A/N: This is the first LoZ fic I ever wrote seriously. It actually was started about three years ago and has been finished on and off after having survived through three hiatuses and a serious consideration of scrapping. But I decided to give it another chance, and am actually quite pleased with the results. Rated PG-13 for violence and Link's surprisingly dirty mouth; warnings include angst, sadness, violence, Link/Zelda pairing (no citrus), and alternate realities. The timeline I'm basing things on is a quasi-alternate-reality of my own creation: I base most if not all of my Zelda fanfiction on the idea that all the deeds done and chronicled in the Zelda games (with the exception of the Wind Waker for obvious reasons) were the deeds of one brave young lad chosen by Destiny and the three Goddesses as the Hero of Time, the Legendary Hero. Oh. And I don't own Linky (more's the pity) or Zelda or any of the game's other characters. They are copyrighted to Miyamoto Shigeru-san and Nintendo, the lucky bastards. I own, however, sole copyright of each and every one of my original characters. Steal them and I will hunt you down and break your elbows. Remember: A vague threat is no one's friend.
-Act III-
A Hero's Return
4
"Erm."
"Yeah, that was pretty much my first reaction too, Johnny boy," Kate replied to John's infinitely eloquent statement.
The pitch blackness of…wherever they were…stood out first and foremost in Kate's mind. The second thing on her mind was the fact that the darkness seemed highly oppressive - like it was pushing in on them from all sides.
She didn't like the feeling.
A sudden light flared up, and when Kate could see again, her eyes widened. A small, golden flame was perched mere inches above Link's palm. He held it out, sweeping around the room, as if looking for something. He walked over to a torch in one corner and held the flame out, squinting as it flared up when the fire caught the torch's fuel source and lit. He wandered over to the other three corners of the room, lighting three more torches as he went. "There, is that better?" he asked after the room had been brightened.
Kate nodded, dumbfounded. "Yeah," she said, quietly puzzled, "but…"
Uhm," John said. He seemed to be at a loss for words.
"How did you do that thing with the fire?" Kate translated.
Link laughed. "Oh, that."
"Exactly. That."
"Din's Fire," he explained. "Useful little incantation to have around. Yet another of the many gifts of Hyrule's most elite Great Faeries."
"I like them already," Kate murmured.
"I know where we are now," Link said. "We're in the caverns at Spectacle Rock on Death Mountain," he explained.
"What a cheerful name," John muttered sourly.
Link grinned. "It's not as bad as you'd think. The Gorons who live on the mountain are actually rather friendly."
"I hope somebody is."
"Oh, John, be nice," Kate sighed, lightly slapping his arm.
Link opened a door on the far side of the room and stepped through, lighting the flame in his hand once more as they entered the darkened hallway. A short time later, he hesitated momentarily, stepping over something. Kate frowned curiously. Seconds later, she stopped with a shudder. "Ooo," she said, feeling suddenly queasy.
The corpse of a dead man lay in front of her, sprawled across the hallway in his own blood. John hissed a curse, and Link turned around.
"Oh," he said absently, "mind the body."
And then he turned to continue down the corridor.
Kate just stared after him for a moment. "Link," she asked unsurely, "did you kill him?"
Link turned around, suddenly furious. "He was a traitor. He was probably responsible for at least part of the princess' abduction, and he almost got me killed. I tried to avoid it in every possible way," he grated fiercely. "The damned fool came at me with a sword," he explained, a touch of genuine regret in his voice.
Before Kate could open her mouth to reply, he had turned away and was once more walking quickly down the corridor. Kate turned a fearful glance to John, who only shrugged helplessly.
She turned to follow, and felt John slip his hand around hers. She squeezed his hand, grateful for the offered support. Together, they continued along their dark path, following closely behind the brooding Hero of Time.
Eventually, the trio emerged out into blinding noonday sun onto the summit of Death Mountain. Kate squinted out over the mountainside, a hand over her eyes to shield them from the bright sunlight. "Wow," she said, dazzled by the landscape. Spread below them was the brown mountain chain, with the slightly paler brown of the Death Mountain Trail laid out like a ribbon through the hills. And far below, in miniature scale, spread over the valley in quiet repose lay the peaceful village of Kakariko. "It's beautiful," she said quietly. The atmosphere seemed easily ruined by sound, so quiet was the air around them.
"It is nice, isn't it?" Link replied. "Come on. Let's get down the mountain. I don't think you'd like it if we were to get caught up here at night."
And with that, they began their descent into the vast land of Hyrule.
-Act III-
A Hero's Return
4
"Erm."
"Yeah, that was pretty much my first reaction too, Johnny boy," Kate replied to John's infinitely eloquent statement.
The pitch blackness of…wherever they were…stood out first and foremost in Kate's mind. The second thing on her mind was the fact that the darkness seemed highly oppressive - like it was pushing in on them from all sides.
She didn't like the feeling.
A sudden light flared up, and when Kate could see again, her eyes widened. A small, golden flame was perched mere inches above Link's palm. He held it out, sweeping around the room, as if looking for something. He walked over to a torch in one corner and held the flame out, squinting as it flared up when the fire caught the torch's fuel source and lit. He wandered over to the other three corners of the room, lighting three more torches as he went. "There, is that better?" he asked after the room had been brightened.
Kate nodded, dumbfounded. "Yeah," she said, quietly puzzled, "but…"
Uhm," John said. He seemed to be at a loss for words.
"How did you do that thing with the fire?" Kate translated.
Link laughed. "Oh, that."
"Exactly. That."
"Din's Fire," he explained. "Useful little incantation to have around. Yet another of the many gifts of Hyrule's most elite Great Faeries."
"I like them already," Kate murmured.
"I know where we are now," Link said. "We're in the caverns at Spectacle Rock on Death Mountain," he explained.
"What a cheerful name," John muttered sourly.
Link grinned. "It's not as bad as you'd think. The Gorons who live on the mountain are actually rather friendly."
"I hope somebody is."
"Oh, John, be nice," Kate sighed, lightly slapping his arm.
Link opened a door on the far side of the room and stepped through, lighting the flame in his hand once more as they entered the darkened hallway. A short time later, he hesitated momentarily, stepping over something. Kate frowned curiously. Seconds later, she stopped with a shudder. "Ooo," she said, feeling suddenly queasy.
The corpse of a dead man lay in front of her, sprawled across the hallway in his own blood. John hissed a curse, and Link turned around.
"Oh," he said absently, "mind the body."
And then he turned to continue down the corridor.
Kate just stared after him for a moment. "Link," she asked unsurely, "did you kill him?"
Link turned around, suddenly furious. "He was a traitor. He was probably responsible for at least part of the princess' abduction, and he almost got me killed. I tried to avoid it in every possible way," he grated fiercely. "The damned fool came at me with a sword," he explained, a touch of genuine regret in his voice.
Before Kate could open her mouth to reply, he had turned away and was once more walking quickly down the corridor. Kate turned a fearful glance to John, who only shrugged helplessly.
She turned to follow, and felt John slip his hand around hers. She squeezed his hand, grateful for the offered support. Together, they continued along their dark path, following closely behind the brooding Hero of Time.
Eventually, the trio emerged out into blinding noonday sun onto the summit of Death Mountain. Kate squinted out over the mountainside, a hand over her eyes to shield them from the bright sunlight. "Wow," she said, dazzled by the landscape. Spread below them was the brown mountain chain, with the slightly paler brown of the Death Mountain Trail laid out like a ribbon through the hills. And far below, in miniature scale, spread over the valley in quiet repose lay the peaceful village of Kakariko. "It's beautiful," she said quietly. The atmosphere seemed easily ruined by sound, so quiet was the air around them.
"It is nice, isn't it?" Link replied. "Come on. Let's get down the mountain. I don't think you'd like it if we were to get caught up here at night."
And with that, they began their descent into the vast land of Hyrule.