Hell Is For Children

Chapter Two

"Rune!"

Rune straightened, still holding the jars under his arms. The children continued to work, transporting pottery and utensils and books, basically everything that the Masters owned that was light enough for them to carry.

"Come here," called one of the Masters, Zanza. Rune complied, still carrying the heavy jars, (he had learned from another's mistake that a Master's summons was not a temporary break). "You have worked hard for us these past ten years, boy," Zanza said, looking Rune directly in the eye. Rune shifted his gaze. He was not permitted to gaze upon the Master as an equal. He was inferior. Zanza placed the handle of his whip under Rune's chin, forcing him to look into his face. Rune shifted uncomfortably, but did not struggle.

"You have proven yourself worthy of riding astride your own horse, boy," Zanza continued, "Instead of in that wagon with those children." He said the word 'children' with such loathing that Rune flinched. Rune nodded slightly, lowering his gaze.

"Look at me!"

Rune immediately complied, bracing himself for any blows that would fall upon him in disobeying, or in daring to look a Master in the face. None came.

"You are to steal a horse," Zanza said, "If you wish, you can keep it for yourself. However, if you decide against it, or you make one false move, the horse becomes a working horse for toting our luggage, and you are to remain in the wagon."

Rune nodded again.

"Good. Now, get those jars to the wagon and get moving. The best place to check for horses is the ranch. Be sure to steal a fine one."

Rune nodded, hurrying over and loading the jars onto the wagon. He remained a little while longer, putting the last of the heavy items onto the wagon before turning and leaving, headed in the direction of the ranch. Zanza watched him leave, a smirk visible on his face.

"Is it wise to let him leave unattended, Zanza?" asked Morai, who appeared beside his partner.

"He is loyal. And even if not so to us, he is to the children. He would not sell them out for his own disgusting hide…"

"He is a beautiful lad, though," Morai said with a smirk, "His silver hair is luminous, and his skin is so pale. He bears the beauty of the moon itself. It is no wonder that the lad is a Sheikah."

"Yes, a Sheikah," Zanza agreed, "That is the only reason we kept him and Morion. They are of legendary race… the Sheikah. This is beneficial to us, especially with their powers. Morion has already proved his loyalty to us in killing that one boy who nearly escaped in the last Clearing."

"Yes… Rune nearly let the coward escape…" Morai grimaced, "We certainly taught the boy a lesson in obeying commands."

"Yes. I believe the marks are still on his back, as is the scar left on him from your blade, Morai…"

The two turned, and found themselves facing Tora, the Head Master.

"The children have loaded the wagons and are awaiting departure," he said, shifting his gaze between them, "Let's not waste any time. We move to the next checkpoint. Rune remembers where it is. He will find us." He turned away and walked towards the wagons.

"Sir, do you honestly think the boy will succeed in his mission and return to us?" Morai asked, "He won't abandon us and give away our secret?"

"He won't," Tora replied, not faltering in his steps, "He still remembers the Clearing. He doesn't want the children to die. And he will do what he can to spare them of their early deaths. Now let's move."

'

Malon paced anxiously by the entrance to the corral, wringing her hands uneasily. With the sudden rash of abductions, as well as the disappearance of several horses and crates of milk, it was enough to make anyone uneasy. She cared for her horses; she loved them with all her being. She could almost relate to how the parents felt whenever one of the horses was stolen. Almost. She wasn't a mother, so she didn't know the pain of losing a child. If she were to ever have a child, she just hoped it would never come to that.

The familiar whinny of an old friend instantly snapped her out of her reverie and she turned her head, a grin appearing on her face as she saw Epona trotting towards her, bearing Link, and his young son, Keno. Once they were close enough, Keno instantly launched himself from Epona's back at Malon, who caught him, hugging him tightly. Link laughed softly, calmly dismounting, patting Epona's side gently, and watching as the horse walked slowly into the corral. Then he turned his gaze toward Malon, who had set Keno down, and the boy, with the attention span of a fish, had by now gone off to chase after a cucco.

"It's been a while, Fairy Boy," Malon said with a smirk as she turned to look at Link, who laughed.

"It certainly has been. Keno's been looking forward to seeing you again." He smiled at her, gesturing for her to follow as they went closer to the stables so they could keep a better eye on Keno.

"So, how are things at the castle?" Malon asked, "How does our queen fare?"

"Well, if you ignore the stress over trying to find who is behind the kidnappings, I would assume she's fine. But, since it isn't something we can ignore, she's been under a lot of pressure recently, so not so well," Link replied with a sigh as he leaned back against the wall.

"And since you're the Hero of Time, and probably one of her most trusted guards, a lot of that stress and pressure must have landed on you, huh?" Malon asked quietly, glancing at Keno as he drew dearer, and soon was out of earshot again.

"It has. I'm lucky to get home before sundown. Luckily, the people at Kakariko are willing to look after Keno for me while I'm gone."

"Yeah… Kairi was very well-known and well-liked. Not to mention the niece of the woman that founded the village," Malon said pensively, "I'm not surprised that the villagers are so willing to take care of Keno after the accident."

Link was silent, staring at the ground. Malon frowned. He had 'that look' again. Whenever someone mentioned his late wife, Kairi, he always fell silent and had this look on his face. It was like his face was a mask. You couldn't figure out his emotions because his face bore no expression. Yet those that knew him well enough could see the torment in his eyes.

She walked over to him, placing one hand on his cheek, forcing him to face her. "…I'm sorry about what happened to Kairi. We all are. There was nothing that could have been done to prevent it. But at least her sacrifice managed to spare Keno's life. If it hadn't been for her, Keno might not have lived that day." She trailed off for a minute, and then managed a small smile. "Kairi once told me that she liked it when you smiled. She hated to see you sad, even just a little. So cheer up and give us a smile, Fairy Boy. Do you really want Kairi to be sad?" She flicked his nose.

Link was silent a few seconds longer, and then he smiled. "Thanks, Malon."

"Anytime, Fairy Boy."

There was a loud whinny, followed by a loud shout of pain, which made them both turn towards the noise, only to see a horse run out from behind the corral. Link looked over at Keno, who was still chasing after cuccos, and then looked to Malon.

"…There isn't anyone else here, is there?"

"No," Malon replied, shaking her head, "Dad and Mr. Ingo are in town selling milk."

Link nodded slowly before moving slowly towards the corral, with Malon following slowly behind him. They made their way around the perimeter, towards the back of the corral. Crouched behind the corral, carefully nursing a large bruise over one eye was a boy that hardly seemed to be any older than fifteen. He was dressed in dark, tattered clothes, and his silver hair was rather untidy, stained with dirt and… blood.

"Hey… are you all right?" Link asked worriedly as he drew nearer. The boy turned his head to face them, his eyes wide with what seemed to be fear. He was paralyzed for maybe a second, but he recovered quickly, reaching into the pocket of his tunic, drawing out three deku nuts. He threw them on the ground, and Link immediately shut his eyes for the explosion of light, opening them the second it had passed. His arm lashed out, grabbing the collar of the boy's tunic, halting what would have been a hasty escape. The boy immediately started fighting tooth and nail to get away, but Link held him firmly holding the boy to his chest, effectively pinning the youth's arms, like he would hold Keno whenever the boy had decided to throw a tantrum, which, thankfully, was a rare occasion. The boy did not fight long, knowing that Link had overpowered him, and it was a waste of his strength to keep fighting. He just remained motionless, glaring at the ground, his red eyes like fire.

"…I need you to tell me your name," Link said calmly, albeit hesitantly, "Is your family nearby?"

The boy remained silent, glaring at the ground. Link studied him for a moment before looking to Malon. She was staring at the boy, frowning slightly. She approached Link slowly, studying the boy a moment longer before whispering in Link's ear, "You may want to take him to the castle… he may prove useful in finding the other children…"

Link cocked one eyebrow curiously. "…How…?"

"The guards will explain it to you. Two of the castle guards arrived earlier today, and they had new information in finding who was behind the abductions… you'll see… just take him to the castle as soon as possible."

"…All right…" Link sighed, looking to the boy. He was hesitant, and then he loosened his grip a little. "…I'm going to let you go now. I would advise that you not run away or fight back. I don't mean you any harm." He paused a moment longer, and then released the boy, who immediately grabbed for Link's sword. Before it could be unsheathed, Link grabbed the boy's wrist, twisting it ever so slightly before again pinning the boy to his chest. Sighing exasperatedly, he looked to Malon. "…I hate to ask this but can I borrow some rope to make sure he doesn't try that on the way there? The last thing I want is for either Epona or myself to end up without an ear, or more."

Malon nodded uneasily and left, returning with some rope, and two blankets. Link took the rope and slowly bound the boy's hand together by the wrists. Once they were tied, Malon draped the smaller of the two blankets over the youth's arms, to hide the ropes. Then, she draped the second blanket over his shoulders, drawing the blanket over his head to hide his hair. "If anyone were to see the dirt and blood, who knows what they would think…" she said softly.

Link stood with the boy as Malon brought Epona over, watching in interest as the horse nuzzled him gently. Then, he helped the boy onto the rust-colored mare while Kenowho was now done chasing cuccos and much more interested in what his father was doingran up to them as fast as he could, frowning up at his father. "Where're you going, Dad? You said you had the day off!"

"Keno, something's come up and I need to go to the castle immediately… I don't know when I'll be back… Auntie Malon will be here to look after you, though." Link stared at his son for a moment, frowning as well. Then, he knelt down as he pulled the boy into a firm hug. "I love you, Keno. If I could have things my way, I'd never have to leave you. I hate leaving you like this. But you can always remember this: I'll always come back for you."

Malon stared at them, then looked up at the boy, who had turned his head away. When Link said those final words, she watched as the boy mouthed them exactly. "I'll always come back for you." She frowned slightly. She could almost swear she saw a tear in the youth's eye.

Finally, Link let go of Keno, who immediately went to Malon's side, smiling weakly at his father. Link returned the smile before mounting Epona, nodding slightly to Malon and Keno. "I'll try to be back soon, at least before sundown." He gestured slightly, giving a small wave before nudging Epona's sides, and the horse took off in a strong gallop, soon vanishing through the entrance gates. Keno looked up at Malon, who continued to stare after them for a moment longer. Keno frowned, lightly tugging on her skirt, and she looked at him, giving him a weak smile.

"…Let's go fix you some lunch, Keno."

Author's Notes: Sorry about the delay. My life has been hell. Everything from failing my junior year of high school to losing my best friend to the death of my beloved pet. Not to mention my sister's friend committed suicide, my grandfather just went through surgery, and I had to deal with the bs of my friend "fucking up" suicide over his girlfriend dumping him, and the bs that everyone else "doesn't matter." So yeah. Not much inspiration to write.

If you didn't notice, I changed the title. "Hell Is For Children" is much more suiting, and much more of an attention-grabber. Trust me, if the lives of this children doesn't seem like hell, trust me, if you knew what was going on in my mind, you'd think it was. Some of what I have in my head for what happened to the first set of children is rated NC-17. Not allowed on this site. Lucky for these kids, this is much more watered-down.

Have fun with the imagination.