From quiet, orderly stealth erupted riotous chaos in all of its delicious
confusion - a perfect foil for the onslaught of Gerudo coming the company's
way. Within moments their ranks had been cut nearly in half, and those
remaining upright were coiled into a tight circle, shielding the wounded at
their core. Save the occasional counterstrike of a particularly enraged
member of the company, all maneuvers were strictly offensive.
Rone was among the few left standing and proved himself particularly fluent in the art of profanity when an enemy blade drank deeply of the nutrient rich liquids flowing through his sword arm. Mavrik turned to call out to him from where he knelt among the circle of the wounded but was cut short when he saw the great man fall.
Not knowing why or caring how, he suddenly became determined to slay every whoreson who had even the chanciest drop of desert blood flowing through their veins. When enough years had passed to allow him to reflect unbiased at the situation, Mavrik could concede to Sara that her musings were correct after all, and that the temporary lapse of mental clarity was the product of witnessing the fall of a loathed enemy and a respected comrade not by one's own hands.
He lashed out blindly in a fit of rage which went unchecked until reinforcements came for their attackers and he was bludgeoned mercilessly in the back of the head with the butt end of a scythe into sweet senselessness. When he awoke it was to a room hewn from the canyon rock barely large enough for a decent pace and cramped with those of his fellows who had survived. The latter was an enlightenment he received only after nearly beating it out of one of the dejected members of the former company, cloaked though not comforted in the heavy desert heat and silence.
Rone was not among them.
Mavrik began to pace restlessly, careful of those lying on the ground. He looked around at the sorry faces full of sweat and dirt around him and wanted to cry at the pity he felt. Ashamed at the salty liquid that stung his eyes, he turned away and pressed his forehead against the cold stone. He shouldn't be crying, he told himself, he was one of the lucky ones.
The shock of something cool in the sweltering heat made him gasp, and the gasp turned into cries for breath, for the Goddesses mercy, for any solace in this merciless wasteland and these meaningless people who had torn them away from their homes, their families.His love.
"Sara!" He couldn't help it. The tears flowed freely now. All of the sorrows and grief he had held in during the long march overland.
Little did he know that somewhere in a sleepy little town, miles away from anything remotely resembling such discontent, there was an answering cry to his own.
* * *
By a spring in a clearing within the surrounding forest of her hometown knelt Saramye. Her eyes were red-rimmed and the bright scars of tears ran down her cheeks, yet her body remained rigid, stunned. As clearly as if he was with her, she swore she heard Mavrik crying out to her. That's when the tears had begun to flow and, just as suddenly as they had come, stop.
At first she had shaken her head, thinking it was her fears. I'm worrying myself too much, she thought, I'm stressing myself out. Yet there was something about the suddenness of those emotions and the total lack for their justification that made her wonder if in fact they were not her own. "What's happening to me?" she asked of the wispy clouds floating high above her head in the blue. "I wish I knew how you are faring out there, beloved." She whispered his name into the peaceful silence surrounding her as though the passing breeze would offer her answers. She half expected it to. It did not.
She wiped the stains of dried tears from her eyes with one sleeve and looked about her, thinking of nothing and everything all at once.
It was times of isolation like this that her thoughts were allowed to run wild wherever they chose the length and breadth of the kingdom, of her world. Taking all sorts of shapes and forms, contemplating so many things at once until she lost herself in a world of thought until everything became a blur and she could almost cry out for the disorganization of it. And she hated it.
Why couldn't she just stop thinking and be herself? Why couldn't she tap into the haven of her emotions and remain there naïve, happy, free. "No," she said aloud. "I do know why. Because without thought I have no proof that I am alive, and where would I be then?" She half sighed, half chuckled, "Goddess, what a morbid thought!"
"Sara!" It was her mother from somewhere outside the confined of her forest retreat.
"I'm coming!" she replied.
She stood to leave, letting all of her previous thoughts vanish from within her. Stripping herself of everything she knew, all the things she thought she knew, and anything she had ever heard mentioned of what people could and could not do until only her inner most existence and intuitions were left.
She returned to the village convinced that those emotions were not her own, but in fact the cries and longings of a very special soldier far away in his own private hell.
"Sara?" Ademina looked her daughter's sultry expression over. For such a youthful age, she seemed so tired - exhausted, even - and it worried her. "Darling you haven't spoken much since you came home this afternoon. What's the matter?"
Saramye sighed. She truly was exhausted. All of her energies had been spent trying to block out others' emotions that she may continue about her life in peace. Yet all she had managed to do was block out her own in the process. She felt empty, numb. She wished desperately that she could tell her mother - someone, anyone - about what was happening to her, and yet she felt that they couldn't possibly understand.
"I'm just.sleepy, I guess." Sara looked up at her mother pleadingly and received a telltale look of disbelief, followed by one of resignation. Her mother was confused by her daughter's behavior, yet trusted her to make her own choices no matter how much the worry festered within her loving heart. They both knew this. The thought made Saramye nauseous.
"Sara!" Ademina rushed for a pot from the cupboard to place beneath her daughter's doubled form.
"Forgive me," came the child's voice, barely audible.
"Hush, dearest, don't be silly," the older woman soothed. "Everyone gets a little sick sometimes. Now tell me, what have you eaten today?"
"It's not that. It's."
"There, there. Don't fight it, just let it all out. You'll feel much better once there's nothing left to come up." She handed her a small washcloth when the worst of it seemed to be over. "Clean yourself up."
"Thank you. It's just."
Ademina was afraid that her daughter had begun to choke with the liquid when her hands came up to muffle the sobbing from beneath them.
"Mavrik is hurt, mother," Sara burst. "There's something wrong with him. I'm not sure what it is, but he was crying, mother. I felt him crying!"
"Nonsense, love," Ademina tried gently, placing an arm around heaving shoulders. "Mavrik is fine, darling. Off training in the fields somewhere trying to make you proud of him. And he does try so hard, darling. He loves you. He's making something of himself for the both of you. For your future. Don't fret, now, he can take care of himself. He's fine, I promise."
Saramye shook her head fervently against her mother's shoulder. "You're wrong. He's in pain, I know it! Please, mother, why can't you just believe me this once?"
The sight of Saramye's wide, gentle eyes made Ademina flinch for the pain they mirrored.
"Please," she whispered again.
Her mother looked away. "What would you have me do, Sara? What do you want from me?"
I don't want to hurt you, that's not what I'm trying to do! Sara screamed within her mind. Yet what she said was, "Let me go, mother. Please. I need to find him. I need to find out what's happened to him. Please."
Why was she asking this of her? How could she do this to her? Ademina thought, hurt. How could she just expect her to let her leave like that? Go off into the unknown where there were a million people looking to take advantage of her youth? She didn't know that danger, she had no concept of it at all. Why would she want to leave an old woman alone, abandon her without a care to anyone but herself?
No. That was not the Sara she knew. Not the Sara she had birthed and raised. She was honestly concerned for her lover - and wasn't that a noble trait? "Yes," Ademina sighed, "I suppose it is time that I let you grow up, isn't it?" She got up wearily, beginning finally to show as well as feel her age, and Mye couldn't help feeling sorry for her although not knowing why. "I'll help you pack."
"Take the back roads to Hyrule City, the main ones are filled with marauders this time of night. When the sentry on duty asks your business, explain to him that you are looking for Laylee of Hurzd on urgent business. Remember that name well, it will keep you safe."
"Who is this person you speak of, mother? Is he really that powerful?"
"She, darling, is the mistress of Hifei Temoro."
"The Keeper of the Temple?"
The temple of which Sara spoke was known in legend as the Temple of Time, the supposed resting place of the Triforce of the gods and the mythical Master Sword - both talismans of great power. Since the passing of the First Age, both talismans were thought to have been either lost, stolen, or never to have existed at all. Although the modern day preservation of the temple was out of respect for tradition, it still held a certain amount of prestige and importance.
"Mother, how would you know such a woman?"
"As it just so happens, she is your great great - oh I forgot how many greats - uncle's widow on your father's side..Twice removed," Ademina added after some thought.
"Good Goddess, how old is this woman?"
"A living fossil, that's for sure, but she's as sharp as a tack. She lives in the Fourth Division on the northeastern side of town, right behind the Great Temple. You can't miss it. If you get lost, head for the path leading to the castle and ask one of the sentries on duty for an escort. Do you understand, Sara? It is imperative that you get to Ms. Hurzd before sundown tomorrow or you'll have a very difficult time finding a place to spend the night. The Festival of Ages is in town and everyone will have made arrangements beforehand. Understood?"
"Yes, mother. I'll send word to you once I've reached her."
"Thank you, darling." After a long embrace she said," Be off now before the night is done, you'll be wanting to get a good head start to the city before the festival caravans arrive in the morning and cause a raucous."
"Thank you for understanding, mother. I'm not sure when I'll find out what's happened, but as soon as I'm assured everything is alright I'll come straight home. Good bye, until then."
As her mother had requested, Sara headed for her forest haven behind the town, from which she had access to all of what her mother referred to as "back roads". In reality they were nothing more than a few unmarked paths through the vast miles of hilly plain that was Hyrule Field.
She made her way for the second time that day to the windmill behind her house and, more importantly, the brick wall which supported in on either side. She climbed the stairs past the well and adjacent to the passage leading to the cemetery, and followed the wood railing to its far end along the mill's northernmost wall. Kakariko Village was as old as the legends surrounding the kingdom, maybe older. Thus, so too was its mill, and the north wall was in a state of disrepair. The blacksmith's son had been working on the repairs himself until he became ill a week earlier. Although not indifferent to his ailment, this suited Sara just fine, for there was a section of the wall not yet completed where the bricks were still lose and many were missing.
Luckily, the smith's son had been kind enough to leave behind the barrel of replacement bricks. These were what Sara had been using to access the crest of the great hill on which the mill had been built, and the forest beyond. Removing the straps about her shoulders of the small pack she carried, Sara knelt and began to place some of the bricks into the gaps. She continued to do so until the only gaps left were at certain intervals, and made for perfect footholds almost like a stone ladder carved into the wall. Satisfied that her weight would be held, she picked up her pack once more, climbed, and continued on her way.
Saramye was not the only one who had figured out this trick. A few of the other teenagers nearing her age had discovered it as well and utilized their knowledge to sneak away at night and meet in secret, primarily those pairs which fancied eachother. There was no one in the darkness tonight. Sara couldn't help but think on the first time she and Mavrik had gone up there to have a kiss in private, and blushed at the thought. Yet she quickly shook the idea out of her head and pressed on. She had been warned to make it to the city before the caravans did and that was exactly what she intended to do.
She passed the meadow where she had so often gone to daydream until only that morning - Goddess, but it seemed so long ago. Into the forest which was only a slight thickening of the trees, but as close to a forest as Sara had ever seen, onto one of the barely visible paths in the pale moonlight. She kept a brisk pace, and was cautiously aware of her surroundings at all times both to avoid danger and to keep her mind preoccupied and awake. Until finally the moon had set and there were only a few hours left before dawn. Suddenly Saramye found herself aware of a horrible thought taunting her within the forefront of her mind: What if she had gone the wrong way and had gotten herself lost?
"Hush now, Sara," she said aloud. Finally, a sound aside from the ominous silence that had surrounded her for the past few hours to comfort her ears. "What can I do if I am lost? Besides, how would I know I as lost in the first place?.The Talent!" Closing her eyes, Sara tried to think of someone nearby who would know their way around. After some concentration, she finally began to sense one of the caravan drivers and found that they were only a little way behind her and headed in the same direction. She was going the right way.
My name is Adri, and I couldn't help but notice that you were picking my brain for directions, my young Talent.
Saramye gasped.
Don't be frightened, the voice laughed, I am not unlike you. If it would please you to stop trying to block me from your thoughts, I might be able to find you and take you to the city. Your thoughts make me feel awfully tired, young.maiden? Yes, that's what you are. It's not easy to convey sex to another Talent simply by thought, but you're different somehow. I'd like to meet you just.Oh, there you are! I see you now. Just hold on, friend I'll be there in a jiffy.
Saramye could just barely make out the silhouette of what she assumed to be her contact's caravan before the sudden release of their mind made her lose consciousness.
"Wake up, pet, we're here," a voice called from very far off. For a moment Sara thought that it might be Mavrik. Her beloved come to rescue her from the torments of her strange voices. Instead, when she opened her eyes she found a rather handsome young man not quite her age yet. He was looking down on her with the most beautiful gray eyes she had ever seen.
"Hold on there, let me help you before you try to sit up on your own like that. A feisty one, aren'tcha?" he smiled, a dazzling white accented by a rich golden tan. "I'm Adri, the one who spoke to you last night before you keeled over. Sorry about that, sometimes I forget what a monster headache I can cause if I'm not careful." He smiled apologetically this time. "What's the matter, Lady?"
"Nothing I'm.fine." Sara sat up a little straighter. "What happened?" She placed a hand on her forehead tentatively, testing out the pressure.
"You passed out from our contact a few hours ago just before I picked you up and brought you here."
Now Sara noted another feature, dark freckles which stood out against the tan under his cheeks. "Where is here?" She asked.
"Hyrule City, of course. That is where you were headed, wasn't it?"
"How did you - "
"Know?" he finished. "Like I told you earlier, I'm a Talent like yourself - albeit a traveling one. I haven't met many like us throughout the kingdom, only a handful. But you, you're special somehow, different."
Sara noted the way he looked her over and decided that she didn't like it. He saw what was in her face when their eyes met again and said, "Look I didn't mean it like that. I mean that your gift is somehow stronger than those of the others."
"Others?"
"Yes, actually."
"Apparently we aren't the only ones," came a third voice. A woman's voice.
"Oh, Runiah I didn't see you there."
"You never do," she chided playfully, flirtatiously. "Who's this, I wonder?"
"This is.Saramye, wasn't it?"
"Yes, but - "
"How did he know?" The woman continued, "Adri just gets inside people's heads sometimes, but he can't do it if you know how to block him out. I can teach you how. My name is Runiah." Runiah extended a hand in friendship, "Pleased to met you, Saramye."
Sara took the hand within her own, looking the woman over. They were of equal height, yet lean muscles beneath tight riding leathers made her seem the taller. Her hair was a rich black, like fertile soil in the spring, hanging in long, springy curls. Her brown eyes held a strange combination of cunning and honesty accented by high cheekbones and full lips.
Not all light penetrates the shadows. Concentrate on your own feelings, not on dispelling that of others, then no one can reach you if you do not desire it so. She advised, and somehow this made Sara feel as though she had just gained access to a few very powerful allies.
Indeed she had, and they came to her bedside in the caravan and introduced themselves. It was almost as if a Committee of the Races had been summoned for all the diversity present.
First came Sulia, Runiah's half sister. Sulia resembled her older sister in almost every way save the definite reddish tint in her otherwise soft brown hair, and her eyes were more of hazel than those of her sister's. Adri would later explain that Runiah's father, of whom she was an almost spitting image, had sired Sulia on a POW in one of the minor Gerudo Wars. "But the girls prefer not to talk about it," Adri had advised. One thing was for certain, Sulia seemed as spirited as her older sibling.
Next came the serious Mardeem, a sturdy little fellow for a forest elf. The last part came from Adri, who Sara had recognized within her mind as the speaker for the group. He explained that Mardeem played it off as "just being short, that's all" but in reality there was faerie blood flowing through his veins.
Finally, the "Zoron" twins made their entrance. "Saramye, meet Zabraniiva and Gareth. We call them the 'Zoron Twins'," Adri explained.
Apparently these two were fraternal twins, not identical. Yet they were so similar in some ways.and somehow different. The play of words was not lost on Sara. It was immediately apparent to her that the twins were an unprecedented mix of Zora and Goron, the two most opposite races in the kingdom. Thus, the term Zoron for these Zora-Goron hybrids.
This pair, however, was eager to explain their lineage themselves instead of having Adri muddle it up, or so they said. Zabraniiva explained that their father had been a Goron, and their mother a Zora.
Although a mix of the rock-like Goron and the fish-like Zora might sound unattractive, they were actually quite the beautiful pair. Both had inherited the beautiful, slightly slanted amethyst eyes the Zora were famous for, as well as their long and graceful physique. The latter feature was accented quite handsomely by the defined muscles typical of the huskier Goron race. Evolution to their respective extreme climates had substituted tough skin for body hair in both Races, and yet the twins' complexion was healthy and soft. They were a miracle of fusion, both in nature and in their obvious and unexpected beauty. Yet some of the typical Zora head crest had remained along the top of their skulls, appearing as though they did have hair and had decided to spike it into a Mohawk.
They were stunning to look at.
"Our father traveled with the festival caravans years ago," Gareth continued for his sister. "He met our mother when Lake Hylia hosted the festival. And the rest is history." He shrugged, then smiled.
It became suddenly apparent to Sara that none of them had mentioned what had happened to their parents since their births. They had all simply agreed to leave it at "And the rest is history". Although she found this a bit odd, Sara knew better than to press people for information, it was rude. They all seemed friendly enough, although she knew that true friendships and the trust that it implied came with time and by deed. Knowing this, Sara revealed to them only that she was going to stay with her great aunt to watch the festival and, having never made the journey to the city on her own before, became lost and disoriented when they found her.
They were all Talents, that much was obvious to her intuitions the moment she had laid eyes on this unlikely group of fellows. How much of her story they chose to believe was up to them, but they probably knew her motives anyhow and had deemed them harmless. Sara spared a mental shrug. If they knew then there was nothing she could do about it, and besides there was nothing of major importance to her personal journey to anyone but her, so they could just keep their prying minds to themselves.
"Well then, Miss Sara," Mardeem concluded, "I think it is safe to say that you are well enough now to move out on your own." He tool her hand and kissed it respectfully, "Safe passage to you."
Saramye kept herself from blushing and replied, "Thank you all for your hospitality. I don't know what would have become of me without your assistance." With that she got up and began searching around for her pack.
"Looking for this?" Adri asked from a corner of the cramped space within the wagon. He held the little pack out to her, haning from one strap on his index finger.
"Oh. Thank you."
"I could guess what would have happened to you without my help, and it isn't a pretty picture I would conjure for you." "Hush, Adri," came Sulia's harsh reprimand.
He continued without notice. "So what do I get for my.What did you call it?.Hospitality?"
"First off, kind sir," Saramye began, thouroughly fed up with his disrespect, "I believe it was the lot of you who helped me and for that I am eternally grateful and you have my word that if in any way I could repay you I would. But, as you can plainly tell, because I can see it now written all across your forehead that you were rummaging through my things, I have nothing of value to present to you save my sincerest thanks. Now, if you please, I need to be getting on my way." With that, Sara nodded her departure to the others and exited the wagon at an enfuriated pace.
"Ouch," Runiah winced with a mischievous grin. "You deserved that, Adri. You know you did."
"Yeah, well," Adri conceded. "You know, I still plan on getting something."
"Like what, you scoundrel?" This from Sulia. "An apology?"
"Perhaps." Adri smiled playfully exited on a turn of his heel.
"Lady Saramye! Lady Saramye!" Sara heard Adri calling after her.
"Lady Saramye please wait."
There was so much pleading sincerity in his voice this time that Sara actually did stop to wait for him. "What do you want from me, Adri?"
"On any other occasion I would have said a kiss from such a pretty thing as yourself, but this time just wanted to say that I'm sorry."
"Yes, I know," Sara sighed. "I can tell. Rather, I can feel it, your intentions I mean."
"Yeah, it's a pretty cool ability, huh? Being able to tell others' emotions. The only other people I've ever met who can do it are all back in that wagon. I'm sorry, Sara. I felt your vulnerability and I thought I could wean something from it but.You're so different from the rest of us. True, we all have our own distinct variations, but your power is so raw. So.free. I wouldn't want someone like me to be on the shit-list of someone like you."
Sara smiled at this last humorous use of language. "Then you should be able to sense that I have already forgiven you. Please tell the others that I'm sorry for storming out like that, but I really should be on my way."
The beautiful and somehow different girl looked Adri in the eyes with such love and comfort as he had not seen since his mother's death. "I will, Sara. Good bye and good luck." He waited until she was almost out of earshot before adding, "Oh, and Sara, that's what I meant to tell you - I can't sense you like the others. They can't either. It's what makes you special. Bye!"
Rone was among the few left standing and proved himself particularly fluent in the art of profanity when an enemy blade drank deeply of the nutrient rich liquids flowing through his sword arm. Mavrik turned to call out to him from where he knelt among the circle of the wounded but was cut short when he saw the great man fall.
Not knowing why or caring how, he suddenly became determined to slay every whoreson who had even the chanciest drop of desert blood flowing through their veins. When enough years had passed to allow him to reflect unbiased at the situation, Mavrik could concede to Sara that her musings were correct after all, and that the temporary lapse of mental clarity was the product of witnessing the fall of a loathed enemy and a respected comrade not by one's own hands.
He lashed out blindly in a fit of rage which went unchecked until reinforcements came for their attackers and he was bludgeoned mercilessly in the back of the head with the butt end of a scythe into sweet senselessness. When he awoke it was to a room hewn from the canyon rock barely large enough for a decent pace and cramped with those of his fellows who had survived. The latter was an enlightenment he received only after nearly beating it out of one of the dejected members of the former company, cloaked though not comforted in the heavy desert heat and silence.
Rone was not among them.
Mavrik began to pace restlessly, careful of those lying on the ground. He looked around at the sorry faces full of sweat and dirt around him and wanted to cry at the pity he felt. Ashamed at the salty liquid that stung his eyes, he turned away and pressed his forehead against the cold stone. He shouldn't be crying, he told himself, he was one of the lucky ones.
The shock of something cool in the sweltering heat made him gasp, and the gasp turned into cries for breath, for the Goddesses mercy, for any solace in this merciless wasteland and these meaningless people who had torn them away from their homes, their families.His love.
"Sara!" He couldn't help it. The tears flowed freely now. All of the sorrows and grief he had held in during the long march overland.
Little did he know that somewhere in a sleepy little town, miles away from anything remotely resembling such discontent, there was an answering cry to his own.
* * *
By a spring in a clearing within the surrounding forest of her hometown knelt Saramye. Her eyes were red-rimmed and the bright scars of tears ran down her cheeks, yet her body remained rigid, stunned. As clearly as if he was with her, she swore she heard Mavrik crying out to her. That's when the tears had begun to flow and, just as suddenly as they had come, stop.
At first she had shaken her head, thinking it was her fears. I'm worrying myself too much, she thought, I'm stressing myself out. Yet there was something about the suddenness of those emotions and the total lack for their justification that made her wonder if in fact they were not her own. "What's happening to me?" she asked of the wispy clouds floating high above her head in the blue. "I wish I knew how you are faring out there, beloved." She whispered his name into the peaceful silence surrounding her as though the passing breeze would offer her answers. She half expected it to. It did not.
She wiped the stains of dried tears from her eyes with one sleeve and looked about her, thinking of nothing and everything all at once.
It was times of isolation like this that her thoughts were allowed to run wild wherever they chose the length and breadth of the kingdom, of her world. Taking all sorts of shapes and forms, contemplating so many things at once until she lost herself in a world of thought until everything became a blur and she could almost cry out for the disorganization of it. And she hated it.
Why couldn't she just stop thinking and be herself? Why couldn't she tap into the haven of her emotions and remain there naïve, happy, free. "No," she said aloud. "I do know why. Because without thought I have no proof that I am alive, and where would I be then?" She half sighed, half chuckled, "Goddess, what a morbid thought!"
"Sara!" It was her mother from somewhere outside the confined of her forest retreat.
"I'm coming!" she replied.
She stood to leave, letting all of her previous thoughts vanish from within her. Stripping herself of everything she knew, all the things she thought she knew, and anything she had ever heard mentioned of what people could and could not do until only her inner most existence and intuitions were left.
She returned to the village convinced that those emotions were not her own, but in fact the cries and longings of a very special soldier far away in his own private hell.
"Sara?" Ademina looked her daughter's sultry expression over. For such a youthful age, she seemed so tired - exhausted, even - and it worried her. "Darling you haven't spoken much since you came home this afternoon. What's the matter?"
Saramye sighed. She truly was exhausted. All of her energies had been spent trying to block out others' emotions that she may continue about her life in peace. Yet all she had managed to do was block out her own in the process. She felt empty, numb. She wished desperately that she could tell her mother - someone, anyone - about what was happening to her, and yet she felt that they couldn't possibly understand.
"I'm just.sleepy, I guess." Sara looked up at her mother pleadingly and received a telltale look of disbelief, followed by one of resignation. Her mother was confused by her daughter's behavior, yet trusted her to make her own choices no matter how much the worry festered within her loving heart. They both knew this. The thought made Saramye nauseous.
"Sara!" Ademina rushed for a pot from the cupboard to place beneath her daughter's doubled form.
"Forgive me," came the child's voice, barely audible.
"Hush, dearest, don't be silly," the older woman soothed. "Everyone gets a little sick sometimes. Now tell me, what have you eaten today?"
"It's not that. It's."
"There, there. Don't fight it, just let it all out. You'll feel much better once there's nothing left to come up." She handed her a small washcloth when the worst of it seemed to be over. "Clean yourself up."
"Thank you. It's just."
Ademina was afraid that her daughter had begun to choke with the liquid when her hands came up to muffle the sobbing from beneath them.
"Mavrik is hurt, mother," Sara burst. "There's something wrong with him. I'm not sure what it is, but he was crying, mother. I felt him crying!"
"Nonsense, love," Ademina tried gently, placing an arm around heaving shoulders. "Mavrik is fine, darling. Off training in the fields somewhere trying to make you proud of him. And he does try so hard, darling. He loves you. He's making something of himself for the both of you. For your future. Don't fret, now, he can take care of himself. He's fine, I promise."
Saramye shook her head fervently against her mother's shoulder. "You're wrong. He's in pain, I know it! Please, mother, why can't you just believe me this once?"
The sight of Saramye's wide, gentle eyes made Ademina flinch for the pain they mirrored.
"Please," she whispered again.
Her mother looked away. "What would you have me do, Sara? What do you want from me?"
I don't want to hurt you, that's not what I'm trying to do! Sara screamed within her mind. Yet what she said was, "Let me go, mother. Please. I need to find him. I need to find out what's happened to him. Please."
Why was she asking this of her? How could she do this to her? Ademina thought, hurt. How could she just expect her to let her leave like that? Go off into the unknown where there were a million people looking to take advantage of her youth? She didn't know that danger, she had no concept of it at all. Why would she want to leave an old woman alone, abandon her without a care to anyone but herself?
No. That was not the Sara she knew. Not the Sara she had birthed and raised. She was honestly concerned for her lover - and wasn't that a noble trait? "Yes," Ademina sighed, "I suppose it is time that I let you grow up, isn't it?" She got up wearily, beginning finally to show as well as feel her age, and Mye couldn't help feeling sorry for her although not knowing why. "I'll help you pack."
"Take the back roads to Hyrule City, the main ones are filled with marauders this time of night. When the sentry on duty asks your business, explain to him that you are looking for Laylee of Hurzd on urgent business. Remember that name well, it will keep you safe."
"Who is this person you speak of, mother? Is he really that powerful?"
"She, darling, is the mistress of Hifei Temoro."
"The Keeper of the Temple?"
The temple of which Sara spoke was known in legend as the Temple of Time, the supposed resting place of the Triforce of the gods and the mythical Master Sword - both talismans of great power. Since the passing of the First Age, both talismans were thought to have been either lost, stolen, or never to have existed at all. Although the modern day preservation of the temple was out of respect for tradition, it still held a certain amount of prestige and importance.
"Mother, how would you know such a woman?"
"As it just so happens, she is your great great - oh I forgot how many greats - uncle's widow on your father's side..Twice removed," Ademina added after some thought.
"Good Goddess, how old is this woman?"
"A living fossil, that's for sure, but she's as sharp as a tack. She lives in the Fourth Division on the northeastern side of town, right behind the Great Temple. You can't miss it. If you get lost, head for the path leading to the castle and ask one of the sentries on duty for an escort. Do you understand, Sara? It is imperative that you get to Ms. Hurzd before sundown tomorrow or you'll have a very difficult time finding a place to spend the night. The Festival of Ages is in town and everyone will have made arrangements beforehand. Understood?"
"Yes, mother. I'll send word to you once I've reached her."
"Thank you, darling." After a long embrace she said," Be off now before the night is done, you'll be wanting to get a good head start to the city before the festival caravans arrive in the morning and cause a raucous."
"Thank you for understanding, mother. I'm not sure when I'll find out what's happened, but as soon as I'm assured everything is alright I'll come straight home. Good bye, until then."
As her mother had requested, Sara headed for her forest haven behind the town, from which she had access to all of what her mother referred to as "back roads". In reality they were nothing more than a few unmarked paths through the vast miles of hilly plain that was Hyrule Field.
She made her way for the second time that day to the windmill behind her house and, more importantly, the brick wall which supported in on either side. She climbed the stairs past the well and adjacent to the passage leading to the cemetery, and followed the wood railing to its far end along the mill's northernmost wall. Kakariko Village was as old as the legends surrounding the kingdom, maybe older. Thus, so too was its mill, and the north wall was in a state of disrepair. The blacksmith's son had been working on the repairs himself until he became ill a week earlier. Although not indifferent to his ailment, this suited Sara just fine, for there was a section of the wall not yet completed where the bricks were still lose and many were missing.
Luckily, the smith's son had been kind enough to leave behind the barrel of replacement bricks. These were what Sara had been using to access the crest of the great hill on which the mill had been built, and the forest beyond. Removing the straps about her shoulders of the small pack she carried, Sara knelt and began to place some of the bricks into the gaps. She continued to do so until the only gaps left were at certain intervals, and made for perfect footholds almost like a stone ladder carved into the wall. Satisfied that her weight would be held, she picked up her pack once more, climbed, and continued on her way.
Saramye was not the only one who had figured out this trick. A few of the other teenagers nearing her age had discovered it as well and utilized their knowledge to sneak away at night and meet in secret, primarily those pairs which fancied eachother. There was no one in the darkness tonight. Sara couldn't help but think on the first time she and Mavrik had gone up there to have a kiss in private, and blushed at the thought. Yet she quickly shook the idea out of her head and pressed on. She had been warned to make it to the city before the caravans did and that was exactly what she intended to do.
She passed the meadow where she had so often gone to daydream until only that morning - Goddess, but it seemed so long ago. Into the forest which was only a slight thickening of the trees, but as close to a forest as Sara had ever seen, onto one of the barely visible paths in the pale moonlight. She kept a brisk pace, and was cautiously aware of her surroundings at all times both to avoid danger and to keep her mind preoccupied and awake. Until finally the moon had set and there were only a few hours left before dawn. Suddenly Saramye found herself aware of a horrible thought taunting her within the forefront of her mind: What if she had gone the wrong way and had gotten herself lost?
"Hush now, Sara," she said aloud. Finally, a sound aside from the ominous silence that had surrounded her for the past few hours to comfort her ears. "What can I do if I am lost? Besides, how would I know I as lost in the first place?.The Talent!" Closing her eyes, Sara tried to think of someone nearby who would know their way around. After some concentration, she finally began to sense one of the caravan drivers and found that they were only a little way behind her and headed in the same direction. She was going the right way.
My name is Adri, and I couldn't help but notice that you were picking my brain for directions, my young Talent.
Saramye gasped.
Don't be frightened, the voice laughed, I am not unlike you. If it would please you to stop trying to block me from your thoughts, I might be able to find you and take you to the city. Your thoughts make me feel awfully tired, young.maiden? Yes, that's what you are. It's not easy to convey sex to another Talent simply by thought, but you're different somehow. I'd like to meet you just.Oh, there you are! I see you now. Just hold on, friend I'll be there in a jiffy.
Saramye could just barely make out the silhouette of what she assumed to be her contact's caravan before the sudden release of their mind made her lose consciousness.
"Wake up, pet, we're here," a voice called from very far off. For a moment Sara thought that it might be Mavrik. Her beloved come to rescue her from the torments of her strange voices. Instead, when she opened her eyes she found a rather handsome young man not quite her age yet. He was looking down on her with the most beautiful gray eyes she had ever seen.
"Hold on there, let me help you before you try to sit up on your own like that. A feisty one, aren'tcha?" he smiled, a dazzling white accented by a rich golden tan. "I'm Adri, the one who spoke to you last night before you keeled over. Sorry about that, sometimes I forget what a monster headache I can cause if I'm not careful." He smiled apologetically this time. "What's the matter, Lady?"
"Nothing I'm.fine." Sara sat up a little straighter. "What happened?" She placed a hand on her forehead tentatively, testing out the pressure.
"You passed out from our contact a few hours ago just before I picked you up and brought you here."
Now Sara noted another feature, dark freckles which stood out against the tan under his cheeks. "Where is here?" She asked.
"Hyrule City, of course. That is where you were headed, wasn't it?"
"How did you - "
"Know?" he finished. "Like I told you earlier, I'm a Talent like yourself - albeit a traveling one. I haven't met many like us throughout the kingdom, only a handful. But you, you're special somehow, different."
Sara noted the way he looked her over and decided that she didn't like it. He saw what was in her face when their eyes met again and said, "Look I didn't mean it like that. I mean that your gift is somehow stronger than those of the others."
"Others?"
"Yes, actually."
"Apparently we aren't the only ones," came a third voice. A woman's voice.
"Oh, Runiah I didn't see you there."
"You never do," she chided playfully, flirtatiously. "Who's this, I wonder?"
"This is.Saramye, wasn't it?"
"Yes, but - "
"How did he know?" The woman continued, "Adri just gets inside people's heads sometimes, but he can't do it if you know how to block him out. I can teach you how. My name is Runiah." Runiah extended a hand in friendship, "Pleased to met you, Saramye."
Sara took the hand within her own, looking the woman over. They were of equal height, yet lean muscles beneath tight riding leathers made her seem the taller. Her hair was a rich black, like fertile soil in the spring, hanging in long, springy curls. Her brown eyes held a strange combination of cunning and honesty accented by high cheekbones and full lips.
Not all light penetrates the shadows. Concentrate on your own feelings, not on dispelling that of others, then no one can reach you if you do not desire it so. She advised, and somehow this made Sara feel as though she had just gained access to a few very powerful allies.
Indeed she had, and they came to her bedside in the caravan and introduced themselves. It was almost as if a Committee of the Races had been summoned for all the diversity present.
First came Sulia, Runiah's half sister. Sulia resembled her older sister in almost every way save the definite reddish tint in her otherwise soft brown hair, and her eyes were more of hazel than those of her sister's. Adri would later explain that Runiah's father, of whom she was an almost spitting image, had sired Sulia on a POW in one of the minor Gerudo Wars. "But the girls prefer not to talk about it," Adri had advised. One thing was for certain, Sulia seemed as spirited as her older sibling.
Next came the serious Mardeem, a sturdy little fellow for a forest elf. The last part came from Adri, who Sara had recognized within her mind as the speaker for the group. He explained that Mardeem played it off as "just being short, that's all" but in reality there was faerie blood flowing through his veins.
Finally, the "Zoron" twins made their entrance. "Saramye, meet Zabraniiva and Gareth. We call them the 'Zoron Twins'," Adri explained.
Apparently these two were fraternal twins, not identical. Yet they were so similar in some ways.and somehow different. The play of words was not lost on Sara. It was immediately apparent to her that the twins were an unprecedented mix of Zora and Goron, the two most opposite races in the kingdom. Thus, the term Zoron for these Zora-Goron hybrids.
This pair, however, was eager to explain their lineage themselves instead of having Adri muddle it up, or so they said. Zabraniiva explained that their father had been a Goron, and their mother a Zora.
Although a mix of the rock-like Goron and the fish-like Zora might sound unattractive, they were actually quite the beautiful pair. Both had inherited the beautiful, slightly slanted amethyst eyes the Zora were famous for, as well as their long and graceful physique. The latter feature was accented quite handsomely by the defined muscles typical of the huskier Goron race. Evolution to their respective extreme climates had substituted tough skin for body hair in both Races, and yet the twins' complexion was healthy and soft. They were a miracle of fusion, both in nature and in their obvious and unexpected beauty. Yet some of the typical Zora head crest had remained along the top of their skulls, appearing as though they did have hair and had decided to spike it into a Mohawk.
They were stunning to look at.
"Our father traveled with the festival caravans years ago," Gareth continued for his sister. "He met our mother when Lake Hylia hosted the festival. And the rest is history." He shrugged, then smiled.
It became suddenly apparent to Sara that none of them had mentioned what had happened to their parents since their births. They had all simply agreed to leave it at "And the rest is history". Although she found this a bit odd, Sara knew better than to press people for information, it was rude. They all seemed friendly enough, although she knew that true friendships and the trust that it implied came with time and by deed. Knowing this, Sara revealed to them only that she was going to stay with her great aunt to watch the festival and, having never made the journey to the city on her own before, became lost and disoriented when they found her.
They were all Talents, that much was obvious to her intuitions the moment she had laid eyes on this unlikely group of fellows. How much of her story they chose to believe was up to them, but they probably knew her motives anyhow and had deemed them harmless. Sara spared a mental shrug. If they knew then there was nothing she could do about it, and besides there was nothing of major importance to her personal journey to anyone but her, so they could just keep their prying minds to themselves.
"Well then, Miss Sara," Mardeem concluded, "I think it is safe to say that you are well enough now to move out on your own." He tool her hand and kissed it respectfully, "Safe passage to you."
Saramye kept herself from blushing and replied, "Thank you all for your hospitality. I don't know what would have become of me without your assistance." With that she got up and began searching around for her pack.
"Looking for this?" Adri asked from a corner of the cramped space within the wagon. He held the little pack out to her, haning from one strap on his index finger.
"Oh. Thank you."
"I could guess what would have happened to you without my help, and it isn't a pretty picture I would conjure for you." "Hush, Adri," came Sulia's harsh reprimand.
He continued without notice. "So what do I get for my.What did you call it?.Hospitality?"
"First off, kind sir," Saramye began, thouroughly fed up with his disrespect, "I believe it was the lot of you who helped me and for that I am eternally grateful and you have my word that if in any way I could repay you I would. But, as you can plainly tell, because I can see it now written all across your forehead that you were rummaging through my things, I have nothing of value to present to you save my sincerest thanks. Now, if you please, I need to be getting on my way." With that, Sara nodded her departure to the others and exited the wagon at an enfuriated pace.
"Ouch," Runiah winced with a mischievous grin. "You deserved that, Adri. You know you did."
"Yeah, well," Adri conceded. "You know, I still plan on getting something."
"Like what, you scoundrel?" This from Sulia. "An apology?"
"Perhaps." Adri smiled playfully exited on a turn of his heel.
"Lady Saramye! Lady Saramye!" Sara heard Adri calling after her.
"Lady Saramye please wait."
There was so much pleading sincerity in his voice this time that Sara actually did stop to wait for him. "What do you want from me, Adri?"
"On any other occasion I would have said a kiss from such a pretty thing as yourself, but this time just wanted to say that I'm sorry."
"Yes, I know," Sara sighed. "I can tell. Rather, I can feel it, your intentions I mean."
"Yeah, it's a pretty cool ability, huh? Being able to tell others' emotions. The only other people I've ever met who can do it are all back in that wagon. I'm sorry, Sara. I felt your vulnerability and I thought I could wean something from it but.You're so different from the rest of us. True, we all have our own distinct variations, but your power is so raw. So.free. I wouldn't want someone like me to be on the shit-list of someone like you."
Sara smiled at this last humorous use of language. "Then you should be able to sense that I have already forgiven you. Please tell the others that I'm sorry for storming out like that, but I really should be on my way."
The beautiful and somehow different girl looked Adri in the eyes with such love and comfort as he had not seen since his mother's death. "I will, Sara. Good bye and good luck." He waited until she was almost out of earshot before adding, "Oh, and Sara, that's what I meant to tell you - I can't sense you like the others. They can't either. It's what makes you special. Bye!"