Legends of the Waker: Remnants of Old
Chapter XLV: Thieves
(Link)
"I thought for sure Griman was your size." I stood in the middle of a messy apartment, swimming in a shirt and parts far too big with Zelda suppressing a laugh. "We'll just stuff your clothes with pillows and blankets.
"And then what? 'The Hero of Time waddles to the rescue.' I suppose I'd fit in with the Gorons. Can I have my tunic back now?"
"I burned it for fuel when I made dinner."
"Ah. And I thought it was your cooking that made the house smell." We'd broken into the dead man's apartment to find clothes, and so far had no luck. At least she hadn't gotten my hat, which had been cleaned and returned to place on my head.
"I didn't really have much to work with. This man lived like a pig. I must have been thinking of Trisyrt. Pity I didn't kill him instead. I'll go find him and get a few things from him." Before I could protest, she'd left, door swinging behind her.
I tried to run after her and tripped. How could Griman have worn such big clothes? He hadn't seemed that big to me. As I lifted myself up, an enormous man walked into the doorway and bellowed out at me. "What are you doing here?"
"Griman?"
"My name's Uferw, you fool."
(Zelda)
I dashed down the twilight streets, heading back for the place where I'd started to seek out a clue about Trisyrt's whereabouts. Nothing.
Remembering the man who'd helped me at the windmill, I decided to head in that direction. I felt a sinister presence fill the air and ducked into an alley as a black-cloaked figure walked by. Confidant he hadn't seen me, I was settled further back when he looked directly at me. Solid red eyes burned like hot coals, burning straight into my mind.
Trisyrt.
But something was obviously wrong. He ignored me, almost seeming not to recognize the girl that had bested him in combat. But that was impossible, right?
I followed him and watched as he went into the windmill. Link had told me of their influence over the odd man I'd met, making me wonder what he was up to now. As he walked in and I lost sight of him, I heard a loud commotion behind me. "I'll catch you yet!" a voice bellowed.
Link dashed around the corner, oversized clothes hitched up, cloak flailing behind him. He grabbed me by the collar as he got close. "I THINK YOU GOT THE WRONG APARTMENT!"
I looked behind him and saw the mountain of a man chasing Link. "That's not Griman."
"We gotta lose him, Speedy," Link said. "Let's go."
"The Hero of Time, running?" I said. "Go fight him."
"He's an innocent, and we broke into his house. I've no right. Did you find Trisyrt?"
The memory of those strange, fiery eyes that would haunt my dreams came back to me, and I shivered involuntarily. "Yes. . .I found him."
"Well? Where is he?"
Suddenly Link made a choking gasp as a voice thundered, "HAH! GOTCHA!"
(Link)
At last I'd gotten clothes that fit. It felt odd, being back in regular clothes, after wearing the tunic so long. Simple pants and a shirt, plus my hat, cloak, and swords. We'd found a store willing to accept work for clothing, and Zelda was there right now, as I investigated at the windmill. What happened when the large man caught me isn't important. Suffice to say I was very cold when he finally let us be.
The building had no windows, so I circled the building, avoiding the loosely hanging windmill blades, and found the remains of a tunnel around back that led upwards. I climbed into darkness and moss and eventually words echoed out towards me.
"Go away, Darunia. Lalalala."
"You know what I've come for. I'm not leaving this time until the job's done."
I reached a rotting wooden platform and stared down into the room where I'd been sentenced to a live burial. For one screaming second I was back there, pressured and crushed, the moments that had given me claustrophobia relived.
Breathing hard, I forced myself to focus on the scene below me. The bizarre man was speaking with Trisyrt, but as Zelda had said, his eyes glowed with red fire that was casting a hellish glow about the small room.
"I've sent for the Bellen-Der," Trisyrt continued, "The matter will soon be out of your hands. Suffice it to say I and my master are not pleased."
"I didn't know who they were, lalalala. I'm sorry. Let me handle it, please."
"No."
With that, the man swept out of the building, looking directly at me before he left. I was sure he was referring to us.
I crept back down the tunnel and ran through the village streets, occasional passersby giving me odd looks. I had to see Zelda, not only because we needed to figure out what to do next, but because I needed to see her, hold her.
But as I reached the clothing store, I could tell something was wrong. This was the busiest part of town, and the streets were empty.
A window flung open in nearby building across the street. A woman stuck her head out and screamed at me.
"Boy! The Bellen-Der are coming! Hide yourself-oh, no, no, no. I see one." The window slammed closed and I whirled, drawing both swords.
Towards the direction we'd started at, by the door to the Goron realm, hundreds of massive, butterflies were flying in my direction. I almost laughed, but when I got a closer view, I knew I had nothing to smile about.
Purple and blue wings as hard as diamonds glittered in the lantern glow. A tan segmented body with a six legs, all but two ending in a sharp scythe like blade. Three sets of compound eyes shattered my reflection a thousand times. And then the slavering jaws, long thin, needlelike teeth clacking together.
The Bellen-Der had indeed come. As they landed in streams all around me I burst into the building where Zelda was.
Or tried to. It was as locked up as all the others. I almost pounded on the door but then realized that would put Zelda in danger and ran out into the street. I it was time for a battle.
But I was ignored. The creatures didn't seem to care about me at all. They clustered around the store and began poking at the windows. Finally I dashed up to one and drove it through on the Master Sword. With frightening speed, half the group lunged. I was suddenly surrounded by blades and teeth, fighting for my life. I almost used the Triforce, but stayed my hand. The Poe was still there. I wasn't sure I still had complete control over it anymore.
I leapt into the air and was joined by a dozen Bellen-Der. I swung my swords out in spinning arcs to give myself room and used the boomerang to knock their heads around. I landed on the sidewall of one of the taller buildings, facing the ground, and waited.
Just before I was driven through, I dashed into a gap they'd left and turned around, and swung, cutting off two heads. I flew forward and cut through the body of another, and sliced backwards just as one brought a blade to bear on me. It missed the body, but succeeded in removing the offending limb.
I looked down and nearly fell out of the sky. Zelda was out on the street, fighting herself, grounded, and with only one sword she didn't have my advantage. I rushed to her aid when suddenly she was lifted into the air.
She hadn't screamed yet. Still fighting, she was carried by a new Bellen- Der every time she killed one, and they were rapidly making their way out of the town.
I couldn't keep up.
Already winded, I forced myself to fly harder as they slipped away, all the way howling Zelda's name and she mine.
I could see the ornate door covered in carvings hanging open. It slammed closed in my face as Zelda's last words shot out before she and I were separated.
"Carry on with the quest!"
Chapter XLVI: Art
(Holly)
The tiny wood offered plenty to see, explore, and more importantly, collect. Though I had plenty of potions from our time at Dragon Roost, you could never make too many. I emerged from the wood towards evening at the far side of the island, opposite the little village. The sun was bathing the sky before me in shades of red, purple, orange and blue. I took an example from Fado and collapsed, smiling, into the grass.
Shifting my elbow uncomfortably because of the bruise, my thoughts turned to what my friends were doing right now. Without their cook, they were probably hungry, even though they always joked about getting turned into a tree or a glass of milk. A crackling sound made me jump. A boy just a little older than me was working in the grass, black casings and wires spread about. Flaming red hair caught the glow of the sunset as he turned and saw me.
"Hello, stranger. Hey! A green tunic! You're one of the forest kids, aren't you? Papa said they all disappeared when the Rain came."
"My name's Holly, and yes, I'm a Kokiri, -or Korok-" I whispered under my breath. "What are you doing there?" I asked, deflecting attention. I'd heard too many stories about the dangers of the outside world to be completely trusting, and didn't want to draw attention to our mission.
"Trying to remember how to make a bomb. My Papa taught me how. He learned it from the Gorons, but they're all gone now, and so's he. Papa was a shopkeeper in one of the newer villages. He died in the Majorai war. I'm the only one that can provide the villagers with explosives."
I tried to draw him out more about that and learn our history but he continually dodged the subject and asked my opinion on something his Papa had told or taught hum. I needed to get back to Fado and Mako, and the Great Deku Tree would be able to tell me someday, so I ended the conversation.
"I've got to leave. I have friends expecting me." He grinned and tossed me the bomb he'd completed while we talked.
"Come back sometime. We'll talk again." I nodded, smiling, and began to walk for the woods, and stopped to look up at the sky once more.
The color had faded, and now sweeping blue clouds drifted across the earliest stars. "Din, Nayru, and Farore. It's beautiful here." I whispered.
"Those again? You believe in the old goddesses? I think they're just myth. My Papa taught me there was just a one true god, watching over everything."
"I guess that makes sense. I never really thought about them much. They sure aren't around now. They sure aren't doing anything for us."
"Well," he said, "There are stories about a little girl who prayed for deliverance at the hand of the three during the War that brought the Rain, but they're just that, probably. Stories."
I was shocked upon finally reaching the beach to find my two friends missing, without a trace.
Except one. Fado's sword. I threw the belt over my shoulder the way Fado did and set off, running through the trees and calling out their names, but I was soon exhausted and no less alone. The island was small and didn't take long to cover. Wondering what I could do, I leaned against a tree- trunk as an unusually bitter night set me shivering. The journey was over if something happened to one of them. What good was I? I wasn't a sage like Fado and Mako. I was really just along for the ride, obeying the orders given by the Deku Tree.
A twig snapped a few feet away and I jumped, reaching for a transforming potion, then the sword, but it was only a little girl. She smiled shyly. "Would you like to come to our village and warm yourself at our fire. My parents would invite you, but they're afrain you'll be mean. You won't, will you?"
"No," I said smiling in return. I'll be nice."
Just a few minutes later the cold was melting away in front of a small bonfire. The other villagers were eyeing me warily, but the little girl, Torta, had warmed up and was chatting amiably about anything that came to mind.
A flash of a conversation swirling across the crackling fire sent my head jerking up from staring at the blaze. ". . .saw two others dressed like her earlier. I'm a keese if I didn't see one of 'em fly. Both went out into the water and got picked up by the Ghost Ship.
So they were gone.
I excused myself from the fire, disengaging a hand from Torta's, and raced to into the woods, seeking comfort in the familiar. But these were not my trees. They were all alien, speaking with strange voices and telling odd stories. I shut them out as I struggled to think. I had to find them. They were the heroes of this story. Without them, Ganondorf could grow stronger.
The next morning I stood on the beach with all my preparations complete. The potion was ready. It needed only one more ingredient.
I drew Fado's blade from its sheath and drew a thin cut into my palm. As it turned crimson, and began to drip out, and then eventually to gush, I let some of it fall into the bottle and used the rest for a different purpose. Holding the opened palm with my unwounded hand, I raised both before before the rising sun and made an oath.
"By the one true god, I will find you both."
(Mako)
I found myself in a small, darkened room. A voice suddenly shot out through it, calm, but with a hint of something bubbling under the surface. Madness? Hate? One thing I knew. I hoped it wasn't another ghost.
"Ah. You're here. Glad you could finally make it." Light followed the voice, four torches lighting on their own. Canvases, jars, and paintings in various states of completion littered the room. A man wearing the simple clothes of a Hylian villager, albeit messy, paint stained ones, was concentrating with one eye closed on a painting.
What was an artist doing on a pirate ship?
I shivered as I drew nearer. Yet another ghost.
"You're here to learn my art, are you not? The way of the painter? Come closer or leave. I hate stragglers. And you aren't near enough to smell." Curiosity at that last remark getting the better of me, I did draw further into the room, and saw that the slightly faded man had no real eyes. Unnerving black orbs took their place.
"Don't worry," the man said, smiling. "You have nothing to fear. I didn't die in quite the same way as any others you might have encountered. My eyes are as they are because I had a run in with the captain much the one your friend is having now. There's something about you. You're off. Are you interested in art?"
"No. I want to find my friend and leave." I knew our being here was my fault. I'd failed to follow Fado's lead and gotten us into this. "If you can't help me, I'll be going. Now."
"No, no. You can't leave. You'll find that door quite unyielding. Use force. Use magic. Use the key in that dresser over there. When the captain locks a door, it stays that way.
Several minutes later, I realized he was telling the truth. Nothing I'd done had so much as left a scratch.
"Very good. I do believe you are ready now."
I'd lost all track of time.
The brush glided across the nearly engulfed canvas. Using the intricate, subtle techniques Koi had taught me, I finished the girl's hair and began work on her face, switching to an even smaller brush than the one I was using, and dipping it into a jar stained with emerald green paint. I'd given the girl I'd drawn in the very corner of my painting the red-gold hair of the maid we'd met earlier, and was daydreaming about Holly's vibrant green eyes when Koi interrupted.
"That's an incredible drawing. You've done very well. I think it's time for you to move on to the next level.
"How can you see what I did?" I asked bluntly. "You're blind."
"Not quite," he responded kindly. "I can see some things, in some ways. For example, I can see you, and other ghosts, and most other living things. And the impression they leave. I can see art, music, clothes, anything that someone put good thought into. Most of these walls are just a mass of black, but I can see a few planks where that particular worker worked with more passion."
"I can't see any paint until it is spread across a finished painting, which adds to the level of difficulty, but I enjoy a challenge."
I looked closely at the painting. I had no idea where it had come from, and was confused every time I looked at it. Rounded, egg shaped mountains cut smoothly across a green sky. The mountains were off in the distance, with a village of small, whitewashed, red-tile roofed houses stuck in between them and a vast field of thin purple flowers so thick I couldn't see any grass. A floating, yes, floating forest of trees rested in the lower left corner, the leaves spreading out above and roots shielded in dirt spread out below. They looked as though they were about three feet from the ground. In the lower right corner was the faceless girl.
I hadn't realized that Koi was still speaking. ". . .well boy," the artist said, thumping me on the shoulder. "Get going. You've made a world with my special paints. Time to explore it."
With that, the blind painter gave me a hearty shove, sending me sprawling into the painting.
Chapter XLVII: Mutiny (Laruto)
Gepqa stalked close, gloating in victory in the almost time honored way that villains would. She'd already circled me where I lay bowed, my head touching the deck.
Powerless.
The bruises she'd inflicted with her recent kicks didn't change much. When the voices had gone away, the pain from getting punched, smashed through a wall, and covered in burning goo had come rushing in. It was a wonder I still lived.
She gasped and faltered for a moment, almost falling over, and I realized she wasn't much better than I was. Not so strong. I'd wondered during the battle why sages didn't always take on the enemy if what had been done to me could be accomplished through others. Now I knew.
She was a feeble enemy. Not like Ganondorf. That was why a sage could be used against her. The only problem was that she wasn't quite fragile enough.
Or was I simply too weak?
I heard a rustle coming from where my friends lay dead and suddenly Shiek was up, holding Zelda and Sasuke's swords. He pointed one of them at Gepqa and screamed. "I SWORE I'D KILL YOU!"
Racing across the floorboards two inches off the ground, I straightened to watch and saw the Wind Waker tucked into his belt. I heard Gepqa grunt and send flecks of green blood through the air as the young boy with a mop of blond hair, a pair of blue eyes, and a shirt with a Kyorg on it drove both swords deep into the woman's ribcage and stomach.
A low growl of anger escaped the sorceress as she backhanded Shiek with incredible force. As she calmly drew her sword to finish me off I realized with a tinge of horror that I'd underestimated her yet again.
Or not. As another sword sprouted from her neck, I was sure she was finished. But no. She was still coming when one pierced her leg and another her shoulder.
Mutiny. Gepqa's own crew was trying to kill her now. One by one they stabbed her and left their swords, till the stink of blood and raw magic filled the air. She was doing her best to survive, but having over a dozen swords growing from her body couldn't be comfortable.
The wounded sorceress glanced at me and grinned wickedly. "If I'm going down, I'm dragging you all there with me." She ran for where Medli, Zelda, and the rest had wound up, near a rail, and crashed into them, sending the warriors and Gepqa down to the ocean far, far below. Shiek was standing, rubbing away a dot of blood on his cheek. Taking the Wind Waker in hand, he dove like a Zora over the rail after them.
I dragged myself over, watching the beginnings of morning light, hands scraping the jagged edge of the railing and with one final tug threw myself over as well. I flipped around without meaning to and saw the ragged ship shrink away, the pirates staring over the rail in confusion.
I'd already missed the show. I stopped gently among thin streams of brilliant golden light weaving a sphere around everyone that had fallen. Just near the ocean, I could see the rising sun spreading its own light across the Sea, but what sat giving radiance in the center of the orb made me gasp.
The source of Gepqa's power had separated from her, and her body was already settling into the waves, the swords that finished her floating with us. The Triforce of Wisdom spun over Zelda's hand, at last finding a bearer that was truly wise.
The bodies of the slain were gathered. As the ship slowly lowered and headed back towards Outset, there suddenly seemed far too much to do, far too much to take in. Zelda had lost a mother. I'd lost all but one of my companions, all but one Scrub having died in service to me. I wished I'd released them long ago, but it wouldn't have helped. Gris was a sage too, and bent on helping me, debt or no.
And Medli.
The loss there was too great. I wanted to cry, scream, hide, rage. We'd already been through so much together, and now, so close to the goal, she wasn't going to see it met. And I might not either. The battle had left me physically empty. I had almost no life left. I could still see a little black at the edges of my vision. Zelda had begged me to sleep, but I feared if I did that I would never wake.
A burial at sea was planned for Sasuke, Gris, Mel, Cufell, and Kell, and Medli. And then we'd have the rest to take care of when we returned. Canvas bags were wrapped around them, a large, dark-haired pirate working at sewing them closed. On the last one he cried out suddenly.
"This one's still alive!" I tried to run, but I was still weak, and wound up hobbling over. Everyone else was already surrounding Medli by the time I got there as the Rito stirred, but didn't wake. I smiled and knelt slowly, grabbing her arm. "Looks like we're both depending on that soup, my friend," I whispered gazing at the girl's wounds. Shiek came over as everyone scattered and grabbed her other wrist.
"She's very brave," he said, and suddenly locked eyes with me. "Where did you come from? How did someone brought for aid wind up leading us in combat? How did you fight like that?" I told our whole story as Outset came into view and we finally touched down on the water. When it was over Shiek spoke fiercely. "I will go with you. We will all three see this temple, stop this Ganondorf."
Before I could argue, a bell rang out. The signal for the funeral.
"We gather to mourn the fall of five courageous warriors. They did not shirk from duty, they did not fear over their own safety." Slowly the bodies were carried to the edge and lowered into the depths as Zelda spoke on.
"Our friends, our people, fellow warriors. . ."
"Your sacrifice will not be forgotten."
Chapter XLV: Thieves
(Link)
"I thought for sure Griman was your size." I stood in the middle of a messy apartment, swimming in a shirt and parts far too big with Zelda suppressing a laugh. "We'll just stuff your clothes with pillows and blankets.
"And then what? 'The Hero of Time waddles to the rescue.' I suppose I'd fit in with the Gorons. Can I have my tunic back now?"
"I burned it for fuel when I made dinner."
"Ah. And I thought it was your cooking that made the house smell." We'd broken into the dead man's apartment to find clothes, and so far had no luck. At least she hadn't gotten my hat, which had been cleaned and returned to place on my head.
"I didn't really have much to work with. This man lived like a pig. I must have been thinking of Trisyrt. Pity I didn't kill him instead. I'll go find him and get a few things from him." Before I could protest, she'd left, door swinging behind her.
I tried to run after her and tripped. How could Griman have worn such big clothes? He hadn't seemed that big to me. As I lifted myself up, an enormous man walked into the doorway and bellowed out at me. "What are you doing here?"
"Griman?"
"My name's Uferw, you fool."
(Zelda)
I dashed down the twilight streets, heading back for the place where I'd started to seek out a clue about Trisyrt's whereabouts. Nothing.
Remembering the man who'd helped me at the windmill, I decided to head in that direction. I felt a sinister presence fill the air and ducked into an alley as a black-cloaked figure walked by. Confidant he hadn't seen me, I was settled further back when he looked directly at me. Solid red eyes burned like hot coals, burning straight into my mind.
Trisyrt.
But something was obviously wrong. He ignored me, almost seeming not to recognize the girl that had bested him in combat. But that was impossible, right?
I followed him and watched as he went into the windmill. Link had told me of their influence over the odd man I'd met, making me wonder what he was up to now. As he walked in and I lost sight of him, I heard a loud commotion behind me. "I'll catch you yet!" a voice bellowed.
Link dashed around the corner, oversized clothes hitched up, cloak flailing behind him. He grabbed me by the collar as he got close. "I THINK YOU GOT THE WRONG APARTMENT!"
I looked behind him and saw the mountain of a man chasing Link. "That's not Griman."
"We gotta lose him, Speedy," Link said. "Let's go."
"The Hero of Time, running?" I said. "Go fight him."
"He's an innocent, and we broke into his house. I've no right. Did you find Trisyrt?"
The memory of those strange, fiery eyes that would haunt my dreams came back to me, and I shivered involuntarily. "Yes. . .I found him."
"Well? Where is he?"
Suddenly Link made a choking gasp as a voice thundered, "HAH! GOTCHA!"
(Link)
At last I'd gotten clothes that fit. It felt odd, being back in regular clothes, after wearing the tunic so long. Simple pants and a shirt, plus my hat, cloak, and swords. We'd found a store willing to accept work for clothing, and Zelda was there right now, as I investigated at the windmill. What happened when the large man caught me isn't important. Suffice to say I was very cold when he finally let us be.
The building had no windows, so I circled the building, avoiding the loosely hanging windmill blades, and found the remains of a tunnel around back that led upwards. I climbed into darkness and moss and eventually words echoed out towards me.
"Go away, Darunia. Lalalala."
"You know what I've come for. I'm not leaving this time until the job's done."
I reached a rotting wooden platform and stared down into the room where I'd been sentenced to a live burial. For one screaming second I was back there, pressured and crushed, the moments that had given me claustrophobia relived.
Breathing hard, I forced myself to focus on the scene below me. The bizarre man was speaking with Trisyrt, but as Zelda had said, his eyes glowed with red fire that was casting a hellish glow about the small room.
"I've sent for the Bellen-Der," Trisyrt continued, "The matter will soon be out of your hands. Suffice it to say I and my master are not pleased."
"I didn't know who they were, lalalala. I'm sorry. Let me handle it, please."
"No."
With that, the man swept out of the building, looking directly at me before he left. I was sure he was referring to us.
I crept back down the tunnel and ran through the village streets, occasional passersby giving me odd looks. I had to see Zelda, not only because we needed to figure out what to do next, but because I needed to see her, hold her.
But as I reached the clothing store, I could tell something was wrong. This was the busiest part of town, and the streets were empty.
A window flung open in nearby building across the street. A woman stuck her head out and screamed at me.
"Boy! The Bellen-Der are coming! Hide yourself-oh, no, no, no. I see one." The window slammed closed and I whirled, drawing both swords.
Towards the direction we'd started at, by the door to the Goron realm, hundreds of massive, butterflies were flying in my direction. I almost laughed, but when I got a closer view, I knew I had nothing to smile about.
Purple and blue wings as hard as diamonds glittered in the lantern glow. A tan segmented body with a six legs, all but two ending in a sharp scythe like blade. Three sets of compound eyes shattered my reflection a thousand times. And then the slavering jaws, long thin, needlelike teeth clacking together.
The Bellen-Der had indeed come. As they landed in streams all around me I burst into the building where Zelda was.
Or tried to. It was as locked up as all the others. I almost pounded on the door but then realized that would put Zelda in danger and ran out into the street. I it was time for a battle.
But I was ignored. The creatures didn't seem to care about me at all. They clustered around the store and began poking at the windows. Finally I dashed up to one and drove it through on the Master Sword. With frightening speed, half the group lunged. I was suddenly surrounded by blades and teeth, fighting for my life. I almost used the Triforce, but stayed my hand. The Poe was still there. I wasn't sure I still had complete control over it anymore.
I leapt into the air and was joined by a dozen Bellen-Der. I swung my swords out in spinning arcs to give myself room and used the boomerang to knock their heads around. I landed on the sidewall of one of the taller buildings, facing the ground, and waited.
Just before I was driven through, I dashed into a gap they'd left and turned around, and swung, cutting off two heads. I flew forward and cut through the body of another, and sliced backwards just as one brought a blade to bear on me. It missed the body, but succeeded in removing the offending limb.
I looked down and nearly fell out of the sky. Zelda was out on the street, fighting herself, grounded, and with only one sword she didn't have my advantage. I rushed to her aid when suddenly she was lifted into the air.
She hadn't screamed yet. Still fighting, she was carried by a new Bellen- Der every time she killed one, and they were rapidly making their way out of the town.
I couldn't keep up.
Already winded, I forced myself to fly harder as they slipped away, all the way howling Zelda's name and she mine.
I could see the ornate door covered in carvings hanging open. It slammed closed in my face as Zelda's last words shot out before she and I were separated.
"Carry on with the quest!"
Chapter XLVI: Art
(Holly)
The tiny wood offered plenty to see, explore, and more importantly, collect. Though I had plenty of potions from our time at Dragon Roost, you could never make too many. I emerged from the wood towards evening at the far side of the island, opposite the little village. The sun was bathing the sky before me in shades of red, purple, orange and blue. I took an example from Fado and collapsed, smiling, into the grass.
Shifting my elbow uncomfortably because of the bruise, my thoughts turned to what my friends were doing right now. Without their cook, they were probably hungry, even though they always joked about getting turned into a tree or a glass of milk. A crackling sound made me jump. A boy just a little older than me was working in the grass, black casings and wires spread about. Flaming red hair caught the glow of the sunset as he turned and saw me.
"Hello, stranger. Hey! A green tunic! You're one of the forest kids, aren't you? Papa said they all disappeared when the Rain came."
"My name's Holly, and yes, I'm a Kokiri, -or Korok-" I whispered under my breath. "What are you doing there?" I asked, deflecting attention. I'd heard too many stories about the dangers of the outside world to be completely trusting, and didn't want to draw attention to our mission.
"Trying to remember how to make a bomb. My Papa taught me how. He learned it from the Gorons, but they're all gone now, and so's he. Papa was a shopkeeper in one of the newer villages. He died in the Majorai war. I'm the only one that can provide the villagers with explosives."
I tried to draw him out more about that and learn our history but he continually dodged the subject and asked my opinion on something his Papa had told or taught hum. I needed to get back to Fado and Mako, and the Great Deku Tree would be able to tell me someday, so I ended the conversation.
"I've got to leave. I have friends expecting me." He grinned and tossed me the bomb he'd completed while we talked.
"Come back sometime. We'll talk again." I nodded, smiling, and began to walk for the woods, and stopped to look up at the sky once more.
The color had faded, and now sweeping blue clouds drifted across the earliest stars. "Din, Nayru, and Farore. It's beautiful here." I whispered.
"Those again? You believe in the old goddesses? I think they're just myth. My Papa taught me there was just a one true god, watching over everything."
"I guess that makes sense. I never really thought about them much. They sure aren't around now. They sure aren't doing anything for us."
"Well," he said, "There are stories about a little girl who prayed for deliverance at the hand of the three during the War that brought the Rain, but they're just that, probably. Stories."
I was shocked upon finally reaching the beach to find my two friends missing, without a trace.
Except one. Fado's sword. I threw the belt over my shoulder the way Fado did and set off, running through the trees and calling out their names, but I was soon exhausted and no less alone. The island was small and didn't take long to cover. Wondering what I could do, I leaned against a tree- trunk as an unusually bitter night set me shivering. The journey was over if something happened to one of them. What good was I? I wasn't a sage like Fado and Mako. I was really just along for the ride, obeying the orders given by the Deku Tree.
A twig snapped a few feet away and I jumped, reaching for a transforming potion, then the sword, but it was only a little girl. She smiled shyly. "Would you like to come to our village and warm yourself at our fire. My parents would invite you, but they're afrain you'll be mean. You won't, will you?"
"No," I said smiling in return. I'll be nice."
Just a few minutes later the cold was melting away in front of a small bonfire. The other villagers were eyeing me warily, but the little girl, Torta, had warmed up and was chatting amiably about anything that came to mind.
A flash of a conversation swirling across the crackling fire sent my head jerking up from staring at the blaze. ". . .saw two others dressed like her earlier. I'm a keese if I didn't see one of 'em fly. Both went out into the water and got picked up by the Ghost Ship.
So they were gone.
I excused myself from the fire, disengaging a hand from Torta's, and raced to into the woods, seeking comfort in the familiar. But these were not my trees. They were all alien, speaking with strange voices and telling odd stories. I shut them out as I struggled to think. I had to find them. They were the heroes of this story. Without them, Ganondorf could grow stronger.
The next morning I stood on the beach with all my preparations complete. The potion was ready. It needed only one more ingredient.
I drew Fado's blade from its sheath and drew a thin cut into my palm. As it turned crimson, and began to drip out, and then eventually to gush, I let some of it fall into the bottle and used the rest for a different purpose. Holding the opened palm with my unwounded hand, I raised both before before the rising sun and made an oath.
"By the one true god, I will find you both."
(Mako)
I found myself in a small, darkened room. A voice suddenly shot out through it, calm, but with a hint of something bubbling under the surface. Madness? Hate? One thing I knew. I hoped it wasn't another ghost.
"Ah. You're here. Glad you could finally make it." Light followed the voice, four torches lighting on their own. Canvases, jars, and paintings in various states of completion littered the room. A man wearing the simple clothes of a Hylian villager, albeit messy, paint stained ones, was concentrating with one eye closed on a painting.
What was an artist doing on a pirate ship?
I shivered as I drew nearer. Yet another ghost.
"You're here to learn my art, are you not? The way of the painter? Come closer or leave. I hate stragglers. And you aren't near enough to smell." Curiosity at that last remark getting the better of me, I did draw further into the room, and saw that the slightly faded man had no real eyes. Unnerving black orbs took their place.
"Don't worry," the man said, smiling. "You have nothing to fear. I didn't die in quite the same way as any others you might have encountered. My eyes are as they are because I had a run in with the captain much the one your friend is having now. There's something about you. You're off. Are you interested in art?"
"No. I want to find my friend and leave." I knew our being here was my fault. I'd failed to follow Fado's lead and gotten us into this. "If you can't help me, I'll be going. Now."
"No, no. You can't leave. You'll find that door quite unyielding. Use force. Use magic. Use the key in that dresser over there. When the captain locks a door, it stays that way.
Several minutes later, I realized he was telling the truth. Nothing I'd done had so much as left a scratch.
"Very good. I do believe you are ready now."
I'd lost all track of time.
The brush glided across the nearly engulfed canvas. Using the intricate, subtle techniques Koi had taught me, I finished the girl's hair and began work on her face, switching to an even smaller brush than the one I was using, and dipping it into a jar stained with emerald green paint. I'd given the girl I'd drawn in the very corner of my painting the red-gold hair of the maid we'd met earlier, and was daydreaming about Holly's vibrant green eyes when Koi interrupted.
"That's an incredible drawing. You've done very well. I think it's time for you to move on to the next level.
"How can you see what I did?" I asked bluntly. "You're blind."
"Not quite," he responded kindly. "I can see some things, in some ways. For example, I can see you, and other ghosts, and most other living things. And the impression they leave. I can see art, music, clothes, anything that someone put good thought into. Most of these walls are just a mass of black, but I can see a few planks where that particular worker worked with more passion."
"I can't see any paint until it is spread across a finished painting, which adds to the level of difficulty, but I enjoy a challenge."
I looked closely at the painting. I had no idea where it had come from, and was confused every time I looked at it. Rounded, egg shaped mountains cut smoothly across a green sky. The mountains were off in the distance, with a village of small, whitewashed, red-tile roofed houses stuck in between them and a vast field of thin purple flowers so thick I couldn't see any grass. A floating, yes, floating forest of trees rested in the lower left corner, the leaves spreading out above and roots shielded in dirt spread out below. They looked as though they were about three feet from the ground. In the lower right corner was the faceless girl.
I hadn't realized that Koi was still speaking. ". . .well boy," the artist said, thumping me on the shoulder. "Get going. You've made a world with my special paints. Time to explore it."
With that, the blind painter gave me a hearty shove, sending me sprawling into the painting.
Chapter XLVII: Mutiny (Laruto)
Gepqa stalked close, gloating in victory in the almost time honored way that villains would. She'd already circled me where I lay bowed, my head touching the deck.
Powerless.
The bruises she'd inflicted with her recent kicks didn't change much. When the voices had gone away, the pain from getting punched, smashed through a wall, and covered in burning goo had come rushing in. It was a wonder I still lived.
She gasped and faltered for a moment, almost falling over, and I realized she wasn't much better than I was. Not so strong. I'd wondered during the battle why sages didn't always take on the enemy if what had been done to me could be accomplished through others. Now I knew.
She was a feeble enemy. Not like Ganondorf. That was why a sage could be used against her. The only problem was that she wasn't quite fragile enough.
Or was I simply too weak?
I heard a rustle coming from where my friends lay dead and suddenly Shiek was up, holding Zelda and Sasuke's swords. He pointed one of them at Gepqa and screamed. "I SWORE I'D KILL YOU!"
Racing across the floorboards two inches off the ground, I straightened to watch and saw the Wind Waker tucked into his belt. I heard Gepqa grunt and send flecks of green blood through the air as the young boy with a mop of blond hair, a pair of blue eyes, and a shirt with a Kyorg on it drove both swords deep into the woman's ribcage and stomach.
A low growl of anger escaped the sorceress as she backhanded Shiek with incredible force. As she calmly drew her sword to finish me off I realized with a tinge of horror that I'd underestimated her yet again.
Or not. As another sword sprouted from her neck, I was sure she was finished. But no. She was still coming when one pierced her leg and another her shoulder.
Mutiny. Gepqa's own crew was trying to kill her now. One by one they stabbed her and left their swords, till the stink of blood and raw magic filled the air. She was doing her best to survive, but having over a dozen swords growing from her body couldn't be comfortable.
The wounded sorceress glanced at me and grinned wickedly. "If I'm going down, I'm dragging you all there with me." She ran for where Medli, Zelda, and the rest had wound up, near a rail, and crashed into them, sending the warriors and Gepqa down to the ocean far, far below. Shiek was standing, rubbing away a dot of blood on his cheek. Taking the Wind Waker in hand, he dove like a Zora over the rail after them.
I dragged myself over, watching the beginnings of morning light, hands scraping the jagged edge of the railing and with one final tug threw myself over as well. I flipped around without meaning to and saw the ragged ship shrink away, the pirates staring over the rail in confusion.
I'd already missed the show. I stopped gently among thin streams of brilliant golden light weaving a sphere around everyone that had fallen. Just near the ocean, I could see the rising sun spreading its own light across the Sea, but what sat giving radiance in the center of the orb made me gasp.
The source of Gepqa's power had separated from her, and her body was already settling into the waves, the swords that finished her floating with us. The Triforce of Wisdom spun over Zelda's hand, at last finding a bearer that was truly wise.
The bodies of the slain were gathered. As the ship slowly lowered and headed back towards Outset, there suddenly seemed far too much to do, far too much to take in. Zelda had lost a mother. I'd lost all but one of my companions, all but one Scrub having died in service to me. I wished I'd released them long ago, but it wouldn't have helped. Gris was a sage too, and bent on helping me, debt or no.
And Medli.
The loss there was too great. I wanted to cry, scream, hide, rage. We'd already been through so much together, and now, so close to the goal, she wasn't going to see it met. And I might not either. The battle had left me physically empty. I had almost no life left. I could still see a little black at the edges of my vision. Zelda had begged me to sleep, but I feared if I did that I would never wake.
A burial at sea was planned for Sasuke, Gris, Mel, Cufell, and Kell, and Medli. And then we'd have the rest to take care of when we returned. Canvas bags were wrapped around them, a large, dark-haired pirate working at sewing them closed. On the last one he cried out suddenly.
"This one's still alive!" I tried to run, but I was still weak, and wound up hobbling over. Everyone else was already surrounding Medli by the time I got there as the Rito stirred, but didn't wake. I smiled and knelt slowly, grabbing her arm. "Looks like we're both depending on that soup, my friend," I whispered gazing at the girl's wounds. Shiek came over as everyone scattered and grabbed her other wrist.
"She's very brave," he said, and suddenly locked eyes with me. "Where did you come from? How did someone brought for aid wind up leading us in combat? How did you fight like that?" I told our whole story as Outset came into view and we finally touched down on the water. When it was over Shiek spoke fiercely. "I will go with you. We will all three see this temple, stop this Ganondorf."
Before I could argue, a bell rang out. The signal for the funeral.
"We gather to mourn the fall of five courageous warriors. They did not shirk from duty, they did not fear over their own safety." Slowly the bodies were carried to the edge and lowered into the depths as Zelda spoke on.
"Our friends, our people, fellow warriors. . ."
"Your sacrifice will not be forgotten."