Scars of a Caged Bird | Zelink Medieval

Chapter XV

     We stayed at the Kokiri Forest for quite some time, giving me plenty of time to recuperate and get to know everyone I would be working with. Things had gotten plain foggy in the time we had left the Fortress to now. I just wanted to sleep forever, never waking up, never having to face my duty as the Hero of Time. I felt like things were dragging – like things should be happening, but they weren't.

Ever since my encounter with Volvagia, I hadn't had to fight any other creature, and I felt myself oddly drawn to the Megaton Hammer, but it just didn't feel right. I couldn't bring myself to pick it up, yet I wanted to – It was quite weird.

By the time we had to leave for the LLR, the Kokiri were quite attached to us – especially Darron. Somehow, the Kokiri were fascinated by him – his large build, his huge appetite for rocks, and his rumbly voice – I supposed that they had never seen a Goron before so naturally, they'd be drawn to him out of curiosity. Kokiri clung to his large frame, sad to see him go.

I adjusted the pack I had on my back with all of my rations. Everyone else wore one as well with all of their rations – We didn't really have to worry about Darron, though. As long as there were rocks around, he would be perfectly fine. We bid the Kokiri a fond farewell, beginning our trek away from the forest and to the LLR.

We were a small band, walking in pairs or trios like always, socializing as we went but remaining alert. With Rota fluttering around me, I walked with the Sheikah of our band, Sheik, Zilla, Kron, and Impa. We talked about a variety of topics, carefully avoiding anything to do with Ganondorf or Ren. Even the memory of them stabbed me with venom, and I couldn't wait until the day that I would be rid of the pain they caused me forever.

I noticed that Marine and Aqua walked with Darron, and Cove was strangely isolated from the group, walking farther behind us. It was quite odd, and lately, I had noticed that he had become more distant in general, no longer exchanging pleasantries with anyone in our group. Odd. I decided to try to communicate with him – He hadn't spoken to me in a while.

"What are you doing, Link?" Rota questioned, buzzing in my ears.

I responded, rolling my eyes at my fairy's apparent concern. "Gee, Rota. Calm down."

"I'm supposed to keep you out of trouble! That's what the Princess told me to do, remember?" Rota was peeved. Why was she screaming in my ear?

Either way, I ignored her, falling back to where Cove was. "Hey," I greeted as Rota flew around my head, her wings beating angrily.

Cove looked up at me. "Hi, Link." I waited for him to continue, but he didn't.

I cleared my throat awkwardly, feeling that it was my responsibility to carry the conversation. We talked, but it felt forced, and I felt as though I was invading his privacy for some reason. Finally, I decided that it would be best if I just left.

Sighing to myself, I swung my hammer every which way; it somehow felt as though it longed for contact with some form of life. Was this supposed to be normal? The heavy moving of air from the hammer didn't give me the same feeling of satisfaction as something else might have. I could hear Sheik mumble to himself, and I could barely catch snatches of what he was saying to piece it together. It was the prophesy.

Words from the prophesy echoed in my head, and I tried to shove them out. "Betrayal." "Chaos." "Heartbreak." "Pain." "Fear." "Destiny's game." My head spun, and all I could do was swing my hammer around as though my mind wasn't yelling things at me. Almost tripping over a log, I maintained my balance, continuing to walk. Rota flew around my head aimlessly, and I could feel it in my bones: things would be ending soon. I knew it was true.