Hyrule-Bound Ch. 6 - A Dark Omen Brewing
“Come on, Sean. You’re gonna get left behind! We’re gonna get nice beds at the stable without yooouuuuu.” The bright-eyed blonde teen ran ahead of his parents and younger brother.
The small boy dragged his feet as he walked behind his parents. “I’m tired of walking! How come we couldn’t just ask Miss Paya to use the Sheikah Slate?”
“Because, Sean, we aren’t going to waste the Slate’s power on something so dumb.” The short, brown-haired man in front of Sean shook his head, before hissing in pain when the woman beside him whacked her hand against his arm.
“One: The Sheikah Slate has unlimited power, Seamus. Two: It’s not dumb at all, this trip actually could have warranted us going to Impa. But I decided we’d take the trip ourselves. We’re almost to a stable, we’ll get some horses to help us along. We still have about a week till the ceremony.” The woman’s white hair curled around her head like a halo, as she stepped back to pick up Sean. “Come on, honey, it’s not much farther.”
“Oh come on, don’t spoil the boy, Ahava. He can walk just fine.” Seamus scoffs, giving his wife an exasperated look.
“He’s 6 years old, Seamus. And just for that, you get to walk while we use the horses.” She gives him a smug smile, flipping her hair as she walks ahead beside her elder son.
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“Why hello, there! How are you all doin’? Ahava, it’s so good to see you!” Bright, emerald green eyes sparkled at the new arrivals. Ahava smiled, going to embrace the tall Gerudo woman.
“Hey there, Miss Chief. You’re just bout ready to pop aren’t you? Got any names picked out yet?” Ahava presses her ear to the woman’s swollen stomach.
“Oh, that’s a wonderful name, Jamie.” Ahava leans to pick up Sean, and waves her other son over. “Link turned 10 last week, so we brought him here for the ceremony.” She runs her hand through his hair, ruffling it.
“Oh, I see. Hello, Link, you’ve grown quite a bit since I last saw you. And as have you, Sean!!” Jamie takes Sean from Ahava’s arms, bouncing him in the air, earning an excited giggle from the small child. “Well, come on. Got about an hour, we can get Seamus his room all set up at the Bazaar.”
“You know, I don’t really understand why I have to go to that damn Bazaar, but my boys can go in town.” Seamus huffs.
“Well, only voes under 18 years of age may enter Gerudo Town. And that attitude of yours is precisely why we don’t let adult voes into Town.” Jamie smiles sweetly, a knowing grin on her face.
Seamus blows a raspberry at her, shrugging. “Fair enough. Lead the way, Miss Chief.”
“MAMA!!! LOOK! I DID IT!!”
“Come on, Sean! Let’s have a sword fight!”
“It’s a boy?! But I thought…”
“I know...It’s...a little worrying, given all the legends. But...I don’t care about all that. He’s still my son, that isn’t going to change. No matter what happens.”
“Do you have a name for him?”
“Lucasari. It’s a very old Gerudo name. Legend has it, it was the name of the last Gerudo male, the one who fought in the First Calamity.”
“It’s a wonderful name, Jamie.”
“Queen Hilda! Welcome! It’s been a while since you’ve come here to Kakariko.”
“Hello, Impa. Is my daughter here? I know she likes to come here when she runs off.”
“No, I’m sorry. She isn’t around here. She might be in Gerudo Town with Jamie?”
“I see. Thank you, anyways, Miss Impa.”
“No problem, Queen Hilda…….You two can come out now.”
“Of course, Zelda. But Sean, you have to keep an eye on her. She needs to get back to Hyrule Castle by tonight so her mother doesn’t become suspicious.”
“Yes, Miss Paya. Come on, Zelds!!”
“ARE YOU KIDDING ME, SEAN?! We’ve been looking all over for the Princess and it turns out that YOU are the one who’s been helping her sneak out?!”
“WELL MAYBE IF YOU WEREN’T SUCH A SHITTY KNIGHT YOU WOULD HAVE FIGURED IT OUT BY NOW! AREN’T YOU SUPPOSED TO KEEP AN EYE ON HER AT ALL TIMES?! ISN’T THAT WHAT IT MEANS TO BE THE PRINCESS’S CHOSEN KNIGHT?!”
“L...l...Link? Ar...are you….Help...h..HELP!!”
“We...w...we were arguing...And….a...and...we fell off the edge of the walkway.”
“What the hell could you two have been arguing about, Sean?”
“I...I’m the one w….wh...who’s been helping Zzzzz….”
“I’ve been….helping Zelda sneak out...Q...Queen Hilda.”
“Yes, Sean. I’ve always known. That’s why I’ve never been very inclined to go after her when she runs off. Because I knew she’d be fine with you, you wouldn’t let her get hurt.”
“It’s not your fault, Sean.”
“HE’S THE DAMN REASON OUR SON IS GONE, AHAVA!!”
“HE IS OUR SON TOO! IT WAS AN ACCIDENT, SEAMUS!”
“Do you see the way everyone looks at us? With that damn pity in their eyes?”
“Because our child just died, Seamus. What the fuck do you expect from people who have a sense of fucking empathy?”
“They are looking at us like we are WEAK!”
“THEY ARE LOOKING AT US LIKE WE JUST LOST A FUCKING CHILD!”
“Hey there. Name’s Sani. You looking for a job?”
“Uh...yeah. A waitress perhaps?”
“Oh. Oh….uh...yeah sure. Name?”
“Well, Shauna. How soon can you work?”
“Oh, well then...th-that’s great! We’re pretty short-staffed right now, so that’d be wonderful. I’ll see how you work tonight, and if you do well, we’ll see about getting you a proper position here.”
“Your name isn’t really Shauna, is it?”
“I don’t really care. You can call me Sean if you like.”
“Eh. I’ll probably just stick to the nicknames. Are you all alone out here?”
“Pretty much. I can’t go back home, and I’m almost 18, there’s no point in going to Gerudo Town.”
“You realize they’d probably still let you in, right? Especially if you went there dressed like how you were in the tavern. They wouldn’t think twice.”
“They know me. They’d know it’s me.”
“I’m guessing you’re well-known then? How often have you been there?”
“My mom was best friends with Lady Jameela. I’ve known her son since he was born.”
“I see…Well, chickadee. You can stay here as long as you like. If you don’t have anywhere else to go, you’re welcome here at any time.”
“Thh...thank you...Sani.”
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It’s cold. Why is it so cold? Did I kick my blanket off?
Bleary eyes blinked up at the wooden ceiling, as Sean attempted to feel around him for the blanket Gloam usually covered him with at night. Sure enough, the blanket was just to the side of him, haphazardly splayed across the floorboards. He sits up, rubbing his eyes.
“You alright, Sean?” Gloam’s deep voice whispered from a few feet away. Sean looked up to see the elder man watching him from a spot against the wall.
“Yeah...I’m fine. Weird dreams s’all…”
“Not really. Bad parts, yeah. But not super bad.”
“Wanna head outside for a bit? Be better than staying in all cooped up.”
“Yeah.” Sean stood up, careful not to disturb Tear and Ravio who were curled up together a few feet to his right. Gloam stood up as well, wrapping his arm over Sean’s shoulders as they left the house as quietly as possible.
“So...your brother was a chosen hero?”
“Yep. Can you guess his name?”
“Hmmmmmmmmmm… Was iiiitttt...Link by chance?” Gloam shoots a knowing smile at Sean.
“Oh how did you guess?!” He gasps dramatically, pressing his hands against his cheeks. They both laugh. “He was trained to be Zelda’s knight for about...9 years? I was 15 when he died, so...yeah.”
“And then Lucas pulled the sword afterwards? When he was 10?”
“Yep. Honestly, Link kinda sucked at being a knight. He had a really bad temper, didn’t get along with any of the royal court. Bad mouth, no filter. He was a serious dickhead, honestly. I feel like becoming a chosen hero...made his ego too big. Don’t get me wrong, he took his job seriously when it came to Zelda, he was just bad at it. 10 years old is too young for that kind of responsibility.”
“Yeah...tell me about it….You feeling alright now?”
“Yeah...I’m alright. Just kinda...sucks, you know?”
Sean sighs, before leaning his head against Gloam’s arm. Gloam responds by pulling Sean into closer to him, allowing the two of them to fall into a comfortable position together, Sean’s head resting against Gloam’s chest.
“I miss him...He was an asshole...but he was my brother.”
“I know, Sean...I know.” Gloam runs his fingers through Sean’s hair. “Your hair’s startin’ to grow out.”
“I might let it this time. Plus...I don’t like getting my hair cut by anyone who isn’t Miss Paya.”
Gloam chuckles. “Yeah, then it’ll have to wait unless we can magically end up back in your Hyrule.”
Sean snorts, relaxing in Gloam’s grip. “Yeah...guess so…”
This is your fault, Sean. You pushed me off.
Link? No...no you know that’s not what happened.
Were you jealous? Was that it?
Of course I was jealous of you. But I’d never do that, you’re my brother.
What...what’s going on? Why is it so dark? Gloam? Zelda? Lucas?! Anybody?!?!
You know, Sean… There were other ways to get what you wanted. You didn’t have throw your own brother off the bridge.
Hey, asshole, I fell off of it too. I lost Link and I can’t speak properly because of all of this. You’re just trying to mess with my head, so fuck you! I know what happened.
Oh really? There was no resentment? No anger? There’s no way you can tell me you didn’t dislike your brother at least a little bit...enough to want to hurt him?
No. He was a dick, but I could never kill him.
I think we both know that’s a lie.
Who the hell even are you?!
EvERerrrytthinGG huRRTtss
Ihateyouihateyouihateyouihateyou
YoU UUUUuuuuu DidddDDD ThIS
All Sean could see were two burning red lights in front of him, as a mass of black tar bubbled and spit at his feet. Two hands shot out of the tar, pressing against the ground, as a rolling mass crawled out of the pitch-black substance. “You’re the reason for this, Sean. You’re the reason he’s gone.”
“I know I’m the reason...But it doesn’t matter. I didn’t mean for it to happen, and that’s all I can do…” Sean’s breathing quickened, his voice cracking as tears spilled over his cheeks. The creature crawled towards him, gaining more and more of a humanoid shape. Every once in a while, it seemed to stop, its whole body spasming. It’d change form, from a person, to a wolf and then to simply an amorphous blob.
“Pathetic. Pathetic. Patheticpatheticpathetic.” The creature screeches, lunging towards Sean. The tar-like substance splatters over Sean’s body, pinning him to the ground of whatever void he was currently stuck in. “You’re just a waste...a burden. It’s your fault, your fault! You can’t help your friends! You’ll just end up hurting them too! You don’t want to hurt them, do you? You can’t protect them, so all you’ll end up doing is dragging them down.”
“No, I won’t. I won’t!” Sean tries to claw at the creature, choked sobs fighting their way out of his mouth. “I can help. I know I can. Gloam tells me all the time.”
“He just pities you. You know you’re just a burden to him.”
“IF I WERE JUST A BURDEN HE’D TELL ME!”
“Funny that you actually believe that. Now shut up, and die.”
The black tar falls out of the creature’s mouth, covering Sean’s face and finding its way into his own mouth, choking him. His vision was quickly fading, as he continued to try and fight his way out of the creature’s grip.
Sean woke up, gasping for air and coughing. Gloam’s voice kept calling to him, as he felt hands steady his body as he rolled to the side, and threw up in the grass. Heavy sobs jolted through him, as Gloam’s arms wrapped around him, pulling him back to sit.
“It’s not my fault, it’s not. It’s not….I didn’t mean for it to happen. I didn’t. I didn’t!”
“Shhh, Sean. I know. It’s not your fault, don’t ever think it was your fault.”
Sean continued to cry, tear-filled eyes staring up at the bright moonlight. “It’s not my fault…” He whispered, hanging tightly onto Gloam’s arms, curling into a ball.
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“His brother’s Dark? How could that be possible, Shadow?” Four whispered to purple-haired man.
“How else would it work? His brother was held the Spirit of the Hero. Anyone bound to a goddess, or with the Spirit of the Hero, will gain a Dark Image. His brother’s Dark was always malformed, we think it was because of Link’s heart. He wasn’t exactly a prime example of heroism. He was kind of a dick, honestly.” Shadow crosses his arms, sighing. “This Dark has latched onto Sean. Which is weird, because his brother’s Dark should have either disappeared or gone rogue without their Light around, and since it didn’t have a chance to meet its Reflection. I think those two have something to do with it.”
“Them? You mean...Mali and Vanity?”
“Yeah. I don’t know what they’re planning…. I’m not exactly welcome in the Dark World, as I’m sure you know.”
“Right...What should we do?”
“Keep an eye on Sean. Having those two on his tail for whatever reason won’t be good for him. He’s fragile enough because of what happened to his brother, having Mali on him especially will just fuck him up worse. I think Gloam has him handled for now, but… We just have to keep an eye on him till we can figure out what’s going on.”
“Okay…” Four nods, before pressing his hand against his forehead.
“You alright?” Shadow is immediately at his side, pressing a hand to Four’s cheek.
“Yeah, I’m fine...Just tired. Have you gotten anything that might help Vio’s situation?” Four presses his head against Shadow’s shoulder, taking in a shaky breath. Shadow wraps his arms around him, swaying gently with his cheek pressed against the top of Four’s head.
“I’ve learned a couple things, so it’s a start. When you initially beat your Dark, and I was released from the Four Sword as a result, something happened that managed to cause a piece of your Dark to become stuck in your body. And it’s slowly corrupting each part of you. It started with Vio for whatever reason… That’s all I’ve got so far...But it’s something.”
“Weren’t you close with your Vio….back then…”
“Yeah, I was...Maybe I set the precedent…”
Four pulled back a bit, fiddling with the edge of Shadow’s collar. “We’ll figure it out…I promise…”
“I know we will. Blue’d never let me live it down if I didn’t.” He chuckles, earning a laugh from Four as well. He presses a kiss to Four’s temple, before pulling him into another hug.
“Blech. Love is so gross.”
“Oh, hush, Vanity. They’re rather cute together.”
“Seriously, Mali? Good fucking Fayra, you’re so weird to think that that mushy shit is cute.”
“Watch your language, Vanity. You know I don’t appreciate foul mouths.”
“Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Did the baby hero’s Shadow find the kid?”
“Yes, they did. It’s going to be a little troublesome with the Chained Hero around, but luckily we have the little tyrant and the three heirs, so that should make it a little easier.”
“Hmm...How long until we have to go get her?”
“Still a little while. We have to wait for her to finish her assignment….and find the Guardian’s Sword. We can’t retrieve her until she finds it.”
“Oooohhh, Mommy is going to be so happy to see how everything is coming along… The next thing on our list...will be the newest hero...What was the name he was given?”
“Lucasari! Ooohhh like the old hero. In that Calamity thing. I see. Funny. Both holding the Spirit of the Hero, yet being blood incarnations of our wonderful King.”
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OOOOHHH BOI CHAPTER 6 PEOPLES. Also @dill-musette ........you know exactly why I’m tagging you :)
We got some good bois saying hi in this chapter. Actually they are very bad bois but eh.
Mali and Vanity’s designs will be in another post right after this one, that way y’all can get a little info on them.
We also got some FourxShadow in this chapter, as well as GloamxSean moments, which I’m pretty happy about and I know @bitchyfoxbread will be happy about as well.
We will be continuing like this for the next few chapters, as I built up some basic backstory to certain characters, then we will be going back to the group’s actual journey. They’re going to be in Ty’s Hyrule for a little while, though.
Also, the Era that Sean, Lucas, and Aoife are from is called the “Era of Restoration”. I don’t know if I’ve said that before, so I’m saying it here. It’s about 200 years post-Breath of the Wild, and Hyrule is being ‘restored’ pretty much.
Yeah, I’m so clever, I know, right?
Stay crazy, my Lovely Proxies~!!!
