"Aria? But.. you were dead."
"We thought you were dead!"
"Quick someone call Koume and Kotake!"
And then she was engulfed by hugs. They yelled and cried, and she was passed around like a party favor, each person she'd spent even an inkling of time with had to hug her, some she had yet to properly meet yet. Faruin punched her arm, blushing, then hugged her before Aria was dragged to the great hall by Nabooru. Koume and Kotake were being lead out of their quarters, looking dead tired. They gaped in shock as Aria came before them.
"What sorcery-"
"-magic-"
"-trickery-
"It's neither of those things. I live. It's not magic, it's not an illusion. I survived the fall."
"How?"
"That, I don't know. I do know that I drifted in the river for a good while. I woke up in a small forest town, and the people took care of me- got me back on my feet, and helped me get home after I healed."
"We found…"
"Bones. Clothing.."
"A lot of my stuff disappeared into the waters I guess. I didn't have much on me- but I helped around town a bit, earned some money before I came home. But, nevermind all that. Where's my mentor?"
"Mentor? We're?"
"I mean, where is King Ganondorf?"
"He is.. The war.."
"He's still out fighting the other kingdom?"
"No. I think you better sit down for this," Koume nodded to the seat, and Aria followed suit.
"Koume, Kotake, she won the tournament! She could save-"
"Nabooru. Return to the tournament, hand out prizes. We'll deal with that later."
"But… as you wish, my liege." Nabooru bowed her head, turned on her heel and left the room.
"Ganondorf?"
"He was caught up in the fight against the kingdom.. They brought very strong mages. He was captured"
"They changed him."
"Then they set him upon his own troops."
"We had to catch him."
"Took him to the Spirit Temple."
"He's in chains. Doesn't recognize his own mothers. His own people."
"It's very strong magic."
"He's lost his mind."
"Where is the Spirit temple?" Aria stared down the floating twins.
"It's across the wasteland. W-"
"We have a map."
"Don't do anything stupid." Koume handed her the map.
Aria smiled. "Too late." She grabbed the map and walked out of the room, the twins staring after her.
"You're leaving already?"
"You can't go! You just got here.!"
"I have to. I need to find King Ganondorf."
"We'll take you there. We won't go in, but we'll take you there."
"Now."
"If that's what you wish, though I'm not sure what you'll do when you get there, but it's worth a try." They packed up their horses. Titan huffed, but allowed himself to be tacked and mounted once more. It was sunset by the time they left, Nabooru leading the way, Aveil riding to the right of Aria. The horses trudged in the darkness, ignoring the glowing lanterns of the poes cackling in the distance.
Aria wavered in her seat for a bit, before slumping over, her head resting on Aveil's shoulder. The older woman didn't mind a bit, patting Aria's back fondly. The cold desert night wind whipped at their faces, keeping the older ladies awake for the most part. They reached a dried up oasis at the edge of a large carved mountain- which Aria realized was the entrance to the Spirit temple.
"Wish me luck."
"Good luck. You'll need it." Aria nodded before striding through the doors. She followed the large pools of blood on the ground- slightly dried.
"Ganondorf?:
A shadow emerged from the side of the room. It was gigantic, and angry. The large canine creature lunged for her and Aria raced away from the giant beast- only realizing that it was chained. Golden and red mixed eyes stared at her, drool dripping from the black maw.
"What is this?" The canine growled once more, creeping towards her, straining against its boundaries. It couldn't quite reach her, giving her the opportunity to look at the growling slobbering beast. He looked starved, a hint of his spine showing, his ribs gaunt. He lunged towards her, the chains rattling and she could hear the sound of something splintering. The fur around his neck was clumped together from blood. Some of it was fresh.
Nabooru came in.
"He's been like this for months. Two after we thought you dead."
"He?"
"That is Ganondorf."
Aria stared a good hard minute at him before blinking. The vision around her changed. This place was bright, sacred even. It glowed like the moon and sparkled like the stars on a moonless night. Where the beast stood… the magic was terrifying. Shadows and power were corrupted. His normally neat and intricate words of arcane were twisted and balled together. Chains of arcane were tied to the beast. A few of them had been ripped.
"He.. He's…"
"Is he saveable? Or would it be better to mercy kill him?" the beast lunged at Nabooru, as if knowing exactly what she was saying.
"No. We can fix this. I can see the problem. I just.. I need… have you heard of the Cave of Ordeals?"
"Yeah. It's not far from here, but its long since been abandoned. How is that going to help is fix our king?"
"Just trust me."
"Alright. I'll show you the way. Come on." The left the gruesome snarling beast, meeting Aveil outside the temple. She asked the same questions as Nabooru, but Aria shrugged and said that the Cave of Ordeals could be her only hope at getting answers.
"Has he eaten?"
"Soldiers that tried to take over the temple, but other than that- no. The mages that cursed him, they didn't know what they were doing or something- instead of controlling him, they turned him into a mindless, willful beast that killed and ate everything in sight. Killing, being the priority. Including them."
"So the mages are dead then, and the curse they put upon him didn't disintegrate."
"Yeah."
"That must have been some of the broken links. It's hooked onto his own magic and he is his own enemy in this situation."
"Koume and Kotake-"
"- aren't more powerful than their son. They know a good bit of magic, but not enough in the right areas."
"Oh? You think you're more powerful than those two?"
"No. Just different. Not all magic is the same. It's like.. Fighting. You can't duplicate an individual's exact form and movement- nor their experiences in life, what makes them the fighter that they are- though you can know the same fighting moves."
"So what does that make Koume and Kotake?"
"Masters in Ice and Fire, experienced enough to start others in subjects they don't have mastered, like shadows, nature, rock."
'And our king?"
"Powerful. He's so… he's so powerful, and he knows the shadows so well that they just cling to him naturally. He knows a bit of water and everything… except plant and life. He doesn't... He can't touch life magic and light."
"So.. you could bring someone back to life?"
"What? No. Life magic is more like.. Like healing. You can't just make someone come back to life, but if they're near death- you can keep them holding on long enough for actual help to come. It's.. a bit complicated- and life isn't something I've messed with before. It's dangerous."
"So what can we do?"
" Feed him for one. Monster meat, cow, anything you can toss at him. The less hungry the closer we can get to him."
"Looks like he'll eat a lot."
" I guess there are a lot of monster needing to be killed then. Try to get the rest of the tribe in on it."
They had arrived at the Cave of Ordeals.
"Only one person can enter it at a time. Here, this will get you in." Nabooru handed her an odd red pendant that Aria fastened to her belt.
"Be careful."
"I will, just start the hunt for food for the king while I'm gone." Aria left hearing Aveil's voice echo behind her as the odd glowing barrier allowed her through.
"Why does it feel like we're sending her to her death?"
Aria left them behind, going to the first 'room'. It was a single bokoblin that had yet to notice her. She slammed down on it from above, and it poofed away- as though it were an illusion. The second room was filled with keeses, flying hook-tailed pests that zeroed in on her within moments. One caught her on the shoulder and she winced, slamming her staff into one just before it could get her. It disappeared in a poof just like the bokoblin.
Every room was the same, there was a small cliff in which she could sort of see what enemies she would be facing, usually some pest. Bokoblins, skulltas, rodents, keese, torch slugs, all the way to overly aggressive Lizalfos.
It wasn't that difficult.
The tenth room she came upon held a fountain, glowing pink fairies swirled around in the water. One flew over to her, pressing into her skin- filling her with an odd sort of comforting warmth. The aching pain in her shoulder where the keese had hit her had suddenly dissolved into nothing. The swirling fairies circled her for a few moments before disappearing into water of the fountain.
There was no voice, no real encouragement to go on further. She frowned, looking around. Wasn't this the safe place, the end of the road? Was she meant to bring the large canine-esque creature that was Ganondorf here?
Before her was another door. Well, she had no way to go back, so she stretched as best she could and entered the next room. More beasts, more enemies that just got larger and larger. Eventually it was no longer her going to a cliff to figure out her opponents. Sometimes her foes dropped from the ceiling. Or like the Iron Knuckles they stalked the room before they spotted her- sometimes they spotted her before the door finished opening. Those were probably the worst moments in going through the doors, she'd have to somehow make the floor slick with ice, knowing armor didn't have very good traction, or it'd be a lot of ducking and sliding through various types of floor- usually stone or sand- from very heavy weapons that were swung around as if one was twirling an arrow between their fingers.
The iron knuckles scared her the most. Sure bokoblins, odd statues that came to life and tried to trample you down if you got too close, and giant hands that tried to grab you and put you who-knows-where, were all enemies that weren't to be easily trifled with, but it was just something about the iron knuckles… It was like they were more than just spirits in armor- each one was different, and individual person in a suit and they all fought so much like the gerudo. So very much like the people she'd been viewing as her family. At one point an iron knuckle had almost gotten her, Aria ducking just out of reach when the giant axe came swinging towards her head. She could've sworn she'd seen a bit of red hair falling through one of the slits in the armor.
Aria had lost count of how many doors she went through. The next room was empty. There were no fountains, no monsters, no statues. She tapped each wall, checked each torch. Aria pressed her aura outwards- as if the energy would tell her something was close.
All was quiet.
"What is this Bombskit shit?" She cursed, flopping on the ground. Her muscles ached, her clothes were torn. Sweat covered her skin to the point it looked like she'd just taken a dip in Hylia lake. Aria huffed, dropping her staff and falling to her knees.
"You told me to come here when I was ready. I beat your trials. I've gone the distance."
Silence. She couldn't even hear the persistent howling of the desert wind anymore. Aria punched the dirt, tears streaming down her cheeks. She hiccuped softly, trying to stave off the unhelpful sobbing. Crying would get them nowhere, but what was she doing wrong? Where was she to go. How was she supposed to save the man she…cared for.
"Can't anyone fix this? Please? Help us."
A soft white light filtered in from above. A small fleck of it landed on her skin, warm and cold at the same time. It melted into her skin, like fire burning paper from below, the edges expanded- edges glowing bright and spreading across her skin, leaving a trail of light.
Aria looked up, a fleck touching her nose. It spread all over her face, and for a moment her eyes hurt as she tried to stare at the light above.
i You have done well, Traveler. Your cry for help has not gone unheard. I am the great fairy."/i A woman floated down towards her. She had very vibrant pink hair and equally vibrant lavender eyes. Her outfit seemed to mostly be made up of leaves, covering but not concealing. Her wings were wide and translucent.
"Can't you help them? Fix him?"
"The King Ganondorf has been consumed by darkness, has refused the light in itself."
"That doesn't answer my question," Aria snarled at the ethereal being before her.
"No, it does not. You have been strong and brave- well beyond what was expected of you, but will it be enough?" The pink haired woman giggled, floating above Aria.
"I need to be enough."
The fairy frowned, peering down at her. "I did not say you weren't. I did not say you were. I'm not quite sure that you're ready for this."
"I need… I want to be ready for this. I want to save him."
"If it was his life for yours, would you still save him?"
"Yes."
"You would take his place in chains, knowing that his people could ignore you so much easier than him. They can live without you, so easily forget you for dead."
"If it would save him."
"You are a fool. Brave, but still a fool. He is destined for great change."
"Change isn't bad."
"Change isn't always good either."
"Sometimes change is needed to thrive, to save lives."
The great fairy regarded her silently, twirling in the air.
"He must recognize you. Your key to 'saving" that ibeast/i is to have him know who you are. When it is 'safe' to touch him… you must reach into his aura and unravel the chains of darkness- replace it with something of yours."
"I understand."
"I don't believe you quite do, but that is a discussion for another time. Someone has brought you here to be blessed, and so you shall be."
"Someone? Who? Who gave me those dreams? The visions?"
"Of that, I am not allowed to answer."
"Allowed?"
"No matter. I bless you with an enhancement to your current abilities. May you always have the stamina to look beyond the chains of magic and wisdom to look into one's heart. I pray your choices to not change the world for worse." With that the fairy spun and disappeared into the ray of light.
A door that previously hadn't been there opened up. Aria grabbed her staff and blindly walked into the light. She was back in the sandy desert, alone. Well, not entirely alone. Titan trotted over to her, the bay stallion bending his head to snuffle at her side. She patted his head, rubbing the horse's black tipped ears. It was almost dark and monsters would be out. The fortress would be too far off. Aria lifted herself into the saddle.
"Be swift, darkness will be upon us soon." She nudged Titan who took off towards the spirit temple. The beasts of the night were beginning to make noise as the sun's final rays disappeared beneath the horizon when they reached the temple. Aria lead the horse into the temple- though there was probably once a place for horses to go, she took him into the main entrance, where she sealed the door behind them after lighting the braziers.
Titan snorted wildly, upon hearing the thundering growl of the black beast in the other room.
"Shh.. it's okay. Just rest, big boy." She ran her hands through his coarse hair, before setting the tack on a railing.
Aria made her way into the room that held the former gerudo king. The beast lunged at her, snarling. She almost took a step back, listening to the walls groan under the weight of the beast's chained body.
"What a mess you've gotten into." She mumbled softly, sitting down outside the reach of the large beast. It took a few hours before she could fall asleep to the sounds of the barking and growling, but somehow she did it. Despite the tainted form, he still had the same aura, that comforting power that could only be described as Ganondorf.
It was some hours before dawn when Aria woke up to something. It was quiet.
It was quiet.
She half-jerked forward, opening her eyes wide. The black and red beast that was Ganondorf laid on the ground, fast asleep. He wouldn't be asleep for long, so Aria snuck away, out of the temple and into the darkness.
She returned just before daylight, Titan in tow. Several chopped up monsters were swung on the stallion's back, mostly Moldorms, Leevers, and the pig-like Bullbos. She carefully set out the meat- some of it to dry in the heat of the sun and then a few she roasted over one of braziers.
The beast was drooling when she came in to see it. She supposed she couldn't have expected him to be 'tame' at just the smell or sight of food. Instead the beast tried even harder to lunge at her. She sighed and sat back down in her corner, waiting with the steaming meat- still too hot to eat, too hot to carry- she had it wrapped up in a thick cloth.
The hunk of meat sat on her lap for a long while. The beast had stopped lunging, but was instead pacing, huffing and growling. Whenever she would make eye contact, he would snap his jaws at her.
"You are ridiculous Ganondorf. For once, why can't you.." Aria huffed. The beast tilted it's head when she talked.
"You and your damn pride. You just had to leave without talking to me. You couldn't just.. We had one argument. One. You just. You are so ridiculous." She glared at him. He was silent, head tilted as he stared at her. Abruptly she tossed the meat in his direction. His golden eyes widened and he pounced on it, instantly ripping into the meat. It was hardly a few mouthfuls. He turned back to her, snarling. She sat back down, huffing. She would wait for his slobbering- starve-addled antis to calm down before she gave him another large chunk of meat. She couldn't just toss huge portions of food at him. That would only encourage him to demand or try to 'scare' the food away from her, and he'd get sick from overeating.
This went on for several days. She spoke to him, sometimes she even would sing softly as she tossed chunks of meat to him. It was a long process. Most nights she would go out hunting for the food, but then members of the gerudo began to show up with meat- mostly from monsters.
He always reacted poorly to seeing the others. A few would have to stifle their cries of fear, but all of them left rather quickly. Only Nabooru and Aviel were willing to stand there and allow him to have his tantrum at them.
"He's getting stronger with the food. I'm not sure how you're keeping him watered though.."
"I took down one of braziers, cleaned it up, and I've been manipulating the water to fill it. I got it close enough for him to drink out of when he was sleeping before I filled it."
"Wow, talk about miracles." Aviel rubbed the back of her neck staring at Ganondorf who strained against his bonds.
"What are you going to do though, when he's strong enough to tear down the walls? He's still a vicious monster right now." Ganondorf howled in rage at that and Aria was sure she heard the pillar crack.
"He's not himself, but that doesn't make him a monster. I'll figure it out. There's a cure, I know it- but it's going to take time."
"I'm not sure we have time."
"We have to make it then. I can't rush his trust. I can't rush the magic to heal him, or force him to trust me."
"I know… I just hope it isn't too late for him."
"Me too."