AN: Hello!
So a lot of you have probably noticed my big 'oopsy-daisy' with me stating that Zelda has never been to Castle Town before, then in the next chapter she says her old school is there.
The former was a mistake. I, like the idiot I can be sometimes, uploaded the wrong copy. It's amazing what one little sentence can do to change your whole story!
So with that being said I went back and changed it to Zelda having been in Castle Town before because her school is indeed located there. That's all. But feel free to go back and re-read that chapter because, if I have anything to say about it, I really enjoy it.
And for those of you just jumping in and reading this, you won't know what the heck I'm talking about. So you can disregard this.
And without further ado, with an accurate storyline from here on out unless I unintentionally do something idiotic like upload the incorrect copy again, we continue onward into the viewpoint of Link!
Thanks for calling me out on it. Again, I will answer any and all questions regarding the plot of my story—disclaimer: no spoilers.
Cheers.
[LINK]
"You can set it over there, hon. Right on that shelf," Telma called from the entrance of the wine cellar in her basement. I place the barrel of wine I was carrying onto the shelf she pointed out and continue to organize the room for her.
I seriously wish I could use magic.
Fi's training with me has been solely magic-less combat and skill building. This included. She says it is to build my stamina for when I can't use magic in a pinch. I guess it makes sense, but I feel I might be getting a bit rusty where magic is concerned.
Rolling my eyes, I lift the second barrel onto the shelf and place it secure.
I wonder how Zelda is doing.
Her entire life has been hard. She is constantly being pulled from every direction emotionally, physically, and mentally. And right now, her life seems to be at its worst. I try to console her, tell her things are going to be okay, that I am here for her if she needs me.
But she's bottling everything in—no pun intended as I begin to stock the wine bottles onto the shelves—and she doesn't know what to do. I can't bare seeing her suffer like this. I have to help her in some way, but how?
I turn around to grab another crate of wine bottles from the pile next to the door and see her standing there, almost cowering. She is half covered in shadows, and from what I can see it looks like she has been crying. Again. I straighten myself and turn to her, holding my arms out. She hesitates. Weird. I drop my arms a bit and tilt my head to the side.
"Zel? What's up?" I walk over to her; her face looking into the nothingness beyond me. As if she has seen a ghost.
Unless…
"Zelda," I whisper, gripping her arms. "Did you see, you know," I stumble. She nods, fresh tears falling down her face. I pull her into a tight hug.
Yeah, her life is basically hell right now.
I rock us back and forth, rubbing heat into her back. I know forcing it out of her won't be a good thing, but she has to tell me when she is ready.
"It was just a dream," she whispers. It almost seems like she is trying to convince herself of that. I frown. "I don't want to talk about it yet." She admits.
"Until later, then, whenever you're ready," I kiss her forehead.
I continue to rock us back and forth until her tears are dry, and lately with her situation being the way that it is that can take a while.
Later that evening, after the cellar was completely organized, Telma opens a bottle to celebrate officially re-opening her shop the next day. I sit close to Zelda to keep her company. I don't know what she needs, so I try to be there for her in any way I can.
Telma knocks back a few glasses of wine before any of us can even think about a second glass. She apparently can hold a surprising amount of alcohol and still be the high functioning, flirtatious woman she always is. Color me amazed.
After dinner, Zelda leans her head on my shoulder. She is exhausted, and still won't tell me why she was crying earlier. She has also been completely checked out since.
I look up to Impa across the table and she gives me a nod. I give her a small smile as I lift Zelda up off the bench and carry her up the stairs. I hear Telma call out from behind how gentlemanly I am. I chuckle a bit as I close the door to our room and set Zelda on the bed. She rolls over and falls asleep instantly. I tuck her in and sit in a chair by the fireplace. I throw a couple logs on and let the heat warm me. I don't even notice how long I sit there until I begin to nod off.
Then I hear her screams.
I jolt awake right away and run over to the bed. She flies forward, her head in her hands between her knees and rocks back and forth. I place my hands on her shoulders and shush her as soothingly as I can. She has been having nightmares ever since we came to Castle Town, and we ended up staying an additional unplanned day due to Zelda seeing something suspicious in the town square.
The weird thing, I was with her and couldn't see anything, but she swears she saw something there. Swears she saw him.
I believe her. Ghirahim has gained unexplainable powers over the past year, why couldn't he have possibly gained a concealment charm skill he previously has never used just to scare Zelda? There's no predicting what his next move is. We just have to wait like sitting ducks as he plans out his next move.
But for the meantime, I can comfort the girl I love.
I hold her close in my arms as the tears slowly come to a stop. I pulled the blankets over us again so she can stay warm. After what seems an eternity, she wraps her arm around my waist and kisses underneath my jaw.
"Sorry," is all she says.
"Don't be," I respond. She wraps her leg around mine and collapses from the drain of energy the crying required. I lay there, Zelda in my arms, staring at the wall.
Thinking there won't be many nights left like this. I heave a sigh and fall asleep after a little while.
It's a few hours before dawn, and the other side of the bed is empty. Confused, I roll over to the side of the bed and unravel myself from the blankets. I'm surprised she didn't wake me. She would have physically had to climb over me to get out of the bed.
I guess there is a reason she calls me a sleepy head after all.
My feet touch the cool wood and it sends a refreshing wave of consciousness through me. I stand and head down the stairs to the main room. I see the front door open a crack. Curious, I push it out a bit and look up the stairs to where we first came to Castle Town in this sectioned off courtyard. No one is out there, and I slowly push the door far enough to walk out. I make it to the alley and up the stairs to one of the main roads. It doesn't come as a surprise to me that I would be the only one out on the streets at this time of day. Then something moves in the corner of my eye.
A figure steps out of the shadows, wearing dark clothing for stealth, and starts walking toward me. I can't hide now that they have already seen me, so I turn to face them and stand up straight. As they come nearer, I notice that the figure is a woman, and that she is a bit on the shorter side of the height scale. She wears a hood that completely conceals her face, but she seems familiar somehow.
Then she pulls down the hood.
"I—Ilia?" I stutter. She smiles.
"Hey Link," she says quietly, with a slight quiver in her voice, and then looks over her shoulder like she's being followed.
"What's going on?" I ask her. "You okay?"
She brings her arms up to hold herself, rubbing her hands up and down her arms for comfort. She falls silent.
"I think someone is following me," she admits confusedly, bringing her head up to look at me. "Where is Zelda?" She asks.
"I was looking for her myself, actually," I say, and then something hits me. "Do you have any idea of who is following you?"
"No," she admits, "just this eerie feeling like someone is behind me, but every time I check there is nothing. It's the strangest thing, I—" she bends over and makes a sound as if she has been punched in the gut. I kneel with her to see if she is okay. Nothing physically hit her, and she's not normally one to show pain in public. Her head moves shakily from one side to the other, as if she is saying 'no' to something. I reach out to touch her shoulder, but she grabs my wrist with lightning fast reflexes. She pulls me in close and I can see clear as day what happened.
Ghirahim has found us.
And he is using people to get us.
I have to find Zelda. Now.
"Ilia," I whisper, her grip is slowly getting tighter. It will soon cut off my circulation. "I know you're still in there. Fight it," she stills. I think talking to her is working. Then the ball drops.
"Run," she barely has a voice, and the one she does have is thin. She manages to loosen her grip around my wrist. I yank it away and start running toward Telma's. I look over my shoulder and see Ilia walking slowly in the other direction. She then turns to look at me over her shoulder and sends me an almost evil grin and I know she has succumbed.
Ilia.
I seriously have to find Zelda. I watch as Ilia moves through the now building crowd of people and into an alley. I turn back to the task at hand and see that Impa stands behind me.
"Link," she says, "can you tell me why Zelda's family is here? Did Ilia say anything about it?"
"No, honestly, I don't know what just happened," I say, looking at my feet. "But I think Ghirahim is here in the city. He just overtook Ilia's mind, from what I can tell."
She hums in acknowledgement. "Where's Zelda? She's not at the bar." She glares at me. I continue to stare at the ground.
"I'm not sure. We were sleeping and the next thing I knew is it was a few hours before dawn and I was alone in the bed. Impa," I plead, "we have to find her."
"Where is the Master Sword?" She asks.
"In the room," I admit.
"Go get it. We will need Fi's assistance."
Within three minutes, I made it back to the room, slung the sheath for my sword around my shoulders, along with my shield, and found Impa in the gradually building crowd again. She nods and leads me down an alley without many people in it. We continue down, zigzagging about between people and around corners until she pulls me aside in a dark alley. We speedily walk into the shadows as she halts me under an awning.
"Link," she says quietly, looking over her shoulder to see if anyone followed us, "draw your sword. Call on Fi."
I pull the master sword from its sheath and do what she says. A second later, Fi flies out from the sword to hover close by.
"You have summoned me, master? Are we training today?"
"No, Fi," Impa replies softly, "we need some help finding Zelda."
"My mistress' descendant has gone missing," she repeats. "Master, I recommend that I use the dowsing technique."
"What is that?" I ask.
"The very reason I had you go get Fi," Impa cuts in. "Fi has the ability to detect where someone or something is as long as she has a sample of them. Like a possession, scent, or aura are just a few things she can detect."
I look over to the inexpressive Fi.
"Impa is correct. I can find anything you like with a ninety-three percent success rate. And since Zelda has the blood of my mistress flowing within her, she will be easy to find."
"Then why haven't you started yet?" I ask, almost irritated.
"I have, master," she says, she almost seems taken aback by my outburst. I slap a palm to my face.
"I'm sorry, Fi," I admit, "I'm just worried about Zelda. And there is no need to call me 'master', how many times do I have to say that?" I laugh a bit.
"It's quite alright, master, I can comprehend, but am unable to feel, human emotions," she cuts off, focusing. "I have found Zelda," she says as she begins to make her way down the alleyway.
I can't even tell you what path we used to get to Zelda, all I know is that we are on our way. The last corner we take leads to another side road, where a figure lies slumped in the middle, hooded and unconscious. I run faster, but am cut off by another figure standing between us.
"No," I breathe. The figure standing between myself and Zelda is none other than Ilia.
"Yes," she laughs, but not in her own voice. Ghirahim is speaking through her. "She is mine now, and there is nothing you can do about it!"
"Ilia!" I yell. "You can fight it!"
"No," he says, "she really can't. I forced her to bring Zelda to this very spot; to lure her sister here and betray her trust. Sid did, however, break the connection earlier and was able to communicate without me for a bit. It is regrettable that I will have to dispose of her once this is done and Zelda is in my grasp," Ilia starts walking in a circle around Zelda's unmoving form. She pause, turns to me, and snaps her fingers causing Zelda to be cast into small black cubes of pure magic. Zelda cries out in pain as she slowly disappears. I start to run forward to keep Zelda here, but am held back by Impa.
"No, Link," Impa says, "we cannot touch her. This magic is binding. If anyone touches her, they will die, along with her." I stop my struggles, and watch as the love of my life disappears right before my eyes into the evil clutches of the man she fears most of all.
The rage wells up inside me, like a dam about to overflow, and walk up to Ilia. I don't dare to touch her because she is under Ghirahim's influence at the moment. I glare.
"Where did you take her?" I ask, enunciating each word.
"Like I would tell you," he replies with the same enunciation. "Oh, how I do enjoy seeing you in pain, little 'hero'," Ilia turns on the spot and walks away without any further acknowledgement. Impa is the only thing keeping me from falling straight to the ground.
Zelda.
I throw my things in a bag and quickly sling my sword and shield over my shoulders. I wait until I hear Impa go to bed before sneaking out of the room. I make it outside to the little courtyard without interference, but once I make it to the top of the steps, a shadow moves in my peripheral vision and someone appears right in front of me. Impa straightens herself, folding her arms in front of her, and drawing her full height.
"What are you doing, Link?" She asks me. There's no denying it.
"I'm going to find Zelda," I say, my resolve unwavering. She nods.
"Good that," we hear a mew of a cat from beside us and turn our attention to find Louise circling around a sleepy looking Telma.
"I take it you will no longer need a room here?" She smiles. We both smile in return.
"Thank you for everything, Telma," Impa says. I nod.
"You're welcome back anytime, you know that, dear," she says with a wave of her hand. She then turns around to go back into the bar.
"I've been planning all night, Link," Impa starts. "We'll try using Fi's dowsing technique. We'll leave the town so she can have a better read on where Zelda might be." I nod.
Seeing Impa this calm in this type of situation makes me feel foolish, as if I have been behaving like a child when I know this is hard for her, too. I sometimes forget that she is Zelda's mother. She raised her, and loves her wholly. I feel ashamed and embarrassed of how I reacted. I feel her hand on my shoulder.
"Link, you are stronger than you believe," she simply says, pulling me up short. "Now, let's go find Zelda," she says as she takes the lead to head out of town.
I follow closely behind, keeping my eyes downward from the sky and believing that Zelda is okay.