Chapter 4 – Five Is Company
The following morning in Hylia was beautiful. The sun shone clear onto the white walls of the city, crystal dew sparkled on the plains, the water ran cool and clear glistening in the sunlight, a gentle breeze was blowing. Every citizen of Hylia awoke to the wonder of the day, oblivious to the darkness that could soon engulf their fair world.
Zelda and Link were currently at the gates of the city, making a final check that they were fully prepared for their journey. They were to first move into the foothills of Death Mountain, and then head north. Link was wearing a brown travelling tunic, and Zelda wore a similar tunic also, though a dark green colour, but hers looked far more elegant. In their bags, they had packed provisions of food and water enough to get them a way across the great northern plain. There were ample rivers and streams flowing down from the mountains on the plain, so water would not be a problem, and Link was confident that he could catch animals to eat in the event of them not finding a settlement to restock supplies at. They had enough money to buy anything they needed from traders along the way also. "I'm sure we're fine to set off Zelda." Said Link, leaning against the wall checking his sword, whilst she looked into her travelling pack, seeming quite concerned.
"It doesn't hurt to check a second.-"
"Fifth."
"Fine a fifth. It doesn't hurt to check for a fifth time does it? What if we've forgotten something?"
"It'll be fine. We really need to be getting away, we can't arouse suspicion; and the Princess and the Hero of Time leaving the city like this will seem extremely suspicious. We need to get away without your father finding out."
"Or so Caitas would have us believe."
"Caitas knew what he meant."
"Don't worry Link."
"I'm telling you not to worry here. Get your pack on you back and lets leave."
"Fine!" She said angrily. She stood up and slung her pack over her shoulder. "Lets go."
"Sorry, I didn't mean to be like that."
She gave him a harsh look, then smiled. "It's fine, I understand. Come on." Zelda started walking out across the drawbridge. Link began to follow her, but then stopped when he heard a voice calling to him from behind. Zelda also turned around.
"Link!" A boy, that he would suppose to be sixteen like himself, was running towards him. As the boy got close he noticed that this boy looked similar to himself in some ways. He slowed down as he got nearer and stopped in front of Link, taking a few exhausted breaths. Zelda wandered back over to Link's side. "You're Link right?" Then he saw Zelda more clearly, "Oh my, Princess Zelda." He bowed and introduced himself. "My name is Karak al'-." He hesitated. "My name is Karak. It is an honour to meet you, both of you."
"Hello Karak," Said Link, slightly puzzled. "Did you want to speak to me or something? You were shouting my name just now after all."
"Well, yes. I've been trying to find you for a long time now. I need to talk to you and I-" He looked at the two of them, noticing their strange attire and their travelling things. "Are the two of you going away?"
"Yes, but please don't tell anybody, whoever you are. We need to keep quiet about this...apparently."
He looked at Link for a moment, then across to Zelda, then back to Link. "Hey, would you mind if I came with you? You wouldn't need to worry about me; I'd take care of myself. I need a chance to talk to you Link, and I'm leaving Hylia myself right now anyway. I'll probably just head back east after I talk to you."
Link looked at Zelda, and she just shrugged her shoulders. "Its not like he'd be going much of the way with us..." He said.
"Hey, whatever Link. Its your decision." Zelda looked out across Hyrule Field.
Link turned to Karak. "We're going as far as Death Mountain then turning north. You can come with us to the mountain if you want, if it really is that important. It would be good to have some extra company I guess."
"Really? Oh thanks, that's brilliant. Are you leaving now?"
"Yes. Are you able to leave now?"
"Um, yeah. I've got everything I came with on my back, so yes, I can come now."
"Good." Link walked to join Zelda, and Karak followed. "Come, on lets go."
"Hey wait!" Another voice was suddenly heard from behind. A female voice. The three of them turned around. Zelda was getting very frustrated now. There were two gerudo girls running towards them, constantly checking over their shoulders. "Hey Jerra, its Karak." Said the first on reaching them.
"Oh, hey Karak." Said the other approaching. "Are you leaving? Good, come on. You can help us. Lets go." Jerra walked straight past and Yerra followed. "Come on!"
Zelda and Link were startled and looked at Karak. "I met them once." He said. Then remembered the Zora and added. "Oh, I know what's going on." Karak left Zelda and Link standing on the drawbridge and caught up with the gerudo girls.
Zelda and Link looked at each other in astonishment. "What was all that about?" She asked, getting even more annoyed.
"I have no idea..." Said Link, gazing after the three walking away in the direction of the mountain.
"Ugh." Growled Zelda angrily and hurried after them. Link did the same.
"What is going on!?" She demanded. "Who are you!"
"Hey calm down." Said the gerudo called Jerra. "Stop being so demanding; who do you think you are, the princess!?"
Zelda glared at them angrily. "Yes I do actually! I'm Princess Zelda! And I want to know what is going on!"
Link caught up to her and put his hand on her shoulder. "Zelda calm down, really."
The gerudos weren't quite sure what to say, but the older one, Jerra managed to say something. "We're being pursued by a Zora assassin. We have to escape Hylia, and we'd be much safer travelling with you lot if you don't mind."
"Ugh." Said Zelda again and turned away.
"Sure," said Link. "Come with us if you must. Just don't slow us down."
"Oh we have no intentions of going slowly," Said Yerra.
Link sighed, and looked at the two gerudos, then Karak, then Zelda. "Well...I guess five is company..." The five of them continued walking away towards Death Mountain, under the light of the morning sun.
In side the archway of the drawbridge, concealed within the shadows, a Zora stood looking fiercely after them. He spun a dagger in his fingers and then put it away in his belt. This was not over yet. Not yet. Not when he had been so close. He was not about to just simply give up, it was not his nature. This was not over yet. It was just begun.
The following morning in Hylia was beautiful. The sun shone clear onto the white walls of the city, crystal dew sparkled on the plains, the water ran cool and clear glistening in the sunlight, a gentle breeze was blowing. Every citizen of Hylia awoke to the wonder of the day, oblivious to the darkness that could soon engulf their fair world.
Zelda and Link were currently at the gates of the city, making a final check that they were fully prepared for their journey. They were to first move into the foothills of Death Mountain, and then head north. Link was wearing a brown travelling tunic, and Zelda wore a similar tunic also, though a dark green colour, but hers looked far more elegant. In their bags, they had packed provisions of food and water enough to get them a way across the great northern plain. There were ample rivers and streams flowing down from the mountains on the plain, so water would not be a problem, and Link was confident that he could catch animals to eat in the event of them not finding a settlement to restock supplies at. They had enough money to buy anything they needed from traders along the way also. "I'm sure we're fine to set off Zelda." Said Link, leaning against the wall checking his sword, whilst she looked into her travelling pack, seeming quite concerned.
"It doesn't hurt to check a second.-"
"Fifth."
"Fine a fifth. It doesn't hurt to check for a fifth time does it? What if we've forgotten something?"
"It'll be fine. We really need to be getting away, we can't arouse suspicion; and the Princess and the Hero of Time leaving the city like this will seem extremely suspicious. We need to get away without your father finding out."
"Or so Caitas would have us believe."
"Caitas knew what he meant."
"Don't worry Link."
"I'm telling you not to worry here. Get your pack on you back and lets leave."
"Fine!" She said angrily. She stood up and slung her pack over her shoulder. "Lets go."
"Sorry, I didn't mean to be like that."
She gave him a harsh look, then smiled. "It's fine, I understand. Come on." Zelda started walking out across the drawbridge. Link began to follow her, but then stopped when he heard a voice calling to him from behind. Zelda also turned around.
"Link!" A boy, that he would suppose to be sixteen like himself, was running towards him. As the boy got close he noticed that this boy looked similar to himself in some ways. He slowed down as he got nearer and stopped in front of Link, taking a few exhausted breaths. Zelda wandered back over to Link's side. "You're Link right?" Then he saw Zelda more clearly, "Oh my, Princess Zelda." He bowed and introduced himself. "My name is Karak al'-." He hesitated. "My name is Karak. It is an honour to meet you, both of you."
"Hello Karak," Said Link, slightly puzzled. "Did you want to speak to me or something? You were shouting my name just now after all."
"Well, yes. I've been trying to find you for a long time now. I need to talk to you and I-" He looked at the two of them, noticing their strange attire and their travelling things. "Are the two of you going away?"
"Yes, but please don't tell anybody, whoever you are. We need to keep quiet about this...apparently."
He looked at Link for a moment, then across to Zelda, then back to Link. "Hey, would you mind if I came with you? You wouldn't need to worry about me; I'd take care of myself. I need a chance to talk to you Link, and I'm leaving Hylia myself right now anyway. I'll probably just head back east after I talk to you."
Link looked at Zelda, and she just shrugged her shoulders. "Its not like he'd be going much of the way with us..." He said.
"Hey, whatever Link. Its your decision." Zelda looked out across Hyrule Field.
Link turned to Karak. "We're going as far as Death Mountain then turning north. You can come with us to the mountain if you want, if it really is that important. It would be good to have some extra company I guess."
"Really? Oh thanks, that's brilliant. Are you leaving now?"
"Yes. Are you able to leave now?"
"Um, yeah. I've got everything I came with on my back, so yes, I can come now."
"Good." Link walked to join Zelda, and Karak followed. "Come, on lets go."
"Hey wait!" Another voice was suddenly heard from behind. A female voice. The three of them turned around. Zelda was getting very frustrated now. There were two gerudo girls running towards them, constantly checking over their shoulders. "Hey Jerra, its Karak." Said the first on reaching them.
"Oh, hey Karak." Said the other approaching. "Are you leaving? Good, come on. You can help us. Lets go." Jerra walked straight past and Yerra followed. "Come on!"
Zelda and Link were startled and looked at Karak. "I met them once." He said. Then remembered the Zora and added. "Oh, I know what's going on." Karak left Zelda and Link standing on the drawbridge and caught up with the gerudo girls.
Zelda and Link looked at each other in astonishment. "What was all that about?" She asked, getting even more annoyed.
"I have no idea..." Said Link, gazing after the three walking away in the direction of the mountain.
"Ugh." Growled Zelda angrily and hurried after them. Link did the same.
"What is going on!?" She demanded. "Who are you!"
"Hey calm down." Said the gerudo called Jerra. "Stop being so demanding; who do you think you are, the princess!?"
Zelda glared at them angrily. "Yes I do actually! I'm Princess Zelda! And I want to know what is going on!"
Link caught up to her and put his hand on her shoulder. "Zelda calm down, really."
The gerudos weren't quite sure what to say, but the older one, Jerra managed to say something. "We're being pursued by a Zora assassin. We have to escape Hylia, and we'd be much safer travelling with you lot if you don't mind."
"Ugh." Said Zelda again and turned away.
"Sure," said Link. "Come with us if you must. Just don't slow us down."
"Oh we have no intentions of going slowly," Said Yerra.
Link sighed, and looked at the two gerudos, then Karak, then Zelda. "Well...I guess five is company..." The five of them continued walking away towards Death Mountain, under the light of the morning sun.
In side the archway of the drawbridge, concealed within the shadows, a Zora stood looking fiercely after them. He spun a dagger in his fingers and then put it away in his belt. This was not over yet. Not yet. Not when he had been so close. He was not about to just simply give up, it was not his nature. This was not over yet. It was just begun.