Chapter 22 - Response

Dawn eventually arrived, rays of sunlight shining down through a cloudless sky. But though the horizon was much more forgiving after the previous night's storm, the scenery it illuminated was just as desolate as before.

The vines that had wrapped around Link continued holding him aloft in a complex tangle, serving as a reminder to any who passed that Hyrule's hope hung by a thread.

Sometime during the night, he'd passed out, and his now bloodstained body had barely moved in hours—yet he hadn't been fortunate enough to remain unconscious the entire while. Sporadically, he'd open his eyes to the sight of the redead creatures standing about the junction in wait for anyone virtuous enough to attempt a rescue and draw in close, the eerie sounds they emitted serving as a warning.

But there wasn't a living soul in sight.

Unable to move, Link eventually grew numb to the pain, but even that was no blessing when the illness caused by the poison had him feeling weaker than ever before. Adding to it was a sense of delirium, one that plagued him with nightmares once he passed out just before the sun rose.

In turn, morning's light eliminated the threat of the redead infesting the junction, their corpse-like bodies shrinking into the ground as if they'd never been there at all. The only things left behind was the trapped Hylian with the Master Sword lying in the dried mud nearby along with his shield.

Their discarded positions served as further testament that Hyrule's savior had fallen in battle.

But he wasn't alone, and never had been.

With the redead gone, booted feet moved across the junction in his direction, those of a young lady Link and Zelda had met before—Jada. Flying along beside her was Nissa, and the blonde didn't stop moving until she'd reached the mass of tangled barbs holding Link captive.

There, she looked up at his face. Despite his unconscious state, he looked worn and frail with dried blood trails across his cheeks and forehead, his clothing dirty and stained red.

Taking in the sight, Jada let a morose sob and grabbed one of the vines in an attempt to break it. But the stalk was too thick, and as she tried, it tightened its grip around the Hylian she wanted to free.

Seeing it, she swiftly let go and stepped back as Nissa landed on her shoulder.

"We have to do something!" the fairy exclaimed.

"I know," Jada whispered out, scanning their surroundings for some means of freeing the man who'd freed her.

At the thought, she spied his sword resting on the ground, and immediately moved to grab the hilt in her small hands. Yet, no matter how hard she tried, it wouldn't budge, resisting her best efforts until she lost her grip and stumbled backwards, her bottom smacking the ground.

As Jada looked the sword over with a frown, Nissa whispered out, "It's the Master Sword. Only he can use it."

"But it's all there is," Jada returned, able to see her reflection through the dirt staining the blade. Still, she pointed out, "Maybe there's some sheers in the rubble somewhere, but it would take so long to find them."

Staring at the sword, Jada considered their options before glancing back at the pain stricken face of her savior. She and Nissa had witnessed his battle against the Jackals the previous day, immediately followed by a confrontation with the false king himself, and they'd heard every word spoken.

Link had fought so bravely only to be rewarded with a night of agony, and Jada waited in hiding for a chance to help, but had no means of reaching him until those undead creatures disappeared.

So now that she could do more, she wasn't going to waste the opportunity.

With the thoughts in mind, Jada pushed herself back up and tried to grab the Master Sword again, grunting with all her might to pull it up, but could only move it so far before dropping it again. When it fell a second time, she gasped and toppled forward, then punched a frustrated fist into the dirt before turning to approach the vines.

Looking for the best place to grab them, she carefully worked her way up, climbing onto one of the thicker stalks while being sure not to puncture or scratch herself as she reached up to touch her fingers to Link's cheek.

"Link? Can you hear me?"

Though he flinched at the touch, his eyes didn't open. So Jada pressed her hand against his balmy skin, realizing it was hot despite the coolness of the late autumn air. He obviously had a fever, and so she tried to maintain physical contact so he would know he wasn't alone.

"Link, I'm here," she whispered, trying to stem the tide of tears threatening to spill. "It's Jada, maybe you remember me, but we didn't talk much before. Still, it doesn't matter because I'm going to get you down somehow. I just hope you can forgive me for not being able to do so sooner, but your sword's too heavy for me to carry."

As she spoke, his lips parted, and he did say something, but she couldn't make it out. So she leaned in closer and asked, "What?"

"It sounded like Zelda," Nissa suggested.

Nodding, Jada continued to offer as much comfort as she could with her fingers gently brushing his cheek as he repeated himself, and this time, the words were clearer despite the weak sound of his voice.

"Zelda … please don't go … ."

Confused, Nissa asked, "Is he dreaming?"

"He has a fever," Jada replied. "His skin is flushed, so he could be hallucinating."

With that said, she climbed back down and told Nissa, "Let's split up and search for anything sharp enough to cut these vines away."

"Good idea, it won't take as long if we separate," Nissa concurred, and neither wasted a moment, both moving in opposite directions in search of broken glass, sheers, or even a knife.

Yet after only a few moments of digging through rubble, Jada looked up when the sound of trotting hooves hit her ears. Realizing the sound was getting louder as if someone was riding toward the junction, she immediately ducked behind the pile she'd been rummaging through and quietly peered over the edge to see who was coming.

When she did, she spied a silver bay horse without a rider as soon as Nissa called, "Jada! Epona came back!"

Slowly trotting toward the mesh of vines caging her owner, she stopped a few feet away and didn't flinch when Jada approached to take her reins and pat her nose.

"How loyal," she remarked with a smile, then checked Epona for wounds. But the horse thankfully seemed to be in good shape, meaning that as soon as Link was freed, he could be transported somewhere much more easily and safely.

At the thought, Jada glanced up at Nissa and asked, "Did you find anything?"

"I found some broken glass, but it's too small to cut through those vines … oh! Check Epona's satchels!"

Thinking that was a good idea, Jada started searching the bags tied to the saddle. In the first, she found Link's potion, a fairy in a bottle—which she kept handy for the moment he was freed—and a few miscellaneous items such as soap and food rations. But just before she could open the second, a voice sounded behind her, coming from the same path Epona had taken to reach the junction.

"I believe we can assist you."

As Jada spun around, Nissa's wings suddenly chimed excitedly as she exclaimed, "Impa!"

Realizing the fairy knew at least one of the two people riding up on a large black stallion, Jada relaxed—albeit marginally. After her own ordeal, she still had trouble relating to strangers, and the urge to run and hide was prevalent. But she'd never abandon Link, and forced herself to stay right where she was.

Doing so, she realized the woman Nissa called Impa was pretty, with white hair tied into a bun and reddish brown eyes. Yet the man seated behind her was extremely intimidating despite the fact that he was apparently blind.

As their mount stopped nearby after Epona led them to her owner, they looked from the young girl holding her reins and up at Link—a truly desolate sight.

Hyrule's hope left bloodied and broken.

Seeing him savaged in such a way, Impa's fists tightened on the reins, and though Arden's vision wasn't the same as those around him, he could clearly see the extent of his former king's mercy.

To Arden, the brutality was familiar.

As they regarded him, Nissa flew toward Impa and landed on her shoulder, relating, "I'm so glad to see you here! Look what happened! It's so terrible!"

Her voice broke with a sniffle, tears flowing freely at the thought of Link's suffering, to say nothing for how difficult it was to imagine Zelda's reaction to seeing him in such a state. Impa understood this as well, releasing the reins to dismount with the words, "Yes, but this will soon change."

Once she stood upon the ground, she asked, "Arden, has the spell worn off?"

"No," the large soldier replied while dismounting the horse behind her. "I can still see everything."

With that said, he approached Link and qualified on the way, "These vines are poisonous, but it's not a poison meant to kill, only to torment. So we'll need to be sure not to prick ourselves."

Watching the two heading to the bed of barbs, Jada asked, "You're his friends?"

Arden seemed to find her question amusing, replying, "Actually, the kid probably hates my guts." Sighing, he added more seriously, "So I suppose this will be, as Impa put it, another way to atone."

Impa smiled while inspecting the vines, glad Arden was trying to redeem himself in earnest—she only wished the task before them wasn't so dire. Still, there was no sense spending time lamenting what had happened, and she continued examining the vines to find the easiest way to get Link down.

After a moment, she finally sighed and related, "This will have to be done meticulously."

Hearing this, Jada qualified, "I can climb up the back and hold him so he doesn't fall."

The lady's suggestion got Impa's full attention, and she looked down to realize the young woman was small enough to fit through the gaps between the vines. So her idea could work, though she related, "True, but you may get scratched."

Shaking her head, Jada countered, "Link saved my life, so it doesn't matter. I'll do everything I can to help him regardless of the danger. Besides, you didn't see what he went through last evening, and after all that, I can't just stand by and do nothing. But I'll be as careful as possible."

Realizing it was the only way, Impa nodded, and Jada instantly started the task of working her way up behind Link. Once she was high enough, using one of the bigger vines for support, she wrapped her arms around his torso as best she could, but it wasn't easy. One of the stalks was crossing his chest, yet she managed to get a decent grip and told Impa they could commence.

So Impa informed Arden, "We should cut here first."

With a nod, Arden reached over and gripped the vine she'd pointed out, using a dagger from his belt to slice through the stalk. As a result, Jada could feel Link growing heavier, but held on tight while whispering to him, "You have friends here, so don't worry. We're going to take you to Zelda soon because I know you'll feel better as soon as you see her again."

Sadly, his head continued to droop forward, but she knew he could hear her anyway. So she persisted in offering supportive words while Impa and Arden did their work. It took several minutes and quite a bit of patience, but they finally pulled Link's body free from the barbs and laid him to rest on the ground.

With some of the vines still clinging to his body with their thorns still embedded in his skin, they started the task of removing each to find the damage was certainly notable. The palm of one hand was completely impaled, as was an ankle—and those were a few of his less serious injuries.

As Arden carefully tugged the thorns from his skin with Impa's help, she directed Jada to bring her canteen from their horse.

Doing so with speed, Jada came back and handed the item over, followed by producing Link's pink fairy with the words, "I found this in the satchels tied to Epona."

Seeing the bottle, Impa nearly took it to use, but Arden let a low groan and qualified, "It won't work."

"No?" Impa asked.

The berserker shook his head. "I've seen Ganondorf use this method of inflicting pain as torment before, and he does it using the dark powers granted by the Sacred Realm. Healing magics don't work well against it, and the only thing I've ever seen remotely help are potions, but even they don't work very quickly. So the kid'll have to undergo the process of mending on his own."

Impa sighed, having hoped the magic used was a typical variety that would be easily countered with the healing powers of a fairy. Yet she wasted no time reaching to her belt for a small vial of her own potion, remarking, "Then we'll do it the old fashioned way."

Rolling up his sleeve to inspect one of the bigger wounds on his arm, she found it was not only oozing blood, there was a white fluid mixed with it.

The sight drew a sigh from her lips. "But if he has to do this the old fashioned way, he may lose a limb as these wounds are already infected."

As she spoke, Impa opened her vial and poured some of the green liquid over the wound, watching as it fizzed. In turn, Link tensed and jerked his arm as if to pull away, forcing her to pin it down to see the results. Sadly, there was little change in the wound itself, and yet the blood was no longer oozing quite as much and all traces of infection had disappeared.

Relating the change to Arden, she mentioned, "Hopefully, with repeated treatments, he'll be able to fully mend. It's just a matter of getting him somewhere safe so he can, and soon."

As she commenced with treating Link's other injuries in the same manner, Arden considered where a safe place might be, and only one answer came to mind—the revolt. They hadn't gone there firsthand because Impa wanted to check for potential survivors from Ganondorf's attacks, and that aside, neither of them were certain of the revolt's location.

But Arden knew who was.

"Myriad," he said, drawing Impa's attention. "Lyonel told her the location of the revolt, and there's a stone in Misty Falls we can use to ask her."

"Then let's go now," Impa returned with a smile, then glanced over at Jada to ask, "I'm sorry, dear, I still haven't asked your name. I'm Impa, and this is Arden."

"I'm Jada," she replied, offering her own smile.

"Then, Jada, you can ride with me and Arden can carry Link."

"Okay, and I'll make sure all of Link's belongings are back in his satchels," Jada replied, turning to do so as quickly as possible so they could get underway.

Watching her go, Impa smiled, then directed Arden, "We'll need to return the Master Sword to Link's sheath, but we'll have to use his own hand to do so."

Nodding, Arden helped her move Link closer to the sacred blade before they used his hand to fold around the hilt, carefully maneuvering it as if he were doing the work to sheath it upon his back. It was a meticulous task, but somehow, returning the Hero's sword felt triumphant, as if all that had happened was only a temporary setback and there were indeed clear skies ahead.

It wasn't easy keeping such positive thoughts in mind while preparing to travel when a single look around reminded them of what they were fighting against. Yet they were soon departing the junction and traveling to Misty Falls for the Myriad Stone.

Hopefully, the Sage of Light would tell them the revolt was close so Link could get started with his recovery soon.

Ganondorf returned to the palace in quick time, finding his recovery going much more smoothly than Link's—but that wasn't to say he hadn't experienced his own suffering.

And the notion of it baffled him the entire way.

Most of their encounter had gone precisely the way he'd expected. After spending so much time watching the Hylian fight his knights to learn his style of combat, it wasn't difficult to predict his moves. Even then, Link had surprised him a few times, but his attacks were nothing Ganondorf couldn't counter.

Yet, near the end of their brawl, the Hylian summoned an unexpected power—the light power of the Sacred Realm.

Though his usage of it was weak, the fact that he actually possessed even a small portion of that power was worrisome. It was likely he hadn't been trained in the art of harnessing such energy, and Ganondorf sorely doubted he understood it. Yet there was a chance that once he came to the palace for a final confrontation, he could've honed his skills, perhaps even to the point of being a threat.

Ganondorf was loath to admit how bothersome the notion was, and yet another question remained. Where had Link gained such power?

Only one logical answer came to mind. Myriad.

Link was once a resident of the palace, so could it be possible that Myriad had granted him a portion of her own abilities when he was but a babe? For what reason? To prevent Dragmire from potentially taking all of her power when the time came?

Or had she given any of it up from the start?

Entering his courtyard and ignoring the stable hand who came to take his horse, Ganondorf gazed at the Myriad Stone across the way, glowing softly white. He truly doubted the Sage would respond to him now, and even if she did, he knew she'd provide no answers to his questions—but it didn't matter.

Strolling over to that stone, he placed his hand upon it anyway, finding he had a wonderful story to tell.

"Myriad, all of Hyrule's lands are now being cast into shadow, its hero left in a bed of poison barbs he won't easily escape."

Sending the Sage visions of his encounter with the Hero of Legend to add insult to injury, he continued, "Even when he does, he'll have a long road to recovery before him. But I've allowed him to live for a simple reason. You know what that reason is."

Unsurprisingly, no response came. As always, the Sage of Light was being predictable, and so he asked, "Have you truly nothing to say to this? I show you the savaged Hero of Legend left standing as a testament to Hyrule's dwindling hope, and you remain silent?"

Watching the stone glowing beneath his hand, Ganondorf scoffed and muttered, "Predictable." Yet, in an unpredictable moment, the area surrounding him darkened as Myriad's voice came through as clear as a bell.

"You are planning to come to me eventually, Ganondorf," the Sage spoke factually. "Your continued attempts to contact me with distressing information proves as much. So now, I will give you the response you desire, which is to ask that you cease these attempts as we both know a conversation through the stones will never suit either of us. Instead, once you've found your way into the Sacred Realm to claim my powers for your own, it is then that I will respond to what you've done to the Hero of our people, and not a moment before."

Surprised, he gazed down at the stone with a cruel smirk and replied, "Impressive, I was beginning to believe the rumors of your fierce protectiveness were mere hearsay. Spoken like a true martyr, I commend you."

With a soft chuckle, he went on to add, "So you accept the fact that I will eventually overcome you, as well as your pride and joy, Link and Zelda?"

A short pause drifted by after his question just as the barrier between realms drifted between them. Yet, when Myriad responded, her words actually pleased him.

"Ganondorf, your fate was set into motion long ago, as was mine, and you will inevitably break the seal your father placed upon the realm. This much is for certain, and undeniable."

"Well, I must say you're continuing to surprise me. Not at all what I'd expected."

"Yes," Myriad returned, adding as a warning, "and you should keep that in mind for future engagements."

With those words, her stone went silent.

Staring down at it, Ganondorf sneered and drew his hand away with a scoff. Keep that in mind? In the end, it wouldn't matter. She could be as spontaneous as she liked and it wouldn't change the story.

One way or the other, Myriad's power would be his, and he'd use it to regain the lost Sage Essences, as well as to claim whatever power was left in both worlds. There was only one thing he needed first.

The other two halves of the Triforce for his own.