Legend of Zelda ~ Sealed Away

Monster Hunting

The two figures made their way further outside Hyrule, now leaving the outskirts of castle town. They walked in silence, not exchanging a word between them. That is, until Lexi spoke out of sheer curiosity.

"Vaati," she began tentatively, breaking the silence. "What exactly happened with you back at the festival? I mean, I wanted you to meet the princess and Link, but you just..." She trailed off, thinking about how Vaati had looked worried at the sight of the princess and her hero, and she had to ask herself more then once her eyes hadn't been playing tricks on her or if Vaati really had shown a brief moment of nervousness.

Purposely avoiding eye contact with her wide violet eyes, Vaati looked straight ahead. "I just wasn't... Interested in meeting the princess and her Hero," he said venomously, spitting out the word as though it left a bitter taste in his mouth. Of course he wouldn't tell Lexi the real reason he had hid from Zelda and Link, that they would either lock him away or kill him on first sight. He had a feeling she wouldn't take to hearing that bit of news very well.

"There's more to it then that," Lexi stated accusingly. "You're hiding something big, I can tell." Sighing, she lowered her gaze. "You know, if you ever wanted to tell me about whatever it is, I won't judge you. I know we just met, but if you need to talk I'll always be available to listen."

That stunned him, and he couldn't find a bitter sentence to retort with.

"I don't have anything to hide," he said, full of arrogance so to vainly hide his surprise. He didn't want her to know how unexpected that comment of hers was for him to hear. "Even if I did, it's not like I'd tell you anything."

"Oh, stop pretending," Lexi said. "I've been trained as a guard, and as I said before I know when a person is withholding important information. I can tell you are, and you don't have to tell me anything. It's just that, if you ever want to talk, I'm letting you know that I'll listen without accusation. Everyone makes mistakes, and if you did something or saw an event occur... Well, I know how hard that can be to face alone. Just know that I'm here."

"Um," Vaati began, uncharacteristically unsure of himself for once. But it didn't matter what he said next, because Lexi was already lost in her own train of thought with her normally bright eyes slightly dimmed. He even thought that he could see pools of moisture forming in the corners of her eyes as she thought about a past event, but he couldn't be sure. Shaking his head, he carried on walking at a brisk pace with Lexi now trailing slightly behind him.

After a few more minutes of this awkward silence, Lexi asked, "where are we headed now exactly? Not just aimlessly wandering around, I hope."

"No my dear, are most definitely heading towards a particular place," Vaati replied, his voice as full of attitude as ever.

"Then where are we going? There's nothing along this barren route but Death Mountain."

Smirking, Vaati replied to her over his shoulder with superiority. "That's exactly where we're headed, I'm glad you finally noticed." His tone contained this mocking, demoting quality almost as though he was calling her out on stupidity without even speaking the words aloud.

"Why are we going there? It's practically the most dangerous place in all of Hyrule!" Lexi exclaimed animatedly, her arms flailing about to emphasize her distress.

"I know, and what better place for a ferocious boss monster to make his hideout?" More to himself then anyone, Vaati muttered, "if it's who I think it is, he's made that mountain his hideout before."

Lexi was getting more worried by the second, as she'd only ever heard horror stories about what was on Death Mountain, and she'd yet to journey there herself. By the goddesses, she had never even been to the base of the mountain! "How do you even know that!? Anyone else would think you personally knew these boss monsters from the way you speak of them!" Lexi stated, her voice coming out shakily.