Fan Fiction Friday: The Man Behind the Masks – Part 26b

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Kilton’s tongue flapped in the wind as he sped forwards; white pawed legs beat against the ground. His pointed ears were ragged back and fur rippled in several directions. I had to admit, his stamina always amazed me, keeping up with the horses took some doing.

When Impa’s horse reared everyone came to a complete stop.

“Hey, if you squeeze me any tighter, am gonna pop,” Yasei moaned.

“Sorry.” I relaxed my grip, slightly.

I remembered the city walls as a child; white, pristine stone that stretched so far above me I couldn’t see the top. They protected the people and nothing could penetrate them, at least that’s what I’d thought. Shrouded in shadow, they seemed smaller and more fragile somehow. The flames of the mounted torches fought against the wind as the promised rain fell. It made the grass sodden in moments.

In a flash of ominous lightning, someone waited on the drawbridge. A man with an impossibly long beard and clad in armour of black and gold. His physique suggested a swordsman, backed up by a company of around two hundred men.

“Have you located him?”

General Impa gave a ‘come hither’ gesture with her hand. “Tell the King all you know,” she instructed.

He may have been older than Ganondorf, but I couldn’t help but wonder who would win in a one-on-one fight.  I buried my face into Yasei’s hair and whispered, “I could always hide in the dimensional realm; he shan’t find me there.”

“Sweetheart, you can’t ignore the King,” she replied, through gritted teeth.

“But it won’t end well. The filter between my mind and mouth is quite broken when it comes to him.”

Her shoulders became rigid. “So, you’d rather be an outlaw?”

“I’d rather be an outlaw than thrown in prison, tortured by the Sheikah or beheaded. All quite reasonable concerns when faced with the Royal Family.” She tutted. “See? I’ve already said something treasonous.”

“Don’t be so dramatic. I reckon he wants to thank you for the warning. Ask him for a new wagon as a reward, then we can go to Kokiri Forest.”

I shook my head. “Your optimism is sadly misplaced, I -”

An alien sound; half way between an aggravated swoosh and violent rustling leaves stopped my babbling.

King Hyrule snapped at the reins of his own steed and made his way to us. Without hesitation, his soldiers marched out with military efficiency to form lines of defence. “Raise the drawbridge,” he barked at the watchman.

“Just a moment, shouldn’t we get inside first?” I said, as the rattling chains squeaked.

The King and Impa nodded to each other.

“Young man, you wrote this letter?” He rattled the paper in his hand. His tone hardly seemed thankful. It was suspicious, accusing. “As a father, I have not only to protect my own family, but my people and their families. You say Lord Ganondorf of the Gerudo sent a beast to our lands? You realize such an accusation could start a war? This isn’t a game.”

Kilton looked over his shoulder and growled.

You can sense something, can’t you boy? I thought. I can feel it too.

“Your Royal Highness, believe me, I’m not accustom to playing games.”

“You own the mask shop in town.” He brought his face closer to mine, his voice conspiratory low. “The Queen’s lady-in-waiting, Lady Mila, mentioned you closed to go travelling.”

My palms began to sweat. “Yes, yes, that’s right. My partner here has a trading wagon and I tagged along, heh.”

“She told me something else as well.” He seized my wrist. “Apparently, I signed a death warrant for the Interlopers – blindly followed the will of the Goddesses. Do you remember proclaiming that in the middle of the street?” Now he twisted at such a sharp angle that I gasped. “Are you an Interloper sympathizer?”

“No. Never. He isn’t – your kingness, highness, sir,” Yasei protested. “If he wanted to turn against the Royal Family, why would he send a warning in the first place, huh?”

Your kingness, highness, sir? A fuzzy warmth spread across my chest. Her face had become a contorted mask of serious wrinkles. Trying to defend my honour against the most powerful man in the entire kingdom. However, my heart clogged with guilt.

I told you the truth, so long ago now and you didn’t believe me, I thought. It wasn’t in jest, my dear. I did make a promise to steal the Triforce. Foolish, very foolish I know. I’d loath to hurt anyone, honestly. It’s just he won’t leave me alone if I don’t. When you put it like that…Perhaps I am a traitor after all.  

A quirky movement caught my eye. So quick, that trying to follow it made me dizzy. Specks of purple, red and grey flew across the fields. “Sir, I suggest we focus on the monster at hand.”

“What monster do you speak of?” King Hyrule huffed. “I see nothing.”

“A thousand pardons.” I yanked out of his strong grip and dismounted. With squelching steps, I searched for the unknown entity. I couldn’t see it all, but my stomach recognized this queasy energy. I swallowed my spit as revolting as the cold evil, scrambling across the peahat fields.

“Do you hear that?” Some of the foot soldiers mumbled amongst themselves. They shuffled their feet.

I let out a strangled laugh. It isn’t just me? Good to know!

At first, the chanting had been drowned out by thunder claps, the same four sombre notes repeated over and over. The chanting grew louder.  “What in Hyrule is it trying to say?”

“I never thought he’d have the gall to return here.” I hadn’t even heard General Impa totter up behind me. Her cheeks grew ever paler as she continued, “He won’t have it.”

“Sorry, what does it want?”

Now, those strange coloured specks rose high. They swayed, turning one way then the other, before honing in on our position. Impa reached for her sword.

“What does he want?” she corrected. “The thing he created and abused no doubt. The hidden treasure of the Sheikah.”

Alison Otwl continues her fan fiction at Zelda Dungeon. She likes reading manga and collecting Japanese wind chimes. Her favorite Zelda game is Ocarina of Time. Check out more of her fanfiction over at: Otwl.