Chapter 11 – Lakelanders
Into the black of the night, the six companions ran. Four of them without any idea of what it was that they were running from. They had nothing but the moon and stars to light their way, and their only idea of direction was from the position of the lake. They were running in the direction of the mountains, the direction they would have had to take around the lake the following morning in any case. Sometimes they heard shouting behind them, and an occasional flicker of torchlight from a flame, but they were only fleeting things, their pursuers were trying to track them silently.
After some time they slowed down and kept going at a quick walking pace. Quite breathless, Link came to Vuto's side. "What is," he gasped for breath, "Who is following us?"
Vuto was suffering the most; he not was built for running on land for this long. "Wild men, Lakelanders. Me and Jerra saw a fire and went to investigate," he coughed, "and one of their scouts saw us. Then they started chasing us."
"How many?"
"At least ten."
"Tell me honestly, will they be able to catch us?"
"I really don't know, Link. I'm sorry."
The night wore on, and still they kept going, no sign now from behind. They had been moving parallel to the lake's southern shore, but had moved steadily nearer to it. They took breaks here and there, but nobody wanted to waste time, least of all Jerra and Vuto, who seemed petrified by what they had seen. They lost all track of time, and only as the first beams of sunlight stretched across the land from behind them in the east they felt some safety at last.
The land at the lakeshore was sandy, and here they stopped and collapsed with exhaustion, and admired the view. Vuto lay down in the shallow water of the lake and rolled over in it, an ecstatic look on his face. He waded a little way out and swam, taking some breaths underwater. He looked totally refreshed when he emerged a few minutes later, smiling. Still nervous, but smiling.
Karak was edgy though, he had the feeling that they had let themselves gain a false sense of security. He clambered up a ledge back up onto to the grassy fields, and looked back across the plain towards Death Mountain, all around, scanning it carefully. Then, running from some shady trees only two hundred feet away, he saw a group of men running forwards, long swords drawn. "Link!" He shouted, "They're coming!"
Link clambered up to the ledge and saw for himself, disbelieving that they had managed to come so close. "There's no way to escape!" Link yelled, drawing his long shining sword. "If they want us, they're gonna have to fight!" Vuto had leaped up also now; he drew out his sword in his right hand and held his dagger reversed in his left hand. Karak pulled out his sword too, his arm was trembling.
"Link," he said frightened, "I don't want to die."
"Then don't." Said Link fiercely, with a fixed glare on the wild men. They wore animal skins, and had red stripes on their faces, and their thick black hair was ragged and uncut. Link counted them. "Twelve." He said nervously.
Jerra and Yerra appeared at their side, each wielding their broad bladed Gerudo scimitars. "Wild dogs," Spat Jerra, "we'll teach 'em to mess with the Grimals.
"Yeah!" Said Yerra, looking strangely savage now, very different to Link's memory of her last night.
Then Zelda was there as well; hair tied back, a look on her face that Link remembered from a long time ago. Between her fingers she held long sharp war needles and she had tucked two throwing knives into her belt. "It looks like you're going to witness the art of battle practiced by the Royal family; don't worry about me."
"What do you want!?" Demanded Link as they drew close enough.
"We want blood!" Shouted their leader.
"Then you'll get blood!" Link ran to the leader, and clashed swords. He made a swipe on his right shoulder, and his blade was pushed aside, Link was kicked back, but leaped aside. His sword fell down on his enemy's arm, and he screamed in pain. Link thrust his sword into his chest and knocked him down to the ground. "Anyone else!?" Shouted Link at the other wild men.
It seemed there were others that wanted blood though, and they ran straight at him. Jerra and Yerra ran to meet two of them, blades sliding and scraping. Link had taken on two more, swinging left and right and ducking to fight both of them.
Zelda threw herself at one, and with one needled hand, caught his sword. She threw her other arm at him and jabbed at his face. She caught one of his eyes and he screamed in pain. Another ran at Zelda and she kicked at his chest, then with grace like the wind she flipped back over the first, snapping his arm that was caught in her needles, and she caught his sword as he dropped it, plunging it into his back.
Meanwhile, Vuto and Karak had run into the fray. Vuto was fighting two, and was heavily out matched. With his two blades, he was able to keep them at bay though. Karak was struggling though, and he had fallen to the ground. Seeing this, Zelda hurled a throwing knife at Karak's attacker. It hit his arm, and he reeled in pain. Karak took the chance, and drove his sword into him.
Blood was everywhere, and the air was rank with it; it was like poison. It was this that fuelled Link though. Jerra appeared at his side and took on one of Link's, having killed one already, but this man pushed her down, he loomed over her laughing menacingly. Vuto saw her peril and with a burst of strength cleaved off the head of the man he was fighting. He jumped off his feet and soared through the air, ramming into the side of Jerra's oppressor. They both crashed to the floor, and he held him pinned. But then, another lakeman saw him there and raised his weapon, and before anything could be done, it came crashing down upon Vuto's back.
Blood flew and he screamed in agony, abandoning his blade. "No!" Yelled Jerra and slew the attacker in one blow, cracking his skull open.
The wild men's numbers were heavily reduced now. A number lay dead, and they could see they were not going to win this fight. Yerra sent another one to the ground, and the remaining ones backed away, and then ran. They fled into the distance like a pack of dogs, covered in crimson.
Jerra fell to her knees at Vuto's side and pushed aside the dead, bloody bodies. She grabbed his hand. "Vuto, where are you bleeding? We've got to stop the blood."
The others noticed this and wandered over slowly and fearfully. Vuto's eyes were sad and beaten, and he lay on the ground defeated. "It's too late Jerra...I can't survive..."
Zelda had torn off some of her clothing and came to his side, to try and bandage him; but he just held his arm up to her. "Don't Zelda, there is know point now." He coughed, and blood erupted from his mouth. He looked up at Link and tried to smile, "Hero, it was an honour to fight beside you..." His head tilted limply to the side and Jerra supported it. "Jerra...promise me...leave my body to the lake, I wish to rest as all my people do."
"You can't die!" She cried, tears dripping down onto his body. "Not now!"
The others looked on helplessly, not knowing what to do or how to feel.
"Goodbye Jerra..." He shut his eyes and his body fell totally loose.
"No, you can't die, you can't!" She pleaded with him, but it was already too late.
Yerra put her hand on her sister's shoulder. "He's gone."
Vuto Valvetta died on the shores of the Great North Lake, apart from his own people but with his friends. Now he could hear the tide and saw white shores, and was gone forever from the world.
Into the black of the night, the six companions ran. Four of them without any idea of what it was that they were running from. They had nothing but the moon and stars to light their way, and their only idea of direction was from the position of the lake. They were running in the direction of the mountains, the direction they would have had to take around the lake the following morning in any case. Sometimes they heard shouting behind them, and an occasional flicker of torchlight from a flame, but they were only fleeting things, their pursuers were trying to track them silently.
After some time they slowed down and kept going at a quick walking pace. Quite breathless, Link came to Vuto's side. "What is," he gasped for breath, "Who is following us?"
Vuto was suffering the most; he not was built for running on land for this long. "Wild men, Lakelanders. Me and Jerra saw a fire and went to investigate," he coughed, "and one of their scouts saw us. Then they started chasing us."
"How many?"
"At least ten."
"Tell me honestly, will they be able to catch us?"
"I really don't know, Link. I'm sorry."
The night wore on, and still they kept going, no sign now from behind. They had been moving parallel to the lake's southern shore, but had moved steadily nearer to it. They took breaks here and there, but nobody wanted to waste time, least of all Jerra and Vuto, who seemed petrified by what they had seen. They lost all track of time, and only as the first beams of sunlight stretched across the land from behind them in the east they felt some safety at last.
The land at the lakeshore was sandy, and here they stopped and collapsed with exhaustion, and admired the view. Vuto lay down in the shallow water of the lake and rolled over in it, an ecstatic look on his face. He waded a little way out and swam, taking some breaths underwater. He looked totally refreshed when he emerged a few minutes later, smiling. Still nervous, but smiling.
Karak was edgy though, he had the feeling that they had let themselves gain a false sense of security. He clambered up a ledge back up onto to the grassy fields, and looked back across the plain towards Death Mountain, all around, scanning it carefully. Then, running from some shady trees only two hundred feet away, he saw a group of men running forwards, long swords drawn. "Link!" He shouted, "They're coming!"
Link clambered up to the ledge and saw for himself, disbelieving that they had managed to come so close. "There's no way to escape!" Link yelled, drawing his long shining sword. "If they want us, they're gonna have to fight!" Vuto had leaped up also now; he drew out his sword in his right hand and held his dagger reversed in his left hand. Karak pulled out his sword too, his arm was trembling.
"Link," he said frightened, "I don't want to die."
"Then don't." Said Link fiercely, with a fixed glare on the wild men. They wore animal skins, and had red stripes on their faces, and their thick black hair was ragged and uncut. Link counted them. "Twelve." He said nervously.
Jerra and Yerra appeared at their side, each wielding their broad bladed Gerudo scimitars. "Wild dogs," Spat Jerra, "we'll teach 'em to mess with the Grimals.
"Yeah!" Said Yerra, looking strangely savage now, very different to Link's memory of her last night.
Then Zelda was there as well; hair tied back, a look on her face that Link remembered from a long time ago. Between her fingers she held long sharp war needles and she had tucked two throwing knives into her belt. "It looks like you're going to witness the art of battle practiced by the Royal family; don't worry about me."
"What do you want!?" Demanded Link as they drew close enough.
"We want blood!" Shouted their leader.
"Then you'll get blood!" Link ran to the leader, and clashed swords. He made a swipe on his right shoulder, and his blade was pushed aside, Link was kicked back, but leaped aside. His sword fell down on his enemy's arm, and he screamed in pain. Link thrust his sword into his chest and knocked him down to the ground. "Anyone else!?" Shouted Link at the other wild men.
It seemed there were others that wanted blood though, and they ran straight at him. Jerra and Yerra ran to meet two of them, blades sliding and scraping. Link had taken on two more, swinging left and right and ducking to fight both of them.
Zelda threw herself at one, and with one needled hand, caught his sword. She threw her other arm at him and jabbed at his face. She caught one of his eyes and he screamed in pain. Another ran at Zelda and she kicked at his chest, then with grace like the wind she flipped back over the first, snapping his arm that was caught in her needles, and she caught his sword as he dropped it, plunging it into his back.
Meanwhile, Vuto and Karak had run into the fray. Vuto was fighting two, and was heavily out matched. With his two blades, he was able to keep them at bay though. Karak was struggling though, and he had fallen to the ground. Seeing this, Zelda hurled a throwing knife at Karak's attacker. It hit his arm, and he reeled in pain. Karak took the chance, and drove his sword into him.
Blood was everywhere, and the air was rank with it; it was like poison. It was this that fuelled Link though. Jerra appeared at his side and took on one of Link's, having killed one already, but this man pushed her down, he loomed over her laughing menacingly. Vuto saw her peril and with a burst of strength cleaved off the head of the man he was fighting. He jumped off his feet and soared through the air, ramming into the side of Jerra's oppressor. They both crashed to the floor, and he held him pinned. But then, another lakeman saw him there and raised his weapon, and before anything could be done, it came crashing down upon Vuto's back.
Blood flew and he screamed in agony, abandoning his blade. "No!" Yelled Jerra and slew the attacker in one blow, cracking his skull open.
The wild men's numbers were heavily reduced now. A number lay dead, and they could see they were not going to win this fight. Yerra sent another one to the ground, and the remaining ones backed away, and then ran. They fled into the distance like a pack of dogs, covered in crimson.
Jerra fell to her knees at Vuto's side and pushed aside the dead, bloody bodies. She grabbed his hand. "Vuto, where are you bleeding? We've got to stop the blood."
The others noticed this and wandered over slowly and fearfully. Vuto's eyes were sad and beaten, and he lay on the ground defeated. "It's too late Jerra...I can't survive..."
Zelda had torn off some of her clothing and came to his side, to try and bandage him; but he just held his arm up to her. "Don't Zelda, there is know point now." He coughed, and blood erupted from his mouth. He looked up at Link and tried to smile, "Hero, it was an honour to fight beside you..." His head tilted limply to the side and Jerra supported it. "Jerra...promise me...leave my body to the lake, I wish to rest as all my people do."
"You can't die!" She cried, tears dripping down onto his body. "Not now!"
The others looked on helplessly, not knowing what to do or how to feel.
"Goodbye Jerra..." He shut his eyes and his body fell totally loose.
"No, you can't die, you can't!" She pleaded with him, but it was already too late.
Yerra put her hand on her sister's shoulder. "He's gone."
Vuto Valvetta died on the shores of the Great North Lake, apart from his own people but with his friends. Now he could hear the tide and saw white shores, and was gone forever from the world.