Heather Wolfon, Scion of Rage
Yay! Yay! Yay! *jumps up and down* A new chapter has arrived!
I shall now hand this little party over to Mr. Disclaimer! The epicness is killing meh!
Disclaimer: I do not own the SSB series, Golfer, Pikana, Mah, Cameron, Rinku, Cimar, Nask, Heather, or Austin. They all own themselves. (Or at least I think Austin does…)
"Tiger at twelve o clock!" Ike yelled, causing his guardian to give a start of surprise.
Gripping his beast killer knife as hard as he could, Cameron swung it in a low arch and caught the fast approaching tiger on its throat, sending it hurtling towards the large pile of gold it so jealously guarded. Though Ike was slightly impressed by his skill with the dagger, he was still concerned for what currently occupied the thoughts of his young guardian. Gold, mountains and mountains of gold filled his thoughts.
Cameron swung his right arm behind him, catching a second tiger laguz in the stomach as it approached from behind. Gritting his teeth, he reached out with his leg and stomped on his foe's tail as the beast reeled back to counter. With a howl of pain the tiger threw back its neck, rendering its throat vulnerable. A lightning fast slash across the vulnerable throat was all it took to send the tiger to the ground where it never opened its eyes again.
"Two down," the young mercenary panted, "One to go…"
He was answered by a tremendous roar that sent shivers down both his and Ike's spines. From out of nowhere a tiger leaped out, its white fangs flashing menacingly in the afternoon sun. by natural instinct, Cameron rolled out of the way just in time to avoid the fangs, but not fast enough to dodge the powerful tail as it came and whacked him right in the face. Ike felt the horrid pain run right sear across his guardian's cheek as a red hot streak appeared where the tail had hit him.
Recoiling slightly from the force of the blow, the tiger leaped again, its deadly claws aimed right for the throat of the dazed guardian. Cameron's vision swam as he weakly lifted his knife, a last ditch effort to avoid death. Fear bubbled up from deep within Ike, his eyes widened in horror at the oncoming claws and fangs. With a cry of terror, he tried desperately to take control of his guardian, but he was too late. The tiger slammed into Cameron's arm with enough force to sink a thousand ships. Cameron spun the dagger around so the powerful laguz landed right on its point.
A deep gash was created right above the beast's eye. A howl of pain and mourning escaped it as it collapsed and tried desperately to crawl away. Ike heaved a sigh of relief, but it was short lived. Cameron had a fire within him, burning as bright as day. The fire sang through his veins, filling his mouth with the taste of blood. Ike knew this feeling, having experienced it before. It was a berserker rage, a rage so powerful it was deadly to the one it thrust itself upon. When under such a rage, the victim's speed and fighting prowess increased ten fold, but it was at the price of no reason and mercy within the victim's mind.
It was at that moment Ike looked up and saw a horrible thought forming in his guardian's head. This thought, fueled by the berserker rage, was enough to make even the Hero of Crimea sick to the stomach.
"Cam, don't!" he ordered, trying desperately to bring his guardian back to his senses, "Don't do it!"
His guardian did not hear him. Rushing upon his fallen foe, Cameron raised the powerful beast killing dagger and brought it whistling downwards, slicing the belly of the tiger wide open. The laguz, too weak to do a thing, only yelped in pain as the mercenary proceeded to shoving his hand deep within the gash and ripping out its intestines. Ike watched in disgust and horror as Cameron's hand went in and out of the gash, tearing up organs and so many other things Ike never wanted to see again. He knew this was all too much, and he felt a lump form in his throat as he watched the tiger give one final howl of pain and closed its eyes forever. Even when it died, the berserker rage was still upon Cameron, his eyes as bright as twin flames.
"C-Cam…" Ike choked, "Cam… that's enough…"
His guardian did not heed him, still tearing up the tiger's insides. Ike took a deep breath and tried again.
"Cam…"
He sensed reason coming back, but not enough to cause his young guardian to see the horrid crime against nature he was committing. After taking another shaky breath, Ike summoned all his strength and shouted as loud as his ghostly lungs would allow him to shout.
"CAM!"
"Huh?" Cameron asked, blinking slightly and looking around, "Wuzzgoingon?"
In spite of himself, Ike smiled, but his voice was choked with tears. "I'll tell you what's going on… look down."
Raising a single eyebrow in confusion, the mercenary looked down, taking in his bloodied hands and the shattered dagger. His eyes then traveled to the mangled body of the tiger laguz and the internal organs of this tiger scattered about. To Ike's surprise, he shrugged.
"Yeah, so I beat 'em. Anything else you'd like to add?" he asked calmly.
"Beat them?" Ike asked, his voice shaking slightly with anger, "You MANGLED them! How can you remain so… so calm after you basically murdered the people you were meant to live in harmony with?"
Cameron tossed aside the shattered remains of the beast killing dagger, a sigh escaping him as he did so. "Listen, I don't know about what it was like when you were still around here, but things have changed. Not long after the Great War of Subspace, the laguz were rounded up by Tabuu and destroyed. Those of us beorc who survived the war were given a choice: to either become mercenaries and help him when we're needed or to die. Most of us chose to become mercenaries. Either way, a ton of us died because most of us couldn't handle fighting against laguz… all the bloodshed, you just sorta get used to it…"
Before Ike could answer, another growl interrupted him. Cameron whirled around, Sigmund drawn and flashing, expecting to be face to face with yet another powerful laguz tiger. Instead, his eyes met those of a rather scrawny cat, crouched and ready to pounce. Unlike most other laguz cats this cat was sky blue in color compared to the yellow of the other cats. A growl escaped the beast as it crouched lower, preparing its powerful body for a pounce. Ike recognized this cat immediately: it was Ranulf, right hand to The Lion King of Gallia.
Ike gave a joyful shout as he looked upon his old ally, memories flooding his mind. But through the thick mist of these memories, the former mercenary could see very clearly something was wrong. He didn't exactly know what, but there was definitely something wrong with the blue cat before him.
"Don't attack him!" Ike ordered, "He's an old pal of mine!"
"Whatever you say," Cameron said with a small shrug. Turning to Ranulf he put on a wide smile and said, "Hey, um…"
"Ranulf," Ike said patiently.
"Ranulf," he repeated, "I'm a pal of Ike's! Maybe you know him?"
Ranulf did not answer, merely crouching lower, his eyes narrowed. A threatening growl escaped the throat of the blue cat, causing the ground to tremble ever so slightly. Both guardian and Smasher took that to mean that Ranulf had no idea what they were talking about. Cameron smirked and sheathed the Rapier.
"Cameron…" Ike warned.
"What?" he asked rather pompously, "He's just a cat! Let's not forget that I was single handedly able to beat three tigers!"
"When you had that dagger of yours," Ike pointed out, "But it broke, remember?"
"Either way, he's still a cat!" Cameron answered, "C'mere kitty, kitty, kitty…"
With a roar loud enough to deafen anyone who heard it, Ranulf pounced right on the mercenary with lightning speed, sinking his claws into Cameron's shoulders. Cameron let out a shout of surprise and pain as he staggered back, Ranulf still clinging onto him. When he tried to reach for Sigmund, Ranulf's tail lashed out and sent the Rapier hurtling in a random direction. Crimson red blood gushed out of the three gashes created by Ranulf's claws on each of Cameron's shoulders as he desperately struggled to fling off the powerful blue cat.
"Bad kitty! Bad kitty!" he shouted, trying his best to wrench himself free of the painful grasp.
Ranulf only let out a growl and squeezed harder, snapping at the mercenary's face with his teeth. Ike felt his guardian's unbearable pain as well, unable to keep himself from collapsing. As he did so, he was able to catch a glimpse of Ranulf's eyes. A spark was there that had never been there before. It was as if a dark curtain and fallen over the eyes of his old friend, replaced by nothing more than sheer blackness and a crazed, maniacal spark. The spark sent chills down Ike's spine, fear surrounding his heart. He had seen this spark in many other laguz long ago and he had hoped with all his heart that he would never see it again.
The maniacal spark that had left its mark upon his old ally was the mark of the Feral Ones. During the Mad King's War, they were all formidable foes as they were all laguz who were forced fed a drug that enhanced their fighting ability ten fold. But it came at a horrible price as any laguz who were fed this drug also lost their minds, eliminating all knowledge of who they were and whether the person they fought was a friend or a foe. As if that was not enough, the powerful Feral Drug also greatly shortened the lifespan of a laguz, who was capable of living up to hundreds of years. It was a truly cruel thing to do and it saddened Ike greatly to see that his friend had fallen victim to the horrible drug.
Ranulf roared once more and tore at his victim's throat, intending to draw blood. But Cameron grabbed his paw in an iron tight grip and twisted it out of the way just in time. The two were locked in combat, with Ranulf flailing about, looking for an opening to Cameron's throat. Meanwhile, Ike's guardian had switched to defense, blocking all of the cat's advances to his vulnerable throat. But Ike could sense that he was tiring, his blocks weakening under Ranulf's unwavering blows. Ike closed his eyes and concentrated, guilt surging forward within him as he approached the battle he knew was to come.
"Forgive me, Ranulf…"
"Y-You're a… you're a…"
"We've been over this already, Marth. Yes, I am a girl…" Nask sighed, gently rubbing an arm wound with peroxide.
"Y-You're a girl…" Marth repeated, "And you're… you're FIGHTING in this… war…"
"That is correct," Nask answered, "While my step father sits around all day in that castle of his, there's a war brewing. A from a place somewhere far away wishes to rule the entire world. One by one, he has conquered the continents and one by one, he has taken the lives of each and every citizen who dares defy him. Step Father may cower behind his walls of stone, but I refuse to. I intend to fight until either Altea is liberated or I die trying."
"You're quite different from the Nask I first met," Marth said in slight awe.
A smile appeared on the young woman's face as she struggled to tie up her long, deep red hair into a ponytail with only one hand. "I had to disguise myself as efficiently as possible, which means disguising my personality as well…"
Before Marth could respond, a sudden shout outside captured his attention. Nask jumped up from her bed and placed it on her head. Ripping open the curtain to her tent, she dashed out and looked around, trying to discern the cause of the noise. What met her eyes was smoke, dark and grey. The horrible substance stung her throat, causing her to cough. Marth tried his best to squint through the smoke, but he was unable to discern anything more than a few blotched shapes. Soldiers and doctors alike ran about, trying to calm down their horses and saving medical supplies.
"What's going on?" Nask asked a passing soldier, muffling her voice as she did so.
The soldier stopped in his tracks and when he spoke, he spoke slowly, as if he was addressing a five year old. "There is a fire in the camp. We have to move everything."
Nask failed to suppress a groan. "Do we have to?"
By that time, the soldier had already left. Grumbling slightly about incompetent guards, Nask proceeded to pack up her tent, a hard task since one of her arms was broken. Just as she was folding up the heavy cloth, she felt a strange whoosh behind her, as if a great wind had suddenly come around and blown its powerful gusts. Both hers and Marth's senses were on high alert as they whirled around, but whatever had made the gust of wind appear was not to be seen. Confusion rose up in Marth as he scanned the area, searching for the strange source of wind.
Suddenly, there was a tremendous rip! as the strong leather straps that held Nask's helmet upon her head snapped. Whirling around, Nask only had time to lay a hand on her Nanginata before a powerful blow to the back of her head knocked her senseless.
The scenery went by so fast that Marth was just barely able to tell what was going on through sight alone. He felt Nask's too frail for war body being heaved up by two muscular and hairy arms. He felt her being jostled about as she was suddenly draped over a tall, hairy animal. This animal smelled of wet hay and manure, a stench so strong it caused Marth to gag slightly in disgust. It was not long until he felt his guardian's body being jostled again, this time at a much faster pace. Horse hooves thundered upon the road on which they traveled as Marth and Nask were dragged away to the great unknown.
"Almost there, Mah!" Yoshi grunted, his palms drenched in sweat.
He felt a surge of fear as his guardian looked about, taking in how high up they were above the water. Indeed, the ship was so large that if Yoshi should slip, they would both go tumbling to their deaths. Yoshi felt Mah's vision swim before her eyes as she looked down, his own vision swimming at the same time. But the little green dinosaur gritted his teeth and continued the exhausting climb, trying his best to ignore the painful blisters that had erupted between his fingers.
"Are we almost there?" Mah groaned, "I could use a good meal and maybe a nice hot shower right about now…"
"I don't think there's going to be any showers… or hot meals on this ship," Yoshi told her gently, "Although you can't go wrong with a nice seafood buffet!"
Yoshi's eyes widened in happiness as he saw the railing only centimeters out of his line of reach. Stretching out his hand as far as he could, he grasped the rather grimy metal railing and heaved himself up, almost slipping in the process. Mah gasped in surprise at the sudden lurch as Yoshi almost slipped, but sighed in relief when she saw that he had managed to grab the railing with his other hand. Yoshi hoisted himself up and over the railing and lay there, panting, on the solid oak deck.
Immediately, he saw a great many bright flashes through the air as what seemed like a thousand metal sticks were waved through the air. When his vision adjusted, Yoshi shouted in surprise. Thirty steel swords were pointed at him, shining menacingly in the bright sunlight. These thirty swords were tightly held by members of the crew of the ship. A pirate crew.
Most of the crew was your atypical pirate crew, complete with eye patches and wooden legs. Many of them wore grimy red and white stripe shirts and ripped white shorts, so dirty they had turned black. All thirty of them were missing at least three teeth each and their body odor was so rank, even while in spirit form it caused Mah to recoil. Yoshi's eyes watered from the horrid smell, his lungs threatening to jump out any time and run away. All of them glared menacingly at their young visitor, showing their disgusting teeth.
"Maybe they're nicer than they look?" Mah asked optimistically.
Footsteps approached them at her words, large and heavy footsteps. Mah and Yoshi both looked up at the source of the noise, watching with slight interest as the thirty pirates parted to make way for the newcomer. Now this newcomer was nothing like the pirates.
Tall and strong he was, with a clear face and dark eyes. He was dressed with authority, as clean and crisp as could be. He wore a clean red coat, nicely washed blue jeans, and a pure white cotton shirt, his black hair blowing in the wind. A gunblade topped of this look and as he looked over them, Yoshi and Mah could not help but feel a tiny surge of respect for him. He seemed awfully young to be the captain of this pirate crew and when he spoke, his voice confirmed their suspicions.
"Is this the girl we just saved?" he asked, his voice gruff and commanding.
"Yessir!" one of his crew answered, "Climbed up 'ere like it was nothin' the lass did! Brave and not too bad of face too!"
"Here, here!" his fellows chorused, "The lass be a brave one!"
The captain of the ship gave a rather absent minded nod before turning back to his guests. "Well, if you're going to stay aboard this ship, you mind as well get to know everyone. Starting with me. My name is Captain Squall. Welcome aboard the Eye of the Apocalypse. Please follow all the rules and try not to drown."
"AHHH!"
Psyche threw out her arms just in time to catch herself as she fell, Pit's bow cutting her hand a bit as she did so. She had been running a long while and this wasn't the first puddle of water she had slipped on. Dirty water flew out in all directions as she landed, drenching both the young guardian and everything around her in a wide circle.
"Whoa! Are you o-" Pit caught himself just in time, "I mean… watch what you're doing!"
Psyche sputtered slightly, spitting out the disgusting liquid. "Excuse me! Try running as fast as you possibly can to try to stop some hanging only to slip in some random puddle of water! I'm pretty sure I have a good excuse for getting your royal arseness a bit wet!"
"Either way, are you- is the diary still dry?"
Psyche checked the makeshift bag she had made using extremely dirty curtains and copious amounts of staples. "All good!"
A single trumpet note, loud and sweet sounded in the distance. Pit's heart raced in fear at the sound of that note. If they were delayed any more, they would be too late to save the one being hanged. Something deep within the angel told him that it was of the utmost importance that he saved this criminal and he was determined not to fail.
"Come on!" he shouted, "Didn't you say one long trumpet blast means the condemned is supposed to admit all their sins or something?"
He was answered with the sounds of Psyche's feet pounding on the stone pavement as she dashed towards the source of the noise. The murmurs of a crowd reached their ears as Psyche ran on, her chest heaving with every step. Taking care to avoid the crowd, Pit's guardians managed to find a little spot in a thick clump of bushes. After parting the leaves, she gazed out at the crowd, wondering why they were shouting so loudly. Her gaze followed that of the crowd to the gallows where she saw a young woman was having a thick rope being wound around her neck.
Tall and stately, she was truly the most formidable looking person both Psyche and Pit had seen. Scars could be seen all over her slim body, her every limb lean and muscular. Her long brown hair, streaked black, blew in the wind, creating an air of mystery and power about her. To Pit's slight amazement, her right arm was made of polished steel, as well as half of her right leg. She wore a deep black tunic, the precious fabric worn out and torn for what seemed to be a few months of torturous imprisonment. The red trimming on her collar, the hem of her tunic, and her belt were blood red in color, emphasizing her deep orange eyes. She was much too far away for either Pit or Psyche to see any more details of her, but both were able to tell that this woman must've been quite a threat to Tabuu if he wished to kill her so quickly.
"Speak of the devil, there he is," Psyche murmured, pointing at the balcony where the blue man stood.
"Technically, you didn't speak so it's more like the… thought of the devil," Pit corrected.
Psyche ignored his comment, squinting instead at the young woman on the gallows. A tiny man next to her held up a scroll and began speaking in loud, clear tones. He proclaimed that her name was Heather Elektra Wolfon. She was being hung for charges of treason and attempted murder. She was also a great danger to the world and if anyone knew what was good for them, they would stand down and watch as she was rid from the world forever. For a brief moment, a flash of anger lit up Heather's face, her deep orange eyes flashing menacingly. But this expression was soon replaced by that of nothing more than a calm silence as the rope was wound even tighter around her neck.
"Nock an arrow and aim for the rope," Pit instructed, "We only have one shot at it, so make it count!"
Psyche gulped, recoiling slightly as the pressure of the situation fell upon her shoulders. Though she raised the golden bow and managed to knock an electric blue arrow, her hands shook as she did this. Even when she raised it up and aimed it there was still a hesitation in her form, the arrow threatening to slip out of her grip. Her nervousness caused her to shake with the effort of trying to stay calm, a cold sweat forming on her face. Trying her best to push away those thoughts, she took careful aim at the rope above Heather's head. Her fingers tightened on the string, her hesitation preventing her from letting go.
"Come on," Pit chided, "Do it. It's a clean shot."
Psyche gulped again and raised the bow, aiming once again for the rope that held Heather in place. Her arm moved back, but still her fingers tightened themselves on the arrow shaft. She hesitated again, still as nervous as ever.
Pit groaned in slight irritation as he sensed her uneasiness of the situation. "What's the problem?"
"I-I'm nervous," Psyche whispered, the arrows shaking slightly in her tense grip, "What if I hit her?"
"It's too late for nerves, Psyche," the angel answered tiredly, "If you're not up to it, just leave it to the master, eh?"
Before Psyche could answer, she was yanked back, watching as Pit's spirit took over her body. Pit flexed his guardian's fingers, coarse from years upon years of slave labor and grabbed his bow, loading an arrow as he did so. Though the girl did not possess nearly enough strength for the arrow to fly as fast, he only had one shot and he had to make the best of it. Narrowing his eyes, he aimed the bow upwards at the rope and prepared for the shot.
"Watch and learn," he said, drawing back the bow, "One clean shot… no hesitation…"
Thwack! A smirk appeared on Pit's face as he saw the electric blue arrow fly off into the unknown. Crouching even lower down in the bushes, he watched and waited to see just what would unfold.
He howled again, for possibly the eighth time that day. And who could blame him? He, after decades of being cooped up in a jar with no one else worth a while to talk to except a few blundering villains, was free.
Wolf O' Donnell, Commander of Star Wolf, zoomed over great plains and vast seas, watching as the colors below him swirled together into a single mess of a great many visions seen only in a dream. But what seemed to be the best part of all was that he knew he wasn't dreaming. He really was flying over these mighty plains, relishing his freedom at last.
He soon found himself soaring over the broken city of Smashville, filled with debris and decay. Though he told himself that this city did not matter to him, he could not help but feel a small twang in his heart for pity of the once beautiful city. Though he was only there for the third and fourth Smash Brothers Tournament, the city always felt like home to him. Pushing those thoughts from his mind, he proceeded to float over towards a great crowd that gathered around what looked like a tall set of gallows. A closer look told him that someone was to be hanged today, but he could not see whom. A force nudged at him, drawing him closer to the rotting gallows.
His breathing stopped. Upon the gallows with a rope already wound around her neck was a young woman, a woman no older than 25. Though scars lined every inch of her body, she still radiated a sense of beauty and serenity. Her long brown hair was streaked with black and as it blew in the wind, Wolf could very clearly see her slightly pointed ears. On her black tunic, three red stripes shone out on each sleeve, matching the color of the hemline of her tunic and collar. Her hands, one metal and one flesh, were tied tightly behind her back with a length of rope and Wolf could see where the rope had burned the skin of her left hand because of a searing red mark. But what captivated him most of all was her eyes, still strong and determined even while she stood in the never ending shadow of death.
He knew she was the one before it even happened. He floated near her pointed ear, examining her muscles a bit before he suddenly found himself being pulled not so gently from the outside world. He raced for what seemed like hours in pure darkness before he crash landed in a realm that he knew to be her mind.
The first thing he felt was pain, a red hot pain around the neck of his guardian. The rope was already wound around her neck as tight as it could be, but not tight enough to choke her. Through her ears he was able to hear the little man still speaking about her charges for being hanged, besides for treason and attempted murder. Wolf blinked in slight confusion as the man announced that she was also to be hanged for littering. Was Tabuu really that desperate to be rid of her?
Without intending to, Wolf began walking around and exploring his guardian's dark mind. Many memories, too dark to be seen flitted past him, signifying that his young guardian had a dark past which she did not like to talk or think about. Her thoughts floated around him as well, ranging from anger at her failure to acceptance for her accusation of being a danger to society. Among these thoughts, a memory floated by as well, replaying the events of what he took to be how she was caught. Curiosity overcoming him, the Commander of Star Wolf stopped to watch.
She pulled the cowl of her midnight black cloak over her nose, leaving only her deep orange eyes revealed to the world. Her black and red tunic was neatly folded and hidden in a secret pocket of her outfit, which consisted of a black bodysuit and shoes. Her red beam sword glittered menacingly in the fading light as she carefully strapped it to her back, along with her black cyber staff. Though her body was not built for speed and stealth, she knew she had to rely on her amazing strength to try to do what was right.
She crawled through the vents of the Smash Mansion, thankful that the extra padding in the bodysuit prevented her metal leg and arm from making any noise. She crawled and crawled until she reached what looked like a throne room of some kind, where she saw the blue man known as Tabuu and a boy whom she did not care about. Her eyes were locked on Tabuu and only Tabuu and she took her staff off of her back and raised it, preparing to strike. A man moved in front of Tabuu, speaking to him. She felt her blood boil at the sight of the man. He was her Uncle Clark, a Wolfon family member who betrayed the family and killed all the members but her when she was only 10 years old.
The rage she had kept bottled up for the last 15 years was threatening to break free now. She could feel it lashing itself against its chains, causing her head t pound horribly. But she fought it back down, though it exhausted her greatly. Had she not fought back her rage now, who knew what could happen. She could save Smashville. Or destroy it.
She raised her staff and prepared to chant a potent fire spell, one that should vaporize her enemies right on the spot. But just as the words were on the tip of her tongue, Tabuu suddenly sent a wave of powerful Subspace magic right at her, shattering the vent in which she was hidden.
"Impressive, my lord," Clark remarked, eyeing his niece hungrily, "Very impressive indeed. How did you know she was up there?"
"I know all and see all," Tabuu replied, "But it is quite remarkable that this young woman was able to evade my notice for this long. Indeed, all these years I thought the rest of the Wolfon family was dead…"
"Well, I'm here," she spat, her eyes filled with hatred, "Anything else you want to add?"
Tabuu nodded, a smile touching the corners of his nonexistent mouth. "In fact, yes. You, Heather Elektra Wolfon, must be a powerful warrior to have escaped my notice for so long. I want you to join me…"
"Never," Heather replied immediately, "You killed my entire family, save my uncle. Why should I join you?"
"You'll have power beyond anything you could ever imagine," Tabuu told her, forming a throbbing black sphere in his hands, "You shall reign as queen over all the worlds when I choose to abdicate my throne. In fact, I shall give you the hand of my own heir, Wrath, in marriage to you."
Next to him, the boy, Wrath, recoiled in surprise and disgust. Heather knew the feeling was mutual between them and there was no way in the world Tabuu would ever get tired of ruling over Smashville.
"I'll never join you," she said calmly, "Not for all of the kingdoms of the world."
"Family must stick together, Heather," Clark said earnestly, "You don't want to disappoint your mother do y-"
"My mother is dead," Heather told him, pain rising in her voice with every word, "She's dead all because of YOU!"
For a brief, fearful, moment, Heather's streaked brown hair turned to black with red streaks. Her eyes too glowed blood red as she gazed upon her hated uncle. All over her face, arms, and legs, blood red Hylian markings made their appearance, telling all who saw her that she was a dangerous threat. A maniacal smile crossed her lips as she lunged forwards at her uncle, cackling all the way.
"Eh heh heh heh! Blood… delicious blood! Delicious Wolfon BLOOD!" she shrilled, her fingernails out and ready, "Blood that is mine! ALL MINE! No one can have it except me! ME! Blood that tastes so… so dirty! MINE! ALL MINE!"
Clark stepped back in alarm as his niece sluggishly limped towards him, the maniacal smile never fading from her face. She slowly made her way towards him, her knife- like fingernails ready to tear through his skin. But when he saw that she was slow and sluggish, he let his guard down. But it proved immediately to be a fatal mistake.
The new insane Heather lunged at him, sinking her powerful fingernails into his cheek and ripping the skin right off. The bloody gash simply oozed with blood as the crazed girl grabbed a handful of blood with her metal arm and began licking it, smearing it all over her lips. Clark tried his best to run away only to be stopped once again by his niece as she yanked the skin right off his arm and licked the blood as it dripped down.
"Ehehehehe! So… dirty… so delicious…" she crooned, "Blood… my best friend… I loves me… and I love blood…hah hehehe… mm… nothing better than blood… hehehe… you want to try some? TRY SOME! KEHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
She shoved her entire blood- drenched hand into Clark's mouth, forcing the coppery taste of blood onto his tongue. Clark recoiled in disgust at the taste, his eyes silently pleading to his master for some help. Tabuu, who had been watching with some amusement, stood up from his throne and formed a black ball of electricity in his hands. Just as Heather looked upon him, he flung it at her, causing her to slam against the floor. Then, all was blackness.
"Man…" Wolf muttered with a hint of admiration, "She must be one insane girl…"
A sudden shuffling caught his attention. Turning, he saw the raven haired, red eyed, version of his guardian that he had seen in the memory. She was struggling against what he recognized as Tabuu's Chains of Light deep within the back of Heather's mind. As she looked up at him, their eyes locked and the familiar maniacal smile crossed her face, sending chills down Wolf's spine.
"Heh heh… nice wolf man…" she said, her eyes narrowing seductively, "Care to help me? Ehehehe… want to… embrace me? You look soooo nice… soooo warm… Kehehehehe!"
"Who are you?" Wolf asked in slight disbelief.
"Me? Hehehe… I am Heather Wolfon! Black Heather Wolfon! Kehahaha! I like… blood! So… dirty… like cold gasoline! Mmm… I must have blood… hahaha… ned blood… soooo good… you want some too? I'll save you some… kehahaha! If I don't eat it all first! EHEHEHEHE!"
Wolf calmly looked on as Black Heather continued to struggle with her chains, even going as far as to try to tear them with her teeth. She let out another maniacal cackle when she saw him watching, her blood red eyes shining menacingly. Though a stab of fear entered the Smasher's heart, he stood his ground, glaring back at the woman in chains.
"Nice wolf… handsome wolf…" she crooned, "Kehehehe… lemme out… lemme out and I'll kill him! Ehehehe… I'll kill him for you! You know you want me to kill him… kehahaha… I'll kill him and take his blood for you…"
"Who are you talking about?"
Black Heather threw back her head and laughed, revealing bloodstained teeth. "TABUU! Hahaha… I shall kill Tabuu! And take his blood… like cold gasoline… so… mm… dirty…you want some?"
At the mention of his hated foe's name, Wolf's ears pricked up. Though he hated Fox more than anything in the world, he would stop at nothing to see Tabuu vanquished once and for all. It was he who caused him so much shame and pain as Wolf had been one of the first ones to get his soul ripped from his body when Master Hand sent the fifth wave of reinforcements. It was also extremely embarrassing to have been defeated by nothing more than a flick from the Subspace Lord's wrist as he lunged at him with his claws. Wolf felt the anger and hate bubbling in him once again, causing his vision to go red. He very claws shook with frustration as he replayed the scene of his two second battle with Tabuu over and over again.
He wanted revenge. Worse, he wanted blood to be spilled. He wanted the blood of the Lord of Subspace to stain the ground and paint it black as night, a sign of what would happen to anyone who dared defy him. These thoughts fueled his anger even more and it was with great pleasure that he reached out for the chains that held Black Heather captive and pulled with all his might.
Crack! The powerful chains snapped easily from between his claws. With a cackle that shook the sky, Black Heather unleashed her full righteous fury, powered by the anger and hate that flowed through Wolf's mind. She bounced around in the mind of Wolf's guardian a bit before shooting out a small white portal and disappearing. Immediately afterwards, a small scream could be heard as another figure came hurtling through the portal and into the mind of Heather Wolfon. Wolf recognized her as the true form of the girl who was to be hung and he immediately rushed over to help her up.
"What's going on?" the girl panted, "Who are you?"
"Wolf O' Donnell," he answered, "Commander of Star Wolf and Smasher."
Before Heather could reply an unexpected great flash of light caught her eye. Both she and Wolf watched in wonder as a streak of bright electric blue suddenly streaked through the air, headed right towards them. For a split second, the beam of light hung suspended in the air, revealing its identity of an arrow made of purest light. Just as quickly as it had came, the arrow lodged itself into the wooden beam that held up the gallows, slicing through the strong rope that held Heather in place.
For a single moment, the entire crowd standing around the gallows was silent. Then, a scream of terror erupted from the throat of a woman standing somewhere towards the front. Her scream soon infected those next to her and traveled throughout the crowd, creating a chorus of horrible blood curdling shrieks. The noise was ear splitting, loud enough to cause the very foundation of Heather's mind to shake.
Wolf felt a sudden jolt as Black Heather, now possessing Heather's body, lunged out at the woman who screamed, her fingernails digging deep into the woman's throat. The screaming stopped almost immediately, but that wasn't enough for the crazed woman. With what seemed like a mere twitch of her fingers, Black Heather snapped the woman's throat right in half and ripped off her head, watching greedily as the blood oozed out of the horrible wound. Bringing the corpse to her lips, she took a small sip of blood, but soon gagged and threw away the dead body.
"Disgusting filthy blood!" she screamed, "Not good enough! KEHAHAHA! I need more! More! MORE!" She lunged for another throat as a man tried to flee.
"No!" Heather, the real Heather screamed, "He's just an innocent bystander!"
Black Heather halted, her knife- like fingernails only inches from the man's throat. The pedestrian ran away as she whirled sluggishly around at the Primids as they decided to attack. Among them were Metaknight, Samus, and Link, their yellowed eyes shining bright with malice and hate. Samus had donned her powersuit and already she was charging up her plasma laser to use it to subdue the bloodthirsty young woman.
Wolf watched as Black Heather licked her lips, her red eyes glowing brightly with pure greed and insanity. "Ehehehe… good Tabuu… he sent me a meal before I killed him! Kehehehe… maybe I'll let him die slowly… mm… a snack before I kill!"
Several of the Primids tried to take advantage of her sluggish actions to no prevail. With Wolf silently cheering her on, Black Heather grabbed a beam sword from one of the Primids as it ran near and swung it in a wide arc, recreating Link's spin attack. A few more Primids tried to aim for her left leg, the only vulnerable spot on her body. Black Heather, sensing their approach, met them with a powerful kick from her metal clad right leg as they neared. A sneer crossed her face as she grabbed one of the Primids as they flew back and ripped off its arm, licking the Shadow Bugs as they fell. She quite literally ate up the Primid and soon discarded its body far away as the three possessed Smashers came forward to meet her in combat.
Wolf felt the thirst for blood and vengeance grow within Black Heather, fueled even more by his own desire of revenge. For a brief moment, Black Heather's red eyes traveled over to the few pedestrians that remained, her tongue shooting out to lick the blood on her lips. But just as she was about to limp over to the humans, Heather, the true Heather, stepped in once again to stop herself from going too far.
"I just need to kill Tabuu," she told herself calmly, "Then see if I can get out of here without hurting too many innocent people…"
With a small snarl, Black Heather tried to dodge as Metaknight came at her with lightning speed. She had no time to react as the Star Warrior slammed into her with the strength of a speeding truck, drawing blood from her arm. Wolf was unable to be sure if should feel disgusted or not when Black Heather lifted her own arm up to her lips and began licking the blood that flowed from the wound.
"Mm… delicious Wolfon blood… ehehe… so addicting…" she said, smearing it all over her face, "Want some? Heh heh heh… it's tastes so… mm… sooooo good…"
She was answered by another lightning fast tornado attack from Metaknight, followed immediately by a missile from Samus and a volley of arrows from the Green Clad Hero. Though the girl was able to dodge the missile, the force of Metaknight slamming into her forced her back a few steps. The sharpened arrowheads bit at her pale skin, drawing even more blood form her veins.
"Bad, bad Smashers…" she hissed, "You didn't bring me blood… ehehehe… you made me have to eat my own blood… how selfish!"
She limped over towards Metaknight, preparing to strike. The Star Warrior regarded her calmly for one moment before he drilled right into her once again, causing Black Heather to howl in pain. Samus began firing quick, rapid shots from her plasma gun as Link came rushing at her with his sword drawn and ready. For a brief moment, Black Heather was Heather Wolfon again, the girl looking on in fear and horror as the man who was once a close friend of her great grandmother's raised his sword and brought it down to strike her.
"No!" Wolf shouted, concentrating with all his might.
A swift flash of unbearable pain met him as he shoved Black Heather's consciousness out of the way and took over. He raised Heather's metal right arm and caught the blade just in time, feeling the blood trickle down to the ground. Link's eyes widened in surprise as his sword was parried in this way, causing his sword hand to falter just a bit.
Wolf smirked as he saw the brief flash of fear in Link's face. "What's the matter? Scared?
"Pikana… did you hear that?"
"Eh?" the girl asked, wiping bits of ham off her chin, "Hear what, Pikachu? Is it Bob again? I told him to leave and never come back!"
"Not Bob," the pokemon answered nervously, "Bu-"
Suddenly, the ground began to rumble and shake. Pikana's ears pricked up as she heard the sounds of approaching wheels, as well as another strange sound like the sound of blades scraping against one another. This noise caught the attention of Samus as well, her eyes narrowing in confusion at the noise.
It began as a faint shadow near at the end of the corridor. As it approached, it only grew larger and larger until its top just barely brushed the ceiling. Both Pikachu and Samus recognized this strange creature of Subspace, with its two giant blades and identifiable red weak point atop its head. It was a powerful foe, never one to be taken lightly. Pikana only had seconds to react as it raised its powerful twin blades and sung them in circles, just barely scraping the girl's tail as it did so.
"YEOWCH!" Pikana shouted, grabbing her bleeding tail, "Arceus, that hurt!"
"Golfer! Get up!" Samus yelled, unable to shake him, "Hello? GET UP!"
When her guardian only turned over and snored on, Samus turned exasperatedly to Pikachu, who frowned. Then, an idea formed in his head and it did not take him long to tell this to Pikana. After avoiding yet another round of hacks from the blades of the Subspace enemy, Pikana unleashed a great blast of electricity aimed directly at Samus's guardian. A sudden scream from him told her that her lightning bolt had hit its mark.
"What's going on?" he asked, shaking his head to clear it.
"I'll give you a hint," Samus told him, "It's huge, round, and… ABOUT TO SLICE YOU IN HALF!"
Golfer looked up and dodged just as the two huge sickles came crashing down. Though they missed him, the same couldn't be said for his plasma gun. The enemy rolled all over the shattered remains of the bounty hunter's weapon, disrespecting it for all its worth. Pikana pulled out Bazookie and fired a blast at its blades, only to have the bullet bounce right off and onto the floor. It also didn't help that the bullet too was run over by the round enemy.
"Aim for its head!" Pikachu instructed, "That's its weak point!"
Pikana readied Bazookie for another blast, but she was snatched out of the way of the blades by Golfer as the enemy rushed at her. She watched in utter dismay as Bazookie was lost forever under the heavy wheels of the Subspace soldier. A cry of shattered pain rose from her as her precious weapon was so cruelly ripped away from her. Digging her face into Golfer's chest, she cried her heart out as he gently stroked her back. But this moment was soon interrupted by the blades slicing through the air once again, this time aimed for the boy's leg.
"OH GOD THAT HURTS!"
He was pinned under the point of the blade, his blood simply oozing from the gash that had formed. In all his pain, he had thrown Pikana out of harm's way, but wasn't quick enough to actually avoid the blade itself. Samus was frantic with worry, knowing that another blow like that would cost him his life. She managed to take control of his body just in time to narrowly avoid the second blade as it aimed directly for her head. Though her leg still throbbed with pain, she ignored it long enough to reach over to where a plasma gun once owned by a Primid lay and take aim.
The enemy saw her sudden movement and used its other arm to knock the weapon right out of her hands, sending it skidding off to somewhere unknown. She saw her reflection in the blade as the Subspace enemy raised it up once again, seeing the blue- eyed, fearful expression on Golfer's face. She closed her eyes, awaiting her impending doom.
"CHUUUUU!"
Pikachu, who had long ago taken over for Pikana, released a bolt of electricity aimed directly at the enemy's weak point. Though he missed, it was enough to get the enemy's attention and cause it to leave Samus alone, removing the blade that pinned her leg to the ground as it did so. Pikachu aimed another blast of electricity at its head, this time managing to hit it, but not hard enough to kill the enemy.
Samus managed to crawl her way over to where another Primid plasma gun lay, gripping the precious weapon in her sweaty palms. Taking careful aim, she fired a single shot at the enemy, striking it right on the weak point. Reeling from the blow, the enemy was unable to counter when Pikachu leaped up, turned a flip in the air, and came crashing down headfirst right onto its red weak spot.
The enemy exploded in a flurry of Shadow Bugs and who knows what else. Both Samus and Pikachu had to shield their eyes to avoid the sudden onslaught of dead Subspace Bugs and by the time they opened their eyes, they were covered from head to foot in disgusting purple goop.
"Well, it could be worse, right?" Golfer remarked, "You guys could be covered in poop or something…"
"Thanks for the pleasant thought," Samus muttered sarcastically.
When she turned to Pikachu for his own feedback, the little pokemon was frowning in confusion. His long ears twitched every so often, as if trying to pick up a noise of some kind. When he saw Samus staring at him, his frown deepened.
"I here something," he said uneasily, "Some kind of… beeping…"
"Beeping?" Samus asked, fear rising within her.
Pikachu nodded. "Yeah, it's pretty rhythmic… one beep for every second… it's getting faster now…"
Samus had only seconds to react. Staggering to her feet, the grabbed the Pokemon and tucked him under her arm. Ignoring Pikachu's confused protests, she leaped out the window and braced herself for an impact landing.
BOOOM! The bomb went off a second after she made it out the window. Holding the little pokemon close, she faced her broken arm side towards the ground and closed her eyes, feeling the debris fly past her as she fell.
If it was possible for an arm to break twice, there was no way anyone would ever want to experience it. Unfortunately, both Samus and Golfer were forced to feel the horrifying pain of breaking an arm not once, but twice in the same week. The force of their landing sent an entire world of pain through them, causing both to scream in pain. Pikachu and Pikana looked on in concern for their friends, unable to do a thing.
They turned their attention to the asylum, but it wasn't there anymore. Instead, a dark portal to Subspace greeted them, its dark depths sending chills down their spines. The enemy was nothing more than a distraction, a diversion created so that the bomb could be planted. Though it failed, something- or someone- intended to have them destroyed.
"Almost there, Your Highness!" Cimar said cheerfully, reaching out to grab hold of the vines.
Zelda sighed in relief. "Good. I was getting a bit tired of being caught by those guards every ten seconds!"
They had spent all morning and most of the afternoons attempting to sneak into the castle courtyard. Cimar, though quite intelligent, was also a bit clumsy when it came to making no noise, usually accidentally breaking a pot or two as he tried to sneak past the guards. It also did not help that there happened to be a large stash of rupees guarded by a single Royal Soldier in the middle of the way.
The paths the soldiers were told to watch were rather complicated, baffling even. It took Cimar at least two minutes to figure out the exact path a guard would retrace before he mastered most, if not all, of them. But still they were always caught one way or another.
"I still can't believe all it took was that idea of yours," Cimar muttered as he started climbing, "I mean, those guards are rather stupid, but I'm pretty sure they're not so stupid as to fall for so… so transparent a trick as that."
"That is true," Zelda agreed, "But we also have to remember that I've been kidnapped about ten times in a month the last time Link and I were in Hyrule at the same time as Ganondorf. It seems that some things never change…"
Cimar nodded as he reached for another vine. They were about two thirds of the way up the building now, Rinku's window a mere ten feet away. But just as he grabbed hold of the next vine, the one he grasped in his other hand snapped right off, causing him to dangle with only one hand. Cimar's vision swam before his eyes as he looked down in fear, his heart racing in his chest. He was twenty feet off the ground, the guards below a few mere specks in the distance. His head pounded as he saw just how high up he truly was, his muscles tensing in fear. If he should slip, he would fall to his doom. In fact, he could feel his fingers slipping on the vine right at that moment.
"Calm down, Cimar," Zelda said soothingly, "Just don't look down… we're almost there!"
Cimar's desperate battle against his own fear still raged on inside him as he forced himself to continue climbing. Though his will had the upper hand, his fear did not make things any easier. A cold sweat broke out on his brow as he grabbed the window ledge, almost slipping again, but he held on. Zelda smiled as Cimar managed to heave himself through the window and there he lay, panting.
"You did well," she praised, "It's not every day someone can conquer his fear of heights."
"I-I wasn't afraid!" he protested, "Just… nervous that I might fail the mission!"
"Suure…" Zelda replied, her bell- like laughter filling his mind.
Before Cimar could come up with a good comeback, the door to the room opened, revealing a rather exhausted Rinku. Black circles lined his eyes and his once proud face was pale and gaunt. Upon stepping into his room, he immediately spotted the intruder and with a quick flick of his wrist, drew his sword. It was laden in heavy gold, inlaid with large precious stones the size of quail eggs. Made of polished steel, it was one of the most beautiful things either Zelda or Cimar had ever seen.
Though Zelda was not one to judge swords, she did her best to remember everything Link had taught her about swordsmanship. Steel, she remembered, was an ideal metal for sword making, much more deadly and potent than iron. However, it came at the price that it was much more expensive and heavier than iron and it took only those with great skills to wield the sword. Gold was also a good metal for the hilt as it was soft and durable as well as light. But gold was extremely expensive and only the wealthiest of the wealthy could afford a gold hilt. Next came the jewels, though very beautiful, weighed the sword down and made it heavier than it should be. In addition, jewels often needed some serious looking after and it only gave bandits a greater excuse to attack a swordsman in the woods if his sword had precious jewels upon it.
Her thoughts soon traveled back to Link, how they used to be the greatest of friends. When they were both kids, they would play almost non stop in the fields of Hyrule, so much that Impa often had to force the princess and the boy to come in for dinner. As they grew, they often went exploring together and they found a great many things believed to be lost forever. Sometimes, they would simply go out for a walk to Lake Hylia, and there they would sit, enjoying the bright sunlight. His smile had always captivated her and it was truly the longest year for her in her life when he was called away for the first Smash Brothers Tournament. One year of not seeing his amazing smile tore her heart quite literally in two. But then she was invited and those happy days began again.
And yet, as the years wore on, she felt that there was something more between them, something so potent, yet so mysterious that she did not know what it was. Though the goddesses blessed her with wisdom beyond her age, she was unable to discern just why she had begun to felt so… so strange when she was around him.
"Nice sword," Cimar remarked, snapping the princess from her thoughts, "But the jewels are a bit much aren't they? They'll weigh the sword down."
Rinku nodded, never relinquishing his grip on the sword. "I know… but Dad says that it's important for others to know just how powerful and wealthy you are and the jewels signify that."
"Interesting theory, but absolutely not true," came Cimar's reply.
A muscle twitched in Rinku's jaw. "Just who are you anyway? It's not exactly appreciated around here when someone sneaks into a room of the castle and starts commenting about swords."
Cimar bowed slightly, never taking his eyes off of the prince. "I am Cimar of Turalis. I am part of the Disciples of Wisdom and-"
"Disciples of Wisdom?" Rinku asked sharply, "That's impossible! I thought you were all dead!"
"Not dead, but in hiding," Cimar said calmly, "We've been researching the whereabouts of Princess Zelda, who in fact, is currently-"
"Zelda?" Rinku suddenly asked, his voice strangely changed, "She's here? You know where she i- ARGH!"
Though Cimar's thoughts swam with confusion, Zelda knew that voice immediately. For the brief moment Rinku's voice had so suddenly changed, she saw how his eyes changed from sky blue to piercing azure. She had felt a sudden rush of power come forth at the sound of the voice and as if that wasn't enough, her heart began racing. Rinku was Link's guardian. She watched as Rinku grasped his head, his face twisted in pain. Just as suddenly, the expression faded and he opened his eyes, now back to their usual ocean blue. Cimar noticed this as well, but chose to keep quiet, intending to discuss it with Zelda later.
"Sorry about that," Rinku said in his normal tones, "I'm recovering from a bit of… of a cold, you can say…"
"No problem," Cimar said lightly, "Anyways, that's who I am. Cimar of Turalis, Disciple of Order."
Rinku's eyes narrowed in confusion as he summoned a memory from what seemed like ages ago. "I met you once… a few months back…"
"I was the one who gave you food and water while you ran away," Cimar confirmed, "I was the one who gave you directions to the base camp of the Warriors of Courage. I was the one who basically saved your life that day."
Rinku nodded. "Yes, I remember now… I was forever grateful to you since that day, but I never got to know your name…" Then, his expression hardened. "What do you want?"
"I want to know why you're with your father again," Cimar answered calmly, "Why you're with your father again when you swore never to come back."
For a brief moment, Rinku hesitated, his bottom lip quivering ever so slightly. "Penance…"
"Penance?" Cimar asked, raising an inquisitive eyebrow, "What for?"
"For the death of my mother," Rinku answered, his voice choked with tears, "That night I fled… I placed poison into a cup, intending my father to drink it… but instead, my mother got it and she was the one who gave her life for my selfish intents. If I hadn't ran away, she would be alive and happy right now… we'd be a family…it's all my fault she died and the goddesses themselves are ready to punish me unless I can gain penance by doing everything my father asks of me…"
"Your fault!" Cimar asked in disbelief, "The death of your mother was completely unintentional! What's more, how is serving as a slave to your father a form of penance!"
"Slave?" Rinku cried, "I am not a slave! Here, I am treated as a prince! And I'll have you know, all my father asks of me is to… to…"
"To…?"
"That doesn't matter right now!" Rinku said quickly, "What matters is that I'm honoring my mother's name and gaining forgiveness from the goddesses!"
"By what?" the Disciple of Wisdom questioned, anger and frustration bubbling up in his voice, "By taking more lives? By betraying your own country?"
"You don't understand!" Rinku yelled, his voice breaking, "I murdered my own mother out of cold blood! I deserve to have this fate!"
"I understand, alright!" Cimar snapped, "I understand that you're too blinded by your grief over the death of your mother to see reason! How is it penance that you're executing even more people, taking even more lives? You're basically murdering them!"
"They've committed treason against my father, the king!" Rinku retorted, "That deserves capital punishment!"
"Oh, so your dad's the king now? Last I checked, he was an overly ambitious advisor to King Daphnes, a scheming little worm after the throne, an usurper!"
Rinku's eyes were furious now, flashing an icy blue in the moonlight. He entire body shook with anger as he regarded his foe, unsure of whether to strike and kill him now or summon his guards. But then he remembered the debt he owed to him and lowered his sword, glaring at him coldly.
"A life for a life," he lamented, his voice cold as ice, "I won't summon the guards. I'll just let you go. Get out of my sight."
Without another word, Cimar hopped onto the tree branch and sidled down the tree trunk, too angry to speak. Zelda felt the warming presence of Link slowly melting away as they left the room, a wave of sadness washing over her. Link truly had his work cut out for him, but no matter what, the princess knew he would pull through in the end.
"Good luck, my hero…"
Rinku slammed his fist down on his oak desk, creating a small crack on its polished wood surface. His gaunt face was even paler now, almost ghostlike as he let his anger out on the desk. Link watched calmly as his guardian let it all out, remembering times when he would do the same thing.
"How dare he," Rinku ranted, pounding all the while harder, "How dare he speak to me like that… I ought to have him exiled!"
"And how is that any better than executing him?" the Chosen Hero asked blankly, "How in the world are you going to gain penance by killing him?"
"Not you too!" Rinku moaned.
"Rinku, Cimar was right," Link told him, "You're not gaining any form of penance whatsoever by doing what your dad says!"
"O-Of course I am!"
"No, you're not," he said firmly, "You don't gain penance for a crime by doing even more crimes in its place."
"Even more cri-"
"For one thing, you're signing execution orders almost non stop," the hero pointed out.
"B-Because… because my father told me that's how I gain penance!" Rinku said desperately.
"You gain penance for a murder by committing a thousand more murders?"
Rinku remained silent. Link used this to his advantage and pressed on, naming all he had done since reuniting with his father.
"You heavily taxed the peasants and severely punished those who were too poor to pay. You observed the burning of all the books about the Harkinan family. You watched as one by one, the Zoras were rounded up and chopped into fish paste. You didn't speak out once when the Gorons were grounded into pebbles for the moat. Heck, you even gave away battle strategies used by the Disciples of Courage. That's a thousand more crimes to repay a single one you didn't commit."
"A single, horrible one," Rinku insisted, "I killed my own mother for Pete's sake!"
"But you did not intend to and that, my friend, makes all the difference in the world."
When Rinku did not reply again, Link pressed on some more, determined to set things right.
"Rinku, if your mother was alive right now, what would she say?"
Rinku's white hand tightened into a fist his teeth clenching. Juts as he was about to reply, shouts were heard down in the courtyard. Rushing to the window, Rinku's eyes widened in fear as he saw the guards surrounding a figure dressed in a mottled cloak. He watched helplessly as the cloaked figure was dragged away into the castle, blood dripping form a gash on his cheek. He began shaking his head, murmuring the word no under his breath.
"No, no, no! It wasn't supposed to happen like this!" he said frantically, "Cimar was supposed to get out of this place safely!"
"There's nothing we can do," Link said gloomily, a strange feeling rising within him at the thought that Cimar might be Zelda's guardian.
He had felt a strange presence in the room when Cimar was in there, a deep, soothing presence that Zelda normally carried with her wherever she went. They had been the best of friends all their lives and as the hundred years passed while they were held captive, he had had plenty of time to muse over his feelings for her. He did not understand what made his heart sing every time she was around, but he did know one thing: she was the most amazing woman he ever met.
For hours it seemed Rinku paced back and forth in his room, running his fingers through his hair. The over extravagant sword lay forgotten on his bed, its useless jewels glittering in the light of the moon. Then, a knock on the door woke him up from his thoughts and he rushed to open it. The page on the other side held out a single sheet of parchment and before he could go through the important ceremony that must be performed before handing over the sheet of paper, Rinku had grabbed it and slammed the door in his face.
It said this:
King Sorius I of Hyrule hereby requests an execution confirmation from Prince Rinku I of Hyrule. Cimar of Turalis is hereby charged with crimes of treason and attempted murder. Please sign this death warrant to confirm these charges so that a punishment may be dealt. If signed, Cimar of Turalis shall be burned at the stake at first light tomorrow.
Rinku gulped, his palms moist and sweaty. "A death sentence… my father wishes me to approve a death sentence…"
"And what is your decision?" Link asked, "Do you approve it or not?"
Rinku blinked in surprise. "You're letting… me make the choice?"
"You're the prince, after all. As prince, you must do what is best for your kingdom…"
Rinku picked up his quill pen and dipped it in the ink well on his desk. For a brief moment, he allowed the point of the quill to hover over the signature line, quivering slightly in nervous tension. A single drop of ink fell onto the page, the black dot like a mark of death one the line. Memories surged in front of his eyes, memories of all he held dear, long dead.
Link's words echoed in his ears. "If your mother was alive right now, what would she say?"
He put down his quill.
"No."
The sea. He was flying over the sea. The little boy gave a shout of joy as he turned circles in midair, flipping and cart wheeling every which way. He loved the sea.
Freedom was a feeling he had sorely missed. A hundred years of containment, and he being so young, had taken a hard toll on him. The maturity he had gained through his many adventures had flown right out the window, replaced by the maturity of a little boy who just got a free piece of chocolate from a lady at a candy shop. But still, he was free.
A seagull passed by, its sweet sound like music to his ears. He had missed music as well.
Suddenly, a pink streak joined him, surprising him out of his wits. Laughing, the pink streak gently nudged him and together, the two began a game of tag in the sky.
"You're out of there too?" he asked enthusiastically.
The pink smoke nodded. "I hope they have good food wherever I'm going!"
He laughed. "Of course you do…"
Together, the pink smoke and the yellow gas flew off into the sunset, their destination marked by a gleaming castle in the distance.
Okay, I've got a lot to say here at the end…
First off, I would like to give special thanks to Twilight Blayder Julz, the creator of Heather, for giving me a good plot for Heather's section of the chapter. Without her, my well of inspiration would be emptier than the California State School Budget! XD
Second, there are two references to my favorite games in this chapter. The first is to Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn, recognizable only to those who have played it (and actually watched the cut scenes). The second is a nod to Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. It should be easier to recognize, right?
Third, HAPPY EASTER!
Fourth, I still insist Golfer smells bad! XDD
Fifth, those stupid guards in Ocarina of Time are annoying too! And so are those giant enemies in Subspace with the giant blade thingies! Oh, and those other enemies where there's a giant blob of green goop in a tank and you have to beat up the arm to get to the goop!
Sixth, I like cookies!
Seeya next chapter, ya here?