Lovely Little Chats

"No one hurts my nephew without taking a good beating!" she heard Daruk's usually cheerful voice boom with rage, "Take that you oversized gremlin!"

Zelda crawled across the floor in search of her sacred sword. She needed to find it! It was the key to her and Link's survival. Without it she couldn't imagine making it out alive or taming the beast.

"Can someone please turn on the lights? This is becoming quite unfair." She heard the insufferable voice of Misko ask their attacker.

Find the sword and then find Link.

She felt air whiz past her right ear and a blunt force hit the place where her head had been a second ago. Her eyes widened. She'd run out of time, and she was at the mercy of this terrifying attacker. Without her sword and blind in the dark, instinct was all she had left. She hoped it would be enough.

Zelda rolled to the right where her attacker had already struck once. She felt the dent in the floor as she rolled over it then heard the attacker slam their sword down on the left side of her. She hated being one step away from death only a guessing game keeping her alive. The slam felt like it had slammed her heart. If she had chosen to roll left, she would have been dead.

Zelda gulped then shot up quickly. Rolling around on the floor was most surely a fool's errand. Through all the chaos she had lost track of Link's position. She hoped…no…she trusted… that he was fine. Oh Hylia, please let him be hiding or running to get away from the danger. At this moment, without her sword, she could do nothing to save him if a threat were to present itself to him. She winced at the thought. If she failed to find the sword the threat would present itself to him any minute…she hated to think what would happen.

Find it! Find it! Find it!

The yells of Arnen, Misko and Daruk rang across the room yet not a sound came from Link.

Stop worrying! Trust him! Trust yourself! He'll be fine.

If only the sword would appear in her hands, or that the lights would go on. Zelda was not one to be religious, but she prayed to any force that looked down upon this fiasco. She prayed to Hylia that it would appear but to no avail. The sword did not present itself.

Zelda heard a war cry from Daruk. Across the room, Daruk was fighting his own battle, probably with another of Ganondorf's henchmen. Arnen and Misko were most likely fighting alongside him. She couldn't help them. She had to grapple with the attacker that was targeting her. It was a fight to the death, one on one and she intended to finish it with the attacker dead and her alive.

She heard another whiz in the air heading straight towards her chest. She slid gracefully to the side out of the thirsty blade's way. Zelda smirked when she heard the attacker growl disapprovingly at their miss. She took the opportunity and used it well.

Through the dark she pinpointed where the attacker would have been positioned when they missed her. Her hand shot out and she grabbed their right wrist. It felt as though it was filthy with the same substance that clung to her own hand. A disgusting, slimy texture that she knew too well.

Before they could twist out of her grip, she grabbed their shoulder and swung her other hand to the attacker's other shoulder. Gracefully, she jumped, wrapped her legs around their abdomen and found their neck with her hands. Zelda took great pleasure when she hung tightly to their body, clung onto their neck and a stifled choking sound echoed through the hot air. She may have been choking Arnen unintentionally earlier but now she was choking the attacker with all her might.

She had a few seconds of mirth and triumph believing that she could retrieve their sword and weaken them enough in a choke hold to slay them easily with their very own weapon. Things didn't work out that way.

She had made one terrible mistake.

Their arms were free.

The attacker gasped for air then a weak chuckle escaped their lips. They suddenly surged forward, bent at the waist and unhooked her arms from their neck with their free hands. Zelda found herself flying through the air only to slam into the painfully hard floor…again.

"Oh, Hylia…" she mumbled, tiredly.

Then, she realized that the attacker had made their own terrible mistake.

They had let go of their sword to stop her choke hold.

Zelda smirked as she leapt up from the floor again. She didn't want a repeat of last time with her rolling along the floor left or right in 'The Guessing Game of Death". She knew exactly what the attacker was going to do next. They were going to retrieve the sword.

And we can't have that, can we?

Trying to determine as quickly as possibly their position, she took literally, a leap of faith. She leapt as high as she could into the air, prepared to land her foot into the attacker's chest, stomach, abdomen, any body part would do. Well, preferably a key body part.

When she came down…she didn't exactly hit where she wanted to. Instead, she found her foot planted in the side of the attacker, but it was enough to throw them off balance and impair their quest to find the sword. She heard a curse escape their mouth as they toppled over onto the floor.

Zelda didn't dare begin her search for either their sword or her own sword now. The attacker would be on their feet any second but now the fight had evened a bit with both of them bladeless. Now she had a chance to win this.

"Smart…I didn't think a foolish girl like you would be able to disarm me…though you should have done it quicker." A voice came from the front of her.

Zelda had no intention to answer and instead took the opportunity to listen and zone in on their position. She aimed to punch them directly in the face and sent her fist flying but it only met air.

"Foolish, again. You should know the most valuable advantage of the dark is the element of surprise. It wouldn't be quite a practical thing to reveal your position and then to remain there. You should know better."

Stop, giving me lectures and fight me, coward!

The voice had come from her left. Without a second thought, she made a fist with her gloved hand and sent it to meet the voice. Instead of meeting a body or air as she expected it to, her gloved fist met a hand that which was plagued by the black substance which closed around her own plagued hand gloved fist.

The foe's hand closed upon her fist, sending pain streaking up her arm. It felt as if it was crushing her fingers. She winced silently. Zelda didn't dare let out a sound for the attacker would hear. She wouldn't dare show a sign of weakness against an obviously powerful foe.

"I need you to tell me something." the attacker spoke again.

Zelda gritted her teeth against the pain, as the hand closed tighter upon her fist. Then, she smirked through the darkness though she was sure the attacker couldn't see.

"I don't need to tell you anything." Zelda hissed, she lifted her leg and kicked the place that was known to bring pain to even the bravest of men.

The hand that held such a tight firm upon her fist instantly let go. The once brave voice that mocked her and spoke to her yelped and she heard the attacker slump to the floor in pain. Zelda twisted around and ran without looking back at the attacker a second time. She had won this battle but not found her sword, not yet. After grappling hand on hand with her attacker she felt sure her foe didn't have her sword either.

As she sprinted away from her foe's crumpled form only three things were on her mind.

Get the sword, find Link, and tame the beast. Simple.

This room must have been huge since Zelda felt as though the darkness would forever shroud this place. Nearly winded from the sprint she felt a cold slim thing underneath her foot. She might not have noticed the coolness if they were in any other place than Goron since the heat in the beast was awful and not to mention the sweat, she had built up during the fight.

Zelda felt as though she had been reunited with something long lost as she bent down to examine what she had stepped upon. Then she touched the familiar strong handle of her sword and her eyes lit up. She had found it finally…She sighed. If only she, had it during the fight, she could have struck the attacker down.

I bet the attacker was the old man. It must have been.

Zelda stared down at the sword that was barely visible in the darkness, only a slimmer of steel shined back.

I wonder why the Master Sword became lost when I fought that old man. Odd.

She shook her head, she had found the sword, one thing down and two more to go.

Find Link and tame beast.

Zelda clamped her hand around her sword firmly, afraid it would leave her hand once more and afraid that the old man would make a reappearance. However, he didn't…thankfully. Groping through the darkness may have been one of the scariest and most exhilarating things she had done in her life so far. Though she wished this could be over soon.

The dread that Link might be dead was too much to take. Link was a good person, she had to save him. This beast's security was raised up much more than the first time one they tamed.

A sliver of light bled out into the ebony darkness.

Zelda smiled, glad that the light had finally appeared and hoping that the other four had made some progress with taming the beast. A set of staircases was illuminated by the golden light.

Zelda climbed up the steps, her sword dragging behind her and clinked as she traversed up each step.

Maybe, they're taming the beast now…hopefully.

As the hot searing light that had once been a sliver of hope fully reached her eyes did the scene truly become clear. The smell of burning swept past her, the lavafalls sprayed bits of its dangerous liquid. Her smile faded from her flushed face.

Oh…great.

What greeted her was not the battle cries of warriors and progress on the beast but a lifeless, empty arena. No Prince Link running around. No Misko or Arnen doing… whatever it is they do. No Daruk swinging around a mighty fist…nothing.

Hot air rushed past her face, rustling her hair slightly though it was already in disarray so the breeze didn't make much of a difference. Zelda blinked, the dark circles under her eyes lit up in the lava's light.

Why did she expect that much from them, it was not as though this outcome was a surprise? She looked down to where her sword was held limply by her right hand. She knew to sheath it would be the reasonable thing to do but she still felt an urge to keep it by her side.

Sighing, she took a step forward, the spine of the beast loomed above her. Its spike reaching high into the air. A pedestal stood proudly in the center of the arena and looked much like the center pedestal on the 'Vah Medoh' beast. The beast glowed a soft gold against the fiery light that simmered off the pool of lava all around her.

Whoever had made this beast crafted the Goron's beast with the design of a lizard. Though they must have had their reasons, all those years ago, centuries ago, thousands of years ago, the result was a terrifying prehistoric lumbering beast.

A mirrored entrance like the one she had exited was at the other side of the beast. Standing silently against the basking golden glow, Zelda decided to start there. If they weren't here then they must have met trouble en route. The old man had not fought alone against their impending forces based on the war cries uttered by Daruk during Zelda's battle with her foe.

Zelda hoped that Ganondorf's forces might be depleted. She expected that he would have recruited more followers, but it seemed he had none that were willing to put their life on the line at least not within this beast.

Which meant that Zelda's team had a chance to win this unannounced war.

Ganondorf had only been released a little more than a week ago. He was surely trying to increase his forces. Zelda suspected Ganondorf was just getting started. He had conquered four beasts within the span of that week. If that difficult task had only taken a week for him, surely more sinister things were to come.

Zelda felt a cold shiver ripple through her despite the horrific heat. The dark clouded her vision as it once did within the rooms underneath her. If possible, the room had become even darker than before. The golden light of the beast and crimson of the lava gone winked out replaced by ebony.

A sudden realization hit her harder than any blade of steel ever would. The realization cut deeper than a blade to her bone. The voice spoke aloud the realization driven by fear.

"I suppose they've left you for dead, hm?" the all too familiar strange voice spoke hauntingly, echoing in the midst of shadows.

No, they haven't…not Link at least. I wish that you'd just shut up and let me be, you creepy thing. You're just a voice, anxiety, or something.

Zelda spoke only to herself, hesitant to speak to it.

"Oh, I wouldn't be so dismissive." If it had a face, Zelda could imagine its lips curling "I am not simply a voice, dear Zelda. You are quite heedless when it comes to such matters that truly combat the mind."

Zelda's mouth dropped open. She hadn't spoken aloud, had she? Did it just read her mind? Has it been reading her thoughts this whole time? No, no, no…that's impossible…it couldn't…it absolutely couldn't.

"I am not stupid! Go away, I'm warning you!" Zelda held up her fist to the impending darkness that surrounded her.

She knew well it was no use, it could be anywhere. It lurked in darkness. She had no power to protect herself from something that could read her thoughts. Zelda was sure it knew that too.

"You might want to hear what I have to say." It spoke in a silky fashion. She had heard words along those lines be exchanged by politicians when she had once been a mere guard. Zelda knew well what this voice was trying to pull, she reached for her sword.

"I don't." Zelda drew it before her, prepared to strike if the owner of the voice dare presented themself.

"You do, you know you want to," The voice was correct. The string that held curiosity had been the downfall of many beings. Curiosity was a force that not even the best could resist and at that very moment that string was plucked within Zelda. "What if I told you, that I could help you locate Ganondorf?"

Zelda's sword wavered. Her firm stand against this voice loosened.

"Destroy the menace."

Zelda's eye twitched. The grip upon her sword lessened.

"You would have done your job. You could be free of the burden"

Zelda's judgement and desires raged on within a war in her heart.

"Your life would be complete."

"Where is he?" Zelda blurted out.

Enough was enough. She had made up her mind. If she destroyed Ganondorf Hyrule would be safe and that is all that mattered. Prince Link would be safe, the Queen would be satisfied, and she would be content with her life.

Zelda knew the second that she would set eyes on him, she'd have to kill him, and it is what she planned to do. If she knew where he was, this war could be over before it could begin. She'd never killed anyone but how hard could it be? Ganondorf was an immortal evil that could live on without disease or old age to kill him, but he could bleed.

And if he can bleed, he can be killed.

"He is in Lurelin. I am sure that you can find him easily with the help of your new…acquaintances…"

Zelda squinted in the dark, the voice must mean…

Arnen and Misko?

She wasn't surprised.

Zelda was struck with a new question, one that she was determined to be answered.

"What do you get out of all of this?"

"Oh, me?" the voice laughed strangely, "Simply, to share my knowledge, I know all too much, and I wish to enlighten the ones who are in need of it. You will understand one day…that is if you live long enough," the voice added coldly.

Zelda didn't trust the voice at all. Behind that odd warm voice it used, there was something else. Something she couldn't put her finger on for it slipped away from her mind as quickly as it had come.

"Until next time, Zelda."

Hopefully there will not be a next time.

The world flooded into her vision once more. The golden haze of the beast and the crimson light of the fire seeped back into her vision. The arena was still devoid of any life apart from herself. Zelda squared her shoulders, and this time took her next step without any interruptions.

Well… no interruptions until the very next second. Of course.

Boot heels clicked on the steps that she had climbed only a minute ago. The sound of frantic steps climbing more rapidly than she had ascended. Her suspicion heighted, she planted her foot firmly in the ground and twisted around. Zelda's hand gripped firmly around the handle of her sword. The golden light basked on her face and lit up her grim face which was that of a warrior. If it was who she thought it was, she knew she was ready.

A blur of a man emerged from the darkness that shrouded the steps. It leapt up faster than any opponent Zelda ever witnessed and came down with his sword more powerful than perhaps even a Goron. Zelda was fast enough to parry the blow. The clash of the two swords was louder than the roaring lavafalls.

It was the old man.

This time they were basked in light unlike their last encounter. It was a coward's game to fight in the dark and Zelda was no coward.

Zelda put as much strength into her hands as she could to fight as the ferocious blade of this man. The steel shone, splashed with the crimson light of the lava, and dazzled in golden light. She pushed her sacred blade against his steel one, improvising as she went along. Now trying to use her blade as a maneuvering tool to push his blade into his collarbone. Zelda gritted her teeth, glared into her opponent's eyes, a piercing blue that looked like chips of ice. She grunted and used her blade to surge forward.

Is he really going to do this, again? Another swordfight?

"Why are you fighting me? We keep coming to a stalemate?" Zelda was able to ask through her gritted teeth, never wavering with her sword.

He back flipped away from her blade, breaking off the intense pushing and shoving of swords. Zelda had again made the same mistake as before and had put too much energy. Without any force to push against, she toppled over and found herself on the ground once again. She didn't dare stay down long. She leapt up easily and met his sword again.

He struck and Zelda parried. Zelda struck and he parried. The swordfight of ages occurred right then and there, the same routine of a standard swordfight. Parrying, striking and each intention to kill or injure.

Up, right, down, down, right, left.

Zelda found herself mumbling to herself each place he would likely strike and herself parrying it. Years of training drove her moves. Unlike training, any mistake would be costly. This was no time to make mistakes, this was a duel and a battle of skill.

This is getting nowhere. I have to end this fight. I have to tame the beast and I've got to ruin Ganondorf's vacation.

"Why do you fight me, when you know its going to get nowhere?" Zelda demanded, parrying another jab aimed at her left knee.

"Do you believe that I would fight you with no purpose in mind? You are quite new at being a hero, aren't you?" the old man answered, darting forward to strike another blow.

"Well, you're one to talk." Zelda snapped. Parrying her blade, she leapt up and off a pillar that supported the beast's great skeleton above. Attacking from behind but his blade was already at the ready. They clashed again, a chorus of clashes and clangs under the inky black sky.

"Yes, I am one to talk. I just didn't find you worthy to speak to on first impression…you seemed quite foolish." The old man shot back, jabbing again at her through an opening through her defense.

What is with this man and the word 'foolish'?

"You obviously have bad judgement," Zelda parried his blow, "And it seems I am not the only one who needs improvement," Zelda acted quicker than a heartbeat, found an opening within his next strike and slashed his leg.

The sword that he had once been in his hand, had clattered upon the stone and the sound of defeat.

The man let out a strangled cry, hot blood gushed down his leg and he turned back to her. His eyes were alit with perhaps a more heated flame than of the lava below, a burning fury. She drew back her sword ready to strike a killing blow.

He scuttled back, dragging his injured leg, "Wait. I have something to tell you."

"Oh really?" growled Zelda, her eyes staring coldly down at him and her sword still above him, ready to strike.

"I know how to remove the substance that clings to your hand. That poisons your body and mind. If you kill me now, my knowledge dies with me." The old man looked up at her.

Zelda pointed the blade to his throat. "Start talking."