HE'S BACK! HE'S BAD! He's a little sad... BUT OTHERWISE FEELING GREAT! ^^
Pens: Why'd he say he's a little sad?
Zayril: He said that the Fullmetal Alchemist manga has finally ended. It was one of his favorites. He loved the last chapter, but was still unhappy to see the story end.
Paper: I see... So, is he still gonna keep writing?
Me: OF COURSE I WILL! School is gonna get out next week, and over the summer, I hope to crank out around a chapter every two weeks! ^^
The three: HOORAY!
Pens and Paper: We're going to hold that to you, OR ELSE!
Me: *gulp*
I hope you guys enjoy the new chapter! I enjoyed writing it, and showing that Link is afraid of some things! ^^
Chapter 10: Giant Fire-Breathing Skulls and Magic Mirrors
Link jumped off of the Spinner and walked up the ramp. I was tired from flying behind Link as he zipped around from wall rail to wall rail on the Spinner. It was amazing how much speed it could pick up on the wall rails. Link approached the giant door with the clunky looking chains and a menacing lock. Midna took the key and put it into the lock. The spikes on the lock popped out, spun around the lock and finally let the chains lose as it fell to the stone floor with an echoing clunk.
"Dang. That's a loud echo.", I whistled in surprise. Link pushed the door up after much effort and he finally lifted it. We all moved forward into the dark corridor, and looked around in awe of the size of the room. It had a strange luminescent glow around it and mist clouded our vision. As we slowly stepped forward, the door slammed down behind us. I looked back and chuckled.
"No going back now.", I muttered. Midna rolled her eyes.
"Tch, as if I'd let you guys go back!", She said with a smirk. Link smiled and walked to the edge. Below him was a steep incline of sand, leading to an enormous beastly skeleton, with various swords and spears stuck into its horned skull. I whistled at the sight of the once terrible behemoth.
"Damn! That thing looks like it took forever to take down! Good thing it's already dead, I'd hate to run into this thing while it was still kicking.", I said with an impressed voice. Midna groaned and I looked at her curiously.
"Way to go Austin. You probably jinxed it. Now it's bound to spring to life and make our lives a whole lot harder.", Midna said jokingly. I laughed and shrugged.
"Yeah, maybe you're right. I guess I should just keep my mouth shut, shouldn't I?", I suggested, realizing that I had forgotten that the skeleton actually would spring up and try to kill us. I grimaced inwardly at my forgetfulness.
'Apparently even when something involves life or death, I still forget about it if I get distracted by something else... That's just peachy.', I thought slightly annoyed at myself. I shook off the feeling when Link started down the incline, only to stop a few yards away from it. as a deep chuckle echoed throughout the chamber. Zant teleported on top of the beast's skull and Link instinctively pulled out his sword and shield.
"I must say boy, you are an odd one. And yet you still live... How astonishing. No wonder some call you 'Hero.' But this is truly a bittersweet reunion... Truly! For I fear this is the last time I will see you alive!", He said as he threw his arms to the side. He groaned and brought them closer together as a red light with shadow balls formed between. He clasped his hands together and an ornate sword sprung out of the red light.
"Don't be afraid Zant. We will return, I can assure you that.", I said confidently with a calm smile on my face. Midna looked at me in utter confusion. Zant stood silent for a moment and chuckled.
"You, boy, are the strangest. If you happen to survive this, however unlikely that may be, I'll be waiting to speak with you and the fairy girl.", Zant said as he swung the sword down, lodging it into the beasts skull, "Good luck. You'll certainly need it against the Stallord."
The Skull shimmered with red lines resembling a Twilight portal and Zant turned his beck. With that, Zant teleported out of the chamber and the Stallord rumbled. In its eyeholes, glowing red orbs formed and it awakened. The entire chamber suddenly blazed alight and the Stallord raised its head and pushed itself up with its bones. It looked back at Link and roared. Wind rippled across us and I tilted my head curiously before flying back out of the way.
Link followed my lead and pulled out the Spinner. He jumped onto it and it connected with the wall rails on the edge of the incline. He began to circle around at rapid speeds and I looked at Navi.
"Okay, I'm totally lost. How did we just get roared at when that thing has no freaking lungs?", I asked her. She opened her mouth to speak then closed it, raised a finger and opened her mouth again, only to close it and shrug.
"Okay, you got me. That's a pretty good question.", Navi said with a giggle. I chuckled and backed out of the way, so as not to get hit by the oncoming spiked top on the wall rail. Link jumped off the wall rail across the room and headed back towards us. Link stepped off of the Spinner and looked at me worriedly.
"How do we kill this thing? I've no idea what to do.", He said worriedly. Midna huffed in annoyance.
"Oh, so now you go to him for advice? What am I, the dog's breakfast?", She asked after floating out of his shadow. Link looked at her in confusion.
"If you've got a suggestion, please feel free to share! That thing scares the shit outta me! I mean, it's HUGE!", He said gesturing to the bone behemoth turning to face us slowly. Midna giggled at Link's anxiousness.
"Take a good look... He may be ridiculously huge, but there's only one bone that's holding him up... If we could destroy that one support...", Midna said as she lead Link to the answer.
"Then he's as good as dead!", Link said in realization, as he slammed his fist into his palm. I chuckled at his poor choice of wording.
"Well, technically, he's already dead.", I pointed out, making Navi giggle. I looked behind Link and frowned.
"And can apparently breath fire. RUN!", I shouted as I flew away quickly. Link jumped on his spinner and dashed out of the way of an oncoming blast of flame. Link jumped off the wall rail towards the Stallords spine, using a spin attack just before the spinner connected with it. Two spinal segments cracked and shattered, sending the Stallord down in surprise. It looked down at its spine in confusion and shook its head, searching for its pesky green nuisance.
Yeah Link! Keep it up Hero!", I shouted out. Link beamed back at me and gave a thumbs-up. I chuckled as he zipped past some zombie soldiers and straight to the spine once more. He attacked it with the spinner and shattered two more spinal segments. The great bone monstrosity fell down in surprise once more and seemed to glare at Link as he zipped away. The Stallord acted fast and knocked Link down off the spinner and sent him flying away from it. Link shouted in pain and I flew quickly, dodging any zombie soldier that popped up to block my way. Navi shrieked in surprise, gripping to my hair for dear life.
"What the hell are you doing?", She screamed as I grabbed the Spinner from the sand. I laughed excitedly as the adrenaline coursed through my veins.
"Giving a helping hand!", I shouted as I flew away from the enormous skeleton, carrying the comparatively large spinner in my arms. Navi rolled her eyes in frustration. I handed Link the spinner and he nodded his head in thanks as he jumped on it and connected with the wall rails.
"At least warn me the next time you're about to do something stupid, so I can exit your hair!", She said rather testily. I laughed joviously.
"Well why do you sit up there in the first place?", I asked with a smirk. She blushed lightly and crossed her arms.
"It's rather comfortable is all...", Navi said slightly embarrassed. I chuckled lightly.
"Well alright. As long as it's comfortable. Next time around, I'll try to remember to warn you.", I said to her politely. She fluttered next to me and nodded.
"Thank you for at least trying to promise.", She said jokingly. I smiled as she cocked her head to the side, smirking at me. Link jumped off the wall rails and dashed around the soldiers towards the Stallords spine. He was blocked by five soldiers a few feet away and he took two of them down with a spin attack. He connected with the wall rail again, spinning on it as he repostioned himself, as to get a good shot at the beasts spine. Three of the soldiers from before came up to block him, but he swerved around them and attacked the spine, shattering two more pieces of the spine, leaving the ribs to connect on the ground and crack under weight. The Stallord roared in pain and fell backwards. Its skeleton sank into the sand and disappeared from sight. Link smirked in triumph and got off of the spinner. The sand in the pit began to sink and empty out somehow. I watched as Link dropped down on top of the sand. The Stallords skull came into view as the sand drained down to the floor. It lay without the red orbs of light in the eyeholes in the center circle of white tile and Link approached it cautiously. He kicked it nervously and jumped back in fear of it springing to life once more.
"Oh relax Link! It's not gonna come back to life! You killed it!", I shouted down to him with a laugh. He glared at me.
"Yeah, you also said we wouldn't have to fight it, and guess what happened?", He stated un-amused. I laughed and Midna snickered. Link grumbled and pushed the spinner into a slot near the skull. He began to rapidly push the button on the spinner making it turn gears below the tiles. The room rumbled and the white tiled portion of the room rose up to equal level with the floor below me. The spinner popped out and Link walked towards me.
"Shit! Link!", I shouted pointing behind him. He whipped around with his sword only to be knocked down off the pedestal by the floating skull of the Stallord. He screamed as he fell to the ground and I swore.
"Damnit! Navi, remember how I promised I'd warn you if I was gonna do something stupid?", I asked her. She looked at me nervously.
"Yeeaah?... Why?", She asked nervously. I chuckled and shrugged.
"Stay here.", I told her. she looked at me like I was crazy.
"No way! I'm not going to sit idly while you go and kill yourself!", She shouted. I smiled at her.
"Alright, you can come with me then.", I said offering a finger. She crossed her arms and blew a strand of hair off of her face.
"Fine! I will!", She said as she took my finger. I smiled and lead her up to my hair. She let go of my finger and nestled down into my mess of hair. I immediately flew down to the place where Link landed and I pulled him up off the ground. He groaned and looked me in the eye.
"You just had to go and jinx it again, didn't you?", He joked. I cracked a smile and helped him stand up. He rubbed his back and looked around for the Stallord's skull.
"C'mon Link. You can make it. You're tougher than this, so quit being a wusseh'!", I joked with him. He eyed me curiously and laughed as he shook his head.
"You're so strange sometimes. Why aren't you normal?", He asked me curiously. I laughed and waved my hand.
"Bah! Being normal's no fun!", I said to him. He chuckled and nodded.
"Too true, now let's finish off that damn freaky Skull, once and for all.", Link said as he picked up the spinner. I nodded and flew around the pedestal as Link went the opposite way on the wall rail that slowly curved up, wrapping around the thick stone pillar. I flew slowly as I wrapped around the stone, and twitched in surprise as the Stallord's skull flew past me with immense speed. Not a moment later, Link came flying by on the wall rail. I flew out in the path ready for the Stallords Skull to come flying out around the corner. It flew out and I smirked. Its head was turned and it was forming a fire-ball aimed at Link. I flew quickly and grabbed onto one of the many spears jammed into its cranial cavity. I was yanked back by the sheer speed of its movement and I held on tightly. Link saw me and stayed silent as he jumped from wall rail to wall rail.
"Hold on!", I shouted to Navi. I wrapped one arm around the shaft as I formed a ball of energy and aimed it at the sword that Zant had created. I fired it and my eyes widened as the Stallord stopped moving and fell down on its side. Link jumped down and looked at me as I floated in midair.
"What did you do to it?", He asked me incredulously. I stuttered and pointed to the sword. He looked at it and his eyes widened.
"Oh, Midna! We're so thick! How did we not realize that before?", He shouted as he slashed mercilessly at the sword. Each time the Master Sword connected with the one Zant created, the Stallord groaned and the red twilight markings shimmered across the skull. The Stallord shook and sprung to life. It hovered over Link and began forming another fireball. I, in turn, shot another ball of energy at the sword and knocked it down on its side once more. Link took the chance to continue slashing the dark sword relentlessly. As the Stallord groaned I felt like someone was watching us, angered by the fact that we were able to take down the Stallord so easily. I chuckled as the Stallord roared in pain and shot up in the air and fell down as it circled the thick stone pillar. It fell to the ground and slided roughly along the ground as Link used the Spinner to climb back up to the top of the pillar. I floated up and watched as the dark sword shot off of the Stallords skull and spun as it landed in the stone above. I floated up just in time to watch it explode into several small black and red squares, leaving behind a small heart shaped ruby with a light maple wood wrapped around the edge of the heart. Link approached it and picked it up.
"Hey Austin. You ever see one of these before?", Link asked. I shook my head and looked at it closely. Navi gasped.
"That's a Heart container! It raises your ability to take damage!", Navi explained from my hair. I raised an eyebrow and nodded.
"Oh, kinda like the piece of heart from earlier right?", I ask. Link nods in affirmation.
"So, how does it work?", I ask him. Link chuckles and smirks.
"Just watch.", He said as he pushed it against his chest. It sank it his chest and gave of small red sparkles as it disappeared inside of Link. Slowly but surely, any injury Link had sustained throughout the battle began to heal and vanish. He breathed in and sighed, shaking slightly as a chill ran down his spine.
"Well I feel better!", Link said with a smile. I nodded in amazement. The room rumbled as a stone bridge extended and connected with the stone pillar that we stood upon. A stone slab lifted to open a giant doorway for us to continue. Midna pulled Occoco out of her storage dimension and set her down on the ground.
"Ah! Do you need to warp out?", She asked with a smile. Link shook his head politely.
"No, actually. We're done here and this is what we found.", Link said holding up the spinner. Occoco's expression turned to one of disappointment.
"Oh, I'm afraid that's not what I'm looking for dear. But thank you very much! If we ever meet up again, be sure to let me know if you need any help warping out!", She said smiling brightly. Link smiled back and nodded. With that, Occoco raced out into the open air. I smiled slightly.
"She seemed nice. I'd like to be able to see her again, she's so motherly.", I said with a chuckle. Navi nodded in agreement.
"C'mon. We're so close to the Mirror of Twilight.", Midna said urging us to move forward. Link smiled and nodded in agreement. We moved forward through the doorway and soon felt a cool breeze grace our faces. Chills ran down my spine from the relaxing feeling, after being inside that damn dungeon for so long. We stepped out of the corridor and into the night air, the moon high in the sky. I allowed my eyes to adjust to the surprisingly bright full moon before looking around. Down below, past the metal safety bars in front of us, was where the old Bulbin camp lay, dead silent. I looked to my left and noticed Link had already gone ahead up the staircase and jumping over the small ditches in between them.
"Oi! Wait for me!", I called out to him. Navi giggled as Link turned around and stuck his tongue out childishly. I chuckled and zoomed ahead of him.
"Hey! No fair, that's cheating!", Link laughed out as he tried to catch up to me. I stuck my tongue out at him and smirked.
"Yeah, neithter is a head start. Now that I've won, let's get that mirror.", I said at the top of the steps. Link walked up next to me and nodded. We turned the corner to the left and walked down the corridor. The corridor suddenly ended as if something had destroyed the wall to the right of us. Link stepped over the rubble and looked around the massive Mirror chamber. A single pillar, wrapped in a stone snake with wall rails on its underside, stood in the middle of the room, while behind it, several immense chains were stuck into the ground and connected to the walls of the round chamber. We moved forward looking up the the towering spires above. Black stone pillars shot into the ground and created some barely visible force-field. Above, a black and red twilight portal formed and poured five Twilight Beasts around the caged area. Link pulled his sword and smirked darkly.
"Tch. A final attempt to keep us from finding the mirror? That's pretty depressing of Zant to do.", Link said as he watched the creatures pull themselves off of the ground. I shrugged and flew up high, so as to avoid harm. I had been feeling tired and stretched as I yawned. Navi took note of this and giggled.
"Tired? Helping take down a monster of that proportion must be.", Navi said with a smile as I laid back as if in a hammock. I nodded and gazed up at the stars twinkleing above. Below us, Link took down another Twilight Beast as a wolf, before moving on to the final three. I chuckled at the sound of the beasts falling to the ground and exploding into small black and teal squares. The zipped up past me and Navi as they formed a black twilight portal covered in teal lines. I stared at the portal, getting lost in my thoughts as I stared at the swirling teal lines at the center of the portal.
I snapped to attention as Link climbed up the spiraling snake on his spinner. He reached the top and was launched into a gear-turner. He repeatedly pressed the button on the Spinner with his foot, turning the gears and making the chamber rumble and reverberate. Slowly, the statue began to sink into the sand and it raised the pillars holding the chains up. As the staue sank, an enormous black boulder was pulled up from the sand, and suspended in the air by the chains. I floated downwards as Link moved towards a raising pedestal from the sand. I saw it and inwardly sighed. The mirror was there, or at least, part of it was. Midna zipped forward in anticipation and her eyes met the shard of the mirror. Her faced turned from one of excited to one of despair and anguish. She shook her head, refusing to believe that it was destroyed. She slowly turned her despair into rage and she screamed to the heavens.
"ZAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNNT!"
I hung my head in silence, leaving Midna be, so as to let her calm herself. Midna let herself fall to the ground with her head hung low, arms limp at the side. Link frowned sadly, and approached her to try and comfort her. I reached out to stop him, but he ignored me and moved up the steps.
"Midna...", He began. His thoughts were interrupted as he slowly noticed glowing figures, high atop the pillars' crests. Upon closer inspection, I noticed that the crest held the sages symbols. Shadow, Spirit, Light, Forest, Fire, and Water. The crest for water was broken and had no glowing figure atop it. Link looked around in awe at the figures.
"Midna. Midna look...", He whispered. She brought her head up and looked up, only to widen her eyes in shock. After a long silence, they spoke as one.
"A dark entity lurks in the twilight... It houses an evil power... You who are guided by fate... You who possess the crest of the goddesses... Hear us.", They began. Navi gaped at the figures.
"It's the sages...", She whispered in awe. The sages continued.
"At the command of the goddesses, we sages have guarded the Mirror of Twilight since ancient times.", The one over the crest of Light spoke. The one above the crest of Forest continued.
"You seek it... but the Mirror of Twilight has been fragmented by mighty magic."
"That magic is a dark power that only he possesses...", The spirit sage spoke as he lifted his arms and turned his head. The Light sage had his back turned to us as he spoke.
"His name is...", He said as he turned around and raised his arms to the side, "Ganondorf."
"He was the leader of a band of thieves who invaded Hyrule in the hopes of establishing dominion over the sacred realm. He was known as a demon thief, an evil-magic wielder renowned for his ruthlessness...", They spoke.
"... But he was blind..."
"In all his fury and might, he was blind to any danger, and thus was he exposed, subdued, and brought to justice.", They continued.
"Sentenced to death, by sword blessed by the goddesses themselves, at our very hands."
"Yet... He lived on... By some divine prank, he, too, had been blessed with the chosen power of the gods."
"Thus, he'd escaped, and killed one of our own...", They said hanging their heads in sorrow and covering their faces with their hands.
"With no other chance at subduing him, we used the magic of the Mirror of Twilight, and trapped him."
"His abiding hatred and lust for power turned to purest malice..."
"Perhaps that evil power has been passed to Zant...", A sage suggested. Midna scoffed in a sad mood.
"You're just now figuring out where Zant got his power? It's far too late...", She told them. They spoke back to her.
"Only the true leader of the Twili can utterly destroy the Mirror of Twilight... so Zant could merely break it into pieces.", They explained, "Once broken by magic, the Mirror of Twilight became fragments, which even now lie hidden across the land of Hyrule."
"One is in the snowy mountain heights... One is in an ancient grove... And one is in the heavens...", They spoke. Midna floated up and put her hands on Links shoulder, listening intently.
"You who have been sent by the goddesses... You should be able to gather the three pieces...", They said as they vanished. Their voices, however, continued.
"But you must be prepared, for a dangerous power resides in those fragments...", Their voices echoed. Link and Midna looked at each other, then at Navi and me. I smiled and nodded, making them in turn smile and nod. Midna pulled out the dark crystal and pushed it into Link's forehead.
"C'mon you two, we're going back to Castle Town to look for some leads.", Midna said as she jumped onto Link's furry back. I smirked and held up a hand.
"Hold on just a second.", I said turning around to face the spires.
"Nabooru, Impa, Saria, Darunia, and Rauru, thank you all for your help. We'll be back soon.", I said to the spires.
"... Be safe child...", A young female voice spoke. Navi's eyes widened in shock.
"... Saria?...", She whispered in a stunned voice. I nodded and turned to sit down on Link's back before we warped away. I had a feeling of nausea and gripped my stomach as we appeared in front of the castle town gate. I floated off of Link and started to breath slowly. Midna pulled the crystal out of Link's forhead, changing him to normal. She sank into Link's shadow as he walked across the drawbridge. Our eyes were drawn to Hyrule castle, the yellow barrier shining brightly under the moonlight.
"! WAAAAAAIT!", A familiar voice called out. I cringed and looked around in fear, subconsciously forming a ball of magic in order to defend myself. The mailman came running towards Link from Castle Town speedily. Link nodded in acknowledgement at him with a courteous smile. He skidded to a halt and panted a bit before standing up straight.
"Greetings ! I have come to deliver a letter. It is a letter from Barnes.", He said handing Link the letter, "Well, my business is concluded! Onward to mail!"
With that he charged off back to castle town and disappeared out of sight. Navi and I shuddered and I dispelled my magic. Link opened the letter non-chalantly and read it to himself.
"How can he be so... so awake at this time of night?", I asked in a disturbed voice. Navi shook her head.
"I don't know... Maybe he's a descendent of that running man who I met with you-know-who a long time ago.", Navi suggested. I shrugged and followed behind Link as he put the letter in his pouch. We entered Castle Town and we passed by the flickering torches that kept the streets lit up. As we passed the Fountain in the Castle Town square, I tapped Navi and pointed to the shimmering water. Navi fluttered by my side as I splashed my face with water to cool off. I still felt hot from being in the desert temple. Navi looked at me in disappointment. I looked back at her and tilted my head to the side.
"What?...", I asked her. Her eyes widened and she blushed a bit, shaking her head back and forth.
"Am I in trouble?", I asked her nervously. She looked at me and giggled.
"No! Well, sorta. I wasn't expecting you to get your hair wet... Now I've lost my seat...", she said in a mock pouty voice. I chuckled and rolled my eyes.
"My bad, next time I'll try to keep my messy hair, that's in desperate need of washing by the way, dry when splashing water over my face.", I said sarcastically. Navi laughed and we caught up behind Link. As we approached the small alley way that held the entrance to Telma's bar, a line of soldiers came marching by. The soldiers saw me and hurried the pace of their already relaxed marching. I chuckled as they tried to remain cool, even if their faster pace betrayed them. Link looked at me and shook his head.
"Austin, you can be cruel. You know that, right?", Link asked as he cracked a small smile. I laughed and nodded.
"Yeah, but they need to be able to face their fears if they're gonna be good soldiers!", I said as I yawned and blinked tiredly. Midna giggled, and Link chuckled, shaking his head as he walked down the stairs.
"He has a point you know. Good soldiers can't be cowardly. As a matter of fact Link, you'd probably be a better soldier than all of them!", She pointed out from his shadow. Link blushed a little from the compliment and waved it off.
"No way! I'm not that brave!", He said modestly. I raised an eyebrow.
"Not that brave? Link my friend, the soldiers here piss themselves when they see my eyes and fangs from the shadows. You have defeated many a monster, including an enormous skeleton and a large sword wielding ghost! I'm pretty sure that you're braver than them.", I explained to him with a smirk. Link held up a finger to make a point, then put his hands to the side.
"Okay, so I'm a little braver than the soldiers. So what?", Link asked. I smacked my forehead in frustration and reached out to open the door to Telma's bar.
"Always the modest one, aren't you Link?", I asked him as we entered. Link chuckled and shrugged. Telma sighed from behind the bar, as she dusted some of her shelves off.
"Listen you cowards, this is the last time I'm going to say it! The bar is closed for the night!", She shouted angrily. I smirked and looked at Link. He smiled and shrugged.
"Ouch! Looks like we aren't wanted here Link. Aw, now don't cry big guy! I'm sure she'll forgive us eventually!", I said waiting for her to turn around. Right on cue she looked around in surprise.
Oh my! Well if it isn't Link and Austin and cute lil' Navi! You'll have to forgive me, I thought you were those soldiers trying to get drunk again. So how are you all?", Telma asked with a warm smile.
"We're good. We need to get something to eat before we bunk for the night.", Link explained. Telma nodded in understanding.
"I see. So, how's that Ilia doing, honey? I'm sure that shaman will find a way to get her memory back. That Renado is a talented man, for sure! Anyway, honey, you've got your things to worry about, so you just make sure you do what needs doing right now, okay? Now, I'm not doubting you, honey, but if you're wondering what ought to be doing, you ought to go talk to our friend Ashei. She's up on Hyrule's northern mountain checking things out, and she's got good instincts, trust me. If you need detailed directions, just take a peek at that map on the table.", She said gesturing over to the group sitting around a table.
"Thank you Telma!", Link said with a smile as we went over to the group. A young man with neatly combed red hair, wearing a purple shirt and round glasses looked at Link. He smiled politely as we approached him.
"Oh, hello there! You must be Link and Austin, correct?", He asked politely. I smiled back.
"You are indeed correct!", I told him. He chuckled.
"I'm Shad. Wonderful to meet you. Telma told me all you've been up to. You're rather formidable!", He complimented Link. Link shook his head to disagree but I elbowed him in the ribs and shot him a look that said 'Take the damn compliment.'
"I'm rather NOT, I'm afraid. Well, I'm formidable at book reading, but I lack, shall we say, physical skills. That said, if history and legends are your cup of tea, I'm your fellow! If you're curious, just ask away.", Shad explained. I smiled.
"Well I'd love to hear about some of that, but not tonight. We're just about to call it a night, but decided we'd come over and say hello! Another time perhaps?", I suggested. Shad's expression brightened and he nodded.
"Yes, of course!", He said with a bright smile. I chuckled and Link tapped Auru on the shoulder and brought his attention off of the map. He looked up at Link and smiled warmly.
"Say... Link! You're alive and well! Tell me, did you find anything at the Arbiter's Grounds in the desert?", Auru asked curiously. Link nodded.
"Yep. We found a mirror and actually spoke to the sages.", I said to Auru. His eyes widened in surprise.
"The sages... Those sages once served the royal family, actually. They were appointed as tutors to the young Princess Zelda. It was from them that I first heard tales of the accursed mirror in the Arbiter's Grounds.", He explained. I raised an eyebrow in interest.
"You've met the sages before?", I asked him. He looked at me and nodded.
"Indeed I did. Once, when I was younger, and still head of the Royal Family's bodyguards. I was in charge of little Princess Zelda, and that is when I heard the story of the mirror.", Auru explained. I looked at him in amazement.
"Wow! Oh! I don't think I properly introduced myself last time! I'm Austin.", I said holding a hand out across the table. Auru took it and shook it.
"Hello Austin, I am Auru. It's a pleasure to meet you.", He said as he chuckled. I smirked and looked at the man to my left. Link smiled at him and the man smiled back.
"Hi! I'm Link! And you are?", He greeted the man. The man smirked, the top of his face hidden by a leather helmet with metal netting covering his eyes.
"It's good to see you again...", He said as he pulled the helmet off, "Link!"
"Rusl? But what are you doing here?", Link asked in confusion. Rusl chuckled, his blond hair glimmering in the torchlight.
"My wife, Uli, sent word to me. I have seen the children in Kakariko village! And, of course, I have also heard of your adventures! I must thank you for your help with Colin, Link. I barely recognized him... In any case, I am troubled by my own inaction. I want to help the cause.", He explained, pausing for breath.
"These friends here...," He said motioning to Shad and Auru, "I have had a connection with them for a long while."
"Like the others, I am gathering information now. I will let you know if I hear anything.", He said putting his helmet back on. Link nodded and smiled.
"Well, it was nice meeting you all, but we've had a rough day, what with defeating the Stallord and all. We'll tell you about it sometime, but right now I think it's a good time to get some sleep.", I said as I yawned and stretched my arms. Navi also yawned and fluttered over by Telma. The three men looked at Navi in awe. I looked at them strangely.
"Uh, guys? What's up?", I asked them. Shad cleared his throat and looked at me.
"That was a blue fairy, was it not?", Shad asked curiously. I nodded.
"Yeah that's Navi. I met her a little while after I met Link. Why?", I asked. Shad repositioned his glasses before continuing.
"You see, fairies are extremely rare. Finding them is nigh impossible, let alone finding one that isn't pink.", He explained. I nodded my head.
"I see, so she's special? Well even I could've told you that!", I said laughing. Auru smiled slightly and waved me and Link off.
"Go on now you two. From what you've said, it's been a long day, so I suggest that you go to sleep and take tomorrow off. Hyrule can wait one more day while you recover.", Auru said to us. Rusl nodded.
"I agree. No use trying to save this country when you're on the verge of collapsing.", He joked. Link and I chuckled and said our goodnights. We sat down at the bar and began to eat with Telma and Navi. We told jokes, and laughed, and enjoyed each other's company overall. Eventually, I got so tired that rested my arms against the bar, and laid my head against them, slowly drifting to sleep.
-(Change POV)-
Navi watched as Austin laid his head down against his folded arms and closed his eyes. She smiled lightly and looked at him as his breath began to slow and deepen. Telma took notice of this and looked at Link.
"Hey, honey, how about you set up the sleeping bags? It's probably time that you all get some sleep for the night.", Telma suggested. Link looked at Austin and chuckled.
"Sure thing. Then we'll get him into a sleeping bag for the night. He must be drained from using magic so much today.", Link said as he got up to set the sleeping bags up. Telma looked at Navi as she stared at Austin's sleeping form. She chuckled at Navi's actions.
"You two really are something.", She said shaking her head. Navi looked up at Telma and blushed.
"W-what?", Navi asked in embarrassment. Telma laughed quietly.
"Oh, nothing. But look at him, he looks so innocent when he's asleep. I never would've expected an imp, a kid no less, to be such a gentleman.", Telma siad as she grabbed the dishes and leftover food. Navi looked at Austin and put a small hand against his cheek. He twitched in his sleep and started to smile. Telma looked back and smiled.
"You should tell him sometime. Him being such a gentleman, it would be a shame if you missed out on him.", Telma commented as she wiped a mug clean. Navi turned bright red and her wings began to flutter. She took a deep breath and started to calm herself down.
"I-I have no idea what you're talking about!", Navi said quietly as she crossed her arms. Telma's smile shrunk a bit and she sighed.
"Alright, you don't have to if you don't want to. But remember, if you don't, you just may end up regretting it for the rest of your life. I of all people would know about that, honey.", Telma said sadly. Navi looked up at her curiously.
"W-what do you mean?...", Navi asked curiously. Telma sighed and turned around.
"I'll tell you another time, honey. Now, off to bed with you three! You need to rest up, today and tomorrow! Sleep well.", Telma said with a warm smile. Link walked up and picked Austin up off of his seat. Austin grumbled in his sleep and he shifted in Link's arms. Navi fluttered behind Link as he set Austin down into an opened sleeping bag. Austin curled up and shivered a bit as Link closed the sleeping bag. Navi laid down next to Austin and stared at him. He did look innocent when he was asleep.
"... Were it... so easy...", Austin muttered in his sleep. Navi tilted her head in confusion and giggled before resting her head against the same pillow.
"Goodnight Austin...", Navi whispered and kissed him lightly on the nose. He scrunched up his face and smiled lightly in his sleep. Navi closed her eyes and slept happily next to her favorite orange haired imp.
I hope you enjoyed the chapter! I know I did! Especially with the cameos! Please review! I reeeeaaaalllllyyyyy like reviews! ^^
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