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 4
Moving. My back seems almost numb from the intense tremors below me, which feel much like the vibrations of a moving wagon. I try to open my eyes, which are almost sealed shut under a mass of my bangs, crusted with desert sand. At first I see nothing through the thick strands of hair but a bright haze, which forces me to clench my eyes shut in pain, but after a moment I venture to open them once more, taking in all the light so that my eyes might adjust. There is only a blue and brown blur in my immediate vision, the blue probably the sky, and the brown the edges of some type of containment, perhaps. I blink furiously in a nearly successful attempt to clear my vision, lightly shaking my head to clear the hair from my face.
Miles of sand dunes as far as the eye can see pass by, quickly replaced by new mounds. The large brown blur that I saw before is replaced by wooden rails surrounding, in fact, a wagon, which is being pulled by two brown mules led by a man on foot. There is a little evidence of hay, a few straws left stuck to the planks that make up the wagon bed, which is not very comfortable. Every bump is magnified by ten by the time it reaches my body, which is now one big bruise.
After a few minutes, I finally regain all of my consciousness, or at least enough to start formulating a plan to get off this thing. My hands are once again tied behind my back, probably to prevent such events as what happened at the camp from reoccurring. The ropes around my wrists are painfully tight, feeling as if they are tearing into the skin each time I move my hands. My ankles are also again bound, so even if I were to somehow get off of the wagon, I would be tied up in the middle of a desert. Somehow I'd like to believe that I'm better off in the wagon.
I can hear some horses whinny as we ride on, so with a deep groan I attempt to sit up to learn of my company. The entire lot of them, forty-something thieves, are on the move, pulling several wagons with loads of supplies on each, with the exception of the one I occupy, which holds only a few small crates and myself. I can't see the man with the bandana, but I do see a long, dark cape fluttering behind a head full of streaming, silver hair. It's Hellpahrn.
Almost as if he senses me, he turns to look at me from atop a huge black mustang. That jerk. He probably thinks he can just keep me as a pet or something. The sight of him amuses me a little, though, to see that he still has some dirt smudged on his nose and forehead, as well as the entire front of his cloak. "Good morning, Link. I trust you slept well?" Slept? I don't know if I would call that sleep. More like a short loss of consciousness due to a hard blow on the head. Speaking of which, I can still feel some kind of sting in the side of my head. "Peachy!" I shout at him in disgust. "Where are you taking me?" I have to yell over the beating hooves of the horses and mules, as well as the creeks of the wagon's joints. Even the wheel axels seem to grind at my ears, though it might just be my imagination.
"We are going to our base in Baltica," he replies.
"Baltica?" I mumble to myself. Have I ever been to Baltica? It sounds so familiar, but I can't quite remember where it was. "Any plans to release me?"
"If you cooperate." His answers are quite short today. So he wants me to cooperate, eh?
"Why don't you release me so that I can have a chance to cooperate? This is terribly uncomfortable." His eyes narrow when I say this. Reaching out his hand to signal the mule-driver to stop, he also pulls his own horse to a complete halt.
"Uncomfortable? Link, comfort should not be a priority for one of your stature, considering you have yet to experience such a luxury. If you think comfort is inaccessible now, then I have troubling news for your future, for comfort does not exist in a world of betrayal." There he goes being all mystic on me again.
"Did I ask you for a séance? All I want you to do is trust me," I snarl at him, hoping he'll take me seriously for once, though I can understand why no one ever takes me seriously. Hell, I can't even take myself seriously most of the time. He stares into my eyes for a moment, and I can see the wheels turning in his head. What is he planning now? He raises a gloved left hand into the air and snaps his fingers, signaling two men to his right. The jump down from their horses and walk over to me. What are they going to do to me now? I don't think their feet can reach my ribs from the ground, so they are obviously going to have to throw in the towel for the rib-kicking contest.
"Cut his bonds and give him a horse. He is to ride beside me until we reach Baltica." Excuse me? Do my ears deceive me? Did he just say—"
"Sir?" a confused thief questions.
"That is an order, Chateus," he howls. The two men jump, and one cuts the rope around my ankles while the other unties the one binding my hands. Once it's off, I massage my wrists, which are now painfully red and nearly raw from my attempts to wriggle free. They try to help me walk to a rather large, black mare which has been brought over, though I stumble so much they almost end up carrying me. After all, I haven't had a chance to actually walk somewhere since I got knocked out earlier. They help me climb onto the saddle, which is fairly plain leather with a few designs on the outer edge. Great, so I get to ride next to the creep. That's not my idea of a better time. Now instead of having a lightly bruised back for a day or two, my ass will be sore for a week.
The ride is fairly quiet for about an hour, maybe a little less. Finally, I just can't stand it anymore. "What the hell kind of name is 'Hellpahrn,' anyway?" I ask, half in seriousness, half in sheer ridicule. He looks at me as if amused.
"Korpus Hellpahrn is the name given to me by some of my followers. They believed I needed a more formidable identity," he states blandly without looking away from the horizon.
"What was your name before that?" I ask, truly curious at this point. I mean, it's not like I have anything to occupy my mind with at this point anyway.
"I would prefer not to disclose such information to you, boy. Both for your sake and for my own." He waits a moment, then looks at me with interest. "You seem to be quite open to talking today." He turns back toward the horizon. "I am glad you are not still focused on an escape." So he thinks.
"I'm bored," I say uninterested, looking down at my horse's mane. It's really long and matted. Do these people ever groom their horses?
"Perhaps you can tell me—" he stops in mid-sentence and gazes down at his horse, looking almost embarrassed at his near-question. He must be hiding something, but I don't really care. Why should I? Besides, if he's a soothsayer, he should know everything, right? ...Damnit.
"What is it?" I ask, unable to help myself. He looks up at me with a nearly innocent smile.
"I-The both of us have always had a curious nature," his almost friendly smile fades as he speaks. "Tell me, Link, how did you get here?" I raise an eyebrow at his question, unsure of what he means. 'How?' Just like any other, right?
"Through a series of tunnels and caves. Why do you ask?" I study his grave expression, as if he's thinking hard about something. Wait a minute. "Don't even think about trying to get back to where I came from. I'm not going to let you steal from anyone I know." Another smile edges it's way onto his once blank expression, and that strange laugh gradually emanates from his lips. That laugh, it's so... familiar.
"I do not intend to go back." The last word seems to amuse him, for he pauses and raises an eyebrow as he says it rather slowly. He quickly turns his head to me as if worried I'd notice something. Whatever. He seems a bit paranoid today. "I was merely curious." Hellpahrn turns his head back toward the horizon without another word, and I do the same. The scenery hasn't changed in the least, and I'm getting extremely hot, not to mention my mouth is positively parched. I wait a moment, hoping I can ignore it, but it only gets worse. I need water.
"Hey, Hell, my hair is shriveling up. Got anything to drink?" Looking out of the corner of his eye at me with a fearsome gaze, he reaches out his hand in my direction. Looking down, I notice that there's a small flask in his hand, and I swipe it quickly before he changes his mind. I admit, I drink greedily for a moment until I realize I'm being watched, in which case I slow my guzzling almost completely to a stop. He's still looking at me out of the corner of his eye, and it's beginning to freak me out. If it's a stare-down he wants, it's a stare-down he'll get. After all, staring contests are one of my favorite games. I use this opportunity to study him. He stares at me with complete disinterest, though he does it just to return my own gaze. Is he trying to play games with my brain or something?
"You have much yet to learn, Link." I especially like the harsh emphasis he puts on my name, as if it is something that appalls him. He snaps the reigns of his horse and gives it a light kick in the ribs, convincing it to accelerate. I watch him gain more distance toward—Whoa! Where'd all this come from? There's a huge city right in front of us, when two minutes ago there was nothing but desert. How did we get here that fast? "Banchezi, Chateus, keep an eye on the boy. I'll go ahead to Baltica." Hellpahrn disappears into the city while the guy with the bandana and the other thief who released me earlier bring their horses to either side of mine, as if to escort me. So, the guy with the bandana has a name, huh? And Hellpahrn left me here with him. Oh, that's great.
"Hey, wait! You can't just leave me here with these guys!" Unfortunately he doesn't honor my complaint with a response. Why can't he just take me along? After all, he's the one who kidnapped me. It's not like I'm old enough to be running around with a gang of thieves anyway, though I've been around a lot longer than fourteen years already. Which gives me an idea...
"Hey guys, let's play a little game. It's called catch the little fourteen- year-old before he gets away!" I kick my horse's sides hard, which causes her to lunge forward. I almost fly off, but barely manage to keep my balance on the saddle. She's pretty fast for her size. The two thugs are behind me now, though they are gaining more and more speed. They are falling for it. Now all I have to do is either wear them out or come up with a plan. I don't care which, as long as something comes up soon. Of course, a handful of guards is not what I had in mind, but it will do. A score or more of guards stand about eighty meters ahead in front of the city gates, and they look like they are just standing around as a welcome wagon or something. I figure, why not give them something to do. "Help!" I shout out as loud as I can, though I cringe when I say it. Hell, I'm the hero. I'm not supposed to need help, even if I am faking it. "These thieves are after me!" I try to sound as much like a child as possible. This gets their attention, just as I'd hoped, and three of the soldiers mount their horses and ride toward me. I can't help but smile a full- toothed smile, but just for an instant before the guards become suspicious. I'm so good.
"Oh, shit!" I can hear Bachezi shout from behind. "Let's get outta here!"
"But what about—"
"We'll be in more trouble with the boss if we get ourselves caught." Bachezi cuts Chateus off before he can finish, since the three guards on horseback are now past me and racing after the two bandits. "Forget the kid!" Ah, yes. Forget me, please.
I'm now laughing hard, as all this is quite amusing. They practically handed me a way out—no, literally—and now I'm on my way back to, well, somewhere other than here. I turn my attention back toward the city, only to see about a dozen Baltican soldiers standing in a neat semicircle to intercept my horse. I pull the mare to a screeching halt, stirring up so much dirt that I can barely still see the city. Here I am coughing my head off, and the guards don't seem phased. They all approach my horse with solemn expressions, as if I'm the one in the wrong. Time to break the silence before they think I'm the bad guy.
"Thanks, guys," I choke through the clearing fog of dust. "Those men were trying to hijack my horse!" I try to butter them up with a pair of overly large eyes and a childlike expression of worry. It's almost difficult for me to 'look' like a child. The guards don't really look amused, but one steps forward. His clothes, like the others', are very different from anything I've ever seen before. Instead of a full suit of armor like anywhere else, they have some type of mail under their bright blue tunics, and nothing more besides some elbow and knee pads. Their heads are as bare as mine, and even their haircuts are unfamiliar, choppy-looking and quite short. I guess this isn't the type of nation to engage in one-on-one combat, or any combat for that matter. One guard near the center of the group with very short, whitish-blond hair clears his throat as he steps forward.
"What business do you have in the merchant port-city of Baltica, young master?" He has a slightly unusual accent, and talks to me as if I am two. Farore, I'm not that young. I jump down from my horse and place my fist to my chest in a bow, that being a custom I learned from my mercenary friend, Keal. I don't realize what I'm doing until it is too late, so I try to come up with something.
My father, Kealthrus Shikarhu, was supposed to meet me just outside the gates. He said he had an errand in Baltica." I have to force myself not to giggle halfway through the lie. Goddesses, I would have to kill myself if that oaf was my father. Words cannot express how... yuck. The soldier studies me hard, then addresses his men to open the gate.
"I am unsure of this Kealthrus you speak of, but I find it hard to leave such a young boy in the desert alone. Come, you must be thirsty." He ushers me with a hand on my shoulder and a kind expression. Everyone trusts the little kid today, eh? A smirk is hidden under my disheveled bangs, which now hang in front of my face. Poor trusting fool.
-------
A/N:
Ok, this chappy is a bit longer than the last, but hopefully the chapters will get much longer once I get into the main plot. Oh, I also did a quick sketch of Hellpahrn, which you can find on my Zelda site for your own viewing pleasure. Here's the direct link: http:. That is all. Please don't forget to REVIEW!!!
Chapter 4
Moving. My back seems almost numb from the intense tremors below me, which feel much like the vibrations of a moving wagon. I try to open my eyes, which are almost sealed shut under a mass of my bangs, crusted with desert sand. At first I see nothing through the thick strands of hair but a bright haze, which forces me to clench my eyes shut in pain, but after a moment I venture to open them once more, taking in all the light so that my eyes might adjust. There is only a blue and brown blur in my immediate vision, the blue probably the sky, and the brown the edges of some type of containment, perhaps. I blink furiously in a nearly successful attempt to clear my vision, lightly shaking my head to clear the hair from my face.
Miles of sand dunes as far as the eye can see pass by, quickly replaced by new mounds. The large brown blur that I saw before is replaced by wooden rails surrounding, in fact, a wagon, which is being pulled by two brown mules led by a man on foot. There is a little evidence of hay, a few straws left stuck to the planks that make up the wagon bed, which is not very comfortable. Every bump is magnified by ten by the time it reaches my body, which is now one big bruise.
After a few minutes, I finally regain all of my consciousness, or at least enough to start formulating a plan to get off this thing. My hands are once again tied behind my back, probably to prevent such events as what happened at the camp from reoccurring. The ropes around my wrists are painfully tight, feeling as if they are tearing into the skin each time I move my hands. My ankles are also again bound, so even if I were to somehow get off of the wagon, I would be tied up in the middle of a desert. Somehow I'd like to believe that I'm better off in the wagon.
I can hear some horses whinny as we ride on, so with a deep groan I attempt to sit up to learn of my company. The entire lot of them, forty-something thieves, are on the move, pulling several wagons with loads of supplies on each, with the exception of the one I occupy, which holds only a few small crates and myself. I can't see the man with the bandana, but I do see a long, dark cape fluttering behind a head full of streaming, silver hair. It's Hellpahrn.
Almost as if he senses me, he turns to look at me from atop a huge black mustang. That jerk. He probably thinks he can just keep me as a pet or something. The sight of him amuses me a little, though, to see that he still has some dirt smudged on his nose and forehead, as well as the entire front of his cloak. "Good morning, Link. I trust you slept well?" Slept? I don't know if I would call that sleep. More like a short loss of consciousness due to a hard blow on the head. Speaking of which, I can still feel some kind of sting in the side of my head. "Peachy!" I shout at him in disgust. "Where are you taking me?" I have to yell over the beating hooves of the horses and mules, as well as the creeks of the wagon's joints. Even the wheel axels seem to grind at my ears, though it might just be my imagination.
"We are going to our base in Baltica," he replies.
"Baltica?" I mumble to myself. Have I ever been to Baltica? It sounds so familiar, but I can't quite remember where it was. "Any plans to release me?"
"If you cooperate." His answers are quite short today. So he wants me to cooperate, eh?
"Why don't you release me so that I can have a chance to cooperate? This is terribly uncomfortable." His eyes narrow when I say this. Reaching out his hand to signal the mule-driver to stop, he also pulls his own horse to a complete halt.
"Uncomfortable? Link, comfort should not be a priority for one of your stature, considering you have yet to experience such a luxury. If you think comfort is inaccessible now, then I have troubling news for your future, for comfort does not exist in a world of betrayal." There he goes being all mystic on me again.
"Did I ask you for a séance? All I want you to do is trust me," I snarl at him, hoping he'll take me seriously for once, though I can understand why no one ever takes me seriously. Hell, I can't even take myself seriously most of the time. He stares into my eyes for a moment, and I can see the wheels turning in his head. What is he planning now? He raises a gloved left hand into the air and snaps his fingers, signaling two men to his right. The jump down from their horses and walk over to me. What are they going to do to me now? I don't think their feet can reach my ribs from the ground, so they are obviously going to have to throw in the towel for the rib-kicking contest.
"Cut his bonds and give him a horse. He is to ride beside me until we reach Baltica." Excuse me? Do my ears deceive me? Did he just say—"
"Sir?" a confused thief questions.
"That is an order, Chateus," he howls. The two men jump, and one cuts the rope around my ankles while the other unties the one binding my hands. Once it's off, I massage my wrists, which are now painfully red and nearly raw from my attempts to wriggle free. They try to help me walk to a rather large, black mare which has been brought over, though I stumble so much they almost end up carrying me. After all, I haven't had a chance to actually walk somewhere since I got knocked out earlier. They help me climb onto the saddle, which is fairly plain leather with a few designs on the outer edge. Great, so I get to ride next to the creep. That's not my idea of a better time. Now instead of having a lightly bruised back for a day or two, my ass will be sore for a week.
The ride is fairly quiet for about an hour, maybe a little less. Finally, I just can't stand it anymore. "What the hell kind of name is 'Hellpahrn,' anyway?" I ask, half in seriousness, half in sheer ridicule. He looks at me as if amused.
"Korpus Hellpahrn is the name given to me by some of my followers. They believed I needed a more formidable identity," he states blandly without looking away from the horizon.
"What was your name before that?" I ask, truly curious at this point. I mean, it's not like I have anything to occupy my mind with at this point anyway.
"I would prefer not to disclose such information to you, boy. Both for your sake and for my own." He waits a moment, then looks at me with interest. "You seem to be quite open to talking today." He turns back toward the horizon. "I am glad you are not still focused on an escape." So he thinks.
"I'm bored," I say uninterested, looking down at my horse's mane. It's really long and matted. Do these people ever groom their horses?
"Perhaps you can tell me—" he stops in mid-sentence and gazes down at his horse, looking almost embarrassed at his near-question. He must be hiding something, but I don't really care. Why should I? Besides, if he's a soothsayer, he should know everything, right? ...Damnit.
"What is it?" I ask, unable to help myself. He looks up at me with a nearly innocent smile.
"I-The both of us have always had a curious nature," his almost friendly smile fades as he speaks. "Tell me, Link, how did you get here?" I raise an eyebrow at his question, unsure of what he means. 'How?' Just like any other, right?
"Through a series of tunnels and caves. Why do you ask?" I study his grave expression, as if he's thinking hard about something. Wait a minute. "Don't even think about trying to get back to where I came from. I'm not going to let you steal from anyone I know." Another smile edges it's way onto his once blank expression, and that strange laugh gradually emanates from his lips. That laugh, it's so... familiar.
"I do not intend to go back." The last word seems to amuse him, for he pauses and raises an eyebrow as he says it rather slowly. He quickly turns his head to me as if worried I'd notice something. Whatever. He seems a bit paranoid today. "I was merely curious." Hellpahrn turns his head back toward the horizon without another word, and I do the same. The scenery hasn't changed in the least, and I'm getting extremely hot, not to mention my mouth is positively parched. I wait a moment, hoping I can ignore it, but it only gets worse. I need water.
"Hey, Hell, my hair is shriveling up. Got anything to drink?" Looking out of the corner of his eye at me with a fearsome gaze, he reaches out his hand in my direction. Looking down, I notice that there's a small flask in his hand, and I swipe it quickly before he changes his mind. I admit, I drink greedily for a moment until I realize I'm being watched, in which case I slow my guzzling almost completely to a stop. He's still looking at me out of the corner of his eye, and it's beginning to freak me out. If it's a stare-down he wants, it's a stare-down he'll get. After all, staring contests are one of my favorite games. I use this opportunity to study him. He stares at me with complete disinterest, though he does it just to return my own gaze. Is he trying to play games with my brain or something?
"You have much yet to learn, Link." I especially like the harsh emphasis he puts on my name, as if it is something that appalls him. He snaps the reigns of his horse and gives it a light kick in the ribs, convincing it to accelerate. I watch him gain more distance toward—Whoa! Where'd all this come from? There's a huge city right in front of us, when two minutes ago there was nothing but desert. How did we get here that fast? "Banchezi, Chateus, keep an eye on the boy. I'll go ahead to Baltica." Hellpahrn disappears into the city while the guy with the bandana and the other thief who released me earlier bring their horses to either side of mine, as if to escort me. So, the guy with the bandana has a name, huh? And Hellpahrn left me here with him. Oh, that's great.
"Hey, wait! You can't just leave me here with these guys!" Unfortunately he doesn't honor my complaint with a response. Why can't he just take me along? After all, he's the one who kidnapped me. It's not like I'm old enough to be running around with a gang of thieves anyway, though I've been around a lot longer than fourteen years already. Which gives me an idea...
"Hey guys, let's play a little game. It's called catch the little fourteen- year-old before he gets away!" I kick my horse's sides hard, which causes her to lunge forward. I almost fly off, but barely manage to keep my balance on the saddle. She's pretty fast for her size. The two thugs are behind me now, though they are gaining more and more speed. They are falling for it. Now all I have to do is either wear them out or come up with a plan. I don't care which, as long as something comes up soon. Of course, a handful of guards is not what I had in mind, but it will do. A score or more of guards stand about eighty meters ahead in front of the city gates, and they look like they are just standing around as a welcome wagon or something. I figure, why not give them something to do. "Help!" I shout out as loud as I can, though I cringe when I say it. Hell, I'm the hero. I'm not supposed to need help, even if I am faking it. "These thieves are after me!" I try to sound as much like a child as possible. This gets their attention, just as I'd hoped, and three of the soldiers mount their horses and ride toward me. I can't help but smile a full- toothed smile, but just for an instant before the guards become suspicious. I'm so good.
"Oh, shit!" I can hear Bachezi shout from behind. "Let's get outta here!"
"But what about—"
"We'll be in more trouble with the boss if we get ourselves caught." Bachezi cuts Chateus off before he can finish, since the three guards on horseback are now past me and racing after the two bandits. "Forget the kid!" Ah, yes. Forget me, please.
I'm now laughing hard, as all this is quite amusing. They practically handed me a way out—no, literally—and now I'm on my way back to, well, somewhere other than here. I turn my attention back toward the city, only to see about a dozen Baltican soldiers standing in a neat semicircle to intercept my horse. I pull the mare to a screeching halt, stirring up so much dirt that I can barely still see the city. Here I am coughing my head off, and the guards don't seem phased. They all approach my horse with solemn expressions, as if I'm the one in the wrong. Time to break the silence before they think I'm the bad guy.
"Thanks, guys," I choke through the clearing fog of dust. "Those men were trying to hijack my horse!" I try to butter them up with a pair of overly large eyes and a childlike expression of worry. It's almost difficult for me to 'look' like a child. The guards don't really look amused, but one steps forward. His clothes, like the others', are very different from anything I've ever seen before. Instead of a full suit of armor like anywhere else, they have some type of mail under their bright blue tunics, and nothing more besides some elbow and knee pads. Their heads are as bare as mine, and even their haircuts are unfamiliar, choppy-looking and quite short. I guess this isn't the type of nation to engage in one-on-one combat, or any combat for that matter. One guard near the center of the group with very short, whitish-blond hair clears his throat as he steps forward.
"What business do you have in the merchant port-city of Baltica, young master?" He has a slightly unusual accent, and talks to me as if I am two. Farore, I'm not that young. I jump down from my horse and place my fist to my chest in a bow, that being a custom I learned from my mercenary friend, Keal. I don't realize what I'm doing until it is too late, so I try to come up with something.
My father, Kealthrus Shikarhu, was supposed to meet me just outside the gates. He said he had an errand in Baltica." I have to force myself not to giggle halfway through the lie. Goddesses, I would have to kill myself if that oaf was my father. Words cannot express how... yuck. The soldier studies me hard, then addresses his men to open the gate.
"I am unsure of this Kealthrus you speak of, but I find it hard to leave such a young boy in the desert alone. Come, you must be thirsty." He ushers me with a hand on my shoulder and a kind expression. Everyone trusts the little kid today, eh? A smirk is hidden under my disheveled bangs, which now hang in front of my face. Poor trusting fool.
-------
A/N:
Ok, this chappy is a bit longer than the last, but hopefully the chapters will get much longer once I get into the main plot. Oh, I also did a quick sketch of Hellpahrn, which you can find on my Zelda site for your own viewing pleasure. Here's the direct link: http:. That is all. Please don't forget to REVIEW!!!