Fan Fiction Friday: The Silence Within Stone – Chapter 7

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Chapter Seven

The pair were now in full sprint down the long corridor within the Great Fairy’s temple. Brazier’s dotted the walls providing ample, albeit ominous lighting that illuminated the seafoam green walls. Behind them, the sounds of Biggoron’s struggle with the Stalfos diminished until it had become inaudible. Keese began to fly overhead as they raced forward, roused from their slumber by the loud clacking of Link’s boots and Rukio’s calloused feet in rapid succession. The pair lifted their arms above their heads to shield themselves from any potential attack from the bat-like creatures.

A faint light began to grow at the end of the corridor in front of them.

“Think that’s her?!” Rukio shouted above the din of screeches. Link peered forward as best as he could and felt a stifled warmth as he looked at the growing light.

“It’s gotta be,” he said loudly. There was something else about this light however that felt wrong somehow, as though it were being stifled. As though some manner of malevolent force was interdicting it. Link furrowed his brow in determination and ran as fast as he could.

When at last the pair reached the end of the corridor, they were greeted with a wide chamber. Pillars of marble stood in its four corners, its floor was covered with vivid cerulean blue tiles, and in its center was a pool of water elevated to what seemed to be no higher than Link’s shin. Suspended above it, was the figure of a woman. Her body, long and sleek, was adorned in white, flowing robes that flitted about slowly as though she were submerged in water. Her hair, a gorgeous shade of magenta had a similar manner of flow to it as it moved in and out around the periphery of her face. Link and Rukio stepped closer, and both were taken aback with the expression that the woman wore on her face. Her eyes were that of a flat, absolute white with no trace of pupils to be found. Her mouth hung open at an angle as though she were caught mid scream and happened to lose the sensation in the right side of her face. Her limbs were limp and hung beneath her as though she were a marionette awaiting her calling for the next stage play.

“Goddesses… what have they done to her?” Rukio asked as he began to inch closer. “This can’t be normal right? She looks like she’s scared… and in a lot of pain. But like she can’t express it. This is horrible…”

It was then that Link heard a series of scrapes behind him. He turned to face their source and found standing before him a large humanoid figure in full plate armor. The most striking thing about this adversary however, was the head that rested upon its shoulders. Where one would expect the helmeted head of man, there was that of a horse. A vicious snort emanated from its nostrils, and it heaved a great, spiked mace that it rested along its shoulders.

“What are you?” Link asked through clenched teeth having drawn his sword and shield.

“No name,” the creature said through a chortle. “No need for one. I exist for one purpose and I will see it fulfilled.”

“And that is?” Link asked, tightening his grip on his sword.

“To perpetuate the ruination of the lady before us,” he said as he pointed in the Great Fairy’s direction. “My creator wishes for their light to be dimmed so that he might shine brightest of all. It is his doing that brought me into this world and for that I am grateful. For that I will pledge myself. I exist only for him and the realization of his splendor he wishes to give to us all.”

Rukio approached. “And who’s this master of yours you keep harpin’ on about eh? Why ain’t he here doing his own dirty work?”

“My master is seeing to the darkening of other lights like this one,” the horse man continued. “there are three you see. They must be extinguished, lest their light serve as a beacon to one that would stand before him in defiance of his many gifts. His love is a splendor that—”

“What’s his name?!” Link interjected, a simmering rage in his voice.

“You will know him as Ganondorf. Ganondorf Dragmire.”

A jolt went through Link. “Dragmire…” he said quietly to himself. “Your master turned Hyrule Castle Town to stone! He’s why the king is dead!”

The horse man grinned, its teeth a rotten brown. “The master did mention venturing to the castle before he left. I suppose that was the ‘trifle he meant to deal with’ he was referring to. I’m sure they suffered.”

Link could stomach no more. He leapt forward and took a horizontal slice at the horse man’s legs. He fell short, and the mace his enemy wielded caught his raised shield as it was swung low in a sweeping manner. Link was sent backward but remained on his feet. Rukio followed suit, swinging his club Evelyn in a circular motion above his head to gain momentum before releasing a horizontal swing of his own. It caught the horse man on the shoulder, causing a bestial growl to escape its maw. It struck back at Rukio with a closed fist across the face, the metal plating of its gauntlet tearing into the Goron’s toughened skin. Link charged forward observing the exchange and assumed that cases of broken skin weren’t exactly commonplace for one such as Rukio. The strength of this foe was unreal. He continued to feel the impact in his shield arm.

He jumped and sliced horizontally in front of him again. The horse man turned in an effort to block the incoming attack but was too slow. The end of Link’s sword found its mark, and the creature’s right ear was severed from its head. It reached upward instinctively and howled in pain. It eyed Link and began to run forward, its eyes a blazing red. Link rolled away from an incoming overhead blow from the mace and had trouble remaining steady as the impact sent a shockwave through the chamber.

“Hope ya didn’t forget about me!” Rukio said as he approached the creature from behind. He reared back, preparing a mighty swing of his club and let loose. The horse man brought his mace to bear, and there was an ear-shattering crack as it broke through what Link knew was solid wood. The mace continued its trajectory and caught Rukio in the chest. A sickening gurgle came forth from his lips as he was lifted upward from the blow. He landed several meters away and lay motionless.

Link, filled with determination fought against the rage that had begun to swell within him. He knew that he stood no chance with this beast were he to lose his senses. He leapt forward again and the two of them entered into a sequence of parries and misses that began to quickly sap Link’s energy.

He looked around the room in desperation, hoping to find something he could use to turn the tide in his favor, all the while dodging blows from his enemy. He happened to look up at an opportune moment and noticed that the underarm portion of the horse man’s armor was uncovered. He braced himself, knowing that getting too close to a being like this would most likely end with his demise, but he looked to the prone, still body of Rukio and found the resolve to pursue the risk. He stabbed forward antagonistically, hoping to get the horse man to bring his mace overhead just once more. The effort did not prove fruitful however, as the mace swept low. Link jumped over it and slashed outward quickly, leaving a gash in the horse man’s face. Link could see the muscles in his jaw begin to become rippled and corded in rage, and he had hoped that this was the chance he had been waiting for. Indeed, the creature began to raise the mace high above his head and Link responded. He put every last bit of strength he had left into a series of movements: a rush forward to stab upwards through the exposed bit of armor, a retraction, and a bash of his shield against the beast’s lower torso bringing it to its knees. The mace landed next to the horse man with a loud crash. It looked to Link with weary eyes and brought them to a close as Link brought one last horizontal slash to his neck.

His body and head slumped to the ground, and Link stood in place for several moments catching his breath. He wiped his brow and began to move in the direction of Rukio before a faint rumbling stopped him in his tracks. The body of the horse man lifted into the air and began to convulse. Link, exhausted, raised his sword once more, prepared to use every last ounce of energy he had to take the creature down again if need be. There was no need however, as the body simply began to disintegrate into nothingness. Link watched as particles of the creature faded from existence. A piercing scream erupted from the center of the room where the Great Fairy resided, and Link turned quickly to see her fall into the shallow pool below her. He approached the pool and kneeled down to examine the state she was in. The pallor of her skin was slowly giving way to an underlying radiance, and her eyes appeared to have regained what appeared to be violet irises. She looked up at Link through violent sobs and brought her hand up as far as she could to meet his face. He reached with his free hand and took hers, taking care to be as gentle as possible.

“Thank you my child,” she managed to utter before falling unconscious in his arms.

Bryan King is an editor for Zelda Dungeon. He loves writing about everyone’s favorite green-clad elfin boy, and thinks Zelda II doesn’t get the love it so rightly deserves.