CHAPTER 8

Amid the darkness of a once-peaceful evening, the houses and homesteads were illuminated, not by the silver moon in the night sky, but by the bright orange glow of open flame. Screams of terror echoed through the air as villagers either fled or succumbed to a hellish death. Others still fruitlessly struggled against the grip of unseen raiders as they were pulled by their collars, arms, necks or hair to the center of town.

Silhouetted against the fire was a lone figure, seated atop a black stallion. He dismounted the beast, the earth seeming to shake when his feet hit the ground, and continued to tremble as he slowly strode to the center, where all the villagers had been gathered.

He paid no mind to the fire and smoke around him.
He did not flinch when one house crumbled from its weakened foundations.
He casually kicked aside the unmoving form of a Hylian woman on the ground.

When he reached the center, all eyes fell upon him. Those on their knees looked up in shock and horror. Those standing around him turned with reverence and anticipation to what he would do next.

His eyes fell upon one man-an old one that ran the local book shop, so he had heard. He dropped to one knee to greet him, eye-to-eye. When the old man looked up to meet his gaze, silent pleas of mercy emanated from his eyes, even through the blood that leaked from a gash over his eyebrow.

"What do you want?" the old man asked, his voice trembling.

A pause. Then his towering captor answered him.

"I want your cooperation." His voice was deep and resonating, like the depths of a dark cave. He gripped the old man's shoulder in his hand. He felt him flinch at his very touch. "All these people's lives are in your hands. All you have to do is tell me what I want to know."

These words brought little-if any-comfort to the man. If anything, his shuddering worsened.

"Has anyone passed through your village recently?" His hot breath brushed the man's ear from such close proximity, "Anyone at all?"

The old man shook worse than before from sheer and utter dread. Neither option presented any redemption or salvation. If he spoke of the girl who visited his library, who had passed through the village with her father, he would be betraying them both. If he remained silent or lied, he and every surviving villager would likely die a painful death.

His tormentor seemed to sense this dilemma, for he sighed in a disappointed-sounding tone, returned to his feet and turned away. He paused after just a few paces, then spoke over his shoulder.

"No survivors."

As he returned to his horse, the villagers screamed as looming shadows closed in on them. As death pierced the night, he rode off into the night.

Not once did he look back.

Aria was expecting to wake early, but she had not counted on being roughly shaken awake. As she groggily opened her eyes, she saw that the sky was only just beginning to glow with the first few rays of sunlight.

"Remember what I said, Aria." her father said impatiently, "First light, we head out. Let's go!"

Aria stretched as her father hurried down the stairs, releasing a sharp breath when her tight muscles suddenly relaxed. She dressed quickly in the clothes that Malon had given her last night, shaking the sleep from her mind as she went down the stairs.

Her father now wore the blue tunic that Malon had given him the previous evening. It gave him a different air from the ragged, patched tunic he used to wear. It was the only thing he had changed into, yet Aria found herself slightly-impressed by what change it brought to him-a cleaner and, dare she say, more regal look to him.

"I hope you find what will help you most, brother."

"Thank you, Malon." Link said, taking the pack. He paused, then with his free hand, placed his hand on his sister's shoulder. "I know it all seems impossible, given how Hyrule is right now, but I'm going to make things right again or die trying-"

"Don't," Aria hushed sharply, her eyes glistening with unshed tears, "say that. I've already lost you once. I can't go through that again."

Link paused and, with a heavy sigh, finally said, "I can't make any promises...but I'll do my best. That's all I can do for now."

Malon did not seem to take this answer particularly well, but could not offer a rebuttal. She wrapped her arms around her brother's middle, and he draped his over her shoulders. Aria could tell it took all he had to gently push away and make for the door.

Malon turned to greet Aria, then placed her hands upon her shoulders with a strained smile. "Aria?" she asked, "Watch over your father for me...And do try to keep him out of trouble. Promise?"

Aria nodded awkwardly, but hoped her aunt would not notice. "Of course. Promise."

When Malon removed her hands, Aria went to join her father. By the time she saw him, he had already mounted Rhiannon and was riding towards her. He offered a hand, which she took before he helped her up onto the saddle.

"Hold on tight, Aria." he instructed and, almost before Aria could respond, whipped the reins of their choice horse. She only just had enough time to wrap her arms around her father's midsection when Rhiannon was practically off like an arrow, heading straight for the ranch's main gate.

Rhiannon effortlessly galloped across the vast, green plains of Hyrule Field. The experience of going at such speeds was as exhilarating as it was intimidating. Any landmark that came into view disappeared almost as quickly, and every few minutes or so, new landscapes seemed to appear. Aria even glimpsed deer, bounding away into a nearby wood as Rhiannon thundered past them.

Had he rode his old horse like this? To act as a messenger between allies, or to charge through enemy lines, sword in hand? The image seemed so alien to Aria, having seen her father as little more than a humble farmer all her life.

And yet, the question still stood. Could he have been?

Well into their first hour, Link slowed Rhiannon to a halt at a nearby river. He instructed Aria to fill a set of waterskins that Malon had provided them, while he shaded his eyes and surveyed the landscape for familiar signs.

"Where are we going?" Aria asked. She had neglected to ask atop Rhiannon, partly from noise and partly from taking in the still somewhat-new experience of horseback riding.

"Northeast." he answered her, "We'll be following the river upstream... to Zora's Domain."

Aria's heart leapt in her chest. "We're going to see the Zoras?" she said, barely able to contain her excitement. She had read about Zoras in old stories and heard tales about them from her father's own mouth, but she had never actually seen one.

"Yes." Link answered her, "If I had to bet on any people who could help us on our journey, I'd bet my life that they would."

That familiar suspicion settled upon Aria's conscience once more. "And what exactly is this journey? How could they help?"

Her father seemed unsure of how to answer. He seemed to briefly think it over before he finally arrived at what he believed a passable answer.

"After spending so long on the outskirts, I want to know what happened after the attack-beyond Hylian territory, I mean. If we ask any Hylian, they all would likely give us the same answer-that all is well, monsters aside." He turned his eyes away from Aria's and traced up the waterway's flow. "We need to know what the other races have seen these last few years. Perhaps they've seen something that Hylians haven't?"

Aria slowly nodded as she let her father's words sink in. What he said made sense.

"What about Auntie Mal and Leon?" she asked.

"Concerned and skeptical," he answered, "But they're the exception rather than the rule, I'm willing to wager." She had filled both their waterskins by then and, after sealing it, he gestured back to Rhiannon. "We'd best be back on our way. You will be riding at this point."

Aria climbed on Rhiannon, just as Leon had taught her, and Link took a seat right behind her. He instructed her how to sit once Rhiannon went into a full gallop, and frequently took the reins if Aria fell a little too out-of-control of the horse. Once or twice, he had to catch her so that she didn't fall.

Just as the sun was at the peak of its climb, the terrain began to change. Boulders of every size and shape started becoming more frequent along with evergreen trees. Over time, the endless expanses of grassy plains became a sparsely-vegetated trail surrounded by high walls of stone, the once-pristine, calm river now a roaring whitewater rapid that flowed right down the center.

Seeing the changes, Link brought Rhiannon to a stop and dismounted. Aria mirrored him as he faced the beast of burden.

"The path ahead is too dangerous for a horse." he said as he scratched her muzzle, "Even one as brave as you. Go on home, girl. We'll see you again."

The horse went in for an affectionate hug, which Link returned, then pulled away, turned around and strode off. "She'll be okay, right?" Aria said, watching the horse trot off.

"Malon raised the horses herself." Link assured her, "If any are instructed to, or if they're left alone long enough, they'll return to the ranch." He clapped her on the shoulder and turned back to the path. "Come. Zora's Domain isn't too far ahead now."

A few minutes down the path and Aria was starting to see just why her father sent Rhiannon off. The terrain had become far more jagged and steep at times, and the path seemed to go up higher, as though they were ascending a rocky wall of sorts-an ill combination for a horse more used to the wide, grassy terrain. One fall would kill man or beast, and they could not afford to lose their fastest method of travel at the time.

Not all of it was treacherous. Every so often, they would find a vast outcropping lined with trees, forming patches of wooded area. The trail led through one in particular that was notably dense with vegetation. The thick branches overhead enshadowed most of the ground, silhouetting the tree's branches against the ground.

Link suddenly stopped, so suddenly in fact that Aria almost walked into him. He cast a quick look around as a flock of birds suddenly took off from their shelters in the upper branches. Aria could hear him emit a low hum of concern.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Keep your voice down." he said, reaching up to the sword hilt at his shoulder, "And keep your weapon out."

Heeding his warning, Aria took out her bow with one hand and readied an arrow with the other. They quietly made their way through the wood, careful not to make too much sound or attract too much attention. Before long, the forest's border came into sight if the brighter sunlight was any clue.

As they got closer to the forest exit, something in the underbrush moved. The mere act of a bush rustling was enough for both Aria and her father to turn their attention to it. For a brief moment, it appeared to be nothing but a collection of boulders.

Then with a snarl, something sprang at them, not from the front, but from the side. Something big had hurled itself at them, and there was only time for Link to shove Aria off to the side before stumbling back away from it. Aria picked herself back up and got a good look at the creature that had thundered past them.

The beast turned, revealing a two-meter high, thickly-muscled body coated in brick-red fur. Its piglike visage snapped to the side to look at Aria, and giving her a good view of its long, deadly-looking tusks. It reared up on two legs, its three-fingered hand closed around the handle of a crude, heavy-looking wooden club. It snorted angrily, in a manner akin to the meanest boar Aria ever encountered, then thundered towards her.

Aria instinctively dived to the side and, still on the ground, turned to face the beast and pulled back her bowstring. When she let the arrow fly, however, it missed as the beast made a wide turn to charge right back at her. Before it got close, though, something slammed into it, shoving it off-course. Her father had rushed to intercept it, smashing the face of his shield right into the beast's shoulder.

The creature toppled sideways, but picked itself back up with surprising speed for its size, rearing back up to its full height as it shrieked a challenge at Link, brandishing its club at him. Link drew his sword, but before he could so much as meet this creature's challenge, another one thundered out from the undergrowth and tackled him to the ground. Link struggled under the porcine creature's weight, only managing to roll onto his side, slamming his elbow into the side of its head.

Before Aria could think of trying to help, the other beast was on her. She quickly sidestepped, but in her attempts to evade its charge, she slipped and fell on her front. The creature turned, snorting angrily, and raised its club. Aria rolled as it came down, smashing the ground where her head used to be. With a brief scramble, Aria's hand found her hunting knife and she instinctively swung with it.

The beast reared back, clutching at the forearm of its club-hand. Aria had landed a hit, and the beast's arm was oozing blood the color of fresh ink. While it reeled from pain, Aria retrieved her bow and gauged the situation her father was in. The other creature still had him pinned and was currently trying to bite his head off, Link's free hand gripped its neck, however, as he pushed with all his might to keep it off.

Stringing a fresh arrow and acting purely on instinct, Aria fired. It whistled through the air and struck the porcine monster right behind its arm. It squealed in pain, rearing back enough for Link to free his legs and use them both to kick it off, sending it rolling across the forest floor. By then, however, the one she had slashed had regained its composure and advanced on her again. Aria ducked as it lunged for her, then did so again to avoid a backhanded swing of its club.

By the time it mustered the energy to swing again, however, Link had taken back his sword and rushed to intercept it. The club hit the face of Link's shield with a "thud" that echoed through the woods. The beast must have been stronger than he'd thought because Aria could see him straining to hold back the weapon. The beast reared back its club to strike again, but Link sidestepped, letting the club hit nothing but earth. He struck hard with his shield, jarring the creature, then thrust with his blade.

The steel point of the blade disappeared into the flesh of the beast's collar and it squealed in agony before Link kicked it to the ground. It feebly tried to move again, but could no longer find the strength.

There came another mad shriek and he whirled to see the second beast rushing at him, thrashing its tusks menacingly. Before he could get a proper guard back up, though, something whistled through the air and hit it square in the neck. It gave a choked scream, then plowed, headlong into the ground, stopping just at Link's feet.

To his left, he saw Aria with her bow trained on the beast, and reaching for another arrow in case it got back up. When both it and its brother did not rise, she steadied her breath and approached her father.

"Were those the monsters you told me about?" she asked, "When we were on our way to Lon Lon Ranch?"

Link met her gaze and nodded. "Moblins. And they're just one of many different kinds of monsters out in Hyrule." he cast a look at the fallen beasts, "They often prey on travelers, like us, but sometimes they get bold and go after villages."

"Why?" Aria asked, "Do they rob, pillage, or…?"

"No. They feed themselves on wild game usually. They attack people just because they can." Aria did not miss the venom in his tone, "They do it because they enjoy it."

On those last words, the dead Moblins did something she had not expected. Their reddish hides turned pitch-dark, then seemed to melt into a tar-like ooze that smelled of overcooked meat. Not even bones remained when they fully melted away, just two putrid-smelling puddles of dark material.

"Why do they do that?" Aria said, the smell burning her nose.

Link turned back to the path and, sheathing his sword, answered, quite forwardly, "Because they are not beasts as we know them."

Right there and then, Aria knew it was pointless to press for further questions. Once he had set his mind focused on a different task, whether it was travel or tasks at hand, she knew the discussion had ended.

She hated it when he did that.