Chapter 4: The Lovers and the Lost Ones

The next three days of travel were hell. Rain poured, wind blew, and it was cold, cold, cold. The group tried to stay dry but to little or no effect. About the only one who was able to keep dry and cozy was Spryte. She was safely tucked inside Trent's shirt pocket beneath his jacket where she slept through most of the dreariness. But there were times when she would rather have been the size of us. She could help in carrying supplies and things, aid in hunting food, and contribute to conversation. But she was a fairy and fairies always stayed small. Or did they?

After traveling all night, they finally arrived in Moldera around sunrise. Sing had known that it was Moldera by the flags that waved in the air. Every thousand paces or so, Molderans placed four pink and purple flags in a row, marking the border between them and Brynnel. Guards paced back and forth between the flags. This morning the group of travelers had been fortunate, there were no guards to stop them. Yet that made Sing uneasy. There were always guards there, what had happened to them? Her unicorn, Shaa, shook its head nervously. She patted the beast's neck to quiet it.

The rain had cleared and there was a peacefulness about the woods. No birds were chirping, no trees were rustling. It was as if the entire forest was holding its breath in terror. Finally, Spryte broke the silence.

"This is wierd. Why aren't the birds singing?", she asked. Trent didn't take his eyes off of the trees ahead of him.

"I don't know.", he mumbled. Quietly, he placed his right hand down to his sword hilt, ready to draw at a moments notice. He was ready for anything, and 'anything' happened. Just in front of Windrunner, a Moblin lept out from behind the bushes, brandishing a spear. A second later, eight other Moblins joined him and surrounded the team. The lead Moblin walked up to Trent and eyed the bags which hung off of the adventurers saddle.

"Ha! Time to pay up, boy!", it sneered. Its voice was suprizingly high and scratchy for a a blue, red-eyed, bulldog which wore spiked leather armor. Its lower canines stuck out rather far and its claws were as razor sharp as the spear it was holding. It smelled of unwashed socks and its eyes told of ideas so dispicable, that they shall not be mentioned here. The very idea of being robbed by one of these things made Sing's stomach churn, and so she kick the nearest two in the face. Their mouths filled with blood and broken teeth. She then jumped off of her unicorn and brandished her swords, ready to chop the grotesque canines into dog chow. Trent dismounted Windrunner and unsheathed his sword. Grabbing his shield for protection, he lunged at the Moblins, skewering one through the chest. The beast dropped to the ground dead. Sing engaged two Moblins in combat, ducking, dodging, and blocking them move for move. With a swift spin of her swords, she beheaded one of the creatures and cut off the left arm of another.

Spryte knew that Moblins loved to kidnapp fairies and sell them for a handsome price. Flying out of Trent's pocket, she made her way into the hollow of a tree and kept herself hidden. Oh how she hated to watch a battle without being able to help her friends. 'Thats it," she thought, 'I'm tired of being useless. If we make it through this, I'm doing something about my size.'

With a swift kick to the chest, Trent slammed a Moblin into a tree, where he drove his sword through its head. In one ear and out the other. Turning to help Sing, he found another of the vile things charging at him, ready to kill. Suddenly it stopped charging. An arrow had shot halfway out its throat, followed by blood which began drooling from its nose and mouth. It instinctively squirmed and grabbed at the protruding arrow, then dropped to the ground dead. Trent looked up to where the arrow had taken flight and saw the man in the blue garb dashing thru the tree branches like a squirrel. 'This is the second time he's saved my life', Trent puzzled, 'Why?'

The other two Moblins turned and ran in fear. Not letting the chance slip from her fingers, Sing pulled out her bow and armed it with two arrows. With the greatest of ease, she pulled back on the draw string and let them fly. Both arrows sailed straight at the Moblins and struck them point blank. The first arrow sliced through the chest of one creature. It fell dead. The other Moblin took it in the head as it sailed smoothly through, exiting out the animal's right eye. No chance.

Sing gathered herself together and replaced her swords. Slowly they eased into their hilts on her back. Trent wiped his sword on the grass and followed Sing's idea.

"Good fighting!", he complimented, "Where did you learn to do that?"

"Back in my home land of Kai-Peo. We are the best fighters in the world.", she replied smugly.

"No doubt. Maybe you can teach me a thing or two about your combat."

"That's partly why I am here.", she said, "There is much for me to teach you, and I will teach it all in good time." Trent latched his shield onto his saddle and looked around. Something was missing. And that something was Spryte.

"Where's Spryte?", he asked, patting his pocket., "Spryte! Spryte, where are you?"

"Over here.", a small, chirpy voice called. Trent turned around and peered into the woods.

"Spryte?!", he exclaimed in a whisper, "Is that you?"

From out behind a tree, a beautiful, bearfoot young woman of Trent's height appeared. She had short brown hair, a pink blouse and skirt, and large dragonfly wings. For Trent, the very shock of seeing what he saw confused him. 'It can't be you', he thought, 'It just can't.' But as hard as he tried, he couldn't convince himself otherwise. It was Spryte.

"Hi.", she said, a slight hint of nervousness in her high voice. Slowly she walked up to him, her eyes and wings sparkling in the tree-filtered sunlight. Trent's heart raced. He began to sweat. Many times he dreamed about this, but never did he imagine that it would actually happen. As she stood merely a breath away, he touched her face with his fingertips, parting her thick bangs to more easily see her beautiful, pouting eyes.

"Oh my.... Hello?", he whispered at a loss for words, "Wow. Is...is it true?"

"Yes it is.", she answered. She was nervous enough to faint, and her stare towards the ground showed it, "Do you like it. I mean...me?"

"Oh, God yes. I love it.", he stuttered. She looked back up at him, her large, brown eyes gazing back into his. "YOU...I mean you. I love y......yes, I do." He couldn't believe what he was seeing. He wanted to do so much more than touch her. And he sensed in her mind that she wanted the same. But now was not the time nor the place. He wrapped his arms around her and gave her a warm, embracing bear hug instead. She hugged him back and moaned softly as her body pressed up against his. For years, she wanted to feel this, as did he. And now....

"I'm just so frustrated at not being able to help you.", she quietly said, still hugging him tightly, "Or enjoy the things you enjoy. So I broke my people's code and...well..."

"I'm glad", he replied, warmly. Several minutes passed, they didn't want to let go. The trees rustled in the warm wind of the morning. Birds chirped gaily as the sun streamed down through the leaves, bathing the two in its warm glow. As the embrace ended, he took her hand into his and kissed her palm. The 'palm kiss' was a Fairy custom which was more passionate than a kiss on the cheek, but not so as one on the lips. Growing up with Spryte, Trent learned far more about Fairy customs than just about any other Hylian.

Sing impatiently mounted Shaa and turned to face the two life-long companions.

"We had better get going. Lust, or love, at the wrong time is wasteful.", she observed, "And besides, we still must find the next item on your list." Trent nodded and helped Spryte up onto Windrunner, then jumped on himself. At a single command, the two beasts broke into a gallop and headed thru the woods, their riders anxious to continue the quest.

***

After several hours of riding, they cleared the woods and approached a path which headed in three directions. A sign next to the road indicated that one direction lead to Hukip Villiage, another traveled to the town of Citho, and the third made its way through Yari City, and to the capital of Moldera, Vendace. Trent turned to Sing for advice.

"Which way?", he asked.

"We go to Vendace.", she answered, "I was told to take you to Vendace."

"Who told you that?"

"The man who brought you to me. Now we must go, the sun sets soon." The three turned in the direction of Yari City and began trotting down the trail. On their way, they passed both familiar and foreign sights. People on horses, people on foot. Sometimes a mighty caravan would pass but most of the people they met were poor farmers and merchants. At one point they saw a woman peddling goods, some of which caught Trent's eye. The team stopped and Trent dismounted Windrunner to see what the old one had to offer. (He always liked items which were rare or considered by him to be of possible use someday.) He bent down to examine some of what she had and he liked what he saw. There were jewels, trinkets, statues, rugs and other odds and ends. After much probing and questioning, Trent finally decided on a beautifully carved dagger. It seemed to have an exquisite gem set in its handle, but the old woman couldn't tell him where the dagger was made. He bought the dagger and thanked the woman. He then mounted Windrunner and the group proceeded to Vendace.

After a short stop in Yari City, where Trent and Sing watered their beasts, they arrived in Vendace Capital. It was a magnificent city built atop a large hill whose mote ran one hundred feet across and fifty feet deep. Outlining the city was a seventy foot high wall of protection, obviously intended to keep enemies out. As they crossed the bridge into the isolated realm, they saw the most amazing thing in their lives. It appeared as if every house and inn were joined together with the castle to form one giant super-structure; with the exception of small, closed in gardens, there was no isolationism at all.

The three passed through layer after layer of connected buildings. Like a giant rose, the city and its streets spiraled upwards toward the center castle, which sat at the top of the hill. Every walkway was covered to protect from the elements. Only shafts of light filtered thru to the streets. The people were dressed rather colorfully, thought the predominant colors of choice were Finally they stopped by a shop, a tailors shop, where Spryte could have a decent set of clothes tailored. Trent had mentioned the idea and offered to pay the full price. Stepping in, they saw a forrest of beautiful garments of golds and reds and purples and blues..just about any color you could imagine was there. Behind the counter was an old man. His face was wrinkled and worn, and his eyes shone through his small spectacles like two black marbles. His nose was large and hung down like an elephants trunk. The puckered mouth and absence of lips and teeth added to the aged look. He sat mending a skirt and quietly humming a tune, all the while mumbling unintelligently. His gnarled, fat hands moved like lightning, deliberate and quick. Trent walked up and cleared his throat, indicating their prescence.

"Oh, hello..", the old man said smiling, "What can I do ya for?"

"I'd like a few dresses...if you don't mind, and some shoes too.", Spryte piped up. The old man stood up and waddled over to her. He gazed at her and mumbled to himself, possibly wondering how he was going to fit her.

"Well, what do you want in a dress?", he asked, shrugging his shoulders, "I can make anything you want, you name it. Just short of an armor suit of course." Spryte smiled and walked over to a few dresses hanging by the door. She rifled through a few and grabbed one out of the rack.

"I like this one!," she exclaimed joyfully, "Can you make me this?"

"Sure. I can make you that dress.", he answered, "Uh...but what do you want for it? Do you want frills, embroidery, red or blue colors?" Spryte thought for a moment.

"I want a green dress with a nice collar, short sleeves, and a big red bow in back!", she chattered, "And lace around the ends of the sleeves, just like this one. And some nice small shoes too. And I want a blue one of those and a yellow one." The old man walked over to her and took a few quick measurements, still mumbling. He jotted some notes down onto a piece of paper and walked back behind the counter.

"I'll have it to you by tomorrow afternoon.", he chimed. They said their thank you's and left for an inn to eat and sleep at. Traveling just a few yards away, literally, they found a cozy inn and hitched up the horses. Entering, Sing rented a few rooms for them and they carried their bags upstairs. The inn here was quieter than the one in Ubilista, the three of them were the only ones there besides the lone owner of the place. Dinner was exotic but pleasant, and Trent and Sing talked of what was in store tomorrow. Spryte sat and stared at everything as she scarffed down her food with her hands, for she had not yet learned to eat with utensils. She peered at everything intently. Her's was the wonder of a small child, but in reverse. Spryte had never seen everything so small and took absolute delight in just looking at it. Trent and Sing continually had to explain to the ever inquisitive owner that Spryte was a newly 'big' fairy.

***

After dinner, Trent returned to his room, where he undressed down to his boxer shorts, slipped on a bathrobe for modesty, and leaned back on his bed contemplating his journey. It had been just two weeks and already he had fought several battles, met many new people, and seen a friend 'grow up'. This was not what he had planned or expected at all. What the hell was next? His door opened and Spryte entered the room in a green, satin bathrobe, motioning for Trent not to speak as she closed and locked it behind her. She flew over and laid down next to him where, feeling rather affectionate and vulnerable, she scooted in close and gave him a friendly hug.

"Hi there!", he greeted.

"Hi."

"Nice nightgown, where did you get it?"

"Sing let me have it, cause I don't have any clothes that fit yet.", she responded. He nodded in understanding.

"So what's up?", he joyfully asked, turning to face her.

"I feel lonely.", she said softly, "Can you just hold me?"

"Oh...", he whispered, "Okay." Slowly, he warmly took her into his arms, and hugged her tightly. For several minutes, they laid there in embrace.

All his life, Trent had but one friend, Spryte. She was there when he was a baby, entertaining him in his cradle with her magical antics. As a child he and Spryte would play for hours and hours up in the forrests and mountains. She taught him much about her people, and his. And she taught him how to treat a lady and how to be a gentleman. She was there for him in good times and in bad. She was always around to brighten up any cold or rainy day. Whenever he was lonely, she was there. When he was scared or sad, she was there. Often as a child, he would come home stiff-lipped and beaten by the other children because he was a Hylian, and not a Dubatian. Every time, she was there to console him. Over time a fondness for her developed which grew into true love. And now, after nineteen years of life, that was the only thing he counted on. For Spryte, it was Trent's love which she needed most of all. As a young girl, she ran away from home. She befriended Trent's father, Link, and at one time adored him. But he had his eyes set on the fair princess Zelda, and that crushed Spryte's heart more than words could ever say. When Zelda and Link were attacked, she hid among Trent's baby blankets, and stayed there as he was taken out of the castle to safety in Dubatio. But there were no fairies in Dubatio and her only connection with home was Trent. As she watched him grow up, she grew to love him, and hoped that he was partial to her too. Now here they were, lying in each others arms, their dreams had come true.

He smiled and ran his fingertips through her hair affectionately. Feeling quite secure in his presence, she laid her head against his chest and listened to the sound of his breathing and heartbeat. Soft and rythmic, it gave her a feeling of safety and warmth.

"Do you want to know something, Spryte?", he asked, deciding that now was the time to get up the guts to finally say what he felt. She looked up into his eyes.

"I love you more than life itself.", he said.

Slowly, she brought her lips to his and kissed him. It was her way of saying, 'I love you too.' Without hesitation, he kissed her back. Long and hard. It was incredible. It was beautiful. As the kiss lingered, their minds opened up to each other. Before they knew it, they were telepathically linked. And all either of them sensed was love. Pure, passionate love. They kissed over and over. He began to run his shaking hands down her back, lightly touching her wings as they fluttered in pleasurable sensation. As she sat up, she guided his hands around and down over her cleavage to her hips. Slowly, she undid the tie around her waist, letting the green robe fall open. For the first time in his life, Trent saw Spryte in all her natural beauty. His eyes feasted on every bare curve of her lovely body. No longer was she an 18 year old fairy girl, but a woman who wanted the love of a man. He brought her back down to him and they rolled over, with him ending up on top. She slid the plaid boxers off of his body. Looking down, she realized that he was ready to make total love to her. She licked her lips in sensual excitement as her eyes said to his, 'Do it...Take me!'....

    He did.

***

Several hours later, the two were quietly lying on the bed together. The only thing either of them were wearing were their extremely wrinkled bathrobes.

"Do you want to sleep here tonight?", he asked, somewhat joking. She responded by hugging him tighter and moaning softly. He pulled up the covers over them both and they snuggled down. Blowing out the single flickering candle, he began to softly stroke her wings, lulling her to sleep. He quickly dozed off as well, thouroughly exhausted from their shared "first experience".

***

Waking up the next morning, Trent tried to get up, but couldn't. Thinking about the romance of the night before, he remembered that there was a fairy sleeping on top of him. He was intruigued by the way that she embraced him like a giant teddy bear, but a knock on the door broke his concentration. As slowly as he could, he eased her off of him and climbed out of bed. The door knocked again. Slipping on his boxer shorts and tying his bathrobe, he stumbled over to the other side of the room. Another knock. "I'm coming, dammit!", he whispered angrily. He finished tying his robe and opened the door. Standing on the other side of the doorway was Sing, dressed and ready for the day.

"I assume that you will walk over to Spryte's room and inform her when you are ready?", Sing asked. Trent nodded quickly.

"Very well.", she answered, "Then I will be downstairs if my assistance is required." She turned and walked down to the stairway as Trent closed the door. Trotting briskly over to the counter, she ordered breakfast, hoping that the other two would soon join her.

Trent walked over to his suitcase and threw on his usual clothes. Then he creeped to the bed and sat down next to his sleeping fairy, where he brushed her bangs out of her closed eyes. A long sigh was the sign that she had awoken and she laid there blinking slowly.

"Hi, baby.", he said soothingly, running his fingers thru her hair. She continued to look straight ahead.

"There's probably breakfast downstairs, are you hungry?"

"Yeah", the bare-chested girl mumbled, sitting up. She stretched her arms and yawned deeply, her wings fluttering. She then leaned over and gave him a long 'good morning' kiss. He kissed her back and they hugged.

"I love you so much Spryte.", he cooed quietly. She hugged him tighter.

"Oh Trent, I love you too."

Standing up, he walked over to the door and opened it.

"You get dressed and I'll see you down there for breakfast. Alright?" She nodded in agreement.

***

Spryte joined Trent and Sing for breakfast and the three decided that they would go pick up Spryte's new wardrobe, then they would try to locate the legendary Vendacian Tunic and Belt, which was considered lost forever. Sing had told Trent about it along the journey to the city, and Trent thought that if he could find it, it would be rightfully his.

Around an hour later, they headed over to the small tailory where Spryte had ordered her dresses. Stepping inside, they found more than they expected. The two dresses were there, just as she asked, but there was also a riding uniform, a nightgown, a bathrobe, slippers, shoes, undergarments and a large fur coat. Above the clothing was a tag with the name "SPRYTE" on it. She immediatly ran over to the clothing and began ruffling thru it, enjoying each piece of clothing more than the last.

From out of the back room, the old man appeared.

"Oh,", he said,"I see you have found the clothes I made you." Spryte turned to him with a gleam of childish joy in her eyes.

"Yes and they're wonderful!", she gasped, "But, why did you make all of this for me?"

"Well, I was going thru my back room there and I found all of these clothes that could only fit a woman like you. So I decided to let bring them out and see if you wanted them. Hell, no one else would buy them, they're not in fashion here."

Trent walked up to the old man and took out his pouch of gold coins.

"How much do I owe you?", he asked.

"Five coins should be enough.", the elder replied. Trent handed the man the money and Sing took the clothes out to the horses where they were shoved into one of her bags. Spryte said her thank-you's and gave the old man a kiss on the cheek.

As the three travelers were heading out of the room, the old man called back, "A young man of your age told me to tell you something. Go through the moat wall and look for the items under the castle." Trent looked back at the man.

"Who told you this?", he asked, sure of the answer.

"He called himself Rintadi. I don't know who he was.", the man shrugged.

Later on that day, the three arrived just outside Vendace Castle. It was a massive structure which stood at the pinnacle of the city. Trent dismounted off of his horse and walked over to the elevated moat surrounding the fortress. Suprizingly, there were no guards to be found. Looking across the moat, he saw that some of the building stones seemed to be discolored. A ledge surrounded the inner wall of the moat, so someone could 'in theory' stand there and examine the stones. Trent turned to Sing and Spryte.

"I'm...uh...", he stammered, "Going to see what those stones are doing there."

"Me too.", Sing called back.

"Wait for me.", chirped Spryte. The two women joined him and they all climbed up to the top of the moat wall. Once there, Spryte carried the other two over to the other side where Trent began tugging on the large faded stones. To his suprize, they slowly began to give way. After much work, he successfully removed the largest stone and peered into the hole left over. The air was musty and stank. He walked silently into the opening and found himself in an underground room. The girls followed just behind him, making sure not to stray more than a few feet away. Spryte cast a small glowing spell on herself to light the way and she began to glow like a firefly. As he ventured deeper into the cave-like passageways connecting the first room with others, Trent saw dead bodies lying in holes in the wall. On them were weapons and gifts of jewlrey. 'A catacomb!' he thought to himself. From deeper within the caves, he saw a large burial cofin. The three walked over to it and stared down. Sing read the words on the lid of the sarcauphagus.

"Tel-Ifa the Great.", she read, turning to Trent, "Who's Tel-Ifa the Great?"

"Tel-Ifa was a mighty warrior of the Molderans. His coffin was burried long ago and forgotten. But legends say that his sword and shield were made by the great blacksmiths of Hyrule and his belt was from Regilop hide."

"Isn't Regilop a magical animal which can't be killed?", Spryte asked.

"Yes, but it does die of old age. And at that time, only the best tailors in the world can turn its skin into a belt of leather.", Trent answered, "The belt gives the owner double the resiliance to injury. A painful blow hurts only half as much."

"So do you wish to open the coffin?", Sing asked. Trent unlatched the rusted locks and opened the lid to the coffin. When the dust cleared he looked inside and found a dead carcas staring back at him. Trent's eyes widened. For on its chest were the belt, sword, AND shield. Trent removed his old belt and strapped on this one. A healing power ran through his body He dropped his old sword and shield and hoisted the ones of Tel-Ifa. They were half as heavy, but Trent could tell that they were over five times as strong as his old weapons, and twice as big. He loved them. Looking down at where he had picked up the tools, he saw a piece of parchment. Picking it up he read: DUCK and then RUN! Trent ducked just in time for an arrow to whizz over his head and stick into the wall. The rooms began to shake.

"This area is collapsing!", he boomed, "We have to get outta here!" The three ran for the entrance. Traps were sprung and walls fell, but the three made it outside. They jumped the moat and ran back into the villiage were they stopped at a water fountain to rest. Panting heavily, Trent turned over the parchment and began to read the script printed there.

'I know that you all make it out. Good. Now that your buisiness is done here, go to Benlucca. You will meet me there. And one more thing.
BEWARE OF THE TIGERS!!!!!'

This was getting creepy. Who was this Rintadi guy, sending Trent on this obstacle course? And why did he know that everyone was involved in that cave in? Trent crumpled the paper and threw it on the ground.

"Okay, time to move on to Benlucca.", he ordered. The girls turned to him.

"Wha...wha...what?", Spryte gasped. She hadn't gotten her breath back. Trent sheathed his new sword in his belt.

"Just trust me baby, okay?", he asked. Sing stood up.

"Fine.", she said, "But first we must go get our horses." The three walked back over to the moat and mounted their horses. After getting supplies and other things, they let the city of Vendace and made their way to a port where they boarded a ship, bound for Benlucca.

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