Chapter 6 – The Assassin
On a narrow winding path high up Death Mountain, a Zora walked along in the blazing heat. Though it was growing dark, it was not cool for him yet. He was not built for travelling through this sort of terrain, if he did not find water soon he felt as though he would pass out. He wore a thin purple travelling cloak, and was using a makeshift walking stick make out of a tree branch. He didn't want to do this, he didn't want to carry out the task he was sent to do; but he felt as though quitting would make him weak, and he would not give in.
Far below him now, on a flat plateau further down the mountain he saw smoke. He pulled out his seeing glass and looked through it. Sure enough, they were there. The middle Grimal sisters, and their companions; the one he had ambushed in the street the day previously was there...and there was another girl. He wiped his eyes and looked again, there was no mistaking her, that was Princess Zelda. He was sure there had been five though; he knew there were five. He scanned the surrounding area, but saw nothing, no trace of the fifth at all.
Suddenly behind him, he heard a crunching and slipping of rocks. He whipped his head around, but all he saw was a great dark blur flying towards him. It grabbed hold of him around the waist, holding his arms to his body. He tried to reach for his knife in his belt, but it was thrown aside by his attacker. He was flung onto his knees, and then pushed and held down on his front with his face in the dirt, he struggled, but could not escape. He felt his arms being lashed together with rope, and then his feet also. He shouted out loud, but he was exhausted and tired and he made little sound.
His attacker flung him over onto his back. As he suspected it was the fifth one, the other male. But now that he saw him up close, he recognised him. "Link al'Ryak, the Hero." He said angrily, trying to break his bonds, but failing.
"I'm glad you know who I am assassin, because then you know that there is no point trying to escape." Link looked down at the pathetic form of the Zora, defeated and humiliated. "What is your name?"
The Zora looked up at Link with a despising glare. "Vuto." He replied. "Vuto Valvetta. And now if you must kill me, then kill me."
"I'm not going to kill you. I don't take pleasure in death like you."
"You do not know me Hero, so do not judge me. I take no pleasure in death."
"You're coming with me." Link untied his feet, and tied the rope around the Zora's neck instead. "Come on!" He pulled the rope angrily and Vuto was dragged onto his feet. Utterly beaten, he followed behind Link as he was led like a dog down the mountainside.
Later that evening, he was seated by a fireside. Night had come full down and the moon was up in the sky. He could hear the sounds of the night, wild animals howling, insects chirping, nocturnal birds squawking. Bound by his hands and feet again, he sat uncomfortably, being watched by five pairs of eyes. He could not bear this any longer. "What are you going to do to me?" He asked at length.
Link stood up and walked towards him, and then sat down in front of him. "Tell me, Vuto. What are you doing following us?"
Vuto sighed and looked at the Grimal sisters. "I think you already know. I was sent by Queen Balaea to assassinate the Grimal sisters, and retrieve what they stole."
"Stole?" Said Zelda, suddenly speaking up. "They haven't stolen anything, they were banished from the desert and then you were sent after them." Jerra and Yerra looked at each other nervously.
"Is that what they told you?" Asked Vuto, "No, they are criminals."
"Don't say another word, Zora." Said Jerra, suddenly walking towards him. "That's a lie!" Link put his arm out to stop her, and told her to sit down. Jerra retreated to her place beside her sister.
"Jerra and Yerra Grimal stole a very precious jewel from Queen Balaea, the heirloom of the royal family."
"Which was rightfully ours!" Said Yerra suddenly getting to her feet. "Queen Balaea stole the throne from us, and so we took back what was ours!"
Vuto continued talking as though they weren't even there. "They stole the Light of Talandra. The great jewel that has been passed down generation from King Talandra Dragmire down to King Ganondorf Dragmire, gods curse his name. That jewel belonged to Queen Balaea."
"It belonged to us!"
"And I was sent to kill you and retrieve it. Yes, I was a hired assassin. This was just my first mission though."
"So you've never actually killed anybody?" Asked Link.
"No, I'm only seventeen. I couldn't even succeed at this. It's just my luck that the Hero would be with them. But I must admit, I have been having second thoughts all the time...I never really wanted to kill them. I just felt as though I had to."
"I see. Tell me then. What if the girls give you back the jewel? Can you take that back to Queen Balaea and be down with it?"
"Maybe, but I-"
"We sold it." Announced Jerra. "We sold it for a lot of gold in Hylia, and the jewel is gone now."
Vuto stared at them wide eyed. "Well then, that's it. I give up. I don't care anymore. There's no need to kill them, and I can't get back the jewel. So Queen Balaea isn't going to pay me, she'd probably have me executed instead."
Link looked long and hard at Vuto then untied his bonds. Vuto just remained sitting there staring back at Link. Zelda protested, "He's an assassin! Don't let him go, he'll kill us all."
"No...no he won't." Said Link confidently. "Vuto, you will stay with us tonight, and may do what you will tomorrow."
"I don't believe this, Link." Zelda walked away and sat on a rock further away. Karak stood up and went to talk to her.
Link looked at Vuto, trying to see his mind. The Grimal girls sat frightened, and flinched whenever he looked at them. "I will keep your weapons this evening Vuto. But I trust you to stay, and not do any harm. I believe you." Link thought for a moment, and then handed Vuto his dagger back. "Here, a sign of trust from me."
"Thank you Link, you truly are a good man."
"Thank you." Said Link.
And so that night they all fell asleep. Only Vuto slept well that night, he slept silently and did not stir. The others all caught a few minutes of sleep here and there, but were generally too frightened; that is all excepting Link, who watched Vuto all night long, and didn't even try to sleep; but eventually let himself drift off as the sun rose.
On a narrow winding path high up Death Mountain, a Zora walked along in the blazing heat. Though it was growing dark, it was not cool for him yet. He was not built for travelling through this sort of terrain, if he did not find water soon he felt as though he would pass out. He wore a thin purple travelling cloak, and was using a makeshift walking stick make out of a tree branch. He didn't want to do this, he didn't want to carry out the task he was sent to do; but he felt as though quitting would make him weak, and he would not give in.
Far below him now, on a flat plateau further down the mountain he saw smoke. He pulled out his seeing glass and looked through it. Sure enough, they were there. The middle Grimal sisters, and their companions; the one he had ambushed in the street the day previously was there...and there was another girl. He wiped his eyes and looked again, there was no mistaking her, that was Princess Zelda. He was sure there had been five though; he knew there were five. He scanned the surrounding area, but saw nothing, no trace of the fifth at all.
Suddenly behind him, he heard a crunching and slipping of rocks. He whipped his head around, but all he saw was a great dark blur flying towards him. It grabbed hold of him around the waist, holding his arms to his body. He tried to reach for his knife in his belt, but it was thrown aside by his attacker. He was flung onto his knees, and then pushed and held down on his front with his face in the dirt, he struggled, but could not escape. He felt his arms being lashed together with rope, and then his feet also. He shouted out loud, but he was exhausted and tired and he made little sound.
His attacker flung him over onto his back. As he suspected it was the fifth one, the other male. But now that he saw him up close, he recognised him. "Link al'Ryak, the Hero." He said angrily, trying to break his bonds, but failing.
"I'm glad you know who I am assassin, because then you know that there is no point trying to escape." Link looked down at the pathetic form of the Zora, defeated and humiliated. "What is your name?"
The Zora looked up at Link with a despising glare. "Vuto." He replied. "Vuto Valvetta. And now if you must kill me, then kill me."
"I'm not going to kill you. I don't take pleasure in death like you."
"You do not know me Hero, so do not judge me. I take no pleasure in death."
"You're coming with me." Link untied his feet, and tied the rope around the Zora's neck instead. "Come on!" He pulled the rope angrily and Vuto was dragged onto his feet. Utterly beaten, he followed behind Link as he was led like a dog down the mountainside.
Later that evening, he was seated by a fireside. Night had come full down and the moon was up in the sky. He could hear the sounds of the night, wild animals howling, insects chirping, nocturnal birds squawking. Bound by his hands and feet again, he sat uncomfortably, being watched by five pairs of eyes. He could not bear this any longer. "What are you going to do to me?" He asked at length.
Link stood up and walked towards him, and then sat down in front of him. "Tell me, Vuto. What are you doing following us?"
Vuto sighed and looked at the Grimal sisters. "I think you already know. I was sent by Queen Balaea to assassinate the Grimal sisters, and retrieve what they stole."
"Stole?" Said Zelda, suddenly speaking up. "They haven't stolen anything, they were banished from the desert and then you were sent after them." Jerra and Yerra looked at each other nervously.
"Is that what they told you?" Asked Vuto, "No, they are criminals."
"Don't say another word, Zora." Said Jerra, suddenly walking towards him. "That's a lie!" Link put his arm out to stop her, and told her to sit down. Jerra retreated to her place beside her sister.
"Jerra and Yerra Grimal stole a very precious jewel from Queen Balaea, the heirloom of the royal family."
"Which was rightfully ours!" Said Yerra suddenly getting to her feet. "Queen Balaea stole the throne from us, and so we took back what was ours!"
Vuto continued talking as though they weren't even there. "They stole the Light of Talandra. The great jewel that has been passed down generation from King Talandra Dragmire down to King Ganondorf Dragmire, gods curse his name. That jewel belonged to Queen Balaea."
"It belonged to us!"
"And I was sent to kill you and retrieve it. Yes, I was a hired assassin. This was just my first mission though."
"So you've never actually killed anybody?" Asked Link.
"No, I'm only seventeen. I couldn't even succeed at this. It's just my luck that the Hero would be with them. But I must admit, I have been having second thoughts all the time...I never really wanted to kill them. I just felt as though I had to."
"I see. Tell me then. What if the girls give you back the jewel? Can you take that back to Queen Balaea and be down with it?"
"Maybe, but I-"
"We sold it." Announced Jerra. "We sold it for a lot of gold in Hylia, and the jewel is gone now."
Vuto stared at them wide eyed. "Well then, that's it. I give up. I don't care anymore. There's no need to kill them, and I can't get back the jewel. So Queen Balaea isn't going to pay me, she'd probably have me executed instead."
Link looked long and hard at Vuto then untied his bonds. Vuto just remained sitting there staring back at Link. Zelda protested, "He's an assassin! Don't let him go, he'll kill us all."
"No...no he won't." Said Link confidently. "Vuto, you will stay with us tonight, and may do what you will tomorrow."
"I don't believe this, Link." Zelda walked away and sat on a rock further away. Karak stood up and went to talk to her.
Link looked at Vuto, trying to see his mind. The Grimal girls sat frightened, and flinched whenever he looked at them. "I will keep your weapons this evening Vuto. But I trust you to stay, and not do any harm. I believe you." Link thought for a moment, and then handed Vuto his dagger back. "Here, a sign of trust from me."
"Thank you Link, you truly are a good man."
"Thank you." Said Link.
And so that night they all fell asleep. Only Vuto slept well that night, he slept silently and did not stir. The others all caught a few minutes of sleep here and there, but were generally too frightened; that is all excepting Link, who watched Vuto all night long, and didn't even try to sleep; but eventually let himself drift off as the sun rose.