Alaina
Yep, Chapter 8. Umm, I have nothing interesting to say right now. So yeah, enjoy, and, as we all know, I don't own Zelda.
Chapter 8
Aiden was temporarily unable to say anything or do anything except watch the sobbing girl in front of him, for his body wouldn't move a muscle. But he didn't need to move; before he knew it, Alaina had fiercely wrapped her arms around him, still crying. Aiden was still in shock as he slowly wrapped his arms around her and stroked her hair, murmuring that everything would be okay. The rain was falling in great sheets and lightning pierced the sky several times a minute, and they could faintly hear the whinnies of Reya, still protected by the canyons. After what seemed like an eternity, Alaina finally pulled away, giggling and slightly crying at the same time as she did so.
"What?" Aiden asked, a teasing smile creeping upon his face.
Alaina stared at Aiden with a piercing gaze, taking it all in. "You look so different," she observed with a sigh as she kept studying him. He did look pretty different physically. Under the suit of armor, Alaina could tell that Aiden had become more muscular, and his skills in sword fighting had definitely improved. Since she had a closer look at his face, she could tell that the markings on his face were scars. There were few and they weren't big, but they were there. The battle grease in his hair was dripping off from the rain, and Alaina fondly noticed the familiar, brown hair with the gold streaks revealing itself. Aiden was also very different emotionally and mentally too. He seemed more angry and hurt, which showed especially in his face, obviously caused from what had happened over the years. One thing that really scared Alaina was his voice. It was so full of bitterness and pain that it sent chills down her spine. She had never known Aiden could've been capable of causing such fear, and she hoped that she would never have to witness that again.
"You look a lot different," Aiden mused. "You look more like Zelda now," he added with a hint of sadness in his voice.
"I've noticed," Alaina replied. She looked up toward the sky, finally seeming to notice the storm. "Um, maybe we should go…?"
"Yeah," Aiden agreed. He sheathed his swords and they walked over to the canyons where Reya was patiently waiting. She seemed to remember Aiden as he approached her, and proved it by digging her head into his stomach (which, in this case, is hard to do because of the armor), something that she had done years ago. Aiden kindly patted the mare's head and jumped onto the saddle. Alaina hopped on in front of him. "Where to?" she asked him.
"The forest," he answered.
Alaina smiled to herself. She was right about someone being in the forest after all.
As they rode for the next few hours to the forest, the storm ended and it was starting to grow a little darker, although rain was still falling. They were right at the entrance to the forest now, and Alaina did not see any changes, at least not yet.
"Alaina," Aiden began quietly as they jumped off Reya and began walking the rest of the way with the mare behind them. "I think you should know…the forest isn't exactly…well, the same."
"I figured," Alaina quickly replied, grasping on Reya's reins even tighter and gritting her teeth.
"I thought you would," Aiden said. He looked around. "It's sad to see what happened to Hyrule, isn't it?"
"I've only seen the field and I'm already going mental," Alaina muttered. "I still have the rest of the kingdom to see."
Aiden wisely stopped talking. There was silence the rest of the way until they reached the giant log that served as the entrance to the forest. Without realizing it, Alaina grasped Aiden's hand while holding on to Reya's reins with the other, and the three of them began walking into the log. Alaina squeezed her eyes shut as they began crossing the bridge and entered another log. Then they stopped.
"Kokiri Forest," Aiden mumbled. Alaina opened her eyes and gasped. Like Hyrule Field, the ground was ash. The trees were still standing, but they were dead and blackened. The huts were run-down and close to collapsing, and the stream running through was drained. There was no sign of life anywhere.
"Where are…?"
"Some Kokiri ran into the Lost Woods and we helped them find the Sacred Forest Meadow. The only power the Sages have left is to create a shield that can cover a certain area, so no dark forces can enter. In case somebody tries a disguise, we have our finest swords people taking turns guarding the entrance to the Lost Woods," Aiden explained. "Saria was able to make a shield that covered the meadow and the Lost Woods. Everybody stays at the Forest Temple."
"What happened to anybody that got captured?" Alaina asked, trembling.
"Many, many Kokiri got captured, and Ganondorf built a camp right here. Those camps are all over Hyrule. Many Kokiri either died instantly or slowly from the labor."
"But how come there's no-"
"We fought them off, and now they're too scared to come back, so we regained the forest, at least for now. The surviving Kokiri from the camps went with us back to the Sacred Forest Meadow."
"What happened to the Great Dek-"
"Poisoned," Aiden said simply.
Alaina looked at her surroundings with hurt eyes as Aiden continued. "The thing is, the Kokiri Forest invasion was the least worst of the lot." Alaina whirled her head to look at him.
"Is that where you got your scars?" she asked timidly.
Aiden smiled bitterly. "Yes," he said. "It was a tough battle. Luckily we were able to recruit some Hylians to travel to the forest before it had gotten too dangerous. There's a handful of us now." He pointed to a long scar on his cheek. "A Lizalfos stabbed this right through," he said.
Alaina felt tears rise up again, and lightly brushed the scar with her fingers. Aiden watched with his eyes as she done so. "I can't believe this," she murmured.
Aiden grabbed her hand and removed it from his face. "We should discuss this at the temple," he suggested rather sharply. Alaina nodded, and they walked up toward the entrance of the Lost Woods. A ramp was there to bring them up to a cliff.
"For the horses," Aiden said, and Alaina smiled. They walked up and started to go through another log when a sword emerged from the shadows, preventing them from entering. On instinct, Alaina whipped out her sword, getting ready in case it was needed. But Aiden shook his head and she placed it back in the sheath.
"Who's there?" a sharp, feminine voice snapped.
"It's me," Aiden said, taking a medallion out from under his suit of armor. Alaina vaguely remembered that medallion; it was a family heirloom that Joes had passed down to Aiden. The other hand of the figure reached out and grabbed it, slightly lowering her sword and stepping out a little bit to make sure that it was indeed Aiden. Once she knew that it was him, she fully emerged from the shadows, and Alaina gasped.
It was Lila.
How much she had changed! The once sweet, innocent ten-year-old farm girl had transformed into a bitter fifteen-year-old warrior. Her long hair was tied in a tight braid, and was also darkened with battle grease. She donned a forest green tunic, splattered with mud to camouflage it, tan leggings, gauntlets, and boots, and Alaina also spotted a quiver full of arrows on her back. And her eyes! Her brown eyes, once shining with happiness, were now full of bitterness, hurt, and even fear. What happened to her?
"Who is that?" she asked Aiden, raising her sword again.
"Lila-"
"Is it a spy from Ganondorf?" she continued, a little more hysterically, bringing the sword dangerously close to Alaina's throat.
"Just look," Aiden said, sounding a little exasperated.
Lila shot an angry glare at him as she lowered the sword once more, and Alaina barely contained her laughter. The last time she had seen Aiden and Lila together, he was a teenager and she was just a little girl, and he had some sort of older-brotherly protectiveness with her. Now, they were talking to each other like equals, and the change was stunning. Lila finally turned to Alaina and slowly looked at her from head to toe. Alaina carefully studied her face, looking for any sign of recognition or surprise. But there was none. Lila looked back at Alaina's face for a little bit longer, and then her face fell.
"It's Alaina," she said quietly to Aiden. He nodded.
Lila was visibly shaken as she dropped the sword and walked closer to Alaina. There was a moment's pause, and Lila timidly put her arms around the other girl. Alaina was bewildered; she expected tears, shouts, and more ruckus, not silence. After a few seconds, Lila stepped back. For a split second, Alaina could've sworn she saw the old Lila in her eyes. Just for a second. But then they changed back.
"Lila?" Alaina said, but Lila turned away.
"You should take her to the meadow," she said quietly. "I'll keep guard."
"All right," Aiden relented. "But come back soon. It'll be getting dark soon.
Lila only nodded at them, and stepped to the side as Alaina and Aiden entered the log into the Lost Woods.
Alaina had only been to the Lost Woods once in her lifetime. Usually when she and her father used to visit Saria, they warped to the meadow, where she sometimes was, and the other times she was in the village. The only time Alaina ventured into the Lost Woods was because she was little and curious, and ended up getting lost. A kind Skull Kid comforted her and helped her get back to the village to a very worried Link. She never went back in there since then, until now. It looked exactly the same as it did before, thanks to Saria's shield.
"Hey Alaina," Aiden said suddenly. "You have the Ocarina, right?"
"Yeah, why?" Alaina wondered.
"Isn't there a song that could warp us straight to the meadow?" he asked.
Alaina fished out the Ocarina of Time and tried remembering the tune that her father had played. After a few tries, she finally got it right, and played the Minuet of Forest. "Hold on," she warned Alaina as a blue light appeared. Aiden grabbed her hand as they flew up in the air and disappeared.
They reemerged on a gray platform in the heart of the Sacred Forest Meadow, right where the entrance to the Forest Temple was. Aiden took out a hookshot and aimed it on a branch. He shot it, flying in the air to the branch and dropping on the platform. Alaina took out her hookshot and followed suit. As they began walking through the entranceway, Aiden pointed at it/
"Our last defense is a barrier that appears if it detects any dark forces, in case the one in the Lost Woods and the entrance to the meadow ceases to work. Saria's pretty worried, you know, although I'm sure we're safe," Aiden explained.
"Safe enough to get out of this annoying disguise?" Alaina questioned, referring to her Sheikah alter ego.
Aiden laughed. "We'll ask Saria about that," he said.
They walked into the front yard of the temple grounds. Alaina remembered stories from what her father told her, and was expecting two Wolfos to appear from the ground and attack them. However, she quickly reminded herself that the temple was peaceful now.
Aiden opened the door that led them inside. They walked through a short corridor and went through another door, which led them to the main room. It was a dimmer room, lit by four humongous torches in the middle of the room. One was green, one was blue, another was orange, and the last one was purple. They represented the Poe spirits, Alaina remembered. In the light of the torches, Alaina could make out a figure, seeming to be studying something. The sound of her and Aiden's footsteps echoed throughout the room, and the figure turned around.
"Aiden?" he called. "Who's that with you?"
Alaina's heart leapt. "Joes?" she cried happily.
Joes immediately jogged up to them and it only took a glance at Alaina for him to know that it was indeed her. "Alaina!" he exclaimed, and enveloped her in a giant bear hug. Aiden watched as his best friend reunited with one of the closest people to a family member that she had. They soon broke apart. Alaina took a few seconds to take a look at him. He looked the same; just a little older, but his face seemed more hollow and his hair was messier.
"Look at you!" Joes said, grinning. "You look so much like your mother, for a second I could've sworn it was her." He hugged her briefly again. "How were you doing in Catalia? Were you treated well?"
"Fine," Alaina answered. "And yes, I was taken care of very well. Jimney and Anaka were great." She looked around. "Who else is here?"
"Well, Saria is somewhere in the temple. She'll be overjoyed to learn that you've returned. The Kokiri are probably out in the forest yards, and I'll have to introduce you to the Hylians that have joined us. I'm sure you'll remember a few of them," Joes said.
Alaina suddenly noticed the papers he was holding in his hand. "What is that?" she asked, pointing to them.
Joes immediately sobered up as he looked down at them. He sighed. "You two might want to sit down." He turned to Aiden. "It's another letter from Emery."
"Emery Ermchec?" Alaina echoed. "Wasn't he one of the commanders of the Hyrulean Army?"
"Yes, he was. But now he's in Kakariko Village, disguised as one of Ganondorf's followers. He actually took control of most of the army and bewitched them, but a lot of us were able to flee, and then some volunteered to be spies, like Aiden. There's a camp in the village, you know, and Emery is one of the guards there. He's witnessed horrible things, and informs us on everything that's going on. Another spy brings the letters here and back." Joes sighed again and suddenly looked ten years older. "Emery and some others try to bring some prisoners to the Shadow Temple, but it's hard. The temple is on top of a cliff, and they need all sorts of equipment to get people up there, like ropes and ladders. It's risky to do it without getting caught, so there isn't much they can do. They've seen people die, and sometimes-" Joes's voice choked up. "Sometimes they had to kill people themselves. Of course, they didn't want to, but it would've given it away if they tried to stop it, and then it would give the rest of us away."
"We only do a little part to help Hyrule," Aiden continued. "Ganondorf is too powerful and my father knew that we had to wait for you, Alaina."
"Aiden, show her," Joes suddenly commanded.
Joes immediately obeyed and took off his gauntlets, and Alaina saw that his left hand was bandaged. He was unwrapping the bandages when Alaina spoke up.
"Aiden, you're not- I mean, are you-?"
Aiden answered by taking off the last few rolls and raising his hand toward her. Alaina could see the very clear marking of the Triforce. The bottom right was beginning to glow. The Triforce of Courage!
Alaina responded by unwrapping her bandages on her left hand, and revealed her own glowing Triforce. Joes watched with triumph as the Triforce of Wisdom and the Triforce of Courage began glowing brightly, blinding all three of them for a few seconds, and then it stopped.
"I knew it!" Joes declared to Alaina. "As soon as Aiden told me that he had the Triforce of Courage, I knew that you were receiving the Triforce of Wisdom. In fact, I've always known you would get one of the pieces someday."
Aiden and Alaina didn't say anything. They just rewrapped their bandages, still stuck in the fact that they had another bond other than being best friends.
"I'm surprised, though," Alaina finally spoke. "I mean, I understand that Aiden had gotten it, but when I think about it, you could've gotten it too, Joes."
Joes laughed. "Me? Oh no, sweetheart, not me. I've gotten old, and I'm just not the right one to be the holder. Aiden's young and strong, and he's become a much better fighter. Your father would've had to put a run on his money, I think."
"I agree," Alaina said with a little disdain, obviously remembering their previous encounter on Hyrule Field. Aiden caught her eye and they both began to laugh.
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Ganondorf watched as the lower left and right triangles of the Triforce began to turn a darker gray color, lasting for a few seconds. As soon as it appeared, they turned back into the light gray they originally were, blending in with the Triforce of Power once more.
Agahnim, who was sitting on a smaller throne next to Ganondorf, had also observed. "My Lord, what does this mean?"
Ganondorf's face began to turn an ugly patch of red as his brow furrowed. "It means, my friend, that the holders of the other two Triforce pieces have found each other." He faced his comrade. "We have less time than we thought. Go to the commanders and force them to train the army harder. I'll notify the guards of the camps to keep a close watch. I have a feeling that the girl and her partner will try to save the prisoners first."
"What will you do, My Lord?" Agahnim wondered.
"Why, keep a watch," Ganondorf retorted. "The girl probably knows that I'm searching for her at this moment. Damn it, if I had the Wisdom piece, I would've found her already. She's probably doing what her dratted mother before her had done: hiding, and waiting for the perfect moment to strike." As he stood up and began to leave the room, he muttered, "I will not allow myself to lose once again."
Dun dun dun!!!!!!!! R&R