Establishing Hyrule

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She gives me a teasing smile as she turns away, her long blonde fishtail braid swinging over her shoulder as she goes. My ears are ringing with her revelation, the worlds goofiest grin on my face. I waited so long to hear that...

 

---

 

"Sheik?" I query, poking my head into his tent. As I take in the scene, I find him sat cross legged on the ground, sewing up a rip in his leggings. He turns to look at me as I make my way in, offering me a gentle smile.

"Fintan," he says. "What can I do for you?"

I run my hand along the back of my neck, struggling to find a way to bring up the topic.

"There's uhh... there's something I've been meaning to speak to you about for a while," I say. "Well... since the battle with Avani."

A grave expression passes over his face, and he puts down his needle and thread. He gestures to the cushion in front of him, inviting me to sit. I do so, pressing my hands together nervously.

"Uhh... during that battle... when I was looking into Avani's mind, I saw something. I didn't... I didn't quite know what to make of it. I mean, I was always told that my parents were killed in battle when I was very young..."

His expression softens, and he runs a hand through his hair. "Aha... what exactly did you see?"

I close my eyes, feeling a shiver pass down my spine as the picture awakens in my memory. "It was my mother... at least, I think it was. She was heavily pregnant... and Avani killed her... and then she said all these things about knowing me, recognising my aura... but I was nowhere to be seen in her memories. I just... I don't understand how any of that is possible? Was I supposed to have a brother or a sister?"

Sheik sighs, before looking me dead in the eyes. "Fintan, you weren't alive when the demons attacked the camp all those years ago. The baby, the baby your mother was carrying in Avani's memory was you... she was killed before you were born."

I swallow, unsure how to react to that. "So... how am I sitting here now?"

"You were cut from your mothers womb just minutes after her death... the pregnancy was at an advanced enough stage that you could survive with the right care. It was a rushed procedure, my dad actually performed it - I was just three at the time. I remember it, hidden away in that tent while the battle continued outside... We never told you when you were young. It's not something that can easily be explained to a child, so we simplified it, told you that you were born just before the battle."

I'm silent for a moment. I'm not exactly sure how to react to that.

"I'm sorry, Fintan," he mutters. "I know this can't be easy to hear..."

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"This is just crazy," I tell Sault, raising the buckler once more to bat away his sword. "I think I'm just lucky my hearing has picked up!"

"You're getting the hang of it, though!" he remarks. He swings again and I swerve to avoid it, stumbling a little. "You'll have a nice choice when it comes to future battles, I suppose!"

I smile at that, trying to pinpoint him again. When I do, I surprise him by kicking under his shield, square in the chest. With a gasp, he's knocked back, and I laugh a little without meaning to.

"Hey, your laugh is adorable!" Sault remarks, and I shoot him a half-hearted glare. "Over to your left, Caoilainn."

Scowling, I help him up again, and he nearly collides with me as I do.

"Whoops," he says lightly. "Sorry about that. So, we should probably head back to the camp! It's getting a little dark, and I imagine you're a little hungry."

"A little," I say, attempting to be dismissive. However the growling of my stomach gives me away, and I concede defeat. "Alright, let's go."

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"So, we first let them try on these targets close by and then we choose who can try a bit further, then all the way at the other side and then the moving targets?" I ask while walking with Zelda to our training area. 

She nods. "Yes, and I was thinking... For those who are really good, maybe we can teach them a few tricks."

"Like what?" I ask her curiously. That sounds cool.

"Fire arrows, we light them with torches and quickly shoot them," she explains. "You can tell me if it's silly."

"No no! It sounds awesome!" I beam. "We'll have to see where we'll place the torches but it's a great idea Zelda!" 

She smiles. "I'm glad you like it... Hey Melaina?" 

"Yeah?" I say while turning around. 

She stops walking. "You remember that I went to retrieve my memory?" 

I nod. "I do."

"Well, I found out about some sort of magic that I can perform with arrows."

"Like what?" I ask.

"Light arrows. I can use the light from the goddess and spirits to create powerful arrows that will smite evil. I thought we could use it on the more powerful enemies," she explains. 

"Maybe you should talk to Sheik about it," I say. "He'll know what to do." 

She nods. "That's a good idea. Thank you."

I smile. "No problem. Maybe we should go and get something to eat? We'll discuss our training later and you can talk to Sheik."

"Sounds like a plan," she smiles too and we walk back to the camp.

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As the evening dawns over the camp and I finish my last meditation class, I make my way over to the archery tent, where Melaina and Zelda are hosting their session. I can hear loud laughter and the thud of arrows even from out here, so I'm guessing that the session is already underway. I pull back the canvas door and peek in. The tent is lit by two bright, burning torches. There are red and white circular targets lined up along one wall, with markers at varying distances on the ground. On the other wall is another target, rigged up to a pulley system so that the target moves.

Most of the group are shooting at the still targets. Leoni fires at the moving targets, and Caoilainn is working with Zelda on shooting fire arrows.

"Hey Fintan," Sault says, a cheery grin on his face as he shoots an arrow at the target, hitting it spot in the innermost red circle.

"Good job Sault," Zelda says. "Move up to the moving targets with Leoni!"

He does so, and Caoilainn makes her way over to help him. I watch them for a few moments, as she teaches him to keep his arrow trained just ahead of the target. She feels his posture for inaccuracies, and if I didn't know her better, I'd say a slight blush hints at her cheeks.

"Are you just going to stand there or are you going to give it a go?" Melaina asks, grinning coyly as she offers me a bow and arrow.

"Alright..." I say, taking the weapon from her. "But I'll warn you, this will be terrible!"

She laughs, and I step up to the marker closest to the stationary targets. I slip an arrow into place, closing one eye as I take aim. Melaina gently repositions one of my arms. She then steps in just behind me, resting her hands on my hips and trying to view the target from my angle.

"Okay..." she mutters, "a little to the left..."

I reposition accordingly, and wait till she nods before letting the arrow fly. True to my prediction, it smacks uselessly into the target sideways, before falling to the ground. I let my arms drop, a soft laugh escaping me. Melaina lets her head drop onto my shoulder as she giggles.

"Told you so!" I say.

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"Here, like this," I say to Sault, moving my hand along his arm to fix the position he holds his arm in.

He looks over his shoulder at me and I can tell he's grinning. "You sure you're not just looking for a chance to feel my muscles, Caoilainn?"

"Goddesses, no!" I snap at him, colour flushing my cheeks. "You're far too hopeful."

"Alright, alright," he says, laughing. "But, er, Caoilainn? I'm starting to go a little numb..."

"Oh! Sorry..." I let go of him then, embarrassed.

"Well, hey, I never said you had to let go," Sault says slyly.

Still blushing, and wondering what his train of thought is exactly, I take him again and help him draw his arm back correctly.

"Now," I order, and he lets the arrow fly. I hear a thunk, and move back as Sault cheers for himself.

"I'm assuming it hit?" I ask.

To my surprise, I'm pulled in for a hug as Sault laughs.

"Who would have thought?" he asks. I hug him back tentatively, my hands light on his back.

With a smile, I echo his question. "Who would have thought?"

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After a great evening of training, Sault was grinning like a man full of mead. Caoilainn had been his friend for a long time, but something about this ordeal made him realize something special about her... they both lived as outsiders that never quite fit in. He also liked her strength and devotion to bettering herself, while she really liked his upbeat attitude. Maybe he should ask her about these feelings sometime?

 

Suddenly these thoughts vanished when Sault collided with a flustered Sheik. "Ow, sorry about that chief!" he apologized in a daze, but only got a simple "It's fine." from the Sheikah leader as a reply before he ran off. Sheik had been busy for the entirety of their training with visits to and from the elders and other leaders, but the information discussed had been kept secret from them. Furthermore, nothing had been said about why the Skyview and Earthview Springs had dried up, or what it meant. Something serious must be going on...

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Posted (edited)

I wake early the next morning, dress quickly, and find a quiet spot to perform my morning meditation before I make my way over to the communal tent for the morning meal. As I make my way in, the place is almost deserted - it's too early for the majority of people to be up. The only tribe members here are a few gatherers, readying themselves for a day of fishing, and Sheik, who sits with one of the tribal elders, in heated discussion.

"This can't just be ignored," he says, hissing the words. "We need to-"

He glances up on my arrival, his expression slacks for a moment, deep in thought, before he offers me a friendly grin and gets to his feet. "We'll figure this out," he says to the elder, before walking in my direction. "Morning Fintan," he says, before breezing by and heading for the door. Even from that brief encounter I can see how tired he is, there are bags under his eyes and he walks heavily, lazily. He must have been up for the most part, if not all, of the night.

"Huh..." I mutter as he vanishes from sight. There's definitely something that they're not telling us... but whyever not?

Edited by NayruGoddessOfWisdom (see edit history)

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I wake up pretty early. I don't sleep well, I get nightmares all the time that I wake up and that I lost my memory again. It's horrible. It's no use to try to fall asleep again, so I just get dressed and head outside. Not many people are awake. My stomach growls, so I decide to get some food. Inside, to my surprise, I find Fintan. 

"Fintan?" I ask. 

He turns around. "Oh, hey."

"Hi," I say. "Why are you here?" 

"Morning meditation. You?" 

"I couldn't sleep. I've got these horrible nightmares you know..." I sigh. 

He gives me a hug. "I'm sorry... But you will be alright." 

I smile. "Definitely with you around. Thanks Fintan." 

He doesn't reply but just kisses me on my forehead. I pull back, and it's only now that I notice the troubled expression on his face.

"What's wrong?" I ask.

He sighs. "I don't know. There's something going on with the tribal elders and Sheik..."

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I wake up to the sound of my stomach growling at me and the chirp of birds outside my tent. Pushing myself up, I get dressed and head in the general direction of the communal tent.

As I walk, I count the steps, and eventually arrive at the tent. I can hear Fintan and Melaina, and make my way over to them.

"Caoilainn," Fintan greets me, sounding a little distant.

"Is everything okay?" I ask.

"It's Sheik," Melaina speaks up. "He seems more and more on edge lately, and he doesn't seem too eager to fill us in."

"That's odd," I remark. "If he was to tell anyone, it should be us."

"That's what's bothering me," says Fintan. "What would he be holding back from us?"

I shake my head, pondering. Honestly, I don't know why Sheik would keep secrets from us at such a crucial time.

"Hey, guys," comes a voice that I recognize as Leoni's. He makes his way over with someone else who I assume to be Sault.

"Morning everyone!" he says, confirming it for me. "What's up?"

Fintan explains the predicament while I fetch some breakfast for myself, and I hear Sault humming in thought.

"I've noticed it too," he says. "But, maybe we should give him some time and see if he wants to come to us about it?"

Fintan reluctantly agrees, and I hear him sit down on a bench. I chew on a piece of bread, thinking to myself, when someone taps me on the shoulder.

"Who is it?" I ask, turning around.

"It's me, er, Sault," he replies. "I was wondering if I could talk to you for a moment?"

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Sault began to shake a bit as he took Caoilainn aside; confessions like this made him incredibly nervous. "Uhh, I just wanted to, er, tell you," he began with a stammer, "I'm worried about, you know... about Sheik." Wait, what did he just say? "You and the rest of the group, it seems he's been hiding something." Caoilainn replied nonchalantly. This wasn't like him, he wanted to talk about their feelings, the Sheikah troubles would come later. Not sparing it another thought, he blurted out what was on his mind. "Also, I just wanted to say that I like you as more than a friend or partner, so uh, yeah..."

 

It was hard to tell with the blindfold, but Caoilainn's eyebrows seemed to rise substantially at that revelation, though she didn't seem bothered or disgusted. Much to his chagrin. her response would have to wait until later as Fintan suddenly appeared to summon them to Sheik's tent. It was nice to get some answers, but couldn't this wait a little longer?

 

The usual group had gathered in the briefing room to hear the news. "I'm sure you all noticed the preoccupation of myself and the elders," Sheik began, "we have all been discussing recent events and their relationship to prophecy. The news of Skyloft's diminishing magical propulsion and the growing aggression of the Demon Lords echoed the signs of a certain foretold catastrophe."

 

"We've been concerned about this for some time, but wanted to be sure of the danger; that's why you were allowed to use the Sacred Springs to heal Melania." Sheik continued. "Their disappearance is a penultimate sign of an imminent crisis we must now accept. The magic of the Goddess is fading, and if the Hylians do not soon establish control of this land, the demons will annihilate us all."

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I leave the tent immediately after Sheik's revelation, my mind swimming with the overwhelming urgency of the situation. As a kid, I always dreamt of leading a team that would protect the surface from imminent danger - but I feel like I'm too young for this. Too inexperienced, I don't even know how to harness my own power! So my mind is made up - that's my first job. I know exactly where I need to go, back to the woman who raised me.

I gently push back the curtain that leads to the elders tent. The air is thick with the kind of musty smell that can only come from burning incense. One of the elders, an aging lady with claw like hands and dark, beady eyes looks up as I walk in. Her name's Avis. She was one of the elders who helped to raise me - firm and taught as a line, but a wonderful teacher. That's not to mention the fact that she carries immense power of foresight.

"Boy," she says in her thin, reedy voice. "Fintan. It is good to see you once again." I smile, sitting myself in front of her in the lotus flower position. Her aged face pulls into a soft smile. "Come closer child, my old eyes can't see you from this distance." I shuffle a little closer, as she asks, and one of her cold, bony hands takes mine. "Perhaps I was mistaken to call you a child," she says "it seems you have grown into quite the powerful telepath. It's admirable - most children of the Sheikah care little for our traditional ways of meditation."

"Thank you," I say. "But the telepathy... that's actually why I came to see you."

"Do speak," she says softly.

"The Demon Lord, Avani, I've found a way to use my powers to invade her mind. And that seems to be the way to defeat her, accompanied by the physical power of the team. But... I don't know what to do once I'm inside of her head..."

She nods softly, closing her dark eyes. "Avani is a powerful enemy to have - she was raised to be a God among the demons. True to this, she aims to possess the qualities of a malevolent God: Omnipotence, Omnimalevolence, and Omniscience."

I frown. "I don't understand..."

"Her omnimalevolence is a part of who she is, a result of her upbringing and standing in demon society - this is beyond our control. Her omnipotence is something the fighters must diminish and control. But her omniscience, that is the weakness you must target."

My tongue feels like it's turned to dust in my mouth. Eventually, I stutter out a thank you and get to my feet.

"Fintan?" she says. I turn back to look at her, and her dark eyes are full of concern. "This situation is more grave than any our tribe has ever known - I can only hope that your team has the power and the heart to succeed."

I hope so too.

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Sheik's words weigh on my mind as I make my way out of the tent, moving quickly to the communal tent. A younger Sheikah grabs an apple for me and I take a bite from it, contemplating.

I'd managed to avoid Sault since he'd come out with his news, luckily enough. But I was going to have to face him sooner or later, and I may as well get it said before I snapped at him.

I step outside, listening for some sign of someone walking about. "Sault? Sault!"

Sure enough, I hear Sault jump, and I pinpoint him somewhere to my right. I stride over, and take him by the arm. "I need to talk to you."

"Uh, sure," he says, sounding a little jittery.

"What you said, a while ago," I start. "Well... I wasn't exactly sure myself but, I think that I may feel for you in that same way and... I didn't want to admit it, but you opening up made me realise it. So... hm. There's that."

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"Hey Zelda?" I ask her when I run up to her sitting on a bench, reading.

"I've been thinking... About Skyloft... Do the people there know that their home town might come crashing down the surface in a few weeks or months or so?" I ask bluntly. "Sorry I put it so harsh..."

She shakes her head and sighs. "Link, my father and I have been thinking about telling them, but you have to understand, they lived their whole lives up there, they would be terribly scared by even the idea of coming to the surface..." 

"Hmm..." I reply. "But your father agreed that his knights would come to help?" 

"Yes," she replies, nodding.

"And the whole population of Skyloft will have to come down here in a matter of time, right?"

"Yes, sadly enough," she sighs.

"What if we let them all come down in groups? What if we let them build a town here on the surface? I mean, you guys already set up a community but what if you would expand it? Let them live here?" I suggest.

"I've thought about that a lot before," she replies. "And that would eventually have to happen... I'll talk to Link about it. Oh and I haven't had the chance to talk with Sheik about the light arrows... I'll see what I can do."

I nod. "Great." I stand up, and walk over to my tent.

I pick up my harp, and sit outside on my bench. This is the first time I've played since my memory loss... But, as expected, it goes just as well as it always has. When I'm finished, I hear some clapping next to me. It's Fintan.

"Hey," I say. "I talked to Zelda about the people from Skyloft, that they have to come down here eventually... I think that they could build up a village, and you know, they could all help us in battle."

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"Ah, that's a huge relief." Sault responded to Caoilainn with a grin. "I think we should take it easy for a while, but I would like to continue seeing and training with you!" He added with earnesty. Perhaps the promise of a casual relationship was just what she wanted, because Caoilainn seemed to relax a bit after hearing that. "Maybe we can explore this more when there's less of a crisis going on." She agreed. "...but in the meantime, stay by me ok? I'd like to spend a lot of time together." Sault blushed a bit and smiled brightly. "Agreed. You mean the world to me after all!" he said before giving her a quick embrace.

 

In all honesty Sault wanted to spend the rest of the day with Caoilainn, but he'd been instructed to help Link coordinate the immigration of the Hylians from Skyloft now that it was a top priority. "The most important thing to do is make sure we're equipped and defended when we reach the surface." Link pointed out. "I agree," Sault remarked as they planned in his tent, "the Sheikah will have to begin stocking up on materials, and we need the Gorons to build a better settlement this time. No offense, but your first one was unfit for surviving down here."

 

Eventually the two agreed that a mobile camp would do for now, followed by a walled city after this crisis was over. At the very least, the loftwings would make transport easy. "And of course, you're welcome to camp with us." Sault added as a final remark. "Let's take our plans to Sheik, then head back to the others."

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I make my way back out into the late morning sunshine. My shadow is stretched out ahead of me as I make my way across the grass, enjoying the feel of the morning dew against my feet. My mind is still swimming with all of today's news, but I felt like I needed some air, some peace of mind. I cut across the back of the communal tent as I make my way over to the sleeping tents. But as I walk, I hear the soft, melodic sound, the gentle strum of a harp.

I duck around the tents, and sure enough, there sits Melaina, harp in hand, eyes closed as she plays. I bury my hands in my pockets, leaning against a sturdy tent pole as I watch her in careful silence. To see her there, so beautiful as she plays, restores something within me. It's wonderful to see her in her element. And it's as I watch her that I feel a warm deep calm casting over me, restoring something inside of me.

She comes to a stop, and I gently clap for her. She looks up to find me watching her, a soft smile on her face. "Hey," she says. "I talked to Zelda about the people from Skyloft, that they have to come down here eventually... I think that they could build up a village, and you know, they could all help us in battle."

"That sounds like a good plan," I reply, making my way over and sitting down next to her on the bench. She slips her hand into mine, our fingers intertwined.

"Where did you vanish off to?" she asks.

"I went to visit Avis," I reply. "I spoke to her about how I'm supposed to use my telepathy to defeat Avani. She said that I need to combat her omniscience..."

"Wow..." she says, with a soft laugh. "I'd say that's totally right but I'm not sure what that word means..."

"All knowing," I reply.

"Huh..." she mutters. "I wonder what that feels like..."

I watch her carefully, the idea finally dawning on me of how intimidating Avani must be to her. I was so wrapped up all this time in myself, worrying about my telepathy, my position as a leader, that I forgot how scary it must have been for Melaina to almost lose her memory like that...

I squeeze her hand tightly. "I'm so relieved to have you back," I say, quiet. "I really thought for a while there that I was going to lose you..."

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