Chapter Nineteen
The soldiers milled about as Link and Lance approached the gorge's entrance. The walls rose high above them, stifling in their proximity.
"We should climb here, matey, and get a better view, aye?" The sailor was not short on brains today, it seemed; the spot he chose was probably the tamest section of rock in the gorge, and it did not take long to reach the top.
"Do you see that?" Link asked, shielding his eyes as he crouched low near some rocks. Lance hunched down next to him, nodding. There was no mistaking the moving figures far off in the distance. Sunlight glinted off metal, giving away swords and shields.
"It looks like they've gathered near the exit. More as like they think we'll try to rush near the exit, and they'll kill us as we run." Lance looked pensive for a moment. "But what can we do? As the general said, there be no quicker way to Tyulia than through the pass."
"For all we know, Tyulia could be a pile of ashes," Link said curtly, disliking the cold tone of his voice. Apparently, from the sailor's reaction, neither did he. "If all I've heard about the Tophetians is true, then we may very well be marching to a blackened spot on the earth."
"Aye, but..." Lance hesitated, squinting at the Tophetian horde. "There's still a chance, you know. And there are other villages 'mongst the coast, just not important ones, yet they deserve protection. Aye. There's nothing we can do; you're right about that. Either march through here and risk being slaughtered, or take an extra week and pass around the gorge."
"No, I'll tell you what we'll do. We'll take all the best archers, and come up the sides here. There are plenty of rocks to hide us, and we'll move slowly, even if it takes hours. When night falls and they camp there, we'll spring upon them in the dark and catch them off guard. Hopefully, if we're lucky, we'll get many of them before they realize what's happening. Or, better yet, we'll kill as many as we can as silently as we can without attracting attention. In the morning, they may be too disheartened to worry about us, and rather, blame it on ghosts or such."
"That's a good idea," Lance said with clear admiration, his eyes large with thought. "Aye, Link, with a mind as keen for battle as a blade, 'tis a wonder you might not grow up to be a general."
"No, I... I don't think so. We should go and let General Torris know."
The elderly Selintan nodded his grizzled head and reflected on this information as Link and Lance patiently waited for his response.
"It's a sound plan, Link, and I would have expected no less from you. I will have fifty archers ready before sundown, and we'll see who will get the jump on who," replied General Torris, smiling slightly. He turned away and limped (slightly, every so slightly but it was still there, the battle scar from long ago...) away.
"Well, supposin' all goes well, it looks as if we could be in Tyulia by tomorrow," Lance mused as they made their way to the gorge entrance. Camp had already been set up, and the Hero of Time marveled at how quickly the soldiers could work. In fact... someone had even set up a tent for them, which was surprising.
"We didn't bring any equipment, did we?" Link frowned. He couldn't remember seeing Lance put anything on or set anything down, and he certainly didn't bring anything. The sailor scratched the top of his head reflectively and thought.
"No, but I would guess that someone musta thought o' us in order to set us a tent, aye. Mighty considerate."
"Were there Tophetians?" Miyako asked, suddenly appearing from around the opposite side of the tent. Lance started, then nodded his head.
"Aye, a large troop of them, so there was. We'll be takin' care of 'em tonight, so we will, and then by the morrow we'll be in Tyulia. 'Course, you'll be on your way to the Massharte Ruins, aye." Link felt a momentary twinge at this statement, and could not, for the life of him, understand why. It was madness to ask a girl as unarmed as she to go to Tyulia, to surely risk life and limb for people they did not know and perhaps never would. Yet... there was something about her that he enjoyed, like cool water on a relatively warm day. Not absolutely necessary, but refreshing and welcome. "Who set up this tent?" The redheaded girl looked a trifle piqued.
"I did, who else do you see?" Link blinked in surprise.
"But... where did you get the equipment? I don't remember seeing you shouldering anything."
"I asked some soldiers if they wouldn't mind sharing a tent, as you both seemed to have forgotten yours," she replied, looking up at the sky as if for patience. "If you two don't mind close quarters, then by all means the tent is yours to sleep in tonight."
"I doubt we'll be doing much sleeping tonight," Lance uttered, glancing in the direction of the gorge and running a hand through his dark blue hair. "It would appear that we are conducting a late night hit," he added carefully. Miyako seemed to smile at his affectations in speech, but at the same time seemed to be frowning.
"If we did sleep tonight, where would you sleep?" A terribly chancy question, but Link simply had to know. Sharing such close quarters with a girl, no matter how little he knew her, would not be a good idea, especially considering that she was very fair and... attractive, yet not attractive in the physical sense, although she was, but this was different—. He simply couldn't place the feeling at all.
"Under the stars, same as I have done before and will continue to do," she replied, and this time there was a definite smile. "I would not trust such close quarters with either of you, no matter how long I have known Lance, and no matter how much your reputation of valiancy and honor precedes you, Link." The sailor laughed, and it was an abrupt, cheery sound.
"Oh, ye've got a clever head on yer shoulders, girl, but I don't think ye need to worry about me. Ah, we're too close like as brother and sister for me to ever want to make the beast with two backs with ye. Aye, would be incest, so 'twould." Link suddenly found deep interest in the tips of his boots, feeling the blood suffuse his face. He had never learned much about 'that'; he knew enough to know how it worked, yet he never really learned how to cope with embarrassment relative to such. After all, heroism leaves little room for much else.
Still, he was more than beginning to feel the call of his manhood, and the need for love. Romanticism, silly yet true, but he knew he would not find what he was looking for in Zelda. Yet how his heart ached! During those two (somewhat) calm years, they had grown close and knew each other like dear friends should. There had always been sexual tension between them, but he suspected it was simply because (to put it delicately) he was coming of age and she was beautiful. Not so delicately, he was burning, and the feeling of lust was mutual between them.
Yet no matter how lustful he became, the idea of being king was appalling, far more appalling than some creatures he had encountered in his lifetime. And a hero, no matter how famous and well liked, did not copulate with a princess and expect to be let off cheaply. Was it just another point that he did not love Zelda, not enough to endure the burden of kingship, or was there something more, forcing him to keep control?
"Link?" The blonde teenager looked up to find that both Miyako and Lance were looking at him strangely, although with concern. "Matey? Are you all right? You were gone for a moment, aye."
"Er, sorry. I was just... thinking."
"Something you would do well to try, Lance," laughed the girl, and the sailor glared at her. "I couldn't resist. Gods, but you're so easy to make fun of!"
"Aye, well, you enjoy sleepin' out in the cold, you crazy git," muttered the dark-blue-haired teenager.
"As 'tis summer, I would hardly think that even the nights would be cool," Miyako replied smartly, crouching down to adjust a tent peg. " 'Sides, Lance, I'm sure I could warm myself from the hot air you always seem to be spouting."
"You're just a regular jester, Miyako," Lance retorted quickly. "Har, har. There, hear me laughing? So funny, y'are."
It was still several hours before complete darkness, and Link had no interest in talking to the other soldiers. Many of them were a bit disappointed that they would not be able to be going with the selected few, but that did not stop them from gloating and being all but impossible to get along with. All of them seemed to think that he would be interested in their war stories, many of which were nothing more than barroom fights.
Lance had declared that he was going to take a nap, although Link suspected that his ego needed to sleep off the wounds Miyako had given it. And the girl herself had wandered off to meditate.
As he had hoped, the Hero of Time found peace on a small cliff face several chains away from the encampment. (Author's Note: A chain is a unit of measurement equivalent to sixty-six [66] feet.) He was not surprised, however, to find that Miyako had claimed the spot he had noticed earlier.
Link did not bother to try and sneak up on her; he did not feel particularly playful, and certainly the soon-to-be-at-hand task was not lifting his spirits. Yet he desired company, even if no words were spoken.
She did not look up as he joined her, sitting beside her on the dusty ground. Though it was mid-summer, the evening was considerably cooler than the day, and Link was glad for the warmth at his back the setting sun provided.
Finally, after several moments, Link felt the need to talk, if only to fill the silence that was pressing around them with invisible hands.
"What are the Massharte Ruins?" No question like an easy one.
"A holy place, they say, where prayer to the gods and goddesses is easily heard, and almost as easily answered," she replied softly, as though rehearsed, still not lifting her head. "I've heard it is simply a large, stone temple with effigies, and the holy people there are friendly. Never pray to statues, though. They are only there to remind us 'who hath created us and giveth breath to our bodies.' " Miyako smiled, her eyes still closed. "I wonder if it is a beautiful place."
"The gods adore beautiful creations," Link murmured.
"They do."
"What is the Temple of Life? Why are you going there?" Ever since she had mentioned it to him, it had sat patiently in the back of his mind, as though biding its time. Certainly, it was curious enough that a lone girl would try and travel to a fabled place.
"The Temple of Life, it's a resting place for heroes, their final destination, but it's more than a graveyard. That's why it's called the Temple of Life," she almost laughed. "The Ancients built it for those worthy of the power of the gods and goddesses. I'm going there because I've had dreams about it... and it could be that the evils that have been happening lately are a result of something bad at the temple... and I don't mean just monsters."
"Politics is an evil thing," Link suggested soberly, and this time Miyako did laugh, opening her eyes and lifting her head to look at him.
"Yes! That's exactly it!" She clapped her hands together and he felt like the king of the world. Well, figuratively speaking; being the king of the world would no doubt drive him to his grave in nigh of a half-year. "Many are giving into temptation." Her tone became serious. "People who were good are questioning the existence of morals. It's not a good time to be young and impressionable."
"Do you fight well?" It was an honest question.
"Well enough to save my life, I suppose. I never really thought about it." Then, more humorously: "Did you want to fight me?"
"What? No, of course not! I was just wondering. Do you fight with a sword? I didn't notice one about your person..."
" 'About my person?' Did they teach you such winning language in hero school? Or have you been hanging out with Lance too much?" Her eyes were dancing with laughter, though her mouth remained serious. Link shook his head fiercely.
"I've lived in a castle with a royal family for a couple years. It's hard to spend most of the time in their presence and /not/ pick up their fancy phrases."
"I see."
"Where did you live?"
"With my aunt," she replied curtly, turning her head away from him. Link frowned.
"You're lying." Her head whipped around to face him, and for a heated instant he thought about how fiery her temper must be, and realized that she was probably a Fire element. That explained the hair, at least, which he felt would burn him if he touched it.
"How do you know?"
"Those who lie turn their gaze away," he replied stiffly. She sighed deeply and was quiet for several moments.
"I lived with my aunt for several years after my father died, but then I ran away." Her head bowed slightly. "She must still worry about me, but... I can't think about that now. I lived in Lythvia before I came to Selinta. I was in Lythvia for about seven years. I know running away was wrong, but the reason was right. Do you understand?" He nodded, thinking that some wrong things may be good after all. Like not marrying Zelda. "I wasn't sure to trust my dreams, but they were so frightening. Then I met Esteani." She closed her eyes and sighed deeply.
"Was he your... lover?" 'Jealous, am I, and I don't even know this girl!'
"No!" He had startled a laugh out of her. "No, no, silly Link, he wasn't my lover! He was much too old for that! I believe... that he was my second father. A Sheikah in Lythvia is a rare thing indeed, but there are some there. The Sheikah are coming back from wherever they had gone to. He was one of them, but so... open and kind. The Sheikah, they are mysterious."
"Undoubtedly." Zelda pretending to be a Sheikah had been mysteriously annoying, with all those cryptic phrases and sudden appearances and disappearances.
"He took me in and taught me magic. Deep magic, not the magic that starts fires or brings water from the ground, though I learned that sort. Deep magic," she repeated slowly. "But it wasn't enough to defend a person. He showed me that some people weren't very kind, even before the Temple of Life began decaying, and taught me to fight. He was... a difficult teacher."
"Did you learn swordplay?"
"Some, but not much. I'm afraid that I can't handle swords for very long. I would love nothing more than to be nothing like the Sheikah. I think the opposite of Sheikah should be innocence. They strike quickly with the art of surprise and damage as much as possible before disappearing, but... in hand-to-hand combat, they are not very strong. I don't like fighting as they do, I think it's a sort of cowardice, but it's not my place to judge them." She shifted as though uncomfortable and smiled at him. "When did you lose your innocence, Link? When did you wake up and realize that no matter how you tried, you could not run away from the violence?" It was his turn to close his eyes and sigh.
"I was ten when I slew my first monster. I remember exiting the Great Deku Tree and discovering it was not enough to save him. The great Father of the Kokiri, laid low because of an evil man and his evil whims. It was then that I realized that life, of all kinds, was so fragile and delicate. Like a spider's web with dew, silk and jewels, but so easily destroyed because of carelessness, prejudice, and hate. The spider is not evil, but perceived to be that way because it drinks blood and is hideous. I don't think the spider asked to be born hideous and to drink blood. I think that people don't ask to be evil, but they are born that way."
"That is very insightful," she whispered with startled awe, as if she didn't think he was smart enough to have felt that way. That made him a little angry; being a hero, he was not allowed to have insights? Did she think he only fought and cared to fight?
"Yes, coming from a bloodthirsty fighter such as myself, it's very insightful." She did not blanch as he had thought she would.
"I didn't mean to imply that because you were a fighter and a man that you weren't insightful, but I apologize because I did not expect you to be so eloquent in your words. I think you surprised me."
"I take it you're not easily surprised." Link still felt a bit irritated. He had never been to a school of any sort, but he was not by any means dumb and her tone had suggested that he was, if only slightly.
"Argue not with the cards you are dealt in game or in life," Miyako replied dryly. "I'm sorry I've offended you and your intelligence." She rose to her feet, dusted off her clothes, and began walking back towards the camp. She took the last of the sunlight and warmth with her.
This was a fairly long chapter (about 6 pages). *waves to Karasu Agehachou* Thanks for reviewing so much! Sorry about lack of action, but don't worry! Fighting and all that goodness shall ensue in Chapters Twenty-Two and Twenty-Three, I promise. ^__^
The soldiers milled about as Link and Lance approached the gorge's entrance. The walls rose high above them, stifling in their proximity.
"We should climb here, matey, and get a better view, aye?" The sailor was not short on brains today, it seemed; the spot he chose was probably the tamest section of rock in the gorge, and it did not take long to reach the top.
"Do you see that?" Link asked, shielding his eyes as he crouched low near some rocks. Lance hunched down next to him, nodding. There was no mistaking the moving figures far off in the distance. Sunlight glinted off metal, giving away swords and shields.
"It looks like they've gathered near the exit. More as like they think we'll try to rush near the exit, and they'll kill us as we run." Lance looked pensive for a moment. "But what can we do? As the general said, there be no quicker way to Tyulia than through the pass."
"For all we know, Tyulia could be a pile of ashes," Link said curtly, disliking the cold tone of his voice. Apparently, from the sailor's reaction, neither did he. "If all I've heard about the Tophetians is true, then we may very well be marching to a blackened spot on the earth."
"Aye, but..." Lance hesitated, squinting at the Tophetian horde. "There's still a chance, you know. And there are other villages 'mongst the coast, just not important ones, yet they deserve protection. Aye. There's nothing we can do; you're right about that. Either march through here and risk being slaughtered, or take an extra week and pass around the gorge."
"No, I'll tell you what we'll do. We'll take all the best archers, and come up the sides here. There are plenty of rocks to hide us, and we'll move slowly, even if it takes hours. When night falls and they camp there, we'll spring upon them in the dark and catch them off guard. Hopefully, if we're lucky, we'll get many of them before they realize what's happening. Or, better yet, we'll kill as many as we can as silently as we can without attracting attention. In the morning, they may be too disheartened to worry about us, and rather, blame it on ghosts or such."
"That's a good idea," Lance said with clear admiration, his eyes large with thought. "Aye, Link, with a mind as keen for battle as a blade, 'tis a wonder you might not grow up to be a general."
"No, I... I don't think so. We should go and let General Torris know."
The elderly Selintan nodded his grizzled head and reflected on this information as Link and Lance patiently waited for his response.
"It's a sound plan, Link, and I would have expected no less from you. I will have fifty archers ready before sundown, and we'll see who will get the jump on who," replied General Torris, smiling slightly. He turned away and limped (slightly, every so slightly but it was still there, the battle scar from long ago...) away.
"Well, supposin' all goes well, it looks as if we could be in Tyulia by tomorrow," Lance mused as they made their way to the gorge entrance. Camp had already been set up, and the Hero of Time marveled at how quickly the soldiers could work. In fact... someone had even set up a tent for them, which was surprising.
"We didn't bring any equipment, did we?" Link frowned. He couldn't remember seeing Lance put anything on or set anything down, and he certainly didn't bring anything. The sailor scratched the top of his head reflectively and thought.
"No, but I would guess that someone musta thought o' us in order to set us a tent, aye. Mighty considerate."
"Were there Tophetians?" Miyako asked, suddenly appearing from around the opposite side of the tent. Lance started, then nodded his head.
"Aye, a large troop of them, so there was. We'll be takin' care of 'em tonight, so we will, and then by the morrow we'll be in Tyulia. 'Course, you'll be on your way to the Massharte Ruins, aye." Link felt a momentary twinge at this statement, and could not, for the life of him, understand why. It was madness to ask a girl as unarmed as she to go to Tyulia, to surely risk life and limb for people they did not know and perhaps never would. Yet... there was something about her that he enjoyed, like cool water on a relatively warm day. Not absolutely necessary, but refreshing and welcome. "Who set up this tent?" The redheaded girl looked a trifle piqued.
"I did, who else do you see?" Link blinked in surprise.
"But... where did you get the equipment? I don't remember seeing you shouldering anything."
"I asked some soldiers if they wouldn't mind sharing a tent, as you both seemed to have forgotten yours," she replied, looking up at the sky as if for patience. "If you two don't mind close quarters, then by all means the tent is yours to sleep in tonight."
"I doubt we'll be doing much sleeping tonight," Lance uttered, glancing in the direction of the gorge and running a hand through his dark blue hair. "It would appear that we are conducting a late night hit," he added carefully. Miyako seemed to smile at his affectations in speech, but at the same time seemed to be frowning.
"If we did sleep tonight, where would you sleep?" A terribly chancy question, but Link simply had to know. Sharing such close quarters with a girl, no matter how little he knew her, would not be a good idea, especially considering that she was very fair and... attractive, yet not attractive in the physical sense, although she was, but this was different—. He simply couldn't place the feeling at all.
"Under the stars, same as I have done before and will continue to do," she replied, and this time there was a definite smile. "I would not trust such close quarters with either of you, no matter how long I have known Lance, and no matter how much your reputation of valiancy and honor precedes you, Link." The sailor laughed, and it was an abrupt, cheery sound.
"Oh, ye've got a clever head on yer shoulders, girl, but I don't think ye need to worry about me. Ah, we're too close like as brother and sister for me to ever want to make the beast with two backs with ye. Aye, would be incest, so 'twould." Link suddenly found deep interest in the tips of his boots, feeling the blood suffuse his face. He had never learned much about 'that'; he knew enough to know how it worked, yet he never really learned how to cope with embarrassment relative to such. After all, heroism leaves little room for much else.
Still, he was more than beginning to feel the call of his manhood, and the need for love. Romanticism, silly yet true, but he knew he would not find what he was looking for in Zelda. Yet how his heart ached! During those two (somewhat) calm years, they had grown close and knew each other like dear friends should. There had always been sexual tension between them, but he suspected it was simply because (to put it delicately) he was coming of age and she was beautiful. Not so delicately, he was burning, and the feeling of lust was mutual between them.
Yet no matter how lustful he became, the idea of being king was appalling, far more appalling than some creatures he had encountered in his lifetime. And a hero, no matter how famous and well liked, did not copulate with a princess and expect to be let off cheaply. Was it just another point that he did not love Zelda, not enough to endure the burden of kingship, or was there something more, forcing him to keep control?
"Link?" The blonde teenager looked up to find that both Miyako and Lance were looking at him strangely, although with concern. "Matey? Are you all right? You were gone for a moment, aye."
"Er, sorry. I was just... thinking."
"Something you would do well to try, Lance," laughed the girl, and the sailor glared at her. "I couldn't resist. Gods, but you're so easy to make fun of!"
"Aye, well, you enjoy sleepin' out in the cold, you crazy git," muttered the dark-blue-haired teenager.
"As 'tis summer, I would hardly think that even the nights would be cool," Miyako replied smartly, crouching down to adjust a tent peg. " 'Sides, Lance, I'm sure I could warm myself from the hot air you always seem to be spouting."
"You're just a regular jester, Miyako," Lance retorted quickly. "Har, har. There, hear me laughing? So funny, y'are."
It was still several hours before complete darkness, and Link had no interest in talking to the other soldiers. Many of them were a bit disappointed that they would not be able to be going with the selected few, but that did not stop them from gloating and being all but impossible to get along with. All of them seemed to think that he would be interested in their war stories, many of which were nothing more than barroom fights.
Lance had declared that he was going to take a nap, although Link suspected that his ego needed to sleep off the wounds Miyako had given it. And the girl herself had wandered off to meditate.
As he had hoped, the Hero of Time found peace on a small cliff face several chains away from the encampment. (Author's Note: A chain is a unit of measurement equivalent to sixty-six [66] feet.) He was not surprised, however, to find that Miyako had claimed the spot he had noticed earlier.
Link did not bother to try and sneak up on her; he did not feel particularly playful, and certainly the soon-to-be-at-hand task was not lifting his spirits. Yet he desired company, even if no words were spoken.
She did not look up as he joined her, sitting beside her on the dusty ground. Though it was mid-summer, the evening was considerably cooler than the day, and Link was glad for the warmth at his back the setting sun provided.
Finally, after several moments, Link felt the need to talk, if only to fill the silence that was pressing around them with invisible hands.
"What are the Massharte Ruins?" No question like an easy one.
"A holy place, they say, where prayer to the gods and goddesses is easily heard, and almost as easily answered," she replied softly, as though rehearsed, still not lifting her head. "I've heard it is simply a large, stone temple with effigies, and the holy people there are friendly. Never pray to statues, though. They are only there to remind us 'who hath created us and giveth breath to our bodies.' " Miyako smiled, her eyes still closed. "I wonder if it is a beautiful place."
"The gods adore beautiful creations," Link murmured.
"They do."
"What is the Temple of Life? Why are you going there?" Ever since she had mentioned it to him, it had sat patiently in the back of his mind, as though biding its time. Certainly, it was curious enough that a lone girl would try and travel to a fabled place.
"The Temple of Life, it's a resting place for heroes, their final destination, but it's more than a graveyard. That's why it's called the Temple of Life," she almost laughed. "The Ancients built it for those worthy of the power of the gods and goddesses. I'm going there because I've had dreams about it... and it could be that the evils that have been happening lately are a result of something bad at the temple... and I don't mean just monsters."
"Politics is an evil thing," Link suggested soberly, and this time Miyako did laugh, opening her eyes and lifting her head to look at him.
"Yes! That's exactly it!" She clapped her hands together and he felt like the king of the world. Well, figuratively speaking; being the king of the world would no doubt drive him to his grave in nigh of a half-year. "Many are giving into temptation." Her tone became serious. "People who were good are questioning the existence of morals. It's not a good time to be young and impressionable."
"Do you fight well?" It was an honest question.
"Well enough to save my life, I suppose. I never really thought about it." Then, more humorously: "Did you want to fight me?"
"What? No, of course not! I was just wondering. Do you fight with a sword? I didn't notice one about your person..."
" 'About my person?' Did they teach you such winning language in hero school? Or have you been hanging out with Lance too much?" Her eyes were dancing with laughter, though her mouth remained serious. Link shook his head fiercely.
"I've lived in a castle with a royal family for a couple years. It's hard to spend most of the time in their presence and /not/ pick up their fancy phrases."
"I see."
"Where did you live?"
"With my aunt," she replied curtly, turning her head away from him. Link frowned.
"You're lying." Her head whipped around to face him, and for a heated instant he thought about how fiery her temper must be, and realized that she was probably a Fire element. That explained the hair, at least, which he felt would burn him if he touched it.
"How do you know?"
"Those who lie turn their gaze away," he replied stiffly. She sighed deeply and was quiet for several moments.
"I lived with my aunt for several years after my father died, but then I ran away." Her head bowed slightly. "She must still worry about me, but... I can't think about that now. I lived in Lythvia before I came to Selinta. I was in Lythvia for about seven years. I know running away was wrong, but the reason was right. Do you understand?" He nodded, thinking that some wrong things may be good after all. Like not marrying Zelda. "I wasn't sure to trust my dreams, but they were so frightening. Then I met Esteani." She closed her eyes and sighed deeply.
"Was he your... lover?" 'Jealous, am I, and I don't even know this girl!'
"No!" He had startled a laugh out of her. "No, no, silly Link, he wasn't my lover! He was much too old for that! I believe... that he was my second father. A Sheikah in Lythvia is a rare thing indeed, but there are some there. The Sheikah are coming back from wherever they had gone to. He was one of them, but so... open and kind. The Sheikah, they are mysterious."
"Undoubtedly." Zelda pretending to be a Sheikah had been mysteriously annoying, with all those cryptic phrases and sudden appearances and disappearances.
"He took me in and taught me magic. Deep magic, not the magic that starts fires or brings water from the ground, though I learned that sort. Deep magic," she repeated slowly. "But it wasn't enough to defend a person. He showed me that some people weren't very kind, even before the Temple of Life began decaying, and taught me to fight. He was... a difficult teacher."
"Did you learn swordplay?"
"Some, but not much. I'm afraid that I can't handle swords for very long. I would love nothing more than to be nothing like the Sheikah. I think the opposite of Sheikah should be innocence. They strike quickly with the art of surprise and damage as much as possible before disappearing, but... in hand-to-hand combat, they are not very strong. I don't like fighting as they do, I think it's a sort of cowardice, but it's not my place to judge them." She shifted as though uncomfortable and smiled at him. "When did you lose your innocence, Link? When did you wake up and realize that no matter how you tried, you could not run away from the violence?" It was his turn to close his eyes and sigh.
"I was ten when I slew my first monster. I remember exiting the Great Deku Tree and discovering it was not enough to save him. The great Father of the Kokiri, laid low because of an evil man and his evil whims. It was then that I realized that life, of all kinds, was so fragile and delicate. Like a spider's web with dew, silk and jewels, but so easily destroyed because of carelessness, prejudice, and hate. The spider is not evil, but perceived to be that way because it drinks blood and is hideous. I don't think the spider asked to be born hideous and to drink blood. I think that people don't ask to be evil, but they are born that way."
"That is very insightful," she whispered with startled awe, as if she didn't think he was smart enough to have felt that way. That made him a little angry; being a hero, he was not allowed to have insights? Did she think he only fought and cared to fight?
"Yes, coming from a bloodthirsty fighter such as myself, it's very insightful." She did not blanch as he had thought she would.
"I didn't mean to imply that because you were a fighter and a man that you weren't insightful, but I apologize because I did not expect you to be so eloquent in your words. I think you surprised me."
"I take it you're not easily surprised." Link still felt a bit irritated. He had never been to a school of any sort, but he was not by any means dumb and her tone had suggested that he was, if only slightly.
"Argue not with the cards you are dealt in game or in life," Miyako replied dryly. "I'm sorry I've offended you and your intelligence." She rose to her feet, dusted off her clothes, and began walking back towards the camp. She took the last of the sunlight and warmth with her.
This was a fairly long chapter (about 6 pages). *waves to Karasu Agehachou* Thanks for reviewing so much! Sorry about lack of action, but don't worry! Fighting and all that goodness shall ensue in Chapters Twenty-Two and Twenty-Three, I promise. ^__^