YEssss UPDATE. I liked writing this chapter, in fact, I wrote half of it within a day because I had good momentum and an object in motions stays in motion unless acted upon by a great enough force so BASICALLY my inertia was off the charts. I think oddly one of my favorite parts of both rewriting the game into a real world type style and rewriting the previous version of this story is that I get to flesh out areas that were otherwise caged in with cliffs that don't always make sense in nature. Sometimes I write exactly what it was, sometimes I try to expand it at least, but I like what I did in this chapter a lot.
Enjoy!
I just don't understand how he forces a Vinderendetta to translate, it's a completely voluntary process.
"Do you think maybe he threatens them?"
Threatens them with what? Translation is death enough already, I can't think there's anything more extreme. Thank god Tanek got away, otherwise...Well I don't know.
We sat down in Faron Woods, taking a well needed break. It was approaching morning but none of us had slept and the plan was that we wouldn't at all if we could help it.
"Who's Tanek again?" I asked, picking at a fern poking out from the foliage.
My brother.
"Oh, right."
Link was napping closeby, his head nestled into the forest floor. With every exhale, the leaves in front of his nose rustled then settled back into place. Midna said she was going to take a walk and every so often I could catch a glimpse of her through the trees but nothing more. The night was quiet and from several feet away I could hear the small crunch of leaves. From the underbrush, Creota dragged along a stick twice her size, proudly depositing it into my lap.
I scooped her up in my hand and planted a kiss on her forehead. Creota merely sneezed in return so I put her back down to watch the night sky die away into the morning. The kitten had other plans, however, and she sat herself up against Link's side, shutting her eyes and purring loud enough to wake him. He lifted his head for a moment, staring at Creota, then lowered it back over his paws to sleep.
Do you think he'd act like a dog if you treated him like one?
I rolled my eyes. "Vox, he's a wolf."
Go pet him, throw a stick or something.
I didn't bother to respond to him, but watching Link I did start to wonder. Instead of reserving myself to silence I let my curiosity get the better of me. "Hey Link."
He opened his eyes.
"I...uh...was wondering. Do you feel human right now?"
Link made something of a shrug.
"Like...I don't know, do you feel like chasing after squirrels or pacing around in a circle five times before you sleep?" I laughed at myself, but Link simply shrugged again.
You're starting to sound like me, Maizy.
"Sorry…"
No it's fi-
"That was stupid. Forget it."
Midna came back, seemingly having cleared her head somewhat, and told us it was time to get moving. As Link and I stood up and dusted ourselves off, she suddenly spoke up again.
"Actually...Maizy, can I talk to you in private?"
Flustered, I replied, "Yeah, of course."
Midna gestured toward Link, waving a dismissing hand. "Run ahead, we'll catch up."
Link huffed and headed off to the path we'd departed from several minutes ago. When Midna was sure he was out of earshot, she took a deep breath.
"You know who I am, right? Who I really am?"
Her face was soft, but the frown across her lips felt like a sharp needle nonetheless. I wasn't so much worried that she was angry with me, more as I watched her there was a new deep empathy. Did she feel it too? "You mean the Twilight Princess?"
She nodded, then explained, "I appreciate it, not telling Link, stuff like that. But why don't you tell us more? If you've read about us, don't you know how this goes?"
I looked off. "I do but...the Vinderendetta weren't in that story and even on top of that I don't remember everything...I just don't want to mess with anything."
"Tell me." Midna floated closer. "Please."
My breath hitched in my throat. The thoughts in my head started picking sides, to say something or stay silent on the matter. What harm would it do? But what harm could it actually do? Was there a moral code for psychics? I wanted to simply know the good answer, but in reality I couldn't. "No."
She didn't move for a moment, but eventually she backed up and nodded again. "If that's how it should be."
As she started drifting in the direction Link left, I turned to follow her. In the midst of everything buzzing in my head, however, I quickly grabbed her attention. "Midna, wait."
"Hm?" she mused.
I tapped my fingers one by one against my thigh then pulled up the nerve to say, "Thank you. For trusting me."
Midna narrowed her eye, "Oh?" then her expression relaxed, "you're welcome."
As Midna headed to the path, I started to follow after her until something soft stepped over my toes. I was startled for a moment until I realized it was only Creota and leaned down to pick her up. When she was situated on my shoulder I went after Midna and Link, listening to Creota's tiny purrs all the way back.
We trekked out into the wilderness, the foliage becoming slowly denser but also lighter with the coming of day. My eyes were heavy, but I kept pace nonetheless. Midna rode Link's back, glancing around occasionally, zoning out most of the time. All three of us were quiet for once, not even Vox interrupted. I quietly gripped my Leiyn and charged it as we went.
Eventually the trees thinned out, giving way into a clearing. Far up ahead I could see a magnificent tree that splayed its branches into the sky. It sprouted up from the bottom of a ravine, a select few limbs reaching and grasping onto the edge, acting as bridges to the main trunk.
Midna shifted to look at me. "You said it was here?"
"Down the ravine somewhere. I don't know if it's different though." I admitted.
We hurried to the ravine, peering into its giant maw. Its floor was shaded, but it was mildly apparent that there was grass down there. To the right, a vast forest condensed, leading out of the ravine, into fields far off. As I squinted, Vox answered my curiosity before I could voice it.
Out there used to be Hyrule, but it's drawn back over the years, closer and closer to the mountains. We're on a plateau almost, at least it drops off into cliffs just before those fields. If you go far enough you'll find where I grew up, all the way across the fields.
"The Vinderendetta don't live in Hyrule?" I asked. Link flashed me a look, then went back to examining the ravine for a safe path down.
We used to. My ancestors pushed them north. We minded our own business after that for a while.
"And then?"
Vinderendetta are not naturally fertile creatures. A female has birth only once in their lifetime and can only get pregnant at a very specific point in their life. After several unlucky generations, our numbers were dwindling rapidly so they forced marriages. When my brother was of age he left with several others but I stayed and ran away. I remember well...before all of this...when I was back home waiting for them to decide what to do with me, the rumors of the man who promised them he would solve all of their problems. I had my suspicions so I left to try and find my brother. When I couldn't find him I came up with a plan, and well, here we are.
"I still don't get why you had to bring me here."
...It was a part of my...plan.
I rolled my eyes and caught up to Link and Midna a ways away. None of us could seem to find a proper path down. It looked like we'd have to climb somehow. The obvious platforms from the game were nowhere to be seen and I had to rely on my own instincts to figure out where the right path was but everything was the same color. It all merged together as if shaken up in a bottle. Feeling my head start to throb, I stood up.
Midna scowled and groaned, "Maybe we should just jump and hope for the best."
I peered over into the cliffside and shrugged, "Maybe we should."
Our eyes met for a moment, then looked back at Link. I planned out a route with as much as I could see and gestured to all the wide edges on the cliffside where he could land. Once it was clear enough to them, Midna slipped into Link's shadow and I put Creota in my Leiyn before climbing onto his back. Wrapping my arm around his neck, I squeezed my eyes shut and waited for him to make the first leap.
My body suddenly felt weightless and air started rushing passed my ears, ruffling my hair. I suppressed a scream long enough for gravity to slam back into me as we landed on the first ledge. With a huff, I opened my eyes and prepared for the rest.
Some falls were worse than others, I ended up screaming more times than I would've liked, but when Link's feet finally landed on dirt and not rock, I breathed a sigh of relief and slid off. My legs wobbled as I blinked my eyes to adjust to the new lighting. Just ahead, the forest I'd seen from above began, but I failed to notice before the thick fog that rested between the trunks.
Midna mounted Link's back again and ushered him into the fog. I glanced behind myself, up at the giant tree, up to the clifftops where we'd just been, then went after them. The fog was thin as we went in, but the further we pressed, the more obscured our surroundings became. Trees and underbrush only appeared for a few feet before disappearing into white.
The fog gave way to a clearing, in the center a large stone with a triangular hole in its center. Leaves tumbled around it as a gust of wind tore through and played with the shrubs and twigs. It carried on it the soft sound of a song, barely audible in its wisps. I walked closer to the mossy rock, regarding the Triforce carved into its surface. Placing my hand over it, I closed my eyes and hummed to the familiar melody.
Zelda's Lullaby.
When I opened them again, a rustle echoed from the tree canopy. I turned to find a small wooden boy dressed in autumn leaves staring back at me with giant orange eyes and a stiff, wide smile. In his hands he held a four-belled trumpet and a blue lantern. He brought the horn to his lips and played a raucous, blaring note before laughing and disappearing into a pile of leaves. In his place, five puppet-like creatures dropped from above.
Ugly little things.
Link leapt at them, toppling two over and tearing at one's neck. I swept a wave of green at the remaining three, cutting the closest one nearly in half. The last ones started gaining on me, but Link came back in and bit one in the head. I finished off the remaining puppet and stood back. All at once, the five limp bodies fell into dust and blew away with the ushering winds.
The clearing went silent, all but for a few faint notes in the distance. Before I could make out where they were coming from, Midna huffed, "Where are we supposed to go now?"
"Shh!" I brought a finger to my lips.
"Shouldn't we talk this out?!" Midna crossed her arms and stuck out her chin.
"Shut up!"
As she quieted, the sound of a trumpet croaked through the fog. Slowly, I turned towards where I thought I heard it coming from, then crept in that direction. Once the clearing was behind us, the fog hugged close around our senses, the scratchy tone of the horn the only solace. Its rhythm got louder, clearer, the closer we approached, revealing the nature of its song to us. I recognized the friendly melody of the Lost Woods, but it was distorted and haunting.
We finally came into another clearing, but here signs of a cobblestone road pieced together between overlaid grass and moss. Two houses in shambles mirrored each other on each side surrounding a well. On the well's edge sat the boy lowering the horn from his lips. He giggled hysterically as we approached, then when Link pounced, he jumped and disappeared. I looked around frantically for him, but suddenly I heard his trumpet blare and knew there was nothing left to search for.
Double the amount of puppets dropped from the canopy, staring at us with their beady eyes. I took care of the ones that approached me with ease. When I stood back, Link was finishing off the last one. We didn't waste time going after the song again, moving as fast as we could before the crunch of leaves and snap of twigs drowned out the sound.
As we approached another clearing, the cobblestone became dense underneath our feet. Instead of trees, I could peek at the remains of buildings through the fog, overrun with underbrush and vines. The clearing appeared to be some kind of town square, in its center an ornate fountain, long dried up. Sitting on the edge playing his trumpet was the boy again. He stopped playing and laughed at us again.
"Do you like to play?" the boy teased.
Midna barked, "Just show us where the sword is already. Enough with the games!"
The boy was unphased. "Try to catch me and I'll show you where it is."
"We don't have ti-"
"Alright, we'll give you a head start," I interjected.
He cheered and jumped down from the fountain. As he ran off in some direction, Midna began complaining to me. "We could've gotten him to show us the way."
She's right.
"Listen, I know the right way. We're supposed to play with him and even if I don't remember it happening like this I'm pretty sure-"
"Maizy, behind you!"
I spun around on my toes, face to face with a massive Vinderendetta whose blue eyes looked directly passed me. Their scales were a shiny black. As they stood up and readied an attack, I sprinted away in the direction of the wooden boy. Link caught up and passed me in the streets.
Pressing on into the roads of the abandoned city, the fog began to lift revealing houses that looked to be in their prime instead of ruin. The sun shown on their rooftops and people emerged from their windows, eyes locked on something. I stopped to glance around, searching for what they were so awestruck at, but suddenly another Vinderendetta landed on the roof of the house behind me and I knew.
In a panic, I joined a growing crowd of people in the streets running for their lives. All of the confusion in my head was suppressed by fear, I had no time to answer my own questions, let alone ponder them at all. Lightning struck several of the buildings around us, blurring my vision and attacking my ears, but surprisingly I felt no heat from them.
The crowd deposited me into the square where I started. The fountain had oddly burst to life, but what caught my attention most was the castle distinctly visible across a small field. Dozens of Vinderendetta swarmed its walls, flashes of light rippled over its stone. I turned around to look at the town behind me, swarmed by the creatures, toppling to the ground. Screams cut through the crash of houses, the snap of lightning, the rush of fire.
"Maizy!"
I blinked, taken aback by the sound of a male voice. My nerves plucked my heartstrings as the voice called again and through the crowd I saw Link's face trip into sight. He rushed towards me and reached out to grab my shoulder, but when his hand got there, it slid right through.
It's an illusion.
Link drew his hand back, shocked.
I squinted at him and spat, "You're not real."
Again, he seemed surprised. "What? No! I'm just as confused as you are! It must be that kid and his stupid game."
Hesitantly, I accepted what he said and nodded. "Okay...so what now? We catch him?"
Link shrugged. "I guess. Where would he go though?"
I looked around at the square that was quickly emptying. "Maybe he wanted us to see something?" Where we were didn't seem important and the longer we stood there, the more deserted it became. Several bodies littered the ground, their blood staining the cobblestone.
"Let's try the castle," Link suggested.
After I agreed, we took off for the collapsing walls of what was once a grand castle. Several guards ran through us as we went by, charging in lines I couldn't avoid. Every time they phased through my body, I felt revulsed, but kept going.
When we reached the castle, it was near full collapse. Link and I stopped before the grand drawbridge, gaping wide open into the castle. From its depth, I could see a horse racing towards us. A silver Vinderendetta clinging onto the inner walls seemed to clamber after them ferociously.
As the horse approached, I could make out the features of two riders. One was a woman with golden hair, dressed in an ornate pink and white gown. Her protector was blonde, adorned in shining armour and wielding a sword with a purple hilt. The two of them passed and I noticed that the woman was clutching onto a small bundle, gently, almost as if not to harm it.
Link groaned as they zipped down the road to town. "It's definitely them."
I watched them gain distance, then cringed as the Vinderendetta launched into the sky overhead and pursued. "Zelda and-"
"One of my ancestors, yeah." he shuddered, "I have a feeling this isn't good."
"No shit."
"Maizy."
I'm starting to wonder if I accidentally translated some of my personality.
"Sorry, sorry. Let's go before we miss something."
We went back the way we came, but the trek was much easier downhill. As we reached the town square again, there were no more Vinderendetta, just ruin and rubble at every turn. One place remained untouched, a church-like building perched above the town. A series of steps ran up to the top and on it the pair from the castle climbed.
Link's ancestor fended off the Vinderendetta as best he could, but even I noticed that the creature wielded a power much stronger than the others. Link and I rushed up the steps to reach them, closing in as they struggled to get to the church. When we came to the scene, the Vinderendetta had the man pinned to the top of the steps. They stared down at their prey, narrowing their eyes.
"Don't do it!" Zelda cried, "Please!" She held the bundle to her chest, tears streaming down her cheeks.
The Vinderendetta let up their hand, leaving the man panting against the steps. A solemn silence lied over them, but it was quickly broken. Their claws came back down, stabbing the man through the chest.
"Link!" Her scream was jarring, filled with agony. I covered my mouth, trying not to show the emotions swimming around in my stomach. She shouted at the Vinderendetta, pleading, "We'll move! We'll leave you alone, we won't look back, just please! Let us leave in peace!" Her breath came out uneven. "No Hylian will ever intervene with your kind again."
The Vinderendetta, seemingly satisfied, launched into the air and took off onto the horizon. As it left, Zelda fell to her knees and started sobbing over her hero. The sky turned from blue to orange to black. Everything went quickly, the guards that came back to find her, their departure and return. It was morning when the scene slowed and a man wearing heavy armour and medals came to greet her.
"Your Majesty, we found his family who went unharmed in the attack."
Zelda moved slowly, cradling the bundle in her arms. "Tell them they must move somewhere where no one will ever find them. On the outskirts of Hyrule. To the settlement of ranchers, yes, that would do." She took a deep breath. "Have them change their names too."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Their features became overrun by fog. It swept around us like a curtain. A strong gust of wind blew into my eyes and I shut them against it. When it died down, I opened them again to the sight of a man dressed in the same golden armour as Link's ancestor. He was not made of flesh but rather bone and held a different sword and shield.
I knew from the moment I noticed his one pulsing red eye that it was the Hero's Shade.
The ground was even now, and Link walked straight over to him, eyes wide.
"Draw your blade." the Hero's Shade ordered.
Link gave me a sideways glance, then reached back and unsheathed his sword.
The Shade took his stance and Link quickly charged. As he got to the Shade, he was swiftly disposed of by only the shove of a shield. He collided with the ground and stared up at the Shade.
"Being aggressive only gets you close to the enemy. If your opponent is smart enough, he'll use that force against you. A sword wields no strength unless the hand that holds it has courage." The Shade gestured to Link and commanded once again, "Get up. Show me that my own flesh and blood didn't turn out to be a weakling."
Despite having gotten beaten without much effort, Link smirked and jumped onto his feet. The two faced each other and waited for the first move. Link took the initiative and charged at the Shade again, but instead of falling into his range, he stepped to the side and looked for an opening. The Shade swung at him and Link rolled out of the way, leaping onto his feet and slashing where the Shade had left himself open.
He immediately countered back, but Link parried. Link tried to come back with another attack, but the moment he raised his sword, the Shade butted him with his shield. Staggered back, he regained his stance and went in again. They went on exchanging another set of blows, but when Link stepped wrong, the Shade took the advantage and knocked him to the ground.
"Up, again!"
The two of them kept at it, swinging and bruising, Link getting knocked down and launching back up for another attempt. Finally, after several close losses, the Shade made a move and Link found the opening to strike. With a loud battle cry, he shoved himself into the Shade's chest and pushed him to the ground, then, quickly, he lined his sword to his neck.
"Good, but there's still much you can learn."
Link sheathed his sword.
The Shade stood and clapped a gauntlet onto Link's shoulder. "You will make the bloodline proud in time, I'm sure." He quieted for a moment, then spoke, "It was Skull Kid who brought you here, correct?"
Link raised an eyebrow. "The boy?"
The Shade nodded. "Yes, an old friend. He's probably waiting for you."
"Wait," Link frowned, "I have a question."
"Yes?"
"The bloodline...have you talked to my mom?"
My heart split. I looked at Link then, watching the anguish on his face. The Shade's shoulders dropped. "I've been stuck in this realm, I was only able to watch her spirit leave her body. I do know that it was her dying wish that you be told that she loved you more than anything in the world. And I know you were only informed of her passing."
Link bowed his head. "Thank you."
"Goodbye. I wish you luck on your journey. Always remember courage."
The fog swept up, obscuring the Shade and Link. When it passed by, the sun shone over the same church from the illusion, except this one was run down, adorned in vines and holes in the walls. Link was a wolf again, Midna on his back holding her head.
"Not fun, not fun at all. Light world magic and me do not mix." Midna rubbed her cheeks.
I laughed softly and walked into the church. Streaks of sunlight fell through the broken windows, landing on the remains of an old red rug. My steps echoed off the tall ceiling as I passed through. On the other side of the chamber was a doorway, inside of which one ray of light fell onto a blade. Link ran by me to this other chamber, not slowing down against Midna's protests.
Trailing after them, I entered the chamber when Link reached the blade. A blast of energy immediately swept me off my feet and sent Midna flying into the wall. Link's form turned back as the energy continued to pour out like a hurricane. Bits of darkness flew off like pieces of dirt, revealing his human form in the soft sun. He stood and grasped the purple hilt of the blade, lifting it up from its pedestal. The wave of energy ceased as he raised the magnificent metal into the light, its blade shining.
Link hesitantly lowered the Master Sword and looked back at Midna and I. I expected him to be sad or confused after the previous exchange, but suddenly his eyes lit up with joy and he nearly sprinted towards me.
Holding up my hand in confusion, I tried to keep him off at least for a moment, but he sheathed his sword and grabbed my face in both of his hands. "I missed feeling things, goddesses, have your cheeks always been this warm?"
Didn't think a few hours as a wolf could make you so handsy.
"Okay, okay, chill out. Is it really that bad as a wolf?" I put my hand under one of his and flicked it off. He removed the other one and laughed.
"It just feels different. And everything is furry and itchy, but for some reason I can't be used to it right away so I just spend awhile trying my best not scratch myself." Link went to talk more until he noticed Midna against the wall. She held a small rock in her hand, orange lines aglow on its surface. "Is that what he threw at me?"
"It's the embodiment of it. We should destroy it before it gets in the wrong hands or…" Midna's frown grew into a devilish smirk. "You could change back and forth with it. Perhaps we should keep this gift Zant oh so graciously gave to us, hm?" With a cackle, she shrunk it and it disappeared from the air. "Just call me whenever you need to switch, it's sure to come in handy."
"Hopefully it won't," Link muttered.
"Anyway," Midna rolled her eyes, "we should try to get to the mirror as soon as possible."
I nearly collapsed to the ground at the thought of moving more. My limbs were tired, I was tired, I didn't want to go anywhere. "Can we please take a break? I haven't slept in so long."
Link quickly agreed, "Yeah, we've been going nonstop for awhile, we should take a break to refresh and get more supplies."
"And sleep," I begged.
He laughed.
"Alright," Midna conceded, "where do you want to stop, I can move us longer distances now."
After a moment, he came up with an answer. "We should rest at Ordon. I need to talk to some of the townspeople anyway. You can sleep while I go out."
I smiled and nodded.
Midna readied the stone for Link to touch and as he poked its surface, he fell into his wolf form. I was instructed to hold onto him otherwise it would be harder to move as far as we wanted. After a flash of cold I looked out onto the shores of the spring where I'd been found over a week ago. Link stood up next to me in his human form and offered a hand to help me up. I took it, standing on firm legs this time and walking onto the path to his house, ready to fall asleep.
