Chapter Fourteen

Vi et Animo
"With Heart and Soul"

The Skull Kid was bored.

Very bored.

Ever since the green clad Hero had come last to enter the ancient temple the spirit had been guarding for centuries past, no one had arrived at the woods, let alone ventured into the sacred grounds he was fated to guard. Actually, that wasn't entirely true… Nonetheless, the child wished to explore the outside world and find a friend. His puppets of wood could only provide so much fun to their master. He knew that all too well from personal experience. As much as he wanted to leave and go on a journey, the Skull Kid knew he couldn't. Was it a form of self-punishment for the suffering he had placed upon the Hero of old? Quite possibly, but at this point he had forgotten exactly why he stayed.

The spirit told himself it was because he was awaiting the return of this era's Hero. He was aware that the green clad one would eventually need to place the sacred blade back in its stone for the next in line to save the land when it fell into darkness, yet that had never come to pass. Instead a regal young woman with a strong presence of authority and wisdom arrived. Not only did she have pure blood of the royals, but she too bore the crest that the Hero had been blessed with. The Skull Kid had silently guided her to the sacred place, knowing not to play with her at this time, no matter how much he wished to do so. Upon their arrival in the grove, the soul of the Child of Destiny had sorrowfully placed the blade in its resting place, offering a prayer to the Goddesses before she silently left without once looking back.

The Skull Kid often wondered why she came and not the one he had been waiting for. The child had noticed the change that befell the land between the time he had last seen the Hero and the arrival of the royal. The air felt different somehow. It no longer had that suffocating blackness to it that threatened the very existence of all in the world of light and beyond. Instead it was pure, just as the temple had been ages past when the spirit had first come across it all those many years ago.

He sighed, twirling his reed horn expertly as he sat atop the crumbled staircase of the timeworn sanctuary. Should he call his puppets? The child didn't know what sort of game they would play anyway, so maybe instead he would continue to ponder the past, wishing to see the Hero again.

Not much more time of silent thought passed before a small breeze blew, carrying with it an all too familiar tune. The spirit perked up, praying to the ones who had given him this duty that it was his friend calling for a meeting. The Skull Kid stood, laughing to himself as a smile crossed his wooden face. The stone statues that were once his two tiny flying accomplices, but now eternally stood guarding the gateway to the blade, were the only ones to hear his snickers.

It was about time someone came to play.

The two royals and ailing Hero waited in the entrance to the Lost Woods. Link had fallen asleep in the arms of the Twili after the Hylian had begun to sing. Not all that long ago Zelda hummed a calmingly familiar tune, matching each note that whistled from a weathered stone at the base of a great tree off to the side of the copse in which they waited. The rock adorned with the crest of the Goddesses was carved in a way that when the breeze flowed through it, a peaceful melody hung in the air. After the Princess had finished singing along with the ancient piece, the sounds of the forest silenced and an eerie quiet settled over the three.

Zelda looked down at Link in Midna's arms, and the Twili followed her gaze. The Hero's eyes were closed and breathing now even. Hopefully his suffering wouldn't last much longer, but the arrival of the guardian was taking more time than Midna had patience for. The Hylian on the other hand stayed composed.

Suddenly, a small creature jumped from the branches of a tree above, landing on the floor of the forest with the sound of dry leaves. Its abrupt appearance caused the Twilight Princess to flinch, waking the one in her arms. She was still tense from the nerve-racking events of the day before and that of the stress from everything that had come to pass since she found the pained, red-eyed Hero in the night.

"You've returned! I hadn't foreseen this!" the Skull Kid exclaimed, uncanny eyes settling on the Hylian of royal blood. He had recognized her voice from the singing, and immediately knew who lie hidden beneath the guise, but still desperately wished it was his friend from log ago instead. Under the cloth the royal wore she smelled the same as she had last, even with the change of attire and passage of time. The spirit also noticed another familiar scent, but it wasn't quite as he remembered it. Before he could contemplate the change, his thoughts were interrupted as the two Princesses looked down to the short being, gazes serious.

"Child, will you once more guide the Chosen to the resting place of the Sacred Blade?" The ruler of the Light realm asked, tone questioning yet she knew he could not deny her request.

"Hee hee hee! Let's play a game first!" he giggled, surprise now waning and playfulness taking hold in its place. The somber air about them was something he didn't enjoy and wished to change, never having liked tense moods after all the stress he himself had endured many years ago. "Last time we had no fun! I didn't think a girl like you would be entertaining, so I let you come and go with no games. But now there are two of you! Hide and seek is always better with more!" the child laughed once again.

Zelda and Midna shifted their sights to Link in the arms of the Twilight Princess. The gaze of the forest spirit followed them; smile slipping from his face as his eyes rested on that of the emaciated body of the once great Hero who lie cloaked in the arms of the Twili. The Skull Kid's playfulness fell away, taking on a tone of maturity and seriousness upon seeing the distressed one he had known in the forms of a wolf and appearance of a Hylian.

"I see. Follow," he beckoned, voice monotone yet holding a hint of worry. A moment later the child turned his back to the three and began leading them deep into the woods. The Skull Kid was frightened, trying not to let it show, and didn't fully understand what was happening anyway. All he knew is that he couldn't let the soul of his savior suffer whatever he was undergoing as of now.

Without the guide, the group could very well have gotten lost in the maze forever, the Hero dying in the arms of a Princess on the way to his salvation. After a time they entered the Sacred Grove deep within the woods. The spirit of the lost child who had shown them the way looked to the forest guests as they stepped into the remains of the decrepit structure that was once a serene holy place.

"That of which you seek lies ahead. Go now," he pointed to an open doorway a little distance beyond the two towering stone statues. The royals nodded to the child, quickly running up the steps that lay a short ways beyond the door. Midna was loosing patience. She didn't want to see Link in pain any longer and felt as if they were so close to putting an end to his affliction. The spirit followed, stopping at the top of the stairs and watching as the others made their way to the blade.

"What now?" Midna asked, looking to the legendary weapon and then to Zelda who had met her gaze. The Twili only now realized that the Hylian Princess must have returned the sword to the resting place at some point after she and Link entered the Twilight Realm. She hadn't bothered to think on it with everything that had come to pass, simply following along with Zelda's wise words as her own mind was filled with worry over Link.

"Link, can you stand?" the Hylian ruler directed her question to the Hero. He hadn't said a word for the longest time, watching in silence as the forest dweller guided them. He remembered the way they took, and this time it seemed they didn't stray a single footstep from the most direct path.

"Yes Zelda. Midna, thank you for carrying me, but please put me down now," Link spoke, exhaustion obvious in his voice as he looked up at the two with his words. The royals nodded. The Princess of Twilight gently set the feet of the Hero on the ground before the sacred blade. Midna still held his shoulders, bracing Link upright. He faced the Hylian ruler once he was steady.

"What now, Zelda?" Link asked, the question weak. Even escaping the affects of the Twilight Realm a few days past, it seemed he still was getting slowly worse when in his true form. Link wondered if the use of Fused Shadows had lingering affects on him. He hoped that whatever would come to pass here would put an end to everything that plagued him. He knew that wouldn't be fully true though, as he still had business in the world of Light after he finished whatever would come to pass here in the Sacred Grove.

"Your spirit has a deep bond with this sword. It will show you drastically different paths, and you must choose one from what you are given. The blade will test your soul over this life's events, and upon you decision, expel what is no longer wanted at this time," she explained. Link nodded, not fully understanding yet aware that even Zelda wouldn't be able to clearly foresee everything he was about to face. The Hero shifted his gaze to Midna a moment later.

"Thank you, both of you. For all of this… everything you are doing, and have done," he wanted to say more – so much more – but was unable to express it, as physical exhaustion was plaguing him although the Hero hadn't been exerting himself. Link desperately wished to be back to normal not just for his own benefit, but more importantly, as to no longer worry those who care for him.

"Link…" Midna drifted, her gaze sorrowful. Of course she would do anything for the Hero. Not only because he had done so much for her, but because the Princess couldn't bear to see the one she loved suffer, even if she was still unable to speak that truth. Everything that was happening only further prevented her from telling him her feelings. One day though…

"After all you have done for our kingdoms, this is the least we can do to aid you. I am sorry for the burden and pain fate has placed upon you. If there were a way I could lessen it, I would," Zelda followed up with, interrupting the Twili's thoughts of the one she cared for deeply.

Link smiled at the words of the royals. It wasn't exactly a happy smile, but more one of worry at what was to come. No one knew just what exactly the Hero was about to face.

With a deep breath he turned towards the sacred sword. Link never thought he would see the weapon again after leaving it in Zelda's care a year past. Had it really been that long? He wondered, mind thinking over everything that had happened since that day: his parents' letter, the hidden past it contained that directly affected his present state, and most of all, what he wished to tell Midna at some point in the future. Once everything was over… he let the thought go unfinished, as the Hero still had yet to conqueror himself.

The gaze of the one blessed with courage bore into the Blade of Evil's Bane. Link placed his hands on the hilt, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes as his muscles tensed to draw the weapon. Yet not a heartbeat after his lids shut, the body of the one who saved two realms crumpled to the aged stone at his feet.

"Link!" the voices of the Princesses simultaneously echoed in the grove as they caught his limp form, but it was too late, for their cries fell on deaf ears.

Link could no longer hear them.

A/N: I'm so happy I could bring Skull Kid in! I've always thought he would be quite playful on the outside, but mature deep within from all the years he's been in the Lost Woods. Anyway, I feel as if the Skull Kid in Twilight Princess doesn't get the attention he deserves, but then again, maybe he does if he happens to be the one from Majora's Mask. Who knows though?
Sorry that this chapter is a bit on the short side, but I felt like I needed an "intermission" before diving into the upcoming events, as the next few chapters are going to be some deep (and confusing) stuff for Link. I've done a bit of foreshadowing, so maybe you can infer what he will have to face. Either way, the climax of the story is right around the corner! :3