Monday, September 1, 2008

~ Amari's Story ~

(Please note: I am in no way affiliated or involved with Nintendo.)
(This story is completely fan-made.)

This story is the sequel to The Final Legend, the story of Twilight Princess told in the perspective of our new heroine, Amari. Amari’s Story is told in Amari’s point of view. It starts out precisely after Ganondorf’s death. It tells the true story of Link and Amari’s love for each other and the hardships they’ve been through. Caramelldansen! ^-^
---- Amari, author



~ Prologue ~


Twilight began to fall slowly around us. The cool, night air brushed gently over my cheeks; a cold chill ran down my spine. Something was wrong. It didn’t feel right. My voice cracked as the end of the bridge slipped out of my lips. “It was only a midnight’s dream.” As I continued to sing my song, I broke into a cold sweat. I ignored it and moved on to the last line of the song. “Remember me, always.” As the last words parted my lips, I saw him. I saw him staggering on the horizon. Nabooru finished her guitar solo and followed my gaze.
My heart stopped as he came into view, for then I noticed what he was covered in. Blood. Gallons of blood, it seemed, swamped his face and clothes. The fear that I had suppressed for so long started to build itself up again, filling my entire essence. Instantly feeling nauseous, I swooned slightly.
Then, acting purely on instinct, I bolted towards him. Nabooru reached for my shoulder to pull me back; when she missed, she held her hand in the air. “Amari, wait!” The audience, one by one, turned to face me. I didn’t care who all saw me.
Tears streaming from my eyes, I continued to run towards him. My ears laid flat on my head as I ran. It’s not true... please, don’t let it be true! Just as I reached him, he collapsed into my arms. My tears splashed onto his cheeks continuously; he slowly opened his eyes. It seemed that his were moist as well.
He looked away, refusing to keep eye contact with me. “I am sorry. I hoped that you wouldn’t have to see me like this, Amari. I am a foolish man.” I shook my head, placing my hand on his cheek. He felt as cold as--- I couldn’t think about it. I focused on clearing my dry throat to answer him. “No, you are not. But... what happened to you?”
He managed croak an attempt at a laugh. “I went to do as I promised. To avenge your sister’s death for you.” I gasped, remembering the letter he had left me previously. “No...” was all that I could say. What had I done? I had cried about Zelda’s death for weeks until it had forced Link to do this. This was entirely my fault.
Tears began to flow faster now. First, Ganon had killed my father. Then, my older sister is murdered... now this? I couldn’t bear it anymore.
Ignoring the blood that now covered us both, I pulled him closer to me. “No! I will not let you die! Don’t leave me!” I shouted, my voice cracking slightly. I felt cold hands grasp my face. I shivered, shocked by the sudden cold.
I looked into his once brilliant blue eyes, now daunted with a hint of gray. “I am so proud of you. You have over come-“ he winced in pain as I hugged him tighter. “You have over come many obstacles, with and without me. I am sure that you will be fine. You and Hikari, both.”
His hands slowly began to slide off of my face. I desperately tried to keep him here, alive... with me. His eyes shifted from a bluish-gray into pure gray. Instantly, his eyelids began to droop.
“Amari... I’m sorry. I must leave you now. Give my love to our daughter.”
Still shaking my head, I held his head in my hands. “No... no! You can’t! I won’t let you!” I sobbed. He was so cold... so light in my hands. I couldn’t take it. “Link... p-please...” I swallowed back all that I wanted to say as his hand fell to his side. His head dropped from my gaze. At that moment, I heard a low “I love you... always.” part from his lips, followed by a short gust of air. My eyes widened as I shook his lifeless body, which flopped around uselessly. Tail twitching in agony, I threw my head back and let out a bellowing, “NO!!!!!!”
I couldn’t believe it. He was actually gone from me... never to return. I felt horrified... defeated, even. I hung my head, allowing a few more sobs burst from me. I felt a soft hand land on my shoulder. “Amari...” I heard Anju’s sweet, innocent voice say. I inclined my head to see every Twilit Angels member standing over me. I heard thunder rumble in the background.
Roxas stepped forward and kneeled down beside me. Usually the quiet one, he said, “I am so sorry.”
Caught off-guard by his sudden speech, I laughed. I patted his shoulder, showing a weak attempt at smiling. “Thanks, Roxas. I owe you one.” Grinning nervously, he stood and returned to the rest off the group. My tears began to slow to a stop.
I couldn’t believe it. The Hero of Time... was dead. What’s more... by my fault. My heart was broken, my soul was crushed. My poor, little Hikari... how could I ever tell her that her father was... dead? She would be heart-broken! What more could possible happen? What more could go wrong?



~ Chapter One: The Twilit Angels ~


“So... do you really think that Hyrule can be rebuilt?” Link looked over his shoulder at Zelda. The sun beat down on the back of our necks. My auburn tail swished impatiently, my ears flickering in all directions. Sweat rolled down the side of my face in large beads. It was a nearly normal summer day in Hyrule.
Link, Zelda and I all stood on a cliff overlooking Hyrule Field, watching the people of Castle Town cheer over the death of Ganondorf, the Evil King.
His reign of terror over Hyrule seemed almost like a fairy-tale, told long ago to scare little children. Ganon, who had been brought down nearly five hours ago, had taken control of the Twilight in order to take over Hyrule. In the end, it turned out to be his demise.
Death Mountain had nearly crumbled from the weight of the dark power, known as the Fused Shadow, which had taken over their patriarch, Darbus. The Zora’s Domain had been frozen solid, blocking all of the water supply for Hyrule’s inhabitants.
All of Hyrule had been under siege; every creature had been exiled from their own homes, forced to either serve him or die.
I shuddered at the thought. Link pulled me closer to him; the warmth of his body calmed me.
Zelda nodded, turning to him and me. “Yes. It certainly possible, now. It will take a while, of course. But... yes, I don’t see why not.” I noticed a small smile tug at the side of her mouth.
“Thanks to both of your heroic efforts, we have been rescued from Ganon’s grasp.” She laid a hand on my shoulder. I looked into her eyes. “Amari... my dear, younger sister...” she frowned slightly. “I am so sorry. I should have never put you through such danger. I was careless! I should have never-“ I put a finger to her lips, silencing her momentarily.
“It’s okay. You were only think of what was best for me. Had you not made Mother send me away to Ordon, I...” I hesitated, trying to find a nicer way to say it. “I probably would have been killed. I thank you, sister. No matter how swelled your head may get!” I winked playfully, giggling. Both Zelda and Link laughed.
Then, I noticed something out of the corner of my eye. It was Malon, sprinting at full-speed towards us. Once she got close enough, though, she continued to run until she collided with Zelda. Gasping out a laugh, she threw her arms around her waist. “I am so happy for you!” she squealed.
We all exchanged a questioning look, occasionally throwing a glance her way. Her smile faded as she realized that we were confused. Zelda broke the silence. “Malon, what are you talking about? What are you happy about?”
Malon frowned, placing her hands on her hips. “I mean, you’re going to be officially crowned queen tomorrow! What did you think I meant?” Instantly, I saw happiness flicker in Zelda’s eyes. She kept a straight face, hiding her almost-visible smile.
“I thought that I wasn’t supposed to be crowned until my birthday. Why so soon?” Malon’s coy frown shifted into a look of sympathy. I immediately felt a sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach. “W-well... the guards, they...” her voice broke off. Sighing, she tried again. “They found your father’s will. Turns out, it was his idea.”
I felt my heart skip a beat. I felt like I was falling, like the earth was collapsing all around me. My knees felt like jelly; they wobbled around uncontrollably. Sensing that I might fall over, I clutched at Link’s tunic; my sweaty palms began to slip from their firm grasp. Link understood what was happening and held me tighter, his warmth once again calming me.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Zelda tense and ball her hands into fists. I got the feeling that she was trying to hold back the painful memories. Her golden curls quivered slightly, moved by the small breeze. I inhaled deeply, allowing the sweet, honey-dew flavored air of Hyrule Field fill my lungs.
My poor father... he had been murdered by one of the Gerudo guards during Ganon’s mutiny. He was discovered by my dying mother, carrying me in her arms. Zelda, who had been two at the time, and I had been raised by Impa; Impa was our attendant and a descendant of the ancient Shiekah tribe. When my mother and father died, she sent me away to protect me from Ganon. Azuna, the second-in-command to Mayor Bo of Ordon, found me and took me in as her own.
The day that I found her, dead... I forced those memories out of my head. They were too painful to think of.
Zelda took in a deep breath, forcing her lips open. “I see. Very well. If that is, indeed, father’s wish...” She nodded. Malon’s smile instantly returned. “Okay, then! Let’s get you dressed up!”
She turned to me and Link. “Aren’t you guys coming?”
I looked at Link, not sure how to answer. He smiled his usual sweet smile and shook his head. “I’m sorry, Malon. We have other things to do. We’re really busy.”
Malon frowned at him, narrowing her eyes. “And just who is...” Her voice trailed off. A look of realization spread across her face as her eyes darted from me to him.
By this point, I was very confused. I glared at her, hoping to push out some sort of answer. The only answer that I received was another coy smile and a twinkling pair of eyes. “Oh. Okay, then. You two have fun!” she mused, pulling Zelda towards Hyrule Castle.
Zelda glanced nervously over her shoulder at me. I gave her a quick thumbs-up and motioned for her to follow. She sighed and turned to Malon. “So, what exactly what will I be wearing?” she asked. That was the last I heard before the two disappeared into the setting sun.
“So...” I started, looking up at Link. He glanced down at me. “What exactly are we ‘really busy’ for, hm?” He blushed, scratching the back of his neck. “W-well, I thought that, maybe, ummmm... we c-could, you know...” he stopped, staring into my eyes.
I knew exactly what he was asking. “You mean, like a... date?” I asked. He nodded slowly, blushing even redder now than before.
“Well, I can understand if... if you don’t want to.” He stuttered, seeming disappointed now.
I shushed him, placing my finger on his lips. “I heard that there will be an excellent sun set tonight. We can get a good view from that ridge in the Zora’s Domain. Okay?” He stared dreamily at me, nodding slower still.
I giggled, grinning. Placing his hand on my cheek, he took a step closer to me. “Amari.” Was all that he said, even though I knew that he had more to say. The next thing I knew, he held me in a tight embrace. I felt like I had just been embraced by an angel. His sweet scent filled my lungs as I inhaled, causing me to sigh as I exhaled. I gently nudged his chest with my head, refusing to hide my feline instincts. The moment I felt a purr coming on, I slowly pulled myself away. No way! I’m not going all out! Caught off-guard by my sudden movement, Link released me.
I felt ashamed, like he thought that I had rejected him. Hiding all negative emotions, I perked up and playfully backed away.
“Okay, so, Zora’s Domain, right? Be there by late afternoon. I’ll be waiting.” Grinning, I blew him a kiss and dashed towards Hyrule Castle. I heard a loving sigh come from behind me and I stopped dead in my tracks. Exaggerating more than needed, I cupped my hands around my mouth and shouted to him, “Link! I love you!” I waved, adding more playfulness to lighten him up. Once I saw his exhilarated smile, I turned back to Hyrule Castle, laughing to myself. I had never felt so in love in my life.