Chapter 8
~ What Dreams May Come ~
The richness of the purple sky above was difficult for Link to understand at first. It was so deep, so dark, yet so beautiful. Clouds danced across the sky, reaching past each other in a waltz that was as unforgettable as it was disturbing to the young man.
Link reached for his sword, pulling it out as he looked around the alien landscape. Large, golden oak trees dotted the flat lands as far as the eyes could see. The flat grasses were occasionally interrupted by the soft rolling mountains, and the sun slid by the horizon, bringing great red hues through the sky.
"You will not need that, here," a familiar voice said calmly.
Link slid his sword high in defense as he spun around, ready for an attack. The young girl standing before him did not react, though. Her bright smile filled the young man with happiness, though.
"Saria?" Link asked. "Wh—where am I?"
"This is the place of dreams, I suppose," she said, walking past the Hylian to look out at the landscape. "Your dreams, I believe."
"My dreams?" Link asked, shaking his head. "I've never seen anything like this."
"Oh," Saria smiled. "Well, then, this place must belong to someone else. I wasn't sure who's dream I would find my way into first."
"What?" Link asked. "What are you talking about."
"It's rather complicated," Saria answered. "You know, magic things and the like. You're looking a lot better. You see me, now, that's good, because a while ago, you could do nothing except writhe in pain."
"A while ago?" Link asked. "What are you talking about. A while ago, I was dead. I was in another realm, with an arrow through my chest."
"The Ankou Blood," Saria answered, her smile fading as she mentioned it. "The arrow you had was adorned with Ankou Blood, though I do not know where it came from. Rauru told me that the blood of Ankou turns you into one of those ghastly beasts, if ever you touch one."
"Ankou?" Link asked. "What's an Ankou?"
"Dark creatures from dimensions far from here," Saria answered. "They now float or ride through the countryside of Hyrule, Termina, Asyria, and many other places you've been. They're fighting for Rau, and they're slaughtering people the world over."
"Wait," Link said, turning to his friend. "I know of these 'Ankou.' The people of Numeos call them 'Dark Wind.' They were corrupted spirits inhabiting watchtowers and threatening churches. I first met a Knight named Bishop there. He and I destroyed them, but it took all we had. And he was the one who used it on the arrow that killed me, I suppose."
"Rauru has been able, with great costs, to heal you from your injuries, but there is another he has not been able to help," Saria said. "Her injuries have been helped, thanks to some herbs and potions, but she is not willing to come, yet. Perhaps you can help us."
"Saria, this isn't really what I do," Link answered, following closely behind. "I'm not the best talker in the world. If someone is attacked, send me in, but here, in this world, I just don't know how to convince people that they want to live."
"Is it because of your own fears for life?" Saria asked. "For some time, now you've wished to die in battle, have you not? You've wished to throw away the chains that hold you in this nomadic life and find what's truly out there. Why you're doing what you do, are you not?"
"What do you mean?" Link asked.
"Perhaps, in all your journeys, what you were searching for was here all along, and you simply couldn't see it," Saria answered. "You knew, the first time you saw her, and again when you were grown, what she meant to you. You knew that and you were scared. You couldn't lose her, so you ran."
"I…had to go," Link answered.
"And now,
she feels as though she must go," Saria countered. "Go. Help her see that
she shouldn't. Perhaps you may well
find in this dream what you've been looking for all these years."
Link sighed and turned,
looking through the trees to a pond, where the water was as clear as anything
he had ever seen. Blossoms and golden
leaves fell from a few trees, floating across the waters, and a lone figure
stood at the edge of the waters, her face in her hands.
Link didn't know what he would say when he reached her, or even if he could say anything. He wasn't afraid of her or for her, simply…he felt guilty.
The young man summoned all the courage he could muster, for he found this far more scary than facing down a dragon or running through forest with peahats chasing him.
As he came closer, the soft cries filled the air, and the beautiful landscape was forgotten around Link. He stepped on the soft grass, startling the young woman. She jumped up, and in a moment, was covered in armor and carrying a heavy sword, raised and ready.
"Who are you?" she screamed.
"Easy, easy," Link answered, waving his hands down gently. "Do you remember me?"
"I don't
know you," she answered. "You
look…familiar, but…I…I just…don't remember anything."
"Perhaps you remember this?"
Link asked, pulling out a small, blue ocarina.
Softly, he began to play through the instrument a soft tune, a lullaby,
long remembered from days past.
"L…Link?" Zelda asked. The great armor that adorned her body faded away in whisps of smoke, and she stepped carefully forward, strands of blonde hair blowing gently in the breeze. She put her hand to her mouth, carefully looking at the young traveler before her. "Link? It can't be you…If you're here, then you're…"
"Dead?" Link finished, smiling. "No, I'm not dead. Neither are you. However, we're not really living, either, are we?"
"Where are we?" she asked, looking around. "What is this place?"
"I thought maybe you would know, since this is your dream," Link answered, looking around. "Perhaps this is a place you know of, or have dreamed of in the past."
Zelda, looking around, accidentally bumped into Link and gasped, jumping back. "I'm so…so sorry!" she whispered. "I'm just not…"
"What?"
Link asked, pressing her. "You're not
as I remember. You were sure of
yourself when I left. Even when you
were Shiek—"
"Shiek was another life,
Link," Zelda interrupted. "That never
happened, don't you know that?"
"Of course it happened!" Link answered. "Gannondorf is locked away in another dimension! How could he be there without our efforts? Shiek lives within you still, whether you had the training or not."
Zelda looked down to the ground, trying not to catch the gaze of the young man. "Let go of this doubt that is consuming you, Princess, and be what it is you were always meant to be! Be a leader."
"So…what you are saying is that I should not run," she replied after a moment's thought. "As you did."
Link looked to the setting sun, his turn to avoid her gaze. "That was different," he clumsily replied.
"How?" she asked. "You're not royalty, so when things got tough, you ran away."
"I didn't run," Link answered. "I…I was called. I searched the planet."
"For what?" Zelda asked. "What could you have searched for? I would have given it to you! I would have sent our armies out through the world to find whatever it was you were searching for!"
"I was searching for you!" Link barked back angrily. "The real you. You live the life of a Princess, and will one day be a Queen! The people deserve a King, not a fool with a fairy."
"What about me?" she asked quietly, turning away from the Hylian. "What about what we needed?"
Link looked out to the sun, watching as the bright rays danced along the treetops to the lake. He turned to try to talk again, but was startled. Just as he turned, she met his arms and threw her own around him, resting her head against his shoulders.
"I…I would die for you," Link responded, trying to think of what to say.
"I know," Zelda answered. "But would you live for me?"
Link leaned down, as the two closed their eyes, his lips searching for hers. He could smell her perfume, a luxury most women didn't get in this time and age. Her soft skin pressed against his cheek as she rubbed the back of her hand down it.
The sun suddenly went dark. Link opened his eyes and looked away. The realm was changing.
"What is going on?" he asked.
Zelda opened her eyes and stepped back from the Hylian. "No," she gasped, looking from tree to tree. "He can't—it isn't possible. This is another realm, he couldn't have traveled here!"
"What?" Link asked, looking around, trying to search out what Zelda was searching for. "What is it?"
Zelda grabbed Link's hand and yanked him forward, rushing through the trees as the starless night consumed the day. Thunder began to roll, and winds kicked up. Below, Link could feel the weeds beginning to grow and pull at their clothes.
"What is happening?" Link asked, but Zelda did not reply. She hurried them through the trees, the leaves cutting their faces and arms as they rushed. Link pulled his sword, cutting through the weeds that tentacled out to them.
The two hid rushed through a cave opening, then fell to the floor as hundreds of bats swarmed through the entrance. Link looked up to find two red eyes staring back at him from the ceiling of the cave. A blue light formed near it, and a strange demon smiled, his face illuminated by the light of the glow. He tossed the light at the two Hylians, who jumped apart from one another just as it exploded on the floor.
"What in the goddess's name is that, Princess?" Link asked.
"I do not know!" she cried, hiding behind a boulder and crouching down. Tears streamed down her face, and she covered her ears with her hands. "He haunts my dreams, he tries to—to do horrible things!"
A fire was at once lit within Link. His heart ached with the pain of rage. "A dream demon," he whispered, looking up to the pair of eyes looking back down. The creature laughed at him.
"Yes, little one, I know of you," the demon hissed. His green, bald head and pointy ears gave him the appearance of a hobgoblin from the Ancient forests of Marui. "Vanquished us, many, you have. Fear, instilled within us you bring. Death, reward you will find, here."
"I destroyed your leader," Link answered, his sword raised. "Two years ago, I in Marui, I hunted you down and destroyed all that inhabited the lands. Without your leader, you were powerless to feed from dreams."
"In death, little one, we have found a powerful ally," the demon replied. "Throuh him, powerful, we become. Fear, we instill, now, in even the strong."
"Then death, you will find here, again," Link hissed, drawing his sword. "Even your great ally will find the end of a sword, then all will be gone forever from this realm."
"Mistaken, you have become, little one," the demon laughed, raising his hand. The ceiling began to warp, and twist around, before finally opening up, allowing the large demon to stand tall in the sky. "Destroy our leaders, you did, in your own dreams, when controlled world you did. Here, little one, control the dream you not. Dream the dream, you not."
Link slowly turned to the crying Princess, her blue eyes hiding in her arms. He jumped to her side and pulled her to her feet. "Zelda!" he yelled. "You have to snap out of it! You're the only one who can defeat it."
"Try you not, little one," The demon interrupted. "Long, my magics have worked to take away her strength. She is nothing but fear, now. Death will welcome her after it brings you."
Link looked up to the tall creature, turning and readying his sword. The demon reached down and slammed his hand across the Hylian, sending him flying through the cave walls and painfully landing in the grass outside.
Rains poured down, heavy drops falling on Link's face as he winced in pain. His sword was a few feet away, and as he reached for it, a howling began to fill the air. Link grabbed his sword and rolled to his knee, ready for any attack.
Red, sharp eyes filled the darkness. Wolves were ready to strike.
Zelda looked from the cave entrance, staring out at the young soldier alone. Fear had overwhelmed her, and she could not see straight, much less react to the sight.
"Helpless you are," the demon, now smaller than the Princess whispered into her ear. "They do not believe you. They think you will never be good enough to rule them. There is nothing you can do to help him."
The first wolves jumped through the trees. Link slashed and hacked as hard as he could through the rains, but the wolves stayed just out of reach, taunting him as he backed slowly towards the lake. "Zelda, help me!" he called.
Zelda reached her hand to her mouth, Link's cries barely audible to her. "Forget him, it is death you seek, Zelda. Death will welcome you. Death will send you to the only place you will ever find solace again. Death will find your loved ones."
"Loved ones?" Zelda asked.
"Yesssss," the demon hissed. "Your loved ones are near. Go to them."
"Love?" she asked again, standing up, her body slowly beginning to find its composure.
Link dodge to the side, another wolf barely missing as it swung its massive claws at the young man. The warrior swung his blade, knocking the wolf back, but finding little happiness in defeating the first of hundreds of wolves. He stepped back, his foot finding the edge of the water. He looked over his shoulder to the water, when a wolf darted forward and knocked him in.
Link lost his sword and fell back into the deep, cold water.
"Love?" Zelda asked again, walking forward into the rains. Her hands fell to her side, and her strides began to get longer.
"Going, where are you?" the demon shrieked. "Help him, you cannot! Loved ones you must go to!"
"Love?" Zelda asked for the last time. "I must go to the one I love!"
The pack of wolves stood before her, all charging towards the lake. A few took notice, but ignored the Princess. They were so tightly packed, she could not move through them. Zelda reached out and flung her arms apart. The wolves violently flew apart from one another. A path opened as the wolves yelped and ran.
Zelda's wet dress was quickly replaced with the heavy armor she had wore before as she darted through the trees to the lake. "Link!" she screamed.
Tentacles reached from the water, one of which had the Hylian in held high. Link screamed and flailed his arms around, trying to grab a hold of anything he could get.
"No!" Zelda screeched, swinging her sword as hard as she could at the beast. A beam of magic shot out from the end of the sword, ripping the beast in two. Link fell to the water with a great splash.
Zelda reached out with her hand and pulled Link from the lake, using strength she didn't know she had. Link lazily smiled as she pulled him close to her. "Took you long enough," he mumbled as he tried to find his footing.
"I…I love you," she said, her eyes looking almost through the young man. "You can't leave!"
"Okay, but you have to tell him that," Link answered pointing back to the mountain. "I don't think he's too happy, right now."
Sitting atop the mountain, the demon roared, his fiery wings now extended, and his red eyes furiously focused on the two. "I tried to help you, little one," the demon hissed. "Now, kill you I must."
The sun pulled up over the horizon, sitting below the dark clouds. The contrast in darkness and sunlight was striking, and the battle between the two minds began.
Zelda laid Link down to the ground and turned, her armor brighter and stronger than ever before. She drew her sword and readied her attack. Looking carefully at the great demon on the mountain she focused on his red eyes. "You will not hurt me anymore."
The demon screeched and thrust its spear down at the young woman, the fury and power of which set the trees of the landscape ablaze. Zelda did not budge. The fiery spear slammed into her armor and shattered as the earth quaked, and the ground split apart.
Zelda raised her arms, quelling the fires of the land and clearing the skies of the clouds. The purple sky and the bright sun brought pain upon the demon, causing it to try to hide in the mountain.
Zelda opened her hands, and the life of the forest returned, butterflies again flying, the trees blossoming, then turning to leaves. She pressed her hands together and opened the mountain which hid the demon. Opening them, the mountain separated, exposing the demon to her wrath.
The Princess drew her sword charged forward, and with a scream as loud as any that could ever be heard, thrust her sword through the demon. "Never again," she hissed, looking into the fading light of the demon's eyes, "will you ever harm another living thing!"
The demon evaporated into nothingness, leaving all plains of existence.
Zelda opened her eyes and looked to her right, suddenly realizing she was no longer in her dream world, but on a tabletop. Her outstretched hand had taken Link's as he slept, and tears began to fall from her face.
For the first time in a long, long time, Zelda felt free. That which held her back no longer blocked her heart. Her thoughts were her own, and nothing would stop her, now.
"It is good to see you awake, friend," Saria whispered as she took her hand from Zelda's and sat back in her chair. "We all have our own magic, and that was mine. I am glad to have witnessed all you could do."
"The baby?" Zelda whispered.
"Rest," Rauru interrupted as he came by. "Your body is still weak. Enjoy the dreams that are your own, now. When you wake in the morning, we will find the time to talk."
Zelda looked to Saria who whispered, "The baby is fine, do not worry. Rest."
The Princess smiled as she closed her eyes and let exhaustion pass over her.
~
Next: How to fight a God?
(A/N This is the end of the first act. The book will change somewhat from here, with the world changing a great deal, and the enemies more powerful than before. The group will have to fight bosses, armies, and eventually Nuerme/Rau. The feel of the book will stay the same, though.)
