Holy hell (that's somewhat oxymoronic) I am exhausted. I haven't had a single night this week where I wasn't up until at least three in the morning…and my car broke down…and a whole bunch of other crap. Anyway, my point in telling you all of this is so that I have an excuse if this chapter sucks :P
I'm going to refrain from making a comment on the Super Bowl because if I do, I'm going to end up offending somebody.
I've got some interesting twists and turns coming up in the next few chapters that I'm excited to share with you all. So hang in there ;)
Anyway, I hope you have all had a better week than me. Leave me some reviews! It really means a lot to see some feedback, and you have no idea how much motivation I get seeing that someone took the time to write something, whether it be good or bad.
Heerre weeee goooo, ahh ha ha ha!
– Vengeful Cam
Chapter IX
As Link tore through the shimmering silver curtain that separated him from the scream within the room, he could see Calvin lying before him, staring and lifeless – only now, he pictured that same horror molesting Princess Zelda's body, and it sickened him. His heart was pounding in his ears, and his stomach was twisting itself into knots.
Hylia, please, keep her alive.
The Master Sword caught in the curtain, and he quickly yanked it free with panicked motions. Turning, he found that Princess Zelda had been knocked to the floor, and a crimson-clothed warrior stood above her, curved blade in hand. He turned as Link approached, his face hidden behind a white mask that was painted with a dripping, blood-red eye which very similarly represented the symbol of the Sheikah.
The intruder yanked the princess up by the arm, withdrawing a frightened yelp from her. He raised the curved blade up, pressing it lightly to Princess Zelda's neck. Link met her pleading emerald eyes. They were so full of fear, and tears ran like streams down her cheeks.
The crimson chuckled, "So, you're the one who pulled The Master Sword?"
Link adjusted his grip on the blade, biting his tongue to refrain from crying out with fear. His blade shimmered comfortingly. The young knight swallowed his terror as best he could.
"Let her go, and I will give you The Master Sword," he pleaded, attempting to find any possible way to keep the princess alive.
The intruder chuckled again.
"If you kill her, you had better believe I'll kill you," Link continued, trying to keep the fear from creeping into his words. "I am the wielder of The Master Sword. You cannot hope to defeat me. You kill her, and I will make sure your death is slow and painful."
The Crimson seemed taken aback, "So much ferocity from such a young boy."
"I will cut you apart bit by bit, and then, when I'm done, and you're bleeding to a bitter end, I will march you up the mountain to the beast that awaits there."
"The Lynel?"
"I don't care what it is. Now, give me the princess, and you can keep your life and this sword."
The intruder regarded him for some time in silence. Then, he approached slowly, keeping his curved sword in its threatening position. Link kept his sword raised as the crimson grew closer. Only a few feet away, he came to a halt.
"The sword, boy," he spoke harshly.
"First, give me the princess."
The curved sword pressed further into the princess's neck, drawing a trickle of blood. Link's head was pounding.
Hylia, I need some help here.
Link sheathed his sword, slowly – cautiously. Then he unstrapped the blade, all the while, keeping his hand wrapped round the hilt. He offered the sheathed weapon, holding it still by the pommel – just in case. Then, he took the princess's hand in his, pulling her to him. At the same time as the princess was released, The Master Sword was torn from his hand.
Link shoved the princess back out the curtain with a commanding run! when The Master Sword was loosed from its sheath. Link dove aside as the blade swung out at him. He stumbled to his feet and turned just as the blade was thrust at him once more. It pierced into the flesh of Link's abdomen, biting deep and lodging itself there. The young knight screamed out as pain struck his senses with a staggering extent. The Crimson did not have time to revel in his victorious strike as silver spear suddenly protruded from his breast. A flash of silver and the masked head was torn from the body.
Link was on the ground, faltering beneath the agonizing pain. He gritted his teeth as another painful scream ripped through his throat. King Dorephan sheathed his sword and ran over to the boy's side, kneeling and taking his hand.
"Mipha!" the Zoran king roared with unthinkable volume.
Link could feel his senses fading. He tried to focus on the king's golden eyes. Perhaps they would remain a light while the rest of his world turned black. Mipha came running, Princess Zelda close at her heels. The red princess knelt next to Link with a sob. Her father stood, wrapping a strong purple hand round the hilt of The Master Sword. He pulled it free from Link's flesh with a smooth motion.
Link felt himself scream once again as the weapon was pulled free. With one final glance, he saw the worried Zoran king standing above him, fear in Princess Zelda's beautiful emerald eyes, and a blood spreading over his white Royal Guard tunic. Mipha ripped open his tunic, moving aside the blue vest. The last thing Link remembered was the feeling of Mipha's fingers pressing into the rent in his abdomen.
Then, all was black.
Link awoke in a lush Zoran bed. Standing around him was King Dorephan, Princess Mipha, Princess Zelda, Gydon, and Amity
He blinked his eyes furiously and tried to sit up.
Gydon pushed him back down, "Woah there, kid, just rest for now."
Link's brows furrowed, but he complied. He glanced up at Mipha who was regarding him with worried eyes. She was leaning against her father, barely able to stand; she looked weary.
Link lifted his bloodied shirt and glanced down at his side where he had once been stabbed. Nothing remained but a long white scratch. There was no sign of the blood and tissue that had previously been exposed.
"I healed you," Mipha stated weakly.
Link met her amber eyes, "Thank you."
Thank you is not nearly thanks enough, he grumbled.
Mipha gave him a weak smile.
King Dorephan bobbed his large purple head, "It is good to see you awake, Sir Link."
Then, he turned, scooped his daughter up with strong arms, and moved aside the silver curtain of the room. He ducked under the archway, leaving Link alone with his kind.
"Glad you're not dead," Gydon spoke with a smirk. He mussed Link's hair and left grumbling, "I need another drink."
Amity smiled warmly, patting Link's shoulder and following the other Royal Guard out.
Princess Zelda remained. Link glanced at her. She seemed frail – slouched even – so unlike the way she typically carried herself. Her face was still wet with tears, and her green eyes reflected the candlelight that set the room aglow.
She clasped her hands with a shuddering breath, "Thank you, Sir Link."
Link attempted to procure some clever remark, but instead, he simply nodded, "Just doing my duty, princess."
The princess stiffened and wiped her nose with a sniffle, "I suppose I should leave you to rest."
Link said nothing, and so she withdrew, swiping away the curtain with a huff as she did. The young knight lay down his head on a plush pillow with a slight groan. This journey had brought nothing but misery.
He touched his side, still quite aware of the sense-shattering pain that had plagued him previously. He remembered the broken blade that had been lodged in Calvin's abdomen no more than a week ago. He would have died the same way had it not been for Mipha. That thought resounded bitterly, and so Link shut it out.
The crimson intruder had worn a mask that bore an inverted symbol of the Sheikah. Link felt an uncomfortable foreboding in the pit of his stomach. Could Impa have been involved? Link always thought she had been rather suspicious. Link pondered these things – death and enemies – until he could bear it no more.
He sat up, swinging his legs out of the bed. The Master Sword stood in the corner of the room, stinking of the young knight's own blood. He would have to tend to that later. Link stood, swept aside the curtain of his room, and exited. Past the fountain he stumbled, carrying on until he reached the stairway that led to the great fish. With much effort and the helpful support of the steel railing, Link was able to climb the immense staircase. He approached the throne room with unease. Upon entering beneath the mouth of the fish, Link found an unsettling sight. King Dorephan stood before a small council of Zoran and Hylian guards and Mipha and Princess Zelda. He was holding up the bloodied mask of the intruder. He threw it down on the floor before them with an anguished roar.
Mipha shuddered fearfully. Though she was sitting, Link could see the weariness clearly displayed on her worrisome face. King Dorephan was shouting again, trembling with a mighty rage.
"Link!" Mipha suddenly cried, noticing the young knight had appeared.
King Dorephan turned, swallowing his anger within an instant.
"Son, you should return to bed," the Zoran king advised.
"Who was that man?" Link asked, motioning to the mask on the floor.
King Dorephan glanced at Princess Zelda as if searching for approval, but the princess did not so much as move.
The purple Zoran turned back to Link, "He was of a neighboring tribe, the Yiga Clan – a genealogy of multiple generations outcast from Hyrule Castle some twenty years ago."
Link's head began spinning, and he regarded the white mask with a newfound rage.
The Yiga Clan? A family outcast some twenty years ago? It was far too coincidental to be unrelated to his father's killer.
King Dorephan seemed to think he had finished with Link so he continued addressing the princess. Link did not know what else to do, so he stood awkwardly in the corner of the room, listening as King Dorephan explained that he would send his swiftest messengers to Ukuku Plains – where the Yiga Clan dwelt – to summon the Yiga's chieftain, Master Kohga, to Zora's Domain.
"Then he will attest to the crimes of this man and offer recompense to those it is due," the Zoran king finished explaining to Princess Zelda.
"That it is all good and well, your grace," the Princess of Hyrule spoke with a stern voice, "but my father will hear of this all the same. I cannot say how he will respond in this regard."
King Dorephan bowed his head, "As you wish. I will send my next swiftest messengers to Hyrule Castle."
"No, your grace. I will tell my father myself in a week's time or more – once my business here is complete."
King Dorephan nodded his approval.
Link watched the princess curiously. She stood stout, her jaw set and emerald eyes shining. Her hands rested calmly at her sides. Her hair trailed down her slim figure like a river of gold.
Hylia, she's beautiful.
"Now that it's settled, let us retire," King Dorephan sighed. "I think we could all do well to get some rest. The messengers will depart tomorrow morning."
The small council dispersed, but Link did not head to his room as the rest did. He would not be able to sleep, he knew. He made his way to the top of the domain's walls and sat on the edge, looking down at the churning gray water below and about at the sheer rock faces that rose up, higher than the blue walls. He breathed in the salty air and fingered his mother's sapphire necklace, enjoying the silence.
There was so much to muse over, so much pain to reflect on that Link wondered if he'd be better off throwing himself from the ramparts and into the waters below. That was a grim thought. If only Calvin were here. He would probably offer some gruff advice and muss up the young knight's hair with a smile. Link found himself sobbing on the ramparts. He wondered if it were really Calvin he missed all this much, or if it was a father he so desperately ached for.
The night passed quickly, and Link remained awake upon the ramparts until sunrise. He watched as Zoran messengers and guards departed, taking a long road which wrapped North then East, behind the treacherous cliffs that surrounded the domain.
When Link made his way down from the castle walls, he felt as if he had changed over the course of the night. He had found a way to bury the pain of his past, the pain of Calvin's death and the guilt that came with it. He even found a way to barricade his heart against the fear of the mysterious Ganon. Just as the moon set and the sun rose, the boy descended and the man ascended. Link was no longer the simple knight he'd once been. Now, the resolve of a true hero had emerged.