Far from the stirrings in the castle, turmoil weighed down on the southern province Ordona. The leader of the province, Lord Rusl, along with many colleagues sat at a round table discussing an invitation that had arrived earlier that day.

Rusl, had been the leader of their province for years now after the death of Lord Bo and several others in Ordon village. He was one of the few leaders that also wanted peace and unity for Hyrule. With the King's age increasing, there was little time for a new King to step up to the throne. Having a strong leader was Hyrule's last hope and with no second for the King, the country would be left in ruins after his death.

Link sat next to Rusl, with his hand on his forehead. The young man didn't talk much and all the shouting was giving him a headache. His jaw clenched as many of the men of village argued on whether it was even a good idea to attempt to travel to Hyrule castle.

He didn't particularly like loud noises, and all of this bickering caused him to feel dizzy. He looked over at Rusl, whom had a concerned look etched on his face.

Rusl, was very much like a father to Link- although he wouldn't exactly describe him as such. Often, thinking of how Rusl became his caretaker was a rough subject for the both of them. Soon though, Link was brought back to when he was 7 years old. This, after all, was not the first time the King had called a royal conference.

A young Link sat next to his father in the front of the carriage he was driving. His mother was in the back along with Rusl's wife Uli who was currently pregnant. Rusl rode horseback behind the carriage for safety reasons. Link's mother was the village healer and was looking after Uli during her pregnancy

They were all traveling to Hyrule Castle for the first time in all of their lives. A royal meeting was called to provinces in hopes of settling years of war and turmoil.

"Father?" Link's father turned to look at him. "Yes son?"

"Do you think I'll get to meet the Princess?"

"Perhaps my boy! Though I'm sure she's heavily guarded. Especially with all these new people coming to the castle."

"Do you think she's pretty? I bet she's the prettiest girl in the entire world!"Link raised his hands up and smiled. He was always somewhat of a dreamer.

Link's father chuckled to himself. "I'm sure she's certainly a sight to-"

Before Link's father could manage to respond, Rusl was yelling. "WE ARE BEING AMBUSHED!"

His father attempted to turn the carriage away from the mayhem, however it was too late. The back had already been set on fire with a flaming arrow, both Uli and Link's mother inside. Link's father pulled the horses to a halt before trying to run to the back of the carriage. Before he could make it to save his wife, he was shot in the back with an arrow, falling to the ground. He hit it with a loud thud.

Link hurriedly ran to the carriage, about to jump inside and save his mother, before a hand on his tunic pulled him back. The smell of burning flesh was prominent and it burned his nostrils.

Link turned around to see Rusl, holding his shirt."I'm sorry my boy. You wouldn't have been able to help them anyway."Rusl was trying to be strong, though Link could already see the tears welling up in his eyes. He had not only lost his wife, but his unborn child as well.

Rusl was still trying fight off the attackers. Luckily there weren't many of them.

Unable to understand what was going on around him, Link ran to his father and knelt next to him. His long blonde hair was covering his face, and Link could already tell that no breathe was escaping the man's lips.

He looked down at his father as tears began to well up in his eyes. Before the shock of losing both of his parents could hit him fully, he heard Rusl scream his name and jump in front of him. Before Link could see where the attacker was, Rusl had already stabbed it square in the stomach.

With everyone around them dead, including those who ambushed them, both Rusl and the young boy stood silent as they watched the fire engulf the carriage that was riding happily along only a few moments before.

Link snapped out of his trance only because of a loud shout by Jaggle. Rusl and Link had come home that night to find that their village had been attacked as well. Lord Bo was murdered, along with several others in the village. Of course, since then no one had even attempted another conference among the provinces. Most assumed that the one of the other factions were at fault for the death of so many in the Ordona province.

"This has happened before. Who is to say that we won't lose more of our people? Who is to say that the other provinces won't attack? Rusl," Jaggle turned to look at the weary man. "Uli … and your baby. You can't say that you don't-"

"Enough." Rusl raised his hand to silence the man as well as the rest of the room. "I'll admit it was a bad decision to believe that we were safe when traveling to the castle the last time. However, I do think that someone should go to this forum. If we do not act towards unity, we will never achieve it."

The room stood silent before Fado stood up and spoke. "But who will we send, surely we can't send the whole village. Nor can we send you as our leader."

Rusl nodded. "This is true. I have thought about this all night." Rusl turned and looked down at Link. His features were strong, but the look on his face was unapologetic. "I propose that we send Link."

Link looked at Rusl. He had always known that Rusl believed in him; however he hardly thought that he was anything close to being a diplomat. Sure, he knew his way around a sword. But in no way did that make him a litigator.

Fado chuckled. "Link? How can we expect such a quiet boy to represent our province? He wouldn't know the first thing about politics. "

Rusl looked over at Fado. "Yes, Link can be rather hushed at times. However, that doesn't mean he is a mute. He is nearing 20 years of age and can hardly be considered a boy for what he has been through. Link will have our best interest at heart. I can instruct Link on what to say during the forum. However, I do believe that his skills with a sword and bow will prove to be the most useful in case there is an ambush again."

Link, never being one to turn down a challenge stood up from his chair, his sandy blonde hair sliding in front of his eyes. "I will accept this challenge if you will have me. Rusl is right; this could be our last chance at uniting the provinces."

Fado was about to speak against him, but chose to stay silent. He certainly wasn't going to volunteer himself.


Link left Rusl's house in a hurry. He needed to breathe. But before he could really get away he heard someone call after him.

"Link!"

Link turned around to see Rusl close behind him. "Yes, my lord?"

"You know I wouldn't have volunteered you if I didn't think you were ready for something like this."

Link's expression remained composed. He wasn't one for showing much emotion. "Of course sir. Who else would be going if it weren't me?" A small smile played onto the young man's lips. Though he wouldn't have been his own first choice, his charm certainly made him a great candidate and it was true that they needed someone that could defend themselves on the trip.

"Wonderful. You will leave tomorrow morning. I will see to it that Epona is ready for your journey. Rest well, you have a big voyage ahead." Rusl patted Link firmly on his back before turning around and heading straight towards his house.

Before Link had a chance to clear his head, he heard a much more feminine voice call his name. "Link!" Running towards him was Illia, the daughter of the late Lord Bo. He could say that they were friends; however Link was more often pestered by the girl and her group of friends.

The girls of the village had a tendency to laugh at giggle around him. He was very handsome; but he often kept to himself. Perhaps they were intrigued by the mystery of all of it: the orphan boy who was good with a sword and didn't speak much unless he was spoken to. Either way, it got bothersome after awhile.

"Hello Illia."

"Oh Link! Is it true that you're going to be leaving for Hyrule Castle tomorrow? That's so dangerous! What about Epona?"

"I suppose you listened in on the meeting then?"

"Why does that matter? What if something happens to you? I don't think I could bear to go on."

Link laughed to himself. "Illia. I'll be fine. Now go home. It's getting late and a girl like you shouldn't be out at this hour."

Illia huffed at his suggestion. "Oh Link. You know I'm not a girl. I'm a woman. With feelings and … needs."

She was flirting. That was apparent. But he was in no mood for this right now and frankly, he wasn't interested. As children Illia was always teasing him, but now he couldn't get her to leave him alone. "Excuse me for my mistake." Without another word, Link brushed past her and headed toward the direction of his house.

It was on the outskirts of the village, closer to the woods. His parents had lived there before him, and while Rusl had asked him several times to stay in the village where he would be closer, Link refused. He liked being by himself, plus he preferred the privacy.

The walk to his house didn't seem long, though Link was lost in a train of thought that involved his trip to the castle, Rusl, and what had happened last time he had attempted to venture north.

By the time he got to his house, night had completely fallen on the Ordona province. He could hear an owl screeching in the distance.

Instead of stopping at his house, Link walked forward. He was headed toward the Ordon spring. He often went here when he needed to think. Rusl had told him to get some rest, but he was sure he wouldn't sleep tonight. Instead, he would spend the night thinking of the journey ahead of him. Perhaps this summit would really change things for the better. He certainly hoped he would be able to represent his province well. After all, a lot was resting on his shoulders.