~Chapter 5~
"Faren! Buddy! Over here!" Link called, jumping up and down with glee. Next to him a man in armor laid in pain, twitching from the spar he just lost to. Link still had yet to sheath his sword, and Faren growled as he watched the sixteen year-old boy dance with excitement, waving his sword in the air.
"How irresponsible, after he promised to leave me alone" he muttered, turning away from the annoying sight. He rubbed his temples, moaning. The headaches were worse today. He heard light footsteps come his way, and he turned to attack the one who invaded his personal space: Link.
"Wait! Faren, wait! I want to tell you something!" Link called, finally placing his sword in its proper place.
"We are training, idiot. Now is not the time to play. Besides, you promised to not see me for a week," Faren said, refusing to look at Link, but Link jumped in front of Faren, demanding attention. Faren jumped back in both surprise and disgust, a frown dominated his face. Faren was about to give Link a piece of his mind when he stopped.
A foreign expression was on Link's face. It was one of extreme concern and seriousness. His blue eyes did not hold any cheerfulness that they usually posses, and his lips were set in a tight, thin line. His pointed ears quivered with attention, his body tense.
Faren looked at the young soldier in shock. "Link, what the hell…"
"Something's terribly wrong today," Link whispered, motioning Faren to follow him. Unsure, Faren stood there, confused by Link's strange attitude. What could have possessed him?
Link looked desperate. He ran forward and grabbed Faren by the sleeve. "Please, Faren. This is very important. I will reset the time to three weeks, ok, but please just come with me."
"Tell me here, no one's around anyway," Faren said. He hoped that this wasn't another one of Link's "pranks." He freed his sleeve from Link's grasped, and folded his arms. He glared at Link, troubled.
Link looked around. The guards had left the courtyard, and the only ones around were the singing sparrows that sung their morning melody. Nodding, he looked Faren dead in the eye.
"Do you sense it?" Link nodded in the general direction of the guards. "Something is wrong. The guards aren't themselves."
"What on earth do you mean?" Faren asked. He did not notice anything strange, nothing seemed new or bizarre to him. Sighing, he rubbed his head. The aching that drummed in his brain. How painful it was today.
Today. The pain was worse then ever. Today.
Faren looked up, suddenly feeling like he understood, for the first time, Link.
"Do you also…"
"What are you boys doing?" a voice called from across the courtyard. Both Faren and Link jumped, and spun around to face the general of the army. He stood there, armor and all, over six feet tall, an unusual height for a Hylian. His whiskers twitched as he regarded the two boys before approaching them, hands behind his back.
"Lunch it served, you two. Better go get the grub before the older men take it all," he said, standing his full height, looming over the short young soldiers. Link stood as straight as he could and bowed.
"General. Thanks for the warning. We will go at once," Link told him. He elbowed Faren, who saluted his superior.
"Um… General? Where are you going? Isn't also time that you ate?" Faren asked, feeling suspicious. Everything suddenly felt wrong, terrible wrong, and Faren's heart leaped with his fear.
The General grunted. "Aye. I have been summoned to the forest's edge. There is a tribe there that is being given trouble be some locals. I need to make sure no fighting breaks out; the less blood spilt the better."
Link blinked at his words. The tribe of the forest; the Kokiri. A tribe of children, a peaceful village. No one, not even locals, dared to set foot near the edge of the woods, no one felt any need to bother such a quiet tribe. This wasn't right. And with the General gone, order between the guards may not be controlled.
"Wait, sir. Something is wrong…" Link tried, but the General held up a hand. Link bite back the rest of his words.
"Lad, go eat. If something is wrong, go talk to my temporary replacement; he can fix the problem. He is a fine soldier. For now, I must go," and with that, the General turned on his heels and briskly walked out of the courtyard, muttering to himself. Link froze, letting the horror of truth wash over him.
It couldn't get any worse.
"Me?" Shinda asked, total devastation overpowered her face. "I'm suppose to be your personal guard forever." Shinda stood is silence, trying to understand what was told to her.
"Not forever," Princess Zelda told Shinda. "Just until I can convince my father to send you back. I have royal blood; I could undo the vow." Shinda looked up.
"What?"
Shinda shifted her eyes. He was still there. Ganondorf. He stood next to the princess, hatred from his eyes seemed to try to pierce Zelda, in hopes to kill her. He did not say a word after his threat, but he seemed even more threatening as he seemed to bare his teeth at the young ruler.
The princess sighed, and leaned back. "I told Father to let you be. It's not right to take someone from his or her home. I want to send you back." She leaned forward. "I have a plan. If you protect me for a year, I may be able to convince Father. Of course, this means not punching guards or running away." Shinda shifted in her new shoes.
"A year? Are you kidding? I want to go back home to the well. Now!" Shinda demanded. She didn't fully understand the whole "ruler" thing, but she wasn't about to let some girl tell her what to do.
Ganondorf smiled, making Shinda flinch. He was uglier when he smiled, if that was even possible.
The princess seemed unnerved. "Shinda, I can't even imagine how you feel right now, but a vow is a vow. Sheikah must always serve the royal family. To the death."
"But what about my mother? She lived with me! Was she set free?" Shinda yelled, her anger at its max. Her red eyes glowed like burning coals. She wanted those coals to burn the princess.
The princess's face grew sad. "I really liked your mother. I wished she hadn't left. We could have been friends, you and I," she said, looking at Shinda. Shinda pulled back. Her eyes grew large at the girl's words.
"You knew my mother?" Shinda asked, her voice breaking.
"I am two years older than you. My memories are faint, but yet I remember your mother. She was my nursemaid, and she taught me so many things I still have yet to forget. She was the strongest woman I have ever met." Zelda looked up at the ceiling, her eyes tracing the tiny pattern of cracks. "I never thought she would leave."
Shinda felt hot tears slid down her face. This girl knew her mother, before she was the mother Shinda had known. Making circle in the carpet with her shoes, she asked, "What was she like? Before me?"
The princess did not hear; she was lost in her memories. Ganondorf smiled larger, and patted the princess's face.
"Such a fair face. So pretty when in such sadness." He turned toward Shinda. "To bad you can see me, child. I have always hated your kind. Always meddling. Always getting in my way. If it was not for them, the Hero of Time would probably have perished before he could slay me!"
The Hero of Time! The servant's story burned in her mind as Shinda tried to recollect the tale. What was the ghost talking about?
"But now he's not here. And I am." Ganondorf smiled, lifting his hands to the heavens. "You are a little pest to see me, but now I will let my wraith fall upon this castle. My servant has worked hard to ensure that the guards of this castle are merely slaves to do my biding." He laughed, his voice loud and full of dark evil.
"Good-bye, little Sheikah. Die with your princess." With that, Ganondorf disappeared, with no indication that he was ever there. As if on cue, a boy, the one Shinda had seen earlier, ran in. His sword was drawn, and blood dripped onto the red carpet, staining it a darker color. A scratch mark ran down his face, making a red path on his cheek. Shinda reached for her weapon, before remembering it was not there. It was the darkness, the one that took the shape of a boy. It had followed the real human into her cell, and she still remembered how the dark cloud swirled and morphed like a monster.
The princess's attention was caught, and she stood up when the boy entered. Her face was stern as she looked at the soldier, noting his wounds.
"What happened?" she asked, keeping calm and steady. The boy, breathing hard, dropped his weapon is exhaustion. He held his side, trying to catch his breath.
"Your Highness. Huff….Huff… The guards… mutiny…." He coughed. "Link… wounded… trying to save me." He sucked in, trying to smooth out his words.
"The guards," he tried again, panic in his voice, "they are attacking the castle!"
Ah, another short chapter. Darn. Well, anyways...
Thanks for reading! This chapter is so much better than the last chapter! I think it was more interesting.
Oh, by the way. I have a contest going on. If you are interested, please go to my stories; it will be under the story called "CHALLENGE!" If you are interested.
Once again, thanks! And please review! I love hearing from you guys! :D
~Maannga