CHAPTER 7 - Through the Portal

  Link stared up at the blood dripping down the tower wall, leaving a crimson stain. He stared also at Kyrissam, the Gerudo leader, waving his bloody blade in the air. Link clutched the hilt of his dagger, fury sweeping through him in a violent wave. He felt a hand rest lightly on his shoulder and spun around.

"Faylore!" Link exclaimed. "There you are! Are you okay?" "Yeah. I hid when they came." Faylore replied. "Poonta and me, we were trapped, but Poonta drove them away. I ran outside and hid in Goldmoon's stall."

"Smart move." Link said. "If anyone attacked you Goldmoon would have kicked them to death."

"It's amazing how easily you forget the situation, when Faylore is around."

Sora commented dryly.

"Yeah&ldots;we should do something." Poonta said.

"But what?" Faylore asked.

"How 'bout something like that?" Sora said, pointing.

Everyone turned to look in the direction she was pointing. Despite the fact that Kyrissam had killed Link's father, Rhiannon and a group of castle guards were slowly but surely driving off the remaining Gerudos. "That could work."

Sora raised her staff and grinned insanely at Link. He knew she was just trying to cover up how nervous she was and he didn't blame her. He lifted his dagger and charged into the fight, followed by Poonta and Sora. Sora yelled something and Link figured it was a Sheikah thing. Together, although they were a small band, they fought the Gerudos off. Kyrissam, screaming bloody murder, raced out of the tower and rode away, with Mylintha and Yzane at his side. The rest of the Gerudos that were still alive fled.

"We did it." Sora panted.

"Yeah we did." Poonta agreed.

"Did what though?" Link asked. "Sure we drove them off for now. But what if they come back?"

"Good point." Sora said.

Link glanced at the field around him. The ground was covered with dead and injured soldiers. The grass was red with blood. The drawbridge hung halfway in the water, the chain snapped clear through. Horses wandered around, freed from the stables somehow. Cara, still holding Isannah, was surveying the damage. Rhiannon sat atop her horse in the middle of a crowd of guards, all congratulating her.

"Hey Link&ldots;does this make you king?" Sora asked.

"I don't know." Link admitted. "I'd have to ask Cara. But I sure hope not."

Sora sighed and wandered off to catch Stalker, who frolicking merrily, and a little to close to the mares. Poonta found a clear spot beneath a tree and sat, muttering to herself. Link walked over to Cara, followed closely behind by Faylore, and took Isannah from her. "Tragic." Cara murmured. "This is a sad day for Hyrule."

"No kidding." Link sighed. "So what happens now?"

"Your coronation." Cara told him.

"But I'm just a kid!" Link protested. "How can I rule Hyrule? I know nothing about being king."

"Maybe you need to grow up a bit more." Cara agreed. "How you do that is your choice."

"Sheikahs." Link sighed. "So mysteriously annoying."

Sora walked up to them, leading Stalker. She looked smaller than ever, her face dirt smudged, her hair a tangled mess. Link leaned up against Stalker and yawned. He had a terrible headache from all of this. He was too tired and shocked to even grieve.

"What about, um, ya know?" Sora asked.

"My parents? I don't know." Link replied. "Everything is happening too fast."

"Maybe we should all get some rest." Faylore suggested.

Link nodded wearily. Sora walked off to take care of the horses, but Link stumbled into the castle. Everything was unfamiliar; the halls he had known since he was a child seemed dismal and strange. He barely made it to his room before collapsing.

Link lay on his bed, wide-awake for a long time. He thought about everything that had happened in the past week. A week was all, maybe a bit more and now his parents were dead. His Grandfather was also dead and soon Link had to take over as king. Finally, when Link could think no longer, he cried himself to sleep.

Link was woken a few hours later by something shaking him. He opened his eyes and saw Sora; she was a lot less bedraggled than she had once been. Her purple eyes seemed to glow in the dark, illuminating the whole room, but it was just the lantern she held in her hand. Sora headed for the door and motioned for him to follow. Link stood and followed her out the door and down the hall.

"Where are we going?" Link asked.

"Somewhere." Sora answered. "Keep your voice down!"

Sora led him to the stables. Goldmoon, Stalker and two other horses were saddled up. Link grinned and ruffled Sora's hair. Sora swatted his hand away.

"Cara said for you to learn." Sora said. "So you're going to learn."

"And you're gonna teach me?" Link laughed.

"Oh shut up and let's go."

Link mounted Goldmoon, surprised that he could get up without having to use a rock anymore. He rode beside Faylore and held her hand, listening to Poonta and Sora talking to each other. Faylore grinned and swung their hands between them. Link leaned over and kissed her cheek.

"Man, not with the mushy stuff!" Sora whined. Everyone laughed.

They rode for hours, watching the sun as it rose. Sora sung some songs and Poonta told a few jokes. The morning air was warm and the dew clung to the horses' manes, making it sparkle. Hyrule Field was calm and peaceful, not cluttered with people like the now rising towns.

"Let's race!" Sora suggested.

Everyone agreed. Even Faylore, who looked really scared. Sora gave her an encouraging pat on the back. They lined their horses up as best they could, and started down the path at a full gallop, with Sora in the lead. The wind stung Sora's cheeks and whipped her hair around; she constantly had to push it out of her eyes.

Sora noticed something a head of them. She squinted at it, but her hair and the fierce wind blocked her vision. She tried to slow Stalker, but he wouldn't listen to her. Sora called a warning to her friends. Then she saw what was up ahead. It was a huge, swirling portal like thing, blue and black, green and yellow, purple, orange and so on.

Sora yanked on Stalker's reins and screamed at him to stop, but she could see he was going to go right through the thing. She could jump off, but she wasn't going to lose her horse. Sora clung to Stalker's back as he leapt through. Then she was falling; falling and screaming.

Sora woke. Her headache, her whole body hurt. She sat up, surprised to see her friends sitting there too. The fall itself had been awful. In the time it had taken her to reach the ground, she could have counted the stars in the sky. Under her fingers there was a soft patch of moss, though it didn't seem like enough to cushion her fall. All around, the trees were strange. The flowers were oddly colored and Sora could hear a strange melody playing.

"Where are we?" Sora asked, her voice hoarse.

"I wish I knew." Link said softly.

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