Chapter 34: Blue Sleet; Pileup on the Tracks

Tableaux in the Snow Arc

Disclaimer: I don't own The Legend of Zelda, this is just a Fanfiction.

Featured Music: "Ranked Amongst the World's Best"The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass OST. Chapter Briefing.

"Refreshing Morning" - The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel OST. Scene 1 (First Half).

"Soundtrack 1" - Dragonball GT OST. Scene 1 (Second Half).

"Soundtrack 62" - Dragonball GT OST. Scene 2 (First Half).

"Underground Activities" - Final Fantasy X OST. Scene 2 (Second Half).

"Swept Away" - Dynasty Warriors V OST. Scene 3 (First & Second Halves).


In only one single day the young Hero of Time himself has somehow managed to amass something of a fan club; having qualified not just for each top eight pools in the Hylian Hyrax, Palashian Premier but the Kaioh Bio, numerous girls and all around his age take an immediate liking to him due to his name reaching far out into the continent of Aurelia.

Just as he had originally intended when first setting out from his homeland of Kokiri Forest and Hyrule.

During his fiery grand finals clash with fellow finalist Ragnar Romanov however, once again the young Hylian's life is put into jeopardy when the legendary Draerithian martial artist pushes him to breaking point; a fight that nearly ends not only in Link's life having been forfeit, but the unwitting Ragnar himself at that too. When Kage Narumono wakes from his demonic slumber as his Hylian host begins to fall to death's clutches, so too does Ragnar begin to err toward the horrifying edge of death in his incredible fight with the shadowed being.

While Kage manages to beat down Ragnar fairly convincingly, and even pierces his torso with the 'Messatsu Goshoryu' technique to do it with, the savvy martial artist manages to turn the tide and flow of the battle completely with a simple technique of his own; a mere concentration of Aegir in his fingertips that he places on Kage's forehead. As it connects, Kage once again falls dormant against his will, returning to the cage of his prison-like mind within the consciousness he shares with Link. Even as Ragnar lays on the ground, a death-defying wound on him, he still manages to stand and is crowned Kaiohdrahl champion.

Following a simple night's celebration, much like in Palashia, Link spends the night rather unwillingly with the unusually vulnerable Vassia; something he has to admit is alien-like and bizarre to his oceanic-eyed gaze. While he simply does not feel the same way Vassia does about him, he cannot bring himself to leave her after finding her in such a state and opts to stay with her in order to ease her emotional burden.

In some odd brand of humour, Link can't help but build his anxieties in the inevitable teasing he will receive in the morning.

With all that said however, the group's next focus is at last the Prima World Tour's next destination and the far-off northern lands of Aurelia; Stralanavia. Said to be the birthplace of Velkarez and his tyrannical Templars of the Weeping Stars and many other powerful fighters, Stralanavia is a land of harsh bright-white cold that few manage to adapt and survive in; one well-suited to the similarly bitter and severe strict regimens of training most of the PWT finalists go through. Having already successfully qualified for three grand finals of each national championship he has taken part in, he hopes once more not just to qualify for the next...

But to win.


Scene 1

Link's eyes twitched drearily in the deep sleep he had fallen under, beginning to grow restless from an ironic state of sleep. They twitched again when he felt the strands of his dark-blonde hair being pawed with and, very soon, his consciousness fell back into a state of waking; he groaned and opened up his sleep-filled eyes only to discover the smirking form of Vassia hanging over him, her thin fingers fondling at his fringe.

"Bonjour...," she began in her superior seeming smirk, ringing one of his unruly strands 'round her index finger. "Mon amour." She added again in Palashian, her smirk widening a little as his tired frown deepened into an annoyed one.

"Mm... mornin'...," he muttered back up at her, unwilling to move from his weary face-up position. "Did I stay here all night?" He asked her for clarification this time, his oceanic eyes narrowing back at her in light suspicion. She rolled her eyes very briefly to the ceiling, as if she were thinking of an amusing anecdote.

"Perhaps...," she responded, casual as ever. "Does that shock you chéri?"

"A little...," he merely shot back with, watching her carefully from his position under her before soon turning softer as he faced the ceiling above them. "I was supposed to go to my own room last night."

Vassia's initial smirk soon dropped, this time in favour of what seemed to be a disappointed frown. "Really...?"

Link's own half-annoyed frown fell as he swung his eyes back 'round, only to find her seemingly iron-clad confidence collapsed fairly quickly, leaving only what seemed to be some form of anguish. Regret and contrition didn't take long to wash over his own face, finding himself holding back a wince as it did.

"Well... thank you for staying with me last night anyway...," she murmured out, eyes wandering from his as they turned to rest on the bed surrounding the pair. Link's frown grew softer and weaker, his heart sinking as she spoke so sadly and sorrowfully, almost as if she were mourning something. "I... didn't want to be alone."

"N-No I'm-"

He stopped himself mid-sentence and widened his eyes, now fully awake when a memory from the night previous very suddenly and abruptly flew across his consciousness.

I've seen her do this before, he thought, cerulean eyes darting back to her face; she raced her own eyes subtly to frown back into his, almost as if she were waiting and expecting for an apology.

She's at it, he thought, annoyed as his eyes slowly narrowed back into hers.

"I'm...," he began again, sighing through his nose as his frown deepened, rolling his eyes in defeat. "Glad I spent the night with you." He finished, turning his eyes from hers in a visibly annoyed frown, drawing out another listening smirk from the Palashian princess.

"Good boy!" Vassia praised down at him, ruffling up his already messy curtained head of hair. "Now if I can just get you trained in every other sense..." She started once more, her victorious smirk growing as she ran her index finger 'round the strands of his fringe. He lay there unmoving, resisting internally from moving so as not to upset her.

It's just a phase, he thought to himself, attempting to reason with his anxieties.

Just like with Ruto.

It's just a phase, that's all...


"Morning fairy boy."

"Mm."

Link's irritated grunt carried him on even in the early hours of the Kaiohdrahl morning, his mood having been dampened on since waking in Vassia's room. While he slept in the same ridiculously excessive prince-like costume the girls made him wear for the party the night previously, he changed back into his trusty old Kokiri tunic and boots following a much needed wash; something at least that did a little to help his manipulated mood.

Malon rose up a curious fire-haired eyebrow back at him from across the table that he joined at, noticing he picked the seat directly next to Impa; an odd choice, she thought, given his humorous fear of her. She grew a small smile across her face as she placed her calloused palms to rest under her chin, leaning herself forward on the table as she did.

"So how did you sleep last night?" She asked him casually enough, drawing out a curious turn of his annoyed gaze as he briefly eyed her in his ritual of pulling forward toast to butter. "Was Vassia gentle?"

The smiling Zelda sitting next to the farm girl lowered her own gaze, hand softly pressed to her mouth as if to contain her giggles, a look of amusement written across her sea-coloured eyes. Impa rose up a curious silver-shaded eyebrow and directed it down at the annoyed-looking Link and, thankfully with no water or milk taken in his mouth, the blonde youth managed to avoid spitting it back out in shock, sheerly at the farm girl's audacity.

"She was fine," Link shot back scathingly, eyes narrowing in the inflection of his injured sentence, turning his vision back down to face the toast he began to butter below him. "She just... needed someone nearby, that's all."

"For what, mon amour?"

He stopped mid-spreading butter and the tips of his small Hylian ears turned red when he felt a thin finger softly graze at his right cheek to accompany its voice.

He didn't even have to turn his wide-eyed head 'round to realise who it was.

"U-Um...," he began warily, at last swivelling his head up to eye her curiously, deathly aware of all his companions watching him with what seemed to be a deep sense of amusement. Vassia stared back down at him in his seat with a wide smirk plastered across her face, a kind of infuriating look that normally would have annoyed him were he not so consciously aware of all his companions' glares on his back. "F-For nothin'..." He mumbled back timidly, turning his blonde head from hers, his frown taking on an embarrassed zig-zag-like take to it.

Zelda smiled on entertained as Malon, Barkner, Shanaari and even the surrounding rest of the adults all watched from their seats, similarly amused. It didn't take long for the watching Vassia to furrow her brow thoughtfully down at him before she pulled her frontal lips into her mouth, her smirk widening as if she were thinking something devious. The Palashian princess leaned down to take the seat on the blonde boy's right, scooting it closer so she sat within convenient distance. Link, having turned his head down to focus on the toast below him, double-took in Vassia's direction in a suspicious-eyed glare.

It wasn't much of a look he gave her, but it was enough to let her know that enough was enough. Regardless however she did not take the warning.

"Good morning folks!"

The sound of the ever-smiling hosts to the huge castle they rested at last showed themselves; the warm-greeting king Alabaster and queen Ophelia of Kaiohdrahl themselves.

"How did you all sleep?" Ophelia spoke softly, hands joined at her centre in similar etiquette to the well-mannered Zelda.

"Fairly well, thank you both," Impa frowned their way as courteously yet business-like as ever, her armoured arms ever-folded. "It was very nice of you to put us all up like this."

"Nonsense!" Alabaster chuckled, stepping forward to take the first of the two seats at the end of the breakfast table, joined by his wife shortly and closely next to him. "We were more than grateful to accommodate Kaiohdrahl's saviours!"

"It was very nice meeting with Hyrule's and Palashia's royal family as well, of course." Ophelia smiled similarly in the direction of the respectful nodding Zelda and the half-surprised Vassia; the Palashian princess double-took similarly to the young and irritated Link on her left that she teased, turning her curled-haired head up with a start.

"I'm sorry?"

Barkner snorted out an inescapable laugh, amused by the brief diversion, joined as ever by the tittering Zelda and smirking Malon.

"I see you have your hands full young man!" The watching Alabaster shot over with a prop up of his eyebrow, his comment directed at the grunting Link; as the group turned to watch again they found him attempting, with great failure to his chagrin, to swat the young girl's incessant left hand grooming at his freshly-washed hair.

"Y'got no idea..." The blonde youth muttered back, an agitated tone to his tenor as he unsuccessfully tried to counter Vassia's quick advances with her fingers; she shot him with a low-held smirk as she held her chin within her free right palm, elbow resting on the breakfast table. The surrounding members of the group all laughed.

"Well... I have to say we were all impressed yesterday," Alabaster began again in reply, joining his right hand with the side of his left arm, folding his left at his right side as he smiled on. "Getting to grand finals is an achievement in itself... but to match Mr. Romanov's incredible prowess...," he began again, shaking his light-brown haired head. "No-one in the history of the man's tournament record has ever managed to do that before."

"Really?" The listening Alwyn questioned from Impa's left, quipping up an eyebrow as he did.

"Oh yes," Alabaster smiled the Zoran's way, nodding his head as he did. "Mr. Romanov is said to have been taught by-"

"The world's greatest martial arts mentor."

Shanaari's sudden interruption caused the listening king to blink her way on his further right. She smiled and shook her head at him, rising up an apologetic hand as she did.

"Sorry sire."

He shook his own head, chuckling well-naturedly.

"It was definitely one of the best fights I've ever seen," Barkner spoke up from the left side of the table, turning his grinning-faced head to eye the frowning Link on the other end. "I don't think I've ever seen it come so close."

"You're forgetting the grand finals of the Hylian Hyrax," the ever-grinning Malon pointed out, turning her head-held shoulders 'round as they rested on the table to face the Goron next to her. "I think that's easily the closest our boy's ever gotten to being champion of anything."

Slightly insulted by the entendre of her statement, Link could only make a face at her and swing it 'round to eye her. "Ya don't gotta say it like that."

As the rest of the room laughed in light amusement, the king turned his head 'round to cast his smile forward.

"So... what are your plans for the upcoming future?" Alabaster began in his light smile, joining his hands on the table ahead of him. "Will you all continue your dogged pursuit of the Prima World Tour's next destination... where is it again...?"

"Stralanavia." Alwyn spoke up simply from his side of the table, eyes briefly closed and head lowered as he folded his arms.

"What kind of place is that?" Malon blurted out carelessly across from the Zoran, fire-haired eyebrow risen up in curiosity.

"Supposed-ta be cold as hell," Barkner claimed, ever with a sociable grin on his face next to the blinking farm girl. "Those guys our boy Link kicked to the curb are from there, actually."

"That's correct," Ophelia smiled on in agreement with the Goron, nodding her hot-pink haired head in his direction. "The Templars of the Weeping Stars are all said to have hailed from Stralanavia."

"Guess we'll get a standin' ovation when we eventually get there, huh?" Barkner quipped up with another grin, casting a joking wink the blinking Link's way, drawing out a double-taking curious-eyed look from him in response.

"O-Oh," he murmured back, surprised, having been busy swatting away the smirking Vassia's fingers from his hair. "U-Uh, yeah I guess."

"'I guess'," Malon mocked him with a similarly smirking snort to her soprano. "Trying to play it cool? 'Cause it don't suit you."

His pride having been insulted by the young girl, Link found his own smirk soon returning to his expression as he turned it 'round to face her. "Suited me fine when your dad gifted me Epona with."

Malon's own small sneer very quickly vanished from her countenance, replaced by a surprised and disappointed frown. The surrounding members, particularly Barkner and Shanaari, erupted into laughs; the young Goron leant his head down to fire back an insult.

"BURN!"

While Impa and Alwyn, ever the polite ones chose not to laugh aloud, they could not help the amused smirks from dotting their faces drawing even the sitting Zelda, Alabaster and Ophelia from tittering away quietly to themselves. Malon, while slightly disappointed in the exchange, chose not to rise to it by merely rolling her eyes and turning away from it.

"So, chef sans peur...," Vassia spoke up from her seat next to the grinning Link, turning her raven-black eyes 'round to face the newly frowning Impa, her greeting seemingly directed at her. "How will we be approaching our destination this time?"

Link swung his half-curious look 'round to face the smiling Zelda and she mouthed the words that Vassia had spoken in Palashian for him.

'Fearless leader'.

He rolled his eyes, drawing out an amused chortle from her.

"Well...," the Sheikah began, swinging her frown 'round on the Palashian as she re-opened her mouth to elaborate. "We'll have to upgrade everyone's wardrobe; Stralanavia is treacherously cold."

"It's not that bad is it?" Malon spoke up curiously, eyebrow risen upward again.

"It's pretty bad," Alwyn agreed on for their leader, eyes briefly shut as he nodded in his own folded-armed frown. "Gets as low as minus ten degrees."

"Oh good lord." Malon commented on, widened eyes to display her genuine surprise.

"I guess we'll just have to keep each other warm... won't we mon amour?"

When he heard Vassia's irritating soprano, Link's face grimaced a little in his basic frown as he felt her play with his hair again. While it was annoying and grating fairly strongly on his nerves he opted to take his mentor's sage advice and ignore it, merely allowing her to act as she pleased. Even as the pushy Palashian princess pulled apart the hairband around his blonde-haired pony-tail, presumably to play around with his long straight hair, he kept his grumpy-eyed frown away from her in a desperate bid to keep so focused on his breakfast that she'd hopefully lose interest.

Unfortunately for him, however, it didn't look very good.

"After we get more suitable clothing for the weather we'll be travelling by train."

"Urgh, again?" Link moaned out from the side, almost as if he were waiting for some reason to draw his frustrations of his Palashian companion out on someone else. The purple-haired Palashian princess smirked over at him from his right side as she softly fingered the back-strands of his long hair. "We did that comin' here didn't we?"

"Yes but this time we'll only be able to get around a third of the way there I'm happy to inform you," Impa shot back, a light twinge of amusement to her contralto. "The train stops at Kievskie Station."

"God-damn!" The listening Barkner winced out from across the Sheikah. "That's at least ten miles! And in freezin' weather!"

"You'll be working those muscles then." Alwyn perked up from the Sheikah's side, drawing out a half-smirk from her in response and a listening chuckle from Kaiohdrahl's king and queen.

"Guess it could be worse," Link began in response, leaning his left cheek in his left elbowed palm resting on the table ahead of him as he reached down for his toast. "The Gorons at Weybour literally froze on the spot from how cold it was down there so I think we'll be okay."

Barkner widened his eyes in genuine horror, shock and disbelief at the young Hylian's words, pulling an amused titter from the watching Zelda and Shanaari.

"H-He's not serious is he...?" Barkner whispered out, horrified as he turned his head 'round to face the smiling Zelda sitting on Malon's immediate left. The amused Hylian princess could only widen her entertained smile, re-opening her mouth to respond but it was Link that answered for her.

"Oh yeah Bark," the youth began, turning his eye briefly from his idle task, a mischievous look in his otherwise limpid-gaze. "Those poor Gorons were dealin' with a snowstorm at the time down there in Termina," he explained briefly, drawing out a rolling-eyed frown from the listening Impa. "There were times I had to break the ice coverin' some of 'em; it was kinda sad to be hone-"

"Stop putting the fear of goddess in Barkner Link."

The listening young Hylian double-took in Impa's direction before rolling his oceanic eyes in disappointment, receiving appreciative and entertained laughs from most of the crowd. Barkner blinked back briefly before sighing out lightly, having realised the joke and laughed back nervously.

"Well... we'll all have to see you off at the city borders at the very least, when you're all done with your shopping for your trip to Stralanavia," the smiling Alabaster spoke up. "You have all been a blessing... not just for us... but for the people of our kingdom," he claimed genuinely, turning his smile on each watching member of the group. "We all owe you a great debt."

"Meh," Link rudely shot back with, sticking one of his pinky fingers into his small pointed ear, a kind of bored look in his cerulean eyes. "I've had worse battles; it ain't no biggie."

"Link!" Impa snapped out angrily, causing the youth to visibly wince from the acidic sound of her contralto.

"It's no problem, lady Impa." Ophelia smiled back, a patient shake of her head spicing her calming mezzo-soprano.

"Not to sound rude myself Link...," the low-smiling Zelda began up, drawing the surprised Hero of Time's curious stare her way. "But didn't you just barely manage to stop Velkarez when we arrived here?"

The blonde's previously overconfident frown very quickly zig-zagged into an anxious one, drawing out further laughs from the surrounding group.

I forgot she was watching the whole time, he thought. Mixing Sheik and Zelda up was an old thing that, somehow, still stayed with him all those years ago in his original era.

Funny that, he added on silently.

2

After the group managed to purchase all their gear required, some of the rupees used for it within the very prize money that Link himself had managed to amass himself, they all at long last headed for Kaiohdrahl's exit, being seen off by the ever-gracious king Alabaster and queen Ophelia themselves. It didn't take very long as well for a crowd to quickly gather around them, having recognised most of them from competing at the national championships; a group of excited spectators, young and old, that wished the adventuring group well in their next endeavour at Stralanavia.

With their provisions and equipment all secured for their next daring exploit, the group headed for Merrybrook Station and boarded the nine-thirty to Kievskie Station. While Link himself wasn't too thrilled at the prospect of travelling via train again, perhaps due to the idea of not being able to exercise and keep his strength up during the trip, the girls at least appeared fairly excited and enthusiastic about the upcoming journey.

With that said, he found himself between a rock and a hard place, almost quite literally. Having chosen to sit and view the beautiful surroundings as they passed them by aboard, both the pushy Vassia and firm-handled Malon managed to somehow ambush him when he opted to sit down by one of the many lavish seats overlooking a window. The two wily girls positioned themselves, perhaps out of all due fairness, to sit by on each side of him; a fairly funny kind of situation that left the deeply frowning-faced Link with a humorously limp look in his face and his eye, even as they gripped at both of his hands and thrust their free one toward the glass window on his right when pointing out the sights switching from beautiful green grass to breathtaking sheets of white snow.

At least we're well on our way to Stralanavia now, he thought in light irritation as he cast his humorously deadpan-like frown ahead of himself at the unoccupied seat before him.

I'd much rather be workin' on my form though.

"Gotta stay in shape for the 'Skirmish in Stralanavia' after all."

"I guess Impa wasn't wrong after all!"

Malon and Vassia stopped mid-speech, surprised as they swung their mildly-irritated frowns to their immediate left only to find the ever-grinning Barkner staring back at all three, his rocky-skinned right arm resting on his hip as he did. Standing next to the sociable Goron was the contrastingly aloof Alwyn, his own slim arms folded as ever in his stoic-faced frown.

"She told us we'd find ya here," the grinning Goron guffawed back in his light laughter. "On a date are we...? Which one's the lucky lady?"

"Nah, not rea-"

"That would be me." The smirking-faced Malon shot back, her cerulean eyes briefly shut as it spread across her face like a Cheshire cat. The mildly-irritated Vassia stared back at the liberty-taking farm girl but, surprisingly, opted not to voice her displeasure.

A fairly mature response for the normally pushy Palashian princess considering her usual behaviour; something even the watching Link had to admit he was surprised to witness.

"We thought we'd take in the sights together as we passed them," she continued on through her smirk before soon re-opening her eyes as she swung her fire-haired head back 'round to face the window on her right. "I've never been this far out of Hyrule before so it's kinda nice to see."

"Can't disagree with ya there," Barkner spoke back in response, placing another hand on his hip as he turned his grin into a more reserved smile, casting his own look out into the deep passing expanse of Aurelia's beautiful background before him. "I've heard stories about how nice every-where's looked but I've never been myself."

The mildly-curious raised eyebrow that the silent Link propped up as he turned his blonde-haired head back to eye the Goron managed to make him blink back into a surprised frown, before he swiftly chuckled out in light sheepishness.

"Ah! Sorry," he apologised briefly, rubbing the back of his head before soon regaining the sociable grin he was well-known for. "Al and I clocked a gym nearby if you're interested." The Goron claimed, nodding his head toward the carriage's door hanging adjacent to them.

Link's oceanic eyes lit up in genuine surprise and gratitude, his bored frown quickly swivelling up into an excited smirk. "All righ-"

"No!" The annoyed Malon shot out with, uncoiling her left fingers 'round his own to raise them up and pull at his small pointed ear, drawing out a sudden pained yelp from him as he winced and leant down toward her. "I've worked too hard and waited too long for this date to let it go to waste like this!"

"Agh! Malon, that hurts!"

The watching Vassia rolled her obsidian-black eyes and, as she pulled her own fingers from the injured blonde boy's on her right, opted instead to stand up from her seat successfully drawing the curious-eyed attention of all heads in the carriage.

"Vass?" The surprised Link called out, eyebrow risen upward in his humorously leant position. "Where ya goin'?"

The prim and proper Palashian princess curved her purple-haired head 'round to eye the boy behind her, a kind of knowing look in her eye as she did. "I'm satisfied with what I got out of you last night... at least for a while," she shot back cryptically, eliciting an embarrassed red-tinged frown from the boy and another annoyed look from the listening Malon next to him. "Au revoir mon amour."

As she sauntered off down the carriage-way's aisle toward the left, the staring Barkner snorted out in amusement as the watching Alwyn, ever the stoic one, merely watched on in objective silence.

"And what does that mean?" The insulted Malon called out, wrenching her hand from his ear to place them both on her hips as she stared at him accusingly.

"U-Um, nothin', I promise," he merely responded with in a nervous little chortle, a zig-zag-like smile etched across his young countenance as he rubbed at his aching right ear. "Just... Vassia bein' Vassia ain't it?"

She furrowed her brow at him suspiciously and opened up her mouth to fire back a response, something scathing no doubt, but thankfully for him she was interrupted.

And rather fiercely at that.

DROOM

RUMBLE-RUMBLE...


The remaining three members widened their eyes, holding onto either wall or the table they sat at to prevent themselves from falling in response to the sudden and abrupt violent shake that their carriage underwent.

"What the hell was that?!" Malon cried out worriedly, eyes widened as she turned her crimson-haired head up to face the window on her right.

Sure enough they had seemingly stopped, suddenly and without warning; an oddly violent kind of break that saw even the curious Alwyn staring out the window in worry.

"Felt like..." The frowning-faced Link began contemplatively, his own brow furrowing in suspicious-eyed thought as he turned it slowly on the anxious-faced Barkner and Alwyn on his left. The snap on Alwyn's fingers heralded his next response; a narrow-eyed glare that saw his mouth open to match.

"Company!"

The remaining three darted their heads 'round only to find what appeared to be multiple twisted-like monsters running around the snow outside the window, not quite like the familiar kind of creatures Link remembered in his travels across Hyrule and Termina. He couldn't help but stare at one in particular as it passed by like a spider, his eyes fixated oddly on it; a five-limbed creature with very little meat on its bones, yet scaly as Volvagia somehow. The most disturbing feature it sported appeared to be what seemed to be a human or Hylian kind of face, somehow mocking them as it very slowly turned it 'round to eye and stare at all four of them. The heroes froze in place, near unable to move before it eventually reacted by slowly upturning its basic-faced frown into a strange and foreboding smile.

A chill ran up the watching wide-eyed Link spine as he stared back at it, unable to make sense of it.

I wish Tatl or Navi were here, he thought.

Maybe they'd know what the hell that thing is.

Eventually the ungodly creature chose to turn and leave, presumably to ransack the train they rested in alongside the many other odd beasts surrounding it.

"Come on!" The narrow-eyed Barkner called out, turning on his heel as if to go running down the corridor on his left, soon followed by the nodding Alwyn and gulping Link.

3

It didn't take very long for most of the train's passengers to go into a chaotic frenzy. Understandably when, not only the train had seemingly crashed, but the due cause of it; strange and otherworldly-like creatures such as the strange spider-like monster that Link managed to clock slinking by his window. When the young Hero of Time managed to leave the carriage, he double-took in the direction of the main cause and widened his eyes at the sight before him; numerous creatures defying physics laws themselves were all littered 'round about the sheet of snow in Stralanavia's countryside, either focusing on attacking the train itself or the screaming passers-by.

"Link, over here!"

The blonde youth rose up his thin eyebrows and swivelled his head in response to the greeting voice; seemingly the waving Zelda a few paces to his top-right. Sure enough as he turned to view her, she was joined by the rest of his companions in a safe-enough circle beckoning him over. He nodded and, with one brief look over his shoulder as if to be certain he wasn't going to get ambushed on his way there, he turned to jog over to them.

"Okay good, we're all here and accounted for," Impa spoke up at the end of the group, overlooking them all with folded arms. "Now... do any of us know anything about these creatures? Anything at all?"

"I think we better help these poor bastards!" Barkner cursed out suddenly and frantically, darting his rocky-shaped head 'round in a similar sense of urgency. "They're gonna die if we don't do something ab-"

"We'll die anyway if we just rush headlong like that." Alwyn shot back constructively yet firmly, eyes shut as he frowned on objectively, his own slim arms folded.

"He's right," the similarly knowledgeable Zelda nodded, hands joined at her front. "The last thing anyone needs is more panic."

Barkner nodded back in understanding and light regret, his boulder-brown eyes still watching the far-off monsters carefully and suspiciously.

"I'm fairly certain no-one in Palashia has ever come across fiends like...," Vassia began, thin fingers resting under both risen elbows and arms as she turned to stare similarly at the creatures. "Those..." She finished in a hard-eyed glower.

Alwyn nodded along in agreement. "I've never seen things like these either," the Zoran admitted. "They're a far cry from the Octoroks we get in Zora's River."

"Ain't that the truth..." Link muttered on thoughtfully, eyeing the strangely nightmarish-like monsters moving in similarly disquieting movements.

Like something out of a bad dream, he thought.

Is this what fiends in Stralanavia are like?

"Then all we can do is what we do best...," Impa sighed back, shaking her silver-shaded head as she did. "Everyone know our usual thunder and lightning strategy?"

She received numerous nods from the group; all but the narrow-eyed Link. When he received a half-irritated light slap to his side-arm on his right he blinked and snapped 'round to face them.

"H-Huh?"

They all stared at him, annoyed.

"U-Uh... thunder 'n lightnin'...," he chuckled out nervously, his smile turning jagged in anxiety. "Y-Yeah! I gotcha Impa-sensei."

She rolled her eyes but returned to duty. "All units... move out!"


"Help!"

"I can't move!"

"Just get out of my way!"

The large creature, a furred thing wearing a pair of baggy white trousers held up by a similarly ragged black belt, grinned on down at the trio of trapped passengers stuck within a part of the train's wreckage. While the creature's body was massive and huge like an animal, its very head was human and lifelike; something that looked uncanny, strange and disturbing. It chuckled in some form of malevolence as it reached up with both chunky furred arms, presumably to attack with, before a sudden noise made it grunt out in surprise.

SLICE

SCREEEEECH

The narrow-eyed Link landed in a deft-moving skid diagonally across the bright-white snow beneath him, Gilded Sword and Mirror Shield ever at his side. The three trapped people, similarly surprised, swung up their wide-eyed heads and gasped along together as a second rescuer flew into frame; a likewise small figure dressed in dark blue and bright-white.

SLICE

SCREEEEECH

A second attack, directed this time on its right arm made it squeal again in agony to the very heavens themselves, as the similarly narrow-eyed Zelda disguised as Sheik landed in a fairly identical drift across the snow next to her Hylian companion.

"We're saved!"

"Hey I remember him; from the Kaioh Bio!"

"Who's the other one?"

"Zel...," Link whispered out amidst the peoples' babble behind them, oceanic eyes narrowing firmly and deeply into their new enemy's. "Any idea what the hell that thing is?"

She shook her dark-blonde head back at him. "No," she answered. "But has that ever stopped you before?"

He found himself blinking in genuine surprise, 'rounding his look on the taller Hylian on his left before catching the half-amused look in her crimson-disguised eye. "Hah...," he laughed back, equivalently entertained before turning back to face the nameless creature before them. "Then let's do this."

"Right!"

With little else prodding, the two Hylians got to work; the wide-eyed creature growled out in annoyance and animosity as it swiped at the air when the pair swayed through the wind itself to attack with, all in what seemed to be super-fast hit and run techniques. While they were fairly simple, it appeared to be too much for the angry large lumbering leviathan and it voiced its rage to convey it successfully.

GRRRROOOOOAR

With mindless animalistic rage, it rose up both muscled arms before bringing them crashing down toward the pair of Hylian children, eliciting them to air-dash to their sides in quick evasion. Like a sheet of white through the sky, its hateful attack knocked the snow beneath it high and flying into the air around them, blanketing the very azure itself, perhaps acting as a second impediment and this time of its own creation.

SLICE-SLICE

HOWWWLLL

The nameless disturbing creature screamed out in further agony and pain as Sheik and Link both successfully struck the monster's both sides a second time, bringing up fresh blood and scars upon its very flesh itself. As Link landed, his cerulean eyes widened as he caught sight of the monster's oddly-coloured green-shaded blood; something that seemed to fit well with the disturbingly strange creature.

Where the hell did this thing come from, he wondered.

Even the Octoroks, Dinolfos and Stalfos were all somewhat related to species he'd seen before.

These things... they're all so strange and disturbing that only Navi or Tatl could have knowledge on 'em.

"Somehow I doubt even they'd know..."

Almost as if it were reading his very private thoughts, the watching beast lowered its head to grin knowingly somehow at him and he furrowed his brow back at it suspiciously. The creature turned its head to face the worried trio of Aurelians trapped under the debris on its right, drawing out surprised yells and anxiety-filled screams from them as it began to advance on them.

"Link!"

"On it."

Like a light the young Hero of Time was off; almost as quickly as the words left his mouth did he disappear from common sight.

FWIP-SLICESLICESLICESLICE

SLICE

Like shimmering light itself Link himself was barely visible at all, his form easily and effortlessly cutting the huge lumbering monster up as if it were firewood; as the blonde youth landed, his head held lowly as he frowned deeply and held the Gilded Sword diagonally upward, seemingly in a finishing blow of sorts. Time seemed to freeze, not just for all watching, but for the wide-eyed nameless creature as well; it cast its horrified eyes to the skies its human-like mouth open as if to scream before, finally, time resumed its normal flow and it reacted appropriately.

SCREEEEEECH

As its animalistic shriek pierced the atmosphere above it, it was the herald for all surrounding it to end the fighting; indeed, as Sheik turned her dark-blonde head following the creature's defeat, so too did the rest of them begin to all turn and flee.

It would appear that, with some luck, that the two Hylians had stumbled upon and beaten down the creatures' ringleader. Sheik couldn't help but smile at the thought of all the lives they had potentially saved.

"You saved us!"

"Oh you wonderful, wonderful boy!"

The surprised Sheik swung her savvy disguised head to her left only to find the similarly clueless Link being overrun by the passengers; having previously been grounded within the wreckage behind them, managed to break free when the young Hero of Time accidentally broke enough of it in his final counter-attack. Sheik's one visible fiery-red Sheikah eye narrowed in genuine annoyance, an abrupt surge of frustration shooting up her spine as she watched the passengers, all young women, surround his small surprised form. She sighed through her nose however when she thought of her very own words, merely a single day previous.

Practice what you preach, she thought.

Besides... she added silently, her frown slowly upturning into a devious-faced smirk.

"Maybe I can use this against him for an advantage later..."

4

"Everyone here and accounted for?"

"You betcha."

"How are the train survivors?"

"Doing just fine Impa."

"All right...," the ever-careful Sheikah leader nodded back in response to the grinning Barkner and frowning Sheik, sighing out as if in some form of relief. "Well done everyone, sincerely."

"I still can't believe it was you two that located their leader so quickly," Vassia spoke up, genuinely surprised as she propped up a violet-haired eyebrow at the frowning Sheik and Link on her right. "It should have been us; you only fight so well when you fight with me." The overconfident Palashian princess proudly proclaimed, a knowing smirk etched across her reddened face from the cold around them, drawing out a frustrated roll of the young Link's eyes in response.

"How are the rest of the passengers Impa? And the staff?"

The Sheikah leader turned her silver-shaded head down to face her princess, frowning on as she did. "Shaken up and complaining that the train's totalled but they'll be okay," she answered, re-opening her mouth to continue. "I've seen men in worse condition limp home and be grateful they're still alive."

"Guess that means we're walkin' too then, huh?" The grinning Malon nudged her left elbow into the half-smirking Link's side on his left.

"What I want to know is...," Alwyn began, taking attention off the unruly children to face his folded-armed form. "What on goddess' green earth those things even were."

"No' kiddin'," Barkner spoke up in surprised agreement, placing a rocky-skinned palm across one of his hips. "I ain't ever seen one of those things before," he claimed. "Well... maybe in my nightmares."

"They're a first on me too, I have to admit," the Sheikah nodded lightly. "There's no way for any of us to tell what these things are but... given that it's fairly likely they caused the crash... I have a few theories."

The group remained dutifully and intriguingly silent, turning their heads up to face her. It was Link, however who opened up his mouth to match the curiously raised eyebrow he gave her.

"Gonna give us one?"

"Not right now," Impa shot back, a light smile upon on her similarly reddened face, the cold around them beginning to settle in. "We can all think of some while we walk the rest of the way to Kievskie Station."

"Oh joy," Malon groaned out as she affixed up the backpack she wore behind her to resume travel. "Hiking again and in this weather."

"Hell I'll warm ya up if it's cold you're worried about baby." The ever-smirking Link shot back smarmily as he hung near the farm girl, rising his free left palm into the air as he rested his right across her shoulder, a small sphere of Aegir's flame growing in the centre of his left's.

"Urgh...," Malon began again, her frown quickly taking a humorous downturn as her frown similarly deepened. "You're so much cuter when you're not being an ass."

Link's previously overconfident and amused smirk immediately dropped, pulling in the extremely entertained bellowing laughter of Barkner, spiced along with the quiet titters from Zelda and Vassia.

"Am not..." He muttered back, peeling his right arm off her shoulder as he lowered his left and turned his head away from hers, half-embarrassed from the banter-lashing he just received.