The Legend Of Zelda Fan Fiction / Legend Of Zelda Fan Fiction ❯ Choices of the Heart ❯ Chapter 7 ( Chapter 7 )

Chapter 7:

For a long moment, Zelda stayed sitting on the cold floor after Ladarius dropped her carelessly in the black room, shutting the door behind him, and leaving her alone. Her throat still throbbed from the feeling of strong, hard fingers pressing against it, and she raised her hand once again to her neck, carefully touching the tender spot. Never before had she been so terrified in her life, as the moment when Ladarius's hand had cut off her air supply, her source of life. Even when Ganondorf had kidnapped her, trapping her in that tiny crystal of light, she had not felt that complete and utter fear, as though she hung on the instant of death, her life moments away from ending if she did not get that one precious, most needed thing—air. She felt amazed, exhausted. She had never realized before how she took that one vital thing for granted.

She barely remembered the trip to this place Ladarius had taken her, wherever that was, but she thought it hadn't taken very long at all. She thought maybe she could remember dark tendrils of light surrounding them as Ladarius drug her from the ballroom, as though Ladarius had used some dark magic to teleport them. That was probably the case.

Zelda suddenly felt a terrible weight pressing down on her, as though all her fears and worries from the past few weeks were surfacing from the depths of her heart, engulfing her all at once. She leaned over, her arms wrapped tightly around her stomach, and a sound, crossing between a sob and a moan, escaped her throat. she clenched her eyes shut tightly as tears leaked out from them, as though by closing her eyes she could block all the troubles of the world.

A soft rustle coming from the back corner of the room snapped her back to her senses, and she straightened, her ears alert as she peered into the gloom, searching for the source of the sound. Another rustle reached her ears, and the sound of something scraping against the floor.

"Who's there?" a familiar voice asked.

Zelda felt her eyes widen. "Malon?" she asked softly, her voice barely reaching above a whisper.

There was a silent pause before the voice spoke again. "Zelda? Is that you?"

Zelda's heart skipped a beat, as relief at the presence of someone, anyone, familiar washed over her. She stood shakily to her feet. "Malon!" Her voice cracked as she uttered this last word, and she ran blindly across the room, throwing herself at Malon's dark figure and burying her face in Malon's tattered, dirty dress as tears streamed down her face once again.

Malon sat in shock for a moment, not sure how to react as the Princess of Hyrule clung to her, her body wrenching with sobs. Hesitantly, Malon reached up to stroke Zelda's hair, unsure of how to comfort the crying girl.

"I-it's okay, Zelda," she mumbled. "It's okay."

---

Link sat up with a jolt after a long and restless night, fear wrenching him for what seemed like the hundredth time that he had somehow managed to over sleep the eight day limit. He jumped out of the soft, cushiony bed, hurrying over to the window and flinging the curtains back. A few stars still twinkled in the sky as the gray light of dawn slowly began to creep in. He leaned his hands against the windowsill, breathing hard and trying to convince himself there was no way he had slept for seven days.

Try as he might, he couldn't seem to fully convince himself he hadn't overslept such a length of time, and finally he forced himself back to the bed, sitting down on the edge. He began to pull on his boots. There was no sense trying to go back to sleep at this point. Dawn would come soon.

Link pulled his hat on his head and crossed to a large chest on the other side of the room. He had slept in his clothes, so he wouldn't have as much to do getting ready that morning. He opened the chest, in which he had regretfully stowed his sword and shield, at Impa's insistence. He would have preferred to sleep with them right beside his bed, but Impa said he needed to relax as much as possible, so he would be well rested for the journey. Link snorted as he grabbed the sword, pulling it slightly out of its sheath and examining the blade before slinging it over his shoulder. So much for being well rested. He had barely slept a wink.

He grabbed the shield, slinging it across his back as well, and closed the trunk, glaring at it with agitation. Stupid Impa. He would have slept better if he'd had his equipment within close reach. Well, maybe. Then again, he might have spent the night reaching for his sword in paranoia at every creak and sound he heard.

Link glanced up at the window again. Sure enough, the sky had already lightened quite a bit. Dawn was soon approaching. He opened the door to the bedroom, crossing out into the hallway. King Daphnes had instructed Link to wait in the room until someone came to fetch him, but he couldn't stand being cooped up in that room anymore. He strode through the corridors, making his way back to the entrance of the castle.

Daphnes stood before the entrance, dressed in light armor, his back turned to Link. He tapped his foot a few times, fidgeting with his clothing, his sword, his hair. After a moment, he began to pace the small area, still fidgeting nervously. He stopped as he turned and his dark gray eyes fell on Link. "Couldn't sleep either?" he asked hoarsely.

Link just shook his head. He couldn't think of anything to say. His sudden rush of courage from the previous day had all but disappeared. He felt terrified, more scared than ever in his life. True, he had faced more and fiercer battles than many men four or five times his age, but never before had any of them meant the lives of people he loved if he failed. The only time that had come close was when Ganondorf kidnapped Zelda. He remembered the terrified feeling in his heart as Ganondorf's crystal enclosed her, and she disappeared before his very eyes. He closed his eyes, trying to calm the pounding of his heart. He felt very much the same now. Perhaps those two times were not so different after all.

"Link," Daphnes said, breaking the boy from his thoughts. Link opened his eyes to look at Daphnes.

"We'll be leaving soon," Daphnes said. "Are you ready?"

Link nodded, his left hand rising up instinctively to grip the hilt of his sword. He swallowed the lump forming in his throat. "I'm ready," he said.

The echo of feet running sounded down the corridor to their right, and Link and Daphnes turned to see Ren running down the hall. Like the king, he wore light armor, and a sword hung around his waist. Judging by the dark circles under his eyes and the grim look on his normally cheerful face, Link guessed Ren had not slept well either.

"I've assembled the guards who will be accompanying us," Ren said to Daphnes. "We're ready to go."

"Good. Then let us be off," Daphnes said.

Link and Ren followed Daphnes across the already lowered drawbridge to the outside of the castle, where three soldiers stood waiting with six horses, one of which was Epona. The mare whinnied as she caught sight of her master approaching, and trotted up to him, nuzzling his shoulder. Link stroked her face.

"Are you doing okay?" Ren said quietly, standing behind Link.

Looking over his shoulder, Link met Ren's concerned face. He nodded.

"Scared?" Ren asked. Again, Link nodded.

"Me too," Ren said, his blue eyes clouding over as he looked up at the sky. He looked down at Link with a grin, patting Link's shoulder. "It's a good thing Malon and Zelda have the Hero of Time to count on."

Link blushed slightly, turning his face back to Epona. "Yeah," he said awkwardly.

Ren patted Link's shoulder once again, and turned to Daphnes, who had already mounted his own steed. "Ready to go, Your Majesty?" he asked.

"Ready," Daphnes said.

Ren turned to the guards. "Everyone mount! Prepare to ride!" he called out to them, walking over to his own horse and climbing on.

Link climbed onto Epona's back, feeling some slight reassurance from her strong, sturdy back. He patted her neck affectionately. "Let's go, Epona," he whispered to her, as Ren led the six people away from Hyrule Castle.

---

Malon sat against the wall of the room in front of the single bed holding Zelda's sleeping figure. After what seemed like an eternity of crying into Malon's shoulders, the young princess had finally run out of tears, and fallen into a fitful sleep. After everything that she imagined had happened to the princess, Malon knew Zelda was probably exhausted, and had silently moved off of the bed, covering the girl with the thin sheet.

Malon herself had spent most of the night with her thoughts rambling around, sleeping only when she nodded off for a moment. Why had Ladarius brought Zelda here as well? She could only think of one possibility, and the thought of it made her cringe. She glanced at Zelda, wishing she would wake up so they could talk about it, but still, Zelda remained asleep.

Malon pulled her knees up to her chest, burying her head in them. The silence was overwhelming her. She didn't think she could bear it any longer.

Zelda opened her eyes, blinking in the gray darkness. For a moment, she could not think of where she was, and then her memory came rushing back to her. She squeezed her eyes shut, burying her face in the sad excuse for a pillow. She wanted to forget everything. She wished she would just wake up, and find herself in her own room, and everything had been a dream. Stupid Ladarius. Her hands clenched into fists, which she slammed against the mattress.

"It's not fair!" she screamed, her voice muffled by the pillow.

Malon looked up, startled by the sudden sound of Zelda's voice. She hadn't even noticed Zelda stirring.

Zelda pushed herself into a sitting position. "It's not fair!" she said again, and her voice bounced off the walls of the room.

Malon stared at this sudden outburst from the princess. She looked on the verge of crying again, but this time no tears came, only a fierce anger.

"Why does he even have to exist?" Zelda cried. "I hate him! It isn't fair. It isn't fair!"

"I hate him too," Malon said.

Zelda jumped, looking down at Malon, as if only just aware of the other girl's presence. Malon's face mirrored Zelda's emotions as she stared at the wall ahead of her. Finally, she sighed, and leaned her head back against the wall. "We have to get out of here," she whispered.

Zelda nodded. "But how?"

Malon shook her head. "Aren't you the Sage of Wisdom? You tell me."

Zelda rested her hands on her lap, staring down at them. The Sage of Wisdom. Sometimes she forgot. She didn't feel very wise. She hadn't felt wise since…She paused, moving her mind back. When had her wisdom disappeared? Her eyebrows scrunched with thought, and then the realization hit her.

"Ladarius," she said softly.

Malon looked up at her, a look of clear confusion covering her face. "What?"

"Ladarius," Zelda repeated. "I see now. He sealed away the Triforce of Wisdom, somehow. He's been clouding my thoughts with dark magic. That's why I haven't been thinking clearly." She held up her left hand, staring at the back of it. "I hadn't even noticed."

Malon stood up, peering down at the back of Zelda's hand as well. "I don't see anything," she said after a moment.

"That's just it," Zelda said. "Look closer. The seal must have weakened. I think I've broken it. Look!"

Malon looked at Zelda's hand again. Slowly, but surely, a faint golden light began to shine from it, dim at first, and slowly growing stronger, until the image of the Triforce appeared brightly on the back of Zelda's hand. "Wow," Malon breathed. She looked up at Zelda. "So he sealed away your wisdom? Do you think he did the same to Link?"

Zelda nodded. "And probably more so." She frowned. "He hates Link so much."

"Is it because of me?" Malon asked slowly.

Zelda looked up, and her eyes met with Malon's. She lowered her hand onto the bed, and looked down into her lap. She nodded. "Most likely."

Malon's face fell. "I thought so," she said, sitting back down against the wall. "And now that he's kidnapped you, he's insured Link will come here."

"Me? He would've come here without a second thought for you. There must be another reason Ladarius brought me here," Zelda said.

Malon shook her head. "I doubt it. He barely notices me. I can't blame him though, when he's in love with the Princess of Hyrule."

Zelda stared at Malon. "You think Link is in love with me?" Her heart hammered in her chest. Was he? Mentally, she shook herself. She had to get a grip. She couldn't let her feelings get in the way.

"How could he not be?" Malon said, shrugging. "You're beautiful, you're rich. For the goddesses sake, you're a princess! And you and he share something I could never share with him."

Zelda suddenly found herself climbing down from the bed to sit beside Malon. "I don't think what Link feels for me is love," she said. "At least, not the truest, deepest kind. It's true that we share something most people don't, but I think that's all we could ever have." She stopped for a moment, her voice cracking as she spoke.

Malon looked at Zelda as she took in deep breaths, trying to calm herself. Was she about to cry?

"It's like you said," Zelda said at last. "When Link looks at me, he sees a beautiful princess. Someone who shares memories with him that very few others do. But one day, that's going to fade away. There will be new memories, things that only one person will share with him, and he'll forget about me. He won't—" She broke off as tears started to pour down her cheeks, and she buried her face in her hands. "He won't love me anymore!" she cried.

Malon stared wide-eyed at Zelda. Standing up, she walked over to Zelda, and wrapped her arms around Zelda's shoulders. "You're wrong," she said. "I don't think what you two share can fade away that easily. Link sees more than just a princess in you. He sees someone he cares about, and who understands him like no one else does. How could he forget that?"

Zelda let out a half-sob, half-laugh, leaning her head against Malon's shoulder. Here she was again, crying into the shoulder of a girl she barely knew. Why was this always happening? She sniffed, sitting up. Malon released her, and she wiped her tear-stained face with her hands.

"Enough about this," Zelda said. "We have to figure out some way to get out of here."

---

They rode for several hours, through parts of Hyrule even Link had never seen before. Ren rode up front, leading the way, while Daphnes hovered closely behind and Link behind the king. The three guards rode behind the others, spread out so that they flanked them on all sides.

The sun hung in the sky, beating down on Link's back. Sweat dripped down his body and dampening his hair, and his tunic already clung to his body. He breathed deeply, focusing his eyes on the horizon ahead of them. The group had already stopped for a couple of short breaks, which had been spent with much nervous pacing and fidgeting on the parts of the king and Link, and Ren sitting on the grass watching the sky, his face pinched with anxiety.

Link wished they could go faster, but he knew it would be unwise. They couldn't risk overworking the horses. He grimaced as the sun moved through the sky. Already it was nearing dusk. He felt like they had barely made any distance at all, and soon they would have to stop for the night. He hated that. For all he knew, Malon and Zelda could be dying right now, or already dead. There was no way of knowing if Ladarius would keep his word. He could just be toying with them, leading them on to think there was hope, only to crush them at the very end. It seemed like just the sort of cruel, sadistic thing he would do.

Link shook his head. He hated thinking about such possibilities. Both Malon and Zelda were dear to him. He couldn't imagine losing either of them. His heart wrenched with pain at the very thought, so much that he nearly fell off of his horse.

As if sensing this, Ren glanced back at Link and pulled the group to a halt. "Let's stop here for the night," he said.

The men set up camp at the area. Link looked around at their surroundings again as he sat on the ground, picking at his portion of food. No trees broke the scenery from what he could see, only miles of grass, grass, and more grass. It seemed so bland and dreary, especially with the gray black of twilight settling in on them.

Ren came up to him, and took a seat beside him. "We've made more progress than I expected," he said. "We should probably be there by noon tomorrow."

"Really?" Link said, looking at Ren.

Ren smiled and nodded. "The sooner the better."

"Yeah," Link agreed. He took a sip from his water sack.

"You should probably sleep," Ren suggested.

Link nodded his agreement, though he wasn't sure he would be able to. He set the plate of barely touched food down and went for his sleeping bag, which was slung across Epona's back.

He laid the sleeping bag out on the ground, and curled up on it. As he had expected, he lay awake for hours, staring up at the night sky, while the other also tried to sleep. At last, at some point he fell asleep, until dawn when Daphnes shook him awake.

"Link, we're getting ready to leave," the king said.

Link nodded, and sat up. He needed no convincing. He slung his sword and shield over his back, pulling on his boots and hat, and started to roll up the sleeping bag, when one of the guards yelled.

"There are monsters headed this way!" the guard yelled, pointing at a dark cloud in the distance, moving quickly towards them.

Reacting immediately, Link, Ren, and Daphnes grabbed their swords, holding them ready for battle.

"Sent by Ladarius?" Daphnes asked.

"Probably," Ren said. "But why? I don't see what his intentions are."

"He's a jerk," Link said, glaring at the monsters. He felt adrenaline surging through his body as around fifteen giant monsters came into their view. His mouth felt dry with fear, but he'd decided he was ready for whatever Ladarius sent their way. "What else do you need to know?" He drew his sword sliding it out of the sheeth.

The others drew their swords as well, and the guards held their spears up, ready for battle as the monsters surged upon them.

They were different from anything Link had ever fought before. There were six of them; one for each person. They took on the shape of some sort of cross a giant keese and a vulture. They stared down at the six people opposing them with beady black eyes filled with blood lust.

One of them lunged at Link, its body moving surprisingly fast and narrowly missing his arm as he dodged the razor sharp beak. It stopped midflight and turned around to face Link again, it's ugly, bald head bobbing up and down on its long, wrinkly neck. It lunged again, but this time Link was ready for its speed, and he blocked with his shield, momentarily stunning the creature and knocking it backwards.

Taking advantage of the moment, Link brought his blade down on its neck, but the sword made barely a gash. Link grimaced. He hated monsters like this. Why was their skin so tough anyway? The bird screeched at Link, an ear-piercing cry that made Link cringe. It rose up high into the air, and then made a swan dive towards Link, pulling up at the last moment to attack with its claws instead. Muttering a curse, Link rolled out of the way, but one of the claws caught him in the shoulder, and he cursed again, this time from pain.

He felt warmth spreading over his arm, and knew it was from blood, but he wasn't worried about that right now. He had seen a spot on the monster's underside that was free from feathers, and from what he had glanced of it, looked quite delicate. It was worth a try. The bird rose into the air again, and Link readied himself, hoping it would repeat the same strategy after the success.

The bird made a dive at him, repeating the same move, and Link moved quickly, stabbing his sword into the patch he had spotted. The bird let out another screech, and deep black blood spilled onto Link as the bird fell to the ground with a crash, and at the same time, Link heard someone cry out.

Pulling his sword out of the bird's carcass, he whipped around, looking for whoever had made the cry. He heard another screech of one of the birds, and looking to the sound he saw Ren stumble, and fall onto his knees. A dark stain spread across the front of his shirt, and even from a distance, Link could tell it wasn't from the monster.

He rushed towards Ren, just as another dying screech sounded, and Daphnes came running towards him as well. "Renaldo!" Daphnes exclaimed, kneeling down beside his nephew. Link reached them, and kneeled down on Ren's other side.

Daphnes ripped Ren's shirt back, revealing a deep wound cut across his stomach. Blood gushed out of the wound, and Daphnes ripped part of his own shirt off, tying it tightly around Ren's stomach. "Did it get you with its beak?" Daphnes asked.

Ren nodded. Link stared with terror at the sight in front of him, suddenly unable to move as Ren coughed, and blood spattered from his mouth.

"Link, I have some ointments in my pack. Get them and bring them here," Daphnes ordered, and Link nodded, starting to run for the king's pack.

"Wait, don't," Ren said. Link paused, unsure of what to do.

"What are you saying, Ren?" Daphnes said. "You need medical treatment. Link, get the ointments."

Ren reached out, grabbing Link's wrist weakly. "Don't," he said. "We've already wasted enough time." He nodded at the guards, who were hurrying towards them as well, having defeated their own opponents. "Leave me with them, and you two go on ahead. Just keep heading west from here. You can't miss it."

Daphnes frowned, his brow creasing. After a moment, he stood up. "Very well," he said. He turned to the guards. "You three take care of him. Link, we'll go on ahead."

Link nodded, and hurried over to Epona, saddling her up. He cast a worried glance at Ren as he mounted, but the guards had moved quickly, and were already caring for him.

"Don't worry," Daphnes said, riding up beside Link. "All of our soldiers have some sort of first aid training. He'll be fine."

Link nodded, but Daphnes looked more like he was trying to convince himself. "Let's go," Daphnes said. Link followed Daphnes as he rode off, casting one last glance back at Ren.

---

The guards gently lay Ren on top of one of the sleeping bags. They had taken off his shirt, and wrapped clean bandages around the wound on his stomach. They had also fed Ren some red potion, hoping to close up the more serious aspects of the wound.

Ren closed his eyes, listening to the guards' worried banter as they walked away from him. He waited until their footsteps subsided a short distance away from him, then opened his eyes, pushing himself into a sitting position.

A grin spread across his face, and his eyes glittered malevolently. "At last," he whispered, his voice sinking to a low rasp.

He stood up, giving no care to his wound, and slowly approached the guards their backs turned to him. He held up his hand, and black began to swirl around it. "Imbeciles," he said, his voice loud enough that the guards could hear him. They turned around, reaching for their weapons, but stopped as they caught sight of Ren walking towards them, their eyes wide with shock.

"L-lord Renaldo!" one of them stuttered, and the grin on Ren's face widened.

"Renaldo?" he repeated. "Hmp. I am not this 'Lord Renaldo' you speak of." He held out his hand, and the darkness reached out towards the guards, wrapping in long fingers around their bodies. "I am Ladarius."