CHAPTER 4
"How is he Deeana?" Zelda asked the old nursemaid worriedly, with Link and Zelda at her side. "Is he going to recover?" It had been two full days since the skirmish that had took place.
"Yes, child, he will," Deeana said with a warm smile. "Whatever it was that sent him here seemed to take more out of him then the battle itself."
"Well," Perrin asked, impatiently. "Can we see him yet?"
"No young one, not yet," The wise woman said. "But he should be all right for the feast tonight."
But he's been in there for two days!" Perrin said, getting hot headed as usual. "What's taking so long!"
Link cleared his throat and shot a glance at Perrin, shutting him up. "Please make sure that he is, we've had to push it back twice already, I don't think that people will want to come if we postpone it again."
"Have I ever been wrong before, Link?" Deeana asked.
"Well, no..." Link stammered.
"All right Deeana," Zelda said, "Make sure that he is cleaned up, he fought very nobly and needs some embellishment for his troubles."
"Yes, Dear" Deeana said walking back into the room where Sage had been recovering.
"Hey!" Link whined, "I fought hard too!" Crossing his arms and pouting at Zelda he asked, "What do I get?"
Rolling her eyes and sighing, Zelda kissed Link. "There, better now?"
"Much," Link smiled as he wrapped his arms around Zelda's waist. "Much better."
"Gag me with a bombchu." Perrin mumbled, loudly than he had intended to.
The couple shot looks at Perrin that could have melted ice. All Perrin could do was laugh nervously and hang his head while his face reddened.
*****
The hall was filled with noise from the massive amount of people present and the playing of the small band in one of the corners. Servants here and there taking away plates of appetizers and putting down others. A huge crystalline chandelier hung above the hall illuminating the whole room. Nobles and knights bragging about the way they had fought in the battle two days ago was the main source of the noise, however.
Of course, that all stopped as soon as Sage walked into the room.
Sage then started toward the chair reserved for him beside Perrin. It was a whole new Sage that the guests and servants saw. His brown hair was tied back almost reaching past his shoulders, instead of the tangled mess that he wore when he first arrived. His face was now clean shaven, save for a goatee. His hazel eyes reflected the shinning of the chandelier hanging above him. He wore a pure white pullover shirt with laces from the middle of his chest to his neck, although the first few holes were not laced up along with the cuffs of his sleeves, revealing the strength that he held in his arms. His kilt, dull from the dirt that had once covered it had been washed and mended by the finest tailors in Hyrule, even the sporran had been cleaned to give the leather pouch a look of newness to it.
All eyes were trained on him, especially the ladies of the room. Even Link had to clear his throat and nudge Zelda to snap out of the trance everyone seemed to be in while gazing at the handsome Scot. When Sage sat down, the murmur of voices started to rise again.
"So, Sage, how are you feeling now?" Zelda asked a little too friendly in Link's opinion.
"Very well, thank ye." Sage said gratefully "I'd like tae thank ye two for all yer hospitality these past couple o' days. I hadnae felt this guid in a long time. Deeana certainly kens how tae treat wounds."
"You're very welcome, I'll pass on your thanks to Dee-"
"So, Sage," Link cut in. Zelda gave him a look that would have turned Volvagia to ice. "What was it you were trying to say before this little episode took place?" Link seemed to have ignored to look that Zelda had given to him.
"Well," As Sage began the eyes of the guests turned to him again to hear the origins of the strange man. "Ironically," he smiled, "I was fightin' another battle, against me clan's enemies," His smile faded and his voice grew serious. "Then, I got separated from the fighting by chasing after someone. I caught up tae him but before I could do anything a purple swirling light came at me. The coward that I was holding onto escaped me grasp and ran off. The thing hypnotized me, in a way. It kept gettin' closer, then I went blank and woke up here."
"Wow, thats some story!" Perrin remarked, everyone in earshot nodded their heads in agreement. Sage nodded his head as well and began to eat, but more questions came from the nobles. Much to their consternation, he ignored them and continued eating until he felt as though his stomach would burst.
As the feast was winding down, the servants started to take away the plates.
"Take your plate, sir?" A feminine voice from behind Sage said.
Sage turned his head and saw the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on. Her long, dark hair was braided and reached down to the small of her back. Her skin was as pure as polished ivory, her green eyes sparkled with a permanent look of suprise in them. Her dress seemed to be painted on her well defined body. It's neckline was nowhere near her neck, revealing some of her well endowed chest. Sage's heart nearly leaped from his chest.
"Ummm, uh..." Sage stammered, trying to find words.
"Yes, please do," Zelda said with a knowing smile looking at Sage's reaction to the woman.
"Yes, your majesty." She said, taking away a very tongue tied Sage's plate. Sage watched her silently, mouth open and eyes wide as she walked away.
Perrin playfully nudged Sage's side and laughed. "I think someone found something they like."
Zelda could barely kept her amusement behind her royal serenity and Link out right snickered as Sage's face turned red as the stripes on his kilt. Sage coughed uncomfortably and fussed with the laces on his sleeves.
"Go on ahead Sage, we'll catch you up later." Link said smiling.
"Yeah Sage, go and work your magic on her, I wanna see if your as good with the ladies as you are on the field of battle." Perrin said, teasing Sage.
"Perrin!" Zelda and Link yelled at the same time. Perrin's smile immediately faded and he looked down at his empty plate.
"Perrin always knows when to stick his foot in his mouth," Zelda said shooting a look at Perrin that was similar to the one she gave Link earlier in the evening. Perrin could not have felt any smaller if he tried. "Please, go ahead."
Rising, Sage thanked Zelda and walked away catching Perrin getting his ears boxed by Zelda, Link and Deeana. Sage couldn't help but letting a smirk cross his lips.
Asking a few of the servant girls where he could find the girl, he was directed to a hallway to the left of where the girls were standing. Thanking the girls, he turned and headed for the hallway, just catching the giggles coming from the servant girls.
As soon as he turned the corner he saw her. Sage's heart did another leap inside his chest again as he walked toward the maiden.
Shyly, Sage introduced himself. "Um, hi..." 'What the hell was that?' Sage thought angrily at the pathetic way he was stammering around this woman.
She smiled back politely at him. "Hello m'Lord, is there something that I can help you with?"
"I was, um, wondering if we could, that is if ye wanted tae..." Smoothing his out voice he continued, "Gae somewhere an' talk?"
Her eyes shown even more suprise than before. "I, uh," Glancing down at her feet she continued. "I have many thing to do tonight, I don't think I could."
"Oh nonsense! You go have a good time." An old woman's voice came from behind them. The old woman was short and her silver hair was tied into a bun on the top of her head. Her brown eyes showed the loving touch of a grandmother. She was a somewhat plump old gal, but it didn't seem to slow down one bit. She came gliding up to the two with the grace of a swan. "You have my permission. I'll have those giggling little gossipers do your chores. Babbling on about this fine young man here, how unlady-like!" The old woman, who appeared to be the head of the servants walked off, shouting orders at the ladies peering around the corner.
"Thank you, Neeti!" She called after the head maid.
"Think nothing of it, dear!" Neeti called back. She then started shouting at the girls again to get back to work, startling Sage. 'Wow, I'm glad that I'm nae one o' them at this particular moment.' He thought.
"So, shall we?" Sage said a little more confidently, holding out his hand.
After Emily took Sage's hand, both of them strolled out into the courtyard.
******
The sky was clear and the moon shone brightly in the sky, accompanied brightly with thousands of stars. The fountain, shooting up water, reflected the moon's rays. The couple, holding each other's hands were the only ones present in the courtyard.
"So," Sage asked, looking down at her. He was taller than her by a head. "What's your name?"
"Emily, Emily al'Miere, but most everyone calls me Em."
Sage thought her voice matched her face with it's beauty. "Mine is Sage, Sage McIntire, an' I am most honored tae meet ye." Sage said, stopping and kissing her hand.
It was then that Sage heard evil laughter behind him. "Mwahahaha, has our dress-man found a pretty?"
Turning, Sage saw ten moblins and a huge example of a man. He stood at least seven feet tall, by Sage's guess. With tan, nearly copper skin and blood red hair that matched his cape hanging from his shoulders. His yellow, evil eyes matched his evil laugh and his shoulders were as wide as an axe handle's length. His legs were that of treetrunks and his arms seemed hard as stone.
As Sage shielded Emily behind his right arm, he scowled at the man. "An' just wha the hell are ye?"
With a smile that could be only described as pure evil, the man answered. "My name is Ganon, and soon I will be ruling over you."
"Fat chance!" Sage shot back.
With molbins drooling for the possibility of violence, Ganon continued, ignoring Sage's remark. "I have seen your...prowress on the battlefield, and I think you would make an excellent addition to my army. What do you say?" Sage's sneer answered Ganon's question. "Hmmm, very well, if you are not with me, then then you are against me." The moblins started getting even more excited, they knew what was coming next.
Sage darted his eyes at each of the moblins, waiting. He then flung his boot knife and struck an ugly moblin right in-between the eyes with it. Before the molbin hit the ground Sage had kicked the teeth in of another one, spattering it's blood on his boot.
Then, as a molbin was about to strike Sage with his club, he heard a feminine voice call out "Balefire!" and the charred corpse of the moblin fell to the ground beside Sage. Sage turned his head, and saw Emily looking at her hands, steam rising from them, with a look of disbelief.
"E-Emily?" Sage asked amazed. "How?"
She started to answer, but never got the chance. Her eyes slammed shut and her body fell in a heap to the gound. A moblin smiling and looking down with a club in his hand, stood behind her unconscious body.
Before he could get to his new found love, Sage felt a pressure to the back of his head and blackness fell upon him. The last thing he heard was a hideous laughing.
"How is he Deeana?" Zelda asked the old nursemaid worriedly, with Link and Zelda at her side. "Is he going to recover?" It had been two full days since the skirmish that had took place.
"Yes, child, he will," Deeana said with a warm smile. "Whatever it was that sent him here seemed to take more out of him then the battle itself."
"Well," Perrin asked, impatiently. "Can we see him yet?"
"No young one, not yet," The wise woman said. "But he should be all right for the feast tonight."
But he's been in there for two days!" Perrin said, getting hot headed as usual. "What's taking so long!"
Link cleared his throat and shot a glance at Perrin, shutting him up. "Please make sure that he is, we've had to push it back twice already, I don't think that people will want to come if we postpone it again."
"Have I ever been wrong before, Link?" Deeana asked.
"Well, no..." Link stammered.
"All right Deeana," Zelda said, "Make sure that he is cleaned up, he fought very nobly and needs some embellishment for his troubles."
"Yes, Dear" Deeana said walking back into the room where Sage had been recovering.
"Hey!" Link whined, "I fought hard too!" Crossing his arms and pouting at Zelda he asked, "What do I get?"
Rolling her eyes and sighing, Zelda kissed Link. "There, better now?"
"Much," Link smiled as he wrapped his arms around Zelda's waist. "Much better."
"Gag me with a bombchu." Perrin mumbled, loudly than he had intended to.
The couple shot looks at Perrin that could have melted ice. All Perrin could do was laugh nervously and hang his head while his face reddened.
*****
The hall was filled with noise from the massive amount of people present and the playing of the small band in one of the corners. Servants here and there taking away plates of appetizers and putting down others. A huge crystalline chandelier hung above the hall illuminating the whole room. Nobles and knights bragging about the way they had fought in the battle two days ago was the main source of the noise, however.
Of course, that all stopped as soon as Sage walked into the room.
Sage then started toward the chair reserved for him beside Perrin. It was a whole new Sage that the guests and servants saw. His brown hair was tied back almost reaching past his shoulders, instead of the tangled mess that he wore when he first arrived. His face was now clean shaven, save for a goatee. His hazel eyes reflected the shinning of the chandelier hanging above him. He wore a pure white pullover shirt with laces from the middle of his chest to his neck, although the first few holes were not laced up along with the cuffs of his sleeves, revealing the strength that he held in his arms. His kilt, dull from the dirt that had once covered it had been washed and mended by the finest tailors in Hyrule, even the sporran had been cleaned to give the leather pouch a look of newness to it.
All eyes were trained on him, especially the ladies of the room. Even Link had to clear his throat and nudge Zelda to snap out of the trance everyone seemed to be in while gazing at the handsome Scot. When Sage sat down, the murmur of voices started to rise again.
"So, Sage, how are you feeling now?" Zelda asked a little too friendly in Link's opinion.
"Very well, thank ye." Sage said gratefully "I'd like tae thank ye two for all yer hospitality these past couple o' days. I hadnae felt this guid in a long time. Deeana certainly kens how tae treat wounds."
"You're very welcome, I'll pass on your thanks to Dee-"
"So, Sage," Link cut in. Zelda gave him a look that would have turned Volvagia to ice. "What was it you were trying to say before this little episode took place?" Link seemed to have ignored to look that Zelda had given to him.
"Well," As Sage began the eyes of the guests turned to him again to hear the origins of the strange man. "Ironically," he smiled, "I was fightin' another battle, against me clan's enemies," His smile faded and his voice grew serious. "Then, I got separated from the fighting by chasing after someone. I caught up tae him but before I could do anything a purple swirling light came at me. The coward that I was holding onto escaped me grasp and ran off. The thing hypnotized me, in a way. It kept gettin' closer, then I went blank and woke up here."
"Wow, thats some story!" Perrin remarked, everyone in earshot nodded their heads in agreement. Sage nodded his head as well and began to eat, but more questions came from the nobles. Much to their consternation, he ignored them and continued eating until he felt as though his stomach would burst.
As the feast was winding down, the servants started to take away the plates.
"Take your plate, sir?" A feminine voice from behind Sage said.
Sage turned his head and saw the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on. Her long, dark hair was braided and reached down to the small of her back. Her skin was as pure as polished ivory, her green eyes sparkled with a permanent look of suprise in them. Her dress seemed to be painted on her well defined body. It's neckline was nowhere near her neck, revealing some of her well endowed chest. Sage's heart nearly leaped from his chest.
"Ummm, uh..." Sage stammered, trying to find words.
"Yes, please do," Zelda said with a knowing smile looking at Sage's reaction to the woman.
"Yes, your majesty." She said, taking away a very tongue tied Sage's plate. Sage watched her silently, mouth open and eyes wide as she walked away.
Perrin playfully nudged Sage's side and laughed. "I think someone found something they like."
Zelda could barely kept her amusement behind her royal serenity and Link out right snickered as Sage's face turned red as the stripes on his kilt. Sage coughed uncomfortably and fussed with the laces on his sleeves.
"Go on ahead Sage, we'll catch you up later." Link said smiling.
"Yeah Sage, go and work your magic on her, I wanna see if your as good with the ladies as you are on the field of battle." Perrin said, teasing Sage.
"Perrin!" Zelda and Link yelled at the same time. Perrin's smile immediately faded and he looked down at his empty plate.
"Perrin always knows when to stick his foot in his mouth," Zelda said shooting a look at Perrin that was similar to the one she gave Link earlier in the evening. Perrin could not have felt any smaller if he tried. "Please, go ahead."
Rising, Sage thanked Zelda and walked away catching Perrin getting his ears boxed by Zelda, Link and Deeana. Sage couldn't help but letting a smirk cross his lips.
Asking a few of the servant girls where he could find the girl, he was directed to a hallway to the left of where the girls were standing. Thanking the girls, he turned and headed for the hallway, just catching the giggles coming from the servant girls.
As soon as he turned the corner he saw her. Sage's heart did another leap inside his chest again as he walked toward the maiden.
Shyly, Sage introduced himself. "Um, hi..." 'What the hell was that?' Sage thought angrily at the pathetic way he was stammering around this woman.
She smiled back politely at him. "Hello m'Lord, is there something that I can help you with?"
"I was, um, wondering if we could, that is if ye wanted tae..." Smoothing his out voice he continued, "Gae somewhere an' talk?"
Her eyes shown even more suprise than before. "I, uh," Glancing down at her feet she continued. "I have many thing to do tonight, I don't think I could."
"Oh nonsense! You go have a good time." An old woman's voice came from behind them. The old woman was short and her silver hair was tied into a bun on the top of her head. Her brown eyes showed the loving touch of a grandmother. She was a somewhat plump old gal, but it didn't seem to slow down one bit. She came gliding up to the two with the grace of a swan. "You have my permission. I'll have those giggling little gossipers do your chores. Babbling on about this fine young man here, how unlady-like!" The old woman, who appeared to be the head of the servants walked off, shouting orders at the ladies peering around the corner.
"Thank you, Neeti!" She called after the head maid.
"Think nothing of it, dear!" Neeti called back. She then started shouting at the girls again to get back to work, startling Sage. 'Wow, I'm glad that I'm nae one o' them at this particular moment.' He thought.
"So, shall we?" Sage said a little more confidently, holding out his hand.
After Emily took Sage's hand, both of them strolled out into the courtyard.
******
The sky was clear and the moon shone brightly in the sky, accompanied brightly with thousands of stars. The fountain, shooting up water, reflected the moon's rays. The couple, holding each other's hands were the only ones present in the courtyard.
"So," Sage asked, looking down at her. He was taller than her by a head. "What's your name?"
"Emily, Emily al'Miere, but most everyone calls me Em."
Sage thought her voice matched her face with it's beauty. "Mine is Sage, Sage McIntire, an' I am most honored tae meet ye." Sage said, stopping and kissing her hand.
It was then that Sage heard evil laughter behind him. "Mwahahaha, has our dress-man found a pretty?"
Turning, Sage saw ten moblins and a huge example of a man. He stood at least seven feet tall, by Sage's guess. With tan, nearly copper skin and blood red hair that matched his cape hanging from his shoulders. His yellow, evil eyes matched his evil laugh and his shoulders were as wide as an axe handle's length. His legs were that of treetrunks and his arms seemed hard as stone.
As Sage shielded Emily behind his right arm, he scowled at the man. "An' just wha the hell are ye?"
With a smile that could be only described as pure evil, the man answered. "My name is Ganon, and soon I will be ruling over you."
"Fat chance!" Sage shot back.
With molbins drooling for the possibility of violence, Ganon continued, ignoring Sage's remark. "I have seen your...prowress on the battlefield, and I think you would make an excellent addition to my army. What do you say?" Sage's sneer answered Ganon's question. "Hmmm, very well, if you are not with me, then then you are against me." The moblins started getting even more excited, they knew what was coming next.
Sage darted his eyes at each of the moblins, waiting. He then flung his boot knife and struck an ugly moblin right in-between the eyes with it. Before the molbin hit the ground Sage had kicked the teeth in of another one, spattering it's blood on his boot.
Then, as a molbin was about to strike Sage with his club, he heard a feminine voice call out "Balefire!" and the charred corpse of the moblin fell to the ground beside Sage. Sage turned his head, and saw Emily looking at her hands, steam rising from them, with a look of disbelief.
"E-Emily?" Sage asked amazed. "How?"
She started to answer, but never got the chance. Her eyes slammed shut and her body fell in a heap to the gound. A moblin smiling and looking down with a club in his hand, stood behind her unconscious body.
Before he could get to his new found love, Sage felt a pressure to the back of his head and blackness fell upon him. The last thing he heard was a hideous laughing.
