Chapter 16 – The End Of The Road
The pass into the mountains very quickly became a dead end, narrowing steadily until it came to an impassable point. The rock itself was like nothing that they had come across before. It was a dull black, and often dusty, but in some places it was a clear glass-black, as though it was made of onyx. The track under their feet
They had no choice now but to climb, and climb they did. They made their way slowly up the rock face, heaving all their bodyweight, struggling to find a place to rest their feet. One by one they reached the top. Then, after a fleeting second of satisfaction, they looked up at the impossibility before them. The entire way up the mountain was rocky and barren, sheer cliff after sheer cliff, dead walls, and evil presence everywhere. Link moved towards the next one confidently, without looking back, but was stopped by a harsh cry, "Link!" Jerra was staring at Karak wide eyed, looking deeply worried, and it was clear why. Karak had turned completely pale, and had fallen back against the wall and was slipping to the ground. Link came running, but Karak had already fallen.
"Karak!" He shouted, but then his expression changed. "The Curse of the Heart of Evil has struck him," he said, horrified. "Karak, can you not hear me?" Karak's eyes had closed, and now he lay still, unmoving, cold and lifeless, like all those others that were dying.
Zelda ran to his side, and put her hand on his forehead, "Oh Karak, why?" She lay on his body, almost crying, then looked up at Jerra. "Jerra, there is nothing we can do for him. But you will have to stay with him now to see that nothing happens to him."
They had accepted Karak's situation very fast, the urgency to keep going was so much. "Yes, Jerra. Stay with Karak, there is nothing you can do." Link was very desperate.
"But-" Jerra was stunned. "Why-"
"Me and Link have to keep going. Karak will be fine, but only if we carry on now unhindered. Watch over him."
"Yes...alright." Jerra nodded, and Link and Zelda turned to the mountain face again.
At the top of the next cliff, Zelda fell flat on her face in exhaustion, and Link had to pull her back up onto her feet.
The path levelled here, but they walked around the side of the mountain, gaining little height. Thunder shook the earth again, and they trembled with fear. They said little, and ate and drank nothing. There was no reason left in food, all they could think about now was getting higher. Getting higher and finding the place they were looking for.
Along the way, they fell often as the path gave way beneath them. Blood ran from Link's face, and Zelda's body was bruised and bleeding. But they would not give in. Link and Zelda struggled on against all hope, every breath they drew pulling them closer to death. And with every passing hour they grew weaker, and the evil grew stronger. Walking hunched and crawling, they made their slow way through the gathering doom of the mountains.
And then there came a point where they could not go on. Zelda collapsed to the ground in exhaustion and Link came to her side, and fell down also. Lying together up against a high rocky wall, Link and Zelda held each other tight, and tried to shelter from the torturous rain and raging winds. Blood ran from their faces and their arms and their legs, and there were tears in their eyes. They had come so far, and could go no further. Then amidst all the chaos and pain, Link's mind fell from the sorrow and a happy thought passed his mind. "Zelda...do you remember when we first met?" He looked at her gently, trying to shut out everything that was so wrong. "Late in the afternoon, on a warm spring day..."
"Yes..." She smiled, and Link brushed his hand along her hair. "I can feel it..." She shut her eyes, and her body relaxed. "A breeze was blowing, and the flowers were swaying gently, and the birds were singing..."
"The water was cool, and ran calm and clear in the river..."
"Music was playing in the castle..."
"The sun was shining brightly..."
"It was beautiful..." Zelda turned onto her side and looked into Link's weary eyes. He smiled back at her.
Link's mind was freed from the grief, and now there as nothing but the two of them. And now, at the end of all things, he knew how he truly felt. "But there was nothing there was more radiant than you...and once I saw you I knew I would never see anything more divine upon the face of the earth. I've known since the first time I ever laid eyes upon you Zelda...I love you."
Zelda was crying, from happiness or pain or both, he didn't know. "Yes Link, I know. I have always loved you."
The two of them were clinging to each other so tightly, and as lighting flashed and thunder roared and black rain hailed down upon them, everything was suddenly lighter upon them. "Link," Zelda cried, "I cannot go on like this. I cannot go on living in darkness and death. There should only be good in this world. All the evil must go, and the sun should shine forth upon this land once more. When this is all over, we must be together always, and never be apart again."
"I know," Tears were streaming from his face, mixed with hers, "there's so much wrong now, it's not right..."
"...And here we are, alone in the dark in the ruin of the world. The Curse of Death cannot be ended..." She coughed a cough of somebody dying. "How can we go on? My body feels broken, and if I take another step higher up this accursed mountain I will fall and never return."
"I know, I know." Link wiped back her hair, and then pulled back his own. "But I swore that I would die before I stopped trying; and try I will." He rose to his feet slowly, bones aching; blood dripping on the floor from gashes made by the razor sharp rocks. "I will not give in!" He reached forward and took a step, and then another.
"Nor will I," said Zelda clambering to her feet, using the wall for support. "I did not come all this way to die like this!" She wiped her eyes and followed on behind Link.
And so they climbed, they stumbled, they crawled. Pulling themselves along, always trying to move on, getting ever higher. And as they came to a peak, they looked back across the world. The sky was dark everywhere now, evil had fallen heavily. "The world is dying Link," cried Zelda, "we can't stop now! We have to go on!" Her face with dirty with dirt and tears and sweat and dried blood. Link was the same, and he looked like a menacing figure now, but she saw so much compassion in him. Then Zelda lost her footing on the peak and fell backwards from the ridge over the steep slope do the other side of the mountain.
"Zelda!" Link leaped down behind her, sliding down the slope after her. The both collapsed at the bottom of this great slope and remained lying flat on the ground. Utterly defeated, dying. Then Link looked up, eyes so low they were in the dirt, but he saw something now that made his heart leap with joy because he was there at last, but also cripple him with fear and horror and hatred. "Zelda..." He shook her shoulder, and she looked up wearily. "We're here..."
Zelda wiped mud from her eyes and looked up at the structure of evil and death before her. "We're here...We're really here...The Fortress of Darkness..."
The pass into the mountains very quickly became a dead end, narrowing steadily until it came to an impassable point. The rock itself was like nothing that they had come across before. It was a dull black, and often dusty, but in some places it was a clear glass-black, as though it was made of onyx. The track under their feet
They had no choice now but to climb, and climb they did. They made their way slowly up the rock face, heaving all their bodyweight, struggling to find a place to rest their feet. One by one they reached the top. Then, after a fleeting second of satisfaction, they looked up at the impossibility before them. The entire way up the mountain was rocky and barren, sheer cliff after sheer cliff, dead walls, and evil presence everywhere. Link moved towards the next one confidently, without looking back, but was stopped by a harsh cry, "Link!" Jerra was staring at Karak wide eyed, looking deeply worried, and it was clear why. Karak had turned completely pale, and had fallen back against the wall and was slipping to the ground. Link came running, but Karak had already fallen.
"Karak!" He shouted, but then his expression changed. "The Curse of the Heart of Evil has struck him," he said, horrified. "Karak, can you not hear me?" Karak's eyes had closed, and now he lay still, unmoving, cold and lifeless, like all those others that were dying.
Zelda ran to his side, and put her hand on his forehead, "Oh Karak, why?" She lay on his body, almost crying, then looked up at Jerra. "Jerra, there is nothing we can do for him. But you will have to stay with him now to see that nothing happens to him."
They had accepted Karak's situation very fast, the urgency to keep going was so much. "Yes, Jerra. Stay with Karak, there is nothing you can do." Link was very desperate.
"But-" Jerra was stunned. "Why-"
"Me and Link have to keep going. Karak will be fine, but only if we carry on now unhindered. Watch over him."
"Yes...alright." Jerra nodded, and Link and Zelda turned to the mountain face again.
At the top of the next cliff, Zelda fell flat on her face in exhaustion, and Link had to pull her back up onto her feet.
The path levelled here, but they walked around the side of the mountain, gaining little height. Thunder shook the earth again, and they trembled with fear. They said little, and ate and drank nothing. There was no reason left in food, all they could think about now was getting higher. Getting higher and finding the place they were looking for.
Along the way, they fell often as the path gave way beneath them. Blood ran from Link's face, and Zelda's body was bruised and bleeding. But they would not give in. Link and Zelda struggled on against all hope, every breath they drew pulling them closer to death. And with every passing hour they grew weaker, and the evil grew stronger. Walking hunched and crawling, they made their slow way through the gathering doom of the mountains.
And then there came a point where they could not go on. Zelda collapsed to the ground in exhaustion and Link came to her side, and fell down also. Lying together up against a high rocky wall, Link and Zelda held each other tight, and tried to shelter from the torturous rain and raging winds. Blood ran from their faces and their arms and their legs, and there were tears in their eyes. They had come so far, and could go no further. Then amidst all the chaos and pain, Link's mind fell from the sorrow and a happy thought passed his mind. "Zelda...do you remember when we first met?" He looked at her gently, trying to shut out everything that was so wrong. "Late in the afternoon, on a warm spring day..."
"Yes..." She smiled, and Link brushed his hand along her hair. "I can feel it..." She shut her eyes, and her body relaxed. "A breeze was blowing, and the flowers were swaying gently, and the birds were singing..."
"The water was cool, and ran calm and clear in the river..."
"Music was playing in the castle..."
"The sun was shining brightly..."
"It was beautiful..." Zelda turned onto her side and looked into Link's weary eyes. He smiled back at her.
Link's mind was freed from the grief, and now there as nothing but the two of them. And now, at the end of all things, he knew how he truly felt. "But there was nothing there was more radiant than you...and once I saw you I knew I would never see anything more divine upon the face of the earth. I've known since the first time I ever laid eyes upon you Zelda...I love you."
Zelda was crying, from happiness or pain or both, he didn't know. "Yes Link, I know. I have always loved you."
The two of them were clinging to each other so tightly, and as lighting flashed and thunder roared and black rain hailed down upon them, everything was suddenly lighter upon them. "Link," Zelda cried, "I cannot go on like this. I cannot go on living in darkness and death. There should only be good in this world. All the evil must go, and the sun should shine forth upon this land once more. When this is all over, we must be together always, and never be apart again."
"I know," Tears were streaming from his face, mixed with hers, "there's so much wrong now, it's not right..."
"...And here we are, alone in the dark in the ruin of the world. The Curse of Death cannot be ended..." She coughed a cough of somebody dying. "How can we go on? My body feels broken, and if I take another step higher up this accursed mountain I will fall and never return."
"I know, I know." Link wiped back her hair, and then pulled back his own. "But I swore that I would die before I stopped trying; and try I will." He rose to his feet slowly, bones aching; blood dripping on the floor from gashes made by the razor sharp rocks. "I will not give in!" He reached forward and took a step, and then another.
"Nor will I," said Zelda clambering to her feet, using the wall for support. "I did not come all this way to die like this!" She wiped her eyes and followed on behind Link.
And so they climbed, they stumbled, they crawled. Pulling themselves along, always trying to move on, getting ever higher. And as they came to a peak, they looked back across the world. The sky was dark everywhere now, evil had fallen heavily. "The world is dying Link," cried Zelda, "we can't stop now! We have to go on!" Her face with dirty with dirt and tears and sweat and dried blood. Link was the same, and he looked like a menacing figure now, but she saw so much compassion in him. Then Zelda lost her footing on the peak and fell backwards from the ridge over the steep slope do the other side of the mountain.
"Zelda!" Link leaped down behind her, sliding down the slope after her. The both collapsed at the bottom of this great slope and remained lying flat on the ground. Utterly defeated, dying. Then Link looked up, eyes so low they were in the dirt, but he saw something now that made his heart leap with joy because he was there at last, but also cripple him with fear and horror and hatred. "Zelda..." He shook her shoulder, and she looked up wearily. "We're here..."
Zelda wiped mud from her eyes and looked up at the structure of evil and death before her. "We're here...We're really here...The Fortress of Darkness..."