Opia: I'm happy that I actually want to type this week... lots of updates for those people who actually like my stuff!
Cari: Yep.
Opia: -smiles widely-
Cari: Opia owns nothing, except Ranik, Marinal... and other random characters she actually made up on her own.
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The Legend of Zelda: The Orb of Bannon……Ch. 3"WHAT??!!" Adlez blew up. "You brought this little girl to stay with us??!!"
The boy slightly cowered under her wrath. "It was her idea…."
"I don't care!!" Adlez screamed. "What do you think people might have thought if they had seen you?!"
"Why would that be a problem?"
"What they saw was a scruffy, dirty teen taking a sweet innocent girl into a dark alley!"
This drew a blank stare. "I still don't see the problem…."
Adlez grabbed the boy's shoulders and shook him. "People might think you were abducting her!!!"
He backed away, shocked. "Abducting?! I'm not like that!"
"I know that! But they don't!"
Saria, who had been standing next to the arguing pair the whole time, had finally had enough. "Shut the hell up both of you!"
The duo froze and stared at the annoyed girl. "W-what?" They stammered in unison.
Her eyes were narrow. "Stop bickering. I came here on important business and I intend to deal with it right now." Any shred of childishness was now gone from Saria's voice. "Both of you, sit. I have a tale to tell."
They nodded and sat down, Aldez on the overstuffed chair, the boy on his stool. Saria walked up to the old counter and jumped up, swinging herself around so she was sitting with her legs dangling off the edge. Clearing her voice, she began her story. "I am Saria, Sage of the Forest and last of the Kokiri–"
"Kokiri?" Adlez interrupted. "But they died out hundreds of years ago when the forests were cut down."
Saria held up her necklace. "This medallion has kept me alive all these years without the magic of the forest…."
"Magic?" The boy scoffed. "There's no such thing as magic!"
"It may not be as common in this modern world, but it still exists. Now, may I continue?"
The two teens nodded.
"Thank you… As I was saying, I am the last Kokiri. My quest has lasted for hundreds of years."
"What quest?" The boy asked.
"To find the hero that will drive away the darkness Marinal has set loose upon this world." Adlez opened her mouth to speak, but Saria interrupted her. "No more questions until I'm done… This tale really begins thousands of years ago, when the first hero saved the first princess from the clutches of the evil beast Ganon. This was way before I came into the picture… But that epic battle started a long line of heroes: the hero who mastered the Windwaker, the hero that went from a simple farm boy to the hero who saved both the Oracle of Seasons and the Oracle of Ages, the hero who in legends is called the Hero of Time, and many, many others. All the heroes had something in common, their appearance, the sacred symbol, and their name. Now… For every hero there was a princess. They were all similar as well. I–"
The boy interrupted again. "Okay, okay… um… sooooooo what exactly does this have to do with anything now?"
Saria glared at him. "I'm getting to it! Now… I have only had personal experience with one of those heroes, the hero of time. He was my good friend and I vowed I'd do everything in my power to help his predecessors."
"Um…" Adlez cut in, "I'm sorry for interrupting once more, but… If I remember my history textbook… the 'Hero of Time' legend was based around a time almost 2000 years ago… How could you…."
"Still be alive?" Saria offered. " You know how Kokiri never grow old, right?" The duo nodded, "Well, it turns out we never die either. Not by natural causes at least. If we lose the forest's magic we die and if we get mortally wounded we can die, but other than that we will live forever." She returned to her story. "800 years ago the hero of that time was killed and Marinal's reign began. In those 800 years this land has sunk deeper and deeper into darkness. I have watched as my friends died right in front of me. I am the last sage alive to resist the evil. Everything seemed bleak… Then one day… the spirits of the ancient forest came to me and foretold the coming of another hero, Hyrule's last hope. I knew I had to find him before Marinal realized the threat to her rule. My quest has led me to this city, and my quest will finally end here…" The Kokiri grew quiet and watched the two teens for their reactions.
"And?" The boy asked.
Adlez smacked him. "You idiot!" She turned to the sage. "You said these people have similarities… what were they?"
Saria jumped off the counter. "For starters, both the hero and the princess had Hylian ears… Secondly, they were both blonde and had blue eyes. The hero had the sacred symbol, the triforce, on his left hand, the princess had it on her right." The girl was pacing while she said it.
Adlez got up, "Oh! I can't believe how rude I've been!" She ran out of the room with both Saria and the boy looking after her, confused. The teen came back with three bottles of Lon Lon Milk and handed them out. "I can't have a guest over without offering refreshments."
Saria looked at the milk in her hands, then at Adlez. She burst up laughing. "S-s-still a p-princess at heart!"
Adlez looked at the laughing girl strangely. "What?"
The sage calmed herself down and continued. "The strangest similarity between all the heroes and princesses was that they always had the same name!" She looked at Adlez meaningfully. "The princess who aided the hero was always named 'Zelda.'"
"Zelda? Zelda… Zel–" Adlez dropped her cup, it shattered when it hit the floor. "Adlez… Zelda! That's my name spelt backwards!"
Saria smiled. "Yes… you have the blood of the royal family of Hyrule running through your veins." She turned to the boy still perched on his stool. "Give me your left hand…" He reached out for her to take a hold of it. "I should have died today. The magic in my medallion had run out. There is only one object that could restore its energy, that is the triforce. Those who bear the symbol can control and use the power of the triforce." Saria placed her hands over and under his. Light shone through her fingertips as the boy's hand began to glow. She removed her hands to reveal the glowing, golden triangles etched into the back of his hand. "I knew from the moment I saw you that I had found the new hero. You say you have no name… Well I will give it to you. You are Link, the one destined to drive away the curse that was placed on this land."
"Link…" He said to himself. "Link… Link." And to his surprise…
It felt right.
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"Show me… The first Link!"
Dark Link sighed. "As you wish…" His features changed into a young Hylian boy with moderately long hair. He was wearing a long tunic with no sleeves and a long sleeve shirt underneath it.
Ranik grinned thoughtfully. "The Link who saved the Oracles."
The shadows formed into another young boy, this time with long hair.
"The Hero of Time." The shadow complied. "The one who mastered the Windwaker." He turned into a boy with short hair and very large eyes. Ranik smirked. "The current one."
Without thinking, Dark Link turned into the requested Link. His red eyes widened as he realized what he had done and he quickly turned into a mass of shadow.
Ranik laughed and turned away. "That's what I thought… But…" He strode out of the room.
Dark turned back into Link and fell to his knees. "No… no… Damn it!" He slammed his fists into the metal floor. A glimmer of light caught his eye. Right in front of him, just within reach, was a key. Quickly snatching it, Dark Link stood up. "Is this?" He tried it in the lock of his cage. The latch clicked open. Opening it, he cautiously stepped out and scanned the room for traps. "Ranik… did he…?" Dark shook his head. "Never-mind, I'll figure it out later." Dissolving into a mass of shadows, he slipped into a nearby air-duct and made his way to freedom.
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Marinal turned from her open window as Ranik stepped in. He bowed. "Marinal, the shadow has escaped."
"What?!" Marinal's eyes narrowed in anger. "How?"
"I do not know for sure, I came down to check on him and his cage was wide open. But I suspect he picked the lock with this." Ranik held up a bent piece of metal.
Marinal took it. "Hmmm… I knew I should have magically reinforced that lock… Oh well…" She touched a button on her desk and an electronic map flickered to life on the screen above. A red dot moved across the map. "He won't get far."
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Opia: Uh, oh! Dark screwed up! Next up.... stuff happens!
Cari: I'm sure they know that....
Opia: You think so?
Cari: Yes. Please R&R!