Another short-ish chapter, but it's chock full of stuff! Read and review, comment and criticize without flaming, and-as always-enjoy!
-Jack Knights
Sorry, I had just realized I named the last chapter wrong XD Fixed it now.
"We're lucky most of the snow melted," Sheik said, his breath visible in the cold air.
"No, lucky is that abandoned house not freezing solid," Dagg interjected, his glasses fogging up for the umpteenth time. Link wrapped the blanket tighter around his body, tying it around his neck and waist.
"Such strange weather..." he observed. Dagg wiped his glasses clean and looked over at Link.
"Well, no, not really; sudden rain and snow happens quite often in areas where the Twilight descends," he said, adjusting his glasses.
"Right," Sheik added. "See, when Ganondorf brought the Twilight under his reign, he decided to merge it with the world of light. Now we live in a mix of the two."
"He has that kind of power?" Link asked, amazed and angered.
"Apparently," Dagg shrugged. "Now we get wonky weather in the light—"
"—And electrical storms in the darkness. Isn't life just dandy?" Sheik interrupted, sounding sour. Link felt his spirits drop. None of this would've happened if I'd just been able to defeat him back then. Hyrule is like this now because of my weakness. Dagg looked over his shoulder, raised an eyebrow at Link, who in deep thought had stopped walking.
"What's wrong? Lose something?"
"Yeah, his mind," Sheik offered, chuckling to himself. Link walked forward, Dagg falling behind him as they went. He looked back at the man, surprised to see him staring intently back. Damn... he suspects something. No doubt he has his suspicions about me. I should just tell them who I am.
But will they still help you if they knew? said a voice in his head. Link didn't know the answer.
By noon the snow had melted completely and the weather had warmed up considerably. Link stuffed the blanket into his bag, the sun's heat beating down on him, making him sweat. His throat burned with thirst, but Dagg insisted they keep going. Sheik agreed; apparently, it wasn't far to the falls, where they could relax for a few hours before going their separate ways.
Almost an hour later, Link began to hear the light rushing sound of water. Instead of inquiring about it, he kept to himself, not wishing to become the center of their focus. Lately, he hadn't been feeling to friendly towards his companions. They reached the top of a hill and what Link saw nearly took his breath away.
"Impressive, is it not?" Dagg asked him when he saw Link stare. He nodded, unable to speak. The Hylian had been right; the waterfall breached somewhere near where he remembered the impassable route to Zora's Domain. Impassable to anyone without the power to teleport, he chided. They walked over to a tree near the banks of the lake that formed under the waterfall and sat down. Sheik immediately kicked off his shoes and lay down, sighing with relief. Dagg sat with his back against the tree and pulled out a book; Link sat behind him, on the other side of the trunk and stared out at the water. He felt his thoughts float away, and he grew weary.
"When do you think we should get going?" Sheik asked, jarring Link from his daydream.
"Give it some time," Dagg said, never looking up from his book. "We'll leave after the sun has set."
"You just want to see the non-existent fairies, don't you?"
"No, but there is a different kind of phenomenon I'd like to witness," he said, shutting his book and pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance. "It has been recorded that on the eve of the slaughter, the waters stop flowing and turns red as if blood."
"Right, like that's gonna happen," Sheik said, waving it off. "You just got that from the second part of the legend. 'The Fairy Queen was the last to die, having witnessed the deaths of her fellow monarchs," he said, dropping his voice to a wavering tone. "As they brought her to the noose, she cried tears of blood that stained the water. And when death took her over, the waters stopped flowing, as if she willed them to.'"
Link gulped audibly, and somehow he found himself shivering at Sheik's tale. I can practically see their deaths. It's almost as if I was there, watching them die...
"Relax, it's only a story fathers tell their bed-wetting children to scare them," Sheik said, watching Link pale despite the sunlight. Dagg turned around and looked at him, snapping Link back to reality. He reddened in embarrassment and looked away, while both men laughed at his nervousness. Afterwards, Sheik fell asleep and Dagg went back to reading. Link looked up at the sky, seeing the outline of the full moon in the darkening sky. A sudden urge hit him—the urge to howl at the moon. Link quickly suppressed it.
When the last of the sun's rays had disappeared behind the high cliffs surrounding the waterfall, Dagg stood, his book closed. He walked the little ways to the water's edge and sat on the damp ground. Link looked over at Sheik, who was still sleeping, and went to sit by Dagg. The older man didn't turn to look at him, his gaze fixed on the waters. Link decided to let the silence between them prevail and did as he, watching the water lap at his feet.
"Hey, it's dark," Sheik observed, sitting up. "Anything happen?"
"No, not yet," Link said, turning back to look at Sheik. The ninja shrugged and sighed, resting his chin on his fist as he prepared to wait them out. Link hadn't realized how much time had passed until Sheik grabbed him shoulder. "Let's go already. We've been waiting for hours for nothing but fairy farts. Come on, Dagg."
Link reluctantly stood, wiping the seat of his pants clean of dirt. He grabbed his bag and made to leave when he realized Dagg was still sitting at the water's edge, looking onward hopefully. Sheik sighed and rubbed his chin, eventually going back to Dagg and hauling the man up.
"Geez, you're heavy," he muttered, staggering under his friend's weight.
"Guess it's not happening tonight," Dagg said with a sigh as he stood on his own. They began walking, slowly putting space between them and the waterfall, when a streak of light zoomed past Link's face. He spun, eyes following the myriad light as it fly towards the lake. His mouth agape, Link stood completely still, unable to speak.
"Hey Link, enough already, we—" Sheik began, going back after him. "Whoa..."
"I knew it would happen!" Dagg said happily, dropping his things and rushing forward. Link and Sheik followed, albeit at a slower pace. All across the surface of the lake, orbs of light flitted through the air, creating and endless pattern of swirls and loops. Fairies... thousands of them, Link thought as he reached out to touch one as it flew past him.
"But... I thought they were extinct."
"Good thing you're wrong, huh?" Dagg said, grabbing the both of them by the shoulder and pulling them with him. The closer they went, the more fairies they saw, all of different colours and size. A single fairy flew towards them, stopping in front of Link's nose. He looked at the glowing creature as it hovered in front of him, beginning to go cross-eyed from concentrating on it.
"We all know you tried," it spoke to him, voice full of tinkling music. "Do not carry such a burden alone, Hylian."
"Yes, it is not yours to carry," said another as it too came over to him. "Ease your mind and conscience, lad."
"No-one blames your sole actions for what has happened," said the first, fading away.
"Calm your inner demons and look for a solution," the second tinkled, it's glow wanning. I'm not to blame? Am I supposed to be the Hero of Light one last time?
"They spoke to you, didn't they?" Dagg said, looking at Link passively. "Whatever they say shouldn't be taken lightly, and neither is it for others to know, unless you wish it."
"So then, you didn't hear them?"
"No, I heard them, all of them, but their messages aren't clear. I suppose they weren't looking for me tonight," he muttered, watching them dance.
"Guys, look," Sheik said, breaking the silence that suddenly fell around them. Link turned, eyes following Sheik's outstretched finger as it directed him to the waterfall. He nearly gasped; the water had stopped flowing, and the lake became as glass, smooth and untouched by wind. In the half-light the fairies gave off, Link squinted to see the growing shadow as it made it's way across the water's surface. As it drifted towards his feet, Link jumped back horrified.
"The blood of the monarchs," Sheik muttered, shaking his head in disbelief. "It's real?"
"How... odd," Dagg commented. Indeed, the water had grown deep red when the water stopped flowing and as it reached the banks, it stained the ground red. The air around them grew thick and heavy, the fairies slowly disappearing from view.
"Let's go, before anything else decides it wants to make itself real," Sheik said, backtracking to his things.
"It seems that tonight is indeed the time when the line between lore and reality blurs," Dagg said ominously. Link looked at the man, who stared back knowingly. He's hinting at it again... my true identity, Link realized when he walked away silently; even Sheik was quiet, contemplating something while he gathered his things.
A sound broken the ethereal silence; the sound of snapping wood from across the lake. Link squinted in the moonlight, trying to see the other side of the lake. He felt as though he were being watched. He saw the glint of metal in the night light across the water and he drew back. Someone is watching us, he realized when all was quiet again.
"Sheik, dis you see that?" he asked, whispering to the Sheikah.
"See what?" he asked, only now paying attention to Link.
"What is it? Is something wrong?" Dagg asked from several feet away.
"Nothing, never mind," Link muttered, feeling on edge. This night has bred naught but distrust and seething shadows... he mused. They left the area quickly at Link's word and made their way behind the cliffs. The path split in two a ways up and Link realized that they were going their separate ways. When they reached the fork in the road, they stopped, looking down the path were to follow.
"Well, we're going this way," Sheik said awkwardly, pointing to the path on the right.
"And I that one," Dagg continued at a loss for words. It's like we won't see each other again, Link realized.
"Good luck then, with whatever you're going to do," Sheik added with a nod.
"Same," Dagg flashed a smile. The hairs on the back of Link's neck stood up; they weren't alone. He stared up at the sky, unsure of what lay ahead. "Some would say it's fate that we are to part," he added, looking around them.
"Bull," Sheik muttered, rolling his eyes.
"I think it's fate we should meet again," Link concluded, looking at Dagg fiercely. "And soon," he added, when Dagg nodded in agreement. We have some unfinished business, you and I.
"Whatever, just remember, Dagg, a week's time," Sheik butted in, obviously uncomfortable with the silent messages going between them. "Don't make us wait, alright?"
"Me? Never," he said with another smile. "You two are more likely to take longer than I."
They laughed then, all of them, despite the uneasiness between them. Link relaxed a bit, but the feeling of being watched only intensified. Dagg pulled Sheik into a quick hug, to which the latter embarrassingly returned. When he came to Link, they clasped hands firmly, made difficult because of Link's left-handedness.
"Next time, it won't be so awkward," Link assured him.
"Watch yourself," Dagg muttered, grabbing him in a hug as well, "Hero."
Link stepped back, trying to hide the shock on his face. Dagg's face remained unchanged, only his eyes shone with acknowledgement. He knew it all along, and yet he never said a word, he realized suddenly. He means me no harm, but warns me all the same... Who are you Dagg?
"Enough already, let's get going," Sheik said, sounding anxious. Dagg chuckled once, and turned his back on them, hand in the air as a final good-bye, as he went left, while they went right. What does it all mean? Dagg knows the truth, the fairies have faith in me and the world needs a hero again, Link wondered as the sky lightened with the beginnings of dawn on the horizon. My role as a hero... is it truly over? If not, what am I to do now?
"Hey, take a look at that," Sheik said, pointing to the sky. Link looked in the direction he pointed at, at first seeing nothing but pink and gold streaks of light chasing away the stars. When the sun finally broke through the low-lying clouds, he saw it. A huge dome, clear save for the light of the rising sun, jutted out from the mountains in the distance.
"What is that?" he asked, amazed by the sight.
"Oocconia, The Fallen City," Sheik said proudly, sweeping his arms across the mountain range.