Zelda and Zoras are copyrighted Nintendo, and not by me. Saige, Sakura,
Ivan, Xieon, all monsters and any other character not copyrighted by Nintendo, is mine and mine ONLY! You may only use them if you e-mail me
and ask (politely!)
*~* Chapter 4 *~*
Zelda's Announcement
Saige shoved her way through the crowd, just as a man stepped onto a podium and the masses fell silent. "move it pal, coming through, watch it!" Saige murmured rude remarks as she beat her way around people and found a spot next to Sakura and Kyra. She was about 6 yards from the podium, and, like everyone else, stared at it, willing the short stocky man on it to speak. The man was half Saige's size, and had a grizzled beard down to his feet. He had one wooden leg, which her wore with dignity, hopping around on it like a bird. "Ladies and gentlemen!" The man began, having to scream so the whole crowd could hear his small voice. "The princess has just announced, that we have an imminent threat," Saige tapped her foot impatiently. This old man was pausing and taking a breath after every two words. "an imminent threat, of war" A collective gasp rang through the crowd, and some wavers of bustling, coughing, and small whines were heard. "war with who?" someone finally had the courage to yell out, and a few people murmured their agreement. "war, with...well" the man suddenly lost some of his dignity "well we don't know.." To this Saige leapt to her feet, from her perch atop one of the food carts. "then how can we have a war if we don't know who we are fighting?!" She yelped, shrugging of Sakura's pleas to sit down. A well dressed family of brunettes, apparently Sakura's family, scowled at Saige as if she had just yelled a cuss word. The yells of agreements were getting louder now, some people waving their fists in the air. "please, please let me explain!" the man squeaked, only making the crowd madder. A couple of men hopped onto the podium, and started yelling at him, threatening him to call off the war. A few people hopped up also, trying to restrain the enraged men. Children started crying in the mess, and the whole procedure had turned to chaos. "wait" A meek voice called out from somewhere behind Saige and Sakura. They whipped around, and Kyra gave a small yip. The crowd turned, and suddenly regained order as the voice stepped from her place in the shadows. She was a tall and dignified form, a thin elf-woman draped in lovely pink cloths. The cloths wound their way down her body, mixing colors and giving her the appearance that she was shimmering. She had long, straight blonde hair that fell down to her shoulders, and a bit over her eyes. Those eyes were the most entrancing part of her, they were the purest of blue, almost white. They were strict, but kind. The whole town fell silent as the princess stepped onto the podium, and shooed the few who were on it off. "the war" she began, and Saige and Sakura, along with the rest of Hyrule, leaned forward to hear her weak voice. Saige had never seen the princess, and was surprised how her small melodious voice could reach all the way to the back of the crowd. "the war, is with an ancient force. Known not to man, nor to elf, nor to dwarf. A force so strong no one can resist on their own. Un- earthly spirits make up it's army. A master of transfiguration, the only who know of its presence before now are the Zora kind" A few murmurs rose through the crowd, and Zelda waved a hand to silence them. "zora?" Saige hissed to Sakura "aren't they those fish things that hate men?" Sakura nodded. She had heard of these, but never seen them. They were supposedly fish like creatures, that lived in a temple somewhere. They hated men, and kept their distance. No one from Hyrule had ever really seen one, so they were considered mythical creatures. A sudden gasp from the mass made the duo look towards the podium. Zelda's blue orbs were closed, her hands held facing each other at her midriff. She slowly drew them together, muttering unknown words under her breath the entire time. She slowly brought them apart and what the crowd saw made some scream. In between her fingers was a picture, made of fluttering colored sunlight. The walls of the room they looked into were moving, and Saige felt herself fall headfirst into the picture. Sakura tensed, and Kyra whined beside her. Saige felt herself hit ground, and no one else was in sight. She looked around. The walls and floor and pillars of this castle seemed to be made from water. Moving along it were streaks of waves. Light shimmered in it, from a source she could not see. The castle itself she thought. She herself stood on the watery floor, but as she took a step her shoes made a hollow 'clunk' sound on the water. Her brown orbs moved a few feet in front of her, and she gasped. She now saw what had made the woman scream. Hundreds of bluish hued bodies were strewn carelessly across to floor. None seemed to be damaged, so Saige mustered the strength to bend over and touch the scaly body of a teenage girl closest to her. There was no pulse. She rolled the girl over, and saw she wasn't much unlike herself. She looked in her early teens, and was clutching a small scaly finned puppy in her hands. Her open eyes were sea-green, and read pure terror. They were staring at the ceiling, not blinking. Saige looked up, eyes welling with tears. These poor people, had suffered a terrible fate. All were frozen, dead, all wearing the same petrified expression. Fear hung in the air, like a thick blanket of fog. So cold was it that Saige shuttered unconsciously. She closed her eyes, willing to fall back out of the portal. When she opened them, she, along with many other shivering townspeople, were back in their original places. Saige looked over at Sakura, who was whimpering and clutching a very distressed looking Kyra. Saige bent down and scooted closer to Kyra too. Zelda looked up again. "do you now see?" She asked quietly. "The Zora could have warned to rest of the world, hence the force killed them, and ruined their town of Western Ocean. Now that we know, I am sure that we too, will fall victim to the Force, unless we fight back. We are the only ones who know of this" She gestured to the crowd before her. "The force's leader, Xieon, is planning an attack, that much we know. But we know nothing more. We can't send a runner for help, it's much too dangerous."
The crowd nodded wordlessly, and slowly slipped away until only Saige, Sakura and Kyra remained. Sakura turned to Saige, her hazel eyes determined. "I'm going with you" she said defiantly. Saige cocked her head, "what do you mean?" she asked. Sakura scowled a bit. "Its not like its safe here, we can warn other towns" she said "outside the gates" Saige grinned and stood up. All harsh feelings for Sakura were gone now. The old "follow the rules" Sakura was gone, and replaced with a defiant shadow of her. "lets go then shall we?" She clenched her fist "meet me on the stairs at midnight tonight" she ordered, before turning on her heel and dashing off. Kyra woofed her goodbye, and darted off after her. Sakura nodded and turned around to face the podium. She looked at the spot where Zelda had concord the portal into the Western Ocean. She remembered all that fear, the pain. Shaking her head, she turned and ran home. She had to pack..
"Dear...what are you doing?" A woman of about 45 years poked her head through the doorway into Sakura's room. Sakura was on the far end, fruitlessly trying to stuff a few pairs of socks into an already stuffed bag. She spun around when her mother entered. "I-I.." She stammered. How could she explain this one? Should she lie? The biggest thing she'd lied about was whether or not she ate all her broccoli. "I'm...um...donating them to – er -- charity" She said lamely. Her mother smiled. "oh dearest, that's wonderful. My big girl is donating to those less fortunate.." with a small wave she left the room, closing the large oak door behind her. Sakura sighed with relief and threw herself onto her queen- sized four-poster bed. She felt horrid lying like that, but she knew she had to. After all, she was going to save all of Hyrule! No, all of planet Avvia! The thought lifted her spirits and she propped herself up with her elbows, and looked around her room for anything to pack. Her room was huge, about the size of her school cafeteria. The walls were a soft pink, as was her expensive rug. Her bed was in the very end of her room, against an oblong window that touched the 19 foot ceiling. She had to be careful what she said in her room, as it echoed around most of her large mansion. She was definitely not unfortunate when it came to money. Her father was a merchant, and sold many expensive items, some of which were now in princess Zelda's castle now. She walked across the room to her oak closet. She threw open the door, walked in and smiled. She imagined what Saige would say about it, probably some snide remark like "This is more like a drive in closet, not a walk in closet!" Her closet most certainly was large, and could easily fit a good six and a half horse drawn carriages in it. She skimmed the racks, and settled for a couple pairs of old shoes, and many t- shirts. Nothing fancy she decided, or her mother might become suspicious of what she was "donating to charity" She tucked these things into her red backpack. She had used it for school the month before, but "Jan sport" backpacks were no longer in style, so it had been in the heap of old things in her closet, unused for weeks. A soft knock on her door made Sakura jump, and she hastily stuffed the last of the shoes she had extracted from her closet into the backpack. "come in Beasly!" She yelped. The door opened ever so slowly, and a short old man walked in. He was in his usual attire, a suit and shiny shoes, and he looked up at Sakura with his weary eyes. He truly looked like he was about to fall apart, he hunched over so far he was a good foot shorter than Sakura and every visible inch of him was lined in wrinkles. It was as if his skin was just...falling off. "Dinner.." Beasly said slowly, his voice quiet and raspy "is served" he turned and slowly tried to walk away, but was only a few steps away when Sakura was across the room and at his side. "Thanks" she murmured, and walked out into the hallway. It was oak floor, with a long red carpet running the length of the house. The only light in the hall was from the many windows etched into the stone wall. At night they lit torches along the walls, but that served as very little light. Sakura briskly walked the length of the hallway, and came upon a long staircase. It started as a thick stairway, going down a good 30 steps, and then split off into two stair cases, each winding its way down to the ground in opposite directions. They ended at the marble floor of the main hall. It was the size of a football field, and empty except for the many doors, and banners on the wall. The banners were all the same, red, rug- like material hanging from the walls, all bearing the same Lee family crest. The center of each crest dubbed a ferocious lion, symbol of bravery. But right now, Sakura felt anything but brave. Sakura took a door to her left, and entered the dining room. This room was much warmer, with a red carpet, and a stone fireplace. A humongous oak table was in the center, surrounded by 10 matching chairs. At the head of the table, in their usual spots, were Sakura's parents. "Hello Mother, Hello Father" Sakura recited, as usual, and taking her place beside her mother. A few more younger butlers came into the room, and dropped a tray in front of each Lee family member. Sakura pushed her mashed potatoes around a bit. Normally she'd complain, but she wasn't hungry now. She would be doing the most daring thing of her life, lying to her parents, and running away to a place she was forbidden to go. "Are you okay, darling? You look positively ill.." her father reached towards Sakura and felt her forehead, looking for a fever. "I'm fine Father" Sakura said dully "just not very hungry" "You need to eat" Sakura's mother scolded "It's the only way you can stay healthy. I don't want anyone to think my daughter is malnutritioned!" Sakura slowly took a bit of her chicken. "so... you heard what the Princess said?" she asked. She knew her parents had been at the gathering, she and Saige had seen them. She wondered if she should tell her parents about running away with Saige...maybe they'd think it way brave of her and let her go. "Yes" her father said "and it was dreadful! I'd be so embarrassed, you sitting next to that rude girl" Sakura sighed. So much for that idea... "yes, but what about what the Princess said? What about Xieon and his followers?" Sakura asked, hoping to change the subject. "yes well" her mother said "The princess has never let us down before. There's no need to get all alarmed. Now eat!" Sakura shoveled some more food into her mouth. No need to be alarmed? Princess Zelda has never actually feared any other creature! Sakura excused herself and went back up to her room. She set her alarm clock for 11:30 that night. She'd meet Saige at the steps then.
Ivan, Xieon, all monsters and any other character not copyrighted by Nintendo, is mine and mine ONLY! You may only use them if you e-mail me
and ask (politely!)
*~* Chapter 4 *~*
Zelda's Announcement
Saige shoved her way through the crowd, just as a man stepped onto a podium and the masses fell silent. "move it pal, coming through, watch it!" Saige murmured rude remarks as she beat her way around people and found a spot next to Sakura and Kyra. She was about 6 yards from the podium, and, like everyone else, stared at it, willing the short stocky man on it to speak. The man was half Saige's size, and had a grizzled beard down to his feet. He had one wooden leg, which her wore with dignity, hopping around on it like a bird. "Ladies and gentlemen!" The man began, having to scream so the whole crowd could hear his small voice. "The princess has just announced, that we have an imminent threat," Saige tapped her foot impatiently. This old man was pausing and taking a breath after every two words. "an imminent threat, of war" A collective gasp rang through the crowd, and some wavers of bustling, coughing, and small whines were heard. "war with who?" someone finally had the courage to yell out, and a few people murmured their agreement. "war, with...well" the man suddenly lost some of his dignity "well we don't know.." To this Saige leapt to her feet, from her perch atop one of the food carts. "then how can we have a war if we don't know who we are fighting?!" She yelped, shrugging of Sakura's pleas to sit down. A well dressed family of brunettes, apparently Sakura's family, scowled at Saige as if she had just yelled a cuss word. The yells of agreements were getting louder now, some people waving their fists in the air. "please, please let me explain!" the man squeaked, only making the crowd madder. A couple of men hopped onto the podium, and started yelling at him, threatening him to call off the war. A few people hopped up also, trying to restrain the enraged men. Children started crying in the mess, and the whole procedure had turned to chaos. "wait" A meek voice called out from somewhere behind Saige and Sakura. They whipped around, and Kyra gave a small yip. The crowd turned, and suddenly regained order as the voice stepped from her place in the shadows. She was a tall and dignified form, a thin elf-woman draped in lovely pink cloths. The cloths wound their way down her body, mixing colors and giving her the appearance that she was shimmering. She had long, straight blonde hair that fell down to her shoulders, and a bit over her eyes. Those eyes were the most entrancing part of her, they were the purest of blue, almost white. They were strict, but kind. The whole town fell silent as the princess stepped onto the podium, and shooed the few who were on it off. "the war" she began, and Saige and Sakura, along with the rest of Hyrule, leaned forward to hear her weak voice. Saige had never seen the princess, and was surprised how her small melodious voice could reach all the way to the back of the crowd. "the war, is with an ancient force. Known not to man, nor to elf, nor to dwarf. A force so strong no one can resist on their own. Un- earthly spirits make up it's army. A master of transfiguration, the only who know of its presence before now are the Zora kind" A few murmurs rose through the crowd, and Zelda waved a hand to silence them. "zora?" Saige hissed to Sakura "aren't they those fish things that hate men?" Sakura nodded. She had heard of these, but never seen them. They were supposedly fish like creatures, that lived in a temple somewhere. They hated men, and kept their distance. No one from Hyrule had ever really seen one, so they were considered mythical creatures. A sudden gasp from the mass made the duo look towards the podium. Zelda's blue orbs were closed, her hands held facing each other at her midriff. She slowly drew them together, muttering unknown words under her breath the entire time. She slowly brought them apart and what the crowd saw made some scream. In between her fingers was a picture, made of fluttering colored sunlight. The walls of the room they looked into were moving, and Saige felt herself fall headfirst into the picture. Sakura tensed, and Kyra whined beside her. Saige felt herself hit ground, and no one else was in sight. She looked around. The walls and floor and pillars of this castle seemed to be made from water. Moving along it were streaks of waves. Light shimmered in it, from a source she could not see. The castle itself she thought. She herself stood on the watery floor, but as she took a step her shoes made a hollow 'clunk' sound on the water. Her brown orbs moved a few feet in front of her, and she gasped. She now saw what had made the woman scream. Hundreds of bluish hued bodies were strewn carelessly across to floor. None seemed to be damaged, so Saige mustered the strength to bend over and touch the scaly body of a teenage girl closest to her. There was no pulse. She rolled the girl over, and saw she wasn't much unlike herself. She looked in her early teens, and was clutching a small scaly finned puppy in her hands. Her open eyes were sea-green, and read pure terror. They were staring at the ceiling, not blinking. Saige looked up, eyes welling with tears. These poor people, had suffered a terrible fate. All were frozen, dead, all wearing the same petrified expression. Fear hung in the air, like a thick blanket of fog. So cold was it that Saige shuttered unconsciously. She closed her eyes, willing to fall back out of the portal. When she opened them, she, along with many other shivering townspeople, were back in their original places. Saige looked over at Sakura, who was whimpering and clutching a very distressed looking Kyra. Saige bent down and scooted closer to Kyra too. Zelda looked up again. "do you now see?" She asked quietly. "The Zora could have warned to rest of the world, hence the force killed them, and ruined their town of Western Ocean. Now that we know, I am sure that we too, will fall victim to the Force, unless we fight back. We are the only ones who know of this" She gestured to the crowd before her. "The force's leader, Xieon, is planning an attack, that much we know. But we know nothing more. We can't send a runner for help, it's much too dangerous."
The crowd nodded wordlessly, and slowly slipped away until only Saige, Sakura and Kyra remained. Sakura turned to Saige, her hazel eyes determined. "I'm going with you" she said defiantly. Saige cocked her head, "what do you mean?" she asked. Sakura scowled a bit. "Its not like its safe here, we can warn other towns" she said "outside the gates" Saige grinned and stood up. All harsh feelings for Sakura were gone now. The old "follow the rules" Sakura was gone, and replaced with a defiant shadow of her. "lets go then shall we?" She clenched her fist "meet me on the stairs at midnight tonight" she ordered, before turning on her heel and dashing off. Kyra woofed her goodbye, and darted off after her. Sakura nodded and turned around to face the podium. She looked at the spot where Zelda had concord the portal into the Western Ocean. She remembered all that fear, the pain. Shaking her head, she turned and ran home. She had to pack..
"Dear...what are you doing?" A woman of about 45 years poked her head through the doorway into Sakura's room. Sakura was on the far end, fruitlessly trying to stuff a few pairs of socks into an already stuffed bag. She spun around when her mother entered. "I-I.." She stammered. How could she explain this one? Should she lie? The biggest thing she'd lied about was whether or not she ate all her broccoli. "I'm...um...donating them to – er -- charity" She said lamely. Her mother smiled. "oh dearest, that's wonderful. My big girl is donating to those less fortunate.." with a small wave she left the room, closing the large oak door behind her. Sakura sighed with relief and threw herself onto her queen- sized four-poster bed. She felt horrid lying like that, but she knew she had to. After all, she was going to save all of Hyrule! No, all of planet Avvia! The thought lifted her spirits and she propped herself up with her elbows, and looked around her room for anything to pack. Her room was huge, about the size of her school cafeteria. The walls were a soft pink, as was her expensive rug. Her bed was in the very end of her room, against an oblong window that touched the 19 foot ceiling. She had to be careful what she said in her room, as it echoed around most of her large mansion. She was definitely not unfortunate when it came to money. Her father was a merchant, and sold many expensive items, some of which were now in princess Zelda's castle now. She walked across the room to her oak closet. She threw open the door, walked in and smiled. She imagined what Saige would say about it, probably some snide remark like "This is more like a drive in closet, not a walk in closet!" Her closet most certainly was large, and could easily fit a good six and a half horse drawn carriages in it. She skimmed the racks, and settled for a couple pairs of old shoes, and many t- shirts. Nothing fancy she decided, or her mother might become suspicious of what she was "donating to charity" She tucked these things into her red backpack. She had used it for school the month before, but "Jan sport" backpacks were no longer in style, so it had been in the heap of old things in her closet, unused for weeks. A soft knock on her door made Sakura jump, and she hastily stuffed the last of the shoes she had extracted from her closet into the backpack. "come in Beasly!" She yelped. The door opened ever so slowly, and a short old man walked in. He was in his usual attire, a suit and shiny shoes, and he looked up at Sakura with his weary eyes. He truly looked like he was about to fall apart, he hunched over so far he was a good foot shorter than Sakura and every visible inch of him was lined in wrinkles. It was as if his skin was just...falling off. "Dinner.." Beasly said slowly, his voice quiet and raspy "is served" he turned and slowly tried to walk away, but was only a few steps away when Sakura was across the room and at his side. "Thanks" she murmured, and walked out into the hallway. It was oak floor, with a long red carpet running the length of the house. The only light in the hall was from the many windows etched into the stone wall. At night they lit torches along the walls, but that served as very little light. Sakura briskly walked the length of the hallway, and came upon a long staircase. It started as a thick stairway, going down a good 30 steps, and then split off into two stair cases, each winding its way down to the ground in opposite directions. They ended at the marble floor of the main hall. It was the size of a football field, and empty except for the many doors, and banners on the wall. The banners were all the same, red, rug- like material hanging from the walls, all bearing the same Lee family crest. The center of each crest dubbed a ferocious lion, symbol of bravery. But right now, Sakura felt anything but brave. Sakura took a door to her left, and entered the dining room. This room was much warmer, with a red carpet, and a stone fireplace. A humongous oak table was in the center, surrounded by 10 matching chairs. At the head of the table, in their usual spots, were Sakura's parents. "Hello Mother, Hello Father" Sakura recited, as usual, and taking her place beside her mother. A few more younger butlers came into the room, and dropped a tray in front of each Lee family member. Sakura pushed her mashed potatoes around a bit. Normally she'd complain, but she wasn't hungry now. She would be doing the most daring thing of her life, lying to her parents, and running away to a place she was forbidden to go. "Are you okay, darling? You look positively ill.." her father reached towards Sakura and felt her forehead, looking for a fever. "I'm fine Father" Sakura said dully "just not very hungry" "You need to eat" Sakura's mother scolded "It's the only way you can stay healthy. I don't want anyone to think my daughter is malnutritioned!" Sakura slowly took a bit of her chicken. "so... you heard what the Princess said?" she asked. She knew her parents had been at the gathering, she and Saige had seen them. She wondered if she should tell her parents about running away with Saige...maybe they'd think it way brave of her and let her go. "Yes" her father said "and it was dreadful! I'd be so embarrassed, you sitting next to that rude girl" Sakura sighed. So much for that idea... "yes, but what about what the Princess said? What about Xieon and his followers?" Sakura asked, hoping to change the subject. "yes well" her mother said "The princess has never let us down before. There's no need to get all alarmed. Now eat!" Sakura shoveled some more food into her mouth. No need to be alarmed? Princess Zelda has never actually feared any other creature! Sakura excused herself and went back up to her room. She set her alarm clock for 11:30 that night. She'd meet Saige at the steps then.