A/N: I own nothing except a copy of this great game. Second note: His singing lines are demarked "like this," and her lines are demarked "like this." Them singing together is demarked "like this."
"Huh?" Ishaka managed to grunt in confusion. Midna rolled her eyes.
"Ugh, you're such a man. One honest question and you turn into a puddle of stupidity." She said. She put her hand on her hip, and stared off to the side of the camp. Ishaka followed her stare, and saw that she was looking at Impa. The Sheikah warrior was currently in the middle of a good-natured sparring contest with wooden sticks against a burly-looking Ravager, with Ryu officiating (in a way) and the rest of the group whooping and hollering.
"Well?" Midna turned towards Ishaka, an expectant look on her face. Ishaka stammered something out that was incomprehensible.
"I don' wha' yeh mean?" He managed to ask.
"Is there something going on between the two of you?" Midna asked. "Because I've noticed something, especially from the beginning and certainly since I got brought back to this stinking desert; the two of you are close. You talk to her more than you talk to Itami, and if you don't see how happy she is while talking to you then you are even more dense than that hero kid."
"Well, erm, Zelda and Link 'ave already tol' each other tha' they-"
"Don't change the subject." Midna said. "Ishaka, I don't know how well versed you are with this sort of thing, but take it from me: I'm a woman. Impa is a woman. And, whether you realize it or not, how you interact with a woman can send her signals that you never realized you were sending. Or, it can be sending exactly the signals you intended to send, you just are too much of a sissy to admit it."
"Are yeh askin' if Impa and I are datin'?" Ishaka asked.
"Not specifically." Midna said. "I want to know what you think about her."
"She's special." Ishaka said, watching the Sheikah warrior in the distance. She seemed to be having the time of her life, effortlessly dancing out of the way of stick strikes and attacks. There was a big smile on her face, and the way her shoulders were heaving it was clear that she was laughing. "I jus'…I don't 'ave that many pe'ple I'm tha' close to, Midna." He said. "An' she's one o' them."
"Is that all there is to it?" Midna asked.
"I dunno." Ishaka finally admitted after a long pause. Midna sighed.
"Well, do me a favor pal. Be careful how you interact with her, if you don't even know what it is that you two have. Because that's the fastest way to do something dumb and accidentally get someone's feelings hurt." She leaned off of Ishaka, allowing her some personal space again. She turned around, and started walking back to some of the tents. "One more thing, though." She said. She turned to face him. "Don't take too long. These sorts of things? They aren't just something that you can put off to the side and forget about."
She walked away, leaving behind the Ravager captain to ponder her words.
…
High King Petra sat in silence, staring at the map on the table and the woman standing in front of it. She had been given a tray of human food (he knew that Hyrulians, as friendly as they were to his customs, were not the biggest fans of eating rocks), but so far she had not touched it. She was staring at the thing with serious concentration, but had not said anything. The Goron finally spoke.
"Do you have trouble problems, sister?" He asked.
"Somewhat." Renee Shiftlett said. "I'm looking at this map, and trying to figure where to go from here. But I haven't heard anything from Hyrule or even from the Zora kingdom and even from the soldiers that we had originally split off from. I feel like I am blind." She looked up at the Goron and sighed apologetically. "I am so sorry, your highness. I have ideas, but none of them are worth acting on until I know what it is like on the outside."
"Understandable." Petra said after a moment's thought. "Would it help relieve if I sent scout spies into the land? They could hunt gather information for you."
"I appreciate the offer, your majesty. But I'm hesitant." Renee said. Petra raised an eyebrow.
"Are you not a spy snoop?" He asked.
"Yes, I am." Renee said, somewhat defensively.
"Then what trouble plagues your confidence?" Petra asked. "Fortune favors the bold, does it not?"
"Only in certain cases." Lady Shiftlett said. "Otherwise, it's suicidal."
At that moment, there was a Goron that came running into the throne room.
"Big brother! There is an unknown coalition coming from the west! There are Bulblins amongst them!" The Goron captain said.
"Bulblins?" Petra stood up immediately from his throne. "Ready prepare the boulder cannons!" He turned to Lady Shiftlett. "Come with me, sister friend. We must see for ourselves what these fools intend plan."
Renee Shiftlett ran through the halls after the surprisingly swift High King of the Gorons, and noticed that the entire city seemed to be a beehive of activity. Already, soldiers were preparing to defend the city under the mountain, with a multitude headed for the tunnels that had been collapsed. More still were headed for the surface, where the famed Goron artillery was prepared. Renee felt herself running short of breath, and cursed the fact that she never really exercised as much as she could while she was still in Hyrule. Finally, she and the rest of her force and High King Petra (along with the Goron Honor Guard) lined the surface of the Goron Mountain, the boulder artillery turned towards the direction of the unknown force. Petra observed them, his eyes steely and narrowed.
"Big brother! They are staying out of range of our artillery!" One of the Goron gunners shouted. "Orders?"
"Hold still!" Petra ordered. "Prepare ready the cannons for the first sign of trouble strife." He turned towards Lady Shiftlett. "Now, we wait."
"For what?" Lady Shiftlett asked.
"For them to make the first move strike!" Petra said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
There was a terribly tense pause, and then a shout came from the battlements.
"I see blue flags! They wish to parley!" One of the Goron operators shouted. Petra rolled his eyes.
"Hmm. Let them try attempt." He turned to Lady Shiftlett. "Let us go see what these fool beasts wish to say."
…
Renee Shiftlett felt herself terribly on edge. She was one of a handful of folk that were walking out into the field with High King Petra in order to meet with the unknown force. High King Petra was carrying his mighty steel hammer, a weapon of such size that it made Renee shudder to even be close to it. Petra noticed her jittery nature, and smiled.
"Fret worry not, Sister. I shall protect defend you."
Finally, after a bit of walking, they came across the delegation that had been sent out from the unknown force. Almost immediately, there was a sense of confusion.
"Humans?" One of the Gorons said, breaking rank and decorum in his surprise. High King Petra raised an eyebrow.
"What terrible fate hath befallen harmed you that you would betray abandon Hyrule, whelps?" He demanded, directing his inquiry towards the man in the center.
The man in the center tugged at his mustache.
"I'm afraid I don't know much about this Hyrule, chap. But I can assure you that we come in peace and on the same side as you lot." He said pleasantly. Petra suspiciously eyed the man.
"Then why do you ride fight alongside Bulblins, human?" Petra asked. The mustachioed soldier looked a little exasperated.
"It's a bit of a stickey wicket and a misunderstanding-look, would you like to talk to someone else? We don't have the luxury of a lot of time. Bit of a bugger plotting a counter-attack against Ganondorf."
"Petra, I think he's telling the truth." Renee said. The mustachioed soldier seemed vaguely familiar, even though his armor most certainly was not Hyrulian. The Goron king was skeptical.
"Bulblins are cunning treacherous folk, sister. They could be plotting scheming as we speak. If they try anything, they shall fall die by my hammer." He brandished his steel hammer somewhat threateningly towards the small congregation in front of him. The mustachioed man cleared his throat to speak, when a loud and booming voice drowned out all.
"Gwah hah hah ha! You call that little rock pick a hammer?"
Rolling his eyes with a hint of a smile, the mustachioed man rode his horse off to the side to allow the speaker to step forward. Darunia sauntered in front of the coalition, and then stood in between them and the Gorons and Lady Shiftlett. He had a gregarious smile on his face, and a devious glint in his eye. He lifted his Megaton Hammer up in the air, and then slammed the bottom of the handle into the ground.
"This is a hammer, brother!"
There was a stupefied silence. Lady Shiftlett turned around and discreetly stared at the Gorons around her. The looks on their faces could not be put into words. Some of them were openly weeping. There was a clattering as they all limply dropped their weapons to the ground, and one by one they all lay prostrate before the Goron before them. High King Petra's mouth hung open slackly, and he weakly found his voice.
"S…Sage Darunia?"
Darunia walked forward, and smiled brightly.
"How good to see another stout-looking Goron king!" He shouted. He thrust his arms forward, and wrapped Petra in a near-crushing hug. He parted with a smile on his face, even bigger than before. Petra looked like he'd had a religious awakening. He shakily fell to one knee, and bowed his head reverently. Darunia noticed this, and raised an eyebrow.
"Goodness. Has my reputation gotten that large in the ages after my time?" He turned towards Captain Dorias and the others, who just shrugged. He chuckled. "C'mon, get up you whelps! We've got a world to save and we can't do it if you're on the ground groveling!"
Almost immediately, the Gorons rose up from their varying degrees of shock and awe, and stared at the greatest hero of their people with starry eyes. Petra bowed low, and spoke again.
"A thousand splendid suns upon your entrance arrival, Sage. We gladly extend offer our land as yours." He said. Darunia puffed out his chest.
"Good! Then you'll have no trouble getting me a stiff drink when we start talking about the world? I've been riding with those Bulblins and let me tell you, their grog is waaaaaay too bland for me!" He threw his arm around Petra's shoulders like they'd been friends for ages, seemingly oblivious to Petra's awe-struck expression. "Come! Let us begin talks to figure out how we tan the hide of that usurper Ganondorf." He turned to Lady Shiftlett and smiled. "Her majesty Zelda sends her regards. It is good to see you in one piece, Spymaster."
Renee Shiftlett had never met Darunia before, and hadn't even spoken to him once in the time that the Goron had been helping to defeat Cia. And the fact that he'd remembered her made her feel a lot better than she'd felt in a long while.
Captain Dorias watched the awestruck group follow Darunia's lead towards the kingdom doors, and he turned back and whistled for the rest of the travelling squad to follow suit.
"I do not understand. How did friend Darunia manage to get over their suspicions so easily? I calculated that there was a 77% chance that the presence of Bulblins would incite an accidental conflic-"
"It's not one of those things you can measure, ma'am." Dorias said. "It's just…'it.'"
"What is 'it?'" Fi asked.
"I'll tell you when we have a chance, milady. It's…not exactly easy to quantify."
…
It was miserably rainy and cold. He shuddered, and leaned forward into the neck of his horse, in the hopes that it would somehow warm him up. Considering this, Baron Matthew Grantham wasn't terribly disappointed to have a warm body huddling close to him in Princess Ruto.
They'd been riding for hours now. While the weather was relatively manageable closer to the deserts, it was in the western plains right along the River Hylia where the rain started to pick up. The smarter ones had put on their ponchos (Matthew included). Those that did not have them were reduced to shivering miserably or complaining bitterly. The relatively slow pace that they were currently trotting at wasn't helping things.
"Aw, quit yer bellyachin' maggots!" Balrok Stone-Crusher shouted, turning in the saddle of his warbeast to address the Bulblin riders that had come with them on this ride. "You don't hear the damned fish-people complaining!"
"We are Zora." One of the stiffer-looking of Ruto's personal guard responded coldly. Balrok rolled his eyes.
"Bah! Everyone's a lilly-livered sissy these days. Whether it be whining about the cold, or whining about their feeling, everyone is just that: whining! Right, Red-Demon?"
"Hmm?" Matthew turned around to face the Bulblin. He realized that everyone else was looking at him, somewhat expectantly. Matthew wasn't terribly experienced, but he knew that he was going to be judged based on how he responded. But he was cold and tired and desperately in need of something warm to eat. So he was honest.
"Balrok, shut up."
Balrok was the first to laugh.
"I like this boy! He understands brevity!" Balrok said. Even the most stone-faced of Ruto's guard were cracking smiles at the young man voicing what they were all thinking to some extent.
As the sun started to set, they reached a particularly low-running part of the River Hylia.
"I know that Lord de Gaulle lives on the other side of the river." Matthew said. "We're going to have to ferry across the river."
"Ugh! And get wet?" Balrok asked. Matthew shot him a look.
"Balrok, it's raining."
"Semantics, boy!" The Bulblin boomed, dismounting from his warbeast to give the creature less of a burden to carry. The Zora guard were already in the water, helping their mounts and the mounts of others to cross the water. It was up to their shoulders, but the Zora were in absolutely no danger of being swept away by the current. As Matthew was about to get off of his horse, he felt Ruto cling tightly to him.
"Carry me." She said.
"I'm sorry?" He managed to ask.
"Carry me." Ruto said in a slightly more bossy tone.
"Ruto…you're a Zora." Matthew managed to sputter out after a moment to think. Ruto yawned dramatically and dismissively.
"And a really tired and lazy one. Now chop-chop!"
Groaning, Matthew dismounted, and held out his arms to help Ruto get off of the horse. He didn't expect her to almost literally leap into his hands, and he was nearly knocked over by her. She practically curled up in his hands, and seemed as satisfied as a cat. Matthew carried her across the river, ignoring the rather amused looks on the faces of the Zora guard that took great care to keep the two of them from being swept away.
A little while later, they reached the manor that Lord Gustav de Gaulle resided in. Exhaustedly, Matthew walked onto the front porch and swung the large knocker on the front door. The fact that Ruto still insisted on being carried was also giving him a headache. Yet he didn't dare say anything to her, partially because he didn't want to incur her wrath (which one of the Zora guard had discreetly confided to him was legendary), and partially because he didn't mind holding a pretty girl in his arms.
There was a creaking noise, and slowly the door opened. Lord Gustav de Gaulle was there at the door, and he stared at the two of them in front of him with a bewildered expression.
"M-Matthew?" He managed to sputter out. "Is that you? My goodness, you've grown so big! And who is this? Is she your betrothed?"
Matthew turned scarlet, and Ruto let out a giggle.
"No, silly. He's just a really, really really good friend." Ruto said. "Are you Gustav de Gaulle?"
"In the flesh, my dear." The old man said with a weathered smile. "Why are you and your company out in the rain like this? Please, put your horses in the stables out back and come inside! I'll brew some more hot tea!" With that, he scurried off into the house to do as he had stated. Matthew turned around and signaled for the rest to come out of hiding, and carried Ruto into the house.
It was positively thunderstorming now as they all took up various space in Lord de Gaulle's study and library. The conference room where the peace talks had been held was converted into an impromptu game room, as the Bulblins were teaching the Hyrulians that had ridden with them (as well as a few Zora) some of their traditional card games. Lord de Gaulle was sitting in a leathery chair, wearing a robe and pink slippers with his feet propped up on an ottoman. He was sipping his tea slowly, taking in the explanation from Ruto where exactly they had come from. He listened to her tell everything that she knew, and then sighed deeply.
"I imagine I shall be able to sleep slightly tonight, hearing that Zelda is safe." Gustav said. "Goddesses know I haven't had a lick of it since I heard the news of the fall of Castle Town."
"That actually does beg the question, Lord de Gaulle: how are you still here and not in prison?" Matthew asked.
"First off, it's Gustav, Matthew. You aren't a young boy any more, you've grown into a man who can treat me as a fellow adult." Lord de Gaulle chided lightly. "And secondly…I guess Ganondorf doesn't think that I'm a threat at all. Truthfully, I am a middle-level politician at best. I barely have a presence in Castle Town, and the only real thing I do of note is keep the lines smooth between the Hyrulians and the Zora. Ganondorf…seems more interested in untangling the web that is Castle Town than in coming after little old me." He chuckled bitterly. "I suppose part of me is relieved that I'm not currently rotting in a prison cell or worse, but at the same time I can't help but feel as though my pride has been stung: I've been in politics for upwards of forty years and they can't even be bothered to send a small squad of Bokoblins to pick me up? Goodness, that is a remarkable blow to my sense of self-worth!" He smiled slyly. "Not to imply anything poor about your great people, your majesty." He said to Ruto. "The Zora are a very civilized people. My diplomatic meetings are usually resolved in the first few minutes of my stay; the rest of the time I get to partake in your rich culture." He gestured to the pieces of art and books and paintings that littered his study. "All created by Zora artists and writers, I should add."
"It's a good look." Ruto said. One could clearly tell that she was delighted to see that the old Hyrulian in front of her was such a patron of the Zora arts. "And are my people safe?"
"As safe as one can be in these times." Gustav replied. "The Zoras are a particularly sly people when it comes to war. Most of their kingdom is underwater to begin with, and there are few places for pockets of air, outside of cultural places like the Ruto Opera House* and-"
"Wait, wait, wait. I have an opera house named after me?" Ruto asked in disbelief.
"Yes." Gustav replied. "I hope you don't mind, your highness?"
"Not at all! It's just…" She fidgeted somewhat uncomfortably in her seat. "I was never much of a singer."
"I'm not going to say anything that might change the course of things and time." Gustav said with a sly smile. "All I'm going to say is keep an open mind and don't sell yourself short, your majesty." He took a sip from his tea. "And of course there's the library of records, and the Ancestral Palace, but other than that? Not a lot of places to conduct a ground assault from. They use that to their advantage to make up for the lack of a particularly large army." He gestured to a pile of letters on the small desk next to him. "I'm keeping a personal correspondence with Her Grace Hydre, letting her know the tid-bits of information I'm able to glean from brave riders on the countryside and traders. For whatever reason, Ganondorf refuses to touch traders and businesses, and I have used their alleged immunity to get them to talk." He shrugged. "It's…not much, in the grand scheme of things. I don't know troop movements, for example. Or the size of Ganondorf's army. But in the end, I think that Hydre likes the fact that I'm even talking. She's keeping her entire kingdom in lockdown, and I know that it eats at her to have to do that to her people."
"Oh, that's awful!" Ruto said. "I couldn't bear to do that to my people!"
"Neither could she, but in the end she's trying to protect them. Whatever little part of the matter I can fix by keeping a consistent report, I will gladly do to help her. Her parents and now her have been so kind to me over the many years I've been working with them. They aren't just my job; they're my family. And you don't leave family hanging."
"Careful, sire." One of the Zora deadpanned. "You'll tugged a little too hard at her lady's heartstrings." He gestured to Ruto, who looked like she was about to cry or give Gustav a hug.
"Oh, you're simply precious!" Ruto finally said. "Please, let me help you! I'll deliver the next letter, and let her know what is going on on the surface. That way, she'll know how she can help us."
"Help with what?" Gustav asked. "You're not thinking of fighting Ganondorf, are you?" He asked incredulously.
"That's precisely what we're planning on doing." Matthew cut in. "We're working on re-establishing a relationship with Petra and the Gorons, and with Hydre and the Zora we can build an even bigger coalition than we had before. It's no secret that the Hyrulian and Ravager armies are bleeding troops. If we're gonna pull this off, we need all the help we can get."
"Well, I can't fight battles with a sword; arthritis and a generally floppy wrist will do that to you." Lord de Gaulle said. "But pens can be used to fight battles and win them too." He let out a groan as he got up from his chair. "I'll start writing my next letter to her immediately. She was actually waiting for a response from me when you all dropped in on my doorstep." He walked through the study, his ankles cracking slightly. "Goodness, the rain brings out the worst in me, it would seem." He gestured to the kitchen down the hall. "My workers have prepared some late dinner refreshments if you would like. I'm afraid that if I stop to eat, I'll never get this letter done." He walked over to his desk, grabbed some paper and a quill, dipped it in ink, and began to frantically scribble out a note in what was clearly flowery prose.
With that, the Zora captain stood up from his chair.
"I think we should set up a basic perimeter of defense around the manor." He said. He turned to Balrok. "I would gladly take the first shift if you are willing to join me?" He asked. Balrok chuckled.
"I like a man who leads from the front." He said. "Let's do it!" He and the Zora captain grabbed a couple of their best men, and led them out the door. That left Ruto and Matthew alone, save for the completely absorbed Lord de Gaulle in his writings.
"Come on, let's leave him alone." Matthew said. He helped Ruto up off of her chair, and then two of them left the room.
They walked the halls of the manor. They could hear the soldiers in the conference room and in other places in the manor laughing and imbibing in stress-relievers and card games and story-telling. They might not be happy when their captains told them to take over a shift watching the guard, but for now they were happy.
"Hey." Ruto said to Matthew.
"Hmm?" The young Grantham turned to her. Ruto was fiddling with her thumbs.
"Um…thanks again. For saving me." She said. Matthew laughed.
"No problem! It was kinda fun, now that I think about it." He said. "You're welcome. Any time, your majesty."
"Fun?" Ruto asked, raising an eyebrow. "You found my imminent death fun?"
The 180 that Matthew's facial expression took simply had to be seen.
"I, er, um, well-" He managed to stammer out.
He was cut off by Ruto leaning over and kissing him right on the lips.
"I'm kidding. I found it pretty fun too. I even got me a knight in shining armor!"
She kissed him again. This time, he was more receptive.
…
She was sitting at the fire, breathing a little bit heavily. She had taken a moment to rest, and let a few others get involved. There was a circle of soldiers and Ravagers and others watching now, as the next round of people got in the center of the ring with their sticks. Someone shouted a go, and the two fighters went at it to the cheers of the crowd.
She was so entertained with what she saw that she didn't even notice him sitting next to her at first.
"Oh, hi Ishaka! I didn't see you there." She said. Ishaka smirked.
"I 'ave tha' habit o' sneakin' up on people." He said.
"Part of your charm, huh?" Impa asked. Ishaka let out that little "hee hee hee!" of his, and took a puff from his cigar. Impa had heard that sound of his for near months now, and this was the first time where it didn't even register as annoying. It was somewhat comforting to hear him like this. She watched the two stick-fighters in the ring, and fought the urge to roll her eyes.
"Ugh. They are so awkward with those things." She said. Ishaka snorted.
"No kiddin'. They're like kiddies wit' 'em. So 'fraid o' hittin' some'un!"
"Agreed. We could do so much better than that." Impa said.
"For certain." Ishaka added.
There was a pause.
"500 rupees says I get you." Impa said, starting to stand up.
"Yer fuckin' on." Ishaka said, standing up right after here without missing a beat.
…
The cheers grew even louder as the two stick-fighters recognized the magnitude of what was coming up, and they both conceded. One of them tossed his stick to Impa, and the other tossed his to Ishaka. Impa took a few moments to stretch out her legs, and felt the weight of the wood in her hands. Ishaka did the same, but took a moment to set his pipe down on the side.
"You ready?" Impa asked teasingly. Ishaka was about to nod, when he looked like he had had an epiphany.
"Wait. Lemme make it easier fer me." He said. He set the stick down on the ground, and took off his longcoat, revealing a ratty sleeve-less shirt underneath it. He looked down and saw that the thing was old and ripped, so with a sigh he grabbed it by the front of the neck and pulled outwards with his hands. There was a high-pitched squeal that came from the crowd as the now-shirtless Ravager picked up his stick and stood across Impa.
The Sheikah took a moment to look him over. He had really broad shoulders, scars that covered his chest and arms, and very ornate tattoos that looked like they'd hurt like hell to apply.
She kept staring.
"Sheikah?" He asked.
"Huh? Oh, right. On your mark, Ravager." She said, with a smirk.
They stood completely still, reading each others' eyes for the first move. And then Ishaka stepped forward.
He thrust several strikes towards her knees, forcing Impa to immediately deal with the awkward defense of her lower joints. She blocked the trio of strikes, and then on the third block she thrust her arms up to push up Ishaka's staff and expose his side. She threw a backhand thrust, but the Ravager captain was surprisingly agile and avoided the blow. They circled each other like predatory beasts, and then locked up again. Impa feinted high, and then swung low towards Ishaka's ankles. He hopped up, only to frantically block a strike that Impa threw while he was in midair. When he landed on his feet, he'd barely hit the ground before he front-flipped forward, over Impa's head and onto his back. Admittedly, Impa had been crouched low, but it was still an impressive height for him to get. He scuttled out of the way, blocking each of her strikes as she chased after him.
When he got back to his feet, it was his turn to go on the offensive. He was fluid and smooth as he simultaneously moved forward and spun in a circle, forcing Impa on the defensive. But finally, she saw an opening. She feinted high, feinted low, and then swung her staff like a baseball bat at the over-correcting Ravager. There was a loud snap as his staff was snapped in two, leaving him with two spiked pieces. She backed away, a smirk on her lips.
"Give up?" She asked coyly. Ishaka just looked at her like she was the dumbest person on the planet.
"Yeh idiot, I use knives!" He shouted.
Impa quickly realized that the Ravager had a point, as he was able to move much faster than her, neutralizing her speed advantage. Then, before she knew it, he'd hit her staff so hard that it too was snapped in half.
They stared at each other, and the crowd howled with approval. Ishaka looked at her and shrugged.
"Keep goin'?" He asked. He was starting to breathe heavily.
"Sure." Impa said, her shoulders heaving with each breath. "But what?" She asked.
Ishaka tossed his broken staff off to the side.
"No strikes." He said.
"Fair enough." Impa said, throwing away her broken staff as well.
They locked up in a standard knuckle lock, tentatively feeling out the other as they waited for a mistake to be made. Then, Ishaka sensed a weakness and closed the gap, grabbing Impa in a standing side headlock. But before he could cinch it in tight, the Sheikah warrior thrust herself forward, hip-tossing the Ravager to the ground with a loud thud. She was about to gain full mount control, when he lunged up and grabbed one of her arms, trying to snap on a triangle chokehold. Impa kept her chin pressed to her chest, and set her feet. To the shock of the crowd, she rolled forward up and over Ishaka, forcing the Ravager to break the hold. Then, as soon as she had an opportunity, she latched onto his back and grabbed his in a rear chokehold.
Ishaka tried to pry her off, but she hung on as tight as a tick. He thrashed around a little bit, including rolling forward and trying to pin her beneath him, and then just straight up standing up and then falling backwards so that she took both of their weight in the fall, but she simply held harder. The crowd was going crazy now.
And then, just barely, she felt a soft tapping on her shoulder.
The crowd exploded as Impa released the hold immediately. She rolled backwards and up to her knees, panting heavily as the adrenaline started to fade away and she realized just how tired she was. Ishaka staggered back up to a sitting position, and turned around to face her. The skin around his neck and face was still red, and his breathing slowed as he tried to retain equilibrium. He stared at her, and gave her a tired nod.
"Good 'un, Impa." He muttered quietly.
Impa gave a big smile as the crowd was cheering for her, and then got back up to her feet. She offered Ishaka her hand, and he took it after a moment's hesitation. They quietly escaped the throng of people cheering and the start of the next match, and went to sit somewhere quiet.
"Keep it." Impa said after some quiet time.
"Hmm?" Ishaka asked.
"I said keep the 500 rupees." Impa said. She turned to face him. "That alone was worth a fortune." She narrowed her eyes. "You didn't take a dive, did you?" She asked suspiciously.
"O'course not." Ishaka said, seemingly offended at her asking. "Yeh beat me. Fair an' square."
"You're welcome to try again." Impa said with a wink.
"Let's gut that fuck'r Ganondorf firs'. Then let's talk 'bout rematches." Ishaka said.
"Fair enough." Impa said. There was another pause. And then she spoke again. "I've beaten a lot of people in those sorts of things. But to go against you? That was the most fun I've ever had."
"Not gonna lie. Yer th' best at it." Ishaka said. "It's why yeh won."
"You're too nice." Impa said. "Though I guess I shouldn't be too surprised. You're always putting people over." But then she turned to him and stared him in the eyes. "But hearing your praise means a lot Ishaka. Outside of Zelda, you are the closest friend I've ever had. So thank you."
"…Yer welcome." Ishaka said. "An' yer one o' mine."
It was dark and kind of hard to see, but even he could tell that her subsequent smile was beautiful.
…
His head was hurting badly, and his back was throbbing with pain. Groggily, he got back to his feet.
"Link!"
He heard the panicked shout of Zelda, and he looked up through the hole he'd fallen through. Her head and the face of the Lord King Bulblin Romulus were staring down after him.
"Are you alright, son?" Romulus asked. Link groaned.
"Yeah. Yeah just…sore. I don't think I broke anything."
"Well, that's a relief." Romulus said. "Where did you go? Can you see?"
Link looked around. Other than the light coming from the hole he'd fallen through, it was completely pitch-black. It was intimidating.
"Nothing. But…there's something here. I can feel it."
"Well, step aside!" Zelda shouted. "I'm coming down!"
"Wait, whuh-" Link barely had time to react before Zelda had landed in his arms. He nearly got knocked back over, but recovered in time. He set her down gently, and she looked around.
"This…this is a level to the temple that I don't think anyone has ever seen before." Zelda said with an awed voice. There was a crusty chuckle.
"Look out below!"
They barely had time to move before Romulus came crashing down into the darkness. He'd brought a torch with him, and now they could barely make out the walls that were covered with runes.
"Uh, Romulus, you do realize that we don't have anyone to double back for us now, don't you?" Zelda asked.
"I can!" Proxi shouted. "I'll go to the camp, and they'll get some rope. Be safe, guys!" She flew out of Link's head, and then up through the hole and away into the unknown. Link turned over towards Romulus and raised an eyebrow.
"Didn't that hurt? Should you be taking bumps like that to your joint?" He asked.
Romulus thwacked him sharply in the shin with his cane.
"I might be old, but I'm not an invalid, you tossed up little shit." Romulus scolded. "And I will take the pain for a chance at a new adventure." He said. He looked around. "Where are we?"
"I don't know." Zelda said. She pointed to the walls. "There is writing on the walls, maybe if you shine some light on them, I can read it?" She asked.
Romulus obliged, and she walked over to the nearest walls. Zelda ran her fingers along the cold stone, brushing off loose moss and dirt and dust.
"Wow." She said quietly.
"What is it?" Link asked.
"This is…ancient Hylian." Zelda said with reverence. "It's…no, it isn't. It's a dialect that went extinct years and years and ages ago. It's a wonder that I can barely read it."
"How?" Romulus asked.
"When you are a bored princess, you'll read anything to pass the time your father is in board meetings." Zelda said. "One of those things is on dead languages." She traced the glyphs with her fingers. "They talk about a battle between old foes, of a great sacrifice, and an incredible power that turned the tide. It's hard to tell." She turned towards the two of thme, and shrugged. "I'm sorry. I can't actuall remember what this language is. Just that it looks familiar. So I can pick out bits and pieces. My mind is funny like that. If I could just remember what this language was…" She rubbed her chin in thought.
"Well, don't rush your majesty." Romulus said magnanimously. "We aren't exactly in a terminal position." He said. "I don't think there's anything down here."
"Me neither, I-wait." Zelda said. "Terminal…Termin…oh. Oh!" She turned towards Romulus, and looked frantic. "I need you to shine some more light on the wall! Please!"
The old Bulblin obliged, and illuminated the rest of the wall chunk. Zelda continued to read the glyphs. Link noticed her hands were starting to shake.
"Zelda, are you ok?" He asked. She seemed like she was quivering with fear or something else. He wasn't sure.
"Oh Goddesses. Oh, oh Nayru, could it be true?" She read another line, and her eyes widened and she covered her mouth with her hands in shock. "Oh Nayru, it is true! I thought it was just a storybook legend!"
"What is? What is that language?" Romulus asked. Zelda shakily turned to face them.
"Guys, this isn't Hyrulian…it's Terminan. From Termina."
"Termina? I've never heard of-Wait, is that what I think it is? Is…is that what this old and dead land and forgotten temple used to be?" Romulus asked, a stunned look on his old face. Zelda nodded.
"I'm confused. You guys have completely lost me." Link said. "Where are we?" He asked. Zelda looked at him, and there was awe and fear in her face and voice as she spoke.
"Link…we're in the Tomb of the Fierce Deity."
A/N: OH SHIT.
HYRULIAN CODEX
Ruto Opera House – Named in honor of Ruto I of the Zora people, the ROH is a cultural landmark for the Zoras and worldwide, and there are many great performances that are conducted there. These are not limited merely to operas, though that is what made the building famous. It also houses recitals, concerts, theater performances, speaking engagements, and other such things. The name was given in honor of the namesake Ruto I channeling what many suggested was her broken heart in never again seeing the hero she'd loved in her lifetime into a career in beautiful and soulful music…and a legendarily pretty voice that some said was gifted her by Nayru Herself.