Fan Fiction Friday: The Era Without A Hero – Part 16

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“Hold them off!”

Horns erupted from all over the camp as the first moblin charged ahead towards Osmond. He only had time to step to the side and let the rampaging beast pierce one of the canvases with its spear. Osmond then swung the axe into the monster’s back, burying it to the handle.

Another moblin appeared through the doors and Osmond couldn’t get the axe back out, so he drew his sword and shield.

He deflected the spears tip away and slashed the side of the moblin, causing it to scream out and fall towards the window. It grabbed the curtain and ripped it free as he fell to the ground.

Moonlight streamed in just enough from the grimy window to illuminate the dark room and the mysterious pattern on the floor. Osmond noticed it almost as soon as it became visible.

“Fado,” he said preparing for the next enemy, “it’s a puzzle!”

Fado stopped beating on the door and turned to see the lit-up floor. It was a line that zig-zagged from one corner, across the top, diagonally to the center, then in a sort of square pattern to three more points. He turned back to the door and noticed notches that lined up with pattern.

As Osmond ducked under a third moblin, and drove his sword into its gut before rolling it into the other two defeated enemies, Fado pulled one of the rusted spears from the rack and traced the pattern onto the door.

It clicked and swung open, revealing a hallway that looked as if it led back to the first courtyard. Just before they started down the hall though, three more moblins emerged in the doorway.

As they charged, Osmond shoved Fado through the door and grabbed hold of the spear rack. He pulled it away from the wall and shoved it towards the dining room, just in time for the charging moblins to impale themselves on the rusted polearms.

They rushed down the stairs and found themselves in a mirrored version of the courtyard with the well. Quickly, they made for the door back inside the temple and across a central room they had already explored. Navigating to the locked gate, Fado forced the key in and opened it up.

The duo rushed to lift the heavy wooden cover off before peering down into a dark pit. Circling the outside was a narrow and slick looking staircase. A single torch was lit at the bottom, providing at least a small sense that it was safe to proceed.

“Pull the cover back on top once we’re clear. It’ll help if they get through and keep looking.”

Osmond did as he was told, following Fado and descending to the musty smelling basement. A brick hall with a thin fog clinging to the air welcomed them on one side, while the other still was functioning as a waterway. Rusted bars gated off both ends of the small canal, but water flowed naturally through it. Above them, a natural stone ceiling gave the impression of a long-forgotten cavern.

About halfway through the dim and dank passage, they found a hall that cut away from this main passage. Based on where the turn was, they figured they were about in the center of the Temple.

The brick walls soon gave way to small barred chambers that contained a small bed and a bucket. Osmond paused to look into one briefly.

“Osmond,” Fado said, his feet shuffling to a stop a little further into the hall.

When Osmond turned, he saw why Fado had stopped.

A single larger jail cell. But it wasn’t empty.

“Zelda!” Osmond couldn’t contain himself as he grabbed hold of the bars.

“Osmond! Fado!” Zelda said with a bit of shock. “How did you get in here?”

“This is still the forest my dear,” Fado grinned. “I’m glad to see you’re alright.”

A moment later, Fado had opened the cell with another one of the keys and they had started to move everybody out of the cell.

“Osmond and I will head up first. If any of them are around, we’ll lead them away. Then in groups of two or three, you all break for the front door.”

“What about the wounded who can’t run?” the most well-looking soldier asked.

“Somebody will have to carry them,” Fado suggested before turning to Osmond. “Go check that-“

Before he could finish, the sound of the cover opening flooded the tunnels. The soldier stepped over to the cell’s entrance and quickly shut the gate.

“There’s another way out of here,” he pointed to the ceiling.

Heavy steps were drawing louder and nearer.

“Go, once they’re here there’ll be no stopping them.”

Fado nodded and motioned for Osmond to help him up. He pushed the wooden door open and crawled through. Just as he disappeared from sight, a rope fell down for Osmond to grab. He nodded to the Princess and began climbing.

When he emerged in the room above, Fado was standing still with his back to the hole and his arms raised into the air.

“Worms,” a slimy and throaty voice croaked. “Worms like maggots in food.”

Osmond’s eyes lifted to see a massive moblin wearing a jagged and twisted scrap of metal on his head. In one hand, he held a spear that glowed with a purple and black haze in the gem at its head. His bile-yellow eyes were swollen and puffy, matching his bloated body that smelled so bad it was visible. The last detail Osmond saw before he was helped to his feet by a few other ordinary moblins, was a key on a necklace that hung just below the clasp of the monster’s cloak.

“I am Forad, moblin king. This is my fortress, what are you doing here?”

“Led right into the throne room,” Fado rolled his eyes. He shifted his attention to Forad, “look, there is no Kingdom of Moblins and therefore no king. You are gifted among your race, I’ll give you that, but you are not a king.”

“I was given my title by the Great One! The ruler of all! He said this was my palace, and I could-“

“Nope, still not yours. This is sacred ground, the Forest Temple. This ‘Great One’ as you called him, doesn’t have any authority here. Unless it was King Daphnes Nohansen, you have no claim here.”

Forad grinned and sunk his head closer to Fado.

“Your king is a fool. He will perish like ice in summer.”

Fado cringed as Forad’s breath floated around his nose, “alright, who’s this ruler you’re so fond of?”

Forad leaned back with a chuckle, and his free hand floated to the necklace. His eyes seemed to glass over for a moment, then they turned back to their rage filled red and yellow.

“Kill them.”

Fado reacted first, reaching into one of the satchels on his hip and pulling out a pair of round seeds. He slammed them to the ground, and a burst of blinding light exploded all around them. The half a dozen moblins that were preparing to deliver fatal blows suddenly recoiled and tried to cover their eyes.

Osmond turned and drew his sword and shield, swinging his blade quickly at the legs of the nearest moblin. It tore the flesh off the monster’s kneecap and caused him to fall. Osmond’s sword continued upward and caught the armor of the moblin next to the first. It recovered from the Deku Nut blast enough to counter Osmond and pull him closer with a dagger drawn. Osmond responded by slamming the side of his shield into the moblin’s neck, followed by a knee to the gut.

Fado wasted no time either. He dashed forward and rolled underneath a swing from one of the Moblins. When he came up from his roll, he slammed his dagger into the knee of another monster, causing it to drop its weapon and grab at the wound. The Kokiri Sage was quick though, and ran around behind him, taking the dagger with and driving it into the top of his skull.

From the dead Moblin’s shoulders, Fado launched himself toward another and tackled it by throwing his arms and legs around the Moblin’s head.

The wild swing of a club though, knocked Fado off and onto the ground. Just before Forad could drive his spear down into him though, Osmond dove in and deflected the attack away with his shield.

Osmond stared into the yellow eyes of the Moblin leader and drove forward. He slammed his shoulder into Forad’s gut and knocked him backwards into a pair of his fiends. Fado quickly rallied as well and ran up alongside Osmond. They turned back to back and fought off the next few Moblins together.

Once Forad got to his feet, he charged toward the duo.

Osmond parried a Moblin’s blade toward the attacking boss. He braced himself behind his shield and expected the sudden pain of the attack. Instead though, there was a rush of wind.

Osmond blinked and was suddenly standing next to the opening to prison cage, Fado’s hand resting on his leg.

“What just happened?”

Forad’s spear plunged into one of the other Moblins. As it keeled over, they all froze and looked at Forad.

In some unintelligible grunting and growling, Forad seemed to be pleading his case. As they turned around to face Fado and Osmond, Fado stepped forward calmly.

“I already warned you, this is not your kingdom. Leave now. Last chance.”

Forad’s mouth twisted and foamed. He wildly ripped his spear from the impaled Moblin, slashing the face of another. He raised it up over his head and charged forward.

“Farewell then,” Fado thrust his palm forward and a sudden gust of wind rushed past him.

The gust was so strong that it lifted Forad up into the air and propelled him backwards into the side of the room where a tall tapestry was hanging.

With another flick of Fado’s wrist, a torch tipped over and ignited the wall-hanging. Within seconds, the flames raced upward to where the so-called Moblin King was.

Pressed against the fabric, Forad thrashed and cried out. The flames though, surrounded him and swallowed all that they touched.

Fado relinquished his hand, the wind stopped, and a pile of dust and ash fell to the ground as the flames burned out. The sound of a few pieces of jewlery jingled out as they hit the floor where the pile of ash floated down to.

Silently, Fado glared at the remaining Moblins. They reacted by tossing down their weapons and fleeing the chamber. When they had gone, Fado relaxed and breathed an exhausted sigh.

“Thank the Goddess that’s over, I used up nearly all my magic moving the both of us,” he chuckled as he flopped to the floor.

Osmond dashed over and began helping the prisoners climb out of the cage. The soldier threw his arms around Osmond before moving over to thank Fado as well. Zelda, still below, began helping the weak Kokiri out into the main room.

After the last of the prisoners out, Osmond helped Zelda up. She looked in his eyes with a new sense of respect, he thought. As he thought about it more, he realized that she was thanking him but also how right she’d been about the need to leave when they did. He looked around at the starved, weak, wounded, and severely injured group of people they’d saved.

“You did a brave thing, Princess,” he said to her.

“They needed us. I couldn’t wait.”

Osmond nodded.

Fado walked over and examined the pile of ash, looking at the broken crown and jewels that rested in it. He turned his head in curiosity as he saw the key that had hung around Forad’s neck. When he picked it up, a strange feeling came over him.

“Fado? What do you think that key goes to?” Osmond asked from behind him.

“I’m not sure… but it seems…” He trailed off and turned his head slowly to an engraving that had been revealed behind the burnt tapestry.

As a soft wind began to float through the air, Fado’s eyes widened and he rushed from the chamber.

*          *          *          *          *

The Great Deku Tree took a long time to respond to Fado’s question. He looked carefully at the green key that was marked with the insignia of the Faron Woods. He turned it over and over in his branches, feeling every curve and groove in it.

“What is that? When I held it I… felt something… It felt like her.”

“You are certain of that?”

Fado nodded.

“Sages who pass on often leave an echo in their wake. Are you certain it wasn’t because of where you were?”

“Great Deku Tree, she said my name… I’ve seen echoes. I’ve conversed with spirits. This was different.”

The branch holding the key, lowered and handed the item to Osmond.

“Sir Osmond,” the Deku Tree’s voice that spoke seemed unafraid and confident, “I am relieved to see so many of my children back in my meadow. It would seem though that the forest itself will bear this scar for quite some time… I believe this key played some part in that. If what Fado says is true, there may be some great magic sealed in this that has been forgotten. Please, bring it before the Sages and your duty here will be completed.”

Fado watched with concern as Osmond took the key and slipped it into his satchel.

“Great Deku-“

“Fado, I trust you. And if Lady Saria did indeed speak to you from beyond the grave regarding this mysterious key, I worry what other magics could use it as a conduit. Sir Osmond here seems wholly unaffected by it though.”

Fado nodded.

After saying a few goodbyes, the trio were led to Bridge of Goodbyes by Mido, Carolyn, and a some of the other Kokiri. Mido acknowledged Osmond with a simple head nod, then fully bowed to Zelda.

Carolyn embraced Fado with an overly enthusiastic hug, drawing a laugh and sympathetic hug back. Mido and Fado shook hands with stern looks in their eyes, but said nothing.

As they crossed the bridge though, Fado stopped as he had on their way in, and turned to look back.

For a brief moment, Osmond saw a flicker of green light circling behind the other Kokiri. It stopped for a moment, then floated off with the breeze. When he looked down at Fado, his eyes were filled with tears.

“Goodbye…”

 

*Author’s Note: A 12-track album is now available over on YouTube with songs (some covers, some originals) from the Podcast version. Check them out here!

David Wayne Nystrom is a Staff Writer for Zelda Dungeon. This story is an imagining of the final days in Hyrule prior to the Great Flood talked about in the opening cinematic of The Wind Waker. His top three Zelda games are Ocarina of Time, The Wind Waker, and Link’s Awakening. The first six chapters of the full story are available in podcast form, with future chapters in the works. To find it and learn more about the project, head to erawithoutahero.wordpress.com or follow him on Twitter. Every Era Has Heroes…