Chapter 5: Explanations and Excuses

"You don't understand," Florian stammered, his mouth dry. The poster said he was wanted for the murder of Sheikah Chief Butan and theft of a treasured Sheikah artifact. Strangely, it didn't mention anything about Yuzu. Florian could only assume that meant Yuzu must have survived. Despite his predicament, he felt a sense of relief.

Linny reached into her boot and pulled out a small gun that unfolded into a crossbow. An arrow spring-loaded. Cocked and ready, she pointed it directly at his chest. "This is so you don't get any funny ideas."

She continued to speak as she reached to unlatch a metal compartment off to the side with her free hand. It was apparently where she also kept her flamebreaker armor. A lighter weight version of it he observed. Florian's eyes widened when she pulled out his satchel backpack. "I'm sorry I lied to you about finding this, but I found some interesting tidbits in here. And I needed to get my measure of you." She placed the bag on the wooden floorboards of the wagon and then reached inside to pull out his dual shot knife. The blade was clean, but the Sheikah designed hilt was darkened by blood. Florian felt a large knot in his throat. "I can explain," he said softly and looking guilty.

Linny spoke as though she hadn't heard him. "I've had plenty of odd end jobs over the years, but I've had only one true profession." She placed the knife back inside the satchel and then reached inside her shirt to pull out what looked like a large, heavy gold medallion hanging around her neck. The front of the medallion had the symbol of the Royal Family of Hyrule, a loftwing. She pressed down on the loftwing, and the necklace opened to reveal the inside of a compass made with impressive craftsmanship. Florian looked up into Linny's eyes, not sure where this was going.

"It was my honor and most sacred duty to serve as a Royal Marshal for the Royal Family of Hyrule," she said, full of pride and great reverence.

Several moments passed before Florian awkwardly asked, "I apologize. But what is a Royal Marshal?"

"A secret agent of the Royal Family," she said, exasperated as though this were not the first time she'd had to explain this. "I'm retired, of course. But during my years of service, it was my duty to retrieve fugitives of the law. And I was very good at it."

"Are you sure that's an actual thing?" Florian asked, raising an eyebrow at the eccentric older woman. "Are there other marshals? Because I'm pretty sure I would have heard or seen-"

"That's why I said secret, you booby," she snapped. "My mother, her mother, and her mother before her, and so on. All were marshals," she said indignantly. Her hand tightened around the compass. "This was given to my many-times great grandmother by the royal family." She leaned forward and added in earnest, "Its magical."

Florian sucked in a long breath and let it out in a huff. He knew he was wasting time arguing with Linny about the existence of Royal Marshals. A fancy compass – even a "magical" one with a loftwing - didn't prove such a thing was real. For now, he supposed it was possible, but in any case, he needed to return to the main issue. "Linny, the crimes I'm being accused of. It's not what you think."

Linny frowned. "When I found you in the hot springs, I initially thought you were a criminal run away from the Citadel. Then I thought possibly a traveler robbed and left for dead. I couldn't be sure, but either way, I wouldn't have left you as you were. So, I tended to you. After you woke up in the back of my wagon the first time, you refused to sleep again; and quite frankly had the look of a henpecked rooster." She paused for a moment as though to reflect on something and then continued. "Once we got to Goponga, you spooked when a few of the villagers seemed to take an interest in you and hid out in the wagon. This convinced me to look into any recent goings-ons. And it turns out I found a wanted poster with your likeness inside the inn. After that, I drugged you up, and I got us out of town."

"And what are you going to do with me? Where are we going?" Florian asked.

"Hyrule Castle Town," she huffed. "We'll be there soon. We've been traveling for the better part of a day." She saw his panic. "Be happy I'm not taking you to Kakariko Village. They're calling for your head over there. Let's consider this my final act of kindness to you. Once we get to Castle Town, you'll be transferred to prison. Due process is more likely to happen with cooler heads prevailing." As Linny turned to leave, Silkie and Rooster sat on their hind legs keeping their eyes locked on him.

"No, wait!" Florian pleaded, heart pounding. "I'm not a murderer or a thief!" Though deep down inside, he wasn't sure if he sounded all that convincing, even to himself.

Linny reached inside his bag again. He presumed to pull out his knife once more. "Is that so? Then how do you explain these baubles?" she demanded.

Florian's breath caught in his throat when he laid disbelieving eyes on the moonstone orb in the old woman's hand. A sapphire circlet dangled from her middle finger.

In return, I will allow you to keep…

"That's what I thought," she said when he didn't respond and then promptly placed the large stone and jeweled tiara back in his leather bag. She snapped her fingers at Silkie and Rooster to resume sentry positions.

Florian fumbled for his voice as the older woman turned to leave again. The moonstone orb was one thing, but he hadn't a clue about the origins of the circlet. He blurted, "You haven't heard my story yet!"

Linny eyed him for a long moment. He could practically see the gears turning in her head. She let out a sigh, grabbed a stool, and then dropped down to sit in front of him. Daisy In March was caught off guard. Flustered, the old hen flapped her wings rapidly and clucked in protest before finally resettling herself comfortably on Linny's shoulder. Linny reached up with one free hand to comfort the bird and kept the other hand wrapped around the crossbow gun.

"Well, let's hear it," she said reluctantly.

Florian began to sweat nervously. His mind flashed with thoughts of the evil man known as Ganon… the entity whose corrosive spirit had taken control of him, infected his body like a terrible disease, used him, and then left him ravaged. His body suddenly remembered the pain from the underground chamber -acute and sharp. He heard the voice of the shadow goddess loud and clear in his mind again.

But if you should speak of that which you shouldn't, you will… And not well…

Florian swayed with lightheadedness as the color drained from his face. Linny seemed bewildered by the visible change in him. She clenched her mouth tightly in suspicion. The pain receded, and curiously, Florian felt a feeling like drunkenness wash over him. His head dropped to his chest.

"There once was a man," he began in a low voice, "who wore boots for the sand…"

Linny leaned forward cautiously to make sure she'd heard him correctly.

"This man was overran… This man could not withstand…" he rambled.

Florian looked up, wobbly eyed into Linny's face. The older woman's nose and mouth seemed to stretch and bulge. He found himself feeling silly and had to suppress a smile. He leaned back when Linny's and Daisy in March's heads began to expand filling the space. A moment later, he fell backward, landing on his back with a grunt. The wagon's top began to spin. He reached his rope-tied hands up as though to stop it.

"I cannot… beeee remand," he slurred, attempting to get up again but fell to the bed with a thud. "I need youuuu to understand," he said, thudding onto the bed once more with a groan.

Linny stared blankly at Florian for a while. The silence was broken when an egg hit the floor of the wagon with a sudden plop and released a putrid smell. Linny glanced at Daisy in March, down at the egg and then at Florian. Her big, hearty laugh filled the wagon. "Well, I can't tell which was worse than a fart in the face," she tittered.

Florian managed to straighten upright to argue with her. He stopped when he felt an unmistakable force of will ready to wrench control of his mouth and tongue.

Linny stood up slowly, waving the hand with the crossbow gun at him tiredly. "Oh, no, you won't be laying any more smelly ones in these ears. Not if you know what's good for you."

Florian could feel the drunkenness begin to alleviate almost as quickly as it appeared. He opened his mouth to plead with Linny further but changed his mind when he saw the look of dismay on her face.

"Lies and nonsense smell amazingly similar to horseshit too, you know," she responded threateningly. Florian stared at her, confused, and then imagined riding all the way to Castle Town next to a large bag filled with horse dung.

"You wouldn't?" he asked, astonished.

"Don't tempt me," she answered flatly. She turned to leave but took the wanted poster out again, and placed it in his bound hands. Disappointment had etched the frown on her face. "This should have been enough to tell me everything I needed to know about you, but I'd say you've convinced me I have more than one bad egg in this wagon."

Florian bit his tongue in frustration but couldn't help feeling guilty. "May I have a pen?"

"What in the world for?" she responded peevishly.

"I'd like to write a confession about my crimes. I can use the back of this," he said, shaking the rolled paper in his hands.

Linny let out a puff of air. She seemed suspicious but acquiesced. "Keep in mind, if you have any funny ideas, Silkie and Rooster will be there to rip 'em right out."

It wasn't long before they were moving again. Silkie and Rooster stared him down vigilantly. Paper and pencil in hand, he thought about the words of the Goddess Vyomi when he'd been on the verge of death. She'd most definitely implied something would happen if he tried to write his story. Still, he needed to make an effort. He reddened in embarrassment, thinking about the gibberish he'd spewed only moments before.

Angrily, he did his best to unroll the paper and leaned forward to begin. There would be no confession. This was his last chance to convince Linny, and he needed to get it right. "It's all in the wording," he thought, trying to convince himself. He stopped when he began to declare himself innocent. A vision of warm blood staining his hands that was not his own flashed fresh in his mind. He couldn't say Ganon's name and doubted he could write it either. If he described him, maybe? He put pencil to paper once more and wrote: "The culprit responsible is from the-"

Florian's hands immediately began to seize and grow numb. His fingers clenched tightly around the pencil, breaking it in pieces. He was more than frightened when his fingertips began to turn the color of rot and decay. They continued to blacken until they looked as though they'd been dipped in the darkest shadow. The unnatural shadow spread over his hands past his wrists but stopped at his elbows in black branch-like veins that crept up his arms. With a strength he'd never possessed before, his hands snapped the ropes that bound them.

Silkie and Rooster became immediately alarmed. They began to growl and then loudly bark with Rooster letting loose a loud bellow that gave tribute to her name. "Roo-Roo-Roo!"

"What's going on back there?" Linny yelled out, bringing the wagon to a halt.

"I-I don't know!" Florian stammered back, frightened. "Don't come back here!"

The terrified boy felt as though he were attached to two bucking stallions, each wanting to go its own way. His hands and arms seemed to possess a destructive mind of their own. They began to smash anything within reach, including the wagon itself. The two dogs launched themselves at him viciously, teeth bared. Florian wanted to raise his hands to protect himself, but his hands had other ideas.

Silkie was backhanded with such force she flew through the canvas covering from one side. Florian heard the dog hit the ground with a terrible thud followed by its whines and whimpers. Rooster was sent flying through a wagon bow and into a tree on the other side of the road. Florian felt the top of the canvas begin to collapse down on him. He ran forward and jumped out the back. He was met by Linny, pointing her crossbow gun at his chest again.

"What in the world are you?" she yelled, staring at his shadowy limbs lashing about. She looked to see the crumpled forms of her dogs and anger ignited in her eyes. Before Florian could speak, she had fired off several arrows at him. With inhuman speed, Florian's hands took control by shielding him from harm...or perhaps protected themselves? He couldn't be sure. Linny continued to fire until her gun was empty. The arrows sank slowly into his hands until they were gone. A moment later, they reappeared, embedded in his raised palms, arrowheads pointed directly at Linny.

"Linny, get out of the way!" Florian screamed. "I can't control this!"

The arrows fired within seconds. To Florian's relief, Linny managed to dive nimbly out of the way and took cover in the few trees on the side of the road. He needed to get away from the older woman and her animals. The last thing he wanted to do was cause any more harm to them. The sun had just finished setting, but there was still a little light in the sky.

Florian searched frantically for his traveling bag among the wagon debris on the ground. He would need the moonstone orb if…no when he made it to Princess Zelda. He still couldn't feel his hands and had no doubt it wouldn't be long before Linny attempted a second attack. He was sure she was reloading her gun while he contemplated his next move.

Miraculously, he found the bag lying next to the damaged metal compartment Linny had been using for storage. The locker was dented, and its lid damaged. He ran to his backpack, dropped to his knees and awkwardly bent his head down to grip the strap in his mouth. He didn't wait and took off running in the brush. His hands waved in the wind at his sides lifelessly. He still couldn't feel them, but at least they were no longer violently flailing about.

Linny watched as Florian ran off, satchel dangling ridiculously from his mouth and arms waving limply like black flags from his sides. She had successfully reloaded her crossbow gun and been ready to continue her pursuit of him but halted when she heard more plaintive cries of pain coming from her dogs. Cappie had startled during the commotion, came unhitched from the wagon, and ran off down the path. She also wasn't sure where Daisy In March had flown off to. They were her family, and she needed to ensure their safety before she did anything else. Her hand gripped the compass around her neck.

"There's nowhere you can run that I can't find you!" she shouted after him.

She was so enraged, she didn't notice the odd, little man dressed in a strange tunic made up of quilt patch animal hides walking up behind her.

Florian was still determined to somehow tell Princess Zelda everything he knew about Ganon's planning so far, but he was well aware of the obstacles to this. Or at least he thought he was. There was no way he could get close to her being a fugitive of the law, and getting close to her meant knowing where she was, which he didn't. Not exactly. And even if he did, she was well protected by a knight of renown. A soldier not just known for his skill in combat, but who many considered to be the Hero of Legend reincarnated. Florian suddenly felt foolish beyond measure. There was no way he would last in a fight with the Hero of Legend if the soldier decided he was a threat.

But even if he could set aside all the barriers he'd just listed, he could only hope to speak nonsense to the Princess the moment he began to tell his story. He thought about the two still useless limbs dangling at his sides. There was no way he could write down his story, and if he could, the moment his arms started going haywire, the Hero known as Link would most certainly slash him in two. Florian slowed to a jog and then stopped running altogether. Hopelessness seemed to course through his veins like thick molasses all of a sudden. A feeling like drowning very similar to in his dream made it harder for him to catch his breath.

He couldn't do what he needed to do on his own, and no one would believe him. "Go home to Lurelin Village," he thought. But he knew doing that would mean eventually being arrested, followed by the inevitable shame that would befall his family.

His father had expected him to take over his business as a merchant. He had rejected this in favor of following his own path. How stupid he had been? But going home now would mean having to admit to failure and enduring the shame that came with that. When he had been trying to make a deal with the Goddess Vyomi, he had been willing to give up pieces of himself to avoid his current predicament.

"Maybe there was another way," he thought to himself and then began running again.

There was still one person who could help him… His mind immediately went to the dual shot knife in his backpack and the person who had gifted it to him in childhood. The image of Yuzu slowly dying quickly followed… Convincing the one person who could help him to do so would first mean convincing them not to kill him in well-deserved vengeance.

Coming soon: Chapter 6: In the Abyss of the Nulli Void