Seeing Truth

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Chapter 22

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I was practically tripping over my own two feet trying to find all the things I needed to pack for the "journey". I fully, completely, seriously hated using that word. It was so- what was the word? Cliché. That was it. So…stupid! I grabbed a handful of clothing and stuffed them in the backpack that the servants had ready in my room. They called it something else…umm…sack-something. Whatever. It doesn't matter. What matters was the fact that Zelda actually let me go with Link after hours of begging and trying to tell her that I had no clue how to read Hylian and I would be bored to death here doing absolutely nothing. And the most important part was that I was doing this for Kenny. His funeral had been yesterday, but something was wrong. I could tell from the way everyone was looking at each other. Including Link! They were hiding something from me! I intended to find out if it was the last thing I did! But that- I had to figure out later. Now…

I shoved a drawer closed than practically pulled one out of its place trying to open another. I grabbed all the undergarments I could find in there…ahem…and a few other necessities that I would most likely need. I figured if I took my time deciding what to take with me I would be in my room for hours, so stuffing what would fit into my backpack was the best idea. I heard a knock on the door and I answered so that they could come in. I heard the door creak open as I slammed the last drawer shut. I glanced behind me to see Link with his weapons strapped and staring at me like I was insane.

I decided to ignore it and continue packing, "Hi, Link."

"Hey. What are you doing?" he asked bewildered.

"Packing."

"Are you moving somewhere?"

"Ha, ha…" I slammed another drawer closed and went to the bathroom, "Am I running out of time?"

"No. It's just that…well, damn…" I smiled wickedly and ran out of the bathroom, Link following slowly.

"It's okay…" I dumped the…uh, stuff in the backpack, "I'm done…" I grabbed the backpack before even closing it. Half of the things I had stuffed inside tumbled down. I bent down to pick them up without trying to think of embarrassment. I mean, I always laughed at my embarrassing moments, so why did I feel like this, now? Wait…wait…There we go. Now, it's hilarious. "Never mind…" I laughed nervously. Link helped, biting his lip as he did. I sneered and pushed him away, but I just couldn't keep a straight face. He straightened up as I clasped the opening of the backpack and slung it over my shoulder.

"Come on. Let's go." He said as I followed after him, though my head was turned to take one last glance at my room. What if I never saw it again? It's times like these I really wished I had a camera.

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I had to say; the horse they had prepared for me completely took my breath away. It was a black stallion with a white spot on his forehead. His name was Kane. I edged towards it as it snorted and pawed at the ground.

"Don't worry. He won't bite." I jumped from Link's sudden voice so close to my ear that it made a chill go up my spine. Not in that scary, creepy way, but in that odd, chilling way if that made any sense.

"Sure…" I took a step closer and held out my hand. It slowly began sniffing my fingers before it went full on to nuzzling and licking. I pulled my hand back and stared at it in disgust.

"He likes you." I turned to stare at him blankly while he nodded with an innocent smile. I cocked my head to one side and sneered. I thought of wiping the snot on his tunic, but I just didn't feel like being a- well, you get my point. I wiped it on the grass, my nose wrinkled. "You know, I feel like I'm forgetting something." Link said as he mounted his horse.

"Really?" I asked him as I walked over to Kane's saddle.

"Yeah…" he said as he stared off somewhere far off into space.

"Did you pack food?"

"Mmhmm…"

"How about water?"

"Yeah…"

"Clothes?"

"Yes…" I sighed then tried to mount onto the horse. I grabbed the saddle and placed my foot on the stirrup as I pushed myself up. After maybe five minutes I was finally on the seat and getting comfortable.

"Maybe trying to teach me how to ride a horse, genius?" I inquired as he turned to me with wide eyes. I cocked my head to one side, waiting for an answer.

"Well, you got on. That's a start."

"Ha, ha. Very funny." I retorted.

"Well, for a start; hold on to the reigns." I grabbed the reigns and waited for more instructions. "You're going to want to keep your feet in the stirrups."

"Kay…" I shifted my position on the saddle a little to get my feet into the stirrups.

"Now, if you want to direct your horse right, you tug the reigns to the left, and visa versa. To stop, you just tug on the reigns." I nodded, thinking he was finished, but he continued. "I'm not sure with your horse how to start him."

"Ahuh…" I thought for a moment then decided on trying to "start" this horse. "Hmm… Yeehah!" I glanced towards Link and realized he was staring at me like I was some kind of freak. I rolled my eyes and tried something of his: "Hah…! Yah!" Kane started galloping out of the castle gates and I just barely had enough grip to stay on or else it would have been really ugly. I could feel Kane's movement as he raced through the market and the wind feeling like little cold daggers against my flesh and whipping my hair into my face. It took only seconds to get out into the wide-open Hyrule fields. I knew from the direction that the stallion was headed that he was taking me back to his home, Lon Lon Ranch. I cursed inside my head and thought quickly. I pulled back the reigns and he stopped abruptly. I could feel my heart pounding inside my chest as I heard Link's horse racing to reach us.

"Are you alright?" was the first thing I heard Link say.

"I'm fine..."

"It's just I thought you were going to fall and break your neck."

"I didn't Link, so you don't have to worry."

"I know, I know." He watched with a look that I was sure was sadness. He was worried, too. I could tell from the way that his blue eyes clouded over, and I hated to see him like that.

"How about you teach me to ride a horse a bit better, so you don't have to worry about me so much?" I watched him think for a few seconds before speaking out again, "Is it a deal?"

He stared at me a bit longer; I'm guessing he was thinking on what to do. "It's a deal."

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Riding a horse could be such a pain. No wonder automobiles were invented. At least they listened to you- well, that's a bad way to put it. You basically control a car, but a horse; they had a mind of their own. Sure, they're cute, but they can't last as long as a car. And cars; they can be sleek and shiny. The shine is what can make a car look new. What makes a horse look new? They're beautiful animals, and that's why they shouldn't be used as traveling mechanisms. When I told this to Link the first night out in the fields he started laughing. I even had tried to explain what a car did and looked like, but he thought it was too absurd. If only there was a way to show him.

"You're saying we could ride in machines that are controlled by pedals and wheels?" he had asked me.

"Yeah."

"And you can seat more than just one person? Like a wagon?"

"Almost. Except nicer, and it's not made out of wood, and a cloth doesn't cover the top. You have windows and cushioned seats..."

"It's a luxury."

"Not as much. A lot of people own them. Some even have television sets hooked into them."

"Those large screens that can hold images and move them around?"

"You remember!" I was surprised. I guess things like that are a little weird. "The problem is, is that all the fuel being burned is causing air pollution. Our air isn't probably half as clean as it ever used to be in many areas."

"That is why horses are better. Machines with rubber wheels filled with air are just odd."

"And magic carpets aren't?" That seemed to shut him up a little. After all, which made more sense: A machine of metal with pumps run by fuels and gases, or a rug that could be suspended in mid-air with no means of support at all? I just guess I won this battle, but it was true to me that if we had the things here back on earth; global warming wouldn't come to us so extremely, now would it?

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When the first signs of the forest showed itself on the horizon, I began remembering a few questions I had wanted to ask Link. Well, when you're trying to save an entire world you have to know where you're headed.

"Hey, Link!" I said as loud as I possibly could over the roaring wind.

He turned his head slightly to my direction and replied, "What!"

"Where are we going?"

"Don't you see it?"

I raised an eyebrow, "See what?"

"We're headed to the forest."

"I know that, but how do we know where to look for the second piece?"

"I have a map that will help us."

"And you didn't bother telling me?" He grinned sheepishly.

"I'm just a tag-along aren't I?" He stopped his horse suddenly and I did the same. I turned Kane around 90 degrees so I could see him.

"What are you talking about?" he had a look of pure confusion. Ugh, that damn boyish look again...

"You know what I'm talking about. You didn't even bother to teach me how to fight." His confusion melted as he smirked. Not that evil look again. He was planning something.

"Why do you think we're headed to Kokiri Forest? I was going to teach you there."

"Are you serious?" He nodded. I narrowed my eyes into slits. "All this time I've been thinking that I was just going to get in your way; that I was a tag-along or something. You couldn't tell me?"

"Sorry. I just didn't want you to worry."

"Worry? About what?"

"About having me as your trainer." He led Epona closer to me so we wouldn't have to yell so much.

"Do you really think you're all powerful or something?"

"No, but I am pretty hard." He replied with a hidden devilish look I knew would show up sometime soon.

"Well, we'll just see. You may never know..."

"Know what?" he asked as we started our horses to a slower pace.

"I may just kick your ass." I gave him a sweet smile before galloping ahead.

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Going on an "adventure" with the hero of one kingdom- okay maybe two...or three (... whatever...) is just not what it's cracked up to be. It's been three weeks; three weeks of horrid training. What have I gotten myself into you may ask? Something utterly terrible. It's like soccer practice except you don't actually bleed every time unless you're some unlucky player who getskicked in the head by a soccer ball andget a nosebleed, but I'm getting off track. When I began training, I thought I would start off with the sword. How wrong I was...

He made me begin with a lap around the village. Heh, I learned a thing or two from gym class. Did he really think I was going to run around the whole place without stopping! I rested behind some houses until he began to catch on. He asked for some of the Kokiri kids to keep watch. Every time I stopped to rest they threatened to throw a bucket of water over my head. I welcomed it until I realized it was freezing cold water in the dead of autumn. I continued running. By the time I reached the finish line I was on my hands and knees gasping for air. After the lap, I would do push-ups. I could only do about twenty when I began, but I built up to double that. I told him that was the requirement for girls my age. We left it at that. For sit-ups, however, I could only do about thirty-five, but just like the push-ups, I had built up to around sixty-five. I could have aced my gym class.

After the first few days, I learned to stretch before coming in to training around eight o'clock. And of course, I was pissed, but he said the soldiers back at the castle had to be up by four in the morning to train. I decided to shut it at that even if he hadn't threatened me. Of course, Saria was there, too, and cheering me on. She would always go to the temple after training. I didn't mind; I never liked having only me there with someone else unless I wanted that, but that's for another time. I just hated the attention, the criticism... Iguess I'llnever bea morning person, either. Oh, well...

When Link finally handed me the sword, I was completely taken back by its beauty. I was awed by the sharp edge and curve of the blade. The handle was simple yet elegant with its design. The pommel was silver, which seemed to give the whole sword a type of sheen to it. I held the sword carefully as if I would break it when I realized something: this sword wasn't at all what it seemed to be because it was a katana! How could I have not known? I needed both hands to carry it, now, didn't I? I wanted to try it out, to see how it felt when I swung it around, but I didn't know how to use a katana. It just felt clumsy in my hands; deadweight. I turned to Link with a helpless look on my face. He gave a small, reassuring smile. He took the katana from me gently.

"You hold the katana like this..." and that was just the beginning of my training.

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By the end of the third week I was dodging Link's thrusts and blocking his blows; I could hold the katana in my hands without it falling to one side and endangering lives including my own. The katana, a gift from Link that I now cherished was something all too familiar to me, now. I was thanking him for days about the gift, but he said it was nothing, and that it didn't cost at all as much as I thought it did. I was getting better at the sword by the day, but something was missing. I guess it was the fact that I just wasn't completely ready. Sure, I could dodge, block, counter-attack, and such, but there was something there that was missing, and that was supposed to be there. Until the last night while sleeping soundly after a hard day's training on Link's floor did I finally realize it.

I was dreaming. It wasn't one of those crazed and indescribable dreams, but one that still made sense if you really thought about it. It made so much sense that it could have been real... maybe it was real. I saw Kenny, and he was standing in Link's doorway staring at me, and at Link. It was odd to see him there, and so lifelike with modern clothing, but yet his katana was strapped to his belt. They had placed it in the coffin with him at the funeral, hadn't they? Maybe the clothes he wore he was buried with... I wouldn't know. It was a closed casket funeral. I wanted to reach out to him, but my body didn't collaborate. I just watched as he leaned against the doorframe with such grace it couldn't have been real! And then I blinked. How could I blink in a dream when I seemed to feel everything, too? He had a small smirk crossing his lips before he disappeared, and no remnant of him left.

The next day I was up by dawn with no Link trying to wake me up by shaking me until I had to start swatting him or he grabbing the pillow from under my head and swatting me with it. How irritating! Sometimes, I just had the notion to tackle him and get him into a headlock. One week beforewith that torment, my notion became an immediate action; I had Link in a headlock that even he couldn't seem to get out of. I guess after fifteen minutes of wrestling one does get tired sinceI hit the sack after that and Link didn't bother mefor another hour; he was asleep, too. The poor, dear. I guess that's what you get for waking me up like that. Didn't I tell him I wasn't a morning person?

Sooner or later, we were up and ready to go after eating breakfast. We said our goodbyes after packing and were on our way and into the Lost Woods. You might be wondering how we got our horses up and over that cliff. We could have had a hill they climbed or gotten pulled up with a rope tied around their waist. Well, I'm not sure exactly and I don't think you'll ever know- neither will I, but someway or another, it happened, just like it did in Majora's Mask. How else could Epona have gotten into the Lost Woods?

I shifted uncomfortably in the saddle, and tossed back one of my braids. "So, uh, Link?" I began without letting him answer if he was listening, "Where are we going?"

"What?" I guess I should have waited.

"I said, 'where are we going?'"

"Termina."

"What?" Now I was the one with the hearing problem, or just the one with the hard time believing itproblem.

"I said-"

"I know what you said, I mean, why?"

"Because the next piece is there."

"And how do we get to Termina?"

"Well…"

"Hmmm?" I asked, knowing he had no idea, either.

"We'll find a way."

"How?" I asked as we weaved through the tall trees in our path.

"I don't know." He looked back at me for a second before riding ahead. I caught up to him quickly.

"How?" I pressed him further, "We can't take our horses with us, unless you want another skull kid to come and steal them to Termina for us."

"What do you want from me, Jade?" he turned Epona around so he could face me with a glare, "If you are going to keep asking me all these questions it would have been better if I went alone." I stared at him in disbelief. I couldn't believe he had just said that. Was it wrong to ask what we were going to do?

"If you find planning at the very last minute a 'good' idea- fine, but I was just asking. You don't need to blow up in my face, but if you think it was better for you to come alone, then I won't argue with you." I turned Kane around and headed back to Kokiri Forest.

"Wait, Jade!" I heard Link call from behind me. I ignored him. "Please, listen. I'm sorry, okay…! I didn't mean what I said."

"Then what did you mean?" I said sharply as I stopped Kane so Link could catch up to me.

"I…I don't know, but I'm sorry. I've just been under a lot of pressure." He seemed to search for the right words.

"You? Under pressure?" I said.

"Why is it so hard to believe?" he asked as he took off his hat and fiddled with it while at the same time watching me curiously.

"I don't know. It just never really seems that you're under pressure." He raised an eyebrow before deciding to answer me.

"Well, I am under a lot of pressure. More than you think that I'm under pressure…"

"You just don't show it."

He shrugged and replied, "As you have said in the past few weeks- am I that good?"

"As you've said-…I'm afraid so…" I said sarcastically with a hint of a smile. There was only the sound of the wind rustling the leaves of the trees around us and the chirps of the birds in the forest. "Fine…I…I'll come with you… I guess."

"Good because if you didn't I would have to force you…" Link led his horse back to the right path as I led Kane to follow him.

"Force me?" I asked, my voice rising with my own curiosity. He turned around and smirked. "Force me?" I repeated a bit louder, "I'm older than you. I should be threatening you."

"You're older than me?" He asked.

"Yeah. My birthday is in August and yours is in October…"

"Oh, what a huge difference! Two months!" he retorted cleverly.

"Now what are you saying, hmmm?" I shoved him forward playfully, so as not to really shove him off his horse.

"I'm not getting at anything." He said innocently.

"Oh, really?" I alleged as we came across a clearing. It was exactly like it was in the game with the large hollow logs and trees surrounding the area. I followed Link as he led Epona to a trot into one of the opening inside a fallen log.

"Don't panic here, alright?" I heard him say.

"W-what?" I asked. I was already panicking.

"You might feel a few things brush up against you. They are just cobwebs, though."

"C-cobwebs?" I leaned forward to peer into the eerie darkness. I really wanted a flashlight. "Don't cobwebs come with…spiders?" I asked, lowering my voice as if the spiders would hear and come after me… That would be unpleasant…

I watched Link as he disappeared into the log. I widened my eyes from shock. He was going to leave me…here? I scrunched my nose, swallowed my fear, and went in. He was definitely going to pay for this… for the what time? He should seriusly give me one of those I.O.U notes.

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Well, hope you liked this chapter. Ten pages and all. Please review and if you have comments you can visit my forums and it's quite obvious it says "My Fanfics!" Thank you!