Establishing Hyrule

[Franne 2]

I'm sitting on the ground, ripping an old piece of fabric into tiny little pieces that I throw on the ground. 

I'm angry. Furious. 

She just doesn't understand a thing. At first she didn't get that just saying sorry to someone you tried to kill is not enough. Now she doesn't understand that there is a difference between a freaking tree and a person. She doesn't understand how it feels to see someone you love in so much pain. I doubt that anyone understands why I did this, even though I perfectly know why. That just makes me frustrated the most. That no one understands me. They probably all think of me now like some psycho that takes revenge on everyone that ever did anything to me. 

And Leoni, whatever Caoiliainn does, he'll support her. Because he loves her. I get that, but she almost killed somebody and instead of running over to a person that's almost dying, he goes to comfort her. I just don't get that, why would you do that? He'll probably be just as mad at me as Caoilainn is. 

I grunt, annoyed, as I've run out of fabric. 

I'm just so... It's like I want to shout and scream at Caoilainn so she can understand. But I didn't.

I want to tell Fintan that I'm not like this. . I just wanted him to know how much he actually means to me. And that I love him. 

Because I do. 

[Knuckle 484]

It's been a long night, with Sault unable to sleep from anxiety and the other two looking just as preoccupied. But nonetheless, morning eventually comes, and hopefully the day will bring them closer to rescue. Everyone eats a good breakfast, then continues exploring the old hideout until Sault finds a fascinating object on one of the higher floors. It seems like a bow, except attached horizontally to a carved piece of wood and apparently fired mechanically. He brings the weapon to the others and both seem to recognize it.

 

"This is a crossbow." Byarly explains, "it shoots little arrows at stuff with a crank-loaded firing mechanism." Sault must've looked as confused as he felt, because Link gave a small chuckle and offered a visual demonstration. He proceeded to show how a small projectile called a bolt, about half the length of Melanias' arrows, was put into the machine, cranked back with a lever, and supposedly fired. A bit more searching led to discovery of something that baffled everyone; a dozen bolts with study metal shafts and purple, crystalline bolt-heads fastened onto them. Eager to see their significance, Link took them with the crossbow and went off to shoot one. 

 

Aiming the crossbow at the outside portion of the spire while standing outside the lower entrance, Link fires a bolt into the outer wall. It strikes with more than enough force to embed into the rock, followed by a strange wave of energy bursting from the buried bolt-head. The energy expands in a perfect sphere, and everything it touches undergoes a strange transformation; it almost looks to Sault like the energy is renewing the rock somehow. "Looks like we found the timeshift stones!" Link says with excitement.

[NayruGoddessOfWisdom 8]

Most of the others are already sat around the breakfast table, eating mixed fruits. As I approach, I hear Leoni talking to Caoilainn.

"I wouldn't worry about the sand sea," he says. "The others told me that on their first adventure down here, they rescued a ship that once belonged to the pirate captain. I'm willing to bet he'll help us out when we tell him that that Link and Bryarly need our help!"

Zelda gives me a warm smile when she sees me approach. "Morning Fintan," she says.

"Morning," I reply, avoiding looking Caoilainn in the eye. "Is Melaina up yet?"

"Sorry," Zelda replies, shaking her head. "I heard her moving, but she hasn't left her tent yet."

"I'll go check she's ok," I say, grabbing an apple and heading out of the temple. I take a bite as I walk slowly across the grass to the sleeping tents. Walking has gotten a little easier, but I'm still in no fit state to go on a mission. I had to change my bandage this morning... it bled far too much for me to be close to healthy at this point. But I need to see Melaina before she leaves. I've got this whole scene planned out in my head... but whether or not it'll actually go to plan is another thing.

"Melaina?" I say, pulling back the door of the tent. She's just stuffing a potion bottle onto the little pack at her hip, glancing up as I walk in.

"Fintan," she says softly. "I wasn't expecting you..."

"Sorry," I reply. "I just wanted to see you before you leave."

She smiles softly at me, and I get caught up for a moment, before I remember why I came here.

"I-" I mutter, reaching up and carefully untying the necklace from around my neck. "I wanted to give you this... The juniors gave it to me to make me feel better... I thought you might like it for luck."

Her eyes soften and colour stains her cheeks. She reaches up, pulling her plait out of the way and turning her back to me, exposing the back of her neck. "I'd love that."

I drape the amber beads around her neck, drawing the black string together. My clumsy fingers fumble as I try to tie the knot, she laughs, turning the necklace and tying it herself before putting it back into place.

"Thank you," she says, then pauses. "I was actually hoping to speak to you too..."

"You don't have to," I reply. "I understand... just... try not to kill Caoilainn today, okay?"

She laughs, and I feel a wave of relief that I can make her laugh at a time like this. I watch her, my heart pounding as I remember part two of my plan.

"I can't make any promises," she says with a wink, straightening her hair and making her way over to the exit.

It's now or never.

I reach out, taking her hand and causing her to pause in her path. My hands find their way up her arms. One pauses to rest just below her shoulder, and my other finds the soft curve of her waist. She looks a little startled, but I don't let it deter me. I move from her shoulder to the nape of her neck and pull her a little closer. Her eyelids flutter shut as I press my lips to hers.

Edited 5 May 2014 by NayruGoddessOfWisdom (see edit history)

[ElwayGuy7 10]

(ALL OF THE FLUFF! ALL OF IT! Will post either later today or tomorrow, I'm really busy right now =( I'm glad to finally see the famous Nayru fluff! XD)

[Franne 2]

I'm... perplexed to say the least. He kissed me. 

He kissed me...
I've never been kissed before, and it wasn't like I expected. Instead, it was much better. 

Fintan starts to pull back, and then I realise that all I have been doing is standing and not reacting. What if that makes him think I don't want it?

I can't let that happen. I put my arms around his neck and pull him into another kiss.

He's clearly relieved that I reacted, and he holds me even tighter. 

After what seems like the best minutes of my life, we both pull back. 

"Be careful," he says softly while putting his hand on my cheek.

"I will," I smile. "You too, don't bleed to death or something. Just rest for a few days. We'll be back before you know it."

He smiles too and nods. "Ok. Good luck," he kisses me on my cheek. 

"Thanks," I say as I walk out of my tent. I sigh and giggle. I giggle? 

Well, that was a sound I once swore to never make in my life. 

Oops.

[ButterflyBabyBlue 2]

I lie in my tent for hours, cursing Melaina and Fintan and Leoni and Sheik over and over again without pause, occasionally thumping my fist against the ground in agitation.

I leave after a while, heading back to see my tree and it's remains. What is left of the base of the trunk is a mess; Melaina must have hit at odd angles. Nevertheless, the job done was a thorough one.

I kick it hard, grunting in frustration.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid!" I whine, like a child throwing a tantrum. "Burn them all anyways."

I hit the ground hard, sitting resolutely in the tranquility. Finally I get up, having grown hungry, and scurry to the dining area.

I sit down, buttering some bread, when a familiar voice comes from over my shoulder.

"Have you calmed down, now, Caoilainn?" Sheik asks. I scowl as he sits down next to me.

"I guess so," I mutter, taking a bite.

"You realise that Melaina-"

"Don't want to talk about Melaina," I interrupt. "Five hundred, tomorrow morning, remember?"

"I'd hoped you'd forgotten about that," Sheik admits. "You don't have to-"

"Five hundred," I repeat. "And that's final."

[NayruGoddessOfWisdom 8]

I wait until I'm sure that Melaina's out of earshot, before pumping one fist into the air. It sends a streaking pain up through my torso, cutting my celebration short. I double over in pain, but I still can't fight the buzz at the back of my mind. I finally did it! It took me forever, but I finally did it!

I make my way out of the tent, searching for Leoni to tell him the good news. He's been behind me for this since day one... Caoilainn was the first person that I told, but I can't imagine her being particularly happy for me at the moment. I walk across the grass, one hand pressed to my wound in an attempt to ease the pain a little as I search around for Leoni. Sure enough, I find him sat just a few feet away, near to the entrance of Sheik's tent.

"Leoni!" I call out as I approach. "I did it! I finally did it! I kissed her!" I say.

"That's fantastic," he says, though his smile doesn't quite add up to it.

I frown, slowly lowering myself down to sitting with a grunt. "What's wrong?" I ask. "You're not happy for me?"

He nods. "Of course I'm happy for you. It's just... Caoilainn's in there..." he hooks a thumb over his shoulder towards Sheik's tent.

I frown. "Aren't you supposed to be leaving to rescue the others in an hour? What's she doing in there?"

Leoni swallows, not quite meeting my eye.

"Leo, what's she doing in there?" I repeat, suddenly concerned.

And then I hear it, the unmistakable crack of a whip. The sound resonates through the air, slicing through the usual early morning calm. I feel sick to my stomach as it sounds out again. I turn, looking at Leoni, but he's pulling apart strands of grass in his fingers.

"Wh- why-" I stutter, my voice cracking. "Why would she do that?"

Edited 6 May 2014 by NayruGoddessOfWisdom (see edit history)

[ButterflyBabyBlue 2]

I flinch as it comes down again, my arms buckling a little under the force. I can feel blood seeping through my clothes and onto the floor, but we've only just hit two hundred.

Outside, over the cracks, I hear Fintan, shouting something delightedly to whoever else is with him. 

Suddenly, just as another lash hits, the tent flaps are thrown open. Immediately I jump to my feet, spinning to see who it is. 

Fintan stands in the entrance to the tent, looking appalled. "What...?"

"Fintan, we're busy," I tell him. "Leave."

"No," he says firmly. "What have you done that deserves this kind of punishment?"

"I thought that you of all people would know, Fintan," I say drily. "I've done an awful lot in the past few days."

"But this, Caoilainn..." he trails off, looking to Sheik. I look over my shoulder, sending a warning glare in the chief's direction. 

"She asked, Fintan," he says. "She was... insistent."

"Please, Fintan," I say. "This is humiliating. I don't want you to see this. Please leave."

He seems at war with himself, his emotions and logical thoughts duelling each other relentlessly.

I wait, blood dripping from me, for his response.

[Knuckle 484]

Sault's excitement at their discovery was wiped out as soon as a large Demon Lord appeared out of nowhere and doubled him over. The punch was enough to leave him gasping for air, and as he staggered the fiend made short work of Link and Byarly. "I've been watching you fools for days. It's been amusing, but now you cease to entertain me." it said. That voice sounded so familiar...

 

"First that Sheikah girl shoots me in the gut, then I have to fake a humiliating death, and now I've lost my enjoyment of watching you slowly die out here." he continued. Sault then realized this was one of Blagdans' more sociable guards, Ardaia; wasn't he supposed to be with Caoilainn? "Hey, where's your new buddy?" he asked the Demon Lord, eliciting a scowl. "Caoilainn will be here soon, after I kill all of you."

 

Ardaia closed in on Sault for the kill when Link released a laugh. "You're an awful nice demon, you know!" He goaded. "Sparing Caoilainn the sight of her friends dying." It's an obvious taunt, but the Demon Lord can't refuse. Turning to the hero with a malicious grin, he shows utter confidence in a sudden change of plans. "I suppose I could bring her here, then; let her and your other friends see what happens when you cross the demons." Swearing to return with the others, Ardaia disappears in a burst of darkness.

[ElwayGuy7 10]

I watch Fintan leave the dining area and head into Sheik's tent, and the rhythmic crack of the whip stops for a while, as though Fintan has intervened for now. It seems to me as though he might stop her, but the cracks return, a bit more sporadically this time. I can picture Fintan standing beside her, without anything to say. And I can see her blood pouring down her back, staining her shirt red. I guess she thought I didn't notice the last time, but I did. When you've harmed yourself you can see it other people without even realizing it. I stand for a few more seconds, listening to the whip crack, and I can't let this go on. I can't let her go where I have been. 

I turn back toward the tents, and I run towards what I have guessed to be Sheik's tent. I stand outside for a second, almost second-guessing myself, but I hear another crack and I decide that this is the last one I'll ever hear. I rush inside the tent and stand over Caoilainn, back towards the incoming whip. I hear a crack and I feel blood pouring down my back, along with a dull ache. I can tell Sheik is startled by my entrance, but not overly surprised with my actions. Fintan, however, is absolutely stunned. Sheik drops the belt he was using, and it lands on the tent floor with a thud. Everyone can sense the tension in the tent, but no one moves except for Sheik, who hastily exits without a word. After a few minutes, Fintan turns and leaves as well, leaving the two of us in the tent with only the sound of blood dripping down onto the ground.

Edited 6 May 2014 by ElwayGuy7 (see edit history)

[NayruGoddessOfWisdom 8]

I storm straight over towards the Spirit Temple. It's mostly empty when I enter, everyone already having eaten apart from Melaina who's chewing bread.

"Hey!" she says, smiling.

"She took a whipping," I say, my tone bitter. "She did it again... I swear to Hylia that girl is on a self destruct mi-"

But I don't get further than that before a tall, willowy figure suddenly appears between us as if from thin air. It takes me a few seconds to register that it's Ardaia - Caoilainn's old guard who is supposed to be dead... Before I can even figure out a way to react, he extends his palms outwards and those blasted Demonic chains leap forward like poised snakes. One wraps deadly tight around my shoulders, working downwards and pinning my arms to my sides before wrapping around my legs too. I scream in agony as it pulls tight against my stab wound and I'm knocked onto my back. Within a matter of seconds, it wraps around my ankles and I look up to see Melaina similarly struggling, wrapped in chains.

Then everything vanishes, and the setting changes to Sheik's tent, the one I left just a few moments ago. The stench of blood fills my nostrils as Caoilainn turns to see Ardaia, confusion clouding her vision. She doesn't say a word, just stares at him in baffled silence.

Meanwhile, he sets to work ensnaring Leoni in his Demonic chains. Once he's suitably secured, Ardaia grabs Caoilainn by the wrist, extends his field of teleportation, and whirls us all away.

I find myself somewhere that I don't recognise. Every corner of the room is filled with crates and boxes full of different devices and collections of junk. Link, Bryarly, and Sault stand together, looking somewhat startled, but certainly in a better position than Leo, Melaina and I. Caoilainn is still staring at Ardaia in silence, blood lashes streaked across the back of her shirt. Tears spring in the corners of my eyes as I drop down to the hard ground, my wound bleeding once again. But I'm unable to move because of the chains. 

"I don't understand..." Caoilainn mutters.

[Knuckle 484]

"You don't have to understand," Ardaia replies, "only obey." Suddenly Caoilainn grips her head and shakes as if something is worming its way through her mind. "What are you doing to her!?" Sault yells, but the Demon Lord smirks. "Each of us Demon Lords is a specialist in something or another; Blagdan could make his clones, and I can alter the mind. It allows me to do something like, say, fake my own death by altering your brain's perception of me." It seemed Ardaia was good at deception, but what was it all for? "Yes, there was a reason for my deception Sault, I can read your thoughts." the demon continued. "It was necessary to test Caoilainn's brainwashing, and although I failed to make a loyal servant before, she and I will forge a stronger connection once we finish killing all of you!"

 

The mental assault stops and Caoilainn goes still. Ardaia draws a wicked blade while their enslaved friend raises her fists. The battle starts with him, Link and Byarly just making it past their adversaries' attacks. Even with 2 on 3, the obstacle of trying not to hurt Caoilainn is crippling the heroes, while Ardaia has no problem hiding behind his "partner." Byarly does manage to connect with the Demon Lord but it glances off. "Fools, only special weapons can pierce the skin of my kind!" Ardaia exclaims. Sault had completely forgotten that problem; this was looking really dire...

 

As the arduous fight drags on, Sault notices the chains around Fintan are slowly starting to crack. If Link, Byarly and himself can survive this assault or get Caoilainn out of her spell they might be able to get Fintan and Leoni free...

[ElwayGuy7 10]

I against the chains for a while to no avail, the only chains that are breaking are Fintan's. Then, I remember my short blade. It might be able to break these chains, I think, trying to grab it from a short scabbard that rests by my hand. I struggle for quite a while at pulling it out, but eventually it comes free. I turn it over in my hand and touch it to the chains. I don't even have to force it; all the chains around me break into purple smoke that disappears almost instantly. I free everyone else while the fight drags on. I can tell Link, Sault, and Bryarly are running out of energy. I run up behind Ardaia, raise my blade, and stab him in the back of the neck. Everything just stops as he falls to the floor, looking truly dead this time, as Blagdan had. 

[Knuckle 484]

Exhausted, Sault collapses to the ground in a sitting position. Fintan and Melania walk over to everyone else, eager to reunite. "Long time no see." The latter says with a look of relief, and everyone quickly catches up on the two parties' events.

 

"So, we've lost the Blade of Duplicity and there's a powerful clone on the loose, but all the other creations of Blagdan are destroyed." Fintan concludes. "Not to mention this new weapon you've found. I have to say all of you have really made progress." Sault's face beams at the compliment. "Aw, you guys managed to help Caoilainn though. Glad to have you back, by the way!"  Despite his sincerity, their friend still looks hurt, probably due to the death of that Ardaia guy...

 

Suddenly there's a terrible rumbling as the lowest level of the spire bursts to reveal a steadily rising tide of quicksand underneath; the whole place must be sinking! "A trap! Run for the top floor!!" someone yells as they dash to the spiral staircase. By the time they reach the dome at the top, the spire has sunken halfway into the sea and there's no route of escape. "Caoilainn, can you get us out of here?" Sault asks.

[ButterflyBabyBlue 2]

It takes me a moment to respond, my mind far away from the current predicament.

"Caoilainn," Sault repeats, snapping me out of my trance. Now is not the time for losing control of myself.

"I can get us out," I say, trying to gather myself. "I don't know how far I can bring us... A-and there are probably guards posted around the area, so..."

"It's okay," Bryarly says. "We'll be ready for it."

I nod distractedly. "Hands on me."

I wait until I'm sure I have everyone, and concentrate hard. 

Before I can blink twice, we're outside in the humid air. And there are Demons everywhere. 

"Everyone, split!" Fintan yells, and each of us dart off in different directions. 

I'm immediately beset by a Demon Lord, with barely enough warning to lift my fists and absorb the shock of his attack. 

However, I've come completely unarmed, and this Demon Lord has a curved sword and centuries of experience. 

And despite my attempts at fending him off, it doesn't take long before I'm pinned to the ground, the Demon Lord sneering down at me. 

I struggle as best as I can, but after a moment I freeze, immediately ceasing my fight. His sword is pointed precisely, hovering two inches from my eye.

"Please," I breathe. "P-please..."

I squeeze my eyes shut, and wince at his cackle. 

"Now you'll see where denying us gets you," he says darkly. 

I screech, writhing against his grip in agony, when searing cold penetrates the thin skin. 

"STOP IT!" I beg, but he keeps at it, and I feel blood, spreading over my face. I spit it out as it reaches my lips, resisting the urge to retch. 

My right eye is attacked next, and my begging falls on deaf ears. I try to open my left eye and... it's gone. 

Oh goddesses, oh please no. I don't want to be blind. 

And then it's over, and I'm left lying, blood all over my face and my sight gone.

I'm blind.