if i die tomorrow - permanent hiatus

meeting

     Silently Zelda and I set out to Tobio's Hollow.

     I knew I should speak to her, but the whirlwind in my mind drowned out every other thought. 

     Neither of us could look at the other. I knew I would only see the shell of the girl I'd once loved, and she would only see her mother's eyes. 

     I wanted to talk about Demise. The Triforce. The Queen. What the success of our first mission meant for the Revolutionaries and the Tera alike. The countless riddles and enigmas laid out in front of us. However, I couldn't seem to find the words. 

     So I kept my eyes on the road and my mouth shut. 

     I wish I knew what was going on inside Zelda's head. 

     Mount Floria was drawing closer and closer on the horizon, which meant we were almost at our destination. I looked for any distinctive structures, any hint that a powerful rebel group resided here, but nothing.

     We finally entered Tobio's Hollow. The wind rustled, gliding between the dead leaves of the trees, stripped bone-white of their bark. The murky swampland nearby bubbled, smelling like rot and death. I looked around. The bare, dried-out dirt and clumps of yellowing grass gave away no hint of anything we were here to find. Nothing remotely remarkable except an ancient-looking building tucked at the corner that looked as though it would collapse any second now.

     "That's odd." Zelda murmured, finally breaking the silence between us. "Was this a trap after all?"

     Instantly my senses were on highest alert. I rested a hand on the shortsword I borrowed off of Urbosa. It didn't feel right in my fingers, though. None of the weapons I'd tried, lately, to replace my previous one did. If worst came to worst, I wouldn't be able to fight nearly as well as when I had the counterfeit Master Sword, or, as much as I hated to admit it, Demises's knife. 

     However, I wouldn't let Zelda die again. Never. 

     Then a figure approached from the dust clouds. I didn't break fighting stance before the other Link emerged into view. He wasn't smiling, but I recognized the slope of his shoulders and the stillness of his hands as a sign that he meant us no harm. He might even have been glad to see us. Who knows?

     "We were starting to wonder if you would come after all." He said. "I assume you know who our leader is?"

     Mutely we nodded. 

     "Good. Follow me."

     He said no more as he led us to the small building at the back, didn't comment on how we brought none of our people with us. He opened the door and motioned for us to enter. Dubious, I followed Zelda in.

     Immediately I was astonished. 

     First thing to go through my mind: It looked much, much bigger on the inside. 

     I didn't know if it was magic or a play on the mind or whatever, but this did not look like that old dilapidated house we saw on the outside. 

     People -- lots and lots of people -- were rushing around with papers and weapons, sometimes stopping to converse. The lamps were bright despite the fact that it was high noon. There was a stand of swords and armour at the back, gleaming with well-repair. Heads turned in our direction as the other Link led us through the crowd, and hushed voices buzzed through the main hall.

     "We built our main headquarters into the wall." The other Link said, brief as always. "So it looks unassuming from the outside."

     Every muscle in my body was tense as we reached the back of the main hall and took a turn into a quiet hallway. I memorized the directions, in case we needed to make an escape. This place was like a massive maze.