Chapter 59: (The) Beginning: Barbarous Beatdown
Meeting the Master Arc
Disclaimer: I don't own The Legend of Zelda; this is just a Fan Fiction.
Featured Music: "Neutiquam Erro" – Fire Emblem X: Radiant Dawn OST. Chapter Briefing.
"Menu Music (Pause)" – Killer Instinct (2013) OST. Scene 1 (First Half).
"Bow Whisk Orchestra" – The Matrix (1999) OST. Scene 1 (Second Half).
"Neo VS. Morpheus" – The Matrix (1999) OST. Scene 2 (First Half).
With their run through the continent of Aurelia Link and his companions find themselves fighting all over, whether in tournaments for prizes and titles or in actual goddess-to-honest warfare; one thing remains constant with them.
The presence of challenge.
The group, although denied their entry into the cancelled Prima World Tour's national championship of Gylomecia, are lauded regardless for their contribution in assisting its people during their next time of need; a bloody civil war. Two sides of soldiers that eventually are manipulated by another party – a third party by the name of Kaius Torquatus; former operative of the Himitsu Shakai and all-round mysterious individual prone to the martial arts.
He grows close to Link and, utilising the ancient prophecies written of Kage Narumono and of the Fierce Deity within the walls of Rockvale Temple in Termina, also manipulates him into fighting for him by promising to rid him of the darkened powers infecting his Aegir and his system. This promise of course proves to be simply a second handling of the boy's motives and, as Kaius guides his Aegir by suppressing the good side of it, only the negative part remains and it is this that kick-starts the prophecy.
Prophecy of the Fierce Deity.
It doesn't take long for Kaius, Amalda and Link to wrest control of the northern and southern military forces of Gylomecia and, as they do, Kaius takes command of them all before beginning to build a regime out of it all; only a small group of martial artists and travellers stood in their way… and succeeded in stopping them.
Scaverin and Raynard, having allied themselves temporarily to the main group in attempt to save the world, posit forward the possibility of turning the changed Link back to the light; through use of subtle Aegir-control. Zelda takes up the daunting task and, as they return to the Light World in their previous refuge in the Void, they soon find themselves enacting their very shaky and nervously-held strategy on the demi-god himself; Akuma.
The fight is bloody, brutal and barbarous; an engagement truly fitting that of the legend of the Fierce Deity himself. Although Link manages to near-kill most of his companions during the chaotic exchange, and even fatally-wounding his close friend Zelda, it is the Hylian princess herself that manages to quell his rage by operating on his Aegir chords, bringing him back to full balance. As she lays dying, Veronika acts quick and somehow saves the pair by cutting Link's life force in half, gifting her with his own life itself; as a result, she now senses his every thought and feels what he feels. Now, with Gylomecia having been saved not by one war but two, Impa turns Link to one last avenue left, one final road he has not yet travelled; 'Sun Hui'.
Said to have been the greatest martial artist to have ever lived, and Ragnar Romanov's teacher, Sun Hui reportedly lives as a hermit deep within the lands of Draerith. In receiving his introductions through his mentor, Impa, Link now elects to make the rest of his Aurelian pilgrimage to Draerith alone this time; a choice that, while some in the group see as controversial, are understanding and supportive of regardless. Link, however, is warned directly about Sun Hui; that she 'suffers no fools', despises Hylians… and has nothing but contempt for men, 'even small ones'.
"So in your case… it might take her a while before she warms to you."
Link's thoughts turn to his group of friends, far-off preparing for the world championships in Gylomecia and scattered across Aurelia, as he begins to approach the Draerithian steps to Sun Hui herself…
Scene 1
As Link held onto the weathered white duffle bag he liked to carry with him over his Mirror Shield and Gilded Sword on his back, he drank in the view of the high-end stone staircase standing before him; a huge single set that extended into a second. Link winced as he watched its length, not looking forward to marching up and down it with buckets of water for his upcoming new sensei.
That's gonna hurt my boots, he thought.
"Maybe she'll make me take 'em off though… like an actual martial artist."
He let that thought carry him on as he began to make the slow climb up the steps, saving what little remained of his aching legs and physical stamina as he ran his free right small arm across his forehead, as if to wipe the sweat off from the fairly humid country of Draerith.
It had been a good couple of weeks since he left his main group of friends and entered the new and mysterious land of Draerith; an eastern section of Aurelia, noted for its near-extreme warmth and humid atmosphere. When he at long last climbed the stone staircase to its zenith, he finally got a good far-off look at the sitting form of his new mentor; the robed old woman sitting far-off before him at the end of the clearing, the path decorated with Draerithian lamps, unlit in the strong afternoon sun.
He breathed in deep through his nose before re-affixing the white duffle bag on his back and resuming his slow march forward.
Here we go, he thought to himself anxiously.
As he began to make the final approach toward her, he placed down his weathered white duffle bag to the ground before dropping down on one knee, as if in show of respect. He shut his oceanic eyes and opened up his mouth to address her.
"S-Sensei…"
The robed woman, her frown morphing into a hatred-filled scowl, opened up her own eyes in response to his voice as if to place them on him before narrowing them down at him, the creases in her face highlighting as she did.
"It is sifu, little Hylian scum…," the old woman began in reply, her commanding contralto carrying her on as she re-opened her mouth to speak further. "Is it too much to hope… that you understand Draerithian…?"
Link winced as she spoke to him in disrespect, his memory going back to Impa's hardened warnings. "I… I speak Hylian very well, but-"
"I didn't ask if you spoke Hylian. I asked if you spoke Draerithian."
Link cringed similarly, lowering his eyes from hers in subservience. "A… A little…"
The elder woman smirked back at him, her bright-white ponytailed hair blowing a little in the wind as she leant a little forward in her sat position. "You are here to learn the mysteries of my kung fu… not linguistics…," she began disparagingly, shaking her white-haired head down at him as if in disapproval. Link flinched and, though he was used to quipping something back, he chose to remain steadfast in silence. "When I speak to you… I will communicate with you as I would a dog!" She called out somewhat angrily, emphasising her words with a quick swipe of her right robed arm. "When I yell… when I point… and when I beat you with my cane!"
Sun Hui stopped, very briefly, to cast her curious-eyed frown down on the blonde youth below her; Link, opting keep his head held low in deference, drew out a calmer approach within her hardened frown.
"Hmph…," she began, raising her lightly-wrinkled face as she did, re-opening her mouth to speak. "Impa is your sifu is she not…?"
At last being given a true window with which to speak, Link rose up his head and nodded eagerly. "Y-Yeah… yeah, she is."
Sun Hui put on another thoughtful-eyed frown as she rose up her right robed fingers to rest on her chin, eyes raising up. "Your sifu tells me… you're not entirely unschooled…," she started carefully, golden-shaded eyes lowering as she did. "What training do you possess?"
Link allowed his muscles to relax and his frown to soften a little into a hesitant smile as he re-rose his head to face her, opening up his mouth. "I'm well experienced in the 'Loftwing-style' karate and more experienced in the art… of Hylian swordplay." He finished proudly, pulling on his former battle experience not only as a martial artist, but an adventurer and swordsman. The listening Sun Hui merely snorted back at him dismissively and disgustedly.
"Hmph!" She huffed out distastefully, upturning her frown into another scowl she wore so well. "The 'art' of Hylian swordplay… don't make me laugh!" The old woman exclaimed out angrily, turning her hated glare down on the blonde boy. "Your so-called 'art'… is fit only for pathetic slavers!"
Knowing of his race's history due to Impa and Alwyn teaching him, Link could only lower his head again in subservience, but still couldn't manage to hide away the angered frown on his own face; a look not missed by the carefully-watching mentor he now chose. Instead of opting to scowl again however, she turned her frown upside down and gained a new expression on her face…
Derisive delight.
She laughed quietly down at him as she re-opened her mouth to give voice to her ruminations. "Are you angry with what I said…?" She spoke again in modern Aurelian so as to understand her, tilting her white-haired head at him as she did. "Do you think you can prove me wrong…?"
"Do not challenge her. Whatever… whatever Sun Hui says… obey."
The wise words of Impa echoed on powerfully within his inner consciousness and, although he kept his angered frown eyes lowered passively-aggressively, he re-opened his mouth to respond and shook his straw-haired head back at her regardless.
"No."
This time the quiet rage that bubbled within Sun Hui seemed to display itself again as she turned her low smirk into another hardened glare and scowl. "Are you aware I kill at will?"
Link shut his eyes in a strange mixture of growing adrenaline and anxiety, his frown turning harder. "Yes."
Sun Hui's scowl shot up into a mock-shocked frown of her own, golden-shaded eyes widening. "So you wish to die…?"
Link shook his head once more. "N-No…"
The elder martial artist teacher could only laugh derisively again, shaking her own white-haired head back at the blonde boy beneath her. "Then you must be foolish…," she chuckled. "So foolish…," she laughed before tilting her head down at him. "Rise, Hylian scum… and let me peer at your pathetically ugly face."
Link's slow-hardening frown began to deepen and twitched in growing anger as he obeyed her, slowly standing to his boots as he tilted his body back at her.
"So… inheritor of slaves…," she spoke once more, choosing to insult him and his heritage a second time. "Tell me… is there anything you can do well…?"
Link merely opted to stay safe and bite at his angry tongue, forgoing the possibility of any backlash at all.
The watching Sun Hui tilted her head back at him, genuinely curious and prodding him a second time vocally. "What's wrong slaver? Cat got your tongue…? Ah yes…," she began again, growing a small mocking smile on her face. "You speak Hylian…"
Link merely stared back at her wordlessly, opting not to respond or interrupt her.
"I despise the goddamned Hylians!" She called out this time, gesturing her call with a bitter swipe of her extended index finger's arm, glaring hatefully at him as she did.
The listening Link's frown twitched once more but, again, he opted to heed the wise wisdom of his oldest mentor. The watching Sun Hui, her curiosity piqued at his patience, could only drop her scowl into a contemplative-faced frown before she re-opened her mouth and put on an objective-eyed expression to her look.
"That sword on your back…," she began, extending forward her right hand and arm to point directly at the Gilded Sword resting behind him. "Remove it."
Realising exactly what she was suggesting they do, the frowning-faced Hylian obeyed once more and reached back. He took off the Mirror Shield first on his back before placing it down carefully to the ground on his left and then finally reached back one final time to pull the Gilded Sword carefully from its resting place behind him.
SHHHIIIIIING…
At long last the firmly-frowning form of Sun Hui began to stand from her position, her long white-hair ponytail blowing in the wind. "Let's see how good… you really are…," she began carefully, raising up her right robed arm to open her palm forward.
As she re-opened her mouth to elaborate further, she pulled in her pinkie and third finger to have her remaining fingers point directly at the boy with.
"If… you land a single blow…," she spoke again, carefully retracting back her right arm to cup at her chin thoughtfully, eyes watching as she did. "I'll bow down and call you 'sifu'." She finished, this time in a hardened venomous hiss, eyes narrowing at the inflection of her sentence as she swiped her arm horizontally to rest at her back, joining with the other behind her.
SWISH-SWISH-WHIP-WHIP
The frowning-faced Sun Hui merely stared at the boy as he began to swipe the Gilded Sword in quick, deft swings horizontally and diagonally, all of which were in approach to the firmly-frowning elder. As he began to finally come within range however, Link's oceanic eyes widened as he feinted before finishing the remainder of his beginning assault; three last slashes and wild swipes that saw the frowning-faced Sun Hui sidestep and weave out of expertly.
SWISH-WHIP-SWING
Before Link even knew, the old woman was standing at his right side, smirking down at him as she prodded her bony fingers into his shoulder confrontationally and insultingly.
On reaction the indignant blonde youth grunted as he suddenly and recklessly swung the Gilded Sword and his arm back to attack the old woman behind him, eyes narrowing as he did.
SWISH-SMACK
Link's eyes widened as she countered very suddenly with a narrow-eyed push of her left shoulder; the blonde youth cried out in wide-eyed shock as he was sent forward and up onto his back on the dirt-ground beneath him, thudding roughly as he did. The frowning-faced Sun Hui easily and effortlessly side-flipped over the blonde boy's body, robed arms still joined conservatively at her back as she did. The narrow-eyed Link grunted out in frustration as he very suddenly and hurriedly spring-kicked his legs up into a recovering position to attack her again, stabbing the Gilded Sword forward with his dominant left arm as he did.
"HEYT!"
WHOOSH
In an incredibly-fast manoeuvre Sun Hui managed somehow to evade the thrust by leaping directly upward, her small Draerithian shoes grinding against the gold and silver-steel of the Gilded Sword as she now stood atop the blade itself; in much the same a manner as when he fought Kage Narumono in Hyrule's Water Temple. Link could only gasp, oceanic eyes widened a second time as they both swung up to face the old woman, robed arms still held at her back as she smirked on down at him superiorly.
"From here… you can get an excellent view of my foot."
FWOOSH
SMACK
"Ngh…!"
Although the counter-attack Sun Hui gifted him with wasn't enough to even knock him down, it sent him staggering and grit-toothed a few steps back; the Draerithian martial artist flip-kicked the boy in the face softly, landing gracefully on her small shoes as she once did before, soon re-opening her mouth to laugh derisively back at him.
"Your swordplay…," she began again, re-narrowing her eyes as she began to close the distance very slowly between them both, raising up her right arm to point her index and forefinger at him accusingly. "Is amateur-level… at best."
Feeling well-insulted by the old woman's taunts, Link narrowed his eyes back at her before very suddenly twirling the Gilded Sword around contrastingly expertly. The golden and silver steel of the blade sung out noisily and echoed out into the air as he did, filling his display with a single point of the blade at the old woman's face; Sun Hui's face creased, almost as if in disgust as she watched him move. The two remained in a stare-locked competition with one another for what felt like minutes before, finally, Link reacted.
He whipped the Gilded Sword around noisily once or twice before deftly stabbing at the air where the narrow-eyed Sun Hui was watching him; she creased her lightly-wrinkled face at him as she merely darted her white-haired head out of the way in evasion before swiftly side-stepping to her right to avoid the grunting Link's second lunging thrust assault. In a fairly obvious yet effective counter technique, she gripped at his exposed left arm before very suddenly and expertly shooting the boy's hand vertically upwards.
"Ah…!"
Link's cerulean eyes widened as he watched the Gilded Sword now face up to the grasshopper-calling skies above them both, before the narrow-eyed Sun Hui followed up her counter-attack by swinging her counter-attacking arm clockwise in an attempt to wrest control of the Gilded Sword from him, making the gasping youth stumble back a step or two in sheer shock. She finished her assault by grunting lightly as she slammed her right shoulder directly into him, sending him yelling out in a mixture of frustration and pain.
"Argh!"
SLAM
The poor former Kokiri grunted out in grit-toothed agony as he stumbled back embarrassingly into the front of a tree behind him, the force of his sudden movement bringing down huge clumps of dirt that fell to his green-hat head, caking it and his dirty-blonde hair in its stain. The watching Sun Hui, seemingly satisfied by the display, could only issue out yet another derisive laugh at him, smirking on as she rose up the Gilded Sword to point directly at him. The elder rubbed at her chin once more; seemingly a habit or tick of hers, as she dropped her smirk into a hardened, disapproving frown.
"Your so-called 'swordplay…," she began again, her frown soft before soon deepening into the scowl Link was beginning to know her for. "Is really… quite pathetic."
WHOOSH
FWEEE…
SCHHHH-CLINK
Link held back a wide-eyed gasp as he watched her finish her venomous spit by suddenly tossing the Gilded Sword up vertically and diagonally into the air; as it dropped down toward him he could only stare back up at it, as if an animal within the eyes of its predator, before the weapon very suddenly and expertly landing back within the sheath hanging for it on his back. He darted his head behind him, almost as if to confirm for himself what he just saw, before turning his shock-faced open-mouthed frown forward to face her again, incredulous and unable to raise a word in response at her level of control.
"I asked you to show me what you know…,"
The elder woman's words, spoken out again so strongly and boldly could only make Link widen his eyes again as he listened and watched her pace to her left, gesturing her words with a lecturing point of her index and forefinger at him.
"Not a goddamned thing!" She yelled out, disgusted and appalled, swiping her lecturing robed arm horizontally through the air as she did.
Link lowered his eyes in light shame.
"Show me this… 'Loftwing-style' fist of yours…," she began again, shooting up her right robed arm once more, this time to open up its palm peculiarly at him. "Match it with my 'Lynel Claw'."
The former Hero of Time's eyes narrowed back at her and, as he rose up his own arms to brush off the dirt from his head as best he could, he began to pace in a similarly slow fashion to his new mentor, circling her carefully as he watched her before soon picking a spot and affixing a battle stance; the blonde youth set his small muscled arms to the side as he began to bob his body up and down in place, as if jogging somehow and readying himself for battle.
The furrow-browed scowling Sun Hui merely opted to watch and wait for the boy's attempted approach, her right arm still outstretched and ready to counter at a moment's notice.
2
Link opted to make the first move by crossing the distance between them and throwing a quick forward jab into a swift follow-up horizontal swipe of his fist at the narrow-eyed Sun Hui; the elder martial artist merely back-dashed and swerved her slim robed body to avoid the oncoming strike, before soon back-dashing a second time to avoid the next follow-up – a quick and effort-filled double-kick skipping upward that the boy attempted to catch her with.
Finding little success in his initial assault attempt, Link's frown twitched a little as he carelessly threw yet another quick jab forward, this time with his right fist; the narrow-eyed Sun Hui this time, however, caught the attempt with her own arm and effortlessly at that to match. Link's eyes widened but he managed to reversal the elder woman's grasp on his arm with a deft swivel of his arm before using his free left to knock her own arm down from his.
He pressed the recently-gained okizeme by firing a quick left-handed chop at the martial arts' right side; an attempt that she easily caught with her own right arm before narrowing her eyes when the blonde boy swung their arms together to go free of her grip. Sun Hui attempted to counter by reaching out with her recently-freed right robed arm to grasp at the boy's neck; a response that saw the similarly narrow-eyed Link call out in battle-cry as he swatted it from his body and re-entered in an offensive stance to continue his pressure. He fired off a quick series of six chops, across and below at her as she stepped backward to gain space from him, countering by blocking with her mere right arm.
On the sixth attempt, a low chop assault, the glaring Sun Hui caught his arm again and pulled his small form up, bringing out a shocked wide-eyed gasp from him in response before she swung his arm out of the way and grappled at his exposed forehead.
"What the hell's she-?!"
His inward machinations and ruminations were soon interrupted when the shocked boy was suddenly and roughly sent up into the air a few yard away from the old woman, landing in a pained and grunting thud behind him. Link groaned and, as he whirled his boots and legs 'round in a recovery attempt, he got back up to his feet and leaned his body to the side at her as he pulled back his right clenched fist back the way to hang at his lower right abdomen, his left back-clenched fist extended forward and pointing directly at her in a threatening manner.
With wild unchecked emotion, the young Hylian attempted to blindside her by lunging forward by darting his left extended fist and then recklessly swing a right haymaker horizontally and high above the old woman; Sun Hui narrowed her eyes as she swerved back a step to avoid the lung before veering her slim robed body even further back inhumanly, shocking the watching Link as she effortlessly and incredibly avoided his wild and reckless assault.
He re-narrowed his oceanic eyes back at her before yelling out in frustration and desperation as he swung up a sudden spinning hurricane kick technique, lifting himself up off the ground and sheerly gliding through the air with it as he did.
"Tatsumaki!"
This time Sun Hui opted not to raise up any of her arms to counter-block; Link could only widen his sea-shaded eyes for the umpteenth time as his hurricane kick assault was stopped in sheer mid-air.
What the hell, he wondered.
How did she stop me?
It was only when he was suspended in mid-air that he realised he knocked his boot against an invisible shield of Aegir she had seemingly prepared earlier for Aegir-enhanced techniques but, albeit, all too late; the newly-grinning Sun Hui very suddenly spun her body 'round in swift and deafeningly quick twisting counter that saw the yelling Link sent backward in a tailspin through the air, landing backward in yet another unsuccessful light crash.
THUD
The grinning old woman, as she landed back-facing her small Hylian enemy, let out another derisive laugh; a trigger that finally hit the angered Link's nerves as he got up to his hands and glared back at her. He got to his boots almost instantly and, as he did, began to channel forth his fire-elemental Aegir in an attempt to burn the old woman and catch her off guard; the former Hero of Time yelled out as he lunged his dominant left fist forward to attack her back and, as she snapped her head back to acknowledge him, she avoided the attempt by twisting her robed body impressively and using her right arm to grasp at his now-exposed and vulnerable left. Link could only widen his eyes in concern and consternation before suddenly screaming out in agony as the old woman now exerted a much more powerful source of strength to her counter, her grip now near-cracking and breaking the boy's bones and arm.
CRRRRRRICCCCCK-CRACK
"ARGH!"
The elder martial artist teacher frowned firmly at first and, as if performing a menial task, she half-closed her eyes uninterestedly as she used her free left arm to open its palm at the boy's small stream of flame-elemental Aegir coursing 'round his own. Like a suctioning device, she began to pull at the magical powers and, essentially, began to disarm him completely; Link could only dart his oceanic eyes back the way as he was bent back forward below, his once-attacking left arm hanging back and up the way behind him.
When Sun Hui had seemingly finished osmosing the blonde boy's Quintessence, she regained her hateful and angered scowl as she very suddenly and abruptly re-assigned yet more strength to her counter-attack; a pained and agonising crack that saw Link screaming out a second time in sheer pain.
"Just like all Hylian men…," she began threateningly and bitterly, turning her hardened glower up and disgustedly down at him. "The best avenue you have is to stand on the great women of our countries and use our powers as if they were your own."
CRRRRAAAAACCCCK
"AGGGH!"
"Excruciating…," the firmly-frowning Sun Hui spoke up again as she glared down at him hatefully. "Isn't it…?"
"Y-Yeah! Yes!"
"If I so desired…," she began again, re-narrowing her eyes as she rose up her right arm to hang threateningly over his own exposed arm. "I could take your arm!"
"N-No! Please, don't!" Link called out desperately and horrified, eyes widened again as sweat dropped down from his blonde brow, darting it 'round to face her pleadingly. Sun Hui smirked back down at him in success and satisfaction, her expression softening somewhat as it did.
"It's my arm now; I can do what I wish with it…," she shrugged back at him simply, grinning on quietly. "If you can stop me…,"
CRRRRRRICKKK…
"I suggest you try."
This time Link managed to somehow hold back his agonised cry of great physical suffering, wincing as she applied yet more force to his near-broken bones.
"I…," he began, intaking air sharply through his mouth as he watched beads of effort-filled sweat drop down from his small nose. "I can't…"
The listening Sun Hui propped up a curious-laden white-haired eyebrow down at the boy, as if she were contemplating. "Because you're helpless…?"
"Yeah!"
Sun Hui's smirk slowly faded from her face as she brought up her free right arm to run carefully and thoughtfully across her chin, brow furrowing down at him contemplatively. "Have you ever felt this before…?"
Link grit his teeth in sheer desperate agonising pain as he re-opened his mouth to respond, nodding similarly urgently. "No!"
"I imagine you must feel like a lone Keese fighting a Peahat…?"
"YES!"
The watching Sun Hui, her eyes slowly re-narrowing as she waited a second or two almost as if to confirm the boy's suffering, soon widened them both as she at long last let go of his left arm.
"That's the beginning!"
"Ah…!"
THUD
He called out in grit-toothed agony as he dropped down near-lifelessly to the ground, gripping at his aching left arm. The frowning-faced and calm-expressed Sun Hui rose up her left arm to affix the earlier open-palmed claw-like formation she took on when fighting him, opening up her mouth to address the fallen boy again.
"Do you wish to possess this type of strength…?" She spoke lowly down at him, objectively and equitably. Link, still nursing the blinding agony throbbing in his left arm, could only nod madly back at her in an open-mouthed gasp.
"Y-Yes…!"
Sun Hui, opting not to mock the blonde this time, re-opened her mouth and nodded very lightly before speaking. "Very well… then your training, will begin… tomorrow."
As she finished her slow-spoken sentence, she swung up her fingers to caress her chin thoughtfully once more in display of her old habit before turning to leave him to recover. When he was left by himself, Link could only lower his oceanic eyes in thought to his first mentor's wise words back in Gylomecia mere weeks ago.
"I suppose if anyone knows an answer to your dilemma Link… it'll be her."
Impa-sensei was right, he thought to himself, adding onto his silent ruminations.
"She's the only one that can help me now…"
WHOOSH…
THUD
The ever-grinning Barkner grunted out as he slammed one of his rock-skinned fists directly into the firmly-frowning form of Alwyn's own hand; an opened-up palm that, although much skinnier than his close friend's, was seemingly more than enough to block with. The frowning-faced Impa sat back atop a small seat and read through one of the many papers the Gylomecian media printed, listening away to Barkner, Alwyn, Vassia and Veronika all sparring with one another to get their practice in.
Zelda herself, however, sat far-off away from the rest of the fighting group next to Impa, frowning softly and sat down in a crossed-legged position, her small hands resting at her sides as she did almost as if she were channelling Aegir somehow in a meditative state. All of a sudden and, without any seeming warning, the little Hylian princess' sky-shaded eyes snapped wide open. On reaction to seemingly nothing at all, she turned her head to the sky itself and gave vent to a blood-curdling shriek of pain and agony, dropping down from her meditative position and gripping firmly at her small left arm.
The surrounding group members, all shocked and swinging their heads 'round to her as they stopped in their own activities, exchanged one quick glance with one another before lightly rushing over to her side.
"What's wrong?" The frowning Impa spoke out firmly, brow furrowing down at her as she knelt down next to her. "I didn't see you get injured…"
Zelda grunted out, sweat dripping down from her ponytailed blonde-haired head, teeth grit in sheer effort to mask the aching. "It's… it's not… not me…"
Barkner blinked back down at her, tilting his rock-skinned head as he did. "So… what the hell is it then?" He shot back rudely and recklessly, drawing out a half-annoyed look from the listening Impa.
"It's… it's Link…," she gasped out, eyes slowly and carefully wringing themselves open to stare down at the marble stone below her of the outside Gylomecian manor they were staying at. "His… his arm…"
Impa's ruby-red eyes narrowed in light suspicion and uncertainty. "He better not be insulting Sun Hui…," she groaned out, rolling her fire-red eyes in irritation. "I explicitly warned him…"
"She can tell when he's injured?!" The shocked Vassia called out as she stepped forward to join them, the frowning-faced Veronika stepping up behind her to also join them. "How?!"
The similar-faced Alwyn merely turned his head down to his lower left to face her, lightly pointing a finger at his blue-skinned head as he did. "That little surgery Veronika did… remember?"
The Palashian princess rolled her raven-black eyes in her own display of irritation as realisation soon set in, marked in with a spice of light jealously as she folded her gloved arms and cast her frown out to the side.
"Would you like me to look at it…?" Veronika murmured out helpfully as she knelt down to the Hylian princess' side; the little blonde merely shook her head vehemently.
"W-We need to go help him… he's in trouble…"
"He will be if he doesn't get his act together…," Impa responded in a light sigh as she stood back to her feet, re-folding her armoured arms in display of her usual manner. "He'll be fine Zelda. We'll do something to help the pain." The Sheikah began again, nodding down at the frowning-faced Veronika, almost as if to confirm the offer the young Stralanavian girl put on the veritable table for them.
"N-No…,"
The group, surprised, could only turn their heads to her in response.
"Like… like this… I can still stay close to him…," she murmured out thoughtfully and with an odd kind of physically-pained smile to her sweaty-faced complexion, drawing out unsure frowns from most of the rest of the group listening to her. "Just leave it be…"
The listening Barkner merely shrugged his shoulders back at the rolling-eyed Impa and the irritated Vassia, drawing out a half-amused smile and shake of the listening Alwyn's head. Veronika nodded in understanding and re-opened her mouth to respond.
"If you change your mind… let me know." The kind-hearted Stralanavian offered before standing again to her feet and leaving.
"Need a drink at least?" Barkner asked down at her with a light smile and tilt of his head, eyebrow risen. The side-laying Zelda turned her sweat-stricken face up to smile wanly back at the Goron before nodding, drawing out a satisfied chuckle, allowing him to turn and leave.
"You got it kid."
Impa sighed a second time through her nose as the last of their group left, presumably to rest her muscles, rolling her eyes as she did. "Damn it Link…" She cursed, shaking her head as she turned her Sheikah-haired head to the far-off eastern distance, presumably as if to stare after the miles-away companion they all shared together.
