Crystal Tears
The Gathering of Innocents
---
Aghanim's relentless search for a solution to the problem of summoning the seven descendants he required eventually came to an abrupt halt as his stomach informed him that he needed to eat. Cursing lightly under his breath, he realized that he hadn't done so in quite some time, perhaps two days, maybe three. (Damn this mortal body!) He thought viciously, carefully saving his place in the book he had been meticulously poring through for clues. He stood up slowly, stretching his stiff muscles, and couldn't help wondering if the Castle kitchens made anything worth consuming.
When he opened the Library door, he was started to see the young Princess of Hyrule standing there, looking as though she had been about to burst in herself. (Her again... odd little girl,) he noted, fixing her with a malevolent stare for a moment. He was pleased to see her flinch backward, the fear in her eyes obvious. (She's sensitive to the natural aura people posess... I imagine she's flinching from the black shroud that must be mine.) This thought brought a smile to his waxen lips, and he brushed by the trembling girl toward the kitchens without a second thought.
The smells wafting from within were enough to make his mouth water, and another unseemly grumble sounded from his empty stomach. He peered around, looking for one of the select few persons he had already placed his mind affecting spell on; he was loathe to cast it upon more poeple and attract more attention than was neccessary. The fewer that served him, the better, for now... he didn't want anyone noticing until he was ready to take over for good. After a few minutes, he spotted a young man with the familiar glazed eyes, and called him over.
"Boy. Get in there and fetch me some food," He ordered.
"Yes, right away," The boy answered at once.
"Quickly."
"Of course."
His green armor clanked together as he ran, disappearing through the double doors into the castle's kitchens. While he waited, Aghanim set about constructing a magical aura about him that suggested to those who saw him that he was perfectly justified in being at the castle.
No one asked any questions.
---
Zelda watched the wizard Aghanim hurry down the hall away from her, the coldness in the pit of her stomach still freezing her in place. She briefly considered following him, but instead decided that searching the library would be far more beneficial. No one but hired servants had been in the Royal Library in years... the signs of recent use were easy enough to follow. The books the wizard had used had been put back hastily; it was clear where the rows of otherwise perfectly lined leatherbound volumes had been disturbed. She carefully examined each one that she suspected Aghanim had read through, shocked by the number of them he had ransacked in such a short time. The cold feeling of dread in her stomach grew in intensity at every book she mentally catalogued as having been read -- they were all horrible, evil spellbooks, books that should have been destroyed centuries ago, if not for the dark magic that protected them from destruction.
She knew that he was looking for a specific spell, for she was certain that he had a particular plan that he needed this dark knowledge to set in motion. Her first instinct was to search out imprisoning spells, since that was the task he had been obviously absorbed in in her dream. Her instincts told her to search for something else, though, and reluctantly she set her uncanny intelligence to work to find something each of the texts had in common.
"They're all about the Sages' Seal," She finally determined, her face growing pale as she went over several reasons an evil wizard might have for being interested in that. (Oh, Goddesses! He wants to break the seal!)
The implications of such a disaster flooded into her mind. The return of the Evil King... the unleashing of his armies from the now corrupted Sacred Realm flooding into her kingdom... the opening of the gate to the once beautiful Dark World that housed the wicked keeper of the Triforce. Could the Seal even BE broken? At one time, she had though such a prospect impossible, but if Aghanim thought it could be done...
If such a thing were to happen, the world as she knew it would crumble. The unrest of the Light World was already making people nervous, uneasy... growing numbers of cults that worshipped the dark ones plagued the secret hideaways of the land. She knew of the affairs her father dealt with daily; contrary to popular belief, she was far from innocent to the issues her kingdom struggled with daily. Hyrule was no longer a safe place, or stable Kingdom -- they had neither the strength nor the will to fight if Aghanim's plans were allowed to ferment into realility.
She was only fourteen, but the greatest, oldest, wisest sages of the land could not have realized these things with more frightening clarity.
Heavy footsteps interrupted her horrified mind's ramblings, and only the basest of survival instincts propelled her petite frame into motion. She scrambled as quietly as she could behind the nearest shelves, praying to the goddesses that she had left the room as it had been on her entry.
---
His natural needs satiated, Aghanim returned to the library almost immediately, stopping only to make sure that no one followed him. His spells were effective, but one could never be too careful...
He returned to his books, carefully reading through each paragraph of information that could be of use to him. Completely absorbed in his task, he failed to realize that he had company in the room with him -- company that sat with her wide blue eyes fixed on him, not daring to move, hardly allowing herself to breathe.
Some time, an endless amount to the petrified princess, passed before the key to the Wizard's puzzle was handed to him, in the form of a simple paragraph scrawled in sloppy Ancient Hylian, on a yellowed page of parchment.
"Here it is..." Aghanim breathed softly. Zelda flinched at hearing his voice for the first time... it was full of horrible intentions... barely restrained malice. "The key that will set my plans in motion... it is time, at last, to call the descendants of the Sages to their mutual fate."
Zelda didn't know what this meant, but she did know that she was the descendant of the Seventh Sage... and his tone of voice made her blood run like ice. She expected him to leave the library to pursue his newfound direction, but instead, he remained where he was, reading from the book in a commanding tone clearly meant for spellcasting.
(This world will soon belong to me!) Aghanim thought, excitement racing through him. He felt power building in him as he spoke the words on the page. It was a long spell, complex in nature and tricky in wording, but he was far too experienced a wizard to fail due to some novice mistake of pronunciation or execution. His hands raised slightly and the very air particles around them seemed to solidify into a green mist, poisonous in appearance.
The tendrils of concentrated magic energy slowly took form, eventually shaping themselves into the images of thin, deadly serpents. As Aghanim reached the conclusion of his spell, the serpent creatures shrieked horribly, and fled from the room, passing through the stone walls easily, as though rock were no different than empty space.
Caught up in the sense of power the completion of such a potent spell wrought on his mind, Aghanim hardly noticed that one of the serpents had already reached its destination, who cowered not three feet behind him, still hidden behind the row of books.
---
Zelda saw the serpents conjured, knew that one would come for her, and knew also that the other six would seek out others with bloodlines similar to hers. The effect they would have, however, was unknown to her. She knew there would be no escape... she fixed the ghostly green serpent with a steely gaze at it rushed toward her with a hiss, determined to overcome whatever challenge she was about to be faced with.
She fell unconcious almost immediately, as the snake entered her body through her breath. In this state, she could be reached in a way that was otherwise impossible...
Foggy images passed through her mind, and she was vaguely aware of the fact that she was either dreaming or hallucinating. The scenes grew sharper after a few moments, and she was transfixed with a beautiful vision of her home, Hyrule Castle, viewed from high above, as though she were a goddess staring down at her creation from the heavens. A sense of immeasurable power hit her like a wave, and she was filled with a compulsion to attend a gathering here... whispered promises of fulfilled desires and an undeniable purpose filled her soul.
"They're all coming..." The serpents whispered softly, its sinister voice working like tendrils into her thoughts. "They will be great when they arrive... will you be left out?"
A final vision, her and six other shadowed figures, standing proud, as a unit... the world stretched out before them, golden and shining. "You will be responsible for the restoration of all that was once great in this world..."
A horrible sense of vertigo nearly sent her into a panic as she slammed back into reality, sitting just as she had been left, scrambling for a hold on something despite being sure that there was nothing to grasp. Realization finally seeped back into her, the reality of the cold stone floor she sat on numbing her flesh, of the smells of old books and mildew assaulting her nose, of the pounding silence pressing upon her ears. Aghanim had gone, but whether or not he had seen her before he left, she did not know.
(Lies!) She thought at once, thinking back to the astounding visions of peace of prosperity that had been shown to her. (Our gathering will bring the exact opposite of paradise!)
"Lies!" She shouted aloud, pounding her small fist against the unforgiving stone floor. "They'll come here thinking they've been granted a summons from the goddesses, and instead find that they've been herded like cattle to a gathering of darkness!"
And there was nothing she could do to stop it. Even now, she knew, Aghanim's serpents were doing their treacherous work.
---
(A/N):
I know, that was weird. But I had a hell of a lot of fun writing it. ^_^
The next chapter will be even stranger... but I hope you find it strange in a positive sense. Since, y'know, negative is bad.
To my reviewers: (Long A/N...)
Alex Foster -- Yes, I own the Zelda NP Comic, and the Mario one as well. I love them both! If I actually do decide to novelize the rest of "A Link to the Past" I'll probably include a few elements from there (Since I liked Ephmerelda, and Roam...) But we'll see... I can't tell at this point. Wonderful comic, though.
Anthony Bault -- Seriously, how could I FORGET Sprite? I'll never forget that scene, with the bathtub, and the comment... o_O; (Oh, God, you've made me remember the Zelda Cartoons... why are you so cruel? :P) I've never heard that she was Navi's descendant though... interesting idea. The problem is Sprite was a fairy princess, and there really wasn't any indication that Navi was royalty in the fairy world... but then, there wasn't indication for the reverse, either, so I suppose it's a possibility. ^_^
Tatsu-no-Houou -- The thing with a LttP that is truly wonderful... this game existed in a time where there WAS no one other than Zelda. Marin, Malon, Ruto, Saria, and God knows who else... that all started with the next game in the series, Link's Awakening, for GB/GBC. I've never written romance, and I can't tell if I'll ever want to, but if this story ever has any in it, it will be a strictly Link/Zelda affair. (I suppose 14/15 isn't that bad, especially in a fuedal type society, but we'll have to see.)
The Gathering of Innocents
---
Aghanim's relentless search for a solution to the problem of summoning the seven descendants he required eventually came to an abrupt halt as his stomach informed him that he needed to eat. Cursing lightly under his breath, he realized that he hadn't done so in quite some time, perhaps two days, maybe three. (Damn this mortal body!) He thought viciously, carefully saving his place in the book he had been meticulously poring through for clues. He stood up slowly, stretching his stiff muscles, and couldn't help wondering if the Castle kitchens made anything worth consuming.
When he opened the Library door, he was started to see the young Princess of Hyrule standing there, looking as though she had been about to burst in herself. (Her again... odd little girl,) he noted, fixing her with a malevolent stare for a moment. He was pleased to see her flinch backward, the fear in her eyes obvious. (She's sensitive to the natural aura people posess... I imagine she's flinching from the black shroud that must be mine.) This thought brought a smile to his waxen lips, and he brushed by the trembling girl toward the kitchens without a second thought.
The smells wafting from within were enough to make his mouth water, and another unseemly grumble sounded from his empty stomach. He peered around, looking for one of the select few persons he had already placed his mind affecting spell on; he was loathe to cast it upon more poeple and attract more attention than was neccessary. The fewer that served him, the better, for now... he didn't want anyone noticing until he was ready to take over for good. After a few minutes, he spotted a young man with the familiar glazed eyes, and called him over.
"Boy. Get in there and fetch me some food," He ordered.
"Yes, right away," The boy answered at once.
"Quickly."
"Of course."
His green armor clanked together as he ran, disappearing through the double doors into the castle's kitchens. While he waited, Aghanim set about constructing a magical aura about him that suggested to those who saw him that he was perfectly justified in being at the castle.
No one asked any questions.
---
Zelda watched the wizard Aghanim hurry down the hall away from her, the coldness in the pit of her stomach still freezing her in place. She briefly considered following him, but instead decided that searching the library would be far more beneficial. No one but hired servants had been in the Royal Library in years... the signs of recent use were easy enough to follow. The books the wizard had used had been put back hastily; it was clear where the rows of otherwise perfectly lined leatherbound volumes had been disturbed. She carefully examined each one that she suspected Aghanim had read through, shocked by the number of them he had ransacked in such a short time. The cold feeling of dread in her stomach grew in intensity at every book she mentally catalogued as having been read -- they were all horrible, evil spellbooks, books that should have been destroyed centuries ago, if not for the dark magic that protected them from destruction.
She knew that he was looking for a specific spell, for she was certain that he had a particular plan that he needed this dark knowledge to set in motion. Her first instinct was to search out imprisoning spells, since that was the task he had been obviously absorbed in in her dream. Her instincts told her to search for something else, though, and reluctantly she set her uncanny intelligence to work to find something each of the texts had in common.
"They're all about the Sages' Seal," She finally determined, her face growing pale as she went over several reasons an evil wizard might have for being interested in that. (Oh, Goddesses! He wants to break the seal!)
The implications of such a disaster flooded into her mind. The return of the Evil King... the unleashing of his armies from the now corrupted Sacred Realm flooding into her kingdom... the opening of the gate to the once beautiful Dark World that housed the wicked keeper of the Triforce. Could the Seal even BE broken? At one time, she had though such a prospect impossible, but if Aghanim thought it could be done...
If such a thing were to happen, the world as she knew it would crumble. The unrest of the Light World was already making people nervous, uneasy... growing numbers of cults that worshipped the dark ones plagued the secret hideaways of the land. She knew of the affairs her father dealt with daily; contrary to popular belief, she was far from innocent to the issues her kingdom struggled with daily. Hyrule was no longer a safe place, or stable Kingdom -- they had neither the strength nor the will to fight if Aghanim's plans were allowed to ferment into realility.
She was only fourteen, but the greatest, oldest, wisest sages of the land could not have realized these things with more frightening clarity.
Heavy footsteps interrupted her horrified mind's ramblings, and only the basest of survival instincts propelled her petite frame into motion. She scrambled as quietly as she could behind the nearest shelves, praying to the goddesses that she had left the room as it had been on her entry.
---
His natural needs satiated, Aghanim returned to the library almost immediately, stopping only to make sure that no one followed him. His spells were effective, but one could never be too careful...
He returned to his books, carefully reading through each paragraph of information that could be of use to him. Completely absorbed in his task, he failed to realize that he had company in the room with him -- company that sat with her wide blue eyes fixed on him, not daring to move, hardly allowing herself to breathe.
Some time, an endless amount to the petrified princess, passed before the key to the Wizard's puzzle was handed to him, in the form of a simple paragraph scrawled in sloppy Ancient Hylian, on a yellowed page of parchment.
"Here it is..." Aghanim breathed softly. Zelda flinched at hearing his voice for the first time... it was full of horrible intentions... barely restrained malice. "The key that will set my plans in motion... it is time, at last, to call the descendants of the Sages to their mutual fate."
Zelda didn't know what this meant, but she did know that she was the descendant of the Seventh Sage... and his tone of voice made her blood run like ice. She expected him to leave the library to pursue his newfound direction, but instead, he remained where he was, reading from the book in a commanding tone clearly meant for spellcasting.
(This world will soon belong to me!) Aghanim thought, excitement racing through him. He felt power building in him as he spoke the words on the page. It was a long spell, complex in nature and tricky in wording, but he was far too experienced a wizard to fail due to some novice mistake of pronunciation or execution. His hands raised slightly and the very air particles around them seemed to solidify into a green mist, poisonous in appearance.
The tendrils of concentrated magic energy slowly took form, eventually shaping themselves into the images of thin, deadly serpents. As Aghanim reached the conclusion of his spell, the serpent creatures shrieked horribly, and fled from the room, passing through the stone walls easily, as though rock were no different than empty space.
Caught up in the sense of power the completion of such a potent spell wrought on his mind, Aghanim hardly noticed that one of the serpents had already reached its destination, who cowered not three feet behind him, still hidden behind the row of books.
---
Zelda saw the serpents conjured, knew that one would come for her, and knew also that the other six would seek out others with bloodlines similar to hers. The effect they would have, however, was unknown to her. She knew there would be no escape... she fixed the ghostly green serpent with a steely gaze at it rushed toward her with a hiss, determined to overcome whatever challenge she was about to be faced with.
She fell unconcious almost immediately, as the snake entered her body through her breath. In this state, she could be reached in a way that was otherwise impossible...
Foggy images passed through her mind, and she was vaguely aware of the fact that she was either dreaming or hallucinating. The scenes grew sharper after a few moments, and she was transfixed with a beautiful vision of her home, Hyrule Castle, viewed from high above, as though she were a goddess staring down at her creation from the heavens. A sense of immeasurable power hit her like a wave, and she was filled with a compulsion to attend a gathering here... whispered promises of fulfilled desires and an undeniable purpose filled her soul.
"They're all coming..." The serpents whispered softly, its sinister voice working like tendrils into her thoughts. "They will be great when they arrive... will you be left out?"
A final vision, her and six other shadowed figures, standing proud, as a unit... the world stretched out before them, golden and shining. "You will be responsible for the restoration of all that was once great in this world..."
A horrible sense of vertigo nearly sent her into a panic as she slammed back into reality, sitting just as she had been left, scrambling for a hold on something despite being sure that there was nothing to grasp. Realization finally seeped back into her, the reality of the cold stone floor she sat on numbing her flesh, of the smells of old books and mildew assaulting her nose, of the pounding silence pressing upon her ears. Aghanim had gone, but whether or not he had seen her before he left, she did not know.
(Lies!) She thought at once, thinking back to the astounding visions of peace of prosperity that had been shown to her. (Our gathering will bring the exact opposite of paradise!)
"Lies!" She shouted aloud, pounding her small fist against the unforgiving stone floor. "They'll come here thinking they've been granted a summons from the goddesses, and instead find that they've been herded like cattle to a gathering of darkness!"
And there was nothing she could do to stop it. Even now, she knew, Aghanim's serpents were doing their treacherous work.
---
(A/N):
I know, that was weird. But I had a hell of a lot of fun writing it. ^_^
The next chapter will be even stranger... but I hope you find it strange in a positive sense. Since, y'know, negative is bad.
To my reviewers: (Long A/N...)
Alex Foster -- Yes, I own the Zelda NP Comic, and the Mario one as well. I love them both! If I actually do decide to novelize the rest of "A Link to the Past" I'll probably include a few elements from there (Since I liked Ephmerelda, and Roam...) But we'll see... I can't tell at this point. Wonderful comic, though.
Anthony Bault -- Seriously, how could I FORGET Sprite? I'll never forget that scene, with the bathtub, and the comment... o_O; (Oh, God, you've made me remember the Zelda Cartoons... why are you so cruel? :P) I've never heard that she was Navi's descendant though... interesting idea. The problem is Sprite was a fairy princess, and there really wasn't any indication that Navi was royalty in the fairy world... but then, there wasn't indication for the reverse, either, so I suppose it's a possibility. ^_^
Tatsu-no-Houou -- The thing with a LttP that is truly wonderful... this game existed in a time where there WAS no one other than Zelda. Marin, Malon, Ruto, Saria, and God knows who else... that all started with the next game in the series, Link's Awakening, for GB/GBC. I've never written romance, and I can't tell if I'll ever want to, but if this story ever has any in it, it will be a strictly Link/Zelda affair. (I suppose 14/15 isn't that bad, especially in a fuedal type society, but we'll have to see.)