Chap. 6 Lord Nor
Link peeled himself from the ridges of the creature once it had finally taken its bow and its nerves gave up the fight. He breathed heavily in fear of what he'd find beyond the demons' head. At first he thought the blood that met him was Grodan's but quickly noticed it wasn't. Epona was fine too, a little shaken, but resting her savior's head on her chest with motherly instinct.
"Grodan? Grodan?! It's me, Link, wake up!" Her eyes remained shut. He touched her face, it was cold. He feared the worst, "C'mon! I killed it, there's no need to be frightened...."
"My daughter...." A deep voice sounded from behind Link. He whipped around to be towered over by a huge, hooded man. The only person he had ever seen so big and strong was Ganondorf, but he was dead. Then Link remembered he was not dead, just floating in the Evil Realm, which could be broken somehow, someday. Link was about to pull for his sword when the man lifted back his red veil, revealing the eyes he had seen before.
"You're- you must be, Grodan's father...."
"Yes I am her father, You can call me Lord Nor. And who might you be boy?"
"I-I'm Link of Hyrule, just a mere traveler." He could have said what he really was; The Hero of Time. But it didn't seem right to someone with such a powerful aura and he of such small stature.
Nor acknowledged the youth's introduction with a slow nod, but he knew what the boy really was. The humble response of this boy, gave him away along with the energy he felt around him; he has seen more than most do in a lifetime.. A hero yes, but not an arrogant, reckless one, like the many he had seen over the centuries. He knew the state quite well,- for he was once one in his first decades. He will have a different end....a great one at that. Nor peered deep into Link's sharp blues, he saw his story.
Link couldn't look him in the eyes for long. Instead he bowed, it seemed the only thing appropriate to do in his presence. Those eyes, they were even more grippingly dark than his daughter's, he thought that feat was impossible to pull off. Unlike Grodan though, the man had a full head of wavy black hair that crawled to his broad, armored shoulders. The hair wasn't without gray hair, as his face was creased with wise wrinkles. With these usually dreaded characteristics, he was still a handsome man with high, defined cheek bones, his face was dusted by an unshaved beard.
The man glided past Link and took a knee next to his daughter leaning against the sand and touched her face. "She is still alive, just fainted."
Link was fascinated by the black symbol on his red cape. It looked like four people sharing one body, their arms radiating into the four cardinal directions. Their arms were anther's legs, their legs anther's arms, all locked in a diamond box. The same sign was engraved into his metal breast plate, but blood red.
Then Nor did something Link didn't expect. He placed his hand on his daughter's forehead, closed his eyes, and squeezed. Grodan let out a scream, but yet she her lights were still out. Nor was very calm for causing his child pain, his eyes glazed over as the whole scene; meeting Link, defending the egg, her and Link's fight, then the fight with the serpent. Nor's eyes widened as the images and thoughts Grodan had as the snake's blood soaked her. The same pain coursed through his bones too, and he ripped his hand away. Grodan let out a cough and opened her eyes. She saw her eyes staring back at her, started to say something, but was stuck in an even worse fit of coughs.
Link panicked. Was he hurting her to make him say something? Maybe confess? "Sir! I didn't do anything! The snake-!"
"Yes I can see it! It's called a rieck, I believe that was the last harmful one in this valley. You'll know the kind ones when you meet them. I've been trying to be rid of the human eating ones for years, running them out of the desert."
Finally the girl had her breath, "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry, please, let me continue the quest, I will prove myself. It won't happen again, next time it will work," the uncertainty of that prospect was clear though, "I nearly made it work...please."
"There's no need to sink to begging, girl. I never said you couldn't do it. I must speak my mind though. If it wasn't for the boy, I'm not sure you could have handled the rieck. Also, you had to make me come all the way over here to lift the burden of an animal from you."
Grodan met Link's eyes over her father's shoulder. He knew that if he had only trusted her with the letter and not stormed off with Epona, this confrontation wouldn't have happened. She knew it too, and that she was trying to make life easier for Link also. She let out a helpless sigh, "Yes father."
"I agree." Nor didn't seem to have much fatherly love for his only daughter in his actions, but Link knew that beyond the choppy responses, and limited physical contact, she was what kept him going. Grodan wasn't sure of this though. Link thought it was sad that someone who has a parent, unlike him, should be neglected of such caring. The ability was just rotting there.
"I got your note quickly. That bird calling, Grodan, good job, I can give you that." The girl's face lit up with the rare praise.
"I believe I should take the horse now?"
"Oh, right." Grodan struggled to her feet and swayed a little. The large hand of her father caught her shoulder before she could fall. She looked up into his eyes, but when he looked back, the gaze of love wasn't mutual, his eyes were as cold as ever. The smile faded from the child's face. The Lord let go and walked over to the unfolding Epona.
The horse whinnied at first and stepped back, rolling her eyes in fear. Link knew he could trust this man. There was something more about him he couldn't put his finger on.
"It's okay girl, you're fine, you're fine....shhhhshh," Nor gently soothed Epona into following him when he took her bridle. He started leading her into the hills.
"Thank you, Link the Hero-"he caught himself, and stared into Link who stared back. There was an unsettling silence....
"Th-Thank you...Link...for saving my daughter's life."
"It was nothing, she saved my horse and mine's first-"
He changed the topic. "I will return her to you Link, when you get to Gyde's rock and the mission is complete. Good luck to you now, you have my blessings." He gave one last glance at Grodan, still covered in blood, then let it linger on Link for a while this won't be the last time we meet. And with that he slid up his hood and disappeared behind a dune, horse and all.
Link peeled himself from the ridges of the creature once it had finally taken its bow and its nerves gave up the fight. He breathed heavily in fear of what he'd find beyond the demons' head. At first he thought the blood that met him was Grodan's but quickly noticed it wasn't. Epona was fine too, a little shaken, but resting her savior's head on her chest with motherly instinct.
"Grodan? Grodan?! It's me, Link, wake up!" Her eyes remained shut. He touched her face, it was cold. He feared the worst, "C'mon! I killed it, there's no need to be frightened...."
"My daughter...." A deep voice sounded from behind Link. He whipped around to be towered over by a huge, hooded man. The only person he had ever seen so big and strong was Ganondorf, but he was dead. Then Link remembered he was not dead, just floating in the Evil Realm, which could be broken somehow, someday. Link was about to pull for his sword when the man lifted back his red veil, revealing the eyes he had seen before.
"You're- you must be, Grodan's father...."
"Yes I am her father, You can call me Lord Nor. And who might you be boy?"
"I-I'm Link of Hyrule, just a mere traveler." He could have said what he really was; The Hero of Time. But it didn't seem right to someone with such a powerful aura and he of such small stature.
Nor acknowledged the youth's introduction with a slow nod, but he knew what the boy really was. The humble response of this boy, gave him away along with the energy he felt around him; he has seen more than most do in a lifetime.. A hero yes, but not an arrogant, reckless one, like the many he had seen over the centuries. He knew the state quite well,- for he was once one in his first decades. He will have a different end....a great one at that. Nor peered deep into Link's sharp blues, he saw his story.
Link couldn't look him in the eyes for long. Instead he bowed, it seemed the only thing appropriate to do in his presence. Those eyes, they were even more grippingly dark than his daughter's, he thought that feat was impossible to pull off. Unlike Grodan though, the man had a full head of wavy black hair that crawled to his broad, armored shoulders. The hair wasn't without gray hair, as his face was creased with wise wrinkles. With these usually dreaded characteristics, he was still a handsome man with high, defined cheek bones, his face was dusted by an unshaved beard.
The man glided past Link and took a knee next to his daughter leaning against the sand and touched her face. "She is still alive, just fainted."
Link was fascinated by the black symbol on his red cape. It looked like four people sharing one body, their arms radiating into the four cardinal directions. Their arms were anther's legs, their legs anther's arms, all locked in a diamond box. The same sign was engraved into his metal breast plate, but blood red.
Then Nor did something Link didn't expect. He placed his hand on his daughter's forehead, closed his eyes, and squeezed. Grodan let out a scream, but yet she her lights were still out. Nor was very calm for causing his child pain, his eyes glazed over as the whole scene; meeting Link, defending the egg, her and Link's fight, then the fight with the serpent. Nor's eyes widened as the images and thoughts Grodan had as the snake's blood soaked her. The same pain coursed through his bones too, and he ripped his hand away. Grodan let out a cough and opened her eyes. She saw her eyes staring back at her, started to say something, but was stuck in an even worse fit of coughs.
Link panicked. Was he hurting her to make him say something? Maybe confess? "Sir! I didn't do anything! The snake-!"
"Yes I can see it! It's called a rieck, I believe that was the last harmful one in this valley. You'll know the kind ones when you meet them. I've been trying to be rid of the human eating ones for years, running them out of the desert."
Finally the girl had her breath, "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry, please, let me continue the quest, I will prove myself. It won't happen again, next time it will work," the uncertainty of that prospect was clear though, "I nearly made it work...please."
"There's no need to sink to begging, girl. I never said you couldn't do it. I must speak my mind though. If it wasn't for the boy, I'm not sure you could have handled the rieck. Also, you had to make me come all the way over here to lift the burden of an animal from you."
Grodan met Link's eyes over her father's shoulder. He knew that if he had only trusted her with the letter and not stormed off with Epona, this confrontation wouldn't have happened. She knew it too, and that she was trying to make life easier for Link also. She let out a helpless sigh, "Yes father."
"I agree." Nor didn't seem to have much fatherly love for his only daughter in his actions, but Link knew that beyond the choppy responses, and limited physical contact, she was what kept him going. Grodan wasn't sure of this though. Link thought it was sad that someone who has a parent, unlike him, should be neglected of such caring. The ability was just rotting there.
"I got your note quickly. That bird calling, Grodan, good job, I can give you that." The girl's face lit up with the rare praise.
"I believe I should take the horse now?"
"Oh, right." Grodan struggled to her feet and swayed a little. The large hand of her father caught her shoulder before she could fall. She looked up into his eyes, but when he looked back, the gaze of love wasn't mutual, his eyes were as cold as ever. The smile faded from the child's face. The Lord let go and walked over to the unfolding Epona.
The horse whinnied at first and stepped back, rolling her eyes in fear. Link knew he could trust this man. There was something more about him he couldn't put his finger on.
"It's okay girl, you're fine, you're fine....shhhhshh," Nor gently soothed Epona into following him when he took her bridle. He started leading her into the hills.
"Thank you, Link the Hero-"he caught himself, and stared into Link who stared back. There was an unsettling silence....
"Th-Thank you...Link...for saving my daughter's life."
"It was nothing, she saved my horse and mine's first-"
He changed the topic. "I will return her to you Link, when you get to Gyde's rock and the mission is complete. Good luck to you now, you have my blessings." He gave one last glance at Grodan, still covered in blood, then let it linger on Link for a while this won't be the last time we meet. And with that he slid up his hood and disappeared behind a dune, horse and all.