Disclaimer: Not mine not mine not mine not mine not mine not mine not mine not mine…sheist, I'm like the Energizer Bunny!
*
The dark demon sky apologizesRains its sorries down on me
But it is not the demon sky's fault
It didn't even see
But we both know what demon possessed me
What devil took hold of my hand
Yet I was the one who shrunk into the demon
Watched through closed eyes time's falling sands
The dark demon sky comforts
Holds me close to the clouds
But what it thinks will be my blanket
May well be my funeral shroud
For we both saw the blood I spilled
Through hands not quite my own
Three goddesses labor to save
But the little one works—alone
The dark demon sky turns
And now I see through red eyes
The sky will no longer hold me
We both know I was victim to lies
Her tears couldn't save her
And mine won't save me
May the little one save the savior
And turn her from the arms of the Three…
--Lament of Time
*
The days of the Tourney passed as slowly as the turning of the leaves—for some. For others, the days of the Tourney passed by quicker than spring. The former was true of Shiek, Lindsay, Rhia and Zyuiu; the latter of Ymota U. For Link, it seemed that every time he looked around, time stood still.
For Damion, in Hyrule Proper, time passed much as it did for Shiek. Every day he would wonder where Link was and why Shiek—and/or he—wasn't dead.
"Damion?" Damion was brought back into reality. He was standing in a courtyard, frowning into nothing. The queen stood nearby. "Yes, milady?"
"Any word from Link?" she asked quietly. Somewhere in the depths of his stone heart, Damion felt pity for the queen. She tried so hard and got nowhere each day. But that was in a depths he did not care for, and it was blinded out by his darkness.
"No, lady," Damion said. "I'm quite afraid that I have not heard from him since the last time he departed from the castle."
The queen nodded. "I just want to put Zelda's soul to rest, and with that—that murderer on the loose, how can I?"
"Come inside with me, milady," Damion said softly. "You should rest."
*
Prince André of Odnetnin watched as Shiek walked down the hall. The contours and curves of her body were defined in the bodysuit. Her blonde hair stuck out at all angles from underneath her turban of bandages. She moved confidently, her hands at her sides as her hips swayed.
Prince André took a deep breath and called, "Shiek!" Shiek turned around, saw him, and smiled. She said, "Good morning, André! I'm just wandering…care to join me?"
A large grin spread itself across André's face. That was exactly what he had wanted to hear. He caught up with her, then the two walked in silence a few moments. To Shiek, it was a comfortable silence, but André felt awkward. "Shiek? Where were you born?"
"For all due purposes? Hyrule Proper, born and bred."
André nodded, as if making a note of that. "In Hyrule Proper…before you came here…did you…did you have anyone?"
Shiek was silent a moment, and André was afraid he'd offended her. Then Shiek said, "Yes…and no." Another brief silence. "I loved him, but…he couldn't see me for what I really was. There I was, right in front of him, but he couldn't see the truth."
"Oh," André said, at once crestfallen and elated. "Shiek…I need to tell you something."
Shiek looked at André, her earnest red eyes entirely innocent. "Okay."
"You…" The words were on André's tongue, but they seemed stuck. "Fascinate me." Was that what he had meant to say? Oh goddesses, that was a stupid thing to say! "I love the way you walk, talk, act…" Was that stupid too? Was that pain or confusion in her eyes? "Shiek, I—"
"Please stop," Shiek said. Yep. Pain in those red eyes. No! Shiek thought. I'm falling for André! But…but Link… "I'm sorry. I can't!" Shiek turned and ran down the hall, making herself a promise as she ran. If when the Tourney is over, I still haven't convinced Link…then I'll move on…and André will be my first stop on that road…
*
Rhia had regained enough strength, towards the end of the Tourney, to come down and watch as Lindsay and Shiek practiced. Lindsay and Shiek were still in the Tourney, by some miracle, along with Link, André, Rowrun, Prince Marth, and Samus Aran. The rest had been eliminated. Zyuiu often kept Rhia company while Lindsay and Shiek fought mock battles. Zyuiu would watch with a detached envy that Rhia noticed and did not mind. Zyuiu Dbyu was a noble heart and did not regret in the slightest saving Rhia, but she did regret forfeiting the Tourney.
No one had seen Ymota U since she had disappeared in front of Zyuiu, Rhia, Lindsay, and Shiek. The four had spent several long nights wondering where she could have gone as Rhia told them how Ymota U planned to take care of Lindsay and Shiek. The only answer they could think was that Lindsay sleep, holding the sword—and Shiek avoid Link to no end, even if it meant tossing the Tourney. Zyuiu also pleaded with the other three that they always stay within a respectable of distance of one another, in case Ymota U should make her move.
The night before the fights that would eliminate all but two fighters, Shiek had had enough of 'constant vigilance' and staying where someone could always see or hear her. She wanted a bath—a long bath—where no one could see or hear her, and she wanted preferably before the next day. Ymota U hadn't shown up, hadn't threatened since she had left Rhia tied to a tree. What were the chances she would find Shiek while she was bathing in the stream? Shiek waited until Lindsay, Rhia, and Zyuiu had all closed themselves in their rooms, then POOFed out and down the hall. As she passed the registrar, he, was closing up for the day, said, "Don't get killed, young miss."
Shiek grinned. "Haven't gotten killed yet, have I?"
The registrar returned her grin with a cryptic smile. "No, not yet."
*
Shiek found the stream without a problem and took off her mask and bandages. Without them, she was almost unmistakably Zelda, but for the red eyes and short hair. She stripped out of the bodysuit and slipped into the stream, shivering and sighing with delight as the cold water touched her bare skin. She arched her back backwards and let the water run through her hair. She stood up slowly—and that's when she noticed Link. He stood on the edge of the trees, watching her. Shiek scrambled out of the water and picked up the towel she'd brought with her and quickly tried to cover herself.
"Not the smartest thing you've ever done, coming out here, Shiek," Link said, coming towards the stream. He drew his sword. "Too bad I couldn't kill you in a fair fight. But you have to die." Link pointed the Master Sword at Shiek's open chest.
Trembling,
Shiek reached and touched the Master Sword, pushing it a bit away. "Link,
please," she whispered. "Please, see me for who I am!"
"A murderer."
"No, Link!" Shiek's red eyes began to tear. "Link, I know that no matter what I do, you can't listen. As Shiek I'm a murderer, as Zelda, I'm a mere likeness of her." Shiek dropped to her knees. "But Link, please, please, I'm not a murderer." Shiek fell to her knees on the edge of the stream and bowed her head. And then, Prince André, Lindsay, Rhia, Rowrun, and Zyuiu came.
*
"Shiek? Wanna practice? My ass hurts from sitting down so long and I need to move around." Lindsay paused outside Shiek's door, waiting for a reply. "Shiek?" Lindsay tried the doorknob and the door swung in. "Ohh man, Shiek!"
Lindsay knocked on Rhia's door. Zyuiu opened it. Rhia was sitting on her bed, making small glittering designs in the air, wincing as she did. "Rhia's overextending herself," Zyuiu said cheerfully. The actions Rhia performed were ones that any fool with a wand or magic dust could do.
"That's nice," Lindsay said. She looked levelly at Zyuiu. "Shiek's gone."
The smile faded from Zyiu's face and Rhia stopped her glittering designs. "What?" Zyuiu said.
"She's gone," Lindsay repeated.
"Shit," Rhia said softly. "We have to find her."
"She won't be in the Tourney," Lindsay said. "I think."
"Right, let's go looking," Zyuiu said. "Rhia? Can you walk?"
Rhia reached behind her and took out a pair of crutches. "Can I walk? What kind of dumb-assed question is that? No I cannot walk, but I will walk anyway."
The three hurried—Rhia could churn out a wicked pace on her crutches (mostly through sheer will-power)—down to the entrance of the Tourney. "Look," Zyuiu said. A piece of the bandages Shiek wore around her head had caught on the gate and fluttered in the breeze of the sunset.
"The stream," Lindsay and Rhia said at the same time. Zyuiu looked at them and said, "What?" Lindsay looked towards where Zyuiu had told them the stream was, saying, "The one thing the Tourney doesn't have is running water. And Shiek likes it—she couldn't stand the scrub lands. She's been saying for a while that she'd like to just go swimming."
"She'd be so vulnerable," Zyuiu said disbelievingly.
"What's goin' on, lovies?"
The three ladies turned. André and Rowrun were strolling by. "Oh, nothing much," Rhia said cheerfully. "Shiek just disappeared and is in potential life-threatening danger."
André and Rowrun looked at each other. "Are you going to find her?" André said. "We can help, we've been coming to the Tourney since we were babies."
"You know the stream that runs east of the Tourney?" Zyuiu said. The boys nodded. "Good. Let's go."
*
The five of them, Rhia surprisingly leading them, so she was still weak, came to the stream. Shiek was holding a towel around her naked body, kneeling in the stream, and Link stood, holding the Master Sword to her throat. "I'm not a murderer," Shiek said, tears spilling from her eyes. André, Rowrun, Lindsay, Rhia, and Zyuiu all stood rooted to their spots, watching it unfold before them.
"I know you can't believe me," Shiek said, her voice a whisper. Yet the five of her friends still managed to hear. "I know you never will and I'm sorry it has to come to this." Shiek looked up at Link. "But I won't stop you. You'll just keep hunting me no matter what I do—and I can't bear it going on any longer. Kill me, Link. End this now." The tears streamed from the bright red eyes. Then, as all watched, the bright red eyes became blue as Shiek became Zelda. "If this doesn't convince you, Link, then maybe I should die. Maybe you were destined to do what he—what Ganondorf—never succeeded in doing."
André and Lindsay both tried to run forward, but they were held back. "This isn't our fight," Rowrun said. His voice was awed and hushed. Zyuiu nodded. Her eyes were hard but her tone matched Rowrun's. "Link has to overcome this demon on his own."
"Go ahead, Link, you were ready to before," Zelda whispered. "If I'm Shiek I can't be Zelda, right?"
Link was staring at Zelda, his eyes horrified. He still pointed the Master Sword at her, but did not move. Then, his head snapped up from Zelda to just beyond her. Zyuiu and Lindsay both saw it too. Something was moving—something they couldn't see. Then, a short sword flashed in the fading sunlight. Six voices all screamed, but Zelda was silent as the short sword plunged deep into her back—and as the tip exploded through her chest.
Like someone ripping off a mask, Ymota U tore off her invisibility spell. "You were but a warning," the brown-haired twin said to Rhia. "And this is what I warned of."
Link stared down at Zelda for a split second, then at Ymota U. With a roar, he swung the Master Sword at Ymota U. She dodged the swing nimble and kicked at Link. Ymota U made eye contact with Zyuiu for a second, and then faded from sight.
Time stood still for a moment—and then Zelda let out a small gasp and fell over. Link was the first to run over to her, followed (in this order) by André, Lindsay and Rhia, and Rowrun and Zyuiu. Lindsay gasped. "My sword! It's still in my room!"
Zyuiu glanced in the general direction of the Tourney. "It's gone straight through her heart," she whispered. "By the time you get to the Tourney and back, she'll be dead."
Five pairs of eyes, one green, four blue, turned to Rhia D'nalz the fifteen-year-old archseer. "But the exertion will kill you," Zyuiu said. "Trying to heal her…making glitter in the air made you pass out this morning!"
Link began to voice his confusion. Lindsay cut him off shortly and said, doing her best to control her anger and frustration, "When Ymota U tortured Rhia she also sapped her magic. Using magic for her right now is like cutting a vein and letting it bleed."
"It doesn't matter," Rhia said quietly, staring at the sword that protruded from Zelda's back. Nobody heard it.
"If we use pressure and Lindsay runs fast, Shie—Zelda has a chance," Rowrun said.
"We have to remove the dagger," André said. "Leaving it in will kill her!"
"So will taking it out!" Link shouted.
"We need herbs!" Zyuiu said. It continued on like that for another moment. Then, Rhia said again, in a quiet voice that nearly deafened the five around her, "It doesn't matter."
Link looked at her. "What doesn't matter?"
"It doesn't matter," Rhia said again. Before anyone could stop her, Rhia lunged and grabbed Zelda's pale, cold hands. "Rhia, no!" Lindsay cried, but it was too late. Rhia let out an ear-piercing scream. Her brown eyes flashed blue, then red, then back to brown.
"What the hell?" Rowrun said.
Rhia took a deep breath. "I've connected our souls," Rhia said. "I can heal her, now, I think. Oh, goddesses, I can feel the pain! Oh, Shiek…Zelda…" Rhia closed her eyes and shuddered.
*
The field was as empty as ever it had been. Zelda remembered this dream…it had been Shiek's, out on the scrublands…The barren world that was once Hyrule surrounded Zelda. The sky was black and moonless, the stars dead with Hyrule. A small, weak light seemed to emanate from Zelda as she neared the mirror. Her bleeding reflection held no magic, at first. Then the glass whirled and spun, and the figure in the mirror was Shiek, bleeding as Zelda, standing in front of the mirror, did.
The leg of the mirror that looked like Zelda suddenly disappeared, followed by the 'Link' leg. The leg of the Bane of Hyrule stood the longest, but it, too, was soon gone. The mirror fell and shattered, throwing Shiek out next to Zelda.
Shiek and Zelda, each a part of the other, knew they slowly died. Zelda bowed her head and silently prayed to the Three Goddesses, but Shiek screamed and cursed at the inky night sky. Off in the distance, three glowing figures appeared—Din, Farore, and Nayru, coming to collect their beloved princess, holder of the Triforce of Wisdom. Shiek and Zelda both watched fearfully as the goddesses slowly neared. Neither saw the small figure approach from behind.
"Zelda," said the small figure—it came out as both Shiek and Zelda. The princess and the Shiekah turned around, leaving behind echoey, wispy trails.
"Rhia," returned Shiek and Zelda, speaking as one. "What are you doing here?"
The little one, Rhia, grinned. "Saving your ethereal asses…"
*
Rhia worked feverishly for hours through the night. No one was quite sure what she was doing—but whatever it was, she was doing it hard. As she worked, Link paced worriedly near the trees, oftentimes stopping to talk to André and Rowrun, who were doing their best to alter the image they had of him. Lindsay stood near Rhia and Zelda, shifting her weight from foot to foot, arms crossed over her chest. Zyuiu stood by Lindsay and occasionally dipped her fingers in the stream.
An hour before dawn, Rhia, who had been working sitting on her knees, leaned back, sweaty and exhausted. "I can do no more," she announced sadly. "Her fate is in the goddess's hands now." Rhia slumped even further back, then fainted.
*
Zelda and Shiek watched Rhia curiously, unconcerned for themselves. They watched as Rhia poured all her life energy, all her magic energy, into them. But even when Rhia had no more, she tried to give, labored to give. It was not enough to fully save Zelda and Shiek, but Rhia had given all she had. Rhia was still trying, still pleading to give, when the goddesses arrived.
"The necklace," Farore whispered. The whisper echoed and hissed all around the empty land.
"Use the necklace," Din agreed.
"Please," Nayru said simply.
Rhia turned to Shiek and Zelda, away from the goddesses. As she turned, she left behind a whispy, echoey trail. When she had first entered the barren and twisted world, she had been solid, without the ghostly trail. And Zelda and Shiek, who had had the trail from the start, were nearly solid now.
Shiek's and Zelda's hands flew to the identical silver Triforce necklaces around their necks. The near-solid ghosts that were Shiek and Zelda drew closer together, their outlines blurring together as the necklace sought to heal. Rhia watched, swaying slightly and smiling. A golden light shone from in between the fingers of Zelda/Shiek, and the necklace healed. When the gold light stopped shining, Rhia bowed her head and slowly made her way towards the arms of Nayru, Farore, and Din.
"Where are you going?" Zelda/Shiek said. As when the goddesses had spoken, her voice was as echoey and ghostly as Rhia's blurred outline.
"I gave all I have to give," Rhia said. "I served my purpose as archseer and must now walk with the goddesses. There is no healing me—the Sword of Healing would serve for all physical wounds but I have none."
"The necklace!" Zelda/Shiek cried. "Take the necklace!"
Rhia bowed her head again and said, "I can't. It isn't mine to use. Shine light where you walk, friend, for the darkest days are yet to come."
"Take the necklace!" Zelda/Shiek screamed, tears streaming down her face. "Rhia, take it, please!"
Rhia's eyes hardened, but Zelda/Shiek continued. "Rhia, this is not the imperial order of a Princess, so easily tossed away by death!" Zelda faded and Shiek, Shiek who was one of Rhia's only friends, stood there alone. "This is the pleading of a friend. You brought me back—the necklace would have only done so much. Rhia, you've shown me the way so far—without you, I'd be lost. And in the darkness, where would I be? If darkness…"
Rhia looked at the faces of the goddesses, then turned back to Shiek, who ripped the silver necklace from her neck. Rhia held out her hand and took the necklace.
*
When Rhia fainted, everyone had stopped what they were doing and came around Zelda and Rhia. They watched in awe as Zelda's wound simply seemed to close. But then they turned to Rhia—she looked like death. Zelda moaned and opened her eyes, looking around disorientedly for a moment. Then her eyes shot open and she sat up with a bit of difficulty. "Rhia!"
"Zelda!" Link said. His eyes seemed torn between grief and guilt over Rhia, and regret and happiness over Zelda.
"In a minute," Zelda said, turning to Rhia's fallen body. "Oh, sweet goddesses. What happened to Rhia?"
"She used too much magic, I think," André said. He looked at Zelda, genuinely confused. He liked Shiek a lot, but Zelda…Zelda was Link's! Untouchable! What now did he have?
"Will she die?" Zelda asked.
"Unless something powerful enough intervenes," Rowrun said. "Probably."
"The Sword of Healing wouldn't help," Link said, answering Zelda's next question. "Whatever is killing her like this isn't physical."
Zelda frowned, then her pale hand flew to her neck. She gasped. "But…but it was a dream!"
"What?" Zyuiu said.
"My necklace," Zelda said, not really explaining anything. She knelt down beside Rhia and brushed away her ponytail. The silver Triforce necklace hung from the young archseer's neck. "But it was a dream!" Zelda repeated. Suddenly Rhia groaned, and Zelda stood and backed away to give the girl room.
Rhia opened her eyes and saw Zelda. She sighed and leaned her head back on the ground. "I thought I was dreaming…when I fainted, I was so scared I'd let you down."
"Rhia," Zelda said patiently. "You died for me. You can't let someone down when you die trying to save them."
"Wait," Lindsay said. "She did what?"
So Rhia and Zelda explained what had happened in the mysterious dream plain, each filling in what confused the other one. The rest were astounded. "Rhia, you touched the goddesses?" Zyuiu said.
"Hell, I was ready to walk away with them," Rhia said. Rhia looked at Link, then at Zelda. "Oh, my. We do have some talking to do tonight."
"We?" said Link.
"Yes, we," snapped Lindsay. "You and Shie—Zelda, for obvious reasons. Rhia and I, because we helped Shiek get here—got her away from you! Zyuiu is one of Shiek's greatest allies…and I know Prince André and Rowrun are confused. So yes, Link, we."
Zelda looked at Link, then her arms encircled Rhia's shoulders. "No more playing hero, Rhia," she said. She stood up again and looled at Rhia. "Why did you do it? Why did you give me everything you had—more than you had?"
Rhia looked away. "It's just what friends do," she said. "Now. Zelda. Talk to Link or I'll turn you into a chicken and I won't turn you back."
Zelda turned hesitantly to the young Kokiri man. "I guess I don't want to be a chicken," the young princess said. She looked at Rowrun, André, Zyuiu, Lindsay, and Rhia. "But I think I need privacy."
The five nodded and agreed. "We'll be back at the Tourney," Lindsay said. "And for the goddess's sake, Rhia, stop trying to walk! I'll carry you!"
Several minutes later, when all sounds of the retreating five had faded, Zelda sat down on the grass and heaved out a long sigh. Link slowly sat down beside her. "What's going on?" Link asked. And so Zelda told him—about Damion, about Shiek, about meeting Lindsay and finding out Link was after her, Rhia and the chickens, the bloody Triforce on her hand, the scrublands, the Tourney…and the dream…When she got to the dream, Link seem worried. And when she told him about the voice that had accosted her on the scrublands, he was doubly so.
"It said I would die alone," Zelda said. "I don't remember much else about that." She sighed. "Now. You tell me just what in hell was going on with you!"
And so Link told her his side of the tale. How apparently, Damion had tricked him—tricked all of Hyrule. He told her of his confusion, as well, that he had known, somewhere in his confused mind, that Damion was more than he seemed. When he was done with that, Link apologized and Zelda laughed. Then Link tried to kiss Zelda, and Zelda moved away. "It's too soon," she said. "Link, up until a few hours ago, you were trying to kill me." Zelda sighed again. "Shiek is no more than a different body and a different name. She was where I poured all my anger, violence, and whatever else for a long time. And she turned out to be my refuge."
Link nodded sadly, but understanding. "We should go back," Link said. He rose to leave but Zelda pushed him back down gently.
"Not yet," she said. "Can we sit, just a while more?"
Link took Zelda's hand and kissed it. "Whatever you want, Princess." Zelda leaned against Link's strong shoulder. Eventually, Link put his arm around Zelda, and they sat there that way until noon.
*
Shiek, with all her clothes on, entered the Tourney gates, followed by Link. "Who won?" Shiek asked the registrar.
"By default, since the entire lot of you didn't show up again in time for a fight," the registrar said. "Samus Aran beat Roy, and she won the Tourney this year. You lot have a week or two to conclude businesses here, then we close the building."
Shiek and Link both nodded and made their way towards Shiek's room. Shiek knocked on her friends's doors. When they were all out, she said, "Damion magically controlled Link's mind so he would kill me. I'm going back to Hyrule Proper. We have a score to settle with Damion, Link and I."
"I'm coming, too," Lindsay said. "I followed you here and I'll follow you back."
"Me, too," Rhia said. "Friends fight for friends."
Zyuiu said, slowly and carefully, "I'm coming." Shiek looked at her. "I blame him for what Ymota U has done to me—and you all. Don't tell me the blame is hers—I won't hear that. I can't. If her soul is still dark when Damion is gone, then yes, it is hers. But for now, Damion's."
"I'm coming," André said suddenly. "Like Rhia said. Friends fight for friends." This brought a great smile from Shiek.
"No fair, I'm coming too," Rowrun said. "I'd get lonely without André…and Flames. We just have to pen a letter to the Order of the Crimson Hawk, and we're good to go." Rowrun laughed as André smacked him upside the head and hissed, "They're not supposed to know!"
Three had fled to the Tourney, with nowhere else to go; one had followed them there. Three had come to the Tourney unsuspecting of what Fate would hold for them. But seven would leave it, all thirsty for a magician's blood.
*
*
*
a/n: Crafty crafty plot twisties! Betcha didn't expect *any* of this, huh?
Lil Blue Muse: *hits Simi with a ridiculously large paper clip* MY turn to talk! *grumble* So the Tourney is over…Samus won and Simi forgot to put in half the fights…oh well. Hyrule Proper ho! Onward, brave muffins, onward!
Always and forever yours,
~winged one~
-Lil' Blue Muse-