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Zelda Art The Shadow Within

PapilioTempesta

Tots Som Pops
Joined
Mar 22, 2013
Location
Barcelona
WARNING This story is rather dark, both due to its style and content, and surely NOT for children.
---

Hi everyone! After reading some great stories here, I've started writing a fanfic of my own. It takes place during the events of Twilight Princess, I'll try to follow the game's story as accurately as possible.

Despite my best efforts there may some grammar mistakes left (sorry). I'll gladly accept all kind of corrections and criticism, and try to do it better every time. I'll try to post new chapters on a weekly basis.

Thank you for reading. Enjoy!



THE SHADOW WITHIN


Prologue and Chapter 1

There had been a war. Two brave, ancient nations had fought each other, like many times before, but this war had to put an end to all conflicts that were and would be. And this would only be achieved by complete annihilation. The winning side, more powerful, better armed and organised, hunted down with great care and precision all survivors, warriors or not; they burnt their villages to the ground, destroyed any little hint of life in that already arid soil and sealed the entrance of the cursed land. And yet, despite all their efforts, one little girl managed to sneak unseen into the realm of springing life...

But that had been a long time ago, and no one cared to remember about it any longer.

---

"Good morning, Sir. 'Tis a blessing sun shining today, is it not? What will it be? Some arrows? I hear you are an excellent archer. Keep practicing. Yes, Sir, we are all well, gods be gracious. That'll be 40 rupees. Thank you for coming, Sir."

It was a little shop, with hardly any place to move, so platforms were scattered at different levels to make the most of the space. From the storeroom up above, Norah looked down at her grandmother, who was still smiling and bowing as the customer leaved the shop. Contempt shone in her grey eyes. She believed such behaviour was improper of anyone with one hint of self-respect, even more when treating so respectfully such idiotic fools like the people of Kakariko.

When the customer was gone, Grandmother looked up for Norah in the upper side of the store.

"Girl, bring down the spare bug baits, we're running out of them down here. Don't be lazy, move on! You still have to pile up those boxes while I close the shop."

Norah stopped for a second. Now, that was new...

"You are closing the shop at midday? When there still are customers out there? What for?"

"I made an appointment with Renado at noon. Today is the day we honour our fallen, I distinctly remember telling you that yesterday."

Ah, yes... Norah remembered hearing something like that. She hadn't paid much attention, though: when Grandmother said ‘our fallen’, she meant her own fallen -Norah's father and grandfather, Grandmother's family. As if her dear son had never been married, banishing into oblivion his wife and her brother. Norah couldn't remember her mentioning their names even once in the past eight years.

Norah came down and took care of the messed up boxes. Grandmother was muttering while looking for the main key. "Damn those Gorons, leaving us with no supplies... Whatever's got in their thick heads? As if times weren't hard enough as they are... Hurry up, girl, I'm about to lock the door here!"

As she stepped outside, Norah could feel her blood boiling, but she had learned long ago to cool down her emotions. Hatred ran through her veins like poison. She hated the village and despised everyone within it. She had always felt uneasy there, like a stranger. Not that the villagers were unkind to her; quite the opposite, everyone was friendly, but in a naive, foolish way that made her feel like a chained wolf among blind, happy sheep. It got on her nerves.

Many times had she thought of running away, trying to forget the fact that she had no place to run to, no family who’d welcome her. Grandmother had reluctantly taken care of her since she was a child, never entirely hiding her resentment towards Norah's kind and, as a result, Norah herself. It was her hair. Not a single soul in those lands had such a bright red hair, the same hair vibrating with exotic beauty that years ago had charmed the old lady's son away from her.

Before heading to the graveyard, Grandmother wanted to make a stop before the spring, which was said protected the village from the dark and the evil. The old woman closed her eyes, put her hands together and whispered a prayer.

"May the gods and the spirit of the water protect the good people of this town."

"There are no good people in this town, only fools and hypocrites," replied Norah, staring coldly at the fountain.

Grandmother turned to her, with severe wrath. "You will not speak like this, you insolent girl," she said. "You will apologise this instant."

She did so, not even turning nor changing her expression. She'd repeated that apology so many times it had no meaning left. But Grandmother was apparently satisfied. Then they went on to the graveyard.

At the end of a narrow path, the necropolis opened in a wide cul-de-sac, full of tidily arranged graves. Against the wall at the other side of the yard there was an old stone dais, which was said that had to be the entrance to the mausoleum of some eminent foreign lord, something that never came to happen. It looked old and sombre, so it went quite unnoticed.

A tall man was waiting for them. He was Renado, the village's shaman. The three of them walked silently through the old tombstones, and knelt before one of them. Renado's deep voice broke the silence.
"We are here today to pay our respects to those who we love and are no longer among us. Here lie the bones of Trevor and Joshua, father and son. May their spirits find peace and protect their loved ones, who cherish their remembrance."

"What of my mother?" said Norah, her voice cold as ice.

Renado sighed, but had no time to speak. The old woman snapped with contempt.

"You certainly are determined to ruin such a special day, are you not?" she said, upholding Norah's stare. "That woman never belonged to this place. My son should have never married her. She was a born scoundrel who brought shame to our family, along with that brother of hers, and they deserved to end the way they did. Now stop all this nonsense and show some respect to your kin."

"Oh, I will," she said, standing up, and walked away to the end of the graveyard. Not even bothering to look back when her grandmother called her, she went up the stone dais and sat under a tree. There she closed her eyes and remembered...

Her grandmother was outraged. "The insolence! And she goes to that very place, at a time like this! Tell me, Renado, how am I supposed to deal with such a stubborn and ungrateful girl?"

"Be patient. She hasn't had an easy childhood. Despite her attitude, I am positive that one day she will find in her heart to accept and love you," said Renado, unwilling to take sides.

They kept on praying, but he had an eye on Norah. She had more silver than gold in her eyes, but she really took after her mother, and was nearly the age she was when she first came to the village. He, like many, would never forget the years she spent there.

---

Twenty years ago two foreigners arrived in Kakariko. Two youths, a man and a woman, riding a miserable horse, but not looking miserable themselves nonetheless. On the contrary, they were an impressive sight: attractive, dark skinned, their features sharp. Their hair was bright, fiery red, shining from the colour of the setting sun to that of the blood, and they had a proud, wild look in their golden eyes. They wore plain clothes and had nothing on them but a sword and some rupees. They introduced themselves as sister and brother, looking for a place to pass the winter. Their names were Zehmara and Delarion. Where they came from, they didn't say and no one ever asked.

Having them around was like fresh air in the tranquil life of Kakariko. The strangers were young and free, living as if every day was their last. They spent their time with the villagers, sharpening their fight skills and helping from time to time, but they never really fitted in. Nevertheless, young Joshua saw in Zehmara a beauty he had never known, and quickly befriended the siblings. It wasn't long before he announced his mother that he would marry that exotic beauty, and thus the strangers decided to stay and start a family.

Years passed peacefully. Zehmara and Joshua had a daughter, Naosheera, who everyone called Norah. Delarion caused some trouble from time to time, since he apparently was keen on challenging every youngster and seducing almost every woman in the village, but in general the siblings got adapted to the slow way of live in Kakariko.

However, both Delarion and Zehmara had somewhat a restless nature, and would sometimes stay out of the village for some days. At first only Delarion was away, which was reassuring for all the male neighbours, but soon Zehmara joined him, leaving the child with her father. They left gods knew where, with their swords sharpened, and often returned covered in wounds, carrying with them rupees of unknown and suspicious origin. Their hardly hidden loot, spent carelessly afterwards, aroused a lot of gossip among the villagers, although they never cared for what people said.

There came a terrible winter that took Joshua’s live away from Zehmara. This made her and her brother stay put for a long time, rising up Norah, who grew to become a cheerful girl full of energy. When she was old enough to take care of herself, her mother and uncle went back to their mysterious adventures. One night, they even dared into the sacred mines of the Gorons, up on Death Mountain, where they found a priceless jewel, which they left on the road after sneaking past the last guard. They always had plenty of stories to tell when they returned. Norah always listened in fascination.

“We found a great treasure hidden in the deep darkness,” said once Delarion, waving his hands in the air. “There were monsters everywhere! But they didn’t stand a chance. Your mom stabbed two of them before they could charge, then there was a swing of her sword and some other three dropped dead.”

"I admit it was fun this time, but this is but petty theft, hardly any excitement,” said Zehmara. “We should be doing something greater; especially you, dear brother. You're destined for glory."

"That's just old legends,” said Delarion, as he taught Norah how to use knives. “You, little Naosheera, you will be the one destined for glory.”

But a quest for some greater a challenge stack in their minds; therefore one day they rode north, to the deed that would be their most difficult and last. After a week they were back, smiling as ever and carrying a sack full of clanging mysteries. Once home, they showed their prize to Norah. The sack was full of swords, knives, bows and armours, all of them tough yet beautifully designed.

“These are the weapons of great heroes, the ancient blades that slain hundreds of men in many a war. We took what we liked,” said Delarion.

“There, Norah, choose yours. They belong to you now. Hide them well until you’re strong enough to use them.”

Norah watched the prize in amazement, but something caught her eye under the rich weaponry. She took it; it was a silver crown. Delarion saw it too, and frowned.

“That’s strange. It’s the King’s crown. Now then, Zehmara, do you recall grabbing that with all the other stuff?”

She shuddered. “I don’t know, maybe. There were guards searching for us everywhere, we were in a hurry and it was getting dark. Surely some other things ended up in the sack.”

Suddenly, some noise outside made they stand on their guard. From the window Zehmara could see dozens of Hyrule soldiers waiting opposite the building, their swords ready. They had covered their tracks, as ever, but this time the soldiers knew precisely where to look for them. The village was empty, but in an unusual way that suggested there were many observers behind the windows.

Aware of their fate, Delarion and Zehmara kissed Norah and then rushed out, ready to fight for their lives. The siblings were fearful fighters, and many soldiers fell in that riot. But there were just too many of them.

Hyrule wasn’t big on public executions, having room enough in the palace prison cells to let villains rot to death, but orders were that the matter was to be solved in a neat, swift way. The soldiers only needed two pieces of rope and two trees. And, if possible, an elevated position to be broadly seen. That same afternoon they hanged the thieves in Kakariko graveyard before the whole village, watching the entertainment with mild curiosity, and Norah. She was nine.

---

Under the tree where her mother died lay Norah, her eyes closed. Grandmother and Renado where still praying by the tomb of her father.

Suddenly, a scream broke the silence. Renado and Grandmother raised their heads, and Norah was already on her feet, holding a knife. It wasn’t as good as a sword, but she could carry it hidden at all times and she could do quite a lot of harm with it.

There was some commotion in the village. They could hear people screaming, horses trotting and the stream of swords.

“The two of you, stay here and hide!” shouted Renato, as he run to the village.

“Yeah, that’s going to happen,” said Norah, running after him. Grandmother shouted something behind her. She didn’t look back.


The village was sheer chaos. Some houses where on fire. There were people running everywhere, chased by heinous green-skinned goblin-like creatures ridding monstrous boars. Bulblins, she remembered, random unorganised pillagers that dwelled in the wild and seldom attacked places bigger than farms. Except that they had dared into a crowded village in daylight, and didn’t look unorganized at all, each of them looting and wrecking methodically around them. Something was wrong.

The distant whisper of arrows made Norah stand back, unwilling to be an easy target. She ran behind a cart, cursing her lack of weapons. She couldn’t see Renado anywhere; he was probably fighting, or helping someone into shelter. Many people were trying to escape from the battle running south, since the attackers came from the north; but distant screaming suggested the creatures have already thought about that, and were expecting the deserters.

Norah found herself feeling... nothing. Her hometown was being savaged, and yet she found no place in her heart to grieve over it. She did feel some disappointment, not being armed and fit for battle, but nothing else. Her hands weren’t even shaking. She was completely calm.

Despite the strength of the attackers, some men were fighting back. Armed with whatever tools they found, they stood against the intruders, who were soon outnumbered. Then, among the confusion, another rider appeared. It was bigger and nastier than any of the other bulblins, and it swung an enormous battle axe to anyone who came close enough. He rode straight to the spring, and there he blew a great bone horn. The sound it made seemed to tear apart the air around it.

Then the monster looked back. “This place will be made an example of,” he grunted, staring at the courageous fighters. But then, strangely enough, he rode away, taking all his henchmen with him.

Norah stepped away of the cart, puzzled by such an improper retreat. All around her, the people cheered, and rejoiced over such a quick victory. But their joy was short, followed by an abrupt silence; because then, out of nowhere, two terrifying black creatures had fallen down from the sky. They were deep black with strange glowing patterns, wore helmed-shaped masks and had what seemed black tentacles all over them. And they were barely five yards away from her.

Norah froze. Fortunately they seemed to be blinded by the daylight, although she had to hope they couldn’t smell her either. As silently as she could, Norah backed away, but the black creatures somehow sensed her movement and charged towards her. She ran away, without caring for which direction, up the graveyard.

“Chase the beasts! There are women in the graveyard!” shouted Renado. A gang of men, still roused by their previous victory, ran after the creatures.

Norah hardly had any time to think. At the first turn, she ducked under some bushes and let the half-blinded monsters pass her by. Not after seeing the men chasing after them did she recall that her grandmother was still up there.

When she got to the graveyard, the beasts were destroying everything around them. She hurried away from their sight, ducking behind a tomb. She dared to take another look at them, tense like a hunter. The creatures hadn’t noticed her: they were playing with the terrified men, chasing them, cornering them, not letting them escape. They were stronger than anything she had seen before; with one single paw they grabbed effortlessly a built man, crushing him into agony.

A faint grunt made her turn. Some steps away, like a broken doll, lay her grandmother. She was trying to move, trapped in her old, beaten body. The girl watched in silence her efforts to crawl to safety. Back away, the beasts feasted.

“Help me... Please help me out,” she whispered, her voice faltering. She lent a shaking arm to the girl, but couldn’t uphold it for long. It thudded faintly on the ground.

Norah stayed still, staring at her. She turned to the trees, at the far end, and then back to the old woman. Her grey eyes shone like cold stars.

“Norah... Please... I beg you...” she said. Her face was a mask of terror.

Finally, Norah rose. She moved slowly towards her, unsheathing her knife...
 
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PapilioTempesta

Tots Som Pops
Joined
Mar 22, 2013
Location
Barcelona
2.


Renado was the first to see her coming down the graveyard’s path.

“Norah! What has happened?”

The girl stared right in his eyes. Her shirt had blood all over, but her smooth movements suggested it wasn’t hers.

“They’re all dead,” she said. Her face had no expression, her voice was calm.

“What, all of them? How so? There were nine of them strong lads!” said Barnes, the bomb seller.

“And the nine of them got slaughtered. Those things were too strong. I could sneak away while they were busy.”

“And your grandmother?” asked Renado, since Norah seemed to have forgot about her.

“Dead.” She didn’t look away.

The little group stood in silence. There was Renado’s daughter as well, visibly scared, who kept looking back to the sanctuary, eager to be indoors. Barnes noticed it, feeling the same.

“They’ll be back any moment. We should all leg it,” he said.

“Let us go to the sanctuary” said Renado, who had also noticed their tension. “It’s the safest place. Everyone else but us has fled for the gorge, but I fear some trap was awaiting them. Now those creatures have set barred gates; we can’t leave the village.”

With a general feeling of reassurance, they went into the round building. But Norah didn’t. She hadn’t been paying much attention to the others, her mind was elsewhere. She hadn’t moved one bit when Renado called her, and then, instead of following the others inside the sanctuary, she ran away from it, to the village.

"I must fetch something before. Get going, I'll catch up," she said.

"Be quick. They are bound to come back anytime now."

Norah ran to the store, her mind racing. Her blood was spreading a message all over her being: she could either stay in the village and hide, or she could break away, run into the open. She had made her decision even before hearing the options.

Since her late grandmother still had the key on her, Norah had to break into the building via the side ventilation system, a very convenient hole on the wall. She climbed up to her bed, where she had hidden long ago the magnificent weapons that would become her kin's last legacy. She admired them for a moment, and then she hid them all over her person.

When she got out, the dark beasts were already on sight: their diversion hadn't lasted them any longer. Norah stood still, thinking on the best way to attack them if she encountered them on her way out, but fortunately the beasts seemed to be entirely focused on the spring. She knew there was still a horse caged at the other side of the village, ready for her if she could get there. Norah took her chance, and ran for it. Nothing nasty was chasing her, but she didn't risk a glance back.

Once in the stable, she went close to the maddened horse and tried to calm it down. Right then she heard a terrible shriek, and felt the atmosphere becoming somewhat grimmer, like when a dark cloud covers the sun. Thinking only on getting out of there, she didn't give it any more thoughts, except for one firm determination not to be the next one to shriek like that. She rode a horse as eager to escape as herself, and since no one was guarding the north gate, it wasn't difficult to jump over it. The unknown awaited her far ahead.


The plain was massive. Norah rode aimlessly, without knowing which direction was right, if there was one: her main goal was get the further she could from Kakariko. She remembered having crossed those lands once, long ago, but her memory was treacherous. There was a bridge... yes definitely, a great bridge, and further on there was a river... or was there? She looked around for some clues, without stopping: in such a wasteland she'd be easily spotted, so she didn't want to linger there more than necessary.

She saw some distant buildings, and headed north. There was the bridge, just as she remembered it: magnificent, rising over an endless gorge like a dormant giant, a truly miracle of architecture. Norah couldn't care less about buildings and engineering, but as she came closer to the bridge she felt its power and deeply admired it.

Night was already falling, and her horse needed a rest. Refusing to move any forward and becoming an easy target, she decided to cross the bridge at dawn. There was an abandoned guard's room at her end of the bridge that offered reasonable shelter. She lay down against a wall, uncomfortably while seeking no comfort, and closed her eyes.

She woke suddenly, still in the dark, after hearing some distant fuss. Wielding her sword, she peeked outside: everything was covered by deep darkness. The faint noise came from the other end of the bridge. She focused her sight, and saw some bits of darkness running towards her, along the road. When they got closer, she could spot them: there was a dozen of strange creatures, similar to those that had attacked Kakariko, and then again, very different. Their skin was plain black, barely a shadow in the dark, and wore some kind of white masks. After having seen them move, she relaxed a bit. They were clearly not looking for anything, just marching the fastest they could to the plain. From her hiding place, she would pass unnoticed.

Unlike, as she thought too late, her horse. It was standing by the gate, hidden from anyone in the plain but perfectly visible from the bridge; even if they had been blind, those creatures would practically bump into it. She was considering jumping on them by surprise when the horse, that had heard them coming as well, went mad again at the sight of those strange dwellers, and started kicking and neighing until it got free. Norah watched in resignation as the animal run away, chased by those things, and didn't lay back into sleep until the last laughter died away.


There was a faint suggestion of the upcoming sun at the horizon when Norah crossed the bridge. It was the beginning of a long day. Without her horse, it would take her much longer to move, but then again, she had no hurry. She reasoned that before the end of the day she should find food, shelter and, if possible, a good fight. Caves and treasures, she thought. She’d been dreaming about that for years.

She followed the way through the mountains, ready to fight if any enemy appeared. The path was plain, and there were no disturbing presences at all, which unfortunately meant nothing to eat either. Eventually she crossed a bridge over a massive crack on the ground, but that aside, the path went on plain and boring. She felt a bit disappointed; that landscape was the perfect set for an ambush, but that place was absolutely deserted.

Finally, the path leaded to a wide plain, where she saw the river as she remembered it and, far away, the majestic silhouette of the Royal Castle.

She ran to the river, eager to drink some water. The river was nearly dry, the water level was so low it barely covered her feet, but that was enough by far. That meant, she realized sadly, that there wouldn’t be any fish. She was filling her skin when she heard some sharp noise coming from the other end of the plain. There were some voices shouting at one another with high-pitched, bird-like screams. She stepped under the river, listening.

“He no here. We no find it,” said one voice.

“Search better! Stupid one! Zora here someplace! Search!” shouted the voice that sounded in command.

“Here no Zora! We search it. I no stupid!” said the first voice.

“You stupid! You all stupid! Master says: ‘You stupid squad. You go for easy job. You bring Zora Boy Prince to castle’. Now Master angry at me and other squads laugh at me because of all useless you!”

A third voice joined it, trying to calm them down. “We search, we do. We good squad. Zora not here. Zora Boy maybe in lake or in river. River is long.”

“Useless! Useless! River is here! Zoras like water. Here river! Search river!”

Hearing the last command, Nora had no doubt she’d soon see the screaming creatures peak where she was, and since she didn’t want to be at disadvantage by fighting upwards, she climbed back and waited for them on the bridge. That took them by surprise. There were four of those black goblin-like creatures like the ones that had scared her horse the previous night. After a moment of confusion by the strange apparition, they charged. Norah stood still, one sword in each hand, and smiled.

It was an awkward fight. The creatures were fast and elusive, avoiding all her attacks. And yet, they never got to cross swords with her; they merely stood out of her range and tried to scare her away. Norah fought impatiently, visibly annoyed by their behavior. All they did was stay out of the way, and she couldn’t just chase after one of them because that’d turn her into an easy target for the others.

Finally, after some quick moves, Norah made one of the creatures take a wrong step. She was waiting for that. Fast as a snake, she threw herself on him, swinging her blade with deadly precision.

The sword passed through the creature as if he was made of smoke.

Norah blinked, astonished, and immediately raised a sword to protect herself from an oncoming attack that never took place. The creatures hadn’t come any closer while she had them at her back, as any other fighter would have done: far from that, they just stood there, laughing at her puzzlement. Norah frowned, and swiftly threw a knife at one of them. He didn’t have any time to move away, but it didn’t matter: the knife passed through him just like before. They laughed louder.

She realized that –doubtless, due to some strange magic- the creatures were nothing but apparitions, or some kind of immaterial ghosts. One way or the other, she concluded, it was all the same to her: maybe she couldn’t kill them, but they couldn’t touch her either. This noted, she put back her swords and walked away, following the road without haste. The creatures tried to stop her, running around her, making noises and swinging their weapons, but never made any attempt to attack her. When one was close enough, she punched it, but her hand found nothing but air where its head should have been. This settled it. They were annoying, but no real threat nor potential lunch either. And therefore, she lost interest.

One of them blew a horn, but since she was already leaving the plain, she didn’t bother to look back: this was a mistake. Not after long did she hear some fast steps behind her, but when she turned a blurred shadow was already jumping at her. A monster like the ones in Kakariko, black as the night, huge, a shield on its face and tentacles all over, running fast to her with rough and rather erratic movements. Strong, she thought in increasing alarm. Monstrously strong. That memory flashed before her eyes when the beast reached her. She only had time to raise her sword, expecting some mild protection, before it threw her against a wall, leaving her barely conscious.

Norah lied on the floor, bleeding, and through a sea of mist she saw the beast moving towards her, ready to finish her. Her body didn’t answer her commands, and her left arm hurt like hell, but this was a minor problem. The one problem she cared about then was that she was going to die. There were some distant shouting from those annoying twerps, but she was fighting just to keep her eyes open, so didn’t waste any strength to listen at them. The beast was getting closer.

But so were the voices, squeaking fast and clear through the mist into her ears.

“She fire haired! She fire haired! Kill her not!”

“She no fire haired! She not important! What shout you?”

“Dark one must stop! Dark one listen! She fire haired!”

“What say you? When dark one wants pray, he has pray. You stupid! Look down in shame!”

“No! Listen! Great Master send other squads to search for fire haired female. Master says 'bring her alive to castle'. We found fire haired female! I say we bring her to castle. I say Master rewards us and make other squads fools.”

“We found not Zora. Master angry if we bring him no Zora.”

“We found no Zora: we found better! Master happy when we bring fire haired to him!”

The discussion went on for longer, but Norah found no strength left in her to follow it. The thick fog covered her and she fell into a deep pit full of shadows and monsters.
 
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PapilioTempesta

Tots Som Pops
Joined
Mar 22, 2013
Location
Barcelona
3.

There was a feeling of movement. In a dream, Norah drifted among mist, shadows and distant voices, floating aimlessly inside her own mind, all worries far away. But worries usually find they way back, and the first of them pointed out to her dizzy brain that she wasn’t really moving, but being moved, and she wasn’t focused enough as to know by whom. This was troubling. Slowly, the memories of the recent past came back: hunger, twerps, ghosts, monster... hurt arm. Ah, yes. Now she could feel that. The mild pain made the dream vanish and brought her a bit closer to the earth. The voices became screams, the swift drifting became a jerkily bounce.

She tried to focus, and with great effort managed to open her eyes. She closed them immediately, although the light didn’t hurt her as much as she had expected, and risked a second glance. She was indoors, in a large stone corridor, and indeed moving. A turn of her head showed her what was carrying her: she recognized easily the black tentacles of the monster that had knocked her unconscious, and that apparently hadn’t had her for lunch. She could feel its hand around her waist. It was carrying her as if she was a light feather.

“See, now she awake! She not dead! See?”

Taking a better look around, she saw the twerps from before walking behind the monster, still screaming at each other.

“I know she not dead. I said she gone! I said she asleep! Master wants to see her now. Master cannot meet her asleep!”

“She not asleep, problem gone. Bring her to Master!”

Still a bit confused, but catching up fast, Norah realised that the large, big stone corridors had to belong to a great building, maybe inside the great city of Castle Town. It made sense, because she was close enough to it when she was captured. But then, what were those creatures doing there? Shouldn’t there be people? The little group turned left, up some stairs and then into another corridor. That place was big enough as to belong to the castle itself... Even though that made no sense at all. Where were all the soldiers? Was the princess behind all this? Or maybe she wasn’t in charge any more, maybe those creatures and their master had taken over the Royal Castle... It was highly unlikely: such news tended to spread like fire, even to remote towns like Kakariko, but there had been not one word of invasion. Still, the creatures were at ease in the building, as if it belonged to them.

Actually... what did she know for certain? There had been an attack in her village, she escaped, and next thing she knew was that, apparently, some strange creatures walked the Kingdom as if they owned it. Invasion... The word sounded every time less absurd.

Eventually, they stopped. Norah couldn’t see where they were, since the monster had her facing backwards, but some knocks suggested a big, heavy door. It creaked open, and she was placed inside a large, half lit room. She stood uneasily for a while, ignoring the pain, and didn’t straighten up until she could feel her legs again. The door closed behind her. There were some other doors at each side, but somehow she felt it would be useless to try ad reach for them. She was not alone.

Looking through a window, there was a man. It was an imposing figure, even menacing, although he had his back turned to her. However, this first impression had to cope with a better look on him. He was dressed in the strangest fashion, with overly dark clothes, but that was almost dull compared to what was on his head. Better say around his head. Or all over him, nearly. He was wearing a sort of helmet, lacking a better word: a tall, big helmet shaped as some sort of squeezed fish, that began at his belt and ended far higher than where his head should be. It covered his upper body completely. She ignored how he could get to see anything. Or, come to think, breath at all.

She could see him thanks to his reflection on the glass, but she was certain he couldn’t see her reflection, if he could really see from inside that mask-armour, since she was too far from the window. Nevertheless, surely he knew she was there; the door was noisy enough and self-explicit, especially if he had been waiting for her. Norah was about to question him on this matter, when he spoke.

“Look at the sky. The twilight covers this damned kingdom, spreading the news of our victory. Isn’t it breathtaking? Isn’t it beautiful? I made that possible. Me, the one who the royal council turned away when the need was strongest. I was fit to be King! Isn’t this proof enough? I’ve given our tribe the greatest glory they have ever dreamed of, I’ve regained what once belonged to us and was treacherously taken away. I’ve have the oppressors’ fate in my hands, and they haven’t even noticed. This is my deed!“

Puzzlement and a bit of curiosity were keeping Norah silent. There was the dramatic pause; unsure, she thought it was over, but before she could speak the speech went on, uninterrupted.

“And this is nothing but the beginning. It is within our grasp to make this world ours. I know you underestimated me, and turned me away, but I will forget all resentment. Join me and there is no telling the great things we can accomplish together. And, my Midna, no one is fitter than you to be my Queen.“

“What the hell are you talking about?”

He turned and immediately realized his mistake. Despite the mask, Norah knew he was staring her in astonishment.

“What is this? Who are you?” he screamed in what sounded like an alarmed and slightly embarrassed voice. She had no time to reply. “What are you doing here? Who are you?” he repeated angrily, but then, taking a second look, he understood the misunderstanding. “A red haired! The fools! How can anyone be that stupid! They sent me a red haired! A red... red... haired...”

His voice faded away, as he stepped back. All that was left of that outburst of angry questions was him, standing still, silent. Not sure of what to do or expect, Norah waited uneasily for him to do something. What he did, after a while, was at the least surprising.

“No. Surely not. It can't be. Wait here! Wait!” he said, as he rushed out of the room.

“What is going on here?” she shouted at his far back.

Norah watched him run, quite bewildered, and then calmed down and took a better look at the room. The window was heavily barred, and whatever the fishy idiot said, the sky behind it looked like always. Maybe a bit grimmer, but certainly not something of breathtaking beauty. Her attention left the sky and focused on the immediate surroundings: towers of diverse sizes stood everywhere. She was, as she had suspected, inside the Royal Castle. The masked man had said he was behind all that, surely meaning the invasion, but she couldn’t see how he had invaded the kingdom without the people noticing there was something strange going on. Was he trying to replace the princess?

Bearing all this in mind, Norah checked the door he had left open after running away. There was a short corridor, and some other doors, but no one on sight. She held a knife in her hand, out of habit, and realised that they hadn’t taken any of her weapons off. Nothing about that people made sense, but she had too a straightforward mind as to attribute it to nothing but them being a bunch of incompetent idiots.

“Don’t leave. Stay,” his voice comanded from behind her.

She turned, as fast as a snake. The fishy masked man was standing in the middle of the room, just as if he had never left. Norah was sure she hadn’t heard nor sensed any movement, and all the other doors were still closed. She threw a knife at him, aiming at the spots that the mask-armour didn’t cover, but again it was a useless move. The knife passed through him and stabbed a wardrobe.

“This little trick again,” she hissed. “And, however, if you can’t touch me who will retain me here?”

“I will. While it’s true that anyone can touch you, I happen to be powerful enough as to take this advantage out of you.”

“Powerful? How so?” she said, trying to work out what he meant by ‘her advantage.’

Despite his imposing manner, he looked surprised. It was amazing how meaningful his silences were, which Norah could read like an open book even though he never showed his face.

“Don’t you know who I am?”

“Should I? I’ve never seen you before,” she said. And to her surprise added: “Are you a Zora?”

“No. Why?”

“You look kind of... Never mind. Who are you?”

“Remember my name from now on until the day you die, learn to fear and respect it. I am Zant, sovereign of the twili and rightful King of the Twilight Realm.”

“Good for you, whatever that is. Now, what do you want from me? Why did you leave like that before? And what’s going on here, with you lot being untouchable?”

“You still don’t know it? Let me show you. There, look into the mirror.”

With a wave of his hand, he uncovered a great mirror at the other side of the room. As the thick cloth fell, Norah stepped before it.

“What’s so special about it? I see myself.”

“How about now?” He said, and placed next to her.

Norah’s eyes went wide open as she realized the contrast. She had thought that she looked normal when she was alone, but next to Zant the difference was literally tangible. There was something really wrong with her: the mirror showed her a pale reflection, faint, made out of dead colours. Even Zant’s shady outfit looked more cheerful than her. And worst of all, she was barely visible; paying some attention, she could actually see the silhouette of the furniture behind her.

“What do you see?” said Zant, walking away from the mirror. She didn’t get back to normal after that: the world became a little grimmer and she remained a ghost.

“I see me... fading...”

“Wrong. You see a reflection of what you were. You have faded already,” he said, as she waved vaguely a hand. The ghost inside the mirror waved it too. “You are a light dweller. You can’t exist in the land covered by Twilight but in the form of a spirit. That is what you are.”

Bring her into darkness. I want to see her properly,” said a strange voice. Norah turned. It had come from behind her, but there was only Zant. It hadn’t sounded like his voice; the fishy king had a rather high-pitched voice, half disguised by his mask, but that voice was grave, rough. It was practically a growl.

“Are you sure, Lord?” said Zant, apparently to the thin air around him. “She’s not—“

Do it,” said the voice, in a way that suggested disobedience was not an option. Norah was sure now: the voice came from Zant himself.

Zand waved a hand at her. She stepped back, suspicious. There was a faint light dying, and the shadow that replaced it, moved by some mystical force, stabbed her to the depth of her soul.

She fell on her knees, gasping. After a short while she realised she wasn't hurt; actually, she was feeling much better than she had felt for a long time. There was a warm feeling all over her body, and as she rose, her reflection rose solid and strong, as it had always been. Her hair was bright red again, her tanned skin had lost all its paleness, her grey eyes shone sharply. Norah smiled; her reflection grinned wildly.

“That shadow within your body will enable you to live in Twilight like one of us. I expect you realize what a great privilege you have,” said Zant, trying to grab her attention.

Norah didn’t turn to him, but understood what he meant. The sky was indeed beautiful, shining vaguely in permanent dusk. She was as solid as ever, but now she noticed that the world around her was not: the air was darker, covered by an eerie atmosphere, and the sky glowed with a shaded light, somewhat similar to the light that preludes nightfall.

“So, this is your Twilight,” she said, looking through the window. Things were getting much clearer now. She was touchable again, so she could attack and be attacked. She straightened up, grabbed a knife and stood on her guard. It made her felt much better.

Magnificent,” said the grave voice. Norah frowned, and turned to Zant.

“Who are you now?”

He remained silent, as if he doubted whether to address her or not, and finally the grave voice spoke.

I am the one who picked up the pieces of this pathetic and miserable little soul and turned it into the mighty king he is now. But that hardly matters. What is truly important now is who you are.”

“What do you mean?”

Don’t you know? Look at yourself. You are the living incarnation of a great tribe from years past, a tribe of warriors, proud, brave, free. A tribe that was annihilated by the cowardly Royal Family, hiding behind their army of shining shields and armours, destroying every last hint of life. I thought I’d never see one of their kin again, I thought all of them dead. But the bloodline is not lost. It lives in you." He stopped, watching her intensely. "You are a Gerudo.
 
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PapilioTempesta

Tots Som Pops
Joined
Mar 22, 2013
Location
Barcelona
4.

Silence fell heavy after such a revelation. However, Norah stood unimpressed. She stared blankly at the voice behind the mask feeling that a bit more enthusiasm was expected from her. She just nodded, and said:

“I heard the Gerudo were a fairytale tribe of savages from years past. Evil warriors who fought like demons against great heroes. I never thought they really existed. Are those the ones you mean?”

He nodded. Now that the grave voice was in control, he looked more menacing and powerful. She was aware of that, but remained skeptical.

“And I’m supposed to be one of them. I’m supposed to belong to something out of a legend.”

I assure you they were very real. The Gerudo lived on the edge of the desert for generations, in a land as tough as them. If no one remembers about that is because the Royal Family had a lot of interest to turn their existence into a myth.

“Why?”

To hide their most coward and treacherous face. To hide the truth.

“What truth?”

That last question sounded like a command, revealing her vivid interest on the matter. Norah refrained herself, and her face went blank again. Nevertheless he noticed it and sounded pleased as he went on with the story.

Bloody war, as usual. The fair and gentle Royal Family of Hyrule has always made great efforts to look virtuous in the eyes of their people, but that war showed them in their true colours. They discovered a plot and decided to exterminate the Gerudo so that they wouldn’t be a menace at all. That’s why they wanted to keep it secret. I read the military records... It was a terrible war. The soldiers killed everyone, even the children. I really thought they were gone –until I saw you.” He stared her for one moment, but she didn’t give anything away; and yet, deep inside, she was fascinated. “Some of your ancestors escaped the massacre, apparently. Do you have any family?

She didn’t hesitate to answer, knowing what he meant by ‘family.’

“My mother and my uncle, it’s them I take after. They were great fighters.” He nodded, as if he had expected that. “But made too powerful enemies. They died long ago.”

I’m sorry to hear it. An uncle, you say? And he’s dead? Then the bloodline isn’t pure after all… Although it could be expected. They surely had to mix to survive.

He seemed to reach a decision.

You will stay here for some time. You’ll learn about your origins, and maybe you’ll understand why we’re moving against this Kingdom of falsehood and hypocrisy. If then you feel like joining us, you’ll be very much welcome. You’ll have power to command and all you desire will be yours.

“And to what do I own this honour, may I ask?” She kept her eyes emotionless, but still there was a spark of curiosity in them.

I am too much of a nostalgic,” he simply said, and with no further explanation he called for the guards.

Two of the black creatures with the white mask entered the room. Norah noticed that in the presence of their master they didn’t squeak, and even tried to stand straight. They pulled themselves together and awaited orders.

These are the Twilit Bulblins. Common bulblins allied with us, with a shadow inside them that enables them to remain in the Twilight, just like you. Ask them anything you need, they are at your disposal.” He turned to the guards. “You two, escort our new guest to her room. She’s not to leave it, but you will obey her on any other field and will see that she needs for nothing.

The audition was clearly over, so she headed to the door, her mind racing. ’I’m not a spirit any longer, I can fight again. I can kill these two and leave this place for good,’ she thought. ‘But do I want to?’ His voice scattered her thoughts.

Wait. What is your name?

She turned.

“I am Naosheera. What’s yours?”

He nodded, but didn’t answer.

And then, like a cloud which’s shape is completely different from one second to another, he changed. The grave voice was gone and all that was left was Zant; all that was menacing and imposing in him disappeared as he made two outraged steps.

“My name is Zant! The victorious conqueror of this world! I told you before!”

“I know, I remember,” she sighed.

‘Lord Zant the Puppet, that’s your name.’ She kept that thought to herself, and simply added: “Thank you for your hospitality, Lord Zant.”

She bowed, with just one bit of sarcasm, and left the room with the two guards.



Days passed unnoticed. The unchanging faint light of the Twilight melted day and night into an eternal dusk, out of time, out of reality. Norah wondered if she could ever get used to it. It was indeed beautiful, but somewhat unnatural.

In her room, freed of time, she ate and slept when she pleased. She spent her time training –her hosts had insisted she kept her weapons, and even offered her some blades she’d never seen before, so that she could try them. She also looked often through the barred window, either fascinated by that hypnotic sky, either scrutinising the palace’s roofs, studying all possible escape routes. She often wondered if her mother and uncle ever run through that stone forest of towers and walls, laughing at danger as they used to do, chased by a riot of screaming soldiers.

Now there weren’t any soldiers to see; instead, the roofs were conquered by some strange flying beasts that flew around the towers, great black birds with faces like trumpets. She learnt they were Twilit Kargoroks, the shady equivalent of the common wild kargorok. Her guards explained that to her. They were rather good company, if one could get used to their sharp, high voice, and explained her all sort of interesting things: that the shadows already covered almost all the Kingdom; that they were masters of all because the people had been reduced to defenceless spirits; that their master had allowed them to loot some of the attacked villages; that their shady body made them a bit uncomfortable, but they were overall happy with it. Norah listened to all those things, vaguely interested, and actually felt sympathy for them.

On the second day, or perhaps the third, one of the guards entered with a thick book. Norah stopped practising with her knives to take a look at it.

“History of the Royal Army of Hyrule. Tales of the last East War,” she read on the front page.

“Sorry for bring it so late,” the bulblin apologised with a bow. “Old book in big library. Library full of books. All books look alike. Take a lot of time to find. I sorry.”

“Thank you all the same,” she said, heading to the window. A strange bulb of light caught her attention. She called him back.

“Tell me, do you know what those green things on the roof are?”

The guard, that was already leaving, came close to the window.

“I know, Lady. They are spirits. Sad and lonely light-ones. They are scared of the things they can’t see. They are soldiers but see no enemy, only us shadows. And they run scared all over.” The guard sounded amused, and Norah smiled, sharing his feelings. Those where the infamous Hyrule soldiers... She didn’t pity them.

Something moved down there. Norah focused on it and frowned.

“What is a wolf doing on the roof?”

“Lady sees a wolf? Where?” She pointed at the distant blur that zigzagged along the castle walls and roofs. The bulblin swung his head, more surprised than worried. “Strange wolf heads to prisoner tower. I better warns guards.”

“A prisoner like me? You have someone else locked up in that tower?”

“Yes. But I can’t speak. And you Lady are not prisoner. You are guest.”

This made her laugh, and she let the bulblin hurry out of the room. She looked out of the window again, but the wolf was already gone.

Then she turned to the book. She skimmed a few pages; as the title promised, it featured the war against the Gerudo many centuries ago. Prior to the actual fighting, there were all sort of details described, such as the march to the east, from the Royal Castle to the Gerudo Valley, the number of troops, the food supplies and the overall conditions of the army. Then there was a description of the so-called enemy; a tribe consisting entirely on females, scattered all over the desert in little nomadic groups. It highlighted that they were strong and highly skilled in armed fighting, and recommended to repel them with the archers, since the Gerudo usually fought unprotected, relying on their speed to avoid the enemy’s attacks; and, when fighting them face to face, it recommended using full armour, shield and short range weapons.

Norah couldn’t raise her eyes from those lines, absorbed in her unknown history. The war prolonged a few months; after the first direct confrontations, the Gerudo moved to a guerrilla strategy, taking advantage of their knowledge of the desert to ambush the soldiers; but the Hyrule army outnumbered them, and soon they couldn’t stand any more against them. The soldiers ruthless searched for every camp, every hidden home, killing the last Gerudo that could put up a fight, and along with them the old, the sick and the children. They burnt their houses, killed the livestock and cut down the few trees they could find. They were determined to leave not one living soul in that land full of ghosts and death. Finally, after checking every cave, after looking under every rock and stating that there was no one left, they withdraw; they spent the last weeks of their campaign on sealing the valley that would soon be claimed by the sands of the desert. All access to that land was blocked, and soldiers had to swear secrecy over all that matter for the sake of the Kingdom. All that had to remain of the Gerudo had to be those pages, to the royalty’s eyes only.

Norah turned the last page with a calm that was unusual in her. Her heart was beating furiously and her hands were shaking a bit, but overall she remained still. Many things became clearer to her. She wondered whether Zehmara and Delarion had been aware of their origins, or if their mother had. And her thoughts led her to consider what her life had been up to the moment. She felt as if she was awakening, as if she had been asleep since the day her mother and her uncle died. A part of her had died with them that day, but she hadn’t noticed that it hurt so bad until now. And looking at the glowing sky, she understood that right now she felt alive again. Happy, after so many years forgetting what happiness was.

She rose, finally aware of the proud generations of fierce warriors that stood along with her, and knocked the door. The guard opened it almost immediately.

“Tell your master I want to see him,” she said, smiling terribly. “Tell him I accept his offer.”
 
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PapilioTempesta

Tots Som Pops
Joined
Mar 22, 2013
Location
Barcelona
5.

Lieutenant Shyk stared a half written paper, deeply concentrated. He checked his notes and kept on writing the report, which was giving him a headache. It was his new twilit body’ fault, he was positive; he hadn’t got used to it yet. It felt strange to see such dark hands belonged to him, and he still had a fright every time he passed by a mirror.

Shyk was an unusual bulblin. He was a clerk, not a warrior; he could count and write effortlessly, but to his family’s shame, he couldn’t swing a sword properly. However, those skills that had haunted him all his life were a blessing under the reign of the shadows. Fortunately for Shyk, the new master needed strategies as much as swords.

And so, his long cursed ability with letters and ciphers had given him the Lieutenancy, a neat office and the orders to monitor the progression of the Twilight over Hyrule; which he was trying to do, if he could get over with that damned report.

There was some noise at the other side of the door, shouting and running footsteps, but Shyk paid no attention to it. Suddenly, a twilit bulblin entered the room, yelling.

“Terrible news! Terrible news!”

“What is this? Who are you?” Shyk asked, visibly annoyed.

“Must see Master! Must tell! Things happened! Terrible things!”

“The Lord Zant is in a very important meeting, and wishes not to be disturbed,” he said. He also was rather more educated than his comrades. “Wait outside.”

“Can’t wait! Hurry! Bring me to Master!”

“No one can’t see him now! What is that thing so urgent? Have you informed your superiors?”

“No superior other than Master!” said the bulblin, proudly.

Shyk sighed. Many foot soldiers still hadn’t got the hold of hierarchy. The lieutenant considered having him arrested so that he could learn some good manners; however, he looked too shocked to bring irrelevant news.

“All right, tell me. What has happened?”

“But Master–”

“You’ll tell me the news, and then I’ll see it they really are important enough as to disturb the Lord Zant. Now, explain yourself.”

The private took a deep breath and began to talk, speaking fast and squeaking like many bulblins did.

“I was guard in village under fire mountain, I was. With my squad, we guarded the door. South door. Not much to do, but stood for duty, I did. I was good one. Good one!” He said, and started shaking in fear, as if expecting some punishment.

“OK, OK, you were in the ambush squad at the West assault, and had nothing much to guard afterwards. So?”

“We saw man come out of village. We tried to stop man, but he saw us not. He spirit, he not touchable. He back after a while with little children inside the village. Sarge said we better take bridge away and lock door. Dark Ones came and took bridge away. Then sarge said I go find key.” He started shaking again, and continued. “I left squad for one little moment, and then bridge was back! Out of nowhere! Then a fierce wolf attacked friends. I saw it! I was away, and saw it! They all dead! And great wolf went to village, I could stop it not!”

“A wild day-light animal did that? How strange. Anyway, if it was so strong, why didn’t you summon the Dark Ones? They would have killed it easily.”

“I did! I did! Useless! Wolf killed them too! And with wolf there was a fire haired one! I saw little fire haired imp! It is there!”

“A fire haired? Well, we found one already. But she wasn’t the one the master was looking for, and he was in a terrible mood for a few days. You don’t want to know what happened to the squad that took her to him,” he said, and was satisfied to see panic in the private’s eyes. “There’s a fire haired imp in the village Kakariko, all right. I’ll include it in my next report. If this is all, step out and wait for further orders,” he said, with a clear idea of how to treat the ones that made him lose his time.

“No, no! Not done! Still worse things happened!” The guard squeaked, falling into panic.

“What is it now?”

Shyk closed his eyes, trying not to lose patience. The day was bad already without that annoying fool screaming nonsense. His report was far from finished, and there was still no news from the southern province –Ordon, or something like that. Leaving aside the usual pillage, he was still waiting for the important news: the eradication of the last Spirit of Light, protector of the far South. The Dark Ones were usually very punctual, but now they were taking their time.

Not that he was looking forward to see them again... They got Shyk on his nerves: even for the twilit standards, they felt weird. They never spoke and were obedient, but didn’t even have names; everyone called them the Dark Ones. He was sure they weren’t like the other creatures to whom Zant had given a shaded body to live in the Twilight. He admitted that the Keese and the Kagorok looked strange under their twilit appearances, but that was all. The Dark Ones felt truly unnatural, and were dreaded by all.

“What is it? What is so wrong?” He asked again, focusing again on the terrified soldier.

“Terrible! Terrible! I run to castle to explain Master, I crossed great bridge and then I saw bright light behind! I hide! When I looked back, light frontier was too close, too close!”

“What are you talking about? What do you mean?” said Shyk, alarmed. The guard was shaking.

“Twilight moved! Twilight moved back! There is no Twilight in West, or in South! Darkness dies, Light comes! Twilight is gone!”

Shyk stood up, as the guard collapsed, and run out of the room. The news was indeed urgent.



A few floors above them, there was a room with a large table. Some people were sitting around the table, which had a map on it, in the grave and serious atmosphere that had ‘Important Reunion’ written all over it.

Norah was one of them, sitting silently and listening the other five arguing. There was also Zant, without his helmet. His face was slim and slippery, which made him look even fishier than before. He was heatedly discussing with the others, four high ranked bulblins; what they discussed about was her.

“...And from now on the woman Naosheera here will be Captain, and you’ll obey her orders,” said Zant in a tired voice. “Is that understood?” It was the third time he explained it to the bulblins.

“No! Why is she captain? She has done nothing, she has no command. No bulblin will obey her,” said the bulblin who was the leader. The other three nodded in support, although they dared not raise their voice.

“She is captain because I want it,” said Zant, which amused Norah since he didn’t sound like wanting it at all. “She’ll be obeyed, and I don’t want to hear any more of this matter. Now we have other things to discuss.”

The bulblin reluctantly sat back. He was captain Grag, Zant’s second in command. Norah took careful note of his name.

The reunion itself wasn’t about introducing Norah to Zant’s officers, but to discuss politics. The word sounded deeply boring to her, but she made an effort to pay attention; if she wanted to command anyone, she’d have to understand that kind of game in the first place. She listened carefully to the bulblin on her left, who was summarizing the current situation of the recently expanded Twilight Realm, pointing at different areas of the map.

“We can rest easy and forget about the Zora uprising in the North. As you know, despite having executed their leader they were still restless, and prepared to fight again when their prince commanded it. Nevertheless the prince is lost, and just in case they planned on further fighting, we froze them in their own domain. The problem will be truly over soon: we will find the prince and dispose of him.”

There was a murmur of approval, and then the official continued.

“The Goron, at the West, where a bit more difficult to deal with, but we have been confirmed that they will stay put for long. They were too strong to fight against, but their leader was under the effects of a curse, which the Lord Zant used to our advantage. The chief Goron has been turned into a mindless monster; the Goron will be busy enough taking care of him as to bother us at all.”

There was some more approval and even one mild cheer for Zant. Norah knew the Goron where strong but rather thick, and when facing two problems they tended to focus only on the most important. They wouldn’t be a problem indeed.

“The other main tribe of this land are the Hylians, who I believe won’t give us any trouble at all.”

“You can say that again,” Grag laughed. “They are so stupid they haven’t noticed anything.” He looked at Norah, expecting to anger her with that comment; however, Norah shared those thoughts.

“The Hylians reside in different locations, but we have taken care of the main ones; the little villages have been attacked and the citizens of Castle Town are too worried about the drought. They won’t be aware of us until it’s too late, but even if they did, we have their Princess in our power. They are defenseless.”

Norah nodded; she had been wondering where the Princess was, whether in exile, imprisoned or dead. Zant nodded as well, and pointed at the southern area.

“Soon we will get news from the South,” he said. “As soon as the whole Kingdom has been covered by Twilight, we’ll proceed to consummate our invasion with–“

“Shut up, you bloody idiot, and let me in!” shouted someone outside the room, interrupting him.

Everyone in the room stared at the door as lieutenant Shyk rushed inside. He hesitated, with all those eyes turned to him, and bowed apologetically.

“What is this? We are discussing important matters! How dare you come in here?” said Zant, in a terrible voice.

“I beg the master to forgive me; there is important news you must know. The Eldin province is lost, and most probably so are the southern provinces of Faron and Ordon.”

Everyone rose.

“Impossible!”

“What are you talking about?”

“It can’t be!”

“It’s true!” Shyk said, flinching at the wrath of all those officials. “A private from the field squad has just told me how he saw the Twilight frontier move!”

“How is that even possible? No light dweller is able to rise against the shadows!” Grag said.

“The private mentioned a beast that could fight back. It killed his squad and the Dark Ones he summoned.”

“A beast?” said Zant, who had remained silent until then. There was an imperceptible edge of panic in his voice.

“Yes, a wolf,” said Shyk, bowing again. “The private said that a fire haired imp was riding it.”

“A fire haired imp! It’s her!” he shouted, rising. “Ha ha, she has found a wild animal and wants me to believe she rides the Sacred Beast destined to overcome the evil ones. What a pathetic attempt to make me nervous!” he said, laughing nervously.

“Are you saying that we only have Lanayru left?” Grag angrily asked Shyk, as if it was his fault.

“Lanayru, along with the desert and the mountains. It’s almost half of the kingdom,” said Shik, flinching again.

“What should we do?” asked a bulblin.

“Is it the end?”

“Everyone shut up!” shouted Zant, and silence followed instantly. “We have to think. The light has been restored because the fire haired and her wolf have killed all the light-eater vermin. It would be useless to take over the light spirits again, she would turn them back to normal.”

The others waited for him to explain who that fire haired was, but he was lost in thought. After a while, Grag decided to ask it himself.

“Lord Zant, maybe we could serve you better if we knew who we are facing. Who is the fire haired?”

“Her name is Midna. She is a twili traitor, gathering power in a foolish attempt to rebel against me.”

“A twili, like your grace?” said Grag. “It doesn’t make sense! The twili can’t survive in the light world! Why would she help the light spirits?”

“To help the Hero,” said Zant grimly. “I see it clearly now; she has taken a nobody, she has given him power to lurk in Twilight, and he’s doing all her dirty work to annoy me. Surely she told him he was the Chosen Hero, or something. There are legends that say a Hero will come in the form of a Sacred Beast and will defeat the evil. It’s all lies, of course. That false hero is only her puppet, her ride. She is the real threat.”

“Then we should get rid of her,” said Grag.

“No, she is too cunning and elusive. However, she needs the Hero to kill the light eaters, so that she can hide in his shadow as soon as the light spirits are revived. We need to eliminate the hero, this way she will be defenceless in the world of light.”

“We need to know where the hero is,” said Grag, and turned to Shyk.

Shyk trembled, seeing that he was the centre of attention again. He’d wanted to leave the room, but no one had dismissed him, and he hadn’t dared to just walk away.

“The wolf –or, to say, the hero- was last seen in the western village called Kakariko. He must have spent some time there to find all the light eaters, so we can assume he is still in that area.”

“What do we know about the hero?” asked an official.

“Not much,” said Zant. “The legends aren’t really specific. But rest assure he’s noble, kind, pure of heart... the usual stuff. And he surely is a good fighter. We can’t entrust his assassination some underdog from the mediocre stock.”

“I propose we send King Bulblin,” an official said. “He’s the chief of the foot soldiers, and the strongest of them all. He will beat the hero to a pulp.”

“We need a clean job, with no mistakes,” another official said, and pointed a spot on the map. “I say King Bulblin fights him at the Eldin Bridge, and throw him down. The fall will doubtless kill the hero.”

“Right, but how do we lure him to the bridge? No one would be as stupid as to face King Bulblin on that bridge with no fences.”

“There is a way,” Norah said. Everyone turned to her, surprised. She had been observing them all that time, not saying a word even once until then. Just because of that unusual fact, she had their full attention and silence. “Assuming the hero is so noble and gentle, he won’t resist to helping a damsel in distress. There is a girl in Kakariko that can serve our purpose; she’s the daughter of the village’s most powerful man, which will only encourage him more. Let the King Bulblin ride from south to north across the village, kidnap the girl on the way and head for the bridge: this way the hero will see him if he’s anywhere near the village. Set guards at both ends of the bridge, this way he won’t be able to escape. And this way the hero will be over.”

There was a heavy silence, and Norah saw in pleasure how Grag was trying hard to find a flaw in her plan. The other officials looked at her uneasily, and Zant sighed.

“Right, do as she says. Give the orders to King Bulblin, and make sure he understands them fully. Ah, and send a spy to the southern provinces to check if light is back there.” The officials gave up and nodded, obediently. “See, that’s why I made her Captain.”

“Captain?” Asked Shyk surprised, forgetting to remain silent and unnoticed.

“Captain Naosheera,” she said, savouring the words. “And who are you?”

“Lieutenant Shyk, lady,” he said, standing to attention but still looking her awkwardly.

Zant looked at Norah as if he had forgotten about her, and reached a decision.

“Naosheera, you’ll be off to the Gerudo Desert, to our old headquarters. There are a few squads there, which will be at your entire disposal. You’ll learn to command them, and will supervise the maintenance and reconstruction of the camp. Remain there and wait for further orders. You,” he pointed at Shyk vaguely “you will take her to the desert. Take a kargorok, it’s about time she learns to ride them.”

“But I’m needed here!” Shyk squeaked, desperate enough as to forget who he was talking to. A look in Zant’s eyes reminded him immediately. “It will be but an honour to escort the lady to the desert, my Lord,” he bowed, terrified.

“Capital. You can leave.”

Norah headed to the door, where Shyk was waiting for her. She recognised the unsympathetic look in his eyes, but didn’t worry; she knew the bulblins were too obedient as to deliberately disobey orders.

“Lady,” he said, giving way to her.

“Lieutenant,” she said, coldly.

And they left, thinking on the banishment they were sent to. Far east, he desert awaited.


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How do you like story so far? Are the chapters too long? I'm following the game's story as accurately as I can, but there will be side stories soon.

I hope you enjoy it. Thank you for reading!
 
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