NOTE: Hah. Anyone spot an early chapter reference somewhere towards the end?

Chapter 16: The Fairy's Flight

The demented fairy sat upside down, holding her wicked ice rod, laughing uncontrollably. Her twisted laughter echoed in the softly lit cave, while pounding could be heard on the caved in exit, muffled voices filtering through.
"LINK!? LINK, ARE YOU ALL RIGHT!?", the Gerudo screamed. Link had been eying the fairy in something close to fear, his blue eyes open in shock at this woman's dementia. What will she do? How does she fight? The man in green stood low to the ground before the insane sprite, holding the Great Fairy's Sword in one hand and the Mirror Shield in the other. In the soft blue light, the Fairy continued to laugh, raising a finger to the reflective shield and the purple and green armament.
"Hero, you really do astound! That sword! It's of fairy design! Where did you get it? And that shield! Its face is priceless, like it's being tortured! I can see myself in it!" The fairy righted herself in midair, light blue legs crossed, the fearsome rod clutched in one of her hands. She smirked tauntingly at Link, whose mind was racing. Would the Mirror Shield be enough to keep her Ice Rod at bay?
"Ah, Hero, Hero, Hero..." She folded her arms and shook her head. "Such a feeble defense. Do you think that will aid you, Hero!?" The fairy stood in midair, legs apart, rod pointing right at Link. He tensed and raised his shield, teeth clenched as he braced himself.

The ghastly blue orb atop the rod shone brilliantly, and sent a sparkling mass of energy at Link. The phantasmagorical shot collided heavily with Link's shield. It knocked the young man on his back hard, the rod's offensive strike bouncing off his mortified shield. The magical attack shot straight back at the one who issued it. The Ice Fairy grinned and brushed away the attack with the air that she felt it were dust on her dress.
"Do you really think that ice will work against me, boy? This fairy lives in ice!" The fairy cackled again as Link's head spun. He saw double of her and his temples were throbbing painfully. The fairy stopped cackling to float to Link's location, wearing a childishly delighted face.
"I'm going to play with you a bit. You're kinda' cute." Her sparkling teeth were bared in the most sinister smile he'd seen any female wear. But what's with her? The fairy picked the struggling hero up by his sword hand's wrist with one hand. Link's head was limp, falling forward. The Ice Fairy lifted Link higher, trying to get him to make eye contact. She lifted his Keaton Mask.

As Link was being examined, he noted several things about the mad fairy. For one, she had very soft hands. She was indeed just as pretty up close, despite being insane, and the huge insect clinging to her head was nauseating. Link held down the bile to examine the light brown creature. It was firmly latched onto her head, and it had six disgusting legs. The large abdomen bulged slightly every few seconds. The entire insect was about the size of a small pumpkin. It was obvious that it was causing the fairy's strange behavior, which is why he could not harm the winged woman. The insect squirmed slightly. Link had been through a lot, though. He couldn't throw up at something this trivial. He'd eaten Anju's cooking before. Link grinned and laughed softly. The fairy put on a bemused expression, "Hmm? What's so funny?" The fairy looked at Link's face and shrugged, proceeding to throw Link lightly off to the side, which wasn't exactly light for most people. He shot across the cave and hit the side wall with a thud. Link's body was racked with pain. His breathing was shallow, and he could barely see straight. His attacker appeared double, and Link was reminded of the Zola who he may just value as an old friend.

The Ice Fairy again assumed her cross-legged position, casually picking something out of her fingernails.
"You know, you're a bit boring. Here I am, looking at a man who seems to familiar, but he can't even get up after such minor playful acts." Link sat on the ground, looking at the sandy floor of the cave, weakly depositing the Keaton Mask in his tunic. "Oy! Do something! I need some entertainment once in awhile! It's boring being stuck in a cave all day." The aching hero reached into his tunic, using up some of his vital energy. He withdrew a bottle of milk and crossed his fingers. Link thrust the bottle forward, facing the fairy with one eye closed in pain; his Terminan, "Bottom's up!" sign. The Ice Fairy raised an eyebrow, putting on an interested face. Link unstopped the bottle with his thumb and chugged the drink down. The hero hoped the milk would not intoxicate him. But he only had a one in three chance. Would this help? The drink took effect immediately, and Link felt energized in more ways than one. His vision became more fuzzy, though, and he felt exceedingly dizzy. The cave seemed to be sailing rough seas. He'd picked the wrong bottle.

Link stood up, swaying back and forth. He tried to uncross his eyes and lowered into combative stance with some difficulty. The Ice Fairy cackled hard, holding her sides in pain.
"You-you're drunk! Y-you can't even hold up y-your sword! Ahahaha!" Link slapped both sides of his face with his hands, trying to snap out of it. It was either this or the Fierce Deity's mask, and that was a definite no. The hero avoided that mask unless totally necessary. Link's vision started to heal, and he lunged at the fairy, who lazily swung the Ice Rod at Link, knocking him back ten yards. The youth rolled upon hitting the ground and stood up. He's wasn't going to get close any time soon. In his milk-induced adrenaline rush, he drew he bow and aimed an arrow at the Ice Fairy. With a determined expression, he almost fired it before he realized that the arrow had a deadly head on it.

Cursing himself, he put away the arrow, trying to extract arrows without their heads.
"Are you going to shoot me, Hero? I thought you protected innocents! How dare you point an arrow to this woman!" So it was the bug. "No matter!" She twirled the ice rod like a baton and swung forward, launching another menacing missile. Link was still fumbling with his equipment; he barely had enough time to raise his shield. The blast knocked him back less than before as he braced himself. The chilling projectile made a noise like glass shards being rained onto a window as it bounced off the shield and flew through the air, freezing a patch of the cavern's ceiling. At last, Link withdrew a harmless wooden arrow. Nocking it, he aimed at the Ice Fairy. What good would it do? The Fairy released a chilling laugh as it pointed to Link holding his bow.
"Deciding to go in the pacifist's way, hmm?" Link scowled and fired the arrow, which was brushed away by the Fairy's bare hand.
"First you try to freeze an ice fairy and now you're firing pieces of wood at one? What's next, Hero? Will you pour water over my head?" Link might have guessed the fairy was out of breath as she decided to merely smirk at him. She had very good teeth.

Link nocked another arrow and tried to think. The milk was rushing through his veins, very similar to the effects of milk from Termina. Link's eyes widened; it was Terminan milk!

"The Rupee inflation is starting to agitate Hyrule's economy and everything, but then this strange cow wandered into our ranch right after you left it! It produced this intoxicating milk, which we sold in our café! Business skyrocketed!"

The fairy shot another ice blast in Link's direction. Instead of shielding himself, he rolled sideways, arrow and bow still ready. Link kneeled on one knee, pointing the arrow at the fairy, one eye closed as he aimed.
"Really, Hero, is that all you can come up with? You're getting boring." She flicked her ice rod in his direction, sending another wintery mass.

Link was in deep concentration. The ball of frost was rapidly approaching. He could hear the tinkling glass noise reverberating through his ears. The milk seemed to take care of the rest. Link's hands tingled slightly, his bow grew warm, the ice missile approached ever nearer. At last, the arrow tip ignited violently, casting bright light on the Hylian's face as flames erupted from the wooden shaft. Link let go of the bow string and the arrow lunged through the air, dissipating the incoming deep freeze and making its way towards the possessed fairy. Her eyes widened; she did not expect that. The lightening-fast arrow cut through her ice rod's attack, emerging from the frost with an invincible flame. Before the arrow hit the fairy's left arm, the arm holding the Ice Rod, Link could see the fear in her eyes. It was almost pitiful. The bright orange flames' glint gave company to the fear beheld in her pupils and the arrow made contact with her arm.

"Noooooooo!!", she screamed, which descended into a banshee-like shriek that pierced Link's hearing. The fairy held her arm, writhing in pain. The Ice Rod dropped to the floor, and Link quickly leaped forward, rolled, and grabbed the artifact. Link turned around and ran towards the end of the cave which had started to rumble, shriek continuing. The insect was bulging in agony on the Ice Fairy's head. As Link fitted the Rod to his back, a portion of the ceiling collapsed just behind the fairy, who was holding her head, screaming to the best of her ability. Boulders and rubble fell around her, breaking the now weak frozen spring. Water sprayed everywhere, yet the debris refused to get near the fairy, seemingly dodging her. Link's instinct told him what to do.

The young Hylian charged forward, the hole in the ceiling gradually getting wider as stones fell from it. The downward landslide eventually made its way to the surface, and a beam of moonlight graced the space behind the still screaming Ice Fairy. The exit was in plain view. Now was his chance. Still running, Link lunged forward, sheathing his sword and latching onto the hovering fairy's ankle. In confusion, the Ice Fairy flew towards the moonlight, out of the cave spring. As Link held onto the amazingly delicate and smooth ankle, he wished that the shrieking would at least subside.

? ? ?

The Gerudo were all trying to remove the rubble to the entrance of the spring, in a large group of twenty, while the others had their spears pointed towards the buried portal. Suddenly, an awful noise accompanied by the sound of boulders crashing into water greeted them. All the Gerudo stopped what they were doing and covered their ears, searching for the sound. One of the Gerudo pointed up, covering her vacant ear with her shoulder.
"Look!" The entire Gerudo tribe beheld the beautiful Ice Fairy, with a straggling man keeping firm grip on her ankle, cloak flapping in the wind. The Gerudo gawked at the sight. Link was on the ankle of a fairy, being dragged through the sky towards Hyrule Fields. As the screaming fairy flew out of sight, a Gerudo stood atop the rocky wall and called down.
"Hey! They made another hole! We deserve a bath, right?" The Gerudo collectively made general signs of agreement as they too scaled the rocky wall, hauling rope in place of their abandoned spears.

! ! !

The Zola had his feet overhanging the edge of the Gerudo's now-broken canyon. His head fin twitched as he heard the most awful sound he'd heard in his life. Looking up, he saw Link flying through the air on the ankle of the fairy that disfigured him so. The Zola on Epona was covering his ears as well as Epona reared in agitation. That idiot!
The more intelligent Zola mounted Epona quickly.
"Let's go, Epona!"
Right!

! ! !

Link had almost gotten used to the screaming, and had resorted to viewing the sights. In his airborne journey, he could see LonLon Ranch, and the vast Hyrule Field. Link strained his vision hard and tried to locate his home inside the Kokiri Forest from such a high altitude. The fairy, though, prevented him from doing that as she pulled into a nosedive, still screaming and holding her head. The insect was still bulging disgustingly. Link had not expected this, and searched his mind desperately for something to do. He didn't have time to react as the fairy pulled out of the dive sharply and whipped Link into the ground. Link had fortunately landed on his back, where his shield was equipped, and started rolling violently. As his long spiraling journey came to a halt, his dizzy state barely made out the Fairy raising her arm towards him.
"I'll kill you!", she yelled, forming a misty ball of frost in her hand. Why did she even need the rod?

Link slowed to a stop, face up, on the ground. He was much too dizzy and aching to do anything. He didn't think he was even composed enough to direct a bottle of milk into his mouth. He tried moving his right arm, but it was blocked by a large something that felt like a rock. Link's eyes were spinning as he propped himself up on his elbows, looking up at the murderous fairy aiming at him with her uninjured arm. The arm by the rock twitched in weakness and his hand grabbed the rock for support. Link's eyes widened to breaking point. He couldn't believe his luck!

The ice fairy charged her lethal attack as the weakened Hero looked at his executioner. The moonlight shone prettily on her bright white hair and dress. She grinned; he was in her sights and he wouldn't get away. Her eyes flicked involuntarily for some reason and they returned to find she had lost Link's position. Where was he?
"What!? That's impossible! Where did you go!?" The fairy lowered her arm and looked frantically around. She'd lost him. "Where are you!?"

Chapter End