~X~
~ Camden Village ~
Ithil
We got back to Camden just in time for dinner. Of course, we took a bath since we spent most of the day fighting in a cave. After dinner, when Zeus took Bell home, the three of us gathered in the dining room and informed Katie of what we found out.
"Everyone in Westend is dead?" she covered her mouth in shock.
"Yeah…" Cloud slowly nodded.
Katie sighed and held her head in her hand. "I'll inform Lady Demeter. Thanks for investigating and killing the monsters, you three."
"Of course," Cloud said, and Alfia and I nodded.
Katie sighed again and then went to the kitchen to clean the dishes used for dinner.
The three of us were still sitting at the table.
"You know what's going to happen," Alfia said to Cloud.
"Hm," Cloud hummed absentmindedly, but he was paying attention. And he looked… anxious?
"When Gardner sends that letter, the Guild will want first-hand accounts of the new monsters," Alfia stared at him.
"I know," Cloud said and then sighed. "I'll go, but I'm not going to like it."
"You can simply choose not to," Alfia shrugged. "Only one of us really needs to go."
"You want Ithil to go by herself?" Cloud stared at Alfia like she was crazy. "An amnesiac?"
"You know, said amnesiac is right here and would like to know what you two are talking about," I spoke up.
They both stared at me. Cloud was the one who answered. "When new monsters and variants are encountered, the Guild requires that at least one person who encountered them head to Orario to give an account of them."
"Why?"
"To document them, in case they're ever encountered again."
"And why does Alfia want me to go alone?"
"I'm unwelcome in Orario, so I can't go," Alfia answered. "Cloud is acting like a coward." Cloud made a face at that. "So, that just leaves you."
"I'm not acting like a coward. I'll go with her," Cloud retorted.
Alfia simply shrugged.
"So, when do we leave?" I said.
"About… three weeks from now," Cloud said. "Give or take a couple of days."
"Why that long?"
"It'll take about a week for Katie's letter to get to Orario, a week for Lady Demeter and the Guild to do what they need to, and another week for the Guild's letter to get here."
"I see. I guess I'm stuck here for the next three weeks."
Cloud tilted his head in curiosity. "Were you planning on going anywhere?"
"Not… really," I shrugged and slowly scratched my head. "I don't really know what I want to do… I guess I'll try and regain my lost memories… But I don't know where to start."
"Well… What do you want to do in the short term?"
"I guess I'll train," I shrugged again. "Obviously, I need to remember my training in magic, and I strongly feel that I was trained to use a sword."
"I see…" Cloud put a hand to his chin in thought, then stared at Alfia, as if expecting something.
Alfia stared back. The two kept up this staring contest for a minute until Alfia rolled her eyes. "Fine… I'll help train her."
"Thanks, Alfia," Cloud said.
"Hmph," Alfia crossed her arms and stared at me. "You better get a good night's rest. My training will not be easy."
Considering what she's like, I don't expect it to be easy either.
~X~
Day 1 - Circuit and Endurance Training
"Ugh…" I face-planted onto the floor the moment I stepped into Katie's house.
All afternoon, Alfia had me go through what basically amounted to circuit and endurance training. As someone who has no memories of seriously working out, I was not mentally prepared. It did help that my body in this life was already fit.
I felt a hand on my back and felt a soothing feeling coming from it. I turned my head to see that it was Cloud kneeling next to me and there was a light greenish glow from his hands. He looked to be using healing magic.
"All things considered, she went easy on the training," Cloud said.
"I guess so." I lay for a moment longer as Cloud healed my muscle soreness.
"Come on," Cloud finished healing and helped me off the ground. "You need to eat. You got more days of training ahead."
"Yeah, yeah…" I said tiredly.
Day 2 - Sword Training
Today was sword training with Cloud. It mostly consisted of sparring with him as he got a feel for my fighting style. I got a feel for how to fight with a sword.
Sometimes, I did techniques or dodged in a certain way that I never knew I could do. I guess while my mind didn't know how to fight, my body still remembered the training it went through.
I still ended up getting my ass kicked.
Day 3 - Calisthenics and Sprinting Training
Alfia supervised my training again.
…
She's a terrible taskmaster.
…
Don't run fast enough?
Sound blast.
…
Not completing the exercise fast enough?
Sound blast.
…
Grumbling too loud?
Sound blast.
Day 4 - Magic Training
I say magic training… But it was less about learning magic and more that Cloud and Alfia would take turns sparring with me and I could only fight using magic.
Since I told them I kept having small flashbacks of magic lessons in the heat of the moment, they thought this was the best way to train. Keep attacking me and see how much I remember. It had the added benefit that I got to learn how to fight with magic better.
…
…
…I wish I had a real magic teacher.
Day 5 - High-Intensity Interval Training
Remember how I said Alfia was a terrible taskmaster?
I take it back. Cloud is even worse than her.
Day 6 - Parkour Training
Cloud is surprisingly skilled at parkour. He loves it a lot. So much so that he built his own parkour training grounds just outside the village.
Day 7 - Rest
Today, there would be no training. I needed to let my body rest. I spent most of the day relaxing in my room and playing around with my magic.
I remembered some magic lessons a few days ago and wanted to test them out. If this works out like I think, I can say goodbye to boring hours of free time.
Day 8 - Circuit and Endurance Training
Alfia believed that a week of training was enough to raise the difficulty of my exercises.
She made them three times harder…
Although…
I'm pretty sure I noticed Zeus spying on us and pointed him out to Alfia.
Hilariously, she blasted him with sound magic.
Day 9 - Sword Training
"Urgh," I got knocked flat on my ass again.
"Phew. You're getting better," Cloud said with a hint of disbelief. "Is it you're natural talent or are you slowly remembering past sword lessons?"
I slowly stood and got into a stance. "A bit of both, I think."
"Looks like you're ready to continue," Cloud readied himself. "Let's- Hm?" he quickly looked toward the woods.
"What is it?"
"I thought I saw something… I guess it was nothing," he said, but he still stared into the woods for another minute.
We got back to sparring, but Cloud kept glancing around us every now and then.
Day 11 - Magic Training
"Gah!" Alfia's sound blast broke straight through my magic shield and knocked me to the ground again. I was too tired to get back up this time.
"Take a break," Alfia said.
I tried catching my breath and stayed on the ground. I was lying on my back and I closed my eyes to try and relax.
"Alfia," Cloud said from where he was watching from the side.
I cracked open my eyes and saw Cloud and Alfia standing next to each other.
"Did you hear him?" Cloud motioned his head in the direction of the village.
"I did," Alfia said.
"I see," Cloud stroked his chin. "So, I wasn't imagining things these past few days."
"I don't like this," Alfia crossed her arms. "Just what is he up to?"
I tried to stay awake and listen to their conversation, but I was too tired and ended up falling asleep.
Just what the heck were Cloud and Alfia talking about?
Day 14 - Rest
As a reward for surviving two weeks of training, Cloud decided to set up a picnic for himself, Alfia, Bell, and me.
Today was Cloud's day off from the guard, and he wanted to do this. Alfia didn't mind getting away from the noise of the village. Bell seemed happy to do anything that Cloud or Alfia were doing. And I just wanted to lie down.
We set up the picnic on a hill outside the village, under this large tree that gave great shade from the sun.
Cloud had set up the large picnic blanket and was getting the food ready. Alfia was playing chess with Bell. He was losing badly. And I was napping on the grass after I set up the insect repellent ward.
"Miss Ithil?"
I tiredly opened my eyes to see Bell. He had taken a seat next to me.
"Hmm. What is it, Bell?"
"Are you going to become a Hero?" he asked with a shine in his eyes.
"What makes you think that?"
"That's what Grandpa said," Bell said, and I noticed that Cloud and Alfia were now paying attention. "I asked him why you were training so much, and he said you were training to be a Hero."
Training to be a Hero? My thoughts went to the Master Sword in my Bag of Holding.
…A sword I couldn't draw.
Still…
I slowly sat up and looked at Bell more carefully. Something he said bugged me. "Why does your grandfather think I want to be a Hero?"
"Beats me. But he said you'd be a great Hero one day," Bell smiled.
Cloud and Alfia stared at each other, having another one of their silent conversations.
I narrowed my gaze. What is Zeus on about? I don't spend my free time searching for him. The only time I see him is at dinner and even then, I don't go out of my way to speak to him. He doesn't know me well enough to say something like that.
"I'm sure you'd be a great Hero," Bell continued, oblivious to my inner thoughts. "You helped Mom and Uncle Cloud, after all."
"You seem to like heroes a lot," I commented, deciding to move my thoughts away from Zeus.
"Oh, yeah!" Bell cheered. "Grandpa told me a lot of stories! They're always so strong and help people!"
"Hmm, I suppose so…" I'm not sure about the helping people part. Heroes like Achilles, Beowulf, and Jason come to mind.
"And also… um…" Bell trailed in embarrassment.
"And what?" I raised an eyebrow.
"Well, he said heroes always get the girls." he fidgeted and blushed. "That I would need to get a harem."
I glanced at Alfia and sure enough, her hands were in fists and I saw the promise of pain in her eyes.
"A… harem?" I said.
"I don't know what a harem is, but he said 'a harem is a man's ultimate romance,'" Bell fidgeted again. "Whatever that means."
I didn't even need to glance at Alfia to feel the spike in bloodlust coming off of her.
"Bell… Get over here," Alfia said blankly. Yup. Zeus' ass was grass.
Bell nervously walked over to Alfia.
"You will forget whatever that useless old man told you," she ordered, her tone leaving no room for arguments.
"Yes ma'am! My bad!" Bell shouted and saluted.
"...What was that? Who taught you that?" Alfia said. Although, I think we all have a pretty good idea who it is.
"Uh…" Bell faltered. "G-Grandpa- Ow!"
Alfia finger-flicked him on the forehead, and I saw Cloud shake his head in exasperation.
"What did I just say?" Alfia said. She then huffed and stood up. "I'll be back. I need to deal with a cancer problem."
And there she goes. None of us wanted to stop her.
"Well… Let's leave that to Alfia," Cloud moved on. "Come on, let's eat."
"Um… Will Grandpa be alright?" Bell said.
"I'm sure he'll be fine," Cloud waved away his concern. "Alfia will probably blast him into only three mountains this time."
"EH! He'll die from that!" Bell shouted in worry.
"No, he won't," Cloud said, not at all worried. "He's suffered worse than that."
"Are you sure?" I asked.
Cloud shrugged. "It's not like Alfia's punishments are unearned. Every time this happens, it's always the old man's fault."
Hmm… Well, this is Zeus we're talking about. He'll probably be fine.
Ten minutes later, we heard something that sounded like an explosion. We all saw someone fly toward the nearby mountain.
Cloud patted a worried Bell on the shoulder. "Like I said, he'll be fine."
If you're sure, Cloud. Bell still looked worried but I had a great idea to take his mind off it.
"Hey, Bell? How about I tell you a story about a hero?" I suggested.
Bell looked excited about the idea and wasn't worrying about Zeus anymore.
"Really? What kind of hero?" his eyes shined.
"Stories about a Hero that I've been remembering for the past few days," I said.
I reached into my Bag of Holding and pulled out a scroll. I then spread it open and tapped it. Cloud and Bell looked surprised when the scroll expanded to twice its size. Most of the paper, starting in the center, was black, while the borders of the scroll were still there. It was like a tablet that was turned off at the moment.
Allow me to explain. Over the last few days, I had flashbacks of some of the magic lessons of this life. Those lessons involved Enchanting magic and something called 'Program'. It was a spell that allowed you to input a set of instructions into a non-living object. It's much like using a computer coding language. There's a lot more this spell could do. I don't know the full capabilities yet.
Anyway, using a combination of Enchanting and Programming, I created a series of videos that tell a story. I did this as a proof of concept to see if it was possible. And I'm glad to say it was a success.
I placed a finger on the scroll to activate the 'Program.'
[Play - Main Menu Theme - The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword]
Music sounded from the scroll. Bell and Cloud's surprise shot through the roof this time.
I was about to start the story's intro, but I paused when I felt a strange feeling wash over me as I listened to the music. I couldn't explain it. My heart felt heavy. I was about to tear up and had to stop myself from doing so.
It felt like I was overcome with a profound feeling of… nostalgia. I mean… I loved this song in my past life, and sometimes shed some tears whenever I heard it. But this was different.
There was something… more…
"Miss Ithil?" Bell said when he noticed me pause for too long.
I shook my head to clear my thoughts and started with my intro.
This is a legend as old as time.
The eternal fight between good and evil.
The story of…
…
The Blood of the Goddess…
…
The Incarnation of Demise…
…
And…
…
The Spirit of the Hero…
.
I started the story with the creation of the World, and the Golden Goddesses, Din, Naryu, and Farore. They then left back to the heavens and entrusted the Triforce to the Goddess, Hylia, thus starting the Era of Hylia.
One day, the Earth cracked open, and monsters led by the Demon King, Demise, stormed the surface world and started a war with Hylia to gain possession of the Triforce. I moved to the creation of Skyloft, the cloud barrier, and Demise being sealed away.
Bell was watching the video on the scroll and listening to my narration with rapt attention. Cloud was also paying close attention. Alfia had come back in the middle of the intro and Cloud quietly explained what happened so far.
"Thousands of years after Demise was sealed is when our story begins. A story known as…"
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
The first scene that showed was the ground cracking opening and The Imprisoned bursting from it, roaring to the sky.
"W-What is that?" Bell stuttered as he was scared of the image.
"That'll be explained as the story goes on," I said. "Just watch."
And watch, we did. To my delight, I was able to add voices for all the characters. So, it felt like we were all watching a movie. We all silently watched until the sun started to set and it was time to head back, ending at the part when a tornado had thrown Zelda from her Loftwing and she fell to the surface world.
All in all, today was a fun day.
Day 15 - Circuit and Endurance Training
During dinner, Bell would not stop asking about continuing the story of the Hero. I didn't want to do so during dinner but even Cloud and Alfia were curious. This led to Katie and Zeus becoming curious, and I started setting up the video scroll to one of the walls where we could easily watch it.
While I was doing this, Bell was telling the story so far to Zeus and Katie with some help from Cloud.
Anyway, with the scroll set up and the other two caught up on the story, we continued from where we left off.
We watched the video, starting with Link obtaining the Goddess Sword, all the way to his first duel against Ghirahim, and finding out Zelda was no longer at the Skyview Spring.
Katie and Bell were hooked on the story, as were Cloud and Alfia. Although, Alfia tried to feign disinterest.
Zeus, on the other hand, would not stop being creepy and stared at me when he thought no one would notice.
Two other people did notice though, that being Cloud and Alfia.
Day 16 - Sword Training
I was progressively getting better with a sword. The ten years of training the CYOA had given me was starting to show and Cloud was amazed.
He was obviously holding himself back. He kept his strength and speed to just above my level, but I was able to quickly make up the difference in physical ability with my rapidly increasing skill.
.
During dinner, we continued Link's journey to the Eldin Volcano and the Earth Temple. Ghirahim showed up to give exposition and we watched Link's fight against Scaldera. Then Link made it to the Earth Spring.
Day 17 - Calisthenics and Sprinting Training
Another day of training and another day of watching Link as he made his way through the Temple of Time. We ended this showing when Link found the dormant Gate of Time at the Sealed Grounds and had to fight The Imprisoned for the first time.
Day 21 - Rest
Today, it looks like I'll be indoors for most of the day. With it being everyone's day off, They all wanted to binge-watch Link's journey.
Over the past few days, we watched as Link had found the three sacred flames and upgraded the Goddess Sword to the Master Sword. He was about to travel into the past when he had to fight The Imprisoned for the second time. And that is where we will continue from.
I was setting up the scroll in the living room this time as it was a much comfier place to relax and watch.
Cloud walked up to me and showed a letter in his hand. "Hey, Ithil. Just letting you know, that letter we were waiting on finally arrived."
"Oh? Then when are we leaving for Orario?" I said.
"Tomorrow. The sooner we get there, the sooner I can leave that place behind."
I stared at him, wondering why he didn't want to be in Orario so much.
The question must've shown on my face because Cloud looked to the side and sighed. "It's complicated," he said.
He then went off to help Katie set up the snacks she prepared for us to eat while we watched Skyward Sword. I went back to setting up the scroll and my mind soon wandered onto Cloud.
By his own admission, he was a part of the Astrea Familia. Katie said he arrived in Camden with Alfia about two years ago when I asked her. That was around the same time the Astrea Familia were killed in canon.
I'm guessing he was there when it happened, and he left because he had no reason to stay.
Still, that leaves a lot of questions.
If he left, why didn't he go with Astrea?
What happened to Ryuu?
How does Cloud know Bell's mom?
This world's canon is not the same as what I know. I'm not sure what else is different. I think I'll find out more when Cloud and I head to Orario.
Anyway, I finished setting up the scroll and took a seat on one of the sofas set up to watch the end of Link's journey. I sat at the end, next to Bell, who had his eyes glued to the scroll as Link went through the Gate of Time.
~X~
"Is that possible?" Alfia said to Zeus.
"Hm?"
"Can a god give up their divinity to be reborn as a mortal?"
Zeus scratched his beard. "Theoretically, yes. But there are no records of any god or goddess to do such a thing."
"Hmm," Alfia hummed and turned back to the video.
"Do you know a lot about the affairs of the gods?" I had to ask. Right now, Zeus is supposed to be Farmer Zen, a regular human. It'd be weird if I didn't question what he said.
"I've worked with many divines in my time," Zeus said, and I just turned back to the video.
~X~
"Now that's a legendary sword if I've ever seen one," Cloud said, impressed by the Master Sword's true form.
"It's a Divine Weapon wielded by a True Hero," Alfia said. It was barely noticeable but her eyes were shining. "It's bound to be legendary."
Bell's eyes were shining so obviously as he took in the Master Sword.
I wonder how they would react if I pulled out the sword from my Bag of Holding.
~X~
"Why is it always threes?" Cloud said.
"What?" I said.
"Link has had to do everything in threes," Cloud said. "He had to go to three places to catch up to Zelda, had to find three Divine Flames, and now, he has to find three dragons! Why three?"
"Symbolism?" I shrugged. "Don't forget about the Three Golden Goddesses and the Triforce."
"Three is a powerful number," Zeus nodded. "As they say, 'good things come in threes.'"
"Like Mind, Body, and Soul?" I said.
Zeus nodded again. "Another example is Land, Sea, and Sky."
"Birth, Life, and Death," Alfia chimed in.
"The three-act structure of a story," Katie said.
"Okay, okay. I get it," Cloud said. "No need for more examples."
~X~
"He did it!" Bell cheered as Sky Keep fell on top of The Imprisoned, and the Triforce killed it for good.
But he was the only one who was happy. Everyone else looked on edge. It's like they were waiting for something, or rather, someone.
~X~
"Hey, why is no one else is happy," Bell said when he noticed no one was smiling when Link and Zelda reunited.
Zeus had a blank look, Katie looked worried, and Cloud and Alfia were frowning.
"You forgot about someone, Bell," Cloud said. "We're all just waiting for the moment he shows up to ruin everything."
~X~
"Oh," Bell watched Zelda be abducted. "W-Well, Link will save her, right?"
"He sure as hell is going to try," I said.
~X~
"Is it me, or does Ghirahim's true form look familiar?" Cloud said.
"It reminds me of Fi," Alfia said.
"It does," Katie tilted her head in thought.
We all stayed silent and watched the duel for a bit.
"Link has really come a long way, hasn't he?" Cloud said. "Back at Skyview Temple, Ghirahim was toying with him. Now, Link looks like he has the upper hand."
~X~
"I see now. So, that's why Ghirahim reminded us of Fi," Alfia said. "As Fi is the spirit of the Master Sword, Ghirahim is the spirit of Demise's sword."
"It looks like a twisted, more evil version of the Master Sword," Cloud frowned.
~X~
"Human?" Katie said when Demise called Link human. "But he clearly looks like an elf."
Everyone stared at me for an answer.
I shrugged. "I have no idea."
Zeus then spoke up. "Well, there was a time, millennia ago, when elves, and many other humanoid races, called themselves humans. Today, the race of humans refers to humans who don't belong to a specific humanoid race."
"Human… noid race?" Bell said.
"Races like Amazons, Pallums, Dwarves, Elves, and more," Cloud said.
"Ohhh… I get it!"
Really? Huh, you learn something new.
~X~
Everyone's eyes were glued on the scroll as Link and Demise fought.
"Damn…" Cloud muttered. "This is one hell of a battle."
Thank you, Cloud. It took a lot of work to take a fight from a video game and remake it so it looks more like a movie.
Bell physically jumped up and cheered when Link jumped in the air, caught a lightning bolt with his sword, and stabbed it through Demise when he was lying on the ground.
~X~
The End
The story was over.
"So, what'd you think, Bell?" I said. It took a week but I finally showed him the full story of Skyward Sword.
"Oh, it was amazing! It's one thing to be told a story, but it's another to see it!" Bell then went on about how awesome Link was.
Meanwhile, Katie was bringing out a late dinner she had cooked. She was slow cooking it throughout the story. Normally, we wouldn't eat in the living room, but no one wanted to get up and go to the dining room. So, we set up multiple small tables to eat on.
"What do you think, Alfia," Cloud said.
Alfia thought over her answer. "I think it's a shame that there aren't more heroes like Link."
Cloud gave her a knowing look.
I don't know what that look means. I feel like it has to do with something they keep between them.
All in all, I'd say this retelling of Skyward Sword was a success. Maybe I'll do the same for Ocarina of Time.
…
Although…
Remember how I mentioned that Zeus had been giving me weird looks these past three weeks?
There's now this knowing shine in his eyes.
I have no idea what it means, and I don't like it.
~X~
Author's Note:
I had a lot of trouble with this chapter. I had re-written it five times before I said that I didn't want to be stuck on this part anymore and decided to post it as-is.
I still feel like this chapter is not at its best, but I want to move on to Orario.
As always, constructive criticism is appreciated.