The Legend of Terra Chapter 13

WARNING - Intense Chapter - You have been warned!

The Legend of Terra

Chapter 13: Inferno

"Terra stay here!" Alec growled as he commanded his horse to stop only a few meters away from the raging inferno in front of him.

The Hylian Knight leapt off the castle horse, his feet impacting the hard dirt beneath him sending up a small cloud of dust. He could feel the heat on his face radiating off the giant blaze that was engulfing Lon Lon Ranch. And even though it was the middle of the night both Terra and Alec could see the giant column of smoke ascending into the air and disappearing into the blackness of the night sky.

"Alec please…" Terra pleaded, clambering down the horse after the former ranch boy.

"Stay here Terra!" Alec commanded once again, turning around to face the Hylian Princess. "My mother might be in there! I have to go!" He then turned to his two-handed sword which was resting neatly on the side of the horse, and in one swift motion he reach passed Terra and pulled it out of its sheath. The black handled blade glimmered like a fire of its own in the flame-light.

"A-Alec…" Terra whimpered once again. She was afraid, afraid of the possibility of losing the boy to the inferno.

She felt the sudden soft touch of Alec grabbing her hand. "I'll be fine…I…I just have to check if my mother is safe…I have to check if she made it out…Please…Just stay here, I don't want you getting hurt Terra."

And with those words Terra felt Alec's hand pull away from her own, the fingers staying in contact as long as possible until the distance was too great. She watched as Alec slowly turned, keeping his eyes locked on her until he had to turn his head away and face the inferno that blazed in front of them both. Her knight began to step away, increasing in speed as he grew closer and closer to the flames.

Alec soon found his way to the outmost entrance of the Ranch. The wooden gate was wreathed in flames, as if the gates of the void were begin opened themselves. With one small glance he looked back at Princess Terra, she hadn't stopped looking at him. Finally, with a burst of courage Alec rushed into Lon Lon Ranch, vanishing into the mouth of flames and heat.

Terra stood there for a few moments unsure and frightened. The crackling and popping of the massive fire the burned before her sound like a choir of demons screaming out, begging her, tempting her, to come closer. It took every ounce of her being to remain where she was, her heart told her to run in after Alec, to help him. Every single fiber of her emotion was telling her to follow the knight into the inferno, but yet she stayed…Paralyzed not by fear of the flames, but by a thought deep down inside that this fire was something…more…

The Hylian Princess lost track of how long she stay watching the flames grow higher and higher…But soon…She too ran toward the mouth of flame and heat, and entered the Ranch…


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"Mother!" Alec screamed at the top of his lungs, attempting to make himself be heard over the sound of the raging fires around him. "Mother!"

Running toward the main house Alec looked for a break in the fire somewhere he could enter the building and check for any signs of Malon, his mother. To his right burned the barn, the old wood easily being burnt away to ashes. But something worked its way into Alec's nose, a stench, a stench of burning animal flesh coming from the building. Soon Alec knew that there was nothing he could do for the animals, he heard no cries coming from within the barn, and none of the ranch animals had survived long in the fire.

Arriving at once was the door of his former house Alec looked around to see if there was any sign of his mother. His old home was now almost a heap of burning wood, the ceiling had caved in on the rest of house, and Alec prayed to the goddess' that his mother wasn't inside when it happened…Alec noticed the door was open, the knight's mother must've escape before the ceiling caved in.

"Mom!" Alec cried out again, worry now clearly evident in his voice. "Mom where are you!"

Slowly he turned, attempting to find some other sign of where his mother might have been. She wouldn't have left the ranch in such a state, especially without freeing the livestock from the barn…Something was wrong….

"Mom!" He used his free hand to pull on his hair in frustration and although he didn't know it tears of worry began to stream from his eyes. "P-Please Mom, answer me!"

"A-A-Alec…" A weak voice called out from a distance, barely being able to be heard.

Alec instantly turned in the direction of the sound. "Mom? Where are you?"

"A-Alec…" The voice called again, only sounding weaker.

Looking toward the open field in the middle of the ranch Alec saw what was making the noise, a small crumpled heap of Hylian lying limply in the middle of the small clearing. The figure against the ground was fidgeting as if trying in vain to crawl toward the knight. It breathed heavily, the slow rising and lowering motion of its chest was clear in the flame light. And then finally Alec picked out something…Red Hair…

"Mom!" Alec shouted, sprinting through the flames toward the small clearing where Malon lay almost motionless against the ash and dirt. As he entered clearing he escaped the flames which had engulfed the rest of the ranch, he and his mother were now engulfed in a ring of flames, with only the way Alec came as an exit.

Malon looked up weakly from where she lay against the ground, her hand clinched against her bleeding gut. "My b-b-boy…Alec…"

Alec tossed his sword to the side as he dropped to his knees next to his mother. Using both of his strong arms he pulled her up onto his lap, her face looking up at him, a large amount of dark red liquid oozing from the side of ranch owners mouth. Malon stared up at her son with a look of awe and comfort, her hand still holding her wounded stomach tightly. With all her strength she cracked a small weak smile, her wide eyes glimmering in the firelight.

"M-Mom…"Alec cried as he was looking over his mother. He moved one of his hands onto the back of his mother's head, cradling it to keep her looking at him, while he moved to other to the bleeding wound on his mother's stomach, trying to stop the bleeding. The knight could instantly feel his hand become drenched in dark red liquid.

"Oh…Alec…" Malon whispered weakly, her pained smile slowly fading from her pale face as her strength swiftly vanished. "…Y-You've grown…Into…Such a…Wonderful young man." Her words were heavy and pitiful; each word was a struggle to create.

"Mom please…" Alec sobbed, tears now fully streaming from his eyes. "…Hold on…We are going to fix this…Just let me…I'm going to…I'll save …" But a soft touch on the side of his face stopped his words cold, his mother had moved her hand to touch his face.

"So…Handsome…Strong…Your father would be…Is…So proud…" She whispered once again, her hand limply falling from her son's face.

Alec pulled his dying mother closer to him, cradling her even more tightly. "Please…Just…Mom…Hold on…" The knight's words were broken in confusion and frustration, his clear tears dropping onto his mother's shirt, vanishing in the blood caked garment.

Malon slowly cracked another weak smile, her eyelids growing heavy. "Alec…I-I want you…To know…"

Without a word Alec broken down, his body shaking in sadness, tears streaming from his eyes. He couldn't open up his mouth to speak, but nodded, acknowledging his mother.

"…I'm so p-p-proud of you Alec…" A violent cough broken Malon's phrase, red blood spilling out of her mouth. "…Your father…He is s-s-so proud…"

"Mom…I'm going to fix this…P-Please, just hold on…" Alec sobbed once again, hoping in vain that he could find a way to save his mother.

"Your father…He-He…Loved…Loves you very much…I…I love…You so much Alec…I love you…" Tears slowly dropped from Malon's eyes, her hand attempting to touch Alec again, but limply falling back against the ground.

"M-Mom…Stay with me Mom…" Alec whimpered in between sobs.

"I'm…So sorry Alec…" Malon's body grew weaker with each word. "…I'm…So sorry I can't be there…I'm sorry I want be there when you grow up...When your training is over…When you get married…When you…When you are so happy…I'm s-s-sorry Alec…"

"Don't be Mom…I'm sorry I couldn't…" He couldn't finish his sentence, his cries becoming too great to bear. "I love you Mom…"

"H-Hyrule needs you Alec…Terra needs you…Protect them Alec…" Malon's eyes slowly began to close as her voice began to fade away.

Alec could feel his Mom slipping away in his arms. "MOM PLEASE!" He screamed through his tears.

"I-I love y-y-you Alec…" Malon whispered, he voice growing quieter with each word.

"MOM!"

"I love…"

"PLEASE!"

"I love yo…" Malon's eyes lowered a bit but were still open, her chest descended, and her head fell softly against Alec's chest…Malon was gone…

"M-M-Mom…D-Don't leave me…P-Please…Mom…" Alec whimpered, softly shaking his mom hoping to get some sort of reaction.

Alec pulled his mother against his chest as he began to sob harder and harder. His head lowered as he cried, his tears dropping against his mother's dead body. In denial he violently shook his head from side to side, sending little droplets of water from his face and into the air.

"MOM!" The knight cried loudly, tilting his head into the warm air, the word breaking into a yowl that overpowered even the sound of the fire that crackled all around him. When he couldn't scream any longer Alec's head fell, his chin coming into contact with his chest. Each little sob coming from the young knight shook the boy violently, his mother was gone, and there was nothing he could do…


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Terra ran into Lon Lon Ranch when the Alec's sorrowful bellow caught her ear. Immediately she turned her head in the direction of the sound and peering through the smoke and fire she saw a horrific sight. She saw Alec on his knees, his mother motionless in his arms. The sight made her sick and her glimmering blue eyes grew wide in shock. Terra could see Alec's body shake violently from his cries of emotional agony.

Bringing her hands up to cover her mouth she whispered a few words. "Oh no…"

The Hylian princess started taking steps forward when she noticed movement behind Alec stopping her forward progress, dark shadows moving around in the clearing where Alec held the dead body of Malon…


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"She suffered greatly boy…" A voice from behind Alec growled.

Still sobbing Alec turned his head. "What?" He groaned back, sounding dazed.

A group of chuckles erupted from the darkened figures which were now encircling the young man. "Your mother…She suffered…Greatly." The figure laughed, mocking Alec who still held the corpse of his dead mother in his arms.

"D-D-Did you k-k-kill her?" Alec sobbed, turning his head so the corner of his eye could gaze upon the approaching man.

A chorus of laughs came from the rest of the group. "Did I kill her?" The man gasped, almost offended. "Oh no-no-no, I didn't kill her…We…We killed her boy." He then motioned to the rest of his group. "It was…A group effort to put it lightly…" The man seemed pleased himself when he was describing the events.

Alec said nothing, but simply turned back to his mother, his sobs fading away to a look of numbness. Using the hand he had place on his mother's opened gut her closed Malon's half shut eyes, carful not smear the crimson liquid over his mom's face.

"…She screamed boy." The man purred fanatically, like killing for him was some kind of sick fetish. "Oh and she did scream…Your mother squealed like a small child, begging for us to stop…"

Numb, Alec slowly began to lay his mother gently on the ground. He set her in front of him on the dirt and ash, laying her head down last. The knight's eyes grew wide, his mind almost unable to take in what had just happened.

"…It's funny boy…You know?" He continued, slowly taking steps in toward Alec, as did the rest of his outfit. "It's hard to image how such a small and old woman could endure so much pain…"

Holding his shaking hands out in front of him Alec twitched, emotions running rampant through his mind. Each muscle seemed to jitter and a different direction. His stomach felt sick, he wanted to vomit. Red droplets of blood slowly dripped from his fingers and down onto the ash, not of his body, but of his mothers.

Taking pleasure in mocking the boy the man continued his verbal assault. "It's sad too…She was such a pretty old flower. If we hadn't been forced to kill her I would've loved to keep her…You know, as a pet..."

A feeling began to well up inside of Alec, a feeling deep inside the pits of his gut…A feeling that was slowly overtaking his massive grief…

"…I'm sure my friends and I would've taken great care of your mother boy…If you know what I mean…"

Alec's fingers slowly rolled themselves into fists, the nails almost breaking the skin on his palm. His eyes darted to his father's two-handed sword which lay only inches away…The feeling in his gut was growing stronger…

One of the other men took notice of the slender figure standing in the entrance way to the ranch, Terra. "Hey! Looks like this boy brought that friend the Skull Face was talking about…And boy is she pretty..."

Terra jerked back violently, watching as most of the group, besides the man verbally assaulting Alec, turned toward her with evil and dark eyes. Tears slowly dropped from her face, she had been watching the entire thing from afar, but all form of words had been taken from her mouth. The princess seemed paralyzed in fear, her legs refused to move; even the blazing heat was not enough for her body to escape.

Looking up from Alec for a second the man glanced toward the Hylian Princess and then back down at the former Ranch Boy. "Ah…I see you've brought your friend boy…Hyrule's Princess perhaps? The Skull Face told us she wouldn't be too far behind you."

Peering up slightly Alec saw Terra, her hair and dress flowing in the scorching wind of the burning ranch. His eyes grew wider, she was now in danger, and he had brought her to the ranch.

Smirking, the man called out to the rest of his group. "Oh just wait…That girl's time will come, she can't go anywhere fast." He then turned back down to Alec. "I have to admit guy…You are very lucky to snag such a beautiful bird like that. You two must be having some fun times together…" His every word was like a knife that dove deep into Alec's heart.

"Ok boss, you got it!" One of the other men called out, keeping an eye on the paralyzed Hylian girl.

"Pity…" The man continued to mock "…Just imagine…Just imagine how much fun I'm going to have with that girl…How she will scream for me to end her existence…"

Alec's eyebrows lowered, his arms began to twitch violently…

"…And just think boy…Your mother there…And that little lovely over there…What happened…What's going to happen…"

The knight's eyes locked onto his sword…

"It's…All…Your…"

A shimmer of silver light flashed in an arc through the man's neck, cutting off his words before he could finish them.

The man stumbled back. His hands rapidly grasping at his neck, his mouth wide open in shock and horror. In almost no time he dropped to his knees, his hands now clutched around his neck, a small amount of red liquid oozing between the cracks of his fingers. The man tried to speak, but the only sound that was heard was a sick gurgle coming from deep within the bandit's throat. Falling to his back the man squirmed on the ground, his eyes glancing around in horror at his fellow criminals, who were themselves still in shock of what was happening.

Soon after he hit the ground the man's movement less and less, his body fidgeting like a fish out of water. His hands fell from his neck as his head tilted backward, looking up into the sky. And with on final twitch his eyes snapped open, growing wide…And then nothing…

Terra cringed form where she stood. Her eyes were now locked onto Alec who stood imposingly above the man whose throat he had just cut open. From where she was she could see her once peaceful knight, filled with something beyond rage, something beyond revenge. Alec looked to her like someone who had just lost all emotion, his eyes looking numb to any sort of pain. Tears began to flow down her cheeks, heartbroken over what she had just witnessed between the Ranch Boy and his Mother. Something about how Alec looked now disturbed her; no longer was he showing any signs of emotional pain…Just an empty numbness…

Princess Terra watched helplessly as the group of men began to close in around the young knight.

One of the other criminals looked up from the dead man on the ground of the ranch. He glanced once to the other men who stood around him and said angrily "Looks like this kid wants to play!" Unsheathing his rusted blade he began to take steps in toward the former Ranch Boy.

Alec's head twisted to the side to gaze upon the approaching man. His dark colored eyes seeming almost black, even in the firelight. Gripping his two-handed blade tightly until his knuckles were white, he turned his body to face the new oncoming threat. The black handled blade reflected the red light as Alec turned, a dark red substance dipped off the tip and into the dirt.

"I-I-I-I'll…" Alec stuttered, struggling to form any sort of words in his torn mind.

The man moved closer, an evil and enraged grin crossing his face. "Ha! So you want to be a Hero?" And some of the other members of the criminal contingent began to sprint towards the knight as the one spoke.

"I'll…I'll…I'll kill all of you!" The knight raised the large two-handed sword high into the air, a glint of starlight flicked off the tip. And in one swift motion Alec swiped the blade downward, ripping into the man's shoulder, cleaving him from arm to the chest. Alec then pushed the blade down a bit more, severing the man's internal organs, killing him almost instantly. With one final motion Alec pulled the glistening red blade out from the man's body.

Terra screamed as she watched Alec dispatch another man, even more violently than the first, her hands covered her mouth…Turning her eyes back to her knight, she saw the black fleshy masses of the rest of the criminal group descend onto the boy…


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Link rode besides Captain Ordon toward the pillar of black smoke rising into the air in the middle of the field. Behind rode a contingent of Hylian Knights, all hastily pulled out of bed in the middle of the night at the sight the Lon Lon Ranch fire. Moving with all haste the group from the castle drew closer to the entrance of the Ranch, the amount of flames now less than before, all the fuel being burned quickly.

"Are you sure my daughter is there Ordon?" Link said frantically, calling to the Knight Captain who rode besides him.

"I'm sure of it…If Alec is there, I'm sure Terra went along with him…The two said they had some sort of business to do and left the castle together…I can guarantee that if Alec saw the fire he would've headed toward the Ranch." Ordon replied, his voice trembling because of some unknown mental fear.

"I hope they are alright…" Link murmured back, shifting his head toward the ranch fire that was quickly growing closer.

Ordon could now smell the smoke coming from the smoldering remains of the ranch, they were close. "Alec wouldn't let anything happen to Princess Terra, Link, I promise you."

"Or…Malon…Ordon…"

The captain turned his head and sped up his horse as they drew even closer to the ranch, He could now see a group of dark figures slouched outside Lon Lon Ranch's entrance. "Or Malon…" Ordon couldn't help but whisper the name.

Link jumped at the sight of the figures lying about the entrance of the ranch, barely being able to pick out who or what was sitting there. He pulled the reigns of his horse, causing to the beast to stop at few meters away from the shadowy group. The Hero could hear the distinct sorrowful yet muffled moans of a young woman, crying. On ground he could see his daughter Terra, her white and purple dress clearly marking her out from the other two on the ground. Thankfully he could see that his child was unhurt, but in some sort of emotional pain, her hands placed up against her face in an attempt to stop a massive amount of tears…Terra was on her knees, sitting next to another, both slouching over something motionless on the ground…

"Terra!" Link gasped as he leapt off of his still moving horse, quickly making his way toward his daughter.

Terra pushed herself off the ground and sprinted toward her father. "Dad!" She cried, colliding her own body with that of her dads, instantly burying her head in his green tunic.

"W-What happened Terra?" Link asked nervously, pulling his arms around his child in an attempt to comfort her.

Glancing down to the other two figures Terra could utter any words, but just buried her head deeper into Link's green garments once again.

Ordon came to a stop, his eyes rolling over the still burning ranch. The rest of the knights came to a stop around the final two figures sitting on the ground. They all looked to the ground and then to Ordon, silent shocked whispers coming from a few of their mouths, but none said anything that the Knight Captain could hear, until one of the older knight's finally spoke up.

"Captain!" He shouted sternly, causing Ordon to turn away from the remains of the ranch.

Turning his head he looked toward the older knight who had called his name. "Yes?" Ordon replied hoarsely, something was troubling him.

Saying nothing the old knight simply looked down toward the two figures on the ground, causing the captain to do the same.

Captain Ordon looked down, slowly stepping off of his horse. His eyes locked onto two figures, one lying motionless on the ground and the other slouching over it. As he drew closer, his heart sank; the figure lying motionless on the ground had familiar red hair, Malon.

"No…" The Captain groaned, stumbling a bit when he saw the woman dead on the dry ground. He then turned to the entity slouching over the body; it was his young knight, Alec.

Terra peaked up from Link's clothes, letting one of her tear filled eyes watch the reunion between Alec and Captain Ordon. She could feel Link's heart race all of a sudden, he had just found to about the woman on the ground.

Ordon fell to his knees besides the boy, using his arms to pull his gaze away from the dead corpse of his mother. The face he was greeted with turned him pale. Alec had his eyes open, tears flowing freely down his cheeks, creating small paths through the ash that had stuck itself to the young knight's face. His face was pale, his eyes wide showing his emotional agony

"Alec…Please…Tell me what happened?" Ordon whispered painfully.

But the boy said nothing, turning back to Malon's body.

A glint of light caught Ordon's eyes, he turned toward the source. Standing in the ground a distance away was the sword given to Alec, its tip stabbed into the ground. What the captain saw horrified him. The mass of the blade was covered in a thick red liquid, slowly moving down the long end of the blade.

The captain once again turned the boy toward him, grabbing his shoulders forcing Alec to look directly into the captain's eyes. "Please….Tell me what happened?" Ordon shouted once again, shaking the boy, trying to urge some response.

The look in Alec changed, his eyes fluttered heavily, and he began to fall over. Ordon quickly caught the boy, watching his eyes shut.

Watching Alec pass out Terra turned back to her father, still sobbing but not speaking.

"Captain look!" A knight shouted loudly, unsheathing his blade from his back, pointing the glimmering tip up into the air towards the column of smoke. The words broke the silence that had since filled the area.

Link and Ordon both looked up to the sky. Above them, hovering next to the tower of smoke was the Phantom. His arms were crossed as he looked down onto the grieving Hylian below him. The Phantom's glowing eyes looked down like an evil moon full of malice and hatred. With a demonic chuckle he floated backward, quickly vanishing into the smoke. As quickly as he appeared the Phantom escaped…

One of the other knights spoke up, speaking to both Link and Captain Ordon. "Shall we go after him?" He asked frantically, holding his one-handed sword tightly in his hand, eager to pursue the threat.

Ordon looked down to the passed out boy he held and then to Link and Terra. "No…Not yet…"


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Author's Notes,

Well everyone...I just want to take some time to thank you all for sticking with the story so far. It means a lot to me, and every single comment, or even mention of this story makes me happy...

I can offically say that after Chapter 13, things are going to get A LOT more interesting. I also hope that you enjoyed this chapter as much as any other.

Will there be any more romantic chapters? : Yes, there will be more. - But as you can see from reading Number 13...Things have changed...

Once again, Thanks to all of you who have helped out, read the story, commented, even created wonderful works of art based off the content within this FanFiction...It means more than you will ever know.

Thank you,

MrWatch

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