"Aargh!"
Link writhed about in a panic, eyes clenched shut and teeth gritted. He expected to be falling to his death; empty air around him as he tumbled down an endless abyss… Problem was, he felt something rather solid against his back. Most certainly not empty air. Warily, he popped open an eye to observe what was going on; wasn't he still in that black hole? He was startled to find himself moving, his back resting on cool wood. Giving a squeal of surprise, though in the process feeling a little bit of his manliness escape him, Link flailed around, only to tumble head-first into icy water.
Shocked by the sudden cold, he sank like deadweight before realizing what was going on. He was… Somewhere; the body of water too vast to be Lake Hylia. One thing he did know was that he was taking in water fast, and needed to get back up to air. Pawing at the water, he just barely managed to get above to the surface in time. Coughing up a few pints of liquid that had sneaked into his lungs, he shivered violently; wherever he was, it was frigid.
"Tryin' ta drown yerself, boy?" arrived a teasing voice, Link looking up tentatively to see what he had fallen from. A massive vessel with great, unfurled masts that flapped in the wind met his gaze; the emblem of a snarling wolfos in front of a pile of bones imprinted on the cloth. The hull of the body was a deep mahogany, and gave a deadly impression. Struggling to keep above the water with the massive boat churning the ocean, Link barely sputtered out a reply.
"Help?"
When finally locking his gaze on who had initially spoken, it landed on an almost elderly looking fellow; wiry with a hardened look to his gray eyes. The man chuckled, looking back to the rest of the crew on the boat to bark out an order.
"Lower anchors, boys! We have a guest tuday, and I guess we'll take a break." A roar of approval from the men on board met his orders, and a rope ladder was dropped for Link. "Get on up here; you'll catch yer death at this rate."
~x~
A pirate ship.
That was where Link currently was, as he discovered from the captain, the man that had let him up. His shivers turning into violent shudders from the aftershock of launching himself into the water, the captain fetching him a thick, cozy blanket before explaining what had occurred. The captain introduced himself as Arnold, though refused to say anything else in relation to himself; aside from the fact that the crew liked to call him 'Boss' rather than his real name, in case Link got confused by that. Link had mysteriously fallen out of the sky onto the stern, and narrowly escaped toppling into the water to his sure death.
Some quick deckhands had jumped to the rescue and had dragged the unconscious Hero to a safer place to rest. They mentioned a hat and sword also having already fallen. The hat was rescued, and returned to its rightful owner, but the sword had burned the hand of the man that had tried to pull it in. The weapon's whereabouts were unknown; and that caused Link's heart to sink. How would he defeat Ganondorf without the Master Sword?
Arnold went on to say where exactly they were. Technically, they were in the Bay of Kreon, returning from the vast ocean, but were still within the kingdom of Hyrule. That gave Link a sense of relief, though he bit his lip tentatively when hearing that they were returning from exploitations of other kingdoms. Well, he couldn't really say anything about that. They were about to dock at a small port town call Naron and would leave Link there to do as he wished.
Clutching at the blanket wound about his shivering shoulders, Link adjusted his hat as it slipped down some. "T-thank you, for both the explanation, and saving me," he said politely to the captain; teeth clacking against each other as he shivered some more. Arnold gave him a toothy grin; displaying mostly pearly whites with the occasional golden tooth invading. "Anytime, m'boy. I'm not all that coldhearted," he chuckled, only to frown when hearing shouts on deck. That didn't sound too good, and it caused the Hero to cringe.
"Monster!" Link specifically picked out from the various cries that filled the air; but this yell was bordering on a scream. Arnold leapt to his feet, storming up above deck and Link cautiously followed; abandoning the blanket in his wake. It was a tad shocking, if not almost expected, to see what "monster" was causing the crew to freak out.
Floating safely above the ship was none other than Ganondorf himself; a thick mass of dark energy surrounding him and keeping him suspended within midair. Cape catching in the wind and flicking out behind the large man, the King observed the scrabbling crew with minor disdain, if only a dash of amusement lurking in his yellow eyes. But soon his gaze locked itself onto Link as the Hero revealed himself, and the man's once pursed lips spread into a broad grin. Link winced at the sight of such glee upon his foe's face.
"I had figured my portal had taken you here," mused Ganondorf brightly, Link grimacing. "Who is that?" Arnold asked in a panic, Link looking over at him grimly. "Someone who shouldn't be here," he replied simply before looking back to Ganondorf; the Hero wearing a haggard appearance. "What do you want now?"
A toothy smirk passed over Ganondorf's expression, and he held out a hand before him; the palm open and facing the boat horizontally. "You are missing something that makes you something more than everyone else," the demon thief purred silkily, energy in the shape of a sword forming before his hand. Link's eyes widened as the Master Sword appeared; though it floated length-wise in front of Ganondorf's palm. If the King were to touch it, his hand surely would be scorched.
"My sword!" Link gasped, and Ganondorf grinned big. "Ah, yes, the sword of evil's bane," the King remarked, glancing over the sword with hatred. "Too bad I am not as kind as to just hand it over… I want to see you struggle, of course." Reeling his arm back, the Master Sword followed his palm loyally, Ganondorf promptly sent it launching into the forest that covered the land that flanked the proud vessel. It vanished; the brief shine of its polished blade fading into the thick fading.
"NO!" Link tried to lunge over the side of the boat to get to his sword, but the crewmembers grabbed onto him so that he didn't go flying into the ocean. Ganondorf roared with laughter; finding amusement in the Hero's desperate condition as he struggled against the men. "But I can't exactly let you off that easy," noted Ganondorf, and faced the palm of his hand back towards the ship; this time vertically.
A thick mass of dark energy began to build within the palm of his hand, and Arnold then realized what was about to occur as the purple energy flashed and flickered. "Abandon ship!" Arnold bellowed, and the crewmembers, including an eager Link, flew over the side of the ship and into the roiling water below. Narrowly avoiding a mass of dark energy that slammed into the hull of the boat, burning away the polished wood, the crew was swimming for shore as the boat gave a heaving groan of defeat. Just in time for the majority of the men present to look back, the vessel gave one last creak before submitting; the ocean gobbling it up.
Link, sputtering as he dragged himself onto the shore, looked over his shoulder as he gazed at Ganondorf helplessly. The man still hovered in midair, his body facing the North.
"If you so wish to fight me again," Ganondorf called, his steeled eyes turning towards Link, though his body didn't move. Link tensed as he felt that cold stare slice through his very being. "Go to the farthest mountain top, where it is so cold that no wind blows. Or should I say so hot?" Link blinked; was Ganondorf speaking in riddles? But the man did nothing afterwards, merely hanging in the air as the energy ate away his figure until he vanished; swept off to some new destination as the crew coughed up water.
"Damn it!" Link swore suddenly after recovering, startling several men as his calm demeanor switched to raging as he staggered to his feet; sopping wet. His tunic was thoroughly soaked, his hat only clung to his head because he held onto it, and there were fish in his boots! Like a tantrum throwing child, he stamped his right foot multiple times in unison with his cursing. "Damn it, damn it, DAMN IT!"
The crew that hadn't remained in the water to flounder and drown hopelessly looked at him curiously. Arnold hobbled up; his bad leg (which Link had noted upon inspection of the captain, the limb twisted in an odd way) giving him a limp. "Link," he said sharply to get the Hero's attention, only to let it turn to something more soothing when the blonde looked to him helplessly like a lost child. "Whoever that guy is, I can tell ya you aren't gonna be able to beat 'em. He's too strong; he almost killed us all."
Arnold looked to the forest. "What was that he threw anywho? It looked like a real shiny sword…" Link's eyes widened in remembrance and he streaked off into the depths of the forest. His sword!
Stumbling desperately into the woods, he sought out the familiar gleam of the blade. All his eyes met were green foliage, and Link felt his heart weighed down by despair. "Where did he throw it?" he asked himself as if doing so would supply the answer; looking around anxiously. Arnold stumbled after him, watching as Link dug around through the sticks and leaves.
"He threw it here somewhere, somewhere, somewhere," Link chanted as Arnold observed from behind; peering over his shoulder. Arnold gave a slight frown as Link seemed to be nearing the breaking point when it came to stress level. "The crew can help look, ya know," Arnold suggested helpfully, not liking to see the Hero in such a state. Link paused in his pawing of the grass to look at up gratefully at the captain. "Really?" The man nodded, and then began giving orders.
Within a matter of minutes, one of the scavenging men gave a cry. "This it, Boss man?" Before Arnold could even respond, Link was off like a shot. The crewman was trying to reach out for the Master Sword, but Link deftly swatted his hand away. "Careful," he warned as he took the blade instead. "It will burn you if you aren't me."
The man blinked, seemingly not believing such impossible words but went along with it. Arnold soon wobbled up, inspecting the gleaming sword with an expert eye. "Mighty fine sword ye got," he informed Link with a touch of awe, looking over the sapphire hilt as the Hero slid the Master Sword back into its sheath. Link smiled with pride, even though technically the sword was not his. The sword belonged to Hyrule and the Goddesses, and Link could stake no claim upon it.
Only to promptly take it back out of its sheath lovingly, Link testily swung it to make sure the blade was otherwise unharmed; grinning when finding it perfect. His grin faded as he remembered Ganondorf. The farthest mountaintop? How would he get there? He sighed, having no idea as to where that even was.
Link turned towards the north, and was surprised to see once frigid, snow capped mountains surrounded by a thick, dark magic. The energy soon parted, and revealed instead of snowy mountains, but monstrous dunes in the shape of such. A vicious sandstorm promptly took the energy's place; obscuring view of the mountains themselves as it licked at the sky.
"Whoa…" gasped Arnold, taking the words (well, word) right out of Link's mouth. Of course, Ganondorf wouldn't leave the mountains as they were. He was a desert man. What about the people that lived there? Were they even still alive? Link gritted his teeth at the thought, quickly discarding it before he got too hasty and ended up marching off to fight Ganondorf. After that last failed attempt, he'd rather not go and get his butt whooped again. Hadn't the King warned him that next time would be death? Link shivered, this time not because of the cold, and looked over at the crew.
All of them, including Arnold himself, looking despairingly at where their ship had once been. Link felt guilt constrict his chest; putting a stone of misery in his stomach. "I'm sorry," he murmured, any of the previous joy of finding his sword long gone; washed away by reality. "This is my fault…"
Arnold sent him a sharp look, quickly recovering from his depression. "Wipe that sappy look off yer face, boy," he barked, startling Link from his guilty revere. "We can find ourselves a new vessel. Losing that ol' girl don' hurt nothin', right boys?" Turning to his crew, Arnold rallied the men; and soon they were cheering whole heartedly. Link blinked; how could they get over their sadness so quickly? Maybe they knew better than to linger over a lost cause.
Link wished he could let go of things as easily.
Returning the Master Sword once more to its scabbard, Link watched as Arnold gave orders to the men to head to the nearest town; being Naron. The captain looked back to Link, and gave him a toothy grin. "Good luck to ya. Our prayers go out to ya and yer journey; don't get killed. Get strong." Touched by the pirate's kind words, Link smiled back and nodded; dipping his head a little out of respect. "Thank you; I don't know how I'll ever repay you." Arnold chuckled, starting off after his crew surprisingly quick despite his leg. "Don't need to, we'll go rob a bank instead." Link didn't know if he was being serious or not; but it was too late now, seeing that the men were long gone.
Shaking his head, Link headed off to go find a place where he could call Epona. He didn't favor the idea of traveling everywhere on foot; he would get tired much too quickly.
~x~
After doing a bit of walking, Link located Naron to rest in for the time being. The crew wasn't there, so he supposed they went elsewhere. He called Epona up, and the horse only took half an hour to arrive; probably a good distance away. Once giving the mare a loving bath and paying an inn to let them both stay for a good break, Link decided that it was best to rest for a short while. If he jumped right into things, then he wouldn't get anywhere. Staying at the inn for the next two days to gather his strength, he rested from his weary journey and "fight" with Ganondorf.
Epona was also rested by the end of it, and Link decided it was a good time to start off. Saddled and ready, the big mare snorted as Link gave her a light pat on the neck; the horse eager to get moving. Without a word, he swung into the saddle, and Epona, once he had settled, bolted off. Time to start this new adventure.
Author's note:
AND THUS ENDS CHAPTER TWO. Ohhh boy, my fine readers, I am tired. It is nearing two am, and I am surprised that I am even still up. Whew. Reviews are loved and all that fun stuff. As a side note, so you all know, this is all magically working itself out in my head as we go along; I have no true, set plot in mind. SO LET'S SEE WHERE THE CRAZINESS LEADS US YEAAAAH. –breathes heavily- And before I forget… Like I had mentioned before in the summary, this story contains a mixture of TP and OoT, along with some AU things. The AU things being minor OC's that will have no true meaning aside from assisting Link in his quest (like Arnold) and most likely some very few, but major, things that will pop up. Because I am more knowledgeable of OoT rather than TP (fff, I haven't truly beaten the game, but boy have I learned a lot from YouTube and other fanfics), so you will find more references to OoT rather than TP. Monsters from both games will emerge, and essentially, both Ganondorf and Link have their TP designs going on rather than their outdated OoT versions. Just so you all know :3 Uhh. Chapter three is in the making, and I have already babbled on waaaay too long. So, I'll stop this note here, and I'll add in any other important details in the next chapter. LET'S SEE HOW LONG WE CAN MAKE THIS LAST, MY HOMESLICES! PEAAAACE!