Establishing Hyrule

[ButterflyBabyBlue 2]

Fintan and Melaina sit, soaked to the bone, on a thick log. Sault and I sit on either side of them, still grinning.

"You guys really need to improve your stamina," Sault says. "You'll never avoid our pranks otherwise!"

"Oh, you two are just ridiculous!" Melaina says from next to me. "What age are you supposed to be again?"

I smile, stretching my arms up into a yawn. "Ah, Melaina, you just-"

I stop suddenly when I feel something probing, seemingly at my mind. What feels like daggers claw their way into my temples, and I slide from my seat, hands gripping at the sides of my head.

"Fintan!" I cry out. "Help!"

I feel hands on my arms, the voices of my friends, and then it stops suddenly. And all I hear is one voice.

"Caoilainn," it greets me, slicing through my mind. "You may have eliminated Ardaia, Avani... But believe me when I say that we are far from finished with you and your little friends. I give you this warning, and advise you to heed it so that you might prepare, and put up a good fight."

Even after the message is delivered, Majora's voice still hounds me, and I'm only just in touch with reality, my fingers scratching at the dirt below me. An endless stream of insults and curses, Ardaia's voice, a torrent of noise...

"Help!" I force out. "Help me!"

[Knuckle 484]

Sault jumps to Caoilainn's side as she curls into a ball on the ground, trying his best to comfort her. Fintan goes into meditation beside him, while Melania goes to look for help. "It's alright, I'm here for you. Hang in there!" Sault calls to the woman he cared deeply for, but she didn't show any sort of response. Much to his relief, Fintan was able to drive off whatever assaulted her mind with relative ease; her body suddenly relaxed again and her eyes opened.

 

Everyone gave her a moment to recollect herself as Melania returned with Sheik. "Caoilainn, what happened?" He asked calmly. "Sheik, we're in trouble. Majora... it wants us all dead. Another army of demons is on it's way, and it wants us to prepare... this is just a game to that thing!" Caoilainn responded, shaking from fear. She clung to Sault for support as their leader thought of a plan.

 

"We can't afford to move, not all the Hylians have migrated yet." Sheik admitted. "Soon the Gorons will be here to help us fortify, but I suspect Majora wants us taken care of before they arrive. However, we know they're coming, and using meditation we can figure out their location." He paused for a moment to think out a few more things. "I want you all to begin training for a stealth mission. Get together a small force of twenty or so Sheikah warriors for a surprise attack on the demon army. This time, we're going to get the drop on them."

[NayruGoddessOfWisdom 8]

"I'll make sure that's taken care of," I say as I climb to my feet, the light hearted atmosphere having completely vanished. "We'll leave at first light tomorrow."

"You'll have to take care of Caoilainn," Sheik says to me, casting a weary glance over at my friend. "If Majora can get into her head that easily, then you'll need to be on hand at all times to drive it away."

I nod. "I understand... are you okay with that Caoilainn?"

She shrugs, looking thoroughly exhausted. "What choice do I have?"

"Okay..." Sheik mutters, looking around at us all. "I suggest that you all get a good nights sleep. I'll speak to the Sheikah, round up volunteers for the mission. Obviously, your team will need to go."

Sault nods. "Of course."

Sheik gives us a final nod, before turning to walk away. He glances back momentarily, looking baffled. "Fintan... Melaina... why are you both soaked?"

I run a hand through my sodden hair, pushing it back from my eyes."

"Uhh... long story..." Melaina mumbles. Sheik doesn't look convinced, but turns to walk back to camp.

[ButterflyBabyBlue 2]

Sault bids me goodnight after walking me to my tent, and I fling myself down, already half-asleep. My head still aches from earlier, and faint echoes of Majora's voice still drift through my mind.

Nevertheless, I sleep all night without dreams.

When morning comes, I wake early, pushing myself up with a yawn. I stretch for a few minutes before I decide to have breakfast.

I sit down at a bench when I realise someone is already there with me.

"Morning," says Fintan with a yawn.

"Morning," I reply, taking a piece of bread. "Thanks again for yesterday, and for offering to look after me."

"It's no problem," he replies. "Besides, it's some sort of practice for me, isn't it?"

"I guess so," I say with a smile, then falter. "I wonder what the next attack will be like."

"You were always great at casual conversation," Fintan says slyly, before his tone becomes more serious. "I don't know, really. Who knows what kind of power they could have?"

I nod. "It could be anything at all. What if they're as powerful as Avani, or more?"

[ElwayGuy7 10]

I've come full circle, and I'm exactly where I started. Still alone, still the reclusive loner that no one really wants to be with. They pretend for me, but they don't really care. Caoilainn decided, and now it's over. I sit up and open my notebook, staring at page after page of the same two words: "It's over." It doesn't seem like anyone even notices I'm still here. I take a quick look around camp to see if anyone will see me leaving, but everyone is occupied. I grab my gear and walk out of camp. I call my bird, and he lands beside me.

"Take me anywhere but here," I tell him as we soar into the sky.

[NayruGoddessOfWisdom 8]

I poke my head into the communal tent, glancing around. But no, he's not here. I duck back out, striding over towards the sleeping tents. Sault sees me approaching, and walks in stride with me.

"Sheik's enlisted volunteers," he says.

I nod. "That's good news."

"What are you looking for?" he asks.

"Who," I correct him. "And Leoni. I need to brief him about the mission."

Sault jogs ahead of me, holding open the door of Leoni's tent. We make our way in, and I'm shocked by what I see.

The tent is completely empty. All of Leoni's possessions have vanished, like his room's been ransacked. I stare around me silence, astonished.

"What's happened here?" Sault asks.

I swallow hard, trying to clear the dryness in my throat. "Sault... I think he's gone..."

Guilt sets over his expression as he looks around at the empty tent.

Edited 21 Jun 2014 by NayruGoddessOfWisdom (see edit history)

[Knuckle 484]

"This is bad... really bad..." Sault mutters as he checks over the tent. All Leonis' necessities and equipment are indeed gone. "He must have left on his own, there's not a sign of any struggle and a Demon Lord wouldn't have bothered to take all of his gear." He concluded, to which Fintan agreed. "He must have left early this morning. I want you to search for him, don't worry about Sheik's mission. We can't afford to be responsible for the death of a Hylian..." he told Sault, "...especially not our friend."

 

After receiving his orders and having Sheik approve them, Sault began investigating any appearances of Leoni. A few people reported the sound of a bird taking off at unusual hours this morning, and a guard confirmed a young man had snuck out of the camp with his loftwing; it had to have been his friend. Now there was the problem of following him into the sky... he didn't have a loftwing or other means of flying. To solve that problem he visited the holding pens the Hylians had made and asked one of the tamers about borrowing one. "We don't allow that sort of thing. But you might be in luck." the woman replied. "One of the knights, a kid by the name of Cawlin, died in that battle but his loftwing survived unhurt. Maybe... yeah, I can let you try out that bird, since we were going to release it into the wild anyway." Sault thanked the woman generously as she took him to the orphaned loftwing.

 

Cawlin's former loftwing was already tamed well enough, and it's a beautiful creature with brown and touches of green in its feathers. Apparently the guy was shorter than Sault, but it wasn't a problem and the bird almost seemed to enjoy having a taller person riding it with a firmer grip on the reins. After a few minutes of being told the basics, Sault uses his former experiences as a passenger and the tamer's instructions to get used to sitting on the loftwing. "It's a lot like riding a horse, but with a bit more angled saddle," he comments, and the woman finally teaches him how to signal for the bird to kick off and touch down. It's a bit frightening, but after summoning his courage he gives the signal, and the brown loftwing suddenly leapt into the air and flapped its wings furiously. 

 

This was it, he was flying through the air, just like a true Hylian Knight!

[ButterflyBabyBlue 2]

I bump into Fintan on my way out of my tent, and he takes me by the shoulders.

"Have you seen Leoni anywhere?" he asks me.

"No, not since yesterday," I answer. "What's happening?"

"We think he's run off somewhere; all of his things are gone from his tent."

"What?! Why would he-?"

I stop myself short, already knowing the answer, and I bite my lip as a wave of guilt washes over me.

"Oh, goddesses," I say, wincing. "This is all my fault. I KNEW he wasn't okay with this..."

"Whether it's your fault or not, we've got to find him," Fintan says. "Sault is looking for him in the sky, and I think the rest of us should look elsewhere; there's no other Loftwings available to us to borrow."

I nod absently, feeling more guilt than anything. Poor Leoni..

[NayruGoddessOfWisdom 8]

"Hold on," Sheik says, approaching us from behind. "Don't forget your mission. We still need a stealth team to approach Majora. Sault is out looking for Leoni. He's a perfectly competent warrior. He can handle this situation alone."

"But Sheik," I say. "Leo is my friend, I can't just abandon him!"

"You're not," Sheik assures me. "But you have a duty to do. I thought that you, of all people, should know that nothing comes before that."

I falter for a few moments, thinking.

"I promise you that Sault will take goodcare of Leoni. But you can't abandon your mission, Fintan."

"You're right..." I mutter. The surface has to come first.

I turn to Caoilainn. "Come on, let's assemble the rest of the group. We need to move fast if we're going to get the drop on Majora."

She looks hesitant for a few moments, before evetually giving me a reluctant nod.

"Alright," she says. "Lets round up the group and set out."

We turn to go, and I'm suprised to find Sheik just behind me.

I frown. "What are you-?"

"This is important," he cuts in. "I'm coming with you."

Edited 22 Jun 2014 by NayruGoddessOfWisdom (see edit history)

[ElwayGuy7 10]

I fly all through the morning, trying to avoid being spotted by any knights who happen to be flying around the island. I decide that the best place for avoiding everyone is the giant thunderhead a ways away from the island. I fly through the clouds and land on the isle of songs. A long day of flying from the surface has me tired, so I sit down and read my notebook until I fall asleep, leaning against my loftwing.

[Knuckle 484]

Sault quickly realized that his new Loftwing didn't enjoy flying at low altitudes, and so he took his search up into the clouds. It was probably fair to say Leo's mount was of a similar temperament, so looking among the clouds didn't feel like a hindrance.

 

The first place he decided to check was a small island outside Skyloft where a giant pumpkin-shaped building lay nearly empty. Indeed, the interior only had two men at a table in the middle of the place with a woman in the back. "Excuse me," he said to the lady, "My name is Sault, and I'm looking for a friend of mine. Have you seen a guy about my age, blonde hair, wearing a yellowish knight uniform?" The lady introduced herself as Kina and told him there hadn't been any other customers besides the two men there now, "on account of most folks being gone." she added a bit sadly. Sault thanked her for her time and took off for Skyloft.

 

The once proud city in the sky was looking much quieter now. A lot of buildings were now empty and barren, the streets only had people moving in coordinated groups to leave their homes forever, and overall the atmosphere was a bit grim. Nobody seemed to really question why they had to leave; Zelda had told them all they needed to hear when she informed the population their town was falling out of the sky, and perhaps they all had a feeling this place wasn't going to last forever anyway. There were some knights motioning people to their birds, so it seemed like a good place for Sault to start asking questions. Unfortunately none of the knights had seen anything unusual, but did suggest he tried the academy to check with the men and women on break from patrol.

 

It was at the knight academy that he finally got some answers. A watchman informed Sault of one stray bird flying into the thunderhead, with what looked like a guy matching Leoni's description piloting it. Overjoyed, Sault thanked the man and was ready to leave when one of the men spoke up. "Hey, are you Flume's kid by chance?" the knight asked, leaving Sault a bit confused. "Sorry about that, it's just you look like one of my old buddies, and I'm pretty sure he had a son before he passed away." Excited at the prospect of hearing more about his parents, Sault approached the man. "Actually... the thing is, I've never known my parents. Do you know about them?"

 

"Well, if they are who I think they are, you should check with the headmaster." the knight replied. "Just make a quick stop by his office, he's been pretty unoccupied with the other guys handing this huge immigration operation." Sault thanked the man repeatedly, and taking his advice, made a dash for the headmaster's office.

[NayruGoddessOfWisdom 8]

I don't know if it's the clear morning air, the prospect of finally seeing Majora defeated, or just a chipper mood, but something about this mission has the blood pumping through my veins again. I feel like the Fintan who was scared of Caoilainn, who was haunted by failures has been pushed from my mind. This is my mission, if all goes well, the final one for this case - and that thought is enough to put a smile on my face.

We can bring safety to the surface again. We can rid it of evil. I can see my mission through. And that thought's enough to cheer me up.

"Let's go, I say to the assmebled group of Sheikah, with the addition of Link and Zelda.

I take off with a sure stride, Melaina and Sheik just behind me. Melaina steps into stride with me, watching me with curiosity.

"What's got you so upbeat?" she asks.

I shrug. "We might be seeing the mission through today," I say with a smile. "Say whatever you will, but after all the trauma and ordeal it's been, I'll be proud to say we were successful."

"That's wonderful," Melaina replies with a smile.

"Don't get your hopes up just yet!" Caoilainn teases from behind us.

Edited 23 Jun 2014 by NayruGoddessOfWisdom (see edit history)

[ButterflyBabyBlue 2]

We walk at a steady pace that I can keep up with easily enough, though I stumble a little sometimes on roots and whatnot.

Fintan is in a much better mood than usual, and though it seems to rub off on everybody else, I don't quite share his optimism. The thought of returning to demon territory puts me a little on edge, and it's an effort to keep my head held high.

I jump when Sheik places a hand on my arm, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"How are you doing?" he asks. "You seem a little uptight... even for you."

"I'm okay," I tell him, but I can feel his disbelief without needing to see his expression. "Just a little bit nervous."

"Caoilainn, nervous?" Sheik repeats with a laugh. "Don't be; you have the rest of us at your side, and your own abilities, don't you?"

I nod at that. "Yeah... There is something else though..."

"Yes?"

"I can't remember what any of you look like anymore. I can't remember little details like I used to."

[Franne 2]

"Melaina," Sheik calls me. 

"Yeah?" I ask, turning around. 

He gestures me to come over. "What do you look like?" 

I raise an eyebrow, confused. "What do you mean what do I look like?"

"Caoilainn wonders," he replies and that's when I realise that after not being able to see for quite some time, she must have forgotten how certain persons or things look like.

I think for a few seconds. "Oh, err, well... I've got pretty long ash blonde hair which I wear in a fishtail braid all the time and err, what else... I eh-"

"She's got amber colored eyes, like all of the Sheikah," Fintan adds. "Oh and tanned skin. She's a pretty girl you know." 

"Quit the lovey dovey talk will you, I want objective statements," Caoilainn smiles. 

"Well I've got the Sheikah eye with the tear tattooed on my ankle," I say. "I think that's about it."

"That's not it!" Fintan says. 

"It's enough! I think she can form an image now," I smile. "Now Fintan, his hair has the colour of... sand, wait do you remember what sand looks like?"

Caoilainn nods. "Yellowish right?"

I nod in agreement. "Yeah like really light! And he also got a tattoo on his wrist and err, he's pretty muscular and handsome and-"

"Guys seriously!" Caoilainn yells. "Stop being so... ew...."

Me and Fintan both laugh out loud. "Who else... Oh Sheik!"

"No, Melaina," Sheik tries to stop me, smiling a bit.

"He's pretty muscular too, his hair is a few shades darker than Fintan's..." I tell her. 

"Melaina I think that's enough," Sheik says. 

I laugh. "What do you mean we-"

Fintan covers my mouth with his hand. 

[NayruGoddessOfWisdom 8]

I feel something warm and wet on my hand, and snap it back immediatly when I realise that Melaina's licking my palm. I wipe it off on my leggings whilst gently pushing Melaina with my other hand.

"Seriously you two!" Caoilaain whines.

I laugh. "Missing Sault are you?"

"Shaddup..." she mutters.

The journey progresses, and even Caoilainn seems to cheer up a little as we make our way into Lanayru dessert. Although there's still an unspoken air of trepidation about her, though I suppose it's not suprising given her past experience with Majora.

We pause for lunch a safe distance from the Demon territory, sitting down on the dry sand to share fruit and bread. We converse quietly for a while, before the conversation moves onto more serious topics.

"So what's happened with Leo then?" Zelda asks. "Is he alright?"