Chapter 15 – No Going Back
A bolt of lightning blasted down from the black sky and struck a mountain peak; and as a ravenous thunder rocked the air and shook the land, rocks and debris were cast down upon the dead terrain. And amidst all the storms and thunder and shaking of the mountains, there was still an eerie dead silence across the ground on which Link now stood. He looked up at the mountain before him, riddled with razor sharp rocks and ash-plated walls. Behind him Zelda, Jerra and Karak looked on silently, gazing in awe and horror at the way before them. A path led up on a steep slope into the mountains, and it was waiting for them to move onto it. "We've come so far..." Said Link, turning back to face them. "This is it, we are here now. We are beneath the Mountains of Darkness, the northern brink of this world. And now..." The others waited expectantly for him to continue. "And now..." He paused once more. "...There is no going back. Leastways, not for me."
"And not for me either," said Zelda. "This is my task, and I will see it though to the end." Zelda walked to his side.
"Of course," began Link again, addressing Jerra and Karak, "me and Zelda must continue. We have got to go on, or the entire world will perish. But still I lay no bond upon you to come further than you wish. Look at this place. This place endures as though it survives and feeds on suffering. Can you feel it draining your soul away? I know I can." Link slumped onto a rock, and sighed. "I say to you two now, I would not have you come with us. Zelda and myself are warriors of destiny, and our fate is tied to Hyrule; but I fear for your safety if you come with us. I would not have you fall to the same fate as Vuto."
"I'm with Link on this," said Zelda, "This is not a place for you. There is so much at stake, and this is so far beyond you; and I say that only out of the deepest concern for you. I would not be able to live with myself if anything were to happen..."
Jerra and Karak looked at them sternly, unsure at first what to say back. Then at length Karak spoke, "Zelda, you do not need to worry about me. I am coming with you to the end."
"You can't," pleaded Zelda, "I love both of you too much to see any harm befall you."
"She's right," said Link, and coming to look eye to eye with his cousin. "Karak, it's not for you to come, and you do not need to feel obliged. You have already done so much for us, both of you. We could never had made it this far without you, but now your part is over, and you cannot come with us." He put his hand on Karak's shoulder, and Karak put his other hand on Link's shoulder.
"Link, I am not going to abandon you now. Not now. Not after we have come so far."
Jerra started laughing though, and then she looked up and smiled. There was a tear running down from one eye. "Link, Zelda, have you learned nothing of the stubbornness of the Grimals? I am not going to leave you. I am bound to this just as much as you two now; and I owe it to you to finish what I agreed to start. I owe it you, to Vuto, to Yerra, to all Hyrule...to myself. I am coming with you; come fire or high water."
Zelda was deeply touched by this, and a tear ran from her eye now. She embraced Jerra and started crying a little more openly, "Bless you Jerra. Bless you, your determination, your spirit, your soul. But I..."
"Zelda, I am coming with you."
"As am I," said Karak strongly, "Link; you and Zelda speak of destiny. Well I know I was destined to come with you. There is a reason we met when we did, and this is the reason. I am supposed to come with you, and I will. As Jerra said, I have to do this for Vuto's sake, and for Yerra. And me helping you is destiny, because I know it is in doing this that I can appease my restless soul, and the soul of my father, and the spirit of Karak senior."
"Thank you." Said Link, simply. "Thank you Karak." Then grandsons of Karak embraced, and both felt a newer strength coming to them. "Thank you so much."
Then Link broke away and turned to face the mountains. "The fortress lies ahead, and I will not stop till death me. This is it." He took a step onto the mountain track, and Zelda joined his side. The others followed behind side by side and hand in hand for fear of what lay along the road. Link through his head up triumphantly in the air and let the ravaging wind blow through his hair. "There is no going back."
A bolt of lightning blasted down from the black sky and struck a mountain peak; and as a ravenous thunder rocked the air and shook the land, rocks and debris were cast down upon the dead terrain. And amidst all the storms and thunder and shaking of the mountains, there was still an eerie dead silence across the ground on which Link now stood. He looked up at the mountain before him, riddled with razor sharp rocks and ash-plated walls. Behind him Zelda, Jerra and Karak looked on silently, gazing in awe and horror at the way before them. A path led up on a steep slope into the mountains, and it was waiting for them to move onto it. "We've come so far..." Said Link, turning back to face them. "This is it, we are here now. We are beneath the Mountains of Darkness, the northern brink of this world. And now..." The others waited expectantly for him to continue. "And now..." He paused once more. "...There is no going back. Leastways, not for me."
"And not for me either," said Zelda. "This is my task, and I will see it though to the end." Zelda walked to his side.
"Of course," began Link again, addressing Jerra and Karak, "me and Zelda must continue. We have got to go on, or the entire world will perish. But still I lay no bond upon you to come further than you wish. Look at this place. This place endures as though it survives and feeds on suffering. Can you feel it draining your soul away? I know I can." Link slumped onto a rock, and sighed. "I say to you two now, I would not have you come with us. Zelda and myself are warriors of destiny, and our fate is tied to Hyrule; but I fear for your safety if you come with us. I would not have you fall to the same fate as Vuto."
"I'm with Link on this," said Zelda, "This is not a place for you. There is so much at stake, and this is so far beyond you; and I say that only out of the deepest concern for you. I would not be able to live with myself if anything were to happen..."
Jerra and Karak looked at them sternly, unsure at first what to say back. Then at length Karak spoke, "Zelda, you do not need to worry about me. I am coming with you to the end."
"You can't," pleaded Zelda, "I love both of you too much to see any harm befall you."
"She's right," said Link, and coming to look eye to eye with his cousin. "Karak, it's not for you to come, and you do not need to feel obliged. You have already done so much for us, both of you. We could never had made it this far without you, but now your part is over, and you cannot come with us." He put his hand on Karak's shoulder, and Karak put his other hand on Link's shoulder.
"Link, I am not going to abandon you now. Not now. Not after we have come so far."
Jerra started laughing though, and then she looked up and smiled. There was a tear running down from one eye. "Link, Zelda, have you learned nothing of the stubbornness of the Grimals? I am not going to leave you. I am bound to this just as much as you two now; and I owe it to you to finish what I agreed to start. I owe it you, to Vuto, to Yerra, to all Hyrule...to myself. I am coming with you; come fire or high water."
Zelda was deeply touched by this, and a tear ran from her eye now. She embraced Jerra and started crying a little more openly, "Bless you Jerra. Bless you, your determination, your spirit, your soul. But I..."
"Zelda, I am coming with you."
"As am I," said Karak strongly, "Link; you and Zelda speak of destiny. Well I know I was destined to come with you. There is a reason we met when we did, and this is the reason. I am supposed to come with you, and I will. As Jerra said, I have to do this for Vuto's sake, and for Yerra. And me helping you is destiny, because I know it is in doing this that I can appease my restless soul, and the soul of my father, and the spirit of Karak senior."
"Thank you." Said Link, simply. "Thank you Karak." Then grandsons of Karak embraced, and both felt a newer strength coming to them. "Thank you so much."
Then Link broke away and turned to face the mountains. "The fortress lies ahead, and I will not stop till death me. This is it." He took a step onto the mountain track, and Zelda joined his side. The others followed behind side by side and hand in hand for fear of what lay along the road. Link through his head up triumphantly in the air and let the ravaging wind blow through his hair. "There is no going back."