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.
Disclaimer: The premise of the Legend of Zelda belongs to the nintendo corporation. I mean no disrespect by writing this. No money is being made. Blah blah blah. Me me blah. Blah blah blah blah me me me. And that last part probably won't be funny if you haven't seen Finding Nemo.' Which also doesn't belong to me. *sigh*
Chapter nine - - Blood of the stones
The dim coolness of her surroundings surprised her, given the fire and the rage that stormed on just outside this place. It was far more quiet inside than she'd expected, but enough of the sounds of battle still filtered through for her to feel confident that she knew how those events were playing out. It was an odd twist of fate that had prompted her to come anyway, and one that she wasn't totally sure she could explain. How she'd ended up in this crystal cocoon, Din still wasn't certain.
She could feel the young princess even over the battle between Farore's hero and her king. That, more than anything else, was what caught her attention. Her interest, after all, was not rooted in wisdom and therefore it made little sense that she could be more than vaguely aware of the girl at all. And yet, there was enough of a pull that she finally deserted her place in the torches of the pyramid and approached the cold glass that hung in a pouch at the hero's waist. The aura grew stronger the nearer she came, and she found herself wondering if the hero could feel it too. Maybe it had been that feeling that had guided him to her in the first place.
Whatever it was, she would look into it later. For the moment, Din would be content just to watch the girl as she had the others before her, taking a moment to explore their quintessence as only their Trinity could.
What it was that was different this time, she couldn't say. There was certainly something wrong - something very unfamiliar about the inside of the magical crystal, and though Din was very sure that the stone's occupant could neither see nor hear her, she was uneasy. Unease was a feeling that was as unfamiliar as it was unacceptable.
The golden-haired girl, clad in white robes of royalty that were stained from the day she'd been dragged from her sanctuary to the alter of the black king's puppet, still held beauty that even this unreal cathedral and prison could not hope to match. The thousands of facets inside the stone reflected and magnified everything around her, a hall of mirrors where each reflection paid only tribute to the unfading beauty it caught. Odd, how beauty could be so deceptive.
Din drew very close, moving to put her arms around the girl and understand her. She reached out, but the action never reacted fruition.
Who is it? The girl turned at once, her eyes scanning all parts of her enclosure. Who's there?
Din didn't answer. This had certainly never happened before, but she knew better than to be surprised. Drawing on the part of her that was shared with Nayru, she examined the girl again. Was it the face of wisdom that allowed the princess to sense Din's nearness? Be that as it may, there had to have been something else that had drawn Din in the first place - something not tied to learning or to life.
I can hear you, but I don't know who you are or why you're here. The princess continued to speak with confidence, obviously unafraid. You aren't from him... She added, proving that she could indeed hear bits and pieces of Din's thoughts. If you were, you wouldn't stay hidden. He doesn't understand that kind of subtlety, and it would do him no good to send someone now. His time is over, and it has been quite some time since my powers were of any use to him.
Not speaking in words, Din directed herself at the girl, allowing her to perceive Din's thoughts, and that her intentions, indeed, were not hostile.
But I already knew that. The girl said, smiling slightly to no direction in particular. Din mused that, while the princess obviously knew someone was there, her senses were not yet sharp enough for her to pinpoint where' or what,' exactly.
Nayru had come to the girl before and never experienced this sort of thing, though Din assumed that the very bleak crystal, with no other distractions or sensations, must have made it much easier for the princess to focus on Din's arrival, likely the only other disturbance she'd experienced since her imprisonment.
Din would not enter the girl - that would be offensive to Nayru, especially after the respect the goddess of wisdom had paid her in not harming or altering the course of her king. But she was going to fringe on the edges of that unspoken agreement and look as closely as she possibly dared into this girl, peering into what it was that shaped her. It was more Farore's realm of interest, but it suited her purposes this once. With the three of their charges coming together so often as of late, it was no surprise that the concerns of the goddesses were intermingling as well.
I don't understand what you want... The girl said, sounding apprehensive rather than afraid. Breaking her protocol, Din let herself speak,' or at least allowed the girl to understand her response in that manner.
I only wish to understand you, dear child.'
The girl's jaw dropped at once, betraying her earlier composure. She whirled around, searching all corners of her magnificent prison. Din let her flounder for a moment, proud of her when she regained herself and crouched down, arraying her skirts around her in a prim fashion.
You haven't given me a reason to distrust you.
It felt strange, receiving consent. Din had never asked for anything of this fashion before, since it was never necessary. She hadn't really been asking now, either. It was more or less understood, in her mind, that since she meant no harm, she would do as she saw fit. The opinions of mortals were generally unimportant. She found it oddly refreshing to know that this child didn't balk from her, in spite of her own fear. Indeed, she possessed more than a little of Farore's attribute.
Din came closer, letting the here and now drain away and feeling the first wave of the girl's essence surround her. She could have done this from a distance, without going to so much trouble, but Din enjoyed being close to things when they happened, even when she knew already what the outcome would be.
When the images first began to appear, Din had to stop herself from letting out the equivalent of a gasp. She had known that the actions of both the hero and the king had been effected by the princess to a degree, but before now, she hadn't realized just how great a degree it was.
Behind every event that had taken place involving the triforces of power or courage, the princess had been involved in at least some very small way. The call to the hero had been her doing - his triumph in the first battle against the king - the liberation of the sages and the seven maidens. It was her wisdom as much as his own courage that had led to those outcomes. Though she seemed captive and unassuming, the princess had been woefully underestimated by her king.
She watched the girl with a new respect while the visions of her prowess still danced behind the goddess's eyes. The princess didn't seek the triforces for their power. She didn't need them - she had power, in her own way, in simply accepting her fate and protecting the triforce of wisdom from those who would misuse it. Whatever happened in the ensuing battle - and here Din didn't need to assume, as the other goddesses did - the princess would not fall. Her strength had carried her this far, after all. Even encased in crystal, her abilities were not fully hindered.
I've seen all that I need to see.' It was an impression she left the princess with, rather than an outright statement. She wasn't totally sure why she'd done it, since the girl could apparently sense her and would know when she was gone, but Din felt in some odd way that the girl was respectable enough to be informed.
With that, Din departed from the crystal. There were other situations that required her immediate attention, and she was interested in observing the remarkable translation of power when it finally took place.
Entering the stone room and taking her place among the flickering flames of the torches, she waited for the last arrow to fly. The end of the old order of things had come at last - a newer wordl was now waiting to be born.
Ollen70: Choppy and messy, but I really wanted to get it posted because it's been so long since I've updated. There is one more chapter coming, and I already have most of it written, so it shouldn't take me too long to get it up. Thanks for reading. And I have to send out my customary thank-yous to H7 and Rai Dorian for reviewing so often. =)
