A/N: This is the updated version of chapter 9. I fixed some errors and added more material. I hope it is an improvement.
WARNING: THIS CHAPTER IS VERY DARK. IF YOU FEEL YOU CANNOT HANDLE MATURE (and disturbing) DESCRIPTIONS OF DEATH, DO NOT READ THIS CHAPTER.
Chapter 9
"A Promise of Revenge"
I opened my eyes, and my head began to throb. I put a hand to my forehead, trying to will the pain away, "Link, are you there?"
"Yes," came an equally strained voice from beside me, "And I am okay, but that creature nearly killed us. If it wasn't for Midna we would have died," he paused, "I hope she's okay,"
Midna's high pitched voice rang out, a little weak, "Well, since you two are the 'chosen ones', I decided I should help out a little," a pause, "But I should go now. See you later, hahaha!"
As if on cue, the rocks nestled in the spring began to glow. As the intensity of the brightness increased, the light pooled in the center and a shimmering orb emerged from the water. A mystical voice spoke, "I am Eldin and I am the guardian of these lands. You have dispelled the Twilight, and for that I am eternally grateful. But now is not the time to rest, for forces of evil have begun to gather. You must now travel to the oceanic province of Lanayru. Be wary, young heroes, and do not allow evil to piece your hearts," in a dazzling display of light, the orb of light twinkled out of existence.
Link and I exchanged glances. We turned around and began to search the village for survivors. Or for anything we could use.
"Link, this is," I stopped myself, "I mean was Kakariko village. I had fond memories of this place,"
Indeed I did. Kakariko village was a prosperous place, its trade primarily the production of cuccos and their eggs, and whenever I was passing through the area I was treated like family.
My blood boiled at the state it was in now – who could possibly destroy this beautiful village!?
Link looked worried, "I wonder what happened? Everything is burnt to the ground," he paused and cupped his hands around his mouth, "Hello!" he yelled, "anybody out there?"
No response, save for some crows in the distance.
I follow Link, his sword drawn and at the ready, into the nearest small building with a smokestack out of the side. This was the blacksmith's house. I remembered one frigid night while passing through, I was given shelter in this building and allowed to sleep beside the warm forge. Right now, the forge was in absolute ruins and had started to rust. The furniture was wrecked and strewn throughout the house. The occupants were nowhere to be seen. In fact, we haven't seen a single body. It was odd, considering the carnage this poor village went through.
We exited the house, and went inside the next one. This one was considerably burnt, and was practically a large pile of smoking soot. There was no life here.
House after house, building after building, we searched for survivors. There was none. Not even the inn, which had once served delicious cucco pot pie, was spared. We were inspecting the last house, when I heard Link audibly gasp in horror. I looked to see what had caught his attention, and I immediately regretted it.
Among the scorched remains of the house's support struts, lay a body. Or what was left of it. The body was brutally mutilated, beheaded, and charred almost beyond recognition. I took a closer look.
It was Colin.
Link shook with rage, "I vow that I will avenge your death, Colin. Whomever did this will not go unpunished, I will see to that!" a pause and with a wavering voice, "May the Goddesses rest your soul,"
I never knew Colin too well, yet my heart still went out to him. Link and I weeped. To do this to an innocent child...
With heavy hearts, we spent the rest of the day burying Colin's body. To mark his grave, I carved a dove out of a nearby piece of wood, outlined it with a circle of white flowers, and lay it upon the fresh mound of dirt. We both said prayers to the Goddesses for his soul – he was taken much too soon.
The next day, I awoke with a start to the sound of pounding hooves and a neigh in the distance.
A figure was approaching us. It looked to be a brown horse, with some sort of creature on its back. The horse bucked wildly, attempting to get the creature off. It was successful – the creature attempting to ride the horse flew off of the horse's back and collided with the nearby cliff-face with a sickening crunch of bone. Upon seeing the beast's white mane, Link muttered, "Could it be?"
It was. It was Epona! But it seemed the horse did not recognize Link, because it was running straight towards him, a wild look in its eyes. He rolled to the side, safely dodging out of the way. Epona reared, allowing Link to clamber onto her back. Link made short work of the wild panicked creature, quickly grabbing ahold of its reigns and bringing it back under control. The horse neighed happily at finding her lost owner. I timidly approached the horse and petted it on its nose. Epona...
As Link looked over Epona for any wounds, I noted her saddle. It wasn't big enough for two people, so one of us would have to walk. I relayed this information to Link, and he shook his head, "No question, then Terra. You're going to ride her, and I'll walk,"
I balked at this. I hadn't ridden in a long time, and I was not confident I could control her. An injury could prove catastrophic because there are not any doctors this far west. It took some convincing on my part but finally Link relented. He would ride Epona and I would walk.
"So, what's our next move?" Link asked, his voice tired. I put a finger to my chin and replied, "The Spirit Eldin said we have to head towards the ocean. There are two paths we can take. We can cut through the Capital, which will save us at least four days of travelling time, or we could go north," I paused and scratched the back of my neck, "I would prefer if we could cut through the Capital. Going north would be very troublesome and dangerous," I added, "We'd have to cross the western Hyrule Field, make it across Eldin Bridge, somehow survive the narrow chasm that is frequented by bandits, cross a small desert, and climb a mountain, in order to reach the ocean,"
He whistled, seemingly impressed, "Wow. Let's cut through the Capital then, shall we?"
I nodded in agreement, and started towards the northern entrance to the village. I looked up at the morning sky and sighed. It was going to be a long and dangerous hike, either way. Link mounted Epona, and withdrew his sword, trotting until he was at pace with me. I took out my bow, just in case.
Just then, I heard a low cackle on the wind. Something was following us.
I readied an arrow, eyes scanning for my target. But there was nothing. Link and I exchanged glances, were we both hearing things?
An oblong pitch black shadow hurled itself forth from a burnt out cart, hovering just above the ground. It spoke in a low hissing voice, "I am impressed, young ones. You have managed to destroy two of my pets. But no matter," I release my arrow, yet it had no effect, going through the shadow as if it was only air. The shadow chuckled, seemingly amused, "I commend your bravery, girl, but I cannot be harmed by mere mortal weapons. As for the weak creature resting within your shadow, boy," I assumed it was talking about Midna, "It is merely a pest, an annoyance. It lacks the strength to freely travel within the world of light," a pause, "You think you can challenge the likes of me? I'd like to see you try!"
With that, the shadow dissipated, its eerie laughter echoing throughout the burnt village.
Original A/N: And that's a wrap. See you next time, folks!
(Maybe I should change the rating to 'Mature'...)