Fan Fiction ❯ The Legend of Zelda: The Ballad of Fallen Angels ❯ The Next Leg Of The Journey ( Chapter 11 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Chapter 11: “The Next Leg Of The Journey”

The party reached the outer wall of Clock Town as night fell that day. It was considerably shorter a distance to Clock Town from the coast than from the swamp. Despite Saetoushei's earlier worries, Kari neither proved a burden nor slowed them down. In fact, thanks to a Zora's natural healing abilities, Kari was at times actually moving faster than the rest were. And Saetoushei had taken a liking to her, especially when she had made a detour to scour the bodies of the slain on the beach, hunting around for her sword. She had found it where she said she left it; embedded in the skull of a Dark Horde soldier. Kari had tugged the blade free, cleaned it in the ocean, and hurried back to join the group.

The sword especially had impressed Saetoushei. It was as large and long as his was, though Kari was nearly half a foot shorter than him, and she wielded it as well as he held his.

After being admitted by the guards, the group headed straight for the Grand Pot Hotel. Anju greeted them as they entered, quickly herding the whole party into one of the hotel's best booths. A short while later, T.K. arrived with a variety of ales and wines. Saetoushei tried to speak with his old friend but T.K. hurried off to another table he was waiting on before Saetoushei could utter a word.

About half an hour later, Kafei walked up to their table and sat down, “I just got back from a supply run, sorry. Anju's sending a runner for Gabriel. He'll bring the rest of the old gang, at least those that are still alive.”

Romani nodded. “Thank you kindly, sir. Many things have happened and events just keep getting worse.”

“The Southern Swamp was attacked by Descrod.” Tael said. “We helped to free it, and Queen Melondia of the Dekus, hopefully, is ready to supply aid and troops in the fight against the Ikaylimu.”

“What fight against the Ikaylimu?” a voice whispered off to the side. Saetoushei turned to see Gabriel slide into the booth, a small band of people following him.

There was Sensei Quindle, the master of the Swordsmen's Academy, and the Rosa Sisters, the twin dancers who performed in the square in West Clock Town. Saetoushei was startled to see Captain Mikhail, the leader of Clock Town's garrison, slide in next to Gabriel. Saetoushei saluted the Captain, who smiled and returned the salute.

“I'm hearing from the swamp that you are now my superior officer. Congratulations, Commander.”

Saetoushei grinned and shook his finger at Mikhail, “Now now, Captain, you'll always be superior to me, if not by rank then by experience and wisdom.”

The last person to enter the booth was covered from head to toe in a large black robe. No one could see who the person was until it reached up and pulled the makeshift hood back.

Tael gasped and shot straight into the air until he rammed his head against the ceiling. “Great Fairy!”

The figure was Lybia, one of the five Great Fairies of Termina. Lybia resided in a cave in what was now Central Clock Town, formerly North Clock Town. She watched over the city and took care of the stray fairies that lost their way.

“So this is all that's left of us, the old Clock Town gang.” Saetoushei said sadly.

Kafei nodded, taking a swig of greenburr ale. “Aye, this is everyone. The Bombers are sorely missed in this time of urgency and need.”

“At the same time, we must be careful. The Mayor doesn't seem able to, or doesn't want to, accept the fact that a great war is brewing.” Mikhail said. “Any wrong move could result in a diplomatic disaster, that would bring the war on so much more quickly.”

“That's what we said before,” Sara Rosa snarled. “And you know where that got us? To the Ravine of Ghosts, and the extermination of the Brotherhood.”

“At ease, at ease.” Gabriel replied. “I don't like doing things this way any more than you or anyone else does, but we must. Clock Town doesn't have the forces necessary to hold off an attack if Ikaylimu Descrod decides to attack with all of his strength. We don't know of anything else that has happened since the swamp.”

“I'll tell you, then.” Kari bit out, her soft voice becoming hard and stone-cold. “Descrod seeks not only Ikama, not only the swamp, but everywhere else. I was wounded in battle with his Dark Hordes on the sands of the Great Bay. Augustine Descrod wants the entirety of Termina under his control, and he will not be satisfied until his accomplishes this.”

“You are right, warrior of the seas.” Sora Rosa said, piping up for the first time that night. “But how do you propose we defend ourselves against the forces of Ikama?”

“She's not,” Cremina replied. “Ikaylimu Descrod is a disease. And when the surgeons open you up, how do they remove the diseased tissue?”

“Simple,” Sensei Quindle countered. “They cut it out.”

“Exactly!”

Silence reigned for what seemed like an eternity.

“What?” Mikhail exclaimed. Saetoushei, Kafei, and Romani covered his mouth and shushed him. Mikhail tried again more quietly. “What? Are you mad? Open war, is that what you want?”

“Yes.” Sara Rosa said, grinning wolfishly. “That's it exactly. That's what is needed to save Termina: the death of Augustine Descrod!”

“That's lunacy.” Tael interjected. “No one has the strength to take Ikama.”

“She is not suggesting anything so stupid, little one.” The Great Fairy Lybia said. “There are other ways to accomplish the same task, without the fuss of a declaration of war.”

“Like what, great one?” Quindle asked.

“A sniper! Or an entire team of assassins!” Romani said excitedly. “A small group that sneaks into Ikama and kills the Ikaylimu quietly!”

“That's even more insane than the idea of open war!” Mikhail whimpered. “You can't sneak into Ikama, it's never been done, even before Augustine Descrod's rule.”

“Then we won't sneak in,” Kari said, a wild light blazing in her eyes. “We'll make it a little more official than that. A team of diplomats, negotiators, or ambassadors, to strengthen relations between Clock Town and the Kingdom of Ikama.”

“Mayor Doyour will never abide by this.” Mikhail snarled.

“The Mayor doesn't need to know, then.” Lybia said.

“What we need is someplace secret to meet, that no one knows about, or at least, that no one can get into.” Romani said.

“The old Bombers' hideout.” Saetoushei suggested. “Would the old Brotherhood place work?”

“Nay, mate.” Gabriel shook his head. “After the Ravine, Doyour was informed of it's location, and opened it to the public, both as a little tribute to the memory of the Bombers, and as a quick and easy way to get to the Observatory.”

Kafei spoke up excitedly, “I know exactly where we can meet. The same place I hid when the Skull Kid placed me under the curse. The hidden rooms behind the Curiosity Shop-“

“-with the entrance hidden in the Laundry Pool!” Saetoushei finished quickly, grinning at his old friend. “Do you still have the key?”

Kafei smirked, holding up a small copper key. “Right here, Saetoushei.”

Sora Rosa inquired, “A name? Should be have a name for our little force?”

“What would work?” Gabriel asked.

“The Insurrectionists.” Tael said.

“What!?” Any color that might have been returning to Mikhail's face deserted it right away.

“Why not?” Romani said, “I mean, apparently we are going to try to remove the head of the Ikamian government.”

“Excellent, that will work perfectly.” Lybia said.

“Agreed,” Quindle added. “This might actually work.”

“One last order of business before we adjourn for the evening.” Sora Rosa said. “Who is on this little ambassadorial party?”

After another twenty minutes of arguing and debating, it was decided that the party would be Saetoushei, Tael, Romani, Cremina, and Hikari. Everyone else in the resistance group had jobs and obligations. It would look suspicious is any of them turned up in Ikama if the plan failed.

Saetoushei holed up Tael and the girls in his hotel room, and returned to the restaurant on the first floor. Nearly everyone was gone home for the night, or else in their hotel rooms. A few stragglers remained, laughing, swapping stories, and guzzling alcohol. Saetoushei felt a tap on his shouldered and turned to stare into T.K.'s single blue eye.

“I get off shift in five minutes. Will you walk with me? There's something I want to show you.”

The former North Clock Town was now Central Clock Town. Saetoushei was both startled and dismayed when T.K. led him there.

Central Clock Town was a graveyard.

Before, North Clock Town had been the literal “grassy knoll”. The children of the city had played on the grass and picked flowers and went to listen to Lybia to ask her to tell them stories of times long past.

Now, the innocence of the place was dead. Row after row of headstones lined the area, with a large area in the back empty. More ground waiting for more corpses.

“Why did you bring me here, Takeru?” Saetoushei asked, wrapping his long coat more tightly around him as a cold wind blew around the pair as they walked through the rows of the dead. T.K. walked to a section and stopped pointing down but not saying anything. Saetoushei leaned down to look.

It was the Bombers. Saetoushei was staring at a headstone honoring Sergeant Nicolas Gravinsky and his accomplishments. He was eighteen. Saetoushei turned, growing colder with each passing moment. There was Lieutenant Randal Skyler, age twenty. Saetoushei turned to the last headstone. General Ryojen Jimato Saotome, age seventeen.

“Link, we are all that is left.” T.K. said quietly. Saetoushei straightened and looked at his old friend. “The seven of us swore an oath to always remain loyal to each other, and to the side of good. We were only young children, yet we held that belief tightly, promising that it would never die. And, because two of our own decided that they wanted power over truth, you and I are the only ones left. Our friends are buried here, Godrick's despicable corpse I burned.”

“Takeru, I saw Jasper.” Saetoushei regretted saying this almost as soon as he said it. There was no response from T.K., but he went rigid and Saetoushei could practically feel the hatred radiating off of him. “T.K., I promise, for you, for Ryojen, and for Randal and Nicolas, that I will kill him-“

T.K. spun and his arm went up. Saetoushei was shocked to feel cold metal pricking his throat. T.K. held his old dagger up to Saetoushei's neck. The blade was cracked and rusted, but still deadly.

“No.” T.K. said softly. “No, Link, you won't. Or I'll kill you for it. Because Jasper Baldwin's blood will be spilt by me, and only, by me.”