What do you know, this update didn't take three months to come! Who could have guessed?
Anyway, I hope you enjoy this relatively fast chapter, which is actually one of my longer ones!
Chapter 12: Approaching Fate
The sun glared down upon the bright yellow sands of the Gerudo Desert, and Sealth shielded his eyes from the bright light as he scanned the desolate area carefully. The desert stretched out for near as far as the eye could see, with a strange blue halo hovering over the glowing yellow sands at the east horizon, marking the great Lake Hylia's location, and tall, lightly vegetated mountains towering to the west. Sealthheld his lance in one hand and looked out to the east, the sand sending invisible waves of heat upward to the brilliant ultramarine sky above. The HyruleanArmy had been here for nearly a week, and—as most of the men had returned to the capital—only a relativehandful remained to wait for the 'invaders' to actually arrive.
The general's eyes caught on the thin spires of the desert prison to the north , the circular symbols on top reflecting the sunlight off their painted surfaces. The place had been abandoned for centuries—not long after the horribly failed execution of the Dark Lord Ganondorf had the Arbiter's Grounds had been closed for good. But even devoid of life as one would define it, strange creatures still inhabited the ghostly grounds; supposedly the countless souls of the criminals whose lives ended there, haunting the place where they wasted their last hours anticipating their inevitable demise.
Normally Sealth would have never believed such ridiculous stories, but after speaking to Link about the many places he had been before becoming king, the commander knew of the many evil things lurking in the darkness of the abandoned prison. Sealth had learned that countless undead monsters thrived in Arbiter's Grounds; from walking skeletons with the ability to use rusted weapons, and not easily defeated with simply a sword; to towering mummies, wielding blades as long as they were tall, and possessing a screech so potent, that even the bravest warriors trembled in fear at the thought of hearing it. So many things that no normal man could meet in battle and emerge unscathed. Then again, the king had not been a normal man, as he had faced not only those creatures, but a seemingly infinite number of others, felling beasts many times his size, rescuing an entire country from the darkness spread by an insane man who just doesn't seem able to die.
Sealth sighed and shook his head slightly, trying to clear an unwanted thought from his mind that pushed its way to the surface anyway. The king had been a man of legends—the kind of man that one would think couldn't be killed, and yet, that is exactly what happened. That, in fact was why the former Hylian general was standing in the wretched heat of the glowing sun, waiting apparently for nothing. The cave where the king and queen's murderers were supposedly coming out of was in sight—a small depression of darkness nestled between two stony mountains at the edge of the desert sands. The explosives had already been set inside, so all the Hylianarmy had to do was wait for the outsiders to arrive, and the heavy stone of the surrounding mountains would make sure that there would be no question that justice would be served swiftly and without unnecessary loss of life.
When Sealth had told Zelgius—the only one to bear witness to the assassinations—about his plan with the bombs, the other man seemed to be rather surprised. Sealth had attributed it to his general unknowledge of Hylian technology, but something in the back of his mind told him that it was something else.
With another, somewhat suppressed sigh, Sealth glanced around the blinding area once more, wondering vaguely where Zelgius was. He had taken to disappearing during the evenings, but usually stayed around the camp during the day. In fact, ever since the Hylian had told Zelgius about the haunted prison lurking on the edge of the desert, the man's absences had been more frequent. Sealth tried to explain it—perhaps Zelgius was merely curious to see the strange, undead creatures residing there… what else could he be doing in such a forsaken place? And yet, just as the outsider's reaction to his plan for the cave, these unexplained absences gave Sealth a feeling that something was amiss.
Everything about Zelgius made Sealth nervous, though he wasn't willing to admit it, as the odd man was the only one who had an inkling of what had truly happened that night not all too long ago. With another sigh, Sealth shifted his lance from one had to the other as he spotted a red contrast against the golden waves of sand. Zelgius walked across the desert towards the Hylian camp, his approaching form warped by the waves of heat released by the sand below him.
Sealth pushed back a scowl as the red-armored man walked up next to him, a slight smile on Zelgius' face covering the obvious discomfort of wearing such heavy protection in the unforgiving heat and awkward sands.
"Where'd you get off to?" Sealth asked with a grunt, not taking his eyes off the bright horizon.
Zelgius' smile broadened somewhat, "Just a little exploring."
"In the desert?" Sealth cast a sideways glance at his companion now, "What is there to explore?"
"I took a look at those ruins there," Zelgius nodded towards the hollow shell of the Arbiter's Grounds, "Not much to see, really, hardly worth the trip."
"Mmm," Sealth murmured, looking back out at the blinding sand, he doubted that the prison was truly that uninteresting, but he said nothing of it.
"Though, I didsee something." Zelgius watched Sealth carefully, gauging his reaction.
"Oh, and may I ask what it was?" Sealth asked, looking fully at Zelgius, his interest hardly kept a secret behind his eyes.
"It was a…" Zelgius paused, closing his eyes as if to better recall the memory, "You could call it a skeleton, though it wasn't the bones of any man or beast I've ever seen. It was armed, and was pacing just outside the building there." He flicked his wrist in the general direction of the prison and opened his eyes.
"Stalfos…" Sealth murmured, memories of the description and name Link had given him so long ago returning to him.
"So you know of them?" Zelgius almost smiled.
"Not as much as you may think." Sealth rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "My king told me of them. Only described them briefly, actually. He said that they were better fighters than they look, not truly defeated until the bones themselves are shattered."
"So, a single one of these 'Stalfos' could feasibly take down a substantial number of men?"
Sealth looked over at Zelgius with a skeptical glance, but the Begnion general's face showed genuine curiosity, "Well, it's possible yes. Though from what I've heard, they're not fond of straying far from their home, so we don't have to worry about them attacking. Why—if you don't mind me prodding—do you ask?"
"Ah, I was just a bit worried that they may pose a threat. From what I saw, I wouldn't want to take one of those beasties on." Zelgius answered, his gaze wandering off to the east, towards the ghost of blueness hinting at the cool cerulean waters beyond. "But if they don't leave their… cozy home, it seems we have nothing to worry about."
Even if the Hylians did know about the strange creatures living—if you can call it that—in the haunted prison, they would still be helpless when Zelgius put his plan into action. They seemed rather content with the 'explosives' they had set up inside the cave, though the Branded could care less for what they did, as it all was in vain—no one was going to come.
Of course there were no invaders, as Zelgius had told Sealth, but someone was vying to take over the prosperous kingdom of Hyrule—the Branded marshal himself. Not that he had anything against the country, Zelgius' eventual takeover was just one step in a much larger contrivance, one that would eventually bring him back to his homeland of Tellius; though not under the circumstances one may think. Zelgius was no longer a hero there, he had been shunned by those he had protected and ultimately forced from not only the Begnion military, but the entire continent itself.
In only a few more days Zelgius will have collected more than enough of the beasts inhabiting the torrid ruins to easily wipe out not only the the small group of soldiers in the desert, but any other resistance against him. But if the Hylians wanted to waste their last days setting a worthless trap for something that will never come, the Branded would do nothing to stop them.
AVAVA
Mia sat up and stretched, yawning in the pre-dawn light flitting in through the only window in the small room, as floating bits of sand danced expectantly within the scrap of brightness. The four uniform walls surrounding her were carved from reddish stone, cool warmth emanating from its smooth surface. It was the first time in quite a while that any of the mercenaries had slept inside of a warm building, and though she could have slept easily for several more hours, the violet swordmaster found that old habits were, in fact, not all too fond of dying that easily.
Rubbing her eyes sleepily with one hand, Mia reached for her signature white headband resting on the small table next to the bed. Humming, the sleepy mercenary slipped on her thin armor and fastened her sword at her side before quickly brushing through her hair and tying her band into place with a soft sigh.
Pacing through the room quickly to make sure she didn't forget anything, Mia tied her makeshift necklace around her neck and slung a small bag over her shoulder before heading outside to the balcony of sorts that jutted out from her small door. Out in the cool morning air, the light was an effervescent lavender, a sign of the sun just beginning to prepare for its daily task of soaring across the wondrous blue sky as the violet swordswoman walked carefully along the path carved into a steep precipice. At first, Mia had been rather skeptical at the thought of sleeping in the side of a cliff, but the actual experience proved that it was actually much warmer than an ordinary house.
The small town that Volug had called Embe was carved entirely out of a rubicund cliff overlooking a frothy river rushing below. Each 'building' was really a cave tediously chiseled out of stone by the meticulous wolves of Hatari, a thin ladder made out of the wood of the scarce trees of the surrounding area leading up to the higher entrances. It was unlike any place that any of the outsiders had seen before, with thin hallways connecting like chambers, a thin rope bridge linking the two sides of the canyon together.
Upon their arrival, Volug immediately spoke to the leader of the village, explaining why they were here, and kindly requesting room, board and any warnings about the trip ahead. The chief did mention beasts which Volug translated into 'Great Demons of the sand'—beings that swam through the sand, leaving plumes of dust in their wake, mercilessly attacking any who dare to stray too far in the desert alone.
Link had nodded knowingly when told this, and muttered the single word 'Moldorms' though didn't bother to elaborate on his obvious prior knowledge. Even then, he assured Ike that these 'demons' were nothing that they couldn't handle, even if they did happen to run into any of the sand-worms.
Mia stretched again, releasing yet another reluctant yawn before turning to climb up an apparently rickety wooden ladder; though she had no doubts that the piece of equipment was sturdy and reliable. A gentle breeze brushed by, and Mia paused a moment to allow the wind to blow through her hair satisfyingly before continuing to the top of the small ledge leading to the path to the top of the canyon.
She walked along the carefully railed trail, glancing down at the dark river below, still running along its age-old path parallel to the mountains lining the east horizon. As the plateau that was the top of the canyon came into view, Mia noticed the several supply wagons off to the side, and a lone figure standing near the cliff, their robe drifting slightly in the soft breeze. Stefan smiled slightly as Mia walked up next to him and dropped her bag next to his on the cool sandy ground, but didn't take his eyes off the mountains in the east, where thin tendrils of red were snaking up into the sky.
"I am surprised that you are awake this early." He maundered, casting a brief sideways glance towards his companion.
"Hmm," Mia yawned as the entire sky flushed a bright red, the sand and rock below reflecting obediently, "Why's that?"
Stefan shrugged, "I figured that even you would want to take advantage of the comfortable arrangements the kind Hatarians provided for the night."
"Why should you be the only exception?" Mia murmured as the red abyss above them deepened to a crimson only a few shades lighter than blood and a soft yellow glow emanated from the mountaintops.
"I've never missed a sunrise in my life." Stefan's voice was far away, as if he were remembering something from long ago.
Mia nodded in mock understanding, not about to prod; she knew that Stefan had things about his earlier life that he wasn't too fond of speaking of in the present. As they stood in silence, the gold crept higher into the sky, the scarlet sinking into a wondrous shade of orange, with thin wisps of the former red twisting through like rivers through the landscape, not about to give the sky up to the saffron becoming more and more evident in the ever-expanding pallet of the sky.
"They're better in the desert, you know." Stefan said mostly to himself.
"What was that?" Mia was watching the amber push further and further from the stony confines of the eastern crests, a thin blue halo trailing behind it, hinting at the hue that prevailed each and every sunrise.
"Sunrises," the Branded gestured towards the battle of colors taking place before them, "They are always better in the desert. Sunsets as well, but they are not as interesting a show as the sunrise."
As he spoke, the cerulean tinge stretched out from the rising sun and forced the other battling colors to cower farther to the east before slowly dipping completely out of existence. Stefan smiled as the sun pulled itself free of the dark shadows of the mountains and rested warmly on their brightening peaks. Mia sighed contently—almost sad to see the brilliant ruby fade from the sky—before smiling and looking over at her still thoughtful friend.
"You know what else sunrises are good for?" she asked, tapping the hilt of her sword with her finger.
Stefan's smirk broadened a bit as he glanced over at Mia again. "Perhaps," he slowly drew the thin sword sheathed at his side and turned to face the swordmaster beside him, "you should show me?"
"Why, I would be more than happy to," Mia also pulled out her weapon, pointing it towards her friend.
Stefan was the only one who would have a friendly duel with Mia using real weapons, not the cumbersome wooden practice swords. Mia liked it more that way, as the heavy sticks didn't have the same weight and feel that a steel blade did, and they didn't quite give the same satisfaction to wield either. In the past, when Mia tried to explain her dislike of the practice sword to fellow mercenaries, they took it as a sign of sadism.
Though of course the violet swordmaster wasn't a sadist, not even in the slimmest degree—though Mia did fight for pleasure, it wasn't the pleasure of killing another being, it was the pleasure of watching the men's faces when she—a woman—proved to be a more formidable opponent than them. Mia shook her head slightly to clear her head and concentrate on the swordsman in front of her, his Katti cautiously reflecting the powdery blue light surrounding them.
"At your ready," Stefan said with a slight nod of his head.
Mia smiled and leapt forward, beginning her always sought-after duel at dawn with a flash of steel.
Anyone watching the two swordmasters fight and not knowing that the two combatants were as close friends as Mia and Stefan were would think that this was not merely a friendly spar, but a lethal war-like battle to the death. Mia had a slight disadvantage in that the ground they were fighting on was blanketed by a thick layer of loose sand, and the violet swordmaster was not used to fighting on a constantly shifting base—though Stefan was, and the desert swordsman took full advantage of that and the extra strength granted to him by his Laguz blood. Even then, Mia had a bit of an advantage of her own—she was much faster than her well-built opponent, and that made up a bit for her clumsiness as she attempted to dance on top of the unrelenting sands below.
The two trueblades' swords met in an almost cliché manner—both fighters pressing on their blades to keep the others' back, and a dark shape loped up to the scene, its ears twitching as it watched the scene with curious blue eyes.
Mia smiled and, in one fluid motion, shifted her weight back and to the right, causing Stefan—who was still pressing on the Vague Katti—to fall forward a bit, giving Mia the few second she needed to continue her movement into a quick roll around to her opponent's back. By the time the Branded swordsman had recovered from the fraction of a second that he was slightly unsteady on his feet, Mia had Stefan's robed arm pinned behind his back and her sword hovering over his neck.
Stefan chuckled softly and dropped his sword into the sand, "It looks like you win this time," Mia released her friend's arm with a small laugh of her own as he continued; "I'm rather surprised actually."
"Oh, and why is that, hm?" Mia demanded with a slight edge to her voice; she had heard that many times before.
Stefan noticed her tone and laughed again, patting the violet swordmaster on her back, "It is not what you think. I thought you would have a bit of trouble on the sand, as you always had before. There are not many who can handle themselves on the constantly shifting terrain of the desert."
It was then that they noticed the shadowy shape that had been watching them, its dark body a contrast to the brightening sand coating the ground. The black wolf cocked its head and twitched its ears in the swordmaster's direction before taking a few long steps toward them. Without breaking his stride, Link shifted from his lupine form and walked the rest of the distance separating him and the two trueblades.
"Oh, good morning, Link!" Mia said, sheathing her sword quickly.
Stefan smiled and did the same, "It seems as there are more early risers than I had thought."
"Were you two just fighting?" Link asked, genuine concern in his voice.
"Well, yes." Mia admitted, "But not really really. It wasn't like a fight when you think of two people with swords fighting, it was like…" she thought for a moment, "Practice! That's it!" the excitable mercenary beamed, quite pleased with her early morning word finding.
"Hmm, well, I was a little worried. I couldn't decide whether I should've come over to help" Link said, looking past them towards the east mountains, "Anyway, you two ready to go?"
"Wait, are we leaving right now?" Mia asked, glancing back at her and Stefan's bags.
"No, but I have to make a stop before we do, and I don't think Soren would be too fond of that idea." Link answered, looking from the mountains to Mia.
"What do you need from this stop?" Stefan asked, draping his arm over Mia's shoulder.
"We don't really have a way to see inside the caves, and fire is too dangerous to keep burning is such a small place. I have an idea of what we could use instead, though." Link's eyes flickered from Stefan's sword back to Mia, "But I was wondering if you…" His eyes jumped again, "…two would like to come with me."
Mia cocked her head, "But where are you going?"
Link smiled, "To see the queen of the fairies."
Well, what do you think, hm? The next few chapters have been carefuly planned, so hopefuly they'll come rather quickly, though how I hate to make promises... Either way, please leave a review! Though I don't mind really short ones, I much prefer them when they have more substance, with what you like, what you don't like suggestions on what I could make better, or other such things.