Chapter 1

"Saria, come meet our newest arrival." I looked up from my place by the window to see Mother Abigail standing in the entrance of the playroom. With a nod, I eagerly stood up and skipped over to greet the newcomer.

"This is Link," She gestured to a small figure who had been standing silently at her side the whole time. "I was hoping that you could show him around." Mother gave both of us a warm smile, "I'm sorry that I can't give you a tour darling, but Saria here will make you feel at home." She gave the boy a reassuring pat on the back, and with that, left the two of us alone.

"Nice ta meet-cha!" I put on my biggest smile, and extended my hand to the boy. He glanced at the gesture for a moment, and hesitantly wrapped his fingers around mine. The moment he took my hand, I knew something was different about this one. He gripped me firmly, and met my gaze calmly. Most orphans were on the verge of tears by the time Mother took them to me, or were too distraught for such formalities.

"So your name is Link then?"

The boy nodded, maintaining his stoic expression. This one isn't much of a talker is he? I decided that perhaps this was just another kind of shyness. "So let me give you the grand tour!" Without waiting for an answer, I took the boy's hand and lead the way

I remember that day perfectly. Even though I was still only the tender age of ten, something inside of me sensed that Link was different. His blue eyes; they weren't icy cold like some of the orphans, but they weren't welcoming like mine either. They were simply just there. Every day after our first meeting, I would join him during meal times. At first the rest of the children followed, a new boy in the orphanage was always exciting. But after only a few days, the crowds full of curious questions thinned. Link only answered them with nods, or careful shakes of his head. I was the only one left that was still intrigued with him. The more mysterious he became, the more I was drawn in.

After two weeks of Link's arrival, Mother Maria pulled me aside before lessons began. "Saria, honey, how is the new boy doing?" Though her mouth was smiling as it asked the question, I sensed some hidden tension in her expression.

"So how is Link adjusting? Has he made any friends?" Her tone seemed to shift from curious to incessant. I avoided her steady gave and shrugged my shoulders uneasily.

"Well…he doesn't talk much.." I murmured, fidgeting a bit, "But I like him." I added with a genuine smile. This seemed to relax Mother a bit, and her air of authority faded.

"Thank you dearie…Link seems to be a bit..." She paused, as if searching her vocabulary for the right word, "a bit..different from the rest of the children." Her kind eyes urged me to understand without further explanation. But I merely stared blankly back at her. The way she spoke made Link seem a bad sort of different.

"He is different; but that's why I like eating with him." I replied, not realizing the weight my words carried. For now though, Mother seemed to be assuaged by my childish innocence.

"Alright Saria, thank you so much." She pulled me into a quick embrace; a very rare display of affection used by Mother Abigail. "Just stay by Link's side ok? Things may get harder for the lad here…"

I nodded blankly, earning another smile approval before she disappeared into the maze of bedrooms.

For the rest of the day, I mulled over what Mother had told me. As Link and I wandered the garden together, I didn't feel that anything was horribly wrong with him. He appreciated the flowers well enough, and seemed to enjoy being outdoors. He helped guide me along the unpaved paths; never hesitating to offer a helping hand. Our excursions rarely ever required words of course, but sometimes I'd make comments, to which he would offer a nod, or a smirk of amusement.

"Hey Link…" I began, unsure of how to address the issue. As soon as I spoke his name, he turned, meeting my gaze steadily. "Why is it that you never talk…? You don't have to since it's just us out here…" I spoke cautiously, afraid of offending him. But to my surprise, his blue eyes twinkled humorously, and he shrugged his shoulders.

"Do you dislike the orphanage?" I asked, taking a step closer to him. Link merely shook his head, and shrugged again. He chuckled curtly and rolled his eyes in amusement. That was all that I needed.

As the months passed, Link never spoke a word. Some children came up to me in secret and timidly asked what was wrong with him. "He just isn't a talker. But he's pretty smart, so it's fine with me." Is what I would always tell them. But sometimes the more courageous kids would stomp right up to our dining table, and ask why he was so quiet. This seemed to amuse Link the most, and would always produce some sort of smirk. The more the kids asked about him, the more confused they became.

It had almost been a year since Link joined our orphanage. Most kids nowadays just accepted him as the "silent type," or just ignored him altogether. There was one boy however, who claimed to be the "ruler of the orphanage." The self-appointed ruler, named Mido, was in a state of constant discontent. The round-faced, freckle-riddled boy was always looking for someone to scrap with, desperate to prove his authority.

"Move it freak." Mido hissed as he elbowed past Link in the dining hall. Link stumbled a bit before regaining his footing, and taking his place in line again. "I said MOVE. IT." Mido grabbed the back of Link's shirt, and threw him to the ground. Before he had the chance to recover, Mido suddenly switched into attack mode, and lunged once more. With clumsy but powerful maneuvers, the aggressive boy had soon pinned Link against the wall, holding him up by his jacket collar. "Watcha gonna do freak? Why don't you yell at me huh?" My companion merely grunted in pain, and fixed Mido with an exasperated glare.

"Mido cut it out!" I ran to wear he was standing, but was frozen in place when Link sent me an intense warning stare. Unsure of what to do, I stood a few feet away from the boys, and continued begging for my friend's release. "He didn't do anything to you Mido!" I cried.

"You shut up!" He snapped, and turned his attention back to Link. "Say something why don'tcha?" When there was no verbal response, Mido's taunting smirk twisted into an angry glower, and he curled his pudgy fingers into a fist. With all of his might, he pulled his free arm back, and punched Link squarely in the jaw. Everyone watching us gasped in shock, and immediately crowded around where I was to get a better view. Link let out a groan of pain, and when he looked back down to face us again, I noticed a trickle of blood from his mouth.

"MIDO STOP!" I shrieked, and leaped forward, trying to pry his hold off of Link.

"You stay out of this!" Mido turned on me, but one of the other children watching the fight grabbed me and dragged me out of harm's way. I thrashed and struggled against their hold, giving Link a panicked look.

"Link please! Just say something already! Don't let him hurt you anymore!" I pleaded, tears beginning to stream down my cheeks. Link shook his head sadly in response, and grunted as Mido continued to rain down blows upon him. "LINK!" I cried at the top of my lungs, beginning to sob.

"What is going on here?" One of the Sisters burst into the dining hall upon hearing my shouts, and rushed over to where the boys were. "Mido! Release him this instant!" She commanded, and grabbed his ear roughly, causing him to release his grip.

"It's not my fault Sister! It's all his fault!" Mido exclaimed, jabbing an accusing finger at Link. However Sister was in no mood for excuses, and pulled him down the hallway. As soon as the Sister disappeared with Mido, the children restraining me released their hold, and I ran over to Link. He was slumped against the wall with his head lulling to one side.

"Link! Link! Are you alright?" I knelt down and gently tilted his chin upwards so I could get a look at his face. He was covered in small bruises, and one eye had swollen shut; yet somehow he had managed to remain conscious. He recognized me, and offered a weak smile of reassurance.

"You idiot.." I murmured, and released his chin. I stared at the ground in defeat, feeling the tears welling up in my eyes once more. The horrible realization was beginning to sink in; everything that had happened up until this point was piecing itself together. I took a deep breath. "Link…" I forced myself to look at his battered face once more, "you really can't talk can you…?"