Hohohoho, time for Chapter 10, and the end of Act 1! This took a lot longer than I had hoped to write, because life got in the way.
Anyway, after this, there'll be a brief interlude and a hiatus as I partake in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). I'm TheNerdyNinja on there if any of you are doing that and want to add me as a writing buddy. Thanks to everyone who stuck with this through the first part, especially the first few chapters that sucked so badly.
Chapter 10: Link's Legacy
“…My father?”
“That’s right, Link,” Rauru said.
Link grasped for words. “You’re not my father!” he finally managed to furiously spit. “I don’t have a father! If you really are my father, where have you been these past seven years?”
Navi looked around awkwardly. “You know, I think I’m, um…gonna check out this temple a bit more. Alone. Call for me when you’re done with…erm…whatever it is….” She shuffled away, looking everywhere but at them.
Rauru hung his head. “You’re right. I have no right to call myself your father, or to call you my son. All you’ve accomplished, you’ve accomplished on your own.”
“Yeah, you’re damn right I have.”
“But hear me out, Link. I had no choice. I wish,” he said, wrinkled eyes starting to tear up, “that I had been able to be there for you. I wish I hadn’t had to abandon you. But I had no choice.”
“There’s always a choice.”
“There is,” Rauru agreed. “However, in this case, as much as it pains me to say it, the choice that would have made you happy would have been the wrong one.” He turned, motioning for Link to follow. “I am a sage. I recognized who you were instantly. I knew what your destiny would be. And I tried everything I could to avoid it. I tried to raise you like a normal child. But it was inevitable. If I kept you as my son, Ganondorf would have eventually found you. And so, to hide you, I took your past from you and bound myself to the Temple of Time.”
Link was quiet for a few seconds. “What’s my real name?” he finally asked.
“It’s Link. As much as I wanted it to be otherwise, it is who you are.”
“No, I mean the name you gave me.”
Rauru chuckled. “Kasuto. A dumb name, really. You don’t really look like a Kasuto at all. But I guess I was hoping that, if you were named something else, you would actually grow up to be Kasuto instead of Link. An idiotic idea.”
“That’s not true,” Link said. “I think I would have been perfectly happy as a Kasuto.”
Rauru stopped again to face him. “Would you?” he asked. “Face it, my boy, you have the heart of a warrior. You never would have been satisfied living a normal life. You’re a fighter, Link.”
Link shook his head. “That’s not true,” he said. “It’s not true.”
“Just answer one question for me,” the wizened sage said. “If you want to be normal so bad, why are you here?”
“Because Senator Zelda asked for my help.”
“And why did you accept?” Link stood dumb. “As I thought,” he said. “Come on. I know that there is one more question you’re dying to ask. I’ll take you to the Master Sword’s pedestal.”
Link followed him in silence. The man looked back. “Aren’t you going to ask it?”
“No. I already know. You gave me the sword so that I would be ready to wield the Master Sword when the time came.”
Rauru nodded. “Very good. Of course, there’s a bit more to it.” He halted in front of a giant stone door marked with the same symbol that was on the back of Link’s hand. “Present the three pendants.”
Link looked at the old man, who nodded towards the door. He cautiously removed the three orbs from around his neck and held them out. The hall around them seemed to shake, and a brilliant light burst from the symbol on the door. Slowly, the stone doors slid inward, revealing the room inside.
Atop a set of steps was a white stone pedestal, engraved with the same symbol. The pedestal stood out partially because of the engraved symbol, and partially because of something else.
It was empty.
“The…the sword’s gone,” he murmured.
“Not quite,” Rauru said. “Show me your sword, Link.”
Link obliged, freezing as soon as he felt the handle. “My sword…it’s…it’s the…?” He pulled the sword out the rest of the way, examining it as he held it ahead of him. The entire hilt had changed, becoming a bit more ornate and changing to a shade of purple. The blade was no longer battle-scarred, but brilliant and shining, almost as if it had a holy glow around it. Before, the sword had felt comfortable, like it was made for him. Now, however, as he held the Master Sword in his hand, he realized that it was also the other way around—he was made for the sword.
“It’s…it’s beautiful,” he whispered. “I’ve had it the entire time?”
“Not in that form, no,” Rauru said. But it can recognize when a hero holds it. You’ve gathered the three pendants. You’ve passed its test. And now, the Master Sword has granted you its power.”
Link wiped away tears forming at the edges of his eyes. “You’re right. It’s…this is right. I understand who I am now.” He raised the sword, face steeled with determination. “I am a tool of the goddesses! I am the avatar of courage!” he declared. “I am the hero of legend!”
Rauru nodded. “There are few things to do now before you are ready to face Ganondorf.”
Link nodded, sheathing the Master Sword. “Yeah. I know what has to be done. I’m starting to remember.”
“There’s not much time.”
“I know. Navi and I have some things to do.” He turned back to Rauru. “Bye…Dad. I’ll come back when all this is over.”
Rauru nodded. “I’ll be waiting.”
*
Senator Zelda Hyrule walked through the alleyway, heels clacking on the pavement. Normally she would have avoided such a stupid move at all costs. But she had been working late, and the streets were empty. She knew someone had been following her, and now would be the perfect time for an ambush. At least in an alley, she had a better chance of preventing it.
She glanced back. No one. She looked back ahead, starting to walk again, throwing occasional glances over her shoulder.
A figure dropped down in front of her in the alley. Of course. She had forgotten about attacks from above.
“Hello, senator,” came the dark figure’s cheerful voice, his face masked by shadow. “Fancy meeting you in a place like this. Are you lost, by any chance?”
The senator fell into a fighting stance. She had learned some of the Sheikah martial arts from Impa, and knew how to defend herself. “This won’t be easy for you,” she said.
The man grinned, the moonlight glinting off his ebony teeth. “I hope you’re right,” he said. “It’s always boring when it’s easy. I’ve been very bored lately.”
*
“So this is the mask shop, huh?” Navi mused. “Really doesn’t look like much.”
“Look,” Link said, “let’s just get this over with.”
“You think that Sheik guy was telling the truth?”
“I really hope so.” He pushed through the door. “Hey,” he said, “I’m here about some sort of emergency.”
“Oh, thank the goddesses!” the man at the counter said. He looked up, a grin on his face that wasn’t quite right. Something about the grin just felt menacing. It made Link uneasy.
“Yeah, so, um…what’s going on?”
“Well, I’ve had a mask stolen from me—”
“Let’s go, Navi,” he said, turning to leave.
“Wait, you don’t understand,” he said. “This isn’t just some toy mask. It’s filled with incredible power!”
Link paused, turning back to the smiling man. “You’ve got one minute,” he said. “Make it worth my time.”
The salesman started explaining how his mask had been stolen. It was his eyes, Link decided. His emotion came through his eyes, even if the happy grin never left his face. The man was saying something about a talisman of evil or something. Link shuddered as he watched him. That grin. It just wasn’t natural to look that happy when talking about a theft. “And now,” the mask salesman continued, “it has been stolen…stolen by a boy in a skull mask….”
Link held up his hand, suddenly listening. “Wait, what did you say? A skull mask?”
“Yes, a young boy wearing a skull mask. He was about this tall….” As the man went on, Link turned to Navi.
“That’s the kid who swiped the Pendant of Wisdom earlier,” he said. “This could just turn out to be a dead end, but it could really be big.”
He turned back to the Happy Mask Salesman. “Okay, you’ve caught my attention. Why don’t you explain to me just what’s going on?”
*
Senator Zelda’s assailant took a step forward, a knife appearing in his hand. He was fast, she realized. She hadn’t even seen him reach for the blade. Nevertheless, she had to keep her cool.
“Let’s have some fun, senator,” the man said. “Do you want to play tag? I’ll give you a ten second head start.”
She leapt forward, throwing a punch at him. He swiftly sidestepped and clonked her on the back of the head with the dagger pommel as she passed. “So you want to fight, do you?” He clicked his tongue disapprovingly. “Not a very smart choice. But if you insist….” He reached down, lifting her by the neck. She kicked out at him, struggling for air, but he nimbly dodged every attack. “I like games like this,” he said. “Watching people on the border of life and death—you really get to learn a lot about them.” She grasped at his hands, trying to pry them from her neck. “Oh, don’t worry,” he said, throwing her to the ground. “I’m not going to kill you just yet. He leaned in close, grinning at her. “I don’t get to see you bleed if I strangle you to death. It’s always so fun to watch people bleed, don’t you think?”
Zelda brought her feet up and shoved him back hard, flipping up to her feet and whipping off her senatorial cloak. Underneath, she was dressed in a more tight-fitting outfit, a combat-ready one. She slipped quickly out of her heels, facing the grinning psychopathic assassin. “I’m not the frail woman you think I am,” she told him.
The assassin chuckled. “I never thought you were. But that doesn’t change the fact that you have no chance.”
She narrowed her eyes. “We’ll see.”
The man darted forward, thrusting the knife at her. Unrestricted by the robe, she managed to dodge it and knock his hand downward. She managed to parry most of his attacks, even if he was driving her backward. The alley had been a good choice; it was clear his motion was impeded.
The assassin stopped, taking a step back. She didn’t know what was going on, but she prepared for another attack. He charged at her, but instead of attacking, jumped at the narrow alley wall, jumping from wall to wall to propel himself over her head. The maneuver caught her off guard, and she turned just in time for the blade to graze her cheek.
He licked the blade as she fell backwards. “My, senator, your blood certainly does taste delicious. A very noble-tasting sort of blood. A pity I have to drain you of it.”
She didn’t have the time or balance to stand. All she could do was scurry backwards as he walked closer. “It was fun playing with you. But I don’t like it when games drag on for too long. Nothing personal, but I think it’s about time for me
to win.” He flicked out the knife again, preparing a final strike. “Goodbye, Senator Hy….”
Her name died into a strangled wheeze. The assassin staggered a bit, before toppling forward into the ground. As he struggled, she caught a glint of metal in the moonlight—a flechette lodged in his jugular.
Zelda slowly turned around as a figure stepped into a shaft of moonlight. The dark suit made the figure still barely visible, and Zelda could only make out a lock of blonde hair dangling from behind the ninja’s mask.
“Thank you,” she said, pulling herself to her feet. She touched her cheek gingerly where the knife has cut you. “I owe you my life. Is there any way I can repay you?”
The ninja shook his head.
“Well, thank you, either way. Who are you, exactly?”
The ninja stared at her for a moment. “I am Sheik,” a hoarse voice replied. Then the ninja sprung over her head, wall-jumping to the top of the building and disappearing from sight.
*
Well, that's the end of Part 1! What a shocking twist, right? Zelda not being Sheik? Who would have expected that? Of course, after this chapter, it's probably much more obvious who Sheik really is. Anyway, I'd love to hear opinions on this chapter. A lot happened. We've finally learned why Link is so attached to his sword. We've learned his real name (how many of you got the reference?). We've met the Happy Mask Salesman and more thoroughly met Sakon the Assassin. What do you think of their characters? I'm admitting I sort of boned on HMS, in that he's not well developed and he appeared in the same chapter as another grinning character.
Also, since I'm going to be rewriting this, I'd absolutely LOVE any critical comments you have. Anything that can be improved upon.
Probably going to get up a little "intermission behind-the-scenes" stuff up in the next day or two.