Chapter 12
Link took in a deep breath, his arms strained and in pain. He rested his forehead back on the ground, hoping to relive some of the strain, and let the air out of his nose only to blow up debris. He let out a sound of surprise as he reached up with a finger to wipe the bits away from his eyes.
"Having fun over there?" Zelda asked.
"Oh loads," Link let out as he put his hands back in fists against the ground. "How long has it been I've been stuck in this position?"
"I think it's starting to get darker so half a day I'd guess," Zelda said. "At least I'm not in pain anymore."
"I'll give him that. Now if only I knew my back was okay to move," Link said. He looked down in the cave his chest made and noticed the lines in the stone floor. "I'm gonna look like griddled meat once I get up."
Zelda let out a laugh, getting a snort out of Link.
Whipping his eyes of the new debris he had just blown into his face, Link asked, "What can you see of Hera?"
"He hasn't moved," Zelda offered.
"I'm still living," Hera's voice croaked out.
"Don't move," Zelda warned. "Somebody came in to heal us and you had a few broken bones."
"Those darn dactos, and they probably destroyed my arquebus too," Hera grumbled. "So where are we?"
"Yavin's dungeon," Link offered. "That's the Darknut's name, isn't it?"
"I'd guess," Hera said. "There's only one place in the known kingdoms that still have something strong enough to be a dungeon."
What Link guessed to be the main door opened again, the metal scrapping against the stone floor as armored footsteps walked across the floor. The footsteps split off, the last set sounding like they stopped right outside of Link's cell.
"Get up!" a gruff voice ordered as sets of keys were produced. "Guyat said you all would be healed by now and Yavin's started to get inpatient."
Debating between if what the voice was saying was true or if he really just wanted to stay on the floor in distrust of his own back, Link heard the door to his cell being opened before armored boots stepped in. Not wanting the owner of the voice to undo all that the stranger, he guessed was Guyat, had done if the solders yanked him up, Link pushed himself up and slowly rose to his feet. The flaps of cloth fell from Link's left shoulder exposing his torso. He went ahead and pulled the remains of his undershirt and undertunic off over his head, thankful for the winter months that started him wearing breeches. He threw the destroyed articles to the floor and reached down to pick up his chest plate and pauldrons only for the corner of his eye to catch sight of who his guard was. A bull faced man dressed in blue armor stood with a pike in hand, his beady eyes visible through the opening in his helmet. Link stood straight and eyed the man, keeping his peripheral on the point of the pike.
"Out, now," Link's charge ordered, taking a step back so the doorway was open.
Keeping an eye on the bull creature, Link did as ordered and stepped into the hall. Felling exposed, he held the armor close to his chest as Zelda and Hera were ordered in front of him. Hera's left pants leg was torn and a bruise was evident above his left eye, but overall the man looked in great condition for what they had been through. Zelda carried her pauldrons and greaves, her breeches visible below the tasset skirt. Her blonde hair was split in a side part, exposing a still healing wound with gauze covering it. Dried blood tented her hair orange as the blonde locks fell over her shoulders.
Zelda glanced over her shoulder to see Link only for a smile to pull slightly at her cheeks.
Link felt a quick rush of heat run to his face only for it to disappear as quickly as it appeared at the point of the monster's pike poking in between his shoulder blades.
"Forward," a fourth guard ordered from behind Link.
Link saw the other two guards put their pikes to his friend's backs, getting the two to move first. Link followed behind in a sick triangle as the three were forced to the door. A separate bull creature pulled open the door and held a hand at its chest in the Hylian salute. Through the door was a spiraling staircase leading upwards.
Hera was forced up the steps first with his guard keeping pace a step behind him with the pike lowering to the man's lower back. Zelda was forced after him before Link was forced up the steps. He kept his eyes on the blue metal that made up Zelda's guard, looking for any opening.
His foot mis-stepped, getting him to hold out a hand to the wall to prevent himself from falling only to feel the pike poke at him harder in the back, just cutting the skin.
"Keep moving," Link's charge ordered.
Quickly Link regained his balance, holding tight to the hanging pauldrons held on by a rivet to the piece still in hand, and hurried up the steps to get back behind the guard leading Zelda. He got back in pace with those in front of him as a door a few steps ahead of Hera was opened.
Flashbacks from two years ago filled Link's mind, when he and Zelda were led to the young demon king's throne room. He hoped this was going to be nothing like the fight between Demise, but a sinking feeling told him it wouldn't be easy to get the piece of the Tri-force the Darknut possessed.
Following the line of prisoners and guards through the door, they found themselves in a stone hall with little decoration. A bull monster in red armor passed Link, walking passed the parade with an eye glaring at them through his helmet. Slowing down, he kept pace with Hera's guard and said something low enough Link couldn't make it out. Leaving that guard, the red armored higher official speed up and pulled open a door they were coming to.
The six walked through the doorway, the plush blue carpet dampening the sounds of their footsteps as they crossed the threshold. Link looked at the walls to see the dark hall had no windows, only lamps on the walls separating tapestries that depicted great battles between humans. Death on the battlefield and the gore of victory visible depicted as if this was the way Yavin wished to put fear into the prisoners forced to walk down this hall. One figure made an appearance in each, some holding the head of his victim while others had him slaying someone, each with his dragon causing destruction at his side or in the air. The dragon was the very same that had terrorized the Zora. The man was wearing black armor, the comb on the top of his head large and tall and his pauldrons flared out as if to add to his importance.
It caught Link that the people the Darknut fought were human instead of the Kirkebies as the residence of this world looked now.
The seven came to a halt at a pair of double doors decoratively engraved. Two bull men stood at attention, swords in their position on their hips, as they silently eyed the prisoners. Without a word the two moved in union to pull open the doors to reveal the throne room.
Link followed Zelda's guard into the room, the carpet changing to a dark purple. The room was kept dark, the lights not lit the farther in the room to leave the throne itself in shadows.
"Line up," the red armored bull ordered as Link's charge changed how he held the pike to his skin to get him to walk to Zelda's right as Hera was put on Zelda's left.
"Get down on one knee, place your armor in front of you," Link's charge ordered as similar orders came from the other two. Without giving Link the time to comply, the pike was shoved deep enough for all three spikes to puncture his back, forcing a cry from the teen's mouth.
Link quickly dropped to a kneel, his armor clanking together as he threw it in front of him. He rested his arms crossed on the knee and bowed to the darkness as a liquid ran down his back.
The crackling of lightning ignited a static field in the room, raising the short hairs on Link's arms and neck. He looked up to see the dragon laying in a twisted pose, lighting up a stage and throne along with the dark armored man sitting there.
A heavy smack rang out as Link's head was forced back to looking at the carpet below him. He closed his eyes as he bit his tongue, preventing a second cry to ring out from him.
"Does Lotan entice you?" a deep melodious voice asked. The man paused a moment but the bruise forming on Link's crown held back his curiosity. "Hera, prince of the old kingdom, I must give you my thanks," the voice said with a laugh. "You helped my enemies return to their original forms so this will be fun instead of just a slaughter. Mass killings are so boring when there's no challenge, don't you think? Especially against a horse and a cat that can't fight against a blade."
"So you healed us up just so you can kill us?" Hera asked only for a smack to sound from the man.
"Maybe, for those two, perhaps," the man said. "For you though, I don't know. I might just ask Guyat to keep healing you. It wouldn't take out the pain but it would give me a sparring partner better than anyone here."
Link shut his eyes against the fear trying to build up. He could just hope the monster on the throne wanted to fight him first. If Link could fell him than he will. A part of Link always wanted to leave any human enemy he fought alive, just unable to battle. That part of him wasn't present. This man was going to die, to stop his reign of terror on the people, to stop his start of terror on Hyrule, and to get back the Tri-force of Power.
"Holder of Wisdom and Courage," the man said, turning Link's mind back to the deep voice. "You two are stupid, aren't you?"
Link kept his tongue barred behind his teeth, a retort hanging just there.
"You don't even know who I am, nor do you know what true powers the Tri-force possesses," the man said. The dragon named Lotan moved its head to rest at the side of the throne, getting the man to look down over the armrest and scratch the dragon's head.
"Well if you came here four years ago, assuming you came from Hyrule like us, you wouldn't know who we are," Zelda said bravely.
Link threw a look towards the girl kneeling beside him, worried as he saw the guard raise his pike to hit her against the head.
"Halt," the man ordered, freezing the guard with his projected voice.
Link turned his eyes back to the ground, relived she didn't take another blow to the head, and waited for the man's response.
"Very well, introductions are required," the man said with a slow nod of his head. "I am Yavin formerly of Hyrule. My brother had made quite a reputation for himself last I knew, maybe you've heard of Yanish?"
Link felt Zelda's eyes turn to him, prompting him to report, "He was killed due to resisting proper arrest."
"He wasn't all that smart, my poor brother," Yavin offered in a voice that offered no concern for the deceased. "So what has happened to the fair land of Hyrule in my absence? The young king seemed to have the right ideas."
"We killed him," Zelda reported. Link looked over and saw her dare to raise her head again to look at Yavin. "I am Zelda, Queen of Hyrule, and this is Sir Link of Hyrule."
"Queen?" Yavin echoed, a smile evident in his low pitched voice. He let out a laugh before adding, "How lucky am I? After today I'll be ruler of both the sacred realm and Hyrule." He paused a moment, leaving the room in silence until he asked, "So tell me, Queen Zelda of Hyrule, how little do you know of the Tri-force's power?"
"Why would I tell you what I know?" Zelda retorted.
"Then why don't I become your history teacher for a moment," Yavin said, deep laughter filling the room. "Back ninety-six years ago the goddesses gave first Queen Zelda a powerful device to help her reign over her new country. The staff itself was powerful; fire, ice, shield, and barriers. But the piece at the top was the most powerful of anything the goddesses have ever given their humans. Wisdom, courage, and power, a small part of each of the three. Separate; almost useless, together; anything the mind can imagine and the heart desires. Similar to this world, actually. Haven't you wondered why you changed when you followed Lotan through the portal? Or why when I arrived four years ago so did all the residence of this sacred realm?" Not giving them the time to answer he continued in his monologue. "The sacred realm, the world we are currently in, was the creation point for the Tri-force. The goddesses created this world when they created the Tri-force and made this world as a place for it to rest safely until they gave it to First Queen Zelda all those years ago. But this world has a catch as do the Tri-force, both use the thoughts and feelings of the strongest to create. I created this world in the image I wanted when I appeared, and with the Tri-force I'll be able to do the same to Hyrule."
"So why didn't you just let us die from what your monsters did?" Link asked, keeping his head pointed to the floor. "If you want the Tri-force whole again."
"What fun would that be?" Yavin asked. "I sent Lotan to Hyrule to find you. I want to fight those who the Tri-force deems worthy." The sound of the man rising to his feet while wearing armor rang through-out the throne room. Link looked up and saw the man draw his sword from the sheath at his hip. "Sir Link of Hyrule, stand up. Put on your armor and take your sword."
A hardened look fell on Link's face. He kept his eyes on the man before him as he rose to his feet. Movement behind him told him the guard in charge of him stepped back.