-
CHAPTER 8
Getting Lost and Found.
Jace had trouble keeping his eyes open, as the snow and wind beat down on him and the others. They had been walking for a while now. The goron warrior sent by Darmorn was standing up front shielding the dekus, but it wasn't enough to keep all the weather from hitting them harshly. Ilye was doing well, though. She stayed behind Jace in case something happened. Jace was holding Iris warmly, hoping she'd make it through this storm with them. He was not expecting this blinding weather, safe to say. He feared for her safety, as she never has been able to handle severe cold very well per mentioned. It didn't help that Jace, Iris, Ilye AND Skits were all very light and the wind was fierce. It made it hard to stand against the wind. If not for the goron, they wouldn't be able to make it. Iris had recognized part of the way, since she had to travel this land with the gorons some three years ago when she ended up in Termina. At this point though, they were long passed the old rundown dragalfos fortress, which was buried beneath snow back when they did pass it, it now looking like a snowy mountain of weather-beaten junk.
"Iris, are you okay?" Jace asked over the wind.
Iris simply nodded a shaky nod. Skits sat bundled in Ilye's arms since Iris was feeling too weak and cold to hold him herself. The little bird shivered and buried his face in his feathers.
"We're almost to the resting point..." The goron spoke "There, I'll start a small fire and let you guys rest..."
"T-that'd be nice, big guy..." Iris shivered weakly.
A little ways away, the goron spotted this resting point. It was a little stone hut that looked like some of the goron homes back at their village. Thick and sturdy, built for the weather here in the Northern Wildlands. Jace urged Iris to go on, but she looked like she'd faint any minute. "C'mon, babe, stay with me... We're almost there..."
"He's right, we're actually here now!" The goron added. "Hurry now, little ones, inside!"
The goron opened the door, breaking the ice that seemed to weld it shut. Jace walked Iris inside, as Ilye followed close behind. The goron walked in last, then shut the door.
"Alright..." The rock creature began "I'll start a fire... It's colder today than yesterday."
Iris sat on the warm animal pelt covered couch and shivered. Jace took his coat off, threw his rucksack down, and pulled a blanket out of it for Iris. "Here, lay down on the couch for a bit and warm up. I'll go help him."
"A-alright..." Iris answered lowly, before laying down.
Ilye took a deep breath then sighed "I already feel warmer..." Skits flew out of her arms and cuddled up next to Iris. Ilye stretched, then sat down on a chair while stretching her legs.
"Here man, let me help." Jace began handing the goron a couple of little logs.
"Thank you." The goron thanked. He prepared the stone fireplace, then took the logs and placed them inside the fireplace. Jace found some kindling and ripped up paper used for starting the fire and placed it all in under the logs. "Okay, the rest is yours..." Jace chuckled.
The goron laughed "We don't want a deku fire, that's for sure!" He lit a match and threw it in. It caught quickly to the kindling and paper, and the flames began to lick at the logs before slowly catching.
The crackling and smell of the fire made Jace sigh, he'd never felt happier to be near a fire than on a cold day. He then walked over to the den and laid on the large animal fur rug. "So warm..."
The goron began preparing some hot tea as the hut warmed up. He wanted to get them as prepared for possible for the next journey.
Ilye suddenly began as she sat back up "Is the weather always this bad out this far north?"
The goron answered "Well... Not usually during the day. But the wildlands still get pretty fierce. Haha, lately, the spirit of the north seems very upset."
Jace glanced at the goron, not taking the last bit as a joke as it was intended "Wait, you know of the north spirit? Because Darmorn certainly didn't… At least, not much beyond stories."
"It was mostly an expression, brother. I've just heard little tales about it and that it controls the weather of the north, or something like that."
Jace figured he didn't, since the goron was calling Hokubu an it and not a he. "Oh..."
Iris yawned, then began "... I smell herbs..."
The goron gave a light hearted smile "I'm just warming up a little tea. I figured you guys might need it."
"So... The Watarara. Are they friendly?" Ilye asked, seeming excited.
"Very. Though, they're very secretive. Not a whole lot is known of them, they rarely are seen flying outside the wildland borders of Termina. Their current homepoint is a little ways off from here, hidden in the canyons. It's a dangerous place to go to alone, which of course is why I am currently accompanying you all. Once you reach their village, the weather wont be so bad since they live far down inside the canyons between the mountains, guarded by the canyon walls."
"That sounds like quite a hike..." Jace responded.
Iris groaned upon hearing so, and turned over to face the back of the couch. She then proceeded to groan some more irritably at the thought. Ilye scoffed "It's no problem, not for us. It'll be kinda awesome heading out that way and seeing the steep canyons!"
The goron chuckled "Jace, Iris, I'm a bit concerned for the eccentric lady of your group…"
Jace shrugged while still laying down. He jokingly responded, placing his arms behind his head. "I dunno… Feels kinda normal to me."
The rock creature raised a brow at Jace, because he knew Jace well enough to be aware that danger was no stranger. "Hmm… Steep mountain and canyon hikes seeming like a normal deku activity to you? I wonder why?"
Ilye and Jace snickered together, and Iris- once again, proceeded to give a grumpy, rocky groan and placed a pillow on her head. "You guys are going to be the death of me." She complained, muffled by the pillow.
With that little break, they warmed up for a good while before moving out again after finishing their tea. Iris got out into the cold, and instantly began to shiver and mumble about how much she wished she could go back inside. Jace sighed, seeing his breath in front of him. The goron quickly began to lead them again, shielding them from the cold wind. As time went on, there was nothing in this wasteland of blinding white but icy rocks, slippery hills, distant mountains, dead trees and a dull-looking sky. Soon, the bright sun and the ground under their feet was the only thing they could see. But even the sun seemed cold and dull. Ilye shouted above the storm
Jace pushed Iris against the wind, trying to keep her going. He was having a hard time staying on his feet. He was shocked how awful it was this far north. Skits was now taking shelter in Iris' hood. After walking for nearly an hour, the weather was getting deathly cold for them now. Jace, Iris, and Ilye's bodies simply weren't built for such weather.
The goron soon stopped... He was getting a little worried now, he couldn't see anything in front of him. The weather was so bad, it felt as though they were trapped in a powdery cloud of ice. The weather was far worse than he'd seen.
"Big brother, why are you stopping!? We can't just sit here!" Jace shouted "We're getting blown off our feet, and Iris can't be out here much longer! E-even Ilye and I are starting to feel faint."
The goron warrior grumbled, then answered "I can't find my way! It's too hazy, I can't see anything!"
"Crap..." Jace and Ilye both mumbled unnoticeably. Iris instantly began to panic deep down, but was too cold to do so outwardly. Jace noticed her leaves looking a little funky in color, and he muttered some very indistinct words of worry, before looking back at Ilye. She was looking a tad weak, too. But nothing like Iris. Jace himself was feeling a little more frozen. He shivered, and the goron could only try to make the path out. He looked back, seeing the odd behavior of the deku scrubs. "What's happening!?"
"W-we need to k-keep moving, it's t-too cold for us to stop." Jace muttered. "We c-can't survive this weather too long!" The snow was caking up around everyone in this crazy blizzard, before the goron quickly stood over them all to block the storm.
Ilye looked to Jace "W-we're gonna d-die out here if we don't f-find shelter again..."
"..." Jace didn't answer. Iris Didn't say a word, either. The goron looked frightened, and held everyone with his back to the storm "Please hold on!"
The light in Iris' eyes grew faint to the point you couldn't even see her pupils anymore, and Jace's eyes weren't too bright anymore either. Jace still looked rather normal though, so did Ilye, but Iris' leaves were dull and wilted looking to match the lifelessness of her face. Jace and Ilye, unable to move, Iris was left to fall unconscious against Jace's now loose hold. The goron didn't know what to do! He was quickly losing them, him thinking Iris to be dead- if not, nearly.
A hand touched the goron's shoulder, and he looked back to see tall figures standing behind him. He felt relieved, and was quick to accept the stranger's help.
"We'll take them from here." One figure spoke, in a male's deep tone. The goron warrior nodded, and lifted the weak deku scrubs to the warm-clothed strangers. Jace was wanting to speak, but he was feeling too cold and frozen to say a word, and only released a weak groan. Ilye and Iris were both carried off by someone else, as Iris was pulled from Jace's protective reach. Jace quickly passed out after fighting the cold for so long...
Jace growled under his tone, waking to warmth all around him. He scratched his head, before feeling a drenched hot towel over his forehead. He leaned up quickly, his view looking hazy. In his blurred surroundings, he saw strange beings looking at him from above. He jumped off his resting place shouting "Where am I!?" before his weak legs failed to catch him upon landing on the ground. Gentle hands caught him before he completely hit the floor.
"Calm down..." Spoke one of the beings. "You're safe out of the storm."
Jace was let go, and his vision was coming back normally now. He examined the people, seeing features. Winged arms, long feathery tails, beaks. They all wore tribal clothing, and bands around their taloned feet. They smiled "Your friends are in good hands, as well. The storm nearly took your lives!"
Jace was glad to hear everyone was being taken care of. He realized now he was in the company of the Watarara clan... Or flock.
"Where are they?" Jace asked.
"Well, your feathered friend and one of the young women are sleeping."
Jace was quick to ask "One? And, the other?"
"..." The feathered people looked to one another "The other didn't look too good, we have her being taken care of right now..."
Jace's leaves lowered in trepidation, knowing who they spoke of. He looked up at them, as they towered above him "Please, may I see her?"
"I'm afraid not, that's up to the chieftess."
"Chieftess?"
A female of the group answered "Yes, our leader."
"..." Jace raised an eyebrow. He knew hardly anything of these people. He wanted to be reunited with his friends right away. Especially Iris. "Please, can you take me to your chieftess?"
"Oh, of course!" The woman replied. She began leading Jace out of the room, as everyone else went about their business. Jace still felt groggy and weak, and like he'd just been pulled out of a freezer. The halls were very neatly decorated. The hall was blanketed with an interesting tribal-styled carpet. Hanging on the walls were paintings of Watarara he didn't know, and armor surely from warriors of old. He was lead into a warm and comforting room, with a fire lit in a stone fireplace at the back. It was a pretty royal-looking place. Vases, statues, and art of all kind decorated each wall. Full sets of armor stood at each side of the doorway. His eyes quickly fixated on the large swords, bows, spears and other weaponry hanging above the fireplace. His inner collector was wanting so bad to check it all out and just start asking questions about all the rarities in the room. But, his mind's first priority was meeting and talking with the chieftess.
"Madam, I'm sorry to bother you as you're busy, but one of our guests have awoken." She bowed.
Jace never noticed that the chieftess was standing across the room, she was folding what looked to be clothes. The beautiful chieftess stood and looked to Jace. She was white with brown and yellow streaked feathers. She looked to be garbed in her own tail feathers, as they wrapped around her waist and hung down like the skirt of a dress. Her feathery-hair was long and puffy. Two very large feathers hung from her forehead like bangs. She wore a band that looked like a peacock-feathered crown... Or maybe it was part of her? Around her neck was a pendent. She smiled softly, laying her sky-blue eyes on Jace "Hello, young man."
"Um, cheiftess?" Jace began.
"Alowette. You may call me Alowette. But yes, I am the chieftess."
The one who lead Jace in left immediately. Jace walked forward, bowing a little in respect. "Thank you for saving us."
"Do not thank me, it was our guards who saved you. They saw you all near the canyons in the storm."
Jace sighed "I'm still grateful." He paused, before asking "What of my friends? I asked your people, and they said that two were fine, and sleeping, but one was very sick. Please, I need to know, I'm very worried about her."
She sighed "Well, that is true. Just like you, your bird friend and the young girl with the braided hair is fine. The other, on the other hand, seemed to have taken the cold rather roughly."
"... That was my fiance. She's never been able to cope with the cold well. I mean, no normal deku scrub can, but she's a little different..." He looked down.
"I see." She nodded.
Jace asked worriedly "Where is she?"
The chieftess looked to the curtained wall behind her. "She's in there. She's resting in a warm bath right now. Her temperature was deathly low. I feared the most when my guards showed her to me, her leaves were wilted and she had no light in her eyes, I was so scared we'd lost her. I checked for a pulse, though. She's alive, she just needs to warm up and soak up some clean water. The poor soul, I'm glad they found you all in time, or she would have died in moments out there. You and the other wouldn't have been too far behind."
It terrified Jace to hear what he just heard. He noticed Alowette was actually folding Iris' clothes. She must have washed them for her while she was resting in the bath, they looked clean and fresh. Jace was still worried, they had so much to be doing right now, and Iris was sick.
Jace sat down on a chair "I hope she'll be okay."
"I'm sure she will..." She paused "So, Jace, how're you feeling?"
"I'm fine. Just a little cold and tired, but y'know us deku, we're not meant for the cold weathe- Wait, how'd you know my name?" He jumped.
"Hokubu told me. He told me some visitors were on their way. You, Iris, and Skits. He has ways of speaking to me. It is through these communications that my people know what to predict of the weather."
Jace thought for a moment... 'What about Ilye?'.
She added "I'm not sure who the other girl is, though... Hokubu never mentioned her."
"Odd..." Jace mumbled. "He knew we were coming, but not Ilye?"
"She's a friend of yours I assume?"
Jace paused, then added "Yeah, her name is Ilye."
"Hokubu told me you had important business here. But, I'll save that for when Iris is well and awake. I'm sure right now, you all just want a little warmth and rest."
Jace chuckled lowly "Uh, yeah, kinda..."
The chieftess smiled softly. She put Iris' clothes on the table. She began out of the room "I'm going to go check on your friends. You may do as you wish, look around and make yourself at home. I'm sure Iris will wake soon, she'd probably prefer to have you around if she needs anything rather than a stranger like me."
"Of course, ma'am, thank you." He smiled. She walked out. Jace glanced at the weaponry on the wall. It was all foreign to him, and left him speechless. He stood still, twiddling his thumbs to keep himself from touching anything, before walking over to examine them due to his strong curiosity. "Oh, so beautiful... Where can I get me one of those?" He then walked around the room, examining every detail of everything that interested him. It all seemed so cool to him, seeing the treasures of the Watarara. He stopped at a painting, and looked closely, seeing the brushstrokes in the image. He wasn't sure how long he truly spent mulling over the items and treasures.
"Ughh..."
Jace instantly twitched a leaf when he heard Iris from the other side of the curtain. He looked across the room and to the curtain.
"Hello?" She called tiredly.
Jace smiled big, so happy to hear her voice. She continued "Um, excuse me? Um... Some help please...?"
"Hold on, Iris." Jace ran over to the curtain "Are you alright?"
She paused, before saying "Jace? Um... Yeah, I think... But... Why am I in a bath? And how did I get here?"
He scratched the back of his head. "Well, the Watarara found us, they saved us from the blizzard. You scared me out there, you almost froze to death... The chieftess said you were in desperate need of warmth and water, so that's why. They put you in the bath while I was asleep. I'm just so glad you're okay..."
She paused again, wondering just who put her in the bath. Either way, the thought visually bothered her. She was currently standing, reaching back and softly feeling of her back in concern. Jace heard the water, and he assuming she probably got out. "Where are Ilye and Skits? Are they okay?"
"They're fine, they're in another room. I'm currently the only one in here." Jace responded.
Jace waited a long time, but she finally answered "I can't find my clothes anywhere in here, are they out there?"
"Yeah." He looked to them on the table.
"I hate to ask this... But, can you please hand me them?" She sounded rather flustered.
Jace just smiled thoughtfully "Of course." He grabbed them. Jace passed through the curtain to see her. She felt awkward for how miserable she looked. She had the towel wrapped around her, and was shivering violently. Jace felt awful, her leaves were still a little wilted looking, but her spirit was shining brighter in her eyes at least.
"I-I'm so sorry, you shouldn't have to see me this way..." Iris shivered pathetically, looking embarrassed and sad. At first hearing, one would think she was embarrassed for natural reasons. Being a deku however, such female concerns shouldn't apply to her.
Jace just sighed "Iris, don't be silly, I'm about to be your husband... Don't worry about it. It doesn't matter how you look, I'm just glad you're alive and well…"
Iris looked down, her bangs hanging in her face. She was tired, and wanted to sleep. Jace could only feel guilty, even though he didn't know any of this would happen, but still... "Maybe you should sit down for a moment till you wake up? You look a little shaky."
Iris nodded silently. She attempted to sit down at the tub's edge, but her fiance was quick to catch her before losing her balance, and helped. Iris glared under her bangs, but held back her independent pride and thanked him instead. Surely, if he wasn't here, she'd have probably hurt herself just now.
"That was close." He mumbled.
"..." She looked away. Jace could understand her grumpiness, but he's known her long enough to know that she was still grateful. Iris was just upset because she hated looking and feeling so helpless.
"I'm sorry, Iris. I should've never brought you out there with us, I should've had you stay behind with the gorons." Jace said sincerely.
Iris glanced at him and said "You know how I would've responded to that..."
Jace stopped himself to take the opportunity to say something silly "Ehem..." He cleared his throat and held up his hand in a 'hold on' gesture, before giving himself an over exaggerated girly tone "Don't be stupid! I'm your fiance, I'm not staying behind, you stupid idiot!"
Iris held it, but soon stifled a chuckle. "Yeah, exactly that."
"Yeah, I kno-Oh, oh really? I'm a stupid idiot? Oh okay, well then..." Jace pretended to be offended and had a pouty face as he turned away and crossed his arms, making Iris laugh a little again. A grin forced across Jace's cheeks and through his eyes, before he laughed a little at himself. He smiled at Iris, glad he could accomplish his goal by making her laugh.
"You're a big clown..."
"I try." He answered. He turned himself completely toward her again and smiled.
Her hair still looked so withered, it made him feel sad. She was still sick, it was obvious. Iris was aware of her leafy hair as well, and sighed.
"I am sorry for letting this happen, though..." Jace began.
"No, it's not your fault. I wasn't equipped for this journey." Iris responded.
Jace added "I don't think any of us were. Skits and Ilye are fine, though. They're resting."
"I'm glad." Iris nodded.
Iris held the towel around her tightly and shivered again. Jace just sighed and patted her on the back. It was scary how fast the cold could take a deku scrub life, and he feared losing Iris in all this. He didn't want to make her go outside again.
"Well, I think I'm gonna go ahead and get dressed..." Iris spoke.
"Okay." Jace simply nodded. And usually, he'd have left, but given her poor balance, he wasn't quite trusting of the situation to risk her falling over, then she'd be really mad, and probably blame Jace for not being around. Not that he cared about being blamed, but more so for her not breaking her neck… Her bare back momentarily shone to him. Twas her actual reason she wouldn't normally be seen unclothed is because of some rather large scars between her shoulder blades that had a nasty story behind them, which Jace learned about some few years ago shortly after the whole Majora fiasco. At this point, Jace was the only one she even felt remotely comfortable showing them around. But thanks to the circumstances, Alowette and whoever helped were the only others in the world to know about them aside from Jace. That lingering thought irritated Iris deeply.
Iris kind of stumbled as she attempted to get one leg through her skirt. Her large bulbous feet were a hassle right now. Without asking, Jace came over and pushed a hand against her back and held one of her shoulders gently and long enough for her to have a chance to get her skirt on. She growled lowly, but again only because of her own self-inflicted embarrassment. He moved away seeing as she could do the rest. Just standing on one foot wasn't a good task right now. She finished and walked out, mumbling a quiet "Thank you…"
Iris looked at him once they stood out in the room. "Well... I have no idea where to go, so... Lead the way I guess."
"I don't know either, looks like we'll have to wander around till we find someone we know." Jace chuckled.
Time passed, and Jace and Iris wandered for a bit, before stumbling onto a nearby room. Instantly, they found Ilye and Skits. Ilye was amazed at the Watarara. She was holding one's arm and looking at it closely in astonishment. The Watarara didn't seem to mind much. "Whoa, your WINGS! And your FEATHERS! So beautiful!" she spotted Iris and Jace. "Jace, Iris, they're bird people, they're so amazing!"
"I know, the Watarara saved us." Jace added.
"I know! They're so awesome! I wish I had wings!" Ilye continued to look at the winged arm, and the Watarara villager laughed.
Jace scratched his head "Okay, Ilye. I think the poor guy's had enough..."
"She's fine." The Watarara laughed.
Ilye stopped "I'm sorry, they're just soooo cool! And, and, the chieftess came in and she was so pretty! I wish I was a Watarara!"
Jace sighed. He chuckled "Yes, I know Ilye. Calm down."
Skits flew to Iris, and looked at her.
"Hi, buddy." She spoke. He looked sadly to her condition. She added "Don't worry, I'll be fine…" while stroking his back.
Ilye sighed "Alright, I'll try to calm down." She paused for a moment "... OH! The chieftess asked if we wanted to spend the night, she says it's going to be cold and windy and dangerous tonight outside so she doesn't want us going out yet."
"Ilye, we can't sit around, we have work to do." Iris responded.
Jace cut in "I agree with Ilye and Chieftess Alowette. Iris, you can't go out there."
She just sighed… "Good point..."
"I'm sorry, but it's for your own good..." Jace added "Tomorrow we can set out, it's getting late. Besides, the chieftess told me she had things to discuss with us. Important things about Hokubu."
"Oh." Iris began "Well then, there's a good reason to stay."
"Exactly." Jace finished.
Ilye stretched "So, when're we supposed to discuss the whole Hokubu thing with Alowette?"
"At dinner."
Everyone turned to the doorway. Alowette stood there, and continued "I see you are all awake and fine now. We're preparing supper. You may come join us, and we'll discuss your journey." She smiled kindly.
Ilye gasped "Can I help with dinner!?"
The chieftess chuckled "If you wish." She giggled again "I don't see why not. My dining room is just down the hall from here."
"Okay!" Ilye left, and began down the hall.
Jace's eyes were a little wide. "... Sorry, she's a little eccentric with all the new things."
"That's quite alright."
"We'll be there in a moment, we can help out, too. It's the least we can do." Iris spoke.
The chieftess smiled thankfully "That's very kind of you. Thank you~" She turned and left.
Iris began out, and Jace followed.
"Y'know... The chieftess seems to know a lot about us already." Iris questioned.
Jace responded in turn "She's spoken with Hokubu, who told her about us already. He knew everything of our coming."
"Ah." Iris responded.
Jace placed his hand to his snout in thought, though, and figured he'd tell Iris what else he noticed. "... Strangely enough, though... Hokubu didn't know about Ilye, like, she's not supposed to be with us."
"Well, she did just kinda show up at the last minute after meeting Minami… I'm assuming he knows about us from Minami. I'm sure he never got word from Minami about her."
Jace didn't believe it "It just seems strange to me, they're practically gods, they should… know these things, I would think. The spirits know about us, you'd think they'd know about Ilye if she was tagging along."
He had Iris thinking, there were a lot of strange things about Ilye. She seemed pretty different.
Jace continued "I wasn't truly concerned about it at first, but the signs keep growing more vivid that Ilye's not from around here. She's obviously a Hylian. How, though, I don't know. That'd explain why the spirits didn't know about her, because she came from your world and not mine."
"That doesn't make sense, because then they wouldn't know about me if coming from Hyrule has anything to do with it. But how did she know so much about us? She says she was born in the South Wildlands, and knew Palace guards."
Jace seemed to give Iris a strange look "It all doesn't make sense. And she hasn't really told us too much about her personal life other than her folks are dead, her village was destroyed by Twilight, and her lover and her either broke up or are going to... She DID say that what they were once wont matter once all this is over."
"We can't make assumptions about her relationship. She didn't really say much about that. I'm sure it's too personal for us. She could've meant that she could die on this journey, and she may not make it back, who knows. It's none of our business." Iris answered.
"What ever you say... I'd just like to know a little more about her. I know we can trust her, but she's just a little strange."
His significant other only rolled he eyes before placing her hand on his shoulder. "Ugh, let's just leave it be, she's not hurting anyone. I'm sure things will be fine... C'mon, let's go help in the kitchen. I think we've had enough stress for one day."
To Be Continued...