I've reached eight hundred views on this story now! Not sure what's typical, but that seemed like a large number to me so I'm excited :) On the downside, almost half of those views solely exist in chapter I. Oh well.

I hope I didn't scare anyone away with that last chapter…or that I don't scare anyone away with this chapter. If you're not into darker themes and some occasional gore, then get out. Because there are going to be moments like the last chapter in the future. If that doesn't bother you, stick around – it gets better (or worse depending on your preference.)

A'ight…no more talkies.

Here. We. Go.

– Vengeful Cam

–:–:– Part II: The Emergence –:–:–

Chapter VII

"You're alive! Thank Hylia!" Gydon rushed forward and flung his arms around the trembling boy. Link had not moved from his spot on the hillside, and in the aftermath of the skirmish, Gydon had come looking for the young knight.

Link was shaking violently, and his eyes were wide, searching the shadows for enemies unseen.

"Hey, hey," Gydon grasped his face. "it's okay, kid. The Bokoblins are dead. It's over."

Link swallowed hard and tried to focus his thoughts, but the sounds kept whirling around in his mind. The whistle of the arrows firing at him, the cries of the Bokoblins and the guards, the cracking of bones – and then his spirit broke again.

He crumpled himself up, clutching his head close to his knees. He couldn't come down from the hill. He couldn't let them see him like this.

"Look, Link, you need to come down," Gydon spoke mournfully.

Something was wrong. Instantly, Link knew that. He looked up into the guard's face to see the fear in his olive-green eyes, and sorrow shadowed his face.

"Can you climb?" Gydon asked. Before waiting for a response he spoke again, "Get on my back."

Link obliged, sheathing his bloodied sword and wrapping his arms around Gydon's neck. The guard began to descend the hillside, slowly and carefully placing his feet and hands. All the while, Link tried to hide the fear and sorrow inside him. He tried to wield his mask once again. He must be brave. The Royal Guard couldn't see how weak he really was – neither could the princess. And what would Calvin say if he saw how a small pack of Bokoblins could ravage such terror upon the one who had pulled The Master Sword?

He must wield the mask, and he must wield it well.

As they reached the bottom of the hill, Link dismounted. He set his jaw, and his eyes turned hard like jade. He puffed his chest out ever-so-slightly and raised his head in a dismissive manner. As he turned to follow Gydon back to the camp, his facade nearly collapsed. Bodies – dead bodies – were lying in small heaps about the area. They were all Bokoblins, thank Hylia, but Link still couldn't deny the squirming feeling of horror at the sight of them – limp, soft, and mangled. He swallowed the hot bile that crawled up his throat.

Stay strong. Wield the mask.

They approached a tent that looked hastily put together, and Gydon entered. Link took a deep breath, retaining his composure, and he ducked under the flap. Then, his charade shattered. Calvin lay on a mat in the midst of the tent, staring up. Link didn't see the arrow that had pierced the captain earlier, but a broken blade, dark and jagged, was lodged in his gut.

Link rushed over, avoiding Gydon's restraining grab. He placed a hand on the captain's brow, taking his large, rough hand in his smaller one.

"Calvin" he cried, his voice breaking.

Link suddenly recoiled in horror, and, turning away from the captain, spat yellow bile out onto a fur mat nearby. Then he knew. Calvin was already dead.

Link stared at his lifeless grey eyes, and it was almost as if he could feel the nightmare – feel the screams piercing his skin – about him. Red flashed in the corners of his vision, and wicked laughter mingled with the screams that amassed in his ears. He could feel the tears begin to burn in the corners of his eyes, and he nearly gagged on the tightness in his throat. It was all wrong.

Link's hearing began to grow fuzzy, Gydon's concerned remarks fading away to static. His vision seemed to close in like shadows consuming him, and the young hero sank into the comfort of unconsciousness…

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Link didn't remember when he regained consciousness. Maybe it was just then, or perhaps an hour ago. Inside a tent, he was lying on a mat with a fur blanket wrapped about his shivering body. His left hand, with its missing third finger, was wrapped in bandages.

And cleaned as well, Link hoped.

Link sat upright with a jolt. It was bright outside, which could only mean one thing: it was morning! Link stood, rushing out from the tent. He had better help pack up camp. He couldn't afford to be sleeping in. What would Calvin say?

At the thought of Calvin, everything came back, and Link's legs collapsed under him, bringing him down into the mud.

Oh, Calvin…

Link looked around with bleary eyes. The camp was gone. There was a single fire stoked by a single guard and then there was his tent behind him, but other than that, no remainder of the procession of the Royal Guard was to be seen. Link forced himself to stand.

"Where are they?" he asked, his voice rattling within his parched throat.

The guard stoking the fire turned. It was Gydon.

"Link," his face was sorrowful as he spoke. "How are you feeling, kid?"

"Where are they?" the young knight wanted to scream. Forget how he felt. Where was the guard?

"The guard has carried on to Zora's Domain. They left but a few hours ago. We didn't want to wake you, and we weren't sure–"

"Weren't sure, what?"

"We weren't sure whether or not you would want to carry on. You can return to Hyrule Castle. It's no farther from here than Zora's Domain. I would come with you, of course."

"I'm not going back. Not there. Not ever."

Gydon's expression grew worried, "Are you okay?"

Link shook his head, "Did you bury him?"

The Royal Guard sighed, "As best we could."

Link nodded as if that were comforting.

"Well, I'm going to make some breakfast," Gydon explained. "You could use some food. Then, you can decide whether we will try and catch up with the company or go home."

"That place isn't my home."

Gydon nodded and turned away to prepare breakfast. There was nothing more to say, and Link knew it. So the young knight turned. He would go to the river. Maybe the cold water would clear his head. Yes, he supposed that sounded swell.

Link made his way down to the East Hylia River where it flowed steadily beneath the Thims Bridge. The young knight knelt on the rocky banks and splashed the cold water on his face. It felt cool and refreshing. He unsheathed The Master Sword; it still had not been cleaned since he'd killed the Bokoblin archer. He had dreaded this moment. Wiping the dried, black blood from his blade made him feel nothing but revolted.

He dipped the blade in the river, then used his shirt to scrape the black from the sheen, bit by bit. As he did this, his thoughts began to wander into despair, and so he focused on cleaning the blade, letting his mind go numb. He had to.

That day, and the next day after passed in a dreary manner. Numb to the world around him, Link didn't notice the beautiful arrival of spring upon the rolling hills as he and Gydon made haste, mounted upon the two horses left for them. Nor did he see the vibrant flowers that dotted the banks of the passing rivers. He barely even noticed when he and Gydon had caught up with the remainder of the Royal Guard near the rocky Ruto Precipice. The guards' praises and approvals of the young hero were dismissed by Link without so much as a thought.

It wasn't until the next morning that they reached the Great Zora Bridge. Then, Link finally felt he had been awakened from the strange trance he was living in. He felt a gasp escape his lips as he beheld the beauty of the domain with its mighty walls and spanning bridges – all of it encapsulated within an ethereal blue light.

"Holy Hylia," Gydon spoke in awe from behind the young knight.

"Welcome my friends," spoke Amity, a strong, middle-aged woman who currently led the party in the place of Calvin, "to Zora's Domain."