Repaying a Debt
Disclaimer: Ditto the one from the last eighteen chapters or so.
I got an interesting review - and I have no idea who it was from. Go and have a look if you're interested - the name is along the lines of 'she should have died' (how pleasant) and the person talks about KFC and the series 24. OK, so, I like that show and all, but I want my reviewers to at least acknowledge the fact that they read the story. [Looks vaguely angry]. Oh, and Weird One, as for the trial - well, we shall see. I'm not telling you guys anything, but I think it'll be easy enough for you to draw your own conclusions up whilst you wait for me to write mine.
Ah hell, I can't stay mad - I'm too happy. I finally managed to tab some of my music properly, and my band's going steady at last. And, for all you guys who have reviewed and made sense, I just want you to know, you are the ones who inspire me. Without you, I doubt this thing would have got much past the second chapter. It's nineteen chapters (including this one now) and probably the second longest thing I've ever written in my *life*. So, thanks again.
And, now that I've been sappy, back to the story. (And sorry for all this Blaise/Sheik sap that's been going on. It's just the way the story needs to run so that I can get to the end on the right level. I'm also sorry for the lack of action Kizna - I promise to get a lot in for this, OK?)
~/*\~/*\~/*\~
For the second time, I met Loki in-between the two times. However, this time was not nearly so jovial, for the case was going to go through no matter what was thrown at it. Loki appeared amidst the curling fingers of dark mist, his Mithril staff already gripped firmly in his hands. By a swift look at his clothes, I could tell he hadn't slept in days - his hair wasn't much better, and was sticking up all over the place. He looked about ready to drop, but his resolve seemed hardened to what he had to do.
"Hello again, little one," he said warily to me. "Sit," he directed as before, and I sat on the floor that was barely there. He too sat down, and laid his staff on the floor. "Come here you," he said, voice strangely muffled, and embraced me like a long-lost friend. I gripped him back just as tightly, and had to sniff away a few tears that pushed to get out from under my eyelids. "I'm sorry for all that you still must go through," he whispered, stroking my hair the way he used to when I couldn't sleep at night.
"It's not your fault, don't dwell on it," I whispered back, face buried in his broad shoulder. He chuckled weakly,
"You always think of others over yourself, don't you Lexis?" I didn't answer; a lump in my throat was preventing me from saying anything. "Brave girl; come on, I fear that Hyrule cannot wait long for you." He let go, and I had to take a few seconds to compose myself before I bought myself to let go as well. He helped me up from the floor, and then bent to pick up his staff. "I'm sorry I left so abruptly last time - it was just - odd for me," he apologised, rubbing the back of his neck and looking a little sheepish.
"Hey, it was nothing. And, I can understand why," I assured him, and he smiled. He was doing that a lot more recently, and I was almost able to believe what Fleur had said.
"Well, best get started," he said, and I stood up straight as he cast the spells at me with his staff. It was a lot quicker than the first time ("If I've done a spell once before, I can do it twice as fast the next time" - Loki's theory on spell casting). As I looked down, I could see as my limbs shortened and lost the definition of muscle bought on by years of training. "Hmm, I have a feeling I should probably give you some new clothes, right?" he asked just as he was done perfecting my vocal chords.
"Yeah, that would be good," I answered in my child voice. "And some glasses again."
"Another pair?" he asked in surprise, one hand on his hip as he glared down at me. "What happened to the last?"
"I lost them..." I offered, and he tutted, shaking his head.
"Dear me - I should keep a store of the damn things, the amount of pairs you've lost over the years. How many is it now, thirty?"
"Well, technically, thirty one, if you count that pair that melted in the Mount of Dragons on-" he waved his hands, and I caught the sound of a slight laugh from him. I just smiled, and took the pair of glasses that he held out to me. "Thanks."
"Now, those clothes. Hylians wear those tunics, don't they?" I nodded. "Well, one like the one you wore before should suffice. Urm..." he scratched his head and looked a little bemused. "Sorry, it evades me for a minute - I've been rather busy of late. What are they like again?" And, to my surprise, he held out his staff to me. "Show me, won't you? Just an apparition will do for the basic idea."
I looked at the staff, and then up at him. [WTF?] was a distinct thought. "Have you gone insane?" I asked curiously, and in my young voice, it sounded quite amusing. His brow furrowed,
"Why do you ask?"
"You've just given me your bloody staff! You *must* be insane!" He just shook his head.
"Make the apparition. It's not like you can have forgotten - I know how they beat that stuff into you at school." I hefted the staff nervously, and muttered a few choice spell-words. The carven end of the staff glowed momentarily, before shooting out a translucent picture of a Hylian-style tunic in the air. "Ah - now I remember," and he bent down and took the staff back.
[He just let me have access to a staff - with which, if I wanted, (though I never would), I could have killed him. He *hugged* me just now, and he's being civil - no - friendly.] I blinked a couple of times as Loki made the finishing touches to my clothes. [Either he's gone insane, or I have. Or what Fleur said was true. Maybe I'm dreaming...]
"All done," Loki said, dusting his hands off, and stepping back a couple of paces. His eyes held some of the sorrow that they had when he first turned me back to a child, but not half so much. He didn't say anymore, just waved his hand, and was gone again. I slipped the glasses he had given me onto my nose, and braced myself for the portal that would whisk me back to Hyrule. It came, and jerked me from the misty area - the last glimpse of Loki was him turning his head slightly, and raising his fingers a miniscule amount in a wave.
*
All three of us landed on the other side, and, to my surprise, I managed to be the only one who remained standing. The other two tumbled head over heels down the steps to come to an abrupt halt at the bottom. Three moans of "Ow," drifted up, and I shook my head in disbelief. "There's no time for a nap you three; get up," I said, rolling Link over with my kidskin booted foot. He looked up at me, a little dazed.
"Ow," he said again, before managing to get himself up off the floor and standing up. Navi hadn't fared too badly - at least this time, Link had managed to keep his hat on, and so she hadn't been sent spiralling off somewhere. Sheik was nursing a bruised forehead, which Navi swiftly healed.
"Thanks," he murmured, and Link and I helped him to his feet. "To the Spirit Temple?" he queried, and Link nodded immediately. "OK - but - do you think we could eat first?" He looked pleading, and I poked him on the shoulder,
"That's all you ever think about, isn't it?" I laughed, and he grinned guiltily.
"Yeah, all right, let's eat!" Link yelled, and rushed off to the far-off doors out to the market place. Navi buzzed after him, calling,
"I want some candy dammit!" Link laughed back at her, and she sped up to catch up with him. Sheik and I walked at a more sedate pace (giving both of our stomachs time to grumble and moan at us to hurry up).
"You know what?" Sheik suddenly said, looking down from his vantage point of a couple of inches taller than me.
"What?" I asked, grinning as I heard Navi yelling something about candy again as Link and she reached the doors.
"I'm hungry," he said simply, and broke into a run towards the market place. "Come on, hurry up, or I'll eat all the food there is!" he yelled back, and I threw caution to the wind and followed him. I was bloody hungry too! I skidded out of the temple door and down the steps, and had to pause for a few seconds as the glare off of the white stone walls blinded me momentarily. I pushed my glasses further up my nose to get rid of the sun's glare, and carried on into the market place.
The market place was the same bright whorl of colour that I remembered from my visit there. There was even another Sheikan band of musicians playing for the shoppers in the main square. This time, they had taken up a space by the great white marble fountain in the centre, and a crowd of merry dancers had already gathered to appreciate the music. I stood still at the bottom of the Temple steps and gazed around to try and spot the indigo figure of Sheik, or the emerald green one of Link.
Neither of them were anywhere in sight, and I felt a little put out - I could also feel angry tears begging to force their way out of my eyes, but I ignored them. At a growl of my stomach, I remembered why we were stopping here in the first place, and began to scout out a food vendor. Reaching a hand to my waist, I discovered that I still had over thirty rupees left of the purple rupee Link had given me the last time. This gave me some scope for serious shopping after lunch. I noted down the locations of a few weapons stores to return to later.
[I suppose I can forgive them,] I decided as I spotted the exact vendor I'd been looking for. [We're all bound to be pretty hungry after...] I didn't carry that thought any further, and settled instead on [we're all pretty damned hungry.] With that, I sped through the crowd, darting around and sometimes even through people's legs. I found my way barred by a tall horse that I was sure looked familiar, but I couldn't quite place it. The baker's wagon was all I could focus on anyway, the smell of food wafting enticingly through the air towards me.
"'scuse me," I called into the wagon, leaning on the low counter as I waited.
"I'll be right with you," the shadowy bulk of the baker called back, and he put down a tray of freshly cooked loaves before ambling out to serve me. "Yes? What can I get you?" I was about to answer when a voice I didn't want to hear cut across mine,
"Three plain loaves, my good man, and make it quick won't you!" I turned my head, and found myself looking at a black-clad midriff. Looking up, I saw that he hadn't even seemed to have noticed me all the way down on my short level. Perhaps I'd be able to sneak away before he looked down and saw me. He might recognise me from Kakariko... [It was his horse!] my brain told me as I also tried to plan my escape.
"Yes sir, right after I've taken the order of this young lady here," the baker answered, a slight chiding tone in his voice. Ganondorf blinked, and finally looked down - he jumped when he saw me standing there in front of him.
"Ever so sorry," he muttered, and I fought the urge to smirk.
"Now, what would you like, little miss?" the baker leant on the counter as well, so that we were roughly the same height.
"Just a plain loaf, thanks," I said, and fished out a blue five rupee piece to hand to the man. He grinned and reached back into his stall to grab one of the freshly baked pieces of bread. This he handed down to me, dropping a friendly wink. "Thanks - good day," I said, and hurried off before Ganondorf could finish making his own purchase and perhaps try to follow me. I managed to quickly hide myself in the crowd watching the Sheikan musicians, and crept my way through them over to the other side of the square, where there was a small pile of crates on which I could sit and eat my meal.
From my seat on the crates, I had a perfect view of what was going on in the entire square, and watched as Ganondorf walked his horse towards the drawbridge side of the square. He'd looked around a few times, but I knew he hadn't seen me, and relaxed a little. I chose to incline my head towards the musicians, thinking with a small grin [entertainment whilst I eat. Excellent!] Then, I took my hands and tore the still-warm loaf in half. Steam rose from the fluffy white interior, and the delicious smell exploded outwards.
I guzzled it down quickly, congratulating myself on finding perhaps the best food in the whole town. But, when I had eaten half the loaf, I reasoned with myself that I might need it later, and put it away in my pack. The food had made me a little sleepy, and I had to stop myself from falling asleep then and there. But, even so, I fell into a slight snooze, one hand on the hilt of one of my daggers...just in case.
A change in the sounds of the shoppers around me forced it's way into my mind, and I had to open my eyes again. No longer were they bustling around merrily, to stop at every little stall and barter over merchandise. The only sound which echoed off of the tall buildings all around was that of the Sheikan band, which was playing on regardless of everything else.
The shoppers had come to a standstill, and were looking towards the drawbridge. It was open, and looked out onto the field, where a black mass, followed by a dust cloud, and preceded by swift messengers on horse, was advancing. "The Gerudo," one man hissed, pulling a woman who I presumed was his wife down a narrow alley, and away from the crowd. The rest were muttering now, quietly and scared beyond all doubt.
"Someone must warn the king!" one of the Sheikan musicians called, as they too finally ceased their noise. "And, by the holy Goddesses, get by those gates to raise them as soon as the messengers are in!" At the obvious commanding voice, and ease with which he spoke, the crowd did as they were told. Many women ushered small children, and those who could not/ would not fight, away down alleyways and side-roads.
This left the square decidedly empty, and at last I spotted Link and Sheik, all the way at the other side, crouching next to a cloth stall and whispering frantically. I jumped from my crate and ambled over quickly, making sure that I was not seen. I did not wish to be ushered away like the other children after all. The musicians, as well as a few other men, and some of the town's guards were moving towards the drawbridge, so I did not worry about that for the moment.
"Blaise!" Navi darted out and hovered in front of me. "Thank the Goddesses you found us. Come on, we've got to get out of here!"
"But what about the town?" I asked, even as I followed her back to the other two. "Someone needs to warn the king!"
"Don't worry about that," Link said darkly, his face in an angry frown. "We already know that King Harkonnen shall die before this day is out."
"But, surely, we could save him," I said, casting a look in the direction of the palace. "All it would take is a simple few minutes, and then we could be on our way..."
"No." Link answered firmly. "The past can't be changed like that. We come, we get what we need, and we go back to our own time." I didn't try to argue against the tone he had, and nodded mutely. "I'm sorry," he put a hand on my shoulder, "but that's just the way it is. I wish as much as you that we could save his Royal Majesty. But - it cannot be done. We cannot, and must not even try, to change the past!"
[Oh, such wise words. And if only they were not true, there are so many things I would wish different,] I thought, completely forgetting Navi.
{Wouldn't we all?} she sighed in a regretful voice, making me jump slightly. {But, Link's right. We must do what we came to do, and nothing more.}
[I know.] "So, shall we go to the Spirit Temple then?"
"Aye, I think that would be best," Sheik nodded, and nudged Link, who bought out the Ocarina of Time. Then, he quickly turned to me, before Link had had a chance to begin the melody. "Wait a moment," he told Link, who let the Ocarina hang loose. Then, Sheik reached into his pocket, and drew out a small ring, that looked to be made of haematite. It was a simple band, devoid of any carvings or stones, but shone brightly with it's own beauty. This, he handed to me, blushing profusely.
"What's this for?" I asked, staring at the ring in my palm, and then at him curiously.
"I found it on a stall of magic objects," he said, stuttering slightly. "It's supposedly got the power to protect you from magical attacks." I nodded, and reached out a hand to ruffle the unruly hair of his.
"Thanks, Sheikie boy," I smiled, and he looked up at me with a good-natured scowl. It seemed to say, 'if you ever call me that again, I swear I shall have to kill you with a torture worse than being hugged by a Goron.' I just laughed, and slipped the ring onto my middle finger. It felt a little loose, so I swapped it to the thumb of my left hand, where it fit quite snugly. A small spark of magic crawled along the scars on my left palm, and I clenched the fist as the long-dead nerves beneath the skin there came back to life.
"When you two have quite finished," Link coughed, tapping his foot impatiently. I threw him a glare, and he looked up at the sky, whistling innocently.
"Fine, fine, we're done. Shall we go then?" Sheik retaliated, punching him on the shoulder amicably. Link punched him back, and then raised the Ocarina to his lips and played the Requiem of Spirit. For the second time in but an hour or so, we were whisked away by a portal, in order to carry on our quest to save this land, which had become like a second home to me.
Here I had friends, here I had perhaps even found love (though I was not sure). And here I was beginning to wish I could stay, even after the adventure was over, and peace had returned. Life would not be good back in the angel world; not for me anyway, if things went as I believed they would. Not believed - *knew* they would.
~*~*~*~
As soon as we hit the sandy ground before the Spirit Temple, desert creatures of all shapes and descriptions surrounded us. There were curious green things, which seemed to arise out of the sand at every possible space. And then there were a smaller, more nimble desert version of the Wolfos. Obviously, here, in this time, the Desert held more life. "Look out!" Navi trilled as one of the sandy coloured lupine creatures swiped a paw, claws unsheathed, at Sheik's head.
"Holy Goddesses!" he exclaimed as he ducked easily under the swipe. However, the attack did succeed in separating a few strands on hair from his head, and he blanched in horror. Quickly, we unsheathed our weapons, and formed a circle, our backs towards one another. It was a whirlwind of hacking and slashing in order to get out, and make a break for the Temple. The burrowing creatures followed after us with a scrunching sound, and the sandy Wolfos padded easily across the sands of their home territory.
"Turn about," I called, as I realised we could not outrun the Wolfos. The others did so, weapons and shields raised. "Sheik, I think Deku-nuts would be good about now." He nodded, and dug his hands into his satchel to extract a handful of them. These he threw to the ground, where they split open and let out a blinding flash of light. The Wolfos howled in pain, and I was easily able to dart in a run two of the clean through before the light had fully died away.
"Come on, let's get to the Temple," Sheik puffed, turning on his heel and sprinting across the few dozen yards left to the shadowy entrance. Link and I did the same, glancing every now and then over our shoulders. But, the Wolfos that we had left alive were still stumbling about blindly, so we paid them no heed. And the burrowing creatures could not keep up with our fast pace easily, so we were safe from them.
But not completely safe from danger, as we soon found out. There weren't just Wolfos and the green creatures to worry about here. With a feral snarl, a tawny furred feline, much like a mountain lion, jumped before the entrance to the Temple. As it snarled again, it exposed a set of sharply pointed white teeth, and a blood red throat. I cowered back from it, for it was at least twice again my size.
"What shall we do?" Link hissed to Navi, who was hanging indecisively in the air.
"I would suggest you do not move," came a cool voice from the shadows of the Temple entrance. "Yalta, heel!" the feline put it's ears back, and became as meek as a kitten as it slinked over to the person in the shadows. "Now, children, what are you doing in this inhospitable place?" They stepped out, and it was easy to recognise the red flowing hair and humoured smile; the lady Nabooru.
"Nothing really," Link answered nonchalantly. "Just exploring, that's all."
"You're brave to explore such an inhospitable place," she observed, sitting down on the steps of the Temple. "Come, sit. I believe you may be the exact help I've been looking for."
"Help?" Sheik queried, tilting his head to one side.
"Aye. There's something in there I want, but I'm too damned big to get to it." She didn't seem too worried about giving information away, it seemed. "Are you with Ganondorf?" she asked suddenly, and I saw a flicker of movement as her fingers flexed on the handle of a long rapier at her side.
"No! How dare you even ask?" Link spat back, an outraged flush lighting his cheeks. She laughed, and let her hands drop.
"One does not make a judgement on looks alone. I did not think you looked like one of his followers, but I thought I'd ask to make sure. Personally, I despise him."
"Who wouldn't?" Navi muttered, and the Gerudo's eyes darted in surprise to the fairy.
"One of you is from the forest?" she looked to the three of us, and picked out Link immediately. "Of course you are," she said to him. "How stupid of me; I should have figured out by your fare straight away." The large feline was pacing to and fro along the stone terrace, and she whistled softly to it. "Yalta, rest you great brute!" The cat growled indignantly, but lay down with its head on its paws all the same.
"Where did you find - that?" I asked curiously.
"I found *him* as a cub out here around two years ago. Desert lynx are rare, so I thought I'd keep Yalta out of pity." I nodded. "But, this is not what I wished to talk on. We all four of us,"
"FIVE of us," Navi interjected angrily.
"Ah yes - I am so sorry. All *five* of us are against Ganondorf. And, he (may the Goddesses curse him) has taken away much of the treasure that rightfully belongs to the common Gerudo. I wish to get it back - but there is no way I can get into the Temple without the Silver Gauntlets." A shiver went through me, and I knew that these gauntlets must hold some magic power or other. "I'll need you three to help me by getting the silver fists for me. Because, I cannot get in."
"Why?" Link asked. She got up from where she sat, and we followed her example.
"It will be easy enough to understand if I show you." She led us into the cool entrance hall of the Temple, and I looked around it with awe. The stone had been hacked away and carved so that it was smooth and beautiful to behold. Light filtered down from air vents high above, making the dim walls come alive with vibrant red highlights. Nabooru wasn't impressed by all this, and instead led us into a shadowy area, and pointed to a small hole in the wall with her foot.
"Oh," all of us said as we looked at it. Now we understood completely. There was no way Nabooru could fit through that narrow hole; only us, as children, had any hope of going in and retrieving the silver gauntlets.
"So," Nabooru had her arms crossed over her ample chest, and was looking down at us. "Will you do it?"
"Of course," Link answered in his diplomatic, gentlemanly way. "But I would suggest you don't just stand here waiting for us - have a rest - or something." She nodded, a little shimmer of surprise rippling her face at the grown-up sounding words coming from this child. Link sat down on the floor, and then dropped to his belly to crawl through the ridiculously small hole.
[Great. Another one of these,] I thought in annoyance, and Navi agreed with me.
*
As soon as I had exited the tunnel, I could hear the sounds of battle reverberating in my ears. Looking up, I could see Link and Sheik darting away from a great stone enemy, which was pirouetting through the air with a ridiculous amount of grace for such a cumbersome looking creature. "Look out, it's gonna blow!" Link called; I had absolutely no idea what he meant, and was shocked to see the creature was now heading towards me.
It's stony exterior was thrumming slightly, and pulsed with a red light. I knew from experience what that meant, and scurried out of the creature's path as quickly as I could. Just as I had passed it, there was an earth- shattering explosion, the force of which sent me flying forwards into Sheik and Link. All three of us cannoned along the floor, only halting when we came into contact with the stone wall at the end.
"Youch," Navi winced, looking down at the three of us. "Are you guys all right?" I was quite surprised when I found all of my limbs in working order, and stood up. The other two did the same, shaking themselves slightly.
"Yeah, we're fine," Link grinned, looking over at the remains of the stone creature. "Bloody Armos. I hate those things! They always explode at the most inopportune of times." Sheik snorted, rubbing his wrist with a slightly pained expression.
"An Armos - I take it that was what that thing was?" I asked, indicating the charred and still smoking remains.
"Quick on the uptake, aren't you?" Link jibed, strolling over to the ashes on the ground. He nudged them with his boot. "Yep, this was an Armos. And, with any luck - oh yeah!" he had stooped down, and stood back up with a couple of bombs in his hands. "That's the only good things about these suckers - you always get a couple of bombs out of them."
"I'm not sure I trust you with those," Sheik said, grabbing the bombs from Link. Link frowned, but didn't try to get them back.
"Hey, fine, you're the one that has to carry them," he grinned, and then looked around, most likely for the exit of the room. "Urm - which door d'you think?" he asked, and I saw that there were two.
"I don't know," Sheik answered with a shrug. "Blaise, you want to do the honours and choose?"
"Not really," I muttered, and all three of them looked at me expectantly. "Fine - that one," I pointed to the door on the left. They nodded, and moved over to it. "I hope I didn't choose a difficult room," I said jokingly, and Navi laughed. Link nudged the door open with his shoulder; his sword and shield already out. I quickly unhitched my own, and settled the shield comfortably on my left arm.
"And what's behind door number one?" Sheik said dryly, and then Link flung the door open completely. There was an iron grilling which barred the way to a platform which was separated from the one the door opened onto. There was a crystalline switch on the platform behind the grill, and I briefly wondered how we were going to trigger it. But, the thought was cut short by the old noise of metal bars sliding across the doors.
We all knew what was coming, and I looked up, as Link looked at the ground, and Sheik scanned the air just above our heads, to wait for enemies to appear. It was from above that they came this time - three Stalfos. I could have cried with joy at being given such easily beaten opponents to begin with. It was a matter of seconds before we had felled all of them, and, panting slightly, had to turn to the problem of the switch.
"Don't worry - I've just the thing for it," Link assured us, and pulled a strangely curved stick from his belt.
[Where does he keep all that weaponry?] I asked Navi in amazement.
{I don't rightly know,} she admitted. {I'm not sure I want to...} I snorted, and Link looked at me curiously. I just shut up and looked down at the floor.
"Is that - a - boomerang?" Sheik asked incredulously.
"Aye," Link answered, gripping one end of the curved stick, and bringing his arm back. Sheik burst out into laughter, and I looked between the two.
"What's so funny?" I didn't get any answer from Sheik, so I turned to Link. He just shrugged. "OK, I'll change the question. What's a 'boomerang'?" Sheik stopped immediately and looked down at me with surprise.
"You don't know what a boomerang is?" I shook my head. He took a steadying breath to compose himself. "Well, I guess the easiest way to describe it, is as a 'stick, that when you throw it away, it always comes back'."
"If you'd thrown it away, why would you want it to come back?" I asked, and Link laughed this time.
"Just watch, and you'll see," he smiled, bringing his arm further back. "And don't underestimate the power of this thing - it helped me to defeat Barinade after all." And, he threw the stick as hard as he could. I watched in interest as it span through the air, arcing and clipping the crystal switch as it came flying back. Link reached out and caught it deftly, before turning around to stick his tongue out at Sheik. The iron grilling had fallen down to act as a bridge between the two platforms, which we crossed immediately. "And that's what a boomerang is used for," he told me, slotting the funny shaped stick back into - Goddesses knows where.
"All right, I admit, it does have it's uses," Sheik conceded. "But I still never thought the Hero of Time would use a boomerang." Link just shook his head and laughed disbelievingly. I couldn't really see what was so odd about the usage of the boomerang myself, but kept my mouth shut. No doubt we would soon come to a place where all this idle chatter would be impossible, and I wanted to be ready for it.
On the other platform, there was a door, which was half rotten and hung off of its hinges balefully. The room beyond was littered with razor-traps and falls into dark gorges. Strange, snake-like creatures were hovering in the air, letting out unsavoury chattering sounds. On the wall just before the decrepit door was an inscription. "What does it say?" I asked Link, who was studying the words. I wasn't very sure of my grasp of the languages of Hyrule, and didn't want to make myself look like a fool.
"I'm not sure. It looks like Old Hylian, and I only know a few letters of it. Sheik, do you know it?" he turned around, and stepped back so that Sheik could look at the wall.
"I learnt it a while ago; I just hope I can remember." He studied the wall, eyebrows knitted in concentration. Then, he began to read the words slowly, stumbling a few times, but always managing to carry on again. "The Anubis room.
Creatures of fire and air, of darkness and light.
Protectors of the silver hands against thieves in the night.
Fight fire with fire, and cross swords only with swords.
If it be the hands you desire, beat us to pass forwards." He looked back at us. "I suppose that means those snake-things have to be killed with fire. Do you have the magic of the fire arrows with you?" this he directed at Link, who pulled out the sparkling bottle.
"It won't be much use. I mean, none of us can use bows as we are now."
"Who said anything about using bows?" Sheik asked, puling out a few seeds from his satchel, along with a slingshot. I understood immediately, and also pulled out my slingshot and ammunition. "It's all a matter of how many of these we prepare though. It says nothing as to how many of these 'Anubis' there are."
"I can soon sort that out," Navi said, and she bravely charged through the half-rotten door into the room. Within a few seconds, she was back, "Eight, I think. I had to hurry back because one of them was about to singe me with a fireball." The said fireball darted past the door at that very moment, and ricocheted off of the wall to expire on the ceiling of the Anubis room. "If you each have sixteen, that should be more than enough to defeat them."
So, we sat there, dipping the hard, round seeds into the bottle of fiery magic. It didn't seem to be being used up, and the bottle looked just as full as ever. I marvelled at the magic there, and gathered the seeds into my right hand so I could use them straight away. My slingshot I held in the left, so that I could pull the string back with my right. Link, I noticed, held the slingshot in his right hand. From this, I finally noticed that he was left-handed. {You only just noticed?}
[Yeah...wow, it has taken me a long time, hasn't it?]
{Only the better part of two months!} Navi scolded. {Oh - back we go. If one of them looks to be about to set me on fire, you will warn me, won't you?}
[Of course.]
{Thanks.} We got up from out position on the floor, and Link put the bottle of magic away. Slowly, in single file, with Navi at the head, we advanced through the door into the room.
It was a lot bigger than we had suspected, and the far end was barely visible in the low light. The snake-like creatures were a lot more menacing close up, and the chattering noise was almost like a low voice. Almost - but I couldn't make out the words. Sheik, however, tensed at his place at the head of the group, and looked around with wide eyes. "They're speaking Old Hylian. They want to know why we're here."
"Well, answer them then!" I hissed.
"I don't know. I don't think I know enough to do so."
"At least try!" Link urged, and Sheik gulped.
"OK," he looked up at the Anubis, and cleared his throat. Then, the language spilled easily from his lips, sounding both melodious and harsh, mysterious and as known to me as an old friend. "Non si preoccupi, noi sono amici di i vostri. Nous souhaitons seulement gagner les mains argentées afin d'aider cette terre à l'avenir. Por favor, você deixe-nos após? Renderebbe le cose così tanto più facili per noi e saremmo i più riconoscenti."
The Anubis answered back, the same sounds, though much more menacing when they came back times by eight from the undulating, sinewy bodies. "Nós não o acreditamos." Sheik looked a little panicked, and threw his arms up.
"Que voulez-vous dire, vous ne me croyez-vous pas?" He looked a little worried, and I watched a bead of perspiration trickle over his brow.
"Você encontra-se, Sheikah carregado. Vos os se décomposeront ici pour toujours pour votre trahison!" The Anubis did not sound as though they were welcoming us with open arms. Sheik lay down his slingshot, and motioned for us to do the same. Obviously, this was our last shot attempt at making peace with them.
"Pace, significhiamo soltanto la pace!"
"Préparez pour mourir." The Anubis said, and began to form balls of fire around the ends of their whip like tails.
"Thoughtless fools!" Sheik hissed, and picked up both slingshot and handful of fired seeds. "We shall have to do this the hard way. Attack them, and make a break for the doorway at the other end!" I raised my slingshot, seed resting on the small strip of leather in the centre. The magic warmed my fingers slightly, and then I let the seed fly. It exploded on contact with the Anubis I had aimed at, and the creature fizzled out of existence like the ashes of an old fire.
We flew through the room, leaping across the pits to which we could see no bottom without fear. Just so long as we could get away from those blasted flying snakes, it was good enough. Navi had to yet again duck as they threw fireballs at us - luckily, as we were on the move, their aims were clumsy, and they weren't able to recharge quickly. This, was, however, made up for by their numbers. There were still five of them left, and they were bearing down on us faster that we could run.
"Blast it - we shall have to stand and fight!" Sheik cursed, and whirled around on the small platform on which he stood. His slingshot came up quickly, and he fired - the seed missed the target, but only just. The Anubis he had been firing at finished recharging, and before he could load another seed, had let loose a new fireball.
The platform he stood on didn't leave him anywhere to go. He stepped backwards, and I saw as though in slow motion him fall down into the darkness below. "NO!" I jumped over the tiny inferno from the Anubis, and grabbed the hand that was stretching up desperately. Link turned and swiftly took down the creature that had almost cost us our Sheikah. "Up you come," I grunted as I helped it back up. "You all right?"
"For someone who almost fell to their death, fine," he answered, face paler than usual. He still had his slingshot in his hand, and I passed him a fire seed. This he strung, and managed to down two of the Anubis at the same time. The last two were short work for Link and I, and then we stood, panting, before the door at the other end, looking at the small piles of ashes every few feet which were all that remained of our enemies.
"What did you say to them?" I asked when I'd gotten enough breath back, and he seemed to have overcome his near-death experience.
"I know you said something about peace, but not much more," Link cut in.
"Look, I'll tell you later," Sheik wheezed. "We've got to get on now. I don't want to be in here any longer than we have to be."
"OK - good plan," Navi agreed, and rapped on the door with her small fist. "Open it Link."
"Will do," he said, and pushed the door open. We walked through, and looked about the room. It was easy enough to figure out the puzzle. As Link so aptly put it, "Go get the silver rupees."
*
A lifeless metal statue was sat at the far end of the shadow-plagued room; there was nothing else there, unless you counted the pillars which held the roof up. "What do we do now?" I asked, running a finger over the shiny armour of the statue.
"I'm not sure," Link admitted, leaning against the statute. His Kokiri sword clanged against it loudly. There was another metallic sound, and I looked around to see where it had come from. However, at Link's startled cry, I realised where it had emanated from at once. The very statue itself was beginning to stir, and was hefting an axe bigger than we were. "Eep," Link squeaked, jumping away from the statue, and unsheathing his sword. Sheik and I followed his example, gulping as the huge statue rose to its feet.
"Navi - what the hell is that thing?" Sheik asked, as we all backed away from the lumbering giant. Navi was quivering, and her light pulsed with every shiver.
"Dear Goddesses, I didn't think these things existed. It's called an Iron Knuckle. They're quite slow, so it should be easy enough to outmanoeuvre it. If you make it follow one of you, then the other two circle around to attack, you should be all right. And I don't really need to tell you to keep out of the way of the axe..." she sounded terrified.
"I'll act as the decoy," I said, and there wasn't really time for the other two to argue. I ran across the path of the Iron Knuckle, drawing it after me. "Hey! Yeah, you - over here slow-coach, bet you can't catch me!" It let out a rumbling sound of annoyance, and swung its mighty axe towards me. I rolled behind a pillar - but the axe just went straight through it. Luckily, I had been crouching; otherwise I might have found myself with no head.
Now, the axe was trapped in the wall, and the tall armour clad creature was pulling and tugging for all it was worth to get the weapon free. At this, Link, Sheik and I all set upon it, slashing hard and fast. And, when it had finally regained the use of it's weapon, we led it through the same dance as before. This time, I hid behind the throne, knowing that it would not be wise to take out any more of the ceiling supports. It was quicker now, as we had angered it, and I had to verily sprint to prevent myself from being caught by the keen edge of the axe.
The weapon became lodged again in the masonry of the tall hall, and the creature let out a cry of outrage. We all three set upon it again, and it fell quickly beneath the flashes of our blades. The great axe crumbled into nothingness, and the creature inside the armour disappeared, leaving only an empty shell. "That was...exhilarating," Sheik puffed, lying flat on the floor and drawing in deep breaths. I didn't answer, having to concentrate on getting enough air into my lungs. Link was the only one who seemed unaffected.
Indeed, he let out a little whoop of triumph, and clattered across the stone floor heavily, his boots clopping like a horse's hooves. "The silver gauntlets!" I heard him exclaim, and pushed myself up on my elbow to look at him. He stood before a chest that had materialised, and was holding what were, without any doubt, the silver gauntlets. "Come on - let's get out of here," he said, pulling Sheik and I off of the floor.
A shrill feminine scream rent the air, and we looked about wildly. Light from behind the throne outlined a doorway, which we crashed through, Link still carrying the gauntlets reverently. The doorway led out onto a stone terrace high above the desert, which caught the last rays of the setting sun. And, far below, in a pool of purple quick sand (obviously magicked there) was the lady Nabooru.
And, above her, were two hideous women riding on brooms. Looking closely, I could tell immediately that the women had once been beautiful. But, by the power that they had gained, they had turned into the bent and horrific figures before. They were flying around the purple sand on broomsticks, and I took them at once to be witches.
Nabooru let out another shrill scream, and I stepped forward to slide down the slanted wall of the Temple to get to her. Navi grabbed the back of my tunic. "No," she hissed. "This must happen. The past has changed enough for us to go back to our own time. Link, play the melody to take us back to the Temple of Time."
"Can we do nothing to help her?" I asked Navi in a pleading voice.
"Not in this time, no," she answered brusquely. Link quickly played the Prelude of Light, and we were whisked back to the Temple of Time. Here, Link pulled the Master Sword from the pedestal, and we went shooting towards the future with the speed of arrow bolts.
~/*\~/*\~/*\~
There you are everyone. I hope the action parts in there were to your liking. And, you realise, the end draws nigh! There's only one more temple to go after all. And after that - well, I'm not sure. The fight with Ganondorf of course...and then...well, I've said too much already. You will have to wait.
This is the chapter I promised - another one should make its presence known within a week or two. Until then, I hope to see the reviews in the box! [Shakes fist].
Luv Soda
PS: If you were wondering what the Old Hylian used up there meant, here it is in English. As you can tell by the languages in brackets, I used a mixture. I may be *very* rusty on all of these languages, so please give me any grammar corrections if you can. If not, then it will just have to do.
(Italian - Sheik) "Do not worry, we are friends of yours. (French) We only wish to gain the silver hands in order to help this land in the future. (Portuguese) Please, would you let us past? (Italian) It would make things so much easier for us, and we would be most grateful."
(Portuguese - Anubis) "We do not believe you."
(French - Sheik) "What do you mean, you don't believe me?"
(Portuguese - Anubis) "You lie, Sheikah borne. (French) Your bones shall rot here forever for your treachery!"
(Italian - Sheik) "Peace, we mean only peace!"
(French - Anubis) "Prepare to die."
And on that note of a very mixed up soup of languages for my version of Old Hylian, I'll be off. (Eek, I'm confused now. Why oh why didn't I pay better attention in my language classes the last few weeks?)
Disclaimer: Ditto the one from the last eighteen chapters or so.
I got an interesting review - and I have no idea who it was from. Go and have a look if you're interested - the name is along the lines of 'she should have died' (how pleasant) and the person talks about KFC and the series 24. OK, so, I like that show and all, but I want my reviewers to at least acknowledge the fact that they read the story. [Looks vaguely angry]. Oh, and Weird One, as for the trial - well, we shall see. I'm not telling you guys anything, but I think it'll be easy enough for you to draw your own conclusions up whilst you wait for me to write mine.
Ah hell, I can't stay mad - I'm too happy. I finally managed to tab some of my music properly, and my band's going steady at last. And, for all you guys who have reviewed and made sense, I just want you to know, you are the ones who inspire me. Without you, I doubt this thing would have got much past the second chapter. It's nineteen chapters (including this one now) and probably the second longest thing I've ever written in my *life*. So, thanks again.
And, now that I've been sappy, back to the story. (And sorry for all this Blaise/Sheik sap that's been going on. It's just the way the story needs to run so that I can get to the end on the right level. I'm also sorry for the lack of action Kizna - I promise to get a lot in for this, OK?)
~/*\~/*\~/*\~
For the second time, I met Loki in-between the two times. However, this time was not nearly so jovial, for the case was going to go through no matter what was thrown at it. Loki appeared amidst the curling fingers of dark mist, his Mithril staff already gripped firmly in his hands. By a swift look at his clothes, I could tell he hadn't slept in days - his hair wasn't much better, and was sticking up all over the place. He looked about ready to drop, but his resolve seemed hardened to what he had to do.
"Hello again, little one," he said warily to me. "Sit," he directed as before, and I sat on the floor that was barely there. He too sat down, and laid his staff on the floor. "Come here you," he said, voice strangely muffled, and embraced me like a long-lost friend. I gripped him back just as tightly, and had to sniff away a few tears that pushed to get out from under my eyelids. "I'm sorry for all that you still must go through," he whispered, stroking my hair the way he used to when I couldn't sleep at night.
"It's not your fault, don't dwell on it," I whispered back, face buried in his broad shoulder. He chuckled weakly,
"You always think of others over yourself, don't you Lexis?" I didn't answer; a lump in my throat was preventing me from saying anything. "Brave girl; come on, I fear that Hyrule cannot wait long for you." He let go, and I had to take a few seconds to compose myself before I bought myself to let go as well. He helped me up from the floor, and then bent to pick up his staff. "I'm sorry I left so abruptly last time - it was just - odd for me," he apologised, rubbing the back of his neck and looking a little sheepish.
"Hey, it was nothing. And, I can understand why," I assured him, and he smiled. He was doing that a lot more recently, and I was almost able to believe what Fleur had said.
"Well, best get started," he said, and I stood up straight as he cast the spells at me with his staff. It was a lot quicker than the first time ("If I've done a spell once before, I can do it twice as fast the next time" - Loki's theory on spell casting). As I looked down, I could see as my limbs shortened and lost the definition of muscle bought on by years of training. "Hmm, I have a feeling I should probably give you some new clothes, right?" he asked just as he was done perfecting my vocal chords.
"Yeah, that would be good," I answered in my child voice. "And some glasses again."
"Another pair?" he asked in surprise, one hand on his hip as he glared down at me. "What happened to the last?"
"I lost them..." I offered, and he tutted, shaking his head.
"Dear me - I should keep a store of the damn things, the amount of pairs you've lost over the years. How many is it now, thirty?"
"Well, technically, thirty one, if you count that pair that melted in the Mount of Dragons on-" he waved his hands, and I caught the sound of a slight laugh from him. I just smiled, and took the pair of glasses that he held out to me. "Thanks."
"Now, those clothes. Hylians wear those tunics, don't they?" I nodded. "Well, one like the one you wore before should suffice. Urm..." he scratched his head and looked a little bemused. "Sorry, it evades me for a minute - I've been rather busy of late. What are they like again?" And, to my surprise, he held out his staff to me. "Show me, won't you? Just an apparition will do for the basic idea."
I looked at the staff, and then up at him. [WTF?] was a distinct thought. "Have you gone insane?" I asked curiously, and in my young voice, it sounded quite amusing. His brow furrowed,
"Why do you ask?"
"You've just given me your bloody staff! You *must* be insane!" He just shook his head.
"Make the apparition. It's not like you can have forgotten - I know how they beat that stuff into you at school." I hefted the staff nervously, and muttered a few choice spell-words. The carven end of the staff glowed momentarily, before shooting out a translucent picture of a Hylian-style tunic in the air. "Ah - now I remember," and he bent down and took the staff back.
[He just let me have access to a staff - with which, if I wanted, (though I never would), I could have killed him. He *hugged* me just now, and he's being civil - no - friendly.] I blinked a couple of times as Loki made the finishing touches to my clothes. [Either he's gone insane, or I have. Or what Fleur said was true. Maybe I'm dreaming...]
"All done," Loki said, dusting his hands off, and stepping back a couple of paces. His eyes held some of the sorrow that they had when he first turned me back to a child, but not half so much. He didn't say anymore, just waved his hand, and was gone again. I slipped the glasses he had given me onto my nose, and braced myself for the portal that would whisk me back to Hyrule. It came, and jerked me from the misty area - the last glimpse of Loki was him turning his head slightly, and raising his fingers a miniscule amount in a wave.
*
All three of us landed on the other side, and, to my surprise, I managed to be the only one who remained standing. The other two tumbled head over heels down the steps to come to an abrupt halt at the bottom. Three moans of "Ow," drifted up, and I shook my head in disbelief. "There's no time for a nap you three; get up," I said, rolling Link over with my kidskin booted foot. He looked up at me, a little dazed.
"Ow," he said again, before managing to get himself up off the floor and standing up. Navi hadn't fared too badly - at least this time, Link had managed to keep his hat on, and so she hadn't been sent spiralling off somewhere. Sheik was nursing a bruised forehead, which Navi swiftly healed.
"Thanks," he murmured, and Link and I helped him to his feet. "To the Spirit Temple?" he queried, and Link nodded immediately. "OK - but - do you think we could eat first?" He looked pleading, and I poked him on the shoulder,
"That's all you ever think about, isn't it?" I laughed, and he grinned guiltily.
"Yeah, all right, let's eat!" Link yelled, and rushed off to the far-off doors out to the market place. Navi buzzed after him, calling,
"I want some candy dammit!" Link laughed back at her, and she sped up to catch up with him. Sheik and I walked at a more sedate pace (giving both of our stomachs time to grumble and moan at us to hurry up).
"You know what?" Sheik suddenly said, looking down from his vantage point of a couple of inches taller than me.
"What?" I asked, grinning as I heard Navi yelling something about candy again as Link and she reached the doors.
"I'm hungry," he said simply, and broke into a run towards the market place. "Come on, hurry up, or I'll eat all the food there is!" he yelled back, and I threw caution to the wind and followed him. I was bloody hungry too! I skidded out of the temple door and down the steps, and had to pause for a few seconds as the glare off of the white stone walls blinded me momentarily. I pushed my glasses further up my nose to get rid of the sun's glare, and carried on into the market place.
The market place was the same bright whorl of colour that I remembered from my visit there. There was even another Sheikan band of musicians playing for the shoppers in the main square. This time, they had taken up a space by the great white marble fountain in the centre, and a crowd of merry dancers had already gathered to appreciate the music. I stood still at the bottom of the Temple steps and gazed around to try and spot the indigo figure of Sheik, or the emerald green one of Link.
Neither of them were anywhere in sight, and I felt a little put out - I could also feel angry tears begging to force their way out of my eyes, but I ignored them. At a growl of my stomach, I remembered why we were stopping here in the first place, and began to scout out a food vendor. Reaching a hand to my waist, I discovered that I still had over thirty rupees left of the purple rupee Link had given me the last time. This gave me some scope for serious shopping after lunch. I noted down the locations of a few weapons stores to return to later.
[I suppose I can forgive them,] I decided as I spotted the exact vendor I'd been looking for. [We're all bound to be pretty hungry after...] I didn't carry that thought any further, and settled instead on [we're all pretty damned hungry.] With that, I sped through the crowd, darting around and sometimes even through people's legs. I found my way barred by a tall horse that I was sure looked familiar, but I couldn't quite place it. The baker's wagon was all I could focus on anyway, the smell of food wafting enticingly through the air towards me.
"'scuse me," I called into the wagon, leaning on the low counter as I waited.
"I'll be right with you," the shadowy bulk of the baker called back, and he put down a tray of freshly cooked loaves before ambling out to serve me. "Yes? What can I get you?" I was about to answer when a voice I didn't want to hear cut across mine,
"Three plain loaves, my good man, and make it quick won't you!" I turned my head, and found myself looking at a black-clad midriff. Looking up, I saw that he hadn't even seemed to have noticed me all the way down on my short level. Perhaps I'd be able to sneak away before he looked down and saw me. He might recognise me from Kakariko... [It was his horse!] my brain told me as I also tried to plan my escape.
"Yes sir, right after I've taken the order of this young lady here," the baker answered, a slight chiding tone in his voice. Ganondorf blinked, and finally looked down - he jumped when he saw me standing there in front of him.
"Ever so sorry," he muttered, and I fought the urge to smirk.
"Now, what would you like, little miss?" the baker leant on the counter as well, so that we were roughly the same height.
"Just a plain loaf, thanks," I said, and fished out a blue five rupee piece to hand to the man. He grinned and reached back into his stall to grab one of the freshly baked pieces of bread. This he handed down to me, dropping a friendly wink. "Thanks - good day," I said, and hurried off before Ganondorf could finish making his own purchase and perhaps try to follow me. I managed to quickly hide myself in the crowd watching the Sheikan musicians, and crept my way through them over to the other side of the square, where there was a small pile of crates on which I could sit and eat my meal.
From my seat on the crates, I had a perfect view of what was going on in the entire square, and watched as Ganondorf walked his horse towards the drawbridge side of the square. He'd looked around a few times, but I knew he hadn't seen me, and relaxed a little. I chose to incline my head towards the musicians, thinking with a small grin [entertainment whilst I eat. Excellent!] Then, I took my hands and tore the still-warm loaf in half. Steam rose from the fluffy white interior, and the delicious smell exploded outwards.
I guzzled it down quickly, congratulating myself on finding perhaps the best food in the whole town. But, when I had eaten half the loaf, I reasoned with myself that I might need it later, and put it away in my pack. The food had made me a little sleepy, and I had to stop myself from falling asleep then and there. But, even so, I fell into a slight snooze, one hand on the hilt of one of my daggers...just in case.
A change in the sounds of the shoppers around me forced it's way into my mind, and I had to open my eyes again. No longer were they bustling around merrily, to stop at every little stall and barter over merchandise. The only sound which echoed off of the tall buildings all around was that of the Sheikan band, which was playing on regardless of everything else.
The shoppers had come to a standstill, and were looking towards the drawbridge. It was open, and looked out onto the field, where a black mass, followed by a dust cloud, and preceded by swift messengers on horse, was advancing. "The Gerudo," one man hissed, pulling a woman who I presumed was his wife down a narrow alley, and away from the crowd. The rest were muttering now, quietly and scared beyond all doubt.
"Someone must warn the king!" one of the Sheikan musicians called, as they too finally ceased their noise. "And, by the holy Goddesses, get by those gates to raise them as soon as the messengers are in!" At the obvious commanding voice, and ease with which he spoke, the crowd did as they were told. Many women ushered small children, and those who could not/ would not fight, away down alleyways and side-roads.
This left the square decidedly empty, and at last I spotted Link and Sheik, all the way at the other side, crouching next to a cloth stall and whispering frantically. I jumped from my crate and ambled over quickly, making sure that I was not seen. I did not wish to be ushered away like the other children after all. The musicians, as well as a few other men, and some of the town's guards were moving towards the drawbridge, so I did not worry about that for the moment.
"Blaise!" Navi darted out and hovered in front of me. "Thank the Goddesses you found us. Come on, we've got to get out of here!"
"But what about the town?" I asked, even as I followed her back to the other two. "Someone needs to warn the king!"
"Don't worry about that," Link said darkly, his face in an angry frown. "We already know that King Harkonnen shall die before this day is out."
"But, surely, we could save him," I said, casting a look in the direction of the palace. "All it would take is a simple few minutes, and then we could be on our way..."
"No." Link answered firmly. "The past can't be changed like that. We come, we get what we need, and we go back to our own time." I didn't try to argue against the tone he had, and nodded mutely. "I'm sorry," he put a hand on my shoulder, "but that's just the way it is. I wish as much as you that we could save his Royal Majesty. But - it cannot be done. We cannot, and must not even try, to change the past!"
[Oh, such wise words. And if only they were not true, there are so many things I would wish different,] I thought, completely forgetting Navi.
{Wouldn't we all?} she sighed in a regretful voice, making me jump slightly. {But, Link's right. We must do what we came to do, and nothing more.}
[I know.] "So, shall we go to the Spirit Temple then?"
"Aye, I think that would be best," Sheik nodded, and nudged Link, who bought out the Ocarina of Time. Then, he quickly turned to me, before Link had had a chance to begin the melody. "Wait a moment," he told Link, who let the Ocarina hang loose. Then, Sheik reached into his pocket, and drew out a small ring, that looked to be made of haematite. It was a simple band, devoid of any carvings or stones, but shone brightly with it's own beauty. This, he handed to me, blushing profusely.
"What's this for?" I asked, staring at the ring in my palm, and then at him curiously.
"I found it on a stall of magic objects," he said, stuttering slightly. "It's supposedly got the power to protect you from magical attacks." I nodded, and reached out a hand to ruffle the unruly hair of his.
"Thanks, Sheikie boy," I smiled, and he looked up at me with a good-natured scowl. It seemed to say, 'if you ever call me that again, I swear I shall have to kill you with a torture worse than being hugged by a Goron.' I just laughed, and slipped the ring onto my middle finger. It felt a little loose, so I swapped it to the thumb of my left hand, where it fit quite snugly. A small spark of magic crawled along the scars on my left palm, and I clenched the fist as the long-dead nerves beneath the skin there came back to life.
"When you two have quite finished," Link coughed, tapping his foot impatiently. I threw him a glare, and he looked up at the sky, whistling innocently.
"Fine, fine, we're done. Shall we go then?" Sheik retaliated, punching him on the shoulder amicably. Link punched him back, and then raised the Ocarina to his lips and played the Requiem of Spirit. For the second time in but an hour or so, we were whisked away by a portal, in order to carry on our quest to save this land, which had become like a second home to me.
Here I had friends, here I had perhaps even found love (though I was not sure). And here I was beginning to wish I could stay, even after the adventure was over, and peace had returned. Life would not be good back in the angel world; not for me anyway, if things went as I believed they would. Not believed - *knew* they would.
~*~*~*~
As soon as we hit the sandy ground before the Spirit Temple, desert creatures of all shapes and descriptions surrounded us. There were curious green things, which seemed to arise out of the sand at every possible space. And then there were a smaller, more nimble desert version of the Wolfos. Obviously, here, in this time, the Desert held more life. "Look out!" Navi trilled as one of the sandy coloured lupine creatures swiped a paw, claws unsheathed, at Sheik's head.
"Holy Goddesses!" he exclaimed as he ducked easily under the swipe. However, the attack did succeed in separating a few strands on hair from his head, and he blanched in horror. Quickly, we unsheathed our weapons, and formed a circle, our backs towards one another. It was a whirlwind of hacking and slashing in order to get out, and make a break for the Temple. The burrowing creatures followed after us with a scrunching sound, and the sandy Wolfos padded easily across the sands of their home territory.
"Turn about," I called, as I realised we could not outrun the Wolfos. The others did so, weapons and shields raised. "Sheik, I think Deku-nuts would be good about now." He nodded, and dug his hands into his satchel to extract a handful of them. These he threw to the ground, where they split open and let out a blinding flash of light. The Wolfos howled in pain, and I was easily able to dart in a run two of the clean through before the light had fully died away.
"Come on, let's get to the Temple," Sheik puffed, turning on his heel and sprinting across the few dozen yards left to the shadowy entrance. Link and I did the same, glancing every now and then over our shoulders. But, the Wolfos that we had left alive were still stumbling about blindly, so we paid them no heed. And the burrowing creatures could not keep up with our fast pace easily, so we were safe from them.
But not completely safe from danger, as we soon found out. There weren't just Wolfos and the green creatures to worry about here. With a feral snarl, a tawny furred feline, much like a mountain lion, jumped before the entrance to the Temple. As it snarled again, it exposed a set of sharply pointed white teeth, and a blood red throat. I cowered back from it, for it was at least twice again my size.
"What shall we do?" Link hissed to Navi, who was hanging indecisively in the air.
"I would suggest you do not move," came a cool voice from the shadows of the Temple entrance. "Yalta, heel!" the feline put it's ears back, and became as meek as a kitten as it slinked over to the person in the shadows. "Now, children, what are you doing in this inhospitable place?" They stepped out, and it was easy to recognise the red flowing hair and humoured smile; the lady Nabooru.
"Nothing really," Link answered nonchalantly. "Just exploring, that's all."
"You're brave to explore such an inhospitable place," she observed, sitting down on the steps of the Temple. "Come, sit. I believe you may be the exact help I've been looking for."
"Help?" Sheik queried, tilting his head to one side.
"Aye. There's something in there I want, but I'm too damned big to get to it." She didn't seem too worried about giving information away, it seemed. "Are you with Ganondorf?" she asked suddenly, and I saw a flicker of movement as her fingers flexed on the handle of a long rapier at her side.
"No! How dare you even ask?" Link spat back, an outraged flush lighting his cheeks. She laughed, and let her hands drop.
"One does not make a judgement on looks alone. I did not think you looked like one of his followers, but I thought I'd ask to make sure. Personally, I despise him."
"Who wouldn't?" Navi muttered, and the Gerudo's eyes darted in surprise to the fairy.
"One of you is from the forest?" she looked to the three of us, and picked out Link immediately. "Of course you are," she said to him. "How stupid of me; I should have figured out by your fare straight away." The large feline was pacing to and fro along the stone terrace, and she whistled softly to it. "Yalta, rest you great brute!" The cat growled indignantly, but lay down with its head on its paws all the same.
"Where did you find - that?" I asked curiously.
"I found *him* as a cub out here around two years ago. Desert lynx are rare, so I thought I'd keep Yalta out of pity." I nodded. "But, this is not what I wished to talk on. We all four of us,"
"FIVE of us," Navi interjected angrily.
"Ah yes - I am so sorry. All *five* of us are against Ganondorf. And, he (may the Goddesses curse him) has taken away much of the treasure that rightfully belongs to the common Gerudo. I wish to get it back - but there is no way I can get into the Temple without the Silver Gauntlets." A shiver went through me, and I knew that these gauntlets must hold some magic power or other. "I'll need you three to help me by getting the silver fists for me. Because, I cannot get in."
"Why?" Link asked. She got up from where she sat, and we followed her example.
"It will be easy enough to understand if I show you." She led us into the cool entrance hall of the Temple, and I looked around it with awe. The stone had been hacked away and carved so that it was smooth and beautiful to behold. Light filtered down from air vents high above, making the dim walls come alive with vibrant red highlights. Nabooru wasn't impressed by all this, and instead led us into a shadowy area, and pointed to a small hole in the wall with her foot.
"Oh," all of us said as we looked at it. Now we understood completely. There was no way Nabooru could fit through that narrow hole; only us, as children, had any hope of going in and retrieving the silver gauntlets.
"So," Nabooru had her arms crossed over her ample chest, and was looking down at us. "Will you do it?"
"Of course," Link answered in his diplomatic, gentlemanly way. "But I would suggest you don't just stand here waiting for us - have a rest - or something." She nodded, a little shimmer of surprise rippling her face at the grown-up sounding words coming from this child. Link sat down on the floor, and then dropped to his belly to crawl through the ridiculously small hole.
[Great. Another one of these,] I thought in annoyance, and Navi agreed with me.
*
As soon as I had exited the tunnel, I could hear the sounds of battle reverberating in my ears. Looking up, I could see Link and Sheik darting away from a great stone enemy, which was pirouetting through the air with a ridiculous amount of grace for such a cumbersome looking creature. "Look out, it's gonna blow!" Link called; I had absolutely no idea what he meant, and was shocked to see the creature was now heading towards me.
It's stony exterior was thrumming slightly, and pulsed with a red light. I knew from experience what that meant, and scurried out of the creature's path as quickly as I could. Just as I had passed it, there was an earth- shattering explosion, the force of which sent me flying forwards into Sheik and Link. All three of us cannoned along the floor, only halting when we came into contact with the stone wall at the end.
"Youch," Navi winced, looking down at the three of us. "Are you guys all right?" I was quite surprised when I found all of my limbs in working order, and stood up. The other two did the same, shaking themselves slightly.
"Yeah, we're fine," Link grinned, looking over at the remains of the stone creature. "Bloody Armos. I hate those things! They always explode at the most inopportune of times." Sheik snorted, rubbing his wrist with a slightly pained expression.
"An Armos - I take it that was what that thing was?" I asked, indicating the charred and still smoking remains.
"Quick on the uptake, aren't you?" Link jibed, strolling over to the ashes on the ground. He nudged them with his boot. "Yep, this was an Armos. And, with any luck - oh yeah!" he had stooped down, and stood back up with a couple of bombs in his hands. "That's the only good things about these suckers - you always get a couple of bombs out of them."
"I'm not sure I trust you with those," Sheik said, grabbing the bombs from Link. Link frowned, but didn't try to get them back.
"Hey, fine, you're the one that has to carry them," he grinned, and then looked around, most likely for the exit of the room. "Urm - which door d'you think?" he asked, and I saw that there were two.
"I don't know," Sheik answered with a shrug. "Blaise, you want to do the honours and choose?"
"Not really," I muttered, and all three of them looked at me expectantly. "Fine - that one," I pointed to the door on the left. They nodded, and moved over to it. "I hope I didn't choose a difficult room," I said jokingly, and Navi laughed. Link nudged the door open with his shoulder; his sword and shield already out. I quickly unhitched my own, and settled the shield comfortably on my left arm.
"And what's behind door number one?" Sheik said dryly, and then Link flung the door open completely. There was an iron grilling which barred the way to a platform which was separated from the one the door opened onto. There was a crystalline switch on the platform behind the grill, and I briefly wondered how we were going to trigger it. But, the thought was cut short by the old noise of metal bars sliding across the doors.
We all knew what was coming, and I looked up, as Link looked at the ground, and Sheik scanned the air just above our heads, to wait for enemies to appear. It was from above that they came this time - three Stalfos. I could have cried with joy at being given such easily beaten opponents to begin with. It was a matter of seconds before we had felled all of them, and, panting slightly, had to turn to the problem of the switch.
"Don't worry - I've just the thing for it," Link assured us, and pulled a strangely curved stick from his belt.
[Where does he keep all that weaponry?] I asked Navi in amazement.
{I don't rightly know,} she admitted. {I'm not sure I want to...} I snorted, and Link looked at me curiously. I just shut up and looked down at the floor.
"Is that - a - boomerang?" Sheik asked incredulously.
"Aye," Link answered, gripping one end of the curved stick, and bringing his arm back. Sheik burst out into laughter, and I looked between the two.
"What's so funny?" I didn't get any answer from Sheik, so I turned to Link. He just shrugged. "OK, I'll change the question. What's a 'boomerang'?" Sheik stopped immediately and looked down at me with surprise.
"You don't know what a boomerang is?" I shook my head. He took a steadying breath to compose himself. "Well, I guess the easiest way to describe it, is as a 'stick, that when you throw it away, it always comes back'."
"If you'd thrown it away, why would you want it to come back?" I asked, and Link laughed this time.
"Just watch, and you'll see," he smiled, bringing his arm further back. "And don't underestimate the power of this thing - it helped me to defeat Barinade after all." And, he threw the stick as hard as he could. I watched in interest as it span through the air, arcing and clipping the crystal switch as it came flying back. Link reached out and caught it deftly, before turning around to stick his tongue out at Sheik. The iron grilling had fallen down to act as a bridge between the two platforms, which we crossed immediately. "And that's what a boomerang is used for," he told me, slotting the funny shaped stick back into - Goddesses knows where.
"All right, I admit, it does have it's uses," Sheik conceded. "But I still never thought the Hero of Time would use a boomerang." Link just shook his head and laughed disbelievingly. I couldn't really see what was so odd about the usage of the boomerang myself, but kept my mouth shut. No doubt we would soon come to a place where all this idle chatter would be impossible, and I wanted to be ready for it.
On the other platform, there was a door, which was half rotten and hung off of its hinges balefully. The room beyond was littered with razor-traps and falls into dark gorges. Strange, snake-like creatures were hovering in the air, letting out unsavoury chattering sounds. On the wall just before the decrepit door was an inscription. "What does it say?" I asked Link, who was studying the words. I wasn't very sure of my grasp of the languages of Hyrule, and didn't want to make myself look like a fool.
"I'm not sure. It looks like Old Hylian, and I only know a few letters of it. Sheik, do you know it?" he turned around, and stepped back so that Sheik could look at the wall.
"I learnt it a while ago; I just hope I can remember." He studied the wall, eyebrows knitted in concentration. Then, he began to read the words slowly, stumbling a few times, but always managing to carry on again. "The Anubis room.
Creatures of fire and air, of darkness and light.
Protectors of the silver hands against thieves in the night.
Fight fire with fire, and cross swords only with swords.
If it be the hands you desire, beat us to pass forwards." He looked back at us. "I suppose that means those snake-things have to be killed with fire. Do you have the magic of the fire arrows with you?" this he directed at Link, who pulled out the sparkling bottle.
"It won't be much use. I mean, none of us can use bows as we are now."
"Who said anything about using bows?" Sheik asked, puling out a few seeds from his satchel, along with a slingshot. I understood immediately, and also pulled out my slingshot and ammunition. "It's all a matter of how many of these we prepare though. It says nothing as to how many of these 'Anubis' there are."
"I can soon sort that out," Navi said, and she bravely charged through the half-rotten door into the room. Within a few seconds, she was back, "Eight, I think. I had to hurry back because one of them was about to singe me with a fireball." The said fireball darted past the door at that very moment, and ricocheted off of the wall to expire on the ceiling of the Anubis room. "If you each have sixteen, that should be more than enough to defeat them."
So, we sat there, dipping the hard, round seeds into the bottle of fiery magic. It didn't seem to be being used up, and the bottle looked just as full as ever. I marvelled at the magic there, and gathered the seeds into my right hand so I could use them straight away. My slingshot I held in the left, so that I could pull the string back with my right. Link, I noticed, held the slingshot in his right hand. From this, I finally noticed that he was left-handed. {You only just noticed?}
[Yeah...wow, it has taken me a long time, hasn't it?]
{Only the better part of two months!} Navi scolded. {Oh - back we go. If one of them looks to be about to set me on fire, you will warn me, won't you?}
[Of course.]
{Thanks.} We got up from out position on the floor, and Link put the bottle of magic away. Slowly, in single file, with Navi at the head, we advanced through the door into the room.
It was a lot bigger than we had suspected, and the far end was barely visible in the low light. The snake-like creatures were a lot more menacing close up, and the chattering noise was almost like a low voice. Almost - but I couldn't make out the words. Sheik, however, tensed at his place at the head of the group, and looked around with wide eyes. "They're speaking Old Hylian. They want to know why we're here."
"Well, answer them then!" I hissed.
"I don't know. I don't think I know enough to do so."
"At least try!" Link urged, and Sheik gulped.
"OK," he looked up at the Anubis, and cleared his throat. Then, the language spilled easily from his lips, sounding both melodious and harsh, mysterious and as known to me as an old friend. "Non si preoccupi, noi sono amici di i vostri. Nous souhaitons seulement gagner les mains argentées afin d'aider cette terre à l'avenir. Por favor, você deixe-nos após? Renderebbe le cose così tanto più facili per noi e saremmo i più riconoscenti."
The Anubis answered back, the same sounds, though much more menacing when they came back times by eight from the undulating, sinewy bodies. "Nós não o acreditamos." Sheik looked a little panicked, and threw his arms up.
"Que voulez-vous dire, vous ne me croyez-vous pas?" He looked a little worried, and I watched a bead of perspiration trickle over his brow.
"Você encontra-se, Sheikah carregado. Vos os se décomposeront ici pour toujours pour votre trahison!" The Anubis did not sound as though they were welcoming us with open arms. Sheik lay down his slingshot, and motioned for us to do the same. Obviously, this was our last shot attempt at making peace with them.
"Pace, significhiamo soltanto la pace!"
"Préparez pour mourir." The Anubis said, and began to form balls of fire around the ends of their whip like tails.
"Thoughtless fools!" Sheik hissed, and picked up both slingshot and handful of fired seeds. "We shall have to do this the hard way. Attack them, and make a break for the doorway at the other end!" I raised my slingshot, seed resting on the small strip of leather in the centre. The magic warmed my fingers slightly, and then I let the seed fly. It exploded on contact with the Anubis I had aimed at, and the creature fizzled out of existence like the ashes of an old fire.
We flew through the room, leaping across the pits to which we could see no bottom without fear. Just so long as we could get away from those blasted flying snakes, it was good enough. Navi had to yet again duck as they threw fireballs at us - luckily, as we were on the move, their aims were clumsy, and they weren't able to recharge quickly. This, was, however, made up for by their numbers. There were still five of them left, and they were bearing down on us faster that we could run.
"Blast it - we shall have to stand and fight!" Sheik cursed, and whirled around on the small platform on which he stood. His slingshot came up quickly, and he fired - the seed missed the target, but only just. The Anubis he had been firing at finished recharging, and before he could load another seed, had let loose a new fireball.
The platform he stood on didn't leave him anywhere to go. He stepped backwards, and I saw as though in slow motion him fall down into the darkness below. "NO!" I jumped over the tiny inferno from the Anubis, and grabbed the hand that was stretching up desperately. Link turned and swiftly took down the creature that had almost cost us our Sheikah. "Up you come," I grunted as I helped it back up. "You all right?"
"For someone who almost fell to their death, fine," he answered, face paler than usual. He still had his slingshot in his hand, and I passed him a fire seed. This he strung, and managed to down two of the Anubis at the same time. The last two were short work for Link and I, and then we stood, panting, before the door at the other end, looking at the small piles of ashes every few feet which were all that remained of our enemies.
"What did you say to them?" I asked when I'd gotten enough breath back, and he seemed to have overcome his near-death experience.
"I know you said something about peace, but not much more," Link cut in.
"Look, I'll tell you later," Sheik wheezed. "We've got to get on now. I don't want to be in here any longer than we have to be."
"OK - good plan," Navi agreed, and rapped on the door with her small fist. "Open it Link."
"Will do," he said, and pushed the door open. We walked through, and looked about the room. It was easy enough to figure out the puzzle. As Link so aptly put it, "Go get the silver rupees."
*
A lifeless metal statue was sat at the far end of the shadow-plagued room; there was nothing else there, unless you counted the pillars which held the roof up. "What do we do now?" I asked, running a finger over the shiny armour of the statue.
"I'm not sure," Link admitted, leaning against the statute. His Kokiri sword clanged against it loudly. There was another metallic sound, and I looked around to see where it had come from. However, at Link's startled cry, I realised where it had emanated from at once. The very statue itself was beginning to stir, and was hefting an axe bigger than we were. "Eep," Link squeaked, jumping away from the statue, and unsheathing his sword. Sheik and I followed his example, gulping as the huge statue rose to its feet.
"Navi - what the hell is that thing?" Sheik asked, as we all backed away from the lumbering giant. Navi was quivering, and her light pulsed with every shiver.
"Dear Goddesses, I didn't think these things existed. It's called an Iron Knuckle. They're quite slow, so it should be easy enough to outmanoeuvre it. If you make it follow one of you, then the other two circle around to attack, you should be all right. And I don't really need to tell you to keep out of the way of the axe..." she sounded terrified.
"I'll act as the decoy," I said, and there wasn't really time for the other two to argue. I ran across the path of the Iron Knuckle, drawing it after me. "Hey! Yeah, you - over here slow-coach, bet you can't catch me!" It let out a rumbling sound of annoyance, and swung its mighty axe towards me. I rolled behind a pillar - but the axe just went straight through it. Luckily, I had been crouching; otherwise I might have found myself with no head.
Now, the axe was trapped in the wall, and the tall armour clad creature was pulling and tugging for all it was worth to get the weapon free. At this, Link, Sheik and I all set upon it, slashing hard and fast. And, when it had finally regained the use of it's weapon, we led it through the same dance as before. This time, I hid behind the throne, knowing that it would not be wise to take out any more of the ceiling supports. It was quicker now, as we had angered it, and I had to verily sprint to prevent myself from being caught by the keen edge of the axe.
The weapon became lodged again in the masonry of the tall hall, and the creature let out a cry of outrage. We all three set upon it again, and it fell quickly beneath the flashes of our blades. The great axe crumbled into nothingness, and the creature inside the armour disappeared, leaving only an empty shell. "That was...exhilarating," Sheik puffed, lying flat on the floor and drawing in deep breaths. I didn't answer, having to concentrate on getting enough air into my lungs. Link was the only one who seemed unaffected.
Indeed, he let out a little whoop of triumph, and clattered across the stone floor heavily, his boots clopping like a horse's hooves. "The silver gauntlets!" I heard him exclaim, and pushed myself up on my elbow to look at him. He stood before a chest that had materialised, and was holding what were, without any doubt, the silver gauntlets. "Come on - let's get out of here," he said, pulling Sheik and I off of the floor.
A shrill feminine scream rent the air, and we looked about wildly. Light from behind the throne outlined a doorway, which we crashed through, Link still carrying the gauntlets reverently. The doorway led out onto a stone terrace high above the desert, which caught the last rays of the setting sun. And, far below, in a pool of purple quick sand (obviously magicked there) was the lady Nabooru.
And, above her, were two hideous women riding on brooms. Looking closely, I could tell immediately that the women had once been beautiful. But, by the power that they had gained, they had turned into the bent and horrific figures before. They were flying around the purple sand on broomsticks, and I took them at once to be witches.
Nabooru let out another shrill scream, and I stepped forward to slide down the slanted wall of the Temple to get to her. Navi grabbed the back of my tunic. "No," she hissed. "This must happen. The past has changed enough for us to go back to our own time. Link, play the melody to take us back to the Temple of Time."
"Can we do nothing to help her?" I asked Navi in a pleading voice.
"Not in this time, no," she answered brusquely. Link quickly played the Prelude of Light, and we were whisked back to the Temple of Time. Here, Link pulled the Master Sword from the pedestal, and we went shooting towards the future with the speed of arrow bolts.
~/*\~/*\~/*\~
There you are everyone. I hope the action parts in there were to your liking. And, you realise, the end draws nigh! There's only one more temple to go after all. And after that - well, I'm not sure. The fight with Ganondorf of course...and then...well, I've said too much already. You will have to wait.
This is the chapter I promised - another one should make its presence known within a week or two. Until then, I hope to see the reviews in the box! [Shakes fist].
Luv Soda
PS: If you were wondering what the Old Hylian used up there meant, here it is in English. As you can tell by the languages in brackets, I used a mixture. I may be *very* rusty on all of these languages, so please give me any grammar corrections if you can. If not, then it will just have to do.
(Italian - Sheik) "Do not worry, we are friends of yours. (French) We only wish to gain the silver hands in order to help this land in the future. (Portuguese) Please, would you let us past? (Italian) It would make things so much easier for us, and we would be most grateful."
(Portuguese - Anubis) "We do not believe you."
(French - Sheik) "What do you mean, you don't believe me?"
(Portuguese - Anubis) "You lie, Sheikah borne. (French) Your bones shall rot here forever for your treachery!"
(Italian - Sheik) "Peace, we mean only peace!"
(French - Anubis) "Prepare to die."
And on that note of a very mixed up soup of languages for my version of Old Hylian, I'll be off. (Eek, I'm confused now. Why oh why didn't I pay better attention in my language classes the last few weeks?)
