Alaina
Some of this chapter is more-lighthearted, as this will pretty much be the only carefree time Alaina and Aiden will have until they have start preparing.
Chapter 11
The first thing Alaina thought about when she woke up was how long she had been sleeping. For all she knew, it could be either an hour or a day.
As she sat up and rubbed her eyes, she noticed how refreshed she was. She hadn't felt that way in years. She looked down and saw Aiden sleeping on the floor next to the sleep mat, without a pillow or blanket or anything. She frowned slightly, remembering what had happened.
She suddenly shivered when a light breeze blew in from the courtyard, and looked back down at poor Aiden, who was probably freezing. She gently lifted his head to place a pillow under it, and then covered him with the blanket. When she walked outside she was surprised to see Lila ferociously practicing her sword fighting with some kind of dummy.
"Pretty good," she commented after Lila completed a parry attack.
Lila sheathed her sword and gestured to the dummy. "We were able to create some makeshift swords…thing," she explained. "And then Saria used her magic to make it move. It helps a bit." She smirked at Alaina. "You look lovely."
Alaina looked at her reflection in the water and giggled at her appearance. Her hair was sticking up in all directions. "Why thank you," she said, relieved that Lila was in some sort of good mood. "Hey, do you know how long I was out for?"
"Awhile," Lila answered. "It's around 5 P.M now."
"I missed breakfast and lunch!" Alaina exclaimed in disbelief as her stomach grumbled loudly.
"Oh get over yourself," Lila reprimanded her teasingly as she tossed her a bag of Deku seeds. Alaina munched on them gratefully.
"Maybe later we can have a swordfight against each other," she suggested.
Lila nodded with agreement. "Thank Goddesses. I've been practicing with Aiden for so long and I need someone better," she joked. She pointed toward the sleeping form of Aiden through the hole in the wall. "Speaking of Aiden, he wouldn't sleep. He was up all night making sure you slept okay. He finally passed out this morning," she told Alaina quietly. She studied her carefully. "Are you feeling better?"
Alaina looked up at the blue sky. "Actually, I am. I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders," she said honestly. "You heard us?"
"Yeah," Lila sighed. "That was some shouting match."
"I guess I really needed to let it out," Alaina said. "It really wasn't smart of me to hold it all in like that, now when I can really think about it. It just creates a bigger explosion."
"I guess," Lila said distractedly. "Um…I'm going to see what's cooking tonight. It probably won't be ready for another hour or two, so I'll come get you when it is."
"Okay," Alaina said, surprised at the sudden change of mood. She took a cautious step forward. "Lila…?"
But Lila had already turned around, jogging into the temple.
Concerned, Alaina went back to Aiden's room, heading towards the giant map and studying the camps spread around the kingdom and muttering to herself.
"I thought the Fire Temple was right in the crater as well," she wondered as she thought about the camp in the Death Mountain Crater. "They're probably guarding it so no one escapes in there." She shook her head sadly.
She then started to think about what the Sages had told her about how Ganondorf went into the Temple of Light and Temple of Malum to strengthen his power, therefore being able to escape the bonds of the Sacred Realm. She walked over to the large scroll about the Sacred Realm that Aiden had hung up.
"We can't start anything until Aiden and I go into the Sacred Realm," Alaina murmured to herself. She peeked over at him, who was now just beginning to stir. He stretched his arms and yawned, glancing intently at the now-empty sleep mat.
"Ahem," Alaina cleared her throat.
Aiden jerked his head to the sound, and looked content to see his friend awake. "Hey," he said simply.
"Hey," she replied. Before he could utter another word, she said, "Thanks."
Aiden didn't need to ask what she meant. He got up and walked over to her. "You scared me to death when you started screaming at me when we were talking about Hilia helping us. I wish I had the decency to realize what you might've been feeling."
Alaina started laughing. "I scared you to death? I thought you have the Courage piece!" she choked out between chuckles before calming down. "But it's okay. I'm sorry I took it out on you." She grinned mischievously. "We did have an epic fight though didn't we?"
"Definitely," Aiden agreed. "I'll really need you to teach me more spells though." He looked intently at Alaina's face. "You're feeling better though?"
Alaina couldn't help but blush a little bit. It was kind of weird having Aiden stare at her like that, yet strangely comforting. "Absolutely," she said. "I think now it'll be a lot easier to handle things."
"That's good, because we have a lot to take care of," Aiden sighed. He paused for a second as he studied the Sacred Realm scroll with her. "When the Goddesses came to you, did they mention the Temple of Light and Temple of Malum?"
"I was just thinking about that," Alaina responded. "That's why I was looking at this."
"I told my dad about it," Aiden continued. "He doesn't want us to leave until he and Miles return, I think just so you can meet the people they brought or whatever." His stomach suddenly growled, and he groaned. "When is dinner going to be ready?"
Alaina shrugged. "Lila said a few hours. Let me teach you some magic while we're waiting."
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A week had passed, and so far there were no telegrams of recent deaths in any of the camps, which brought some sort of cheer to the inhabitants of the Forest Temple. Alaina and Aiden were clearly getting bored, however, with lack of adventure. For Alaina, this was clearly taken from Link's personality. At least in Calatia she was able to roam the fields if she wished. As for Aiden, he was so used to roaming around Hyrule as a spy that being cooped in the temple was taking its toll.
"Can we just ride behind the mountains?" Alaina practically begged Saria when she went to the Sage to ask permission to leave the temple for a bit.
Saria rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "Alaina, you and I both know that even with your disguises, it would be dangerous. Last time you were in Hyrule Field, you were attacked."
"I held them off though," Alaina heard herself whining.
"Yes, with Din's Fire, therefore probably letting Ganondorf know you're here somewhere," Saria argued. "I wouldn't be surprised if he has more minions patrolling the grounds right now." She put her hand on the older girl's shoulder, having to step on her tiptoes to do so. "If it makes you feel better, you and Aiden will have to go through the field to make sure Miles and whoever he recruits get back safely, which hopefully is sometime soon." She smiled as Alaina pouted. "You are so much like Link it's scary."
"I have an idea!" Aiden's voice bellowed through the large former-boss chamber as he entered. "Why don't we turn the maze into a racetrack. Our horses are getting restless too, you know."
"Can we?" Alaina asked.
"Go ahead!" Saria practically cried with relief. Alaina and Aiden practically whooped with joy as they ran out of the room. "Anything to get you two off my ass!"
The footsteps stopped. "HEY!" the two teens yelled in defense.
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They stood on the top of the staircase leading to the maze, therefore being able to survey the whole property.
"Hmmm," Aiden said, scratching his chin. "Well, there are some northwest winds that sometimes start to blow to the east, so if I chuck my sword at the perfect angle, say like 50 degrees, then-"
"Shut up!" Alaina whacked his shoulder, cracking up.
"Well, let's see, we have bombs, swords, magic, and when you turn into that nifty Sheikah disguise, you can fire those needles," Aiden said. He pulled out a device that was made out of lots of rope and metal.
"What is that?" Alaina wondered, staring at the contraption.
"This is called a Grappling Hook, my dear," Aiden explained. "Kind of like a hookshot, but you can swing on it like it's a vine." He spotted a sturdy branch from one of the large trees that practically overshadowed the entire maze. "Excellent." Taking out a bomb from the bag he was carrying, he quickly lit it and launched the grappling hook, easily hooking it around the branch. "Watch this!" he shouted as he swung over the maze, dropping a bomb in the process.
KABOOM!
"YAHOO!" Aiden exclaimed with glee as a corner of the maze was easily annihilated. "Come on Alaina!"
Alaina quickly put out any resulting flames with water and used her Hookshot to get atop the branch. She then tied a bomb to an arrow and fired it.
"Bombs away!" she announced, and another corner was promptly destroyed.
"C'mon, Alaina!" Aiden shouted as he came towards her. He swung back on to the branch and she wrapped her arms around him, and away they went.
"WOOOOOO!" Aiden yelled out as one by one, bombs were dropped and exploding all at once. Laughing, he and Alaina finally swung to the ground, admiring their work once they used their magic to spray water over the flames.
"Well, all we have to do is mark it up," Aiden commented.
"Leave that to me!" Alaina boasted, creating a gust of wind to blow the ashes away, and then burnt a smaller square in the ground to create a track. "And there you go!" She whistled, and immediately Reya came galloping with Aiden's horse Karl in close pursuit.
"Luckily this meadow is very big," Aiden said appreciatively as he mounted his horse. "I wouldn't have been surprised if Karl and Reya abandoned us if they were still cooped up like they were."
Alaina steered Reya next to Aiden and Karl, tying her short hair in a ponytail to show she was ready for a challenge. "Four laps," she instructed.
"Sounds good," he agreed, taking the reins. "On your mark, get set-"
"GO!" Alaina hollered as Reya took off with lightning speed.
"Not fair!" Aiden shouted as he followed her. "Let's get 'em, Karl!"
Aiden had an advantage as his horse was a little bit faster than Alaina's, so it wasn't too long before he caught up with her. Alaina looked a little disappointed to see he caught up so quickly, but simply slapped Reya's flank lightly and they were ahead again. Aiden followed suit and once more they were neck-and-neck.
"I think you forgot that Reya is Epona's filly," Alaina had to yell in order to be heard over the gallops of their horses and the blowing wind they were creating. "Which means she's faster!"
"Screw genetics!" Aiden dismissed the comment as he and Karl passed them. Alaina let out a wolfish growl and she and Reya moved up again, although it took a little longer.
Her short hair was unable to stay in the flimsy ponytail she tied and was now blowing freely. She saw Aiden's smug look as she turned to glance at him, and when he noticed that she caught up again, the look on his face was so hilarious she started laughing. He did a double-take when he looked at her again. I'm just glad she's so happy right now, he tried to tell himself. But when he couldn't help but look at her again, he thought, She really is beautiful.
Sooner than later, the two were on their fourth lap, and Reya and Karl, clearly enjoying the exercise, showed no signs of giving up. All humor in the race was gone, and the two teens were obviously trying to best each other. They had rounded the last corner and were heading to the finish. Unfortunately Alaina didn't see Aiden's evil grin, or else she would've been prepared for the jet of water Aiden had shot at her, completely catching her off guard and distracting her enough for him to pull ahead and cross first.
"You cheater!" Alaina shouted at Aiden as he hopped off his horse and attempted to do a victory lap. She rolled her eyes and slowed Reya to a halt, and then jumped off and sprinted after the gloating boy, tackling him to the ground.
"Owww!" he complained as he landed on his stomach. He turned over to see his friend sitting over him, smiling calmly.
"Congratulations," she said sweetly, and proceeded to shake the water out of her hair, getting it on his face. He sprung up and picked her up and threw her over his shoulder, running as fast as he could around their makeshift arena.
"Put me down!" she laughed-yelled, pounding his back with her fists. Their laughter echoed throughout the meadow as he neared the huge log which led into the Lost Woods. Suddenly he stopped short and his laughter ceased, instantly placing Alaina down on her feet.
"What's wrong?" she asked, dread creeping into her as she instantly suspected the worst. She slowly turned around to face the log, fully expecting to see a Moblin, Ironknuckle, or worse, Ganondorf himself. Color returned to her face and she let out a huge grin when she was proven drastically wrong. "Joes!" she sighed with evident surprise, relief flooding her body.
"I hope we didn't interrupt anything important," Joes said, his eyebrow raised and his expression looking somewhere between amusement and exasperation. He held his left arm out and an older, regal looking man stepped forward. "Alaina, I'd like you to meet King Delphinos of Hilia. Your Highness, I am pleased to introduce you to Princess Alaina, who has just recently returned to Hyrule."
Alaina's smile dropped and her face assumed a more serious tone as she walked up to the king. "I am honored that you are here to help us," she said with sincere gratefulness.
The king's eyes were warm and friendly, seeming not at all concerned to witness the young adult princess acting somewhat childish just before. "I'm glad to see you are doing well despite the circumstances, princess," he answered, his eyes twinkling. "I'm afraid I am only here to discuss the plans with you and introduce you to my best knights, and then I must take my leave."
"That's fine," she said. She looked over his shoulder at the knights that she could spot through the shadows of the log, knowing many, many more would be behind. "You can all follow me. I'm sure Joes told you that we are seeking refuge in the Forest Temple."
"He did," Delphinos nodded. "I wish to speak to your Forest Sage and thank her for all she has done. Certainly it might be harder for her to deal with all of us."
"Not at all," a voice came from the other side of the area, and they all turned to see Saria gracefully descending the long stairway and making her away across the arena to greet them. "It doesn't take more magic to protect more people," she reassured the king with a smile. "I am Saria."
Although Delphinos was aware of the history of the Kokiri, thanks to royal protocol requiring him to learn about the history of Hilia's neighboring kingdoms, he was still a little taken aback to see what looked like a ten-year-old girl stand before him. He quickly regained his composure and smiled back at her. "Hello Saria. It is an honor to meet one of the Sages," he answered, bowing slightly.
As they all made their way to the temple, Saria gave them brief instructions on how to get up to the actual entrance and where they could all stay. It took a while for the Hilia army to get up considering there were a lot of them, but eventually they all made their way to the main room, where the four different-colored torches were still lighted. As the army were making their way throughout the rest of the temple, Saria motioned for Alaina, Aiden, and Joes to stay behind.
"I just got a message that Miles and the Calatians have reached Hyrule," Saria told them. "But there is bad news. The underground passage blocked. So Alaina and Aiden, I want you two to meet all of them behind the mountain and make sure they all make it back safely."
"Why is it blocked?" Joes wondered.
Saria shook her head with confusion. "I don't want to say it's been discovered, but I might have to accept it. I'm scared many enemies will be awaiting their arrival. The problem isn't the forest being attacked. My barriers are too powerful. No, the problem is getting there." She turned to Alaina and Aiden directly. "I want to teach you a spell that will warp you to the Hyrulean-Catalian border where they all are. It's called Farore's Wind."
Alaina's ears perked up, remembering the stories Link used to tell about how he figured out how to use Farore's Wind at the different water levels in the Water Temple.
"But you both need to focus. That's the most important thing. Alaina, at the time when your father used it, Farore's Wind was only thought to be brought to the entrance of a main location. However, I was able to experiment with it a bit and learned it could transport you wherever you wished, as long as your mind fully thought of it," Saria
explained. She looked at Aiden. "Aiden was my experiment, so he knows all of this already. Farore's Wind is a privilege to say in the least, only able to be used by holders of the Triforce and Sages."
"Is it any relation to Din's Fire?" Alaina wondered.
"Yes," Saria answered with a smile. "Din's Fire is used for attacks, Farore's Wind is used for transportation, and Nayru's Love is used for defense. These three spells are blessed by the Goddesses themselves. Now, Alaina, try warping to the outside of the temple."
Alaina nodded, and closed her eyes in concentration. "Farore's Wind!" she shouted, and a light green aura surrounded her before she disappeared. A small green ball remained.
Meanwhile, right outside the temple, she suddenly appeared in a flash of green light. "Whoa," she said with amazement.
Saria ran outside. "Excellent!" she praised her. "Back in the room, a small green ball remains. This is where you will be transported as soon as you shout Farore's Wind again. That will require no concentration at all."
Alaina shouted the spell again and instantly reappeared in the temple.
"Couldn't we just use it to transport everybody back?" she immediately questioned.
"You can't," Joes answered this time. "At least not now. Transporting everybody back would just take too long, considering you and Aiden, even with your powers combined, don't have enough energy to do it all at once. And if there happens to be enemies out there, I'm sure they will not hesitate to find a way to grab onto you without warning as you're going to transport people, therefore letting them in and breaking the barrier."
Alaina nodded with understanding. "Guess we better get our weapons then," she said solemnly to Aiden.
As they left, Joes turned to Saria. "What are the chances of Ganondorf showing up?" he asked her in a low voice.
"I know Ganondorf's strategy," she said. "It's sick when you think about it, really. He prefers big battles, where he could use all of his power and most brutal attacks, where, if he succeeds, he can torture and kill his enemy as painfully as possible. Especially now where he's almost invincible, I wouldn't be surprised if he thinks he doesn't need to waste his time on something like this. At the worst, he might send henchmen to do the job for him, or more likely just capture them and bring them to him."
"They might be able to handle his minions at least," his voice dropped to a whisper as Alaina and Aiden showed up. Alaina had turned into her Sheik disguise and had her shield and arrows strapped to her back, while her Hookshot hung on her side. Aiden was in his Moblin uniform, carrying bombs and arrows, as well as his two swords.
"Here, Alaina," Joes said, walking up to her and pulling a sword out of his sheath. "This is called the Magical Sword." He chuckled. "Well, Aiden nicknamed it when he was little, and it sort of stuck. It's almost as powerful as the Master Sword, so it should hold your own in case it's needed."
"Thank you," Alaina replied quietly as she put it away. She took Aiden's hand and they prepared to cast the spell.
"Good luck," Joes and Saria whispered as the two holders of the Triforce got surrounded by the green light and disappeared.
Ah, the Magical Sword. I wanted to throw in an old-school Zelda reference somewhere in there. Also, I threw in a very teensy Twilight Princess one as well. If you find it, well, you don't win anything, except the satisfaction of discovery. =] Starting in Chapter 12, the story will mainly be in a darker tone as the adventure will fully begin!
I also wanted to explain Hilia. When my sisters and I first ventured into Lake Hylia in OOT, we pronounced it as "Hill-e-uh" rather than "Hi-lay-uh" so when we figured out the correct pronunciation, I later remembered Hill-e-uh" and made it into Hilia.