Ollen70: I'm really unhappy this chapter. It isn't that it's particularly bad or anything (though it might be...) but it isn't at all what I was planning for it to be. This whole story might be in for a major re-write when I get done, but I'm not sure at this point. Let me know what you think, okay?
Disclaimer: Nope. Still not mine. Darn.
Chapter Five - - Our Destiny
Farore departed, happy to leave the surface and return to the kind of existence she was used to. There was no need for her to disguise herself any longer, since no mortal would see her now that she was beyond their reach and comprehension. It was better in this realm, though she was glad to have been able to watch the goings-on between the three mortals from a closer point of view.
Farore could be content now, not having to worry about her champion for the time being. His past had made him more than strong enough to put down Din's king this time around. She did not doubt that they would meet each other again at some point, but that would come when it came.
Farore did not feel the need to disguise from the other two the overwhelming pride bursting inside of her at the actions of the young man that had taken place. He had used courage that even she had not immediately seen in him when faced by the other form of the black king, after the fall of the fortress. Not that the first battle hadn't drawn out of him a very large amount of bravery, since there were not many mortals who would have dared face the king, especially when he'd taken it upon himself to hurtle bolts of power like falling stars and unleash his magical might before the hero's arrows of light had felled him, reducing an entire chamber to dust.
Dust... it was true that Nayru had brought life from the dust and at the end of life, living things returned to it, turned to ash by Din's fires and scattered to the edges of the world by Farore's winds. They were all so fragile, so infinitely breakable, each part of them likely to fall apart at any moment and be beyond repair. None of them had planned for it to be so easy for these poor creatures to break away like snowflakes on the dawn, and the thought made her sad. The true courage to face life was all too rare in mankind. She wished it were possible to give them more, but then they would be something else, and not what they were intended to be.
It must have been Din's influence that brought her to this line of thought. Din often pondered this type of thing, usually focusing on how powerless many mortals were, but she had more trouble reaching a general conclusion that Farore did. This world was what was real. There was absolutely no sense in pondering it too deeply - though sense, in general, tended to be more in Nayru's domain - since their decisions on the matter wouldn't change. Matters here were far too interesting on their own for them to be changed already. Eventually if they found absolutely nothing on the surface to their liking they might deign to start anew, but as long as they had particular mortals to occupy their time, that would not happen.
The second battle her hero had fought was even more inspiring than the first. It didn't appear that at first the young man had a chance against the king, who was using his knowledge of the triforce of power fully to his advantage. The boy had only just learned from the princess that he had any sort of tie to the golden power at all, so it's strength was still very mysterious and difficult enough for him to fathom that it could be of no practical use against the king.
It was the princess that had actually surprised them all the most. Without her guidance, it would have been very possible for the hero to perish when the king fell the first time, and bent his will on causing the fortress to fall. She was showing her courage, just as the hero showed his wisdom in the final battle with the now-grotesque creature that had been the black king.
It was love and determination that had kept the king at bay, both the love of the small faerie that was the companion of her hero and the love of the boy for the world he remembered in his childhood, the world that had once been pure but now was stained. Anger, fear, hatred, hope, long suffering, pain... Yes, that was the emotion most common in the three of them during this last battle, so sharp that all three goddesses felt it as if it were they that struggled, not mere mortals. And that was not a pleasing experience for any of them.
But now that time was past. There would be peace over the earth, sadly temporary as it might be - but peace could be as trying as war, in many regards. Farore herself found little that was interesting when long periods of peace visited the earth. Courage was not necessary when all were content and none had reason to push themselves to be brave. One way or another, no matter how she felt about it, peace would come to the earth. If the king ever escaped again, he would bring his own kind of peace, but it would be the mute slavery of death rather than the peace of promise and light. And that peace, if it were ever achieved, would be eternal. The king would destroy everything else or so bend it to his will that it had no thoughts apart from him, and therefore could exhibit neither courage nor strength. In that respect, the current affairs of the world were preferable to her.
In an interesting way, she thought privately, humanity showed courage even in the smaller facets of their lives. In waking each morning, mortals faced risks of sorts. They never knew what would be from moment to moment, like Din did, nor were they as skilled at seeing all parts of the present or the past, as she and Nayru could. They had to do their best to exist in all three, never accomplishing even one of those goals. It was not nearly as intriguing as the courage of her hero, but it would certainly suffice until the day came when his extraordinary attributes would be called for once again. Settling herself down among the lights of the heavens, she continued to gaze into the fragile blue orb in the distance. It may be awhile before she was drawn there again, but it was alright. There was still plenty to see.
Ollen70: There's at least one more chapter coming. Thanks for reading so far, and as always, suggestions or comments are very welcome. =)
