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 IV-
Convergence
4
Kate opened her eyes and yawned, looking up into the dawn sky. The Hylian sunrise was truly beautiful, misty greys and violets mixing with the first vestiges of the blue that would become a brilliant shade of azure later in the day. Wispy clouds floated along, stirred by the winds of morning. Kate glanced down at their makeshift fire pit and smiled ruefully. What had been a cheerfully roaring fire was now reduced to mere embers, with dying threads of smoke curling up to dissipate in the cool air. She sat up straight and pulled John's jacket form her shoulders, draping it over him as she stifled a giggle. His head was tipped back against the large, ancient pine tree they sat under, his mouth hanging slightly open.
She grinned, trying not to laugh. He looked so…
Cute? Harmless? There were so many good words to fit. Kate stood, walking in a small circle around the tree to work the stiffness out of her legs. Kakariko was actually a cute little village. The eerie feeling she'd had didn't seem so bad in the morning, and Kate could almost imagine what the small town would be like if the villagers were actually there where they should have been. She closed her eyes and tried to see if she could hear, at least in her mind, some echo of how the village was supposed to sound.
Chattering townspeople, the sound of maybe a chicken or two in that little fenced in pen, maybe some children playing, or a horse or two belonging to someone visiting from out of town.
Except…the hooves of the horses connecting with the grassy soil seemed too close. Kate opened her eyes and saw a welcome sight indeed. Link rode through the front gate, two horses being led alongside his own. She grinned. "it's nice to see you back so soon," she heard John say drolly.
She rolled her eyes. "Be nice," she chided, stepping back around to face them.
"Sorry."
"Seriously, though," she turned back to the Hylian. "What kept you so long?"
Link made a face. "Mistakes were made," he admitted, "and I underestimated an old friend." He thought of Malon's admission, and decided not to say anything.
Kate grinned. "Which one do I get to ride?" she asked.
Link gestured to the palomino at his left. "This one," he said, seems, for some reason, to be just perfect."
She grinned. "I have always loved palominos," she admitted. Swinging up into the saddle, she looked down at John. "what are you waiting for, Johnny boy?" she asked. "That horse ain't gonna steer itself."
He grinned, a bit sheepishly. "Actually, the closest I ever got to actually riding a horse was at the pony rides at the State Fair when we were kids, Kate."
She sighed. "Well, now's a fine time to dump that on me. Just climb up onto the horse as best you can. We'll be here to help keep you from falling off."
He nodded, clambering up into the saddle, where he swayed unsteadily. The trio started off toward the castle, and before too long, John seemed to have figured out what he was doing. Enough, at least, so that he didn't seem so slanted, so near to falling off.
The trio set up camp near the eastern side of the castle gates that night, setting a small fire to keep warm through the night. Link took first watch, volunteering to spend a few hours keeping an eye out for unwelcome guests. When the sun finally rose, they continued their journey. Link paused for a moment at the castle's gate, which had been torn violently from its restraining chains and was now floating loosely in the moat. The moat itself carried an oily sheen on its surface, covered in the remaining bits of ash from what had obviously been a severe attack.
And then he looked up.
Blackened, scarred, and pockmarked, the centerstone of the huge granite arch that led into the village proper now carried a huge, charred crater where the elegant emblem of Hyrule's royalty once stood.
If anything ever was, that in itself was an omen of what was to come.
Without a word or a second glance at the centerstone, Link led Kate and John past the pile of charred wood and into the village's remains.
-Act IV-
Convergence
4
Kate opened her eyes and yawned, looking up into the dawn sky. The Hylian sunrise was truly beautiful, misty greys and violets mixing with the first vestiges of the blue that would become a brilliant shade of azure later in the day. Wispy clouds floated along, stirred by the winds of morning. Kate glanced down at their makeshift fire pit and smiled ruefully. What had been a cheerfully roaring fire was now reduced to mere embers, with dying threads of smoke curling up to dissipate in the cool air. She sat up straight and pulled John's jacket form her shoulders, draping it over him as she stifled a giggle. His head was tipped back against the large, ancient pine tree they sat under, his mouth hanging slightly open.
She grinned, trying not to laugh. He looked so…
Cute? Harmless? There were so many good words to fit. Kate stood, walking in a small circle around the tree to work the stiffness out of her legs. Kakariko was actually a cute little village. The eerie feeling she'd had didn't seem so bad in the morning, and Kate could almost imagine what the small town would be like if the villagers were actually there where they should have been. She closed her eyes and tried to see if she could hear, at least in her mind, some echo of how the village was supposed to sound.
Chattering townspeople, the sound of maybe a chicken or two in that little fenced in pen, maybe some children playing, or a horse or two belonging to someone visiting from out of town.
Except…the hooves of the horses connecting with the grassy soil seemed too close. Kate opened her eyes and saw a welcome sight indeed. Link rode through the front gate, two horses being led alongside his own. She grinned. "it's nice to see you back so soon," she heard John say drolly.
She rolled her eyes. "Be nice," she chided, stepping back around to face them.
"Sorry."
"Seriously, though," she turned back to the Hylian. "What kept you so long?"
Link made a face. "Mistakes were made," he admitted, "and I underestimated an old friend." He thought of Malon's admission, and decided not to say anything.
Kate grinned. "Which one do I get to ride?" she asked.
Link gestured to the palomino at his left. "This one," he said, seems, for some reason, to be just perfect."
She grinned. "I have always loved palominos," she admitted. Swinging up into the saddle, she looked down at John. "what are you waiting for, Johnny boy?" she asked. "That horse ain't gonna steer itself."
He grinned, a bit sheepishly. "Actually, the closest I ever got to actually riding a horse was at the pony rides at the State Fair when we were kids, Kate."
She sighed. "Well, now's a fine time to dump that on me. Just climb up onto the horse as best you can. We'll be here to help keep you from falling off."
He nodded, clambering up into the saddle, where he swayed unsteadily. The trio started off toward the castle, and before too long, John seemed to have figured out what he was doing. Enough, at least, so that he didn't seem so slanted, so near to falling off.
The trio set up camp near the eastern side of the castle gates that night, setting a small fire to keep warm through the night. Link took first watch, volunteering to spend a few hours keeping an eye out for unwelcome guests. When the sun finally rose, they continued their journey. Link paused for a moment at the castle's gate, which had been torn violently from its restraining chains and was now floating loosely in the moat. The moat itself carried an oily sheen on its surface, covered in the remaining bits of ash from what had obviously been a severe attack.
And then he looked up.
Blackened, scarred, and pockmarked, the centerstone of the huge granite arch that led into the village proper now carried a huge, charred crater where the elegant emblem of Hyrule's royalty once stood.
If anything ever was, that in itself was an omen of what was to come.
Without a word or a second glance at the centerstone, Link led Kate and John past the pile of charred wood and into the village's remains.