Disclaimer: I do not own anything in the Zelda Franchise... I wish I did.
Chapter 17 - Trails From Another Place
Caution and secrecy are always the motto followed by the Sheikah. One should always survey their surroundings with attention, as an unseen shadow within the darkness.
And day by day, Sheik feels himself walking closer to the fine line of recklessness. This in his opinion, is clear proof of the Hero's influence over him.
Never in his life had he imagined himself strolling ever so casually to the most suspicious tent he has ever come across. A perfect clearing, pristine colors in the sailcloth, a strange but inviting sign right above the entrance.
'This place reeks of ambush.' Sheik groaned internally.
And yet, the Sheikah didn't slow his pacing.
"Do… Do we really have to go in there?" Said a clearly scared Vahn, his trembling voice showing how much on the edge the boy is.
"Vahn, please be quiet." Although Sheik isn't upset about his friend's nervous chatter, he used his stern voice to silence him up and try to get closer to the tent without getting attention to themselves.
The message went clear and straight, as Vahn just gave a little whimper as a reply, pressing right back close to the blonde's back.
With Vahn's voice under control, Sheik turned his full attention to the gloom entrance of the tent; his steps getting quieter and more spaced, like a soft green breeze carrying leaves around, the pair carefully reached their target.
Giving a glance back, Sheik saw those big blue eyes staring right back at him, conveying a lot of anxiety in their color. Placing a calming touch on Vahn's arm, the Sheikah shifted his focus forward and leaned over to peek inside this ominous place.
His visible eye widened at the sight in front of him.
"S-S-Sheik?!" Vahn's trembling whispers begged at his blond friend. "Please say something, your eye is scaring me."
Brushing the side of his hand to his eyes, Sheik tried to give another peek inside. Then his brow frowned under his blond bangs. "What trickery is this?" He said as he stepped forward without much care to stand right in front of the said entrance.
Growing very puzzled at his friend's word, Vahn stepped after him and took a peek inside himself. Right there he saw what shocked the blond so much.
Darkness. Nothing but a sea of pure black. No signs of light, a silhouette in the interior, not even the ground was visible to them, even if the moonlight was very much present inches away from that very same soil.
"A light-proof curtain?" Vahn asked aloud, more like an outvoiced thought. Itching to test his new theory, he reached with one hand forward and dipped the tip of his fingers in that canvas of shadows. "Huh?! My hand, where did my hand go?"
Sheik eyed his friend with interest, as the dark-skinned boy shrieked at the vanishing of his fingers. Taking a few steps closer in Vahn's direction, he calmly grabbed the boy's arm and pulled it back, bringing back the previously vanished fingers.
"Never took scholars to be the reckless type. Why would you stick your hand inside that?" Sheik said with a tinge of mirth.
"I thought this was an enchanted cloth, you know, the type that holds any source of light out." Vahn said in his defense, rubbing his hand to make sure everything is there.
Offering a teasing glance to his friend, Sheik strode forward to the mysterious darkness. Then mimicking Vahn's action, he dipped his right hand inside it for a quick moment before pulling back.
"A portal…" He stated quietly.
Reaching with half an arm inside the entrance one more time, the Sheikah just walked forward and disappeared into the tent.
Wide-eyed and terrified, Vahn shirked in a panic right before running inside the tent. Preferring much more to follow his crazy companion than to be left alone in the forest.
Inside this strange darkness felt like walking into another plane. A soft pressure enduring against the body, pushing it down onto the invisible ground. No walls or visible barriers to the side, just an endless void.
As Sheik strode forward with caution in his step, he finally noticed a small and faint flicker of light far away in the distance. Then with another step, this source of light felt so much close, no more than ten meters away. On the third step, everything changed in a flicker.
No more all-engulfing darkness or endless corridor. Blinking a few times to adjust his vision, Sheik saw a large room made like the entrance of a fort. Walls of thick gray stone, high torches hanging on the side, giving light to this gloom place. The music from before is now louder but still muffled as if suffocated by a barrier.
After giving quick look from side to side, Sheik saw a tall and heavy door right in front of him with two massive guards standing in front of it. At first glance, they look like normal, heavily muscled and oversized, humans.
And before he had the chance to decide if he should call out to these guards that until now haven't detected his presence or if he should find a way to sneak past them, a light body came from behind him and gave Sheik a little shove forward, forcing his feet to stumble a few paces awkwardly; thus, getting the guards attention.
"S-Sheik?!" Vahn called out to him as the boy stepped out of the portal.
"That's who?" A deep, thunderous voice stormed out in reply. Not Sheik's voice, but from one of the guards.
The two men, dressed only in ragged long pants stepped forward. Each carrying a large and imposing spear in their hands.
"Walked out of the entrance they did." One of the guards stated, proudly of his assertion.
The second guard gave his companion a confused look and scratched the top of his bald head. "So what?"
"So they are welcome, dimwit." Replied the man with a little shrub of blue hair that sits on top of his head.
Sheik and Vahn exchanged a perplexed look between each other, giving time for the two men to bash a few punches against each other before they turned their attention back to the newcomers.
"Master says anyone who comes is welcome to come." Replied the burly blue-haired man.
"But not with a face they can enter." Said the bald one right after.
Sheik folded his arms in front of his chest. "And who would be the Master?" He asked promptly.
"How would someone exist without a face?" Vahn asked a question of his own, mimicking the serious posture of his blond friend.
The two guards looked at each other and shrugged. Then one of them replied. "Blondie did half a job done, he did." He pointed towards Sheik's masked face.
Letting out an awkward guffaw the bald guard pointed at Sheik too, with tears in his eyes. "To dumb to use a proper mask he is. Can see half his face, so dumb."
Nodding in accordance, the other guard didn't laugh but still smirked at his companion's comment.
Despite the jab at his intellect, Sheik still wears a neutral look in his expression. That is still Vahn couldn't control himself and spat out an involuntary cackle before he sealed his mouth with both hands. then a little throb made the Sheikah's brown twitch for a bit.
"Out of our two questions, you choose to answer his stupid one?" Sheik said in a foul mood.
"Because his question is not so dumb. Yours dumb." Said one of the guards with a frown. "Master is Master. Why ask what is Master if you know already what Master is?"
Both Vahn and Sheik blinked a few times in silence after that one. The soft hint of a migraine making itself known to the blond warrior.
"You two going in or what?" One of the guards asked in an angered mood. "Not allowed to be wasting space here."
"Sure… we are going…" Sheik replied plainly, taking a few steps forward before a pair of two spears stopped him in his tracks. "What now?!" He growled in annoyance.
"You dumb?" Asked one guard.
"I thought we already knew he is dumb." Said the other just to make his friend laugh again.
"You two can go in, sure." Said the bald guard. "But not with faces."
Vahn frowned and walked next to Sheik. "What we do then?"
The blue-haired guard grinned, showing his ugly and uneven teeth. "You could buy new ones." He said as if it was a normal custom. Then he walked to the side and left his spear leaning against the wall. With a round of two claps, the man summoned a purple-colored heavy chest and opened its lid.
"Two new faces for two people." Sung the bald man in a weird tone, a painfully weird tone.
"Just a few rupees for dream chances." Continued the other guard as he pulled two masks out of the chest.
Walking back to the group, the guard tossed one mask to Sheik and the other to Vahn.
The one given to Sheik is a white mask with a hollow red eye painted right in the middle. As for the one given to Vahn, that one is a dark blue mask with the symbol of a golden sun and a white moon swirling around each other; as if painted by magic each time one looks at this blue mask the position of the sun and the moon changes, almost given life to them.
"This mask…" Sheik stared down at the one in his hand. "It has too much resemblance to…" He raised a pointed glare to the blue-haired guard. "Why this symbol?"
The guard frowned back at Sheik. "What symbol? That just a new face. No symbol, no features. Just face."
The bald man nodded. "That's the point. New face to hide old one."
"Now, pay up. Ten rupees for face." Said both guards in unison, both of them extended an open hand towards the other two.
"Vahn… what does my mask look to you?" Sheik asked, holding his mask toward his red-haired friend.
The boy gave it a proper look and then glanced up to Sheik. "A white mask with a big red eye in the middle. What about mine, can you see the sun and the moon moving?" He asked elated, rubbing one finger on the figures.
Sheik gave him a soft smile and nodded, then looked back to the guards with their hands extended towards them.
He just groaned. Tired of the antics of these two, that clearly don't have a high-level intellect but keep insulting his for some reason.
Reaching to his hidden pouch, Sheik gave the guards what they asked for. First, he tried to give all twenty rupees to the blue-haired man. But the man just took ten for himself and retracted his hand, forcing Sheik to give the rest to the other guard.
The guards waited in silence until Sheik and Vahn put on their masks. Then they stepped to the side and clanked the bottom of their spears in the ground, somehow this forced the tall door to open.
"Good business is good business." Said one guard.
"Now go on, no point standing there." Said the second one.
Deciding to do as asked, both boys moved towards the open door, leaving the two guards behind. This passage, much like the first one, feels like a portal. A curtain of pure white, betraying no hints of what lies behind its oppressive light.
As the two of them stepped into this colorless canvas, the guards clanked their spears onto the ground again and the door began to close behind them, sealing the way back and leaving only the white corridor ahead as an option.
After just a few seconds of walking in silence and the pair reached the end of this passage. In their last step, the overwhelming light gave in and opened up into an even more surprising scene than a barely lit room with two giant guards standing in it.
"Woah…" Vahn's eyes widened once again, this time in pure awe.
"I concur." Sheik said in reply.
After walking into the second portal, they stepped right into a bustling market. A giant enclosed market with stalls and shops everywhere from left to right in this long avenue filled with masked people walking and chatting away as if life in Hyrule had never changed.
The mysterious distant music from before exploded into a full fanfare, worthy of a respected festival. Joyful and contagious, enough to make people forget their troubles.
Overtaken by his childish curiosity, Vahn took off running from shop to shop, his eyes sparkling at each new peculiar object he found.
Keeping a very good amount of caution in his steps, Sheik decided to walk around and explore this bizarre place to try and understand how can a lonely tent lead to this. And so, he went by, visiting a few shops along the way, but mostly overhearing people talk.
Most of it turned out to be idle gossip, some even sounded like insane rumblings of events and places the young Sheikah has never heard of. Which is odd, considering how much of his country's history he knows.
After spending more than a few minutes trying to spy on people and finding nothing of much importance, Sheik went after Vahn and found his friend in front of a stall selling a vast variety of books.
The red-haired boy never looked so happy in Sheik's eyes.
Noticing his friend approaching him, Vahn turned to look at Sheik and beamed excitedly. "Look, look. This place is amazing. I-I don't know how they did this, but they have some incredible artifacts here."
Walking closer to the stall, Sheik couldn't see what was so important about these books in specific, but he smiled anyway and let Vahn go on.
"Hey, mister!" Vahn called out to the shopkeeper, a greenish-yellow-skinned old man with a round belly sticking out from beneath his red tunic. "This one, the gossips of Zette. How did you get this? Oh, oh. This one too! Light's Mysterious Journey. This is the fabled teachings of Rauru. How in the world did you get these books?"
"Oh-ho-ho, I see you have good eyes for books, young man." The shopkeeper gave Vahn a toothless smile. "Hm… the ones you're talking about. Let me see… I think they found me here… or did I found them? I can't remember." Tilting his head, a little in confusion the man just chuckled and smiled again.
"Huh?! Are you joking right now? How can't you remember?!" Vahn almost jumped over the counter to grab the man by the tunic. "This is an ancient piece of history, it's more important than you and me, mister."
"Is that so?" The elder said in contemplation then just smiled again. "To me, they are just books."
Vahn let out an unintelligent screech, almost frothing at the man's blasphemous words.
A soft chuckle found its way past Sheik's lips, seeing his friend so overjealous about his books looked so endearing to him. "Vahn, please don't argue with the shopkeeper. To me, they are just books too."
"Sheeeik!" Vahn turned to Sheik, jumping at his chest and grabbing him by his shoulders. "These are not just books! They are important, very important. You know about Rauru, yes?"
Sheik gave him a quiet nod, any Sheikah would know about the ancient Sage.
A sight of relief escaped the small red-haired. "Then you know how important he is. This book right here was written by the sage himself, and for some reason, it is right here. Do you understand? It's impossible. It was believed to be lost for more than a century now."
"But here it is," Sheik said with a playful smile, hidden beneath both his masks. "Someone must have found it and brought it here."
"No, no, no. It didn't just vanish. It was destroyed." Vahn explained. "My master told me this and his master told him this and that goes on and on until the scholar who saw the book being destroyed."
"Vahn, calm down." Placing one hand on the boy's shoulder, Sheik pushed him away gently. "I understand this is important to you."
"To us! To everyone." He exclaimed loudly, tossing both hands in the air. "Mister!" He zoomed right back to the shopkeeper. "How much for it?"
Staring at Vahn with a glassy lost gloom in his eyes, the elder man rubbed his chin in deep contemplation. "Are you going to read it?" He asked calmly.
"YES!" Vahn's response couldn't have come quicker and louder.
"Five rupees." Declared the shopkeeper.
"F-Five… five rupees… FIVE RUPEES?!" Vahn's outrage came back in full force. And he was ready to jump at the old man this time, if not for Sheik stepping forward and pulling the boy behind him.
"Here sir and thank you." Sheik gave five rupees to the smiling old man; he then took the book and gave it to Vahn that was glaring like a wild animal towards the poor elder. "You have the book, please stop making a scene."
"This is absurd, Sheik!" Vahn growled as his friend dragged him away from the book shop. "The teachings of a Sage, being sold by mere five rupees!"
"Would you rather he charges us five thousand rupees, thus making it impossible for you to buy it?" Sheik argued.
"No…" Vahn's outraged voice tuned down into a shy whimper.
"Then be happy that he sold so cheap. Now you can protect and cherish the book more than he ever could." As Sheik made a point, Vahn's energetic protests completely died down.
Instead of turning back and yelling at the old man, Vahn just stared down at the heavy book in his arms and pressed it against his chest in a protective hug. A soft and caring smile appearing on his lips.
With this situation now under control, the pair decided to explore this weird place a little further, walking down this single avenue until finding anything of notice.
At each store they passed by, the number of people got smaller and the noise on the street began to dwindle. They continued walking until they reached the last oddity selling merchant, by this point, almost no one was walking around them, save from a few very suspicious individuals.
"Is this the end of this place?" Vahn asked, looking at the empty avenue ahead of them. No more shops or stands at the sides, just gray lifeless stone.
Staring into the first corner they have found in this place, Sheik frowned as subtle little noises caught the attention of his ears.
"I don't think so." Placing one hand on the hidden knife resting on his waist, the Sheikah made his way to this mysterious corner and walked into the other part of this hidden market.
This new street is very short compared to the previous one, as its end is already visible in the first step taken inside of it. But different from the ending part of the main avenue, this one is filled with things at its sides.
More precisely, filled with cages and prison cells; with merchants sitting in front of each of them, but with no goods in counters this time.
At the initial portion of this avenue, the cages are holding an impressive collection of wild and dangerous creatures. Some wild animals and monsters from Hyrule, beings that Sheik and Vahn recognized with a glance. Others, however, looked outlandish from places they have never seen or heard of.
Still, the further they walked inside this place, the creepier it gets. Not a single merchant has called for their attention, they just stare and watch. Knowing that if anyone has an interest in their merchandise, they will come themselves.
Reaching halfway inside into the place, Vahn hugged Shiek's side and never left. The sight of on the sides making the boy terrified.
Gone were the imprisoned beasts and monsters. Now they can see creatures that resemble people, thinking people. On a small cage on the left, they spot a person that resembles the people of land away from Hyrule, a human.
"Sheik… can we please go back." Vahn pleaded. "This place is scaring me."
A reasonable feeling to have as Sheik understood. Even him, a trained spy and assassin is feeling the weight of this place, wearing him down and making him suspicious of his very shadow.
The Sheikah was ready to concede to his friend request and turn back from this despicable place, but from the corner of his eyes, he saw something, someone that made him recoil and push Vahn against a clean wall.
Vahn shot him a frightened look, asking with no words what made his friend react that way. In response, Sheik raised his hand and pointed at a giant aquarium on the end of the street with a poor Zora imprisoned inside of it.
Standing in front of the said aquarium stands a very tall man dressed in rich regal clothes. This person is surrounded by heavily armed soldiers clad in black armor.
"See that man?" Sheik asked and waited until Vahn nodded in reply. "That worm is one of the nobles that betrayed the Royal Family. He was once in the court of the king, now he is in the court of the Tyrant."
"How do you know that?" Vahn asked back. "The man is wearing a mask too."
"I would never forget or mistake that coward man… never" Sheik replied.
'What is this place…' The question came rushing back to Sheik's thoughts. 'Is this linked to Ganondorf? Is this a trap?'
"Kukuku, this is a marketplace, of course." Said a foreign voice coming from nowhere and everywhere.
This made Vahn and Sheik jump forward and look everywhere around them, startled and alerted to this stranger's comment.
Sheik looked towards Vahn, then to where Ganondorf's minions stand, then back to Vahn. He saw nothing, no one. Right then a sensation urged him to glance back to where they came from, and as soon as he did, he saw a tall man standing there.
A man dressed in regal purple tonic with a creepy smile plastered on lips, carrying a heavy backpack with masks resting on its side.
Pulling his hidden knife out, Sheik dragged Vahn behind him and pointed the weapon towards the stranger. "Who are you?"
This strange man clapped his hands together and chuckled. "Oh my, no need for violence, I assure you." He bowed his head, making his weird masks dangle in the air. "I am just an honest seller and this is my shop." He said calmly, his smile never faltering.
"Your shop? Which one?" Vahn asked, peeking his head from behind Sheik.
"Why, you're standing on it." The man replied cheerfully. "All of this is my shop. A place for making dreams a reality. Just like the little diary in your hands. It's a dream of yours to have it, right?"
"I take you are the Master, then." Sheik said, never lowering his weapon as he glares toward the man.
"Kukuku, please, no need to call me that. For you, I am just a friendly Mask Seller." Rubbing his hands together the man stepped forward, risking getting stabbed by Sheik's knife. "But I see you are a busy person. So I'll do my best to not try and waste your time."
"Not sure we are interested in what you have to offer. Especially coming from a shady guy, oh sorry, it's shady Mask Seller, isn't it?"
"A Sheikah sharpens his tongue as much as his weapon, or so they say." The Mask Seller smile didn't vanish but slightly changed into a taunting smirk.
Thrusting his arm forward, Sheik pointed his knife onto the seller's throat, getting close enough to press it against the skin. "How do you know what I am?" He snarled angry in his question, his ruby eye showing a dangerous shine in its color.
Casually walking to the side, the man brushed the knife away and walked until he stood between them and Ganondorf's soldiers. "How I know is not important. What is important is what I know… and mister Sheik, I know quite a lot."
Vahn, that was watching the man with caution, decided to go back in hiding behind Sheik, hugging his book tighter than before.
"Sorry if I scared you, mister Vahn. It's not my intention to make enemies of costumers with so much potential."
"I told you, we are not interested in what a slaver has to offer." Sheik countered sharply, his gaze going to the creatures and people imprisoned within their cages and cells.
"My what a horrible thing to say." The seller's smile faltered for the first time, an expression of pity appearing. "I offer only a path to their dreams. What people do with it is not my fault. I assure you; no one here was taken without… consent."
"How does an irrational creature consent to being taken?" Vahn popped his head again just to glare at the man. "Forget that, what sane person would want this? You people clearly tricked them into this horrible situation."
Rubbing his hands together the Seller stood in silence for a moment, his smile returned to his full creepy glory.
"Answer me just a little nosy thought of my, mister Vahn. What do you do with criminals?" The Seller asked in a neutral tone. "Kukuku, let's change the view. Mister Sheik, what would you do to that respectable gentleman you can see behind me?"
This was a bait question; Sheik could feel it in the man's tone. Because if he answered truthfully, he would be just justifying the man's point, and Sheik was not in the mood to play his games. So instead, he just turned his gaze away and frowned.
"Silence it's an answer of its own, mister Sheik." A soft giggle came from the man. "Kukuku, but let's leave this sour topic for another time, shall we. I didn't bring you here to argue ethics."
"Then, spit it out. Why are we here?" Sheik said.
"I want to make you an offer, mister Sheik. Oh, and you too mister Vahn. Kukuku. You see, a very nasty man stole something of mine… something with much value… sentimental value, of course." The Seller rubbed his hands together again, this time in a more frantic way. "I want it back."
"And that concerns us, because?" Sheik rebuked.
"Because this person works for your enemy. A little rat that dared to SPIT ON MY HOSPITALITY-" The sudden violent outburst startled both Vahn and Sheik, not expecting it from the ever-smiling seller. "Ahem… this person wronged me much. I wager for an opportunity to impress his master."
"T-That can't be good." Vahn jumped in, finally stepping away from behind his friend. "This is a place that kept this book." He tapped his new book with two fingers. "Imagine what could this person steal that can impress someone as vile and as powerful as Ganondorf."
"Yes, yes, mister Vahn. You see the picture now." Pressing one hand to his cheek, the Seller tilted his head to the side, a bothered frown on his expression. "I never liked the King of Evil. His reign is bad for business. But now his lackeys have wronged me in a personal level, that I can't stand."
Pressing one hand onto his mask, Sheik sighed deeply. "Then, what do you want? What did they steal from you?"
"I've told you already what I do want. I want my belonging back!" The Seller said, stomping on the ground angrily. "Now, what they stole… It's a little nothing, really. Just a mirror." His eyes turned dark and his smile just disappeared. "I trinket of great importance to me. I. Want. It. Back."
"An unimportant trinket?! Why would I risk my life to get a mirror back from Ganondorf's clutches?" That migraine from before is aching again. The man is clearly omitting things from them and that is as fishy as it is dangerous.
"I don't expect you to do it for free, Mister Sheik. That would make me a lousy salesman. No, no. I assure you the reward will be very… generous." Turning to the side to shuffle around his heavy backpack, the Seller took an object from one pocket and present it forward. "In fact, I shall give you a little something to help in your quest."
Resting in his open hand is curious-shaped spectacles. The right lens is made of a sparkly red crystal and the left one made of a gloomy blue crystal
"Here, take it, take it." Offered the smiling seller. "With these glasses, you can see what is hidden to the eyes of mortals."
"Can't you be a little more specific with this?" Sheik complained as he took the weird object in his hand.
"Why would I, when life is much better served with a pint of mystery. Kukuku." Rubbing his hands together in satisfaction, the seller smiled once more. "Now that our matter is settled, let me get you back. It wouldn't be wise to leave the Hero of Time wondering if you have been captured or not, right?"
"Wait a minute! I didn't say I would do this-" Before Sheik could give his protest in full, a round of two claps overpowered his voice and the surrounding around them morphed and shaped into a mess of colorless light.
Soon after they were right back where they started, in that small clearing inside the forest where they found the mysterious tent. This time, however, there was nothing there but grass and fallen leaves.
"Did we just dream that?" A puzzled Vahn asked, the boy glancing everywhere in his confused stupor.
Giving a glance to the googles in his hand and the book on Vahn's arms, Sheik already got the answer to that. "I don' think so, Vahn… Goddammit."
Deep under the cover of night, a lone figure wanders on the shore of Lake Hylia; wobbling, aimless, waning at each step taken.
Heavy shadows linger behind their steps, shadows of anger, sadness, vexation. Like a powerful vacuum of life and hope, draining even the color of the tame grass dancing against the wind on the ground.
This lost wanderer roams at the very edge of the lake, stumbling on the verge of falling on the water, but the heavyweight of the sword that they hold on their right-hand keeps them steady, standing.
One hasty footstep against a bumpy mound of dirt was enough to break this fragile balance, bending this stranger onto the wet grass.
Crashing with both knees on the soft soil, their upper body arched forward, forcing their gaze to land right on the pristine surface of the calm lake.
Lake Hylia, the beautiful and gentle body of water that has nourished Hyrule as a whole had fell victim to a curse. A curse of malice and hatred, cast by the Evil Tyrant himself just to spite people and dry this majestic lake of its pure waters.
However, that curse was destroyed just moments ago. Through sweat, blood, and a burning hatred powerful enough to consume the source of the lake's woes.
The evidence of this silent and unknown struggle still lingers on the face of the lake's savior. A face that is reflecting perfectly against the mirror-like surface of the water.
A pale tired-looking face, smeared with foul blood and sweat. This distasteful combination of liquids running down and dropping from the tip of the chin, the little droplets crashing down onto the water, creating waves that blurry the reflection.
In this small chaos of waves, the only image left is a mess of white and purple. The only distinct trait left is the piercing light of two red eyes.
"Are you… mocking me?" A voice loaded with sadness and hurt, too quiet to be a growl but too vicious to be a whisper. "This reflection is your way of punishing me too?"
One loud and powerful hoot of an owl sounded from a tree, getting their attention, forcing those piercing red eyes to glare toward the large bird.
"Hah… a memento to remind me of him?" One hand run up slowly onto the wet hair, stopping only when beneath the gray hat to grab a fistful of whiteish blond locks. "Are you watching me still Rauru? Or is this the Goddesses' way of showing their scorn?"
No one replied to this pleading.
"ANSWER ME!" A fist trembling with rage flew into the air, pointing in accusation towards the lone owl.
Not bothered by the sound or the blazing glare coming its way, the large bird let out another proud hoot, before opening its massive wings to take flight towards another part of Hyrule.
As the bird flew away a surge of satisfaction ushered from within, an illusion that something was accomplished in those heated loud words. No more than three seconds passed before this sensation was overpowered by a crushing sense of loss and dejection.
Having nothing more to see on that ugly dried tree, those red eyes turned back toward the water surface, getting another glance at that taunting reflection.
"My eyes…" One hand reached up, touching softly on the left cheek. "I… I… Why…"
So engulfed in thoughts and emotions, they failed to notice a shy sparkle that formed at the corner of those eyes. Slowly and silently, a drop of tear slid down the skin, snaking its way down until it touched the tip of a pale finger.
This wet sensation felt different from all the rest. Warm, needy, weak. With a wild recoil of the hand, they rejected that teardrop together with what made it fall and with a shake of the head pushed away any other tear that would dare come out.
Another glance towards the lake and the reflection was still there.
The reflection of Link. A dark version of Link. Pale, red-eyed, and a permanent scowl on his face. A living mockery of the shining beacon that should be the Hero of Time.
"Mockery… I think of myself as a mockery?" A furious snarl erupted from those lush lips. "He is the mockery, NOT I!"
A step forward and a swing of an arm, the reflection in the water exploded in waves, crashed everywhere by a vindictive punch.
"Stupid lake. I saved you from that monster, not him. I am your hero, not him."
Pulling himself up, Link got up to his feet, putting his sword back into its sheath.
His weapon, a darkened version of the mythic Master Sword. An equally powerful, twisted, and blackened version of the holy weapon. The shadow of a sword for the shadow of a hero.
"Not a shadow… I am not… Not… Aaargggh…."
Anger, frustration, and madness. A dangerous combination that pushed his consciousness into a state of lethargy.
His body still moves. He can feel as much. Walking and pacing. To where he can't say or even guess. But a certain determination carries him forward towards a place that he simply has to be.
At one point he feels his hand clutch something, hard. The weight on his arm, the muscles of his upper back working; the memories of battle.
A fight?
Did he kill someone?
There is this metallic taste in the air, blood has been spilled that much is certain.
This makes him angrier. If his body is spilling blood, someone else's blood. He should know about it. See their face, their names. It bothers him, to be feeling trapped again, trapped in his own body.
'Never… Never again!'
With a violent snap, his red eyes got focused again. He can see. Move his hand and fingers.
Takes a moment to get his bearings. His hands are free, the weapon rests peacefully on his back, still tingling from the turmoil of battle. There is blood on his grey tunic, new blood, red blood. This is probably the first time he has seeing any blood that is not purple or green, after killing so many monsters inside that accursed Temple.
His hearing is returning to normal, graced by the soothing sound of music and the chatter of people. Lastly, his sense of space comes back. He can feel gazes shifting around him. Some are just normal curiosity at the state of his body and clothes, others are just indifferent stares of a common passerby. But there is this one, an intense stare ever-watching, peering from the corners like a silent hunter.
"A castle…?" Link glances around him some more. There is a little number of people close to him, but he can hear and feel a lot more of them coming from behind a turn just behind him. Letting his mind disregard the presence of so many people in this place, he shifts his attention to the more immediate surroundings.
Grey stone walls on the left and the right. Littered with cages and prison cells, all occupied by prisoners. Some monsters, some people.
A hard growl trembles within his lips. There are people in front of those cages. People dealing with money, dealing with others' freedom.
Deep seething anger boils in his chest. Those people mean nothing to him, nor the creatures. However, the restraint of freedom. The reminder that he too was a captive of someone's disgusting cage.
His right hand reaches for the handle of his sword. This action earning a few suspicious glances from those sitting in front of the cages.
But his hand stops as his red eyes catch a glance of a more interesting sight just up ahead.
One large and decorated aquarium; filled with the same pristine water of Lake Hylia. A gilded cage serving as a prison to a terrified Zora. Still, what got the majority of his attention is the pompous man standing in front of the aquarium, just watching silently while a full squadron of soldiers sits in watch behind him.
Any normal person would recognize the armor of those men. The danger they represent. Yet Link just strode forward with purpose, not letting their inquisitive glares stop his steps.
"Halt!" Commanded one of the soldiers. "This place is reserved for Lord Dentsu only."
Link didn't stop.
"Are you deaf?!" Roared another soldier. His heated voice prompting every man to ready their weapon and point them at the blond man.
"What… what are you doing here?" He asked. His voice, his eyes, and his attention all focused purely on the older man standing with his back turned to him.
The regal noble noticed this and dignified the boy with a brief glance before looking back to the scared Zora floating on the opposite side of the aquarium.
"Another connoisseur of strange beauty?" The man asked with a fond tone of voice. "If so, you warm my heart. Not everyone can see the subtle things in life."
Red eyes peering a hole in the man's back. "Her? Or this jeweled prison?" He asked with true interest, eagerly waiting for the man's response.
"What a beautiful question. What is more impressive, to tame such a noble creature. Or to see a Zora, one of the most enlightened creatures of this world, turned into a mere décor." There is a glee in the man's eyes. He licks his fat lips as his eyes hungrily follow every movement of the tormented woman inside the glass. "Hm… there is true beauty in twisting something so pure."
There was a ringing sound inside Link's head. He is angry, furious. His heart is burning so hot with ire that his thoughts are almost zoning out again. But this time he holds in, he doesn't let himself slip away.
It would be wrong. He should remember his face, their faces. At least until he was made to wield his weapon again.
Calmly reaching to his weapon again, Link unsheathed the Master Sword. Instantly every soldier stood in attention and got between him and the noble.
Not that it will matter, just more faces to remember and later forgotten.
"There is no beauty in taking someone's freedom." Link growled toward the noble, that has now turned his full attention to him, a hint of fear in the man's dull brown eyes. "But I will try to find beauty in taking your life."
Right then a commotion broke out.
It isn't fair to call what soon followed a fight or a battle, because it was not.
Link moved like the wind, slashing and dodging. Each step was taken with the fervor of an enraged warrior but the elegance of a true master.
He didn't deliver any more strikes than was needed. Five men stood in his path and after five blows of his weapon, there was no more of them.
What was once a tint of fear, has now turned into a pure look of terror in the man's eyes. Stumbling backward, he pulled out an elegant dagger with a golden grip and pointed at the red-eyed blond.
"P-Please! This is unnecessary!" Wobbling back as much as he could, Lord Dentsu pressed his back against the cold glass. In an involuntary reaction to the weird sensation, he glanced back and saw the Zora watching the commotion with as much fear in her eyes as he has on his. "Rupees! Yes, treasures. I am a very wealthy man; I can make you very rich."
Nothing was working, the more he talked the closer Link was getting to him. Covered in blood, the Master Sword shone with a hungry glint as it raised toward the man.
He cried. The man that was so nonchalantly appraising his prize moments ago is now a mess of tears and sobs.
"PLEASE DON'T KIL- Aargh!" His plea was quickly silenced when Link's sword pierced his heart, going so deep that its edge popped out from the man's back, cracking the surface of the aquarium's glass.
Pulling his weapon back, Link allowed the man's body to slump into the floor, the gaping hole in his chest making a mess of blood in the shallow lake of blood left by the other soldiers.
The crack in the glass soon cascaded in a domino effect, cracking and shattering the entire thing. A violent flow of water came crashing like a wave, washing the blood and carrying the bodies of the fallen soldiers and the noble to the other side of the room.
Water was not the only thing set free by the destruction of the aquarium. The Zora girl, still too shocked to move properly just fell with her backside on the floor, getting lucky enough to avoid any shard of glass that is scattered everywhere.
Seeing the piercing glare of those red eyes, the Zora girl screamed in fear, covering her head with both arms, just waiting for her turn to be killed by this nightmarish creature.
She waited, praying for the Goddesses to not abandon her. She waited for that horrible pain to assault her on any part of her body. She waited but nothing came.
As any other being dotted with the sin of curiosity, the Zora girl opened her eyes and peeked through a little space between her arms. Then she saw the blond man walking away from her, smashing the lock of every cage he found in front of him and killing anyone that tried to get in his way.
A rush of emotions came crashing down on her. Confusion, panic, hope?
In this scene of pure horror, she saw an opportunity for freedom, to be able to swim in the sweet and clear waters of Zora's Domain yet again.
Could she run away?
Could she somehow sneak past those detestable soldiers in black armor that captured her in Hyrule Field before?
Her mind was juggling a dozen thoughts and ideas, trying to find anything, any way to get her out of this nightmare.
In a moment where her first choice could decide everything, she made her decision.
"H-Hey... You! Wait, please!"
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Linnea chapter 17 . Sep 3 – In Gerudo Valley Every newborn is a Woman. Ganondorf if the first man born in generations and for that he became The King of the Gerudo. It is just how it always were with the Gerudo.
In Vahn's case he is the descendent of the Gerudo. He has Gerudo blood in him, like his father before him and so on. But he was not born from a Gerudo Woman in Gerudo Valley.