Chapter 2: The Begiining of the Odyssey
The warm wind swept quietly over the bay. The waves crashed against the rocks with a soft rythmic gurgle. All of the birds had gone home to rest, as had the sailors and the fishermen. All that was left was a young man, 19 years of age. His hair was light brown, almost a sandy blonde, and his skin was almost white. He had strong yet soft features. Expressive eyebrows shadowed large hazel eyes. His nose would have been perfect except that it was slightly snubbed at the end, like an elf. He had a strong jaw and thin lips. Long hair was pulled back into a pony tail and held there by a tie. A few bangs hung down into his eyes. And his ears were not round like the ears of the people he had always known and loved. His ears....were pointed.
He wore a white shirt which had been undone down to the second or third button. A dark red vest covered with beautiful gold embroidery was worn over the shirt. Loose purple pants clung to his waist and were bottomed off with small, tight fitting black shoes. Around his neck he wore a gold chain, to which at the end dangled a golden triangle. At the center of the medalloin, an upside-down triangle had been cut out and replaced with one made of Sura Stone, a stone many times more beautiful and precious than emeralds. Its green color shimmered in the evening sunset.
A girl of about 21 years was running toward him. She wore a white and blue dress with red shoes. Her long hair was black and her ears were rounded like ours. Her skin was dark, as if she had a deep tan. It was his sister, Muari. She stopped a few feet from him and placed her hands on her knees to catch her breath.
"Tre...Tre...*gasp*...Trent! Mama and Papa want you back in the cottage. It's supper time." Trent didnt move, "Did you hear me, I said that its supper time!" The boy whiped around and shook his head.
"Sorry, " he apoligized, "I zoned. Saw that damn triangle again and it was speak...no, thinking to me." Muari shook her finger at Trent in a disciplinary way.
"Well, don't let it happen in front of Papa! He hates that" Trent shrugged and the two walked towards the cottage.
***
The stew was boiling when Alia removed it from the fire. She placed it on a towel on the table and laid out the eating dishes. A bottle of Crousa juice and a loaf of bread was also placed onto the wooden table. Rintz sat in the corner, fixing a fishing net with the care of a seamstress. Rintz loved his fishing, it was his love and his life. His father and his father before him were fishermen, and Rintz wanted his boys to follow in his footsteps. Adoren and Koreb were already adept at fishing and sailing, they always seemed to make Rintz proud. But Trent never did take to the idea of the surf and the smell of fish, and that forever grated on Rintz.
Trent and Muari stepped into the tiny cottage and removed their shoes, as it was customary of all Dubaitans to do. They washed up in a wooden bowl and sat down to eat. Rintz set his fishing line and net on the ground and sat himself at the head of the table, opposite his wife. Ailia took the ladel and one by one filled the bowls with the hearty stew she had prepared. The bread loaf went around as did the Crousa juice. When Trent saw his stew he almost gagged. Staring back at him was the head of a fish. Wide eyed and ugly. Trent grimaced at the decapitation and pushed the food away from him. Seeing the head, Rintz snatched it up with a fork and shoved it into his mouth. The boy was thankful his father had removed the gross thing from his bowl and began to partake of his dinner.
"Trent," Rintz rumbled, his cheeks bulging with bread and stew, "You and me are going to market tomorrow. I gotta get some things for the boat and I need your help." The boy stared down at his food and sighed. He hated going to market. Nothing was interesting there. Just a bunch of stupid old people selling things that didn't matter. "Okay.", he responded. Wanting to get to bed, Trent greedily slurped down the stew and stuffed his face full of bread. He washed it down with the juice and took his dishes to the sink. Then he quietly walked back to the ladder and climbed it up to his loft. Once up there he shut the door, leaving his family behind.
Trent's loft was possibly the coziest room in the cottage. All around, small candles burned, lighting the room with a soft, flickering glow. The ceiling was made of wooden beams which supported the thactched roof of the cottage. Covering the floor was a giant fur blanket and all of the furnature was large and very comfortable to sit in. A small treasure chest sat on one side of the room. Inside were Trent's clothes and things he liked to take with him on his small journeys into the mountains and forests, away from the sea. Opposite the chest was a bed, which had a simple wooden headboard. Large pillows and a thick, puffy comforter were laying on top of it. It could get cold in Dubatio and so everyone did anything to keep warm. Trent's room was also the most spartan of all rooms. Nothing was there that wasn't needed. No knick-knacks or trinkets. Everything had a purpose, everything... except Trent.
He removed his clothes and jumped into bed. 'Ah,' he thought, 'Nice and toasty.' He knew that he had to be up early for the market, and he needed all of the sleep he could get. He pulled the covers up and snuggled down.
"Psst, hey!", he whispered. A small fairy appeared and alighted on his pillow, trailed by a stream of pixie dust. She was a little person, only three inches tall. She had straight brown hair with thick bangs which covered her forehead down to her eyebrows. Her hair flowed down to her shoulders and was swept back on the sides. Her eyes were a chocolate brown, her lips were a bright red. Violet eye shadow and pointed ears gave her a slightly magical look. She had a nice bust line, tight waist, and long legs. Delicate hands and feet, and long eyelashes accented her daintiness. But her most prominent features were her wings. Large dragonfly wings which made a small fluttering sound when she flew. She always seemed to wear the same clothes; a pink sleeveless blouse and a short pink skirt. A small band of gold would hold the two garments together. But now at night, she wore a green nightgown. Strange as it may seem, for all of the women Trent had ever seen in his life, none were as beautiful in any way as she. For she was his one and only friend, Spryte.
"Hi!", she whispered back. She was always glad to see him.
"Where have you been? I've been looking for you all day!", he chided. The fairy sat down on the pillow and looked up at the boy.
"I was out having fun. I played with the frogs, flew with a few birds, and collected some clovers! It was fun", she giggled. Her voice was always very high and squeeky. Much higher than most women, it was even higher than a child's voice.
"Papa and I are going to market tomorrow and I was wondering if you wanted to come along.", he inquired. Spryte clapped her hands.
"Oh boy, oh boy! Yes I would, I love the market!"
"Okay, I'll wake you up tomorrow morning."
Trent blew out the last candle and the two of them settled down for a long night's sleep.
***
Trent woke to the brightness of the sun. It was morning and the rays shone thru his window to his bed. He sat up and stretched his arms, giving out a yawn of much tiredness. He looked down at his pillow to find Spryte sleeping soundly upon it. He sat there and stared at her. 'If only she was my size', he thought, but then pushed the idea away. How could he think such a thing, she was his friend and only that. He nudged Spryte with his finger and she stirred. Sitting up, she yawned and then rubbed her eyes.
"Good morning, little one", he said sweetly, "Ready for the market?" Spryte flew off the pillow and over to a wooden bowl of water which had been warmed by the sunlight. In front of the bowl was a three sided, five-inch tall partition for her privacy.
"Yep!", she replied, undressing and stepping in. Her nightgown flopped over the top of the partition. Trent tossed on his typical garb and grabbing a few small pouches, he looped his belt through them and buckled it. Spryte hummed a lullaby as she washed herself with a small sliver of soap. After much splashing, she stepped out of the wooden bowl and grabbed a small washcloth-sized towel. She proceeded to dry herself all over.
"My clothes please?", she chirped. Trent blindly handed her the pink outfit she always wore and she slipped it on in no time. She then flew over to the young man and hovered just in front of his face.
"Good morning.", she said, kissing him on the cheek. It was a Dubatian custom which Spryte had picked up from observing Alia and Rintz. She flew into Trent's shirt pocket and made herself comfortable. Trent climbed down the ladder to find breakfast on the table. He and Spryte quickly ate away and then joined Rintz and Alia in going to market.
***
The market was crowded. People were everywhere. Tall people, small people, fat and short. The smell of fish, vegetables, and farm animals could be sensed for almost a mile away. From inside Trent's pocket, Spryte could hear people talking and yelling, animals calling, kids laughing and crying.
But mostly people. Alia immediatly grabbed some vegetables and paid the old woman, shoving the food into her sack. She then proceeded to spy some fruit and began to talk to the man selling it. Rintz moved to the area where wares and supplies were sold and like a serious child, looked and explored the entire lot of the items. He grabbed Trent's arm and pulled the lad beside him, for he was wandering.
Out of nowhere, trumpets sounded. Only these were not the trumpets of the Dubatian Royal Family. The trumpets of the Dubatian Family were high and singular, these were lower, larger, and richer in sound One man was calling,
"Make way for the Regent Kydil of Hyrule! Make way for the Regent Kydil of Hyrule!" From above the crowd, Trent could see flags waving and drawing closer, accompanied by the sound of hoofbeats. Hushes and murmurs went all around the mass of people. As the crowd parted, four large horses carrying a knight a piece slowly trotted by. Behind them rode an extremely rich and noble man, the Regent. He was gazing about the people, as if to look for something. When his gaze reached Trent, he stopped his horse. The Regent's eyes wandered down to Trent's right hand, noticing the Triforce birthmark. Trent tried to hide the mark, but the noble man had already seen it. He walked his horse to the young man, only to be stopped by Rintz.
"Do not shield him, peasant.", the Regent ordered. Rintz slowly backed away. 'There is something powerful but wrong about his voice', Trent thougth. He didn't know why, but the Regent didn't seem right. From inside his pocket, Trent could hear Spryte crying. He would ask her about it later. The Regent grabbed Trent's hand and examined it. Letting the lad's hand go, he quickly grabbed Trent by the face and hoisted him up into the air. Of course, people gasped.
"I have a proposition, BOY.", the Regent sneered, "You go to Kuadio cave and I will have a surprise waiting for you." Trent flailed his appendages like a bug flipped upside down. The Regent's grip was so strong, it was making it hard for Trent to breath. The Regent slowly let him down and stepped his own horse back into the line. With a wave of the noble man's hand, the party was off again. Trumpet sounded, as did the royal criers, telling of the Regent's approach. The crowd gathered around Trent, eager to see what the Regent was interested in. Trent picked himself up and darted out of the crowd. He could hear Rintz calling for him to return, but he didn't care. He ran into the woods. All he wanted to do was to get away from everything and everyone. Deeper and deeper into the trees he ran. But his legs got tired and he sat to rest. He was shaking all over. Nothing like that had ever happened to him. He sat quietly and heard the birds chirping in the trees.
And he heard crying, it was Spryte.
Trent looked down into his shirt pocket and saw Spryte curled up and crying uncontrollably. He gently picked her out and placed her into his hand.
"Why are you crying?", he asked. He had never seen Spryte cry before and it worried him that she would begin now.
"I don't know", she sobbed, "Tha...that...that man, Kydil, wuh..whu..was evil." Trent gently stroked her tiny body to console her.
"Well, don't worry. He's gone. And he won't hurt you, okay?"
"Oh-okay", The little fairy sniffed, nodding in agreement. She flew up to her "giant" companion and gave him the biggest hug a fairy could give a Hylian. Sitting down on his shoulder, she leaned against him warmly.
"So, what now?", she inquired, rubbing the tears from her eyes. Trent paced back and forth, then looked down at his right hand. "We will go home, gather all our things, and head for Kuatio cave.", he responded, "I want to know what that guy was talking about. Maybe it has something to do with my birthmark. What a perfect reason to finally leave home!"
***
Trent and Spryte reached their home around mid-day. They slowly creeped into the doorway and made their way up to his bedroom. Trent immediatly began to pack all of his things when a knock on the door broke his concentration. He dropped what he was holding and went to see who it was. It so happened to be Alia.
"Trent, where have you been and what ARE you doing?", she asked. Her question wasn't so much one of frustration as it was of concern.
"I have to go on a quest, starting with Kuatio cave. The Regent of Hyrule told me so. And besides, I can feel that this is something real important. So, I'm leaving home.", he responded. His hands fidgeted nervously, " Please don't stop me. You know how I've loved adventures and this seems to be a BIG one." Alia walked up to Trent and put her hands on his shoulders.
"Then you must go. I have seen it in your eyes since you were first given to me that you would not stay here like the others. Your destiny lies out....there...somewhere." She was at a loss for words. She motioned with her hands as if to point somewhere. "You're right, you do need to leave home, it is finally time." She helped Trent and Spryte pack and gave them enough food for a night and a day. When Rintz heard about Trent's voyage, he was surprized but overjoyed. He gave Trent the family's best horse and saddle, then sent the two on their way.
By nightfall Trent and Spryte had reached the small villiage of Ubilista. Their journey had begun.
***
It was raining when Trent and Spryte arrived in Ubilista. All around, Trent could see shops and huts with candles and torches burning brightly in the night. Several of them had music eminating, but most were silent. The horse slowly walked down the cobblestone path between the buildings. To his right, he saw a doorway with a picture of a bed and goblet above it. 'Ah, an inn.', he thought. He jumped off of his horse, whom he had named Windrunner, and tied him to a post beside the door. With one tug he opened the door and stepped inside. On his left, a fire was burning and several people were gathered around a table eating food. To his right was the big, burley innkeeper, behind his desk. Trent, soaked to the bone, muscled up a little bravery and walked up to the counter. The man gave him a look of total uninterest.
"Uh, I uh, would like a room?", Trent asked sheepishly. The inn fell quiet as all turned to look at the young man.
"I dunno, would you?", the inkeeper teased, still chewing on something. Trent, feeling insulted, pounded the table and demanded, "I wanna room DAMMIT!"
"There you go!", responded the innkeeper with a grin. He handed Trent the sign in book and Trent signed it nervously. The innkeeper turned away from Trent and yelled,
"Hey, Stalla, get this boy a room!" From behind a curtain, a portly little woman emerged with a wooden spoon in her hand.
"Oh, Denit, hush up!", she chided, then turned to Trent, "Oh, my! Haven't had a fresh one here in ages. Well, we need to get you a room, won't we, yessiree. I'll get your things and take them up right away, uh-huh!" She scurried out the door and returned with Trent's belongings. Passing Trent and Denit, she made her way up the stairs.
"Better follow her.", said Denit. Trent followed Stalla up the stairs, down the hallway, and into a small but clean room. She laid his bags at the foot of the bed then wiped her hands on her apron.
"Change clothes then come back down. We'll get you something to eat.", she piped, passing Trent and heading back down the stairs. He closed the door and changed into some dry clothes. Upon returning to the main room, he was seated by a young girl of about his age. She had dark black hair which was held in a pony tail by a big red bow. Her large brown eyes were half hidden by bangs, and she had very soft features. She wore a white blouse and a green skirt. On her feet were small black shoes. 'Wow, what a babe!', he thought. For although very much a peasant girl, she was naturally beautifull. She walked back behind the curtain and returned with a plate of food. Roast Gisit (a kind of Dubatian duck), steamed vegetables, mashed Fopolic root (which was the color of yams but had a slightly spicier smell and taste), a small bowl of Yenyli gravy, and a hunk of bread. A pitcher of warm Holitu beer was already on the table. The girl set the food on the table and poured a goblet of the beer for Trent.
"Thank you.", Trent said politely as she began to walk away. She gave him a slight smile and blinked softly. He could see in her eyes that she wanted to say something back, but couldn't. She turned and proceeded to make her way to the other guests. Stella shuffled over to the lad, who was very much shoving the food down.
"Oooh, I see we have a hungry boy here, yes-yes!", she chuckled patting Trent on the shoulder, "That girl you were trying to flirt with was our maid, Kamberlee. Because she is unwed, she is not to talk to anyone but us. It is Dubatian tradition, ya' know."
'Traditions of Dubatio suck', Trent thought, still wolfing down the delicious dinner.
"But I will let you in on something," chimed Stalla, "Kamberlee is telepathic. She knows what you're thinking. And if you really open your mind to her, well...just try it sometime. I have yet to meet a man who can stay focused." With that said Stalla toddled back behind the desk. Trent finished his meal and called for Kamberlee to refill his drink. As she began to pour, Trent stared at her and tried to hear what she was thinking. Suddenly he heard a voice, a soft, sultry female voice. A light hearted music filled his mind too. 'Kamberlee?', he thought. The girl continued to fill the goblet.
'Hello adventurous one. I see you can hear me. Meet me in your room tonight, when the wolf howls, and I will tell you what you want to know.' The girl walked away. Trent was left dead silent. He sloshed down the beer and stood up to stretch. Looking around, he saw a player losing at a card game and decided to try his luck. He walked over to the card table and pulled up a chair. The other men looked at him.
"Well, gentlemen", he asked, "whats the game?"
Later that night Trent walked up the stairs with the bag of gold he had won at the card game. As he proceeded down the hallway, he heard a wolf howl. Remembering Kamberlee's words, he quietly sneaked up to his door and opened it. To his surprize he found Kamberlee laying on his bed seductively, wearing only a satin nightgown. A candle's flicker was the only source of light. There was only one thing going thru his mind, what did she want? Trent stepped into the room and closed the door. He walked over to his bed and sat down next to her, wondering what was next. Closing his eyes, he began to concentrate and tried to hear her voice again. And then, she spoke to his mind. The catchy music returned as well.
'You are the chosen one, do you know that?', she asked, sitting up.
Trent shook his head slowly. 'I have waited for you for a long, long time. I have known that you would come along.' She placed her hands on his cheeks and kissed him. 'I felt it years ago and since then, I have had the same dream off and on. A man with a fairy would save the world. And you are that man. So, ask any question and I will answer it.' She went right on kissing him.
"What is in the cave of Kuadio?", he asked, "How are you a telepath? And why do you call me 'the chosen one'?" Kamberlee grabbed Trent by the shirt and pulled him down on top of her. 'Inside the cave of Kuadio is a large spider who is protecting a treasure chest of much legend and value. He eats anyone who tries to steal it. I am telepathic because I am from a people who live south of here. I call you the chosen one because you are. Now stop trying to fight what you feel and kiss me.' Trent's emotions were ripping his heart to pieces. He had never been in this situation and knew not what to do. So he did what he thought was right. He gently pushed Kamberlee off of him and sat up.
"You need to leave. We mustn't do this.", he said. Kamberlee looked at the pillow under her. She wanted him, oh how she did. And there was so much she wanted to tell him. Abut him, about her, about them. But seeing as how he was the chosen one, she obeyed. Trent followed her to the door, only to be given the best kiss he had ever recieved. Giving in, he took her in his arms and kissed her back. A deep, emotional, passionate kiss. For a moment, time stopped. He and Kimberlee were the only ones in existance, they were one. The kiss ended only to be followed by a nice long embrace. He could smell her hair. It had a nice natural smell. One that permeates your mind and puts you at ease. He also heard her heartbeat. It seemed like the most familiar sound he had ever heard. The embrace felt like it lasted for hours. Then he let her go. They said their good-nights and she left down the hall. Trent stood there in the doorway watching her until she entered her room. Suddenly the door across from him opened. A rather gross man stepped out and gave Trent a most unkind sneer.
"Stop staring, punk!,", he jeered, "It aint nice." The man walked the length of the corridor and down the stairs. Trent turned back into his room and shut the door quietly. He ran over to his bed and flopped down onto it. For several minutes he laid there. Did he want to cry? Did he want to laugh? Both. He wanted to do everything and nothing. That girl gave him a feeling like he had never felt. He was in love and scared at the same time.
Spryte flew down onto the pillow in front of Trent. She had seen the whole thing.
"Well,", she said, "That was totaly wierd! What came over you?" Trent shrugged his shoulders and sighed.
"I dunno, I've never felt like that.", he moaned.
"And you've never acted like that either." Trent ignored her and got ready for bed. Seeing how he wasn't listening, Spryte did the same.
***
The next morning, Trent and Spryte made their way down the stairs with their belongings and ate a large breakfast. After thanking Stalla and Denit for a nice stay, they grabbed their bags and headed out the door. Suddenly Kamberlee appeared and gave Trent a big good-bye kiss. Spryte rolled her eyes.
'We'll meet again, I promise.', she communicated to him. Knowing that he had to leave, she stepped a way and Trent saddled onto Windrunner. He and Spryte rode off out of the town and towards the cave ahead. He wanted to take Kamberlee with him but realized that the spider was too dangerous, if there even was a spider.
Several hours later they arived at Kuatio cave. Inside was dark and smelled of rotting food. Trent dismounted and grabbed the sword and shield Rintz had given him. Spryte flew close by if case anything happened. The two made their way into the cave, unsure about what would come next. Deeper and deeper they went. The sound of water dripping and wind howling filled their ears. Around a corner and down a narrow corridor Trent found a small but beautiful treasure chest. Unfortunately, there were also heaps of dead soldires who tried the same thing as Trent.
"Maybe, we should leave.", Spryte whispered.
"No!", snapped Trent, "I can feel it. I'm here to get THAT." He pointed to the box with his sword. As he began to walk toward the chest, a shadow fell on him and began to grow in size. He looked up to see an enormous black spider descending upon him. Trent backflipped and it landed just between the lad and the chest.
"Itssss miiiiine!", it hissed, "And I am hunggggggryyyy!"
"Shouldn't fight on an empty stomach!", Trent chided as he lunged at the creature. It shot a rope up to the ceiling and pulled itself up just as Trent's sword swashed in the air, ready to kill it. Hanging there like a pendulum, it laughed the way most spiders did, by hissing.
"Dowwwwn I commmme!", it warned, dropping from the ceiling at a phenominal rate. Trent steadied his sword and just as it reached the lad , he hacked at its eyes with the mighty tool. Blood squirted everywhere. The big insect fell to the ground with an earth-moving slam, its eyes cleaved in two. Trent stood their panting. This was his first battle and he loved it. Regaining his breath, he made his way around the dead bohemoth and over to the chest. He kicked it open and looked inside. There he found a pair of ear-rings and a piece of rolled up parchment.
"What?", he yelled in dissapointment, "This is IT?!" Spryte flew over to him.
"Maybe those ear-rings are magical.", she chimed. Trent put them on and he could suddenly read Spryte's mind.
"Wow! I can read your mind, Spryte!", he exclaimed. The fairy was uneasy about this but felt that she had nothing to hide from him. She let him explore all areas of her psyche. A look of shock came over him.
"Spryte....I didn't know that you felt that way about me.", he whispered. Spryte's cheeks flushed.
"What? Is that wrong?", she asked.
"No...Its just that...", he didn't continue. It didn't seem fair to her if he did. He grabbed the parchment and began to read.
"Brave soul. You are the chosen one. You might know that by now or you might not. No matter. This is the beginning of your quest...your ODESSY. An evil one has set for himself a trap by leading you in this direction. You shall be his undoing. Now, take this parchment and go. Go to Brynnel. And fulfil your destiny!"
Trent backed away from the chest and ran out of the cave. Leaping onto his horse, he grabbed Spryte out of the air and shoved her into his pocket.
Turning towards the East he was about to kick Windrunner into gear when a club met his skull with full force, knocking him unconscious. He fell to the ground where three men in Arabic type clothing stood over him.
"Get him back to the ship, quickly.", one of the men said. The other two hoisted Trent onto his horse and began to run towards the eastern sea.
Spryte was shoved into a small bag which was tied shut and secured. The bag was placed into one of Trent's pockets.
Spryte had no idea what was going on. But she would find out soon enough.
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