Ollen70: This chapter's short, but the next one ought to make up for it. Thanks to my reviewers, and to H7 and Rai Dorian specifically for taking the time to critique every chapter thus far. I can't even explain how much it helps to get feedback.
Disclaimer: If I didn't own it before, I don't own it now.
Chapter Eight - - Illusory Dawn
The chill wind that swept the desolate tower wrapped about Farore closely. This world, as burned and forgotten as it was, didn't sadden her in the way it did Nayru. The wind existed here, laden more with ash and loss as it might be. As long as her tie to the worlds remained in the same general form, she didn't feel so alone.
There was little in this place to keep her interest, now that she had come, but it was important to her to be near when the next of the great conflicts took place. There was a chance that this encounter would be the last between her hero and the king, though she doubted if the king's connection with the triforce, and in turn the respective mortals of Nayru and Farore, would ever truly be severed. If the triforce of power was not given easily, it was certainly not taken easily. The king had managed to defy death once. It was possible, however unlikely, that he could do it again once the battle with the hero had reached its zenith.
Noticing the broken form of the king as he begin to stir, Farore shifted her attention to him more directly. The blood of the seven wise ones who had initially trapped the king between worlds had been brought together again - first by a wizard, and now once again by her hero. When it happened the second time, the barrier around the fortress of the black king, as well as the bonds that kept him in check, had been broken. He would rise again for a short time, doing everything that he could to wreak even more havoc on the state of things.
Looking out over the dead land, Farore shook her head sadly. There was nothing left here for him to corrupt - his wish immediately twisted all who entered this place, turning them into pathetic mockeries of what they once were, and the death and horror only increased his strength. She understood the desperation of the mortals who strove against him, as well as the overpowering sense of fear he could elicit from almost anyone who was forced to face him.
Nayru could feel compassion for this man, Din could bemoan the fate that waited for him, but Farore hated him. Even with the courage that had driven him to seek the triforce, he was nothing to her but a blight. She could borrow her hatred from her hero and not feel even the slightest twinge of regret in doing so. It was very obvious, as had been from the start, that the King wanted nothing more than to kill her hero. If she tolerated that desire, the bond she shared with the young man would mean less than nothing.
True, none of the three would interfere directly, but there were other ways of lending support than by intruding into an affair. The hero would feel her close by and gain strength from her, whether he was cognizant of the exchange or not. It was a telling sign of things to come when Farore noticed that Din had not bothered to do the same for the king. Either the boy would lose anyway and there was no need for her to come, or the king was to be damned and there was nothing to be gained by her nearness.
Whatever the case, Farore felt a little sad for the goddess of power - at least, as much as she could truly feel sad for anyone. Din's lot was certainly unenviable, if the hero and the princess were what they were expected to be. She wasn't startled that Din had chosen not to come - or at least not to come in a recognizable form. There was a peculiar feeling in the air that told Farore that Din wasn't so very far away. She was glad. If it had been her in Din's position, the fate of her mortal whether she knew it prematurely or not, wouldn't deter her from being close by. At any rate, it wasn't her situation and she was glad of that as well. She didn't always understand the choices Din made, but that was because their interests were not the same.
She left off her musings when the figure before her rose entirely, suddenly thrusting out his hands. The power of their triforce flowed through him, altering his figure into one of a thinner man, robed in greens and grays and adorned with an odd headpiece. It was the form of a wizard, obviously, and it was a cunning guise at that. With this counterpart at his disposal, the king had been able to deceive the Lord of Hyrule and break the seal between the earth and this darker world.
Causality, however, would not be so easily overwhelmed. By breaking the seal, the king had made it possible for the hero to enter this world in the first place. As if in concert with her thought, the door of the tower opened and there stood the boy, his sword drawn and flashing in the sickly light.
So, young Link, we meet again. But this day, there will be a fitting conclusion for you. The king lowered in the direction of the hero, who gripped his blade all the more tightly. Upon your death in this tower, the seal between our worlds will open completely, and that is a day that has been far too long denied me. Prepare yourself, if you're ready for the void!
The battle was truly magnificent. In spite of all the wizard's deceptions, the hero would not be swayed. Bolts of power arched across the confines of the room like so many leaves in the wind. In all the wonderful displays of power and courage, Farore found her attention catching on a small candle, flickering pointedly in a holder on the opposite wall. It was unremarkable, save for the swellings of emotion that rose from it when the wizard was driven back.
Sweeping downward, the bright blade cut deep into the wizard's flesh, but there was no outpouring of blood. The wizard blurred, becoming once again the more familiar likeness of the black king. He fled and her hero pursued, but Farore did not. There would be time enough for that in the moments to come.
For now, she remained as a thread of wind in the broken panes of the window, watching with some satisfaction the candle across from her. It's flame was gone - the end was coming.
Ollen70: I'm so sorry it's taken a month for me to get this posted. Motivation has been a little hard to come by, but now that I know where I'm going with the last 2 chapters, it shouldn't take me very long to finish.
