Legend of Zelda: Curse of the Zonai - Chapter 5

Chapter 5

 “In vision I beheld colossal statues of the great Hylia and a command to repair the five goddesses and consecrate a sixth. In turn She, the great Goddess Hylia, would bestow a daughter to my wife and I. Know I only of one such statue to the Goddess, where then could be the other four?” – Personal diary of King Aldert Coen Hyrule

 

Luro carefully transferred the glyphs and pictures from the tablet onto Danue’s journal. He’d been doing this for three days. One of the other men in their company had marginal medic training from an order of physicians before he decided to join the new Hyrule military. He’d done his best to set the bones that had been crushed and bandage up Danue’s foot. He returned several times a day to check on the young researcher.

“Your bones were broken in several places, it’s impossible to tell if they will all heal completely.” His tone was somber and left Danue in a momentarily fallen state.

“I’m back.” Luro ducked under the canopy where Danue had been propped up in a chair each day since their arrival. He handed the book to the young researcher with the page open to the work he’d been doing. Danue excitedly pulled the book from Luro’s hands and began studying to markings. Luro watched confounded at his excitement, all traces of the bad prognosis momentarily pushed aside. You’d never know by looking at his expression that his foot had been crushed three days prior.

“It says here that a powerful magic was found somewhere special, no sacred. The greatest warrior mages used it to make themselves stronger in battle.” Luro listened to the stories, realizing that they’d not been heard for possibly thousands of years. “The darkness became too great to control and the grand warrior mages sealed it.” 

“So they were warriors and magic users.” Luro sighed. He’d believed that his own people may have been descended from the Zonai, but it was seeming more and more impossible. Even if they were so, what would the fierce Zonai warriors think of their fisherman descendants? Despite this, he wanted to know more. He looked at the sword he’d kept with him since the mission had begun. He suddenly felt like he should practice with it more. If his ancestors really were Zonai, he wanted to least be able to defend himself. 

“Hey!” Danue shouted. Luro snapped out of his thoughts. “I was thinking. Could you help me get to the spot where you found this?” He pointed to the last page in his journal.

Luro shrugged. “That injury could have killed you. If I were you, I’d take it easy for the next few weeks.” He cracked a smile. He’d never been pushed by a great desire for anything in his life before, not like Danue, but he was beginning to understand how that felt. His old self would have taken months off for such an injury. Now, he had begun to feel motivation for something other than fishing all day. He shook his head as he strapped the sword on his back before lifting Danue up. He wasn’t sure if he liked the idea of not wanting to be lazy anymore.

 

Hoz held his sword in front of him and Luro mirrored the stance. 

“Now, maneuver like I showed you. Then look for an opening.” Hoz instructed. Sweat had long since soaked Luro’s shirt and pants, although his pant legs had gotten thoroughly drenched from practicing on the water-covered ground. The two had been at it for an hour, which was about fifty-five minutes longer than Luro wanted. They wove around the fallen rocks and pillars, water splashing with each step. After another set of blocks and another mock battle, Hoz called a break. 

They sat down on a fallen pillar to eat.

“So you’re here to learn about the pendant on your necklace?”

“I guess, but it’s more than that. My father is the leader of our village and my brother is supposed to be his successor.” 

Hoz listened with interest. “So your brother’s the leader of your village, and you left?”

“He isn’t yet, but the people in town don’t speak well of my brother, he has a gambling problem. I don’t want to be in charge or anything, but there were some rumors around town about how I should take his place. My father is very traditional and believes only the oldest can be the leader. I guess he thought if I was gone, people there would support my brother.” Luro said, focusing on his meat and rice wrap.

“Your father sent you away?” Hoz replied in an astonished tone.

“It’s not that big of a deal I guess.” Luro said, trying to play it down. 

“So you’re trying to find your own place in the world.” Hoz surmised. Luro didn’t respond. He hadn’t set out to do anything really but follow his father’s orders. Then he met Mie. She put aside her own desires for adventure to help her family. Hoz and Danue were both serious about their positions as well. It made Luro feel like he needed a purpose. Nothing had ever come to him. He wasn’t born the leader of his people. He wasn’t meant to be anything. He had to make his own purpose, he just wasn’t sure yet what that was.