Before there was Light: Part Seven
I cannot help but feel uneasy as I approach Rauru’s shabby cottage. Dega is sitting on the observation platform on the roof, and smiles as I approach.
“Ah, Mistress Impa,” he calls, leaping lightly down from the platform to stand before me, “I knew you would come…”
There is something odd about him… something wrong with his tone…
“I came as soon I received your message, Brother Dega…” I respond warily. I may not have the princess’ uncanny skills, but I can generally tell when something is amiss.
“Good, I had hoped my message would draw you down here… and the princess? Is she still at the palace?” his eyes look eager… much too eager…
“The princess is my concern, Brother Dega, not yours…”
He laughs, taking a step closer. It is an odd, strange cackle.
“True enough… though sometimes I wonder why we bother…”
“Bother with what?” I ask, subtly moving into a defensive position.
“Those damned Hylians,” Dega growls, distain unveiled in his eyes, “why bother spending anything other then hate on them?”
“Dega!” I bark, stepping back, “what’s gotten into you?”
“They send us to battle, they let us die, they trample on our graves! And what do they give us? Nothing! Surely you of all people know this Impa!”
“You forget your place Dega!” he’s gone mad…
“Have I?” he growls menacingly, “or have you forgotten him? Your beloved Defaid? What would he say if he knew you were still the lapdog of the man who sent him to his death?”
“It is not Fiate’s fault that Defaid died, nor any other Shiekah… he sent warriors to battle, some always die, that is the way of things,” why am I bothering with explaining this to a man obviously gone mad, “we cannot get the dead back, Dega, and it is unwise to dwell too long on them.”
“Oh, but we can!’ he cries, shifting slightly, “he promised… all’s I had to do was send you the message, get you away from the palace, away from her… oh, was he mad when he heard about how you killed his first Garo assassins! But he said if I got you away from the princess he could bring her back…”
Dega sold me out? And what in Din’s name is he screaming about?
“Who would bring who back?” I ask, mainly to stall for time… I would like to try and find a way to sedate Dega rather then fight him; he does not seem to be in his right mind at all.
“Simari!” he cries almost sobbing, “do you even remember her? I do! I have wept for her every night since those damned Hylians killed her!”
“Dega,” I bark, “Simari is dead! You can get her back…”
“But he can! Gannondorf promised to bring her back, to give life again!”
This is insanity! Thank the goddesses I saw fit to spirit Zelda away instead of sending her to the palace.
“He can do it for you too…”
The words cut me like a knife.
“What did you say?”
“Gannondorf…” he repeats, smiling a weird grin at me, “he could bring back Defaid too…”
No! This madness needs to stop now… no, it needed to stop several minuets ago….
“Dega! You dishonor the memory of the ones you claim to love! They would never want us to sell away our friends for them, even if it were possible…”
“Friends?” he is growling again, “you call those murdering swine your friends? You really have forgotten Defaid haven’t you? Does he ever cross your heart, or have you locked it away, Ice Queen? Or maybe you do call out his name, while that Hylian butcher of a king is bedding you!”
Every part of my being wants to kill him where he stands. How dare he!
But, I would never attack an old friend like Dega, even if he has lost his mind, and it does not seem as though Dega is going to force me to. He is just walking away, seemingly unconcerned over our current debate. Wait, he is leaving with my permission? Dega is no elder, not even a master really… now it seems that besides hating the Hylians, he has decided to abandon his Shiekah ways as well. What wrong with him?
“Dega,” I ask, trying to soften my voice, “we have always been friends… please, why are you acting this way?”
“It does not matter,” he replies, smirking over his shoulder, “by the time you return to the palace that brat of a princess will be dead, and Simari will be in my arms…” his eyes soften slightly, and I think he is actually looking at me with something akin to pity, “you should speak to Gannondorf as well, Impa… he is always willing to help, and you could see Defaid again… we could all be happy together.”
Impossible… Gannondorf may be a powerful mage, but no one can bring back the dead.
“Get out of here Dega… go run back to your new master. The Shiekah no longer will welcome you…”
He stiffens slightly, then smirks at me over his shoulder.
“Goodbye, Impa… I’ll be seeing you again, old friend…”
No Dega, the man I was friends with is gone…
After he walks away, I enter the house. Dega said this had merely been a play to get me away from the princess, so I want to see how much of his letter was actually true. Of course, there had been the princess’ dream, and I am curious to see if it stacks well against reality.
It is impossible to tell the details, but the important part is clear. Rauru is laying on the floor, face down. Other then this, the house appears to be untouched, and my eyes glace over to the half-eaten stale meal on the table. They probably poisoned the poor sage. Other parts of the letter seem true as well; missing reports, torn journal, and no evidence of a real struggle. Walking over to the body, I bend down, trying to examine it closer. The second me face nears the body, something happens. I feel pulled into a swirling, rushing pit of grey cloud. My vision blurs, and I no longer feel as though I am standing on a solid surface. The clouds swallow me, and wind rushes by my ears. Crying out, I begin to flail, trying to garb at anything in the mist.
And then suddenly, Rauru is before me. We seem to be standing on a whirling table of cloud, mist forming a thick wall all around us. Rauru stands as usual, pompous stance and bald egg-like head. Ugly as ever, but the sight of him is almost beautiful.
“Rauru, where are we?”
“The Sacred Realm, and do not yet rejoice Mistress Impa, for I am as dead as you first thought…”
“I see…”
“Do you? Maybe, or maybe not. Impa, my powers as a sage have been awakened in a way I did not think possible, and I have learned much from the process. Still, what I have seen causes me to once again diminish and return to Hyrule. If I reincarnate as a being other then a Hylian, I will retain my wisdom, awareness… So I am returning to Hyrule as an Owl to help guide the Hero of Time when the time for his quest comes.”
“The who?”
Hero of Time. The Hero of Time will save Hyrule from its dark foe, who seeks to pervert the power of the Triforce itself, bending the gifts of the goddesses-”
“Rauru, slow down. I need to be told what is going on here…”
“I cannot,” he replies, and the mist begins to rise between us, “my time is too short. I can only say be careful with the princess! Do not doubt here skills any longer, you have seen them, now believe!”
Then the cloud swallows me, blocking my sight and disorienting my mind. And then I find myself falling back into the nightmare I have spent over a decade trying to wake up from…
*******
My Parents died, but I was able to accept it. Fiate and Julia wed, and I still never cried.
Be it joy or sorrow, I have never been able to let others see me.
Years of Shiekah life taught me that balance was needed in all things, and I assume that has something to do with it. I spent years cutting everything that might make me weak away, dependence on heat, dependence on supplies, and even a dependence on others. Had it not been for Defaid, I might have fallen to the most dangerous adversary I have… Mistress Impa of the Far Shadow Clan.
From the day I became an orphan, to me everything was darkness and pain. Had Defaid not brought light to me, I might have given into the darkness, becoming like our cousins the Garo. Yet even so, when my bringer of life asked me to be with him always, I hesitated.
Oh Defaid… please forgive me…
Julia had married Fiate, and it was obvious Devan was at death’s door. A year ago Fiate had used his weight and my prestige to have me appointed as Princess Julia’s official bodyguard. Naturally, this kept me in the palace. Defaid was still technically in the military, but an uneasy peace existed between the nations at that point, so there was not much to fear. Defaid had wanted to quit the military and get married right then. He was sure Fiate could place him as Captain of the Palace Guard, a rather slow going position. It was his dream… to be safe, peaceful and happy together. But for some reason I will never know again, I felt I needed more time. I told Defaid yes of course, but also added the only words I have regretted speaking.
“Not just yet… wait until your house in the village is finished. Fiate and Julia will not require me as much then, and we can enjoy ourselves more.”
What was I afraid of? Fiate and Julia did not need me… the palace guard functioned well without my oversight… almost every night since that I have lain in bed trying to answer this one question.
What in Din’s name was I so afraid of!
It is a nightmare that I can never shake…
So it was that the weeks pasts, Devan died, Fiate was crowned king, the house was finished, and Defaid and I married. For a time we were happy… but how short that time was…
*******
Marte looks at me with something almost akin to anger as I walk into the camp.
“You are here for the girl?” she more states then asks.
“Yes, it is time for us to go,” I reply, “Fiate will have returned to the palace, and he will no doubt be wondering where the princess is…”
Marte sighs, then gestures for me to follow.
“This way…”
As I look about the camp, I notice that the normal bustle of a Shiekah village is strangely absent. No one is in the training pits, no children running about with messages from one master to another, no sounds of students reciting lessons from the school house, no one tending the cooking pits; it was as though the camp was completely abandoned.
“Where is everyone?” I ask, unable to think of a reason for the silence.
“Evening Meditations,” Marte replies, obviously taken aback, “it is night of the New Moon… surely I do not have to remind you of Shiekah tradition…”
Evening Meditations of the New Moon… that means… I have been asleep on Rauru’s floor for over five days! Goddesses of Love, Wind and Fire, Fiate is probably worried sick! I follow Marte to the open air temple, but it hardly seems as though she is moving fast enough. I need to get back to palace immediately.
The Hidden Plain Shiekah Clan colors are white and blue, with the Shiekah symbol for eye in red over the chest. As we enter the meditation grounds, I quickly scan the backs of the figures as they sit cross-legged on the ground meditating, but the princess is not immediately evident to me. Marte’s frown takes on a proud smirk as I look back to her.
“There… three rows back and four seats in,” she explains, pointing, “as you can tell, she’s taking to her training rather well.”
Indeed she was. The figure Marte is pointing to is blending in well enough to fool me. Of course, it helped that blond hair was not as uncommon in the Plain Shiekah as in other portions of our race, but all the same I was quite impressed. My first impulse is to collect the princess and leave immediately, but Shiekah traditions ARE traditions after all, and so I sink down next to Marte to participate in the meditation.
Evening Meditation of the New Moon is meant to be a time for the Shiekah warrior to focus on inner stillness of the heart, and Shiekah scholars to find an inner stillness of the mind. As an Elder, it is a time to detach from the bonds of leadership and focus on spiritual growth. However, at the moment I am having an unusually hard time focusing on anything. My mind is clouded by what I saw and heard in Rauru’s hut. Trying to force past the cryptic messages of the now dead sage, I find myself plummeting back into the dream…
*******
I was at the table looking over messages from various Shiekah operations I had been placed in charge of. The Shiekah Elders had named me one of them not long ago, an honor NEVER bestowed on one as young as I. It seemed that, like Master Remha had said all those years ago, I was no ordinary Shiekah. It was slightly humorous in my mind that I had reached the panicle of the Shiekah social order so quickly. In all honesty, I did not actually care for the honor all that much, but as soon as I had become a Master, Defaid had insisted on calling me ‘Elder Impa.’ I think I was driven to reach the highest honors simply to playfully spite him. And, as Remha also taught me, unwillingness to recognize ones strengths can be the greatest weakness. The fates saw fit to ‘bless’ me with a great deal of skill… though in honesty I have paid dearly for it.
Most of the letters were trivial, and did not actually absorb much of my attention. This was very fortunate, given that my mind was miles elsewhere. No sooner had I moved into the house Defaid had built for us in the village, then the Hylain Military (and ergo Defaid) was called to quell a Greudo uprising. Of course, this was on the far side of Hyrule; the journey alone would take several days, not to mention the prospect of battle. I had seen Defaid leave before, but somehow it had been harder that time. Of course, no one would ever know to look at me that I was dieing on the inside with worry, but that in no way lessened the fact that I was.
I remember exactly what report I was reading when Sami, a Far Rock Shiekah, entered the house. I remember exactly how I was sitting at the table. I remember exactly how Sami looked as he bowed slightly before me, straightening to look at me with eyes that were both saddened and strangely emotionless. I remember the exact words.
“Mistress Impa. It has fallen to me to relay the grim news that your husband, Master Defaid of the Low River Shiekah, came to a noble and honorable death in battle.”
How could I forget them? They have echoed through my mind night after night.
“He died to a Greudo spear protecting the main front of our line. I am sure it will please you to know that the stand he took that led to his death turned the tide of the battle in favor of the Hylian forces. He will long be remembered as the savior of peace in Hyrule.”
In all honesty, this did not make me feel the slightest bit better. Later it would, and does to this day, but at the time I could only feel a huge void opening within me. A void I knew would never be filled. I waited until the young Shiekah left, and then, for the first time in my life, I cried.
“Your husband, Defaid of the Low River Shiekah, came to a noble and honorable death in battle…”
The next day Julia arrived at my door. She and Fiate had heard about Defaid’s demise the same night I had, and my good friend had instantly started to the village as Fiate rushed to the front to prepare proper respect for Defaid’s remains. Julia comforted me that night, and the next day. The afternoon I returned with her to the palace, and I never lived in Defaid’s house again. From time to time I am forced to spend the night in it, or operate from it during unusual circumstances, but I have rarely been there more the a few night in a row. The memories there are so strong…
“Your husband, Defaid of the Low River Shiekah, came to a noble and honorable death in battle…”
I still hear those words. And every time I ask the goddesses why I could not have been taken that same day; why I must continue to live alone. Why can I not shake those words?
“Your husband, Defaid of the Low River Shiekah, came to a noble and honorable death in battle…”
Will I never be free of them?
“Ah, Mistress Impa,” he calls, leaping lightly down from the platform to stand before me, “I knew you would come…”
There is something odd about him… something wrong with his tone…
“I came as soon I received your message, Brother Dega…” I respond warily. I may not have the princess’ uncanny skills, but I can generally tell when something is amiss.
“Good, I had hoped my message would draw you down here… and the princess? Is she still at the palace?” his eyes look eager… much too eager…
“The princess is my concern, Brother Dega, not yours…”
He laughs, taking a step closer. It is an odd, strange cackle.
“True enough… though sometimes I wonder why we bother…”
“Bother with what?” I ask, subtly moving into a defensive position.
“Those damned Hylians,” Dega growls, distain unveiled in his eyes, “why bother spending anything other then hate on them?”
“Dega!” I bark, stepping back, “what’s gotten into you?”
“They send us to battle, they let us die, they trample on our graves! And what do they give us? Nothing! Surely you of all people know this Impa!”
“You forget your place Dega!” he’s gone mad…
“Have I?” he growls menacingly, “or have you forgotten him? Your beloved Defaid? What would he say if he knew you were still the lapdog of the man who sent him to his death?”
“It is not Fiate’s fault that Defaid died, nor any other Shiekah… he sent warriors to battle, some always die, that is the way of things,” why am I bothering with explaining this to a man obviously gone mad, “we cannot get the dead back, Dega, and it is unwise to dwell too long on them.”
“Oh, but we can!’ he cries, shifting slightly, “he promised… all’s I had to do was send you the message, get you away from the palace, away from her… oh, was he mad when he heard about how you killed his first Garo assassins! But he said if I got you away from the princess he could bring her back…”
Dega sold me out? And what in Din’s name is he screaming about?
“Who would bring who back?” I ask, mainly to stall for time… I would like to try and find a way to sedate Dega rather then fight him; he does not seem to be in his right mind at all.
“Simari!” he cries almost sobbing, “do you even remember her? I do! I have wept for her every night since those damned Hylians killed her!”
“Dega,” I bark, “Simari is dead! You can get her back…”
“But he can! Gannondorf promised to bring her back, to give life again!”
This is insanity! Thank the goddesses I saw fit to spirit Zelda away instead of sending her to the palace.
“He can do it for you too…”
The words cut me like a knife.
“What did you say?”
“Gannondorf…” he repeats, smiling a weird grin at me, “he could bring back Defaid too…”
No! This madness needs to stop now… no, it needed to stop several minuets ago….
“Dega! You dishonor the memory of the ones you claim to love! They would never want us to sell away our friends for them, even if it were possible…”
“Friends?” he is growling again, “you call those murdering swine your friends? You really have forgotten Defaid haven’t you? Does he ever cross your heart, or have you locked it away, Ice Queen? Or maybe you do call out his name, while that Hylian butcher of a king is bedding you!”
Every part of my being wants to kill him where he stands. How dare he!
But, I would never attack an old friend like Dega, even if he has lost his mind, and it does not seem as though Dega is going to force me to. He is just walking away, seemingly unconcerned over our current debate. Wait, he is leaving with my permission? Dega is no elder, not even a master really… now it seems that besides hating the Hylians, he has decided to abandon his Shiekah ways as well. What wrong with him?
“Dega,” I ask, trying to soften my voice, “we have always been friends… please, why are you acting this way?”
“It does not matter,” he replies, smirking over his shoulder, “by the time you return to the palace that brat of a princess will be dead, and Simari will be in my arms…” his eyes soften slightly, and I think he is actually looking at me with something akin to pity, “you should speak to Gannondorf as well, Impa… he is always willing to help, and you could see Defaid again… we could all be happy together.”
Impossible… Gannondorf may be a powerful mage, but no one can bring back the dead.
“Get out of here Dega… go run back to your new master. The Shiekah no longer will welcome you…”
He stiffens slightly, then smirks at me over his shoulder.
“Goodbye, Impa… I’ll be seeing you again, old friend…”
No Dega, the man I was friends with is gone…
After he walks away, I enter the house. Dega said this had merely been a play to get me away from the princess, so I want to see how much of his letter was actually true. Of course, there had been the princess’ dream, and I am curious to see if it stacks well against reality.
It is impossible to tell the details, but the important part is clear. Rauru is laying on the floor, face down. Other then this, the house appears to be untouched, and my eyes glace over to the half-eaten stale meal on the table. They probably poisoned the poor sage. Other parts of the letter seem true as well; missing reports, torn journal, and no evidence of a real struggle. Walking over to the body, I bend down, trying to examine it closer. The second me face nears the body, something happens. I feel pulled into a swirling, rushing pit of grey cloud. My vision blurs, and I no longer feel as though I am standing on a solid surface. The clouds swallow me, and wind rushes by my ears. Crying out, I begin to flail, trying to garb at anything in the mist.
And then suddenly, Rauru is before me. We seem to be standing on a whirling table of cloud, mist forming a thick wall all around us. Rauru stands as usual, pompous stance and bald egg-like head. Ugly as ever, but the sight of him is almost beautiful.
“Rauru, where are we?”
“The Sacred Realm, and do not yet rejoice Mistress Impa, for I am as dead as you first thought…”
“I see…”
“Do you? Maybe, or maybe not. Impa, my powers as a sage have been awakened in a way I did not think possible, and I have learned much from the process. Still, what I have seen causes me to once again diminish and return to Hyrule. If I reincarnate as a being other then a Hylian, I will retain my wisdom, awareness… So I am returning to Hyrule as an Owl to help guide the Hero of Time when the time for his quest comes.”
“The who?”
Hero of Time. The Hero of Time will save Hyrule from its dark foe, who seeks to pervert the power of the Triforce itself, bending the gifts of the goddesses-”
“Rauru, slow down. I need to be told what is going on here…”
“I cannot,” he replies, and the mist begins to rise between us, “my time is too short. I can only say be careful with the princess! Do not doubt here skills any longer, you have seen them, now believe!”
Then the cloud swallows me, blocking my sight and disorienting my mind. And then I find myself falling back into the nightmare I have spent over a decade trying to wake up from…
*******
My Parents died, but I was able to accept it. Fiate and Julia wed, and I still never cried.
Be it joy or sorrow, I have never been able to let others see me.
Years of Shiekah life taught me that balance was needed in all things, and I assume that has something to do with it. I spent years cutting everything that might make me weak away, dependence on heat, dependence on supplies, and even a dependence on others. Had it not been for Defaid, I might have fallen to the most dangerous adversary I have… Mistress Impa of the Far Shadow Clan.
From the day I became an orphan, to me everything was darkness and pain. Had Defaid not brought light to me, I might have given into the darkness, becoming like our cousins the Garo. Yet even so, when my bringer of life asked me to be with him always, I hesitated.
Oh Defaid… please forgive me…
Julia had married Fiate, and it was obvious Devan was at death’s door. A year ago Fiate had used his weight and my prestige to have me appointed as Princess Julia’s official bodyguard. Naturally, this kept me in the palace. Defaid was still technically in the military, but an uneasy peace existed between the nations at that point, so there was not much to fear. Defaid had wanted to quit the military and get married right then. He was sure Fiate could place him as Captain of the Palace Guard, a rather slow going position. It was his dream… to be safe, peaceful and happy together. But for some reason I will never know again, I felt I needed more time. I told Defaid yes of course, but also added the only words I have regretted speaking.
“Not just yet… wait until your house in the village is finished. Fiate and Julia will not require me as much then, and we can enjoy ourselves more.”
What was I afraid of? Fiate and Julia did not need me… the palace guard functioned well without my oversight… almost every night since that I have lain in bed trying to answer this one question.
What in Din’s name was I so afraid of!
It is a nightmare that I can never shake…
So it was that the weeks pasts, Devan died, Fiate was crowned king, the house was finished, and Defaid and I married. For a time we were happy… but how short that time was…
*******
Marte looks at me with something almost akin to anger as I walk into the camp.
“You are here for the girl?” she more states then asks.
“Yes, it is time for us to go,” I reply, “Fiate will have returned to the palace, and he will no doubt be wondering where the princess is…”
Marte sighs, then gestures for me to follow.
“This way…”
As I look about the camp, I notice that the normal bustle of a Shiekah village is strangely absent. No one is in the training pits, no children running about with messages from one master to another, no sounds of students reciting lessons from the school house, no one tending the cooking pits; it was as though the camp was completely abandoned.
“Where is everyone?” I ask, unable to think of a reason for the silence.
“Evening Meditations,” Marte replies, obviously taken aback, “it is night of the New Moon… surely I do not have to remind you of Shiekah tradition…”
Evening Meditations of the New Moon… that means… I have been asleep on Rauru’s floor for over five days! Goddesses of Love, Wind and Fire, Fiate is probably worried sick! I follow Marte to the open air temple, but it hardly seems as though she is moving fast enough. I need to get back to palace immediately.
The Hidden Plain Shiekah Clan colors are white and blue, with the Shiekah symbol for eye in red over the chest. As we enter the meditation grounds, I quickly scan the backs of the figures as they sit cross-legged on the ground meditating, but the princess is not immediately evident to me. Marte’s frown takes on a proud smirk as I look back to her.
“There… three rows back and four seats in,” she explains, pointing, “as you can tell, she’s taking to her training rather well.”
Indeed she was. The figure Marte is pointing to is blending in well enough to fool me. Of course, it helped that blond hair was not as uncommon in the Plain Shiekah as in other portions of our race, but all the same I was quite impressed. My first impulse is to collect the princess and leave immediately, but Shiekah traditions ARE traditions after all, and so I sink down next to Marte to participate in the meditation.
Evening Meditation of the New Moon is meant to be a time for the Shiekah warrior to focus on inner stillness of the heart, and Shiekah scholars to find an inner stillness of the mind. As an Elder, it is a time to detach from the bonds of leadership and focus on spiritual growth. However, at the moment I am having an unusually hard time focusing on anything. My mind is clouded by what I saw and heard in Rauru’s hut. Trying to force past the cryptic messages of the now dead sage, I find myself plummeting back into the dream…
*******
I was at the table looking over messages from various Shiekah operations I had been placed in charge of. The Shiekah Elders had named me one of them not long ago, an honor NEVER bestowed on one as young as I. It seemed that, like Master Remha had said all those years ago, I was no ordinary Shiekah. It was slightly humorous in my mind that I had reached the panicle of the Shiekah social order so quickly. In all honesty, I did not actually care for the honor all that much, but as soon as I had become a Master, Defaid had insisted on calling me ‘Elder Impa.’ I think I was driven to reach the highest honors simply to playfully spite him. And, as Remha also taught me, unwillingness to recognize ones strengths can be the greatest weakness. The fates saw fit to ‘bless’ me with a great deal of skill… though in honesty I have paid dearly for it.
Most of the letters were trivial, and did not actually absorb much of my attention. This was very fortunate, given that my mind was miles elsewhere. No sooner had I moved into the house Defaid had built for us in the village, then the Hylain Military (and ergo Defaid) was called to quell a Greudo uprising. Of course, this was on the far side of Hyrule; the journey alone would take several days, not to mention the prospect of battle. I had seen Defaid leave before, but somehow it had been harder that time. Of course, no one would ever know to look at me that I was dieing on the inside with worry, but that in no way lessened the fact that I was.
I remember exactly what report I was reading when Sami, a Far Rock Shiekah, entered the house. I remember exactly how I was sitting at the table. I remember exactly how Sami looked as he bowed slightly before me, straightening to look at me with eyes that were both saddened and strangely emotionless. I remember the exact words.
“Mistress Impa. It has fallen to me to relay the grim news that your husband, Master Defaid of the Low River Shiekah, came to a noble and honorable death in battle.”
How could I forget them? They have echoed through my mind night after night.
“He died to a Greudo spear protecting the main front of our line. I am sure it will please you to know that the stand he took that led to his death turned the tide of the battle in favor of the Hylian forces. He will long be remembered as the savior of peace in Hyrule.”
In all honesty, this did not make me feel the slightest bit better. Later it would, and does to this day, but at the time I could only feel a huge void opening within me. A void I knew would never be filled. I waited until the young Shiekah left, and then, for the first time in my life, I cried.
“Your husband, Defaid of the Low River Shiekah, came to a noble and honorable death in battle…”
The next day Julia arrived at my door. She and Fiate had heard about Defaid’s demise the same night I had, and my good friend had instantly started to the village as Fiate rushed to the front to prepare proper respect for Defaid’s remains. Julia comforted me that night, and the next day. The afternoon I returned with her to the palace, and I never lived in Defaid’s house again. From time to time I am forced to spend the night in it, or operate from it during unusual circumstances, but I have rarely been there more the a few night in a row. The memories there are so strong…
“Your husband, Defaid of the Low River Shiekah, came to a noble and honorable death in battle…”
I still hear those words. And every time I ask the goddesses why I could not have been taken that same day; why I must continue to live alone. Why can I not shake those words?
“Your husband, Defaid of the Low River Shiekah, came to a noble and honorable death in battle…”
Will I never be free of them?
posted by Czar at 12:18 PM
5 Comments:
Just think, Zelda is ten now and, as readers of Seven Years know,is forced to flee Gannondorf at age 12....
Kind of scary, no?
More so then Seven Years, Before there was Light has a sensitivity flowing through the story. I guess it is as a result of the focus on one character's thoughts, but I think it is also the case because the story centers around one person caring for another and not a team of people fighting for a cause, a nation. Trivial point to make, I know, but after just getting done watching V for Vendetta it has made me think more about how one fights for a cause without having the personal aspect, the sensitivity that comes from the relationships with others. Is there not a way to combine the sensitivity with the revolutionary spirit?
While I can see the overarching theme of how Impa's past correlates to Zelda's current life, I have had a harder time in the past few posts making direct correlations. Is this because you want it to be more of a theme resemblance? I wonder since at the beginning it was quite obvious how Impa's past was making her behave in specific situations with Zelda.
I liked this section. After reading Sarah's comments, at least one sort-of-parallel came to mind - remember that incredibly powerful scene wherein Zelda kills Keef? I see that as somewhat similar to the confrontation between Dega and Impa, but Impa being the more balanced and unemotional one is able to walk away where Zelda could not. Just throwing that out there. That whole scene is really good, btw, but you may want to change "you can get her back" to "you can't get her back" since that's sort of pivitol to the point Impa is making.
I thought Impa's hesitation regarding matrimony was... interesting. Obviously it's different on a lot of levels than anything I could really concieve of, but it seems odd. Let me put it a different way: Impa and Dafaid's relationship has been somewhat choppy over the last few sections. All we know is they had their night of passion, were away for a year, were reunited, and now got married and he died. We went from having a lot of particulars, a lot of vivid scenes, to a more general description that seems to leave their care for each other a lot less defined... does that make any sense? I guess her hesitations, coupled with the lack of substantiating evidence, make it seem like they were just sort of existing, but their love wasn't so much the organic, growing, amazing adventure; it is just another figure in the complicated equation of life. Just throwing that out there.
I will have to think about that Leeann...
In actuality, it is that way because I wanted to emphasize that speed with which everything happened. Impa said "not right now," then ok, and then BOOM, Defaid is dead. I wanted you to be there after reading that like, "wait, did they actually liove togather as husband and wife? Did they even have one night togather?"
Speed was suposed to be the key theme, but maybe it didn't sound right...
Astros stink.
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