The long awaited chapter has finally arrived!! Um... it was long awaited, right? Eep... sorry!! It's just that I had a tiny little case of writer's block regarding this and the next two or three chapters, but I've got the four or five chapters after that all thought out so yeah... And I've been working on my other fic... Alright then, on to the thank you's!!! I would like to thank... Veilius, AlmightyIshboo, PichuStar, Silverbreeze, and WolfYoukai64! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! You're all REALLY REALLY REALLY REAAAALLY AWESOME PEOPLE!!!!!! One more thing, the chariots in this chapter are special "Hyrule chariots" aka "chariots made to fit the story." OK then, unless you're Veilius you can skip the next paragraph and go directly to the story.
WAAHHH!!!! I made Kira seem like a Mary-Sue????? EEEEK!!!! I was trying so hard to avoid it!!!!!!!! Grr... must... try... harder!!!! Anyhoo... I promise you this: Kira will never never never (3x negative = negative!) have a "romantic relationship" with Link. She'll just be a friend, nothing else. And about Areon being fast... aren't stallions normally faster than mares? Sorry if they're not, but that's just how it is in my screwed-up little mind. And since he's been running away a lot... he should be pretty fast, right? Oh yeah and well... I probably should let you figure this one out by yourself, but... ah whatever... Kira's not gonna be as good as Link at swordsmanship and she's not gonna be as good as Zelda at magic. And as for Link's dad's occupation... let's just say that you pretty much got it right... I put a couple of tiny clues into the previous chapters, but maybe they weren't really emphasized... oh well... that was long wasn't it? I'm sorry, but I kinda felt I needed to explain some unclear points. After all, I sure wouldn't want to lose such a nice reviewer like you! But thanks for pointing out stuff like that to me! Keep doing that! As a beginning authoress I really appreciate reviews like that, as long as they're not too mean!
Chapter 10: Din's Race
It was the morning of the first of two competition days, the morning that practically all of Hyrule had been eagerly awaiting. The castle stables were quiet, all of the horses outside preparing for the big day. Everything seemed peaceful, until a loud thud sounded from inside the wooden structure.
"You WILL TELL me what else the Princess and her little friends said about the competition. Or else."
"Please don't hurt me Your Majesty! Sir Link and Lady Kira only told the Princess that they were goin' enter the contest! Just like I tol' you few days 'go!"
The attacker snarled and shoved the sniveling stablehand even harder into the wall. "You're keeping something from me. I didn't trail the Princess here for nothing. They were talking much too long to only say that they were going to enter. Now speak or I shall make your death a horrible one!" The figure held a jeweled dagger to the stablehand's neck, backing up his threat.
"No, no! Please don't! Please don't! I'll tell! I'll tell! The Princess wanted Sir Link and Lady Kira t'win so she could make'em guests-of-honor or somethin' like that so they chose three contests that Sir Link and Lady Kira were good at!"
"Is that all?" the attacker asked coldly.
"Yes, yes! Now please lemme go!" The stablehand whimpered as he was rudely pulled onto the ground.
Sheathing the dagger, the attacker laughed at the pathetic sight of the stablehand curled on the ground in pain and fear. "I wouldn't have killed you anyway. It's not my style to get a servant's blood on my hands. But remember this well, if you let out a single word of this... conversation... I will personally send a hundred of our best and cruelest men to kill you. Understand?"
The stablehand weakly nodded, as the attacker continued. "Now as the Prince of Calatia, I order you to continue with your work as if nothing had ever happened. Go muck out the stalls! NOW!"
The stablehand whimpered again and set to his work immediately, leaving Prince Lyson to mumble to himself. "People call me spoiled, but I call myself a person who will use whatever it takes, be it violence, persuasion, or trickery, to get my way!" With that, he walked out the stables, smirking with glee at his newfound power.
An hour later, the trumpets lining the castle road blared as the King of Hyrule, followed by Princess Zelda and all of the competitors, rode past on horseback. Each and every horse sported accessories and decorations, even Areon, who had been fitted with a sleek black leather saddle from Link's collection.
The procession slowly made its way down the winding road to the newly built stadium. Link grinned mischievously as he noticed groups of excited girls squeezing through the crowd to get a better view of him. He urged Epona to Areon's side, and, when he had assured himself that he had the girls' attention, winked at Kira, smiled, and rode away, leaving Kira very confused and unaware of all of the angry looks that were being shot at her.
The Hero of Time glanced at the billowy clouds in the pale blue sky. It was going to be a beautiful day. A perfect day for a fun and friendly competition, that is, if Lyson was ever going to stop muttering about murder and death. Link looked at the clouds again. Then again, maybe it was going to be a horrible rotten day. He shrugged to himself.
Never was a fortuneteller and never will be.
The stadium soon loomed ahead, practically glowing in the early noon sun. Its pure white marble contrasted greatly with the dark expanse of firmly packed dirt. Zelda couldn't help but smile at the crowd's collective "Ah's" and "Ooo's." This was going to be a competition to remember; she was sure of that.
The King dismounted his horse and walked up to the raised podium, lifting one hand for silence. All chatter ceased as Hylians, Gorons, Zoras, and even a few randomly scattered Gerudos fell to intently listening to the King of Hyrule's words. They were few, yet perfectly selected for the occasion. "People of our fair Hyrule. I am very honored indeed to have you all here for this very special competition. Seeing as most, if not all, of you know the rules by heart, I shall not waste any more of our competitors' precious time. Now let the-"
King Harkinian paused in his speech as a flustered Lyson ran up the stairs of the dais. "Your Majesty! Please wait a moment longer! My knight has not arrived yet!"
"Father! We can't! We can't put the competition on hold just because one person has not arrived yet!" Zelda protested.
"I know, Zelda, but we must treat the Prince of Calatia with hospitality as befitting a visitor of his status." The King sighed and turned back to Lyson. "We will wait. But for only a moment."
Link groaned. "At this rate, we're gonna have to waste an entire day just waiting for the stupid guy." He unsheathed the Gilded Sword and began to fiddle with it, as Kira glanced nervously at the crowds.
"Link... there's so many people here! What if someone recognizes me?" she asked.
"Nah. Don't worry. Even if they do they can't do anything to you. Besides, it's not like you have a sacred duty to destroy anyone from Kakariko."
Kira giggled. "If I did, then I'd have to kill myself!"
"And Impa," Link added, sheathing his sword and pulling out his shield. "Why don't you use this time to get ready or something?"
Kira nodded silently and patted Areon on the head. The stallion whinnied happily, causing Epona to give him a jealous glance. Link sighed and ran his fingers through her mane, satisfying her need for attention. It looked like he wasn't the only one anxious for the competition to start.
Fifteen minutes passed by, each one seeming longer than the next, but the mysterious knight of whom Lyson spoke never arrived. "Prince Lyson. The competition must start. I am truly sorry that your knight never arrived. He must have been detained, somehow," the King said impatiently.
Lyson stared off into the distance, as far away from the town gate as possible. A cloud of dust appeared on the horizon and he squinted his eyes to get a better look. "Yes, it will start. My knight has arrived," he exclaimed triumphantly.
All of the gathered people, competitors and audience alike, craned their necks to get a good look at the latecomer. Their wishes were soon granted, as a dusty and sweat-covered black stallion galloped into the stadium, almost trampling more than ten people, who dove out of the way just in time. The horse paused in front of the podium, its rider dismounting with a loud thud. A long cloak covered the man from head to toe, his entire face and body hidden by shadows. The only plainly visible feature of the knight was a gigantic battle-axe, its blade coated with dried blood. Link shuddered as the man thundered up the stairs to the King, towering imposingly over him. The Hero of Time couldn't help but feel threatened by the knight's menacing air, which, surprisingly, reminded him of that of an Iron Knuckle.
The mysterious knight stared straight into the King's eyes for a moment before turning to Prince Lyson, who greeted him with a haughty smile. "So you have finally arrived! I could have you killed right now on the spot for being tardy, but I require your assistance for these events. Why are you late and why is blood smeared all over your axe?"
The knight merely stared at Lyson and answered, in a cold, hollow voice, "I was attacked."
Prince Lyson shivered involuntarily as he returned his knight's passionless gaze. "Good. I see you have solved the problem." Then, turning to King Harkinian, he announced, "Your Majesty, we can begin now."
The King nodded amiably and turned to the gathered crowd, which was straining to hear the private conversation. "Now, let the competition... BEGIN!"
Loud cheers rang through the air at those words; people dashed to and fro for the best seats; competitors started to line up for the first event. It was total chaos, but it was also this chaos at which the Princess of Hyrule smiled. Zelda surveyed the scene happily.
If everything goes according to plan, I'll be rid of that Lyson forever!
She grinned at the thought and followed her father to the seats, which had been prepared for them. The first event would be starting soon!
Kira eyed their competition nervously. There were Zoras on dainty white horses, Gerudos on their big black mounts, Gorons with only their tough skin to help them roll along the ground. Prince Lyson was there with his knight, along with their horses, a lovely palomino mare and the black stallion from before. She felt a firm hand on her shoulder and looked back to see Link, who was smiling at her. "Hey. Don't be nervous." He grinned and directed Epona toward the bronze chariot in front of them, adjusting the position of his quiver as he went.
Taking a deep breath, Kira urged Areon to follow him, yelling, "How do you know that one's ours?"
"I know 'cause it's got our name on it." Link held up a white placard. "See?"
"Oh."
Link fastened the two horses to the leather belts hanging from the front of the chariot, helped Kira up into her seat, and took up his position in the back. He strummed the bowstring a few times, and, assured that it was taut, fitted an arrow to it and awaited the signal to begin. It only took a few more minutes before all of the competitors were set and ready. The royal guard raised his hand into the air. "You will begin when I drop my arm!" he announced and began to count.
"One."
Kira shifted eagerly in her seat and gripped the reins tighter.
"Two."
Lyson glanced bitterly at Link and Kira, pulling on his reins as hard as he could.
"Three..."
Link pulled back his bowstring and brought the arrow up to a comfortable level.
This is it.
"GO!" The guard dropped his arm, prompting the simultaneous bounding forward of a large group of horses, each striving their best to win.
Areon and Epona quickly gained the lead, matching their strides to gain fair ground. Soon, they were far enough from the pack to give Link quite an easy shot at the upcoming target.
"Zzzzzzttt!!!! THUNK!"
An arrow with green feathers hit its mark dead center. Link grinned. This was going to be easier than he thought.
After quite a few more effortless shots, all hitting their targets straight in the middle, Link chanced a peek at the competition. Lyson and the mysterious knight appeared to be second, with the knight mowing down the targets with his gigantic longbow. Wait... mowing down? Link glanced ahead again, and after taking care of the next target, took a closer look at the knight and his peculiar style of archery.
"ZZZZZZZTTTTTTT!!!!!!! CRAAACK!!"
"Mowing down" was definitely the right choice of words. The thick black-feathered arrow flew at such force that it cracked the wooden target. Link winced.
Hate to get that guy mad.
"Hey Link! Watch out for these next three! They're really close together."
Link nodded and strung three arrows to his bow.
"Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!" Three targets, three arrows, three dead-center-ask-no-questions-about-it shots. This competition was actually starting to get fun.
Epona and Areon dashed under the line of brightly colored flags just as the royal guard yelled another order, although inaudible thanks to the thundering of hooves striking dirt. "This lap is gonna be a straight out race to the finish line!" Link yelled to Kira.
She nodded and relaxed her hold on the reins a little, prompting a burst of speed from the two horses. They weren't showing any signs of tiring, an observation Kira noted to great pleasure. Link put his bow down and leaned back to enjoy the cool wind blowing through his hair. He noticed that Lyson was ferociously whipping his horses to run faster. The hero sighed to himself. The poor animals were going to be in serious need for medical treatment after the race. Of course, he couldn't help but stick his tongue out at the furious prince, who, after seeing it, became even angrier.
Link closed his eyes for a second, before feeling an unnatural blast of wind whistling past his ear. He caught a glimpse of a few black feathers sticking from the ground, and turning back toward the trailing competition, saw the Calatian knight stringing yet another arrow to his bow. In one swift and fluid motion, Link raised his Hylian Shield to block the incoming projectile. He heard the loud metallic clang of iron striking iron, felt the shock wave of the collision jolting through his right arm. Link clenched his teeth, ignoring the sudden wave of pain that passed as quickly as it had come.
"What's wrong?" Kira glanced back to see Link with his shield still raised.
"The sore losers are firing at us," he answered, trying to keep his voice as calm as possible and lowering his shield.
Kira looked to see the knight stringing yet another arrow to his longbow. "Are they allowed to do that?" she asked, a little nervous and unbelieving at the same time.
Link raised his shield again, this time supporting it with his left hand to reduce the shock exerted on his right. "Well, the rules don't really say that they can't." He grabbed his bow and an arrow from his quiver, ready to fire back.
Another black-feathered arrow flew over their heads, planting itself in front of Epona and Areon. The two horses, spooked, reared up, causing the chariot to halt abruptly, throwing the rest of Link's arrows out of his quiver. At that moment, Lyson's chariot raced by, with the Prince laughing at their misfortune. The knight, however, only stared icily at the still panicking horses and Kira's desperate attempts at calming them down.
Link cursed under his breath. His arrows were scattered everywhere on the ground and there was no time to pick them all up. Kira had succeeded in soothing Areon, but Epona was still rearing wildly. The calming melody of Epona's Song, whistled by Link, was finally able to relax the mare.
"Let's go! The others are catching up!" Link yelled to Kira. It was true; the rest of the competition was steadily gaining ground.
"But what about your arrows?" she yelled back, picking up the loosely hanging reins.
"I can get more. Just go already! We still have half a lap to catch up to Lyson!"
"Got it."
With that, the two horses burst off at top speed, quickly lengthening the distance between them and the others. Link kept his eyes trained on the track in front of him, ready to fire his last remaining arrow at the most fitting time. Soon enough, the cloud of dust trailing Lyson's chariot drifted into sight. The hero narrowed his glance, concentrating on his target. He whispered to himself, "One, two..."
The chariot appeared in his line of sight. "THREE!!" Link fired his arrow and it flew straight into the air, lodging itself in the ground before the horses, just as the knight's arrow had done.
"Nice shot!" Kira grinned as the palomino mare and the black stallion reared up, thrashing the air with their hooves.
"Yep." Link waved cheerily at Lyson as they passed by, taking care to relish the wicked glance that the Prince was giving him.
A second later, Epona and Areon dashed right past the finish line as the spectators erupted into cheers, celebrating the win of their favorite "knight" of Hyrule. Among them was Zelda, cheering the loudest. Link blushed as Kira nudged him in the side, signaling at the princess. The chariot slowed to a stop, with Link leaping down first, and, always the gentleman, helping Kira down after, despite her protests. The two petted and congratulated their horses, then were surrounded by a wildly celebrating crowd of onlookers, who lifted them into the air.
Link looked to see Kira, clearly embarrassed and shy. "So, how does it feel to have so many people cheering you on?" he asked.
"It feels... so unnatural... I don't think I could ever get used to it."
Link nodded. "Sure, that's what they all say."
Kira grinned sheepishly. "That was kinda lame, wasn't it? I didn't know what else to say anyway, but it does feel pretty cool."
The crowd carried the two all the way to the podium, where the King and Zelda were waiting. "Congratulations. You have won the first event. That was quite a splendid show of archery and horsemanship!" King Harkinian smiled.
"Thank you, Your Majesty," answered Link and Kira, bowing out of respect.
"The n-"
"The next event will be starting after lunch. You were awesome!" Zelda interjected.
"A-HEM!" the King coughed purposely.
"Sorry Father."
"Do not fret over it. Contestants, you heard the Princess. Like she said, you
have the entire time from now to after lunch to prepare for the next event, the
tracking contest. I would suggest getting some time to rest. Enjoy your break!"
the King of Hyrule announced to the now gathering competitors, including Prince
Lyson, who was grinding his teeth angrily.
"Just you watch Link. I'm going to make sure you lose, even if I have to drag the Princess into it!"
A/N: How was it? Please give me a review and let me know! Hmm... it seems like no one really likes Lyson very much. Good. Very good. This should make for some interesting situations. Bwahaha. I have the ending of the fic all planned out!! So if you don't review, we'll never get to the end!