literature

SPECULUM - :Plant In Advance: [7]

Deviation Actions

Zelda206's avatar
By
Published:
1.7K Views

Literature Text

I came through the doorway and the giant door closed behind me, locking both Link and myself in. "Well, that's just great; what if I wanted to go back for snacks?" Link looked at me, "If you're hungry, we could find something to eat later."

I shook my head and held up a hand to him, "It was a joke, buddy, don't worry about it." I marveled at the room as I got a better look, taking a few steps forward inside. It was large, round, and had a large spiral root extending from the ceiling all the way down into the pool ahead, delving into the depths. There was a vast stretch of water with tufts of grass at its shoreline that made up a fifth of the room, and bomb bugs were standing tall with their tiny little bug-eyes watching us, or so I believed. The first thing I noticed that was strange was the smell in the air; it was heavy, foul, and burned my nostrils. The water was colored a strange toxic-purple as well, suggesting something was contaminating it. There was a rope that extended from one side of the room to the other, both with stands that resembled the entry points for circus performers. Why are those... I stopped my train of thought as the water started to churn, and the ground shook. Please not a spider, please not a spider! I prayed as the water shot into the air, revealing two giant F.U. Baba heads salivating heavily. We both had our swords at the ready and went for the heads separately, moving in close in attempts to goad them into attacking. They rushed and I jabbed my sword forwards, however the blade bounced clean off, and the plant head hit me hard enough to send me flying. Link dodged out of the way and assessed the area as I recovered. Getting to my feet, I looked at the plants again and recognized we weren't going to solve this the same way we had done with the other plants. "I don't think we can slice these ones off," I yelled. The green hero gave no indication he had heard me, but put his sword away and ran for one of the bomb insects. He picked one up and tempted one of the heads into coming close. Realization dawned upon me; if he could throw one into the mouth, he'd no doubt do a lot of damage. The plants had weakpoints at the nape of the neck where their heads were settled, and swallowing the bombs would be an added bonus.

Unfortunately, these plants must have been smarter; the head kept coming, but the jaws didn't open in anticipation of feasting. Instead it closed in and hit Link off his feet, sending the bomb harmlessly falling into the water and sizzling out of sight. Well, that didn't work! I leaped out of the way as the other head came forwards to ram the earth where I had been moments before. "Can we pry their mouths open?" I called. "I don't think so," Link replied as he got to his feet, "but the bombs should have an effect on them. I'll try again."

"I hope you do something fast!" I jumped backwards and struck the plant head with my sword as it came down in front of me, the sword bouncing off harmlessly against the thick, reinforced shell. Link took out the boomerang and aimed it at his foe's head. The plant was swayed somewhat by the breeze, however it did nothing more than wriggle before closing its mouth to lunge in again. I watched as he did it again, however he aimed the boomerang at one of the bomb insects and allowed the small tornado to carry it up to the plant head. I watched in amazement as the plant swallowed the bomb, chewing on it until it exploded. It cried out in pain, its jaws smoking with its burning flesh as it sank into the water, defeated. Link performed the same technique on the head I was fighting, and we both watched it sink below the surface. All was quiet, and I rejoined my partner at his side. "Well that was easy," I said. Link looked like he was ready to say something before tremors shook the cavern and the water thrashed harshly, sending poisonous spray up into the air. A tall shape surfaced and thrashed from side to side, completely destroying the bomb bugs along the shoreline. It reared its head up before arching forwards and opening its mouth to unleash a roar, its eyeball staring at us greedily and with a great deal of venom.

Ah, shit. And the two heads came back with it.

Link and I looked to one another before we darted in opposite directions, the mouths opening and snapping their jaws at us as we fled. I landed on the ground and scrambled to my feet, the giant mother plant bellowing as its twin heads lolled their tongues and dove in. One of them scraped my arm while the other made a solid bite with Link, however the teeth mainly dug into the chainmail he was wearing and slid off with little more than an abrasion or two along the shoulder. I called to him, however he was already shaking his head at me; I didn't have to worry. That was all well and nice for him to do, but I was still worried. I ran to him and helped him uncork the red potion. "What are we going to do?" I asked.

He took a drink of the potion and shook his head, "I don't know, but there has to be something we can do." He held up his boomerang, and we both looked on to the giant plant that loomed over our heads. Suddenly a familiar cry went out, and a flash of white came from one of the stands. The giant monkey from before called to get our attention and trapezed itself to the other stand, the plant watching it hungrily. The monkey made it safely to the stand and lunged for something in the dark, turning around to show us the prize it had caught. Relief and hope surged within both of us; it was a bomb bug. I looked at my partner, "We might be able to do this!" He nodded in reply and pocketed the bottle, taking his boomerang and holding it at the ready. "I'll keep them distracted, you just focus on the big guy!" I called and ran forwards, waving my arms like a maniac and yelling. As weird as I must have looked, looking back on it I had been very effective as a decoy; the noise aroused the attention of the mother plant and its twin heads, both of them looking away from Link as he was immobile and the lack of movement kept them from noticing him amidst the green background. The heads hungrily snapped at me, causing me to leap backwards and then run back forwards, shouting taunts and making noises. Link wound up the boomerang and threw it as the monkey used the trapeze to carry the bombs to and fro. The boomerang caught one of the bombs in its gust and carried it to the mother plant, causing it to explode on impact. The giant head roared in surprise at the hidden projectile, losing its balance and falling forwards into the dirt before us. Link ran forwards and leaped into the air, aiming his sword down and plunging it into the eye. The monster recoiled, blackened ooze pooling onto the floor where the eye had been wounded. It angrily bellowed and retreated into its pod, keeping its jaws shut tightly as the other two heads assaulted us with more vigor and ferocity. I stopped waving my arms and started jumping to the side to avoid being squashed under the crushing weight of the heads slamming down before me. Link couldn't stand still long enough to aim his weapon accurately and ended up making sloppy swings, missing the monkey entirely as it swung from stand to stand. Link made another attempt to bomb the mother's head, however the explosion bounced off harmlessly from the shell.

We gotta get it open somehow! I waited for one of the heads to lunge forwards, allowing it to hit the ground to the side as I sidestepped it. I ran to its neck and grabbed on as the head began to retreat. "What are you doing!" Link called to me, dodging the other head as it came raining down. "I'm going to open the other head! Get ready!" I scrambled on top of the smaller plant head, holding tightly to it as it began to rise closer and closer to the large one. The large one sensed me and turned away from the front, edging closer towards me. I could see dark, thick fumes seeping out of the corners of its tightly-shut face, and I knew it was getting ready to make another theatrical roar. I held my breath and braced myself as it screamed at me, deafening my ears with its shrill and almost sending me off the smaller head. The small head began to jostle me, and I was thrown off towards the larger head. I hooked my hand on the lower jaw, grasping at the smaller side-jaw with my other and hoisting myself up as the head reared back. I planted my foot on the inside of the lower jaw, using the entire face as my personal climbing utensil, however I got the hint that the monster didn't appreciate me scrambling all over its face; its wounded eye flashed eagerly at me and felt the upper and lower jaw try to snap shut. "Whoa shit--!" I stood up straight, both hands and feet vertically straight and keeping the trembling jaws from shutting, however the tiny serrated teeth inside them dug into my palms and heels, sending tiny fires throughout my extremities. My enhanced strength kept the jaws from closing, but I felt my heart pounding in my chest with fear as I stared straight into the eye of the monstrosity. "Jacqueline!" I heard Link call out and I turned my head to tell him what to do, however I had forgotten about the side-jaws and felt them as they clamped down on my waist and dug their teeth into my sides. "SON OF A FFFRRRRRRCK!!!" My grip weakened, however remembering what I was doing I reinforced my grip, my claw-like fingers digging into the flesh.

"Jacqueline! Get out of there!" I heard him scream at me and I rolled my eyes, turning my head to yell over my shoulder, "I don't think I could do that if I wanted to, now! Don't worry about me, just get the bomb and blast this damn thing!" I knew he was hesitating, and it was probably because he didn't want to hurt me. I swallowed hard; I didn't know what would happen to me if I faced up to a bomb full in the face. I turned to face him again, "Look, if you aim the bomb at the side, that should still do enough damage to knock it down! Just hurry up already!" The monkey was swinging side to side, holding one of the bombs in its clutches.

"But--"

"JUST DO SOMETHING!" I yelled, however I wrenched myself a smidge too much and my heels slipped on the slippery lower jaw, causing me to fall on my back and the jaws to come snapping down on my stomach, leaving my upper half to hang outside of the mouth. I screamed; the pain was horrible, and I could feel acid secreting from inside the monster's mouth and trying to digest me. Its eye was tangled somewhere around my leg, and its teeth sank into my flesh. I tried to pry the jaw open again, however it hungrily refused to open. O-Oh FUCK! FUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCK--! There was an explosion that rattled the monster from the side, and it flung its jaws open with a roar of pain, loosening me from its grip and sending me flying backwards. I was smoking as I sailed downward, hitting the ground a few times and tumbling to a stop near the middle of the clearing and lay on my belly. Link was rushing towards me as I struggled to get up, however I stopped him and shouted, "No! Finish this! Get that fucking thing!" I pointed towards the monster, still winded and wounded from the effects of the bomb. The hero immediately ran for the danger and plunged his sword one final time into the monster's eye, severing the eye from the body. The monster shrieked, recoiling and thrashing around in the water, sending blood all over the room. It began to shrivel up, its coloration turning to an ashen-black. As the monster died, the pool began to turn a crystal-blue color as it was cleansed by the apparent-contagion. The body suddenly shattering into pieces, forming together to create an oddly-shaped metal object, which thudded to the ground. From Link's shadow a form rushed forwards, and Midna picked up the object. "Finally! This is the forbidden power that spirit was talking about, and the solution to matching the king's power. There should be other pieces around, so it's probably time we moved on to the next area!" She waited as Link turned around and ran to help me up. "I'll be fine," I said and waved him off.

"Are you sure?" I looked into his eyes and saw concern. My nightmare flashed back to me and I smiled, "Yeah, I'm sure; I seem to recover quite quickly from injury, but I wouldn't mind visiting the springs before we go, just in case. I'm still getting used to this...body." The young man looked me up and down, inspecting for any signs that I was trying to put up a tough affront, but he found nothing past the blood residue from the plant's wounds and my own alarming. He walked to Midna and waited for me, and we both left the temple's room behind.

◼~~~~~~l~~~~~♦~~~~~~l~~~~~~~♦~~~~~~~~l~~~~~~~~◼~~~~~~~~l~~~~~~~♦~~~~~~l~~~~~~~◼

I sat on my knees in the spring, washing myself of the bloodstains and wounds I had gathered. The healing effects were miraculous and my wounds sealed up without a scar to hint they'd existed. Faron patiently looked over us and remained silent until I had finished healing myself before saying anything. "Remain vigilant, for this kingdom has not yet been saved by the spread of twilight," Faron cautioned us. "Leave these woods and go to the east, where you will find the land protected by the spirit Eldin. There you will find those you seek..." I noticed Link's attention was fixated intensely on the spirit, and I could sense his devotion to the children that had been taken. I washed more water over my wounds, looking at the green-clothed hero. "When Midna and I walked into the field, it was still covered in twilight," I voiced, "so it's likely that where Eldin is, that place is going to be covered in it too." The boy nodded as the spirit bid us farewell and disappeared.

Midna rose out of Link's shadow and chuckled, "Well that was easy, right? Just need to find the land covered in twilight and we'll get to work! Of course," she added with a wink at Link, "you'll revert to a beast again, but don't worry! I'll take good care of you."

"Is that where one of your next magical artifacts is going to be?" I asked the imp's shadow. The imp grinned, "It's possible. After all, something has to be influencing more than just the darkness there, no? You'd wonder why a province so far out into civilization wouldn't be receiving help or aid from anywhere else, so it's possible that it's being kept from getting respite! I wouldn't know, but where else would we start looking? Besides, our little hero here has been dying to find his little friends!" Link offered me a hand up and I took it, rising to my feet. "The sun is still high up, so we could make the travel before dusk hits," I offered, however the green hero shook his head. "I'd like to check on my village before I head out; Epona may have wandered back to the ranch, and even if she isn't there, I'll want to check on the families, especially the mayor." I nodded, "That sounds like a plan to me, and while we're at it, we can restock on provisions before we make it across the field." Link readily agreed and we headed back along the familiar forest path towards the province under the protection of Ordona.

I looked up at the tree house and the horse tether next to it. "Whose house is this?" I asked. "Mine, actually," Link replied, giving the house a lingering glance, "I work with Fado on herding the goats into their pen when the sun goes down, or when they need to be cleaned, or anything else he needs me to do. Epona is an excellent jumper, and the goats defer to her regularly when she points them in the right direction."

"Did you guys ever have giant birds for herding or...?" The young man looked at me, "Giant birds? No, not really; I've been with Epona ever since she was a filly. I can't imagine what you would herd with a large bird."

"Maybe the chickens?" I offered, and I listened to his laughter as I kicked myself internally. Of COURSE they wouldn't have Loftwings here! Why'd I even ask such a stupid question? Link took a few extra moments to check his house and make sure it was locked before heading down into the village. I was hesitant to follow, fearing the villagers would throw more birds at my face, however when we entered the man on the ledge wasn't there anymore.

He was on the path leading towards the waterwheel building with his back to us. I looked nervously at Link, however the young man offered me a reassuring smile and had me stand behind him a ways before approaching the man. "Hanch? Is that you?" The man known as 'Hanch' turned around and his eyes lit up. "Link? Is that you? You would not believe what has happened here--" He caught sight of me and pointed. "It's back! That thing is back!" Heat flowed through me as I felt my anger rise, and I balled my hands into fists, yelling back, "Hey fuck you too, buddy!" Link swerved around at me, shaking his head, and I crossed my arms with a glare, keeping my mouth shut. "Hanch, this is Jacqueline, and she's my friend."

"Be careful, Link! I saw her come through with her evil minions! I bet she's the one that kidnapped the children!" I arched an eyebrow before it clicked; he must have thought Link had been a monster as well. Large wolves are hard to come by, and I bet they've seen their fair share of those, I acknowledged, however I didn't say anything. Link offered a frown, "Wait, what happened to the children?  Tell me everything." Link was able to extract the truth from Hanch, detailing what monsters took which children. "They're all gone," Hanch moaned, "and none of us could stop them!"

"Well, did any of them look like her?" Link gestured to me, and Hanch peered at me. I refrained from flipping him off and settled for a cool stare. "Well, no," Hanch admitted softly, "but that doesn't mean she's not responsible! I want my Beth back, you hear?" He shook his fist at me, and Link cut me off before I could unleash a heated string of curses. "Hanch, calm yourself; Jacqueline isn't the one that took the children. She's actually trying to help me get them back."

The man looked up at Link, blinking, "What, really? But--"

"It's okay, Hanch, she's a friend and she means no harm. Trust me." The man looked reluctantly from me to Link and slouched his shoulders in defeat. "Well, all right, Link. I trust you--" He glared at me, "--but I don't trust her."

I snorted, "That's fine! I don't need your trust or your consent; wouldn't want to soil your precious, pretty village with my taint anyway." I walked forwards and stormed past Link, who sighed and shook his head. "Try to keep things level," he told Hanch and jogged to catch up with me, leaving the villager bewildered in the road. There were two other huts further into the village, one notably-more dominant in build and carving than the other. "Try to keep calm around them," Link advised me, "they've had quite a scare, and accepting you readily is going to take time. I'll do whatever I can to vouch for you, but not every villager will feel the same way that I do about my faith in you."

I stopped and sighed, "I know, but it fucking sucks; I'll try to do my very best to not scare them with my face. If I'm that horrible to them, then I'll just wait outside the village every time you come back here." Link sighed and put his hand on my shoulder, "Jacqueline--"

"I know, I know," I took his hand off my shoulder and nodded ahead, "I take it that's the mayor's house?" Link nodded, "That's Mayor Bo's house. I'll need to go in and speak with him before I head up to the ranch and see how things are doing."

"Did he have anybody that was taken?" Link's face collapsed somewhat, and a sad smile crossed his features. For a moment I thought he was going to cry, and I stared in shock. "Yes, actually," he admitted, "my best friend Ilia. We grew up together, and she's my very best friend. If I'd been faster, I probably could have kept them from taking her." I blinked, stunned to silence at the depth of emotion I was hearing. I wonder if they're more than that... I nodded, "I know what you mean; my best friend is recovering from an injury and likely won't remember me when he wakes up." Link looked at me, some of his own sadness forgotten. "I'm sorry," he said, but I shook him off. "Don't be; it was an accident, and there's nothing I could have done to prevent it. If he doesn't remember me when I get back, then....well, then that's that." Silence stretched between us, and I hurriedly got us back on track. "Why don't you go talk to Mayor Bo for a bit? I'll find someplace to be out of the way. I don't want more hawks thrown at my face."

Link attempted a joke and smiled, "Maybe you can catch us a meal this time?" I feinted a punch in his direction and he grinned, moving towards the larger hut in better spirits. He knocked on the door and was invited inside, disappearing into the hut and leaving me to my own devices. I looked around, unsure of what to do and feeling awkward without Link as my chauffeur; after all, he was the legendary hero come to pass, so who wouldn't be lucky to have him as an escort? Midna came out of my shadow this time and giggled, "Still not caring what you look like?"

"Oh shove it, all right?" I growled and looked away. The imp floated back into my vision and grinned, "Aw, did I hurt your feelings? Trust me, this stuff happens all the time! It'll grow on you, and soon you'll be looking for nothing else but a way to return to being normal!"

"Did you always look like this?" I looked at the imp, curious as to how familiar she was with the concept; she sounded like she spoke from experience. The imp leaned back and rolled her eye, "Well, it shouldn't really matter, should it? After all, we both don't look like them, so whatever doesn't look like them freaks them out! Kinda racist, don't you think?" I frowned at her, "Well, we do come off looking like...well, I don't know, something out of a nightmare? I bet they don't even know about Twili."

"But you're not Twili; you're a person."

"But they don't know that."

"Oh they know it now, since your little hero defended you," Midna chuckled, "but I doubt they'll actually believe you're human enough to understand them. Guess you're an outcast on both ends, huh?" I sighed and looked down. I knew I didn't want to be upset with them, despite how much it hurt to be separated from people I wanted to help. It felt far more different than being the Surfacer in Skyloft, and I had already been having an identity crisis for the past few days. I looked at Midna, "Why are you telling me all of this?"

The imp stuck her tongue out and playfully winked, "No reason, really! Just figured you might want to rethink your feelings and heart towards these pitiful villagers!" The imp disappeared as I stared where she had been. Her actions had been curious enough to get my attention, and her words didn't match her usual sense of insensitivity and aloofness. What would she stand to gain from telling me that? Puzzled, I looked around the area in silence. The sun was warm and birds were chirping cheerfully, and I smiled. A flash of white caught my eye, and I watched a thatched basket float down the small brook that led to the large pond. I waded into the water, the clear gurgling water washing over my ankles as I picked up the basket and inspected it. It had soft cotton sheets in it and a very plush knitted pillow inside of it. A baby cradle! I looked up and saw a distraught and severely-pregnant woman come outside of her hut and had stopped a ways up the path, frozen at the sight of me. I met her gaze and saw fear and caution sparkling in the blue orbs. She was very lovely, and I felt a sense of longing for my own mother. I looked at the cradle, and then back up at her. "Is this yours?" I asked. The mother bit her lip and eventually nodded, straightening up and folding her hands together to meet at her collarbone. "I'll bring it to you," I informed her and made patient, calm steps towards her. I could hear her shaky breaths and could see her shivering; how badly had these monsters traumatized the village? As I held out the basket at arms length, I looked her over. She didn't look like she'd been injured, however I noticed her palms were covered in blood, most of it dried. "Did you cut yourself?" I asked.

The woman blinked, the spell of fear lifting. "Oh, n-no," she replied, her voice light and filled with a light tint of song, "this is from my husband's wounds; he was trying to protect the other children from the invasion and was badly injured. I was just changing his bandages when I remembered I had left the cradle near the riverbank and came outside to get it. Silly me." Too awkward to say anything, I passed the basket on to her and allowed her to take hold of it completely, however something about seeing her carry it struck me as wrong, and I offered to carry it for her. She was hesitant at first, but she handed the basket back to me and we walked back up the slope towards the hut. I placed the cradle on the porch and the woman smiled. "Thank you for helping me," she said, and I returned an easy smile, "Not at all. I'm Jacqueline."

"My name is Uli," she replied and sat down on the steps heavily, a hand on her swollen belly. I didn't speak as she took moments to catch her breath, and she looked out to the village. "This place has always been so peaceful," she said gently out loud, "it never seemed like anything could go wrong. Now...it seems like we are far too vulnerable." The look in her eyes told me she too had lost someone to the kidnapping, but I was too worried to ask. Needless to say, however, Uli divulged the mystery-child to me with what she said next. "My son, Colin...he idolized Link. He was always being picked on by the other kids and didn't have the courage to save himself from their bullying, but had a large heart and wanted to learn from the young man so he could defend the village if anything happened. Oh, why did he have to be brave? If only he'd stayed home that day...then..." Tears pooled in her eyes and she sobbed into her hands, burying her face within them. "Ooooh, Colin..." Seeing the woman cry made me feel worse than not offering anything to say, but I knew words wouldn't calm her down. I hesitantly reached forwards and placed a hand on her shoulder, testing the waters. She seemed too busy crying to notice, so I moved closer and put my arm around her shoulder, edging my other hand to cradle her left forearm. Her sobbing began to lessen and she took her hands away from her face. She looked at my hand, seeing the contrast between her healthy pink skin and my blackened tone, and gripped my hand gently with her own. "It's...warm," she whispered. I smiled, feeling a wave of sadness come over me. "I used to look normal," I said, and the mother chose not to say anything but continued to let me hug her and held my hand.

The door handle turned, and the door creaked open. "Uli? Darling, was that you? I thought I heard crying--" A wounded man with bandages wrapped around his head and one of his arms in a sling came poking from around the door, and upon seeing me, he stopped short of what he was saying. His surprised look suddenly turned to a thunderous dark cloud of anger, and I feared for my very soul. "Get your hands off my wife," he said darkly and limped back inside hurriedly. I assumed he was going for a weapon, and I began to jump to my feet as Uli protested. "Rusl, wait!" By the time I had gotten to my feet, Rusl was back at the door with a sword in hand. "You're not taking more from me," the man bravely growled and lowered the sword tip to angle for my throat. "Rusl, enough!" Uli came to my defense and grabbed his good arm, forcing him to lower his sword. "She is not here to hurt any of us," she urgently told him. He tried to pull his arm away, but weak as he apparently was, he couldn't. He looked into Uli's eyes, his anger turning to confusion. "But--she--!"

"Has done nothing, my love," Uli argued and gently lowered his arm until the sword tip touched the floorboards. "She was helping me get the cradle back, that is all." I looked from the wounded man to the distraught mother and felt a pain strike within me. Even if I meant no harm, people far and wide would be petrified at the sight of me. Is it possible I can't be normal among these people? Will nobody else treat me like I'm not a monster? I could still hear the roars of the twilight monsters from my dream, and somewhere in the back of my mind, I could hear my own roar join theirs from the twisted magic Ghirahim had planted within me. Things wouldn't be the same, and no matter how much I meant to help, they wouldn't see me as anything but a monster. At least she was kind enough to understand. I looked up at Uli, seeing pleading in her eyes. I then looked to Rusl, seeing mistrust, fear and confusion in his eyes. I narrowed my eyes, "Don't worry about it, Uli," I said, "I was just leaving." I turned around and walked down the path against her protests, and left the parents on the steps, bewildered. I sat on the porch to the mayor's hut, watching as chickens wafted through, clucking and washing their beaks and feathers in the shallow stream. A cat came by to sniff my hand, curious about my scent, and I scratched its head and pet it casually. It licked my index finger with its grated tongue before the door opened, and Link emerged from inside, closing the door behind him. "Everything solved?" I asked, and the boy gave me a half-triumphant smile. "No news on Ilia, but he's happy to hear we're doing something about the children. I told him we'd get the children back here as soon as we could."

I arched an eyebrow, "You told him about me?" Link nodded, and my eyebrow arched further, "And he was okay with that?" The young man glanced to the side for a moment, as if choosing his words carefully. "I think explaining to him what you look like would have risen more questions, so I kept things simple." I sighed and rolled my eyes, "No, I get it; can't make more people grab their pitchforks while I'm a guest here, right?"

"You know that's not true, Jacqueline."

I stood up, the cat twining around my legs and meowing. "If that's not the case, then you shouldn't see the need to hide what I really am from them," I challenged him. I spread my arms helplessly, "Look at me, Link; I look like a fucking monster, all right? Hands down, honest-to-God monster. If I don't look like a human or one of their farm animals, then obviously I'm jotted down as a 'whatever', and that equals to 'monster'. I'm living with one foot in each door, and there's simply nowhere I belong that people will accept me."

"Well, I accept you," Link said, and I sighed, "You know what I mean, and I wasn't complaining about you. Hell, you'd probably have tried to kill me right off the bat if you thought otherwise." I watched as he opened his mouth to object, but opted to say nothing, and I watched for his response with interest.

The young man instead shook his head, "It's just...complicated for me to explain to the mayor--a very practical man--why a black and white human is here in the village, and why you aren't suspicious. If he learns of your intentions, then he won't care what you look like, so why would it be important for me to tell him that?"

"Because it means more to me if I look like a freak of nature and I'm recognized for doing something good for once!" The cat stretched up my leg, pawing at my thigh, and I looked down at its large eyes, anger forgotten. I pet its head and sighed up at Link, "You know, just forget about it. I'm making a big deal out of nothing, aren't I?"

The boy reluctantly nodded, "I think it would probably be best if we moved on as quickly as possible. From what the mayor told me, the village is still recovering from the attack, and the easier everyone's routines fall back into place, the easier it will be for them to be more open-minded about other...concepts." He chose his words carefully, and I bowed my head and picked up the cat. The cat tried to climb over my shoulder, inquisitive about the new height it had risen to, and I held it steady. "You can take as much time as you want here," I replied bitterly, "but I'm going to make myself scarce before you become ashamed of my looks, too." I stormed off before Link could have a chance to object, walking back up the path to where his house was nestled in the woods. The cat wriggled out of my grip and jumped down as I passed the hut by the waterside, hurrying through the cat door and disappearing from sight. I stomped up the path and scowled at the house, seeing the training dummies off to the side. Feeling emotional, I advanced on one and pulled my hand back, forming a fist, and unleashing all of what I had in my heart into the dummy's pumpkin head with a yell. The head suddenly exploded, and I was shocked into silence before I began to have the hiccups. The head was obliterated, the slices of pumpkin littering the ground. I picked one up, inspecting it. Midna came out again and looked at the shattered pumpkin. "My my, your temper can cause a lot of damage! Have you tried leveling buildings?" She asked. I groaned, "What the hell do you want, Midna?"

The imp sighed, "I'm just saying that you seem to be more dangerous when you're all riled up! You made quite a scene back there, so I was beginning to wonder if making you continuously angry might solve more good than cause harm if aimed correctly."

"The hell are you talking about?" The imp winked at me, "If we got you angry and you took it out on our enemies, you could eliminate them far more quickly than Link could! Think about it! All of that energy stored inside of you, just waiting to be tapped against a foe! Not nearly as strong as the dark magic or the Maiden Shard, but effective!" She crossed her arms and pursed her lips. "Althoooough," she countered, "it seems that whenever you get upset and unleash your temper on something, like the pumpkin, you're incredibly vulnerable to attack; you're breathing hard and you're shaking. Look!" I noticed my hands had been trembling, and I had reinforced my grip on the pumpkin. I looked up at Midna as she shrugged, her hands on either side helplessly. "What use is a weapon if it can only be used once every now and then? It might solve a problem immediately, but what if there's more than one issue at hand? You'd totally be useless! Best to keep that emotional outburst under lock and key, right?"

I looked at the pumpkin bit and felt tears crawling into my eyes, and I began to bend down and calmly pick up the pieces. "Yeah...guess it really doesn't help if I get angry," I muttered, gathering up as much as I could. Midna shrugged, "Well, I don't know about that, but certainly finding a better way to channel it, say, maybe into your sword fighting? Sure could use more of that!" I nodded as I thought over her words. I can't make up my mind if she's trying to be a pain in the ass as well as be a valuable asset. I watched her as she disappeared, looking up towards the path that led back to the village. I began to think of going back to apologize, however I thought better of it and waited near the house.

When Link came from the village, I had settled next to the demolished dummy, staring at the ground. The sound of his boots scuffling in the dirt alerted me, and I looked up to see him watching me. "I have to help Fado herd the goats into the barn for the night," he said, "but we'll be able to head off soon. It'll likely be dark by the time we get to the field or even across it, so I'll get some camping supplies while we're here." I nodded and got up, unsure of what to say. "I understand," I replied, and the boy nodded and headed back to the village. I stayed behind for a few moments longer before running after him, however he'd almost made it to the ranch by the time I had even entered the village. Perplexed at the amount of distance there was between, I decided against going any further and began to turn around, however I heard a noise and stopped.

It was Hanch, looking at me. "Link will need supplies for the road," he said thickly, "so it would be best if you got it for him. My wife is inside that hut--" He pointed to the house by the waterfront, "--with the supplies ready." I was about to object to his tone, but I remembered I was on thin ice to begin with, so I nodded and pretended to smile, "Thank you, that's very thoughtful of you." I kept my tone neutral and with as much warmth as I could muster against the man. I walked past him, not eager to stick around for a response and headed into the hut without another word.

On the other side I was shocked to find a very large woman, depressed and leaning against a counter. From what I could see, it was a shop with shelves at the very back and a storage room to the side. The cat from earlier was drinking milk out of a saucer and looked up as I entered, meowing and purring as the woman pet it. She looked up at me and blinked. Then, she went back to petting the cat. "Oh," she said dully, "what can I get for you?" I stood there, silent and stunned at her reaction. "I came to get supplies for Link; he's going on a journey into the fields, and I don't know how long it's going to take." The woman looked up, "Mm..oh, you're the girl my husband was talking about. Aren't you both going together?"

I sighed, "Yes, however it looks like Link's the one taking the lead and I'm the delivery boy." The wife offered a smile, brightening the dark cloud looming over her features, "Don't let my husband get you down, dearie; he's quite a coward, and he doesn't always deal with his problems in a healthy manner. It runs in the family." She picked up a neatly-packed assortment of bags, coiled together with camping gear and provisions, "Here you are. Everything you need to go adventuring, dearie. And here, a bottle of milk on the house!" She gave me a full bottle of milk, the contents of the bottle leaving silky residue as the liquid churned. My stomach growled as I looked at it; it looked so delicious. "Thank you," I muttered and took the bottle and the bag. As the woman looked away, I used my abilities to store the provisions and hide them, looking back to her. "I'm surprised you aren't...well, afraid of me," I commented. The woman looked to me with a smile, "Why should I be? Lil' Link here's taken a liking to you, and he can usually tell a good apple from a bad one. If he's warmed up to you, then I see no reason not to either." I looked at the cat with a smile, and I almost thought for a moment that the cat had winked at me. The woman blinked, "Oh! I almost forgot. Uli next door had something to give you, and she's meeting you on the front porch."

"Really?" I was doubly-surprised and watched as the wife bid me farewell with a small smile and wave. I put my hand on the door and she called for my attention. "Please see if you can bring my sweet little Beth back to me," she said, and I nodded. "I'll do what I can, ma'am."

"Thank you, dearie." I exited the hut and walked along the path back towards Uli's hut, seeing that the shopkeeper's words were not ill-founded; she was standing a little ways beyond the porch and was holding a bundle in her arms. She greeted me warmly, "Hello, Jacqueline. I'm sorry for my husband's outburst earlier; he's been through a lot."

"I'll say we all have," I empathized, and Uli nodded in mutual agreement. "Indeed, and that's why I'd like to give this to you." She held out the brown bundle, and as I took it from her, I looked it over. "What is it?" I asked. She smiled, "It's something to keep you warm on your journey. It looks strange for you to have....no clothing on, and I believe this might help others warm up to you." Touched, I smiled and unraveled the gift, seeing it was a shawl woven from a very soft fiber; I assumed it was from the goats at the ranch. I wrapped it around my body, seeing it covered up my front and left the rest to stretch down my right side and cover half of my front down the middle at a sagittal view. It was very warm and snug, and I spun around experimentally, watching as the fabric didn't stray too far from my body. "I...I love it," I breathed, and Uli beamed with pride, grinning widely. "I am so pleased you like it! At first I was afraid that you wouldn't, being it not much for me to give."

"It's perfect," I whispered and smiled at her, trying not to cry; I'd had a very emotional day. She nodded and looked behind her, "My husband may want to try walking around soon, so I should get back inside. I would love to hear more about your progress when you find our children." I nodded, "I'll help Link get the kids back, don't you worry." She nodded soberly, "Please look after Link; he's a capable young man, but he's still new to the world. I hope you can help him find the right path." Knowing it was his fate to save the world, I didn't see any reason that I would have difficulty keeping him on the straight and narrow, despite my lack of direction. I nodded and said my goodbyes, walking calmly back down the path. I started to head towards Link's house, however I stopped myself to look at the ledges near the water. Curious, I climbed up it and stood, looking over the village. There was a charm to the natural, ordinary and plain little village, and I felt a spot of envy for Link, seeing he had a wonderful home to return to. I lay down on my back and looked at the sky, keeping the sun out of my vision with a forearm and bending one knee lazily. The environment was serene and calm, and it began to lull me to sleep. "Jacqueline?" I heard Link call from below and I snapped up, "Yes?" I looked left and right before looking down, seeing the green-clad hero looking up at me. "It's time we should be heading off. I just need to stop by the shop and get supplies before we leave."

I leaped off the ledge, "I already got it all, so you won't need to do that." He blinked, apparently surprised. I arched an eyebrow, "What? Were you planning on carrying it all by yourself?" The hero didn't know how to respond and offered a smile, "I suppose not. Thanks." He started walking back in the direction of the forest, and I chanced a look behind me at the village before leaving with him.

◼~~~~~~l~~~~~♦~~~~~~l~~~~~~~♦~~~~~~~~l~~~~~~~~◼~~~~~~~~l~~~~~~~♦~~~~~~l~~~~~~~◼

We walked in silence, content to stew over our own thoughts. I was tempted at many times to apologize to him, however I thought better of it. My words would probably be the last ones he'd want to hear from for a while. He made an effort to strike up a conversation, asking about the shawl. I told him where I'd gotten it, and he'd offered a smile and went back to silently walking. We took the forked path towards the gateway that led into the field, passing by the local that lived there. I noticed a change in his demeanor towards me; I figured it was the shawl and silently blessed Uli for her ingenuity and care towards my circumstances. I hoped there would be more like her where we were heading next. We made it to the gate and Link stopped, leaving me to take a few more paces forward before I noticed he had stopped walking. I turned around, "What's up?"

He sighed and looked up at me. "Jacqueline, you do know I'm not ashamed of you." I blinked and then recollected what had happened before. "Well, yeah...I said that because I was angry. I get angry a lot and say things I don't mean to sometimes," I admitted, and the young man seemed to open up a bit more. "It's not that I'm ashamed of you, Jacqueline; it's just that I'm as clueless as they are as what to make of your condition. I was shocked you hadn't turned into your actual self when the void lifted on the forest."

"You know what I look like?"

"I saw how the tears affected you, so, yes, I did." I thought back and remembered marveling at how the tears had caused my form to shift like reflections of water between my inverted form and my actual form. I wondered how much longer I'd be stuck this way and I nodded to him, "I guess even if you did tell them, they wouldn't understand. They seem like very kind, but simple people; magic probably wouldn't make sense to them. The thing they do understand is what happened recently, and even that's affected them far more severely than one might try to understand."

Link breathed out in relief, "So you do understand..." I nodded, "I can kinda relate to it, and even while it's not fair to me, it's completely logical for them to react that way. I'm just happy they didn't keep throwing stuff at me; one can only get used to getting sliced by hawks only so many times."

"I'll make sure that doesn't happen the next time you go there." I looked at the shawl with a smile, "Something tells me you won't need to, but thanks anyway." I was happy to have rekindled our partnership, even if it hadn't been too damaged to begin with. I wasn't as angry or bitter as before, and my emotions were subdued to the point where I could easily sweep them under the rug. "We should probably get going and find a place to make camp," I said, and Link nodded. "I don't think we're going to get to where we need to be, judging by the sun. We'll find a sheltered area and set up there." We both walked in a more comfortable silence, venturing out past the trees and into the field. I was amazed at how vast it was; the twilight realm made things feel more boxed in and enclosed, and I smiled as a pleasant breeze tossed my hair. We made our way down the main road, crossing over a bridge with a gully underneath it. The clouds overhead began to gather, and I shielded my eyes from the sun to observe them. "It might rain," I said, and Link nodded, "You're correct about that; it's not surprising, since it rains often at the end of summer."

"Do you think we'll find the kids before fall?" I smirked and Link nodded, "Definitely. In the meantime, we should find some higher ground near the trees and make camp there. We'll continue on tomorrow morning. We're also likely to find more beasts to hunt out here." I nodded and pointed up to bird-like creatures flapping through the air, oblivious to our presence, "Something like those, I'd imagine, but we don't need to hunt just yet; the food we have should suffice. We can find meat later." Link agreed and we detoured off to the side, finding a slope with a line of trees and unpacking. I summoned the pack and dropped it gently in the grass next to us, unfurling the blankets and tent skins, pitching them without much difficulty. We wisely decided not to make a fire, considering the branches above our heads, and we settled for a cold dinner of breads, cheeses and some of the milk. A bottle of honey was generously added to the packing, and I happily took it out and poured some onto the bread and taking a sliver of cheese for myself. We ate eagerly and began to finish up, the sun slipping further towards the horizon. Link took notice of something up the road, and I turned my attention to see something red running towards us. I began to pull my weapon, however Link stopped me with a hand gesture as the shape got closer.

It was a man with a flag. The running man began to round the corner, seeing our camp, and called out a greeting. We called back and the running man introduced himself as the postman. "That wall up ahead is impassable," he informed us, "so I suggest you go no further! There's no end to it for miles!" He delivered an introductory letter into Link's care and saluted us before continuing his jog. "What does it say?" I asked, half my mouth full with bread. "It's a letter about the postman's occupation and telling us not to run if we see him coming," Link responded. I snorted, "Sounds like a business deal. Ah well, I'm game! Sounds like it could be useful in the future." Link nodded and pocketed the mail, finishing up his meal and cleaning himself off. "If you want, I can take the first watch again," he said, however I shook my head. "I'll take the first watch, you go ahead and get some sleep," I said, and he nodded with appreciation. Link took one of the blankets and curled up in it, placing his weapons off to the side and lying down on his side to sleep. Within moments I heard him snoring, and I smirked.

I felt cold in my stomach, for I had a feeling that when the time came for me to sleep, it likely wouldn't be a pleasant experience. I looked at the wall of twilight, watching as its orange hues illuminated against the natural sky, the sun now slipping below the treeline and casting the world in its own twilight. I sighed and kept watch, dreading with each passing moment that Link would awaken and take my place. If the time comes, I thought, I really hope I don't have any more nightmares.

Like many of the other things I had hoped and wished for, I was in for a grave disappointment.
One province down, and more excitement to come!

Thank you for reading another chapter in the SPECULUM series! As you read, I would very much like to request that you leave feedback and comments below the chapter to voice your thoughts on each piece of literature! It would greatly help me improve on stories in the future, and it helps inspire me to continue reading if I know others are enjoying the piece as much as I am!

zelda206.deviantart.com/art/SP… <-- ♦NEXT CHAPTER
zelda206.deviantart.com/art/SP… <-- ♦PREVIOUS CHAPTER
zelda206.deviantart.com/art/SP… <-- ♦BACK TO THE BEGINNING
© 2015 - 2024 Zelda206
Comments6
Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In
midnight-winter's avatar

The Diababa fight was really good! And the part with the village was also great! I always wished that I could go up to people in-game without all the panic, and it was nice to see that at least some of them could get over her appearance. Sometimes when I was in wolf form, I'd go and chill with the oil seller guy (Corro?), because he's actually nice and chill about it. I am curious though about how she'll be received in kakariko. I especially have high hopes for Colin, because he's such a great kid. Seriously, I bet he could even have his own spin-off, cuz that kid is a hero in the making! Definitely one of my favorite npcs ever. I doubt the bomb shop man will be too accommodating, but the shaman might be pretty chill too. Can't wait to read more!