Chapter 4: Far From Home
"No! No, dammit, no!" came the shout as Link stood up.
He was somewhat surprised. He'd expect that from Lance, but it was Damien that was cursing, and punching the ground in his fury. The fact that was his reaction in this pitch blackness. Wherever they were was dark as a deep cave, with only small shafts of starlight coming down around them, far too little to actually light the area.
The darkness didn't bother Link. On the left side of his face was a tattoo of unusual origin for this world, that had been given to him by Midna, the Twili Princess, decades ago. It allowed him to see as well in the dark as a Twili, natural creatures of darkness. While it was mostly hidden by his beard now, the magic of it had never faded.
The fact it was this dark gave him some idea of how far they must have traveled. It had been nearly noon when they had attacked the cultists, so now they had been sent far enough east that the sun had already set here, or had been sent so far west that they had crossed the ocean and landed on the continent of Mystara, but there was nowhere in Mystara with the kind of thick foliage he could see overhead.
"We were there! We were right there!" he continued.
"Calm down, kid," Link said, "You're just wasting energy."
There was a snap of fingers and a light came into existence. A small globe of light hovered near Kilishandra that lit the clearing. Link moved over to Kilishandra as she sat up, and offered her a hand. She took it and he pulled her up onto her feet.
"Is everyone okay?" Link asked, turning to the others as Lance and Areil rose to their feet, and the twins both sheathed their swords, looking around themselves.
"Nothing broken, I think," Areil said.
"Same," Lance said, "What was that?"
"A travel spell," Kilishandra said, "Long distance teleportation magic. Question is where we've landed."
They had landed in a small clearing, surrounded by dense vegetation and tall trees, growing close enough to shadow over the entire area, preventing even starlight from falling across them. Their landing had also upset the local wildlife, birds having taken off in protest, and one of the twins kicking aside an angry centipede trying to crawl over her boot to escape.
"So a short range, now a long range," Areil said, then noticing it for the first time crinkled her nose in discomfort, "Ugh, the air here is so muggy."
"Well, just don't hold it against us," Link said, "I did warn you about your safety."
"You did, now I'm in it with both feet," Areil said.
"They had us, though," Damien said, "Why not just kill us instead of just sending us away?"
"Maybe the wizard realized that in another few seconds I was going to be free," Kilishandra said, "Maybe he panicked."
"You were? I couldn't even breathe," Areil said.
"Neither here nor there now," Kilishandra said, "We need to figure out where we are."
It was humid, that was certain, Link thought as he looked around, noting the thick foliage and vines hanging around them, the trunks of the trees almost completely covered in green moss. "Humidity, jungle, even the ground under us is damp," he said, "My first guess would be Zitheria."
"Are you serious?" Lance asked, "That's so far..."
Lance had never been outside Hyrule. He knew the geography, though. Zitheria was a land that lay on the far side of the empire, south and east. Far enough south that it never snowed, the climate hot and muggy almost year round, and covered in dense jungles. It was a land so distant, it almost seemed like a legend in itself. But he'd heard stories of its natives as well.
"I'd rather have landed in the empire or Bahdi lands," Kilishandra said to Link, "If the Narak find us, we'll really be in it."
"I know," Link said, "But I don't know the stars around here well enough to pinpoint where we are exactly."
He reached to his belt, opening a small pouch and taking out his compass. "And that's wonderful," he said as he looked at it.
Kilishandra leaned closer, and he held it for her to see. The needle was not fixed on north, but instead was spinning wildly.
"The dead zone," Kilishandra said, "That does at least give us some idea."
"What's that?" Lance asked.
Link turned to him as he put the compass away. "The dead zone is a stretch of land in Zitheria that is about one hundred and fifty miles across east and west, and closer to two hundred north and south. There's something about the place that makes compasses not work, and it's full of deadly plants and animals, and about eight different Narak tribes, all of which will kill us if they find us."
"What'd we do to them?" Areil asked.
"We're not them, that's what," Link said, "Kili and I have been here before. The Narak don't have a larger civilization like other races because they can't even stand each other. Different tribes are openly hostile most days, or cautiously in a truce at most. They kill each other constantly and they hate outsiders even more."
"Don't forget they also practice ritual sacrifice and are cannibals one and all," Kilishandra added.
"I don't care about any of that," Damien said, getting to his feet, "What about the princess? Where did they take her?"
"Not a clue," Link said, "But the fact the whole thing was a trap for us makes me think they're not going to kill her."
Damien moved closer to Link, looking down at him from his substantially greater height. "It was your plan, this is your fault," he said, "How are we going to find her now?"
"I said they're not going to kill her," Link said, "We need to make sure we stay alive first."
Damien looked like he was about to retort, but stopped when Lance put a hand on his arm. "Calm down," Lance said, "You know he's right. We'll find her."
Damien sighed, nodding and backed a step away from Link.
"So what do we do now?" Natalya asked, "We're a long way from home."
"You were throwing magic around," Areil said to Kilishandra, "Can you teleport us all back?"
"No," Kilishandra said, "Travel spells are difficult, even with preparation and extra resources. They were never my forte, and if I try, we're just as likely to end up on the opposite side of the world, or inside a mountain, as Hyrule. And for clarity, by inside a mountain, I don't mean in a cave. I mean inside solid rock."
"So we're walking," Link said, "We not totally lost, though. Since we know we're in the dead zone, we just need to go northwest. How far, that's what I can't tell you."
"Won't be able to tell which way is north until the sun is up, though," Lance said, "And we don't have any food or camping supplies."
"So we're hunting for our meals," Link said.
A loud crack overhead caused the group to all look up, the boom of thunder echoing around them.
Link sighed, his shoulders sinking. "There's the other problem with Zitheria," he said, "This time of year, it's thunderstorms and rains constantly. Come on, let's find some shelter before we're all soaked."
The group followed him, and though he knew it was too far to work, Link reached to the earring in his ear, on the off chance he could get Zelda to hear something from him at all.
The masked wizard arrived back at his safe house, stepping from the portal and quickly shutting it behind himself before anyone could follow. His task finished, the followers he had taken with him had served their purpose, and there were plenty more where those came from. He also had no reason to fear they would talk, as they were kept in the dark to the plans going forward.
His chamber was easily the most comfortable in the complex, yet it was far from the lavish trappings he was used to. The floor and walls were rough-carved stone, having been tunneled out just months prior, and none of those among his flock were masons, lacking the knowledge and skill to even smooth it after the pickaxes were finished. So he covered them with thick carpets and hanging tapestries, yet he could still feel the sharp contours of the floor as he walked across them.
The room contained a large, four-post bed, probably the best comfort he had, but other than that, just a table that was littered with maps and a pile of what looked like broken glass. Next to that was a small bell, which he picked up and rang.
A few seconds later, a white-robed figure, wearing the same white mask as all the others appeared in the doorway of the room.
"Food," the wizard said.
With a bow, the figure departed to fulfill his demand.
As he sat the bell back on the table, the broken shards of glass began to glow. It seemed his otherworldly contact wanted a word.
"You've returned, Vaati," a disembodied voice said from the glass.
One of the other beings of this world that dared address him by name, Vaati thought as he pulled the mask from his face. Between his short stature and young-looking face, he could easily be mistaken for a child by the inhabitants of this world, yet he was old beyond their comprehension.
He had found ways to extend his life without risking the sanctity of his immortal soul, so far, but was nearing his limit. His body's life had effectively been stretched thin, and he would rapidly age once again. The mana crystals that sustained him had originally bought him decades more of life, then only a few years, and now the one he had just consumed would give him a few more weeks at most.
The light in the broken shards grew brighter, and a silhouette rose from them, taking the shape of a human face, though his features were masked by the darkness.
"Yes," Vaati said, "The first step is finished. The princess has been taken from Hyrule, and their precious heroes have also been moved out of the picture."
A grim chuckled came from the silhouette on the table. "Tell me, did Link and Kilishandra scream before you killed them?"
"They are of no concern at the moment," Vaati said.
The light flared, and the shape grew to nearly twice its size, the voice becoming near a shriek of rage. "You let them live?!"
"I see no point in killing potential future assets," Vaati said, "The princess did not have the Triforce as you had theorized. So we must follow the contingency. We will need Hyrule's heroes to play their part in setting up the next phase."
"Any knights of Hyrule could serve for that," the voice said, the silhouette shrinking back to its original size, "You don't know those two like I do. Kilishandra is the daughter of Ganondorf, the King of Darkness. And since his disappearance decades ago, she is the most powerful spellcaster in this world. You may think yourself mighty, but I do not believe you can match her directly.
"And as for Link, he is even more dangerous than she is. I have never met a man so relentless as he. And he has made a habit of doing the impossible. My greatest mistake was underestimating them, and I do not intend to do so again."
"They did not seem so impressive from where I was standing," Vaati said, "But I have no intention of letting my guard down. I don't have the luxury of relaxation now, not when my time is so short. But if the Triforce does not make itself known, all my work will be for naught, and it will be you to blame. I have yet to see real proof it exists in this reality."
"It exists," the voice said, "I held its light once myself, long ago, and I also personally felt its burn from its most recent wielders. What I know is they used it to defeat the demon, Shaklator, but lost it in the process. It did not return to the Sacred Realm, which means it will re-manifest among a new generation. And if the legend holds true, they will be divided, one will be separate from the others, as two will be destined to oppose the other. It's just a question of when they will appear, and for what reason.
"Ganondorf used the Triforce of Power millennia ago, and his first wish was to live forever. Just that one piece granted him eternal youth. So, we only need one of the three pieces to solve your problem. And once my problem is solved, I'll be able to aid you more directly."
Vaati curled his lip in distaste. "Yes. I've given the order to gather the required materials you said you need. Including the… unborn children. This is why I hate necromancy. So distasteful."
"Yes, yes, you hate getting blood on your hands," the voice said, "There was a time when I did as well. But to accomplish your goals, especially when the entire world is against you, you will have to get bloody. And you can't just accept it as something that must happen, you have to to want it. You have to love the blood."
"I'm glad I'm not a psychopath like you," Vaati said, "If you betray me, I will end you."
"You need me," the voice said, "Since you didn't want to do it yourself, you just get the ritual ready. After that, I'll deal with Link and Kilishandra. It will be… quite satisfying."
Queen Zelda rode at the front of the column of armed and armored men, the hooves of their horses like thunder across the plane as they rode in the same direction as Link and the others had traveled in. As they came upon the low clearing, she raised on hand high, and seeing her signal, the captain not far from her called for a full stop.
It took a moment to take in the carnage before her eyes. In the low clearing, there were at least two dozen bodies, some charred black from fire, and scorch marks on the grass around where they fell, and some small flames still visible. Other bodies were riddled with arrows, and there was one she could see with a huge red slash wound across his chest.
But what disturbed her were the circles of stones, and a large slab in the center with blood splashed across it.
"What the hell happened here?" she whispered, her breath hot on her face inside her helmet.
With one hand, she undid the chin-strap, then pulled the helmet off, resting it on her saddle-horn. "Captain," she said to the armored knight next to her, "Tell the men to spread out, look for survivors, and see if any of those bodies are our people."
The captain clapped his gauntlet against his chest, his armor rattling, and he turned to shout the order to the rest of the column.
Zelda waiting, watching the armored men disperse into the clearing, many dismounting to look closer at the bodies. Only her personal guard, the black clad ninja a few feet behind her, remained with Zelda. There were more, of course, out of sight, and already spreading out to search the perimeter for signs of any who tried to flee.
"Someone's coming," the ninja said, causing Zelda to look up and over her shoulder.
To their left, there was a small group, just four people, and one was walking toward them on foot. Zelda saw several more of the ninja appear behind the ground, as if rising from the ground itself. She was always amazed by how stealthy they could be, even wearing black in broad daylight. But for now, she made a small gesture with her hand, ordering them to wait. A moment later, they vanished from sight as quickly as they had appeared, the group in the distance unaware they had even been there.
The woman approaching her was a Gerudo, she surmised. That size and bright red hair made it rather easy.
"Vasaaq, vai," the Gerudo said, raising a hand in greeting as she came closer, then paused, running her tongue over her lips, clearly in deep thought, then finally said, "You are… leader? You shine brighter."
Well, she wasn't wrong, Zelda thought, looking down at her armor. It was the same design as the knights wore. Hardened steel shaped to an image of crossed wings across her chest. Hers, however, was dyed golden on the wings, and also had more ornate shoulders, shaped like wings with feathers pointed downward, which were also dyed gold. Her helmet similarly sported golden wings while the knights' were all the normal gray of steel. It was meant to help her men identify her, so if they were caught in battle they knew where she was. The royal smith, Balthazar, had said he would not have dyed the metal as such if it had sacrificed any of the protective value. As it was, her armor, along with other sets Balthazar had made personally, were actually quite a bit higher quality than the average knight's, not out of privilege, but because Balthazar was just one man, talented as he was, and he couldn't outfit an entire army himself.
"I am the queen of Hyrule," Zelda said, and decided questions of why Gerudo had suddenly appeared could wait, "Did you see what happened here?"
"Sorry, your language," the woman said, "I try. Your people attack the white masks, try to get tribe family out. My tribe help, shoot many. Then great light, and your people, gone."
She held her hands to her sides, shrugging. She wasn't sure how to say it, it seemed.
But what she said was enough. "Magic," Zelda said, turning back to the sight before her, "So we've got a wizard of some sort here and he whisked them away."
"My chief, Surella, she coming to your city," the Gerudo said, and then struggled with the next word, "Dip… Dipper… Dip-lo-mat-ic visit."
"How many of you are there?" Zelda asked.
"Sixteen," the Gerudo said. She'd evidently had that one grilled into her.
"Well, sixteen people aren't going to overthrow the city," Zelda said, "Go back to your chief, tell her I will meet her as soon as I am able. But I must search for my people now. When you come to the city, make sure all your people who were here come as well. I'll have questions for them."
"I understand," the Gerudo said, nodding, "She will. Sav'orq, bright one."
"Going to be one of those days," Zelda muttered as she watched the Gerudo walk away toward the others, then looked over her shoulder, "Let's have a few follow them to make sure they are telling the truth. But they're to stay out of sight."
The ninja nodded, and lifted his left hand hand, making several hand-signals, ending with pointing toward the Gerudo as they mounted their horses. Though there was no visible reaction to his gestures, Zelda knew the other ninja nearby would see and understand. If something was off, she'd know before the day was over.
She turned back to the clearing as one of the knights rode her direction.
"Anything?" she asked.
He saluted as he pulled his horse to a stop. "No, your majesty," he said, "No sign of the princess, or any of our people. But we find no source for the fire, either."
"Likely magic, then," Zelda said, "Probably Kilishandra, or the wizard that apparently sent them away. Any survivors with the masks?"
"Not yet," the knight said, "We're still checking the bodies, though. Looks like there's about thirty of them."
"Thirty people wouldn't stop Link and Kilishandra," Zelda said, looking down at the clearing again, eyes following the stone circles, "What happened to..."
She paused as a sound in her ear interrupted her train of thought. The earring, she realized. It wasn't the normal sound when someone tried to contact her with it, though.
"Link?" she asked, lifting one hand to her ear to block outside sound.
The sound that came through would have made nails on a chalkboard sound pleasant in comparison, and she visibly flinched. But then there was a voice. It was Link, but he sounded distant, and she could barely hear what he said over the sound.
"...know if… hear this… travel… princess is alive…"
"She's alive," Zelda said, feeling an enormous weight lift off her chest
"...get back as… long way… wizard..."
The screeching sound was getting worse the longer it went on, and his voice faded into it, leaving her unable to make out anything else he was saying.
Then it faded as well as the contact was lost. "Sounds like he was out of range," she said to herself, "Surprising it worked at all. But my daughter's alive. That's what matters."
She looked down at the clearing again. It looked like the knights had found at least a few of the mask wearers who were simply unconscious. So there would be questioning, and hopefully more learned of this new enemy.
"You've never let me down before, Link," Zelda said, more like a prayer, "Bring my daughter back. Please."
At that moment, that daughter was in truly grave danger as her captor dropped her to the ground. The young Princess Zelda's head was still spinning, but it felt like the sedative was finally starting to pass, and she was able to push herself up from the cold, damp earth as her captor struck a flint with a knife, causing a torch to blaze to life, which she stuck down in the soft earth, lighting the small clearing.
And her captor stepped forward and struck the princess's face with a kick that caused her to cry out and roll onto her back.
"On your feet, whore," the masked woman said, the princess's shoulders and jerking her upright with absurd strength that lifted the girl with her feet dangling in the air before dropping her again.
Zelda staggered, but managed to stay upright. As the masked woman stepped forward, the princess used her last desperate option, pulling the hidden knife from her sleeve and pushed into her captor. The blade hit flesh, driving it deep into her chest, but she instantly knew something was wrong when she didn't feel it scraping bone.
She didn't stay upright long, her captor striking her in the jaw with the flat of one hand, knocking her to the ground again. Zelda looked up to see the woman take the hilt of the dagger in one hand, slowing pulling it from her own chest. Even in the dim light, she could see that the blade was still clean, without a trace of blood.
"So, enlighten me," the woman said, "After killing me, what were you planning on doing next?"
"What are you?" Zelda asked.
With a flick of her wrist, the woman tossed the knife into the dirt, the point sticking easily in the mud. Thunder boomed overhead, signaling the coming storm only minutes away. Then the masked woman stepped over the princess and squatted down with surprising dexterity, leaning forward on her feet, until her masked face was only inches from Zelda's.
Then she took off the mask, and Zelda gasped in shock. The face under that mask was the same one she saw every time she looked in the mirror.
"I'm you, but better," the doppelganger said, "I've had to study you, watch you for years, to learn everything about you. After all, if anyone is to believe I am you, I have to fool them. Even dear mother."
"You intend to replace me?" Zelda asked.
"Your heroes will come, and they will save a Princess Zelda," was the reply, "It just won't be you. And once I'm back in Hyrule, I'll gladly take that crown you are so afraid of. The slow poison I'll slip into mother's meals will ensure by this time next year, I'll be queen after she dies from illness."
"You'll be caught," Zelda said, desperately looking for any possible escape, "You won't get away with it."
"It will take effort, I'll admit that," she said, "After all, I hate you."
She grabbed Zelda's blouse, stopping her effort to crawl away.
"You are a coward, afraid of your heritage and your destiny," the woman said, her voice like a low growl, "You fear your responsibilities because you're terrified of having to make a real decision. Of men dying because of a choice you made. At least I agree that you should not be queen.
"So you should be thanking me, really. I'll take that responsibility for you. And once the other tasks are dealt with, my master will depart this world, and I will reign as queen of Hyrule, forever. The hardest part will be pretending to be you for that first year. After that, well, they'll just see a princess who became a proper queen."
"Your master… the wizard..." Zelda said, realizing it must be that smaller man that had been with her, "What is he after?"
"He told me not to tell you, but you'll be dead in a few minutes anyway," the woman said, "He wants the Triforce. Said it can cure his malediction and make him immortal. He needed to see you and see if you had it, but you don't. Meaning your life is now useless. But..."
She grabbed Zelda's shoulder and forcefully turned her over onto her stomach.
"Wouldn't do to have the heroes find the princess in a whole new set of clothing," she said, and started undoing the laces on the back of Zelda's dress, "Also can't get too much blood on this in the process."
Zelda pushed up, trying to force herself free, but the woman grabbed her head and slammed it down against the earth forcefully. "The more you struggle, the more bones I break," the woman hissed at her.
Zelda was no match for her strength, that much was obvious. Never in her life had she felt more helpless than now, as the woman pulled open her blouse, forcing it over her shoulders and dragging the entire gown downward, over her hips and off her. In the brief moment of freedom, Zelda tried to crawl away, only for the woman to plant a foot hard into her back, knocking the wind from her lungs. Then the woman leaned down again, going to work on the laces of Zelda's corset.
As she gasped for air, Zelda could feel the tears on her face, gritting her teeth as she sobbed quietly, unable to do anything to fight back or resist as the woman pulled the corset free, exposing her flesh to the cool night air.
But she wasn't done, grabbing Zelda's ankle and pulling her shoes free, followed by her garters and underclothes, before finally picking up the armful of clothing from the ground and stepped away from Zelda's naked body, and laid her prizes across a fallen log nearby.
"Now," the woman said as she leaned down, picking up the knife from the ground, "I can at least make this quick if you don't struggle."
Zelda reached forward, grabbing for anything she could to pull herself away, only to find her hand on a large boot. She looked up. Standing over her was a man in a dark cloak, his form almost completely concealed in the darkness, the flickering light of the torch his square jaw under the shadow of the hood of his cloak.
"This doesn't concern you, stranger," the woman said, "Turn around and walk away unless you want me to kill you too."
What little could be seen of the man's face turned into a smirk.
"I want you to try," he said, his voice low, barely above a growl.
The woman started to move forward, then stopped as another voice was heard nearby. "Six! That's enough! You've taken too long, and this one is far beyond you."
"He's just a fool with bad timing," the woman named Six said, but she did take a step back from the newcomer, toward the pile of stolen clothing.
"If you die here, we will just follow our next contingency, Six," the voice said, "The princess will have to be dealt with later."
Six glared at the man, then dropped the knife, and with one quick motion, scooped up the pile of clothing under one arm and produced a small blue crystal from her belt, the same kind as she had used in the castle. She smashed it in her fingers, and with a flash of light, was gone.
The man watched where she had been for a moment before saying, "Now that was a voice I have not heard in a long time."
He then looked down at Zelda, where she lay, still with one hand on his boot. She looked up at him, fearful and unsure, and in the light of the single torch, he could see the streaks of her makeup down her cheeks from her tears.
With a grunt of disdain, he pulled his foot away from her hand and turned, walking away.
"Wait!" Zelda said, pushing herself up, "Please! I don't even know where I am, and that woman brought me here against my will!"
The man stopped, but only turned his head, the hood of his cloak hiding most of his face as he looked over his shoulder at her. "I fail to see how that's my problem," he said.
"Please, at least tell me how to get back to Hyrule's capital city," Zelda said.
"Hyrule?" the man turned at that, facing her. This caused her to realize, as if for the first time, she was sitting on her knees completely nude, and felt her face grow hot as she lifted her arms to cover her breasts as best she could. "You're about a two month journey from Hyrule," the man said, "Longer than that on foot, in fact. You're in Zitheria, girl."
"Zitheria..." she whispered, "How did they bring me here?"
She was startled as a cold raindrop hit her shoulder, and more were rapidly following.
"The how and why are both the least of your worries," the man said, "If you don't find somewhere dry to keep warm, you won't last the night. And even if you do survive the night, there will be plenty of other things around here ready to finish the job, from the animals to the locals."
Zelda looked up at him. "But, you know your way around here," she said, her voice shaking as she raised it to be heard over the growing rain, "Please, if you can help me get back to Hyrule, my mother will see you rewarded."
"I live out here precisely because I want nothing to do with people like you anymore," the man said, "I'm sick of kings and queens, of their wars and their propaganda, and of their helpless princesses in need of rescue under the slightest hint of danger. Besides, what reward could I possibly receive? I've no desire for your lands or civilization. Money? Look around you. What the hell would I spend it on? You can give me nothing I want, girl."
Zelda hung her head. The rain was rapidly growing stronger, and she could feel the cold drops hitting her bare skin.
"You're right," she said, barely audible over the rain, her own tears masked by the water on her face, "I can't give you anything like then. Then, would you want… me?"
"Now you're going too far," the man said, and stepped toward her lowering himself to one knee, and he lifted her chin with one finger, to look her in the eye.
His dark skin looked nearly coal-black in the night, with a clean-shaven face and head, a wide jaw and sharp nose. But his dark eyes seemed to pierce her like knives, an icy stare that seemed to cut through her very soul.
"Ask yourself something right now," he said, "What do you think is worth living for?"
"My mother wants me to be the queen," Zelda said, "The people of the nation will depend on me..."
"No," the man said, cutting her off, "What do you think is worth living for? Look deep, past what you've been told, past what others think. Look down, into the darkest, blackest pits of your soul."
She didn't know how to do what he was asking. But he pulled his hand away from her face and stood up.
"Out here, there is nothing left for you but to live or to die," he said, "Stand up. Face the world. Struggle. Survive. Then you will know."
Before she could respond, the man pulled his cloak from his shoulder, dropping it over her. She almost instantly felt the warmth of his body within it. It was good leather, the inside dry in spite of the rain, and the inner lining was a soft, warm fur. Reflexively, she pulled it tighter around herself, trying to hold on to as much of the warmth as she could.
"That's all the help you'll get from me," the man said as he turned and started walking away, "Find someplace dry, girl. Wait out the rain. From there you'll figure out what you must do. Because if you don't, you'll die."
Zelda stood up, adjusting the cloak on her shoulders and pulling the hood up before pulling it around herself. The man vanished into the trees. He really was just leaving her there, and she felt if she followed him, he probably would make her regret it.
She was completely lost, and was on her own. What was she supposed to do now? Find someplace dry, he'd said. Well, that'd be a start. Thunder boomed overhead, as if to accentuate the point.
She turned, ready to start, and then remembered, moving over to where the woman, Six, had disappeared. There was her knife, where the woman had dropped it. Fortunately, among the other acts of stripping her, she'd left the sheath strapped to her left forearm. It was important to carry a means of self-defense, as a last minute desperation if nothing else. That was a lesson her mother and bodyguards had all drilled into her since she was young. She was no fighter, but having a weapon and not needing it was better than the opposite. She now returned the knife to the sheathe.
The torch that Six had lit. It was hissing in the rain, but somehow holding on. The oil-soaked cloth wrapped around the wood was burning effectively, hissing as water struck it and turning the drops to steam. Zelda reached down, picking up the torch, and turned her eyes to her surrounding.
Being out in the dark was probably just as bad as the rain, she thought. With no idea where to start looking, she picked a direction and started walking, and immediately cursed the softness of her feet, walking barefoot on the muddy ground full of sticks and pebbles.
She kept looking about, searching for anything that might serve. A cave, or even an overhang that she could get underneath and out of the rain. It wasn't far before she found just what she sought. Low to the ground, a tunnel she had to kneel down to look into. She held the torch under, seeing how deep it went. Only about four feet, she guessed, and she could see the back of the tunnel from the entrance. Fortunately, it was empty, the resident who had dug it was not present.
Zelda crawled inside, scraping her knees on the hard, dry ground inside in the process, but thanked her luck it was dry. Once inside, she turned, planting the end of the torch in the dirt between herself and the entrance. Hopefully that would deter any animals from trying to enter behind her.
She crawled a bit further in, then turned around, putting her back to the wall so she could face the entrance, and pulled her knees up to her chest before pulling the cloak up tightly around herself. She felt something hard hit her knee as she did so, pausing and reaching to it. There was a pocket inside the cloak, and within was a small metal box.
She opened the latch, looking at the contents within. She found a piece of flint, used with a metal blade to create sparks, and a generous helping of wood shavings carefully packed to avoid spilling. It was a fire kit.
There was no way the man hadn't realized it was in the pocket. He'd given her more than just the cloak. It was of no use now, but if she could find something to eat, at least she might be able to cook it.
Was that it then? Her only objective? Wait until the rain was out, then don't starve?
She pulled her arms around her legs, resting her head forward on her knees. He'd said it would be over two months to get back to Hyrule from here. She couldn't make that kind of journey alone. She knew a few basic things about survival, but never thought she'd actually have to use them, so they were faint in her memory, only able to recall bits and pieces.
She really was alone and helpless. So she did the only thing she could do at that moment. She cried, the tears running down her cheeks as she sobbed silently, wishing that she was about to wake up and find this had all been a bad dream.
Link was watching out into the jungle outside, his magicked eyes seeing much further in the dark than anyone else, Kilishandra standing just a few paces behind him, and the others further back in the cave they had found. It looked like a natural cave, but a collapse had blocked wherever it had once led to, giving it only a small chamber about ten feet across. But it was dry, and no one was going to sneak up out of the darkness, so they'd chosen it to wait out the night.
"So what do you think?" Kilishandra asked Link.
"I don't know if the queen heard me," Link said, "I think we're going to have to beeline it back to Hyrule, and to hell with anything that gets in our way."
"These kids are going to slow us down," Kilishandra said, "We're not going to make that trip in our usual time."
"We don't have Ebony with us either," Link said.
With that horse carrying both of them, they could easily cover in three days the amount of distance it would take most a week. Hyrule was a long way off, but just the two of them plus Ebony could make the trip in two weeks.
"I can't shake the feeling this is what he wanted, though," Kilishandra said, "The wizard. He had this set up, and while I might have been able to break free with a bit more time, a travel spell is more difficult to perform than destruction spells. Only reason he'd do that is he wanted us alive and out here."
"Yeah, I'm thinking the same thing," Link said, "It was a trap, and I'm pretty sure you and I are exactly the people he wanted to walk into it."
"You think he knows who I am?" Kilishandra asked.
"It's not exactly a secret," Link said, "After all, if you believe the stories, I'm the hero who has saved the world from destruction at least half a dozen times, and you are my partner, the deadliest sorceress alive."
"We both know those legends are full of crap, though," Kilishandra said, "I'd pay money to watch the fight you supposedly had with Ganondorf before you met me. The story says the ground shook with the force of your blows, and you carved an extra sixty miles of the Great Ravine in southern Hyrule in the process."
Link smiled, shaking his head. "And it gets bigger every time it's retold," he said, turning his head at the sound of footsteps approaching them. It was Lance and the elf twins, Lilith and Natalya. "You three ought to be getting rest while you can. We're going to have to move as soon as the sun is up."
"I can't sleep now," Lance said, "It wasn't even noon when we were sent here."
"Rest doesn't always mean sleep," Link said.
"We were thinking the two of us should go scout around a bit," one of the twins said, though Link couldn't say which one she was, "Make sure we're not too close to anything unpleasant."
"No," Link said, "You two have never been here before. No matter how much you think you know, Zitheria is worse. Just stay here, wait for the sun to come up, then we can worry about finding some drinking water and something to eat. Then we start marching hard to the northwest until we're out of here."
"But..." one of the twins started.
"Just go sit down," Lance said, "My father's not a wall you can talk past."
Link chuckled. "So you did learn that sometime," he said.
"Look," Lance said as the twins walked back into the cave, "I just wanted to ask. Truth, no bullshit. Do you really think the princess is alive?"
"I think she is," Link said, turning more to face him, "I don't know it, but I've got a feeling. The fact they carried her out, and then sent us here instead of trying to kill us, I'm pretty sure they want us all alive for some reason."
"Don't worry, son," Kilishandra said, "If anyone is likely to be sacked for this, it'll be us, not you."
"That's not what I'm worried about," Lance said, "I just… Was it really a good idea to run in like we did?"
Link sighed. "The the information we had, and the look that they were about to kill her in some ritual sacrifice, yes," he said, "If we'd known more, yes, I'd have held back and come up with something else. Just knowing about that wizard, let alone that super-strong freak, would have been enough. But with the limited time and info we'd had, yes, I'd make the same decision again."
"Look, most of the stories about your father and I are greatly exaggerated," Kilishandra said, "But most of them do also have a seed of truth. We're used to fighting our way out of bad situations, and this isn't even the worst situation we've been in."
"Sometimes you don't have time to think about it or even come up with a plan," Link said, "If you hesitate, people die. And sometimes, even if you do everything right, people still die. It's a terrible truth, the harsh arithmetic of war. Sometimes you have to let a hundred people die here so that you can save a thousand over there. And you have to be strong enough to endure it."
"Is that how you do it?" Lance asked, "Kill so easily, that is? I've never killed someone before, but when you threw that fire, and then you cut down that one in our way like he was nothing..."
"How did you feel?" Link asked.
"To be honest, it turned my stomach," Lance said.
Link smiled. "Then you're on the right path," he said, "Son, I've lost count of how many people I've killed in my life. Haven't forgotten the feeling of my first one, though. It made me sick. I was throwing up, having nightmares for weeks of those cold, staring eyes, accusing me."
He paused, turning away to look back out of the cave. "It does get easier, as the bodies pile up. You become hardened to it, same as the calluses on your hands toughen as you work with your sword or any other tool. But what never leaves you is the faces. Every face, every person you kill, will burn into your memory. And every time you close your eyes, you'll see them. Staring at you, accusing you for what you've done. And the unfortunate truth is that what makes it easier is as the number grows, they lose power. Lose distinction. Go far enough, and all you see is a dark pit, filled with eyes staring back at you.
"You stand at the edge of that abyss, staring into it, and it stares back."
Link turned around, to look Lance straight in the eye. "That's why it's important to remember that feeling, that turning of your stomach, because that's what will keep you from taking the step and falling in. People who do, they no longer care. Life ceases to have value to them. You have to be strong enough to hold on to the fact that killing is wrong, no matter how many you have killed. But also strong enough to cast more into that pit if you have to. Because those people, the ones who don't care, they won't stop."
"So how big is that pit for you?" Lance asked.
"I'd say about the size of Lake Hylia," Link said, then sighed, looking back out of the cave, "I have killed in anger before. Someone that I thought needed killing, because they were such villains. And almost every one of them, I regret doing so. Find out about a lot of them afterward, that they were decent people, just bad luck had put us on opposite sides."
"So why not stop then?" Lance asked, "You could retire, you know."
"Tried that," Link said, "Back when your mother was pregnant with you. We hung it up, were going to live in Ordon the rest of our lives. And for a while, it was good. We were happy. Then, when you were just a year old, a traveler came into Ordon. He was beat up, bloody, and had been stabbed several times. He and his family had been attacked on the road. A group of bandits that had made camp in the forest north of us.
"Your mother and I, along with Silviana, went to their camp. Found them there. Had a big pile of stolen goods, along with the bodies of the traveler's wife and two daughters. The children looked like the older was ten, younger one couldn't have been more than six or seven. All three of them had their throats cut but that was fresh, they weren't killed before the bandits had beaten and raped them. All three of them.
"We killed every man in that camp. Would have left the bodies for the animals if they weren't likely diseased as well, so we burned them. But that's what I mean about men who just don't care about life. They're nothing but animals themselves. And after that, I felt the call again. So we made arrangements for you to be cared for by your grandmother, Uli, while we were gone, and we went back to the road."
"I didn't know anything about that," Lance said.
"That's because we didn't tell anyone in Ordon how close bandits had been to the village," Kilishandra said, "The traveler also died of his injuries before we returned."
"What do you mean by 'you felt the call again?'" Lance asked, "What's that mean?"
"It's what keeps me from sitting still too long," Link said, "I've tried to fight it. Especially when I was younger. But it's in my blood. I can't stand by while innocent people are suffering. For all the terrible things I feel for things I've done, it's far worse to watch someone else die while doing nothing about it. Not everyone can be strong enough to protect themselves from the real evil in the world. I'll be strong so they don't have to be."
"Why didn't you ever tell me any of this when I was younger?" Lance asked.
"Because kids easily get the wrong idea about their parents," Kilishandra said, "What your father just said might make it sound like he's an untouchable, unwavering hero. But I'm beside him through it all. He's still human. He makes mistakes. And he has moments of doubt and weakness. One person, though they might try, can't carry the weight of the world alone. That's why I'm there. To help support that weight, and to catch him when he falls.
"Son, you being a knight makes us both so proud. You've chosen to spend your life protecting others, just as we have. But we didn't want you to try to be your father. In fact, if you never have to go down the paths your father and I have, we'd prefer it."
"And you're also smart enough to not believe all the stories about us," Link said, "So I think in the long run, with experience behind you, you'll be fine."
Lance sighed. "I don't know. I've always wondered if I could live up to the name you've made, now I'm pretty sure I can't."
"Being a hero is not something everyone can do, and it's not something that happens overnight, either," Kilishandra said, "But there's more ways to be a hero than saving the world from inexplicable evil. Sometimes just saving one person is enough. Then you'll save another, and another. Before you know it, you'll have saved a city, and it just keeps going from there."
"But the fact is you can't do any of it without real strength," Link said, "I think that's what you're missing. Real strength isn't about how hard you can strike, or how destructive your magic becomes. It's about standing tall when everyone else is running. It's about staying on your feet, no matter how many hits you take. And it's about picking yourself back up, no matter how many times you are knocked down.
"And real strength is impossible to have without a real reason to fight. For all I've just said, helping strangers would not be enough to keep me going indefinitely. I have to know there is something real, something precious to me, that is worth fighting for among all that."
"And what is that?" Lance asked.
Link smiled at him. "It's my family. You, your sister, your mother, and everyone in Ordon. I would die before letting something happen to any of you. And I would most certainly kill before that. You are the source of my strength, son, and where I turn when I have those moments of doubt."
"And it's the same for me," Kilishandra said, reaching out with one arm and putting it around Lance's shoulders, "You know, I actually hated my magic for most of my life. If I could go through my life without using it ever again, I would. But to protect your father, you, or your sister, I would not hesitate to unleash a storm that razes an entire city if I had to."
"I would protect my family," Lance said, "But even then, going that far..."
"Don't try to understand it immediately," Link said, "Often you don't realize what would be your strength like that until you see a blade pointed at them, or worse. Until you really feel it, until you understand the feeling, you won't understand the idea. Just think about it for a while. When the time is right, you'll understand."
"You're still young," Kilishandra said, "You've got plenty of time."
"Yeah," Lance said, "Most important thing to me right now, though, is to find the princess. We have to take her home."
"I agree," Link said, "But first we have to look after ourselves. We won't be any good to her if we're starving and sleep-deprived."
"You're right," Lance said, "I should go rest while I can."
"Do that, and we'll let you take watch in a couple hours," Kilishandra said.
Lance nodded as he turned to walk back into the cave with the others.
"I think he'll be fine," Kilishandra said, moving closer to Link and speaking quietly so it was private, "He just has growing yet to do."
"Honestly, he's never the one I was worried about," Link said, "He's smart enough to not listen to the ridiculous versions of the stories about us. Ana, on the other hand, she actually believes that crap."
Kilishandra sighed. "Yes, her hero-worship is a bit out of control," she said, "I'm not sure how to reign that in."
"Probably have to take her along, let her see us in action, as just humans," Link said, "But right now I'm more worried about that wizard and what he's going to try in Hyrule while we're gone."
"There's nothing to be done about it now," Kilishandra said, "We just have to stay together and make sure we all get through."
She leaned close to Link, putting one arm around his shoulders and leaning her head down against his. She felt him put his arm around her hips, holding her close. Even before the children, they had been the source of each other's strength, and stood together even before they were in an active relationship.
There was a time even before that when Kilishandra found in him the source of her strength, when he had only eyes for another. Midna, the princess of the Twili, had been Link's love back then, but circumstances had forced them apart. She had thought about trying to move in and fill that void, but back then Link would have likely reacted badly to her trying to replace Midna.
It had been five years after that when they first spent that night in that cheap inn on the side of a road. Even before Link and Midna had been forced apart, he had seen Kilishandra at her weakest. She was very claustrophobic, a remnant of a very bad childhood memory, locked in the cellar as she listened to her mother scream in agony for hours as she was tortured by a villainous man. When she was forced into dark, confined spaces, the memory resurfaced, and was so powerful that her years of combat experience and powerful magic all vanished, and she was that frightened little girl again.
In a dark cave, she and Link had been separated from the rest of their party, and to progress they had been forced to crawl through an extremely small passage, to the point Kilishandra had felt the walls so tight she could not take full breaths. She had broken down, and it had taken Link's hand on hers to keep her moving, and once they were out, they had sat there for some time, his arms around her as she cried, unable to even stand.
Once it had passed and she composed herself, they had continued on to meet up with the others. But Link never mentioned that event, and he never pressed her about it. But in that moment, he had been exactly what she needed. The comforting, warm arms of another, patient and understanding until she recovered herself.
And there were similar moments for him. About twenty-five years ago, they had dealt with a real monster. A mutant Twili named Cain whose power to this day still wasn't completely understood, and all the better that he was dead. But he had, at one point, managed to invade Link's very dreams, and there in a nightmare, made Link endure one of the more horrific experiences Kilishandra had ever heard of, and it gave her chills when he described it to her years later. And it all tied back to Midna, another book that was long since closed.
But Link had nightmares of that experience for years, waking him up in a cold sweat, and leaving him shivering for hours afterward. And it had been Kilishandra's turn to be the understanding and patient one, holding him close and waiting for him to find himself again. And that night of understanding had also led to their first night together. A night of passion and exertion that left them both feeling much better the following morning.
If they told the story to others, it might seem as if their entire relationship was built on sex. But the sex was ultimately just a footnote to what had actually brought it about. Their relationship was built on trust. Each of them had seen the other at their weakest and most vulnerable, and each of them understood and embraced this.
And that trust had built more as time went on. Even as they stood there silently, watching the rain, holding each other like this simply felt right to them both. No more words were needed.
They were going to survive this. And when they got back to Hyrule, if that wizard had hurt anyone else, they'd tear the bastard to pieces.