I'm baaaaaaaaaack! God, that took foreverrrrrr. I hope everyone had a happy holidays and new year! I know I did (wink wink). It took me a long time to drag my lethargic butt off the couch after all the mashed potatoes and ham and little chocolates from my advent calendar and apple spice cake and apple cider and wine (ummm, I didn't tell you that) and my little sister's delicious cooking settled into my bowl full of jelly, to sit at my computer, and type out this chapter. Sowwy it took so long.
Chapter Nine:
"Is This Just Fantasy?"
"So, what was life like for you? You know, back in our, um, world?"
"Good, I guess." Jennifer sighed. "Normal."
"Tell me about it." Eric smiled and continued, "I thought the hardest thing in life was passing the bio midterm. I was wrong."
"What's your major?"
"Education, with a minor in Literature." He smiled. "I want to be an English teacher."
Jennifer couldn't suppress a grin as she blurted, rather unintentionally, "You'd be a great teacher."
Eric raised an eyebrow.
"Well, I mean, you're patient, that's for sure, and you're nice…" She colored a little and looked down. "I dunno… I can just imagine you being a teacher." Jennifer ran an embarrassed hand through her hair.
"What about you?"
"Marketing," she said, glad for the change of subject. "I know, really boring, but I really want to go into advertising."
"Well, you're definitely witty enough," Eric quipped. Jennifer detected a bit of mockery in his voice and raised her eyebrows at him with false indignation and true astonishment.
They locked eyes and broke out in happy grins. At that moment, it felt as though they weren't the Key and the Protector anymore; they were just Jennifer and Eric.
It was then that the Lost Woods shot up. The forest had abruptly changed from light and sunny to dark and moody. The trees behind them were spread apart while the trees in the Lost Woods were so close together it was almost impossible to walk between them. It was strange. The forest they were traveling in just suddenly became the Lost Woods.
"Well, I guess this is the Lost Woods," Eric said.
"Good going, Sherlock," Jennifer said, dismounting. Chez whinnied slightly and Jennifer stroked his muzzle. She grabbed his reins and pulled him gently forward.
"What do we do now? The horses can't fit through these trees. And I am not leaving Chezzer behind," Jennifer said.
"Well," Eric mused. "I suppose it's late enough that we could just camp out here and tackle the Woods in the morning. Who knows? Maybe your spidey sense will come back."
"Okay, but for the record, these Lost Woods give me the creeps."
"Me, too."
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Jennifer stood in the Temple of Time near Destiny. Destiny floated tranquilly a few feet above the air, as was her custom. Through the windows, the stars hung in the sky sadly as they looked over the Castle Town. Everything was dark and morose. An inky veil of haze shrouded everything, dulling the colors and sentiments splashed across the town. Jennifer reached out, teasing the milky smoke with her fingers. It swirled and dissipated around her hand as Destiny sighed and looked to Jennifer.
"Here to 'guide' me?" Jennifer said acrimoniously.
"I am here to help you, yes."
"Well, that's good news." Jennifer was being snarky and she knew it. So did Destiny. The woman sighed again, this time more resigned.
"I thought you may want to know how Hyrule fares."
"Alright, fill me in."
"The Hands attack the castle in droves," Destiny said. "They do not stop, but, fortunately, they have not organized again. If they were to attack all at once, I do not know if they would survive."
"How's Zelda and Link?" Jennifer whispered.
Destiny looked at her.
"Zelda is fine. She is a great queen to her people. Link is fine as well. He is the Hero of Time—"
"I could have pulled that out of my ass, too," Jennifer said impudently. "How are they really?"
Destiny shook her head at Jennifer's cheek, and answered, "Zelda tries her hardest to keep her people hopeful, though she has a fragile hope herself. Link channels his anger on the Hands of the Shadows. He wants to fight all them himself, but Zelda knows better."
Jennifer bit her lip. "I see."
"Nothing is as bad as it seems. Zelda and Link are fated to endure many trials and tribulations before they can reach peace. This is merely a tribulation for them. Whether or not they endure, they will achieve peace."
"Peace, as in death? No, no, I won't accept that."
"Or peace as in life, Jennifer. The future has not yet come to pass. Do not pass judgment on it already. There is always time," Destiny said gently.
Jennifer looked sorrowfully to the floor. "Time, my ass," she said derisively. "It doesn't feel like your helping me, Des. All I'm getting from you is crappy news."
"I am helping you. You need news from Hyrule, whether you like the news or not. And, I am going to help you into the Lost Woods. That is where you are, correct?"
"Yeah. They aren't called the Lost Woods for nothing, huh? Is there a path, or something?"
"Of course. You must go to the northwest point of the Woods. There is a path under the trees. Cross a wooden bridge and you shall be in Kokiri Forest."
Jennifer smiled slightly.
"Thanks, Des," she said.
"That is not the only reason I brought you here." She paused, searching for the right words. She shook her head as if to clear it and said, "Imagine how surprised I was to see myself guiding you! I myself am never actually involved in the plights of the Destiny-chosen. But you are different." She smiled, eyes dancing. "I will always be there to guide you, even if you cannot see me. Remember that. You will not see me for some time, but that does not mean I do not see you, or still guide you."
Jennifer could not read her tone or her expression, but it comforted her nonetheless. Having Destiny on her side made her feel better. Well, as much as anybody's side Destiny could be on.
"Thank you," Jennifer whispered, and she meant it, making Destiny smile. On any lesser woman, it would have been a grin.
"It is all I can do. Fare thee well, Jennifer," Destiny said tenderly just before Jennifer faded out of consciousness.
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Jennifer woke groggily to two very concerned sapphire eyes looking down at her. Eric. Jennifer realized only after his brows nearly disappeared into his hairline that she had breathed his name out loud. Pretty lasciviously, too. Lusty, even.
Jennifer quickly bit back her tongue to prevent anything else from inadvertently escaping her lips. She squirmed uncomfortably in her bedroll, unable to meet those blue eyes. How did Eric manage to make her lose all control over her tongue? Well, that thought went straight to the gutter, and it was all Jennifer could do to prevent herself from turning as red as a brick. Good thing she wasn't much of a blusher. Much. Stupid boys and stupid hormones. And stupid boys.
Jennifer snapped her treacherous train of thought back to the present situation as Eric opened his mouth to speak, having caught on to her discomfiture and graciously trying to pretend he didn't. Jennifer was pleased to note that the worry in his voice had returned, albeit only slightly. Mostly, it was just affected levity.
"Took you long enough," Eric said.
"Sorry. I was visiting Destiny."
"What? You saw Destiny?"
"Yeah. We had a little chat," Jennifer said, sitting up with great effort. She could feel the beginnings of a headache, her temples pounding like a drum. "I guess the Goddesses' gift was that I'm psychic or something. Lucky me."
"What did she say?" Eric began lighting the fire.
Jennifer got up and yawned. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and said, "The Hands are still attacking the castle. Zelda and Link aren't doing so hot." She heaved a sigh and added, a little more brightly, "And she told me how to get through the Woods."
Eric perked up then. Jennifer grabbed a pan and placed a strip of fish meat in it absently.
"Man, when I get home, I'm so totally going to eat a pasta meal or twenty," she grumbled.
"How?"
"Uh, by going to that little Italian restaurant on the corner—what is it? Mama D's—and ordering the bottomless pasta bowl." She licked her lips longingly. "Mmmm…"
Eric shook his head, smiling. "No, I mean, how do you get through the Lost Woods?"
"Oh." Jennifer shrugged, forcing the very tempting thought of Italian food out of her mind. "We have to go to the northwest part of the Woods. Apparently, there is a path there," she said. Jennifer held the pan over the fire, meat sizzling angrily.
"Cool." Eric began packing up the bedrolls and strapping them the Chez and Fae while Jennifer cooked breakfast. She sat by the fire, staring idly out into the forest as Eric approached.
"What's that smell?" Eric sniffed the air, wrinkling his nose in disgust. "Are you trying to cook?"
Jennifer snapped back to reality. "What? Yeah."
Eric crouched down near the fire.
"Hot damn," he said. "What did you do to the poor fish? It smells funky."
Sure enough, the strip of fish meat started to turn black around the edges, the bizarre smell wafting up towards their nostrils. Wasn't that how fish were supposed to cook? Didn't they always smell weird? Jennifer frowned.
"Hey. I don't need your sass."
"Do me a favor, Jen. Don't ever try to cook again."
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In order to get to the path into the Lost Woods, Jennifer and Eric had to ride along the edge of the forest. They spent the whole ride on high alert, careful of any Hands lurking near the forest. The two were relieved when they finally reached the path into the Lost Woods without any resistance. They turned onto the path and looked from side to side. Dark leaves hung over the path. The foliage was so think that no sunlight reached the forest floor. Jennifer couldn't help but think how dark and foreboding the Woods were.
They crossed the wooden bridge as Destiny had instructed. The path in the Woods could not have been natural, yet everything indicated it to be that way. The trees grew so that one could not leave the path. The edge was perfectly straight where the trees shot up from the ground.
They were both excited to get to Kokiri Forest. They had been told, by Link especially, how wonderful the Kokiri were. The children never grew up as long as they lived there. It made Jennifer and Eric smile as they anticipated meeting the Kokiri children.
Jennifer and Eric walked Chez and Fae eagerly through the path into Kokiri Forest, but when they reached the clearing, their jaws dropped. Everything was deserted.
Jennifer's heart sunk in her chest. There were no Kokiri in sight. Dark smoke rose from the little Kokiri houses, assaulting Jennifer's nose and sinking heavily in her lungs. It smelt like burnt wood and flesh. Jennifer coughed angrily. Her eyes watered, but whether it was from the smoke or the sadness, she didn't know.
Silence reigned over the clearing. The only sound was the rustling of the grass underneath the horses' hooves and the howling of the wind through the empty, still smoldering houses. Jennifer looked down and noticed with disgust that small drops of blood were smeared on the peridot grass.
Jennifer and Eric dismounted, horrified, and began to walk around the clearing, boots thudding softly on the grass. Eric peeked inside some of the homes, finding nothing except blackened walls and upturned furniture.
Jennifer knelt down in the grass, picking up a small white flower that had somehow escaped destruction. Its petals fanned bravely, small and pure against Jennifer's fingers. It defied the pull of the wind as Jennifer lifted it to her face, breathing in its sweet scent.
Tears jumped to Jennifer's eyes. The Kokiri. They were only children. Who would do such a thing? Jennifer felt Eric come up behind her. She turned towards him, a single tear rolling down her cheek. Eric looked at her with saddened eyes.
"Who would do this?" he whispered.
Jennifer could only silently shake her head, not trusting her voice.
See? Not a very nice chapter. TEAR. Poor Kokiri. Sorry, guys, I had to do it. It took me quite a while to get that last part just right. 'Cause it's so sad and all. Am I ruining the mood?
To my sole (sole? No, baby, you got SOUL) reviewer for this chapter, the Shadow Chocobo– Thank you! And you're welcome! Actually, I didn't know what chocobos were until you mentioned they ruled your life, so I went to Wikipedia (best site evah) and found out they actually existed (well, sort of). I've never played Final Fantasy, so… I thought you just made that up. Oops. My bad. I still think it's cool, though. And I love that you love Jen and Eric together; them as a couple make me squee. I love love LOVE knowing my readers are rooting for them just as much as I am. Huzzah for fluff!
…Er, I really should use that review reply e-mail thing instead of my A/N's to respond to reviews, shouldn't I? Part of it is because I myself like responses to my reviews in the chapters, but mostly it's because I'm just lazy. I just can't click on one stupid button, oh no! Speaking of which, where are my reviewers! Please, guys, just press that stupid little button in the bottom corner and make my day! And I don't mean it in a Dirty Harry way, I mean it sincerely, from the bottom of my heart. Your reviews make my day, truly.
Thanks for stopping by,
BB