notaname: It's alright. I am not sorry that there's no school today though. YES, NO SCHOOL! Time to spend the day writing fan fiction and eating sugar! I KNOW, RIGHT? Homework on the weekend... at least it doesn't look like I'll be getting any for a while... yet. No one in their right mind would give homework on a three day weekend, because no one would actually get it done. Hey, much or no, giving a presentation takes a lot of guts! I remember one time I gave a speech because I was running for something (ASB secretary I think?) in 5th grade... I got so tongue tied that I lost to the one other person that ran. Ah, the memories. I have this image in my head of a Severus Snake now... I'M TOTALLY NOT LAUGHING REALLY HARD. That sounds pretty sweet though (don't worry, you're not annoying me - I'd be the biggest hypocrite if you were XD)! I remember this time when I jumped into a game of smash with a bunch of boys... I beat them every. Single. Time. And I was on random the whole time! I BEAT THEM WITH ISABELLE! AND BOWSER! AND... an assortment of other characters I rarely play as. They probably just sucked at smash, but hey, I'm not complaining. XD So... is your main Captain Falcon? Maybe Pit? Yeah, like I said, I'm bad at guessing. Well, I hope you're doing well! Have a great week(s)!
Chapter 34: Courage
Liari made her way quietly into the library, being courteous as to not disturb those deep within their studies. In her arms were two large armfuls of books, borrowed by Purah and to be returned by herself.
The library of Hyrule Castle was large and ornate, known for being the largest in Hyrule (just short of the world, which was a title taken gladly by a library Labrynna), with the broadest range of categories. Researchers came to read the accounts and stories from all over the world. Though Hyrule was a bit of a more... reclusive kingdom, it was powerful and renown for being the land of the goddesses. Everyone from the large Labrynna to the much smaller Termina knew that Hyrule was the place to go for research.
Liari made her way to the librarian's desk. She made it their without the elderly woman even looking up, but was met with a glare when the books hit the table.
"Doctor Purah's, I presume?" the librarian asked, sounding remarkably irritated.
Liari nodded. "Don't worry, she doesn't plan on returning for more until at least next week because of a big project she's working on," the apprentice of Sheikah Technology replied cheerfully. "So that gives you… a week and a day without having to worry about her bringing more books in!"
"Lovely," the librarian said in a tone that suggested that she felt the opposite. Without another word, the woman turned her eyes back to the pile of documents in front of her, and Liari did not feel like bothering her any more.
"Ah, Miss Liari!" came a cheery voice.
Liari turned around, silently noting the fierce glare of the librarian out of the corner of her eye.
"Vald," Liari greeted with an exceptionally lesser amount of enthusiasm. "What brings you to the library?"
"Oh, same old, same old," Vald said dismissively. "Old buildings have documents hidden everywhere! You just have to know what section to look into, you know."
"Yeah," Liari said, doing her best to act civil. Don't roll your eyes. Don't scoff at his idiotic-ness. Yes, that's definitely a word.
"Say," Vald began, changing the subject. "Would you happen to have any new information on the core of the guardians? I found it simply fascinating. Of course, I'd tell you about the theories behind Arbiter's Grounds history in exchange.
Theories in exchange for cold hard facts? But Liari had to get him to agree, to put her plan into motion. So… "Sure, why not?"
"Great!" Vald said enthusiastically. The librarian glared at him so fiercely that Liari wondered how Vald wasn't on fire. "Let's find a place to sit down then, shall we?"
And so they moved to a free table and opened up their books. Vald took the liberty of going first.
"Arbiter's Grounds is one of the most mysterious ruins we have in southern Hyrule, perhaps even all of it," Vald explained. "But during a survey to the Gerudo Region, I happened upon a very interesting myth regarding its origins. The Gerudo say that it was once used to torture and assasinate the worst of criminals. Despite the definition of the word 'Arbiter' being a person who settles a dispute - a judge of sorts - few of the 'criminals' were given a fair trial, if any."
"So the name was a sort of propaganda," Liari mused. "To make the place seem more fair than it was?"
Vald made a so-so gesture with his hand. "We can't exactly be sure," he said, sounding a bit disappointed. "It could've been common knowledge. But one of the most interesting things is that some of the most popular victims… were Sheikah."
If Liari had been drinking, say, water as Vald stated this, it would've been spat out spectacularly all over the Sheikah scholar's face. But alas, it was not so, so Liari sputtered a few incoherencies instead.
"Wha- that - what?" she managed.
"It turns out that Ancient Hyrule was quite racist," Vald said. "Sheikah were not the only ones - Gerudo were even more vulnerable because their king was supposedly an incarnation of Calamity Ganon. Few were actually accused of anything criminal - they were innocent of everything beside their heritage."
"That's awful…" Liari mumbled.
"Yes, well," Vald said, clearing his throat. "People were awfully racist towards the Sheikah a mere 10,000 years ago - isolated them because they feared what they could do with their technology. That's how the Yiga Clan came to be, actually - they felt betrayed and abandoned, what with the Sheikah's close ties to the Royal Family - which actually began long before Arbiter's Grounds were even constructed. That only makes those events seem much worse," Vald mused.
Liari sighed. "Well, every nation has its dark history. It can't all be fairy tales about heroes and princesses."
"But as they say, today is the history of tomorrow." Vald's face twisted darkly. "You never know what could happen. People are flawed creatures. They're distrustful, critical, and spontaneous - you never know what may happen."
Liari kept her outer persona cool and calm, while the inside was full of questions and dutifully suppressing a shudder.
"I suppose that is true," Liari said calmly. "No person is perfect - to strive for perfection is to strive for the ability for pigs to fly."
"That would be true if we didn't have access to magic and technology," Vald admitted. "But I assure you that we come closer to flying pigs every day."
Liari laughed, making it sound convincing. "I don't doubt it. Now then, how about I tell you about the new weapon unit we found in the guardians?"
Vald perked interestedly the moment the words left her mouth. "A new weapon?" he asked.
Liari nodded. "It's even more powerful than the guardians' lasers."
"How so?" Vald asked, intrigued.
"Classified information," Liari said with a shake of her head. "If I told you, I would lose my position at best." Then she leaned in conspiratorially. The next words were uttered in a low voice. "Unless, of course, you swear not to say a word."
"Are you sure you should be telling me this?" Vald asked. There was something artificial about the hesitancy in his voice - one that Liari could mistake for veiled excitement.
Liari shrugged. "So long as you don't tell anyone… besides, I'm sure Purah will accidentally shout it to the rooftops within two weeks tops."
Vald said nothing, instead straightening and looking at her intently, a curious glimmer in his eyes.
"So this weapon…" Liari trailed off for the sake of drama. "...It drains life." Vald bolted upright in his posture, which had slowly relaxed during her pause. "Then it uses the life force to provide energy an incredibly powerful bomb. We haven't been able to test it properly, of course, but using a little bit of energy from some grass was strong enough to rival the power of the laser alone."
"Incredible," Vald whispered.
Liari nodded. "Yeah. We're still trying to figure out the circuitry, but it's a much larger system than even the cores of the guardians! We can barely manage to fit it inside - we've found that laying it on the inside of the guardians' legs is the best place to put it - easier to grab onto the energy source and drain it, you know?"
Vald nodded quickly. "Incredible!" he repeated. "So it recycles the energy of those it drains to create a powerful explosion… but how does it convert the energy?"
Liari shrugged. "We're not sure yet. We're still looking into it - it's still very new, and top secret. Not a single word about this, got it? No need to cause a panic."
Vald nodded. "Of course not."
On the outside, Liari was serious and austere. On the inside, however, she was grinning an evil grin even Purah would be proud of.
The plan's coming together.
Link wrapped his bloodied and bruised arms, allowing himself to wince in the safety of his room in the barracks.
"What do you mean, 'you were ambushed?'"
"Exactly as I wrote in the report, Sir."
"So you risked the life of the princess - all because you failed to realize you were in a sector highly susceptible to regular attacks?"
"I was not made aware of the reports-"
"Aware or not, that does not change the fact that your ignorance could have deprived this kingdom of its heir and future savior. You practically have the blood of the goddess on your hands!"
This will take awhile to recover from completely, Link thought. He had gotten off easier though - a few cuts, a few bruises - no broken ribs this time around. He could still perform his duties just fine - they would merely be a… discomfort.
"Rrrrow?"
Link looked to his feet to see amber eyes blinking up at him. The feline had sat beside his feet, and looked to him with what appeared to be a question of consent.
"Come on up, Courage," Link murmured, patting his lap. The kitten gladly pounced up on the bed, curling itself against his leg.
Absently, Link scratched the cat's fluffy head. He rarely called Courage by his name, usually opting for 'Kitten' instead. Kitten was simpler, easier to explain. The origin of Courage's real name, however, was a bit more complex.
Courage was the power to stand for your beliefs. It was the ability to face against all odds. It was the strength and will to survive for not only yourself, but for those around you. And when he saw the kitten's attack on the dog, albeit weak, he saw those traits. When he looked into the feline's pained eyes for the first time, he saw a fiery courage and strength burn within.
Link smiled at the cat, placing his hand on its head. "You really shouldn't have survived that. But you did."
Courage purred and leaned its head into his hand.
Link looked at the wall across from the bed. "People really could learn a lot from animals if they tried," he mused. It was true, after all. People could be selfish creatures - more interested in their own safety and well-being than that of others. But animals had a strong instinct to protect their young, and those of their pack. Cats were one of the few that didn't usually fit into that category, but Courage had managed to prove him wrong time and time again.
Selfless little thing, Link thought. Here the cat was, comforting selfish old Link. "I deserved that punishment," Link said with a nod of his head. "This is the price for ignorance. I know it is. But…" Link trailed off. "The captain gets mad at me when I try to research, doesn't he? Isn't that contradicting himself?"
Link shook his head. No, he was merely overthinking things, as always. The captain was a clever man, experienced and hardened in the ways of war. He knew how the world worked, knew how best to teach.
...But if Link didn't know any better, it would seem like the captain was setting him up for failure.
Ridiculous, Link thought, tying off the last of the bandages. He carelessly tossed the remaining wrappings off to the side and plopped onto his back. His eyelids felt like they were being pulled down by heavy weights, so he gave in, drifting off to sleep. The companion that curled at his side was as loyal as it was fluffy.
Hmm... looks like Link is starting to question things. And Liari's got something evil planned. I hope it includes explosions! ;)
When I was reading through for errors, this chapter seemed very short. But I know that it's seven pages long, which is longer than at least three other chapters? What the heck? Is it because it's a very dialogue heavy chapter? I DON'T UNDERSTAND!
Moving along... until yesterday I did not have more than three or four pages of this done. What was I doing for two weeks? I definitely wasn't studying or doing homework... I'm just a procrastinator, I guess. I'm just not feeling super motivated at the moment... and I need to put some filler in between this and the next memory... so if you've got anything you want to see, any interactions you'd be interested in, feel free to suggest something! I know where I'm going with this story (mostly), I'm just running low on the ideas for in betweens.
To those of you that are enjoying Veteran's Day with me in the USA, happy Veteran's Day! Because of this, I do not have school, so now... I shall go write fan fiction.
REVIEW, PLZ!
"Sincerely" (what do you mean, I put quotes around that?),
Ari~