"GOODNESS!" And it was probably as close to an expletive as anyone had ever heard from the Princess' mouth. Gasping behind him as the great worm sailed toward the sky, like a castle tower suddenly sprouting from nothing. She was glad he was ready to defend himself, and even happier that Epona held such a swift speed. Carrying them across the sand, her hooves hitting in such precise, practiced ways that it was almost like they were floating.
Peach, for her part, just held tight as was asked of her. Crushing herself into his back and ducking her head to avoid the spilling, whirling sand that threatened to shower them. It wasn't until they had made some distance-- safe or otherwise, that she squeaked out another few words. "What an awful creature." Not that it was to be hated, animals were animals after all, but it was terrifyingly large and could probably swallow the lot of them whole; and while she had empathy for such things, she also wanted to make it home. Wanted to be safe-- her companions included.
"I've never---" she began, catching a bit of sand and trying to, politely, sputter it into her elbow. "Oh my word." A huff sounded, the breath heavy and ruffling some of the hairs at the back of his neck.
"Ever seen one of those before?" he called to her, a smile on his face. His blood was pumping and the excitement of the chase--no matter how dangerous--was clearly something that he enjoyed. Epona galloped across the dunes, her hooves clapping on the soft sand but never missing a step. Even as she charged up rolling dunes and across slowly shifting sand she held her footing. It was something that Link had come to expect of her, but it was no less exceptional.
"You're telling me," he agreed. "I knew creatures like this one were supposed to exist below the desert but they're usually peaceful." He didn't have to guess at the reason: "Ganondorf," he said without any further explanation. Did he need any? The ground rumbled again and Epona dashed forward: this time the creature burst out of the sand right behind them, showering both riders and horse. He tore free from Epona's saddle a fluttering cloth and handed it to her. "Here! Use this to cover your mouth, like a scarf."
Again came the roar of the giant beast, starving for the riders. Or enraged at something he couldn't imagine.
"Ah!" She jolted, gripping him tighter, if briefly before he offered her the cloth and she did her best to tie it under her eyes. Knotting it behind her head and making sure to tuck it down over her mouth. She was glad for that, at least. The feeling of sand in her teeth had never, ever, been an appealing one. Swallowing back any words she allowed herself to ease back, if only because he may have need of more movement than a Princess strapped to his back would allow.
"He just likes to be awful, doesn't he?" Even her ill words of the man were poised, tinged with that polite kindness that she was raised to express. "These poor creatures." It only served to make her feel sorry for them; should they want to be docile, being riled up only to hurt others, or themselves? It seemed cruel, but fitting of the man who had captured her and brought her here. The darkness in his gaze was something she had never seen before.
Bowser was a monster, in literal terms, but he did not scare her like that man had.
"Oh-- oh.." A little panic rose up as again a roar shook the sands, sucking it down like a whirlpool. "What do we do?"
"He does," Link agreed, looking back at Peach to find that she'd--somehow--made the scrap of cloth look attractive. He shook his head in wonder and turned to face forward again. "He's done worse than this worm," he said grimly, his mind flashing back to cities afire and hundreds dead. War was always, always awful. And anyone who willingly perpetrated it was doubly so.
"I've got an idea," the hero grinned. "Fish around in my pack behind you. Take out something big and round, alright?
There were several items that came close to that description. A shield, perhaps, a gem, even a seed--but the only one that matched it exactly fit in about two hands, was blue at the bottom and gray at the top, and with a small rope leading from the very tip of it. A bomb.
Behind them the worm crashed into the sand and, as if knowing exactly what her master wanted, Epona came to a grinding halt. The rumbling continued all around them, moving erratically, as if it was searching for something to home onto.
She did as asked, finding the sphere with a bit of trouble-- though that was probably, at least partially, due to her nervously. Finding the bomb she stared at it, then him, then it before she reaffirmed her grip. She had no experience with these kinds of things-- that was always Mario's element. Plumber he might be. She squeezed her eyes closed thinking about it-- but she had to trust Link. He had gotten her this far, had he not?
Though when Epona began to slow, it made her heart pick up. Seeing the sand shift, and thrash, as the massive worm seemed to be hunting still. It made her afraid, admittedly, but she forced herself to put her trust in him.
"What do I do now?" She asked, hoping he could tell her what to do-- or that he would take charge, as the princess felt stranded under this kind of unexpected danger. She didn't want to be useless, but all the same she didn't want to mess things up.
Epona stopped quick enough, but it was clear she was nervous. She shifted carefully from side to side, whinnying quietly. Link stroked her mane and patted her head, speaking to her in hushed tones, humming a few bars to a familiar, haunting song. "Don't worry," he whispered to the princess, in as calming a tone as he could. "You're doing well. I want you to snap this stick," he handed her a twig with its end coated in what looked like paint, the surface rough and slightly sticky. "And I want you to touch it to the fuse. Then I want you to throw the bomb back behind us, as far as you can. Do you think you can do that?"
He stroked Epona's neck as she nervously swayed: beneath the ground they could hear the rumblings of the worm burrowing through the ground. At some times it seemed almost like it would go away, but then inevitably the worm would return with a vengeance, uncomfortably close, like it sensed their careful breathing or the thumping of their hearts.
"If you don't think you can throw it, I can," he told Peach after a moment. "But I think you can do it. You throw, and we'll ride."
"Okay, okay." She breathes a heavy sigh, thinking it all over for a long moment-- or it felt long, but really she knew they didn't have much time at all. Allowing herself to snap the stick, she watched the fire ignite, lighting the fuze and listening to the sizzle. It reminded her of the Bob-ombs of home-- though not quite alive.
She threw the torch behind them, watching the ground rumble and waiting a few precious seconds before tossing the bomb with it. She had to trust Link, after all, if she wanted to make it through all of this alive. And sane. He had yet to lead her wrong and she had to put her trust in him. Reeling back she slung an arm around him, holding tight now that the giant worm seemed to be closing in on the area she had thrown the bomb; sensing the movement no doubt.
Link watched the Princess steel herself and then follow his instructions, and a warm glow of pride heated his chest: when they'd started their journey, he hadn't been certain if she would be able to act when things got hairy. But either he had been wrong, or their trip was already beginning to change her: Peach still carried herself with the same grace and elegance, but evidently she could handle herself as well.
Although he hadn't expected her to throw the stick.
Her soft arm wrapped around him and he grinned into the softly blowing wind. He braced himself against Epona, readied his heels-- "Hiyah!"
The horse surged forward with a speed that was shocking given the ground and her previous standstill. And it was a good thing: a rumbling in the ground had begun the second the torch had hit the ground and grown louder, louder, louder! The giant worm exploded outwards from the sandy dunes, grabbing the bomb and scattering sand in all directions. Epona was barely ahead of the thing, just fractions of a second away from her hooves being caught in the shifting sands and dragged into the waiting mouth. The worm charged into the sky and hung there for a single, impossible second... and then began the long fall down, closer to Epona than was comfortable.
And as it came down, a loud explosion echoed across the desert, muffled inside the thing's maw, and was answered by a loud feral keen.
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Peach, for her part, just held tight as was asked of her. Crushing herself into his back and ducking her head to avoid the spilling, whirling sand that threatened to shower them. It wasn't until they had made some distance-- safe or otherwise, that she squeaked out another few words. "What an awful creature." Not that it was to be hated, animals were animals after all, but it was terrifyingly large and could probably swallow the lot of them whole; and while she had empathy for such things, she also wanted to make it home. Wanted to be safe-- her companions included.
"I've never---" she began, catching a bit of sand and trying to, politely, sputter it into her elbow. "Oh my word." A huff sounded, the breath heavy and ruffling some of the hairs at the back of his neck.
no subject
"You're telling me," he agreed. "I knew creatures like this one were supposed to exist below the desert but they're usually peaceful." He didn't have to guess at the reason: "Ganondorf," he said without any further explanation. Did he need any? The ground rumbled again and Epona dashed forward: this time the creature burst out of the sand right behind them, showering both riders and horse. He tore free from Epona's saddle a fluttering cloth and handed it to her. "Here! Use this to cover your mouth, like a scarf."
Again came the roar of the giant beast, starving for the riders.
Or enraged at something he couldn't imagine.
no subject
"He just likes to be awful, doesn't he?" Even her ill words of the man were poised, tinged with that polite kindness that she was raised to express. "These poor creatures." It only served to make her feel sorry for them; should they want to be docile, being riled up only to hurt others, or themselves? It seemed cruel, but fitting of the man who had captured her and brought her here. The darkness in his gaze was something she had never seen before.
Bowser was a monster, in literal terms, but he did not scare her like that man had.
"Oh-- oh.." A little panic rose up as again a roar shook the sands, sucking it down like a whirlpool. "What do we do?"
no subject
"I've got an idea," the hero grinned. "Fish around in my pack behind you. Take out something big and round, alright?
There were several items that came close to that description. A shield, perhaps, a gem, even a seed--but the only one that matched it exactly fit in about two hands, was blue at the bottom and gray at the top, and with a small rope leading from the very tip of it.
A bomb.
Behind them the worm crashed into the sand and, as if knowing exactly what her master wanted, Epona came to a grinding halt. The rumbling continued all around them, moving erratically, as if it was searching for something to home onto.
no subject
Though when Epona began to slow, it made her heart pick up. Seeing the sand shift, and thrash, as the massive worm seemed to be hunting still. It made her afraid, admittedly, but she forced herself to put her trust in him.
"What do I do now?" She asked, hoping he could tell her what to do-- or that he would take charge, as the princess felt stranded under this kind of unexpected danger. She didn't want to be useless, but all the same she didn't want to mess things up.
no subject
He stroked Epona's neck as she nervously swayed: beneath the ground they could hear the rumblings of the worm burrowing through the ground. At some times it seemed almost like it would go away, but then inevitably the worm would return with a vengeance, uncomfortably close, like it sensed their careful breathing or the thumping of their hearts.
"If you don't think you can throw it, I can," he told Peach after a moment. "But I think you can do it. You throw, and we'll ride."
no subject
She threw the torch behind them, watching the ground rumble and waiting a few precious seconds before tossing the bomb with it. She had to trust Link, after all, if she wanted to make it through all of this alive. And sane. He had yet to lead her wrong and she had to put her trust in him. Reeling back she slung an arm around him, holding tight now that the giant worm seemed to be closing in on the area she had thrown the bomb; sensing the movement no doubt.
"Go!"
no subject
Although he hadn't expected her to throw the stick.
Her soft arm wrapped around him and he grinned into the softly blowing wind. He braced himself against Epona, readied his heels--
"Hiyah!"
The horse surged forward with a speed that was shocking given the ground and her previous standstill. And it was a good thing: a rumbling in the ground had begun the second the torch had hit the ground and grown louder, louder, louder!
The giant worm exploded outwards from the sandy dunes, grabbing the bomb and scattering sand in all directions. Epona was barely ahead of the thing, just fractions of a second away from her hooves being caught in the shifting sands and dragged into the waiting mouth. The worm charged into the sky and hung there for a single, impossible second... and then began the long fall down, closer to Epona than was comfortable.
And as it came down, a loud explosion echoed across the desert, muffled inside the thing's maw, and was answered by a loud feral keen.