Legends of the Waker: Remnants of Old
Chapter XXII: A Hero Captured
-Link
I couldn't fly fast enough. It seemed as though I would never leave that place of pain and disgust. And maybe part of me never would. The actions of the king and myself kept flowing through my head even as I left.
As I flew by the monument to the Hero, I suddenly realized all the statues in battle poses scattered around the hall had come to life. I didn't give them time to attack, however, and simply flew on, out the exit.
No longer the only two objects of color, I could see the green of the grass and the stone floor beneath the crystal clear water. The King of Red Lions instantly began yelling at me, begging me to stop. I didn't even glance at him and made for the world of water above.
I was already winded by the time I reached the air above, gasping for breath before I was higher than the massive arches. A growing stitch wound it's way from ribcage to stomach the longer I flew. I didn't exactly know what to do. Throughout my journey, I hadn't been completely without guidance since I'd run from home. I knew I had to face Ganondorf eventually. I just didn't feel ready to soar into his tower, tip my hat, and kill him.
I headed for civilization, not knowing what else to do. A pleasant little island town that reminded me of home on Roc's Island neared. By the time I was anywhere near it, the pain of simply moving on was growing with each passing second. The waves went from a distant wall of blue, to a growing field of it, reaching out to take me in. . .
"Guhp!" The wooden wall of a large ship put an end to my worries, and my flight, and I found darkness as eager as the water for my company, and both welcomed me.
"Oah, boy. He hit his head pretty dang hard, Miss Zelda."
"That he did! Would you get a load that bump! His hat ain't gonna fit snug, that's for sure, Miss Zelda!"
"Clear off! He needs his rest- Looks like he's coming around." Wide blue eyes stared into mine and for a moment I forgot how to speak.
"Hey-Uh, er. . ."
"Oh, no! He can't talk straight!"
"If I have to tell you again to clear off. . ."
No words. A door banged many times, though. As I looked up, I realized I hadn't really looked at her before. We'd talked for a few minutes, but I'd been preoccupied, caught up in the rush of events that had driven me from home. She wore her long, brown hair unadorned and dressed still in the simple garments of a pirate, and her pretty face was just as I remembered it, looking nothing like the imagined captains of all the terrible stories I'd heard from friends, elders and books.
She smiled as I sat up. "Are you alright?" Her face scrunched suddenly with worry. "You -can- speak, right?"
"Yes." I smiled as well. I'd never liked talking much, and though I'd had trouble at first, the words slid out easily now. We talked for a very long time, sharing stories of what had happened since I'd been forcibly taken from her presence. She told me of an increasing number of dangers across the sea, and how everyone on board was looking forward to reaching Windfall. Eventually, the long talk turned to our lives. I told her about my cape and how my father had turned on me on my coming of age, my sixteenth birthday.
". . .Wait. Coming of age is thirteen, isn't it?"
"I guess not everywhere. Maybe they just thought I was a slow learner."
She laughed and after some questions from me she told me a little of her life. Her father had been a merchant who had married a young pirate. Zelda said her family had been pirating for as long as they could remember, but unlike most pirates in their search for gold, hers' never hurt anyone. She'd lost both parents to an attack from some of the strange forces that had been roaming the sea, rumored to be sent out by Ganondorf. Tetra's father had met a different fate. He'd simply disappeared. At landfall on a distant island he'd gone missing, and no search seemed able to bring him back.
"Bare rock and stone, it was. Now a terrible fortress. I held out hope for years of returning to find him, but I know now in my heart he is dead. What are you going to do about -him-?" she asked, referring unmistakably to Ganondorf.
"I am going to go where dirt meets lava, deep within the foundations of the Earth, and claim the Goron War-Hammer of legends past, for by it alone can the Triforce be sundered."
I expected some confusion on Zelda's part, for no one could have been as confused as me, but she merely nodded. "So you're going to shatter it. It makes since, really. If you fail to destroy Ganon, he won't get your power. But I don't need to tell you that."
"Wha. . .um, yeah. So do you happen to know what became of the Hammer?"
"Before the Gorons fled deep into the earth, they lived on Death Mountain. Perhaps you should find what became of it."
I nodded, deep in thought, and Zelda pushed me out of the room. "I need some sleep," she said, "You can find a hammock somewhere in the lower decks. The galley's always warm." We bid each other good night and I wondered out on the deck, not at all tired.
The whole night had gone by in such a rush, I could barely think. I wasn't sure when it had happened, but I knew I'd fallen in love with Zelda.
Chapter XXIII: Troubled Mind
-Holly
I hopped easily onto Fado's shoulder as we walked down the stone hallway towards the central chamber. Though that's not accurate. I was stresses at Mako's peculiar condition on returning to us, and failed to notice at the time that Fado was floating a few inches off the ground.
A cloying crowd of Rito was surrounding Mako as we approached. It wasn't long before I could hear him mumbling.
"These are the legends of the Waker, the legends of Zelda, of the Hero, of the Evil King. Of the Triforce. In the beginning. . ." And on he went, launching into a tale of the history of the world, all in a low mumble, all with his eyes clouded and vacant.
Fado pushed through the throng and knelt before him. As I leaned forward and looked into his eyes, I felt a scream dawn on my lips and die before it could escape. A darkness, a strange evil, was pooling within.
"What did you see?" Fado whispered, leaning close, and it was then I noticed his own eyes seemed strange.
He leaned forward and closed his eyes, pressing both hands heavily on Mako's brow. Suddenly his eyes shot open and he was tossed across the room. I ran to him and saw his eyes roll up just before the lids covered them.
"FADO!"
-Fado
Darkness washed over me in a flood. When I could finally see again, I stood on a dirt path, with green grass stretching forever in all directions, more grass than I'd seen since I'd been born, at the vast plains of Hyrule Field. The sky was dark and angry, ready to explode into thunder and lighting. I heard a voice whisper my name and turned, but there was no one there.
The little path stretched straight into the horizon. I didn't know why I was here, or what this had to do with Mako. The sky lit up suddenly, and without planning or meaning to, I broke into a run along the trail.
As I went, trees sprouted up along the trail on both sides, but not the loving trees I remembered from home, that had made waking every morning so pleasant, as their scent filled the air. Trees I somehow knew I would never see again. These trees were stunted, little higher than the mast of the boat we'd left the Forest with. Gnarled and black they reached for the sky like the hands of broken giants.
I reached the horizon quicker than I would have thought possible but before I could see what waited for me, Mako's voice boomed and echoed across the transparent, all too unreal world.
"These are the legends of the Waker. . ."
The voice kept going, but I couldn't hear it because I'd seen the horizon. A forest of mismatched glass and jewel lumps were scattered here and there amidst what seemed to be a wood. A real one, not twisted trees along a path. As I crossed the distinct line from field to forest, the sky changed into an odd white, with midnight blue cutouts shaped like mountains staining it from the horizons. When I glanced inside a boulder of sapphire I saw distorted images of the Forest, of Kokiri, and even myself and realized I stood on the landscape of Mako's mind.
I walked on, feeling a purpose of direction but not knowing where I was going and soon came into a clearing at least three dozen full grown felled trees across. A glint caught the odd light and I walked to the middle of the meadow and reached a glass pillar. On the glass pillar stood a tiny Mako, no higher than a young blade of grass. I picked him up and his voice squeaked something but I couldn't make it out.
I heard a roar and the cracking and swishing of trampled vegetation and a massive, serpent like dragon ambled out of the trees and glass.
-Majora's Servant-
Purplish veins jutted from blood red skin all over the creature's body. Thin, leathery wings stretched into the air and blotted out a portion of the pearl and navy sky. I slipped Mako under my hat and drew my sword. A gasp of shock drove away the silence that had descended. The Kokiri Sword had transformed into a much longer weapon, gold mixing with steel to make a gilded blade. Before I could think about this, green-gold armor incased me from head to foot, and a shining silver shield appeared in my right hand.
I leapt into the air with an easy grace and lunged forward with the blade outstretched. It swung with a small whir through the creature's wing and it fell to lift him no more. I slashed into a foot and took a blow from the other, but ignored it and readied to take off the monster's head. Majora's Servant roared suddenly and unleashed a blast of foul green flame. I was knocked back and felt my armor melt away. It pooled at my feet as I stood, green-gold mixing with silver. I watched my sword lose its enhancement and prepared my next attack.
As I ran forward and Majora's Servant drew its breath, Holly dropped out of the air. Not the Korok as she was, but the way she'd been. A wave of brilliant gold hair flashed as she pulled out a bottle and jumped back, a thousand needles of silver liquid launching from the bottle and striking the creature before us. I felt the armor pressing my clothes down again and once again came forward, but this time the flame didn't stop me. The skin of the beast was spotted with silver all over its chest. I swung my sword through the thick neck and the whole body vanished before the head could touch the grass.
A screaming wave roared past us, red and purple mixed with terrible black eyes. Mako stood in front of us a moment later, also a Kokiri, raking a hand through black locks. Holly grinned at me familiarly and I felt an infinite homesickness as we stood together.
And then Mako was growing to fill the space around us, and Holly and I were sent soaring straight into the sky.
When I awoke, I could see the cavern ceiling high above, and Holly rising to her feet nearby. But. . .she was a Kokiri! She was looking with surprise at her own hand. I looked over and saw Mako stretching his no longer stubby legs as far as they would go.
As I looked around, I suddenly realized the Rito were pressed against the walls in terror. Holly broke the silence first.
"I think we've overstayed our welcome."
Chapter XXIV: Medli's Resolve
-Medli
My confidence was fast eroding. I held the Wind Waker pointed into the boy's back as we walked through the village. The village proved to be shockingly deceptive, for what had appeared to be a few dozen huts from the air had proven to be a tightly packed town, with small dirt roads, shouting ringing from various cartside salesmen, and alleys occupied by the occasional begger. In short, it could not have been what I saw.
"What is this trickery?" I asked, forcing more resolve into my voice than I owned. I tried to do what Laruto would do. I tried to -be- Laruto. Medli wasn't going to get anything done today.
"Fairy magic," he responded sounding uncomfortable but far less insane than he had before. "Nemos is ashamed she let Outset fall into such disarray. The tower is supposed to help intercept anyone who gets too close. She's very vain. Why do you need a healer? You seem healthy enough."
"My friend is seriously-" What was I doing? Laruto would never give away such information to someone she couldn't trust. "My business is my own."
"Whatever."
We crossed a massive wooden bridge, with more houses and stores on either side, and eventually reached a house larger than most around it. When we stepped in I saw a Hylian woman with dark hair that probably met their standards of beauty, but Rito, unlike Zora, do not notice other species. I ignored her, even though she had to be the healer I sought. It was the building's other occupant I was watching. A Rito. I dropped the wind wand when our eyes met, but my weak resolve was lost, and I didn't notice.
For the woman before me was none other than my mother.
-Laruto
A haze of pain made the sky twist and my eyes squeeze shut. The Deku moved me from the submarine to the beach with no trouble, but it was too much when Burt leapt onto my broken arm. He chattered away as the rest of Gris's family constructed seemingly from nowhere a stretcher made of leaves. Burt, of course, rode with me.
A darkening sky met my eyes when I opened them again. We seemed to be moving through a dirty, crowded city. The Deku family and their passenger were met with stares as we walked through the street, obviously out of place among so many Hylians, broken only by the occasional Rito postman or Goron Merchant.
As we neared a bridge, all ten Deku on the lookout for some sign of Medli or the healer, a shadow blocked the weak sunlight. A massive man that looked like he pulled wagons for a living and a deeply suntanned face that suggested he moonlighted as an anvil crossed his arms and blocked the way.
"Yew cen't pass 'ere witout my permissin, sirs."
Quietly I was set down. Quietly ten bows were drawn. Quietly Gris spoke, "At your leave, sir."
Without speaking, he bowed, held out a hand and stepped back. We moved on, and the pain absorbed me again. I think we moved across the bridge at that point. The breaks in my body were worse than I'd thought, even then. With every jarring step I felt the broken bones in my face move. I'd reached a point beyond being able to perceive much, but came to again when we finally stopped.
We were inside a small house, old furniture scattered sparsely here and there. Medli and a boy with a mop of blond hair stood a few feet away. Across from them were a stunningly beautiful Hylian woman with short, oddly curled black hair and a tall, well-dressed Rito. When I looked back at Medli, I realized her face was contorted with rage. She reached down and swept up a gray wand from the ground and lunged at the Rito, screaming as she went.
"I'll kill you!"
Chapter XXII: A Hero Captured
-Link
I couldn't fly fast enough. It seemed as though I would never leave that place of pain and disgust. And maybe part of me never would. The actions of the king and myself kept flowing through my head even as I left.
As I flew by the monument to the Hero, I suddenly realized all the statues in battle poses scattered around the hall had come to life. I didn't give them time to attack, however, and simply flew on, out the exit.
No longer the only two objects of color, I could see the green of the grass and the stone floor beneath the crystal clear water. The King of Red Lions instantly began yelling at me, begging me to stop. I didn't even glance at him and made for the world of water above.
I was already winded by the time I reached the air above, gasping for breath before I was higher than the massive arches. A growing stitch wound it's way from ribcage to stomach the longer I flew. I didn't exactly know what to do. Throughout my journey, I hadn't been completely without guidance since I'd run from home. I knew I had to face Ganondorf eventually. I just didn't feel ready to soar into his tower, tip my hat, and kill him.
I headed for civilization, not knowing what else to do. A pleasant little island town that reminded me of home on Roc's Island neared. By the time I was anywhere near it, the pain of simply moving on was growing with each passing second. The waves went from a distant wall of blue, to a growing field of it, reaching out to take me in. . .
"Guhp!" The wooden wall of a large ship put an end to my worries, and my flight, and I found darkness as eager as the water for my company, and both welcomed me.
"Oah, boy. He hit his head pretty dang hard, Miss Zelda."
"That he did! Would you get a load that bump! His hat ain't gonna fit snug, that's for sure, Miss Zelda!"
"Clear off! He needs his rest- Looks like he's coming around." Wide blue eyes stared into mine and for a moment I forgot how to speak.
"Hey-Uh, er. . ."
"Oh, no! He can't talk straight!"
"If I have to tell you again to clear off. . ."
No words. A door banged many times, though. As I looked up, I realized I hadn't really looked at her before. We'd talked for a few minutes, but I'd been preoccupied, caught up in the rush of events that had driven me from home. She wore her long, brown hair unadorned and dressed still in the simple garments of a pirate, and her pretty face was just as I remembered it, looking nothing like the imagined captains of all the terrible stories I'd heard from friends, elders and books.
She smiled as I sat up. "Are you alright?" Her face scrunched suddenly with worry. "You -can- speak, right?"
"Yes." I smiled as well. I'd never liked talking much, and though I'd had trouble at first, the words slid out easily now. We talked for a very long time, sharing stories of what had happened since I'd been forcibly taken from her presence. She told me of an increasing number of dangers across the sea, and how everyone on board was looking forward to reaching Windfall. Eventually, the long talk turned to our lives. I told her about my cape and how my father had turned on me on my coming of age, my sixteenth birthday.
". . .Wait. Coming of age is thirteen, isn't it?"
"I guess not everywhere. Maybe they just thought I was a slow learner."
She laughed and after some questions from me she told me a little of her life. Her father had been a merchant who had married a young pirate. Zelda said her family had been pirating for as long as they could remember, but unlike most pirates in their search for gold, hers' never hurt anyone. She'd lost both parents to an attack from some of the strange forces that had been roaming the sea, rumored to be sent out by Ganondorf. Tetra's father had met a different fate. He'd simply disappeared. At landfall on a distant island he'd gone missing, and no search seemed able to bring him back.
"Bare rock and stone, it was. Now a terrible fortress. I held out hope for years of returning to find him, but I know now in my heart he is dead. What are you going to do about -him-?" she asked, referring unmistakably to Ganondorf.
"I am going to go where dirt meets lava, deep within the foundations of the Earth, and claim the Goron War-Hammer of legends past, for by it alone can the Triforce be sundered."
I expected some confusion on Zelda's part, for no one could have been as confused as me, but she merely nodded. "So you're going to shatter it. It makes since, really. If you fail to destroy Ganon, he won't get your power. But I don't need to tell you that."
"Wha. . .um, yeah. So do you happen to know what became of the Hammer?"
"Before the Gorons fled deep into the earth, they lived on Death Mountain. Perhaps you should find what became of it."
I nodded, deep in thought, and Zelda pushed me out of the room. "I need some sleep," she said, "You can find a hammock somewhere in the lower decks. The galley's always warm." We bid each other good night and I wondered out on the deck, not at all tired.
The whole night had gone by in such a rush, I could barely think. I wasn't sure when it had happened, but I knew I'd fallen in love with Zelda.
Chapter XXIII: Troubled Mind
-Holly
I hopped easily onto Fado's shoulder as we walked down the stone hallway towards the central chamber. Though that's not accurate. I was stresses at Mako's peculiar condition on returning to us, and failed to notice at the time that Fado was floating a few inches off the ground.
A cloying crowd of Rito was surrounding Mako as we approached. It wasn't long before I could hear him mumbling.
"These are the legends of the Waker, the legends of Zelda, of the Hero, of the Evil King. Of the Triforce. In the beginning. . ." And on he went, launching into a tale of the history of the world, all in a low mumble, all with his eyes clouded and vacant.
Fado pushed through the throng and knelt before him. As I leaned forward and looked into his eyes, I felt a scream dawn on my lips and die before it could escape. A darkness, a strange evil, was pooling within.
"What did you see?" Fado whispered, leaning close, and it was then I noticed his own eyes seemed strange.
He leaned forward and closed his eyes, pressing both hands heavily on Mako's brow. Suddenly his eyes shot open and he was tossed across the room. I ran to him and saw his eyes roll up just before the lids covered them.
"FADO!"
-Fado
Darkness washed over me in a flood. When I could finally see again, I stood on a dirt path, with green grass stretching forever in all directions, more grass than I'd seen since I'd been born, at the vast plains of Hyrule Field. The sky was dark and angry, ready to explode into thunder and lighting. I heard a voice whisper my name and turned, but there was no one there.
The little path stretched straight into the horizon. I didn't know why I was here, or what this had to do with Mako. The sky lit up suddenly, and without planning or meaning to, I broke into a run along the trail.
As I went, trees sprouted up along the trail on both sides, but not the loving trees I remembered from home, that had made waking every morning so pleasant, as their scent filled the air. Trees I somehow knew I would never see again. These trees were stunted, little higher than the mast of the boat we'd left the Forest with. Gnarled and black they reached for the sky like the hands of broken giants.
I reached the horizon quicker than I would have thought possible but before I could see what waited for me, Mako's voice boomed and echoed across the transparent, all too unreal world.
"These are the legends of the Waker. . ."
The voice kept going, but I couldn't hear it because I'd seen the horizon. A forest of mismatched glass and jewel lumps were scattered here and there amidst what seemed to be a wood. A real one, not twisted trees along a path. As I crossed the distinct line from field to forest, the sky changed into an odd white, with midnight blue cutouts shaped like mountains staining it from the horizons. When I glanced inside a boulder of sapphire I saw distorted images of the Forest, of Kokiri, and even myself and realized I stood on the landscape of Mako's mind.
I walked on, feeling a purpose of direction but not knowing where I was going and soon came into a clearing at least three dozen full grown felled trees across. A glint caught the odd light and I walked to the middle of the meadow and reached a glass pillar. On the glass pillar stood a tiny Mako, no higher than a young blade of grass. I picked him up and his voice squeaked something but I couldn't make it out.
I heard a roar and the cracking and swishing of trampled vegetation and a massive, serpent like dragon ambled out of the trees and glass.
-Majora's Servant-
Purplish veins jutted from blood red skin all over the creature's body. Thin, leathery wings stretched into the air and blotted out a portion of the pearl and navy sky. I slipped Mako under my hat and drew my sword. A gasp of shock drove away the silence that had descended. The Kokiri Sword had transformed into a much longer weapon, gold mixing with steel to make a gilded blade. Before I could think about this, green-gold armor incased me from head to foot, and a shining silver shield appeared in my right hand.
I leapt into the air with an easy grace and lunged forward with the blade outstretched. It swung with a small whir through the creature's wing and it fell to lift him no more. I slashed into a foot and took a blow from the other, but ignored it and readied to take off the monster's head. Majora's Servant roared suddenly and unleashed a blast of foul green flame. I was knocked back and felt my armor melt away. It pooled at my feet as I stood, green-gold mixing with silver. I watched my sword lose its enhancement and prepared my next attack.
As I ran forward and Majora's Servant drew its breath, Holly dropped out of the air. Not the Korok as she was, but the way she'd been. A wave of brilliant gold hair flashed as she pulled out a bottle and jumped back, a thousand needles of silver liquid launching from the bottle and striking the creature before us. I felt the armor pressing my clothes down again and once again came forward, but this time the flame didn't stop me. The skin of the beast was spotted with silver all over its chest. I swung my sword through the thick neck and the whole body vanished before the head could touch the grass.
A screaming wave roared past us, red and purple mixed with terrible black eyes. Mako stood in front of us a moment later, also a Kokiri, raking a hand through black locks. Holly grinned at me familiarly and I felt an infinite homesickness as we stood together.
And then Mako was growing to fill the space around us, and Holly and I were sent soaring straight into the sky.
When I awoke, I could see the cavern ceiling high above, and Holly rising to her feet nearby. But. . .she was a Kokiri! She was looking with surprise at her own hand. I looked over and saw Mako stretching his no longer stubby legs as far as they would go.
As I looked around, I suddenly realized the Rito were pressed against the walls in terror. Holly broke the silence first.
"I think we've overstayed our welcome."
Chapter XXIV: Medli's Resolve
-Medli
My confidence was fast eroding. I held the Wind Waker pointed into the boy's back as we walked through the village. The village proved to be shockingly deceptive, for what had appeared to be a few dozen huts from the air had proven to be a tightly packed town, with small dirt roads, shouting ringing from various cartside salesmen, and alleys occupied by the occasional begger. In short, it could not have been what I saw.
"What is this trickery?" I asked, forcing more resolve into my voice than I owned. I tried to do what Laruto would do. I tried to -be- Laruto. Medli wasn't going to get anything done today.
"Fairy magic," he responded sounding uncomfortable but far less insane than he had before. "Nemos is ashamed she let Outset fall into such disarray. The tower is supposed to help intercept anyone who gets too close. She's very vain. Why do you need a healer? You seem healthy enough."
"My friend is seriously-" What was I doing? Laruto would never give away such information to someone she couldn't trust. "My business is my own."
"Whatever."
We crossed a massive wooden bridge, with more houses and stores on either side, and eventually reached a house larger than most around it. When we stepped in I saw a Hylian woman with dark hair that probably met their standards of beauty, but Rito, unlike Zora, do not notice other species. I ignored her, even though she had to be the healer I sought. It was the building's other occupant I was watching. A Rito. I dropped the wind wand when our eyes met, but my weak resolve was lost, and I didn't notice.
For the woman before me was none other than my mother.
-Laruto
A haze of pain made the sky twist and my eyes squeeze shut. The Deku moved me from the submarine to the beach with no trouble, but it was too much when Burt leapt onto my broken arm. He chattered away as the rest of Gris's family constructed seemingly from nowhere a stretcher made of leaves. Burt, of course, rode with me.
A darkening sky met my eyes when I opened them again. We seemed to be moving through a dirty, crowded city. The Deku family and their passenger were met with stares as we walked through the street, obviously out of place among so many Hylians, broken only by the occasional Rito postman or Goron Merchant.
As we neared a bridge, all ten Deku on the lookout for some sign of Medli or the healer, a shadow blocked the weak sunlight. A massive man that looked like he pulled wagons for a living and a deeply suntanned face that suggested he moonlighted as an anvil crossed his arms and blocked the way.
"Yew cen't pass 'ere witout my permissin, sirs."
Quietly I was set down. Quietly ten bows were drawn. Quietly Gris spoke, "At your leave, sir."
Without speaking, he bowed, held out a hand and stepped back. We moved on, and the pain absorbed me again. I think we moved across the bridge at that point. The breaks in my body were worse than I'd thought, even then. With every jarring step I felt the broken bones in my face move. I'd reached a point beyond being able to perceive much, but came to again when we finally stopped.
We were inside a small house, old furniture scattered sparsely here and there. Medli and a boy with a mop of blond hair stood a few feet away. Across from them were a stunningly beautiful Hylian woman with short, oddly curled black hair and a tall, well-dressed Rito. When I looked back at Medli, I realized her face was contorted with rage. She reached down and swept up a gray wand from the ground and lunged at the Rito, screaming as she went.
"I'll kill you!"