A/n: We're posting in less than one month's time!!! Whoo!!!! Party! We're so glad you guys are still reading, We can't believe how long this story is. Even we're having to re-read parts of it, most of the time we have to in order to keep plot gaps from forming. Lol, yup, it's nearly 200 pages long. I think this could actually be a book one day. Thank you all for being the first to read this story, keep us updated on how we're doing!
One more chapter before all are together again.
They hastened to the well on the far side of the castle grounds. Damien looked down into the darkness, realizing that they'd probably need a lantern of some sort. He looked up, seeing that some ancient torches still hung on the stone walls of the palace. They had once lit the grounds for late night celebrations, but now only stood to gather dust. Damien pulled it off the side, blowing out the middle portion and was relieved to find that there was still a wick intact.
"Come on." He said to Aura. These were his first words, which broke the long silence that had followed them from the castle. He strapped the unlit torch to his belt and gripped the first rail leading into the depths. Aura watched as he disappeared into the darkness, beginning her journey down when the only sign of his presence was the sound of his boots against the metal rails.
She heard his feet hit the ground and the striking of firestone. A red light allowed her to see him standing at the bottom.
"Hurry up." He ordered. No hint of irritation was in his voice, but it was also absent of its usual sarcastic tinge. Aura wasn't sure what to think as she jumped the short, remaining portion of the drop and turned to follow him.
The darkness gave way to the flickering light of the torch. Damien placed it in a clasp that had been bolted into the stone when both he and Aura could see that there was yet another light shining in the distance. The light of the fire met the new, white light upon the stone floor, just before the room holding the sacred sword revealed itself. A ladder dropped from the cave to the white, tiled floor. The shining light came from the ceiling, lighting the entire room.
As had been predicted, the weapon reacted to Damien's presence. The white light became blinding, and the two had to shield their eyes. Finally, the moment passed, and the light became bearable. Aura and Damien now stood before a glowing orb that floated amid the center of the room. The light radiating from it lit their surroundings just as before.
"What is it?" Aura asked in a mumble. Her lips were slightly parted and her eyes were wide with amazement. Damien was also in awe, he cocked his head to the side.
"This is the weapon…?" He said to himself, to help him think. Suddenly, an idea rushed upon him. He reached for his sword, unsheathing it slowly before pointing it at the glowing orb. The light suddenly grew outward from it, reaching for his sword. It enveloped the blade, Damien and Aura were motionless in awe. Damien could feel the blade changing in his grip, but neither could see through the shining light until it dimmed just enough to see the shimmering blade.
The light no longer filled the room, but just enough radiated from the newly made sword to form a circle around the two. Tatl's light also added to the light of the sword.
"Wow…" Aura said after a long silence of the two staring at the new and intricate blade, Sol Reprisal. Tatl added her thoughts.
"Man, if Link had gotten this thing instead of that stupid mirror shield, he probably would have been a lot better off because we had to find those stupid, useless light arrows to go through that annoying temple." The two stared at Tatl, neither of them knowing what she was talking about, and then decided to get back to business.
"Well, the next thing on the agenda seems to be to find that plant…" Aura said, looking at Damien. His demeanor had become slightly normalized, possibly as he realized his importance while holding this powerful weapon. Damien held the sword in front of them.
"Then come on, we can use the light of this as a torch." He said, pointing it toward the exit leading deeper into the caves. Aura shook her head, looking at how awkward this was going to appear. The idea of a glowing sword was quite new to her.
The two entered the caves, walking fairly slowly as they examined their surroundings. It was moist, water dripping from the cavern walls creating all sorts of stone formations, but there was no plant to be found as of yet. Aura was trying her best to search, but she couldn't help but keep looking at the sword that only seemed to glow in the dark.
"Okay, this is too weird." She finally said. "I'm mostly using Tatl to look for that plant thing anyway, and the long glowing sword is distracting me." Damien scoffed.
"Okay then…" He said, his sarcastic tinge was fully revitalized. "I will put it away and we'll use Tatl's light." He sheathed the sword, the area around them becoming much darker. Tatl flew before his eyes so he could faintly see the path. Aura growled.
"Well now I can't see a darn thing!" Damien looked up to the heavens in irritation.
"Just, take my hand." He said reaching back. After he clasped what fell into his grip, there was a short silence followed by Aura's biting tone.
"That's NOT my HAND…"
Damien's eyes widened and he pulled his hand to his side.
"Ummm…." An awkward silence followed and he reached for the sword. "I guess you'll just have to be distracted, because we're going to use the sword."
The light reappeared, lighting the path for both of them, and they continued in an awkward silence.
Unbeknownst to the both of them, two others had been watching them as they entered the well. Devoren and Jabono stood within the room where Sol Reprisal had been born.
"My daughter, she is with him… I must go after her." Jabono, the poor old man said worriedly. Devoren stopped him from pursuing his daughter.
"No, she is with the guardian who bears the weapon of my brother, the only one with the power to defy me." Devoren said through clenched teeth. This expression looked odd on Link's form, but it was evident that this being was only of darkness. Jabono, however, was still under the spell of obedience and occupied with the well-being of his only daughter. He began to cry.
"I should not have sent her after that slave boy…" He looked down, regretting his past. "What can we do? What can I do?"
"We must separate them." Devoren replied. "I know this man." He let out a laugh after he said this. "I do wonder why they chose him as my guard. He is arrogant and self-centered, just like his people. He will not think of the well-being of another in a time of danger, not until after it has passed. We will make him run, and he will unknowingly leave her behind, then you can reclaim your beautiful daughter, but remember, her memory is still vanished from her." Jabono nodded, staring into the darkness his daughter had disappeared into.
Meanwhile, Aura and Damien were making their way deeper into the caves. Still, there was no sign of the plant, making Damien rather irritated. He growled and quickened his step, turning the clacking of his boots into more of a stomping sound. Aura noticed his change in manner and offered a suggestion.
"Why don't we stop and ask for directions?" She said with a shrug. Damien halted his desperate searching behind a rock, a dead-pan expression written across his face.
"From who, may I ask?"
"There seems to be a man standing over there, by another door." Aura replied good-naturedly. Damien was surprised to find that there did seem to be someone standing in the distance. It was a vague outline lit by the light of a torch. Damien cocked his head to the side.
"I-um… Come on…" He muttered, his mind was somewhere else as he walked towards the figure, Aura trailing behind him.
The two got closer, realizing much to their surprise that it was not a man, but what appeared to be a gibdo. Aura gasped and took a step back, while Damien continued towards it. The creature abruptly turned to face him, its wrappings loosely swaying with the motion. Now Aura and Damien could tell, that despite all appearances, this could not be a gibdo, for in its revealed eye, there was a hint of humanity. The creature stared at Damien and Sol Reprisal in hopeful fascination.
Much to both of their surprise, the creature spoke.
"Massster who wieldsss the sword to free usss." Came the muffled and deep voice. It was a dry sound, that barely seemed able to push itself out. The creature continued on a thought. "What isss it you ssseeeek."
Damien was frozen, shocked by the appearance and manner of the creature, for in his time there had been no such monsters. It was a harsh reminder of the remains of his people in the beginning of the Castle, a reminder that seemed to mute him. Aura quickly acknowledged this and came forward, speaking for Damien.
"He seeks the sweet-smelling flower that once grew in the court yard and throne room of Ikana Castle." The creature acknowledged her presence with a raspy breath and turned back to Damien. He seemed grateful that Aura had spoken for him.
The creature answered her plea. "What you seek liesss through thiss door… It isss across from the hot sspring. BE Cautiousss." the creature choked out. He then became rigid, looking up to the sky. Damien stepped back to Aura's side in a jump, shocked by this peculiar action. Suddenly, the ground below him welled up and he was quickly absorbed into the earth.
Damien and Aura were both breathing heavily. Seeing such a creature had made their hearts beat rapidly and blood run faster. Damien looked to Aura.
"Thank you, for answering. Next time I can assure you that I will be faster at forming words." He tried to play it off as if he had just forgotten what to say. Aura arched an eyebrow, doubtfully staring at him.
"I don't think that's the reason at all." She said before Damien could reach the door. He paused his hand and looked back to her suspiciously. Aura grinned.
"And what do you think it is?" He asked with gritted teeth.
"I think you were afraid and upset." She said, leaning slightly forward with her arms across her chest. "Goodness, I would be too if I were in your situation, so it's nothing to be ashamed of, but just like your people you're going to let pride haunt you forever." She ended the conversation, turning her eyes to the door and brushing past Damien who was once more speechless. He acted as though he would say something, but stopped himself.
The king had admitted their pride being their downfall, and each horrific creature was proof of what such pride could do to you. For the first time in his life, he swallowed his pride, following behind Aura.
"Then, thank you…" He said, surprising her. "I admit that I was a bit… nervous." Aura smiled warmly.
"Well…" She began. "It's a start, and I'm very proud of you." Damien smiled. He held the sword in front, lighting their new path.
"I would say ladies first, but I suppose I should go first into the unknown danger." He said. Aura laughed and Tatl agreed with him. She remembered parts of this well from her adventures with Link, seven years ago.
Many dangers did lurk ahead, but thanks to Tatl, they were able to avert many of them. From hanging spiders to booby traps consisting of eye symbols shooting flames, and rolling spikes, Aura and Damien felt as though they were traveling to the ends of the earth, or were trying to reach something other than a plant.
After yet another narrow escape, Aura and Damien took a breather near another door. Aura's hair was frizzed from the humidity, and both were sweating from their run.
"I have yet to see a hot spring…" Aura grumbled.
"It's gotta be somewhere." Damien said between breaths. He looked to Tatl.
"Do you remember where it is?" He asked the little fairy. She chimed, flying back to the rolling spikes they had just escaped from and went to another door that was hidden in the corner. Aura and Damien could see her light and the few things surrounding her.
"Actually," she finally said. "I think it's through that door behind you." Aura and Damien looked up, both were still fairly short of breath.
"You think?" Aura asked hesitantly. Tatl returned to them.
"Yea, I'm pretty sure." She answered. Aura and Damien then looked to each other, waiting another moment, then nodded, telling each other that it was time to get a move on.
Damien hopped to his feet and then quickly held out a hand to help Aura up. Aura grinned, remembering how he had tried to help her off the horse, but this time she felt the urge to take his assistance. He too smiled when he pulled her up.
"It seems I'm not the only one getting over my pride." Apparently Aura wasn't the only one who remembered the horse incident.
The door slid open and the three entered. Aura let out a nearly giddy laugh when her eyes beheld the hot spring they had been looking for, a torch alighted in the center of it upon their entrance.
"Thank the stars." She breathed out. Taking weary steps towards it. Damien gripped her shoulder, making her stop.
"Wait." He said quickly, examining their surroundings. "There seems to be some more traps leading to it." Aura suddenly noticed the two eye symbols that were bolted against the rock walls.
"Who created those accursed things!" Aura growled.
"My people did. They probably put them down here hoping to get the Garos, when those wretched spies drained the well." Damien replied. Aura took another deep breath.
"Okay then, what do we do?"
Damien thought for a moment, rubbing the bristle on his chin, and sheathed his sword. The torch's light was plenty enough for them both to see clearly.
"Well, the last one we ran into reacted to motion… and then it stopped momentarily. We'll just set them off with something." He picked up a couple of large stones, then hurtled them towards the pathway. The diamond-shaped rim surrounding the eyes turned red as a flame shot forth from slits that acted as the pupils. The stream of flames persisted for only a few seconds, then cut out. Damien grabbed Aura's arm instinctively and dashed across. The flames cut in behind them as a result of their motion, letting them catch a hot breeze to the rear. Damien fell forward into the hot spring, accidentally pulling Aura down with him. He released her from his grip and got to his knees as Tatl happily flew towards them, traveling above the trap.
Aura looked at her soaked self with a sense of humor.
"Next time you think I need to wash off, just say so." She said slyly. Damien laughed, ready to strike back when the sight of their treasure caught the corner of his eye.
"The flower!" He exclaimed, pulling himself from the spring. The flowered vines grew up the cavern walls, taking root from the spring itself.
"We need the root, right?" Aura asked. Damien nodded and began digging into the soft, wet soil.
"Got it." He said, pulling up several bulbs. He replaced a few, so the plant could continue thriving, but placed several into his bag. "Now our only challenge should be getting back out of this accursed well."
How fickle fate can be, for the moment just after these words escaped Damien's mouth, a great quake knocked them both back into the hot spring, and the ceiling leading back to the door collapsed, closing their old way in. Both were stunned, but while this escape closed, a new way opened behind the hot spring.
Damien had gotten up to pull on the fallen rocks as soon as their path had sealed itself, while Aura remained in her fallen position, breathing heavily out of shock.
"What was that?" She gasped. Damien turned rigidly, after forsaking his plan of clearing the large stones. He held out his hands to help Aura to her feet.
"I don't know…" He muttered, pulling her up beside him. "Are you okay?" He asked. Aura nodded her head.
"Just a little surprised, nothing to be worried about, but what we do need to worry about is whether or not that might happen again and if this way will lead us out." She said, looking to the new dark passageway. Damien glanced to it and then back to the fallen rocks.
"There's no way I can clear this, so if we're going to survive, we'll have to take a risk and go this way." He said after he swallowed. Aura sighed, her features exhibited intense, nervous anxiety. He patted her on the shoulder. "Don't worry. If we stick together, I'm sure we can find a way out." He offered her his hand once more, only this time it wasn't to help her up. "Either we both get out, or neither of us do." He said. She grinned and shook his hand, making a pact.
"I hope it's the first one." She replied. He laughed.
"Me too." He said. Tatl came out from Aura's hair, shivering from fear.
"I do too…" She squeaked.
"Well, come on. We won't find a way out just standing here." Damien drew the sword once more and held it before them, stepping over the fallen stones into the revealed hall. Aura followed closely behind him and Tatl floated close to her long ponytail, jerking at every sound and constantly on the watch for signs of another cave in.
What the members of this group did not know, was that they were walking into a trap, a beast awaiting them at the bottom of a pit.
The darkness seemed to gain a thickness as the two descended. A musty smell clouded the senses, making them both uncomfortable.
"How do we know where we're going?" Aura asked after coughing, a result of the smell.
"We don't…" Damien replied, his voice deep and nervous.
The light of the sword was failing to penetrate deep into the darkness that lay before them, but it was just enough to help them avoid pits or cracks that could catch their footing.
The musty smell grew nearly repulsive, both were covering their noses, evidently uncomfortable. It worsened with every step, making them both feel nauseous.
"What is that?!" Damien finally growled out when it became nearly unbearable. Aura's eyes were tearing, and both were coughing, too occupied with the vicious attack on their senses to hear the heavy breathing coming up behind them.
Tatl floated in a circle, she didn't smell what they were talking about, possibly due to her own fragrant and overpowering scent. Upon the end of her round, she stopped, taking notice to two, large, gleaming eyes that seemed to reflect the light of the sword, as did a cat's. She then also noticed the breathing.
"Guys…" She squeaked. Aura and Damien turned around upon their fairy friend's entreaty. Damien's eyes met the eyes of the unseen creature just before the light of his sword unveiled some more of the darkness.
A great snout seemed a shadowy outline, and large hooves were just barely within the circle of light. Aura gripped Damien's arm, both had temporarily forgotten about the smell, though it seemed they had found the source.
There was something peculiar about this beast, its breath was irregular, and raspy, much like the strange gibdo they had also met in the caves. Damien pointed the sword towards it. As if by command, Sol Reprisal grew brighter and revealed the remainder of the beast; the horrifying, dead, and rotting beast. Its temporary life was borrowed from something that was not its own, and it now stood before them in menacing horror. The musty smell had become repulsive, for it was revealed as rotten carrion.
The dead boar reared back, Aura clenched his arm tighter, spurring Damien into action. Since the boar was much larger than both of them, he turned and pulled himself and Aura to safety as the boar charged. He ducked behind a bend in the rocks, jerking Aura to his side. Tatl snuck near them.
"I'd call it a Carrion Poe. There seems to be a poe fused inside of the body, giving him this violent half-life." She said, fairies were known for their observational skills in times of crisis. "I believe his weak spot lies on his back, where the flesh has rotted away, revealing the spinal cord under which the poe is hiding." Damien nodded, figuring out what he needed to do. He jumped up on a rock ledge behind them, Aura standing as well.
"What are you doing?" She asked in a demanding tone.
"I'm going to stop this thing… Tatl, you stay with Aura to give her some light." Damien said and then took off before Aura could speak any objections.
Carrion poe had run straight into the rock wall, his tusks carving out large hunks of the cavern's side. Damien was sneaking to the spirited beast upon a ledge, but while his focus remained on his beastly objective, he misjudged his step. Rocks slid from beneath his boot, causing him to fall behind the possessed carcass. The carrion poe guided its form to line up for another charge toward the surprised Damien.
He stood slowly, not all together sure what had just happened while the boar reared back, the large tusks gleaming in the light of his sword that had fallen from his grip.
Carrion poe dashed forward, the hooves beating against the stone floor and the sharp ivory pointed towards Damien. The boy looked up just in time to see the gleam in the undead eyes, and in time to feel Aura drive into his side, forcing him out of the way with a hard tackle.
They rolled out of the way, catching a glean from the hoof. Aura got up with a moan, rubbing her arm that had seemed to take the most damage. Damien also pulled himself to his knees. The light of Tatl allowed them to just barely see each other, for the now lightless sword was lying in the main cavern.
"Thanks…" He said, he was quite a bit out of breath and feeling very foolish for thinking he could take on the beast himself. "Okay, we can't jump from the top to reach his back, so, what can we do to tackle this thing?" He said to Aura, she rolled her eyes at his wording but began brainstorming for an idea, until one suddenly fell upon her.
"After he charges, and hit's the wall, he stays put for a few moments, but we're always too busy dodging him to take advantage of that short pause. If one of us got him to charge while the other one waited to pounce, then we might be able to bring him down before he brings this whole cave down." Aura said as she noted how the cracks in the walls were slowly traveling towards the ceiling.
"Okay…" Damien said, looking around the corner of their new hiding place to see the carrion boar searching for its prey. "Who is going to be the bait?"
"Well, since you have the glowing sword that he seems to be attached to, you can be the bait, just get him to charge and get out of the way. I'll jump on his back once he hit's the wall over there." Aura pointed to the far side, informing Damien that he would need to line himself up with that wall and find a quick getaway. He nodded, after forming a plan of his own.
"Ready?" She asked.
"Ready as ever." He replied. She put a hand on his shoulder. He mistakenly thought it was an act of support, but soon realized that it was a hand meant to push him into action.
"Go!" She ordered as she dashed across the gap. The Carrion poe turned to face Damien who, after reclaiming his sword with the help of Tatl's light, tried to line it up with their strategic wall.
The poe reared again, and took off towards Damien, he ran back and then flung himself out of the way, banging into some rocks, but saving himself worse pains.
Carrion poe beat himself against the wall once more, the strong tusks were unaffected by the hard hit, held together by the stronger poe. Within the pause, Aura, who had pulled out a scarf to cover her nose and mouth, jumped upon the rotting beasts back. She grimaced as her feet fell onto the soft flesh and gagged when her hands accidentally tore some flesh off when she reached for a good hold. Finally she was able to grip a rib bone, which didn't make her feel any less disgusted, but it meant she could safely get down to business. One of her curved swords was already in her hand, and when her eyes, though tearing from the rancid smell, were able to spot the beating heart of the poe, she delved her blade deep into it.
The beast had already turned to face Damien again, who had once more stepped into the large pathway. It started to charge, but as Aura plunged her sword into the poe, it pulled back due to something that was not quite pain, but evident that it was beginning to weaken.
After a few stumbling steps, the carrion poe was back on track. Aura retracted her sword and stabbed again, with similar results. The boar came nearer to Damien who had a flash of nervous thought. Tatl was above him.
"When it hit's the wall she'll be thrown into the rocks in front of it!" He exclaimed. Tatl shivered.
"With the force of its running, deku knows what could happen." Tatl agreed. Damien swallowed nervously and watched the boar near him. Her sword was not destroying it fast enough. He came up with a plan.
Damien pulled out a rope, placing it around his left side so it would be easily reached, and held his sword in his right.
"Get out of the way!" Aura screamed from atop the beast when she saw Damien was keeping his ground. She stabbed the poe again and the beast swerved off course, which was exactly what Damien had anticipated.
Just as the creature passed the Ikanyan, he jumped to its back, gripping the rib cage near Aura and slung himself up behind her.
"What are you doing?" She asked in frustration of her changing plan. Damien wrapped one arm around her and brought his sword to the front with the other.
"Hold this." He asked eloquently. Aura replaced her sword and took Sol Reprisal while Damien used his free hand to pull out the rope, however, the task became difficult as they were plunged into darkness save for the glowing of the poe inside the beast.
The creature had swerved into a larger cavern, but neither rider was sure how long it would be before the creature impacted whatever lie before it. Already it was breaking through various small rock formations, causing a jolt for the riders.
"What happened?" Damien asked angrily, referring to the new darkness. He gripped the sword and handed Aura the rope. The light returned to the blade upon his touch.
"I don't know." Aura growled back to Damien. He ignored her snapping tone, the anxiety of riding the great beast made him focus on the situation at hand.
"Tie the rope around us both, hurry." Aura also didn't feel the need to argue or protest and immediately tied the rope around their waists while Damien wrapped his arm around her for support.
"What now?" She asked as she realized they were nearing a rather steep drop off, the light from Sol Reprisal had grown to light the entire cavern.
"This." He replied, grabbing the looped end of the rope and plunging the sword into the poe's heart.
Carrion poe let out a final shriek and the two could feel the matter decomposing beneath them. Damien was just barely able to gain enough balance to lasso a stalactite, jerking them both from the beast just as it went over the edge. Aura and Damien were saved from falling into the abyss by the rope, but nothing could have prevented the following chain of events. The skeleton of the boar still carried much weight with it as it drove into the cavern sides one final time, bringing just enough force to shake the entire cave, cracks fissuring throughout the cavern's infrastructure.
Aura and Damien pulled themselves out of the chasm just as several rocks began crumbling down from the ceiling. Tatl came to their aid.
"The cavern's coming down!" She screamed. Their hearts began beating faster as the two looked for a way out. A large portion of the cave collapsed before them, sunlight coming in.
"It's a way out!" Damien yelled with a laugh and began running towards it. Aura followed behind, but she heard someone call out a name.
"Laura!" A familiar voice echoed above the roar of the falling stone. Aura stopped abruptly, a shiver ran down her spine, while Damien continued to run, thinking that she was still behind him.
Aura looked across the great chasm and thought she could just barely see someone standing in the distance. An almost dream-like state fell upon her and she forgot where she was, vague memories returning to her mind. However, she was shocked back into reality, Damien had come back for her.
"Aura, come on!" He shouted, pulling on her, but she was still in a stupor. "I'll get you out of here." He lifted her upon his shoulder and bolted for their only exit, clumsily climbing up several fallen stones toward the sunlight. Aura watched the remainder of the cave collapse on itself, the distant figure had disappeared.
Damien threw her to the ground, the chaos was behind them in a cloud of dust. He looked out to see where they had surfaced, and found that they were only a few feet away from the town's old well, but most of the ground around it had fallen under. He went back to Aura's side.
"Aura, are you alright? Did the smell make you nauseous, or drug you?" Damien asked, for he did find that the boar's stench had made him slightly lightheaded, but Aura shook her head.
"I thought I saw my father… or, had a memory of him…" She said. Aura took to rubbing her temples, trying to remember, but only a few vague memories came up. Damien grew a bit nervous, remembering what Arian had told him about Aura that night at Stock Pot Inn. "I think my name is… Laura…" He decided to play it off cool.
"So I basically add an 'L' to what we've been calling you? I didn't know you didn't know your name? What have we been calling you? Did you only half-remember your name?" Damien asked.
"No, Naomi gave me the name Aura, after what is carved into my swords. It's possible that that is the reason I was given them. 'Aurum' means golden, that I know… maybe my father made them for me, fashioned after my name."
"It's possible…" Damien said, he sat down next to her. "Did you remember anything else?" Aura, or Laura, shook her head sorrowfully. Damien smiled. "Is it alright if we still call you Aura… I've grown so fond of calling you that." Aura looked at him strangely.
"Uh- sure…?" She wasn't sure what made her more uncomfortable, the fact that she had grown accustomed to this new name, or that fact that Damien had grown 'fond' of it. Either way, our original nameless now has two names, but she chose to remain Aura.
Aura got to her feet and turned to hold out a hand to Damien. He laughed and took her aid.
"Let's go back to clock town. I'm sure the others would be heading there as well."
A/n: So, you guys like this? What do you think will make Aura remember everything? Please R&R!