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
11
Kate couldn't help but feel paranoid in the silent, dark halls of the castle. The shadows seemed to reach out at her with long, tentacle-like fingers to pull her into their darkness. She shivered and began walking a little faster, speeding right past John, who reached out and grabbed her hand. She jumped.
John smiled. "Getting a little edgy?" he asked sympathetically.
She nodded, drawing her arms in close. She rubbed her hands together briskly, as if trying to ward off anything unwholesome that might be trying to grab her up in the blackness. "I just can't shake the fear. I hate it, though."
John nodded. "I understand. I've got this tense, uneasy feeling. Like something's going to go wrong, soon, or something."
Kate grinned. "Storyline foreshadowing?" she quipped.
He grinned. "Very well could be," he replied. "Especially since I feel like I'm standing in a fantasy novel."
Kate nodded. "Whatever happens, watch your back, all right? Don't get killed."
John smiled. "Don't worry, Katie. I'll be fine. And so will you. What's the worst that could happen?"
Kate opened her mouth to warn him about the famous last words he'd just uttered.
"Stop right there," Link said, coming to an abrupt halt. He turned to John. "Haven't you figured out what it is you've gotten into yet?"
John just stared at him.
Kate laid a hand on his shoulder. "He's right, Johnny."
John nodded. "I'm sorry, I suppose I…I wasn't looking at things the way they are. I'm still too new at this to look at things in a realistic perspective."
Kiron laughed, but it was a sound without humor. "You better start, son," he said quietly. "Because you won't survive real long with that outlook."
John scowled. "Look, I'm sorry, but I'm not from around here," he said irritably. "I've been thrown into another dimension, without any of my belongings, nothing familiar, and only one other person around that I even know. So forgive me if I haven't quite gotten into the swing of saving the world."
Kate stepped in between John and Link. "All right, you two, cool it."
John stepped back, still smoldering a bit, but he quickly brushed it aside. "All right, I'm sorry. Let's go."
Kate smiled approvingly, once more linking her arm with John's. She walked with him as the small group made its way toward the castle armory. "This is war, Johnny," she said quietly. "People get killed in wars."
He nodded. "I know," he said. "But I'm not letting anything happen to you."
She smiled. "Same here. Promise me that whatever happens, we'll watch out for each other?"
"I've got your back if you've got mine," he agreed.
Kiron moved silently toward a pair of large doors and opened one of them so slowly that it made not a single sound. Peering carefully around the door, he motioned for the trio to move quickly through.
Kate walked through the open door, and her jaw dropped so low she nearly tripped over it. Hanging on the dimly lit walls was an enormous assortment of more styles and types of medieval weapons than the human mind of the twenty-first century could conceive, from armaments ranging between the typical Hylian broadsword to the wickedly spiked chain mace, several different length choices of bow and hundreds of quivers of arrows, and even several varieties of crossbow. Quarterstaffs, spears, and javelins lined the walls, with shining, gracefully forged swords and shields at their base. Kate could hardly believe her eyes. The immense room was filled with all one would ever need to equip an entire army.
Kiron saw her face and grinned. "And this is just the spare stuff," he said smugly.
She turned to reply, and suddenly remembered to inhale. "Wow," she said.
"Well, Katie, they didn't bring us in here for nothing," John said. "Pick a weapon."
"Please do," Kiron added.
-Act IV-
Convergence
11
Kate couldn't help but feel paranoid in the silent, dark halls of the castle. The shadows seemed to reach out at her with long, tentacle-like fingers to pull her into their darkness. She shivered and began walking a little faster, speeding right past John, who reached out and grabbed her hand. She jumped.
John smiled. "Getting a little edgy?" he asked sympathetically.
She nodded, drawing her arms in close. She rubbed her hands together briskly, as if trying to ward off anything unwholesome that might be trying to grab her up in the blackness. "I just can't shake the fear. I hate it, though."
John nodded. "I understand. I've got this tense, uneasy feeling. Like something's going to go wrong, soon, or something."
Kate grinned. "Storyline foreshadowing?" she quipped.
He grinned. "Very well could be," he replied. "Especially since I feel like I'm standing in a fantasy novel."
Kate nodded. "Whatever happens, watch your back, all right? Don't get killed."
John smiled. "Don't worry, Katie. I'll be fine. And so will you. What's the worst that could happen?"
Kate opened her mouth to warn him about the famous last words he'd just uttered.
"Stop right there," Link said, coming to an abrupt halt. He turned to John. "Haven't you figured out what it is you've gotten into yet?"
John just stared at him.
Kate laid a hand on his shoulder. "He's right, Johnny."
John nodded. "I'm sorry, I suppose I…I wasn't looking at things the way they are. I'm still too new at this to look at things in a realistic perspective."
Kiron laughed, but it was a sound without humor. "You better start, son," he said quietly. "Because you won't survive real long with that outlook."
John scowled. "Look, I'm sorry, but I'm not from around here," he said irritably. "I've been thrown into another dimension, without any of my belongings, nothing familiar, and only one other person around that I even know. So forgive me if I haven't quite gotten into the swing of saving the world."
Kate stepped in between John and Link. "All right, you two, cool it."
John stepped back, still smoldering a bit, but he quickly brushed it aside. "All right, I'm sorry. Let's go."
Kate smiled approvingly, once more linking her arm with John's. She walked with him as the small group made its way toward the castle armory. "This is war, Johnny," she said quietly. "People get killed in wars."
He nodded. "I know," he said. "But I'm not letting anything happen to you."
She smiled. "Same here. Promise me that whatever happens, we'll watch out for each other?"
"I've got your back if you've got mine," he agreed.
Kiron moved silently toward a pair of large doors and opened one of them so slowly that it made not a single sound. Peering carefully around the door, he motioned for the trio to move quickly through.
Kate walked through the open door, and her jaw dropped so low she nearly tripped over it. Hanging on the dimly lit walls was an enormous assortment of more styles and types of medieval weapons than the human mind of the twenty-first century could conceive, from armaments ranging between the typical Hylian broadsword to the wickedly spiked chain mace, several different length choices of bow and hundreds of quivers of arrows, and even several varieties of crossbow. Quarterstaffs, spears, and javelins lined the walls, with shining, gracefully forged swords and shields at their base. Kate could hardly believe her eyes. The immense room was filled with all one would ever need to equip an entire army.
Kiron saw her face and grinned. "And this is just the spare stuff," he said smugly.
She turned to reply, and suddenly remembered to inhale. "Wow," she said.
"Well, Katie, they didn't bring us in here for nothing," John said. "Pick a weapon."
"Please do," Kiron added.