Leere Dragmire walked through the construction sight of castle town. Whole buildings levelled and debris being moved away. She wasn't present in Hyrule for the recent invasion by threat whispered as Vul'kar. Her last day traveling through she had encountered an increasing presence of undead Stalfos and other monsters. They were attracted to darkness and death. And very landscapes had been torn apart. Seeing more and more destruction she only hoped her family was alive.
A guard stopped her from entering the castle. "I'm sorry. Due to recent circumstances no citizens are allowed into the castle until the bridge is fixed."
Leere raised an eyebrow and took out a locket, the Hylian Royal Family insignia on it. Just because she didn't happen to look like a princess didn't mean she wasn't one. "Princess Leere honey. Now if you don't mind, I'd like to enter my home."
The guard was confused, and on closer inspection, he wasn't Hylian. Had a darker tone and the smell of ocean. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize the royal family had another daughter. Still getting used to this. Please, follow me."
Leere nodded, grateful to see if her family was finally well. Three years was a little long.
"Zizi, you've already built nearly seventy temporary shelters today. Enough is enough, you need to go rest." Zarazu chided her younger sister gently as she held up some water. "You're exhausted. You only have so much magic to use each day and you're overexerting yourself. Several Zemljas and Kovinas are tired because of all of this. Just because you are my sister doesn't mean you have to do extra."
"Listen to her, Zi." Zolori was holding a basket full of fruits for Zizi to eat. "You've worked all day. You need a break."
"But... but some people don't have a shelter." Zizi huffed as she put her hands on her knees, sweat rolling down her forehead. "Where will they sleep?"
"It's called camping, one night under the stars won't kill them." Covarog assured his sister-in-law. "Besides, we'll have fires to keep everyone warm. Right now, they're handing out some food grown by the Zemljas for emergencies. We were able to salvage some of the fields, but not much."
"Yeah. Looked like everything was torched." Leere stepped into view. She had extremely beautiful pale skin with crimson eyes and dark flowing chocolate hair, while wearing common traveling gear. The second she laid eyes on her younger brother her composure had regained. She knew that he'd keep the rest of the family safe. "Good to see you Covarog."
"...! Leere!" Covarog internally felt a wave of relief. He never did see her among the captives when Vul'kar took so many hostages. He was hoping she was far away and safe. Hurrying to her side, he swept Leere up in a big hug. "Thank goodness you're safe!"
"...?" Zizi exchanged glances with her sisters.
"More or less obliterated by ancient monsters of the deep." Zolori wiped the soot off her hands by rubbing them together. "And you are..."
Leere hugged Covarog as he easily spun her small frame around like a ragdoll. Settling down she turned to the rather good looking blonde, arching an eyebrow after checking her out. "Leere Dragmire. Eldest daughter of Zelda and Ganondorf." She quickly winked to Covarog. "By two weeks against deer Rinku of course." She looked back at the three woman. "And might I know who you all are?"
"Oh..." Zarazu stood there, a bit confused. Covarog never mentioned another elder sister. Then again, there were extended family members and close friends that the Dragmires considered family. Maybe this term was just an endearment. "I am Queen Zarazu Slatki of the Lorleidians."
"Leere, this is my wife." Covarog gave Zarazu a small peck on a cheek. "We were married right before this disaster happened."
"These are my sisters, Zolori and Zizi." Zarazu smiled at Leere. "It is nice to meet you."
"We're just in the process of rebuilding." Zizi explained as she took a seat on a nearby rock, too tired to stand any longer. "It might take a while for Hyrule to return to normal."
"With the dragons' help, it shouldn't be too bad."
Leere processed all of that. She curiously studied them closely. From the look of mistrust in Zolori's eyes and her tight body stance, the dreadlocks in Zizi's hair and her carefree aura, to the tattoos on Zarazu.
She looked to Covarog a bit shocked. "You...you're married."
"Hitched, united, joined in holy matrimony, mated, take your pick."
"Zolori!" Zarazu blushed slightly at that last synonym.
"Just wait until you hear the story of how they met, that's one for the history books."
"Zizi, not you too!"
"What? It's a good story!"
"Actually, it is a good story, ironic too." Covarog chuckled. "What brings you back after three years?"
"You mean besides hearing that Hyrule went to hell? I was worried that Dad might have gone off the deep end or another apocalyptic evil may have hurt you guys. Sorry I was late."
"Apocalyptic? Yeah. Evil? Definitely. Defeated and out of this realm? Check." Zolori checked off her imaginary list. "All thanks to the efforts of my sister, her buff husband and everyone else."
"Princey-Pooh went down once but came back up." Zizi munched on her snack. "It takes a lot to keep him down."
"Zizi, we talked about the nicknames." Covarog sighed in exasperation.
"What? Kingy-Kun doesn't care."
"My father doesn't care about that kind of thing."
"Still. It's cute."
"Kingy-Kun???" Leere snorted. "I like that."
She looks at Zarazu again. The Queen was indeed a fine woman. Smiling she whispers to Covarog. "Popped your cherry huh? Was it everything you imagined?"
"Leere!" Covarog turned red all the way to the tips of his ears.
Zarazu blushed as well, trying to keep her composure.
"Just asking~"
She goes to Zarazu and shakes her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you Zarazu. I'm glad to have another sister."
"And one big scaly baby to boot." Zolori added.
"Yeah, Ba'puu won't leave Zarazu alone for long." Zizi took a sip of her water.
"It's always nice to have a big family." Zarazu returned the hand shake. "I'll have some others to introduce you to later, but first, maybe we should find you something to eat."
"Thank you. Because too tell you the truth I am famished." She looked to Zolori and Zizi, moving to politely shake their hands. "Nice to meet you two as well."
"Maybe you gained three more sisters." Zizi held up a piece of tangerine. "We don't have any meat at the moment, just fruits, veggies, and some bread. Hope that's okay."
"Pumpernickel or wheat?" Zolori offered a slice. "I think we got some sourdough somewhere."
"You can camp with Zizi and Zolori if you wish." Zarazu suggested. "Covarog and I will stay with Ba'puu."
"Can I say I love your outfits. Wonderful blend of elegant, free, and a dash of sexy~" She smiles at Zolori in particular. "You keep mentioning this Ba'Puu. He a brother of yours?"
"Glad you approve and if I liked the same team, you're easily a ten, but you might be better off approaching another lady." Zolori shook her head. "No, he's Zarazu's baby. Our nephew."
"An extremely clingy, sassiest of sassy, giant water baby." Covarog described Ba'puu with a roll of his eyes. "Refuses to be separated from my wife for too long."
"Now, now, Ba'puu isn't that bad. He was raised by a human, not a dragon so he's bound to be a little..." Zarazu stopped when Covarog gave her look. "... okay, he's a little attached to me at the hip."
Leere picked that up again. "Dragon? You have a baby dragon as a family member?"
"He's an adult now, I took him in as a baby." Zarazu clarified as she put a blanket on Covarog's shoulders. The night's chill was already blowing across the hills. "And growing all the time."
"More like she has an army of dragons." Covarog assured his sister. "Good dragons though. No human eaters. Actually have human riders."
"Huh...I'll go bunk with Zolori and Zizi as I'm guessing my room is probably rubble."
"Everything is rubble." Covarog sighed. "The castle, the town, even the port. It will take a lot of building and patience, but we'll get Hyrule back to its former glory."
"Zizi sleeps in a hammock, so I'll roll out a sheepskin for you." Zolori told Leere. "Unless you prefer a hammock."
"I'm fine with either. Slept in crypts before." She turns to Covarog. "I don't want to wake up being dragged out by you, Ral, or Orana into the crying arms of Kanisa or Tebby Bear."
"Better go say hi after you finish eating then." Covarog told her as he pulled his wife in closer for warmth while the two of them nibbled on food. "Make sure you don't scream if you see dragons anywhere. It will just annoy them."
"Like you screamed around the Redeads~"
"Heh, not much to be jealous of. We have more to the family for you to meet." Covarog was ready to rest for the day. After trying to clear a lot of rubble and talk to the people, he was all for some sleep. Of course, he and Zarazu had no privacy, so there would be no nocturnal fun. "Get some rest, Leere."
"Sure thing 'little' brother." She leans up on her tippy toes to give him as kiss on the cheek. Patrolling the castle she found the rest of her family relaxing with the latest grub. "Hey! How you doing!"
~
It took some explaining and a couple of laughs, but Leere was able to meet her new family members. Cass was proud to introduce little Ukuri, who was already a few months old. She was a happy baby, did not cry much unless she was wet or hungry. Ralnor seemed a bit lighter instead of the usual doom and gloom. Corsaire, the pirate captain, was less of a surprise to Leere. She always knew that Orana would seek out that pirate from the books she loved as a kid. What was surprising was how the two of them took on a kraken together and lived to tell the tale. After saying hello to Kanisa and Tebanam, it was time to sleep.
Leere dotted over little Ukuri. "Awwww. I'm your Aunt Leere. You ready for sleep? Need a sucker for the little sucker~"
"She's still on the breast, no sugar." Ralnor turned his sister away from the baby. "You can coo over her tomorrow. She has a sleep schedule and it cannot be interrupted."
"He's very strict about the sleep schedule." Cass told Leere with a brief chuckle. "No interruptions."
"Still picky over the tiniest things. Never change Ralnor."
Later that same night Leere was groaning in her sleep. She felt restless like this. Having gone to what was left of her room she was disheartened to find her favourite blanket torn in two, along with most of her possessions torn into pieces. Lucky she was able to grab fresh clothing of hers before going to bed for the morning.
Waking up she felt incredibly groggy. "Need. Caffeine...."
"Good thing I grow coffee beans." Zizi was hanging upside down outside of Leere's tent. There was a huge tree, full of swinging vines that Zizi and Skull Kid made a home in for the time being until the forest was healed. She made sure to situate it near her and Zolori just incase she needed. "Zolori can roast them for you."
"Thanks monkey girl..." Leere rubbed her eyes as she got up, putting a clean bra and shirt on. "Don't worry, I can get a kettle or something."
"Good luck finding one in the rubbish." Zizi held out a motar and pestle. "This works just as..." Her sentence trailed off when she noticed the dark magic markings on Leere's back. While Covarog's family still had hints of dark magic usage, it still unnerved her, especially since this one was dealing with necromancy. She recalled Klinge saying something about how he didn't like to be controlled. Maybe this was the person who did such a thing to him. "Well."
"Thanks, I'm pretty handy." She notices the way Zizi is looking at her. "What's up?"
"Nothing, just admiring the ink." Zizi wiggled her left leg, thinking fast. "Got some myself. Zolori is fixing some breakfast too, so help yourself."
Leere smiles to defuse the tension best she can. "Of course. Hope she good at cooking as she is good looking."
Leere gets up and heads out to have some food, waving nicely to Zolori. Too bad she wasn't gay. "Morning."
"She hasn't killed anyone with food poisoning yet, but has a tendency to burn things."
"I heard that!" Zolori yelled from the cooking site. "I like it burnt!"
"Normal people don't!"
"Says you!"
"Says everyone!"
"Oh, go kiss the pranking undead kid!"
"You go kiss Vul'kar's ass!"
"I'll burn your eggs!"
"I'll go find more!"
Zolori handed Leere a leaf, placing some eggs and bread on it.
"Coffee will be ready in a minute."
"Thank you, I'm sure it's fine." One bite into the burnt eggs and Leere's face scrunched up. She contorted a smile as she kept eating it. "V-very nice. Maybe a more rare in the future?"
"... sorry. I think it's a Vatra thing." Zolori switched the eggs out with some ones that were less burnt, taking the burnt ones for herself. "We like things burnt."
"So where's your flint?"
"Flint? Don't need it." Zolori held out her hand, and snapped her fingers. The fire appeared in her palm, swirling there. "Just like Zizi doesn't have a green thumb, she literally is the green thumb."
Leere's eyes glowed with the fire, memorized by the flame. "Elemental magic? Are all Lorliedians capable of magic?"
"Yeah, all of us are. Just appears at different ages." Zolori shrugged her shoulders as she munched on a piece of toast. When the coffee started boiling, she then took it off the flame. Pouring an amount into a clay fired cup, she offered it to Leere. "I was a teen when my flames appeared, Zizi was around seven when plants sprouted, and Zarazu was... three I think? Water first, icy talent came later." Taking a sip of the coffee herself, Zolori then counted on her fingers. "Water, fire, wind, earth, metal, lightning, and spirit. So that's Voda, Vatra, Vjetar, Zemlja, Kovina, Munja, and Dusa. Take your pick."
"That's amazing. So much life in your magic. So in tuned with the Earth." She takes the coffee and smiles. "This is damn good coffee."
"Glad you like the coffee." Zolori extungished the flames with a wave of her hand. "You think that's something, just wait until you meet an elder. Much more impressive stuff." Standing and stretching, she then said, "Might want to check with Covarog to see where you can help. I'm stuck with helping Kovinas salvage metal. If you need anything else as far as food goes, just check with Zizi. And watch out for Mask-For-Faces, he's gotten wind that you're back."
"Skull Kid? He's just mad I seduce everyone he likes~" After the coffee she sets her cup down. "Thanks. I'm going inspect the castle and later the countryside for damages."
"Well, more specifically casualties."
"Heh, let me know when you and Rinku save the date." Zolori sighed and then frowned. "We found most of the bodies, but feel free to knock yourself out and dig through rubble for any belongings."
"Yeah. I'm sure you were very precise." She walks to the castle and lays a hand out on the rubble. Concentrating she closes her eyes. The cold flesh buried underneath, alone and, for now, preserved by rock and wood and metal.
"I'll start digging. I want to talk to your sister sometime. Get a better feeling on her."
Zolori felt a chill travel up her spine. Dark magic, Lorleidians were super sensitive to it. The sole existence of the Lorleidian people was to balance the light with the dark. Still, even after all this time of combating it, the magic still gave her the creeps.
"Zizi? Or Zarazu?"
"The one who's married to my brother honey." She starts crawl around the rubble.
"Zarazu?" Zolori wondered what Leere's intentions were. "Anything you wanna ask that you think she might not answer?"
"That's for her, not you. No offence." Leere gets close to a buried body and starts digging.
"If you wanna know how much they fuck, that's easy, like... oh I don't know. Every day?" Zolori was trying to think of a number and found she couldn't, but it was in at least double digits. "Though you should know, Zarazu's a kind soul until you mess with someone she loves. That's all I can really say. Otherwise, feel free to question away."
"Good. Then you won't mind getting her for me."
Leere tore some wood beams away to discover a young girl. Just a poor little maid. Taking a deep breath she laid her fingers on the frame of the deceased's skull.
She saw the darkness over taking the sky, felt the fear that the young girl felt that turned into utter panic when she saw an Abyssian. It was such a contorted creature. She ran away as fast as she could, only to look up as the ceiling came down upon her.
Sighing Leere remained neutral, closing the girls eyes. "Be at peace...."
"Zarazu's helping get some fish right now for eating, but you can talk to her after that."
"Very well. Tell her I'll be waiting by the courtyard."
~
And that she did. For two full hours. "I bet Zolori didn't even tell her. Freaking blondes..."
"Zolori did tell me, though there is such a thing as having to cater to your people." Zarazu finally appeared in the demolished courtyard. She smelled like fish and had her hair pulled back from her face. After distributing the food to her people, she took the leftovers to the dragon mothers who were unable to hunt because of watching their hatchlings. "I apologize for taking so long. Is something amiss?"
"No. No. I just wanted to get to know you a little better is all. After all, you're married to the man who I had to read bed time stories to."
"Heh... well, I'm not occupied for the next couple of hours." Zarazu was exhausted and simply sat down on a free patch of grass. "I'm sorry I'm not more presentable."
"That's alright. You look fine to me. It wouldn't be inappropriate to ask for your tailor would it?" Leere sat beside her.
"We actually make our own clothes and patterns." Zarazu laughed softly. "Let me know which pattern you like and maybe when I get my hands on some materials, I'll show you how."
"Thank you. It has a much more elegant belly dancer look to it." Leere took a breath of the air. "Thank you for protecting the people of this land to the best of your ability. I regret heavily not being here."
"To be honest, I was at odds with Ganondorf at first but... sometimes, it takes two people to right the wrongs of the past." Zarazu had nothing to hide. "Slowly, but surely, this became a new home where we could grow and... surprisingly, I found love."
"Yeah. How did you meet my brother?"
"That's the ironic part actually..." Zarazu admitted sheepishly. "We tried to kill each other at first at his birthday party when I took back the artifacts Ganondorf took from my people. Then when he followed me to Lorleidi, we um... were better known with each other during a week or so. Got past the bias, and talked... then Vul'kar happened."
Leere snickered loudly at the party. "That's too funny. I'm sure it was a very romantic first impression. So Vul'kar. Big scary demon I'm guessing?"
"Abyssian." Zarazu was not sure how much she should elaborate. "Locked away wrongly for loving someone and creating the first mixture between light and dark; the Twili. Went insane, attacked the whole world for what happened to him. Wanted it to be swallowed in the darkness he knew."
"Good job on stopping him. How about a lighter mood." She grins from ear to ear. "You got to tell me, did you make the first move for nocturnal activity? I couldn't see Covarog being brace enough to move in on a woman of your caliber~"
Zarazu's face turned redder than a strawberry.
"... yes." She couldn't look Leere in the eye.
Leere tips Zarazu's chin to look at her. "Cute. Very cute~ Can see easily why he fell for you." Tickling her chin Leere leaned back with a chuckle. "So I guess you and Covarog will be the new sovereigns in a few years? Maybe a couple kids?"
"I... suppose." Zarazu really was not sure how ascending the throne worked in Hyrule. "When Ganondorf and Zelda are ready to retire, we'll take over of course, but... as far as children, we're waiting for Hyrule to be stable again. It wouldn't be fair to a child to neglect it over the needs of a kingdom. I know Zelda has her ways, and has spoken of nannies, but in Lorleidian culture, the mother cares for the babies unless she's unable."
"Very noble. Must be a little hard though, what with Cass taking the lead."
"No, I'm happy for Cass and Ralnor." Zarazu smiled. "Covarog is delighted for his brother. He swears Ralnor smiles more often now, and there's actually a light in his eyes. I'm in no rush. Besides, I have Covarog to focus on right now. A baby will come later."
Leere nods in happiness. "Wise for such a young woman."
"You raise two sisters and a baby dragon, you learn some things.”
"I bet. So as Queen of the Magic Islanders, got anything cool?"
"...? Anything cool?"
Leere shrugs. "You know. Relics, magic, other worldly powers?"
"Oh! Well... I'm a Leden Voda." Zarazu held out her hand, touching Leere's coffee cup. The liquid instantly turned to ice before returning to a normal liquid. It sloshed around a bit before resuming a calm state in the cup. "I can control water and ice. Most Vodas only control water and can move ice, but cannot form it."
Leere takes a sip. "Your iced coffee is something to be desired. Anything else? How'd you get your tattoos?"
"This is a tattoo of a whirlpool that I had done myself." Zarazu pointed to her stomach. "The ones on my arms are from the Seven Siblings, the spirits who granted us these abilities. Each tribe has their own type of tattoo to honor the spirit from which has blessed them."
"May I feel them?"
"Of course." Zarazu held out her arm. "Don't be alarmed if they glow. It's normal."
"Better then my tattoo." Leere felt them, surprised by how smooth her skin was. "Very moisturized. I like that. I can tell you'll be naturally young for years to come."
"Thanks. If you want a tattoo later, I'll hook you up with Kolkov. Looks like a brute, but is the best one we have at tattooing." Zarazu offered. "Lorleidians usually live long lives anyhow. Current age to beat is 131."
"Impressive. I'm sorry you lost your home, but I'm glad your culture survived. Your sisters told me that your magic covers all the elements of the Earth. I respect the light in that type of magic you have."
"Lorleidians exist to keep the balance. That's what I've always been told." Zarazu then asked. "I'm glad that you returned home safely. I know that when a family member is away from others, it makes them worry about you."
"Indeed. My work and quest for knowledge keeps me far from home. They also bring me hope when I need it the most."
"Now you're making me feel like an old sage." Zarazu knew that wisdom came with age but she supposed her experiences resulted in her gaining some earlier than normal. "
"You're not old yet. Take it from me." Leere looked around her surroundings. "How do your people deal with life and death?"
"Life and death? We do belief in the afterlife and death is just another part of the journey, if that's what you're asking." Zarazu clarified. "We have the God of Life and Goddess of Death, stories going back as old as Hylia and Demise."
"Interesting. What are their names?"
"Heh... ironically enough, Ba'puu and Zarazu. My father had a... twisted sense of humor."
Leere held her hand gently. "I understand. My birth father named me after emptiness. I'm not actually Hylian."
"I could kinda tell that from the skin and the hair... and the eyes." Zarazu remarked with a slight chuckle. "Not Hylian, not Gerudo... maybe... this legendary Garai tribe that Tebanam insists exists?"
"Did some tracking down, but part of a people called the Mortuus. Very vague though on who they are, except the name. Don’t think it matters though." Leere took a deep inner breath. If she was family now, she'd need to know.
"How do you see dark magic, especially around death?"
"Dark magic is, was, the sole purpose of why my people were created." Zarazu regretted to look on Leere's face. "Lorleidians are here to keep balance. Our job is to eradicate dark magic, especially if it is a threat to others. Since joining the Dragmire family, I've gotten used to seeing other sides of dark magic, but... some of my people..." She sighed. "Since Vul'kar and his blackness, they're more on guard than ever. I understand that some dark magic can be used for good, it's just... when you see it being used for evil so much, it's difficult to accept. I hope you understand that I'm trying my best not to be biased."
Leere nodded understandably. Was going to be harder then she thought. She stood up and looked down at her. "How much do you know of necromancy?"
"I haven't had much experience with necromancy." Zarazu was honest. "Most of Vul'kar's magic was just... brute power. Mind tricks, nightmares, controlling against the will, even necrosis."
"Do you know what necromancy is?"
"The use of the dead... to..." Zarazu thought about how to word it. "Carry out said person's wishes?"
"Very textbook. Necromancy allows you to control flesh, blood, muscle and bone once the soul has passed. It lets you connect with wandering souls on a spiritual level. Construct and summon creatures, sometimes demons of the dead and darkness. And if you are willing to sacrifice, bring back those that have long since been gone."
"And I'm assuming that bringing someone back is a big risk?"
"If you aren't willing to sacrifice other lives that is."
"A life for a life... it makes sense."
"It's a cost I'd never take..."
"I don't think I could either if I had that sort of magic." Zarazu thought of all the people she lost in the battle with Vul'kar and old Pojiji. "There are many people I miss... some I didn't even know that I wanted to. Though the only comfort I have is that one day, I'll see them again. No pain, no tears... just joy."
"I hope I get that chance, if my soul isn't dammed." Leere held her heart. "Zarazu. I'm a necromancer. Hyrule's strongest, and most knowledgeable. Even able to perform taboo blood magic."
"... in my culture, a soul isn't damned unless they’re willing to turn to evil." Zarazu thought about her words before she spoke. "So unless you're planning on raising an undead army to conquer the known world... in my book, I think you have a fair chance."
"I could do that. Even have the knowledge to transfer souls. It's about a willingness to do so. You aren't...weary of me are you?"
"I'm not weary, just cautious of your power." Zarazu admitted. "I've dealt with a lot of dark magic before concerning Vul'kar and his lackeys. I've seen what dark magic can do."
"Of course. Wise Zarazu. I can do much, but my specialty it summons. Used to place zombified heads around to scare my siblings. Would you like a quick demonstration?"
"I think I'm good with the demonstration of zombie heads." Zarazu quickly dismissed that idea with a weak chuckle. "I could deal without a scare."
"It's not too bad. I could range from a few Dead Hands, or less scary spooky skeleton warrior. Also have a pet Wall Master I nicknamed Lefty." Leere gave a warm inviting smile. “Just to show its not entirely bad.”
"Let's just do whatever is less... scary."
"Skeletons it is!" Leere took a few steps back and grinned. Raising a hand she effortlessly summoned a few skeletons. Their bones cackled as they rose from the earth, but were clear white. With additional effort she got them to dance. "Does the fair Queen like her show?"
Zarazu jolted, unable to help her reaction. Experiencing Vul'kar was one thing, but this was a whole new area of dark magic. Try as she might, the queen was still unable to be completely at ease. While the dancing was... impressive, for lack of better word, Zarazu knew she would feel much better once the skeletons were back in the ground.
"I think---"
Before she could deliver an answer, Ba'puu made his presence known. He was never too far from his mistress. Zarazu told him she would be by the lake for a visit after a meeting with another member of Covarog's family. However, it looked like she was in trouble with dark magic. He could sense it. He could sense her unease. Vul'kar came close to killing his mistress. Never again would he allow someone to hurt her. As long as he was alive, the water dragon was going to ensure his beloved human lived to see old age and be happy with all her years. With a roar, his mighty fore paw slammed the woman into the ground.
Leere felt bad for Zarazu, could sense her discomfort. The poor thing must have been through a lot. She was about to release her grip on the two jolly skeletons when her body was slammed down from behind by an unknown force and her small frame was easily knocked out as her head cracked against the ground, bleeding her forehead from the impact. The skeletons crumbled away back into the earth as her mind momentarily slipped away.
"BA'PUU!!!" Zarazu shouted at his sudden attack, standing over the exposed portion of Leere's pinned form. "NO! No, no!"
"It's dark magic! Undead magic!" Ba'puu roared. "I won't let it hurt you!"
"She's not an enemy, good spirits, let her up!"
"What do you mean she's not an enemy?! I saw the skeletons! She was going to attack you!"
"No she wasn't, it was just a demonstration!"
"What?!"
"She's the other sister that Covarog was telling me about!"
"That's not Orana or Kanisa."
"She's adopted! Let her up!"
"... are you sure? I could crush her right now."
"NO! No crushing, let her up!"
Leere's magic started to stir her awake in an unconscious state, a protective safeguard against sudden trauma. A few dead hands rose from the ground, albino white with patches of blood and unnatural finger tips, and they clawed and nudged him to let go, others trying to get a grip and pull him off. Luckily they only scratched at his scaly and well protected arm. Leere groaned heavily in a concussed haze. The hands kept slowly rising, their only will to protect their injured master.
"... fine... but one wrong move, and she's a pile of ash."
Ba'puu reluctantly lifted his paw and easily crushed the hands, still too paranoid about the latest events.
"Leere! Oh my spirits, I'm so sorry!" Zarazu helped Leere roll over and looked at the bleeding gash on her forehead. Taking the sash from her waist, the queen used it to press against the cut. It was all she had here and was not sure if her healing magic would help since it was light magic. It was better to be safe to avoid an adverse reaction. "Are you okay?! Do you have any broken bones?! Can you understand me?!"
Leere looked around as her vision was blurry. Her hand lowered the Dead Hands to retreat back into the Earth, at least for now. "What...the fuck...happened....Was I…stepped on???"
My dragon happened." Zarazu shot Ba'puu a look.
"I was protecting you, I'm not going to apologize." Ba'puu chuffed, still standing with his tail flicking back and forth angrily. "What the hell is that woman?"
"If I knew you practiced dark magic I could have told him but I didn't know---damn it, I'm so sorry about this."
Having met a Hylian Dragon once she learned about the telepathy of Dragons and their kin. This particular one had an annoying arrogance in his voice. "You...asshat. Go fly into a hornets nest. What kind of child attacks a woman from be-" Leere lurched up and threw up some bile. She needed immediate medical attention. Magic preferably. "Fountain....take me to the fountain south of the castle, under the cave."
"Too big for a hornet's nest, dumbass." Ba'puu snorted. "I do whatever is necessary to protect my mistress."
"I can heal but it's light magic?" Zarazu then heard Leere's instructions. "A fountain? I can summon water here!"
"Or I can dunk her in the lake."
"Ba'puu, hush."
"Fuck you fatass. I can see you eat too much to be small." Leere put her arm around Zarazu for support. "It's a healing spring. Hidden. I think you'll like it."
"... never mind the lake, I'll just take her to the deepest depth of the ocean."
"Ba'puu! You're not helping!" Zarazu apologized for her dragon. "I'm sorry, he's usually not like this at all, he's just spooked by the dark magic."
“I’ll take your word about him with a grain of salt for now.” Leere groaned as they made their way. "Should have adopted a Dinosaur. So much cooler."
