Inspiration: Rising tension.
Author Note: These battle chapters are much tougher to re-edit than I thought. I apologize for the long wait.
Word Count: 9,481
Chapter 39
Earlier the same day, Ordon Impasse, Colin
We were on our way to a remote sanctuary in Faron, north of our village. The queen's edict reached us at the eleventh hour. My father had gotten wind of it from a carrier hawk only recently. When read, its contents shocked us to say the least. Who was this monster? Who was this Ghirahim? We weren't given any context of what he was capable of, but if the queen was extolling us to take shelter, then he must have been a menace of extreme power. I knew one thing, if or when, the time came for it, I was ready to fight with my father if necessary. I was not going to be a cog in the wheel when there were very few defenders in our village, especially with Link still gone. His training, along with his counsel, was something I was going to keep close in mind.
I will defend the village with my life if necessary…
Admittedly, the news came as a two edged sword. We were in the middle of preparing for the pumpkin harvest, but that decidedly had to wait. It seemed like life as we knew it was going to change again, similar to seven years ago. I was a child then, so I was in need of protection. However, I was going to play a very different role this time around. I could protect my mother and sister at my father's side. I was keeping my feelings to myself, but secretly I was excited there was something more happening than the same old mundane goings on in our village. This was an out of place thought, especially given the threat, but I welcomed it.
My father would probably call me foolish for thinking such things, but he had a life of adventure before he settled down and married my mother. I was yearning to do the same. I didn't want to stay in this village the rest of my life. I was grateful to get my feelings for Beth off my chest, but I wanted more than a quiet farmer's life. Perhaps when this was all over, she would want that with me. I thought a great deal about Miss Elga and the kind of impression she left on me. She seemed to have it all together. She was a woman traveling the world. She was living her life. She was even making heroes fall in love with her. I didn't need to be a cuckoo scientist to know she and Link had developed feelings for each other. Ilia confirmed it when we returned from the festival over a month ago. Poor Ilia cried for days after that.
I had to admit I was a little devastated too. I didn't know Elga that well, but I certainly wanted to. She was mesmerizing. I would have courted her dutifully if she had given me the chance, but alas, Link was Link. There was no competing with a hero. Even so, I was not bitter. I understood, but it made me want to leave Ordon all the more. I planned on speaking to my father about moving to Castle Town in the near future if my plans for joining the military went through. I was dreading and anticipating that conversation, but I knew it had to be had. Fortunately, for now it could be postponed due to our current problem. However, there was no mistaking that conversation was going to happen.
Currently, I was helping my mother and little sister load the wagon with the last of our goods. There was no telling how long we would be confined, so we had to treat this as siege protocols as the edict stated. Fortunately, the shelter we were going to travel to already had pickled and jarred supplies of food and a well for water. We all could survive for at least three months. Hopefully, the crisis would not extend that long. In the interim, father was assisting the other villagers and hurrying the ones who were dragging their feet along. We needed to leave, and leave soon. When nightfall came the roads would be particularly more dangerous.
With that in mind, I tightened the ropes that harnessed the oxen to the wagon. I didn't want to overwhelm the animal, so needless things stayed behind. Afterwards, I helped my mother on board. She looked stressed, but she was calm. I reckon she was recollecting seven years prior. I wish I could reassure her this time around it would be nothing like that, but I had no right to make such consolations. A moment later, my sister jumped onto the wagon and settled herself in the back. She didn't seem uneasy at all, but a child of seven years would find any trip out of the country an adventure. I know I would. Afterwards, I got in the front of the wagon to giddy our beast of burden to the impasse leading to the exit. We halted in a caravan in front of Link's house. I looked up at the hero's residence wishing he was here, but also hoping he was safe. I then cut my gaze and looked ahead. I saw Ilia, Beth, Hanch, and Sera. Fado was also here, along with my father up ahead. However, I didn't see Hanch, Pergie, Talo, or Malo. Where were they? We needed to depart soon.
I sighed at this realization.
Now is not the time for games…
I decided to go back and see what was holding them up.
"I'll be right back," I told my mother and sister. "I want to see if the others need help with anything."
My mother Uli nodded, but her concern never went away.
"I understand," she replied. "Tell them they need to hurry. We have to push off soon. Faron is close, but it still takes some time to get to."
I nodded at my mother's response, then jumped down from the wagon and headed back into the village. I did a slight jog down the roadway as I skimmed the area. I soon found Talo helping his father Hanch pull their overloaded wagon toward the bridge in the center of the village. I was taken aback at the sight, realizing they had too many goods on their wagon. Their poor horse was having a struggle just pulling them. What were they thinking taking all those goods? I quickly went over to help Talo and his father with the harness.
I grabbed hold of the rope.
"What did you guys do? Pack your entire house?" I tried making light of their folly, but knew this was not going to work.
Talo groaned and nodded toward his mother who was stationed in the back.
"Just about!" he said upset. "I told her this was a stupid idea!"
Pergie gave her son a look of warning.
"Will you stop complaining!" she snapped. "We have to hurry!"
I gritted my teeth.
That's easy for you to say, I felt a slight burn in my hands from the pull. You're sitting peacefully while we have to pull this.
There was no way there was going to be any room in the sanctuary for any of this stuff. An oven? A large table? Porcelain dishes? This was preposterous and excessive. I decided to speak up.
"Miss Pergie, I don't think we are going to be able to harness this to your one horse. We are going to have to unload some of the bigger items."
Pergie groaned.
"We are not unloading anything! You'll just have to try harder!"
At that, Hanch shook his head and suddenly let the rope go. He looked fed up with the whole ordeal.
"Colin's right, I can't believe I let you talk me in to taking our table and oven. We have to unload the heavy things and leave them behind. This is too much of a hassle. No one else is packing this way."
Pergie remained stubborn.
"Absolutely not! We need our table and oven. How am I going to cook?"
Hanch sighed in frustration.
"We're going to hold everyone back," he replied. "We're already holding everyone back!"
Pergie did not budge.
"I don't care. I am not leaving my oven and table behind."
I didn't want to appear disrespectful, but Pergie was just being unreasonable now. She wasn't even trying to see things her husband's way. I decided then to speak up.
"With all due respect ma'am," I started, "your oven and your table are not important right now, our lives are. It's impossible to take them at this time and they need to be unloaded. The whole group is being stalled because of this."
Pergie stared at me stunned.
"How dare you speak to your elders that way!" she scolded. "You're being disrespectful!"
I rolled my eyes. Normally, that would work on me, but not in this instance.
"And you're being unreasonable," I countered. "We are all waiting because this wagon is too heavy. You have to leave the heavy things here."
Before Pergie could reply, Hanch was already walking to the back of the wagon.
"We don't have time for this," he said. "Talo, help me get the oven and table off of here. We're losing time."
Pergie looked shocked, but Talo followed his father's command. I followed too to help. Pergie was out numbered, and for the next twenty minutes we took the table and oven off the wagon back into their home. The whole ordeal was unnecessary. It only set us back and made us more tired. When we finished, Hanch and Talo harnessed their horse to the wagon, and Pergie was sitting in the back sulking. They were finally ready to go. However, I did notice one family member missing.
Where is Malo?
I decided to verbalize my thoughts.
"Aren't you guys short one crew member?" I asked.
Talo cut his eyes to me.
"The little tektite dung is in the house," he replied. "He was waiting for the wagon to be completely harnessed before he got on board."
I stared at him surprised.
"He should have been out here helping you."
Talo gave me an obvious stare.
"I agree and I stated that. Unfortunately, he was feeling 'sick' so he was deferred by my parents."
I rolled my eyes, and as if on cue, Malo came out of the house and approached the wagon. He looked perfectly fine to me. I wonder if the 'sickness' was all in his head.
"Are you feeling better?" Talo demanded. "It's nice of you to join us."
Malo merely looked at his brother.
"Sarcasm is the speech of fools," he replied. "But to answer your question, yes."
Talo groaned, I shook my head, and Malo was greeted by a hug from his mother.
"Are you alright sweetie?" she cooed.
That's what's wrong with him… spoiled brat…
I glanced over at Talo, who had nothing more to say.
"We're ready," Hanch said finally.
I stepped back as Hanch giddied his horse and wagon forward over the bridge to the impasse. With the last few villagers accounted for, I headed back to the impasse myself. Hanch was lined up behind me and my family, and we were finally ready to get going. Somehow I felt our delays were going to catch up to us. Something terrible was going to result from us taking too much time on frivolities.
Now I'm starting to think like my father…
Speaking of which, my father Rusl came walking from the front of the caravan to meet up with me. He glanced in each wagon along the way.
"Is everyone here?" father asked. "Once we leave we can't afford to come back."
I nodded.
"Everyone's here father. Hanch and his family just pulled up."
Father nodded and turned around.
"Good, then let's be off."
With that, I went back to my wagon where my family was and sat in the front. I turned to check on my mother and sister. They looked fine, and reassured me with grins. I then turned back around and grabbed the reigns. However, as I glanced up I caught Beth staring at me from the back of her wagon. Her family was right in front of mine. We made eye contact and smiled.
'I love you,' she mouthed.
That was kind of her.
'I love you too,' I mouthed back.
With that, Beth turned back around and got comfortable for the trip. She was probably going to do what she always did, and that was be a comfort to Ilia. Ilia seemed to be having the worst luck with love lately. I felt for her, but Link was a free spirit. He couldn't be contained in a village. He was meant for great things. Perhaps one day she would understand that and free herself from loving him. It only brought her pain.
It might be time for you to have and adventure of your own Ilia…
Even so, matters of the heart weren't important right now. We needed to get to Faron, and quickly. Enough time had been wasted. I had my sword sheathed and ready just in case any bandits tried to attack our small caravan. However, as we were soon all about to learn, bandits would be the least of our worries. We finally got underway and began leaving Ordon. Several hours past when we were at the cusp of entering Faron Woods, however, before our entry, something strange happened. A mysterious black cloud of miasmic mist suddenly settled overhead and substantiated on the other side of the bridge we needed to cross. Father immediately raised his hand to halt the group when the cloud completely obstructed our view.
I stared at the cloud puzzled. Something was not right about this.
"What in Hylia's name?" father whispered.
I shared his sentiment, and the entire caravan began to feel ill at ease.
"What is that?" Malo added from the back.
Talo shook his head. "I have no idea."
I didn't wait for my father's command and disembarked from my family's wagon. However, my mother didn't let me walk without a scold.
"Colin!" she called.
I didn't stop my trek.
"I'll be back! I'm checking in with father!"
I hurried along before she could scold me further. My father was still watching the cloud when I walked up next to him.
He didn't approve of my action either.
"If you are up here, who is protecting the rear?" he demanded.
"The cloud isn't at the rear," I replied.
Father looked over at me, not in the mood for an argument.
"Go back to the rear and guard it," he instructed. "We have no idea what may be happening here."
I didn't budge.
"Father, I think I can assist you better here."
Before father could reply, the cloud rotated and took on the shape of a ball. Father held up his arms to keep me behind him.
"What in the world is going on?" he whispered.
I swallowed hard, keeping my eyes on the cloud.
I was just thinking the same thing father… unfortunately, I think we're about to find out…
~SSS~
The Arbiter's Grounds, Zelda
Without thinking, I hurried down the escalator and ran into Elbourne's arms. The dragon prince looked genuinely stunned, but relieved to see me as I approached him. He held me tight when I embraced him.
"You're alright!" I whispered, my voice was trembling. "You're alright! Thank the goddess. I was so worried. I was starting to lose hope."
Elbourne hugged me tighter.
"I was even more concerned about you. I was thinking the worst with you being in Ghirahim's capture. Are you okay? Did he hurt you?"
I buried my head into his shoulder and nearly cried. I was not going to recap what that monster did to me. Not here. Not now.
"I'm fine. I survived. I'm just glad you're alive too."
Elbourne pulled back to look at me.
"You avoided my question, why?" he asked. "What aren't you telling me?"
I shook my head.
"It isn't important, certainly not now," I replied.
He was not tepid in his response.
"How in the hell did you survive?" he demanded. "I want to know. You were a prisoner of that monster. I know he was not delicate with you."
The dragon prince was certainly right in his supposition. I stared into his eyes and cradled his face with my hands. It was so like him to be more worried about me than his own safety. Seeing him here was like a dream. It still felt surreal. I knew I was probably crossing undisclosed boundaries, but I couldn't help myself. Afterwards, I nodded towards the hero.
"Link came and rescued me," I said simply. "I was incapacitated to a great degree. I thought I was going to die, so he also nursed me back to health. I wouldn't have made it without him."
Elbourne looked beyond me to the hero, who was now at the bottom of the chasm along with the rest of us, including the goddess. I turned to look at Link too. However, there was a hint of caution in his eyes, but he simply nodded at my explanation. Judging by the expression on his face, I assumed he thought my previous actions were foolish. He did have reason to be frustrated with me. I ran into a situation without taking all safeguards into consideration. I should have conferred with my constituents before proceeding. There could have been a trap hidden down here. A ghoul. A poe. Ghirahim. Anybody. And I ran right to it. But truthfully, I couldn't help myself. I was relieved to see Elbourne alive. I was just grateful to see him breathing.
Link finally spoke up to break the brief silence.
"I can't very well take all the credit. You were already free before I got to you Zelda. Let's not forget that."
Elbourne fixed his gaze back on me.
"You escaped before he got to you?"
I turned back to the dragon prince. I nodded at his stunned expression.
"Yes."
Elbourne shook his head.
"How?"
I then placed my hand over my heart. There were so many things I wanted to say, but knew the simplest explanation was the best.
"It was my Triforce. I survived because of my Triforce. I knew it was powerful, but I have learned to tap into it in times of distress. It truly worked in my behalf that dark day."
Hylia then chimed in.
"You have no idea how right you are Zel. It might surprise you in other ways too."
If that was a guarantee coming from her, I had no doubt I only scratched the surface of its potential. Even so, I glanced over at my ancestral mother surprised.
"Really?"
She nodded.
"We'll just have to wait and see."
That was all the confirmation I needed. Nevertheless, I was still taken aback.
What other powers could the Triforce of Wisdom possibly have?
Perhaps this was the final testing ground. Perhaps the Arbiter's Grounds had more significance for me than I thought. Perhaps my Triforce's true power would be manifested here this day. I hoped that wouldn't be the case, but something told me there was more to what was meeting the eye here. Something was amiss.
Elbourne redirected the conversation.
"Well, whatever the case, whether it was the hero, or the Triforce, I'm just glad you're alright. You have no idea how relieved I am to see you."
I blushed and finally stepped back.
"I know. The feeling is more than mutual."
It was then Link walked up to stand beside me. He stared at the prince for a long time. There was something the hero was not telling me that he was suspecting. I hoped it would be nothing that would bring discord, but considering the circumstances, I knew that was a fleeting thought.
"We share that same relief Elbourne." The hero attempted to be amiable. "Your mother Constance was going to come searching for you herself if we didn't find you soon."
Elbourne was surprised at hearing talk of his mother.
"My mother? You spoke with her recently?"
Link nodded.
"We did. In fact, we saw her yesterday. It seemed she made her own preemptive trip to Hyrule before we returned ourselves a few days prior. Whatever the case, her goals were clear: you were her number one priority. We made a solemn promise to find you."
The dragon prince appeared taken aback, but nodded anyway.
"I guess she was more worried than I thought," he said more to himself than to anyone, but then added, "Is she alright? Did she appear well?"
Link went to reassure him.
"She is very well. And with all due respect, for a woman her age, she is every bit as fiery and feisty as a dragon queen should be. She is quite the woman Elbourne."
Elbourne didn't anticipate the compliments, but appreciated them.
"She is the jewel of Dragon Roost for a reason. I would say she's a better politician than my father."
I couldn't agree more, but I didn't want us to get sidetracked.
"Indeed, and I'm sure the queen would be happy to hear this from you herself," I said. "With that stated, let's be off."
However, at my insistence Elbourne did not budge. He remained steadfast. He then segued to a topic of natural progression.
"Speaking of politicians, have any of you come in contact with my father?"
There was a brief silence between everyone. However, it was Hylia who broke the silence.
"We have not found him yet, but several search parties are out looking for him."
Elbourne looked troubled by her revelation.
"What do you mean several 'search parties'? There is more than one? He has not returned to Dragon Roost?"
"Apparently not," the hero added. "Based off what your mother said, the Roostians haven't seen him since we arrived back in Hyrule. Meaning-"
"-He could be anywhere," Elbourne finished for him. "He could even be dead." The dragon prince looked away and closed his eyes. "The old fool."
I understood his sentiments all too well. However, if we wanted to make any headway in finding his father, we needed to leave this place. We needed to join the search parties.
"Let's not lose hope yet," I said. "We should go so we can join the others. Finding you is going to greatly relieve your mother. That's a start."
However, Elbourne was quiet for a long time before he looked between the three of us and took a few steps back.
"I'm afraid I can't do that," he replied.
There was another silence that engulfed the room. Link then stepped up and got in front of me.
"You can't leave?" the hero repeated.
The dragon prince shook his head.
"No."
Link gave him a quick once over.
"And why is that?"
It was then the dragon prince gave the hero a peculiar look. Link was not being particularly discreet with his apparent distrust of the dragon prince. He was making it all but obvious that he had suspicions of Elbourne. It was his lineage. It was his lineage and this place. This vault where many of our problems began… well, where I created many of the problems facing the world now.
The dragon prince became defensive.
"What is this all about?" Elbourne asked suddenly. "Why are you standing in front of the queen as if I am some kind of threat to her? I would never hurt her."
Link never answered his questions. He just stared him down.
"Why don't you just tell us why you are here? We just told you we were looking for you. You have been found, yet you still don't want to go. That seems strange to me."
Elbourne returned his hard gaze.
"I don't care what appears 'strange' to you. I don't owe you an explanation!"
Link then took a step forward.
"That you don't want to leave this place after you've been found?" he accused. "I think you do. I think you seriously do."
The dragon prince shook his head.
"So… we're back to the mistrust? We're back to thinking I'm a pawn? Is that it?"
Link narrowed his eyes slightly.
"I never said that, but you seem more defensive than you should be. And trust me, this isn't the conversation you want to be having right now. So, why don't we stop with the games and you tell us why you decided to come here? Why don't you want to go home? Why not go back to Dragon Roost when you first arrived?"
Elbourne's indignation grew.
"Fine, if this is how you want to go about things. If you really must know, since this was how we got to the Twilight Realm before, I wanted to travel back the same way. I was going to go back. I wanted to make sure you were all safe. I had no idea where you all were and I thought the best course of action would be to retrace my steps –that being our last known location, the Twilight Realm."
Link didn't hide his distrust.
"Is that the only reason?" he accused.
I was even starting to become a little confused.
But then… why not come back with us now? He knows we aren't there now. Why the hesitation?
I took a step forward myself.
"Elbourne, then I see no reason for you to object now. Come back with us. Your kingdom needs you. You can help us with the search for your father."
The dragon prince cut his gaze to me.
"It's not quite that simple."
I then stared at him taken aback.
"I don't understand," I said genuinely perplexed.
Link's frustration grew.
"That's why you don't go rushing into a room without making sure it's safe," he snapped at me before redirecting his attention back to Elbourne. "What the hell are you doing in here dragon prince? Answer me!"
I stared at the hero surprised. Did I miss something? That was when Hylia walked up next to me on my other side. She was staring at Elbourne too with a hint of suspicion now.
"So… it wasn't just me, you felt it also," she addressed the hero.
Link nodded.
"As soon as we entered the catacombs."
I looked between the two of them, still puzzled.
"I don't understand, what are you two talking about? What did you feel?"
"A power surge," the goddess answered for the hero. "It was completely different from the first time we entered here."
This stunned me.
"A power surge?" I whispered to myself. "Why didn't I feel it?"
"Because you're too emotional," Link replied. "Your judgment is clouded by your feelings."
The scold was expected, but a bit heavy handed from the hero.
"Link…"
Elbourne kept his eyes on the hero.
"Still trying to turn her against me farm boy?" he demanded. "You can't stand the fact that she loves me in a way she will never love you! You can't stand the fact that she and I have a history you will never understand!"
Link took another step forward.
"That's right, keep stalling, keep deflecting. It doesn't negate that I can see right through you. Now, I'm going to ask you again, why did you come here?"
Elbourne took a step forward for himself.
"I just told you! I wanted to go back to the Twilight Realm! I wanted to find Zelda! I wasn't going to just leave her there knowing she could be in danger."
The hero did not flinch.
"Then why didn't you jump through before now? Why have you been standing here waiting when you know that is the gateway?"
I hadn't even considered that. I looked over at the dragon prince.
"Elbourne…"
The dragon prince began to seethe.
"How do you know how long I've been here?" he demanded. "I could have just arrived myself!"
"Except you didn't, or your reply wouldn't have been such!" Link shot back. "You also wouldn't be wanting to stay down here since you've been found! Now stop with the dragon shit! What are you doing here?"
Elbourne's anger grew.
"Fine! Fine! You want to know the truth? Fine! I was waiting for Ghirahim! I was going to fight him myself!" he finally divulged. "No one trusted me! No one believed me! So, I was going to fight Ghirahim myself! I figured this would be the only way to clear my name. I figured this was where he was going to show up, so instead of going back to the Twilight Realm, I wanted to be the person to deal him his due. I wanted to kill him!"
We all stared at him taken aback. There was a brief silence between the four of us.
"You aren't equipped to take on Ghirahim," the goddess finally broke the silence. "It takes the Master Sword to thwart him. No mortal weapon can stop him."
Elbourne groaned.
"I know that, but I hoped… I just wanted for one moment to be that person that Zelda could rely on… that Zelda could need."
He looked over at me and my eyes widened.
"Elbourne… that isn't a reason to potentially throw your life away," I reasoned. "You need to understand that Ghirahim wants you. He wants you to be in a vulnerable position. He could have captured you!"
Elbourne rolled his eyes.
"You can think the worst of me if you want to. I know my intentions. I have a right to my pride!"
"Your pride could have cost the kingdom!" the hero shot back. "You have to come to reality and understand that the person he wants is you! The person he wants to capture is you! You are his target Elbourne! Your pride has nothing to do with this! You know why he wants you! You know it!"
Elbourne stared at him defiantly.
"What exactly do I know Linux?" he demanded. "Huh? What are you saying but not saying?"
Link had had enough of the runaround.
"What do I have to say to you to make you understand? Do I have to call you demon prince in order to get through to you?! Is that what you want? You want to be called by what you really are?!"
After the hero uttered that, silence engulfed the room. Elbourne's throat tightened and he looked back over at me.
"Demon prince?" he repeated. "What the hell are you talking about?"
Link groaned in frustration.
"You know what I'm talking about," the hero accused.
Elbourne took a step back.
"I... I have no idea what you mean. I am the dragon prince. The dragon prince."
Hylia then gave him a knowing look.
"Yes Elbourne… I think you do. I think you know exactly what Link is talking about."
A pit of dread developed within my gut. Was this really how this news was going to come out? Was Elbourne going to have to learn the truth in the most shocking way possible? Or, did he… did he already know? Something in his disposition alerted me that he was aware of what we all already knew. But, how did he come about the news? How did he learn the truth? The silence that followed was deafening. No one was willing to dispel it first. In that moment, Elbourne kept his eyes on me.
"Zelda I…" he begged, "don't let them turn you against me!"
"I-" I tried.
"I love you!" he interrupted. "I need you! What happened in that lagoon was not who I am! You know me! You know me! That is not who I am!"
I didn't know what to say. I was shaken. The truth about that day was now out in the open. Link already knew, but now Hylia's suspicions would heighten as well. There was no denying it. However, there was also a deliberate avoidance of another truth here. The real truth. The truth of who he was. It was unspoken, but we all knew he was Ghirahim's son. Even he knew somehow.
I finally decided to break the silence and ask him.
"Elbourne… you know, don't you?" I whispered. "You know that we all know, don't you?"
The dragon prince didn't answer right away, but he had an imploring look in his eyes.
"I'm not him! I'm not evil Zelda!" he screamed. "I'm not! I came here to give my life for you if I had to! I'm not him!"
Link took his stance in front of me at that.
"Elbourne, if you mean everything you're saying right now, then we have to leave here before that menace shows up. I have reason to believe he led you here inherently to set a trap for you."
Elbourne looked at him disgusted.
"You would like to believe I was led here by Ghirahim, wouldn't you? I came of my own free will!"
As much as I didn't want to believe it, I think Link was right. Something about all this had 'trap' written all over it. The storm. The miasma. Elbourne just staying put. It seemed more of a catalyst than he knew.
"Elbourne, as much as you don't want to believe it, Link has a point," I interjected. "We should discuss this out of here. We need to leave! This place is dangerous for all of us!"
"Listen to Zelda," the goddess added. "It doesn't matter what your true birthright is if you choose the light. You were led down here, not by your own will, but by Ghirahim's. He desperately needs you to make complete his plans to destroy Hyrule. We will protect you, but you have to live without delusions. I know you struggle with your duality. I see your struggle even now, but don't let your struggle make you a martyr. You're so close to being free from him… so close."
Elbourne then looked over at the goddess. It was as we all assumed. He wasn't shocked by anything she was saying. He knew. He knew the truth of who he was, but Hylia was kind in reassuring him he did not have to be like the demon lord. Even so, he stood conflicted.
"I..." he trailed.
The goddess took a step towards him.
"It's alright," she said quietly. "I promise you, it's alright. We just need to get you out of here."
Elbourne looked between the three of us, but at his second pass through he locked his eyes on mine. I saw the longing. I saw the regret. I saw the struggle.
"I... I'm so sorry Zelda, I'm so sorry. I would never intentionally try to hurt you, ever. I'm not a monster, I swear."
My throat tightened at his words.
"I know that," I whispered.
However, before another word could be uttered by anyone, a strange ray of light suddenly came forth from the multicolored mirror stationed in the corner. It was brilliant and blinding, making everyone bearing witness to it cover their eyes.
What in the world-?
The light shined more brilliantly, making us crouch for cover. However, suddenly the source of the disturbance made itself known.
"As touching and motivating as this all is, I'm afraid I can't let my prized possession just leave," said a deep booming voice from across the chasm. "Your reassurances are all for naught. You belong to me now Elbourne."
My blood ran cold when I realized our window of opportunity had passed.
"Oh no," I whispered.
Link immediately got into his battle stance, while Hylia went to cover Elbourne. The hero glanced over his shoulder at me.
"I don't want you doing anything drastic, you understand me? I mean it!"
I nodded at his scold, realizing the implications.
"I know."
Hylia snapped her fingers and changed forms.
"Don't engage him Elbourne," she warned. "He will attempt to do to you what he did before in the Twilight Realm. If he gets control of you it might be over for us."
Elbourne pursed his lips, not replying right away.
"I won't let myself be an easy target," he reassured.
As the goddess was speaking, the tall imposing demon lord stalked from his hiding place in the bowels of the crypt to where we were in the center of the chasm. When the monster caught sight of the dragon prince, he smirked confidently at his prey.
"There you are... my son?" he taunted.
Elbourne grabbed his axe and got in his battle stance.
"You slimy bastard!"
"Don't listen to him!" Hylia warned. "He's only trying to bait you!"
Elbourne's breathing increased.
"I know."
Ghirahim eyed the precocious prince.
"Am I?" he taunted again.
This was the worst case scenario. This was exactly what we were trying to avoid.
If we don't get him out of here, the demon lord's going to kill him!
Suddenly, as if having read my mind, Hylia grabbed Elbourne's hand and yanked him towards the escalator. The dragon prince was taken aback at the desperate gesture of the goddess, but followed in step anyway.
"What are you-" he tried.
"We have to get you out of here before he tries to absorb you!" she interrupted. "You have to get out of here!"
Elbourne was aghast at what he heard.
"What? Absorb me?"
"Your energy!" she clarified. "He wants the dark energy inside of you!"
However, the goddess's actions were unfortunately too late. Ghirahim was about to give a demonstration as to why.
"Permit me to show you what she means."
At the monster's beckoning, a long muscular vestige sprung out of his mouth and landed on Elbourne's shoulder. The prince stared at the appendage in disbelief. I shuddered from my own memories of Ghirahim's disgusting tongue. The hero then sprung into action.
"We have to create a diversion! We can't just let him absorb him!"
Link grabbed my hand and headed for the escalator. I kept in step with him.
Dear Hylia!
Link raised the Master Sword, ready to cut into the tongue.
"Elbourne!" the hero shouted from behind. "I'm coming up on your rear! Brace yourself!"
At hearing Link, Elbourne dropped Hylia's hand and went to yank the deplorable vestige off him. However, when the prince touched it, a surge of energy pulsed from his body to the muscle attached to him.
"AHHHH!" Elbourne screamed in agony as he fell to his knees.
Link then came up and attempted to cut through the tongue, but when his blade made contact with it, it was like the clanging of metal to metal. My dread deepened when after a second cleaving attempt, nothing happened. I began fearing the worst.
"No!" I shouted in panic, trying to run to Elbourne.
However, Link grabbed me by the waist to hold me back.
"Zelda stop!"
I attempted to get away from his grasp.
"We have to help him!"
"There's nothing we can do for him now!" Link shouted over the energy pulse. "It's too late!"
I looked back at Link in complete disbelief. I stared at Elbourne in complete disbelief. The hero was right. It was too late. Now… now all hell was about to break loose. Now the true power of Ghirahim was about to be released, and even worse… Demise's possible resurgence.
Dear goddesses… what's going to happen now? What have I unleashed on the world?
~SSS~
Dragon Roost Impasse, Gunter's Dilemma
Panic was a soldier's enemy. A warrior couldn't think, rationalize, or reason if they panicked, and this new occurrence was only inciting fear. I was trying to cast off the anxiety starting to riddle the men throughout my brigade. The black ball of mist that we encountered moments ago stayed stationary for several long minutes, before something even stranger started to happen. The cloud suddenly got bigger and bigger, until abruptly it stretched out, elongated, and created a large black wall. As we all watched mystified, the wall slowly began to solidify, splinter, crevice, and crack. And when the fissures reached the breaking points, the wall inexplicably exploded. What the hell was going on? I quickly raised the signal for my men to raise their arms and cover from the falling debris. However, the peculiar thing about the occurrence was, the contents of the wall refracted back into itself causing no damage. There essentially was no debris.
What kind of sorcery is this?
I notified my men to keep their ranks.
"Stand your guard!" I called out.
When the sublimation subsided, suddenly there was an army of shadow beasts waiting on the other side. Monsters of all types were armed and grouped for battle. I looked around for prince Rowen and he was nowhere in the immediate heavens. I hoped he hadn't fallen prey to whatever this darkness was.
"My goddess, what is going on?" I whispered.
However, the army of shadow beasts wasn't what was so shocking to me. The true bewilderment was at the epicenter of the division sitting on a midnight black Gerudo stallion. The mist cleared away completely, so his visage was unquestionable. The man we were searching for so fervently was now in our midst. The rider was none other than prince... Elbourne? My confusion mounted. This certainly could not have been the true dragon prince. Some other evil was at work here using him as a disguise. Even still, his presence wasn't the alarming thing. What was so untoward about this situation was who he had in his capture. There, throttled by the throat, was the embattled body of King Xavier. There was no doubt that he was the dragon king. However, his danger was imminent. The counterfeit prince was holding him hostage with a blade stationed at the side of his neck. One move, and he would kill him. This was unprecedented. This was the last thing, and I do mean the last thing, I was hoping to encounter. The dragon king's death would prompt a civil war no matter what the cause. There wouldn't be peace for a hundred years.
My men looked on in utter shock.
"Is that the dragon prince?" one demanded.
I shook my head, refusing to allow them to become victims of this scheme.
"This creature is not Elbourne," I said aloud. "You saw yourself where it came from. Don't let your eyes fool you!"
My men did not take immediate comfort.
"What is going on here?" a few of them murmured in amongst each other. "That… that thing has the dragon king!"
I was aware of that too. I had to remain calm. I could not run the risk of acting recklessly. I looked heavenward hoping Rowen would reappear, but there was still no sign of him.
I certainly hope you're alright… if there was anyone who we could use right now, it's you Rowen…
I stared the prince down and looked at the king who appeared staid.
"Hang in there sire," I whispered, "we'll figure something out."
~SSS~
Tensions rising on Hyrule Field, Midna
There were very few things that surprised me, very few, but I couldn't say I had an answer for this. I narrowed my eyes in slight confusion. The aerial black ball stayed hovered over the grass of Hyrule Field without moving.
"What kind of progeny is this?" I said aloud.
"Evil." The reply was given by General Maximillion, who turned and rode close to where I was. "Are you alright?" he inquired of my safety.
I nodded.
"What is that thing?" I asked.
The general shook his head.
"I have no idea," he replied honestly. "I think we should draw back and head for safety your majesty. There's no telling what will come of this."
I couldn't help but agree with him, but where were we going to draw back to? As soon as we took flight, that cloud would wreak havoc on his forces. There was no telling what kind of devastation it would leave in its wake. However, before I could share my concerns, the black cloud suddenly dissipated. I covered my mouth in disbelief, which prompted Maximillion to turn back around.
"What in Hylia's dear name?" he whispered.
I scoured the heavens for any new sights, but saw nothing from my scan. Maximillion immediately went to guard me, and took out his sword. That dissipation was not the end of whatever was going on out here. The general came close.
"Stay alert my lady," he warned. "We aren't out of the woods yet."
I was more than aware of that.
"General, I would say we just entered the borough," I replied.
Maximillion glanced my way, but said nothing. He understood my sentiment all too well. This was getting stranger and stranger by the minute. A moment later, the cloud of mist reappeared and surrounded the entire brigade. I rotated like a cloud. My confusion grew.
How is this possible?
The general kept his guard.
"Keep alert men!" he called to his unit. "Don't let your guard down!"
The mist continued to swirl, when suddenly it came to another halt and disappeared altogether. With the mist now gone, Maximillion and I both let out audible gasps. We were stunned in who was here to greet us.
"As I live and breathe," I whispered. "This cannot be… how?"
There, as if appearing like a phantom from the night, standing in the middle of Hyrule Field was Elbourne of Dragon Roost, and with him was a battalion of Twili warriors. My Twili warriors, both land and aerial alike. I was beyond shocked.
How in the world did Twili soldiers from my realm get here?
Maximillion looked just as bewildered. It was one thing to fight a Hylian soldier, it was quite another to fight a Twili. Even so, the general gathered his courage to rally his men. He gave a hand signal to ready his men to take position. I had no explanation as to why creatures from my realm were here. This promised to be a disaster in the making.
"Fall into formation!" Maximillion called out. "It seems something greater has come to fight us. This dragon prince is not the man we are looking for. Keep your eyes open and hearts ready. This might me the fight of our lives men!"
I couldn't shake the shock from my body. This was not possible. How? Just how were Twili warriors here? The general's perception was spot on, that creature was not the dragon prince, but was using his form to thwart us. This was highly unusual. Was this an illusion from Ghirahim? Had all his power returned?
The creature that appeared as Elbourne stared at me and merely smirked. His eyes never left mine when suddenly he snapped his fingers and two aerial Twili riders rose into the air and followed after him. He started walking towards the brigade with his army in tow. My eyes narrowed slightly as black and orange electricity surged from my wrists. General Maximillion looked my way when he saw the evidence of my anger.
"Ghirahim will not use my people to bring blood shed to Hyrule," I said more to myself than anybody.
Maximillion understood my indignation.
"We will stop them my lady," he promised. "We will give them hell. No one messes with Hyrule."
With that, he snapped his fingers and gave the signal for his men to move in. I was torn. I did not want to fight my own people. How was I to reconcile this? How did Ghirahim have the reach to transport my people? Were these Twili even my people? Was this all an illusion? I knew now wasn't the time to ponder these things. I had to survive this onslaught first. I knew Maximillion was confident in his men, but my people were no pushovers either. Twili warriors were known for their hellish brutality… I could be quite brutal myself. To that end, I put my guard up in the form of a shield, as did the general.
Whatever you thought you were going to accomplish Ghirahim, you picked the wrong queen to mess with… You will not get past this twilight queen…
~SSS~
Hyrule Castle the Underground City, Shad
The people were even more anxious now than before. To combat some of the displacement, I ordered for everyone to stay in their assigned bungalows for now. Of course I was met with some opposition, but it was all I could do until we figured out what the hell this new force was. Zelvious was a great help in this regard. The guards I assigned to remain at their posts did little to quell the fears of the people. In fact, many of the men were showing signs of fear as well. The miasmic force was growing. Nothing was keeping it at bay. How was I supposed to manage something when I had no idea what it was?
Once everyone was cleared out, I sought to find a way to contain the problem. I kept a few people close to me who were problem solvers: Zelvious, the Lady Lydia, and a few of my counselors. I needed clear heads to thwart this threat. But how could a cloud in space that moves be contained? This was going to be more difficult to figure out than I thought. However, it seemed a scholarly scavenger hunt wasn't necessary, because as my team and I were brainstorming, something else strange happened. The men who were currently watching the space came hurrying into the main foyer, where we all were. They stated the miasma was changing. In fact, it seemed to go in on itself.
I was dumbfounded by the revelation.
"What?"
The men pointed to where they had just come from.
"Come see for yourself," one of them stated, "it doesn't look to be there anymore."
My sense of dread was deepening and I nodded towards the direction.
"Please lead the way."
The trek led us back to the entrance, but it was just as the men stated. There was very little evidence of the large cloud that once was there.
Where in the world did it go?
"Perhaps this is good news?" Lydia attempted behind me.
I appreciated her optimism, but was too cynical to partake in it.
"Perhaps," I said anyway.
Just then, with all of us watching, the smaller cloud moved in on itself again. The inversion was happening in real time. The general then guided us behind him.
"This is not a place for civilians," Zelvious warned. "Lady Lydia you need to leave."
Lydia looked slightly disappointed, but backed away as she was directed. However, I could also sense a hint of fear in her. This was a situation none of us were prepared for. I went to reassure her.
"We will figure this out," I promised. "You have been a great help to us."
She shook her head doubtfully, a pang of fright pierced through her.
"What if you can't?" she whispered.
I was trying to garner some of her previous optimism.
"Don't talk like that," I said.
She looked beyond me and suddenly her eyes widened.
"What's happening now?"
Before I, or anyone for that matter, could answer her question, the cloud got smaller then exploded. Black mist dispersed everywhere. Zelvious quickly went to cover Lydia and me, by pushing us to the ground. The rest of the men dropped for cover. However, we all soon realized it was for naught, because there was no evidence of any debris fallout. We looked to where the explosion occurred only to find there was no evidence of a black cloud ever being there. However, in its place was something, or someone, far more mystifying. We all now felt a surprising sense of shock.
What in the world?
I thought I was seeing an apparition.
"How is this possible?"
Lydia stared on confused.
"Isn't that- isn't that the missing dragon prince?"
Zelvious immediately stood back up and took his guard. He wasted no time dispelling that notion.
"Don't let your eyes deceive you," the general warned. "Whatever this thing is, it is not the dragon prince. You two stay behind me." He then directed his attention to his men. "The rest of you fall into formation!"
I then stood up as well, too stunned to really say anything. There, standing in the midst of the limestone catacombs, was a manifestation of Elbourne of Dragon Roost with two shadow beasts alongside him. The resemblance was uncanny. However, Zelvious was right, this creature was not the true prince. This was obviously the work of some other worldly power.
Ghirahim…
The creature exchanged glances between all of us before smiling oddly.
"Well, I wish I'd known it would have been this easy to find the prince," I uttered sarcastically. "We could have called off the search party. He's right here among us."
My joke fell flat. My dread deepened.
What is going to happen now?
~SSS~
Trouble brewing on Ordon Bridge, Collin
I stood behind father waiting to see what was about to take place. The black cloud suddenly broke apart and dispersed across the sky. Everyone in the caravan covered their faces, but felt nothing in response to the explosion. However, when I lowered my hands, I stared on in confusion.
"I don't understand," I whispered more to myself than my father.
My father said nothing in response. He just kept his guard. There, suddenly standing on the other side of the bridge, was Elbourne of Dragon Roost. I saw the dragon prince once when I traveled with my father to Dragon Roost. I couldn't believe how much he appeared like Link, but my father gave enough descriptive details about him for me to know he was nothing like my friend. Nevertheless, from the looks of this… this man, he appeared to be Elbourne. However, the dragon prince was a dragon master, not a tome master. Had he delved into sorcery as of late? The notion seemed farfetched, and this was more in line with the evil her majesty had warned us about. Even so, a mirage was a mirage, and it had its intended effect. Everyone gasped at the sight of the apparition of his royal highness, especially Beth and Ilia. They had never seen the dragon prince and had no idea he bore such a striking resemblance to Link. It would be surprising to anyone.
"Dear goddesses, is that Link?" Ilia said surprised and impulsively stood up.
"Sit down!" my father ordered. "That is not Link!"
Father didn't bother to explain any further.
I readied myself along with him, resting my hand over my blade, but father put a hand to my chest to stop me.
"I'll take care of this Colin," he said, then walked a few steps ahead.
I wasn't sure his approach alone was sound. We had no idea what we were dealing with. What if this doppelganger mimicked Elbourne in a way that he fought like him? My father would be no match for a double axe wielder. Neither of us would. We would need to attack him simultaneously. I was not going to watch my father die needlessly. Even so, I stood back for now and let my father inspect the situation alone. This was beyond strange.
Why in the world would this creature want to attack a remote village?
Unfortunately, I was soon to find out.
Thank you for reading.