Chapter Five:
Initiating War
"And they will deceive every one his neighbour, and will not speak the truth: they have taught their tongue to speak lies, and weary themselves to commit iniquity." ~ Jeremiah 9:5
Streaks of salt sat uninhibited over her cheeks. With her back bent, she barely acknowledged the tomblike silence anymore, as she had become accustomed to it over the past few hours. Not a thing stirred about the once bright and cheery room. Even the curtains, which had always been opened to let the sunlight stream in, were pulled tightly shut.
The curtains were shut. The thought drew her from her daze long enough to hurriedly go to the window and throw back the drapes. He loved the sunlight, no matter how dim it may be through the darkening clouds. He always wanted the sunlight. He needed the sunlight.
The adrenaline boost lasted only a few mere seconds before she turned back to the prone figure on the bed, as wearisome as she had been, if not more so. There he was, as still and unmoving as before. Despite herself, she had hoped that when her back was turned, perhaps there would be a change… He would sit up, smiling that beautiful smile like he always did, and wonder why everything was so sad today… He'd comment on how even the clouds looked as thought they were about to cry, how gloomy and grey they were.
But his face was still pale as a ghost, his blond hair damp and darkened from sweat of fever. He twitched occasionally, most likely the result of dreams – dreams that Zelda felt a motherly urge to shield him from. But she couldn't… She went back to her chair and sunk into its cushions, much to the protest of her back and legs, which were by now sore, understandably so, from being in the same position for so long. But she wasn't willing to leave him even a moment – he could wake up at any time, and she wanted to be there when he did.
The image of the three horses thundering into the castle courtyard flashed in her mind. Upon seeing the guards' and Caine's distraught expressions, she had alerted Link and hurried down to the castle's grand foyer. The threesome were just coming in; one of the guards had cradled Abyll's small, limp body in his arms.
"He touched the Master Sword, Majesty." To her surprise, the soldier's voice was thick with emotion. "I've never seen a reaction this bad."
She remembered how her heart had sunk like a rock in the ocean, how her throat had constricted so tight, she felt she would burst. Abyll was only a boy; a very small boy. The effects on any common adult to touch the sword were bad enough; touch it long enough, and your hand could be forever deformed. But on such a small boy… It was obviously disastrous.
Her throat tightened again. She reached out to gently caress her son's heavily bandaged hand. The doctor had been unable to uncurl his small fingers, short of breaking them, so tense were the muscles there that he feared the damage was permanent. It grieved her to see her little boy in such pain…
Raised voices emanated from across the hall, muffled by the door of Abyll's room. Though she couldn't understand what they said, she heard the frustration in their tones, and knew exactly who their owners were.
~-LoZ-~
"Why on earth would you take him to see the sword?"
"He wanted to see it!"
"You lied to those guards."
"They wouldn't have let me in if I hadn't!"
Link ran a hand over his face, trying to keep the anger from his expression, and his voice. Caine had a retort for everything he said, refusing to catch his drift. Any attempt to point out the wrong he had done, and the prince easily deflected it. "I'm very disappointed in you."
"Yeah, tell me something I don't know."
The contempt in Caine's voice shocked him. Even after months of this attitude, it never seemed to level out. It kept escalating and escalating, and Link didn't know how much longer Caine could bear it.
"Caine… A part of me thinks you somehow knew this would happen! You're a very smart boy, and you know the history and logistics surrounding the Sword. Did you want Abyll to touch it, perhaps to see him hurt?"
Hurt and betrayal took hold of Caine's face, twisting his features as he stepped back, almost warily. It made Link's stomach drop with guilt, but it had to be said! With all that had happened recently, it was a very possible notion.
"You're choosing his side over me again?" Caine's voice rose a whole octave, and distress clouded his face. "What kind of a father does that?"
"Caine-"
"No! I'm tired of it! Sick, and tired of it! I don't want your explanations; I want you out! Out of my room, out of my head, and out of my life!" There was no over exaggeration or melodrama to his voice. Caine was deadly serious – very evident in the fury blazing in his eyes. Link didn't know whether to be furious at the boy's gall, or disappointed in the obvious hatred with which he saw his own father.
Caine, in the meantime, whirled around and stalked to his balcony. He seemed to retreat there often, and Link or Zelda had many a time found him gazing out over Hyrule at twilight, as if there was something out there that only he could see.
Link knew he had to fix this somehow. The thoughts that had haunted him for the past few months returned in full force, but he pushed them away. He couldn't afford to think that way now! He took a hesitant step toward his son.
"Caine…"
Caine stiffened. "Get. Out." He slowly turned back to him, and the pure ferocity in his gaze made Link shiver.
"Caine, listen-"
"Get out! I said get out, and I meant it!" In a fluid motion, Link saw Caine move and in the next moment, a book hurtled through the air toward him. He managed to duck, and the book clattered against the far wall. Silence took reign once again. Caine attempted to calm his breath whilst Link stared at him, aghast. What had possessed Caine as to push him this far? Certainly it wasn't simply what had happened to Abyll. It seemed that Caine's wrath had no bounds.
Link knew that pursuing resolution would get no further tonight. Caine didn't want him there, as he so vehemently stated, and there was nothing he could do at the moment. He had no choice but to leave.
"All right, Caine… I'm going." He stepped toward the door, watching as Caine kept his harsh gaze on his every move. When it was clear he would not change his mind, Link resignedly turned for the door.
Sorrow crashed down on him like a wave. Had he truly been such a terrible father that Caine wanted nothing to do with him? If so… What had he done wrong? Why couldn't he figure out where the mistake had been? And what of Abyll, and Erulissë? … Would they grow to hate him, too?
Perhaps his thoughts were right… Perhaps… though it pained him to admit, this wasn't the life for him. Maybe Zelda – and the children – would be better off without his presence…
"Father."
Link whirled at Caine's address, a very dim hope igniting that perhaps the boy had changed his mind. But the young prince was back at his balcony, gazing out. When he turned, Link saw easily that the contempt hadn't left his gaze.
"Yes?" While Link's mind had resigned, he couldn't help the hopefulness in his voice. Caine didn't take notice.
"Look out a window."
A window. Not 'come here, look' or anything close to welcoming. Just 'look out a window'. With that, Caine turned back to look out over the dreary landscape. Link was dismissed, just like that.
With his heart heavy once more, he exited the room, being sure to close the door behind him. His gaze was drawn to Abyll's room, where he knew Zelda sat, restlessly awaiting Abyll's wake. His queen… needed someone right now… But a chord in Caine's last words struck him wrong, and his curiosity was peaked. Caine wasn't usually cryptic; he most likely had literally meant for Link to look out a window. And judging by when he said it, he probably also meant a window that faced the same direction as the balcony.
Link didn't have to go far – just down the hall and around the far corner – to find one. Brushing the bangs from his forehead, he looked out over Hryule.
The effects of the dry year were so very evident, it pained Link to see. The once lush, green grass was now splotched with ugly brown and tan – the color of death in nature. The tree branches danced in the fierce winds of the oncoming storm, and lightning bolted through the clouds. The clouds that seemed to get darker and darker the further away they went…
No. They were black. And only in one spot. In fact, that was not the clouds at all. It almost looked like…
Smoke. Billowing from just beyond the horizon to the south. It almost looked like it was coming from…
Link's jaw slackened with horror. Ordon. No! Any place but Ordon!
Instinct seemed to take over; the familiar feeling of adrenaline coursed through his veins, and he whirled around and bolted for the nearest staircase. He descended as fast as he possibly could, not even concerned about falling. It seemed to take ages, but he reached the throne room, startling the guards who stood rigid at their posts.
"Sound the alarm!" His own voice sounded foreign to his ears, much harsher and louder than the voice he'd used when speaking with his son. Just the abruptness of it made the guards flinch. "Dispatch a group of soldiers on our fastest horses and make haste for Ordon! The village burns!"
To Link's short-lived relief, the guards sensed the direness of the situation and two immediately disappeared out the front doors. Link addressed another pair, giving rapid-fire commands.
"Ready a regime to follow after the emergency troops, packing supplies and extra horses. Alert medical personnel and inform them of our departure. It looks like a nasty one; they'll need quick relief. Impa!"
The Sheikah, who had most likely heard the ruckus and come to investigate, straightened. "Majesty?"
"Get word out to the city here; if it's an electrical storm, we don't want anyone outside. Including guards! Issue the command for them to retreat to their guardhouses."
"Yessir." Without another word, she slipped out the doors and was gone. A young page hurried to come when Link beckoned.
"Ready Epona, Cam. Try to beat your previous record! Quickly!"
The boy nodded and dashed away, bursting out the doors and leaving Link in silence. Without wasting a moment, the king whirled and hurried back up to his chambers, to his study.
As he took his thickest cloak, his telltale cap, and his war-battered but ever faithful shield, he suddenly whirled when he heard the creaking of the door. Zelda jumped, and he immediately softened, particularly at seeing the redness of her eyes. He set the shield on the bureau and stepped up to her. She instantly wrapped her arms around his waist.
"You're leaving." This was not a question.
Link stroked her shoulders as he nodded. "I must. Ordon – or someplace very close to it – has caught fire. Probably a lightning strike. They'll need help; I can see the smoke from here."
She sighed against his shoulder, tilting her head to plant a soft kiss on the fabric of his tunic at his chest. "Be careful… I don't need to worry about you, too, right now."
So Abyll hadn't improved. That much was obvious from her voice.
"I promise." Reluctantly, he stepped away from her, reaching back to firmly grasp his shield. "I'll be back as soon as I can."
"The Lord be with you." She gave him a slight bow, as she always did when he slipped into his 'Hero face', as she called it. He smiled and bowed in return.
"And with you, my queen."
"I love you."
"And I love you. Pray, Zelda. For Ordon, for Hyrule… for Caine and Abyll."
~-LoZ-~
Caine watched with bland intrigue as the smoke billowed from the south like a great, black monster rearing its ugly head. That was most likely Ordon Village, or at least one of the pastures or woods or fields surrounding it. With how dry a year it had been, it was no small wonder that lightning had set it ablaze. As expected, his father had dashed off for Ordon; Caine had been able to hear the king's orders all the way on his level.
Try as he might, though, he couldn't keep his scorn for his father bound. It ran wild in his mind and heart, brimming over like the pus of a wound long infected. But this time, there was no medicine, no soothing salve to take away the sting and heal the scar. The way he saw it, it was no use trying anymore. The pain, the rejection, the bias was here to stay. And with that resignation, something in his heart began to hurt.
Why? Why were his eyes burning? It wasn't as if he could've expected anything more or less. They loved his brother. And they despised him, distrusted him like a common rabble-rouser. Of course, he knew in his heart that his father's accusations had been true, but the very fact that his own father would suggest it unknowingly was almost too much to bear. Did they truly think that low of him? Did they truly have so little faith in him, so little trust that they would so readily assume? Caine leant heavily on the rail of his balcony, hanging his head in despair. Was he truly so worthless?
A racket arose from within his room, and he whirled around. A shadow flitted back into the blackness of the corners of the walls, and all was still again. A feeling of wariness accompanied a chill up his spine, and the hair on the back of his neck stood on end. He cautiously made his way through the glass doors and into the dark of the room.
Nothing stirred. It was so still, it was unnatural.
A pile of books strewn on the floor beside his small, round table caught his eye. Hadn't those been on the table before? How had they gotten on the floor? In fact, a number of things had been on the table's surface. A glass of tea, now spilled on the tile, some sheathes of paper and a quill pen, and a bottle of ink, all scattered about at the table's feet.
Caine approached, and was about to bend to pick up the items when the table surface caught his eye in particular. Upon closer inspection, great unorthodox letters had been gouged into the wood. Long, primitive strokes, and four short words.
Come
Time
Hall
Now
What on earth? Who had written this? Surely no one could have come into his room so quietly! But… who else could it have possibly been?
Still. The message said to go to Time Hall. And right now, no less! Whoever had done this had to have been right there, and written it very quickly, because he had just been writing in his journal a few mere minutes ago, before his father had come in. The table had been perfectly normal.
After one last glance out off the balcony, Caine fetched his cloak, his boots… and his saber.
He was going to Time Hall.
~-LoZ-~
To Link's relief, and yet horror, it was not Ordon's village that burned, but one of its adjacent crop fields. The dry vegetation fed the fire all too eagerly, and all efforts to hinder it had failed. Evening darkened the skies – it had taken several hours for the larger regime to reach Ordon – and the village was taking the necessary precautions, as the wind was from the west, and drove the flames closer and closer to the homes of the people. Link and his men continued to try desperately to contain the flames.
"Dear God, help us!" cried one of the soldiers as the flames roared fiercely. "Help us, please! Save these innocent people!"
Link shook his head as something wet splattered on his nose. Another landed on his forehead. He looked up at the churning clouds above, and a sense of vertigo overcame him. For a moment, it was as if a raging sea stretched out above them. And then, he saw it. The wall, the great shimmering curtain… of rain.
It overtook the landscape far faster than the fire, and as it reached the soldiers and the villagers, many began to shout and dance for joy. The rain came down in heavy sheets, hard and fast, and the fire slowly died.
Link's relief nearly drowned him. He tilted his head back into the rain and lifted his hands, smiling as he felt the heavenly water quickly soak him. His heart swelled with thanksgiving. Not only had their prayers been answered in the slaying of the fire, but the countryside finally had rain! Sweet, cool, drenching, much-needed rain.
Songs of praise began to rise from the village nearby, and Link knew that the people had emerged to celebrate in the rain they had so thirstily prayed for. O God, you are so good…
He gripped the saddle horn suddenly as Epona lifted her front end off the ground, squealing triumphantly and pawing at the air with great strokes. Link laughed – had it really been that long since he really, truly laughed… It felt good.
He hoped the rain would do well to lift Zelda's spirits as well. It was only a matter of time before it reached Keskus.
~-LoZ-~
Caine kept to the wall of Time Hall as he carefully approached the front doors from behind. The guards stood under the short roof that the pillars supported, he knew, because of the rain, and he'd have to take them out quickly. After today's earlier episode, which they most likely blamed him for, there was no way they were going to let him in.
Something in him wished he could just run those pigheaded guards through and be done with it. But the better side of him didn't quite feel like becoming a murderer any time soon… He peered around the corner of the building. There the guards stood, faithfully, at their designated posts. Didn't they ever get bored?
He silently drew his sword. He only had one chance at this… Faster than a blink – indeed, faster than Caine had expected of himself – he leapt out at the guard closest to him. The man gave one yell of surprise before the hilt of Caine's saber slammed into his temple. He fell in a heap at the prince's feet.
The other guard, as expected, had easily seen it and came barreling for them. Caine got in two steps of a running start and spiraled over his head, landing gracefully on his feet behind him. Chuckling, he swung his arm, sword hilt extended. The guard had barely swiveled before he was lying unconscious on the hard stone aside his cohort. Chortling, Caine sheathed his sword. And that was that.
That had almost been too easy. The king obviously needed to improve the protection of the Great Halls.
He pushed through the front doors and into the silent sanctuary of stone within. The fire, by the looks of things, had gone out long ago, and only charred embers and wisps of smoke remained. The atmosphere was cold, and considering he was already soaked to the skin, Caine shivered.
"Play the song," croaked a strange voice, who's rasping tones echoed over the marble. Caine jumped; he had assumed he was alone. His gaze darted about, searching for the voice's source, but found nothing. Who had said that?
"Play the song."
The song… "Who are you?"
"Play the song."
Caine growled in annoyance, but then stopped himself. Perhaps this was the one who had put the message on his table. If so, he needed to act courteous, or they would be less obligated to explain to him.
"You mean the Song of Time?"
"The Song of Time. Play the Song of Time."
Okay. Clear enough. Caine dug in the pouch of his satchel and withdrew the Ocarina. He positioned his mouth on the mouthpiece, and slowly began to play. The notes, as always, were fluent and stunningly eerie. The mysterious audience said nothing until the last note was played, and the Door of Time was opened.
"All right. I played it. Now what?"
"Draw the sword."
"Draw the sword? Are you insane? That thing nearly… nearly killed my brother only a matter of hours ago."
"Draw the sword."
Caine didn't know who or what this thing was, but it seemed to have a knack for being repetitive. It was irking. "All right, all right…"
Something he hadn't felt in a long while welled up in his chest. Something like fear. What would it do to him if he wasn't meant to draw it, as was most likely? Abyll got the best of everything, and if Sir Perfect couldn't draw it, then surely Caine couldn't.
There it was. The Master Sword. Sitting locked in the stone pedestal in all of its unhindered splendor. Thunder rumbled outside, almost like a setting drumroll. Caine swallowed and was glad he had brought gloves. They would perhaps deaden the shock. Though… they were soaked… Strike that idea.
"Draw the sword."
"I'm drawing! Patience is a virtue." Caine sighed. It was now or never. Better to get it done and over with quickly. He strode to the pedestal, and latched his hand over the hilt.
Nothing happened. No surge of energy, no electric shock, no pain… Nothing. Caine barely contained a gasp of surprise. His left hand joined the other and he gripped the hilt firmly in front of him. Still nothing.
A grin tugged at his lips now, and with a grunt, he pulled the sword from its resting place. It came free much easier than he'd thought it would, and the extra momentum made him stagger back. But he barely noticed. He was holding the Master Sword in his own hands, the mighty blade held out before him.
He… was the Chosen Hero?
He gave a short laugh. Then more laughter proceeded to burst from his throat as he wielded the sword about. The maniacal sound echoed through the hall until he finally quieted, bringing the blade up in front of his face.
"I am… the Chosen… Hero." He chortled darkly. "Ah, take that Father. Now what do you think of me?"
"Good, good. Now, touch the stone."
Caine frowned, at both the reminder of the strange voice and the words it spoke. "Stone? What stone?"
"This stone."
Something flashed in the corner of the room, and Caine turned to investigate. Sure enough, a great, multicolored gem sat upright against the wall. It had to be perhaps the largest jewel Caine had ever seen! It looked to be about as big as his head! Good sir, that was a big stone. That alone could earn a man a fortune; one would never have to work again! How it had gotten here, Caine couldn't guess. But the voice had been right about the sword, and it now wanted him to touch the stone, so he would. Without hesitation, he reached out and splayed his palm against the gleaming rock.
Almost immediately, he wished he hadn't. A strange sensation shot up his arm. There was a blinding flash of light… and then darkness.
~-LoZ-~
"My king! My king!"
Link reined Epona around to face the speaker in the crowd. He spotted a man hastily making his way through the people. "Peace to you!"
"The Lord has been good this day, but I only wish the good tidings could last." The elderly man's voice was filled with a collage of emotion – something like sorrow, anger, and warning all stirred together.
Link frowned, and dismounted his horse to meet the man on the correct level. But as people began to follow the king's gaze, a wide berth suddenly opened about the stranger. Link could clearly see the man before he even reached him. He carried something rather large over his shoulder… And the sight of it made his stomach churn.
"This fire," said the man with passion as he stood before Link, "was no accident." He dropped a very heavy, very dead grey dragon onto the ground at Link's feet. The people murmured, and some gasped and moved back.
A small creature, it was. Very small compared to certain infamous dragons recorded in Hyrulian history. But, it was still a dragon. And dragons hadn't been active in Hyrule for generations.
"The dragons have returned!" cried the dragon's courier, his beard twitching as he spoke. "And they come for revenge!"
Link gripped the man's arm, and spoke in a low voice in his ear. "Don't say such things so loudly. I would like to avoid as much panic as is possible. But listen here – what makes you claim these things?"
"They know of our plight – our lack of rain these past few years," he answered. "I watched it set this field – my field – on fire with my own eyes! I shot it down before it got away. I hit its wing, and its belly. It was alive when I found it… but dead before I touched it."
A frown crossed Link's face. "The wounds were fatal?"
The man shook his head. "No, no, my lord. It laid its beady eyes on me, shouted something in a language I couldn't understand, and put something small and round into its mouth. It collapsed mere seconds after biting down on it."
Realization dawned on him. "Some sort of suicide capsule… But… why? What on earth did it have to hide?"
The man shook his head, his grizzled eyes wide. "I only wish I knew. But, if there's one thing you can be sure – this, I fear, is not the last of the dragons we shall see. Where one is found, a dozen more appear! They are coming, my king… And soon."