And I'm back, sort of.Excuse my weird writing style, it's been too long.
Chapter 25
And in those bones the dark resides
Silver stared at the wall of rubble that now separated her from Link. It loomed above her, merging into the fractured ceiling without even the tiniest of gaps, the echoes of the explosion still bounced off the stones, their hollow voices like a disembodied choir. His face, set with grim determination, was still seared into her mind's eye.
It felt as if her whole world had collapsed around her ears with the ceiling.
Link's mist clawed forlornly at the rubble, trying to reach its master. Silver watched it as it tried to seep through the cracks between the stones. Its loss echoing Silver's own.
All of a sudden she was a cub again, watching her parents fight to the death. The avalanche of snow that had cut her off from their gruesome demise, reincarnated as the rubble before her now. Panic began to flutter in her chest.
The torches had been extinguished when the ceiling collapsed. The only light that kept the smothering darkness at bay now was the ambient light of the sword and the mist, which bathed the cavern in a ghostly silver glow.
"We have to go." Zelda said, breaking the ominous silence.
Whether she was speaking to Silver or the mist, it was difficult to say.
The hilt of the master sword flashed momentarily, but Fi did not appear. Instead the mist was absorbed into the sword, making it glow even brighter.
"Silver." A delicate hand was placed on the scruff of her neck.
The touch broke the paralysis and the wolfos sprung to life.
"We have to get him out." Her voice was cracked and it sounded so young, too young. It was easy to forget sometimes, that she was just a kid. A kid thrown into a grown-up's war.
"Silver, he said-" but the wolfos cut her off.
"I don't care what he said! We have to help! We have to save him! He would do it for us! We can't leave him! We just, we just have to..." The fight left her as she dissolved into tears.
"We'll save him, just not now. Come on." Zelda reasoned, forcing authority into her voice.
And to her own despair, Silver could do nothing but obey.
They sprinted down the corridors, Silver blindly following Zelda's feet as she fought to control the fear that now writhed in the pit of her stomach.
The explosion had reached even here. Parts of the wall and ceiling had collapsed, leaving small piles of rubble on the tunnel floor, like funeral markers. It was dark, with only the light of the sword which Zelda clutched to her chest to see by.
Zelda stopped so suddenly, that Silver crashed into her.
The ceiling had completely collapsed, blocking the only tunnel that led to the exit. The rocks were packed tight, with the smallest of tunnels held open by an ill-shaped rock. It was barely big enough for Silver to fit through, and it opened at eye level, making it even harder to crawl through. It was dark in there too.
"Go." Zelda said, casting a fearful glance over her shoulder, looking for the cloud of darkness that would inevitably come around the bend, heralding a very angry and very dangerous cat.
Silver obeyed, using the rocks to jump up and get her front half into the tunnel. Zelda took her back legs and pushed her in as far as she could.
It was dark in the tunnel, blacker than pitch. The sort of thick darkness that cannot be obtained by simply closing one's eyes. If anything, closing her eyes was brighter than opening them. It was crushing her. The rocks she couldn't see scraped and clawed at her, tearing out whole clumps of fur with cold hard fingers. The weight of the earth forced her to her belly, crawling with only her front paws. Even her senses could not tell her what lay above or below, or even what lay two feet in front of her. She was utterly blind and it terrified her.
As she crawled in the darkness, even darker thoughts entered her mind. This is all your fault. He wouldn't abandon you. You're a failure. You betrayed his trust. He wouldn't run. Traitor. Liar. Murderer. All this and more swirled round and around in her head, crushing her fighting spirit much more effectively than any cave-in ever could.
With a whimper she collapsed, buckling beneath her own demons. She was just a kid. A cub. What hope could she have when the strongest man alive had failed.
Grey light flooded the tunnel, illuminating it in an ethereal supernatural light, as Zelda threw the sword into the tunnel. Link's mist rose from the sword, taking the vague form of a small round bird. Tendrils of mist entwined themselves in her fur. The bird flapped its wings encouragingly, hopping down the tunnel and turning to wait for her.
"Come on Silver." Came Zelda's encouraging cry as she caught up. "You're almost there. Just keep moving."
Silver whimpered, her legs felt like lead.
"You can do it. Come on!"
The bird flew around Silver's head in a cloud of mist. It smelled of Link, of safety, of home. It gave her courage, and slowly but surely Silver began to crawl again. With Zelda's encouragement ringing in her ears and the mist bird lighting the way, she found the strength to crawl.
The tunnel was longer than they anticipated and the effect of the princess' encouragement was beginning to wear off, and Zelda in a last ditch attempt to keep Silver from panicking, began to tell her about her childhood 'misadventures'.
The thought of a six-year-old Zelda running through the castle with an army of nannies at her heels comforted the wolfos. When Zelda ran out of misadventures to talk about, she found herself speaking about Link, but not the Link that had saved Hyrule, the Link she had known as a child. She told Silver about the day her father had told her that her guardian had been born. She had only been three at the time, but the memory of it was still clear as day. When she had seen the newborn cub, with his eyes still closed, it had felt as if the final puzzle piece had fitted into her life. Even though she hadn't known what it was like to be a grey nor a guardian, this cub with his too big paws and shining white mist which would day turn as grey as the stone from which the castle was built, would grow to be her closest friend and her greatest ally.
Then the news had come of the greys' demise, and that dream was shattered.
So intent was Silver's listening that when the tunnel abruptly ended, the wolfos fell unceremoniously onto her face. The ramp was still relatively intact and stray rays of blood red light fell into the tunnel. Already, the sun had begun to set. They had lost at least a day if not two down in those tunnels.
The mist bird flew around Silver's head, looking as if it were bathed in blood as it passed through the pillars of light. Then, as quickly as it had appeared, it disappeared into the sword.
As soon as Zelda had climbed out, they were running up the ramp into out of the caves into the brightness of the setting sun.
And even though every step drove a dagger into Silver's heart, she did not stop running until they collapsed into Faron's spring. She did not look back once.
...
Link groaned. The force of the explosion had catapulted him into the far wall. Stars exploded in front of his eyes and his head hurt like nobody's business.
The dark that enveloped him was thick and black, so heavy that Link could've probably cut it had he had his sword. It clung to him like a funeral shroud. And now, without the mist, he was completely senseless. Not the best position to be in when you're trapped fifty feet underground with a psychopath.
Every part of him ached. He'd lost his bow in the scuffle and now without his sword or mist, he was almost completely defenceless. The only feasible weapons he had now, were a small dagger and his clawshot.
Pushing himself up onto his knees, he groped around in the pouch at his belt, his whole forearm stuffed inside, looking for his lantern. With a grin, he managed to pull it out. His strike-stone was easier to find and the spark that leapt from the flint quickly caught. Within moments a small yellow flame had sprung to life in the lantern. The fire threw a meager sphere of light around him, illuminating the rocks. The dancing shadows the lantern cast flickered like fell spirits darting over the rocks, lending the atmosphere an even more frightening mood.
Picking up the lantern, Link swung it around, searching for Nubia. She lay not far from him, unconscious or dead. Link prayed it was the latter. Unable to do much to escape, Link's thoughts fell to defence. He withdrew his dagger and clawshot. He'd lost his shield too. This was really turning out to be a bit of an off day for him.
Now sufficiently armed (or rather as best as he could be), Link looked over to where Nubia lay. She wasn't there.
Oh poo.
...
For a while, all Silver could do was lay in the spring. Sacred healing water splashed up her nose and got into her ears. Nevertheless, the spring water did its magic, healing her wounds bit by bit. When the exhaustion finally wore off and Silver had the strength to stand, all the horrible thoughts she had forced back now rushed her.
Zelda had fallen to her knees in the centre of the spring, hunched over the master sword. She looked as if she were praying, praying for a miracle.
The mood was so sombre that Faron, rather than raise the issue of the missing party member, decided to stand watch by the spring's boundary, out of sight, to ensure they were not followed.
"Hey, you're back." Dal called as he ran towards the pair, oblivious to the dark atmosphere.
No-one responded.
"Why?" Silver's voice was cracked and raw with emotion.
Zelda remained silent.
"Why did you run? Why didn't you save him?"
Zelda's shoulders sagged beneath the weight of her own guilt and Silver's onslaught.
"What happened? Where's-?" Fear had begun to creep into Dal's voice.
"Answer me!" She was shouting now, demanding answers without fully understanding the questions, just like the child she was. "Why didn't you save him? He risked everything to save you! To get you away! Why didn't you do the same?!"
"I..." Zelda struggled to find her voice, tormented by her own ghosts.
Silver had started now, and even with Dal staring at her horrified, she did not stop.
"You abandoned him! You left him to die! You...you..." words failed her. "I hate you!"
Then she was gone, sprinting away from the spring as if all hell was on her tail. Zelda stayed where she was. Her shoulders began to shake and she doubled over, the sword still clutched to her chest.
Dal padded up to the princess, frightened by what had happened.
Though princess was hardly a fitting description for the woman who now crouched before him. Her hair was dusty and matted with sweat, tufts of it had escaped her ponytail and hung down her face in wispy clumps. Her clothes were grimy and stained, torn in several places and already the numerous cuts and grazes were beginning to scab. She was breathing heavily and her tears had left tracks down her face. Worst if all were her eyes, the light in them was gone. They looked defeated.
Dal didn't know what to do, what to say to her, how to tell her it would be alright. So he did the only thing he could. He sat down in front of her and gently nosed her arm. She looked up at him, eyes wet and afraid. Then she was crying unabatedly into his fur.
...
Epona waited at the gate to Ordona's spring. The sun had long since set, and she was beginning to worry. She pranced nervously. Ilia was being treated by Uli for trauma. Her physical wounds would heal, but the mental ones...Farore knew. Uli had said that the best cure for her would be to see Link and the others safe and well. But Majora was a powerful opponent, even at half strength. She looked up at the sky, searching for the Great Mare. The four stars twinkled dimly. She searched for the constellation of the wolf, but it must've still been too light for she couldn't find it. Epona sent a mental prayer to them both, to keep her herd safe.
When Silver finally did come running full pelt down the pass, alone, Epona's stomach dropped like a lead balloon. Silver didn't stop running either, carrying on without breaking her stride. She disappeared round the corner, and Epona could hear her scrabbling up the tree and the crash as she managed to get in through the window.
Afraid, Epona looked down the pass where Silver had come from. The gold wolf stood there in its centre, looking at her with sympathy.
"The princess is in the spring." he said, Epona relaxed somewhat. "Of the grey, there is no sign."
Epona blanched, this couldn't be happening.
"His mist and sword are with the princess."
No, no, no, no...
"I'm sorry."
But Epona wasn't listening anymore because she was running past him, back to the caves.
"Stop." Phaira's voice came from nowhere.
The mare paid it no heed.
Then the spirit was galloping along beside her, the deer seemed to be made of moonlight, leaving glowing hoof-prints in the grass.
"You can't get through, the tunnel's collapsed."
Epona didn't want to hear her.
"You can't help him now. But you can you can help the new sage. You can help the princess. You can help the halfling."
Her words got through somewhat because the mare's pace slowed until she stood at the mouth of the caves, breathing heavily, foam flecking her coat. Even from here she could see the wall of rubble, the tunnel that she could not climb through.
"You must protect the mist, it will not last long without its master. You are the closest he has to family, you must host it." Phaira sounded so sure of herself, so in control, that Epona was tempted to just blindly obey. But, the rational part of her brain wasn't quite so obedient.
"I can't."
"Whyever not?" Phaira asked.
"Because I…" Epona trailed off, unable to explain.
Green mist, glowing as if it were filled with fireflies rolled out from the trees. From the mist, a woman emerged. She wore a coat of the deepest green, trimmed with ermine. A crown of branches adorned her golden hair, crowned with an emerald. Both animals dropped into bows. The woman shook her head, bidding them to rise.
"Look closely little one, and you shall see why." Her voice was so soft and peaceful, like the breeze that ruffles the leaves in the trees. Yet it was so sad.
The spirit looked at Epona, eyes narrowed as she peered intently, searching for the cause of the mare's reluctance. As she stared and the realisation dawned, tears of starlight began to trickle through her moonlit fur.
"Oh goddess"
She could see it clearly, the black poison, like a tomb encompassing the mare. She could see the cursed mist, coiling and writhing around the mare, fighting to be free of the dark plague that swarmed throughout it like a thousand swollen leeches. The curse was in her very bones. To Phaira's eyes, Epona seemed to flicker between warm-blooded mammal to cursed skeleton with plague-ridden bones. The only thing that seemed to keep the curse at bay was the symbol of Farore which burned brightly in the mare's chest. But even that symbol was under attack, the edges fuzzy and indistinct as the curse gnawed away at the goddess' magic.
"The dark..." Phaira whimpered.
The woman placed a hand on the spirit's back. Even though the deer had no physical form, she seemed to be solid enough for the woman.
"You are young, it is only natural your emotions ran away with you." her voice was kind.
"Surely there is a way to remove it?" Phaira asked.
"You don't think we already tried?" Epona told her.
"But, you're a goddess." Phaira implored, looking up at the woman with teary eyes.
"My power was never absolute, all I have done is sealed the curse away, trapping it within the mist and the human form in which it now anchors. But the dark is already beginning to weaken the seal." Farore, for it was none other than she, looked at Epona, a thousand apologies in her emerald eyes.
"So you see, I can't host the mist." Epona concluded. "I'd only kill it."
Phaira looked from horse to goddess, desperately searching for an answer.
"Perhaps you ought to look for another creature who has become family to Link." Farore suggested.
"What about the halfling, she wasn't frozen in the storm like the others were, and the mist knows her," Phaira suggested, regaining her composure somewhat.
"You mean Silver? But even if she were compatible, she's in no shape to cope with that sort of stress." Epona retorted.
"On the contrary, she is stronger than she appears, if anything she is your best chance to keep Link's mist alive. Fi can only support it for so long." Farore assured her.
"If you believe it is best, then I trust you, lead mare." Epona said, dipping her head.
"None if you deserve to suffer like this." Farore said, stroking the mare's nose "If only I were stronger than perhaps I could do more."
"What about your sisters?" Phaira asked, hoping she didn't sound too impertinent.
"They stand by their beliefs that we should not interfere with your affairs. They would not act unless the dark kicked down their front door, and even then it would be Hyrule that suffers most from their actions." A faraway look came over the goddesses face and she was quiet for a long time. "Time is funny like that." She tilted her head as if she had suddenly remembered she was in a conversation.
"Find the halfling, Silver. Comfort her and convince her to host Link's mist. Awaken the forest sage. Then you can see about saving Link." Farore told them. "Phaira, help them as much as you can. I shall try to convince my sisters to help. Perhaps they may agree to raise the Fallen." The last part she mumbled to herself, so that the animals did not know for sure what she had meant.
Then Farore turned on her heel to disappear into the mist. As she walked away, she suddenly stopped, a silhouette in the grey light.
"One more thing Epona, your race is not as dead as you may believe it to be."
Then she was gone and presence faded.
Spirit and animal looked at each, mulling over the goddess' words.
"First we sort out Ilia." Epona said.
"Then we help the mist." Phaira continued.
"After that, we save Link." Epona finished.
"Sounds like a plan to me.
...
Ilia lay in her bed, unresponsive to the world around her. When Epona had brought her back from the caves, she had gone into shock. Every time she closed her eyes she saw Majora. She kept seeing Link trying to protect her. Hurt, bleeding because of her. Her own wounds were slight, a few scrapes and bruises. But her mind, delirious from dehydration and hunger, had conjured all sorts of terrifying images of Majora and Link. It was enough to send anyone over the edge.
Her father sat by her bed, holding her hand, trying fruitlessly to keep the nightmares at bay.
Then the knock came at the door. Bo, got to his feet wearily and crossed the room to answer it. The last person he expected was to see Epona and a woman who looked more spirit than human.
"Bo." The woman said, she looked scarcely older than Ilia. "My name is Phaira, I am the grey spirit that inhabits the Lost Woods."
Bo blinked, unsure how to respond. How do you respond when a spirit lady knocks on your door in the dead of night?
"Epona and I have a plan that may be able to help Ilia."
That definitely got his attention.
"You may or may not believe me but your daughter is the heir to the forest sage. The current sage is waiting in Faron's spring to pass on the torch, so to speak. The changeover may heal her mind."
Bo stared.
"Uh, Bo? Are you alright? You don't look too well."
Bo stared some more.
"At least he's taking it well." Phaira said to Epona.
'Yeah, did I ever tell you that Lana fainted when we told her?" the mare replied.
"Really? And here I thought the zoras were pretty cold."
"That's cause you need to get out more."
Bo was still staring.
"I wish he'd stop that, he's starting to creep me out." Phaira said after a few moments.
And I'm back, sort of. I wrote this on holiday but the internet was being temperamental and I couldn't post it. I really am sorry about the massive delay, but I'll update as and when I can get to a computer.
