A scream tore from down the shadowed, stone corridor. The scream of one whom knows what merciless truly means. The corridor was dirt-covered- dusty- musty- murky- mysterious.
Down the halls.....
And down the stairways....
And upon the passageways.....
And behind a stone wall...........
"My one, the brew has rectified."
An imp of a woman, with straggled brown hair, stood before the turned back of her better. Her clothing gave the impression of a beggar, but her expression showed her to have qualities of a empress.
The back of the imp's master turned ever so slightly. The fiery brown eye turned upon the woman, who stood unquivering in the presence of this mighty one. "The tonic has been completed?"
"Ah, no, I have left out the firstmost important ingredient," the woman smiled fiercely, and pulled out a tiny corked bottle and held it up. The light of the flames from the firepit were caught within the tiny bottle, and it shone with fervor. "The hair."
"You have saved this moment for me. You are ever allegiant to my wishes. Now prepare the concoction."
The woman delicately uncorked the bottle, and went over to the basin which held the bubbling green tonic. Ever gingerly, she tipped the hair into the potion. It began to sparkle and spew itself, as though trying to escape from its cauldron confinement.
She tried to lift the heavy cauldron to pour into a frame waiting upon the floor- but the potion sputtered immensely- and the potion almost lept from the caldron and onto the floor. It hissed and spewed angrily and excitedly, and the fumes began to rise.
The woman shrieked and covered her mouth and nose, but collapsed a few moments later regardless of her protection. The baron did not make any self-precautions, but simply stared down upon the mess. "How careless."
The baron smiled after these words. A body began to mold sloppily together from within the potion. "Ah yes...my beautiful monster is born."
"And now I can wipe out all of Hyrule, or rather, the world," the potentate contintued, "Once I teach that brat the meaning of love...."
....KERSPLASH! Sploosh, splosh!
"What?"
KersplingzlingZLINGZINGZINGZING!
Beams of light pierced through the monster's body. A moment following, A full beam showed through. A crystal slowly slid through the botch as though it were silk, and hovered in the air.
The eyes of the baron grew wider as they rested ceaselessly upon it.
"My Princess, surely it is only circumstances. Being out there, in the rain, cold....I must say, it is prone to be merely a common ailment....are you listening?"
The princess was not listening to her attendent. Head down, eyes averted to the floor in front of her, she traversed through the castle's winding stairs, passages, and corridors. Deep in thought, she was, as she crossed to her destination- her own bedroom.
She knew that something was wrong. She could sense it, through every particle of her physical and spiritual being. An evil was present.
She passed the lavish tapestries, finest plush rugs, ribbons and adornments. All the while, the attendent tried to create reasoning within the princess' mind. But Zelda simply crossed to her window, where she stopped and looked on quietly.
The grand shutters were opened. Curtains and ruffles on the window seat swayed ever so slightly as the wind blew past. A few raindroplets left from the previous rain found their way into the room. The town was quiet, the grass of the fields flattened softly. To the west, the sky was stained purple and the moon was up. To the east, the sky tainted orange; the orb, the sun.
Link sat against the wall, his upper half supported on the window seat's pillow, his arms curled next to his head. He was sleeping.
Zelda passed over and crouched next to him. His face was hidden in his arms. She looked upon his quiet form, watched him breathe- the rise in his back was so slight. A finger poked out from under his arm where he had tucked it before. She looked upon it for a moment, before discreetly removing her glove and placing her own finger against the other's tip.
She immediately flicked it back. Nursing it in her other hand, Zelda quickly took in Link again, this time with a jolt. Something was different. She looked down and, to her panic, she saw a nearly hidden, but deeply dark, line of blood.
But rather than crying out, as she would have done years before, she produced a look of tranquility upon her face. Sliding her glove on again, she stood up. "Gatzar," she said placidly, "Please leave. I would prefer to be alone at the moment."
Gatzar tried to argue, but a look from Zelda quieted him. He wanted to wear a look of annoyment, but her duty as the princess' royal attendent refused him. He expatriated herself from the room.
When he had gone, Zelda turned back to Link, a fresh surge of panic overcoming her. With overwhelming anticipation, she prepared herself to pull Link backwards. She lightly touched his shouder, then got a better grip on it. Trembling, she uttered a short prayer to the goddesses, and pulled Link off of the window seat. His body slid onto the floor with a strange sound.What she saw paralyzed her.
Blood ran down from Link's eyes, nose, mouth, cuts he had recently gotten, even from his scalp though his hair. His eyes were wide open and white, as though he had gone blind. His face was pale, his mouth gaping. His expression was that of screaming, though he made no sounds from his throat.
Zelda made a small sound and slid against the wall to the floor, her eyes wide as they were bound to Link. She didn't know, couldn't know, how he had gotten to this state. How did this surpass her senses? Was there nothing to be done about it? What could she do? Petrified, her eyes wet and red, she tried to clear her senses. She tried to push the mental image of Link in his state out of her mind, to find the tranquility that led her to such heights of power.
She grew calmer, her face clear, eyes closed. Her senses homed in on anything out of the ordinary. And she remembered that he had made a sound as he had fallen- a sound sort of like a "jingle..."
She snapped her eyes open. Noticing a protrusion in the front of his tunic, Zelda reached over to feel what it was...and it lead to a chain. She tried to put her hand to the back of the chain, but that meant her hand brushed his burning skin. Wincing, she pulled back, before slowly going back at it. Jerking on the chain, she realized it was attached to a bell- and there was dried blood on it! What more, she just knew, it wasn't Link's blood. Something told her that was big. But whose blood was it? In immense pain, she pulled at the bloody chain until a snap could be heard.
Immediately, the flow of blood stopped. His expression became calm. Zelda could see that his eyes had returned to normal before they fell shut. Link's skin against her fingers felt cool and smooth, despite the fierce blood that stained him.
Zelda took a few steadying breaths that shook her violently, and then began to clean the blood from his face with a shaking hand. Using her powers, she willed the door to lock. She then waited right there on the floor, by him. Quaking, she sat and put her head between her knees and listened to Link's now steady breathing. How very lulling it was.....
The world slowly jerked into focus from a black, nondescript world. Zelda slowly opened her eyes to pink silk. Realizing she had fallen asleep, she pulled herself back from her knees and blinked. Then she looked over at her befallen friend.
Link was sitting upright, staring out the window at the falling rain. He turned his head a moment later, and looked into Zelda's eyes.
"Thank you," he said.
"Of course." She paused for a long while, and watched Link. He was looking at something so far away. Perhaps he was lost?
"What was that thing?"
Link blinked, and looked down at the window sill. "What do you speak of?"
"That...bell...that thing around your neck."
Link's smile faded slowly as well. He looked away. "It's just a bell..."
"Link," Zelda said quietly, "it's not just a bell."
There was a pregnant pause.
Link sighed. "This won't be easy." He looked up at Zelda. "I have to tell you. There's no way around it."
Zelda said nothing.
Link stared at her for a moment. He sighed, and took a deep breath...
Down the halls.....
And down the stairways....
And upon the passageways.....
And behind a stone wall...........
"My one, the brew has rectified."
An imp of a woman, with straggled brown hair, stood before the turned back of her better. Her clothing gave the impression of a beggar, but her expression showed her to have qualities of a empress.
The back of the imp's master turned ever so slightly. The fiery brown eye turned upon the woman, who stood unquivering in the presence of this mighty one. "The tonic has been completed?"
"Ah, no, I have left out the firstmost important ingredient," the woman smiled fiercely, and pulled out a tiny corked bottle and held it up. The light of the flames from the firepit were caught within the tiny bottle, and it shone with fervor. "The hair."
"You have saved this moment for me. You are ever allegiant to my wishes. Now prepare the concoction."
The woman delicately uncorked the bottle, and went over to the basin which held the bubbling green tonic. Ever gingerly, she tipped the hair into the potion. It began to sparkle and spew itself, as though trying to escape from its cauldron confinement.
She tried to lift the heavy cauldron to pour into a frame waiting upon the floor- but the potion sputtered immensely- and the potion almost lept from the caldron and onto the floor. It hissed and spewed angrily and excitedly, and the fumes began to rise.
The woman shrieked and covered her mouth and nose, but collapsed a few moments later regardless of her protection. The baron did not make any self-precautions, but simply stared down upon the mess. "How careless."
The baron smiled after these words. A body began to mold sloppily together from within the potion. "Ah yes...my beautiful monster is born."
"And now I can wipe out all of Hyrule, or rather, the world," the potentate contintued, "Once I teach that brat the meaning of love...."
....KERSPLASH! Sploosh, splosh!
"What?"
KersplingzlingZLINGZINGZINGZING!
Beams of light pierced through the monster's body. A moment following, A full beam showed through. A crystal slowly slid through the botch as though it were silk, and hovered in the air.
The eyes of the baron grew wider as they rested ceaselessly upon it.
"My Princess, surely it is only circumstances. Being out there, in the rain, cold....I must say, it is prone to be merely a common ailment....are you listening?"
The princess was not listening to her attendent. Head down, eyes averted to the floor in front of her, she traversed through the castle's winding stairs, passages, and corridors. Deep in thought, she was, as she crossed to her destination- her own bedroom.
She knew that something was wrong. She could sense it, through every particle of her physical and spiritual being. An evil was present.
She passed the lavish tapestries, finest plush rugs, ribbons and adornments. All the while, the attendent tried to create reasoning within the princess' mind. But Zelda simply crossed to her window, where she stopped and looked on quietly.
The grand shutters were opened. Curtains and ruffles on the window seat swayed ever so slightly as the wind blew past. A few raindroplets left from the previous rain found their way into the room. The town was quiet, the grass of the fields flattened softly. To the west, the sky was stained purple and the moon was up. To the east, the sky tainted orange; the orb, the sun.
Link sat against the wall, his upper half supported on the window seat's pillow, his arms curled next to his head. He was sleeping.
Zelda passed over and crouched next to him. His face was hidden in his arms. She looked upon his quiet form, watched him breathe- the rise in his back was so slight. A finger poked out from under his arm where he had tucked it before. She looked upon it for a moment, before discreetly removing her glove and placing her own finger against the other's tip.
She immediately flicked it back. Nursing it in her other hand, Zelda quickly took in Link again, this time with a jolt. Something was different. She looked down and, to her panic, she saw a nearly hidden, but deeply dark, line of blood.
But rather than crying out, as she would have done years before, she produced a look of tranquility upon her face. Sliding her glove on again, she stood up. "Gatzar," she said placidly, "Please leave. I would prefer to be alone at the moment."
Gatzar tried to argue, but a look from Zelda quieted him. He wanted to wear a look of annoyment, but her duty as the princess' royal attendent refused him. He expatriated herself from the room.
When he had gone, Zelda turned back to Link, a fresh surge of panic overcoming her. With overwhelming anticipation, she prepared herself to pull Link backwards. She lightly touched his shouder, then got a better grip on it. Trembling, she uttered a short prayer to the goddesses, and pulled Link off of the window seat. His body slid onto the floor with a strange sound.What she saw paralyzed her.
Blood ran down from Link's eyes, nose, mouth, cuts he had recently gotten, even from his scalp though his hair. His eyes were wide open and white, as though he had gone blind. His face was pale, his mouth gaping. His expression was that of screaming, though he made no sounds from his throat.
Zelda made a small sound and slid against the wall to the floor, her eyes wide as they were bound to Link. She didn't know, couldn't know, how he had gotten to this state. How did this surpass her senses? Was there nothing to be done about it? What could she do? Petrified, her eyes wet and red, she tried to clear her senses. She tried to push the mental image of Link in his state out of her mind, to find the tranquility that led her to such heights of power.
She grew calmer, her face clear, eyes closed. Her senses homed in on anything out of the ordinary. And she remembered that he had made a sound as he had fallen- a sound sort of like a "jingle..."
She snapped her eyes open. Noticing a protrusion in the front of his tunic, Zelda reached over to feel what it was...and it lead to a chain. She tried to put her hand to the back of the chain, but that meant her hand brushed his burning skin. Wincing, she pulled back, before slowly going back at it. Jerking on the chain, she realized it was attached to a bell- and there was dried blood on it! What more, she just knew, it wasn't Link's blood. Something told her that was big. But whose blood was it? In immense pain, she pulled at the bloody chain until a snap could be heard.
Immediately, the flow of blood stopped. His expression became calm. Zelda could see that his eyes had returned to normal before they fell shut. Link's skin against her fingers felt cool and smooth, despite the fierce blood that stained him.
Zelda took a few steadying breaths that shook her violently, and then began to clean the blood from his face with a shaking hand. Using her powers, she willed the door to lock. She then waited right there on the floor, by him. Quaking, she sat and put her head between her knees and listened to Link's now steady breathing. How very lulling it was.....
The world slowly jerked into focus from a black, nondescript world. Zelda slowly opened her eyes to pink silk. Realizing she had fallen asleep, she pulled herself back from her knees and blinked. Then she looked over at her befallen friend.
Link was sitting upright, staring out the window at the falling rain. He turned his head a moment later, and looked into Zelda's eyes.
"Thank you," he said.
"Of course." She paused for a long while, and watched Link. He was looking at something so far away. Perhaps he was lost?
"What was that thing?"
Link blinked, and looked down at the window sill. "What do you speak of?"
"That...bell...that thing around your neck."
Link's smile faded slowly as well. He looked away. "It's just a bell..."
"Link," Zelda said quietly, "it's not just a bell."
There was a pregnant pause.
Link sighed. "This won't be easy." He looked up at Zelda. "I have to tell you. There's no way around it."
Zelda said nothing.
Link stared at her for a moment. He sighed, and took a deep breath...