Chapter 29

Eastern Hyrule

"What can I do? Is it bad?" I asked Tog, scrambling over as soon as the battle was done. I haven't even bothered healing my own cuts and scrapes, not when my friend may have lost his arm.

Tog was sitting on the ground next to him, and a piece of cloth was tied around the wound and up to the shoulder. Already, the cloth was soaking up crimson, but not nearly as much as I'd thought there'd be. Surprisingly, the prince still had most of his arm. "The sword ran down the length of the arm and left a really nasty gash there, but it could have been worse," Tog explained when his gaze settled on my eyes. "That blade could have taken his arm with it."

The prince's face was scrunched, his eyes squeezed shut, and he groaned in pain. "I'm sorry, I tried to stop him." The moblin lamented. "But he was determined he wouldn't let you die without help."

"It's all right, Tog, you did the best you could." I replied. "Right now, all we can do is to help with the aftermath, then get out of here."

Some time has passed, but I wasn't really sure how much. I spent most of it pacing, taking a look around the empty chamber. Absolutely nothing remained of the battle, save for Rebonack's sword and shield. Other than that, the battle against him faded in my memory, like it was only a dream.

And if it wasn't for the sand gently trickling down from where we came in, it would have been quiet enough for our heartbeats to fill the silence. The sand was now sliding off the mound and entering this part of the chamber. It would take matters of days, if not weeks, but I believed this place would one day be filled to the top, blocking out any more visitors. I suppose it didn't matter. Once I leave the gem in the statue's head, the rest of the palace will collapse anyway. The smell of the fine polished chamber came back to my attention, I must have been too busy to notice it in the fight.

I glanced back at my companions. The prince had eventually quieted and even fell asleep. Tog was still beside him, but he was slouching against the wall, looking just as tired as His Highness. Then, I realized that I was exhausted too, and sat on the other side of the prince.

"Shouldn't we be on the move soon?" Tog asked when I settled in place. "When does the palace collapse?"

"Actually," I began, breathing out slowly and hiding a wince as my cuts suddenly burned again. "We should be safe until I place the gem in that statue."

"Good," He replied, sinking in his seat a little further. "Because I'm not sure how much longer I can stay awake myself."

"Me neither." I agreed, copying him and rolling over into a comfortable position. The prince beside me never once stirred, at least he didn't look like he was suffering anymore. His breathing came deep and steady, sending me even more into a restful state of mind.

"What do you think he was thinking?"

I focused again on Tog curiously, not sure how to respond. What exactly did he mean?

"The prince," He elaborated. "What do you think went on in his head when he attacked Rebonack? He knew the rules, surely he knew Rebonack wouldn't stand for his interruption."

"Sure he did," I answered, confident I was right. "But he's stubborn, he's not going to listen to reason."

Now it was Tog's turn to look confused. He sat straighter and considered me. "I'm just surprised you don't seem angry about it."

I wasn't expecting that kind of responce from him, and I didn't know how to respond. The words in my head bounced, giving me time to figure out how to start. Tog was patient though, and I respected that. "I am a little," I answered finally after a few minutes. "But it's hard to be mad when I almost lost my friend. Besides, a while back, I betrayed him, and it wouldn't feel right if I was mad at him doing the same to me."

He nodded. "Makes sense, you seem more heroic and kind than the last time we met."

Originally, that comment would have boosted my ego, but for some reason, it just made me embarrassed, like I didn't deserve that title anymore.

Tog settled again and stared at the wounded noble. "A part of me is surprised he's still going on this quest with you. I mean, I know the safety of his sister is important to him, but he has a lot of responsibilities as prince."

"Like I said, he's stubborn."

"I suppose he is, but after the king died, the princess was cursed, and the prince left with you, there's no royal head at the castle anymore. I heard a rumor the lady Impa took over after his absence."

I was struck with shock. "I haven't even considered this..."

He breathed inward, speaking next in the midst of a yawn. "Luckily, she's a good leader when she needs to be." Then, deciding that was the end of our conversation, he rolled over.

I still couldn't blame His Majesty. I knew it was probably better for him to remain at the castle, leading his people. But he blamed himself for his sister's crisis, I couldn't stand in the way of that. But then I began to wonder, did he know Impa had to take his responsibilities for him?

The next morning, everyone was well rested and the night had gone on peacefully without interruption. Even the prince was feeling better. It will take his arm a while to heal, but he was well enough now to travel again after a night's rest.

With our task done, it was time to find a way back to the graveyard and figure out where we needed to go next. I placed a gem in the stone head and lead my companions up the stairs and out the guardian's chamber, where the ground beneath the already falling apart temple began to shake.

We left the only way we could, back through the mysterious tunnel where we came in. As I recall, the prince and I flew down here using the spell, fairy. That made me wonder how Tog came down here, and will I have to use that spell again for all three of us? I'm not sure if I was ready for that.

But later, Tog assured me that I didn't need to worry. And we climbed his rope that he left when he followed us up. I checked my map once I made it up sometime later. The next palace was the Maze Palace, and indeed, it rested past a large land sculpted into a maze north of Nabooru Town. That was over in Eastern Hyrule, a place I haven't gone to very often.

"You'll have to catch a ship for that one." Tog spoke aloud, glancing over at my map. "Luckily, you don't need to go far with Mido being a harbor town."

"You're not leaving us again, are you?" I asked him.

His gaze dropped and swept the grass. "You don't need my help. I think it'll be safer for the both of us if we remained our seperate ways."

"I have to disagree, we couldn't have made it out there alive without you."

"Well, I'm fighting for my kins' trust right now. A few have been confused by my actions since I helped you save the prince of Hyrule a while ago. I'm hoping to stay on their good side right now, so..."

"I see, I wish you could stay and help, but I understand."

He gave a small moblin smile. "Maybe one day, who knows? Don't worry, we'll meet again."

Then, it was the prince's turn to speak. This was the first time I heard him talk since last night, he's been unusually quiet. I never questioned him, he was having a rough time, most likely feeling guilty and hurt. "Before you go, I want to apologize." He started, looking towards the moblin. "I've been hostile towards you, even believing you were looking to betray us because I thought all moblins were the same. I was wrong. You sacrifaced your safety many times over to help us. I was just too stubborn to see it." Then he bowed his head over respectfully. "I'll like to look on this as a lesson in my reign, that I shouldn't judge the creatures of Hyrule based on their kin. You will always be welcomed in my kingdom."

Tog was taken aback, his blue skin turning a tint of pink in the face and he shyly scratched his head. But then he recovered and returned the bow. "Your words are an honor, Your Majesty. I'm glad to be welcomed among your people." Then he stood straight, wished us a safe trip, and went on his way.

"How are you feeling?" I asked the prince once Tog was gone.

He didn't reply right away, but thought about it for a while before shrugging. "My arm still hurts."

"Do you feel well enough to walk to Mido, or do you need to rest?"

He nodded, glancing down at the casted arm. "I'm fine for now." He was still quiet, and kept his head low like he was ashamed. But I didn't bother him about it, instead I took a step towards Mido. Surprisingly, he was the one who stopped me. "I feel as if I owe you an apology as well." He started. "I should have known better than to disobey the rules of that fight. I betrayed you when I jumped in after you told me you had it covered."

I found the notion ridiculous. "Then we're even." I replied immediately. "If anything, I'm glad we're on the same page now. And to be honest, I don't think I could have stayed back anymore than you could."

A small, meek smile showed at the corner of his mouth. "Thanks."

And so, we journeyed back into town, in seek of a ship heading for Eastern Hyrule. We talked with many ship captains, some kinder than the rest. But after many tries, many conversations, and many offers, we finally found the ship we needed. For a fair price, we were welcomed aboard a merchant's ship. The best thing about it was the timing, as they were leaving as soon as the last minute crates made it to the storage room.

The weather was perfect for sailing. The sky glowed a glorious blue, with a few clouds making it seem softer, and the ocean was even a deeper blue than that. It stretched on as far as the eye can see, shrinking the ship's majesty like the waters were wide and strong enough to swallow the world whole. I breathed in, taking in the sweet scent of sea salt till it burned my nostrils. Seagulls cried overhead, and swayed through the gentle breeze, the same breeze that brushed by my skin and through my hair.

The prince's wound was healing quickly too, and his mood was improving. But I still couldn't shake that he was different than I remembered, he was quiet a lot of times. What was going through his mind? I wondered. But then I wondered if I changed too, because, no matter how peaceful the weather was, or how I felt about it, something lingered deep down, something that continued to bother me. Rebonack's complete confidence the quest was going to become more difficult. Maybe it bothered me because those thoughts mingled with my nightmares of Ganon coming back.

But we were fighting for survival as it was, if Rebonack was right, then we're walking into destruction. Usually, my own self confidence would brush those last thoughts away, but lately, I haven't had as much confidence as I used to. It was like I had forgotten how dangerous this kingdom really is. Truth be told, I knew I was growing scared. And what did he mean when he said only I may search for the Triforce? He didn't seem too bothered that I had two companions already with me. But we weren't even searching for the Triforce yet, I suppose. Right now, we were seeking the palaces. Does that mean I'll be forced to continue this alone in the future? I'm not sure if I want to go on my own anymore.

Before I knew it, I was gripping the silver Triforce around my neck. No matter what, I must continue, at the risk of my life, even at the risk of Ganon returning, no matter how terrified that made me. I would sacrifice the whole of the kingdom to wake Zelda. If only she was here now.

There it was, Eastern Hyrule. This was like new territory for me. I've been here only a few other times before, for a job where the people of Nabooru wanted help ridding their town of a group of bothersome monsters. But I never ventured very far in this part of the kingdom, I wonder what challenges were in store for us here? What sort of mystery I haven't experienced yet lies around here? I had expected to be excited at the thought of exploring new land. This is why I traveled so much, but for some reason, I was more worried than ever before.

"What sort of harbor town is this?" His Highness asked, suddenly appearing next to me. He stared out beyond the dock at the little quiet settlement. It was really different from Mido. Mido was huge, busy, and beautiful. This town was a lot smaller and simpler. There wasn't even room for more than two ships. "We haven't reached Nabooru yet, have we? As I recall, I don't remember it being a harbor town."

"No," I answered, leaning out the dock. "Nabooru is further east in the mainland. This little town was built here just for the support of the ships and crews. Nabooru's bigger, and has better supplies."

He continued to glare out the ship as I stood straight and took out my map again. I found the rough, simple mark for the town of Nabooru, then traced it north, through the mountains, then to a long bridge east of the woods. That bridge led to the maze island, and the palace was hidden somewhere in there. "We'll stop in Nabooru first, then trek through the mountains. I believe they had mined their way through it, so we should be able to go through there with little trouble."

"You said that the last time we had to go through a mine."

"Fair enough." I replied, thinking back to the time when we were surprised by a horde of angry aches. "But don't forget that was an abandened mine. This one, at least when I was here last, is still in business."

"It better be, I don't want to go through that again." He answered, moving away and heading for the town. I pushed off the railings and followed.

Several hours of mostly silence later, we came to the town of Nabooru, where we spent the rest of the day buying supplies and thinking our plans through for the morning. We even found the elder of the town and asked for his advice. He first gave me a spell to enchant my sword with the ability to shoot fire, then told us to make sure to visit Darunia before we enter the maze. He said the elder there had the only means to defeat the wizards who live in the palace.

Darunia was a little out of our way, it was on a plateau in the middle of the mountains west of the woods. But he said it was important, so we should heed his advice. If that really was the case, then I was glad we spoke with him first, because if what he said is true, then we would have been hopeless against the wizards of the Maze Palace.

So with a new destination in mind, we stayed at the inn. I stayed in a nice, quiet room, but my dreams of Ganon returned, and this time, Rebonack was here as well with his cryptic warnings. The nightmares came in many forms, but most of the time, Ganon was the final guardian of the Grand Palace. He was my final trial. Eventually, I've had this dream many times to the point that I became afraid of the final battle, like he was really there, waiting for his revenge. Of course, that couldn't be true. He's dead, he's been dead for six years. There was no way he could come back without my death coming first, right? There was no way he was the final guardian.