The Legend of Zelda: The Return
Hey all!
All right, so no Link's POV this time 'round, for a couple of reasons. First, this interlude was more than long enough for a chapter of its own, and given the content of it, I think it works better this way. Plus, I figure you've all waited long enough (and very patiently, I really appreciate that) and you would have had to have waited longer if I added in the Link parts to this installment. This shouldn't take me long to write up once I get started on it, but that raises the question of when I'm going to get started on it, and I have essays and mid-terms from this week through next week, and I have to force myself to sit down and work on something non-creative-writing related. Yay.
I think that's it for now . . . Enjoy!
Lady Rose
An Interlude
" . . . So that's my problem," Hunter said, watching Ketari's face for any sign of a reaction. "Am I sonofabitch?"
"Well," Ketari said, holding her sword up to the light to inspect it's edge for dullness, "that all depends. How far have you gone with this?"
"Preliminary stages," Hunter said. "Nowhere that could really be described as anywhere, but I sense a general movement in the direction of somewhere significant."
"You're being cryptic again," Ketari pointed out, raising an eyebrow at him. He frowned at her.
"Well . . . it's not really any of your business," he said defensively.
"Then why did you come to me about it?" She asked. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed.
"Because under normal circumstances, I'd go to my Dad, and he's not here. And under other circumstances I'd probably go to Sheik, but she's not here either. I could go to Neesha, but Gerudo advice is not really going to help this particular situation any, which leaves me with the option of going to Link, or Malon, and they happen to be the exact two people who are at the heart of my problem."
"Hmm," said Ketari with a sly smirk, "I knew it was Malon." Hunter slapped his forehead and fell back onto his cot.
"Smooth, Ket," he said, partly admiring, partly frustrated with himself. "Very smooth."
"I try," she said, setting her sword across her lap and reaching for her polishing rag. "Look, Hunter, if you really, really like her as much as you seem to think you do, then go for it."
"But . . . what about . . ."
"I honestly don't think Link is going to mind. Besides, he and the Princess have something don't they?"
"They have something," he agreed. "Don't know what it is, but it's there."
"Besides," Ketari added, "he's probably noticed by now. Goddesses know the rest of the camp has." Hunter sighed.
"I think you overestimate Link's observation skills. When he's focused on something that's all he can see. He gets tunnel vision. He's oblivious right now to anything that doesn't involve Zelda, Moblins, Dark Link, or yelling at the Generals."
"This is really bothering you, isn't it?" Ketari asked, giving him a piercing look.
"Yes!" He cried. "Dammit, Ket! Link's my best friend! I don't want to jeopardize that."
"You really think he'll be offended?" She asked.
"I don't know," Hunter said miserably. "I just don't know. He doesn't get offended, he gets hurt. I've never met anyone with the capability he's got for getting hurt. And I don't want that. I don't want to be the one that hurts him."
"I think you're underestimating his maturity, Hunter," Ketari said. "I think he'll be fine with it."
"Maybe," Hunter said, unconvinced. Ketari threw her rag at him.
"What's wrong with you?" She demanded. "What happened to the cocky, over-confident, arrogant Hunter who used to boss around my brother?" Hunter threw the rag back.
"He's attracted to his best friend's ex-girlfriend, that's what happened to him," he answered.
"Talk to him about it, then," Ketari said. "If that's what it's going to take to put your conscience at rest, then do us all a favor and do it, so you can get back to being cocky and over-confident."
"You forgot arrogant," Hunter said at the same time as someone else walking into the tent. Ketari and Hunter both looked up as Jinni walked in. Hunter straightened and frowned.
"How long have you been there?" He demanded. Jinni raised an eyebrow at him.
"Long enough," she answered. Hunter scowled and Ketari rolled her eyes.
"Relax, Hunter, she's lying," she said. Hunter's scowl faltered. She raised an eyebrow at Jinni. "What is it with you two? Why don't you like each other? No, wait, forget I asked," she said quickly when they both opened their mouths to enlighten her. Jinni crossed her arms and tossed her still growing ponytail back over her shoulder.
"Are you coming or not, Ket?" She demanded.
"Coming where?" Ketari asked.
"On patrol," Jinni answered. "This was your dumb idea, you're not quitting now are you?"
"Hey wait," Hunter said. "You called her Ket."
"So?" Jinni demanded, glaring at him. Hunter smirked at her.
"Nothing, Jinni," he said. "Nothing at all. Have fun on patrol." He lay back down and threw his arm over his eyes, promptly ignoring both of them as they exited the tent, Ketari chattering brightly and Jinni grunting in answer - though Hunter noticed with a great deal of amusement that her grunts were nowhere near as sour as they used to be.
Who would've though Jinni capable of making friends . . . must be Link's -
The thought was cut off as someone perched themself heavily on his stomach. He gasped in surprise as the air was forced from his lungs and he pulled his arm off his eyes, blinking up at the person seated on him. Malon frowned down at him, her arms crossed over her chest.
"You're late," she said flatly. "I waited in that damn ring of yours for a half-hour and you never showed and then I come here and where do I find you but lying in bed while I was out there sweating to death. Hmph!"
"Damn!" He gasped, pushing himself into a sitting position and catching her before she could fall off the cot. "I'm sorry Malon! I got distracted with . . . by Ketari. She needed to talk to me about something." She narrowed her eyes.
"You're lying," she said flatly.
"I do that from time to time," he agreed. "Part of the whole Sheikah bit."
"Fine," she said. "But you owe me. You get to skip a lesson, so do I. No sword-fighting for me tomorrow!"
"Now just a second," he said, raising an eyebrow at her, "I never said that."
"No, I did," she said. "And in fact you owe me twice, because not only did you skip our lesson today, you lied to me about why you skipped it, so technically I should get to skip two lessons."
"Oh, so you want to die when the Moblins get past our sentries next time and into the camp. I bet they'll go right to your tent too. They'll go, 'Hey! I've got an idea! Let's go get that Malon girl! She skipped her lessons with Hunter and now she doesn't know how to defend herself. Easy supper tonight, boys!'" Malon smirked at him.
"But you didn't finish the story," she said.
"What? That they eat you?" He demanded.
"No," she said. "That the tall, dark and handsome Sheikah man comes busting into her tent and single-handedly saves her from the Moblins then puts her on her horse and rides away with her into the sunset." Hunter laughed.
"I don't have a horse," he said. "I'd have to throw you over my shoulder and run like a moron with the Moblins chasing us down." He scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Though you would make a good shield when they start firing arrows at us." She punched his shoulder.
"You're horrible," she said. He grinned at her.
"You know you love me," he said. She turned to meet his gaze and he froze.
"Hmm," she said softly. "Maybe I do at that."
I should kiss her . . . but . . . Link . . .
Ketari's words came back to him.
Go for it . . .
He leaned forward and she closed her eyes just as the tent flap swung open, light infused the tent and Link stepped in, clutching his head.
"Dammit Neesha!"
Hunter cried out in surprise and jumped back and away from Malon, the movement sending him tumbling off the cot and onto the ground with an audible thud.
"Did you have to hit me so hard?" Link demanded, turning to face someone coming into the tent. "I'm still seeing stars!"
"Quit whining," Neesha said huffily, pushing in past him. "You're the one who wanted to spar. I just . . . Hunter? What are you doing on the floor?" Link looked down at him in surprise and cocked his head to the side.
"Need a hand up?" He asked.
"Nope," Hunter said in a pained voice, clutching the back of his head where it had hit the ground. "I'm good."
"Why are you so jumpy?" Link asked, throwing himself down onto the cot. A muffled oath was heard from under his hat. "Oh for love of . . ." He ripped his hat off and Navi fluttered up out of his hair, struggling to push her hair back out of her face. Link frowned up at her glare. "You're the one who wants to live under there," he said flatly. "You knew it was dangerous when you took it as your abode."
"Can't you do anything gently?" She demanded. "You're so violent! And you're dirty too! Wash your hair." She crossed her arms and turned her back on Link, fluttering over to the table and sitting on it. Link rolled his eyes and looked at Hunter.
"Are you all right?" He asked. "Your face is all red." He frowned. "Your not getting sick are you? We attack in less than a week!"
"I'm fine," he said in a choked voice. "You just . . . nevermind. It's not important." He ran a hand through his hair. "I'm going . . . to go find Ketari and Jinni. I'll see you guys later." Neesha frowned at him.
"What's your . . ." Her voice died off when she spotted Malon sitting on his cot, every bit as red as Hunter. Her eyes widened.
"Hey, wait up!" Neesha said, scrambling after him. "I'm coming too. I don't want to listen to Link whine anymore."
"What?" Hunter demanded. "Neesha, no. I don't want . . ." She shoved him roughly.
"I said I'm coming too." Link threw his hand over his eyes.
"Just take her, Hunter," he said. "She'll probably try and smash my head in again if she stays."
"You asked me to spar!" She cried as she and Hunter moved towards the door. "You were blocking all your other parts! Your head was the only thing open!"
"Just because it's open doesn't mean you have to hit it!" Link shouted uselessly after her as they exited the tent.
"Rough morning?" Hunter asked.
"Link sucks, that's all," Neesha said flatly. Hunter raised an eyebrow at her.
"He was beating you, wasn't he?" He asked.
"Right up 'till I smashed him in the head with my shield, yep," she agreed. "That kind of ended the fight. So . . . you want to tell me what was going on in there before we walked in, or do I have to smash you too?" She raised her shield threateningly. Hunter crossed his arms.
"None of your business, Neesha," he said flatly, then hurriedly ducked her swing with the shield. "Look, it doesn't matter, all right? It's my problem. I'll sort it out."
"Sure you will," Neesha said, slipping the shield back on her back.
xxx
" . . . and when he jumped at me, I whipped out my sword and drove it into his stomach! Ha!" Ketari emphasized her point by mimicking the motion with her sword. "Just like that." She crossed her arms smugly and looked over at Jinni who raised an unimpressed eyebrow at her.
"You did not," she said flatly.
"Sure I did!" Ketari insisted. Jinni's eyebrow went further and Ketari grinned sheepishly. "Well," she said, "maybe it didn't happen exactly like that."
"So how did it happen?" Jinni demanded. Ketari grinned and avoided her gaze.
"Bug-eyed aliens swooped down from the sky and kidnapped him before I could kill him. Either way the issue was solved." Jinni sighed and rolled her eyes.
"Don't you ever tell the truth?" She demanded. Ketari raised an eyebrow at her.
"Don't you ever lie?" She replied.
"No," Jinni said flatly. "I have no need to lie. Why would I?"
"Not even just a bit?" Ketari asked, turning around and walking backwards so she could face her. "Not even just to exaggerate a story or something?"
"Why?" Jinni demanded.
"I . . . because it's fun?" Ketari replied, trying to find a way to justify it. "Because it gets you out of trouble? Because bug-eyes aliens and cool finishing moves are a lot cooler than him tripping and falling on my sword?"
"So that's what really happened," Jinni said with a smug grin. Ketari grinned at her and turned around again.
"Yeah, well . . ." She said. "So I told you the truth. Now you have to tell me a lie."
"Fine," Jinni said. "I like you and enjoy your company. How's that for a lie?" Ketari grinned at her.
"Nice try, chickie," she said. "But no go."
"Chickie?" Jinni demanded.
"Slang," Ketari said. "Don't change the subject. I want a big fat lie from you."
"Why?" Jinni asked.
"Because . . . it's not natural that you don't lie," Ketari replied. "It's like you're . . . you're . . ." She paused, fishing around for the right word.
"Gerudo?" Jinni supplied with a raised eyebrow.
"Exactly," Ketari finished. "It's like you're Gerudo."
"I am Gerudo," Jinni said.
"Ah, ah, ah . . ." Ketari said, waving her finger. "Half of this pathetic excuse for an army's problem is they're too caught up in what they think they are. You think you're Gerudo. Dune thinks she's a Sheikah. But you're not." Jinni frowned darkly at her.
"You've got three seconds to start making sense," she said flatly. "How can I not be Gerudo? I have red hair, dark skin, and I live in the desert. Doesn't that more or less make me a Gerudo?"
"So?" Ketari demanded. "Link's blonde, blue-eyed, and lives anywhere he damn well pleases. He's Gerudo too."
"I . . . I'm fierce and proud and stubborn," Jinni said.
"So is Hunter," Ketari said. "And he's not Gerudo."
"I'm certainly not," said a voice to their right. Ketari and Jinni blinked and looked over as Hunter and Neesha jogged towards them.
"What are you two doing here?" Ketari asked. Jinni frowned at them both. Neesha met her gaze evenly and deliberately picked a piece of lint off her red uniform, reminding the other Gerudo that technically they were equals.
"I . . ."
"Link and I walked in on Hunter and Neesha who I think were just about to do something with each other, and Hunter flipped out and left and I followed him because I'm apparently a 'nosy, annoying little brat,'" Neesha said before Hunter could say anything. He raised an eyebrow at her.
"At least you're not an 'overbearing, arrogant, son of a bitch Sheikah,'" he shot back. She ignored him. Jinni frowned at him.
"Are Sheikah so hard-hearted as to not even show affection for each other in front of people?" Jinni demanded of him with a raised eyebrow. Hunter frowned at her.
"I'm sorry," he said, "but I could have sworn you just called me hard-hearted. That's kind of the pot calling the kettle black, isn't it?"
"You know," Ketari said mildly, "what with everyone else fighting, and Link stressing out over that, I don't think his friends fighting among themselves is doing him any favors." Jinni and Hunter muttered something and backed off.
"Great," Ketari said brightly. "Well, as long as the two of you are here, you can help us with our –" Before she could finish her sentence the sound of angry shouting drifted on the breeze to them. All four of them blinked and looked towards the noise, spotting a large group of Sheikah and Gerudo facing off against each other.
"This can't be good," Hunter muttered as they switched direction and hurried towards the group.
"I hope the King doesn't see this," Jinni muttered under her breath.
"The King's taking a long-needed nap," Neesha said darkly. "Let's see if we can't break this up before he comes ripping out here and kills someone."
"Hey!" Ketari shouted as they arrived at the group. "What's going on?" Immediately about a dozen people, Sheikah and Gerudo alike turned to her and started talking. "Woah! Hold up! Marcus! You tell me. I . . . why are you bleeding?" A tall Sheikah separated himself from the crowd, one hand clutching a bleeding wound on his forehead. He pointed angrily at the Gerudo.
"They attacked us!" He cried. A Gerudo in Green stepped forward, fists clenched.
"We told you! Whatever hit you, it wasn't us!"
"Woah, woah, woah!" Hunter cried. "What's going on?" The Gerudo growled something.
"We were over there," she pointed, "and I was teaching these women the use of the Sling. We were nowhere near these Sheikah, and we were aiming away from him. And yet he claims . . ."
"I got hit in the head with a rock!" He cried. "You were over there throwing rocks! Who else could it have been? You're just trying to screw up our patrol! You're setting us up to take the fall if the Moblins get in again!"
"For the last time it wasn't us!"
An angry growl rippled through the crowd. Hunter frowned to himself as Ketari stepped between the two groups and immediately started trying to sort things out. He looked around.
It was entirely possible that one of the Gerudo had thrown the rock . . .
But after Link's little flip-out in the General's tent the day before Hunter had heard each of the generals having their own little flip-outs at their troops. Rue, in particular, had been vicious. He didn't think the Gerudo would risk her wrath by starting fights.
Maybe a Gerudo had mis-aimed?
But in the entirely wrong direction? And would they have been able to throw it that hard from that far away? Marcus looked like he'd practically been point-blanked judging by the wreck his forehead was in.
"Sheikah." Hunter blinked and looked at Jinni, but the Gerudo wasn't looking at him. She nodded her head just slightly in the direction of the group of Gerudo. "There at the back. The one in the cloak." Hunter followed her gaze and blinked in surprise. Skulking around at the back of the Gerudo was a figure hidden in the folds of a cloak. The edge of a sling hung out from beneath the voluminous sleeves.
"Why is she in a cloak?" Hunter asked Jinni.
"That's no Gerudo," Jinni said flatly. "It's not even a she. The shoulder's are too wide and the build's too bulky."
"Then what . . ."
The figure suddenly seemed to catch sight of them watching it because it gave a start and turned to walk away. Hunter frowned as he lost sight of it behind the Gerudo and moved to find him again, but it was gone.
"Something's not right," he said darkly.
"You get Neesha," Jinni said. "I'll get Ket. We'd best get to the bottom of this."
For once, Hunter agreed with her. Hunter moved over to Neesha and quickly explained what they'd seen to her, as Jinni grabbed Ketari by the arm and dragged her away.
"Forget them," Jinni growled. "There'll be no calming them down until we find out what actually happened. And to do that, we have to find that man." Frowning darkly at the arguing group Ketari relented and followed the other three as they started off.
"He was heading this way," Jinni said. "Towards the bridge over the falls." The camp fell out of sight behind the hills as they ran towards the bridge. As they got closer, however, all their faces hardened as one. Waiting on the wide bridge was a group of about a half dozen Moblins.
"Should we go get help?" Hunter asked as they stopped to take stock of the situation.
"No," Ketari said. "There's only six of them, and there's four of us. We can take them. There's not even a Stalfos."
"All right then," Jinni said. "Let's go." She and Neesha immediately started off.
"Wait a –" Ketari and Hunter both started to call but it was too late. The Moblins had seen them. Hunter and Ketari growled as one.
"Apparently strategy doesn't mean much in the desert," Hunter muttered.
"Apparently," Ketari agreed. "Come on. Let's go before they get themselves killed."
The Moblins lunged across the bridge at them the instant they set foot on it. One of them died immediately as Jinni distracted it and Ketari ran it through. Neesha shouted a battle cry and threw herself at the nearest Moblin while Hunter played a deadly game of hit and run as he danced between the fighting Moblins trying to find the chinks in their armor.
He game was cut short, however, when one of the Moblins whipped around to fight him face to face and he found his escape cut off by a second Moblin.
"Uh-oh." He hurriedly ducked the swing of the jagged sword held by the second Moblin and jumped up, burying his father's sword with all his strength into its forehead. Before he could retrieve the weapon, however, the first Moblin roared in triumph and wrapped its tree-trunk like arms around his chest and lifted him into the air. He gasped, but the Moblin's grip didn't leave him enough air to actually cry out. Behind him, Jinni finally got a clean shot in at the Moblin she was fighting and it fell back, striking the one holding Hunter. It grunted and took a step backwards, slipping on the blood covered planks beneath its feet and smashing into and through the wooden rail on the side of the bridge, snapping it like a twig. It released Hunter in a panic as they both plummeted over the edge.
"Hunter!"
Something caught the back of his uniform and abruptly stopped his fall. The Moblin struck the water below and was immediately washed away, disappearing beneath the foam. Hunter swallowed thickly and turned to thank his rescuer, but instead blinked in surprise.
"Jinni?" The Gerudo had one fist wrapped up in his uniform and the other braced against the remaining rail to keep his weight from pulling them both over.
"Don't get any ideas," she grunted. "I still don't like you. But the King's more or less attached to you and I don't want to be the one to tell him you went and got yourself killed."
"Ha," Hunter said. "It's your fault I fell off." But he was smiling gratefully as he said it. For the briefest of moments she returned the look, but the moment ended when Hunter's eyes widened.
"Jinni! Behind you!" Jinni twisted, never loosening her grip on Hunter, and drove her foot into the stomach of the person behind her. It fell back silently and her eyes widened.
"You," she hissed. It was the man in black from the Sheikah and Gerudo argument.
"I got him," Ketari said, leaping forward at him as Neesha fought with the last standing Moblin. Ketari slashed at the figure and it dodged easily. She frowned and jumped at it again. It continued to dodged her blows, never making a move to counter attack.
"Hit him already!" Jinni growled as she struggled to lift Hunter up.
"I'm try–" Her voice died off when the figure suddenly leapt into her attack and countered, his weapon almost seeming to form in his hand as he moved. Hunter and Jinni froze.
The weapon was an ebony Master Sword.
"Dark Link . . ." Hunter gasped.
"Ket!" Jinni shouted. "Watch out! That's no natural fighter!"
As though her words were some kind of command, Dark Link gave a hiss and leapt at the stunned Sheikah. She moved backwards, parrying his blows, suddenly on the defensive. Hunter and Jinni had frozen in horror. As they watched, Dark Link feinted to the left and Ketari moved to dodge it. Before she could recover, Dark Link shoved her over. She hit the ground hard and her sword skittered from her grip and over the edge of the ridge.
"Ketari!" Hunter and Jinni both cried. Neesha drove her scimitar into the Moblins chest and moved to air Ketari, but Dark Link was faster. He fell on Ketari with his sword, driving it through her chest.
The only movement Ketari made was when Dark Link ripped his sword out of her.
Neesha screamed a battle cry, but Dark Link hissed something that might have been a laugh and raised his hand at her.
"Neesha!" Hunter cried. "No!"
Black lightning ripped from Dark Link's open palm and struck Neesha in the chest, sending her spinning backwards until she finally came to rest against the back of a dead Moblin. She stirred then lay still.
Hunter turned desperately back to Jinni as she struggled to move herself into a position where she could haul him up.
"Jinni! Let me fall!" He said.
"What?" She demanded, then scowled at him. "No."
"Let me go!" He cried. "You can't hold me and defend yourself at the same time!"
"No," she said flatly, inching her way back across the bridge as Dark Link turned to her and advanced.
"Jinni! Let me go!" He cried, wishing she'd grabbed his arm or his foot or something that he could use to make her let go. He couldn't do anything about her grip on his back.
"I said no and I meant it!" She growled. Hunter looked at her progress. He was almost close enough to reach and pull himself up, but not close enough. Dark Link was closer.
"Jinni! Please! I don't want to be the one to have to tell Link that you got yourself killed! He's attached to you too! Just let me fall! Jinni!"
"Don't be a baby, Sheikah," Jinni growled. Hunter reached up with his hand. He was so close . . .
Dark Link had its sword raised. It was two seconds away . . .
"Just . . . a little . . . farther . . . Got it!" He grabbed the side of the bridge and Jinni released his uniform, twisting around on the ground and bringing her knees into her stomach as Dark Link tried to do to her what he did to Ketari. She planted her feet on his stomach and used his momentum to throw him behind her. He flew over the rail but reached out with an ebony hand and caught hold of the edge of the bridge, pulling himself back up.
It was enough time for Jinni.
She rocketed to her feet as Hunter dragged himself back up onto the bridge and ripped her scimitars out of their sheaths. She narrowed her eyes at Dark Link.
"Don't think me some ordinary Red, Shade," she hissed. "I was an Elite, and nothing about that has changed except my uniform . . ."
xxx
The Other railed against his mental prison, trying everything in his limited power to break the bonds the witches had placed on him . . .
. . . to no avail.
Dark Link laughed at his futile rage as it battled with the Gerudo.
It knew what he was afraid of.
Or rather, what he was afraid for . . .
Behind the Gerudo crouched one of the Boy's friends . . .
The Other was afraid for this dark-haired boy.
He was the Other's, brother's son . . .
The Other cared about this boy ., . .
An evil grin split its face . . .
There was nothing it liked better than destroying things the Other cared about . . .
xxx
Hunter dropped into a crouch beside Neesha, wishing his throat didn't feel so tight . . .
Ketari was dead.
Neesha and Jinni were not.
He had to focus on the people could help.
He had to stop thinking about the time he was 11 and had gotten lost in the mountains and it had been Ketari who had found him and gave him a piggy-back ride all the way back down . . .
Or all the times when his dad had been gone and he'd been lonely and Ket had smuggled him in under Dune's nose and hidden him in with Thomas . . .
Or the time he and Thomas had put a bucket of water over Impa's door and set Ketari and Sheik up to take the fall . . .
Or the time Ket and Sheik took their revenge by finding out that it had been he and Thomas who'd taken Bruiser's favorite knife and lost it in the mountains, then blackmailing them with it for months . . .
Or how he going to have to tell Dune, and Thomas and Bel and Mel and Sheik and his Dad and Link about this . . .
He suddenly wanted to curl up into a ball and cry . . .
Instead he gently pulled Neesha into a sitting position and shook her.
"Neesha," he said. "Hey! Neesha! Come on!" She groaned and opened her eyes, one hand going to her head.
"What hit me?" She groaned. "Feels like the Witches . .. " Hunter breathed a sigh of relief and opened his mouth to answer her but was cut off as someone hit him from the side and ripped him away from her. He and whatever was on him skidded to a stop and he wrenched himself around. His eyes widened as Dark Link raised his sword and started to bring it down.
A blur of red and silver flew from behind them and connected with the back of Dark Link's head, making an audible clunk sound. His sword went awry and impaled Hunter's arm instead of his chest. Neesha had somehow mustered the strength to hurl her shield at it. Not hard enough to hurt it, but hard enough to save Hunter's life. She groaned and collapsed to the ground again, unable to do anything else. Dark Link's bolt had taken too much out of her.
Dark Link scowled and ripped his sword out of Hunter's arm, intent on trying again, but Jinni came flying out of nowhere and tackled it. They both went flying off and away from Hunter.
Jinni growled as Dark Link wrenched free of her grasp and leapt at Hunter again. She intercepted it. It stuck at her and again tried to go for Hunter, but once more she intercepted it.
She frowned.
It was obsessing over Hunter.
Why?
Behind her Hunter was clutching his bleeding arm and trying to find his sword. Dark Link scowled darkly and raised his palm, blasting Jinni back and over Hunter to land beside Neesha who was once again unconscious. She twisted in mid-air and landed on her feet, then fell to her knees. Dark Link was quick to take advantage of the opening.
It leapt at Hunter, sword out.
Jinni pushed herself to her feet and leapt forward.
There was only one way to save Hunter.
There was only one way to hit Dark Link.
And she took it.
Everything moved into slow motion, as she jumped over Hunter and met Dark Link's charge by impaling herself on his sword just before he could strike Hunter down with it.
Everything froze.
Hunter's eyes widened in horror as they stared at the ebon blade protruding from Jinni's back. Dark Link's widened in surprise.
Jinni's grip tightened on her sword.
Dark Link blinked its crimson eyes at her.
She gathered the last of strength and drove her scimitar into its stomach right up to the hilt.
Her face twisted with hatred.
"You give that to Ganondorf for me," she hissed, twisting her blade. "Courtesy of the King."
Dark Link stumbled backwards, pulling his sword out of her. Without the support, her strength crumbled and she followed suit, sliding to the ground. Dark Link clutched its stomach and scowled darkly, pulling the scimitar out. It looked at Hunter, who had struggle to his feet, his sword in his good hand, insane fury on his face, and the most delicious of pains radiating from him . . .
It still hadn't take the Hero . . .
It was weakening . . .
It needed to heal . . .
It would never be able to take the Hero in this state . . .
Its plans were ruined . . .
It scowled and disappeared in a swirl of shadow.
The instant it disappeared Hunter moved.
"Jinni!" He gasped, rushing over to the Gerudo warrior. He dropped his sword and fell to his knees beside her. "Jinni! Talk to me!" Jinni groaned and forced her eyes open.
"Sheikah . . ." She whispered, her voice pained. "The King . . . I need you . . . I need you to . . . to tell him something . . ." Hunter scowled at her and shook his head.
"No," he said. "I'm not telling him anything. You can tell him yourself." Jinni ignored him, one hand coming up to grip his arm.
"He . . . he asked me a question . . . asked me . . . why I followed him . . ."
"Jinni . . . stop it," Hunter whispered. "You've got . . . you've got to save your strength . . ." He stared helplessly at the gaping wound in her stomach and knew she didn't have any strength left to save.
"I didn't answer him . . . I thought . . . thought I'd get another chance . . . but . . . I guess not . . ."
"Stop it!" Hunter cried. "You're not going to die!" Despite her situation a flicker of irritation crossed her face.
"It's . . . time to grow up . . . Hunter," she said. "People . . . die. That's . . . the way of Life . . . of War . . . of . . . of the Gerudo. That's . . . that's just the way it is . . ." Hunter shook his head angrily.
"That's not the way it is! That's . . . I . . . Fine then!" He cried, clenching his fists. "Fine! Die! Go ahead! I don't care! I never liked you anyway! I don't care!"
"Heh . . ." Jinni managed, a cynical smile on her lips. "Then why . . . are you crying?" She shook her head, trying to wring a few more moments of life out of her body. "Listen . . . Hunter . . . just . . . tell the King . . . give . . . give Link . . . my answer . . . will you . . . will you do that?" Hunter closed his eyes and let his head fall in defeat.
"Yes," he whispered.
"Tell him . . . I followed . . . because he gave me a choice . . . because . . . he believed . . . in me . . . and . . . and because I . . . believed . . . in him . . ." Hunter nodded, unable to speak. She gave him a weak squeeze then released his arm, letting her own fall limply to the ground. She didn't have the strength to hold it up anymore. Hunter pulled his knees up to his chest with his good arm and buried his face in them, unable to move or react or even think . . .
What was he supposed to do now?