Slowly, Auldric picked his way silently through the dank, dark tunnels of the Moblin underworld. Somewhere in the maze of tunnels, a drop of water fell to the floor with a faint 'plop!'
Ahead of him, he could see the faint shimmer of light against the darkness. That was his prey. If he squinted he could barely make out the shapes of two men leading two horses.
One of them, Link, the Hero of Hyrule, would soon die by this sword, Auldric swore, hefting in his hand the mighty Master Sword that had until recently been in the possession of Link.
The other man was the former knight, Vincent, of Calatia. Auldric had no qualms with him, but he would surely meet the same fate as his companion should he get in the way.
"Follow them and report to me everything they do." That was what Trine had said. Follow them. Do not be seen. Do not attack. What did Trine think he was? A loyal dog? Auldric would follow the instruction only as far as he wanted. As soon as a suitable situation arose, Link would die. No one, not even Trine, could stop that.
That time would come soon enough. Eventually, the two heroes would be apart from each other for long enough to allow Auldric to kill his enemy. Patience. That was all he needed.
Silently, he crept forward through the tunnel, following in Link's path, constantly watching.
For almost a day now, Link and Vincent had been underground, walking the amazing tunnels of the Moblins. Who would have thought that these tunnels could exist under whole countries without anyone noticing them?
And it was all thanks to Vincent's father, Gregory. The old wizard was said to have accomplished many great things in his life, but to Link, none were nearly as splendid as these tunnels. Apparently, after the great Sunian War, Gregory had taken a stance against the Calatian doctrine of slavery. Even though he had fought alongside the king, Eridanus, Gregory could not sway the Calatian thought. So he began taking in runaway slaves. Not long after that, he began working on what the old man had called his dream: a haven for Moblins. When Link and Zelda had visited the so called 'Underworld', it had been a thriving cavern filled with thousands of Moblins, each working on bettering the city, and expanding the myriad of tunnels that crisscrossed the world.
That time in the Underworld had been the first time Link had met Vincent. As the son of Gregory, he had been avidly against the slavery that the Calatians took for granted. Unfortunately, he had taken a different approach to freedom. A former Calatian knight, Vincent had always solved problems with brute force. This ideology was what had caused a rift in his relationship with Gregory. The old mage insisted on a peaceful resistance, taking only slaves who ran from their masters. Vincent, on the other hand took what slaves he saw and killed their owners. Both men had the right ideals at heart, but went about it in such different ways that they could hardly stand to be in the same room together for long.
Such as it was in Calatia, it was no wonder Vincent had asked to join Link and Zelda on their journey back to their homeland. He wanted to flee from under his father's gaze for a time as well as see a new land that was free of slavery- a land which he hoped Calatia would be like in the future.
As Link snapped out of his thoughts, the tunnel grew immensely wider suddenly. Looking around, Link noticed that they had entered a large room, dimly lit by their torches.
"Where are we?" he asked of his companion.
Vincent looked around. "We must be near the old mines in the mountains. Be careful, the tunnels here are very ancient and could crumble in an instant if disturbed. Watch your horse."
Link looked behind him to see his steed moving about nervously, edging near the frail wall.
"Whoa there, Silvermane. Whoa," Link tightened his grip on the horse's reigns and looked her in the eye. "What's the matter, girl?"
Glancing over at Vincent's steed, Winter, Link noticed that he, too, seemed to be nervous about something.
"Vincent?" Link whispered.
The knight held up his hand and nodded, looking about him.
Aside from the horses, nothing moved in the room, not even a breeze. The dusty, stale air just hung about the room like a giant invisible curtain. Link's eyes darted this way and that, searching the gloom for any signs of movement, or the darkened shadow of a creature. His ears stretched to hear any noise that may come from the room. Nothing. The minutes passed silently. Still nothing.
Then he heard it.
At the far ends of his hearing, Link heard a slight whisper of something small scurry around in the blackness.
Looking to Vincent, Link pointed in the direction of the noise and slowly, the two advanced, Link taking the right, Vincent the left.
Muttering a spell of protection under his breath, the Hylian drew his sword and stopped moving. Again listening in silence, Link heard the scurrying again.
Changing their positions, the two men again advanced on their prey. After a few more steps Link paused, listened, and then threw his torch down onto the ground several feet from him. The torch splintered in a flash of light, sending burning embers scattering throughout the room. In the split second the room was illuminated, Link caught a glimpse of the animal. It looked unlike anything the hero had ever seen before.
Before his eyes, as they readjusted themselves from the flash of light, the creature seemed to glow dimly in the dark. A small ball of colourful light that looked almost transparent.
Vincent clucked and sheathed his blade. "It's only a Zol," he said. "It's harmless."
To prove his point, he kicked it lightly with his boot. The glowing ball distorted with the impact and rolled across the floor. It came to a slow halt and wobbled slightly, as if it was made of jell-o. Two shiny eyes blinked at Link. After a moment the Zol seemed to gather it's senses and rolled off, leaving a small trail in the dust on the floor.
The danger having passed, Link also sheathed his sword and gathered the reigns of Silvermane. Vincent did likewise with Winter. The two men continues on their way.
After several more minutes, Link noticed that the walls had become very old and fragile and looked very different from the walls of the Moblin tunnels.
"Are we in the mines?"
"Yes," said Vincent, nodding. "Underneath the Eridani Mountains."
Link looked worriedly around him. "Under the mountains..." That did not sound too good. Mountains were for going over, not under. "Who built these mines?"
Vincent shrugged. "I suppose some ancient miners. We found some mining equipment in some of these tunnels when we were digging the Underworld."
"Where did the miners go?"
Again a shrug. "I do not know. Maybe they could no longer find anything to mine here and moved on."
As the duo walked on, they passed another Zol who was busy crawling into a small hole in the wall. Silvermane noticed this and reared slightly in surprise. As she did, her flanks brushed against the wall of the ancient tunnel.
"Whoa!" Link cried, grabbing the reigns and trying to clam the beast. Somewhere down the tunnel a rock fell in a clatter of dust and pebbles.
Vincent looked worriedly around. Somewhere in his gut, something was trembling. As the horse grew calm again, the rumbling grew. More rock fell.
"Link..." he said.
The Hylian looked at him in the dim light of the torches. "What?"
"I think we should run. Fast."
Link looked around as Vincent started off down the tunnel at a quickening pace with Winter. The tunnel shook and a loud thunder resounded through the shaft. A pebble fell on Link's head.
"Oh, shit," he said under his breath and quickly followed the knight.
Soon, with the two men hurrying down the tunnel with their mounts, the thunder grew and a cloud of dust came rushing up behind them. It quickly surpassed them and continued down the corridor, leaving Link and Vincent covered in dust and grime. Their horses were not much better. In a final thunderclap, the tunnel shook and was still.
After a few silent minutes, a small light flared to life. Link, his torch having been snuffed in the dust cloud, had ignited a light spell. Looking around, the hero crawled out of the layer of debris that covered him and the floor. Finding a hand, he helped his companion up and brushed him off.
"Well, that was exciting," Link said sarcastically.
"Damn horse," Vincent muttered, giving Silvermane a steely gaze. The horse carried itself in such a way that if a horse could grin, she would have done so. Damn animals.
The knight looked around in the gloom.
The companions were in a small alcove built into the wall of another room. This room was much bigger than the one they had entered earlier, but also in much more disrepair. At one end was the tunnel which they had just ran through, the floor covered in debris, and at the other end was a semicircular wall with three tunnels leading from it.
Link also noticed these tunnels.
"Which one do we take?" he asked.
Vincent looked carefully at each one before answering. "I don't know."
Link almost felt his jaw hit the floor. "What?!" the young man screamed, incredulous at this turn of events. "I thought you knew where you were going!"
"I do know where I am going!" shouted the knight, turning on the Hylian. "We must have missed a turn when we were running." He glared at Link. "Running because of your idiotic horse!" he added.
Link held Silvermane's head lovingly. "She is not idiotic! She was just frightened by that thing back there!"
Vincent and Link stared at each other in the dim light of Link's light spell.
Eventually, after what seemed like hours to the heroes, Link backed down. "This is getting us nowhere. We need to get out of here and arguing is not going to do that."
Vincent looked back at the tunnels. "You are right, of course. We must keep our priorities. First we must find our way out, then we can argue all we want."
Link smiled and joined his friend looking at the three tunnels. "So which one?"
The knight walked to each doorway and stood for several minutes, straining his senses for any hint of recollection or even of hope that one would lead out of the maze of tunnels.
"Listen," he said, standing in front of the left tunnel.
Link approached the tunnel and stood still, listening. Several minutes passed and he heard nothing. "What...?" he started, but as the words left his mouth, his ears picked up a very faint shimmer of sound, far off in the depths of the mine.
"Water?" he asked.
Vincent nodded and walked back to Winter, gathering the reigns. "That is what it sounds like. The horses could do with some fresh water, anyway."
Together, the Hylian and the Human guided their mounts down the small tunnel, the sound of running water steadily growing louder until, at last, they emerged from the small corridor into another room that took their breath away.
The tunnel let out into a small platform that was but a tiny peninsula in a giant lake of crystal clear water. All around the giant cave, tiny white and blue lights in the walls flashed some unknown dance and reflected light onto a magnificent blue waterfall that cascaded from some point in the dark ceiling into the lake creating a light mist of water and sending large ripples scattering through the lake, its waters lightly lapping at the sides of the cavern. The roar of the waterfall enveloped the travellers and deafened them.
After several moments of stunned silence, Link said simply, "Wow." Vincent nodded.
Quietly, the two helped their horses to the rim of the lake and then took out what little food they had taken with them. It was not much, but at their current rate of travel, Calatia should be under their feet in the afternoon of the next day.
"So you have never been down here before?" Link asked Vincent, biting into a small loaf of bread.
Vincent shook his head and took a sip of wine. "No, never."
Link nodded and looked around the cavern in wonder. Such a marvellous creation of Nature. It was always humbling to see such a thing as the greatness of Mother Nature, for when compared to the splendour of Her, nothing Man creates can begin to compare. Letting his hand drift listlessly in the cool waters beside him, Link's mind began to travel; back to when he had last seen such amazing beauty.
More than two years ago, the young nephew of a woodcutter, Link- a well liked boy in the small town of Kakariko- was woken one stormy night to the sound of voices. Getting out of bed, Link had seen his uncle strapping on armour. Link had watched as the man had gone out into pouring rain in the middle of the night carrying a sword and shield. Link could remember wondering as to what was going on- hearing voices one minute, his uncle leaving suddenly looking like he was going to battle, it was all just a little too strange.
Help me!
Again the voice called to him. A girl's voice; a voice that sounded like heaven itself. A voice that wanted help.
It had not been long before Link had followed his uncle out into the storm, urged by the strange girl's ethereal voice. The young boy had wandered through the land many miles in pouring rain, guided only by the strange voice, until he had finally arrived at Hyrule Castle. He could remember looking in awe at the high battlements, the towering walls, and the gorgeous craftsmanship of the Hylian capitol.
Finding a secret entrance into the castle, Link had seen his uncle, mortally wounded, collapsed against a wall in a heap.
"Link! Save the princess, the princess Zelda. You are her only hope! Please!" His uncle's last words had etched themselves into Link's young brain and had driven him to complete the final wishes of his livelong guardian who had been more than a parent, but also a friend, a mentor, a brother. His uncle had been his entire life before that night, and, seeing the old man slumped against the wall covered in blood, Link's whole world had come crashing down on him. No longer would the two of them be able to have long talks by the fire about anything and everything under the Sun; no longer would they be able to take walks in the woods, marking trees for the next day's work and enjoying the peacefulness of Nature; no longer would they be able to go to see the theatre troupe that came into town every summer; no longer would his uncle be there waiting to hand out useful advice about the world and it's workings; no longer could they be together.
To fill the void where his uncle's place had been in his life, Link had relentlessly pursued the man who had caused his uncle's death: Ganon. Walking the endless halls of the castle, breathing hatred and thinking vengeance, Link had fought his way into the castle dungeons and eventually came to the cell block where Zelda was being held by the wizard Agahnim, who himself was in the hands of Ganon. It was then that Link had first seen the princess and, even though they had just met, had fallen in love with her. Her beautiful hair fell like a halo around her head, her brilliant blue eyes ignited fires deep within Link's young chest, her lips speaking melodious notes of words, sounding more wonderful than anything Link had ever heard before. She was perfect, a vision of beauty personified. It was at that point that his life slowly began to revolve around hers.
From that ghastly night, many years ago, Link and Zelda had been through much together. As the years passed, their friendship grew stronger and stronger. She had helped him through the months after Ganon's death when he had been almost suicidally depressed. While the demon had been alive, Link had at least a purpose to his life: to avenge his uncle's death and save Hyrule. After killing Ganon, Link had had no point to live, until Zelda had shown him how much there was he could do to better himself, Hyrule, and those around him. Then it was Link's turn to help the land as the magician, Grundel, had attacked Hyrule. The old man had been killed thanks to Link, and the boy had felt as if he had been reborn; he had new purpose.
After that, there was the rebuilding of the city to attend to and Link had been kept busy until the king had suddenly become ill and died violently. Mira had been placed in control of Hyrule with Zelda and her protector taken on as counsellors. It was then that the priest, Rothe, had appeared and summoned the evil faerie, Vaun. Luckily, Link had destroyed the faerie before any physical harm could have befallen the land, but there had been one casualty: a girl's heart had been broken.
Link had been thrust back in time to an ancient Hyrule, shortly after confronting Vaun for the first time. In that Hyrule, the hero had met the farm girl Malon. Unfortunately, they had fallen in love, but they both knew that Link could not stay; his own Hyrule- the future Hyrule- needed saving. He could not be with her. So he had left, but not after Malon had given him several parting gifts, of which the tunic he was currently wearing was one of. Another was the ring pendent that he wore on his neck.
Malon had said the ring had belonged to her mother and was for luck and protection, and so far, Link had to admit, nothing terrible had befallen him.
Malon... She was the only girl who had ever rivalled Zelda in his heart. She was by far the kindest, most loving person Link had ever known, while Zelda was the most beautiful and noble person he had even known. They both had their quirks that made them special in the young man's eye. Malon had an unstoppable mouth and Zelda was often snobby and acted like a spoiled little princess. He loved them both.
Yet one thought kept jumping into his mind: Zelda was a princess.
While Link may have saved Hyrule from almost certain destruction and had protected Zelda for the past several years, he was still a commoner. Commoners did not marry princesses. That is the way of things, Gerrik had once told him, taking him aside one day shortly after he had been appointed royal protector. Royals married other royals, possibly even nobles, but never peasants.
Gerrik had been like a father to Link after his uncle had died, and the boy had known that his king was only trying to protect him from possible ridicule and embarrassment and scandal. Since that day, Link had never shown his true feelings for Zelda, but he was sure that she felt the same way about him. There had been many moments over the years that she had hinted at her love of him, but she also knew what princesses were to do; marry princes.
Unfortunately, while the chances of him marrying Zelda were almost impossible, the chances of meeting Malon again were unbelievable. If he wanted to stay with the farm girl, he would have to leave everything behind and start his life over again. Could he do that? Just leave everything he had worked for and go live a happy life?
No. Not while things here were such a mess. Trine did not deserve the Hylian throne, Zelda did. Until Zelda was sitting securely on the throne, Link could not abandon her. She needed him- the world needed him, if Trine was truly as ambitious as Link suspected him of being. There was more going on behind the boy's face than just thoughts of nobility. Why else would he have had Auldric brainwashed into killing him?
Auldric. What had happened to him? Link had once considered the boy as succeeding him as royal protector someday. Auldric had been like a brother to Link and his apprentice and friend. What could have happened to make him turn on Link like he had? What had Trine done to him?
The face of Auldric two days ago, as he had attempted to kill Link, was still frozen in the boy's mind. His face contorted in rage and hatred was frightening to Link. If even his best friend could turn against him, nothing was certain anymore.
Link felt a light pulling on his chest and looked down to see the ring pendent Malon had given him shortly before they had parted ways. Well, there was one certainty at least. He could never forget Malon. Idly, he rubbed it gently, thinking of the girl who had rivalled Zelda. This ring had been special to the farm girl, and it had become equally special to Link. This ring was the constant reminder of the one time in the past few years when he was truly happy and content. This plain, golden ring was the most treasured possession he had- more so than the Master Sword. This ring was a tangible memory, frozen in time, doomed to forever repeat itself in Link's mind in a continuous circle of love and happiness.
Link snapped out of his reverie and looked to Vincent. The knight was lying calmly on the ground of the small peninsula sleeping soundly. Somewhere to Link's left, the horses shuffled their feet and lapped up some water. The drone of the waterfall numbed Link's ears and soothed his mind of the troubles of his life. This cavern was peaceful.
Sighing loudly and tucking the ring under his tunic, Link leaned back and closed his eyes, still listening to the water all around him. It was not long before he drifted off to the sweet bliss of sleep.
Link awoke to see Vincent getting the horses ready for another day of travelling. Noticing the movement, Vincent said, "Sleep well?"
The Hylian nodded, rose and stretched. He had slept remarkably well, despite the roar of the waterfall and the hard bed of rock. He felt refreshed.
Not long after he had woken up, Link and his companion headed off along a narrow pathway that curved up and around the giant cavernous walls. Only wide enough for them to travel single file, Vincent led the way.
After more than three hours climb, the small group finally reached the end of the path. Now, well over three hundred feet above the lake, the narrow path turned sharply to the side and burrowed itself into the wall, forming a small tunnel.
"Look ahead," the knight said.
Link craned his neck to see around the horses and his companion. There, at the other end of the small tunnel was a shimmer of light.
After more than two days underground, this bright beam of heaven was a wonder to Link's eyes, and he urged Vincent onwards. Slowly, the two guided their horses through the narrow passage and halted at the end, where the ceiling had opened to reveal a beautifully blue sky. The floor of the hall tilted upwards gently and met with the ground outside.
Waiting for Vincent to step out into the fresh air, Link moved passed the knight's horse and followed his companion. Stepping out into the warm glow of the sun, the Hylian shielded his eyes and looked around.
What he saw made his breath catch in his throat.
The tunnel had opened out onto a small stone platform that overlooked a sea of clouds and mountaintop islands. Above was only the clear blue sky and below was only the soft white blanket of fog. In the distance, a small flock of birds glided on a cooling breeze that whipped at Link's face. On either side of the men, the Eridani Mountains stretched as far as they could see, their peaks rising to meet the Gods.
"Beautiful," the Hylian heard himself say.
Vincent could only nod, so taken was he by the sheer magnificence of the view.
The two stood staring at the immense painting before them for several more minutes, before the knight finally tore his gaze away and took in his immediate surroundings. They were standing on a small flat deck of stone and mortar that was built into the mountain side. On the right side of this platform was a narrow path leading down into the clouds. Both the path and the deck looked as if they had not been touched in hundreds of years. They had probably been in the use of those who had created the mines.
"Which way is Calatia?" Link asked, finally free of his awe.
Vincent looked around and gazed toward the sun. "That way," he said, pointing off to their right.
Link looked in that direction, but could see nothing that could confirm his companion's decision. Shrugging, he said simply,: "Fine by me. Let's get going."
With that, they gathered their horses, and started down the path hoping to reach Calatia before nightfall.
Somewhere in what was left of the tunnel, something moved.
A rock fell from it's perch and crashed to the ground, revealing a bruised and battered hand. Carefully, the hand moved small boulders this way and that until there was enough space for the body attached to the hand to free itself of what could have been it's grave.
The owner of the hand -and the body- was not happy. He tightened his grip on the Master Sword and started off again after his prey.
Ahead of him, he could see the faint shimmer of light against the darkness. That was his prey. If he squinted he could barely make out the shapes of two men leading two horses.
One of them, Link, the Hero of Hyrule, would soon die by this sword, Auldric swore, hefting in his hand the mighty Master Sword that had until recently been in the possession of Link.
The other man was the former knight, Vincent, of Calatia. Auldric had no qualms with him, but he would surely meet the same fate as his companion should he get in the way.
"Follow them and report to me everything they do." That was what Trine had said. Follow them. Do not be seen. Do not attack. What did Trine think he was? A loyal dog? Auldric would follow the instruction only as far as he wanted. As soon as a suitable situation arose, Link would die. No one, not even Trine, could stop that.
That time would come soon enough. Eventually, the two heroes would be apart from each other for long enough to allow Auldric to kill his enemy. Patience. That was all he needed.
Silently, he crept forward through the tunnel, following in Link's path, constantly watching.
For almost a day now, Link and Vincent had been underground, walking the amazing tunnels of the Moblins. Who would have thought that these tunnels could exist under whole countries without anyone noticing them?
And it was all thanks to Vincent's father, Gregory. The old wizard was said to have accomplished many great things in his life, but to Link, none were nearly as splendid as these tunnels. Apparently, after the great Sunian War, Gregory had taken a stance against the Calatian doctrine of slavery. Even though he had fought alongside the king, Eridanus, Gregory could not sway the Calatian thought. So he began taking in runaway slaves. Not long after that, he began working on what the old man had called his dream: a haven for Moblins. When Link and Zelda had visited the so called 'Underworld', it had been a thriving cavern filled with thousands of Moblins, each working on bettering the city, and expanding the myriad of tunnels that crisscrossed the world.
That time in the Underworld had been the first time Link had met Vincent. As the son of Gregory, he had been avidly against the slavery that the Calatians took for granted. Unfortunately, he had taken a different approach to freedom. A former Calatian knight, Vincent had always solved problems with brute force. This ideology was what had caused a rift in his relationship with Gregory. The old mage insisted on a peaceful resistance, taking only slaves who ran from their masters. Vincent, on the other hand took what slaves he saw and killed their owners. Both men had the right ideals at heart, but went about it in such different ways that they could hardly stand to be in the same room together for long.
Such as it was in Calatia, it was no wonder Vincent had asked to join Link and Zelda on their journey back to their homeland. He wanted to flee from under his father's gaze for a time as well as see a new land that was free of slavery- a land which he hoped Calatia would be like in the future.
As Link snapped out of his thoughts, the tunnel grew immensely wider suddenly. Looking around, Link noticed that they had entered a large room, dimly lit by their torches.
"Where are we?" he asked of his companion.
Vincent looked around. "We must be near the old mines in the mountains. Be careful, the tunnels here are very ancient and could crumble in an instant if disturbed. Watch your horse."
Link looked behind him to see his steed moving about nervously, edging near the frail wall.
"Whoa there, Silvermane. Whoa," Link tightened his grip on the horse's reigns and looked her in the eye. "What's the matter, girl?"
Glancing over at Vincent's steed, Winter, Link noticed that he, too, seemed to be nervous about something.
"Vincent?" Link whispered.
The knight held up his hand and nodded, looking about him.
Aside from the horses, nothing moved in the room, not even a breeze. The dusty, stale air just hung about the room like a giant invisible curtain. Link's eyes darted this way and that, searching the gloom for any signs of movement, or the darkened shadow of a creature. His ears stretched to hear any noise that may come from the room. Nothing. The minutes passed silently. Still nothing.
Then he heard it.
At the far ends of his hearing, Link heard a slight whisper of something small scurry around in the blackness.
Looking to Vincent, Link pointed in the direction of the noise and slowly, the two advanced, Link taking the right, Vincent the left.
Muttering a spell of protection under his breath, the Hylian drew his sword and stopped moving. Again listening in silence, Link heard the scurrying again.
Changing their positions, the two men again advanced on their prey. After a few more steps Link paused, listened, and then threw his torch down onto the ground several feet from him. The torch splintered in a flash of light, sending burning embers scattering throughout the room. In the split second the room was illuminated, Link caught a glimpse of the animal. It looked unlike anything the hero had ever seen before.
Before his eyes, as they readjusted themselves from the flash of light, the creature seemed to glow dimly in the dark. A small ball of colourful light that looked almost transparent.
Vincent clucked and sheathed his blade. "It's only a Zol," he said. "It's harmless."
To prove his point, he kicked it lightly with his boot. The glowing ball distorted with the impact and rolled across the floor. It came to a slow halt and wobbled slightly, as if it was made of jell-o. Two shiny eyes blinked at Link. After a moment the Zol seemed to gather it's senses and rolled off, leaving a small trail in the dust on the floor.
The danger having passed, Link also sheathed his sword and gathered the reigns of Silvermane. Vincent did likewise with Winter. The two men continues on their way.
After several more minutes, Link noticed that the walls had become very old and fragile and looked very different from the walls of the Moblin tunnels.
"Are we in the mines?"
"Yes," said Vincent, nodding. "Underneath the Eridani Mountains."
Link looked worriedly around him. "Under the mountains..." That did not sound too good. Mountains were for going over, not under. "Who built these mines?"
Vincent shrugged. "I suppose some ancient miners. We found some mining equipment in some of these tunnels when we were digging the Underworld."
"Where did the miners go?"
Again a shrug. "I do not know. Maybe they could no longer find anything to mine here and moved on."
As the duo walked on, they passed another Zol who was busy crawling into a small hole in the wall. Silvermane noticed this and reared slightly in surprise. As she did, her flanks brushed against the wall of the ancient tunnel.
"Whoa!" Link cried, grabbing the reigns and trying to clam the beast. Somewhere down the tunnel a rock fell in a clatter of dust and pebbles.
Vincent looked worriedly around. Somewhere in his gut, something was trembling. As the horse grew calm again, the rumbling grew. More rock fell.
"Link..." he said.
The Hylian looked at him in the dim light of the torches. "What?"
"I think we should run. Fast."
Link looked around as Vincent started off down the tunnel at a quickening pace with Winter. The tunnel shook and a loud thunder resounded through the shaft. A pebble fell on Link's head.
"Oh, shit," he said under his breath and quickly followed the knight.
Soon, with the two men hurrying down the tunnel with their mounts, the thunder grew and a cloud of dust came rushing up behind them. It quickly surpassed them and continued down the corridor, leaving Link and Vincent covered in dust and grime. Their horses were not much better. In a final thunderclap, the tunnel shook and was still.
After a few silent minutes, a small light flared to life. Link, his torch having been snuffed in the dust cloud, had ignited a light spell. Looking around, the hero crawled out of the layer of debris that covered him and the floor. Finding a hand, he helped his companion up and brushed him off.
"Well, that was exciting," Link said sarcastically.
"Damn horse," Vincent muttered, giving Silvermane a steely gaze. The horse carried itself in such a way that if a horse could grin, she would have done so. Damn animals.
The knight looked around in the gloom.
The companions were in a small alcove built into the wall of another room. This room was much bigger than the one they had entered earlier, but also in much more disrepair. At one end was the tunnel which they had just ran through, the floor covered in debris, and at the other end was a semicircular wall with three tunnels leading from it.
Link also noticed these tunnels.
"Which one do we take?" he asked.
Vincent looked carefully at each one before answering. "I don't know."
Link almost felt his jaw hit the floor. "What?!" the young man screamed, incredulous at this turn of events. "I thought you knew where you were going!"
"I do know where I am going!" shouted the knight, turning on the Hylian. "We must have missed a turn when we were running." He glared at Link. "Running because of your idiotic horse!" he added.
Link held Silvermane's head lovingly. "She is not idiotic! She was just frightened by that thing back there!"
Vincent and Link stared at each other in the dim light of Link's light spell.
Eventually, after what seemed like hours to the heroes, Link backed down. "This is getting us nowhere. We need to get out of here and arguing is not going to do that."
Vincent looked back at the tunnels. "You are right, of course. We must keep our priorities. First we must find our way out, then we can argue all we want."
Link smiled and joined his friend looking at the three tunnels. "So which one?"
The knight walked to each doorway and stood for several minutes, straining his senses for any hint of recollection or even of hope that one would lead out of the maze of tunnels.
"Listen," he said, standing in front of the left tunnel.
Link approached the tunnel and stood still, listening. Several minutes passed and he heard nothing. "What...?" he started, but as the words left his mouth, his ears picked up a very faint shimmer of sound, far off in the depths of the mine.
"Water?" he asked.
Vincent nodded and walked back to Winter, gathering the reigns. "That is what it sounds like. The horses could do with some fresh water, anyway."
Together, the Hylian and the Human guided their mounts down the small tunnel, the sound of running water steadily growing louder until, at last, they emerged from the small corridor into another room that took their breath away.
The tunnel let out into a small platform that was but a tiny peninsula in a giant lake of crystal clear water. All around the giant cave, tiny white and blue lights in the walls flashed some unknown dance and reflected light onto a magnificent blue waterfall that cascaded from some point in the dark ceiling into the lake creating a light mist of water and sending large ripples scattering through the lake, its waters lightly lapping at the sides of the cavern. The roar of the waterfall enveloped the travellers and deafened them.
After several moments of stunned silence, Link said simply, "Wow." Vincent nodded.
Quietly, the two helped their horses to the rim of the lake and then took out what little food they had taken with them. It was not much, but at their current rate of travel, Calatia should be under their feet in the afternoon of the next day.
"So you have never been down here before?" Link asked Vincent, biting into a small loaf of bread.
Vincent shook his head and took a sip of wine. "No, never."
Link nodded and looked around the cavern in wonder. Such a marvellous creation of Nature. It was always humbling to see such a thing as the greatness of Mother Nature, for when compared to the splendour of Her, nothing Man creates can begin to compare. Letting his hand drift listlessly in the cool waters beside him, Link's mind began to travel; back to when he had last seen such amazing beauty.
More than two years ago, the young nephew of a woodcutter, Link- a well liked boy in the small town of Kakariko- was woken one stormy night to the sound of voices. Getting out of bed, Link had seen his uncle strapping on armour. Link had watched as the man had gone out into pouring rain in the middle of the night carrying a sword and shield. Link could remember wondering as to what was going on- hearing voices one minute, his uncle leaving suddenly looking like he was going to battle, it was all just a little too strange.
Help me!
Again the voice called to him. A girl's voice; a voice that sounded like heaven itself. A voice that wanted help.
It had not been long before Link had followed his uncle out into the storm, urged by the strange girl's ethereal voice. The young boy had wandered through the land many miles in pouring rain, guided only by the strange voice, until he had finally arrived at Hyrule Castle. He could remember looking in awe at the high battlements, the towering walls, and the gorgeous craftsmanship of the Hylian capitol.
Finding a secret entrance into the castle, Link had seen his uncle, mortally wounded, collapsed against a wall in a heap.
"Link! Save the princess, the princess Zelda. You are her only hope! Please!" His uncle's last words had etched themselves into Link's young brain and had driven him to complete the final wishes of his livelong guardian who had been more than a parent, but also a friend, a mentor, a brother. His uncle had been his entire life before that night, and, seeing the old man slumped against the wall covered in blood, Link's whole world had come crashing down on him. No longer would the two of them be able to have long talks by the fire about anything and everything under the Sun; no longer would they be able to take walks in the woods, marking trees for the next day's work and enjoying the peacefulness of Nature; no longer would they be able to go to see the theatre troupe that came into town every summer; no longer would his uncle be there waiting to hand out useful advice about the world and it's workings; no longer could they be together.
To fill the void where his uncle's place had been in his life, Link had relentlessly pursued the man who had caused his uncle's death: Ganon. Walking the endless halls of the castle, breathing hatred and thinking vengeance, Link had fought his way into the castle dungeons and eventually came to the cell block where Zelda was being held by the wizard Agahnim, who himself was in the hands of Ganon. It was then that Link had first seen the princess and, even though they had just met, had fallen in love with her. Her beautiful hair fell like a halo around her head, her brilliant blue eyes ignited fires deep within Link's young chest, her lips speaking melodious notes of words, sounding more wonderful than anything Link had ever heard before. She was perfect, a vision of beauty personified. It was at that point that his life slowly began to revolve around hers.
From that ghastly night, many years ago, Link and Zelda had been through much together. As the years passed, their friendship grew stronger and stronger. She had helped him through the months after Ganon's death when he had been almost suicidally depressed. While the demon had been alive, Link had at least a purpose to his life: to avenge his uncle's death and save Hyrule. After killing Ganon, Link had had no point to live, until Zelda had shown him how much there was he could do to better himself, Hyrule, and those around him. Then it was Link's turn to help the land as the magician, Grundel, had attacked Hyrule. The old man had been killed thanks to Link, and the boy had felt as if he had been reborn; he had new purpose.
After that, there was the rebuilding of the city to attend to and Link had been kept busy until the king had suddenly become ill and died violently. Mira had been placed in control of Hyrule with Zelda and her protector taken on as counsellors. It was then that the priest, Rothe, had appeared and summoned the evil faerie, Vaun. Luckily, Link had destroyed the faerie before any physical harm could have befallen the land, but there had been one casualty: a girl's heart had been broken.
Link had been thrust back in time to an ancient Hyrule, shortly after confronting Vaun for the first time. In that Hyrule, the hero had met the farm girl Malon. Unfortunately, they had fallen in love, but they both knew that Link could not stay; his own Hyrule- the future Hyrule- needed saving. He could not be with her. So he had left, but not after Malon had given him several parting gifts, of which the tunic he was currently wearing was one of. Another was the ring pendent that he wore on his neck.
Malon had said the ring had belonged to her mother and was for luck and protection, and so far, Link had to admit, nothing terrible had befallen him.
Malon... She was the only girl who had ever rivalled Zelda in his heart. She was by far the kindest, most loving person Link had ever known, while Zelda was the most beautiful and noble person he had even known. They both had their quirks that made them special in the young man's eye. Malon had an unstoppable mouth and Zelda was often snobby and acted like a spoiled little princess. He loved them both.
Yet one thought kept jumping into his mind: Zelda was a princess.
While Link may have saved Hyrule from almost certain destruction and had protected Zelda for the past several years, he was still a commoner. Commoners did not marry princesses. That is the way of things, Gerrik had once told him, taking him aside one day shortly after he had been appointed royal protector. Royals married other royals, possibly even nobles, but never peasants.
Gerrik had been like a father to Link after his uncle had died, and the boy had known that his king was only trying to protect him from possible ridicule and embarrassment and scandal. Since that day, Link had never shown his true feelings for Zelda, but he was sure that she felt the same way about him. There had been many moments over the years that she had hinted at her love of him, but she also knew what princesses were to do; marry princes.
Unfortunately, while the chances of him marrying Zelda were almost impossible, the chances of meeting Malon again were unbelievable. If he wanted to stay with the farm girl, he would have to leave everything behind and start his life over again. Could he do that? Just leave everything he had worked for and go live a happy life?
No. Not while things here were such a mess. Trine did not deserve the Hylian throne, Zelda did. Until Zelda was sitting securely on the throne, Link could not abandon her. She needed him- the world needed him, if Trine was truly as ambitious as Link suspected him of being. There was more going on behind the boy's face than just thoughts of nobility. Why else would he have had Auldric brainwashed into killing him?
Auldric. What had happened to him? Link had once considered the boy as succeeding him as royal protector someday. Auldric had been like a brother to Link and his apprentice and friend. What could have happened to make him turn on Link like he had? What had Trine done to him?
The face of Auldric two days ago, as he had attempted to kill Link, was still frozen in the boy's mind. His face contorted in rage and hatred was frightening to Link. If even his best friend could turn against him, nothing was certain anymore.
Link felt a light pulling on his chest and looked down to see the ring pendent Malon had given him shortly before they had parted ways. Well, there was one certainty at least. He could never forget Malon. Idly, he rubbed it gently, thinking of the girl who had rivalled Zelda. This ring had been special to the farm girl, and it had become equally special to Link. This ring was the constant reminder of the one time in the past few years when he was truly happy and content. This plain, golden ring was the most treasured possession he had- more so than the Master Sword. This ring was a tangible memory, frozen in time, doomed to forever repeat itself in Link's mind in a continuous circle of love and happiness.
Link snapped out of his reverie and looked to Vincent. The knight was lying calmly on the ground of the small peninsula sleeping soundly. Somewhere to Link's left, the horses shuffled their feet and lapped up some water. The drone of the waterfall numbed Link's ears and soothed his mind of the troubles of his life. This cavern was peaceful.
Sighing loudly and tucking the ring under his tunic, Link leaned back and closed his eyes, still listening to the water all around him. It was not long before he drifted off to the sweet bliss of sleep.
Link awoke to see Vincent getting the horses ready for another day of travelling. Noticing the movement, Vincent said, "Sleep well?"
The Hylian nodded, rose and stretched. He had slept remarkably well, despite the roar of the waterfall and the hard bed of rock. He felt refreshed.
Not long after he had woken up, Link and his companion headed off along a narrow pathway that curved up and around the giant cavernous walls. Only wide enough for them to travel single file, Vincent led the way.
After more than three hours climb, the small group finally reached the end of the path. Now, well over three hundred feet above the lake, the narrow path turned sharply to the side and burrowed itself into the wall, forming a small tunnel.
"Look ahead," the knight said.
Link craned his neck to see around the horses and his companion. There, at the other end of the small tunnel was a shimmer of light.
After more than two days underground, this bright beam of heaven was a wonder to Link's eyes, and he urged Vincent onwards. Slowly, the two guided their horses through the narrow passage and halted at the end, where the ceiling had opened to reveal a beautifully blue sky. The floor of the hall tilted upwards gently and met with the ground outside.
Waiting for Vincent to step out into the fresh air, Link moved passed the knight's horse and followed his companion. Stepping out into the warm glow of the sun, the Hylian shielded his eyes and looked around.
What he saw made his breath catch in his throat.
The tunnel had opened out onto a small stone platform that overlooked a sea of clouds and mountaintop islands. Above was only the clear blue sky and below was only the soft white blanket of fog. In the distance, a small flock of birds glided on a cooling breeze that whipped at Link's face. On either side of the men, the Eridani Mountains stretched as far as they could see, their peaks rising to meet the Gods.
"Beautiful," the Hylian heard himself say.
Vincent could only nod, so taken was he by the sheer magnificence of the view.
The two stood staring at the immense painting before them for several more minutes, before the knight finally tore his gaze away and took in his immediate surroundings. They were standing on a small flat deck of stone and mortar that was built into the mountain side. On the right side of this platform was a narrow path leading down into the clouds. Both the path and the deck looked as if they had not been touched in hundreds of years. They had probably been in the use of those who had created the mines.
"Which way is Calatia?" Link asked, finally free of his awe.
Vincent looked around and gazed toward the sun. "That way," he said, pointing off to their right.
Link looked in that direction, but could see nothing that could confirm his companion's decision. Shrugging, he said simply,: "Fine by me. Let's get going."
With that, they gathered their horses, and started down the path hoping to reach Calatia before nightfall.
Somewhere in what was left of the tunnel, something moved.
A rock fell from it's perch and crashed to the ground, revealing a bruised and battered hand. Carefully, the hand moved small boulders this way and that until there was enough space for the body attached to the hand to free itself of what could have been it's grave.
The owner of the hand -and the body- was not happy. He tightened his grip on the Master Sword and started off again after his prey.