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Zelda - The Winged Ones - ch28

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Chapter 28: Dragmire

Link and Zelda were in a panic, the dragons were wounded, half the palace was on fire, they could not get to the horses, they were too slow on foot but there wasn't any other choice.
"Oh why, why did he have to go off alone!"


Chirin was far slower than the wyvern but he tore through the air as fast as his wings could carry him fighting the strong headwind of the brewing storm. He lost sight of his target but continued on to lake Hylia for both his dream and his gut instinct told him that is where this fate would unfold.

As the white wings of the prince came into view wind was ripping at the landscape blowing embers from the burning field over the cliffs and into the lakebed area illuminating the darkness of night with an eerie orange glow.

Chirin hovered in the air above the water, the beat of his wings rippling the surface.

There was no sign of the wyvern or its passenger for that matter…but above the lake was Aryll, she was being held captive, laying within in a crystal.


"Aryll!" he cried flying up to the jeweled containment, she was unresponsive.

When he touched the side of the crystal water began to flow down from the top, pooling in the bottom.

"You cannot free her." the deep voice said, Chirin looked around but saw no one "The only way to free her is if I release the spell or if you kill me. If you act too slowly then the girl will drown."

The water reached the side of her face and the little girl woke up as she choked. Aryll sat up rubbing her eyes, as they adjusted she saw her brother's distraught face.

"Chirin!" her voice echoed as she put her small hands on the sides reaching for him, he put his hands against hers "Just hold on." Chirin said in a panic trying to steady his voice "Be a good girl and stay calm, I will get you out as soon as I can." he said trying to sound reassuring but needing much reassurance himself.

"I am looking forward to watching you try!" said the voice as something leap out of the lake and grabbed Chirin around the ankle with claws digging into his flesh.

Chirin turned to face him, his eyes full of rage and fear, fear not for himself or his own fate but for his sister and the fate of all of Hyrule.

The figure that had hold of him was a black and red Zora… with flame colored eyes.

Chirin tried to shake Dragmire off but the shape shifting fiend pulled the white winged boy into the water.
The prince of light dispelled his wings upon impact so the feathers would not weigh him down.

"You cannot drown me! I can breath just as well as you can down here."

"I know." said the dark prince snidely, sending out a huge swarm of skullfish.

"Oh shit!" gurgled Chirin as he made a mad dash for shore with the creatures nipping at his boots.
The prince of light pulled himself ashore on the mainland gasping as his lungs took in air after having been in the water.

Chirin got up and ran from the water's edge looking back to see the black and red Zora stride out of the lake and shift into a Goron. Before he could react the darkened Goron balled up and barreled towards him impacting against him with enough force to send him flying backwards.
Chirin promptly and stiffly pulled his crumpled body off the ground swearing at the intense bruising he could already feel in his ribs.
As he stood up the prince of light watched as the dark Goron shifted into something unexpected, a black wolfose.

Chirin looked on in surprise for he thought that the dark interlopers were only able to take on the form of human type races not animals.
"Surprised?" rumbled the giant wolf "Kotake taught me this one." the huge black creature grinned.



Meanwhile Zelda had taken on the form of the swift Sheikah warrior and together they ran as hard as they could for the lake.
Part of the field and castle were on fire and a fierce wind was brewing making the air hot and full of ash which stung their lungs and eyes as they ran through the gaps between the flames.

As the hot wind ripped at Link's wings and the soot blinded him it was all too evident to the hero that the first parts of their son's nightmare have become reality.

The rest of the premonitional dream took place at the lake and that is where they hoped to stop this nightmare before it reached the end that Chirin had foretold in his dreams.

As they ran the hero sent Navi off on a mission to find as many of the elusive pink fairies as she could and then bring them to the lake…the king knew they'd certainly be needed.

Link fought to keep the darkness at bay as his mind touched on how Chirin's dream always ended…
The demon within him was fighting to get free as Link struggled to keep the morbid image out of his mind…
The scene of a sword run straight through the center of his son's chest, Chirin caught on the blade pinned to the tree…
The Oni almost lurched free as the image of his child's last dying breaths crossed his mind's eyes.



At the edge of the lake the black wolf looked up to the girl in the crystal which was now a fourth full "Better hurry." he snarled with sharp white teeth bared. "If you take too long to catch me the girl will drown." the wolfose roared as it took off towards Gerudo Gorge. Chirin was surprised by this but had no choice but to pursue.

The wolf leapt up onto the canyon wall and ran with great speed as it bounded from side to side, wall to wall above the water. Momentum allowing the animal not to fall as it ran against the vertical earth with the winged boy in hot pursuit. Chirin found he could not fly fast enough so he began running along the side of the canyon using the motion of his wings to hasten his pace as he sprinted across the rocks.

As the boy got close enough he dove at the wolf landing a shallow blow across the flank. The huge animal did not even flinch but the prince of light continued his tactic landing another and then another shallow blow cursing that he could not strike fast enough to let his sword bite deeper.

The two figures careening across the face of the canyon approached the large waterfall at the end.

"My aren't we a pest." snapped the wolf "This is getting boring, besides I think I've managed to waste enough of your sister's precious time!" Dragmire growled as he suddenly turned and grabbed the winged prince and dropped into the water.

Chirin failed to transform back until after hitting the river's surface and the force of the impact on his wings caused something to snap. The wings would heal quickly cloaked in his Hylian form but the phantom pain of the broken bones still lingered greatly hindering his ability to fight back. It took all of his focus just to keep his grasp on the double helix blade and not let his pain stricken body loose it as the raging current tossed his body around like a rag doll.

The dark interloper shifted back into a Zora, he grabbed Chirin by one leg and dragged the boy back down river to the lake throwing him against the shore with a thud as they descended over the waterfall.

The dark prince watched with a grin as Chirin struggled to catch his breath, the force of the blow combined with his transition from breathing water to air caused the boy a sharp shortness of breath.

As Chirin coughed he looked to Aryll, the crystal was half full and the girl was now kicking the sides, bravely trying to free herself.

The white prince quickly recovered from the assault, he got up and glared at his foe who now stood on the tiny island at the base of the waterfall in a Gerudo form, blood dripping from where the prince of light had managed to strike him as a wolfose.

Chirin found this form far more unsettling than that of the huge wolf with its sharp fangs… the resemblance to the man who held him captive as a child and plagued his father's life was sickening.

"Ready to play yet?" snarked Dragmire as he stood in a from that reflected that of a younger Ganon.  
"Ready to take this seriously." barked Chirin taking on his wings, his stance firm as he held the Oni blade.
The dark prince drew his sword and shifted into a black winged form "Sure, why not. I think I rouged you up enough." he smirked.
"I can say the same." Chirin said with much courage in his eyes staring at the wounds he had inflicted, watching the dark blood that dripped into the water.


And so the battle began.
The son of Ganon versus the son of Link.
The Prince of Darkness versus The Prince of Light.


The two opponents took to the air blades clashing as black and white feathers settled on the lake's surface.

The slightly older and more muscular Dragmire had a physical advantage over the younger trimmer Chirin but the prince of light fought with fierce courage and fire in his heart.

Blue sparks filled the air as a dance of deadly blades and wings ensued through the sky.
The battle was intense, each figure moved with such precision that at times the black and white wings seemed intertwined.

Neither had managed to land a blow yet, it would seem that the two children of opposite yet equal fates were equally matched when they fought in mirrored forms.

"I see you have improved" snarked the dark prince "I guess I have your shadow to thank for that, I was hoping he'd succeed in turning you into an actual challenge for my skills."
"What?!" shouted Chirin surprised to hear such arrogance.
"Oh yes, everything has gone according to my plan, your winged sage friend played into it as well. I allowed him to learn everything there was to know about me, my blow to his head saw to that, the touch of my magic put him so close to death that the essence of this land filled his mind with every detail I desired for him to know.
I wanted all of you to know just who and what I was, I wanted you to bring the light guardians here. I needed to ensure they would not interfere with my future plans, I had to kill them but had no idea where they went. Thank you so much for bringing them right to me." he sneered
"Damn you!" barked the prince of Light.

In his fury Chirin managed to land a blow but at the same moment Dragmire grabbed at his wing and twisted the large white feathers into his fist which began to glow with dark magic.
The prince of light tore free swearing as the feathers were lost in the process causing the missing patch to bleed furiously from where the deep quills were wrenched from his flesh.

The prince of light ascended far above his foe creating as much distance between them as possible. He hovered awkwardly in the air as his one wing was now hindered by the loss of several flight feathers.

The white feathers within the dark man's hand became engulfed in flames as he glared up at the prince of light with a sly smirk. The prince of darkness taunted Chirin with a motion of his hand luring the boy into an attack. But the white winged prince held his position in the air waiting for Dragmire to strike first, forcing himself to not allow the plight of his sister in the now two thirds filled crystal to cloud his judgment.

Dragmire could see that the boy had become too calm and focused to be evoked into such a trap, Chirin's lack of reaction surprised the dark prince, this was not part of his plan. The sight of Aryll so close to drowning was supposed to have the boy in a state of blinding panic and yet here he stood, his eyes filled with such courage and determined focus.

The back wings soared upwards towards the prince of light, Dragmire furiously lashed out at the boy nearly claiming his wing, angered by the boy's expression.

Chirin fought with a new found calm as he bravely suppressed his panic and heartache. A humbled confidence showed through his serious expression as the two once again ensued in a battle of blades and aerial acrobatics.  

The prince of light was able to land another blow whereas Dragmire found himself unable to do the same. The dark prince could see that a fair fight would not work in his favor and so he began to fight dirty. He quickly and sneakily switched tactics calling forth an attack that mirrored his father's, casting an orb of dark energy at the white winged prince.

Chirin's wings grew gold as the power of the goddesses protected him from the likes of dark magic.
He folded his feathers across the front of him to shield the attack, the blow hit him hard. The dark energy itself did not harm him but the force sent Chirin falling. He caught himself mere inches above the water and hitched the Oni sword to the clasp at the side of his armor while simultaneously reaching behind to grab the bow and an arrow which began to glow gold at the tip.

The boy's aim was perfect but the weapon missed its target as Dragmire sharply moved out of the line of fire, the dark man grinned knowing this attack.
The black wings dodged again and a again as the two ascended into the air, a smirk on his face each time the boy missed. Dragmire fired his dark magic but once again Chirin shielded the attack and this time he faltered less and recovered more quickly from the force of the blow.

The rain of light arrows persisted and the dark prince below continued to sharply evade each one with unmatched skill.

But then the son of Ganon stopped dodging and purposefully let one hit.

The arrow bit into his shoulder, Dragmire grasped the shaft in pain but the effect of the magic failed to do a thing.

The light arrows were useless on this pure being of darkness.

Dragmire ripped the arrow free ignoring the rush of blood and stared up at his now unnerved prey with a victorious smile.

Chirin was in shock. He unclasped the sword and brought the tip to his palm ready to let the blade taste Tenshioni blood to release the light spells his father had used on beast Ganon.

Dragmire smirked "The light of your magic won't work on me!"
The dark prince swiftly shot up towards Chirin.

The boy's focus was distracted as he prepared to cast his next attack, his mind trying to comprehend the fact that the magic which worked so well on Ganon did not work on his son at all. He began to realize that perhaps none of the magic of light would work on this creature of unaltered darkness.
Chirin was caught off guard and Dragmire kicked the white winged prince hard across the face sending him crashing into the water below.

The skullfish descended upon him immediately, the nasty creatures bit and tore at his flesh and wings their actions growing more intense as the smell of blood filled the water. The prince in all his fury lashed out in a spin attack with the Oni blade wiping them all out with one swift move.

Chirin struggled to the surface dispelling his now wet and heavy wings as he swam to the large island at the center of the lake, blood seeping from his many bite marks.

As the boy reached the shore he dragged himself onto the grass with sword in hand and took on his winged form once again, prepared to take to the air and fight to save his sister's life. But as he turned he found that Dragmire was close behind him.

The dark figure stood in his winged form with a confident grin, in his one hand was Aryll, once again cruelly held by her hair.
In his other hand was the dark sword, poised and ready to strike Chirin's little sister.

The white winged prince stood in shock and fear not knowing what to do as his furious sister screamed in anger and grabbed at the mans hand while trying to kick him.

Chirin merely stood there, stunned, afraid to make a move for Dragmire could kill her within an instant.


As these last events transpired Sheik and Link had arrived, adrenaline powering their every move keeping their exhausted bodies working.

They had witnessed Chirin stand turn only to find that Dragmire was right behind him.
Zelda and her hero were gripped with fear as they realized the foreboding nightmare was unfolding.

Sheik took off across the field and to the bridges but Link could see it was too late, they would never reach their son in time…

But time around our hero literally seemed to slow, seconds expanded into minutes as a greater drama began to stir deep within, an evil more heartless than Dragmire had begun to break free.

At first the hero was torn between if he should fight the darkness or just let it loose, he considered the fact that perhaps as a demon he could take on the likes of Dragmire and easily win…
But the only fate worse than his family dying at the hands of an enemy was dying in the cruel grip of his own… and Link had already nearly killed Zelda without a second thought or hint of mercy.

He lurched forward as his insides twisted into something dark and foul.
The Oni marks glowed and shadowed flames began to cloak his green clad form.
He tried to resist, but just as in Kakariko Link could feel the darkness eating away at him, he could feel the Oni clawing its way through to the front of his conciseness.

The tainted hero fell to his knees furious that this could be happening, knowing that he could not fight it much longer…

Link was faced with was a loose-loose situation, he could either become the demon and kill Dragmire along with everyone in Hyrule, or die here and now and leave them to hopelessly fend for themselves.  
Either way he was helpless to save anyone.

…He began to consider ending his own existence as a means of preventing the demons wrath….
Link's soul was breaking at the thought of his family dying in the grasp of his own hands…he could not let that happen.

Link unsheathed the Master Sword and held the tip near his chest prepared to do the unthinkable should it become necessary to prevent such an atrocious act, an act more cruel than if they all died together tonight at the hands of fate.  


His soul was breaking, begging fate to somehow unfold a future that would spare his family for right now he was helpless to save even his own soul…


And then ….suddenly it stopped.
Time seemed to stand still.

The demon froze, the flames faded. Link was suddenly shaken out of his intense darkness by a new feeling, one similar to what he felt before when the mask called to him and he brought it to Kaepora.

Something was reaching beyond the darkness, pulling on his very soul.

Link opened his side bag and took out the wolf mask.

The feeling was because of this, this mask was somehow keeping the demon and bay and filling his broken heart with hope.

Without even thinking, Link brought it close to his face.

"No!" Kaepora cried, the empathetic connection between them had suddenly tore at the wind sage when the sprit of the mask spoke. The sage had warned the hero to never wear it for he could sense that the results of use would be somehow changed due to who Link was.

But Link did not hear him, he heard only the voice of the mask.



As Link fought his inner demon Dragmire had thrown Aryll into the deep lake taking much pleasure from the sight of Chirin's eyes growing in terror. This was the state of blinding panic the dark man was looking for.

The white winged boy motioned to save his drowning sister…but before he could even take a step…the tip of Dragmire's sword bit into the center of Chirin's chest.

The dark man slid the blade ever so slowly, watching the blood come down to the hilt of the sword as the boy's eyes grew cold with pain. The blade's intent was to run him straight through the middle, not through his heart. An instantaneous death would be too kind, the dark one's goal was to give the prince of light time to agonize over his own fate.

Chirin backed away from the forward motion of the sword, halting its progress with each retreating step, but then he was unable to move any further, his back against the tree.

The white winged prince was no longer able to pull away from the advancement of the sword and its tip bit in deeper.

Chirin closed his eyes and braced himself to feel the horrible pain of his dreams one last time, knowing that he would never awaken from the nightmare he was now facing.


But before the blade could complete its task a golden creature half the size of the dark prince leapt from the ground and gabbed the man's arm in its jaws causing him to release the sword.

Dragmire roared in fury as he shook the beast free.

The man of black feathered wings picked up the sword and glared at the glistening golden animal that now stood its ground at the edge of the water.

Its eyes glowing red.
Fullsize image of the coverart

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Poster for this fanfic

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You can also find links to each chapter there


____

-I updated chapter 22 to include reasoning for why the demon and Majora attacked the Sheikah and Tenshioni, for those that missed the update:
"The land spoke of a prophecy that lead to their banishment, more specifically to one part, a part the dark ones focused on. It was foretold that a being of wings and a being of red eyes together would keep the dark interlopers downfall in place, and so each set out to destroy the people who fit this description."

-The running along the canyon wall part…That came to me in a dream! An epic awesome dream of Link and Twilight princess beast Ganon doing the same thing, running against dark cliffs above a raging river in a lightning storm with Link slashing at Ganon, in my dream the dark beast lashed out at Link and nearly tore apart his leg as each then fell into the water.
I needed the fight to continue in the story so Chirin kept his leg intact, lol, but damn was that dream intense and freaken epic <3 my imagination never rests.

- Skullfish...gawd I hate those things. Those who have played know know what they are, the boss of the MM water temple spit them at you, the one in TP as well (only those ones explode!)
© 2011 - 2024 LilleahWest
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