The Legend of Zelda: Prince of the Sea

Chapter Twenty-Four: Warning

The sense of unease and dread was growing within the wolf daily. With every step he took he could almost physically feel the gnawing apprehension building deep within his heart.

Almost.

Being a spirit, such feelings waned in and out of his consciousness yet they never fully dissipated from his awareness. It seemed that the further the troupe travelled into the heartland of Noruidia, and therefore further from Hyrule, the less Link walked at Zelda's side. He wished to, he truly did, but he felt compelled to remain closer to his physical body that lay hidden within the wagon. As a spirit he vaguely understood why this was. He was a spiritual beast under the guidance and protection of the Goddess Hylia and the Master Sword was crafted by Her Grace, therefore he was naturally drawn to the blade. Now, however, Link could feel his connection with Hyrule fading and his spiritual essence felt like it was being stretched thinner and thinner. The Master Sword was acting as a sort of anchor: his connection to the mortal plane.

Faris didn't seem to mind, though, having the wolf sit beside him that is. Of course, this was supplemented with the fact that the knight knew who the wolf truly was. Link had an inkling that if the knight could, Faris would certainly have reached over to pet the wolf's head every so often to try and communicate with him, but he didn't. The large one-handed knight had remained rather quiet for the majority of the trip, but notably when the wolf came to sit by him did the knight begin to hum softly. Perhaps this was his little way of connecting to his younger comrade and former student or Faris' attempt of trying to comfort him in a small way.

Link actually did appreciate the soft humming. The tunes stirred up memories of Hyrulean folk songs and melodies he had known since childhood. The songs and the memories helped ground him to focus on the matters at hand. His superior beastial hearing picked up every piece of idle chatter and comments made by members of the group. The twins' snickering amongst themselves, Simin's recounting of Noruidian lore and facts, and the ongoing conversation between Zelda and Prince Vahlymor. As fleeting and indiscernible Link's wolven emotions might be, there was a constant flame that burned within his chest. He recognized the emotion and was choosing to ignore it to the best of his abilities. Even so, every so often especially if he heard Zelda laugh, Link could not stop his ears from flattening with irritation.

Jealousy is a relentless beast in its own right, and even spiritual wolves chosen by the goddess are not immune to its anxious gnawing at his heart.

Sighing audibly, the wolf's ears flicked over to Sir Faris when the knight glanced over at his direction. The bald man's large and blond moustache twitched from his smirk, but that was all the knight offered. Link's eyes remained fixed on the road ahead, namely upon Arion's rump and his mistress seated upon his back. Zelda had been speaking constantly with Vahlymor and Simin as they travelled, inquiring about the many aspects of their land including the names of landmarks, flora and fauna, and folklore. Balin remained as quiet as ever, as was Ashei and Arvid, who rode on Zelda's left side. The twins kept to themselves, but would chirp into the conversation periodically. Then, of course, there were the three Sheikah siblings, who rode in the back of the wagon behind Faris and Link. Currently it seemed that the younger sister, Malia, was asleep, meaning that her elder sister Adla and twin brother Falk were on duty. From their seated positions upon the wagon, they listened to their surroundings the same as Link. Their Sheikah senses were also extended beyond to alert them of anything that might be lurking in the shadows.

Namely, Dark Link.

Link had not sensed, smelt, or seen the dark entity since he last fought with him following the avalanche. He knew that the bastard was still alive and still in pursuit of Zelda, but it was clear that the fiend had been keeping his distance. The wolf completely doubted that Dark Link had abandoned his query in acquiring Zelda for himself or his mission of permanently defeating Link. However, Dark Link's extended absence gave evidence to Link's theory that the bastard actually did wish for Zelda to be within in Noruidia. This notion was cause for great worry within the wolf. Given the increasingly limited feeling he felt within himself and his growing reliance to remain near his physical body, Link was also beginning to doubt how effective of a protector he could be for Zelda if Dark Link were to attack them now. Link would never hesitate to protect Zelda against whatever or whomever tried to threaten or endanger her, but there was only so much he could do outside of Hyrule's embrace. He feared that if he expended himself too much, then he would be useless against the threats to yet to come.