Apologies for the long wait. But hey! Drama's finally done with until January! Free time! Sleep! Huzzah!
Vote in the poll! Do it!
~Alyssa
PS: EXCLAMATION POINTS!
Amare est ad disperdendum.
….
To love is to destroy.
"Papa!"
The banging at my door woke me from my sleep.
I yawned, reveling in the feeling of the warm sun against my back and the soft satin sheets that were entwined around my legs, not even bothering to open my eyes.
"Paaaaaapaaaa!"
More banging.
I grumbled sleepily, groaning something unintelligible into my pillow. At my complaints, a soft giggle came from beside me. "You might as well go let her in." said a light, feminine, grossly familiar voice, her cool fingers trailing up my spine. "She'll yell down the whole castle otherwise." My eyes shot open.
I'd know that voice anywhere.
I whipped my head around so fast my neck cracked in protest, flipping over to see for myself.
And there she was, her sapphire eyes boring into mine.
I blinked once in shock. "Zelda?" I asked, tearing my eyes unwillingly from her face to find my bearings.
I was in a gigantic four poster bed in an even more gigantic room, the walls made of polished marble brick. Two windows, with their breathtaking view of the gardens below, sat on either side of a grand fireplace, over which a portrait of two beaming children with a gilded frame hung.
There was only one place I knew of with such a view, such opulence, such peacefulness.
I was in Hyrule Castle.
With Zelda.
She was different, though, somehow. Still perfect, mind you, but different. Her cheekbones were much more prominent; her hair just a shade lighter and pulled up into a loose, elegant bun, and laugh lines framed her eyes. She looked older, more mature, but happier than I had ever seen her before.
"Is there something wrong, Link?" She asked, puzzled, as she crawled over to my side of the bed and sat up, stretched her arms over her head in a graceful arc. She touched my shoulder gently.
Oh, what bliss. What beautiful ecstasy. I drank in her touch, her scent, her smile.
"Nothing." I said too quickly, and her eyes immediately were full to the brim with concern. "Everything's perfect." I assured her, sitting up and cupping her face with my hands. "I love you so much."
And she smiled again, leaning towards me and wrapping her arms around my neck. "I love you, too." She said, touching her forehead to mine.
My heart nearly swelled out of my chest.
She loved me. Zelda loved me. She said so.
After fifteen years of waiting and wanting, all the hurt and heartbreak and anguish and uncertainty, she was here in my arms, and suddenly every single second was worth it as I reaped the reward.
I wanted to kiss her and never let her go, feel her skin against mine, forget the world and ravish her here and now. I pulled her face to mine with a fiery passion, not even bothering to wonder why I was here in the first place.
Our lips had barely met, however, when the door flung open, a very disgruntled little girl standing in the threshold. Her curly, yellow hair was a disheveled mess, her annoyed cerulean eyes staring at the two of us. Once she caught wind of what we were doing, her nose scrunched up as she smelled something particularly unpleasant. She padded barefoot over to the bed, clambering up the side and sitting herself in my lap.
Zelda threw her head back in laughter. "Good morning, Genevieve." She sang, leaning in to kiss her forehead before standing up and sitting in front of her vanity, busying herself with letting her hair loose from the pins that bound them.
The girl that was Genevieve wrapped her arms around my neck just as Zelda had a minute ago, snuggling her head into the crevice of my collarbone. Confounded at how familiar she acted with me, I hesitated before hugging her close.
"I had a bad dream last night, Papa." she whimpered.
Papa?
My eyes widened in shock as everything suddenly clicked.
Could this girl be my daughter? The portrait above the fireplace, with this girl and a boy, could they be my children? Could the beautiful picture of a happily ever after that Zelda had painted me all those years ago be here, be true?
The very real little girl cuddled in my arms now, who had Zelda's eyes, who seemed so familiar, who called me Papa…it answered all my questions and then some.
She was mine. Ours. She had to be.
She was so beautiful.
"I'm sorry, baby." Tears stung in my eyes and I brought a hand to her soft curls, noticing with a start that they were the same color as mine. Stroking her soothingly, I buried my face in her hair, letting out a soft sob.
Genevieve—a beautiful name for a beautiful daughter…my daughter—lifted her head, her perfect eyes looking at me curiously.
"Don't cry, Papa!" she said, reaching a perfect little hand to touch my cheek. "It was only a dream!" She giggled at this, kissing my nose gently.
Zelda chuckled lightly from her place in front of her mirror, now hanging her hair and chest heavy with jewels, having changed into her clothes when I wasn't playing attention.
"I know," I assured her, holding back another cry as I pressed her tightly to my chest, debating on whether or not I would ever let her go. There were not enough seconds in a day, days in a year, years in a lifetime to be with this perfect little mixture of Zelda and I, to hear her voice, to hold her close.
There was another knock at the door, and Zelda stood to let whoever it was in.
Trailing in behind her, hesitating in the threshold with a crooked grin on his face, was a boy no older than fifteen. His golden hair was mussed handsomely, a windswept look not unlike my own. His defined jaw was peppered with the faintest bit of blonde stubble, an ornate sword slung over his attractive attire; a white tunic with gold trimming that brought out the blue of his eyes, as I noticed when they met mine.
"Morning, Dad." He said nonchalantly, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand, obviously trying very hard to hide the guilt on his face that was present in his eyes. "Sorry I missed dinner last night, Lucy needed help with the foals, they're all such trouble, you know, and I couldn't just leave her there all by herself, so I—"
I smiled, gesturing for him to come inside, speechless for a moment with my consuming rapture. "Don't worry about it," I interrupted him, not bothering to care about who Lucy was or why he felt bad about it. I would not allow him to be upset in my presence. "There was more for us, isn't that right, Genevieve?" I asked, reveling in saying her name as I poked her playfully in the stomach.
"Yes!" She giggled again, her smile stretching wide across her face. "I'm glad you weren't there, Daphnes. I got to eat your dessert all by myself!" she reported gleefully. "Chocolate cake!"
A look of mock horror spread across Daphnes' face as he walked forward, plucking her from my lap and throwing her down on the bed, beginning to tickle her mercilessly. "You'll pay for that!" he shouted, dodging her wild kicks with sure agility.
My heart threatened to explode as I watched the heartwarming sight of my son—my son—playing so wonderfully with my daughter, happy and smiling and laughing.
It was just as she had described all those years ago in Kakiriko; us together and happy, a home and kingdom, a family. Two amazing, beautiful, perfect children. It was paradise, my rapture, my complete, sublime ecstasy. And she was here to share it with me.
Zelda stood, coming to sit behind me on the bed, carefully avoiding the flailing Genevieve as she wrapped her arms around my waist, pressing her lips to my neck. "Get dressed." She murmured. "We're due at breakfast in ten minutes."
Turning my head to reach her, I brought her mouth to mine for a fleeting moment. "I love you," I reminded her again, savoring in being able to say it.
She smiled, grabbing me by the arm and all but dragging me to the door that must be the closet. "I love you, too." She laughed, not even realizing what affect it had on me. "But you still have to get dressed. That is, unless you want to attend court naked."
Looking down, I realized that I was indeed shirtless. It took about half a second for my head to run though every implication I possibly could. Smirking, I turned to her. "I would very well do it." I said as I jumped out of bed, walking over to the closet. "Just imagine how the ladies at court would grovel at my feet."
"I'm sure." She rolled her eyes, turning to the children—our children. "Daphnes. Genevieve. Go change into your day clothes. We're due at breakfast soon."
Their replies were lost as I closed the door to the closet gently behind me, turning around with a small smile on my face—
And there it was.
A black hooded figure, the same as before, with the stench of rotten meat exuding from it, a gnarled, yellowed nail hand reaching out and grabbing my neck.
The same twisted grin was plastered on its face as it lifted me off my feet, cutting off my air.
"SROR RIMEHT KA ERB." It shrieked, its abnormally high voice slicing through my eardrums. "SRUOY EBL LIWS IHTL LAD NAM EHTKA ERB."
I flailed against his grip, clutching his hands to try to get air into my lungs. "No!" I choked, "Let go of me!"
And surprisingly, it did, dropping me with a thump to the hard wooden ground.
"Ti ebos." It whispered, its body fading into a clog of black smoke. "Mors?"
A harsh laughing filled my ears as the smoke flew around my face, choking me even more than the strangle hold did. I couldn't breathe, and my vision was turning black, my perfect world slowly fading as I ran out of air.
My last fleeting thought was to my children.
I love you.
Forgive me.
ox(O)xo
When I awoke, all I registered was the dark.
I was sitting on the ground with my back against what I supposed was a wall, a heavy shackle binding my wrists together, similarly with my ankles. There was a barred window just to my left, up so high that I hadn't even a hope of reaching it, letting in a tiny sliver of moonlight that illuminated a slice of the dirty stones. Otherwise, the monotonous, ordinary cell gave no indication of where—or when—I was.
"Hello?" I called out, and my voice was hoarse, so weak it was barely above a whisper.
No response. Only the dripping of water against the flagstones and the scuttling of rats.
I coughed once in an attempt to clear my throat, trying again. "Is anyone there?" I asked, my voice a bit stronger.
For a moment, nothing. And then, rather suddenly, a pair of eyes appeared outside the heavy bars of my cell, the crimson irises burning fire into me.
"Archer!" I cried out in relief of a familiar person to speak to and question, trying to stand but being weighed down by the shackles. "Why am I here? Can you break me out of these chains?"
The cell door creaked open, his cloaked figure silently padding over to where I sat.
And then abruptly slapped me hard across the face.
I cried out in surprise, the sharp smack echoing eerily in the cell as I saw blinding white stars, my head spinning. "What are you doing?" I demanded. "Archer, I—"
The sound of a blade unsheathing filled my ears, and the cool metal of a dagger was suddenly against my throat.
"Speak one more word and I swear I'll kill you!" hissed a rather feminine voice, much to high to be mistaken for Archer's. It didn't matter that it wasn't his, though. I knew who it was immediately.
"Zel—?!" The dagger pushed insistently against my flesh, choking off the rest of my surprised cry.
"Do you doubt me, Link?" Zelda growled, twisting my name—my real name—into an explicative, disgust apparent in her voice. "Do you not believe I could end your life now before you can stand trial? Do you think me so weak that I won't have your blood on my hands? You are sorely mistaken. I could kill you, I could kill you right now and I would have nothing on my conscience, do you hear me? I have never known a man so despicable, so heartless! You're a monster. A demon. A murderer."
Towards the end, her voice faltered with tears, and the dagger wavered from my throat.
My lips moved on their own accord, my body acting as though I was in a dream, I having no control over anything. It appeared that I was only inside my head to be the observer, someone else the puppeteer controlling the strings.
"Do you wish me to deny it?" I whispered, my head hanging down.
"I wish you to repent!" She cried, slamming her fist against the wall by my head. "Do you not realize tomorrow you will die unless you do so? Not even I can keep you from the rope! The people are in uproar, you tried my life! You know how hard-pressed I was to even secure you a trial? The Sages showed no mercy! Do you understand how much I'm doing for you? DO YOU?!" she shrieked when I didn't respond, hovering on the edge of hysteria.
My mouth twisted into a soft smile. "I understand what you are doing, Princess. What I don't understand is why."
Her eyes began to water as she stared at me in outraged silence, her mouth open like a fish at the use of my affectionate pet name of hers.
"You will address me by my title." She said harshly after she had recovered herself. "I am the sovereign ruler of Hyrule and the master of this country! I am no longer a Princess, and you will treat me as such!"
I shook my head quickly. "You're changing the subject. Why are you helping me?"
Her gaze fell down, and she didn't respond, but I couldn't see what she was doing in the dark.
"I'm going to die tomorrow, Zelda!" I shouted, forgetting about the shackles and trying to throw my hands up in exasperation, nearly breaking my arms. "Please. Answer me this! Why are you helping me after I tried to kill you?! I can't even fathom why you would—"
"Some feelings even the best of us cannot shake off." She said coldly. "There was a time where I loved you, would have done anything to be with you, but that is the past, and I wash my hands of it. Everything that will happen tomorrow is your doing, Link. Your actions will have consequences."
She paused, her eyebrows coming down at the edges, her eyes full of pain and sorrow despite her words of hatred. "Just…know that whatever happens tomorrow will be entirely out of my hands."
I nodded once, staring her dead in the eye. "I know."
"And you will still not repent?" she asked. "Even to save your own life?"
Whoever was speaking for me considered this for a moment, and then, "No."
Whatever she had hoped to see in my face—repentance, love, a plea for forgiveness perhaps—she did not find, and her expression was devastated for a short moment. "So be it." She said in a brisk, detached voice, throwing the dagger at my feet and turning away where I could not see her tears. "Your damnable pride will be your undoing. I cannot save you from yourself."
She shoved the cell door into place, replacing the lock with rough movements. It was only then that I spoke.
"I never asked you to."
Turning back to look at me once, she shook her head, and her eyes met mine for the briefest of instants. Her gaze quickly fell downcast, muttering something quietly before turning on her heel to leave.
"What did you say?" I asked. "I didn't quite catch that."
She whirled to face me, fury in her eyes. "I said, it is a natural thing for people to help those they love. But then I realized you wouldn't know a thing about it."
And with that, she walked down the hallway, and I was alone.
"Zelda!" I called after her, trying to stand to no avail. "ZELDA!"
But she didn't look back.
The scene changed with a swirl of black, and I was in Castle Town square, the eager roar of a crowd pressing against every side.
A young man was being forced up onto a podium, beaten and battered and bloodied, his arms and legs shackled. A black hooded man with a giant axe over his shoulder followed closely behind.
"Sir Link Amex of Hyrule!" shouted the man over the crowd, and with a jolt of shock I realized that indeed, the man on the podium with his neck against the chopping block was me. "Also known as Nox of Noamas or Hyrule, hath been charged with high treason against the throne and attempt at the sovereign ruler Queen Zelda's life. Do you deny these accusations?"
But how was that me if I was here? What kind of future was this? Why was it so opposite to that with Zelda? How did I end up here?
The man on the podium looked up defiantly, meeting every member of the crowd's eyes in one swoop of his head. "I don't." he said in a loud, clear, strong voice.
Expecting this, the executioner continued with a bored voice.
"By order of the Lady thy Queen, you are permitted to speak. What say you, murderer? Have you any last words?"
He bit his lip. "I don't."
"Then kneel, and let us be done with this."
The man that was me touched his forehead and two shoulders in turn, muttering some prayer or another before looking to the sky, getting down on his knees and pressing his neck against the bloodied chopping block. A basket full of hay sat at its base, ready to catch his head.
"By order of the Sacred Three, it is done!" cried out the voice of the executioner with triumph in his voice, and the mob roared its assent.
The axe fell.
The crowd cheered.
And everything went black.
"Sror rimeht ka erb." Something murmured in my ear, the unnatural cool breath of it causing my skin to crawl. "Siht uoyer apsna cidna."
"Stay away from me!" I cried, flinching away from the identical monster, looking for a place to run in the expanse of black but finding nothing.
"Ti ebos." It whispered, its body fading into a clog of black smoke. "Timor?"
I was seized by something else and dragged backwards, and the scene changed yet again, and I was with the Glaive in Kakiriko, our home, standing in the courtyard outside.
One by one, my family walked through the glamour, each carrying a spade, their expressions varying degrees of anger or betrayal.
Baxter and Zenith walked forward, facing me before turning to begin a hole, throwing a shovel of dirt at my feet. "You lied to us." said Baxter, disappointment in his eyes. "We trusted you. We gave you a home, a family, a new life, and you turned your back on us. You are no longer welcome here."
And they left, going through the door to our—their—home and slamming it shut.
Archer followed suit, taking another shovelful of dirt and adding it to their pile, his crimson eyes betrayed. "You were my brother. My best friend. I thought I could trust you with my life. But I was wrong. We all were. You're a liar, a traitor, and a murderer. Never come back."
Little Linden came forward, tears streaming down her face as she took her shovel and continued the hole. "I always wanted to be just like you when I grew up." She cried. "I loved you. You saved me when I was a baby, treated me like I was your sister, your daughter, but you lied to me my entire life. I will never be able to forgive you."
Kassia was crying as Linden was, but she made no move to dig. She only stepped towards me, cupping my cheek with her hand. "All I wanted was the truth." She whispered, then turned to the hole, shoving her spade in.
The ground cracked into a grave-sized hole, the dirt falling into a seemingly bottomless pit that was perfectly my size.
"Goodbye, Nox." said Baxter from behind me, and I jumped, not realizing he had come back outside. "Or should I call you Link?"
And he pushed me in.
I fell hard, headfirst into the expanse of nothing, the wind whistling in my ears, for what seemed like an eternity, the harsh laughing of my former family still audible. It was torture, having everything I had ever done wrong shoved in my face, out for everyone to see. They all left me, abandoned me. I was alone, again.
Something grabbed me, stopping my falling, and I was suspended over the narrow hole of blackness, my feet dangling, unable to find anything of purchase.
""Sror rimeht ka erb." said another one of the black things, its unmoving smile the only thing visible. "Niaga siht reah revenl liwu oydna."
"Just let me fall." I whispered, broken.
And it did.
However, it wasn't done with me. Its voice filled my ears yet again.
"Ante! Emoc!"
Suddenly I wasn't falling anymore, but in Kokiri forest, in the Deku Tree's grove, watching a slight, weathered blonde woman put a blue bundle of blankets at his roots, tears streaming down her face as she tried to staunch the flow of blood from a wound in her abdomen. She collapsed, and the Deku Tree let out a soft sight of sorrow, and—
"Lugeo!"
Abruptly the scene changed, and I was in my bedroom at Amex manor with Kassia, sitting in the loveseat by the fireplace. She curled up to my chest, sighing contently as I wound my fingers in her hair, bringing my mouth to her ear. "I love you," I murmured, kissing her forehead once.
"Post!"
We disappeared in a swirl of black as I was uprooted yet again, another one of the spirits pressing its face to mine. "ROR RIMEHT KE ARB" it screamed.
"NO!" I roared, grasping the spirit by the throat and throwing it away. It hit against something invisible midair, the sound of something shattering reverberating in my ears as shards of it sliced across my face.
All of a sudden I was not in an expanse of nothing, but back in the Vera, the utter silence ringing in my ears. I touched my face once, and I was bleeding, several cuts of varying depth all over my upper body. Turning around slowly, a sense of dread bubbling in my stomach, I realized what I had done.
The mirror was broken. The smile was gone.
So does anyone have any idea where I'm going with this? Can you match up all six of the scenarios that Nox saw with the six things the mirrors show you? First one to do so correctly gets the same prize as the last contest: sneak peak at the almost for sure Zelda's point of view that will be my next, rather short, side project at the very minimum. Keep in mind, though, that Link breaks the last mirror before he can see what's in it, so that last one is your wild card, probably the hardest one to place.
See you next update!