The Legend of Zelda: Transient (third book in the Timeless series)

Chapter 8

So sorry this took so long. I've been crazy busy with school and activities that come along with it, and when I finally started writing this chapter I was also trying to improve my writing, so it took longer to finish. Thank you all for being so patient with me, and I hope you enjoy!

Erick rolled around a small horse, playing quietly with his toys. His mom had a meeting that day, so a maid was in the room to watch him. She was a timid thing though, and stayed to herself, eyes nervously darting around every so often in a slightly annoying fashion. She didn't really talk to him, much less play with him, but he couldn't really care less. It was just as much fun playing by himself. He actually preferred it, so he could be in control of what happened in the story his toys had. Not to mention the fact that she couldn't bring herself to mutter much of anything to him, so it wasn't hard to imagine how she would do in a game. 

They sat in silence for what was at least an hour, but could have been much longer. Time didn't pass the same way when he was in the world he created,

"S-sir Erick?" She asked quietly. He looked up at her, a bit surprised to hear her voice. It was soft and high, like a mouse had just approached him and whispered in his ear. He resisted a giggle, but she seemed even more nervous, so apparently he didn't do it very well,

"Would you..care for some lunch?" She asked, playing with her hands,

"Yes please," he said, smiling. He wanted her to warm up to him. He wished his favorite maid was around, but she was busy. She would play with him, always coming up with new games for them to play, which was cool. He figured if he could only break this small woman out of the shell she always presented in any sort of company, she might be fun as well.

She nodded and stood, walking out of the room gracefully, which also shocked him a bit. His mother wouldn't appreciate him being left alone, even if he was very well behaved. Apparently this girl hadn't got the message, which made him hope his mother wouldn't return while she was away. He liked her, even if she was quiet and boring. She was nice, and it amused him when she spoke. 

He went back to his toys, losing interest in thinking about the maid. Instead, he returned to his fantasy world, where the hero was  fighting a fearsome dragon. He wasn't scared, though. He was like his dad; strong and brave. He went right up to the dragon and grabbed his beard, bringing him eye-to-eye with the growling beast. Erick chuckled as he spit on him before punching him, hard enough to send the dragon far, far away. The people of the kingdom cheered his name and a pretty girl was going to give him a kiss, but they both realized that was gross so they settled for a high-five. 

 The opening and closing of the door brought him away from the victory celebration. He glanced up at the clock and took several moments to try to decipher it. When he had gotten a general idea, he knew it had hardly been enough time to make anything. Yet, she returned, a strange smile on her face. She walked over to him quickly, and he looked up with a slightly confused look on his face. It was subtle enough that not many would notice, but he did. She barely ever even looked at him, let alone smile like that at him,

"Please come with me, Erick," she said gently, though even that sounded off. Another warning sign. Plus, none of the maids addressed him without saying sir, no matter how many times he asked them to,

"Why?" He asked, backing up slightly,

"You're mother has called for you," she explained simply, looking slightly confused as to why he was backing up. She stepped towards him again, to which he promptly shifted backwards again,

"But...Mama's in a meeting," He said,

"I am aware. She was released early." she explained, "I apologize for rushing you, but it sounded like it was rather urgent. She does not have long." She extended her hand to him, wiggling her fingers impatiently when he hesitated. Against his better judgement, he took it. It was best not to keep his mom waiting.

She led him down several hallways, his nervousness growing. She walked fast, to the point he was almost jogging to keep up. Her grip on his hand was icy, which was unusual, since the castle was kept warm. He debated mentally whether or not to break away and bolt for it, but the thought of returning to his mother quicker kept him beside the girl. It wasn't until they stepped into his mother's garden and saw her waiting for them that he relaxed. She smiled over at him and he ran to hug her, still weirdly relieved to be away from the maid. He couldn't shake the feeling she started giving him suddenly. Hugging his mother didn't give him the overwhelming sense of love and happiness that it usually did though,

"You called, Mama?" He said, looking up at her. She nodded simply, leading him over to a table. He sat, anxious to know what was so important that he couldn't even eat lunch first,

"Erick, sweetheart, I have something to ask you. This may seem a bit odd, but believe me I have reasons why I ask." She explained, sitting across from him. He nodded, swinging his legs back and forth. "Have you been feeling...I don't know, strange lately? Like You're thinking or doing things that don't seem like you?" The question confused him. Why would he? He almost told her about the weirdness of the maid, but that didn't seem to be what she was looking for. As for himself, he felt normal,

"No. I've been ok. Just plain me! Why would I be feeling that?" She narrowed her eyes at him slightly, which gave him a weird feeling. Almost like she was looking inside of him. His eyes became fixed on hers, as if she had glued them to the spot,

"Let me see your hand," She said after a few long moments, and he did without hesitation, even though he was still confused. This whole ordeal had been mind-boggling to him. She closed her eyes as she took it, grasping his hand between both of hers tightly. They felt rougher than they always did, as well as being as frozen as the maid's, which set him on edge a bit. He wasn't sure why,

"Your sense of foreign magic and danger is well advanced. I expect you'll far surpass your parents at that skill. Something to treasure." She said, looking up at him. His eyes widened and he gasped as he tried to get away from the glowing red eyes that peered at him from his mother. The hands were too strong, though, and kept him there. She smiled slightly, and he noticed her canines were pointed slightly. She feigned confusion,

"What's wrong honey?" He kept trying to pull away, terrified. It didn't matter that it proved useless, he was determined to get away from this impostor.

"I came to retrieve my new grandson, but I have found something better. He lives within you. He may not be apparent yet, but he will be. I can see that." She muttered something, and Erick was shocked to see  a golden orb come out of his chest. He felt some of his energy leave with it, and the strength to keep struggling vaporized, "Your soul," She explained dryly. He watched as the gold orb swirled around, a light grey coming through in places, casting a shadow over the otherwise shimmering orb. The stranger smirked, "It's not extremely evident yet, but as you grow, that meek grey will blossom into an amazing black, and He will present himself. Be ready for that, young boy," The orb went back into his chest, and it left him with a strange feeling, now knowing what was inside him, though he was still so confused what it all meant.

Then, she let go of his hand, and he went flying back from trying to escape. He hit the ground, tears running down his face. He didn't know what was happening to his mom.

She chuckled as black smoke encircled her, making her invisible through the thick wall of black.  He curled up into a ball, scared. 

When the smoke cleared, the demon that stood before him became forever burned into his memory. Even though it was only there for a moment before disappearing, Erick remained where he was long after.  He couldn't bring himself to move.