It has been a while! I've been swamped with schoolwork, but I got all of that done, so have a new chapter!
-=]I[=-
The trio had been traveling for two days, with Zelda doing her best to avoid any paths she was aware that the royal guards would be searching. Sure, it was difficult to avoid them, but Link didn't really seem to be questioning her that much. The most direct path was past Hyrule castle, but strangely enough, Link seemed just as eager to avoid that as Zelda did. The journey was a bit longer, but for the most part, it didn't matter. Especially now that they were on horseback. Link's steed was strong enough to carry both of them, and Zelda found a strange sort of comfort riding behind him, her arms wrapped around his waist.
Zelda rather enjoyed riding with Link. He made good conversation, telling her all sorts of stories about the monsters he'd combatted. Apparently, he had yet to duel with a Golden Lynel, and yearned to do so. He said it would be a true test of his strength, and that nobody had vanquished one in hundreds of years.
Zelda was interested in what he had to say, but at the same time, it made her feel so uninteresting. She couldn't tell him anything about her life at the castle without revealing her real identity, so she mostly waited and listened to his tales. Although, there was clearly some part of his story he was leaving out, something more than just tales of battle. She didn't bother pressing the issue, however. After all, if she was prying into his life, who was to say he wouldn't pry into hers?
"Look!" Link jolted her out of her thoughts, and he pointed into the distance. The mist of the Lost Woods could be seen in the distance.
"We've made it! I can't believe it! By Hylia, it's enormous!"
"The fabled resting place of the Master Sword. If Hylia sent us to retrieve it, we need to go in."
The two of them stood there, overlooking the forest, neither of them moving any closer. Twilight looked calmly into the treetops, his piercing blue eyes analyzing the terrain.
"Link, I'm nervous." Zelda turned to him, clearly concerned. "I've heard stories about those who have wandered into the forest and never returned. I don't want that to happen to us."
Link nodded. Although he clearly didn't want to say anything, he too looked frightened.
"Maybe we'll stay in the stable for a little while, leave the horses there safely, and conduct as much research as we can."
Link nodded, leading onward to the Woodland Stable.
"So, I never asked, what is your horse named?"
"Hm? Oh, her name is Epona. I thought it was fitting, you know? Because I'm named Link."
"She does look similar to the pictures of Epona that I've seen. The same color scheme and everything. She's beautiful."
"I didn't know you'd seen pictures of Epona."
"Well, there are pictures of her inside the castle."
Link turned to face her. "The what now?"
Shit. She should have seen this coming. Obviously she wouldn't have been able to keep her mouth shut for very long.
"Yes, the castle. I've been inside a few times now. I worked as a lady's maid to Princess Zelda." The lie slipped effortlessly through her lips. Concerning. It shouldn't be so simple to deceive someone, yet with a few words, she could completely change her identity.
"Oh. That's interesting. Do you mind telling me what the Princess was like?"
Zelda laughed nervously. "I'm afraid my opinion might be biased."
"It doesn't matter. What do you think?"
Zelda took a deep breath. "She's strange. I'll give her that much. I know she started off mostly weak and emotional, very impulsive. She made some rash decisions. I think it's because her mother died when she was young, and she didn't have much of a childhood."
"That's unfortunate. I missed out on my childhood too. I trained as a royal guard for a while, but it's fairly clear that I left that behind."
"You were a royal guard?"
"Yeah. I always wanted to be, even though my father said that I should have just taken over the family farm. Maybe he was right."
"If that had been so, we never would have met. I'm glad you did end up here."
"Enough about me. Tell me more about the princess."
Zelda was about to start again, when a thought crossed her mind.
"Hold on… you don't fancy her, do you?!"
Link looked surprised. "Goddesses, no. Quite the opposite. I wouldn't want the royal life. Too much politics, not enough adventure. Besides, there's…" he trailed off, leaving Zelda rather confused.
"Alright then. I also heard that she yearned for adventure. She often talked about that. And I heard, after I left that… that she ran off after being told she was to be married. I don't blame her."
Link had the strangest look on his face. "Neither do I…"
"Link? What's wrong?"
"Nothing. Everything is fine. I just had a thought. I thought maybe… no. It's impossible. Goodnight, Lana."
"Goodnight, Link."
-]I[-
Was it even possible? Could Lana be more than Link ever thought? She seemed to know an awful lot about the Princess, and her detailed knowledge of Hyrule Castle was suspicious. Could she really be…
No. It wasn't possible. He'd met Lana before news of Zelda's disappearance had been released, and she was so different from his image of royalty. She was keen to fend for herself, and Link admired that.
The stable they were staying at was nice enough. The beds there were an improvement from the ground, yet it was different falling asleep without the stars above. He had become so accustomed to the night sky, it was a comforting presence while he was closing his eyes. And now, the only source of light was the torches that illuminated the insides of the stable. Of course, the added security was nice.
Yet he was so close to the military training camp. If anyone there recognized him, he was done for. He just had to hope that the road would take him away from the camp, and he could avoid any of the cadets he had helped train before he left.
What was hiding in those trees, in that mist? Secrets untold, for hundreds of years, lay shrouded in fog. If the Master Sword was in there, it would be extremely difficult to reach. A relic of that power was not to be trifled with, and would be guarded carefully. It wouldn't be an ordinary hike. If it was anything like the stories told, he might not make it out of the forest alive.
He was afraid. Afraid of getting lost in the fog, yes, but also afraid of losing her. Lana was peacefully asleep in the next bed over. She was doing so much for him, accompanying him into the Lost Woods. It was a dangerous task, especially for someone who had only just learned how to properly wield a blade. Her spirit was admirable. Even Link was jealous of her will. And if she was lost in the mist because of him… Link didn't know if he'd ever forgive himself.
But enough about worrying. If he was going into the woods, he needed to be prepared. A good night's sleep was important. He closed his eyes, and soon felt himself slide into a peaceful slumber.
-]I[-
No dreams that night. No visits from Hylia, nor from him. A red-eyed, ash-skinned version of himself that appeared in his dreams frequently. Sometimes, he was there for a split second, sometimes, it was just Link and the creature, staring at each other, each of them silent and unyielding.
The woods still hadn't been cleared of the mist. It hadn't even thinned out. And the mist only bordered the woods, and none of the area surrounding it. Obviously some form of magic, but what type of being was strong enough to keep a barrier like that in place? The only creatures rumored to have such power were the dragons, but they had vanished a long time ago. Perhaps they were slumbering, storing their power for when they needed it most. Link smiled as he imagined the dragons dueling the Calamity, rather than the chosen hero. He'd want to see something like that in his lifetime.
Lana was already awake. Her bed was empty, and her sword had been moved from its previous position against the wall. Link stretched and pulled himself out of bed, pulling on his tunic, trousers, and traveling hood. Walking outside, he smiled as he saw Lana hacking away at a practice dummy. Her form had improved, even with little training. If they made it out of the Woods, he'd have to teach her some other moves, like the parry. Maybe even a spin attack, if she got good enough.
Lana saw him watching her, and waved at him, grinning. She was spirited. It must have been finally sleeping in a bed again, or possibly a better breakfast than hunted meat and gathered berries. As long as she was happy, so was he.
"So, are we headed into the woods today? It's not very far from here. The road leads right there…"
"If you're ready, so am I." He smiled at her for a bit, then realized that he must have looked silly. Link hurried to change the subject. "Er, where's Twilight?"
"He's over there, holding a torch. I tried to get it away from him, but I think he wants to keep it. Didn't seem like he was playing with it either. I just let him be."
Link turned to the wolf, who was indeed holding a torch between his fangs.
"Twilight, what's with the torch?"
I'm bringing it. Don't bother taking it from me.
Link flinched. It was always strange when Twilight did that, but he wasn't going to argue with the freaking telepathic wolf. Better not to question it, after all.
"The path hasn't been used in some time. Look, there are leaves and things all over it," remarked Lana, pointing at the road ahead. "Probably for good reason."
"We don't need a reason. Come on, this'll be fun."
The walk was short, even without Epona. Link had elected to keep her at the stable, for her own safety. Only a few minutes until the foliage seemed to darken, and a strange mist poured into the area. Link could barely see in front of him, much less see the correct way to go. He felt something warm brush against his arm, then slide downward and grasp his hand.
"We should stay together. The mist is getting awfully thick," Lana said. She sounded very nervous, and she gripped Link's hand tightly.
"Good point. Look, torches up ahead." Link gestured forward with his free hand, to a flickering orange light. The fog seemed to be avoiding it, and the orange sparks drifted off in the wind, toward another lit brazier.
"I wonder how it's stayed lit this whole time." Lana seemed to be inspecting the fire, which seemed completely normal in every way. "I think this way is north…" She started to step out into the mist.
"Wait! Stop! Don't go into the…"
Lana had vanished. Not faded gradually into the fog, but completely vanished altogether.
"Lana? Lana! LANA!" Link started to head after her, but Twilight dropped to torch and grabbed the back of his tunic, preventing him from going any further. "Get off me, you-"
"Link!"
Link whirled around to see Lana sprinting towards him. "Lana!"
"I… the whole world just whited out, then the next thing I knew, I was standing at the entrance to the Woods. Are you alright?"
Link swallowed a lump in his throat. "I- I'm fine. You gave me a bit of a scare there."
Lana smiled shyly. "Maybe we should stick to the torches."
There were a few more fires up ahead, all the way to an area with two braziers, pushing the mist away in a spherical area. There weren't any other flames in sight.
"What now?"
"I don't know. Maybe we missed something?"
The two of them pulled out their maps, glancing them over. It didn't appear that they had forgotten anything, in fact, they had gotten further than they had dared to hope. But now, they were lost at a standstill, with only the firelight to keep the mist away. The sparks drifted off into the woods, and Twilight seemed to be very interested in them. Link rolled his eyes. Animals could interest themselves with anything, given the opportunity.
"Link, I'm scared." Lana's green eyes looked up at him. "I'm scared we won't ever make it out of here. And even if we do, we'll have failed. Either way, we're doomed in the end, aren't we?"
Link pulled her into a tight embrace. "We'll make it through this. I know we will. Remember, you can't let your fear take control of you. Focus on me. Everything will be okay."
"Link, if we don't make it through this, I… I need to tell you something. I haven't been honest with you. You see, I'm actually…"
Where's the wind?
"What?" Link turned to Twilight, puzzled.
I asked where the wind was. There's no breeze, right?"
Link shook his head. Had there been a breeze, it would have pushed the wind into the clearing.
"What's the wind have to do with anything?"
"I'm sorry, but are you… talking… with Twilight?" Lana interjected.
"Yeah, he's curious about the wind."
"Oh, I see. The wolf is curious about weather patterns. This makes being stranded in a cursed forest so much easier."
"Just… give me a minute. I'll explain later. Now, what was this about the wind?"
No breeze. No nothing. Yet look at the sparks… they've all traveled in different directions, leading to the next brazier. Now there's no fire, but the sparks still lead to something, don't they?
"Oh, Hylia, you're right. You're right! Lana, listen to this…" he began to explain what Twilight had just told him. Lana stared at him like he was insane, but it didn't deter him. If they could find there way out of the forest, he didn't care what anyone thought of him.
"So we need to follow the sparks. Didn't Twilight bring a torch?"
Link turned to the wolf, who was busying himself with chasing his tail. Helpful one moment, like this the next. Link picked up the torch and held it to the brazier. It immediately caught fire, and Link began to slowly follow the trail of sparks. Occasionally, the sparks would drift in a new direction, and Link would divert his course.
"I think we need to go through that hollow tree. It seems so old, doesn't it?" Lana remarked, staring at the huge log. Link nodded and headed through.
"Look!" Lana pointed excitedly towards a strange, lamp-like structure. It was glowing warmly, illuminated not by fire, but magic. The mist wasn't as present here, in fact, as they progressed down the path, the mist wasn't present at all. Link dared to put the torch away, putting out the fire as they walked. One of the ancient shrines was nearby. Link couldn't help but marvel at the craftsmanship. How old were they? At least 10,000 years. Perhaps even longer. The Sheikah were technological geniuses, from what he'd learned.
They rounded the final corner, ducking slightly under an overgrown root, until they finally came into a clearing. What they saw next was breathtaking. But at the same time, the shock they experienced was far more powerful than any emotions evicted by the beautiful scene in front of them
Silent princesses, a rare flower, bloomed in abundance. Tiny little creatures hid in the leaves and grass, peering curiously at the pair. A giant, ancient tree with beautiful pink foliage towered above them, and the tree seemed to be looking at them with ancient, wooden eyes. They were greeted with a beautiful clearing…
...and an empty podium.
-=]I[=-
You know what I hate reading? Cliffhangers. You know what I love writing? Cliffhangers.
"Silver, how could you? Now I have to wait another unspecified amount of time to figure out wtf happened to the Master Sword!"
Well, I have an explanation. I'm evil. Muahahahaha.
Onto the lovely reviews! Bladeofthebookworms, you were correct on two fronts! The Hylia you read about was based off of Skyward Sword Zelda, so if she appears again, I'm using that appearance. And yes, the Lost Woods! It took me so long to figure out the trick, and Link and Zelda don't have the same amount of time I did running from stable to forest, trying to gather information from the NPCs. Naturally, they weren't helpful. Thanks for the tip on the line breaks! For some reason, I wasn't able to use the one built in by the website, so I used yours, as you can see. Oracle, glad you like it. I'm doing my best to avoid spoilers, but we'll get to where we want to be eventually. Kaikitty and vallientstorme, glad you like the story!
I think that's all I have to say! Hope everyone has enjoyed!
~Silver