hello, sorry I haven't updated for a while but that's because no one was reviewing! btw what I said about this story being Link's last one in Hyrule isn't true, I forgot to put my next story is the last one in Hyrule. . anyways, enjoy.
Section 4
Llance the Kaarinean
"And just where are you going, Prince Taig?" Taig froze in the middle of opening his wings, and turned his head haltingly to look at Scal-zer. The four-house-sized dragon had shiney green body scales and tough-looking yellow underbelly scales. His blue wings were strangely reflective and his large, ivory-colored horns curved like a ram's.
"Ehehehe....um, nowhere..." Taig muttered nervously.
"And with a human on your back? Prince Taig, you are not a pack animal! I don't care if he's the Hero of Time, he can ride one of his griffons!" Taig frowned.
"Foiled, curses!" He said under his breath to Link. "I guess you'll have to ride a griffon, and Scal-zer will no doubt follow us..."
"I'm sorry Young Majesty, but I'm your guard for the time being and I cannot allow you to leave my sight. It's for your own safety, you know. Especially with Link's attacker still out there somewhere. Ganondorf was supposed to be a very powerful human."
"Yeah, I know." Taig said, seeing Faraws appear behind Scal-zer. She was a slim black dragon with tatooish red markings on her body scales and long, slightly curved silver horns. Almost shiny, large, grey scales covered her chest, and long, sharp spikes covered her spine. Her wings were a very dark shade of red and her eyes were purplish blue. She was about as big as two ponies. "Hey, Faraws. Now that Scal-zer is coming, you might as well come too..."
"These humans want to come as well," Faraws pointing to Zelda and Chain behind her. "Sorry, Taig!" She said quickly as Taig glared at her.
"Well now that we're having a little party, why don't I tell you where we're going! Were going to go look at the dust I saw rising yesterday, which you don't believe I saw!" Taig said, looking at Scal-zer, who shrugged.
"I believe you, Taig! I couldn't see it either, but maybe your royal eyes are very sharp or something." Faraws said. After Link, Chain and Zelda had gotten the griffons (Link and Chain rode on Kars, and Zelda rode on Naltha) Taig flew into the air north of the castle and they followed. Scal-zer and Faraws brought up the rear. Taig climbed very high, beating his golden wings quickly, his red scales shining in the dim light coming from the cloud-hidden sun. Taig climbed so high that when he leveled off, it seemed that the group was only a few feet below the gray clouds covering the sky. Link felt almost guilty riding Kars, because Epona had gotten jealous of him last time. Link greatly missed her already...She was always such a sweet, funny, nice, protective, amazing horse. I guess she must've been the best horse in Hyrule. Poor Epona...The thought of her made Link extremely sad, but he couldn't worry about that now...
Taig glided to the right, and the flying creatures behind him, as if playing a sky version of follow the leader, persued. Link leaned over and saw the Royal Field and Ethereal forest far, far below. The air was thin and cold, but Taig and the rest glided on for about ten minutes before Taig spoke up.
"Look, there it is! Don't tell me you can't see that, Scal-zer!" Taig yelled over the rushing of his relative wind.
"I see it this time, Prince Taig! It looks like you were right! But what is it?"
"I knew it! The Great Taig's eyes are sharper than a hawk's!" The red dragon said loudly, grinning in triump. Everyone ignorred him. Zelda used a spell to enhance her own sight, and gasped at what she saw at the base of the cloud of dust.
"Link, that's an army down there! Not a normal one, either! They look like...dinosaur soldiers or something! They're tall and have these spikey crests on their heads..."
"Sounds lika a drouge," said Naltha. "They're a creature that lives in wastelands. I heard about them from my mother, a very wise griffon. Drouges are supposed to be stupid, but apparently someone has trained those ones to march in an orderly formation. How strange!"
"And there's somebody leading them...he looks like a human, Link! It's hard to tell, though. They're right on the border of the forest, about to enter it." Zelda informed him.
"Let's get down there before they do," Link said. "I want to talk to that guy!"
"Link, are you crazy? They look like a hostile army and your back's out of comission! What if that guy attacks you?"
"I'll deal with it. Just cast a haste spell on us so we can get to them before they enter the forest. That way we won't have to go through the army to talk to the leader because the trees are too thick for griffons to land in."
"Right, right...you can always cast Nayru's Love on yourself if he attacks you, I suppose...but I'm only casting the haste spell on the griffons and Taig or else it won't be a very fast one." Zelda chanted a few words and a magical aura surrounded her, which soon spread out into three beams that hit Kars, Naltha and Taig. They were immediately flying at three times their original speed.
"You can catch up with us, Scal-zer and Faraws!" Taig called back at their shrinking forms. Scal-zer didn't look too happy, but didn't protest either. At least he could see the prince.
The man and his force of drouges were just exiting the wasteland/field. They had found an area where the cliff sepparating them from the forest sloped rather than dropped and were marching down it. As the dragon, griffons and Hylians got closer, they could see the army was indeed just about to enter the forest. Taig swooped down in front of them, as did Naltha and Kars. The three of them landed before the leader. As Taig came down some of the drouges shifted nervously, and others yelped as if afraid. The leader, however was not impressed. As Link and Chain got off of Kars, Link saw that the leader was a man of avarage height, and his most noticable feature was his silvery-white hair. In the back he had a small, thin, long braid (like a braided rat tail) and the unbraided hair in back went down to his chin, but the rest was shorter. He seemed to be in his late twenties. A large portion of his nose-length bangs covered his face, but through it he saw that the man had one red eye and one brown eye. His sleeveless shirt was black, rimmed with gold and emroidered with silver designes, and was split down the middle but folded over itself Japanese style. He was wearing baggy white and black pants tucked into knee-high black boots covered with belts and metal studs. A very long, straight sword was belted to his waist and he folded his arms as Link approached him, glaring angrily. He had a scar that looked like someone had tried to cut his left eye, the red one.
Link stopped a few feet in front of the man, looking into his face defiantly. Taig and the rest watched silently as the silver-haired man looked over Link, an irritated expression covering his features. Link noticed that his ears were not pointed...definately not Hylian. His two-colored eyes pierced into Link's once more.
"What is this, a costumed welcoming comittee? I do not have time for you, boy. Get out of the way." His deep but young voice held a loud, dangerous tone that gave a sharp edge to the following brief silence.
"I am Link, the Hero of Time and protector of Hyrule. If you and your army are hostile, I suggest you leave while you're ahead." Link's exression was very serious, something his friends only saw when he was regarding a very real threat.
"So, you're an inhabitant of this country, are you? What is 'Hero of Time', some cute nickname your buddies give you? If you're going to threaten me, I suggest you bring more force than yourself and your welcoming comittee."
"Why have you come here? Surely you don't mean to invade a country about which you know nothing. Especially with that sad-looking bunch." Link glanced at the drouges. They were about twelve feet tall, slightly chubby but very muscular, and covered with thick scales. They stood on their hind legs and were various shades of green, brown or black. On the drouges' heads were huge spikes slanted backwards and outwards, like big crests. They were all wearing blank, confused expressions and some were staring wide-eyed at Taig. Only the one closest behind the silver-haired man seemed to have noticed Link's existance. It's mouth was hanging open stupidly and Link saw that it had what looked like hundreds of long, sharp teeth. "Just who are you, anyway?" Link asked.
"My name is Llance, a Kaarinean, and though my drouges may not be bright, you'd be surprised at the damage they can do when angered. And I have more than enough magic to make them all very angry. Now move or I'll kill you." Zelda, Chain, Taig and the griffons were still quiet and unmoving, but all were now glaring at Llance.
"Don't be foolish. You have no idea of the military power this country is capable of. You and your drouges should go back to where you came from while you still can. I can't let you go any furthur." Link said firmly.
Link, what are you doing?! Zelda wondered urgently. He's picking a fight with a guy that has an entire army behind him! It's good that he's bold and all that, but he's going too far this time...
"You and what army, boy?!" The Kaarinean shouted, his arm pulling his sword out of its sheath as quick as lightening and pointing it at Link's neck. Link backed away, his hand on the Master Sword's hilt. But before he could draw it, Scal-zer and Faraws finally arrived. They had been flying low over the forest, so their sudden apprearance from over the huge trees was quite a shock to the drouges. The dragons caused instant chaos in Llance's army. The drouges were all terrified of mountain dragons, and roaring in horror they began shoving and climbing over each other to get away.
"No, you stupid beasts!" Llance yelled, whirling around. "Get back here!" Unfortunately for Llance, the drouges were fast runners and were already charging like rhinos in the opposite direction. It was quite comical to see the huge beasts running like cowards, and Link noticed something he hadn't seen before: each drouge had a red, tribal-tattoo looking scar in its back. Llance began to weave a spell, and spread his arms out, scattering small shards of red magic. The spell reached the dozen or so closest drouges, and the red magic hit their scaled backs and dissappeared in little puffs of smoke. Then, the scar on the backs of every drouge that was hit began to glow and smoke, burning the drouge painfully. Their eyes turned red as they turned around and came running back, obviously very angry. One struck the ground in a temper, and Link was suprised as the strong fist made a crater and split the ground, sending cracks out in every direction. The ground shook as the drouges ran at Llance.
"Curse you, Link...I'll have to capture them all again! At least these ones will be plenty enough to crush you and your welcoming comittee! Drouges, KILL THEM!" Llance pointed at Link and the rest (Scal-zer and Faraws had landed behind Link) and the drouges, controlled by his magic, attacked. The three dragons and two griffons took to the air and flew at the group of dinosaur soldiers, heading them off before they reached Link. Link drew his sword and Llance turned around to face him as Zelda and Chain rushed past to help with the drouges. "So it looks like you could back up all those brave words afterall. I bet your country is just full of dragons, isn't it?" Llance asked, straightening up and raising his sword. The silver hilt was encrusted with many jewels which glowed. Link supposed it must be enchanted.
"More than enough to beat those dinosaurs, anyways." Link said. "So, I guess we fight?"
"But of course. Let's see if you're as strong as you think you are!" Llance chanted something quickly, and two semitransparent, whitish bat-shaped wings sprung from his back. "You're very unlucky. I draw my power from the constellations and this month I command the magic of the mighty winged serpent, Ocard!" As Link slashed at Llance he lept into the air, hovering for a few seconds. Then he put away his sword and aimed a kick at Link's face, which Link blocked with his shield. The kick had been only a destraction, though. As Link lowered his shield he found that Llance was behind him, and the Kaarinean gripped him in a vicelike hold than pinned his arms to his sides. Before Link could get free Llance jumped into the air and flapped his strange wings, gaining altitude amazingly fast for having the weight of two people to carry. They were soaring over the cliffs in a few moments. Link had stopped struggling, knowing that at this point he would only fall if he got free. He looked down at the far-away ground, and his stomach felt like there was a score of butterflies in it, flapping madly against his rib cage.
"I hope you like heights, 'Hero of Time', or else you'll have nothing but a few moments of terror before you splat against the ground!" With that, Llance opened his arms.
"Whaaaaaahh!" Link screamed loudly as he plummeted. This was why he hated heights. He fell from them too often! But, it was a good thing that he had plenty of experience with falling. As he hit the ground he twisted and rolled, preventing any serious injuries but still getting a major bruise on his right arm and twisting his ankle, making it most irrtatingly useless. Link slowly stood up, putting all his weight over his right, undamaged leg. Llance landed in front of him, and drew his sword again.
"Well, well. Not bad. I guess I should've taken you higher." Link raised his own sword and glared at the Kaarinean, then felt a stirring in his hat. Seconds later, Navi emerged.
"Hey! What is going on? A fairy can't even take a decent nap...uh, who's he, Link?" Navi asked, looking at Llance.
"He's the enemy! Find out his weakness, will you?" Link asked, mad at himself that he hadn't woken her earlier. Knowing Llance's weakness at this point would be very useful. Navi nodded and flew over to hover around Llance's head, shining yellow light on him and helping Link aim as he took out his bow.
"Oh please!" Llance said irritably, and chanting a few words that were a simple spell for him, a wooden shield appeared between him and Link. Link grinned and called apon the magic given to him by the sun, the power to create fire arrows. A tingly fiery feeling spread through Link's blood, flowing into his hands and then his arrow. The tip burst into magical flames and Link fired it into Llance's shield. "What? You have magic? How about that." Llance discarded the burning shield and began forming a huge fireball in his hands.
"Weakness, Navi!" Link yelled urgently, struggling to cast Nayru's Love before Llance was done with his ball. Just as Link was engulfed in protective blue magic, Llance let go of his fire ball. The huge thing smashed against Nayru's Love, not hurting Link but still throwing him back. As Link got up, holding his bruised arm, he noticed he was getting closer to the edge of the cliffs...
"I'm trying, Link! This isn't just a simlpe monster, you know!" Llance swatted briefly at her, but wasn't irritated enough to attack her. He was powering up his sword, and sharp-looking orange magic was forming on its tip. Just as Nayru's Love was about to start fading, Llance thrust his sword, which was covered in shield-breaking magic, right through it. It cracked the spell and blue shards flew everywhere as Link was once again shoved back by the shockwave. He was thown to the ground and slid a few feet, and when he stopped the top half of his body was almost over the edge of the cliffs, which dropped off down to sharp rocks scores of feet below. Climbing to hit feet once again, Link turned to find Llance's sword pointed at his chest.
"Give up, or I swear I'll see you die apon those rocks..."
"Listen! Link, I see his weakness! He can't conjure shield spells strong enough to protect him from very powerful magic strikes of pure energy!" Navi yelled excitedly. Link thanked the fairy.
"Shut up, you annoying little gnat," Llance growled, swatting at her again. Link slashed at Llance's sword with his own, knocking it away from his chest. He then pressed the Master Sword against Llance's chest, making him back up and give Link room to get away from the cliffs.
"You give up or you'll be locked up in a cell under Hyrule Castle!" Link threatened. Llance gave a short laugh, but his eyes looked slightly worried. Suddenly both warriors' attention were brought to the field behind them by a great roar. They turned to see Scal-zer drive his sharp tail through the chest of the last standing drouge.
"Dang... you'll pay for this, Link!" Llance declared, using the opportunity to flap his wings and jump back, far out ot the range of Link's sword. "Take this!" Llance pointed his arm at Link and a large, magical, seethroughish orange snake with horns, wings and small claws shot out of his hand. Though it looked like it would have been a powerful spell if it had hit Link, the Hylian's reflexes were too quick. He hit the striking snake across the face with his sword, making it vanish in a billowing orange puff of smoke. Link then used his most recently learned sword technique.
He stabbed with the Master Sword in Llance's direction and a red blast of searing energy bolted out of its tip, and was almost to Llance before he could errect his inadequate shield spell. The blast obliterated the small spell, ripping into Llance like a storm. Though Llance's shield spell had been weak, it hadn't been completely useless and Link's blast didn't hit him in full force. Still, the magic was enough to send him flying though the air twenty feet and land roughly on the ground, smoke rising from his burnt clothes and chest.
"C-curses...I underestimated you, kid. You haven't seen the last of me..." With that, Llance casted a teleportation spell and was gone.
"Whew, that was close." Link said, fighting the temptation to drop to his knees. He was very tired and sore, but he had to make sure his freinds were all right. Fortunately he was spared the trouble of limping over to them, because they came over to him. Link saw, to his relief, that no one had been seriously injured.
"Are you alright, Link?" Zelda asked, reaching him first. She was putting pressure on a small cut on her shoulder and she looked tired, but other than that she was fine.
"Yeah. I managed to hit that guy with my sword blast because he couldn't see what I was doing through some smoke. The smoke was caused by a spell he made, so that was pretty lucky. How is everyone? Sorry to just leave you like that..."
"Don't be rediculous! You can't fight a powerful magic user and his monsters at the same time. Besides, we're all fine. Those beasts were amazingly powerful but pretty dumb. We were able to sepparate them, thank goodness, and take them out one by one. Scal-zer was hit by on and got a huge bruise on his shoulder and Kars's tail got bitten," Link looked over at the Scal-zer and saw that it was true. His entire left shoulder was a nasty black and blue and a little squashed looking. Kars's tail was bleeding profusely and he was whining over it. "...but other than that, no one was hurt seriously. We were pretty lucky ourselves. Good thing those monsters were dead scared of dragons." Link nodded, then Zelda frowned at him. "But you are a trouble maker! Picking a fight with Llance like that! If his army wasn't afraid of dragons we'd all be dead by now! Especially you, recovering from a broken back!" Link looked embarassed.
"Sorry about that, but I had to say something to him. I couldn't look weak in front of him or he'd be more confident in his take over. Besides, I guessed they were afraid of dragons by their reaction to Taig."
"It still wasn't very smart," Chain said, walking over to Link. "And you've gone and hurt your foot, too. You'll be lucky indeed if Cyphas allows Zelda to heal that."
"Cyphas doesn't have to know about it," Link said. "I've sprained my ankle so many times in my life I doubt it'll get much stronger, anyway."
"Well then, I suggest we get back to the castle before Mr. Hero picks a fight with any more armies," Faraws said. "Us dragons still have to report to our Queen and King of Dragons and create a communication spell, you know."
"Awww, do I have to go with you guys? My mom doesn't really need me to report to her...can't I stay a few days?" Taig pleaded. Scal-zer sighed.
"Well, I don't see why not. Just don't get yourself into trouble, Prince Taig. If you do, it's my head."
"Yeah! Thanks, Scal-zer!" Taig yelled. The large dragon simply smiled.
Section 5
Love and War
After Zelda and Faraws had healed everyone's wounds, the Hylians got back on the griffons and followed the dragons back to Hyrule castle. Zelda quickly went to go and report to her father, and Scal-zer and Faraws, after saying good-bye, flew back to Dracoulis. Link, Taig, and Chain were left with nothing to do. This was not a good thing.
"Hey, I've got an idea," Chain said. He was sitting beside Link and Taig in the courtyard. "Let's go prank the soldiers' barracks!"
"Yeah!" Taig said enthusiastically.
"No," Link said flatly.
"Aw, why not? They're probably all tense from the news of Ganon's return. We could lighten the mood a bit." Chain said.
"They have enough on their minds and they need their sleep for training. Why would you want to prank them anyways? They protect Hyrule." Link pointed out. Navi shifted slightly under his hat, sleeping. Link wondered how it was possible for someone to sleep so much! When she wasn't helping him or picking fights, she was always sleeping in his hat.
"Tch, are you kidding? You protect Hyrule. All they do is train all day!"
"Chain! That's completely not true! Don't you remember the time that they...uh..."
"Accused you of trying to kill the King? Put you in jail? Bit my head off for joking with Zelda? Yeah, I remember that!"
"But Chain, you're forgetting something. One of them recently died, and his funeral is tonight!"
"Oh yeah," Chain muttered. "I guess we can always prank them later. I want to get back at that Garret guy."
"All he did was gently remprimand you, you whiner." Cyphas's hard voice rang out behind Chain, making him jump again.
"Will you stop doing that!" Chain growled. Cyphas simply laughed.
"Well it's about time we continue our training, Link." Link turned and looked at her questioningly.
"What are you, stupid? He's got an aching back! If he trains with you not only will you beat him to uselessness, but Zelda will have both your heads!" Taig said loudly.
"Well, moron, if you'd listen for a minute I'll explain. Right now Link's back hurts and it'll take a couple of weeks for it to heal. What's the point of waiting around for that and then giving him more wounds that will take time to heal so he can take a punch better? Would it not be more efficient to get it over with now so that in two weeks he'll feel completely better and be in shape to fight evil?"
"More efficient? What if you kill him, you idiot?" Chain demanded. Cyphas rolled her eyes.
"I can control my strength and I know, as a professional Link-saver, how much his body can take. I won't kill him."
"She's got a point, Chain." Link said.
"You're on her side? Your both idiots!" Chain hollered. Taig elbowed him and told him to calm down.
"I can take a little more pain if it means I'll be ready to fight sooner. This might be a good idea." Link said. Chain glared at him and looked away.
"Well if Cyphas doesn't kill you, Zelda will. You know she'll have a fit." He said, folding his arms. Link sighed.
"Are you gonna tattle on us, then?" He asked. Chain grimaced.
"You make it sound as if it would be a bad thing, trying to protect your health! Besides, I don't think you should keep secrets from Zelda. Friends don't do that." The words stung, but Link thought it would be far worse if evil confronted him and he had a bruised gut or achy back. He wanted to be free of disabilitating injuries as soon as possible.
"Don't you think it would be for the best, Chain? I've hurt worse than this for longer than this in my life. I can handle more pain for a week or two. It's better to suffer bad pain for a short time than less bad pain for much longer! Don't you know that I really want to get Ganondorf out of Hyrule? How will I be ready to fight him if I'm injured for four weeks? Please don't tell Zelda. She's my best buddy but she wouldn't understand this." Link said. It was Chain's turn to sigh.
"I guess you're right...we definately need you in good health as soon as possible with the Master of Evil around...I won't tell her. But if she finds out anyway, don't expect me to defend you!" Chain said, scowling.
"Thanks, Chain. I appreciate it." Link said. "Why do you call Ganon the 'Master of Evil', anyways?" He asked curiously. Chain had called Ganon that every time he mentioned him.
"Well...I guess it's because when I was being raised by the Gerudo they expected me to call him that. It was either that or 'Your Majesty'."
"You were raised by Gerudos?! You must be great with a bow and sword!" Cyphas said.
"You bet he is. Forgive me for bringing this up Chain, but while he was the Dragonlord he shot me from behind a cloud thousands of feet up, and his sword skill was excellent." Link said.
"Yeah, they trained me hard night and day. They refused to train me on a horse, though. They said that all boys except their King were inferior and therefore should not be trained in all of the Gerudo arts. Ah, those were the horrible old days." He said, pretending to get nostalgic.
"Well, Cosha's funeral is in an hour. We should get ready." Link said.
"Ready?" Taig questioned.
"Yeah, me and Chain have to wear our Royal Guard armor to it. They usually let us get away with not wearing it because I'm the Hero of Time and he's my brother, but there's no waivers on this. All Royal Guards attending must wear their armor." Cyphas muttered something under her breath.
"Well, I don't like gatherings so I'll see you tomorrow, Link." The Hylian-zora said, running to the courtyard wall. She jumped amazingly high and grabbed the top, vaulting over it.
"I always knew she was a freak," Chain said. Link glared at him. "I know, I know. She's just a poor, innocent, misunderstood halfbreed to rips anyone's head off when they disagree with her and gets a kick out of using you for a punching bag." Link chose not to respond to that, and the two Hylians with Taig left the courtyard just as the sun was beginning to sink under its walls. They went to Link's room so he and Chain could change, and went stright to the funeral after dinner. It was held at Castletown, in a graveyard behind the Temple of Time. A long obituary was read and the crowd, mostly composed of soldiers with a few citizen here or there (Daphnes and Zelda were there too), listened in silence. There was a very solemn air about the ceremony, but also one of anger. Even though no one had said anything about it, Link could feel that many soldiers were outraged by Ganondorf taking their former comrad in such an underhanded way. Link looked around for Raykel and saw him on the very edge of the crowd. His eyes were closed as he listened to the eulogy. Though Link could tell he was making a mighty effort not to show emotion, it seemed that the emotion might come leaking out of his dark eyes at any moment.
Link stared back at Cosha's coffin, draped with the Hyrulian flag, feeling sadness rise within himself as well. He was able to keep it under control, though. When the obituary, lowering of the coffin and prayer were finished, Raykel left in a hurry. Link knew he probably wanted to be by himself but had to say something. He left Taig and Chain (hoping they wouldn't be bored and prank someone), and went back to the castle because that was the way he had seen Raykel go. He discovered the Captain of the Royal Guard sitting up against a dark, remote corner of the castle by himself. As Link approached, Raykel said nothing, staring intently at the moon above him. Link sat next to him. Long minutes of silence passed before Link said anything.
"Raykel, listen. It was...partly my fault that Cosha's gone." Link said quietly, bowing his head. "I'm really very sorry, Raykel. I'll understand if you never speak to me again. I know he was very special to you...he was a great guy."
"You'll understand? Then I can peacefully despise you for the rest of your existance." Link looked over at him in surprise. He hadn't known what to expect, but it wasn't that. Raykel grinned. "Oh, I'm only kidding, Link!" Link smiled, feeling very relieved and very gullible. "I don't hold you responsible. I'm sure if there was anything you couldv'e done to prevent Cosha's death, you would have. Besides...I'm sure he's in a happier place.." Raykel said. Though he was smiling, a tear slid down his cheek. "He was a great apprentice before the Dragonlord polluted him. Such an enthusiastic, bright boy. I have many fond memories of him and I'll miss him...but if anyone's to blame, it's Ganondorf. If you don't get revenge on him, I will."
"Don't worry, he'll pay. Do you want to talk about Cosha?" Link asked, thinking that might help Raykel feel better.
"No...I just want to think and enjoy the night." Raykel said, wiping his eye. "Don't tell anyone about that..."
"Of course not. You take care of yourself, alright?" Link said, momentarily placing a hand on Raykel's shoulder. He then left to go find Zelda. Ganondorf won't get away with this...if we don't stop him, ther'll be hundreds of funerals like Cosha's and many sad people like Raykel. As soon as I'm well enough, Ganon won't know what hit him...Link thought darkly as he stalked down the hall leading to Zelda's room.
"Link, there you are! Is everything alright?" Zelda asked, walking up in front of him. Until she had spoken, Link hadn't even noticed her.
"Oh, hi. What?"
"You looked really mad about something."
"Three guesses what," Link muttered.
"Yeah, I don't blame you. Anyway, dad thinks that Llance had something to do with Ganondorf, even if he didn't mention him. At least, it's a very good possibility, don't you think?" Zelda asked. Link nodded.
"Speaking of that guy, his ranting about his powers from the stars reminded me that I haven't gone star gazing in a while and some of my favorite constellations are visible this time of year. There's a few hours before bed time...want to come with me?"
"Sure, sounds like fun! Shouldn't we invite Taig and Chain, too?" She asked.
"Well, I don't want to wake up the stable hands to saddle two horses. They go to bed early, you know..." Zelda raised an eyebrow at him.
"Uh-huh. Is that the best excuse you can come up with?" Link looked nervous.
"Eh, well...y'know, they need their rest..."
"Link, we're perfectly capable of saddling horses ourselves, and so is Chain."
"Oh, he is? Let's go get him, then..."
"You know perfectly well that he is. Why don't you just say you want to be alone with me?" Zelda asked. Link was now very flustered.
"No, no! It's not that way! I-I mean...I like you and everything, but not like that...You're like...a sister to me." He finished lamely. Zelda smirked.
"Well, whatever. Are we going or not?" She said, starting off toward the hall that led to the stables. Link was now seriously considering finding Chain and Taig as he trudged after.
"There's Faore, there's the triforce...and there's Ocard. But I can never find the Zora Queen..." Link said, searching the sky. He was laying on his back next to Zelda on a small hill in Royal Field. Jewel was grazing nearby (they had both ridden her since Link was still horseless).
"She's right there," Zelda said, pointing to a cluster of stars that looked vaguely like a zora in a flowing dress.
"Yeah, that's right. Where's the red tiger?" Zelda pointed again, at a different cluster. "Oh yeah. You know the stars good, don't you?" Link asked.
"Yes, I studied astronomy. I had to, being a princess. I know all 84 constellations." Link whistled.
"That's sure a lot," he said, shifting to get more comfortable.
"How's your back, Link?"
"It's feeling much better than this morning. It's only a dull ache now."
"Good. You were always a fast healer..." Link shrugged in response and fell silent, staring at the sky. From this area of Royal Field almost no light from any town was present to lessen the brightness of the stars. Millions of the glittering eyes were strewn across the deep sky as if spilt there by a careless person carrying a jewel box full of diamonds. Link was glad that the clouds from earlier were mostly cleared up, but there were more on the horizon, threatening to cover the sky once more. The crescent moon was half hidden behind one of those distant clouds, illuminating part of it, making it seem like it glowed. Even though that time of year usually had warm nights, it was starting to get cold and breezy, and would soon be uncomfortably so.
Zelda looked over at Link, whos eyes were fixed on the triforce constellation. His eyes reflected the stars, making them sparkly just the same as the sky. Zelda had always dreamed of being in an ice cave which glittered like the stars with it's shining blueness, and maybe it would look like a world of sapphires. Link's eyes reminded her of that. He looked incredibly attractive with the starlight illuminating his face...
I wonder why he wants to be alone with me...does he really feel like I'm his sister? To any other girl (except Malon) that would have been a wonderful compliment, but it dissappointed Zelda. I suppose it's foolish to love that lone wolf, he'll never have time for a girl. Always saving Hyrule by himself...Vamparlia, the Dragonlord, Feelock, Kadien, Dark Link...he fought them all more or less on his own, not to mention Ganondorf and all the temple bosses. How lonely it must be, struggling to protect what you believe in all by yourself, against a foe which seems undefeatable...He probably likes that loneliness, and that's why he'll never-
"Something on your mind, Zelda?" Link asked. "Or are you staring at me for fun?" Zelda blushed.
"I'm...just cold, that's all." He raised an eyebrow at her.
"Uh-huh. Is that the best excuse you can come up with?" He asked, grinning. She glared at him.
"Oh, just leave me alone. You stare into space sometimes too, don't you? Everyone does." She said. Link looked back at the sky and she grimaced. Well, this obviously isn't a date. He's not even talking, just staring at the stars. He'll never show any loving emotions...She shivered against a cold breeze and stood up, rubbing her arms. "Wierd weather, this cold."
"Yeah. Maybe Ganon's doing it," Link said, standing up next to her. "Want to go back?" Zelda shook her head.
"I can take a little cold...I'm not done looking at the sky yet," Zelda said. Yeah, because you were staring into space, Link thought. Wierd girl...looks kinda pretty in the starlight, though...He looked back at the stars, though they seemed much more lifeless in the sky than they did reflected in the princess's eyes. Zelda shivered again.
"You really are cold, aren't you?" Link asked. He was used to high and low temparatures and the cold didn't bother him, but he'd forgotten that Zelda had never been in the Fire Temple or the ice cave. He then did something which very much suprised Zelda. He put his arm around her. "That better?"
"Eh...yeah." Zelda said, her cheecks turing bright red as she looked down. Could this be the beginning of something? No, I shouldn't fool myself, She thought. He would certainly put his arm around a sister. This doesn't mean anything...
"Well it looks like your done looking at the stars, seeing as how you're now staring at the ground," Link said.
"Y-yes, I'm done now. Shall we?" Zelda called Jewel, and the Hylians rode to the castle in an uncomfotable yet infinately comfortable silence.
The next few days passed very slowly. The soldiers were now enduring a more intensive training program to prepare for war. King Hyrule had sent several spies to the Garudo's Fortress, but none had returned. Zelda, Chain and Taig had nothig to do but train and hope the spies would return. Darunia and the Zora King, as well as the leaders from all other races allied with Hyrule, had sent back notes that they were preparing for war and would come to the castle as soon as they were ready. The idea of magical communication with the dragons was forgotten since they were also coming. Since those letters had come, nothing from the outside world had been sent to the castle. All who dwelt in it found themselves suppressed by this disturbing calm in the storm. First there had been a murder and the very next day a hostile army led by a strange magic-user had approached Hyrule. Now, after four days of no news and no attacks, everyone was becomming uncomfortable with anticipation and alertness. Zelda had told Link to get lots of sleep and refused to let him get trained by Impa with her and the rest, so he secretly trained with Cyphas in his room while they were busy. Navi was also with Zelda, and Link was glad of that because she would be maddest of all if she found out.
"Ugh!" Link groaned, holding his stomach and slumping over. "Good grief, that was a strong one..." He said, panting.
"Well, you took six hard punches in a row without falling over! I must say you're getting better. Anyways, no training tomorrow so your gut can heal. And next time make sure you don't have so much air in your lungs so it will hurt less. I'll see you later, I guess." Cyphas said.
"Thanks, Cyphas." Link said. At first he had thought this training was nothing short of torture, but now that he was actually getting stronger he didn't mind it so much. As Cyphas left Link climbed onto his bed, rubbing his back. Sure hope this heals soon, Link thought. His back was no longer making him unable to move freely, but he knew if it was hit or strained in battle the results would not be pretty. He was just as tense as everyone else, and despite his eagerness to teach Ganon a lesson, he was reluctant to fight the King of Gerudos in bad condition.
Link's room was only about five rooms away from the main entry and drawbridge of Hyrule Castle, and he heard some shouting coming from it. Though his gut ached horribly, Link got out of bed and walked down the hall to the left. He exited the hall and found that the drawbridge was being lowered and several anxious-looking Royal Guards were waiting impatiently for it to lower all the way.
"What's wrong, guys?" Link asked one of them. The one closest to him (it was a relatively young soldier that Link recognized from the Warrior Contest. Link couldn't remember his name but thought it started with 'E') responded quickly.
"The spies have returned! I don't know if they're alive, though..." He said, turning his attention back to the almost lowered drawbridge. Link saw that the alarming news was true. Three horses began to walk across the bridge as it settled on the other side of the moat. The spies appeared to be unconscious and were tied to the backs of their horses. All three were bruised and bloody. A few concerned citizens and soldiers from Castle Town were walking beside the horses, ensuring they would reach the castle and much-needed healing.
"Dang stupid Gerudos!" One Royal Guard growled, rushing over to a horse. The citizens left as the rest of the guards and Link helped the tired horses to the courtyard and untied their passengers. The three men were taken to the infirmary immediately and the King was notified. He showed up about two minutes later, winded and angry.
"Ganondorf will pay for this," He said, surveying his wounded servants. One had a note nailed to his arm. A physician carefully removed the nail and the King read the note as the doctors rushed to treat their patients. "You are a fool to send spies, Daphnes Hyrule," The King read aloud. Link was standing next to him. "You know very well that my servants are experienced thieves and masters at stealth. Nothing can be hidden from them. If you send another spy, he will come back in pieces. This is only the beginning of the horrors you will experience! Prepare for war, pathetic Hyrule! Signed the King of Evil, Ganondorf." The King's face was red. Link didn't know what to say, so he instead offered his services to the doctors. The King stormed out of the infirmary and as soon as Link was done helping the doctors (who declared that all three spies would live but retain large scars), he went to go tell his friends the grim news. He learned later that the first thing the King did after leaving the infirmary was order Castle Town to be filled with soldiers on patrol, and the entire castle was to have twice as many soldiers on watch (even though it had already been doubled) just in case.
"You should have come to me immediately, Link." Zelda said after Link was done explaining. "I can go heal those spies."
"Well, it looks like the doctors have it under control now. With a mix of Arlia and potions the spies are in good enough condition that they don't need healing. All they need now is rest." Zelda nodded.
"And so do you, Link. How's your back?" She asked. Link sighed. This was only the thousanth time she's asked in the last four days.
"It's fine. Not completely healed yet but it hardly bothers me anymore-"
"Link, what's that?" Zelda sked quickly, pointing at his stomach. Link looked down and to his dismay he saw a bit of blood soaking though his tunic.
"Eh, it's nothing," Link said, trying to cover it. "I just spilled some juice..."
"Nothing, indeed! That's blood! What have you been doing, Link?!" Link looked sheepish.
"Um...nothing that's not in the best interest of Hyrule....just...getting in shape, you know..."
"What are you talking about? You mean training? Have you been training with Cyphas? Letting her punch you instead of resting?" Link looked at the ground. "What's the matter with you?! Do you want to die, Link? Is that it? You're not a super human, you can't take so many injuries and not permanently hurt yourself! Don't be stupid!" Link was getting a little annoyed at being yelled at. Who was Zelda to tell him what to do, anyway? Navi fluttered angrilly next to Zelda. She looked like she wanted to reprimand Link too, but apparently Zelda had covered whatever she was going to say.
"Zelda, you're not my caretaker!" Link said, looking at her. "I know what I can take better than you do, so don't tell me my limitations!" Zelda looked shocked at this.
"I know I'm not your mom, Link! You haven't got one to tell you when you've gone too far, so I'm telling you!" Chain, Taig, Navi and Impa watched in uncomfortable silence. They had never seen an altercation between Zelda and Link before.
"Don't even mention my mother, Zelda!" Link growled, surprised at how much the subject stirred his emotions. "Who are you to say I've gone too far? Are you going to order me to stop doing my best to make myself battle-ready sooner, Princess?" Zelda glared at him.
"Are you so thick that you don't even know what's good for you? Get a clue! Look at the blood seeping though your clothes!" Link turned away.
"A little pain is worth the trouble, Zelda. I'm sorry you can't understand that." With that, Link stomped away.
"I just can't stand to see you hurt yourself, Link..." Zelda said quietly to his back as he turned a corner.
-Hi there, thx for reading! :) hope you liked the fluffy star read next time when Ganondorf makes his first assault, riding his new and improved horse! by the way if you review PLZ sigh in or leave me with your author name so I can e-mail you or check out your fics. -Talonclawfange