I hope you have those timelines ready cause this is where we all get confused. Oh and I just can't take (Postman) Pat seriously, so I changed it to Pan. Which at least has some background to it. But…here we go.
Chapter 14
The battle of the flames
Ras seemed to have taken Link under his wing. Link had decided to stay in his wolf form, he felt like he was in one of those fun houses with rooms full of mirrors. At least as a wolf he was more of an individual than an incarnation. The lion sat, like a statue, in front of the green flame. His eyes watching the entrances. Link sat behind him. Unfortunately, he wasn't as imPanient, and his tail kept flicking up like a fish out of water. The other Links, who all went by different names to avoid confusion and falling short, were talking amiably and reminiscing their life's adventures. But despite the carefree chatter, the approaching darkness weighed heavily on the atmosphere, giving it a subdued tone…like the calm before the storm. The Zeldas, despite their gossiping, had one eye permanently trained on the doors, light flickering in the orbs of their staffs and arrows nocked on their bows. Zi had yet to arrive. Poor Dven was passing like a caged tiger, his loftwing Epon searching the sky roof, which now showed a tranquil night sky, for the indigo loftwing and her rider.
As Blue, Green, Red and Vio were all bombarding Link with their life story, each recounting a different tale at the same time as the other three; an ominous boom shook the room. Silence fell on the hall. All eyes were now trained on the doors. There was a faint creak as Zeke drew her bow. A metallic hiss as eight swords were drawn, sounding much like an irritated python, disturbed by some hapless passer-by. A kettle-whistle as magic was drawn to the orbs of two staffs. A deep rumbling growl as two beasts dropped into attack-stances. The red star of the hunter bathed them in red-tinged starlight.
Another boom. Louder this time. There was a barely audible rustle as blades slid down into Fün hands.
Then the wall the doors were ripped backwards off their hinges. As the dust cleared, darkness spilt into the hall, pacing the edges of the spheres of light produced by the flames, not daring to approach. On instinct, mist curled from its owners. Link's hugged his pale markings, waiting to pounce. To his mild surprise, mist curled fround Ras' mane. Mist curled round the blades of Pan and Shes shimmering.
Then from the darkness appeared a figure.
They were abnormally tall and thin, like a larch tree in winter. On their face was a lone ivory mask, shaped an elongated egg, with a sharp point below the chin. It was abnormally long, more proportional to a horse than to a man. There were no facial features except for two black holes, like twin black holes. Its head was covered in a deep violet hood, similar to an executioner's. It lore a short coat, the same colour as its hood with acid yellow markings Link didn't recognise. The half-sleeves were long, hanging to its waist, the linings shimmering with strings. Its arms, black as tar, were less than bones, resembling the spindly fingers of a tree as it grasped at the winter sky for sunlight. Its fingers were long, twice as long as the palm, that almost blended into the wrist. Its legs were long, tapering away into the darkness. Faint turquoise webs creeping across the pitch black skin.
"Hello my dear friends." It said, its voice grating, like chalk on a blackboard. "How lovely to see you."
"Take a hike twigs!" Green shouted, joined by his rainbow doppelgangers.
"I'm hurt, I really am. It almost makes me want to cry." The voice said. "How could you hear your dear old Kuklin."
"Drop dead." Fear growled, her eyes glowing gold.
"You know, I think I might just cry actually."
Then to Link's horror, black webs leaked from his eyes, spreading down its body to the ground where it covered the floor to the boundary of the fires' light. It climbed up the wall and across the starry sky, trapping them in a cage of black silk. Kuklin wiped the last of strands from the lid of its eye socket and flicked it at the ceiling.
"Now that's out of my system, I wonder, is the little Sky Child here."
Dven growled, tightening his grip on his sword. He glared daggers at Kuklin, his muscles quivering with adrenaline.
"Ah, there you are. Now, you see I was wondering down these halls, and I came across an island. Beautiful place, you might know it. Flowes of every kind, paths of golden sand. Pretty place. And on this island, there was a triforce bearer. Now, I know the rules of the flames, so I simply had to get my hands on her. But you see she had a body guard. A Remlit I believe. Courageous little thing. Gave the bearer time to escape with your meddling girlfriend. Oh how angry it made me. It made me want to smash that interfering little fleabag into splinters." Link could see the murder in Dven's eyes, he was shivering in rage, Link feared he might snap and attack. "But then I thought of you…the dear little scrap of meddling scum who imprisoned my masters, and well, that cold hatred soothed my burning anger. So…I made some adjustments to your little moggy. Well…maybe you should take a look"
There was a black shimmer, which Link identified as silk threads extending from the fingertips of Kuklin. There was a wooden clatter, that reminded Link a lot of the skull kid's wooden 'pals' in the lost woods. Mia emerged from the shadows. But she was wooden and stiff, her gait off balanced. He heard the breath catch in Dven's throat. Now Link knew. Those weren't silk threads, they were puppet strings. Mia had been transformed into a puppet. She was in her demon form. Her fur was now wooden carvings, her eyes made of resin. She was painted in exquisite detail. Her legs were made of two parts, that moved in an almost realistic albeit wooden manner.
"You son of a-"
"Dven." Pan grabbed his shoulder before Dven could leap at Kuklin.
"Calm down…" Shes said, but Link noticed one hand hovered over the masks at his hips.
"Now, I'll say this only once so pay attention boys and girls. Step aside or you join the remlit."
Zeke fired, her arrowhead trailed golden light. It pierced the darkness, heading straight for Kuklin's eye socket. It flicked its hand and a puppet string wrapped around the shaft and pulled it off course. The arrow shattered into the wall.
"Shall I take that as a no? Oh goody! I'd hoped you say that!" it said gleefully.
He suddenly lifted his arms up, flicking them in an elaborate gesture. As he did so, the web that surrounded them suddenly came to life. Puppet strings shot out from the mesh of black silk and puppets swirled into existence. They bore an uncanny resemblance to the puppets from the lost woods only they had faces. Different clothes were painted on. On each face was painted a mask of pure horror. It took a moment for link to realise that each of these countless puppets were Kuklin's previous victims.
Zeke loosed another arrow. A thread of silk caught it by the shaft and flung it aside, shattering its arrowhead on the ground. The tension broke.
"Protect the flames!" Pan cried.
Link, Ras and Pan made a semicircle round the green flame, standing shoulder to shoulder. The mist stretched from Pan's sword and wound round him. In his place stood a gold wolf with the same pattern on his forehead as Link and Ras. He was similar to the wolf spirit, but not the same. They had the same white mane, but wheras the spirit had the markings down his body and no head pattern, this wolf did.
"I'll explain later." He said.
The puppets lumbered forwardly, guided by their master's hand movements as he flicked and moved the puppets strings in his hand.
The first puppet reached them. Ras leapt on it and tore it to splinters with a monstrous ferocity.
"RAS!" Dven shouted from his place by the blue flame. "ARE YOU NUTS? If you rip 'em to pieces how can we bring 'em back."
Pan looked over at Dven.
"Actually Dven, I think Ras has a point. See how Mia's moving. Its more smoothly than some of the others. Only her skin has been turned to wood. We can change them back, but see the bear over there. Hs heart is wooden. You can tell from his expression. It's like he's been told to smile but forgotten halfway through what a smile looks like." Pan explained hurriedly.
Dven kicked a puppet in the chest, sending it reeling backwards.
"Oh…right. Sorry Ras."
The lion didn't respond but turned back to the fight. Link, only privy to half the conversation, could only guess what he had said as Dven smiled and returned to the fight.
The puppets' advance was relentless. Those whose hearts still beat were stunned and thrown up where Epon would catch them and stow them in his nest in the rafters.
Link, following Ras' and Pan's actions soon learnt to distinguish the real puppets to those who could be saved. As he did so, his pace began to quicken. Leaping over the head of a real puppet, he severed its head, cutting the strings to its other body parts. It hung there for a moment before crumpling into a forlorn pile. Link's helm-splitter landed him on the chest of another. This one still had a chance. He clouted it over the head with a heavy paw and cut the strings. Twisting in mid-air so that was underneath the puppet as they fell, he kicked up, sending it into the air where Epon plucked it out of the sky and flew it to his nest. Landing Link fought his way back to the flame. He didn't often have to guard something.
The battle waged on, the puppets unrelenting, never tiring. Kuklin manipulated them from safely behind the ranks, his mask betraying nothing.
"We're fighting a losing battle." Pan said, voicing Link's fears. "We can't go on forever. Someone needs to get through to Kuklin."
"We could send Ras. He's the strongest." Vio called.
"He's too easily noticed." Fün said, appearing next to Pan and beheading a puppet.
"Besides, he's needed here. He's our only hope if things go pear-shaped."
"What about Pan?" Di asked.
"He's bright gold, they'll catch him. We need someone who blends in." Shes replied.
"Sem could do it." Tree said in a small voice, kicking away the crumpled remains of a puppet.
"It's worth a shot." Blue said.
Link, needing no further invitation, slipped between the legs of a puppet. His fur, dark as it was, blended with the black web and shadows of the puppets. Zeke covered his movement with her arrows, aided by Fear. Fear's bow had become a crest of red feathers and her fingers claws. Now she looked a demonic cross between girl and bird. She swooped down over the heads of puppets, severing their strings and covering Link's attack.
Link was now at the back of the army. He crouched behind a pile of crumpled puppets. Mia prowled back and forth, controlled by Kuklin.
Link couldn't risk it. Kuklin would see him if he subdued Mia. Suddenly, Fün materialised in front of Mia. The remlit's head swivelled 180 degrees to look at the ninja.
"Let's play." She said.
The path was clear. Link padded forward, keeping to the shadows. The mist concealing him from the darkness. He was in range now. That mask hid Kuklin's face, he couldn't read its face. Link just prayed he was looking the other way. Then he leapt.
Puppet strings wrapped round Link's paws, stopping him inches from Kuklin.
"Hello, how nice of you to join him."
The strings tightened, cutting deep into Link's skin. The wolf began to struggle. The mist curled and shifted, searching for a way to release him. In the panic, he took on hylian form. His left wrist broke free, and he went for the sword on his back.
"I'd rather you didn't."
Puppet strings shot from Kuklin's fingers and wrapped round his ankles and free wrist. They pulled taught, stretching him spread eagled in front of it.
"Skin is such a tacky accessory. I find that wood is much more…malleable."
Link struggled wildly. But the puppet strings were strong and did not yield.
"Just one touch." Kuklin said, walking slowly towards him.
It lifted a finger and touched Link's forehead. It was as if someone had strapped an ice cold metal band round his head. Link cried out in pain, and wood began to spread from the point of contact. Link struggled violently, snarling like a cornered animal.
By the flames, Dven noticed the scene.
"SEM!" he called. "Somebody get him. He's got the triforce!"
Revelation dawned on the others. But…too little too late. The wood spread across Link's skin, encasing him in a tomb of wood. The puppet strings securing his wrists and ankles drifted to Kuklin's fingers.
"Ooh, a triforce holder. My, my, you are quite the catch. Let's see how good you are at fighting, eh?"
The puppet didn't move.
"How about your friend the Sky Child? Shall we remove him?"
Link remained still.
"Off you pop."
The puppet's legs began to move, wading through the puppets towards Dven.
"Sem? Sem are you in there?" Dven called as puppet Link approached him.
Puppet Link drew his sword.
"Oh Hylia…" Dven muttered.
Link swung, even the blade was wooden. Dven caught it on his own blade. Pushing on the puppet, Dven managed to send him tottering backwards. Dven retreated back, unable to attack.
"Sem!"
The puppet loosed a spin attack, cleaving through a wave of puppets as he did so. Without giving Dven a chance to recover, he pressed forward. Jumping behind him, he attacked, before helm-splitting his head. Dven dropped to one knee.
"Sem! Listen to me!"
Puppet Link dropped kicked him and placed a foot on his shoulder. The sword at Dven's throat.
"Finish it!" Kuklin ordered.
LINK! A voice pierced the wooden tomb, stirring the spirit within.
Why? Said a small voice in Link's head.
"Finish it now!"
No thank you
"Kill him!"
"Sem?" Dven whispered.
Now the fighting had stopped. All the Links and Zeldas had their eyes trained on Puppet Link, both amazed and horrified.
I won't kill me friend.
"Kill the Sky Child!"
No I won't
The sword dropped and Puppet Link removed his foot.
"He…he held back…" Tree muttered.
"Obey me! I am your master!"
The puppet turned round.
Up in the ceiling, a blue bird hovered above the web of darkness.
Ok, I'm sorry this took so long. First week back at school and I had parent's evening and what not. So busy week. Plus I got Azran Legacies and OMG! [insert fangirling here] But anyways, I'm so sorry. Back to the usual schedule I'm afraid, but I may not upload as much because of music coursework. So if I don't update on Friday, it's because I'm struggling through my mirrir's arrangement. Ugh what is life? So yeah, adios guys!
Ps. Excuse the short puppet scene, this chapter was written over a course of eight nights so it's a bit on and off.
