Hello again.

Chapter Warning: Violence.

Heh.

Hylian Kings
By CM

Second Chapter: Fallen From High

Zelda stared at Ganondorf as his demeanour imperceptibly changed. He looked slightly more relaxed as the king refused his demand. Having lived all her life around Ganondorf, to her everlasting discomfort, she knew he was eager to get the king, her father's, approval. Not feel relieved as he repeated his denial.

She had noticed Ganon's gaze slide towards her as she gasped. He seemed amused. Horribly so. There was something sadistic in that look.

She felt something hurt at her heart. Like someone was panicking out there, though she couldn't pinpoint who it was. It felt like her best friend… Link…

Something was wrong. So very wrong. His eyes turned back to her father and with a deadly serious tone, he said, "Well then, I suppose I am left with no choice."

All she could manage to cry out was a long, pained scream.

Ganondorf's sword was in and out of the king's heart in a fraction of second. No one reacted fast enough. The ruler crumpled to the ground, eyes losing their light until they looked dull. Zelda's cry faded, its echoes in the grand hall reverberating all around them.

Then, all hell broke loose.

"What's wrong, Link?"

Link had shuddered suddenly, jumping as his skin crawled. He'd felt horror fill his veins, though he couldn't decide from where it came. It felt like Zelda's presence in his blood… Link turned back mutely to his master, unnaturally agitated. Darunia's attention had been drawn to the attitude Link was radiating. He'd always known the boy was a natural fighter and had also noticed how his intuition helped him.

He'd given up trying to make Link rely only on skill, as intuition could be misleading at times. The boy's gut instinct was stronger than any technique he could ever learn.

Link's attitude had changed only in aura. He still fidgeted, looking around. But it was no longer in boredom. It was in awareness.

The tailor retreated to the back room, and Darunia walked over to Link, thus calling to him softly. The fair-haired boy turned to his mentor, eyes surprisingly alight with something Darunia had learned to recognise, with experience, as the light of the fighter.

It came only when the warrior knew, before it even started, that something important was about to take place.

Darunia had noticed the same light, a long time ago, in Link's father's eyes. For a brief second, he was confident that the boy's father, his long-time friend, was before him. He couldn't help it, "My Din, how you look like your father. What troubles you?"

"Something is wrong," Link said, his voice hoarse. "Very wrong." And his eyes darted back out the window, anxious. Darunia frowned, and went for the door. He carefully opened it, peering out into the street. Immediately, he knew what Link meant. There were many people staring up at the castle, and most of them were… Gerudo.

"What in Hyrule…?" He breathed, looking up the street himself. His eyes immediately widened, and he spat a loud curse. Link, feeling uneasy, hurried to his side and looked up at the castle. He said nothing, but his eyes went wide, and his hand went for the wooden sword he wore as a habit around his waist. Darunia's big hand stopped him from unsheathing it, his eyes sharply indicating the many Gerudo standing around.

"We'd better go take a closer look," the large man said, pushing Link in the back and hurrying him along the busy streets.

Up in the castle, there was unusual activity. The guards were running about on the ramparts, battling something that no one could clearly see. Darunia knew.

"I dreaded this day," he huffed as they ran down the streets. "I knew one… But this darned moment… I expected it to be much later, when I'd have an experienced fighter at my side." He glanced fondly at his apprentice, who felt a prideful smile come over.

At least, until he saw what exactly Darunia meant.

Gerudos. They were everywhere. Killing, pillaging. Everywhere within the castle walls. Darunia took out a large sword. He'd once told Link that his older brother made this double-handed sword, a very large man who doubled him in size and was an expert blacksmith who lived up in the mountains. The biggoron sword, he'd called it.

As they passed the gate, Darunia swung the large blade straight into one of the thieves, slicing her neatly in two. Link's eyes went wide in horror, and blood stained his tunic. He'd never witnessed a true, deadly fight before. He felt nauseous. Darunia was the one to snap him out of it.

"Come, we must make haste. Every second spent hurting is a second lost of your life."

And suddenly, what Darunia had always told him, that if you chose to live by the sword you would die by it, made perfect sense to young Link. And it made him feel not only sick, but also horrified. He'd chosen that way of life. He'd die of it.

He wished never to feel pain, and yet, he was aching as he ran up the steps to Hyrule castle. He felt dizzy as the blood flowed and the metallic scent assaulted his nose, giving him a taste of death.

"Hurry along, Link!"

Darunia had paused only once in the hallways. He'd stopped, for one moment, to look at the dead body of another of his comrade in arms, sword still in hand. He'd bent over hurriedly to cross the two hands over the dead soldier's chest. Bowing his head for one pain-filled second, he finally slowly rose and pushed Link up more steps. Link's eyes followed the dead and bloody corpse in terror until it was out of sight.

Feeling shock and adrenaline rushing through his small body, Link only gripped his sword tighter.

Stopping before the open throne room doors, Darunia visibly paled like Link had never seen him do before. Turning back to his young apprentice, Darunia pushed him behind an overturned table. He spoke in a hurried, breathless voice. "Listen well, Link. I want you to stay here, no matter what happens. I want you to not come out until things settle down. If need be, run out. But don't ever come into sight. Do you hear me?" He punctuated his question with a brusque shake of Link's shoulders. The boy mutely nodded, too shocked to speak.

With a final nod, Darunia ran back out and straight into the throne room. From a few cracks in the planks, Link was able to discern a flurry of movements. He heard the clanking of metal, and a few cries of pain he did not recognise. He closed his eyes, as though the painful sounds would stop. He pressed his hands against his ears, but to no avail.

A loud scream resounded. Sure that Darunia, his father's friend and the only pure example of a man Link ever had, was hurt, Link considered disobeying him.

A gasp just over his shoulder made him jump a mile high, heart beating wildly in his chest. He turned in shock and saw Ganondorf, one of the men that always followed Zelda's father around, and breathed softly in relief. He was on their side. Thank Din.

"What are you doing here?" Ganondorf softly asked, trying to keep his voice down as he nurtured a wound on his arm. Behind him, Link heard the furious clashing of swords. Darunia was still alive, then. He shook his head, trying to find his voice.

"Mister Darunia told me to hide, I want to help him!"

Ganondorf snorted. "Well, you are a coward, aren't you? Go fight those villains, you fool! Your master needs your aid, doesn't he?"

And grabbing Link by the scruff of his neck, making the boy cry out faintly, he pulled him to the side of the table, showing him the wild struggle Darunia was fighting in the throne room.

"He'll die," Ganondorf breathed into the boy's ear. "You have to help him."

Link hesitantly nodded, turning back as best as he could. "But he told me—"

Ganondorf stood, unsheathing his sword and kicking the table aside, forcing Link into view. His sword came dangerously close to Link's face, but the boy knew he wouldn't harm him willingly.

Inside the throne room, Darunia was trying to fight back, but the Gerudo woman he fought against was powerful and immensely skilled in the art of killing. Blocking the blade she swung against him, he glanced to the side as a loud crash was heard. His heart pumping in his ears, Darunia's pulse stopped beating when he saw Link at the edge of Ganondorf's sword.

His comrade's son! His apprentice! At the hands of the enemy leader!

"Link—!" He cried out as his enemy's blade sunk into his chest. Blood squirted out, and he faintly heard Link's wail of fear. Looking down in shock at the blade that had been sheathed into his torso, the huge man didn't know what to think. It hurt, first and foremost, but he came to realize that his worry for Link had been so distracting that the split-second had been all she'd needed to end him.

Link's eyes saw the sword sticking out of Darunia's chest, unable to blink back the tears. His sword fell to the ground and he screamed. Ganondorf brought a hand up to his mouth, keeping him from uttering another sound. His foul face came close to Link's ear, and he murmured in the boy's ear, his voice laced with sweet manipulation, "You were unable to aid him. He died for you, would you dare throw his sacrifice away? Run, boy, run. Never return, he'd not forgive you. Run. He died because of you."

Link' eyes filled with tears, could only whimper against the dark hand that was pressed against his mouth.

"Mister Darunia," he breathed as Ganondorf released his hold.

"Go, no one will want a boy so incapable! Run before you get killed! I'll avenge him!"

Unable to think clearly, Link looked one last time at the dead body of his mentor, not even walking into the throne room, turned swiftly on his heel and ran down the hallways, tears flowing down his dirty cheeks. Staring at his small back, Ganondorf felt smug. One good deed, at least.

Behind him, Nabooru was wiping her blade clear of Darunia's dark blood. She stepped up and asked, voice a tad annoyed, "You let the boy go? Why in Hyrule?"

"He won't last long, but you are welcome to kill him should the desire arise in you. I just wish to torment him mentally, then find his tortured corpse in the city streets, blood washing away in the gutter."

"Hmph," Nabooru huffed. "You are one sick man." She paused, before turning back to a quivering mass of rags that had been regal only a few moments back. The bundle quivered with fear as the Gerudo woman approached her with amusement. "What do we do with her royal highness, Ganon?"

Ganondorf, seemingly noticing the small girl for the first time, took her in, sitting in her stained nightclothes, amidst the blood puddles and dead bodies, and smirked. "It would be a shame to kill her. I may marry her someday."

Zelda was crying, too shocked to move or speak. She'd witnessed her father's murder and heard the fatal fight Darunia had lead, having tightly shut her eyes to block out the gore. She somehow guessed that since Darunia was alone, then Link was dead as well. Her small heart shrivelled away. Without her best friend and his mentor, she was naught.

Ganondorf approached her with obvious detachment despite the bloody corpses around them, and looked down at her, like he was weighing his options. Zelda braced herself for a fatal blow. In her head, she recited the prayers her father had taught her.

"O Din, who created the blazing sun…" She breathed in a soft, small voice. Ganondorf bent over to hear what she was saying, before standing straight again and laughing wholeheartedly at her.

"Prayers'll get you nowhere, foolish girl." He turned back to Nabooru, who was watching the girl with a blank and careless face. "Take her to the dungeons for now. Get this place cleaned up and kill all the remaining opponents. Have her room cleaned up. She'll be my future queen," he sweetly added, glancing at the small girl with a feral grin.

Zelda screamed as Gerudos picked her by the arms and dragged her gracelessly down the many stairs and threw her into one of the damp cells. She screamed and cried, begging for mercy, until a Gerudo guard, tired of her wails, hit her with the hilt of her sword.

Zelda fell into an almost complete silence.

Link could no longer run. He was out into the field, much farther than he'd ever dared go before. He didn't know the place. He had lost sight of the path in the darkness. He had gone numb. His body wanted to collapse.

His legs gave out beneath him and he fell face forward. The last thing he saw amidst the rain was the thick root of a tree. He discerned a few others beyond, but it did not register in his mind.

He passed out, his heart aching too much for his own good.

His eyes snapped open when something wet hit his face. A pair of dark purple eyes peered into his, and he had to hold his breath, unsure.

"I think he's awake, Mikau, now get away, you're scaring the poor kid out of his mind."

The voice was thick and low and rough, like Darunia's… Link looked to the side, and his throat clogged up. It wasn't Darunia. But the man had the same type of appearance. Earthy, country like.

'Mikau', the one who'd backed up to allow Link to sit up, was a tall, skinny, dark brown haired man, with a sharp face. He was the opposite of the other man, but both wore face-splitting grins. To most people, they wouldn't be unattractive, but not handsome either.

Outstretching his hand, which was still wet from having put water on Link's face, Mikau presented himself, "Hello, boy, I'm Mikau, and this big guy here'd be Darmani. A ruffian, but a good one, he is."

Darmani nodded, still smiling, in acknowledgment. "You are?" He asked, and Link, slowly coming to, realized that he didn't sound all that much like Darunia after all.

"I'm Link," he hoarsely said. "Why did you wake me up?"

Mikau looked taken aback, but his smile returned quickly. "Aye, had we known you were enjoying a leisurely nap right there in the mud, we wouldn't have bother'd to wake you up one bit." He leaned forward and said, in a conspiratorial tone, "But we decided on a common accord that for your own good, you'd be better off in the shade, boy, or did you say your name was Link? Link it is."

"I just don't want to wake up again. Ever," Link declared, memories of the evening before returning to him. Darmani looked genuinely concerned. Mikau did all the talking, once again.

"Aye, but what'd be the problem, boy—Link, I mean. Link. What's bothering you, Link?"

The boy shook his head, a voice he barely recognised reverberating in his head, 'He died because of you'. "I don't want to talk about it," he finally said. "I did something wrong. I should die."

Mikau rolled his eyes. "Now, now. You're working yourself all up for nothin', aren't you? Nobody deserves to die, y'know." He looked for Darmani's agreement, and the large man nodded. "B'sides, if you deserved to die then you'd be dead. How's that, hm?"

"Just leave me alone," Link murmured, standing and dusting himself off weakly. He ambled slowly away, leaving Mikau and Darmani in his wake.

Darmani sighed. "Well, doesn't he look bad, Mikau? I'm afraid we'll have to teach him a life lesson."

Link, whose attention had caught that, felt fear climbing up his spine. He instinctively reached for his sword… only to find that it was gone. He'd left it behind, as with everything else.

Link, a knight never forgets his sword on the scene of combat.

"You're right, Darmani. I think he needs to hear about the easy life. The real life."

"I know about real life already. And I want to have nothing to do with it anymore."

Mikau made a tut-tut sound, bringing an arm around the boy's shoulders in a friendly gesture. "Dun say that, kid. You haven't lived the life yet, or you wouldn't be trying to rid yourself of it." He steered Link back to where Darmani was still seated. "Now, lis'n well. Everything you did or said is already in the past as we speak. And there's nothing you can do about it. All you have to do is remember that the only way to forget the past… Is to live in the present. Put your past where it belongs: behind ya. And then, you'll understand what the life is."

"And no need to worry about bad actions. Ain't nothing you can do about them. Just learn from it and don't do it again."

Link snorted, but the idea grew onto him. 'Put your past behind you where it belongs.' As bizarre as it sounded, he found it made perfect sense, though it clashed with what he'd been taught.

But it was so much simpler than facing it. And for the first time in an eternity, Link smiled.

Link's jaw dropped.

"THIS is your HOUSE?"

Mikau scowled, and Darmani refrained a laugh. Link looked between the two.

"Sure, we know it needs work, alright?"

Link found this to be the greatest understatement he'd ever heard. Though the area around was enchanting, with clear water running near, in a tiny stream, large, age-old trees growing all over, a thick, green foliage providing with refreshing shade, the house itself was a vision of misery. The windows, without glass, were only keeping the rain out with frayed curtains. The door was crooked, the wood having absorbed water and then dried in a curve because of its own weight. The thatched roof was in dire need of refreshment. The hay had flattened to a caked clump and probably let a thousand leaks through.

"I never saw such a badly maintained house," Link said, honest. Mikau was insulted, but Darmani agreed.

"Well, we'll show you your room. And we'll fix things. Eventually."

"Does that mean tomorrow or in a week?"

"Before the next rain."

Link smiled weakly. Already, he was warming up to the two outcasts. He wasn't sure what they'd done to come live so deeply in the woods, but without a doubt, they weren't out to get him.

Though something told him he'd have to teach them to live in decent conditions. If he was to live an outcast as well, he would at least find comfortable habits. This shack was a radical change from the twelve year-old's previous home. Link chose not to think of them. He hoped Zelda was alright.

Fear gripped his gut. What if she'd died too?

Put the past behind you.

It was true it hurt too much to think of it.

Why was he feeling so guilty, then? And why did his small heart tug painfully when he thought of her?

Feel free to review. :)

Love,

CM