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 7
I cover my eyes with one arm and jump backward several feet so I don't get scorched. It's all burning. Why are the houses burning?! I feel so useless. Even if I did have my ocarina, the song of storms would never possess enough water to put all three house fires out. Lucky Ramala and Delphie got out in time. Wait... Aren't cellars under houses? Holy Farore, they are stuck under there?
I dart around the house, keeping my right arm near my head in case something falls. It's really hot between the houses, and I'm surprised I haven't caught myself on fire yet. I can't find a trap door anywhere, but after a few moments of searching, I find a small window just above ground level on the back of the house. Without thought or hesitation, I back up about ten feet, then run toward the house at full speed. Using my foot to break through the glass, I lean backwards into a slide, flying right through the window. I've become quite good at this, and I slide right into a dark room and roll to a stop without hurting myself. It's like an oven in here, and there's smoke accumulating around the ceiling. I take a quick look around to see a lantern in a coughing Ramala's left hand, Delphie clinging to her other in fear.
"What are you doing in here? You have to get out!" I search frantically for the exit that led them here. There's a wooden hatch door on the opposite side of the room—in front of the house? How could I have missed it?
"We can't! The door's stuck!" Ramala chokes. I run up to it just to make sure, and it's very hot, probably on fire on the other side.
"You'll have to climb out of the window!" I shout as I grab Delphie's arm. "Come on! I'll lift you out." She runs with me to the other side of the room, grasping onto my hand tightly on the way. I pick her up under the arms and lift her up to the window, her stubby hands grasping the ledge as I push her through. "Watch out for glass," I warn her, remembering how I got through to begin with. Once Delphie is safely out of the house, I turn toward Ramala. "You next."
"What about you?" she asks, ducking through the smoke as she slowly makes her way toward me.
"Don't worry about me!" I shout as I grab her arm and lead her to the window. I cup my hands on my knee, and she grabs onto the ledge with one hand and steps into my hands. She's out of the window pretty quickly, and if I had the time to be impressed, I would be. But right now I need to get out. I can hear her shouting something, but I'm too busy trying to figure out a way to get up there. I back up a bit so I can get a running start, and I'm already on my way toward the window when I hear someone—probably Ramala—scream. Just as I'm leaping up to the opening, a board encased in flames falls and covers the exit. I try to lean backwards to stop myself but it's too late; my left arm goes up just in time to shield my face from the flames, but nothing shields my arm. Luckily, my sleeve doesn't catch on fire, and my gauntlet provides some protection, though my fingers and part of my upper arm are burnt, including part of my new undershirt. Surprisingly, the burns don't hurt much, either because of some magic force or because I'm least worried about a couple burns. I'm still stuck under a burning house in a tiny, incubated room that's now almost completely filled with smoke.
Cradling my injured arm, I duck under the smoke and run back to the other side of the room. There are a few reddened cinders falling through the cracks of the planks that compose the cellar doors. Obviously, the same thing that happened to the window happened to the door. I search the room, which is increasingly hard to see around, for something that might help. There's a bit of hay scattered around the floor, which might help if I want to catch myself on fire. There's also a pitchfork leaning against a near corner. That might help. I grab it, nearly burning the skin from my palm with my hasty grip—even through my gloves—since it was leaning against a very hot wall. I ignore the pain as much as possible and grasp the pitchfork with both hands, wincing slightly at both the pain in my left arm and at the sudden and excruciating heat. With a running start once again, I race toward the window, aiming the pitchfork toward the burning plank. It connects, but rather than pushing the board away, the fork merely impales the board. I try to pull it back, but it's embedded to deeply and won't come out. Goddesses, this is not a good day.
As I tug at the fork to no avail, I can hear some shouting on the outside. I strain my ears to understand the muted words, but I can't hear anything above the crackling of the fire and the sounds of boards breaking, not to mention my newly developing cough. I tug once more. Nothing. My brow furrows as I stare hard at the pitchfork, cursing its stupidity as if it is a living entity. In the middle of my thoughts, I feel something dreadfully cold cover my entire body. Cold and wet. Someone's just thrown a shitload of water through the window, putting out the plank's flames. I can feel some vibrations through the pitchfork's handle, as if someone is trying to move the board from the outside. I grasp the handle tighter, my eyes beginning to haze over with a burning liquid. I squint to try to keep my vision up, but everything is so blurry. The board is moving now, I can feel it, but very slowly. I look up, the window now just a square of light, the room a dark mess. The board is out of the way enough for me to squeeze through, so I grab the pitchfork handle closer to the head and pull myself toward the opening, my feet slipping over the stone walls as I struggle to move upwards.
As I get closer to the opening, I can feel something grab my left hand. I cringe and choke back a shriek as they tighten their amazingly strong grip. Gritting my teeth, I decide that I should just go with it rather than fight it, lest I be stuck down here for the rest of my life, which wouldn't be much longer. In one quick moment, I am pulled completely through the opening, just after which I sink to the ground. The grass feels so great, and I am able to relax for just a moment before being pulled to my feet by the shoulders. I don't even know who it is that is pulling me all over the place, but they are getting pretty ridiculous. I blink furiously to clear my vision, but the cooling air around me makes it very hard not to just close my eyes and give in to some well-deserved sleep. Something yanks me forward, and my feet begin to move too quickly for me to even consider sleep an option. Giving in, I blink until my eyesight finally returns to normal, revealing a tall, brawny man pulling me away from the burning houses.
My eyes widen, though the air that rushes against them burns slightly, forcing me back into a slight squint. My legs give out after a minute, and I fall straight to my knees, which really hurts considering I'm on a stone road now. Farore, I'm tired. Can't I just stay here? I'm panting, trying to catch my breath, and perhaps trying to figure out what Keal is doing here.
"Where, did you, come from?" I inquire between breaths. My heart is still racing, acting as though it may beat right out of my chest. I hope it does, then it can choke the daylights out of this loser.
"Does it really matter?"
"Yes, it does, considering you, disappeared and, left me with those, creeps." I'm starting to feel a little better, though I would be completely better if he would lean a little closer so I could punch the daylights out of him.
"Think o' it as a lesson, boy." Oh, yes. A lesson. Just what I always needed.
"And I suppose you are going to stick around, now that I've gone through hell?" My voice has regained it's strength, and perhaps gained a few extra notches as well. I'm not just mad, I'm furious.
"Hey, I just saved yer life again, kid, an' that's all I get'n return?" That's it. I just can't contain myself. I launch myself in his direction, arms swinging as if pain is not a factor anymore. Come to think of it, my pain doesn't really exist at the moment. I'm only interested in his. Perfect timing for Ramala and Delphie to come running up. Sure enough—
"What are you doing!?" comes the surprised voice of Ramala. "That man just saved you!"
"I, don't, CARE!" I say between swings, most of which he has managed to block somehow even though I'm on top of him while he's on the flat of his back. I could have probably gotten a few good blows in if Delphie hadn't run up and given me a horribly sad look. You know, the kind with the huge eyes and puffy lower lip. Pitiful. Even a warrior such as myself can't withstand the sad puppy look of a little girl. I stop just in time to be flung off and onto the ground, hitting my head on the street. It's always good to be in the company of young, beautiful girls though. Especially when they run to your side at every second to baby you.
"Are you ok?!" Ramala cries as she runs to my side. When I sit up as if nothing happened, she eyes my over until her eyes meet with my chared shirt. She carefully lifts up my left arm and moves some of the singed material away to find perfectly unharmed skin. Eyes wide, she looks up at me. "How is it that you burned the material, but your arm is perfectly intact? It's just like when you fell from the window." I'm just as surprised to see the burns gone, and so quickly.
"A window? Ya've been keepin' yerself busy, I see!" Keal mocks. If I were closer I'd shove my foot right up his—
"You should have seen!" Delphie squeals as she runs to my other side. "He was all tied up to a chair and fell from a second floor window and got real hurt but had no wounds to show for it and he got up and walked away without a scratch and—"
"Calm down, Delphie," Ramala urges. I look at Keal, whose eyes are wide with curiosity.
"Not a scratch?" he whispers half to himself. I'm about to tell him off when Ramala interrupts.
"Why are you still in town? I told you to leave." I smile at her concern.
"I had to see for myself."
"You saw him?!" her eyes are now locked on mine. It's as if she thinks if she looks away, I'll disappear into thin air.
"Uh, it's not like it's the first time I've gotten into trouble with him. I was just lucky it was only Hellpahrn and not his entire gang this time." She looks as though she's too shocked to speak.
"And how the hell did you get away from 'im this time, kid?" Keal interjects, as if he's been following my progress from the start.
"Magic," I say both sarcastically and truthfully. He mutters something under his breath, but I ignore him and turn to Ramala. "Who did this to your house, and what do you know about Hellpahrn?" I ask, placing a caring hand on her shoulder in the hopes that it will make her feel more, open.
"It was one of Hellpahrn's men, I'm sure of it. It's always Hellpahrn. He—" she looks down at her dress and begins to fiddle with the hem. Finally, she speaks in a muted tone. "He killed our parents a few years after Delphie was born. He swore he wanted to protect her, but when he came back from his travels and found her married with children, he went crazy and, and—" Ramala breaks out in tears before she can finish, and when I put my other hand on her other shoulder, she looks at me with the most heartbroken eyes and falls into my chest. I'm not used to this, but I hold her close, hoping to comfort her. I've never had a 'soft side'; most people find me pretty hard-shelled, but hopefully I'll be able to do something right for a change.
"Why didn't he kill you two as well?" I ask gently, hoping the question won't make her mad at me. Her sobbing tempers a bit as she talks into my shirt.
"He said he 'didn't have the heart' to kill us then, yet he was like stone when he killed them. And about two years ago, he started trying to kill us. That must have been his purpose today in town." She pauses a minute, then finally raises her head to look at me. I can't really bare to look into her eyes, full of tears now, but I force myself. "Why us?" That is a question I was completely unprepared for. How could I, a heartless, fourteen-year-old bounty hunter, answer a question like that? I know nothing of his motives or feelings, yet this girl looks to me as if I might have an answer that will comfort her for the rest of her life. It's heartbreaking, really.
"I-I don't know." I'm completely perplexed. Looking up to the sky doesn't fill my head with the wisdom I need, and looking down at her distressed face doesn't make it any easier, either. We just sit there a moment, her thin fingers grasping my tear-soaked collar, my hands carefully holding her shoulders. We just stare at each other, like a recognition is forcing its way upon us, beckoning us to capture it and embrace some hidden knowledge. I look hard into her emerald eyes, but I see... nothing.
"Poppycock! Yer always sayin' you know everythin'!" Keals words rip through the moment, tearing the close-to-sentimental feelings from me and returning me to the steel consciousness that I am so accustomed to. I can feel a frown form on my face, one that turns to a very angry frown. Ramala just looks at me with a worried expression, sniffs, and faces Keal.
"Keal," I say, my voice very rough and full of a hatred I didn't even know I owned toward him, "why do you have to destroy anything close to a sentiment that I might have? Tell me!" His confused expression does not interest me. I'm now standing—though I don't remember getting up—and walking toward him, leaving Ramala alone on the stone path. A cold droplet hits my nose, but I ignore it and continue on. "You left me to die with that bastard, and now you come back to ridicule me? You may have saved my life, but I am just as capable of doing that as you are." I'm practically in his face now, and he's got the dumbest look I have ever seen on him. "Leave, Keal. Leave now! You can tell the ministry I quit."
Keal's expression darkens, and his brow furrows into scornful anger. "You can't quit the 'Stalfos March'. Once ya work for us, ya stay with us. Otherwise, the hunter will become the hunted, and you'll have a pretty bounty on yer head!"
"I don't care!" I scream, not realizing until afterward that I'm extremely loud. I'm so mad right now, it would probably be possible to fry a cuccu's egg atop my head.
Keal's face drops all expression and his voice becomes deeper, colder. "Have it yer way," Keal mumbles in an almost threatening way before walking away. A few more cold drops hit my head and back, giving me a slight chill as I watch him saunter toward central town. Just before he rounds the corner, he turns back toward me and rubs his mustache in a pensive way totally opposite his true manner. "Just remember, there are no allies between predator and prey, Link." Then he disappears as the thunder masks his footsteps and lightening veils his shadow.
The rain feels refreshing as its cool beads soak into my hair and clothes. Calming from my rage, I turn toward the girls. Ramala is now standing and holding Delphie's hand close to her. "So, you do have a name." I raise an eyebrow at first, then remember that Keal just said it. Not able to think of an intelligent reply to that, I just nod and stare at her dumbly. "It sounds sofamiliar... Is that it?" she asks. I raise an eyebrow again, unsure of what she means.
"Uh, that's it."
"Just 'Link'? Well, that's strange. Most people have a family name."
"I'm orphaned. I don't have a family name." Her eyes grow wide.
"Oh, I'm so sorry!" she begins to walk toward me, but I seek no comfort. I've never really cared about my past, though when the Great Deku Tree told me I was Hylian I wasn't in the best of moods afterwards.
"It's ok. I never knew my parents anyway." I try to think of a way to change the subject. There's got to be something more important to talk about than my past. It's too complicated, and I'd prefer not to go into it. Looking over to my right, I notice that the rain has put out the three house fires. The girls' house has become a dilapidated pile of burnt rubble, complete with newly introduced mud puddles. "So where are you two going to go now?" She looks at the mess, then down at Delphie.
"Well, we can't go back to the house," she says before turning back to me, "so I'm not really sure. You?"
"I'm going after him."
"Who?"
"Hellpahrn." Ramala runs up to me and grabs me by the shoulders. Looking up at her newly acquired expression of unease, it seems I'm awfully good at making the poor girl freak out.
"No! He's too dangerous, and there's no reason for you to go after him. After all, you are only a child." I put my hands on top of hers and pull them down, never taking my eyes away from hers.
"I understand your concern, but you don't understand mine. I'm not going to wait for him to come after me again. I'm going to find him first." That's all I can say before facing the town. That window I fell from, I have to go back to see if I can find anything that would lead me to Hellpahrn. After all, I'm sure he's not stupid enough to stick around.
"Link!" I hear Ramala calling from behind, but I don't turn back. I'm trying to keep up my determined strut, and looking back is a sure sign of weakness. At least, I think it is. No time to worry about that now, though. It's going to be dark soon, so I need to get moving. As I turn the same corner that Keal passed moments ago, I watch from the corner of my eye as Delphie looks up to her sister, who's about to break into tears. The moment seems to go in slow motion, and as I turn I can hear the young girl ask her older sister something, something that catches me off guard.
"Is he gonna die?"
"I don't know," Ramala replies.
-------
A/N:
A bit shorter than the last chappy, but at least it's longer than the first few, yes? I've been either busy or distracted, so sorry for the wait if there was one. Idunno, I lose track of the time! :P NEwho, I hope everything made sense. Sometimes it's kinda hard to write a fic while you're completely engrossed in another! So just keep reading and don't say it sucks, ok?
Chapter 7
I cover my eyes with one arm and jump backward several feet so I don't get scorched. It's all burning. Why are the houses burning?! I feel so useless. Even if I did have my ocarina, the song of storms would never possess enough water to put all three house fires out. Lucky Ramala and Delphie got out in time. Wait... Aren't cellars under houses? Holy Farore, they are stuck under there?
I dart around the house, keeping my right arm near my head in case something falls. It's really hot between the houses, and I'm surprised I haven't caught myself on fire yet. I can't find a trap door anywhere, but after a few moments of searching, I find a small window just above ground level on the back of the house. Without thought or hesitation, I back up about ten feet, then run toward the house at full speed. Using my foot to break through the glass, I lean backwards into a slide, flying right through the window. I've become quite good at this, and I slide right into a dark room and roll to a stop without hurting myself. It's like an oven in here, and there's smoke accumulating around the ceiling. I take a quick look around to see a lantern in a coughing Ramala's left hand, Delphie clinging to her other in fear.
"What are you doing in here? You have to get out!" I search frantically for the exit that led them here. There's a wooden hatch door on the opposite side of the room—in front of the house? How could I have missed it?
"We can't! The door's stuck!" Ramala chokes. I run up to it just to make sure, and it's very hot, probably on fire on the other side.
"You'll have to climb out of the window!" I shout as I grab Delphie's arm. "Come on! I'll lift you out." She runs with me to the other side of the room, grasping onto my hand tightly on the way. I pick her up under the arms and lift her up to the window, her stubby hands grasping the ledge as I push her through. "Watch out for glass," I warn her, remembering how I got through to begin with. Once Delphie is safely out of the house, I turn toward Ramala. "You next."
"What about you?" she asks, ducking through the smoke as she slowly makes her way toward me.
"Don't worry about me!" I shout as I grab her arm and lead her to the window. I cup my hands on my knee, and she grabs onto the ledge with one hand and steps into my hands. She's out of the window pretty quickly, and if I had the time to be impressed, I would be. But right now I need to get out. I can hear her shouting something, but I'm too busy trying to figure out a way to get up there. I back up a bit so I can get a running start, and I'm already on my way toward the window when I hear someone—probably Ramala—scream. Just as I'm leaping up to the opening, a board encased in flames falls and covers the exit. I try to lean backwards to stop myself but it's too late; my left arm goes up just in time to shield my face from the flames, but nothing shields my arm. Luckily, my sleeve doesn't catch on fire, and my gauntlet provides some protection, though my fingers and part of my upper arm are burnt, including part of my new undershirt. Surprisingly, the burns don't hurt much, either because of some magic force or because I'm least worried about a couple burns. I'm still stuck under a burning house in a tiny, incubated room that's now almost completely filled with smoke.
Cradling my injured arm, I duck under the smoke and run back to the other side of the room. There are a few reddened cinders falling through the cracks of the planks that compose the cellar doors. Obviously, the same thing that happened to the window happened to the door. I search the room, which is increasingly hard to see around, for something that might help. There's a bit of hay scattered around the floor, which might help if I want to catch myself on fire. There's also a pitchfork leaning against a near corner. That might help. I grab it, nearly burning the skin from my palm with my hasty grip—even through my gloves—since it was leaning against a very hot wall. I ignore the pain as much as possible and grasp the pitchfork with both hands, wincing slightly at both the pain in my left arm and at the sudden and excruciating heat. With a running start once again, I race toward the window, aiming the pitchfork toward the burning plank. It connects, but rather than pushing the board away, the fork merely impales the board. I try to pull it back, but it's embedded to deeply and won't come out. Goddesses, this is not a good day.
As I tug at the fork to no avail, I can hear some shouting on the outside. I strain my ears to understand the muted words, but I can't hear anything above the crackling of the fire and the sounds of boards breaking, not to mention my newly developing cough. I tug once more. Nothing. My brow furrows as I stare hard at the pitchfork, cursing its stupidity as if it is a living entity. In the middle of my thoughts, I feel something dreadfully cold cover my entire body. Cold and wet. Someone's just thrown a shitload of water through the window, putting out the plank's flames. I can feel some vibrations through the pitchfork's handle, as if someone is trying to move the board from the outside. I grasp the handle tighter, my eyes beginning to haze over with a burning liquid. I squint to try to keep my vision up, but everything is so blurry. The board is moving now, I can feel it, but very slowly. I look up, the window now just a square of light, the room a dark mess. The board is out of the way enough for me to squeeze through, so I grab the pitchfork handle closer to the head and pull myself toward the opening, my feet slipping over the stone walls as I struggle to move upwards.
As I get closer to the opening, I can feel something grab my left hand. I cringe and choke back a shriek as they tighten their amazingly strong grip. Gritting my teeth, I decide that I should just go with it rather than fight it, lest I be stuck down here for the rest of my life, which wouldn't be much longer. In one quick moment, I am pulled completely through the opening, just after which I sink to the ground. The grass feels so great, and I am able to relax for just a moment before being pulled to my feet by the shoulders. I don't even know who it is that is pulling me all over the place, but they are getting pretty ridiculous. I blink furiously to clear my vision, but the cooling air around me makes it very hard not to just close my eyes and give in to some well-deserved sleep. Something yanks me forward, and my feet begin to move too quickly for me to even consider sleep an option. Giving in, I blink until my eyesight finally returns to normal, revealing a tall, brawny man pulling me away from the burning houses.
My eyes widen, though the air that rushes against them burns slightly, forcing me back into a slight squint. My legs give out after a minute, and I fall straight to my knees, which really hurts considering I'm on a stone road now. Farore, I'm tired. Can't I just stay here? I'm panting, trying to catch my breath, and perhaps trying to figure out what Keal is doing here.
"Where, did you, come from?" I inquire between breaths. My heart is still racing, acting as though it may beat right out of my chest. I hope it does, then it can choke the daylights out of this loser.
"Does it really matter?"
"Yes, it does, considering you, disappeared and, left me with those, creeps." I'm starting to feel a little better, though I would be completely better if he would lean a little closer so I could punch the daylights out of him.
"Think o' it as a lesson, boy." Oh, yes. A lesson. Just what I always needed.
"And I suppose you are going to stick around, now that I've gone through hell?" My voice has regained it's strength, and perhaps gained a few extra notches as well. I'm not just mad, I'm furious.
"Hey, I just saved yer life again, kid, an' that's all I get'n return?" That's it. I just can't contain myself. I launch myself in his direction, arms swinging as if pain is not a factor anymore. Come to think of it, my pain doesn't really exist at the moment. I'm only interested in his. Perfect timing for Ramala and Delphie to come running up. Sure enough—
"What are you doing!?" comes the surprised voice of Ramala. "That man just saved you!"
"I, don't, CARE!" I say between swings, most of which he has managed to block somehow even though I'm on top of him while he's on the flat of his back. I could have probably gotten a few good blows in if Delphie hadn't run up and given me a horribly sad look. You know, the kind with the huge eyes and puffy lower lip. Pitiful. Even a warrior such as myself can't withstand the sad puppy look of a little girl. I stop just in time to be flung off and onto the ground, hitting my head on the street. It's always good to be in the company of young, beautiful girls though. Especially when they run to your side at every second to baby you.
"Are you ok?!" Ramala cries as she runs to my side. When I sit up as if nothing happened, she eyes my over until her eyes meet with my chared shirt. She carefully lifts up my left arm and moves some of the singed material away to find perfectly unharmed skin. Eyes wide, she looks up at me. "How is it that you burned the material, but your arm is perfectly intact? It's just like when you fell from the window." I'm just as surprised to see the burns gone, and so quickly.
"A window? Ya've been keepin' yerself busy, I see!" Keal mocks. If I were closer I'd shove my foot right up his—
"You should have seen!" Delphie squeals as she runs to my other side. "He was all tied up to a chair and fell from a second floor window and got real hurt but had no wounds to show for it and he got up and walked away without a scratch and—"
"Calm down, Delphie," Ramala urges. I look at Keal, whose eyes are wide with curiosity.
"Not a scratch?" he whispers half to himself. I'm about to tell him off when Ramala interrupts.
"Why are you still in town? I told you to leave." I smile at her concern.
"I had to see for myself."
"You saw him?!" her eyes are now locked on mine. It's as if she thinks if she looks away, I'll disappear into thin air.
"Uh, it's not like it's the first time I've gotten into trouble with him. I was just lucky it was only Hellpahrn and not his entire gang this time." She looks as though she's too shocked to speak.
"And how the hell did you get away from 'im this time, kid?" Keal interjects, as if he's been following my progress from the start.
"Magic," I say both sarcastically and truthfully. He mutters something under his breath, but I ignore him and turn to Ramala. "Who did this to your house, and what do you know about Hellpahrn?" I ask, placing a caring hand on her shoulder in the hopes that it will make her feel more, open.
"It was one of Hellpahrn's men, I'm sure of it. It's always Hellpahrn. He—" she looks down at her dress and begins to fiddle with the hem. Finally, she speaks in a muted tone. "He killed our parents a few years after Delphie was born. He swore he wanted to protect her, but when he came back from his travels and found her married with children, he went crazy and, and—" Ramala breaks out in tears before she can finish, and when I put my other hand on her other shoulder, she looks at me with the most heartbroken eyes and falls into my chest. I'm not used to this, but I hold her close, hoping to comfort her. I've never had a 'soft side'; most people find me pretty hard-shelled, but hopefully I'll be able to do something right for a change.
"Why didn't he kill you two as well?" I ask gently, hoping the question won't make her mad at me. Her sobbing tempers a bit as she talks into my shirt.
"He said he 'didn't have the heart' to kill us then, yet he was like stone when he killed them. And about two years ago, he started trying to kill us. That must have been his purpose today in town." She pauses a minute, then finally raises her head to look at me. I can't really bare to look into her eyes, full of tears now, but I force myself. "Why us?" That is a question I was completely unprepared for. How could I, a heartless, fourteen-year-old bounty hunter, answer a question like that? I know nothing of his motives or feelings, yet this girl looks to me as if I might have an answer that will comfort her for the rest of her life. It's heartbreaking, really.
"I-I don't know." I'm completely perplexed. Looking up to the sky doesn't fill my head with the wisdom I need, and looking down at her distressed face doesn't make it any easier, either. We just sit there a moment, her thin fingers grasping my tear-soaked collar, my hands carefully holding her shoulders. We just stare at each other, like a recognition is forcing its way upon us, beckoning us to capture it and embrace some hidden knowledge. I look hard into her emerald eyes, but I see... nothing.
"Poppycock! Yer always sayin' you know everythin'!" Keals words rip through the moment, tearing the close-to-sentimental feelings from me and returning me to the steel consciousness that I am so accustomed to. I can feel a frown form on my face, one that turns to a very angry frown. Ramala just looks at me with a worried expression, sniffs, and faces Keal.
"Keal," I say, my voice very rough and full of a hatred I didn't even know I owned toward him, "why do you have to destroy anything close to a sentiment that I might have? Tell me!" His confused expression does not interest me. I'm now standing—though I don't remember getting up—and walking toward him, leaving Ramala alone on the stone path. A cold droplet hits my nose, but I ignore it and continue on. "You left me to die with that bastard, and now you come back to ridicule me? You may have saved my life, but I am just as capable of doing that as you are." I'm practically in his face now, and he's got the dumbest look I have ever seen on him. "Leave, Keal. Leave now! You can tell the ministry I quit."
Keal's expression darkens, and his brow furrows into scornful anger. "You can't quit the 'Stalfos March'. Once ya work for us, ya stay with us. Otherwise, the hunter will become the hunted, and you'll have a pretty bounty on yer head!"
"I don't care!" I scream, not realizing until afterward that I'm extremely loud. I'm so mad right now, it would probably be possible to fry a cuccu's egg atop my head.
Keal's face drops all expression and his voice becomes deeper, colder. "Have it yer way," Keal mumbles in an almost threatening way before walking away. A few more cold drops hit my head and back, giving me a slight chill as I watch him saunter toward central town. Just before he rounds the corner, he turns back toward me and rubs his mustache in a pensive way totally opposite his true manner. "Just remember, there are no allies between predator and prey, Link." Then he disappears as the thunder masks his footsteps and lightening veils his shadow.
The rain feels refreshing as its cool beads soak into my hair and clothes. Calming from my rage, I turn toward the girls. Ramala is now standing and holding Delphie's hand close to her. "So, you do have a name." I raise an eyebrow at first, then remember that Keal just said it. Not able to think of an intelligent reply to that, I just nod and stare at her dumbly. "It sounds sofamiliar... Is that it?" she asks. I raise an eyebrow again, unsure of what she means.
"Uh, that's it."
"Just 'Link'? Well, that's strange. Most people have a family name."
"I'm orphaned. I don't have a family name." Her eyes grow wide.
"Oh, I'm so sorry!" she begins to walk toward me, but I seek no comfort. I've never really cared about my past, though when the Great Deku Tree told me I was Hylian I wasn't in the best of moods afterwards.
"It's ok. I never knew my parents anyway." I try to think of a way to change the subject. There's got to be something more important to talk about than my past. It's too complicated, and I'd prefer not to go into it. Looking over to my right, I notice that the rain has put out the three house fires. The girls' house has become a dilapidated pile of burnt rubble, complete with newly introduced mud puddles. "So where are you two going to go now?" She looks at the mess, then down at Delphie.
"Well, we can't go back to the house," she says before turning back to me, "so I'm not really sure. You?"
"I'm going after him."
"Who?"
"Hellpahrn." Ramala runs up to me and grabs me by the shoulders. Looking up at her newly acquired expression of unease, it seems I'm awfully good at making the poor girl freak out.
"No! He's too dangerous, and there's no reason for you to go after him. After all, you are only a child." I put my hands on top of hers and pull them down, never taking my eyes away from hers.
"I understand your concern, but you don't understand mine. I'm not going to wait for him to come after me again. I'm going to find him first." That's all I can say before facing the town. That window I fell from, I have to go back to see if I can find anything that would lead me to Hellpahrn. After all, I'm sure he's not stupid enough to stick around.
"Link!" I hear Ramala calling from behind, but I don't turn back. I'm trying to keep up my determined strut, and looking back is a sure sign of weakness. At least, I think it is. No time to worry about that now, though. It's going to be dark soon, so I need to get moving. As I turn the same corner that Keal passed moments ago, I watch from the corner of my eye as Delphie looks up to her sister, who's about to break into tears. The moment seems to go in slow motion, and as I turn I can hear the young girl ask her older sister something, something that catches me off guard.
"Is he gonna die?"
"I don't know," Ramala replies.
-------
A/N:
A bit shorter than the last chappy, but at least it's longer than the first few, yes? I've been either busy or distracted, so sorry for the wait if there was one. Idunno, I lose track of the time! :P NEwho, I hope everything made sense. Sometimes it's kinda hard to write a fic while you're completely engrossed in another! So just keep reading and don't say it sucks, ok?