From the moment his presence was requested at the castle, Ravio had a strange feeling something was wrong.
He stood in front of the door leading to the princess' chambers, hesitant to move. Something in him dreaded seeing the young ruler of Lorule, which was very abnormal to him. He'd known her for a long time, and not once did he feel the way he did now.
He fidgeted around, constantly adjusting his sleeves and belt. He was dressed in a formal red tunic—something his princess preferred to see him in, rather than his merchant outfit. The boy suspected it was because it made him look more like a hero. Something he could never be...
Taking a deep breath, he finally knocked on the door.
"You may enter," he heard the feminine, muffled voice say.
Ravio swung the door open and stepped inside. The room he entered was dimly lit—like most in the castle—with a lone window being its only source of light. On the other side, the dark-haired boy could see the kingdom's princess sitting on a chair.
"Uh, you summoned me, Princess Hilda?"
"I have. Please, come closer."
Nervously, the boy closed the door behind him and walked over to her. As he got closer, he could see Hilda's attendant, Yuga, standing at her side—covered in the shadows. He noticed the man's hand gently resting on the princess' shoulder. The young merchant couldn't help but feel irritated by the sight. "What is he doing here?" he bitterly asked.
"I'll tell you in a moment, Ravio. Right now, I'd like to speak to you about a recent discovery we've made."
The boy raised his brow. "Huh? What discovery?"
Hilda's expression seemed to brighten, as if in excitement. "A hope for this land's future."
Ravio smiled. "Really? You mean...you found a way to save Lorule?"
The princess smiled back as she nodded her head.
"That's great news, Princess! I'm so happy for you!" the young merchant exclaimed, jumping up and down with joy.
Yuga rolled his eyes while Hilda lightly chuckled at the boy's enthusiasm. "Thank you. I've also been wanting to talk to you about our plan."
The green-eyed boy stilled. "Plan?"
"Yes. Yuga and I had visited the Sacred Realm and found a slate with a crack in it. There, we found out there was a different world on the other side. A world...with a Triforce."
Ravio looked at her in awe. "Another Triforce?"
"We plan to use it to restore Lorule to what it used to be. The way it's supposed to be."
"That's great, Your Majesty, but..."
"Is something wrong?" the young woman asked.
The unsure merchant scratched the back of his head, hesitant. "It's just... Won't that world end up like ours if we take it?"
Hilda frowned. "Well, yes. However—"
"So, let me get this straight. You're just going to let the other world fall to ruin as you use their Triforce's power? I'm sorry Princess, but...that's wrong."
The princess sighed. "I was afraid you'd react this way..."
The boy looked at her with sadness when he said, "I know you mean well, but maybe—"
"Judging Her Grace's decisions, are we?" interrupted the young ruler's attendant.
Annoyed, Ravio turned his head to Yuga and retorted, "No, I'm just saying that your plan is—"
"A lowly merchant such as you can't possibly comprehend the princess' emotions right now. She is doing everything possible to bring back this dreary land's former glory, while her supposed hero tells her that her methods are wrong," the wizard said.
"That's not what I..."
Ignoring the merchant, Yuga leaned over and said to Princess Hilda, "Do not worry, my beauty. Unlike this worm, I shall always be by your side."
The young woman looked up at the red-haired man and quietly said, "Thank you, Yuga. You have always been there for me. For that, I am grateful."
The boy angrily stared at the sorcerer. He barely saw the artist's thumb subtly, yet possessively, rub on Hilda's shoulder, as if in comfort. Ravio's eye slightly twitched.
Lorule's princess' shuddering exhale brought back his attention to her. She sorrowfully looked him. "It saddens me that you can't see things our way. I truly wanted you to be a part of this. You'd finally be a...hero..." the dark-haired girl somberly said.
The merchant winced at her words. "I'm really sorry, Your Highness. I just can't support this plan of yours."
"Sacrifices must be made, Ravio," the princess tried to reason.
"Your Royal Highness, please, think about this. You're making a huge mistake."
Hilda closed her eyes and turned her head away from him. "I'm sorry, but I've made up my mind. I won't allow my kingdom—my people—to suffer any longer."
"I understand how you feel, Princess Hilda. But we can't just take something that isn't ours and cause destruction to another land! The consequences would be disastrous!" he yelled, desperate to make Lorule's ruler understand.
The young woman held up her hand at the protesting boy. "That's enough, Ravio. You are dismissed."
"But Princess—"
"I said...you are dismissed," Hilda sternly said. She stood up from her chair and elegantly walked out of the room, leaving the two servants behind.
Yuga chuckled at the dark-haired boy. "It seems our fair princess doesn't care to hear your silly opinions. Now, why don't you go off somewhere on the dirt road? I'm sure eventually someone will be interested in your cheap-looking toys... Or as you like to call them: merchandise."
Ravio growled while glaring at the sorcerer, before turning and exiting the room, slamming the door behind him. He refused to just sit around and do nothing while letting that snake corrupt the princess' mind.
He left the castle and traveled back to his house. As soon as he opened the door, a small, funny-shaped bird immediately greeted him. Ravio let out a small laugh as he gently patted his little companion. "Hey, Sheerow. Sorry I was gone so long." The bird cheerfully cheeped at him in response.
After scratching the top of Sheerow's head for a while, the boy went to his desk, grabbed his diary, and started writing.
It was time he took matters into his own hands. And to do that, he would have to leave Lorule.
It was the next day when Ravio went back to the castle and attempted to once again convince Princess Hilda that her plan wasn't morally right. But like the day before, she refused to relinquish her and Yuga's scheme. However, he did manage to learn some more details of the other world. Hilda told him Yuga had made quick visits to the land and learned it was called Hyrule, and was like a mirrored version of Lorule.
Ravio tried to ask more about the princess and sorcerer's plan, but it was clear she didn't trust him enough with such information.
"He's just using you, Your Grace! I can tell he's not sincere about all this. I just know he'll betray you when he gets his hands on Hyrule's other Triforce."
"Ravio, please, don't talk about him like that. Yuga has been very faithful to me. I trust him with not only our plan, but with my life."
"Princess..."
"This discussion is over. Now please, leave."
The young merchant knew Hilda only wanted to restore light and peace to her kingdom. The look in her eyes showed him her despair and desperation. He truly felt sorry for her.
He'd save her, by foiling her plans.
It was the third day when he prepared to leave Lorule on the following day.
Ravio remembered the princess saying where and how she and Yuga had discovered the other world. The boy planned to go there and seek the one who could stop their schemes. Getting ready to pack his belongings, the boy walked over to his closet and grabbed the outfit he always wore while selling his merchandise.
Or cheap toys, as that leech likes to call them, he bitterly thought.
Changing out of his tunic and into the purple outfit, he reached for his bag and started cramming his items and ruppees in it. His flying companion came up to him and chirped, curious by what he was doing.
"Hate to say it, Sheerow, but we need to leave this place tomorrow." Ravio sighed before walking over to his bed and sitting on it—laying his bag at his feet. Seeing the gloomy look on his friend's face, the little bird hovered in front of him and lightly pecked on the boy's nose. The merchant giggled.
"Thanks, boy. I needed cheering up."
He pulled the covers over him and laid down on his back. Sheerow landed next to his head on the pillow and curled up. Ravio smiled as he petted his most faithful friend.
"G'night, buddy. We've got a long day ahead of us tomorrow; so let's get some rest while we can..."
It wasn't long before the two business partners fell asleep.
Sheerow was rudely awoken by the sound of banging and crashing. He dodged a shirt flying towards him before looking over to see his human companion frantically dig around in the closet.
Ravio suddenly remembered that the only passage to Hyrule was a crack, so he looked around for the item that would allow him to pass through it. He searched his drawers, desks, closet, yet still couldn't find it. The merchant began to panic.
"There's no way I lost it. How hard can it be to find something that has a really bad stench on it anyway? It has to be around here somewhere... Oh no, what if I sold it to someone without realizing it? Stupid! That's probably what happened! Oh, now I've done it. I've doomed another world because I'm the stupidest—"
"Cheep, cheep!"
Startled, Ravio looked up to see Sheerow flying next to him while holding an old bracelet in his talons. Instant relief washed over the boy. "Oh, thank you, Sheerow! Man, what would I do without you, pal?"
The small bird let out a chirp before dropping the old relic onto a desk next to the young man. He picked up the priceless treasure and examined it. It had been given to him as a gift, from Princess Hilda. He clenched it in his hand.
Please forgive me for this in the end... I'm doing it for you...
Putting the bracelet in his pocket, Ravio pulled over his hood and grabbed his bag. "Let's go, buddy. Time to go find ourselves a hero."