A new story I've been working on for a couple of days. Let's take a look at the layout now shall we?
I. The first section of the chapter focuses on, obviously, Viela Dragmire. Last name sound familiar? I bet it does.
II. The second section is where the 'hero' of our story is introduced, along with some familiar characters from the beloved 'Ocarina of Time' game.
III. The longest first chapter I've ever made. But enjoy it nonetheless.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Zelda franchise.
-Progenies-
The Descent
I. Viela Dragmire
On the night of my 4th birthday, the house was lit in a honey warm glow of candlelight. The frosted cake, a cheap delicacy to aristocrats, greeted my wide eyes. Mother stood by me as she watched me blow out the candles in fascination.
I felt something akin to happiness settle on my heart. "Father." I called out. "Would you like to have some food as well?" Hope lodged in my mind. It was my birthday. Perhaps he would treat me with an answer. Or a simple glance my way.
I really should have known better.
Father grumbled in the corners, faded golden eyes stuck out the misty window. His red hair was uncombed and ragged as always, a bright contrast to his dark skin. My smile faltered, the happiness dissolved quickly. Nothing would change today. Nothing would ever change.
Mother whispered a greeting and cut me a slice. "Don't bother your Father, love. He's in a very bad mood today."
"He always is." I whispered back sadly.
It was not long after my first taste that a great rumbling shook the dusty ground. Father stood abruptly, his desert-tanned weak frame shaking from the effort.
Mother looked worried, her voice was a mere whisper. "What is happening?"
Father turned to us, fear alight in his gold eyes and he reached for the sword always by his side. With difficulty he plastered himself against the front wooden door. "They've found us…" he gasped in clear disbelief.
"No. They do not even know about her." Mother gripped my arm with such strength I whimpered. "Mama,"
The rumbling grew louder with each passing second and shouts echoed through the village. My parents froze and I glanced quickly between each of them, tears surfacing to my eyes. "What is-"
The first shriek ripped through the starry night, blood curling and gurgled with fright.
"Marin!" Father bellowed. "Run!"
Mother scooped me easily in her arms, sobs racking through her body. "Dear goddesses, please…" she whispered shakily as she ran down the steep hallway.
Panic seized my heart as she repeated the phrase like a holy litany. My hands grabbed her arms, already crying hysterically. Half out of fear, half out of confusion. What was going on?
"Shh," Mother rocked my gently as we approached our humble kitchen. "Marin!" Father yelled again, voice tight and pained. "The child…"
A banging knock could be heard on our door and Father leaned heavily against it. "You are not welcome!"
More terrible screams rocked through our desolate village and dark laughter mingled with it. Ashes and smoke clung to the windows, blurring the view of what possibly lay outside. I shrieked loudly, "Help!"
Mother shushed me as she hurriedly opened kitchen drawers, hands fumbling in worry. "Please, please, please…" she moaned to herself.
The wooden door finally gave in to the relentless pounding and Father stumbled forward as it fell. The intruder strode in, like an unwelcome storm. He was built largely of burnt muscles and a brutal face, jade eyes gleaming with a knowing. His lips were curled into a sneer as he found Father against a wall, heaving to catch his breath.
"Old man," he spat with immense disrespect. One that would have made the elders shake their head in disgust. "Where is the child?"
"I will never tell you…" Father replied, voice weak and raspy. The intruder tilted his chin. "How dare you defy the King of Gerudos, Old Man?" Smugness glittered perfectly in his eyes.
"King?" Father croaked and he seemed to be chuckling as he lifted his face up. "You are no King, Damien."
The intruder's pupils diluted in plain shock and his mouth opened slightly. "You… What are you doing here?"
Father smiled crookedly. "I live here. I believe it is I who should be asking you that."
I perched my head in Mother's shoulder as I watched them converse in distress with my mouth shut tight.
The intruder snarled and unsheathed a wicked curving blade which gleamed a bloody warning. "You know why I'm here, Old Man. Where is he? Where are you hiding the child?"
"Why do you need the child?" Father asked with strained innocence.
"You're a joke Old Man. You cannot stand in the way of what is rightfully mine. Now where is he?"
"Old Man?" Father chuckled darkly. The intruder gritted his teeth, rolling his blade in his hands as he eyed Father down.
"Do you not remember my name?" Father asked. "Could you forget me that easily, Damien?"
"Oh, I remember you," the intruder yelled as they clashed blades. I gasped and Mother pulled back from the kitchen table, a silver key tinkling in her delicate hands.
She ran to a well hidden door behind a cabinet which she roughly shoved aside. Her fingers hastily worked at the lock, but not they could not stop moving frantically.
The man bellowed a deep laugh as he knocked Father's sword aside with a quick powerful swipe. The blade clattered to the ground and I whimpered softly.
He pressed the tip of his sword against Father's throat, grinning triumphantly.
"Ganondorf. Ganondorf Dragmire"
I winced slightly. I was not used to hearing Father's name out loud. It was not something my family took great pride in. I never knew why.
Father gulped and the man continued with a taunting sneer.
"Look at what you've become. Pathetic old fool."
"It doesn't belong to you, Damien. You cannot change destiny's course."
"Tell me where you hide your demonic spawn or I shall slit your throat."
I almost cried aloud to him. To spare Father and take me instead. But something prevented me, a cold chill settled on my heart and I could not utter a word. I did not want to.
I did not want to die in place of my Father. No matter how gruesome it would be.
"Kill me. That won't change anything. The gods' will shall carry on still." Father's voice wavered as the tip pressed more against his flesh.
Anger melted in the attacker's eyes and he chuckled. "The gods? Since when did you care for the gods?"
A growl uttered from his throat. "You are braver now, Ganondorf, I admit. But obviously, you do not hold the Triforce of Courage."
Fury passed in Father's ruby eyes and he clenched his teeth together. "He is-"
"The better man, Ganon! Every realm, every age, every reincarnation and fight you lost to him. And now, now you decide to change? Ha! You will be forever damned, Ganon. Nothing will change. Nothing."
Father growled at him and the intruder grinned. "Perhaps the Hero shall not get the glory of killing you. Perhaps…I will."
I tore my eyes away as the sound. Blade ripping through flesh, a loud gasp of air, a desperate yell for anyone, anything.
"MARIN!"
Mama shoved open the door with her shoulder and stooped down to reach a handle on the floor. She lifted with a grunt and a small section went up, revealing a snug hole. Mama wrenched me from herself and set me down in it. I shivered at the touch of cold soil. I reached for her and whimpered. "Mama?"
"Mother loves you," Mama sniffled. "Don't worry, Mama will come back sweet child."
She snapped the silver handle off and I yelled as the floor collapsed down to cover me in complete darkness. I shivered as footfall pounded above me.
The intruder's voice came and I heard the dull thud of Father's body dropping to the ground. "Well, well, well." Damien's voice sliced through me, like ice. "Look at what we have here."
Mama's voice came. Pure, righteous, but terrified. "You…you are not welcome here, Damien."
Bone-chilling laughter. I wept for Mama.
Not Mama…not Mama… Anyone but Mama.
"Oh, Marin. Sweet Marin, I don't think you're in any position to defy me right now."
"What do you want?" My mother snarled.
"I want the child of Dragmire. I want him now. I suppose the old fogey's got you warmed up to him, eh?"
"You will not take my child. Not while I am still alive."
Laugher. That laugh again.
"You…" He chuckled mockingly. "You…you married him? You had a child?" He bellowed in a amusement. "My, how desperate you've gotten over time, Marin. First, you pined after that do-gooder Hero for years, no matter how hopeless it seemed. And then, he just got up and sailed away from your life forever and you were a complete mess of a woman."
"I…" Mama's voice faltered.
"He did not love you, did he? Perhaps once, but only because you looked so much like her. But I guess that wasn't enough now was it? He wanted the real thing, not some worthless replica."
"You will not get away with this."
"Oh, I assure you, I will. The Gerudos have no lingering respect for your husband."
"You are no better. The Hero is twice the man you could ever hope to be." Mama's voice grew chilly and biting, oozing with years of regret, angush, and weariness. It was too much. All of it. And she was starting to vent it out at the wrong time.
A slap. A hard, commanding, painful slap.
Mama gasped. The man's blade made a sick whooshing noise. "So I was the last choice, Marin?" He spat at the ground. "You fool!" His voice was loud but dangerously calm. "Maybe once I had loved you Marin. And perhaps you were too enamored with that Hero to spare me a glance. But marrying that poor excuse of a man? Marrying Ganondorf? That's about as low as you can get."
Mama whimpered, unable to form an answer, most likely. I wanted to yell and burst out. To defend my mother…
…But I just couldn't.
"I wonder now. What would your precious Hero say…when I tell him of your marriage to that scumbag? He'd forsake you, banish you from his thoughts. I'd wager he's long forgotten you. I'd even wager he's dead"
Mama choked on a sob. I shuddered. What 'Hero' did they speak of?
Did Mama love him before Papa?
"Oh that's right, Marin. This wouldn't have hurt if you had listened to me. But you've never even glanced my way. Not once. And you could have come running to me, darling. But…you didn't."
A sickening sound ripped through my ears again. I cried out in the suffocating darkness. Mama!
His sword had gone straight through her. Though, I could tell, his words left her far more speechless.
He still loved Mama.
But he had to kill her, just to guarantee that she would not fall back to another's arms once more.
He killed Mama.
"Goodbye, dearest." His last words were tipped with hate and longing.
Mama's body fell to the ground, an unholy sound, one that made my heart wrench and my eyes sting. She uttered out my name weakly. "…Velia."
I coughed and banged a fist against the hard dirt enclosed around me. "No! Mama!"
Then her final words. A name. Not mine. She had said it so desperately, lovingly, like a sacred prayer she'd locked away in her heart long ago. A name she had said so faintly but with such golden emotion, I could hear it echo in my ears.
"…Link."
Then Mama died.
The back of my hand glowed, the strange birthmark spurred to life at her words. The triangles shimmered, sending a burning sensation through me, flooding over the pain. They chanted it over in my head, like a musical litany.
"…Link…Link….Link…."
...
The sleep tumbled over me. I staggered and tried hard to stay awake. My eyelids drooped, suddenly heavy, and I fell back on clumps of soil.
It did not make sense. Any of it. Why would Mama die? She, of all people, was golden and pure. Why would the Goddesses take her away and not me?
And who was Link? Was he an ally of Damien? And who was the Hero that Father apparently hated so much?
Then I heard a whisper in my head, calm, soothing, yet burning with a powerful warmth. Sleep Viela…sleep.
Tommorrow the sun shall rise again, and surely the day after that as well. And when the moon hangs high, and at the cricket's sigh, the Hero shall come again.
So put those dreams back to bed, lay back and watch the stars. For the dawning of a new Bearer is at hand, and at the Last Winter's arrival, my child, you will rise.
The Lady's voice was welcoming and righteous. I obeyed in fright of making her sad.
…And at the Last Winter's arrival, my child, you will rise.
II. The Descendant
Days breezed by, years passed, a century went, a millennium…
Impa, the same sagely Shadow mistress of Kakariko Towne knew it was time. Rauru patted her stallion fondly and gazed out onto the horizon with a calm expression.
"And so the day has finally come." He murmured silently. A gentle breeze swayed the priestly garb he wore and his kind blue eyes hardened. "I never imagined it would be so…"
"Peaceful?" Impa asked, her tone clear of any accent, clipped and precise. "That is because the sun is still upon us. We cannot go against the prophecy's words."
"And so we wait?"
She nodded. "We cannot disturb the child's sleep."
"I doubt he is a child still. Perhaps by now an old man, eh?" Rauru attempted to lighten the mood with a crooked smile. Impa shook her head. "The boy is Ganondorf's son. I doubt he will prove to be an ally of the Resistance."
"Oh, really Impa, don't be such a pessimist. Ganondorf has learned his lesson."
Impa's smirk was cold and stony. "I believe Damien did us a favor by killing him. The man was a demon. No amount of repentance is enough to rid his name of the blood and lust."
"You know Ganondorf only did this because he loved her."
"Loving Nabooru is a lost cause."
"How dense are you, my dear sage? He loved Ze-"
"Don't!" Impa growled, her voice bordering on plain murderous. Her dark eyes flashed with annoyance and hatred. Rauru winced. Clearly, Impa was against any idea that Ganon withheld even the tiniest amount of adoration towards the Princess. And speaking of which…
"How is she?" Rauru asked.
"Safe…at the Sky City Palace."
Rauru's brow shot up. "You're a high roller, Impa."
"Shut up. At least she'll be safe."
"No doubts here, just checking. And the King? Queen?"
"Well if you're talking about Zelda's mom she's pushing up daisies."
"I thought she was dead." Rauru frowned, stroking his beard thoughtfully.
Impa rolled her eyes. "It's an idiom."
"Oh." Rauru grinned.
"But the King is well and snoring, as usual. He absolutely adores the Sky City Traditions and the ooccos." Impa smiled slightly. "The Princess doesn't get out as much. I'm hoping that will change in time."
"Hm. Yes." Rauru mumbled. He turned as a flock of chipper blue birds flew overhead. "Well, we should head out to the pub. That's where Rinku scheduled to meet us."
...
Brookel
The Twin Fletcher's Pub was not a place Impa preferred to associate with. After leaving the rubble of the ghost town village, they had set off into the southern towns. One they referred to as Brookel.
Brookel was practically lined with pubs. Impa scrunched her nose as her horse trotted on the desolate streets, the sand blowing in her lashes. "Which one?"
And of course Rauru just had to pick the shabbiest, sorry building Impa had ever laid eyes on. "That boy…" Impa growled.
"Needs to keep a low profile, so you can imagine." Rauru smirked. Impa simmered with bottled irritation. He was enjoying this.
Curse him.
She dismounted her ebony stallion with ease and ran a hand through her clothes, smoothing folds and adjusting pins. Authority radiated off her with a blinding glow.
"Oh for heaven's sake…" Rauru grumbled, staring at her with mild frustration as they pushed past the broken swinging doors and was met with utter silence.
The bar was empty. Save for a few customers here and there. Yet as Impa scanned the room: she knew immediately who she was looking for. A hooded man sitting tall on a revolving chair, staring at a full, untouched cup of rum. Impa's brow quirked upward.
He still didn't drink. That part of Rinku was still the same.
She strode over, her eyes hardening. But this was not the same Hero she had seen last. This was his descendant. The Chosen. And that was all that mattered.
"Rinku."
A barmaid appeared on the counter, eyeing the man with a wary look. Her lips pursed as her roving green eyes scanned him back and forth. She squinted as she tried to make out his face in the shade of the hood. "Hm."
His head tipped up, a gesture of acknowledgement. The barmaid tapped a finger on the counter. "That you, right?"
"Yes." He replied softly, Impa could hardly hear.
"Well." The barmaid tossed her ruby tresses back, eyes flashing with an approval. Impa stopped, holding back a smile. This would get interesting.
"You certainly look like what Fletcher said. Tall, fit…" She leaned in with a bat of her eyes and a smile on her lips. "…Handsome."
"What does she need?" The man asked. "Don't play coy, Rinku." The barmaid rested her chin on a hand, grinning. "You know what. In exchange for your little…ah, excursion to this godforsaken town going unnoticed by the general public, you have to repay our most gracious hostess. It is only fitting, eh?"
Rinku nodded noticeably. "I'll have a talk with her about this."
"You better, boy. Madam Fletcher ain't exactly a giving lady. If there's one thing she loves in this world it's money. And men with money."
"Give her this letter will you then?" Rinku tossed a crumpled parchment to her. The barmaid caught it swiftly and opened it, eyes darting back and forth down the scribbles. They widened. She made a choking sound. Without another word, she spun on her heels and hurried away, towards a locked steel door against the back of the shelves.
Impa cleared her throat out loud. "Rinku."
He stiffened, hands curling around the rum immediately. Impa walked closer. "You're Sir Rinku, I presume?"
The man turned on his chair, dropping his hood with a flick of the wrist.
Unruly golden hair fell over angled features and lightly sun-kissed skin. A pair of strikingly deep azure eyes flecked with a startling golden ring bore into her and the same silent smile came to his lips. "That's me." Same voice. Deep and calm. He held out a gloved hand, eyes suddenly twinkling with familiarity. "But please, call me Link."
"Link, m'boy!" Rauru cried, enveloping the young man into a hug. "Ah! Look at you! You've grown."
"Seventeen." Link nodded, patting the old man on the back. Impa frowned. All business with the barmaid and now he's just holding a friendly smile around with Rauru? Was she missing something? "Thanks, Ru."
"I assume you know why we're here." Impa nodded curtly to him.
He stared at her, blinking. The playfulness in his eyes remained. "Of course. Resistance business. I specialize in that."
"Specialize…" Rauru scoffed, "You're a hero to the people!"
"Aw shucks." Link grinned winningly.
"Impa, this young man is a hero. You ought to talk to him like one!" Rauru raised a brow at her. Impa's hands curled to fists as she stared at Link.
Unbelievable. She hadn't seen him for decades, for lifetimes. And he still looked the same. Nothing about his face had changed. Nothing.
Except he wasn't the same Link, wasn't the same Hero of Time that she'd met. No that Link had gone, he was sent back, he was not returning.
And immediately a flood of memories seized her. The great famine that wringed Hyrule dry of it's lush green and strong rivers, the drought that plagued the land, the will of their beloved Queen -who had gone through such great lengths to try and keep her people safe- break. And the useless dream that everyone had clung to relentlessly. A dream that a Hero, who was long gone, would return.
And then the flooding. The horrible, untimely flooding that had ultimately destroyed the kingdom.
"We must prepare immediately! Ready the troops, send out an alarm, we must escape! Maybe…maybe if we can leave tonight, we can make it. We can run away. You will be safe, Princess." Impa paced back and forth, the guards' stony eyes followed her, faces grim as they awaited the response of their ruler.
Zelda sat, looking defeated in her imperial throne. Her golden hair was a curtain of silk around her weary face. She smiled tiredly, an unbearable sadness lurking in her wise gaze. The courtiers flinched upon seeing it.
"It is no use, Impa." Her voice was void of any hope, it was dry of faith and emotion. Zelda had always sounded like this ever since. "We cannot run. We are not safe anywhere. I will not be safe anywhere. The only time I have ever been safe was when I still had L-" She stopped, eyes frightened, and put a gloved hand over her mouth.
The courtiers glanced down as anxiousness swept over the room. She had almost said his name. They had never heard her say his name. Not for years. They wondered often how his name would sound like, rolling off her tongue…
Would it be angry and regretful? Would it be gentle and longing? Would it be tired and broken?
Impa steeled her tone. She had to take charge. Zelda was not capable at the moment. "What can we do now? Surely, you must think of the good of your people."
Zelda's eyes flickered over hers, blank and cold. "I put our fates in the hands of the Goddesses, as we all should. If this is their will, so be it."
The answer caused the courtiers to hush suddenly, the guards stiffened in their posts.
"And if this isn't their will?" Impa asked.
Zelda blinked but was not fazed in the least. "Then they would have sent him. They would have made him return."
The words were a blow to everyone. An empty pang of horror seeped into their hearts. It was true…
The Princess stood suddenly. "Take me to the shrine. The flooding will almost begin."
…
"Impa? Impa!" Rauru snapped. The sage shook her head from the trance.
"Honestly." Rauru shook his head. "You zone out at the worst possible time."
A scowl wove it's way into her features. She stared at Link with hard eyes and said with controlled indifference, "Have you brought along all your necessities?"
Link shook his head, smile careless. "I assumed, since you're all such generously rich folk, that you'd provide for me."
Rauru burst out laughing. Impa was not amused, she scoffed. "What makes you think the Royal Family would do that?"
"Because," Link stated simply, enunciating every word, "They. Need. Me."
"Don't get cocky, boy." Impa hissed, a surge of irritation and anger pulsing in her words. She already hated the former Hero. His descendant was not doing a good job of changing her views.
"So," Link began cheerily, set on ignoring Impa's disdain, "how do we get to the Green Valley?"
Green Valley. Resistance code for safety house. Which -in this case- was Sky City.
"Oh." A dark smile flitted on Impa's face. "Don't worry about that."
...
Relinquo Lacus
"Ey! Rauru is that you? And Impa? Well, I'll be. It's been a long time!" The voice was high-pitched and scratchy. Link winced, turning away from the scenic view of the Forsaken Lake.
A short, pudgy man appeared from a reasonably-sized cot. Dried make-up coated over his eye, his crusted lips were an unflattering shade of dark purple. He wore an open pink vest with loose trousers and a hat sitting crookedly on his bald head.
Link glanced to his right and saw a small smile on Impa's face. That was surprising. This fellow didn't strike him as one of Impa's friends. She was too… what was the word? Uptight. Arrogant. Both would do.
"Too long, Fyer. How is Fabi?" Rauru asked.
"The same." The short man, Fyer, grumbled. "Always buying, never saving. I don't know why I put up with him." Fyer's eyes came to Link and widened considerably. "And who is this fine young man?"
Link shifted uneasily on the spot. He didn't like Fyer, he decided. He didn't like the crazy gleam in his eyes and the oddness he flaunted.
"Not important." Impa cut in. No one was to know of Link and what his purpose to the Resistance was. The whole topic was kept strictly hushity-hush-hush. "Can we get the super-size, special capsule?"
Link almost burst out laughing. It sounded like Impa was ordering a child's toy instead of a vehicle.
"Super-size? Special?" Curiosity came to Fyer's eyes. "Sounds like you're carrying precious cargo, Miss Impa. Who is the boy, hm? Who are you laddie? Why don't ya tell your ol' Uncle Fyer about yourself?" He grinned crookedly, looking particularly insane.
Link glared at him in annoyance. He was wasting time. "If that was any of your business…" He growled threateningly.
"Fyer." Rauru interrupted, shooting Link a silencing glance, "Please. You of all people should know about the customer's own private rights."
Fyer's form seemed to slump, though Link couldn't tell for sure. Impa was tapping her foot impatiently on the wooden dock.
"I just don't understand," Fyer said, "why I can't be one of you."
"Take it up to the Phoenix League. They always have their reasons, though. You are needed here Fyer."
"I can't stay in the Downworld forever! And besides, you are the Phoenix League." Fyer grumbled.
Link's head spun. Phoenix League? That sounded fancy. And what was the Downworld? Hell?
"Not at the moment." Rauru said. "Right now we are regular customers purchasing-"
"-My most expensive flight transporter. I get it." A sarcastic smile came to Fyer's features. He came to a strange looking contraption with rusty gears and buttons flashing rapidly. "Get in." He gestured to the cot. "First door on your right."
Impa went ahead, tossing Fyer a silver rupee along the way. Link blinked. 200 rupees? How was anything this man was selling worth 200 rupees?
"Come along." She snapped at Link who followed dutifully. Rauru glided in after them, looking strangely amused. "This is his first time flying." He whispered to Fyer, unaware of Link's precise hearing.
Flying?
"Really now?" Fyer whispered back. "I'll go easy on the launch then."
"Might nice of you." Rauru smirked, eyes gleaming with mischief.
Link frowned, but entered the cot. A long hallway with a dead end greeted him, mismatched doors lining the walls that were frighteningly close to each other. It was a good thing he wasn't claustraphobic.
The assigned door had been opened and inside was a neat row of red, cushioned seats with a black strap to keep the rider sitting down. Two long windows were on each side, stainless and clear. Sturdy marble tables were nailed down on each corner. Rauru came in, an imptressed look on his face. "Well Fabi didn't spare any expenses on this now did he?"
"I can imagine not." Impa smirked at a gold-framed, crudely painted portrait of a skinny, long-limbed man with Fyer's make-up and a yellow-toothed smile. His head was long and bony with a broken side-ways nose. Not what ladies would typoically swoon over, in a nutshell.
"Is that Fadi?" Link asked.
"Fabi." Rauru corrected.
"Well, who is he?"
Rauru answered simply. "Fyer's twin. Long lost twin."
"Of course," Impa muttered.
Link seated himself in the center, chin tipped up. "So what do we do now? Sip tea?"
Rauru chuckled, strapping himself in quickly. "Far from it, boy."
Impa sat in the farthest right, glaring distastefully at the décor. Link noticed with no small amusement. "It's all wrong isn't it? Mixing crème walls with such audaciously bold window drapes? The very sight gives me a chill." He called out to the sage.
Impa sent a death glare his way before huffing and turning away. Link smiled in satisfaction, relaxing in his seat.
Then, a great whir sounded beneath them, the floorboards shook and creaked. The portrait swayed. Link frowned, "Wha-"
The room jolted up then swung in a violent circle. Link's eyes shot up wide. "What the-"
A rumbling boomed from all sides, smoke seeped in. He coughed and wiped it away. Then a deafening BAM! shattered his eardrums and the whole room rocketed skywards, white clouds zoomed past them through the windows.
Air rushed through the room with unbelievable force, slipping through locks of his hair none too gently. He felt the skin of his face peeling back at the sheer power of the winds that blasted them to what he was sure was oblivion. "Have you gone completely suicidal!" He yelled over the roar around them. Rauru only chuckled, even Impa cracked a smile.
We're going to die, we're going to die, we're going to die. Link breathed in, sucking as much air as he could to let out the loudest scream he could muster. "AAAAAAHHHHH!"
...
Regius Cubiculum
The Princess cast a look of curiosity out the gaping windows of her chamber. The courtyard roses had bloomed fully, their blood red petals looked soft to the brim, even from her high tower. The gardeners tended dutifully to the pristine lawn and Zelda could spot the feathered ooccos hobbling down the street to her castle, offerings held in their tiny yellow beaks.
The people's routines had become predictable by now. She knew the gray-haired old lady who lived on the streets nearby bought a flower everday from the market because she'd forget to water some in her own garden and they'd simply wither away. She knew the caramel-haired young girl who lived on the streets across had a fiancé who left her on her wedding day because he had decided to commit to a life of war and signed up for the Downworld Resistance Military. And she knew that the young homeless boy, who slept on the streets everyday, once had a father who had destroyed their life with obsessive gambling and died because of the prices of his unpaid debts, and she knew that he slept with hunger and misery each night, and she knew that she couldn't help him.
The though tore her heart open, she wrenched her eyes away from the window. She envied her people's freedom as much as they envied her luxurious solitude. Sighing, she sat herself down on her bed, glaring at the clean mirror before her.
The crown on her head looked out of place with the weariness in her eyes and the slump of her posture. This was not the picture of royalty. Not at all.
Riley, her only friend in the castle, a humble servant boy, knocked on her door. She knew it was Riley with the way the knock itself sounded. Shy, but strangely assertive.
"I'm coming." The Princess hauled herself to her feet, squared her shoulders, and walked to the door, opening it swiftly. "Yes, Riley?"
Her friend blinked. "How did you know it was me?"
"Do you really have to ask?" She smiled knowingly.
Riley clucked his tongue. "Zelda, you are far too wise for your own good."
"I know that. Why are you here?"
"Impa is returning."
A light came to Zelda's eyes at the moment. "Impa is coming? Today?"
"Yes." Riley nodded. The brown of his eyes had darkened. "And she's brought a guest. An outsider."
Zelda's smile slipped at the words.
Gravity had caught up with their flying capsule. Impa felt unbearably sick as they lurched down, the straps held them and kept their bodies in place. Her stomach however, had taken a dive and twisted at the jerking movements of the room.
Link looked strangely at ease with the rumbling, the falling, and the shaking.
Somewhere along the way, his voice had gone out and he had been forced to calm down. Rauru's face had taken a sickly green hue.
"Please tell me we're not going to die." Link said softly.
"I wish I could." Rauru said in solemn reply.
A bang came beneath them, the sound of cement crashing with the metal foundation of their transporter. They skidded and swerved uncontrollably. Impa shut her eyes tight.
Then they came to a screeching halt and the transporter fell heavily on its side. They pitched to the right automatically.
"I'm going to be sick!" Link said as he ripped the strap off and landed on the unforgiving ground beneath him. The cement road had been sprinkled with broken glass shards and jagged pieces of metal and wood. Fabi's portrait lay on the ground and was currently split in two.
Rauru yanked the strap off and tumbled to the ground ungracefully, rolling to his side with his face wrenched in anguish. Impa took away her own seatbelt, as she preferred to call it, and jumped down on her toes, straightening the wrinkles of her clothes. "Get up. We need to go to the castle."
"Can we take a pit stop to the bathroom? My hair, as unbelievably amazing as it may seem to you, is looking rather messy at the moment to me." Link said, running a hand through the tousled golden locks.
"It's always looked like that." Impa snapped.
"You mean amazing? I know."
"Can you be serious? For one moment?"
"That's a tall order. Though I shall still valiantly try to the best of my abilities." Link nodded.
"Go on without me," Rauru rasped from his curled up position on the ground. "If I stand now, the contents of my delicious lunch shall be on the floor. And they won't look so delicious when they're out."
Link cringed.
Impa reached into the pouch strapped into her belt and pulled out a silver ring. She placed it firmly on her thumb, the edges glinted sharply at the sunlight.
"What's that?" Link asked.
"A symbol." Impa replied. "It is the sign of an Insider."
"Insider?"
"A person of the Upworld. I have to wear it because I've been on the Outside for a while."
Link shook his head in confusion. "Wait, what?"
Impa sighed in annoyance. "An Insider is a person who resides on the Upworld meaning here, in Sky City. An Outsider is a person of the Donworld, meaning down there, in what was once Hyrule."
"So, I'm an Outsider?" Link asked, looking mildly offended.
"No." Impa's voice had hardened. How the Upworlders had changed over time. They had grown weak and frightened of anyone who was different than them. They had grown judgmental and cold. She couldn't let Link be blamed for being a soldier of the Downworld. He didn't deserve their petty criticism for his valiant services. He was a Hylian. He had every right to be here. He had every right to be looked upon as a Hero, not sent back to a shunned life like before. Her heart shriveled at that thought. " Well, in this case partly yes you are. But you are also a Hylian. You have more right than anyone to be here. And don't let anyone ever tell you otherwise."
Link threw her a sarcastic look. "Thanks, Mom."
She hated him. But she couldn't bear the thought of others hurting him. The Zelda of her own time would never forgive her. Never.
"We're leaving Rauru." Link called back to the sage who rolled over, moaning about his killer back pains. Link rolled his eyes and followed her to the roads leading to civilization.
He let his eyes wander over the scene. They were at the sky.
The sky. Gigantinc fans were stationed at the corners of the floating islands all round him, one was at the bottom, keeping land elevated and steady. The road was made of marble tiles and a large white wall stood before them, a tiny bronze door at the center, beckoning them forward.
Impa noticed Link's open-mouthed awe with no small amusement.
"Welcome, Link, to Sky City."
Hm, that was all a mouthful. Yeesh.
Review if the story is worth continuing.
...Just review, okay? :D
-HVM