Ok, nothin' to say here except there is an announcement at the end of this chapter. Please take the time to read it. Also, sorry for the late night updating. I've been super busy the past few days, so this is the only free time I've got. I apologize for any spelling or grammar issues. I'll proofread again tomorrow or the next day. Thank you for putting up with me.

Crimson Eyes

"…I'm the Great Kan." The man said, watching Malon intently, as if scrutinizing every inch of her face. One of the other people walked up to him, leaning toward his ear and whispering something just low enough so that they couldn't hear

There was a moment of discussion between the two of them, before Kan returned his attention to Malon.

"Ma'am, what brings you to this neck of the woods?" He asked in a low rumble of a voice, giving Malon a strange feeling in the back of her neck. It was a strange tingle, a dash of distrust and foreboding slowly worming into the back of her mind. And yet, his voice also had a sincere note to it, one that eased the tightness in the muscles of her neck.

It was utterly confusing.

Was it his voice that had made her uncomfortable? Or was there another reason?

She glanced discreetly to the side, look toward the back of the wagon and beyond. Just beyond a curve in the road, where the ramshackle houses obscured her view, she could hear something like the familiar clatter of hooves. Two, maybe three horses were approaching them, perhaps unaware of the blocked passage, or perhaps with peaked interests as to the cause.

Regardless, two massive horses rounded the bend, lifting the giant hooves high into the air, sending the thick white feathering around their hocks flying with every stride. Both had rich ebony coats that glowed a faint purple in the bright morning sunlight, like a ravens' feathers, with thick swatches of white splattered over their bodies as if paint had been haphazardly flung at them from afar. And their manes completed the picture, hanging well past their chests and flowing gracefully with their smooth movements.

Subtly, her jaw loosened slightly, and her eyes widened as she recognized the horses' breed as one of the rarest in the region. Gypsy Vanners.

The two horses came to a halt about ten feet from the back of their wagon, ears flicking between them and their riders.

One horse carried two people, a man and a woman, both dark-haired, with young, vital faces and bright eyes. The other horse bore a single woman. Older than the other two, with her chocolate-hued hair hanging in thick waves around her matured, gently etched features, framing her face. A silken blue scarf was wrapped around back of her head, keeping her hair neat and coming in front to be clasped in place by a small amethyst pendant. Atop her liquid silver eyes, a spread of thick green paint rested, giving her a dusky, graceful appearance.

Their clothes were unusual, brightly colored, with layers of lace, gauze and veils of light, see-through fabric wrapped around the two women's shoulders and waists.

They were obviously foreigners.

Malon suddenly found her attention drawn back to Kan as he made a disgruntled sound from in front of the wagon, a low, guttural rumble rising from his throat.

With an easy swing of her legs, the woman sprang from her horse's back, sandaled feet thumping ever so softly on the cobbles. Moments later, the other two dismounted as well, coming up to stand on either side of her, arms crossed, and jaws set into grim lines.

Kan's gaze met the woman's, silver-flecked green eyes narrowing to nothing more than dangerous slits. The woman lifted her chin slightly in a defiant gesture, eyelids lowering slightly and a disgusted smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

"Kan." She hissed in a silken voice, not unclenching her jaw, speaking through gritted teeth. Kan swallowed slightly, discreetly, and tightened his already balled-up fists till his knuckles went white.

"Fala." He spat in return.

Each stared deviously at the other, ignoring Malon, Jack and McKenna, gripped in a fierce battle of wills as neither of them dared to back down. The two horses that the strangers rode stood perfectly still, without being restrained, but gave the occasionally flick of a tail or muffled snort. Epona sensed them, and shifted in her harnesses, swiveling her head around to see, whinnying once or twice, conversing with the beasts in her own tongue.

Another, younger man stepped out of the group behind Kan, to stand at his side, setting a wide stance and drawing a knife from a scabbard at his lower calf, snarling lightly from behind his thin lips. As Malon looked at him, she guessed that he was about Link's age, perhaps a few years older at most.

His hair was a dark auburn, hanging messily in front of his honey-brown eyes. His clothes were almost identical to Kan's, except for the sash about his waist, red in color, contrasting to the deep ocean blue that the older man wore.

"You dare step in our territory, Fala?" Kan said icily, cocking one eyebrow, waiting for a response. He received none. "What's the matter? Slave trading not paying the bills? Or have you finally given up on that ridiculous profession?"

Fala brazenly yawned before him, first putting her fingers to her lips, then reaching back and up, stretching her muscles, still not answering him. She smirked when the young man standing beside him gave a low growl of frustration, tightening his grip on the knife and muscles twitching, threatening to charge her. She laughed in response, watching his face turn from tired frustration to a fierce rage.

He started toward her, passing Kan, but only making it a few feet before the older man grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, holding him back.

"Remus, calm yourself," he whispered harshly, never moving his gaze from Fala's silver eyes, daring her to break contact. "This is not your fight."

The young man turned his head.

"But father, she-!" Kan cut him off, pulling him back even further so the he was once again behind him.

"I said it's not your fight, now back down."

The rough, commanding tone of his voice obviously went straight to Remus' head, and his demeanor visibly turned steely and reserved, his jaw clamping shut with a subtle snap and the flames in his honey-brown eyes dying out instantaneously. He backed toward the group like a dog with his tail between his legs, head dipped out of shame and respect to Kan, mingling back into the crowd and disappearing among the many faces that were glaring toward Fala.

Epona shook her body, pushing herself forward a few feet, startling the group, forcing their attention back toward Malon, Jack and McKenna.

"We don't have time for this, let those three go." Kan ordered, beckoning with a hand for this group to move aside. They obeyed without question, parting and allowing Epona enough room to safely pass, and pull the wagon through with her.

Malon looked into the back of the wagon, doubt clouding her blue eyes, looking to Jack and McKenna for their opinions. Jack kept his arrow firmly notched, although he had moved the tip so that it was pointed toward the floor of the wagon, but ready to be shot if necessary. He shrugged wordlessly, and McKenna did the same, a puzzled look on her young face.

Malon looked back toward Epona, and flicked the reins, urging her forward. She steered the mare easily through the small crowd, and headed in the direction that they had been going before the strange group had stopped them.

Why had they stopped them in the first place? They hadn't stolen anything, so what was the purpose? Did they change their minds' at the last moment? Or had it all been a trick?

Terminians were apparently very different from Hylians, both in appearances, and thought processes.

They reached the Milk Bar within minutes after they escaped the group. It was a small, ramshackle place. In the weathered thatch roof, there were several large, gaping holes, were one could see straight through to the support beams that had been laid when the building first had been built. Rust-colored paint was pealing from the brick walls in massive curls, dried out and made frail by countless years in the harsh sun.

And even at their current distance, twenty feet or more, she could already hear the rowdy customers howling with raucous laughter and furious yelps from those who had had too many drinks for their own good.

If there was one thing Malon disliked more than the monsters that tried to harm her livestock on occasion, it was drunken men.

She wasn't allowed the time to brood on that, however, as the wagon pulled to a stop just past the entrance. She took a breath to steady her nerves, and dismounted the wagon. Jack and McKenna followed, and with a few whispers, it was decided that Jack would escort Malon inside to talk to the owner, while McKenna stayed outside and watched the delivery.

She grasped the doorknob, breathe becoming slightly shallower as her nerves began to get the better of her.

Seconds later, Jack took the lead, gently pushing past her and taking the doorknob into his own hand, opening it without hesitation. The musky scent of alcohol flooded out, quickly filling both of their noses. The door opened immediately to a set of stairs, leading down into the main area of the bar, where, as her eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, the crowds of customers were gathered. It was twice as loud inside than it had been outside, booming laughs echoing against the walls.

The door swung shut behind her, forcing a yelp from her as she shot down a few steps in her startled rush. She even passed Jack, and after stopping, she glanced nervously over her shoulder, looking at him. His mouth was open slightly, as if he was about to retort or make a snappy comment, but if he had, it died on his tongue, and he merely closed his mouth, one eyebrow lowering slightly as he started down the stairs again. Not making a single comment on her outburst.

For some reason, his reaction made her feel even more uncomfortable. She had been expecting him to chide her, make a ridiculously hurtful comment as if it was normal, or just be, well, him. But he had somehow held his own tongue, and for the first time since she had met him, kept his mouth shut.

Maybe there was something in the water.

She shook her head as they continued down the stairs, reaching the bottom after about a dozen steps. She followed closely, almost clingingly close, to Jack as he shouldered through the droves of rowdy men. She tried not to look at them as she passed, sighing inwardly in relief as they reached the bar.

The man at the bar was neither tall, nor short, only a few inches taller than her, with ink-black hair that had been swept to one side of his thick head. His eyes were only half open, and under them, large black half-moons dragged his skin down. Jack practically towered over him, and had to lean over, putting one elbow on the counter, to meet the man's gaze. Apparently, the man did not feel like tipping his head back, or even looking up.

"Hello, good sir," Jack said in a forced tone of enthusiasm. "Would you happen to be the owner?"

The man –or rather the owner- merely nodded half-heartedly, grabbing one of the dirty cups on the counter and taking an equally dirty rag to it. When it failed to clean the cup, he made a frustrated noise, and proceeded to spit into the glass, making Malon cringe.

"We're here with your milk delivery. Cyrus sent us."

The name of his milk supplier caused the man's ears to prick, and his eyes moved up, his chin even lifting a little.

"Cyrus sent you? Why couldn't he make it?" He asked in a suspicious tone, looking them over. The color drained from his face as his eyes came to rest completely on Malon, and he looked at her as though he had seen a ghost.

"C-Cremia?!"

Malon's head jerked up, and she met his eyes. For a moment she didn't understand, but then she closed her eyes, realization hitting her at last.

"Y-you died!"

She shook her head, a few strands of her hair falling in front of her eyes as she opened them again.

"My name is Malon. She's –oh. She was my sister."

He looked at her for a moment more, before he seemed to believe her, nodding softly and returning his attention to the glass he was trying to clean.

Jack talked with him for a few more minutes before motioning for her to follow, leading her back through the group of men. She kept her gaze firmly on the floor, not daring to meet any of their eyes. But with her attention on her feet, she didn't see as one of the men cut her off from Jack, stopping in her path.

She looked up, breath stopping for a moment and heart hammering against her ribcage. She instinctively clutched her hands over her heart. He was tall. At least as tall as Jack, if not taller, with hair the shade of a moonless night and bright white teeth. But his eyes were what truly frightened her. Not their shape, or even the way they seemed to taunt her, the way they glinted with malice. It was their color.

Red. A sickening crimson the shade of freshly spilt blood.

He was a shadow.

She backed away slowly, but found herself bumping up against the crowds of other men. They didn't part the way for her like they did for Jack, leaving her trapped. She looked at his face, scanning his features, trying to place them. But she couldn't. She had never seen his face before. A slight glimmer of stupidly placed hope died.

She had hoped that he was Dark. If he had been Dark, then that would at least mean that Link was alive.

But he wasn't. He was a good deal younger, in his early twenties, with a rounder face, and less muscle through his chest. He smirked at her, putting one hand on his hip and using the other to comb through his greasy black locks, flashing her a suave, toothy grin.

"Malon?!" Jack's voice cut through the din of the bar, like music to her ears. She breathed a sigh of relief, but still kept a wary eye on the shadow. She gasped, eyes widening, as he lunged suddenly at her, grabbing her wrist and hefting it high above her head, actually dragging her a few inches off of her heels, until only her toes touched the floor. He leaned closer to her, and took a breath. Then he jerked his head away, toward the frenetic group.

"Hey, boys! Come look what I found!" He called in a voice like poison. Two other shadows filled out of the group to stand beside him, looking at her with equally malicious stares.

"I think I just found our blackmail…"

"…You've met with a terrible fate, haven't you?" The strange little man chirped, pointing a finger at the swirling black tattoo on his neck. He reached up and ran his fingers over the skin, grimacing at the thought of the ugly black marks that would be with him for the rest of his life, giving the public a false representation of his character.

He sighed deeply, but then stopped short. He could see his breath. A light gray plume mist stood in the air in front of his face, slowly dissipating into thin air. It was then that he realized that the temperature had dropped. It had suddenly become very cold. Freezing in fact.

Wearing only a light cotton shirt and trousers, the cold seeped through the thin fabric, chilling him quickly. He gasped without thought to how loud he was being, and rubbed his hands across his arms, trying to warm them.

Why had it suddenly become so cold? It was the middle of freaking summer for the Goddesses' sake! It felt like mid-winter against his skin.

Looking up, it only confused him more. Frost was quickly gathering on the needles of every tree in the thicket, turning the once dark green colored foliage to first an olive green, then icy white, small particles of the frozen water building up on the grasses, bushes and leaves.

"What the hell?" He breathed, looked even further up, toward the small patches of sky that he could see.

The once bright, cerulean blue had turned completely gray, and as he stared up in shock, realized that small flakes of sparkling white snow were drifting lazily down, and soon began to patter against his face.

He looked back to the strange little man, hoping for an explanation. The little man only shrugged, eyes still remaining half-closed.

Link shuddered, and gave a loud cry of shock and disgust as someone grabbed him from behind, and was dragged forcefully through the brambles to face Zepora, Gepora and Mistress Eshana.

"Thought you were going to ditch us, did you?" Zepora spat, smirking as he struggled against Gepora's gargantuan hands.

"Let me go!" Link snarled, suddenly biting into one of Gepora's fat fingers, grimacing against the taste of dirt and iron. The giant howled in pain, releasing him out of instinct, and he took his chance. He bolted, dashing past the bush he had been dragged through and going down the left fork in the road.

But even with the subtle glance he made, he had to do a double take as he ran. The strange little man was gone. He wasn't there. But he had to move on. He bolted, ignoring the sound of a horse's hooves pounding after him.

He ran as hard as his legs could go, his heart pumping, a rush of blood thrumming in his ears. He dove around a bend in the road, emerging from the thicket of fir trees and coming upon the grassy plateau that the mountain village had been built on.

But the mountain village was gone. It had completely disappeared, and in its place, a towering mountain covered in snow loomed.

That hadn't been there before.

As he stood there, slightly entranced by the massive mountain that had seemingly appeared out of thin air, a voice carried by the wind whispered in his ear.

"I'm waiting for you, deity. If you're man enough, come and prove it…"

I hope every one likes this chapter, and here I have an announcement: I've got the plot pretty much firmed up, still a few things I'm straightening out, but were getting there, its a process. But, in the last few chapters, it was getting confusing for me, the author, with all the things going on and such, so I've made a decision.

I'm cutting this story into parts. This chapter marks the end of part one, which I'm titling "Denial". (I've also put the part title on the first chapter for new readers.)

The next chapter will be chapter 13, the first chapter of Part 2. Now, parts are going to focus on individual groups, instead of switching between them INSIDE of chapters, so that its easier to understand since everyone is in different places at the same time.

Hope this makes a little more sense.

Also, just a side note here, anyone have any guesses as to which Anime character I've based Remus' character off of? He's an important character, and he'll appear a lot, so you'll probably guess later.

You know the drill, R&R. Feedback keeps me writing! Seriously, it does! So review my minions!