This one is all about paranoia. I hope you're ready! Enjoy!
-Jooostan
A Terminian and the Twilight of Danger
Chapter 16: Spectres
Epona stopped just short of the house. Everyone was back in Hyrule. Seeing Castle Town no longer a mess, carpenters starting work on rebuilding the Happy Mask Shop, repairing the fountain, replacing the shingles on the roof of the Bombchu Bowling Alley, it all filled Link with ambition.
"Everyone get comfy! Link and I have some plans to talk to the princess!" Tatl shouted to the others. Link grew flustered at how much she revealed even though he wanted it to stay private.
"Good luck, Grasshopper." Romani gave Link a quick peck on the cheek, the first one he had received from her.
"Well, I don't know what you're plannin', but you know you can count me in when stuff goes down!" Jim patted Link on the shoulder and wore a hefty grin. Skull Kid, who was helping out Anju and Kafei, smiled and waved him goodbye as he set off for Hyrule Castle.
"So, are you feeling better, Link?" Tatl asked, sitting atop of Link's green hat.
"I... I think so." Link said quietly. He did feel for the most part better, but something was still bothering him. Something he couldn't explain. It was just a feeling looming over him.
Tatl raised an eyebrow, but Link didn't notice. She'd known him for too long to know when he was lying. He was never taught how to lie, so he was far from the best at it.
The boy kept silent for the entire walk to the castle. The distant chirps of birds and buzzing of various insects filled the air. It was getting closer and closer to full-on spring, and Link knew what it meant. His special day.
The duo of guards gave Link knowing nods as he approached the castle drawbridge. They waved to the ones atop the turrets and the bridge lowered for him. Giving the soldiers a smile, the hero walked inside.
The search for Zelda was decently short, since she was waiting for him just down a few of the castle corridors.
"Ah, hello Link!" Zelda rushed over to the hero and gave him a gentle wave.
"Zelda." Link addressed the princess and bowed to her. When he met her gaze again, they smiled. Something felt a little different between him and the princess now. He felt a bit more comfortable around her.
"I trust you had a nice break?" Zelda initiated small talk as she started to stroll down the hall.
"I did." Link hesitated for a moment, but he realized he did have an interesting break. Not the nicest, but it was interesting. Rough, but he learned. "So, anything of note while I was away?"
"Well, that's the thing I wanted to discuss. Ever since the spider attack, nothing has happened. Guards have nothing to report." Zelda herself was astonished at the news, and so was Link.
"Really?" Link and Tatl said at the same time. They got a nod from the princess, and the boy put his hand to his chin. Tatl decided to finish his thought for him. "Well, good!"
Zelda giggled at how the duo seemed relieved at what they were being told. "Everything calmed down after the work to rebuild Castle Town went underway. Our only guess is that whatever it was you fought was the last of them."
Link hoped that was the case. He yearned for this all to be over so he could return to Termina for good. While the new adventure was a breath of fresh air, he did want to put down the sword and shield for now. However, something in the back of his mind told him that it all wasn't over.
"I see." Link thought about how he'd word what he wanted to tell Zelda. "I think me and my family will stay in Hyrule for the next week, just to make sure nothing else comes up."
Zelda wore a shining smile. "Thank you very much, Link. And you too, Tatl. I trust you will use your permission to the sword if the need arrives."
"Thank you very much!" Tatl said, a snarky emphasis on the last two words. Her annoyance with the princess wasn't addressed by the other two, Link just smiling.
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As Link made the walk back to Castle Town, his smile never faltered. For once he was at ease with everything. Perhaps he could simply head home and relax for a little while before he went out to patrol on Epona.
Then his ears picked up something foreign. All the chatter of the townsfolk became muffled, and not even Tatl could get through to him. Link looked around, searching for something unknown.
"Link?" Tatl noticed how the boy had stopped. She flew off of his hat and down in front of his face. She waved at him repeatedly, but his eyes were too distracted.
Link couldn't get rid of the chill creeping along his spine. It didn't just slink upwards like usual, but it remained. It teased his muscles in a way that could drive him mad. No sense of fear and awareness had seized him this badly since the Garo. For a moment his mind went to the worst-case scenario. Could they have returned?
"Hey! Link! Speak to me!" Tatl yelled in his face, but all she got were strange looks from people passing by. The pressure made her volume go down.
Link kept still, but in his head, he was twisting and turning all around, trying to find the source of his fear. It thankfully didn't last much longer, as he was let go of the bizarre feeling and snapped back to reality.
"Link!" Tatl shouted again. This time he heard it, and he covered his ear.
"What?!" Link spouted back.
"Uh, I should be the one saying 'what'! Why did you go... still for a second?" Tatl tried to her keep voice low.
"I did what?" Link asked.
"Wow... Alright, fine. Just embarrass me in the middle of town and act like it never happened." Tatl crossed her arms and gave Link the cold shoulder.
"N-No! I didn't mean that... Something... distracted me." Link didn't really know how to interpret what happened. He rushed back to the house, Tatl close behind, so he could explain.
"Hey, what's got you in a rush?" Jim asked when he saw Link enter and then close the door right behind him, barely giving Tatl enough time to make it in.
"W-Well..." Link paused, and Anju entered the living room from the washroom and noticed Link's state.
"Everything alright, honey?" Anju asked.
"Y-Yeah, just..." Link looked to Tatl, but he only got a tired shrug from the fairy. He decided to leave both of them without an answer and go up to his room.
"Alright, spill it. What happened?" Tatl asked when the two got upstairs.
"I... don't know. I felt like..." Link was almost afraid to talk about the spies. Even though they had been gone for so long now, he had a feeling just mentioning them would lead to their return.
"Well?!" Tatl was growing impatient.
"I felt like the Garo were back..." Link didn't see the way Tatl froze. Her heart stopped for a split second. Memories of the battles Link faced all that time ago flashed before her eyes. The scars he got still filled her with worry from time to time.
Everything was silent for a bit, both friends unsure how to even continue.
"W-Why?" Tatl asked.
"I don't know. It just... happened." Link rubbed his arm in defeat.
"Alright... but just... try to fight it if it happens again, you hear me?" Tatl forced the sense of dread away and tried to be casual, and Link just nodded.
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"Please?" Jim asked again.
"It was nothing, trust me." Link rejected the offer for him to tell Jim why he acted so strange earlier for the fourth time. He didn't want to rope him into something that could be nothing.
"Didn't really seem like nothing." Jim remarked, sitting down on a nearby stool in a huff.
"Honestly, I'd quite like to know too, Link." Anju said from the stairs. The teen's eyes widened, and he groaned.
"Look, it was just something between me and Tatl." Link knew it was flimsy thing to say. Jim and Anju shared a look.
"Nope. There's nothing to tell." Link defied his own inner desire to tell his loved ones. Something about it didn't feel right, but he couldn't put his finger on it.
Jim scowled, and Anju wore her trademark expression of concern. Neither liked when Link hid things from them. Both had a view of Link's side profile, and how he had his brow furrowed and his eyes slightly squinted told them that he was thinking. What exactly, they didn't know.
Link knew well that his lying was becoming a nasty habit. He couldn't help it. If he told the truth, he feared his family would get needlessly worried, angry, or something along those lines. His fear acted as a poison that infected his choices.
"Link, dear." Anju walked up to her son and put her hand on his shoulder. "Are you absolutely sure you're alright?"
"Yeah, mom. I'm just a little... tired from all the stuff recently. I'm fine." Link was glad at least that was true. Even if all the chaos from the week before was behind him, it had a lasting effect on the boy.
"Okay..." Anju said, looking down. She could find the grain of truth behind her son's statement, but something told her that it wasn't the whole picture.
After a while, Link elected to go patrolling on Epona. It would be something to take his mind off everything. However, he did want some company besides Epona.
Link knocked on the bedroom door across from his. "Romani? H-Hey, I was wondering if you wanted to... go patrolling with me."
Romani opened the door and Link perked up at the sight of her usual smile. "Sure, Grasshopper. Romani would love to!"
"Thanks..." Link went a little red in the cheeks.
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Epona galloped out of Castle Town, carrying two riders. Link was a little happy that Romani joined him, as he didn't have to carry the map on Hyrule this time. The wind rushed past both teens, and they rode out around the perimeter of Hyrule Field.
"Here's the first spot!" Romani reached forward and held the map in front of Link, pointing to the first place he usually stopped. The boy nodded and brought Epona to a canter as they neared the mark.
Hopping off of Epona, Link and Romani surveyed the area. The teen in green could see where a Peahat used to reside. The view seemed normal so far. Since the air was so lovely, they walked around for a bit.
"Alright, everything seems good!" Link said cheerfully, putting his hands on his hips. Maybe a little bit of time out with Romani was what he needed to relax.
"Race you back to Epona!" Romani giggled and took off, barely giving Link any time to react to her proposition. He bolted, doing his best to catch up to his girlfriend. Then, something caught his eye, and he stopped.
"Ha! Romani wins! That was fun, wasn't it, Grasshopper?" Romani turned to see where Link was, but was surprised to see him a good distance away, standing in place and looking at the ground.
"Grasshopper?" Romani repeated her nickname for Link but got no answer. She started to walk back to him, no clue as to why he was just standing there.
"Grasshopper? Are you alright?" Romani tapped Link on the shoulder, and he nearly jumped out of his skin.
"Romani!" Link yelped, his eyes going wide. Romani just stepped back, a little startled.
"What's wrong?" Romani asked, noticing the goosebumps along Link's arm.
"N-Nothing. Let's go to the next spot." Link abruptly brushed off Romani's question and walked back to his loyal steed.
The pair got onto the horse and set off to the next location marked on the map. However, neither noticed Link's strange lack of a defined shadow. The sun glistened down on him and Romani the exact same way, but while Romani's had a considerable amount of detail, just as the grass, fences, and even Epona, Link's didn't.
"Should be just a little bit to the west." Romani peered down at the map in her hands. Link grunted softly in response.
Epona slowed down yet again, and the two teens disembarked from the saddle. This time they didn't stray too far from their ride. Romani handed Link the map to look over just to ensure they got the right spot.
Then Link felt a tap on his shoulder. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up and another chill went down his spine.
"R-Romani? Did you just tap my shoulder?" Link whipped around to see the redhead.
"No, why?" Romani shook her head and gave Link a puzzled look.
Before Link could tell her why, he felt another hand press against his shoulder. That couldn't have been Romani. Link turned around again, just to be met with no one. Just complete silence. He tilted his own head in bewilderment. What on earth was going on?
"Grasshopper, is anything the matter?" Romani asked, taking a step towards her friend. The boy didn't look her in the eye, but instead out into the distance.
"I... I don't know. Just something... feels off." Link mumbled. Romani had to lean a little closer to hear all of what he said.
"Alright... Romani's right here." The ranch woman crept closer to her boyfriend, and decided to give him a proper kiss. For a moment, all his worry melted away. It didn't last long, however. Link didn't want to push it.
"Thanks, Romani." Link gave a weak smile as he gazed into his girlfriend's eyes. The crystal blue color made him feel lost, but in the best way possible.
"Let's head to the last place in the map." Link said, taking Romani's hand. They climbed back onto Epona and took off.
This time, there wasn't any problem. The increased sense of vertigo that held Link's conscience hostage had seemingly lifted. He sighed softly as he guided Epona to the last mark on the map. It was that little edge that oversaw Zora's River, just before it flowed down to the Domain.
Link and Romani decided not to hop off of Epona this time. While they sat on her back, they got a better view of the area than if they had got off.
"That's about it. Everything's normal." Link said, the last of his nervousness leaving his tone.
"Then should we head back?" Romani looked at the drawbridge leading to Castle Town.
"Yeah, let's go." Link turned to smile at Romani, and she reciprocated with her own. Giving Epona a gentle kick, the pair rode back to town.
Slowing back down to little strides, Epona carried Link and Romani across the bridge. The crowd of people that occupied the market earlier had thinned out at last, giving the mare some more room to breathe. When they got back to the house, Link turned once again to Romani.
"You go on ahead. I'll hitch Epona to her regular spot." Link told Romani, and she happily jumped off of the horse. She reached up and gave Link's hand a little squeeze just to show affection, and then gave Epona a kiss on the cheek.
"Oh alright... I see how it is." Link said jokingly, smirking.
"Maybe that is how it is, Grasshopper!" Romani replied playfully before turning to get to the house. Link chuckled for the first time in a while and carefully led Epona to where she would normally stay.
"You did a great job today, Epona. I'm proud of you." Link gave his thanks to his steed and fetched a carrot he had been keeping in his bag. It had some lint on it, so he wiped it off before presenting it to the horse.
After Epona finished her snack, Link turned to go back to the house. When he was only halfway there, he spotted something across the market. It made his blood go to ice for a moment.
A pitch-black figure stood in the middle of the street, barely visible behind the rebuilt fountain. However, it wasn't its presence that spooked Link. It was the outline. Its silhouette appeared like it was wearing robes and it had long sharp objects planted where its arms would presumably be. It was the figure that haunted Link's dreams for the longest time.
Nothing else about the figure could be distinguished. Regardless of if it was out in broad daylight, it looked like it was concealed by shadow. For a second Link considered reaching back to pull out his sword, but when he blinked, the figure disappeared.
Link held his breath and hoped it wouldn't come back. His inner curiosity begged for him to go to where the shadow stood and inspect around, but instead he just ran as fast as he could back to the house.
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"Run it by Romani again." Romani could hardly believe what Link had told her. Just an hour ago he seemed completely calm, now he was a nervous mess.
"I think I saw a Garo." Link hushed himself before he spoke.
"Are you absolutely sure?" Romani hoped what Link saw was just an illusion, but then that rose the question of who made him see it.
"I... I'm not sure. Today... I feel on edge and like something is messing with me." Link looked down at the wooden planks that made up the floor with painful shame. "It may just be because I'm tired..."
"Then Grasshopper should get some rest! It'd be the best thing to do to ease your mind!" Romani picked up a few things from when Anju grew worried about her son when he got sick. Rest could be a powerful tool.
One look at the now setting sun made him think about just going to bed right now.
"No... I just need to get my mind off all this." In reality, Link was almost nervous to go to sleep. A part of him thought the dream demon could be the one making him see things, even though he had defeated it.
"Come on, let's at least get some dinner first. Kafei said he was cooking, remember?" Romani took Link's hand and held it close to herself. She hoped the joke about Anju's cooking would ease his spirits, and it somewhat did.
"...Fine." Link said, trying not to crack another smile. He failed the attempt, but he was happy that Romani could always find a way to help him.
"There you guys are!" Skull Kid chirped as he saw Romani dragging Link downstairs by the hand. "Food's almost ready!"
"Yeah! I'm starving!" Jim was eager to dig in. He didn't mind Anju's cooking, but he was interesting in seeing how Kafei's would compare.
Link sat down next to Romani at the table, and they all waited patiently for the man with the purple hair to finish prepping the meal. The entire time, Anju wouldn't take her eyes off her husband.
"Be sure to stir it every few minutes, alright honey?" Anju said, noticing how Kafei seemed to forget about the stew.
"Right, sorry!" Kafei chuckled as he shifted his feet to stand before the pot. He grabbed the wooden spoon and stirred the liquid lightly before bending down to get a whiff of its aroma.
Link took in the scene with some pride. Seeing his family live in the moment was a great thing to think about, and it drove the thoughts about his experiences of the day to the back of his mind.
"It's ready!" Kafei exclaimed, turning to show off his work. He grabbed a set of bowls and poured in some of the stew he made for everyone. They all made a collective 'mmm' sound at the sight and smell if it.
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The dead of night was cryptically silent. Link lay in his room wrapped in his blanket, snoring softly. Anju and Kafei cuddled together. Jim slept upside down, a habit he found himself doing for no reason other than he simply liked to. Skull Kid remained in his own bed while Tatl, Tael, and Navi rested on their own pillows atop the nearby nightstand. Lastly, Romani slept on her stomach, clutching her pillow tightly, enjoying its softness.
Everything had an ounce of tranquility over it, and all was calm. All until two figures descended from the sky on the inside of the drawbridge.
"Foolish guard." One of the figures remarked. It was pathetically easy to sneak into town when one could fly.
"Come on, it should be this way." The other kept her mind on the prize. Both sneaked around town, ducking into every alleyway to steer clear of the gaurds who were on patrol in the market.
"Hurry it up!" The shorter of the two snapped, keeping their voice to a whisper.
"I'm working on it!" The other countered, before readying her wand and casting a spell of unbinding.
The front door unlocked, and the pair stepped inside the house. They turned to face each other and gave knowing nods.
They hobbled over to the closest door, just across from the kitchen. All that was in the room was a large metal bucket of sudsy water, an iron sheet, and a pile of clothes.
"Stairs." The one in the doorway said, tilting her head towards the subject of their statement.
Heading up to the second floor, the two opened each door a crack and peered inside.
"Nope, this isn't it. How about the next one?" Both searched for a certain person, and stopped when they found who they were looking for. Slowly tiptoeing inside the bedroom, they stood at the foot of the bed, eyes filled with malice.
"Hm...?" The person heard the light creaks of the floorboards and opened their eyes.
"Hello." The two figures hissed in unison, and then they readied their wands.
Suddenly, everyone else in the house was startled awake by the sound of crackling electricity.
Link shot up out of bed, adrenaline already making its way into his bloodstream. He moved like a flash and grabbed his sword from the corner. He turned the knob on his door and froze in horror when he saw two women crawling out the hallway window. He recognized them.
And they had Romani ensnared in a whip of magic.
"What is going on?" Kafei burst out of the other bedroom and immediately spotted the source of all the commotion.
"Just try and find her!" The lady with the active wand bellowed before two brooms rose into view on the other side of the window. Together, the pair hopped on and took off into the night.
Seconds later, Jim, Anju, Skull Kid, Tatl, Tael, and Navi entered the hallway, just to see a dumbfounded Link standing before the window.
"What just happened?!" Jim demanded.
"They... They took her." Link muttered, looking to the sky.
"Who? Who took her?" Kafei asked, desperation in his voice.
"Koume and Kotake... They took Romani." Link turned to face his father. Kafei didn't recognize the boy at first. All the man saw was hateful determination.