You better like this chapter, it took me hours, lol...
You will see more of the Bo/Sylvia thing later on.
Meanwhile, I've been drawing various characters from the story, and I'll provide links to the pictures somewhere on my forums.
Please, for the love of oily horses and brain stapling, REVIEW.
Next chapter will be out as soon as I can get it out.
Chapter 8 -- The Mistakes We Make
"An imposter, you say?" inquired Majora mildly, his eyes fastened on Bambi unblinkingly.
Ganondorf seized Bambi's wrist again and thrust her hand in Majora's face.
"Look at that! Is that not the Triforce of Power!"
"Stop spazzing, you'll have a heart attack," replied Majora, examining Bambi's hand.
"This is HER! The little peasant girl! I say we kill her now; she cannot even control her powers!" hissed Vaati.
"Did anyone know anything about this?" asked Majora.
Agahnim shoved Dark forward.
"He's acting pretty suspicious. Maybe HE knew..."
"I...I didn't!" Dark lied.
"I think he's lying!" argued Ciara, though she looked quite happy and spoke in a singsong voice.
"What if he isn't? Huh?" fired Shadow.
"He's a virgin! Of course he's impure!" growled Vaati.
"WHO CARES? ALL I KNOW IS THAT SOMEONE ELSE HAS MY BELOVED TRIFORCE OF POWER, AND I WANT IT BACK!" bellowed Ganondorf, grabbing Bambi by the neck and shaking her. She let out a choked cry, and a look of horror crossed Dark's face.
"Stop," said Majora calmly, putting a hand on Ganondorf's shoulder. He released Bambi and calmed himself. Bambi glared up at them all, rubbing her abused neck tenderly.
"How can you be so calm about this, Majora? Have you been smoking pot again?" Agahnim asked, exasperated.
"Er...um...ye -- no," Majora replied. He hurriedly turned to face the entire group.
"We shall keep the imposter as our personal slave. Do what you want with her; beat her, torture her, make her do ridiculous things, I don't care."
"KILL...HER!" yelled a frustrated Ciara.
"Silence, Ciara. Anyway..." Majora fastened his eyes on Bambi, and so did the others. "If she makes one wrong move, primarily one that shows loyalty to our enemies, then we will kill her in the most painful...way...possible." He smirked, and Bambi shrank back a little bit, the look of defiance on her face weakening slightly.
Link, Tetra, and Pike dismounted their horses and looked at the Great Forest which stood before them.
"How will we find Lazerus through all these trees?" groaned Link. "This forest is so big! So...large...and great!"
"That's why they called it the Great Forest," grumbled Pike with a roll of her eyes.
"Well, there's bound to be some giant killer evil entity that wouldn't be too hard to miss, right?" asked Tetra.
"I suppose. Let's tie the horses to this tree and go inside," ordered Pike as she proceeded to follow her own orders. Tetra did too, and the sisters began to walk into the thick of the trees.
"But it's so...dark!" whined Link.
Pike and Tetra stopped and turned to face Link with identical expressions.
"No duh," they said in unison. Link looked frightened.
"Wow, I was beginning to think you guys weren't at all alike, but I was wrong. That thing you did just now was freaky."
"Whatever. Now hurry up!" snapped Tetra.
"No! I don't want to go in there!"
"I said hurry up! Don't make me come out there, Link!"
"Ah! Fine! I'm coming in!" Link hurriedly followed the girls, and off they went.
"We've been walking forever, and I have yet to see a killer beast..." moaned Tetra.
"Let's keep looking..." grumbled Pike wearily.
"Tee hee!" Impish giggles rang out.
"Whoever's giggling like an idiot better stop it," snapped Link, plodding along.
"I don't giggle like an idiot. You giggle like an idiot when we have sex though," Tetra retorted.
"I thought it turned you on!" exclaimed Link, stopping in his tracks.
"No, it makes me feel like I'm having sex with some chick or something! You sound like a girl, you know!" Tetra stopped too.
The giggling continued.
"Guys, it's none of us!" whispered Pike. Sadly, her words went unheard.
"I do not sound like a girl! You sound like a girl, Tetra!" growled Link.
"That's 'cause I am a girl!"
"But sometimes you act like a MAN! I have to keep trying to convince people that you're not a dike because they all think you are one!"
"Oh yeah? Who?" Tetra stuck her fists on her hips and leaned forward to glare at Link in the eye in a way that only she could. Link flinched under her Tetra-gaze.
"K-Komali..." Link stuttered.
"Komali? Is that it?"
"Y-yes..."
"You make it sound as if Komali equals five different people!"
"Well --"
"Jeez! I don't care if HE thinks I'm a lesbian!" Tetra straightened up and rolled her eyes.
"GUYS!" Pike yelled over the now deafening laughter. Link and Tetra rounded on her with firey eyes.
"WHAT!"
"NONE OF US ARE GIGGLING! IT'S SOMETHING IN THE WOODS!"
"Oh, crap, there aren't little posessed children in here like in Casterwaul, are there?" squeaked Link.
The giggles stopped.
"No children in here but you...hee hee..." whispered a voice behind them. The trio nearly jumped out of their skins with fright and turned around to face a poe.
Pike pointed the Light Cutlass at the ghost.
"What do you want? Do you know of the whereabouts of the maiden Lazerus?"
"Maybe I do, maybe I don't," sniffed the poe, gliding from left to right.
"Speak or I'll gut you like a trout!" threatened Pike.
"Wow, she sounds even more like Tetra," commented Link.
The poe stopped moving.
"I'll tell you where the maiden is if you answer my riddle."
"We don't wanna answer your freakin' riddle, ok?" yelled Tetra.
"No, you must answer a riddle!"
"WE AREN'T ANSWERING ANY FUCKING RIDDLES!" Pike bellowed.
"FUCKING ANSWER THE FUCKING-FUCKEDY-FUCK RIDDLE OR I'LL FUCKING FEED YOU FUCKERS TO THE FUCKING MONSTER THAT LIVES IN THESE FUCKING WOODS, YOU FUCKERS!"
Link, Tetra, and Pike were taken aback.
"Ok...tell us the riddle..." said Pike slowly.
"What's black and blue?" asked the poe.
"What? What kind of riddle is THAT?" Link questioned rudely.
"Look, pal, just answer it!" sighed the poe.
"A newspaper?" tried Pike.
"A zebra!" declared Tetra.
The poe looked at Link.
"Care to take a chance, young man?"
"Umm...a zebra?" Link guessed.
The poe laughed.
"You're all wrong!" it said.
"Oh yeah? What was the answer then?" Tetra asked haughtily.
"The answer to 'what's black and blue' is...YOU THREE AFTER GETTING ATTACKED BY THE GIANT MONSTER THAT'S COMING RIGHT NOW! SEE YA, BITCHES!" crowed the poe, disappearing. Link, Tetra, and Pike were stunned by the odd riddle with its equally odd answer, but that stunning confusion was soon turned to extreme fright as the ground began to tremble with the footsteps of something large. An other-wordly battle cry sounded through the trees. Thinking as quickly as they could, the three comrades readied themselves. Sure enough, a strange creature burst through the trees toward them.
It was a large human-esque creature with a round, pregnant-looking belly supported on a thin body. It was in bright colors of red, green, and blue, and wielded a long sword and large shield. It's face was a wooden mask with glaring red eyes and a jagged hole for the mouth. Sprouting from the mask were what seemed to be yellow and brown streamers.
"I saw this creature in a book of old tales before...it is the legendary, not to mention long-dead Odolwa!" gasped Pike.
"Odolwa...don't we have to get something called Odolwa's Mask or something?" Tetra whispered.
"Yes! Look at its face! Its face IS the mask; one of the Four Masks of Termina that we need to collect!" replied Pike.
Odolwa let out another cry and dove at Pike. She shrieked out of surprise, but thrust at the creature with her cutlass. It hissed and threw a kick at Tetra, knocking her away.
Tetra slowly got up. She had not expected that offensive move, and was deeply angered because of it. Cool weapon or not, she vowed revenge and drew her dagger, running at the evil creature.
Link was also pissed by the attack on his girlfriend, and angrily leapt forward to Odolwa, Master Sword raised, and tried to slice it through its skin. He soon shared a similar fate as Tetra's when Odolwa sent him crashing backward with the flat side of its sword.
Pike stayed close to the evil deity, dodging its stomping feet as she sliced at its legs with her sacred cutlass. She was soon kicked far away, and while Odolwa was distracted, Tetra jumped in to take her sister's place. However, Tetra's small dagger made it more difficult to land good attacks, and it certainly wasn't a godly object, so it had little effect on Odolwa.
"THIS HAD BETTER SAVE LAZERUS..." bellowed Link, slipping out of the way of a blow from the creature's sword as he tried to get past its wildly thrashing limbs to Tetra.
Pike limped cautiously back towards the scene, and called in reply to Link, "I don't see why it wouldn't!"
Tetra let out a shriek as she got hit hard on the back of the head, sending her to her knees.
"I COULD USE A LITTLE..AGH...BACK UP..." she uttered.
"I'M TRYING..." yelled Link. Suddenly, Odolwa's sword got him in the leg, and with a cry, he fell over heavily.
"Link...!" gasped Pike. Despite the pain in her ribs from Odolwa's harsh attack, she forced herself forward as quickly as she could. She wanted to help her friends, but their enemy's defeat was far more important at the moment.
Tetra, meanwhile, had already risen to her feet and continually tried to stab her opponent. She managed to bury her dagger in its leg, but she could not pull it out again. While she was distracted, Odolwa knocked her over again, and planted a large foot on top of her. It seemed to relish the moments in which it placed pressure on its foot, crushing the young pirate. Tetra screamed.
"TETRA!" wailed Pike. She darted towards her fallen twin, but fell unconcious from a blow dealt to her head by the hilt of Odolwa's sword.
Link looked around at everything. He was the only hope now. Wincing from the pain of his heavily battered leg, he stood up, clutching the Master Sword, and forced himself into a run. Odolwa had not been expecting an attack from him seeing how long he had been down, so Link was able to attack the foe. Odolwa let out a shriek and stumbled backward, releasing an oxygen-deprived Tetra. Keeping up with his enemy's pace, Link repeatedly stabbed its legs (it was the only area he was tall enough to reach). However, there seemed to be little effect.
Link was confused. But suddenly, the voice of the Fairy Queen spoke in his ear...
"The Ocarina..." she whispered.
Link looked around to see if she was there, but she wasn't.
"Thank goodness, I hate that bitch," he murmured to himself.
The ocarina...the Ocarina of Time? How would that help? Link knew it was an instrument, so he figured that the Fairy Queen had meant for him to play it or something. Not knowing what else to do, Link dashed far away from Odolwa and pulled out the Ocarina of Time. He stopped running and put it to his lips, trying to think... But his mind whirled in horror as strange voices met his ears. Many spoke, and they all said different things...
"Heavy with the burden of the child she was carrying, she knew what she had to do --"
"He couldn't control what he wrote, and he wrote that which aids you --"
"She didn't know her child and that which she strived to create could end the --"
"They say Six Chosen Ones, but that is a lie --"
"The Seventh --"
"Time repeats itself. She buried the dagger in his side. The Light Princess...the Seventh..."
"The new Seventh shall make time repeat itself..."
Shocked and frightened by the voices that whirled through his head, Link felt not control over himself as he played a strange tune. His body shook violently. What were those voices? And it was almost as if the ocarina played itself... At last, the eerily mysterious yet beautiful song that flowed from his terrifying experience with the voices and ocarina ended.
Whatever the song was, it caused Odolwa quite a bit of grief, and ultimately defeated it. With the loudest, most terrifying wail anyone had ever heard, Odolwa glowed into a purple light.
Link watched for a moment, shaking. He hurriedly pocketed the ocarina, not wanting to play it again unless he absolutely had to... Quietly, Link vowed not to tell anyone about the frightening voices he heard when it reached his lips. Not yet, anyway...
Link looked at Tetra. It seemed she was dazed, and judging by the pain in her eyes, also broken-ribbed. But regardless, she sat up to watch Odolwa die. A voice behind him alerted Link to the fact that Pike was coming around.
"Odolwa's...dying..." she whispered, watching the scene in awe. "Now we can save Lazerus..."
But the sight that soon appeared before them filled the heroes' hearts with terror. Still illuminated in purple light, Odolwa began to shrink and change shape... And when the purple light went away, Link, Tetra, and Pike saw with horror that Lazerus now lay limp and unmoving before them, Odolwa's Mask still on her face.
"Oh, shit...! T-that WAS Lazerus!" screamed Tetra, scrambling forward to the still shape of the masked purple maiden. Pike followed as quickly as she could, and the stunned Link pursued while limping. What if he had killed his own aunt?
"Lazerus!" wailed Pike once she was beside the body. She abrubtly checked for breathing and signs of circulation.
"She's alive..." the Oceanan princess breathed, wiping some blood that dripped down on her forhead from her head wound. Link and Tetra sighed with relief.
Link tried to pull the mask from Lazerus' face -- but it stuck fast.
"The mask...it won't come off!"
"Try again!" hissed Pike. She and Tetra pushed the unconcious Lazerus into a sitting position, and Link tried again. It still wouldn't come off.
"Let me try... Here...you help Tetra hold her up," ordered Pike. Link obeyed, so Pike proceeded to try and remove the mask. Sadly, she couldn't either, but continued to try.
"Let me have a shot," said Tetra, wincing as she spoke from the pain in her ribs.
"Go ahead..." mumured Pike, taking her sister's place in holding up Lazerus.
First, Tetra tried to take off the mask the way Link and Pike had. But then she resorted to a stranger method... Closing her eyes, Tetra placed her hands gently on the mask. She let out a soft sighing noise, and her hands glowed with blue light. Amazingly, the mask dropped off, freeing Lazerus.
"Tetra, what the hell was that!" Link asked, surprised.
Tetra shrugged and blushed with pride.
"Just a little thing I've been practicing..."
"Wow...that was amazing! It must be because of your Triforce of Wisdom..." said Pike thoughtfully.
"Yeah, that's what I thought," Tetra agreed.
"Why didn't you do that earlier instead of having Pike and I try to yank it off her head?"
Tetra shrugged.
"Nobody asked me."
Link opened his mouth to say something, but stopped and turned to look at Lazerus when Pike whispered that she was waking up. Indeed she was. Lazerus opened her purple eyes slowly and moaned softly. She gazed blearily at Link, Tetra, and Pike.
"What have I been doing...?" she asked in a quiet, hoarse voice.
"Trying to kill us," stated Link. Tetra shot him a look, then turned back to Lazerus and held up the mask.
"This turned you into that Odolwa thing. It was stuck to your head, but I used my super awesome powers to take it off," Tetra bragged.
Lazerus moved the skirt of her gown away from her legs to reveal many wounds from all the stabbing. Tetra's dagger was still stuck in her leg.
"And did you also use your super awesome powers to put this dagger of yours into my leg?" inquired Lazerus, raising a brow. Pike winced at the sight.
"Oh...sorry..." Tetra grumbled sheepishly. She yanked the dagger from the purple maiden's leg, causing Lazerus to let out a cry of pain.
"Tetra! When someone gets stabbed, you don't just yank out the object!" scolded Pike.
"Well, I wanted my dagger back!" Tetra retorted defensively.
"Forget about it..." murmured Lazerus.
"I guess I should apologize for stabbing you too," said Link, looking at the wounds on his young aunt's legs.
"No one apologize," said Lazerus with a sigh. "I would have done the same thing, had I been in your place. You hadn't a clue that Odolwa was me. Actually, neither did I. Now let's get out of here, please. There are urgent matters which I must discuss with you."
"Can you walk?" Pike asked worriedly.
"I don't think so..." Lazerus admitted.
"Don't you have powers and stuff?" Link asked.
"The mask's wrath has temporarily weakened me... I can't do much yet."
Wincing from their own wounds, Link, Tetra, and Pike helped Lazerus up, and the battered looking group began to make their way out of the forest, carrying the mask with them.
After a long and painful journey, Link, Tetra, Pike, and Lazerus had finally left the Great Forest and had stopped at a nearby lake for some most needed rest.
"If we got beat up that bad on a battle so early on in our mission, then we're doomed when things get harder..." said Tetra, staring down at the glassy surface of the water miserably.
"You're all stronger than you think you are, you know," commented Lazerus softly. A confident spark in her purple eyes, she turned to Pike.
"Princess, I see you have obtained the Light Cutlass. Listen, all of you... All wielders of God Tools show great courage in some way. Not just anyone can obtain one of these sacred weapons."
"What makes Pike so great?" Link snorted. "Why do you think SHE'S the courageous one...? I'm the one with the Triforce of Courage, you know!"
"I never said I favored her courage over anyone else's," Lazerus said sternly, eyeing Link. He shrank back a little, then returned to looking at the water and thinking about the Ocarina of Time...
"I don't have courage to favor. Thinking back on it...I...I thought that I was strong. But I'm not... Back there, when I was getting crushed, Link had to save me. Back in Casterwaul, I had to be saved from Demise. Way back when I was fighting Vaati, I nearly got knocked off the edge of the arena and Bambi had to save me... Even further back, Link rescued me from the possessed Bambi and Dark Link. And then longer ago, I was captured by Ganondorf and had to be RESCUED..." Tetra spat bitterly, looking at the water with depressed and angry blue eyes. "I realize now that I've always been the damsel in distress... I've never saved anyone, and heck, I'm not even the one running around in a prissy dress!" The pirate princess pointed at her sister, who looked offended.
"Umm...I think you're strong, Tetra... Like by the way you punch me in the nose and stuff..." Link said meekly in a hesitant attempt at comfort.
Tetra looked at him weakly.
"No I'm not, Link... I have the broken ribs to prove it."
Pike frowned sympathetically.
"Sis..."
Lazerus put her hand on Tetra's shoulder. Tetra looked up at her.
"Listen...you've done more than you think you have. You would not be honored as a hero if you were weak. You have amazing powers, Tetra. That spell you did that took Odolwa's Mask from my face... That was powerful magic, and I'm sure you can do even better things. You have a righteous mind."
"That spell... Tetra! Can you heal us too?" Pike asked, her eyes lighting up with wonder. Tetra blinked.
"I...I don't know," she admitted.
"Give it a try," said Lazerus encouragingly.
Hesitantly, Tetra placed her hands on the purple maiden's wounded legs. She closed her eyes, focused, and let out a noise that sounded as if she were doing meditative breathing. The wounds slowly began to disappear until they were nothing but deep scratches.
"That was an amazing start..." Lazerus said with admiration.
Tetra blushed.
"Really?"
"Fucking sweet," said Link. Pike smiled proudly.
"Well...I'm glad I can help that way, but I don't want to be some dumb healer," Tetra declared, her brow furrowing.
"And you won't be," Lazerus assured her. "I think your biggest problem is that you don't have a good enough weapon. But that will change when you recieve one of the Six Tools of the Gods."
"I hope," said Tetra.
Lazerus looked at Tetra and her sister.
"Your father would be proud. If your mother was still alive, I'm sure she would be too."
"But Lazerus...you didn't know our mother...did you?" asked Pike, confused.
Lazerus shook her head.
"Not personally, no. I was pretty much a toddler when she came here. My sisters remember though. I remember SOME of when she was here..." Lazerus looked at Link. "It makes me think of the last time I saw yours and Bambi's mothers...my sisters... I was so young, I don't remember as much as Artet, Lunatet, and Fiza do, but the few memories I have of them are wonderful. Astasia and Brigette were great people. When I got older, I talked to them through telepathy even though they were far away in lands outside Oceana."
Link sat in thoughtful silence. He remembered his parents... They had died when he was about seven.
"Why did my mom leave here?" he asked, half to himself, half to the others.
"Astasia and Brigette were bored by the life they lead here in Oceana. When Tetra and Pike's mother Sylvia came with her crew, which included Bambi's father, my sisters saw it as an opportunity to escape to adventure. But sadly, the lives of everyone involved in the incident went downhill after that..." replied Lazerus.
"Was it 'cause we were born?" Link asked, glaring at Lazerus.
"No, your parents loved you all very much..."
"I wish that were true..." grumbled Tetra, her thoughts wandering to Arnav.
Lazerus looked hesitant about something for a moment. Then she turned to Link, Pike, and Tetra.
"Those days when the pirates came here to Oceana...I can show you, if you want..." she said. Those words seized the attention of the three young heroes.
"How?" Link asked.
The hesitant look remained on the purple maiden's face.
"The entire event has been recorded in the powers of my fellow maidens and I...sort of like a picture memory, you might say. I can show it to you, but you might not like all that you see..."
"Please...show us..." Pike begged quietly. A hunger to know what happened drove her desires, as it did with Link and Tetra.
With a heavy sigh as though she were releasing a deadly secret, Lazerus waved her hands and a small cloud appeared, in which images began to appear...
The vast ocean stretched out for miles, no islands to break its void as far as the eye could see. The sky was a dark blue, a blue so fierce that strange weather was a promise. The dark water foamed and churned, and bobbing helplessly along on top of it was a pirate ship.
A young woman who looked to be in her 20's stood at the bow of the ship, looking out at the waves. She was quite pretty with fair skin, bright blue eyes, and long dark brown hair that was pinned up in a swirled bun atop her head.
"Oy! Sylvia! Got those pretty baby blue eyes of yours stuck on those neverending waters again, do you?" called a good natured voice from behind the woman. A small smile formed on her lips and she turned around to face the speaker. He was a young man about her age; tall, slim, and handsome. He had tanned skin, gray eyes, and messy blonde hair, and wore a ragged white shirt and khaki pirate's pants.
"Flirting with your captain again, are you, Bo?" Sylvia asked teasingly. Bo grinned and raised a brow.
"Well, of course, because you're the only one who I don't have to pay to have sex with me. Seriously." He strode over to the pirate captain and wrapped his arms around her waist. They kissed.
Bo looked out at the ocean, and all traces of his playfulness disappeared.
"Sylvia...if you won't admit it to the rest of the crew, admit it to me -- we're lost, aren't we?"
Sylvia sighed heavily.
"I don't know anymore... But something about this direction just feels right to me." She looked up at Bo with fiery eyes.
"But don't blame me and say that I got us lost!"
Bo winced at her words.
"Well...I wasn't thinking of it in...erm...the EXACT same words..."
Sylvia turned away from him and rolled her eyes.
"You're my true love and my best mate, Bo. Please...just trust me, ok?"
"Fine..." sighed Bo.
Sylvia looked up at the sky and narrowed her eyes.
"I can feel it in the wind... Something is going to happen. Can you feel it too?"
Bo was silent for a moment. Then he nodded.
"I guess. I mean, I don't have your sixth sense, but the air does feel different."
There was a moment of silence.
"Well," Bo said finally, "Let's go into the captain's quarters and fuck, shall we?"
"Are you wearing a condom?" Sylvia asked, her eyes twinkling. Bo nodded.
"Put it on before I came out to see you, captain."
Taking Bo by the hand and smirking, Sylvia lead him to her room...
Night came soon. Of course, it came even sooner for Sylvia and Bo, as time flies when you're having fun (and I don't mean that innocently). After doing the wrong things for quite a few hours, Bo and Sylvia settled down to some wine. However, their private party was interrupted by a rap on the door.
Sylvia rolled her eyes and groaned, setting down her glass of wine.
"Who is it and what do you want?" she snapped.
"Miss Sylvia, we see something on the horizon! It looks like some strange island..." called one of the male pirates through the door.
The news had caught the interest of both Sylvia and Bo.
"We'll be there in a moment," called Bo.
"Aye-aye..." mumbled the pirate through the door. Disgust dripped in his voice, as he had heard Bo in the room and figured what was going on.
The pirate captain and her first mate quickly got dressed.
"I have a weird feeling about this," said Sylvia.
"I kind of do too. But hey, this is exciting!" exclaimed Bo.
"I suppose..."
After dressing as quickly as possible, the two pirates rushed to the decks. The rest of the crew was gathered at the bow, whispering amongst eachother and pointing at a dark, looming shape on the horizon.
Sylvia pushed her way to the front of the group and snatched a telescope from one of the pirates. She stared through it while the rest of the crew waited eagerly for her opinion on what they hoped was some much anticipated land.
"I do believe it is land we are seeing," Sylvia announced after a moment. The pirates cheered.
"Are we going to head for it?" a pirate asked. Sylvia nodded, and more cheers rose.
The ship sailed on for a few more hours, its crew excited over its destination. When they were nearly there, Bo took another look at the land through the telescope, Sylvia at his side.
"Sylvia...this looks like a gate...or...an archway or something..." Bo observed. Sylvia took the telescope from him and looked through herself. Indeed, there did seem to be a large archway with a land beyond looming before them.
"You're right, Bo... We're just about there. In another hour, I think we should be able to drop the anchor."
In another hour, they did just that. The crew split into groups and got into rowboats, the boat of Sylvia and Bo at the head of the group.
All the rowing was tiring, but the pirates were egged on by their curiousity and intense desire for dry land. The fact that what they had seen appeared to be an archway was odd enough, but the sight became even more peculiar the closer they got. It was a vast golden archway, and beyond it lay a beautiful, heavenly land with white streets, fountains, white buildings, and most wonderful of all: gold.
"This place will have good pickings, won't it?" whispered Bo. Sylvia nodded greedily.
The pirate captain let out a cheer as her boat reached the shore. She and her first mate climbed out, and the rest of the crew was not far behind in parking their boats and following them out.
"Step lightly! There is always the slight chance that the residents of this place are hostile! Remember that!" she told her crew.
"Well, that may prove to be true..." Bo whispered nervously to Sylvia.
"Huh?"
Her heart sinking, Sylvia looked around as the people of the grand city left their homes curiously. A well-armed looking army was storming towards them.
"Intruders!" called the leader of the army. "Put your hands in the air!"
Not knowing what else to do, the pirates obeyed. In dismay, the pirates let themselves be roughly escorted to a gleaming palace that lay in the heart of the city.
"A band of outsiders, Your Highness..." said the army general as he and his men shoved the confused pirates down on the floor of the castle's throne room and pointed their swords at them.
The army of the mysterious land had lead the pirates to the city's castle to be taken to what the pirates assumed was the king.
The king was a large, chubby man with kind brown eyes, slightly tanned skin, and long, graying dirty blonde hair. Beside him sat the prince -- a young man who was Bo and Sylvia's age with his father's darker skin. He had blue eyes, and curly blonde hair. However, he did not share his father's warm eyes. The prince looked at the pirates mistrustingly.
Looking at the confused pirates, the king's gaze hardened slightly, though he looked confused himself. The prince just glared.
"Intruders, who are you to come to this land?" asked the king.
"Well, it was her fault, really," said a pirate, pointing at Sylvia. Infuriated, Sylvia turned to glare at said pirate, but stopped and flinched when she saw that all eyes were on her, expecting the pirate captain to explain herself. However, before she could, Bo spoke.
"Have pity on her, Your Highness! We stumbled upon this place by accident. You see, Sylvia here, who is our leader, has a few...erm...problems."
Sylvia shot Bo a confused look. The king looked suspicious, but the prince more so.
"Problems, you say?"
Bo nodded.
"Yes, Your Highness. She is a bit on the mentally retarded side. There were parasites eating away at her brain while she was in her mother's womb, you see."
The people of the land whispered amongst themselves about Bo's story while the rest of the pirates turned to the first mate, more confused than ever.
"Bo, what the fuck do you think you're doing?" hissed Sylvia.
"If they feel sorry for you and the rest of us, then maybe they won't kill us!" Bo replied.
"You don't need to make me out to be a mental invalid, dumbass!"
"Yeah, well, it'll earn us more sympathy..."
The king and his men finished their discussion and looked back at Bo.
"Continue your story, outsider," said the prince coldly.
"Yeah, so there were parasites eating at her brain, right? And when she was born, she almost died because the doctors thought that the remnants of her brain might fall out her ears. But they managed to staple the brain pieces together, allowing her just enough functionality to breathe, walk, swallow, and shout senseless orders. She has made great strides for someone whose brain was eaten away at by parasites. She has amazed many a doctor. So please...don't kill her because she's, as you might say, 'stupid'. And don't kill the rest of us because she needs us to help her with her poor, miserable, mentally retarded life..." Bo finished dramatically.
Looking around at the faces of the strange race of people, Sylvia saw with surprise that they had taken her lover's lie to heart judging by their sympathetic expressions.
"That is such a sad story. This mentally retarded girl is so courageous..." sniffed the king. "Tell me, what are your names, outsiders?"
"I'm Bo. Our retarded leader is Sylvia." Bo proceeded to name the rest of the pirates.
"It is an honor to meet such fascinating foreigners. I am King Vasska, ruler of this land Oceana. And this is my son, Prince Arnav." Vasska gestured to the handsome prince, who merely gave them a stiff nod. He had been the only Oceanan in the room that showed no sympathy for Bo's brain story.
Vasska turned his kind eyes to Sylvia.
"You poor, poor mental invalid... It is amazing how you survived. I do hear that brain stapling is a risky proccess, and you are lucky to have lived through the procedure. We shall hold a banquet in your honor. Now all of you, rise."
Hastily, the pirates got to their feet.
"Brigette! Astasia! Did you hear this amazing story?" King Vasska called to the curtain behind the throne. Two young women bustled out from them. The pirates were surprised by their odd appearances.
The first one wore an ornate dress as yellow as the sun itself. Her long, curly hair was nearly the same color, as were her eyes. She had fair skin, and was quite beautiful.
The other woman was also beautiful. Her skin was much darker than the other's. She had long, straight, shimmering white hair, the same white as the moon. Like the other woman, her eyes, dress, and hair were all the same color.
The two women bowed to the king.
"Yes, sir," they said in unison.
The yellow girl looked at the pirates with admiration in her eyes.
"It was very inspiring," she said.
"Yes, I agree, Brigette," commented the king. He looked at the white girl.
"Astasia, any thoughts?"
"Same as my sister. Quite a phenomenal story."
"Good. I value your opinions, ladies. If you don't mind, please escort these people to some of our guest rooms." Vasska turned to his army.
"You lot alert the townspeople of this arrival and of the banquet," the king ordered. Everyone set out to do their tasks.
"Right this way!" called Brigette to the pirates.
Sylvia hesitated. Then her eyes fell upon Prince Arnav. His blue eyes were burning into hers with the cold, cruel light of disgust and mistrust...
Bo pushed his way through the crowded banquet hall. It seemed that everyone in Oceana was attending the party, and the place was packed. Many of the residents were interested in the pirates, and many times Bo had been forced to retell his false "Sylvia's Retarded" story. He was looking for her now, actually.
At last, he came across her leaning against a wall, her face heavily flushed, a glass of wine held weakly in her hand. He excitedly ran up to her.
"Sylvia, there you are! I've been looking all over for you! This place is packed!" exclaimed Bo.
Sylvia looked at him blearily through bloodshot eyes.
"Hic...oh...i's Bo..." she slurred.
Bo looked her over, his brow furrowed.
"Oh, you're wasted, aren't you?" he asked.
"I AIN'T...HIC...DRUNK..." bellowed Sylvia, dropping the glass of wine on the ground. It shattered and broke.
Bo put his arm around Sylvia and tried to guide her away from the party.
"Sylvia, you really are quite wasted, I think you should sleep this off..."
"DON' TOUCH...HIC...ME..."
Suddenly, Bo felt a hand grasping his arm.
"You! Please, come with me. My brothers and I would like to hear Sylvia's story again!" said the man that held him. His eyes travelled to the drunken Sylvia.
"I can see what you mean by mentally retarded. Poor dear."
"Umm, I really have to see to her..." said Bo.
"No, I insist! You must tell the story again!"
Bo watched helplessly as he was pulled further away from Sylvia until she was out of sight, lost amonst the huge crowd of people...
The cloud containing the images disappeared. Lazerus let out a gasping breath and swayed a little, wincing.
"Lazerus! Are you ok?" exclaimed Pike, putting a hand on her friend's shoulder.
Lazerus smiled weakly.
"I'm not in the best of shape right now... The mask was traumatic physically, and it will take me a little time to recover. Right now, my powers are limited."
"It was getting good!" Link whined.
"Mom..." Tetra whispered to herself, her eyes clouding over. The sight of her beloved mother had brought back many memories.
"Who was Bo?" Pike asked.
"Bo...is Bambi's father..." replied Lazerus.
"Huh?" said Link.
"That will be explained later. Get one of the other maidens to finish the story for you when you save them... There is much more to it."
Suddenly, Lazerus' expression turned dark.
"Be warned...the easiest part of your mission is over. From this point on, things will go very much downhill before the world can be saved. The important part is to stick together and follow The Prophecy... And Link, I heard your Ocarina of Time song briefly... Keep it with you. It will aid you further." Link gulped nervously thinking about the ocarina...
Lazerus continued, "A fated battle lies in the future... This is a battle we cannot fight alone. I have some strength left, and using it I will gather the first of the recruits."
"Recruits?" Tetra repeated, confused.
Lazerus nodded.
"We will need the help of certain persons from beyond Oceana, people from where you live. We shall form an alliance of these people, all of which come from your home: the Great Sea."
"Oh, crap...we know these people, don't we?" Link moaned. He knew many people, and none of which he was particularly fond of being an allie to. People like Komali...Daphness...Saria...Medli...and Makar, to name a few.
Lazerus smirked as though she read his mind.
"I think you might," she said. But then her face turned serious once more.
"Head east from here. Your real trials shall begin... Find the other five God Tools, the other three Masks of Termina, the Second Prophecy, and the other maidens... Keep an eye out for Aryll and Bambi. If you find them, please bring them to the Four Sword Shrine... They need to know their destiny. And both girls are still alive, mind you."
Lazerus eyed Link.
"Speaking of the Four Sword Shrine, nephew...there will be a time when you will need to pull that sword and accept your own destiny."
Lazerus slowly got to her feet. Her struggle to do so put worry in Pike's eyes.
"I must go...we will meet again soon..." said Lazerus, wincing.
"Are you fit to travel?" Pike asked, frowning.
"I am recovering quickly, thanks to Tetra and her gift... I still have a ways to go before I am fully healed, but I do have enough magic in me right now to get to where I'm going. Now all of you...stick together, and remember everything I told you today. I will be back with our 'army' a good while from now, but rest assured, we will come to your aid in the future. Farewell." And with those words, Lazerus disappeared.
Pike rose quickly, but let out a soft groan and touched her wounded head.
"I know we have to go east, but let me try exercising this healing power of mine before we do..." said Tetra, and that she did. Link and Pike were healed significantly, and Tetra did the same for herself.
The group returned to where they tied their horses, each one silent and in their own thoughts. Link thought about the mysterious Ocarina of Time and his odd experience with it... Pike thought of the story that Lazerus had shown them about their parents and wondered how it would end... Tetra, meanwhile, thought about the future and the day she would no longer be the damsel in distress.
That day would be a lot sooner than she thought...
Link, Pike, and Tetra rode into a town east of the Great Forest. Pike said that is was known as Ipoli. It seemed untouched by Majora's wrath, as the streets were bustling with happy people like in a normal town.
Link bumped around on Tetra's horse, clinging to her waist.
"Tetra, this horse is too bumpy! I want my own horse!" he whined.
"What? Link, the horse is perfectly smoothe," replied Tetra.
"No, I don't mean that the horse has a bumpy texture, I mean that it bumps around too much! You know! Like bouncy, bumpy, bouncy boun --"
"Ok, I get it!"
"Stop fighting..." sighed Pike.
"Hey..." whispered a voice next to them. The trio turned to see a shady old peddler holding a sleek black horse by its halter. Link, Tetra, and Pike stopped and looked at him.
"What do you want, you stupid beggar?" Tetra asked rudely.
"I couldn't help but hear you were looking for a horse..." said the peddler.
"Yes, and that means you were eavesdropping," replied Pike, looking at the peddler suspiciously.
The peddler bowed quickly.
"Oh! Princess! I didn't realize that was you. I don't mean to be rude, but your two friends here were discussing the matter of horses rather loudly, and I couldn't help but overhear..." The old man looked at Link and Tetra. "My apologies, young sir and mistress..."
"Cut the crap, what do you want?" Tetra asked as she and Link eyed the man's horse.
"I have this horse. I'm moving, you see, and I cannot keep it..." The peddler's eyes glinted with a strange yet incredibly subtle light.
"This young boy can have it," he said, looking at Link. "It's a fine horse...well trained. I cherished him, but I think he deserves better than what I can give him..." The poorman smiled, and his eyes glinted again.
"How much?" Link asked. Tetra and Pike exchanged glances.
"For free! I just want to see him go to a good home. You seem like such a nice young boy..."
"Well, that's pretty much good enough for me," said Link with a shrug. He slid off Tetra's horse and grabbed a hold of the black horse's halter. He met the steed's gaze for a minute and shuddered... There was something "off" about the horse, if you will...
"I hope you don't mind riding bareback," said the man.
"Who cares, as long as I got my own horse!" Link cheered, trying to pull himself on it.
"This horse is slippery... Do you oil it?"
Tetra rolled her eyes. The peddler helped Link up.
"I assure you, I do not believe in oiling horses. It's bad for the enviorment. Anyway, take good care of him... He's such a nice horse..." The peddler smirked, waved good-bye, and walked off.
"That was weird..." commented Pike as she urged her horse forward. Tetra followed.
"I'll say. Be careful about that horse, Link. Maybe it self-destructs or something," she called over her shoulder. Link rode up next to her.
"This horse IS really well-tamed... Not to mention it's a lot less bumpy than your horse. And a lot less fat. And better looking," he commented.
Maybe the horse was all those things. But maybe...there was more to it than the eye could see.
Lazerus' words would soon be proved correct: their journey was just beginning, and things would all go downhill from that point on...