Forums » Fantasy Roleplay » Time's End [1x1]

Betrayal hurt so much because it was never the enemies who betrayed you. Often it was those who were especially close to you.. Someone who you possibly looked up to, someone who you cared for and you thought that maybe, just maybe that they cared for you too.

During these dark times that plagued Hyrule and the surrounding kingdoms. Trust was hard to come by. It was hard to gain it and it was hard to keep it for long. Everyone seemed to end up corrupted in one way or another. Friends would stab others in the back to get what they wanted or felt the needed. The gods must have abandoned their people. All of them, because no race was spared from this grim reminder. Offer a man an opportunity at great power and he'd likely stab his brother in the back for it.

The upper leftmost area of the Southern Plains had been the home to a long and tiresome battle. It all started out with a caravan of thirty different families and a few others who lived alone. Wagon upon wagon pulled peoples lively hoods with them. They were uprooting from their home village and moving to a new one, possibly Kakariko, but they would never make it. It wasn't simply the minions of darkness and their ambush that had done them in. They possibly could have been just fine with the help of the Talaus Mercenaries if it were not for their leader betraying them.

He sold their position out, had poisoned his own men and set off explosives along the wagons in order to cripple and confuse. He and 4 others were responsible for all the death and bloodshed that had sullied the beauty of the area.

Eyaiu had been trying to move civilians away from the battling so that the numbers would not be dwindled down even more than they already had been. She didn't get very far when the explosions had come. Splintering wood and chunks of fire rained amongst the unsuspecting victims, killing most of them instantly, but leaving others crippled so that they died off slowly. Eyaiu was one of these.

She laid sprawled out amongst a small group of people. Fire had singed most of her cloak and the splintering wood and hot coals that had blasted everyone had done a number on her as well.. Those that managed to live would be stabbed until they were no longer moving. She was fortunate in that she had been overlooked. Her sword was lodged deep into the ground near her and her shield had been cracked and splattered with dried blood. She looked dead, just as the rest of them were.

The sky filled with dark clouds as it begun to rain a little. It was the rain that had woken her from the near death experience, though she definitely would not have much time if things kept up like this. A low series of gasping breaths were taken, but it hurt badly to breathe. All she could do now was await death.

Their small group was moving quickly over the fields. A band of Hylian of all ages were moving together, not for the purpose of finding a place to live, but for the purpose of finding people to heal. Not just physically, but to heal their souls.

The world as it was held dark things that destroyed lives, and brought the morality of the nation down. This group believed in keeping the fire of the Hylian nation alive. Hoping that one day, they could rise up against the darkness and bring back the light.

Pulling up over a hill, the leader of them stopped. A man, tall and bulky, held up his hand. The people behind him stopped, and looked as well. Before them they saw the remnants of a battle, and the outlook seemed grizzly.

"Check for survivors," he said in his deep voice. He and the others quickly made their way down, checking each person.

No one spoke though, as they found no one.

A boy, just barely in his teens, came up to a woman, moving just slightly. He seemed excited, and turned to shout. "Pyta! I found someone!"

The large man quickly made his way over to him, looking down at the girl. "Yes, she doesn't have much time. Send for Mena!" Voice raised as the others spoke aloud, calling for Mena to hurry.

The girl did so, making her way down next to Pyta. She looked to the girl lying on the ground, and nodded her head. She held a flute in her hand, made of ivory, leather cords dangling white feathers from the end. She raised it to her mouth, her lips just hovering over the mouth piece, and she let out a gentle breath.

The sound that it made was beautifully melodic, and around her, the others started with their instruments. Though, not necessary, it made for a wonderful sound.

None of the figures standing over her actually looked like anything human or hylian.... She couldn't make out features or anything of the sort. It filled her with dread. This was it. She was about to be killed off.. Perhaps it was better it be quick than for her to die slowly.

She gritted her teeth the best she could and slowly attempted to move her shield directly over her chest. She was ready for it. Their voices were muffled and confused her.. But then music pierced through, clearing her hearing almost instantly..

Her first thought was lined up with 'why are these people doing this to me.' She felt like she was being taunted, but somehow could not find it in her to be angry about it.. Her vision cleared up as her eyes got less glossy. Vision fully returned and she stared up at them, taking deeper breaths. She could move a little more, but didn't.. She laid there and stared up at the sky as these people surrounded her. There were no worries now.. The thought that she had already died crossed her mind. This was so surreal that it simply felt like it.

Her fist clenched tightly as a wave of sadness hit her. She looked like she was going to cry, but fought it and closed her eyes tightly. She refused to believe what happened and not even the music would fully heal the damage to her soul.. It would take time. The rain hid her tears and for this she was grateful of.

The last note carried on for a little longer, before Mena brought the flute away from her mouth and she looked down to the female. Pyta rested his hand on her shoulder briefly, before saying, "Good job. Let me take it from here."

Mena nodded her head and took a few steps back, and Pyta turned to the stranger, kneeling down beside her. "Are you alright now? Tell us, what happened?"

She opened her eyes to stare up at the man who knelt down next to her. She didn't know what to say to him, really..

"I think so.. I can breathe again, so I must be fine." She tried to sit up, but was still very weak. "We were traveling for Kakariko with refugees from a mountain village." She looked over at the dead and fought back more tears. Innocent families killed off like nothing. "We were ambushed by.." She motioned her hand for one of the nearby Bulblins. There were a mixture of them and Bokoblins that had attacked, as well as a few other creatures. "But.." Her fist clenched tightly again and she scowled a little. "The wagons were set to blow.. I don't know how or why." She didn't want to believe that their leader had done it.. That he had turned, but she saw him leaving before the explosion rocked her.. Perhaps he was just escaping. Running from death wasn't so bad.. You lived to see another day.

"I couldn't save them." She said quietly as she hung her head low. "Their screams fill my head even now." She worked on prying the shield loose from her arm and would spin it around to stare at it's face, frowning lowly as she ran her thumb along a crack in it, stopping once she hit blood.

The rain continued on. It didn't seem like it would stop any time soon, but it also didn't seem like it was going to get any stronger than it was now.

"So many innocent... but I am afraid to say it isn't uncommon in this day and age..." He looked around to his fellow companions and nodded his head. They started around the dead, gathering them to give them a proper burial. "Come now," he said, holding his hand down to the girl to help her up. "We cannot fix what has happened, but we can learn from this and use it to better the world. We travel to do this. You may continue with us for a while. I suggest finding my daughter Mena first, though. She will make sure you are fully healed if you need it anymore."

His expression turned grim as he went to help the others.

She looked up to him, nodding slowly. He was right.. It wasn't uncommon. It didn't make it any better though. She took his hand and got to her feet, staggering a little as she attempted to stand tall. "Perhaps so.. I may very well do that.. I am not so sure what to do otherwise." She looked around slowly. "I cannot stay here and hate myself over this.." She would nod to him and slowly turn away, trying to seek out the flute player.. Mena

She would slowly pass others and try not to look at the corpses for too long as she sought out the girl. Once she found her, she just stood there. Not really sure what else she should do. "Your father suggested I find you.." She said quietly, almost empty like. "Please help me.." That came out wrong.. She meant to say that I require more healing, but that would never come out like that.. "It all hurts.." She got quiet.. Feeling quite stupid and weak.

Mena watched the girl as she approached, and listened quietly. She didn't speak, and perhaps Eyaiu thought that she may be judging her, but soon her expression soften and gripped her flute a bit harder. "What is your name?" It was nice to know someone's name when you were speaking to them.

Once she was told the name, she would raise up her flute.

"I am not sure what all you have been through, but perhaps a song of hope might help you some. It may give you inspiration to carry on..."

She played the melody. A song that had been passed down in her family for many many generations. She was told by her father that it was the song of Hyrule itself. And that if she played it for everyone, perhaps one day it would restore Hyrule to its former glory.

Everytime she had played the melody, Mena had always felt as if she could change the world. As if the Goddesses themselves might push their power through her to do so.

She was quiet, staring at the woman with a slow frown forming. "My name is.. Eyaiu.. " She would slowly lower herself down to sit infront of Mena, staring up at her.

She didn't know what the song was, but it sounded nice. It made her feel better, at least a little and put most of her mind at peace. None of this was her fault. How could she have prevented it if she never knew about it? She shouldn't be so quick to blame herself.. It was someone else. She would find them. If she had to spend the rest of her life doing so, she would find them and she would make them pay.. But for now she was content with listening to the melody.

"Its my first time being back in the plains.. We mostly stuck in the forest and mountains for the last three years. A terrible way to come back, but being here.. It feels right, I think." She got quiet after that and stared off into space. "I should go bury my friends and say my final goodbyes." She cleared her throat a bit and looked back up to Mena. "Thank you."

Mena nodded her head, and let Eyaiu part to go help with her friends. She watched the girl leave, thinking of all the places she had been to herself. Her people were constantly traveling. Pyta often said it was to continually spread hope, but she felt there was more to it than that.

It took a bit of time, and it was depressing doing so, but all her friends were buried in the rain. Pyta was gathering everyone again.

"We'll keep moving. To Kakariko Village as we were before," he said, waving everyone to move. The women moved back into the covered wagon, while the men walked, soaked from the rain. Mena sat of the front of the wagon, looking out as they started moving. They would be so close to where Hyrule's Castle stood, and where the Temple of Time once was. She wondered if the Temple was still standing or if it had been completely destroyed as she had been told.

She took her time in helping put them in the ground. She had much that she still had to say to them, but it fell on dead ears.. Once they were put in the ground, she would collect the weapons, one by one and lay them with the graves of those who owned them. Except for a shield. It was much like her's. "I am sorry Reman. My shield is too far damaged.. I need yours to protect me." She spoke down to the grave. "But I have your sword here." She lifted it up and stared at it, before she laid it across the grave. "May it serve you in the beyond.." She furrowed her brow a little. She knew what would probably happen. Depending on how corruption took them.. They may be Stalfos or they may become ReDeads.. She didn't know, but had seen it happen once. It was a terrible thing.

After a time with the last grave, she would seek out her sword, ripping it from the earth and staring at it. It was in fair condition.. She'd need to visit a blacksmith for it later, but it was still usable. Her shield was useless though. Luckily she had Reman's though.. She did not climb in with the rest of the women. She was a warrior, she stayed place among the men. It would not do if they were attacked and she had to abandon the wagon..

They traveled for a while, stopping to rest on occasion as they set up a large tent to let those walking dry off around the fire to make sure no one caught a cold. Mena would play more music, something cheerful to keep the spirits of everyone up, especially after what they had just had to do. For a bit, with the way people talked and laughed, and danced... it seemed like nothing was wrong with the world.

But once they started trudging on again, with the rain, it returned to the dreary state it had always been in. Vegetation was growing scarce, and soon, they saw buildings in a small ravine ahead. Their wagon pulled there, and they would stop, hoping the town would welcome them once again.

Eyaiu would have such great stories to tell, but she could not bring herself to do so, but it did not stop her in breaking bread with others and speaking with them.. Attempting to lighten a mood that desperately needed it. Being near the fire was well welcomed. She had not had a moment to rest recently, unless you counted her brush with death..

Kakariko was and always would be something good to see. At least for Eyaiu. She had many people that she knew here. She had even lived here for a time, but it definitely was not really home for her.. That time was long gone, still though it would be good to come back and rejoin others.. Plus she had news for some. Of lost family. It would not be right to leave them in the dark. She looked to the sky and then back around what was left of the village. A lot had changed in the time she had been gone.. She hoped that it was not as dead as it looked..

It was quiet at first, when the arrived, and some began to wonder if there was even anyone still living in the village. But once it was known that they meant no harm, the folk of the village left the safety of their homes to quickly come and greet the travelers. Then scene had drastically changed. Pyta and Mena were greeted, up until Mena slipped away from her father and quickly made her way over to the spring that supplied life to the village. It looked a little dirty from the dust that would blow into it, so she played a little melody, giving life back to it.

Mena felt better about helping the people, but her mind quickly wondered up the ridge, thinking about Hyrule Castle and what remained of it. She just wanted to see it...

"Mena! Come, let's play our song for the people," came her father's voice, and she looked back to his towering figure. Mena hesitated, looking back up, but then followed behind her father.

She eyed the line of houses and businesses that creep'ed up the the path. Most of them stacked on top of each other.. Nothing new though, at least not in the three years that she was gone. It was hard to tell on the outside which were lived in and which weren't.

Eyaiu didn't spend too much time staring off in to space. Once she had her view, she turned to watch what Mena did. She was a strange girl, but she meant well.. Being a healer must have been tough.. Eyaiu probably had magics that she was unaware of, and instead of tapping into them she let them tap into her strength.. Something like that.

After a while she would approach the troupe and follow close. She had been looking for someone, but didn't see them in the lineup of folk who came to greet them, which was unlike this person..