Resurgence

by MTCicero

Darkness is awakening once again. While an elusive peace still hangs over Hyrule, slowly the shadows darken. Link is but 15 years old when the calamity threatens the land. Gifted though he may be, he knows nothing of the danger, or the part he is to play in the unraveling of the struggle of Light against Dark. Mortal peril, adulthood, young romance, grittiness await! Long project!

49. A Dark Fire Broken

Chapter 48

Zelda

The room they had brought her to wasn't all that bad… It appeared to be something like a watchman's office inside a tiny hut on the second highest branch, one above where she had been separated from Link. Her knees still felt wobbly from the hanging bridge she had been forced to cross, which was more akin to a steep stairway made of rope and rough planks swaying in the breeze… At least this chamber felt stable, even if 'messy' didn't come close to describing it. A tiny desk upon which were heaps of dog-eared papers, a shelf which had been crammed full of various clothes with, to her mind, a criminal disregard for order, a solitary wooden chair that housed not one, not two, but three undergarments strewn about it like barbaric ornaments… Needless to say, she did not find it a very inviting sitting accommodation. Truth be told, despite it being quiet and bright enough, she wouldn't have been able to rest anyway. Without her being conscious of it, she paced back and forth over the tiny space she had available, her fingers drumming restively on her hips as her mind buzzed.

The air was stifling… not the actual physical air around… she doubted that this high up, with this architecture that didn't know closed off rooms, it could ever get smothery. The thing that impeded her breath was the tension she sensed all around her. The very atmosphere was rife, saturated with anxiety and fear, seeping through every crack from every hut, from every beating heart… It had hit her like a wave in her chest when they arrived and now, that she had nought to do but wait, it was threatening to choke her.

These people had been hit at a place where they thought themselves immune, fancied themselves above all the tribulations of the earthbound folk. And now this sense of century-old security had been shattered irreparably like thin glass, an unvoiced promise broken with such callous suddenness that it felt like a punch in the stomach.

No wonder the warriors had been so eager to find a culprit! They were looked to in a time of unprecedented strife to fix a problem that was far beyond their understanding. They, the proud, independent Rito, had been wounded where it hurt the most… and they were helpless…

But that wasn't the worst… The worst was that, through this thick, drowning sludge of blind fear, she had lost her connection with Link. Not completely… she doubted she would ever lose sight of that faint thread that connected their hearts… but only just enough to know he was physically well. Only… she knew he would, by now, be locked in a vicious struggle with himself. Despite their time together being still short, she knew him well enough to understand that hidden under his usual lively, carefree self, lay a ruminative, self-critical person… Yet another side that intrigued her, but sadly this pensiveness occasionally plunged him into streams of thought that carried him too far, that twisted his image to his mind, made him see a false, distorted reflection of his true, beautiful self. From the moment the short, yet intense battle with the misguided Rito warriors had ended, she had sensed a dreadful conflict within him… a tear in his soul so painful that she had felt its icy tendrils… as if her chest was bound with heavy chains that wound themselves ever tighter.

At first, she thought, when they had finally broken through the Rito's stubborn aggression, that he simply had masterful control over himself… when he briefly seemed lost in thought, but then rallied almost immediately.

But when she had asked how he felt, in an attempt to show him that she understood and was there to help, and he barely reacted, she had understood that he had, to fulfil his current mission, had not allowed his inner turmoil to reach his conscious… His mind had caged it so he could focus! An admirable talent, but also risky…

She hoped his inner defences would hold a little while longer… that her suspicious were untrue and he wouldn't be suddenly overpowered by his pondering… that he would hang on until she was there to help weather everything when it, inevitably, broke through…

She paced, trying to find his soul again among the stifling shock and fear all around, so she could at least try to make him feel her presence… but she couldn't. It was like finding a needle in a haystack when the hay was on fire. Zelda cursed herself for still being so utterly worthless at using her powers, but she didn't dare open her mind further when all the surrounding panic threatened to pour in to swallow her whole… She would need a clear head for the things to come! She didn't know what sort of character the high chieftain of the Rito was… A grizzled warrior? A cunning tactician? A peaceful philosopher? Both she and Link would have to adapt to this leader's way of thinking, and fast… or more hostilities were sure to follow.

Chewing nervously on her lip, she imagined the worst… more misunderstandings, more mistrust… more violence.

She stopped dead. Subconsciously, she dug her nails into the palms of her hands… the memory of the short, yet ferocious lust for blood she had sensed in him, her Link… only for the briefest instant, but it had been enough to nearly make her gasp in shock, as if his whole body had suddenly burst into a booming, black flame. This hard, cold aggression… it had twisted her stomach… Was he…?

No! No, no and, again, no! Angry at herself for where her thoughts had taken her, she actually stamped her foot so hard the noise seemed deafening in the surrounding silence. Now she had to beware of falling into a bottomless pit of eternal pondering! She refused to think such things, of him of all people! It would be unfair, downright depraved even, to arrive at any opinion with him not here to speak his mind. …even more reason to get all this loathsome explaining out of the way so they could reunite and curb all those superfluous trepidations.

A forceful knock on the door made her jump. She had been so deeply lost in her own world that she hadn't even heard anyone approach.

Unbidden, the young captain, their captor from earlier entered. Zelda's brow furrowed… While he still had the regal, bouncy gait of his people it now seemed… stiff. And his face, still bearing that overt mistrust, seemed mostly distraught at present… distraught and furious… though not at them…

"You are being summoned. Follow me… please." he bade in that disjointed way of a man who's life had stopped making sense at the moment.

"Lead the way." She replied, combing through her hair with her fingers in a vain attempt to make herself look a tiny bit less of a vagabond.

The way back to the main branch was even worse… All her muscles made their desire for a comfy bed known, resulting in erratic, jittery motions as her exhausted brain did its best to keep everyone working together. By the time she had finally made it past the dreadful rope-bridge-stairs she was sweating, both from exertion and fear of plummeting down… and the barely concealed sniggers from the two bird-brains behind her were of little comfort.

As they reached the main 'alley' of the town, she spotted Link, flanked by three warriors and she had to suppress the urge of darting forward to crash into his arms. He looked up at her and she stopped dead. As their eyes met, her mind was hit with a tidal wave of turmoil, barely hidden behind a strong façade… It was like gazing down into a roiling maelstrom through a thin sheet of ice… Goddess above, Link… she could imagine how much strength it took to appear outwardly calm when everything inside you threatened to burst you open like a squashed grape… she had had to endure that many times… Thus her heart bled even more as she saw just how strong he had to be. She hoped their parley with the high chieftain would be short so she could finally tend to those wounds that desperately needed healing.

He gave her a brave, flickering little smile and the desire to hug him, hold him, comfort him became nearly unbearable. She did quicken her steps, moving past the captain who, in his distracted state, didn't even try to stop her, and wrapped him briefly in her arms. Clearly confused, he took a while, then answered in kind. She had, naturally, considered the possibility of their captors using their affection against them, if they showed it too blatantly, but… she was convinced that, despite their far-reaching fear, they would not stoop to such evil methods…

She wanted to say something… anything… but what in Din's fiery hell was there to say? "Hang in there?" Preposterous. "Be strong!" He already was. "Are you alright?" was too stupid to even imagine…

"We'll talk later…" she managed looking up into his marvellous blue eyes with what she hoped was a sincerely encouraging expression.

His gaze twitched and she realized that, strangely and startlingly, he had meant to keep his inner upheaval a secret even from her. But after a second he nodded…

Deciding to leave this matter in the delicate equilibrium it currently was, she took a step away, but took his hand and looked expectantly at the captain.

"The high chieftain is expecting you." he murmured, turning abruptly and leading the way towards the Deku Tree's trunk.

After a minute of silent walking they reached what appeared a mansion or palace by Rito standards… a building comprised of at least five of the ubiquitous globes, some directly adjacent, others a little off, connected with a bridge or short stairs. The whole complex seemed to be adherent to the bark of the Guardian. A large banner hung to both sides of the simple entrance: a stylized white bird, its wings spread and clearly swooping at its prey, resplendent against a dark blue background, the edges trimmed with the many coloured feathers of the people it represented. If any building here had an official appeal, it was this one…

"The… high chieftain… bade me to ask you inside and wait with you until he calls for you both." he squawked irritably. The way he emphasized 'high chieftain' made Zelda raise her eyebrow. It sounded very much like there had been a rather heated disagreement… which would also explain why the young cock seemed even more dishevelled than before Link and she had been separated.

They were led directly through the unguarded front door into the largest sphere of the mansion. Inside there was a finely crafted screen of wood and paper directly in front of them, barring the view further into the room. A few cushioned seats were fitted along the walls… A waiting area before the audience hall, no doubt…

With a curt hand movement, they were invited to sit down, just as a booming, muffled voice from the other room reached their ears. The words were unintelligible, but it was clear that someone was receiving quite a stern reproof. Instinctively, Zelda gazed at the young captain, who's face had gone taut with a mixture of anger and nervousness. If she had to bet, she would say that he had very recently been on the receiving end of such a tirade… She couldn't decide how that knowledge influenced their chances at a peaceful resolution of the whole debacle.

A door opened and was slammed shut right after. Heavy steps walked across the room behind the thin screen and with a low grumble, someone was seated to a loud creaking of wood. Another door opened, less forcefully, and considerably lighter steps were heard until they were halted by a hushed, gruff command. "To bed, Veneli."

Link and Zelda briefly glanced at each other, careful not to let their expressions betray anything.

"But I-" the young boy's voice began, but was cut short.

"No. This is not-"

"I won't say anything, I promise! I'll just listen, please!"

"I said no!" came the strict reply. "To bed, now!"

Both of them could clearly imagine their feathered friend's sulky shuffle as they heard him leave.

"Show them in!" a deep, sonorous voice rang through the spherical hall. An old voice, thoughtful… but also hard and heavy with the weight of worry.

She glanced at Link, who nodded tensely.

They were led around the room-divider and found themselves in, lacking a better word, throne room... a large wooden seat, sitting on a slightly raised dais, flanked by two grim looking Rito warriors with spears... the middle of the room was occupied by a large log fire that gave the whole room a serious, stately glow… Throne room did fit, in Rito terms, but it lacked the opulence that Zelda had come to associate with that… Instead, the hall was decorated with simple, but artisanally high-quality furniture that left a lot of free space, which the bird-people valued greatly.

Sitting on the elevated chair was a surprisingly huge Rito, its dark grey feathers grown large and bushy, giving it a rather owl-like appearance. His strict, yellow, inquisitory eyes substantiated that effect… His posture was regal, but Zelda also sensed deep tiredness… and the worries of a once great man, reduced by age…

They were both ushered to stand directly in front of the large, wintry warrior, the lazily flickering fire at their backs spending welcome warmth, but also begetting a most dramatic atmosphere of judgement… A deliberate scheme, no doubt… but gazing into those hard, dark-yellow eyes that, via the reflection of the fireplace seemed to burn from within, Zelda found it to be working eerily well…

Once they had found their place under the oppressive stare of the leader of the Rito, the young captain suddenly spoke up. "High chieftain, these men have just been injured in battle, there is no need for them to also be-"

"I will not be told how to lead my people by someone incapable of making rational decisions." the large bird growled menacingly, his voice a tremulous bass befitting a rooster his size. "Their injuries are caused by your rash actions. You would do well, in future, to remember that while my son commands the warriors, it is still my word that orders them to battle. Tamali might speak with my authority… You do not. Dismissed."

They glared at each other for a good five seconds, the younger with fiery indignation, the older with cool authority. In the end, the captain saluted stiffly, then stormed off with all the dignity he could muster.

When Zelda glanced back at the enthroned bird, she found him study them with a curiously raised eyebrow.

"You must pardon my surprise… but judging by the tale my warriors have spun, I expected… well, something other than two so young…" He began, though without a trace of merriment. "I am Komali, High Chieftain of the Rito. Before you do me the courtesy of introducing yourself, it is my duty to apologize on behalf of my tribe." His words astounded her and, judging by Link's raised brow, he felt similarly. "The orders that led to the unfortunate incident at the temple's entrance were not mine. The young man who brought you acted without my knowledge and has been reprimanded. I assure you, we Rito are not in the habit of waylaying people, even if they entered our sanctuary uninvited and unwelcome." The lord of these lands spoke with civility, but there was an unmistakable cold hardness in his voice… a timbre that promised swift retribution, should the brittle tolerance be violated. Also, he had made it quite clear how he thought about their arrival, even if he believed them to be innocent of everything past trespassing, which was still unclear. Zelda had trouble reading the old rooster, whose face was as passive as a mask… but, he had chosen to employ a language she was exceptionally well versed in: politics!

"On behalf of my companion, knight-aspirant Link Andrésson, I, Zelda of high House Hyrule, accept your apology." The two guards flanking the big bird briefly forgot their stoic stalwartness and gazed at each other confusedly. Link, too, glanced at her, worried, but accepting her judgement. Their common enemy had already made its presence here known… excessive secrecy, especially when they wanted to garner trust, would only be a hindrance.

To her surprise, the high chief did not seem overly taken aback. He merely scratched his chin, almost distractedly. "Just 'Zelda', your highness? Not 'Princess Zelda'?" he asked with what, she hoped, was the faintest hint of humour.

"I am, you could say, on rather unofficial business." She joked, but kept her countenance earnest. "High Chieftain, we both regret our untoward entry into your domain. However, we-" She was cut short by a raised wing, bidding her to halt her speech.

"Young lady, if you truly are the Princess of Hyrule, you will understand that, on my domain, as you called it, it will be me who sets the tone for our interview." The calm, hard tone tolerated no objection. "First, I wish to know how the two of you entered this secluded valley. This land, my people, our peaceful way of life, all are under attack by forces I am, as of yet, unsure of." By the way he said it, it was exceedingly clear that he did very much entertain the possibility of the two Hylians being part of said forces. "So… any pathways into these once tranquil lands I need to be aware of."

Zelda had expected this question… but nevertheless had no satisfying answer. She could speak the truth, but that would betray Veneli and the trust he had shown them. Lying, on the other hand, was not something that seemed beneficial whatsoever.

"As you are hesitating, allow me to ask with more precision. In the centuries of us Rito roosting on the branches of Ancient Guardian, you two are not the first to stumble your way into this valley. Can you surmise why I know that you did not cross the mountains?"

Link, who had, almost inattentively looked out the window behind the large bird answered without hesitation "Because we do not look like we knocked on death's door."

The High Chieftain gazed into her companions eyes, seemingly surprised. "Indeed. Wanderers, explorers… only three ever managed the long, cold, arduous journey over the mountains… the last one, actually, when I was still a hatchling… a Hylian scholar, found by our scouts with severe hypothermia and nearly starved to death…" he reminisced, before refocusing on them with his rigid stare.

"There is no easy pass… and even in the warmest summer they are near certain death. So, not over the mountains then…"

"What did you do with the scholar, if I may ask?" Link questioned, his gaze no less hard than his opposite's.

"Brought him back to health as best we could, naturally!" the old rooster explained as if the very question was an affront. "We pulled him back from the brink… but we could not allow him to leave the valley. Our secret is too precious, too vital to our culture… so we built him a nest and welcomed him as an equal… he was a good friend to many of us…" He sighed heavily, sadness passing through his usually impassive face… but only briefly, before his cool glare returned. "Sadly, times seem to have changed…"

She watched her protector slowly nod and relax a tiny bit, apparently satisfied with the answer. Then, his gaze travelled off again out the window… but… it was not just a thousand yard stare, he was focusing on something…

"Now, the Rift is rather out of the question. If you had tried crossing, you would not be standing here as only my son and I have the power to allow safe passage. However… my scouts tell me of something troubling… Holes in the ground, surrounded by camps of Moblins and other filth… Vile tunnels, made by these creatures, scraping, gnawing, hacking… this-"

"We did not come through any such tunnel!" Link's head snapped back to fixate the big owl. "And we have no affiliations with any of these repellent beasts!" His voice was vibrating with intense, righteous fervour and genuine offence. Zelda held her breath, hoping to all Three that his justified, but forceful rebuke would not be seen as a challenge…

"I find I believe you…" the old leader said thoughtfully. "But it doesn't answer my query…"

"We cannot tell you." She finally admitted. "I am sorry, but telling the truth would mean betraying the promise of a dear friend. And I refuse to resort to mendacity. I can, however, assure you that no one but we could have used the way we took."

"This, of course, does not help your case very much…" the tired seeming man stated after a good ten seconds of careful thought.

"I understand. But I'm afraid this has to be our answer for now."

"Before you proceed to be obnoxiously secretive…" he rumbled with a decidedly angry tone. "…allow me to detail the position you are in, as you don't quite seem to understand it." He bent forward menacingly. "Sightings of dark spectres skulking about at night, first in the woods surrounding the Guardian, then in our very midst in the village. The emergence of these sightings is accompanied by sudden, unprecedented raids of Bokoblin and even Lizalfos into our domain, putting even more unease into the hearts of my people. Then, only a few days ago, the key that opens the way into the temple inside the Guardian is stolen, leading to a foul desecration of our most fiercely protected home, as well as one of our own getting gravely injured by the thief. Only two days after, my…" The old man's gaze wavered for a moment, as did his voice. "…my son, somehow, managed to enter the temple to reclaim our artefact, and wasn't seen again." He paused, taking a deep breath to collect himself. "And today, you appear… from inside the Ancient Guardian… having apparently opened it, as I said, mere days after the key, the only key, has been taken from us." Now there was nothing but cold hate in his tone, not yet directed at them, but not far off either. "So, you will forgive me if I advise you to think extremely carefully on your next answers."

Zelda felt her stomach turn at the pure menace glaring from his eyes. Still, she managed to keep her poise strong and her voice firm. "We did not anything of yours. We were neither remotely close when you say the theft happened, nor could we have ascended the tree without flying."

"An expected reply… There are creatures other than Rito in this world that have the gift of flight… some, if trained, would allow enemies to enter our lands AND ascend the Guardian's bark…" the heavy bird mused.

"Without any of you noticing? You mentioned yourself, this shadow was seen more than once… None of your people have seen a strange flying object, or heard its wings?" Link interjected, ever quick of wit.

"Unlikely, true… but not impossible. In any case, you will probably agree that, seeing as you must have opened the portal to the temple, logic is rather on my side…"

"We have no need of a key to enter the Guardian." Zelda explained, her toes clenched within her shoes out of sheer tension, wondering how the old poultry might react to such a bold claim. "We are able to enter without it."

A deep, humourless chuckle was her answer. "Of all preposterous assertions you might have tried, you chose the poorest, child." A mirthless, but incredibly sad little smirk played around his beak, as if he sensed that his interrogation would soon come to an end he had feared.

"It is easily proven. Take us back down there and we will demonstrate." she retorted, feeling anger redden her cheeks at not being believed.

Something in her voice made his grin flicker, but only for a moment. "Our legends speak of those chosen by fate, their heart pure and heavy with purpose… they would find an ally in the Ancient Guardian and would be welcome amidst his children." His smile turned even nastier. "Are you going to tell me-"

Zelda didn't even let him finish and drew herself up to her full height. "Your legend speaks of us! We are not scholars searching for uncharted territory, nor are we lost. Do you truly believe I would leave the people of Hyrule to go wandering aimlessly in these most dangerous of times? And fate has forced both Link and I to leave home and kin. And purpose has brought us here!" She spoke heatedly, letting both anger and homesickness fuel her oration.

Her protector chimed in "I assume your myth speaks of a great evil? A looming apocalypse? Two, chosen by destiny, to combat it? A mighty weapon that needs to be reclaimed, perhaps? And to do so, one needs to enter the sanctuary within the tree and that involves, dare I say, dragons?" He presented the faintest of smug grins as the chieftain's faded into an expression of bafflement. "Of all the preposterous assertions we might try, I think this one is the most implausible… Sadly, it is also true."

The old leader glanced back and forth between them, eyes suddenly wide in disbelief. "It is a legend of my people, written down eons ago… Why would… I can't believe that two Hylians would…" he squawked, dumbfounded

"Does the text ever specifically mention them being Rito? Or does it, perhaps, just say 'hero' or 'Light' or 'Protector'?" she ventured, hoping they might yet convince this stubborn cock of the near impossible.

He reclined heavily into his throne, making it creak with stress. "I never even considered… Your uncanny knowledge might, however, be nothing more than another indication of your guilt. You might be the very evil we are trying to fight!"

Zelda's heart sank. She could see in his eyes that he did not, truly, believe this nonsense, but also sensed the rigidity of an aged mind, mixed with the stupefying fear all his people had succumbed to. Moving his focus away from them, when he had already fixed it there, would take days, if not weeks!

"Besides, I simply cannot deem it possible that a legend from this our land would speak of any other than one of our-"

"Stop calling this your land, Rito!" Link suddenly barked. Zelda turned towards him, mouth slightly ajar, terrified of what might follow this outburst. "It is not yours. Do not presume that, when the great Deku Tree formed this valley, he did it with you in mind. This was a sanctuary of His children… and for everyone seeking refuge. You are not the children your legend speaks of. You are just as much a guest here as we are!"

She gazed at him from the side, surprised at not only his words but also the deep conviction with which he uttered them. What, at first, she had thought was a poorly thought through rebuke, seemed to be a profoundly emotional matter to him… his beautiful eyes stern, but with a shimmer of wetness…

"How can you… we have roosted here for centuries!" the old bird blustered, clearly taken aback by the righteousness in the young man's tone.

"And you were welcome to. But do you recall what you saw within His trunk? A home for the children of the forest and not only them. This place has been an asylum to all who seek it for millennia before. You have no right to deny anyone access. And certainly not me!"

For a fleeting second, Zelda thought his appearance changed… his hair lighter, his features a little harder, older, his height a bit taller, maybe… had she just imagined it?

"The Deku Tree…" Komali mumbled, scratching the side of his beak, eyeing her beloved strangely. "I have only found our Guardian called this in the legend. A name so old… And the deep conviction in both your voices… I find myself… believing you, despite my better judgement. Your claims are ludicrous, but… I can sense no lie within you… this makes me uncertain… but I cannot be sure that my instincts don't betray me as well… I am sorry." For the first time since the beginning of their discussion, the old leader seemed truly regretful.

"High Chieftain, this is absurd!" Zelda exclaimed, shaking her head. "You don't believe us to be responsible for all the darkness that has befallen your tribe… I can see it in your soul, the fear of a great evil that you instinctively feel approaching. Do you sense such malice in us? Are we the presence that has plagued your mind as of late?!"

"I…" he began, then stopped, his eyes, wide with concern, twitching back and forth between them. His formerly stern brow was now furrowed, a silent cry for help that he dared not utter, scared that it might not be answered.

"Allow us to help, High Chieftain Komali!" she continued insistently, but gently, taking a measured step forward. "We cannot be enemies, not when all of Hyrule has to resist this Threat that is spreading over her like a dark storm cloud! And all of us, both we and you, are running short on time! An agent of the threat has indeed made her way into the temple! I can't say what she is trying to do within, but every second we tarry-"

"Have you seen my son?" the old warrior suddenly asked, his posture hunched and bent with sorrow, his eyes tired and terrified. The strong, calm leader had gone… now he was just a father, worried sick about his child. "Please, tell me only if he… if I have to make preparations…" His pleading voice, daring not to hope, was enough to immediately forget the unjust suspicion he had met them with. The compassion she felt when gazing at his shivering hands and trembling beak steeled her resolve, but also made her realize just how many terrible aspects their fight against the Threat would have… and how ruthless and callous it operated to destroy kindness and shatter trust.

"A tall rooster with silvery white plumage?" Link asked, his face grim.

"You saw him?"

Her companion nodded darkly and she interjected "We did. He was hale of body, but…"

"I fear that witch, the one responsible for the theft and all unrest, has him under her spell…" he continued, his voice once again bearing the strange lack of emotion that seemed so alien from him.

"He yet lives?!" Komali asked, his excitement at this news nearly palpable. Zelda doubted, though, that he had fully grasped what Link had just said. "He does, but he was not himself. He attacked us at the enemy's behest…"

"He… what?" Confusion mixed into the already wild sea of emotions within the aged man.

"I saw your son up close, High Chieftain." her protector explained urgently. "His gaze was far away, his features slack and soulless… I am certain that the woman with the red, glowing eyes has him under some sort of enchantment. He used the magic of your people to buffet us away, unleashing terrible storms… but I doubt he understood what he was doing."

"Tamali… he is exceptionally powerful… the mightiest aeromancer I have seen in my lifetime… that he would be turned… I cannot bear to think…" Komali muttered, distraught.

"I have seen the enemy operate, High Chieftain." Link insisted. "They have powers that turn them near invisible… They use guile and deceit as weapons, rather than brute force… It is more likely that your son was surprised, rather than overpowered… and it is unlikely that he ever had to compete against powers such as these. And besides…" he hesitated, the muscles of his jaw working as he thought. "…The agents I have fought so far were never alone, always in groups of at least 5 of more. This one, the woman with the red eyes, she was by herself. I fear she might be a danger far greater than we can imagine…"

"My dreams of late have been haunted by cruel, red, eyes aglow…" the large bird mused haggardly.

"Allow us to help!" Zelda repeated, thinking they might have finally convinced their opposite of their truthfulness. "Allow us to open the gate into the tree! Both Link and I will do everything within our power to not only rid it of this evil's presence, but also return your son to you. We must do this! Please!"

He looked back and forth between them, his gaze helpless, his tortured face betraying how severely his thoughts fought with each other. In the end, he buried his head in his hands. "I wish nothing more than to hold my child in my arms again…" he said with a tearful voice. "I want to believe you… I want to believe you can bring back peace to both my people and me."

Zelda's heart sank when she understood what he was about to say next.

"But I cannot risk being rash… Even though it tears at my soul, I have to think of the safety of all my people before that of my son. If you are the enemy, I dare not even consider what you might do, if let back inside the Guardian. I no longer believe you to be my foe, but how can I be sure?"

Zelda was crestfallen… but, oddly, she found she understood the old rooster. His eyes were filled with the terror of a man who sees both his physical and mental faculties waned with age, a man horrified that he can no longer see the whole picture and that his shortcomings might lead his wards to doom.

"I have to think on it… I know time is against me, but…"

"It would be a risk to trust us, naturally…" Link stated passively. "But, if by your inaction, your son would come to harm, would you ever be able to forgive yourself?"

The High Chieftain slowly sat back up straight. "Never. But if my ill-considered decision leads the Rito down the road of ruin, I could bear it even less." Zelda saw that, his gaze was once again firm… they would not be able to influence his ruling any more. He was too afraid to make a judgement now… "I shall deliberate on it. I will tell you, once I have made my choice."

His two guards, who looked decidedly hesitant and unhappy with their commander's course of inaction and who had occasionally thrown markedly hopeful glances at her protector and her, already moved to escort them outside.

Zelda spoke up one last time when she saw the utterly destroyed look that briefly passed on Link's face. "High Chieftain, I would request that we be no longer separated. I don't object to putting us behind lock and key until you are certain, but…"

Komali thought on it for thirty seconds at least. "Very well…" he finally pronounced. "Your request is granted. Show them to our guest nest. They are to be guarded, still."

As they were ushered out of the villa, Zelda felt queasy and deeply perturbed. The chieftain's reluctance to act or even believe in them troubled her more than she could convey into words. What else could they have said or done?! She had hoped that, during their travels, they would find allies, people to aid them in the fight for life itself… so that, maybe, they would not have to face this overpowering Threat all alone.

Had she really just been naïve? Would it, truly, always be that difficult to convince others of their cause? Would they always be on their own?

---

The climb over the rickety, wind-swept gangways and bridges was even more terrifying in near complete darkness. The flickering light of the torches their two guides, or rather guards, was confusing at best, throwing shadows every which way whenever she tried to find stable footing. Infuriatingly, both the Rito and Link seemed to have no trouble whatsoever to place their steps stoutly, so she constantly felt as if she were slowing their tiny procession down…

They were led all the way up to the highest of the enormous branches to a hut at the very outward edge of the peculiar village, a little way off of the others. It was almost funny how the relative stability of the wooden planks over a hundred metres above the ground suddenly felt comforting and reassuring after the hair-raising tumble over a free-hanging rope bridge swinging in the nightly breeze…

The windows of the hut were dark… there was always something strangely forbidding about a house dipped in complete darkness… She glanced sideways at Link, who still had that earnest, yet far-off look on his face. He gazed at the spherical building, briefly, disinterestedly, not a speck of emotion showing on his face. She couldn't help but feel a tad slighted… she had gone out of her way to ensure them a decent place to sleep and, more importantly, had won them the right to stay together, instead of separated, each in their own broom-cupboard! And now there was nothing from him, not even a speck of… she didn't even expect gratitude, but at least a hint of appreciation…

When they reached the front door, their Rito guide produced a large iron key and opened the door. "As per our orders…" he began in a slightly creaking voice, betraying his disapproval, "…the guest house will be your nightly quarter. Once you are in, the doors will be locked once again. The grand chieftain instructed me to say that this is not meant as an insult, but a necessary precaution to ensure the safety of my people. Please!" he invited them with a curt gesture.

Now that Zelda thought about it, she didn't think she had seen any other door with anything resembling a lock… So, the guest house was both that and a prison cell. She wondered how many times they had used it as either…

"Thank you. We understand." She answered just as coolly and entered without looking back. She heard Link follow, his usually light and silent steps seeming plump and loud.

The inside was almost pitch black, but she was pretty sure that it was just one, round room. Careful as to not bump against any furniture she sidled forward but, naturally she did end up smacking her knee into something.

"Wait…" he muttered, and swiftly walked past her just as the surprisingly heavy sounding door was closed behind them. The loud clack of the lock had an unnerving finality to it…

He briefly fumbled around with something she couldn't quite see, then a sole candle suddenly sprang to life. Gazing around in the flickering, insufficient light, the room appeared harsh, rough and forbidding, odd, unrecognizable shapes jutting from the walls and hanging off the domed ceiling… She felt cold… especially when she saw the unlit fireplace in the centre. It seemed their hosts had gone to great lengths not to make their guests feel too welcome…

"Should we try to light the fire?" she asked him, unsure whether she wanted to bother.

He thought about it for two seconds, then shook his head. "I'm tired…" he mumbled. In the faint, orange light his face did indeed look terribly fatigued… but it was the utterly defeated tone of his voice that made her soul feel heavy and helpless.

"Link, what is it? What is bothering you so?" she asked directly, avoiding all unnecessary tip-toeing around the issue.

"It's fine… I'm just tired." he repeated and made an attempt at his usual smile, which was, frankly, pathetic.

She gave him an ever so slightly disbelieving look. "Link, I won't stop worrying if you don't tell me!" she tried to pry further.

"I told you, I'll be alright. Right now, I really just want to sleep…" Slight annoyance mixed into the tone of his voice… which, in turn, annoyed her. Still, she took a deep breath and kept her voice calm.

"Sweety… please!" She took another step forward, but then almost physically felt the barriers he had erected around himself. What tortured him so much that he thought he had to imprison himself like this? "You know I can sense how something is plaguing you! Is it about the altercation we had back…-"

"Of course it bloody is!" he exclaimed, throwing his arms in the air and starting to pace. "What else would it be?! If you hadn't noticed, it didn't exactly go all too well!"

It had been an educated guess… but the forcefulness of his reaction surprised her. "You are being petulant." she simply stated with a cautioning undertone, arms akimbo. She saw his jaw clench, his eyes close and him taking a deep breath.

"I know… and I don't want to be. Can't you just let it rest?" he asked with the pleading voice of a man who feels himself about to lose control.

"Would it help?" she asked straightforward.

He tensed even more, giving an exasperated sigh. "Why are you even… Maybe I don't want to share everything with you, maybe I want to deal with some things on my own!"

Of course she knew he had a right to his own private thoughts and matters… and she ordinarily would never try to invade the more secret parts of his soul without being explicitly asked in… But, damn it all, right now she thought she was doing the right thing by being a nosy busybody! At least she hoped she did…

"I don't deny that you can, or have the right to. But why would you punish yourself like this?"

"I'm not… you know what? Fine! Let's summarize, shall we?" he started to yell as he resumed his stomping pacing. "After nearly getting caught by those blithering birds, we have to sprint for Din knows how long through a freaking terrifying forest, only to be laughed at by some senseless imp. Then, after we finally reach the bloody tree, after weeks on the road, not only do we find that the fucking enemy is already there, no! We are also pushed back by another Rito who nearly rips me apart with his wind-magic and hurls half the furniture at my back. Then, after we had to flee, we run into the open, beweaponed wings of yet more of those bleeding pigeons, who not only very nearly murder us with that shitty net of theirs, but also very nearly murder us with their knives! So forgive me, if I might have been a tad overeager with my defence of both our lives!" He counted it off by dramatically extending one finger after the next as he shouted ever louder.

Zelda knew she had finally reached the crux of the matter… She had not made any such accusation… This was what he was blaming himself for! And his self-flagellating fury didn't scare her… on the contrary, she by far preferred it to the black apathy of 5 minutes ago. "I'm not the one who has to forgive you. What is it that torments you so?" she asked emphatically, also raising her voice without really meaning to.

"Those fucking morons!" he spat, clenching his fists. "What were they thinking?! They should be bloody imprisoned here, not we! Assaulting us with murderous intent like that! Fucking disgraceful!"

He was trying to avoid going further into the issue, but she knew she couldn't let him stop now… and she sensed that he knew, how he begged her to help him with the next step that was too painful to do on his own. His last two words, however, reverberated strongly in her soul, filled with so much rage and disappointment… though not at the feathered warriors… "Do you feel guilty that you had to…"

"No, I… Yes, of bloody course I do, but not really… I… it's not that…" he muttered, rubbing his eyes, exhausted.

"I sensed your anger…" she softly said, remembering the brief moment of cold hate that had stung her like the prick of a needle.

"Of course I was fucking angry, damn it!" he yelled again, his rage rekindled in an instant. "So? They deserved it, those arseholes!"

"I've never felt you be this angry…" she still spoke gently, luring him out of his stubborn shell, letting him vent his frustration.

"So?! What?! It worked, didn't it?! I scared them enough so they would listen! Did you see it? They were freaking trembling their feathers off, the… the…" his face contorted, first into a pained grimace of a false grin, then it quickly dissolved into what it really was… a pitiful mask of dreadful remorse and despair.

Zelda swallowed heavily… She wanted nothing more than to rush to him to comfort him in her arms, but something held her back. A tiny, fleeting glimpse of his mind finally made its way through his defences, at last passing through the thick walls he had made his gaol. A miniscule memory of that moment that caused him so much doubt and anguish…

"You nearly went too far!" she muttered more to herself, then nearly slapped herself for her carelessness.

"I had it under control!" he roared, now directly at her instead of at the world in general. "Do you think these fuckers would have stopped if I hadn't frightened some sense back into them? They would be dancing on our corpses now, had I not… And you presume to judge me for it?!"

She knew she shouldn't be cross… right now he was like a hounded animal, biting in all directions in fear of where the next pain might come from. Still, she felt her temper flare at his words. "I am not judging you! Do not insult me with your misguided accusations!"

"I had it under control!" he yelled, but she could see in his eyes how much he doubted his words.

"No you hadn't! Or you wouldn't mope about like this, would you?!" she shot back and could immediately see that she had hit the mark perfectly now. Her furious words nearly made him recoil. He turned slightly away, averted his gaze and clenched his fists.

"What do you want me to say?!" he exclaimed, more of a whine than a shout. The utter defeat that weighed his voice down gripped her heart so firmly it hurt. It both made her want to cradle him in her arms and slap him on the cheek for being so stubborn and self-loathing.

"I want you to stop hiding behind your anger and to say what is truly behind your distress!" she spoke quietly, but with iron behind it.

"I am not…" he started growling, but she was having none of it.

"So I can finally help you, you obstinate oaf!" she interrupted screaming as desperation started gnawing at her too.

"I'm ashamed!" he bellowed so loudly that his voice cracked and his muscles spasmed in rage. He glared, his eyes finally open and honest again, and so vulnerable that she felt her tears well up in an instant. He glared, as if challenging her to laugh or ridicule him, as if fully expecting more pain… but only for an instant…

His shoulders sagged, his gaze faltered and the self-consuming rage in his features, finally spent, turned to the heartrending weeping of a despairing boy. He covered his face with his hand and sunk heavily to the ground, all arduously pretended strength exhausted, leaving nothing but burnt out forlornness.

At last, the walls around which he had hidden had crumbled. Overcoming the brief startled paralysis, Zelda darted to him, slid down beside him and wrapped him in her arms, ignoring the weak, stubborn tries to push her off until they failed too.

"I'm so ashamed…" he repeated as wave upon wave of violent sobs began washing over him, finally unearthing the wretched tumour of self-hate from the beloved depths of his soul. She held him all the more tightly, pulling him towards her so she supported his weight as they both cried wordlessly. Gently she caressed his troubled head, combing through his hair and stroking his cheek. For all the pent up despair that now bubbled out of him, she was amazed he had held on to the façade for this long… She was not quite sure yet, what had scared him so thoroughly, but she knew she had to find out, if only to show him that it couldn't possibly be as terrible as he, lost in a labyrinth of shame and fear, was imagining.

It seemed like hours before his breath calmed, his tears dried and the uncontrolled spasms in his muscles ebbed. Her heart beat furiously, simply in echo of the turmoil in his psyche, her knees stung from the hard floor and her muscles ached from how strongly, unbreakably she held him… but no earthly or divine force could have convinced her to release her grip even the tiniest bit. Not when her arms were all that held him together right now…

"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…" he gasped, his voice still strained from trying to control himself.

"Shhhhh…" she shushed him as she softly rocked him. In the gloom of the single candle the trail of tears on his beautiful face seemed dark… almost as if he had washed out all the unnecessary filth that had burdened him so. Slowly, after a few gentle kisses on his hair, she loosened her grasp, though just enough so he could sit straight again. She watched him, his handsome profile illuminated just enough so she could see that his features had smoothened a bit.

"I'm so ashamed…" he uttered for the third time, slowly shaking his head and closing his eyes. He reopened them and wistfully looked at her… those wonderful deep-blue orbs that gave her no end of comfort… now desolate and insecure and… imploring.

"In front of me?" she asked nervously, dreadfully tense out of fear of saying something that might push him away again… or worse, add to the hurt.

"Of course in front of you… who else matters here?" he blurted out, looking away again.

"You do!" she declared without a moment's hesitation.

He snorted… then shrugged after a second or two. "I guess I'm ashamed in front of myself as well…"

With a bleeding heart she squeezed his shoulder emphatically, but refrained from smothering him with hugs again, which she really wanted to do. Something told her he needed a tiny bit of space to collect his thoughts and she didn't wish for him to feel pestered by her closeness.

"Would you… would you tell me what it is? That you think you have to be ashamed of?" she probed, close to a whisper, praying he would now grant her access to his innermost and wouldn't recoil.

"I nearly lost control." He simply stated after a moment's pause. A sigh, deep and regretful… a glance into her eyes, all too brief, still clouded in embarrassment. She was silent, letting him find the right words…

"That moment… when I saw those three plunging at us right after that net nearly..." he swallowed and took a deep breath. She could feel how difficult, how torturous it was for her sweet knight to relive that moment… and even more so to confess it to her…

"That moment, I wanted to kill them… all of them. I was ready to draw my sword to- to-… It was only for an instant, I promise! I swear it to you, Zelda, I… I don't know what…" he broke off, his voice choking up and his features twisting up in despair once again.

"Sshhhhh… it's alright. Take your time, I'm here. I'm listening. You don't have to justify yourself before me!" she insisted gently, running her hand soothingly through his dark-blonde hair.

He shook his head, though not to shake her off. "I do!" he hissed between gritted teeth. "I do…" he repeated after he had calmed again. "I don't know what came over me. It wasn't just anger… It was like I was engulfed in a dark fire that consumed every shred of sense and turned it into raging bloodlust. I didn't toy with the thought of killing them… I was but an instant away from actually… goddess… I nearly became a murderer!" Shock and horror turned his eyes wide, starting yet another round of this vicious cycle of doubt, shame and misery… unless she broke it!

Quickly Zelda's hands cupped his cheeks and, rather more forceful than strictly necessary, turned him to face her. Her stare was intense, filled with both limitless compassion and strict command. "But you didn't! Do you hear me, Link?! You did not become anything like that! How many people, from alley-robbers to knights, have actually become killers in a sudden fit of rage? You didn't! Despite you having much more reason than most to snap. You! Didn't!"

"But I…" he began, trying to turn his head away, but she was having none of it.

"You will listen to me, Link Andrésson and you will look me in the eye!" she clamoured, now oddly angry at him for being so unfair to himself. "You what?! You should be better than this? You should be magically immune to rash, unthinking, emotional reactions?! At the ripe old age of fifteen?!" she screamed right at him, her face only centimetres away from him and, apparently, frightening enough that he had to wince. "Why?! Because you're some sort of chosen by the goddesses you don't have the right to be a normal Hylian? You're supposed to be something better? Well, guess what? I think you are, you dumb buffoon! Even through all the adversities, all the mind-numbing terror, all the times you had to aid me, the incompetent clod, you still managed to stay your blade, overrule your baser instincts in a millisecond! What, in Din's fiery hell, do you want from yourself?!"

"But I…" he weakly tried, but she just gave him a rough shake by his cheeks, which made him yelp in pain.

"You think I'm some sort of bloody saint?! Do you have any idea how dark my thoughts and temptations got in the years and years of being alone, penned up in that cursed castle, with my father showing me nothing but disinterest?" she yelled, hot tears once again welling up in her eyes. She hadn't meant to spill her guts like this, especially not in such an uncontrolled manner… but it had happened instinctively, had felt right to share a piece of her inner demons when she had basically forced him to do the same. And judging by the flabbergasted stare she received, it worked to wrest him back to reality.

"I am no angel." She stated coolly. "But you know what? We, even when pushed to the extreme, did not succumb to these dark temptations. Both of us didn't…" she repeated, her voice heavy with emotion as she gazed into those heart-stopping eyes, both frail and so, so strong. "Maybe that will be enough… maybe that is really why it is the two of us that have to go on this quest… because we could falter at any turn, but we don't. And we give each other a leg up if we ever do."

"You saved me…" he mumbled after a good 30 seconds, his eyes downcast. "I didn't resist anything. It was your ray of light that pierced the dark fire in me…"

Link's words surprised her… the moment when she had felt his lust for blood was so short and had startled her so much… "I… don't think you're right…" she slowly began. "I was alarmed when I felt your aggression, I admit… but not nearly long enough for me to try to influence you in any way. I think it was still solely you who fought and won against that sinister impulse… And even if it was subconsciously me…" she interrupted yet another protest from him, "…how many times do you think you have been my ray of light in these past weeks, hm?"

His cheeks flushed barely noticeably and an ever so tiny flicker of a smile twitched around his lips. She couldn't resist any longer at seeing him at his most adorable and kissed him long and gently on the lips.

"You are the- -kindest- -sweetest- -loveliest man I know, Link Andrésson!" she muttered between soft but intense kisses and she felt her own face grow hot.

"What if it overtakes me again… that malevolent flame… I fear there will be more battles, more misunderstandings, more fear as the agents of the Threat creep over your land…" he asked, a little of that vigour restored in his tone.

"Well, as I see it, you've learned two things. First, you know you are not exempt from evil thoughts, or that dark fire, as you called it. Therefore, you can learn to counteract it! And secondly, you know that, even when raw instinct brought forth these saturnine cogitations, it was also your instinct that banished them back to their place. Keep that in mind and you'll turn out the radiant, infallible, dreadfully boring white knight you seemingly wish to be." She jibed, grinned impishly and leaned in for another kiss.

He giggled, only weakly, hesitantly still, but it was nonetheless the most beautiful, most relieving sound she had heard in a long time. His strong, elegant hands, until now apathetically resting in his lap, finally moved to hug her to him, both holding on to her and pulling her closer.

"Please…" he whispered as he rested his forehead against hers. "Please don't ever stop saving me."

"I don't mean to." she replied, her arms wrapping around his neck to hold him tightly and her heart at last beating freely again.

---

Many minutes they spent, hearing only each other's breath, locked in a firm embrace… though, for once, mostly he in hers.

"I'm sorry for screaming at you…" he mumbled, gazing at her with a truly cute expression of child-like remorse.

"Oh please. That was nothing! You should have seen some of the battles Saria and I fought!" she explained, then had to giggle. "One time, we made such a racket that a whole group of guards stormed my quarters, thinking I was under attack. Can you imagine their faces upon seeing two young girls, grappling like furious she-bears amidst the debris of the furniture? I had a split lip while she had a bleeding nose." Link looked so utterly appalled by what he was hearing that she nearly had a laughing fit. "They actually dragged her off and, not entirely sure how they should classify this 'incident', put her into one of the holding cells next to the guard room. If I recall correctly, it took her only about one hour before the gaoler gave up and let her out, simply to be freed of her incessant nagging."

Link's laugh rang clear and loud in the surrounding silence… the joyous laugh of a boy liberated from his own angst, so much relief waving freely in it… the laugh of a drowning man who had, when he no longer thought it possible, reached the saving shore. Zelda couldn't put into words how much she loved hearing it.

Another few minutes passed. His head felt increasingly heavy against her shoulder and she recognized by his breathing that he was slowly drifting to sleep. "I need to apologize to them…" he mumbled out of nowhere, apparently still unable to allow himself the rest he so desperately needed. "All of them… the warriors, their captain, the prick…"

"Later… you can do that later, sweety. Forget it until tomorrow." She said with a soft, lulling voice.

"I frightened them… Helped us, I think… but I feel bad…" he muttered, clearly fighting to stay awake, to keep talking… still so many thoughts buzzing restlessly through his mind, trying to be worded… trying to justify or excuse himself in front of her, when she had already understood everything, even the things unsaid.

"You were scary…" she whispered. "I don't like it if you're scary… even if I understand that, sometimes, you'll have to be."

"I frightened myself…" he burbled, barely audibly.

"Shh… try and sleep now, Link. We can always talk more when the day breaks, hm?" she cooed, gently stroking his hair.

He murmured his consent, but still he tried more than once to say something and she sensed the turbulence in his soul that would rob him of a recreative slumber.

A sudden memory, long buried but very sweet, entered her conscious… and she spontaneously, without thinking about it all, began to hum.

So many recollections flooded her mind as she heard herself intone the tune she hadn't heard for so many years… most of them blurred, some might even be nothing but figments of her imagination… but all of them extremely dear and nothing she would have ever dreamed of sharing.

Her own tiredness crept into her head, making it increasingly burdening to keep it upright and making her yearn for a bed. She could tell Link had finally fallen asleep…

Wresting herself from the arms of Morpheus one last time, she carefully laid her knight down, then plodded towards the bed where she exhaustedly grabbed every piece of cloth that came between her fingers, all the while never stopping her humming. With every bit of care she could muster as her eyes burnt with the desire to be shut, she spread sheets and blankets over him, then crawled under them to snuggle against his strong body.

"What is that?" he asked, half here, half in the realm of dreams.

"A lullaby… my mother sang it to me when I was little… I've never heard it since she died and I haven't found it written down anywhere so I think she wrote it for me…"

" 's beautiful…" he babbled before at last sinking back under the surface of consciousness.

"It is…" she breathed, more to herself than anyone else… then she began again, humming it for him and herself until, not long after, she too fell asleep.

---

Some time later, Zelda awoke toilsomely, her head heavy and a strangely dusty taste in her mouth. Reluctantly opening her eyes, an act that seemed to take all the strength she currently had, she realized after a moment's confusion, that it was still completely dark outside. For a startled second, she thought she might have slept an entire day! Remembering how dead tired she had been, she wouldn't put it past herself… but no. If the amount of fatigue she still felt was what remained after a whole day of rest, she doubted she would ever willingly leave a bed for the rest of her life. Besides, the candle Link had lit was still burning, albeit only being little more than a stub.

Groggily, she gazed around, her vision still blurry, absentmindedly wiping away the little trail of drool from her chin. Something must have roused her… and if she knew anything about herself, nothing short of an earthquake would have disturbed her slumber!

Dazed slightly, she looked back down at the blonde boy at her side, breathing softly and easily, warm against her arm, his face as angelic as ever. She could sense no dreams in his soul… just calm, mellow waters with only occasional gentle swirls of thought. A tender wave of affection filled her from head to toe… She was just about to once again snuggle up against him as tightly as she could without waking him… when a sharp clacking sound made her head snap toward the large window on the far side.

A spiny looking outline against the dark, cloudy sky… for a moment she had no idea what it was and her heart started pounding. Then, after a moment, her eyes focused and she identified feathers… grey feathers…

Still not quite sure that she wasn't dreaming, she nudged her sleeping protector and whispered, half to him and half to the shape hanging from the windowsill "Veneli?!"

Link was awake in an instant and on his knee, ready to stand and fight at once.

"Sh! Don't give me away!" the boy's voice came quietly. Slowly it dawned on Zelda that this was anything but a normal visit, deep in the night, hanging from a window opposite the door. She could only see his wings and head and even that only faintly in the darkness… but she sensed his nervousness… and the immense graveness behind it.

Link said nothing, just watched him with an expression of both curiosity and concern.

Veneli looked at each of them in turn for a long time, the light of the candle reflecting ominously in his eyes. His voice sounded hoarse when he finally decided to speak.

"Did you… is anything of it true?" he asked, quavering but dead serous.

The two heroes looked at each other, hoping to find the right answer to give within each other's gaze. "Would you be here if you didn't believe us?" Link questioned at last in an attempt to lead their opposite to find his answer himself.

The young Rito shifted uncomfortably and breathed quicker. She could see what a tremendous effort it must have been to gather the courage to confront them… What had he hear from the others in his tribe? What had his grandfather told him? She bit her lip, her heart racing in her chest as if faced with a hundred enemies. Being mistrusted and feared had been bad enough… but if Veneli, someone she had already taken into her heart, were to hate them because of all this terrible madness…

"I help you over the Rift…" he finally spoke, strained and close to tears. "…I tell you secrets that no outsider should ever know… I return to my home and find my father gone, lost within the Guardian, pre… presumed de…" he took a sharp breath to get his voice back under control and Zelda had to clench her teeth against the urge to speak out. "I kept you secret despite being asked many questions, despite… everything else. And then you reappear from the temple… it's impossible that you passed the barren perimeter around it without being seen, we were watching every inch of it constantly… You, however, were unseen, just like the shadow that has stolen the key… just like the thing my father went to hunt in the sanctuary… a mission he never returned from… yet you exited unharmed…" His speech was erratic and nearly disjointed, but his point was piercingly clear. He swallowed heavily. "I want to hear it from you. Did you do it?"

"Everything we said, everything you heard was the truth." Link said, trying to keep his voice calm, but he, too, struggled not to let his emotions show… She could only imagine how desperately he must wish that their friend, their only friend here, believed them… She also suddenly realized what, or who, her protector had seemingly so absentmindedly gazed at during their interlocution with the High Chieftain. "We could not have stolen the key; it happened before we even met. We did come here to cause any harm, just the opposite. We did meet your father, he was uninjured, but not himself. We found who we suspect might be behind it all and we lost sight of her within the Deku Tree. I swear to you, on my life, that it is the truth."

Veneli looked at them for what seemed an eternity. Zelda silently prayed to whichever goddess might hear her that his words, which so longed for salvation, would be believed.

"I believe you…" he whispered. "Still, despite everything… I don't know if that makes me an even greater idiot than I already am…"

Finally exhaling the tortured breath she had been holding, Zelda nearly slumped to the ground in sheer relief. Link, too, sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. "Thank you…" he mumbled, trembling ever so slightly. "So much…" she added so softly she doubted he had even heard her.

"I… had to be sure… I*m sorry…" the young Rito muttered, sounding almost ashamed of himself. Zelda darted forward and, before he could so much as blink, hugged everything of him she could reach to her chest, earning an almost strangled squawk from the startled boy. She could hear her boyfriend move up behind her and clear his throat, indicating not so subtly that her current actions were the lead cause of embarrassment in this room.

"I'm so sorry, Veneli!" she breathed as she let go of him to gaze caringly into his eyes. "About all this doubt, about your father… we will save him, I promise you, as soon as-"

"-as my grandfather has decided?" the lad interrupted with a raised eyebrow. "No. I refuse to wait on his hesitancy. He is… not the man he once was…" There was bitterness in his voice as well as uncertainty… but also determination. "I am busting you out!" he finally proclaimed with an audacious grin.

"I know that kind of smile…" Link said with a smirk of his own. "I don't think we have a choice in the matter."

Zelda knew she could hardly refuse such a gift from the heavens… too much was at stake! Still, her conscience alarmed at the thought of blindly accepting such an offer from a youth, whose grief might have made him reckless and who might be throwing his future away to help them. "Listen. I know you are eager, desperate even to help your father… but I don't want you to be foolhardy! This-"

"What?! This is what?!" he hissed angrily, shaking her hands off his shoulders. "Do you take me for a fool? We don't have time, you said so yourself! Are you willing to help or not?!"

"Easy now!" Link soothed, but with enough vehemence that the boy was quiet at once. "Nobody said we refused your help. On the contrary, we are extremely grateful that you would, in spite of everything, come to our aid once again. And we don't take you for a fool, far from it. What Zelda meant to ask is: Have you thought carefully on what this might mean for you?" He poked him ruggedly in the chest. "We cannot reject your offer. There is simply too much at stake, for all of us. But I nevertheless want to know that you are aware of the consequences this might have for you."

Veneli swallowed, though whether it was to suppress his anger of his nerves, she could not quite say. "It's my dad… I cannot sit around, waiting for my grandfather's hectic, erratic turnings of mind until he has finally clobbered his choice together… especially not when a solution is right under my beak. I am prepared to accept the consequences for my actions… which will, most likely be exile… I hope… But fiery winds of hell, its my father! What… what choice do I have?!" he asked forlornly, gazing at each of them in turn as if, against all expectations, they could come up with an answer.

Zelda balled her hands into fists, digging her nails painfully into her palms. It pained her immensely to have to use this boy's, their friend's desperation for their own goals, no matter how valiant they might be. But she understood him… she knew, without a flicker of doubt, that she would act the same, have the same frantic resolve in her eyes that could make her endure all the pains hell had to offer in order to save a loved one. And she knew by her beloved's tensed, regretful face that he was no different.

They shared a long look, both understanding their shared compunctions and reluctance… but in the end, they knew there was no way past this.

"What is your plan?"

"It's simple…" the lad said with an expression that said it wasn't.

"Are you going to make us fly again?" Zelda asked, smirking, but with a slightly queasy feeling in her gut.

"That is plan B." the little rascal replied without hesitation, enjoying both their quizzical faces for a second. "Seriously though, that is plan B. I'm… at least moderately sure that I can carry you individually… or at least fall with sufficient elegance that we won't break our necks."

"How very reassuring!" Link replied with but the faintest hint of sarcasm.

"Let us begin with plan A, then…" she prompted, hoping it would lead to success without the need of a backup.

"Plan A: I have nicked the key to this nest. The guard will leave in a few minutes… his daughter, a friend of mine, has agreed to help me lure him away. When he's gone, open the door and make your way quietly to the little nook between the first two nests on the right. I'll wait for you there." He handed them the small key, gave them a last, brief smile, then dropped backwards and fell into the night so abruptly that Zelda had to suppress a startled outcry.

They gazed at each other for a second before shrugging their shoulders, admitting they had no better idea.

---

In hindsight, both were breathlessly amazed that this had worked… Weaving through the entirety of the Rito village, darting from shadow to shadow, heart pounding whenever one of the guards walked past… Zelda was surprised they couldn't hear the ear-splitting thumping from her chest. This was probably the most nerve-wracking, but also exhilarating thing she had ever done and when finally they reached their destination after about an hour of sneaking over creaking wood and slinking hastily around to the next saving darkness, she had to slap her hand over her mouth to stop herself from giggling out loud.

Veneli, of course, had been of enormous help, showing them the most hidden and easiest to navigate route through his village and, by perching on the roofs of the nests, telling them the right timing of when to hustle and when to wait for a guard to pass. She got a the distinct feeling that this little rapscallion was rather frequently skulking his way through the nightly town… she vowed to one day ask him why he was so proficient at fooling the guards… and she already knew his embarrassment would be delightful.

In the end, they had traversed all three gaps between the mighty branches of the Guardian, arriving at the lowest of the four developed ones. The need for stealth added yet another layer of suspense on the already considerable tension of traversing the rickety constructions spanning the wide spaces in between. Link, of course, already walked the narrow, swinging paths as if he had done so all his life, hardly even looking down any more… She could scuff him for being so damned good at… everything!

At last, led by their feathered guide, they encountered a stairway leading even further down, driven directly into the bark of the Deku Tree. Following it, they reached a very sturdy looking platform, fashioned mostly from iron, rather than wood, something that was nowhere else to be seen around the village. As they stepped onto it, Zelda could see that a goron-sized nook had been carved from the Tree, which was now housing a large winch with a hefty looking chain going up, through the bark outside, and back down to a fenced off section of the platform.

"Ah… I thought that flying can't be the only way to transport goods up to you… and you did mention a Goron visiting you…" Link recalled, smirking.

"I heard they flew you up with that torture device… and did a few extra twists and turns… They had quite a laugh at your expense in the common room…" Veneli told them with a mixture of disapproval and guilty amusement. Neither of them was very surprised about that bit of news…

"Step on the elevator! I'm going to let you down and… it should be quiet enough that no-one hears… or, at least, you should already be down when they think twice and come to look." he bade them and got in position at a large lever next to the winch.

With an uneasy feeling in her belly, she sat down next to Link on the wood and metal construction. She noticed gratefully that, for once, nothing about this particular contraption creaked… she suspected the rickety look of the walkways and bridges of the village were more of an aesthetic choice of a people for whom heights did not matter… If their craftsmanship were poor, their spherical houses, jutting off at all angles from the branches, would be far too dangerous a place… When she shared these thoughts with her protector, he slowly nodded, absentmindedly chewing on his lip. "As usual, I hope the world actually follows your flawless logic…"

With a startling jolt the platform began to move downwards, slowly at first, but gaining a little speed once they were below the rest. She had to hand it to the winged warriors… the tk-tk-tk-tk sound accompanying their descent was indeed surprisingly silent… yet in the surrounding quiet it still stood out like a Zora in the woods.

"Look!" Link nudged her and nodded towards the horizon. She followed his gaze and a little smile formed around her lips. The very first rays of the sun turned the sky behind the jagged mountains a soft shade of pink… the stark, ridged outline of the mighty peaks against the increasingly colourful spectacle was alluring and forbidding at once. Still far below them, the sea of trees was slowly lifted from the dark grey stupor of the night and the first smooth brushes of light sprinkled the highest leaves… a magnificent contrast, light and dark… and the incomparable beauty they could beget when they danced peacefully around each other…

She looked back around into his face and her smile widened. That spark in his eyes that betrayed his love for nature, the gentle expression of serenity that bespoke his genuine fascination with life… and, at this moment, the simple fact that he could, again, take joy out a simple moment… It all filled her with unending relief and gratitude and… much, much more.

"How are you feeling, sweety?" she asked, a little hesitant, but she just wanted to hear him, as well as see…

His eyes met hers and the smile he awarded her with, radiating so much pure affection, nearly melted her heart. "Much, much better… I feel I can… live again…"

His words were corny and, by the slight, doubtful wrinkling of his nose, he knew it. A little giggle couldn't quite be suppressed, but she felt that a little hamminess was acceptable. "Thank you, Zelda… from the bottom of my heart… for being here with me through all these mad trials and tribulations… and…" She staunched the flow of his sweet, embarrassed babbling by laying a few gentle fingers on his lips… mostly so she wouldn't have to blush an even deeper crimson that she already had.

"Always…" she mumbled, her face burning, then pulled herself eagerly towards him and kissed him fiercely, both their noses squashed against each other's face, but not caring. She didn't even feel the considerable swinging of the platform her sudden movement had caused… Her head was simply too abuzz with the incomparable sensation of finally being able to feel his lips on hers again… there was just no more space for anything else… only one thought briefly flashed through her drunken mind and it caused her smile like a lunatic. 'If only this stupid platform could get stuck right now…'

---

The elevator landed on the ground with a heavy thud. "Are you tired?" she asked him after they had, with some heated reluctance, exited it and, after a moment of orientation, started walking along the trunk toward the temple.

"Surprisingly, not too much… we couldn't have slept much more than four hours…" he guessed, then threw a sideways glance at her, grinning. "Maybe that lullaby of yours was magical…"

"Dolt… I'll try it the next time you annoy me! Maybe you'll just get cross-eyed and smack face first into the dirt!" she countered, gifting him a sardonic little smirk.

He chuckled, but didn't say anything. A sombre little smile played around her lips. He wasn't quite yet himself again… usually he wouldn't have passed up such an opportunity for their beloved bantering… His mind must still be preoccupied with rebuilding itself. She wasn't perturbed… healing took its time. Last time he had smacked her soul back into the right shape, it too had taken a few days until, finally the brooding had an end.

They found their backpacks after a few minutes of silent walking. Unsurprisingly, they had been searched for the key, and not too delicately. But, at least, everything seemed to be whole.

A few seconds later they heard a light flapping sound overhead. Link's head snapped upwards, but his posture relaxed again when he saw the grey feathers of their saviour. And he didn't come alone…

"Our swords!" her protector exclaimed excitedly as he spotted what the boy was carrying in his talons. "How in the world did you…"

"They had been brought before my grandfather, then had been left in the common room… they didn't really have a reason to guard them, with you 'safely locked away', now did they?" he answered with a smug voice. "You had a knife too, didn't you? Unfortunately I couldn't find it… I had to get out quickly…"

"Brother, don't you dare apologize after all you've already helped us!" Link said grandly as he affixed his sword where it belonged. "I bet the one who captured us still has it. I did ask him to watch over my weapons, so maybe he at least keeps half of his promise…"

"Well, in hindsight, good thing he didn't keep keener eye on it." Zelda muttered as she strapped her rapier to her belt.

Once they were all repackaged and armed, Link having recovered his shield which he had left with the bags, they all hustled towards the gate inside the Tree.

They slinked back into the hollow beneath the enormous roots. Once they were right before the arched entrance, they stopped to look back at their incredibly helpful little friend.

"Right… I don't think it would be wise if you waited here, you should probably fly back and act as if you knew nothing…" Link suggested, placing a thankful hand on the boy's shoulder.

His face, however, contorted into a puzzled frown. "What?"

"This is where we must part." her guardian said, suddenly also perplexed. "I swear we will find a way to-"

The lad brushed his hand away with a snappish beat of his wing and glared angrily. "No no no, you can shut right up!" he spat, fury in his eyes. "What do you think I freed you for?! So you can open the gate for me!"

"Veneli, I don't…" Zelda began, but knew she had no right to contradict… and pointing out the obvious danger would simply be an insult to the lad's intelligence. "We don't even know what this woman, this witch is capable of!" she finally uttered.

"I don't give… I don't care! I'm just here for my dad! I… I don't doubt that you can do it but… You'll need me!" he whined, gesticulating wildly.

"If he truly is under the woman's spell… He might not even…" Link began, but didn't get farther.

"I know! That's why I have to be there, to… to get him out of that enchantment! Or…" he swallowed heavily and took a few trembling breaths. "…or at least to make sure he doesn't harm you. At the very least I can engage him until you are past!"

They looked at each other, both he and she still acutely aware of how their last encounter with the Rito warchief had ended.

"Your grandfather said, Tamali was the most powerful aeromancer alive…" Link pointed out.

The boy huffed. "My grandfather is… he was a great man, once. He still is, I think. Everyone speaks extremely highly of him, but… He is old and… he knows it. I heard him speak to my father, telling him how, on some days, he feels as if he had to fight a battle for every thought. He has come to rely heavily on my dad for, well, managing the tribes. And now my father is missing…" He spoke apologetically, as if he had to vindicate his grandfather's indecision…

"It's true that my dad is very powerful… but I am even stronger!" he announced, his head held high and proud, his voice firm and so full of conviction that there wasn't even one iota of doubt. Link and Zelda looked at each other, momentarily lost for word… then shrugged.

"I am tired of talking." the boy proclaimed haughtily. "We will enter the tree together!" And he walked purposefully past them into the dragon-room, his impressive strut only slightly marred by his obviously shaking knees.

"Well…" Link sighed with a look of amused defeat. "You heard the sub-sub-high chieftain! Onwards!"

---

The sickening, blurry turning of the dragon room was no better the third time she experienced it… Again her dizzy head needed a good ten seconds to regain any semblance of orientation. Veneli, already nervous, had subconsciously grabbed on to both their arms as the menacing yellow eyes of the emerald dragon had come to life. Now, with the twisting lizard having finished its writhing turn around the round chamber, he realized his little lapse in composure and mumbled a cute little 'sorry'.

After they had picked themselves up from the no longer rocking floor, they carefully made their way further into the Deku Tree, with Link in the front and she in the rear.

The sight of utter destruction that greeted them in the large hall felt like a knife in her stomach… All those lovely tables, the chairs, all differently, intricately designed, as well as the many wonderful toys… All thoughtlessly smashed and broken against the wall, all that sweet, sad history vandalised in one soulless, senseless act of violence. Filled with strange sorrow, she glance at Link who seemed to have a much, much deeper connection with this place than she… She saw his wide open eyes, the hard, angry lines in his face, the cramped white of his knuckles… and his gaze found the silvery white Rito who had done this, yet wasn't to blame.

Tamali stood stock-still in front of the tunnel entrance on the far side, his head turned towards them, yet his eyes seeming to look through them and far into the distance. There was no stirring in his posture, no emotion in his face, not even when Veneli stepped clearly into view. The boy's breath went quicker, his fingers fidgeting uneasily at seeing his father in such an unnatural, disturbing state.

"Warchief Tamali!" Link raised his voice. "We are here to combat the true evil that has entered this place. It is not us, you should be fighting! You know this! Fight against this power that has you in its grasp!"

It was worth the try, but he might just as well have talked to the wall. There was no indication that the tall warrior had understood, or even heard them.

They tried advancing another step.

The Rito's posture changed immediately, from stiff, statuesque immobility to an aggressive stance, wings spread and starting to glow.

"Duck!" Link commanded, stepping in front of Zelda and pushing her down she was fully covered. The dreaded wing-beat came with a sudden clap… they were completely out in the open! Like a feathered arrow Veneli darted forward and, with a strained grunt, threw his own wings up. The storm conjured by the warchief crashed against an invisible barrier with an ear-shattering roar. Behind their young friend the wind was still violently tearing at their clothes and hair, but everywhere around the sheer force caused tables to crash and chairs to shatter. The boy was pushed back until Link helped him brace against the onslaught. When the wave finally ended, he slowly, tremblingly lowered his wings.

"Father, please!" Veneli's high voice rang piercingly through the hall. His eyes were bespeaking his shocked horror at seeing dad, whom he clearly admired intensely, show such unbridled, furious violence against him with this callous, emotionless expression… For a second Zelda feared he would break, feared the child that had only just begun its way into adulthood would win and send him into panic. But the lad rallied and she could only imagine how much self-control it took.

"Father, it's me! Veneli… your son… your little buzzard!" he cried loudly and imploringly. "Please! Come back to yourself!"

Zelda could swear that, for a moment, a twitch coursed through Tamali's face… the first reaction of any kind whatsoever! "Keep talking! Let your voice guide him back!" she yelled as Link dragged her over to the side room, the kitchen.

The fearsome, bluish glow returned, but this time, Veneli was ready. With his own, smaller feathers radiating bright white, he weathered the attack much better. His face was contorted and his body was straining against the incredible force, but he kept his ground.

"Father! Dad! Stop this, please! You are not being yourself! Fight it!" Another heartfelt plea, another twitch in his father's face, maybe a slight quaking in his claws, but little else.

Once Link had led her to the relative safety of the doorway, she could see him snap around to watch their friend, his muscles tensing, ready to dart back out to come to his aid.

Veneli made a few steps closer, his arm outstretched, silently begging his father to come to his senses. Another wave of blue energy discharged from the Rito's wings, shredding through the room with painful clangour, but bouncing off the boy's own aeromantic barrier.

Once the gale had died down, Link sprinted out along the wall, circling around the warchief, about halving the distance.

The young boy was only a metre away when the next incredibly mighty blast hit him, the powers of wind that clashed against each other so intense that the rushing air distorted the light, making the protective sphere around the lad almost visible. He had raised his hands to shield his face, screaming with the effort of holding himself against his father's attack, trembling vigorously on his whole body.

Zelda, her face a mask of sheer dismay, watched in horror as blood popped out of the boy's nostril.

The wave ebbed, and for a while the only thing that could be heard was the ragged breath of Veneli, quick and tremulous, tears streaming from his eyes. She glanced over at Link, his expression rigid and tortured with the insanity of the scene in front of them. He had his hand on his sword, the muscles on his jaw grinding vigorously, but his eyes trained unblinkingly at the two Rito. With sudden fright she realized what her beloved was preparing himself to do, should the worst occur… She saw the steely determination in his gaze, but also the silent, beseeching prayer that he wouldn't have to do the unthinkable…

Veneli, gasping, made the last few steps to his father and, after a second of staring helplessly into his eyes, embraced him.

"Please! Come back!" he begged, as the pale blue shine once again filled the room.

A panicked shriek… a drawn sword… a slow, terribly unstoppable closing of glowing wings…

"Come baaaaAAAAAACK-" a shrill cry of sheer desperation, drowned out by the overpowering cyclone centred around Veneli, blasting his father's winds effortlessly away and pummelling him with its immense force. A tempest born of utter despair, wild and uncontrolled, its power darkened the room with its writhing, clashing air streams. Both Zelda and Link, hanging on for dear life, could hardly breath as the oxygen seemed to be sucked out from their lungs.

When finally the violent gales died down, Tamali had sunk down, his unconscious body held only by his son's unbroken embrace.

Both Link and Zelda darted towards them, in a mad rush to see to Veneli's wellbeing and seeing to the stricken warrior.

"I'm fine!" the boy whined, helping his friend to carefully lay his father down. The boy angrily rubbed the blood from his nose and the tears from his cheeks, trying to hide the sobs racking his body.

"He's breathing… doesn't seem to be injured..." Zelda muttered half to him, half to herself.

"I beat the hell out of him…" the lad wept, frantic and quaking.

Link looked around, his gaze coming to rest on a strange medallion hanging from the man's belt. "The key! Zelda, he has the key! Quick, help me get him into the dragon-room! Veneli, take the key, bring him back outside, fly up, get help! Come on!" he commanded, reaching under the Rito's armpits to grab and drag him over to the indicated destination. Running beside them, the boy deftly took the key, then quickly moved a few pieces of debris away from the doorway.

Link placed the silvery warrior down gently, then turned back towards the lad. "You understand? Get him help once you're outside. We'll handle things in here!"

The brave young lad nodded, still fighting his tears.

"V… Veneli?" a throaty voice made them look down. The kid cried out in surprise and relief and knelt down next to his father. The beaten rooster, clearly struggling to keep awake, raised a jittery hand to his son's head and pulled him into a tight hug. "My dear… my dearest… I'm so sorry… oh goddess, I'm so, so…"

"Shhh… It's fine dad. It's over." their friend consoled between his sobs.

The warchief's gaze, already defocusing again, found the two others, standing aside, awed and relieved to no end. "Thank you… thank…" His eyes closed and his muscles went slack. Veneli was about to panic when Zelda put a calming hand on his shoulder. "He's alright, just sleeping. Get him outside now, quick!" she ordered, smiled fiercely, then led her protector from the round room.

The boy nodded and rushed over to the symbol of the leaf. He placed the iron spiral of the key into the matching groove and immediately, the dragon-room's rumbling could be felt in the wood.

"You come back out, you hear?! You don't die and you come back out!" the lad's high voice rang imploringly over the low din, just before the chamber sank into the eerie darkness and, with grinding and splintering of wood, turned away, swallowing all sound from within.

And after a few more seconds, all sound stopped and what remained of the exit was nothing but a blank wall of wood…

---

While this chapter is undoubtedly flawed, I also kinda love it…

It's odd, some chapters are probably objectively better, more coherent, but I don't like them quite as much.

Brain is weird.

So… finally temple next time… took a while… Don't know if I know what I'm doing…