Chapter 6: Of Castles and Kokiris

     The corridor was damp and stunk really badly. But compared to his headache, Rin didn't seem to care. He sat on the floor of the cell across from Sing and Kurik, who were still asleep, and looked around to see if there was a way to escape. But unlike other grimey cells which he had the displeasure to stay in, this one was quite inescapable. The barred window was a good eight feet in the air, and the door looked to be made of solid iron, three inches thick. On the stone floor, hay was laid down for nominal comfort. Sing and Kurik had instinctivly huddled up in the hay together for warmth. Rin was the loner type and quite used to sleeping cold. He sat there and began to reflect on the earlier part of the day. He remembered himself, Kurik, and Sing being taken prisoner. But where were Trent and Spryte? And what happened to them?

     For all anyone really knew, both were dead. He couldn't help but to think of the events over and over. The battle......

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     The caravan proceeded quietly thru Jueland. For most of the trip, Spryte stayed tucked away in the wagon, enjoying the comfort there. The others took turns riding and sleeping, the group only stopped for supplies and to let the beasts rest.

     "I've noticed something.", Sing observed, "Trent, you and Rin look suprizingly similar." The two men looked at each other with a slight disinterest. Rin turned to Sing.

     "No we don't.", he said.

     "We do.", rebutted Trent, "We are both blonde, we both have chisled features, and both of us wear our hair back in a pony-tail. Yeah, I see it." Rin shrugged his shoulders. From out of the wagon, Spryte flew up to Trent and hovered just beside him.

     "So, have you thought of a name?", she asked. He turned his attention to her.

     "What? A name? No, I haven't."

     "Why not?", she whined.

     "I've...had more important things on my mind."

     "Well, ",she snooted, "I have. And if its a boy...I think I will name him Rintadi, like our friend here. Surprizingly, in my language that means "Brave One." And if its a girl her name will be Auratadi, that means "Lov...." Trent held a hand up to silence her. Two soldiers blocked the way.

     They seemed slightly hung over, and very much irratable.

     "If you want to pass, you must pay.", one said.

     "You must be joking.", retorted Kurik annoingly. The soldier walked up and jabbed a spear at the lad.

     "No we're not.", the soldier growled. Quick as lightning, Rin jumped off of his horse, snatched Trents dagger, and grabbed the man around the neck, ready to slit his throat.

     "Oh yeah?", he seethed. "Are you joking now? Do you call this a joke." Trent leaned down to Rin.

     "Rin," he whispered, "Don't do it." Rin looked back up to him.

     "Why?", Rin hissed, then looked to where Trent was pointing. A large group of armored men stood around the caravan, their weapons drawn.

     "Not again....", Sing sighed in boredom. Blood began to trickle from the knife at the soldier's neck. Rin knew that this would happen, He warned Trent, 'Beware of The Tigers'.

     "So," the pinned man asked, "Are you ready to do battle with 'The Tigers', kids?" Rin slashed his throat and lunged at two other opponents. In a flash, he stabbed both of them to the ground. Sing withdrew her swords and fended off the attack of another man. A fourth made a move for Spryte, but she burned his face to a crisp with blazing fairy magic, which eminated from her hands.

     Kurik held his own against another guy, dodging the jabs and swipes effectively. The man lunged forward and Kurik drove his sword into the man's chest, right down to the hilt. Trent decapitated a hard fighting combatant and cut deeply into yet another. The foe collapsed in death. As Rin turned to face the footsteps behind him, he narrowly avoided a skewering by a large broadsword. The soldier continued forward into Spryte. The sword cut deep across her body. As she doubled over, blood dripped copiously from her wound. A well jabbed dagger drove into her lung, puncturing it and filling it with blood. She collapsed to the ground in pain, the short knife still imbedded in her side. Trent ran over at his injured lover, lying motionless on the forest floor. He drove his sword into another enemy and dropped to his knees.

     "SPRYYYYTE!!", he screamed, only to be punched across the face. His world fuzzed over in a white, sparkling haze. And then it went black.

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     "Get up, DOGS!", a voice yelled. Rin sat back up and rubbed his arm, which had fallen asleep. Sing and Kurik awoke to the hard kicks of guards boots. As she rubbed her eyes, Sing blurrily saw a nobleman enter the room.

     He bent down and grabbed Kurik by the collar, bringing the young apprentice up to his eye level.

     "Filthy peasant.", he growled disappointingly, shoving Kurik across the cell. Kurik hit the wall and slumped down to the ground. The nobleman then turned to Sing and licked his lips, giving her a look of ultimate perversion. Sing shuddered nausiatingly.

     "You...", he seethed, his focus now on Rin , "You thought that you could stop me, The Great Kydil, Regent of Hyrule? How? By saving the life of that Dubatian idiot?!" Kydil stared at him the way one looks at a cold-blooded criminal who's been convicted of murder.

     "You're pathetic.", hissed the Regent. He turned away and walked out of the cell. A minion began to whisper to Kydil under his breath. As the door closed, the three travelers could hear Kydil barking orders.

     "WHAT, GONE?! I want that Dubatian kid DEAD! Find him and the fairy and KILL THEM, NOOOOOOW!!" The soldiers ran in every direction. He pointed back at the cell.

     "Clean up the girl and bring her to my quarters. Torture the others for information, then kill them. And after they're dead, burn 'em, I don't want the bodies found. It won't do for these people of 'Hyrule' to see the Regent's guards kill and bury people. They might get suspicious. Now get moving!" The assistant bowed in obedience, then re-entered the cell. His guards held back Rin and Kurik as more of them grabbed Sing and dragged her kicking and screaming out of the cell. A low chuckling could be heard from all soldiers involved.

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     The shadows moved. They darted left and right in the evening light, dancing through the forest branches. One could not tell what or who they were, they were moving too fast. Then from out behind the trees, people emerged. They carried bows and quivers of arrows, swords and shields, large quarter-staffs and small daggers. They looked rather odd in their all green uniforms, and their green hair added to the oneness of their being. A few males stepped out into the clearing where Spryte and Trent laid still as statues. One of the men bent down and sniffed Trent. He then leaned over and sniffed Spryte, trying to smell something other than blood. Standing up, he leaned his head back and let out a long, loud cry.

     "Koo-fi-can-twee!!!!", he yelled. His voice echoed thru the woods like a siren.

     From everywhere, green haired people appeared and flocked around the two wounded. For a minute or two, chattering buzzed around the crowd, each person enganged in deep contemplation. Then the howling one nodded and several males lifted Spryte and Trent up onto makeshift stretchers. The group proceeded down the path and out of the woods, together humming a very stoic, and very ancient tune.

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     A warm, wet sop softly dabbed Trent's forehead. Drops dribbled down his temples. He opened his eyes, only to be staring back into the yellow eyes of a woman around his age. She had straight, green hair which was shoulder length and curled under her pointed ears, a black headband sat tightly on her head. No bangs. She wore a white, button-up tunic and a green vest, with black embroidery similar to Trent's own clothes. A pair of green shorts fit snuggly around her waist and hips and were cut off right above the knees. She wore small, black boots. Large, hoop earings dangled from her ears and similar bracelets were worn on her wrists. She had green eyeshadow and yellow fingernail polish. Trent noticed too that she smelled of vanilla, then realized that she was burning some as incense. He tried to sit up, but she gently eased him back down and chattered something foreign. Her language was soft and smooth. Not musical like Sing's, but quiet......almost a mumbling. It had a trilling accent. Almost like a cross between Norweigian and Russian. It was familiar to his ears, but he couldn't figure out why.

     She crawled quietly over to Spryte and attended her wounds, which seemed much more severe. Spryte's breathing was raspy and uneven. Every so often she would wince. Her hands clenched into fists and she coughed terribly, her body writhing in pain. Once it was so bad that she vomited up blood and phlegm as well. It was a terrible sight, and Trent wanted to do something, but he was too dizy to sit up, much less help her. He surveyed all that he could, considering he was lying on his back. He was on a mat in a small, round hut with a floor covered in a fur rug of some sort. In the center of the hut, a fire burned low. The beams supporting the structure could be seen clearly, and it appeared to Trent to resemble a miniature circus tent with one flap in the front for a door. The walls were animal hide and several chests and boxes were seen spread out on the floor.

     The woman returned to Trent and cleared her throat. Then she spoke. Again, the foreign accent shone through.

     "My name...is Enali Saria Nadiri Yadin, Oldest daughter of Bantro Juked Pahai Yadin, and his wife Carisa Fanisi Gina Sakiv. I am the Wayori and Bosadin of the Fifth tribe of the Laurilasi-Kokiri."

     "Laurilasi-Kokiri?", Trent questioned, "Don't you mean the Soril-Kokiri?"

     "No, Laurilasi."

     "But what about the Soril?", he protested. Enali gave him an inquizative look.

     "What about the Soril? That tribe has been dead for thirty years."

     Trent's heart sank.

     "Uh, what's a 'Bosadin'?", asked the adventurer, wanting to get off of the topic.

     "The Bosadin is the Medicine Healer of a tribe.", she answered.

     "And a 'Wayori'?"

     "A Wayori is the leader of a tribe.", she remarked proudly, "I am a Wayori and Bosadin, and you are my guest. Now I must attend your wife." Her last statement struck Trent funny. Spryte wasn't his wife.

     "Will she live?", he muttered under her breath. Enali changed Spryte's wound pads.

     "Yes, they will.", she whispered back, setting one of the fairy's wings in a light, yet sturdy splint.

     "They? How do you know she's....."

     "I am a distant descendent of the great Saria Yakista Tamix Riamu, the Ocarinist.", she interrupted, "We're both telepathic in nature but, unlike her, I don't need a 'flute' to help me read minds. I can sense the child on my own."

     Enali stood up and helped Trent to stand. His balance was off for a moment, but then he was alright. His strength was returning to him. The two exited the hut and walked into the middle of the camping area.

     "Well, it is time to learn about the Laurilasi.", she said.

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     Struggling in total futility, Rin was strapped onto the torture table, facing the ceiling. Pukit, a large, leather clad man removed a red-hot iron bar from the coals and slowly brought it over to the captive. Gorin-Quemhop, the spindly, sharp-featured torture expert, jerked Rin's face to the side, laughing hysterically as the bar lowered ever closer to the hero's flesh. It made contact. The smell of burned flesh wafted thru the room as agonizing screaming, and maniacal laughter, echoed thru the dungeon.

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     "Orsimae, Orismae! Kanda goro tisa malo imke.", Enali called. All around, Trent could see people buisy at work, carrying things, doing things.
     'But why?', he thought, 'To what end?' As usual Enali read his thoughts and replied to his statement, but this time she answered in his mind.

     'We're wanderers who have been traveling for over thirty years. Once, we were a neighboring tribe to the Soril back in Calatia. Many years ago, the Soril sent news that they were under attack by the Tanol Raiders. So when we saw that we were about to be next, we made our escape, leaving Calatia to venture elswhere. Since then, we have been searching for a new home. Recently, our astronomers and astrologists have predicted that one will come along to lead us to our new homeland. He has been called "The Guide". Your timely appearance has, well, kinda made some of us excited about the prophecy coming true." Trent scratched his head.

     "Oh.", he mumbled. Enali just smiled and gave him a pat on the shoulder.

     "Let's go see how your wife is, eh?" Trent turned to her.

     "She's.....not, my wife. We're only...lovers.", he corrected. Enali's face harbored a quizzical look.

     "But the prophecy said that the Guide would be accompanied by his wife....I guess you're not him then, right?" Trent rolled his eyes.

     "No....please NO......" The two of them walked back over to the hut where Spryte was lying. Trent entered and approached his injured girl, sitting down to be closer to her. She laid there, her raspy, wheezing breath a sure sign of pain and discomfort. Enali dropped to one knee and placed a hand on Spryte's chest.

     "Good....gooooood.", she said quietly, "She heals well, her fairy lineage helps tremendously in that. And...the child is doing fine, I sense that from him." Trent's ears perked up.

     "Him? It's a boy?!", he whispered excitedly. Enali nodded in agreement.

     "Wow."

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     "Talk, Damn you!", Gorin-Quemhop screamed, still leaning over Rintadi. He had Pukit torturing this man for hours, and still the slime would say nothing. He didn't even look to be even the least bit worn for the experience. How was he so resiliant? It was impossible! Gorin walked over to where Kurik was laying. The lad had been tortured to unconsiousness hours ago and laid there silently. He took a tray off of a shelf and brought it over to the restrained Rin. He then picked a long, needle-like piece of metal with sharp barbs at the end, and leaned over Rin's left eye. A small, sadistic grin creeped over his face.

     "Now, let's see.", he hissed, "If I stick this behind your eyeball and twist, you should scream in quite an agonizing pain, yes?" Rin's heartbeat quickened. He was used to classic torture; whipping, stretching, that sort of thing. But minute torture was another story. Gorin lowered the pin down to Rin's eye.

     From nowhere, Rin fired a kind of magic from his hand, into Gorin's legs. Gorin bent over in pain. The scalpel pin thing in his hand sliced one of the bindings holding Rin's hand in place. He quickly broke his hands free of the binding and grabbed a scalpel off of the tray. Plunging it into Gorin's shoulder, he twisted it as it sunk in. Gorin dropped to the ground, clutching the imbeded tool. Rin leaned over and using the same sparkling magic, he burned away his other bindings and jumped off of the table. Gorin stumbled out the door and down the hallway. Rin ran up behind Pukit and slit his throat with a large knife. The beast fell over dead. Taking the opportunity, Rin freed Kurik and hoisted him over his shoulder. He kicked the door back open and exited the dungeon.

     "Guards, GUARDS!!", Gorim could be heard yelling thru the castle. Several guards tromped down the stairs and nearly ran into Rin. The adventurer unsheated his sword and proceeded to fight and kill every one of them. Not an easy task, considering he had a grown adult over his shoulder. As the last one fell down the stairs (minus an arm), Rin continued upwards and out the door, into the courtyard. There he saw a symbol exquizitly carved quite on the castle wall which he remembered seeing around Trent's neck. The Triforce. 'This must be North Castle, in Hyrule!', he thought. Seeing that few others had been alerted to his escape, Rin made his way over to the stable. He laid Kurik down in the corner and nudged him awake.

     "Hey, kid, wake up.", he whispered. Kurik awoke.

     "Uggggh.", he groaned.

     "I'm going to find Sing, you stay here okay?" The younger man nodded slowly. Rin set off back across the courtyard, into the main tower. Kydil HAD to be there.

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     "Yes, come closer.", Kydil moaned. He was lying back on a large, ornate bed wearing his formal attire. The room was dark, only an ignited fireplace gave it light. Across the room was Sing, wearing a red and purple skirt which had long tasles at the end. Over her chest was the skimpiest, strapless top she had ever worn. It matched the skirt, but she felt like it could pop off at a moment's notice. She hated it. It made her feel like a harlot.

     "What do you want?", she asked thru her teeth, she hated this guy more than the dress. He beckoned her near and she slowly walked over to him, but stopped just short of the bed.

     "It's alright, I won't hurt you. You can sit down here if you like.", he said smoothly, scooting down the bed to where she was. She sat down uneasily and tried at all costs not to take her eyes off of his. He gently took her by the wrist and guided her back to the pillows at the head of the bed.

     "So, what's a pretty girl like you doing with ragamuffin bastards like that?", he asked.

     "They are my friends and they will find me soon enough.", she anwered, her eyes and voice unwaivering. Kydil brushed his hand across her cheek, and chuckled as she winced in disgust.

     "Let's see them try.", he growled, "Now you are extremely beautiful for a Ta-Li-Sado girl, did you know that?"

     "How do you know of where I'm from, pig?", she demanded.

     "Oh, I've pillaged...VISITED, visited...yes, visited those places several times." These words made Sing see red.

     "Then visit this!", she yelled, pulling out a knife, which was hidden in her skirt. She lunged at Kydil, but he caught her wrist in mid-air. Pulling her arm down to the bed, he took the knife from her hand and tossed it to the ground. He then slammed her body down on the bed and held her there.

     "Very foolish of you.", he seethed, "Now you're going to pay the price for your disobedience." Sing brought her knee up and slammed him in the crotch. Reeling from the injury, he grabbed himself in pain and fell down beside her. She rolled off of the bed and made a grab for the knife, but couldn't reach it, for Kydil had caught her by the ankle. She tried futily to kick him, but he was pulling her back up onto the bed.

     "Come HERE!", he growled angrily as he yanked her closer and closer. Suddenly the door burst open and two combatants fell thru the door. One of them ended up on top and drove his sword into the other one's heart. Then the surviving man looked up.

     "RIN!", Sing shrieked, "Help me! Get him off of me!" Rintadi ran forward and, pouncing onto Kydil, began beating him with his fists. The king let the maiden go and attacked Rin in full fury. He picked him up off of the bed and threw him against the wall. Sing grabbed the dagger on the floor and shoved it deep into Kydil's leg. He screamed in pain. Taking advantage of the moment, Sing ran over to Rin and picked him up. The two made their way out, bearly escaping the magic bolts shot out from Kydil who, overcome with rage and the pain in his leg, fell flatly on his face just before the door.

     "Where is Kurik?", Sing asked as the two stumbled across the courtyard.

     "In the stable, unless he was found and killed.", Rin replied. It was a welcome surprize to see Kurik leaning against a large saddled beast. It was Sing's winged Unicorn, Shaa. There were two horses as well, saddled and laiden with supplies.

     "C'mon you guys! The guards are right behind you!", Kurik yelled nervously. Sing jumped onto Shaa and Rin helped the injured Kurik, then mounted his own horse. The three galloped out of the stable and right past the castle guard. From a distance, Kurik could see a soldier trying to lower the front gate.

     "Sing, up there!", he shouted, pointing at the man. Sing drew her bow and an arrow from the quiver on her unicorn and planted the arrow right between the guards eyes. He fell motionless to the ground. Blazing, (or flying in Shaa's case) out the front gate, they crossed the drawbridge and galloped away, never looking back.

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