So, in the last chapter, I not only succeeded in confounding myself, but in confusing all of my characters as well. :Rolls eyes at her own stupidity.: Anyway, in the last chapter, Ganondorf Dragmire managed to overcome Shadow and control her, only allowing her short bursts of freedom in order to defend herself. The climax was when he tried to make her threaten the Great Deku Tree with fire, in order to gain the Pearl from him. However, the Deku Tree was able to see what was going on, and his fairies managed to rid Shadow of Dragmire's hold. Now, to see exactly what is so important that Shadow's explanation must wait…
Oh, and I'm going to be combining their points of view for a while, since they're travelling together now…doesn't seem worth going over the same stuff twice really…
Stuff in : single colons : are thoughts for Rufus and Shadow (because the site is continuing to remove useful punctuation marks.) Visions or dreams in italics. Mostly self-explanatory really…
Together: Understanding One Another
I saw Shadow prop herself up on her elbow in order to listen to what the Great Deku Tree had to say. I still felt a little afraid of her, worried that she might spring up any moment and attack either me, or the ancient speaker once more. :What happened to her: I wondered, noticing spots of blood on the otherwise immaculate facemask that wrapped around the bottom half of her head. She suddenly looked over, and caught my eye – her eyes were bright, and she nodded slightly to me. It was quite obvious what she meant; 'sorry'. I accepted the silent apology by nodding back, smiling a little. I'd find out exactly what she was sorry for later…
"Young Rufus," the Great Deku Tree began, voice now back to that lulling, melodious lilt, as opposed to the harsh tones he had used whilst the fairies did…uh…whatever they did. :I don't think I've ever been quite so confused before in my life. Why don't they ever tell you in stories just how many mysteries there are in adventures: Vaguely annoyed at this oversight in the stories and fables I had loved since childhood, I attentively looked up into the great, black eyes of the tree, waiting for him to continue.
"There are some most grave matters of which we must speak… I'm afraid that I'm unable to just give you the Great Power that you seek." He glanced quickly at Shadow, who I saw had managed to sit upright once more. "Not even the threats of Dragmire could make me relinquish it, for I do not have it with me…" Shadow shuffled a little, and then timidly asked,
"If you do not have it, ancient one, then where is it?" looking over, I saw that she was leaning heavily upon her left arm, which trembled with the weight. :Maybe I should go over and offer a shoulder to lean on or something:
"I'm afraid that it is in the Forbidden Forest, along with many of my Koroks." Her arm stopped trembling at that, and she took in a great gasp.
"What are they doing there? Isn't it dangerous?" Again, I felt at a slight loss, and wondered why I hadn't deigned to study more maps of the Great Sea when I was younger. I looked back up at the tree, whose face was grave.
"It's very dangerous indeed… They were whisked away there by a fell wind a few days ago, and only a few of them returned… I fear for their safety. You see, they were flying above the Forbidden Forest with the Pearl, in order to prepare for our yearly ceremony. But now…without them, the ceremony can not go ahead, and that in itself could have dire consequences, unless they can be retrieved by the week's end." The Great Deku Tree sighed heavily, and then added in dark tones, "Those monsters were not the only monsters to invade my island I fear; I believe that the Forbidden Forest is now more overrun with dark creatures than ever."
Finally, I seemed to find my voice. "Perhaps we could help get them back to you?" I cast a glance over at Shadow, and saw that she was nodding in agreement, staring up at the tree. I felt bolder knowing that she agreed with me, and continued, "If we did help, would you give us the Great Power in return?"
"Of course I would; the King of Red Lions is an old friend of mine. Whatever he wishes is best for the Great Sea, is best for the Great Sea," he answered firmly, with a slight smile. "Though, are you sure that you are ready to go the Forest?" Again, he cast his eyes over to Shadow; she was valiantly attempting to struggle to her feet, but collapsed with a loud 'oof' back onto the soft grass. "Perhaps you should rest first, hrm?" there was a hint of laughter in his voice, and I grinned wryly, looking down at my leg, which was still weeping blood.
"Sounds like a good idea," I agreed, reaching down to gingerly put my hand over the wound. :Damn this hurts…: A shuffling sound drew my attention, and I looked around to see the mysterious indigo-clad girl crawling over to me on all fours.
"Hey," she murmured sheepishly, perhaps noticing my raised eyebrow. Having decided that I was in no immediate danger from her, (especially considering the blow she'd just received), I smiled, and patted the ground next to me.
"Have a seat?"
"That'd be delightful – thanks," she grunted as she managed to settle herself on the grass next to me.
"Are you all right?" I asked; those spots of blood were worryingly bright this close to.
"Better than I was," she answered, somewhat wryly. :I suppose that was a pretty stupid question: I reflected. "Oh!" I started at her sudden exclamation. "Your leg!" she began to reach around to get her bag, but stopped with an audible wince as something within her torso made a grating sound. She closed her eyes, and said, "I've got a few potions in my pack, if you want them."
"Sheikah, perhaps you should think of yourself first my dear," the Great Deku tree advised. "I should not have hit you so hard – I do apologise."
"You had good reason to do so," she answered softly, opening her eyes and exhaling slowly. "And I suppose you're right…" she addressed me again. "I don't suppose you could get one of the red potions out of my bag for me, could you?"
"Yeah, sure." I leant around to undo the cords of her pack, when I suddenly remembered the blue potions in my own stuff. :Well, she has saved my arse on countless occasions already…I suppose I owe her: "Urm, actually, I have some blue potion; you could have some of that."
"Blue potion?" she queried.
"Yeah…it urm…heals wounds and replenishes magic."
"Really?" she said, rather more to herself than to me. I just nodded minutely and shrugged off my own bag in order to get some of the aforementioned potion out. She took it gratefully, and then turned away from me in order to drink it. From where I sat, I was still able to see the bottle as she fumbled with it, unable to remove the stopper from the top. By her awkward movements, I guessed that the Deku Tree must have broken a few bones with his blow. After a few seconds of watching her struggle, I quietly asked,
"Are you all right with that?" She just flushed slightly and handed the bottle back to me. I smiled as kindly as I could, hoping that she would remain in this calm (and decidedly normal) state for a good while longer. I managed to get the lid of the bottle off in a few more seconds, though, being so clumsy, about half of the stuff sloshed out of the bottle and onto me!
A sudden lack of pain in my leg drew my attention, and looking down, I saw that the potion had closed up the wound. I just grinned when I noticed the surprised look on the girl's face, and handed the bottle back to her. "Have as much as you want," I told her as she took it, "looks like that sorted everything out for me." She thanked me, and turned away again in order to drink the potion. :I guess she must be shy or something.: I decided, catching a short glance of her face in profile, before she gulped down some of the potion, and yanked the mask back over her face. By the small sigh she made, I guessed that the stuff had done its job.
I reached down and ran a hand along my leg, biting my lip to keep in a laugh as I wondered what Grandma would think. :I've ruined these tights – they're full of holes… Poor Grandma would be outraged: The thoughts of home were comforting, and I lost myself in them whilst waiting for the Sheikah to finish with the potion. When she had, she turned around and gave the bottle back to me. Judging by the part of her face I could see, she was smiling. "Better?" I queried, quickly putting the container back into my pack.
"Much – thanks again," she answered, before suddenly slouching and casting a quick glance at the Great Deku Tree. I followed her gaze, and saw that the large black eyes and the vine of a mouth weren't moving any longer. :I suppose he's gone to sleep, or something like that…: She inhaled deeply, and then let the air out slowly, before looking back at me. "I suppose…I suppose I should really explain-"
"You don't have to if you don't want to!" I gabbled, flushing slightly when I realised that hadn't really come out right. Yes, I wanted to know what by the Gods was going on, but I didn't want her to feel as though she had to tell me. :I mean, I may not know her very well, but I wouldn't mind having a friend along on this adventure thing… But, if she feels like she's being forced into telling me things, she mightn't like me, and- gah: Again, I felt baffled by what was going on, and gave up trying to figure it out. "Shadow?" the girl had gone quiet, and I wondered if I'd offended her.
When she looked up, her red eyes were penitent and guilt-ridden, and I felt the words I had intended to say, completely leave my head. "Urm…" I flushed again, and looked down at the bright green grass of the bank we sat on, feeling like an idiot. She didn't seem to take much notice of this however, and just shuffled slightly in her seat, before continuing,
"Rufus, I-" she began, and then words seemed to evade her as well. :Thank the Gods it isn't only me then: She gulped audibly. "Look, I will explain…you deserve to know what's going on, and up until now, we've kept secrets that perhaps, in hindsight, should not have been kept. So…let's say after this, we start afresh, yeah?" She twisted her hands in her lap, and waited expectantly for me to say something. I was unable to find any words, so I just ended up nodding, and making a small sound of agreement in the back of my throat. Thankfully, this seemed like enough.
She shifted once more, this time lifting her legs up from where they'd been dangling over the bank edge, and curling them up beneath herself. She turned to face me fully, and I did the same, noticing for the first time that she was quite a bit taller than me. :And older than me as well…probably thinks I'm some sort of dumb kid…: This thought was immediately quashed, however, when I thought of the way she had treated me so far (leaving out the weirdness of the current day). :Nah, it's more like we're equals. Even if I don't know as much about the Great Sea as she does…:
"Heh, I'll admit, I'm not really sure where to start," she said, reaching up with her right hand to scratch the back of her head unsurely. I stared at the hand as she dropped it back to her lap, and she followed my line of sight. "Ah, that – yes." She covered her right hand with her left, and looked up at me again. "I'll explain that in a bit, don't worry."
"OK." There was a moment of uncomfortable silence, and then I had an idea. I held out my left hand, and smiled tightly. "I suppose we might as well start with a proper introduction." She nodded, and reached out her left hand to catch mine – she did so slightly awkwardly, and I remembered that she was, of course, right-handed. :Oops, should have thought about that…ah well, it's a bit late now I guess: "Hello, my name's Rufus – pleased to meet you," I said, gently shaking her hand.
"The name's Shadow, and likewise," she replied pleasantly, before relinquishing the grip on my hand. "I'd just like to say again how sorry I am; our acquaintance so far hasn't exactly been perfect, has it?"
"Not as such, no… I don't mind though – I mean, you've helped me out a lot already, so…" I trailed off, and then added brightly, "And, anyway, we're starting over, right? Let's just make sure we get it right this time around!"
She nodded and laughed, "Sounds like a good idea to me! I suppose the best way to do that is to fill you in on stuff then." The girl seemed a lot more at ease now, and this made me feel more secure in the situation as well. "Well, to start off with, the reason I'm here is to help out."
"Yeah," I nodded, drawing my legs up to my chest and wrapping my arms around them, so that I could listen more closely.
"Red came and collected me from my home island – a place called Opacus Isle, though I don't think many people have heard of it who don't live there, have they?" I shook my head; I hadn't heard of it at all. "It's not that big a place," she told me with a small wave of her hand. "Well, I met Red, and he told me that he needed my help – so, I went and told my mother I was going on an adventure, and then off I went. I didn't really know what was going on at the time, to be honest…" she paused and shrugged slightly. "Just the prospect of an adventure seemed good enough for me!"
"I know what you mean," I interrupted. "When I was younger, I always used to dream about going on adventures – I just never expected to actually end up doing so!"
"Same here!" she exclaimed, and we both smiled, having found some common ground. "Though…I'm guessing that neither of us thought our adventures would be in quite such dire times." I nodded sombrely in agreement, and picked idly at a few shoots of grass. Yet again, I thought of Aryll – how close I was to saving her, but getting distracted by the pretty girl:Idiot, idiot. Useless brother you make: "Rufus?" the Sheikah ventured, touching me on the shoulder.
"Mmm?" I stared her directly in the eye, now so angry with myself that there wasn't any room for embarrassment left. She reined herself in a little, and seemed to bite back whatever she had been intending to say.
"Urm…well… As I was saying," she said, returning to a more business-like tone. "As I was saying, Red came and collected me in order to help you during your adventures. Because, skilled as you are, you haven't really fought before have you? So, it seemed like a good idea (in Red's mind anyway) to have me along to make sure that you were OK…if you see what I mean?"
"Yeah, I think I do," I nodded. "So, you were acting more as a sort of fall-back?" I thought back to Marie's explanations only that morning, and smiled internally. :At least now I know it wasn't because Red thought I wasn't good enough; which is comforting to know:
"That pretty much sums it up, yes."
"Then what about the way you've been acting today. Who's this 'Dragmire' that he," I nodded towards the Great Deku Tree, "was talking about."
"Ah, yes. That." She sounded as though this were a topic she'd been dreading, but continued all the same. "Well, do you remember what I said this morning about visions? About how I can see things that happen in the past and the present, and sometimes even the future?"
"Yeah, I remember."
"Good… Well, what I didn't tell you, is that, because I have visions, it makes it easy for others who can see visions to – urm – contact me is probably the easiest way to explain it."
"Contact you?"
"They can sort of, um, make a link, if that makes sense?" she frowned slightly, and began to twist her hands in her lap again. "Normally, people who can see visions have to be pretty close together to be able to have any effect on each other…but…if the person is really powerful-"
"Like this Dragmire person?"
"Yes, like Ganondorf Dragmire," she nodded, and it suddenly fell into place who Red, she, and the Great Deku Tree had been talking about. :So that's the fellow I'm fighting against then.: "He's really powerful, knows dark magic, and knows very well how to use his power to get what he wants. Which is why we have to fight against him," she informed me surely. "Now, because of this ability to make links, he was able to get inside my head and-"
"Get inside your head?" I frowned at this idea. "What do you mean? As in…get inside your head and know what you're thinking?"
"Not quite like that, but almost," she made a gesture with her hands. "It's like – he could see what I could, and hear, and feel what was going on. But, he also had some sort of influence – control – over me. And when I wouldn't do what he wanted, he'd use the power of his dark magic to punish me." I shuddered at this idea, and felt the urge to pat her comfortingly on the shoulder. :I can't believe it; it's just so wrong. How could anyone do that? I mean, they'd have to be so powerful, and-:
"I should have been able to combat him, but…he's a lot more powerful than I thought," she ended, looking down at the ground once more. The tips of her ears were bright red, and she rubbed the back of her neck with a soft sigh. "I just can't believe what he was trying to do; I'm glad the Great Deku Tree was able to see what was going on – even if he did break a few bones." She looked up at me through the fronds of hair that had come loose of the tie holding it back, and smiled wanly. I just chuckled a little.
"I have to admit, I'm still confused," I said, the laughter dying away. "But I'm glad that you told me what was going on anyway… You said you were going to tell me about your-"
"Oh, my hand, yeah. To be honest, I'm not quite sure what happened there either. I just woke up after a vision, and found that my hand was bleeding." She shrugged slightly. "Something to do with the Tri-Force." I remembered something all of a sudden.
"Hey, do you still have that bit I accidentally took?" I made sure to put in the accidentally, because, well, I really hadn't meant to take it:I wouldn't want her to think I'm some kind of thief:
"Oh yes, I do – urm – aha, here it is!" she took it out of a pocket that I wouldn't have believed her skin-tight clothes could conceal, and held the golden triangle aloft. "I just hope that Dragmire doesn't figure out a way to get control of me again, especially now that I have this." She paused, and stared at the triangle – her expression was unreadable. "Perhaps you should take it?" she held it out to me, but I shook my head.
"No, you should probably keep it; I always lose things," I grinned awkwardly, and she just nodded, hurriedly pocketing the triangle again. Another few moments of uncomfortable silence occurred – thankfully this time only because we'd run out of things to say, rather than because we were talking about awkward stuff. :Should I say something? Or should I wait for her to say something? Or maybe I should ask the Great Deku Tree whether we should go now… I mean, we're all healed up, so maybe that would be better than just sitting around here doing nothing.:
"Urm, do you think we should wake him up again?" Shadow asked, obviously meaning the Deku Tree. It was almost as if she had read my mind, and I stared at her blankly for a second before registering that she needed an answer.
"Oh – uh – yeah, may as well. We're all healed up and stuff, so we could go and help those carrots-"
"Koroks!" she corrected with a snigger. I just waved my hand,
"Whatever they're called. We're healthy again, so we could go and help them out, couldn't we?"
"Sounds like a good plan," she agreed. "Now – how do you suppose we wake him up?"
:Good question.:
I took the small glass bottle of blue liquid that the Hylian handed me, and carefully turned away, wary of my ribs as I did so. :I get the feeling there's a couple broken…: I thought, focusing on opening the lid of the bottle, rather than on the pain in my torso. After a few tense seconds of silence, Rufus piped up, "Are you all right with that?" I could hear humour in his voice, and flushed slightly, handing the bottle back to him. He struggled with it himself for a few seconds, and then the lid popped open, sloshing a little of the potion over his wounded leg.
Looking down, I felt my jaw drop as the wound healed up before my eyes, the skin sparkling slightly where the magical potion had touched it. He grinned, and handed the bottle back to me, "Have as much as you want – looks like that sorted everything out for me."
"Thanks," I accepted the open container, and turned away again. Hurriedly (so that he wouldn't catch sight of my face), I pulled down my mask, and gulped a couple of mouthfuls down. :That stuff's vile: I had to force myself not to spit it out, and pulled up my facemask again. Turning back to give the Hylian his potion back, I immediately noticed that the pain in my chest was gone. Not only that, but, as he had said, the blue substance had managed to replenish my waning magic reserves. I flexed my fingers, grinning slightly as I felt the power comfortably wash over me.
"Better?" he asked, hurriedly putting the bottle back into his pack. I just grinned, but, on noticing his expectant face, added,
"Much – thanks again." From the corner of my eye, I could see that the Great Deku Tree had become inanimate once more. :I guess that means I've a lot of time to explain myself…damn…: "I suppose…I suppose I should really explain-"
"You don't have to if you don't want to!" he cut across me, perhaps a little too quickly. His face was earnestly truthful, but it was obvious that he was curious. I felt grateful that he had at least attempted to make me feel a little less pressured to tell him… The knot in my stomach wasn't reduced by much though, and I frowned as I tried to figure out how to word it… :Well, Dragmire told him all about visions, so he knows how they work. Maybe…: "Shadow?" I looked up at him, to see a half attempted friendly smile on his face die away. "Urm…" he looked down at the lush grass of the clearing and flushed.
"Rufus, I… Look, I will explain." I guiltily thought of all the things that Red, Marie and I had tried to hide from this boy, and wished I could think of a way to show the lad how sorry I was… "You deserve to know what's going on, and up until now, we've kept secrets that perhaps, in hindsight should not have been kept." I twisted my hands together nervously as I carefully chose my words. He was obviously highly interested in what was going on, but I had the feeling that I should still shield him from the worst of things. :He's still a child…there are some things he mightn't understand…: "So…" I paused, unsure of what to say, and finally landed upon, "let's say after this, we start afresh, yeah?"
He didn't answer immediately and I feared that everything that had happened had angered him so much that he would wish me gone… Thankfully, he did eventually nod, making a small grunt of agreement in the back of his throat. This relieved some of the tension in the air; now that I wasn't paying so much attention to my choice of words, I realised that my legs were beginning to go numb. Carefully, I lifted my legs up and curled them underneath me, turning to face the Hylian. He copied my actions, and I noticed once more how short he was. :So young…:
I scratched the back of my head nervously, and admitted, "Heh, I'll admit, I'm not really sure where to start…" I looked around in my head for an appropriate starting point, and noticed that his blue eyes were staring fixedly at my hand. I looked at it, and the bloody Tri-Force mark leapt out at me. :Oh Gods, how do I explain that one: "Ah, that – yes… I'll explain that in a bit, don't worry," I assured him, silently hoping that he would forget my promise to explain it after I explained everything else.
"OK," he sounded pleased with my promise – I felt a small stab of guilt, but it passed quickly. :Red needs me to look after him – naturally, that means I will have to keep some things from him so he won't get himself into trouble… I'm just doing my job. Yeah, my job.: I managed to semi-convince myself with this train of thought, and turned back to wondering how to explain myself to the lad.
He stuck out his left hand and smiled tightly. :What the-: "I suppose we might as well start with a proper introduction." I smiled at his cleverly thought through attempt to alleviate the strained situation. I caught his hand with my own left one, albeit a little clumsily, considering it's not the arm I usually use. "Hello, my name's Rufus; pleased to meet you," he said, shaking my hand at the same time. I returned the hand shake, and felt a small part of my worries drift away at the friendly look on my charge's face.
"The name's Shadow, and likewise." I dropped his hand and allowed the apology that had long been pressing at the back of my mind to spill over my lips. "I'd just like to say again how sorry I am; our acquaintance so far hasn't exactly been perfect, has it?" :Truer words have never been spoken: I thought ruefully. He immediately shook his head in disagreement, and murmured,
"Not as such, no… I don't mind though – I mean, you've helped me out a lot already, so…" he trailed off. :Yeah, but that's because it's my job; not that I mind. You're a nice lad for a Hylian.: Then, he carried on with a broad grin on his face, "And, anyway, we're staring over right? Let's just make sure we get it right this time around!" :Good idea: I laughed at this optimistic view, glad that he wasn't being half as difficult as I feared he might have been. :Thank you Valoo…: I thought, realising that I wasn't berating myself for allowing all these feelings to wash over me so easily. It was quite nice just to relax…
"Sounds like a good idea to me! I suppose the best way to do that is to fill you in on stuff then! Well, to start off with…the reason I'm here is to help out."
"Yeah," Rufus nodded, and shuffled about a bit so that he could listen better. I recounted everything from when Red had come to collect me, and he made a good audience, piping up with questions and adding his own bits to the conversation. He was surprisingly easy to talk to :though he does speak very fast…: At times it was a struggle to keep up with what he was saying, what with his thick Hylian accent and quick speech. :I'm glad I took all those extra lessons in Hylian now:
It was only when I came to explaining Dragmire that I found myself floundering for words once more. "Then what about the way you've been acting today?" he asked, then shrewdly tagging on, "Who's this 'Dragmire' that he was talking about?" the Hylian nodded towards the Great Deku Tree to indicate who 'he' was. I chewed my lip beneath my cowl, and stalled for time whilst I thought about how to explain things.
"Ah, yes. That." Even I could hear the dread in my own voice. I half hoped that he'd jump in once more to tell me that I needn't continue, but…alas, he didn't. He just continued to listen patiently whilst I stumbled over my words. "Well, do you remember what I said this morning abut visions? About how I can see things that happen in the past and the present, and sometimes even the future?"
"Yeah, I remember."
"Good…" :At least that means I don't have to explain that all over again…that'd just make all this more complicated. I'm still not sure what exactly happened… I just have a hypothesis! Maybe I'll ask Red about it later when I get the chance.: "Well, what I didn't tell you, is that, because I have visions, it makes it easier for others who can see vision to…urm…contact me is probably the easiest way to explain it." :Not that it's a particularly easy way:
"Contact you?" he echoed questioningly, leaning forwards slightly and furrowing his brow. I realised I'd have to elaborate, and quickly cobbled together an explanation, making it up as I went along. :Thank the Gods I can think on my feet: The potion he'd given me really helped on that matter – it had energised me completely.
"They can sort of, um, make a link, if that makes any sense?" :It doesn't really, does it: I thought to myself, twisting my hands together and using all of my knowledge about spells and visions to explain to the Hylian what had happened. :It's not that easy to simplify this stuff for people who don't learn about magic: "Normally, people who can see visions have to be pretty close together to be able to have any effect on each other…but…if the person is really powerful-"
"Like this Dragmire person?" he butted in.
"Yes, like Ganondorf Dragmire," I spat the man's name out with some contempt. :Gods, my teachers would be appalled…: a small smile wormed its way onto my face, but quickly died as I continued. "He's really powerful, knows dark magic, and knows very well how to use his power to get what he wants. Which is why we have to fight against him." I made sure to keep my voice completely level so that Rufus would realise just how serious this point was. Understanding seemed to be dawning in his eyes, and I felt glad that I wasn't completely confusing him.
"Now, because of this ability to make links, he was able to get inside my head and-"
"Get inside your head?" :OK, perhaps I was premature in thinking he wasn't too confused…: "What do you mean…? As in…get inside in your head and know what you're thinking." :Nope, he's actually got it:
"Not quite like that, but almost…It's like he could see what I could, and hear, and feel what was going on. But he also had some sort of influence…control…over me." I felt a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach as I told him the next thing. "And when I wouldn't do what he wanted, he'd use the power of his dark magic to punish me." After I said it, I saw the Hylian shudder, and suddenly wished I hadn't said it. :What if he thinks I'm somehow blaming this on him…or perhaps he'll think I'm trying to make excuses: I didn't know why, but I wished to make a good impression on the lad, and so far…well…so far, I hadn't managed to do that…
:If we're going to be travelling together, I'd rather we be friends than he be scared of me: Guiltily, I admitted, "I should have been able to combat him…but…he's a lot more powerful than I thought." I rubbed the back of my neck (which was a little stiff) and sighed, the weight of Dragmire's presence lifting away. Now that my mind was my own again, it was blissfully quiet. "I just can't believe what he was trying to do; I'm glad the Great Deku Tree was able to see through what was going on…even if he did break a few bones." I smiled wanly up at the Hylian, who chuckled lightly.
"I have to admit I'm still confused." :You're not the only one lad.: "But I'm glad that you told me what was going on anyway…" He then remembered the back of my hand, and I decided that I didn't particularly want to tell him about the garden vision…or the one after it. :I don't think he really needs to know about Dragmire's funny mind-games…or my own weakness…: Again, I felt angry at myself for being tempted by his offer, and made up some weak excuse for the cuts on the back of my hand.
"Oh, my hand, yeah. To be honest, I'm not quite sure what happened there either. I just woke up after a vision, and found that my hand was bleeding." I shrugged to try and add to the guise of nonchalance about the subject. "Something to do with the Tri-Force." :Well, that's sort of the truth…: sadly, that thought didn't make me feel much better. At the mention of the Tri-Force, Rufus suddenly remembered the piece that he'd found.
"Hey, do you still have that bit I accidentally took?" My hand immediately went to the pocket I'd put the piece in,
"Oh yes, I do – urm – aha, here it is! I just hope that Dragmire doesn't figure out a way to get control of me again, especially now that I have this." I held it up to the light, and saw how it shone. :Right in front of me… Dragmire was right, I could just take it now. Find the other bit and then have the whole piece to myself. It couldn't do any harm, surely…it's not like I'm planning to bring the Great Sea to wrack and ruin… I could just be as wise as the Sheikah in the legends: I snapped myself out of it, yet again feeling appalled. "Perhaps you should take it?" I made to give it to the Hylian, but he shook his head.
"No, you should probably keep it; I always lose things." I nodded and hurriedly pocketed the golden triangle, some sense of satisfaction coursing through me as I felt the cool metal through the fabric of my bodysuit. :It's all right. I won't use it for anything. I'll just look after it… Though maybe…no. I'll give it to Red – that way I can be sure I can't do anything bad with it… But…: I again cut across the circular train of thought by changing the subject to something more appropriate.
"Urm, do you think we should wake him up again?" Rufus stared blankly at me for a moment, before seeming to understand what I'd said, and then nodded vigorously.
"Oh! Uh – yeah – may as well… We're all healed up and stuff, so we could and help those carrots-" I sniggered at his slip up, and innocently corrected him,
"Koroks!" He waved his hand with a cheery smile,
"Whatever they're called! We're healthy again, so we could go and help them out, couldn't we?" :Couldn't have said it better myself…anything to get my mind off…: I steered away from the well-trod circular thought pattern, knowing that I'd probably have that train of thought going around in my head in the weeks ahead.
"Sounds like a good plan," I agreed, but then found a slight problem. "Now – how do you suppose we wake him up?" Rufus just shrugged, and I scratched the back of my head, trying to figure out how to bring the ancient power back to life. Luckily, one of the creatures of the forest decided to appear right beside us (startling the both of us). We both turned around and my eyes widened as my eyes fell upon a real-life Korok. :Wow – the textbooks didn't lie. They really do look like walking plants:
"I know this is going to sound stupid," Rufus muttered out of the corner of his mouth to me, "but what is that?"
"That's a Korok," I whispered back, trying to look welcoming to the small plant-like creature. I cast my mind about for all the things I'd learnt about the Koroks, and not for the first time, blessed my education. My father had originally wanted me to be a doctor – but – when I discovered my magic at the age of three, it became obvious that I'd have to be a warrior. (Also, from what my mother's told me, she pushed for me to be a warrior, just in case I was the One. Definitely a good move, all things considered!)
"Urm…hello," Rufus ventured, standing up and moving towards the Korok. It immediately leapt into the air with a frightened squeak, holding aloft large leaves which caught the gust of an updraft, propelling it high into the air. The Hylian stopped dead, and looked over his shoulder at me with a hopeless look. I shrugged, guessing he must have spooked the creature…
Some good came of even this, as the Great Deku Tree stirred from his brief slumber. "What, what? My Korok, what is it?"
"Strangers in the glade!" the tiny creature answered. Looking up, I saw the ancient one narrow his black eyes, and then he looked down at Rufus and I.
"Oh, my Koroks, you needn't fear these people – they're not your enemies. Come on out and show yourselves." Then, he spoke to us. "There are not many of them left, but perhaps you would like to meet them all the same?" I was about to agree wholeheartedly, but Rufus beat me to it.
"Yeah, that'd be great!" now that he'd gotten over his initial shock, I could see his curiosity kick in. I grinned, being reminded of Firen's incredible interest in the lessons we'd learnt about the Gerudo. :The idea of a completely female race always did appeal to him: All around us, Koroks of all shapes and sizes began to appear. The first one floated gently back to the ground, and walked up to Rufus – the creature only came up to his waist, and the Hylian dropped down to meet it on eye-level. "Hey, I'm Rufus," he stuck out his hand.
The Korok just looked at it, and then looked at one of its friends, perplexed. Rufus dropped his hand, looking bashful, and I decided to go over so that he didn't feel quite so self-conscious. "I'm Linder," it answered, and then pointed to another of its kind, "and that is Hollo."
"Hollo? Should you not be brewing your potions?" the Great Deku Tree interjected. The Korok (which was very small, even by its kind's standards; it was round and a nut-brown, with vibrant green leaves adorning its head), shuffled its feet.
"I have run out of ingredients to brew with Great Deku Tree…"
"I see…of course, you have not had anyone to collect them for you…" the ancient one nodded. "Now, Rufus, Shadow, I would like you to meet some of my Koroks. They are the children of the forest, and also my children. Sheikah, I trust that you already know of their heritage?" I was surprised that he assumed I would know, and just nodded dumbly. "I thought as much – the teachings of your kind have always been very thorough… However, Rufus, I believe you do not know the story of how the Koroks came to be as they are?" the boy shook his head, his look of interest almost unbearably intense. "Well, I believe there's enough time to spare to tell you the tale at least…that is, if you wish to hear it?"
"If you're willing to tell it, then I am," the lad nodded.
"In that case, you may as well take a seat…would either of you care for something to eat? I was conversing with the King of Red Lions, and he told me that your journey has been quite arduous." I exchanged a look with Rufus at this, wondering how on earth the Great Deku Tree had managed to speak to Red. :Perhaps this is something else I shall have to talk to Red about…:
"Something to eat would be wonderful," I answered for the both of us.
"Very well – Hollo, Elma, if you please?"
"Yes Great Deku Tree," two of the Koroks hurried off, and Rufus and I both sat down once more.
"You don't mind if I start the tale now, do you? It will be rather long in the telling, so…" We both shook our heads, and Rufus caught my eye; he winked, and after a moment to think about it, I returned the gesture. :He really is beginning to remind me of Firen… I only hope he doesn't end up being quite so lazy or messy though…: I immersed myself in thoughts of home as the Great Deku Tree began speaking. Already knowing the story, it wasn't really necessary to listen again – it was enough just to watch the Hylian in front of me absorb the information with relish.
:I wonder why Hylians don't school children like we do? Rufus seems bright enough, yet he's not been taught very much at all… Though I suppose they never really expect their children to leave their islands, so perhaps it isn't seen as necessary…:
The appearance of the Koroks obviously didn't phase Shadow at all, and I felt somewhat envious of her knowledge of all the things on the Great Sea. :Not to mention the fact that I feel a bit stupid compared to her…: But, when the Great Deku Tree offered to explain about the Koroks, I decided to jump at the chance. I did briefly wonder whether his talk about 'the teachings of Shadow's people' mightn't be a veiled stab at Hylian education, and then decided I was being paranoid. :Plus, well…I guess he's right…neither Aryll of I have been to school, so…:
When the Great Deku Tree offered us something to eat, I felt my stomach physically clench at the mention of food, and was glad when Shadow immediately answered that we would have something to eat. Two of the little Koroks were sent off to get us something to eat, leaving only about four or five more – they were huddled in a group a little way away from us. :They're probably still a little scared of us: I reasoned to myself, taking up a patch of the soft grassy ground once more, ready to listen to the Deku Tree's tale. I caught the Sheikah's eye, and winked – when she winked back, I felt pleased, if a little surprised.
:I guess she just needed to get to know me a little – or maybe she actually thinks I'm all right. Which would be great, a new friend: I left my thoughts at that, liking the idea, and turned my full attention to the Great Deku Tree.
"Once upon a time, long ago, even before the seas rushed over the world and submerged the old land of Hyrule, the Koroks held human forms. You may well have heard of them in your old tales of the Hero of Time, referred to as the Kokiri."
"Yes, I have – the kids who never grew up, and had fairy companions?"
"That's right – and you know that they took care of the great Hero of Time when he was little more than a babe in arms. He grew up with them, and believed himself to be one of them until the time came for him to leave on his great adventure… That was when my ancestor became cursed by Dragmire himself," his tone darkened. I looked over at Shadow to see whether she might be affected by this, but she seemed to not be paying attention – her eyes were unfocused, staring at a waterfall off to the left.
"But that does not matter," the Great Deku Tree harrumphed. "After the adventures of the great Hero were over, he went back to the forest less and less, and as the years wore on, the existence of my forest children vanished from the knowledge of those outside the forest. As with so many other things, the Kokiri became things of legend… Not many had known of them to begin with…" he paused, as and Shadow had been earlier, seemed to be searching for the right words.
"That was, until He broke the seal and escaped back into the world, planning dreadful revenge on all who had helped the Hero." I didn't need to ask who 'he' was…it was pretty obvious by the way he said it who he meant! "Of course, he was long since dead, so the best people to strike seemed to be those who had helped raise the Hero. Being my Kokiri. He came to the forest, raging so hard that he managed to bring fire from the sky and set the whole forest alight…our only means of escape was to the great lake Hylia, where we took up residence on a tiny island at the centre. I was taken as a sapling from the living Great Deku Tree, and planted there, out of the way.
"When I became aware enough to realise what was going to happen (which was a few months after He broke loose), the Goddesses came to me and told me what they were planning to do. I ordered that the Kokiri uproot me once more, and that we go to the mountains…I'm afraid that…that…Gods…" he stammered, and I was surprised at the sudden change. All of his branches were shaking and shivering, and a few leaves fell to the ground because of the shuddering movements he made.
"Great Deku Tree, we have some…food…" the two Koroks who had left earlier ground to a halt, holding plates covered in an assortment of fruits, and looked up at their leader with trepidation. "Great Deku Tree?" the small, round one :called Hollo, I think: gave his plate to Shadow, and then hurried forwards. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing my dear one," the Great Deku Tree answered, attempting a smile – yet, his vine mouth didn't really seem to want to smile at all, and quickly fell into a grim straight line. "I am telling Rufus of our history…" The Korok nodded, and went to join its fellows – the second Korok with food handed me the plate it carried.
"Thanks," I murmured. "Great Deku Tree, is this something you'd rather not talk about?" I guessed, carefully settling the plate on the ground next to me. I saw that Shadow had done the same, and had stopped vacantly staring at the waterfall. She coughed slightly, and then suddenly launched into the story where the Great Deku tree had left off:Wow…she really does know a lot about this stuff:
"He ordered the Kokiri to take him to the mountains so that they could escape the flooding. However, Dragmire managed to discover their hideout just before they escaped, and he showed little mercy – evil creatures rarely do," she said darkly. "Many of the Kokiri were killed as they tried to escape, and the rest were injured – being away from the forest meant that they no longer had the protection of the forest spirits. The only one left to protect them was the Great Deku Tree himself. It was because you were with them that they did not die on leaving the forest – that's right, isn't it?"
"Aye, that's right – though I was unable to protect them from death by other means," the ancient tree answered sombrely.
"One cannot protect others from every harm." I nodded, surprised at the easy way that the girl in indigo talked to the Great Deku Tree. "Those that survived went to the Hylians for help, yet with Dragmire tailing them, they were turned away. It was too dangerous for them to help these 'immortals', and I believe they resented the immortality of the Kokiri also. To be forever young…a fickle dream of the old days."
"Wise words indeed young Sheikah," the Deku Tree agreed. I just sat back and listened, not really feeling I had much to contribute to the conversation.
"It's nothing but the truth…" she said. "But, as I was saying…they were refused help at every turn, so continued their flight alone. When they did finally reach the mountains, they took refuge there, hiding from Dragmire, and running when he came to close to finding them. Luckily, they managed to escape him, and even survived the floods. Thereafter, however, they were afraid of all the other races. As the Hylians had not helped them, they came to distrust the other races, and decided to redefine themselves all over again."
"And, being so closely in tune with the forest, it seemed only apt that they take these shapes you see today," the Great Deku Tree ended for her. "Thank you my dear…I was rather…at a loss…"
"That's quite all right," she nodded with a smile. "I hope I only remembered all of it correctly – it's been a while since I last studied those old legends."
"Then you remembered it beautifully!"
"Good," she nodded again, and then looked at me. She winked at me again, and I just grinned. Something about the story bothered me though, and she seemed to notice my expression. "What is it?"
"Well, you said that the Hylians wouldn't help them…what about the other races?" She blinked, and then looked up at the Great Deku Tree. "I mean, I'm not saying that I think Hylians are perfect or anything – we're not – but it just sounds like the old legends are blaming us for an awful lot…if you see what I mean…uh…" :OK, so maybe I shouldn't have opened my big mouth…:
"You make a good point," the Great Deku Tree said ponderously. "But, I do not think it is to do with blame. Rather, it's to do with your race's abundance. Compared to the Koroks, or the Rito, or even the Sheikah, you are positively common – there are very many of you, and very few of the other races. And this is how it has always been – the only race to rival you in abundance were the Gerudo, but they were all in the desert. The Hylians were the only ones we came into contact with."
"I believe the Sheikah would probably have been much the same, if they'd been around," Shadow assured me, and I felt a little better. :For a little bit, it seemed like Hylians were the bad guys in everything…not exactly something I want to hear really:
"Oh…I see…sorry, that was a stupid thing to say."
"Not at all – it's a view I've not heard before actually!" the Deku Tree assured me. :I still feel like an idiot though…: He sniffed slightly, and then changed the subject. "Perhaps you should dig into that food? Can hear both your stomachs rumbling, and I wouldn't like you to go hungry whilst I rabbit on!" Shadow didn't make any move towards her own food, but I decided that I was too hungry to be polite and wait for her. The small Korok called Hollo came over to me and sat down on the soft grass, looking for all the world as though it was ready to take root.
"Hello there," I greeted it, noticing that Shadow had climbed to her feet once more, and was moving closer to the Great Deku Tree.
"Hello! I'm sorry that we didn't exactly welcome you properly earlier, but…well…we're not used to people coming in from outside all that often."
"That's all right," I assured the small creature, after swallowing a mouthful of the sweet fruit I had been presented with. "This stuff's delicious – what is it?" In the background, I could hear the murmuring conversation of the indigo-clad girl and the ancient power, but was unable to pick out any words.
"Oh, just some fruits from the forest…we grow them ourselves. Would you perhaps like to come and see?"
"Oh, well… I'm not sure. I mean, I'd like to," I answered, putting down the piece of fruit I had been about to eat in order to engage in the conversation properly, "But I'm not sure whether there's enough time." The Great Deku Tree obviously overheard me, as he addressed me directly,
"Hollo, you may give the boy a tour of our orchards if you wish – I must speak with Shadow for a short while as it is." Again, I felt a short stab of annoyance that I wasn't to know what the two of them would be talking about. But, when the small Korok grabbed onto my hand and tugged on it, I just smiled. It reminded me of the times that the younger children back on Outset had been so keen to show me a crab or a bug, that they'd literally drag me halfway across the island to see their findings!
"When would you wish us back?" Hollo asked, shuffling from tiny foot to tiny foot.
"I shall call you when I need you to return, my dear one," the Great Deku Tree answered, a fond smile upturning his vine mouth. "Rufus, I hope you enjoy your tour."
"I'm sure I will," I smiled up at him.
"Very good…oh…and you may take some fruits for your journey if you so wish – you will probably be running low on food." :No kidding there:
I felt glad when the small Korok removed Rufus from the glade entirely. My stomach was near growling at the plate of food in front of me. Above, the Great Deku Tree smiled, and as soon as the Hylian was out of sight, intoned, "It's all right – you may eat now." For some odd reason, eating before the ancient power was not nearly as nerve racking as it would have been eating in front of the lad. :I have no idea how that works out, but, there you are…:
"Thank you for that," I pulled down my facemask and diligently tucked into my plate of food.
"Quite all right my dear – you're not the first Sheikah I have had to help out of a spot of bother like that after all!" he chortled. "However, I wasn't lying when I said I wished to talk to you."
"Aye?" I swallowed my mouthful and didn't pick up another slice of fruit, instead putting the plate onto the ground next to me and looking up at the tree. :I have the feeling this isn't going to be the most comfortable of conversations…:
"Aye. It is about Dragmire… I know that it was in no way your fault that he was able to control you as he did (I have already told the King of Red Lions about this affair), yet it cannot be allowed to happen again."
"I agree completely. I don't want to pose any risk to Rufus," I told him seriously, running the fingers of my left hand over the back of my right hand, the cuts slightly raised above the rest of my skin. "How were you able to talk to Red, if you don't mind my asking?"
In the same way that you and Dragmire were able to communicate, the Great Deku Tree's voice boomed inside my head. "But I do not like to intrude too often into the minds of the unwary or unwilling," he added quickly in proper speech. "That is also something that you yourself should follow. I trust that you have never sought into the minds of others without their knowledge?" he looked down at me sternly.
"To be quite honest, sir, I didn't even know it was possible until Dragmire contacted me," I admitted, feeling a little foolish. "It must seem stupid when I don't even know how my own powers work…"
"You're only young, Sheikah. It takes many years to fully understand oneself," he said wisely. I just nodded. :I still feel a little foolish though.:
I heard that. "Sorry," he quickly added in speech. "As you can see, sometimes it can be hard to prevent yourself from intruding into the minds of others." Something clicked in my mind.
"That was how you knew it was Dragmire!"
"Yes, that's right," he conceded. "And for once, I'm glad that I was not keeping such a close control over my own power as I should… However! This isn't what I wished to talk to you about, so I must get back to the matter in hand." I shivered slightly at the intensity and darkness of his tone. "Dragmire must never again be able to control you as he did today. As you said, it would endanger the lad. But it could also endanger you, and your family – anyone and everyone you have ever met could become a potential target for his wrath."
Unable to find words, I just looked blankly at one of the many beautifully cascading waterfalls in the clearing, and nodded. :I know… I'm just not powerful enough to stop him.:
"It's not just a question of power. Sorry," he smiled wanly when I looked back up at him. "But it isn't. Sometimes even the most powerful magic users can be overthrown with the simplest of plans. All you must do is shut him out. You managed that for a short time this morning, but then your feelings got the better of you… In some ways, the original Sheikah lifestyle may have hit the nail on the head."
"So…you're saying that…the only way to prevent him from…from doing that again is to…to return to the old training?" He harrumphed, perhaps annoyed at the fact that I had, as he put it, 'hit the nail on the head'.
"Exactly."
:So, I have been liberated by Valoo, only to be told that my liberation could endanger the lives of all on the Great Sea? …I am beginning to wish that Valoo never allowed me to feel as I have in the past few days… To discover such emotions flowing so easily, and now to lose them again…: I knew that the ancient one was diligently keeping out of my thoughts, as was grateful for that. Heavily, I agreed,
"I see what you mean sir… I shall follow your advice, in order that we may succeed in overcoming Dragmire's intentions." Inside, I felt as though I were being wrenched into two separate people. The perfect Sheikah warrior that I had been trained to be. And the adventurer who had discovered the true depths of emotion. I returned to my training, and ignored the second girl.
Having lost my appetite, I pulled my facemask up, and waited for Rufus as the Korok to return. The Great Deku Tree became inanimate once more, and the glad fell silent. It was a beautiful place, with colours more vivid that any I had ever seen before.
Yet, as far as I was now concerned, everything may as well have been in all shades of grey. As my emotions were, now the world would become. Dull, predictable, and functional to the point of agonising boredom.
To answer JRJathome…nah, it's not linked to Alexis I'm afraid…the whole Sheikah past will be explained later on taps nose. But, this isn't linked to Thievery or Repaying a Debt (I promise I'll finish that damned series one day… I've already actually written the final chapter for the third story… I just have to fill in the second and write the rest of the third. Heh… sheepish look.) As for Lossemare glomps her muchly I'm sorry about the confusing nature of the thoughts…I think that must have been where I left off one night, and then carried on the next day, only I lost the thread a little…urm…bad excuse I know! Blushes. I'm glad I made you like Ganondorf! I just…oooh…bad boys she melts. Oh, and H7 (my dearest darling one whose brain I have yet to steal…dangit…) the game colours! I played around with my TV with Super Smash Bros. Melee – boy, I had fun! Ehehehehe, can anyone say 'neon green Sheikiebaby!' Shakes head Yup, I'm easily pleased.
Lastly, be amazed by my crappy two points of view in one chapter…where yet again, not much happened. :Bangs head on desk: how dull a writer I am! Feel free to whack me round the head with a frying pan for being so slow and boring. Rufus :pettles him: so easily pleased by the prospect of a new friend. Korok history blatantly stolen from the game, but changed around a whee bit. That bit at the end is merely because Shadow was starting to become too happy for my dark, angsty purposes.