Chapter 25: The Great One
Hey all! Happy holidays to you wherever you are. I wanted to get this chapter out for an early gift to my readers.
Thanks for reading, be safe, and have a great day!
***I don't own anything in this story, so please don't sue me.***
The ship set sail and Tetra was still grumbling about how tardy they were going to be.
"Tetra, calm down. Everything will be fine." Grace reassured her.
"No, everything will not be fine. I'm the one who always gets yelled at."
"Who's going to yell at you?" Samantha asked, but neither girl seemed to care or notice.
"You'll be fine. If anything, they'll scold you."
"But I don't want them to scold me. I did nothing wrong!" Tetra protested.
"Excuse me-" Samantha quipped, but the two women were still going at it.
"Look, nothing's going to happen."
"You don't know what it's like. You've never been late."
"Well, there's a first for everything."
"Grace-"
"I'll take the blame. Samantha raised her hand while both women glanced at the princess. "They won't get mad at me. I'm new. I don't know any better. And if they do get mad at me, then...well...I guess they can just deal with it." Grace looked over at Tetra and smirked.
"She's good."
"Yeah, yeah. Wait until you meet some of them."
"Who...um...who are we meeting with?" Tetra was about to answer, but Grace put her hand over her mouth.
"Nope. This time, you will have to wait. It'll be a great big surprise and I won't have anyone spoiling it." They sailed in silence before Samantha spoke up.
"So...after this meeting, what are we going to do?"
"Well..." Grace put a hand against her forehead to think. "Obviously, we'll need to find Marcus and-" She snapped her fingers and her eyes lit up. "Wait! I've got it! I'll show you the colosseum."
"The...the what?" Samantha raised an eyebrow while tilting her head ever so slightly to the side.
"The colosseum. It's quite similar to your...what's it called? That thing you fight for annually?"
"I don't know."
"Yes you do. Your parents were a part of it. Your mom has won, like, a million times and my daughter has won only twice."
"You mean the tournament?" She mentioned.
"Yes that! But, it's a...a little bit different."
"How so?"
"There are like, twenty fighters or so, it's kind of like a battle royal, there aren't teams, you fight to the death, there are tons of weapons, I'd suggest you-"
"Wait a minute. Back up. What was that last one?"
"Weapons? There's just a rack of just about every weapon in existence. You start out without any weapons, but you can rush to the center and grab-"
"No no no, the one before that. You said a fight to the death?"
"In the colosseum, there's a small sliver of mortality. Not enough to send people back to the land of the living, but enough to entertain ourselves. We use it to fight one another until there is only one fighter remaining."
"That's...quite barbaric."
"It's quite fun. Don't knock it until you try it."
"You want to tell her how many times you've won?" Tetra sneered at the woman. Grace looked a bit disappointed in herself.
"I've actually never won." She admitted with a tense tone. "I've gotten close, but...my teacher, Sumeragi has always bested me. I will get down to the final four and then...I just can't go any further. The reigning champion is a man with extraordinary power."
"Who is that?" Samantha questioned her grandmother.
"His name is Greil. He wields an axe most of the time, but his speed...for someone of his size, he moves with unbelievable speed. He has even crossed paths with Sumeragi and he is the current reigning champion for the past twenty nine years."
"Twenty nine years?" Samantha's eyes lit up before she smiled.
"I know what you're going to say and I agree. It would be fun to see them fight."
"What? I-I wasn't-"
"You were thinking it. Greil versus Samus. Oh how delightful it would be. But even she isn't a match for him. Greil is a kind soul...but out there, he's a damn monster. I mean, Hylia damn it, it's not even close."
"This...Greil guy...he's even stronger than mom?" Grace nodded her head.
"There are few, if any, who could withstand his power."
"Is there a prize? Like, a trophy? Or do you win the chance to return for a day as, like a goat? Or a fruit fly?" Grace laughed and shook her head.
"Just bragging rights and the respect of others."
"...that's not much of a prize." Samantha sounded disappointed by Grace's response.
"A true warrior sees that as an honorable gift."
"Land ho!" One pirate called out from the crow's next. Gonzo turned the steering wheel and began heading for land.
"You get off first and explain to them why we're late." Tetra began pushing Samantha towards the plank.
"W-W-Wait a minute! I...can't I have a second opinion."
"Nope. My ship, my rules." Tetra stated as she ship came to a stop and Tetra pushed Samantha forward; almost pushing her off the boat. Samantha took a step, but instead tripped over her own feet and went tumbling down anyway. She stood up and looked up to what looked like a fancy doorway; the stereotypical doorway Samantha thought she'd see when she would die. As Samantha approached the doorway, a burly looking guy stopped her from entering.
"Woah there, kid. You can't just waltz right in. You gotta be on the list."
"There's a list?"
"What's your name?"
"Um...Sam. Er, Samantha."
"You got a last name?" He interrogated the girl.
"Samantha McCloud." She gulped hard; hoping that she was on the list. He checked on the first page before flipping the page.
"Nope, sorry. Nothing here on a...Samantha McCloud." Samantha felt her heart sink. There was a surprise that her grandmother had, but she wouldn't be able to see it.
"Tom, be nice to her. She's on the list." Grace insisted.
"I don't see her."
"It's because you don't refresh the list." Grace took the clipboard and gave it a good shake.
"Hey! Give that back!" She pushed it against his chest with a bit of force.
"Check it again." She demanded. He reviewed the list once more, and to Samantha's surprise, he looked at her and stepped to the side.
"M-My apologies. You're good." He bowed his head and didn't look back at her. All the pirates, Tetra, Aryll, and Will entered and Grace just held out her hand.
"You ready?" Samantha hesitated, but she took her grandmother's hand and the two walked past the gate. Inside, it looked like the most elegant ball she'd ever seen. People were everywhere. Samantha looked around and she couldn't find any empty space; she found it almost impossible to believe a house or even a castle could support this many people.
"Samantha, I'd like to introduce you to James, Linda, and Wendy. This is my family." Grace gestured. Samantha noted the man standing in front of him was a big, strong looking man with large biceps. Like Grace, he had tattoos all over his body and his hair was completely bald. He also had a long, thick, dark brown beard that could convince many that he was a Viking. His eyes were a light green and he towered over the princess. To his left was a petite woman who was slightly taller than Samantha. She was sporting a reddish-brown bun with a gorgeous red rose sticking out from it. She also had wonderfully beautiful green eyes and her skin was practically flawless. Finally, a few feet away sitting on top of a box was a girl with messy red hair. If Samantha were to guess, she looked like the base example of Merida from Brave. Her hair was wild and messy, she was much taller than Grace and she noted her emerald green eyes and the freckles all across her face.
"So this is your kid? Huh...I was expecting something more...I don't know...impressive." The younger girl stated before hopping off the box.
"Wendy, if you remember from my conversations, my daughter has dad's brown hair. Obviously, this isn't Zelda."
"Then who the fuck is-"
"Wendy!" The man's voice boomed and Samantha actually stood behind her grandmother out of fear. She was genuinely scared that he would hurt her.
"Sorry, pops." She quickly apologized before turning back to her. "So, who is she?"
"My granddaughter."
"Wait..." The older woman held out her hand. "This is...Virginia?"
"Samantha. The firstborn." Grace corrected the woman.
"My great granddaughter!" She squealed. "Oh! Joyous day! Come! Give your great grandmother a hug!" She held out her arms and Samantha still hid behind Grace like a scared child.
"What's wrong with her?" The man snorted before spitting off to the side. He was met with a slap from the woman next to him.
"James, stop it. She's probably scared or something. I've told you a million times not to yell." Linda stated with anger.
"I...I'm sorry." He apologized to the princess still cowering behind her grandmother.
"Nice one, dad." Grace huffed and turned around to kneel to her level. "Samantha, don't be scared. Dad's...he's a bit much, sure. But his intentions are pure. He's got a big heart. Give him a chance, please? For me?" Grace begged. Reluctantly, Samantha stepped away from her grandmother, but still refusing to look at the man.
"She's...gorgeous." Wendy smiled and Samantha glanced up at her. "Oh my Hylia, she's beautiful." Samantha was too scared to speak up.
"So, is her mother still...you know...alive?" Wendy asked before her mother tapped her leg.
"How insensitive." She hissed at her daughter.
"I'm just asking." She insisted.
"No, her mother's-" Grace's eyes lit up. "Wait! We can show her! Wendy, you're a genius!"
"You can...show me my mother?" Samantha questioned the ninja.
"Yeah. There's a fountain that has the power to show us what we desire. You stand in front of it and ask." She grabbed her arm and quickly ran from the group. She walked up towards a giant, white fountain. Aside from the size; which it looked like one could take a bath inside it, it was rather simple; there wasn't anything elaborate or fancy about it. Samantha peered into it and only saw her reflection.
"How does it work?"
"State what your intentions are. I want to see so and so." Samantha felt a bit ridiculous, but then again, she was here with her grandmother, so why not? She peered back at the fountain.
"Um...I'd...I'd like to see Queen Zelda of Hyrule...p-please." She spoke with a timid tone. The water shimmered and after a few seconds, she saw her mother, her sister, and her sister's girlfriend in a car with Professor Kakui. She began smiling at what she was witnessing.
"You know...I know I should be really mad that she lied to me...but...I'm really happy to see that she is alive and well." Samantha's smile grew and she showed her teeth. "Ok, ok. I think I know how this works." The fountain water reset itself and Samantha bit her bottom lip; anticipation with excitement. "Please show me Samus Aran." Again the picture changed and Samantha couldn't really see what was going on. She squinted her eyes to try and see, but it didn't help. She finally heard the sound of sliding doors opening and she yelped before there was an ominous light blue glow from something in front of them. Her mother stepped into the room with her gun pointing around. Once she looked forward, she lowered her gun and she looked worried.
"Touch the water. Something cool will happen if you do." Grace whispered to her granddaughter. Samantha complied with her directions and she suddenly felt nothing on the other side. She leaned in and found herself on the other side of the fountain. Though she was floating, she was in the same room as her mother.
"How...how is this possible?" Samantha quietly gasped in awe. "We're...we're in the same place as mom?"
"It's-" Grace covered her mouth. "Almost gave it away. It's a surprise." Samantha chose to ignore her grandmother and focus on what her mother was looking for.
"What the fuck...?" Samus quietly whispered as Samantha finally saw what her mother was witnessing; a Pikachu in some kind of testing tube having its electricity drained from its body.
"Smash it, mom! Save Pikachu!" Samantha cried out. Samus looked around with confusion.
"...save...Pikachu? Hello?" She called out, but there was no response. Samantha didn't move; she was certain her mother couldn't hear her.
"She didn't hear me, did she?" Samantha turned to face Grace.
"I told you that in order for the living to hear you, you must be close to them. You and your mom are pretty close, wouldn't you say?" Samantha turned back around and watched without saying another word. Samus watched helplessly as Pikachu crying out while more and more electricity drained from its body.
"...fuck it." Samus muttered and smashed the glass and helped the small mouse Pokémon to its feet.
"Can you fight?" She questioned it and its cheeks began charging up. "I...I guess that's a yes." She heard the alarms and checked her gun. "Hey, little guy." Pikachu looked up at her. "Stay behind me and let me know if you see anything. I'm looking for...something special. If it's not here, it's on the other side of this base. Stay close." She ran out of the room and met with dozens of robots firing lasers towards their direction. Grace held Samantha's wrist and floated towards the opening they entered from.
'Mom, please be safe.' Samantha thought before the two crossed back through the fountain and reappeared in front of it.
"Ok, one more." She said as the fountain reset one more time. She thought long and hard about who the last choice should be. "Please...Please show me Krystal McCloud." The fountain changed to the bar that Samantha quickly remembered being at. There were cops all around and caution tape surrounding the bar. Krystal, along with Vyse, Aika, and Fina, approached the caution tape and was about to go under when she was stopped by a police officer.
"Hold it! Where do you think you're going?" He barked at her. The cop was an American foxhound, standing at maybe six feet tall and quite fit for a young man.
"Hey, hold on...you're Krystal, right?" A different officer questioned her. This dog was a black coonhound that was in good shape like the other one. She nodded and he turned back to the other guy.
"Doug, it's all good. She's with Star Fox. Slippy knows her."
"Wait, Slippy is here?" She asked with surprise.
"Yeah. Slippy is trying to help us gather what went down. It all started with some chick, I guess. We're trying to talk to the bartender, but he won't talk to us pigs...I mean, we're dogs, but..." He noticed Krystal's expression and quit talking. "I...it's not important. Maybe you can pry something out of him." He gestured towards the bar.
"Wait here." Krystal told her friends before she quickly went under the tape and walked into the bar. Slippy was examining some blood on the floor in front of the bar.
"…came back as rabbit. But there are tails of moose blood, and human, and vulture, and-" He glanced up and stood up. "Krystal? What are you doing here?"
"Where's the bartender?" She questioned as she looked around.
"He's out back. But, I don't think he's-" Before he finished his sentence, Krystal exited the bar and walked around to the back. A man was sitting on a chair smoking a cigarette and waiting for something.
"Keep watch." Krystal told the other three before approaching the man.
"I already said I ain't talking to no pigs." He grumbled and took a puff of his cigarette.
"I'm not a fucking cop, asshole. I have a few questions." She stood in front of him while he smoked.
"...sure." He nodded his head. "You want to know what happened?"
"I only care about one person." She insisted. "I don't really care what happened here, but I want to be sure my friend wasn't involved here."
"What's your friend's name?" He asked her.
"Why don't you tell me what happened first? I'll assess if my friend was here or not."
"You ain't going to tell me? What if I don't cooperate?" He chuckled. Krystal pulled out her gun and loaded one slot.
"You ever hear of a game called Russian Roulette?" She closed the chamber and pointed it at the man.
Click
"Woah! Hey! Come on now, Cops ain't supposed to-"
"I'm not a cop." Krystal repeated. "Start talking."
"Alright, Jesus! Look there, was this girl who came into the bar. She had this weird looking kid, I thought it was a costume, I swear. She said she had to use the bathroom and took the kid inside."
"What did she look like?"
"Blonde hair, blue eyes. The kid she had. Black wings, black hair, brown eyes. We don't get many lookers out here. She was real pretty. Some of the others, they noticed that too."
"Where did she go?"
"I told you enough." He threw his cigarette down. "Hey, where's the cop? I'm supposed to-" Krystal pistol whipped him in the face before choking him with the gun still pointed at his face.
"I'm. Not. A. Goddamn. Cop. I'll make this simple...either you tell me exactly what happened, or I'm going to empty a fucking clip in your body. Now talk." She hissed quietly at him.
"Hey, is everything alright back there?" One cop called out. Krystal got up and started loading her gun.
"Tell the nice police officer that everything is fine." Krystal quietly ordered the man. "You have until the count of three. One...two..."
"Y-Yeah. It-It's fine." He nervously called out, but it was enough to convince the officer to back away.
"Wrap it up." She demanded and he nodded his head.
"Y-Yeah. Su-Sure. Anyway, one of the regulars, Wolf O'Donnell, he just killed the eight of 'em. He quickly left with her. That's all I know, I swear!" He insisted. Krystal grabbed his arm and helped him to his feet.
"Ok. Thank you for your cooperation." She spoke with a tense tone. "Oh, and I don't think I need to remind you that this interaction never happened, ok?" She said with an over-the-top sweet tone. "Otherwise, I'll need to clean up this shithole excuse of a bar."
"Yeah...I ain't ever seen you. And we didn't talk about nothin'." He nodded his head and pulled out another cigarette.
"Good boy." She walked away and back towards her friends.
"What'd he say?" Aika questioned.
"Sam was here. And what a small world we live in."
"What do you mean?" Vyse questioned her. Krystal went back in the bar to grab Slippy before returning to the ship.
"Ok, now that we have some privacy, I think I can piece together what happened."
"Did Samantha visit this...filthy bar?" Fina questioned with a hint of disgust.
"It sounds like it was her...and his description of Genny was pretty accurate too. Wolf O'Donnell killed eight people who, I guess were trying to..." Krystal gulped hard. "...claim her."
"Ew, that's so gross!" Fina shook her head and rubbed her arms.
"But, Wolf saved her?" Slippy questioned. "Are you sure?"
"He said Wolf took her. I assume he'll either have her with him or he'll tell us where she is."
"We have to bring him in." Slippy insisted.
"Really? Who's going to bring him in, Slippy? Fox and Falco went offline a few days ago. The last transmission we got was that he was tailing the Halberd before his ship was shot down. Falco went after his distress signal, so neither one of them are available. I'm busy tracking down my daughter-in-law, and my son is presumed to be dead. So, who...exactly will arrest Wolf?" Krystal questioned her companion.
"I...um..." Slippy stammered.
"Slippy, I'll talk with him, alright?" Krystal reasoned with him. "I won't promise anything, but I'll try, ok?" Slippy nodded his head. "Now, the reason I brought you all here...Slippy, do you notice anything...peculiar about that place?"
"You mean the bar? No, I didn't see anything standing out."
"Look closer." She turned the frog's head towards the bar. "What do you see?"
"Neon lights." He replied.
"What do they say?" Slippy studied them for a moment.
"E...u...l...o...n... Eulon? Kind of a weird name, I guess." Krystal rolled her eyes and growled with frustration.
"Those are the only ones on, but the sign itself says The Cauldron." Vyse stated casually.
"Exactly!" Krystal pointed to the pirate. "How much of a coincidence is it that Samantha would visit the same bar that her mother visited over twenty years ago?"
"No way..." Slippy finally pieced it together. "Maybe Wolf is working for...whoever is doing all this."
"It's possible." Krystal tapped her head. "What this means is that we have a lead. Vyse, we're going to Wolf's place. Be on your guard. His hideout is full of nasty, horrible people."
"We'll be careful." Aika reassured the blue fox.
"Right. I'll inform General Pepper about the current situation."
"Don't." Krystal said. "Wolf doesn't know we're coming. If you tell the general, he'll make a general broadcast and Wolf will catch it before we arrive. Keep this to ourselves. We'll go in silent."
"We can do that." Vyse said. "The sooner we get going, the sooner we'll get there." The image faded and Samantha just stared at the water with confusion.
'Mom went there...before I did? What was she doing there? What was she looking for?' Samantha thought while she stared at the water. Unbeknownst to her, Tetra returned with another friend of hers; she was a young girl with redish-brown hair and bright red eyes. Most notably, she has feathers covering her entire body and though she had two arms that looked rather human, she was able to fly through the sky with her wings.
"Tetra, did you bring your girlfriend?" Grace teased the pirate girl before Tetra flipped the ninja off.
"I came to tell you that you-know-who is on her way." She smirked. "You're in trouble. You're in trouble." She sang in a teasing tone. Grace's joking behavior subsided quickly and she approached Samantha.
"Samantha, we really need to go."
"Wait hold on, just one more. Pretty please? I promise this will be the very last one. I swear on Hylia's life." Grace sighed with exasperation and nodded her head before stepping away from her.
"May I see Virginia Hyrule, please?" She requested and the water changed to a hospital room. Samantha knew this room as the last place she was in before she had died. She didn't hesitate and lowered herself through the fountain and entered the room; except she was all alone.
"Virginia?" She called out before realizing how dumb that was. 'She can't hear you, dumbass.' Samantha reminded herself. She then heard a feint voice from the doorway.
"Her room is over there. Her stuff is on the receptionist's desk across the room. Feel free to take what you want when you are finished." Samantha tried to see who was talking, but she couldn't see who it was.
"Samantha." A voice called out from behind her. She turned around and her eyes grew big. The woman from her dream…she was here! The beautiful woman with the while silk dress and the platinum white or light blonde hair floated in front of her.
"You!" She called out. "You're…the woman from my dreams." Tetra giggled and even Grace tried to stifle her laughter. Samantha quickly realized her mistake and her face turned red. "I…th-that…that didn't come out…right. I mean you're the girl I dreamed…no, no, no. I…I mean…"
"It's alright, Lady Samantha." She smiled. "I understand your intentions."
"I…" Samantha gulped. "I…I think I failed you."
"Whatever do you mean?" The strange woman inquired.
"Y-You said…you told me that you were to deliver a message. And the message was delivered. I…I failed you. I failed Hyrule, I failed Genny…I can't do anything right." Samantha began tearing up.
"My dear…" The woman smiled at the firstborn. "All has followed in the order that it was to be."
"Wh-Wh-What do you mean?" She sniffled and rubbed her eyes.
"I informed you that I was to deliver a message. I never claimed that message was yours."
"…huh? Then, who was that message for?" She asked once more before she heard a familiar voice behind her.
"Sam…" Samantha turned around to see her younger sister starting to cry.
"…Virginia…?"
"Sam, I'm so so sorry…" She sniffled and tried to hold back tears, but she couldn't hold back. Virginia knelt down and began crying while resting her arms on the side of the bed and her head resting on her arms. Samantha floated down to sit on the bed just in front of her."I'm ju-just a big, st-stupid, idiot…" Virginia sniffled again and rubbed her eyes. "I'm not st-strong, I'm n-not brave, I…I'm so scared." She wiped away her tears, but they continued falling down her cheeks.
"You dummy…" Samantha quietly uttered and reached out to wipe away her sister's tear, but her hand passed through her face.
"I'll do it. I'll figure out the book, I'll bring Genny home. I'll…" She sniffled once more and rubbed her eyes again. "I'll do it for you." She placed her head on the bed and continued crying. Samantha weakly smiled and wiped her own tears away. She was never meant to complete this quest; with Samantha gone, Virginia would now be the one to bring Virginia home. Samantha sniffled and leaned in next to her sister's ear.
"I love you, Virginia." She whispered. Virginia's head shot up and she turned around.
"H-H-Hello…?" She squeaked while she slowly stood up. "I-I-Is anyone th-there?" She called out, but there was no response. "Li-Lillie? Mal-Mallow? This…This isn't funny!" Samantha lightly smiled as in that simple moment, she didn't care that she was dead; she was upset that her sister couldn't see her. Suddenly, Samantha recognized a Gastly rising from the ground.
"Gastly!" The Pokémon said in a spooky tone. Virginia screamed while Samantha started quietly laughing.
"That's so mean…" Her smile slowly grew before Virginia spoke up.
"Ghost!" She said with an angry tone. "Y-You scared me!" She huffed and turned around.
"Gastly…" He said with a big smile on his face. Virginia sniffled and rubbed her eyes again.
"No! It wasn't funny." She turned her back once more and her smile quickly faded. Samantha smiled faded and she was now concerned for her sister's well-being.
"Gastly?" He questioned the princess. Virginia slowly turned around and raised her head.
"Ghost…I'm sorry. This…it's a bad time. My sister…sh-she…died…right here." Her eyes began watering again thinking about how much she missed her. Gastly looked away from the woman for a few moments. Samantha quickly noted that Gastly was looking right at her.
"…can you see me?" She questioned and as she moved, Gastly's eyes stayed with her. "Ok, so you can see me. Listen up!" She declared. "Be nice to my sister, ok? She's…She's going through a lot. And I don't like seeing her upset, ok?" Gastly nodded and made a silly face which cause Virginia to smile.
"I know you're trying to make me feel better." She lightly chuckled and exited the room. Before she left, she grabbed the book and tucked inside the page of the book was a set of photos from a mall; four in total. Samantha peeked over her sister's shoulder and noted the photo.
"Hylia…wherever you are. Please guide her. Please…please protect my sister." Samantha quietly uttered.
"Ok." The voice spoke behind her. Samantha turned around to see her grandmother, the stranger, Tetra, and some kind of bird girl?
"I…um…who are you?" She pointed at the bird girl before gasping. "Wait! Are you…is Genny-"
"Genny has no correlation to Hyrule or its ancestors." The blonde haired stranger stated. "This is Medli. She is a part of the Rito Clan."
"The Rito Clan? I…I've never heard that group before. And you…" She pointed at the blonde haired stranger. "How did you know all this would happen? Who are you?"
"Are you serious?" Tetra remarked. "You serious don't-"
"Tetra, that is enough." She spoke with a stronger voice. Tetra immediately stopped speaking as if she was scared of her. "She does not know. And that is alright." Her attention turned to the princess. "If I were to ask you who the most important individual is in all of Hyrule, what would be your answer?"
"Lady Zelda, of course." Tetra gave a loud groan and Samantha began panicking. "I-I mean L-Lady S-Samus?" Another loud groan. "I-I…" She placed both hands on her head and tightly shut her eyes. "I don't know! I'm sorry!"
"Do not be sorry. Tetra is…a bit thick headed." She glanced over at the young pirate who didn't like the answer this stranger gave, but she was too intimidated to speak up. "Those are excellent answers, my dear." Samantha opened one eye and lowered her hands. "Go as far as you are able. The most important person in all of Hyrule…" Samantha thought for a long while and she had an answer, but it sounded ridiculous.
"Well, I mean, mom always emphasized the importance of Lady Hylia in our lives, but-"
"And there it is." She smiled at the young girl. Samantha froze; partly from fear and partly of shock.
"You…You're…" She stammered before her voice disappeared altogether. The only thing she managed to get out was a quiet and ever-so-tiny squeak.
"You are not the first to act in such a way, my dear. Though I will note that you are the first to not fall to your knees and bow before me." Just as Samantha was about to take a hint, she placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Please don't. There is nothing special about me."
"Bullshit!" Samantha blurted before covered her mouth with both hands. "I'm so sorry. Please forgive me. I'm so, so, sorry." She quickly apologized while bowing her head.
"There is nothing to apologize for." Hylia smiled while caressing her cheek. "You are the proud firstborn of Zelda…daughter of Grace and Daphnes. Samantha, I also bring wonderful news to you as well. You will be departing us soon."
"Wait, what?" Grace interjected. "Hold on, there's no way to return to the land of the living. How-"
"Samantha is not actually dead. She's merely pacified. Her body was turned to statue and she will once again return to the land of the living. I must speak quickly." Hylia stated before turning back to the princess. "Samantha, you must find the answer. There is another power in play. You must defeat them."
"…I'm sorry, I'm still…" She placed a hand on her forehead. "I…you…"
"Samantha, please!" Hylia begged. "We are almost out of time. There is a powerful entity that looms in the darkness."
"An…An entity? What do you mean?"
"The answer….lies in Tellius."
"Th-The answer? What am I looking for?" Suddenly, everything went dark and Samantha was alone. "Hello?" She called out, but no response. "Grandma? Tetra?" She called out again. "…Lady…Lady Hylia?" She barely squeaked before she heard rumblings.
"…thee heareth me?" One voice called out.
"…and back!" The other, more manly voice spoke.
"Hello!" Samantha called out before a bright white light surrounded her body and after a few seconds, she sat upright and looked around. She was in a small area in the woods, the sun was setting, and two people stood in front of her. One was a man with emerald green hair and dashing teal colored eyes. The other was a young girl with blonde hair and the same teal colored eyes.
"Wha…Where am I?" She looked around.
"Samantha." The man spoke as he knelt to her level. "Do you know who I am?" She took a moment to study him and she remembered who he was.
"Prince William. Firstborn of Crimea." She stated and then her attention turned to the girl. "And you…you're Juliet. Daughter of…Bastian and Lucia, right?"
"How wond'rful! The lady rememb'rs us." Juliet smiled and clapped her hands.
"Can you walk?" William stood up and offered his hand. "Mother would like to speak to you."
"Hold on. Where am I?" Samantha took his hand and stood up.
"We've been hiding out in the woods. Ever since father…" William grew quiet, but he did not shed any tears. Juliet grabbed her cousin's hand.
"Uncle Geoffrey's sacrifice wast not in vain." She stated to him.
"I know, Juliet. But…things have been difficult without him." William sighed.
"Geoffrey. I…I saw him. In Nohr. He was leading an army…"
"It doesn't matter. Come! Mother will want to see you."
"You mean Queen Elincia? So that means, I'm-"
"Correct." William stated with an affirmation. "I welcome you to the outskirts of Crimea."