Hey, guess what! I learned to do the thing with the line to seperate scenes! No more -spacer- nonsense! It's almost as if I knew what I was doing...
Bit of a shorter chapter this time. It always depends on the pacing...

Enjoy!

Chapter 31

What a dreadful place! You'd think anyone calling himself 'general' would at least try to establish some semblance of order…

She weaved her way through the chaotic horde of Bokoblins, nattering, gorging, brawling, like the despicable beasts they were. The whole camp was illuminated by the occasional roaring fire, over which the things grilled huge roasts. The stark contrast of firelight to the blackness of night made the monstrosities look more demonic than they had any right to. She kept her gaze straight ahead, knowing without looking that she had nearly all their stares on her. Despite preferring absolutely any place over this one, she felt a certain satisfaction. Even near-mindless creatures like these were awed by her sharp beauty. She left the outer ring of the horde and entered the more central Moblin camp with a smug grin. These things seemed a little more organized at least, despite their horrendously appalling exterior. And goodness, the smell! Like a pigsty mixed with garrison cesspit… not that she would ever even consider entering either… She liked to get her hands dirty in other ways…

Here too she felt hungry gazes follow her, watch her every graceful movement. None of the creatures dared stop her, naturally… the mere thought was preposterous!

She steered straight for the 'general's' tent, preparing her delicate nose for yet another wave of repulsive stench.

One of the Moblins guarding the entry flap gave some low grunt, which she ignored. The inside was even gloomier than the nightly camp outside… only two braziers to both sides offered a little bit of reddish light. In the middle, on a massive pile of pelts, sat the, without a doubt in her mind, biggest, ugliest, most disgusting creature that had ever soiled her Lord's earth. It looked at her with wild, blood-red eyes. She couldn't read his repulsive snouted face and she wouldn't bother even if she could. The thing always looked like it was on the brink of madness anyway.

She swaggered closer, stepping around the reeking remains of his last meal strewn on the ground.

She stood right before him, in a slightly coquettish sort of way, sure that her matchless beauty wasn't lost on even a cultureless swine like him.

Even when he was sitting she barely reached to his shoulder… and she had long, shapely legs…

A low grumble could be heard from the beast and it leaned forward just slightly.

She smiled sweetly. "Now now, Ghorin. Is that a way to greet a good friend and valuable ally?" she cooed.

Another rumble, louder this time.

"Before we discuss matters, or rather, before I discuss matters and you agree, I would like a cup of water. I have travelled far…"

She could hear his massive teeth crunch against each other and, after a most discourteous second, he waved his hand towards an enormous bronze goblet to his right.

"I would rather prefer a cup over a trough, if you would…" she hummed sweetly.

A growl escaped him, but he belched a few words in this dreadful language of theirs, which made a Bokoblin servant crawl from whatever nook he had been hiding. He rummaged around behind the 'throne' and produced a silvery cup, which he dunked into the goblet and then served her.

She toyed with the idea of refusing and instead demanding fresh water, but thought better of it. Getting the huge beast too riled up wouldn't help matters, no matter how enjoyable a sight it was. She took the proffered cup and, trying not to think about how utterly unclean both cup and water must be, took a delicate sip. Stale, with just a hint of pig… her smile wavered for only a moment when she tried to calm her rebelling stomach.

"Delectable, my sweet general. Thank you for your hospitality!" she smarmed, sarcasm oozing from her voice.

Another low grunt, and the balling of his huge, gauntleted fist were her answer.

"Very well, as you seem to be in a hurry. But I am sure I am telling you nothing new. Our Lord is indeed awakening! Every creature with half a brain can feel it!" she giggled, knowing full well that he could not.

A few grumbles in quick succession.

"No, I don't think so, my dear. Soon, yes… but what is soon for a god older than time?"

Another slightly urgent grunt.

"Indeed. They appear to have left the city. No doubt they are on the way to one of the resting places."

He lifted his left paw and smacked it back down onto the armrest of his 'throne', giving a loud growl, intermingled with a drawn out squeak.

She just smiled benevolently at him like you would smile at a slow child. "I did not lose them, sweetling. I let them go unchallenged because I know where they will eventually emerge. They are about as lost to me as two mice in a maze of my own devising, where I control all the exits." she cooed.

He balled both of his hands to fist and, seemingly calmed, gave another low grumble.

"You are certainly welcome to try. It is a long journey… Have you done as I instructed?" she asked with a sudden voice of command.

He made a noise that could be interpreted as indignant snarling, but that would probably be too refined an emotion for him to have.

Still, she smiled, pleased. "Good boy." she purred, leaning over to stroke his massive wrist. She knew how much he hated when she talked down to him like that, which was precisely why she did it.

He pulled his hand back and grunted something at her.

Her features opened in genuine surprise. "You caught her! Why Ghorin! Could it be that you are showing the first signs of competence at your advanced age?" she cackled rather unladylike, so she stopped herself by holding a porcelain hand in front of her full lips. She could feel his anger radiating off him… then again, he was as subtle as an erupting volcano.

He leaned forward until his large face was only half a metre away from her. She had to consciously maintain her aloof features, or his stench would have forced her to recoil. "I didn't hurt your fragile feelings, now did I?" she teased.

He shot her a few quick snarling grunts.

Her smile faded and anger sparkled in her eyes. "My 'attempts' were almost successful. They would have been, had the fucking boy not intervened. That little rat-faced brat had to rear his bloody head at just the wrong time! My plans were solid and my people operate like clockwork. What about yours, swine-herder?" she spat before she could stop herself. Oh dear, her bad habit…

Ghorin showed his teeth and sniggered deeply. She was furious! This… insect had broken her composure! She swore that she would piss on his fucking corpse before this was over!

…but for now, with immense self-control, which she naturally had, she calmed and smiled amicably again.

She extended her hand and gently patted his long, grotesque snout. "Let us not quarrel, my dear, sweet Ghorin. We are two of the most important cogs in the Lord's wonderful machine, are we not? We need to set an example!" she hummed softly.

The monstrosity slowly leaned back into his disgusting fur-pile-throne and growled lowly.

Her smile turned sinister and knowing. If only you knew, you big oaf… "Indeed, general. Though stopping them won't even be necessary, once my plans are in motion."

She delighted in the look of confusion in his eyes. Do you really think I tell you everything, you walking, grunting culmination of all that is stupid?

"Now… where are you keeping your shady captive? I would very much like to have a few words…" she cooed, knowing her smile had turned bloodthirsty and embracing it.

Link

Oh, goddess, just five more minutes!

He slowly opened bleary eyes and looked through a canopy of beech-leaves, trying to gauge the time. About two in the afternoon, perhaps… which means they had slept for three hours.

Damn you, internal clock, for being such a diligent piece of sh… he felt nearly as tired as when they had lied down. But it would have to be enough… Right now they needed to get as far away from the city as possible! The farther they were away, the more unlikely it was for anyone following to find them.

He had led them on the north road until the first bend, where they had left it to cut straight across the country… almost five hours of travel. Now they were somewhere in the aptly named north forest.

He sat up, rubbed the tiredness out of his eyes and looked at the sleeping beauty a metre off. Too bad she lay with her back to him… or actually, that was good, or he might have wasted minutes just looking at her lovely face…

Thankfully everything seemed to be in order… they hadn't made camp, not really. They only planned to have a nap to get enough sleep to continue until nightfall.

Link could only hazily remember how he'd spread out her blanket, tied the horses to a tree and returned to prepare his own spot, noticing that Zelda already breathed in the steady rhythm of sleep. He too must have fallen into an exhausted slumber as soon as his head touched the ground… no wonder… He could probably count all the muscles that complained at each and every movement individually… but they'd most likely complain at him counting as well, so he didn't.

She seemed to sleep peacefully… which was probably just the exhaustion. With pity weighing on his heart, Link suspected that yesterday's terror would haunt her dreams ere long. A shame to wake her, but he had no choice.

…but how should he wake her? He felt a bit silly, but touching her while she slept seemed a little… forward. Speak loudly? He didn't want to startle her!

Goddess damn it, if he couldn't even handle this…

He stood up and stretched, hoping that once his mind had chosen to wake up, such difficult decision making would become conquerable.

…to hell with it. He wasn't just a travel companion, was he? Certainly not! A part of his mind now wanted to know how a maid would wake the princess… probably cower behind a half-closed door and throw sweets until the horrifying deed was done… yes, that must be it!

After having reached that idiotic but funny conclusion, he decided to stop thinking and bent down next to her. He gently touched the fine white cloth over her shoulder and ran his thumb up and down her upper arm slowly. "Zelda?" he asked softly, hoping that he wouldn't have to resort to more drastic measures… like ask louder.

Thankfully she stirred and her elegant brow furrowed a bit. "Mmmmh?" she grumbled, barely awake.

He grinned slightly at the cute sight. "We need to get going again, Zelda." he said, a little firmer now that she wouldn't be startled any more.

"Mmprgfff." she stated eloquently, turning her head further away from him.

Link chuckled. "Always my princess teaches me new words. I am truly blessed!" he cooed. "Up, sleepy! Remember, I have all the food!"

She gave a low, throaty grumble, then slowly pushed herself to a sitting position and opened her eyes. He expression was so sour as if she had eaten a whole plantation of lemons, with pack-mule and everything… and he loved it!

"Don't you dare deny me food as well as sleep, you!" she growled while shaking her head in an attempt to drive away the languor.

Link felt himself grinning like a maniac… good thing she looked off into the other direction or she'd probably question his sanity… if her brain had commenced any activity yet. "Now, who would have thought that you could be so delightfully grumpy, my sweet princess?" he whispered in her ear, having to hold back immeasurably to not gently nibble on it.

She turned her head slightly, so she could eye his smirking face grouchily over her shoulder. "I would. And I am not much of a morning person…" she mumbled.

"Good thing it isn't morning, then." he piped, and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. He rose up before she could exact any sort of revenge on him… he wasn't quite sure yet what she was capable of in this state.

"That is not going to save you…" she grumbled, referring to his little kiss.

"No? Do you need more?" he asked, enjoying himself rather greatly.

Grumble, rumble, growl… "More sleep, yes. More waking, no." she muttered, but finally stood up. He marvelled at her shapely physique as she stretched delicately, and smiled at the way her golden hair-braid swung back and forth. He caught himself staring before she turned around, thankfully, and went over to roll up his blanket. She too did so, and quite deftly at that. She waddled over to the horses and tucked it in a saddlebag.

"How long do you intend to travel today, slave-driver?" she asked while he did the same.

"Until nightfall, slave. The more miles we get between us and the city, the better. She gave a throaty sigh and let her head fall against the horse's side, showing that she had seen his answer coming, but was unsatisfied with it nonetheless.

"Fine…" she grunted and, suddenly graceful like water, she mounted her mare. She gave Link a smug little grin and watched intently for his horse-mounting-performance. So far he had done well enough with his beast… he had admitted to the blademaster that he was inexperienced at riding, so he had picked a gentle one for him. Still, as you could see with the lovely princess, even the most gentle of creatures could become cranky without enough sleep… oh well…

He put his foot in the stirrup and hoisted himself up and into the saddle, more with strength than with grace, which the horse commented with a slightly derogatory sounding neigh. Zelda, now suddenly in far better spirits, smirked. "We'll have to work on that, won't we?" she twittered

"You can show me all you know about riding…" he answered coquettishly, wanting to slap himself a second afterwards.

Thankfully, she didn't seem to have caught that particular little tastelessness and just nodded gracefully. "That way?" she asked, pointing.

"That way." he answered, correcting the course only slightly, and they were off. Thankfully the forest was pretty open, so they could ride alongside most of the time. Also thankfully, the horse did most of the steering on its own, so he could spend as much time as possible throwing her glances, drinking in her beauty and grace. She still looked a tiny bit grumpy… Oh! Right! He'd nearly forgotten…

Link leaned back and fumbled for something in the saddlebag. After a brief search he produced a loaf of travel bread and a palm sized piece of cheese, both of which he broke in half. Zelda, with a hungry look in her eyes manoeuvred her mare close and eagerly accepted the proffered food. She took a bite of the coarse bread and sighed while chewing.

"Why don't you tell me that you're so hungry, you little fool?" he asked caringly while shaking his head at her.

She stopped mid-bite and lowered the cheese. He saw a little red creep onto her ears and cheeks. "Because I didn't want to seem like a weak bellyacher…" she admitted lowly, throwing him an apologetic glance.

His facial expression was the equivalent of having one's arms akimbo in a huff. "None of that, you! No need to hunger because of any such nonsense! Right now, it's only us, Zelda. We need to look out for each other, true… But! We also need to allow the other to do that, do you understand? Telling me what you need doesn't make you a bother, it shows me that I can trust your judgement as a companion. But you can be sure that, in reciprocation, I will tell you the instant you do become bothersome, alright?" he finished with a smirk.

Zelda seemed torn between shame for her slightly childish thoughts and amusement… She showed a cute pouty grin. "So what kind of behaviour is it to offer the princess only half of the food and not more?" she asked with mock indignation, finally taking her bite from the hard cheese.

Link knew an immediate counter for that. "Well, if your highness would like me to treat her strictly as princess, she need only say so." he pronounced wryly. He knew how evil that was… making her choose between, well, him and food. What he only now realized, this was also very risky… what if she chose to forsake him for a few bites more?!

"Villainy and devilry!" she exclaimed with a sour face. "Decent vassals are truly hard to come by in these trying times!"

She allayed his half-serious fears with a sly grin.

They continued northwards in silence for a while. Seeing Zelda's grace on horseback made him feel more and more like an oaf. He had 'mastered' the first lesson of riding, which was staying in the saddle without dying even at a slow walk, but he felt like he did little else right. At least the beast below him was patient, although he could feel a certain lack of trust… which, he had to admit, was mutual. During their quiet, he focused solely on the rhythm of Janna's (his mare) movement and tried to match it with his own body. At least that endeavour gave him an excuse to watch his lovely companion closely… purely for academic purposes, naturally.

"So… we are just travelling alongside the north road, correct?" Zelda asked suddenly.

Link looked at her, slightly bemused. She knew the answer to that question… she probably knew their travel plan better than he did. Did she just not want to be alone with her thoughts, maybe?

"Right. We are just a couple of kilometres east of it. If need be we can emerge onto the road in half an hour." he informed, watching her face.

She nodded and fell silent again with a slightly troubled expression, possibly not knowing what to bring up to take her mind off things. He understood her wholeheartedly. He too evaded his own thoughts as best he could… only she did not have like learning to ride to occupy her brain with.

Right then… forced conversation, my favourite! Well, might as well get a use out of it!

"Say… how long did it take you to learn how to ride? Comfortably, I mean…" he asked.

She looked up, as if she had already been buried beneath worry and needed to claw herself back out. "Hmm… I already learned when I was seven… but I don't think I was ever that good. Especially in the last couple of years, when I had little to no opportunity to take Celeste for a ride." she said with an affectionate smile and patted her white mare on the neck.

Link had to grin. Of course she had a shimmering white horse… and of course it would be named something like Celeste… He had pondered whether to actually let her take it, as such a fine beast would be a bit conspicuous. But she had been so eager to ride out with it that he couldn't say no. Besides, Hyrule had the finest horses far and wide, thanks to her large steppe landscapes. It was not that unusual that even a nobody had an excellent mount.

They continued to talk about the high art of riding and Zelda gave him instructions on how to improve his posture, rhythm and, most importantly, how to avoid getting chafed to the bone at rather delicate places. She was a strict teacher, accepting none of his shenanigans while she instructed him. He liked seeing her like that, adored her beautiful, high voice when she told him what to do in a hard tone. They did a few trots and even a short canter so he at least knew how that felt, should they ever need to make a quick escape. Surprisingly, the quicker the horse's pace, the easier it felt to control himself on its back. Possibly because his slight apprehension about the added difficulty made him concentrate, but on the other hand, his body just seemed to react naturally. Once he had overcome his nervousness, the rush of speed with wind in his hair felt exhilarating. He did nearly get ejected over Janna's head once it stopped, but that only kindled his excitement. It was a beautiful feeling in the saddle, thrilling to never be fully in control, to become one moving body with the beast below you… doubly so with her riding at his side…

After he had manoeuvred himself back into the saddle and had heard her high, clear laugh at his expense, the world seemed almost right…

Many hours they travelled side by side, yet Link's goal to journey until nightfall soon proved to be rather optimistic. They were walking now, leading their horses through the woods, as they had both felt their patience run dangerously dry. The sunlight was falling in lowly through the leaves now, but sundown would still be at least two hours off. He felt the weariness turn his limbs to lead and most of his concentration was on the ground ahead, lest his tired feet stumble. Yet with his ears he listened keenly for any sign that Zelda had reached her limit. He hated that he needed to drive her so, but he felt that he had little choice in the matter. They could ease their pace in the following days, but today was critical. Today, should their enemies find them, they would not only be exhausted from the previous attack, but also utterly alone. So, he needed to make sure that they were deeply in hiding. He had led them further east, farther away from the road, so when they eventually set up a fire, it would not be seen by any travellers.

The weariness at least quelled any attempt at pondering. Right now, the only thing that needed thinking through was where to put the next step. Left, right, left, right… a steady rhythm that should not be broken, for once it was, it would be next to impossible to start again. He wanted to stop… every fibre in his body yelled at him to stop, but that wasn't the reason. If he felt this exhausted, how hard must it be for her? While she was certainly not out of shape, she was not used to this level of strain. And it would be unwise to burn all her energy on the first day… but every step they took offered greater safety. He wanted to stop… but should he?

As if to answer, he heard Zelda stumble over a root. She caught herself quickly, but looked startled nonetheless. Looking up at Link, she gave him a tired, weak smile. The message was clear. One harmless stumble would soon lead to more, as the feet progressively denied their service. He smiled back apologetically and nodded. She closed her eyes and nodded back, looking grateful. Link was about to unsaddle Janna, when both she and Celeste suddenly shied, their nostrils flaring nervously. He looked around for what might have caused offence, but Zelda noticed it first. Half hidden behind a large tree trunk lay a carcass of a deer, by what he could see. Nothing out of the ordinary, normally, but what caught Link's attention was, at a second glance, just how much blood seemed to be splattered around. He motioned for Zelda to be silent, grabbed his sheathed sword from where he had affixed it to the saddle bag and carefully went closer. Suddenly quite awake once more, he strained his ears for any suspicious noise before he rounded the tree. Nothing could be heard…

When he had the slain deer in full view, he involuntarily wrinkled his nose. The animal's belly was sliced open, but uncleanly, as if it had been done with a dull blade. It's abdomen and thorax had been emptied. Its intestine was carelessly thrown away, together with other hastily ripped off bits, while heart, liver, spleen and kidneys were missing altogether. Whatever had eaten here, it had lacked the cool efficiency of a predatory animal, but had shown a vicious disregard for its prey, throwing meat around and splashing with blood as if it considered it sport. Lastly, Link noticed a hole in the deer's neck, with the broken off shaft of an arrow barely jutting out. Using a fallen leaf, he managed to pull it out without dirtying his fingers. A crude arrow, the tip just sharpened wood… the make of Bokoblin… but from the looks of this place, a lone one… but could he rely on that?

Link returned the few metres to Zelda, who was waiting anxiously. She looked at him, many questions clearly visible in her worried face. "We need to leave. We go at least another half hour. And briskly." he commanded curtly. "A Bokoblin killed this one with bow and arrow. It was alone, but that doesn't mean that there aren't more around somewhere. This corpse is not a day old…"

Now there was fear in her eyes and it bit at his soul. "Bokoblin so close to Hyrule city…" she whispered. They both mounted again, their horses' urge to be away from this place strong enough to endure their weight once more, as long as they left.

"I don't understand. What could this creature possibly gain from being so close to the city?" Zelda asked as they trotted away.

What indeed? Link had an uncomfortable theory, but it seemed far-fetched, even in these illogical times. Could it be a spy for the agents of the Threat? They had used Moblins, but only as a sort of distraction… And Bokoblin in any manner of organization that exceeded small tribes was unheard of. "I can not be sure. I happened upon a lone Boko a couple of months ago… It could still be coincidence. Separated by its gang and bumbling aimlessly through the forest…" he tried to reason, calming nobody, least of all himself.

"What will we do?" she asked, anxious, but determined.

"No fire today. We look for a sheltered spot and spend the night there. Autumn hasn't yet begun, it's still easily warm enough." he decided.

He saw her nod. "The horses are skittish now and they have excellent hearing. They will hear and wake, should anything approach." she told him.

"Good point." he agreed, hoping it will be enough. No matter how much he wanted to, he couldn't stand guard the entire night and ride the entire day after. He didn't like it, but he would have to rely on their mounts' ears and his own ability to sense danger…

They rode for a good 40 minutes before they dared stop. The horses, feeling their riders' tension, thankfully didn't rebel. The brief moment of alertness soon gave way to utter weariness once more. Even Link, despite the more bumpy trot, felt his head sink and his eyes close involuntarily before jerking back awake once or twice. When finally they found a grove of close standing trees they could use as cover, there was no more gracefulness as they slid down from the saddles. The light was dim now, under the canopy and he wanted nothing more than to lie down and sink into sleep's comforting arms. Poor Zelda looked equally exhausted, her normally so bright face slack, her eyes closed more often than open. Damn, he had been hard on her… and he felt like a bastard for it. He rummaged in his saddlebag for a bite to eat, then walked over to her, just standing there, swaying slightly. "Here. Have a few bites and sit down. I'll do the rest." he ordered with a reassuring smile. She seemed to wake from her torpor, and looked from the proffered bread to his face and back. It took a while for her to understand what he had just said. "No… I want to help…" she muttered weakly and turned away to her horse.

Link had to smile at her resolve, even when she could barely stand from fatigue, but he was having none of it. He gently grabbed her shoulder and turned her back. He gave her a gentle kiss on her unresisting lips. "You have done quite enough, Zelda. I'm really sorry that I had to push you so hard, but you've proven admirably resilient. I'm proud of you. But now you've earned your rest thrice over." he assured her softly and cupped her cheek with his hand. "Let me do the rest, hm?"

She closed her eyes and, leaning her head against his caressing hand, smiled softly. Then she nodded.

Reluctantly he let go of her and spread out Zelda's blanket before he went to unsaddle the dutiful horses. He fed them, bound their reins to a nearby tree, then carried the saddlebags and rucksacks close to the meagre camp, before grabbing a bite for himself and spreading his own mat, close to her. She had laid down, but kept watching him as he worked. Apparently she was determined not to sleep until he too could finally relax… 'Adorable little fool…' Link thought, feeling so much sudden affection that he had to stop himself from cuddling up to her immediately. But since he didn't know whether she actually wanted anything like that, he had placed his sleeping place with a carefully measured safety gap of about 30 centimetres… so she wouldn't have to feel uncomfortably beset, just in case…

He placed a torch he had brought next to his shield to his right, together with a matchstick, in case he had to create light in a hurry. Then he took her rapier and placed it next to her mat. Lastly he grabbed his sword and lay down with it, ready to draw, should the need arise.

Deadly weary, he looked around one last time. Had he forgotten anything? Did he feel like he was perfectly prepared?

No. But he doubted that he could do anything else at the moment. He took one last look at Zelda to his left. Sleep seemed to finally have overcome her, which was good. A gentle smile stole itself on his lips at her peaceful form. "Good night." he whispered before finally, blessedly, he could close his eyes.

…A nervous whinny yanked him from his slumber to alertness with startling force. He jumped up and drew his blade, taking in all his surroundings. Twilight had sunken over the forest, he couldn't have slept more than half an hour. The horses shuffled tensely and pulled at their reins. Zelda too had awoken, much to her credit, and was gazing around, fear stark on her features.

Link felt the hair in his neck stand on end and whipped around, all fatigue seemingly blasted away by alarm. For a moment, he saw nothing. Then, a sudden, hasty movement and he felt his guts turn to solid ice. A Bokoblin, well camouflaged against the brown undergrowth stared at them with its crude bow drawn taut. Its wide mouth twisted in a snarl and its light reflecting eyes wide in either bloodlust or fear, impossible to tell. His breath quickening, Link weighed his options. It was no more than ten metres away… even with so poor a weapon, it was unlikely to miss and it was impossible to reach it before it could loose. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Zelda reach slowly for her sword. The creature swivelled its aim around, away from him.

No no no… It's me you want, monster! I'm the dangerous one, focus on me! Shoot me!

He assumed a very aggressive stance, hoping to draw its attention back to him. It worked! It focused on him again with what sounded like a hysterical squeak.

Link wandered if it was possible to deflect an arrow with a sword… he actually suspected that he might be able to, though he sure as hell did not want to try. Nayru curse him for his stupidity! Why hadn't he also grabbed his shield? Bow it was too late!

It didn't matter, he thought grimly. With this measly bow, even if it hit, he would not be incapacitated enough… He would reach the fucking creature and slice it in half before he would even feel that he had been hit. Even if it would, in the end, turn out to be a deadly wound, Zelda would be safe…

He prepared both mind and body to strike as soon as the thing shot. All exhaustion temporarily dispelled from his muscles, he knew that, if the creature loosed, the best it could hope for was a quick death. It wouldn't even have time to drop its bow…

Each moment felt like an hour, locked in this deadly stalemate. Link wondered why it didn't shoot… what else had it come for? He felt reminded of this one night with Ricco and Marten when they had encountered the Boko close to Ord… how the tables had turned… back then he had been the one with the bow…

Wait…

The monster snarled, almost exasperated, and Link saw how its tense muscles almost imperceptibly relaxed. Slowly, but surely, it lowered its weapon and with a last snort, it turned and sprinted off through the underbrush.

Link couldn't believe what had just transpired and it took a good minute before he too allowed himself to release his tautness, even slightly.

Could it really be…? Had a Bokoblin just reciprocated the mercy he had given it months ago? Or had it come to the conclusion that it too would die, if it went through with its attack? He hadn't seen the one he had spared clearly… it had been night in a forest. He couldn't compare the tribal markings this one had had… But still… somehow, he was convinced that it was the same one, though he couldn't say why…

He looked and listened tensely for any other sign of movement around for another one or two minutes. Only when nothing happened, he relaxed his stance and breathed out slowly. He didn't have to die quite yet…

Zelda scrambled up and smashed into him, hugging him tightly. "Oh goddess! I thought it was going to shoot you for sure!" she whispered, hanging all her weight on him, for the sheer relief made her knees buckle. He too, now that he realize how close a brush with death that had been, felt his legs go rather wobbly. He hugged her back with his right and let both of them sink to the ground. She pulled him even closer to her and he only let her go for a second to sheathe his sword, and even that reluctantly. They sank down further, lying down tightly embraced. Both their fatigue now returned, their craving for sleep now imperative. Nothing else was said that night. The simply sank into slumber, safe in each other's arms.

It waited.

It hissed.

It clawed.

Hateful, rage-fuelled will hammered against the last seal, the ultimate barrier to his freedom, but it would not yield.

He was getting impatient… His agents weren't working fast enough. They weren't diligent enough. They weren't afeared enough.

The burning storm He would unleash would sear them, torture them, teach them…

His despicable adversaries, unified, only now started their journey… He could feel them walking over His earth… Only the last cursed seal stopped Him from grasping them and letting his power burn the flesh off their bones.

It grinned.

It waited.

It lusted.

Soon He would see their failings, hear their tortured moans, feel their anguish once more.

Each thought scorched the damnable light a little more, each breath sent His dark corruption loose upon the world, each tiny flick of his finger sent it closer to tumbling into the fiery hell of His making.

So close…

But not yet free!

It smoldered.

It growled.

It raged.

With a hate-filled scream He cursed all creation, cursed the goddesses, cursed his adversaries.

He screamed.

And the world shook in terror.