Author's Note: I decided calling these thingies disclaimers was
misleading, since I don't really disclaim anything in them. So, I'll just
call them notes from here on... Well, the project that was supposed to be a
small little tale has taken on a life of its own, it seems. But, as life
often does, this pretty little tale has gone long enough without a real
purpose. So, I think, it's time to introduce the baddie... I've had this in
the works for a while, but I couldn't think of a good way to introduce it
in the context of the story... So...what better way to introduce a villain
than... Well, if you're a Zelda fan, you probably already know, and if
not... Well, you'll see.
Chapter 9: The Circle Unbroken
The feeling our little duet had produced began to wear off before we even entered the castle, fading in the face of the insidious doubts that crept into my head and rattled around. ~Had it just been my imagination, or did he feel it too?~ I glanced over at him, but he wasn't paying any attention to me. He had his eyes glued on our destination. I scowled, but what could I do?
We walked down the street of Hyrule's capital city in silence, and from the corner of my eye, I could tell that the townsfolk were staring. Not that I could blame them. After all, it's not every day you see a bright orange swordsman, right? Odd, though, that a grown man walking around in green spandex didn't attract undue attention, but a guy in an orange shirt and jeans... that was grounds for staring. I was gonna have to find another outfit. I was too conspicuous. If some evil freak decided that it would be fun to torment me (and let's face it... this WAS Hyrule, so it was only a matter of time) I would stand out like a sore thumb. But I didn't have time to worry about that at the moment. I had other things on my mind.
Hyrule Castle was bigger than I remembered, probably because the last time I'd seen it in its full glory, I was tumbling from a window, so... yeah. The drawbridge was up, but that didn't seem to bother Link, who ignored the castle entirely. He led me to down the side of the castle, to a small cluster of shrubs. Seemingly at random, he chose one, and hacked at it with his sword, revealing a hole that looked like it had been larger than the bush had been.
I arched an eyebrow. "The shrub was floating?" Link snorted a laugh, and shrugged. I guess he didn't understand the physics of it, either. Casting one final glance to the landscape, Link jumped into the pit, sword bare. Staring down into the deep shadows, the idea of seeing the princess again didn't seem quite so appealing. Who knew what lay waiting in the darkness? Besides, I'd only get in Link's way. He was better off alone. Absently, I wondered what Amy was doing. I was just starting to walk away from the hole, when I heard a shout issue from the darkness. ~Damn... The things I do...~ I scolded myself, and leapt down into the blackness.
*******
I don't know what I was expecting, but it certainly wasn't what I saw. I found myself in a dank corridor, complete with torches and distant leaking sounds. Link was kneeling beside a crumpled form, who, judging by the armor, was a guard. Ignoring the water that was beginning to seep into my shoes, I padded to his side. He didn't glance up, but I could tell he was distraught.
"What is it?" Now was not the time to be clever.
"Shhhhh!" He cocked his head, listening. I couldn't hear anything but the echo of dripping.
"What do you hear?" Funny, I'd been told to shut up, and I still felt the need to ask questions.
"V..v..voices." He whispered. I still didn't hear anything, but his face was so serious, I hadn't the heart to tell him. "Th-his way!" He grabbed my shirt and tugged me into an alcove, grasping me against his chest. It wasn't an unpleasant feeling, and I think my reaction shocked him, because he tumbled out again, and into a pile of bones that littered the floor. I flushed, and stammered an apology. Maybe it HAD just been me. But I didn't have time to worry about how he felt about me, because a group of strangely dressed creatures began to shamble towards us, attracted by the ruckus.
"Moblins!" I hissed after a moment, finally recognizing what I had only seen before as pixilated nonsense on a television screen. Link scrambled to his feet, and hefted his sword.
"Ahh, look, my prettiesss. Fooood." The moblin's voice reminded me, oddly, of Gollum, of the Lord of the Rings. I pressed myself farther into the alcove, trying not to hinder Link's range of motion. The last thing I needed was to be slaughtered by my own ally. Link's sword flashed in the gloomy light, and several bursts of smoke issued from the corpses, leaving the corridor empty. Odd, how the good guys leave bodies, but the bad guys disappear in a burst of dust? Vampires, perhaps?
When the last moblin had fallen, I stood staring at the pile of soot that marked the remains of our enemies. Suddenly, a thought hit me. "Moblins, in the castle... means... ZELDA! C'mon, Link. We have to get to the Princess before she gets herself captured." ~Again.~ I reflected, but kept that to myself.
Without even glancing at me, Link dashed down the hall. I followed, panting. I wasn't use to all this running stuff. Hell, I'd hardly gotten a full night's sleep since I got here. Not that I felt tired, exactly. In fact, I don't recall having been sleepy at all, having gone to sleep merely because my mind had told me I should.
The corridor opened on what was probably the grand hall at one time. Broken bodies littered the stairs like discarded dolls, and blood dried into the already red carpet. Link motioned for me to follow, and rushed up a flight of stairs. Odd, how he knew the place, though he could not remember Zelda. I drew my sword, ignoring the voice that insisted I wouldn't be able to use it if I needed it, and dashed after him.
The throne room was deserted, surprisingly. I figured the King had probably ducked into the sewers before the wave of moblins had pushed their way through the defending lines. It occurred to me that I had no idea if the queen was even still in the picture at this point, but that was irrelevant.
"Which way now? I don't suppose there's a map on the wall saying 'You are HERE' anywhere, right? So how the hell do we find the princess?" Link shot me a 'will you shut up already' look, and I fell silent. He cocked his head, listening. I guess all those years in the forest had done him some good, after all.
"H..here." He ducked down a corridor that looked identical to all the others, but hey, he was the hero, here. I was just the plucky sidekick who had managed to develop a crush on his partner. Cliché, anyone?
The corridor opened on what I remembered as Zelda's room. Unlike the rest of the castle, though, this room was not deserted. Zelda cowered against the wall, trying her best to maintain a psionic shield or something. Blood and bodies littered the floor, the final regiment of Zelda's guards, probably. Floating in the air, a robed, hooded figure watched with glee as the remains of his moblin army battered themselves against Zelda's faltering barrier. His face was deeply entrenched in the shadows of his hood, but his eyes shined golden in the darkness. It was the only feature of his face that I could make out.
"Ahh... Colt. So good of you to attend my "Coming out" party. And you brought a friend, too! What fun."
I glanced at him, and rolled my eyes. "Do all of the bad guys always feel the need to spout idiotic rhetoric? I suppose this is the part where you tell me all of your evil plan because you have no intention of letting me live, right?" Great, Colt. Antagonize the big scary floating guy. Why don't you give him a robe wedgie, while your at it?
"You try my patience, boy." I glanced over at Link, hoping he'd taken the opportunity to slay the remaining beasts. I gulped. There were three left, and I was running out of things to say. I guess killing them isn't as easy as it is in the games. What, two swipes from a sword, while they amble calmly towards you? Doesn't seem to work that way. Damn, too bad, too.
"You seem... upset. Is the robe chafing? Maybe you shouldn't shop at "Creepy Monks R Us" so often?" I was running out of material, and fast. But I had to keep him talking, so he didn't realize that Link was in the process of rescuing the Princess.
"Insolent child! You DARE mock me? Have you no idea to whom you speak?"
"Not especially. I think your name-tag must have fallen off."
"ENOUGH! You have insulted me long enough. Prepare to meet your doom!" He lifted his hand, and the light in the room seemed drawn in, turning his hand a glowing blue. His eyes glowed brighter as the room got dimmer. ~Well, this is it, I guess.~ I thought, trying not to laugh. I wondered if I would die here, or wake up there, or end up somewhere ELSE. I never got the chance to find out. Link, having slayed the moblins, shouted a warning, and ran towards me, as my enemy let fly a bolt of blue ice.
Neither reached me. Zelda, sensing my danger, shifted her shield so it covered me, instead of her. The bolt glanced harmlessly off the energy field, and smashed into a chair, freezing it. However, the barrier, finally stressed beyond its ability to cope, shattered, and propelled me against the wall. Zelda screamed in pain, and fainted.
Seeing that Zelda had been left defenseless, he raised his hands, and her unconscious body began to float, despite Link's attempt to shield it. With a gesture of his hand, she winked out of sight. "Why, THANK you, boy. You have made my job easier. In return, I will spare your life, and that of your 'boyfriend' as well." He said it like it was a curse word. "Next time we meet, you will not be so lucky. And there will be a next time. You have something I want."
"Let me guess. You always get what you want." I had to fight to keep my voice steady. I had just betrayed the princess of Hyrule.
"Exactly. Till next time." He laughed, and vanished.
I stared at the place he had been, and slowly, softly, I began to weep.
Chapter 9: The Circle Unbroken
The feeling our little duet had produced began to wear off before we even entered the castle, fading in the face of the insidious doubts that crept into my head and rattled around. ~Had it just been my imagination, or did he feel it too?~ I glanced over at him, but he wasn't paying any attention to me. He had his eyes glued on our destination. I scowled, but what could I do?
We walked down the street of Hyrule's capital city in silence, and from the corner of my eye, I could tell that the townsfolk were staring. Not that I could blame them. After all, it's not every day you see a bright orange swordsman, right? Odd, though, that a grown man walking around in green spandex didn't attract undue attention, but a guy in an orange shirt and jeans... that was grounds for staring. I was gonna have to find another outfit. I was too conspicuous. If some evil freak decided that it would be fun to torment me (and let's face it... this WAS Hyrule, so it was only a matter of time) I would stand out like a sore thumb. But I didn't have time to worry about that at the moment. I had other things on my mind.
Hyrule Castle was bigger than I remembered, probably because the last time I'd seen it in its full glory, I was tumbling from a window, so... yeah. The drawbridge was up, but that didn't seem to bother Link, who ignored the castle entirely. He led me to down the side of the castle, to a small cluster of shrubs. Seemingly at random, he chose one, and hacked at it with his sword, revealing a hole that looked like it had been larger than the bush had been.
I arched an eyebrow. "The shrub was floating?" Link snorted a laugh, and shrugged. I guess he didn't understand the physics of it, either. Casting one final glance to the landscape, Link jumped into the pit, sword bare. Staring down into the deep shadows, the idea of seeing the princess again didn't seem quite so appealing. Who knew what lay waiting in the darkness? Besides, I'd only get in Link's way. He was better off alone. Absently, I wondered what Amy was doing. I was just starting to walk away from the hole, when I heard a shout issue from the darkness. ~Damn... The things I do...~ I scolded myself, and leapt down into the blackness.
*******
I don't know what I was expecting, but it certainly wasn't what I saw. I found myself in a dank corridor, complete with torches and distant leaking sounds. Link was kneeling beside a crumpled form, who, judging by the armor, was a guard. Ignoring the water that was beginning to seep into my shoes, I padded to his side. He didn't glance up, but I could tell he was distraught.
"What is it?" Now was not the time to be clever.
"Shhhhh!" He cocked his head, listening. I couldn't hear anything but the echo of dripping.
"What do you hear?" Funny, I'd been told to shut up, and I still felt the need to ask questions.
"V..v..voices." He whispered. I still didn't hear anything, but his face was so serious, I hadn't the heart to tell him. "Th-his way!" He grabbed my shirt and tugged me into an alcove, grasping me against his chest. It wasn't an unpleasant feeling, and I think my reaction shocked him, because he tumbled out again, and into a pile of bones that littered the floor. I flushed, and stammered an apology. Maybe it HAD just been me. But I didn't have time to worry about how he felt about me, because a group of strangely dressed creatures began to shamble towards us, attracted by the ruckus.
"Moblins!" I hissed after a moment, finally recognizing what I had only seen before as pixilated nonsense on a television screen. Link scrambled to his feet, and hefted his sword.
"Ahh, look, my prettiesss. Fooood." The moblin's voice reminded me, oddly, of Gollum, of the Lord of the Rings. I pressed myself farther into the alcove, trying not to hinder Link's range of motion. The last thing I needed was to be slaughtered by my own ally. Link's sword flashed in the gloomy light, and several bursts of smoke issued from the corpses, leaving the corridor empty. Odd, how the good guys leave bodies, but the bad guys disappear in a burst of dust? Vampires, perhaps?
When the last moblin had fallen, I stood staring at the pile of soot that marked the remains of our enemies. Suddenly, a thought hit me. "Moblins, in the castle... means... ZELDA! C'mon, Link. We have to get to the Princess before she gets herself captured." ~Again.~ I reflected, but kept that to myself.
Without even glancing at me, Link dashed down the hall. I followed, panting. I wasn't use to all this running stuff. Hell, I'd hardly gotten a full night's sleep since I got here. Not that I felt tired, exactly. In fact, I don't recall having been sleepy at all, having gone to sleep merely because my mind had told me I should.
The corridor opened on what was probably the grand hall at one time. Broken bodies littered the stairs like discarded dolls, and blood dried into the already red carpet. Link motioned for me to follow, and rushed up a flight of stairs. Odd, how he knew the place, though he could not remember Zelda. I drew my sword, ignoring the voice that insisted I wouldn't be able to use it if I needed it, and dashed after him.
The throne room was deserted, surprisingly. I figured the King had probably ducked into the sewers before the wave of moblins had pushed their way through the defending lines. It occurred to me that I had no idea if the queen was even still in the picture at this point, but that was irrelevant.
"Which way now? I don't suppose there's a map on the wall saying 'You are HERE' anywhere, right? So how the hell do we find the princess?" Link shot me a 'will you shut up already' look, and I fell silent. He cocked his head, listening. I guess all those years in the forest had done him some good, after all.
"H..here." He ducked down a corridor that looked identical to all the others, but hey, he was the hero, here. I was just the plucky sidekick who had managed to develop a crush on his partner. Cliché, anyone?
The corridor opened on what I remembered as Zelda's room. Unlike the rest of the castle, though, this room was not deserted. Zelda cowered against the wall, trying her best to maintain a psionic shield or something. Blood and bodies littered the floor, the final regiment of Zelda's guards, probably. Floating in the air, a robed, hooded figure watched with glee as the remains of his moblin army battered themselves against Zelda's faltering barrier. His face was deeply entrenched in the shadows of his hood, but his eyes shined golden in the darkness. It was the only feature of his face that I could make out.
"Ahh... Colt. So good of you to attend my "Coming out" party. And you brought a friend, too! What fun."
I glanced at him, and rolled my eyes. "Do all of the bad guys always feel the need to spout idiotic rhetoric? I suppose this is the part where you tell me all of your evil plan because you have no intention of letting me live, right?" Great, Colt. Antagonize the big scary floating guy. Why don't you give him a robe wedgie, while your at it?
"You try my patience, boy." I glanced over at Link, hoping he'd taken the opportunity to slay the remaining beasts. I gulped. There were three left, and I was running out of things to say. I guess killing them isn't as easy as it is in the games. What, two swipes from a sword, while they amble calmly towards you? Doesn't seem to work that way. Damn, too bad, too.
"You seem... upset. Is the robe chafing? Maybe you shouldn't shop at "Creepy Monks R Us" so often?" I was running out of material, and fast. But I had to keep him talking, so he didn't realize that Link was in the process of rescuing the Princess.
"Insolent child! You DARE mock me? Have you no idea to whom you speak?"
"Not especially. I think your name-tag must have fallen off."
"ENOUGH! You have insulted me long enough. Prepare to meet your doom!" He lifted his hand, and the light in the room seemed drawn in, turning his hand a glowing blue. His eyes glowed brighter as the room got dimmer. ~Well, this is it, I guess.~ I thought, trying not to laugh. I wondered if I would die here, or wake up there, or end up somewhere ELSE. I never got the chance to find out. Link, having slayed the moblins, shouted a warning, and ran towards me, as my enemy let fly a bolt of blue ice.
Neither reached me. Zelda, sensing my danger, shifted her shield so it covered me, instead of her. The bolt glanced harmlessly off the energy field, and smashed into a chair, freezing it. However, the barrier, finally stressed beyond its ability to cope, shattered, and propelled me against the wall. Zelda screamed in pain, and fainted.
Seeing that Zelda had been left defenseless, he raised his hands, and her unconscious body began to float, despite Link's attempt to shield it. With a gesture of his hand, she winked out of sight. "Why, THANK you, boy. You have made my job easier. In return, I will spare your life, and that of your 'boyfriend' as well." He said it like it was a curse word. "Next time we meet, you will not be so lucky. And there will be a next time. You have something I want."
"Let me guess. You always get what you want." I had to fight to keep my voice steady. I had just betrayed the princess of Hyrule.
"Exactly. Till next time." He laughed, and vanished.
I stared at the place he had been, and slowly, softly, I began to weep.