A/N: Alrighty, we're passed the backstory and into the real legend! So from now on the story is going to be divided into several 'sagas' basically following different story arcs (yes, I've got story arcs!) The first one, the Heroine Saga (might change that name haven't decided yet) focuses on Faron's role as heroine of Hyrule, her original adventures. Things get more complicated in later stories (if I ever get there) but I won't spoil it now! Since chapters end up kind of rudimentary here, they'll be in a sort of episodic format, each one focusing on whatever part of the story I'm telling and a title to match that "episode". I might change the title of this one, I'm not exactly fond of it, but I couldn't come up with anything clever. Also I apologize if the similarities to Twilight Princess seem ridiculous in the beginning, I really love that version of Hyrule and its environment and I wanted that to be my setting for developing my characters. And more characters will be introduced soon! But the main adventuring pair for now is Faron and Midnight. Can't have one w/o the other, like Finn and Jake, bread and butter, i can't think of any other pairs but you get the idea. Keep that in mind when you read about their interactions, I'm not sure I have it quite down yet, but I'm working on it! :)
P.S. I think I've decided Faron gets the green tunic cause she looks fab in it, but not the hat. I just can't picture it working on her head. The green in her hair makes up for it. :P
Keeping a Promise
"There you go, Epona, you deserve it," Faron stroked her horses mane as the majestic creature crunched happily on several large carrots. Her favorite part of the day was getting treats after some exercise in the field. Faron enjoyed those few hours as well, mounting her steed right as the sun rose every morning and galloping out to where she could get a wide view of the world she had resided in the last five years. The beauty of it continued to amaze her, filled with colors and shades she had never seen before arriving in the world of light. The air constantly smelled of fresh greenery, and the way the seasons changed the environment shocked and amazed her. She could stand perfectly still and watch the world pass by her and continue to be in awe of its constant newness. Of course, she was far too restless for that. Every day she had to get up, to move, to explore. Strangely enough in five years, she had yet to find herself straying far from the forests and field just outside them. Even the small village nearby she had only visited a few times. Outside of that was a world far larger than she had ever imagined, a kingdom she had learned was called Hyrule. Despite her curiosity and awe in its size and beauty, she found herself afraid of what may lie within. To her, the forest was her haven and her domain, she had explored nearly ever inch of the place. Well, nearly.
"Do I get a treat?" Faron scoffed at the echoing whisper.
"Why, 's not like you ever do anything."
"Well, it's not like I can help it. Why are you never here at dawn? I don't get to see you."
Faron looked towards the dark shadow stretching from the base of her boots. Even though it was nearly noon, it remained constant and pitch black against the ground. It was her only reminder that her brother was still always by her side, even if she could't see him. The only time he appeared more solid to her was in the twilight hours, but even then, he looked like a ghost. An echo barely clinging to the skin of a world that continued to reject him.
"Epona wanted to go out early." Faron tried as an excuse.
"Oh, sure, blame the horse." Midnight chuckled.
"Well, what does it matter, I still get to see you in the evening."
"What, once a day?" She could practically hear him scowling. "I feel like I miss enough of your life already. Look at you, five years and you're already grown up."
"But you're always here."
"Depends on what you mean by here."
She sighed. "And don't ever call me grown up. I'm not even an adult, not for another day."
"What's that supposed to mean?" He feigned ignorance and she rolled her eyes. "So, where're we off to today?"
"I wanna go past the swamp again." She reached into her leather bag and pulled out a wrinkled map with a crudely drawn map filled with arrows and simple drawings depicting the landmarks of the woods. "Remember that giant hollowed out tree? Where the locals say that temple is? There was a thick spider's web covering the entrance last time, but I finally picked up a lantern off that hermit and we will be able to burn it. It'll make it easier to see through the fog to get there too." She rolled up the map and stood proudly, swinging a sword and wooden shield across her back.
"You didn't steal it did you? That's not very nice." Midnight scolded, attempting to give what little parental advice he had been capable of in the last five years. Most of the time it was just easier to let Faron learn from her mistakes. And honestly he quite enjoyed the mischief as well. It reminded him of their younger days.
"No, of course not. He was givin' 'em away. Poor guy thinks it some sort of business strategy. But he even let me take some of his homemade soup too." She produced a bottle filled with a bubbling black liquid containing what looked like various chopped vegetables, and opened the lid before taking the bottle to her lips.
"I wouldn't drink that." Midnight non-urgently tried to warn, before she gagged and spit out the concoction.
"So, sort of an odd temple. What's the point of this place then?" Faron held up her lantern looking around at the strange place. Its altars were made of decaying wood, the entire structure carved out of a long dead tree.
"Don' know. Didn't they used to say the spirits locked away some ancient power in this place?" Midnight questioned from his usual place in the shadows.
"Well, it must not be here anymore. This place is completely run down. Well, I suppose a temple would be in this day an' age. I think. I don' know, Hyrule is a bit of an odd place. And do you hear singing?"
"Singing?"
"Yeah, I've been hearing a real faint sort of singing sound since we got through the swamp…"
"No, I don't hear anything like that, but I think you're wrong about the power. It feels like there is something in this place, something dark. Something familiar… and-what is that?"
Faron looked up to see a gray monkey with a flower on its ear, staring at her with its head titled curiously.
"A local? Maybe a guardian? Temples have guardians right?"
"Monkeys guarding a temple? Well it would explain the state of this place."
"Don't be rude! Besides, I think she wants me for something." Faron noted as the monkey ran towards a door leading deeper into the temple, waving at Faron to follow her. "If she is a guardian than maybe there's something wrong and I can help." Without another word, Faron followed the monkey to the door, but before opening it she turned and ran towards a large chest in a nearby alcove.
"Faron, what are you doing, I thought we were gonna help?"
"Well, we're exploring a temple; you never pass up a chance for some loot!" She lifted the heavy lid of the chest to discover its only contents were a shimmering white boomerang. "Oh, well, it'll be good fun for the village kids to play with." But as she lifted it, she felt a sudden breeze pass over her. Shaking it off, she ran back towards the monkey and shifted the large stone door with ease.
"Well, that's imposing, 'in it?" Faron gaped at the enormous door standing before her. The monkey had led her straight here, in the deepest part of the temple, and now it and several of its monkey friends hid behind pillars surrounding the door, chattering.
"Think we should go back?" Midnight questioned with only a hint of sarcasm. "Whatever's behind here, the monkeys seem to be afraid of it."
A wide grin spread across Faron's face. "Nah! Big giant imposing door in the middle of a temple just begging to be opened? First thing you gotta do is go on through!" and with that, she gripped the rough stone and pushed, finding it rolling off to the side with more ease than she imagined.
Dashing through the opening, a putrid smell stopped her in her tracks. "Ugh, no wonder the monkeys were freaked out, this place stinks!" With a hand over her nose, she approached the large pool, bubbling with purple liquid. "Lucky you, Midnight, you're missing out."
For a moment, he was oddly quiet. "Faron, be careful. That power I sensed before, it's here—" just as he finished the sentence, the pool began bubbling more and the heads of two large babas rose up, their blue tongues slithering out their drooling mouths. Faron immediately drew her sword as the creatures swayed and eyed her, observing how to approach their next meal.
"Okay, those are some big babas. Shouldn't be too hard!" She jumped back as one of the heads rushed towards her, its jaws open, but instead smacked into the wooden shield on her right arm. The thing shook away its dizziness, but not before receiving several smacks from Faron's sword, causing it to retreat into the poison pool. The second head quickly attempted to counterattack, only to receive the same treatment, and slither back into the water as well.
"What, is that it?! Not so scary now, are you, ba—" The ground shook and the pool bubbled and sloshed and soon the two heads returned, accompanied by the massive parasite they were attached to. The monsters head jutted out of the water and lowered towards Faron, its four-pronged mouth opening in a bone-shattering roar, revealing a single yellow eye on its on tongue.
"Okay, never mind, that's pretty scary!" She jumped and rolled away as the beast snapped at her with its massive jaws, her eyes widening as it drew back and began spewing a steaming purple liquid towards her. She screamed and started running in any direction, away from the stream.
"So what, you're just gonna run!?" Midnight shouted.
"Unless you've got a better idea!"
"Faron, you've got to kill it!"
"I can't even get near it! Agh!" She screamed again as the stream came dangerously close.
"Throw your sword at it!"
"No!" She shouted, offended at the idea. "I don't want to lose it! Wait!" She stopped and turned as the creature drew back to fire at her again. She grabbed the boomerang off her belt and swung her arm back to throw it. To her surprise, the moment the object left her hand she was nearly lifted off her in feet by a strong breeze, and watched as a the boomerang flew in a tornado towards the creatures head, swirling around it and stunning it before returning to Faron's hand. "Okay, so not a toy then. But what am I supposed to do with that...?" The beast shook its head and roared once more, snapping back and forth at the air. Faron looked around the chamber and grinned as she spotted a bombling insect crawling its way along the wall. "Ah-ha!" She drew back the boomerange once more and tossed it towards the bombling before it could escape the room.
"Faron, what are you doing, the creature's over there—" The boomerang's wind lifted up the bombling which instantly began to sizzle and glow red, preparing to explode. It bounced off the wall of the chamber and began flying towards the monster, which in its frenzy, snatched up the ticking bombling in its mouth. Faron caught the returning boomerange as the bombling exploded and smoke rose from the beast's closed jaws, causing it to sway before collapsing on the ground, its jaw wide open.
"There you are!" Faron drew her sword and with a cry ran towards the stunned monster, bringing down her blade to slice off the eye attached to its tongue. The moment the key organ was detached the beast lifted up and roared in pain, smacking its head against the walls of the cavern before it stiffened and its body dried up and crusted over before exploded into hundreds of black particles. As the beast died the water in the pool returned to its clear blue color, the fog disapated, and light filtered back into the temple. Faron watched in awe as the particles came together to form a stone object, emanating a dark energy which floated down towards her. Her eyes shining in curiosity, she reached towards the object.
"Don't touch it." Midnight warned, as his shadow figure appeared beside her.
"Why not?"
"You'll end up like that monster. I think that's all it was, a simple parasite, possessed by the dark magic in this thing."
"But what is it? The energy coming off it, it's weird, it reminds me of…"
"Twilight, yeah. This isn't quite the same; it's old power, ancient. Power the Light Spirits took from my ancestors thousands of years ago, they must have locked it away here. I suppose they didn't expect some insects to come around touching it but…"
"Well, what do we do with it, you said I can't touch it—"
"But I can. Even if my ancestors had this power taken away from them, it is still technically my inheritance. Maybe in this less dense form, I can use it." Midnight's red hair reached out and grabbed the object, which quickly dissolved to black and disappeared in his grasp. Faron stared in wonder before turning towards her brother's form and gasping in shock. Before her was no longer Midnight's shadowy form but his whole self, pale skin and wide grin and all, physical once more.
"But how did you—how are you—Midnight, you're—you're—you're here!"
"See, I can use it! Old power that's just different enough from our shadow magic, but can increase my own power. I can use it to defy the laws that keep me from existing in this world. Faron, are you ok—oof!" Faron burst out with an excited laugh and launched herself at him wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging him tightly, for the first time in years. He could barely keep his balance as she threw her full weight on him, but laughed as well and wrapped his arms around her. He could finally keep his promise, for real this time.
