They shivered, hands shaking, a sweat barely breaking on their foreheads as they trudged up the hill. One cupped his hand around the flickering flame of a candle, protecting it from the biting winds that threatened to devour it. "I don't t-think this is a good idea," he muttered, hugging his thin jacket around him. In the shadows created by the light of the fire, his fear was plain for all the darkness to see. Only his partner, whose back was turned to him, did not notice.
"What are you babbling about? This is the only day the tomb is not guarded. It's now or never," the leader of two replied, his footsteps falling heavily as they reached the top of the hill.
"B-But, they say no one has been able to get inside. The spirit guardian—
"Ha! Spirit guardian?" He whipped around to face his friend, his fiery eyes lit up with laughter. "Those are just old superstitions. No one really believes them! They just use the legend of the spirit guardian as an excuse to give the guards a day off. Guarding the royal family's tomb has to be the most boring job in the entire kingdom. So quit your complaining and come on." Brushing his disheveled hair with his fingers, he officially dismissed his friend's concerns.
Both took a moment of silence to look up at the gates of the royal family's personal grave yard. The cemetery stood on the tallest hill outside of the capital city, a constant reminder to its inhabitants of the leaders of years past and the heroes that died protecting them from outside invaders. For citizens with no sense of loyalty to the crown, however, the hill was a constant temptation. Rumors abounded that the royal family kept its greatest treasure hidden within its family's tomb. Guards were posted at the gates of the grave yard all year round except for one day—the same day the two grave robbers decided to make their visit.
The gates were locked, and the gargoyles glared menacingly at the two intruders as they approached. "Toby, you stand watch and blow the whistle to signal me if I need to get out," the leader instructed. Tobias simply nodded, too cold and fearful to respond. He watched as Dwight climbed the iron gates skillfully, demonstrating his years of practice. When he dropped gracefully to his feet on the other side, he grinned back at his partner in crime. "Don't worry; I heard that the spirit guardian only kills people who enter the grave yard." His laugh disappeared into the darkness as he turned and walked away.
Toby shook his head and backed up against the gate, then slid to the ground to wait. Without his friend beside him, every sound seemed amplified. Wind, which previously had been only a whisper, howled and moaned in his ear. The light from the candle sharpened every shadow, making everything appear scarier than it really was. A branch from a twisted tree behind him swayed in the wind, moving in and out of his peripheral vision and causing him to jump every so often. He hoped that Dwight would do his job quickly so that he could leave and return to his warm bed, forgetting he ever agreed to come on this crazy mission.
*
Dwight moved stealthily past all of the elaborate tomb stones, careful to not upset a single leaf or twig. He had learned to be silent with years of practice. One tends to tread more softly after he has been caught and beaten by the palace guard. His youth had saved him from that debacle. Now that he was in his twenties, no mercy would be shown to him, especially if he were caught robbing the royal family's graves. For this reason, he made his way to the large aboveground grave without even a rustle. He even held his breath for good measure.
Standing in front of the extravagant marble structure, Dwight's breath rushed out of him. He had seen pictures of the tomb, but never had he stood next to it. Even in the dark, its grandeur was evident. Gold and jewels shone in the moonlight, throwing dazzling lights across the grass. Dwight reached out to touch the cool marble. The smooth surface felt wonderful under the thief's fingers and he suppressed a shudder. Looking more closely he was able to make out the names of royalty. It suddenly dawned on him how large of a task he had taken on. He would be taking the most valuable treasure from the kingdom's most powerful ruler. The weight of it all was almost enough to make Dwight stop what he was doing and go back the way he came—almost. After taking one deep, ragged breath, Dwight got on his knees to look at the tomb's lock.
Much to his surprise, there was no lock to speak of, but rather a series of markings, including the sacred symbol seen throughout the kingdom. It also served as part of the royal family's crest. Dwight brushed his fingers across the chiseled words, written in an ancient language unfamiliar to him. "What is it? A code? A riddle? I don't have time for this!" He thought aloud. An airy laugh followed his exclamation, causing the thief to bolt backwards. Dwight stayed completely still, straining to listen for any approaching footsteps or the cocking of arrows. Had he imagined the impish snicker? Was it just the wind? Dwight shook his head. "Nothing's here, Dwight, just you and the dead, safely underground. Pull yourself together!"
What Dwight heard next, however, wasn't 'nothing'." Flowing from somewhere within the royal tomb, the somber notes of an ocarina could be heard. The tune froze the man in place as the earth around him began to move. Pale hands began to shoot up all around the graveyard, some with decaying flesh hanging from their fingertips. The moans of the undead began to rise and surround Dwight on the wings of the wind. It didn't take long for the undead to break themselves free of the earth that had once held them captive. The heads of deceased soldiers and monarchs popped out of holes all over the cemetery and their eyeless sockets trained on the intruder in their midst.
It took Dwight five full seconds to scream. It took him seven to jump to his feet and begin running. The thief did not look back. Sprinting at full speed in the dark he struggled to weave between tomb stones, frantically searching for the exit. "Toby!" Dwight yelled. "Toby, help!" Dwight opened his mouth to shout out more, but his plea was abruptly cut off as he was hit from behind.
*
Tobias heard his partner's cries and had immediately started running. The candle blew out in his hands as he bolted down the hill in the direction of Castle Town. "Oh mighty goddesses, please have mercy on me!" Toby panted. No sooner had these words left his lips did he trip over something that managed to catch his ankle. Dazed from his fall, Toby looked around, moving to get to his feet only to have someone press their foot firmly on top of his chest.
The man standing over Tobias was wild in appearance. Shirtless in spite of the cold weather, Toby could see in the moonlight that the man's body was tanned and well toned. He could not see his face though. A golden mask resembling an eagle's face shielded it from Toby's view. Attached to the mask were two white feathers on either side of the face and then a mane of crimson feathers emitting from the back of the mask to create a headdress of sorts. In addition to the golden mask, the man had twelve golden necklaces hanging from his neck along with golden bangles and bracelets on his wrists. In his hand the stranger held a staff with a small skull at the top and the royal family's sacred symbol carved into the wood. Around the man's waist hung a golden belt which held up his loose navy pants, similar to the kind the desert dwellers wore. When the man noticed Toby was staring at him in silent awe, he bent down and grinned, revealing dazzling white fangs. In the moonlight, the mane of feathers looked like fire.
"What business have you here?" The strange man demanded in an accent Toby didn't recognize.
"N-nothing," He assured him quickly.
"Oh?" The man straightened and then shoved the end of his staff against Toby's throat. "Speak wisely. Your words may be your last."
Tobias swallowed to wet his throat and became painfully aware of the staff that threatened to crush his neck. "My friend Dwight came to steal the treasure from the royal family's tomb. I was supposed to stand watch." The bird faced man considered Toby's words in silence. After a long moment of silence he finally removed the staff from Toby's throat.
"You did not do a very good job it seems. Leave here and never come back or I will kill you." With that, the man turned to walk away. Toby sat up and watched as he started back in the direction of the graveyard.
"You're the spirit guardian!" Toby blurted. The feathered man paused to look back at him with a smile. When Toby blinked, he was gone.
*
He sat on the roof overlooking the castle garden watching the guards make their rounds. Fountains bubbled while the birds sang, bees buzzed in the blossoming flowers and everything seemed more alive in the sunshine that fell from overhead. Closing his eyes he let the warmth of the sun's rays wash over him. Resting against the hot shingles he allowed his thoughts to wander. He had not had a day off in months-- probably because he never called in sick. A cloud passed over the sun, putting him in shadow. Then the cloud cleared its throat.
The boy opened his eyes to find the princess standing over him. He immediately sat up.
"Here you are, Link. I've been looking all over for you." The ruler's eyes were kind as she gave her version of a reprimand.
"My apologies, princess," Link said as he rose to his feet. Dusting off the dirt on his forest green tunic he gave her a short bow of greeting. She waved her hand, dismissing his bow. "You know that friends have no need for such formalities." Link immediately picked out the word 'friends' from her sentence and then mentally scolded himself for it.
"You told me that I had the day off. Is there an emergency?" Link inquired, always ready to serve Hyrule's royal family. The girl paused, cocking her head to the side. A gentle smile graced her perfectly pink lips.
"Not at the moment. I just thought I would come and see my favorite knight and ask how his day has been thus far." Link couldn't help but smile in response.
"Zelda, you forced me to take this day off and now you're checking up on me?" The princess flushed and Link instantly regretted his words. He quickly attempted to right himself. "You know that I am always happy to be graced by your presence, your highness." Zelda's smile returned in full swing.
"Yes, well, probably not as happy as my body guards would be to be graced by my presence. You are right, however. I apologize for insisting that you take the day off… but Link, you do so much for Hyrule. You need to take some time for yourself." Link watched as the wind tousled Zelda's golden hair before he formulated his response.
"Perhaps you are right, princess, but what other life do I have than one that is dedicated to the service of Hyrule? I have no family of my own and all of my friends are involved with their own lives. I have you, this castle, and the future of Hyrule to be concerned with, and I am perfectly content with that." Zelda sighed before sitting at Link's side.
"If you are certain… but surely you would enjoy getting away with Epona for a day to go riding, or returning to the Kokiri forest for a visit, or going swimming in Lake Hylia—something! These castle walls can be hard to look at day after day. I would know." Link scratched his head and looked down into the court yard, searching for the proper response.
"Yes, I might enjoy those things, but they are much more enjoyable when done with someone else." It was here that the conversation ended in silence. Replacing their words was Zelda's telepathic connection to her prized Knight of Hyrule. Warmth not caused by the sun stretched between them, enveloping them and causing their hearts to beat as one.
"Link, I…"
Zelda was never able to finish her sentence. "She's up there!" A guard shouted from down below. "Princess, please get down off the roof, it's dangerous!" The princess sighed and shook her head.
"I am coming. Do not worry, I have been with Link. He can protect me well enough." Zelda turned to Link and gave him an apologetic look, which he responded to with a nod. "Enjoy the rest of your day, Link."
"You as well, princess." He watched her walk away.
*
"Did you tell him?" The king asked as he paced in front of his throne. Zelda held her hands clasped calmly in front of her and shook her head.
"No father, your guards did not give me the chance." The king stopped pacing to turn to his daughter in frustration. As he spoke, a vein in his forehead bulged, making the white of his receding hair even more prominent.
"Zelda, you know I cannot tell anyone about this. You and Link are the only ones who can know. It doesn't help matters that I will be passing on soon. I need to be sure I leave Hyrule in good hands." The king coughed and Zelda approached him, urging him to sit down.
"You know that Hyrule will be well taken care of as long as Link and I are here to protect it. Do not worry. But father, this is Link's day off. I do not have the heart to bring something to his attention right now. Can it wait until tomorrow?" Zelda reasoned. The king rested his heavy head in his hands and exhaled slowly.
"Well… yes, I suppose it can wait. There is no immediate threat… but Zelda, you must tell him tomorrow—no excuses!" Zelda nodded in agreement. Tomorrow, she would tell Link about the danger threatening Hyrule, but for now, she would let him rest.