A.N.- I think you're going to like this chapter- I do, even though I had to cut one of my favorite scenes to fit the plot -.-' (and it might help out the readers who didn't play the Wind Waker, although I changed a few things for my own preference). Ah, well, every author has to murder her darlings...Oh, and speaking of romance, this has the closest thing to it that'll happen in this story ; There will be no real pairings in this volume (It can't really be Tetra/Link right now anyway, since I'm writing from Anni's point of view, and whatever Tetra and Link do together is pretty much their own business). However, when and if I ever get to the sequel, love/jealousy might be half the plot- I always plan way too far ahead...Oh, and Lizai, I'm not a chess master, but I meant king, because there's no way for Daystar to say "checkmate", and he wanted to be boastful about winning . Avalon, I was still twelve when your review came about ; I changed 13 in the process of writing this chapter, actually.
I groaned and scratched my side. "Galloping, this early? I must be dreaming..." I felt a horse's nose on my hand, and felt the movement beneath me. Rubbing my head, everything came into view. I was riding a young tan pony with a triangular star on his forehead, and beside me ran a female with the triangle on her shoulder. They were both very happy, racing each other through the blurry shadow of the dreamworld with both tail and ears raised high. I straightened up uneasily. I pulled the reins gently, and the horses slowed to a walk. An eerie, transparent fence appeared, and they simply strode through it. I reached out a hand and felt the wood, hard and warm beneath my hand.
My horse stopped, and shook himself for me to get off. When I didn't, he laid back his ears and did it again. "All right already! Can't you tell when someone's asleep?" A little reluctant, I slid off his back, and he nosed me apologetically. I smiled a little, slid my fingers behind his ear and kissed him on the muzzle. The filly behind me stomped impatiently, and I turned to her, saying "There's no need to be jealous." She flipped her ears and angrily looked away. I lifted a delicate hand to pet her, but to my surprise, fire leapt up in a ring around her, and then there were snarling noises behind me. The other horse was suddenly engaged in a fierce battle with a black wolf with red eyes and gnashing yellow fangs. The colt's eyes rolled angrily, and he fought hard, though the wolf was slowly overpowering him. My eyes widened as the monster flattened itself somehow into a great shadowy hole, which the colt rapidly fell through, fighting hard and disappearing with a loud echo of whinnying. Then the monstrous hole grew smaller and smaller, and then a venomous snake slithered up from its depths. With what could only be a devilish grin, it then began to advance on the filly, who looked about ready to fight as hard as Epona would- but out of impulse, I slid my gun from my holster and shot.
My view vanished as the bullet sank into shadow... "Pay heed to the happenings we have shown you," came the voices from the dark. I heard galloping, and a different voice whispered the last words before the dream died a voice with a smile in it. "You believe in me, and I'll pull through, honest."
And then I woke to the shadowy windows, stars twinkling in the gloomy light of the moon, and my head throbbing painfully. I let out a soft moan. What was it, eleven at night? Above me, Tetra murmured something in her sleep and turned over, throwing a limp arm over the edge of her bunk. I lay back and tried to relax and get back to sleep, but my haunting dreams and racing thoughts kept me quite awake. What did it all mean, really, the horses, the shadows, the snake- and those voices that sounded so comforting? Hey, it was just a dream, I told myself, completely unsure. Quietly, I slid out of bed, gathered my nightgown above my heels and snuck toward the door. Stepping into my boots, I then opened it, expertly avoiding squeaks from the old hinges.
I tiptoed into the shadowy hall, and got the cold feeling that I was being watched. Lines of pale light shone from the windows onto the carpet, making everything striped, and- I hoped- blended me into the night. Portraits of lost heroes, from the cheery wine-drinking scenes to the fights and the romances, peered dully at me from behind painted eyes, and the sounds of guests tossing and turning within their rooms made me jump every time I passed them. One of the doors was open a crack, so I slowly turned the knob and closed it as quietly as possible, even though the click it made as it slid back into place made my heart stop for a moment. Then I proceeded to the stairs.
The stairs at the Spilled Goblet had always been creaky- you could rouse the graves with a few misplaced steps. However, the banister was also very wide, and solid as stone, almost conveniently placed so that one could still get down at night. Getting back up again, well, that was your problem. I seated myself sideways on the banister, as if I were riding a horse to a party in my hoop skirt, and, holding my breath, slid down. Catlike, I landed on my feet and knuckles, right on the rug.
Now I knew I was safe, as long as I stayed on the carpet, so I bolted to the door and found myself outside. Crickets chirped forlornly in the rushes around me, horses stood sleeping in the valley, and a small creek rushed a few feet away. I shuddered a little at the sound of the water, beginning to wonder whether Muu was in a mood to talk or not, seeing as she probably wouldn't know about Link and the others who slept on in the Spilled Goblet. You'll never know until you check, I reminded myself, and kept walking towards the lake.
Muu made her home in Lake Serenity, a sea dragon that happened to be the last creature adopted by my mother before she'd died. She was a young, fairly strange beast, who saw my mother as hers, and therefore was nice to talk to about things like that- or any problem that turned up, really. Sometimes she could be a little, say, out of the ordinary, but then again, so could I. I knelt on the ground for a moment and felt for a stone- throwing one into the water was the only way to summon her up- but I paused for a moment and listened to what was supposed to be the silent night. I thought I heard the faint sound of talking ahead of me, so, out of pure curiosity, I proceeded onward through the shadow.
Near the lake, the talking became clearer, and when I parted the last black branches, I came upon a scene I felt quite guilty to come across. Muu had her head lifted high up out of the water, the moonlight glistening on pale, wet purple scales and glowing whitish green eyes, and the full moon silhouetting every sharp horn and scaly ridge. Her long eyelashes flicked as she nodded. The speaker was Link, perched up on top of an old post, his back arched beautifully and his eyes sparkling bright, as if he were speaking to an old friend. It was so innocent, a perfect picture there against the full moon, with the black waters I had come to dread glistening in and out of view among the rocks.
"There's someone in the bushes there," Muu interrupted, splashing with her tail way out upon the water. Link turned absently, and his eyes brightened.
"Oh, hello, Anni. Fancy seeing you this late at night," He beckoned me over. "Didju' know this sea monster was in the lake?"
"Monster is such a harsh word," Muu murmured, sinking into the water so that only her crest and the tip of her long snout showed above the waves. I chuckled a little.
"Why, yes. My...Mother was the one who kept her here," I answered uneasily.
"Your mother, huh?" He skipped a stone exactly seven times across the lake, deep in thought. "You don't talk about her much, d'you?"
"Sometimes.... It hurts," I murmured, staring out into the depths of the lake and feeling my fist clench beside me. Link brushed the back of my hand with a broad fingernail.
"I wouldn't know what that'd be like... I never knew my mother. Grandma talked about her a lot, but I'll bet knowing her and Pa would've been great..." He shrugged one of his shoulders and chucked another stone at the water, this one landing with a huge splash within the waves. It was funny how he didn't ask more about her, we simply sat in a deep understanding silence and watched Muu stretch herself across the water, wrapping her tail tightly around a rock nearby, and floating belly-up with her feet in the air.
"She was a fine witch, I guess," I said out of nowhere. "Wasn't much of a cook, but obsessed with the study of mythical beasts and such." Link smiled slightly and nodded, so I continued. "She was out rescuing Muu- she was only a weak hatchling then- and the negative scent of a sea storm swelled around us. The clouds were as black as I'd ever seen them. Da, Ray and I were out there on shore calling for her; she was stubborn, refused to come back until the beast was in her boat. I admired her more than ever at that moment, but then the storm began. The wind and water thrashed her about crazily- she fought to stay in her tiny boat but crashed head-on into a rock... The only thing we could find of her is her hat..."
"Your hat," Link said, and I nodded, staring down at my feet.
"Muu came up on shore, looking for Mother... We took her home and fed her off of leftovers."
"I didn't eat much then," Muu added, stirring a whirlpool with the tip of her tail.
"Not much compared to what you eat now," I said, chucking a rock as hard as I could, so the splash played up on the horizon, right up against the moon. "My brother, Ray, began hanging out with different people, ones who lurk in the shadows and smoke their problems away, and Da started drinking again. I still see him at the Spilled Goblet every once in a while, but... well, he scares me sometimes. It goes straight to his head, and he doesn't act like himself anymore. I remember coming home once and having empty liquor bottles thrown at me, and then, I left..."
"To live with Saigon," Link finished, nodding. I flipped a rock off my fist with my thumb.
"Yeah."
He paused. "Can I show you something? Well, actually there're a couple things... Here, follow me." He eased himself off of the post, beckoned me to follow, and led me quickly down the rocky shore. There was a lit place there on a stretch of beach, where a magicked lantern hung high above what I recognized as Link's ship, pieced together partway. I easily picked out the figurehead which had frightened me so on that first day, lying forlornly at the side, away from the upside-down hull. He was repairing it. "When you were at school, we brought back the pieces we could find, and Saigon taught me a wood binding spell so I could fix him."
I took a sideways glance at the figurehead. "Aren't most boats considered 'she's'?"
"Yeah," he replied, reaching into the front of his tunic and producing a slice of bread. "But believe me, I would know. He was the King of Red Lions, and he could talk."
I had no choice but to trust him there. After all, if I had never known Rito or Koroks were real, they would've seemed rather far-fetched too. We both found rocks to sit on, ones worn smooth by the lake long ago.
Amused, I kept the subject going. "What did he say to you?"
"Mostly he just told me to get going, or hurry up, but sometimes we'd just have long conversations. Never let me get on to much when it came to his past, or anything, but still, when you're out on the sea, it's nice to have someone to talk to." He shrugged. "He doesn't talk anymore, though."
"Why's that?"
"That," he said, crumbling some of the bread into his hand. "Would take ages to explain."
I almost laughed bitterly. "You're so mysterious," I told him, not making eye contact, in case he entranced me in his spell.
He took a sideways glance at me. "I can't help it, there's so much to tell..."
"But do you ever plan on telling me?"
He avoided my eyes when I looked up at him. "Maybe. Maybe tonight, even. But then it would take past morning." I nodded slightly. "Anyway, I have another thing to show you, remember?" He dumped some crumbs into his hand, and, making curious cooing noises under his breath, slid it underneath the boat. He paused a few seconds, focused intently on the side of the boat, as it he could see through it. Then there was a short cackle, and he gently lifted a seagull away from the shadow.
It was wounded. Scratches, still oozing, stood out bright red against the white feathers of its breast, and Link had tied a strip of cloth around its left wing. "I found him on the beach, not so long ago. Don't know what got him, only that he needed help. Something broke his wing, but when that heals, he'll be alright, so for now, I'm feeding him and stuff." It was perched delicately on his finger, looking up at me with shiny black eyes as it nibbled at the bread. "I've called him La'vi; Medli told me that's a Hylian name for flight."
"It's nice," I said, as he ran a finger down the back of its neck. It closed its eyes; its eyelids were an eerie white. Link laughed a little.
"'E kinda reminds me of the seagulls Aryll used to keep around the house at Outset."
"Aryll?"
"She's my little sister. She's seven now. Seagulls loved her- there were always at least two or three of them circling 'round her head dawn till dusk." He smiled fondly and stroked La'vi again. "She would always do this sort of thing, finding wounded gulls and nursing them back to health. Trouble is, if you give a seagull food by hand, it won't want to leave you. So she kept most of them as pets."
"She sounds nice. I wish I could meet her sometime." I found myself wondering about my sibling, whom I had left behind. Shaking the thoughts from my head, I continued. "What was it like on the island?"
Link smiled, as if he had been hoping I'd ask. "Well, I was the oldest kid out of the four - there was only a few small families living there- and, to tell you the truth, I don't think I was a very good example to the others." He laughed a little, and startled La'vi.
"Why not?"
"Well, I was pretty lazy before Tetra came along." He drew a fist across his ribs. "You'd always find me sleeping somewhere, usually right in the middle of a patch of sun, or in my bunk on the bed. Every morning, Grandma would have to send Aryll out to find me and wake me up, because I always slept in so late, and the crabs won't catch themselves. It was a really small island, and I was the best at hunting them down."
"Sounds like you didn't have much to do," I said, as Link invited me to stroke La'vi.
"Nah, it was fun. Aryll'd be up at the watch tower pretending she was the queen of the seagulls, and sometimes I would be her knight. The most fun thing to do though was to go to Sturgeon's and read weird books, or take sword fighting lessons from his brother, Orca." He said this all with great enthusiasm. "Sometimes, I'd chase Aryll all over the island with a stick, saying I wanted to 'practice'. Grandma didn't approve, so I'd usually have to skip supper."
I laughed. "You sound like you were a little wild."
"Yeah, I was a stupid little kid." La'vi steadied himself by flapping his wings. "Usually, though, it was because Aryll had pulled some trick on me earlier, like sneaking up behind me and spilling well water all over me."
"That's funny; you don't seem to have a problem with getting wet," I said, recalling the time he'd 'rescued' Madame Ebony's bracelets.
"Well, it was just the fact that she'd do that to me, on purpose, I guess." He shrugged. "But you know me, the thought of no supper's like the thought of waking up early. I couldn't sleep those nights; my belly would be growling so much, I'd almost bet no one could. But then Aryll would show up and hand me some bread and cold crab, just enough to get me through the night. She was always so sweet... The last time I saw her, she was waving Tetra and Medli and the rest of us goodbye, her cute little smile on her face and those tears dripping down her cheeks, trying to be strong like the rest of us, growing smaller and smaller in the distance..." His voice cracked.
"Don't keep talking like that," I reached across the space between us and placed a hand on his shoulder. He reached up with his free hand to brush me off, but paused, locking his eyes on me.
His hand rose and touched mine, though I hardly noticed. I was entranced; this time he had me intentionally captured. I felt as if I were doing something wrong, awkward, and yet was filled with peace and understanding when he spoke. "I will see her again, you know, once our business here is finished. You're gonna help me find my sword, because you're one of us now." His eyes were alight now with a determined fire, burning now with sparks of hurt, kindled now by the strength of his heart.
"Wha- What do you mean, one of us?" It tingled on my tongue like some kind of ambrosic nectar.
He grinned a little with the excitement. "Tetra and Medli and Makar and me are connected by fate; we are the true New Hylians, as Tetra calls us. We were all born to support the balances of the Triforce somehow, and don't think it was coincidence that you found me on that beach. You're supposed to lead me to the Chichimara."
"Ha, not in a thousand years! You wanna get yourself eaten up?"
"If that's what it takes to get the Master Sword back," he said, not in the least bit disturbed. He placed La'vi on one shoulder, lifted my hand off the other, and held it gently in all ten fingers. He looked into my eyes expectantly.
"Wha? What makes you so sure that I know where he is?" I raised an eyebrow inquisitively.
"I had a dream... You were guiding me with this little stick in my mouth, right in a space between my teeth..."
"Uh, what?"
He laughed. "I think I was a horse..."
"Oh, the bit, then," I said, nodding.
"Yeah. There was another horse beside me- I think it was Tetra; it sure acted like her- and you were on my back, messing with that little- you called it the bit. It was kinda weird, but I felt this bottomless sort of desire to run..."
"Wait a second," I said, worming my hand out of his. "I had this dream, too... Just moments ago, in fact... Those horses were you?"
"Me and Tetra." He nodded vigorously. "You led us through a fence..."
"And then you shook me until I got off," I continued. "Why'd you do that?"
"I-I didn't want you on me when I fought," he murmured, just as amazed as I that our dreams had somehow been connected. "I was a horse; I could smell things, feel things, and I knew that wolf- the Chichimara, I think- was there, waiting for me. And... And then..."
"I kissed you,"
"You kissed me,"
"Yeah..." we said together, turning away from each other with a sheepish sort of air hanging between us.
"Then Tetra caught fire or something..." I continued after a moment. "And you fell down that hole."
"Yeah.... That was weird. My head was throbbing, and I hurt all over, and it was sort of wet... I mean, it must interpret as something, right?"
"I guess," I continued, somewhat doubtfully.
"Maybe I die," he said thoughtfully.
"What!? No, you can't!" I felt like leaping upon him and pinning him to the ground, so he'd never get out of my sight (of course, I didn't). La'vi looked very startled.
"Seagull-feathers, Anni! I'm joking, seriously." He looked at me as if I were the one with the problem, sliding his seagull back into the hull of the King of Red Lions.
"Well, I don't think it's very funny, considering... We've grown rather... fond of you around the Spilled Goblet, Saigon and the others and I, and being eaten just doesn't seem like a suitable death for one the likes of you."
"Being eaten doesn't seem like a suitable death for anyone, but it happens, doesn't it?" Link said, smiling in spite of himself. "It doesn't scare me. I've got through a lot of battles on the sheer will to reach my goal; it won't be any different this time."
I sighed, exasperated. "But how do you know?"
He turned his head in a birdlike sort of way, grinned and said simply, "Green's a lucky color, no denying that."
My lip curled, so I was half-smiling. "Hmm. I guess I won't be able to dissuade you, huh?"
He was satisfied. "Yeah. 'Long as I'm twelve through two hundred, no one's gonna get the fire outta me."
"Sure, sure," I said, amused. "But Ramoya sure came close."
"I didn't expect to be ambushed in a general store," he protested. "Speaking of her, though... Am I still signed up for the Tournament? I gotta know if I'm gonna fix the King in time."
"I dunno. If you are, it should come in a letter sometime, probably with my judging notice."
"That's good. That means when I get to the boat race, I can take you out on the sea with me."
"What? No!" I was shocked.
"What? I've seen the way you look at the ocean. You need to go out there someday."
"But... I-I... Wind and water are killers. I can't go out there."
"'K, but the wind is a personal friend of mine, and if that's what you're afraid of, I've got it under control. 'Course, y'do need wind to work a sailboat." He stood up and dusted himself off. "You gotta face your fears sometime."
"Well, I don't plan to," I said, a bit annoyed at the carefree tone he'd been using.
He grinned, a little dangerously, so that he resembled Tetra somewhat. "We'll see."
"Sure." I got up, feeling the draft through my light nightgown. I looked over at Link, surprised that so much valiance could thrive in such a small package; he was at least four inches shorter than me, and yet he could do anything he wanted to do, as if nothing held him back. Muu splashed against the horizon, in hot pursuit of a large fish. She caught it in midair and swallowed it whole in one swift motion. Then, she sunk slowly into the water, somewhat like a schooner with a hole in it.
"What was that contest you were going to judge?" He asked, tossing some bread into the hole in his boat.
"Boulviddarian fencing. I do it every year. Sometimes it seems like I'm the only one who judges right, with all the bias and bets going on. There are a lot of rules you've got to keep in mind."
"What kind of weapon do you use?"
"A dueling rake. Here, I'll show you." I walked off to the north, with Link following behind, his head cradled in his hands.
"The moon is nice tonight," he commented, his eyes lit with the stars. "Reminds me of a few nights..."
"The one Tetra keeps teasing you about?" He scratched his ear sheepishly.
"Yes, that and some other more... serious sorts of occasions. Not that the 'barrel incident' wasn't serious."
"Do tell," I said, hoping he couldn't see my satisfied smile in the dark. I thought I had somehow managed to catch him in a corner.
"Yes, well..." He sighed. "Okay." The darkness settled around us; the wind paused, tapping at the blades of shadowy grass in an expectant manner. "It'll be a little hard to explain unless I start at the beginning...
"It was on a morning, just like any other back at Outset- the seagulls were calling, the members of families had started on their daily jobs, and I was snoring on the watch tower, not a care in the world. Aryll, just like always, came to shake me awake. I asked her whether a guy could get some sleep around there or not, and she just smiled and rocked back and forth in her sandals, making her pigtails sway. Then, she tells me that I had slept halfway through my twelfth birthday, and as you can imagine, I almost fell backwards off the side of the watchtower- I was lucky there were barriers, really."
"You really were lazy, completely forgetting your birthday," I smiled, punching him in the shoulder.
"Yeah," he laughed. "Complete proof that the most dreamlike things happen once you wake up.
"So, Aryll tells me that Grandma's back at the house, waiting to give me a gift. I stretch myself a bit, and head over there- It was all the way across the island, but even that wasn't very far. I found her up in the loft, with that sad smile she has when she's thinking about tradition and the future, and then she gives me the tunic I'm wearing. You can imagine my disappointment," he kicked a stone, as if he still was upset. "No one likes getting clothes as a present, 'specially if you're expected to wear them in the wrong season, or, well, the wrong decade."
I laughed. "But now, you'd look a little strange in anything different."
"Of course I would," he said, looking quite self-satisfied. "It was the entire tradition of Outset Island, and the people who fled from the Old Mainland centuries ago- whenever a boy turned the age of the legendary Hero, he would dress in green garb and embark on a quest. 'Course, they dropped the quest part long ago- and me being lazy as I was, was NOT about to stray far from the shores. So there I was, out in the sun in these thick clothes, sweating, and having no idea what to do with myself. I returned to the watchtower, hoping to continue my nap, when my sister told me that she had another gift for me.
"She told me to close my eyes and hold out my hand, and I did so with a creeping suspicion that this was a trick of some sort, and when I'd open my eyes, I'd be holding a rock, or a crab or something- but when I did, I was clutching her most prized possession, a scarlet telescope with seagulls painted on it. Coyly, she told me that I could keep it for one day, and that I could use it right then if wanted to."
"She was sweet, then,"
"You have no idea," Link smiled, a little sadly.
"What kinds of things did you see?"
"I could watch all our neighbors doing who knows what in their yards- chasing pigs, cutting grass, and all the rest, but then, our Rito postman, a witty cock named Quill, caught my eye. He was depositing mail into our postbox, when all of a sudden, he looks up and panics, spraying sienna feathers everywhere. Aryll grabbed the end of the telescope, and crying out with fear, pushed it up to the sky, where I saw the sight that started up all the events that led us to you.
"It was a giant bird, the one I now know as the Helmaroc King. His beak was wickedly curved, his eyes were pale blue and pupil-less, and in his claws, he carried an unconscious girl, who looked about my age. He glided on wings that blocked out the sun all over the island, and he kept looking back over his shoulder."
"Why was that?" I asked; almost a bit too fast because it was getting exciting.
"Because just off the shore was a pirate ship, launching small boulders at him. One of their shots connected, hitting the bird in the face- it let out a horrible shriek, like a million dying seagulls, and dropped the girl. She plummeted to the heart of the Forest of the Fairies, a place high on the cliffs that no one dared enter. Aryll was half-fearful, half-excited as she tugged the hem of my tunic. 'Oh, Big Brother', she said in her dramatic Queen of the Gulls tone. 'She's fallen into the forest. Only a knight like you can help her now.' I looked at her guiltily. I wanted more than anything to sleep, but even I knew what she said was true, and so I went to our neighbor, Orca, to ask him about the situation. He brushed me up on my swordfighting, and gave me a small sword, making me promise I'd use it well. Then I headed off to the top of the cliffs, my feet trembling beyond my control in my boots."
"Oh, Din! What happened?"
"The cliffs of Outset were connected by one rickety old bridge. No one had bothered to fix it, since no one went to the other side anyway. I stood at the edge of this, sighing shakily and noticing all the missing boards, and then closed my eyes and ran. This wasn't the smartest thing to do; my feet landed on nothing more than once, and I got tons of scrapes and scratches, but I made it to the other side, scared out of my wits, if nothing else.
"I grit my teeth and stared into the forest ahead of me. The trees were huge, towering tens of feet above my head, and little light shone through anywhere among them. I stumbled in over knarled roots, and looking around frantically, turning at any sound that reached my ears. By the time I found a clearing, I was shaking all over. Staring across to the other side, I sighed in relief. That girl was hanging by her vest from a tree branch." He stopped suddenly. "You do know who she was, right?"
"Um..." I didn't recall any descriptions of the 'damsel in distress', so I shook my head.
"It was Tetra, of course. I'd never seen a girl dressed so strangely. She was still quite unconscious, and I was about to climb the tree to get to her when the wind whooshed above me in streaks of shadow. Unsheathing my sword, I took a breath and turned. Two large birds, long necked and similarly plumed to the Helmaroc King; the Kargorocs, sped into the sky, leaving behind a pair of Bokoblins. They were sort of impish creatures, with pig-like snouts and ears like those of keese. Both carried large sticks, and they babbled a bit with each other until they noticed me. They war-cried and advanced quickly- and I had to be quicker if I valued my life.
"Somehow, it wasn't what I'd expected." He shrugged and leapt over a root.
"Well, yes. It was obviously a planned ambush," I agreed, half stumbling as I hit the same snarl of weathered root.
"R'you all right?" he asked, cocking his head slightly and nodding when I nodded. "Anyway, I couldn't afford any time to stand shivering in my boots, so I met the first with the blade of my sword, blocking his stick. I wasn't very experienced then, you know, and the other crept up behind me and gave me a whack on the side, knocking the wind out of me. Then one snuck in a blow to my head, and I was left dizzy and trying to catch my breath on the ground a few feet away from them. They advanced rather curiously, probably wondering whether they'd killed me or not- they certainly had hit hard." He rubbed the back of his head, absentmindedly recalling the occasion. "One leaned in real close, so that his rank breath nearly choked me up again. I took the opportunity, grabbing the front of his shirt and slicing him neatly in half before he vanished in a puff of purplish dust.
"The other squealed and ran off, and I eased myself to my feet to chase him- I disposed of him quite quickly. Wiping the cold sweat off of my forehead, I looked to the trees, where Tetra hung. Her eyes flickered, and then widened as she realized where she was. She fought for a moment, her branch swaying dangerously, and I winced when it cracked and sent her, screaming, to the ground. I watched her curiously. She looked up at me, sighed and said, 'Oh, Din, what's with that getup?'" I'm sure his ears went pink, though it was hard to tell in the dark.
"So she always had that... how shall I put it... charm, then?" I inquired, smiling softly to myself.
"Yep, she's funny." He cradled his head in his arms and smiled back at me. "I had never heard such an odd tone of voice, and was wondering how to react, when Gonzo slashed his way through the brush, calling her name. He scolded her a bit, and she scolded him some, while I just stood, there having no idea what to do. Even when Gonzo brought me up to her, she tried to avoid the subject. Eventually, he and her pirates made their way out of the forest, and I followed them.
"When we emerged in front of the rickety bridge, I was greeted by Aryll's sweet voice, and the cawing of her seagulls across the emptiness of the cliffs. Despite the presence of the pirates, I grinned and yelled back over at her. Before I could tell her not to, she was hopping across the bridge. For some reason the hairs at the back of my neck stood up; suspicion hung in the air for a moment. Something just wasn't right. Flashes of demons shot through my head, sending a shiver down my spine. Then, a huge silhouette blocked out the sun, and I heard Tetra curse beside me. With that great piercing call, the Helmaroc King glided from nowhere, stretched out his gigantic talons, and scooped up my sister. She called out to me, fear spreading in her voice, and I felt so burning hot with anger that I began running after him."
"But surely... You stopped, didn't you; you were so high up..."
"Nope," he said, shaking his head rapidly. "Fell straight off the edge of the cliff. Tetra caught me by the wrist. I don't think she actually meant to, either, but there she was, cursing herself for her impulse and struggling a bit with my weight. She called me stupid, and a bunch of other things, but I was pretty immune to it all, since I was in shock."
"You poor soul," I said, completely forgetting the events that had ruined my life previously, although a small part of me longed to compare them with his. I was a sensitive old fool, I suppose, but maybe I still am now.
"Nah, don't worry about it," he said, grinning lopsidedly and cockily raising an eyebrow. "I knew I was gonna rescue her from the start.
"The pirates had set anchor right up in front of Grandma's house. Tetra brought up word on leaving the island to pursue the Helmaroc King, and for the first time, I spoke, telling her that I was going to come with her. At first, those blue eyes went as big and round as a couple of saucers, but before anyone other than me could notice, she was laughing her head off. And to tell you the truth, I really didn't find it that funny.
"I persisted, but there was no way to convince her. Just when I thought I ought to give up, Quill, our post-Rito, butted into the conversation. You should've seen them argue! We might'a had to pull 'em off of each other, hadn't Tetra finally given in. She told me grudgingly that I could come with them, 'long as I brought something to use as a shield. Cheerily as I could (which wasn't much, since I was very upset), I headed off to Grandma's house, because that's where the family shield hung on the wall. I came and found it gone, only a space between the leaves that had framed it. I heard a shuffling behind me, and there was Grandma, bending over the shield which had done nothing but hang there for ages. She wiped a bit of dust off of the top ridge and glanced up into my eyes. A sad air between us, she and I stood there, both feeling a bit guilty about ourselves; I took in her query on the fact I had a sword strapped to my back, and where I was going, and what had happened to Aryll. Usually she was quite a potent person, but now she seemed quiet, confused, and altogether faded, as if one could see straight through her.
"Kinda how you see me sometimes?" The question came so suddenly out of the midst of his tale, that at first, I wasn't aware that I'd been asked anything.
"Er... Well, I suppose you return to your past quite a lot... You journey through time within the confines of your mind, I suppose." I was unsure- a bit embarrassed in fact; my answer had been like that of one years older than I. Hah, I laughed silently to myself. As if I could relate. I had blocked out my past, rather than looking back upon it as Link so vividly did. Beside me, he smiled, the moonlight glittering in the sideways glance he gave to me.
"Ah, well. Time is the heartbeat to our world, much like the wind is her breath," he sighed, seconding my comment with one as profound. He sank back into his tale as suddenly as he had left it, and now I nearly closed my eyes in my determination to travel with him into the very depths of his twisted past.
"Grandma smiled sadly, old times and tears appearing behind her usually cheery, bright eyes. Quietly, she handed me the shield, and told me to hurry up; I'd keep Tetra waiting. I smiled back at her and whispered my goodbye, and then reluctantly closed the door behind me. But through the windows I could hear her murmuring to herself;
The Sea is broad and hopes are bare;
Fill the sail of a sailor's dare.
On gull's wings my love glides to thee;
Will the Winds of Time blow you back to me?"
He whispered the words in a way so that it sounded as if the wind itself were reciting the old nautical rhyme, and then paused for a moment before continuing. "Outside the doors, I recovered my nerve. I was more afraid than I'd ever been before, and yet, I just had to see my poor sister to safety. Presently, I appeared before Tetra, trying hard not to shake, trying hard not to swallow. Soon, my tiny island home would be miles away, a speck on the endless sea, and then there was I, who felt even smaller than that as Tetra grabbed my arm, firm yet gently, and dragged me onto the ship.
"Her boat, of course, was huge. Trembling ever so slightly, I stood alone on the prow, watching the small families of Outset gather at the dock. At least, I thought I was alone. Tetra appeared behind me somehow, shocking me with the sound of her voice. She taunted me, tried to kill my courage and strand me back on the island with nothing but worry, but I solidly told her that I was going to go, no matter how horrible she made it for me. Of course, she grinned at that."
"Of course," I agreed, knowing where Tetra got her amusement.
"Senza rang the gong, the tone loud and echoy in my ears, and I swallowed hard. The people of Outset were cheering, sending me good wishes, but I was immune to them as they grew smaller and smaller in the distance. And, just when I thought it was too late, Grandma appeared on the porch waving goodbye to me; and I waved back until my arms were tired, and she was hardly visible on the horizon. Tetra retched, as she'll do, and demanded that I go down and work with Niko. I rolled up my sleeves. What was the use of arguing?
"I met him deep in the dim, candlelit belly of the ship, where the mousey fellow, who insisted himself superior despite his short height, squeaky voice and comical behavior, set me to work. I'd always been taught to obey my elders though," He shrugged, "So I did I was told, even when it seemed ridiculous. Apparently, Tetra had told him to make me do every one of the most humiliating jobs in the book of pirating chores. I found myself chipping bits of dirt out from between the planks of the wood floor with a small stick, then cleaning it, then cleaning it again, doing laundry, carrying it across the deck without a basket, dropping it all ('cept a sock) from slipping on the wet floor, and being forced to clean the whole lot of it again. All the while, Tetra had set up pirates to mock me around each corner; even she herself would show up for a good laugh. But they were like raindrops on a seagull's back, simply slipping off; it didn't bother me at all in the end.
"Then, Niko started the bet. He told me that if I could swing across a room on some ropes he'd give me something, and, warily I did. It was easy, too. Of course, he hadn't been expecting me to actually do it in less than a year, and so he was twitchy and about as nervous as a rat behind the wall. He gave me the Spoils Bag and demanded me, quite uneasily, to keep quiet. I hadn't the faintest idea why, but I obeyed.
"Tetra called me to the crow's nest after a few hours and pointed out the nest of the Helmaroc King, high up on a chain-ridden tower of the mysterious black series of battlements that was the Forsaken Fortress. The place glowed with searchlights, and the eerie silhouettes of dastardly creatures could be seen through the windows. With her sharp eye, she directed my view to where the seagulls gathered at a window. This was the place where the bird- and, other entities I had yet to discover- held Aryll prisoner. I asked Tetra how we were going to penetrate the great walls, but she didn't seem worried at all. She offered me some bread and juice, which I gladly took; I was really hungry after the distress of the whole day. Then, right in the middle of my drink, I blacked out."
"She drugged you?!"
Link gave me a sideways look and nodded. "Sure, you don't underestimate Tetra. You never know what crazy things go through her mind.
"I woke up slumped over in the bottom of a barrel, covered in bruises. Slowly, I rose to my feet, and was greeted immediately by Tetra, who stood off to the side, a meter or two below me, adjusting a rope on some sort of contraption. She asked me whether I had a headache, and smirked a bit when I said I didn't. It was odd... I looked about suspiciously and found to my complete horror that my barrel was set on the ship's catapult. I wiggled a little, trying to make it so that the barrel would fall off the side and tip me out: if that had happened, I would've given them the chase of their lives, for sure- but the barrel was, at the time, much too heavy for me to budge.
"Tetra tried to reassure me in her own way, which, as you know, isn't very reassuring at all. I just had to face the fact that I was going to be launched. With a fierce tremor of terror coursing through my shoulders, I shut my eyes, bracing myself fervently in cold, sickening anticipation of what was to come...
"And then, it happened." He gestured enthusiastically in the air. "Tetra must've let out some sort of goodbye to me, but there was no room for any other sound as my yell pierced through the night! I don't know how I kept my eyes open, with the fierce speed of the cold, stinging air stabbing at them! My knuckles white as I gripped the edge of the speeding barrel, I soon realized that the pirates' aim was off- and then I hit the wall a few feet from Aryll's window with such force, the barrel burst to smithereens, and I was dashed hard against it. Dizzy with the pain of the impact, I plummeted down into the black water below.
"The water was cold enough to bring me back to my senses. I cursed Tetra under my breath as I forced myself onto a safe-looking dock. I heard her scold me for it and was surprised to find a glowing green stone hanging round my neck. With this, she gave me the grand idea to hide under a barrel to sneak past the dunderhead guards, because my sword was gone, lost sometime during the fall. Her stone scolding me all the way through, she helped me (watching me from a distance with her telescope) joust the control-blins off the battlements where the searchlights were, and sneak my way to the place where my sword lay. Of course, that came after many spans of time when Tetra couldn't see me, or me getting caught by some of the smarter Moblin guards and being thrown into an easily escapable cell. I was quite battered and bruised by the time I was fighting the Bokoblin guard with my re-acquired sword. When I had done away with him, I pressed open the heavy iron door with my whole side. I was in the uppermost tower of the Fortress, which was lit dimly with candles on the wall.
"I ran straight into the middle of the room- seagull-feathers, I was a stupid wretch back then- and looked to the side where wooden bars cast shadows along the ground. This was the jail cell. Hurriedly, I looked at the occupants; a wide-eyed, richly dressed blond girl, a shorter one that wore rags who eyed me with flickering eyelashes, and the one who stared longingly out the tiny window- she looked backward and her eyes were green. Aryll! Now that I was up here, I wondered how I was going to get her, with the jail cell locked and no signs of easy escapes. She was awed, running to the bars, so happy that I was to rescue her- and then she stopped. At first I wondered why. Then there came the sound of wing beats falling heavily behind me and I only had a second to look over my shoulder and freeze in terror before the Helmaroc King scooped me up in his huge beak. The sharp edges biting into my sides, he flapped his wings and carried me up and out of the tower. I was terrified; any moment he could've thrown back his head and swallowed me whole- he was certainly big enough to make a meal out of me- but though he seemed interested, tightening his grip and pressing on my side with his tongue, he did not. The world splayed out dizzyingly beneath me as I helplessly dangled there- Tetra's ship lay almost invisible against the dark water to the south, and I hopelessly watched as their white sails went up as they prepared to leave, presuming me dead, eaten. I closed my eyes tightly- I was now lost to everyone I'd ever known in the world.
"The bird's smooth glide changed to a hover, bobbing up and down. He had brought me to a balcony lit with faint candles, but the shadows prevailed over all. Instinctively, I shivered. He was there. I'm not saying I knew him at the time, but the sight of that no- faced pillar of shadow, sinister as it was, did not come as a comfort. He eyed me lazily; I thought I saw him grin, but it was too dark to tell. After a moment, he made a nonchalant whisking motion with his head. Throw him out. And the bird obeyed, chucking me out across the ocean with unbelievable strength."
He yawned loudly. "I blacked out sometime- probably when I hit the water. Anyway, can't go on all night like this."
"I suppose not," I sighed. "There's the barn, anyway." I pointed to an awkward little building, cradled in the spiral of our hill, surrounded by trees. A small pond was placed in front of it, with wild geese floating drowsily within. I wished we had all night to discuss Link's adventures, but I'd told him I was going to show him dueling rakes, and, by Din, I was going to.
'The barn' is a phrase too little to even give you a glimpse of what we were actually approaching. This building, with its half-hearted 'Keep Out' signs plastered to the outer walls, and its wind vane, which swayed back and forth, was the store room of my mother's beast collection- from the docile to the dangerous.
I grabbed the shovel which lay propped against the door. Muttering under my breath, I lit an old lantern by way of magic. "You ready?" I asked Link, turning towards him and grabbing the knob behind me. He had been reading some of the notices curiously.
"Of course. Why all the signs though?" Instinctively, he grasped the air where his sword would've been, then remembered and gave up. I just nodded and opened the door a crack.
Immediately, a set of huge, slobbery jaws began snapping open and shut just beyond the door. Used to this, I smacked the wretched creature's snout hard with the shovel. "Meet Tailo," I said, rolling my eyes. Link raised his eyebrows a bit, as the beast whimpered within. "C'mon."
I strode in, and Link soon after. The lantern-light revealed cages and the creatures within – a bunch of rats busily sewing a dress onto a mannequin, an enormous bat with ears that touched the floor, hanging upside down; some moths, faintly glowing. And beyond, the hunched green and grey body of Tailo shuddered. He was a Wendigo, a large lizard-like demon with a body like rubber and a throat pouch like that of a frog. Before my mother had rescued him (He'd somehow eaten a large rock, which had made it difficult for him to walk), he had been a ruthless man-eater. Now he ate more appealing things; apples, pigs, even whole cows from time to time. He had then promised Mother he would never taste human flesh again. However, Link was the type he would've chased after in the 'old days'- as he called them- and he began trying in his horrible way to tease the poor boy.
As I scanned the walls, searching for the rakes among the multitudes of hung metal tools, and Link sat down on a hay bale, Tailo shuffled up rather sheepishly behind me, his chains clinking on the ground. "So, I see you brought boy today." He made the nasty smacking noises he often does, and then one in his throat that sounded like bones being snapped in two.
"No." I said without looking at him, gripping the shovel tighter.
"Just a little-"
"Oh, stop."
He whimpered. I found the dueling rakes and thrust the best one into Link's hands. "Feel free to smack 'im around a bit if he bothers you."
"Er, okay. What's his deal?"
Nonchalantly, I took my pick of the remaining rakes and leaned against one. "Oh, he's just teasing you, that's all. You'd have made him a fair meal in when he was still allowed to eat human."
"How... nice." Link raised his eyebrows a bit and looked down at the beast, who began scratching guiltily at the ground with his claws.
When Link began to inspect my search again, Tailo warily scuffled up a little closer to him, wistfully licking his lips. Link drew back towards the corner slightly. Tailo snorted at this. "Quite a small one, aren't you?" he murmured, grinning.
"I manage." Link gripped his rake, reassured at the sight of the blades.
"Might even be able to slip past the collar," the beast continued, gesturing to the metal ring around his throat. He had to take it off every four weeks, when we fed him, as it served the reasonable purpose of preventing his swallowing anything thicker than him.
"I'd rather not talk about it, thank you," Link replied. I poked Tailo in the backside with the sharp tips of my weapon.
"Oh, stop." I growled.
"Bones to you," snarled Tailo. "Why can't I tease him a bit? As much as I'd like to eat him," He gave Link a wide, toothy grin, "I know my restrictions, particularly in the situation I'm in. I'll keep my promises. A predator does his best to save his hide from those stronger than him."
"Darn right," I said stiffly, but Tailo whipped his tail impatiently, glancing at the clock on the wall.
"You think I'm talking about humans? If I hadn't made that promise to your mother, Anni – and a Wendigo never breaks a promise- I would overtake and gobble up the two of you right now. Nah, I'm talking about something stronger, something even I can fear. And that pointy-eared boy has been claimed already."
"Link, actually," the boy said, nodding his head in quick introduction. "What are you talking about?"
"What am I talking about? Wouldn't you like to know?" Tailo began pawing nervously at the ground again. "He's marked YOU," He jabbed a blunt claw at Link's chest, "Down as prey- If I killed you, he'd kill me. Or maim me. Told me himself."
"But who is he, exactly?" Link's brow was furrowed.
Tailo took a breath, let it out, and said very quietly. "The Chichimara- he's been lurking around here for a few nights, threatening me as if I knew anything..."
"But do you know anything?" I shot in.
"No...Er, yes... I don't know..." He was utterly confused and uneasy. He sighed. "Before your mother Cydelidele rescued me, I was... a familiar to him- out of fear, of course. He made me do his chores; lure the right people to him... I didn't think I'd have to worry when I came onto the property- he knows my situation well. But now YOU are HERE of all places- oh, dear..."
"Wha-" Link began to protest.
"Don't join the Tournament! He's going to ambush you there, and-" Link shut the Wendigo's long jaws with his hands.
"But why, Tailo, why me?"
He let Tailo go. "He's been searching for you for years. Even he had a master at one point, and he said that... that you had struck the two of them down. Chichimara is after revenge now- he says that he's stronger now than he used to be- oh, dear..." Tailo glanced up at the clock on the wall again- it was almost midnight. He glared at us. "You shouldn't be here! Not at this time, not at this place! He'll kill the lot of us! Hurry!" He glanced quickly around, then snatched Link up in his jaws and placed him in the hayloft above. Before I could protest, he did the same with me, shoving me into an empty apple crate, right on top of Link. The nervous beast pulled down the lid so that we were stuck inside, with only two or three inches of space at the bottom to peek through. "Please be quiet!" Tailo warned us, and slithered out of sight. The lantern was put out.
There was a moment of confusion in the cramped apple crate while we adjusted ourselves, trying to find out whose limbs were whose, and apologizing over and over again under our breaths. Somehow we finally got situated, and even though it was uncomfortable, we had no choice but to lay there and peer through the crack.
Tailo was asleep- or pretending to be asleep- on the floor. In the distance, the clock tower of Boulviddar chimed dully twelve times, and then there were only the lonely sounds of our breathing, and the clock ticking on the wall. The tip of Link's warm, hard ear pressed against my temple, I grew tense. There was a coldness here...
Then there was a knock on the door. Tailo shuddered and opened an eye. Boards creaked with weight, and the door opened- but the one who entered kept to the shadows.
"Worm, wake up, you lazy fool. It's a wonder I don't kill you and leave it at that. You've grown fat and indolent from lack of the hunt."
"Yes, well," Tailo stammered. "Humans do make fine companions. They're a little more than just food. After all, they can do many things we can't, you know."
The being snorted. "Humans, eh? Ha." He seemed extremely upset. And then he stepped into a column of moonlight. Link tensed beside me, and I knew why.
We saw the form of Chichimara, and immediately everything was explained. It was the slim, short structure of none other than Link himself, glaring (in a way the real Link never would) at Tailo. He held himself a little differently than Link, his shoulders shifting uncomfortably, and his feet a bit farther apart than necessary. "You say these things about humans, and you've never been one," the creature sighed, using a borrowed voice. As he leaned forward, the moonlight caught in his eyes and a reddish glint shone off the backs of them like cat's eyes. Over his left shoulder, a sword was sheathed, one with a long hilt. Gilded triangles were embellished on what we could see of the blade. Link silently nudged me, and I knew that it was the Master Sword- but, as hard as I looked, it somehow didn't hold the splendor the others had hinted on; it was nothing but an old sword.
Chichimara stretched a hand out before him, shifting it a bit as he looked at himself. "Humans can do anything? Hah.Honestly, I feel like I'm made of glass- these puny bones are gonna shatter any minute. And, Worm, each time you let out a wheezy breath, it's all I can do to keep myself from falling over." He diverted his eyes to the beast with unsettling speed. "This shouldn't be hard at all."
"Of course not," Tailo agreed, nodding. "If the boy looks anything like you-"
"Of course he looks like me, Worm: transformation essences are never wrong when an experienced Shapeshifter uses them."
"Well, he appears to be quite a scant creature, don't you think, Sir? You'll quite a quick meal of him to be sure."
"Naturally. I can feel his hot blood on my tongue already." He licked his lips.
"But, Sir, if I may," And Tailo was sheepish at this point. "Won't you still be hungry afterwards?"
Chichimara grinned very widely at his companion, showing a set of glistening teeth that was not human at all. His eyes became luxurious slits, half open. "I thought about that too, but there's nothing to worry about. Worm, he's part of a set of two."
"Two?"
"Yes, two." He began pacing back and forth across the barn, right underneath our apple crate. "Apparently," (he turned around) "When he is dead, another will come to avenge him- Princess Zelda of Hyrule." Link quivered slightly beside me. "They're like lemmings, only they taste better," he said fondly, with relish. "And a princess, at that!"
"Yes, that's all quite well and good- well, very good, in fact, but where does Lanir fall into this? He gave you such a hard time about McMiylan, and the Crowsy Brothers, and all those other legendary folk... Won't he try to interfere?"
"Dead!" Chichimara's lips curled into a sharp smirk as he saw Tailo's surprise. "The Tournament will be nothing for the boy but his downfall! Just yesterday Lanir came sniveling over to my lair, as usual with the 'how can you do this killing of the innocent?' and such. This time I managed to transform him, and I had to chase that wretch with all my might to get a swipe in."
"And then you devoured him." Tailo said, sounding upset as he predicted the usual ending.
Chichimara looked at him strangely. "No. Animals are much better at getting away than humans, and I lost him. But he was bleeding badly, and I saw him fall into the sea."
"You really think he's gone? Lanir's got powerful magic with him. How can you be sure he's really dead- Sir?"
"WORM! How dare you question my judgment?!" The dark Link whirled on Tailo. "Perhaps tonight I should sup on your flesh. My transformation essence is losing its power, and Link can always wait, as I have his sword." Eyes narrow slits, he stepped menacingly toward the wretched Wendigo, cracking his knuckles.
Tailo cowered in the corner. "I-It will be a lovely addition to your collection, t-to be s-sure!" Nervously, he eyed Chichimara as he advanced. "Don't eat me!" The Wendigo shielded his eyes, and then, with a quick glance in our direction, said: "You could try one of those apples up there." He said it as if he was going to betray us, but luckily, he had chosen something most harmless and unappetizing to his intimidating master, as to keep his attention away from the box.
The Dark Link drew back in disgust. "Apples! Nasty human food!" He turned away in revulsion. "Plants. Whose stupid idea was that, anyway?" He paused, then turned those shifty eyes back to Tailo, and a dryly amused sort of smirk appeared on his lips. "You have a stableboy?"
Tailo drew down his guard. "Excuse me?"
"A stableboy. Don't think I can't smell him-" He sniffed. "Or them. The place reeks of human."
"Oh, yes..." whimpered the Wendigo, eyeing our crate and shifting nervously. "He left- a quarter hour before you arrived, actually, Sir." Such lies! And to think, poor Tailo had the guts to utter them!
Chichimara looked at him suspiciously. "Pity. I could've used a snack-" He sniffed the air again. "Are you sure he doesn't have overtime?" Tailo nodded, a bit too quickly. "Are you hiding something from me, Worm?" He scanned the hayloft distrustfully, and Link and I were careful to stay in the shadows, not moving a single muscle, for if we were found, Link would be eaten up as a long awaited midnight snack, and quite a variety of things could happen to me. I certainly hoped I didn't resemble a princess in the slightest, for fear of the Chichimara's devouring me, too. If we perished here, no one would know what had happened to us.
There we cowered, helpless- the reddish glare of the Dark Link's eyes never connected with ours, and yet it always seemed so close. Each moment I was afraid that those tight lips would spread into a smirk, that he would throw open the lid of the crate and find us there, vulnerable, terrified! And he would turn into something horrid- pitch black with yellow claws, long white teeth and glowing red eyes, and slashing his fangs and nails to bring down the boy, my only comfort, beside me.
The piercing glance subsided. Link and I let out silent breaths of relief. Tailo did too. "Do you," muttered the Dark Link. "Know anything about the boy? Anything at all? Did Siagon, or that... what's her name... Anni come 'round here with him?"
"Uh... Yeah, Anni- she did."
"When?"
"Uh," Tailo glanced at the clock. "Around twelve."
Chichimara eyed him fiercely. "I'm assuming they're long since tucked into bed right now..." He grinned, as if he were plotting to slay us in our sleep. "I don't know enough about human children to know how late they stay up- but you would, wouldn't you, Worm? Used to hunt them in the old days."
"Huh? Oh, yes, yes." When his master gave him the eye to continue he did. "Uh, the only way they would be caught out now is if they were trying to meddle- and I assure you, Sir, Anni is sensible enough not to get herself and others mixed up in things that aren't her business."
Ha, but look at me now, thought I.
Dark Link looked doubtful, but shrugged. "And I look just like him, right?"
Tailo nodded. "Perfect, Sir."
"What's he like?"
"Um, polite, I guess."
"Ha! And everyone thinks I'm him! Humans have seen me steal transformation essence ingredients as him- they must think he's a dirty rat by now. He won't be missed."
"You said that about Cydelidele too, Sir, and...many mourned." Tailo swallowed hard, and I inched closer. My mother!
"I was trying to do you a favor, Worm." Chichimara stared blankly at Tailo. "You might've joined me again if Cydelidele wasn't there to stop you."
"She didn't- she wasn't- She changed me, Sir."
"Shame too. You were such a skilled hunter- but then, you were getting old." Tailo inflated his throat sac indignantly. Chichimara cracked his knuckles. "I wouldn't try it if I were you, Worm." He glanced out the window. "Being a storm is something else- you feel like you have all the power in the world." Grinning at the prospect, he peered back at the Wendigo. "Mm, all the power in the world. Appetizing, is it not?" Tailo drew back and shook his head. "Is it this Siagon holding you back? Or this Anni? I'll snap them like twigs when I get the chance- if it will make you join me again, Worm."
"I have my loyalty, Sir." Tailo inflated himself even larger.
"But why isn't it mine, Worm?"
"What you play are youth's games- killing for the joy of killing, not for necessity."
Chichimara folded his arms across his chest. "It isn't my fault you Wendigoes will prance about like a spoiled dog when someone hands you a bowl of cream. I favor blood over brown sugar, thanks- It keeps the mind sharp, the body strong- you become a sleek, swift predator."
Tailo raised an eyebrow. "Somehow I recall that you yourself- the dastardly predator- once took cream and sugar from a certain master in the past."
This was the Chichimara's turn to be guilty. "Ganondorf created me! How could I not take what he gave me from his table? I was like a son to him- the one he would never have due to his pitiful Gerudo race.
"I was constructed from Link's inner fear and then a bit of his shadow; both," He paused, "Very hard to get. Master sat high on his horse and terrified the pathetic boy, and gathered it all then, with a blast of his great power. How could I not be loyal to him?"
"You were AFRAID of him, Sir, and yet you wanted his power."
The Dark Link paid Tailo no mind. "All through my life, he trained me. I would be his worst weapon when the boy awakened after seven years- and he called me Shadow from my dark appearance. I grew as the boy's shadow- miles away for all I knew- matured, and finally my Father sent me out to strike him down- but I failed him."
"Hmm. Sir, you told me you'd never been beaten?" Tailo hid his satisfaction in the dark, along with himself.
"I won't be again! I was weak then! Link had lost his fear, and so the spark that was in me died out almost completely. I became shapeless, and hid at the feet of human buildings for years, listening to the painful tales of Link's conquering my Father. Until I returned, here in the pathetic little town of Boulviddar! I found new shapes, dozens of them, and now I am legend enough to rival even his!"
Tailo sat up as confidently as he could. "But Sir, Link beat you once- couldn't he beat you again?"
The Dark Link had vanished into the black along with everything else. Link and I tried to find him lurking somewhere, but this was in vain. We only knew when Tailo had let out a pitiful cry, bloody slashes between his eyes. Chichimara stepped out of the darkness, his fingers somehow dripping with scarlet, a splatter of blood on his face. His eyes slits, turned to Tailo, he smirked. He tasted the blood on his fingers without the slightest contempt.
"Hm. Fate, bring Link to me; might his blood drip from my fingers as well." He winked, and, with animal speed, was gone. Tailo was left whimpering in the dark.
I let out a sigh of relief and threw open the apple crate.
Link was upset for some reason. But somehow, for the moment, we wouldn't, couldn't, utter words and communicate our worry. After all, it had been a tense night.
Silently, I lifted a dueling rake, the blades shining in the faint light of the moon, like a bleached set of rib bones.
"Is this weapon enough to suit your needs, Link?"
And though he sat there crouching in the apple crate, knees clutched to his chest, his face turned away, I noted a smile form on his lips.