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The Legend of Zelda: Requiem of the Soul
By: Pichu Star
Revision 1.0 (1/1/05): Reformatting things... that's all...
This is one of my more darker pieces... I think it's quite sad, but... (shrugs) I hope all of you enjoy it. Also a warning: if you haven't read my previous Zelda fics before this, you might not know who most of these characters are.
Hope you all enjoy...
Disclaimer: I don’t own The Legend of Zelda and anything copyrighted by it. However, all original characters, places, and ideas belong to me.
February 15th, in the 26th year of Hyrule’s 16th era
Tito Hirokana sat stiffly in a chair in Nariff and Kati’s house, staring out the front window. Tears streaked his pale, young face, and his body shuddered as he tried to hold the rest threatening to come. From behind, he could feel Link, Zelda, Nariff, Mayleine, Geltor, and Haly’s eyes watching him, but he didn’t care. His life, as he knew it, was over.
Kati came into the living room from the bedrooms, her eyes sad as she cuddled the sleeping form of her daughter, Jessi. Four hours, she thought. Has it been four hours since those Moblins attacked? It seems like forever.
What had been a simple get-together trip to Tamarika Village had turned into a nightmare when a group of wandering Moblins attacked. Mayleine and Kati had hid the children in Nariff and Kati’s house while Link, Zelda, Tito, Arita, Nariff, Haly, and Geltor bravely fought off the Moblins. During the battle, it had started to pour rain, adding to the chaos. Finally, with more than half of their company dead, the Moblins retreated.
But the victory was definitely short-lived…
The still silence of Tamarika Village within the Dark Woods was disturbed violently by a blood-curdling scream, making everyone grow pale with horror.
That scream… was the cry of death.
“What the…?” Prince Nariff of the Northern Lands got to his feet from where he had been sitting within his house, and peered out the front window through the curtains.
His wife, Kati, rocked her baby in her arms, trying to calm Jessi’s frightened crying. “There, there, don’t cry…” she whispered.
Tito stood up as well. “What is it, Nariff?” he asked urgently. “Is it another Howler attack?” Tamarika Village was protected by a spell that was supposed to protect it from the vicious wolf monsters prowling the Dark Woods, but spells weren’t always perfect…
Nariff turned back to him, his eyes wide. “Nope. It’s… Moblins.”
Zelda gasped, holding her son, Tory, to her protectively. “Moblins? What are Moblins doing here?”
“Moblins often form tribes and wander around,” replied Haly Hirokana, Tito’s younger sister, as she grabbed her sword and bow from nearby. “But I’ve never heard of them traveling anywhere further north than the Southern border!”
“We’ve got to stop them before they destroy the town and kill everyone!” exclaimed Arita Hirokana, Tito’s wife. She placed her baby daughter, Zaly, into the arms of Mayleine nearby, and stood up.
Geltor Andrusis, who was Arita’s cousin and Haly’s traveling companion, tossed his head to get some hair out of his face, and nodded. “I know I’m in,” he said, strapping his sword sheath to his belt.
“Me too,” piped up Haly.
“I’m going too,” said Arita, her bright green eyes glittering with anticipation. She hated the thought of innocent people being killed for no reason; fighting in the Hyrule Civil War several years ago had instilled this strongly in her.
Tito looked up at his pretty wife, smiling softly. He knew there wasn’t any point in trying to convince her to stay behind. “In that case, I’ll be out there with you,” he said.
“Me too,” said Link, standing and grabbing his Master Sword.
“I will too. A spell won’t hurt against Moblins,” said Zelda, standing to join her husband.
Nariff combed his fingers through his spiky white hair, smiling good-naturedly. “What the heck. I guess I’ll be going too.”
As Mayleine and Kati took the children to the bedrooms, where they would be safer, everyone else hurriedly grabbed weapons as the screams and roars from outside intensified. Kochi, Zelda’s Hyrulian Raccoon, wanted to help too, but Zelda would not have it. “You stay and help watch over Tory, ok?” the princess told him.
“Aww…” Kochi (who had learned to talk the year before) drooped his ears. But he could not refuse Zelda, so he scampered off.
“All set?” asked Geltor, as Kati came back out to lock the door behind her friends when they left.
“Definitely,” replied Arita, testing the edge to her sword.
As the seven warriors exited to face the Moblins, Tito took his wife’s shoulder, staring into her eyes seriously. “Be careful out there, ok?” he said.
Arita smiled, brushing the back of her hand against her husband’s cheek. “If you will be,” she replied. “No mercy?”
Tito laughed, remembering how she used to always say that before battles in the war. “No mercy.” He leaned and pressed his lips to hers in a slow, gentle kiss. “Love you, darling.”
“Love you too, Tito.”
It reflected light… just as Arita’s eyes had… They had been full of tears, as she gazed into Haly’s eyes with the last of her strength. Streaked with tears, running slowly down her face…
Streaked with tears… and blood…
“How do you like this?” yelled Haly, shoving her sword into the unprotected back of a Moblin, smiling grimly as it roared in pain and collapsed. “Didn’t feel too good, did it? Think about that before you try it on more innocent people!”
All the oil lamps on the streets of Tamarika Village had since gone out, and it wasn’t any more helpful that it had started to pour rain in torrents, soaking Haly down to the bone. The only light was the dim moonlight vainly illuminating through the thick cloud cover, just enough to keep it from becoming pitch black. “This sucks,” Haly grumbled, spitting a mouthful of water out of her mouth. She looked around, trying to spot more of her friends, but she had completely lost track of all of them. She hoped they were ok. Even though all her friends were excellent swordfighters, this rain and darkness was going to be a severe disadvantage.
A growl from behind her suddenly made her whirl around, and she barely had enough time to leap out of the way of a Moblin’s club attack. Whirling around in the Southern fighting style, she stabbed the Moblin right in the right side, killing it instantly. Haly tugged her sword free, and squinted around to spy more forms around her. More Moblins. This is just too weird, she thought. Wandering Moblins never travel in groups this large. Hacking, parrying, slashing, stabbing. The sequences of attacking and defending became melded together, one into the other, almost as if she weren’t thinking anymore, but simply acting. She hadn’t felt this way since the war…
It was pouring now, and Haly was fighting all but blind now in the dim, stormy night. For a moment, Haly imagined herself facing Shadowtoids, instead of Moblins, in the Hyrule Civil War once again. Seeing the true fury of evil as they struck down fellow soldiers one after the other, as if they were simple bugs to be smashed. Their demonic shrieks of triumph ringing through the night. Blood soaking the ground as people screamed in terror…
“Goddesses, stop… Don’t make me remember that… Not now…” Haly whispered, finding all the Moblins around her were dead, and she was alone for now. “Don’t make me relive that nightmare…”
The rain… the blood… the screams… A scream…
Haly had to—quite literally—slap herself in the face to come back to reality. Had she heard correctly? Yes… she had heard a scream. From nearby. And it sounded rather familiar…
Trusting herself to instinct, Haly began running in the direction of where she was certain the scream had come from. She slashed at Moblins coming at her, rounding buildings and leaping from roofs. And suddenly, she stopped dead in her tracks at the sight of an extra-large Moblin, standing triumphantly over a still form in the street. The Moblin stood over the person, gloating over its fallen foe. Its huge club poised to crush him or her.
“No you don’t!” screamed Haly, flinging herself forward at the being hatefully, ignoring more Moblins coming at her to stop her charge. She dimly felt jagged nails rake into her unprotected left shoulder, a club come under her feet to try trip her, but she struck out hard with her sword on either side, cutting them down in two swipes. The giant Moblin turned to face her, surprise written in its face, as Haly slashed his arm with her already-bloody sword, making it roar in pain.
Tightening her grip on her sword, Haly slowly began to sidestep around her opponent, watching it raise its club to face her. “You’ll pay for the innocent lives you’ve taken,” she hissed at it in the Southern language.
“Try and stop me, Southern girl,” the Moblin replied in the same language, charging at her with its club raised over its head.
As it slammed the club downwards, Haly dodged, and as soon as the club smashed into the ground, she leaped on top of it and delivered a powerful stab to his chest. Roaring, the Moblin quickly reached out, grabbing her arm and swinging to the side. Haly screamed as it slammed her into the ground, momentarily stunning her. She rolled aside just in time to avoid his next club smash, and slashed his arm powerfully. But the Moblin’s strength was too much for Haly to handle in her weakened condition. With a powerful punch, it sent her flying to the side, hitting the ground hard. Haly gave a sick sob as she tried to sit up, but blood flowed from a gash his mailed glove had inflicted in her side, and she could swear some of her ribs were cracked. The Moblin snarled with relish, approaching her to finish her off.
“Haly!!!” screamed Geltor, coming miraculously from the darkness around them. His black hair was plastered against his head with the rain, and his overcoat whipped awkwardly around him as he took a flying leap at the Moblin, bringing his sword down hard and severing the hand holding the club. Geltor flipped backwards, landing in front of the confused Moblin staring at its stump of a hand left. Then, with the fluidity and grace that only a former assassin like him could achieve, Geltor whipped a long knife out from within his coat, and thrust forward in a finishing blow, stabbing the Moblin in the throat with his knife, and in the chest with his sword simultaneously. The Moblin gurgled in pain, and Geltor disdainfully kicked him away, yanking his blades out of its body.
“Don’t mess with Haly,” Geltor snarled at the now-dead Moblin, wiping his weapons clean on its body, and putting them away. He then quickly ran to Haly, helping her to sit up. “Hey, girl, you ok?”
“I… think so…” gasped Haly, allowing Geltor to gingerly help her to her feet. “But… what about…”
“What about what?” asked Geltor, running his hand through her wet hair and pressing his lips to her forehead. “Goddesses, you gave me a scare…”
“There…” Haly managed to point out the limp body lying not to far away. She pulled out of Geltor’s protective hug, and staggered over to the person. She collapsed alongside the injured person, wiping rain out of her face to see. Then she screamed. “Oh my goddesses! Geltor! It’s Arita!”
“What?! Oh my…” Geltor ran over and kneeled next to Arita as well, who was extremely pale and breathing very, very faintly. A cut across her hairline leaked blood down the side of her face. He grabbed her hand, trying to rub life back into it again. “Arita… come on, girl, wake up!”
“Arita…” Ignoring her own pain, Haly reached out with a hand, gently brushing the wet locks of hair out of her sister-in-law’s face, and then shaking her shoulder. “Wake up! Please… you’re not gone yet…”
“Haly…” Arita’s lips barely moved as she responded. Her eyes opened faintly, and Haly could see, first-hand, how much pain she was in. Haly looked up and down Arita for injuries, holding back a gasp as she saw a humongous, bloody gash all the way across her midsection, which Arita was vainly trying to hold closed with her right hand. “I… I was outnumbered… Then that big one… caught me by surprise…”
“Shh, don’t talk, babe,” Geltor tried to reassure his cousin. “You’re going to be fine, I promise.”
“Don’t make promises… you can’t keep,” Arita told him, trying to smile. Haly tried to smile too, but was choked by tears. She began to cry; crying for Arita, herself, all her friends. The look of calm acceptance in her friend’s eyes was too much to bear.
Geltor couldn’t help starting to cry too. “You… can’t die, Arita… You’re too young… You’ve got too much to look forward to…” he told her.
“I know,” sobbed Arita, bursting into tears. “I don’t want to die either. It’s not that I’m scared of death, we’ve faced it too much to fear it any longer. It’s… Tito… And Dadi and Zaly… My goddesses, I want to watch my children grow up…”
Haly collapsed on top of her friend, sobbing hard. “I’m so sorry… If I could, I’d give up my life to let you live… Please… Please don’t die!”
“Haly… Geltor… I love you both very much… You know that,” whispered Arita, putting her other arm around Haly to comfort her. “Please let everyone else know that… that they are the best friends I ever could ask for. And tell Tito… that I have never loved anyone else more than I loved him… I feel so blessed to have known and loved him… Tell him he needs to be strong for our children… And when Dadi and Zaly are old enough… tell them I always loved them too…”
Geltor tried to speak, but no words would come. “Arita…” he managed to force out.
“Fate has decided it is my time…” Arita whispered, closing her green eyes for the very last time. “And I accept it fully… For the goddesses know what is best…”
“Please… no…” whispered Haly, clutching her friend even tighter.
A pause. “I love you, Tito… Always and forever…” And with those heartbreaking words, the breath went out of Arita’s body, and she became limp, as her life ended.
Haly remained holding her friend for many more moments, before finally sitting up and looking around blankly. Geltor had his legs curled up to his chest, sobbing hard into his knees uncontrollably. The rain had lessened a little, but that barely registered in Haly’s mind. In her mind’s eye, she was back in the Hyrule Civil War again, holding the body of Captain Luke Ridgemount. Dead from injuries inflicted upon him by the hated Shadowtoids. Like Arita, giving his love to his friends and family before he died in the arms of one of his favorite young soldiers.
“Why?!” screamed Haly, jumping to her feet and yelling to the heavens. “What did we do to deserve this? What did I do to deserve carrying these burdens? My brother doesn’t deserve this! I don’t either…” Haly collapsed to her knees again, her sobs echoing through the night. “Why did she have to die…?”
Haly couldn’t remember much about the next several moments, which seemed like an eternity. All she could do was cry and cry and cry, until she had no more tears left and was exhausted with the trials of battle and the agony of her heart. When she finally stopped crying, she realized that everything was dead silent. No sounds of battle. No Howlers. Even the rain had stopped. Haly weakly turned to Geltor, who was now stroking his beloved cousin’s hair with dull enthusiasm. Several footsteps came in their direction, and Haly had to suppress the urge to leap up and run away, far away. She didn’t want to have to tell her friends that Arita was now dead. She didn’t want that responsibility…
“Haly? Geltor? Arita? Are you over here?” At Tito’s voice, Haly had to bite her lip to stop from crying again.
Live your last moments of unstained happiness, Tito, Haly thought bitterly. Your life will be changed forever in only a few seconds. Goddesses, I’m so sorry, Tito… You never deserved this…
“Haly? Is that you? Are you ok?” Tito came to his sister, a concerned look in his eyes. Catching sight of blood on her shirt, he gasped and knelt in front of her. “You’re hurt! Haly, you should get that healed, it looks awful…” He halfway trailed off at the sight of Haly’s face as she looked up at him. The agonized look in her eyes gave him an immediate sense of foreboding. “Haly…? What’s wrong?”
Haly tried to respond, but all she could do was open her mouth and close it again. Her lip trembled—how would he react? She tried to think of a way to escape the inevitable, but she knew that was foolish. So instead, she tore her eyes away from Tito’s questioning gaze… and pointed behind her to where Arita lay. Tito looked confused, and slowly stood to see what it was she was pointing at. And everything stopped for him.
Curiously, Haly peeked up at her brother to watch his reaction. She saw his face turn white, his mouth drop open in aghast horror, his katana that he was holding loosely in his right hand clatter to the stone pavement next to him. His attractive greenish-brown eyes were wide with horror, an immediate pain filling his face. Tito fell to his knees before his wife’s body, taking her cold, lifeless hand in his.
“A-Arita… N-no… Goddesses, no… You can’t… You can’t be… dead…” he choked out to her, his body shaking with sobs threatening to come forth. “Arita…”
Geltor looked up at his friend, his face pale, yet almost indifferent. But then, Geltor had never been one for letting his emotions show. “Tito… I’m sorry…” he whispered.
At those quiet words, the whole weight of the situation suddenly caved in on Tito, and he burst into sobs, collapsing on top of Arita’s body and crying into her neck. His arms went around her body so intimately, Haly was suddenly reminded of the extent of her brother’s love for Arita.
Everyone kept saying theirs was a match made in heaven; they were so perfect for each other… Haly thought, watching him. She wanted to look away from the terrible amount of grief Tito was showing, but she couldn’t. It was as if her body was frozen, her mind was numb. Her eyes couldn’t bring themselves to tear their gaze away, and Haly suddenly wasn’t sure if she was even blinking anymore. She watched Tito’s hand suddenly go through Arita’s wet, black hair, his fingers intertwining through the strands…
Arita meant the entire world to Tito…She watched him cry harder and harder, as if tears could magically bring her back to life…
If he could, he’d die to bring her back…She watched him ignore the scarlet blood from Arita’s wound seep into his clothing… Ignored the fact that the rain suddenly began to fall from the skies once more… All he could do was hold her tight, feverishly praying that this was all just a terrible, terrible nightmare… and cry harder, knowing that it wasn’t. The pain was all real…
He loved her so much… And she was taken away from him…Haly’s knees suddenly went weak underneath her, and she sank to the ground, watching her brother’s grief worsen and worsen. Just watching this awful scene made her start crying all over again. Crying for the tragedy they never deserved to feel.
Crying for the loss of one of her best friends.
Crying silent curses to the fates, who, Haly and Tito both felt, had forsaken them once again…
Tito tried to remember when they first met. They were both in the Hylian Army together. Ironically, Arita hadn’t even liked Tito when she first met him, for she had been a proud young woman who would never give any guy a chance. But as they were forced to work closer together with the tense battles, their relationship changed. Arita and Tito began to see new sides to one another. Having to see the same horrors, share the same fights, the same pain, and the same laughter in the short but violent war made them respect each other, which quickly led to falling in love.
The day I began to feel that I truly loved Arita… That was the day everything changed for me…
“I hate sieges.”
19-year old Tito Hirokana glanced up at the unexpected comment by his sister, watching her idly counting the number of arrows left in her quiver. 17-year old Haly glanced up, her eyes tired. “They always happen when you least want them to happen.”
“Our luck’s always gone that way, Haly,” Tito replied, gently resting his cheek against the cold, wet stones of the wall around the battlements, ignoring the insistent shrieks of Shadowtoids attempting to invade the castle. “See if any of the Shadowtoids are making it up the wall.”
Haly shrugged, getting to her feet. She carefully stuck her head out to look for the demonic creatures—and immediately strung, aimed, and shot her bow in the split second afterwards. Tito could hear an anguished scream as the unfortunate Shadowtoid fell to the ground down below. “It wasn’t doing too bad,” Haly remarked again, inspecting her arrows. “Man… three arrows left. Tito, hold tight while I get some more, k?”
“Sure thing, sis.” He watched her head off towards the stairs to the storeroom downstairs, and closed his eyes. For one long moment, Tito tried to forget that he was in the middle of a war. That demons were trying to kill him and everyone else that lived in Hyrule. That he was stuck in a seemingly hopeless cause.
“Tito?”
Tito opened his eyes again, and hid a pleased smile at the sight of his friend, 18-year old Arita Namira, walk toward him quickly with a ducked head, trying not to attract the sight of Shadowtoids. She was a very pretty young woman, with glittering green eyes, and silky, shoulder-length black hair. Tito had fallen for her hard when he had first met her; unfortunately, Arita wasn’t interested in boys. At least that was what she said. Ever since Tito had saved the lives of her and everyone in her unit during a surprise attack a few weeks ago, Arita had been much more open and kind to Tito. Not that it really mattered now that they were in a war, Tito thought grimly.
At least… he didn’t think it did.
“Hi Arita,” Tito said softly, watching her sit down next to him. “What are you doing here?”
“Just… checking for injuries. Have any?” Arita, though being a very skilled warrior, was primarily a medic in the Hylian Army, and a very good one at that.
Tito made a show of checking himself for any wounds he might have. “Unfortunately, no,” he answered.
“Unfortunately?”
“Yeah. Otherwise, I’d get to be treated by you, right?”
Arita giggled a little at his teasing. “No, I’m afraid I’d just leave you in agony.”
“No, you wouldn’t.”
“Yeah, you’re right.” Arita leaned her head against Tito’s shoulder sleepily. “You’re my friend, I wouldn’t do that to you…”
Despite being a little nervous about her being so close, Tito gently put his arm around her to keep her warm from the cool night breeze. “If you’re tired, you ought to go inside,” he suggested. “Up on the battlements in the middle of a siege, however slow, is no place to go to sleep.”
Arita shrugged. “I can’t get to sleep in the barracks, though. There, I don’t have anyone to talk to, except Haly, and she’s up here tonight. At least here, I’m not alone… with you…”
“… Um…”
“You’re a lot different from anyone else I’ve ever met before, Tito. You’re so brave, and selfless… But you’re aloof, too… You seem to be searching for something you can’t find, working towards a goal that’s impossible to reach… Yet you enjoy every step of the way,” Arita murmured, sounding like she was half-asleep. Then she shook her head. “I’m sorry, did I say that out loud?”
Tito shrugged. “It’s ok. I think you’re right. I don’t know what I’m trying to achieve, but I keep going. Sooner or later I know I’ll find whatever it is. I once thought I was trying to be a hero… But now… I don’t really care. I just want to see the end of this war…”
“So do I…”
“Arita… If anything happens…”
Arita shook her head. “Don’t start that. Nothing is going to happen to you.”
“You don’t know that.”
“Tito, stop,” Arita said sharply. “I don’t want to lose you, or Haly, or Geltor, or anyone… This war is the worst thing I’ve ever had to face in my whole life… I can’t get through it without your support…” A tear slowly slid down her cheek, and she began to cry softly, almost ashamed that Tito had to see her tears.
Almost without thinking, Tito lifted a hand to Arita’s face, wiping her tears away. “What I was trying to say,” he continued gently, as she looked up into his eyes, “is that if anything happens… either to me or you… I…” His sentence died as he focused his gaze upon her green eyes, almost hypnotic in the pale light of the night.
“You what?”
Tito swallowed. Dare he…? “I want you to have this…” he whispered. And with that, he lowered his face to hers, pressing his lips to hers in a warm kiss. Arita was completely frozen with surprise at first; she couldn’t believe that he was kissing her. But then again, she had wanted it so bad. She had secretly harbored a crazy, desperate hope, deep down in her heart, that Tito Hirokana might decide to kiss her one day. Now it was real, he was really kissing her…
So naturally, Arita had to kiss him back. Her lips pressed intimately against his in the deepest, longest kiss she ever could have imagined.
Tito could feel his heart hammering in his chest like crazy, and now he couldn’t think anymore. There was no more war, no more pain or sadness, no more of anything but Arita kissing him at that moment. He could feel her fingers running through his hair, her other hand coming to stroke his cheek. They broke for an instant, just one instant, but it was enough time for Tito to hear her breathe the words he felt just as strongly for her, deep down in his heart:
“I love you, Tito…”
Then they were kissing again, lost in a whirlwind of the emotions they had kept quiet inside their hearts and minds for so long.
And that’s just how Haly found them when she returned to the battlements.
“Tito…” Haly couldn’t help but whisper, tears welling up in her eyes again as she watched him slowly head towards the bedrooms, to where the children slept. He paused, glancing at his friends with a pale, tearstained face that Haly couldn’t help but realize made him look like the innocent teen he once had been, before the Hyrule Civil War. Link suddenly grew very interested in the stitching of the sofa arm he was sitting next to, Kochi attempted to pretend he was still sleeping, and Zelda turned her face away in ashamed pity. Mayleine began to fiddle with the edge of her dress, Kati began to rock Jessi again, and Nariff started to absently swish the water in his drink glass in circles. Only Geltor and Haly had the courage to gaze back at Tito; Geltor with his impassive gaze, and Haly with a tear-filled, yet brave one.
Tito stood blankly at them for a second or two, before continuing on to where the three other children slept. They all were peacefully snoozing, one alongside of the other, in the large bed in a guest bedroom. Tito watched them for several moments, first at Tory, then to his own children, Dadi and Zaly. “I am so sorry…” he whispered to them, gently touching Zaly’s cheek with the side of his finger. “I failed… I couldn’t protect your mother… Now, she’s dead… Goddesses, I’m so sorry… I’m sorry you won’t ever know her…”
“Tito?” Haly quietly slipped into the bedroom as he spoke, shutting the door behind her. “Are you ok?” Then she snorted humorlessly. “Stupid question, but…”
Tito turned slowly to observe his sister, and sighed. “Haly… Geltor said you were the last one with Arita before… she…”
“Yes, I was.”
“Did she… say anything?”
“Quite a bit, actually.” Haly came up to her brother, wrapping her arms around him as she spoke.
Tito took a deep breath. “Tell me.”
“Ok…” Haly closed her eyes, resting her head on his shoulder. “She said… that she loved us… loved us all… We were the best friends she could have asked for…” A lump rose in Haly’s throat, and she had to swallow several times before she could continue. “She also told me… to tell you… that she loved you… She never loved anyone more than you…”
Tito bit his lip to stop the tears again. “Goddesses…”
“And she said… to be strong for… for Dadi and Zaly… and to tell them, when they’re old enough… that she loved them…”
“Goddesses… Why…” Tito squeezed his eyes shut, but the tears still came unbidden, trickling softly from the corners of his eyes down his cheeks. “I… How, Haly?”
“How what?” whispered Haly, gently wiping a tear from his face.
“How… I mean…” Tito broke out of Haly’s hold, and approached the bed again. Dadi was starting to fuss in his sleep, and Tito picked him up and began to rock him. “I can’t do it alone…”
“You can too…”
“No, I can’t!” Tito yelled all of a sudden, startling all three babies awake and setting off a din of wailing. Haly rolled her eyes. As much as she loved her niece and nephew, as well as Tory and Jessi, Haly really didn’t like kids too much, even though she often said she was going to be a kid at heart forever. Zelda quickly came in to calm her son, giving Tito and Haly something between an embarrassed and sympathetic glance before picking up Tory and hugging him close, rocking him to and fro.
Tito sighed, as he tried to soothe Dadi also. “Sorry, Zelda…”
“It’s not your fault…” Zelda looked up at Tito, and shook her head. “It’s ok…”
He nodded, unable to point out that she was wrong; it would never be ok. Every day without Arita would stab into him like a million swords; kill him far worse than any weapon could. Zelda smiled sadly at Haly, before quietly leaving the room. Tito turned to his sister again, and found her holding Zaly now, rocking the little baby back and forth to stop her crying.
“Tito, look at me,” Haly whispered, lifting her head. The two pairs of greenish-brown eyes met, holding so much sorrow and pain, and yet, so much courage as well. “You can do this. Arita wanted you to, and I know you’d jump in Death Mountain for her.”
“I would… But Haly, she… She was my inspiration and support. She meant the world to me…” Tito gently placed Dadi, who was sound asleep again, back on the bed. “I… I don’t know what I have to live for anymore, Haly.”
“Are you blind?!” Haly hissed at him fiercely, making Zaly whimper in surprise. “The people you have to live for are here with you! Your kids… Dadi and Zaly. You can’t possibly think of leaving them fatherless as well as motherless, are you?”
Tito went pale; in his grief for Arita, he had nearly forgotten about the children he loved so dearly. “I… no… Of course not…”
“What about your friends? Don’t you think we’ll be a bit sad if you go too?” Haly continued fiercely.
“Of course… I didn’t…”
“And what about me? Were you planning on leaving me as… well…?” Haly’s voice cracked, and she turned her face away. “Dang it… Don’t you think other people love you as much as you love Arita? Do you want us to feel the same pain you’re feeling now?”
Tito shook his head. “No, of course not, Haly…”
“You mean everything to me, Tito… From the time I was born, you know I depended on you… And I still do, for all the love and support you give me. I can’t imagine life without you, and frankly, I really don’t want to…” Haly sniffed a bit, and Tito realized that she was crying. “I watched Arita die, Tito. The whole time, I thought of you. How badly this would hurt you. And more than anything, I wished I could die instead, just so you could have her in your life longer.”
“Haly…”
Tears ran down Haly’s face freely. “Don’t you think I feel as bad as you? I have to live with the image of her death forever, just so you never had to see her suffer. I have to carry the weight of her death, and Captain Ridgemount’s death, and the death of so many other people…” She paused, trying to regain her composure. “And you speak of having nothing to live for. When you have people who still love you all around you.”
“Haly…” Tito whispered, deeply affected by her words. “I… I’m sorry. I didn’t know what I was saying. You’re right… There is still much to live for.” He came to his sister, putting an arm around her shoulders and hugging her to him. “I have to be here for you, just as you are here for me.”
“And your kids…”
Tito looked down at the sleeping baby in Haly’s arms. Tears filled his eyes at the thought that they would never know their mother. And that one day, Dadi and Zaly would grow to remind him of her. “I’ll be there for them as well…” he said, bending to kiss Zaly on the head. “I’ll love them every bit as much as I loved… and still do love… Arita…”
Haly smiled through her tears. “Of course.”
“And I’ll always love you, Haly… Since the day you were born, I’ve loved you. I couldn’t ask for a more perfect sister…”
“Tito…” Haly’s lip trembled, and she burst into pained sobbing, falling into Tito’s willing embrace. “Thank you… and I’m sorry… so sorry…”
“I know…”
“But we’ll get through this somehow. We’ll recover. I promise…”
“Thank you, Haly,” Tito whispered, closing his eyes and resting his head upon Haly’s. He knew his friends would do their best to help him get through this, but he also knew there was no help for the emptiness now in his heart. He would never forget Arita, and wasn’t even sure if he would ever recover from her loss. For now, he could only just live.
And that, at least, was a start.
A cool, misty, early morning in Hyrule. The grass was damp with dew, the light fog blanketing the fields in gentle uncertainty. From out of the fog materialized two riders on horses; one horse dark brown, the other a lighter brown. Atop the first horse sat Geltor, who was taking huge, gulping breaths of fresh air as they exited the Dark Woods. Alongside him rode Haly, who was giving him disapproving glares.
“Stop that,” she chided.
“Stop what?” Geltor asked, turning to her. “I haven’t breathed this kind of fresh air in a long time, we’ve been in the Dark Woods so long.”
Haly rolled her eyes. “You’ll hyperventilate yourself, and then you’ll faint, and then what’ll I do with you? Leave you for the Howlers to pick over?”
“We’re not in the woods, they can’t get at me.”
“If they’re hungry enough, they might.”
“Whatever.”
Haly giggled, despite her attempts to sound mad. She was just so glad to be on the road again, traveling with her best friend, and away from the place that had caused her so much grief. “So where to, Geltor?”
“It’s entirely up to you, my darling Miss Hirokana,” replied Geltor eloquently, idly twisting a slim braid in his hair. “You’re the one who wanted to leave early this morning, and I thought you hated waking up early.”
“I do… But…” Haly paused, glancing back at the Dark Woods.
Geltor moved over alongside her, his green eyes sad with understanding. “This place will never be the same for you anymore, will it?”
“No, it won’t,” admitted Haly. “The Dark Woods used to be my home every bit as much as it was Tito’s home. But… now that one of my best friends died there… right before my eyes… I can’t stay here anymore. I…”
“I understand, Haly. I was there too. And I know exactly how you want to get away from the place that’s caused you so much grief,” Geltor replied. “That’s exactly why I left my home when I was little. Too many memories…”
Haly sighed. “I just hope Tito doesn’t think I bailed out on him or anything. It’s just… I think I’ll go crazy if I have to stay in the place Arita died…”
“He’ll understand. He’s your brother.”
A few moments of silence. “Geltor…” Haly finally whispered, glancing up at her friend.
“Yeah?”
“Thanks so much for coming with me. You’re always with me all the way, no matter what I do, even though I never ask you to come… Why?”
Geltor shrugged. “Well… because there’s never a dull moment around you, for starters,” he began.
Haly rolled her eyes. “Ok…”
“But most importantly… I come with you because… well, because I care about you, Haly. Just like we both cared about Arita,” he whispered. “And maybe… that’s the reason we all share for being. We live for each other. And tell me if that isn’t the greatest thing to center your life on.”
“… I won’t. Because you’re right, Geltor. Thank you…”
Geltor gave her a good-natured smile, before reaching out and gently touching her cheek. “Where to, then, Haly?” he asked.
“Let’s head east. I heard it’s beautiful out there…” Haly replied, putting her hand on his and closing her eyes.
“Just like you? Sounds great…” Geltor murmured, before leaning over and giving her a soft, tender kiss. He held the kiss for several moments, before finally leaning back and smiling again, at Haly’s reddened cheeks. She blinked at him for a long while, and then, with a smirk, urged her horse to begin walking east, across the Hyrule Plains.
“Thanks, Geltor…” she said, more to herself than to him. “Love ya too…”
“I know you do.”
And so, the two began a journey off into the lush, green lands of Eastern Hyrule together. Leaving the pain of their friend’s loss behind.
And knowing, in their hearts, that although the pain would never fully heal, the love they had for each other that would help them go on would last forever.
Wipe the tears of hurt away
Seek comfort within your heart
Your soul is torn, your thoughts uncertain
Where is the path you once followed?
Love and hate, good versus evil
An eternal struggle, within and without
There is never a state of no hope in the world
Find the courage to continue the journey.
Your path has become sad and lonely
And your pained soul may never mend
But although you are but one person in the world
To one person, you may be the world.
—“Requiem of the Soul”
Well, that's that, then... Sad thing, I suppose... I get the urge to write death fics every so once in a while... or at least really dark ones. Anyways, tell me what you thought by reviewing below... Until next time... (salutes and flies off)
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