Legend of Zelda : Trial of a Man

Chapter LXI - Den of Thieves

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A/N : This is just a snippet. More is to come, but I just wanted to show you guys that I am doing something. Check note at the bottom. :D

A/N (NEW) - I added more on to the bottom of this snippet - another snippet. Again not spellchecked yet, and not much but hopefully enough to show you people that I am working on this and am slowly getting somewhere - this chapter is supremely important and if I don't do this right its gonna screw up the rest of the story forever. Now, it is coming along and those tough scenes are working out just fine, but I've still got some intermident scenes that I'm working on which do not want to be typed, but are still vital as they lead up to aforementioned important things. Expect an update soon - my inspiration has been off and on even as of late, however, I managed to get a few things actually worked out in my head, reworking some of my old theories (and realizing just how much editing and rewriting I'm going to have to do on this monster of a story) and its given me something to work with. Hopefully it holds.

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With a little bit of fast, smooth talking, Sheik managed to get us into the stadium to watch the proceedings. Of course, they made us promise a few things - no throwing anything, not at Shanis or her opponents, and definately no interfering - but nothing was said about finding a way down into the area ourselves. And its not like they'll be seeing us anyway. Though, I doubt we'll do what we came to do (Sheik and I haven't even worked out our plan yet. It's on our to do list, I guess) without Shanis herself seeing us, but we won't be doing anything to help her unless we were right with our suspicions and something really is gonna happen, in which case I don't really think she will be complaining.

The stadium is really quite. . .impressive. We were lead out a few miles into the desert off towards a small cluster of what appeared to hills, but really turned out to be an ancient looking temple built out of yellow sandstone the same color as the fortress and of the desert itself. The main body of the stadium is down a few halls and stairs, and though it is obviously underground, there are large slats in the ceiling, high up, and the sunlight drifts down lazily, warming these lower rooms more than the many torches on the walls could ever hope to do. Beautiful relief images of women (I'm assuming Gerudo women) with snakes coiled around their wrists and in some cases, necks, decorates the walls.

We're walking around on a stone platform, almost, and while it reaches wall to wall for an incredible large viewing area, there are two sizeable holes in the floor, both with a network of stone beams crisscrossing overtop in a somewhat dome shape. A kind of safety thing, I guess, though even with just a quick glance, I can tell that there's still more than enough room to fall through. Leaning a little, I can see down and really, there's not that much to see. What light is going down there is only decorating the space with the same crisscross pattern of the beams.

Other than than, I scowl, is nothing more than dirt.

A hand on my shoulder pulls me away from my observations, and I turn in time to see two Gerudo dressed in a golden orange walk right up to Shanis. She's a good twenty feet away and while I can tell she's not trying to be quiet, I can't quite make out what she's saying over the noise of everyone else in the room. There's just too many other people talking and muttering and laughing.

Sheik, hand not yet removed, leans forward a little until he's a little further ahead than beside me, frowning. I look at him, a frown forming on my face as well as I try to wonder just what it is that is going on.

His lips are moving, but I can't hear him saying anything, so-

"There." A sliver of crimson glances at me from the corner of his eye, then back again to the three of them, "They're taking her down now. I think the Orange on the right is one of our conspiritors." He crosses his arms, frowning, still watching.

I stare back at Shanis and her little 'entorage', "Um, that is if there is actually any conspiracy going on here. We could be wrong about all of this and just end up getting ourselves and Shanis in trouble, you know." As I watch, Shanis eyes meet mine for one brief second before darting back to the other two with her. Beside me, Sheik makes a sound of consternation.

"I doubt it, and besides, I'd rather be there and not have to do anything rather than be up here and watch her get mauled or something."

"True, but how on earth do you plan for us to be with her and not get seen? I'm sure that where ever the Trial actually takes place they'll be able to see our every move. What then?" I shift my weight and cross my arms, turning my eyes to him.

Still staring ahead, he sighs, "From what I can tell, there's three stages to this Trial thing. They'll lead Shanis off, and the next we'll see her, she'll have to fight some Gerudos or something, right under us. We can watch her," he points towards the large openings in the floor, "Through there. After that, she'll continue forward, but I don't think we can actually view that part, or the part after. The second challenge I think is a maze or something. I suppose they have it closed to viewing so that she can't get any hints from the crowd, or that she can't track her progress by gauging her position by the room above her, either."

"After that?" I look back at Shanis, but she's already gone - and everybody else is moving towards the first of the openings, the one closest to the entrance.

"I haven't caught anyone talking about that - or at least, no one who's been facing me." When I give him a curious look, he elaborates, "Lip reading. I can't read their lips if they're facing the wrong way, and I doubt we can just walk around like we belong here."

"Oh." I pause, "You still haven't explained how we're supposed help Shanis. I still don't see how we're can get-"

"Shh!' He glares at me and I blink, surprised how he cut me off like that. I wait a second, confused, and am about to ask what that was all about when two Gerudo, one in red and one in green pass us by. I freeze, perfectly still, trying to act nonchalant but as they walk by me my eyes follow them, looking for any sign of suspicion.

"Okay, we're good." I face Sheik again; his voice suddenly goes quiet, "What we do is simple. When Shanis finishes her first fight, we jump down the first hole once everybody else moves to the second hole to watch."

I glance over my shoulder, checking in a manner I hope looks casual to make sure no one else is coming, "How the hell do you think we'll be able to do that?" I casually look over my other shoulder, "They'll see us enter the second room."

"Link, more time between glances - you look suspicious like that, and no they won't see us. They'll be too busy watching Shanis fight to see us enter, and once she's done and moved on, we should be able to sneak around the sides of the room and through the door down there. You've seen it, haven't you? Most of the rooms down there are dark - I think its supposed to add a kind of challenge to the whole thing, but it will be handy for our part in this."

"Yeah, but. . .Well, what if they notice us missing?" I ask, "And how the hell are we gonna get out?"

"Voice down," he mutters, and I cringe, feeling surprisingly chastised, ". . .I don't think they'll notice our absence - there's a lot of Gerudo here, and I think that most of them will just be too hyped to realize we're gone." His eyes, distant, scan the room, ". . .No one's even watching us right now. . ."

"So. . .Again, how the heck are we supposed to get out once we're done?"

Sheik shrugs, ". . .We'll get there when we get there. Worse comes to worst, I can jump out and, I don't know, drop a rope for you or something."

I turn to him in shock, "That's it? That's your plan?"

He moves his head just enough to look at me with both eyes, "Well, you got to admit the rest of my plan isn't that bad."

"Yeah," I mutter, sighing and shaking my head, "It's just the ass-half of your plan that sucks."

"I'd like to see you come up with something better. Either way, we better get into position. We'll move towards the hole - try to get right beside it if you can. As soon as Shanis is done the first fight and moves on to the second, everyone else should follow to the other hole and we'll slip in, simple like that. Alright?"

I nod.

For once, please say things will work out. Just for once.

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"Come now, Sister, you must have something to eat."

"I'm sorry," Leona smiled softly, "I'm simply not hungry."

Her brother sighed, voicing his frustration, "You know Father will be angry." He sighed, putting the bowl of soup down, running a hand through his hair - she couldn not see this, no, but it had become his custom as he grew older, his way of handling her illness and her quiet stubborness, ". . .You're looking so thin, Sister."

She smiled at him, a little more genuine this time, "I've always looked thin, to you."

"Well, you look worse, now - honestly, how hard could it be to force a little food into yourself?" His tone was pleading and annoyed, but she did not mind, felt a little sheepish even as she felt his sudden regret for his words, and she found herself almost mouthing his next sentence. It was so predictable, "I'm sorry. . .I didn't mean it like that - I. . . I know this must be hard on you. . ."

The guilt in his words was palptable in the air itself.

Was there anything she could say?

"Do not concern yourself, Brother - I am fine." She paused, nodding her head, "Honestly."

He, too, nodded, before slowly rising from his seat, "If you say so, though if Father gets mad, you get to explain to him just why I didn't give you any lunch, alright?" When she didn't reply he trudged off with a sigh, looking more like an old man than her younger brother. It as if there was a heavy weight atop his shoulders, and she watched as he disappeared into the next room, taking the bowl with him.

What she wouldn't give for a normal life - the ability to see life as it was meant to be seen, with colors and shapes and proper light and shadows, not this darkened mockery of vision and sight. She was so sick of seeing red and black and white and death and mayhem. . .Sometimes there were fleeting shadows of things beautiful and serene, but they never lingered long, before it was back to the blood and anguish.

As if summoned, a haze fell over her already darkened sight. They appeared before her eyes, slow at first, flickering weakly before solidifying. Had she known the device she would have compared it to the start of an old movie reel, and as the image solidified it sped up, the vision itself gaining depth and sound until it was undistinguishable from reality. . .

A horrible twisted view of what was yet to come. . .

There's a man standing waist deep in blood. . .Link, its Link - He looks so sad, staring at his hands, hands covered in blood. . .His eyes suddenly snap up to meet hers, bright blue eyes with sharp slit pupils - he looks so scared, desperate and lonely and his gaze pleads with her for something she cannot understand. . .

The air around him is dark, twisting upon itself with hidden fury. . .

The Demon approaches, she realizes, its getting closer everyday, and the friendship of the Sheikah still is not enough to pull it back, to lock it away.

But that's the strange thing - she cannot sense nor can she see the Sheikah. . .Did he abandon the Hero afterall?

There is a terrible sense of dread in the air - something dark and fearful - it tastes like sorrow, misery, and betrayal, yet somehow bittersweet. The thick sea of blood pushes and pulls like the real ocean, moving with its own unseen tide. So much blood. . .

Link's eyes eventually pull away from hers, and now his arms lay limp at his sides. He stares into the blood with a solemn gaze, as if hoping to find an answer. The sea around him slowly draws back, the level dropping until its near his knees, though she knows that this is not a sign of good things to come. . .

. . .A wave, huge and tall, forms behind the Hero; preparing to crush him under its immense weight.

She knows that he knows it is coming, but he does not fight, does not even turn to look.

One of her hands is reaching forward, reaching out to scream and call his name - the rising tide is falling -- but suddenly a presence stirs, dark and full of lingering curousity. The wave stops mid motion, and as the touch of the dark presence scours over the vision, the sea settles instantly, returning to its previous calm motions, falling unnaturally. The darkness watches with a curious eye, hidden in the haze of black around her.

It feels like she is being watched from every angle.

Who. . .?

The voice is strong and brave and it reeks of old, dead malice - it seems to echo in the blackness, hollow and disembodied. A the sound of the voice, Link again looks up - his movements sharp and almmost painful, and he too scans their surroundings, looking. Searching. Something here is different, wrong - this isn't just some image, some glimpse into the future - somehow, the boundries between illusions and reality are blurring. . .As if this vision somehow went from exactly that, an illusion, to becoming real--

The presence suddenly intensifies, and she can feel its hate.

You're not supposed to be here. . .

Apparently, she isn't - she's being kicked out of her own vision - the world around her starts to fade, slowly, flickering and slowing down, and the last image she sees before the black and red hell dies out is the images of a purple-ish ocarina, the symbol of Hyrule etched in gold on its side laying broken amongst the jagged rocks.

The world spins.

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A/N - Obviously not spell checked or anything yet, and this is obviously a very small part of a chapter that is so big that I had to split it into three separate sections, which is saying something seeing as I've had chapters of like 60-100kb before (I think, anyways). Its actually coming along nicely, as I actually have inspiration, and I'll probably even put up a concept art kinda drawing of the above mentioned room on my Devart account, too. Its an important room, of sorts, I suppose. Future parts of the story will involve the Trial area, so it might be a good idea to show what that room (and other important ones) look like. :P I don't know. I'll working on it, but its been years since I took perception art in High School.

If you see anything that is contradictory to anything else that I've written in the story, please point it out in a review or something. Also, just a note, if you sign in for a review with a snippet, when the actual chapter comes along, it won't let you have another signed in review (excuse my sudden inability to articulate) so, you might want to do it as an anonymous review. I don't know.

Other than that, um, sorry bout the wait and with any luck, the chapter should be up soon. Like in a few days or something. And thanks for all the reviews you guys:D They give me inspiration. :)

NOTE: This is only a snippet, and it may undertake changes in the final version of the chapter. Any input you can give (such as, "you use this word to much" or "what the $#& does THAT mean?") would be of great assistance. Thank you!

A/N - As the note at the top of the screen indicates, this is an additon on to the original snippet - just to show you guys I LIVE and I'm not giving up on this thing cause I love it, despite its wrongness and re-occuring inconsistencies. Playing Brawl has also helped to fuel my intrests (I love how they made Sheik move, but I don't like the braid thing or the lack of strength of most of his special moves - his smashes, however, rock) and I expect to tinker with Sheik's fighting style and add it into this story. Yeah. Back on topic, however, I am working on this chapter and TO GOD I hope it won't take much longer. Plz read the previous A/N (the new one at the top of the screen I mean) for more info.