Chapter 1
Peace was the word used to describe that very morning. The wild birds sang and chirped in the trees surrounding the fields. Crops were lined in rows of green. A young apprentice chopped the vines at his leisure. Sometimes he would be glancing up at the sky to see the sun and the wild creatures roaming across as silhouettes.
The sunlight was at its harshest time of day, so the young man had to veil his eyes to avoid the irritating sensation. He envied those creatures. Able to fly anywhere across Hyrule. Free. Not spend his life in the only place he ever knew.
There was nothing particularly wrong Ordon. It was a beautiful land. The problem was that the boy knew every inch of it. Almost knew every field, every tree, and every speck of the land's dust by name.
He set the axe aside and ran a hand through his sweaty brown hair. He had been working for three hours straight. Though there were breaks in between, they were brief and harvesting all the crops was a laboring duty.
Does it have to be so difficult? Does harvesting have to take so long? he griped with a nasty scowl on his face. Did Rusl have to insist that I do this so early?
"LINK!!!!" called an unpleasantly familiar, heavily accented voice from the top of the hill.
"Speak of the demon," he grumbled in a weary sigh.
Back against the rising sun, Link turned around to see his master, Rusl, his well groomed sorrel Draft mare, Epona, and the daughter of Ordon Village's mayor, Ilia. He smiled at the sight of Ilia, who was infact his best friend. A view of Rusl made him, well, grimace. Seeing Rusl meant seeing more work in his path. More duties to be done. More sheep to herd. More, more, more...
"Link, can ya manage to keep yaself out of trouble while me and Ilia come on down there?" Rusl joked, smirking. Ilia's hand flew over her mouth, trying to hide her amused giggles.
Link glared aggravatedly. His master would go out of his way to annoy, embarrass, or make fun of him. It worsened each years. You'd think that since Link was becoming older his master would save his pettiful comments. But no, he had to do every minute of every day.
Ilia, long auburn curls flying, led Epona down the hill with empty baskets hooked together and laid across the horses well-muscled back.
"'Do you think you can stay out of trouble Link?'" Link mimicked, irritatedly. "Please...What could I possibly get into in just one minute?"
Link folded his arms, waiting for his friends. He glanced over to the pile of various squash he had built in the three hours, when his eyes caught on to something patterened and brown. It was slender, weaving through the pumpkins and squash. He approached it, curiosity getting the best of him, as he cocked his head to the side, observing the long object. The closer he got the more he could see the texture of it. It was scaley and reflective. He squinted and tried to distinguish what it was.
His impulse let him reach out to the object. Once he laid a finger on it, the object began to slither. Link retracted his hand for a second but became all the more curious. He reached out again.
He heard the object make an upleasant consistent hiss. Eyes widening he felt as if his heart were to stop. A snake. How could he not see that it was one before?
He took his hand away but the object moved forther through the pile of crops. He saw a head rise from it. Dark, deadly eyes. An elegant head positioned in the right place to strike. Its tongue waved and flickered from the mouth.
Link wouldn't have felt so helpless if he had dropped his axe. He couldn't move either. He felt, if he were to move the snake would most definately feel the need to strike
Then all of a sudden he saw gleaming steel fly down in front of his face and cut into the snake's neck.
Link jumped back and fell over, chest heaving from fright. He looked up at his master. He wished he wasn't the savior.
"Why don't ya listen to me?" he asked, shaking his head.
Link opened his mouth to retort, but he held back his dirty tongue and smiled politely. "Sorry, Rusl. I'll try to have more self control next time."
"Right ya will, me lad," he said, offering his hand to Link.
Not pausing to think about it, Link immediately took it and with one great heave and a grunt from his master, was helped to his feet. He began to wipe off his shirt and his old worn breeches. It was pointless. He'd been working all morning and the dirt smudges had been there almost that whole time.
"Have a good time in the dirt there, Link?" Ilia grinned, scratching Epona's neck.
Link smirked, not yet feeling defeated by words. "Well at least I don't desperately hover around a horse that doesn't even belong to me."
The grin fled from Ilia's face. "Well at least I-"
"Okay, okay," Rusl cut in, hands spread out as if it could ease the tension between the two young people. "Let's not get nasty here okay?" he insisted.
"Sure," Link said flatly.
"Fine," Ilia scoffed.
Rusl rolled his eyes at the attitude he was receiving. Link went to grab some of the crops he removed to place in the baskets, when he overheard his master mumbling to himself. "Ah the young love."
Link was immediately taken aback. Never had he heard his master remark something like this. Since when did he think that Link and Ilia would consider themselves more than best friends? Link never thought of Ilia in that way. He had known her for too long to think like that.
Then Link began to wonder, did Ilia ever think like that? It didn't matter if she did to Link, but only the fact that he didn't want to hurt her. Of course, she was practically a sister to Link and a very fine young woman. But still, Link was too focused on his fantasies of going on journeys throughout Hyrule to care about any sort of idea related to love. Love was a little detail people sometimes got to find. Did that mean they had to?
"Link," Rusl called.
Looking up abruptly, Link tried to look alert and not seem as if he were speculating. "Yes what is it."
"Ya gonna help us load up the crops or are ya gonna stand there daydreamin' all day?" Rusl teased.
Link hurried to scoop up what he could of the crops and placed them in the basket.
"Are we going to sell this batch, Rusl?" Link inquired.
"Well do we always sell the crops when we harvest them Link?" Rusl asked.
"Um, yes?" the young man replied uncertainly.
Somewhat amused, Rusl chuckled as Link proceeded. Out of the corner of his eye Link saw Ilia laughing as her fingers tickled Epona's muzzle.
"Actually, Link. There's been a slight change in plans."
Link paused to look at his master, letting the pumpkin drop into the basket.
"I've got something special lined up today," Rusl began, rubbing the top of his nearly bald head. "I'm taking the last of the harvest to Castle Town Market."
Link gazed at Rusl, incredulously. Never not once had Rusl considered going to the heart of Hyrule. There had been numerous times where Link suggested they'd go even if it was the sake of hoping to be able to tag along and get out to of Ordon. But it never happened. Where had this idea come from? What possessed him to do it? Was he looking for a bigger profit?
"And you're comin' with me," he added.
Link felt all feeling disappear from his body. Go to Castle Town Market? Him? Link? After all these years of wishing this came up on such an uneventful time as this?
His face was lit up. Link wasn't sure if he should act casual or hug his master. He didn't care how stupid he looked, he pulled Rusl into a tight bear hug. "Rusl, thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"
"Get off me, my boy!" Rusl demanded.
Laughing, Link released Rusl and began to feel giddy. "When do we leave?"
"As soon as we can," Rusl answered. "Now hurry up and load those pumpkins."
Exhilirated, Link flashed Ilia an excited look. She knew how much he had wanted to be able to do this. More than anyone. At least more than anyone who would bother to understand.
