Disclaimer: Ok, I guess everyone puts one of these in here, so here's
mine. I obviously don't own Zelda or Link or any other characters thought
up by Miyamoto, or anything else Legend of Zelda related. I just like to
write about them.
Chapter 2
Pain is not a new concept for me, but that doesn't mean I enjoy it. Being thrown across a five foot gap onto the ground with hands and feet bound convinces me that the thieves don't want to talk things over, not that I've ever been a very talkative guy. Usually, I just stand there and let people pour their hearts out.
"This one is young, eh boss?" a thief with a yellow bandana covering ebony black hair turns around toward a man in a dark blue cloak. Is it just me, or do the bad guys always seem to be the ones hiding behind a dark cloak?
"I say we flay him right here!" another behind me suggests. Frankly, I'd rather they didn't.
"Draw back so that I may cast my gaze upon the treacherous creature." Those were definitely not the words I expected to hear from the leader of a gang of thieves. He almost seemed to have a Gerudo accent, but a bit mellower. The man slowly approaches me as his men step back a few feet. The light from the fire, which is only a few feet away from me now, casts strange shadows on the tents, and I can't help but watch in amusement as they dance over the camp. With a sudden jolt, I feel my attention pulled—quite literally, I might add—toward the leader of the thieves, his fingers pulling out strands of hair and nearly ripping out the rest. "You will pay attention to me, boy. I may very well be the last great thing you will ever see."
I can't help myself, really. "You call this 'great'? You can't even afford decent lodging!" He tugs harshly at my scalp again, and now more than ever I wish I still had my kokiri hat for protection.
"Hold your tongue, boy!" I really am quite tender-headed, and his constant yanking on my hair isn't helping. I try to ease my nerves by clenching my teeth. "You will not speak unless spoken to." He looks around, as if hoping to find an army I may have come with. "What company are you with?" Got that one right on the nose.
"I-I'm alone," I stutter. It's very hard to speak fluently when your head is being pulled all over the place.
"Alone? With no weapons?" He smirks and raises an eyebrow. So, the jerk is going to be cocky with me, eh? "And what were you doing in such a place alone?" His cheap accent is really starting to bother me now, and I have yet to see his face. Maybe he hides it under the cloak because it's so— "Speak, boy!" Hair being ripped out at the roots convinces me to speak.
"I'm lost?" I raise my eyebrows in an attempt to look cute, not that that ever worked.
"Well, perhaps I can help you find your way to the truth." He turns toward the man with the yellow bandana. "Show him to our guest quarters," he says in a somewhat amused tone. Guest quarters? That doesn't sound so bad. The thief, along with two of his henchmen, grabs me by the back of my tunic and begins to drag me toward the back of the camp. I hear them mumbling to each other, though I can only make out a few words.
"...him...about the wolfos...hungry..." It doesn't take a scholar to piece a sentence together. Whatever they are talking about does not sound optimistic. Once I've got a decent dirt stain in my tunic, they drop me next to an eight-foot stake in the ground. After they tie my arms around it so that I am facing the open desert, I decide that the guest quarters are not for me.
"Hey, guys, the view is great and all, but how about something a little more comfortable?"
"I'll give you comfort!" the man in the bandana says just before he punches me in the stomach. Come to find out, it's pretty difficult to sink to your knees when you are tied around a stake, but it is possible.
"G'nite!" One thief barks.
"Don't let the wolfos bite!" the other yells as they dance back toward the camp. Once all the thieves settle down, it's actually quite peaceful out here, though it's becoming quite chilly and my room service didn't provide a blanket or a pillow. I gaze out at the vast distance of sand and sky. In fact, that's all I see. It all looks so... serene. It reminds me of when I was young, before I got mixed up in the whole saving-the-world gig. I was carefree. As carefree as that wolfos wandering—wait a minute. There's a wolfos, coming this way, and if my memory serves me it's not going to be anymore friendly than my new thief companions. Wriggling has never been my thing, but now would be a good time to learn. The ropes around my wrists are too tight for me to squeeze through them, and the post is too high for me to get my arms over. If my ankles weren't tied, I'd climb the damned thing. What luck. The story of my life.
After a few moments of wiggling helplessly, I notice that, not only is the wolfos still headed in my direction, but I have attracted his attention. It's only about fifty feet away now, and in full sprint, teeth bared for an attack. Now I'm frantically trying to get my hands loose, but to no avail, and the monster is closing in. Running out of time, not getting anywhere, about to be eaten... this all seems very familiar. Just as the thing is about to launch it's attack, an arrow comes out of nowhere and lands straight through the wolfos' ribs. It curls into a ball on the ground, much like a dying spider does, whimpering. My eyes search the desert for an archer, but it's become so dark I can hardly see. Wait, there's a small red light.
"Y'miss me?" That voice belongs to none other than the great, good-for- nothing Keal. My hero.
"You jerk! You left me out here to die while you played around." He takes a few drags from his cigarette, small puffs of smoke disappearing into the air.
"You 'ere the one playin' around, kid. Maybe next time you'll think twice 'fore walzin' into a place like 'at!" Just as I suspected: a lesson.
"Yeah, yeah, fine. Get me outta here!" I try to stand up, but it was hard enough getting closer to the ground.
"I don't think I can do 'at, kid." That's just not funny.
"Come on, quit playing around, Keal."
"I'm bein' serious, you nearly cost me my life back 'ere." Come again.
"You're serious? You're the one that almost cost a life!"
"But I saved ya from 'at wolfos," he says, pointing to the corpse.
"Aww, do you want a cookie?" Unfortunately, my sarcasm causes Keal to turn and walk away, leaving me behind once again. "Keal, wait! I was just kidding!" He stops and turns toward me.
"Yer always kiddin'. And it could be yer undoin' someday, kid." With that, he turns and walks back in the direction he came from, the light from his cigarette fading in the distance along with any shred of hope I had of being rescued. Guess I'll have to figure this one out on my own. I've done it before.
-------
A/N: The first few chapters are going to be short, being as they are a bit introductory. Right now I'm just introducing important characters, and probably will be doing so for a few more chapters. But being as ya'll get two chapters in a row, I don't think I should hear any complaining. Oh, and let me know what you think so far. I've attempted to show things from a new perspective, being as EVERYBODY else makes link this quiet, sensitive guy that beats the bad guy and saves a whole bunch of worlds after Termina [the only story I ever read anymore is "Act I: Trial of a Man", which I highly recommend]. I am also exploring the first person narrative in an attempt to give the reader a bit of irony [Link's word against what's actually happening]. If you don't find it amusing or funny or whatever, then oh well. That's not really my purpose. But enough of me for now. Review time!
Chapter 2
Pain is not a new concept for me, but that doesn't mean I enjoy it. Being thrown across a five foot gap onto the ground with hands and feet bound convinces me that the thieves don't want to talk things over, not that I've ever been a very talkative guy. Usually, I just stand there and let people pour their hearts out.
"This one is young, eh boss?" a thief with a yellow bandana covering ebony black hair turns around toward a man in a dark blue cloak. Is it just me, or do the bad guys always seem to be the ones hiding behind a dark cloak?
"I say we flay him right here!" another behind me suggests. Frankly, I'd rather they didn't.
"Draw back so that I may cast my gaze upon the treacherous creature." Those were definitely not the words I expected to hear from the leader of a gang of thieves. He almost seemed to have a Gerudo accent, but a bit mellower. The man slowly approaches me as his men step back a few feet. The light from the fire, which is only a few feet away from me now, casts strange shadows on the tents, and I can't help but watch in amusement as they dance over the camp. With a sudden jolt, I feel my attention pulled—quite literally, I might add—toward the leader of the thieves, his fingers pulling out strands of hair and nearly ripping out the rest. "You will pay attention to me, boy. I may very well be the last great thing you will ever see."
I can't help myself, really. "You call this 'great'? You can't even afford decent lodging!" He tugs harshly at my scalp again, and now more than ever I wish I still had my kokiri hat for protection.
"Hold your tongue, boy!" I really am quite tender-headed, and his constant yanking on my hair isn't helping. I try to ease my nerves by clenching my teeth. "You will not speak unless spoken to." He looks around, as if hoping to find an army I may have come with. "What company are you with?" Got that one right on the nose.
"I-I'm alone," I stutter. It's very hard to speak fluently when your head is being pulled all over the place.
"Alone? With no weapons?" He smirks and raises an eyebrow. So, the jerk is going to be cocky with me, eh? "And what were you doing in such a place alone?" His cheap accent is really starting to bother me now, and I have yet to see his face. Maybe he hides it under the cloak because it's so— "Speak, boy!" Hair being ripped out at the roots convinces me to speak.
"I'm lost?" I raise my eyebrows in an attempt to look cute, not that that ever worked.
"Well, perhaps I can help you find your way to the truth." He turns toward the man with the yellow bandana. "Show him to our guest quarters," he says in a somewhat amused tone. Guest quarters? That doesn't sound so bad. The thief, along with two of his henchmen, grabs me by the back of my tunic and begins to drag me toward the back of the camp. I hear them mumbling to each other, though I can only make out a few words.
"...him...about the wolfos...hungry..." It doesn't take a scholar to piece a sentence together. Whatever they are talking about does not sound optimistic. Once I've got a decent dirt stain in my tunic, they drop me next to an eight-foot stake in the ground. After they tie my arms around it so that I am facing the open desert, I decide that the guest quarters are not for me.
"Hey, guys, the view is great and all, but how about something a little more comfortable?"
"I'll give you comfort!" the man in the bandana says just before he punches me in the stomach. Come to find out, it's pretty difficult to sink to your knees when you are tied around a stake, but it is possible.
"G'nite!" One thief barks.
"Don't let the wolfos bite!" the other yells as they dance back toward the camp. Once all the thieves settle down, it's actually quite peaceful out here, though it's becoming quite chilly and my room service didn't provide a blanket or a pillow. I gaze out at the vast distance of sand and sky. In fact, that's all I see. It all looks so... serene. It reminds me of when I was young, before I got mixed up in the whole saving-the-world gig. I was carefree. As carefree as that wolfos wandering—wait a minute. There's a wolfos, coming this way, and if my memory serves me it's not going to be anymore friendly than my new thief companions. Wriggling has never been my thing, but now would be a good time to learn. The ropes around my wrists are too tight for me to squeeze through them, and the post is too high for me to get my arms over. If my ankles weren't tied, I'd climb the damned thing. What luck. The story of my life.
After a few moments of wiggling helplessly, I notice that, not only is the wolfos still headed in my direction, but I have attracted his attention. It's only about fifty feet away now, and in full sprint, teeth bared for an attack. Now I'm frantically trying to get my hands loose, but to no avail, and the monster is closing in. Running out of time, not getting anywhere, about to be eaten... this all seems very familiar. Just as the thing is about to launch it's attack, an arrow comes out of nowhere and lands straight through the wolfos' ribs. It curls into a ball on the ground, much like a dying spider does, whimpering. My eyes search the desert for an archer, but it's become so dark I can hardly see. Wait, there's a small red light.
"Y'miss me?" That voice belongs to none other than the great, good-for- nothing Keal. My hero.
"You jerk! You left me out here to die while you played around." He takes a few drags from his cigarette, small puffs of smoke disappearing into the air.
"You 'ere the one playin' around, kid. Maybe next time you'll think twice 'fore walzin' into a place like 'at!" Just as I suspected: a lesson.
"Yeah, yeah, fine. Get me outta here!" I try to stand up, but it was hard enough getting closer to the ground.
"I don't think I can do 'at, kid." That's just not funny.
"Come on, quit playing around, Keal."
"I'm bein' serious, you nearly cost me my life back 'ere." Come again.
"You're serious? You're the one that almost cost a life!"
"But I saved ya from 'at wolfos," he says, pointing to the corpse.
"Aww, do you want a cookie?" Unfortunately, my sarcasm causes Keal to turn and walk away, leaving me behind once again. "Keal, wait! I was just kidding!" He stops and turns toward me.
"Yer always kiddin'. And it could be yer undoin' someday, kid." With that, he turns and walks back in the direction he came from, the light from his cigarette fading in the distance along with any shred of hope I had of being rescued. Guess I'll have to figure this one out on my own. I've done it before.
-------
A/N: The first few chapters are going to be short, being as they are a bit introductory. Right now I'm just introducing important characters, and probably will be doing so for a few more chapters. But being as ya'll get two chapters in a row, I don't think I should hear any complaining. Oh, and let me know what you think so far. I've attempted to show things from a new perspective, being as EVERYBODY else makes link this quiet, sensitive guy that beats the bad guy and saves a whole bunch of worlds after Termina [the only story I ever read anymore is "Act I: Trial of a Man", which I highly recommend]. I am also exploring the first person narrative in an attempt to give the reader a bit of irony [Link's word against what's actually happening]. If you don't find it amusing or funny or whatever, then oh well. That's not really my purpose. But enough of me for now. Review time!