Chapter 8- The Serpent's venom
The council consisted of only a few members, but among them were the most powerful men and women of influence in Hyrule. Footsteps echoed as the members of the council sat down at their own chairs, and awaited the King, who had just returned from a day's jaunt with King Hagris and his family, as it was the last day of their stay. The King took his seat at the head of the long table. After a moment passed for the servants to leave through the single door that the council room had, and then locked it behind them, The King began.
"Representatives of Hyrule, we have come to a point in time where our land has begun changing drastically, and at a rate faster then we could have ever imagined. It seems that Gonanism has spread like wildfire throughout Hyrule. Princess Ruto of the Zora, please inform the others of the information you disclosed to me."
An elegantly-dressed Female Zora stood up. She cleared her throat.
"Fellow members of the council. The new town that is currently under construction along the banks of the Zoran River has been reporting more and more incidents of violence, all of which have been confirmed as involving the clash between the beliefs we have held dear for generations, and the new religion of Gonanism. No less then thirty Hylians have died, thirteen Hylians wounded, sixty Zora dead and only two still alive. My collogues at Zora's Hall have determined the reason as to why there are more Zoran casualties then Hylian. It is has come to their knowledge that the teachings of Gonanism state that only peoples such as Hylians are pure, and that therefore all other species are inherently evil."
The other members were aghast as Ruto sat back down. But there was worse to come.
"Thank you, Princess Ruto. Darunia of the Goron Tribe, please give your report."
Darunia carefully stood up, then in a deep, earthly voice, he gave his report.
"My people have been complaining constantly about how Hylians working for The Church of Gonassir have begun mining our stones. They have removed a good deal of our edible granite and limestone supply. The rest is too high in minerals that they have caused overdoses of certain minerals, and now many Gorons are becoming sick. They've removed a good deal of the walls from our underground city, and even if this has made the city slightly wider, it has made some of those walls weak. If they continue to mine, the city could be in danger of a cave-in. I spoke to one of the workers about this matter, and he refused to comment." Darunia then sat down, being careful not to destroy his chair under his immense girth.
"Thank you, Darunia," said King Daphnes. "Nabooru of the Gerudo, do you have anything to report?"
Nabooru stood up.
"Yes, your highness. As you know, the aftereffects of the incident at my town are still very much within the minds of my people. The overall damage to the town is unmatched in Hyrule's history, save for the damage done to Hyrule Castle City during the Ganondorf's Reign. Most of it is due to continued property damage by citizens both pro-Triforcism and pro-Gonanism to each other. The chapel in Nabooru town has been vandalized-relics smashed, idols of the goddesses broken to pieces, even violent words of hate written on the chapel walls." She then sat down.
"Thank you, Nabooru. Sage Saria, Representative for the Great Deku Tree, what is the status of the south eastern forests?"
Saria, the green-haired Kokiri sage of forest, stood atop her chair to be better seen, having the physical appearance and height of a twelve year old.
"The Great Deku Tree has been noticing that workers for the church of Gonanism have been taking from our resources as well, just as with Darunia's tribe. The Kokiri are not pleased with the decreasing tree population. There has been a shortage of Wubba fruit due to the fact that a good deal of the trees that grow this fruit are being cut down to be used for the supposed building of the new Gonanite temple. The Great Deku Tree has asked that a restriction as to how much the loggers are cutting down be strictly enforced. Also, without some of the trees, there have been several floods in the main village due to the lack of trees to drink the excess water from the rivers that run through the village." Saria then got down off her chair and then sat back in it.
"Impa, mayor of Kakariko Village, what is the situation there?"
Impa, the silver-haired Amazonian survivor of the Sheikah tribe, stood up.
"With the rise of Gonanism, less and less people are willing to come to see the historic sights within Kakariko. As all of you well know, Kakariko's economy, besides being a farming community, is also a tourism-based one due to the wide variety of ruins left behind of my tribe. With lack of interest due to the fact that the Shiekah were very important for the contribution of many of the ancient scriptures found in the Book of Mudora, and a rapid swing to studying Gonanism, our economy has begun to fail, and our farming alone is not enough to support the people of Kakariko." Impa returned to her seat.
The king's head was now very low, as he called for one last person.
"Father Rauru, please give us the status of this very community."
Rauru stood up, slowly.
"Your highness…it is with great grievance that I say this..." Rauru started.
"Go on," urged King Daphnes.
"Let me begin by saying that, only but a few days ago, shortly before Father Akunem arrived, The Temple of Time had a congregation of about seven hundred, which was already lower then our usual one thousand and fifty due to the rise of atheists. Now, as I have checked the long list of people who have left the church…I now have no more then twelve members left…" Rauru sat down right away, shaking his head, overwhelmed by this devastating news.
All the other members of the council were very silent, including the king, as the impact of all the words spoken began to sink in. So silent was the council chambers that the footsteps of servants working downstairs could be heard easily through the thick stone walls.
"It appears," said the King, "That the very heart of our providence here in Hyrule has been shaken. Our various villages and cities are in either ruin or in economic debt, our resources are being depleted, and our churches are all but empty. And all of this in less then a few days of Father Akunem's arrival. Gentlemen and women of the council, we cannot change the way our people think, and therefore we cannot simply inform Father Akunem that construction of the temple should cease and that all of the converts should give up Gonanism. Doing so would only lead to even more chaos-people would revolt, and accuse us of being prejudiced. Therefore, it seems we are left with absolutely no possible ways to reverse this damage gracefully. There is no doubt among us that Gonanism has done more damage then healing, and therefore, Gonanism must be put to an end. But as to how we are going to go about this is currently beyond us. The council must come to a solution as to what to do about this situation. I think that we must first rest on this. I expect for all of you to decide on a solution individually, then tomorrow, we shall decide on the best one. Good day, Gentlemen and women."
And with that, the meeting was adjourned. Nabooru, the sage closest to the door, knocked on it to let the servant outside know that the meeting was over and that they could unlock the door. As the servant opened the door, the council members hesitantly left in single file, dreading having to make such a difficult decision. After all the councilors had entered the long, cavernous hallway beyond, the servants closed the door, and it snapped shut like the mouth of some gigantic horrid beast.
"Wakey-wakey, Mr. Fairy! Mr. Fairy, wake up!"
"Errorrrrrr!"
"Oh, shut up, you two! Why are you even helping my enemy, anyway!"
"Let Tingle say it like this. Tingle eats sandwiches with ketchup but Error eats it with mustard, Mr. Fairy likes the mayonnaise but Doofy is a ba…
"Where am I?" Link moaned.
"He's awake! Mr. Fairy is awake!" squealed Tingle, who began dancing about.
Link blinked as everything slowly came into focus. The pounding headache wasn't helping. Suddenly, Error's huge bearded face came into view right in front of him.
"ERORRRRR!" Bellowed Error.
"AAAAAUGH!" screamed Link.
"Error! Even if he is my most despised enemy, at least give him more then one and a half inches of personal space!" yelled the voice of Doof from somewhere. Error withdrew his face, and Link's location came into view. The stone floors and cold, rusty metal bars immediately told Link he was in a cell. He tried to gather up his thoughts, but they had been scrambled like eggs.
"Mr. Fairy! Mr. Fairy! Why are you here in the cell with Error, stupid Doofy-head and I?" asked Tingle.
Link brought himself to stand up. There was a rush as the blood began flowing to his brain again, temporarily disorienting him.
"Can Mr. Fairy remember as to why the mean old guards carried him as he was asleep into our cell just three hours ago?"
"Wha…?" Link let those words mix around in his head for a second, and then everything suddenly snapped back into place.
"Error?" Error grunted inquisitively.
"Akunem," Link spat.
"Akunem! Where!" screamed Doof, who began whirling around looking for the red-clad high priest.
"It was Akunem. I just realized it…now I know why Zelda hasn't been around lately-why the Gonanism temple is being built, and why the Master Sword was still burning on that day in the courtyard…" Link suddenly realized that the Master Sword and its scabbard were no longer on his back, along with his shield.
"What?" asked Doof.
"Akunem…this is all because of Akunem. He's been keeping Zelda drugged and she's been trying hard to resist-which would explain all the chains…as for the temple, because Akunem came with the Calatian royal family, and he was vouched for by King Hagris, he could easily have persuaded the king to approve of building the temple, because doing otherwise would be offending the Calatians…and as for the Master Sword still burning after I killed the Poe in the courtyard, Akunem was obviously nearby…and then he must have hidden when he saw the Master Sword still burning so he could wait for me to put it away before talking to me…it all makes sense now…"
"What! Where! When! Who!" yelled Doof.
Link repeated this again. And then again just to make sure that Doof actually got it.
"So Akunem has been up to no good, eh? I'm not surprised!" Said Doof with a huff.
"I still can't figure out why he would go through so much trouble to do all this…what does all this have to do with spreading Gonanism?"
"Akunem is a very bad man! Error, Doof, and I would know, Mr. Fairy!"
Link looked down to the miniscule man in green tights.
"Why, Tingle? Akunem mentioned that he'd met Doof before. You've all met him before, haven't you?"
"Errorrrr!" moaned Error. Apparently the memory of their first encounter with Akunem was a bad one.
"It was but a few months ago, actually," said Doof, with a hint of displease with Link's desire to know more. "We were on Koholint Island. I was there, performing miracles, healing the sick and weary, doing epic deeds and slaying monsters with my awesome magical power…"
Error, Tingle, AND Link all cleared their throats simultaneously.
"Oh, alright! So we were trying to bum a ride to Hyrule! We had to stop at the local inn for the night, and Akunem was there! He had a piece of cloth made of the finest blue silk, and on it was a map of the heavens, sewn into the fabric with silver thread! And even more, he was telling someone next to him that it had powers, grand, massive powers that could bring any man who wore it fortune greater then any in the world! I had to have it…um…so I could add its power to my collection of magical relics…"
Link, Tingle, and Error cleared their throats again.
"OKAY! So it was shiny and I wanted to use it to give myself power! So I went over, challenged him to a game of dice…"
The three cleared their throats yet again.
"FINE! HAVE IT YOUR WAY! SO I ALWAYS LOSE AT GAMES OF DICE! SO IT WAS GO FISH! AND I LOST THAT, TOO! SO I STOLE THE CLOTH AND WE RAN AWAY!"
"HEY, SHUT UP IN THERE!" yelled a guard down the hall.
"THEN WE RAN TO THE NEAREST SHIP WE COULD FIND, I TRADED A PART OF THE CLOTH FOR PASSAGE, AND WE GOT OUT OF THERE QUICK AS AKUNEM WAS SHOUTING THAT HE WAS GOING TO KILL US IF HE EVER SAW US AGAIN!"
" I SAID SHUT UP, DAMMIT!" Yelled the guard.
"Doof, calm down! You're going to get us into even more trouble!" said Link.
"Yes…" sighed Doof, "You're right…let me count to ten…" He began counting to ten on his fingers, with some difficulty. While Doof was figuring out what came after two, Link spoke.
"We all dislike Akunem," said Tingle, "So Tingle thinks we should all work with Mr. Fairy!"
"What!" yelled Doof. "Join forces with the very one who threw me in here!"
"You do realize that I'm the only one who can help you get revenge on Akunem right now, right?" asked Link.
"Umm…" Doof said, taking this into consideration.
"Error!" said Error, nudging Doof, as if to tell him to agree to the unlikely alliance.
"And Mr. Fairy can get Doofy his ruddy old hat back, too!" added Tingle.
"My hat is not ruddy!"
"So we have an agreement, then?" asked Link, holding out his hand, even if he had his doubts about Doof being able to be a help.
"Oh, all right! I'll help! My head is getting awfully cold, you know! Tingle, fetch me my spare hat!" said Doof.
"NO! From now on, Doofy must get his things himself, as repayment to Tingle for making him think that Doofy is something that he is not!"
"Oh, fine!" huffed Doof, who pulled the spare hat, which matched his robes, from his bag. Pulling it down over his ears, he then questioned, "So, what is the plan then, my good sir?"
"First things first, we have to get out of here, obviously, without raising the alarm. I need to get some help-Kirk and Geabora will be of assistance. More importantly, we need to find Zelda and save her from whatever sick plans Akunem has for her. Then…we put a stop to Akunem's stay here."
"Yes, bad priest Akunem must go!" said Tingle.
"But how exactly are we going to stop Akunem, and more importantly, how do we get out of this cell?"
"Doof, do have any spare rags?" asked Link.
"Yes, but what does that have to do with getting out of here!"
"You'll see…" Link turned and called down the cell block, "'Hoy! Anyone there! We need a drink! We're all parched!"
A few moments later, a guard came down the hall carrying a dirty wooden jug of a foul-smelling murky water that most definitely wasn't pure.
"Here's your stupid drink. Don't expect there to be any fine wines for you people." The guard pushed the jug in through the bars and then left. As soon as he was beyond the hallway, Link grabbed the jug. Tingle peered into the jug.
"Ugh! Mr. Fairy! Tingle does not wish to drink that which smells like a toilet!"
"Don't worry, we're not drinking this. Doof, I'll need that rag…do you have some kind of wand or something I can use?"
Doof reached into his satchel and pulled out a wand that looked like it was made for stirring hot tea, and an old dishwashing rag.
"If you're thinking about using magic, I certainly hope you don't damage my wand…"
"Um…yeah…" said Link. "Now we wait until nightfall…"
The day passed on monotonously. Lunch was pea soup again, much to Doof's delight. As the moon began to rise and the castle began to grow silent, Link shook awake Doof.
"Psst!" hissed Link, "Come on, we have to move now!"
"Five more minnutes mommy…" groaned Doof.
Tingle walked up and stepped on Doof's foot. Before Doof could scream, Link slapped a hand over the wanna-ba wizard's mouth.
"Shh! We're getting out of here!" whispered Link.
"Errorrr?" moaned Error, rubbing his eyes.
Link placed Doof's rag on the floor, then took the jug of putrid water and dumped its entire contents on it.
"What are you doing!" hissed Doof.
Link didn't respond as he took Doof's wand and tied part of the now stinking wet rag to the wand. He then wrapped the wet cloth around two of the bars of the cage and then tied the cloth once again to the wand. Link then began rotating the wand around, which began to make the rag twist.
"What are you doing!" repeated Doof, "You're going to ruin my rag and my wand!"
"Believe me, there's bigger things to worry about then this rag and wand." said Link, who began to strain to twist the wand. "Please Gods, don't let the wand break…"
"I see what Mr. Fairy is doing! When the rag is wet, it will not break! He is forcing the bars to bend!"
The metal bars squealed in protest as they began to bend. After a minute of struggling, Link managed to force the bars far enough apart so that he could slip through. After checking in both directions along the cell block hallway for any gaurds, Link slipped between the bend bars and put a hand up to tell the others to wait.
"I'll get the keys," whispered Link, "Error is too big to fit through the bars."
As the Brothers weird waited anxiously in the cell, Link took a right and sneaked quietly along the stone brick wall. Taking as much caution as possible, he entered a room where a single guard on duty was sitting reading a book, his back towards Link. Making sure that there were no guards in the next room who would raise the alarm, Link clenched his fist and socked the guard in the back of the neck, temporarily stunning him. Taking the keys off the now unconscious guard's belt, he sneaked back to the cell, where Doof and Tingle had already stepped out. Link unlocked the cell, letting Doof out, and the four unlikely comrades, lead by Link, quietly left the cell block. After finding an old wooden door that the guards used to get outside from the dungeon, The exited into the garden, where Link got his first breath of fresh outside air in what seemed to be ages. The cold night air filled his being. Then Link was surprised to smell something else he knew was not part of the air that Link knew. There was a smell of something burning, and by the strength there was plenty of it. However, Link had to ignore this as his next priority had to be taken. He had to find Kirk, and Geabora. Kirk's barrack was the closest, so Link chose to seek out him first…
Kirk was not pleased with the events as they were unfolding. As his troops scampered about the barracks for their equipment, Kirk could do nothing but stare at the plan of the city on the table in front of him. His hands cupped before his mouth, Kirk's thoughts were racing, determining exactly how he was going to control the situation, or at least try. Staring intently at a circle that had been drawn in chalk, he was interrupted when one of the soldiers cleared his throat.
"What is it?" said Kirk, rubbing his temples.
"Sir, I'm reporting a slight disturbace…" squeaked the soldier.
"What is it, Zuivel?" Kirk sighed. Of all the soldiers to approach him now during this crisis, it had to be the one guy who was jumping at the nonexistent sound of a grain of wheat falling.
"I heard what sounds like someone moving in the bushes just outside the barrack. Sir, it might be them…"
Kirk was about to yell at Zuivel for giving him this unnecessary task, but there was already more then enough on his plate to deal with. However, he knew that raising his voice would only cause his headache to get worse.
"Zuivel, will it calm your mind if I go and check it out myself this time?"
"Sir, yes, sir!" said Zuivel.
"Thank you, Zuivel, you are dismissed" said Kirk, who then dragged himself to the end of the barracks, and opened the wooden door. This end of the barracks was jutting slightly into the castle gardens. The gardener had always complained that it was an eyesore, but it had been the king's descision that it would be easy to access the barracks that way. Kirk stepped out into the garden, looking around half-heartedly. Surprise, surprise, no one's there.
"Hey! Kirk!" hissed a voice.
Kirk almost jumped a mile.
"Kirk! Down here in the bushes!" repeated the voice.
Kirk crouched next to the bush from where Link's unmistakable voice was coming from.
"Link! Where have you been? I've been looking for you all day!"
"I'll explain later! You need to come with us!"
"What, now? Link, I can't come the troops need me to lead them right now!"
"What? What's going on?"
Kirk gave an anxious sigh, and then answered, "It's unimaginable, Link. It's finally happened. We've had to strap on our riot gear and everything."
"The riot gear? What the hell is going on?"
"Like I said, it's finally happened. A short while after you went into the princess's room and went missing, Akunem left for the city square. Apperantly this time he means business-There's a huge gathering of supporters of Gonanism from almost everywhere in Hyrule, and most distressing has been the arrival of a bunch of weird guys in red cloaks swarming around the city forcing citizens to attend the gathering."
"WHAT!" Link yelled. Tingle slapped a hand over Link's mouth to remind him to stay quiet. A frigid, icy, chilling sensation not unlike the day he laid eyes on Ganon for the first time rippled across his entire body. "Did you say red cloaks!"
"Yeah, just like Akunem, just a mass of red cloaks just filing in with spears and flags and things like that. My intelligence groups say that they came from the port to the west beyond Kakariko. Said they had last stopped near Koholint Island…"
"Great Goddesses above…" Link muttered, remembering Geabora's words from what seems years ago- I remember seeing, while I was flying over Koholint Island, a barge that was docked there. It was filled with men, women, and even children wearing red cloaks and robes. There were some people coming aboard as well, having red robes put on them as well. It seems as if they're coming in the direction of Hyrule.
"It's them…" said Link gravely.
"Who?"
"Geabora told me about one of his flights a few days ago, after the banquet. He said while flying near Koholint Island, he had seen men, women and children dressed in red cloaks sailing over to here. Akunem must have been gathering followers, over there, as well before he came here…but…if he's been traveling around collecting followers, why not build the temple on Koholint? Why Hyrule…?"
"You lost me somewhere." said Kirk, puzzled.
"Like I said, I'll explain later. Okay, where's a safe place in the city right now where nobody can see us? Is the Temple of Time safe?"
"I wouldn't be so sure, considering the fact that many of the Gonanism supporters have been shouting death threats to Triforcists everywhere. It's why the troops are in such a tizzy right now, we're ready to guard the castle in case they decide to invade the castle, especially now when all of the sages are in there, too."
"The Sages! Oh, THIS is my LUCKY day, isn't it!" said Link, the sarcasm stinging like a swarm of Terminian electric-tailed dragonflies.
"The only safe place I can think of right now is the Happy mask shop. Is that good?"
"Yeah, It'll have to do. Before you and the troops get into the city, send someone to get Geabora, and send him the message that an important parcel is waiting for him at the mask shop. Then, I need you to go to the shop and make sure that you have someone guarding it from those red cloaked guys, okay? The others and I will get out of here using the underground labyrinth rendezvous with you there in about forty minutes."
"Right" said Kirk.
"Sir?" yelled a voice from the barracks. It was Zuivel.
"It's okay, it was just a Deku Scrub making that noise!" called back Kirk
"A scrub?" asked Zuivel, who began walking towards Kirk.
Kirk cursed under his breath. Apart from being a jumpy guy, Zuivel had a reputation for his interest in plants. Something about gardening being the one thing that soothed him or something similar. And what held Zuivel's interest the most was the Deku Scrub, which he had once gone on and on about how he one day wanted to see a real one up close. Of all the possible Hyrulean garden pests, Kirk had had to say the one thing that was garenteed to perk Zuivel's curiosity.
"Sir, if I may, I'd like to see the scrub."
A bead of sweat formed on Kirk's forehead. He thought quickly. There was only one thing he could think of. He looked directly at Link, and with a peculiar look on his face, said, "Sure, go on ahead."
Normally a situation like this would cause for one to fume with rage at this seeming betrayal. However, the peculiar look that Kirk had put on his face was in fact a signal that Link and Kirk had developed for dire situations. In a situation like this, it meant okay, you make the plan, and I'll follow your lead. As Kirk stepped away from the bush, Link's mind raced.
Okay, okay, we need a plan. There's a soldier walking towards us, and he's about to find us out. If we run, we'll be seen. If we stay here we'll be seen. If we move at all, he'll be alerted to where I am. No other choice. I'm going to have to knock him out.
Link's body tensed up, ready to spring, as Zuivel reached to part the branches, when suddenly, he heard a loud coughing noise.
"Gah! Who are you! What is this stuff!" coughed Zuivel
"Sleep! Go to sleep! Now! I command you!" yelled Doof.
Link chanced a glance beyond the leaves to see that Doof had sprung from his hiding place and had flung some sort of powder into the soldier's face. Tingle had also emerged and was now trying to wrestle Zuivel's leg.
"We must protect Mr. Fairy! Do what Doofy says and sleep!" hollered Tingle.
"Errorrrr!" Bellowed Error, as he charged right at Zuivel. While Zuivel was still distracted by the cloud of the fine orange powder, Tingle and Doof leapt out of the way as Error's massive bulk slammed into Zuivel, sending him flying into a fountain with a loud splash, effectively knocking the poor soldier out.
Link crawled out from underneath the bush and brushed the dirt and leaves off himself.
"Um…totally unnecessary, but very effective…" said Link. "I've got to give you guys credit for that. Next time though, keep in mind that he only needed to be knocked out. He's not a Dodongo after all."
Kirk simply gawked.
As Kirk had expected it to be, the city was a mess. Overturned carts and market stalls, Cuccos running amok, graffiti on the walls, the whole nine yards. Kirk's troops, armed with their large riot shields in front of them marched forwards down into the city. At the same time, Link and the brothers weird were rushing as fast as they could through the water-logged tunnel below the castle. According to the map, the exit from the labyrinth that lead into the city lead to right beneath one of the city's wells. It was a simple matter of sending Tingle in his balloon up to drop the rope and bucket back down for Link and Doof to climb up, and then Tingle, Doof, and Link worked together to pull Error up. The four sneaked their way to the back door of the Happy Mask shop, and managed to get inside just in time as Kirk's men arrived to guard the entrance. Kirk was waiting for them with a very frazzled Happy Mask man.
"Hero of Time! Thank goodness you're here!" cried out the shop owner, prostrating himself before Link. "It is a blessing to have you here in my humble shop again! I have remembered to keep your masks safe and sound!"
The Happy Mask man withdrew a box from a nearby shelf and presented Link with the four transformation masks Link had acquired on his journey in Termina.
"Thanks," said Link, taking the masks and putting them in his bag, "These might come in handy later."
"Good to see all of you guys here.", said Kirk with relief, "Geabora should be arriving soon."
And as if summoned by these words, they all heard a thump on the roof, the creak of a window opening, and then the flapping of massive wings as the wise old owl landed on the upper floor.
"Hello?" spoke Geabora, "Happy Mask Man? You said I had a parcel?"
Link and company ascended the steps to greet Geabora.
"Goddesses! Link! I'd heard you were trapped in the castle dungeons!" Said Geabora, ruffling up his feathers in distress.
"Trapped in the dungeons? Link, what's going on?" asked Kirk.
With the help of Tingle and Doof, with some gesticulating from Error, Link informed Kirk and Geabora of the current situation, and all the events and revelations up to that point. Zelda being chained to the bed. Akunem's words as he knocked Link unconscious. The Brothers Weird telling him their story in the prison cell. The Happy Mask man trembled.
"Dear me, oh, dear me…Din, Nayru, and Farore save our souls…" he muttered nervously. He went over to a corner and sat on a stool to steady himself.
"This is some really heavy stuff you're laying on me, Link." said Kirk, "I'd say that I guess we should have trusted you, but that would be stating the obvious, huh?"
"Yeah, I know. It looks like it's time to save Hyrule again. This time, it's a diferent kind of enemy. When Ganon was invading, it was as simple as hacking my way through monsters and collecting relics, but this is very, very much different. This time, the enemy isn't protecting himself with baddies, he's protecting himself with our own people."
As Tingle went over to the Happy Mask man to try to cheer him up, Geabora sighed. The loud noises outside from the growing mob continued.
"This church of Gonnasir is a very powerful influential force, indeed." sadi Geabora. "Never before have I seen a religion spread this quickly, when only a few days ago, despite my travels, I had not ever heard of this religion."
"If something is not done," added Doof, "I believe terrible things will occur for the fair princess."
"No doubt about that." said Link. "Okay, let's get cracking. We need to take this thing down while it's still growing."
"What's the plan, then? I'm with you all the way, pal." said Kirk.
"Well, first off…" Link began, when he heard Tingle yell.
"Mr. Fairy! Mr. Fairy! You must come look!"
Link ran over to the window, where Tingle had a view of the city square. Link made sure to keep as close to the frame of the window as possible as he heard the boom of that same voice that he had come to loathe.
"CHILDREN OF GONASSIR!" Akunem called to the absolutely monstrous crowd.
"Here goes Mr. Sunshine again," said Link dryly. Kirk and the others now crept up to the window, cautious as so not to be seen.
"I SAY AGAIN TO YOU, MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS! CHILDREN OF GONASSIR! FELLOW BELEIVERS OF THE ALMIGHTY IN HEAVEN, THE ONE TRUE GOD! I THANK YOU FOR COMING SO QUICKLY TO MY CALLING! I HAVE ASKED YOU ALL HERE FOR SOMETHING OF GRAVE IMPORTANCE!" Akunem paused as the noise from the crowd started to settle down.
"CHILDREN OF GONASSIR! OUR TRUE RULER HAS SENT ME A VISION! ONE THAT MUST BE SHARED WITH EVERYONE! IT HAS BEEN WRITTEN THAT GONASSIR WOULD ONE DAY STRIKE DOWN ALL THAT IS EVIL IN OUR WRETCHED WORLD TAINTED WITH SIN! I COME BEFORE YOU, MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS, TO TELL YOU THAT THE TIME OF GREAT CLEANSING IS HERE AND NOW!"
The crowd erupted in cheers for the destruction of the sinners, their voices echoing. Link could smell that burning smell as the gatherers began lighting torches. Night was beginning to fall, not just upon the city, but all across all of Hyrule, and slowly, like a fearsome mythical beast, even farther across the face of the Earth.
"LOYAL GONANITES! LOOK TOWARDS THE CASTLE! FOR YEARS THE WICKED ONES WHO LIVED IN THAT CASTLE CONTROLLED YOU ALL USING THE SO-CALLED WAY OF THE HERO! BUT WHERE IS THEIR HERO NOW!"
More shouts of rage erupted, and at the same time Link's temper. He had to restrain himself not to curse at Akunem.
"THOSE MEN AND WOMEN WHO DARED CALL THEMSLEVES SAGES HAD COMPLETE CONTROL OF THE WAY YOU THINK! EVERYTHING YOU HAD TO DO WAS FOR THEIR GODS! AND WHERE ARE THEY NOW? WHERE ARE THEIR SO CALLED GODDESSESS OF VIRTUE! I SAY TO YOU, BROTHERS AND SISTERS, THAT THE GODDESSES ARE DEAD!"
The massive energy of the crows reached an all-time high, as the tumult raged to a deafening roar like the lion who had cornered his prey at long last. Link temperature was rising, his hatred growing.
"AND NOW, WE BRING BEFORE YOU ONE OF THOSE VERY WICKED SINNERS WHO WOULD THROW YOU INTO THE DARK WORLD! BEHOLD, THE SOURCE OF THAT VULGAR STAIN UPON HYRULE! THE ONE WHO HERSELF CARRIES THE SYMBOL OF THESE FEINDS! BEHOLD, THE PRINCESS!"
Link froze, his whole body trembling. No, no, please Gods, no…
From his place atop the large wooden stage in the middle of the square, Akunem motioned to two of the red cloaked Gonanites, who then pulled the unmistakable figure of Zelda up the steps. Zelda was reeling in pain, this time awake, but barely able to move. Her dress was torn, her face covered in dirt and stinging tears. The two elite Gonanites threw Zelda at Akunem's feet. Zelda fell, strained to get up, and then Akunem grabbed her by the hair and forced her to stand. Zelda cried out, but the crowd showed no mercy as curses and insults were hurled.
"Destroy the sinner!"
"Send her to the Dark World!"
"Death to the ones who carry the mark of the heathens!"
"Kill the wench!"
Akunem threw Zelda to the ground again, and calmly waited for the noise to lower again.
"BROTHERS…SISTERS…NOW IS THE TIME TO BEGIN THE GREAT CLEANSING! OUR GOD WILL GRANT YOU GREAT THINGS FOR OUR DEEDS! LET THE CLEANSING BEGIN…WITH THE DEATH OF THIS SERVANT OF EVIL!"
The noise was unlike anything the world had ever heard. The Earth trembled as thousands of voices hungry for blood cried from the earth all the way to the heavens. Link couldn't take it. He couldn't…
The true gravity of the situation was now crushing Link like the entire cosmos was on his shoulders. Link's knees began to buckle. Kirk caught him before he fell. With help from the others, Kirk brought Link over to a sofa.
"I don't believe it…" croaked Link. "I…I'm just not…I'm not…no…"
"Link," was all Kirk could say.
"All of them…all of them…all of our people…all of MY people…" Link was shaking his head side to side. "A few days ago, these very same people cried out for my help. I considered it a curse as well as a blessing…I hid from them…these very people who I risked absolutely everything I had for…These people whom I saved, who I put myself through Hell for…they've betrayed me…"
As the jeers from the crowd continued below, Link cried. He cried for his people. He cried for Zelda. He cried for Hyrule. And most of all, he cried for the death of innocence.