The Legend of Zelda: The Magician

5: Goron City

Outside, I see Ghirahim surrounded by villagers, many of them carrying weapons and all of them furious.

"Get out of here, demon!" A man yells, spitting in Ghirahim's direction.

Flinching out of the way, Ghirahim stands tall and proud, only keeping his head low so his hood keeps his face hidden.

"You can't have our children!" A woman cries, holding her small and frightened child close to her as it wails and sobs in her arms.

"Mommy, is it going to take me away?" A young child asks another woman, tears welling in his eyes as his hand clutches the long, navy-blue skirt of the dress his mother wears.

"Leave, before we make you, demon!" A tall, muscled man demands, holding a gleaming sword out and pointing it to Ghirahim's chest as he spits the word 'demon'.

That's it. I run over and push through the crowd, positioning myself between Ghirahim and the sword. I hold one arm behind me, wrapping it around Ghirahim instinctively. The villagers all stare with bewilderment and ire.

"Boy, move out of the way," An older man orders, his graying eyebrows furrowing and his brown eyes narrowing in disapproval.

I shake my head, keeping my mouth in a tight line and my eyes firm.

"You're nothing but a pampered Imperial Guard. You don't know what you're doing," The muscled man snarls, pointing the sword to my throat.

I glare at the man, rage scalding in my chest. The man clenches his teeth, his eyes looking defeated and torn, then he lowers his blade.

He glares in Ghirahim's direction, "It's his fault that Ganondorf is back! It's his fault that our world will fall to pieces!"

I shake my head decisively, trying to convey my message without speaking. However, everyone looks at me as the confusion settles into their eyes. I sigh, realizing I must speak.

"The King sent me to get this man behind me to strengthen the seal on Ganondorf, but we misjudged how quickly he was to breaking it. Whether he has truly left his seal, or if it's only his power is leaking out, we don't know. But this man is helping me gather the power needed to seal Ganondorf once again." I explain resolutely, keeping my eyes level and my expression determined. I hope they see I'm telling the truth.

While the villagers look around at each other, uncertainty in their expressions, the crowd begins to part to our side. Someone short in dark clothes with a long shovel resting over his shoulder walks over to us. I remember him. It's Dampé, the graveyard keeper. He hobbles over and looks at me, a lopsided smile forming on his face.

"I believe you, Link." Dampé says, then turns to the villagers. "He's the guy with the Triforce of Courage. He won't lie to us."

The villagers begin mumbling amongst themselves, then look at Dampé once more before they leave Ghirahim and I alone with Dampé. Shocked that that's all it took, I look down to Dampé, about to thank him when he smiles and waves goodbye, hobbling off toward the graveyard.

I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding, the rage in my chest simmering into calmness. A hand rests itself on my shoulder, so I look behind and up at Ghirahim, his face concealed by his hood.

"Thank you, Skychild. I was trying to avoid violence. Poor fools would not have stood a chance against my abilities if I were forced to defend myself," He teases, his tone flooding with relief.

A spark of excitement caresses itself down my spine from that nickname and I jerk away from Ghirahim, afraid my body will react in a shaming way out in public. Then, I give him a quick nod before I walk off to the side, motioning for him to follow me. Thankfully, he does. At least I know he doesn't want to outright kill anyone. But I feel bad for moving away from him like that. If we weren't in public, I'd have let my body react how it wants to that nickname.