Hello everybody! First off, let me say that I'm sorry for having made you all wait over a month and a half for an update to this story. There's a very good reason for that. I'm taking three English courses this quarter in college, and I need them to complete my major. For those of you who go to college for English, you'll understand what I have to go through. For those who don't, these upper division classes demand a lot of writing from me. I've been having to write one-page essays on what we've read in a week along with examining the text to come up with "educational" questions for class discussions. Then there's one class where I have to write two stories, both of them seven to fifteen pages double spaced, and that is not as easy as it sounds since I'm only allowed to write literary fiction. In essence, it means no genre fiction such as fantasy, romance, sci-fi, etc.
But yeah, that's enough of my rant on my crazy classes. Because of that hiatus I took, this chapter might not be as up-to-par as what my other chapters have been. Still, this also does kind of serve as a time skip. So yeah... Sorry, it's literally three in the morning for me here and I'm not really thinking all that straight and whatnot. So I'll just get through the review comments and be done with this. Please don't forget to leave a review before moving on to the next story you want to read.
And just as a small note, I notice that there might be some confusion as to the proper pronunciation for Gimari's name. Like I said last chapter, his name sounds just like Khimari from Final Fantasy X. However, the G is silent. It sounds like the G in "Gippal", another character from Final Fantasy X-2, rather than "Genius". I hope that clears up some confusion.
Skittycreamstar: Thanks for your review! Yes, we have a sheikah warrior here to help train Link in the way of the sword. Hopefully, he should be able to handle himself a lot better if he should run into Gimari again.
OrangeStreakedStar: Yes, I tried to make that chapter interesting. After all the action and leading up to the battle, I thought it'd be fair to now give a lot more backstory into the plot. I hope it ended up going well, although I'm sure it did since you reviewed for me. Thanks for your support, and I hope I'll continue to earn it.
YaOfMa: To be honest, I did notice that when I came up with the name. But like I said, I was on a Final Fantasy X high at the time and just had to use the name when I came up with it. And yes, Malon and her father moved out of Faron Village the day before all hell broke loose. They're pretty much safe for the most part, but I'm not sure if or where I can implement her into the story again.
Like I've said a few times before, I'm writing this story blind. I have no idea what's going to happen except for the ending, and we're just starting to get into the middle section of the middle story. So I'm not making any promises in bringing her back, but I will write the events as they form in my head. And thanks again for your review and support.
Arianna007: Thanks for your review. You reviewed twice since my last update, so I'll try to respond to everything you said. I'm glad to hear that my writing was able to capture your attention from the beginning. To be honest, it was something new for me when I started things out with a bit of drama. I'm glad it worked the way it should for at least you. With Link being a farmer, I believed it was at least hinted at in Twilight Princess. He lived in a small village where most of the land was dedicated to farming and raising animals. That's where I got my inspiration for his character lifestyle.
With your feelings about Connor, I'm actually glad that you said you hated him before he grew on you. As a writer, it's good to hear that I managed to change your opinion on a character after a few chapters. That's not easy to do; it's especially hard if it's done intentionally. That fight scene was a pretty hard scene to write out because of the action needed to capture the image. I'm glad it worked out in the end for you and most everyone else.
I understand that some parts tend to get boring. To be honest, explanation portions do tend to be boring. especially when the story is based on a game that's known for action and whatnot. At the same time, the story was still in the beginning stages where explanations were necessary. However, I'm sure there will be a slight increase in action now that we've reached the midpoint of this story. So please hold out until the next action scene. And I promise it's not going to take another ten chapters for a fight.
And about the whole "dispose of Link" stuff, that's mainly coming from Xagrun. He's already been sassed by Link during the extortion and made him look like a fool when burning down the farm. Put into account that Link's the third piece of the Triforce that he can't really use yet until having all the other items with him and he's pretty peeved off. That's why his mind's always on killing Link, although he's thinking more of doing it after the ritual than before. I hope that clears up any confusion on that.
And don't worry about your review being a novel. It just means that my story has left you with a lot to say. I like that, so thanks again for it.
Chapter 11: Living the Hard Life
About a month had passed since Xagrun transformed Faron Village into the Faron Prison Camp. Using it as an example of the lengths he would go against those that spoke against him, all of the towns in Hyrule begrudgingly bent to his will. The citizens did everything the usurper king demanded of them out of fear of retribution. For those few people who fought back and were caught, they were instantly thrown into the prison camp.
Before long, the camp was overflowing with prisoners. However, it was not so much that a lot of people were being brought in more than the prison boundaries shrunk down. The space for the prisoners to live and work were greatly reduced in exchange for enlarging the stations and rest areas for the guards. Most of these decisions were decided on by the prison warden rather than by Xagrun himself. Still, it was clear that the king gave the warden full discretion to do whatever he saw fit to the land.
For Princess Zelda, she made it a daily routine to walk through the prison and examine the conditions. As much as it broke her heart to see the people suffer, she knew that her presence was the best she could do to restore some sense of morale. Most prisoners dared to even look at her when she passed by, and the prison guards shamelessly flaunted their power and frustrations against those who were distracted.
But despite all this, things could have been a lot worse were she not there to see all that was happening with her own eyes. Because she was still Hyrule's princess as well as Xagrun's wife, she used it to her advantage. The guards clearly revered the king's authority over hers, so her royal standing held little merit. Instead, she would often resort to threats when trying to make the warden see things her way. The threats often included how the guards under the warden's watch would openly suggest to cause harm upon her. She knew that Xagrun wanted the power of her Triforce of Wisdom and that the warden would rather not be on the king's bad side. As such, many of her minor suggestions of change to the betterment of prison conditions were accepted much to the prisoners' delight and the guards' chagrin.
Zelda continued on with her daily visits to the Faron Prison Camp even as the month came to an end. Currently, she was on a balcony in Hyrule Castle looking out at the horizon after having returned from her latest trip. She had overheard on her way back that the king was currently drafting a bill requiring the village's to pay an obscene land tax in order for the people to maintain ownership. This was one of many bills that have been passed through Xagrun's powers alone; the council had since snapped out of the spell of complacency that was over them but were now under constant threats of death should they fail to agree with the tyrant king's views. Clearly, dark times had fallen over Hyrule.
"…Pardon me, Your Highness," Impa announced her presence as she approached Zelda. She was dressed in simple clothes today, a dark blue shirt with an ominous white eye on the front and a pair of blue shorts. While not looking to be proper attire for a woman of any social class, the muscles that it allowed the world to see showed she was nowhere near being a frail little lady in need of an escort. "Might I suggest you come in now? The Sheikah are waiting for your next command. That and the afternoon heat is beginning to set in."
"Thank you for your concern, Impa," Zelda replied as she kept her eyes trained over the horizon. "I'll be fine. However, I'll take it that the preparations for Xagrun's imminent arrival at Kakariko Village have been completed?"
"Yes, they were able to make the necessary preparations without crossing the Gorons. From what my men told me, they don't seem too concerned about Hyrule's current problems affecting their livelihood. So long as they can continue their mining operations, I doubt they would involve themselves too much."
"I'm not surprised to hear that," the princess sighed. "They have always been stubborn on wanting to concern themselves with outside matters. Still, I'm sure they will not continue to sit idly by when the king decides to spread his corruption into the mining treaty that is the basis for Kakariko's existence. I'm sure they'll be more receptive to the idea of lending their aid in helping me reclaim the kingdom."
"By that time, it'll be too late," the woman explained. "Being how notoriously stubborn they can be, the Gorons will be too over their heads with problems when Xagrun comes to them. Wanting to help us would be the least of their concerns then. However, we've done all we could without infringing on any of the village's laws.
"Oh, I've also managed to obtain a message from Gimari regarding Link's training," Impa quickly added. Zelda seemed more attentive upon hearing this. "According to him, the boy has become well-versed with the sword at a rather fast pace. His desire to reclaim Faron Village and restore Hyrule back to its former glory seems to drive his want to quickly master his training. At this rate, it shouldn't be too long before he'll be recognized by the Sheikah as a warrior befitting the royal guard."
"Then he's also on his way to becoming the fabled Hero of Time. Did Gimari say how much longer it will be before he can attempt to overthrow Xagrun?"
"He didn't say, but I know him. That pitch of praise that was in his voice when he spoke of Link is indicative of the pace of their training. I would assume that they will join up with the rest of the Sheikah warriors by the week's end to retake this castle."
"That's good to hear. Soon, the people of Hyrule will fear Xagrun's rule no more. I know that the past month has been tough for them, but I pray that they can hold out for just a little longer."
"If I may, Your Highness; I still don't understand how you managed to keep all this hidden from Xagrun," Impa stated. "From what I understand, he has been under the pretense this whole time that Link is being held in Faron Village. How were you able to keep this deception up for so long?"
"It wasn't too hard, especially since he never visited the prison once himself," Zelda explained. "He merely told the warden to keep watch over a certain farm boy with blond hair. Being that it was a rather vague description, I confused the warden by pointing out to him a young man with that exact look. The fact that I have been bombarding him with constant plans of reform only served to distract him from the truth. So long as the warden thinks the man is Link, he will continue to report as such to Xagrun. And thankfully, there has been no signs of exceptional mistreatment from this."
"So you were playing with the fact that he is too absorbed into his own thoughts that he could care less about anything else. That's a rather risky move to make, but it seems to have worked so far. But what will you do should he find out that Link hasn't been in the Faron Prison Camp this whole time?"
"From what you told me about his training, I doubt that it would be much of a problem. It would merely speed along the pace of our plans, is all. However, I must admit that I do fear how he may respond to being made a fool of," the princess added with a hint of worry lacing her tone. "He's already proven his violent capabilities, and I doubt he would exercise the restraint he currently has with me upon discovery of this."
"And I'm sure he'll continue to act with some semblance of courtesy. But should things get out of hand, allow for me to be your shield. I will protect you from whatever harm might come your way. This I promise you, Your Highness!" Impa stated with a small bow.
"I pray it won't come to that," Zelda murmured so lowly that the words barely left her lips. A second later, she turned around and began making her way back into the castle. "Let's go, Impa. I want to make sure that the Sheikah stationed in and near Hyrule Castle know of the plan when Link and Gimari arrive to reclaim this land."
Without saying anything, the other woman followed closely behind the princess.
-Meanwhile-
For the month since Faron Village ceased to be, Link and Connor stayed in hiding under Gimari's watchful eye. They were secluded from everyday life in the hills near Kakariko Village with only their caretaker taking occasional leave for supplies. Only the incoming news he would bring along with the supplies served as their connection with the outside world.
During this time of seclusion, the brothers' self-appointed guardian made it his duty to teach Link everything he knew about the sword and ways of the Hero of Time. The days were long and the training arduous, most of them often ending in bruises and fatigue on the blonde's end. Training always started at the crack of dawn and ended when the sun set; breaks in-between were minimal and only a few minutes at best. Link simply took it all in stride and absorbed as much knowledge as he could.
For Connor, he mainly played the role of chore boy. Gimari had placed him in charge of the general upkeep of their camp. That meant the gathering of firewood and the preparation of the dinner fire amongst other things. Both he and Link would help whenever time permitted it, but the young teen was usually left to do things himself. He often complained about being the one to do all the heavy lifting, but it always failed to get him out of chores.
It was not until the third week did things start to change around a bit. After enduring many days of repetitive complaints, some of which also came from Link, the Sheikah warrior decided to do something different. He allowed Connor to take part in the sword training. To his surprise, this move proved fruitful upon seeing the young teen's rough yet powerful form at work.
Since then, the brothers trained alongside one another yet learned their sets differently. Link absorbed Gimari's fighting style and took into consideration as much he could about the small details. Connor was different in that he often took what he just learned and put it through an improvised bout, his moves always different from before. Yet even though the Sheikah warrior was miffed about the younger's seemingly random tactics, he was forced to admit that the brothers' individual styles complimented each other. Because of that, he would often pit them in sparring exercises either against each other or both against him.
Currently, he had the two fighting against him in an open field along the outskirts of their forest camp. The sun was just starting to set and bathed the land in a pleasant golden red glow. There were no signs of life for miles around, the only sounds breaking the peaceful silence being the grunts and clashing of metal.
"Come on, boys; you can do better than that!" Gimari chided. He had just parried Link's blade and dodged Connor's with little effort. "You'd both be dead if I were the enemy."
"So says the man who's been torturing us with nonstop training," Connor groaned as he took a faux swing at the man's ribs before redirecting it to his neck. The Sheikah warrior merely parried the strike and countered with a punch.
"Your style's too wild, and you telegraph your moves. Learn to relax so as to keep your opponent guessing what your next move is."
Suddenly, Link stood in front of his brother and swung at Gimari with a strong swing. The man quickly stepped backwards and gave the blond both the time and space to help his little brother up. With both now on their feet, the two approached the warrior and took turns attacking him. Even with their combined efforts, their instructor blocked their attacks with little effort even when they combined their strikes.
"You work very well together, but you're both still stiff." The man then blocked Link's attack and pushed his blade towards Connor. This caused the blond to stumble into his little brother, and they both crashed to the floor. "Fighting together is good, but try to avoid moves that can cause you to be thrown into each other. The last thing you want is to accidentally kill someone with your swords."
"Oh, come on!" the young teen growled. "How are you so good? You shouldn't be able to take on two guys at once."
"It's the result from years of practice, Connor. If needed, I could easily take on an army of men. If you committed more time to refining your skills, then perhaps you'd be better than you are now."
"If you gave me more time to learn instead of bombarding me with chores, then maybe I can get more practice in."
"Chores beget responsibility. From responsibility comes the diligence to continually be properly practicing your swordsmanship. But apart from that, you're the only one who has too much time to burn," Gimari added. A hint of sarcasm clearly reverberated in his tone. "One of us here needs to at least make sure we have the basic essentials for comfort. And who better suited out of the three of us to do it than you?"
"If that's supposed to be a compliment, then shove it. Why don't you try doing picking firewood every day and trek to the river every few days for laundry? It gets tiring, and I'm tired of having to do practically everything by myself. Do you know how many times I've tripped on a rock out here? It's not even funny anymore!"
"You just need to learn to pay attention and have proper footing, something that you also coincidentally need to learn with the sword. And I'm not doing most of the chores because I'm busy training your brother to be man suited to become the Hero of Time. I don't know if you've realize it, but this job is a full-time commitment; it's especially so under the circumstances we're in. I only agreed to let you learn alongside Link after having been forced to incessantly childish tantrums. I'm amazed you weren't killed when you were captured by Xagrun."
"Why you…!"
"Alright, you two; stop arguing!" Link quickly intervened. He had been watching the exchange unfold and put a stop to it before it escalated any further. "Look, we're all stressed out from everything that's been happening. Add to it that we've been training like crazy and we're all irritable. Let's just drop the subject and take a break."
"Fine!" With an irritated sigh, Connor took his sword and went back to their forest camp. Gimari merely stood his ground and examined his sword for damage.
"…Do you really have to be that tough on him?" the blond asked once his little brother was out of earshot. "I know he's the one with the most time to do things, but I can see where he's coming from. Aren't you making him do too much around the camp?"
"I know that I am, but he's the only one with the energy to spare," the Sheikah warrior explained. "Between my recon trips to Kakariko Village and training you to be the Hero of Time, I've no time to spare on simple comforts. And I know I've been working you like a dog, so you're in no shape to be helping out.
"However, I do have good reasons for treating your brother this way," he continued as he sheathed his sword. "I'm sure you'll agree with me that his attitude's quite childish. I'm hoping to offset that by giving him tasks that raises one's sense of responsibility. It hasn't worked as well as I'd hoped seeing as how he's still the same as a month ago."
"Yeah, trust me when I say that Connor isn't easy to change. I guess being forced to run away from home still isn't enough to temper his attitude. Of course, I wouldn't have it any other way. I kind of prefer him to be the same as he usually is, somewhat irresponsible and wanting to swing sticks like a sword. And speaking of which, you really surprised me when you said you were going to let him train alongside me."
"Like I said earlier, I only did so to stop his whining. I'd rather suffer trying to train the two of you at the same time than to endure another minute of his incessant begging. But at the same time, I admit it does prove beneficial in that I can train your brother so that he can act as your guardian in battle. He won't prove to be too much of a liability when battle comes around, and he'll be able to keep you safe to some degree."
At this comment, Link fell silent. He knew that Xagrun was still doing everything he could to obtain the Triforce. Since the Triforce of Courage was with him, the tyrant king was clearly not stopping his search anytime soon. Thankfully, their hidden forest camp had yet to be discovered and that Kakariko Village nearby had yet to be occupied. Still, it was only a matter of time until their luck ran out. Gimari had been drilling into the teen's head sword skills and magic techniques the entire time in preparation for an inevitable fight.
"Well, it's about time I went on another reconnaissance," Gimari broke the silence after looking at the sky. "The sun's just about to set. I need to go to Kakariko Village and see if my comrades have heard of anything new. The last thing we need is for Xagrun's men to make a move without us knowing about it. If at all possible, I'd rather that we be the ones to make the first move to avoid a last-minute scramble."
"Can I ask you something before you go?" Link asked. The man did not turn around but instead turned his head a bit in acknowledgement. "If there are other Sheikah warriors out there, why are you the only one training me?"
"Because Princess Zelda personally asked for me to take the task. From it, we both agreed that only I would train you. That way, there will only be one person who knows where you are hiding."
"But if you're captured, then how am I supposed to know when I'm to make my move? You're the only connection to the princess that I have."
"Should I be captured, that will be sign enough that you must make your move. Xagrun has ways of making even the most stubborn of people talk, and he won't hesitate to exercise those practices on anyone save the princess. If it comes a time that I don't return, then take it as a sign to infiltrate Hyrule Castle. Now if that's all, I really need to get going," the swordsman concluded as he began walking away. "I'll be back within a couple hours. We'll work on the magic then, so practice it while I'm gone."
Without another word, Gimari quickly disappeared down the hill towards Kakariko Village. Link continued to look at the fiery horizon a while longer before returning back to the forest camp they called home the past month.
Am I really ready to storm the castle when the time comes? he wondered. I know he's been drilling me nonstop since I got better. I definitely know more about battle and have better control over a sword. I still have trouble trying to summon magic into my sword, but I doubt it'd be enough even if I mastered it.
"It's about time you came back, Link!" Connor shouted, his voice effectively tearing Link from his thoughts. He had arrived at their camp and saw his little brother crouched by a pot that was simmering away over a fire. "I was starting to think you got lost or something."
"I was just talking to Gimari about a couple things. Sorry if I made you worry." The blond had put down his sword and took a seat on a nearby log. "Try not to let him get to you, Connor. You know he's just doing what he thinks is best for you."
"Yeah, risking my neck every day in the damned forest to collect firewood and clean our clothes is the best thing for me." The young teen was busy stirring at the contents of the pot with a bit more gusto than necessary. "You don't know how many times I've tripped over a rock out here. I almost got knocked out cold one time! I doubt you'd notice me missing what with how he's been running you ragged every day."
"Trust me; I'm not that dense when it comes to you. Still, I do kinda agree that he's been overworking you with these chores. But look on the bright side; he at least gave you a chance to train alongside me. You said you've always wanted to learn more about using a sword, so that should make things a bit better."
"I guess, but I still don't like having to do almost everything around here. I'm only one guy here! He could at least give you some time to help me out. Better yet, he should take an entire day doing what I do and let him see if he likes it. All this labor probably isn't any better than what our friends back in Faron are having to go through."
"Trust me; this is definitely a lot better than being in there," Link quickly cut in. "From what I've heard Gimari say, they're forced to work all day with little sleep and hardly get any food. Zelda's done all she could to help them, but there's only so much she can do since Xagrun can strike down almost anything she throws out. At least you're able to sleep at night and have a good meal when you're here. And think of it this way; everything that you and I do here brings us one step closer to freeing our friends in there. All this doesn't seem that bad when you think like that, right?"
"Whatever you say. Link. All I know is I hate doing these chores and am happy that our dinner's finally ready." Connor took a nearby bowl from atop a stump and ladled the contents of the pot into it. "I can't wait to eat after doing all that work and sword fighting. Here you go, Link; I'm sure you're hungrier than me after training all day long."
With a nod of thanks, Link gladly took the bowl along with a spoon from a cutlery pile on the stump. Smelling the relaxing scent of a soup made from meat and vegetables, he brought a spoonful of it to his mouth. If there was ever a time that he enjoyed his little brother's cooking, it would have to be in the month they have been forced to camp out in the woods. It provided a small sense of normalcy in the hell that was their lives, and he was grateful for it.
"What're you smiling for?" the young teen asked. "I doubt this stuff's all that good. It's just a bunch of vegetables and a crazy tough bird stewed together. I'd make it better if I could, but that slave-driver Gimari hasn't given me much to work with."
"It's alright, Connor. It tastes good just the way it is." The blond continued to smile as he went for another bite. The other merely shrugged before ladling himself a bowl and taking a seat next to Link.
Well, that's it for this chapter. I hope you like the time skip and how things have changed in Hyrule. Zelda's doing all she can to stem the damage, but she can only do so much before everything falls apart. And then there's Link being trained to death in order to be prepared as quickly as possible for the big event. I'm sure the title for this chapter fits well for the occasion.
So yeah, that's all I'm going to say. It's now 3:30 in the morning here, and I'm going to sleep. Thanks again for reading and holding out while I was busy with college. Since I'm taking three English courses this quarter, don't be surprised for another long update. I haven't abandoned this story and don't intend to anytime soon. Please leave a review before you move onto the next story you want to read. Until the next update to this and any of my other stories on here everybody!