An original Legend of Zelda fanfiction written by yours truly, Gym Leader Allachka!
Thread Layout: -Thread Overview- (you are here!) -Author's Statement of Purpose, Project Introduction- -Character Biographies- -Gallery- -Testimonies- -Synopsis, Genre, Rating- -The Rest to be Determined?-
Artist Credits: Left Image: Zukto as drawn by Foltztron! Middle Image: Zelda as drawn by Hitokiri Chibi! Right Image: Kyoshiro as drawn by Zara!
Posted: Thu Sep 29, 2016 4:03 am
Statement of Purpose
There are a lot of people who do not know me around here, or maybe they barely remember me because I have this bad habit of appearing for a while and then suddenly disappearing. Feel free to just refer to me as 'Allachka.'
I love The Legend of Zelda. I played my first Zelda game, Ocarina of Time, when I was maybe 12 years old or so. I ended up playing Ocarina of Time more times than might be considered healthy, but it captured my imagination. I would then, of course, play many other Zelda titles after that point. A year or so after really getting into the Zelda franchise, I made a friend online. This friend also liked Zelda stuff too; he made a free website for us that would be our special hangout for the next couple of years. Darkness Orb originally got its start on that website my friend made as a roleplay between a small group of friends.
We did not keep up the roleplay forever, as you might be able to imagine. When it dropped off, and as I got older, however, I found myself missing it. Admittedly, the 'roleplay' it had started out as was not great (what do you expect from a group of 14 year olds?); I decided to give our silly roleplay new life as a story.
This project is admittedly about ten years old, but I have been paying a lot more attention to it in the last year and a half or so: I have currently written more than 400 pages, and there is still more to come!
I am not in any way profiting off of this story. I love to write, which is why I have spent so much time writing this story. Further, I love the Legend of Zelda. The lore is much more developed now than it was ten years ago, giving me a lot more material to work with. My goal with writing Darkness Orb was to introduce new elements not present in Zelda games, while staying faithful to the source material.
I try to do as much research as I can (I play the games; I look up videos online; I read articles and wiki pages; I buy officially licensed Legend of Zelda books) to ensure that I accurately portray certain aspects of the franchise in my story. I find that remaining true to the source material is a fun challenge in and of itself, while at the same time including my own unique twists to characters and the 'Zelda formula.'
As you can imagine, I actually have changed quite a bit of the story from how it originated in our roleplay. Back then, there was a lot that we never even stopped to think about: one big example was the very title of the roleplay. We never came up for a reason as to why it was named that! Therefore, as I have been writing this story, there have been a lot of details that I have had to flesh out entirely on my own. I kept the original title, Darkness Orb, as a nod to our roleplay. Thankfully, I was able to come up with a good reason to keep it as the title of the story.
I mentioned before that I hoped to introduce new elements to Zelda lore in my story. I do not want to spoil any of them, but you are more than welcome to ask about anything you notice as you read my story!
As you may have noticed, I have those lovely headshots of my characters in the first post. I love my characters so much that yes, I have commissioned people to draw them for me. I may or may not always be on the look out for opportunities to get more art of my characters... wink
Character Biographies (No, no major spoilers here...)
I will post small tidbits about my three main characters here; if you're curious, check out the spoiler tags below! If you, of course, would rather be surprised and wait to see what you discover while reading my story, feel free to skip this post! However, I am not going to post major spoilers here at all. The information I post in these bios is going to be covered in the first two or so chapters, so you can read them without ruining anything. Completely up to you!
Zukto:
Zukto, a native of Charcai, mysteriously arrived in Hyrule when he was 17 years old; he had no understanding of how or why he awoke to find himself in the middle of a strange desert, but he knew that he needed to find help. He crossed paths with Nabooru, the esteemed Sage of Spirit. He tried to ask her for help, but realized that she could not understand him. Nabooru was surprised to come across a person who could not speak Hylian, and who did not have the long ears that Hylians were known for. Assuming that he was stranded, Nabooru signaled for the youth to follow her.
Zukto stayed with the Gerudo in the Gerudo Desert, training as Nabooru’s assistant. In time, he came to understand Hylian. Eight years had passed after his fateful arrival to Hyrule, when Goddess Din appeared to him in a dream. She directed him to find two other people who would be his companions on a dangerous quest to stop a mysterious man named Kkladekk.
Quick info about Zukto:
Age: 25 years old (at the start of Darkness Orb) Height: 183 cm, or about 6 feet Weight: 77 kg or about 170 lbs Hair color and style: brown; short and messy Eye color: brown Race: Charcaian; speaks Charcaian and Hylian
Zelda:
The newest incarnation of Hylian princess. She has a really poor relationship with her birth father, King Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule II. She trained with the Sage of Shadow, Impa, for many years before the events of Darkness Orb. Mysteriously, she has black hair and red eyes. She also has a curious scar-like marking that circles her left eye: the mark looks like a crescent moon.
Quick info about Zelda:
Age: 20 Height: 170 cm, or about 5'7" Weight: 68 kg, or about 150 pounds Hair color and style: long and black; sometimes braided Eye color: Red Race: Hylian; speaks many languages
Kyoshiro:
A young Hylian bounty hunter who comes off as cocky and rude, but there must be more to him than that...?
Quick info about Kyoshiro:
Age: 24 Height: 195 cm or about 6′4" Weight: 102 kg or about 225 lbs Hair color and style: brown; always up in a ponytail Eye color: blue Race: Hylian; speaks Hylian
Posted: Thu Sep 29, 2016 4:07 am
Gallery (did I warn you that I am addicted to collecting art?)
Check the spoilers under the character name to see art I have collected! Warning: might be really image heavy for Zelda.
What Are Readers Saying? (If I really like something that someone says in the discussion thread, I might post it here after getting their permission! Spoilers will of course be properly tagged!)
Posted: Thu Sep 29, 2016 4:11 am
Synopsis, Genre, Rating (What the heck is this story even about?)
"A prosperous Hyrule sees the birth of a new Princess, named Zelda. Soon after her birth, her safety is threatened. The King gives up his child in order to protect her, but the separation is supposed to be temporary. A man with ill intentions comes to the land of Hyrule from a distant world, convinced that he is to be its next King. The Goddesses fear that the soul of the ancient Hero will not be strong enough by himself to stop their new foe, so they choose three unlikely heroes who are to search Hyrule and its neighboring lands for the ancient artifacts they will need to protect Hyrule from the dark ambitions of this mysterious man." -- Synopsis of Darkness Orb
I consider this story a fantasy action/adventure story first and foremost! There are, later on, some romance elements. Speaking of romance, this story is 'safe for work!' There are no scenes of an explicit nature (I don't have anything against stories that contain more adult material, but decided that I did not want such elements in my story). There is some language, and of course some scenes can be a bit violent (what do you expect of a fantasy-based, action/adventure story?).
I believe that for now, my thread is operational. SO. LET'S. GET. DOWN. TO. BUSINESS! -------------------------------------------------
The Legend of Zelda: Darkness Orb
Prologue
Summary:
The King of Hyrule devises a plan that involves faking the death of his newly-born daughter.
The sky, once brightly decorated with thousands of stars, had become consumed by the darkness of heavy clouds. Pouring mercilessly from the heavens, as though a deity wept, torrential rains had overcome all of Hyrule. Any poor citizens stuck outside at the time of the rain hurried to the nearest place of shelter. The rain was not alone however; lightning periodically lit up the sky, and thunder crashed with a boom. Within the old, stone walls of Hyrule Castle Town, a miracle had occurred. The Queen of Hyrule gave birth to her first child: a healthy baby girl.
"Oh, please, give her here…" The Queen requested, holding her arms out towards her daughter who was understandably upset by the loud thunder outside. She began to fuss and squirm.
"What shall you name the child, Your Highness?" The maid asked as she quickly hurried over to the Queen to pass the child to her.
"The King and I discussed it already. Her name shall be Zelda, like her ancestors. We want her to be as strong as the princesses of legend." The Queen replied as she carefully took the infant into her arms. She smiled, as she looked her beautiful baby girl over.
"An excellent choice, Your Highness. I am quite fond of the name myself. If you'll excuse me, I'll go find the nurse. You and the Princess should be properly attended to. I can tell the nurse to give you some moments alone, if you wish." The maid bowed in respect before exiting the room and closing the door behind her as quietly as she could manage.
Baby Zelda was still fussing slightly, but her mood improved as the Queen started to slowly rock her in her arms.
"Zelda, you are such a special girl: you are a Princess. One day, you shall rule this great Kingdom…" The Queen whispered softly as she lightly ran a finger across the baby's delicate skin.
Several hours passed without a word from anyone, which worried the Queen. The nurse had not appeared, and her husband had not knocked on the door either. Just as she was summoning up the strength to get up and search for someone herself, a knock came through the door and the King quickly appeared in the doorway. At first she smiled at the sight of her husband, but her smile quickly faded. His face was deathly pale. She was worried, but surely his face was not in response to anything wrong with his daughter since the nurse had not spent enough time with the young girl to perform standard tests. Just as she was going to ask what was wrong, her husband spoke.
"…Dear, we need to talk. It is a matter that concerns the safety of this Kingdom." He finally said.
"Is it so important that we cannot even celebrate the birth of your heir? She is perfectly healthy as far as I can tell."
"Therein lies the problem; come with me. The child can come, too. I cannot make this decision without your input." The King hurried to the bed to help his wife stand. When he observed she seemed to be more or less as strong as ever, he opened the door for her and walked with her to his private chambers. The thing that terrified him the most was that they possibly only had a few hours to devise some kind of plan. The sky was even darker than before; only the King thought the weather was a sign of greater things to come.
Princess…one day, you will understand. The King thought solemnly. He knew the news he was about to pass on to his wife would not be received well, but his hands were tied. At least the plan he was trying to develop gave them time: time to discover what they were up against, time to prepare for the greater threat to come, and time for the Princess.
Far removed from the part of the castle in which the Queen gave birth, a young woman was alone in the maids’ quarters. She held a small, wrapped bundle against her chest and wept bitterly. The baby was still and silent, but the woman kept begging between her tears for the child to respond to her. Suddenly, the door to the maids’ quarters opened and the King himself stepped over the threshold. He silently proceeded towards the crying maid, and gently placed a hand on her shoulder when he closed the distance between them. The woman was briefly frightened, as she had not heard anyone come up from behind her, but her fear turned to shock and embarrassment when she turned around and came face-to-face with her King. She clumsily bowed, trying to wipe the tears from her eyes.
“Y-your Majesty. I humbly re-request your forgiveness, Sire. I was grieving, and did not hear—”
“It is alright, my child. I understand that you are in pain right now. Some of the other maids told me that I might find you here. I am deeply saddened to hear about your loss, as your loss is also my loss. Your child would have been welcome to work with the Royal Family, just as you have. I can do nothing to make up for the fact that your child left this world so soon after being born, but perhaps I can offer something that will bring comfort to her soul in the afterlife. She will be offered a Royal burial to commemorate her service to my Family.”
“C-commemorate her service? But Sire, she was born only yesterday…”
“Yes, I believe that the Gods themselves designed that she was to be born just a day before the Princess was.”
“O-oh, that is right, I apologize for not congratulating you sooner on the arrival of the Princess. I trust she is well?”
“She is well, yes, but… I do not wish to put you ill at ease, but she is not safe right now. We are secretly moving her to a different location, away from the Palace. I am going to feign her death, and that is why I must ask if I may borrow your child. I will publicly announce that she passed away shortly after her birth, and we will bury your child as if we were burying my own daughter. If you agree to help me with this, your daughter will be forever honored in the graveyard of Kakariko Village.”
“O-of course I agree to help you, Your Majesty. You are welcome to take her. I do not deserve this honor.” The woman held out the small bundle to the King, looking at the floor.
“You may rest today and tomorrow. Tomorrow is when we take your child to Kakariko Village. If you would like, you may come with us. I will send a page here to let you know when we are leaving. I cannot thank you enough for agreeing to help me during this difficult time. Your service to my Family will not be forgotten.” With that, the King took the child from the maid and left the quarters. Though it hurt him to have to give up his daughter, he was grateful that the Gods had given him all of the pieces to a puzzle that would help him save her and his people from the darkness to come.
Posted: Thu Sep 29, 2016 8:38 am
Chapter One: A Goddess' Prophecy and Her Champion
Summary:
A man who has been living in Gerudo Desert receives a message from Goddess Din, marking the start of a great journey.
The oppressive sun let nothing escape its wrath. The ground and air were stiff with heat and not even the shade of a few trees provided any comfort. The rock walls were weak and dusty from the lack of moisture, and every step kicked up a flurry of thick dust. Despite the Spirit Temple being located next to an oasis, a band of people felt no more comfortable working on it. Surprisingly, a people thrived amidst the extremities of desert life. They were known as the Gerudo, a wily group of women: they were one of the seven races of the Kingdom of Hyrule.
"C'mon you guys, there's no point continuing in this sandstorm!” shouted Zukto, trying to yell over the roaring wind to his teammates. He held his left hand above his eyes and squinted, to try and increase his field of visibility. He could not discern any improvement, unfortunately; not even his goggles were much help. The sand was being viciously whipped about, nearly hindering communication.
"Right… it's too thick, even for us. This is really dangerous!" agreed Nelona, fumbling with some tools she had been trying to use, quite unsuccessfully, for the past half hour.
"Zukto, don't worry, you've done great. We can finish by tomorrow no problem." Nabooru said. The esteemed leader of the Gerudo calmly gathered up their tools and shut them into a box. Zukto hoisted it up on one shoulder and signaled the others to follow. The walk back to the Gerudo Base would take a while longer since visibility was at an all-time low, but Zukto and his friends were used to this kind of thing. They had to talk loudly to hear one another, but the long walk back to their Fortress was passed with lively conversation. In order not to lose their way, the Gerudo had erected posts tied with huge, bright ribbons that marked the safest route through the desert. Whenever they traveled between the Fortress and the Temple, the travelers always made the habit of tapping the post with their hands to make sure the post was real. For those who took the desert lightly, mirages were a threat. Finally, Zukto pushed against the last post.
“We’re in the clear everyone! We’re home!” He declared. The group cheered happily, and chatted even more excitedly. At the Fortress, the sandstorm was virtually non-existent.
“Gosh, I’m so tired. Nabooru, can we have the rest of the day off?” Nelona asked.
The Gerudo Leader looked thoughtful. “You can have tonight off, and tomorrow.” No sooner than she announced the good news, someone quickly approached the group. It was another Gerudo woman, though her stature was quite petite; she was the smallest adult in the Tribe. Sometimes she was made fun of for it, but she was arguably one of the best Gerudo warriors so she was well-respected despite her size.
"Welcome back, you guys! But you were gone way longer than expected; what happened?" Reta asked worriedly. She glanced at her friends to look for any signs of injury.
"Don't worry, Reta. The sandstorm near the temple was just a bit rougher than normal; we're fine. We'll just have to wait to complete the restoration of the temple." Nabooru said, smiling slightly. Zukto never failed to impress her; but then again if she thought he would let her down, she would have never accepted him as her pupil in the first place.
“Tomorrow? Really? What’s the occasion, Master Nabooru?” Zukto asked, bringing the conversation back on track. He was confused; they rarely had days off.
“…You will know in due time, my student.” Nabooru grabbed the toolbox from Zukto, and casually headed towards the Fortress. She had an office within the Fortress, and was likely headed there. Nelona and Zukto exchanged glances while Zukto just shrugged. Reta was just as puzzled.
“Well that was cryptic, and obviously for you. So you really don’t know anything?” Reta asked.
“Beats me. Hey, don’t look at me like that. I’m really clueless.” Zukto assured them.
“…Well, whatever. I’m guessing it’s thanks to you that I get a day off tomorrow. I’ll drink to your honor tonight!” Nelona said chuckling, stretching out her back and arms. Working on the Temple was always strenuous and unpredictable. No one could escape a day of work without stiff muscles.
“I appreciate the gesture. Well, I'm exhausted. I think I'll turn in for the day. Don’t have too much fun, you hear? I ain’t babysitting you when you’re hung over." Zukto joked, yawned slightly, and started his trek home.
He did not live in the Fortress; he had a small home past the horseback archery range. He waved at the woman in charge of the range as he passed. She winked in response. Zukto chuckled to himself. All of the women flirted with him constantly, though he did not blame them. Besides the fact that Zukto came to live with the Gerudo eight years ago, the women in the Tribe rarely got to see any men. And Zukto was not sure at first that it was even possible, but he had become even more handsome during his stay in the desert. Pairing his looks with his hard-working nature made him pretty desirable in the eyes of the fairer sex in the Desert.
"Ah, home sweet home," mused Zukto when he stepped through his front door. He wandered to his bathroom, removed the goggles from his face, and ran a hand through his messy brown hair to shake the sand out. The Gerudo lived, worked, and played in the sand, so often times they would not bother to wash up at night. Zukto thought they sometimes had the appearance of a dusty artifact. He, on the other hand, washed up every night. It was a habit drilled into his head back in his homeland.
"Charcai…Land of the Morph. Heh. I wonder if my Master knows about that… she seems to know everything else, at any rate." The young adult shook his head, an ironic smile lighting his features. He would have never fooled any Gerudo for a second that he was one of them. They were a cursed people; only one male was born to the tribe every 100 years. It just so happened that a male was born four decades ago, making him a bit older than Zukto. Strangely, in all of his time at the Desert, Zukto never met the man. Apparently he was so busy that he never visited, even during a span of eight years.
It did surprise the Gerudo however, to discover that a complete outsider had settled into their life style so easily. In addition, he had no qualms about taking orders from women or treating them respectfully. Though he was not blood-related to the Tribe, the women had come to accept Zukto as an Honorary Gerudo because of his service to their leader. Zukto was grateful for their acceptance, and proud to count himself one of the Gerudo. He had never felt so connected to a group of people before, even back home.
After splashing some water on his face that he kept in a basin, and drying off, Zukto slumped onto his bed. He felt physically tired, but sleep was resisting him. He tossed and turned, before deciding to lie still and stare at the ceiling. The crest of the Spirit Temple was painted in orange on his ceiling. He smiled slightly. He remembered Master Nabooru painting it there when he first came to the Desert.
"Those were the days…" Zukto sighed, before finally nodding off.
Zukto looked around, and realized he didn't have a clue where he was.
"Hello?" He yelled out in the hallway. It echoed for a really long time. This must be one long hallway. Maybe I should follow it and find out what's on the other side, he thought. After a bit of running, Zukto found himself in an extremely ornate chamber.
"What? These are all paintings and statues of the Goddesses… but I've never seen these before…" He muttered, stopping at the largest of the statues. It had all three of the Goddesses; Din, the Goddess of Power was at the center, Nayru, the Goddess of Wisdom, was sitting on her knees to Din's left, and Farore, the Goddess of Courage, was sitting on her knees to Din's right. They were arranged exactly like the real Triforce was arranged.
"Wow, the detail is simply amazing, I've never seen anything like it…" Zukto took another minute to study the statue. While the statue was interesting, there was still more to see. He moved on to a smaller chamber to the statue's left. It had several separate hallways branching out from it, but all of them appeared to be sealed off. Zukto's attention was drawn to a pedestal that stood in the middle of the chamber. Attached to the top of the pedestal was a stone slab, with a scripture of some sort written on it. Zukto tried to read it, but was alarmed to discover that he could not.
"Wha- what language is that…? It looks like the Hylian alphabet, but it's too different for me to make sense of it…"
Zukto felt a little uneasy about the tablet, but decided he would move along and observe more of the building. As he looked up from the tablet, he gasped and stepped back slightly. Standing before him was none other than the Goddess Din. She was arguably the most beautiful of the Goddesses. Her long hair was a brilliant red color and it elegantly draped from her head. Usually Din was depicted as having her hair up, but she appeared before Zukto with no hair ties. She also wore nothing the folk tales or legends had described; a belt hugged her hips and a skirt with long slits down either side draped from below the belt. The skirt was the same color as her hair. Her chest was covered with a tightly laced red corset, accentuating her curves. Her feet and arms were bare, but her wrists bore many thick, golden bracelets. Zukto blushed slightly in spite of himself at the sight of her. Her beauty was unlike any human he had ever laid eyes on.
"Finally, you have come. I have been trying to get a hold of you for several days now… it is abnormally hard to penetrate your mind, Zukto." The Goddess mused as she sauntered up to Zukto. The many bracelets she wore jingled merrily.
"G- Goddess Din!" Zukto bowed deeply, after breaking out of his mental stupor. To call Din captivating would be an understatement.
"No, no, stand up straight." Din quickly closed the distance between her and Zukto. "Come on now, stand straight and still."
Din circled Zukto slowly, closely examining him. She stopped back in front of him and grabbed his face, staring into his eyes intensely. Her grip was unexpectedly firm. Zukto was understandably nervous, and he did not know what to do with his arms or eyes. He was trying to keep his gaze above Din’s shoulders, to avoid offending her.
"Yes… you are perfect. You are the one I have been waiting for." Din nodded after a time, letting go of his head. She smiled triumphantly as she placed a hand on her hip and leaned her weight on her right leg.
"You… were waiting for me? Why?" Zukto asked.
"Well my dear… I need you for a really big job. I, and my sisters, keep watch over Hyrule. Things have been changing for two decades now, and it is finally time that I call on a Hero to help me sort things out. The changes We see are not good. Even in the middle of the day, I can feel a shadow looming over this land.” Din’s expression was pensive.
“I can’t really say I’ve noticed much, but… why not ask… you know… that guy from the legends.”
“The enemy has joined forces with The Great King of Evil. The descendant of the Hero of Time, whom I suspect is the one you are referring to, could deal with The Great King, as their struggles have been described in ancient texts. The Hero of Time will always triumph over Ganon, but… that hero alone is no longer enough. I have told him of my fears, and I do believe he is conducting his own investigations into the manner. I told him, however, to not actively engage the enemy for I fear for his safety.”
“So you’re saying that… the Great King… is not even the biggest threat right now?”
“Correct. Zukto, I believe it is you who I need. I have poured over ancient scriptures, and they speak of a Champion of Spirit. I know you call The Sage of Spirit your Master. It is most fortuitous for Us that you came to the land of Hyrule to seek training.”
Zukto was a bit taken aback by the Goddess’s words. I’m… this land’s… Champion? But… Ah! I finally have a way to prove to my Master that I am worthy of being her pupil. If I accept this task, my Master will definitely get attention from people in the mainland. If I exceed the Goddesses' expectations, Nabooru might even be regarded more important than her rival, the Sage of Shadow.
“Most Honorable Goddess Din, what must I do? Just tell me.”
“So you accept then? I am relieved beyond words, Zukto. You must travel throughout Hyrule. At times, you may even need to leave our great land, all in the name of finding ancient weapons made by the Gods themselves. These weapons are mentioned in my ancient texts as being the keys to your victory, My Champion.”
“So, what about my enemy…? Do you know…?”
“I had the misfortune about twenty years ago of meeting with one of them on behalf of a servant of mine. Luckily his powers were no match for mine; he could not even tell I was in disguise when we met.”
“One of them? So there are more?”
“There appear to be thirteen in all. I have been trying to watch their movements to find their base of operations, but they move around too much and lately they have gotten smarter. They use The Great King of Evil as their 'messenger,' and I cannot approach him myself because as we all know my essence, The Triforce of Power, rests with him.”
“What’s my first task then?”
“You must find two others. I hope you were not entertaining thoughts of being a lone Wolfos on this journey. While it is true that The Hero of Time saved Hyrule essentially by himself in the past, things are unlike previous confrontations. You cannot hope to defeat the thirteen members of the Darkness Orb by yourself.”
…Darkness Orb…? Why does that sound so familiar?
“I understand My Goddess. Who shall I request for help?” When Zukto finished his question, Din closed her eyes and focused her powers. When she opened them, two pedestals rose from the floor. Each had a crystal ball mounted to it.
“Peer into them, one at a time.” She commanded. Zukto did as instructed. The first crystal ball displayed a young man who was much taller than Zukto, with the same color hair, and blue eyes. He seemed to be in possession of one of the largest swords Zukto had ever seen. Right as the vision came into focus, the man was in the middle of a fight with a monster: it was a Stalfos. The skeleton was alternating defensive and offensive strategies, often ducking behind its great shield when it anticipated a heavy blow from the man’s weapon was forthcoming. His weapon was impressive, but due to its size his counters always came too slowly. Getting impatient, he purposely swung his sword again at the undead body. The Stalfos pulled up its shield like predicted. Then came something unexpected; the young man kicked one of the Stalfos’s legs. The brittle bone cracked instantly, and the beast fell to its knees. With that, the triumphant man plowed his sword through the Stalfos’s skull as fast as he could. That was the finishing blow.
“He is a bounty hunter; Kyoshiro. As you can see… well, he hasn’t had 'formal' training like you. But I feel his powers can be of help to you. The easiest way to find him would be to report to the Hyrule Castle Bounty Hunter headquarters. Now, if you will go to the other one…”
Zukto and Din stopped before the remaining crystal ball and glanced into it. It revealed a dark alley way.
“Um, I’m sorry, but there’s… there’s no one here.” Zukto observed.
“Look harder.” Zukto did as he was told; suddenly, a cloaked figure seemingly jumped out from the shadows of the alley. The figure stopped before a man who seemed to be on the run from something. With no warning, the vision died.
“Oh my… something just interfered… what was that…” Din muttered to herself.
Zukto had a feeling the cloaked figure was the one Din wanted him to talk to, but with the image in the crystal ball suddenly cutting out, he had nothing to go by in order to find the person. Just a mysterious, cloaked figure…
“Do you have any information regarding that last vision?”
“Well, that was definitely the alleyways of Hyrule Castle Town. Lucky you; both of your targets will be in the same place. Oh yes. When you find them, I insist that you bring them back here. Alright, My Champion?” Din smiled pleasantly, and with that her body dematerialized.
"Wait, don't leave-!" Zukto yelled, sitting upright. He found himself right back in his room.
"… Wait, what? That was all a dream…?" He was a little perplexed, trying to figure out how something so seemingly real could just be a dream. He also was not sure how to react to his dream. Was he tired from work he did that day, or did it have meaning?
I should… ask my Master about it. He decided. He quickly left his small house and headed towards Nabooru's office within the Gerudo Fortress. It was early evening; the sun was descending out of view, making the air much cooler than it was during the day.
"Master? I have something important to ask you." Zukto started as he entered her office. She looked up at him and smiled.
"Oh, so you're up? What is it?"
"I- I had a dream. Just now. The Goddess Din spoke to me."
"Oh? What did she want?"
"Apparently, I have to find two people. They need to accompany me on a journey."
Nabooru's expression was grave. So, it's begun then. I didn't expect it to be this soon…
“I understand. I won't question you anymore. Whatever that dream was about is none of my concern. You know what you must do, my student. But please, if you would, stay at least for this evening. You need to be fully rested for tomorrow. Don't worry about us; we've managed for thousands of years without the help of any men." Her expression changed from concern to encouragement.
"Master… thank you for everything. If I ever have any time, I'll come see everyone. I'll go say my goodbyes now." Zukto bowed respectfully, and silently left the base. He would not be here, the place he considered his home away from home, this time tomorrow.
The sun roused Zukto awake the next morning. He slowly sat up in bed and waited for his eyes to adjust to the bright light. It's time. Without sparing a second more for thought, Zukto jumped out of bed. He searched for his most important possessions. He found and shouldered his bow and quiver of arrows, grabbed his map of Hyrule, and pocketed his store of rupees. Without looking back, he headed straight out of his house and to the archery ring where the horses were stabled.
"Don't you look all ready to leave on an adventure." joked Reta as Zukto walked past her.
"I am." He jumped on his horse, pausing a moment before continuing. "Your mom knows, ask her. I would have told you, but you were asleep when I stopped by. Goodbye, Reta. Let's go!" He called to his horse as he squeezed it with his legs. The horse reacted to the pressure, whinnied, and lunged forward into a gallop. The quick movement kicked up a cloud of dust. Reta covered her face and coughed. When it settled, she watched Zukto speed off East, towards Hyrule.
"… Zukto…" Reta sighed.
"What is it, Reta?" Nabooru asked as she approached her.
"Zukto… he left without saying anything…" she frowned. Nabooru looked off towards mainland Hyrule. I wish you the best of luck… and please remember what I taught you: Shadows don't always signify evil.
Chapter Two: A Bounty Hunter and a Cloaked Mystery
Summary:
Zukto must find his new partners!
Zukto encouraged his mount to move faster after it trotted off of the bridge that connected Gerudo Valley to Hyrule Field. The horse snorted, but did as Zukto wanted. Zukto sighed and closed his eyes as the pair zoomed across the ground. The wind and their speed whipped the horse's mane about. Zukto opened his eyes again, to make sure he could keep the horse from colliding with anything. Soon enough, Death Mountain grew on the horizon; a plume of vapor rose from the crater, as always. When the mountain appeared in his line of sight, he encouraged his horse to slow down. They still had a while to travel, and although he was anxious to get to Castle Town Zukto knew that the horse would appreciate a more comfortable pace.
The Castle Town was just a little west of Death Mountain. As they slowly trotted along, Zukto was left to his own thoughts.
This entire time, I have been searching for the reason why I was brought here. For eight years, I’ve lived in that Desert. I had to learn their language, and only the Goddesses know how I was able to do it. I am grateful to Master Nabooru especially for taking me into the tribe; she didn’t have to. Maybe she could sense from the beginning that my being here was due to some greater plot, but even that thought is not comforting when you’re a young man who suddenly finds himself stranded in a desert in an unknown land with nothing but the clothes on his back. Fate sure is a strange thing. But if this mission was really what brought me to the land of Hyrule all those years ago… I will not rest until the Goddesses’ bidding is done. It is honestly a relief for me, to know that my being transported here was not some kind of a freak accident.
Within a few hours, they were nearing the drawbridge that granted one access to Castle Town. There were some guards stationed at the drawbridge; they saluted Zukto and simultaneously welcomed him. He nodded, and guided his horse past them. Once on the Castle Town side of the bridge, Zukto dismounted. There were posts scattered across town to tie up horses. Zukto picked one out of the way, tied up his horse, and looked around. He had never been to Castle Town before.
So this is what a Hylian city looks like… He thought to himself as he headed in the direction of the Town Square. All of the stores were there, and therefore people would be milling about gossiping. Plenty of people would have to know where the Bounty Hunter Headquarters was located. Children as well as adults gathered in the Square. Some children were playing games with one another; many adults were holding private conversations or shopping. Some people glanced at Zukto with bewildered looks on their faces; Zukto was quite a bit tanner than these people and they thought it strange. Most of them had probably never even seen a Gerudo before, and though Zukto was not one himself, the constant exposure to sunlight in the hot, dry desert tipped people off as to his "origins." Finally, Zukto saw someone who looked like they could help him: it was a book salesman.
"Excuse me sir, I have never set foot inside the Castle Town walls before… where may I find the Bounty Hunter Headquarters?"
"Ah, the BH huh? Well, you'll need to head to the Palace if you want to stop by the Headquarters. Do you know where that is?"
"I think I can find it. Thank you for your help. Oh, take this." Zukto pulled out a red-colored rupee, worth 10 rupees, and gave it to the man for his trouble. The man beamed appreciatively. With that, Zukto made for the Royal Palace at a jog. Even though it seemed to be quite a ways off, he could still see a castle towering over all else. What else could it be, besides the Palace? He was anxious to either beat Kyoshiro to it, or catch him before he left again.
***
"Stop! Thief!" A shop owner yelled out to the Town Square a short while after Zukto left the area. Many of the women screamed and tried to hide, dragging children with them. A smug man was running from a shop, carrying a large sword. No guards were in the area, unfortunately for the shop owner, but someone else heard the cry and decided to help. The person, shrouded in a dark cloak from head to foot, hid in the shadows of one of the alleyways. The mysterious person stood absolutely still, and seemingly melted into the darkness. The man ran into the person's field of view, like predicted. With that the cloaked person stepped out of the shadows, startling the thief.
"Ah, think you're some hero huh? You ain't so tough. And you're pretty stupid, approaching me when I have THIS!" The thief ripped the sword from its sheathe, tossed the case aside, and pointed it at the cloaked figure. The cloaked figure did not move an inch.
"Fine, if you aren't going to do anything, then I WILL!" The man lunged forward with the sword.
"Amateur." Was all that escaped from the cloaked person's mouth. As soon as the thief was within inches of his target and was about to connect the sword to his target with a vertical slice, the sword hit some invisible force and went flying out of his hands. The thief looked bewildered, but recovered quickly. He recovered quicker than the cloaked person was anticipating, and surprised his adversary by tackling him to the ground. He whipped out a knife from under his clothes to finish the job, but stopped in shock.
The person's hood had come off when the two of them landed on the ground; the thief couldn't believe that a woman had stood up to him when he was carrying around that sword! Even more frightening was that the woman had a strange scar circling her left eye; the scar was shaped like a crescent moon. It was flashing red. He thought he had seen enough strange things, but the woman opened her eyes and the man immediately flinched. Her eyes shone as red as her scar was; she looked angry.
"What the hell are you, some kind of demon in disguise?" He cried as he quickly got off of the woman, not wanting anything more to do with her.
"Heh. What, are you afraid?" The woman taunted as she stood back up to face the criminal. Though she was preserving her stony façade, the man's words pierced straight to her core. He called her a demon. Demons, like monsters, were creatures of immense cruelty and violence. Was she truly such a being? Was she really so detestable, so frightful?
"DIE, you b***h!" He yelled, rushing at her with the knife. It seemed that he was oblivious to the turmoil swirling around in her mind, which she was thankful for. She smiled darkly, and suddenly disappeared from view.
"What the hell?" He stopped right where she had been standing moments before, and quickly looked around for his target.
"I would actually consider you a threat if you were not so… stupidly rash…" Her voice called from the shadows, echoing ominously through the alleyway.
The man shivered slightly. That thing must be a demon. There's no other way…
"What, you think you can just sit there and day dream? You are more a fool than I thought!" She scoffed as a purple light came out of nowhere and crashed into the thief. He was sent flying backwards, and collapsed to the ground. As he landed on the ground, the woman once again revealed herself to him.
"I have been trained by a powerful sorceress. From the looks of it, you have no training whatsoever. Do not worry, I will not kill you. But, I will…" She paused as she approached the man, picking up the sword he stole in the process. She gave it a firm practice swing, taunting him as she drew ever closer.
"Oh yes, I can use this thing properly. I would sit tight if I were you." She threatened. The man was not in a hurry to die, but the woman who towered above him frightened and angered him.
"Y-you're a demon! They'll catch you!" He yelled hysterically just as some Castle Guards entered the alleyway.
"We found him! Arrest him!" One of the guards declared. Four men, fully clothed in chain mail armor, and armed with spears and shields, rushed to the man on the ground and detained him. The guard who did not rush to the criminal approached the woman instead.
"Princess, how can we repay you for helping us to bring this man to justice?" The man asked, bowing.
"Please straighten up. No one knows about me. Do not call me Princess out in the open. Besides…"
"Princess, if I may, you know The King…"
"Enough about him." The woman snapped.
"Er, well, I'm sorry Your Highness, but… he wants to see you. He knows you came to town."
"… Fine. Please get this man out of my sight, and here is the stuff he stole." The Princess shoved the sword into the hands of the guard, pulled her hood back over her face, and ran off. The man who was detained stared after the Princess with an indescribable look of horror on his face.
"… You called her Princess? But we… we already… and she looks nothing… what the hell is this kingdom coming to?"
"Sir, kindly shut up. You are not worthy enough to be versed in the affairs of The King of Hyrule, His Majesty Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule II." The guard who approached the Princess earlier declared. The thief rolled his eyes.
"Bloody corrupt, every single god damn…" Before he could finish, one of the guards struck him in the back of the head with a well-aimed punch.
"Sorry Sir, it won't happen again." The guard who swung at the criminal apologized.
"Excused. Drag him to the Dungeons will you?" The guard commanded. He left his companions to escort the man to the Palace while he went to return the stolen property.
***
Finally, Zukto stopped in front of the BH headquarters he had been searching for. He grabbed the handle of the door and pulled, experiencing mixed feelings. When he entered the main hall, there was a counter with a man stationed at it. He had his legs propped up on the desk, and he appeared to be smoking. Zukto hated the smell, but he tried to be as polite as possible.
"E-excuse me, but does a man work here? The name is… K-kyo… Kyo…" Zukto started, forgetting the man's name.
"Aah, Kyoshiro? Lemme get 'im." The man said, getting up and disappearing down a hallway. Shortly after, the man returned, with the giant man from the crystal ball in tow.
"You wanted to see me? I hope whatever it is you want you'll pay me well for it. I'm pretty well-known around here and valued for my talents and skill, you see." Kyoshiro bragged.
Someone sure is full of himself… great.
"… I have a very, very important business proposition to discuss with you, Kyoshiro. The rewards do not end at money. Do… eternal glory and respect appeal to you?" Zukto asked. Kyoshiro genuinely looked interested.
Hook, line, and sinker...
"Yes, it is a very important matter… in fact, it's top secret. Why don't we step outside? Don't worry; I'm not here to kill you. You're… valuable to me." Zukto explained, choosing his words carefully. He was nervous that this person would turn him down. If Kyoshiro did not agree to help, he was not sure what his next move would be as he could not return to Goddess Din with one chosen one missing. Kyoshiro agreed to follow Zukto out of the Palace. As the two were leaving, a strange, cloaked figure passed them. Zukto stopped dead in his tracks.
No way… is that… the other one…?
Since Zukto did not know the person's name, he could not get the hooded figure’s attention. He could have rudely yelled something like, “Hey, you!” but he let the figure pass him instead; he stared after them for a while.
"What's your deal? I've seen that cloaked person a lot around town lately." Kyoshiro said.
"… Really? What does that person do? Do you know who it is? That person is allowed to just wander around the Castle?”
"Whoah, man, calm down. Are you some kind of stalker? Honestly, I have no clue who that is. He has been in and out of the Castle recently, and talks with guards most of the time."
"I'm sorry, I really need to talk to you, but I also need to figure out who that is." Zukto explained apologetically as he ran up to a guard that the cloaked person passed.
"Excuse me sir, can you please tell me who that is?" Zukto whispered as he pointed at the person turning a corner. The guard watched the person in the cloak disappear before turning to face Zukto.
"That person is a special guest of Hyrule's Royal Family. Do not disturb him." The guard declared.
"Okay, thanks for your time…" Zukto muttered as he ran back to Kyoshiro, who decided not to follow him.
"What the heck was that about?" Kyoshiro asked.
"… I think… I've seen that person before. I really need to talk to him… but I suppose it can wait. Come, you and I have things to discuss." The two adventurers left the Palace to find a quiet place to talk.
***
The cloaked figure stopped before a group of guards.
"The King has requested my presence."
"Who are you?" A guard asked. The Princess lowered her hood.
"I am your Princess. Please let me see my Father." The guards all bowed, and two of them opened a large door for her. She hurried past them, putting her hood back on.
"… She has always scared me, especially since her training regime in Kakariko was intensified in recent years. And now, her face is different too. You saw that, didn't you?" One of the guards whispered. The others didn't acknowledge the comment, but each of them silently agreed. The Princess, with her Hylian ears, heard everything the guard said even as she was walking away. Again, the sinking feeling that she had felt when she encountered the thief crept up on her; this man also thought she was frightening, like Demise's spawn.
Part of her wanted to turn back, to get in the man's face, to impress on him how thoughtless his comment was... but she knew that to do so would be to validate his opinion of her. Trying to ignore the feeling of anger bubbling up inside of herself, the Princess did not stop until she stood before the throne where her Father and Mother sat. They rose when she came to a stop.
"… My daughter. My Zelda." The King stated. The Princess lowered her hood with a sigh. The King and Queen visibly flinched when they saw their daughter's face, though she did not notice their reactions.
What in Nayru's name…? She did not look like that last time she came to see us.
"… So you just assume you know who I am? What if I was an assassin?"
"The guards would not have let you past."
"What if I came here in disguise? Or better yet, what if I just killed all of your guards?" The Princess retorted, feeling antagonistic.
"My daughter, I am not going to assume that everyone who visits me is here to kill me."
"Right, just like you should not assume that the daughter you abandoned would instantly forgive you and run into your arms like nothing ever happened." She snapped. The King flinched again.
"Princess… Zelda. Please. It is an issue of…" Daphnes II began, pleadingly.
"Just stop. I have heard the excuse before. You are were saving Hyrule or some such nonsense. Well look: you are wasting my time. I have work to do. If you have nothing productive or important to say, then let me go." She demanded.
"What; are you off to gather more information on The Great King of Evil?" The King asked. Zelda did not verbally respond, but her heart nearly seized up when she heard her father say 'The Great King of Evil.' It was all she could do to try and suppress the vivid memories forcing themselves to the front of her mind... her vision momentarily got cloudy, but through sheer force of will and anger Zelda was able to bury the painful memories. She regarded the King with suspicion.
"I know what happened. You went to find him even though I warned you not to… and I have to assume that you could not defeat him. By the way, do you mind explaining to me why your face now looks like that?"
"Do I mind explaining why...? Excuse me? So now you are going to insult what I look like? Oh, that is just rich. You manage to completely piss me off every time I have to come see you. I could not make up this crap if I tried." Zelda nearly spat. So her own father, too, was going to torment her for something she had no control over. People were so tiresome.
"I asked you a question!"
"Father, I know that paying attention to me is not something that you have much experience with. But what in Nayru's name are you going on about? I have not changed; I was born with this ugly scar and these eyes. That is why I always hide my face. Thank you though, for reminding me that no one can accept me while I look like this. I always wanted to feel totally rejected by society." Her voice dripped with sarcasm, and her eyes could have burned a hole through him the way she was glaring at him.
"You are the one who is in the wrong here; you were not born with that scar."
"Whatever you say. Are we done here? I need to settle the score between me and Ganondorf.” Just thinking about Ganondorf both terrified her and made her unbelievably angry, but she could not afford to let him act with impunity.
"Enough!" Daphnes yelled. Zelda flinched this time, caught off guard by her father's anger.
"Princess Zelda: you are my heir. I cannot have you endangering yourself! Think about your family! And the Kingdom!"
"What family? The family that gave me away? Yes, you are an amazing family. Truly. Excuse me, but you had nothing to do with raising me. Maybe if you wanted to control my life you should have kept me. And besides, I am of age. I can do whatever I damn well please. If you will excuse me… Father." With that, Zelda turned on her heel and stormed out, covering her face again with her hood. Her anger was so intense, and so well-concealed, that she nearly could feel her skin heating up.
As her daughter left, the Queen collapsed in her seat and clutched her chest where her heart was. She looked faint.
"My… my Gods… you know what that is, don't you…? She is cursed." The Queen's face was pale.
"…Yes. And the magic seems to be quite advanced. It seems to be able to influence her memories." The King muttered.
"Oh, dear; why can't we just tell her? Everything?"
"Right now, she is too vulnerable and upset. It might make matters worse. I can only tell her when her mind is clear. We have protected her this long from the shadows… we just need to continue on our current path."
"I just pray…" The Queen began. Before she could finish, someone hurried into the Throne Room.
"Mother, mother! I heard, was my sister here?" A young girl with blonde hair, blue eyes, and long, pointed ears ran up to her parents, breathing quickly from her run.
"Well, she was here dear, but… she got impatient with us and left." The Queen said sadly.
"Oh… and she didn't say hi…" The little girl muttered, looking teary-eyed at the ground. The Queen held the girl close, and slowly stroked her head. Suddenly, she felt relieved that her eldest daughter had run out of the castle. She was worried what her youngest daughter, Azera, would think of Zelda's new face. She doubted that they could hide Azera from Zelda forever, since the young girl was quite persistent when she wanted something, but the longer she could keep them separated the better.
***
"… And, that's that. I know that I don't have a lot of information, but… I think we'll get more as time goes on. Our enemy is tricky, apparently…" Zukto finished explaining. Kyoshiro had a raised eyebrow most of the time, but the end prompted a different response from him.
"So you're saying that we're needed more than The Hero of Time? … Alright. I'll do it. I'll join you." Kyoshiro agreed.
"Excellent. I'm glad you're lending me your help." Zukto stood up and stretched a bit. They had been sitting in the grass, outside of the Palace.
"Oh yes, I'm sorry, we haven't been properly introduced. My name is Zukto. I come from the Gerudo Valley." Zukto outstretched his hand. Kyoshiro shot him a weird look, because he knew about the curse of the Gerudo and had a feeling that Zukto was not an actual Gerudo. Nonetheless, he shook his hand.
"I'm Kyoshiro, but I guess you already knew that. So do they talk about me in Gerudo Valley?"
"No, actually, we don't talk about anything from the mainland." Zukto answered, somewhat amused.
"What the heck? Then what do you talk about?"
"Training, building, legends, ancient texts… stuff like that."
"Wow… that sounds boring."
"… Wait a second. Shh." Zukto suddenly interjected. Kyoshiro looked around to try and see what the big deal was. Zukto quietly pointed Kyoshiro in the right direction; a cloaked figure was leaving the Palace. It was past nightfall, so Zukto was hoping that the person could not see him. He barely could see the cloaked individual as it was; the dark cloak blended in with the lack of light, except when a torch lit up the pathway.
"You're really interested in that person, aren't you?" Kyoshiro whispered.
"Let's hide until they pass; I want to follow them." Zukto and Kyoshiro hid behind some trees, and watched the figure make its way back to Castle Town. When they were well out of earshot, the two continued to follow their target.
"So you are a stalker…" Kyoshiro muttered, half-jokingly.
When they got back to Town Square, the cloaked person was nowhere to be found.
"Oh dang it, we lost him…" Zukto sighed, slightly frustrated. He did not have long to brood though; a couple of guards approached him and Kyoshiro.
"Excuse me sirs, have you seen a Hylian wandering around here? We are looking for someone with red eyes and black hair."
"No, I'm sorry, we haven't. We are looking for someone ourselves actually; can you help?"
"Sure son, what do you need?"
"I'm looking for a person, completely shrouded in a cloak." Zukto explained. The guards looked at each other. One shook his head.
"Sorry, I have no idea… my shift only started five minutes ago. Good luck gentlemen!" The guards nodded and continued on their way. Zukto turned to Kyoshiro as they left.
"… Can Hylians have red eyes?" He asked.
"Hah, no way! I've heard that an ancient race of people, the Sheikah, have red eyes, but not Hylians. If those guards are looking for a ‘Hylian…’ Well at the very least, the person cannot be a pure-blooded Hylian. But I heard that the Sheikah are few in number these days… " Kyoshiro explained. Zukto looked at Kyoshiro in surprise.
"… This whole thing is getting more suspicious."
"Heh, you're telling me. But that's what makes the job so interesting. Well, now what?"
"I have no idea… I just wish I could find the cloaked person…"
"… When were you going to stop following me around? Who are you? You are lucky I do not call the guards after you.” A woman's voice asked suddenly. Zukto and Kyoshiro both jumped in surprise.
"Who's there?" Zukto demanded.
"Heh, relax. You were the ones following me, so be glad I am deciding to show myself." As if she was literally born of shadow, she emerged from the darkness of an alley just like the person Zukto watched in the crystal ball. It was the cloaked person after all!
"Y-you! I've been trying to hunt you down all day!" Zukto said excitedly.
I will say though, I did not expect my target to be a woman…
"I know. You do not hide yourselves too well. Now you better explain why you have been following me before I send the guards after you." She spoke calmly, but already Zelda could feel her heart begin to speed up. She quickly observed the two guys: one had a bow, and the other a sword. While she hoped that they were not here to fight with her, she felt herself tensing up anyway in anticipation.
"Excuse me. My name is Zukto; I come from Gerudo Valley. This is Kyoshiro; he's a Bounty Hunter from the Palace. I was told to come find Kyoshiro, and you." When Zukto explained that he was from Gerudo Valley, the woman shot him a weird look; he could not see it because her face was obscured by her hood. Why would this guy go around telling people that he was from Gerudo Valley? After all, only one man could be born to the tribe every one hundred years; Zelda had already met the one Gerudo man, Ganondorf. Thinking about Ganondorf again made her mouth feel dry, but she was admittedly curious about this strange guy who claimed he was from the Valley.
"Well, hello Zukto, and Kyoshiro. You were told to come find me? By whom?"
"Tell me your name." Zukto requested. The Princess did not respond right away; she was trying to decide what to tell them, because she absolutely was not going to tell them the truth. After all, they would likely not believe her without some kind of proof. Any definitive proof she could present them with would be back at the Palace, but she would rather go anywhere else besides the Castle.
"… I am Azera. Now, who was it?" The Princess pressed, quickly deciding to use her younger sister's name.
Azera? Wait, haven't I heard that name before...? But where? Kyoshiro thought, raising an eyebrow.
"… A Goddess told me in a dream. I must bring you to where I was in my dream. The Goddess says this Kingdom is in danger, and The Hero of Time is not enough to stop the impending threat. If you come with me, you’ll get to meet with the Goddess yourself."
"Wow, meeting with a real Goddess? This keeps getting better and better all the time! Say… why are you hiding behind that huge cloak? Why don't you at least show your face?" Kyoshiro asked, quite curious.
"Ask me again and I shall see to it that your head no longer sits on your shoulders." Zelda threatened darkly. She had a feeling that just asking them to leave her alone was not going to work, so she opted for a more aggressive approach. And anyway, more than one person had already called her demonic during the course of the day; perhaps they were on to something.
"Hey, excuse me, we should not be threatening and fighting each other. Kyoshiro, we really need her help according to the Goddess, so let's just let her hide if she wants to."
"Hmph, fine." Kyoshiro muttered. What good is having a woman on the team if I can't check her out?
"Does it not bother you, having the Goddesses tell you that you need to join forces with a woman? I thought men felt that women have no place on the battlefield." She inquired, trying to understand the two men better.
"They don't." Kyoshiro immediately snapped.
"The Gerudo have no men in their tribe. Every single woman who is of age knows how to fight so she can defend her home. I think it's important that women at least know how to defend themselves. I haven't really seen your powers, so I am unsure, but if the Goddesses told me I need you then I believe them." Zukto explained matter-of-factly.
"Your unique experience should not be taken for granted; a lot of people do not think that way. I shall follow your lead; where to?" At least for the time being, he did not seem to mean her harm. And even if he did mean her harm, she was no stranger to dangerous situations. Because he mentioned the Goddesses, Zelda was incredibly intrigued. She already decided to follow him, to determine whether or not Zukto was serious about meeting them.
"… I… don't actually know. I had a dream, I was in… some sort of temple… but I never knew where the Temple was located. And the Goddess wants me to go back there with you two."
"… Follow me." Zelda quickly headed in the direction of The Temple of Light.
"Where is she going…? Azera! Talk to us!" Zukto called out to her, running to catch up. Kyoshiro followed behind, significantly less interested. He had been to The Temple of Light before, and it was quite empty.
"We are about to enter a sacred place. Keep your voices down." Zelda explained as they stood before the Temple door. She pulled one of the wooden doors open and glanced inside. The inside looked as it always did, though the exterior was quite deceiving. On the outside, the Temple looked neglected. On the inside, the floors and walls shone white as if the place had been newly erected. Straight across from the entrance, on the backside of the Temple, another door with no handles stood. Above the door, a symbol shone brightly: it was the Triforce.
"This, Zukto, is The Temple of Time or the Temple of Light; both names tend to get used interchangeably. Here, before the door, is the inscription that reveals how to open the huge, stone wall. That, behind the inscription, is The Door of Time… and beyond the door…" Zelda paused.
"Is the Master Sword: the sword of Evil's Bane. The Legendary Sword that helped The Hero of Time defeat The Great King of Evil." Kyoshiro finished.
"Correct. So you have studied Hylian lore?" Zelda asked, slightly impressed.
"Yeah, well, a bit…" Kyoshiro shrugged.
"So, Zukto, what do you know about this place?" The Princess turned to him.
"Um, besides what you just said… not much."
"Listen carefully. This sacred Temple houses the Triforce... you know what that is, right?"
"Oh sure, I know. The Great King of Evil covets it, doesn't he?"
"Yes. Thankfully each time he has tried to acquire it, the Hero of Time was able to stop him. None of us really understand what the "threat" this time is, but if the Hero of Time is not the one the Goddesses want… then I question what role the Triforce plays in all of this."
"So… why are we talking about the Triforce then?"
"The Triforce means everything to our Kingdom. It was a gift, per se, from the three Goddesses. It can grant wishes according to the legends."
"I wish I knew where to find Goddess Din…" Zukto muttered under his breath.
"Luckily for you, that desire can be fulfilled without wasting the Triforce’s power. Come, stand before the inscription. Now, focus very carefully on what you want to see." Zelda instructed. Zukto did as he was told; he closed his eyes and tried to conjure up a clear image in his mind of where he wanted to be. Suddenly, a low rumble was heard nearby.
"Look, you have opened a new pathway for us. Come." Zelda moved to a corner of the Temple, and pushed on a part of the wall: she went right through it. Kyoshiro and Zukto glanced at each other worriedly, but ran after her.
Zukto was overcome with a sense of déjà vu: he was here before.
Posted: Thu Sep 29, 2016 7:34 pm
Chapter Three: The Adventurers Reach a New Land
Summary:
Having met his partners, Zukto must journey to a new land at the behest of the Goddesses.
When Zukto pushed his way through the wall in the Temple of Time after Azera, he found himself standing in a long hallway; the same hallway he ran through before he met with the Goddess.
This is definitely the place, but… strange… how did that woman know where to bring me…?
Zukto felt uneasy, but he needed to catch up to Azera. When he reached the end of the tunnel, he saw three women, Goddess Din among them, standing next to one another. They appeared to be in a conversation with someone; he figured it was Azera but could not see who. He held back, to listen to their conversation.
“… I’m sorry, but I can’t do anything to fix that…” The shortest woman said apologetically. Her hair was green, which struck Zukto as really odd.
“It looks horrid. Who did you say did that to you?” Goddess Din asked.
“What do you mean, who did it to me? I was born with it.” Azera replied, a little impatiently, but her response was too quiet for Zukto to hear. He remembered reading somewhere that Hylians had long, pointed ears, and that their hearing was impressive. Zukto found himself wishing he were Hylian.
“...Be that as it may," A woman with blue hair started. She did not believe Zelda, but figured that there was a reason for why she claimed what she did. "if I may ask though, what happened after Impa told you where to find Ganondorf?" She inquired.
"Unfortunately, I was not really prepared to fight him. He very easily held off my attacks, and I did suffer some injuries."
“You are so lucky you are still alive… what if he had just finished you off right then?” The blue-haired woman muttered. This was just as weird as green hair.
She’s been in situations where she could have died…? What the hell has she been doing?
“Would it bother you if I said that he will not? This was no accident. He planned it to turn out like this; I have this feeling.” Azera explained.
“… Well, we cannot do anything since we are in the dark relatively speaking… I will look into the matter and let you know what I find.” The blue-haired woman offered.
“Thank you. If it is you, I have no doubt we will figure it out.”
“I suggest that we stop the chit-chat for now because we have an eavesdropper.” Goddess Din announced.
Zukto stepped out into view, slightly embarrassed.
“S-sorry…”
“You did not hear anything important, anyway. No matter.” Azera scoffed. She was relieved that thus far she had been able to hide her face from them. Surely, if they saw her they would think the same way as that thief and guard from before... to that end, her best course of action was to continue to hide her identity from them. After all, by withholding the knowledge of her identity from them, it allowed her to retain the upper hand. As long as she remained in control, then...
Zukto looked over at her; she was still hiding underneath her cloak. He briefly wondered how she could stand to be so covered up without getting overheated.
“Zukto, this is Goddesses Din, Nayru, and Farore. I trust you have at least heard about them?”
“Y-yes. I have already met Goddess Din.” Zukto bowed, looking over at the other two women.
“Hm… decent manners on this one.” Nayru mused, folding her arms under her breasts. She was less voluptuous than Din, but just as beautiful. Her frame was very small and elegant, and covered with an equally elegant, yet modest, dark blue dress. Her magnificent blue hair was just as long as Din’s, though it appeared to be a bit wavy.
“They make a good pair!” Farore proudly declared. Everyone turned to look at the smallest, child-like Goddess with mixed expressions. Zelda was embarrassed, but since she was hiding her face she figured no harm done. Zukto was so taken aback he stood there with his mouth open slightly.
Well, for one, maybe that woman should consider taking off her stupid cloak…! Seriously, how am I supposed to work with her when I have no idea who she is? What if this is some kind of a set up? She could be anyone.
“Excuse me, Goddess Farore, this is a serious matter.” Goddess Nayru spoke up.
“Sorry…”
“Anyway, where is the third one? Did you not bring him…?” Goddess Din asked.
“Well, of course I did, but…” Zukto started, looking around. Suddenly there was a crash; everyone jumped in surprise.
“Who’s there?!” Zelda yelled angrily, getting ready to fight.
“Man, calm down… it’s just me…” Kyoshiro muttered as he squeezed back into the main room.
“… What was that noise?” She pressed him, sounding a bit angry. If it was just this guy, she figured, they were safe. But even though she knew that, her body was still full of adrenaline. It was making her feel extra anxious and irritable, knowing that she felt on edge for no reason and it was going to be hard to calm down again.
“Oh, I may have… knocked something over…”
“Excuse me, you are a guest here and I would appreciate it if you did not act like an enraged cucoo. We Goddesses do not exist to clean up after you. THIS one needs to work on his manners...” Nayru scolded. Kyoshiro looked away, embarrassed, but personally he did not care what Nayru thought of him. Din was more his type.
“Anyway, we’re all here Goddess Din. Now what?” Zukto asked, breaking the awkward silence.
“Ah, yes. Your mission… If you would, follow me.” Goddess Din made her way to the chamber with the many attached hallways. She stopped in the center and waited for the others. Zelda, Kyoshiro, and Zukto got there together, and Nayru and Farore brought up the rear.
“All of these hallways are your gateway to a weapon. I already told Zukto when I first saw him, but you two must hear this as well. Dark times have been foreseen, and I have reason to believe that you three are exactly who we need to prevent the dark times from being a permanent reality. You were not simply selected because of your training or your intellect. I watched each one of you carefully over the years to see if your character was true. You were hand-selected because you passed every single one of my tests. Now, for your job in more detail. So far, what my sisters and I have been able to determine is that your enemy calls themselves Darkness Orb. I overheard that there are thirteen of them. Unfortunately, I have seen only one of them. I will tell you his name now: Kkladekk…” Din paused, to consider her words.
Zukto’s eyes momentarily widened, but he quickly returned his countenance to a more stoic one to avoid drawing attention to himself. Din quickly shot him a weird look, as she saw his face, but did not make a noticeably big deal out of it since he clearly was not ready to discuss whatever it was that came to his mind. She continued.
“I need you to defeat these thirteen, as their intentions are not good. Their aim is to plunge Hyrule into utter chaos. Luckily for Us, I think you three can put a stop to their plotting with a little help. You must travel both near and far in search of the ancient weapons and armor left behind by the Gods. I know where the first one is; you must travel to Firean to look for the Fire Scythe. They say that the Gods purged impure souls from their domain with this Scythe. To get to Firean, take this path…” Din motioned for her sisters to join her. When the three were standing together, they closed their eyes and brought their hands together as if in prayer. Shortly after, one blocked-off hallway became accessible.
“Be careful, My Champion. Every time you are successful in retrieving an item, please return here to hear any additional information We may have acquired.” Din advised.
Zukto nodded, and led the way down the hallway. The three heroes vanished with a flourish of mystical light.
Zukto looked around as the landscape came into clear view. He could see why the land was called Firean; the land was barren. He suspected the vegetation had been burned away. Some patches of dirt appeared to be on fire, though the fires were insignificantly small and there was not plant life enough to allow it to spread.
“Nice place…” Kyoshiro muttered.
“I suppose we should try to find some person of authority. Without guidance, it would take forever to find the resting place of an ancient weapon.” Zelda stated.
“Without guidance it would take forever to even find a town…” Kyoshiro muttered.
“If you were being observant, which I thought you were, you would have noticed the sign over there. It is bound to put us in the direction of some sort of town.” Zelda said impatiently, pointing out the sign. She hurried over to it to read it.
“Wait a second. We’re not in Hyrule, which means I’d be surprised if anyone here spoke Hylian. How in Din’s name does she expect to be able to read that sign?” Kyoshiro wondered out loud.
That is a very valid point…
“Well, let’s go see what the verdict is.” Zukto offered, running to catch up to Azera. As he was running, the thought again came into his mind of how Azera could stand to walk around in her garb. The heat was even more so a problem here in Firean than back in Hyrule.
What if she’s not Hylian? Or human? But what the heck is she then…? I need to stop worrying about it. It’s not helping us to complete our job any faster.
“Took you long enough. The sign says if we head east, we will reach Fire Valley. It also says there are a couple of small towns in that direction. Maybe they will have some information.” Zelda explained to Zukto. Keeping in mind what Kyoshiro said, Zukto glanced at the sign. Kyoshiro was right; the sign was not written in Hylian. Zukto was torn about what to do; he could question his teammate on why she knew how to read in more than just Hylian and make her impatient or angry, or he could appease her but drive himself crazy with more questions. He decided to internalize the question for now; maybe he could discover the answer later.
“Kyoshiro, hurry up or we’ll leave you behind!” Zukto called.
“Heh, like I’d let you! You aren’t getting all the glory for yourself!” Kyoshiro answered, flashing an eager grin.
After several hours of walking, the trio reached Fire Valley. At least, that is what Zelda told them. There was a large sign that read “Fire Valley,” but Zelda was the only one who could read it. Kyoshiro was also put off at her ability to read the foreign text.
What is she, some kinda bookworm? Hm, now that I think about it, none of us know what the other is capable of. We’ve only walked and talked. There hasn’t been any action! That’s what’s been missing! I hope we can battle some monsters soon.
“Which village do we want to go to? We can go to Volcano Base, Seashore, or Mountain Trail.” Zelda inquired.
“I vote for Seashore.” Kyoshiro piped up.
“No, we can’t go there. Seashore communities spend all of their time fishing, trading, and shipping. I doubt we will find anyone who’ll have any idea where an ancient weapon lies. I think we need to go to Volcano Base.” Zukto explained.
“Excellent, I was thinking the same thing.” Zelda agreed. Kyoshiro scoffed.
“Luckily, Volcano Base is the closest village. This way.” Zelda again took the lead. Kyoshiro followed, sulking. He was getting tired of relying on a woman for navigation. When he did bounty hunting work by himself, he never needed anyone else. Granted, he only did work in Hyrule and therefore language barriers were nearly non-existent; regardless, it was still getting on his nerves that a woman was playing such a prominent role in their adventure while he was reduced to playing a bit part.
When they reached town, Zelda approached the first person she saw. It was an elderly man. Zukto and Kyoshiro followed, slowly. They were not sure what to expect from a people who did not seem to know Hylian. When they caught up to her, Zelda was talking to the man in a language neither of them understood! After a few moments, she returned to them.
“Alright, the old man told me that we need to head to the biggest hut in this village. The Village Leader will be there, and I think he has the information we need.”
“… You can read AND speak their language?” Kyoshiro asked.
“Sure I can. There are books in libraries about this language. The locals call it ‘Fire Tongue.’”
Kyoshiro and Zukto turned to look at each other, eyebrows raised. Kyoshiro had never even set foot in a formal library before, and though Zukto had seen a few libraries in his time most of them were back in his homeland. His Master had a small collection of books as well, but naturally Nabooru’s resources were limited.
“… Where have you been to have access to a library with language books?” Zukto asked. Zelda froze momentarily, as she realized she may have given them too much information.
s**t! I forgot that Father's library is not accessible to commoners. Even though I slipped up about that, I just need to claim I have special permission to access the Royal Library.
“You know, the Royal Library at the Palace…” She muttered. Zukto looked suspiciously at her, before he suddenly remembered that when he saw her at the Palace, the guard told him she was a special guest of the Royal Family. She could not have only been a special guest that one time he saw her, though. Perhaps she was permanently a special guest. He wanted more answers, but that was enough for him for the time being.
“Anyway, come on. It is not getting any lighter. I really think we should at least find the Temple before nightfall.” Zelda quickly said, changing the subject. She led the way to the Village Leader’s hut.
Just keep them focused on our mission. We have plenty of stuff to focus on, after all. The longer I keep them in the dark, the better... after all, no one else knows about me.
When they reached the hut, Zelda instructed Zukto and Kyoshiro not to say anything while inside, not to touch anything, or look at any one. She explained that the less conflict they got into the better. With that, she led the way inside. When she approached the Village Leader, she got down on her knees and lowered her body to the ground. At least that is what it looked like; it was hard to tell because of what she was wearing. The village leader said something, and Zelda sat upright. They began to have a discussion. Eventually, the Leader said something and motioned at Zelda. It was a stretch, because Zukto had no idea what they were saying, but he had a feeling that the Leader was concerned about Azera hiding her face; he would be, at least. Zelda responded, and for some reason Zukto swore he heard some form of the word “cursed” come from her. A while longer, and Zelda came back to Zukto and Kyoshiro. She motioned for them to follow her out of the hut.
“So, what’d he say?” Zukto eagerly asked.
“He has heard of the Scythe, and says we need to climb the mountain to find the Temple where it is being guarded.”
“… So what’s the curse?” Zukto added casually. Zelda froze in her tracks.
Wait, a curse? What is he talking about? I did not say anything like that. And he can't speak this language anyway. How did he...? Did I momentarily black out during that conversation...? Zelda had to suddenly hold her breath because she was feeling panicked. Why was he talking about something she was not aware of? She tried to think back on the conversation she just had, but there did seem to be a brief window of time that she had no recollection of.
“The Temple; the Temple is cursed. So it will be very dangerous.” Zelda lied, not wanting to admit that she had no idea what he was talking about. She absolutely had to figure out how or why part of her memory of the conversation was missing.
… She’s lying. She is the one who said cursed. She wouldn’t have known the dungeon was cursed unless someone told her… and no one did… whatever that cursed business is… it’s something more personal.
“You’re right; I should have figured that from the start. We’re never going to be able to simply walk in and grab what we need.” Zukto responded, choosing to pretend that her answer was satisfactory.
“Anyway, what do you want to do? Perhaps we should stay the night here and then head to the Temple in the morning. There is a small inn here. They will no doubt appreciate the business and then we can be properly rested for the hard work ahead of us." She suggested.
“That sounds like a good idea. Lead the way.” Zukto said. He certainly did not have a better idea.
Maybe we can use this as an opportunity to get to know one another? Zukto was admittedly eager to get to know more about his new partners.
When they got to the Inn, Zelda approached the man behind a wooden counter. Everything in the village was made of wood or rock; they seemed to live off the land. Zelda explained to the man that she was interested in two rooms; one for her, and one for her partners. She also asked about their currency. The man looked confused. He explained that the Village had no use for “money” since none of them ever left. They exchanged goods with one another. Zelda told him she would be back to pay for the rooms.
“Alright, let us go hunting. The owner here says they do not take “money” because no one has any. They just barter for goods and services with other goods and or services. I figure, between the three of us, we can bring back a decent-sized animal for them.” Zelda explained.
“Sure, we can manage that. I’ve got long-range with my bow and arrows, Kyoshiro has close-quarters with his sword, and…” Zukto paused, because he had no idea what Zelda offered in terms of combat abilities.
“Come. I asked where the nearest river was. We will start there.” Zelda hurried up the mountain pass out of the village, not even checking to see if Zukto and Kyoshiro would follow her. Zukto started to, but he stopped when he noticed Kyoshiro had not moved.
“What’s the hold up?”
“… All we have to do is hunt for stuff, right? You follow her if you really want to, but I don’t need a woman’s help to get food.” With that, Kyoshiro stormed off.
… Good luck when you don’t know the layout of the land, what types of animals are native here, or what their behaviors are… Zukto thought, sighing. So far, the woman was an invaluable ally thanks to her extensive knowledge; Zukto had a feeling he would be safest to follow her. Even if it was not normal for a woman to lead a hunt, at least by Hylian standards, Zukto would stick with whomever would keep him alive the longest.
“… So you finally decided to show up?” Zelda called over her shoulder when she noticed Zukto slowly closing the gap between them. She stopped, not wanting to be rude.
“It was Kyoshiro, sorry. He’s…” Zukto paused when he caught up to her.
“Awfully prideful? I noticed. Pay him no mind. Maybe he will learn a lesson after this is done.”
Hmph... I suppose he and I really are no different in that regard. Zelda thought to herself, annoyed by the irony.
“You’re… oddly tolerant. You know, he’s being disrespectful towards you just because you’re a woman.”
“When you are a woman, you get used to it.” Was all Zelda said, as she continued climbing up the mountain.
After all... it could be worse. If they ever see my face... would they call me a monster, too? It is better that I am treated this way as a woman... because even if women are lowly, surely they are held in better regard than a monster. She was determined to keep her façade around them, but she could not help but feel miserable at the prospect of people hating her for what she looked like.
She’s awfully abrupt. I can’t get any kind of a read on her…
“Hey, excuse me, Azera… do you mind… telling me about yourself?” Zukto suddenly requested. A faint hint of a smile made its way onto Zelda’s face, but Zukto could not see it.
Yes, of course he is curious. People are naturally drawn to the unknown, after all. Curiosity is a powerful force that can overpower even the most cautious of men.
“Why should I? I do not recall you telling me anything about yourself.” She answered, matter-of-factly.
“You’re right. I haven’t. Well, what do you want to know?”
“Why did you lie about being from Gerudo Valley?”
“Oh, I did not lie about that.” As soon as he replied, Zelda turned sharply to face him. Peering into the darkness of her hood made Zukto feel uneasy.
“Hear me out. I never said I was born in Gerudo Valley. I’m sure you know about it better than I; the curse of the Gerudo Tribe. I was born elsewhere, but for the last several years I have been training in Gerudo Valley.”
“That is an interesting place to train. Is there any reason you picked that place specifically?”
“The Sage of Spirit deemed me worthy.” Zukto purposely left out the part about him being transported to the Gerudo Desert without his knowledge or consent, as no sane person would immediately believe such an incredible story. He did want to be honest, but he was worried that his new partners would not so easily accept the truth of his arrival in their homeland.
“I see. Well, you must be honored.” Was all Zelda said.
“I guess being trained by a Sage is no big deal to you? Who are you?” Zukto demanded.
“… I too have been trained by a Sage.” Zelda responded after a while. They had yet to see how they handled themselves in a fight, but at least in terms of their training Zelda had to admit that Zukto very well could be her equal.
“Who?!” Zukto seemed less impatient with her now, and more interested. But Zelda chose to say nothing else; she ran further up the path instead. Part of her did enjoy humoring this strange person with little tidbits about herself, but she had to maintain some level of secrecy. After all, no one besides her family, servants, and Master Impa knew who she was. Her identity had to be her best-kept secret.
“Wait!” Zukto called out to her, worried about getting lost and worried that she would stop traveling with them. He caught up to her faster than he anticipated; he practically crashed into her because she stopped unexpectedly and threw up an arm, completely shrouded in the sleeves of her cloak, to stop him from going further. He almost opened his mouth to protest, but he heard a slight “Shh!” come from his partner. Zukto looked ahead to where Zelda’s gaze was transfixed.
Our heroes discover that foreign lands are home to strange and powerful creatures.
“… That is a dragon. Zukto, do not be rash; those things are dangerous.”
“A dragon? What the hell is a dragon? What does it do?”
“Listen very carefully. That being, that dragon, is somewhat related to Lizalfos and Dinolfos, but it is much more dangerous. Dinolfos normally wear armor that they find or make themselves, but dragons have natural armor. Their hides are very hard to damage or penetrate. Dinolfos breathe fire; so do these beasts. Finally, if you take a look above the arms of that dragon… it has wings. It can fly.” Zelda explained, barely whispering. Zukto looked at her, mortified.
“Naturally tough armor, they fly, they breathe fire... how are we supposed to beat it?!”
“I will preface my statement by saying that I have never battled with one before. I know you practiced archery; I just hope you are a good shot. I have read that dragons normally have a weak spot… if we can find this dragon’s weak spot, then I think we have a decent shot at taking it down.”
“… Okay. Just… tell me what to do.”
“Do not pull out your bow and arrows yet. It still has not noticed us, and we need to take advantage of that fact. Just… wait here.” Zelda took the time to observe their surroundings. The dragon appeared to be lying down next to the river; nearby was a massive tree. Zelda held back a smile.
Nature has prepared the perfect scenario for me… She mused silently.
“Do not make a sound.” Zelda warned, just before disappearing magically before Zukto’s eyes. He was startled, as she had not really used her magic around them yet.
What in Hyrule’s name was that?! It was as if… she was swallowed by the shadows… Wait a second…
Zukto was very interested to mull over his partner’s identity, but was also desperate to figure out what she was up to. He decided to keep an eye on the dragon, since he had no idea where she went. The dragon still was not moving.
Zelda popped back into sight in the shadow of the large tree, though Zukto was not watching the tree.
Zelda focused her powers, and contorted her shadow. She reached out her arms, and her arms’ shadows grew much longer than they naturally would be. The shadows made contact with the shadow of the dragon. Finally, she locked her fingers together. Suddenly the dragon reared up on its two back legs, shot a column of fire into the air, and lashed out at the air with its claws. Zukto flinched, and found a tree to hide behind. The dragon reacted so suddenly that it startled Zukto.
What the heck is going on…? He looked around the dragon, to try and find Zelda. Then he saw her, with her arms outstretched towards the dragon.
… It’s like she’s controlling the strings of a puppet… wait, that’s it!
“Zukto, do not just stand there like an idiot! I can only hold on for so long!” Zelda called out to him. Zukto felt slightly embarrassed for losing focus during a fight, but her powers were incredibly intriguing. Zukto crept closer to the dragon, careful to avoid the dragon’s large tail as it thrashed about. He noticed that besides its limbs, tail, and neck flailing about, the dragon could not move.
She must be preventing the thing from walking. Ugh, but I don’t notice anything strange…
“Azera, I can’t see anything! Make it roll onto its back!” Zukto yelled.
“Give me a second!” She yelled back, straining against the weight of the beast. It was incredibly tiring to try and control something that was several times her size. She swung her arms toward the ground, and the dragon collapsed to the ground in turn; its belly was exposed to Zukto. The dragon started thrashing even more violently, snarling viciously. Zukto noticed something shine on one of the dragon's back legs, but his angle of sight was not good enough. He moved a bit closer.
“I see it!” He called. There was a peculiar gem on the inner thigh of the dragon.
That must be it.
“Please hold on a little longer!” Zukto called, pulling his bow off his shoulder sling. He grabbed an arrow from his quiver, and then prepared to nock the arrow. When he did, he began to aim at the jewel. But the dragon was out of control, even with Azera holding it down. She was just barely able to keep it grounded. Zukto suddenly had an idea.
“Let him go!”
“WHAT?! Are you insane?!”
“Just do it! I know you can’t keep restraining it for much longer anyway!”
Reluctantly, Zelda followed his instructions. Noticing it was free to move, the dragon immediately rose up into the air with a single flap of its mighty wings. It turned toward Zukto, seeing that he had a weapon drawn.
“Zukto! RUN! Get out of here!” Zelda called, panicked.
Dammit, I cannot let him get hurt here! After all, it sounds like the Goddesses sought him out first. He is somehow quite important to us.
“We’re heroes! We don’t back down from challenges!” Zukto yelled, determined. Zelda felt like punching him, but knew that she was partly to blame for their current situation.
… Wait! I can still help…!
The dragon, still fixated on Zukto, inhaled deeply. Zukto had been trying to get his arrow into position up until this point, until he noticed the dragon’s behavior.
Crap, it’s going to breathe fire, isn’t it? I don’t think I can avoid it, especially if it flies closer…! Zukto thought, ready to try anyway. He tensed his body, ready to roll out of the trajectory of the flame as soon as the dragon shot it…
Just as the dragon let loose a stream of fire, and Zukto was about to roll away from the oncoming attack, he felt a strange power around him. A bubble popped up around him, and diverted the flames! He looked around, completely surprised. Azera was next to him, holding her arms up again. She had erected a shield to keep them safe.
“Quit stalling! Kill it!” Zelda yelled as she dispersed the magical shield.
“Right!” Zukto quickly realigned his arrow, and shot at the confused dragon. The dragon snarled, likely in pain, but it appeared to still be alive. It dropped back down to the ground with a crash.
“I think I’ve injured it…” Zukto muttered.
“Great, but injuring it is not good enough. In fact, now it is even more dangerous to leave this thing here. What if it attacks the village?”
“I-I know… I just need to hit it again. Can you lend me your power one more time? I need you to expose his belly again.”
“… I will try. But you will likely only have seconds to shoot it. Be ready.” Zelda raised her arms again, and curled her fingers as if trying to grab something. The dragon tried to take a step towards Zelda and Zukto, but felt a force pulling it backwards. It could not take a step forward. In frustration, it reared again.
“Zukto, NOW!” Zelda cried. Zukto quickly readjusted his aim and let the arrow fly. Zelda strained herself to hold on just moments longer…
The dragon let out a terrible screech, and felt limp in Zelda’s hold. She let go, and the body fell like a rock to the ground: it was dead. Zelda fell to her knees, exhausted. Her breathing picked up, but she was trying to hide how tired she was after the fight. Zukto was about to kneel to her level to see what he could do for her, but he heard approaching footsteps. Instead, he took up a defensive stance in front of Zelda.
“Please move, Zukto.” She asked. He did, nervously. The group of people stopped a ways from Zelda and Zukto, but one person walked closer still. It was the Village Leader. Zelda began to talk in ‘Fire Tongue.’ The Village Leader’s face went from grave to ecstatic in mere moments. The Leader turned to his people, excitedly repeated something, and the entire group rushed to Zelda and Zukto. Many hands patted their backs, and many voices simultaneously chattered, but Zukto could not understand a word of it.
“Now I understand. You are the hero I read about.” The Leader suddenly said, in clear Hylian. The other villagers stopped their excited clamoring to allow the pair to hear their leader.
“So you have always been able to…?” Zelda started.
“How often do you tell secrets to total strangers?” He asked, raising an eyebrow. Zelda smiled in spite of herself, recognizing the significance of what he said.
“Well, um, what did you say about a hero? Can you explain that to us, Sir?” Zukto asked.
“Right. Well, I could not always speak Hylian. Used to have no clue it existed. But when I was reading some ancient texts written by our ancestors, I kept reading something peculiar. I read that… a faceless Hylian hero would save this village. As soon as I accepted that my ancestors were predicting a very important encounter, I taught myself to speak Hylian so that I may speak with our savior.”
“What if we are not the heroes your ancestors envisioned?” Zelda pointed out.
“You are.” The Village Leader smiled knowingly. Zukto glanced at Zelda, but could not tell if she was glancing back at him since her face was still hidden.
“Two things. You are faceless, my Heroine. The legends always said that a hero without a face would appear. You’re faceless to me because I have never seen it before. Next, and probably most importantly, you took down a dragon. These creatures are not to be trifled with, even if you are the most experienced fighter. You two took one out, and no one even asked you to. I can see that you two are virtuous and strong. Please, stay with us in the village tonight. Don’t worry about payment for the food you eat or the rooms you stay in. You did my village such a valuable service that I am unsure of my ability to properly repay you.”
“Please do not go out of your way on our account.”
“Will you deny my hospitality, then?” The Leader asked.
“No, of course not. But your village is…” Zelda started, slightly embarrassed.
“Do not worry about my village. We’ve been trying to bring that dragon down ourselves but could not figure out how to do it. I want to host a party in your honor. Come.” The Leader said a few words to his townspeople and headed back down the mountain. The women followed him, chatting excitedly. The men went to the dragon, likely to check it for any salvageable materials.
“Well, let us go. No point in staying here…” Zelda muttered, standing slowly. She was still a bit tired.
“Need help down the mountain?”
“No.” She snapped. She quickly regretted it, however.
“I-I am sorry. I am… tired…” She muttered as she went back down the mountain. Zukto gave her some space, but remained behind her. He wanted to make sure she made it down without hurting herself.
***
“There’s no way Zukto and that woman are doing better than I am.” Kyoshiro mused as he put down another fish next to him. He had caught ten really fat fish so far.
When should I stop…? Well, if I’m only giving this to the Inn Keeper, I don’t need much more than this. I ain’t fishing for the whole village, after all… Kyoshiro thought, setting his pole down and considering his handiwork.
Suddenly, Kyoshiro heard irregular splashes. He checked the water, but did not notice anything. He turned his back to the body of water, preparing to drag the fish back to town, but he heard more noise. He turned back around and thought he heard a yell, but was not sure. He stood there for another moment, contemplating what to do. Before he could make up his mind, someone clearly shouted nearby in ‘Fire Tongue.’ It was a woman. She frantically yelled as she looked towards the water. She started pointing, too. Some of the local men shook their head at her, or said something to her that was incomprehensible to Kyoshiro.
He decided to look where the woman was pointing. It did not take too long to find what was causing the noise he originally heard: a small child was splashing around. Kyoshiro realized that this child needed help. Without saying anything, he thrust down his sheathed sword and removed a lot of his clothes. He dove into the water, and swam as fast as he could to reach the child. The villagers still on land started chatting excitedly after watching Kyoshiro rush to the child’s aid. Kyoshiro had incredibly muscular arms, and they helped propel him through the water. In no time, he reached the child.
“Kid, you’re going to be okay. Climb on!” Kyoshiro yelled. The kid, a little girl, stared at him briefly because she did not understand what he was saying. But she did understand that he could swim her to safety. She wrapped her little arms around his neck and held on as tight as she could. Not wanting to risk losing her, Kyoshiro swam to shore much more slowly than when he swam out to meet the child. When they got on land, Kyoshiro bent down and rested his hands on his knees. He was panting a little. The woman who was yelling earlier, Kyoshiro assumed that it was the girl’s mother, ran up to Kyoshiro and started excitedly talking in her native language. Kyoshiro did not say anything in response, knowing that she could not understand him. He reached back to grab the little girl from his shoulders, and gently passed the child to her mother. The mother squeezed the child and cried. Kyoshiro gently placed a hand on the woman’s shoulder because he did not know what else to do. She smiled at him, and Kyoshiro could not help but smile back. Then he shivered a bit. He just remembered that he was not wearing most of his clothes, he was soaking wet, and that night was approaching. He trudged back to his stuff and looked at it.
“I’m soaked through. I don’t want to put this stuff back on…” He muttered. Just then, someone tapped his shoulder. He looked over his shoulder, and noticed a man. The man looked a little feeble; due to age, an injury, or failing health, Kyoshiro was not sure. The man handed Kyoshiro a big piece of cloth. Kyoshiro assumed that it was a towel, and that the man wanted Kyoshiro to be able to dry off.
“Thanks.” Kyoshiro said, forgetting about the language barrier. The man did not understand Kyoshiro naturally, but smiled when Kyoshiro took the towel and started rubbing himself down. The man then collected Kyoshiro’s things, and motioned for Kyoshiro to follow him. Kyoshiro thought about it, and guessed that this man must be the father of the girl he saved.
Hey, now that I think about it… I gathered food to pay the inn keeper, I did it without a woman’s help, and I saved a little girl! I’m a hero! I can’t wait to see their smug faces change when I tell them about what I did without them.
The feeble man led Kyoshiro back to the village, where the preparations for the party were already in full swing.
“Hey now! Being a hero is awesome! I save a little girl, and look at what they’re doing for me!” Kyoshiro said triumphantly. Nothing could ruin his mood… nothing, except…
“Wow, I was almost starting to think that we’d have to enjoy the party without you.” Zukto teased as he noticed Kyoshiro approaching. Kyoshiro looked at him, puzzled.
“How could you enjoy the party without me? After all, it’s because…” Kyoshiro started.
“We slayed a dragon that had been terrorizing these people; the party is for Zukto and I.” Zelda stated, cutting Kyoshiro off. Kyoshiro’s eyes widened.
“Wait a second. Did you just say… a dragon?”
“Yes. Now get your clothes back on. Or do you plan on making everyone in the immediate area… intimately aware with you?” Zelda asked, turning away from him. She also rolled her eyes, but no one could see that.
“Er, yeah… but wait a second. You have no idea what I was doing before I showed up! I rescued a drowning kid!” Kyoshiro protested as he hurriedly started pulling clothes back on.
“Wow, you saved a kid? I’m actually a little surprised to hear it.” Zukto stated, laughing a bit.
“Can it. What would you have done?” Kyoshiro snapped in response.
Suddenly, the village elder returned to the trio. Zelda again began conversing in ‘Fire Tongue,’ likely to find out what he wanted. She nodded her head to something he said and fell silent.
“Excuse me sir, the wet one. I have heard from one of the families in my village that you saved a small girl from drowning. We are beyond being in your debt for your selflessness. Between the acts of you three heroes… I do not think that my village can do anything to adequately repay you. But know that all three of you are welcome in this village and that our resources and facilities are yours to command should the need arise. Please, enjoy yourselves tonight. And I wish you luck on your journey. I have full confidence that you have what it takes to fulfill your goals. Our worlds are safe if they are in your hands.” With that, the elder bowed deeply. Zelda returned the gesture. Zukto and Kyoshiro watched for a moment, before awkwardly returning the bow. The elder, looking satisfied, left them.
Realization suddenly dawned on Kyoshiro's face after the elder walked away.
"H-hey! That guy just spoke our language plain as day!" He sounded indignant.
"Studying foreign languages is a pretty useful skill, after all." Zukto responded. He was definitely familiar with the struggle of learning someone else's language, although his situation had been a lot more dire than the elder's.
“Well, I honestly did not expect people to get this excited about us so soon. I assumed that we would have to jump through hurdles to even reach the temples…” Zelda muttered, changing the subject.
One might almost worry that it has been too easy.
“Yeah, no kidding. Though really, this is all thanks to you. I couldn’t… I couldn’t have beat that dragon without you.” Zukto stated, feeling genuine appreciation for their mysterious team member.
Zelda smiled slightly, though no one could tell.
“As I recall, you are the one who said you needed me… so I guess it is to be expected.” Zelda answered, coolly.
Zukto raised an eyebrow slightly, but had a feeling that she was playing around. Finally, he was getting the sense that she was more than just a walking encyclopedia.
“Okay, enough with the games. Who are you? Are you a Sheikah?” Zukto suddenly grew serious. Zelda was taken aback for a moment, but when she thought about it further she could not really blame Zukto for being frustrated. She paused before speaking, trying to decide what the best course of action was. Of course, telling them the truth was not something she was prepared to do. It would be better to go along with their game for the time being. After all, it did not seem that they were on the right track. By continuing to deceive them, she could remain in control.
“… What led you to the conclusion that I am a member of a dying race of people?”
“Well… before I met you, I asked some palace guards about you. They told me that you were a special guest of the Royal Family. Next, some guards had asked me if I had seen a Hylian with red eyes. I’ve never seen your eyes before, so maybe they aren’t red, but Kyoshiro here told me something interesting. He told me that it’s impossible for Hylians to have red eyes. He said that only Sheikah have red eyes. Then, you… you told me that you trained under an honorable Sage. I’ve seen your powers at work… you clearly know the magic passed down by the Sage of Shadow. As for the special guest comment I made earlier… I now know, thanks to Kyoshiro here, that the Sheikah are closely linked to the Royal Family of Hyrule. Therefore… the only reasonable conclusion here is that you are Sheikah yourself.” Zukto explained. Kyoshiro nodded vigorously to show his support for Zukto’s logic, and of course, to prove his involvement with discovering Zelda’s identity. While Zelda admitted to herself that Zukto’s detective work was not too bad, he was naturally way off base.
“… Yes. I suppose I could not cover up my tracks forever. You found me out. My name actually is not Azera. I assumed that name to protect my true identity. We, the Sheikah, have many enemies. That is why my people are nearly gone. But I am a little impressed that you remembered all of those random, and seemingly insignificant, pieces of my identity.”
“I won’t ask you for your true identity. I figure you’ll tell us when you’re ready. And I guess I was a little pushy about who you were, but…”
“No offense taken. You were right to wonder. But now that we are in this for the long haul, I hope I can trust you two to keep my identity a secret. I agreed to accompany you, Zukto, because I had a feeling that what you were told to do is a matter of great importance. Since this mission will ensure the stability of the Royal Family and Hyrule’s peace, I felt that I was bound to help you. My sole purpose is to defend the Royal Family: please keep that in mind.” Part of her felt a little guilty because of how easily she lied to them, but she had to remind herself that the deception was necessary.
Speaking of deception, though... something seemed off about Zukto to her. There were certain things about their culture that most people knew about, but it almost seemed as if Zukto was ignorant about some of it. Based on what he just said, Kyoshiro did most of the work. To add to the list of reasons why she suspected that Zukto was hiding something from them, he still had not cleared up a huge discrepancy about his place of birth. He had admitted that he was not born in Gerudo Valley, which she never would have believed anyway, but that still left the question of where indeed he came from. Zelda had not failed to notice that Zukto's ears were not like Hylian ears: they did in fact resemble the ears of the Gerudo, being rounded instead of pointed like Hylian ears, but if he was not a Gerudo then his identity was hard to discern. Did he possibly have parents of mixed blood?
“… Can we see what you look like?” Kyoshiro suddenly blurted out. Zelda shot him a disapproving look, but he could not see it. She sighed, and abruptly left the two men by themselves.
“Way to go, Kyo.” Zukto grunted. He finally felt like he had a connection with 'Azera,' but Kyo was just as rude as ever.
“What? Why are you looking at me like that?” Kyoshiro asked. “Well, whatever. I’m getting food.” He walked off, leaving Zukto by himself.
I am leading a colorful bunch, aren’t I? Zukto mused. Tomorrow, the three would venture into the temple.
