The Pirate Prince
Chapter 12: Journey to Kakariko
Link marched out on deck, the entire crew going silent, while Midna openly glared at him.
"Shouldn't you all be working?" Questioned Link, looking around the crew, Impa and Zelda appearing behind him.
No one spoke, as Link looked at them expectantly.
"Well?!" Snapped Link, his patience wearing thin.
"Ever since the start, you've demanded that we all be honest with each other," Said Midna, crossing her arms, "And now, you've lied to us and placed all of us in danger by keeping her here."
"And that is a problem, because?" Asked Link, his tone heated.
"Those monsters that are tearing the world apart are looking for her, the Princess of Hyrule," Yelled Midna, glaring at Link, "do you even care about the crew or if they live or not?"
Link's glare grew cold and his eyes narrowed, "Whatever you are implying, Midna, is not needed at this point, I shouldn't need to remind all of you that I am your captain and I am in command here."
"To a crew that will not follow you." Spat Midna, making Link go still, as he looked around the crew, most of them looking at their feet.
"Is that so?" Questioned Link, before turning to Zelda and Impa, "The nearest safe haven, where is it?"
"Kakariko, it is hidden between mountains, Hateno and Lurelin are only a couple days away from Kakariko." Said Impa, looking Link in the eye, "I wouldn't risk going to villages like Deya, Mabe or the Great Plateau, considering that we need to keep away from the castle."
"So, we head for Kakariko?" Asked Link, prompting Impa to nod, "Looks like we're going to have to walk there then. I think there's a stable along the way, so we can rest and restock there."
Impa gave a quick nod, quickly going below deck to gather what belongings they had, reappearing a few minutes later, throwing a bag to Link and handing him his Sword and shield. The trio made their way to the gang plank, before some of the Sheikah crew members followed them. Impa turned and looked at them, before she jerked her head, making three of the Sheikah dart ahead, while the others quickly fell behind Link and Zelda. Impa followed after she was certain that no one else was coming with them.
TPP
Link was quiet as the small group walked through the tree of the forest that joined Hyrule with Northern Termina, Zelda knew that his crew turning on him had hit him hard, with only the Sheikah crew members joining them. Before they left, Link stopped by Telma's Inn and said goodbye to the Gerudo woman. Before they left, Telma had given them some food for their journey.
The group had to duck under many of the trees that that they weren't spotted by any monster patrols or Skyloft, who was circling high above them. As they reached the edge of the forest, Link gained a view of Hyrule Castle. Despite the hole in the roof of the Sanctum, the Castle was mainly untouched, Link knew that the Sanctum lead down to the chamber where the Hero of the Wild had fought the Great Calamity, it was now where relics of the past, like dead guardian scouts and the Champions arms, were kept. Link swore he could see people mulling around Castle Town and the other Villages.
"The Colossi must be searching for Zelda, frequently enough for the people to return from the mountains." Said Impa, her eyes narrowing, "Which is odd, since intel suggested otherwise."
Dorian looked up from a small fire he had made, "Perhaps whoever is behind this has moved to another location."
Impa nodded in agreement.
"Even so," Said Link, folding his arms, "we should keep our distance, unless we want to attract any unwanted attention."
Impa nodded again, until a rustling sound made her look out to the field. The small group quickly drew their weapons, before a Blupee jumped out. Everyone started to relax, before the squealing of a Bokoblin suddenly came upon them. Link swung his sword, the blade connecting with the creature while it was mid-jump, the thing flew backwards and hit its head against a rock, a sickening crack echoed through the forest.
Link looked at Impa, "Run for our lives?"
"Yep." Said Impa, which caused the group to charge out of the forest and into the field, where they promptly barged into a camp of monsters.
Zelda looked around her, before summing the situation up in the two best words she could think of, "Well, shit."
Impa already had a kunai out and embedded into the abdomen of a Moblin, while Link swung his sword and removed the head of a Lizalfos. The following actions were the same, quickly descending into a blur that was a mixture of adrenalin, fear and rage, during which the shield that Link had borrowed from Pipit shattered. Link was broken from his musings by the sound of fabric tearing. Spinning around, Link saw Zelda holding her arm, while a Bokoblin was holding the sleeve of her shirt, before it reached for Zelda's arm again and started to yank on it. In a moment of pure rage, Link pulled the whip from his pouch and cracked it, the end wrapping around the Bokoblin's neck, pulling the Bokoblin away from Zelda and onto the end of Link's sword. Everything was quiet, until a small jingle played through the air, accompanied by the sound of a lock unlocking.
Link looked over to the source of the sound and slowly walked over to a chest and kicked the chest, causing the chest to open. Link looked inside and pulled out an iron shield, bouncing it a couple of times to check the weight. There was a sickening pop, followed by a whimper and Impa relocated Zelda's arm.
"Perhaps," drawled Impa, "we should all look before we run."
Link shrugged, before looking around the encampment, "I don't think this was a simple monster camp, not with the number that were here."
"I suppose," Said Zelda, moving her arm around, "we were fortunate and didn't encounter a Hinox or a Lynel here."
Link nodded his agreement, silently observing their surroundings.
"There haven't been monster sightings such as this since Calamity Ganon." Said Impa, fishing he kunai from the Moblin, "Which makes sense, as they now have a new master."
The ground suddenly shook, making the group look to the north. A mechanical fox lumbered towards them, Impa let out a laugh of relief at the sight of Vah Pamis, The Divine beast, along with Arisa and Nadimis had been excavated after the fall of Calamity Ganon and merely stood as a sign of security in Hyrule. The divine beast came to a halt, with two figures jumping to the ground, one was Kado, the pilot of the Divine Beast and the other was a young woman, who appeared to be of Gerudo descent. The woman caught sight of Link and made a bee-line towards him, as she got closer, Link recognised her as his other, younger sister, Bunoora.
Bunoora immediately pulled Link into a tight hug, making his back pop as she did so, "Thank Din you're safe."
"I wouldn't thank anyone yet." Muttered Link, as Bunoora looked around the assembled group.
"Where's Aryll?" Asked Bunoora, looking around for her older sister, "Is she picking something?"
Bunoora was met with silence, which was then broken by Kado, "Perhaps we should all head into the Divine Beast, it'd much safer and faster than walking across the field at present."
The group silently made their way into Pamis, before Kado directed the beast towards Kakariko. Link walked off to the side, guiding Bunoora alongside him.
Link took a shaky breath and looked at his younger sister, "Something happened in a town by the sea."
Impa and Zelda watched from afar as Link told the 14-year-old Gerudo what had happened in the Cove and Aryll, as well as what he had been doing over the past year. By the time the Divine Beast arrived in Kakariko, Link's composure had broken and both he and Bunoora mourned their loss.
TPP
Impaya looked around the assembled group, Darus sitting in a corner, as to remain out of the way, Savara off to the side, playing with her bow, while Kargok held Mido, who had reverted to his natural Korok form, Sidon sat off to the side of the house, observing through an open window, having a quiet conversation with Ganondorf and Nabooru. The uneasy silence was broken by the sound of Vah Pamis clambering over the hills behind the village.
Impaya knew that the selected Champions were in the central area of the village, directly in front of the house she resided in, she often wondered in the Champions were aware of their status as reincarnated warriors, which allowed them to pilot their divine beasts easily. The doors suddenly flew open, with Bunoora rushing through and latching onto her parents, tears streaming down her face.
Before anyone could ask what had happened, Impa and Princess Zelda walked through the door, followed by someone many of them thought they would never see again.
Link could only look at the floor of the house, waiting for the inevitable questions and yelling to start.