Two chapters in just as many days? I'm on a roll! Thank you to those who reviewed today. There will be Lemon, eventually. But only when it's convenient to the story, so nothing tonight. (Sorry to disappoint.)
Still don't own LoZ or Nintendo. Still DO own Alexander and Blood Crusade.
The calm water of the Sacred Spring were disturbed by a small black form rising up. It looked to be about five feet tall, and rather skinny. Link and Midna squinted, trying to make out details of whatever it was.
"Aww, poo! My clothes are all wet now. My brand new training outfit!" The voice was light and innocent, like a child who had lost her doll. "Wait a second, where am I? Is this where Ma-"
"Mina, get out of the water and come here." Alexander sighed, wondering how on Earth the girl had made her way here.
"Wait a minute, Vampy. You know that girl?" Midna stared at him, shock etched on her face. Link joining her in her state of confusion.
"Yes, Princess, I do." Alexander put his hand on the head of the sopping wet girl. "Link, Midna, this is Mina. She has been my apprentice for three years now. Mina, these are our traveling companions for the time being. Princess Midna of the Twili, and her warrior, Link."
"Ooh, a pleasure to meet you. You must be strong if Master Chaos is willing to travel with you." The girl bowed, and Link and Midna could finally see her in the light of the lantern. She wore a fairly low cut leather bodice, allowing a glimpse of her moderate cleavage, and a pair of leather pants that seemed to have been made to emulate Alexander's own. Her hair was black with red accents tied up into two pigtails that reached her shoulders. Her face was fair and child-like with a smile that easily showed off her fangs.
"She doesn't look like much, Vampy. Isn't she a little small to be a warrior?" Midna laughed as she looked over the girl.
"Look who's talking, shorty! Master Chaos has been training me to be a great warrior. If you want to test me, then come on!" She began to draw a short blade from it's scabbard on her thigh when Alexander slapped her in the back of the head.
"What do you think you're doing? I know I trained you better than that, Childe." She looked up at him, seemingly ready to defend her position. "Mayhaps you have been spending too much time in the Coven, and away from the real world, but this is not how we greet a princess, now is it?"
"No, Master. I'm sorry, Your Highness." Mina stared at her feet, feeling very much like a kicked puppy.
"That's better. Mina, was it? Just call me Midna. I'm not Princess of anything until we kill Zant." Midna smiled mischievously. "I like your spunk though, kid."
The edge of the woods began to brighten, letting the world know that sunrise was coming. The black giving way to purple and pink.
"Link, Midna, I suggest we hurry along now, though the sunrise is surely beautiful here, I would rather not watch it." Alexander looked over his shoulder and stared to walk out of the Spring.
"Right, this way, you two." Midna and Link began to head down the path once more, Lantern swinging lazily ahead. Once they had reached the tree house at the edge of Ordon Village, Link ushered them inside. The pink on the horizon was giving way quickly to yellow and orange.
"Could you close those curtains there, boy?" Alexander glanced around the small circular room, noticing the little knick-knacks on the shelf, and the fine layer of dust over everything. "Don't spend much time here anymore, do you?"
Link shook his head. Of course he hasn't. He was the 'Hero chosen by the Gods' and didn't have time to rest. He heaved an exasperated sigh and fell back onto his bed.
"I think it would be wise of you to take a day and unwind, boy. Perhaps to wash the spider guts out of your tunic if nothing else." Alexander unbuckled the straps holding the sword to his back and set it on the table. He noticed the ladder leading downward. "Is that basement completely closed off to light from outside?" A nod. "Do you mind if my apprentice and I use it to rest during the day?" A wave of a hand. "Lovely. Mina, go to the basement and hang up your clothes to dry. Princess, would you mind helping her? Wet leather is not the easiest thing to get out of."
"Now see here, Mister! I am not a maid to help undress little girls."
"I was simply asking you to assist her. You may calm down, now." He sat down in one of the chairs around the table, unperturbed by the rising anger in the Imp's voice.
"It's alright, Master, if Midna doesn't want to help me, I can do it myself, though I've got nothing else to wear, I wasn't expecting to leave the Coven tonight, let alone go swimming." Mina walked over to the ladder and jumped down into the hole.
"Midna groaned loudly. "Nothing to wear? Damn it. Alright, I'm coming. There's got to be something in his basement to keep you decent until tonight." With that, Midna disappeared into the basement.
Alexander looked up to Link who was setting the Master Sword and Hylian Shield against the wall. "So boy, tell me, how is it that you, who looks to have been a simple farm hand, become such a fierce warrior on such a daring quest?"
Link proceeded to tell him about going to the spring, Ilia being kidnapped along with the rest of the children, waking up in the form of a wolf, meeting Midna, Zelda and Renado. He told him about the Gorons, the Zoras, Ilia losing her memory and the encounters with Zant.
"That still does not tell me where you learned those fighting moves, boy. They do not teach that in a stable."
Link sighed and began to tell Alexander about the ghost of the Hero who he had inherited the Triforce of Courage from, and how he would have visions of a white wolf before being taught a new technique by the spirit.
"Interesting. What is our next step?"
"We need to find the last shard of the Mirror of Twilight, that's our next step, Vampy." Midna had floated back up from the basement and sat on the bed next to Link.
"Only one more shard?" Alexander placed his hand on his chin. "Do you know where it is, by any chance?"
"The Sages weren't very clear, they said something about 'up in the heavens' I think. Probably somewhere on a mountain, or in the clouds somewhere." Link nudged Midna slightly. "Huh? Oh, right. But first we should probably go to Kakariko Village and restore that Ilia girl's memories."
"That does sound important. Very well. If you could give me a map, Mina and I could leave here at sundown to meet you there." Link tossed down a rolled up piece of tanned animal hide. Alexander opened it. "Right, so we're down here, and this one here by the mountain is Kakariko?" Link nodded again. "If there is any scale to this, we should be there by midnight." He stood and grabbed his sword. "For now, it is time for me to retire. Sleep well, Hero, Princess. I shall see you tonight." With that, He dropped down into the basement to join Mina.
Midna rolled backward on the bed and stretched out, yawning. "He's a strange one, isn't he?" Link nodded as he took off his outer tunic to wash it. "One minute he's prancing in fake sunlight, the next he's tearing the guts out of a Lizalfos. How the hell did they get here? Is this Zant's doing, or are the Goddesses trying to help us?" Link just shrugged as he hung his clothes up to dry. Midna's voice caught in her throat. He was disrobing in front of her. Wait, she thought, that doesn't mean anything, he's had to wash his tunic before, and I've always been right there. Come on, get your mind out of the gutter, girl.
Link had slipped on an old pair of wool leggings and made his way back up to the bed, hanging his chain mail up above the Master Sword. He stretched and yawned before he gave Midna a warm hug and laid himself to bed. Midna blushed slightly at the bare-chested embrace before curling up next to him and drifting off to sleep.
In the basement, Mina was laying out blankets in an old white tunic that was swishing about her knees. "Master Chaos, where are we?"
"They call this land Hyrule. As for where that is, I'm not sure what planet or even dimension it is. I do know, however, that this boy is a great warrior, and his princess is trying to find a way to get herself home. That may also be a way for us to get back to the Coven." "Alexander took off the hardened leather vest, revealing even more scars, etching jagged lines and patterns, the darkest and deepest of which was slightly off to the left of the center of his chest.
"You never have told me where that big round one came from, Master." Mina was kneeling on the makeshift bed with her head cocked to the side.
"I haven't told you how I got most of my scars, Childe." He slowly pulled off his pants, leaving him in a pair of long silk shorts.
"I know, but that one looked really painful, and looks like it has a fun story."
"I'm not sure I would call a botched staking a 'fun story', but to each their own." He lay down and slipped under the blankets. "Perhaps I'll tell you how I got it once we get back to the Coven."
"Okay, good night, Master!" Mina giggled and jumped under the blankets, wrapping her arms around one of Alexander's.
"Good night, Little one." He smiled and closed his eyes.
Another character? Yes, in Blood Crusade, Mina is a new-blooded vampire who begins training under The Crusader to protect her new home. She's in many ways still the innocent 18 year old girl she was when she came to them, but you'll find out how she has changed in the three short years she has trained with her 'Master'. Don't forget to R&R! Until next time, Kitties.