The hero, the broken, the saviour
So, last chapter, we saw Rufus being thrown from the top of the Forsaken Fortress by the helmaroc king. Rufus was vaguely aware of being fished out of the water, but other than that, he has no idea what's going on.
However, let's just ignore him for now, and see just what the King of the Red Lions (Red for short) has to tell Shadow about everything that's happening on the Great Sea. There be much historical references and talk of the past ahead. You are warned! Be ready to giggle and snigger as I attempt to construct believable histories!
Oh, and timing for the story goes as such. Rufus leaves on 'day one', and travels a week to reach the Forsaken Fortress. So, on 'day seven' he's thrown out to sea. Shadow sets out on 'day five' – Opacus Isle is much closer to Windfall than Outset. (For all who haven't played the game, that makes little sense…) Opacus Isle is basically way off the sea-chart to the west side. And each 'square' on the chart I'm assuming to take about twenty-four hours to sail right across.
Thoughts in : single colons :. Visions or dreams are in italics.
Shadow: Dangerous waters
We travelled along with friendly winds, using the strong north-south current in order to aid the speed of the journey. It was only when Opacus Isle had finally dropped out of sight about an hour after leaving it, that Red deigned to talk to me again. I hadn't dared strike up a conversation with him; well, he was royalty after all! All he'd said before was to tell me which way to steer, and to watch out for rocks and the like.
"Sheikah?" he called, having to talk loudly to be heard over the breeze. I flinched with shock at the sudden noise, and then silently reprimanded myself. :You're starting to act like a Hylian or something. Pull yourself together:
"Yes sir?" I said back, keeping my voice level and respectful.
"Please, it's Red. I don't know your name however…"
"Shadow," I offered, and I saw the dragonhead nod. "You said you were going to tell me what was going on…so, with respect, what exactly is going on?"
"Many things of great importance, Shadow. But, before I can even begin to tell you about the present, I must be sure that you know of the past. First of all, do you know of the myths concerning the flooding of Hyrule?"
"I know a little of the stories – generally, we must wait until adulthood to hear the whole of the tales, but I've overheard snatches."
"Such as…?"
"Well, I know that the Hero left to go on some quest, and whilst he was away, Ganon broke the Gods seal and escaped the Realm. And then Hyrule became flooded…though I'm not sure of the middle of the story," I admitted, ducking underneath the boom as the sail swung around to catch the strongest of the wind.
"In that case, I shall have to tell you the whole of it." He was silent for a few seconds, and when I looked, I saw that his eyes were closed, perhaps in reminiscence? "Ah…it's been so many years since Hyrule last saw the sun and sky… Sometimes it's hard to believe it ever existed at all…" He sighed, and shook his head. "Sorry. Sometimes, the memories, they…" he left the sentence hanging, and I made a non-committal sound of understanding in the back of my throat. I wasn't used to dealing with such open emotions…especially when it came to people I barely knew.
"Anyway," he heaved in a great breath. "The story goes something like this…
"Long ago, there was a great kingdom that secretly housed a golden power of the holy Trio, Din, Nayru and Farore – creators of the kingdom. This kingdom was called Hyrule; adjacent to Termina and allied with the prosperous Labrynna. Hyrule was a land of low rolling meadows, lush green forests, high mountains, and tranquil peace." I was immediately enraptured with the story, as I had never before heard it told with such…such feeling perhaps? Even our best storytellers didn't seem to hold the same skill as his majesty when it came to telling this story. Though…he had been there…Hyrule had been his kingdom…so perhaps it was only to be expected.
"However, as great and prosperous as Hyrule and its allies may have been, there was still room for discontent and ambition amongst the people. A man of great ambition discovered and took the golden power to use for his own evil devices. However, whilst the figure was able to shed darkness upon the entire kingdom, he did not reckon with magic even more ancient than the golden power. The magic of the resilience of people to the pull of evil. The magic of courage even in the face of impossible danger."
I shivered as he mentioned danger, and remembered the pictures of Ganon and his monsters from history books hundreds of years old. "His oversight cost him dearly, for, whilst he held the great power, he did not hold all of it. It split into three equal parts – one for power, which resided with him still, one of wisdom, and one of courage. The one of courage found it's home in the heart of a young lad clad in green, who seemed to have come out of nowhere.
"This boy held in his hand the blade of evil's bane – the Master sword. And, with its power and the great power of courage within him, he was able to summon the strength to seal away the dark figure and restored light to the kingdom. This boy was named by the people, as the Hero of Time."
"Because he had travelled through the thin layers of time in order to save the land…" I whispered under my breath. Red turned around to look at me with inquisitive eyes.
"Indeed… I thought you hadn't heard this part of the story?"
"I…I haven't…" I realized, and scratched the back of my head, bewildered.
"The sight's becoming very strong in you already," he said darkly. "This is not good. It only ever becomes this strong in times of great peril… I must continue this lesson as quickly as I can. Gods only know how much time we have left before the real danger begins."
:Real danger: My eyes widened, and I felt my stomach churn. :Calm down you fool. This is what you've been trained for all your life, isn't it: I busied myself with the sail, and listened to Red as he carried on.
"This story was passed from generation to generation, in order that people would not forget the courage that had once saved them all from disaster. This story, over time, as the people from the time of its creation disappeared from the world, became a legend, and then a myth. Then a fell wind blew, unveiling the dark one's return to unleash darkness and evil upon the kingdom once more. Having no other choice, the kingdom's people could only hope that the Hero of Time would return once more to save their precious land.
"All their years of disbelief were swept aside as they fell to their knees, and begged Goddesses they'd neglected for centuries to help them. No hero came, no help came… The Goddesses no longer held control over the hero, for he was a renegade, cursed due to the great power he still held. So, there was little they could do… Fate had taken its toll on the kingdom, and the Goddesses, unable to save the kingdom they had created, warned the people to flee to the mountaintops.
"Then, the three of them, with their great control of the elements, made it rain. The rain came down in torrents, flooding the low lands and completely submerging the whole kingdom. Those who hadn't made it to the mountains did not survive. Those that did, had to rebuild their lives on their secluded islands. What happened to Hyrule, would be the obvious question, would it not? Is it still there, perfect in its entirety below the sea?
"Not even I'm sure," he admitted. "All over the Great Sea, the kingdom has become nothing more than a memory – a legend told to children to send them to sleep. On a certain island, by the name of Outset Island, it has become customary to dress young boys in green when they reach the age of thirteen. In days past, they would learn the ways of battle, but, that is not the way anymore. One can only hope that at least one of those boys was able to also learn the way of courage; the way of the Hero of Time.
"That's all of the old legend that I can tell you. Do you understand all of it?" he asked kindly.
"Yes," I nodded, and then remembered he couldn't see me, because he was facing forwards again. "I understand. But…what does this have to do with me?"
"That's what I was about to go on to!" he explained with a small chuckle. "I decided to leave that till last, because it's by far the more complicated thing to explain."
"Oh dear," I murmured. "Well, you'd best get started telling me then, because I'll probably ask a lot of questions."
"Ask as many as you wish to…"
"Thank you." :I intend to.:
"Now, during the adventures of the Hero of Time, the Sheikah had many dealings with him. I take it you do know of his story?"
"Of course – everyone knows the legend of the battles he waged."
"Good. I wasn't looking forward to having to recount that…" he whispered sadly. "Anyway, as I was saying; the Sheikah had many dealings with him. One such Sheikah man, by the name of Sheik, even helped to guide the young Hero throughout his quest to save Hyrule from the dark one. His teacher, the great Duchess Impa, and your however many times great grandmother-"
"Twenty-two times," I interjected. (About a millennium or so…)
"Really? It has been a long while indeed! Well, your twenty-two times great grandmother was the guardian of the Princess Zelda of the royal Hylian family, who was the holder of the power of wisdom. She removed the Princess from Hyrule, taking her abroad during the dark one's reign to the land of Labrynna. The remaining Sheikah, under the Duchess Impa's orders, protected the enduring Hylians as best they could from the dark one and his creatures.
"A select few were chosen to look after the Hero whilst he was in his seven year sleep in the Realm. One of those chosen was Sheik himself. As such, at every stage of his journey, the Hero was (even when he didn't realize it) watched and protected by the Sheikah people. And, when he had defeated the dark one, the Sheikah were there in order to rebuild the kingdom that had been complete decimated by the dark one's actions.
"When the Princess returned, she relieved the Hero of the Ocarina of Time – that very instrument of magic that you now own. She then bequeathed it on the Duchess Impa, so that it could never again fall into hands that could use it to do wrong. Ever since then, it has been passed down your family line, always to the firstborn child, whether they are male or female, on the day of their adulthood. As soon as the child has siblings, they have begun to see visions of the darkness that has slowly been closing around the land. It was one such holder of the Ocarina – the Duke Artemis I believe?"
"Aye, that was him. The one who led the tribe to Opacus mountain?"
"Yes, him. Precisely. And, ever since then, the old traditions have been kept alive on Opacus Isle, and every firstborn in your line, as soon as they reach adulthood, have been told the story of their inheritance."
"But, I just missed my induction by a few hours," I concluded.
"Something that I deeply regret, but the urgency of the danger over the Great Sea called for me to collect you immediately."
"Of course – that I understand completely. And, as a Sheikah, I am ever in your service."
"I would rather," he said fairly stiffly, "that you were in my service because you wished to be, rather than it being your duty."
"Pardon?" I was genuinely shocked.
"I shall admit that I was never very fond of your people's values. Whilst I was still alive and ruling over Hyrule, I found it rather unnerving the way in which your people are so detached about everything. The way that you will throw your lives away just to protect royalty, when you could quite easily put your skills to better uses and save more people!"
"I…" I was stumped. Never before had anyone attacked my beliefs! And now that they did, I wasn't sure how to fight back. I wasn't sure if I even should fight back, because wouldn't that just be letting my emotions get the better of me:Oh, I'm so confused…: I'd never been very good when it came to emotional control, and now I was scared I was going to lose it altogether. :Drat it: "Well, it's just the way we're raised. They are our beliefs, and if you do not agree with them, then that is your decision," I said coldly, trying to bring the conversation to a close before it became too personal.
"It is," he bit back. "Steer northeast – we shall stop and rest for the night on Western Fairy Isle. There are no monsters there, and there's a cave where you can rest." The sun was already beginning to dip below the horizon, so I was glad for the suggestion, even though it would be a good few hours before we reached land. :A good, few, awkward hours: I thought with an internal curse.
Night had fallen and all the stars were out before we reached Western Fairy Isle. About half a mile off shore, I began to bring down the sail, so that we began to slow down. By the time we touched onto the sands of the island, we were drifting forwards so slowly that I barely noticed the change in speed. "The cave is just up that slope there. Be careful – I know I said there weren't any monsters, but Gods only know how quickly his influence may have spread since I was last here." I tied a length of rope around the prow, and then tied the other end to a tree that stood near the water's edge. "Thank you," he nodded his head in gratitude, and then his eyes drifted shut.
His warning still lingering in my ears, I took out my whip and held it tightly in my right hand as I ascended the slope towards the tall, shell-like cave he'd directed me to. I got to studying it as I walked up to it, and realized that it wasn't just 'shell-shaped'… :That must have been one large mollusc: I thought, walking around the thing to try and find the entrance. However, it was blocked by a large pile of stones. :Drat.:
Annoyed and tired, I placed a hand over my casting amulet, and pointed my other hand at the pile of rocks. :Move out of the way. Pile yourselves on the other side. Move out of the way of the entrance.: I concentrated solely on the rocks, which began to shudder as I repeated what I wanted to happen over and over in my mind. After a couple of minutes of intense concentration, the whole lot of the pile flashed out of sight, and, by the slight shaking of the ground a few seconds later, crashed down on the other side of the giant shell.
:I really should have bought some green potions with me: I thought ruefully, as I entered the cave, and dropped my bag next to the cave wall. Not sure of what might be further back in the cave/shell area, I decided to stick near the entrance, and sat down on the hard ground next to my bag. Whilst the walls didn't make the most comfortable pillow to lean on, by picking up my bag and sticking it behind my head, I managed to get relatively comfortable that way. :I've had worse: I told myself, remembering the month of survival training I'd done during the winter of last year. :In fact, this is quite comfortable in comparison.:
Even though I was tired, I found that I couldn't drift off like I wanted to. Too much was going on in my mind, and no matter what I did, I couldn't quell the thousands of questions and worries in my head. I looked up at the night sky, which was gaining a covering of heavy clouds. :I hope a storm doesn't start up. I don't fancy riding out a storm in that tiny excuse for a boat.: Almost as if expecting him to hear my thoughts and come chastise me, I looked fearfully about. I shook my head in disbelief when I realised what I was doing, and turned my attention to the part of the sky I could still see.
The moon was a silver sickle in the sky, slicing through the velvet blue like a knife through butter. I shivered; it was still very cold this early on in spring, and I hadn't even thought to bring a blanket. No matter… I sat forwards and pulled my pack onto my lap. From there, I took out my extra bodysuit, and then wrapped it around my shoulders to keep them warm. Then, I replaced the pack as a pillow behind my head, leant back, and drew my knees to my chest. :I think that's about as comfortable I'm going to get tonight.:
I turned over the day's happenings in my mind, contemplating what Red's motives could be. Did he want to kill Ganon, or merely seal him away again? I would have thought killing him would be better, because then he wouldn't be able to wreak havoc ever again. And…Red had sounded so sad about his old kingdom. A stab of empathy ran through me when I remembered the utter brokenness of his voice as he talked to me about it. It hardly seemed fair, after all Hyrule had already been through.
Mind you, if all that hadn't of happened, then the Sheikah would probably still be serving the royal family, and I wouldn't have had so much freedom to do pretty much what I wanted. If the tribe had still been serving the royal family, I'd probably still be in training, and we'd have to go back to all of the old ways…including the harshest of the laws. 'No Sheikah, whether male or female, must ever fall in love, or feel true hate, towards any other person. Emotions must be kept hidden at all times, because emotions will distract from your duties.'
It used to be that love was illegal – you could get kicked out of the tribe if you fell in love with someone…and it was even worse if the person you fell in love with wasn't a Sheikah. I shuddered:thank the Gods the laws aren't like that anymore. I don't see what Red was talking about! Our laws are fine – he's just so used to the complete shambles of Hylian law that he can't see that ours are better.: With this thought firmly in my mind, I snuggled up under my extra bodysuit, and closed my eyes.
:He just doesn't understand. Not many Hylians do…:
…
…
Darkness. All around. Stabs of light scattered intermittently, flashing on and off, completely disorienting me. A laugh, cruel, twisted, echoing around…wherever I was. I couldn't tell if I was standing or sitting – I could have been floating. It was too dark to tell, and I was too tired to try and discover where I was anyway.
A face – suddenly there, suddenly smiling, only inches from my own. Handsome, certainly – kind…not at all. Menace and danger was conveyed in a glance. I blinked, and the face was gone. I couldn't remember what it looked like. There was nothing at all, apart from the hair in my memory. Bright auburn tresses, curling and swaying in a wind that didn't exist.
Movement. I was falling. Stop. Pain.
I sat up, sweat drenching me with a cold clammy feeling. I opened my eyes, but no light came to them, not even from the stars, not even from the moon. I lay my hand on my whip, and fumbled with my other to get out a Deku-nut. This I threw, and in the afterglow, I managed to ascertain that I was in an underground room of some kind. I threw another Deku-nut, and this one lingered with its light a while longer. At one end of the room was a fountain, which bubbled merrily with crystal clear water – the ceiling was so high up that I couldn't see it. On either side of me were shallow pools of water, acting as margins for a white marble path which led directly to the fountain.
Knowing that I couldn't just keep throwing Deku-nuts forever, I clicked my fingers together, and a small ball of fire hovered in front of me. :Magic's awful useful at times.: I plucked the ball of fire from the air with the thumb and forefinger of my left hand (as my right hand was still on my whip), and then held it up to further study the room I was in. (The reason I could do this was because it was my magic, so whilst it would burn anyone else who touched it, to me, it was just a nice warm feeling at the end of my fingers.)
I walked over to the fountain, because there were two torches on the platform in front of it, one on each side, and they'd give me more light than my tiny ball of flame could. As I made my way up the steps to the platform, I saw that there was an intricate design picked out in red and gold on the floor. It was covered with a layer of dust, and I swept it away with the toe of my boot. Now, I could see it more clearly, and I recognized it from somewhere…though where, I wasn't quite sure.
Luckily, there was already fuel in the torches, so all I needed to do was stuff my ball of fire over the top of each one of them – each torch lit immediately, and I snuffed out my own fire. Now, I was able to study the room at complete leisure. :I wonder how I'm going to get out: I thought, and I looked up. I could remember falling from my dream, so perhaps – there! I could see a small part of the night sky peering through a hole in the roof of this room, about thirty feet up.
The walls were shimmering like diamonds, but, as I reached out to touch one, I realized it was just a trick of the torchlight. The walls were damp with droplets of seawater, and the flickering flames danced across them, giving the strange illusion. The other thing about the walls that was strange was how straight they were. They were completely and utterly flat from floor to ceiling…which was going to give me problems if I wanted to try and climb out. No footholds, handholds, nothing.
:Maybe if I had my pack.: Just as I thought that, I caught sight of the thing, crumpled on the floor along with my spare bodysuit. Red liquid was pooled around my pack :drat, one of the bottles broke, and had completely stained my other bodysuit. I picked it up, and wrung out as much of the potion as I could. "Stupid potion," I muttered, rolling the sodden clothing into a ball, and then opening my pack to stuff it in.
I opened my pack so violently however (I was just incredibly annoyed by that point) that the Ocarina tumbled out onto the floor. I stuffed the stained bodysuit into the pack, and then scooped up the Ocarina from the floor. It gave me some weird comfort just to hold it, so, instead of putting it back into my pack, I kept it out, and held it in both hands as I went back to the steps.
Lacking any other bright ideas, I sat down on the steps, and turned the Ocarina over and over in my hands. Again, I looked up at the ceiling, and ascertained that, no, there was no way I'd be getting out that way… :I'll probably have to use my magic. I hope I've enough of it left…: I had used an awful lot recently…and I hadn't had any green potion for over a day now. (Usually, I'd drink some every evening to keep myself in top shape. But I hadn't had time to get any before I left the Isle.)
Without being fully aware of what I was doing, I raised the Ocarina to my lips, and began to play. It was simple enough…it seemed to work much on the same principal as the flute, which I had learnt how to play since about five years old. I played the Nocturne of Shadow – the song of my people; the Sheikah. The song I had been named for. The Shadows. The melody soothed me, and I was able to stop worrying about how I was going to get out of this room for a few minutes.
"Lovely, simply lovely." I managed to contain myself, and calmly dropped the Ocarina from my lips. Then, I turned around, whip ready to strike, to see just who had spoken to me. When I saw, all the things I'd been taught evaded me, and I dropped my whip in surprise. "Oh…dear me. I didn't mean to startle you, Sheikah. I was merely intrigued as to who had managed to break the seal on my door and get in here."
A woman was floating above the gurgling water of the fountain, glowing a phosphorescent blue, and each time she moved, sparkling particles of the same colour drifted away from her, and settled on the water below. She had four arms – yes, four – clad in elbow length black gloves. The skin above these gloves was a startling azure blue, which matched almost perfectly with the dress that swirled around her form, completely hiding her feet. She had no wings, but I knew full well that she could only be a fairy.
"Can you speak Sheikah?" she asked kindly, extending one of her arms towards me in a friendly greeting.
"Yes," I answered, perhaps a little petulantly, and then carried on to cover up my mistake. "I can speak. My name is Shadow, and I'm sorry to have intruded…it was completely unintentional."
"Oh, it's no intrusion. I'm quite pleased to have company actually. Some great brute came along and sealed me in here, and no one's been to see me since!"
"I see…"
"Exactly! Now, I think I know who you are…but I'm not sure. Are you with the King of Red Lions by any chance?" I nodded. "Wonderful! In that case, I'd like to give you a gift."
"A gift? Oh, no, I haven't done anything to-"
"Oh, don't worry about doing anything in return. I'd been saving this for a long time until the day you should come along. Have you a casting amulet on you?" I bent my head, and untied the cord of string that held the amulet in place. "Ah, perfect!" She took it with one of her sets of hands, and held it briefly. Then, she lifted it up, bringing her other set of hands up also, so that they formed a second layer around my amulet. She opened both sets of hands, leaving the amulet suspended without aid in midair.
As if that wasn't odd enough, she then blew onto it, and blossoms of pink and white appeared in the air, raining down onto my head and shoulders. I caught one, and smelt the heady scent of lilies, even though the flower looked more like a lotus to me. This rain of flowers was over quickly, and she handed me back my amulet. "There you are. Now, you won't need to drink quite so much green potion…it will take much less effort to cast spells with that."
"I – thank you!" I bowed, not knowing quite what else to do.
"That's quite all right," she giggled good-naturedly. "Now, not to be rude, but I think I should send you back to the surface so you can finish your nap."
"That would be most helpful."
"Oh good. Well, off you go then!" She clapped both sets of hands, and suddenly, I was once more sitting in the cave-shell entrance, pack behind my head as a pillow, Ocarina in my hands, and amulet around my neck. The moon was at its highest point in the sky, and, with a yawn, I leant back, and fell into a dreamless sleep.
When I awoke the next morning, it was to find that the gathering clouds had produced a downpour of rain. Groaning, I looked out at the torrents pattering onto the land and the sea with great fervour. :I hate rain.: I yawned and stretched, and rubbed the sleep-dust from my eyes. As I did this, I dislodged something from my shoulder. Looking down to the muddy slush of the cave floor, I saw that a pale pink lotus blossom was sitting on the floor, half crushed but still beautiful.
I scooped it up, and shook the muddy water from its petals. Then, feeling daring, I placed it in my hair, so that it was over my right ear. That done, my stomach let out an angry growl. :Be quiet: I told it mentally, thinking to just how few supplies I'd bought with me. :I hope I can stop somewhere and buy some more, because a bar of chocolate isn't going to see me through for very long.: For now, I only took a cautious two squares from the bar of chocolate in my pack. I yanked my cowl down, stuffed them in my mouth, and then pulled my cowl back up again. They did little to satisfy my hunger, but at least my stomach refrained from further growling noises.
"Are you up yet?" Red called through the green gemstone, and I hurriedly searched around for it. I found it, and held it in my hands.
"Yes, I'm up," I answered, looking out at the rain, and dreading the sentence I knew was to follow.
"Well, come on then, we need to get going for the day."
"Of course. Hang on, I'll be right there." I put the stone in the front pocket of my pack, and then shrugged it onto my back. The Ocarina was still out from the night before, and I had to stop, remove my pack and put that in. That done, I again swung the pack onto my back, stood up, and after a brief hesitation :I really hate the rain: I forged ahead into the drizzling morning.
Red was right where I'd left him tied up the night before, though he had drifted slightly up the beach along with the midnight tide, and then become half-stranded on the golden sand of the shore. "There you are – come along, we haven't time to waste. I want to get to the Mother and Child Isles before nightfall. I believe there's a storm brewing, so we must hurry."
"Wouldn't it be better to weather out the storm here, and then head out after? These waters are extremely dangerous even when it's calm," I reasoned, reeling off the knowledge about the Great Sea that I'd learned from my many textbooks.
"I know…" he agreed quietly. "And, in any other situation, I would be inclined to agree with you. However…it's imperative that we reach Windfall Island by tomorrow evening at the very latest. I only wish I'd been able to collect you with more time to spare."
"Oh. Well, in that case, I'll get us ready to sail right away. With any luck, we'll reach land before the storm gets too intense."
"I'm sorry to put you in such danger, but it will pay off in time, that I can assure you of."
"Of course si- Red," I corrected myself before he had to. "First however, I think I'd best get some of that rainwater out of you, hmm?" I was amused when he turned around, and his eyes widened at the sight of quite so much rainwater sloshing around on his deck.
"That'd be a good idea," he nodded. "I've got a bucket somewhere around here." As soon as he said it, a bucket of the same vibrant red as he was appeared as if from thin air. Knowing so much about magic, this didn't shock me as it might someone else, and I just grabbed the bucket, and began to bail water.
When I'd bailed all the water that I could from the boat, I put the bucket down on the deck, and stepped out. I walked over to the tree that I'd used to tie the boat up with, and undid the rope that held it into place. After that, it was a simple matter of shoving the boat down the beach and into the lulling waves. I stepped in, drew the rope in and coiled it up on the deck. The sail, as soon as I lifted it, filled with the wind, and we shot away from Western Fairy Isle. I had to wrestle against the strong wind to be able to tie the sail off, but I managed, and then was able to pretty much relax, and allow the wind to propel us forwards.
The rain wasn't very pleasant at all, and it was now twice as worse as it had been because we were heading straight towards it at high speed. I felt glad of my cowl and my bodysuit, which protected most of me from the worst of the driving gushes of water pouring down from the heavens. My hands and top part of my face, however, were absolutely frozen within minutes of setting out. I gritted my teeth and bore it – I didn't have any gloves with me, so there wasn't anything I could do about it.
Red didn't try to talk to me unless it was absolutely necessary as we went along, because the howling wind and driving rain made it quite impossible to hold any sort of conversation. The words, as soon as they were out of our mouths, were whipped away from us and taken away by the prowling pre-storm winds. From the brief snatches I did manage to hear however, I ascertained that he was almost as nervous as I was about the imminent storm.
It was only a matter of time until it hit us. And, until then, we'd have to combat against these already horrible conditions. :Just what I always pictured my first full day of adult-hood to be like: I thought exasperatedly as I strained to keep us going straight. At some point, we'd managed to pick up an entourage of sea-creatures, and they'd been following us for hours, every so often nudging into the side of the boat.
The first time this had happened, I'd almost found myself thrown over the side and into the waiting jaws of a particularly nasty looking shark-like creature. Not quite like a shark though…it was more like a :oh, what are they called? Why didn't I pay more attention in class when we did sea-creatures: I think it was what's called a Gyorg, but I wasn't sure… Well, anyway, lots of them had been following us, and whilst I'd been able to take out a couple with my whip, there were still dozens of them.
I'd taken to keeping at least one arm at a time wrapped around the mast, so that whenever they decided to launch another attack, I was braced and ready for them. There had been so many that I'd lost count, and I wasn't even sure how long we'd even been travelling anymore. Time seemed to have blurred into some inconsequential part of the journey, overrun by the cold of the rain and the constant danger of being overturned by the ravenous creatures surrounding us.
"Now I see what you meant when you said these waters were dangerous!" Red yelled over the gusting winds. "Perhaps we should stop, and you should get rid of these beasts?"
"No, it'd be best if we kept going. It's our speed that's going to get rid of these creatures. If we stop now, we won't ever get started again in this wind, and then we'll be sitting targets for them." Just as I said this, we were again rammed, and I was flung right into the mast – I clung onto it for dear life for a few seconds, in case another attack was launched to catch me whilst I was off balance. Luckily, the creatures didn't seem to be quite so organised, and I let my right arm away from the mast to get my whip.
One of the Gyorgs was near the surface, and with a deft flick of my wrist, I managed to make contact with my whip before it submerged once more – electricity danced across it's dorsal fin, and it leapt clear out of the water. I didn't have any time to celebrate however, because when it crashed down, it sent a huge swash of water over the boat and I, and I quickly had to bail water out from the keel. We needed to go faster…
"Red, I'm afraid the oars are going to have to go – we need to go faster!"
"Are you sure?"
"Positive!" There was a brief pause, and then a call of,
"All right then, chuck them overboard." With his permission, I felt only a tiny pang of guilt as I threw first one, and then the other oar into the rushing sea below. Both of them I timed so that they would also hit one of the many Gyorg following us; in effect, killing two birds with one stone. We were now going faster, and had two less of the creatures after us.
A streak of lightning pierced the sky, and, instead of rain, tiny hailstones began to patter into the water and wood of the deck. Instantly, there were piercing howls from the Gyorg, who disappeared beneath the waves. :That doesn't look like a good sign…: My thoughts were proved correct when we were lifted up on a huge swell, and then fell down into a huge trough.
"I've never seen waves pick up so quickly before!" I yelled, once again using the mast as my support.
"Me neither!" Red bellowed back. "I have a feeling this isn't any normal storm." I ducked instinctively as the wind suddenly changed direction – now it was blowing due east, and I had to pull hard on the rudder to bring us about before we were blown sideways and over. "Watch out!" The warning reached my ears only two seconds before the Gyorg reached the prow. I fell over backwards, and smashed into the mast.
:My head…: The thing attacked again. :At least there's only one this time.: Forcing myself to sit up, I was then able to creep up the mast, clawing my way into a standing position. Once in that all too familiar position, with my left hand wrapped around the mast, and my right hand hanging freely, I took out my overworked whip, and scanned the bucking water for the monster attacking us.
"To port!" I looked to the left side, and there it was – not a Gyorg at all, but something completely different…and by the looks of the shadow it was casting as it moved through the water, it was huge… Not having the faintest clue what it was, I didn't know how to fight it. So, hoping that they'd work against whatever was advancing on us, I took out a couple of Deku-nuts (having to let go of the mast to do so), and held my whip in my other hand. Rushing over to the portside, I leant on the low carved rail, and threw one of my Deku-nuts so that it landed directly in front of the large shadow.
It cracked open as soon as it hit the water's surface, and, to my delight, the shadow stopped, and whatever it was began to sink downwards. Obviously, as it was no longer propelling itself forwards, its own weight was dragging it down. Not knowing how long the creature would be stunned for, I remained poised to throw the second Deku-nut as soon as it came back into sight.
The wind took another sudden change in direction, and this time, not even my sixth sense gave me any warning of it. The boom caught me in the small of the back, knocking me out of the boat altogether. Through sheer willpower, I threw both arms behind me, and my right hand managed to latch onto the sail itself, and I closed my fingers around the fabric, my right arm straining as it had to take all of my weight in a very uncomfortable position. "Shadow! Are you all right?" Red called, looking around at me with anxious eyes.
"I'll be fine, just as soon as I can get back in," I called, surprised at just how calm I had managed to sound. Considering the fact that I was hanging about four foot outside of the boat, with only a handful of sail to stop me from falling into the water, and there was still that big – whatever the hell it was – creature to worry about.
As though it had heard me thinking about it, the shadow returned, and this time, it came at a much faster pace than before – I swung around so that my left hand was also wrapped in the sail – tears had begun to appear where my fingers had worked small holes into the cloth, and this sudden movement made them much larger. I dropped down, creating tears as I went, and the wind fell out of the sail somewhat, so that our speed was cut in half.
My feet were now trailing in the water, and with a grunt of exertion, I managed to drag them out again, and pulled them upwards towards the rest of me, so that I was crouching in midair, now clutching onto the boom for dear life.
The creature finally erupted from the water behind me, and I felt the spray as it exited the water. Turning around, I met the sight of a wide mouth completely full of teeth – I lashed out with my legs, and managed to catch it on the top of the head. I used this surface as leverage, and pushed down on it as hard as I could. This managed to push both the boom and myself back towards the boat, and when I let go, I tumbled, not into freezing water and certain death, but into very solid wood.
Of course, that wasn't to be it…
Now, the creature had decided to start ramming into the side of the boat again, and even came up from below, which nearly capsized us. "What is this thing?" I yelled exasperatedly, as I threw another handful of Deku-nuts into the water. At this rate, they'd all be gone in minutes!
"Gods only know!" Red said. "I just wish it'd leave us be!"
"You're not the only one!" I threw the last of my Deku-nuts over the side, and then collapsed to the deck, and grabbed onto the rudder to try and steer us out of the way of yet another attack. It missed, but barely. The wind, which had been behaving so erratically for the past half an hour, changing direction again and again, suddenly died completely. The clouds cleared from the sky, and looking up, I could see the sun making a watery appearance low on the western horizon.
"What just happened?" I asked, tentatively peering over the side to see where the monster had gone.
"I'm not sure… Though I do have a suspicion."
"Care to enlighten me?"
"Why don't I do that for you, my dear?" a great voice boomed companionably. Looking in the direction of the voice, I could scarce believe my eyes. Perhaps I had hit my head much, much harder than I'd thought. "Are you all right m'lady? You seem a little quiet." I nodded dumbly, and slowly stood up, keeping my eyes trained on the speaker.
It was the great, green, toad-like God of the winds, Zephos. He floated high above on a fluffy white cloud, the only cloud hanging in the sky all over the Great Sea. "Sorry about all that bother back there. It seems my brother's shrine on Dragon Roost Island has become broken somehow, and he's not very pleased about that. I told him and told him that it'll be fixed as soon as the right stone can be found to do it, but he just won't listen. He's always had a terrible temper, so, when he saw you come along, he decided to throw that terrible storm, and a few of his pets at you."
"That's quite all right, your worshipfulness. We all know how Cyclos's temper can be," Red called up, and Zephos started.
"Oh my! King of the Red Lions is it? I thought I recognised the boat from somewhere. How have you been?"
"All right. Though recently, things have taken a turn for the worse, what with Ganon…"
"Ah yes," Zephos nodded sagely. "I take it you're off to go and find the new Hero then?"
"Yes, that's what I'm aiming to do anyway."
"I see…" His attention fell upon me again. "Who's this quiet lady then?"
"My name's Shadow, sir," I answered quietly, in awe of the God sitting there before me. :My first day of adult-hood just got much better:
"Ah, 'silent as a…' it seems!" He chuckled at his own joke. "Now, where were you heading before my brother intercepted you?"
"The Mother and Child Isles," Red answered.
"All right. Well, I can get you there, but then I'll have to be off to try and control my brother's raging." He drifted down towards us, and I had a brief flashback to the small lightning filled cloud from my dreams… However, that was soon blocked from my mind when a strange sensation filled me. Zephos seemed to be shrinking, but, looking down at the waves, I quickly realised that we were in fact moving away from him. "Good luck!" he called, waving one of his great hands at us, as we accelerated over the waves, towards the Mother and Child Isles.
Ten minutes later, we were safely to our destination, carried on the air currents of the kindly Zephos. As I had done the night before, I sought out a tree near the water's edge, and tied Red up with my length of rope. As it was still quite light, I sat down on the sand in front of him, and wrung out my stuff; when it came to my cowl, I turned around and did it; old habits die hard. Generally, it's only friends and family members who see each other's faces, and I wasn't really sure I knew Red quite well enough to show my face yet.
Water removed from my clothing, I found myself quite comfortable on the sand, and leant back slightly to survey the island around me. We were on the smaller of the two islands, which wasn't really that much to look at. There were a few trees scattered about, and some low-lying scrubs, but little else. The larger island, the 'Mother' one had sheer cliffs for sides, which would make it nigh on impossible to actually get onto the island. It was ringed with dense trees, and I couldn't see any further than that.
"Now that we can hear one another again," Red started, quietly, so as not to startle me, "I think I should continue explaining to you why I need your help." I turned to look at him, and nodded silently for him to continue. "Before I do, I just want to apologise for my rudeness yesterday…it was wrong of me to relate my personal feelings about beliefs to you in such a manner."
"It was equally wrong of me to rebuke them, so I think we're even on that account," I assured him, and he chuckled.
"All right then, we're even."
"What was Zephos talking about when he referred to the 'new Hero'?" I asked, before I could stop myself. It had been nagging at my mind for the whole of the journey to the Mother and Child Isles.
"That is exactly what I need your help with. I'm afraid there's going to be yet another long winded explanation, so, please, bear with me." I shuffled a little in the sand, and stretched my legs out in front of me, getting into a more comfortable position. "Are you quite done?" he asked with an amused tone.
"Yes, I'm fine thank you. Do carry on."
"Thank you, I will. Now, the new Hero Zephos was speaking about, is a young boy, who set out from Outset Isle almost a week ago now. He's travelling with a group of pirates to the Forsaken Fortress, in order to rescue his sister, who was taken by the helmaroc king."
"So the Rito spoke the truth," I interjected softly. "Oh, sorry. A Rito came upon Opacus Isle seriously wounded, and told us that the helmaroc king was flying abroad once more."
"Well, he was correct. Ganon has been sending out that foul bird to find girls with long ears, and bring them back to his hideout at the Forsaken Fortress. I believe he's looking for the Princess's piece of the golden power, which will have been passed down through her bloodline. And, the bird first captured the leader of these pirates, and dropped her on Outset Isle. The boy saved her from monsters in the forest, but then, his little sister was tragically kidnapped by the helmaroc king. So he has gone after her. I plan that we wait for him at Windfall, because that's where the pirates will drop his sister and him off after the rescue."
"So, what's so important about this boy? Oh, and do you know his name?"
"His name's Rufus. And, all I know is, is that he's the first boy to have come of age on Outset, who has shown any true promise of courage. And, the old legends only speak of one with courage like that of the Hero of Time…they don't say that it must be a descendant of him. Since, he never had children."
"Never?" I echoed, sounding shocked. Not having any children at all ever…the idea seemed completely foreign to me. Everyone on Opacus Isle had children at some point during their adult life. It was just…part of life! How could someone not have any children?
"Never. Which is why this boy is so important, because he may very well be the key to destroying Ganon once and for all."
"Then…where do I come into this?"
"I want you to do just what your ancestors did for the last Hero. Watch over him – protect him. If need be, show yourself to him, but only briefly. Instruct him only when he truly needs instruction. He must prove himself to the Gods alone, before he can lay his hand on the sword of evil's bane. I believe he can do this quite easily, but I would rather there be a wise Sheikah to look after him when I cannot."
"I don't know about wise…" I murmured, though I knew he could still hear me. "But all the other things I believe I can do easily enough. The only problem is…" I trailed off, and looked at the sand beneath my wandering fingers, which had been swirling absent patterns in the stuff. "I'm guessing that you will need to travel much over the sea…and how can I hide myself from him if I am to share you as a vessel?"
"Ah. That's a point I'm glad you raised, because I'd nearly forgotten… At Windfall, I made sure that there would be a small racing boat (much the same as me) reserved for you in the harbour. I sent a letter to a sailor I know, and he assured me that it would be ready for tomorrow, when you'll need it."
"How will I be able to afford it though? I didn't think to bring any money with me," I realised, mind flickering to the fifty or so rupees I'd left in my cloak pocket back in the bunkhouse.
"Oh, don't worry about that. I'll give you the money required when we get there."
"Oh…" I nodded my understanding. "I suppose we'll also need to get you a new sail, won't we?" I looked at the shredded mess that still hung limply from the mast. "I'm so sorry about that."
"Don't worry. I'd rather have a ripped sail, than have lost your help on this quest." He looked up at the sky, which was still beautifully clear. "We could, perhaps, carry on tonight, if we can find a way to patch up this sail. Or find something else that we could use."
"Well, I'm not sure if I've anything that could make a whole new sail…but maybe I could use these to close those holes up with," I lifted up my rolls of bandages. "But maybe we should stay here. After all, Cyclos might still be raging, and he might come back for another round with us," I injected a small laugh, even though the prospect of another storm like that chilled me to the core.
"Good point. All right, I suppose we'd best just stay here for the night. However, you could make a start on patching up the sail now, ready for an early start tomorrow."
"Good idea." I picked myself up from the beach, and went to remove the sail from the mast. "Do you have any more that you need to tell me?"
"Nothing of relevance to now."
"OK." I dragged the sail back to my seat, and draped it across my knees as I sat down with my legs crossed. "Do you know anymore legends at all that you could tell me whilst I work? You tell them so well…" He seemed surprised at my inquiry, and stared at me as though I was perhaps the oddest creature he had ever seen. "What is it?"
"I'm…just surprised Sheikah. Just surprised…" he answered, still staring at me oddly. Then, he shut his eyes, and hummed a strange tune for a few seconds. "I know many legends; what sort of legend would you like to hear?"
"Maybe you could tell me about the first Hero? I know that you said you didn't like the tale, but you probably tell it excellently."
"Oh, it's not that I don't like the tale…I only didn't want to relate it to you earlier because I was in such a hurry. However…after Zephos's little help, we do have some hours to spare." He smiled, and looked back in the direction we had come from. "Good old Zephos." Then, he looked back at me; I was already carefully applying my bandages over the rips in the sail fabric, and was figuring out the best way to attach them. "The story of the first Hero. The Hero of Time. Well, it all started a very long time ago indeed, when a young mother, her babe in her arms, fled from Hyrule field into the forbidden forest of the south. The land was torn by bitter civil war…"
The helmaroc king hovered in front of a large wooden balcony, carrying something bright green in its claws. By squinting, I managed to penetrate the hazy mist, and saw that it was in fact a person. A boy with blond hair and a sword and shield strapped onto his back. "Throw him." It was that voice…the man who had laughed in the last vision. The helmaroc king threw the boy up into the air, and caught him in its beak.
"Argh! What are you-?" the boy started to say in a panic, but, with a flick of the black bird's head, he went flying off into the sky. He screamed, and I watched him go with a sick feeling in my stomach. I tried to go after him, to try and – and what exactly? Catch him?
I wasn't sure…
I just couldn't move, so even if I could have saved him somehow, I would have been unable to. The man on the balcony turned to look at me, and again, I was confronted by that glare of menace and danger. He laughed at me, and bowed mockingly, before pointing an arm at me – the helmaroc king pivoted in the air, and set its glowing eyed gaze upon me. "Fetch," he commanded, and the bird made to strike.
I sat up, and hit my head violently on the underside of the log I'd fallen asleep under. "Drat!" I cursed, rubbing my throbbing forehead violently. The vision ran around in my mind, and it gave me an awful feeling. :Has that already happened? Or is it going to happen: Looking out from under my log roof, I saw that Red was snoozing gently, and that it was already mid-morning. :We were meant to have an early start: I groaned internally, and then realised that as well as the late start, I still had to finish mending the sail before we could set off.
"Red!" I bellowed as I stumbled across the beach. "Red, wake up, we're late."
"No, no milk today thank you…" he murmured, and feeling incredibly foolish, I rapped the dragon-prow on its proud forehead. "Wh-what is it?" he spluttered, his eyes flying open. "Is it danger, what, what?"
"We're late. And I still have to finish the sail. And I just had another vision." I told him, deciding that simple sentences were probably best, since he had only just woken up.
"A – a vision?" this seemed to clear his head of sleep at once. "What was it? Do you think it was important?" I relayed what I'd seen to him, and if he had any blood, I believe he would have blanched. "Oh Gods…hurry up and fix that sail, we need to get to Windfall as soon as possible, and find you that other boat. I'm not sure whether what you saw has already happened or not…if it has, then it would be best that you go home, and warn your people of the danger that's coming. Without the Hero, we haven't got a hope…"
I gulped, and took the sail, and frantically set about repairing the tears I had made in it. However, after managing to make a new tear in it from hurrying so much, I had to pull myself back, and set a medium between speed and quality of the work I was doing. At this rate, I only managed to complete it to a satisfactory standard (without the help of a needle and thread) by about noon.
"Ready!" I proclaimed, untying Red from the tree, and then putting the sail up in record time. "Let's go." I threw out the sail so that it caught the wind, which was, luckily for us, blowing west.
"I hope we're not too late," Red mused aloud, and I silently agreed with him.
"What's that?" I had spotted something green bobbing in the water, and I yanked on the sail rope so that we came to an almost immediate stop next to it.
"I'm not sure, so be careful. It might be dangerous." Whatever it was decided to move at that point, and the part of it that seemed to be the head stirred slightly. It was green too…then, I realised. The vision – the bird had thrown him. The green hat – to check to see if I was correct, I grabbed the green 'head', and pulled it. What came up from the water in my hands was a hat, and when I looked down, it was to see the face of the boy :Rufus:. His lips were tinged blue, but, by the rise and fall of his chest, however feeble, I knew he was alive.
"It's the boy," I told Red, who gasped. "Hang on – I'm just going to pull him in." I leant down, and managed to hook my arms underneath his sagging shoulders. Luckily, he didn't weigh that much more than me, and the water gave me a great deal of help in lifting him up. I dragged him over the side, and then dropped him onto the deck, wincing as his head thumped against the wood.
"Is he OK?" Red asked anxiously.
"I think so." The boy groaned and rolled over, and seemed to be about to try and sit up. "Hey, shush. Don't strain yourself, all right?" I said, bending down to look at him more closely. He didn't respond, and seemed to be losing his grip on consciousness again. "How far to Windfall?"
"Not more than a couple of hours at most," Red answered. "We'd better hurry."
"Aye." I threw the sail back up into the air, and re-secured the tope that held it there. The wind drove us forward once more, and I was able to take a few minutes to check over the boy. His pulse was strong, and though he might have a slight fever, he was other wise fine. :Which is a miracle, thinking of the height he was thrown from…: I took out my spare bodysuit (now dry again), and lay it over him to keep him a little bit warmer, and then sat in my place by the rudder, steering us to Windfall Island.
Please excuse me for any mis-usage of boat terminology…I'm not a boat person. In fact, the last time I was on a boat of any kind, I was on one of those pedalo thingies shaped like a swan (babysitting ickness.) Sorry for the generally rushed feeling of this – I only realised on about page ten that I still had over half of the plot left to cram in. Blush And I've set the word limit on each chapter to about ten thousand – which works out to about sixteen pages in the font I'm using. So…yeah, my bad. Forgive me! (This ended up about ten and a half thousand :S)
Soda