Chapter Eight: Bound
"In time, this too, shall pass."
—Old Persian Proverb
An oppressive force flowed through the lands surrounding the country of Holodrum, curling around the trees with its sickening caress of miasma. It seeped into the cracks of life and shadowed it, leaving pieces of itself behind. It left nothing visible, but anyone with the barest hint of magic would be able to feel the intent—those dark tendrils choking the green aura of life around it. The shadow moved north quickly, consuming field, river, and forest alike, inundating it with its evil energy. When it reached Horon Village, the shadow paused, sensing a large population of people. The sickly sweet smell of illness and the rotting smell of corpses filled the air in the force's wake.
The dark tendrils reached out from the mass, gliding into long fingers. They flowed through the cracks in the doorway of the nearest house and wrapped themselves around the two sleeping forms. Unaware, the villager and his wife shuddered in their sleep, knowing subconsciously that something was deeply wrong. It absorbed the emotions they kept in shadow—hatred, fear, jealousy, and added it to its own, increasing its size and power.
It continued on, creeping inch by inch over the vast landscape, stealing and perverting the emotions of people from the Samasa Desert and the Woods of Winter to the Spool Swamp and Tarm Ruins.
A few of the Subrosians who had dared venturing above ground quickly teleported back to their home of Subrosia, the land underneath Holodrum. It seemed only they sensed the evil coming, and they were barely able to flee before all the land fell under its curse. A few were sent to warn fellow members in nearby Labyrnna, praying to the Goddesses that all was not lost. They were safe, for now.
As it traveled, it grew, until it covered all the land in a thin, imperceptible shadow.
In its slow sojourn over Holodrum, the shadow paused only once. In a small, nondescript clearing, it paused, able to see past, present, future—all possibilities of what was, what is, and what will be. The shadow formed something humanoid with a blurred outline and dark, soulless red eyes.
"Dyn," it hissed, forming shadowy teeth into a sharp grin.
She writhed and twisted against her shackles, struggling forcefully against her captor's chains. The bulbous chameleon eyes towered above her in mockery. "Now, Now," Zant cackled gleefully, "You don't want to hurt yourself more than necessary, hmm?"
"Coward! Unchain me!" She spat at his mask, straining against her bonds. She was chained against a wall, iron bars surrounding her. Her arms were fettered behind her, stretched to the sides and slightly above her, while her legs were gyved to the floor, giving her limited ability to move. She was on her knees, her legs folded underneath her. The black chains glowed red with her struggle, evidence of her power being used against her. The power flow was recursive, redirecting against itself constantly. Her magical attempts to escape did nothing but increase the strength of the bonds. He wiped the spittle away with a casual hand, dismissing it as he would one of his servants.
"Ah, so you want to play, do you?" He held a large purple ball of magic, crackling with what appeared to be electricity, but was far more sinister than that. The tendrils reached out to her, embracing her. He touched it to her chest between her breasts, directly over her heart. Although she bit her lip to try and stop herself, she could not help but begin screaming, a loud keening cry that caused her surroundings to shake. She could feel her energy fading, twisting, darkening into a shadowy, corrupted mess as it flowed into him. "Coward you call me. How ironic, Light Dweller. You, who have sentenced us to a world of shadows and subjugated us. And you call me the coward when you have locked us away, fearful of the power we contain. Now you see what it is like, to be forced to submit, to be locked away in the darkness like an insect in a cage, half-insane and numb to all feeling. You were right to fear us."
"You," she huffed out, teeth grinding against one another in her anger. "are a disgrace to your fore-bearers." Her golden eyes flashed. "You betray your people. You betray your princess. You betray your Goddess. Why would I have left your people's magic, if I were were so afraid of rebellion?"
"In the hands of a royal family content to be downtrodden? Why would you have taken it away?" He waved his hand at her. "It is of no consequence. What need have I for people who refuse to acknowledge me as rightful king? Plenty of others acknowledge me as is my right. What need have I for a useless, do-nothing royal family, who let the Twili fade away in darkness, content in their oppression by the people of the Light? I have my own, powerful god, found at the lowest point of my life. His way is truth, for he has pulled me from my miserable half-existence and given me my due as ruler of this Twilit land. What need have I for a Goddess, when his desires are mine, and he uses his power to carry out my will?"
"He is no god. And when he is finished using you as a tool, you will die, vermin, from a sword in your back, your plans for nothing. Though you do not acknowledge it yet, your naïveté has cost you everything."
"Yet here am I, king of my people, unchained, and you bound. Poor pathetic little creature, just a shade of what you used to be," he tsked, shaking his head, pouting.
"The legacy of a king is how he rules over his people. A fine king, indeed! And your people suffer, torn into shadow-beings!"
"Those are the ones who have gone against my god and me. They deserve to be punished." He touched the pulsating ball of darkness to her skin again, causing her to scream, loud and long. "Beautiful power," Zant said, his face lit up in rapture as her thrumming power coursed through his veins. "With your power, I will take away this light, replacing it with sweet, sweet darkness, and return my god to the heavens. We will rule all Hyrule, light and twilight and dark together, he and I. You will die, and I will rejoice, reveling in your power."
"Fool. He will never share it with you. And when I die," she coughed up blood, speaking hoarsely. "When I die, his power will be no more. He is naught but a petty thief, holding my power as if it belongs to him. Remember this, vermin: he will never see you as an equal. It does not take two to rule, you can see that as well as I. He will have done with you."
"You lie!" Infuriated, he slapped her hard across the face, his overly long sleeves barely reducing the force of the blow. "Do not speak of him in such a manner, pathetic creature." His voice turned soothing as he caressed her face where he had slapped her gently. "See what you made me do," he said, his voice almost like a lover. "What can you do to make it up to me, hmm? You shouldn't say such nasty things."
"I state nothing but truth," she spat. "Poor misbegotten fool."
"Truth? TRUTH? HA!" he laughed darkly. "Who is the master, even over the Gods? The answer is Destiny, weaving through the Gods' tapestries, tying souls together. It does not favor the Good or the Evil, those nebulous abstract concepts, designed by those who do not realize that the distinction is merely perception. It is Destiny that has brought him—and you—to me. You are naïve, distant one, and that will cost you." He shook his head. "You have never known pain before this hour, never known suffering, never known loss. You have never known desperation so thick it chokes you, smothers you in your ineffectual efforts. In this moment is your retribution for the suffering you've caused countless people. All your kind deserves death," He hissed the last word, "for thinking that mortals' lives are merely play—sport in which you can practice your arbitrary whims! Destiny has brought you here, under my power. You are Its rightful gift to me."
She was silent at his accusations. To think! She was arrogant enough to believe that she could fix this. What could she say against such a misdirected, zealous belief? And yet…A sudden thought struck her, the weight of it causing her to stagger mentally. "Mortals make their own destiny," she said in wonder, half-crazed with pain. Eidolon. "We..." No, she could no longer say that, not anymore. "…The Gods are merely the guiding light. Divine though They are, even then, free will reigns. " She closed her eyes. Divine no longer. How did Hylia stand it?
He was about to respond, his hand pulsing with power, fully ready to draw out more of her essence, before a knock was heard on the door. Zant sighed, a great heaving gust of air, as a young Twili stuck her head through the door. When she caught sight of the woman in chains, her eyes widened at such a legendary figure. He beckoned the young Twili in, who whispered something in his ear. Zant nodded, and turned back to her. "Unfortunately, I've got to go for now. But I'll see you soon, my fountain of power. Wait for me, my sweet," he said softly, lifting his mask, whispering in her ear, intoxicated by her power. She shuddered in disgust, her body weak from the torture.
He left the room, and her defiant posture gave way as she slumped against the chains, her head hanging down, unkempt red hair in her face. Never had she known pain like this. Never had she been so helpless in all of her existence. Never had she wanted to end her being, to do anything to stop the pain coursing through her body. She wanted to curl up, but the chains would not let her. She struggled fruitlessly against her chains. She once had the power to forge the land to her liking. She could do this. She could do this.
She couldn't do this.
She prayed to her sisters. Please, oh please, save me! Find me soon. Tears started leaking out of her tightly clenched eyes. She couldn't help but repeat the prayer over and over, until she was almost shouting mentally; Please, oh please, find me soon!
Something had changed. Anju could feel that deep inside her bones. It was an eerie premonition, tingling the hairs on the back of her neck. Kafei was still in the heart of town, catching up on what he had missed during the first night of the Carnival. But something was wrong. Deeply wrong. She fiddled with the guestbook idly, unable to sit still with this feeling of warning plaguing her mind. She began to pace behind the counter.
She worried. It coursed through her body, giving her goosebumps. Link was still upstairs, guarding his strange doppelganger. Kona was with him, underfoot as usual. She loved her honorary uncle. Anju thought that he must have the patience of a saint. Goddesses knew Kona tried hers to its breaking point. Romani was sent to one of their rooms, so she could rest as well. It had been a long and harrowing night for the whole town, the Inn most of all, and the aftershocks could be seen in the faces of all, hidden not only by the physical masks, but by the metaphysical, people smiling brightly, pretending they they weren't shaken by the events of last night.
Anju knew about those masks very well. Her mother had worn one for years after her father's disappearance. Anju sighed. She didn't remember her father very well. She knew that was where she got her shocking blue eyes from. Her mother didn't like to talk about him much. She remembered those eyes, twinkling warmly as he held her, telling her bedtime stories about the Giants, as his mother, Anju's grandmother, had told him before. She remembered his white-blond hair, too, remembered nestling her fingers in it contentedly. It was her earliest memory, and sharper because it was the only one she had of him before he left. There were no photographs of him. Her mother was convinced he had run off on them. Anju didn't believe it. Maybe it was the blind faith of a child, she didn't know. But Tortus wasn't here anymore, and no one knew the reason.
Why was she thinking about him now of all times? Suddenly, she didn't care for doing this anymore, standing here with nary a thing to do in order to occupy her restless mind. All their reservations were filled...why was she standing here in the first place? So tired. She put away the guestbook and made her way towards the kitchen to cook, deep in contemplation. Something didn't feel right. She couldn't pinpoint it. The feeling, embedded deep in her bones, called to her, telling her something definitely wasn't right. Time would tell. And soon.
Link sighed. The man in the bed had yet to wake again, and Kafei was still out and about in town. Anju was at the front desk, and Kona was underfoot, near the edge of the bed. playing pretend with her new wolf toy. As tired and frustrated as he was, he still managed to watch her with delight as she was off in her own little world, conquering evil and saving imaginary princesses (or rather princes, much to his ironic delight). Truly, a child after his own heart.
He saw patterns where bloodstains had darkened the wood. No matter how hard he cleaned, those would never come out. He was reminded again that the mattress on which the man was lying would need to be replaced. Maybe he could do a little carpentry work and fix the floorboards as well. He hoped the man woke up soon. He really desired answers. Hopefully, he would get them before he left.
A sharp rap was heard on the door, distracting him from his thoughts. "Link?"
Link turned his gaze to the door. "Romani?"
"Can I come in?" Her normal exuberant voice sounded rather timid, even muffled behind the door. "Kafei told me...about the wolf, I mean. And the man."
Link thought about it for a moment. What's Kafei playing at? "Come on in," he said finally, after a long pause.
She entered warily, opening the door hesitantly, her eyes immediately darting to the prone figure on the bed.
"Did you get enough sleep?" He asked her, knowing that she had been awake all night.
"Like a babe. Inn beds are comfy." She gestured to the man in the bed. "Is that...him?" She leaned over Link's shoulder, peering at the man's face. "He looks so much like you," she cocked her head to the side. "Except the hair. It's more a burnished gold, don't you think?"
"Yeah," he admitted. "But not much of a difference."
"Not enough to count, no." She hesitated. "What's goin' on?"
"Kafei didn't tell you the particulars?"
"No."
"He is from the same place I am."
"Kafei said that, but wouldn't tell me where. Where is that? You didn't know him beforehand? Why is he here?"
"The truth is, I don't know. I don't know what this means," he said his voice rising in volume.
"Link, calm down. It'll all turn out well in the end. It has before, right?"
He took a moment to forcefully calm himself. "I mean there's no reason he should be here. It's impossible. I thought it was impossible."
"What's impossible, Link? This comin' from the only person who believed me about Them," she questioned quietly. "You ain't makin' sense right now."
"I could never get home before. He must have fallen down across the universe. He came here. What if we can never go back? What if I don't want to go back?" he said with a desperate look on his face.
"Go back where, Link?" Her heart broke at the sight of him.
"Home. Through the black space between the worlds. What if he is my replacement? Maybe everyone thought he was me. Maybe I don't matter."
"Between...worlds?" Oddly enough, that made sense. If the Them could descend from the heavens, if a wolf could be a man, if a moon could have a face, then Link could surely be from another world. His head was in the clouds enough anyway. "Oh Link, a course you matter, knucklehead." She rapped him lightly on the head with her fist.
"I don't care if I matter or not. Maybe I don't care."
"Link, you do care. Problem is, you care too much. You want your sacrifices to mean somethin' whatever they are. Well, they do. I can't speak for everybody, but I can speak for me and Anju and Kafei and Kona. They mean somethin' to us. We see them, like it or not. You saved my life, Link. You saved the ranch. How can you dare say you don't matter?"
"Romani..."
"No Link, I kept this quiet for seven years," she grasped his hand gently. "I've seen you struggle. I've worried and watched silently, barely knowin' what it meant when I was a little girl—"
"Romani, don't," Link interrupted. "What you're about to say, you don't mean it. And I can't return—"
"I do mean it. And I know you can't return it, whatever the reason. And more's the pity, me bein' a fool like this. You promised me anythin' I wanted. Please give me this. Link, take me to the Carnival tonight."
Link's face looked pained. "Romani...I don't know."
"I'd like to know who she is though," she said thoughtfully. "Who is it that you see when you look at me?"
"Malon's not the reason I can't—"
"Malon?" She asked disdainfully, with a hint of jealousy. "Then why, Link? It's because of that other world thing, isn't it?" she said, scarcely able to hide her disappointment. "You can't become attached to anyone here, is that it?"
"Partly," Link admitted. "But I would be a hypocrite. I am attached." He caressed her cheek gently, curling a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "To you, to the Dotours, to this place," he encompassed the room in a sweeping gesture.
"Then why? Why be alone?"
"Because it's the legacy of a hero, to be alone, to sacrifice themselves for the common good. I can't be selfish. The town comes before everything. Even if we could make something together, I wouldn't have you wait for me."
"But it's my decision whether I wanna to wait or not! You can't make it for me," she said emphatically. "I can bear bein' the wife of a warrior, the uncertainty a it. You say it ain't selfish, but it is. You run from other people. You just don't wanna to bother with anyone else in your life," she said bitterly.
Stung, Link fired back. "Romani, you know that's not true. Why would I even bother seeking friendship from you, or anyone else for that matter, if that were so?"
"Prove it then. Prove you ain't a coward. Give me one evenin'. That's all I ask for."
"Pride goes before a fall," he muttered. Louder he said, "Fine. You didn't have to call me a coward. I honor my word. I said I would do anything, and I will, within reason. I'll go."
Romani's face softened. "Link, I'm sorry. I didn't want it to be a chore. But I lo—"
He pressed his fingertips to her lips. "Don't. Just don't," he said, his eyes begging her. "Please, Romani."
"I know what I—"
"That's not what I mean. Hyrule—my home—ended up more than life itself, than time than friends. My loyalty is to the Goddesses first. Below that, there are the individuals. There's hardly enough duty left for anything else, much less a wife. I can't put anyone through that. I'd make a fine husband," he said, deprecatingly.
"It'd be enough," Romani said stubbornly.
"You say that now, Romani. I just don't know if I could take it if you left. It would kill me, Romani. And I have my enemies. Have you ever taken a life?"
"No."
"It changes you, Romani. It alters your very soul. Stalfos are sentient, did you know that? Gibdos can speak. Stalchildren, Ikana's child-soldiers, I've slaughtered by the dozen. The spirit of the Demon Mask. Romani, I killed a man in cold blood. He was truly evil, but it changes you. With his last dying breath he cursed my descendents. I'm afraid to become a father. You could never understand, not without experiencing it."
"But I could try! Please think about it, Link."
"Then, there is my nomadic lifestyle. Cremia is going to inherit the Milk Village. Where will you live? My job requires me to remain in town. I already depend on far too much kindness from Kafei and Anju. I can't give you what you need, Romani. You know that. What if I do need to leave and go back to my home a world away?"
"I'd just go with you," she said, with effort, trying to make him see.
"You know that would devastate Cremia. Besides, there is no telling what would happen to you. I can't give you what you need," Link repeated.
She slumped down in the chair, defeated. "I know," she said, tears welling up at the corners of her eyes. "But you're findin' reasons, excuses, for us not to work. I've said my piece. If you ever change your mind, I'll be waitin'."
Because the two were engaged in deep conversation, neither of them noticed when Kona picked up the obsidian rock hidden halfway beneath the bed, marveling at the way it seemed to absorb all light. She tucked it in a hidden inside pocket in her dress, having changed out of her Deku Scrub costume. She knew her other Unca 'Ink would need it before he left. She'd keep it safe for him.
Romani hastily wiped at her eyes as someone knocked on the door. Link went to open it, and he saw Anju struggle, balancing a full tray of gruel in her hands. "I've brought an early lunch." She looked from Link's grim face to Romani's tearful one. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing really. Just me being silly," Romani forced a grin. "Is there one for me?"
She finally confessed, then. He must have said no. Poor girl, bravely hiding her pain. "Yes," Anju said. "Although I wasn't sure if you'd be up yet. I've kept some on the stove for when Mr. Wulfric wakes up."
"Mr. Wulfric?" Link asked.
"Well, he was a wolf. It just seemed to fit. Besides, I can't go around calling you both Link, can I? It would be so confusing," Anju said. "Anyway, I assume since Romani's here she knows, so..." here she trailed off, waiting for an explanation.
"Yeah, Kafei told me," Romani dipped a spoonful, putting it hesitantly in her mouth. "This is actually good!"
Anju glared at her. "My cooking has improved since the last time you had it, Romani. I may not be up to my father's standards, but I can certainly make a thin porridge."
"The only thing she's burned in the last week is the roast," Link said teasingly. "Breakfast foods you're safe with."
"Link!" Anju said, scandalized.
"No, Romani, she really has gotten better at her cooking. It's because she has to cook for a husband and a child," Link said knowledgeably, sotto voce.
Romani laughed. "You ever thought about openin' the cafeteria again?" she asked.
"Yes," Anju said after a short pause. "In memory of my father. Mother wouldn't like the idea."
Link remembered that repeated conversation all too well, where her mother would have convinced her not to wait for Kafei. Had convinced her the first time, when he forgot to give her the pendant, caught up in the Great Bay Temple. He still felt guilty over that, even though they would never know of it. "I do. Like it, I mean."
"The only thing that matters is what you want, Anju," Romani said.
"You miss him," Link stated.
"I don't see why Mother is so convinced that he left us. I think the only way he would not come back to us is if he were dead."
"Well, it's past noon," Romani said, stretching her arms in the air and standing up. "I think I need to go get ready for tonight."
"Tonight?" Anju asked, puzzled.
"Link, fine fellow that he is, is escortin' me tonight," Romani winked at him coquettishly, seemingly recovered from her earlier heartbreak. "I'll be waitin' in the lobby at four, shug." She sauntered out of the room.
Anju turned to Link. "Are you sure that is a good idea?"
"It's a terrible one," he admitted. "But I owe her a favor, and since I'm leaving tomorrow and going to be gone for the next few days—"
"Gone," Anju repeated blankly. "Where? "
"To Ikana. We'll only be gone a few days," he winced at his slip. Kafei wanted to be the one to tell her.
"We? Who is going with you? And on such short notice," Anju held her breath.
"Kafei," Link replied, wincing again at the terseness in her tone. And now he knew why. Anju was going to be angry. Very, very angry.
Her face grew hot, but she managed to temper her fury. "And just when was he planning on telling me?" She ground out, her mind focused on the work that his absence would entail. She hadn't the proper head for books and her mother would have words to say for this. She'd have to call on her, ask her to come over, where she would harp on Kafei leaving her on such short notice. Anju sensed a headache brewing. Maybe she would call Madame Aroma instead. Kafei's mother was a doll, sweet and kind. Her premonition came back to her. Oh, Goddess. She placed a hand on her mouth. She was going to throw up.
"I asked him," Link said placatingly. "I promise it's necessary. Anju, please understand."
"Who's going to guard Mr. Wulfric?" Anju demanded.
Link winced again. "Link, no! What if he's dangerous? What can I do to protect Kona and the Town? It's not like we can just go to the guard if something were to happen."
"It won't," Link said stubbornly. "I wouldn't have asked Kafei with me otherwise."
"Link, you don't know that. You're not a god, playing with people's lives. You can't manage our lives like that. You can't just automatically assume things are going to be okay just because you say so. You don't know what he's capable of."
"I'm not trying to be a god." Of course, he couldn't argue "with the playing with people's lives" point, because wasn't that what he had done, during those repetitive three days? "Anju, please. This needs to be done. Kafei needs to come with me."
"To Ikana, the Land of the Dead? I hope you know what you're doing. Link, you're a good friend. But I swear to the Goddesses, if anything happens to my husband..."
"I'd die before that happened, you know that."
Abruptly, the anger left her, and she collapsed into the chair in which Romani had been sitting. "I know. I'm sorry for getting angry."
Link snorted. "It's fine. Tempers have been triggered all over the place today, mine especially. I deserve it. If it helps, Kafei doesn't want to come. I'm forcing him to come with me. I'm sorry too. I really do feel it needs to be done."
"I've lost him once. I don't want Kona to go through what I had to go through, being without a father. Please, take care of him."
"With my life. I swear it."
"You have to understand. I don't remember much of my father. Most of my information comes from my grandmother. My mother doesn't talk about him much, if at all. If she does, it's usually about how Kafei is going to get tired and leave me one day. I only have one memory of him, and it's not very clear. Please for my sake."
"I will," he affirmed again. "And the Mr. Wulfric, Anju...Remember how I told you that the Triforce contained the essence of the Goddesses?" She nodded. "The wolf has the Triforce of Courage. That is why I am certain he means no harm. Cowards seek power. Even wisdom can be led astray with good intentions. Courage comes from the heart, wild and free. It does not seek power, merely to overcome challenges. Although I am aware that it too can falter, it takes strength and mastery of will. A heart with both will not easily be led astray. If it chose him after I left, then he must be a good man."
Anju's eyes lit up in understanding. "I understand your faith now, thank you. It doesn't mean I fully accept it, though," She started to say more when a hazy form appeared in the room. "Link, behind you!"
For a moment, it seemed as if all reality glitched. Time seemed to stop and hang in free fall. The room around them shook in a minor earthquake, rattling the objects in a shaking frenzy, causing them to move haphazardly.
He turned quickly, hand on his sword. He saw the outline of a man dressed in a robe that had a brown front, almost like a chasuble, with sleeves dangling beyond his hands. His cheekbones were high, and his lips were flat and wide. His hair dangled down in thick locks, held together with silver ornaments. He didn't appear to see them. He stayed for only a moment, before disappearing.
All was still.