From one underwater city to another

[the_drowned_desert]

Who: Ganondorf and you. Yes, you.
What: Showin' up and causing trouble without lifting a finger
Where: near the Lamufao
When: When normal people should be sleeping
Style: Brackets, brackets, unto infinity
Status: Open like a book

[If anyone is up at this late hour and happens to wander over to the Lamufao, they may just find an absurdly tall elderly gentleman hunched over on one of the benches nearby. He looks terribly tired, as if he had just recently seen everything he had worked for snatched from his grasp and the world fall down about him. Inwardly, while he's too tired to do much angsting about apparently being dead, he certainly finds it ironic that what appears to be the afterlife is an underwater city not unlike the one he had spent the greater part of his life sealed in, and where he had been turned to stone.

Go bother him?]

Comments

[zelda_hylia]

[Zelda hadn't slept easy since Ghirahim's arrival in Vatheon. For whatever reason he hadn't sought her or Link out again. She's not naive enough to think it's her magic keeping him away. No, he must be planning something.

When her hand glows in the middle of the night indicating that the complete Triforce is within the city, she knows exactly what that something is.

The princess tears out of bed and runs to Link's room, throwing the door open. She didn't even bother to change out of her nightgown or put on a robe for once.]

Link.

[blessedbyfarore]

[Link had been sleeping relatively peacefully that night - at least, until a faint thread of anxiety had woven into his dreams, and his hand had tingled powerfully enough to wake him.]

[When Zelda races in, he's sitting up in bed, staring at his hand, face pale and distinct fear in his expression.]

...He's here, isn't he?

[zelda_hylia]

[Zelda clenches her fists and nods, stepping forward to clasp his hand.]

There is no point in us attempting to hide from him. He has sensed us just as surely as we sensed him.

[She takes a deep breath. What now?]

...we don't yet know when he is from. Or from which timeline... do you think we should speak with him?

[blessedbyfarore]

[Which timeline... if he and Zelda remembered different things, then there's no way of knowing whether this is the Ganondorf who killed him - or the one that he and Zelda sealed. He exhales, staring at the bed linen.]

I - I don't know. Maybe we should just wait and see.

[He hates this - hates the feeling of sick terror when he considers even the idea of his murderer being in Vatheon.]

[This place was supposed to be safe.]

[zelda_hylia]

[The princess lowers her head. Of course Link doesn't want to see him. He died at his hands, after all. But still... but still!]

...no. We can't. We can't allow him time to grow comfortable here. He is powerful, with time he could create monsters. Build himself another fortress.

[Come after us. He'll come after us if we don't go to him first!]

He will be disoriented. He doesn't know what this place is, and right now he'll be right next to the coral. If he tries to hurt us, we can use it for energy. We should go.

[blessedbyfarore]

[Link still doesn't move from his spot, although he does lift his head a little.] There's more people here that can fight - maybe they'd do better than I did. I didn't really do a good job of beating him last time...

[But the Master Sword... his gaze drifts to it, propped against the wall near the head of the bed. The sword chose him.]

[zelda_hylia]

You're the only one who can wield the Master Sword, Link. I know you can do this if it comes down to it. I saw you do it. You would not be alone this time, either.

[Folding her hands together, she calls forth a quiver of light arrows and a bow. She's been working at her archery steadily while in Vatheon, finding that she has quite a knack for it.]

I will stand with you.

[heartandsoul]

[Of course Maka shouldn't be awake at this hour, but since when has she ever made decisions that were sound? Now is obviously the best time to be restocking pet food and whatever passes for sustenance for herself currently.

Seeing Ganondorf causes her to pause and approach out of concern.]

Sir? Are you all right?

[blessedbyfarore]

[Link's expression twists into something pained when he sees the arrows.] ...That's what went wrong last time, [he says suddenly, picking at the sheets and dropping his head again.]

I ran out of arrows. And just hitting his attacks back wasn't good enough without the light arrows.

[zelda_hylia]

[A chill runs through her. She remembers that part of the fight. All she had been able to do was watch helplessly. Link had barely any arrows left in his quiver by the end of it. If he had run out...

...this would be the result, wouldn't it? Zelda pushes away the image of the scar where Ganondorf must have run him through, forces the thought of what could have been to the back of her mind.]

I will not let that happen this time. He won't imprison me and force me to stand by as you fight again. I can break free of that now.

[The eight months in Vatheon have done the princess a lot of good. She's learned to stand up now. There's no reason to hide behind Sheik, Ganondorf knows they're here. Her body isn't awkward and unfamiliar like it had been when she first awakened. No. This time, she's ready.]

[blessedbyfarore]

[Link lifts his head at that, the most tentative of worried smiles tugging at his lips.] Then... we'll fight together, this time?

[Can they do this? He exhales, then holds out his hand.] I promise I'll do everything I can to protect you.

[zelda_hylia]

[Zelda shoulders the quiver and bow, then takes his hand firmly and nods.]

Together.

[Though...]

Do not forget, in Vatheon, no one truly dies. This will be a battle of words at first. We just need to be prepared to fight in the event that he's as pigheaded as ever.

[Killing him every time he respawns doesn't sound like a terrible idea, really.]

[blessedbyfarore]

[He gives her hand a bit of a squeeze, but the thought has given him pause. He can fight, and maybe he'd lose again - but eventually, perhaps he could come out the victor.]

[And he really doesn't want to die again. But Link knows that so long as he can keep the people he cares about safe, he will.]

...Okay. Should we go now?

[zelda_hylia]

Yes. There's no point in waiting.

[Zelda turns to charge out in her nightdress when the feeling of carpet on her feet reminds her that she isn't exactly prepared for battle.]

Ah... perhaps I should change first. You get anything you need to, as well. I'll meet you down by the door, alright?

[Smiling sheepishly, she ducks into her room.]

[blessedbyfarore]

[...Yeah. Pyjamas aren't exactly conducive to battle.]

[Chuckling briefly, Link hurriedly gets changed - his original outfit has long since been destroyed, but he can dress in the closest approximation he has. Master Sword and Mirror Shield on his back, bow and quiver settled beneath them, and the ocarina in a padded pouch on his belt, he exhales, then hurries out to meet Zelda.]

I'm ready.

[He thinks.]

[zelda_hylia]

[As for Zelda, though she's wearing the shoulder armor from her royal regalia, the rest of her clothing is simple. For once, she's wearing pants. In public, even! A quiver is strapped to her back, and she has a bow in hand. She slipped a note under Zelos's door just in case Ganondorf does kill them.

If he does, he'll have more people to contend with next time they meet.]

Let's go.

[Straightening her shoulders, she heads out the door.]

[blessedbyfarore]

[Link nods, and the two start for the plaza and the coral. Neither speak particularly much - it's tense and quiet, and Link's hands itch to take the sword up and defend both himself and Zelda.]

[As the coral comes in to sight, Link slows, glancing at Zelda uncertainly.]

Thread order Zelda > Ganondorf > Link starting now? <3

[zelda_hylia]

[Her eyes dart around wildly. Where is he? Where --

The man on the bench. Yes, he's about the right size. Through the fog of her anger, he looks menacing rather than tired, dangerous rather than lost. Her voice is cool as she addresses him, and though she's ready to draw an arrow she hasn't done so yet.]

Ganondorf.

[the_drowned_desert]

...As well as one newly deceased can be I suppose.

[He sounds as tired as he looks; perhaps even moreso.]

[candidblue]

[ Bulla is out and about for no reason in particular. To clear her head, mostly, seeing as her father vanishing hadn't left her in the best mood.

She notices the tall, depressed looking guy by the coral, and heads over to see whats up. Curiosity, and all that. ]

So what's your deal, anyway?

Aye~ <3

[the_drowned_desert]

...Hello Princess. Hero.

[He'd been expecting them of course. How could he not when the pieces of the Triforce call to eachother? What is a bit of surprise is that these are not the children he had last seen far below the waves of the Great Sea. No, these are the two from all those centuries ago. Two more points on the side of being stone dead.]

[blessedbyfarore]

[Link watches warily, half-desperate to reach for the sword on his back. It means safety, a way of defense... but if this battle of words can be won without violence, then that has to be a better solution.]

[He doesn't speak yet - that'd betray the tremor in his voice, the terror he's desperately trying to keep suppressed - but instead stays close to Zelda, a second away from drawing his sword (if need be) and attempting to mimic her calmness and coolness.]

[not_heavens_adam]

[Johnny always kept odd hours, so wandering the plaza at night was nothing new. The sight of the man on the bench, however, was. Johnny was certain he'd never seen him around, he looked like he could use some company, and the vampire was willing to offer, so he quietly made his way over and plopped down onto the other end of the bench. He lit up a cigarette before he spoke.]

You look like you've had a rough day. Did you just arrive here?

Slight interlude and Sola shows up~

[replicatedcourage]

[Sola was dreaming.

A restless dream of dark, roiling skies and deep chasms, pits in the land where the bottom is invisible and if you dropped a stone you couldn't hear it strike. Groaning and keening echos across blood-slick streets, terror just as much of a being as the monsters themselves, a black presence of choking energy, stealing air, stealing life, stealing hope until everything is shadows and flame and all that can be heard is a single.

Reverberating.

Laugh.

...

Sola jolts awake with a cry, his chest constricting painfully in anxiety. It's not a new nightmare but he could feel him that time, the King of Evil, his fell power creeping across the land. He could feel it so vividly. He can still-

Still...

...

No...

Heart in his throat Sola tears out of bed, pulling on tunic and trousers in a rash flurry of movement, all weapons and accessories to follow at a harried pace. He can still feel him, his Master, he's here and so are Link and Zelda and he knows what that means, he knows it in every fiber be it from Ganon or Link that there is little chance of this ending in any other way but blood.

He runs full tilt through the streets, making his panicked way to the coral without knowing why he knew to go there, just knowing. Yet his boots slow as he nears the place, coral visible over the street but not yet in the plaza.

Can he really face his Master after so blatantly disregarding everything he'd been told? After failing? After calling Link his brother? These are all things for which there is no forgiveness to his memory, all things that once Ganondorf would have killed for.

But he can't simply walk away. Should he fight? Should he grovel?

Heart still pounding, the shadow walks into the plaza to approach, unsure himself as to whether it is Sola or Dark Link that returns to his master's presence.]

Ok, now Zelda > Ganondorf > Link > Sola~

[zelda_hylia]

[In truth, Zelda is just as afraid as Link and Sola, but she doesn't dare show it. She lifts her head as she approaches to a comfortable speaking distance, regal despite her battle-ready clothing. Upon closer inspection, she can tell that he's older. He seems relatively calm. Is it possible that being sealed in the Sacred Realm really did purify him? She won't count on it, but the thought is nice.]

As you may have deduced already, this is not Hyrule or the Sacred Realm. This is not our world at all. It is a location known as Vatheon, and we have all been marked by it. There is no point in our fighting here. If you must engage in violence, I ask that you direct it towards our captors.