Chapter Eleven
The rain had stopped, but it didn't wash away the blood spilled. The clay and mud of the canyon had been stained to a dirty red-brown color.
Link stayed with the warrior women and helped them gather the assaulted. Many of the gerudos had been killed, but many had also been wounded. The dark hero had bloodstains all over his hands and black clothing. His soft blue eyes were now frustrated and saddened.
Link carried another dead woman. He looked at the bloody slim body in his hands. The once lively girl had beautiful, suntanned skin with lovely orange silk hair. Link lifted her limp head up and looked at her beautiful, expressionless face. The hero moved her bangs out of her eyes and cleaned off the blood that had been bled.
His ears dropped lower as he stared at her. Now her skin was pale and dead. Link's throat choked up. It saddened him to see such a pretty warrior die at the hands of that merciless villain. He fought back the tears that begged to come as he carried her to the line of the unliving. Gerudos were taking count and acknowledging who died. He placed the corpse at the end of the line.
"That's the last of them..." he muttered to a female warrior. She nodded and looked down at the line.
"Fifty dead in total." The girl told him. Link swallowed hard.
"Damn. Damn it all." he spat angrily. Link stood before the unliving in silence. 'I should've killed that assassin when I had the chance.' the hero thought to himself.
Why didn't you? came a question from Fierce Deity.
'I... it would've made me no better than it.' Link replied.
Then you should have unmasked it... stupid boy. Fierce Deity remarked.
Link's eyebrow twitched. Why didn't he think of that? He could've known what the assassin looked like if he had pulled that black mask off. Link cursed himself for it.
I still think you should've let me taken care of it. I would've at least gotten a name and removed its mask. Said Fierce Deity.
'Go back to your corner, Fierce Deity...' Link commanded. The shadow warrior left Link alone for the time being.
Link sighed and looked around. The sun was setting finally over the canyon walls, making the clouds a blood red to match the blood that had been spilled. The dark hero was just about to pick it up when a sharp pain came to his chest.
He winced and slammed his eyes tightly, clenching his teeth. The markings on his cheeks and forehead started to burn his skin. Link went to one knee right next to the girl he had just laid down. His hand went to his chest and grasped his tunic. Link breathed heavily as beads of sweat formed down his face. What was this pain? It's unusual.
"Sir Link? Are you alright?" questioned the warrior who he was talking to earlier. Link tried speaking but his throat became sore and no words came out of his mouth. The lady asked again if he was okay. No words. The hero felt the heat and pain building up. He fainted just as the woman touched his shoulder and dropped face first into the mud.
"I think so... my magic can't do anything to stop the pain. I can't figure out what's wrong, but he might just be sore." The healer told her. The princess looked at Link, who was now sleeping peacefully in his bed. Impa was peeking in through the doorway. Her expression was serious, and by the look in her eyes, she could tell something was unusual.
"Thank you... you may go now." Zelda dismissed the doctor. He bowed and walked past Impa, out of the room. Zelda looked over Link with very concerned eyes. "I don't know what to do, Impa. I feel something is very wrong with him and that he is in great pain right now." Impa wrapped one arm around her and rubbed her shoulder.
"It's the Triforce, Zelda. Because of you having Nayru and him having Farore Triforce parts, you're connected in a way. So if he's in pain, you'll be able to tell, as is the same way with him." Impa told her. Zelda nodded her head a little in understanding. "Come Zelda, let him sleep."
"Okay." Zelda agreed, and walked out of the room with her guardian. His heart beat a little calmer, but it was still too hot. Link's head swam in many directions at once. But there was something different about this pain. It was centered around his heart. Though he was beating at average heart rate, there was a sharp, burning heat near it. What was this feeling? Why was it so hot and why was he so dizzy? The hero needed more sleep. Maybe whenever he'll awaken he'll be feeling better...
Link opened his eyes once again. The heat had cooled down, and the pain had stopped.
'Fierce Deity... can you hear me?' Link called for his mind partner.
Yawn... what is it kid? came a sleepy voice.
'What happened to me that made me so weak?' the hero asked.
Hmm... I'm not so sure kid. But I'll tell you one thing; I think there's more to you than you think. Fierce Deity answered.
Link sat up in his bed and thought for a moment. He wiped his forehead of the small beads of sweat on it, and looked out the balcony window in his room. It was dark out now, and the moon and stars were awake.
Link pushed aside the sheets and slid his legs off the bed and onto the floor. He looked around his dark room before noticing something moved. Quickly, his hand reached behind him only to feel his bare back. Link sighed, and slowly got out of bed. The hero reached for his tunic in a nearby chair and pulled that on.
"Who's there?" Link called forth the snoop. No reply. Link concentrated his eyes on the shadows as a figure moved again. Before the hero could move forward, something tackled him to the bed and held a knife to his neck. It was the assassin.
"Prepare to die, hero!" it hissed. Link kneed it in the stomach and rolled on top of it, taking the knife away and holding it at the attacker's neck.
"Who are you?!" Link demanded.
"None of your business!" it snapped back.
"Fine... we'll do things the hard way!" Link growled as he cut the mask's material with the knife and pulled it off. He snapped his fingers and formed a small fireball in his hand. His eyes went wide when he saw the face of the assassin.
"M-m-m-Mila!?" The knife dropped to the bed beside the two. Mila's bright red-brown hair fell to the bed as she glared up at Link with empty and dead looking green eyes. She didn't look like the Mila he knew.
"Get off of me!" Mila shouted. She struggled underneath him to get free. Link only gripped her wrist tighter.
"Mila? What are you doing? Why are you dressed like this?" Link questioned as calmly as he could. Mila huffed with anger.
"To kill you!" she spat.
"But... what-why do you want to kill me for?" the hero's ears dropped and his voice softened.
"You'll kill us all! You're the one who will destroy everything and everyone." Mila growled. Her eyes burned with hate. This wasn't the Mila he knew.
"Mila... please, tell me what is wrong with you!" Link's voice became soft and concerned. Mila struggled even more.
"I. Have. To. Kill. You!" she yelled. Mila took the knife near her thigh and stabbed it into his side. Link gasped and clenched his side where the knife pierced through. He rolled off of her and she stood up, pulling out a long thin katana from her back The hero pulled the knife out of him and stood up only to be greeted by a yell and a slash. Link barely avoided the oncoming attack and spun around. He turned up the torchlight and looked for his sword. Mila hopped at him with another wild swing. Link ducked again and glanced around for his sword. The hero spotted the tip of his sword near the dresser. He rolled to it just as Mila swung her sword at him again.
Link pulled out his sword and brought it up to block another furious strike. "Mila! Stop this!" the hero shouted. But the warrior assassin kept attacking like mad. Link growled under his breath and blocked more of the slashes with his sword. The dark hero blocked another slash before slamming his shoulder hard into her gut, making her double over and gasp for air.
Mila went out cold.
A loud knock came to the door just as they finished.
"Link?! Is everything okay in there?!" Zelda shouted from the other end.
"Come on in Zelda... I believe I know who our assassin is" Link called her in.
Zelda flew the doors open and she and Impa walked in. The princess gasped when she saw Mila lying on the floor next to Link.
"Servant girl Mila..." Impa muttered.
Mila groaned as she started to stir.
She opened her eyes. They were back to the bright green.
"What... happened?" Mila asked. She stood up to a sitting position, but winced. "Ow... my stomach hurts."
"Sorry... had to keep you from attacking me." Link apologized.
"Why did you attack Link? Why did you kill all those Gerudos?" Zelda commanded.
"I uh... I don't remember anything." Mila looked at the princess with a puzzled look.
"Mila, please try to remember." Link pleaded.
"I... don't... know..." Mila cried. She didn't know what was going on. "All I remember is that yesterday, I woke up here in this uniform..." Impa looked over her.
"You were being possessed" the guardian told them. "She had no conscience at the time she attacked you Link. Someone was using her."
"But who would want me dead?" Link questioned aloud. Nobody knew the answer.
I've got a bunch of lovely coconuts. There they are standing in a row! Fierce Deity sang in Link's mind. Links eyebrow twitched. Big ones! Small ones! Some as big as your head! The dark warrior continued.
'FIERCE DEITY!' Link shouted in his head. Fierce Deity stopped and gulped.
"Link... are you okay?" Zelda asked. She saw blood on his hand as he cupped the wound Mila had inflected on him earlier.
"Uh, yeah. I'm fine... just a cut." Link lied. Zelda didn't say anything, but just looked at him.
"We'll have to deal with this later. Princess Zelda, you need your sleep for tomorrow we have more guests. Mila, you are to go to your bedroom and stay there. I'll send guards to watch your every move." Impa said.
Two guards walked in and took Mila to her room. Zelda gave Link one last look before turning around and walking out of his room. Impa followed her shortly afterwards.
The dark hero walked to his dresser and pulled off his tunic. His white tights were stained with his blood. Link looked at the stab and grunted. He's had worse before. Link placed two fingers to it and muttered a small healing spell. The blood stopped coming out and the skin and flesh was repaired, but the pain was still there. The hero marched back to his bed and fell down in it.