WELCOME TO THE TRIAL OF COURAGE…
The Mythicals gasped with awe. The cave seemed endless, yet it was only built into a thick, stone wall. Skeletons of dead dragons and birds lay on the floor. Moss infested the walls, and spiky vines grew from the roof.
OKAAY. IT’S ALL READY. YOU CAN START NOW.
“Well, we just walk to the end, I guess.” Peachu said, shrugging.
“Wrong,” Beakfall said. “Walk to the end bravely and confidently.”
“Whaddaya mean?” Birdhead asked.
Zip…
“Didn’t we go through this already?” Birdhead sighed.
Puff, puff.
“Hm?”
Hiss, puff.
Birdhead glanced around. Light purple smoke floated around him. “Hello? Beakfall? Myrtlelana? Zelda? Melody? Peachu? Lionessfire? Everybody?”
Hiss, puff, puff, puff.
“Sorry?”
Puff, hiss.
A small cloud of light green blew into the purple mist followed by an orange colour. It formed the shape of a dragon, with a tiny orange bird hovering next to it. “What…?”
The dragon grew red eyes and towered over the bird. “FAIL…”it hissed.
The shapes faded away, and instead a shape of a yellow lion with wings took their place.
“‘Destruction and war; evil and ruins
No tread of light, no trail of hope
An age of not anger, an age of not malice,
But the Incarnation of Hatred…’
Fail… and face the truth…”
Birdhead yelped. “No, no…”
Fight it, a voice said in his head. It’s fake…Fight it…
A cloud of black floated towards in front of him, with bright yellow eyes.
“Die…”
Fight it…
“You die,” Birdhead snarled, and blew the cloud away with his wing.
“BIRDHEAD!” Myrtlelana yelled.
“We thought you were…eaten!” Melody gasped.
“We did not,” Beakfall snapped. “All I was aware of was that you said, ‘You die.’”
“Ohhh, hmm,” Birdhead lied, trying to end the conversation. “I did?”
The long, endless pathway stretched still, further than the naked eye could see. The Mythicals continued to walk the long path.
“AAAAARGH!”
“Eh? MYRTLELANA!” Peachu screamed.
A dark shape flung a large cage over its victim.
Clink, clink.
It fiddled with the top of the cage for a second, obviously setting some spell on it, and in a split second, it pulled it up with Myrtlelana in it.
“HELP!”
Birdhead looked helplessly at Beakfall.
“You are the leader, so show it.” he said quietly.
Behind the shape of the grand hippogriff, purple mist formed around the rest of the Mythicals.
You are the leader.
Birdhead nodded nervously and flew up towards the lifting cage. A soft breeze came from the flap of his wings. He took a deep breath and blew out a trail of fire to the top of the cage, where a spiral blue tail held onto a chain, connected to the metal roof.
Hrrrr…
The fire hit the tail, but it did not do anything to the metal cage. Myrtlelana groaned as the mysterious mythicimal shook its tail wildly to shake the fire off, and that was when Birdhead noticed the dark shape of a grey dragon hovering in the sky, almost perfectly blending into its surroundings.
Myrtlelana toppled over in the cage and yelled, “BIRDHEAD! It’s no use – just tell Beakfall to help. We’re a team still, aren’t we?”
Her expression was hopeful and sad. Birdhead understood.
But as if he had been listening the whole time, Beakfall flashed up, past the cage, and crashed right into the camouflaged dragon. The cage dropped and went tumbling down to the rocky ground. “HELP!” Myrtlelana screamed.
On the ground, the Mythicals were briskly out of the mist; Lionessfire ducked into the shape of a sneaking dragon, wings outstretched, and swiped them inwards, creating a gust of wind powerful enough to change the course of the cage – making it so it did not have such a rough landing. It landed perfectly on the bottom.
“How do I get out?” Myrtlelana cried.
Back in the sky, Beakfall tackled the camouflaged dragon, and it roared, flapping its wings quickly, trying to force the hippogriff away. Beakfall did not move a muscle; he growled, charging into the dragon, turning it into a puff of purple smoke.
Beakfall hurriedly returned to the ground.
Lionessfire pointed at the enclosed cage.
“Birdhead.” Beakfall nodded.
“But – I?” Birdhead replied, “What – ?”
He tried breathing fire on the metal bars. Nothing happened, except Myrtlelana jerked away in fear.
“This is a Trial of Courage,” Beakfall said, rolling his eye.
He lifted his claw and put it on the rightmost bar of the cage. Slowly, it started to melt, but following with the melting scene, an ominous glow started to flow around Myrtlelana, making her feathers start to turn a dark shade of grey. Birdhead tried holding the cage with his shaking wing, nervous of what might happen to Myrtlelana.
“You are trembling with fear. That will not help,” Beakfall informed.
Myrtlelana stared at him with hope in her aqua eyes, which seemed to be fading yellow.
“I can’t do it; I can’t control it! It’s like I can’t remember what courage is,” Birdhead whimpered.
“Birdhead,” Beakfall hushed. “Courage does not need to be recalled.Listen, Birdhead. Courage need not be remembered, for it is never forgotten.* Do you hear me?”
Birdhead nodded. “But what will happen to Myrtlelana?”
Beakfall smiled. “She will become more brave: More courageous.”
The phoenix gulped. “But I can’t make courage! It’s…not possible!”
“Look, Birdhead, I understand you care.” Myrtlelana sighed. “But I’m only one phoenix, aren’t I? In any way, I’m still your friend. I’m still me, always there. Birdhead – we only just met!”
Lionessfire joined Zelda and Beakfall.
“But…”Birdhead replied. “I…”
Myrtlelana smiled. Her feathers turned dark, and a bright, red fang marks revealed on her right wing. The cursed cage began to collapse, and Melody lifted her claw to join in as well. Peachu landed on the falling cage and placed one of her leaves onto the metal surface.
The bars cracked open, and Myrtlelana’s eyes started to turn into an eerie glow of red. A little hole formed, but it was not enough for the phoenix to crawl out. Beakfall let go, and following, the other of the Mythicals let go.
Birdhead gulped. Myrtlelana smiled, but it was barely visible, her whole body seemed black by now. “Don’t worry, Birdhead. I’ll live.”
The shivering phoenix touched the cage. Beakfall put his claw on his wing, pressing it against the bars. “Just remember, this Trial was set by the Lord of the Dragons, one with only light and peace, not shadow and hatred.”
Crack.
The cage dissolved into ash, and Myrtlelana cheered. Her feathers were back to normal, with the normal shade of orange and aqua eyes. “See? I’m alright!”
Beakfall smiled. “That cage is called a Fear Prison. It’s meant to try and send fear to every living thing around it – mainly by creating an illusion of the prisoner turning into the dark version of themselves.”
“Beakfall, why do you always tell one the truth at the end of the nerve-racking situation?” Zelda asked.
“Well, it helps them cope with it better,” Beakfall replied calmly.
“You’re not the Beakfall I used to know,” Zelda said.
Peachu landed beside the remains of the Fear Prison and touched the ash briefly. “It sends a shiver up my spine! I get it now.”
*Quote from Breath of the Wild, by Zelda, also noted on the 3rd page
“Do we keep walking? It still seems a long way…” Melody muttered.
The hippogriff shook his head. “Deku.”
YES? WHAT? I’M VERY BUSY AT THE MOMENT.
“End this Trial.”
HEY, WATCH IT. I’M THE BOSS HERE.
“Deku, we’ve already destroyed the Fear Prison.”
YOU HAVE? SORRY. I’LL LET YOU OUT AS LONG AS BIRDHEAD SAYS YES. DOESN’T HE SPEAK FOR YOU ALL?
“Yes. I say yes.” Birdhead informed.
LET’S JUST TEST YOUR COURAGE ONCE AGAIN BY SENDING YOU STRAIGHT TO THE FOUNTAIN AND AUTOMATICALLY HAVING THE COURAGE ORB PLACED IN. SO, GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR FINAL FIGHT OF THE TRIALS!
“WHAT?” Melody yelped, cut off by a tremendous roar.
“BEHOLD! YOU FACE THE NATURE WING! I HAVE NO VULNERBILITY – FACE ME WITH COURAGE!”
A bright green dragon hovered over the Courage Flame. Its eyes were sky blue, its wings wide as Beakfall’s and its tail filled with spikes.
Birdhead flapped his wings and flew up into the air and blew out a burst of fire at the Nature Wing. He roared and dodged, sending another burst of fire back. The phoenix simply landed back on the ground, next to Beakfall as he started to charge into the Wing. Myrtlelana aided the hippogriff, sending fire at the distracted dragon as Beakfall clawed him.
The Nature Wing shook Beakfall off with immense strength, but the hippogriff managed to land back next to Birdhead on all fours. Zelda dashed underneath the green dragon and yelled, “Helllo!”
The Wing did not fall for the mischievous trick, and instead flung the occamy away with its spiky tail. “OWWW!”
Melody roared and crashed into the Wing. She bit his wing, as Lionessfire came over to slash his glaring eyes, blinding him. Beakfall grinned, and the Mythicals teamed up for a laser of fire to the blind dragon.
ROOOAR!
The blast missed, but the Nature Wing’s right wing was hurt severely, and he could not fly anymore. Peachu grinned and the team charged into the blinded and injured dragon, defeating it for once and for all.
WELL DONE. FOR A TEAM, YOU SHOW GREAT TEAMWORK SKILLS.
Birdhead smiled. The Trial was over, and in the distance the spiky vines barring the cave disappeared and turned into soft and lush leaves.
