The tunnel of water that he'd called to bring him here vanished into the night, leaving no signs that it had ever existed at all. He gasped as he landed, coughing and crying at the same time. All that effort, everything he'd put into what he'd done, gone! Gone, because he was a weak little boy that could never be as strong as the one person he looked up to. The one person he had to kill.
Eon gasped and choked back a cry as he pounded his fists against the ground, crying. Why? Why?! Why were they all so noble? He ruthlessly attacked them and yet they still smiled at him, still believed in him. He was their enemy, and the girl smiled and held out her hand to help him. Why?!
"Ahh!" The boy threw out his hands, and the naginata by his side responded, flying through the air and impaling itself into the trunk of a tree. Tears ran down his cheeks, but he didn't try to stop them. Instead, he curled himself into a ball and cried harder, rocking slightly back and forth. The weapon, completely forgotten by its master, disappeared in a shimmer of water.
"Why'd it have to be like this...? I don't want to hurt him; I don't want to hurt anybody. Was this the only reason I was brought back, brought here? I just wanted to live in this world-to see everything, to meet him. So why can't I? They live within this world-they get to smile, even at an enemy like me. So why can't I too? Why can't I stay here and smile like they do?"
The forest was silent, the only sound the echoing of his cries.
Eon closed his eyes on it, and cried himself into an uneasy sleep.
The world swayed as he opened his eyes, muting from blurry to clear with each blink. Finally, the swaying stopped and the images solidified, and the boy found himself in a small glade, with a pond and the ground covered in flowers. He knew this place well.
Walking forward, he tripped slightly on a rock that he knew wasn't-or shouldn't be-there. Loose rocks didn't exist in this place. Looking around to see if someone was there that could have planted the small obstacle, the wind was the only thing to answer the boy's silent question, ruffling his hair before his face and playing with the fabric of his clothing. The air was damp, and promised rain in the coming night.
Still wary of others, the boy continued forward, towards the pond in the center of the glade. Flowers scrunched beneath his feet, and the grass was cool against the bare soles. The area had an aura of calm, one he'd known since he'd first opened his eyes to the world.
At the edge of the pond now, the boy crouched and looked at his reflection. The moon's light was the only illumination he had, and his face and hair were both darker than normal, giving the boy a feral look. He smiled slightly, and his small fangs glinted in the reflection off the water. Frowning suddenly, the boy smacked the water, dispelling the image. How he hated this body!
Movement on the other edge caught his attention, and the boy looked up in time to catch a glimpse of a young mother and her baby. The child was no older than a year, and its mother cradled it to her breast, smiling happily. The boy frowned at the picture, sadness evident in his face.
"Why am I being shown this?"
His voice broke the silence of the glade, and the laughter suddenly ceased as the mother and her baby disappeared as soon as they'd arrived. Even the night sounds ended, and the boy slowly stood, his head hanging down so his chin was on his chest, his eyes shadowed by dark bangs. The darkness seemed to grow thicker, until finally the child stood in a void.
Lifting his head slightly, the boy looked out the corner of his eyes, feeling a presence near him. Knowing it was the one who gave him his mission in the first place, the one who gave him his life, the boy tossed back his head and snarled slightly.
"I'll ask it again. Why was I being shown that?"
A figure emerged from the darkness, although it only barely held a human form. Slightly blue and with the appearance of ripples flowing through the skin, the figure brought it's own light. However, beside itself, everything else remained in darkness.
The boy frowned slightly, not caring for the extravagant entrance. He'd never cared for this being.
The creature "tut-tutted", revealing itself to be a female from it's voice. She spread her arms out, shaking her head slightly. "Really, child, I didn't show you anything. That was your own memories playing back for you."
"I have no memories of that time and you know it. I could never possibly have memories of that time."
The woman gave the boy a condescending look. "Yet you still know of that time. Trust me, my child, you know more about that than you let on, otherwise you'd never be here. You were created before those memories could be forgotten."
The boy "hmphed" at the word "created", and the woman smiled slightly. She always knew what to say to make him angry.
"Anyway, is this any way to treat me after not seeing me for so long? I take it from your appearance that you never did fulfill your mission. Is that the reason you're being so rude to me?"
"I'm not being rude. I just...I want to be alone right now. So please go away." His tone was anything but polite as he turned his back on her.
The woman sniffed disdainfully and crossed her arms under her breasts. The skin of her arms flowed slightly, as though it were running water. "Is that really anyway to speak to your mother, Eon?"
Eon turned on the woman, his small fangs bared. "You're not my mother! You never were and never will be!"
The woman frowned and lifted a hand, and suddenly Eon was surrounded by pillars of ice-cold water. He opened his eyes wide and took a step back, but his back smashed into one of the pillars and he cried out in pain. Before him, he could see the woman grin, and then snap her fingers. The pillars before him thinned out, forming a curtain between him and the woman calling herself his mother.
"That's not what you told the little boy, now is it?"
Images played over the thin sheet of water, and Eon growled low in his throat.
~"Who are you?"
The boy smiled and sat down. He beckoned the Kokiri-boy forward, then smiled as he watched Link make his way through the shin high grasses and flowers, to sit with him a few feet from the water. The boy produced a flask tied to a string around his neck from under his tunic, and offered Link a drink. The green-clad boy declined.
"Well, to answer you," the boy uncorked the flask and took a long swallow, then replaced the cork and tucked the water bottle under his smock again. "My name is Eon. I live around here."~
The woman smiled as she watched her "son" grow more and more agitated. He remembered this conversation just as well as she.
~Eon chuckled. "See, I'm a lot like the Kokiri. I can't leave this place that formed me, or else I die. This pond you see before you," he motioned backwards without turning his face from Link, "is my mother, just as the Deku Tree is the Kokiri's father. Except, my purpose is different from your people's."~
Eon growled and reached out his hand, parting the water and effectively putting a stop to the images being replayed. He knew perfectly well what he'd told Link, he didn't need her to throw it back in his face.
"Yeah, so I told him you were my mother. So what? The only real part is the fact that I can't leave this stupid forest."
"The real part is that I gave you life," she held up a hand to silence the boy when he opened his mouth to yell at her, "and you should show me the respect I deserve for such a feat. Where would you be if I hadn't interfered?"
"Happy," Eon said under his breath, knowing the woman couldn't hear. Even though she was a powerful magical being similar to the Great Deku Tree, he knew each and every one of her weaknesses, and soft sounds were one of her weaknesses.
She waited a bit for him to say something, but when she heard no response, she scrunched her face in disapproval, but just as quickly returned to her normal cheery face.
"Well, if you want to be like that..." She left it hanging and instead waved her left arm, materializing a small chair and sitting down. "So, tell me Eon, what was it that stopped your hand? Why didn't you kill that boy like I told you you need to? Don't you believe me anymore?" Her false innocence made the boy grind his teeth in agitation, but he would not reply. She sighed. "My dear boy, really, you need to learn your place. You wanted to live here so you could meet him, the least you could do is follow your destiny like every other living being."
Eon shifted uncomfortably, looking at his feet. Finally, he spoke. "But I...I don't want to hurt him or anyone else. I only wanted to meet him..."
The woman smiled with false sympathy. "I know, dear, and you did meet him. But he turned out to be a bad person and a threat to Hyrule. Do you want what happened to you to happen to other children? That's what will happen if the boy isn't killed."
The image of the mother and her child ran through Eon's mind, and he closed his eyes in pain. He'd lied when he said those couldn't be his memories. He knew perfectly well that they were. They were engrained in his consciousness so much even this creature had heard them calling from the spirit realm. She'd give him a body, she told him then, so that he could meet the one his heart searched for. But he could never remember, no matter how hard he tried, the faces of the woman and the child. With a body, she told him, he would be able to remember eventually, and to find whoever it was he was looking for. And, because he was naïve and lonely, the boy accepted.
"I know that," he said quietly.
Feeling that she had the upper hand, the woman stood and walked to the boy, her smile feral. "So, you will continue to help me. For your own pain as well, won't you?"
Eon closed his eyes and tried not to let her notice that he was crying. Not trusting his own voice, he simply nodded.
The woman clapped her hands together in delight, then twirled around, laughing. "Oh, thank you my dear! You don't know how happy that makes me." Her humor suddenly dissipated as she smacked her left fist into the right palm, remembering something. "I almost forgot. I found someone to help you; someone who also knows the pain of being left behind. I know how much you don't like fire, but...please take good care of him."
Eon looked up, one eyebrow raised in questioning. "Fire...help...?"
But the woman was gone, and in her place sat a very small creature, supported by only two front legs and a long tail that wrapped around its body. The horns on its forehead were small, but would one day become a danger to anyone stupid enough to get in its path, the boy was sure. Eon looked at it with a confused expression, and it blinked up at him, its head turned to one side.
"Li...n...ku..."
Eon shook his head and knelt beside the small dragon, holding out his arms and pulling the creature to his chest.
"No, but we'll meet him soon. So please, don't worry, little one."
Link awoke rather abruptly, sweat glistening on his face. He could still hear the voice in his head as the dream faded away. Similar to another of the dreams he hadn't had in a while, instead of fighting Ganon this time Link was under the Goron city, everything but his enemy surrounded by a piercing, soul-eating darkness, and he was fighting...fighting...
He shook his head to chase away the memory. To chase away the vision of those eyes, shedding tears of guilt and pain and forgiveness and release, and the sound of that one, final word...
Making a noise in the back of his throat, Link threw the covers off and jumped out of bed, the cold floor a welcome feeling compared to the flush his body was just now getting over. After scrubbing his face with his dry tunic, Link banished the visions from his mind by focusing instead on getting dressed. His tunic felt nice against his skin, but as he pulled on his boots, something stopped him. For some reason, he had no desire to wear them right now. Opting instead to go barefoot, Link tied his tunic with his belt and hooked the ocarina on. He needed some fresh air today, and maybe a song to cheer him up.
Shutting the door quietly behind him, Link heard talking in the main room, and realized he was the last one up. Feeling slightly guilty about that, he walked into the room. Navi was the first to notice him, and the smile she gave him never hinted at the fact she'd stayed up with him as he cried hours after everyone else had gone to sleep. The way the others smiled and said good morning, he knew Navi hadn't shown them any indication of it either.
"Good morning. I was going to go out and take a quick walk, is that ok?" The boy looked to Sahasrahla, and the old man nodded.
"I suppose, although you should be old enough to decide such things for yourself." He paused, then: "Are you feeling all right, child? You look like you might have a fever."
Link tried to look at his forehead, then shrugged it off and laughed weakly. "No, no, I'm fine. Just woke up kinda wrong, is all. Thought some fresh air would do me good, so I'll be back in a little bit, ok?" Before anyone could answer, the boy was out the door. Closing it behind him, Link leaned back, supported by the doorframe, and sighed. He never thought Sahasrahla would be able to tell he wasn't feeling all that great. Did he really look that bad...?
Shrugging, Link decided he didn't care and he was going to take that walk anyway. Skipping down the stairs, he landed with a thump and kept walking, his hands folded behind his head. It really was a very beautiful morning. All things considered, if yesterday hadn't happened, he'd be very happy right now, just relaxing on a beautiful day.
But yesterday had happened, and everything had a shadow cast upon it. Even the blue sky and the chirping birds had a sense of foreboding to them that he couldn't shake off.
"Eventually, I'll have to face both of them, won't I?" He sighed as he trudged through the grass, suddenly rather tired. He wanted to sit and relax and the ocarina was calling him. Tugging the instrument loose from its place on his belt, Link brought it to his lips and trilled a few notes. The sound was soothing.
He continued walking and playing until he found a fallen log that seemed dry and comfortable enough for him to sit on for an extended period of time. He could no longer see the house, but he knew it was within yelling range. So he sat himself down, not worrying about where he was, and once again trilled a few warm-up notes.
He rocked back and forth slightly, trying to get a rhythm to begin a song. He hadn't actually played in so long that it was a surprise he remembered how to hold the ocarina. But then again, he'd played the Song of Storms when he first met Eon. His eyes narrowed sadly as he thought of his friend, but he never stopped playing.
Soon, the natural sounds of the garden began dying down as animals stopped, listening to the small boy trying to piece together a tune. A few birds landed on the edge of the log, hopping about and turning their heads this way and that in the fashion of birds, fluttering every now and then. Some even began singing a few times, probably trying to teach him. Link smiled as he played, watching their antics. And steadily, a melody began to form itself from the notes he was playing, and the birds stopped trying to give him advice.
Link didn't even realize he was playing anything. He was back in Kokiri forest, lying on the ground, wrapped in a blanket and crying slightly. Only as he watched the scene with wonder did he realized the tune he could hear in the back of his mind, the one he was playing without even knowing what he was doing, was coming from the woman lying beside him at the roots of the Deku Tree. Even though she was bloody and had what looked like burns, Link recognized Mikomi-a young Mikomi, doing her best to stay alive as her baby son cried beside her. She lay there next to him, tears on her face as she chokingly sang out a lullaby, trying to soothe the frightened baby beside her. The tune was off-key and broken with sobs, but he could still hear the underlying melody, and the words made his heart clench.
Hush my child and close your eyes.
Let the moon above sing lullabies
And the gentle earth to hold you close
While the stars light up your tender dreams:
Where you dance upon the russet clouds;
Where you play in crystal sapphire streams;
And lay your head down with the birds;
And nestle down beside my heart.
Hush my child and go to sleep (I love you)
As I hold you close by while you dream.
Sleep my child...
The shadow that was the watching Link shook his head, trying to dispel the vision. This wasn't possible, was it? How could he see something that happened when he was only a child, only a baby? There had to be a reason...something had to be affecting him...
The music! Link finally realized the melody playing through his mind. It was the same as what his mother sang, but there was no way he would ever remember that. Who could be influencing him so much that they could make him remember something like this?
A rustling in the leaves beside Mikomi brought his attention back to what was happening, though, and all thoughts of the strange melody fled as Saria stepped into view. She looked the same as she always had, as she always would, with her green hair tied back with her headband and an ocarina in her hands. When Mikomi finally realized there was another presence, her song cut off instantly, and she tensed herself, cradling the baby Link to her and holding her stomach in pain. Saria knelt beside the dying woman and put a comforting hand on her shoulder, then reached around the woman to touch baby Link's head, moving some loose hair from his eyes.
The girl smiled as the baby calmed under her touch, blinking at her in confusion. Saria said something then, but Link's presence couldn't hear. By the look on Mikomi's face, though, Saria had just told the older woman what was about to happen to her and her son. Mikomi grabbed Saria's arm, pulling her closer as she whispered something in the younger girl's ear, not satisfied until the green-haired girl nodded in acquiescence. When Mikomi laid her head back, Saria stood and took the child from the limp arms. The mother would never move again.
Link felt tears run down his face as the vision blurred and disappeared, and the last thing he saw was Saria bend down to touch the other woman's arm lightly. What was the purpose of this vision? Was Dark Link trying to invade his mind again, trying to make him suffer like those dreams had made him suffer?
'Not quite, Link, not quite.'
Link opened his eyes as the foreign voice penetrated his thoughts. He was sitting on the log again, the ocarina by his feet where he'd let it fall. None of the animals were around anymore. Jumping to his feet, the Kokiri-child turned this way and that, trying to find the source of the voice. It sounded familiar, somehow.
'You won't meet me yet, Link. Not again, at any rate.'
Recognition dawned in Link's eyes. "Eon? Eon, is that you? Why are you showing me this? How can you be showing me this?!"
The disembodied voice he now knew to be Eon's laughed softly. There was no warmth in that laugh. "I'm sorry I can't answer your questions, Link. Just know that I'll be waiting for our confrontation, but you're not quite ready for it. Please get stronger, so you can win. I...I really don't want to have to kill you."
Link narrowed his eyes as anger boiled through his body. What was the idiot suggesting? "So you just think to let me win? Without fighting back?" There was no answer, but Link didn't care. He wouldn't let this boy get away with such a request. "You can't just give in like that! I don't know why you think you have to fight me, and I really don't want to hurt you, but I won't let you give in that easily! Fight for yourself, Eon! Fight to prove to yourself your true purpose, instead of just relying on what you've been told!"
There was silence, then: "How would you know what I've been told?"
Link sighed, secretly happy the boy was talking to him, albeit about a battle neither seemed to want. "I've been being told what I need to do for years now, Eon. Been told that this was my destiny, that Hyrule depended on me. But neither reason has ever given me peace. But I have a reason to fight now, and it doesn't hurt so much anymore. I'll follow my own path, not someone else's. Mother taught me that..."
A haunted silence filled the air. "And if that path is to kill you...?"
"Then you'll have to fight hard to win, won't you, because I'm not giving up my life so easily. There are people waiting for me at the end of this path, and I won't disappoint them."
"People, huh? Someone to care about you and worry for you? Someone who won't leave you behind?" An edge had appeared in Eon's voice, making Link blink in surprise. What could Eon mean?
"What do you mean, 'leave you behind?' Eon, answer m-"
"NO!" The shout drowned out Link's reply, effectively making the boy take an unsteady step back. "I was alone, Link. Alone for a long time, and then someone helped me along. I may not like her, but I do owe her that much. And this is what I have to do. If I can find out what I need to know from her, if fulfilling her demands and this 'destiny' can do that, then I will. I'm really sorry, because I like you a lot, and you're my first friend, but this is destiny. I wish I'd never gotten to know you now."
"Shut up!" There was a sudden intake of breath as Link shouted into the trees. "This is destiny?! Don't spout crap like that! Destiny is a path that we have to follow, it's not our way of life! So what if we have to fight, huh? That doesn't mean a thing when it comes to friendship! Destiny cannot make someone care about another, and it can't make someone NOT care either! That's one of the things this journey has taught me, and if it's the last piece of knowledge I'll ever learn, it's the best. Can't you understand that?"
There was no response, and Link feared Eon had left. Finally, though, he heard a whisper from his left, and the boy turned and lunged after it. "We'll meet again, Link. You're not yet ready for this battle."
"Eon, wait! Don't just leave-" a gust of wind passed the boy by, and he knew his friend was gone. "...like this..." The silence in the trees was deadly as Link picked the ocarina up and made his way back home to Sahasrahla's house, the bounce gone from his step.
Sahasrahla knew before the boy entered that something happened outside, but he never mentioned it. For that, Link was glad. He'd finally gotten out all his frustrations and pain with his tears of the night before, but they seemed to be haunting him now. Even Navi's expectant smile couldn't warm Link's eyes for more than a few seconds.
Sitting himself down at the table, Link looked at the top dejectedly, then let his face fall forward into the wood. Navi cried out in alarm when she heard the loud "thunk," but Link didn't make any show that he noticed or cared. Impa blinked, and Zelda jumped to her feet from her chair by the fireplace with the older Sheikah.
"Link, are you ok?" The princess started towards him, but his head shake stopped her.
"I'm fine, it's just that I've had a hard day today. May I have some breakfast please?" His muffled response caught the girl off guard, but she nodded, changing her direction to the kitchen. She came back with some porridge and bread, and Link ate only because he'd asked for the food in the first place. He really wasn't very hungry at all.
When he'd finished, Link pushed his plate away and stood, heading to his room. Once there, he closed the door behind him, effectively shutting everyone else out. Navi flew up to the door, first knocking and then pounding, demanding to be let in. Her small cries were ignored, though.
"Link-kun...what's gotten into you...?"
Zelda came up behind the small faerie and let her rest on her shoulder. The small princess stood before the door for a few minutes before turning and going back to sit with everyone else.
Inside the protective room, Link huddled on his bed, trying with all his might to sort everything out in his head. What was happening? Why did Eon have to fight him like this? And who was telling him to? The boy hadn't said much, but there was something behind his words, something important that Link needed to figure out. Eon had said he'd been lonely, but someone saved him. Why would he mention that? Link couldn't figure it out. There was so much pain in his voice when he'd mentioned being left behind, and it seemed to be directed at Link himself. But Link hadn't left anyone behind! He'd never had anyone to...
His eyes suddenly widened and he sat up straight on his bed, nearly panting. His dream came back full force, even though his eyes were open.
That dark cave, and all those Gorons, watching him, praying for him to save their home. Little Link, Darunia's son, asking him to please save his father. And his enemy, surrounded by shadow just as Ganon had been in those dreams Link had so long ago.
The memory haunted him even as the vision of the dream faded. Link gasped as he collapsed against the bed, fisting his small hands into the sheets, trying to drive away the pain. Why?! Why did he remember now? Everything else was going to hell, and now he was being tormented by his own memories of a fight he'd never wanted.
All because he left someone behind.
"I'm so sorry...I didn't mean to..." His muffled plea went unnoticed by anyone as the bed absorbed his cries.
It was hours later, long after lunch, when Impa finally tired of the boy and his "little fits."
"That boy better get out of that room in two minutes, or I'm going in and getting him. This is ridiculous. We have important things happening, and all he does is lock himself in his room like some angsty adolescent. I'm sick of it! That boy needs to grow up and face things, or I'll make him face them."
"Now, Impa, please calm down. I'm sure there's a reason for this..." Zelda pleaded with her guardian, standing between the tall Sheikah and the door to Link's room. Ever sine this morning, they hadn't seen or heard anything from the room. Zelda realized Impa had every right to be angry, but... "He's trying his best, Impa. Please, he needs our help, not a lecture."
"Actually, child, I wonder if our Sheikah isn't wrong. True, much has happened to the child, but the boy needs to move on and face up to them. He may still be too immature for it. However, what the princess says is true as well. We should be helping him. He is, after all, a twelve-year-old boy." Sahasrahla sauntered up to the door, knocking quietly. When there was no response, he held his hands over the doorknob for a second, then twisted it. The door creaked open.
The inside of the room was dark. The shades were drawn, and no candle or lamp occupied the room. A huddling mass occupied the bed, however.
Link looked up at them as they entered, and Navi immediately gasped and flew to him. The boy's hair was disheveled, and the bed looked as though he'd torn it up. The boy's eyes, however, were what scared the small faerie the most. Glazed and unblinking, Link's eyes stared right through them.
"Link-kun, Link-kun! It's me, Navi! Can you hear me? Please answer me!"
The boy sat there, not even noticing her cries. Impa spat and charged forward, grabbing the boy by the front of his tunic, lifting him up. Navi cried out and beat her arms, but the Sheikah refused to let go.
"Boy! Wake up!" She backhanded him, making his head twist to the side. Still, he refused to notice her. "I said wake up!" Her second slap sent his head the other way, however, his eyes opened slightly. "What's your problem? You have a duty, don't you? You swore to protect Zelda Hime and all you're doing is being a child! Wake up! Act like who you are! You're not the type to crumple like this, to admit defeat! You've given everything to get here, why are you just giving in?! Answer me!" She slapped him again, and this time he turned his head to face her. His eyes were still glazed, and his voice was hollow, but he answered her.
"It's my fault...I didn't mean it, but it's still...my...fault..."
"What are you talking about?!"
"Eon... He said...wasn't ready for battle...didn't know... Someone else...pain...left behind..." The boy's head drooped slightly, and Impa noticed then the lines on his cheeks from tears. Suddenly fearful for the boy, she set him down gently, then placed a hand on his forehead. He didn't feel warm, but still...
"Elder, please, come here and help me. I was wrong. Something happened to him while he was gone on that walk, something he didn't want us to know about. But...it's eating at him. Stupid boy!" Her volume dropped as she said that last, looking at his face. "I was wrong. He's more mature than I thought. He's always trying to protect everyone else by taking it all on his own. Mature, yet still so juvenile a thought."
"Will he be alright? Link-kun..." Navi hovered above him, her glow dimmed. "I wish I could understand what he was talking about. What does he mean, 'pain left behind.'"
Link turned his head to the side then, his mouth moving silently. Navi flew down closer, landed beside him, her hand on his cheek. "Link-kun, can you hear me? Please, speak louder."
"...Mountain... I left him...we were friends...saved my life...the mountain..."
Navi wrung her hands, biting her bottom lip. "Link-kun, please explain. Please explain it to me..."
"Something isn't right here." Sahasrahla made his way to the bed, taking the boy's wrist in his hand. "Physically, he's fine. He wasn't gone so long that anything this severe could have been done to him. So what's wrong?"
'Has he finally figured it out? Is he ready now?'
Everyone turned in unison to the door, where a shadowed figure stood. That voice was familiar.
"E-Eon?" Zelda took a step towards him before Impa grabbed her from behind, dragging the girl against herself and trying to shield her. Sahasrahla came around the other side of the bed so he could stand between Link and the other boy.
"I asked if he was ready yet. When I met him this morning, he wasn't. He had no idea what was coming, so I wanted him prepared." The boy stepped into the room where they could see him better without the light from outside making him a silhouette. His staff reformed itself before their eyes, becoming the weapon he'd used before. His posture showed no interest in using the naginata, but no one else in the room was taking a chance. They stood ready for him.
Looking between everyone, Eon blinked in confusion. "That's strange. I see the girl, the woman, and the old man, but not him or the faerie. I could have sworn I'd heard his voice..."
Navi flew up from the bed then, her glow lighting the room. Eon shielded his eyes from the sudden light, but never stopped his scan of the room. He noticed the form on the bed soon enough.
"Ah, there he is! Link! Come on, it's only mid afternoon. Why you asleep?" His innocent expression made Navi flare, and she flew straight at the boy. Eon cried out in pain as her small fist connected with his nose with enough force to leave a mark.
"How dare you say something like that! Link-kun's in pain, and it's all your fault! Whatever you told him earlier has made him turn out like this! He can't speak at all, and I don't think he can even see! What have you done to him?!"
Eon blinked rapidly, and then threw down his weapon and ran to the side of the bed before anyone could stop him. There, he knelt down beside his friend, searching his face over.
"Link. Link! Yo, you there? Come on, speak up!" When he turned to face the others, his face was worried. "What's wrong? Why won't he answer me?"
"I already said it's your faul-" Navi's retort was cut off as Link blinked his eyes, then turned his head towards the noise. Chirping in delight, Navi flew to him, hiding in his hair.
Eon smiled as Link blinked at him, his eyes slowly focusing. "Link, you ok? I'm sorry if I did this, I really didn't mean it. It's not very fair to fight someone in that type of a condition..."
Link's hand snaked out and grabbed Eon's wrist, startling everyone in the room.
"Take me..." His voice faltered and he coughed. Gaining control over his voice again, Link breathed out. "Take me to him."
Eon nodded, his face solemn. "Yeah, I guess it's time. He's been asking about you, you know."
The red-headed boy helped Link from his bed, supporting him with his shoulder. Link leaned on Eon, and together they walked from the room. By the time they reached the end of the hallway, Link could walk on his own again, although Eon hovered close.
"If you fall and knock yourself out on a wall, that won't bode well for me, you know?" Eon joked. "I mean, that's a lousy way to win a fight."
Link grinned, although it never reached his eyes. Although watchful and full of life now, they were still haunted.
Once everyone was outside, much to the two boy's chagrin, Eon walked away from the group, making his stand about fifty feet from the others. Holding out his hand, the naginata appeared on his command, and he raised it above his head. Link looked on, Zelda close behind him, with the older members of their group slightly fanned out to the sides.
Eon dropped the naginata blade-down into the grass then, the cutting energy that usually came out not there. It stuck fast into the ground instead.
"There," Eon said, dusting off his hands. "He'll be here now."
Link nodded solemnly, fearing this battle more than anything he'd yet faced. The area was silent, however, until a small, chirping noise made itself known from behind Eon, and Navi's eyes widened as Link dropped his head. It was true.
The small creature crawled into the clearing, its two feet pulling it along fast as its tail wagged. The hair on top of its head swayed between the two horns, and the large, liquid eyes, filled with pain upon seeing the slouching green-clad boy. It stopped for a moment, watching the boy who refused to look up, and then continued on towards Eon, who picked him up in his hands, cradling the tiny dragon to his chest.
Link's shoulders heaved as he forced himself to stand, but still he kept his head down. Navi had long since hidden under his collar, but he could feel her shaking and crying. The small dragon could sense it as well, and reached out its neck, calling with its strange chirping voice.
"Li...n...ku..."
Link sniffed and then lifted his head, tears in his eyes and a sad smile on his face.
"I'm so sorry, my friend. Volvagia...I'm so sorry."
LINK NO MIKO'S LITTLE (not SO little in this case...) CORNER OF TALKINGNESS
Warghle! "Volvagia now?!" says everyone. Yesm! And I shall explain the why and how of it too! I'll do a bit of explaining in this, but if you all want, I can add a flashback in the next chapter that explains it in vivid detail. For you see, this is my
(dah dah DAAAH)
OBSCURE REFERENCE #1 (aka, the REAL obscure reference)
The reason Link knows it's Volvagia? Simple, really. No, I did NOT make it up on the spot! I'm hardly that good. I actually got this idea from the manga "Zelda no Densetsu: Toki no Ocarina" (The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time"-actually, it says it like that on the cover, but I think "Toki no Ocarina" sounds sooooo cool ^-^x) by Himekawa Akira. A great buy that all should get, even if you can't read a whit of Japanese or can read it-sorta-but understand maybe two words in three pages (like me!). The art is great, and if anyone can tell me if Himekawa is a guy or a girl I'll give you a cookie. Cause my oneesan and I have a running battle about it. I think this person is a guy because of the name (Akira is an uncommon name for a girl), but oneesan says the style is decidedly girlish at times. ANYWHO onto the real reason for this!
During the search for the Sages, Himekawa adds a nice little twist to the already twisted-up story. In this version, Link already knows Volvagia, because he bought him for 70 Rupees when he was a child, and they became friends. However, Vol is currently living in Goron City, which is not good for the Gorons.. I don't wanna spoil the actual storyline (can I even...?) but I can explain what happened to them in the next chapter, should anyone want to know. That will, however, be a spoiler for the manga. Just keep that in mind. I've already been giving hints about it...
Oh yes, kinda a tie into manga Volvagia. THIS IS NOT IMPORTANT AT ALL. If you could give a hoot about the Japanese writing system or Volvagia's speech patterns, Please Skip Ahead to Obscure Reference #2.
Notice that he calls Link "Linku," and never says it straight out? There are two reasons for this. One, Little Vol never says Link's name straight out. He pauses between at least one character, or syllable. The reason I decided to have him say "Linku" instead of "Link" is because of the kana. Kana is short for all the types of characters Japanese use: Kanji, Hiragana, and Katakana. Because Link isn't a real Japanese name, it's spelled in Katakana, which is the writing system used for foreign words or new Japanese ones. Technically, his name would be romanized as "Rinku" but that's not what it is supposed to be or mean. Hence, our great hero is Link. However, Vol isn't like this. He is the ONLY one who says Link's name with Hiragana (which, consequently, makes the name look THAT much prettier). So, to differentiate, I added the u at the end, since, technically, it's always been there, because "Link" is made up of three kana.... -_-x Does this make sense...? You can go to this site: http://members.aol.com/writejapan/ to find out what each character type looks like. You can even spell it out yourself to see the difference! ri n ku ^-^x
Anywho. And now for...
OBSCURE REFERENCE #2 (aka, the reference that is actually not really obscure at all and I never even thought of it like that till oneesan pointed it out)
When Link is sitting on that log, playing the ocarina, many animals come and dance around him. This scene look familiar? In The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (or Triforce of the Gods, if you want a true translation of the original title. I'm incorporating a lot of the Japanese into this Corner, aren't I?), Link sees a boy that sits on a log, playing an ocarina with animals surrounding him. However, when you try to near the boy, he fades away and the animals leave. There's actually a sad story behind this boy, and, as corny as it is, I always get kinda sad each time I get to that part. I also make that boy play that song at least three times through before running into the glade and (obviously) miss catching him. I realise this must sound like I'm talking down to everyone, since I have the feeling all you readers have played that game already... If so, then I'm sorry for sounding high-and-mighty.
Also, for anyone who liked it as much as I did, the song Mikomi sings was created by my oneesan, starhealer. If'n you liked it or not, or just wanna criticise, drop her a line at her email koenmakun@hotmail.com (I hope she doesn't hurt me for posting that, since it's on her profile...-_-x). She loves criticism, so if you got any, please give! Criticism, though, not witless flame type thingies. She'd kill me if she started getting flames in her email like that, and you don't wanna kill me, do you? *big puppy-dog eyes* Also, she's been nice and given me three-count 'em THREE-pieces of fanart. True, they're only Eon fanart, but... Take a look at 'em here: http://www.geocities.com/squeak_chan/eon/ Criticism for that too is appreciated!
So, that was it for this Corner. Did you learn anything? I hope you all enjoyed it and will continue reading! This is a power-charged corner, and I hope everyone looks forward to the next one! *finds herself sitting in a chair, with a little bow around her neck and a funny accent* And if anyone gets THAT reference, YAY!
Eon gasped and choked back a cry as he pounded his fists against the ground, crying. Why? Why?! Why were they all so noble? He ruthlessly attacked them and yet they still smiled at him, still believed in him. He was their enemy, and the girl smiled and held out her hand to help him. Why?!
"Ahh!" The boy threw out his hands, and the naginata by his side responded, flying through the air and impaling itself into the trunk of a tree. Tears ran down his cheeks, but he didn't try to stop them. Instead, he curled himself into a ball and cried harder, rocking slightly back and forth. The weapon, completely forgotten by its master, disappeared in a shimmer of water.
"Why'd it have to be like this...? I don't want to hurt him; I don't want to hurt anybody. Was this the only reason I was brought back, brought here? I just wanted to live in this world-to see everything, to meet him. So why can't I? They live within this world-they get to smile, even at an enemy like me. So why can't I too? Why can't I stay here and smile like they do?"
The forest was silent, the only sound the echoing of his cries.
Eon closed his eyes on it, and cried himself into an uneasy sleep.
The world swayed as he opened his eyes, muting from blurry to clear with each blink. Finally, the swaying stopped and the images solidified, and the boy found himself in a small glade, with a pond and the ground covered in flowers. He knew this place well.
Walking forward, he tripped slightly on a rock that he knew wasn't-or shouldn't be-there. Loose rocks didn't exist in this place. Looking around to see if someone was there that could have planted the small obstacle, the wind was the only thing to answer the boy's silent question, ruffling his hair before his face and playing with the fabric of his clothing. The air was damp, and promised rain in the coming night.
Still wary of others, the boy continued forward, towards the pond in the center of the glade. Flowers scrunched beneath his feet, and the grass was cool against the bare soles. The area had an aura of calm, one he'd known since he'd first opened his eyes to the world.
At the edge of the pond now, the boy crouched and looked at his reflection. The moon's light was the only illumination he had, and his face and hair were both darker than normal, giving the boy a feral look. He smiled slightly, and his small fangs glinted in the reflection off the water. Frowning suddenly, the boy smacked the water, dispelling the image. How he hated this body!
Movement on the other edge caught his attention, and the boy looked up in time to catch a glimpse of a young mother and her baby. The child was no older than a year, and its mother cradled it to her breast, smiling happily. The boy frowned at the picture, sadness evident in his face.
"Why am I being shown this?"
His voice broke the silence of the glade, and the laughter suddenly ceased as the mother and her baby disappeared as soon as they'd arrived. Even the night sounds ended, and the boy slowly stood, his head hanging down so his chin was on his chest, his eyes shadowed by dark bangs. The darkness seemed to grow thicker, until finally the child stood in a void.
Lifting his head slightly, the boy looked out the corner of his eyes, feeling a presence near him. Knowing it was the one who gave him his mission in the first place, the one who gave him his life, the boy tossed back his head and snarled slightly.
"I'll ask it again. Why was I being shown that?"
A figure emerged from the darkness, although it only barely held a human form. Slightly blue and with the appearance of ripples flowing through the skin, the figure brought it's own light. However, beside itself, everything else remained in darkness.
The boy frowned slightly, not caring for the extravagant entrance. He'd never cared for this being.
The creature "tut-tutted", revealing itself to be a female from it's voice. She spread her arms out, shaking her head slightly. "Really, child, I didn't show you anything. That was your own memories playing back for you."
"I have no memories of that time and you know it. I could never possibly have memories of that time."
The woman gave the boy a condescending look. "Yet you still know of that time. Trust me, my child, you know more about that than you let on, otherwise you'd never be here. You were created before those memories could be forgotten."
The boy "hmphed" at the word "created", and the woman smiled slightly. She always knew what to say to make him angry.
"Anyway, is this any way to treat me after not seeing me for so long? I take it from your appearance that you never did fulfill your mission. Is that the reason you're being so rude to me?"
"I'm not being rude. I just...I want to be alone right now. So please go away." His tone was anything but polite as he turned his back on her.
The woman sniffed disdainfully and crossed her arms under her breasts. The skin of her arms flowed slightly, as though it were running water. "Is that really anyway to speak to your mother, Eon?"
Eon turned on the woman, his small fangs bared. "You're not my mother! You never were and never will be!"
The woman frowned and lifted a hand, and suddenly Eon was surrounded by pillars of ice-cold water. He opened his eyes wide and took a step back, but his back smashed into one of the pillars and he cried out in pain. Before him, he could see the woman grin, and then snap her fingers. The pillars before him thinned out, forming a curtain between him and the woman calling herself his mother.
"That's not what you told the little boy, now is it?"
Images played over the thin sheet of water, and Eon growled low in his throat.
~"Who are you?"
The boy smiled and sat down. He beckoned the Kokiri-boy forward, then smiled as he watched Link make his way through the shin high grasses and flowers, to sit with him a few feet from the water. The boy produced a flask tied to a string around his neck from under his tunic, and offered Link a drink. The green-clad boy declined.
"Well, to answer you," the boy uncorked the flask and took a long swallow, then replaced the cork and tucked the water bottle under his smock again. "My name is Eon. I live around here."~
The woman smiled as she watched her "son" grow more and more agitated. He remembered this conversation just as well as she.
~Eon chuckled. "See, I'm a lot like the Kokiri. I can't leave this place that formed me, or else I die. This pond you see before you," he motioned backwards without turning his face from Link, "is my mother, just as the Deku Tree is the Kokiri's father. Except, my purpose is different from your people's."~
Eon growled and reached out his hand, parting the water and effectively putting a stop to the images being replayed. He knew perfectly well what he'd told Link, he didn't need her to throw it back in his face.
"Yeah, so I told him you were my mother. So what? The only real part is the fact that I can't leave this stupid forest."
"The real part is that I gave you life," she held up a hand to silence the boy when he opened his mouth to yell at her, "and you should show me the respect I deserve for such a feat. Where would you be if I hadn't interfered?"
"Happy," Eon said under his breath, knowing the woman couldn't hear. Even though she was a powerful magical being similar to the Great Deku Tree, he knew each and every one of her weaknesses, and soft sounds were one of her weaknesses.
She waited a bit for him to say something, but when she heard no response, she scrunched her face in disapproval, but just as quickly returned to her normal cheery face.
"Well, if you want to be like that..." She left it hanging and instead waved her left arm, materializing a small chair and sitting down. "So, tell me Eon, what was it that stopped your hand? Why didn't you kill that boy like I told you you need to? Don't you believe me anymore?" Her false innocence made the boy grind his teeth in agitation, but he would not reply. She sighed. "My dear boy, really, you need to learn your place. You wanted to live here so you could meet him, the least you could do is follow your destiny like every other living being."
Eon shifted uncomfortably, looking at his feet. Finally, he spoke. "But I...I don't want to hurt him or anyone else. I only wanted to meet him..."
The woman smiled with false sympathy. "I know, dear, and you did meet him. But he turned out to be a bad person and a threat to Hyrule. Do you want what happened to you to happen to other children? That's what will happen if the boy isn't killed."
The image of the mother and her child ran through Eon's mind, and he closed his eyes in pain. He'd lied when he said those couldn't be his memories. He knew perfectly well that they were. They were engrained in his consciousness so much even this creature had heard them calling from the spirit realm. She'd give him a body, she told him then, so that he could meet the one his heart searched for. But he could never remember, no matter how hard he tried, the faces of the woman and the child. With a body, she told him, he would be able to remember eventually, and to find whoever it was he was looking for. And, because he was naïve and lonely, the boy accepted.
"I know that," he said quietly.
Feeling that she had the upper hand, the woman stood and walked to the boy, her smile feral. "So, you will continue to help me. For your own pain as well, won't you?"
Eon closed his eyes and tried not to let her notice that he was crying. Not trusting his own voice, he simply nodded.
The woman clapped her hands together in delight, then twirled around, laughing. "Oh, thank you my dear! You don't know how happy that makes me." Her humor suddenly dissipated as she smacked her left fist into the right palm, remembering something. "I almost forgot. I found someone to help you; someone who also knows the pain of being left behind. I know how much you don't like fire, but...please take good care of him."
Eon looked up, one eyebrow raised in questioning. "Fire...help...?"
But the woman was gone, and in her place sat a very small creature, supported by only two front legs and a long tail that wrapped around its body. The horns on its forehead were small, but would one day become a danger to anyone stupid enough to get in its path, the boy was sure. Eon looked at it with a confused expression, and it blinked up at him, its head turned to one side.
"Li...n...ku..."
Eon shook his head and knelt beside the small dragon, holding out his arms and pulling the creature to his chest.
"No, but we'll meet him soon. So please, don't worry, little one."
Link awoke rather abruptly, sweat glistening on his face. He could still hear the voice in his head as the dream faded away. Similar to another of the dreams he hadn't had in a while, instead of fighting Ganon this time Link was under the Goron city, everything but his enemy surrounded by a piercing, soul-eating darkness, and he was fighting...fighting...
He shook his head to chase away the memory. To chase away the vision of those eyes, shedding tears of guilt and pain and forgiveness and release, and the sound of that one, final word...
Making a noise in the back of his throat, Link threw the covers off and jumped out of bed, the cold floor a welcome feeling compared to the flush his body was just now getting over. After scrubbing his face with his dry tunic, Link banished the visions from his mind by focusing instead on getting dressed. His tunic felt nice against his skin, but as he pulled on his boots, something stopped him. For some reason, he had no desire to wear them right now. Opting instead to go barefoot, Link tied his tunic with his belt and hooked the ocarina on. He needed some fresh air today, and maybe a song to cheer him up.
Shutting the door quietly behind him, Link heard talking in the main room, and realized he was the last one up. Feeling slightly guilty about that, he walked into the room. Navi was the first to notice him, and the smile she gave him never hinted at the fact she'd stayed up with him as he cried hours after everyone else had gone to sleep. The way the others smiled and said good morning, he knew Navi hadn't shown them any indication of it either.
"Good morning. I was going to go out and take a quick walk, is that ok?" The boy looked to Sahasrahla, and the old man nodded.
"I suppose, although you should be old enough to decide such things for yourself." He paused, then: "Are you feeling all right, child? You look like you might have a fever."
Link tried to look at his forehead, then shrugged it off and laughed weakly. "No, no, I'm fine. Just woke up kinda wrong, is all. Thought some fresh air would do me good, so I'll be back in a little bit, ok?" Before anyone could answer, the boy was out the door. Closing it behind him, Link leaned back, supported by the doorframe, and sighed. He never thought Sahasrahla would be able to tell he wasn't feeling all that great. Did he really look that bad...?
Shrugging, Link decided he didn't care and he was going to take that walk anyway. Skipping down the stairs, he landed with a thump and kept walking, his hands folded behind his head. It really was a very beautiful morning. All things considered, if yesterday hadn't happened, he'd be very happy right now, just relaxing on a beautiful day.
But yesterday had happened, and everything had a shadow cast upon it. Even the blue sky and the chirping birds had a sense of foreboding to them that he couldn't shake off.
"Eventually, I'll have to face both of them, won't I?" He sighed as he trudged through the grass, suddenly rather tired. He wanted to sit and relax and the ocarina was calling him. Tugging the instrument loose from its place on his belt, Link brought it to his lips and trilled a few notes. The sound was soothing.
He continued walking and playing until he found a fallen log that seemed dry and comfortable enough for him to sit on for an extended period of time. He could no longer see the house, but he knew it was within yelling range. So he sat himself down, not worrying about where he was, and once again trilled a few warm-up notes.
He rocked back and forth slightly, trying to get a rhythm to begin a song. He hadn't actually played in so long that it was a surprise he remembered how to hold the ocarina. But then again, he'd played the Song of Storms when he first met Eon. His eyes narrowed sadly as he thought of his friend, but he never stopped playing.
Soon, the natural sounds of the garden began dying down as animals stopped, listening to the small boy trying to piece together a tune. A few birds landed on the edge of the log, hopping about and turning their heads this way and that in the fashion of birds, fluttering every now and then. Some even began singing a few times, probably trying to teach him. Link smiled as he played, watching their antics. And steadily, a melody began to form itself from the notes he was playing, and the birds stopped trying to give him advice.
Link didn't even realize he was playing anything. He was back in Kokiri forest, lying on the ground, wrapped in a blanket and crying slightly. Only as he watched the scene with wonder did he realized the tune he could hear in the back of his mind, the one he was playing without even knowing what he was doing, was coming from the woman lying beside him at the roots of the Deku Tree. Even though she was bloody and had what looked like burns, Link recognized Mikomi-a young Mikomi, doing her best to stay alive as her baby son cried beside her. She lay there next to him, tears on her face as she chokingly sang out a lullaby, trying to soothe the frightened baby beside her. The tune was off-key and broken with sobs, but he could still hear the underlying melody, and the words made his heart clench.
Hush my child and close your eyes.
Let the moon above sing lullabies
And the gentle earth to hold you close
While the stars light up your tender dreams:
Where you dance upon the russet clouds;
Where you play in crystal sapphire streams;
And lay your head down with the birds;
And nestle down beside my heart.
Hush my child and go to sleep (I love you)
As I hold you close by while you dream.
Sleep my child...
The shadow that was the watching Link shook his head, trying to dispel the vision. This wasn't possible, was it? How could he see something that happened when he was only a child, only a baby? There had to be a reason...something had to be affecting him...
The music! Link finally realized the melody playing through his mind. It was the same as what his mother sang, but there was no way he would ever remember that. Who could be influencing him so much that they could make him remember something like this?
A rustling in the leaves beside Mikomi brought his attention back to what was happening, though, and all thoughts of the strange melody fled as Saria stepped into view. She looked the same as she always had, as she always would, with her green hair tied back with her headband and an ocarina in her hands. When Mikomi finally realized there was another presence, her song cut off instantly, and she tensed herself, cradling the baby Link to her and holding her stomach in pain. Saria knelt beside the dying woman and put a comforting hand on her shoulder, then reached around the woman to touch baby Link's head, moving some loose hair from his eyes.
The girl smiled as the baby calmed under her touch, blinking at her in confusion. Saria said something then, but Link's presence couldn't hear. By the look on Mikomi's face, though, Saria had just told the older woman what was about to happen to her and her son. Mikomi grabbed Saria's arm, pulling her closer as she whispered something in the younger girl's ear, not satisfied until the green-haired girl nodded in acquiescence. When Mikomi laid her head back, Saria stood and took the child from the limp arms. The mother would never move again.
Link felt tears run down his face as the vision blurred and disappeared, and the last thing he saw was Saria bend down to touch the other woman's arm lightly. What was the purpose of this vision? Was Dark Link trying to invade his mind again, trying to make him suffer like those dreams had made him suffer?
'Not quite, Link, not quite.'
Link opened his eyes as the foreign voice penetrated his thoughts. He was sitting on the log again, the ocarina by his feet where he'd let it fall. None of the animals were around anymore. Jumping to his feet, the Kokiri-child turned this way and that, trying to find the source of the voice. It sounded familiar, somehow.
'You won't meet me yet, Link. Not again, at any rate.'
Recognition dawned in Link's eyes. "Eon? Eon, is that you? Why are you showing me this? How can you be showing me this?!"
The disembodied voice he now knew to be Eon's laughed softly. There was no warmth in that laugh. "I'm sorry I can't answer your questions, Link. Just know that I'll be waiting for our confrontation, but you're not quite ready for it. Please get stronger, so you can win. I...I really don't want to have to kill you."
Link narrowed his eyes as anger boiled through his body. What was the idiot suggesting? "So you just think to let me win? Without fighting back?" There was no answer, but Link didn't care. He wouldn't let this boy get away with such a request. "You can't just give in like that! I don't know why you think you have to fight me, and I really don't want to hurt you, but I won't let you give in that easily! Fight for yourself, Eon! Fight to prove to yourself your true purpose, instead of just relying on what you've been told!"
There was silence, then: "How would you know what I've been told?"
Link sighed, secretly happy the boy was talking to him, albeit about a battle neither seemed to want. "I've been being told what I need to do for years now, Eon. Been told that this was my destiny, that Hyrule depended on me. But neither reason has ever given me peace. But I have a reason to fight now, and it doesn't hurt so much anymore. I'll follow my own path, not someone else's. Mother taught me that..."
A haunted silence filled the air. "And if that path is to kill you...?"
"Then you'll have to fight hard to win, won't you, because I'm not giving up my life so easily. There are people waiting for me at the end of this path, and I won't disappoint them."
"People, huh? Someone to care about you and worry for you? Someone who won't leave you behind?" An edge had appeared in Eon's voice, making Link blink in surprise. What could Eon mean?
"What do you mean, 'leave you behind?' Eon, answer m-"
"NO!" The shout drowned out Link's reply, effectively making the boy take an unsteady step back. "I was alone, Link. Alone for a long time, and then someone helped me along. I may not like her, but I do owe her that much. And this is what I have to do. If I can find out what I need to know from her, if fulfilling her demands and this 'destiny' can do that, then I will. I'm really sorry, because I like you a lot, and you're my first friend, but this is destiny. I wish I'd never gotten to know you now."
"Shut up!" There was a sudden intake of breath as Link shouted into the trees. "This is destiny?! Don't spout crap like that! Destiny is a path that we have to follow, it's not our way of life! So what if we have to fight, huh? That doesn't mean a thing when it comes to friendship! Destiny cannot make someone care about another, and it can't make someone NOT care either! That's one of the things this journey has taught me, and if it's the last piece of knowledge I'll ever learn, it's the best. Can't you understand that?"
There was no response, and Link feared Eon had left. Finally, though, he heard a whisper from his left, and the boy turned and lunged after it. "We'll meet again, Link. You're not yet ready for this battle."
"Eon, wait! Don't just leave-" a gust of wind passed the boy by, and he knew his friend was gone. "...like this..." The silence in the trees was deadly as Link picked the ocarina up and made his way back home to Sahasrahla's house, the bounce gone from his step.
Sahasrahla knew before the boy entered that something happened outside, but he never mentioned it. For that, Link was glad. He'd finally gotten out all his frustrations and pain with his tears of the night before, but they seemed to be haunting him now. Even Navi's expectant smile couldn't warm Link's eyes for more than a few seconds.
Sitting himself down at the table, Link looked at the top dejectedly, then let his face fall forward into the wood. Navi cried out in alarm when she heard the loud "thunk," but Link didn't make any show that he noticed or cared. Impa blinked, and Zelda jumped to her feet from her chair by the fireplace with the older Sheikah.
"Link, are you ok?" The princess started towards him, but his head shake stopped her.
"I'm fine, it's just that I've had a hard day today. May I have some breakfast please?" His muffled response caught the girl off guard, but she nodded, changing her direction to the kitchen. She came back with some porridge and bread, and Link ate only because he'd asked for the food in the first place. He really wasn't very hungry at all.
When he'd finished, Link pushed his plate away and stood, heading to his room. Once there, he closed the door behind him, effectively shutting everyone else out. Navi flew up to the door, first knocking and then pounding, demanding to be let in. Her small cries were ignored, though.
"Link-kun...what's gotten into you...?"
Zelda came up behind the small faerie and let her rest on her shoulder. The small princess stood before the door for a few minutes before turning and going back to sit with everyone else.
Inside the protective room, Link huddled on his bed, trying with all his might to sort everything out in his head. What was happening? Why did Eon have to fight him like this? And who was telling him to? The boy hadn't said much, but there was something behind his words, something important that Link needed to figure out. Eon had said he'd been lonely, but someone saved him. Why would he mention that? Link couldn't figure it out. There was so much pain in his voice when he'd mentioned being left behind, and it seemed to be directed at Link himself. But Link hadn't left anyone behind! He'd never had anyone to...
His eyes suddenly widened and he sat up straight on his bed, nearly panting. His dream came back full force, even though his eyes were open.
That dark cave, and all those Gorons, watching him, praying for him to save their home. Little Link, Darunia's son, asking him to please save his father. And his enemy, surrounded by shadow just as Ganon had been in those dreams Link had so long ago.
The memory haunted him even as the vision of the dream faded. Link gasped as he collapsed against the bed, fisting his small hands into the sheets, trying to drive away the pain. Why?! Why did he remember now? Everything else was going to hell, and now he was being tormented by his own memories of a fight he'd never wanted.
All because he left someone behind.
"I'm so sorry...I didn't mean to..." His muffled plea went unnoticed by anyone as the bed absorbed his cries.
It was hours later, long after lunch, when Impa finally tired of the boy and his "little fits."
"That boy better get out of that room in two minutes, or I'm going in and getting him. This is ridiculous. We have important things happening, and all he does is lock himself in his room like some angsty adolescent. I'm sick of it! That boy needs to grow up and face things, or I'll make him face them."
"Now, Impa, please calm down. I'm sure there's a reason for this..." Zelda pleaded with her guardian, standing between the tall Sheikah and the door to Link's room. Ever sine this morning, they hadn't seen or heard anything from the room. Zelda realized Impa had every right to be angry, but... "He's trying his best, Impa. Please, he needs our help, not a lecture."
"Actually, child, I wonder if our Sheikah isn't wrong. True, much has happened to the child, but the boy needs to move on and face up to them. He may still be too immature for it. However, what the princess says is true as well. We should be helping him. He is, after all, a twelve-year-old boy." Sahasrahla sauntered up to the door, knocking quietly. When there was no response, he held his hands over the doorknob for a second, then twisted it. The door creaked open.
The inside of the room was dark. The shades were drawn, and no candle or lamp occupied the room. A huddling mass occupied the bed, however.
Link looked up at them as they entered, and Navi immediately gasped and flew to him. The boy's hair was disheveled, and the bed looked as though he'd torn it up. The boy's eyes, however, were what scared the small faerie the most. Glazed and unblinking, Link's eyes stared right through them.
"Link-kun, Link-kun! It's me, Navi! Can you hear me? Please answer me!"
The boy sat there, not even noticing her cries. Impa spat and charged forward, grabbing the boy by the front of his tunic, lifting him up. Navi cried out and beat her arms, but the Sheikah refused to let go.
"Boy! Wake up!" She backhanded him, making his head twist to the side. Still, he refused to notice her. "I said wake up!" Her second slap sent his head the other way, however, his eyes opened slightly. "What's your problem? You have a duty, don't you? You swore to protect Zelda Hime and all you're doing is being a child! Wake up! Act like who you are! You're not the type to crumple like this, to admit defeat! You've given everything to get here, why are you just giving in?! Answer me!" She slapped him again, and this time he turned his head to face her. His eyes were still glazed, and his voice was hollow, but he answered her.
"It's my fault...I didn't mean it, but it's still...my...fault..."
"What are you talking about?!"
"Eon... He said...wasn't ready for battle...didn't know... Someone else...pain...left behind..." The boy's head drooped slightly, and Impa noticed then the lines on his cheeks from tears. Suddenly fearful for the boy, she set him down gently, then placed a hand on his forehead. He didn't feel warm, but still...
"Elder, please, come here and help me. I was wrong. Something happened to him while he was gone on that walk, something he didn't want us to know about. But...it's eating at him. Stupid boy!" Her volume dropped as she said that last, looking at his face. "I was wrong. He's more mature than I thought. He's always trying to protect everyone else by taking it all on his own. Mature, yet still so juvenile a thought."
"Will he be alright? Link-kun..." Navi hovered above him, her glow dimmed. "I wish I could understand what he was talking about. What does he mean, 'pain left behind.'"
Link turned his head to the side then, his mouth moving silently. Navi flew down closer, landed beside him, her hand on his cheek. "Link-kun, can you hear me? Please, speak louder."
"...Mountain... I left him...we were friends...saved my life...the mountain..."
Navi wrung her hands, biting her bottom lip. "Link-kun, please explain. Please explain it to me..."
"Something isn't right here." Sahasrahla made his way to the bed, taking the boy's wrist in his hand. "Physically, he's fine. He wasn't gone so long that anything this severe could have been done to him. So what's wrong?"
'Has he finally figured it out? Is he ready now?'
Everyone turned in unison to the door, where a shadowed figure stood. That voice was familiar.
"E-Eon?" Zelda took a step towards him before Impa grabbed her from behind, dragging the girl against herself and trying to shield her. Sahasrahla came around the other side of the bed so he could stand between Link and the other boy.
"I asked if he was ready yet. When I met him this morning, he wasn't. He had no idea what was coming, so I wanted him prepared." The boy stepped into the room where they could see him better without the light from outside making him a silhouette. His staff reformed itself before their eyes, becoming the weapon he'd used before. His posture showed no interest in using the naginata, but no one else in the room was taking a chance. They stood ready for him.
Looking between everyone, Eon blinked in confusion. "That's strange. I see the girl, the woman, and the old man, but not him or the faerie. I could have sworn I'd heard his voice..."
Navi flew up from the bed then, her glow lighting the room. Eon shielded his eyes from the sudden light, but never stopped his scan of the room. He noticed the form on the bed soon enough.
"Ah, there he is! Link! Come on, it's only mid afternoon. Why you asleep?" His innocent expression made Navi flare, and she flew straight at the boy. Eon cried out in pain as her small fist connected with his nose with enough force to leave a mark.
"How dare you say something like that! Link-kun's in pain, and it's all your fault! Whatever you told him earlier has made him turn out like this! He can't speak at all, and I don't think he can even see! What have you done to him?!"
Eon blinked rapidly, and then threw down his weapon and ran to the side of the bed before anyone could stop him. There, he knelt down beside his friend, searching his face over.
"Link. Link! Yo, you there? Come on, speak up!" When he turned to face the others, his face was worried. "What's wrong? Why won't he answer me?"
"I already said it's your faul-" Navi's retort was cut off as Link blinked his eyes, then turned his head towards the noise. Chirping in delight, Navi flew to him, hiding in his hair.
Eon smiled as Link blinked at him, his eyes slowly focusing. "Link, you ok? I'm sorry if I did this, I really didn't mean it. It's not very fair to fight someone in that type of a condition..."
Link's hand snaked out and grabbed Eon's wrist, startling everyone in the room.
"Take me..." His voice faltered and he coughed. Gaining control over his voice again, Link breathed out. "Take me to him."
Eon nodded, his face solemn. "Yeah, I guess it's time. He's been asking about you, you know."
The red-headed boy helped Link from his bed, supporting him with his shoulder. Link leaned on Eon, and together they walked from the room. By the time they reached the end of the hallway, Link could walk on his own again, although Eon hovered close.
"If you fall and knock yourself out on a wall, that won't bode well for me, you know?" Eon joked. "I mean, that's a lousy way to win a fight."
Link grinned, although it never reached his eyes. Although watchful and full of life now, they were still haunted.
Once everyone was outside, much to the two boy's chagrin, Eon walked away from the group, making his stand about fifty feet from the others. Holding out his hand, the naginata appeared on his command, and he raised it above his head. Link looked on, Zelda close behind him, with the older members of their group slightly fanned out to the sides.
Eon dropped the naginata blade-down into the grass then, the cutting energy that usually came out not there. It stuck fast into the ground instead.
"There," Eon said, dusting off his hands. "He'll be here now."
Link nodded solemnly, fearing this battle more than anything he'd yet faced. The area was silent, however, until a small, chirping noise made itself known from behind Eon, and Navi's eyes widened as Link dropped his head. It was true.
The small creature crawled into the clearing, its two feet pulling it along fast as its tail wagged. The hair on top of its head swayed between the two horns, and the large, liquid eyes, filled with pain upon seeing the slouching green-clad boy. It stopped for a moment, watching the boy who refused to look up, and then continued on towards Eon, who picked him up in his hands, cradling the tiny dragon to his chest.
Link's shoulders heaved as he forced himself to stand, but still he kept his head down. Navi had long since hidden under his collar, but he could feel her shaking and crying. The small dragon could sense it as well, and reached out its neck, calling with its strange chirping voice.
"Li...n...ku..."
Link sniffed and then lifted his head, tears in his eyes and a sad smile on his face.
"I'm so sorry, my friend. Volvagia...I'm so sorry."
LINK NO MIKO'S LITTLE (not SO little in this case...) CORNER OF TALKINGNESS
Warghle! "Volvagia now?!" says everyone. Yesm! And I shall explain the why and how of it too! I'll do a bit of explaining in this, but if you all want, I can add a flashback in the next chapter that explains it in vivid detail. For you see, this is my
(dah dah DAAAH)
OBSCURE REFERENCE #1 (aka, the REAL obscure reference)
The reason Link knows it's Volvagia? Simple, really. No, I did NOT make it up on the spot! I'm hardly that good. I actually got this idea from the manga "Zelda no Densetsu: Toki no Ocarina" (The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time"-actually, it says it like that on the cover, but I think "Toki no Ocarina" sounds sooooo cool ^-^x) by Himekawa Akira. A great buy that all should get, even if you can't read a whit of Japanese or can read it-sorta-but understand maybe two words in three pages (like me!). The art is great, and if anyone can tell me if Himekawa is a guy or a girl I'll give you a cookie. Cause my oneesan and I have a running battle about it. I think this person is a guy because of the name (Akira is an uncommon name for a girl), but oneesan says the style is decidedly girlish at times. ANYWHO onto the real reason for this!
During the search for the Sages, Himekawa adds a nice little twist to the already twisted-up story. In this version, Link already knows Volvagia, because he bought him for 70 Rupees when he was a child, and they became friends. However, Vol is currently living in Goron City, which is not good for the Gorons.. I don't wanna spoil the actual storyline (can I even...?) but I can explain what happened to them in the next chapter, should anyone want to know. That will, however, be a spoiler for the manga. Just keep that in mind. I've already been giving hints about it...
Oh yes, kinda a tie into manga Volvagia. THIS IS NOT IMPORTANT AT ALL. If you could give a hoot about the Japanese writing system or Volvagia's speech patterns, Please Skip Ahead to Obscure Reference #2.
Notice that he calls Link "Linku," and never says it straight out? There are two reasons for this. One, Little Vol never says Link's name straight out. He pauses between at least one character, or syllable. The reason I decided to have him say "Linku" instead of "Link" is because of the kana. Kana is short for all the types of characters Japanese use: Kanji, Hiragana, and Katakana. Because Link isn't a real Japanese name, it's spelled in Katakana, which is the writing system used for foreign words or new Japanese ones. Technically, his name would be romanized as "Rinku" but that's not what it is supposed to be or mean. Hence, our great hero is Link. However, Vol isn't like this. He is the ONLY one who says Link's name with Hiragana (which, consequently, makes the name look THAT much prettier). So, to differentiate, I added the u at the end, since, technically, it's always been there, because "Link" is made up of three kana.... -_-x Does this make sense...? You can go to this site: http://members.aol.com/writejapan/ to find out what each character type looks like. You can even spell it out yourself to see the difference! ri n ku ^-^x
Anywho. And now for...
OBSCURE REFERENCE #2 (aka, the reference that is actually not really obscure at all and I never even thought of it like that till oneesan pointed it out)
When Link is sitting on that log, playing the ocarina, many animals come and dance around him. This scene look familiar? In The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (or Triforce of the Gods, if you want a true translation of the original title. I'm incorporating a lot of the Japanese into this Corner, aren't I?), Link sees a boy that sits on a log, playing an ocarina with animals surrounding him. However, when you try to near the boy, he fades away and the animals leave. There's actually a sad story behind this boy, and, as corny as it is, I always get kinda sad each time I get to that part. I also make that boy play that song at least three times through before running into the glade and (obviously) miss catching him. I realise this must sound like I'm talking down to everyone, since I have the feeling all you readers have played that game already... If so, then I'm sorry for sounding high-and-mighty.
Also, for anyone who liked it as much as I did, the song Mikomi sings was created by my oneesan, starhealer. If'n you liked it or not, or just wanna criticise, drop her a line at her email koenmakun@hotmail.com (I hope she doesn't hurt me for posting that, since it's on her profile...-_-x). She loves criticism, so if you got any, please give! Criticism, though, not witless flame type thingies. She'd kill me if she started getting flames in her email like that, and you don't wanna kill me, do you? *big puppy-dog eyes* Also, she's been nice and given me three-count 'em THREE-pieces of fanart. True, they're only Eon fanart, but... Take a look at 'em here: http://www.geocities.com/squeak_chan/eon/ Criticism for that too is appreciated!
So, that was it for this Corner. Did you learn anything? I hope you all enjoyed it and will continue reading! This is a power-charged corner, and I hope everyone looks forward to the next one! *finds herself sitting in a chair, with a little bow around her neck and a funny accent* And if anyone gets THAT reference, YAY!
