Altered States
A Legend Of Zelda Fanfiction
By OJR
Part 6
Jamie sat, deep in troubled
thought. He was up to his eyeballs in
it now, and he didn't even know if he could survive it. He was no hero, he was just a normal guy. He didn't go around saving kingdoms or
rescuing princesses. However, the
events of the past days had put paid to that. He looked pensive as he remembered the events, playing them over and
over in his mind.
The sun shone brightly that
day, only recently, things weren't going as peachy as usual. Fighting off a pair of lizard men was not
fun. Link seemed to brush it off,
pretty much, and Zelda was only slightly perturbed. He rebuked himself for being so scared of the reality. These guys were a hero and a princess from
another world, in which they have very powerful enemies. It was like someone had given his head a
reality enema. Like saying "Sorry, kid,
but everything you know is wrong." Kind
of gets you down. He looked around the
field, lit by the midday sun. There was
no one around, save himself, Link and Zelda. They'd been spending a lot of time in the woods. Navi (or Nancy, after a lot of explaining
about sudden family visits.) giggled
and roamed round the trees, conversing with animals and humming to trees. This was, of course, perfectly normal and
reasonable behaviour nowadays.
Link stroked her hair
absently, still enjoying his little vacation. He'd not worried too much about the attack. It was a feeble forewarning, seeing the amount of power it took
to send them. He was still a little
uneasy about the task that lay three days away, but with Zelda at his side, he
felt invincible. He had to admit, Jamie
had potential too, but would have to be left out of the fight as he had no
experience. He laughed at himself, the scared
10 year old who took on the worst Ganondorf had and slammed it straight back at
him. They would dispatch this darkness
and return home. He had a very
important question to ask a very important someone when they did.
Zelda regarded the heavens,
making pictures from clouds. As a cucko
riding a horse floated past she sighed as Link tousled her hair. She looked up at him and smiled. He leaned down and kissed her softly, before
returning to recline against the tree. She snuggled further into his chest. She always felt so safe when he was around. She glanced sideways at a thoughtful looking Jamie who also
stared at the sky, seemingly deep in thought. She smiled again, having to work very hard to stop herself giggling at
the thoughts that kept straying into his mind. She kept visualising the sensations as a little devil, dreaming of her
in several scandalous ways, and a little angel with a big mallet, hitting the
devil and thinking of how very, very bad it would be to even mention such
things. She had to chuckle, he really
needed a girlfriend. She also started
to sense fear, apprehension, doubt, obviously he was troubled. She sensed no such things from Link. He was relaxed as ever, knowing that he'd be
able to meet the challenge, as long as he had something to fight for. She felt a little guilty, probing their
minds, but she always felt good in them, and they were so easy to read!
She shot up straight,
clutching her head. Gasping in pain,
she keeled over and knelt with her head held low. The boys jumped, Link hugging her from behind and Jamie looking
at her from the front. She slumped,
seemingly unconscious, into Links arms, her mouth moving incoherently. She bucked then her head lolled up into a
straight position. She opened her
eyes. The once aquamarine orbs of life
were now totally black. Her mouth moved
again and her voice, mingled with a deathly echo, spoke.
"Champion, sorceress,
interloper…your destiny is set…you shall all die. With your deaths I will rule your worlds…I will appear to you in
three days…enjoy them…for they will be your last…" She slumped again. Link
cradled her with a paternal care, whispering for her to wake up. And wake she did. She sat up slowly and was overcome by tears. Her usually stalwart form seemed frail as
her body was racked with sobs. She felt
so used, so violated. The demon had
raped her, raped her mind. Nausea built
and only Links comforting arms served as a foothold of happiness. After several minutes of weeping she spoke
again.
"He…it…was in me…in my
mind… It just used me... I saw us die… You…" She pointed a shaky
finger at Jamie. "Then you…" She turned her tear stained face up to
Link. His worried expression turned to
a warm, comforting smile. He kissed her
softly, to assure her of his presence. He would protect her.
"Hold me…" She whispered weakly.
Yes, that had been a bad
start. But the feelings of futility the
situation bore didn't end there. He'd
gotten so hopelessly entangled in it that he'd have to see it through, even if
it meant his death. He was prepared,
but it didn't mean he had to like it. He thought back again.
Jamie felt honoured but, in
the same stroke, absolutely terrified. He knew this had to be done for him to stand any chance of helping them
defeat the demon. Zelda set about her
tasks with a will, marking the sacred Triforce on the grassy ground and
arranging the six Medallions in a circle. Jamie clutched the object in his hands. It was his prized possession, an eighteenth birthday present from his
dad, a sword. The blade was 96
centimetre long and 3 centimetres wide. He'd made the grip and scabbard from a single piece of ash, giving the
sheathed weapon the look of a single piece of wood. The blade itself had been made from a titanium/steel alloy and
the cutting edge was coated in tungsten. It was nearly unbreakable and razor sharp. He'd never wielded it. Yet here he was, sitting in a circle of glowing Medallions clutching it
and breathing heavily. Zelda started
the incantations, calling forth the Sages to bestow the power of the Hero of
Time upon the boy. Link stood at her
side, awaiting his cue to walk round the circle and touch the Medallions and
bestow his power upon Jamie. The effect
would be temporary, as it would only work when the true Hero of Time was
present. At the end of the ceremony,
Jamie felt no different. He stood up
and looked at Zelda quizzically.
"I don't feel different."
"You won't, until you drink
this." She handed him a small green
vial. He drank the contents, as
instructed, and felt like he'd swallowed liquid light. He felt the power course through his veins
and touch his soul.
"Augh! What just happened to me?"
"That was magic potion, you
now have the power to perform great feats. Your strength and speed are greater, as are your reflexes, and you can
perform some magic spells." She smiled.
"How?"
"I will train you. In three days you will be ready." Link looked at him gravely, hoping to mould
him into a righteous warrior.
Yes, it had been a strange
day. And now, looking back, he wished
they'd not done it. He wished that he'd
been left alone. He'd wanted so badly
to be a hero, and now his time had come he doubted himself. How was it his place to save the world?
Authors note: A good chapter all round I thought, tell me
what you think though J R+R please!
