NH3: Oh. My. God. I owe everyone a HUGE apology for forgetting about this story. I finally got the nerve to keep practicing my craft when I started pressuring AddictionGoneAwry to continue a story he featured my favorite OC in, and I realized how much of a hypocrite I've been.

So here it is: the continuation

Chapter 22: By Blood

He wanted to die. He needed to die. He deserved to die.

Over and over again, Nicolas's thoughts played on an endless loop as he lay in silence on the bed. They were like the waves of the sea, constantly flowing in and out, ebbing from the force of the tides. Occasionally, Nicolas would forget. He would lie in his little spot of the world and think of nothing in particular. Then pain. And guilt. But mostly pain, in every sense possible.

Nicolas had long ago been thought that there were five portions of a person's health. A person could be damaged in five ways: physically, mentally, emotionally, socially, and spiritually.

He didn't feel like he had been spared at all. He could feel the scars on his stomach, and the cuts surrounding his brace. He didn't want to live. He was depressed. He felt like he had no one now. And where were the Goddesses? Somewhere that he probably didn't even want to know about.

Nicolas curled up on his side, into himself. He had gotten tired of the wooden ceiling. He stared out into the bare night, where moonlight descended onto the earth and sea through the lightest of clouds. It was beautiful, although Nicolas was less inclined to think so. But the bad thoughts were dimming down again. Perhaps he wasn't really depressed. Maybe he was just suffering from mood swings. Extreme mood swings.

He thought of Link.

Oh, Goddesses. Link. Nicolas didn't know how to say sorry for something he had never actually done. In bed, he shivered: terrible things had commenced. He stared into the evil of his own heart, and found the capability to torture his first, true friend.

It wasn't a pleasant thought. It was what he had been frightened about. What he still was frightened about.

He hurt Link. He killed Link. He needed to die.

Nicolas found himself standing on the window ledge after another moment. Louis's house was conveniently positioned on the edge of a sizable cliff. Nothing extreme—it was, at the very most, a small plateau. But it was high enough. In a single moment, he could end it all. He could become a part of the serene beauty that was displayed before him, and he would never have to think of anything else ever again.

After a while, Nicolas stepped back down onto the bed. He wasn't sure why.

Underneath the covers, Nicolas remained awake. He couldn't sleep. He didn't want to sleep. The nightmares were getting worse…

Link couldn't sleep.

He hadn't even tried to go to bed after the incident earlier. His adrenaline was too sparked, and his fears too realized for him to drift off.

After Link had retrieved Nicolas, he had hazardously sailed them back to the shore of Yoia. Dragging the kicking and screaming Nicolas through the water, Link had used the rope from the Grappling Hook to securely tie him up. And by then, Nicolas had begun to sob and cry, which just about broke Link's heart. He hated to see his friends in pain. Causing it was a thousand times worse.

As Link effortlessly carried his bound friend through the ghost town, Nicolas begged him not to hurt him. Link ignored him for the moment, hoping that Nicolas would soon believe that he was still in reality. But it got worse: Nicolas pleaded with him not to tie him up, and tie him up by the wrists, and hang him from a banister, and cut him over and over and over, and stab him in the gut. Link paled, and succumbed, tearing away the rope to carry the now placid Nicolas back to their home for the night. He worried about igniting another phobia, but the prince had kept quiet as Link brought him inside and laid him in a spare room, in a spare bed.

Link swore that he would make Ganondorf pay dearly.

The Hero of Winds was now in the kitchen. He had a lot on his mind, and he needed to…well, reorganize.

The Sages were in trouble. Ganondorf had dominion over the Master Sword, which meant that somehow, the magic had failed. But the Sages weren't dead. They just couldn't be! It would be pointless to his nemesis. They would've had their spiritual powers reincarnated. Something else had happened to corrupt the Blade of Evil's Bane.

Chieftain Zano…Link didn't know how to break the news to his companion. He wasn't even sure of the father's condition. Tetra wasn't answering the Pirate's Charm. But that would be an issue soon.

Finally, Ganondorf was after the artifact known only as the Fourth Triforce. It was meant to be a fail-safe against the forces of Power, Wisdom, and Courage. But somehow, Ganondorf found out about it after he was released, and a whole, new race had begun.

But at the moment, Link's priorities were more sorted for the most immediate problems. He had to help Nicolas get better. Then he had to check on Chieftain Zano. After, he would have to check on the Sages. And once that was done, depending on the state of things, Link would have to either banish Ganondorf or find the Fourth Triforce before the enemy could.

At the end of these thoughts, Link sighed a little, grabbed his nearby bowl, and dipped it through the lukewarm Elixir Soup nearby. Not even his favorite meal was distracting him from his problems, though.

"Boy?"

Link glanced up from the yellow liquid. Louis had appeared in the hallway entrance. Link noticed something else: something red and yellow cupped in his hands. And then he realized that the old man was holding his Deluxe Picto Box.

"Boy…your name wouldn't happen to be…Link, would it?"

For a moment, Link questioned whether or not the man was senile. Of course his name was Link! How could his host forget that?

That was when he realized that Link hadn't even introduced himself yet. Their first meeting ended with his faint, their second meeting had been pushed aside to help Nicolas…not once had Link said his name.

"Yeah…it's Link."

Louis walked up to the boy and sat down in the counter chair beside him. He held the camera up and pointed at the image being displayed inside. Link leaned over and peered in to see a picture of his grandmother and sister, smiling at the camera, almost as a reassurance to Link that they would do fine, and that they would keep on doing fine. He smiled a little before the old man could say his next words:

"Link…I knew your grandmother…"

"You did?" That certainly gave an explanation to the Elixir Soup.

"Link…I'm your grandfather…we gave birth to your father."

A morbid silence fell over them.

Link paled.

Louis placed the camera on the countertop.

Another moment…

"…Sir?" It was a start, but he had to get this out of the way. "…I'm sorry sir, but if what you say is…true…my father died in a boating accident some ten years ago…"

For a moment, Louis just sat there, contemplating the words. He then lifted his old, broken body from the chair and hobbled back the way he came. At the hallway, he stopped.

"…What you need now is at the top of this island. But you'll have to bring the caller of the currents with you…"

Link could only stare as Louis continued out of sight, back from where he had come.

Link never saw him again.

Link didn't quite know how to handle the news. Louis was his…grandfather?

Admittedly, he felt a little guilty that he couldn't show any affection towards the man. Although he was grateful that Louis had helped him. But…his grandfather? Another of his kin?

Maybe Link was just a little shaken. But that didn't matter at the moment. He had recognized that odd glow in the old man's eyes when he saw them: that tiny hint of primary color swirls emerging from the whites. The last thing he had said…what they needed now was at the top of the island. Link didn't know what that something was, but he knew the Goddesses were sending him that message. It didn't matter that the phenomenon had never happened before, but the Hero of Winds recognized it.

He couldn't bring Nicolas though. Link was expecting a treacherous path, and then a treacherous climb. He couldn't keep an eye on the prince, especially in the state he was in. Mere hours ago had been the time of his first attempt at suicide—and he almost succeeded. Link felt uneasy about leaving him in a room with a window—but that couldn't be helped. Nowhere was really safe when he thought about it. He could only hope that Nicolas had come to his senses. Or that Link had accidentally scared him into passiveness.

Again, Ganondorf was going to pay.

Especially if Nicolas died.

Link rummaged through the boat, grabbing his travel clothes, his supplies, and his items. The King of Red Lions had been silent the whole time, probably for good measure. Link sort of despised the silence though.

"Hey, King…what's up with you?"

"…It's a lot, Link. A lot has happened. It's a good time to clear my head."

Link was taken aback. He had never heard the King so…somber before…

"Where are you going?"

"Oh…Louis told me…the Goddesses told me through him…that what we needed was at the top of the island."

"What do you need?"

"I don't know…"

The King sighed and bowed his head. Link did the same as he grabbed his Hero's Bow and the accompanying quiver. "I'll see you in the morning."

King didn't reply as Link scampered off across the shore.

Link could sense the fine spray of sand he was kicking up. It promptly disappeared as his feet stepping onto solid, dark green grass. He continued his jog through town, and to the path that would lead up the mountain.

When he reached it, Link was vaguely impressed, but intimidated. The start of the path was dark and foreboding; wedged in between two rock faces to form a sort of miniature pass. He gulped: he wanted to take this by day, but he also wanted to get Nicolas off of the island as fast as possible, to return him to his father. So with a gulp, he began to walk into the shadows.

Hero of Winds and keeper of the Triforce of Courage he was: the fears quickly subsided as the shadows gave way before his impressive cat eyes—an adaptation he had picked up back during his first overarching quest in the Great Sea. He could see every twist and turn, despite the fact that the moon didn't shine down from above.

What he ended up missing, however, was a thin, tiny rope about half a foot above the floor. He felt it though. Unfortunately for him, he didn't think: he tripped the trap.

Link's mind became a blur. There were monsters around. They had set up booby traps. He had just tripped one. He had no clue what was coming.

Link heard a rumble around him. He snapped his head back towards the way he had come. Nothing. He looked ahead of him. Nothing. And then he looked up.

The pass had gotten taller. Regardless, the rock slide heading his way was more falling than sliding down the cliff. Link began to run, but another glance told him that this trap was meant to bury an entire section of the pass. Even as he ran, he grimly knew that he wasn't going to make it.

It was at that point that Link heard another pair of footsteps. He could distinguish them because they were a lot lighter and a lot faster. And they were heading straight for him.

Before Link knew it, he had been lifted off the ground, and sped up to a much faster speed than he had previously managed. A glance up, and he was looking into the hazel eyes of Nicolas.

"Nicolas?" Link squeaked, before noticing that they were almost crushed. "Hurry!"

Link had nothing to fear. Nicolas could easily outrun the danger zone. When the rocks crashed down behind them, he placed the Hero down and crossed his arms.

"Thanks—"

"Shut up!" Nicolas ordered, and Link was obliged to comply. "I heard what Louis told you! And yet you still decided to go without me? Stupid, stupid, stupid…you obviously need me, dammit! I'm not worthless!"

Nicolas gave a huff, glaring at Link. Link, however, had nothing to say. His thoughts summed up his response nicely: Very extreme mood swings.

"Current Caller."

Link stared at Nicolas, puzzled at the outstretched hand. The modified glare called him an idiot.

"Give back the Current Caller."

"Oh…" Link blushed as he reached into his pocket and pulled out the black wand. It hummed with energy even as his gently passed it to Nicolas, who snatched it away from Link and held it close. The prince took a couple steps back, genuinely pissed at Link.

Which was an emotion Link found weird. He couldn't recall a single time when Nicolas had been anything but complacent towards him. He wasn't sure if he wanted to deal with any more side effects of that curse.

Link suddenly heard the sound of wood meeting stone.

"Goddesses dammit all…" Nicolas muttered as his hand soar an uneven path to the weapon on his back. That was when Link realized that Nicolas did not have his eyesight developed for the dark yet. Now Link had reason to be irritated: he was all alone in this fight, he had to protect the prince, and he hadn't seen his new opponent yet.

So of course, when Link turned around, he groaned when he faced about five people. Five very angry people. Five very angry people wearing fur and skins. They had wandered into some sort of tribal territory.

Link was vaguely glad that he had packed for this foray.

"Can you speak our language?" He tried, noticing the wooden spears everyone held. He didn't get a verbal reply. There was a sharp voice, commanding the others, and four of them prepared their weapons while one stepped back. "Great."

Without pausing, Link drew his Sword and Mirror Shield. He kind of wished that there was a sliver of moon so that he could blind one and deal with the others, but alas, he sometimes had the worst luck.

Well, lately, he had been having nothing but the worst luck. The opponents quickly fanned out, ready to overpower him. Link tightened himself into his stance, gritting his teeth and bracing himself.

He nearly jumped and slashed a response when he felt a hand meet his shoulder. As he relaxed just a little bit, Nicolas pulled himself into the space ahead of Link.

"I've got this." He grinned, and Link did not like it. And the Hero shivered: were his companions eyes…glowing red?

One of them, on the far right, took the moment to make the first strike—a dashed charge.

What happened in the next few moments was so fast that Link was surprised he could keep up. Nicolas rushed at the man in response, jumped, and light as a feather, he skittered the length of the pole and grabbed the man. Without touching the ground, Nicolas countered his balance off the enemy as his drew his own special, retracted spear, and proceeded to drive it into the neck. There was a sickening gurgle as he crumpled, and Nicolas gently landed on the ground. His spear elongated.

"Come and get it," He teased wickedly. The other three hesitated, but the middle two somehow agreed, with an interchanged look, that two against one would easily take care of the kid before them.

They were sorely mistaken.

One swung from the side towards Nicolas. The prince proceeded to jump up, and when the spear had passed underneath him, his own spear impaled the ground, and he used that as a vault to land his legs around the attacker's legs.

The other tried to stab at him, to ward him off of his friend's head. Nicolas merely batted the spear away, and twisted. Link heard a dreadful crack, and Nicolas padded onto the ground again. Another swing later, the third attacker had fallen a little too within Nicolas's range.

The fourth attacker tried to run, in the direction of the fifth man, who had been watching with fear. Nicolas pursued, and ran up against the wall. He pushed off over the two heads, and as they glanced up to look, Nicolas somersaulted, spear outstretched. In midair, he slashed both necks up as he came down, and once more, he landed on his feet. His spear retracted.

Link watched from the small distance as Nicolas let loose a freezing cold laugh. It was then that the prince noticed his own bladed spear, coated in blood. He brought it up to his face for inspection.

Link couldn't blink, nor turn away, as almost instinctively, Nicolas stretched out his tongue and took a taste. In fact, he very nearly threw up.

"Ugh!" Nicolas cried out, coughing and spitting whatever he could out. Link could only stare as Nicolas's entire demeanor suddenly shifted. The prince opened his eyes and looked around, trying to peer into the dark.

"Link? Are you there?" He asked, before sniffing. "Is…is that blood?"

Apparently, Nicolas could see well enough to noticed the liquid on his own blade. He stared, and then stared out at the bodies around him that he could barely see, and then licked his finger, wondering what that foul taste was. When he saw dark on his finger, Nicolas blankly stared into the shadows.

"Link…w-what….what h-have I d-done?" He stammered. He then collapsed. Link suddenly found feeling back in his legs and rushed up to his friend. He relaxed, but only slightly: Nicolas had simply fainted. He would be woken up at any time.

"Nicolas…what did Ganondorf do to you...?" Link asked, feeling tears of pain in his eyes. He wiped them away before they could possibly show, and proceeded to begin shaking Nicolas awake again.

NH3: So yeah…I'm very sorry for leaving this story alone. I'll try to update at least once a week…