The Legend Of Zelda Fan Fiction ❯ A Ruby Surrounded By Sapphires ❯ Of Kings and Warriors ( Chapter 16 )

A Ruby Surrounded By Sapphires

 

Warnings: Um...Angst, yaoi, angst, cute little girls, angst, inner monologues..Oh, did I mention angst?

Disclaimer: Not mine. Don't sue. No more places to hide bodies.

 

Chapter 16

Of Kings and Warriors

 

The others were silent in front of me. With a frown, I pushed past them and stood before the child alone.

"You are the personification of the Sacred Realm," I started. "Your health and youth reflect that of the Realm itself."

He smiled and nodded to me, those pale eyes glittering as he waited for me to go on.

"Inside your soul is the Prison of the Realm." I felt my resolve growing stronger as I stared back at him, stoic and calm. "Inside your soul...is Ganondorf."

I watched with cloaked interest as his expression changed. It was very minute, small twitches of muscle in his face, but the effect was very different. The amusement I had seen earlier screamed from him, the corners of his mouth curving upward to make his pale face turn with a strangely devilish joy.

"He's escaped, hasn't he?" the child chuckled. "You came back to find out why...I felt the strange age of your aura and knew you could not be from now."

I said nothing, simply observing. His droopy lids began to lift, revealing the pale orbs slowly as he spoke, his excitement growing.

"You're a fool! There is no escape from my soul's prison!" His disturbing laugh echoed through the chamber. "Oh, how he screams, after all these months of confinement within me! It is almost a joy to listen to his piteous cries!"

My brows lowered over my eyes, feet slowly moving back from the insanity laden boy. His eyes were wide open, pupils contracted almost completely.

"I know of your future, Nexus!" he cried to me, firelight glinting in his gaze. "I see it in you, stupid boy! I see it in your love! In your friend! It is glorious! Such a dynamic change from the peace you wish for. Ah, that stupid peace will never last...You stupid boy! Thinking such...People cannot live without confrontation! Without war!"

The ethereal river beckoned me, filling my body with its energy. A spark of recognition came to Farore's eyes as she gazed at me, the emerald depths hardening.

"You're insane!" Link cried, horrified. I could feel both of my companions were sickened by the boy's words, as was I.

"Insane?" the child taunted before letting out another spell of laughter. "It was I that released the soul of Ganondorf! I see it within your eyes. He will pillage this world until there is nothing but burning waste!"

Then it hit me. I knew what had happened as I stared into the boy's eyes. His pale gaze was shifting, filling in with crimson as dark as blood. He had infected the Sacred Realm. Riaru reflected the health of the Sacred Realm, and it was no longer his world.

"Farore! Nayru! Din! Kill them now!"

I immediately reached for the leather grip of my claws, a weapon that felt gloriously well in my hands, the thin metal blades between my fingers. Launching myself at the wavy haired Farore, I slashed her viciously across, the metal ripping through only cloth at her dodge. Impassive green eyes locked with my own as the dance began.

We lunged, blocked, struck, and parried, both at highest concentration. My weapon didn't give me an advantage over her impressive, barehanded fighting skills. Bruises I gained were just as vivid as the light scratches she gained. The twisting of her body was amazing as she evaded my more deadly strikes, acrobatic as my own style. Her hands found mine through the blades and held tight, the long fingers barely missing being cut. Deadlocked, we strained against each other, eyes locked in an internal battle. Blood pumped loud in my ears and drowned out all other sound. I saw, heard, smelled, felt, even tasted nothing but her. The signs on her face glowed with power, calling wind that rippled up our clothing and hair. I could feel that power wash over me but couldn't give up, not when it meant I would fail. With a sudden jerk, I fell backwards and pulled her with me. Legs jumped upwards as soon as my back hit and fit squarely on her chest, throwing the girl off.

I jumped to my feet and threw my arm out, letting go of the energy I had gathered. She lifted her head and stared at me. Regret filled me as I watched a gentle smile form on her face, the fire burning her into release. I stood there and stared at her disappearing form, tears filling my eyes. She was so beautiful, even in death.

"What have you done?!" I turned and stared at the insane child, watching the horror of his face. "You've killed her! My lovely Farore! You killed one of my Goddesses!"

I turned my gaze from him to the others. Din and Nayru still stood, both staring at me with such awe. At their feet were the bodies of my own companions. Nabooru was covered in crimson blood, her chest moving in quick jerks for each breath. Link was in the same condition, his frightened blue eyes boring into my ruby.

"Avenge her! Avenge her!" the boy screamed, his voice losing the last semblance of sanity.

Immediately, the two rushed for me, their hands glowing in the prospects of spell work. I could sense their energies, the opposing elements. Din and Nayru came from either side, crying out as they let their powers fly. I leapt out of the way just in time and watched sadly as the two fell to their sister's attack.

"NOOOO!!"

As I landed, I listened to Riaru.s anguished screams. The boy fell back, tears racing from his horrified eyes as screams continued from his throat. I slowly approached him and knelt before the child. The red was receding, its power failing as the boy.s emotions took over. I reached out and grabbed his shoulders, forcing him to stare back at me.

"Riaru! You are the Chosen one, he who is the Sacred Realm! He who holds that world on his shoulders!" I cried to him. I watched as red and pale violet fought for supremacy. "That is your curse as well as your duty!"

One small hand lifted and placed itself over my forehead. Horrified, I saw the red's victory.

"You killed my Goddesses! The ones I waited for so long for! My duty is getting rid of you!" he screamed. I felt the blast rather than saw it, feeling as my body was twisted and maimed by the sheer amount of it all. The world around me shattered and I screamed until there was nothing.

I awoke very abruptly. There was nothing left of the dark temple in the Sands. Nothing of my lover or friend. I laid still with soft linen beneath me, in a room I knew well. Had it been a dream? A horrible nightmare? But that did not explain how I made it here...

My body felt heavy and my head throbbed. Lifting a hand to my forehead, I felt soft cloth wrapped about it. A mental check found nothing else injured.

" awake! Wonderful!"

Turning my head, I gazed at a woman that stood at my bedside. She was...dazzling. Soft blond curls fell around her face and blue eyes sparkled in the sunlight. She was long and lanky but possessed the gentle curves of an adult woman, skin soft and unblemished. Pale blue cloth covered her form delicately, simple in its design.

"How are you feeling?" she asked me gently.

"I'm fine," I murmured, wondering who she was. There was something so very familiar about her to me. "How did I get here?"

"Traveling merchants found you. They saw the Sheikah sigil and brought you straight to me."Reaching over, she brushed yellow strands from my face. "Don't worry, warrior...You are safe here, away from the battles."

I slowly sat up, feeling aches all over my body. She watched without fear, curiosity in her face. Looking down at myself, I was puzzled when the Sheikah sigil stared back up at me from a white canvas. I was in the uniform Zelda had made for us.

"What is your name?" she asked.

"Sheik," I replied quietly. "And yours?"

There was a moment of surprise before she laughed. "A Sheikah not knowing the royal monarch he is suppose to protect? I am Queen Zelda, my friend."

I stared at her, trying to understand. She was not the Zelda I knew and loved. Too old...too different...Now that I knew her name, I could see the similarities between my lady and this woman. Even her energy had the same feel.

"Battles," I wondered suddenly, remembering her explanation before. "What battles?"

Queen Zelda frowned a little, her brows edging upward. "I was afraid that blow to the head might have knocked things off balance...but not remembering the War?"

"Please tell me,"I said softly, a pleading tone to my voice. She nodded.

"There was a disagreement between the Zora and Gerudo peoples,"she began quietly as she lowered her eyes. "The Gerudo Prince began an argument with the King Zora and declared war upon him. We Hylians of course wanted to stay out of the battle, but Zora called upon our treaty with them so we were forced to join them. Even now, we are slowly driving the Gerudo back to their lands, but I fear many lives will be lost before this is all over..."

I nodded, taking it all in. I remembered hearing of such a battle from the elders when I still lived with the Gerudo. Shaden called it her son's stupidest mistake. His uncontrolled temper and contempt for the 'non-Hylian bodied' races led their people to a depressing time of hate and resentment towards the rest of Hyrule. It had been an embarrassment to all involved.

Maintaining the trauma induced amnesia, I told Queen Zelda that I remembered no place to do when she asked. So, she decided to keep me in the castle, asking me if I would prefer to become her bodyguard. She was afraid of assassination, though she tried desperately to hide the fact. I had a sense of irony, for I knew this woman's fate as well.

It was that afternoon that she brought me to the nursery. It was a pleasant place, full of sunlight and warmth. I let my eyes stray across the soft fabric wraps and stacks of blankets and other supplies for babies. When I looked towards the Queen again, she was holding a blonde child that couldn't have been more than a few months old. Bright blue eyes stared at me from a bright, chubby face.

"This is my son," she said proudly, smiling at the baby with a look of utter devotion. "He shall be king someday. A strong king, and kind..."

"What is his name?" I was breathless, eyes growing wide as I spotted a shape upon his tiny hand.

"He is called Link."

I couldn.t breath. I couldn.t speak. I could only stare at the little boy, eyes riveted upon the tiny Triforce that shone silvery gold on his skin. So small...so vulnerable...Was this truly him? This child with fine blonde curls and sparkling eyes without a trace of anything but innocence?

"Are you all right, Sheik?" she asked me worriedly. I finally came to my senses and turned away from the both of them.

"I'm fine," I muttered. Then, I spotted a form in the large crib. Just like the first, the child was small and staring back at me, blue eyes wide and blond hair in curls...and a Triforce on her skin.

"My daughter," murmured the Queen. "My husband named her for me."

"Twins," I whispered.

"Yes. Barely past the fifth moon."

"Link and Zelda," I looked back to the Queen's face, searching her worried features. She bit her lip when she worried, the full bit of flesh disappearing under pearly white teeth. A flash of memory replaced her with my lady, the exact same look upon her face and lip incased in teeth.

I left quickly, giving her only a few words of departure before my escape. The Royal gardens were the perfect sanctuary, calm seeping into me. I was reeling, finally understanding.

Riaru had opened a rift in Time and thrown me years into the past. My true self was an infant, barely older than the two I had just left. Nineteen years into my past, eighteen from his. I felt hopeless, a deep sorrow welling in my heart.

I would grow old before he was into adulthood. Over thirty years by the time my love reached his sixteenth, adulthood. An old man. I would have the beginnings of age wrinkles and gray in my hair by then, while he was still smooth and young... I felt despair engulf me. Another me would feel the happiness of being at his side while I was left with only the memory of it. I held my chest, fingers clinching the soft material of my tunic. That other me would be happy with him. A stubborn streak appeared within my mind. I would make sure the other me was happy with him. I would destroy that which destroyed my own happiness. All I had to do was wait for eighteen years. Then, I could stop Riaru before he had the chance to send me back once more.

For now, I would protect the Queen and her children.

The next days were spent waiting on the Queen, following her on her routines and doing small tasks. We spent much of our time in the nursery. It was strange, watching the twins and their mother interact...but it was a comforting strangeness. I could feel the adoration the Queen gave off.

Her husband visited the children rarely. He was busy with his duties, having both people to rule and a war to fight. Every day, new reports of casualties and land lost or gained came in, as did wounded. Queen Zelda and I attended to some of these poor souls ourselves, offering what little we could. She was such a gentle soul, so vulnerable. I heard her weep at night for the lost.

One week passed and then the unthinkable happened. I was roused suddenly from my sleep by a scream. Leaping up, I grabbed my sword and ran into the hall. Gerudo were swarming the castle. I rushed through a group near the Queen's chambers, killing any in my way, before going inside. One of the warriors had the Queen cornered as he slowly advanced on her. I gave a yell of rage and attacked him viciously. Once he was slain, she cried out to me.

"The boy! They've come for my son!"

Grabbing her hand, we journeyed back to the hall and fought our way through. It was a race to the nursery, killing those that got in our way. I was shamed to tarnish the Queen with blood, but could not give the feeling any more thought as we went along. I had to concentrate on keeping us alive.

The nursery was untouched. We advanced to the crib and gathered up the twins, those precious bundles of our future. Just as we were about to leave, a figure appearing in the doorway stopped us.

"Zelda!" the king cried, his eyes wide and haunted. Blood splattered his clothing and sword. The Queen rushed to him and thrust their daughter into his arms.

"You must protect her!" she cried before placing a hand over his forehead. "I'm sorry, but I cannot let you remember of our son! It will be dangerous for him if when he matures, he is found..."

"I understand," the King murmured gravely. "Do you magic, my love."

I turned away as they shared a last kiss, a last omission of love. The Queen could feel her end. She knew what she had to do. I turned back, feeling the magics weave a web about the King's memories.

"Don't forget that I love you," Zelda whispered to her husband. He merely nodded, eyes glistening. She smiled sadly at him. "By morning, you'll think I only passed quietly in my sleep. Raise her well, husband..."

We left him, going out on our own. There were many warriors in our way, though we tried desperately to avoid them. She kept Link tightly to her breast and he was very quiet, as if he understood the danger he was in. Out of the castle we fled, neither looking back upon the fires set upon her home. The Town was a mass of chaos, townspeople running about in panic as Gerudo raced after them. It was difficult not to run and help them...but my priority was to protect the Queen and her precious son.

Our future depended on it.