The Legend of Zelda: Zelda's Honor

Chapter 26 - Visitors in the Night

It had been a long, tireless evening. The healer flopped onto the nearby chair as she rested her head on the slab that had acted as the operating table. They all had worked briskly on the poor Kokiri girl, trying to save her life. It seemed the more they repaired the wounds, more would simply expose themselves and start leaking blood and pus. Many of the healers had despaired several times during the whole process. A few couldn't even finish, so repulsed they were at what had been brutally done to the girl.

It was just starting to get dark outside when the poor Kokiri breathed her last, it was almost heartbreaking. She sluggishly turned her head over to one of her caretakers before sweetly smiling, that woman could do nothing but cry as the dying girl comforted her saying 'it would be okay.' With one last shudder, the Kokiri had exhaled and then lay still. It shook the healers to the core at what had transpired in front of them.

In time, all the healers flowed out to their respective quarters for the night, leaving the one woman the little girl had talked to crying by her side. Slowly drifting off into slumber, she was awoken by a slight sucking sound, as if someone was inhaling with water in their mouth. The Gerudo looked around for the source of the sound before identifying it coming from the dead Kokiri corpse in front of her.

The healer's eyes popped open as she discerned various blood pores gone from the nude body; the girl's skin was slowly healing itself at an unnatural rate! A tart odor immediately filled the air as some squishing was heard. The woman stood quickly as the chair was knocked to the floor in her haste. What in Din was going on here? She noticed some black fluid seeping from the girl's womanhood. Intrigued, she went to have a closer look.

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 "You've met with a terrible fate, haven't you?" The melodious voice crooned.

Link jerked awake at the sound as he scanned the stables for its source. Fumbling with the horse cover draped over him, Link tried to sit up proper as he strained to see in the dark recesses of the room with only the candlelight to go by. A rustle to his right riveted his attention where he saw a youthful man sitting on a nearby stool examining a mask. Link yelped before flipping over trying to gain distance between them. Epona was strangely quiet, if not still sleeping.

Involuntarily reaching behind his back for a sword that wasn't there, Link was up on one knee ready to spring on the intruder. Breathing heavily he interrogated the man, "Who are you? What do you want?"

Without bothering to look up from the mask, the man replied in a sing-song voice, "The first is irrelevant, the second is a bit harder to answer."

Wary of the unknown visitor, Link stayed where he was. "Answer what you can." Link insisted.

"What I want..." The man began slowly, "is to restore balance."

Link cocked his head at this unexpected answer, "I'm sorry?"

The man tilted his head to look over in Link's direction, it was so subtle that he barely noticed the movement until the man's gaze was on him. Link shivered unwillingly. The man smiled at Link before humming, "Mmmm...yes, I believe the balance you severed; quite fascinating how you were able to do such a thing."

Link was at a loss for words at the accusations this man was pitching at him. "I...don't understand."

Carefully fondling the mask cradled in his arms, whether out of habit or a nervous tic, Link was not sure which. "Because of you, I am required to set in motion pieces that must do their role for the greater good. You are that first piece Link." The man stated with sincere firmness.

"What are you going to do to me?" Link asked suspiciously, he still wasn't sure who this man was or what he wanted, all he knew was that he had a familiar look about him.