Chapter 15

"We tried finding you, Eivie. Link went all the way to Ordon in search of you. He spent a week searching the surrounding area for you." She paused. "And, because he now knows you are with me, he will come here. He will come to save us both, even if you do not think you need help."

She was still willing to help me. She seemed convinced that Link was still willing to help me. What had I done to deserve their friendship? Their loyalty? I helped kidnap her. I lead Poes to the city. I had only caused them grief, so why? Why did she insist that she would still help me? How could I even begin to explain to her how wrong she was to trust me, to be kind to me, to show me pity?

I stood there dumbly as I tried to think of a way to respond. After several minutes of silence and Zelda waiting patiently for me to respond, the other sentry that remained fluttering near my head begun to chirp irritably. I nodded to show I understood it wanted me to follow it and that it need not screech in my ear. In truth I was thankful the creature had saved me from trying to explain to Zelda how misplaced her trust was. I quickly followed the bat out of the room, closing the door behind me. One of the Darknuts glanced at me suspiciously before returning its gaze forward when it recognized me. They had learned not to attack me after I had killed a dozen of them for such actions.

I followed the sentry through the palace, guessing I was heading back to the ballroom area. Sure enough, once I entered the room, he was there, waiting in the center of the room. The sentry flew off, leaving me to stand a few feet away from Vaati, nervously wringing my hands. I had not expected him to call for me so soon.

"I would like to continue forward with my plan. Eivie," he grabbed my hands and forced them to my sides. "Quit your fidgeting. You look pathetic."

"I apologize," I mumbled, quickly looking at the floor to avoid him seeing me roll my eyes. "What is it you need?"

"You need to accompany Link while he goes to defeat Ganondorf. According to legends, Link is the only one capable of wielding the Master Sword, the only weapon capable of sealing Ganondorf. You will go fetch the sword with him and keep an eye on him for me."

"I refuse to go with Link," I spat out as soon as he finished speaking. "I cannot. I will not!" There was no way I was traveling around with him, not with all that had just happened. Even seeing him now would be enough to cause a breakdown, I am sure.

"Eivie," Vaati growled in warning. He did not care how I felt; I was going no matter what.

This, however, did not stop me from trying to get out of it. "It could be a long time before we even find this… This so called legendary sword. I do not need to watch over him as he searches. Maybe… maybe just when he confronts Ganondorf would I need to be present?"

"I already know the general location of the sword," he stated bluntly, shattering that argument. "I have not been idle this past month." He sighed before adding quietly but angrily, "I also spent centuries in the damn blade; I know where it is."

"You… You could just send some sentries to watch him."

"Link would kill them on sight. It is hardly reliable, especially because he may be more hesitant about killing you." He glared at me and I knew that I should quit arguing, but I continued, hoping that he may miraculously decide not to send me with Link.

"I still do not wish to go. Please?" I grasped the front of his shirt, trying to show how desperate I was, if my tone did not. "Please do not make do this. I beg you, anything but this. I really do not want to do this."

He stared back with no emotion, his eyes cold to my pleas. No matter how much he liked begging, he would not change his mind this time it would seem. But he had not told me to stop yet, so I continued trying.

"Quiet," was his response when I opened my mouth. "You are being very disobedient. Do you think that I would change my mind after you plead so pathetically?" His words were laced with anger but he did not shout. Instead he growled his words through gritted teeth. "You are merely a pet, yet you act as though I should care about your opinion."

I took a step back, and, as my hand left his chest, I noticed my hand had become pale and nearly gray, the bones protruding grotesquely. My nails had also lengthened and darkened. No. They should be back to normal by now. I glanced at the floor, seeing a dim yellow glow reflecting off of the tiles. That was when I knew something was horribly wrong. My eyes should have been normal by now.

"You seem to forget how kind I have been to you," Vaati continued. "I offered you safety. I helped you understand your abilities. It is by my magic that you appear human. Yet you argue when I ask you do something as simple as following Link? I had not even asked you to harm him, but you, with all of your misplaced emotions, decided it is too difficult a task." He was seething now, the wind in the room beginning to howl. "And, do tell me, why should I even bother with you if you have nothing to offer me? Why should I waste my time and energy protecting you and hiding your true appearance when you cannot complete even a simple task without griping about it?"

"Please, do not remove the illusion." My voice quivered as I stared at my hands. Over the last month, the physical changes that accompanied using the Death Sword's powers had worsened. Without Vaati's magic, I would barely look human. His illusion was the last scrape of humanity I seemed to have before I appeared completely monstrous to the world. "I will accompany Link. I will not argue anymore. Please, just do not remove the illusion."

He said nothing, giving me a blank look like he was deciding whether to accept my plea or not. Eventually he sighed in defeat. After a moment, my hands returned to normal, my eyes likely following suit. "Come along, then. I do not want him to have time to process all of today's events."

Vaati took a step back and waved for me to move back as well. I did as told, anticipating that he wished to take his demon form to cart me around easier. After a brief fury of wind the giant demon eye hovered above the ground in front of me.

Before he had a chance to grab me and fly off, I had one thing to say. "You seem on edge. Is something bothering you?"

He growled in response before roughly grabbing me and taking off, creating massive amounts of wind that would drown out any further comments I had. It only proved he was bothered by something. His speeches damning my behavior were rarely so emotional. Sure, he has tried to guilt me into doing things before, but usually he did not involve himself by essentially saying "I did all of these things for you, you should return the favor." It was always my actions he used, never his own. His tantrum showed he was distracted with something else.

Vaati decided to land on the cliff overlooking Lake Hylia. I glanced around in mild disgust. The two crumbled pillars remained, the rubble scattered about the area. The third still stood, although it appeared that it could possibly be destroyed by a breeze. This is where I learned the jinx spell. This is where everything begun. If I had had a sword I would have pulverized the remaining pillar just to get the anger out of my system.

Instead I sat down on a portion of a broken pillar. I rested my elbows on my knees and my chin on my hands. Vaati had taken to pacing back and forth, seemingly very caught up in his own thoughts. Perhaps even nervous. I scoffed at this, knowing that he was indeed distracted by something as I had thought.

"Something on your mind?"

He abruptly stopped pacing to glare at me. "No."

"I have been paying attention to your words, Vaati. I am not a complete fool." I paused waiting for his response, which was just a raise of his eyebrows. "You are a demon that attacked Hyrule centuries ago, searching for something along the lines of the Triforce, but did not notice the first time that it was with Zelda. I presume you failed at whatever you were trying to do and were defeated, but, instead of killed, you were sealed in the damn blade."

"Sometimes you are very troublesome, especially when you use your brain," he commented, including a slight sneer. "You must have questions if you are deciding to bring this up. I may answer them."

"Why are you so nervous now? This is your plan after all. Are you second guessing something?"

"I am not nervous," he snapped defensively. "Link having the sword is a necessary risk in order for Ganondorf to be defeated and for me to take ownership of the Triforce of Power."

"You are afraid Link will send you back to the sword, are you not? Even before you rediscovered who you were you hated Link. Why? Does Link have a part in this legend concerning the Triforce as well as your past?" I narrowed my eyes as I waited. When he refused to answer, I knew I must have been on the right track.

I sighed and rolled my eyes slightly when he turned around, fully intending to ignore me yet again. If only I had a better understanding of Hyrulean lore. Vaati seemed to be referencing it as though it were fact lately. If I had an idea of what the legends involved I may have a better idea of what Vaati had planned or what fate awaited us in the end.

If I even made it that far. Judging by my appearance, I had little time left. With every passing day the Death Sword grew stronger and threatened to take over. Vaati had offered to find a way to help me, but, at this point, even he had no ideas. It was a race against time, but if Vaati got the Triforce's power, he could probably help me. And, if I helped him get the relic, I could protect Link and Zelda, and maybe even Hyrule, from Vaati. Then, after I did not have to worry about the Death Sword, I would have to find a way to stop whatever Vaati's bid for godhood involved.

There was a shout, effectively drawing my attention in the direction of the fields. It was Link and he was enraged. The next yell was clearly Link screaming "Vaati" with all the hatred and fury he could. The first thing I saw was the sentry zooming by Vaati and next to me, obviously freaked out and fearing for its life. The next was an arrow nearly driving itself into Vaati's face as he teleported out of the way the last moment. Link came into view riding sandy coated horse. He tossed the bow to the side and was drawing his sword as he jumped off the back of the horse.

"Where is Zelda?" he shouted as he charged at Vaati, sword poised to kill.

Vaati summoned a sword and narrowly had time to block Link's attack. Vaati used a gust of wind to knock Link off balance, giving himself time to take a swing at Link. Link defended with his shield, taking the chance to stab at Vaati with impeccable speed. Vaati teleported out of the way again, this time he reappeared standing a few feet in front of me so he had some distance away from Link.

"Where is she? What did you do to her?"

Vaati shrugged, presumably smirking as he did so. He just could not ignore an opportunity to play with Link's emotions.

Link of course charged forward once more, ready to slash Vaati apart. I had never seen him as furious as he was now. Link was fully prepared to kill Vaati in that moment. There was no hesitation in the way he viciously attacked, which was horrifying and sad at the same time. Link was always so kind and gentle, but Vaati had pushed him to this savagery.

I stood up, ready to break up the fight. They did not even notice me with how completely preoccupied they were with killing each other. The sound of swords clashing filled the air. It annoyed me how Vaati was playing around like this. If he actually meant to harm Link he would do so with magic, not a sword. Not to mention his own plan seemed to hinge on Link defeating Ganondorf for him. Fighting was an unnecessary risk driven by his personal dislike for Link.

Vaati glanced over his shoulder at me, noting that I was walking closer to them with the intent to end the farce. He blocked another attack from Link with a smirk before suddenly disappearing from sight. When I was suddenly pulled back, I knew where he went. Vaati rested his hands on my shoulders and made sure he was behind me. I was his new shield, although he could have cast a magic barrier instead. His theatrics would be forever irritating. Link did not attack, choosing to stare at us with slight disgust. I was unsure if the look was aimed at both Vaati and I, or only one of us. My early apprehension returned and I swallowed nervously, finally recognizing that I would have to speak with Link, alone, soon enough.

"We did not come here to fight, but rather present a proposition to you," he began, only to be interrupted by Link.

"Where is Zelda," he demanded once more, but this time not yelling. The anger was still there, but reigned in to speak with control.

"The princess is safe, that is all you need to know for now." Link opened his mouth, but Vaati quickly added, "Eivie can confirm this."

I froze for a moment, being put on the spot, but was able to say, "She is safe and will not be harmed." I glanced over my shoulder to confirm this with Vaati.

He nodded slightly, affirming that he would keep his word to me that no one be injured. "Now, as I said, I have a proposition for you. If you wish for the princess' safe return, you will accept my offer."

Link's angry glare was his only response.

"Surely you have noticed the Gerudo King is suspicious. He intends to take over Hyrule, which would mean the princess would have to be dealt with next, seeing as how the king is incapable of ruling. By hiding her away, you should have adequate time seek him out and destroy him."

"And you expect me just to do what you want? You want me to go and kill someone based on your word?" Link spat. "I don't trust you at all so why would I believe anything you say?"

Vaati chuckled a few times. "Trust has no part in this. I am merely telling you how to save the princess. If you choose to ignore my information, then it will be Hyrule and the princess that suffer in the end."

There was a long pause. Link seemed to be thinking about what Vaati said, perhaps considering what else needed to be asked before he dared agree to help. As Vaati waited for a response, he actually pulled me so uncomfortably close that we were touching. As I tried to escape his grasp he ended up trying to hold back a laugh. I was mortified when saw Link looking at us, looking confused and repulsed. That was when I knew that Vaati was just being childish and doing this for a reaction from Link and me, as usual.

"I would not mention the Triforce to him," he suddenly whispered, causing a shiver to go down my spine. "If you do, I guarantee things will not end well for the princess or him. Do you understand that, Eivie?"

I quickly agreed with a nod of my head. His tone was enough to cue me that what he meant to do if I disobeyed would be a thousand times worse than he made it sound. I could very well be his newest stone statue.

"What…" Link begun hesitantly, "do you exactly want me to do?"

"So you do understand reason," Vaati pushed me away, causing me to stumble forward. Then he sauntered a few paces in front of me, perhaps deciding he did not need to use me as a shield any longer. "I have knowledge of a weapon capable of defeating and sealing Ganondorf. This weapon, however, can only be wielded by a select, goddess chosen, few. Eivie and I would be incapable of using such a blade, so I have been forced to enlist you."

"You want me to go fetch some magic sword," Link repeated, sarcasm filling his voice. "Why do you even need a special sword? He is just a Gerudo, not some all-powerful monster… Or demon."

"He is a warlock, not some mere warrior swinging a blade around, like you. I would be capable of killing him, but he has made a deal with a demon, which granted him near immortality. It would be best to use a divine sword as a precaution."

That was his lie then. Ganondorf made a deal with a demon instead of using the power of the Triforce. Even Link raised his eyebrow suspiciously at Vaati's reasoning. Even he knew that Vaati would not simply do something out precaution. Ulterior motives were more his game.

"And if, if, I go get this sword and defeat Ganondorf, you will return Zelda to Hyrule safely?"

"Yes," was all Vaati had in response to that.

"What do you get out of this?" Link raised his eyebrow.

Vaati shrugged. "I am sure I will think of something that Hyrule could repay me with."

I rolled my eyes. That was hardly believable, Vaati. If he were trying to convince Link to even remotely trust his word, dodging questions was certainly not the way to do so.

"Is there anything else I would need to know before getting the sword?"

"Eivie will be accompanying you."

Link looked at me, causing my eyes to dart to the ground to avoid contact. I would have to explain a lot of things to him. A lot of things I was uncomfortable thinking about, let alone talking about.

Link sighed and rubbed his hand down his face before looking at Vaati with determination. "If Zelda is hurt in any way, I will be after you next, using your oh-so-important sword. That is a promise."

Vaati gave a devious smile. "I would expect nothing else from you. In return for ridding me of Ganondorf, I will return Zelda to you unharmed. The sword is hidden deep in the Faron Woods, inside of an ancient temple."

My heart skipped a beat. "The temple… in the forest?" I quickly went to Vaati's side, my eyes wide with fear. "That is… That is where Jahalla is. You want me to go there?"

"Yes, Eivie," he sighed, "I do. You have avoided this long enough; you need to confront Jahalla and now is an opportune time. You will even have your precious knight's help. Do not try to argue with me. I am still not pleased with your earlier behavior." He leaned closer to quietly add, "If you cross me, Jahalla will be the least of your worries. Do not mention any of my plans to Link. Do not mention the Palace of Winds' location nor its structure in great detail. The less he knows, the less likely I am to kill him. Remember this."

After staring at him through narrow eyes for a few seconds I said, "I understand. I require a weapon, though."

"Of course." He handed me the sword he had been using earlier, earning a look from me. "It will be easier for you to carry a normal sword than your regular weapon." He summoned a scabbard and belt. "Hue had also mentioned that the Death Sword's weapon is on display in the temple. I suggest taking it, if possible."

I began fumbling with the belt, having no clue how to operate it. I had never had to deal with one before and it definitely showed. It should have been simple, but my shaking hands did not help the matter.

Vaati rolled his eyes at my helplessness and began leading me over to Link. "If I suspect that you intend to ignore my plan, I will take whatever action necessary," he threatened one last time. Then he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

I bit my lip, knowing that it was only Link and me now. There would be no avoiding him for any longer. Every possible scenario I had thought of when I was reunited with Link suddenly came to mind, and very few ended happily.

A/N- I don't really have much to say… That was a lot of dialogue, though. More set up than anything. I hope everyone enjoyed it, however. Thank you to everyone reading, Lurking Phoenix for the favorite, and ornamental-reciprocity for the review and following!

ornamental-reciprocity- I'm glad you are liking my story! I think I've read some of Stalemate at some point before I got this account! I should go read it again because I remember it being incredibly good. I was wondering how I was doing with the foreshadowing of events and character motivations, so I am happy that you think they are fairly good! Again, thank you so much for leaving such a nice review!