~Old ties~ (Amara and Raziel storyline)

Quiet footsteps trecked across the sands of a large dune, sand as far as the eye could see, and enough sand to cause ones eyes to water as it rushed with the wind, picking up in a direction dead opposite of the stranger's travel route. Leaving prints only to be washed away instantly due to the current of wind blasting in his direction, he continued onward without so much as a blink. It seemed as if the dust had either no effect, or visible effect on him whatsoever, as if its presence alone was nothing but a mere mirage to him. Yet it was still impossible to see outside of a certain distance, at least to his fortune he knew this place like the back of his hand. Which might be a little off considering at the moment he can't really see the back of his hand if he looked at it, but..... Whatever. Any signs of animals were gone, either hiding out or had been eaten by the lone figure during his journey. He was pretty far into the desert, after all.

He had recently obtained a message from an old friend of his, and a very close one at that. At least, he considered her more than just a simple friend, but what she considered him to be was something he really didn't know about, nor did he have any chance to ask her about it before he returned to the desert. They had been traveling for five years, and he left on the sixth, back to his home in the desert. Which pretty much is everywhere in this place. All of the sand he could claim and not a single person could complain about it. He liked it here, he didn't really see why nobody else did. Some had even crossed this desert as a sort of challenge. Of course, the challenge itself was surviving this harsh place, not making it across. If one simply tried to walk across the dunes, they would fall into a bed of quicksand and slowly suffocate to death. It's happened a few times before, and it's nothing short of sad to watch. He didn't really enjoy it, and he would at least try to save them. Yet he learned after saving one of them his valuable mistake, as they made an attempt at his life. Unfortunately, they usually forget who just saved them, so he only had to push them back in and walk away. Let them die if they're going to act that way.

That's not exactly the kind of hero he read about in the storybooks he came across during his desert travels, but it was necessary if he himself didn't want to die horribly. For all he knew, they may have pushed him in, then what would he do? Of course, he could twist his way out, only to be pushed back in. And this would happen over and over again until he finally succumbed. At least there wasn't anything like this going on today. He certainly didn't enjoy confrontations like that, and he even knew the direction of their home base at the edge of the desert. This was exactly why he was stuck in a sand storm, because he decided to take the long way around without risking being caught by those "savages", as he appropriately called them. He hadn't really come across anything at all today, so he was rather hungry. Seeing as he's been here for so long though, he was used to hunger. He would simply feed himself by going to the town if he felt like it.

His partner was the only reason he even knew where the town was. The stories he read always talked about towns and ranches, even a big lake full of fish, but he couldn't really guarantee that the information was completely accurate and said exactly where it was. Much to his misfortune, it wasn't very accurate at all, as if a newbie writer had drawn a rather strange looking map by using words. The advancement of his speech also came from the stories he had read. He couldn't explain exactly how or why he knew what some of the words said, but by slowly pronunciating the things he did not understand and matching whatever definition he could with how the word sounded, he was at least most of the time correct. Along the way, he had come to master many different languages, other than his own Hylian tongue.

He couldn't help but smile at his fortune. If it wasn't for her, he would never have gone this far. Ever. He couldn't express his thanks to her no matter what language he spoke, or how many times he said it. Now that she had given him a meeting spot so they could see each other after such a long time, how could he possibly resist this opportunity? Pulling out the envelope that was sealed in a bottle not far from where he was sleeping, he could guess the mailman had run by and dropped it there so that he could find and read it. Looking at the torn envelope and analyzing the detailed corners of the white piece of paper, he withdrew its contents and gave it one more look before reading it over one more time:

After finishing reading what she had wrote him, he could only guess the time he awoke. According to the direction the wind was going, he was approximately one hour until the deadline. Perfect. He could at least make it to Lake Hylia given fourty-five minutes, at most. That is, if he didn't run. Considering how fast these winds were moving, he might actually be a bit slower than he thought. But as long as he stayed within that fifteen minute lateness margin, he should be fine. The wind would probably only slow him down to about ten minutes, at least.

Yet to some surprise, he saw the edge of sands at his feet. He had been looking down for some time while fumbling to put the letter back into a pouch he had at his waist before he noticed this. He also couldn't feel the pressure of the winds anymore. Looking up, he found himself looking at sunshine. The distance castle walls of the town to his left, and the smell of water entering his nostrils mentioning that lake Hylia was not too far ahead. His sense of smell was rather keen, he could pick it up even from this distance. Well, he was early, this was unexpected. It would only take a small ten minute walk now. Perhaps he did not know as much about the desert as he thought?...... No, that's impossible. He'd been living there for most of his life.

Taking another step toward the lake, he found he no longer had a need to cover his mouth with the scarf he wore. Digits tugged at the cloth until his mouth was exposed, a stoic expression on his face. It was neither a smile nor a frown, it was just normal. He would save his smile for when he saw Amara. With a sigh, he took the last step across the sands until he met with grass, the next part of his long walk, and it was almost over. Taking the time to look around a bit at a land he had not seen in a full year, he still remembered all of its beautiful features. The foundations of a temple located in a vast forest wondered him the most. He could only wonder what that place was used for. It was mentioned several times in his books, yet there was no mention of its importance. He shrugged before focusing back to where he was going. He watery smell only continued to strengthen until it became little more than second nature to him, so that he didn't sense it any longer. Passing by a long brick wall he came across a large metal gate which had blocked his path. An obstacle he could overcome by smashing straight through it, but he was not one to use sheer force, but rather find unique ways of advancing without risking political consequences. If he smashed it while somebody was watching, they would arrest him. It's almost happened before, at least Amara was there to stop him before he did something he would regret. That was back when he didn't have much knowledge of the outside world.

He let out a sigh as his knees bent and extended in a rapid motion faster than a human could possibly do, throwing him skyward like a spring, at an angle that went right over the gate. Landing with a soft thud as he collided against grass, his knees buckling without locking up so that he could avoid damage to his legs. Standing up soon after he continued to walk. All that was left to do was pass a small canyon and he would arrive at lake Hylia.

After some time of walking, he came across the end of this small canyon, and gazed upon the sight he had been waiting to see for some time. The endless view of water, lake Hylia, the form of a house on a hill. He was told this was the house of a scientist bent on the study of aquatic animals and such, storing some in a large container within the house which would stretch down several feet, there was even a sort of meter in the wall, measuring just how far down the creatures preferred to thrive. Could this be the study of how deep some creatures could survive in water, or was it just another experiment? It didn't really matter, the treatment of those animals was at least fair, despite being stuck in a rather closed-in chamber. But he did know about a sort of tunnel kept exclusive to the more dangerous creatures, which would eat the other smaller animals and make things more complicated to experiment with.

Looking a bit more to the left he saw the broken view of the water temple beneath the clear waters, pillars leading up to it sticking out of the waves, designs of things he could not comprehend being somewhat new to this large view despite him having visited this place a few times before. To his surprise, he saw..... His companion, sitting near the edge of the lake? Was this a dream? He didn't imagine that she would be this early. He also saw the presence of a single fairy, given that the other had taken off to check on a few things. He did manage to catch a glimpse of it as it fluttered off to a place he found hard to think about. He found it somewhat unbelievable that a fairy would decide to accompany a Hylian, after all he only knew of one person that ever got that circumstance, and that was the hero of all the stories he had read. He didn't think he'd actually see something like that in person.

But not thinking much more about it, he immediately broke into a run, not wanting to waste another moment without saying his greetings to his old friend. He closed the distance in quite some short time, reaching the spot at the entrance of the lake where he found her sitting down. He fixed his posture despite having worn himself out in the long walk, not to mention that running speed he did and the sudden stop made him even more tired than he was before. He looked down at her and sat next to her, one leg bent and the other held out straight. He looked toward her and smiled, wanting for her to say something before feeling something tug away at his sleeve. Looking over, he found a small glowing ball with tiny wings. What was this thing doing here of all places? And it wasn't either of the two he had seen before. It buzzed around his head a few times before locating the bag he had at his waist. He realized that it was open and the small thing flew in it, only poking its body out a few times looking at Raziel before staying down.

At least now he had the time to speak before being interrupted, but now the question raised in his mind about what this fairy was even doing here. But, pushing this aside, he gave a smile toward his partner, wanting to speak himself but not quite finding the right words. He was a bit lost, this wasn't very rare for him. Somebody would ask him a question and he would run through several possible answers before picking the one that seemed it made sense the most out of the others, then he would speak. His mouth opened but he quickly shut it and put his hand to his lips, looking away and somewhat down as he couldn't find what to say. But alas, he looked toward her a final time and blurted out the next thing that came to mind.

"So..... What's up?"

His face turned red and he tried to hide it by covering his face with both hands, that was not exactly what he intended to say. Without really moving, he felt the pressure of the same odd fairy he just met press against the side of his face, it was obviously urging him on. Telling him it was alright, and it wasn't the worst thing he could have said. He uncovered his face and smiled again while the odd fairy landed on his shoulder and sat there. He wasn't completely sure if this was a companion or something that was just going to depart after a while. He wasn't sure if fairies got bored or not, or if they were loyal. He just was happy to know he now had more than a single companion with him, even if it wasn't permanent. His fingers moved through Amara's long dark hair while he opened his mouth to speak once more.

"I meant to say, what is it that you wanted? And, I'm happy to see you again."

Of course he nodded along to what Amara was saying, but the mentioning of the night they had before had him puzzled for a moment. He thought back several years and found his answer, the one he had been waiting for. He watched as she became flustered as to what to say, she came to terms with her nervousness and made a notion toward the fairy whose name was Teal. It nodded and flew off for a moment, only to return not that long later with two small children, one looking like a child-like version of himself, and the other just like Amara. He guessed who these two were and what connection they had with him, only to be confirmed as Amara told him they were in fact, their children. The young boy's appearance was rather normal, his hair dark and eyes yellow. He didn't want to look at Raziel, who knew for a fact it was his son, while even the sister of the two could not look at the father they both had not seen in five years. Or perhaps, had not seen at all until this point.

His son having the attitude of the two, didn't seem as happy to see his father as the young girl was. Amara had introduced the young two to Raziel, making them appear even more nervous than before, the younger girl having hid behind her mother's back while the boy simply backed away out of surprise. Raziel had a surprised look on his face, which he hid a moment later with a smile, any sense of nervousness taken away by something as simple as an expression. Having been motioned toward him, Raziel got down on one knee as they greeted him with a hello. Putting his hand on both of their heads, he closed his eyes for a moment and thought about what sort of future he were to have with his children. He could expect something troubling and dramatic if they were to seek trouble in some form, and he would act to keep them safe in their time of need. But as for right now, he simply had to make himself known. Hugging them both closely, he spoke after being stuck on words.

"My children..... I'm sorry I haven't been there, but I promise I won't leave ever again."

Smiling, he looked up at Amara in order to let her know he was sincere about what he said. He didn't make promises he wouldn't keep. At least, he didn't know how to break a promise. He would leave his home behind if it meant he had the chance to stay with Amara for the rest of his life. Was he this crazy about her, that his home meant little to him in comparison to her? Letting the children go, he stood up and walked over to Amara and wrapped his arms around her in a hug. If he would have previously known about his children he would have returned sooner, it was that he didn't know that kept him away for so long. But how could he express this? He didn't have any words left to say except:

"I'm sorry....I will not leave ever again, I promise...."

The now father of two children, he noticed his daughter seemed happy enough to shed tears. As he expected of his son, he was there to comfort her, just as a brother normally should. His son didn't seem the least bit ready to cry either, showing signs of emotional strength as well as aptitude. Amara had whispered into his ear, making him smile at what she said. He didn't pay much attention to the minor argument the two fairies were having with each other. But as for now, he didn't have much more to say. He was somebody that liked to show proof of what he was going to do, not talk about it.

"Of course, I'm here to stay this time."

Raziel answered to the question his twin children had asked him, in a way directed to Amara as well. There wasn't a moment in the time he spent away that he hadn't been thinking about them, he felt reluctant when he had left in the first place. But there were things he needed to take care of before he became a father. Still though, they had lived their lives without his guidance all this time, he felt respectful to his wife and all she had done to make sure they stay on the road of light. He had seen firsthand what the road to darkness looked like, and he didn't like what the end of that road showed. Nothing good would come of that, even the way leading to it was nonstop pain. A road of suffering, only to end in more suffering. He didn't see much worth in it, himself. It was he himself that strayed this way, but someone he knew, which he had first met when he was taken outside of his desert homeland. But now wasn't the time to focus on an old friend of his, now was a different time. He has a family, and he was going to take care of them from this point on. He let go of Amara and looked into her differently colored eyes for a small moment before turning away. He put his hand on both of his twin's head and gave them a smile. He wouldn't need to tell them about it any more.

The breeze carried on, unnerved by the scene developing in its wake. It swayed the trees, causing them to rock in random directions. The grass swerved along in quiet synchronization. Raziel stood up in this environment and looked off in the direction of the forest, knowing well enough where his new home would be found. He admitted quietly to himself, he didn't know exactly where the house was. But surely Amara would lead him back there, right? He looked over to her, as if to quietly mention to her it was time to go home. He hoped she would at least understand. After all, he spent so much time in the desert, it felt nice to stay somewhere else now.

Raziel was glad to see he finally had a home with a family, but wondered if he could handle a life like this as easily as he thought considering the fact that he had been living in the desert pretty much all of his life. Or, for the most part, at least. Becoming deeply drawn into his thoughts for a moment, he had to wonder what it was like in the forest homes. To live in a bed, to not wake up at the sounds of the morning desert winds whistling against the edges of the hut he lived in, to not constantly be spooked by the fact is was constantly hard to breathe, even some of the desert animals were dangerous to be around. There wasn't much in terms of food, except for those animals, but one had to be careful if they wanted to avoid being eaten themselves, or poisoned by what they ate. Raziel fortunately had a book containing information about the species of the desert animals somewhere in the collection he had back at his house, which to his dismay he had left behind. But he promised he wouldn't go back ever again, even if it meant leaving everything behind.

He snapped out of his daydream when he heard Amara clap her hands three times. It definitely got his attention, as well as everybody elses. He had to refrain from laughing just a little bit knowing just how well she had control over her children, and the two fairies. She announced it was time to head home, leaving Raziel more excited than he had been before. IT was one of the first times he had ever been excited about something before. He wasn't just visiting outside of the desert for a while, he was going to live outside of it. In a way, he was a bit nervous. His usual formal attitude became something a bit more suitable to what he was feeling at the moment, sometimes even slipping up on what exactly he wanted to say.

That was until his children ran to his sides and took his hands, both of them giving him a warm smile from either side. Raziel gave them both a kind smile in return, when they had asked him what it felt like to live in the arid desert. The place was dangerous and didn't hold much in terms of safety. He wondered for a moment just what he should tell them if he didn't want them to worry about him. He thought he should leave out the part about the Gerudo base, which was edging the very desert he claimed as his home. They never gave him much trouble though, since they couldn't make it very far in without getting lost. Perhaps this is also what happened with Raziel as he was making his way back to Hylia lake?

"The desert is a dangerous place, and I'm glad to be back here with all of you. I'm more than happy to leave it behind."

He spoke as honestly as he could without trying to sound too remorseful. He had to be a little sad, as he was leaving his childhood home behind. But he was going to a place he would be more happy with, and living with a person he was more than willing to risk his life for. Not only that, but now he had more than one person to protect with his life, and he wasn't about to back out of it after he made them all a promise. He looked onward to the opening in the trees just beyond the canyon which lead to the Hyrule field. He could just barely make out the two trees which arced over the entrance-way to the Kokiri forest, which he believed is where they would be going. But he would of course get lost on his own trying to get there. He had to place his trust in Amara. He looked over to her and said with a smile:

"Lead the way, honey."