"No," Impa replied, "I-I was just wondering if you had fallen asleep. Did you?"
"I might have drifted off there, yes," he replied. "Why? Have I been in long?"
"Yes, it's been an hour and a half, General."
"Oh, I should uh, probably get out then," he said and started to stand, but stopped himself.
"I'll be in my room, if you need me," Impa said to him, and closed the door.
He stood up and found a towel in place of his tunic. He walked over to the towel and found a card on it. On the card, scribbled in bad Hylian writing, was a note explaining that his clothes were being washed at the moment. There was also an explanation of how to get to his room. He shrugged and grabbed the towel from the ground. He dried his body and wrapped the towel around his waist. He walked from the bath area and to his room, using the card as a guide.
In his room, on the bed that was tucked into the corner, was a set of sleep ware: a thin green shirt embodied on the edges with gold, an undergarment, and a pair of thin green pants. On the floor next to the bed, was a pair of thin brown shoes. Link changed into the clothes and lay down on the bed, pulling the comforter over his chest and to his neck. He fell asleep softly, and the memories once again caught up with him.
xxxxxxxxxx
Link awoke to a short Rito child poking him insistently. He opened one eye at the child, and glared at him.
The child jumped back, giggling, and ran out of his room. Link grumbled and swung his feet down to the floor. He stood and found his tunic and armor on the end table that sat neatly next to his bed. He changed into the tunic, leaving the armor off, and departed for the smell of food coming from the kitchen. He headed toward it and entered. He found Impa and Sheik sitting at one of the oak tables in the kitchen, along with a few Rito, including the child that had so rudely awakened him.
He sat down next to the two. Impa and Sheik were wearing their Sheikah tunics, and Sheik was also wearing her mask. She sat at the table, not daring to touch her plate, which Link found to be empty.
She must have eaten while I was sleeping, Link thought. She must really not want me to know who she is.
Impa was busy clearing her plate, only for her to refill it. She needed all the strength she could get, even with the Triforce of Power.
Link found himself a plate and piled it high with smoked sausage, toasty, buttery hotcakes, runny fried eggs, and crispy bacon, which could only remind him of the last morning he had had with Lana. He quickly cleared his plate, not stopping to talk, and turned his head to Impa. "The chief said last night that he wanted to talk to us," he said to Impa, who was busy taking the last of the sausage.
"Yes," she replied through a full mouth. "So?"
"Well, shouldn't we go to him?"
"Girotiho said to wait till noon; that is the chief's morning."
"Hmm, seems like he wouldn't make a good chief, sleeping in like that."
"Well, the Rito do-" She swallowed, "-not really depend on the chief; he is just there as a source of false leadership. Without him the tribe would fall apart, even if he does not do anything."
"Hmm, so what are we going to do in the meantime?" Link asked.
Link's question was answered by the ringing of the town bell. Several guards rushed out of the building, the others rushing to the chief's room. The Trio of Heroes leapt to their feet and scattered to the front doors of the town hall. They emerged into the wind and heard constant clatters of Rito soldiers heading to the north wall. Link rushed back inside and to his room, as did the other two Heroes. When he arrived, he quickly put on his armor and strapped his sheath and rifle, which he found on his bed, to his back. He threw his shield, which was next to his sheath, onto his back as well, and then rushed back outside where he found Sheik and Impa waiting.
They both glared at him, tapping their feet impatiently.
"What?" Link exclaimed. "It takes a while to put that armor on!"
They both shook their heads, turned, and ran to the north wall. Link sighed and followed after them. The Trio arrived at the north gate and found the gate to be closed. A watchtower was built on both sides of the gate. Link ran to the left gate, and Sheik and Impa ran to the right.
Link pulled open the door to the tower and entered. The only purpose the interior of the tower served was that of holding a staircase inside. He ran up the stairs. When he reached the top, he pushed open the trapdoor to the roof and hauled himself up. He found two guards standing there facing the plains. The roofs of the towers had fences on the sides to keep the guards from being blown off by the powerful gusts. Link looked out to the plains and saw the reason for the alarm: twenty-three Moblins were marching through the wind toward the gate. They all stood—nine feet of pure muscle and blubber, all armed to the teeth with maces, javelins, war axes, battle hammers, and broad swords longer than Link was tall.
Link looked toward the tower on the right and saw Impa and Sheik standing next to a guard. Link heard a chorus of wings flapping behind him and saw ten or so Rito soldiers flying to the plain. He stood there, on the tower, stunned by the sight of them. Link cleared his thoughts and turned back to the Moblins. The Rito soldiers flew closer to the ground and began circling the Moblins. The soldiers each pulled a bow from his back, and then an arrow. Each strung his bow and aimed toward the Moblins. The guards on the towers followed suit by pulling their bows out and stringing them up.
"FIRE!" the guard standing with Impa and Sheik shouted, and a volley of arrows was unleashed upon the Moblins.
None fell. The arrows simply buried themselves in the Moblins’ blubber, and they continued marching.
Link pulled his rifle from his back and loaded it. He aimed it toward the Moblin that seemed to be leading the charge. The Rito next to him turned his head.
"What are you doing with that club?" the Rito asked.
"Hang on," Link said. "And it's a rifle." He pulled the trigger, sending the bullet spiraling toward the Moblin. Smoke filled the tower, and Link could practically hear the Rito's jaw drop.
Link began reloading the rifle and aimed at the hoard of Moblins once more. The smoke cleared, and he found that he had indeed hit the Moblin, which was now face-down in the grass, the wind beating against its dead body.
He fired once more, and the Rito fired their bows again, for the fifth time now, and three Moblins went down. "These raids aren't so bad!" Link called out, but too early did he say this, as a Moblin carrying a giant battle hammer ran past the ranks and toward the gate. The Moblin stopped at the gate and began pounding down on the gate with its hammer.
Link slung his rifle over his back and looked over the edge of the tower to see the Moblin smash through the gate, letting the remaining monsters into the town. Link exhaled, and climbed down the watchtower, unsheathing his sword and readying his shield on the way. As soon as he opened the door he realized his mistake.
He was alone.
Impa, Sheik, and all the Rito had remained to fight from a distance, but Link had charged into the fray without thinking. Too late to go back! He ran after a Moblin and leapt onto its back, plunging his sword deep into its fat. The monster fell to the ground. Link hopped off the monster’s body, only to be launched through the air by a Mace.
Luckily, Link had been hit by the stick and not the head of the mace. It still hurt, though. His armored body crashed into a Rito house, easily sending him through the walls into the common area. He leapt to his feet, and found his sword a few feet from him. His shield was still strapped to his arm.
He ran to the Moblin that had unknowingly clubbed him, and dodged its knowing strike via mace. He slid under its legs, swinging his sword horizontally above his head as he did so, slicing the Moblins fat, stubby legs, and sending it to the ground. Link leapt to his feet, and sunk his sword down into the Moblin. He turned to face more, but found only three left, which were battering the watchtowers with their hammers.
He saw Impa and Sheik leap to the ground as the tower they were standing on collapsed. They performe
d a quick, clean roll, saving them pain and broken bones. Sheik pulled her Kunai from her belt and darted over to one of the Moblins. She slashed the Moblin several times, each slice cutting its back open before the Moblin felt the thin pain from its back. It whipped around as fast as it could and swept Sheik to the side with its hammer; she flew into the tower Link had been standing on.
Link heard fire behind him and turned to see Impa roasting a Moblin with her Naginata. The Moblin eventually turned to ash, leaving one more Moblin, and eight Rito soldiers. The Rito soldiers flew to the ground and landed lightly on their feet behind the Trio. Sheik and Link, along with Impa, formed a semi-circle around the Moblin.
The Moblin roared, and thrust its Javelin into the ground, sending a dust cloud into the air, blinding the Heroes. The Moblin then pulled a broadsword from its back and knocked the Heroes aside. It ran to the Rito and cut them down before they could see again. Link rubbed his eyes once more, but to no avail. He needed water.
Sheik seemed to realize this, so she pulled a small, thin blue and gray harp from her belt. It had ripples designed to look like waves, and it glowed with a dark blue light. She strummed a few notes and then performed a quick spell using the harp. As soon as the last note of the spell was played, a wave of water washed over the Trio, its source unknown. Link shook his head, spraying water everywhere.
"Thanks Sheik," he yelled, "But where did the Moblin go?"
"Here!" Impa yelled, pointing at its large, fat footprints in the dirt. "We'll follow the prints!"
It didn't take them long to see the Moblin charging out of the Town Hall, the Chief tied to its back. It pulled its broadsword and stopped at the Trio.
Link stepped forward. "Let me handle this," he said to his comrades, and he braced for the fight. He ran toward the Moblin and swung his sword quickly at it. The Moblin easily parried the strike and brought its sword down on Link, who blocked it with his shield and leaving a huge dent in it. He muttered under his breath, sweat coming from his brow, as the Moblin’s sword came down again and again, harder and harder. Link knew he couldn't last much longer, and he didn't. His strength gave out, and he fell on his back. His sword fell away from him, his shield broke in half, and he lay sprawled on the dirt. Sheik stepped forward, but Impa put her Naginata in front of her.
"No," She snapped, as the Moblin plunged its sword down on Link, sending him into darkness.
Ch.9.
Link's eyes flickered dully, and he pulled his arms back, sitting up straight and propping himself against the headboard, ignoring the immense pain in his ribs for the moment. He looked around and found that he was in the room he had been staying in at the Rito tribe Town Hall.
He reeled through the memory of the night before—or however long ago the village had been attacked. The village was raided by Moblins…and the Rito came close to winning the skirmish, but a Moblin… He frowned as the end of the memory faded; he struggled to come up with an ending. What the Hell happened? He thought angrily, nostrils flaring. He tapped his finger against his leg and remained in thought.
the door to his room opened, revealing Impa and Sheik. "Hey!" He said to them, and they chuckled lightly as they entered, both greeting him as well. Impa closed the door behind her and propped her back against it, still standing.
Sheik took the chair next to Link's bed. "So I assume you have questions for us."
"Yes," Link said. "firstly, what in Hylia's name happened to me?"
Impa and Sheik exchanged worried glances, and looked back at him. "You don't remember anything?" Sheik asked, softly.
"Well, I remember that the village was attacked, and we were winning, but something happened, and I don't remember what it was."
"A Moblin managed to capture the Rito leader and attacked you. It easily defeated you, ‘finishing you off’ with a stab from his broadsword," Impa stated.
Link pulled his blanket from his bare chest, revealing toned muscles that made Sheik shiver slightly. Several bruises and a bandaged wound were evident on his left side. "Whoa," he simply stated. "How deep did the blade go?"
"It didn't get through. That wound is from when we were carrying you into safety, well, ‘safety’,” Sheik said, making finger quotes. "A fire was spreading quickly through the village, and while it was doused almost immediately and the damage to the village wasn't too bad, the building we had brought you into collapsed. It was near the wall and caught fire quickly."
"So how did I get this?" he asked again.
"Oh, well, I took your armor off to inspect the wound, and the building totally collapsed. A splinter of wood impaled you through your side."
"All the way through?"
"No, just two-three inches. I pulled it out and managed to bandage you up, but I can't do anything about your broken rib."
He lifted his eyebrow in curiosity. That answered the question of why his ribs hurt, but only raised more questions. "Did the Moblin's blade even make it through my armor?" he asked.
"No," Impa replied.
"So, it just bruised me?"
"Yeah, the Blade wasn't too strong; it shattered on impact."
"So I'm fine?" he asked, "Just a puncture in my side? Nothing too big, I guess."
"Actually," Sheik said, "you aren't fine."
Link looked at her curiously. "What's wrong?"
"I can't heal you, Link," she said, biting her lip.
"What?"
"When the Moblin stabbed you, the Quake Bracelet sent a jolt through your body and disrupted your heart beat. you don't feel it, but your body won't be performing as well as it should."
"Oh," he said simply. "Well, hang on; you didn't say why you couldn't heal me. Seriously, what’s wrong?"
"I'm getting to that," she said. "My magic is rough, as I'm still mastering the ‘healing branch. No sorceress—not even Cia—has mastered this craft. The only beings that could heal you, would be the Great Fairies of Eldin, Farore, or Lanayru. The Triforce of Courage could also heal you."
"Hm. Simple…we just need to find the Fairy in Farore. We are only a few kilometers from there anyway."
"Not that simple, Link," Impa said. "The Fairies haven't been seen since the Second Hero's journey, which was hundreds upon hundreds of years ago."
"True," he said, grinding his teeth.
"So what are we going to do?” he asked.
Sheik sighed. "Well, unless we find the Fairies, which is most likely not going to happen, we need the Triforce of Courage."
"I'm the only person who can get us into the Temple, though," he said, "What are we gonna do?"
"You are going to have to take it easy, and if the Rito decide to send us as aid on the mission to free the Rito elder, you are going to stay," Sheik said.
"Two things," Link said, irritated. "First, I'm definitely going with you, no arguments. And secondly, have they already decided to go?"
"Well, no, we just assume that they will. It will be decided at the meeting the Rito are having tonight."
"They need to go; they can't just abandon the elder. Why do they even want him? A ransom, maybe?"
"Also going to be disclosed to us at the meeting."
"So how hard can I push myself?"
"I'm not entirely sure, but I wouldn't go too hard…no sprinting or heavy lifting. I would say no to most stuff, unless your life or others’ are on the line."
"I have a feeling that's going to happen," he said.
"Most likely, but let's try to make sure it doesn't. You need to get some more sleep before the meeting tonight, so, rest up, and we'll be back in a few hours."
"Mmk," he said, and pulled his blanket up to his neck as the two women left the room.
***
Link Stepped into the apothecary and found Lana in a similar outfit she had worn three weeks before when he had been stabbed. Instead of blue, it was white and purple—a skirt and top. She was knelt over a book at her counter, her hair pulled up in a ponytail, a few strands dangling down.
"Hey, I'm back," he said, q
uietly, and she lifted her head, and smiled.
"Lieutenant!" She said, rushing around the counter to meet him. "What brings you here? Another thief?"
"No, you told me to come back in three weeks so you could take a look at my wound. Sooo, I'm here."
"Oh yeah!" she said, giggling lightly as she remembered.
"It isn't too bad, but I do probably need to have it checked by you," he said and removed his tunic, revealing his strong, toned chest.
Lana paid very little attention; what was important to her at the moment was his shoulder. "I'm glad you came back," she said, as she inspected his shoulder. "The wound is full of pus."
Link wrinkled his nose at the thought of the disgusting stuff and turned his head as she squeezed the wound and wiped the ooze away, repeating this until more pus came out.
"Good news is, not much blood came out," she said, as she applied the bandage.
"Yay?" He said, with a meek smile on his face.
She smiled at him brightly and stood up. She went to her back room to put her kit , and when she walked back into the main area, Link stood up, pulling his tunic back over his head. He ruffled his straw-colored hair with his hand and smiled at her again.
She held out a small package of herbs., "These are to prevent any more infection, and if anything goes wrong, come back here as soon as you can."
"Will do," he said charmingly as he took the packet.
He walked out the door, but he turned quickly. "Lana?" He remembered the words Arnold had spoken to him a few weeks before.
She stood and turned toward him. "Yes Link?"
"Do you want to get dinner with me tomorrow night?"
***
Sheik said, "Link? Link. Link!"
His eyes snapped open, and he sat upright, only to fall on his back.
"Is the meeting soon?" he asked, and she nodded, throwing his tunic at him as she did so.
"Yes, so get dressed, and meet me in the lobby." She walked out the door, and Link sighed, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. After a few tries he stood up. He stretched his arms, and pulled on his tunic. He grabbed his weapons, then he walked through the open door, closing it behind him.
***