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"Shadow: Part III", chapter 12Shadow: Part IIIBy: OkichanThe brook water flowed in a shimmering thread across the base of a nearby tree, who's roots stuck raggedly into the water. Moss grew thinly over parts of it, the branches and trunk where thin and withered from unfortunate weather and climate. And at the base sat a young man, his dark face concealed behind his folded arms, and his eyes shown the quiet, wretched, and maybe even remorseful thoughts that passed through his churning mind. Link hand flashed quickly and soon a stone broke the surface of the clear water, distorting it for a split second. Links hand then crawled over his furled and bothered brow. He closed his eyes, and tried with great effort to ignore the ever-constant sting at his back, where the bandages clung to his tattered flesh. Link struggled to stand up, his recently stitched wounds hurt as if a raging fire where boiling under his skin. Although Link was certainly no stranger to pain, it was still agonizing in the least of it all. Link gritted his teeth and his hand went to prop himself against the trunk of the gnarled and thin oak tree. Links eyes watched the water as it passed by, splashing rocks and clinging to them with moisture. The brook was quiet and strangely calming, his emotions settled and he watched as the water passed him. Onward and forward. An ever flowing path, only going one direction. Link thought it much like the direction that time flowed, or destiny, and found comfort in it's silent sparkle. Link turned from the stream as his ears picked up the rhythmic and yet soft steps of feet, it was a women, for it approached very lightly and quietly. Links eyes wandered from the sheltered groove of trees to behind him. Mayoree gave a confirming wave as she approached, Link turned towards her as much as his burning and sore back would allow, and raised a hand to formally greet her back. She stopped part way and beckoned him to her more clearly, Link was curious. And then his expression grew more worried, he knew somehow that Folis had finally made his decision. Because time itself had seemed to stop the two days passing the raid that unfortunate night. Links skin was still very pale from the loss of blood. His heart began to pound in his chest, the fate of their journey was now in Folis's hands. Link stumbled from the tree on somewhat wobbly legs and
walked towards her. He looked calmly back to the stream, what destiny would play
out now, Link thought. Would it take a different path, like the branching
stream? A circle of familiar faces lay still and quiet under a brow of fig trees. Placed in an uneven circle, some where not as well known, there faces had only caught brief glimpses of each other the two days they had all waited. All eyes did not dwell on each other though, but on a slowly approaching young man, black hair and a peasants garb and cloths all belied his true self. Link had been the last to sit down, and yet in his span of time here, none had said a word, none had moved nay a finger or lip. And yet, here Folis approached, in his hand Link could make out a ragged parchment of an old and rolled up scroll, which he took careful but not to good efforts to hide slightly. Sheik moved beside Link, the Hylian looked briefly down to the Sheikahs lap, where he rubbed his bandaged hand, blood had soaked through the wrappings to hide his impaled flesh. Sheiks eyes twinged, but that was all he showed of his pain. Link could match Sheiks anger and pain by ten, but neither said anything until the young prince took a careful seat. His lighter blue eyes met with that of everyone else's before he spoke. Link noticed a lot of men he didn't know, he knew they must be the princes generals. "I have made a decision." he said, his voice soundly slightly shaky. "Over the past few months, we have been waiting for an enemy who has not come into our view. A ghost of a villain who moves with the clouds and thunder of the night. In recent events, facts have been brought to me about the actions of Bloodtooth. Our new allies, which are amongst us now have brought our meaning of being out here into our minds once again." Folis slowly began to unroll the clasped scroll. "It has come to me, by a recently acquired friend, that I need to make a decision for the good of all of this." Folis paused and looked up, his eyes locked briefly with Links before he spoke again. "Link, we will ally with you, but our rations and strength are at an all-time low. I'm afraid we will not be much help to you if we follow you to the tower." One of the burly generals leaned forward. "Tower, my lord?" He asked, he seemed all but bewildered by his masters words. "The Tower of Night Harrison, we're going there." The general sat back, his face shown the surprise and terror that welled inside of him. "My lord, we can't possibly..." Sheik spoke up to dispel the argument. "May I make a suggestion?" Sheik asked. Folis was quiet, then he nodded for Sheik to continue speaking. "We can not live without allies, we have come so far in this journey, that unfortunate rations can be avoided." He stopped and lowered his eyes slightly, seeming in mid thought. Folis clasped his hands on his knees and leaned forward. "Sheik, what do you suggest?" He asked. Sheik cleared his throat, his wise and calm eyes looked at Folis again. "You are at war, are you not?" Folis nodded. Link stopped himself from smirking, Sheik had a magical way of dancing around someones question until he explained his reasoning. "Our country, as you all know, as your king knows, has been mortally wounded, and we have no way on contacting them. We are the only hope. Because without our queen we are simply a blind rat in the dark." Murmurs spread around the circle, Dalton huffed out a breath and eyed Sheik with interest. "We need allies and strength, of which we have gathered little, and now we believe the end of this whole quest is beginning to form. The Journey has taken almost half a year and still, with three of the six medallions, we are far from winning this waged war. Bloodtooth also has only complicated things further for us. The Shadow is growing ever stronger, and we need your strength." Folis looked very confused. "But we can lend you no help in our state, as I mentioned." Sheik rose a finger into the air and his eyes smiled. "We do not need your strength now, Bloodtooth is probably far ahead of us, and an encounter would be scarce, if we ever have one in the near future. Folis..." Sheik looked directly into the Princes worried eyes. The Prince grew dark, the message had gotten across to him before anyone else, he spoke up, his voice was hard, but reasonable. "I will go back to Northwinds capital and gather troops, Bloodtooths army in immense now, and then myself, my father and our army will meet you at the ridges overlooking the Tower of Night." Eyes drew around the circle, there was a tense and bitterly slow moment of silence. Shigrel suddenly spoke up, standing up as he did so. "And I will go back to my tribe, to gather my soldiers, if this requires fighting we need all the hands we can get." Everyones murmurs and confusion turned to nods of agreement. "Agreed." Folis said, nodding to the stark Cat-man with understanding. "That still doesn't solve our problems, splitting up isn't a very logical option." One of the unfamiliar soldiers piped in, everyone stopped talking. "Logic has nothing to do with it, the fate of the worlds balance rests on this, if you haven't already seen what has been happening to the land, sky and creatures that inhabit the earth from this power shift then you are surely blind." Mayoree said to calm the large man, who scowled. Link nudged her, she looked perplexingly into his eyes, but he only smiled. Mayoree could see a glint of pride in his eyes for her intervention, she smiled back and went back to listening to the conversation. Folis turned to Link and Sheik again. "Do you have a map? The lands beyond the Northern ridge are bare and rocky, full of mountains and valleys." Folis explained, Sheik nodded. "The Book of Shadow has a map, we will find our way." He confirmed. Links stomach twisted, he looked at Dalton, who looked mournfully depressed by their situation. "Dalton, you go along with Shigrel, Sheik, Mayoree and myself will go on alone, and you would only slow us down if you traveled along with us." Dalton nodded, he knew how serious these arrangements where. "I understand, my captain." He said, Link was surprised, captain? Dalton stood up next to the towering Shigrel and perked up his nose. "I shall follow the cat as you wish." "A time needs to be met." One of the generals announced before the meeting was dispelled. Folis and Link locked eyes, the two thought for a moment, then Folis said. "By the next rising of the Full moon, we will meet you at the Onyx cliffs over-hanging the tower, just before they dispel and dip into the expanse of the valley." Folis said, Link nodded. and everyone else agreed without anymore complications. The meeting scattered and people began to walk towards their various places in the camp. Link and his companions headed steadily back towards camp. Link felt his heart tug a little, they where splitting up? And so soon? The time would be later this evening, and so they needed
to pack quickly and make hast towards the north. Link glanced behind him,
through the mist that coated the valley they where nestled in, he could see the
wide partings of hills, the split in the mountains where the valley ended, and
the Northern region began. Link looked away again, so soon, they would all be
going their separate ways. And suddenly Link realized once more, Folis had
evaded his grasp once again, Link still wondered, would he ever get to know the
prince? Link looked back to the splitting path once more, and wondered. The group of horses was filed into a thin line atop the brow of the hill. Nudged between the two mothering mountains, mist swept around them. The sun was dipping behind the hills in the west, setting the sky a flame with color. The shadows stretched long and across each other, and a slight breeze set the chill of the coming night into the air. This was the parting, so suddenly, and yet it had been coming longer then everyone of the souls there could count. On one parting, was Link, Mayoree and Sheik. Their saddle bags full and strapped to the saddles. Another was the small Dalton Trow and the Thunderous Lionan Shigrel. And yet the third was the noble and prince of Northwind, Folis. The moments passed, Levs long and beautiful matted mane blew in the wind. Each pair of eyes looked into each of the other pairs. Folis pulled back on his large white stallion, the horse stamped the ground the turn sideways. "I wish you good passage Link, Sheik and Mayoree. That is all I can offer you right now, I'm sorry." Link smiled at his apologetic nature and replied. "Folis, this parting of ways has secretly been coming for a long time, only the desperate nature of the hour has brought it on, and you will offer much help when we see you again." Folis nervously nodded, and then smiled back, Link saw that familiar essence in the young prince once again, Folis swallowed hard and looked to Shigrel and Dalton. "May your journey come without distraction, I guess we are both for a common goal. So we may not be parting ways just yet." The prince looked back to Link again, then over his shoulder, towards the camp he could see vaguely through the mist. "Goodbye Folis, I'm sorry I didn't get the opportunity to know you any better." Link said, and the prince just nodded, he seemed out of words. Link looked to Sheik, who's eyes darted to meet his, then to Mayoree on his other side, who was vaguely looking at him already. "I guess it is best if we just go, time is of the essence." Sheik looked towards Dalton the Shigrel. "Goodbye both of you, remember..." Sheik began to turn his horse towards the north and slowly trot down the hill. Shigrel and Dalton both watched him as he went. "By the next rising of the full moon!" All three kicked there horses into shift gallops. Link only looked back once, the hill faded into the mist that magically shrouded the passage, he could no longer make out the shapes of the horses, or the glimmer of there manes. He could no longer make out the people, if they where their at all anymore. And in some crazy sense of it all, Link, the hero of time began to wonder as he turned his gaze back to the darkening sky, and to the path ahead. What was destiny? Had it been destiny that determined they events of this worldly problem, or some other force he could not explain. Soon the night grew dark, stars formed overhead and the
gallop had turned into a slow trot, the cracked mud lay under their feet as they
went forward into the night. Link looked to the sky, his breath turning to a
cold white vapor as he exhaled, he had never seen so many stars. |