-The Legend of Zelda-
-The Desert Thief-
-Prologue-
"Tell me...Do you ever feel a strange sadness as dusk falls?"
Those words echoed in Link's head as he stared out at the sea, watching as the last few golden rays of the sun slipped beneath the horizon. Just as quickly as firey ball of light had vanished, so had the heat. A shiver ran up the young man's spine, though whether it was because of the temperature was debatable.
Looking up, Link noticed the first of countless stars begin to appear. These stars were unfamiliar to him; they were not the same ones that lit the land of Hyrule when darkness fell. It had been several months since he had seen those celestial sentinels.
"They say it's the only time when our world intersects with theirs... The only time we can feel the lingering regrets of spirits who have left our world."
When he was younger, Link thought nothing of the words that came from Rusl's mouth; to him, they were fairy tales that made good bedtime stories for children. Sometimes, Link wished he could go back to that mindset, but the hero knew that could never happen. The enduring memories of a certain Twili made certain of that.
He couldn't help but think, if twilight was the only time light dwellers such as himself could, "... feel the lingering regrets of spirits who have left our world," if those in the Twilight Realm could feel the sorrow of his world. If that was the case, then surely those who were exiled by the goddesses into the Twilight Realm ages ago could feel his inner turmoil as the images of the shattering mirror played through his mind.
"That is why loneliness always pervades the hour of twilight..."
Link's mouth moved as he remembered the last bit of the story that Rusl had told him, but no sound came from his lips. Instead, he remained standing on the beach as the incoming tide washed over his dirty boots, cleansing them of the dirt that had built up over the day.
As the twilight began to fade, Link heard the grinding sound of somebody walking on wet sand behind him. He didn't need to turn around; the young man already knew who it was.
"You must be lonely..."
A voice, female, began. Her name was Lisa; she was the owner of the inn where Link was staying. Link had first arrived in Belfair around a month ago. He had been weary from his travels and nearly collapsed from exhaustion when fetching some water from the town's well. It took some convincing from the townspeople, but they could see the young man needed to rest.
Link couldn't say exactly why he chose to stay in the town for as long as he did. Maybe he liked the scenery, or maybe it was the people? Regardless, the hero knew he couldn't linger much longer, he had something of importance that needed accomplished. He would probably stay another day then leave the morning after.
Realizing his thoughts had quickly drifted away from the woman standing behind him, Link shrugged his shoulder slightly as an acknowledgement to Lisa's previous statement. His eyes remained fixed on the dying remnants of twilight that still filled the sky.
"Ever since you arrived last month, you always come out here by yourself before nightfall," Lisa spoke softly. It was the truth, he had watched the sunset and twilight every day since his arrival. This habit wasn't exclusive to his time in Belfair, however. Ever since the Mirror of Twilight was shattered and his only bond to the world beyond it destroyed, Link had watched every sunset without fail.
"Would you mind if I kept you company?"
Link was a bit surprised by the request. Turning his head for the first time since her arrival, he saw the friendly countenance of Lisa watching him, a sad smile resting gently upon her face. Her golden hair seemed to reflect the faint twilight that bathed them both in its tawny glow. It was almost as if she knew the agony that overcame his mind every sunset.
Seeing she was waiting for an answer, Link nodded and turned his head back towards the heavens. The two stood there for a bit before Lisa broke the silence.
"Twilight has a special beauty to it," her words were unexpected, catching Link's attention. "It's the death of the day and the birth of the night; it's a bitter-sweet time of the day."
Oh, how Link wanted to shout into the air how much more the twilight was. It was something else entirely; something he knew nobody besides himself would ever truly understand. Not even Zelda herself could comprehend the significance of the time of day when the skies were between the amber hues of the sunset and the blackness of the night.
"There's no need to dwell on sad thoughts like that, though. Come on, let's get back before we've lost all light."
For a moment, Link thought that maybe she was right, but quickly denied the notion. If she was right, then what was the point of his travels? No, she wasn't right or wrong; Lisa just couldn't understand.
Turning around, the two made their way up the large hill that separated the sea from the town of Belfair. He could see the light from candles and oil lanterns radiate from the windows of each building. It vaguely reminded him of Ordon.
Of when he was a beast, and his only companion was a diminutive imp named Midna.
-The Legend of Zelda-
-The Desert Thief-
-Chapter 1-
Rays of light beamed down from the canopy above Link and Zelda; the duo were in the Sacred Grove, standing in front of the Pedestal of Time. Not even a week had passed since he had done battle with the King of Evil and had thrust the Master Sword through the ancient wound on Ganondord's chest.
Since he had felt anguish build in his heart over the loss of Midna, only to have it replaced by unadulterated joy moments later.
Since he had been at a loss for words at the beauty of the Twilight Princess.
Since she had left him forever in the ruins of a derelict prison.
Link could remember perfectly the moments after the final battle against Ganondorf. The hero had nearly tackled Midna to the ground as he embraced her in a hug, one which she returned despite threatening, "I could have you thrown in prison for acting this way towards royalty!"
Her voice betrayed her true emotions. Midna was just as excited as Link, and they both knew it.
It wasn't long until the guards of Castle Town were upon the battlefield. Many looked relieved at missing the fight. All of them, however, looked absolutely shocked when they found the strangely dressed man who had rushed into Hyrule Castle only hours before waiting there with Princess Zelda and another who they did not know.
Link and Midna spent a full two days together. They didn't have to worry about facing certain death in places forgotten by time or the fates of their world. They could simply be together and talk as friends.
It was on the third day that Midna had left. That was how he found himself in his current situation with Princess Zelda. Both knew their journey was at an end, and the only thing left to do was return the Master Sword to its proper resting place.
"The great evil that threatened the land of Hyrule has been vanquished by your hands. The blade of evil bane's work is complete," Zelda spoke softly as Link returned the Master Sword to its home. "All of Hyrule... I owe you a debt that can never be repaid."
Link heard the words, but they seemed hollow. It was by no means Zelda's fault nor her intention; nothing seemed to matter right now. Waiting several moments, the Princess lowered her head and continued.
"You've lost a great friend, and I'm sorry for your loss. I am sure you understand why Midna had to destroy the door between our worlds. She acted selflessly to ensure the safety of her kingdom and ours."
Link knew she was right. If the Mirror remained intact, what was stopping evil on either side from wreaking havoc between both worlds? If another such as Zant, or even a corrupt light dweller came to power and the mirror remained, then everything they had sacrificed would be for naught. Still, it felt wrong.
Realizing his hand was still on the Master Sword's handle, Link mentally revisited all the experiences he had with it. The ancient steel had done so much for him. Without its pure power, he would still be cursed as a beast, and Ganondorf would have become the ruler of both realms.
Releasing a small breath, Link slowly dropped his hand from the handle of the sacred blade. Just like that, everything was over. He was chosen and used by the goddesses, and now he was free to do as he pleased. For Link though, it did not feel like he had been released from his service, but more like he had just given up a very important piece of his journey, and his life.
"The goddesses have blessed us with peace. Please, for your sake, live out your life to the fullest in this land. I'm sure that's what Midna would want."
Zelda's final word struck a chord in his heart.
"What Midna would want..."
After staring at the Blade of Evil's Bane a second longer, Link turned and looked at the Princess. Many say the eyes are a window into a man's soul. It was at that moment, Zelda knew she was no longer looking at the brave and joyful young man who had saved Hyrule.
She was staring at his shell.
-The Legend of Zelda-
-The Desert Thief-
-Chapter 2-
Link awoke from his dream in a haze, his eyes slowly opening. Calling it a dream was, in a sense, a mistake. What he'd seen were his memories as clear as the moment they had happened, not some imaginary happening that his mind had conjured from the depths of sleep. Sitting up, Link groaned as his muscles flexed themselves for the first time of the day.
Reaching up to rub his eyes, Link's vision became clear as he noticed the bright morning sun peaking through his closed window. It must have been late in the day already, he normally didn't have the luxury of waking up to having the sun shining in his room.
Out of habit, Link reached down and felt for the velvet pouch that hung from his neck. Removing it, the young man opened it and poured its contents into his hand. Link let out a content sigh as he felt a cool piece of glass contact his palm.
When Midna had shattered the Mirror of Twilight, Link had desperately searched the floor of the Mirror Chamber for any signs of the mirror. After hours of searching, he was only able to find one shard of the mirror. Had it not been for Zelda, he was certain he would have continued to search until he fainted from exhaustion.
After examining the shard for several minutes, he returned it to its pouch and quickly got out of his warm bed. Link donned his trademark clothing and began to make his way for the ground floor of the inn. After going down a couple flights of steps, Link found himself in the lobby. There were tables all around the ground floor; not only did the building serve as an inn, it was also an eatery of sorts that many of the townspeople went to for breakfast and lunch.
"Hey honey!" Hearing the familiar voice, Link turned his head to the far corner of the room where the main counter was. "Good to see you're up. I was thinking of sending Kurt up to see if you had died."
Lisa was dressed in typical garb for a woman of the region; because of the season, she wore a light dress that came down to the middle of her calf. In her hands was a discolored white rag; she must have just finished cleaning up after the afternoon crowd.
"Ah, after seeing what that boy is capable of, I'd be disappointed if he died in his sleep!" a powerful voice boomed from the room beyond the doorway behind Lisa. It was the woman's husband, Kurt.
"Why must you always talk about death as though it should be your finest hour, Kurt?" Lisa chided him as he walked into the room.
"Because for a true warrior, it is," the bulky form of Lisa's husband entered the room. He was tall, easily on par with a darknut and his arms were as thick as the limbs of the old growth of the Sacred Grove. While he could prove to be intimidating to most, Link had learned to respect the man for his generally upbeat attitude, something that greatly detracted from his intimidation factor. Of course, it went without saying that Link still wouldn't want to engage in combat with the elder warrior.
"Well, then what are you two 'warriors' going to do for the day? Ever since you two committed genocide on the monsters in the area, there hasn't really been a need for you," Lisa teased, and she was right. When Link had arrived, he had helped Kurt clear away many of the monsters that threatened the small seaside town. As thanks, Lisa and Kurt let Link stay at their inn free of charge. That didn't stop the young man from paying them regardless.
"Well, that's a good question. Perhaps we'll go out and pillage the kingdom of Venor. I've heard their woman are something of absolute beauty; what do you say, Link?" Kurt glanced over at the young hero and let out a hearty laugh. Link couldn't help but chuckle a bit himself; Lisa, on the other hand, just glared between the two men.
"You really are an idiot. Tell me again why I keep you around?" Lisa sighed as she threw the dirty rag in Kurt's direction. Not missing a beat, Kurt snatched the linen from midair and smirked at his wife.
"That's simple, it's because I'm your idiot," he smiled, revealing his white teeth.
Sighing, Lisa couldn't help but let a small smile grace her lips. "I guess that's as good a reason as any."
Link remained silent as he watched the exchange. It made him smile a bit himself; watching the husband and wife playfully go at it reminded him of how he and Midna conversed when traveling. He missed those conversation, even the one-sided ones when he was in the form of the sacred beast.
Dismissing himself, Link ate a quick breakfast and left the inn. His decision from the previous night quickly surfaced in his mind; today would be his last day in Belfair. He had to continue to push forward with his journey.
The hero had spent most of the afternoon gathering supplies and bidding farewell to the friends he had made during his month long visit. Some of them seemed surprised by his decision to leave, but most could tell the moment he had entered their town that the young man was on a mission and that he wouldn't be with them long.
After filling the saddle bags of Epona with the supplies he had purchased, Link made his way up to the lighthouse that sat perched up on a large stone pillar that rose from the sea. It was connected to the mainland by a land bridge that arced over the beach below.
The sun was fairly low in the sky, but it would be a good couple of hours before it set. Upon reaching the landing, Link saw nobody was there. That kind of surprised him; usually some kids or a few of the townsfolk would loiter at the base of the lighthouse throughout the day. It was a great spot; you could see for miles in any direction.
Leaning up against the fence that encircled the area, Link reached down and removed the velvet pouch from around his neck like he did previously that day. Reaching in and grabbing the mirror shard, Link held it out in front of him and let the sun reflect off the reflective surface.
He knew the piece was, for all intents and purposes, useless. There was no chance of ever reconstructing the mirror. Midna had made certain it could never be used by evil, or anybody else for that matter, again. For Link though, the shard was priceless. It was the strongest reminder of the time he spent with the cursed Twili during his journey.
"Link? What are you doing up here?"
A voice that Link had quickly learned asked. Quickly placing the shard in the pouch, the young man turned around and saw a young woman, about his age, standing in the ankle tall grass behind him. The girl's name was Alria; her smooth face and cool blue eyes stared at him curiously.
Before he could answer, Alria continued to speak. "I've talked to some of the villagers... Is it true, are you going to leave us?"
Link was a bit surprised by her question; the way the girl spoke made his gut twist. Did he feel guilt? The look on her face seemed to say, "Please say it isn't so." But it was the truth, and Link wouldn't try to hide that. Releasing the breath he had been holding, Link slowly nodded his head and gave her sad smile.
Her expression changed from that of apprehensiveness to that of sadness. Of all the people who Link had befriended in the past month, Alria was probably one of the people he considered closest. That wasn't to say he had shared all of his secrets with her; he doubted that she would even understand why he was so far away from his home anyways.
"I see... so it is true," Alria began. "We all knew you would leave us, but I didn't think it'd be so sudden or soon." The girl walked forward and leaned against the fence, looking out at the sea beyond it. No other words were said; only the thunderous roar of the waves clashing against the rocks could be heard.
Minutes quickly passed by as Link watched the Sun slowly lower in the sky. Alria did the same before speaking up again. "You know, we're all going to miss you."
Link turned his head to look at her, but the girl's gaze remained fixated on the horizon. "I know whatever you're doing is important, so I won't act selfishly and ask you to stay." Pausing, Alria turned her head and looked him straight in the eyes. Her face no longer appeared sad, but more reminiscent. "Just whatever you do, make sure to come back and visit after you're done."
That comment alone made the conversation for Link. He truly was going to miss the small community of Belfair. Nodding his head, Link promised to return when he was finished. it was a promise he fully intended to keep.
That night, Link and Alria watched the sunset and following twilight from the top of the lighthouse. The moment was etched into both of their memories, something that could never be taken away.
Just like the memory of Midna.
-The Legend of Zelda-
-The Desert Thief-
-Chapter 3-
Link had returned to his room a little after night had fallen. Deciding that he needed to get some rest for the following day, Link crawled into the soft, feather bed a bit earlier than usual. He had to admit, he would greatly miss the softness of such a bed when he returned to the wilderness and the only place to slumber for the night was the rocky ground.
Much to his annoyance, however, Link couldn't find sleep's embrace. For what seemed like hours, he tossed and turned. Frustrated, the young man threw his sheets off and made for the desk opposite his bed.
He had spent much time in front of the old, wooden desk during his time in Belfair. Every morning he would pull out the old books and maps he had acquired from his travel and study them intensely, looking for any clues that may help him. Now was no different.
Pulling out a rolled up map, Link began to trace his route out in his mind. He was so far away from home, something that had been coming into his mind less frequently lately. Maybe he was too concentrated on his quest?
No, that wasn't it. When he left Ordon, the thought of returning didn't really come into mind. Maybe even then he realized the foolishness of his travels. But then again, this world held many secrets. Who was he to say none of them could help him?
Link was pulled from his thoughts as his window began to glow. It could not be mistaken for sunlight; the light flickered like a flame. Not once had he remembered the lanterns in the street producing such bright light.
His instincts quickly kicked in as the light grew brighter and he reached for his sword. Walking over to the window, a loud crash sounded as his hand made contact with the wooden frame. Quickly pushing open the shutters, Link saw a horrifying site.
Belfair was under seige.
Flame danced atop the wooden roofs of the buildings. The streets were abuzz with activity, but not the normal face-paced trading that normally took place there. Merchants didn't carry weapons.
Within moments of turning around to exit his room, Link heard the shattering of broken glass down the flights of stairs in the lobby of the inn. His fears were slightly alleviated as he saw Kurt emerge from his room, swords in hand. The burly man turned and saw Link.
"Link! Come on, we have to get out on the streets!" he cried out as the sounds of footsteps ascending the stairwell pounded in Link's eardrums. Turning, he was surprised to be face-to-face with a large man wearing light armor. A short sword was raised above his head, ready to strike the hero.
Dodging quickly to the left, Link drew his own sword and made a clean slice across the man's chest as he regained his footing. The man's screams of agony were followed shortly after by the clinking of his steel blade hitting the ground.
"Nice one, kid! Let's get moving," Kurt shouted as he ran by the green-clad young man. Link followed in suit and quickly found himself in the plaza in front of the hotel. It was a far cry from its usual sereneness. Many of the townsfolk were fighting their besiegers, most only had makeshift weapons or farming equipment.
Link quickly spotted a group of children trying to make their way towards one of the tunnels that led into the water systems beneath the town. The small tunnels allowed the small children and some woman to escape beneath the city, out of reach from their attackers. However, a small group carrying swords was right behind them. It was a fair bet to say they were not friendly.
Running as fast as his feet would allow, Link jumped between the two groups. In the flickering light of the fire, the hero watched as smirks crept onto his adversary's faces. It wasn't often that Link faced off against fellow humans, but he had fought enough of them to know when he was being underestimated. Now was one of those times. The hero couldn't help but smirk a bit himself.
Lurching forward, Link began his ruthless but precise attack. It wasn't long before all four men were laying on the ground, either dead or near-death. Looking back, he saw the last of the children escape into the water system. Relieved many of the villagers were now safe, Link began to fight his way towards Kurt. He could hear the older warrior shouting over the clashing sounds of battle.
"You fight like old maids!" the burly man roared as he brought one of his two curved short swords down into the shoulder blade of a lightly armored man. "You best think twice before attacking a town like ours!" Link couldn't help but let out a small chuckle as he heard the insults spew from the mouth of Kurt.
Just as the inn owner was about to finish off another foe, he froze in mid-swing. Shock overtook his face as he dropped one of his blades. Looking bewildered, the giant fell to the ground.
Link was just as horrified as the villagers around him as the warrior fell forward towards the ground. Running forward, the hero skewered one of their attackers who was about to strike down Kurt and caught the man before he hit the ground.
The weight had caught Link off-guard as he stumbled backwards several steps. The battle continued to wage on around him, but almost all of his attention was on the man in front of him. Kurt had become one of Link's closest friends, even a father figure. Looking over Kurt's shoulder, Link quickly saw what brought the warrior down.
An arrow.
And not just any arrow, a poisoned arrow. The sickly green feather that guided it into Kurt's back gave that away.
As the realization hit, Link saw hundreds of arrows rain overhead. There must have been archers outside the wall. Dozens of men, even their attackers, fell victim to the venomous arrowheads; the ones who shot the arrow had no regard for any life within the walls of the city. Just as Link began to raise his shield, the young man felt a sharp pain radiate from his chest.
Looking down, he could feel horror for only the slightest of seconds before blackness began to overtake his vision.
Link, the Hero of Twilight, had been taken out by a single arrow.
-The Legend of Zelda-
-The Desert Thief-
-Chapter 4-
Link could feel a warmness on his face he had felt many times before during his travels with the Twilight Princess. The inconsistent heat of a nearby fire slowly brought the hero to consciousness. His memories of the night were spotty, but quickly began to return.
They had been attacked, and he had been hit with a poison arrow.
Suddenly, alarmed, Link opened his eyes and tried to reach up to feel his chest wound. The only thing he felt, however, was the feeling of a course rope digging deep into his wrist.
"So you're up? That's surprising. Most people who get hit with our arrows are down for weeks if not outright killed," a voice, female, said with a faint amount of amusement. Turning his head, Link tried to find the source but found his vision blurry. The sun was still below the horizon, but its light began to illuminate the morning sky.
"Calm down there boy," the same voice said. "If I wanted you dead, you wouldn't still be breathing." Moments passed like years as the young man's eyes adjusted to the surroundings. They were still in town, or at least what was left of it. Most buildings were lined with black soot, evidence of the fire that ravaged them the night before.
"You still in there?" the female voice asked again. Turning, Link saw his captor for the first time. She was young, not as young as himself but at the most the woman was in her upper twenties.
Auburn hair fell from her head and draped itself around her shoulders. A large gem rested on the woman's forehead; it must have been some kind of headpiece. The strangest thing about her though were her piercing golden eyes.
Link couldn't help but stare at the woman in amazement. Was she the one who had attacked Belfair?
Seeing his stares, the woman's eyes narrowed. However, it didn't seem to be a hateful gesture. "What, surprised to see a woman is behind this raid?" That one sentence had confirmed everything Link had suspected. She was the leader.
"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Naila, leader of the this band of raider," she spoke with pride. "You fought well last night. Several of my men lost their lives at your hands."
Despite that fact that she was talking about her own men, she didn't sound angry at all at their loss.
"They were fools. They misjudged you and it cost them their lives." These words surprised Link, something Naila must have noticed. "I don't run a family here. These men all work for me; I pay them and feed them. In return, they do as I say. If their stupidity cost them their lives, they shouldn't not expect me to shed tears over them."
The words were cold to Link. To have such little regard to those around you made his gut twist inside in anger. He couldn't help but feel pity for the men he had slain the night before.
"The same goes for you, however. I don't judge the ones who I plunder from, they get the same chance as the rest of my men," Link eyes her suspiciously as she slowly walked over towards him. "You're quite the fighter. How would you like to work for me? I pay well, and I don't think you'd be disappointed." By the time her sentence was finished, Link could basically see the seduction dripping from her lips.
Leaning forward, their faces were mere inches apart. Link could feel and smell her breath race across his skin. "What do you say?"
It didn't even take a second for Link to narrow his eyes in anger; after all the people her men had killed, how could Naila expect him to join her? The woman stepped back and let out a short laugh. "Oh, your eyes are so scary! Like a wild beast!" she mocked, not knowing how truly close the truth she was. Stepping forward again, she reached towards Link's chest and grabbed the velvet pouch that hung from his neck.
The hero's blood went cold as he felt the silky smooth strap that connected the pouch to his neck snap as Naila pulled it towards herself. "I was going to let you keep this, but if you won't join me then you're just another victim." The look on her face wasn't evil or even one of enjoyment; it was like this was business as usual.
Opening the pouch, Naila emptied the contents into her hand. Looking down, the raider looked surprised to see the small shard. "What is this? A shard of glass?" the raider questioned as she held it up into the light. The sun began to rise over the edges of the mountains behind the town, causing the light to reflect off the shard's smooth surface.
Looking down, Naila noticed the look of horror on Link's face as she handled the shard. "Hmm, you seem awfully worried about this little bit of glass. I wonder if there's something special about it?" the raider mused as it rolled between her fingers. Just as quickly as she had pulled the shard out, Naila dropped it back into the pouch and pocketed it. Turning to a nearby raider, the woman began to give orders to some of her men.
The rage within Link was something he had only felt once before when Ganondorf presented the crumbling remains of the Fused Shadows before their final confrontation. This woman, this raider, had bested him and taken the last physical evidence that existed of Midna.
"Hurry up and load everything up! And make sure that kid is knocked out before we leave, I don't want him trailing us!" shouted Naila's voice. Turning, the woman looked back at Link one last time before a large man raised the blunt end of his battle-axe and knocked the hero out cold.
A/N:
I'll try to keep this short or non-exsistent. As you may have noticed, I've kept Link mute. This was more difficult then you would think, but I intend to keep it that way. There's just something about his character that kind of... demands he be mute.