The Second Page

"Long ago, after the hero Link defeated Ganon, the land of Hyrule was at peace. The leaders of every race met together and signed a treaty, ensuring that in years to come this would last. However, there were people in the shadows-monsters, taken human form in ant attempt to undermine the treaty and the relationship between the races. Their evil ways were infecting the people, turning them against each other."

The petite girl paused, forehead wrinkling as she tried to remember what she'd been taught.

"They were caught by the Priestesses of the Goddesses, who unveiled them and brought judgment upon them. The Priestesses had a message-that a great evil would bury itself in the hearts of those who ignored their holy words."

Caira was about to open her mouth, then sighed quietly and waited for Asachelle to finish.

There were many holes in her version. Was that simply because of her memory?

"The people that turned against, cast the Goddesses out of their hearts, were cursed-and so they were to turn into monsters as punishment. They were banished from the cities where the Goddesses reigned, and forced to wander the land."

Asachelle stopped, beaming, but then skittered back a bit more.

"That's all I know."

Caira massaged her temples, trying to decide what to tell the young girl.

"All right, that's fair enough. You probably haven't gotten to the more…unsavory parts yet."

The short-haired girl paused, then shook her head in confusion.

"Let's leave it at that. Asachelle, do you think I'm a bad person?"

Asachelle stared at her feet, thinking hard. "No, I don't. You helped me."

"Do you want me to take you back to the entrance to the woods? Because I can, if you so choose."

Asachelle's blue eyes showed pure stubbornness as she brought her knees to her chest.

"Nope. I can't go back."

Caira considered pressing the issue, but decided to leave it alone for now. After all, she'd only known the small girl for a day.

The blonde stood, edging slowly closer to Caira before stopping and staring shyly at her feet.

"C-can I touch it?" she whispered, and Caira laughed.

"Sure, go ahead. It's not going to hurt you."

Asachelle reached her small hand out, flinching before resting her palm on the large skull.

"It's…smooth. And cold." The blonde rubbed it gently in amazement. "I thought it was just a part of the Skulltula's patterning."

Caira tilted her head to the side, thinking.

"It's basically armor," the golden-eyed girl said with a shrug. "Handy for instances like that."

"Does it hurt?" Asachelle inquired, giving it a small tap. Caira shook her head as she stood, stretching.

"Nope. It's a part of me, so I'm used to it. It's almost like a turtle shell."

Asachelle was going to say something, stopped, and stared quietly at the flowers around her feet.

After a long moment of silence, Caira sighed loudly and gestured around the meadow.

"And here I thought we'd be able to find some butterflies," she said, then stopped and gently ran her hand through a bush.

Like magic, a whole swarm of butterflies appeared, flying through the air in a graceful dance. Asachelle squealed in delight, then hesitantly patted some nearby daises.

White butterflies erupted, and soon the sky was patterned with fluttering, colourful wings as Asachelle leapt around, laughing so hard she couldn't breathe. Even so, she continued to roll around, gasping as more butterflies appeared around her.

Caira sat back and watched the small, cheerful girl with a wry smile, shuffling around until she was comfortable.

It was certainly a bit awkward, having what could basically be considered a shield attached to your back, but it had saved her life on more than one occasion. She shivered at the memories, shaking her head and staring at a nearby butterfly. She reached out to touch it, but it simply flew away, and Caira sighed.

After what seemed like an eternity, Asachelle threw herself onto the ground, panting yet smiling.

"That was amazing, onee-chan," she said with a smile. "Thanks."

"Anytime, Chibi-chan, anytime." Caira was sitting with her eyes closed, basking in the sun as it hit high noon.

"My name is not Chibi-chan," Asachelle said, and Caira cracked an eye open to see the small girl standing with her hands on her hips. "My name is Asachelle."

"Asa-chan it is, then," Caira said, raising an eyebrow. "My name is Caira."

"I know. Caira-nee?"

The blonde looked away shyly, missing Caira's startled look.

It'd been a long time since she'd heard that name.

"That's fine," the golden-eyed girl said after a long moment. "Now that we've named each other, how about we get some lunch?"

Asachelle happily agreed, and Caira led her to a small pond. The small girl quickly stripped to her undergarments and leapt into the water, trying to catch the fish swimming and failing miserably. That didn't stop her from laughing, however, and her giggles echoed through the quiet forest.

"All right, all right, that's enough," Caira called, watching the fish swim in panic. "They're all riled up now, thanks to you."

"I'm sorry," Asachelle said hurriedly, scampering out of the water.

"Don't worry," Caira said with a reassuring smile. "They're fish. They've seen worse."

The petite blonde wrung out her hair before looking around for her dress, but Caira tutted.

"We don't want your dress to get soaked, so you can dry out." She gestured towards a large, smooth rock, and Asachelle threw herself onto it.

"This is a nice place, Caira-nee," Asachelle said admiringly. "Why don't you let more people in?"

Caira turned, raising an eyebrow and nodding towards her back. The blonde flushed with realization.

"Oh, right. Um." Asachelle paused awkwardly, trying to think up a way to save that conversation.

Somehow, between Asachelle swimming and getting onto the rock, Caira had managed to make a small fishing rod.

"How did you do that?" Asachelle asked, eyes wide. "Where do you keep all that stuff?"

Caira gestured to her waist, where a belt with pouches resided. "Rule number one: be prepared for anything, especially relating to meals."

Asachelle nodded wisely before stretching out on the rock. "This is really warm," she mumbled, and Caira could see the tiny girl powering down. "I wonder what else there is to do here?"

"A lot," Caira said quietly, but silence enveloped the pond as Asachelle fell asleep. Pausing and setting her rod down, Caira padded over and draped her cloak over the sleeping girl. Marveling at Asachelle's adaptability, she shook her head and returned to fishing.

Half an hour later, four fish had been caught, gutted, and were in the process of being cooked over a small fire. Caira always ensured there was dirt beneath the sticks and a nearby water source before setting anything alight.

Asachelle awoke to the smell of fish, and sat up rubbing her eyes.

"That smells amazing," she mumbled, fumbling for her dress. After quickly pulling it on and grabbing her shoes, she skipped over to the fire. "How do you know how to do all of this?"

"It's a life skill," Caira said, ruffling the tiny girl's long hair. "You'll learn it too, at one point."

After the meal had been finished and cleaned up and the fire put out, Caira stretched and nodded towards the way they'd came.

"Do you want to try to get us back?" she inquired, and Asachelle's blue eyes lit up.

"Can I, really?" Her expression suddenly turned worried, as if thinking of the ramifications of getting them lost.

"Don't worry about it, I know these woods." Caira shooed the blonde, and Asachelle hesitantly took the lead.

As they walked, Asachelle chattered on about anything and everything-what they saw, where she thought they were, what could live in the woods. Eventually, however, Asachelle turned in a slow circle.

"I have no idea where we are," she admitted. "It all looks the same."

"That's why it's called the Lost Woods," Caira pointed out. "Even the route to the town is twisted. I don't think it used to be, though," the golden-eyed girl pondered. "Not from what I've read."

"I love reading," Asachelle said, bouncing around Caira. "Is there a library?"

Caira blinked at the petite girl's enthusiasm, and shook her head.

"There is not."

Asachelle's face fell in disappointment as Caira took the lead, the tall girl moving confidently through the maze-like forest.

"Caira-nee, you're just…so cool," Asachelle said in wonder, causing Caira to look away in embarrassment.

"No I'm not, you're just too young to realize it," she said bluntly, and Asachelle laughed and skipped ahead. Caira paused, glancing at the sky; they'd been out longer than she had anticipated. "Come on, let's get going. I have some…things I need to do, and I need to get ready."

Asachelle blinked in confusion, tilting her head to the side, then nodded and quietly followed the dark-haired girl.

Upon reaching the abandoned town, Asachelle trotted around, peering at this and that.

"So, who used to live here?" she inquired curiously, and Caira shook her head.

"I don't really know, nor do I really care," Caira said brusquely. "I appreciate them leaving it in the condition it is, though."

Asachelle nodded wisely, then disappeared into another tree. Caira quickly vaulted to her house, taking stock of what she had and what she'd need.

"More arrows," she muttered, pacing. "A whetstone, I guess…but that's too dangerous right now. More food supplies, especially if Chibi-chan is going to stick around."

She counted off items on her mental list, then sighed heavily.

"This is going to be a long night."

Swinging down, Caira cocked her head to the side. She couldn't hear Asachelle, which seemed to be impossible-the girl was the personification of sound.

Peering into what Asachelle had deemed 'her house', Caira spotted her puttering about with random objects.

A flower, some stones…most things she must have picked up on their expedition. Asachelle set the flower on the table, then took a sandy vase and turned.

She spotted Caira, standing silently in the doorway, and let out a startled shriek. Caira winced at the sudden noise, covering her ears as Asachelle put a hand over her heart.

"Caira-nee! That is not nice!" the small girl scolded, but Caira just grinned. After a half-hearted chase outside, Asachelle peered around. "Is there anywhere I can wash this?"

Caira took her to a small pond, an outflow of the main water source. Asachelle carefully washed the dirt off, then filled it with water. Trotting back to her house, she gently placed the bright, colourful flower in it.

Caira blinked at how the house seemed to have lit up from the simple accessory. To her, the town was all grey, and Asachelle seemed to bring life to it.

Asachelle whistled happily, turning to Caira and beaming.

"It's nice, isn't it?"

"It sure is," Caira said quietly, then sighed and gestured towards the small pond. "That's the wash pond. I use it for laundry and bathing, since it only gets a trickle of water and doesn't pollute the main river."

Asachelle nodded, and Caira could see the small girl storing that information inside of her head. The golden-eyed girl laughed, and Asachelle stared at her curiously.

"What's so funny?"

Caira's laugh turned into a sigh as she shook her head. "Nothing important. Anyway, I'm going to go grab some supper for us. If you want, you can use that time to clean this place up." Caira gestured to the dusty house, and Asachelle looked around.

"Good idea, Caira-nee," the blonde said, but paused. "Where do I get cleaning stuff?"

"Ah, right. Wait a bit, I'll grab you some."

A few moments later, Caira returned with a ragged cloth, a large pot, and a long towel. She also had some herbs, which she handed to Asachelle.

"These will give it a good smell," Caira said, pointing to the pot. "Just add it to the water. Sorry it can't be hot," the dark-haired girl said apologetically, but Asachelle waved it off.

"I am an unintended guest, so I can't really expect you to be able to entertain."

Caira chuckled as Asachelle frowned.

"You've got some interesting phrases," Caira said by way of explanation, and left for the woods as Asachelle hauled the pot to the pond.

After a quick supper of plants and bread, Caira secured her pouches around her waist and did a quick check of her weapons. She went to leave one knife, it having been dulled to the point of uselessness against any real enemy, but paused. Going to Asachelle's house, she rapped on the bark.

Asachelle's face peered out of the tree, a trail of dirt following a swipe of her hand across her cheek to move an errant hair.

"Here, take this." Caira held the dagger sheath out, but Asachelle backed away in alarm.

"No, no, I do not use weapons," the blonde said firmly. "I don't know how."

"It's not hard. Poke them before they poke you. Besides, it's not like I expect any attacks. The monsters stay out of this part of the woods for some reason. Or they do now, anyway," Caira muttered under her breath; she'd cleared them all out quite a while ago, and no more replaced them.

Asachelle gingerly took the sheath, holding it as if it were going to bite her before putting it on the table.

"Are you going to be okay while I'm gone?" Caira asked, eyes searching the small girl's face. Asachelle smiled weakly, nodding.

"I've got…stuff. To keep me occupied."

Her hand went into a pocket Caira hadn't noticed the blonde girl had, and Caira nodded.

"All right." The dark-haired girl paused, trying to think of something to say, but came up with nothing.

This was the longest she'd been around anyone in quite some time.

As the sun sank slowly into the trees, Caira did one last check before deeming herself ready. Going to leave, she heard an odd noise-was that sobbing?

Caira was going to turn back, see if that was Asachelle, but the needs of two outweighed the curiosity of one. Mentally apologizing to the small girl, Caira quietly left the town and emerged cautiously at Hyrule Field, ready for anything-or anyone.