Fan Fiction Friday: The Man Behind the Masks – Part 16

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I snapped at the reins, wishing that the slow driving horse called Toffee would transform into a wild, racing stallion. Sadly, I had to be careful not to tire the poor hackney out, otherwise we might not reach Lake Hylia at all. Except, it is so very difficult to remain calm with arrows whistling past your ears. Just ignore them, I told myself, until one embedded itself into the back of my seat. This, accompanied with Yasei’s barrage of uncouth swearing, made the whole situation completely intolerable.

In the moonlight, two silhouettes drew up beside the wagon with hooked noses and curved blades. There was a great jangle of bracelets as they rode, their enormous steeds, jet black with long flowing manes. One of the strangers shouted over in tongues I had never heard before.

“What are they saying?” I called to Yasei.

“You don’t wanna know,” she replied, her voice sounding strained under the dragon mask.

Spangles of light fizzed into life. Some of the sparks singed at my cheek, and I quickly brushed them off. The horses were getting closer, their hoofbeats echoing on the pathway, kicking up dust. Keeping the wagon straight was not easy. It wobbled frantically from side to side. The reins became slippery in my sweaty palms.

“Ronri, keep it steady, am trying to aim here!”

I licked my dry lips as the arrow let loose. There was a strange smell and then, seconds later, the whole night sky flashed. The resulting boom startled me, and I collided with a small pack of Stalchildren wandering too close to the path. A rain of bones fell, and a jabbering skull landed in my lap. I screamed but did not dare let go. It laughed at me before I batted it away with my elbow. Kilton busied himself snapping at the remaining limbs that jumped and bounced around trying to reunite with one other. A most curious magic if ever I saw one.

“Forget it, Gerudo, you won’t get nothing off me!”

Yasei forced her way to the rear. I tried to wedge my head between my shoulders, neck muscles squeezing ready for the kaboom. It came. I felt the back of the wagon lift and come crashing down. We rushed forward, our horse struggling to bolt with the load it was pulling.

“Take it easy,” I tried to soothe the terrified creature with a calmness I did not feel.

Another roar from the Gerudo thieves followed, and they galloped even harder. I fought the urge to twist around, focusing instead on the part I had to play in this dangerous game of cat and mouse. Yasei continued her assault of bomb arrows which mercifully seemed to be working.

Riiiip!

One cocky Gerudo had found a blind spot, hugging the right-hand side just between the wheels. We stared at each other, and the thief winked back. A sword plunged into the canvas and continued slashing the Trading Dragon to pieces.

“Stop that,” I shouted.

The Gerudo chuckled. “You dare to challenge me, little Hylian man? Would you like to meet my scimitar?”

“No, I would not. Get away, or I will make you.”

“You try, hmm?”

Pulling hard, I slammed the wagon into the rider. They retreated, but not long after, a neigh and the stamp of hooves brought the Gerudo back alongside me.

“You have spirit little Hylian man, you have girlfriend?”

“Huh?” Such a question was the last thing I expected when being chased by a mob of warrior women brandishing swords.

“Ronri, they’re trying to rob us, remember?” Yasei bellowed. “Kilton, go get ‘em!”

The husky leapt, running straight for the horse’s front legs. He snapped and barked, causing the steed to flinch. I had not known Kilton for very long, but watching the dog attacking something more than twice his size, I could not decide whether he was fiercely devoted or just extremely stupid.

Either way, there was no time for concern, as another loud kaboom followed. This one hit its target as one of the Gerudo was catapulted from their perch. The others did not stop. Another roar, then words repeated over and over. I did not feel the need for a translator this time. It was most likely a promise to gouge out my eyes or remove my fingernails one by one.  Well, this is not the first time someone has tried to hurt me, I thought, then frowned.  I should be more disturbed by that.  Oh dear, whatever is this world coming to?   

“Unnnn,” Yasei gave a sudden cry. Her bow clattered to the floor as she sank to her knees.

“Yasei?”

“I’m fine, stop fussing, would you?” But she tore off the dragon mask, laboured breaths filling the wagon.

“Is that an arrow sticking out your arm?”

“Keep your eye on the road,” she bit out. She poked at the shaft protruding from her bleeding flesh and winced.

“Find some cloth — stop the bleeding!”

“I know that, moron.” Her pale face twisted in pain. She seized a knife and pulled it down the neck of her poncho, splitting it in half.

Meanwhile, Kilton returned to the wagon, panting from his efforts to distract the horses. He snarled at the Gerudo, but they only laughed and seized their chance to get closer. They tore more holes in the canvas, which flapped and thrashed.

Surrounded, and with no idea how far away Lake Hylia was, fate continued to conspire against me. If the Gerudo caught us, it was clear they would want far more than just our cargo now.

I cannot let that happen. The wind picked up, my floppy fringe drew like a curtain over my eyes, and I huffed it away. What if I warped them somewhere? Hesitation turned like a wrench in my gut. But then Yasei would know I use magic. She would never speak to me again. And besides, it might not work!

I turned around, Yasei had managed to fashion a bandage of sorts. The black-feathered fletching nestled in jagged scraps of yellow wool.

“Where are those blinking bombchu?” she said. Rummaging one-handed through a nearby sack. “Aha.” She smirked wedging something that resembled a blue mouse between her knees. She lit the tail with great difficulty and then sent the odd contraption whizzing off towards the Gerudo.

I had seen bombchu before, Guru-Guru had taken great delight in showing me how the clockwork mechanism worked. The mouse appeared to be entirely innocent as it ran along the floor and disappeared into the kitchen, only to blow it up seconds later. It was an accident of course, but Akisin had still grounded us for a month. Ever since then, whenever I heard that whirring sound, I wanted to dive for cover.

Our pursuers felt the same way, as the bombchu headed towards them, they split their ranks, eager to avoid further casualties. Yasei sent an army of mice on the attack, trails of red dust zig-zagging into the black. Soon, balls of flame had lit up Hyrule Field, forcing the Gerudo to move out of range. But the explosions did not deter the thieves. They continued the chase, unwilling to let our small trading wagon go. Why? What possible use could they have for frog eyeballs and Deku Nuts?

“Stop now, and we’ll spare your miserable lives.” It was the Gerudo from before, pulling down the ruby circlet she wore above her brow.

“And why should I believe you? You hurt my friend,” I said.

“I give my word as Kavia of the Gerudo.”

“Liar! You’ll take everything.” Yasei clung haphazardly with one arm to the box of silks and hibiscus flowers. Kilton barked in defiance. “They can’t have it. I won’t let them. No thieving Gerudo is getting their hands on the Trading Dragon; I’d rather die.”

Death is not something to be wished for, I thought glumly. No matter how bleak a situation, there is always hope, isn’t there?  

More whistling came from the sky; I looked up; arrows rained down. Their tails were ablaze, reminding me of shooting stars.

“Ha, couldn’t hit a target if it were two feet in front of them,” Yasei retorted. I started, how had she managed to crawl behind the driver’s seat? Then a sloppy lick to my cheek reminded me about a certain helpful husky.

“That may not have been their plan.”

“What do you mean?”

Whoosh!

Sometimes, I despised being right. The arrows exploded in a chain, creating a wall of fire across our path. The hypnotic flames of blue and green twisted into monstrous shapes. Work of sorcery no doubt; its familiar pulse made the hairs on my arms stand on end.

“By the Goddesses, get us off the road.”

An emergency detour led us to bumpy ground. The intense judders caused the entire wagon to rock and rattle. Steering became impossible as Toffee struggled through blades of tall grass and stalchild blocked our way.

“The wheels are making funny noises,” I warned.

Yasei clamped down my shoulders. “You’re too rough; the wheels weren’t designed to handle terrain like this. The bolts and clips are shaking loose.”

“You were the one who told me to get off the road. Perhaps you would care to drive?”

“You bet I would,” she snapped back, “if I didn’t have this stupid thing in my — boulder!”

Toffee shrieked in alarm. I managed to turn the front right wheel to avoid hitting the boulder head-on, but it caught the back. The impact sent the wagon into a terrifying spiral. Attempts to regain control failed as the moon spun in the sky.

“Hold on.”  I braced against the footrest but felt my body lift before being tossed aside like a rag doll. More rolling followed until gravity took mercy on me. There was a screech of twisting metal and splitting wood. The wagon keeled over and began sliding across the grass; it kept going. I watched helplessly as boxes tumbled out and cracked open like eggs, spilling out in all directions.

Please stop, I begged. Bile rose in my throat. Yasei is in there.

The husk of the Trading Dragon finally came to rest on her side. Shards of broken bottles and coral jewellery glittered in the moonlight. The squeak of the sole remaining wheel as it turned went right through me.

“Yasei? Kilton?” my voice quaked.

“Tsk.” Kavia clicked her tongue in irritation. “There was no need for rash action; I would have kept my word.” She clapped her hands. Immediately the other women stood to attention awaiting their orders. “Salvage what you can, King Ganondorf will not tolerate failure.”

King Ganondorf? I had not heard of such a king.

Never mind that now, help Yasei! I began crawling on my belly, fighting the double vision that plagued me. Concussion I believe is the term, when a blow to the head can knock a person’s senses out of whack. I had received my fair share of this affliction already. Surprised there is anything left in this noggin of mine, I shook my head, then regretted it as a sharp pain stabbed my temples.

“And where are you going, my little Hylian man?” Kavia laughed and scooped me up into her big strong arms. “You are injured,” she pointed out.

“Put me down at once,” I protested, wrapped in an inescapable cocoon of muscled biceps and the woody smell of oud. “I must help my friend.”

“If she is alive, we will help your friend,” her tone became serious, “but she attacked my sisters, and for that, she will be punished.”

“But you attacked us first.”

“My little voe likes to argue? How sweet.” She tucked a stray strand of brown hair behind my ear. I jumped at the touch and then scowled.

“She was defending what belongs to her.”

Kavia shrugged. “You speak true, we will discuss this when we return to Gerudo Fortress.”

“Gerudo Fortress?” I gulped.

“Oh, yes.” Her smile became wolfish. “Most voe are forbidden to enter our fortress, but as second in command, I am allowed certain…privileges. It is a great honor; you are most fortunate.”

Our wagon was out of commission, Yasei could be dead, and I could hazard a guess what Kavia’s ‘great honor’ might be. No, I did not feel very fortunate at the moment, not very fortunate at all.

 

Featured art: Alison Brunyee via Canva.com

Alison Brunyee is an Original Content Editor for Zelda Dungeon. She likes reading manga and collecting Japanese wind chimes. Her favorite Zelda game is Ocarina of Time, but she is currently battling through A Link to the Past. For a bit of escapism during this tough time, check out more fan fiction from her alter writing ego – Otwl. Stay safe x