~POV Chapter: Link's Legacy~
"Stay as quiet as you possibly can," Lora says.
"Why?" Tetra asks. This is the first time where she asks that out of respect, and not hostility.
"Just do it and wait. Don't let anyone see you. And must I tell you both not to leave the base for any reason? If Pisces ends up coming back before I do, then he is the only one you are allowed to let in. And before you ask, Link, I won't be gone for long."
Oh! I look down at my feet, embarrassed. Am I really that predictable?
"Now hush up the both of you, and keep your heads low," Lora says.
Suddenly she isn't here. Tetra and I jump at the exact same time. I guess we both blinked at the wrong moment, but it doesn't feel right to laugh about it now. For a few seconds I don't think either of us knows what to do or say next, but the silence is uncomfortable. It usually isn't like this between us.
Tetra moves first. She heads for the darkest corner where the lamplight has a hard time reaching. After a moment, I slowly go to sit behind the desk. I can feel her staring at my back. But she has nothing to say, and that's the scariest thing ever.
I put my head down on the desk. I don't think I have the courage to look at her just yet.
Hello. My name is Link. Oh, well...I think you've figured that out by now. Sorry.
And I apologize a lot, so sorry about that too.
I don't have a family name. Grandmother always told me not to be too concerned about it, since there was only one of me back at home. That's true. Sometimes I wonder, though, in the world...how many others share my name?
It hasn't been that long since we left home. I think I lost track of time when I was traveling with Linebeck and Ciela, but I don't feel that much older.
Still, so far, I've seen much and learned a lot. I've met wonderful people and beings along the way and they've made facing the evils of the world bearable. Without all of the good souls I've met, I would have never stood a chance on my own.
King Daphnes was the first out of them all. He was genuine, selfless, and cared for me like a father figure. He was very patient, but could get a little stern sometimes if I was being a little too slow. Which, um, happened a lot. We had a lot of talks. Well...he did most of the talking. I've always been better at listening.
Even though he was good at hiding it, he was bothered and anxious for many good reasons. I was, too. Even still, I know we both cherished every moment of our travels. I'm grateful he's at peace now.
It still hurts to think about him. I miss his voice. I can still hear it at the back of my head sometimes, directing and guiding me. I never thought how hard it would have been for us to part ways until the moment I realized it was happening, and especially how it was about to happen.
In my dreams, sometimes I get a faint glimpse of him. He always has his eyes closed. He always has a small smile on his face, like he's sleeping peacefully. I try and try to reach for him, but he never sees me. He never opens his eyes, and we drift away from each other every single time.
My throat hurts now.
I should...focus more on the good he's left in his wake, and what I can do to honor his wishes.
...
...
...
I think I should correct myself. King Daphnes would have been more of a grandfather figure to me because of how old he was. He didn't really like talking about his age that much, which I can understand!
I never even knew my real grandfather. He passed before I was born—my paternal Grandfather, the man that Grandmother married. I don't know anything about my grandparents on my mother's side.
Grandmother didn't talk about her husband. She only would if Aryll or I asked, but we could see how sad it made her each time so we stopped doing that a long time ago.
But Grandmother was also the same way with our parents. She was even more reluctant and there was a different kind of sadness in her eyes when they were brought up.
It wasn't just in her eyes. It was in everyone else's. I don't know what happened to our parents, only that they left on a trip soon after Aryll was born. I remember standing on the shore, holding my newborn sister and seeing them off along with everyone else. They just never came back.
I never believed they abandoned us. Something terrible happened to them. It's even worse not knowing what happened. For a long time I was fearful of the ocean, and fearful of the unknown.
When Aryll got kidnapped, those fears didn't vanish right away. They had just stopped mattering as much. I don't have them anymore.
But as for our parents...
...
...
I'm fearful of something else now. I don't know what's wrong with me.
My older memories are so faint and blurry. I should be able to remember my Mother and Father's faces, but I can't put them into focus. I can only vaguely remember their voices.
Aryll is five right now. I was her age when I saw our parents last. Sometime after they disappeared, I woke up one night and caught Grandmother taking down pictographs of them. That was when I finally understood that they were lost, and were never coming back. The both of us cried for the rest of the night.
It's been a long time since I've seen our parent's faces, but...it shouldn't be this hard to remember them. I'm afraid that I'm beginning to forget important things I once knew.
Then there's...Lora. Something happened when I saw her face for the first time.
It didn't feel real. Or maybe, like I was in a trance. I had thought my mother had finally found me again.
I don't know why I immediately thought that. I just did. I must have still been disoriented from waking up. And sometimes I do act before I think, but that's not the case when I speak.
And I remember Lora's reaction when I first called her my mother. She had woken up, looked down at me, and seemed frightened for a second. Just a second.
Now that I think...it's the first of two times so far where she's shown emotion. Now it makes me uncomfortable remembering her expression. All I did was mistake her for someone else...why would she react that way?
I wonder what her fear is. I wonder if she only has one, two, or many.
I know I have to be a bother to her. She didn't like me calling her what she wasn't. Now she has to pretend to be what I really, really, want her to be.
I don't know why I want it to be that way. My real Mother was warm and loving. I may not be able to picture her face, but I can remember her laugh.
Lora is very cold, and very, very good at hiding it. I really don't want to consider that maybe, she's done terrible things in her life and enjoyed them.
She has a quiet presence. I get goosebumps just by standing close to her. And her eyes are calm, but dark and scary.
I know she's only human. But looking into her eyes makes you feel as though she knows everything you've done, and everything you're thinking of doing.
I would hate to see her in a full, blown-out rage. She was furious with Tetra earlier but I think she was stopping herself from getting too angry.
Still...I believe Lora can show mercy and kindness. I might not know why she's helping us, but I'll choose to believe her words. I want to believe she doesn't work for Emperor Noh anymore.
I still have to work up the courage to ask her, though. I know she probably won't mind me asking, so I don't know why I can't come out and ask it. Maybe her answering with something bad is another new fear of mine.
My real mother and father are gone...and now I have a mother again, even if it's just an act. It's going to be hard for me. I think she's going through something hard, too. Sometimes when I look at her, I feel like she's trying to understand or remember something herself. I know what that feels like.
...
I think, on my way to this realm, losing my memories may have scrambled up a lot of what I thought I knew or felt.
There's something in the realm that makes me feel different. It just feels like I don't belong here. That's obvious enough, but it's hard to explain when you can't put words to a certain feeling.
The feeling is on...omni...
There's a word for it. This feeling is everywhere, in everything. I don't think I'm imagining it.
I think Tetra feels the same way. I can understand why she's been hostile lately, but she's also off in another way. Something has been bothering her terribly, and for some reason she can't say what it is.
I would try talking to her about it, but I don't think she's in the mood right now. I can feel her glaring at me from the corner.
...oh, uh oh.
I think I just heard her stand. I don't know if she's bored of sitting down or if she's coming over to beat me up. It's probably both.
"You don't feel sick, do you? Tetra asks suddenly.
I raise my head and jump. It's almost like she's teleported right here in front of the desk! She doesn't look or sound as angry with me as I thought she would be.
"Tell me now if you do," Tetra says bossily. "I swear, if I find out she's put a curse on you..."
"What? Tetra, I feel fine. Are you upset that I have to listen to her now?"
"Ugh, I meant it when I told her I'd knock it off. Besides, I realized your fat head can't take orders from two different people at once, so sorry and whatever if I confused or misled you. Won't happen again. Look, I tried, but she beat me. Okay? Is that what you need to hear?"
"I—"
"Don't overthink it," Tetra drops out of sight. "All of our stuff is here, by the way. Wait, where's the gun, where's the…ah, there! Good…I was afraid she'd keep it."
I lay my head down again, staring into the lamp before shutting my eyes. I feel terribly upset and hopeless. I wish that I could go to sleep, then wake up and this have all been a bad dream.
Tetra stumbles and crashes to the ground. I open my eyes. The lamp has turned off for some reason.
"Um," I giggle, "what happened?"
"You tell me, doofus! What are you doing over there?!"
"There's, there's still light coming in, how did you…"
"Shut it and fix it! It's still too dark in here."
"I don't know why it went off in the first place..."
"It's because you wanted it to," another voice whispers.
I gasp. Sela!
Tetra stands and goes completely still. "...did...Link, you heard that, right? You heard that?"
"Think about it," Sela speaks again, and I quickly look up at the ceiling. It sounded like her voice had come from there, but I don't see her. I stare at the lamp and focus.
"AUGHH!"
It does come on but it's so bright! I can't see! I stumble out from behind the desk and crash into Tetra, who's just as blind. We bounce off each other and hit the ground.
Sela laughs gently. "Your thoughts must be very potent, Link."
She brushes between us. Tetra swings a fist and catches me across the head.
"Ow—you hit me, Tetra!" I complain.
"Sorry, can't see you," she says. "Do I really have to point out the disembodied voice, or is it something you already know about?"
"Of course I can hear it…I already met her."
"Yes, one moment," Sela says. "I can barely see myself. I'll lower the brightness."
But by the time the lamp dims, Sela is already gone. I rub my eyes, squinting around to find her. "Sela?"
She doesn't answer.
"It's okay. You can come out," I call.
"Yeah, come out so I can get a look at you!" Tetra exclaims.
"Tetra, take it easy…she's nervous around people."
Oh, I see her! Her head is poking up from behind the desk. I hurry over and reach for her. When my fingers land on her head she rears up and nips me on the wrist.
"Ooh!" I back off. "Sorry!"
"Dear, no!" Sela cries. "Oh nonono, I'm sorry...!"
Tetra runs up and looks at Sela twice, just to make sure she isn't imagining a talking squirrel. "What happened?" Tetra demands. "Did you bite him, you rat?"
"I didn't mean to, it was just…instinct!" Sela squeals, climbing onto the desk. "Don't—put that sword away!"
"Sorry, I meant to grab this!" Tetra draws Dracnoir. Sela cowers.
"She can't fire it," I say quickly. "And it's okay. It doesn't hurt much."
"Are you sure? Let me see it, Link," Sela frets, leaning off the desk and batting the air with a paw. I show her my wrist. The bite mark she left is thin and bleeds a little. Sela looks sickly.
"It's my fault…I got too excited," I say.
"Let me…fix it." Sela swells a bit and shivers. "I can heal it."
"You can?"
"Yes."
"How?"
She starts pawing at her ears. "I'm a dr-ah—an animal, Link…there's only one way for me to do it."
I get it finally, and take a step back. "Well…"
"What is she talking about?" Tetra demands.
"Hush, girl," Sela says. "Link, come on. It's starting to bleed. It needs to be tended to and you can't leave, remember?"
Tetra yells, "No way! You just want to get another lick in!"
Sela hisses loudly and arches her back. She looks like a cat, not a squirrel!
"I don't, so stop that this instant," Sela snarls. "Oh please Link, only if I have your permission! I really can't stand the sight or smell of blood."
I hold out my wrist. She quickly perches on it and starts brushing her tongue over the cut. It creates a bristly feeling that runs up my entire arm and reminds me of being zapped by electricity…ouch.
Sela pauses when she feels me tense, but then continues. Tetra watches closely through squinted eyes.
My wrist is numb. When Sela moves away, the cut is already healed!
"That's amazing, Sela!" I say, shocked. "Thank you."
I knew Sela was special when I first met her. She could talk and had the sweetest voice. But she can also do things like this? Her coat is chestnut red and she has a white ring of fur on her head that looks just like a halo. That's what she reminds me of—a little angel.
"That was abnormal." Tetra says. "Link, I thought you hated rats."
Sela sits upright and looks down at herself. She shoots Tetra a stern look, saying, "I am NOT a rat. The lighting in here isn't that bad. But moreover—" she cuts in, when Tetra opens her mouth. "I'm just glad to see the both of you are still alive. She caught you in the act, didn't she? I had overheard you both talking about leaving yesterday, but I had forgotten to mention the clock tower."
Tetra jerks back in surprise. "Oh that...yeah, I wasn't expecting that. It's the only reason we were foiled. So stupid!"
"I'm sure you took a moment or two to go down," Sela says smartly. "So how many rings of the bell did you last?"
"I think it was just two. I dunno. It happened so fast I couldn't really understand what was going on. Poor Link, I don't think he knew what hit him."
Sela looks at me with a smile. "And how long did you last?"
"What do you mean?" I ask. Tetra winks at me.
"Didn't you, uh…hear the clock tower last night?" she asks.
"No," I say, and they both grin at each other. "Why?"
"You were talking last night and passed out before you could even finish your sentence," Tetra says. "That happened like, the moment the tower started to ring."
"Ahhh. Now I see." Sela says gently. "That's so very sweet."
"Oh, okay." I say, scratching my face. "But...why would something like that happen?"
Sela explains, "It's just how it is. In Hearthstone, all children regardless of species have curfew at nine every night. No matter where you are, even if you're past the walls of the capital, once you hear the bell it's lights out for you."
"Hey, hold on a second," Tetra says suddenly. "Did you say you've been eavesdropping?"
"Yes, and?"
"How? Why?"
"Simple. This place is my home and I have nothing better to be up to."
"How much do you know?"
"I know enough," Sela says, nibbling at her forelegs. "Do you think I'll run my mouth to someone about you both being Outsiders?"
"I mean, why would you? You're just a…squirrel," Tetra says suspiciously. "That means you should only care about squirrel stuff. Aha—unless you're a spy!"
She reaches for her sword, but Sela quickly cuts her off, "Little girl, I am not any sort of spy! Honestly! They'd sooner remove my head from my shoulders before they made me an Empirical spy. Besides, you may want to listen to what I have to say."
"Why? What would a squirrel know?"
Sela sighs, blinking one eye slower than the other. She crawls to me and to my surprise, climbs up onto my shoulder. She whispers, "If it isn't clear, I'm already more fond of you. Much less stress."
I smile a bit. "Please be patient with her…"
Sela takes a moment to check her balance, and then lies down. She puts her fuzzy head right up against my cheek. "I was out hunting last night…but I came back too late. You both were already gone," she says. "So what happened with that woman?"
"The WITCH, Lora?" Tetra says angrily.
"No one else. I told Link yesterday…I can't trust her intents because I've scarcely heard of her having hospitable ones. This is very suspicious and bothersome behavior from her. I say she's only keeping you both alive to yank the hope out from underneath you at some point. I'm not sure if you both yet even understand…"
"I understand that it sucks! I'll say it again...IT. SUCKS." Tetra says, slapping her palm twice on the desk. "She just does what she wants because she can! It'd be great if she would leave us alone, but noooo, she insists on using her power to keep us reeled in! If she wants to kill us, why not go for it? Why wait?"
"It's what she's the best at, waiting. It's her favorite sport." Sela says. She lowers her head into my neck and freezes. I swallow nervously.
"…my hearing is good. I heard your heart speed up, but it was so sudden I wanted to make sure I wasn't imagining it." Sela says. "What's the matter, dear?"
"Nothing," I mutter.
"Link—dude, listen to me," Tetra says. "You have got to stop letting Lora psyche you out. Ugh!" She holds her head in her hands. "Then there's the whole mother-and-son thing which doesn't help!"
Startled, Sela whispers, "You said what?"
"She's pretending to be his mother. It's got trouble written all over it, no matter how she justifies it. I'm telling you how it is, Link," Tetra says. "She's going to keep trying to get into your head, she already has, and it'll only get worse from there. Do not give her any opportunities to take advantage of you."
"Okay," I say, looking down. "I'll…remember that."
Tetra drops her arms limply, staring at me for a few moments. "Will you, though?" she asks wearily.
I can feel Sela staring hard. She gasps and then accidentally slips from my shoulder. When I catch her, her fur is standing on end and she looks terrified.
"Sela, what's wrong?" I ask.
"You mean you haven't noticed?!" Sela shrieks. "Are you—seriously…oh-ohhh, my god. Oh my god…"
She goes limp and spaces out for a moment. I glance up at Tetra, who only shrugs and rolls her eyes.
"I looked right at you yesterday and didn't even realize. How did I not...how?" Sela mumbles. As she stares, I notice that her eyes aren't black. They're a really, really dark red…or is it just my eyes?
"It's your eyes," Sela answers. "Link…you have Lora's eyes. They're no different from hers. Oh, god. And now that I notice, your personalities, the way you speak, even…are sickeningly alike."
"…oh," I mutter.
Tetra scowls at Sela. "You could have said that better."
"It-it's not an insult, I just mean…I'm sorry. That came out wrong. I'm sorry, Link." Sela winces. "I know…you're you. I just…can't fathom the similarities I see between you and The Executioner. She must have noticed and decided to make something of it."
"No…it's my fault," I mumble. "I called her mother several times by mistake. People heard me. She had to go along with it."
"Oh! Oh, that's...um. Wow. We've got an amazing coincidence here, then." Sela hops out of my hands and onto the desk, shaking herself off. "I think this charade could work."
"Really?"
"Mhm. Well, undoubtedly on the surface. I agree with Tetra. Don't expect anything grand from The Executioner, Link. She isn't the most maternal woman out there."
"Yeah," Tetra says shortly. "I'd tell you to not get too attached to her, but knowing you, and from what I've seen so far, it's already happened, so whatever. She could use your feelings against you."
I frown. "Why would she do that?"
"Why wouldn't she? I don't care what you say about her, Link. I don't trust her and probably never will."
"Fine..." I mutter.
Sela perks, looking at me in surprise. "Don't tell me that you trust her?"
I look at the ground, ashamed.
"Link, dear! I told you yesterday she's likely working as an undercover Empirical Officer. I thought you understood how serious that was."
"Yeah, but then this morning happened," Tetra says meanly. "So what if it turns out that it's true, Link?"
I grunt. "I'll just ask her myself..."
"When you can finally work up the courage to do it, you mean?"
"Yes," I snap.
"And she'll lie to your face."
"Maybe."
Tetra's jaw tenses. "Fine," she snaps back. "Whatever. Believe what you want."
We glare at each other. Sela looks uncomfortable. "The thing is, the moment you start serving the Emperor, you're to dedicate your entire life to him until retirement age," she says.
"So you're a basically a slave until what, the age of sixty-seven?" Tetra guesses.
"Seventy-seven," Sela says. "You HAVE to reach that age with no exceptions. It's the only way the Emperor will relinquish his soldiers with honor, and that's after what other qualifications there may be. But clearly, Loranne is still laughably young. I say she still has a good fifty years to go.
"But I wonder! If she really is no longer an Empirical Officer, why would she have been let off so soon? What reasons would the Emperor have to relinquish one of his most valued and trusted servants? It's simply unthinkable. The Emperor is very strict and orderly in his ways. I don't believe there's any innocent reason for him to put Loranne in the position she is now. And that's how the rumors start…I've even heard she sleeps with her eyes open!"
"No, she doesn't," I argue. "She's a normal person!"
Tetra laughs. "Okay! I guess that means you're normal too, 'cause when you collapsed last night, you were still stargazing, pal."
BANG!
We jump. People begin screaming outside.
"Whoa...!" Tetra cries. "What's going on?!"
Sela leaps to the ground, hissing quietly. She's glaring and her fur ripples in agitation.
"I had forgotten the day," she snarls. "The Culling has begun!"
We both stare at her. "Uh…is that as literal as it sounds?" Tetra asks carefully.
"Quiet! For the love of whatever gods you worship—if you value your lives, lower your voices, keep your heads down, and follow me. Hurry!"
Oh, no.
Lora had told us something similar. This must be why.
And…I don't have a good feeling, at all.
