FanFiction.Net - unleash your imagination|
Author of 8 Stories |
Genesis
(Prequel to The Dark Triforce)
Hi! This is the prequel to my other story (that hasn't been written yet). It's mainly action and romance (along with some blood and stuff), but there's some humor in it, too. So . . .Here ya go! And just so you know, this is all the first-generation people. As in, Zelda’s mother, Zelda’s father, Link’s parents, etc. There might be more, but . . . you get the picture!
Dimitri straightened, looking around for the voice. He heard it again.
“Demi!” A three-year-old waddled out of a nearby hut. She hugged him around the knees. “Where ya going?” she asked, looking up at him worshipfully.
Dimitri laughed, and picked her up, placing her on his shoulders. “To school.” She stared down at him, pulling at his hair gently. “Why?”
“Because I have to, that’s why.”
“Oh. Do ya have to go really soon?”
“Not really.”
“Can we go in the water?”
He didn’t answer. Instead, he tossed his head like a horse’s and charged into the ocean. Waves crashed over them, and he threw her lightly her into the air, then catching her and setting her back on his shoulders. She sat back, sighing contentedly and fingering his earring. It was a small gold hoop, with a black rock in the center. “Go horsy!” she cried, kicking his sides lightly.
“Emilia!” A sharp voice cut through the air. A young woman in a pink sundress and with pointed ears ran down to them, stopping just at the water. “Demi, give her to me.” He handed Emilia to her. “Jeez, Zel.”
She snorted, tossing her blonde hair over her shoulder. She glared at him through deep blue-green eyes. “Aren’t you supposed to be at school?” she asked.
“Aren’t you?”
“Can’t. Gotta work.”
“Don’t you ever take a break?”
“Well, my father isn’t helping any, and Mother’s working too, but honestly, a part-time waitress doesn’t help anyone. Naran could have helped, but Mother says that he’s the baby, and he has so much promise, he can’t dirty his hands and work for—” She stopped.. “But you don’t care,” she muttered, and turned away.
“No! Wait!” Zelda (technically, this is Zelda’s mother, but they all have the same name. Yeah. Anyway . . . ) turned.
“Yeah?”
“Uh . . . I dunno, do you wanna like, um, talk or something?”
“Thanks, Demi, but no.”
“Come on, Zel.”
“Fine.” She smirked. “Have fun at school.”
“Bye Demi!” Emilia yelled.
“Nah, not really.”
Zelda raised an eyebrow at him. “Oh?”
“Yeah. I live out here. Actually, up there.” He pointed to a hut on a hilltop. “Nothing in there but a worn old mat that’s for my grandpa. He was the only personto ever see the goddesses, did ya know?”
They walked in silence for a while. Then Zelda said, “What’s that?”
Dimitri looked at it for a moment, and then picked it up. He brushed his curly black hair out of his face and studied it. It was black and sharp. It was made out of three triangles that were fused together at the corners so that the top point faced downward.
“It looks like the Triforce, only black and upside-down. And the pieces are all different sizes.” Zelda leaned in closer to look at it.
Dimitri fingered it thoughtfully. He didn’t move or speak for a long time.
“Demi?” Zelda asked anxiously, suddenly having a weird feeling about the object. “Demi, I don’t like that thing. Put it down.”
“Zel, it’s just a trinket. Kinda pretty, too.”
“I don’t care. It’s evil. Haven’t you heard of charmed objects? They bewitch you and suck out your life! And they’re made by evil wizards, and there are tons of them! I think that’s one!”
“You think?” Demi turned to look at her. Something had changed in his brown eyes. “You don’t do that too often. Good thing, too, if you’re going to make stupid comments like that.”
“Demi, throw it in the ocean! It’s changing you! Can’t you tell?”
He grabbed her shoulders, raising his hand threateningly. Zelda flinched, but didn’t back down. “Shut up!” Dropping her arm, he turned to study it. “This would sell for a lot of money. No, I should keep it. Grandpa would love it. It’s one of those old things he likes so much.” His eyes widened. “What the—” Something seemed to snap inside Dimitri, and he stepped back, and then threw it as far as he could into the ocean.
“I’m so sorry, Zel.” He wrapped his arms around her. “Let’s forget about it, okay?”
Zelda nodded, and they walked home.
But it didn’t forget about them.
It was empty.
“Dimitri? What are you doing here?” He turned around to see Zelda’s mother in the doorway, holding a basket of fruit. She looked at him, confused.
“I’m looking for Zelda.”
The old woman’s face fell. “Oh. I thought she’d tell you, but . . . she left.”
“Left? Where?”
“She didn’t say.” Her mother (also named Zelda) patted Dimitri’s arm. “She left only a minute ago. She--”
Dimitri didn’t hear the rest. He was out the door.
Demi,
I don’t know if you realize that I’m gone yet. I’m afraid. Afraid of the black Triforce, afraid of what it did to you. I see it wherever I go, and I feel it calling me. Does it call you? I hope not. I hope you are safe and happy. I won’t tell you where I’m going. I don’t even really know yet. This must sound so crazy. But I love you, Demi. Don’t forget that.
Love,
Zelda
She crossed out the “love.” She wasn’t sure why. It just didn’t feel right to leave him with the hope that she’d come back. She knew she wouldn’t.
She left it folded on the dresser, where he’d be sure to find it, and walked out, not looking back.
Yes! Her blonde hair swayed in the breeze. She was next in line to get on the ship. If he’d been a second later . . .
“Zelda!” He ran up to her, clasping her hands in his and pulling her away from the line. He gestured to a bench and she sank onto it gratefully. He sat next to her. Holding her gaze he said, “Zel, please don’t go. I need you here. I-” He choked on the words. “I love you.” It felt weird to say, but what the hell. Anything to keep her there.
“Demi.” Zelda kissed his cheek. “I love you, of course I do. But I--” She realized that he hadn’t read the note. “I-I have to go.” She stood and hurried away, stepped onto a boat, and disappeared.
He looked up at the moon. For a moment he was hypnotized by the lull of the quiet night. The water made a soft sound as it crashed against the shore. Shaking his head, he stared at the shadow the moon cast on the sand, able to see the time in the way the dim light hit the ground.
Three hours. Three hours since Zelda had left. Three hours of walking aimlessly on the beach, watching evening turn to night. He froze.
The soft light played over Dimitri’s face, illuminating his chiseled features and giving light to his normally clear brown eyes. The waves washed over him, one almost knocking him over. The sand was fine and smooth under his feet. The cold air lifted up his hair and tossed it every which way. He didn’t notice. He stood still, silent. He didn’t even breathe.
All day, since he’d read her letter, he’d wondered why she’d been so scared. Honestly, he wasn’t even sure what had happened. Nothing, though. He was positive that if something really bad had happened, he’d remember. He really only remembered picking up the pretty little thing and her freaking out. There was something else . . . but he couldn’t remember. He was too tired.
But now . . . maybe Zelda had been right. Because how else could it have been there, sitting so plainly in view? The waves that had raced each other up the shore had brought it with them, and it sat there, taunting him. The light glinted off its silken edges, making it shimmer like woven diamonds. It was beautiful, in an evil way.
Dimitri rubbed his eyes, certain it was a mirage. When he lowered his hands, it was still there.
He walked over to it and picked it up. Staring at it, he saw his reflection. It swam and distorted in front of him. He watched, fascinated, as it blurred. His hair turned from black to brown, and his eyes flashed a deep crimson. The reflection smiled, revealing dark yellow fangs. They dripped with a blackish blood.
“What?” He dropped the Dark Triforce (creative name, huh?). Slowly he stepped back, his hands shaking. But then his mind went blank. Everything was blissfully simple. He couldn’t see, or hear, anything but an abandoned island, covered in beautiful foliage and waves crashing gently on the shore.
Suddenly that image disappeared, erased by another. A girl, very little and still chubby with baby fat, running through tall weeds and sand dunes. She was laughing. Her blue eyes gazed into his red ones. She didn’t even register the change of appearance.
“Demi!” she called.
Dimitri narrowed his eyes at her. She was ruining his happy image. Conflicting emotions warred with each other. Longing, anger, hatred, sadness . . . He wished for the world to be simple again. You never realize how good it is until it’s gone.
A teasing whisper filled his ears. A promise, of happiness. Of simplicity. It would be all so easy . . .
He picked her up, and his eyes turned brown again. His hair curled and blackened, looking more natural.
“Hey, Emilia,” he said, bouncing her up and down in his arms. She smiled at him, showing a dimple.
“Demi, whatcha doin' out here?” she lisped.
“I could ask you the same thing. It’s really late. And dangerous. I should know.”
Emilia threw her arms around his neck. “Can I go home?”
“Sure.” He carried her to the doorstep and placed her on the porch. “Here.” Slowly he walked away, back down the beach, images of the island playing once again in his mind.
“Wait!” She waddled back and held his hand. “I want to stay with you.”
An unexpected rage overtook him, a rage that did not belong to him. Silently he turned to face Emilia. His eyes were red again, and his hair was slowly changing color. He growled at her and grabbed her around the arm, dragging her down the shore. She was crying slightly, somewhat afraid but still trusting.
Dimitri dropped her unceremoniously on the ground. Digging through his pockets, he pulled out a long, silver knife. He lost all sense of self. His world went black. There was no noise, other than his ragged breathing. His muscles tensed and moved, but he could not see what they were doing. Words were being spoken, but he could not hear them.
His muscles relaxed, and his heartbeat returned to normal. The black world around him did not lift, though. The hush was broken by a harsh, deep sound. The laughter filled his mind and smothered him, at the same time giving him a sort of pleasure, praise for a job well done.
Yes, the voice crooned, Perfect. You are a good servant.
Servant? Dimitri said boldly. I’m not your servant. His only response was more laughing. Go, the voice commanded. Go to the island. Dimitri only nodded. He had no other choice.
Wait! Who are you?
The voice answered, chilling him to the bone.
The Dark Triforce.
The haze shimmered and lifted. He fell to his knees, gasping for breath. He looked around. He almostcried out, barely catching himself in time.
His hands were covered in blood. On the ground, her body limp, was Emilia. Blood flowed from a huge gash in her neck. She wasn’t breathing.
He stood shakily, and staggered to the sand farther away. Collapsing down, he threw up, wiped his mouth with his hand, and rinsed off in the water. Dimitri stared at his trembling hands. Etched into one, gleaming in the moonlight, was a dark black rubbed at it. He screamed as agony shot through him at the touch. Helet go and fell to the ground,gasping for breath. Raising his head, Demi looked back down at it.
It was still there.
He was a prisoner.
“Miss?”
Zelda looked up, her eyes wide in shock. She relaxed a bit. “Yes?” she asked pleasantly, masking the fact that she was annoyed.
“May I sit?” a young man asked. He was wearing a dark cloak, so she couldn’t see his face. She could only tell that he had a large silver ring on his finger. He was rich. Zelda tossed her hair over her shoulder with an indifferent shrug. “Sure,” she said, rolling her eyes. She hated rich people.
He sat across from Zelda and studied her. She ducked her head, letting her hair cover her face. He hesitated, obviously sensing her hostility. Finally he broke the silence.
“I’m James,” he said. Zelda turned to the window, crossing her arms. Don’t talk to me, she thought.
He obviously didn’t get the hint. “May I ask for yours?” No. “Zelda,” she muttered.
He still didn’t react to her not-so-subtle signals. “I’m from Hyrule,” he said. “What about you?”
Zelda hated this conversation. “I’m from Fotmea.” Fotmea (Foht may-uh) was the name of the small beach she lived on.
“Oh! That little shore? I love it there!” He went prattling on about how lovely it was, how the weather was never too hot or cold, and how the people were always so nice. “I suppose there are some exceptions to every rule, though,” he said, grinning.
Ooh. Bad move, Jimbo. “Yeah, well . . . ” Apparently he had gotten her hints, merely choosing to ignore them. Rich and self-centered. Ugh.
James told a story about a drunken pirate he’d met (or maybe it was about his toe fungus; Zelda wasn’t really listening). She stared out the window, drinking in the sights and sounds. Anything to keep her mind off everything. Dimitri, her mom, her dad, Naran, that damn black Triforce. It was all in her past now. She had to get over it and move on.
And Hyrule was as good a place as any.
“So where are you going?” James asked, taking off his hood. He was slightly older than she was, with brilliant gray eyes and pale golden hair. His skin was a dark tan.
Zelda jerked and turned, ready to slam her fist into his smug little face. But she stopped.
“Farore,” she hissed under her breath.
It was the prince of Hyrule!
Good thing you didn’t beat the crap out of him, huh? You could have gotten killed for that! For the love of Din, you are hopeless! You can’t even recognize a prince! Goddess!
“Miss Zelda?” James looked at her with concern.
“Hyrule!” Zelda spat the words, her eyes filled with sudden tears. It was final now. She was leaving home, and would never go back. She turned to the window again sullenly, tears streaming, unbidden, down her face. She cursed them. Her brain played memories of Dimitri over and over again. She squeezed her eyes shut, but they would still come.
They didn’t speak for the rest of the ride.
Nothing. “Miss Zelda?” She started, and turned around. He was surprised yet again at her shockingly blue eyes. “What?” she snarled.
“We’re at Hyrule.”
“Oh! Thanks.” Zelda brushed past him and onto the landing pier. He followed her. What else could he do? She didn’t seem to have anywhere to go, completely lost, and he really liked her. She wove through the throng of people easily. James noted that she didn’t move with the grace and delicacy of most nobles or even common citizens. She loped along, completely unaware of all the eyes on her.
Stunningly beautiful, terrible temper and the grace of a gorilla. Yep. She was a cool girl.
They walked through Kakariko and across Hyrule Field (all of which is almost exactly the same, just less modernized). Zelda paused in the middle of Hyrule Field, and looked around, confused. James was debating whether or not to go talk to her when some guy roughly the size of a small house smashed into her.
“Hey!” he yelled drunkenly, waving his arms. He smiled slowly, revealing yellow teeth. “What do we have here?”
Yay. I feel so loved. Go away, Zelda thought. “Good for you.”
He grabbed her arm in giant fingers. “Come with me.” He began tugging her away.
Zelda’s muscles tensed, but not in fear. She was ready to grind this jerk into a greasy pulp.
As a farm girl, she of course had strength and speed, but her father had also taught her his ancient fighting technique, from some country she couldn’t pronounce. She generally refrained from using it, as it was considered unladylike. She could make an exception this time. Zelda made one halfhearted, last-ditch attempt to get away. “Let go,” she said, bored.
“Nope.” He guffawed again.
“Listen, could you please let me be on my way?” He just cackled. Nayru, that was getting annoying. She seized his hand and pulled down, lifting her knee. It smacked into his chin,and his head snapped back. He reeled backward and groped at air. She waited for him to get his breath. He picked up a huge piece of metal and held it over his head. His eyes were full of anger.
Zelda planted her feet and fell into a fighting stance. He rushed at her, swinging the metal wildly. She leapt into the air and rammed her foot into his temples. Falling back, she watched him topple over and hit the ground with a sharp thud, falling unconscious. Too easy. She sat on the ground, looking up at the sky.
“You know what?” she said, and turned, smirking. “My first impressions of Hylians? Not too good.”
Zelda’s blue eyes bored into his. That would be a yes. He cleared his throat. “Uh, well, you just haven’t--”
“Why have you been following me?” she interrupted.
“I don’t know.” Oops. Wrong answer. “Well, I mean, you didn’t seem like you had anywhere to go, and you looked sort of lost, so I was going to make sure you were all right. I wasn’t sure you could take care of yourself—but I was wrong, of course—and so I just . . . you know . . .” He was digging his own grave. “I wanted to help you,” he finished lamely.
“Thanks, Your Highness, but Hyrule isn’t that dangerous. Other than your occasional drunk, everyone’s a pushover.”
“I guess, but you’ve been here for like a half hour, and that’s not a very long time. And there are more dangerous people.” He felt a sudden need to protect his people . . . by proving they were dangerous. Odd.
“Really. Like who?”
“The Gerudo—they’re scary women, and the . . . the . . . the things, with the stuff . . .” He gestured with his hands, at loss for words.
“Right . . . See ya.” She turned and walked away.
“No, wait! I’m not done yet!” James took off after her, which was not really that hard since she was walking at a slow, leisurely pace.
“What else have you got for me? The killer plants?” Zelda pointed at the yellow plant. It lifted into the air and flew around. “Oh.”
James shook his head and pulled her away, toward the Town Market. “No,” he said between his teeth, “But we are on the verge of a war.”
Her face lit up. “Now that’s more like it! Can I fight?”
“There’s no war yet, but there may be, and even if there was, you’re a girl.”
She raised an eyebrow. “So I’ve noticed.”
“Girls aren’t allowed to fight.”
“Well, that’s stupid.”
“Maybe they just want to protect girls.”
“Oh, I don’t need protection. Just tell me who ‘they’ are, and where, and I’ll go show them who needs protecting!”
James steered them away form the extremely ugly subject. “Do you have a place to stay?”
“That’s none of your business.”
“So?”
Zelda hmphed. “No, I don’t. Happy now?”
“Do you want to stay with me?”
“Yeah? Where do you live?”
He rolled his eyes. “In the castle . . .”
“Oh, yeah. I keep forgetting you’re all rich and stuff. No, thanks.”
“Wait! Why not?”
“Castles are all stuffy and prissy and . . .” She made a face. “Boring.”
“Come on. You have nowhere else to go.”
She thought, glaring at the river. He loved how her eyes flashed when she was angry or concentrating. “Fine.”
“Great.” He held her elbow and dragged her up to the drawbridge. It was closed. He hadn’t even realized how late it had gotten. The sun had already set. “Hello?”
A head peeked over the side of the wall. He couldn’t see them. “State your name and business.”
“It’s James, and guest.”
The guard’s eyes widened. “Highness?”
“Yeah,” James said, irritated.
“Okay.” He called down, “Open the drawbridge.”
The drawbridge was slowly opened. They stepped onto it and entered the marketplace.
“Okay,” he whispered as they wandered across the deserted square. “Heads up.”
“What?” Zelda asked. She stopped in the middle of the market place. “What are you talking about?”
“I just wanted you to know before we go into the castle . . .”
“Yeah . . .”
“My name isn’t James.”
“What is it? And why do you call yourself that?”
“My name is Daphnes.”
She stared at him, biting her lip. “Oh. That’s . . . interesting.”
“You can laugh. It’s the worst name in the world.”
Zelda cracked up. James (or Daphnes) rolled his eyes.
“It’s gets worse.”
“No way. There is no name worse than Daphnes.”
“What about Daphnes Nohanson Hyrule?”
She stared at him at him for a long time. “Oh. Din.”
“Whatever. Come on.” He all but dragged her across the Town Market. They hurried through the place, weaving around all the little stores and homes.
Zelda looked around, her eyes wide. Everything was so different from Fotmea. A small dog waddled over to her and sniffed her feet. Zelda stepped away. They didn’t have dogs back home. She nudged it with her foot.
“Go away,” she hissed under her breath. Daphnes seemed completely unafraid of the animal. Zelda didn’t want him to judge her. She patted its head softly, reluctantly.
Daphnes turned. “Oh. Hey!” Zelda wasn’t sure if he was talking to her or the dog. He knelt down next to it and pet it gently, his gray eyes full of warmth. “Who’s a good girl? I missed you, you little smelly fluff ball!”
Now Zelda assumed he was talking to the dog. She smirked, and said, “Gee, thanks.”
He looked up as though just remembering she was there. His bronzed face turned red. “Um, well . . .”
Zelda laughed and cut him off. “Where, exactly, are we going?” Daphnes shot up so fast, Zelda thought there might have been a nail under his butt. Zelda laughed again. It was just so easy to get a rise out of him! She realized she hadn't laughed this much in a long time. The realization made her stop. “Right. This way.” He walked once again toward the castle. Zelda could just barely see the top of the towers. They didn’t stop until they reached a set of large oak doors.
Daphnes (it’s so hard to write that with a straight face!) nodded to one of the guards, who unlocked the door, eyeing Zelda curiously. Zelda glared back at him, daring him to make a comment about her torn clothes or messy demeanor. He just shrugged and looked away. Zelda smirked to herself. Daphnes held the door for Zelda, who smiled and stepped through. “Wow.”
The room was huge, practically the size of her island. There were intricate tapestries on the walls, depicting war and legendary heroes. The floor and walls were hard, cool marble, and only a few small windows let in any natural light. The rest came from a crystal chandelier, its candles flickering merrily, casting the chamber in an orange glow. On the other side of the room, two giant thrones sat side by side. They were covered in red and purple velvet, were gilded with gold thread and engraved with symbols and pictures. In these thrones sat a king and queen. They were leaning close to one another, whispering urgently. The queen’s face was lined with worry; the king’s with exasperation.
Daphnes cleared his throat, jolting them from their conversation. The queen looked up, a smile lighting her weary face, and hurried over to them. She had a cute, grandmother look about her.
“Daphnes!” she cried, holding him tightly. Her pale yellow gown rustled as she wrapped her thin arms around him. She glanced at Zelda and let go, hugging herself as though for protection. She curled her lip in disgust. Zelda bit her nail uncomfortably. So much for Grandma.
The queen called out to her husband, “Myran, Daphnes is home!” Myran stood, his long beard swaying. He came over and embraced his son. They both stood awkwardly, staring down at the ground, waiting for someone to speak. Zelda was aware of inquisitive eyes on her, and she jutted out her jaw stubbornly. Nayru, just get me the hell out of here, she thought.
“Who’s your . . . ‘friend,’ Daphnes?” Myran asked finally.
“Uh, this is Zelda. I met her on the boat. Zelda—” He elbowed her in the side, forcing her to look up. Zelda mashed his foot with her toe, keeping a fake-saccharine smile on her face. “This is my mother, Doris.” Doris pursed her lips disdainfully.
“Queen Doris,” she corrected.
“Right. And this is my father, Myran.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” Myran said, smiling thinly. Zelda decided he wasn’t too bad.
Doris, however, was another story. She held out her hand wordlessly, looking repulsed. Zelda stared at it for a moment, and then shook it halfheartedly. The queen’s nose wrinkled. Oops.
“And what is she doing here?” Daphnes mother asked.
“Zelda needed somewhere to stay, and so I said she could. Stay here, I mean.” He looked at Zelda, smiling apologetically.
“Oh. Can you come here, please?” Doris grabbed Daphnes by the arm and led him and Myran away, leaving Zelda alone in the strange castle.
A shriek of rage came from the hallway where the royal family had disappeared into. Zelda groaned.
She hated rich people.
“I have no idea.”
“I heard something.”
“I heard singing.”
“No, it was a scream.”
“I thought there was a fight.”
“What’s going on?”
Ugh. Dimitri lifted his head from the ground. He stared blankly at the waves, trying to think. The voices were coming from somewhere to his right. He didn’t have the energy to look. Beams of light chased each other down the beach whimsically. It took Dimitri a moment to recognize them as torchlight. And they were coming closer.
He sat up, looking around wildly. Emilia’s body lay only a few feet away. The sand around her was dark, almost black. He glanced away, guilt and sadness overwhelming him. Dimitri was lost.
A small island floated in his mind’s eye. A map, detailing how he would get there, what he would do when he arrived. A picture of his life, if he listened to the Dark Triforce.
A scream broke Dimitri out of his trance. He shook his head and stood. He looked over his shoulder. A wall of light and people blocked his way home. He wouldn’t be able to go back. He ran, kicking up sand. He grabbed a boat that lay on the beach “in case of emergencies.” There were never emergencies.
Until now. The boat glided into the water easily. He leapt in and severed the rope. Sailing away, he listened to the shouts and excited mutterings. The torchlight illuminated him, as well as the people who carried them. Dimitri stared into his grandfather’s eyes. He was begging Dimitri to come back.
Dimitri looked back out at the ocean, to the island that he couldn’t see. It was out there. His sanctuary. The only place he’d be safe.
Go, the Dark Triforce ordered. And for once, Dimitri was happy to obey.
:
:
:
:
