I'm on a roll! Ha! I am loving where this story is going in my head. Hope you all like it, too!
Here is chapter six for you all. Intense things are about to go down.
Enjoy!
I didn't sleep for very long.
After I woke up again, the Headmaster came around and said that the academic schedule was to continue without hindrance. So Link and I walked downstairs to the main level where the learning hall was. We sat in the back and didn't pay much attention to what was going on. Link continued to give me concerned glances throughout the class as I sat, unmoving. I was still zoning out from the fear of my past. With him.
Why is he back?
It goes back to when I was ten. We went to the neighboring town, Boern, to conduct a meeting between mayors when I saw him, sitting in the corner of the main village hall. His bleach blonde hair falling into his jet black, soulless eyes, and his flashy outfit was bright enough to make even a blind man look away. He looked about seven years older than me. Needless to say, I turned my attention elsewhere until he demanded it from me. Every time he would say how beautiful I was going to become. How flawless my skin was, how perfect my hair was, how ethereal my beauty was to transform into.
I just wanted to run away. I was ten! I wasn't interested in marriage. I was interested in my bow and arrows hitting the bull's eye of the target. I was concerned about giving a good name to my horse that I had just received as a gift from my father. I didn't even know how to cook properly yet because my mom was always sick and couldn't teach me. Not that I would even want to cook for this creep of a man.
But he was insistent. He kept up for years after that first meeting with letters, flowers, gifts, and proposals. My parents were concerned with my safety. They continued to send letters to Ghirahim's uncle begging him to put an end to this, but his uncle simply denied it was even happening, saying that Ghirahim had himself a fine lady there. That he was such a respectable young man; that I would be lucky to have him as a husband.
I cringed.
When I was fourteen, I was out for a walk in the woods when I heard a sound behind me. I whip around to see what it was, but nothing was there. From behind me, someone grabbed me and covered my mouth, their other arm wrapped around me to restrain me. Keep me from running. I heard a low chuckle. Ghirahim had moved his head down to the crook of my neck and started kissing me. I struggled, but he wouldn't budge. Tears swelled in my eyes. He told me he wanted to keep me pure, so he could rob me on our wedding night. Then he disappeared into thin air. I hid in the woods the rest of that night, until the sun rose and I returned home to concerned parents waiting for me.
I hadn't cried as much my entire life as I had that evening. I never told anyone. I was too scared.
It was only later that we found out that Ghirahim had gone to the extent of murdering his uncle and acting as mayor in his stead, framing a local farmer for the murder and doing everything in his power to get to me. I prayed to the goddesses that he wouldn't get me.
When word got to us that this happened, my father had sent a message to the knights at Sky Academy to arrest him and end his reign of terror. They intervened immediately and took him to one of the surface dungeons that was the farthest away from our town in the forest. I thought that was the end.
Apparently not.
He's back. And with a malice that seems to be uncontrollable. He wants my life.
He won't have it. He will never have it.
"Zel?" Link whispers, placing a hand on my fist. I was unconsciously clenching them so tight that my pencil snapped in half. I slowly unclench my hands and close my eyes, taking a deep breath.
"Sorry," I whisper back. "I'm fine," I say unconvincingly. He looks at me skeptically.
"If you insist," he removes his hand and returns to his notes. Even though I know he probably already has all this material memorized, he still takes notes. I smile slightly at the thought.
Link brings me peace, warmth, and comfort. Simply being next to him is calming in itself. I turn my attention back to the board and start taking notes. I notice Karane looking at me with her jaw dropped almost to the table. Her gaze flickers over to link in question and I simply shrug. She smiles and turns around to the board.
Great. Now I have to explain myself to her later.
The topic we were currently learning about is the hero of Skyloft. The old tale tells about a hero, who just happened to be named and have a striking resemblance to Link, venturing to the surface for the first time in recorded history since the settlement of Skyloft was sent to the sky and finding the Goddess in her human form. I have never learned about any of this, first off since I never had any interest in the topic, and it never related to what I was currently dealing with in life. The most of my concerns were Ghirahim, my sick mother, and my new family members liking me. Not being a goddess bound in human form and awakening my memories from the past to deal with a great evil that was plaguing the lands and threatening my people. Yikes. That would be intense.
Though, my father says that we do have the bloodline of the human goddess, Hylia. I have never considered what kind of affect that would have on others if I told them. So I kept it a secret. He doesn't talk about it much, either. He always led a humble life, and taught me to do the same. Telling people that Hylia's human form was in my bloodline wouldn't sit right with me. I would feel as if I were attracting unwanted attention. But apparently I do that anyway, because Groose continues to look over his shoulder at me, and glaring at Link.
Great.
I finish writing down the notes from the lecture as the bell rings for lunch. I begin to pack my things into my bag and spill my drawing pencils out of their container. I heave a sigh and start picking them up. Link was too busy packing his bag to notice, but as soon as I reach for one of the last pencils, a foot steps in my way. I lean back to sit on my knees and look up when I see a red pompadour and a wide, mischievous grin spreading on Groose's face.
"Well," he begins, "looks to me like you didn't particularly enjoy hanging out back here with little Linky. You were scowling almost the entire time. Why don't you come and sit with a real man after lunch? I might even let you hold my hand under the desk if you want."
Link begins to say something, but I cut him off by raising my hand in the air, standing and turning to Groose.
"You know," I begin as sarcastically polite as possible, "as delightful as that sounds, I am afraid I will have to decline."
"Come on, Zellie," Groose begged. I cringe, frowning. I hate that nickname. "What's holding you back?"
"You know, maybe you're right." I put my hand to my chin, pondering. "I will sit with Link after lunch, seeing how he is one of the only real men around here. Thanks for the recommendation, Groose!" I slap his shoulder. Then bending down to pick up the rest of my pencils, I place them in the case as I walk around Groose's frozen frame and head out the door with a smirk on my face. Link follows suit and walks with me to the lunch line. He places a hand on my shoulder and leans in to whisper into my ear.
"Did you really mean that?" He squeezes my shoulder.
"Of course," I respond, placing the pencil case in its respective section in my bag. Once I had done that, I turn my attention to his slowly growing grin on his face.
"What?" I ask.
"Nothing," he responds, removing his hand from my shoulder. I give him a confused look and he laughs.
"Don't crease your eyebrows like that. It is unbecoming." He begins to laugh. I join him shortly after.
Once we get our food, we find a place to sit. Not even a minute passes when we are joined by Fledge and Karane. We start talking about plans for the upcoming weekend if the weather clears up, which as I look out the window now is highly unlikely. Link offers his room as a hangout for playing games. Right as the plans were being finalized, a new face enters the cafeteria. Karane's eyes widen as she rises from her seat and takes in the stranger. All of us become quiet, wondering what is going on. I turn to Link and Fledge, but they are wearing just as confused expressions on their faces, too. I turn back to Karane as she starts walking over to the stranger. She stops in front of him and he looks down at her. Recognition covers his features as he swoops down to give her a hug, laughing. Karane breaks it off and grabs his hand to bring him to our table.
"Guys!" She says excitedly. "This is my family friend, Pipit. We have known each other since before we could crawl. He's from a settlement on the surface. Not far from you, Zel, actually."
"Hi," he says. He seems shy. I smile and introduce myself. After the introductions were done, he joined our table after getting some food. Turns out I'm not the only new student starting out this year. Good to know that I will actually have a fellow classmate to graduate with.
On a side note, I see Pipit giving Karane more than a few significant glances during lunch. I would have to bring that up later. We invite him to our get together we will be having this weekend. Overall he seems to be a nice guy.
"So," I look towards Pipit, "Karane said you are from a settlement close to mine. Where are you from?"
"I'm from Boern, actually," he responds, happy to talk about the surface—a familiar topic. Now I don't want to talk about my home.
Why must today be constantly reminding me about my subpar, almost haunting, past? Link notices a shift in my posture and puts his hand on my leg under the table. He knows all about my past with Ghirahim, so he probably feels a need to comfort me. The fact that he remembers those kinds of details warms me to the core.
"Oh," is all I say in response. I think I unbalanced him a bit by my unexpressive answer, but he shook it off good naturedly, turning to Karane and Fledge. I turn inward, tuning out my surroundings and focusing only on Link's hand on my leg. I place my hand on his and feel its warmth. My hands are frigid in comparison. He turns his hand up, clasping mine and intertwining our fingers, rubbing his thumb against the side of my hand. I don't know what this means between us, but all I know is that it comforts me. I think he is saying that he will be right here if I need him. He continually said it, but I never actually believed it until this moment. I look at our hands and sigh. He squeezes mine and lets go.
"Earth to Zel," I hear Karane say. She waves her hand in front of my face to get my attention.
"What?" I ask.
"I said we're going to be late. See?" She points to the rest of the cafeteria. It's almost entirely empty. I shake my head and grab my bag to catch up with the rest of the group. As I sling it over my shoulder, I feel a cold presence behind me. I turn around fast and, to my unsettling nerves, find absolutely nothing. I knit my eyebrows together and walk toward the window. Outside, the storm rages on. But not only has the storm outside the window sent my blood running cold.
There is a person covered in shadows. Facing the school. Looking directly into this window.
I back up into a chair and trip, landing on my back.
No.
I get up quickly to double check the window. Just as I do, I see the figure's shoulders bounce up and down as he turns around on the spot and vanishes. I had to blink a few times to comprehend what I just witnessed. It was obviously magic, but it reminded me of a certain trick we learned at magic club. The one I have genuinely used to get myself out of trouble once while being out of bed at night to explore the island a couple weeks ago.
The vanishing spell.
Original name, I know. But that's exactly what it did. You vanish straight from where you are to a token of your creation. The token is embedded with magic, and whenever you wanted to disappear, you cast the spell and it leads you straight to your token. Everyone's magic is different, so everyone's token is distinguishable. It could be anything, like a thimble, a doll, or even a ring. Mine is a beaded keychain in the shape of the Triforce that hangs in my room on a cork board.
I thought it fitting, since it is the school symbol, and this was where I learned it.
I immediately rush to find Link. I find him in the hustle and bustle of the hallway. I grab his hand and jerk him toward me, hinting at him to follow. He doesn't even question as I lead him to my room. I stick the key in the tumbler and open it up, letting him in and locking it behind us right away. He grabs my hands.
"Zel? What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost."
"I kind of did," I admit quietly. The confused look that Link had on his face deepens to one of concern. His eyes widen and his mouth opens a little bit.
"What do you mean?" He asks.
"It was him. I'm certain," I pull my hands from his grip to rub my temples. "I felt a cold presence in the cafeteria and turned around to nothing, but when I looked out the window—" I couldn't finish. I start hyperventilating.
"Him," he repeats. Then it hits him. "You don't mean—" I place my hand on his mouth, silencing him instantly.
"Please," I beg, "don't say his name." I tremble. I start to get weak at the knees and can't stand up any more. Link catches me up in his tight grip and puts an arm behind my knees to pick me up bridal style. I don't fight back. I simply rest my head against his shoulder, closing my eyes. He sets me down on the bed and grabs my chair to bring it over. He sits down and grabs my hand.
"You know we have to talk about this at some point, Zel," he says after a long while. I sigh.
"Yes. I do," I close my eyes. Why am I so weak even though I technically attend a military academy? I don't understand. I thought this school was supposed to help me with that. Then I got an idea.
"Link?" I turn to face him.
"Yes?" His eyes study my face.
"Can you teach me all you know about combat? Sword fighting, archery, anything and everything you know. Please?"
He hesitates. I don't know why. Maybe he thinks I'm too weak? But that's the point! I need to get stronger! If I am to face him I need to be at the top of my game. He has seven years of combative experience on me, and that's not something you can gain in one night. Link is easily just as good, if not better. I don't know why, but I can guess what level of skills Ghirahim has.
And Link is better.
"Yes," he finally succumbs to logic. I exhale, relieved. "I'm not only doing this for you," he continues. "I have a feeling that there are some unresolved quarrels between you two. And that you would butt into the fight no matter what because of those quarrels. So, if you get better and gain skills in combat, that way you can help me defeat him. Plus," he looks at me again. His eyes look troubled. "That way, you can keep me in check if the fight gets too intense. I'm sometimes afraid that when I fight, I fight not for the good of the situation, but for my personal gain, or the violence alone. I don't want to become a vicious monster. That's what he is, and I never want that for me. Or you."
"Link," I whisper. He pulls my hand to his forehead. I move it so it rests on his cheek. He leans into it.
"You know, Zel," he starts quietly, "I've noticed that you seem significantly more exhausted than the rest of us. Do you have any idea why? Any medical reasons?"
I'm surprised he noticed how tired I am. Or was I? I don't know anymore.
"None that would cause me to be this tired," I shake my head. He looks like he is deep in thought.
"Just curious." He stands to put back the chair and leave. "I'm going to get the physician. Stay put." He leaves before I can even respond.
The moment my door shuts, I am overcome with another round of chills and bone shattering fear. I sit bolt upright in my bed and look to my window. I see the shadow figure standing right outside.
The freaky bit—I live on the top floor.
Scared into a frozen state, barely even sparing a breath, I watch as his hand lifts up to the lock on my window. He swipes it to the side and the lock clicks open. I push myself as far away from the window as possible, getting up out of my bed and groping the wall behind me to reach my door. Noticing my intention, the figure speeds up the process of opening my window. I find my doorknob and turn it instantly. Just as it pulls my window all the way up and quickly enters my room, I make a run for it.
In the hall, there isn't a single soul to be found. Not even Link. The cold emanating from the figure's body reaches me in waves, paralyzing me. I would use the vanishing spell, but that would just lead me back to my room. I have to think of an idea.
Then it hits me.
I turn around to face him, get a steady footing and pull at the magic deep within me. I utter the necessary words and create a straight-line wind engulfing the corridor. The cape flies off of the figure to reveal only what I knew.
"Ghirahim," I say, low and threatening.
"It's been a while," he says in his snake like voice. He takes the time to lick his lips with his long tongue. I force myself not to gag, remembering that night in the woods. I tremble with fear.
"I see you have aged well. What did I tell you?" He places a hand on his hip and straightens his figure, quirking an eyebrow. "I knew you were going to be a beauty. Now, where were we the last time I saw you?"
I was expecting it, so when he vanished and reappeared right behind me, I had started turning with enough force behind my kick that it would knock him down. Luckily, my plan worked. He didn't even see it coming. His back slammed into the wall, knocking the wind out of him, as I made a run for the stairs. I hear him yelling down the corridor
"You will pay for that!" I hear him roar. I look over my shoulder just in time to see him building speed right behind me. I gather the magic inside to put as much force behind my punch as I could, focusing it all in my fist. I jump mid-air down the flight of steps and spin, giving myself momentum again, and punch his head downward. I spin the rest of the way mid-air and kick off of the wall to continue my descent down the stairs.
"I see that you have awakened your inner Sheikah." He says, irritation dripping with every word.
My inner Sheikah? What is he talking about?
"Oh," he laughs, "Did your father not tell you?" he laughs again, harder. His voice is becoming quieter as I advance myself further down the stairs. "Your mother was a Sheikah. She was the last pure blood of her kind! Now her race is mixed with the Hylians. A descendant of Hylia none the less!" I freeze on the spot. No one knew about that except for me and—
Dad.
Oh, no.
"What did you do to my father?" I yell, turning around and heading back up the stairs. I find him having trouble standing. Good. I wanted him to hurt. I grab him by the collar and slam him against the wall. He continues to look at me like I'm the most adorable little kid he has ever seen. I scowl.
"What. Did. You. Do. To. My. Father?" I repeat. He simply grins. I hear footsteps running up the stairs.
"Zelda!" Link yells.
"You'll find out soon enough," he says as he disappears from my grip. I look at my hand that was holding his shirt as it twitches from the adrenaline. I hear Link stop a few steps down.
"Zelda," he says soothingly, "come back. Relax. You're fine." I turn to look at him and the look he gives me makes me think he doesn't believe I'm fine. I drop my hand to my side and close my eyes, taking a deep breath. I open them again and see his frantic look replaced with one of concern. I grimace, looking down. I notice that my arms are cut up from focusing so much magic to one single spot. My hands are bloodied and torn, too. I sigh.
"So," I begin casually, like I didn't just use magic to beat up a guy who has been haunting my whole life. I start getting light headed from all the magic I just used. "I should probably see the physician now." I close my eyes and don't fight against gravity. I feel Link's arms encompass me.
I feel him begin to stroke my hair before I lose consciousness.