AN: Hello everyone! Thanks for being patient, here's a new chapter! Also, I would like to thank FF user niacdoial, a French reader, for volunteering to translate things into French! They made a translation for the poem I had Vaati write on his list in chapter 28.
Les roses sont rouges
Les violettes sont bleues
Je me sens mort
Et tu me manque.
Thanks, dude! You're awesome!
As always, thanks for reviewing/favoriting/following and just plain reading! :)
Chapter 32
The morning felt weird. He couldn't put his finger on it, but it kinda felt like he was being carried, and if he wasn't, he'd be blown away, like there was a protective shield around him.
Shadow stretched his arms over his head. Morning light filtered in through the window. He rubbed his eyes. His chest hurt just slightly. Hey . . . I might actually make it to school today! He jumped out of his covers and landed solidly with his feet on the ground. Then smirked wryly. Wow. That I would actually be EXCITED about going to school . . . He padded—or rather, thumped, because he was a teenage boy and his socks did little to dampen the sound of his heavy footsteps—out of the bedroom and down the stairs. "Gran!" he called as he reached the kitchen. "I think I'd like to go to school. I'm feeling alright."
Granny turned as if caught doing something wrong. She cradled the bowl full of batter in her arms like it was whatever she was hiding. Her mouth widened in a smile-less smile—you know, one of those ones parents liked to throw on their faces when there was something they didn't want their kids to freak out about. "Oh, good morning Shadow."
"Gran . . ."
Granny didn't let him finish. She set down the bowl and rushed about the kitchen. "I think you shouldn't go to school today."
Shadow was dumbfounded. Here he wanted to go to school and Granny . . . didn't want him to. Why? Well, it's not like it was going to hurt him. "Okay, I'll just watch TV then, I guess. Tell me when breakfast is ready?"
He started walking out of the kitchen, but Granny suddenly skittered over and grabbed his arm. "Why don't you go outside?!" Her voice was a little more insistent than it needed to be.
"Why?" Shadow asked suspiciously.
"Oh, it's such a nice day, and Hylia knows you need more sunlight! Now run along outside. I'm sure Aryll wouldn't mind going out with you."
"Okay. I'll take her to ice cream in town. That sounds like fun—"
"NO!"
Shadow jumped back in surprise. Granny composed herself. She put on that smile today. "Just . . . I really need help with Aryll today, and . . . she needs to stay near home today. She's had too many upsets today already."
"Well okay, Gran, you know you only have to say so . . . gosh . . ." It made sense that Aryll would need some extra watching if she was having a bad day, but something felt wrong.
It felt even more wrong when Shadow took Aryll outside and his little half sister behaved as though she'd never been upset the entire day. She was even talking in a conversational tone. So Shadow stole looks into the house through the windows, hiding when Granny caught sight of him out of the corner of her eye. He didn't think she ever actually saw him looking in, but it didn't matter.
Granny looked super nervous. She sat on a kitchen stool, staring at the phone with her small hand placed tightly over her mouth, as if the telephone could ring at any moment and with it, the end of the world as they knew it.
He felt a tug on the back of his shirt. He looked behind and found Aryll staring up at him. "Shadooooow," she crooned. "Seagull."
Shadow placed his hands on his hips and sighed. "Aren't you getting too old for that?"
Aryll hopped up and down excitedly. "Seagull!"
Too big, anyway. Shadow picked her up around the waist and ran with her around the yard as she held her arms out and pretended to fly. Aryll made seagull noises, and her bird friends began to gather and follow their path overhead. Shadow amused himself by running in different patterns, trying to get the seagulls to follow.
Aryll eventually got bored of playing with Shadow and wandered to another part of the yard, speaking to herself in perfectly copied and therefore nonsensical sentences. Shadow got bored sitting outside, but ever since he'd come to live here, he'd done nothing but do what Granny said to. He just loved her so much and he wanted to stay . . .
He reached into his pocket—and found nothing. Deciding he must have left his phone in his room, he went inside and upstairs to retrieve it. It sat on his unmade bed, and he swept it up and swiped the screen to unlock it. He had no messages. That's funny. He went to his web browser and instantly saw breaking news splattered all over the screen, as though the entire country had stopped moving and working to gape at whatever the spectacle was. He read the headline:
Billionaire Gerudo Under Investigation, Arrested.
Everything halted. The sky, the clock, Shadow's brain . . . everything. He couldn't believe his eyes. At first he thought it couldn't be. It must be another billionaire, but gerudo? What other . . . He tapped the closest article to see if there were pictures inside. It had to be someone else—
A picture of his father, Ganondorf, topped the page.
No, not a picture.
A mugshot.
Shadow's hand flew to his mouth, and he inadvertently sat on his bed. He stared dumbfounded at the article, his mind barely comprehending its words.
Billionaire. Gerudo. Arrested. Crimes against humanity. Gerudo arrested. No one else. Gerudo. Arrested.
Ganondorf Dragmire.
Shadow was drowning in a cloud of confusion. His body responded like a robot when he commanded it to stand and march downstairs. He wouldn't remember walking downstairs later. He wouldn't remember much of what happened after. What he would remember was seeing Granny and asking, "Gran, wh . . . why? Why is my Dad in jail?!"
And Granny replying with a sour face about how she'd forgotten teenagers could access the internet on their phones these days . . .
BREAKING NEWS
Earlier today, business tycoon Ganondorf Dragmire was arrested under suspicion of crimes against humanity. The report came that he housed animals in his home without a license, and proceeded to carry out illegal experimentation on said animals. That is not the most shocking news, however, as it was recently revealed that Dragmire had not only animals, but sentient beings in captivity. There is only one known victim at this time, a Shadow Being whose name is being withheld. Among these charges are also allegations of black magic and tampering with dimensions with ill intent. All of this spells ill for the billionaire. His son, Shadow, could not be reached for comment, and he is being guarded religiously by lawyers. As of now, Shadow is not being implicated in any of his father's illegal activity, although it remains to be seen whether or not the young Dragmire knew of his father's doings and chose to remain silent or was coerced, or if he knew nothing at all. Ganondorf has been implicated by the captive creature itself, as well as the testimony of the Princess of Hyrule, Zelda, as well as the Princess of Twilight, Midna, and a young man whose name and status remains unknown. All three will be required to testify in court come May, when Dragmire's trial will take place.
More info as if becomes available.
This is Hylia National News.
"I can't believe . . ." Shadow stared dumbly at the floor, sitting on his bed. Link sat next to him, fidgeting because of his ADHD. They'd been sitting here for what seemed like hours . . . "I can't believe . . . he did that."
"Who?" Link asked.
"Why would he tell on my dad like that? Why would he send him to jail?"
He was talking about Sheik, of course, Link realized. Sheik had been the one to take information about that Shadow Being to the queen of Hyrule, who then contacted the appropriate authorities. From Shadow's perspective, it was Sheik's fault that Ganondorf was in prison right now. "He had to tell, Shadow. He was experimenting on a human being . . ." Link knew it was no use explaining. Shadow was comprehending nothing right now.
"I thought . . . he was my friend."
Link put a tentative arm around Shadow's shoulders and scooted slightly closer to him. "He IS your friend. It's not your fault, Shadow. And it's not Sheik's, either. I hope you understand that someday."
"How could he . . . I don't have a home anymore."
"Yes you do. Here. With me."
"Everything's gone. Everything's destroyed. I can never go home now."
Link's stomach sank as he remembered just a few shy months ago, Shadow had been thinking about mending fences with his dad and moving back in with him. Link and Sheik had convinced him not to because they were both severely afraid of Ganondorf's temper after finding out how Shadow got his burn scars.
The desire was still there. Shadow loved Ganondorf . . .
In a way, Link understood. Shadow felt his father was being stolen away from him. Link couldn't count the times he wanted to just go home. Not here home. But home home. With his dad. And his mom.
But that home wasn't there anymore.
Shadow turned to Link with a panicked expression. "Does this mean I can't go home?! What's gonna happen? They said all of his assets would be seized. What's gonna happen to me?! Who's gonna pay for my physical therapy, my—my—my—"
"Shhhh, it's okay. We'll figure it out."
"Why does everything bad happen to me . . ." Shadow buried his face in his hands.
"Well, not everything," Link tried, then shut his mouth quite firmly. No point tempting fate by jinxing themselves.
Shadow just shook his head.
"I'm just gonna repeat this year," Shadow announced morosely from under his bed covers.
"Huh?" Link asked, looking up from his homework.
"I mean school. I don't even want to study anymore. School is stupid. Everything's stupid. Life is stupid. I'm stupid."
"No you're not."
"You're stupid."
Link sighed. "Shut up."
"Shut up is stupid."
"Enough already! You're not stupid and you are NOT repeating a grade!"
"Already is stupid. Everything's stupid."
"Is Aryll stupid?"
". . . No."
"Then be quiet."
Shadow paused. "Stupid."
"I'ma PUNCH you!"
"How is Shadow?" Sheik asked at lunch.
"A miserable pain the the neck," Link responded. "I don't know if I can stand it much longer."
Sheik grimaced. "Has he said anything about me at all? He hasn't talked to me since . . . since that day!"
The day his dad got arrested. "Yeah. He still won't talk about it. Any time I bring up the subject of you, he just ignores me or walks away or . . . rolls over. He hasn't left his bed for days."
"What about Ganondorf? Has he gotten to talk to him at all?"
Link shook his head. "The authorities are worried Ganondorf might manipulate Shadow into saying or doing something to convince the jury to pardon him in May. They're taking no chances. They really want Ganondorf to swing."
"Now Link, you know Hyrule doesn't have a death penalty," Sheik said somewhat automatically, although his face visibly paled.
"I know . . ." Link replied, also slightly automatically.
