via Ocarina, and would return soon.
Gone to get his precious Master Sword.
Master, Thomas intoned inwardly, I don't understand. Why are we just letting him go get the sword? With it, he can …
With it, Agahnim's disembodied voice snapped in his head, he is no more dangerous to our cause than a snowflake in the desert.
He means to kill you, Thomas said bluntly.
And so he will, Agahnim agreed amiably. I have foreseen it. But death … death is not always an ending. The Hero will kill me, but I will not be the only one to cross over. Mark my words.
I don't understand…
You are not meant to, Agahnim said, his voice oddly soothing. Do not trouble over it. Fulfill your final task, Thomas, and you will please me greatly. Fulfill your final task, Thomas, you will please Ganon greatly. Do not let me down again, boy.
I won't, Master. Thomas once again turned his attention to the dune coloured fortress and the presence in the back of his mind receded. His eyes narrowed as he released the magic concealing his presence.
The Seventh Sage's time was up.
xxx
Nabooru's head snapped up and she twisted in her seat to narrow her eyes out the window.
"Nabooru?" Darunia asked, looking mildly amused. "It's not like you to take such an interest in trade negotiations. Is there something about the tariffs imposed on bomb flowers that …" Zelda waved a hand at him to quiet him.
"Nabooru?" She asked. The Sage of Spirit hadn't moved a muscle save those controlling her eyes. They moved back and forth swiftly, as though searching for something. "Nabooru, what is it?"
"Black," she murmured. "It tastes black …" Her face twisted suddenly into an animal snarl and she straightened. "Agahnim!" She growled. In the same breath she was on her feet and running at full tilt for the door. Zelda and Darunia exchanged a surprised look and got to their feet to run after her.
"Elite!" Nabooru was screaming as she ran. "Elite! To me! Now!" It didn't take long. The next instant several women in white had joined their little party, surrounding Nabooru on all sides. Nabooru's pace didn't slow. "Sciarra, my scimitars! Aliza, scramble the red! Send twenty to the Spirit Temple to aid the White. The King will be there soon, and I won't have his safety compromised if this is some kind of two-pronged attack." Two women peeled off down opposite corridors at her command.
"What—" Before the third women could finish her question the frantic clang of a bell cut through the air, and a moment later a frantic shout accompanied it.
"MOBLINS!" Someone was shouting from down the hallway. "MOBLINS!" Nabooru swore violently.
"Be on your guard," she said. "Moblins aren't the only thing we've got to worry about. There's something else skulking around. Something black. Might even be Agahnim himself."
"If it is?"
"Take him alive," Nabooru said flatly. "Take him near-death, take him dying, I don't care. Just take him alive. He is the King's Black Mark, but I'll be damned if I let him get away."
"And the Moblins?"
"Destroy them. Has there been any sight of Rue?"
"She's on her way."
"Send a Purple. Tell her to get her ass in gear. We need her magic. Her apprentices?"
"One, maybe two are ready for this."
"Give me four. Last resort. Put them behind the Purple Archers on the walls."
"Done."
"The rest of you, suit up. And keep your eyes open. If you find the source of the black I'm sensing, find me and tell me. Me and the Sages will take care of it." The rest of the Elite left with an affirmative shout and split up at the next turn, leaving Nabooru, Zelda, Darunia, and two Elite left to explode out the door and into the grey daylight.
"Goddess damned clouds," Nabooru snarled. "That's going to give them cover. Goddess damned rainy season!" She bolted over to one of many ladders set against the outside walls of the fortress and scrambled up it. Zelda and Darunia weren't far behind her.
"Nabooru, what is it?" Zelda demanded, doing her best not to pant after their frantic run. She felt momentarily annoyed that Nabooru hadn't even broken a sweat, but quickly quashed it.
"I don't know," Nabooru said. "There's a black spirit here somewhere, though. It just … appeared."
"Is it Agahnim?" Darunia demanded. Nabooru thought for a moment, eyes scanning the horizon, upon which a thin black line was visible. She briefly wondered if the Elite she'd sent to meet the King had even made it past the Moblins. There were so many of them – more than usual. Moblin attacks and raids were not out of the ordinary for the Fortress – without a power to rule them, the Moblins turned into little better than scavengers and raiders. Forming their own little groups out in the desert and living off what they could scrounge up or steal – but for this many to unite …
"No," she said finally, turning back to Zelda. "No, it's not. The presence would be stronger. Blacker. It would taste worse." Zelda and Darunia nodded, well used to Nabooru's sometimes odd descriptions of her powers. Her 'sense' translated into taste – or at least she claimed that's what it was like – and it generally wasn't wrong. "Zelda, is Link—"
"Fine," Zelda answered instantly. "Hard to tell at this distance, but I'd say the worst he's going through right now is a bit of melancholy. The Lost Woods hold a lot of memories for him, and not all of them are good. That's all." Nabooru nodded.
"Good," she said. "Good. Well … at least he's not here to rush in there and get himself killed."
"Nabooru! What's going on?" All three of them turned to look as Acqul and Dune scrambled up the ladder.
"Moblin attack," Nabooru answered.
"I thought those were pretty routine. What's with the panic?" Acqul demanded.
"Not sure," Nabooru answered truthfully, "but there's something different this time. Something with Agahnim's stench all over it. Figured better safe than sorry." She frowned darkly. "But what if the Moblins are a diversion?"
"Where are Bel and Mel?" Dune demanded. "Will they be all right?" Nabooru muttered an oath under her breath.
"I forgot about them. They're still in the questioning rooms. Those aren't secured right now."
"I'll get them," Zelda offered, then, before anyone could protest: "I'm faster than all of you in Sheik form. I'll relocate them and be back before you know it."
"All right," Nabooru acceded. "Take them to the nursery. That's the safest place to be during these things." She flashed them all a grin. "We may not have many children, but we take care of them when we do." Zelda nodded. A moment later there was a flash and a young Sheikan man stood where she had stood and the next instant he was gone, scrambling down the ladder and running back through the fortress hallways.
She dodged the rushing Gerudo – a scrambling rainbow of purple, green, red and white – and ran against the flow, heading deeper into the Fortress towards the room where she remembered Bel and Mel to be held. She was just starting to wonder whether she really should have left the task to someone who knew the fortress better, when she finally spotted the door to the room.
Lost or not, she knew she wouldn't have left it to the Gerudo. She was trying her hardest not to be judgemental of the Gerudo, but somehow, given the state the twins were in, she didn't much feel like handing them over to some cold-hearted, merciless Gerudo for safe-keeping. That just seemed cruel.
She ripped open the bolt on the door, threw wide the door and leapt in.
"Bel! Mel!" She shouted. The twins, already on their feet, eyes wide in surprise, stared at her.
"Sheik!" Bel gasped.
"What's going on?" Mel demanded. "We heard shouting!"
"Moblin attack," Sheik said. "And … well, we're not sure what else, but Nabooru's sensed some dark spirit in the area."
"Where?"
"She can't pinpoint like that without actively searching for it, and right now she's busy with the Moblins on their way to beat down the doors."
"Thomas," Mel breathed. "Oh Bel, it's Thomas!"
"Sheik," Bel said hurriedly, "you have to get out of here. Go back to the Sages."
"What?" Sheik demanded straitening. "Why? What about Thomas? You think the Dark Spirit is Thomas?"
"It might be!" Mel said. "We can't be sure, but Sheik, listen to us, he's after you! You and Neesha! If it's him, he'll be looking for you!"
"What?" Sheik demanded. "Neesha? I knew he was after me, but why—" Before he could finish his sentence something slammed into him from behind and he was sent sprawling forward onto the floor.
"Thomas! NO!"
"I knew it!"
Before anyone said anything else Sheik had twisted like a cat and was on his feet and facing the door, arms up and legs apart in a fighting stance. His crimson eyes narrowed at the figure with the dead eyes in the doorway.
"Where's Hunter?" He snarled, but Thomas wasn't wasting any time on words. He dove straight for Sheik.
"MEL!" Bel shrieked, throwing herself forward, "GET HELP!"
"But—" Bel's elbow slammed into Thomas's back and forced him to refocus his attention before he could get to Zelda.
"DO IT!"
Mel whirled on her heel and bolted hell for leather out the door and down the hallway, leaving her sister and her friend to their own devices against Hunter. The sound of battle and screaming led her back to the outside of the fortress, and it didn't take her long to pinpoint help. It was on top of one of the roofs, screaming orders at the women below her. A volley of arrows arched their way overhead, blanketing the sky for a moment before disappearing outside the gates.
"NABOORU!" She screamed, cutting through the Gerudo and running for the ladder. "NABOORU! HELP!" Before she could get to the ladder, however, two Gerudo in Red cut her off.
"You!" Shouted one. "You're a prisoner! How did you—!"
"Mel! What is it?" Shouted a familiar voice. Mel redirected her attention upwards and met Dune's concerned face. "I thought you were supposed to be—"
"Dune!" Mel shrieked. "Come quick! It's Thomas!" Dune's face went ashen.
"What?" The word was lost in the clamour around them, but Mel could read it on her lips.
"Thomas! It's Thomas! He's after Zelda! Please! We have to hurry!" Dune's eyes widened and she suddenly leapt into action, whirling around.
"Nabooru!" She shouted. "Darunia! Acqul!" All three turned to face her. She gestured.
"It's Thomas!"
xxx
"Sheik! Get out!" Bel snarled, ducking under a swipe of Thomas' longsword and countering with an open-palm strike at his gut. He twisted out of the way at the last minute.
"And leave you here?" Sheik demanded, moving in to fill in the gap where Thomas had been and launching her own attack. "Nothing doing!"
"You can't take him!" Bel cried, leaping up onto a chair to avoid another of Thomas' swipes.
"Neither can you!" Sheik replied, growling in frustration when Thomas dodged her swing, but otherwise ignored her. For someone who was apparently trying to kidnap her, he wasn't paying much attention to her.
Not that he really could. If he so much as turned his back on Bel she was on him, jabbing, punching, kicking. She wasn't leaving him much of a choice but to focus on her.
Bel moved to lung forward off the chair, but Thomas lashed out suddenly with a foot, nailing the leg of the chair and sending it skittering backwards. Bel cried out in surprise and lost her balance, tipping forward. Thomas smiled humourlessly and raised his sword. At the last instant, Bel twisted, but it wasn't enough to avoid the blade completely. The longsword tore savagely through her side and sent the Sheikah toppling to the ground with a sudden cry, clutching her side. Thomas turned without missing a beat back to Sheik, who had paused to stare in horror at Bel.
The next instant, the hilt of his sword slammed hard into Sheik's stomach and the crimson-eyed boy doubled-over.
xxx
Several things slammed violently into place in Dune's mind when it finally processed the scene playing out before her.
First, Thomas was before her, alive and well. Her son was there, within her reach. She could run to him right now and take him in her arms like she used to when he was five years old and had skinned his knee playing with Hunter.
Second, the reason Hunter and so many others weren't here right now to watch this scene along with her was because Agahnim had control of her son's mind and body and he was little more than a useless puppet in a macabre show played out by the Wizard through other people's lives.
Third, Thomas had his sword raised over Sheik's form, hilt down, and was preparing to knock him out and do Din knew what with him.
Sheik, who was Zelda, who was the Princess of Hyrule.
And lastly, she had arrived first of all the others, a mother's concern lending wings to her heels. Responsibility for the outcome of this little scene was hers.
Thomas was raising his hand against a Princess of Hyrule, and by extension against Hyrule itself.
Mind control or no, mother's love or no, that could not be allowed.
Not by a Sheikah.
The responsibility was hers.
"Thomas!" She cried, even as she was pulling a hand crossbow from it's loop on her belt. "Thomas! Put him down!" Thomas spared her only a glance from the corner of his eye, brief and without recognition, before turning back to Sheik, who was starting to straighten. Dune's hand trembled as she raised the loaded crossbow.
This, she told herself, is no different than smacking his hand when he was in the cookie jar. Only the stakes are bigger. She fired the first bolt. It sped from her crossbow even as she was moving to load it again and ripped through Thomas' sword arm.
Thomas, she couldn't help but observe, had never bled because she'd smacked him.
"Dune!" Sheik gasped, straightening at last as Thomas stumbled away a step, staring up at Dune in surprise. Dune raised the crossbow again.
"Step back, Thomas. Don't make me shoot you again." Thomas' eyes narrowed and he raised his hand and spoke a word, but Dune had spent enough time around Rue to recognize a spell when she saw one and was able to throw herself to the side and dodge the blackness that rose from the floor to grab her. She fired her crossbow again as she moved, aiming for the same spot. Thomas spun to avoid it, but the quarrel sank into his side instead. His face twisted into a snarl and he took a step towards her, but stopped suddenly, his face twisting at some inner conflict. The next second, he whirled on his heel, and scooped up his sword, face hardening in determination. He turned to Sheik again, who was hastily moving around the table to get closer to Dune.
"The next bolt is for keeps, Thomas," Dune said flatly. "Stay away from the Princess."
"Dune …" Sheik murmured. "Dune, don't … not for me…"
"Get back Thomas!" Dune shouted as Thomas ignored her and took another step towards Sheik. "I mean it!" Thomas threw her another sidelong glance, calculating his odds. Dune had proven her aim was true with the crossbow, but her hands were shaking and she had to brace the crossbow with both of them. The resolve on her face looked shaky at best. "Thomas …" Dune said warningly.
In answer, Thomas lunged forward, jumping up onto the table and heading straight for Sheik.
The first rule of parenting, Dune knew, was to love your children unconditionally and make sure they knew that.
The second was to always follow through on whatever promises and threats you had made to them, no matter how much it may pain you at the time.
Dune had never failed to do either with her children.
And this time was no exception.
She made a noise that was dangerously close to a sob and took aim, pulling the trigger on the little crossbow and felt something inside her scream at the outrage as she did so.
But that inward scream was cut short as a light blue blur came streaking around from behind her and slammed into her crossbow, sending the bolt wild, to embed harmlessly into a wall. The blue streak sailed around behind her again and the next instant something had her by the back of her uniform and was ripping her to the side. She stumbled out of the middle of the hallway and Nabooru rushed by her, already starting to pulse with power.
"Dune!" Gasped a shaky voice. "What are you doing? You could have killed him!" Dune stared at the Zoran General in shock.
"Acqul?" She demanded, her knees feeling weak. "You stopped …" She straightened abruptly. "Zelda!" She gasped. "He's after Zelda!"
A startled scream rang out from the room and Dune and Acqul both whipped around to face it.
"Thomas!"
xxx
The pain was sudden and intense, and the force of it ripped Thomas – halfway through his lunge down at Sheik – out of his current trajectory and sent him slamming into the wall. Before him stood a tall Gerudo dressed in white, long red ponytail whipping around furiously in the force of power surrounding her. Her eyes were nearly incandescent with it. She had a hand held out, palm facing him and her face was set into a frown.
"Give him back, you rat," she snarled. "He's not yours."
The vile presence at the back of his mind pulled on him, the opposite of the way the Gerudo in white was pulling on him. That, he realized, was why it hurt. He was being pulled in two different directions.
Let go! Screamed the little voice inside him. Let go of me! You don't need me anymore! Just let me go! There was a vague feeling of amusement from the vile presence.
Let you go? Are you certain little one? Thomas blinked in surprise through the pain. The Wizard had never acknowledged the little voice before. He hadn't even been aware the Wizard knew it was there.
And then he realized, with no small amount of shock, that it hadn't been the little voice speaking.
It had been him.
"Yes!" He gasped. "Yes! I'm sure! Let me go!"
As you wish …
xxx
With one last, final scream, Nabooru felt something snap inside of Thomas and she just prayed it was Agahnim's control. She loosened her metaphysical grip on the boy and he staggered away from the wall and took in a shuddering breath. When his eyes opened, they were frightened, unsure, and filled to the brim with regret and relief – but they weren't dead. The next instant they fell shut again and he toppled forward.
"That," Nabooru murmured uneasily, watching as he struck the ground, "was entirely too easy." There was a small gasp from beside her, but before she could react, Sheik – changing into Zelda as he ran – bolted forward to the boy's side. "Zelda, no! There may be other—Farore!" Before Nabooru could finish her warning an inky black shape erupted from Thomas' prone form. Zelda gasped and abruptly tried to reverse direction, but it was too late. "ZELDA!" Nabooru leapt forward, but she was too far.
The black form dove at Zelda just as fast as it had leapt from Thomas. The Princess raised her arms but it passed right through them and disappeared as soon as it hit her body. Nabooru hastily called her power back to her, determined to do to Zelda what she'd just done to Thomas, but the next instant there was a bright flash and when it faded, the Princess Zelda was gone. Nabooru stared with wide eyes at the spot where Zelda had been. She reached out with her senses and was horrified to find that Zelda was nowhere within range.
"Nabooru! What's happened?" Darunia barged into the room and stared around in puzzlement. "Where's—"
"Thomas!" Dune was on her knees beside her son before anyone could so much as blink, and Nabooru winced, waiting for another black cloud, but there was none. Apparently Agahnim had what he wanted. She turned back to Darunia as Mel came through the door and ran to her sister's side.
"We've got trouble, Darunia," she said. "Big trouble."
xxx
Chapter 9 (cont.)
"Are you sure there's a barrier here?" Neesha asks, making a face. I look expectantly at Impa and Ruto. Impa nods.
"Just because you can't see it, doesn't mean it's not there," she says. "I've warned you about underestimating such things before."
"You've warned us about a lot of things before," I point out. "So many things it's hard to remember them all." I reach down into my tunic and pull out the Pendant of Courage and the Pendant of Wisdom, both of which have been dangling around my neck since the Tower of Farore. Neesha pulls the Pendant of Power off of her neck and hands it to me as well. I slip it on. "I am so going to get fried when I step in there," I grumble. Neesha frowns.
"Maybe I should go first," she says. "Just in case."
"That's Nabooru talking," I say flatly. "And I'm not here in King capacity, I'm here in Hero of Time capacity. It's my sword, I'll do it." Neesha nods, satisfied, if not content with that. I straighten the pendants out around my neck and throw an uncertain glance back at Nabooru and Ruto. "You're, uh … ready for anything, right? Like … if I step in there and it blows up …"
"Dibs on not telling Nabooru that Link got himself blown up!" Neesha says brightly.
"Me too!" Ruto chimes in. "Looks like it'll be you, Impa." Impa rolls her eyes.
"Yes, Link, we're ready," she says. "Just go." I nod and start forward. The sun glints off the hilt of the Master Sword, so tantalizingly close it's practically killing me. The blade gleams eagerly at my approach, but I force myself to move slowly, just in case. The pendants grow warm suddenly and begin to glow faintly and it suddenly gets harder to move forward. There's something here blocking my way. I growl at it and push forward anyway.
"If you think you're keeping me out now," I tell it darkly, "you've got another think coming. I've got the damn pendants, let me pass!" I strain as the force pushing me out gets bigger, but the pendants flash in response and I keep moving. Sooner or later something'll give.
I just hope it's not me.
The next instant my prediction comes true, as the pendants flash defiantly and I feel the barrier shatter all around me. I stumble forward and just barely manage to keep from doing a face dive onto the soft grass under my feet.
"You did it!" Cheers the Deku Tree Scrub, face bright and happy, as per usual. "Thank Nayru! It's been so lonely here with that barrier up. The poor little Kokiri couldn't even get through it, and here I am stuck on the other side." It looks offended for a moment. "You know we've had to shout across at each other for months?" I throw him a smirk.
"Glad I could help," I say. "Least I could do for taking such good care of my sword." It offers me one of those smiles it gets sometimes that suggest it's already wiser than it sometimes leads you to think. The one that makes it look a little bit more like the Great Deku Tree.
"Anything for the Hero of Time," it says.
"Link? Is it safe to come across?" Ruto calls. I turn around and notice that Neesha is already making her way over, completely uncaring as to whether or not it's safe yet.
"It's fine! I broke it! Whatever it was," I add, then shrug and turn around and survey the one thing that I've been waiting for for the last three months. For a brief moment, the back of my left hand burns fiercely and the Master Sword almost seems to shine in response. I move over to the pedestal, just a simple plaque really set into the middle of the Deku Tree's glade, and study my sword for a moment. I smirk down at it.
"I hope you burnt Agahnim good when he tried to move you." I reach down and grab the sword, fingers instinctively wrapping around and forming to the hilt, then pull it up in a motion more familiar to me than breathing somehow.
You know … there's something thrilling in the sound of a sword clearing its sheath. Some indefinable something in the sound that makes your heart leap, and your gut clench, and sets every nerve in your body to tingling. You can tell more from that sound than you can from the fight itself. Intentions can be hidden behind feints and bluffs, emotions can be mimicked or denied through discipline and pattern, moves and actions can be disguised as other moves and actions which leave you unaware. But that first metallic shing … that's what tells you everything you'll ever need to know, about yourself and about your opponent.
Is it a ring or a hiss?
Does it snarl along the edge or does it whisper from its casing?
Is it honest?
That's an odd thought, I suppose, that a sound – let alone a sound associated with a weapon – can be honest, but I hold to it, and as I pull the Master Sword up and out of its pedestal, and that metallic singing rings in my head and the world turns to blue around me for that single, eternal instant it makes perfect sense.
The sound is honest.
This sword is honest.
In a world gone crazy, this much at least I can trust.
Like an old friend.
The blue fades and the Deku Tree Glade reappears and I am grinning from ear to ear as I slide the Master Sword easily back into its sheath – once again located right where it should be on my back.
Oh man, I didn't even know how badly I'd missed it.
I turn around, still grinning, to face the others as they approach.
"All right, guys!" I say. "We've got what we came for. Let's get back to the desert so you can all busy yourselves telling me exactly how the next part of saving Hyrule is going to play out and I can busy myself by ignoring you."
"You have a very smart-mouth sometimes, you know that?" Ruto demands.
"Sometimes?" I ask, throwing her a wink. "I'd say it's more like—"
The desperation and suddenness of the mental call is enough to drive any and all other thoughts out of my brain. It's Zelda, and whatever it is, it's urgent.
"Link?" Impa asks, staring at me curiously. "What is it?"
"Zelda. Just a sec," I manage, and open myself up to her, giving in to her insistent tugging. The glade disappears and is replaced with the monochrome walls of the Temple of Time. I shiver in the suddenly cold air. Winter may not touch the Lost Woods, but it's all over Castletown, and the Temple of Time doesn't exactly have a fireplace making it all warm and cheery.
"Zelda?" I call, casting a glance around. "Zelda? What's wrong?" I turn around and peer behind me, then frown in puzzlement. She's not here. I turn around again. "Zel—"
The pain that erupts from my back is both unexpected and unwelcome. Pain and danger are foreign thoughts here. I stagger forward a step, turning around with an effort to locate the source of the attack as blood starts to seep down my back – any comfort I might have derived from its warmth ruined by it's source.
Before my brain is willing to register said source, however, she's come up close enough to kiss me and has driven her blood stained knife into my stomach as well. I gasp and my knees go weak – nothing but her support keeping me upright.
"Zelda …" I manage. "Zelda, what are you—" But then she looks at me, and I see her eyes.
Not bright blue – serious and earnest and thoughtful – but dull blue – dead and empty, void of thought or emotion.
"Agahnim!" It comes out as an angry hiss, and Zelda lets out a bright peal of laughter – sounding at once like her voice and not like her voice – and steps back from me, letting me fall weakly to my hands and knees. "You snake!" I try to push myself to my knees and fail.
"Hmm," Zelda's mouth says, sounding amused. "Clever boy to have figured me out so quickly." I press a fist against the wound in my gut and struggle to get up.
"Let her go," I snarl, glaring at the figure with the blood stained white gloves. "You son of a bitch, let her go!" Zelda's hand makes a dismissive gesture.
"Oh relax, boy," she says. "I won't be able to hold her long. Her will is far too strong for that. I just needed her temporarily."
It's suddenly very hard to breathe. How? How did this happen? How did he get her? She should be safe and sound, tucked away in the desert. How did he get his filthy claws on her? I clench my teeth as rage pounds through me and use the adrenaline it provides to get up to my knees at last. My back and stomach scream at the exertion but I ignore it.
"Give her back." I clench my fists. "Give them all back! What have you done with them?" Zelda's face twists into a cruel little smirk I've never seen before. It makes her look ugly.
"Well," her mouth says, "if you want to know that, you'll have to come and get me, won't you? I tell you what, Hero," he snaps the title like an insult, "you want her that badly? I'll give you a fighting chance. I won't do away with her just yet, like I have the others. I'll wait for you. Then you can see what I'm doing with—" Zelda's face contorts for a moment and when the eyes open again, they're Zelda's eyes.
"Link!" She gasps. "Link! Don't listen! He's trying to—" She gasps and her face contorts again and when the eyes open they're dead once more.
"Zelda!" I call, struggling to my feet. "Dammit!"
"Ah," Agahnim says through her mouth. "As I said, her will is very strong, and I can't hold her back much longer. Come for her if you dare, Hero, I'll wait. I'm sure I can find things to keep she and I entertained in the meantime. There's more than one way to skin a sage after all."
"You bastard," I snarl, gaining my feet at last. "Don't you touch her! Don't you dare!" Zelda laughs again, and the sound sends a chill running up and down my spine.
"I'll do as I please, you silly boy." She holds out her hands and the air around me is suffused with pink for half a second before I'm sent flying violently through the air, to smash hard into the altar. My vision goes black for a second and it takes me a long time to be able to catch my breath. I lose my grip on the altar and crash down into the floor, unable to get back to my feet. "Come for her, Hero. Or don't, as you please. I win either way." Her blurry form disappears entirely, leaving me with nothing but that eerie not-Zelda laugh as the cool marble of the Temple of Time fades and the panicked face of everybody's-favourite-Gerudo-teenager replaces it.
"Link!" Neesha's gasping. "What the Hell? You're bleeding! What the Hell?"
The only I answer I managed to give is a weak, "Zelda …" before I lose my tenuous grip on consciousness at last and can feel myself slide into the waiting blackness.