Chapter 21: Another Secret Revealed
For a long moment, which could have easily been two winks of an eye or two years, there was only darkness. Then, like the shadows of predawn creeping over the horizon, tendrils of color began to appear at the fringes of the blackness and wended their way inward. Patterns of blue bisected by ivory shafts bedecked with sharp angles of gold. Indistinct at first, then blurred lines resolved and the shadows bleeding into the world drew back into small niches of darkness.
At the center of the tableau was a large four poster bed, decorated in satin of a deep purple, upon which lay a lanky young woman with a waist length mane of blonde hair. Blearily, her half-lidded eyes alighted upon the bed's curtains, drawn and gently undulating as if stirred by a gentle breeze. Other than the rustling curtains, all was silent.
"Where am I?" Kelli asked, her strangely sluggish thoughts straining to make sense of what had befallen her as she brushed aside one of the curtains.
It took a moment for her vision to clear and, even when it did, a strange languidness yet pervaded her very being, leaving every muscle feeling numb and distant while her thoughts pumped sluggishly in her brain. Granted, she was no stranger to the mind numbing effects of profound exhaustion, but this felt much greater than that. From somewhere in the molasses of her memory, she dredged up a recollection of a night spent in Mayia where she'd visited a curiously named establishment called a Milk Bar and had imbibed a bit too much of a beverage called Chateau Romani. The morning after that had not been pleasant, and she recalled that it had left her feeling much as she did know. Yes, perhaps she'd hit the Chateau Romani a bit too hard…
…or been drugged.
A sudden memory stole over her, her thoughts suddenly becoming a swift current rushing towards alarm. She once more saw saurian jaws gaping wide, teeth glinting in the firelight, and a foul smelling mist wafting out to assail her nostrils.
"The Dragolfos!" she realized and, reacting with instincts honed by years of adventuring, she vaulted to her feet…
…only to find herself near to pitching forward, her arms pin-wheeling madly for balance.
Once she'd managed to prevent herself from sprawling, the Sun Guardian let out a sigh of relief that quickly turned into a murmur of perplexity when she glanced down to see what had caused her brush with disaster. At some point following her encounter with the deadly Dragolfos, whoever had brought her here had replaced her familiar boots with a pair of lady's shoes…
…and the sort that wouldn't have been out of place in Zelda's wardrobe, no less.
Crafted of a bright white material, these ensconced her feet at a sharp angle which left her heels cresting the top of a steep incline rising some six inches above the floor, from which descended a spike which tapered to a blunt point that punched shallow craters into the carpet. Tendrils of silver crisscrossed her arches, mid-foot, and ankles, weaving their way toward ivory loops which encircled the base of her shins.
The shoes also showed quite a bit of skin, and Kelli found herself suddenly wishing for her absent boots.
The silvery straps did little to hide the calluses on her feet or her collapsed arches, and even less to conceal the ghastly state of her pedicure.
No less bizarre, nor any less stinging to the suddenly self-conscious Sun Guardian, whoever had replaced her boots hadn't stopped there. Rather than her tunic and armor, she was garbed in a long evening gown of deep lavender. The material was silken smooth and faintly sheer, offering more than a hint of the skin beneath…and quite a bit more than Kelli would ever wish to show of her gawky, boyish frame. And, as if that wasn't enough, the dress itself had a pair of slits, running from ankle to hip, which allowed easy viewing of her too tan and too slim legs, while the snuggly fitting blouse she'd been crammed into did a wonderful jump of accentuating all the feminine curves she didn't have.
Her bouts with self-consciousness notwithstanding, Kelli had never been one for dolling herself up, and she had never worn anything even close to this provocative garb…
…which left her wondering just who had dressed her up like this.
Having dealt with such villains as Dorath Riptide, who'd never considered a day of pillaging complete until he had at least a few women in chains to "play with," her suppositions were already wending their way down a dark course.
The dress would offer about as much protection as her bare skin, if even, and the prospect of even walking in such shoes, let alone fighting, made her shudder.
Yet, as was the mark of a seasoned warrior, her burgeoning alarm was promptly supplanted by the realization that, whoever had brought her here, they were not likely to be friendly, and they could come through the door at any moment. Her fear and confusion promptly forced aside, the Guardian of the Sun took stock of her surroundings.
That she wasn't in Kakariko anymore was obvious. The best years of her childhood had been spent scurrying through every nock and cranny of the village that lay in Death Mountain's foothills, and not one such hidden corner was nearly so lavish as what she now beheld.
She stood in a bedroom of exquisite, and distinctly masculine decor, which caused Dorath's specter to loom large in her mind. She shook it off and continued to scan the room for areas which might prove defensible or anything that might serve as an improvised weapon. She beheld marble walls colored a deep blue surrounding her on all sides, bisected by ivory pillars which rose to join a vaulted ceiling which lent the room a lofty elegance. The floor was likewise constructed, the smooth marble so cool despite the scattering of thick rugs that Kelli felt herself shiver a bit. Apart from the four poster bed, she beheld a writing desk and a well-padded chair, upon which, to her amazement, was her equipment and customary attire. Perplexed, and suspecting these might be some sort of an illusion or the bait of a concealed trap, she continued her perusal. Dotting the room were several lanterns, their flickering flames casting halos of eerily bright luminance, and looking quite tempting as a projectile weapon in case her keeper made an appearance. Rounding out the tableau, and the room's oddities, she saw a laden rack of weapons, and an armor stand, the latter presently occupied by the plate armor of a knight.
Kelli found herself wondering just whose room this was. And, since she was quite certain that such a building didn't exist in Kakariko, most of her suppositions were not pleasant.
She also found herself wondering just how she had gotten from the burning square of Kakariko to here…wherever "here" was.
Could the enemy which had been setting Kakariko afire have brought her here?
It seemed possible, though she found herself wondering why they'd have bothered. If she had been bested by the Dragolfos, why not just kill her and remove the threat she posed to their dark designs? Why take her to another location, with her own weapons and several others so close at hand? For that matter, why change her garb as well?
Her internal debate went on for some moments before she threw up her hands and decided that, whoever had brought her here, she'd best make sure she was ready to greet them.
After a moment's deliberation, she decided that concealing herself, changing into her normal attire, or standing too near the Sun Sword and Shield would tip her hand to her captors. So, she deliberately wove a wide circuit around the temptingly close Sun Sword and Shield, instead hovering near the burning oil lamps which would serve as her opening salvo.
Then, while her opponent was slapping out the flames on their clothes, she could grab her weapons and make a break for it.
"Assuming these damned things don't kill me first," she mused sourly, her unwanted footwear still threatening to send her off balance and causing her ankles to groan with each awkward step.
With her strategy in place, but with her captor nowhere to be seen, she tried to ease her taut nerves by perusing her surroundings, wondering if she might find any clue as to where she was and how far a journey lay between her and Kakariko. Though the desk was well polished, there were no maps or other helpful documents to be seen. Blowing out an angry breath, she made her way towards the weapons rack. Arrayed before her was a war axe, a jousting lance, a pike, a longbow, a crossbow, quivers of arrows and bolts, a brace of throwing knives, a pair of fine daggers, and a broad heater shield. All were of varying designs and degrees of ornamentation, but, curiously, all bore the Triforce insignia.
These weapons might have found their way into the hands of the enemy, but whatever evil force besieged Hyrule clearly hadn't forged them. Kelli wondered who had, and who might've once owned them.
She noticed, however, that one slot in the rack, likely meant for a long sword, was conspicuously empty. And, she was suddenly wondering if she'd find herself on the wrong end of that absent blade when her captor made an appearance.
Her perplexity deepened, however, when she saw that the armor on the rack bore the Triforce and Loftwing insignia, which had been the emblem of Hyrule's Royal Knights since the first queen led her people down from a place called Skyloft to found both the kingdom and the line or monarchs which reigned to this very day.
"This doesn't make any sense," she mused aloud.
Indeed, this was bizarre. This arsenal had the look of belonging to a Royal Knight of Hyrule. But, why would these still be here? For that matter, why would the room itself still be here? Surely, the enemy would've been quick to ransack such a chamber. And, even if this place had somehow gone unfound by the monsters, why would the resident knight have left behind his or her armor and weapons, especially since the Royal Knights had all been dispatched to Mayia?
"My head hurts," Kelli complained, bewildered by these oddities. "And, my feet hurt!"
Her confusion giving way to annoyance, she made her way back towards the bed, stumbling and regaining her feet twice along the way, and settled herself atop the satin. After spending what felt like an hour trying to negotiate the cloying filigree around her feet, she let out a shriek and simply tore off the heeled shoes. As the fancy footwear came away, in pieces, the Sun Guardian let out a sigh of pleasure as her liberated toes wriggled against the plush carpeting.
"Whoever designed those things must've been some sort of sadist," she muttered.
After a moment, she rose to her feet, still pondering the oddities she had witnessed earlier. She still doubted that one of the missing Royal Knights could have returned from Mayia, let alone "happened" upon the battle in Kakariko and, for some reason she couldn't make sense of, brought her here, wherever "here" was, rather than seeking aid nearer to hand.
And, as for changing her clothes while she slept...she was a bit hesitant to delve too deeply into how and why that had happened.
Her musings were forgotten, however, when she noticed movement out of the corner of her eye and whirled, half expecting to be facing her captor.
But, it was not her captor.
She beheld herself, in a large mirror which had somehow escaped her notice earlier. She puffed out a sigh of relief, almost snickering at her own nerves, and was about to move away...
…but, something stopped her.
What it was, she could not say. Perhaps it was some concern that the Dragolfos' breath had done her some harm she had not yet discovered. Maybe she was worried that whoever had spirited her here had done more than use her as a living dress up doll.
Or, just possibly, she was remembering the last time she had awoken to strange surroundings with disparaging thoughts running through her head.
Not truly understanding why, she straightened her back and placed her hands on her hips, trying to strike a pose that she imagined might be expected of Zelda, or Nabooru, or any of the other ladies whose regal shadows had fallen so heavily upon her not so long ago.
She hadn't changed much since her last brush with self-consciousness…
…or, had she?
Something was different, her instincts told her, yet it was not of the sort that would reveal itself to a casual inspection.
Her frame was still lanky, lacking in feminine curves, and marred by weather and war. Her breasts were still the size of unripe apples, if even, and another few days traipsing about behind enemy lines had done little to augment her flat buttocks or her almost non-existent hips. Her long cascades of blonde hair still looked closer to dingy brass than gold, and her amateurish self-grooming had left its fringe and bangs in a ghastly state.
More than that, however, were the scars that bespangled her body.
Behind each pale mark was a story, often one of heroism on her part, but also another disfigurement that kept wide the gulf between her and the women whom she'd disdained as a child and yet envied as an adult
Yet, curiously, the curl of distaste this usually brought to her lips did not appear. Instead, Kelli studied her reflection at length, and with a different set of eyes.
There was no hiding her boyish frame. If anything, the gown made it even more obvious than before. But the voice of envy that should have been echoing around in her mind was supplanted by another voice.
The voice of the man who had inexplicably found her during that strange…visitation? She was loathe to call it a dream, though what it had been precisely, she could not say.
What she could say, however, was that strange correlation between the visitation and this moment seemed to grow stronger.
She could almost hear his voice in her ear as he discovered in her what she could not find within herself. And now, facing down the face and form he had seen, she tried to find it as well.
Her lanky frame and tomboyish mop of hair, he'd said, gave her a wild flair that accentuated her bravery, daring, and self-determination. Now, as she watched her reflection twist, turn, and flex before her, she found her harsh impression of herself softening a bit. Yes, she was lanky and too skinny, and she still had more scars than she cared to count, but her perusal of her features and her study of each scar brought to mind the story behind each mark.
She remembered how her lanky frame had allowed her to slip into many narrow nooks and crannies, not the least of which being the passage leading to the Sun Shrine.
She remembered those endless hours of practicing with the sword and shield she'd found in that lost sanctorum, how her hands had become rougher and her arms harder with each swing and, yet, how the same diligence which had marred her hands had saved her life and many others.
She remembered those halcyon days of play with the village boys, slinging mud and cracking noses, and how that seeming frivolity had helped her learn to value the lives of those she now defended.
And, she remembered the scars she'd taken in their defense. One across the back from when she had tackled a woman out of the path of one of Bloodwing's flying blades, another across the stomach from when she'd taken a parting shot from a band of Dorath's pirates after she'd evicted them from a Mayian port, and still another across the left thigh from when she had broken through enemy lines to bring Link back to Hyrule and, along with him, new hope for their troubled kingdom.
More than just a story was behind each scar, each mark had a life saved behind it, if not several lives. And, seen through that lens, each looked less a disfigurement than a medal of honor upon her very skin.
Perhaps that was the beauty that mysterious man had seen in her? Perhaps he knew the lengths and heights she'd gone to in order to fulfill her duty to Hyrule and Mayia, and he'd seen in her not the beauty of a primped and polished lady, but of a warrioress.
Confident, strong, powerful, possessed of a martial grace and elegance, and selflessly adhering to her duty to safeguard the lives of innocent.
Now, however, she saw a different facet of that warrioress. She still saw a woman who looked more at home on a battlefield than a dance floor, but she also saw that her unlikely garb helped coax her long subdued femininity to the surface and, in a way, mold it to the greater part of who and what she was.
The color of the dress, colored like the light purple of dawn or dusk, gave a subtle hint of what feminine attributes she had left.
The material, feather light and unwrinkled despite her near misses about the room, gave quiet and yet forceful testimony to how, even without her blade near to hand, she was never unprepared to fight for her people.
Even the slits that ran up and down the sides of the gown allowed some grace of movement for her long, toned legs. And, though both could do with some energetic shaving, she felt some pride at the sight of the well-honed muscles and the recollection of how fast and how far they could carry her in pursuit of those who would imperil her home and her people.
She was a warrioress, and likely would be until she drew her final breath, but she was also a woman. A woman who had accomplished much in her young life, often hazarding her own life in so doing, and who could now look at herself with eyes which, like the rest of her, had been tempered by experience and hard won wisdom.
She looked once more at her reflection and saw not a wrongly dressed tomboy, but a warrioress returned from the battlefield in victory, bedecked with badges of honor that would serve as eternal reminders of how she'd made a profound difference in the lives of so many.
Seeing this, feeling this, she found her displeasure towards her unlikely garb ebbing away. In fact, she found herself wondering what it might be like to dress so in more peaceful times.
"Minus the shoes, though," she mused aloud. "I'd probably take one bad step and break my nose against the floor."
"Yes, I'll admit, those were a rookie move on my part," another voice chimed in.
Kelli whirled, her heart climbing into her throat as she made ready to sprint for the nearest lanterns. Her combat honed mind was already awhirl as her hastily drawn plan took shape. There were two lanterns on the desk, both brimming with oil and burning brightly. She'd grab both and throw them at her captor in quick succession, which would surely cause them to shatter against him and cover him in oil.
Burning oil.
Even if he survived the flames, he would have no chance of stopping her from snatching up her clothing and equipment and bolting past him.
Perhaps she might even cut short his misery with one precise stab on her way out.
Enemy or not, being roasted to death was a nasty way to go.
All this ran through her mind in the sliver of a second she spent turning to face the door, but her train of thought suddenly wavered when she realized something.
The door had opened, but she had not heard the noisy rattle of the lock turning.
Her captor had left her here, with a veritable arsenal so near at hand, and hadn't even locked the door?
But this oddity was promptly forced aside when she realized something else.
The voice which had spoken sounded…familiar.
Once more, she recalled what had happened the last time she'd found herself lamenting her appearance in strange surroundings. And, she recalled too who had visited her in those strange and wondrous moments.
Sure enough, he stood in the door frame.
Tall, well-muscled, and with a sleek and slender figure, it was the very same man who'd found her in that pond she'd somehow found herself in during the previous visitation.
Rather than the crimson trunks he'd worn when he'd waded out to join her in the moonlit water, he now wore what her swirling thoughts told her was the dress uniform of the Royal Knights of Hyrule. These, typically only worn at balls, galas, and other official functions where drawing swords was unlikely, were an immaculate work of dark blue silk with a golden trim. The waistcoat, with its twelve silver buttons, tasseled shoulder pads, and an array of campaign ribbons, was bisected by a crimson sash that wove its way from the left shoulder to the right hip. A number of medals hung from that sash including, to Kelli's amazement, the Royal Medal of Honor and the Hylia's Cross, the highest commendations awarded by the kingdoms of Hyrule and Mayia respectively.
Whoever this man was, he was an accomplished warrior.
And, that point was promptly accentuated as he approached, his neatly pressed slacks and high boots of white deerskin doing little to hide the grounded grace of a natural fighter, nor did they obscure the memory of seeing his well-muscled legs on those dark shores. A sword, likely the same one she'd noticed absent from the weapons rack, rode on his left hip in a gilded sheath, the belt to which it was attached encircling his waist and held it in place by a gleaming buckle shaped like the sacred triangles.
More than that, however, it was the short cropped light brown hair, which dangled across his forehead in boyish tendrils, and the mischief in those brown eyes and bright smile that entranced her.
As before, he had found her alone, unarmed, and the goddesses knew where. And yet, for all that, she was not afraid of him.
In fact, strangely enough, she almost felt happy that he was here.
But this didn't stop her from wanting answers.
"Where am I?" she inquired, almost regretting her impatience. "How far away is Kakariko?"
She remembered all too well how this already enigmatic man had already been maddeningly cryptic during their last conversation, but she had hoped he might be willing to be more forthcoming with Kakariko possibly still under threat.
Unfortunately, it seemed that not even the regal figure of a Hylian Royal Knight, nor being seasoned by combat, could prevail against a man's inclination to try and appear mysterious to the fairer sex.
That he could actually succeed at it made his evasiveness all the more vexing.
"Well, depending on how you look at it," he began, his grin turning coy, "it's not far at all."
Years of discipline and training prevented Kelli from ripping out her own hair…barely.
Seemingly oblivious to her consternation, the man approached and, catching sight of the ruined shoes, gave a self-deprecating chuckle.
"I suppose I should've seen that coming," he mused aloud. "The closest things you ever wore to those was that pair of dancing shoes you wore out cross training in the windmill."
Bewildered though she was at this man's knowledge of her childhood, Kelli could not help but snicker at the recollection. In yet another unsuccessful attempt to make a "proper lady" out of her, Kelli's elders had insisted on her wearing a pair of lady's shoes, much lower heeled than those she'd torn asunder moments ago. Still, she hadn't liked those either and, as was the wont of young children, she went against her elders' wishes. Several of the boys she'd been so fond of dueling with wooden swords were quite accommodating, as they'd lost no time in daring her to race along the windmill's ever-spinning innards in those shoes.
That had proven quite a test to her normally keen sense of balance - a test which had left her walking home barefoot when her shoes disintegrated under the abuse - but which had given her younger self quite a thrill.
Even those boys who'd wanted her to lose were impressed.
"And, just how did you know about that?" Kelli asked, unable to keep the depth of her curiosity from her tone.
Many a time, this man had hinted that he was someone she'd known, but she'd had little chance to delve into that mystery with all that had been happening. Yet, now, perhaps she might find some answers.
"You still don't know who I am," he stated, his tone briefly taking on a flat, almost dejected quality before his boyish grin reappeared. "Well, it's understandable. After all, things have changed quite a bit since then."
At first, the Guardian of the Sun thought he was just carrying on with his pretense of being circumspect, dragging out this puerile game of dropping hints and snickering as she groped her way towards an answer.
Curiously, for some reason, she idid/i believe that there was an answer. And, odd though it was, she wanted to know what that answer might be.
That she'd only seen this man once - at least, as far as she knew - while she'd dozed in a tub seemed to fly in the face of that belief. Yet, strangely, in spite of that simple logic, she yet discovered some inexplicable conviction that this man was, indeed, very real.
And, she also believed that their paths had crossed at some point in her tumultuous life.
If only I could remember where! she silently seethed.
"For starters," the man went on, shaking her back to attention, "Back then, you'd have had that gown covered in mud or in pieces by now. Maybe both."
"Are your pickup lines always this bad?" she responded, somewhat frustrated since every man in Kakariko likely knew that much about her youth.
"No, but I am glad you made an exception. A gown looks good on you, especially in such a color. And, I meant what I said about how your wild flair caught my eye way back when, but I also saw how…dispirited you were when you were looking at yourself in the water. It does my heart good to see that that's changed too."
Whoever this man was, his insight into the workings of her mind was almost unsettling. Almost. Rather than incredulity or alarm, however, she felt her curiosity deepen…and, more than that, she felt a strange thrill that he seemed to care about her.
This man could be just about anything, an enemy, a dream, or some sort of hallucination brought on by the Dragolfos's breath, and yet, the concern he'd voiced easily rose to the forefront of her mind.
Before she could puzzle this out, she noticed that his gaze had alighted upon the Sun Sword and Shield.
"I'll confess, I was thrown a bit when I saw how different those were from what I remembered," he went on, almost absently. "But, then again, legend has it that the Master Sword also looked much different when the Hero of the Skies first discovered it."
He likely had some sort of compliment buried under that comparison between herself and the first of Hyrule's heroes, but she barely heard either the words or the subtext over his earlier admission.
"Wait a minute," she blurted, not caring whatever suave follow-up he had at the ready. You know what those are?"
"Of course I do. I have for a long time now. And, I must say, your exploits as the new Guardian of the Sun are still the stuff of campfire legends in Mayia."
"You know about Mayia too?"
"Indeed. Like you, it's a land which has…had quite an impact upon my life."
Thrown off balance by these clues, pieces of a murky puzzle that was yet maddeningly incomplete, Kelli felt her impatience threatening to break free. The man seemed to sense it as well, for he approached and lay a hand on her shoulder, the simple motion somehow quelling her frustration and confusion.
"In fact, your becoming a Guardian of the Sun had much to do with this," he went on, pointing at his medal laden uniform, "that," he leveled a finger at the armor, "and those," he finished, sweeping a hand over the weapons rack. "Even before you knew what you'd found in the Sun Shrine, I could tell you were destined for greatness. And, it may sound petty now, but I wanted to write a legend of my own. So, while you were trying to find out just what a Guardian of the Sun was, I trained to become a Royal Knight. I worked at it day and night, outperformed all my fellow squires, and even some who were already knights. And all the while, I hoped that, once I'd finished, we would fight side by side against evil, writing legends all our own."
His words trailed off then, and his once exuberant tone took on an inflection of regret, almost sadness.
"And then, one day, I glanced up from what I was doing and learned that you were gone," he lamented, and the Sun Guardian found herself taken aback by the sag in his shoulders. "All that time spent learning jousting, swordsmanship, horsemanship, and such, and I couldn't spare five minutes to keep that promise we made to each other in the Sun Shrine..."
He trailed off for a moment, drew in a deep breath, and Kelli found a sense of anticipation creeping into her tumultuous thoughts.
"That promise that we'd be together forever, which we carved into the stone."
Had Kelli's eyes popped open any wider, they might've fallen free of her skull. Now, at long last, this enigmatic man had given her an answer. It was characteristically oblique, as she'd come to expect, but there had only been one other person with her when she'd first entered the Sun Shrine.
It had been the same boy with whom she'd carved that reminder of their friendship into the ancient stone, the boy who had been her first and closest friend during those first strange years beyond Kokiri Forest, the boy about whom she had sought even the faintest clue since all this chaos had started.
Her heart tripped, her vision seemed to blur, and her tongue felt so swollen in her mouth that she barely managed to gasp out the word. The name of this man of mystery.
"Judo?!" she blurted, her mouth gaping wide in astonishment.
At hearing this name, his name, Judo's mouth broadened into his boyish grin and, Kelli could swear, his eyes had misted.
That he was delighted at her discovery was obvious, but Kelli's own emotions now thundered with confusion. Though he'd certainly dropped plenty of hints, she still had been reluctant to believe that this charming figure of her dreams might be real. Some of it, she imagined, was owed to the lingering belief that the only people who'd consider her beautiful were in her dreams. Now, however, the normally unflappable heroine was stunned to learn that the, quite literal, man of her dreams was the boy she'd grown up with.
Except, he wasn't a boy anymore. He was a man.
A handsome man.
More than that, his lamentation over their parting and the distance that yet lay between them had seemed real and heartfelt and stirred in her emotions that had never taken shape in her young heart before.
Happiness at his coming, sympathy for his bereavement at how chance had parted them, excitement at the trail of clues he'd sprinkled in her path, and even perturbation at his cryptic words.
But this was Judo.
He was her best friend, the boy she'd grown up with, adventured with, laughed and bickered and played with. After so long wishing to recover that friendship they'd had before destiny had guided them down different roads, the raw emotion staring back at her in his brown eyes seemed to yawn wide before her like a chasm she might leap across…
…but such a leap could be made only in one direction.
If she accepted his unspoken offer, they most certainly could not go back to being "just friends."
A clownish youth he might've been, but there was no humor or duplicity in Judo's face or form as he drew nearer, encircling Kelli in his arms and drawing her in close.
"If you only knew how long I've waited for this," he murmured huskily as he tilted her chin upward and swooped in for a kiss.
Even after their lips had met, the Guardian of the Sun found her thoughts nearly lost in long, deep shadows of confusion.
Judo, it seemed, was only too eager to make that leap of faith, but was she?
How did she even know that this was the real Judo, or that his words were those her childhood friend would speak if they found one another again? For all she knew, this Judo and the one she sought might be of very different minds, and in daring to take the offer of this phantom, she might ruin a friendship dearer to her heart that anything else in her life.
But, what if this was no phantom?
Hyrule and Mayia were lands where the mysterious occurred almost daily, even portents of the future or people speaking to one another through their dreams were things known to come in unlikely moments. Zelda had foreseen the rise of Ganondorf in her dreams, as well as how Link would prove Hyrule's salvation. Might that same gift be at work here, telling her that her old friend was still alive and, just as surely as they had changed and become something more than they were in their younger years, so too had how they felt about one another?
Perhaps, even now, his body was asleep in Mayia while his inner self gently probed her lips.
She could not say. Indeed, with Judo's lips against hers, she could barely think much beyond the moment.
Yet, perhaps that was enough.
At this moment, whatever might happen next, she had found someone who cared for her as no one else had. Someone who saw in her the beauty she'd long failed to see in herself, someone who sought to attain heroism and worth so that he might prove himself to her, someone who longed for her return when they were parted, someone who would hazard his life for hers with nary a second thought, and someone who regarded her happiness as his highest calling.
Someone who loved her.
Yes, her heart began to hammer in her chest as the possibility, dubious and unproven, but so tantalizing, loomed large in her mind.
If she found Judo, when she found Judo, would she give voice to what she had discovered about him, about them, in these strange realm? Or, would he already know?
Perhaps he would feel the same as he now professed when they reunited at long last. And, perhaps, they might renew that promise they'd made in the Sun Shrine that they would be together forever. But, for now, she had no way of knowing whether she'd made the right choice, nor even if she'd still feel as she did upon returning to the waking world.
But for now, that did not matter.
What tomorrow would bring, tomorrow would bring.
For now, however, she wanted to savor this moment and with it, the wondrous possibility that the man of her dreams, who had made her feel beautiful and loved, was real, was so close at hand, and was someone she, without realizing it, had loved all along.
She leaned hungrily into his embrace, her tongue lancing across the threshold of their melded lips.
Link had begun to sway in place and his head seemed to lighten.
Minutes had blurred past as he'd tried to breathe life back into Kelli's lungs and, though his own breath now came only in shallow rasps, the heroine's remained terribly still.
Saria had long since finished applying her potions to Kelli's wounds, which had faded to pale scars, and the Sage of Forest had withdrawn from the quartet. The Kokiri girl, seated on the turf hugging her legs to her small chest, continued to stare without seeing with those haunted eyes.
One glance at the now nigh-cataleptic Kokiri had been enough to rekindle Link's resolve and, despite feeling like he was turning blue, he drew in one last breath that strained his ribs and blew into Kelli's mouth.
Before he could pull away, he felt something brush against his lips.
It was soft and slick. And, it was moving.
Before his mind, addled from his lungs giving away so much precious air, could make sense of this oddity, whatever the soft, slick thing was had thrust its way past his lips and began to probe at the inside of his mouth. Stunned, repulsed, and gagging, he jerked away so violently that he nearly fell onto his back.
Did… he wondered, his mind more addled than before, did she just tongue me?!
Perhaps she'd been dreaming during her strange coma. Or, maybe the Dragolfos' breath had been some kind of a hallucinogen…
…or an aphrodisiac.
Either way, Kelli let out a long, loud moan which the now blushing Link would spend years trying to forget. Then, Kelli fell silent and her eyes blinked open.
"Oooohhhh," she rumbled, the corners of her mouth curving upwards in a fashion that made Link most uncomfortable. "Hmmmm…"
"Lady Kelli?" the doctor spoke up breathlessly, seemingly oblivious to either Kelli's husky utterances or Link's discomfiture. "Are you alright?"
Perhaps the Dragolfos' breath had some lingering effect. Or, maybe she was simply disoriented by her brush with death. Either way, the heroine's bleary eyes darted in one direction and then another, as though seeking something. When she apparently did not find whatever it was she sought, she sagged against the turf, an almost desolate expression in her eyes, then her eyelids drooped shut as she fell into slumber.
Well, I guess that means she didn't tongue me on purpose, Link thought, relieved. But the next time she wants to go blade to blade with me, she's in for it!
"Well, I can see no sign of lasting harm," the doctor assessed, relief palpable in his voice. "I'll need to observe her for a little while longer, as well as His Majesty, but I suspect both are out of danger. Still, that dragon knocked her out cold with only its breath! That was insane. Even if it did little else, that makes the dragon a very dangerous foe, if there are others like it."
"So that soldier I spoke to earlier was right…" Link replied. "Well, we should get her inside Impa's house. Thankfully, it survived all this as well."
"Ramius and I will handle that. And, I'd rather the king have more time to recover before he speaks with you again. Besides, I suspect you're needed elsewhere at the moment."
He ended this statement by pointedly craning his head in Saria's direction.
"Right," Link said, all too aware of just how small and inadequate that word was.
Ramius immediately lifted Kelli onto his back while the doctor sheathed the heroine's blade and strapped her shield across her back. Then the two made their way towards Impa's house. Link, meanwhile, seated his still protesting body next to Saria, who gave not even a hint of noticing him. She only stared ahead, her childlike features contorted in silent torment.
Remembering something she had done for him back when he'd felt overwhelmed by his mistreatment at the hands of the Kokiri, which suddenly felt like it had happened a thousand years ago, he gently scooped her up and drew her in close. As the first touch of his large hands, she let out a little shriek and nearly bolted away but, a heartbeat later, her eyes cleared and she knew him. She still did not speak, but allowed him to draw her into an embrace which, he hoped, would say what his tongue did not know how.
And, indeed, the thought of what she must've gone through would leave him at a loss for words for a long, long time.
As distant as his life in the Kokiri Forest felt, and how different he was from the Boy Without a Fairy, he remembered all too well how Saria had been his only friend in those lonely years within the forest of the children who never grew up. More than once, she'd defended him, sometimes at risk to herself. But, the unthinking cruelty of little children was one thing…
…the far worse cruelty of beings born of nightmares, leaving people gasping their last before ones very eyes, was something else entirely.
He frankly wasn't sure what he could do or say, as he could barely remember the childlike innocence she'd just had snatched away, but he knew he had to try nonetheless.
Whatever she had gone through, watching those people die, he was still here and, just as she had been the pillar that kept the Boy Without a Fairy from crumbing, he would do likewise for her in her hour of need.
Whether she understood this, or whether her anguish simply broke free, she sobbed into his chest for a long while until, utterly exhausted, she passed out in his arms. Gently rising, as much so as he could since his battered body was making its complaints quite clear, he carefully bore her across the village and up the stairs into Impa's house.
Daphnes met him at the door and, though the king held his tongue at the sight of the sleeping Saria, it was obvious that he was still in fragile health and that he was still displeased with Link. Already bracing himself for an unpleasant conversation, Link went upstairs, spying the doctor tending to Kelli. Quietly, he set Saria down on a small cot and headed back down to face the music.
"I must say, I am quite surprised that your little escapade worked," Daphnes said. "But what of Kelli, is she…?"
"No, she's alive. Somehow," Link replied. "She's upstairs, and the doctor is looking her over now."
"Alright, let's go upstairs."
"…Is that such a good idea? Wouldn't the doctor want you off your feet after…?"
Link couldn't finish the sentence and, though he'd hardly consider it lucky, the king did so for him.
"I can sleep when I'm dead," he intoned, his grim resignation making Link gulp.
Link reluctantly nodded and Daphnes led the pair up the stairs to the second floor, seeming to drag himself up every step. After what felt like hours, the pair reached the top of the stairs and, trying not to look utterly exhausted, Daphnes lowered himself into a well-padded chair. Kelli lay on the bed she had been using before and, though her eyes had closed again, Link was relieved to see that her breathing was strong and regular. Sensing that his partner was in good hands, and that he'd done all he could for the moment, Link gratefully dropped onto his own bed to give his still-healing body a much needed rest. The doctor, sensing the scrutiny he was under, turned to face the two men.
"Well, she is sleeping peacefully," he said, unable to hide his relief. "So, that dragon's breath did not cause her to become ill. She just…lost consciousness for whatever reason."
"Huh…" Link uttered. "Well, I hope she wakes soon, because I want some answers. Like, what was that dragon, how did it knock Kelli out, did she find another Elemental Jewel wherever she was beforehand, exactly where did she go, and…why the heck do her sword and shield look different?!"
"…That is strange," Daphnes agreed, his words punctuated by rattling breaths. "But hopefully, she'll wake soon and tell us all about it. Since that dragon's breath did no true harm, and her wounds are already mended, she should be on her feet again soon."
"Yeah."
As that one word passed his lips, Link suddenly felt the frenzy of the last few hours come crashing down upon him and, as often happened following drawn out combat, he suddenly felt the blaze of fury that had kindled in his breast sputter out, leaving him sagging against the pillow and his eyelids drooping. Despite his near overwhelming exhaustion, he managed to study Daphnes while the king examined the altered Sun Sword and Shield.
What Link saw disturbed him greatly.
Though Daphnes was getting on in years, he had not looked nearly so old and forlorn when Link had set out from Hyrule those seven years ago. His hair had not been so thin, nor so ice white, nor had his face been so deeply lined from worry.
More troubling still, Daphnes's breath rattled in his lungs and one hand kept wandering over his heart.
The doctor had claimed Daphnes was not likely to live through another attack, and Link was inclined to agree.
"Oh, but Link," Daphnes spoke up, shaking Link from his musings. "I am still disappointed in you. You disobeyed my direct orders. Even though you succeeded in stopping the monsters and rescuing Kelli and the village, your reckless insubordination cannot be overlooked."
"Huh?! Seriously?" Link spluttered, his exhaustion giving way to incredulity.
"Yes. However, since we still have not stopped whoever is causing this plague of evil and we need every able warrior we can find, your punishment shall be deferred."
Navi could only giggle playfully, at least until she found herself being scooped into a green hat. Vira, all but silent with shock and worry since she'd seen Kelli fall unconscious, could only shake her head in astonishment.
"So Link, that was you who took down that Dragolfos," she said. "And you blew away half his army with those empowered arrows too? That's impressive, all things considered!"
"Heh, thanks," Link replied. "But that thing is called a Dragolfos?"
"Yeah. Kelli knows more about them these days than I do though, so it's best if we wait until she can explain. She'll wake soon, I'm pretty sure."
"Alright, I'll take your word for it."
"Wait, that name is familiar to me," Daphnes spoke up, causing all eyes to snap in his direction. "I believe I read about such a creature in one of our ancient texts."
Despite the complaints of several lumbar segments, Link shot bolt upright at these words.
"Are you serious?!" he blurted out, loudly enough that the doctor turned and sent a withering glare in his direction.
"I'm half-dead, not half-senile," Daphnes replied, speaking with the sort of grim resignation that had worry curdling in Link's gut. "I imagine you recall how you and Zelda exposed Ganondorf's scheme to overthrow me and seize the Triforce?"
At Link's nod, the king let a sigh rustle his snowy mustache.
"I imagine you already know this, but Ganondorf did an admirable job of disguising his true intentions, so much so that I had regarded him as a trusted ally," Daphnes admitted, pausing as another sigh parted his lips. "I dare say I also once considered him a personal friend. But, I digress. After these revelations, I found myself wondering if others might try to finish what he started. And thus, I began researching ancient texts dealing with the Triforce, as well as other related legends, such as those of the Sky Guardians. Those texts, however, are vast in number, and I barely scratched the surface before they were lost in the destruction of Castle Town. But, the Dragolfos did figure prominently in several legends, especially those of the Sky Guardians, though it was said to only be a myth. Supposedly, it was one of the most fearsome monsters to ever walk the land. It was described as a large, bipedal dragon that could wield a sword and possessed many abilities that no other living being had."
"Did these texts reveal anything about the Dragolfos that might help us if they come knocking again?"" Link asked. "We've seen at least one, and there may be more."
"I agree. Sadly, I found none. There was so many texts to search through, and I paid those about the Dragolfos little heed since I didn't believe it existed. You had departed by then, but I'd conferred at length with Zelda and the other sages about what they'd seen and been through during Ganondorf's reign, searching for some clue about what form a future threat might take and from where it might come. However, there were no accounts of such creatures reported in that dark future. But it looks like that legend is true after all. The breath that knocked Kelli out had to be one of those unique abilities."
"I see…" Link replied. "Do you remember anything else from that text?"
"Unfortunately, no… And there wasn't much documentation of the legend of the Sky Guardians to begin with. All we can do is wait for Kelli to awaken."
"Yeah… By the way, the name doesn't surprise me. There are Stalfos, Lizalfos, and Dinolfos. It's not unusual for there to be more members of that family."
"Indeed."
A tense silence fell between the two men until long moments later, the doctor rose from his place at Kelli's bedside.
"Well," he began, mopping his brow, "the prognosis is good. The Dragolfos's breath seems to have no effect beyond causing her to pass out. And Saria did an admirable job of treating her wounds. I did find evidence of a cold and a persistent limp, but a day's rest and another red potion or two should remedy both."
Several sighs of relief echoed through the room and, though Saria was still fast asleep, Link made a point of sending an approving smile in her direction.
"She just needs rest," the doctor went on, pointedly eyeing the two men. "And in point of fact, so do both of you. I want you off your feet at least until tomorrow morning."
Daphnes looked about to object, which given the ailing monarch's condition, caused Link's heart to lurch, but a moment later, the king gave a weary nod of compliance and allowed himself to be led to a nearby cot and given a draught which, the doctor explained, would have him snoring in moments. The king consented to take it, but only after he and Link had questioned Kelli. Relieved, and yet his mind too full to relax, Link settled back against his pillow and sipped more of the milk Malon had brought him. He did so sparingly, however, as that bottle might be the last of the Lon Lon milk until Talon's tools and stockpile of feed were recovered…
…which if it didn't happen soon, might mean that bottle was the last of the Lon Lon milk, period.
Still, he'd resolved to conserve the purple potion that Kelli's tears had created for emergencies. It had saved his life already, so surely it would be able to help again should he or Kelli find themselves in such grave danger in the future.
Still, while he tried in vain to close his eyes, Link could not help but wonder about the questions he'd raised earlier about the mighty Dragolfos. No doubt Daphnes was pondering that weighty matter as well. They just hoped that Kelli could provide some badly needed answers. Link had recalled her admitting some time ago that not even she knew everything about the Sky Guardian legend, nor of the power behind it. Still, even if she couldn't provide all the answers at the moment, any information could prove vital against this mysterious enemy.
A half hour passed since Kelli had been taken to her sickbed, and still she had not awakened. Malon and Ruto had come by to check on her and Link, both visits eliciting another round of teasing from Navi over the way Link seemed to attract women as surely as cheese attracted mice, as well as more gushing from Ruto over her "beloved's" heroism. Though, with the Guardian of the Sun still out cold and the shattered fortifications that were painfully visible through the window, both were half-hearted. The two women left soon afterward, as they were needed to help mend the damage left by the Dragolfos and its army. Link, Daphnes, and the fairies once again settled into endless waiting until finally, a light groan escaped Kelli's lips. Link immediately vaulted out of bed, stumbling and nearly falling over in the process.
"Link, be careful!" Daphnes protested, though only the doctor's restraining arm prevented him from leaping to his feet as well. "Do you want to break another few ribs?"
"No, sorry about that," Link replied, chastened. "Kelli! Are you awake?"
"Uhhn…" Kelli muttered, her eyes fluttering open moments later. "Huh?"
"Kel!" Link continued, almost but not quite forgetting what had happened the last time he'd drawn near his partner. "Thank goodness."
After blearily blinking for several moments, Kelli seemed to realize where she was and suddenly vaulted upright, her hands groping for her sword.
"Calm down, milady," the doctor stepped in. "The village is out of danger…for now. And, your wounds have been well tended. You should be on your feet again tomorrow morning."
"Oh, thank you," Kelli replied. "But Link! What happened? Where's the dragon?!"
"Oh, you can relax, I took care of it," Link replied, though he had some trouble meeting the heroine's eye.
Kelli could only gape for a long moment before responding.
"…What?" she murmured.
"No, I did! I heard you might be struggling, and that the other monsters were overrunning us. So, I went outside to see, and then I saw that thing holding you in its claws. You seemed either unconscious or dead, so I grabbed my bow and Grappleshot, grappled to a roof behind the beast, and shot it with a Sun Arrow. It died from the blow. After that, I fired off a salvo of arrows into the monsters and Darunia, Ruto, and Ramius led a countercharge that drove them off."
"…You did what?!" Kelli thundered. "Link, do you realize how risky that was in your condition?! If you'd missed, that flying lizard could've bitten you in half! And, what if his monsters hadn't turned tail? They'd have swarmed over you and ripped you to shreds!"
"Hey, I just saved your life!" Link retorted, meeting Kelli's eyes with those of a wolf poised for the kill. "The least you could do is thank me!"
"Yeah, why not show a little gratitude instead of being a critical jerk for once?!" Navi chimed in, poised at Link's shoulder and trying desperately to look less like a fairy and more a fierce bird of prey.
"Silence, both of you!" Daphnes roared, appearing quite ferocious for someone who'd described himself as "half-dead." "Take a good look out the window. Our country's castle and capitol lie in ruins, our fortifications are shattered, half those men and women who took up arms to defend what small refuge they and their families still have are now dead and the other half are homeless! And those still living, the people you profess to be protecting, are wondering if they'll live through the night! This childish bickering is the last, the very last thing, we can afford with the enemy's claws at our throats!"
Startled and chastened by the display, and all too conscious of how the king's remonstrative speech left him looking more ill than he did a moment ago, Link lowered his eyes and forcibly calmed himself.
"His Majesty is right, Navi, we don't need any insults being thrown around," Link said. "And Kelli, I know it was risky, but I didn't think I had a choice! You were dead for all I knew and that beast was burning down half the village by itself, to say nothing of what its army could've done! And besides, I owed you for my life."
Kelli was silent for a moment, realizing that Link did have a point.
"…Well, you're right," she admitted, also sounding chastened. "My tears did save you. And now you just saved me. I really am grateful. But I also don't want us to have to take such risks again. We might not be so fortunate next time."
"Believe me, I get that," Link agreed. "I hope we don't have to either. And you're welcome."
"Well, I'm just relieved knowing that whatever happens tomorrow, we have held off the enemy for now," Daphnes said. "Although, Kelli, since Link disobeyed my direct orders, I still have to see that he is punished later, I'm afraid."
"I see… It's probably for the best," Kelli agreed, eyeing Link.
"Yeah, I get it," Link grumbled, his gaze once more darting away from the heroine's. "But Kelli, we've got a lot of questions right now."
"I had a feeling. I suppose I should explain that monster first," Kelli decided. "Vira might've told you already, but it's called a Dragolfos. The only time these monsters were ever seen were when the sun and moon aligned monsters were wreaking havoc across the land. So they figured prominently in what stories I could find of the Sky Guardians. But when the Sky Guardians vanished, the Dragolfos did as well. I never did find out why, they just faded into myth and legend after the Sun and Moon Swords and Shields were locked away."
"I suspected as much," Daphnes replied. "As I told Link while we were waiting for you to awaken, the texts which spoke of such creatures described them as a mere myth."
"Well, they're quite real. They're very powerful, and also very smart. Not only can they breathe fire, wield a sword with great skill, and even use their claws and tails in battle efficiently, but they can also breathe a gas through their nose that will knock someone out in an instant if they're exposed to it. That's what caused me to pass out. I wasn't careful enough… But that's not the worst of it. Not only are they strong, but they learn from their mistakes and change tactics. Most monsters are predictable, even if they are tough, but the Dragolfos is smart enough to realize when its ploys aren't working and when it does, it can adjust its tactics. Other than the boss monsters, they're the toughest enemies I ever had to face while I was in Mayia."
At hearing this, Link blinked as a startling realization dawned upon him.
"Hang on," he said. "Daphnes's abduction, the destroyed bridge in the Lost Woods, the torn down fence at Lake Hylia, and the horses' abduction… The Dragolfos was responsible for all of that!"
"What? Really?" Kelli wondered, looking more than a bit alarmed at the idea.
"Yes, I'm sure of it! Remember when we'd arrived at Kakariko just after we first met? One of the soldiers said some creature was seen flying overhead when monsters raided the village and abducted His Majesty. And you said you had a good idea of what it was."
"Hey, I think you're right! I remember now, what the soldier had told us when Daphnes was taken. Hearing his account made me think of the Dragolfos I'd read about when I was trying to figure out just what the heck I'd gotten myself into when I found the Sun Sword and Shield. I wasn't certain it was a Dragolfos until I'd actually faced one, though. But what makes you think the Dragolfos was responsible for all those other things you mentioned?"
"I remember hearing something fly past me right after I crossed the bridge in the Lost Woods, and I turned around to find the bridge destroyed. Whatever did it was able to get to the bridge, cut it down, and be out of sight before I could even turn around. Then, there's the damage I saw done to the fence at Lake Hylia. I've never heard of something strong enough to just rip solid iron to pieces like that. And to top it all off, when Epona and Sunfire went missing, there was no sign that they'd been led away or ridden off by whoever took them, and yet we found them miles and miles away. The only explanation is that they were flown. And, something had to have carried the horses all the way to where I found them in those cages! Something big."
"You know, I think you might be right. From what you tell me, and what I've read, I'm positive that only a Dragolfos could have done all that. They've been a thorn in our side from the beginning. We just didn't realize it until now."
"Exactly, which means we really need to keep on our toes."
"Right. So, I bet you're also wondering why my sword and shield look different."
Kelli accentuated her point by gesturing at her equipment, which had been laid out on the floor. Now able to study it at length, Link was quite startled a how much the Sun Sword and Shield had changed. The Sun Sword, which had looked a bit stubby to Link's eye and reminded him pointedly of why he'd had to lay aside the Gilded Sword he'd created out of the Kokiri Sword in Termina once he'd reached adulthood for the second time, was at least a foot longer and its blade broader. Yet, when Kelli consented to let him test it, he found that it was lighter than it looked and its edge keen enough to remind him of the Master Sword. The Sun Shield was also far lighter than its appearance suggested, though Kelli admitted that her shield work hadn't improved too much, but it was also broader and felt stronger in his grasp.
Yet, they also felt…wrong in his hands. Link could not put his finger on it, but it was almost as though the sword and shield were…voicing some disapproval of him.
Perhaps even a warning that, if he tried to use them, it would prove a fatal mistake.
"Well, yeah. How the heck did you to make that happen?" Link wondered, arching his eyebrow.
"I'm quite curious myself," Daphnes seconded.
"This does sound interesting," the doctor put in.
Kelli nodded and relayed the story of her exploration of Lost Hyrule and her discovery that it contained two temples which were vital to the Sky Guardians. She described her arrival at the ruined Sun Temple, overrun with monsters, and how she'd found the temple guardian possessed by a parasitic monster. With obvious reluctance, she glossed over how she'd been forced to fight the Sun Serpent and in so doing, ran very likely risk of killing an innocent and beautiful creature. Finally, she spoke of how the Sun Serpent, which had survived its ordeal, guided her through taking the vow which allowed her to become a true Guardian of the Sun, bestowing her sword and shield with amazing new power.
"Wow, I see…" Link murmured, awed by the tale. "Then there must be a Moon Temple, where I can power up the Moon Sword and Shield."
He found himself wondering if claiming that power would mean facing down a dilemma as Kelli had. Even if he still had the Triforce of Courage, it was a daunting prospect.
"Exactly," Kelli affirmed. "But first, we have to find them."
"True. And we don't have any clues," he realized, grinding his teeth. "Blast, this is frustrating. Where are we supposed to start?"
"Well, I did see a sign on the path saying that there was a village somewhere to the west of the Sun Temple."
"Wait, there are people living in Lost Hyrule?"
"I don't know. I was going to the temple, and the village was in the opposite direction. I might've stopped by to take a look, but I came straight back here when I realized Kakariko was under attack. Still, I think we should check it out. Even if no one lives there anymore, whoever used to live there might've left behind something that could help us. Maps of the area, some clue about where the Moon Sword and Shield are, even a hint about where to go next would be a great help."
Given how long it had been since Lost Hyrule was sealed off from the rest of the kingdom, Link didn't think it likely that any such clues yet remained. But, he couldn't come up with a better idea. And, loathe though he was to admit it, his knowledge of the Moon Guardians, whose legacy he'd supposedly inherited, was miniscule.
"Hmm, yeah, I suppose that's our best option then," he admitted. "Did you find any of the jewels in the Sun Temple, by the way?"
"Actually, there was one there," Kelli confirmed. "The Jewel of Sky."
"Great! Then that leaves only three more to find. We just need to get past Dark Kelli, somehow…"
"Indeed, and I did run into her at the temple entrance. But she was apparently too busy to battle. I just hope we can stop whatever she's planning."
"…Right."
Even though Kelli could still hear a note of anxiety in Link's tone when Dark Kelli was mentioned, he didn't seem as fearful as he was before. Hopefully, slaying the Dragolfos and its monstrous host had rekindled Link's spark of courage and when next they met Kelli's evil, seductive doppelganger, they could prevail. Still, after Link's earlier nightmare about her, Kelli knew it would not be easy for him to face any enemy which had been terrible enough to frighten even such a seasoned warrior.
"Well, I should be able to go with you soon," Link continued. "Grappling between those roofs was rough, but I feel I'm on the mend."
Well, I hope you are," Kelli admitted. "In fact, I should show you a new technique before we head out. It's called the mortal draw, and I think you're gonna love it. But it should be getting dark soon, and we have a lot of work ahead of us. We ought to get what rest we can before morning."
"Alright, that's a good idea."
"I agree that there is much to do," Daphnes spoke up. "While you're hunting the jewels, I'll need to confer with Darunia, Ruto, and Commander Ramius. As you may have gathered, this village likely won't withstand another assault. And this close to the ruins of Castle Town, where the enemy most likely has established their stronghold, another such attack could come at any time. We likely cannot stay here, so we must assess our options and act upon them with all haste."
"Which sounds like another reason you should rest while you can," the doctor seconded. "Now, I should tend to the other wounded. And, Your Majesty, I must insist you take that sleeping draught now."
"Very well. And, thank you."
With that, the doctor departed, leaving Daphnes with the two battered but resolute heroes.
"Well, get a good rest, you two," he said. "I've a feeling you'll need it."
"Right," Kelli replied. Link also gave a nod, and the king of Hyrule departed the room as well.
As the two settled into their beds and tried to find some rest, the village Kelli that had mentioned continued to intrude on their thoughts. Link was still skeptical that a village could survive in such a hostile and isolated region. And if it hadn't, it seemed doubtful that any clues which had been left behind had survived the ravages of time and monsters. Yet, when he admitted such to Kelli, she'd adamantly rebuffed him. The heroine insisted that it had to have at least one clue for them, as it was their only lead by which to find the location of the Moon Sword. With the night waning, Link decided not to argue and soon drifted off to sleep. However, Kelli remained awake a bit longer as a possible idea tickled at the back of her mind. The area where she'd found the Sun Sword was on the north end of Hyrule, and the Sun and Moon Swords were always thought of as counterparts.
What if whoever had secreted them away had used that same reasoning when it came time to decide just where the ancient blades would be hidden?
If the Sun Sword was hidden in the north, then might the resting place of the Moon Sword be somewhere to the south? It was still a large region to search, and Kelli couldn't be completely sure of this in any case. But she and Link would find out soon enough.
And, indeed, dawn could not come soon enough.
Though the Guardian of the Sun and the would-be Guardian of the Moon had taken the enemy's best hits and come up standing, both knew that time was not on their side. Between the damage Kelli saw as she raced to Kakariko and Daphnes's tirade, their victory over the Dragolfos had been a pyrrhic one.
Another such "victory" would likely finish them off.
Hyrule's people were hanging on by their fingernails, but Kelli knew that, if Link could find the Moon Sword and Shield, they'd finally have a chance to win.
And Kelli, for one, was fed up with playing defense.
With most of the Elemental Jewels in hand, the enemy was sure to be desperate, as their earlier attack made clear, but it might also mean that, at long last, that victory was within reach.
And after that, those wounds which still bled and smoldered beyond the door of her borrowed room could finally begin to heal.
For now, however, the heroine settled against her pillow, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth as she wondered whether she'd have another visit from her gallant knight.
