Hello everyone!
I'm posting this chapter quite quick because I'm going on vacation (hooray!). I believe this chapter to be a pretty important one and I personally didn't want to post it late :)
Disclaimer: I don't own Loz- only my OC's and plot.
I woke up to the warm sunlight shining on my face.
I yawned widely and tried to rub the sleep from my eyes, but decided I wanted a few more minutes of rest before my mom came to get me for breakfast. (Breakfast was my dad's favourite meal, so mom and I made it a rule to always eat in the morning).
I rolled over to allow the sunlight to warm my back when I realized that I wasn't in my own bed. The mattress was stiff, and the blanket was rough. When I cracked opened one eye I was looking at beige stone and not the plum colour of the walls in my room. I turned over and sat up.
So much for all this being a dream...
With that thought my whole body became drained of energy and all I wanted to do was sleep the day away.
But my bladder wasn't having any of that, so I got up to go to the bathroom. I didn't feel like putting on my running shoes so I grabbed Calli's oversized sandals and shuffled out of the room, heading for the second floor.
Telma said that the bathroom was the last door on the right, under the staircase. It was easy to find, but none of the doors had any numbers or signs, so I crossed my fingers that I wasn't walking into someone's room. I slowly pushed open the door, sighed with relief, and walked into the unoccupied bathroom.
This bathroom resembled (what I could only describe as) a fancy wooden outhouse. There were no windows in here, however efficient light was provided from a few hand-held oil lamps that hung on the wood panelled walls. There was a water basin next to the door with a constant flow of water and a tiny mirror above it. The toilet was a hole that was carved in the stone of a short rocky ledge at the end of the room. I could hear the soft rush of water coming from that direction and when I looked in the hole I saw a wide stream of water, moving continuously to flush away waste.
Once I was done, I washed my hands and took a quick look in the mirror. I grimaced as I looked at myself: my hair in tangles, my eyes small and dull with fatigue, and my cheeks a little red from the sun beaming down on them. I washed my face with the cold water, and then left the bathroom with full intentions of crawling back into bed.
When I opened my room door Calli was awake, but still lying in bed. "This isn't a dream, it is?" she asked me, her voice raspy from sleep.
"No. It isn't," I answered as I sat down on my bed. She sighed deeply and rolled her face into her pillow. For a moment I thought she was going to start crying, but then she mumbled, "Well, I have to pee," and sprung up, her blanket fluttering from the movement. I handed her back her sandals and she left the room at a run. I thought I heard her voice in the hall but it was at a distance so I couldn't be too sure.
Just as I was about to cover myself with my blanket and go back to sleep, a knock came at the door and Telma stuck her head inside, beaming. "Good morning, sweets. Time to get up and start the day!"
She was way too cheery.
"If it's alright with you, I'd like to sleep a little more."
Like forever.
"Sorry, sweets," she said shaking her head as she entered the room. "Not today. I'm tasked with making sure you four are looked after. So that means getting you all a new set of clothing, giving you a tour of the village, taking you to get your meals-"
I gave a short laugh and she stopped talking. "It sounds like you're more of a prison guard than a guide," I said sarcastically, but she looked away from me and her cheeks started to colour.
"Oh my god!" I cried in disbelief. "So what, everyone thinks that we're a threat or something?" I didn't like the idea of being watched. I know we're in a different world, but this was making me feel uneasy; like I had to keep one eye over my shoulder with these people.
"Nah, Nobu is just being… cautious. Do not worry too much about it. Hopefully things will be clarified at the meeting tonight," Telma said with a smile.
"Meeting?" I asked curiously.
"Yes, Princess Zelda called for it. We have a few things that need to be discussed, the four of you being one of them."
Zelda! Wow… If anyone knows how to get us home, it'd be her!
I nodded my head and Telma smiled again. "Good. I am going to wake up the boys, and we will leave here in five minutes." She gave a wink and walked out into the hall. I could hear her knocking on the boy's door as Calli came in.
I told her what Telma told me about our day. She squealed with delight at the idea of new, clean clothes and a look of relief washed over her face when I mentioned that a meeting was taking place to help find a way to send us back home.
We changed then entered the hall, joining the guys. They both looked a little rough. Calli took Charlie's hand and lead him down the hall while I walked up to Parker. I had to immediately move away as the smell of old alcohol was strong on him. He rolled his eyes as I wrinkled my nose and walked on ahead.
As we were walking down the stairs I tried running my fingers through my hair. The knots weren't as bad as I expected, and I was able to pull my hair over my shoulder and into a loose braid- very thankful that I always keep an extra elastic around my wrist (as my previous one disappeared somewhere back in the void).
Telma was waiting for us at the bottom of the stairs, holding what looked like four fruit in her hands. She gave one to each of us, and without even asking what it was, we all took a bite. It was the oddest fruit I have ever had. It resembled an apple with a waxy red skin, but the flesh inside was orange and the texture was like a kiwi. It was sweet and juicy, and we were all silent as we ate.
"You four must be famished! I will see if I can get you all a meal after you get your clothes," she said, then we left the inn and started walking down the dirt path into the village. She was leading us towards a small building that sat at the end of the village road, just before it forked in two, each new road curving in opposite directions that disappeared into the mountain.
As we passed by a small vendor's kiosk, sitting empty on the side of the road, I started to hear giggling. Then out of nowhere four kids ran up to us, laughing and pointing.
"These must be the interlopers!" a small boy with brown hair said, swinging a wooden sword that he had in his hand.
"Don't call them that," a shy, blond haired boy said as he stared at the ground, not making eye contact with anyone.
"Look at their clothes!" a girl giggled, pointing at us.
"They look so weird," said another brown haired boy, staring at all of us intently. And we were staring just as intently back. This kid looked no more than three years old, but sounded as if he were ten. And then it clicked as to who these kids were: they're the kids from Ordon village!
"Hey guys, look! Her pants are so short you can almost see her butt!" the older, brown haired boy (Malo? or Talo?) exclaimed as he stood behind Calli and pointed at her cut off jean shorts.
"I beg your pardon!" Calli cried, shock on her face as she clamped her hands to her behind. Her face turned red as she glared daggers at the kids as they tried to scramble around her to get a look.
"Get away from her, you little brats!" Charlie barked as he walked up to them. He was pissed. No one, kid or adult, made his girlfriend feel uncomfortable.
Malo-Talo jumped away from Charlie and brandished his wooden sword. "I'm not afraid of you, interloper! Come at me if you dare."
The girl (Beth?) and the baby-kid (whichever –Lo he was) started chanting "fight, fight", while the blond boy (whose name escaped me at the moment) looked as if he wanted to run away.
Charlie smirked as he cracked his knuckles- a subtle scare tactic he liked to use before putting someone in a headlock (his hell-spawn of a younger cousin being the perpetual target) with the intention of knocking a little sense into them.
Malo-Talo's eyes widened for a second, then he composed himself and took a fighting stance.
"Enough," Telma said in an annoyed huff. "Put your sword away before you hurt yourself, Talo (Talo!). Now, you kids run along and annoy someone else. We have business to attend to." She placed her hands on her hips and eyed each kid.
"Ah, you're no fun," Talo sulked as he and the others started walking away.
"Kids," Telma sighed as she continued to lead us down the road. I noticed that Calli tried to subtlety hide her backside as she walked, and I stifled a laugh. I didn't need to give her a reason to get mad at me again.
The last building on the road was tiny, and as we entered I noticed that this place was a small, single roomed house that was turned into some sort of makeshift storage space. There were various farming tools, carts, sacs of grains, and ropes lining the walls or piled on the floor and furniture. There were even weapons- swords, axes, bows and arrows- and battle armour strewn all over the place. Telma pointed to two wooden crates that she said had clothing and that she was going to check the shed in the back for spare footwear.
Calli opened one crate and Parker the other. We started going through the clothes: shirts, and pants in various colours and sizes; materials varying from soft silks to supple leathers. Charlie tried on a light blue shirt with long sleeves that seemed to fit him pretty well, and Calli was looking at an off white, sleeveless sheet dress with silver embroidery on the hem, mumbling something about needing a belt to complete it. I was looking at some pieces of black silk when Telma came back with an armful of shoes- from sandals to boots- took one look at us and burst out laughing.
"What's so funny?" Parker asked, lowering a pair of dark brown slacks that he was sizing.
"Well for one, that," she said pointing at Charlie's shirt, "is a women's top, and that is a man's tunic," she said to Calli. Charlie quickly ripped off the shirt and threw it in the crate, and Calli sighed, whining that it was very fashionable.
Telma dropped the shoes into a pile on the floor and then started sorting some of the clothing in the crates.
Parker was the first to find an outfit. He chose the dark brown slacks that he was looking at and paired it with a simple long sleeved shirt, the colour reminding me of wet sand. He tucked his pants into a pair of black leather boots that folded over at the top, and found a leather tie that he used to pull his curly hair back into a small ponytail at the base of his neck.
Calli found a dark blue, sleeveless top for Charlie that had an overly large turtle neck, which she said made him look "badass". He found a pair of dark brown slacks like Parker's, and tucked them into a pair of light tan boots that had a buckle around the top. He also found a long sleeved, dark gray shirt that he would use for the evenings, and wrapped it around his waist.
Calli's outfit was beautiful. She grabbed a light blue skirt that went to just above her feet, and a pair of dark brown, strappy sandals. The top she chose was two different colours: the sleeves (which connected at the shoulders, opened to reveal her arms, and then loosely connected again at the elbows) as well as the bodice were a light teal, while the cowl around her neck was a dark navy blue. She found herself a belt that was woven from thick thread in a pattern of purple and blue triangles, and tied it around her hips.
For myself, I originally picked a soft, dark purple dress that fell to just above my knees, but I decided I wasn't in the mood to wear it. I rummaged through the clothes once more and chose a pair of form fitting tan pants, made out of a material that was surprisingly stretchy. I found a gorgeous dark red tunic that had cap sleeves, a collared V-neck, and some sort of Hylian design embroidered along the bottom in a light red thread. Unfortunately, there was a large rip on the hem of the left side, but I liked the way that the shirt felt so I grabbed the two ripped ends and tied a knot so the tunic sat at an angle from my left hip down to my upper right thigh. I picked a pair of black leather boots that came just under my knees, which had thick, leather laces all down the back and fit snugly to my calves once I tied them.
I walked over to a full length mirror that rested against a few sacks of grain. It was spotted and dingy from age and blotted out some of my reflection, but I smiled at what I saw. My outfit was more on the simplistic side in terms of design, but they hugged my frame nicely and I had to swallow the squeals of excitement that were bubbling to the surface as I looked at myself in these Hylian clothes.
Telma looked us up and down, nodding her head in approval. "Nice. You all look very nice. As if you are truly from Hyrule."
She had us give her all our dirty clothes and told us that they will be cleaned and returned by tonight.
We left the storage house and headed back to the inn. Telma said that she would try and get us a proper meal (if the cook was willing to make us food before serving breakfast to the rest of the village) and then give us a full tour of the village.
As we neared the inn, my eyes were drawn to movement coming from the direction of Renado's hut, and my heart gave an elated jump.
Link was heading passed the hut and into the village. He walked with his hands laced behind his head, chewing on a piece of straw. He looked happy so I saw this as a good opportunity to properly meet him. Charlie was walking in front of me, and as the others entered the inn I pulled him quickly aside and told him that I would join them in a minute. He nodded and went inside. I took a couple of deep breaths and then walked, as calmly as I could, over to Link.
He was eyeing me as I approached. I could feel my cheeks start to burn and I started to ring my hands in nervousness.
As I neared him I forcefully put my hands at my sides and stopped, ready to say hello and introduce myself when he just continued to walk right passed me. Taken aback, it took me a few seconds to compose myself, and then I ran up and walked beside him.
"Uh, Link?" I said timidly and he tilted his head slightly in my direction. "Hi," I smiled at him. "We didn't get a chance to properly meet last night. My name's Del. It's really great to finally meet you." I extended my hand to shake, but all he did was stared at it for a moment before looking back in the direction he was going.
Alright, left hanging by Link. No biggie…
I took my hand back but continued to walk next to him. "So… I hear there's going to be a meeting with Princess Zelda tonight. Will you be there?" I asked because one: I was curious, and two: I didn't know what to say.
"Yeah, have to," he said, still looking ahead.
I laughed lightly with embarrassment. "Guess you would, being the Chosen Hero and all." This wasn't going very well.
He unlaced his fingers and put his hands down at his sides, balling them into fists. His eyes narrowed slightly and his jaw clench.
Okay…is it my imagination or does he look angry?
"I'm hoping," I continued, deciding to ignore the tense look on his face, "that Princess Zelda will have some answers that can help me and my friends. You see, we aren't from here, we're-"
"Interlopers," he interrupted, his tone exuding distrust.
"Please don't call us that," I said, my voice soft.
Interloper has such a bad connotation in Twilight Princess. We're not a threat, and I didn't like the idea of Link- or anyone for that matter- to think of us that way. We didn't choose to come here.
He looked at me this time- really looked at me- as if he was trying to figure something out. I felt my cheeks start to burn again at his intense stare, and lowered my eyes before I couldn't look away. His eyes were such an extraordinary dark blue that it was hard not to gawk at them.
"So, what other things do you think will be talked about tonight?" I asked, scrambling for something to say to break the awkwardness of the silence that passed between us.
He stopped looking at me and shrugged his shoulders. "The war, I guess," he said with little interest.
I'm starting to think that the Nintendo people were spot on when they decided to make Link mute. This guy has hardly said two words to me!
... But speaking of the war.
"Have you been on any great quest yet? Foiled any of Ganon's plans?" I asked, the excitement returning to my voice, eager to hear what he's done so far. He just gave me a look that said I was crazy and my excitement died.
I was confused. Why didn't he have the Master Sword, or Hylian shield? Why wasn't he wearing his green tunic?
"How come you don't have the Master Sword?" I decided to ask.
He stopped dead in his tracks and turned to look at me, disbelief on his face. "How do you know about the Master Sword? You said you're not even from here!"
I gave him a sheepish smile and started to fiddle with my braid. "Umm, this place is sort of like a legend where I'm from," I said, the feeling in my gut telling me once again that this wasn't an appropriate time for the truth. He didn't seem convinced so I added, "I know about the Triforce, and the Golden Goddesses. How Zelda has the Triforce of Wisdom, and you Courage, and that every time Ganon tries to take over Hyrule, you're always there to stop him."
I didn't realize that I was smiling until he gave me an odd look that made my face fall. He abruptly started walking, but I wasn't letting him get away just yet and caught up to him. "Why don't you have the Master Sword?" I asked again.
"Can't find it," he said annoyed, taking the piece of straw from his mouth and flicking it away.
"Can't find it? But there are always clues that guide you. Have you actually looked for it?" I asked, confused.
He hesitated for a moment then said angrily, "Listen! I don't know why you think any of this is your business, but-"
"Oh my god…" I said slowly as realization dawned on me. I abruptly stopped walking as if I hit a wall. "You haven't even started, have you? You've been here for seven months, but you haven't started." I was in disbelief.
"Started what?" he huffed, crossing his arms over his chest as he stopped too.
"Your hero's quest."
He laughed at that. I would've said that he had a nice laugh, but it was laced with a bitterness that spoiled the sound. "No, I don't have the sword. You know why? It's because the people of Hyrule can take care of themselves. They don't need a hero to fight their battles for them."
"Don't need you? Are you insane? Who would tell you that?" I asked incredulously. What he was saying didn't make any sense.
Something flashed behind his eyes (shame? guilt?), but it was gone in a blink, and I was left with staring at a look of utter indifference. He didn't care… How could he not care about his world? His destiny?
To say my fantasy was shattered was an understatement. Everything that I thought he was, everything I believed him to be, was crushed into a million little pieces.
It must have showed on my face because he just stared at me, then said in a smug tone, "What's the matter? You look disappointed."
"I am," I said, my voice sounding very far away, and then I turned away from him and headed back to the inn.
Don't turn around. Don't go back. Just keep walking…
I should've kept walking.
But in those few steps I became angry. Here I was in a place that shouldn't exist, standing face-to-face with one of my fictional heroes, and everything was wrong. I snapped.
I marched right back to Link, who looked taken aback- and I'm satisfied to say a little apprehensive- and let my emotions out.
"You're right, I am disappointed. Disappointed in you! You have been my hero since I was eleven years old! I always saw you as brave, and honorable, and willing to do anything to protect Hyrule and its people. But you're no hero. You're just a lazy boy who was given the title, but has no idea what it truly means!"
I stood there, my chest heaving as I watched his face pale and his eyes widen as if I had slapped him hard across the face. His mouth opened and close a few time, but I spun on my heel and ran to the inn. I heard him calling after me to come back, but I wouldn't go back this time. Without turning around I ran up the ramp of the inn and banged through the doors.
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO
The doors were lighter than I anticipated and they ended up slamming against the walls as I pushed through them. I heard screams of surprise off to my left and I realized that I startled two ladies sitting on the couches by the fireplace. I mumbled an apology their way; their eyes glaring at me as I walked past them. I was too flustered to really care.
I was going to see if Calli and the boys were upstairs but I heard Calli's laugh coming from the dining hall. I stomped my way over and entered the room.
I looked around and found that it was nothing spectacular; just bare stone walls with a bunch of candled sconces to provide light. I saw Calli and Telma sitting at a long table in the back corner to the left, talking and drinking something hot as steam was rising from their cups.
Telma spotted me and waved me over before getting up and saying something to Calli. She left the table and headed to an opening that was crudely carved into the right-side wall, pulled back a long piece of cloth and walked through. Next to the makeshift door, right against the back corner of the wall was what looked like a service window. I was able to see a few pots and pans hanging from the ceiling inside and took a wild guess that that was the kitchen.
I stomped over to Calli and sat beside her in a slump. She didn't seem to notice my mood as her head was in the direction of the kitchen. "Telma just went to talk to the chef. He won't make us food until it's time to feed the rest of the village, so she- are you okay?" she asked, finally turning around to face me.
"He's a jerk," I said depressed as I laid my cheek on the table and looked at her.
"Who is?" Calli ask intrigued.
"Link."
"Hmm, the cute, dark blond guy with pointy ears?" she asked. She put her hands by her head and made "pointed ears" with her index fingers for emphasis.
"Yes," I said with a bit of a pout as I rolled my head so my forehead rested on the table.
"Really? He seemed so nice when I talked to him," Calli said.
I snapped up and turned to face her. "When did you talk to him?" I asked, grabbing her shoulders in shock.
"Last night. After Telma and I were coming back from the hot spring. We ran into him as he was heading to take a bath, and Telma introduce us," she answered, startled by my reaction. "What's the big deal?" she asked, releasing her shoulders from my grip.
"The big deal is that he's one of my all-time favourite heroes, and he turns out to be a fake and a jerk. I could hardly get two words out of him, and when he did decide to speak to me he was completely rude." I huffed and lowered my head to look at my hands. "He broke my heart," I said pouting like a little girl.
"Broke your heart, huh?" she said. I didn't appreciate the tone in her voice; it meant she was scheming something that would most likely end up with me being humiliated. "Well, he was really sweet to me," she said, her voice changing to innocence as she shrugged.
"Yeah, well of course he was sweet to you! All guys are sweet to you! All you have to do is smile at one and they end up being a puddle at your feet," I said dourly, slumping back down and placing my chin on the table.
"Careful there, Del. That's my girlfriend you're talking about." Charlie walked around the table eyeing me with a stern look as he sat across from Calli, Parker taking a seat across from me. Both of their hair was wet and their skin pink. They must have taken a quick bath while I was talking with Link.
I just rolled my eyes at him. He knew I was telling the truth. There were many times he had to tell off some love sick guy for hitting on his girlfriend.
"Good, you boys are back," Telma said as she approached our table. She had a tray of mugs that she set down and handed one to each of us. I took a sip. It was the same tea that Renado gave us last night. "The chef would not make you four a meal ahead of the rest of the village- the rotten scoundrel- but I persuaded him to serve everyone early. Breakfast should be ready in no time." She gave us all a wide smile.
My stomach started to cramp and I realized just how hungry I really was.
Telma took a seat next to Charlie, her shoulder touching his. The look on Charlie's face would've made me laugh as he tried to scoot away as discreetly as possible, but I was too bummed out.
"After breakfast we will take a tour of the village. Rusl will be joining us as he offered to help show you around," Telma said.
Great, another babysitter.
Just then, a bell rang from somewhere outside and a few minutes later I saw people start to trickle through the front doors. Telma motioned for us to follow her as she got up and walked to the service window. We formed a line behind her along the back wall, and as she was being served her meal (by a bald, middle-aged man) I noticed that the line was growing fast. I was the last of my group to pick up my tray of food (a bowl of thick, orange-coloured soup, crusty bread, and something that looked like pink rice), and as I turned to head back to my table I got a glimpse of Link in the line.
He was glaring at me.
And I glared right back.
I decided to take the long way to my table and give him a wide berth- I was actually afraid that he would trip me if I walked past him from the look I was getting. When I got to my table Charlie had taken my spot next to Calli, which was as far away from Telma as he could get. I was okay with the seat change as I sat in-between Parker and Telma. Now my back was facing the line-up and I didn't have to have a pair of glaring, dark blue eyes ruining my meal.
Whatever our breakfast was, I'm guessing it's pretty good from the way the others were digging in. I picked up my spoon to try the soup. It was thick and creamy and smelled delicious. I took a taste, and was pleasantly surprised by how good it was. "What is this?" I asked Telma between mouthfuls of the hot liquid.
"Ordon pumpkin soup. It is mixed with Ordon goat cheese which makes it creamy," she said. "But do not tell the chef I said that. He likes to believe it is a secret," she whispered across the table, giving Charlie a wink and a smile. He just lowered his head and continued shoveling soup into his mouth. I smiled, starting to feel a little better the more I ate.
"And what's this stuff?" Parker asked, pointing to the pink rice. I noticed that none of us were eating it.
"Wild grains from the rivers of the Lanayru province. They are quite good."
I put a spoonful of pink rice into my mouth. I was expecting it to be tasteless like rice from home but it wasn't. It had a sort of floral taste that was light and oddly refreshing for a warm side-dish. I picked up my mug and took a sip of hot tea and felt my spirits start to lift.
Then they came crashing down as I looked around at the other tables.
Sitting on the opposite side and down one table from mine was Link. He was facing towards me, still glaring, while he chewed on a chuck of bread. Two girls sat across from him: one with short, light brown hair and the other with long red hair. I could only see their backs and I wasn't in the mood to try and figure out who they were. I wanted very much to flip him off but somehow I figured that the meaning of the gesture would be lost on him- or any Hyrulean for that matter. So I just turned my body as much as I could to face away from him.
As soon as we were done Telma gathered all our plates and mugs, and with a stacking skill that was truly amazing, took all our dishes up to the service window. I was just about to talk to Parker when a shadow fell over the table. Thinking it was Telma coming to tell us it's time for the tour, I turned to smile at her, but ended up smiling at Link instead. My mouth fell and my eyes widened.
What does he want?
"Link!" Calli said turning to face him and flashing him a bright smile, "It's nice to see you again. We were just talking about you earlier," she said slyly. I whipped my head in her direction and I glared at her.
If only looks could kill…
"Hello again, Calli," he said and smiled softly at her. I was fairly certain that my jaw hit the table.
"Link, I'd like to introduce you to my friends. This is Charlie, my boyfriend, and that's Parker," Calli said pointing at the boys while Link gave them each a welcoming nod. "And I believe you and Del have already met. I heard that the two of you got off to a bad start today. It's a shame. I know Del's heart is all broken because of it," she gave me an impish smile.
Oh, I am going to kill her!
Link faced me and I closed my mouth with a snap. He already disliked me- I didn't need him to think that I looked like a moron as well.
"I need to talk to you," he said to me, his voice stiff.
"Huh?" was all I could say.
Well, so much for not coming across as a moron.
"I said I need to talk-" but he was cut off by Telma calling to us over the din of hungry people.
"Oh…well, uh, can't. Have to get a tour of the village. Must go. So sorry," I rambled as I quickly got up from the table. I walked around Link and headed to Telma, who was standing at the entrance of the dining hall with Rusl.
I saw the others say their goodbyes (Parker stopping next to Link to shake his hand, excitement written all over his face when Link accepted) then came to stand beside me. Telma lead everyone to the front doors, and just before I exited the inn I looked over my shoulder back at the dining hall. Link hadn't moved from our table, and judging by the hard look in his eyes he wasn't done with wanting to talk to me.
Well, jokes on you buddy, because I have nothing more to say to you.
I gave him a defiant look and then walked over the threshold and left the building.
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Once I was at the bottom of the ramp I ran up next to Calli, who was walking slightly behind Charlie and Parker.
"What in the hell did you do that for?" I whispered harshly. Parker looked back, curious about what was going on, but from the glare I gave him he knew better than to butt in right now.
"Do what?" she asked with an innocently puzzled look on her face. I glared daggers at her. "Oh, come on Del. It was a joke!" she giggled, rolling her eyes as if it was the most obvious thing.
"Well, it wasn't funny," I said pointedly.
"It was supposed to break the tension," she said in a way that was meant to explain how her "joke" worked.
I groaned loudly and rubbed my forehead. "Remind me to teach you the difference between a joke and an ice breaker".
She gave me an annoyed look. "Alright, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything," she apologized- which was nice since her saying sorry for her mistakes is a bit of a rarity. "Even though, I was only trying to help."
This time I rolled my eyes. Whenever she did apologize she always had to save face. I just shook my head, trying to fight the smile growing on my lips. She bumped my hip with hers, releasing that smile, linked our arms together and grinned.
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We started our tour at Eldin Spring.
We all stood around the crystal clear water, watching the tiny waterfalls as Rusl told us that this spring is one of four sacred pools. He said that a long time ago, the four springs were each inhabited by a Great Spirit of Light. One day, for reasons unknown, they all left their springs, never to return. But the waters in which they lived are said to be gifted with magic and healing properties- or so Renado claims.
As Rusl started to continue on with the tour- mentioning that the stables and horses could be found across from the spring and just through the bend of the mountain pass- I allowed mine and Calli's arms to unhook.
Something wasn't right with Rusl's story.
The others were already making their way to Renado's hut, but Parker remained with me, staring at the spring in confusion.
"I take it you heard what Rusl said too, huh?" I said.
He nodded. "All the Light Spirits have left their springs? Aren't we were in the Twilight Princess Timeline?"
"That's what I thought. But now that I think about it… where's the Twilight?" I wondered, looking around. I decided to ask.
"Telma?" I shouted as I turned towards her, unintentionally interrupting whatever story she was telling Calli and Charlie.
"Yes, sweets?" she answered, as Parker and I approached the group.
"Sorry, but have you ever heard of the Twilight Realm?"
"No… I do not believe I have. Rusl, have you?" Rusl just shook his head. "Why?" she asked intrigued.
"Oh, uh never mind. It's nothing," I said nonchalantly, waving my hand as if brushing the question aside. Telma gave a small nod and went back to her story.
"Maybe The Shadow Invasion hasn't happened yet?" Parker offered, whispering so the others wouldn't hear.
"Maybe… But yesterday before I entered the village, Rusl and Bo mentioned that the barriers Zelda placed all over the mountain was to keep Ganon and his army at bay. They said nothing about Zant."
"There are barriers?" he exclaimed in both shock and awe.
As we passed the stone hut and headed back into the village I told him what I learned about Zelda's protection spells. Parker looked impressed.
"If Zelda is here in the village with the refugees, then that could only mean that Ganon has usurped the throne," I concluded.
Parker nodded slowly and remained quite as he let all that sink in.
I turned my attention to the tour where Telma was talking about what buildings could be found in the village. She pointed to the first building on the right, which was the general store. She mentioned that since all the Kakariko villagers left there was no need to keep it as one, so they turned the place into a makeshift infirmary.
I wanted to know what happened to the villagers, but Calli beat me to asking the question. Rusl told us- from what Renado told him- was that when Ganon's army started to invade the smaller villages and towns of Hyrule, the denizens of Kakariko packed up and headed for the safety of Castle Town. When Ganon finally invaded the royal city and usurped the throne (I looked at Parker as Rusl confirmed my conclusion) the villagers remained in the city as it was more dangerous to trek Hyrule Field than stay behind.
None of us had to ask the next question as Telma took over the story. She said that Zelda, along with Nobu, were able to escape the castle through the waterway that connect to her bar. She managed to hide Zelda for the first couple of days, and during that time started to find those willing to fight by Zelda's side. But they needed to get out of the city to safety. Renado suggested his village in the mountains as a refuge. The denizens of Kakariko refused to take a chance in leaving, but those from Ordon would. With Zelda's powers and many people skilled with a blade, they made it to the mountains safely. They then became known as The Resistance, and for the past seven months have been planning on how to defeat Ganon. She smiled with pride and then went on with the tour.
The building next to the 'infirmary' was the inn. We were told that's where most of the refugees stayed as they wanted to keep the homes of the villagers vacant, out of respect for their property and in case any of them decided to come back. (Rusl mentioned that he and his family were the only exception as he is the resident blacksmith and his wife is with child. They were staying at the village's blacksmith's house).
All the village homes were situated on the left-hand side of the cliff face. I paid little attention to them this morning as we went to get our new clothes, but as I looked at them now I was quite surprised. The whole length of the rock wall was covered in houses. There were two, small, single-level homes; one that was two stories with a balcony and an outside staircase; a long house that looked as if it was divided in two down the middle; and a two story, long house that must be divided into four. All the homes were humble looking and seemed cozy as the morning sun shined into all the windows, banishing the shadows away. I'd say that, with those who ran the inn and general store, over ten families lived in this village.
Back on the right, next to the inn, was the little kiosk where we first encountered the Ordon children. Telma said that vendors use to set up shop there when tourism was booming- before everyone became afraid to take a step out of their houses. A little passed the kiosk was the blacksmith's house, and next to that was the storage house where we got our new outfits.
The village road ended up ahead and forked into two, running parallel of the crater wall that lined the back of the village. Each new path continued in opposite directions as they went further into the mountain.
Rusl directed our attention to the right. A little ways down the new path and nestled up against the cliff face, hidden from the main road, was another large building. He said that that's the bomb shop, but it's off limits as the owner stayed in Castle Town and there's most likely unstable material still inside.
From the bomb shop, the path led upwards into the mountain. We were told that if the enemy ever found the right barrier, we were to head up this path where there were a series of Goron caves (to which Calli asked what Gorons were) and that they were equipped with supplies and weapons and would act as a second refuge if needed. Rusl then laughed, saying that it was a good thing that Bo was respected among the Gorons and got their permission to use the caves, or else everyone would've been tossed out. He said that Gorons don't tolerate humans very well, as they think that we are weak.
I wanted to argue, saying that I met a Goron who was kind to me, but then I remembered how Rux called me a "weak, little human" and stood guard as I bathed. I kept my mouth shut.
Rusl and Telma then led us back to the main road and over to the path on the left. As we walked down it Rusl mentioned that this pathway cut all the way through the mountain, and if we followed it we would eventually end up in Upper Eldin.
He took us a few feet more then stopped, hands behind his back, smiling. To our right, and seemingly out of thin air, an opening materialized in the mountain. Surprised, I ran back a few feet and watch how the opening disappeared right before my eyes. It was a natural optical illusion: the wall on the right jutted out a few feet more than the one on the left and both sides blended seamlessly to create the look of a solid wall. The others were intrigued as well, running back and forth, making the opening appear and disappear.
Telma laughed and told us to follow her. She took us through the opening, and once we emerged on the other side we were standing on a roped-off cliff overlooking a wide, open meadow, marked with a small, but dense forest grove just to the left of the back wall.
The rocky walls that enclosed the landscape looked as if they detached themselves from the mountain itself, becoming a pair of giant arms to encircle the meadow in a protective embrace.
We were standing high enough and the surrounding walls low enough to see far off into the distance. Rusl pointed out that the flat area pass the mountain range was the Upper Field, and the spiky, greener lands beyond that to be Upper Eldin.
I took a good look around me and saw that a natural mountain path, running along the cliff face to my left, went all the way down to the meadow below; the rope from the cliff continuing alongside it. I stared at the length of the path and thought that coming back up that incline would be really unpleasant.
A small blob of movement caught my eye and when I looked down I realized that it was an animal. There were quite a few dispersed over the meadow, munching on the grass. At first it was hard to tell what they were from way up here, but as I looked harder it appeared that they had giant horns on their heads. Then it hit me: they're Ordon goats!
Amongst the dark bodies of the goats, there were even smaller white dots marking the lush, green grass below. I saw that the shaggy cart horse from yesterday was there and seemed to be running after them, causing the white specks to soar in the sky and relocate. I laughed out loud and called to Parker saying that I bet those dots are cuccos; and we all watched as the horse chased them, making them fly everywhere. But after the birds landed they would ban together and start flocking towards the horse, bobbing and flapping as they all tried to peck at its feet.
Wow, those chickens really are evil!
My focus shifted from the animals to the tiny forest grove. It looked strange- as if it didn't belong there; as if it was a traveler just stopping for the night and would be gone the next day. I was suddenly gripped with a bizarre anxiety at the thought of the forest not being there. I wanted to go explore it; I wanted to discover its secrets.
And then I felt it again.
That same, strange pull from before; that unseen force which landed us all here. But it changed again, no longer a tug on my hand or my mind, but on my heart.
Why is this happening again?
I was filled with curiosity as I gazed at the dark shadows of the grove, but my curiosity warred with terror and the consequences that would surely follow if I surrendered to the pull once more.
However, I couldn't stop starring at the tiny forest and didn't realize that my feet were moving on their own accord until Telma called for my attention and I saw that I was heading towards the cliff side path.
"Del? Sweets, we are heading back to the inn now."
I blinked a few times, trying to clear my head. Then I smiled at her and nodded. For a moment her brows were etched with concern as she looked at me, but in a flash it was gone, replaced by a smile and a nod of her own. She then turned and headed for the opening, the others in tow behind her.
I wanted to stay, but I didn't know if I would like what I'd find if I did.
I turned and followed the others.
As I walked away from the meadow and back up the path towards the village, the pull on my heart started to fade, only to be replaced with a hollow feeling that I was leaving something behind, unfinished.
Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I had so much fun with this one- writing the dialogue between Del and Link and creating food. I think making up food was the funnest part!
And now the ball of plot chaos is balancing precariously on the edge, teetering further and further...
So please, please review, follow, and fave if you're liking what you're reading!
~lavender phoenix~