Link's leather boots made minor thuds as he walked across the big hallway. He kept his eyes straight ahead, ignoring the nods coming from the guards lined up alongside the corridor. His mind was full and he felt himself having more questions then he had answers.
Zelda had ordered him to go find Malon without delay, which he'd tried to, only to find … Kayla? Was that her name? Link found the fact of Malon being a mother unbelievable, why he couldn't really establish. Well mainly because he'd expected her to tell him about such a life altering thing of course. But the real issue wasn't that Malon had decided to have a daughter and without including him in her decision but that Link had since come to realize that he had lost her. He'd always thought that he would have had more time with Malon but she'd moved on with her life. In a way he was happy for her but he couldn't help but to feel a little lost.
Link rapidly shook his head, as if he wished the thought to fall out. Malon and he hadn't talked nor seen each other for over … six years. Had it really been that long? Link never reckoned it had gone so many years, not for a second he would have guessed that time would have passed him bye so fast, time that was now lost forever. But it wasn't for a lost cause and he'd never doubted his cause but never had he felt so empty.
"Six years." The number stumbled past his lips as the train of thoughts stopped for a brief moment. He wondered if she was mad at him for not keeping in contact with her, or if she was relieved that he hadn't. Link had always wanted to protect her but he never really thought it would be at the expense of loosing her.
Link reached into the heart of Hyrule Castle as he placed a foot into the throne room. It was very large and finely furnished. Torches hung along the walls providing perfect lightning for the lustrous marble rug flooring.
Night had almost gotten in touch with the castle as Link arrived. The sun slowly faded behind the horizon painting the sky in a shade of cobalt blue, but Link took no premier notice of its beauty. He only lifted his heavy head as he came up to meet "the tall man" dressed as always in heavy armor with his fist gripping tightly around his spear.
He pronounced his late arrival; "Knight Link has made his arrival to the castle, my Queen."
Zelda, who'd been seated in her throne with much boredom, had since long awaited Link's notice. Calmly she rose and as she walked down the throne stairs holding the edge of her delicate pink dress, making her high-heels slightly visible. She had great worry in her eyes.
"He'd been very late, far too late for it to have gone smoothly." Zelda's worry had for some time grown larger and she already knew what Link had come to tell. As she walked toward Link her heels clattered with confidence as they for each step collided against the marble floor.
"Link," she said, as he finally made her way. "Follow me into the other room."
Link could do nothing but follow as she quickly moved ahead, without as much as a second glance his way.
Zelda only slowed down as she came up to the door and placed her slender fingers onto the doorknob leading to her fathers study. The door made a wheeling sound as it opened.
"Hurry," she said with a low and dampened voice as she motioned for Link to walk on in.
Link had been in Daphne's study before. It was one of the few places Zelda and he could talk without being overheard by the guards or others. Though it was seldomly ever used it never ceased to amaze him to how beautiful it was, although it was strangely very different from other rooms in the palace.
Zelda promptly closed the door and turned to Link without much of a delay. "I have sensed grave danger," she said. "And Malon… is not with you?"
Link avoided her gloomy stare as he walked over to the big window on his right which opened on to the huge castle garden. Link looked down on the wonderfully trimmed labyrinth and saw a fountain, resembling the three goddesses' coming to life in its centre core. He gave it all a fleeting look before taking a hold of a small piece of the big emerald green curtain and skimmed over it.
"Link?" Zelda slowly placed herself behind her passed father's working desk.
Link didn't turn around. He kept skimming through the piece of curtain as he mumbled: "She has a daughter."
Zelda inaudibly drew a breath. She'd heard about a certain farm girl having a five year old child, but never mentioned it to Link. Of course all she'd heard about it was rumors, and a Queen of her standards could not believe in all that was said, but somehow Zelda knew it to be true.
"When were you told of the truth?" She asked after a momentarily silence.
"She stole an apple," Link told her. "I meet her and I… I didn't know…" he paused. "I thought she would tell me."
Zelda nodded, knowing all to well how sensitive the subject was for him. "How did Malon react when she found you with her daughter?"
Link managed a sad laugh as the remembrance of their argument played behind his closed eyes. "Not all too good I'm afraid."
"She refused to come here?" Zelda asked.
"I never got a chance to ask her that. Everything went … wrong."
"Link," Zelda inwardly sighed. "I'm afraid this matter is more serious than I first let on. You were chosen by the elders as her protector and I realize the past you share but it must be put aside for her safety. If she is not here before the sun next rises…"
"Why Zelda?" Link spun around feeling how the curtain swiftly moved with him. "Why her, I need to know?"
Zelda carefully stood up and joined Link in front of the big window. The sun had finally fallen into a long slumber and the moon stood high in its place, centered among the dots of silvery stars.
She closed her eyes for an instant, wishing silently never to forget this wonderful sight.
Link mutely watched as Zelda closed her eyes. He wondered, as if for a split second, what she could possibly be thinking of, right before her blue eyes snapped open.
"Link." She turned to look at him. Her mouth was slightly opened, and he could hear her breathing. "He knows."
"Who knows?" Link placed a gloved hand on her shoulder, wanting to calm her down, but only seemed to make it worse.
"We're too late," she said as she pushed away his hand. "We can't evade it any longer." She walked over to her father's desk once more and harshly opened one of its drawers, searching through its content. "I though I could hold it back if just for a few months but I wasn't prepared none of us are …" Her voice disappeared as her hand placed around a scroll. She brought it out and sat down on the mint green chair. She opened one of the ink bottles that lay before her on the desk and grabbed a quill made from the feathers of a hawk. Deftly she dipped the tip of the quill in the dark green liquid from the bottle.
Her hand moved like a wing over the scroll, and Link watched as her mouth shaped into all the words she wrote.
As she finished, she examined what she'd written while rapidly rinsing the quill with a white cloth, and placed the cap back on the bottle.
Zelda held the piece of parchment out for a second as she blew on the ink to dry, then held out the candle lit on the desk and let it drop onto the scroll, her sealwas placed in its middle. She rolled it firmly and tied it.
"There." She instantly stood up and handed him the letter. "Give this to Malon, if and only if, Link," Zelda gave him a stern look, "she refuses to follow you here. I know you are of much concern but I can only tell you to hurry and not to fail."
Link sharply nodded as he swiftly placed the letter in the hem of his belt. "Trust in me your majesty, I won't fail".
Link was just out of Daphne's study when she suddenly called out. "Link," she said, "she is to come alone. No exceptions. And be sure to equip yourself."
Link nodded once more and quickly bowed her way, before taking his leave, briefly wondering what was said in the letter.
Zelda watched through her window as Link rode off, before going outside to walk in her garden. Zelda had only met Malon once and she had ever since remembered how young and fragile she was. It troubled her to hear about her child, Zelda knew of the importance Malon held and the thousands of lives at stake. She worried that this information had fallen into the wrong hands, that the darkness would have taken advantage of Malon all those years ago when Link had left her. She feared that the father of Malon's child would have been informed of the secret she and others had sworn to protect her from.
But Zelda knew that past could not be changed, Malon's fate had already begun to shape. And time was now short if the good were to influence its outcome.
Malon's daughter was human after all, Zelda thought to herself and she'd seen the resemblance .... perhaps time would still be on their side if darkness was still unawhare of Malons importance.
All of Hyrule depended on it.
"How can I call myself Queen of this land if I can't even prevent what I fear will come?" Zelda mumbled as she leaned against the great garden tree.
"Don't worry my Queen." Zelda picked up on a voice, but saw no one as she turned around. "You were not meant to stop what is about to happen from taking place."
Zelda parted her lips, as she was about to answer, at last realizing who it was. "Rauru," she spoke. "I wondered when I would hear from you."
"Then at last," the voice echoed throughout the garden, "it saddens me to say that I am the bringer of bad news."
Zelda sadly smiled as she waggled her head. "I know," she said. "I am afraid so have I. I do not have the girl."
For a moment, silence became Zelda's answer. Rauru had planned, with the help of the sages, to bring Malon with him to a safer place then she was in now, but alas that was not how everything was going to turn out.
"I see," the voice mumbled. "Then she is alone at the ranch without her protector?"
Zelda rubbed her temples. "For the time being. But her protector is already on his way with a message and his orders to bring her here."
"But my Queen," the voice of Rauru spoke up yet again. "Did you inform him of the darkness that is to come?"
"No." Zelda shifted her weight. "I told him nothing of it. I do not think of him ready. He could not yet comprehend the things that … I know."
Rauru quietly agreed.
"This darkness," Zelda said suddenly, "Why would it attack us now? And not when Ganon had our land in his claws?"
"Because, I feel that it sought the vulnerability in us all those years ago. But was unsuccessful to do so, as we were destined to prevail, but now I think we all share the same frailty that it hunted after all those years ago." Rauru's voice was low, as it was about to fade away, but Zelda did not stop. She only looked at the thick fog well on its way to cloud the sky.
Zelda carefully took off the tiara from her head, and watched the vague image of herself and her surroundings in the bejeweled object.
"But, if you don't mind my asking," Zelda putted an end to the stifling silence, "Why Malon, what will happen to her?"
Rauru cleared his throat before continuing: "Malon is the thin line between good and evil, she is chosen and only she."
"The thin line? Rauru I don't think I'm following …?"
"I hope you're aware of what kind of path Malon now walks?"
"I know of her importance, thousand of lives…the direction of her path, eyes of dark and light." Zelda drew a breath. "I have seen it, it came to me as a vision but I do not claim I understand it all. I need to know, who else knows …,"
"Darkness."
"The child's father?"
Rauru's eyes turned white he lifted his hands, that met before him and separated as a white core of magic appeared between them. Winds began to storm the garden and leafs blew the air as black clouds covered the sky. As in trance Rauru spoke; "darkness, darkness is searching for her."
Zelda forked an eyebrow as she tried to keep her hair from falling into her eyes as she searched the magic core with her eyes. She saw the fields outside of Hyrule, dark horsemen were riding toward Lon Lon ranch, toward Malon. It drew further showing the future of Hyrule, showing darkness spreading over the fields, the ranch and the castle until all of Hyrule was covered and Malon rose out of the shadows with Ganon ruling by her side.
"Stop this," Zelda cried out, "please tell me how to protect my kingdom, to stop her."
"Malon is the chosen one. She is the one that was meant to protect the worlds."
"Meant?" Zelda felt utterly confused. "But Link …?"
"He is yet one of those that are chosen, the purpose of three; Zelda, Link and Ganon goes not beyond the good or evil of this world," Rauru established.
"I do not understand, who is she?"
"She is the key, the chosen one to open the second world. At this moment all will rely on her."
"What will become of her?"
"She will see, or this world have meet its end."
"Rauru," Zelda said in one final effort knowing it might be too late, "will he find her, will Link get there in time?"
There was no answer, Rauru had already gone. Zelda had to act quickly, the horsemen bore Ganon's mark and she knew it was a sign, he too was afraid Malon's fate would fail to turn to his advantage, thus there was still time.
Zelda rushed back inside the castle and ordered her soldiers to ride to Links assistance well aware they would not be there in time. "It is all up to you Link, you must find her," she said with a dampened voice.
The room was decorated with mirrors along the walls and Zelda stood in its center. Her royal advisor had entered the room. There was no one but herself that Zelda trusted to bear the painful knowledge that her power of wisdom brought, but there was one thing in which she sought, another's opinion.
"There is something I need have answered," Zelda said as she turned around to face her advisor. "I need to find out what Ganon is planning, I have to leave the castle." And with that her advisor nodded knowing of her Queens wisdom and stubbornness, she bowed while exiting the room to begin the preparation of the Queens departure while Zelda remained.
"He will never make it to her before dawn," Zelda mumbled to herself. "I dread that we're all to late"
Zelda didn't even move a muscle when she heard the old clock's, which hung on the wall of her father's study in the other room. The drumming sound filled her ears. She walked toward the clock and cast a momentarily glance at it.
It was five am.
XxXxXxX
Malon nearly jumped out of her skin, as she heard the clock's foul bellowing. She'd just cleaned the floor clean from her hair, hence no evidence would be left after what had happened earlier that night. She nicely dodged every mirror that happened to cross her path feeling cold and fragile in her body but she couldn't help but to smile. She was surprised by her sudden outburst of courage and rage but pleased for she had finally cut her self loose. She was free and no longer a slave under his entrancing power. Now she was her own and not just a left-behind old memory of a person she used to be when she was with him.
Malon instantly calmed her nerves, still shaky from the beat of the bell. It had struck five. She lit the lantern that hung in her room, careful enough to not burn herself.
The flame that now burned in the lanterns centre, immediately lit up, painting a worm picture of her miniature room and also created a bright reflection on the sliver scissor in the corner of Malon's eye. She turned around completely and saw it lay on the edge of her bed, right where she'd put it before she started to clean the floor.
Malon mentally scolded herself as she got a hold of it. How could she forget to hide such thing?
She walked over to the dresser, ignoring her working shirt which covered the mirror placed on her dresser, and placed back the scissor in the last drawer, underneath all clothes that laid there.
"Now," she thought as she stud up and brushed away the invisible speck of dust on her clothes. She caste a glance at the clock in her room; it was five minutes past five. "Only five minutes late to work."
Malon pretended to be in high spirits, overlooking the fact that she cut her hair some minutes ago, and quickly pulled off the shirt from the mirror.
She looked into the mirror and studied the figure it gave. At first all she only saw her watery azure eyes, gradually her eyes float on seeing her gentle jawbones and how her lips looked more plumped than before. Malon observed that she'd gotten rough forms and shapes in her soft face. At the sides, the longest piece of hair reached down to her jawbones, but at her neck she had very little her, and she'd created bangs that hung in the front of her eyes.
Malon turned her head in all kinds of directions, and noticed that the hair was greatly uneven, but decided to oversee it. This was the new face of Malon.
She pulled the shirt, she'd held in her clenched fists; over her head and watched her image yet again, only to see that her working shirt didn't suite her anymore as it made her look far too pale.
The thought of buying some sort of new working attire entered Malon's head as she, for the second time, blew out the flame from the lantern and exited her room.
She walked down the creaking stair, and like every other day Malon though about what stood on her list of chores that needed to be done today. "First she needed to make breakfast, and tend to the horses."
She walked in to the kitchen and lit up the room conscientiously.
"Also she needed to wake Kayla, and probably get her to help load the wagon with today's delivery."
She took off the white apron from the nail that her Dad had pinned in the wall next to the doorpost some years back, so she could hang the apron in the kitchen instead of her room where she had to hang all her other clothes.
"The cucco's needed to be fed."
She hastily tied the apron around her waist, and out of habit tried to pull her hair over her shoulders and ending up laughing nervously at her stupidity.
"She needed to wake her Dad, and probably Ingo as well."
Malon got a hold of the bread she made two days ago, and tenderly placed it on one of the tree benches as she reached out for a knife to slice the bread with.
"The horses needed to be let outside."
Just as she placed a firm hand on the bread, another thought came into her head, which brought her to cuss loudly.
"Kayla's note!" She nearly yelled as she hit the knife against the hard bench, creating a huge crash. "I promised Kayla I would sign it yesterday."
With a loud groan, Malon started to look for the note, without much of a success. She couldn't remember much of what happened yesterday; let alone where she put a note.
Her hands went through the front pockets of her apron, and felt a small piece of paper in the left one. She fished it out and made a small thankful prayer to the goddesses, because in her hand laid Kayla's note.
For a moment Malon wondered how it could've gotten there, but shook it off pretty quickly. She'd probably just put it there so she wouldn't forget it later. That worked out swell.
Malon hastily walked back into the kitchen after she'd gotten a quill, a small ink bottle and a washed out clothe from her room, and placed herself down on a chair next to the table. She took of the cap on the ink bottle and dipped the quill's tip in the gung, and with a steady hand wrote her name on the paper.
She watched the paper as she grabbed the small clothe and started wiping off the quill. Once her father had told her, her handwriting where exactly like her mothers, which was a huge complement for Malon, because her mother had for her been an excellent writer, She wrote beautifully. She was the one people came to when they wanted to write Christmas cards, or thank you letters.
Malon had always wanted to be like her mother.
As Malon had finished drying off the quill and the ink had dried, she stood up and got a hold of the ink bottle when she heard a sudden banking on the door.
The unexpected noise, made Malon drop the bottle with a yelp, and watched how the bottle fell to the floor splashing its substance all over the kitchen.
She placed a hand over her heart and tried to calm herself. The banging on the door had stopped just as suddenly as it came, and Malon started to think she'd imagined it, till it came back again, even harder this time.
With a throbbing heart, Malonwalked over to the door. "Who's there?" she whispered, inwardly wishing she could hide under her father's bed, which she often used to do at the age of five.
"It's me," the voice conveyed.
"Link?" Malon said, feeling how her nerves cooled off somewhat. "What are you doing here?"
"I need to talk to you."
"Link, its five in the morning can't we talk later?"
It was quiet for so long that Malon, for a moment, forgot what they'd talked about.
"No," he said. "Judging by the sun, I would say it's around a quarter to six."
Malon felt how the frustration grew within her. "Link, please, who really cares what the sun tells you? It's early and I would like to continue with what I've started, if that's okay with you?"
"You can't," Link told her, "just open the door and I'll explain."
"I'll rather not."
"Malon, I was supposed to be here before dawn. I'm very late, just please open the door."
Malon hesitated for a while, but without really knowing why, she felt herself unlocking the door, awaiting his entry.
Rapidly Link opened the door, freezing as he laid eyes on her.
Malon gave him a confused look while lifting up a hand to stroke though her hair just before realizing what she'd done.
"What …?" Link started at her hair. "What did you do?"
"Isn't that obvious?" Malon snorted, "I cut it."
"I can see that," Link said. He looked at her with widened eyes, before moving her hands off from her hair. "Let me see," he mumbled.
He pulled some of the longest strands behind her ear, and softly lifted her chin. "It's different," he acknowledged as he cast a look at the hair behind her neck, "and uneven."
Malon just drew a sigh.
"I didn't say it was bad." Link grinned towards her and noticed that he held tightly in her hand still, and so rapidly pulled it away, in turn combing it through his own hair. "Sorry," he muttered.
Malon lead him into the kitchen and offered him tea, but he shook his head. "I don't have the time" he said. "I need to tell you something."
Malon rolled her eyes. "Yes, Link, you came to say you were sorry, I get it."
"Sorry?" Link forked an eyebrow. "Why would I be sorry?"
"Oh gee, I don't know," Malon said, with her voice dripping of sarcasm, as she promptly placed a hand on her hip. "Perhaps, for what you did to me? Or perhaps, because of your little stunt that you preformed on market the other day."
"Hey, that's not fair; I did not pull any stunts. I found your daughter, if you remember."
"I could've found her on my own!"
"Yes, cause' it clearly looked like it."
Malon felt how she clenched her fists. "Why Link?" She said. "Why do you keep making me so angry?"
"Oh gee I don't know," Link loosely mimicked her. "Perhaps because you think everything's my fault all the time."
"That's because it is!"
"No, everything's not my fault, it's yours too. I did not tell myself to leave, remember?"
"You would have done it yourself, if I hadn't told you!" Malon yelled feeling how a tear fell down her cheek. "You never failed to be at her side."
"Unfair, you know what I do, what I fight for, besides you never failed to be at Thad's side!"
Malon let out a frustrated sound. "Link when are you going to listen? I didn't like him that way. Why do you persist on being so jealous!"
"I'm not persistent!"
"Yes you are! You kept being jealous at Thad even though I told you over and over …,"
"I told you over and over that I didn't like her that way either, but you never listened."
"That's different!"
"No it's …," Link brought his hands down to his sides and shook his head. "We're getting no where," he said. "I think I should just leave."
"I think so too." Malon agreed.
Link just nodded once and turned around before stopping himself in mid-move. "I can't;" he said as memory caught up with him. "You need to come with me…I forgot"
"I should think not." Malon yet again placed her hands on her somewhat bigger hips.
"Malon, there is no time to argue anymore, you just need to trust me on this one."
"Yeah cause that worked splendidly when you told me the first time."
Without a single word, Link brought out the letter Zelda wrote to her some hours before and handed it to her. "Here," he lastly said. "Take it."
"I don't want to read it," Malon said as she crossed her arm over her chest. "I want you to leave."
"Not without you," Link promptly said.
Malon harshly grabbed the latter. "Fine," she said, "if I read this, then will you leave?"
"I told you," Link sighed. "I can not leave without you, you might be in danger; Zelda persisted on you following me back to the castle."
"Well I don't …,"Malon did not have the time to finish her sentence, because a loud boom could be heard coming from outside, making Link run out the door and for Malon to quickly place the letter in one of the front pockets of the apron. She hurried after Link who was now already outside, to see what had happened.
As she herself came outside she rapidly turned her head away from the scenario her eyes had just witnessed. A horseman fell to his knees as Link pulled out his sword from the man's head.
"Malon!" Link shouted out as he saw her from behind. Immediately he ran over to her side and grabbed hold of her arm while rapidly leading her over to Epona, who stood near the entrance to Lon Lon Ranch. "Take Epona and get to the castle," Link ordered as his left hand gripped tighter around the hem of his lowered sword dripping out of blood horseman's blood. "Don't ask me why and don't struggle, just go." He said as he gave her a shifted nudge.
"But what about you?" Malon asked feeling how fear rose within her, making her tremble a bit. "How will you get to the castle? And Dad and, and …," she stuttered.
"Malon," Link cut in, "I'll stay here and worry 'bout that. You go!" He nudged her again, harder this time having a stern look on his face.
"Okay," Malon mumbled as she mounted, hearing the shriek of the leather saddle. "But be careful."
"I always am," Link said as he heard another boom and started running towards it.
Malon cast one glance over her shoulder seeing how a man riding on a black stallion came galloping through the corral, before she kicked Epona's sides urging her to start running.
Everything she rode past became a blur in the corner of her eyes as she speedily past by. She felt how she began losing the grip of the reins in her sweaty and shaky hands, making her clutch herself tightly onto Epona's cream white mane. The panic started to rise even higher within her as several moments had past without knowing where Epona was running to and without being able to stop her.
She cast a look over her shoulder seeing the shape of the huge cloaked man. The very same man that had entered the ranch just moments before and was now riding dangerously close behind her causing her cry out Epona's name urging her to go faster.
Soon she found herself penetrate through a forest, and felt how the dry branches that crossed Epona's path, slapped her in the face, leaving shooting pain on her cheeks, and some tears to fall from her eyes.
For the longest of time all she could hear was the rumbling of Epona's hooves and she wondered if the hooded man had lost sight of her through the thickened woods as she no longer heard the other horse's hove beats, when she suddenly heard a crow's caw, making her skin crawl.
Leisurely Malon got a hold of the brown reins, dragging it in toward her body somewhat, telling Epona to slow down her pace, and as she did, Malon dared to let one hand off the rein go and lovingly caressed the horse's ear. "Good girl," she mumbled.
Epona just drew a heavy breath, as the crow started to caw again, leaving the whole forest to echo.
Malon turned her head in all kinds of directions, to be able to see the crow, because every time she heard it caw, it sounded so close, like it was right next to her ear.
It cawed again, sending a shiver along her spin.
Malon pulled Epona to an abrupt stop as she neared a lake, and dismounted her. She pulled the reins over Epona's head and started to lead her over to the lake, hoping that she would drink some of its clear water.
Malon knew that this time of day, the sun would stand high on the sky, but in this thick forest not even the slightest sunray could get through, which left her in utter darkness.
Caaaaaw.
Malon bent down, seeing her own reflection in the cold water. She noticed that there was a red streak of blood on her right cheek.
Caaaaw.
She placed her hands in the awfully cold water cleaning the blood away.
Caw ….Caw ….Caw.
The shrieks of the crow came more frequent, but Malon was determined to ignore them. She glanced down at her reflection again, wondering if she'd gotten away all the blood, when she saw the mirror image of a black crow looking down on her.
Terrified, Malon spun around, only to see an empty tree. "This is ridicules," she told herself as he looked at Epona, who'd bend her mule down into the water.
Caw ….Caw.
Malon turned around continuing to bathe her hands in the water when she yet again saw the crow staring down at her, this time horrifically close, making her yell.
Caw.
She stood up, and walked over to Epona. "C'mon girl," she said, "it's time to go." She carefully pulled in her reins but Epona didn't move. She just continued to drink out of the lake.
Malon sighed loudly. Somewhat annoyed to hang around in such cold and frightful place.
Caw ….Caw.
She walked over to the lake yet again, feeling how every bit of her body shook terribly as she cast a glance down on the smooth surface. She saw the crow. It sat in the tree right above her looking down on her with its purple eyes.
Caw ….Caw.
This time it sounded far too close, even closer than the other time.
Malon looked at her shaking hands, before looking down on the watery surface again although this time seeing that the crow no longer sat on the small branch.
Caw.
Malon spun around only to see pure blackness right in her face and hearing the flutter of the crow's wings and feeling the scratches of its claws in her face. She started to scream, and waving her hands uncontrollably trying to get it out of her face, as she backed up, feeling how she lost her foothold and fell down in the coldness of the black water only hearing the sounds of the crow.
Caw ….Caw ….Caw.