"This swordsman of ours has great eyes, honey. They're proud and wild...like a feral beast."
-Telma, Resistance Leader
Chapter Thirteen: Attempted Kidnapping
Ice caves southern entrance…
"Guys, be careful!" Karane called out.
Aryll, Groose, and Pipit took their time climbing out of the caves all while helping Epona, the wagon, and Agitha, who had nearly fallen into the icy waters. They arrived in what looked to be a tributary where the icy river split into three. One led downstream, towards the frozen Lake Hylia according to Agitha. Another led back to the ice caves while a third led to northern Hyrule field.
An old road leading to the fields ran along the southern branch. With trepidation, as parts of it had worn away long ago and exposed parts of the icy river, the party of five walked along the path. There were a few slips every now and then, but the five made it to the snowy fields of northern Hyrule proper.
Snow mounds and snow-covered pine trees were far as the eye can see for Aryll. She saw the river flowing down towards a town connected by a lone stone bridge. It looked about a few miles from their position and she thought they would go there next.
In the distance were the large spires of the Northern Palace. It was a sign that one was close to the capital, despite the place being nearly 60 miles away from their position. Due to the height of the tower and the way the capital was built, most areas within the area of Hyrule could see the spires. Even in certain areas of Snowpeak, one could see them.
Snowflakes fell down from the cloudy skies, landing on the frigid ground slowly. The temperature seemed to be a bit warmer than in the mountains, but it was still very cold to Aryll, despite her wearing a large parka and other mountain gear.
"Okay, so where to next?" Pipit asked.
"I'm tired. Can't we rest in that town downriver?" Karane asked, looking exhausted.
"Yeah, we were practically in those caves for days 'cause Miss Karane thought going left at that fork in the road was a good idea. Can't we take a break?" Groose asked.
Karane huffed and Aryll was about to object, believing that they could make it to the capital if they just pushed themselves. She suppressed a yawn as they could only rest for small intervals at a time those few days. Agitha, on the other hand, said, "We should go there as we're nearly out of food, potions, and ammo. And I'm sure that you guys need to get your weapons patched up after that ambush by that White Wolfos pack."
Aryll faced her sister, shocked that she would sound…reasonable. Not wanting to object anymore as she was very tired, Aryll hopped into the back of the wagon and joined in agreement to head to the next town, the river town of Mido.
10 Fado 1015, Link's room, morning…
"I'm surprised that you're here. I'm sure that the child would be just as surprised."
Returning to Link's room at Sunnyside, Ganondorf, flanked in the shadows by members of the Corps, saw Link…or more like one of his personas, "Raven", sitting on the cot and looking a bit wary. The emperor was joined by Dr. Osfala, who continued to sit in a chair, taking notes. "Raven" then asked, "You're fascinated by him or worried?"
"More worried than anything else. Lydia Nodor is a friend of mine and I would very much like to keep my promise to her," Ganondorf told him, wondering if the other personas caught on to who the Gerudo really was.
"Why would an emperor have commoners as friends? Usually, royalty has those that are like them as friends or acquaintances," "Raven" asked.
"True, but there are those that do not wish to only have within their circle those from the noble houses. If one only had those from those circles, how would one be able to know their people?" Ganondorf said.
"Raven" seemed to understand and he jolted. His eyes closed and Osfala said, "It seems that your presence is greatly affecting his condition. He actually drank some soup earlier this morning."
"Yeah, and it didn't taste good."
Based on the slight gruffness in the voice and Sheikah-like accent, "Yami" had awakened. Blood-red eyes locked onto Ganondorf and Osfala and then on the two in the shadows. He stretched and said, "Seriously, what did you guys put in the soup? Rotted fish or something?"
"Uh…I'm not sure. But Chloe tried her best," Dr. Osfala replied.
"Well, just tell her not to cook…ever again…" "Yami" said, his red eyes filled with disappointment.
He then pointed at the emperor, saying, "Y'know, you could've at least hired someone who could cook."
"I'm not over the hospitals over the empire. I'm just the patron," Ganondorf said, wondering if the persona was as bad as "Nyx".
It didn't seem like it and "Yami" said, "If I'm awake, I'll make sure the kid eats. He hasn't eaten much because of all the stuff that happened in Aboda and how he feels he doesn't have a home to go back to."
"Yes…Link explained it to us," Dr. Osfala said.
Ganondorf knew he wasn't telling the truth as Impa had made no mention of that. But "Yami" continued with, "I thought it was bad with those from my village…"
"What village…?" Dr. Osfala asked.
"Yami" seemed to catch on and his red eyes changed back to blue. The men waited for the persona to announce itself and heard, "Man, even I can make food better than that."
Red and blue lines appeared on Link's face and Ganondorf remembered Impa telling him that it was a sign that "Kishin" was awake. His eyes went from blue to silver and nearly made it look as if he had pupil-less eyes. Dr. Osfala was a bit shaken and said, "Hello there, 'Kishin'."
"Oh, hey. Um…you're that emperor guy, right?" "Kishin" asked.
Ganondorf wondered if it was because Link had immediately recognized him when he first came to. Maybe this would be something to update Lydia on. Sure, he still had those other personalities in his head, but they'll find out how to cure him soon. Hopefully…
"Well, 'Kishin' if you can make sure to eat when you're awake, that would greatly help Link," Dr. Osfala said.
"Okay, but if that Chloe's cooking again, then I can make no promises," "Kishin" said.
He closed his eyes and the markings disappeared. Link jolted awake and he said, "I-It ha-happened again…?"
He sighed and saw the emperor. With a meek wave, the youth kept silent and Ganondorf told him, "Hello there, Link."
Link looked down, giving a small, "H-hi…"
He seemed to be nervous speaking around him and Dr. Osfala said, "His Majesty will not make fun of your speech impediment."
"Um…h-has any-anyone s-s-sent-t…?" Link asked.
"Letters? No. But Lady Impa has been keeping your mother informed. And she's given her interesting updates on your home villages," Dr. Osfala said.
Link tilted his head and the doctor told him how his sisters and friends went missing. Apparently, they went after Link a few weeks after he arrived. She sent alerts to other villages to keep a lookout for them and even Impa vowed to send them back to Aboda after finding them. Link was surprised, saying, "I-I di-didn't think that th-they would…"
A small smile and Link muttered, "They-They st-still c-care…"
"So, what are you going to do with him?"
Ganondorf, after seeing Lydia's child like that for the first time, returned to the palace, greatly disturbed. He went straight for his chambers, wanting to decompress from what happened. After shutting the door to his room, the man quickly went for his lounge chair, ready to read a book to get his mind off of it.
"So, you're not going to do anything?"
"Did I tell you all not to cross this threshold? No privacy rules exist for you all, Kohga?" Ganondorf said, annoyed at the Sheikah.
The portly ninja came out of the shadows and grinned underneath his mask. He then told His Majesty, "That boy does have the name of the traitor that attempted to kill your ancestor."
"Yes? And?" Ganondorf said, not seeing anything wrong with the name.
"Well, what if he's the one that will overthrow the empire? Many disloyal to you will possibly attempt to use the boy to end you and your nieces," Kohga said.
Ganondorf wasn't worried at all about it. But Kohga insisted on increasing security at the hospital, to prevent Hylian supremacists from stealing the boy away. The Gerudo shook his head and said, "Fine then. But do not cross the threshold without permission again…unless there's an extreme emergency."
"The boy's presence in the city is an emergency," Kohga argued.
"It's not," Ganondorf retorted.
Kohga sighed and told him, "You know, you're making it much more difficult to keep you safe."
Before Ganondorf could ask what he meant, the Sheikah disappeared into the shadows.
11 Fado, Sunnyside Hospital's psychiatric ward commons room…
"Link? Link, you've a visitor," Link's nurse, Riku, said as he led the emperor to the boy.
Ganondorf returned, holding a wooden box that contained one of his favorite games. He had heard from Osfala that one of the personas had a penchant for playing and he wanted to see for himself. And if he could get Link on his side, the empire wouldn't have to worry about its destruction. Ganondorf could peacefully pass the crown to Urbosa or Riju and then to their children.
Within the shadows were two of the failed candidates from the trials, Midna and Fi. The girls were assigned by Impa as she had other duties to attend to. From the shadows, he could sense their excitement as the girls hadn't been on a mission in weeks.
The commons room was filled with a few tables and chairs and had various pictures of what patients had drawn on the walls, most of them child-like drawings. The man saw that Link was adding the collection, scribbling away at a table to himself. Odd as he was never seen drawing before. And wasn't he deemed too dangerous to have any writing utensils around him and being outside his cell, Ganondorf thought? He asked the nurse and the reply was rather incredulous.
"Oh, well, the doctor thought that his condition improved a great deal, especially since you and Lady Impa frequently come to visit," Riku told him.
Ganondorf thanked the silver-haired nurse, who agreed to keep watch and take notes. The man sat at Link's table and his attention went to him. He grinned and said, "I didn't think I'd find someone that looks kinda like me around here."
'Ismali,' Ganondorf thought, remembering what Impa said.
"Is-who?" Fi asked from the shadows.
"Ismali. Isn't that an old Gerudo name?" Midna asked.
Ganondorf was careful not to respond, as he didn't want the new persona to get suspicious. But that didn't work as "Ismali" said, "Oh, who are those two?"
"Wait, he can see us?!" Fi asked.
"Apparently so," Midna said, stepping out of the shadows.
The girls would make terrible bodyguards, Ganondorf thought. Fi did the same and asked, "How did you…?"
"I dunno. Just saw you and was like, 'Hey that looks like a person over there'!" "Ismali said, grinning.
Link eyes, while as "Ismali", were a hazel color, just like Ganondorf's, and the man found it rather disturbing. Parts of his hair had a slight reddish tint and his skin seemed to get a shade darker as if he had been out in the desert for a bit too long. Which was odd as Hyrule itself was cold, dreary, and constantly under dark clouds.
'Maybe I'm just seeing things," the Gerudo thought.
"No, I see it too, Your Majesty," Fi said.
"See what?" "Ismali" asked.
He didn't seem to notice or care about his worsening condition and Ganondorf wondered if his doctors had noticed the change to his appearance. He hoped they did as he didn't think shapeshifting was a part of those with personality disorders. "Ismali" spotted the box the man held and asked, "What's that for?"
"Oh, this? Something called 'RollGoal'. It's a favorite of my nieces and I was wondering if…" Ganondorf said.
"Well, he's not gonna beat my score! I got up to Level 26!" Fi said excitedly.
Midna rolled her eyes and said, "We're not here for you to show off Fi. We're supposed to be protecting His Majesty."
"And play 'RollGoal'!" Fi added.
The Twili sighed and "Ismali" snickered. He then said, "You guys are funny. How do you play?"
So "Ismali" was the persona that loved games. Well, one down, several more to go, Ganondorf thought. Fi quickly explained how to play, which was to roll the marble along the path without it falling and getting to the goal. It was difficult as each level had different paths, curves, and ramps for the marble to roll along. And since the game was also magical, the levels would change with every win.
Fi, the self-proclaimed champion, grinned and said, "You can't beat my score! No one can!"
"Ismali" gave a confident smirk and said, "In the wise words of Sabooru, 'Bring it on'!"
He was given the box and he started rolling the marble towards the goal with ease. Proud of himself, he said, "Too easy!"
"Just you wait. You'll get to a level you can't beat!" Fi said, grinning.
Apparently, she found a kindred spirit with a boy who had many personalities in his head. Odd, Ganondorf thought. But he couldn't help but be pleased with the sight as Fi and Midna were among those who didn't really have friends in the Corps. Most would be more than willing to literally backstab their way to glory…all to impress their emperor. To which he usually wasn't. Maybe it worked under his grandfather and the emperors and empresses before, but he was different.
Midna watched as "Ismali" made it to level 10. She was surprised and said, "I didn't think Hylians would have the patience for a game like this."
"They did invent it about 1,000 years ago. So, I would hope they would," Ganondorf told the teen.
"Ismali" made it to level 12 as they were talking and Fi muttered, "He's getting close to my score."
Just as she said that, "Ismali" accidentally rolled the marble onto the lower part of the board, losing the round. He pouted and said, "Wait! One more try!"
"Okay. It's your funeral, buddy," Fi said, still airing confidence.
He tried another two times and couldn't get past the part of the path that had the marble roll off a ramp and onto another path. The persona seemed confused and asked, "How are you supposed to do this? I don't get it…"
A sudden jolt scared Fi, and another woke up in "Ismali's" place. He looked down at the board and said, "Huh? RollGoal? I haven't played…"
He looked up at the trio and Ganondorf was afraid they stumbled onto the less than friendly personas. The sudden meekness and Ganondorf identified the persona as "Ravio". "Ravio" asked, "Um, why did I wake up? And why are you guys here? I thought only Impa and Dr. Osfala would show up."
"Uh…What just happened? And why is his hair starting to turn purple?" Fi asked.
"Ravio" pulled at a strand of hair and saw the purple highlights in Link's blonde hair. His green eyes looked at the group and shrugged. Fi glowered and said, "Did 'Ismali' wake you up to help him beat my score? If so, then you've only got a 45% chance of beating me."
"Wow, confident," Midna said sarcastically.
"Ravio" looked down and said, "Oh, I know!"
He, starting the level, tilted the board so dexterously that the marble made it to the goal in about 10 seconds. A smile from him and Fi fumed. Ganondorf was sure that Fi may have been lying about reaching level 26 as she wouldn't be so worried and angry if she had.
The nurse, after seeing the sudden persona shift, approached and asked, "I guess you three are okay over here?"
"Somewhat. Um…please, Riku. Can you please make sure that Chloe doesn't make food ever again? She nearly killed me with that 'sardine stew'," "Ravio" said.
"Oh, hey there, Ravio. I can't promise anything, but I'll try to see if I can swap your food with someone else's," Riku said to him.
"Are you sure that the reborn Hero's in there?"
"Yeah, and the Demon King constantly visits him there."
"Why would the Demon King go and visit the person that will kill him?"
"I dunno. But my sources say that he frequently goes there to check on him. Maybe to see if he has what he wants."
"The Triforce?"
"I guess. But we can't let him keep him. If we want our independence, we need to free the Hero and take back our kingdom by force!"
"But the old royal family doesn't exist anymore."
"Then…we'll just use him to gain our independence. Agreed? Anyone?"
"Agreed. Agreed. I'm sure this'll go well…"
Link's room…
After having a rather eventful day, Link returned to his room after being in the commons room for the first time and not having any of his "others" attempt to harm anyone. Based on the notes around his room, the personas "Ismali" and "Ravio" had come out, playing "RollGoal" with two of the emperor's bodyguards. The man also left the game with Link, wanting him to do more than just be bored in his all-white cell and wishing him to get better.
According to Dr. Osfala, he was as none of his personas tried to attack anyone recently. And he started eating more…despite Miss Chloe's horrible cooking. He would have to try to convince one of the nurses to go into the kitchens to get him something edible, but he was still shy around those he didn't know well.
Looking at a few of the notes his "others" left him, Link saw that Ravio wanted to finish RollGoal and beat one of the emperor's guardians, Fi's, score. She supposedly went to level 26 and he was close at level 20. The next note was from Ismali, who wanted him to find a way to get someone else to cook for him. Or sneak some food.
Link didn't know if he could and saw a third note. It was from one called Yami. The note told him that "he" would help in getting them better food, which involved finding ways to sneak out. The last of the notes was from Raven, who wanted Link to send a letter or something to his mother to let her know that he was okay.
'I don't know if I should…I'm still not better…' Link thought.
He thought to write a note, thanking them for not attacking anyone or making awkward situations. Before he could, a loud boom rattled the place and Link looked around, trying to assess the situation. Loud screaming and more explosions were heard outside his door, making Link terrified. He tried to find places to hide, but the hospital made his room sparse and created no hiding spots for him.
So, if anyone broke in, he would have to fight his way to safety. Which he didn't really know how to do. Not anymore, anyway.
"Where's the Hero?! We know he's in here!"
Those weren't familiar voices at all. Link rushed to the wall closest to his door and saw the door fly open. People dressed in odd white and purple garb entered, armed with swords, bowguns, spears, and seed shooters. They looked around, not seeing Link hiding behind the door. As they looked around, Link tried sneaking away, only to get caught by a large, burly man.
He thrashed, screaming, as the larger man said, "Hey, Mutoh! This him?"
Their leader, an old, baldheaded man named Mutoh, saw Link and checked his left arm. He looked disappointed and then checked his right. Seeing the odd crescent moon-shaped birthmark, Mutoh nodded and Link continued struggling to get free. The other men with him started attacking nurses, doctors, and patients that got in their way.
"L-Let me…g-go! Let me go! Le-Let me go!" Link screamed, still stuttering and yelling while trying to break free.
"No kid. We need ya to take out the emperor! And you being imprisoned here…" Mutoh said.
Link ignored him and gasped as he saw that they had badly injured or killed his nurse, Riku. The silver-haired young man was laying on the floor, motionless, and next to him was the cook, Chloe. The azure-haired young woman looked as if she was trying to reach Link and Riku before they were attacked. The last straw was seeing Dr. Osfala standing in front of their way.
He was holding a staff in his hands and it was pulsating with light. The white-haired man glared and said, "Let him go!"
"Why should we? You know what he can do and what he must do," Mutoh said.
"Yes, but not like this. And the man you think is the Demon King is not the one," Dr. Osfala said.
"Oh, shut it, old man!" the gruff man wielding a bowgun said.
He then shot Osfala in the shoulder and that caused Link to suddenly black out.
"We don't want to do this, but you're in the way," Mutoh said, approaching the old doctor.
The doctor in charge of keeping the Hero imprisoned in that hospital was on the floor, trying not to take the bolt out of his shoulder. Mutoh aimed at him with his bowgun, ready to take him out if he got in the way. The doctor then told him, "Please, you don't know what you're doing."
"Yes, we do. We'll get the Hero to finish what he started so long ago. The Demon King will be no more and Hyrule will be restored," Mutoh told him.
A loud scream and the largest of the group, Bremor, shouted as he dropped the Hero. The boy was curled up in a ball and was shaking violently. His doctor pleaded, "Run!"
"Why? We need him to…" Mutoh started.
"Uh…boss?" the second of his team, Brac, said.
The other three, Brent, Doyle, and Mack saw the boy's body start glowing with golden light. His body relaxed as the light completely engulfed him, turning him into a being of light with black runes on his body. He stood, looking at the group and his eyes were emotionless. The blue eyes turned red, then green, and then gold as he looked at them. When he spotted the doctor, the figure spoke, his voice echoic and being a distorted chorus.
"Get out…" the figure said, the runes on his arms turning light green.
"You better do what he says…" the doctor said, trying to get up.
"But we need you to…" Mutoh started.
"GET OUT!" the figure bellowed, blasting wind at the intruders.
Mutoh and the others were sent flying into another hallway. They hit the wall and most of them fell unconscious.
The figure looked around, seeing those that had fallen. He could see most were still breathing and heard Dr. Osfala say, "L-Link…? Link are you still there?"
Link? That was the kid's name? Just like…
"D-Don't worry about me…Just get to safety, since they know you're here…" Dr. Osfala said.
The figure did as was told and disappeared in a flash of blue light. Dr. Osfala fainted, muttering, "I'm so sorry, Your Majesty…I don't know if he'll be on our side now…"
And there's chapter 13. Link's condition is constantly getting worse and now he has pro-Hylian forces after him. And Fi, unlike in SS, doesn't really use telepathic communication. But she'll still use her probability of things for various events.
-miano53